Fruits of the Two Trees

The Tree of Life stood in the midst of the Garden of Eden. Of that Tree Adam and Eve could freely eat. Apparently the fruit thereon was less appealing, as it is today, so they ate of the "other tree". That same Tree of Life is still standing, still in paradise, on the same river it always stood:

Revelation 22:1 And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. 2 In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.

Where is the Garden of Eden? No one has found it. Why? I believe because it is no longer there! Just as Jesus ascended to heaven, in the beginning the Garden must have as well.  The Garden wasn't natural. It was immortal just as Adam and Eve were while they were in it. They died! The Garden did not. In fact, it could not because it was guarded by Cherubim.

Christians think of the trees of the Garden bearing natural fruit. There were many trees in the Garden, and of those, they could freely eat. They surely bore natural and good fruit because they were made by God. The one tree of which they could not eat bore much fruit. It  was good for food, pleasant to the eye and would make one wise.

On the other hand, below I attempt to identify many of the fruits of the Tree of Knowledge:

Mark 7:21 For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed (1) evil thoughts, (2) adulteries, (3) fornications, (4) murders, 22 (5)Thefts, (6) covetousness, (7) wickedness, (8) deceit, (9)lasciviousness, an (10) evil eye, (11) blasphemy, (12) pride, (13) foolishness: 23 All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.

Galatians 5:18 But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law. 19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; (2) Adultery, (3) fornication, (14) uncleanness, (9) lasciviousness, 20 (15) Idolatry, (16) witchcraft, (17) hatred, (18) variance, (19) emulations, (20) wrath, (21) strife, (22) seditions, (23) heresies, 21 (6) Envyings, (24) murders, (25) drunkenness, (26) revellings, and such like...

1 Peter 4:3 For the time past of our life may suffice us to have wrought the will of the Gentiles, when we walked in (9) lasciviousness, (27) lusts, ((25) excess of wine, (26) revellings, (27) banquetings, and (28) abominable idolatries...

Leviticus 18:22 Thou shalt not (29) lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination.

In Leviticus 18 we find also (29) voyeurism and (30) bestiality. In Deuteronomy 27 and 1 Corinthians 5 we find (31) incest forbidden. 

Revelation 21:8 But the (32) fearful, and (33) unbelieving, and the (28) abominable, and (24) murderers, and (34) whoremongers, and (35) sorcerers, and (36) idolaters, and all (37) liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.

From 2 Timothy 1 we also find (38) belief in false doctrines, and (39) faith in ancestors.

From Hosea 4 there we find (40) whoredom and (41) rejection of the knowledge of God.

From 2 Kings 21:6 (42) necromancers and (43) mediums are identified.

I have quickly identified 43 fruits of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Add to that (44) false wisdom from the original temptations, and it's an even number. I bet the list goes on but I'm getting lazy - perhaps another fruit! No wonder it's so easy to disobey! The cornucopia of fruit released with original sin is plentiful in number. On the other hand, the fruit of the Tree of Life is only twelve, but they are gracious and powerful fruits!

Let us look at the fruits of the Tree of Life:

Galatians 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is (1) love, (2) joy, (3) peace, (4) longsuffering, (5) gentleness, (6) goodness, (7) faith, 23 (8) Meekness, (9) temperance: against such there is no law.

Here we only find nine fruits of the Spirit but Revelation mentions twelve. What are the other three? There are several candidates:

2 Peter 1:4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. 5 And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith (6) virtue; and to virtue (10) knowledge; 6 And to knowledge (9) temperance; and to temperance (4) patience; and to patience (11) godliness; 7 And to godliness (5) brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness (12) charity. 

Hence, the twelve gifts of the Spirit!

In the Catholic Bible - the Latin Vulgate, twelve fruits of the Spirit (instead of nine) are listed. Let's compare:

fruits: (1) charity, (2) joy, (3) peace, (4) patience, (5) kindness, (6) goodness, (12) generosity, (?)gentleness, (7) faithfulness, (?) modesty, (9) self-control, and (8) chastity.

Note that charity has two meanings: love and giving or generosity. I have taken the liberty of aligning charity in one passage to love, and in another to generosity. Not knowing Latin nor Greek, I take that liberty.

For the fruits to align, modesty would have to correlate with knowledge - using it without pride. Likewise, gentleness and godliness would have to be the same. I submit that they are close. Within both versions, then, we identify the twelve fruits of the Holy Spirit.

It is to be noted that these twelve completely overpower the numerous fruits of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Those fruits can all be sensed and enjoyed. Hence, they are of the flesh and are in the world.

On the other hand, the twelve fruits are low-hanging but when Adam looked at the Tree, they were not visible to him. Neither do we sense them but we know what they are because Christians experience them!

I see the Garden just as I see God: It is there in body (physically; the natural - what we sense), in the mind ( we know it's real), and in Spirit (because it has fruits which are unseen). The mind, according to scripture, takes the natural to validate the unseen (Romans 1:20).

The Tree of Life is symbolic of Jesus Christ because the leaves of His Tree was for "the healing of nations". That was Jesus's purpose - to provide eternal live to whosoever (John 3:16) by "healing" them of sin.

 

Frustration

I was elated at my readership - over 700 "hits" on some days. My readership was worldwide, and the French read in great numbers. That was my "congregation". Suddenly, dark forces attacked! Google did something, and search engines everywhere fail to find my blog. I write truth, and truth is the enemy of the world. I feel defeated right now. My readership has declined by over half.

I can't write about fun things because life is more than fun. I am like the old church as I teach rather than entertain. To be sure, I am certainly not an entertainer but I do speak truth. People, however, like to be entertained, not hear painful things. If I have yet to offend you, if you have been a reader, I'm probably not rebuking sin enough. We all sin! You Christians do as well! I should offend you or you're not applying what you read. As I write, I often offend myself! As I look inside, I find myself to be offensive to God. You too offend God!

Should I change my methods? Should I write a song or create a sharp video? Should I take time to wow you? That's my dilemma. Just as I am frustrated, so is the church. Most have given in. Their ministry has become entertainment. Like me, the preachers don't like to feel "down" so they give into what feels good. People, conviction hurts but it's the only way to repentance. If a sinner isn't feeling guilty, then beware of reprobation.

My own church teaches truth. They do little entertaining. Not that we should not entertain God, but it is us who want to be entertained.  Church-goers don't worry about what God desires but what they want. They want to be entertained just as they are at home.

Churches who refuse to give in are facing decline. People go where there lies excitement. The same with my readers here. Why read about sinful self when sinner Miley is much more exciting? Why listen to truth when you can hear liberal Pablum?  Should the church change for this new age? I think not! Should I change my biblical commentary for social comment to increase my readership? I think not. If even one hears the truth, and becomes a new creature, even the angels will sing. If no one stays, I still gain because as I write it is truth I learn!

We complain about preachers preaching to the choir. My choir is about all that is left, but that is better than preaching to myself, which I still need to do.

So you are a Christian. That is good! Then why do you not read about Jesus? Why do you not want to consider his ways? Why do you not care that your friends and loved ones are going to hell if you really love them at all? Christians care! I don't sense many caring. Perhaps the way is really, really narrow. Are you walking the path? Perhaps you think that you are but perceive wrongly. Those on the right path want to hear truth, even when it hurts. The truth does hurt. The truth is painful. The truth is that we all need to change - completely and for the better. I bet that hurt because the last thing people desire to do is change.

What will you change for? What do you value most? Eternal life doesn't seem to be enough. You surely want more than that! How about a perfect glorious body? That is promised as well but even it is not enough. Perhaps communion with God. Talking directly to that powerful "person" is surely enough, but it is not! What will it take? Perhaps cancer?

Why does God allow bad things to happen to good people? Because grace doesn't seem to be enough. He will give you the most precious gift - life, but you still refuse it. Cancer may be for evaluating the preciousness of life. Perhaps the Christian child with cancer is so that the sinner parent can appreciate life?

I am frustrated but not for me. I am speaking of God's frustration for those who claim to be His. Can you imagine putting up with the likes of us when He doesn't have to? That will soon come about, you know. God's patience will run out. He will tire of dealing with His unruly children, and turn them over to a foster parent. Satan is there with a home for the rebellious. God has a room in His mansion for the few. Your choice! Now, I am not as frustrated as a few minutes ago.

Liking it "well done"!

Oh, what are we to do to be saved? Jesus told Nicodemus that he must be "born again". That new birth is a must! However, I contend that most believers had partial births. With partial births, in this modern age, the new person is killed on the way out of the birth canal. In the spiritual world, many who are in the process of a rebirth, spiritually die because they are not fully born again. Let me explain.

Faith is a gift from God. (Ephesians 2:8). After receiving the gift, then it is yours to do as you please. We are at liberty to sin, but with a circumcised heart that is no longer a desire. Living in sin is a sign that the heart was not really circumcised.

Romans 6:1 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? 2  God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?

"God forbids" that we continue in sin. Why? To continue in sin is the resurrection of the old person. The new person was partially birthed but afterwards Satan's death angels aborted the new, and revived the old. How so? Faith is a gift but the new creature must use the gift. That is "the work of faith" (1 Thessalonians 1:3).

God started a "good work" in you with faith. It is our work to grow that faith:

Philippians 1:6 Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:

Jesus began the "good work", and because His Holy Spirit lives within the new believer, Jesus will perform it.  Jesus is who enables us to perform the work. Albeit, Jesus performs it, as His servants we do it! Faith is assured by the evidence of Jesus (the Holy Ghost) continuing His good work after we first believe. It seems that Jesus is in Control, and the Christian is sub-servient to Him. With the efficacy of the new birth, our will is aligned with God's will, and we walk the Way of Jesus. As such, Jesus is the giver of faith, and the provider of continued faith. Faith and obedience are in correlation as I wrote in my last commentary. It's still Jesus doing the works, and the Christian obeying by the willingness to comply with God's instructions.

Those who continue until death the willingness to obey God are rewarded; not for their works, but for their willingness. I refer back to the faith of Abraham who was blessed because of his willingness to do God's will. The reborn person has sacrificed his own will to God. That is the "living sacrifice" that the reborn creature makes. (Romans 12:1). With that sacrifice, God creates in them a "new heart". The believer sacrifices the flesh - the foreskin of the heart, to Jesus. The new creature has new desires. Sin is not one of them. Of course, temptation still is but we are not to go there!

Although salvation is by "grace alone", we still must do things to be reborn. Our ability to work is by the grace of God, but with our free will, we don't have to. Our liberty to sin is still free to do, or not do. Until the end, we must choose to "do good" - to be righteous.

Matthew 25:23 His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.

Scripture here says "well done". Some think a well-done steak is no good. However, a full birth is "well done"! Partial births are abhorrent. Completed births are what God intended. "Well done" is beyond partial spiritual birth. It's rebirth all the way. Not only is the flesh renewed but a new spirit is imbued into the new creature. "Well done" is working well. The parable in Matthew acknowledges our role in what culminates in salvation. We do, do things. We cooperate with God's Spirit working within us. We don't have to do that, but those  Christians saved kept the faith until the end.

The Christian must remain faithful "over a few things". Those things are Jesus, his death, and resurrection. Having faith in a few things implies doubt in many others. Sometimes we do doubt Jesus and His resurrection. Satan plants doubt. We can never believe beyond a shadow of doubt as fundamentalists say, but we can live without doubt on those few things.

The Lord would not say "well done" if we weren't supposed to do something. What we do is called obedience. We become servants to our Lord. Our Controller is our own Master, and we take His competition - ourselves, and crucify him!

Galatians 2:20 I (Paul) am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me...

Luke 9:23 And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. 

What are we to do?  What good work are we to perform? We "deny ourselves" and carry the cross of Jesus. The fully reborn creature is capable. He is reborn spiritually healthy enough to deny the old self and carry Jesus' cross, which burden is light by the way.

Although the new birth is a gift, and God helps us perform good works, we obey his way of helping - by following His commands as a show of love. (John 14:15). Even Old Testament scripture speaks of the same correlation between love and obedience:

Deuteronomy 30:20 That thou mayest love the Lord thy God, and that thou mayest obey his voice...

Nothing has changed since the writings of Moses. We still are to show our love by obedience - the same as Adam, the same as Eve.

Fools and Folly

I woke up at 2:00 A.M. after having went to bed at 11:00 P.M. My thoughts awakened me as usual. Yesterday, I endeavored to correct a millennial: that free stuff is not a right. Spending money which is not there is foolishness. Folly is the belief that getting something for nothing is possible. That is the mindset of this generation. Union members wanted all they could get from GM. One union president told me that he didn't care if it bankrupted the corporation. It did.

Spending money which is non-existent is foolishness. When are people the most foolish? At Christmastime. Rather than Jesus being given gifts from the wise men, today foolish men (and women) give their financial institutions gifts in interest. Parents and loved ones with good intentions celebrate Christmas exactly opposite to the meaning of the holiday. It's His birthday but the season is now for us! It is, "My Christmas!" as some have said.

In October or earlier, I began hearing about Christmas. It is usually, this is what I want. Also heard, is what can I get for ______?  (Put a name here). I never hear, what can I do for Jesus? There are things you can do for Christ which is outside of your own pleasure!

I've tried to get across the message of Christmas to my family. The response I get is Scrooge!  I am no Scrooge! I enjoy the spirit of Christmas but the entrapment of mankind by materialism is not my religion. It's foolish to be entrapped by the things of the world. Do you hear me? "Fools despise wisdom and instruction." (Proverbs 1:7). I do not present my own views but what I believe is right.

As such, I decided this morning while I was in bed to write a book called A Guide to Prosperity. Chapter 2 is behind me now. My basic premise is that it is foolish to spend money one doesn't have, and to work hard to do so. Most average Americans are in the 25% tax bracket this year. To pay the average of $975 for Christmas presents actually costs $1218.75 in work. The average worker makes $67,000 or so - at least for those 51% who pay any taxes at all! Thus 18% of their income is spent for this one day. For those who pay taxes, they earn about $30 per hour based on a 240 day work year. That means they work 41 hours just to pay for Christmas, providing they don't borrow the money.

Charge cards rates average 15% per annum. Thus, the hours of work for borrowed Christmas presents approaches 50 hours. That is foolishness! Could not that money be better spent on Jesus? Rather than loved ones, God commanded that we give to older widows and orphans. The best Christmas present is to provide for the needs of the needy.

One year, I fasted and prayed. My gift went directly to God - the fast, and to the others - the prayers. I obeyed that year The Greatest Commandment and the one like unto it.  Those presents weren't for me but I was one of those who were blessed. I assume that those for whom I prayed were somehow blessed as well. My Christmas gift to them was love. That's what people who love give - themselves.

What I want for Christmas is what I try to give - love. Instead I lose my two front teeth, and guess what? I want them back this year. My only desire for Christmas is that those in my family who are at odds reconcile. I have asked that they do it for my gift but the important thing is that it is God's will. We gift God by doing His will.

Christmas has evolved. It is no longer Christ's Day but Fools Day. People merely do as the others do. They jump off the financial cliff just because they follow others. A good gift would be for people to be wise with their money, and be good stewards of what God has given them. Toys, jewelry, trinkets, and the like are meaningless. The best gift is love, and that is the most scarce gift I see.

Merry Fool's Day to each. Merry Fools Day to all.

Faith and Obedience

A not very popular idea is that there is a strong relationship between faith and obedience. They correlate almost perfectly!

Faith is believing and trusting in God. Scripture defines it as well:

Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

What is "hoped for"? Eternal life. Faith is not a one-shot deal. It is ongoing. Christians continually have "the hope of salvation".

"Evidence" is the proof of, and "things not seen" is the Kingdom of God - God sitting on His throne in Heaven with Jesus at His side.  The things "hoped for" are what God promises. Of course, the whole point of having faith is to make it to heaven.

From where does faith come?

Romans 10:17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

It follows then that the source of faith comes from Holy Scripture - "the Word of God". In context, "hearing" encompasses much more than audibly receiving but understanding. Scripture tells us that in many places. As such, we can't merely read the Word, but must consider and reason about what we hear or read.

Philippians 2:12 Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.

To obey God is to "work out your own salvation". Part of the working-out is knowing the cost of faith:

Ephesians 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 

"The thing hoped for" is salvation. To obtain salvation - coming at the end of life, one must have and keep the faith.

2 Timothy 4:7 I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:

If Paul had to "keep the faith", we do too! Therefore, faith consists of receiving the gift of faith, then keeping it. The gift of faith doesn't come from a dirty Santa Claus who takes it away. Because the gift is not to be taken lightly, it is to have utility. Faith is exercised by the believer. To "keep the faith" requires hard - very hard work because Satan is the "dirty Santa" who seeks to confiscate it.

1 Thessalonians 1:3 Remembering without ceasing your work of faith, and labour of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God and our Father;

This passage says much! Ephesians 7:8 indicates that faith is a gift of God - it's not yours to give, and gifts are part of God's charity for mankind. As such because God "so loved the world", he provided salvation. Salvation comes by faith. Hence, mankind receives faith out of love from God.

If we love Him, we will cherish his loving gift. God expects something from his charity. I'm sorry, Dr. David Jeremiah, but from the day mankind was created, God has had one expectation - that we love Him back! (His denial of that is Calvinistic). Our created job assignment comes from the following passage:

Genesis 2:15 And the Lord God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.

With little imagination, it is should be realized that "the garden of Eden" is "The Kingdom of God". What God commanded Adam to do was to dress and keep the Kingdom of God.  In that Kingdom, as in the Garden, God sat on the throne. How better to keep the Garden than by love and faith - dressing and keeping the Garden?

Adam had little faith. God gave him one command, and he failed to keep it. Adam certainly believed in God because they spoke with each other. He heard the Word and was given faith - immortality! By not trusting God to do what he said He would do - punish the eating of the fruit by death, Adam failed to trust the Lord. He was given the faith but failed to keep it. "Getting" is by grace, but "keeping" the faith is by works. God wanted Adam's love - reverence if you prefer, but didn't receive it. We soon found out the penalty for not trusting:

Genesis 3:24 So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.

 God expected Adam to love Him for being his Creator. Adam failed in that by not trusting God. Adam tried to cover his own sin with fig leaves. God had given Adam faith but he failed to keep it. In other words, Adam failed in his one and only purpose in life - essentially to love God. That was to be his vocation, and is ours. Lack of obedience showed a lack of faith. Hence, obedience is faith in action - keeping the Garden and keeping the faith.

God guarded the only entrance to paradise with Cherubim. There is only one way back into paradise, and that is through that one gate. Adam knew how to get back into the Garden, and when he died, he did just that. He entered the narrow gate - faith in the Word, and walked the narrow Way to get there - obedience. The Word, the Apostle John tells us, is God in the flesh - Jesus Christ. Adam knew Jesus personally before He was ever born. (Beat that Loyd Benson who said, "I knew John Kennedy and you are no John Kennedy!") Adam knew the Messiah and he knew the Word was  IS Emmanuel!

Hence, faith, as can be seen in the beginning, is all about obedience.

Hebrews 11:8 By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went.

"Not knowing" is faith because it is the unseen or unknown. Abraham went there. He obeyed.

Romans 4:9 ...we say that faith was reckoned to Abraham for righteousness.

Abraham's righteousness was obedience: the willingness to do what God asked of him.  As always, it's the willingness to obey rather than the actual obedience which makes it faith. If Abraham had done it out of fear, the obedience would not have had efficacy.

From Abraham's willingness to do God's commands, we see that obedience and faith are spiritual twins.  Abraham demonstrated the work of faith. God gave him the faith, and Abraham kept it by obedience.

This faith/obedience connects the Law and grace. As I always submit - there is only one covenant and that was always the case. The patriarchs were no more bound by the Law than we are. However, they knew the connection between obedience and faith. The typical Jew did not - they misunderstood. However, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Joseph, and even Adam full-well understood God's plan from the beginning. So get this notion out of your heads; there was never a covenant of works!

Deuteronomy 7:9 Know therefore that the Lord thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations... (forever).

Covenant theology is Calvinist doctrine, and has no more truth to it than dispensational theology. God is the same throughout the ages. (Malachi 3:6; Numbers 23:19; Hebrews 13:8). Therefore, salvation was always by grace, and never by works. Jesus confirmed that Himself:

Matthew 5:17 Think not that I (Jesus) am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.

So how is the New Covenant and the Old Covenant the same?

Romans 13:10 Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law. 

It takes no genius to see that The Ten Commandments are the metrics of The Greatest Commandment and the one like unto it - love God and others!

The Ten Commandments were written on stone for a purpose.

Romans 3:31 Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law.

Matthew 5:18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.

Certain Laws are still in effect. We care little about the ordinances and regulations of Moses as the Jews still do, but we are to cheerish the monumental Ten Commandments as love in action - the first four loving God, and the last six loving others.

When we are born-again, we are made "safe" (sozos), and thus have the "hope of salvation" as Paul called it. Jesus and Paul often referred to it as "saved" because they were certain of it. If faith is great enough by works, Christians are assured of their salvation. They have such great hope that they speak as if it as accomplished!

Here is "The Good News!" It takes only a little faith to be born-again. Jesus implied that to Nicodemus. The gift of faith, in that story, is coming to realize that since one is not God, he cannot save himself but Jesus can!

However, just as faithful Job came under attack as his faith was tested, we are as well. The "work of faith" is hard, and we must be sober and vigilant because inside us, there is spiritual warfare going on. God gives us the clue as to our "safety" leading to salvation - we are to put on His whole armor!

Ephesians 6:10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. 11Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

A part of that armor of God is the breastplate of righteousness.  That is doing God's will - what's right. His will is that we love Him and one another. It's the breastplate because obedience is in the heart. You circumcise the heart, and God protects it. (Philippians 4:7). The "cutting off of the heart's flesh" is obedience. It's not doing our will but God's. God's will is metricized in The Ten Commandments.

Your "safe" condition until you are finally saved is God's hedge around you. He will fight your battles, not for you, but with you: 

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

God keeps us from evil but admonishes us not to "enter into temptation". That's our job!

Here you see that you do the "work of faith", and God keeps his promise - He keeps you from evil. Faith, you see, if a gift but you can't just put it away. Satan may steal it away if you don't remain vigilant. Of course, God will never "leave or forsake you", but without obedience, your faith may dwindle from a little faith to no faith. Throwing your scraps of faith to the dogs is apostasy. Blasphemy against God is the unpardonable sin. Note that the unforgiven's blasphemy is expected. However, God doesn't expect or allow that once you are His adopted  child.

Matthew 24:12 ...because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. 13  But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.

John 3:36 (ESV) ...whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.  

"Enduring to the end" is keeping the faith. "Obedience" is the evidence of faith. For the Christian, obedience, and thus God's Law, is important to being saved in the end.

Calvinism falls short of scripture. If one is "saved" when they first believe, then they can never be unsaved, or they weren't "saved" at all when they were born-again. Salvation is used because it is having enough faith that one is confident of their future salvation - thus "the hope of salvation" of which Paul spoke, and "closer to the day of salvation than when you first believed".  Satan uses disobedience to create doubt. Even the Calvinist doubts his salvation if they are unable to obey!

I'm not Calvinistic, so God keeps tabs on my obedience. He constantly convicts me when I sin, and I feel guilty until I repent. If I quit listening to his rebuking, I will quit obeying. Before long, I may become my own master, and since I can't serve two, God loses out.

Beware! Obedience indicates the sincerity of faith. Those who doubt God, as Adam did, are bound to fall. Don't do that!

To be sure, eternal security is much easier because it doesn't require obedience. That's what makes it so attractive. Calvinists put all their faith in God - dress His Garden, which is good, but take themselves away from keeping it. On the other hand, conditional security is free, we dress his Garden by "the sweat of our brow" is keeping it. It is still by grace alone because our existence to even keep the Garden is by God's grace since He is the Author of Life.

God Out of Your Box

Denominations arose through the time because of one basic reason: disagreements. All the other sub-reasons fall under this one. Some disagreements were beneficial; others were not. Indeed, with denominations, Christianity is much better off than with merely Roman Catholicism, notwithstanding that we owe much to Catholicism. As they changed for the worse, others changed for the better.

"The Reformation" arrived with Martin Luther. His idea was to be more true to Christianity and less true to the what the "church" had become. The institution of Christianity had taken on a thermodynamic identity - rather than stability, it had become a victim of entropy. In the simplest sense, entropy is moving toward disorder. The Reformation intended to restore the Church to what it had been but it became even more disarrayed. Until the end of time disorder will prevail in the Church because of one thing - people!

Mankind has always been the enemy of God. Of course, many people claim Him as an ally, but we are traitors. God makes the acknowledgement that we "fornicate" with "other gods". If we examine who these other gods are closely, we will find that indeed His enemy is us. We place ourselves above God even as we endeavor to hang onto God. That makes Him jealous. We are His competition for our attention.

Even in the early church, divisions arose. Paul never named them, but immediately Simon Magus and his followers began to make Jesus and Christianity into things it was not. Simon couldn't buy the secret formulae for the imbuement of the Holy Ghost, so he created his own. He made himself into a Jesus figure, performed his own magical miracles, and deceived the people. This Gnostic heresy became the competition for early Christianity. Paul preached vehemently against the "secret knowledge" they claimed to have.

Simon and the other Gnostics took God out of His own Box, and put Him in their box. Now, let me explain the differences in the two boxes.

God's Box is of infinite size and boundless sides. Because He is omnipresent, God fills that entire Box. Because He is omniscient, God's Box has an atmosphere of absolute truth. Knowledge is the entirety of God's truths. Because God is omnipotent, God's Box is powerful. What He says about His Box is supreme to any other thought. God's Box is supernatural. In the supernatural world, the laws of nature are meaningless.  In God's Box the government is the Law of God. The most meaningless attribute of God's Box is time. He is the Light; the orbit around the sun and the rotation of the moon, have no significance to Him. For us, those are merely clocks made for mankind to measure their own heartbeats. When God said, "Surely I come quickly," He will, but quickness in God's Box is slow-motion in ours!

On the other hand, our own boxes are many, and all are different. There is really only one Box, but because of our own pride, we too must have our own boxes. God's Box is the Kingdom of God. My box is the kingdom of Me and yours is the kingdom of You. There are billions of these finite boxes trying to compete with God's Box. Even though all these smaller boxes are owned by God, they are within a larger box where the "prince of the air" has stashed all of them into his box. The government in Satan's box is "the law of sin". Satan's box can only exist in God's Box because God is Almighty!

Even Christians have their own box. We do things our way. Burger King's slogan is our modus operandi. In our box, we endeavor to have it our way in spite of God's will for us to have it His Way. God wants us in His Box. Therein lies "safety". The person becomes "born-again" when he or she comes to realize that their own box is a facade', and that only God's Box provides the Gift - eternal life. You see, in God's Box time is non-existent. By hanging our own little box on the Tree where His hung, we are sacrificing gifts from ourselves for God's Gift.  God's will is that all mankind should get out of their box and into His! When the great fires burn down the World's box, all those within God's Box "shall be saved". God wants that none of these boxes should perish. That is grace - even though each of us feel comfortable and safe in our own boxes, God wants to provide true safety in His.

One box most people put themselves into is labeled "Doubt". Reason is their god there, and the atmosphere in their box is deception. The wrapping for that box is knowledge, and the ribbon for the bow is science. This box became huge in the Age of Reason. It grows bigger each day but will never outgrow God's Box.

The "Church" has its own boxes. They started out as boxes belonging to one individual but grew into huge boxes which attempt to divide God's Box. These boxes are Roman Catholicism, Lutherism, Calvinism, Arminianism, and Restoration-ism. Christians took the doctrine of Jesus, who appeared as God's Box, and divided God's Box into many:

1 Corinthians 1:12 Now this I say, that every one of you saith, I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ. 13  Is Christ divided? was Paul crucified for you? or were ye baptized in the name of Paul?

Paul taught a doctrine of truth. I'm sure it humbled him because he preached against what he always had been. God took Saul - Paul's old person name, out of Saul's box and put him into God's Box. Paul's doctrine was truth. He used the atmosphere of God's Box to try to get others to get out of their own box and into God's. When in our own boxes, we are vulnerable. When God destroys Satan's boxes, all these little ones burn up with his unless they are wrapped with clean fresh wrapper decorated in the blood of Jesus!

I am Arminian. That is my box. Paul's teachings made me so. My friend is Calvinistic. Paul's teachings made him so. You see, Paul's teachings were God's truths. Paul's own conversion was Calvinistic. God's purpose for him since the creation was to be an apostle for Jesus. As such, Paul's conversion was irresistible and predestined. He was elected by God to be his messenger to the Gentiles. Because God is Almighty, Paul could not undermine his will. Hence, it was God's will that Paul should be converted.

However, we cannot make Paul's conversion the norm! How many of us were struck blind before we "saw"? I wasn't and neither were most of you. Insisting that Saul's conversion to Paul is the standard, puts God in a Calvinistic box. Paul was aware of his own conversion, and taught somewhat his own experience. However, Paul did not indicate that everyone would experience his own type of conversion. Paul did not put God in Paul's box. He allowed that God have His Own Box.

Scripture says that Jews need a sign, and Gentiles need wisdom. (1 Corinthians 1:22).  Paul needed a sign since he was a Jew of Jews. He got it! He was struck blind. He could no longer focus on mankind's boxes, but in his blindness he only saw God's Light. Light shines brilliantly in God's Box, and Saul saw the supernatural within it. He was enlightened by truth. Indeed, the apostolic age was the real "Age of Enlightenment". The Age of Reason just stole God's Glory right out of His Box!

On the other hand, even though Paul was converted by irresistible grace, he was a proponent of free will and mental selection. When he preached to the Gentiles in Athens, Paul used reason. The logic he used to convince the Gentiles was that their god was an Unknown God. They knew there must be an afterlife but didn't know God to receive it. Paul's method was to convince them. They were not blinded, but Paul took the blindfold from their eyes by the use of logic. With his foreknowledge God would know in advance who would be be converted, but each philosopher, then knowing truth, would "work out his own salvation" as Paul would say. They were "elected" in the sense that God's will is "that none should perish". We learn form Paul that salvation is not merely for the elect -  at one time thought to be only the Jews, but for everyone - Gentiles too.

Paul needed a sign but these Greek Gentiles needed wisdom. With the knowledge of Jesus who Paul proclaimed, the Greeks each then had a decision to make - do I trust Jesus for his Gift (Boxed) or shall I stay blind in my own box?  This decision is an exercise in choice using mankind's free will.  Unlike Paul's conversion which he couldn't resist, these men could resist. It was God's will that none of them should perish, but I'm sure most of those philosophers kept their own little box and chose death.

Those were two examples, both from Paul, contrasting what we call Calvinism with Arminianism. I am Arminian because I believe that is the normal method of God's work for Gentiles. On the other hand some still have that Jewish nature. They need signs, so they use Paul's conversion as the normative, even though few if any of them were struck blind when they were converted.

However, because they focus on predestination, election, grace alone, and such; they have taken God's Box and crammed it into their own. To be fair, Arminians have done the same. Although God is Almighty, and can do whatever He wills, we too cram God into the Arminian box. Although I believe that Arminian is the doctrine of God in a general way, God still sometimes uses Calvin's doctrine because both are still His Doctrine.  (In fact, God has allotted 144,000 Jews for salvation after the rapture.)

Those are two examples. Pentecostals put God in a box wrapped as "gifts". One of these boxes has what they call an "unknown tongue". However, God's Tongue is One, and that is speaking the truth.

Churches of Christ put God in a wet box. There God is drowned in water. His Box requires soaking the believer to be made safe. They use the word "saved" yet fail to recognize that the repentant person is safe before getting into their baptismal box.  Campbell and Barton had a noble idea - to restore God's Box. However, in practice, they just put more people in Campbell's box!

I chose to be a Nazarene as a youth because I relished their love of God and others. Theirs is a ministry of love. I liked their doctrine of living Christ-like. Their idea that Christians should strive to be set apart from the world is scriptural and appealing. It's called sanctification. With their doctrine, they focus on that as much as the Pentecostals do speaking in tongues. However, that is the Nazarene Box - Christian perfection.

There were sanctified people in Holy Scripture. Samson was a Nazarite, and so was John the Baptist. They were pre-ordained from birth to serve God with Christian perfection. Here, we have Calvinism meets Arminianism because Nazarenes are Wesleyan-Arminian - another box.

Christians can never, and will never reach sinless perfection but yet that is a noble strategy for living. The strategy of some is having just a little faith, which by the way, is ample for conversion. The Nazarene box is that we all have great faith. That must be because strict obedience is a result of great faith. Of course, being born-again is still all that is needed but they preach sanctification as a demonstration of faith. Many don't believe that we can live righteously, and reject the Nazarene box. That's okay; they are still born-again without the Nazarene box.

I hope the reader gets my point. God is Almighty and He can do with each whatever  He will. Paul taught against all these individual boxes: Apollo's, Cephas's, and his own, and asked that they all get in Christ's Box because He is the Box that God showed us!

The Resurrection

Sometimes reason is beneficial. It is unreasonable, for instance, to declare that the universe just happened. It is reasonable to believe that it was designed, and with that design came a purpose for existence. In other words, scientists expect people to believe the untenable. Like the developers of Obamacare, they depend on the "stupidity of the people".

Likewise, it is more reasonable to believe in the resurrection of the dead than reincarnation. Let's look at the difference, taking reincarnation first. Simply put, reincarnation is receiving a new body after one dies; not only once but many times until all the bad karma is cleared. The new body is not the same one that existed before death, but a new one each time. It may not even be a human existence but an animal. Once all the bad karma is cleared, Buddhists believe they reach a state of nirvana - being released from the cycle of rebirths. This seems unreasonable to most people.

Eternal life seems unreasonable as well. We can't seem to make it, as human beings, to one-hundred and twenty years. As unreasonable as it seems, being resurrected is more tenable than reincarnation.  Why so? As beautiful as the earth is,  and as complex as we are, there must be more than meets the eye! If a few short years is all we have, life is little more than a bad joke by the comedian "Chance".

Repetitive lives would merely be expanding on the bad joke, Time after time, we would live without hope. Like those vampires who never die, and crave to, reincarnated people would crave eternal death. That's not reasonable to me - to crave non-existence... forever! In fact, when I think on non-existence it is the ultimate feeling of loneliness. Even the punishment of hell forever seems little worse than just ceasing to exist!

When did mankind acquire hope, and what is hope?  Hope is believing in eternal life - living forever! Hope is existing in a pain-free world where aging is non-existent. Humanists call this place Utopia, but unlike Heaven, Utopia would be temporal. It would merely provide false comfort for a spell; then all is lost thereafter. Belief in the resurrection makes sense because it is reasonable to expect more than what we sense. Just as we couldn't see inside the atom until technology made that possible, we can't see into the supernatural until God makes that possible. You see, the supernatural is becoming more reasonable! There is a whole universe inside one atom. Many enlightened scientists found that unreasonable but now we know it to be true.

Hope was acquired immediately when it ran out! When Adam and Eve were created, hope was not an issue. They never thought of dying because death was untenable. No one had ever died before! Mankind was made with immortality. Why is it so unreasonable to believe that being re-created with an immortal body is possible. Adam and Eve's attitude cannot be called "hopeful" because it was originally certainty. When they sinned, they became mortal. God had mercy on them, and they were re-born as new creatures as their shame was covered by death, ironically. Blood had to be spilled and death ensue for them to have hope. Hope originated with the death of the animal whose blood was shed for them. Ever since, mankind has had hope. How old is hope? It is as old as sin but came with redemption.

I have yet to define what resurrected means. It's a simple thing - restoring a previously dead person back to life! Not with a different body but the same one. Not with a different mind but the same one. Not with a different soul but the same one!

When God said, "Thou shalt surely die," Adam and Eve failed to understand death. They had never experience it before nor thought of it. They thought death was dying that instant. They failed to entertain the notion that sin causes a person to die forever, or more accurately, forever dying. Not only did they become mortal and faced physical death, but they faced spiritual death. God seemed to be wrong about dying, as they ate, but they soon came to realize, that the death they would experience was in the hereafter. Hope is faith in being transformed from dead to living. That event is called the resurrection.

Christians often ask the question, "Are you saved?" Before salvation has any impact, sinners should ask, "Saved from what?" The answer is simple - saved from eternal death. Being saved from death in the hereafter requires being resurrected from the dead! Some theologians would argue that Old Testament patriarchs knew nothing of the resurrection. That is not true. Immediately, Adam and Eve had hope in living forever. The Word said nothing about the verb "resurrect" but that was the outcome of God's grace. I submit that the patriarchs knew very much about resurrection!

For instance, the Pharisees, unlike the Sadducees believed in the resurrection.

Acts 23:8 For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, neither angel, nor spirit: but the Pharisees confess both.

The patriarchs had the same hope that we have and the same faith. Their salvation was to come with the resurrection!

Now let us look at Old Testament accounts of the resurrection:

Psalm 51:11 (ESV) Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me.

Daniel 12:1-3 (ESV)  “At that time shall arise Michael, the great prince who has charge of your people. And there shall be a time of trouble, such as never has been since there was a nation till that time. But at that time your people shall be delivered, everyone whose name shall be found written in the book. And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. And those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky above; and those who turn many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever.  

Daniel 7:27 (ESV) And the kingdom and the dominion and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High; their kingdom shall be an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey them.’ 

Daniel 2:44 (ESV) And in the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed, nor shall the kingdom be left to another people. It shall break in pieces all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, and it shall stand forever, 

Daniel 12:2 ESV And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. 

Isaiah 26:19 (ESV) Your dead shall live; their bodies shall rise. You who dwell in the dust, awake and sing for joy! For your dew is a dew of light, and the earth will give birth to the dead.

Old Testament scripture does speak of the resurrection of the dead. The hope of the patriarchs was the same as ours, and the Way to eternal life was always by Jesus. Scripture says that by no other name can one be saved. (Acts 4:12). That included Jews in the Old Testament!

The slogan "Born to die," is seen often in modern culture. Mankind was never "born to die" but to look forward to being resurrected, and live forever. Mankind was "born to live forever," because God desires that none shall perish. (John 3:16). In spite of our desire to live forever, most will chose not to! I look forward to my transformation - from this weak vulnerable dying body to a glorified one. That is my hope and what keeps me alive. Without the hope or being resurrected life would be meaningless and fatalistic. Thank you Jesus for dying in my place!

By the way, those dead without the hope of salvation, will be resurrected as well - " to shame and everlasting contempt" - or living in hell forever. Salvation is being saved from this punishment.