Consciousness

I've discussed the conscience earlier (http://kentuckyherrin.blogspot.com/2017/04/the-conscience.html.) However, the conscious is an entirely different entity. It is not a faculty but awareness. The two are not interchangeable. However, the conscience does work in the milieu of the conscious because moral judgments (the conscience) requires awareness. To make this easier reading, as the psychologists do, we shall refer to conscience for moral judgments and consciousness for awareness.

Consciousness is a state of mind which, as mentioned before, is awareness. That implies that there is another state of mind. That is unconsciousness or the lack of awareness. Unconsciousness is when the subject fails to respond to outside stimuli. Of course, when the mind is unconscious there are still involuntary muscle functions and responses to stimuli which means that life still exists. Automatic functioning is of the unconscious mind. Being unconscious is called comatose.

As with most things, there are degrees of consciousness -  from fully conscious to unconscious. Between those extremes lies the sub-conscious where the subject is neither conscious nor comatose. Sub-consciousness is the ability to operate beyond the realm of awareness. It's operating without being focused on the task. The sub-conscious is a layer of the consciousness of which the person is not fully aware. Freudian slips are part of the sub-conscious because people mean things without focusing on the conversation, thus, the "slip".

In Christianity, moral decisions (the conscience) are made in full awareness. For instance, shall I steal or shall I not steal? The consciousness was aware that that the conscience was in a decision-making mode. On the other hand, when people routinely sin, a decision is not made each time. As they become acclimated to a habitat of sin, sinning becomes automatic.

James 1:12 " Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him. 13  Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: 14  But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. 15 Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death. 16  Do not err, my beloved brethren."

When a person yields to temptation for a particular kind of sin the first time, it is a conscious decision, done in full awareness (consciousness), and our God-given moral compass is our conscience or value metric. Incidentally, that metric is the Ten Commandments.

The conscious mind makes a judgment call: Is the pleasure worth the chance of damnation. Since Christians don't get damned by a just God for one sin, the penalty for disobedience is a lesser crown, or reward, in heaven. A person opens the door to apostasy when lust is conceived from temptation by a conscious decision, and lust brings forth sin. Since lust is sin, then sin begets sin, and the sinful person lives in awareness that he or she is living in sin.

In other words, sin is compounded as it moves from one instance to many instances, resulting in automatic and routine sinning. The first time or times, sin is of the conscious. However, unconscious sin is not even possible because comatose people are, well, comatose. Routine sin is of the sub-conscious. It's the layer of the conscious where the conscience is out of focus. Conscious evaluation is not done. Sin is done in a layer outside awareness. For instance, a person lusts so often, that it becomes a lifestyle. The thief steals so much that it is no longer stealing, and even the person eats so much automatically that it no longer is recognized as gluttony.

Sub-conscious sinning is being reprobate. It is no longer of the conscience because moral values are not weighed for those who sin sub-consciously. Our very nature is to sin. Hence, children sin without remorse because they are born that way. For sin to be evaluated by the conscience, it must be brought to the level of awareness, or consciousness. That is when God convicts people of their lifestyle.

Reprobateness is routine sinning without evaluation. Thus, the reprobate are those whose lifestyle is sinful and without remorse because they sin sub-consciously. The key word is willing: are people willing to obey or do they just sin without even willing. The flesh operates mostly in the sub-conscious layer, and the spirit in the conscious.

 Matthew 26:41 "Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak."

Watch and pray -  be conscious and ask for assistance.

That you don't enter into temptation - make a judgment call to stay away from danger which requires conscious thought. This is being conscientious.

The spirit is willing - it is aware and knows because the conscience convicts using God's moral code.

The flesh is weak - the person's consciousness hands sin over to the sub-conscious where Satan wants it to operate in automatic mode. That's where people do what they want to do without evaluating God's will. That is a dangerous place to be!

Willing is in the consciousness because willingness is the decision to do God's will. To be willing we must stay aware - or be sober which is to operate with consciousness.

1 Peter 5:8 "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour..."

I'm fully convinced that since drugs and alcohol removes inhibitions, they take the conscience out of consciousness, and this allows the flesh to do what it will in the sub-conscious. Being sober is being aware, always in consciousness. Vigilance is having a keen eye on the barbs of Satan. That is being on the watch for his deception. Satan's way is to avoid the conscience which is in the level of the conscious, and put behavior in the sub-conscious -  sin as a lifestyle and without aforethought.

Hearing: More Than the Audible

Romans 10:14 "How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?  15 And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things! 17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God."

For faith to come about there are things prerequisite: unbelief - preacher sent - preaching - word of God - hearing - faith. The roadblock to faith is failure to hear. There may be a preacher but the unbeliever must listen to the word. If it is heard, then God gives the gift of faith. What must the unbeliever do to be saved? Hear.  Of course one can hear without listening.

Mark 4:22  ^"For there is nothing hid, which shall not be manifested; neither was any thing kept secret, but that it should come abroad. 23 If any man have ears to hear, let him hear. 24 And he said unto them, Take heed what ye hear: with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you: and unto you that hear shall more be given."

Hearing without considering is spiritual deafness. In order to truly hear God's word, it must be considered. We must do another thing; that is evaluate what we are hearing, and then apply it to ourselves. This is called reasoning.

Acts 17:2 "And Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three sabbath days reasoned with them out of the scriptures..."

Paul was the greatest preacher outside of Christ- ever. Many places such as this, Paul reasoned with those to whom he preached out of scriptures. He used what we call the Old Testament to reason, not only with the Jews but the Greeks.

Reason is the most important tool of a preacher. Reasoning is the process of invoking the mind of others to think, understand, and make judgments about what they hear. Logic is the tool of persuasion the preacher uses to convince those hearing. Logic is using facts to persuade. Jesus was astute at that. His main tool was the use of parables. He used everyday things to convince people. By using parables, he presented the facts without offending he hearer. Nathan used that process so that King David could convict himself.

 The bases for having to preach and judge is truth:

Romans 3:23 "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God..."

Nobody wants to hear that because it is offensive to them. It's a hard pill to swallow, and basically implies that you come short of God's expectations -  you are a failure! To be honest, no one wants to hear something negative; that's why Joel Osteen tickles their ears with positive Christianity. However, without judgment, conviction never comes. Indeed, the preacher is obligated to say, you are a sinner. That  obligation makes the preacher out to be a bad guy. If the hearer listens, it is not only him who has failed God, but all, for all have sinned. That is an easier pill to swallow.

Sinners like to think, I've been good. The preacher's job is to reason with them by answering that, no you have not for only God is good, and that by breaking even one command anyone is as guilty as if they had broken them all. The Ten Commandment's use is to convince sinners that all have sinned. Obedience to the Ten Commandments is not necessary for salvation, but disobedience of them is the necessary infraction which leads to salvation. The logic the preacher must use is that since you are a sinner, and the penalty for sin is death, you need redemption.

It follows that since you, the sinner, merely thinks you're God, you're not. Since you can't save yourselves, then you need Jesus for He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life; and by Him only can you be saved. People act as if they are God. They want what they want and when they want it. People even make futile attempts to save themselves by obedience. Only Jesus saves. Everyone else must hang on the cross, and be crucified symbolically by presenting themselves a living sacrifice. That is the promise of change, or going from the flesh to the spirit.

The highest roadblock to salvation is the obstruction of change. People like how they are and what they do. They like their own beliefs, valid or not. They love themselves, and the change is to love God more than the self - with all our minds, hearts, and spirits. That too is a tough pill to swallow. The preacher must preach that but few are willing to change!

We all will fail, but God doesn't look at our failures. He looks at our will. Are you willing to change? Jesus already knows that if you are willing, Satan will step in to try to change your mind. He offers pleasant and beautiful things. Those are temptations. Our flesh likes those things, but if the spirit is willing, the weakness of the flesh can be overcome by God's assistance. He gives sinners the armor to fight off the barbs of Satan! Whenever the preacher preaches, the devil argues with your soul. He impedes logic and short-circuits reasoning.

So you see, hearing is essential in order to reason. Listening is the processing of what we hear. That too is essential to reason. When we hear, we must reach conclusions using the logic presented. All that reasoning, if the preacher uses good logic, should be: I need Jesus.

Da Book

Da Book, is the Holy Bible. It is complete; it needs know additions or deletions.

Revelation 22:19 "And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book."

 Deuteronomy 4:2 "Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you."

 This pretty much sums it up. No one needs to take away or add to Holy Scripture. There have been many tries. The gnostic texts tried to add to, and the Jefferson Bible as well as the Third Reich German Bible tried to take away. Even the Mormons, the Seventh Day Adventists, and the Muslims have added to.

What we have as scripture is called canon - all the sacred books that have been accepted as genuine by our church fathers. Adherence to canon is called orthodoxy. It comes from canon because if canon is followed, the doctrines from it are generally accepted. I am an orthodox Christian. I see no need to change what the inspired saints of years past has accepted as true doctrine as long as it is scriptural. I accept the inspired Holy Bible as the very doctrine of God, and as divine truth.

Canon has been established as those books (codex or manuscripts) which are internally consistent and God focused. Only the book of Esther fails to mention God by name but God is alluded to within it. The Jews accepted it for that reason.

There are many codex out there. The book of Jubilees is a third century B.C. Ethiopian commentary on the book of Genesis, but few branches of the church accept it as canon even though it is coherent in respect to God, and internally consistent with what we call the bible. It's just not needed because it is redundant with Genesis. However, it is reliable commentary. In general, it merely explains Genesis for better understanding.

Many preachers say that no book other than the Holy Bible is needed. Although it is all that is required because it is the Word,  perhaps other books are needed. Let's examine the difference between required and needed.

We've already looked at the amount of the scripture which has utility. It is the sixty-six books of the Bible. Scripture, as spoken of in the New Testament, is actually only what we call the Old Testament -  the Pentateuch, the historical books, Psalms, the wisdom books, and the books of prophecy. There are thirty-nine Old Testament books in the Protestant bible, and forty-six in the Catholic.  These writings are all Hebrew which foretell of the coming of the Messiah, as well as the history of the Jews. Doctrine within the Old Testament corresponds with both Judaism and Christianity. The Apocrapha was dropped by Protestants in the mid-1800s because they were considered deuterocanonical - not part of the Hebrew bible.

The New Testament evolved as the early church fathers examined extant scripture and weighed it for internal consistency to both the Old Testament and the gospels. If at odds with the teachings of Jesus from the gospels, it was excluded. There was much debate, and Christians believe it was God's plan that what we have now came about because it was God's will. Some skeptics blame the Catholic Church for not including the gnostic gospels which were written after the times of the apostles, but that was done by discernment and wisdom. Many of them are destructive to the nature of Jesus, and his mission, and thus, are not internally consistent.

Now for my point: Only canon, or what we call the Holy Bible is required because it is the very word of God written by divinely inspired men. However, sometimes other books are needed to explain what scripture means. Those books are called commentary. All preachers use commentary because there are others more wise than them. For instance, some writers speak Greek, Latin, and Hebrew. Knowledge of those languages helps understanding. Other writers know geography, history, and the culture of biblical times. They can put things in context.

Does the bible support commentary? Yes it does!

Acts 8:27 "And he (Philip) arose and went: and, behold, a man of Ethiopia, an eunuch of great authority under Candace queen of the Ethiopians, who had the charge of all her treasure, and had come to Jerusalem for to worship, 28 Was returning, and sitting in his chariot read Esaias the prophet. 29 Then the Spirit said unto Philip, Go near, and join thyself to this chariot. 30 And Philip ran thither to him, and heard him read the prophet Esaias, and said, Understandest thou what thou readest? 31 And he said, How can I, except some man should guide me? And he desired Philip that he would come up and sit with him. 32 The place of the scripture which he read was this, He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and like a lamb dumb before his shearer, so opened he not his mouth: 33  In his humiliation his judgment was taken away: and who shall declare his generation? for his life is taken from the earth. 34 And the eunuch answered Philip, and said, I pray thee, of whom speaketh the prophet this? of himself, or of some other man? 35 Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus."

Above we see that the educated eunuch was reading scripture (the Old Testament). He failed to understand what he was reading. Philip, at the direction of God, just happened to be there to explain it to him. Explaining scripture is called preaching, and preaching is commentary. The other book are the words of the preacher, Philip in this case.

Even preachers use the words of earlier preachers to explain scripture. In seminary, they have text books for understanding scripture  -  what they are reading in the bible. All preachers today are eunuchs of yesterday. They need those other books to understand scripture themselves!

One preacher implied, after I introduced my own book, that no book other than the bible is needed. He said that as I listened to him preach. It is common knowledge that some use other books, namely Matthew Henry's Commentary and others, which are certainly not canon. As this was said, I glanced over and there laid a book written by a contemporary author - the very one he used to teach from in bible study.

My book was written to provide commentary explaining what the Hebrew Bible has to do with Jesus. Commentary are the thoughts of whoever writes it. As such commentary is all opinion, but it has a basis. Reliable commentary is based on the very words of God without adding to and taking away. My book is reliable. Nothing in is extraneous to scripture, and indeed supports it. The words of preachers are themselves oral commentary, taken from notes of written commentary.

When we teach, preach, or write, as those who share their thoughts about God (commentary), we must be fair. If we use other books, we must allow others to have the same liberty. Using a different standard for others makes one lose credibility.

I will continue to study the writings of others, not to replace scripture, but to explain it as Philip did. I also will write my thoughts on what I have learned. What Matthew Henry writes nor what I write is scripture, but what I write may be as reliable as what Henry wrote. All books should be tested by scripture.

Not Ashamed

Romans 10:9 "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 11  For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. 13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved."

Other places scripture says by faith you are saved (Ephesians 2:8). Here in Romans it says two things: (1) confess Jesus with the mouth, and (2)  believe that He is raised from the dead. Hence, faith is trusting that Jesus was resurrected, and if that is believed, those who have the hope of salvation tell others about Him. The first condition is faith, and the second a testimony of that faith. It is important to testify of one's faith in Jesus. Why?

Romans 10:11 "For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed."

It would seem that some were ashamed that they had faith; to wit: ashamed that Jesus still lives after dying on the cross. Paul taught that the resurrection of Jesus was important for faith to exist because if Jesus doesn't live, how can one believe that they will have eternal life. Inevitably, Jesus is all about you. Because He lives today, you can live tomorrow, as Christians sing.

Acts 24:15 "And have hope toward God, which they themselves also allow, that there shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and unjust."

You best believe in the resurrection, both for those who are saved, but the unsaved as well. The reader may find that unusual, but even the unpardoned sinner will be resurrected. Their bodies will arise from the dust, their soul will return from hell, and they will stand before God to hear their crimes and penalty. All will be at the Great White Throne judgment, but only those who were not reprieved by Jesus, will be judged guilty as charged.

For the part about confessing with the tongue; that is imperative. It's testifying of belief, and confessing is the demonstration of faith. It is something Christians DO to acknowledge, and is imperative to be saved. By grace you are saved, and it is not of yourselves (Ephesians 2:8), but if you get the gift of grace, if there is gratitude, you tell others about it. That's like winning $25,000,000 at the lottery, and the enthusiasm that comes about by winning the prize. Likewise, if one wins the prize of eternal life, there must be enthusiasm there to tell others about your winnings!

A lack of enthusiasm may indicate doubt which is opposite of faith. With faith, there will be enthusiasm, or it is no faith at all!

When I was born-again as a teenager, I kept quiet about it. I was a secret Christian. Indeed, that cannot be. Peter tried that when he denied Jesus thrice. Those who heard him deny Jesus knew that he was either a liar or ashamed. Scripture implies that he was ashamed. Of course he later confessed, so he was saved, but Christians must never be ashamed. Now I confess with my mouth, and keyboard, that I believe in the resurrection and am not ashamed of the one who died for me!

Sometimes when people sin, thy conceal their belief in Christ. That is being ashamed of two things: (1) the sin, and (2) of Jesus. It's keeping faith a secret so that the sin is not pinned on you. That doesn't work. Rather than a secret Christian who sins, Christians who sin, must confess Jesus. As a Christian who sometimes sins, I don't deny Jesus, but know that by grace I am saved. I am not ashamed of Him, but me!

When I was young, the preacher always asked for a testimony either after "praying through" as it was called, or before baptism or both. Nowadays, preachers often forget that essential part - standing there in humility confessing Jesus with enthusiasm.  It is important so as to not be ashamed.

An Itch Inside

In jest it was once said that love is an itch inside that you can't get to, to scratch.

That seems to be a valid assessment for all that have loved understand that itch, the need to scratch it, and the failure to be able to!

Inside every person is an itch, not for one of the opposite sex, but an itch for spiritual communion - divine love.  We all have a longing inside which is that itch for love.

Psalm 73:25 "My soul languishes for Your salvation; I wait for Your word."                

 Psalm 42:2 "My soul thirsts for God, for the living God; When shall I come and appear before God?"      

Psalm 63:1 "O God, You are my God; I shall seek You earnestly; My soul thirsts for You, my flesh yearns for You, In a dry and weary land where there is no water."

King David said these words, but they are there representative of us all. David loved Bathsehba but he was in love with God. His love for the woman was erotic, but for God agape. That type of love is longing for a relationship between the created and the Creator. It is part of man's makeup, and only sin can pale that craving. You see, temptation is the blanket which snuffs out the longing for God and replaces it with self-love. Sin is when all the divine oxygen is depleted and the fire is put out.

David looked on Bathsheba in all her splendor and came to know here intimately. His arousal was satisfied but his quest for love was not. After he knew Bathsheba, God tugged at his heartstrings, and David longed for God. Bathsheba never satisfied that itch in David's heart, but God could. David knew that the only way to satisfy that itch - true love, was to sacrifice himself - his own desires, to please God. Psalm 51 is his testimony to that affect.

Man's purpose is to love. We were all born with the desire to intimately know our Creator, not in an erotic sense but a divine. That itch is always there and only a life devoted to sin can overpower that longing. When that happens, the sinner is reprobate. There is never a possibility to satisfy that longing, and damnation is the outcome. I believe that some people even die with that longing but pleasure has priority. Bathsheba was a distraction for David. Pleasure with her overpowered his longing for God. But when he had her, the itch was satisfied physically for her but he still longed for God. It might be that the forbidden fruit was desire for sexual intimacy, and that sex was intended only for multiplication. Indeed, David ate of the forbidden fruit, and like Adam, God covered his sin!

For men, and maybe women, longing for sexual intimacy is our thorn. Most people are not satisfied with one bite of the fruit but must have many. Like that tree in the garden, although Adam and Eve had all the herbs and fruits they needed - being allowed to eat from all the other trees, they both wanted this particular tree because its fruit was more grand. We are all born with that same plague. We want more than we have, and our inclination is to claim it at all costs just as David did. We are no better than David if we act on the beautiful fruit on forbidden trees. The danger is that we may satisfy the longing for God by being blinded by eros love, and in essence, erotica is the desire to satisfy the self, but agape is to commune with God. The former is self-centered and the latter relational.

For those pursuing the opposite sex, eros is distracting because it appeases the longing inside which we have for a divine relationship with self-satisfaction. Indeed, Paul recognized that when he said it is better not to marry:

1 Corinthians 7:1 "Now concerning the things whereof ye wrote unto me: It is good for a man not to touch a woman. 2 Nevertheless, to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband."

Paul knew that desiring women interfered with love of God, but he knew that we all have that itch which we must scratch even though the scratching never satisfies. It doesn't because only our itch for God can meet that need. However, he  allowed that men could marry rather than fornicate. Rather than itching for one, God wants us to be satisfied with a wife, or husband for the other gender.

Strangely though, he speaks also of fornicating against Him! When we desire the opposite sex, our longing for God is put on the shelf unless it is a spiritual marriage where both parties have God as their first love. When I met my wife, one of the first things I said is: "I put God first. Are you okay with that?" Of course, I always did not live up to that because of my flesh, but my spirit was willing.

When David took Bathsheba he already had many wives and concubines, but he still had that longing in his heart. A cry for love intended for God may have been answered by the temptress. Fornication is never satisfying but many still do it! David did but was left dry:

 Amos 8:11 "Behold, days are coming," declares the Lord GOD, "When I will send a famine on the land, Not a famine for bread or a thirst for water, But rather for hearing the words of the LORD."

That famine was directed at the nation of Israel, but it is meant to be personal, and for the world as well. I have written several times about France and why they are now reading my blog. I have studied their history; they have sought other gods and even the unknown God. Their cup is empty. They are undergoing a spiritual famine in that they need to hear the words of the Lord!

My thoughts about France:  (http://kentuckyherrin.blogspot.com/2017/04/why-france.html) and

(http://kentuckyherrin.blogspot.com/2017/04/the-changing-world-france-too.html)

France is attempting to satisfy that itch. For years they were a hotbed of Christianity but now are far removed from what is biblical and true. They must get that itch satisfied, I believe, or they will still thirst for God. They are actually ahead of America which still fornicates with the ghost of Marx.

John 4:13 "Jesus answered and said to her, 'Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again; but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; 14  but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.'"

 This water in the above passages was well water from the world. Jesus suggested living water which brings eternal life. It is His own blood which he offers, and whoever drinks of it, symbolically of course, shall live forever. Ironically, mankind's itch is really to live forever - it's our way of preserving the god of self. However, God understands and sent Jesus to save our weak little god - ourselves. Only Jesus satisfies, and he scratches that itch.

Science Over Faith?

Many people purport to be Christians, yet take science at face value over faith. In doing so they offend God because the implication is that he is a liar - God says he did, and science says he didn't. God says it's a sin - science says it's not! Of course science requires as much faith as Christianity because it is inherently biased. Even those scientists who were out of the mainstream are ostracized and minimized. Their findings are never published in scientific journals because skeptics don't allow disagreement.

One must always remember: scientific analyses never proves anything. Their own null hypotheses is set up with the mere end result of "failure to disprove" it. Their methodology makes no claim to indisputability, because with time we've found that even the most concrete theories are often superseded by even more concrete theories. That's all they are because of the inability to prove.

Methodology is the greatest confound in testing hypotheses. For instance, quite often the scientist has preconceived outcomes and makes the outcome match the notions. In science, the testing is confounded from the start because the tester has an inherent bias away from God and toward reason. His own pre-conceived idea is that God is myth, and therefore scientific results always exclude God! Yet Christians accept scientific theory as fact while even knowing that there is an anti-God bias in all research.

When doing my Masters at that time in Family Counseling, I often had to set up research projects. In those classes I learned the testing methods, and quickly learned to use them to my advantage. I often would determine the results which I desired, and somehow make the data meet my expectations. I was so good at it, that I even did that in engineering with my projects. Since, I was a quick study with problem-solution analysis, I would fake the study, and solve the problem by use of my knowledge base. Scientists do that too.

Also in research, someone or some organization has something to gain from the outcome. Those biased as such, often finance the testing, directly of indirectly. There is a built in tendency to come up with the results which those who gain an advantage wish. For instance. possibly the sugar industry has something to gain if aspartame is found to be dangerous. Perhaps the marijuana industry has something to gain if science shows that it is benign. Somebody gains something from test results or it wouldn't be tested, yet people accept studies at face value without question!

It is common knowledge that same-sex attraction is a learned behavior. Any fool knows that because we all have seen the transition. Although even science has never proved that homosexuals are "born this way", most people accept that they are. They are fools because God disagrees with science.

Proverbs 18:2 ( ESV) "A fool takes no pleasure in understanding, but only in expressing his opinion."

Usually, it's young people who know it all without the experience, wisdom, and learning required to have valid opinions. As such, those opinions are worthless. Those without the qualifications for expressing an opinion should remain quiet.

"Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and to remove all doubt. It's better to keep your mouth shut and appear stupid than open it and remove all doubt." (unknown).

This saying is true! The most intelligent are those who keep their notions to themselves. Even when they quote "scientific" garble they are putting their faith in the scientist. Christians must test all things by scripture. What does God say about it?

My son said that he knew it all when he was fifteen years old. He had even limited knowledge but was totally lacking in wisdom.  By even making the pretense that he was a man of knowledge dulled his credentials. Young people are arrogant, and fail to know that what they know is only what the teachers wanted them to know. For instance, I learned about the Civil War from those in the North. Only years later with avid study of first-hand resources did I learn that what I "knew" was lies. It was likely that my teachers were taught the lie as well because they were biased in what they wanted to know.

Satan uses the youth to further his dogma because he knows that their immaturity disallows discernment. Why is it that civil unrest is led by our youth? Because they are gullible tools to be used. Oftentimes protestor interviews reveal that they don't even know what they are protesting, let alone the facts of the situation. The young are led, and the elderly lead. The youth on the streets fail to realize that behind their demonstrations are old men and women with motives. They are puppets on strings doing the will of the puppet-master! George Soros is the current most influential puppet-master.

People who favor abortion, same-sex marriage, drug use, and other things have motives. It is one of two things, but inevitably it narrows down to one: the love of money. Even the second motive -  socialism, is driven by the love of money. It dupes the younger generation into believing that Marxism is gain even when it's loss. Everyone loses with it except the old men who are financing it.

Abortion is propagated because people make money from it. Advertisers make money by supporting same-sex marriage because they tend to be more affluent for various reasons. The marijuana industry propagates its usage because of the lucrative incentive of profit. It's all about money:

1 Timothy 6:10 "For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows."

 The problem is that young people, not realizing their own gullibility, fall for lies. Satan deceives them! The naïve, for instance, support marijuana while rejecting cigarettes even though the former is much more damaging, both physically and psychologically!

"Many advertising campaigns from the 1930s through the 1950s extolled the healthy virtues of cigarettes. Full-color magazine ads depicted kindly doctors clad in white coats proudly lighting up or puffing away, with slogans like “More doctors smoke Camels than any other cigarette.” (nytimes.com; "Tracing the Cigarette’s Path From Sexy to Deadly"; Howard Markel, M.D.; .March 20, 2007)

(http://tobacco.stanford.edu/tobacco_main/images.php?)

(https://bmj2k.com/2011/07/02/the-saturday-comics-cigarette-ads/)

What's my point? Cigarettes were touted as healthy, beneficial, and attractive to use because glamorous people smoked them. That was all a lie. I started smoking as a youth because I was unwise, and believed those who were lying for gain. Right now the marijuana industry is doing the exact same thing. They are willing to destroy lives for money, and young people, at least those without wisdom, are being deceived. Time will prove me out, but it already has. People are in denial because sinners do what is right in their own eyes.

What they want is pleasure because their god of self demands it! It's the flesh they want to appease without ever heeding the will of God.

Of course, we feel bad for those with cancer as we watch them pitifully suck on the tube of death. The same holds true for other drugs whether it be meth, heroin, or just marijuana. The question all should ask themselves: Is this what God wants me to do? Only fools would defend what is wrong!

The Process of Salvation

Romans 10:8 "But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; 9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation."

The process of salvation may take an instant or a period of time, but culminates in death. It is outlined in these passages.

Firstly, one must hear the word. Being the word it can be read, or be presented audibly as Philip did to the eunuch when he was born-again. After understanding God, the word is taken to heart, then faith develops. Faith is trusting that the word is truth, and is the only way to be saved. Faith is accepting Jesus Christ's death, as payment for one's own sins, and allowing that is the only way to be saved.

It doesn't take much faith to be saved. Even a little faith is ample because of God's grace. However, the more faith one has means there is less doubt. Doubt is the reciprocal of faith. The degree of faith is imperative because there is less doubt. Satan's forces uses doubt to steal the believer away. True, one must believe, but that implies enough belief to trust. The more trusting one is, the more dependent that person is on God. Faith, then is dependence on God. It's when a person comes to realize, I can't save myself, but God can. The moment that, that Light shines on a person, they are enlightened, and are born-again. Darkness is replaced by God's Light, or the knowledge of God.

Belief in the resurrection is a must. If Jesus is not alive, how can a sinner be? Paul presented salvation and the resurrection to the Greeks in Athens. To be saved requires a belief that the person shall live forever. If that were not the case, what is it that anyone would be saved from? The answer to that is, eternal death in hell. When is it that sinners are saved from hell? At death. Paul wrote, "now is our salvation nearer than when we believed." This implies that salvation is down the road a spell from the time that we first believed (trusted) in Jesus. Thus, being born-again is being made safe, but salvation occurs at death.

This last statement is imperative for Arminians - those who accept the doctrine of falling away called conditional security. Indeed the moment one is born-again, Satan's legions do all they can to use the doubt still within the believer to defuse them. The best example in scripture of an attack on the faithful is the Book of Job. Job believed in the word. He knew Jesus would someday be born to save because he spoke with God. That wasn't God's little secret. He told all the patriarch of his plan. From day one, salvation through the death of Jesus Christ was his plan, and there was never a plan B!

Paul referred to the safety in putting on the whole armor of God, and referred to it as the hope of salvation (1 Thessalonians 5:8). Hope is the time between when we first believe and death. Hope actually implies there is some degree of doubt, otherwise Paul would have said the certainty of salvation. It's not, are you saved? - I hope so! but I am safe, and have hope that I never give up confidence in God because Satan's job is to undermine the confidence of those with hope. A loss of confidence is losing faith, and that is called apostasy, and is blasphemy; denial of God.

When one has the hope of salvation, that person can lose hope. Satan works on the doubt implied by hope, and endeavors to enlarge doubt to the point it becomes certainty - one can become certain that God will not punish to the point that God, in whom they formerly trusted for salvation, is no longer trusted at all! It's hope they lose because they had never yet obtained salvation, still being alive. That is important because one can only be saved one time, and salvation means that the time has already come and passed. Once done nothing can be undone. That is part of natural law and is of God.

Hebrews 6:6 "If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame."

Jesus was crucified one time for the sins of all mankind. Salvation can't be undone because if it were, it would be as if Jesus was crucified again. Because one can lose faith, it can't be regained, because loss of faith implies distrust. After failing to trust Jesus once, it would be a lack of trust to move in and out of hope because distrust in God is not hope at all.

The process of salvation is not yet done. What would the prize be worth if we failed to tell others about it? It would show lack of enthusiasm for the gift, and an apparent taking it for granted attitude.  we are not owed hope. It is a gift. When a sinner receives hope God expects that person to be grateful enough o share that hope. In our confidence we are expected to, with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. Because we are safe our desire is that others have the same hope that we have . We want their eternal destiny to be salvation. We know that we truly are born-again when we confess Jesus, or give him the credit, for our eternal life. That is taking the emphasis off the self, and crediting God for his mercy.

Then as a demonstration of faith, we are to carry the message to the world.

Matthew 24:14 "And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come."

Being born-again entails loving others to the extent that just as God, you would want that none should perish (John 3:16).  What is it that you can do? Confess to others with your mouth by carrying the gospel to the people. This takes work, and works are the assurance of salvation.

Hebrews 6:10 "For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have shewed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister. 11 And we desire that every one of you do shew the same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end..."

 If you're not working in showing love for others, then you should doubt that you were born again. In this case doubt is from God, but it is to bring one to repentance, not to destruction. You see God can use doubt for his will too because it is a recognized trait of our humanity. It's why we have just hope, and not confidence. Only God is confident in our destiny because he knows his own will. We must trust him with limited power - thus hope.

"Salvation" in Romans 10:10 is swthria or "safety".  With faith we are brought to safety and shielded there by God. Satan nor his legions can harm us, but merely use persuasion as he did for Job. He destroyed others, but not faithful Job. He passed the test and ran the race well. God was pleased with him.

The more faith that we have the more confident we are with our salvation. Job had doubts at times, but his faith made him safe from the evil one. God put a hedge around him - his armor. Job, just like Abraham, had great faith. His works, like Abraham's, was attributed to him as righteousness. What must we do to inherit eternal life? Keep the faith!

Revelation 14:12 "Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus."

Keeping the faith is hard work because Satan goes to and from to undermine it. I am confident that I will keep the faith because my trust runs deep. If I choose, I can allow myself to be redirected but my confidence in Jesus is too great for that. With that said, Satan still tempts me because if he cannot win me back, he can at least try to diminish God in the eyes of those less confident.

I am not on my own. I don't run the race by myself, but accept God's power. 

2 Thessalonians 3:3 "But the Lord is faithful, who shall stablish you, and keep you from evil."

Because I am faithful, God is, and the other way around! God complements me as I compliment him, or do his will. My faith is a gift from Him, but in order to keep the faith, it takes work. God's grace is even the source of my own works. What I am able to do is not from me, but from God. He will maintain my faith if I allow that of Him.

Safety culminates is salvation. In the end, we all will be judged. If my name is written in the Book of Life - that I maintained my faith until the end, then my eternal destiny is secured. Of course it already is at my death, but justice demands that I stand before God so that my sins are exposed to me. I must know the tragedy of my life's priorities to fully be punished. God doesn't want people in hell wondering why? Part of our punishment is fully knowing why, just as the rich man did in the story of Lazurus.

Hope is that we hear the words, well done good and faithful servant. Salvation is at the moment we hear them. Until then we have the hope of salvation or for most, the dread of punishment for injustice.

For those who have no hope, their life is all about dread. Those who have no faith, dread death because punishment lies on the other side of it. That can be rectified. Right now with what little light God allowed me to shine with this commentary, you fully know your destiny, and only you can prevent eternal fires.