February 19th - Wrong Question, Right Answer

"They said, then, to Him, "What may we be doing that we may be working the works of God?" Jesus answered and said to them, "This is the work of God, that you may be believing in that One Whom He commissions." (John 6:28-29)

They asked the wrong question, but Jesus gave the right answer. It is not about what we do but what God has done. The “work of God” is to bring humanity to faith in His Son Jesus, the Savior of the world. God’s work will not be complete until “every knee” bows and “every tongue” agrees that Jesus is Lord.

Will God fail in His work? - NOT A CHANCE!

"Wherefore, also, God highly exalts Him, and graces Him with the name that is above every name, that in the name of Jesus EVERY knee should be bowing, celestial and terrestrial and subterranean, and EVERY tongue should be acclaiming that Jesus Christ is Lord, for the glory of God, the Father." (Philippians 2:10-11)

When humans are resurrected, they will all become believers.

"This Jesus Who is being taken up from you into heaven shall come thus, in the manner in which you gaze at Him going into heaven." (Acts 1:11)

"And with great power the apostles rendered testimony to the resurrection of Jesus Christ, the Lord. Besides, great grace was on them all..." (Acts 4:33)

Peter and the other Apostles understood their job was to tell people that Jesus had been RESURRECTED. They had seen it first hand. Paul told humanity that Jesus would return to resurrect all humans, good and bad.

"...there shall be a resurrection which is impending for both the just and the unjust...I stand attesting both to small and to great, saying nothing outside of what both the prophets and Moses speak of impending occurrences - the suffering Christ - He, the first out of a resurrection of the dead, is about to be announcing light both to the people and to the nations." (Acts 25:15; 26:22-23)

The work of God is saving humanity out of death, the wages of our sin.

"For, if the dead are not being roused, neither has Christ been roused. Now, if Christ has not been roused, vain is your faith -- you are still in your sins! Consequently, those also who sleep in Christ perished. If we are having an expectation in Christ in this life only, more forlorn than all humans are we. Yet now Christ has been roused from among the dead, the Firstfruit of those who are sleeping. For since, in fact, through a man came death, through a Man, also, comes the resurrection of the dead. For even as, in Adam, all are dying, thus also, in Christ, shall all be made alive." (1 Corinthians 15:20-22)

February 18th - Gehenna

The Greek words "Gehenna", "Hades", and "Tartarus" are translated into most English versions of the Bible as "hell". An example of the use of "Gehenna" in a properly translated version is as follows:

"And do not fear those who kill the body, but cannot kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in Gehenna.” (Matthew 10:28 CLNT)

"Gehenna" was a valley outside of Jerusalem where trash and dead bodies of animals and criminals were burned in the time of Jesus. In Gehenna, the worm did not stop feeding and "the fire" did not go out until they accomplishes the job of consuming the trash or carcass.

"And if your hand should ever be snaring you, strike it off. It is ideal for you to be entering into life maimed, rather than, having two hands, to come away into Gehenna, into the unextinguished fire where their worm is not deceasing and the fire is not going out." (Mark 9:43-44)

Jesus preached to ISRAEL about the restoration of their Kingdom in the land promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He told them that their kingdom would not be restored until they repented of their sins.

"Thenceforth begins Jesus to be heralding and saying, Repent! for near is the kingdom of the heavens!...teaching in their synagogues and heralding the evangel of the kingdom." (Matthew 4:17,23)

Jesus presented Himself to Israel as the Messiah who would restore the kingdom of Israel. Jesus said they need not fear the Romans who might kill the body but had no control over the soul. God is able to make alive again souls cast into "Gehenna" and then reign with Him in the kingdom.

"And the souls of those executed because of the testimony of Jesus and because of the word of God, and those who do not worship the wild beast or its image, and did not get the emblem on their forehead and on their hand- they also live and reign with Christ a thousand years. The rest of the dead do not live until the thousand years should be finished." (Revelation 20:4-5)

Those who use the above verses to teach eternal conscious torment in the hell of Greek mythology will one day be "ashamed" to have done sot.  Some of them may miss out on the reign of Christ "until the thousand years should be finished".

Believers should not fear death at the hands of the governments of men, they should entrust both body and soul to God the Father and His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.

February 17th - The Eons Reveal the Wisdom of God

The Son of God made the eons (ages) to reveal the wisdom of God to His creation. 

"By many portions and many modes, of old, God, speaking to the fathers in the prophets, in the last of these days speaks to us in a Son, Whom He appoints enjoyer of the allotment of all, through Whom He also makes the eons..." (Hebrews 1:1)

The Apostle Paul, a Jew from the tribe of Benjamin, was selected to reveal to humanity the purpose of the eons.

"To me, less than the least of all saints, was granted this grace: to bring the evangel of the untraceable riches of Christ to the nations, and to enlighten all as to what is the administration of the secret, which has been concealed from the eons in God, Who creates all, that now may be made known to the sovereignties and the authorities among the celestials, through the ecclesia, the multifarious wisdom of God, in accord with the purpose of the eons, which He makes in Christ Jesus, our Lord." (Ephesians 3:11)

February 16th - God's Love is greater than Man's Faith

"And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love." (1 Corinthians 13:13)

Did you notice that LOVE is greater than FAITH?

Institutional Christianity has made man's faith greater than God's love it appears to me. It agrees that God loves the world and sent Jesus to save it, but then adds that if a man does not place his faith in Christ he will be eternally lost....and most add eternally punished in hell.

So, according to that doctrine which is greater, God's love or man's faith?

God saves sinners because He loves them and He did so while they were still ungodly...

"You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since we have now been justified by His blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through Him! For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to Him through the death of His Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through His life! Not only is this so, but we also boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation...for the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 5:6-11; 6:23)

So what is the role of man's faith in Christ?

Well, man's faith has NO role in our salvation. It is Jesus Christs faith that saved us, our faith simply believes that He did so, and even that is a gift from God.  

"Yet now, apart from law, a righteousness of God is manifest (being attested by the law and the prophets), yet a righteousness of God through Jesus Christ's faith, for all, and on all who are believing, for there is no distinction, for all sinned and are wanting of the glory of God. Being justified gratuitously in His grace, through the deliverance which is in Christ Jesus" (Romans 3:21-24)

Our faith unlocks the HOPE (expectation) of life after death. God's LOVE will save all sinners because of His GRACE.

"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God...The last enemy to be destroyed is death...so that God may be All in all." (Ephesians 2:8; 1 Corinthians 15:26-28)

February 15th - A False Teaching

Some Christians are convinced in their own minds that they are a little closer to God than others, like the Pharisee in Luke's gospel.

"The Pharisee, standing, prayed this to himself: "God, I am thanking you that I am not even as the rest of men, rapacious, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tribute collector. I am fasting twice of a sabbath. I am taking tithes from all whatever I am acquiring." (Luke 18:11-12)

The Pharisees considered themselves the most righteous sons of Abraham. So, imagine how they felt when a poor carpenter from Nazareth told them that they were not sons of Abraham, but were sons of the Adversary - Satan.

“You are of your father, the Adversary, and the desires of your father you are wanting to do…He who is of God is hearing God’s declarations. Therefore, you are not hearing, seeing that you are not of God.” (John 8:44-47) 

"Thus you, also, outside, indeed, are appearing to men to be just, yet inside you are distended with hypocrisy and lawlessness..." (Matthew 23:28)

"And you invalidate the word of God because of your tradition. Hypocrites! Ideally Isaiah prophesies concerning you, saying...in vain are they revering Me, teaching for teachings the directions of men." (Matthew 15:6-9)

The modern day equivalent would be Jesus entering a Christian church or synagogue today and telling the preacher, priest, or rabbi that he was a follower of Satan.

The Apostle Paul warns of the false “apostles of Christ” because they would teach about "another Jesus".

“For if, indeed, he who is coming is heralding another Jesus whom we do not herald, or you are obtaining a different spirit, which you did not obtain, or a different gospel, which you do not receive, you are bearing with him ideally….such are false apostles, fraudulent workers, being transfigured into apostles of Christ. And no marvel, for Satan himself is being transfigured into a messenger of light. It is no great thing, then, if his servants also are being transfigured as dispensers of righteousness.” (2 Corinthians 11:4-15) 

Paul taught that the real Jesus would save "all mankind" and "reconcile" all creation to God.  So, anything less than the salvation and reconciliation of all is a "different evangel" about "another Jesus".

I once read an almost forgotten piece of literature from 1890 written by Thomas Allin entitled “Christ Triumphant” where he speaks of the most egregious false teaching of modern day Christianity.

“The consequences of the false teaching of eternal torment are now the fabric of society...The consequences of the false doctrine of eternal torment are so all pervasive, so closely connected to the invisible and nearly universal undercurrent of human thinking concerning God, that they are impossible now to separate and calculate.”

That was written almost 130 years ago and avoiding eternal torment is still the basis for most Christian evangelism today. Nevertheless, God's salvation of all will come to pass rather than the "directions of men". 

Here is the truth about salvation from the Scripture...

"...through Him (Jesus) to reconcile all to Him (making peace through the blood of His cross), through Him, whether those on earth or those in the heavens.  And you, being once estranged and enemies in comprehension, by wicked acts, yet now He reconciles by His body of flesh, through His death, to present you holy and flawless and unimpeachable in His sight." (Colossians 1:20-22)

“I am entreating then,  first of all, that petitions, prayers, pleadings, thanksgiving be made for all mankind...for this is ideal and welcome in the sight of our Savior God, Who wills that all mankind be saved, and come into a realization of truth." (1 Timothy 2:1-4)

"For there is one God, and one Mediator of God and mankind, a Man, Christ Jesus, Who is giving Himself a correspondent Ransom for all (the testimony in its own eras)." (1 Timothy 2:5-6)

"Faithful is the saying and worthy of all welcome (for for this are we toiling and being reproached), that we rely on the living God, Who is the Savior of all mankind, especially of believers.  These things be charging and teaching.” (1 Timothy 4:9-11)

All Scripture must be harmonized with the above in  our a search for truth.

February 14th - Is your God in a Lamp?

“Now we are aware that God is working all together for the good of those who are loving God, who are called according to the purpose that, whom He foreknew, He designates beforehand, also, to be conformed to the image of His Son….” (Romans 8:28-29)

I get mad sometimes because I rub the lamp with much prayer and do not get even one of my three wishes. But that lamp does not contain the God of the bible. He is not waiting for me to get His attention by rubbing the lamp with just the right amount of prayer and faith. That is the Genie of Aladdin’s lamp, not the God of the bible. Biblical prayer gives me "peace" as I toss my worry on Him knowing that He cares about me.

“…toss your entire worry on Him, for He cares about you." (1 Peter 5:7)

"Now, faithful is God, Who will not be leaving you to be tried above what you are able, but, together with the trial, will be making a sequel also, to enable you to undergo it.” (1 Corinthians 10:13)

There is a "sequel" to our struggles in this life that we pray about, and that sequel is the resurrected life that will be ours when we are completed in "the image of His Son".

“For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; and the former things will not be remembered or come to mind." (Isaiah 65:17)

"He has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of His own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel...I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that day.” (2 Timothy 1:8-12)

Paul told us how to pray and its peaceful result.

"Do not worry about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God, and the peace of God, that is superior to every frame of mind, shall be garrisoning your hearts and your apprehensions in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:6-7)

My immature nature will keep rubbing the lamp from time to time, but my mature trust remains in the God of the bible, not the Genie of Aladdin's Lamp.

February 13th - Be Diligent

"Yet be growing in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be glory now, as well as for the day of the coming eon. Amen!" (2 Peter 3:18)

What I say is what I believe at the time, but I change those views as my ongoing study and experience requires. That is because I would like my views to be "approved" and not be “unashamed” at the coming of the Lord.

"Have a pattern of sound words, which you hear from me, in faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. The ideal thing committed to you, guard through the holy spirit which is making its home in us." (2 Timothy 1:13-14)

“Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth.” (2 Timothy 2:15)

"All scripture is inspired by God, and is beneficial for teaching, for exposure, for correction, for discipline in righteousness, that the man of God may be equipped, fitted out for every good act." (2 Timothy 3:16-17)

I have made the assumption that the Bible is infallible when properly translated. However, we do not possess a perfectly translated version, so my views about what I read may change as I grow int the "grace and knowledge of our Lord". Day by day I let my thoughts flow - willing to change my view as I grow in grace and knowledge.

"May grace and peace be multiplied to you in the recognition of God and of Jesus Christ, our Lord!" (2 Peter 1:2)