Pekoudah

I never heard the gospel as I was Catholic. God brought me under a heavy conviction at one time when I was alone in a foreign city. When convicted to read the bible I went through all 4 gospels without understanding how that related to me. As I was reading in Acts I saw that the Holy Spirit was at work changing lives and the world at that time in history. I needed that, but now! So I asked God what/who the Holy Spirit was/is. As I continued to read I came to a place where it says they were filled with the Spirit a light shined from behind the words and a light from heaven shone into me so that I walked in that light for days afterwards. I was 21. So I guess I heard the gospel 4 times before the Holy Spirit entered into me. I got my answer.

What is unique about Jesus? Everything!

We will all be judged by our deeds. If the deeds are carnal then we will suffer a great loss...less than what we have now. God is righteous. He doesn't have pet disciples or favourites. He doesn't respect persons. If we listen and fear His words we will adjust our attitudes accordingly. It's about our actions and attitudes. A holy God is not a safe environment for sins...ever! They who teach such things are under a severe punishment which is soon to be revealed. There is a destiny for the religious and the hypocrites...which is to be naked and in darkness. Paul himself feared being a castaway. He was a teacher and therefore highly responsible for his walk before the Lord. 1 Cor 9:25 And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible.26 I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air:27 But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway. But few people these days have any fear of the Lord and therefore no wisdom. Many surprises both pleasant and unpleasant await the house of God on that day. Judgment begins at the house of God. There are some fates worse than death. Jude speaks of they who abuse the grace of God...as being sent away into outer darkness for ever...away from the presence of God. If we are not seeking His presence in every area in our lives today...what makes us think that a righteous reward for a life lived in such slackness merits holiness in God's presence forever? Of course many don't see merit as having any bearing on outcome for we who are born again. But if that was true we wouldn't be judged before the great tribunal of Christ (BEMA) and there would be no talk of rewards for people being faithful at different levels. There would be no talk of being cut-off from God either.

Hi Michael. Just wondering how that "Non-trinitarian" label got onto your profile and why?

That actually sounds a lot better!

We are all born with an Atomic nature!

I highly doubt that would work. Montana doesn't even have a hockey franchise!

As long as we live with selfish motives we will never understand the gospel nor the ways of God. God is selfless and only properly understood through the same kind of selflessness. Otherwise we tend to get things exactly backwards. Now a man who doesn't stand up to, say, a bear attacking his family, is not a man. A man is to sacrifice himself for his family. Otherwise he is a coward and worse than an infidel. A real man will die rather than see his loved ones harmed in any way. God uses that characteristic in a man...even a rough and coarse man...to call him to the higher calling of laying down his life so that God might bring salvation to this world... ...through him. A living sacrifice for a just cause. That appeals to the real men. But the cost is a life for a life. A carnal man uses his own strength to fulfill his obligations. But a spiritual man fulfills his obligations by getting out of the way in order to let Christ shine through him. He becomes a living sacrifice for the benefit of others in this way. Not for himself. Not for his own salvation...but to serve others. So the gospel is a call to the selflessness in a man... even in the unruly man...and not to the baser selfishness so prevalent in they that are not truly walking in a manly way. And this in spite of the fact that today the gospel is being marketed in a selfish way...as a benefit for the selfish tendencies of the flesh. This is both wrong and a great evil. We are not to seek to "get saved"...but rather to give ourselves to Christ so that He can then be a light through us and into the darkness of this world. We are to let ourselves go in order that the world might "get saved"...not thinking about ourselves, but rather trusting that Gd knows what He is doing. The gospel is not for us who claim to be Christians. It is for the whole world. God is looking for a sacrificial people (priesthood) who He can live through to bring salvation and light to a lost world in darkness.

So thankful for the opportunity to be alive in this world and also for the spiritual faculties that go beyond this world. A joy unspeakable! We are to be always rejoicing and giving thanks. As I grow older I am more and more given to bouts of praise and thankfulness. \o/\o/\o/ Spontaneously! Love, joy and peace with thankfulness mirror the fruit of the Spirit. So that even when we don't actually walk in the Spirit or are used directly by God we have this residue of our walk in Him. His presence changes everything. Christ in us...a living hope of a future encounter and a motivation for a present and continuing one.

Our foundation is not a beginner's understanding about who Jesus is...or how saved we are for knowing about Him...but an actual walk in His power and presence. If you fear losing your foundation by advancing in the knowledge of God...then that is not a foundation upon which Christ is being built up.

Actually that's not what grace is. You have just described mercy...and mercy. Grace is the power to fulfill the whole will of God. Grace brings holiness. Many people still walk in their own power and want grace to justify them while still in the walk according to the flesh. But this is the opposite to the plain teachings of the bible. Grace is the power to walk as Jesus walked

Actually, you need to have the courage and faith to take the next step in the race. No one wins a race by staying in one place. The Christian life is a walk...not just one step....even if it is in the right direction.

Bless you sister! God gives grace to the humble. And we hate to be humble! (That is until we surrender our agendas and pride) You are so right about Cain and Abel. The church contains both. Like the grain and the pebbles in the sifting process of God. These both remain in the sieve (Amos 9:9). Or like the wheat and the chaff. We have to remain "heavy"...so as not to be taken away by winds of doctrine. And in Hebrew glory (kavod) means "weight." So then the heavier we are in our solidity of faith and character the more glory we can "hold down." <><

The way to gain a friend is to be one. If one is too reserved...no one gets to know you. I noticed you are very reserved in your identification...no city or any particulars. That is not the message of someone looking to connect with others. When you go to a place you need to go for the sake of others not yourself. If you are selfish then you become like a black hole. A black hole bends all the light to itself...all the attention to itself. But we are to BE a light for others. When you go to a church it is better to go to give of yourself. The same with God. You go to God to give of yourself. When your eyes go to others...and your focus is the well-being of others...you won't be lonely anymore.

Too true. Bless you brother.

God's goodness is not in question...but our attitude to His goodness is. That's what worthiness is about. He gives grace to the humble ....which is an ATTITUDE. He doesn't give grace to a noun but to an adjective. So He doesn't give grace to a person with good doctrine or a believer in Him. We can be very prideful in all of these things...whom God will also resist. The truth is that none of us merit being born in this world or born of the Spirit. How we receive that gift will determine what we become. Nobody is special to God based on their mere existence. We are all special and unique. But that doesn't make us worthy of God. Nobody receives more favour than another without also taking on the deeper responsibility for it. God does not respect persons. It's about how we hold things. A Christian should have a perfect humility and an attitude that says...I'm just an unworthy servant of a Great Master. There will be many surprises when God judges His own house. It is a fearful thing to be rebuked by God.

Hi Darrell...of course we can change. Change comes about in 2 ways...gradually and suddenly. Do you believe this? If you do then your attitude will facilitate that change much sooner. It's when we don't believe we can change that we have the hardest time acting differently. Prayer helps too!

I think it is easy for we humans to draw the wrong conclusions when God acts with either mercy or judgment towards us or others. We tend to be unable to see from His perspective. (That is before the Holy Spirit indwells us). Being born into existence in this world is fully unconditional. We don't merit natural life any more than we merit an eternal life. But survival IS conditional in both. Even a child understands that natural life has conditions even after an unmerited birth into the world. The mind of a child can grasp that seeming inconsistency. Then there is a religious indoctrination that takes the common sense of a natural life...and fails to apply that same principle to the higher form of life which is in Christ. For these going backwards appears as advancement. Such is the way of indoctrination. We know that God is merciful. He will pardon a murderer. But if that person calculates that since God is willing to forgive 70 times 7 then one can potentially kill another 489 people without danger of retribution or punishment. This is how we tend to "legalize" mercy or forgiveness. Of course there are they that believe that God's mercy is unlimited...as in...I can kill all the people in the world...and yet God will forgive me for it. So we can become legalistic in our understanding of mercy and grace. We can turn God into an object that serves us...and more so than even as we do to fellow mortals. We often think nothing of treating God far worse than we would a friend. Do we slap a Christian friend to watch him turn the other cheek? Can we use God as a dumping ground for our sins? To do this is to take on something evil...an unworthy attitude. Before we were forgiven by God we were all sinners....but to take on this new hypocrisy and iniquity of an easy attitude towards sin in the face of God's goodness by calculating JUST HOW forgiven we really are...makes us unworthy of His forgiveness. Redemption puts us in a new position...but not the position that many think. We are meant to change our attitude...not exploit God's willingness to forgive further sins. Grace makes us MORE responsible for sin not less. To whom much is given, more is required. Do we claim Jesus as our personal dumping ground for our sin? Is that the purpose of Jesus' coming into the world...so that we would choose Him to suffer for us? But this is to steal away God's purpose in order to have God serve man. We do this so often. Should men seek to exploit God's mercy for their own purposes. Is this not a great evil to do so? God doesn't redeem us or forgive us because He approves of our behaviour. Quite the opposite. He forgives us in order to change our attitude. God does not forgive us so that we would have more security. He doesn't forgive us in order to serve us and our will. He forgives us so that we might serve Him and His will. God forgives us that we might learn to BE worthy of His efforts towards us. We prove whether we are in truth redeemable or not by our attitude AFTER He has forgiven us. God redeems us away from our sins and into His life. No one remains forgiven as they re-embark on the very things that caused the need for forgiveness in the first place. Jesus said...Go and sin no more lest something worse happen to you. Salvation is always conditional. God is sovereign...we are not. God decides on whom He will have mercy. God is not ours to use. Nobody deserves forgiveness but once forgiven there is a righteousness that says we should maintain that forgiveness by now learning or accommodating that same forgiveness towards others. And this is NOT an option. Forgiveness is NOT unconditional....although it is unmerited. There is a huge difference between the two. A child understands this...but adults can be persuaded by religious indoctrination to abandon all reason. Once forgiven always forgiven? OFAF? Notice the parable of the unforgiving servant https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+18%3A21-35&version=KJV Amos 9:10 All the sinners of my people shall die by the sword, which say, The evil shall not overtake nor prevent us. Notice it is the sinners of God's people...the ones that were already forgiven. But their attitude is a continuing unrighteousness. So then they are judged by God (Who is both merciful AND just) for their attitude towards the favour they had once received. It was not fruitful in them. They remained sinful in their attitude.

Faith, hope and love.

Agreed. we can't say this one is elected and this one isn't based on what God did for us. His ways are above our ways. I see that God has different criteria for different people...as in...to whom much is given more is required. That would mean that some are expected to do better than others based on their God-given abilities and grace. They who teach, for example, will be judged harder. As they who have received more grace. The sermon on the mount is clear on this. It doesn't say "blessed are the poor in spirit'... but only those who believe this way or that way. We are to conform to God's will not that of mankind. God is fully sovereign and all things will conform to His will in the end.

Actually I speak of being empowered by the Spirit by His life after the cross of Christ has dealt with the natural man. It is walking in HIS perfection...not our own. THAT is the grace you speak against. The real grace of God ...in favour of God looking the other way while you walk in the flesh and judge others. You are advocating a salvation in the flesh with a lack of the cross and it's power in your life...calling that strangely...works. But this is the salvation that works. So you have it exactly backwards.

Gal. 5:24 And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. A crucial verse.....with an ambiguity. The translation of this verse implies that WE are to do the crucifying. But that's not how the Greek goes....which says...They that are Christ's have had the flesh crucified. The ambiguity is in the lack of a direct link in the wording as to who exactly is doing the crucifying. Now nobody can crucify themselves...neither physically nor spiritually. That should be obvious. So the text would be better rendered as " They that are Christ's (have had) the flesh crucified." In any regard one who is in Christ cannot get there without being crucified to himself. It is by the operation of God. By the Spirit. Any Greek speakers out there?

Amen brother. Not too many realize this. We are to strive for a better resurrection...which is the first one. The resurrection of the saints. Holiness is required...those who have their works unto teleos...perfection. In Mat 25 (sheep goats GWT) the people will be judged on how they treated the saints...on 2 levels. The world will be judged for how they treated the saints AND the church goers who were not holy. If believers acted against the saints they will go into outer darkness (shame). If they were not believers but despised the brethren of the Lord...they are cast into the lake of fire. That is why it says the ambiguous.. "to everlasting punishment"...and not either the lake of fire or outer darkness. So then the righteous of the saved nations are all together since God does not judge us by our beliefs but by our works. Those who fear His name and do what is right are accepted of Him...in all nations. Acts 10:35But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him. Not that they walked in a manner so as to please God...that takes faith! The faith OF Christ that leads to a walk in teleos....the perfection of Christ which is by grace through faith. The gift of His perfect walk by the Spirit.

Well it is special...but it is no longer common. Betha has the right idea about this. How many believers do you know that no longer say or do anything that is mortal? How many walk as Jesus walked? without any spot of sin? If you tell me this is the normal walk of a saint...I would agree with you. But to say that everyone is walking as dead to themselves...I would say the opposite is true. We must get away from theory and bring faith into reality. Amen! Blessings to you!

I like where you are going with this. There are conditions to God's intervention....besides faith. Those conditions are a pure heart (shalem) and clean hands (tamim). (Ps. 24:3,4) In the OT this did not lead to a sacrificial life nor a resurrection life...since Jesus was not yet glorified and so His gift of grace was not yet available to men. In the NT we have a new level of life...in perfection (teleos). The pre-requisites for entering into teleos are the exact same but these can be obtained through repentance and faith towards God. IOW we come to God in whatever condition so we can be forgiven and enter into His training....through perfection in Christ. What is this perfection? Jesus said that we were to be teleos as God is teleos (Mat. 5:48). Teleos brings us back to the original condition of God's creation in HIS image. But at a higher level. So then to be perfect as God is perfect means we are back to His original image. We throw off the old man...conformed to the devil and this world...and put on the new man...created in the IMAGE of holiness and righteousness. This is to be without sin...washed in the blood of Christ...clean and pure....without spot or wrinkle. This was Adam's condition BEFORE the fall. But we can't return to that previous state...without Christ. In fact, we can only BE teleos as we abide in Him. It is never our permanent condition..because it is not US but Christ. It is HIS life not our own. Left to ourselves we return to the Adamic weakness. So then we can ALL be tranformed into God's image by putting on Christ in that walk. But only through the cross of Christ. And we are to present EVERY man teleos in Christ (Col. 1:28) So this seemingly impossible standard is to become the norm of the church that is in His name.