More From Les Miserables

Let's follow through Valjean's truth from "Les Miserables" one step further.
Remember what he said to Cosette?

"You will learn.
Truth is given by God
To us all in our time,
In our turn."

And remember what God says to us .....

Consequently,
just as one offence resulted in condemnation for all people,
so also
one righteous act resulted in justification and life for all people.
[Romans 5 : 18]

Firstly. let me highlight the fact that what we do has no effect on whether we are justified or eventually have life.
What Jesus achieved on the cross (his righteous act) did it all.  Jesus didn't just start a process for us to complete.  He didn't lay a foundation that we must build on. What he did resulted in justification and life.  It certainly doesn't need any action from us (including belief) to validate it. (1)

Just as we had no say in the result or consequence of Adam's "one offence," so we have no say in the result or consequence of Jesus' "one righteous act."
God has decreed them both, without any input or approval from us.

Now. let's consider the truth from Valjean.
Just as we cannot experience the curse placed on us by Adam until we are physically born, so we cannot experience the victory placed on us by Christ until God chooses to reveal it to us, until we are spiritually born.
For the firstfruits, that will happen in this life; for the rest of creation it will happen in the next..... each in our turn.

Isn't God magnificent?
Blessings, Barry

(1)  Unfortunately, this is not what mainstream christianity teaches.  It teaches that we had no say in the result of Adam's offence, but we do have a say in the result of Christ's righteous act - we can thwart the work of Jesus by our so-called "free will" but we can't stand up against Adam's.  Does this sound like we have been taught that Adam is stronger and his work is more powerful than Jesus and his ????? 

Les Miserables

This afternoon I went to see the latest release of the movie "Les Miserables" with four of my grandchildren.
I'm not a grant fan of musicals, but I so love the story line of this novel that I couldn't resist the invitation to join the expedition to the cinema.

One of my favourite lines is spoken by Valjean while speaking to Cosette, his "adopted daughter."
He says to her,
"You will learn.
Truth is given by God
To us all in our time,
In our turn."

As I read the Bible it seems clear to me that the truth 
that God exists,
that he is love and sovereign,
that he sent his Son, Jesus Christ, to die for the sins of the world and to reconcile all of us to himself,
is indeed given to all people, and in their turn.

In fact, the only difference between us (believers) and others (unbelievers) is God's timing in revealing truth.
The only thing that makes us different from others is timing.

We, the believers, the “called," the "firstfruits," are simply further along God's ordained track than the rest of His creation.
God is doing an early work in us.   It is only the timing of His grace that makes the difference.
But not only are we further along the track.  We are chosen early for a reason - to be ministers or messengers of reconciliation to all others.

Valjean in Les Mis declares a profound truth that is only seen by a few at this time.

Blessings, Barry

Scripture Connections

I spend a lot of time "in the Bible."  I read it, read about it, think about it, doodle about it.
I love making notes about connections I see in it - connections between OT and NT, between promises or prophecies and fulfilment, etc.

So I thought I would share a few of these with you.
They are about God's will, pleasure, promise, oath, and work to save all people.

The first is below, and I'll add the others as comments to this post over the course of the weekend.

God's Will - to save all people
God wills all people to be saved and come to recognise the truth.
[ 1 Timothy 2 : 4 ]

God declares the end from the beginning, and from long ago what is not yet done, saying, "My plans will stand, and I will do all my will."
[ Isaiah 46 : 10 ]

Blessings, Barry

The Best Poem in the World

Here's a cute poem that was sent to me by a close friend who hasn't yet seen that God will reconcile all to him eventually ..... or is my friend trying to say something to me by sending the poem?   What do you think?

He called it the BEST POEM IN THE WORLD

I was shocked, confused, bewildered
  As I entered Heaven's door,
Not by the beauty of it all,
    Nor the lights or its decor.

But it was the folks in Heaven
    Who made me sputter and gasp--
The thieves, the liars, the sinners,
    The alcoholics and the trash.

There stood the kid from seventh grade
    Who swiped my lunch money twice.
Next to him was my old neighbour
    Who never said anything nice.

Herb, who I always thought
    Was rotting away in hell,
Was sitting pretty on cloud nine,
    Looking incredibly well.

I nudged Jesus, 'What's the deal?
    I would love to hear Your take.
How'd all these sinners get up here?
    God must've made a mistake.

'And why is everyone so quiet,
    So somber - give me a clue.'
'Hush, child,' He said, 'they're all in shock.
    No one thought they'd be seeing you..'

Blessings, Barry

Promises from Paul

The good news from Paul is sooooo extensive --- it just goes on and on.
Paul asserts that, by God's grace, everyone will be justified, raised to life, saved, be friends of God and reconciled to him.
What more could anyone hope for?
Let me illustrate with just a short quote from each of five of his letters.

All will be justified, declared just or righteous, be given right-standing before God.
Just as one offence resulted in condemnation for all people, so also one righteous act resulted in justification and life for all people.
[ Romans 5 : 18  BSV ]

All will be vivified, enlivened, raised to life.
For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.
[ 1 Cor 15 :: 22  NIV ]
because
The last enemy to be abolished is death.
[ 1 Cor 15 : 26  BSV ]

All will be saved.
This is why we labour and stive, because we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Saviour of all people, and especially of those who believe.
[ 1 Tim 4 :  10  NIV ]

All are God's friends.
God was in Christ befriending the world to himself, not counting people's sins against them.
[ 2 Cor 5 :  19  BSV ]

All will be reconciled to God.
For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in Christ, 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.
[Col 1 : 19 - 20  BSV ]

And none of this should catch us by surprise when Paul reminds us that
For from him and through him and to him are all things.
[ Romans 11 : 36  BSV ]
because
God works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will.
[ Ephesians 1 : 11  BSV ]

There's too much from Paul to ignore, don't you think?
Blessings, Barry

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BTW.  I will be uploading Chapter 2 of the book for you to read and pull apart early next week.
Please attack it for me.
(I can handle anything from people who love me.)

Hot Tomb Buns

One of my hobbies is baking yeast breads and buns.
In the weeks leading up to Easter I baked a few batches of Hot Cross Buns of various sorts. 
Some we ate, some we shared with others, and some are stored in the freezer.

It is now Resurrection Sunday, and the buns we will eat today still have the crosses on their tops.
How ridiculous!
We have moved on from the day of the cross to the day of the empty tomb.
And so we must.

Although many people suggest that the cross is the central event of the Christian faith, Paul tells us that our faith is futile without the empty tomb.
Both Christ's death AND his resurrection are essential to our faith.
Without the resurrection, we are still in our sins.  [ 1 Cor 15 : 17 ]

So I am going to bake a batch of hot buns with a cut in the top which I hope will have a "bursting out" or "gaping hole" appearance once they have fully risen and cooked.

That ought to get the conversation moving on from the cross.
What do you think?

Hope you are having a great time of reflection, thanksgiving and fellowship with your family.
Easter blessings, Barry