FacebookYouTubeGoogle StoreApple Store

Need a new search

If you didn't find what you were looking for, try a new search!

It is God’s Desire that All Are Saved

This is proper and acceptable before the face of God, Who desires all men to be saved and come to a full experiential knowledge of the truth – 1 Timothy 2:3-4

God has not determined that some would perish, but rather is longsuffering towards all so that they can make room for a change of the mind (Repentance).

The Lord is not slow of promise as some regard slowness, but is longsuffering unto you, while not determining some to perish, but all to make room unto repentance. – 2 Peter 3:9.

However, this does not mean that humans can force God to save them by their works, for salvation is God’s choice, not by the desirous will of humans. He showed this through the selecting of Jacob over Esau before they were born. Rather than giving Esau the birthright to the promise given to Abraham, God chose Jacob before either one had done good or bad for the purpose of showing that it is not about what humans want, but God’s choice (Romans 9:11). This was done to prove a point, it is not the one who desires or the one who runs, but God who chooses to give mercy (Romans 9:16).

How God chooses to provide salvation is His choice, not ours. God states today that to be saved we are to take Him at His Word and believe that Christ died on behalf of our sins, was buried, and rose again on the third day according to the Scriptures (1 Corinthians 15:1-4).

God did determine that certain things would happen. He chose that Christ would die and be raised from the dead (1 Peter 1:20). He chose that all who would be in Christ would have their bounds […]

It is God’s Desire that All Are Saved2023-12-14T08:14:28-08:00

Thankful

Thanksgiving comes from an attitude of gratitude in which we express appreciation. Thankfulness is rooted in grace and comes from consideration of the benefits received. We are not to be thankful because we should appreciate what we have, but because we understand the value of it and therefore express our gratitude for it. When we want more in our lives it is because we are not realizing the value of what we have now. We live in a fallen world that brings grief and despair that leads to a state of mind in which we can so desire something else that we may even seek death itself. However, rather than succumbing to the grief that the world brings, we should be looking at why it has come upon us. Yes, the things of this world are enjoyable, bring instant gratification, appease our desires, but in the end, they just bring grief. Godly grief is going to bring us to repentance, where the world’s grief seeks death. Repentance is a change of the mind. It is a result of seeing the truth and choosing to follow it and rejecting the previous beliefs that were built upon lies. Grief comes because we are rejecting what God wants for us and seeking to fulfill our own desires without consideration of who we are and how damaging some of these wishes can be to us. God wants us to be happy. Not a fleeting happiness like the world brings, but true happiness. A happiness that starts deep down inside of us and produces a sense of well-being within us. This is where thanksgiving comes from. This type of happiness can only be […]

Thankful2023-11-26T19:08:55-08:00

Being Gracious Towards Others

In English the word “forgive” is defined as, “to stop feeling angry towards or blaming someone, or to stop requiring a payment for something”. This is not equal to how Scripture uses the word “Forgive.” The main meaning of the word “forgive” in Scripture is “to send away”. It can be used for a husband and wife, or not leaving anything behind; however, when it comes to sin it is specific to only God Who is the One forgiving, for sin is only against God.

And a woman who has a husband who does not believe, if he is willing to live with her, let her not divorce (send away) him. – 1 Corinthians 7:13

You have put all things in subjection under his feet.” For in that He put all in subjection under him, He left (sent away) nothing that is not put under him. But now we do not yet see all things put under him. – Hebrews 2:8

Therefore, leaving (sending away) the discussion of the elementary principles of the Christ, let us go on to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, – Hebrews 6:1

Against You, You only, have I sinned, And done this evil in Your sight— That You may be found just when You speak, And blameless when You judge. – Psalms 51:4

Unlike in the Old Testament, which only offered the covering of sins (atonement), the blood of Christ forgives (sends away) our sins. And without payment for sin there is no forgiveness.

And almost all things are cleansed by blood according to the law and apart from shedding blood forgiveness does not come […]

Being Gracious Towards Others2023-12-14T08:32:53-08:00

The Definition of Love – Kindness

Love is longsuffering, love is kind … 1 Corinthians 13:4

Another aspect of God’s quality of love is kindness. One who is kind is described as having a good or benevolent nature or disposition, which will put others at ease. This is not an aspect of the human nature.

All turned away. They altogether became useless. There are no doers of kindness, there is not even one. – Romans 3:12

Unlike anywhere else in Scripture, here in first Corinthians Love is defined as a verb, where all other times it is a noun or adjective. Kindness is expressed in how we make others feel at ease around us not so much in an emotional sense, but an ease of mind, due to expressing a benevolent nature. This is the kind of person you feel comfortable around, not because they agree with you, on the contrary they are typically the ones that will call you out for doing wrong, but they do not judge, they do not speak harshly, mock, make fun of, or embarrass others. They are just good people to be around who understand the importance of having a benevolent disposition towards others.

If we want our lives to have a big impact on others, we need to pay attention to what God does, for it is the kindness of God that leads us to a change of mind, not hell, fire and damnation.

Or do you think little of the riches of His kindness, and tolerance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the kindness from God leads you into a change of mind – Romans 2:4

Without God showing us kindness, we would not be saved; therefore, this should be our same attitude and actions towards […]

The Definition of Love – Kindness2023-12-14T08:36:19-08:00

The Methods of Satan – An Unforgiving Spirit

Among the saints, holding each other accountable for our actions is important. We are one body and when one part suffers, we all suffer. When you wrong one of the members, you wrong them all. Unfortunately, in this day and age of the Laodicean church which only serves God in name, many will not take this act of love and just move to another assembly that will not hold them accountable. However, for those who do accept the correction and repent (change their mind), we, as an assembly, need to be gracious to them.

In the first letter to the assembly in Corinth, Paul had to deal with a situation where the church was boasting about allowing one within their members that was doing something so heinous that even the Gentiles would not do – and that is setting the bar really low.

Actually, it is heard among you a fornicator and such a fornicator that would not even be named among the Gentiles, so that someone to have the wife of the father – 1 Corinthians 5:1

Paul rebukes that assembly for not dealing with this situation properly and even boasting about it.

And you are high-minded and not rather mourn in order that he should be taken out from your midst, the one doing this work – 1 Corinthians 5:2

Having followed Paul’s instructions and rebuking this one and not permitting him to assemble with them anymore, after this one repented – that is truly change the mind and therefore ceased the sin, they refused to allow him back. Paul then addresses this issue in the second letter to the assembly.

This punishment to such a one was sufficient, which [punishment] was by […]

The Methods of Satan – An Unforgiving Spirit2023-12-14T08:44:58-08:00
Go to Top