Saved by Grace Through Faith

 

There are two predominant views that polarize many Christians. One is that we are saved by faith alone. The other is that we are saved by grace alone. There is also the truth that we are saved by grace through faith in Lord Jesus Christ.

While our Heavenly Father overlooks our ignorance, it behooves us to do our best to ensure that we are growing in the knowledge of our salvation. When we read that God desires all men to be saved from sin and death, and come to the full knowledge of the truth (1 Timothy 2:4); this does not mean develop a theology of half-truths. Unfortunately, developing a system of beliefs that are half-truths is what often happens. This is because we have a natural propensity for shortcuts rather than taking the time to understand a matter. This is what has happened when it comes to those who believe we are saved by grace alone and those who believe we are saved by faith alone. The two systems of belief are at different ends of the pole. However, the Bible teaches we are saved by grace through faith in Lord Jesus Christ. In which case, only the deceiver and the deceived would be interested in us shortening the confession of how we are able to obtain salvation.

When we read the Bible, we can isolate a text that says we are saved by grace (Ephesians 2:5). We also read Scripture that says we are saved by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8) We also read Scripture that says we are saved through faith in Jesus Christ (2 Timothy 2:15). When we put these together we come to the conclusion that the Bible does not teach we are saved by grace alone; neither does the it teach we are saved by faith alone; for the Bible teaches we are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. Then there is also Scripture that teaches whoever believes in their heart that God raises the dead and confesses with their lips that Jesus is Lord, they shall be saved (Romans 10:9). Consequently, we can confidently say that we are saved by grace through faith in Lord Jesus Christ and this is the clear teaching of the Bible regarding salvation.

The Unbelief Of Unbelievers

One of the problems for people, who only preach half-truths or accept half-truths taken out of context, is evident in a post placed on the internet that has been excerpted and reproduced below:

If salvation is left up to sinful people to choose, no one will ever choose salvation if people have a heart that is always inclined to evil (Gen. 6:5). This is a heart that is "desperately sick and beyond cure" (Jer. 17:9), that is a "slave of sin" (Rom. 6:17), that is not capable of accepting the things of God (1 Cor. 2:14), that is "dead in trespasses and sin" (Eph. 2:1); that is "hostile to God" (Colossians 1).

This person (who claims to have earned a Ph.D. and M.Div.) is like so many people who believe that humans have no freewill and were predestined before the foundation of the world to be saved by grace alone. According to their thinking, these people are the ones who have been chosen by God and everybody is condemned to Hell. They do not believe a person has any say in whether they like being born into a world ruled by sin; nor do they believe a person is able to change his thinking because he has reasoned out that the futility, the injustice, misery and evil in this world is not what he desires for his life. Instead, these unbelievers claim only those who have been saved by grace before the foundation of the world are numbered among the elect to be saved from eternal torment. But as we can see from the above quotation, this person (and those of his ilk—mostly Calvinists) do not really believe a sinner can be saved, because even those chosen by grace are inclined to evil. Moreover, they believe all people are sinners who are desperately sick and beyond cure, slaves to sin, and hostile to God, as they are spiritually dead, and not capable of accepting the things of God. The clear implication is only the righteous can be saved. Yet Jesus said that he did not come for the righteous but sinners (Matthew 9:13).

Jesus And Sinners

When we read what Jesus has to say about sinners, there seems to be a different view expressed other than what Calvinists believe and those non-Calvinists who speak about being saved by grace alone. Here is some of what Jesus has had to say about sinners:

When he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!’ I tell you that even so there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents, than over ninety-nine righteous people who need no repentance. Or what woman, if she had ten drachma coins, if she lost one drachma coin, wouldn’t light a lamp, sweep the house, and seek diligently until she found it? When she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the drachma which I had lost.’ Even so, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner repenting.” (Luke 15:6-10)

He spoke also this parable to certain people who were convinced of their own righteousness, and who despised all others. “Two men went up into the temple to pray; one was a Pharisee, and the other was a tax collector. The Pharisee stood and prayed to himself like this: ‘God, I thank you, that I am not like the rest of men, extortionists, unrighteous, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week. I give tithes of all that I get.’ But the tax collector, standing far away, wouldn’t even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.” (Luke 18:9-14)

Pharisees

Those who believe that they are saved by grace alone may not be self-righteous in the same manner as the Pharisees were, but they suffer from the same basic error. The Pharisees saw themselves as Jews who were born into the grace (unmerited favor) that was provided to the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and thereby were saved.  Those who believe in the doctrine of “saved by grace alone” usually believe they were saved before the foundation of the world. This doctrine appeals to people’s pride. This is because just as the Pharisees saw that they were special by birth, so do those who claim to be saved by grace alone view themselves as special, as they believe they were chosen by God before they were born.  Like the Pharisees, they tend to pride themselves in their knowledge of the Scriptures and in their good works, which they claim are done to demonstrate they are saved. Unlike the Pharisees, the saved-by-grace-alone people claim they are still sinners and are unable to know the thoughts of God. This is because they take what is written in the Bible out of context, select verses which they claim prove their points, and neglect those verses that contradict what they say. This is what Isaiah has to say:

“Come, everyone who thirsts, to the waters! Come, he who has no money, buy, and eat! Yes, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Why do you spend money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which doesn’t satisfy? Listen diligently to me, and eat that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in richness. Turn your ear, and come to me. Hear, and your soul will live: and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David. Behold, I have given him for a witness to the peoples, a leader and commander to the peoples. Behold, you shall call a nation that you don’t know; and a nation that didn’t know you shall run to you, because of Yahweh your God, and for the Holy One of Israel; for he has glorified you.”

Seek Yahweh while he may be found. Call on him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts. Let him return to Yahweh, and he will have mercy on him; and to our God, for he will freely pardon.

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, and your ways are not my ways,” says Yahweh. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. For as the rain comes down and the snow from the sky, and doesn’t return there, but waters the earth, and makes it grow and bud, and gives seed to the sower and bread to the eater; so is my word that goes out of my mouth: it will not return to me void, but it will accomplish that which I please, and it will prosper in the thing I sent it to do. For you shall go out with joy, and be led out with peace. The mountains and the hills will break out before you into singing; and all the trees of the fields will clap their hands. (Isaiah 55:1-12)

Actually, both those who believe we are saved by grace alone and those who believe we are saved by faith alone, make use of portions of this passage for different reasons.

 Nevertheless, first, we will consider the key reason why those who lack faith believe that grace alone is sufficient to save people from eternal punishment.

God’s Thoughts, God’s Ways

The portion of Scripture that Calvinists and similar thinking people take out of context is where Isaiah speaks of God’s ways being higher than our ways and His thoughts not being our thoughts. According to their doctrine, since our ways are not God’s ways, and our thoughts are not His thoughts, we can never know His ways or His thoughts. In order to endorse their claims they take these words “Now the natural man doesn’t receive the things of God’s Spirit, for they are foolishness to him, and he can’t know them, because they are spiritually discerned,” and neglect the context once more. Here is the Scripture in context:

But as it is written, “Things which an eye didn’t see, and an ear didn’t hear, which didn’t enter into the heart of man, these God has prepared for those who love him.” But to us, God revealed them through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God.  For who among men knows the things of a man, except the spirit of the man, which is in him? Even so, no one knows the things of God, except God’s Spirit.  But we received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is from God, that we might know the things that were freely given to us by God.  Which things also we speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches, but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual things.  Now the natural man doesn’t receive the things of God’s Spirit, for they are foolishness to him, and he can’t know them, because they are spiritually discerned. But he who is spiritual discerns all things, and he himself is judged by no one.  “For who has known the mind of the Lord, that he should instruct him?” But we have Christ’s mind. (1 Corinthians 2:9-16).

What we are actually told is that, although the natural man cannot understand the things of God, those who possess the Spirit of God are able to do so. We who are born again and have been baptized in the Holy Spirit are able to discern truths of God. When we receive the Holy Spirit, He guides us and leads us into all truth. The Apostle says that God desires all men come to a full knowledge of the truth. Even though we did not know the Lord previously, once we have repented of our sins, this becomes a different matter. When we have been born again and baptized in the Holy Spirit, we are now able to know the truth and possess the mind of Christ.

It is evident that these people select verses from Scripture to suit their belief system and to justify their own interpretation of the Bible. When we read Isaiah, there is a call to repent and turn back to the Lord. It is not those who are saved, but the wicked, who are exhorted to forsake their ways and begin to walk in the ways of the Lord. Nevertheless, before even we forsake our ways, we have to, first, forsake our thoughts that are not beneficial to us. We need to think what it is that we are going to do, before we do it.

The Prophet Isaiah sends out an invitation to people so they might come and receive what the Lord has for them, but they must forsake their thoughts and their ways, otherwise they cannot receive their blessings. And even though an invitation is extended to everyone who is hungry and thirsty, they must nevertheless seek God out for themselves. If people do not seek God, then He will not reveal Himself to them. For the Lord God only reveals Himself to those who seek Him with all their heart, as we have seen in the many Scriptures quoted thus far in this book. As we saw in the parable of the tax collector asking God for mercy, he would have thought this unnecessary, if he had been like the Pharisee, who believed he did not need to seek God and ask for forgiveness of his sins. Indeed, even though God does not want to see the wicked perish and he rejoices when anyone of the wicked returns to Him, there is no partiality. Those who repent of their wicked ways and seek forgiveness, who allow God the opportunity to prove Himself in their lives, will be the ones that are found of Him.

When thinking of being found of God, imagine Him saying, “I have found another person who would like Me to make My home in his or her heart.”

Indeed, we are all called to be the temple of God. Every human being alive today has the capacity to be the temple of the Holy Spirit and be part of the body of Christ. This has been the case since the day of Pentecost, after Jesus had risen from the dead and the baptism of His Spirit was made available to all who called upon His name. This was made possible because Jesus had paid the price to redeem what Adam had lost. The Apostle Paul writes:

Don’t you know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit which is in you, which you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. Therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s. (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)

Believing In Faith Alone

Unlike those who do not believe what the Bible really says about forsaking our wicked ways and developing the mind of Christ, there are people who believe that faith is sufficient of itself to save, and take the idea to the extreme in that they even begin to say such things as “believe in your own faith”. While these people may believe in Jesus, and they believe the word that He spoke, some miss the mark by expecting things that appeal more to people’s greed rather than their need. In the previously quoted Scripture from Isaiah, these people emphasize the faithfulness of God’s word. If God has spoken His expectation, then this will happen, and the same will occur with us.  The principle is good; the principle is right; the principle is true. You can receive what you say. But too often, people find themselves becoming presumptuous and do not realize that they need to confess their sins, repent of sin, and work out their salvation with fear and trembling in the presence of the Lord God. Instead, they are wont to believe that all they need to do is say the word and believe what they have said will prosper in accordance to their command. Besides the teaching in Isaiah, there are a number of other passages that are used to affirm this belief. Here are a few:

Most certainly I tell you, whatever things you bind on earth will have been bound in heaven, and whatever things you release on earth will have been released in heaven. (Matthew 18:18)

When evening came, he went out of the city. As they passed by in the morning, they saw the fig tree withered away from the roots. Peter, remembering, said to him, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree which you cursed has withered away.”

Jesus answered them, “Have faith in God. For most certainly I tell you, whoever may tell this mountain, ‘Be taken up and cast into the sea,’ and doesn’t doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says is happening; he shall have whatever he says. Therefore I tell you, all things whatever you pray and ask for, believe that you have received them, and you shall have them. Whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone; so that your Father, who is in heaven, may also forgive you your transgressions. But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your transgressions.” (Mark 11:19-26)

Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be healthy, even as your soul prospers. (3 John 1:2)

Jesus told His disciples that they have the power to bind anything on Earth. Their word was to be a powerful word. The people in the Faith Movement believe that their word is to be a powerful word, therefore they can bind whatever they like and release forthwith their hearts desire via the spoken word, and it will not return to them void. When Jesus cursed the fig tree, the lesson associated with the event was that His disciples also could have a powerful word; not only capable of cursing fig trees, but also moving mountains.

Many commentators take these mountains to be figurative of obstacles that might arise in a person’s day-to-day existence, or a precondition that prevents a person from realizing a goal, like the need to acquire experience or an educational qualification before registration as a professional practitioner in some enterprise is permitted. This is because people do not seem to have the faith to move mountains, since there has been no record of anybody speaking the word to a mountain for it to move and it has happened according to their command. However, these people overlook issues such as the element of forgiveness, unconfessed sin, inner healing, possessing sufficient faith as not to doubt and being heard by God.

Many people end up blaming God, even turning their backs on Him, because they have spoken a word and it has not come to pass. The presupposition that what one speaks will come to pass is based on the presumption that what Jesus said to His disciples is meant for everybody. This is not always the case. One has to discern what are principles that can be drawn from the lesson and what is case specific. Anyhow, apart from the forgiveness element, what is also overlooked is the degree of faith a person possesses. Possessing the required faith is a different matter to merely believing that something is possible.

Health and prosperity are very much a part of the Word of Faith teaching, often to the extent that adherents overlook the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ and the efficacy of His blood for bearing the fruit of salvation that glorifies God. Many people do not learn the truth, therefore they are not set free from the iniquity that causes their ill-health—not to mention that God promised healing to the Israelites and then gave them food laws that promoted healthy living, which means that eating unhealthy foods becomes a sin against the body. Not only do people have to take responsibility for eating healthily, but they need to learn the principles of prosperity in order to prosper. Because of this neglect, people fall back into sin. Additionally, they do not realize that unconfessed sin, which could be the reasons for emotional and mental (psychological) blockages, and the effects of traumatization prevent believers from growing in faith to claim their blessings of health and prosperity. Moreover, claiming is not quite the same as receiving. One has to believe one has received the claim that is made and be assured within oneself that the request is in accordance to the will of God.  What becomes evident is there is more to getting prayers answered, or speaking the word of faith, than merely opening one’s mouth and speaking. Nevertheless, the Apostle John informs us:

This is the boldness which we have toward him, that, if we ask anything according to his will, he listens to us. And if we know that he listens to us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions which we have asked of him. (1 John 5:13)

The idea that faith alone saves, leads to the concept of people believing that they only need to have faith in their own faith. This is where those who emphasis health and prosperity begin to find themselves very much leaving the doctrine of salvation in Lord Jesus Christ and developing teachings that are more in line with those that are found in Christian Science and in the positive thinking movement, which is about successfulness as measured by worldly criteria. To deny that God does not promise us health and prosperity is to deny the promises of the Bible. For indeed those who forsake their homes, family and wife for the sake of the Gospel will receive one hundredfold in this age, houses, brothers, sisters, mothers, children, and land, with persecutions; and in the age to come eternal life  (Mark 10:29-30; Luke 18:29-30).  The emphasis for many, who adhere to this, becomes materialism and they miss two important truths: responsibility of other people is required and the need to endure persecution—furthermore, the emphasis in Scripture is not on the material gain of health and prosperity, but that following Jesus is not in vain, and this is how to secure eternal life.

Those who focus on being saved by grace alone, tend towards preaching that all men are sinners and can do nothing good. Adherents of this view are found living lives of unbelief as they reject the miraculous workings of God for today. Those who focus on being saved by faith alone, tend towards believing that we can do anything. Consequently, because the Scriptures say that all authority has been given to those who believe, word-faith believers see this as having been given authority to name and claim what they desire for themselves. Unfortunately, it is often the case, they do not see their desires met as they would like. Instead of living lives of faith and bearing fruit that glorifies God, they find themselves being double-minded and living lives of doubt.

Reality And Self Acceptance

When we accept that an impartial God extends grace to all who have lived, are living, and will live on this Earth, and that we have a responsibility to give an account of ourselves before our Heavenly Father, we are beginning to realize that our individuality is important to God. When we understand we need to be personally responsible for our actions, this is the beginning of self-acceptance. Self-acceptance occurs when we accept our place at home and at work, our need to respect those with whom we interact within society, our limitations, our own unique individuality, and our mortality. Finally, we need to understand our purpose for being, and this only occurs, if we know how the human race began. The ultimate answer is the Universe and life, as we know it, had to have been created by an Intelligent Being; for it is impossible that such a complex system has arisen by chance from two inert chemicals. Understanding and knowing the Creator is the most important thing that we need to do, if we are to discover the reason for the seasons and, more particularly, the reason for our season in our physical bodies on Earth. The Bible states:

Yahweh says, Don’t let the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, don’t let the rich man glory in his riches; but let him who glories glory in this, that he has understanding, and knows me, that I am Yahweh who exercises loving kindness, justice, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, says Yahweh. (Jeremiah 9:23-24)

When we consider our own circumstances, it is not until we consider our mortality, the fact that we are going to die, that we begin to question life’s purpose. The questions could follow each other like this: Why did my parents’ grandparents die? What happens when I die? Am I going to be nothing? How can I cease to exist? Why was I born? Why was I born to die? Left puzzled, we may come up with a conclusion along the lines of: surely, there is more to life than being born to die.

The issue of justice is the next consideration that will arise in our minds once we have given some thought to the futility of existence and being born to die, like those who had gone before us. Where is the justice in being born to die, and then having to suffer? The suffering in the world is both physical and emotional. We could say that there is mental suffering. Whatever the case, suffering abounds in the world because of the futility of the cycle of being born and ceasing to exist. The loss of life causes suffering for those that live, and yet we ask the question: Do those that die suffer? Those that live on this Earth know suffering in so many ways.

There is pain as we grow—often called growing pains. This pain can refer to physical pain, as the cells in our body multiply and die off at a faster rate than that to which our body was previously accustomed and our nervous system registers the death of every cell—while we feel the pain. Children often feel these pains in their legs. Known as growing pains, these result from the manufacture of cells and the activity involved. Whereas when people get older, instead of growing pains, they experience the pains of arthritis and rheumatism, as cells diminish in number and the body heads towards death. While we accept pain as part of life, the question we need to ask is this: Why does pain exist?

Pain exists because of loss. Loss is at the heart of all pain. Even when we consider pain from a physical point of view, loss is the reason there is pain. Pain occurs when one thing loses out to another. Growing pains exist because our nerves are registering activity that discards the old and creates the new at a rate that causes our nervous system to lose its connection to the old cells and register (what we could term) a strong complaint. This complaint produces severe pain. The loss of old connections is the reason for the pain, but we only feel the nervous system’s loss when it is sufficiently intense to register. Some people have greater sensitivity to pain than others do; therefore, they become aware of the pain sooner. On the other extreme, some children do not experience pain and, as a result, they do not know when they damage their body. Consequently, highlighted by such cases, we recognize pain as a positive component of how our bodies function, because it warns us of danger or greater loss.  Apart from those persons who suffer from congenital analgesia (insensitivity to pain from birth) where severe pain is unknown by those who still possess the sensation of touch, the truth remains pain is uncomfortable and is something that results from loss.

People grieve because they suffer the loss of someone who was meaningful to them. People do not grieve at the death of anyone, only to those with whom they have had some relationship that was meaningful. A shop assistant might die, and even though the person may have provided a service to people for years as the employee at the local supermarket, the person’s death may go unnoticed and unfelt by the customers. This is because the friendly exchanges at the checkout counter and assistance provided in the supermarket aisles did not develop into an emotional relationship that grew from a sense of dependency in some way. Grief is not felt in superficial relationships as it is for someone whom we interact with on a more intimate basis—if not a close friend, a fictional relationship such as occurs when people become attached emotionally to celebrities, even though the celebrity did not know the person. This is because grieving is the result of emotional loss. Emotional loss occurs when people have an attachment to something. The loss intensifies depending on the significance of the attachment to the person. This is even evidenced with inanimate objects that have sentimental value or provide a sense of achievement because of how they have been acquired; for they are grieved when stolen or lost.  Grief occurs when any item that provides deep emotional satisfaction in some form is lost. Whether objects or persons, we grieve when we feel we suffer loss. Grief is emotional pain that affects people differently; but when felt, it is undeniably real.

The injustice of this world is a focus on loss. Loss of people, loss of belongings, loss of health, loss of abilities, and loss of hope are very real issues that affect us all in one way or the other. Whether we are talking about relationships, household items, equipment and tools, sickness, disfigurements and bodily functions, communication and skills, disasters and death, these occur every day in the world somewhere—even right now.

Every year there might be many more births than deaths in a world that is heading towards a human population of ten billion, but the growth rate is not without the pain of loss. Historically, the global population may be seen as the evolutionary growth of a greater organism that seeks dominance over the planet on which it lives. From an individual point of view, the reality of loss is much more pressing and always seems to wear the disappearing crown of death; for in the end, death reigns. Individual loss of life is the unpleasant experience of existing as an intelligent sentient being, conscious of existence on planet Earth. Futility is unjust. And the fact that we have to suffer sorrow in a futile world in which we did not ask to be born increases the severity of the wrong that is done to every human being that is born. Whichever way we consider the merits of existence on Earth, even if there is a purpose for our existence, there is none in being born to die; just to suffer the injustice of loss, so we can experience pain.

Not only do we experience the pain of sufferance, we are also subject to futility of knowing what love means but never able to actually know its fulfillment. Some claim they do. Most are still looking. But of those who claim they do, the question of fulfillment still remains, because love’s destiny is defeated and destroyed by death. Love may be defined as an inexpressible intense attraction for someone or something that is evidenced in displays of devotion, passion, solicitude, affection, endearment, kindness, goodness, tenderness, appreciation, being cherished, being treasured, attachment, and jealousy. Love is even defined as rational blindness, because realities are often overlooked and explained away so a person can express purposeful emotion towards an idol and its representation.

Love for many, who claim to know its fulfillment, may only be attachment as they grow together and rely upon one another for support in their fading years, although satisfied that they got through their lifespan still desirous of each other’s company, even though the passion has long gone. Few in their old age, if any at all, live the memories of enjoying each other’s company and expressing the tenderness of youthful exploration and appreciating the privileges, each gives to the other, to share in the depth of being that can be found in hearts to be treasured, as they engage in solicitous devotion towards the other.

We have the ability to describe fantasy and dream about what could be, if only two people would agree to walk together, with each one devoted to ensuring the enjoyment of the other; for this is what is cherished and treasured above all—the solitary devotion of each to the other. For such love, there is an inner longing in us all; a desire that is deep and yearns for fulfillment in the satisfaction of continuing ecstasy, which could only belong to an eternal fire. If only it were possible to be ablaze with the intensity of eternity, the idea of love bursting forth, never to end, incoming and overflowing, forever growing with feelings that produce happiness and a state of bliss, where anxiety and fears are unknown. Such an existence we have the capacity to imagine, yet we suffer in our own lives from its non-existence. Such love does not exist on Earth. All we see are glimpses of what we know could be, should be, and would be, if everyone were able to experience a pure desire for truth and an eternal purpose, by being creative, and appreciative of each other’s contribution to righteous living. For most of us, we just know our need to have our inner desires fulfilled and, for some reason, we intuitively sense that this is a need for love.

The closest many of us come to seeing love in action is usually after a mother has given birth to her child and is devoted to ensuring her baby’s comfort. The mother experiences facets of life that men are denied. Nevertheless, short-term experiences of intense feelings of solicitude only create a yearning for more. Maybe this is why more women are inclined to seek out God and experience the joy of knowing their Lord and Savior than there are men who do the same. The recognition of what is missing in the world is more evident to mothers who have experienced the rich feelings of a heart devoted to the purity of her newborn child.

Nobody has asked to be born into this world. We find ourselves here, suffering an injustice that needs to be set right. Now many people do not see this as an honest appraisal of the situation. Instead, they see themselves as being special and without the need to be responsible or accept accountability for their own actions. Consequently, the idea that atonement is required for humans having been born into sin in order that justice is done, is not something that they like, because this means each person is required to be honest in his or her introspection and assessment of where he or she stands in respect to God and fellow humans.

The Devil has got in with his doctrine of double predestination that some are destined for Heaven, but most for Hell. Accompanying this doctrine is another one of unlimited unconditional grace for those who have been predestined for Heaven. Therefore, since they think they have been saved before the foundation of the world, they will believe that it is all right if they sin, because they were born into total depravity, which means they lack the power to overcome their iniquity—not while they are alive on planet Earth. Instead of faith in God, those who believe this, will suffer unbelief and stumble without knowing the power of faith. They will be candidates for intellectual pride and live a life of hypocrisy, having a form of godliness but denying themselves the experience of God’s love through the baptism and power of the Holy Spirit (John 1:33; Romans 5:5).

We Deserve Justice

We did not ask to be born into this world. Our Creator, therefore, owes us an explanation as to why He has allowed us to be born into a world governed by sin. We have the right to be angry with God. This is the case, even though He is our Maker. The Bible speaks about the potter and the clay, and the Apostle Paul puts the proposition that the clay has no right to talk back to the potter. However, the Bible says that we are invited to come to God, and with reason, debate the issues regarding our position. On the one hand, this looks like we have a major contradiction, while, on other hand, if the Bible is the authoritative written word of God, then there has to be a reason why this apparent contradiction exists, and we should be able to put both assertions into a correct perspective.

Firstly, there is a reason why the Bible has contradictions. One reason is to prevent hypocrites (pretenders) from discovering the truth of what they are going to face when they are judged for eternity and have to share eternal punishment with the Devil and his angels. Jesus clearly taught this:

The disciples came, and said to him, “Why do you speak to them in parables?”

He answered them, “To you it is given to know the mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven, but it is not given to them. For whoever has, to him will be given, and he will have abundance, but whoever doesn’t have, from him will be taken away even that which he has.  Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they don’t see, and hearing, they don’t hear, neither do they understand.  In them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says,

‘By hearing you will hear, and will in no way understand; Seeing you will see, and will in no way perceive: for this people’s heart has grown callous, their ears are dull of hearing, they have closed their eyes; or else perhaps they might perceive with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their heart, and would turn again;  and I would heal them.’ (Matthew 13:10-15)

He said to them, “To you is given the mystery of God’s Kingdom, but to those who are outside, all things are done in parables, that ‘seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand; lest perhaps they should turn again, and their sins should be forgiven them.’” (Mark 4:11-12)

Just after telling the disciples the reason why He spoke in parables, Jesus goes on to explain to His inner group of disciples the meaning of the parable we know as The Sower and The Seed. Interestingly, the Devil was able to come and take away the seed from the hard ground. This seed was the word of God, the word of truth, which is able to save people’s souls. The description of those who have grown callous (hard of heart), and are dull of hearing, fits those who are hypocrites; that is, those who preach but do not practice. In their case, by virtue of practice they declared evil was good and good was evil. This is what Isaiah had to say about such people:

Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight! (Isaiah 5:20-21)

Now the Devil is very deceptive, and he is always seeking to prevent people from discovering the truth. Some people claim that Jesus did this on purpose to prevent sinners from learning the truth. However, Jesus spoke in parables to prevent hypocrites from realizing they were going to Hell and then repenting out of fear of punishment, whereas those who truly desired the truth would come to Jesus and ask Him the meaning of the parables. This was an effective way of sifting the wheat from the chaff. Many people were drawn to Jesus, but only the comparative few who demonstrated that they were earnest seekers of the Messiah got to be chosen by Him to be His disciples. Hence, we learn of Jesus rejoicing about the wisdom of this approach. For this is really in keeping with the way God does things, and has been doing things all along, as we shall see in the following verses:

In that same hour, Jesus rejoiced in the Holy Spirit, and said, “I thank you, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for so it was well-pleasing in your sight.” Turning to the disciples, he said, “All things have been delivered to me by my Father. No one knows who the Son is, except the Father, and who the Father is, except the Son, and he to whomever the Son desires to reveal him.” (Luke 10:21-22)

You shall seek me, and find me, when you shall search for me with all your heart. (Jeremiah 29:13)

But from there you shall seek Yahweh your God, and you shall find him, when you search after him with all your heart and with all your soul. (Deuteronomy 4:29)

You, Solomon my son, know the God of your father, and serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind; for Yahweh searches all hearts, and understands all the imaginations of the thoughts. If you seek him, he will be found by you; but if you forsake him, he will cast you off forever. (1 Chronicles 28:9)

For thus says the Lord Yahweh: Behold, I myself, even I, will search for my sheep, and will seek them out. (Ezekiel 34:11)

We are saved by grace, because if we did not have the favor of the Lord we would not be able to overcome the Devil. We ourselves cannot claim that we have not sinned, but then we did not ask to be born into this world. Those of us who have grown to hate wickedness, or long for something better than what this world has to offer, even though we find ourselves trapped in sin, can still call out to God. The more earnest we are in our search for God, the better our chances of being found by God. This is not to suggest that God is incapable of knowing what is going on in our lives every minute of the day; rather, as is indicated in the above verses of Scripture, any less than a pure devotion in our effort is insufficient to truly be chosen of Him. Importantly, the warning that was given to Solomon needs to be acknowledged; because if we forsake God, after having come to a full knowledge of the truth, we can lose our salvation. Prior to that ever happening, every one of us has access to the grace of God. This grace enables us to reach out in faith and seek God.

While the Bible appears to have contradictions, these are only apparent and not real. When we put matters into perspective, we begin to see the reasons why they exist. As we have seen, Jesus spoke in parables to sort out those who were like children and would come to him to ask what the parables meant; whereas the hypocrites, who did not want to show they were ignorant, made out they knew better.  This way the hypocrites dismissed the sayings of Jesus and continued on their way. Thus, access to Jesus by those who were willing to admit that they did not understand what He was saying was easier, without having to wade through a crowd of hypocrites seeking the spotlight and making life more difficult for the downtrodden.

The Potter And The Clay

In respect to the potter and the clay, this deals with the nation of Israel and not the individual. Unfortunately, those who think they are wise and understanding, but do not seek the truth of the Scriptures by earnestly seeking the Lord to reveal their true meaning, fail to perceive what is true. Instead, being haughtily uplifted in deceptive self-perception and entangled in their own egotistical pride, they become intent of doing the Devil’s work. Those who subscribe to the false doctrine that we do not have freewill and are unable to make choices between what is right or wrong, or what is good or evil, claim they exalt God; yet these ones attribute to our Heavenly Father activity that originates from the Devil. This they do by claiming that God expressly ordained people before the foundation of the world to be wicked; so that He could deliver them to eternal punishment, while setting some people apart who would form the elect, even though they too were evil. With neither having any say in the matter, one group is predestined to be tormented forever, while the other enjoys a blissful existence. Such a doctrine does not exalt God as righteous but instead belittles His greatness and omniscience. By doing this, they say good is evil and evil is good. As we saw from Isaiah, these people are wise in their own sight, and excluded from seeing the truth.  Once more, we will consider Romans chapter nine:

I tell the truth in Christ. I am not lying, my conscience testifying with me in the Holy Spirit, that I have great sorrow and unceasing pain in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed from Christ for my brothers’ sake, my relatives according to the flesh, who are Israelites; whose is the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the service, and the promises; of whom are the fathers, and from whom is Christ as concerning the flesh, who is over all, God, blessed forever. Amen. (Romans 9:1-5)

In the first five verses of this chapter, the Apostle Paul is saying that he sorrows not for an individual, but for the Israelites as a nation. This is that which is of the flesh and has nothing to do with being saved by grace or predestined as part of the elect in Jesus Christ before the foundation of the world. Importantly, if we charge the Lord God with being the author of sin, then we are blaspheming the Holy Spirit, because we are saying good is evil. In the first chapter of Genesis, the statement “God saw that it was good” occurs frequently. The last time we read of God’s view about what He created in the first chapter of Genesis, we learn:

God saw everything that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. There was evening and there was morning, a sixth day. (Genesis 1:31)

To suggest that God created evil is to blaspheme the Holy Spirit. Sin is evil. The suggestion that our loving Heavenly Father created people in His Own image just to condemn them to everlasting torment as punishment is to attribute evil to Him  There is no forgiveness for those who blaspheme against the Holy Spirit (Luke 12:10).  Consequently, the Apostle feels great sorrow that the goodness of God, extended to the Israelites as a nation, has been spurned. God created the nation Israel to be His representative among the nations on Earth.

Often when a person starts up a company, that person becomes the figurehead who represents the company. The name of Bill Gates, for instance, is often used by people when referring to Microsoft; Washington is used for the United States of America (George Washington was the first president and the USA capital is named after him). Wall Street is often used to refer to bankers. These are known as metonyms, where one term is substituted for another. The use of metonymy in the Bible tends to confuse people who misinterpret this to mean the actual person. Pharaoh is a term for Egypt. Abraham and Jacob are terms for Israel. Esau is a term for Edom. Moses denotes the first five books of the Bible and the Law. And there are other instances of metonymy. The Apostle uses this form of speech himself and we will find Ishmael representative of the nations that inhabit the surrounding areas of Israel. Overlooking the use of metonymy in the Bible can lead to much error. This is what occurs when people subscribe to the doctrines known as TULIP, which appear to be founded on the belief that God, being the author of sin, is said to hate Esau, not realizing that Esau was used as a figure to represent the nation Edom.

With this understanding, that Paul is concerned with the nation of Israel and the use of metonymy is interspersed in his argument, let us continue to examine what the Apostle Paul has written:

But it is not as though the word of God has come to nothing. For they are not all Israel, that are of Israel. Neither, because they are Abraham’s offspring, are they all children. But, “your offspring will be accounted as from Isaac.” That is, it is not the children of the flesh who are children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as heirs. For this is a word of promise, “At the appointed time I will come, and Sarah will have a son.” (Romans 9:6-9)

Interestingly, we learn that the offspring are accounted from Isaac, who was the child of promise. We also learn that the descendants of Israel are descendants according to the flesh, but natural procreation is not a condition for salvation.  Israel is the name that Jacob was given after he had recognized that he was not worthy of God’s steadfast love and faithfulness. For we read:

And Jacob said, “O God of my father Abraham and God of my father Isaac, O Lord who didst say to me, ‘Return to your country and to your kindred, and I will do you good,’ I am not worthy of the least of all the steadfast love and all the faithfulness which thou hast shown to thy servant, for with only my staff I crossed this Jordan; and now I have become two companies. Deliver me, I pray thee, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau, for I fear him, lest he come and slay us all, the mothers with the children.  But thou didst say, ‘I will do you good, and make your descendants as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude.’”.........Then he said, “Your name shall no more be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with men, and have prevailed.” (Genesis 32:9-12, 28)

Notice that Jacob says that he is two companies. This is a prophetic reference to the fact that Jacob is the father of those who have faith and also the father of the nation Israel that was to occupy the land promised to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob himself.  Now having become two companies Jacob is given the name Israel. However, this apparently counts for nothing, even though the nation of Israel has been chosen of God via unconditional election. Yet we notice also this distinction between the promise of the descendants and the promise of the land when God speaks to Jacob and tells Him a second time that he is to be known as Israel. The scripture records:

God appeared to Jacob again, when he came from Paddan Aram, and blessed him. God said to him, “Your name is Jacob. Your name shall not be Jacob any more, but your name will be Israel.” He named him Israel. God said to him, “I am God Almighty. Be fruitful and multiply. A nation and a company of nations will be from you, and kings will come out of your body.  The land which I gave to Abraham and Isaac, I will give it to you, and to your offspring after you will I give the land.” (Genesis 35:9-12)

Not only is there a reference to the land promised to Abraham and Isaac but notice the distinction between a nation and a company of nations. Some have drawn from this that there are prophetic references here to the United States of America, the British Commonwealth of Nations and Israel being the offspring to whom the Promised Land is given. The British Israelite Theory does have much support from the Bible. However, we are not concerned with that. What we are considering is the fact that as two companies, there were those who would be Israel according to the flesh, and there would those who form the true Israel according to the promise, which comes through faith.

Whenever we read of the fathers, we are never told they are Abraham, Isaac and Israel. The fathers are Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, not Israel.  The promise was given to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, but not Israel, for this was the name that God declared Jacob would be called after God had blessed Him, even though there appears to be a mixed blessing when he was named Israel. But here, even those who argue for the British Israelite theory assert that this reference to a nation, a company of nations and offspring who occupy the land are flesh descendants. Hence, we read of Jesus saying:

‘I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob?’ God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.” (Matthew 22:32)

Salvation is a personal matter and requires faith; for the just (those who are righteous) shall live by faith (Galatians 3:11). This does not exclude grace, because what God chooses is a matter of grace. Hence, God chose the nation Israel through election out of His grace and not because of faith; this does not mean all who are born of Israel are saved, yet those whose God is the God of Jacob are saved. The importance of Jacob returning to God through faith, before being named Israel as a matter of election, is not to be overlooked. In fact, Jacob and Israel are different aspects of the same person, one is of faith and the other is of election because of faith. The implication is salvation comes through faith and not by grace alone; but once saved, God’s unmerited favor, that is, His grace, extends even more.  Even though God elects the nation Israel, the members of the nation according to the flesh are not the elect. The elect are those who through faith come to the Lord; these are the children of promise and these are the heirs.  The book of Romans mentions this earlier on:

For the promise to Abraham and to his offspring that he should be heir of the world wasn’t through the law, but through the righteousness of faith.  For if those who are of the law are heirs, faith is made void, and the promise is made of no effect.  For the law produces wrath, for where there is no law, neither is there disobedience.  For this cause it is of faith, that it may be according to grace, to the end that the promise may be sure to all the offspring, not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all.  As it is written, “I have made you a father of many nations.” (Romans 4:13-17a)

Notice that the promise of the inheritance is to be received by faith and not grace. It was by grace that the nation Israel was created, not because of the faith of any of the Israelites, but because God chose to elect Jacob, rather than Esau as the chosen person from which to develop the nation to which the Mosaic Covenant would be given. Grace, that is, God’s divine favor was on Jacob due to foreknowledge and yet because of his faith, as in the case of Abraham, who had been given the promise. Election, was only ratified after the promise had been received through faith. Abraham received the promise by faith, and by grace Israel was elected through Jacob; but only because of God’s foreknowledge of Jacob’s faith. For by faith Jacob believed Esau would sell him his birthright (Genesis 25:31-33). By faith, Jacob made himself hairy like Esau, so that he would receive the blessing from Isaac (Genesis 27:1-33). In this respect, God’s divine favor (grace) is able to prevail once faith has secured the promise—and in our case, we secure the promised inheritance with the assurance of the Holy Spirit as a guarantee (Ephesians 1:13; 4:30).

The Apostle Paul also argues that where there is no law, there is no disobedience (Romans 3:20; 5:13; 7:7). This is strange in many respects, because disobedience of rightful actions is the reason actions need to be legislated in law. However, when we think of the way politicians and lawyers and judges formulate, argue about, and interpret laws, if they did not exist, then there would be none of the manipulation and no disobedience of the law of the land. Nevertheless, the Apostle Paul’s assertion (where there is no law, there is no disobedience—no sin) begins to make sense when we realize that the book of Romans has been written to those who have an understanding of the Jewish customs, which include the Law of God.

The Law was brought in to reveal and demonstrate what is required to be righteous and have the right to live. Those that fail to keep God’s Law in every aspect of righteousness, forfeit the right to life. Hence, the Law of God is a curse to those who fail to keep it in any respect.  The Apostle, referring to the Law of God, then speaks about law in general, and argues that law only applies to those who are born into the culture where it holds precedence. The law, that is the complete Mosaic Law with all its ceremonial requirements, does not apply to those who are born into a kingdom over which it has no jurisdiction.

Gentiles were not born into a culture or kingdom that was governed by the Law of God in its Mosaic form, even though they by nature were alerted to the natural law, defined by the Ten Commandments, within their own consciences (Rom. 2:14-15). Gentiles were still to be judged by their actions and their words; only the Israelites were afforded more divine favor because they possessed knowledge about God’s requirements that the other nations lacked.

The Apostle Paul is attempting to get those who are Jews to realize that there was a time that the Law of Moses did not exist, and God’s favor was extended to all peoples without recourse to the requirements of the Law. During this period, the promise of obtaining an inheritance had been given to Abraham, who is the father of many nations, but not by natural means of procreation, rather by spiritual means, wherein an inheritance is made available to everyone through the death of one of his offspring, which is Jesus Christ, for we read:

Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us. For it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree,” that the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Christ Jesus; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. Brothers, speaking of human terms, though it is only a man’s covenant, yet when it has been confirmed, no one makes it void, or adds to it. Now the promises were spoken to Abraham and to his offspring. He doesn’t say, “To descendants”, as of many, but as of one, “To your offspring”, which is Christ. Now I say this. A covenant confirmed beforehand by God in Christ, the law, which came four hundred thirty years after, does not annul, so as to make the promise of no effect. For if the inheritance is of the law, it is no more of promise; but God has granted it to Abraham by promise. (Gal. 3:13-18)

The inheritance was by promise to Abraham but realized in Jesus Christ. God revealed to the Apostle that the promises were to an offspring of Abraham and not them all—only to one offspring.

Another very important point that needs noting is that an inheritance passes down to another at the death of the person who possesses something to offer beneficiaries.  If a person has nothing to leave, there is nothing for others to inherit. In the case of Jesus, the redemption He obtained for those who were captive to sin is now available as an inheritance. An inheritance is not something people earn. An inheritance is a gift. This is why we are saved by grace through faith. Faith is required for us to come forward and receive the gift. For without faith it is impossible to please God, and those who seek Him do so because they believe they will be rewarded (Hebrews 11:6) by receiving the gift of redemption, as their portion of the inheritance that has been left for all who have faith in the promises of God.

Not one of us asked to be born into this world. We were subjected to sin against our wills. We were born into a world that is governed by the Devil.  Israelites were born into a culture where they were taught from birth the righteousness of God. Gentiles, unlike Israelites, did not even have the luxury of choosing to disobey God’s law, because they did not know what the commandments were. God created Adam and placed him in an environment where sin was unknown, but he sinned and lost his right to reign over the Earth.  Israelites were born into an environment where they learned from birth the requirements of God; yet still in a world governed by sin. Gentiles were born into an environment where sin reigns—and still does—without the Law of God identifying it.

Nevertheless, when Jesus died, having become sin on our behalf, He sacrificed His life in the flesh so that He can impute His righteousness to us as an inheritance. We receive this righteousness through faith in the death and resurrection of Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus’ death redeemed what Adam had lost—the right to rule the Earth in righteousness.  Jesus secured His right to rule by His resurrection from the dead, but His death was the price He had to pay to regain legal authority over the Earth. The following passage makes clear that a buy back has occurred through the death of Jesus, and His will has been probated by his death, having been certified, even though Jesus rose from the dead (Romans 1:4). We learn:

But Christ having come as a high priest of the coming good things, through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation, nor yet through the blood of goats and calves, but through his own blood, entered in once for all into the Holy Place, having obtained eternal redemption. For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling those who have been defiled, sanctify to the cleanness of the flesh: how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without defect to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? For this reason he is the mediator of a new covenant, since a death has occurred for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first covenant, that those who have been called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance.  For where a last will and testament is, there must of necessity be the death of him who made it.  For a will is in force where there has been death, for it is never in force while he who made it lives. (Hebrews 9:11-17)

Jesus purchased the right to rule the world in righteousness. As the testator of His will, He has decreed that all who believe in Him can share in the righteousness which He has and be baptized by the Holy Spirit to empower them to overcome the world of sin and reign in life. Only those who seek to know Jesus will find Him. Those who dismiss the inheritance that is offered to every person by grace through faith in Lord Jesus Christ, and reject the terms of acceptance, will miss out. This is similar to a will having been made with conditions, and beneficiaries missing out because they disregard the requirements for obtaining the inheritance in a human court of law. They are not able to obtain their rights once waived. This is also similar to what happened in the case of Jacob and Esau, which the Apostle raises regarding the purpose of election.

Not only so, but Rebekah also conceived by one, by our father Isaac. For being not yet born, neither having done anything good or bad, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him who calls, it was said to her, “The elder will serve the younger.” Even as it is written, “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.” (Rom.  9:10-13)

In the book of Malachi, we learn:

A revelation, Yahweh’s word to Israel by Malachi. “I have loved you,” says Yahweh. Yet you say, “How have you loved us?” “Wasn’t Esau Jacob’s brother?” says Yahweh, “Yet I loved Jacob; but Esau I hated, and made his mountains a desolation, and gave his heritage to the jackals of the wilderness.”  Whereas Edom says, “We are beaten down, but we will return and build the waste places”; Yahweh of Armies says, “They shall build, but I will throw down; and men will call them ‘The Wicked Land,’ even the people against whom Yahweh shows wrath forever. (Malachi 1:1-4)

God is love (1 John 4:8). God is righteous and just (Isaiah 45:21). If God is a righteous God of love, how could He hate Esau before he was born? For God to hate Esau is incomprehensible and contrary to His nature; for He even hates the death of the wicked (Ezekiel 18:32). How could a loving righteous God hate Esau before he was born? In the context of Malachi, we see Edom is hated of God; not Esau himself, even though the passage refers to Esau as having not secured election. Note it is the mountains of Esau that are a desolation—so where are those mountains? They are in Edom. Esau was called Edom (Genesis 25:30), and this is the use of metonymy.

For God to not show partiality and choose Jacob over Esau, He had to possess foreknowledge of the two children’s behavior as adults. Possessing foreknowledge is based on insight and an understanding of behavioral patterns within society. To suggest that God is incapable of this is to say that He possesses less knowledge than the many men and women who have demonstrated that they possess this ability. Predictions based on human behavior or society are not that difficult. For instance, many atheists predict there will be a one-world government based on the patterns of human economic behavior. People make predictions based on probabilities and are proven right often.

One classic example of a person making a prediction based on foresight was demonstrated by the late Kerry Packer, when selling his Australian television empire to the first person to win the America’s Cup from the USA, Alan Bond. When Packer sold his television empire for an unbelievable amount of money at the time, people said he was mad. Packer claimed that a gift like the amount he received (pre-internet days) only comes once in a lifetime; besides he would get the television empire back for less than half the price—and so he did.[1]

Another example is artificial intelligence (AI). AI can make predictions based on patterns of past behavior. These patterns emerge from the data, which is influenced by the parameters set within the model and the boundaries of the knowledge available. The effectiveness of AI predictions relies on the quality of the data and the algorithms used to analyze it.

In the case of Jacob and Esau, God knew that the cultural and geographical settings at the time would foster the two nations formed in the womb of Rebekah. Already, Isaac and Ishmael had gone different ways. Only Esau had a right offered to him, but he rejected it.  We obtain some insight as to the reason why Esau might have despised his birthright from the following New Testament exhortation to us:

Follow after peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no man will see the Lord, looking carefully lest there be any man who falls short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and many be defiled by it; lest there be any sexually immoral person, or profane person, like Esau, who sold his birthright for one meal.  For you know that even when he afterward desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for a change of mind though he sought it diligently with tears. (Hebrews 12:14-17)

Esau is said to be a sexually immoral person and profane; that is, he was a godless person, unspiritual and worldly. Evidently, God foresaw this and made the prediction. Nevertheless, this does not mean that God has thrown Esau into Hell. For the Bible says, that if we forgive others, our Heavenly Father will forgive us (Matthew 6:14) and we learn that Esau forgave Jacob, which is the criterion for forgiveness from God, for we read:

Esau said, “I have enough, my brother; let that which you have be yours.”

Jacob said, “Please, no, if I have now found favor in your sight, then receive my present at my hand, because I have seen your face, as one sees the face of God, and you were pleased with me. Please take the gift that I brought to you, because God has dealt graciously with me, and because I have enough.” He urged him, and he took it. (Genesis 33:9-11)

The Apostle Paul goes on to ask a question about the unrighteousness of God’s decision, and this gives the impression that God does whatever He likes to whomever He likes. As we have seen, the righteousness of God cannot tolerate partiality, but in His foreknowledge, and allowing for human freewill, predictions are possible because of cultural, demographic and geographical factors (which is what Kerry Packer was able to do regarding the sale and repurchase of his TV empire)—and to this, we could add birth order and family psychology.  What we do know is that God has set the boundaries of the nations, in the hope that people might feel after Him and find Him; what people do within those boundaries determines their eternal future (Acts 17:26-27). What the Bible tells us is those who seek God with all their heart and soul will find Him. The Apostle continues:

What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? May it never be! For he said to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” So then it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who has mercy.  (Romans 9:14-16)

When God spoke to Moses and said that he will have mercy and compassion on whomever He wills, this needs to be understood in the context of God’s righteousness. For Moses wrote:

For I will proclaim Yahweh’s name. Ascribe greatness to our God! The Rock, his work is perfect, for all his ways are just.  A God of faithfulness who does no wrong, just and right is he. They have dealt corruptly with him. They are not his children, because of their defect. They are a perverse and crooked generation. Is this the way you repay Yahweh, foolish and unwise people?

Isn’t he your father who has bought you? He has made you and established you. Remember the days of old. Consider the years of many generations. Ask your father, and he will show you; your elders, and they will tell you.  When the Most High gave to the nations their inheritance, when he separated the children of men, he set the bounds of the peoples according to the number of the children of Israel [sons of God].

For Yahweh’s portion is his people. Jacob is the lot of his inheritance. He found him in a desert land, in the waste howling wilderness. He surrounded him. He cared for him. He kept him as the apple of his eye. As an eagle that stirs up her nest, that flutters over her young, he spread abroad his wings, he took them, he bore them on his feathers. Yahweh alone led him. There was no foreign god with him.  He made him ride on the high places of the earth. He ate the increase of the field. He caused him to suck honey out of the rock, oil out of the flinty rock; butter from the herd, and milk from the flock, with fat of lambs, rams of the breed of Bashan, and goats, with the finest of the wheat.

From the blood of the grape, you drank wine. But Jeshurun grew fat, and kicked. You have grown fat. You have grown thick. You have become sleek. Then he abandoned God who made him, and rejected the Rock of his salvation. They moved him to jealousy with strange gods. They provoked him to anger with abominations. They sacrificed to demons, not God, to gods that they didn’t know, to new gods that came up recently, which your fathers didn’t dread. Of the Rock who became your father, you are unmindful, and have forgotten God who gave you birth. Yahweh saw and abhorred, because of the provocation of his sons and his daughters. He said, “I will hide my face from them. I will see what their end will be; for they are a very perverse generation, children in whom is no faithfulness. They have moved me to jealousy with that which is not God. They have provoked me to anger with their vanities. I will move them to jealousy with those who are not a people. I will provoke them to anger with a foolish nation. For a fire is kindled in my anger, that burns to the lowest Sheol, devours the earth with its increase, and sets the foundations of the mountains on fire. (Deuteronomy 32:3-22)

In as much as this judgment and punishment applies to Israel, it applies to the nations from the time since the flood when Noah, a righteous man, and his family were saved to repopulate the Earth; only instead of acknowledging the Lord God, they served other gods.

“Isn’t this laid up in store with me, sealed up among my treasures?  Vengeance is mine, and recompense, at the time when their foot slides; for the day of their calamity is at hand.  Their doom rushes at them.”

For Yahweh will judge his people, and have compassion on his servants, when he sees that their power is gone; that there is no one remaining, shut up or left at large.  He will say, “Where are their gods, the rock in which they took refuge; which ate the fat of their sacrifices, and drank the wine of their drink offering? Let them rise up and help you! Let them be your protection. “See now that I myself am he. There is no god with me. I kill and I make alive. I wound and I heal. There is no one who can deliver out of my hand. For I lift up my hand to heaven and declare, as I live forever, if I sharpen my glittering sword, my hand grasps it in judgment; I will take vengeance on my adversaries, and will repay those who hate me.  I will make my arrows drunk with blood. My sword shall devour flesh with the blood of the slain and the captives, from the head of the leaders of the enemy.”

Rejoice, you nations, with his people, for he will avenge the blood of his servants. He will take vengeance on his adversaries, and will make atonement for his land and for his people. (Deuteronomy 32:34-43)

Clearly, at the end of the day, the Lord God has the final say. There is none who has the power that God possesses; yet He waits to let people see how weak they are—in the hope they might repent, of course—before He pronounces final judgment. For Jesus died for the ungodly while they were weak (Romans 5:6). Those who hate God are the ones who will taste the vengeance of the Almighty. Instead of seeking the true God, people create their own gods or imagine that they are god, as Pharaoh was said to be.

For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “For this very purpose I caused you to be raised up, that I might show in you my power, and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.”  So then, he has mercy on whom he desires, and he hardens whom he desires. (Romans 9:17-18)

Those who delight in the TULIP doctrines see this verse as proof that God created some for eternal torment and themselves for eternal blessings. This is not the case. For this has been clearly shown in the portions of Scripture consulted so far that refute any claim of our Creator being an ogre, who is nothing but a devilish fiend that gets pleasure from tormenting people forever. Those whom God has mercy upon are those who show mercy (Matthew 5:7). Those whom God forgives are those who forgive others. Those who do not forgive will not be forgiven (Mark 11:25-26). The amount of evidence in the Bible that points to us being the ones who hold our eternal destiny in our own hands is abundant. There is so much evidence that we secure our own destiny through faith in Lord Jesus Christ, it is difficult to comprehend how the claim that the election of the lost and unconditional election of the saved before the foundation of the world is given any consideration as a viable explanation of the salvation message.

Sadly, many fail to understand that although Jesus secured the salvation of the world, this does not mean everyone is saved; for each has to secure his or her own salvation.  Likewise, Israel secured election by grace, but Israelites need to secure their own salvation by faith, the same as those in the world need to repent and have faith in God through Lord Jesus Christ to secure their salvation. God does not change. The principle remains the same.

In having considered the fact that Israel as a nation was elected by grace, in similar manner, God can disengage from Israel, and this is the thrust of the Apostle’s argument:

You will say then to me, “Why does he still find fault? For who withstands his will?” But indeed, O man, who are you to reply against God? Will the thing formed ask him who formed it, “Why did you make me like this?” Or hasn’t the potter a right over the clay, from the same lump to make one part a vessel for honor, and another for dishonor? What if God, willing to show his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much patience vessels of wrath made for destruction, and that he might make known the riches of his glory on vessels of mercy, which he prepared beforehand for glory, us, whom he also called, not from the Jews only, but also from the Gentiles? As he says also in Hosea, “I will call them ‘my people,’ which were not my people; and her ‘beloved,’ who was not beloved.”

“It will be that in the place where it was said to them, ‘You are not my people,’ There they will be called ‘children of the living God.’”

Isaiah cries concerning Israel, “If the number of the children of Israel are as the sand of the sea, it is the remnant who will be saved; for He will finish the work and cut it short in righteousness, because the LORD will make a short work upon the earth.”

As Isaiah has said before, “Unless the Lord of Armies had left us a seed, we would have become like Sodom, and would have been made like Gomorrah.”

What shall we say then? That the Gentiles, who didn’t follow after righteousness, attained to righteousness, even the righteousness which is of faith; but Israel, following after a law of righteousness, didn’t arrive at the law of righteousness. Why? Because they didn’t seek it by faith, but as it were by works of the law. They stumbled over the stumbling stone; even as it is written, “Behold, I lay in Zion a stumbling stone and a rock of offense; and no one who believes in him will be disappointed.” (Romans 9:19-33)

As becomes evident in this passage from Romans, the Apostle Paul is not so much talking about individuals per se, as he is talking about the company of individuals that make up the nation of Israel and those that form the Gentiles. The argument is that those who were given the Law thought of themselves as the chosen ones, because they were born into the chosen nation.  That chosen nation existed because God ordained it.

To understand the idea of a nation existing and a dichotomy existing where the people are treated differently, a corporation enables us to see how the nation Israel can be treated differently to her people. A corporation[2] is a legal entity that exists in its own right, but without people nothing happens. The people, though, can be a part of the corporation, and yet they do not have the same legal standing. The people can be hired to work for the corporation and, if they demonstrate that they worthy, they may be promoted because of their commitment. People can also be fired from the corporation, if they are considered to be unworthy. Likewise, Israel is considered a legal entity as a nation. Different persons could represent Israel as the king, just as different people can be the CEO of a corporation. Individual people, however, can live or die, this does not affect the status of Israel, just as people being hired or fired does not affect the status of a corporation. Spiritually, members of the nation Israel could exercise faith and be saved, or express unbelief and reject their salvation. Israel is still the election of God—although, the fact God divorced it[3] raises some questions (Jeremiah 3:8). Even if people, who are Israelites by birth, reject their birthright to be a part of the nation, because they have no faith in God, Israel will still exist—even if shelved (as in 720 BC and its subsidiary Judah in 70AD) to be resurrected at a later date (as we have seen in 1948).

Who is anyone within that chosen nation to say to its Creator, why have you created our nation in the first place, when you are going to destroy it? The same as the Potter has the right over the clay, so too, God has the right over the nation of Israel. For He has rejected the nation because its members did not pursue righteousness based on faith but that which was based on works. Consequently, the nation’s Creator endured vessels designated for destruction, because of their disobedience, until a remnant could be saved through the death and resurrection of Lord Jesus Christ, the seed of promise. For whoever believes in Jesus until the end of their life on Earth, will possess the promised inheritance of eternal life.

The Remnant of Israel

Regarding the remnant of Israel that is spoken of here, and which forms part of the argument from Romans, chapter nine, through to chapter eleven, where the statement is made, “all of Israel will be saved” (Romans 11:26), this is a reference to the return of Israel to Zion and the Promised Land. This saving of the remnant is to be cut short (for the sake of the elect otherwise no human would be saved—Matthew 24:22). This is speaking about all the tribes of Israel, and not Judah alone. Israel that split from Judah was taken captive by the Assyrians and many were dispersed through the northern regions and across Europe and possibly elsewhere, but fits in with the British-Israelite theory, which includes USA as having carried the blessings bestowed upon Israel. Though the numbers of Israel will be as the sand of the sea—that is those who come to salvation from the four corners of the Earth—only a remnant will return to the Promised Land and be saved at the end. This is what the Apostle is speaking about and this is where he obtains the Scriptures about the remnant from:

In that day the remnant of Israel and the survivors of the house of Jacob will no more lean on him who struck them, but will lean on the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, in truth. A remnant will return, the remnant of Jacob, to the mighty God. For though your people Israel be as the sand of the sea, only a remnant of them will return. Destruction is decreed, overflowing with righteousness. For the Lord God of hosts will make a full end, as decreed, in the midst of all the earth.  Therefore thus says the Lord God of hosts: “O my people, who dwell in Zion, be not afraid of the Assyrians when they strike with the rod and lift up their staff against you as the Egyptians did. For in a very little while my fury will come to an end, and my anger will be directed to their destruction. (Isaiah 10:20-25)

The Apostle Paul evidently quoted the prophet Hosea when putting forth his argument about those who were not known as God’s people becoming His people, while Israel was rejected. Here is something Hosea said that the Apostle did not quote that has even greater significance in respect to the revealing of the sons of God (Romans 8:19-21).

Yet the number of the children of Israel will be as the sand of the sea, which can’t be measured nor numbered; and it will come to pass that, in the place where it was said to them, ‘You are not my people,’ they will be called ‘sons of the living God.’ (Hosea 1:10).

Salvation is by grace only after each one of us obtains it through faith in the promised inheritance and receives the seal of the Holy Spirit; otherwise, there is no salvation secured at all.

The argument put forward by those who oppose the idea that Jesus died for the sins of the whole world is this: for anyone to appropriate salvation by personal effort, as in exercising a measure of faith by searching for God and seeking after Him, in the hope that He will respond, is self-righteousness.

Self-righteousness requires the assertion that a person’s own righteousness is sufficient for salvation. If a person thinks they are righteous then they will not be receptive to the gospel. The gospel message is that we are born in sin and have no righteousness that is capable of saving us. Sinners who recognize their need for redemption will respond to the gospel message. We are born in sin; therefore, we have no righteousness of our own, so we really need to seek salvation. Jesus said that he did not come for the righteous (those who think they are righteous and believe they have no need for a Savior) but for sinners. This is what Jesus said:

But you go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice,’ for I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. (Matthew 9:13)

Jesus is seeking sinners to show Him mercy. This is what the book of Matthew states Jesus said. He desires mercy not sacrifice. Many think that this means Jesus desires people show mercy to other people (which we should all do); only this is not what Jesus said. Mercy requires someone to be in the position to judge another. In fact, this is what the Bible says:

For judgment is without mercy to him who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment. (James 2:13)

Mercy is often seen as compassion towards others, who are less well off, and persons exercising kindness and charitable good; but this is a relative form of mercy that indicates a form of self-righteous. Many Christians see themselves as being merciful when they show charity. True mercy has to do with judgment, not charity. Many also see mercy as compassion and leniency shown to offenders by a judge in a court of law; but this is not mercy; this is a form of injustice. People might even plead for mercy to live rather than be sentenced to death; but while this is a form of mercy, it is not really mercy. Mercy means to give an offender another chance to demonstrate that they are true to their word. This is why James says that mercy triumphs over judgment.

Since Jesus said that He desired mercy and He came for sinners, this does not mean He is saying He came to show sinners mercy, because if this were what He meant, He would have said so. Instead of saying that sinners were going to receive mercy, Jesus said that He desired it Himself and was calling sinners to show it to Him. For when Jesus said, “I desire mercy, and not sacrifice,’ for I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance, He was saying, “I came to call sinners to repentance and show me mercy.” He did not say, “I came for the sacrifices of the righteous.” Nor did He say that He came to obtain mercy from the righteous, nor sacrifices from sinners. In the light of these considerations, we ask the question: If mercy triumphs over judgment and Jesus desires mercy, how can He be judged?

Those of us who did not ask to be born into this sinful world and found ourselves committing sin as a result, can judge God as unrighteous, since we did not ask to be born only to experience the suffering of this world and then die. However, if we are merciful to God, we will give Him a chance to prove himself in our lives. This way we will be declared righteous ourselves. Indeed, as Jesus said, blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.

For people who are born into the nation of Israel and consider themselves chosen of God, they are not in the position to show God mercy; rather, as soon as they know they have sinned, they need to ask God for mercy. This is because they have broken the commandments that they were taught to keep. If the commandments did not exist, the Israelites would not have known sin; but as soon as a person is taught the commandments they know sin, because through the commandments come knowledge of sin (Romans 3:20). The Apostle Paul was very much aware of his own need for mercy for he knew the commandments of God stated, “You shall not commit murder,” and he persisted; all the while, the conscience within his innermost being, his spirit (the lamp of the Lord), was convicting him of sin.

For people who were not brought up with an understanding of what God requires, because they were not part of the chosen nation, and who recognize they did not ask to be born into this world; they have the right to judge God, but only after they have shown Him mercy and given Him a chance to prove Himself to them. Yet many judge God without seeking Him out. They do not show God mercy. They do not give Him the opportunity to prove Himself in their lives.

Actually, everyone has the right to judge God if they recognize that they did not ask to be born to suffer and die, and have no purpose in their lives because they have been subjected to futility (Romans 8:20). The Israelites were given a charge that they were to circumcise their hearts (Deuteronomy 10:16). Now this is impossible to do without killing a person first; so every Israelite that realizes this truth would have to seek God to do this for himself (or herself). This is why we find God saying that only when one seeks Him and searches for Him with all one’s heart and soul, will He be found (Deuteronomy 4:29). Of course, this requires faith. Yet God is not far from each one of us, for in Him we live and move and have our being (Acts 17:28), and the words of faith are in our mouth and even in our heart (Romans 10:8). If we truly desire to be circumcised of heart, we will call upon the Lord God to perform the required operation and wait upon Him until He does. Rather than judging God and saying that He is unjust; by giving God a chance to circumcise their hearts, the Israelites who did so, were in effect showing mercy. We are no different, for we all are in the same boat, having been born to die only to suffer because of sin.

We are saved by grace, because the Divine favor of God is extended to everyone; so they can respond to the call of salvation by acknowledging that Jesus died for the sins of the world. Jesus did not come to condemn the world but to save the world. The world has been saved; only like the people of Israel, every one of us born into this world is responsible for our own salvation. Hence, by faith we are able to accept that if God exists then He could only be a righteous God, so rather than judging Him, we can give Him the opportunity to seal our salvation as the reward for seeking Him out. On the other hand, if we judge God, we bring judgment upon ourselves because this is unrighteous. For us to act righteously, we must overlook ignorance and provide people with an opportunity to prove themselves; likewise, even though God is not ignorant as we are, we must not be so ignorant to think that God ordained us to be born into a world governed by death and sin, so that we could suffer.  This is not to say that of ourselves we are righteous before God, rather we need the righteousness of Jesus imputed to us, so that we can be forgiven and pronounced righteous.

Many atheists claim that they would not want to know anyone who created a world that is beset by death, suffering and injustice. Consequently, any suggestion that it is possible to know the Creator is rejected as a myth, because they cannot see how God could create such an imperfect world, if He were omnipotent and omniscient, as claimed. These people dismiss God and claim that they are righteous. They see no need to prove whether the Creator exists. In fact, many God-fearers will testify that they know atheists who live a much cleaner and more morally upright life than many who attend church. In many respects, atheists are like the rich man who claimed he kept the five commandments that Jesus mentioned, but was not prepared to demonstrate he was willing to keep the other five and prove the existence of God.  There is a big difference in being righteous by providing God the opportunity to prove Himself in our lives and claiming that we are righteous of ourselves. The former is the action of a sinner demonstrating that he desires to change his ways, providing God helps Him to do so. The other does not see any requirement to acknowledge God.

In Christ We Cease From Sinning

For some reason, many, who like their sin, want to hang on to the belief that they do not have freewill.  Because of this, they live their lives struggling with the Devil, rather than letting the power of God raise them above sin.  If we are in Christ, we cease from sinning. This is very clear in the Bible. For we who are born of God do not commit sin, because He Who is born of God keeps us. Let us look at some of the Scriptures that tell us this is so:

1 John 3:3-10 Everyone who has this hope set on him purifies himself, even as he is pure. Everyone who sins also commits lawlessness. Sin is lawlessness.  You know that he was revealed to take away our sins, and in him is no sin. 6 Whoever remains in him doesn’t sin. Whoever sins hasn’t seen him and doesn’t know him. Little children, let no one lead you astray. He who does righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous.  He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. To this end the Son of God was revealed: that he might destroy the works of the devil. Whoever is born of God doesn’t commit sin, because his seed remains in him; and he can’t sin, because he is born of God. In this the children of God are revealed, and the children of the devil. Whoever doesn’t do righteousness is not of God, neither is he who doesn’t love his brother.

1 John 5:17-20 All unrighteousness is sin, and there is a sin not leading to death.  We know that whoever is born of God doesn’t sin, but he who was born of God keeps himself, and the evil one doesn’t touch him.  We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.  We know that the Son of God has come, and has given us an understanding, that we know him who is true, and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life.

John 8:10-11 Jesus, standing up, saw her and said, “Woman, where are your accusers? Did no one condemn you?”

She said, “No one, Lord.”

Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you. Go your way. From now on, sin no more.”

John 8:34-36 Jesus answered them, “Most certainly I tell you, everyone who commits sin is the bondservant of sin. A bondservant doesn’t live in the house forever. A son remains forever. If therefore the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.

John 9:31 We know that God doesn’t listen to sinners, but if anyone is a worshiper of God, and does his will, he listens to him.

Acts 2:38 Peter said to them, “Repent, and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Acts 3:19 Repent therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out, so that there may come times of refreshing from the presence of the Lord,

Acts 26:18 to open their eyes, that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive remission of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in me.

Romans 4:7-8 “Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man whom the Lord will by no means charge with sin.”

Romans 6:1-12 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?  May it never be! We who died to sin, how could we live in it any longer?  Or don’t you know that all we who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him through baptism to death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we also might walk in newness of life. For if we have become united with him in the likeness of his death, we will also be part of his resurrection;  knowing this, that our old man was crucified with him, that the body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be in bondage to sin.  For he who has died has been freed from sin.  But if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him;  knowing that Christ, being raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no more has dominion over him!  For the death that he died, he died to sin one time; but the life that he lives, he lives to God.  Thus consider yourselves also to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.  Therefore don’t let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts.

2 Corinthians 5:21 For him who knew no sin he made to be sin on our behalf; so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

Ephesians 2:1 You were made alive when you were dead in transgressions and sins,

Colossians 2:11-12 In whom you were also circumcised with a circumcision not made with hands, in the putting off of the body of the sins of the flesh, in the circumcision of Christ;  having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead.

1 Timothy 5:20 Those who sin, reprove in the sight of all, that the rest also may be in fear.

Hebrews 10:16-23 “This is the covenant that I will make with them: ‘After those days,’ says the Lord, ‘I will put my laws on their heart, I will also write them on their mind;’” then he says, “I will remember their sins and their iniquities no more.”

Now where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin. Having therefore, brothers, boldness to enter into the holy place by the blood of Jesus, by the way which he dedicated for us, a new and living way, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh; and having a great priest over God’s house, let’s draw near with a true heart in fullness of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and having our body washed with pure water, let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering; for he who promised is faithful.

James 2:9 But if you show partiality, you commit sin, being convicted by the law as transgressors.

1 Peter 4:1-2  Therefore, since Christ suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same mind; for he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin;  that you no longer should live the rest of your time in the flesh for the lusts of men, but for the will of God

Revelation 21:8 But for the cowardly, unbelieving, sinners, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their part is in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”

Matthew 6:7-13 In praying, don’t use vain repetitions, as the Gentiles do; for they think that they will be heard for their much speaking.  Therefore don’t be like them, for your Father knows what things you need, before you ask him.  Pray like this: ‘Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy.  Let your Kingdom come. Let your will be done, as in heaven, so on earth.  Give us today our daily bread.  Forgive us our debts, as we also forgive our debtors.  Bring us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For yours is the Kingdom, the power, and the glory forever. Amen.

John 15:21-23 But all these things will they do to you for my name’s sake, because they don’t know him who sent me.  If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have had sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin.  He who hates me, hates my Father also.

Matthew 5:48 Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.

There is every evidence that we need to be realistic and understand that even though we were sinners and, in fact, may still sin after having been born again of the word of truth and baptized in the Holy Spirit, once thing we will do is begin to stop sinning. Some of the sins that we may have committed on a regular basis that are obvious, we will stop immediately; others may take longer to overcome. The reason why some sins are more difficult to overcome than others has much to do with our desire for walking with Jesus or our preference for sin. If our heart is to understand and know God, we will seek Him. While we are seeking Him, we will not be sinning. Nevertheless, there will be matters that we will need to deal with. The important thing to understand is that we are not committing the sin that leads to death, because if we believe in Jesus Christ and confess He is Lord before men, we shall be saved.  If we believe in Jesus, we will live with Him. If we endure persecution, harassment, mental distress, psychological torment and physical pain because of Jesus, we will reign with Him.  If we deny Jesus, He will deny us. If we are faithless instead of faithful, we can be assured of this: Jesus is faithful and will not deny Himself (2 Tim. 2:12-13).

We are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ our Lord as long as we trust Him. Learning to trust God is how we grow in faith. God has his means by which we can do this and this is discussed in the book Return To The Lord Of The Blessings.

There is a misinformed view that only self-righteous people believe that the Bible informs us to seek God. Those who hold this view do not believe that we have freewill to choose between good and evil. They think that to choose good is impossible, because we are all born into sin and nobody is good; therefore, we cannot overcome sin to do good, even with the help of God. They overlook the fact that the Apostle Paul said this:

For while we were yet weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will hardly die for a righteous man. Yet perhaps for a good person someone would even dare to die. But God commends his own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 4:6-8)

If all have sinned and none is righteous, the idea that someone might die for a righteous person, does not make sense. However, this makes sense if someone, who had repented from sin, lived a righteous life and became a good man. Nevertheless, the idea of being righteous and having the power of the Holy Spirit to help us overcome our weaknesses is anathema to hypocritical people. Those who claim we can live a righteous life in Christ, or are capable of choosing to live in accordance to the will of God, in the power of the Holy Spirit, are accused of being Pelagian; that is, believing people can obtain their own salvation without Jesus.

The more one encounters such people who deny the power of the Holy Spirit, the more one senses that the accusers of the brethren are also blasphemers of the Holy Spirit.

Adam handed over the world to the Devil. From that point, all who have been born have been held captive by the Devil to do His will in some manner. Being held captive does not mean we are unable to think or exercise freewill; it means we are held in bondage against our will, as in the case of being born into a world where death reigns and sin is the agent of death.  However, although everyone has been held captive by the Devil, who reigns over the world, some have believed that God exists and rewards those who seek Him. Enoch and Noah were two such persons. They existed before the flood that drowned the inhabitants of Earth. Abraham became another. And through Abraham we all have been able to receive the promise that is ours in Lord Jesus Christ. For Abraham is the father of the faithful. Nevertheless, we are all born into a world alienated from God, because it is held captive by the Devil, who leads people into sin. This does not mean that we are unable to identify what is right or wrong and resist temptations. We all do resist temptations from time to time. Sometimes certain temptations are easier to resist than at other times. The one problem that has existed until the time of Jesus is that no human being could truly have access to the Heavenly Father because of sin. The sin issue, which was the handing over of the world to the Devil by Adam, needed to be rectified.

If we accept that the original plan was to create a couple in the image of God and bring forth a child, who would then become the body for the Son of God to enter, so that what was ordained before the foundation of the world could be accomplished, we are on the right track. This is because sin was not part of the equation at the time of the creation of Adam and Eve. Sin was unknown.

The guardian angel got wind of the plan for the Son of God (to be made a little lower than the angels and) to breed a race of beings over which He (the Son of God) would rule on Earth. The guardian angel became jealous of his own position as the most admired of all God’s creation, and sinned.

The Devil sinned from the beginning. He sinned because his pride got the better of him. He sinned and this required God to change his plans. Instead of those who had been predestined before the foundation of the world, being born on Earth into what would be paradise, they were now to be born into sin and the Son of God had to redeem what had become lost.

When Jesus came to Earth, instead of entering the body of the child of Adam and Eve, a new plan had to be designed whereby a woman could live a life of faith close to God, in a community where she would be as holy as a woman could be without practicing sin. The cousin of this woman was to bring forth a child filled with the Holy Spirit from birth, who would prepare the way for the Son of God. All this had to be done using the freewill of the individuals concerned. God does not override our freewill but, possessing omniscient foreknowledge, makes accurate predictions.

For the Lord God to bring about His plan and purpose to fulfillment, a nation had to be formed and the people had to willing take part in the process. This was not as simple as one might expect, because God had to work with people who were inclined to fall prey to the Devil’s stratagems.

Somehow, the Devil had convinced angels to impregnate women before the flood. In doing this, it seems that the offspring of the angels were not humans. Instead, they became violent creatures that possibly looked like men but had no spirits (possessed by humans) and were unable to reason, which is most likely the case, going from the available archeological evidence. Or it might be that that angels entered the offspring of women and possessed them, if the Scripture that says the angels had children to the women (Genesis 6:4) is a misinterpretation, but it matters not, because the Devil tried to kill the child that was born of Mary and failed.

Instead of entering the first-born child of Eve, the Son of God entered the body of the baby boy that was born of Mary. This body was to become the redeeming sacrifice that would buy back the right to rule the world.

Why did God go to the trouble of redeeming the world, when He could have simply burned it and started over again?

The answer is simple, really.  By redeeming the world, God ensures that this situation will never happen again. Moreover, God demonstrates to His Creation that He will always deal justly because He is a righteous God and not a despotic tyrant, who cannot solve problems that occur.

Does this mean that God is not omniscient and there are things that He does not know? Much depends on what is meant by the term “omniscience”. For there is a difference between knowing everything that exists but not knowing that which is yet to come into existence. If omniscience means to know everything that exists, then God possesses omniscience in this regard. However, if omniscience means that there is nothing more to be known, then God is not limited to that definition. For it is impossible for an infinite intelligent being to know the infinite number of things that He has not even thought of yet. If we say that God knows everything that ever will exist, ironically, this means that the One of Whom we speak is not infinite, because to know everything that is ever to be known is impossible if there are no boundaries to the existence of the One who is; this is, the I AM—and besides whom there is no other! (Isaiah 45:22). The very Universe, which we are told is expanding exists within God. The Bible says, we live and move and have our being in Him. Eternity itself exists within the infinite I AM. The Lord God, who said to Moses, I AM who I AM, has the ability to create an infinite number of new ideas that He has not even thought into existence yet.

Atheistic evolutionists speak of life being boring if God exists. The only reason they can say this is that they have no concept of who God actually is—because each one only sees himself or herself, when looking in the mirror, and deludingly mistake what is reflected as being the Creator.  Many talk about infinity, but do not want to acknowledge the Infinite One as the Creator of the Universe, whom they need to search for and find. Tragically, the Devil wins out in too many cases. Instead of atheists recognizing the possibility of God, they prefer to believe that they alone are above all, even though they will only know death in the end, and their vain lives, like their assertions, are nothing but an expression of futility.

The Devil did not win out when Jesus gave His life on the Cross of Calvary. The complexity of securing the Crucifixion as an act of freewill and have the Devil think that he had gotten the victory over the Son of God was a masterstroke beyond belief (the Devil will never get over it and this will be the worm that will eat him for eternity). People speak of the plan for the Crucifixion as if it were just a matter of organizing an itinerary for a trip around the world. But even after God found Abraham, a nation had to be formed—which nearly got wiped out, except for Moses’ intervention. This is what we read about Israel’s near extinction before they entered into the Promised Land:

Yahweh said to Moses, “I have seen these people, and behold, they are a stiff-necked people. Now therefore leave me alone, that my wrath may burn hot against them, and that I may consume them; and I will make of you a great nation.”

Moses begged Yahweh his God, and said, “Yahweh, why does your wrath burn hot against your people, that you have brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand? Why should the Egyptians speak, saying, ‘He brought them out for evil, to kill them in the mountains, and to consume them from the surface of the earth?’ Turn from your fierce wrath, and repent of this evil against your people. Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, your servants, to whom you swore by your own self, and said to them, ‘I will multiply your offspring as the stars of the sky, and all this land that I have spoken of I will give to your offspring, and they shall inherit it forever.’”

Yahweh repented of the evil which he said he would do to his people. (Exodus 32:9-14)

Before the foundation of the world, it was not the plan and purpose for God to do what He has had to do to secure the redemption of the world.  Everything that happened since the fall of Adam was to bring about God’s purpose while working with the freewill of men and women. If this were not the case, then we would not see Moses imploring God with sound reasons that caused Him to show mercy, and give the people another chance. This is why we read in the Scriptures that mercy triumphs over judgment. This is also why Jesus said for people “to go and learn what this means, I desire mercy and not sacrifice.” Very few people ever realize what this means because of their self-righteousness. They interpret mercy as themselves showing compassion and charity to others.—How blessed are you, when Jesus proves Himself in your life! But you must give Him the opportunity.—Indeed if we delight in our Lord, He will give us the desires of our heart, and if we wait on Him, He will act (Psalm 37:4-5).

The principle of us working out our own salvation and God working in us is very much the deal and not the ideal. We see that in the account of Moses where he had the opportunity of having a nation created out of his own loins, but He thought of the circumstances and was jealous for the name of God not to be blasphemed among the nations—in all likelihood, God knew Moses’ heart and was testing him. Nevertheless, the lessons are there for us to learn, if we are desire the truth.

Jesus Now Has The Right To Rule The World

Jesus took back control of the world the day He was seated at the right hand of the Father. The throne of God has no visible entity sitting on it. I could say I believe this because of a vision I once had of Heaven and the throne of God, and the Lamb on the throne next to the larger throne. All I saw was a light that glowed over the throne. At the time, I thought it strange that sitting on top of pearl colored terraces that descended down towards the innumerable people standing before them at the bottom, the throne of God was empty. Then when I read what the Bible says about our Heavenly Father, I understood why, in the vision that I had, there was only the bright light forming a hemisphere over and around the throne and I could see no form there. For this is what is written in the Books of 1 john and James:

This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light and in him is no darkness at all. (1 John 1:5)

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom can be no variation, nor turning shadow (James 1:17).

When we understand that I AM is infinite and reveals Himself as light upon a throne in Heaven and there is no variation or shadow due to turning, we are starting to learn a little about the truth regarding how great our Heavenly Father really is. There is none greater. Yet our Savior, the very WORD OF GOD Himself, has been given the highest of names, that every knee shall bow and confess Jesus is Lord to the glory of God our Father in Heaven.

The Apostle John says that the whole world lies in the power of the Evil One (1 John 5:19). Jesus said that we who are found of Him, even though we are in the world, we do not belong to it (John 17:14-18).

The following are some Scriptures that speak of the world. As you read through these Scriptures, they provide a rough sketch of how God made the world through His pre-existent Son and later sent Him into the world with the intention of making Him a little lower than the angels, yet so that they would worship Him as their exalted Lord. The Devil who took the right to rule the world from Adam, offered the Son of God the very world He had created before becoming a man, providing He, the Creator, would worship him, the angel He had created. Deceived by his own deception, the Devil allowed Jesus to be crucified. Had the Devil known that He would rise from the dead and be exalted, he would never have consumed the flesh of the man Jesus (Job 18:13; 2 Cor. 5:21). Those who were born into the world of sin have been able to be set free because of what Jesus has done. They are now able to overcome the world and preach the gospel, until the full number of those whose names were to be written in the book of the Lamb, before the foundation of the World, have believed in Jesus and are saved. Noteworthy is that although Jesus came to save the world, He does not pray for the world to be saved, but those who believe in Him. Because Jesus has paid the redemption price to redeem the world, He is now able to judge the world.

Acts 17:24 The God who made the world and all things in it, he, being Lord of heaven and earth, doesn’t dwell in temples made with hands.

Hebrews 1:2 [God] has at the end of these days spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, through whom also he made the worlds.

John 17:5 Now, Father, glorify me with your own self with the glory which I had with you before the world existed.

Hebrews 2:5-8 For he didn’t subject the world to come, of which we speak, to angels. But one has somewhere testified, saying, “What is man, that you think of him? Or the son of man, that you care for him? You made him a little lower than the angels. You crowned him with glory and honor.  You have put all things in subjection under his feet.” For in that he subjected all things to him, he left nothing that is not subject to him. But now we don’t see all things subjected to him, yet.

Hebrews 1:5-6 For to which of the angels did he say at any time, “You are my Son.  Today have I become your father?” and again, “I will be to him a Father, and he will be to me a Son?”  When he again brings in the firstborn into the world he says, “Let all the angels of God worship him.”

Hebrews 4:3 For we who have believed do enter into that rest, even as he has said, “As I swore in my wrath, they will not enter into my rest”; although the works were finished from the foundation of the world.

Hebrews 9:26 Or else he must have suffered often since the foundation of the world. But now once at the end of the ages, he has been revealed to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.

Hebrews 10:5 Therefore when he comes into the world, he says, “Sacrifice and offering you didn’t desire, but you prepared a body for me.”

Hebrews 11:7 By faith, Noah, being warned about things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared a ship for the saving of his house, through which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.

John 3:16-17 For God so loved the world, that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God didn’t send his Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world should be saved through him.

John 12:47 If anyone listens to my sayings, and doesn’t believe, I don’t judge him. For I came not to judge the world, but to save the world.

John 4:42 They said to the woman, “Now we believe, not because of your speaking; for we have heard for ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world.”

John 6:51 I am the living bread which came down out of heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. Yes, the bread which I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.

1 John 2:2 And he is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for the whole world.

2 Corinthians 5:19 Namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself, not reckoning to them their trespasses, and having committed to us the word of reconciliation.

John 12:46 I have come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in me may not remain in the darkness.

John 8:12 Again, therefore, Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the light of life.”

John 14:30 I will no more speak much with you, for the prince of the world comes, and he has nothing in me.

John 16:11 About judgment, because the prince of this world has been judged.

John 12:31 Now is the judgment of this world. Now the prince of this world will be cast out.

John 3:19 This is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the light; for their works were evil.

John 16:28 I came from the Father, and have come into the world. Again, I leave the world, and go to the Father.

John 17:9 I pray for them. I don’t pray for the world, but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours.

John 17:11-12 I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them through your name which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are.  While I was with them in the world, I kept them in your name. Those whom you have given me I have kept. None of them is lost, except the son of destruction, that the Scripture might be fulfilled.

John 17:18 As you sent me into the world, even so I have sent them into the world.

Mark 16:15 He said to them, “Go into all the world, and preach the Good News to the whole creation.”

John 17:21 That they may all be one; even as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be one in us; that the world may believe that you sent me.

Matthew 24:14 This Good News of the Kingdom will be preached in the whole world for a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come.

Matthew 13:38 The field is the world; and the good seed, these are the children of the Kingdom; and the darnel weeds are the children of the evil one.

Ephesians 1:4 Even as he chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and without defect before him in love.

Ephesians 2:1-2 You were made alive when you were dead in transgressions and sin, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the children of disobedience.

Ephesians 6:12 For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world’s rulers of the darkness of this age, and against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.

Ephesians 2:12 That you were at that time separate from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of the promise, having no hope and without God in the world.

Romans 5:12 Therefore as sin entered into the world through one man, and death through sin; and so death passed to all men, because all sinned.

1 Corinthians 1:27-28 But God chose the foolish things of the world that he might put to shame those who are wise. God chose the weak things of the world, that he might put to shame the things that are strong; and God chose the lowly things of the world, and the things that are despised, and the things that are not, that he might bring to nothing the things that are.

1 Corinthians 1:20-21 Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the lawyer of this world? Hasn’t God made foolish the wisdom of this world?  For seeing that in the wisdom of God, the world through its wisdom didn’t know God, it was God’s good pleasure through the foolishness of the preaching to save those who believe.

1 John 5:5 Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?

Romans 12:2 Don’t be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what is the good, well-pleasing, and perfect will of God.

1 Corinthians 2:6-8 We speak wisdom, however, among those who are full grown; yet a wisdom not of this world, nor of the rulers of this world, who are coming to nothing. But we speak God’s wisdom in a mystery, the wisdom that has been hidden, which God foreordained before the worlds for our glory, which none of the rulers of this world has known. For had they known it, they wouldn’t have crucified the Lord of glory.

Luke 4:5 The devil, leading him up on a high mountain, showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.

2 Corinthians 4:4 In whom the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving, that the light of the Good News of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should not dawn on them.

Romans 1:20 For the invisible things of him since the creation of the world are clearly seen, being perceived through the things that are made, even his everlasting power and divinity; that they may be without excuse.

Acts 17:31 Because he has appointed a day in which he will judge the world in righteousness by the man whom he has ordained; of which he has given assurance to all men, in that he has raised him from the dead.

Revelation 13:8 All who dwell on the earth will worship him, everyone whose name has not been written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who has been killed.

Revelation 11:15 The seventh angel sounded, and great voices in heaven followed, saying, “The kingdom of the world has become the Kingdom of our Lord, and of his Christ. He will reign forever and ever!”

1 Timothy 6:6-8 But godliness with contentment is great gain.  For we brought nothing into the world, and we certainly can’t carry anything out.  But having food and clothing, we will be content with that.

In the days of Jesus being on Earth, one thing that is often overlooked about the disciples, and those who are not disciples, is that some things that are particular to them are not necessarily referring to us, even though there might be a principle of salvation involved. For instance, the doctrine of limited atonement is based on such texts that are peculiar to the twelve disciples. Limited atonement is the doctrine that Jesus did not come to save the world, but only come to save a certain “many” by His death on the cross. The word “many” is interpreted to be those he chose before the foundation of the world. It does not take into account the many who are in Adam and are redeemed through Jesus (Romans 5:15). While it is easy to build false teachings by taking Scriptures out of context and then building from a pretext a proposition that conceals the truth, it is just as easy also to ask the question, “Lord Jesus, please show me the truth?”

When Jesus chose His disciples, he was doing this for the purposes that He had at the time. In fact, by joining two Scriptures together we get the idea that nobody can seek Jesus out unless the Father draws the person, and then it is a matter of Jesus choosing. Consequently, we read the following:

No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up in the last day. (John 6:44)

You didn’t choose me, but I chose you, and appointed you, that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain; that whatever you will ask of the Father in my name, he may give it to you. (John 15:16)

However, we know whoever believes that Jesus is the Son of God will be saved. Also, we know at the time that the above Scriptures were spoken, Jesus was referring to the disciples that were in His presence while on Earth. For many people sought Jesus out, and even those whom He chose (of whom one was a devil) were seeking Him. For we read:

The next day again John was standing with two of his disciples, and he looked at Jesus as he walked by and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!” The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. Jesus turned and saw them following and said to them, “What are you seeking?” And they said to him, “Rabbi” (which means Teacher), “where are you staying?” He said to them, “Come and you will see.” So they came and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him that day, for it was about the tenth hour. One of the two who heard John speak and followed Jesus was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. He first found his own brother Simon and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which means Christ). (John 1:35-41)

While the disciples Jesus chose may have been looking for the Messiah, they did not choose Him, He chose them, and revealed Himself to them. Why did Jesus choose them? Jesus knew their hearts; therefore, He appointed them to bear fruit that would remain. Anything the disciples asked the Father was to be given them. Now the principles apply to us, that if we search for Jesus with all our heart, we will be acceptable to Him. In which case, when He appoints us to complete the work that fulfills the plan of God, then we will also bear fruit that will remain, and be able to receive whatever we ask of Him. What we do know is Jesus died for the sins of the whole world and not just the sins of some of the people in the world.

As Noah was saved through faith, so are we now saved by grace through faith in Lord Jesus Christ, who died to save the world. However, only those who believe in Him will be saved.

As for the names of those who were written in the Book of the Lamb before the foundation of the world, it is possible that these are different individuals to those whose names are written in the Book of Life. Jesus said that he will not blot out of the Book of Life the names of those in Sardis who overcome the world; which suggests those who do not overcome the world will have their names blotted out (Revelation 3:5). God also has a book of remembrance in which He puts the names of those who honor Him (Malachi 3:16). When Moses requested his name be blotted out of God’s book: God told him that those who sin against Him would be blotted out (Exodus 32:32-33). What God told Moses clearly states that the only people who will have their name blotted out of the Book of Life are those who sin against Him; which is why understanding the unexpurgated Ten Commandments is so important—because they define sin.

For those of us who have not had our names taken out of the Book of Life, we can be assured that if we are enrolled in the Heavenly Jerusalem (Is. 4:3; Heb. 12:22-23), this is because we have been saved by grace through faith in Lord Jesus Christ.  Amen.

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[1] Kerry Packer’s sale of his Sydney and Melbourne Channel Nine stations to Alan Bond for $1.055 billion in 1987 – and his triumphant return to an enlarged Nine Network three years later remains one of the greatest business moments. brw.com.au/p/lists/rich-00/2013/rich_moments_in_years_qqKMyCDoaD8FybFIy jthLL—retrieved Dec. 3 2014 

[2] Nations and corporations are separate to the people associated with them.   Corporations can grow or shrink,  be a primary producer, a manufacturer and retailer or takeover other companies and sell off divisions, move into different sectors, change its name and morph into different forms of existence. Nations are not as flexible as companies but they can expand and shrink geographically, increase and decrease in population, vary in geopolitical hegemony, colonize other nations, die and reincarnate.

[3] Israel was bought out of Egypt as a vine (Psalm 80:8). This typology of the vine is significant. Jesus said, I am the true Vine (John 15:1). This implies that the nation Israel being divorced and forsaken (Jeremiah 3:8) was never the true Israel. The true Israel consists of those who belong to the Vine.