我们有了一种分享灵修的新方式，要查看我所有的中文/英文灵修以及成百上千的英文灵修，请点击以下链接。

TBL China – The Bottom Line, Ministries


Christ's Power Over Evil Spirits! Mark 1:23-26

Text: “And Jesus rebuked him (the unclean spirit) saying, Hold thy peace, and come out of him. And when the unclean spirit had torn him, and cried with a loud voice, he came out of him.”
Mark 1:25-26.

Good morning, cleansed Christian! Like the author, once you wallowed in the pits of sin and depravity of sin; lost, and with nowhere to go for Spiritual healing; dwelling on the ever-growing human-rubbish dump of sin-discarded souls, all on our way to a Christ-rejector’s Eternal Hell.

If this stark description depicts the state your soul was in prior to being redeemed by Christ’s sinless Blood – it most certainly describes mine! (See ‘About Kenny’ on www.ulsterchristians.org)

However, our gracious and Sovereign Lord God Almighty was not content to leave us abandoned and discarded on that heap of ruined and Hell-bound souls. Praise God no! He shone the light of His glorious Gospel of Salvation into our very hearts and minds, and called us to receive His everlasting love and forgiveness. Christ exercised His Divine power over all evil in our hearts and souls. Glory to the Lamb Who is worthy! Hallelujah! Amen.

“And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the Name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.” (1 Corinthians 6:11)

J.C. Ryle Comments:
“We learn, in the first place, from these verses, the uselessness of a mere intellectual knowledge of religion. Twice we are specially told that the unclean spirits knew our Lord. In one place it says, “they knew Him.” In another, the devil cries out, “I know thee who thou art, the Holy one of God.” They knew Christ, when Scribes were ignorant of Him, and Pharisees would not acknowledge Him. And yet their knowledge was not unto salvation!

“The mere belief of the facts and doctrines of Christianity will never save our souls. Such belief is no better than the belief of devils. They all believe and know that Jesus is the Christ. They believe that He will one day judge the world, and cast them down to endless torment in hell. It is a solemn and sorrowful thought, that on these points some professing Christians have even less faith than the devil. There are some who doubt the reality of hell and the eternity of punishment. Such doubts as these find no place except in the hearts of self-willed men and women. There is no infidelity among devils. “They believe and tremble.” (James 2:19)

“Let us take heed that our faith be a faith of the heart as well as of the head. Let us see that our knowledge has a sanctifying influence on our affections and our lives. Let us not only know Christ but love Him, from a sense of actual benefit received from Him. Let us not only believe that He is the Son of God and the Saviour of the world, but rejoice in Him, and cleave to Him with purpose of heart.” (J.C. Ryle’s Expository Thoughts on the Gospels 1816-1900)

There is an old saying here in Ulster (Northern Ireland, UK) which goes: ‘The proof of the pudding is in the eating.’ Meaning, if it is a good, tasty, well-baked, pudding – it will be eaten up, enjoyed, and recognised as evidence of a ‘good, well-baked, pudding’.

Genuine Christian belief should be placed in one Person only – the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ. We must first acknowledge Him as God the Son, and believe in His Holy attributes. We must repent of our sin, be Spiritually regenerated; then seek diligently and earnestly to emulate His life – in all we say, do, think, and believe.

There can be no power in a Christian profession, without the evidence of Christ in the person making the Christian profession.

“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in Heaven.” (Matthew 5:16) ‘The proof of the pudding is in the eating.’

In our selected Bible reading for today, we find a man suffering from demon-possession; “…a man with an unclean spirit…” Such a negative position to be found in. (V.23)

However, the Lord God Almighty is a gracious and merciful Lord God, and, in the Person of Christ Jesus, saw fit to exercise His Absolute and Sovereign power over the powers of Satan and evil. Christ commanded the evil demon to, “Hold thy peace, and come out of him.” (V.25)

It is indeed truly amazing that, today, in this increasingly apostate and ungodly 21st Century, demons from Hell immediately recognise and obey the Lord Jesus Christ, while unregenerate, disobedient humankind use His Holy Name as a swear word.

“…Let us alone; what have we to do with Thee, Thou Jesus of Nazareth? Art Thou come to destroy us? I know Thee Who Thou art, the Holy One of God.” (V.24)

Praise God, even the evil powers of Hell must obey the Word of the Living Lord God, in Christ Jesus: “And when the unclean spirit had torn him (the demon-possessed man), and cried with a loud voice, he came out of him.” (V.26)

Amazement was the result within those that clearly witnessed this Divine deliverance from evil, for they saw with their own eyes Divine authority being commanded: “…with authority commandeth He even the unclean spirits, and they do obey Him” (V.27) Hallelujah!


Thought: At the Name of Jesus every knee must bow! Let us bow now. (Phil. 2:9-11)

(c) Dr C.K. McClinton
Ulster Christians
www.ulsterchristians.org


BE AUTHENTIC

From Ron Hawks

"Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you…Romans 12:3.”

Today, different cultures, pockets of information, and values are landing on our personal doorsteps all the time. All of this diversity can cause us to feel intellectually, emotionally, socially, and spiritually overloaded. It can also drive us toward a type of internal segregation that is unhealthy. We are constantly tempted to compartmentalize our lives as a way of coping with the overload. We may be drawn to think and act one way in terms of politics and social issues, yet a very different way in terms of our workplace and work ethics. We may think and act one way in our spiritual community, but another in our private sphere.

When we are tempted to feel, think and act differently in different settings, we can begin to lose our sense of identity and deep relationships. Have you ever been at a party composed of people from your different spheres of life – neighborhood, family, work, church, school, etc. – and felt awkward? Some of this awkwardness is natural and good; different people know different aspects of you. The question is, however, are you consistently being honest with whom you are, or are you "playing to the crowd" and portraying yourself differently in different settings? Though it may at times seem expedient to segregate your internal life – to keep your different thoughts, feelings, and worldviews separate within you, you will pay a price over time. You may lose touch with yourself, and become untouchable to others.

I would like to suggest three components to help you grow/maintain personal wholeness and integration. First, it is important to BE SELF-AWARE. Take time to understand your feelings and thoughts – even when they are in conflict with each other. Learn to live and embrace some of these tensions. Pay attention to how others perceive you; don't always discount them, they may well be right. Invite, learn from, and make appropriate adjustments based on the insights of others. "Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you." (Romans 12:3) Neither is it valuable to think of yourself lowlier than you ought. Be aware of who you are and how others perceive you.

Second, BE PRESENT to yourself and to others. Don't be one of those people who is always looking around the room at others when talking to someone, give that one person your undivided attention. "In humility consider others better than yourself." (Philippians 2:3) At the same time, be present to what is going on in you when you are with others. This will help you integrate your thoughts and feelings.

Third, BE AUTHENTIC. Be consistent and congruent. Be who you really are in every setting. This will actually make your life simpler. You won't have to pick which one of you to present in different settings, you can simply be you. To be authentic means, to be honest with yourself, honest with God, and honest with others – what a wonderful way to live…Pastor Tom

SOAK IN SCRIPTURE

Jeremiah 23: "The Lord Our Righteousness"

Christian Horstmann | The Book of Jeremiah

Jeremiah 23

sermonaudio.com/sermon/727231059133360


Raising Missions-Minded Children

Christian Horstmann | Family Discipleship Podcast

Christian Family Reformation

sermonaudio.com/sermon/1524345236157

The Marvelous Work of Salvation (Psalm 40)

Pastor Casey Kuhlman | Psalms

Calvary Baptist Church

sermonaudio.com/sermon/105232310281313



The Confirming Characteristics of Counterfeit Converts

Pastor Casey Kuhlman | 2 Peter

Calvary Baptist Church

sermonaudio.com/sermon/317242244383300


The Power of a Personal Testimony

Roland Hammett | Mission Possible Series

Lehigh Valley Baptist Church

sermonaudio.com/sermon/31124145505403

The Conversion of a Seeker

Roland Hammett | Acts Series

Lehigh Valley Baptist Church

sermonaudio.com/sermon/9941420157480

I hope MTG is able to get a vote on record. Not stopping the border disaster means children continue to be sex trafficked every day and Americans continue to die of fentanyl overdose each day.

In the 28 Fundamental Beliefs of Seventh-day Adventists we find the actual voted beliefs of the Adventist denomination.


Belief 10 s --
In Christ's life of perfect obedience to God's will, His suffering, death, and resurrection, God provided the only means of atonement for human sin, so that those who by faith accept this atonement may have eternal life, and the whole creation may better understand the infinite and holy love of the Creator. This perfect atonement vindicates the righteousness of God's law and the graciousness of His character; for it both condemns our sin and provides for our forgiveness. The death of Christ is substitutionary and expiatory, reconciling and transforming. The resurrection of Christ proclaims God's triumph over the forces of evil, and for those who accept the atonement assures their final victory over sin and death. It declares the Lordship of Jesus Christ, before whom every knee in heaven and on earth will bow. (John 3:16; Isa. 53; 1 Peter 2:21, 22; 1 Cor. 15:3, 4, 20-22; 2 Cor. 5:14, 15, 19-21; Rom. 1:4; 3:25; 4:25; 8:3, 4; 1 John 2:2; 4:10; Col. 2:15; Phil. 2:6-11.)
Belief 4 says this

Belief 4. Son:
God the eternal Son became incarnate in Jesus Christ. Through Him all things were created, the character of God is revealed, the salvation of humanity is accomplished, and the world is judged. Forever truly God, He became also truly man, Jesus the Christ. He was conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. He lived and experienced temptation as a human being, but perfectly exemplified the righteousness and love of God. By His miracles He manifested God's power and was attested as God's promised Messiah. He suffered and died voluntarily on the cross for our sins and in our place, was raised from the dead, and ascended to minister in the heavenly sanctuary in our behalf. He will come again in glory for the final deliverance of His people and the restoration of all things. (John 1:1-3, 14; Col. 1:15-19; John 10:30; 14:9; Rom. 6:23; 2 Cor. 5:17-19; John 5:22; Luke 1:35; Phil. 2:5-11; Heb. 2:9-18; 1 Cor. 15:3, 4; Heb. 8:1, 2; John 14:1-3.)

Heb 8:1-2 "the main point" according to Paul - is that we have Christ as our High Priest seated in heaven - ministering in the Sanctuary in heaven. And in Heb 10 we find that our prayers are going "within the veil" of the sanctuary in heaven. Heb 9 reminds us that there are two veils in the sanctuary.

Seated as "priest and king" as Zech 6:1-13 reminds us.

Question about the Lev 16 scapegoat - addressed in 1957 in the book "Questions on Doctrine" -- Question 35

"We take our stand without qualification on the gospel platform that the death of Jesus Christ provides the sole propitiation for our sins (1 John 2:2; 4:10); that there is salvation through no other means or medium, and no other name by which we may be saved (Acts 4:12); and that the shed blood of Jesus Christ alone brings remission for our sins (Matt. 26: 28). That is foundational.

Further, we hold to the recognized principle that no cardinal doctrine or belief should be based primarily upon a parable or type, but upon the clear unfigurative statements of Scripture, and understood and defined in the light of explicit declarations of gospel realities. ...

In Leviticus 16, two goats entered into the service of the great day of Atonement. One, in type, made atonement for sin. The other goat, for Azazel, was not slain, but was kept alive, and hence made no atonement for anyone's sins.

The first goat represented our Lord Jesus Christ, who, on the cross, made atonement for our sins. The other goat, in antithesis, symbolized Satan, who must bear the responsibility not only for his own sins but for his part in all the sins he has caused others, both righteous and wicked, to commit. This live goat, it is to be remembered, was not slain. (Many outstanding authorities support our understanding that the live goat, or Azazel, typified Satan. See Question 34.)

==========================

The Lev 16 model of Atonement includes the "sin offering" slain (Christ the lamb of God slain from the foundation of the world). IT also includes the work of our High Priest in the sanctuary. So the full scope for the Bible definition of "atonement" is not limited to just the "atoning sacrifice for our sins and not for our sins only but for the sins of the whole world" 1 John 2:2 NIV - full and complete at the cross.

Ellen White published several statements affirming the fact that

“As the cross of Calvary, with its infinite sacrifice for the sins of men, was revealed, they saw that nothing but the merits of Christ could suffice to atone for their transgressions; this alone could reconcile man to God. With faith and humility they accepted the Lamb of God, that taketh away the sin of the world. Through the blood of Jesus they had “remission of sins that are past.” {GC 461.1}

I want to lift up my voice for Jesus and say, Whosoever believeth in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. Go forth from the cave by faith. Look to Jesus, your helper. Behold the Lamb of God who taketh away the sins of the world. Look to your atoning Sacrifice lifted up upon the cross, the Innocent dying for the guilty. . . . {OHC 136.3}

His offering of Himself was full and ample. Nothing was wanting. It was indeed a whole and ample atonement that was made. Then why . . . indicate by words and example that Christ has died for you in vain? After the exhibitions of love that was without a parallel, you say by your words of doubt and mournful discouragement, "He does not love me. He will not forgive me. My sins are of too hard a character to be cured by the blood of Jesus. The offering is not of sufficient value to pay the debt I owe for the rescue of my soul." {OHC 136.4}

Thus from Christ cometh all our blessings. His death is an atoning sacrifice for our sins. He is the great Medium through whom we receive the mercy and favor of God. {OHC 83.5}

Do you realize your sinfulness? Do you despise sin? Then remember that the righteousness of Christ is yours if you will grasp it. Can you not see what a strong foundation is placed beneath your feet when you accept Christ? God has accepted the offering of his Son as a complete atonement for the sins of the world. {YI September 20, 1900, par. 8}

Through the untiring ministrations of the apostles to the Gentiles, the “strangers and foreigners,” who “sometimes were far off,” learned that they had been “made nigh by the blood of Christ,” and that through faith in His atoning sacrifice they might become “fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God.” Ephesians 2:12, 13, 19. {AA 175.1}

" As the life of Christ and the character of His mission are dwelt upon, rays of light will shine forth more distinctly at every attempt to discover truth. Each fresh search will reveal something more deeply interesting than has yet been unfolded. The subject is inexhaustible. The study of the incarnation of Christ, His atoning sacrifice and mediatorial work, will employ the mind of the diligent student as long as time shall last; and looking to heaven with its unnumbered years he will exclaim, “Great is the mystery of godliness.” {COL 133.4}

=====================
Those who reject the Gospel - pay their own debt of sin in the lake of fire - this is also true of fallen Angels such as Satan. They pay for what they have done and what they have caused others to do in opposition to the Word of God.

"(Satan) must suffer for all the evil that he has done and be punished for the sins that he has caused to be committed. GC 660.2

The scapegoat work in Lev 16 happens ONLY after atonement is COMPLETED via the "atoning sacrifice" of the "goat of the sin offering"

20 “When he finishes atoning for the Holy Place and the tent of meeting and the altar, he shall offer the live goat.

which is why it says "when he finishes"

"16 He shall make atonement for the Holy Place, because of the impurities of the sons of Israel and because of their unlawful acts regarding all their sins; and he shall do so for the tent of meeting which remains with them in the midst of their impurities. 17 When he goes in to make atonement in the Holy Place, no one shall be in the tent of meeting until he comes out.

So that he may make atonement for himself and for his household, and for all the assembly of Israel."

which does not include any "sin offering" work done by the scapegoat, since it never does anything as "sin offering" once it is selected.

All verses after vs 20 only deals with the "sin offering" of vs 11-15 - being consumed in fire - reminding us that it is offered up in smoke OUTSIDE the sanctuary AFTER atonement is completed in vs 20, and after the high priest removes His high priestly vestments..

Heb 9 "without the shedding of blood - no forgiveness of sins"

The "non-sin-offfering" part of the service has no subtitutionary atonement value because that part is not "an atoning sacrifice" - but it does complete the larger view of atonement - which includes the wicked that die without providing any atoning sacrifice - burnt offering benefit. They merely show how all sin is accounted for and the books of Rev 20 (and Dan 7) are then fully resolved. (The very Bible doctrine you claim to reject).
==================================

"(Satan) will be declared guilty of all the evil which he has caused them to commit. And as the scapegoat was sent away into a land not inhabited, so Satan will be banished to the desolate earth, an uninhabited and dreary wilderness.{GC88 657.3}{GC 658.1}

Ezekiel 18:

23 Have I any pleasure in the death of the wicked, declares the Lord God, and not rather that he should turn from his way and live?

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1 Tim 2:

3This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, 4 who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

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HELPS Word-studies:

Cognate: 2309 thélō (a primitive verb, NAS dictionary) – to desire (wish, will), wanting what is best (optimal) because someone is ready and willing to act.

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2 Peter 3:

9 The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.

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There is a warning in Matthew 23:

37 “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!

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Does God want to save everyone?

The biblical wording is this: God desires everyone to repent and be saved, but some are unwilling to repent.

Disclaimer: In this OP, I am not arguing whether or not the Father draws everyone. I am discussing the logical usage of the word "unless".

John 6:

44 No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him.

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Let's try to translate the above to the first-order logic language. The trouble is that there is more than one way to express the English concept of unless. The word carries two senses.

Definition #1, the weak sense: If the Father does not draw him, he cannot come to Jesus.
⇒ If he comes to Jesus, then the Father draws him.
The Father's drawing of a person is a necessary condition. At this point, I don't know whether the Father draws everyone.

Definition #2, the strong sense: The Father does not draw him if and only if he cannot come to Jesus.
⇒ He can come to Jesus if and only if the Father draws him.
The Father's drawing of a person is both necessary and sufficient.

John 6:

44 No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day.

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Jesus raises him up on the last day iff the Father draws him.

40 For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.”

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He has eternal life iff the Father draws him.

There exists a person who does not have eternal life.

Therefore, the Father does not draw him.

According to the strong sense of the word "unless", the Father does not draw everyone. In either case, John 12:

32 And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.”

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By the Cross, Jesus does draw all people to himself.

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Appendix 1

Sometimes, the context tells us which sense is being used. Let's apply these two senses to 2 Timothy 2:

5 An athlete is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules.

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1. If he does not compete according to the rules, he is not crowned.
   Method 1 (weak sense of unless) is a valid interpretation.
2. He does not compete according to the rules if and only if he is not crowned.
   ⇒ If he is not crowned, then he does not compete according to the rules.
   ⇒ If he competes according to the rules, then he is crowned.

Method 2 implies that competing according to the rules is a sufficient condition for crowning. This is not true. Method 2 is not a valid interpretation of 2 Timothy 2:5.

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Appendix 2

Young's Literal Translation, John 6:44

no one is able to come unto me, if the Father who sent me may not draw him, and I will raise him up in the last day;

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ἐὰν μὴ
if not

draws
ἑλκύσῃ (helkysē)
Verb - Aorist Subjunctive Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 1670: To drag, draw, pull, persuade, unsheathe. Or helko hel'-ko; probably akin to haireomai; to drag.

BDAG:

ⓒ w. other particles
α. ἐὰν καί even if Gal 6:1; likew. ἐὰν δὲ καί (POxy 472 II, 7) but if 1 Cor 7:11, 28; 2 Ti 2:5. ἐὰν δὲ καὶ παρακούσῃ but if the pers. refuses to listen Mt 18:17.
β. ἐὰν μή if not, unless w. pres. subj. ἐὰν δὲ μὴ ᾖ ἀξία Mt 10:13; cp. Lk 13:3; J 3:2f, 5, 27. Mostly w. aor. subj. ἐὰν μὴ περισσεύσῃ Mt 5:20; 6:15; 12:29; 18:3; 21:21; Mk 3:27; 4:22 (s. KBeyer, Semitische Syntax im NT, ’62, 131); J 4:48; 6:44; 7:51; Ro 10:15; 1 Cor 9:16; 14:6; unless, without ἐὰν μὴ αὐτὸ πίω Mt 26:42. W. fut. ἐὰν μὴ μετανοήσουσιν Rv 2:22.

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Biblehub listed 30 translations out of 51 use the word "unless" to translate ἐὰν μὴ with aorist subjunctive. In this case, it is not just ἐὰν μὴ; it is ἐὰν μὴ followed by an Aorist Subjunctive verb. This pattern has been observed frequently enough that some experts believe that this pattern is the equivalent of the English concept of "unless".

I am about to be married to a wonderful man with an 8 yo grandson. His grandson was born to his son and his then fiancee. The relationship did not work out but the 2 are coparenting wonderfully. My fiance loves his grandson and I love that and I believe that is a beautiful thing, the boys live in a different State than him, 9 hours drive away, so it is hard to see them regularly, but he travels 2-3 times a year to visit them.

Now, we are getting married in about 2 months time, he suggested he should then send his son home alone and his grandson stay with us for a week right after our wedding, and I shot that down, because that is excluding his own son and having him driving home alone and of course it is our honeymoon and we need time alone after just being married. He then suggested that we fly over to visit a week after our wedding and I will fly back after a few days and he would stay 2 more weeks because he really wants to spend time with grandson alone then. My heart aches for the 2 sons.

Between us, we have 5 kids, 4 adults and a highschooler. The grandson has a priority over all of them and some days, I feel like it is over me, he denied it. He would obige when I disagree, but, he would keep trying. I love him, and all he does, but this grandson thing is kind of looking to me like an obsession.

I am starting to wonder if this is something I want in our marriage. At this point, I am wanting to push this wedding before this fundamental thing is being sorted out. Please share your thought.

He loves my girls, no doubt about it. I love his sons and then his grandson. Prayers, caring and communicating among me and his boys, him and my girls are regular and natural. I am heartbroken to tell him I cannot marry him till this is being sorted out.

I cannot find any scripture to support loving grandkids over our kids is wrong. The way he doing is likely to cause jealousy and rivalry among our offsprings. He is going to be my husband and I am ready to submit to him as with the Lord. I cannot bear to see this bias/favor causes division.

Have you ever tasted water that is lukewarm? I have, and I wanted to spit it out of my mouth. It tastes good hot, and it tastes good cold, but not lukewarm.

Well, that is how God feels about his church who is living in spiritual adultery against him. They aren’t opposed to him, but they are not really for him, either. They profess the name of Jesus, go to meetings of “the church” (most of them businesses incorporated under the state) weekly, and they may even be involved in some kind of ministry within “the church,” but they don’t live much differently from the people of the world who make no profession of faith in Christ at all. They honor God with their lips, but their hearts are far from him. They worship God in vain for their teachings are merely humanistic philosophy mingled in with the Scriptures.

Therefore, Jesus is calling out to this church today, and he is calling them to repent of their sins and to return to him, and he will restore them to fellowship with him.


Laodicea

An Original Work / April 29, 2011
Based off of Revelation 3:14-22

Laodicea, Laodicea, I’m calling you.
You hear Me calling, you hear Me calling. I’m calling you.
Will you not answer? Will you not answer? I’m calling you.
If you but follow, if you but follow, I’ll answer you.
Won’t you give Me your heart and your soul,
So I can cleanse you and make you whole?
Laodicea, Laodicea, I’m calling you.
If you will answer, if you will answer, I’ll come to you.

I stand at your door; I stand at your door. I’m knocking there.
Will you not listen? Will you not listen, while I’ll be there?
If you’ll but open, if you’ll but open your hearts to Me,
I’ll come within you, I’ll come within you, you’ll sup with Me.
Won’t you buy from Me some gold and salve?
These costly treasures are yours to have.
Laodicea, Laodicea, I’m calling you.
If you will answer, if you will answer, I’ll come to you.

Are you contented; are you contented to be lukewarm?
Will you not have Me? Will you not have Me? Of this I warn –
If you don’t hear Me, if you don’t hear Me, and so obey,
I will spit you out; I will spit you out without delay.
So why not heed this, your final call,
And give to God absolutely all?
Laodicea, Laodicea, I’m calling you.
If you will answer, if you will answer, I’ll come to you.

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There are many “shepherds” of the people here in America, and perhaps in other nations in the world, too, who are convincing many people that faith in Jesus Christ is nothing more than a profession of faith which requires no works at all, no dying to sin, no walking in holiness and in righteousness, no obedience to Christ and to his commands, and no servanthood to Christ as Lord (Owner-Master) of our lives. For they call that “works salvation.”

As a result, we have many (perhaps the majority of) people professing faith in Jesus Christ who are convinced that all their sins are forgiven (past, present, and future), that they are now guaranteed heaven when they die, and that it can’t be taken away from them, but regardless of how they live. And even if they are being taught repentance and obedience to Christ, which many are not, it is often taught as something recommended, not required.

And so we also have many (perhaps the majority of) people professing faith in Jesus Christ who are still living in sin and for the will of the flesh and who are not walking in obedience to the Lord in holy living, as a matter of habit. So even though they profess to believe in Jesus, they are still living in sexual immorality and impurity. They are still using filthy language, still telling crude jokes, and still filling their minds with the sinful pleasures of the flesh.

But the Scriptures teach us that no one who makes sin their practice and who lives in sexual immorality and idolatry, lying, cheating, stealing, etc., has an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. So we should not let ourselves be deceived by those who are telling us that we can have heaven secured us but while we continue in deliberate and habitual sin against the Lord Jesus. For the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.

[Matt 7:21-23; Lu 9:23-26; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14; Rom 12:1-2; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Co 10:1-22; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; Gal 5:16-24; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-32; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:1-17; Titus 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-10; 1 Jn 2:3-6,24-25; 1 Jn 3:4-10; 1 Pet 2:24; Heb 3:1-19; Heb 4:1-13; Heb 10:23-31; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15]

Therefore, we are not to be partners with them. We are not to be those who are regularly and consistently partaking in the sinful pleasures of the flesh, either by just being entertained by such as this on the TV or on the internet, and/or by physically partaking in those sinful pleasures ourselves. For sin isn’t just what is acted out in physical ways, but we can sin in our minds by what we entertain in our minds, such as via lustful thoughts and desires.

And the reason we should no longer be doing these things is that Jesus died on that cross to deliver us out of our bondage to sin so that we will now walk in obedience to his commands in holy living. He died to change us, to transform us, to make us new creations in Christ Jesus, not like we were when we were still living for the pleasures of the flesh. For now we are to be imitators (followers) of God who walk in his love, in living holy lives for him.

Thus, we are no longer to take part in the unfruitful works of darkness (sin, wickedness), but rather we are to be those who exposing these fruitless deeds of darkness for what they are so that others do not get entrapped by them thinking that God is okay with that and that heaven is still their destiny. And we are not to fear what others will think about us or do to us, either, when we expose these deeds of darkness for what they are.

His Tender Mercies

An Original Work / January 26, 2014

Fear not! I’m with you.
Be not dismayed!
God watches o’er you.
Trust Him today.
He’ll lead and guide you;
Give you His aid.
He’ll love and keep you
With Him always.

Walk in His footsteps.
He’ll lead the way.
Trust in His love;
Believe that He cares.
He will not leave you.
Faithful He’ll be.
His tender mercies
Now you will see.

Fellowship with Him
Throughout the day.
Tell Him your heartaches.
He’ll heal always.
Rest in His comfort.
He is your friend.
Your faith He’ll strengthen,
True to the end.

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Wow, $600/mo for a two bedroom apartment in a city where one does not need to own a car? The downside, you have to speak German, which has harsher phonetics compared to English. After the article summary, there is this cool 9 minute video that explains why German sounds so harsh. Here is the article: Could Vienna’s approach to affordable housing work in California?


Short summary of the open-access article by The Guardian (<20% in length, for fair usage reasons):

Whelp, looks like the AI run on my laptop is actin' up. You will have to read the article yourself. I will have to troubleshoot this.



Why German language sounds aggressive (9 minutes, ages 15 and up, due to stereotypes about Germany)

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When this says here to look carefully how we walk, this is speaking of how we live our lives, the things that we do every day, and the things that we think and speak and seek after, too. For this has to do with our conduct and with our habits. What is our daily practice? What things do we do over and over again by practice (habit)? What do we watch, read, and/or listen to? How do we spend our free time? What do we live for? For self? Or God?

And we definitely need to be watching carefully with regard to how we are conducting our lives, for the days we live in now are extremely evil, and they are getting worse and worse as time goes by. And there are so many trappings out there in the world and in the world of computers and the internet and smartphones, et al, that we must be very guarded that we don’t let our eyes and minds and hearts go in the wrong direction.

So we need to conduct our lives as those who are wise, not as the unwise. And we get our wisdom from the study of the Scriptures and from our personal relationships with Jesus Christ in walks of obedience to him and to his commands in holy living. For the more we know of God and of what he wants for our lives, and the more we submit to him and to his will and purpose for our lives, the more we grow in wisdom and we reject folly.

And it is so important that we make the best use of the time we have here on this earth while we still have time. For we need to be walking closely with our Lord in fellowship with him in doing what he has called us to do. And we need to be sharing the truth of the gospel with others so that they can come to know Jesus, too, and be delivered from their slavery to sin and have the hope of eternal life with God. So we must surrender our lives to do his will.

And then, not only are we not to get drunk on alcoholic beverages, but we are not to get intoxicated to any kind of sinful habits. Our lives are not to be out of control, but under Holy Spirit control. For the grace of God which is bringing us salvation is training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives while we wait for our Lord’s soon return (Titus 2:11-14; Romans 6:1-23; Luke 9:23-26).

Instead we are to be filled with the Spirit, which is an ongoing process of daily denying self, dying daily to sin, and following our Lord in obedience to his commands. And it involves us putting off the things of the flesh, like sexual immorality, idolatry, witchcraft, lying, stealing, and cheating, and now living in moral purity, uprightness, honesty, faithfulness, and in obedience to our Lord and to his commands. Then we make room for the Spirit in our lives, because we are now yielding to him, and not to the flesh.

And when this says to address one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, this is about us sharing these with one another for the encouragement of one another in our walks of faith in the Lord, and as led by the Spirit of God in what to share. This is not talking about a public song service where we just sing along with songs others have picked out for us to sing. For this is so that we are encouraging each other.

And these songs should be biblical in nature, and be songs which glorify God and which give praise to him, but which are for the express purpose to encourage each other in our walks of faith, much like so many of the old hymns which were and still are so rich in biblical truth and righteousness. And as we do this, we should be giving thanks to the Lord in all things, submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.

[Matt 5:13-16; Matt 28:18-20; Jn 4:31-38; Jn 13:13-17; Jn 14:12; Acts 1:8; Acts 2:14-18; Acts 26:18; Rom 10:14-15; Rom 12:1-8; Rom 15:14; 1 Co 12:1-31; 1 Co 14:1-5; Eph 4:1-16; Eph 5:11-27; Php 2:1-8; Col 3:16; Heb 3:13; Heb 10:23-25; 1 Pet 2:9,21; 1 Jn 2:6]

Oh, to Be Like Thee, Blessed Redeemer

Lyrics by Thomas O. Chisholm, 1897
Music by W. J. Kirkpatrick, 1897

Oh, to be like Thee! blessèd Redeemer,
This is my constant longing and prayer;
Gladly I’ll forfeit all of earth’s treasures,
Jesus, Thy perfect likeness to wear.

Oh, to be like Thee! full of compassion,
Loving, forgiving, tender and kind,
Helping the helpless, cheering the fainting,
Seeking the wandering sinner to find.

O to be like Thee! lowly in spirit,
Holy and harmless, patient and brave;
Meekly enduring cruel reproaches,
Willing to suffer others to save.

O to be like Thee! while I am pleading,
Pour out Thy Spirit, fill with Thy love;
Make me a temple meet for Thy dwelling,
Fit me for life and Heaven above.

Oh, to be like Thee! Oh, to be like Thee,
Blessèd Redeemer, pure as Thou art;
Come in Thy sweetness, come in Thy fullness;
Stamp Thine own image deep on my heart.

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In Australian court recently there was a case Giggle v Tickle.

Giggle was a woman only social media application, that wanted to exclude all men from the space. The app owner was an actual woman Sall Grover.
Tickle is a person, who has changed name to Roxanne. Tickle wanted access the site.
Giggle had an AI program that looked at a picture and refused entry to people it deemed not to be a woman.
The AI let Tickle in, but on review by the app owner, Tickle was removed. Tickle appeared to be a non-woman to the app owner (and personally I'd agree with her) and was removed.
Tickle took Giggle to Human Rights mediation, the mediation solution to avoid a trial, was that the app had to let Tickle on, purposefully seek to remove anything that may offended Tickle or people who agree with Tickle. Along with Grover going to education session on gender v sex. Grover refused.
Tickle began legal action, asking for $200K AUD but then withdrew. Then later changed mind and got approval even though the time had expired, as it was thought this was important to resolve.

Now it is likely that Tickle will win the first case but then it will go to Australian High Court.

Issue is Australia created its woman's right law on an UN convention that does not include gender expression. However, our first female PM, added gender expression to the Act.

This case is the case to legally define the question of "what is a woman", and because it is going to the UN convention it will probably be used a precedent internationally.

Do you support peace talks to end the war in Ukraine?

Hello folks. Today we will discuss how to spread the Gospel in a way that is effective in modern society, without straying from the Bible.

There are two kinds of matter particles in the universe. Some scientists think that ordinary matter comprises baryons, while dark matter is non-baryonic. Ordinary matter is visible to our eyes and mechanical sensors, while dark matter is invisible.

CERN:

Unlike normal matter, dark matter does not interact with the electromagnetic force. This means it does not absorb, reflect or emit light. Researchers have been able to infer the existence of dark matter only from the gravitational effect it seems to have on visible matter.

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While dark matter explains the hidden gravitational force that pulls a galaxy in place, a seemingly opposite anti-gravitational force pushes galaxies away from one another: dark energy.

NASA:

One explanation for dark energy is that it is a property of space. ... As more space comes into existence, more of this energy-of-space would appear. As a result, this form of energy would cause the universe to expand faster and faster.

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NASA:

It turns out that roughly 68% of the universe is dark energy. Dark matter makes up about 27%. The rest - everything on Earth, everything ever observed with all of our instruments, all normal matter - adds up to less than 5% of the universe.

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Over the course of a human lifetime, the total amount of dark matter to pass through your body doesn't even add up to one gram.

Does the Bible mention dark matter?

I think so. Genesis 1:

1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 Now the earth was formless and void,

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Was this the invisible dark earth existing in the spiritual realm?

and darkness was over the surface of the deep.

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Watch the parallelism: darkness parallels Spirit of God.

And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters.

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Was the spiritual realm composed of dark matter and energy?

3 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.

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Then came ordinary matter and energy. The physical, visible universe began.

4 God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness

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as if darkness was material like light.

Isaiah 45:

7a I form light and create darkness.

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The invisible became visible, Hebrews 11:

3 By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.

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From the invisible (non-baryonic) matter came the visible (baryonic) matter.

Colossians 1:

15 The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For in Him all things were created, things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities. All things were created through Him and for Him. 17 He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.

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All things visible, ordinary matter, and invisible dark matter hold together.

Berean Study Bible Job 10:

22 to a land of utter darkness, of deep shadow and disorder, where even the light is like darkness.”

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Why can't humans see angels?

Angels are made of non-baryonic matter.

YEC people want scriptures that tell us the earth is old or ancient. So we show them the scriptures in Isaiah, Psalms and Job, Then they try to say ancient does not mean ancient and old does not mean old. It is the KJV that uses these words. So does that mean they are NOT KJV only? If they try to claim old is not old, ancient is not ancient and KJV is not the word of God.

They call themselves YEC for young earth, then try to say old means young. Why do they contradict themselves?
The fact is the KJV uses old and ancient no matter how much of a tap dance they try to do to explain that away.

• The tension arises when YEC proponents attempt to reconcile scientific findings (such as an ancient cosmos) with their literal interpretation of the Bible.
• Some engage in creative explanations or interpretive gymnastics to harmonize these seemingly contradictory perspectives.
• While the KJV consistently uses terms like “old” and “ancient”, the challenge lies in fitting these concepts into a young Earth timeline3.

In her book, Noem writes that she took Cricket on a hunting trip with older dogs in hopes of calming down the wild puppy. Instead, Cricket chased the pheasants while "having the time of her life."

On the way home from the hunting trip, Noem writes that she stopped to talk to a family. Cricket got out of Noem's truck and attacked and killed some of the family's chickens, then bit the governor.

On Sunday, she defended her decision to kill the dog, saying that "South Dakota law states that dogs who attack and kill livestock can be put down."

In the book, Noem also writes that her family also owned a "nasty and mean" male goat that smelled bad and liked to chase her kids. She decided to go ahead and kill the goat, too. She writes that the goat survived the first shot, so she went back to the truck, got another shell, then shot him again, killing him.

Noem’s story has drawn criticism from Democrats and Republicans alike and grim jokes at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner on Saturday night. Ana Navarro, a former Republican political strategist, said Noem was “auditioning for Cruella De Vil” in a panel on CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday morning. S.E. Cupp, another Republican pundit who also hunts with dogs, pointed out that “there are 592 other things you can do with a dog that won't hunt besides kill it in front of your kid and construction workers.” Conservative commentator Meghan McCain also criticized Noem, writing in a post on X “you can recover from a lot of things in politics, change the narrative etc. - but not from killing a dog. All I will distinctly think about Kristi Noem now is that she murdered a puppy who was ‘acting up’ -which is obviously cruel and insane.” The night before, comedian Matt Friend mocked Noem in Trump’s voice at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, saying he was “killing this dinner harder than Kristi Noem kills the puppies”—drawing gasps from the crowd in Washington. Ryan Busse, a Democratic gubernatorial candidate in Montana, criticized Noem as a hunting dog owner on social media, writing “anyone who has ever owned a birddog knows how disgusting, lazy and evil this is.”

One of the disturbing things about this, is that she thought it was a good idea to brag about it in a book.

Abraham was faithful to God in going to the land that God brought him to. Sarah, as grace, brought forth Isaac, as the promise to those who were not bound to the law.

Isaac inherited the promise of the land without having to do anything but enjoy it. We also have inherited the promises of Christ that the Father has placed on the Son, and have to do nothing to enjoy death to sin, risen with Him, and life in Him. In that we need do nothing but believe and enjoy.

However God is the God of not just Abraham and Isaac but also of Jacob. God is the God of the living.
Jacob went thro many trials and tribulations, from a natural strength to a spiritual strength, during his lifetime.

From that we can see how God Himself calls us to the inheritance of God the Son. We have been crucified in Christ at the same time His death occurred. So the old creation has already died, but yet alive to Christ. Being alive to Christ, reckoning ourselves dead to sin, we have yet to deal with self.

Jacob had a very active self, yet he had come to that place where angels ascended and descended. ( The House of God ) Jesus said that we would see the same angels ascending and descending on Him. In Him we live and move and have our being. For God intended that we would seek and find Him.

Jacob, by nature, much unlike Isaac, was unsuitable for God's work. But at the end of his life he was very humble. The work that God started in him, He did complete.

Our lives are like the dealings that God had with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. We have been led here, we have been given the accomplishments for our inheritance, and we are being perfected to be suited for noble use, that He ( God the Father of the living, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob ) did begin.

​

Today, yes, unfortunately. By morality, I mean "principles relating to good and evil behaviour".


What was wrong with Adam and Eve knowing good and evil?
According to God, Genesis 2:

17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.”

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This was not just knowledge but knowledge of good and evil, i.e., knowledge of morality. Before the fall, everything was good according to their conscience provided by God alone.
What was wrong with Adam and Eve knowing good and evil?
God did not want man to have this ability to decide on his own independently what was good and evil apart from God's standard. But the serpent had other ideas. It tempted Eve in Genesis 3:

5 For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

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They would be like God having this ability to decide morality. Only God was supposed to determine what was good and evil. Men are not supposed to decide on morality. The fall was the beginning of human subjective morality.
The Hebrew word for "knowing" was H3045. It was a common word that appeared 942 times.
Brown-Driver-Briggs:

know by experience

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Adam and Eve would experience good and evil if they ate.
According to Eve:

6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food

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There was an internal conflict: On the one hand, it looked good to eat. On the other hand, according to God, it was not good for her to eat that. But it looked delicious. Eve wanted to decide what was good or not by her own thinking process.

and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise,

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for obtaining wisdom,
Strong's 7919: To be, circumspect, intelligent
Eve overgeneralized knowing good and evil to general wisdom. The truth was that Adam and Eve were created in God's image, they were wise beings already. Eating the forbidden fruit did not make them any wiser. By eating, they would acquire their independent abilities to decide what was good or bad, apart from God. And it happened right away:

she took of its fruit and ate,

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Eve was deceived.

and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate.

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Adam fell with her.

7 Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths.

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At this point, they thought that it was bad to be naked, which they didn't think about before they ate. God didn't think that either. Their consciences were now independent of God due to their first disobedience.
Wouldn't we humans be powerless to make our own decisions without the forbidden fruit of knowledge?
No. People think that because they conflate knowledge of good and evil with general wisdom. This question itself is self-contradictory. If Eve had no power to make decisions, how could she decide to eat the forbidden fruit?
Do Christians only form morals using the Bible/God?
No, ever since the fall, humans have been deciding what is moral or not independently of God.
Does objective morality exist?
Objective morality outside of human minds exists according to God. Furthermore, God is reconnecting the human sense of morality by the Paraclete. The Paraclete is our spirit's legal counselor. He makes the judgment calls, advises us on good and bad, and guides us to walk in the Spirit.
Euthyphro's Dilemma: Is the pious loved by the gods because it is pious, or is it pious because it is loved by the gods?" I.e., is piety dependent on God or not?
For me, the answer is this: God defines what is good or pious.
If God commands that murder is good, then murder is good. True?
According to propositional logic, the above proposition contains a false antecedent. For a conditional statement with a false antecedent, the result is a vacuously true statement.
What was wrong with Adam and Eve knowing good and evil?
They acquired their own subjective determination of morality independently of God. That's what was wrong with it. Ever since, humans and societies have been engaging in moral reasoning according to their human and cultural standards. However, the good news is that Jesus died to give us the Holy Spirit/Paraclete to dwell in our spirit to guide our sense of morality directly from God.
See also

• What did Adam know about evil before the fall?

Hello Everyone,

I am grateful that I have found this forum and am really looking forward in finding some fellowship with some like minded Christians. I have been on a spiritual journey and have surrendered myself to God. Can't say it has been easy so far and have now realized how narrow that gate really is.

Thank you and God Bless.

Have all [and are all] scientific theories been valid ones?

The president of a nonprofit Christian persecution watchdog that monitors hostility to faith and freedom abroad warned that too few Christians in America and the West seem aware of how such trends are manifesting at home.

"Basically, we are frogs in the kettle, and the bubbles keep coming up under us," Jeff King, president of the Washington, D.C.-based International Christian Concern (ICC), told The Christian Post.

"Too many people are not aware politically, and they're so used to thinking of how things were that they can't figure out where these bubbles are coming from, not realizing they're being cooked."

ICC, which was founded in 1995 to advocate for the persecuted church around the world, has been speaking out, particularly about Staci Barber's case in Texas.

Continued below.

Pray that The Holy Spirit comforts & heals those affected by the death of a 13 year old boy who was killed due to a sword attack on 30-April-2024:

https://www.bbc.com/news/live/uk-england-london-68926446?src_origin=BBCS_BBC

The Fortunate Fall, was it fortunate for mankind that we fell?

I do understand that this is a position held by the Mormon church. I, however, am not interested in debating for or against Mormonism per say. I am interested in the theology and reasoning behind whether the fall of Adam, thereby the fall of mankind, was a fortunate or unfortunate thing. I'm looking for reasoning and biblical reference.

The general concept, to me (I am not aware of the debate issues), seems to revolve around the ultimate state of mankind, i.e., the glorified man. Anyone saying that the fall was a fortunate thing for mankind would seem to suggest that Adam (thereby mankind) could only attain the state of Able to Sin, Able not to Sin (posse peccare, posse non peccare), which is not the ultimate state of mankind, which is posse non peccare (meaning Not Able to Sin). This postition, of the fall being fortunate, would hold that Adam was created perfect and complete in regard to how Adam could possibly be (both of these terms would need to be defined for a proper discussion). Thus, being created perfect and complete, Adam had no path to posse non peccare (Able Not to Sin).

This position, that the fall was fortunate would seem to require one of few lines of thought; (1) God had a plan and it was thrwarted by sin so he went to plan B, (2) The final end of mankind has always been tied to sin. We had to sin to get to our ultimate state. As Orson F. Whiteney said in 1908, “Adam’s fall was a step downward,” but teach that “it was also a step forward . . . in the eternal march of human progress.”

1. Was the fall fortunate of unfortunate?
2. Was Adam created complete with no path toward glorified man?
3. Did mankind have to sin so that our ultimate state of posse non peccare could be achieved? (Is sin necessary)


Thank you for your responses in advance

Okay, I was not sure how to title this post since it is not anti-sabbath per se, which is why the quote marks are there.

When one claims to "keep the Sabbath," they make a truth-claim about themselves. There are as many ways to "keep the Sabbath" as there are Sabbatarians, especially when it comes to the more liberal Sabbatarians, so which way is the correct way, or is this subject to the modern definition of "truth?" They claim to be the ones who know how it should be kept, or else how could they claim to be keeping it?

In general, Sabbatarians all agree that the Sabbath is an important command to keep, but that is where it ends. If one tells me it is very important to keep the Sabbath, should they not explain how it is to be kept, especially in our modern day? But doesn't this all lead to a works-orientation?

I think that sometimes Sabbatarians develop a blindness to the forest because of the Sabbath trees. The issue is not the sabbath but obedience to our Father and Christ. Human nature is prone to idol worship, and once it assumes it has found a way to climb to heaven, it can easily slip into idol worship unless our desire to obey is divinely planted in us and our love for our Father and Our big Brother, Christ, is burning in us and motivating us, commandment-keeping, in general, is an empty pointless exercise in a vain attempt to scale the wall of the sheepfold.
In short, The danger or dangers of sabbath keeping can be

1. Self-centered works
2. Judgement of brother and sister Christians
3. Pride
4. Legalism

Of course, the true Sabbath is found in Christ, but a godly observance of God's law in humility and gratefulness for his salvation can allow us to experience a taste of the rest to come. God does not point the bony finger of indignation at His sheep, nor should I.