Animals: Going to Heaven?

People love their animals; their animals love them. They have a sort of genuine love. It's unconditional. It's too bad that people don't have the same type of relationship that masters and their servants have. I suppose I am speaking of the person as the master, and the animal as the servant, but in practice, it's the animal who masters the person!

I love most animals. Snakes and rats don't qualify! Most people's animal of choice are either dogs or cats, but my own daughter, Heather, has created a third most lovable creature. They are part human and part dog. She calls them pugs. If I refer to them as dogs, she scorns me! 

One of my friends asked of me: "You don't love dogs, do you?" Of course I do, but over there away from me." I'm a near germaphobe. Not quite, but after I'm clean, I like to stay clean. My response to her was "I love animals, but I'm not romantic with them!" Others hug and kiss them. I save that for my grandchildren as well as my wife and daughter  -  not romance, but loving. Of course Terri and I do get romantic at times, but that's another story.

My point is that dogs are family to some. They love dogs and cats just as they do their children. Even though dogs have bad hygiene and cannot even wipe their own posterior, their human friends overlook that. Even though their dental care is poor and their breath is bad, their owners don't worry about the smell. That is unconditional love.

I've had several people ask me, Do dogs go to heaven? I have seen grown girls and guys cry when their dog or cats have died. It is noble that their hearts are that tender. I wish mine was, but it's not. To be honest, I have trouble crying at anything.  I wish I could cry more. It's healthy to cry.

When my wife's dog got hit by a speeding SUV, I cried - not for the dog, but for my wife. She was hurting inside.

My daughter called the other day. She said between sobs, "Roscoe, (her pug) has cancer. I cried, but not for Roscoe. I cried for my daughter because she was hurting. I wish that I could say to Terri and Heather: Don't worry. You'll be with them in heaven. I can't say that because it would be a lie.

Animals exist for our purposes. They were made to be our friends and companions. Adam named them all. All animals were originally docile. The lamb surely laid down with the lion as they will in paradise.

Isaiah 11:6 "The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them."

Isaiah 65:25 "The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the bullock: and dust shall be the serpent's meat. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, saith the Lord."

That's the nature of the animals in the Garden of Eden too. Adam ruined that. Because he sinned, that changed things. No longer was Eden a paradise, but more a Jurassic Park. His animals went from companions to adversaries. God allowed some to be tamed because of his grace. He knew that man needed companionship with animals. More than dogs, throughout history, sheep were man's best friend. Of course canines helped with the tending of the sheep. 

Animals were more than the wild creatures they are today. Even the snake spoke, and apparently so did the other animals (See my thoughts on  TALKING ANIMALS). Of course to speak, they needed cognition. Any alert person can see their dogs and cats considering what to do: Shall I lay here or in the sun? Dare I jump up and love her, or stand down? In some ways they still speak, but their thought processes are rudimentary.  However, they do know how to love and are dedicated; more than I can say for most people. Remember, my problem is not with the animals, but the germs - and with those who fail to understand my need for hygiene.

With all that said, animals will not go to heaven. There are animals already there I'm sure. My own belief is that just as New Jerusalem will come down from heaven to the restored world, the Garden of Eden was taken up sometime after Adam was removed from it. I base that on many things, but since it's now gone, that answers where it went. That narrow gate guarded by seraphim is still guarded where the river of God is now. The Tree of Life has moved to. It stands by the river of God in heaven.

Animals are in heaven; but your dog, cat, or even snake is not going to heaven. Why? Unlike mankind, they were not created in the image of God. They have a body, but lesser minds, and no soul. They don't have a capacity to understand the nature of God and his grace even if they did have a soul. The soul is man's cup for holding the Holy Spirit. Animals don't have a soul for God's Spirit to enter.

Maybe they are more blessed than mankind. They may not go to heaven, but neither do they go to hell. Most of mankind will take the broad path, and go to eternal damnation. By the grace of God even the wily snake nor the vicious lion will taste eternal death. They will die only once whereas unpardoned sinners will die a second death - for eternity. God's grace extended to the animal kingdom. They will feel the sting of death, but not the pain of hell-fire. That should comfort us because even some of our loved ones will die eternally with no chance of reprieve.

On the sit-com King of Queens, Doug's healthy dog which he had as a child, always came to him for a little attention. Doug loved that dog so much that he never questioned it's longevity. He was 34 years old and his dog had always been there for him. Unknown to Doug, this was dog number five. Doug loved his dog even though it was only like his dog. Perhaps God, with his grace, will have a duplicate dog for you when you get there, if you do.  Doug may have dog number six, and love him just the same. Perhaps your immortal duplicate will be there to welcome you!

I hope that comforts those who ask: Will animals go to heaven?  Don't let your dog wonder about you!

Lay Ministers: Royal Priesthood

1 Peter 1:1 "Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the strangers scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, 2 Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied."

1 Peter 2:5 "Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. 9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light..."

Peter wrote this letter to the elect Gentiles: Those who had received the grace of Jesus Christ (i.e., Christians). Jesus is the cornerstone (1 Peter 2:7), and these Christians are the lively stones. Figuratively, this is Jesus at the corner of the Church and alive Christians which is the Church.

The alive stones, the members of the Church, build up the spiritual house, and those members are an holy priesthood. Peter refers to them as the royal priesthood. These kingly priests - Christians job assignment is clear: (1) offer up spiritual sacrifices, and (2) profess to everyone praises of Jesus. Essentially, as royal priests we too are assigned the Great Commission:

Matthew 28:19 "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost..."

The holy nation is to teach all nations.  We are bring the message of Christ to those who are not of Christ. As priests we not only present the word, but offer up spiritual sacrifices. Doing that the royal priesthood are both preachers and ministers.

Evangelical churches make a fuss about being called to preach. I submit that that is extraneous, because all Christians are called to preach and minister... and throw into that, to teach:

2 Timothy 2:2 "And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also."

Is the call that we be ministers not yet clear enough? Read on:

 1 Timothy 4:6 "If thou put the brethren in remembrance of these things, thou shalt be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine, whereunto thou hast attained."

We are all called to be good ministers of Jesus Christ. Note that this is all the elect - all Christians, not just those who feel the pull, for we all should. When we desire to share the word, and do so, we are ministering to others, as royal priests. Well, what then is a bishop? They are those appointed by the church. In other words, there is no call to be bishop, he is selected from among the elect -  those in the royal priesthood. In other words, bishops or ordained ministers are not called beyond what anyone Christian is, but appointed.

They (bishops) devote their lives to Christ, but we all are called to do that. Modern preachers have selected their vocation to be what we all are called to be. They now get paid for what we all should be doing for free!

Now to be pragmatic, because the early Baptist church originally did not pay preachers, they must make a living. Somebody has to feed my gray mare, said Elder Elijah Barnes to the Baptist Association in the infant church of Kentucky. Hence, what we are all called to do became a paid vocation as it was in the Catholic Church since early times.

Since we're all minsters, any Christian can preach. Lay preachers are any Christian who has not been ordained by the church. Ordination are for those Christians who are set apart to preach in the local church. That becomes their job, but it's everyone's call to preach. Lay ministers are of the royal priesthood, and make the Church alive.

Just to preach does not require a uniform. Indeed we are to carry only the staff of Jesus: the empty cross with his blood on it. John the Baptist was more effective in camel hair than preachers in their fancy robes or even pristine suits. I actually believe that preacher garb distracts, as it discourages those with less. The Church is not about wealth, but meekness.

Any person can preach. Any can present the elements at communion. It doesn't take ordination to serve because service is for all. My how far away we have come from service to the Lord!

Beatitude: The Merciful

Beatitude: Blessed are the merciful

Beatitude means being in a state if utmost bliss, according to the Meriam-Webster Dictionary. Well here is a list of utmost blissfulness from Jesus's Sermon on the Mount:

Matthew 5  (ESV)

The Beatitudes:

³ “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
⁴ “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
⁵ “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
⁶ “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
⁷ “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
⁸ “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
⁹ “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
¹⁰ “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
¹¹ “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.

Today's beatitude is on the merciful.

Let us first look at the blessing: they shall receive mercy. There is a distinction between mercy and grace. Mercy is showing compassion for someone when one has the ability and authority to harm. Grace is giving assistance to someone who doesn't deserve it. Therefore, mercy is unconditional love and grace is bestowing that love.

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

John 3:16 (KJV) ^"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."

All have sinned in the first verse is the world and whosoever in the second verse.  Let's rewrite the second passage:

For God so loved all who have sinned, that he gave his only begotten Son, that all who have sinned and believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

By applying all who have sinned to John 3:16 is mercy. God has compassion for whosoever who deserves punishment. His grace is the reason: for God so loved the world.

Thus far we have seen the pre-conditions for God bestowing mercy: Those who believeth in him. It appears that God loves everybody enough to be merciful. That is his grace. However, the qualifier for mercy is belief. The transliteration belief came from the Greek pisteuo which is to say faith. Hence, belief is more than believing, it is trusting Jesus. That belief is accepting God's gift of grace.

That is God's mercy. The beatitude says, blessed are the merciful. In order to receive God's mercy, those to be blessed must show the same mercy.

When we sin against God, he is merciful. He loves us even in our sin. His love is not based on conditions. That much is his grace. When sinners repent, he accepts the penance, and pardons all our sins. Even though we all have wronged him, he forgives, forgets, and remains friends as he still loves us. He continues to commune with us daily even though we sin against him. He even tolerates more sin after he forgives. He could condemn us, but he is merciful and pardons.

Everyone sins against God (Romans 3:23). Trespassing is sinning.

Matthew 6:14 (KJV) "For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: 15 But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses."

In essence, this passage says: God is merciful with you; then you be merciful with others. His mercy is contingent upon your mercy. It is God doing unto you as you would do unto others, or the Golden Rule between you and God.

It's easy to be merciful to those who are closest to you, but how about those enemies? Just as sinners are God's enemies, those who trespass against us are our enemies - We hold the trespass over their heads. Being merciful unto them is loving them just the same - just as they are. It's loving them enough to grant them the same mercy that God grants us. It is forgiving, forgetting and being friends. It is continuing on in love as if they never trespassed.

Many say: I'll forgive, but I'll never forget! That is unmerciful. We are to be merciful as God is merciful. Forgiving and holding the trespass over one's head is not true forgiveness because it is not merciful. Ironically, the one who fails to forget (hold against) the trespass of others have a trespass which is not forgotten of God! We are to love our enemies.

Matthew 5:44 (KJV) "But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you..."

Christians don't even love their friends, let alone their enemies. I have had some who harbored a grudge for years against me. I'm sure you have too! Years ago one Christian friend was even brazen enough to say, I'll forgive you, but won't be your friend. I'll just treat you cordially.  What if Jesus showed that kind of mercy? It wouldn't be merciful at all! Mere cordiality is a confession of hate, and an unmerciful act.

Since mercy is a beatitude which is utmost bliss and can only be received in Glory, then it seems that those who are not merciful are in danger of hell fire. Hate cannot exist in heaven, and hell is the place of haters. The atmosphere in heaven is love. Haters can't breath love because it is not their atmosphere.

Fire of Contention: Difficult Verse 10

Difficult Verse #10

The Fire of Contention

by Pastor David Stogsdill

Luke 12:49 I am come to send fire on the earth; and what will I, if it be already kindled?

Luke 12:50 But I have a baptism to be baptized with; and how am I straitened till it be accomplished!

The Gospel always brings contention because our own flesh is contrary to God’s Word. There is a dissension between good and evil and the trouble that follows the Gospel is authored by the Devil, himself. Christ uses this contention as a fire for good to put a burning within the souls of men. Fire is passion and sometimes it is violent, it is always consuming and it will grow, given a chance. The fuel that Christ uses for the fire He sends is that of a good profession of the godly. If we as Christians are already living the godly life, then when Christ begins to burden a lost soul in our midst, the fire is already kindled and the spark of the Gospel fire will ignite a flame that will burn the sin and light the spirit.

In order for any of this to happen though, Jesus would have to first suffer on the Cross. His reference to baptism here is one of an overwhelming of suffering upon the cruel Cross. Baptism by definition is a dipping, washing over or overwhelming flood, and so our Lord was facing not water baptism, or a flood of the Spirit upon Him. Those were already accomplished, but rather a final baptism of death. He was fixed upon it, He had a straight line to it and it would be accomplished. We ought to be ready to suffer the persecution that follows service to the Lord, and be straightened to it.

--

Pastor David Stogsdill

Grace Bible Baptist Church

Beatitude: Hunger and Thirst

Beatitude: Those Who Hunger and Thirst for Righteousness

Beatitude means being in a state if utmost bliss, according to the Meriam-Webster Dictionary. Well here is a list of utmost blissfulness from Jesus's Sermon on the Mount:

Matthew 5  (ESV)

The Beatitudes:

³ “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
⁴ “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
⁵ “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
⁶ “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
⁷ “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
⁸ “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
⁹ “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
¹⁰ “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
¹¹ “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.

Today's beatitude is on those who hunger and thirst for righteousness sake.

There are five key words in this beatitude. (1) Blessed are those who will live with God in heaven. (2) hunger, and (3) thirst - we all know what those are. (4) Righteousness, and (5) satisfied. We shall discuss the latter two more fully.

Let's address satisfied first. When are hunger has subsided because of nourishment we are satisfied. Our craving for food no longer exists because the need has been met. In fact when we are satisfied with food, the desire for more is in the past.

It's much the same way of drink. Water, next to air, is the most needed thing we need for life, and even air must contain moisture to breath healthily. In fact, the bodies of men are about 60% water. Water is part of us. If we dehydrate, we get sick. Only water satisfies that craving for liquid nourishment. (Don't drink the Kool-Aid though because something in it makes it unsatisfying - false teaching).  When we drink water until we're full, our thirst has long before that been quenched.

Satisfied is when our focus is no longer on food and water because we have had a sufficient amount. On the other hand, hunger and thirst for righteousness sake is can be satisfied only by two things, neither of which is self-induced: the body and blood of Jesus Christ.

John 6:35 (KJV)  ^"And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst."

The bread of life satisfies both hunger and thirst because Jesus' body contains water.

 John 4:10 (KJV)  Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water."

The thirst for righteousness sake is satisfied by Jesus's living water. That is the blood he shed for the sins of mankind. Only his water completely satisfies, all else is Kool-Aid.

In the Old Testament it was by these two things which satisfied.

John 6:58 (KJV) "This is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever."

 Nehemiah 9:14 (KJV) "And madest known unto them thy holy sabbath, and commandedst them precepts, statutes, and laws, by the hand of Moses thy servant: 15 And gavest them bread from heaven for their hunger, and broughtest forth water for them out of the rock for their thirst, and promisedst them that they should go in to possess the land which thou hadst sworn to give them. 16 But they and our fathers dealt proudly, and hardened their necks, and hearkened not to thy commandments..."

The bread which came from heaven didn't satisfy because that gift was rejected by those who tired of it (John 6:58).  It kept them alive, but wasn't the substance for eternal life, albeit it was symbolic of Jesus. Even with the bread of life who satisfies, some still reject him.

Moses struck the rock twice and waters flowed forth to satisfy the thirst of the Hebrew people. This free water was tied to obedience to the commands of God. Even Moses struck the rock twice in an effort to deliver the water on his own terms. God told Moses to strike the rock once, but he did twice. That which flowed was not living water because it came forth by disobedience. It quenched the thirsts of the people, but it could not satisfy them. Even Moses wasn't allowed into the promised land because he had it his way (ala Burger King), not God's way.

In the wilderness, people hungered and thirsted, but not for righteousness sake, but for their own sakes!

This brings up the fourth word in the beatitude: righteousness sake. Doing things for wrong reasons doesn't please God, and when he isn't pleased, what is his isn't satisfying for those who do things for their own sakes.

1 John 2:29 (KJV) "If ye know that he is righteous, ye know that every one that doeth righteousness is born of him." 

 1 John 3:7 (KJV) "Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous."

The test for righteousness is what we do after we are born of Jesus  or born-again. From the last passage, it is clear that being righteous is being like Jesus. What was Jesus noted for? His love! He loved us so much that he died in our place, and as such we are to love him that much. He expects that! Righteousness is being as much like Jesus as is humanly possible, and that it loving him and others as we do our own self. The love of self diminishes, as the Bread and Water replenishes.

Being righteous means changing from the old creature to the new. That is the evidence that someone is born-again. That condition is the ultimate and final satisfaction. Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness sake are completely satisfied by the body and blood of Jesus Christ.

One must hunger and thirst for righteousness to be ultimately satisfied. Unfortunately, among even Christians that hunger and thirst appears to be satisfied with the blessings that we have here on earth. Many live their unchanged lives without ever hungering and thirsting for true manna from heaven and living waters from the rock. They may have fire-insurance so to speak, but their hearts are not even on fire. Go for the water of life. It will quench the fire which should be there. It is not of ourselves as it was for Moses, but is a free gift, which Moses didn't accept. He didn't get satisfied with entry into the promised land as he expected.

Beatitude: The Meek

Beatitude: The Meek

Beatitude means being in a state if utmost bliss, according to the Meriam-Webster Dictionary. Well here is a list of utmost blissfulness from Jesus's Sermon on the Mount:

Matthew 5  (ESV)

The Beatitudes:

³ “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
⁴ “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
⁵ “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
⁶ “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
⁷ “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
⁸ “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
⁹ “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
¹⁰ “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
¹¹ “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.

Today's beatitude is on blessed are the meek.

Meekness is being kind and gentle. As such they are inclined toward focusing on others. Such is love! Since we are not by nature kind and gentle, it follows that we are born with a streak of meanness. Our very human nature is the opposite of meekness.

You might be thinking: Babies are born kind and gentle, but they are not; they are demanding and self-serving. Childhood is all about them, and being nourished. When mother fails to provide, tantrums ensue! Sure, nearly everyone is kind at times and even a little gentle, but occasionally the child in us pops out.

That inborn nature is because if original sin, We are not by nature kind and gentle because Adam and Eve did what was right in their own eyes, neglecting the only command that God gave them: Don't eat of that stinkin' tree or you'll die. They ate and they spiritually died, and thereafter everyone else has been born spiritually dead and mortal. The serpent knew their hearts: They both wanted to be as gods.

The desire for self-satisfaction is the opposite of meekness. A very close antonym is pride. Rather than being into others, prideful people are into selves. Pride in this context is elevating our own status higher than our station in life. We are not gods... we were born to serve God. Our very occupation is tending God's Garden (Genesis 2:15). Symbolically, since the Tree of Life was in the midst of the Garden, dressing and keeping the Garden was tending God. The other trees in the Garden were symbolically what was his, eventually other people. Meek people, by submission to God focus on God and others, and not on theirself. Christians are to be Christ-centered, not self-centered.

There is another religion in competition with Christianity. It is the god or goddess of self-esteem. (For complete commentary on that please read CHRIST ESTEEM V. SELF-ESTEEM on "Herrin Daily Thoughts").

Meekness essentially is following the Greatest Commandment:

Matthew 22:37 "...Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself."

For a complete commentary on the Greatest Commandment see "Herrin Daily Thought":  GREATEST COMMANDMENT). Those who are meek serve God and others, that love which is the personality of the new creature.

2 Corinthians 5:17 "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new."

New creatures are those born-again.   The old selfish child is sacrificed to God, and is replaced by a meek creature, one who is born to serve others.

Matthew 20:26 "... but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister; 27 And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant: 28 Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many."

New creatures are no better than the Creator. God served himself as a ransom for everyone else, and a reasonable service is to serve him. That service is our living sacrifice. (Romans 12:1).  Meek people are those who have presented themselves a living sacrifice to God. The new creatures are willing to do that! If the reader has failed to change since being born-again, perhaps self-examination is in order. Did that person really and truly circumcise the heart of it's hardened flesh (Romans 2:29).

For those who are meek, there came a promise: they shall inherit the earth! The servant will become the master. The slave will become king, not in ownership, but inheritance. It won't be the present earth, but they will be honored in heaven. The first crown is the crown of life (James 1:2), which is eternal life! Running the race to the finish, meekness, is rewarded with the prize: an incorruptible crown -  immortality (1 Corinthians 9:24-26). What earth is it that the meek shall inherit? The new heaven and the new earth:

2 Peter 3:13 "Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness."

Their inheritance will be the New Jerusalem right here on earth after it is washed by fire to cleanse it. That is the earth the meek shall inherit. To exchange citizenship from the old earth to the new requires meekness: Self-esteem is be put away and replaced with Christ-esteem, which is the process of becoming a new creature in Christ. 

Justification

This is a big word for a simple concept. Theologians' jobs are to make simple things complex. Big words do just that! In order to simplify the big words itinerant preachers oversimplify. Many times I have heard from the pulpit: "Justification means just as if you never sinned." That is far from what it means.

The dictionary definition is much the same as absolution: to set one free from the consequences of sin. Some call that acquittal: the person is guilty, but is set free when payment is made somehow. With sin the payment is the blood of Jesus, and the judge's authority to grant the reprieve is called grace.

Note that nowhere does any of the definition deny the guilt of the sinner, nor even cancels out the sin. The sin is just paid for by Jesus. It is not just as if you've never sinned, but that you have sinned and Jesus paid for your sin by his own blood and life.

Romans 3:23 (ESV)  ^"... for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins 26 It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus."

Propitiation of Jesus' blood was to appease God who we owe big time for our sins.  As such Jesus paid for our sins by bleeding on the cross as an innocent person in the place of the guilty ones - everybody else. Jesus' blood instead of ours was because of his grace, and dying in our place was a gift to mankind! It wasn't a cheap gift; it was costly because life is valuable. As such, we must never forget God's own sacrifice of his son in our place.

The justification was when God passed over our former sins. Only past sins have been passed over, and any future sins must be presented to God for forgiveness. Contrition and repentance is how we continue to appease God. His grace has already paid for the present and future sins, but they must be presented to him for absolution. Only God can absolve so forget the priest. His only purpose is to point toward God.

Because God is fair or just, hence God justifies by providing the sacrifice.

Genesis 22:8  (ESV) "Abraham said, 'God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.'”

Many theologians would say that God provided the ram for the sacrifice, but that's not spiritually what happened.

Hebrews 11:17 (ESV) "By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was in the act of offering up his only son, 18 of whom it was said, 'Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.'”

This should be obvious, but it's not. It's not even a biblical parallel. It was not the ram which was the sacrificed in Isaac's place, it was Jesus Christ himself, the lamb of God (John 1:29)  who paid for that past sin hundreds of years later. God even acknowledged that by pointing toward Jesus who was through Isaac's offspring.

Abraham's works were acknowledged as great faith. (Hebrews 11:17). His faith is what saved Isaac, and himself for that matter. The ram was a temporary blood sacrifice awaiting the real one by Jesus. The Voice of God who was to be called Jesus, spoke to Abraham that day on the mountain, and many years later, the Voice who had become flesh, died for Isaac's sins on that very same spot! Abraham knew of that future sacrifice, and it's efficacy to appease God!

David, the man after God's own heart, confessed his numerous and great sins:

Psalm 51:3 (ESV) "For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me... 14  Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, O God of my salvation, and my tongue will sing aloud of your righteousness. 15 O Lord, open my lips,  and my mouth will declare your praise."

It was not just as David had never sinned; it was that David sinned and was forgiven. His sin was always before him, although God delivered him from his bloodguiltiness.  In other words God justified him because of his repentance, and as a result David praised him. If it was not just as if he never sinned, then he would have no reason for thanksgiving; it was as if he sinned and God forgave him. David would never acted as if his sins never happened.

God blotted them out though. That is what justification is! Because God is appeased with repentance, he totally forgives.

Acts 3:18 (ESV)  ^"But what God foretold by the mouth of all the prophets, that his Christ would suffer, he thus fulfilled. 19 Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out, 20 that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus,..."

God worked the same way with the prophets (and David) as he does with us. Because of repentance he blotted out their sins and ours, and on top of that, it was always be the blood of Jesus, not of animals!

Hebrews 10:4  (ESV) "For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins."

With Abraham and David, justification was never by the blood of those animals which were sacrificed, but they only pointed toward the blood of Jesus, the only effective sacrifice. The animal was only a demonstration of faith in the coming Messiah, Jesus Christ! When those animals died, the prophets saw Jesus! Those past sins mentioned in Romans were also for the sins of the prophets and other patriarchs.

All those sins of the patriarchs are mentioned in the New Testament; they are not as if they never happened. It's as if they did happen, but were forgiven and no longer on the account in the book of life. Even in days past God kept a ledger.

Exodus 32:32 (ESV) "'But now, if you will forgive their sin—but if not, please blot me out of your book that you have written.' 33 But the Lord said to Moses, 'Whoever has sinned against me, I will blot out of my book.'"

The book spoken of here is the Book of Sins in the New Testament. It's the record of all our sins. When each sin occurs it is written in God's book. When those sins are forgiven by appeasing God with our confession, God blots them out of the Book of Sins. As such God forgets them because he no longer holds them before you, but there is no place in scripture that says that you should forget them! We should put them behind us by not dwelling on them, but to act as if they never happened is to minimize God's grace.

Acting as if you never sinned devalues God's gift as cheap grace. We must never act as if our sins never happened, even though God blots them out. The blood (ink) which covered them in the book can still be seen, and it is as if the sins did happen, but were forgiven,