Jesus Kingdom Parables

Even though Jesus directed his parables specifically to Israel in the first century AD, there is much that we can learn from them.
I appreciate there is great danger in creating theology from those parables, or his miraculous events. 

To illustrate this let's consider a farcical example.
Take two cases of Jesus' healing ministry as recorded in the Gospels.

He took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village. When he had spit on the man's eyes and put his hands on him, Jesus asked, "Do you see anything?"
He looked up and said, "I see people; they look like trees walking around."
Once more Jesus put his hands on the man's eyes. Then his eyes were opened, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly.
[Mark 8 : 23 - 25  NIV]

and

After saying this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man's eyes.
"Go," he told him, "wash in the Pool of Siloam" (this word means "Sent"). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing.
[John 9 : 6 - 7  NIV]

Theological conclusion?
How about this?
If you want instant healing you must use mud.
Indeed we could go further and absurdly suggest that the first two Christian denominations could be created from such theology - the muddites and the anti-muddites.

Although we need to be careful not to use parables to create our theology, parables can be interpreted and applied in various ways.
Some people consider one way is the correct way and any other ways are incorrect.
However I suggest that most ways have value and show different aspects of the teaching Jesus is presenting in the parable.

A bit like looking at a mountain. You get different views when looking from different sides or looking up from the bottom or from half way up or from an aeroplane or an overhead drone.
All the views are different. Not one is right and the others wrong. But just different views - each giving a bit more information about the mountain.

Let's consider a different interpretation than is usual for a mini-parable Jesus told.
The disciples knew from Jesus’ teachings that He was constantly talking about the Kingdom of Heaven (or the Kingdom of God as some New Testament writers called it).

So they asked Him to tell them what the Kingdom of Heaven was like.
Matthew Chapter 13 records nine parables Jesus used to answer their question.
We’ll focus on the one described in verse 44.

The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field. [NIV]

May I suggest this mini parable (one verse) has at least two views.
The usual interpretation is that the kingdom of heaven is such a precious treasure that we, like the man, should give up everything we have to lay hold of it.
Of course, that’s absolutely true.
—but possibly that is not what Jesus was talking about on this occasion when answering the disciples’ question about what the kingdom was like.

What if this isn’t a parable about something we must do to possess the kingdom?
What if we are not the man in the parable.
What if Jesus is talking about himself?
What if Jesus is the one who finds the treasure and buys the field?
What if we human beings are the treasure?
What if the field is this world, as Jesus described it in an earlier parable?
And what if it is Jesus who gives up everything He had to purchase this world and reclaim it as His possession?
What if that’s what the kingdom of heaven is actually like?

Our Concept of Salvation Enriched
This second way of looking at the parable gives us another way of looking at the gospel of salvation.
Probably, for the first thousand years of Christendom this view was likely the more common way of understanding the concept of salvation.
It is sometimes described as Christus Victor (Christ the Victor).
 
Today the more common view of salvation is penal substitution: that is, Jesus died in our place to pay for our sins.
It’s not that Christus Victor is right and penal substitution is wrong.
They simply represent different ways of looking at the gospel.
God’s work of salvation is so great, like a huge mountain, that we must view it from many angles to gain a more comprehensive picture.

Interestingly, as Augustine put it centuries ago, Christ is both Victor and Victim.
By becoming the Victim and dying on the cross, he also became the Victor by defeating sin and Satan there, being resurrected three days later to conquer death, then ascending to the Father to establish his kingdom.
That used to be a more common way to understand the gospel of salvation.

Other Biblical Support for Christus Victor View
This view of the parable of the treasure in the field – that we are the treasure Jesus found and bought – is supported in other parts of Scripture.
Indeed, this short parable seems to condense several verses about Jesus’ death found in Hebrews and Paul’s letters:

.... is so happy that he goes ...

—“because of the joy that was waiting for him, he thought nothing of the disgrace of dying on the cross, ...”
(Heb. 12:2  GNB).

.... and sells everything he has ...

—“of his own free will he gave up all he had ...”
(Phil. 2:7  GNB).

.... and buys that field

—“You do not belong to yourselves but to God; he bought you for a price.”
(1 Cor. 6:19–20  GNB).

Just in passing, let’s note that Jesus didn’t just purchase the treasure, he bought the whole field – the whole world.
The kingdom of heaven contains the treasure and the rest of the field. Which again can also be supported Biblically:

“And Christ himself is the means by which our sins are forgiven, and not our sins only, but also the sins of everyone.”
(1 John 2 : 2  GNB)

“Through the Son, then, God decided to bring the whole universe back to himself.”
(Colossians 1 : 20  GNB)

Penal substitution is certainly one way to understand the gospel, but so also is Christus Victor. They both contribute to our understanding of the extent of God's love for this fallen world.

Blessings, Barry

Keeping Christ in Christmas

 

Ho! Ho! Ho! It's Christmas time again - the season when we remember and celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ in Bethlehem over 2000 years ago.

However, I hear the name of Santa far more frequently than the name of Jesus during this season.
Even though they have some similarities, they have profound differences.

The most important being that Santa comes with gifts only for "good" people
(just ask the children you know) whereas Jesus comes with a special gift for
"bad" people called sinners (just ask a Bible reader you know).

Let's enjoy the wonderful happiness and excitement that family, Santa and gift-giving bring, but let's also appreciate and embrace the hope and joy of eternal life that Jesus brings.

It is Christmas! And the reason for the season is in its name.

Wishing everyone a blessed Christmas season and a healthy New Year. Barry

Universal Reconciliation is Wrong IF

Universal Reconciliation is the understanding that the entire creation will eventually be reconciled to God.
This understanding is clearly wrong ...

IF Jesus did not die for the sins of the whole world.
But the Bible says that he did.

And Christ himself is the means by which our sins are forgiven, and not our sins only, but also the sins of everyone.
[1 John 2 : 2  GNB]

IF God is still planning to make us pay for our sins.
But the Bible says God no longer keeps account of our sins.

God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people's sins against them.
[2 Corinthians 5 : 19  NIV]

IF Jesus was always addressing eternity in his teachings.
But the Bible says he was solely focused on the kingdom.

Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people.
{Matthew 4 : 23  NIV]

IF the disciples and the Jewish crowds were also into eternity-thinking.
But the Bible says they were also totally kingdom-focused.

He sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal the sick.
[Luke 9 : 2  NIV]
Then they gathered around him and asked him, "Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?"
[Acts 1 : 6  NIV]
"Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David!" "Hosanna in the highest heaven!"
[Mark 11 : 10  NIV]

IF our English translations of the Bible really forecast eternal punishment.
But more accurate, literal translations of the Bible correctly speak of conditions in relation to the kingdom Age.

And these will go to the chastening of that Age, but the just to the life of that Age.
[Matthew 25 : 46  DBH]
And these shall go away to punishment age-during, but the righteous to life age-during.
[Matthew 25 : 46  YLT]

I'd rather believe the Bible, and especially an accurately translated one, which teaches that God's love motivated him to send Jesus to save us, not judge us.

For God did so love the world, that His Son—the only begotten—He gave, that every one who is believing in him may not perish, but may have life age-during.
For God did not send His Son to the world that he may judge the world, but that the world may be saved through him;
[John 3 : 16 - 17  YLT]

And since belief (or faith) is required, it will need to be given to everyone for God to achieve his revealed purpose - just as it has been given to many of us already.
(Believers in the current age are the firstfruits of the great harvest to come.)

How could God, who is love, which was demonstrated so clearly on the cross, want anything less for his creation than reconciliation of all? 

In a nutshell:

With all wisdom and understanding,
he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure,
which he purposed in Christ,
to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—
to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.
[Ephesians 1 : 8 -10  NIV]

Blessings, Barry

Births and Deaths

Revelation 20 : 14 declares that the lake of fire is the Second Death.

Many Christians believe this lake of fire is a place of eternal torment or annihilation for those who do not believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, by the time they complete their earthly lives.

I struggle with this belief for many reasons, but mainly because of God's character:

Whoever loves is a child of God and knows God. ... for God is love.
And God showed his love for us by sending his only Son into the world, so that we might have life through him.
[1 John 4 : 7 - 9  GNB]

and His declared purpose for His creation:

Through the Son, then, God decided to bring the whole universe back to himself. God made peace through his Son's blood on the cross and so brought back to himself all things, both on earth and in heaven.
[Colossians 1 : 19, 20  GNB]

(There are three previous posts discussing the Lake of Fire which can be found by placing "Lake of Fire" in the search box on the right.)

So what is this death that the Bible calls the Second Death?
Surely a sensible starting point might be to discover and understand what the first death might be.

There have been so many differing opinions offered throughout the centuries regarding the first and second deaths. I have read several of them, but I have yet to find one that supports my offering here. If there are others that offer something similar - terrific - I just haven't found them yet; if not then my offering may be brave and leave me open to some challenge.

Nevertheless, let me share my thoughts that have been strengthening over recent years, and let's begin even further back with what the corresponding "births" might be.

The First Birth is our physical birth with its condition inherited from Adam
    
➧ we are born spiritually dead, not alive to God, indeed maybe hostile to God
➧ we are mortal, physically dying from the moment we are born
➧ both aspects of death apply to everyone as we are all related to Adam.

Therefore, just as sin entered into the cosmos through one man, and death through sin, so also death pervaded all humanity ...
[Romans 5 : 12  DBH]

The First Death is the physical death that all humans experience because we were born under Adam's legacy.

➧ although this death is certain, it is only temporary as we will all be resurrected at some stage in the future.

For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man.  For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.
[1 Corinthians 15 : 21, 22  NIV]

➧ however after this physical death we will still be spiritually dead - unless we've been born again beforehand.

As the Scriptures say: "There is no one who is righteous, no one who is wise or who worships God. All have turned away from God; they have all gone wrong; no one does what is right, not even one.
[Romans 3 : 10 - 12  GNB]

The Second Birth is a spiritual birth, called "being born again" or "being born from above" or "being in Christ".

This birth involves some big changes, for example:
➧ moving from spiritual death to spiritual life

You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive with Christ, for he forgave all our sins. [Colossians 2 : 13  NLT]

➧ becoming a new creature in Christ

Whoever is a believer in Christ is a new creation. The old way of living has disappeared. A new way of living has come into existence.
[2 Corinthians 5 : 17  GW]

➧ becoming dead to sin and alive to God

... you also must regard yourselves as dead in relation to sin, but as alive in relation to God, because you are in Christ Jesus.
[Romans 6 : 11  Weymouth]

➧ receiving the indwelling Holy Spirit

And you also became God's people when you heard the true message, the Good News that brought you salvation. You believed in Christ, and God put his stamp of ownership on you by giving you the Holy Spirit he had promised.
The Spirit is the guarantee that we shall receive what God has promised his people, and this assures us that God will give complete freedom to those who are his. Let us praise his glory!
[Ephesians 1 : 13, 14  GNB]

The Second Death is a spiritual death, the death of everything that offends God.

➧ includes the offences to be removed from those who have not had the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit involved in their lives (as those who have experienced the second birth will have by that time).
    
➧ includes the death of Hades (the realm of the dead) and Death itself.

Then Death and Hades were thrown into the Lake of fire; this is the Second Death--the Lake of fire.
[Revelation 20 : 14  Weymouth]

When the Second Death has finished its work it will no longer be needed.

For Christ must rule until God defeats all enemies and puts them under his feet. The last enemy to be defeated will be death.
[1 Corinthians 15 : 25, 26  GNB]

And the result of the Second Death's work?

But when all things have been placed under Christ's rule, then he himself, the Son, will place himself under God, who placed all things under him; and God will rule completely over all.
[1 Corinthians 15 : 28  GNB]

Anyone like to discuss my definitions of births and deaths?
Please use the Comments section below - I am a keen seeker of truth and always prepared to discuss and refine or reshape my views.

Blessings, Barry

How Certain Are You?

The majority of Christians have been taught, and therefore believe, that those who have not made a decision for Christ in this life will forever be excluded from the presence of the Lord.
Regular readers of this BLOG will know that I not only disagree with this conclusion but with the theology in the reasoning that produces it.

So I won't go over old ground again in this post ... BUT ... I have some questions for those who believe that conclusion, or a similar version of it.

How confident are you in your conclusion?

How certain are you ...

that the steadfast love of the Lord does cease at some point?
that God's mercies do come to an end?
that God's love does finally fail?

How certain are you ...

that God will not make all things new?
that everyone will not be made alive in Christ?
that God will not unite all things under Christ eventually?
that God will not reconcile all things to himself?

How certain are you ...

that Jesus does not seek and save all who are lost?
that Jesus did not destroy the works of the devil?
that Jesus is not the Saviour of the whole world?
that Jesus did not take away the sin of the world?
that every knee will not bow before Jesus?

I'll pause there to allow some breathing space to gather your thoughts rather than keep asking awkward questions. But you can take a peek below the line if you need some help forming your answers.

Blessings, Barry

BTW, if you have some awkward questions for me I am happy for you to ask them in the Comments section below.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end;
[Lamentations 3 :  22 ESV]

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.
It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.
Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.
It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
Love never fails.
[1 Corinthians 13 : 4 - 8  NIV]
-----
And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”
[Revelation 21 : 5  ESV]

For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.
[1 Corinthians 15 ; 22  ESV]

With all wisdom and understanding, he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.
[Ephesians 1 : 8 - 10  NIV]

For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.
[Colossians 1 : 19 - 20  NIV]
-----
For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.
[Luke 19 : 10  NIV]

The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.
[1 John 3 : 8  ESV]

He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.
[1 John 2 : 2  NIV]

The next day John saw Jesus coming to him, and said, "There is the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!
[John 1 : 29  GNB]

Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
[Philippians 2 : 9 - 11  NIV]

Not Home: On Assignment

Here's another snippet from my essay research. (see previous post)

Although most of my study time centres on the Bible, I do keep a watch on domestic and international politics.
One of my interests is following how ambassadors represent their country's interests while they are abroad.
I appreciate they have to be careful/diplomatic in the way they speak, but they are never distracted from promoting their home country's policies, programs and interests - they are appointed to be faithful emissaries.

As disciples of Jesus Christ, we have a similar role.
But let's clarify the setting before we discuss that role.

Even though we are currently living here on earth, this earth is not our home - our citizenship is elsewhere.

For our citizenship is in the heavens, from where we also await a Savior—the Lord Jesus Christ—
[Phillipians 3 : 20  LSV]

Those in the Body of Christ are with Christ where He is in heaven.

And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus,
[Ephesians 2 : 6  NIV]

Spiritually, our citizenship is with Christ in the heavens.
We are not earthly beings having a spiritual experience, but spiritual beings having a human experience.

So what are we doing down here? What is our role?
We have been chosen as Christ's ambassadors, representing the kingdom (government) of our home country (the heavens) on the earth.

We are therefore ambassadors for Messiah, as though God were making His appeal through us.
[2 Corinthians 5 : 20  TLV]

And what appeal is that?
Now that God has reconciled the world to himself through Christ, and is no longer counting people's sins against them, He is appealing for everyone to be reconciled to Him.

All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation:
that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.
We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God.
[2 Corinthians 5 : 18 - 20  NIV]

So we are not at home: we're on assignment, making God's appeal for personal reconciliation to God on His behalf.
And when our assignment is completed we will "return" home.

Blessings, Barry

Do Christians Go To Heaven When They Die?

There is often vigorous debate about where Christians go when they die.
I am currently writing an essay on this topic, which may well become a chapter in a future book, so I thought I would share a brief excerpt with you here.

Most Christians believe they go to heaven to be with Jesus the moment they die, although I'm not sure many of them could verify that position from the Scriptures.

Quite a few Bible Scholars use Old Testament passages to show that everyone (including Christians) go to the grave, where they sleep unaware of anything, until the rapture or the second coming of Jesus (depending on the eschatology timetable they subscribe to).

To me, having received eternal life (Greek - life of the Age) MUST make a difference between the immediate destination after death of those who are followers of Christ and those who are still un-reconciled to God.
And Paul hints at this in various places .....

But I find an interesting hint in Paul's description of the Rapture in 1 Thessalonians 4:14.

We believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God WILL BRING WITH JESUS THOSE WHO HAVE FALLEN ASLEEP IN HIM. [NIV]

Jesus can only bring with him those who are already with him when he is about to come.
These are they who have been separated from their bodies at death - their souls/spirits going to be with Jesus in heaven and their bodies remaining on earth to be buried or cremated.

When Jesus comes, he brings these departed souls/spirits with him, raises their bodies, and re-unites their body, soul and spirit. Being "complete" again, as are the living saints waiting for this event, Jesus gathers both the departed and the living to be together with him in the air.

He then transforms the bodies of all those being raptured into their resurrection bodies, as 1 Corinthians 15 tells us. These bodies, we are told in several places, will bear the divine image of Jesus.

And just as we have borne the image of the earthly man, so shall we bear the image of the heavenly man.
[1 Corinthians 15 : 49  NIV]

For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son
[Romans 8 : 29  NIV]

Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.
[1 John 3 : 2  NIV]

I wonder if Peter, James and John were given a preview of what this body would be like when they saw Jesus transfigured on the mountain.
After they had seen this, Jesus instructed them not to tell anyone what they had seen until after He was resurrected. (Matt 17 : 1 - 9)
Why?
My guess: because Jesus' mission was to introduce Jews to their anticipated, earthly Messianic Kingdom, and himself as their Messiah, they would not understand anything about a transfigured, heavenly body until He had led the way into that realm on resurrection morning.

However, I have digressed.
The point of this excerpt is to demonstrate that St.Paul gives a clue that those in the Body of Christ were in heaven with Christ before the Rapture, and therefore must have been previously, spiritually translated to heaven on the occasion of their earthly death.

Blessings, Barry

Jesus, Israel and the Kingdom

In the previous post "Churches Diminish Jesus' Work on the Cross", I criticised the view of people who failed to read verse 17 when quoting the famous John 3:16 passage.
Those same people might now criticise me for not addressing verse 18, thinking that verse may contradict my argument that everyone is to be eventually reconciled to God.
Verse 18 says:

Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God's one and only Son. [NIV]

We must always remember that Jesus came to Israel who were looking for the Messiah who would establish the kingdom in which the Jews were to be the head of the nations. Jesus is never talking to Israel about anything other than this kingdom Age (which Christians often call the millennium).

So whatever Jesus was promising or forbidding His Jewish audience was associated with that coming kingdom.
And the promise of life in the Age was for those of His Jewish audience who believed in His Name - believed that it was this Jesus who was their Messiah.
And those who did not so believe, would be condemned to missing out on life in that Age.

Most of our popular English translations have caused us to miss out on knowing God's ultimate plan to reconcile everyone to Himself.

For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.
[Colossians 1 : 19 - 20  NIV]

"Eternal life" in the gospels is actually "life of the Age" in the underlying Greek. Jesus is not addressing eternity, but the kingdom Age that Israel's prophets predicted and the Jews were hoping for.

We only need to consult literal translations of the Greek New Testament to see this. For example consider John 17 : 3, which in our popular translations talks about eternal life.

and this is the life age-during, that they may know Thee, the only true God, and him whom Thou didst send—Jesus Christ;
[YLT]
And in this consists the Life of the Ages--in knowing Thee the only true God and Jesus Christ whom Thou hast sent.
[WNT]
And, this, is the age-abiding life, That they get to know thee, the only real God, and him whom thou didst send, Jesus Christ.
[REB]
Now it is eonian life that they may know Thee, the only true God, and Him Whom Thou dost commission, Jesus Christ.
[CLV]
And this is life in the Age: that they might know you, the sole true God, and him whom you sent, Jesus the Anointed.
[DBH]

This pre-occupation with the kingdom is illustrated just before Jesus' ascension.

Then they gathered around him and asked him, "Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?"
[Acts 1 : 6  NIV]

So, "whoever does not believe stands condemned already" in verse 18 is not speaking about people missing out on eventually being reconciled to God, but about Jews missing out on the kingdom Age that was promised to believing Israel.

God's ultimate plan looks well beyond Israel's kingdom age, and promises reconciliation of all creation, Jews and Gentiles alike.

Blessings, Barry

PS. For readers who are wondering how the teaching they have received on "hell" and "the lake of fire" could possibly be consistent with God's plan to reconcile all creation, might like to put these topics into the search box on the right of this page.
Fairly comprehensive previous single posts on these can be found at:
https://barrysgracespace.blogspot.com/2010/08/what-is-hell.html, and
https://barrysgracespace.blogspot.com/2011/03/lake-of-fire-again.html.
 

Churches Diminish Jesus' Work on the Cross

Hello again! I haven't posted for a while - too busy travelling around the country. We've been in Queensland to visit family after entry restrictions were lifted. 10 of our 15 grandchildren and all our 14 great grandchildren live there, so we spent several weeks getting to know them all over again.

On return, each of us copped a good dose of COVID - so no activity on the BLOG for a further couple of weeks.

While away we visited a vibrant church and enjoyed worshipping with them on several occasions. However on the last Sunday we attended, the sermon reminded us of what many churches seem to teach - to be saved and avoid eternity in a cruel hell each person needs to make the choice to believe and accept "the gospel" during their lifetime on this planet.

No mention of what God did for all of us 2000 years ago - reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people's sins against them. (2 Cor 5: 19)

No mention that all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. (Romans 3 : 24)

No mention that all in Adam's line of descent are now in Christ's. (1 Cor 15 : 22)

Quoted was one of the best known verses in the Bible - John 3 : 16.
But most who quote it (and use it to prove their view that Jesus only died for those who believe the gospel in their lifetime) don't continue reading to the next verse.

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life (Greek: life of the Age).

For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
[John 3 : 16 - 17 NIV]

So what was "the gospel" preached there that day?
Basically, your salvation is actually in your hands. You need to be born in the right place at the right time to hear the gospel and then you need to produce the faith to believe and accept this gospel while you're still alive.

The gospel of grace was completely missed; the gospel of (personal) decision and action was the one being preached.

So sad really.
This vibrant church, while enthusiastically enjoying lively worship and warm and inclusive fellowship, were celebrating their good luck in hearing the gospel and deciding to accept it while still here, and were then being encouraged to pray for friends and family with urgency because their salvation depends solely on them hearing the gospel and their subsequent action.

God is not a god of good luck; God's plan to reconcile the world through Christ was devised before the world was even created.

He (Christ) was chosen before the foundation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake.
[1 Peter 1 : 20  TLV]

With all wisdom and understanding, he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ,
to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfilment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.
[Ephesians 1 : 8 - 10  NIV]

For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.
[Colossians 1 : 19 - 20  NIV]

For there is one God, and there is one who brings God and human beings together, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself to redeem the whole human race. That was the proof at the right time that God wants everyone to be saved,
[1Tim 2 : 5 - 6  GNB]

Yes, we do need to share the gospel in words and actions with others so that if now is their appointed time they will be given the faith to believe what they have heard and seen.
Understanding and celebrating the truth of what Jesus has done for them, and commitment to Christ, will automatically follow.

Clearly, salvation is God's responsibility, and God's alone.
God sent Jesus to deal with our sin.

He (Christ) is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.
[1 John 2: 2  NIV]

God draws us to Jesus.

No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them, and I will raise them up at the last day.
[John 6 : 44 NIV ]

God gives us the faith to believe this good news.

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.
[Ephesians 2 : 8 - 9  NIV]

It's ALL God's doing. When it's your turn you will be awakened, irresistibly drawn by God's love and action, and given faith to believe the gospel and the Holy Spirit to empower you in your commitment to follow Jesus.

It is God who produces in you the desires and actions that please him.
[Philippians 2 : 13  GW]

It was for me, and for every genuine, committed, faithful child of God I have known - for all in the Body of Christ, the firstfruits of the harvest, those who serve with Christ in the kingdom age.

But there's more, as shown in the Scripture quotations above.
No-one will be left out. Eventually everyone will be reconciled to God and enjoy eternity with Him. Everyone will have their turn to understand and enjoy what Jesus has done for them so long ago.

So I visited a terrific, vibrant church, but their preaching sometimes denied the love and grace of God for His creation and severely diminished the full payment of Christ on the cross for the sins of the world.

Will I attend again?
I'm sure I will - they welcome warmly, celebrate using God-focused worship, encourage their members to live committed and joyful lives, and preach positive messages most of the time.
Indeed, if we only choose to worship and fellowship in churches whose doctrine we 100% agree with, we might find ourselves worshipping alone.

Blessings, Barry

Belief Doesn't Create Truth

Many churches and Bible commentators teach that
if a person believes that Jesus died for their sins,
then they will be forgiven their sins and thus saved.

In other words, personal belief is needed to activate Christ's sacrifice for them, and so obtain their salvation.
Or, more arrogantly, Christ needs our help to save us!

This doesn't seem to harmonise with what the Scriptures say about what God has done through Jesus' sacrifice on the cross.

First, our sins have been dealt with 2000 years ago - whether we believe it or not.

Jesus Christ, the one who pleases God completely. He is the sacrifice for our sins. He takes away not only our sins but the sins of all the world.
[1 John 2 : 1 - 2  NLT]

Second, God is reconciled to us and thus is at peace with us - whether we believe it or not.

For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people's sins against them.
[2 Corinthians 5 : 19  NLT]

Third, God intends everyone to know these truths and live in unity and harmony with him and his creation forever - whether we believe it or not.

... God our Savior, who wants (intends) everyone to be saved and to understand the truth.
[1 Timothy 2 : 3 - 4   NLT]
God has now revealed to us his mysterious will regarding Christ—which is to fulfill his own good plan. And this is the plan: At the right time he will bring everything together under the authority of Christ—everything in heaven and on earth.
[Ephesians 1 : 9 - 10  NLT]

Belief doesn't create these truths.
Creatures like you and me cannot believe the Creator's plans into existence.
All truths need to exist before they can be believed, meaning they are equally true for believers and unbelievers.

So if these truths do exist, why doesn't everyone believe them?

The simple answer is that not all of us come to belief at the same time.
Are you a believer?
Did you become a believer at the same time as other believers you know?
Probably not. 

God draws us to him, gives us the Holy Spirit and the faith to believe his good news at his appointed time for each of us.
And those appointed times will be spread across the eons or ages of time, not just in this present one, for all of creation.

Indeed, in this present age, God is only choosing the advance party of early believers, called the Body of Christ.
They do not have to wait till the end of time to come to know and believe the truth - as all others do.

Early believers are chosen and equipped to serve Christ in announcing these truths to the rest of their generation, so that those others still to be chosen from that generation will hear their call, be given faith and drawn into this advance party.

So faith comes from hearing, that is, hearing the Good News about Christ.
[Romans 10 : 17  NLT]

And God is still actively filling and empowering the advance party in 2022 - almost 2000 years after He began.

Blessings, Barry

Really Good News Produces Real Joy

I really enjoy watching YouTube videos of André Rieu and his orchestra and vocalists. Almost as much, I enjoy watching the reactions of his audience - such happiness, even tears of joy.

Audiences leaving the concert are often singing and dancing as they make their way to the street, and always with a huge smile on their faces.
And their topic of conversation? The concert, of course, and the exhilaration and happiness it gave them.  

I can't help thinking how wonderful it would be if we saw people leaving a church service like that.
Singing, dancing, talking about the joy and exhilaration the service gave them, and especially the good news that was preached.

But I haven't seen that too often ... and wonder why.
I wonder if God's true character, his love, grace and mercy, have been celebrated?
I wonder if God's plan to save the world has been mentioned?
I wonder if the audience has been reminded how specially chosen and privileged they are to be in Christ's advance party?
I wonder if the audience has been taught that their "unsaved" loved ones have already had their sin penalty paid for them by Jesus' death on the cross 2000 years ago?
I wonder if the really good news from the Bible has been shared or whether this has been re-jigged in some way?

For which reason God also exalted him on high and graced him with the name that is above every name,
so that at the name of Jesus every knee - of beings heavenly and earthly and subterranean - should bend,
and every tongue gladly confess that Jesus the Anointed is Lord, for the glory of God the Father.
[Philippians 2 : 9 - 11  DBH]

If this really good news has been preached and celebrated, genuinely enthusiastic worship would break out spontaneously.
And the conversations after the service might contain expressions of  thankfulness, joy and hope, rather than discussions about the weather, football and politics. 

On a personal note: conversations after the service I have led have ranged from "You sure gave us something to think about this morning!" to
"Why haven't we heard that before?" to
"I don't think you should lead a service here again!"

And in one church, I have been cancelled, never to return to that pulpit again.
I had preached too much good news that made too many people hopeful and joyful and discussing the Biblical truths that were explored as they had morning tea after the service.

Blessings, Barry

Does Our Faith Match Our Hope?

As a Christian, what do you hope for?
An interesting aspect of an answer to this question came to me recently when thinking about the definition of faith from the Book of Hebrews.

Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.
[Hebrews 11 : 1  NIV]

Are all the things you have faith in, what you believe, are also what you are hoping for?
Let's see.
Do you believe (have faith) that Jesus died on the cross for your sins? Then this Hebrews verse assures us that this is what you are hoping for.

Do you believe that Jesus is to return to planet earth to take you to be with him forever? Then this is what you are hoping for.

Do you believe that all unbelievers will be endlessly tormented in a place called "hell" after Jesus rewards you? Then this is what you are hoping for.

Many Christians I know do believe in this horrid doctrine of "eternal punishment" but most of them have never expressed a hope in it, especially if some of their close family are unbelievers.

I avoided this conflict between belief and hope by abandoning "the horrid doctrine" that I was taught in my early church days and began to study the Bible for myself and see God's true heart and character and His plan to reconcile all of His creation.

Here are a few verses from the New Testament which contradict "the horrid doctrine".

For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
[John 3 : 17  NIV]
And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself."
[Jesus speaking, John 12 : 32  NIV]
He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.
[1 John 2 : 2  NIV]
All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people's sins against them...
[2 Corinthians 5 : 18 - 19  NIV]

I therefore believe that God will reconcile all creation to Himself and this is what I am hoping for. I have this "assurance about what we do not see".

Does our faith match our hope?
Let's believe only those doctrines we can genuinely hope for.

Blessings, Barry