War on Women? Favor Mothers over Division

During the political season Democrats crow on about "Republican's War on Women?!  I do have strong political opinions, but I'm pragmatic. Neither party is ideal, but one is truly repugnant from a Christian point of view. However, this topic is not about Republicans vs. Democrats, but good vs. evil!

What is "good"?  That's an easy one!

Mark 10:18 "And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God."

Jesus was testing the rich man who never understood that by calling Jesus "good" he was unknowingly acknowledging that Jesus IS God!  Jesus confirmed this by his play on words that he indeed is God. Hence, God is good and since Jesus is God, whatever Jesus spoke, being the Word, he is good!

What is evil?

 2 Chronicles 12:14 "And he (Rehoboam) did evil, because he prepared not his heart to seek the Lord."

In condemning Rehoboam evil is defined: Evil is having a heart on things other than the Lord. Hence, even good deeds fall into the "evil" definition if "good" is done outside the spirit of the Lord. The Pharisees are probably the most detestable group of people in the Bible although they did "good" continually. Why? Their hearts were on "doing" not faith!

Our battle is the righteous against the unrighteous!  Righteousness is living in harmony and being in the will of God.  Many people, Republicans and Democrats, are on the side of evil, hence neither party is righteous. There are righteous people in both parties, but many of those righteous people do evil things out of ignorance of God's will or a lack of discernment!  Right now it's the Democrats who are most out of synchronization with God's will, whereas in the days of Roosevelt and Nixon, it was the Republicans. Many righteous people moved from the Democrat Party to the Republican when the evil forces of Progressives (Communists) joined forces with the Democrats in 1968.

Right now the Republican Party is a haven for those evangelical Christians who discern the evil inherent in the progressivism of the Democrat Party. Likewise, the Democrat Party is a haven for those Marxists who realized that it was easier to work through a major party than go it alone. Now for the true "War on Women"! Marxists say this:

"To alter the position of woman at the root is possible only if all the conditions of social, family, and domestic existence are altered." (Trotsky, Women and the Family, p. 45.)

"Everyone who knows anything of history also knows that great social revolutions are impossible without the feminine ferment. Social progress may be measured precisely by the social position of the fair sex (plain ones included)." (Marx, Letter to Kugelmann, 1868)

There are many more socialist statements about the emancipation of women. The same letter even instructs men to emancipate themselves from women!  Emancipation in this context is the release of the sexes from the influences of each other!  Socialism's objective is for men to be at war with women and women at war with men! As you can see the "War on Women" of which the Democrats speak is a socialist initiative to divide the home. Their desire is for children to become wards of the state and for that reason the two-parent family is an obstacle to socialism!

Democrats have adopted feminism. It's in the 2012 Democrat Party Platform!

"We are committed to equal opportunity for all Americans and to making sure that every American is treated equally under the law. We are committed to ensuring full equality for women: we reaffirm our support for the Equal Rights Amendment, recommit to enforcing Title IX, support the Paycheck Fairness Act, and will urge ratification of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women."

"We understand that women's rights are civil rights. That's why we reaffirm our support for the ERA, recommit to enforcing Title IX, and will urge ratification of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women. That's why we are committed to ending violence against women, why Vice President Joe Biden originally wrote and championed the Violence Against Women Act during his time in the Senate, and why we support reauthorizing and strengthening it now."

"The President and the Democratic Party believe that women have a right to control their reproductive choices. Democrats support access to affordable family planning services, and President Obama and Democrats will continue to stand up to Republican efforts to defund Planned Parenthood health centers. The Affordable Care Act ensures that women have access to contraception in their health insurance plans, and the President has respected the principle of religious liberty. Democrats support evidence-based and age-appropriate sex education."

This all sounds "fair", but anyone knows from past government fairness programs, the victim group gets "more fair" treatment!  Also, much of the "fairness" to women is toward working, an initiative to take them out of the home and with such, someone else, often the government, raises the children. Early government control of child-raising just happens to be another tenet of Marxism. When the government teaches the children, the government controls what they think!  Intending to "do good" is evil!  It separates the family and destroys what;s good!

Another tenet is "abortion rights" supplied by the abortion mill called Planned Parenthood. Not only do they help women destroy their own offspring, often weighted against  females, but step in to teach young children through government educational programs to be liberated females. This is feminism and they espouse sexual freedom and abortion!  Abortion, for the Christian, as well as civilization in general, must be recognized as the ultimate form of child-abuse and violence against helpless women!

Democrats have taken evil, used wordsmiths to sweeten the deception and have waged war against women. Those who think they're "doing good" in the Democrat Party through feminism are implementing the doctrine of Godless Communism which considers religion as an enemy or the State! A rotten carcass by any other name is still rotten!  It's the Marxist infested Democrat Party who are the ones truly waging war on women!

Thanks to their "do good" for any special interest group in the nation, evil abounds!  Women can't find mature men for husbands creating fatherless families, resulting in confused sons and daughters seeking love from same sex relationships. Crime comes from women working outside the home and children being raised by surrogate parents, many times by government institutions. "Head Start" and such seek to take your children early on, remold them into what the government wants them to be and then brag to their supporters how much the government does for those in need. It's like buying the indigant the finest wine then lacing it with arsenic! The downtrodden who vote for progressives step harshly on their own toes!

The War on Women is real, but it's a Marxist initiative at odds with what God says! What is the role of women in a world according to God?

I won't quote scripture here for there are many!  Women are called to be Godly in the following manner:

1. Women are to obey God.
2. Are to be an helpmate for their husbands. Together they are a team and God is their manager.
3. Are to raise their children in the way they should go.
4. Are to love their husbands and work together and serve God together.
5. Are to be modest and of good rapport.
6. Are to manage the home.
7. Are to be teach their daughters on right behavior and homemaking.
8. Are to look toward their husbands for leadership.
9. Are to provide children for the home.
10. Are to provide pleasure and enjoyment to their husbands.
11. Are to buildup their husbands.
12. Are to protect the family from harm.

In short, women are born to be wives and mothers! That's the role God assigned to them. Of course God recognizes the needs for women to step up when men fail, but ideally women are to complement  the husband and be a mother to children. She, along with the father, are to be the primary teachers and are to instill Godly values into the children!  That's their job, not the churches nor the governments!

If we look closely it's obvious that women are far from what God intended at this time. It's true that women have had unfair treatment throughout history in many regards, but men were designed to be the leaders. You may not like that, but that's truth!  There are biological and psychological differences between women and men, and they were created that way on purpose!  God's plan wasn't for "fairness", but for success. Fairness oftentimes impedes success. Just look at government quotas in general. Standards are lowered such that those perceived as victims can be on an extra-level field. It's "doing good", but naively so! That's evil.

Undermining the role of women in the name of equal rights is an injustice. On the whole in years past an intact family was the happiest. Sure, women may be happier with their newly found independence, but is it for the "good" of the whole? It appears that this Brave New World is only a shadow of freedom and joy which it could be if we did things God's way!  So you don't agree!  I'm the messenger. God is the commander! He gives the orders, I don't even implement them, I just point them out to those who hear, but fail to listen!  We all suffer with the Democrat War on Women!  They accuse because they know what they do. It's much like the killer who frames an innocent man. Democrats do that well!

Now back to "Momma's Day"!  I thank God for all the mothers who are true mothers. I thank those who are mothers who follow God's will!  My Mom was treated as a queen by a loving Godly husband. They endured hardships together and strove together. Seven kids were raised according to God's instruction! It is possible for they did it! Mom never felt the slave. She was loved. Mom was part of the team and complemented Dad in all respects. Mom was always faithful to Dad. She took the marriage vows seriously and lived them. Now they are together again!  Progressives never split them asunder. God was the glue that held a secure bond.

Mom did it God's way! Was that Dad's War on Women? No. Godly men don't war with self. Unity in marriage combines two into one. Marxism destroys that unity and evil wins. Dad and Mom were fellow soldiers, not warring with one another, but fighting the forces of evil who do wrong by deception:

Ephesians 6:12 "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."

There is no Christian War on Women! That's a lie. Those in the Republican Party who share those views are saving women from themselves.  Principalities are using deception to divide and conquer. The War on Women is being waged by rulers of the darkness of the world. Marxists are their emissaries. Democrats are their tools.

Mother's Day: Why to honor our Moms

Today I prepare to honor my mother on Mother's Day!  I write in advance so that others may contemplate their own mother. Some are imperfect, others are bad mothers and many of us are blessed by great mothers! However, we are all to honor our mothers for just being our mothers:

Ephesians 6:2 "Honour thy father and mother; which is the first commandment with promise..."

Here Paul reiterates God's commandment. We are to honor our father and mother without stipulation!  It's a command; not an option. Why?

Genesis 3:16a  "Unto the woman he (God) said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children..."

(I won't go into God's punishment for disobedience, but that's the situation!)

Roget's Thesaurus describes "sorrow" as "mental anguish or pain caused by loss or despair". Actually "agony" best fits childbirth as I understand it. However, with physical agony comes mental anguish! The thoughts of labor pain is often sorrowful for the woman as well as the mental stamina to endure the birth process. Pain, and hence agony, is subjective and severe pain for one is moderate for another. Indeed, masochists enjoy pain. However, for most normal people the pain scale does from "0" (smiling) to "10" (crying in agony). Most mothers, especially first timers, experience a pain level of 10!  At that level the severity of pain may be as severe as crushed bones!

Even "bad" mothers deserve honor. Just as we are bad, even bad mothers deserve some credit because they have suffered. The only difference between a "bad" mother and a "good" son or daughter is God's grace. Our own sins are as great as the bad mother's, but God gave us a new chance!  Mothers who have messed up their lives can still be "saved" just as all sinners have the option. Most bad mothers will never submit, but then again, many "good" sons and daughters may never either!

My mother suffered pain for me; severe pain!  If she did nothing else, I would cherish "Mom" for giving me birth. Not only did the nine months of gestation cause sickness and discomfort, but it was punctuated by a great torture.  Pregnancy and childbirth is a grand sacrifice a mother makes for her babies. I love Mom for giving me life!  I appreciate the sacrifice and agony she made that a new life might be born!  That's my first birth; my biological process of being born.

My Mom assisted in me being "born-again". What's that? Nicodemus had the same question:

John 3:4 "Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born?"

The answer is obvious. Being "born again" is a rebirth and is belief and acceptance of Jesus as God and that he agonized for us by dying in our place. Like your own mother, Jesus suffered physical agony to justify your rebirth as a new person, and suffered extreme sorrow when he took on the sins of the world.  Jesus, as my creator, created me through the vessel called "Mom" and then recreated me through a "cup" called the Body of Jesus.

Matthew 26:38 "Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me. 39 And he went a little farther, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt."

Just as your mother in birth who had sorrow and agony, Jesus for your rebirth was sorrowful  and in agony as his "cup" (life) passed on!  So, what we have here is that a "mother", although of the flesh, is a picture of Jesus!  She in the flesh giving you life, but he in the body and Spirit giving you eternal life. With biological birth you had no choice, but with rebirth, eternal life is in the choice you make!

All mothers are to be honored for giving you life! "Good" mothers are to be honored for you being "born again". No, you never entered the womb and suffered the crawl to life, but your mother is one of the two people who steered you with proper training and upbringing for you to make right choices!

There's wisdom in God's word because God is knowledge. Applying that knowledge is wisdom. Here is a bit of wisdom:

Proverbs 22:6 "Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it."

What way should a child go? Good parents desire excellence for their children. Most would choose that our children achieve far beyond are own success. But for me, the way a child should go is to his or her reward!  The direction I would chose for my own children is that they be heaven bound; born-again!  My Mom trained me up in the way that I should go!  I thank and love my Mom for that! She wasn't the spiritual leader of the home, but she was the dutiful wife and mother who always sought the best for all her children! For us to have, Mom did without! She sacrificed self-pleasure for the good of her children!

Here's a good mom. Here's my good Mom:

Proverbs 31:25 "Strength and honour are her clothing; and she shall rejoice in time to come. 26 She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness. 27 She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness. 28 Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her. 29 Many daughters have done virtuously, but thou excellest them all. 30 Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the Lord, she shall be praised."

Mom "excelleth them all!"  Yes, you heard it here: My Mom was the number one mom!  That's my take!  Hopefully, you'll have the same take on your own mother. I lament the sacrifice my Mom made that I might be fed, be clothed, be housed, enjoy health, get an education and use my head in all matters! She taught me strength, frugality, utility, honor and faith. She demonstrated what a good mother should be! A good mother is first a Godly wife, and in obedience to God, and by God's grace she becomes a good mother.

Mom's tears never stopped with children of the age of majority, but even all of us in middle age were her children!  Her love to us old guys was on the same level as her love for her babies. Her feeble eyes as her health deteriorated gleamed for just an instant each and every time that she saw us; neglecting her own ill health and old age pain!  That's a mom. That was Mom!  She has entered the reward stage of her life now!  Two of her deceased children confessed that they were reborn. Likewise, most of the living children have done the same. I have faith because of scripture that all Mom's children will love her again in heaven! She was a good Mom and Proverbs 22:6 was her legacy:  "Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it."  Mom did that and soon we will get to see all her children by her side again because she obeyed what God willed for her!

I remember my earliest exposure to music. It was Mom singing praises to Jesus!  That's the Mom I remember... singing as she cleaned "Sweet Hour of Prayer"!

2 Timothy 1:5 "When I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee (Timothy or you), which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois (or your grandmother's name), and thy mother Eunice (or your own mother's name); and I am persuaded that in thee (you) also."

That's the role of a Godly mother! That's what her mother did for her and your own mother did for you. "Mother" is too formal: Honor your Momma on Mother's Day! I honor my mother and there is none who excels my own Mom. I wish she was still here so I could honor her in person! Some are more blessed than I am, so show that love which your own mom is due!

Tomorrow: Don't Count on It!

As I ponder the expanse I'm amazed at it's profundity.  Light I view, they say, emanates from a sun which may already be history. Looking into the cosmos is viewing through a window to the past. That which I see from my vantage point happened before my antecedents existed, so they say. (However, my God who is powerful enough to have created the Universe has the foresight and power to make it matured! God had no confines upon what he could do and he did it all perfectly with each entity complementing the other.)

The past. Let's consider it first. It's what has happened up until this stroke of the key. It's done and can never be undone. Time travel is a dream. The past is past! The beginning of the past never was. God is eternal. He is and has always been! Take a look at what was said about God in John's vision:

Revelation 21:5 "And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful. 6a And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. "

Yes, God was there at the beginning! No, it all began with God. As profound as God always being (existing) is the premise that nothingness went on forever and was eternal until one day "things" just happened. Those "things" are matter. Matter came from nothing! That takes more faith than believing that God created "things" which we call matter! Nothingness is the container for matter. Having a place to put the matter is just as important as the origin of matter. The container for all the matter making up the expanse is without boundaries. (The cup as no limits and no walls.) The container of nothingness holds all the known matter in the cosmos, but nothingness is infinitely larger than the expanse of matter.

Where did the container for matter originate? Who originated what we perceive as nothing? Nothing is darkness and darkness has explanation. It's the color of nothing!  Darkness is the absence of "things". All things have light, although some things are so massive that light can't escape its gravitational field!  God was with darkness in the beginning:

Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth... 3 And God said, Let there be light: and there was light."

The heavens are what's outside our own world. God created the nothingness and then put things into the nothingness. Those things had light because they were matter. The heavens were created by God before he put light there! Hence, God is the creator of the container for matter. He's responsible for the empty expanse of darkness. He truly is the "alpha". He was there in the beginning, but he wasn't alone!

John 1 "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 The same was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made."

When God said "let there be light" it wasn't the creation of "The Light" because "The Light" was "The Word"!  God is the essence of power in the expanse. The darkness and the nothingness are not empty. God reigns there as well! Being omnipresent God's essence is as large as the nothingness he created. When God is objectified, he is God manifested to man. Whenever God speaks with or communes with man, that's The Word! God, who always was is named "I AM". The Word shares that name!  "I AM" who spoke with Adam in the Garden was given a name as he put on flesh. His name is Jesus!  Jesus was co-creator of the universe because he is God! His essence is the same as the Father's and although he is God, when he was manifested in the flesh, God, the Son of Man, is cloaked in matter created by God which we call flesh. God became the Son of God! As such "I AM" is revealed to man as Jesus!

The Light was the creator of the light which shined first in the heavens:

John 1:5 And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not. 6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe. "

The light that existed before our small planet had it's own sun, was the Son called The Light. "Shekinah" was the word the Jews used to describe the divine presence revealed to man. The Word, The Light was that Shekinah.  The light which shined as the world was created, is the same Light in which we believe. We believe that Light now cloaked in flesh, is Jesus!

That was the past. That's what existed up until now! I left out all the historical events and the life, death and resurrection of Jesus, but he's already died for all our sins! That's all past! Now, we look at what we do with the past. We have choices: 1) We can be apathetic as most people are, 2) We can reject what has happened as mere mythology, 3) We can accept the truths of the past and at the same time reject our own relationship to the past, or 4) We can accept the truths of the past and interject the past into our own lives.

A small part of the past is "yesterday". Yesterday has two meanings. It is the recent past and more specifically, the day before the last darkness. Yesterday is clothed in darkness. The sun went down just as it always has:

Ecclesiastes 1:5 "The sun also ariseth, and the sun goeth down, and hasteth to his place where he arose."

This verse describes yesterday! What went on yesterday?

Ecclesiastes 1:9 "The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun."

Whatever it was that you did yesterday has been done by someone before you! There is nothing new because you're you!  Your yesterday was no different than many more before you. Most rebelled against God and continued to do so yesterday!  A few loved God yesterday. For those who loved God yesterday The Light shines on them! For those who were apathetic or rebellious, darkness weighs on them. They have the same nothingness that started it all! Nothing is a lonely place. It's just you and God. Nothing can help you, but accepting God. Just as he placed The Light in the cosmos and matter was created, he can put Light in you and your illumination will result. You will be created a New Person!

Then we have today!  Today is fleeting:

Psalm 144:4 "Man is like to vanity: his days are as a shadow that passeth away."

What will happen today? Most of us will walk in the light for some part of the day, then as the sun ebbs, the shadow created by the Light will pass away. We had a chance to walk in the light. Some did. Others stayed in darkness. However, today the sun did shine for all. Some of us love the light and walked in it! Others chose to remain in the shadows... shadows where who knows what lurk!  We had our chance, but with evening, even our shadow hides! It hibernates until tomorrow.

Tomorrow I'll do it. Tomorrow I'll change!

James 4:14 "Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away."

If you chose not to walk in light "today" tomorrow is another day!  Tomorrow is abstract. The demons want us to rely on tomorrow. They know it shall soon be "today"!  Tomorrow your life will be like a vapor. Your life will appear briefly at midnight then disappear into "today" all over again. What will you do with tomorrow? Nothing, because tomorrow is just a fantasy. It's the time to say that we'll do things we have no plans on doing. Tuesday, I'm doing certain things. Among them is being outside, walking and doing in the light. That's concrete. I can plan on doing definite things on Tuesday. However, although Tuesday is tomorrow right now. when it happens it will be today. Then I either do it or put it off until the next illusory tomorrow.

Change needs to happen now... TODAY!  James implied that tomorrow will be no different if things don't change today. If God is calling you today, you're a fool to wait until tomorrow because tomorrow will be no different. After days of waiting until tomorrow the hard may harden:

Hebrews 3:13 "But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin."

Here we can see that tomorrow is not the day! Today is the day for salvation. If we wait our hearts may become hardened. What is meant by that is the sin in your life will become routine and you'll fail to see that change is needed... no, required, as a precondition to salvation. If a person thinks they can chose the day, don't count on it, because today is the day! Beyond that the risk is at your own peril!

Lastly we have the future. There are two choices for the future. Both choices are eternal.

Revelation 6a " I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. "

We are faced with God. He created us as Alpha in the beginning and will judge us as the Omega at the end. There are two judgments which God will make from his Great White Throne: "Well done good and faithful servant"  is reserved for those who chose God today OR:

Revelation 20:15 "And  if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire."

Shall it be praise and a room  in a mansion in Heaven with eternal life or will it be eternal death in a lake of fire? It's one or the other. Eternity is your future!   Tomorrow may be too late to make the choice. Today IS THE DAY!  Perhaps you'll be the one with heart failure tonight. Perhaps a fatal car wreck. Maybe an intruder will end your life tonight as you sleep. Your time is by the grace of God and he may tire of waiting! That's his perogative. He's God. We must play by his rules and his rules are fair. Our desires are selfish. He wants us to live forever and we desire pleasure for a time. It's an unequal trade off!

Today the right choice is available and is summarized by the rest of the story:

Revelation 21:6b "I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. 7 He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son."

And Then There were Five: Five is a Lonely Number

Jesus performed 37 miracles as recorded in the gospels. Indeed we find numerous people who Jesus, the Son of Man, affected:

John 21:25 "And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written. Amen (And that's the truth)."

In the few years of Jesus' ministry he affected uncountable lives. People were fed by the thousands, others healed by him, many were forgiven of their sins and everyone he met he loved! No man ever before nor since has made such a difference in the lives of many!

This man never ever unfairly criticized, gossiped, stole, lied nor ever have an impure thought. Yes, he was tempted just as we are, but he never caved! Just think: a man who never did wrong to anyone, but loved all unconditionally. In theory this man should be loved by all, but many were blinded by tradition and jealousy. They were more concerned about regaining the nation than having eternal life!

Then this man who all should love was indicted and convicted by a kangaroo court. Even though those in power knew his innocence, he still was sent to the cross to die!  This quiet man, the laughed upon King of the Jews was scorned, tormented, denigrated, robbed of his clothing, had fools gamble at his expense, prodded, tortured with thorns and sent to die! How many of those whom he loved were with him? And then there were five:

John 19:25 "Now there stood by the cross of Jesus his mother, and his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalene. 26 When Jesus therefore saw his mother, and the disciple standing by, whom he loved, he saith unto his mother, Woman, behold thy son! 27 Then saith he to the disciple, Behold thy mother! And from that hour that disciple took her unto his own home."

Except for John, the apostles abandoned Jesus. Four women, mostly his relatives, stood by his side and were not afraid nor ashamed. The others were gone!  Those who were blind, but now see; those who were cured of leprosy, a couple who were raised from the dead, some whose sanity was restored, some who walked again, thousands who were fed when they were hungry and those who rejoiced when served the finest wine!  Then we look for those he anointed and they are not found!  We seek those who called him Master and they are not there. Those who saw 37 miracles abandoned the miracle worker. They were all gone. Five is a lonely number!

However, Jesus defeated death and restored joy to those dismayed. Five is a lonely number, but soon every knee shall bow!  God made this promise to Abraham:

Genesis 12:1 "Now the Lord had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee: 2 And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: 3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed."

And you thought God's promise to Abraham was all about Israel. Not so! He said "all families of the earth be blessed". He was speaking of Jesus. God's promise was not that Jews would proliferate, but that Christians represented by all nations, shall populate the earth... and they have! Christians are in western nations and Third World Countries. They are growing rapidly in Asia and Africa. Soon, if not already, all peoples of the world will know of Jesus!

Five is a lonely number! For a short time, there were five, then fifty, then five-thousand! Now there are billions who know of Jesus and a vast number who call him Friend!

Genesis 22:16 "And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the Lord, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son: 17 That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies; 18 And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice."

Abraham had faith! That faith was credited to him as righteousness. His willingness to sacrifice his only son to God was a picture of God's willingness to sacrifice his only son to all!  Because of his faith, Abraham's "seed shall all nations of the earth be blessed"! Why? "Because thou hast obeyed my voice".

Abraham's faith wasn't in The Law! It was faith in Jesus. Somehow in this primitive place Abraham understood that what he was willing to do to please God was what God was willing to do to save mankind!  What's Abraham got to do with God? What does Isaac (his sacrificial son) have to do with Jesus? Everything! That's what the story of Abraham is all about; God's sacrifice of his only son; the world blessed by the seed of Abraham... Jesus!

Then there were five! Now the whole world knows of Jesus. However, the gate is narrow. Just as there were only five at the cross, few will stand by Jesus in Heaven. Five is a lonely number, but even so, millions will live for eternity because they stood by that lonely Cross throughout the ages!  The Tree of Life yet lives and will never be alone again. Angels and saints rejoice at the root of this Tree... Jesus, The Tree of Life!

"Saved" Three Times

Herein I am not indicting denominations, but specific methods used by preachers within those denominations. How in the world did I get "saved three times"? Being "saved" varies from preacher to preacher, church to church and denomination, yet there is only one salvation!

Ephesians 4:4 "There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; 5 One Lord, one faith, one baptism..."

It would appear that there is just one way to salvation. The Way is through Jesus and Jesus only:

Acts 4:12 "Neither is there salvation in any other:(except Jesus the Cornerstone) for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved."

There are no other ways to be saved, but I've had three "salvation" experiences! You decide:

When I was twelve years old I regularly attended a Methodist Church in the north. My parents and grandparents had been Methodists in the rural south for years. I was attending a church of my heritage. Whereas the church of my fathers relied on personal experience, this particular Methodist Church found another way: I was invited to take a catechism class and at it's conclusion I was called forward, the pastor announced that I had received an "A" in the class, I was saved and now a church member.

About two years later I went to a Missionary Baptist Church camp. One day after Bible Class, the preacher asked that everyone close their eyes and for any of those who wanted to,  to remain after service for prayer. With one eye open I saw that the kid next to me stayed so I did too! Later that evening in Prayer Meeting the preacher announced the names of all that had been "saved" that day. My name was among them!

About a year later my friend and his mother invited me to a Nazarene Church. I really felt at home there because the worship was much as the old time Methodist Church of my fathers. The preacher revealed to me that I am a sinner and in danger of  eternal punishment. He spoke on what hell would be like!  He told me that I should feel sorry that I had grieved God so much, believe, repent and be saved. He said that salvation is free and by Jesus alone.

John 3:16 "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."

To be frank the preacher quietly in his manner "scared the hell out of me" to be blunt and crude. Being afraid did not "save" me, but led me to my Hope.  If I became "born again" and a believer who accepts Christ's sacrifice I would have the chance to live forever. I would be freed from sin and saved from hell! I felt sorry, I a believed that Jesus died for me, I accepted his death in my place, he provided the hope of eternal life and for saving me I did my best to love him through obedience! This verse describes what happened to me:

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."

 Here's the formula for salvation! Believe Jesus died and lives and that it was for me, accept his death for me (heartfelt) and believe Christ really paid the price; then I was saved. It's must be the same for everybody! Some add that you must also be baptized:

Mark 16:16 "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned."

However, since there are many verses where baptism isn't mention in  being necessary for salvation, then it follows that baptism is not an essential for salvation, but is obedience. Salvation is a gift from God. Scripture tells us that it's not because of anything that we do.

Ephesians 2:8 "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast."

We are saved by our faith, not what we do. Baptism is a "work", but yet we should obey and be baptized. It's the "confession" part of Romans 10:9. When we get saved and it's true salvation we want to tell others. We confess our salvation by obedience and what better way to do that than by public baptism!  There are no "secret" Christians. I tried that too! If we are truly saved there is a change. We are no longer ashamed of our Savior, but rejoice in him!  Baptism is a work and works are evidence of salvation.

James 2:18 "Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works."

Yes, baptism is important, and some add that as a "requirement" for salvation. Although baptism should be the first thing a saved person wants to do to testify to the rebirth that just happened, it's an ordinance, not a sacrament! Many have been baptized without the faith and merely become wet sinners. We must take care that only those who are Christians be baptized. That's called "believers baptism" and is the only correct way since Ephesians 4:4 tells us also that there is only one baptism.

Maybe people don't "feel" saved because they aren't saved! There is one salvation and that is being "born again". Baptism demonstrates that the old person is buried and a new person arises after being cleansed from sin.  Baptizing doesn't cleanse unless Jesus did the cleaning! Salvation is not by you and what you do, but by faith.

My "A" at the Methodist Church made me an educated sinner. My "prayer" at the pew at Missionary Baptist Church Camp allowed me to rest my eyes for another five minutes, but neither saved me, I had no personal experience, although I believed because my parents did. However, at the Nazarene Church I prayed and stayed. I fought God and God won! I tried doing it secretly, but I had yet to submit to Christ. I battled against salvation for quite some time, but after hours of resistance, I accepted Jesus and became a new person; not a perfect person, but a forgiven person. One who's sincere enough that although I still sin, the Holy Spirit calls me to repentance and Jesus forgives me each time!

When churches have training, even altar calls, the inexperienced church-goer is ignorant oftentimes to what he or she must do to be saved. Going to the altar does not save, but what you do at the altar. The altar doesn't save, but allows those around to know that you need prayer. You can be saved anywhere because salvation is a spiritual event, not a public ritual. That trip to the altar is an effort in futility if the person fails to submit while there! I've done that many times too!

No I wasn't saved three times. I was saved once. The first two were for show or for others. The last time was for Jesus... and me!

On Slavery

Even speaking of slavery as an injustice is a risk because some have memories of close ancestors who were slaves and more still feel the effects of involuntary servitude.  However, in my blogs, I say that I will speak truth. Slavery has existed from time immemorial, but that doesn't make it right. The intent here is to find and answer as to why God allows bad things to happen to good people. The subject at hand is slaves. Not just those with African origins, but slaves in every nation. My own ancestors were indentured servants. They were slaves to their masters for a period of time, just as Jacob served seven years to Laban (Gen 29:20), but for my ancestor and Jacob, freedom was in sight. Others were enslaved for a lifetime. That's a travesty and an injustice!

Slavery has been in existence on every continent throughout history. The Greeks and Romans owned slaves. Egypt's dynastic achievements were built on the backs of slave labor. Defeated peoples served their new rulers as slaves. In the 1500's slave trade was institutionalized with most slaves coming primarily from Africa. Powerful tribes sold weaker tribal members into slavery. Eleven million Africans were exported worldwide into slavery.

Jews became slaves and they too owned slaves:

Leviticus 25:44 (ESV) "As for your male and female slaves whom you may have: you may buy male and female slaves from among the nations that are around you. You may also buy from among the strangers who sojourn with you and their clans that are with you, who have been born in your land, and they may be your property. You may bequeath them to your sons after you to inherit as a possession forever. You may make slaves of them, but over your brothers the people of Israel you shall not rule, one over another ruthlessly."

Yes, God allowed, but didn't ordain, slavery. Slavery was due to disobedience of mankind. It's a shame that we ever had slaves, but then to, it's a bigger shame that man ever sinned. Slavery was even an early means of currency:

Exodus 21:20-21 (ESV) “When a man strikes his slave, male or female, with a rod and the slave dies under his hand, he shall be avenged. But if the slave survives a day or two, he is not to be avenged, for the slave is his money."

Since slaves had value they were to be treated with great care. Just as a master is told to treat his beasts humanely, the same applied to slaves. Slave masters were forbidden to be cruel:

Colossians 4:1 (ESV) "Masters, treat your slaves justly and fairly, knowing that you also have a Master in heaven."

Furthermore slaves were to be good servants:

Titus 2:9 (ESV)  "Slaves are to be submissive to their own masters in everything; they are to be well-pleasing, not argumentative, not pilfering, but showing all good faith, so that in everything they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior."

Colossians 3:22 (ESV)  "Slaves, obey in everything those who are your earthly masters, not by way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord."

God allowed slavery for a time just as he allowed divorce and multiple wives. It's not that God ordains divorce, adultery and slavery; but that our hearts are calloused.  See here what he says about those who enslave others:

1 Timothy 1:10 (The law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient):  "The sexually immoral, men who practice homosexuality, enslavers, liars, perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound doctrine..."

You can readily see that those who would make a slave of another are equivalent to homosexuals, liars, and the sexually immoral.

Why does God allow bad things to happen to mankind? It's because man chose to follow the ruler of the world (not meaning that the slaves were the disobedient, but that the institution is because of man's disobedience):

Ephesians 2:2 "Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience..."

Satan is the prince of the world.  John 12:31 supports the ruler of the world to be Satan. Just as God removed his protective hedge from around Job, since mankind was disobedient, he removed his protective hedge from around everybody. Just as Job was faithful and still suffered persecution, those in slavery may have been faithful, they too were persecuted. Slavery is not of God, but he allows mankind to suffer our own devices! Just as Jesus said that the poor will always be with us, servitude will be as well! It may not be ownership, indenture or pecuniary slavery, but slavery will always exist.

Jesus didn't come to free mankind from earthly masters, but to free them from sin and fear of eternal death!  With one word Jesus could have ended poverty and obliterated slavery. However, he chose to leave them alone! Why?

It's no shame to be a servant. In fact we're all to serve!

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (ESV) "Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body."

Christians are all slaves! We're slaves to God. Spiritual slavery is a duty and an honor! Likewise, human slavery is a picture of our relationship to Christ. In our eyes it's a great injustice, but for the Lord, the servants to man are a special people. His own chosen people were servants to Egypt. Egypt was a picture of slavery to sin and the Pharaoh was a picture of Satan. The Hebrew people were delivered from slavery (sin) in Egypt and became a mighty nation in their own right! God allowed his people to be slaves, and he had a reason:

Matthew 5:5 "Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth."

Servants are an example of meekness. Good servants are a better example. Those who suffer slavery will get their reward. There will be a special crown for those who serve others, but slavery has another reason as well.  Persecution spreads the gospel message!

If Paul had never been imprisoned Christianity would never have spread so rapidly. If Peter hadn't been crucified upside down, Christianity would not have grown. Injustice breeds growth. Just as more Christians suffered under Nero Caesar and the gospel message spread, likewise slavery spread the gospel to a distant dark continent and it's indigenous peoples. God used the persecution of human beings as a means to lead them to Christ!  His desire was not slavery. That was Satan's desire, just as persecution of early Christians is of Satan. However, God used this crooked stick to allow all peoples to hear his word.

Today, those descendants of slaves are a glorified righteous people on the whole. They worship the same Christ that we worship and salvation is for all!  Without persecution, many peoples of the world would never know of the grace of Jesus!

Biblical support for slavery can never be justified any more than biblical support for divorce nor adultery. God's will is that all men shall be free. Man was created a free creature, not even a servant of God, but a willing worker in his garden; a friend!  Adam's disobedience put the curse on the earth. Man was cursed with toil in tilling the earth. Before the fall of man the earth was fruitful and God provided all the needs of mankind with little effort on the part of man.

With hardship in tilling the soil came slavery. It's one of the oldest institutions known. Man, because of the deception of Satan, is responsible for slavery. It's not God's will that man serve others, but to serve him alone!

Heaven is a wonderful place. Those who suffered slavery here on earth will sit at the table of angels and glorify God who finally makes them free. "Free at last. Thank God, Almighty. Free at last!" (Martin King).

Eternal vs. Conditional Security

There's a huge doctrinal argument which makes the biggest difference in the world as to the efficacy of salvation. 5th Point Calvinists (preservation of the Saints) believe that once one is truly saved they are secure in their salvation and regardless of later sins, they shall have eternal life. Charles Stanley, the most watched Baptist preacher, says in his book Eternal Security "“Even if a believer for all practical purposes becomes an unbeliever, his salvation is not in jeopardy” (Chapter 10, p. 93)." He believes that if a Christian commits murder he or she is still heaven bound.

If the Bible speaks of even one person who commits apostasy, then Charles Stanley and Eternal Security bites the dust, so to speak. Although this argument has been broached from all avenues, it isn't settled and never will be! Even if a verse outright said "Eternal security is a lie!" those who believe it would never relent. In all fairness those who believe in conditional security are as adamant. However, all that I seek is truth!

In my Bible I have underlined every verse having to do with assurance of salvation. Some passages seem to favor eternal security, others conditional security, and still others seem to support both! The following verse is evidence of this:

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

This verse is the most often used by those who espouse eternal security. The argument is that since salvation is a gift of God, he saves you even though you don't deserve it! Furthermore, since grace is an undeserved gift, no "work" you do can gain it. Since you do nothing to gain salvation, then there's nothing that you can do to "lose" your salvation.  Lose is in quotes because those who believe in eternal security are always careful to say "Those people believe that you can lose your salvation. Ha! HA!"  Conditional security says nothing about "losing" salvation, but failing to hold onto faith, thus giving up salvation; called apostasy.

"Ye are saved through faith" is a key phrase. We all agree that it takes faith in Jesus to be saved. However, the efficacy of salvation lies in the duration of faith. Those with an eternal security mindset seem to place faith as a one-time event. A person feels remorse,  expresses belief in Jesus, repents, gets baptized and is thus saved. For the remainder of their life they have Christian liberty to sin as much and often as they desire!  Those of the conditional security mindset believe that faith must be persevering and steadfast until death. If the Christian willingly denies Jesus or ceases to commune with God, that person has given up the faith he or she had at salvation and is in apostasy. They become reprobate (damned). The argument then lies on how the believer perceives faith. My belief, and I won't quote scripture here, is that faith is steadfast and enduring. (I leave it to the reader to review faith since I've written much on faith previously).

There are several  instances in Scripture where a believer abandons God. I'll use one from the New Testament:

Acts 8:9 "But there was a certain man, called Simon, which beforetime in the same city used sorcery, and bewitched the people of Samaria, giving out that himself was some great one: 10 To whom they all gave heed, from the least to the greatest, saying, This man is the great power of God. 11 And to him they had regard, because that of long time he had bewitched them with sorceries. 12 But when they believed Philip preaching the things concerning the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. 13 Then Simon himself believed also: and when he was baptized, he continued with Philip, and wondered, beholding the miracles and signs which were done."

Luke says that Simon believed as did the others who became Christians and was also baptized. Some believe that baptism saves and some that it's symbolic of salvation. Regardless, Simon believed and was baptized. This is being "born again" as taught to Nicodemus by Philip who was the saved through the ministry of Philip. However, Simon didn't take long to get confused about what he believed:

Acts 8:18 "And when Simon saw that through laying on of the apostles' hands the Holy Ghost was given, he offered them money, 19 Saying, Give me also this power, that on whomsoever I lay hands, he may receive the Holy Ghost. 20 But Peter said unto him, Thy money perish with thee, because thou hast thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money. 21 Thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter: for thy heart is not right in the sight of God. 22 Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray God, if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee. 23 For I perceive that thou art in the gall of bitterness, and in the bond of iniquity. 24 Then answered Simon, and said, Pray ye to the Lord for me, that none of these things which ye have spoken come upon me."

Firstly, Simon, although a new Christian, became confused. He failed to bury the old person with baptism. He saw the opportunity to prosper with his new-found faith!  (He was just like many Christians today!)  Peter judged Simon to be a sinner, rebuked him as he should and told him to repent so that he may be forgiven of his sins.

So far those who believe in eternal security should have no argument with Simon. He was a "saved sinner". In their view, even if Simon never repented, he's still saved, but Peter told him to repent! Simon was contrite. He asked Peter to pray to the Lord for him. According to eternal security dogma there was no cause for Simon to repent except to please God. He would be saved regardless. However, it seems that Simon was sincere in his contrition and deserved another chance as long as he held onto his faith. However, even though Simon believed, was baptized and repented; those adherents of eternal security would say that Simon was never saved at all!

Not only do they say that about Simon, the same logic is used today, when a saved person "goes bad". They say "He was never saved to start with!"  That's circular logic to support bad theology!  If Simon was saved and failed to maintain his faith, he gave up  his salvation, and since this one man did that, it stands to reason that conditional security is a valid doctrine. There's not two baptisms!  Simon had the same one Christians have today.

However, in all honesty it would appear from Scripture, that Simon never gave up his faith. As far as Scripture goes, he's still appears to be a Christian. However, later non-canonical writings tell of the apostasy of Simon. Claudius made statues of Simon as a Holy God because Simon did miraculous acts. Cyril, Bishop of Jerusalem, wrote in the Catechetical Lectures about 350 A.D. that Simon Magus appeared in the clouds with demons and was defeated by Peter and Paul in joint prayer. Other literature tells of Simon preaching his own gospel in opposition to Holy Scripture. Indeed, I believe that Simon was the "thorn" in Paul's side. (I've written of the evidence of this argument earlier).

Those who commerce with demons are surely enemies of God. Hence, secular and early religious writings would indicate that Simon, who was born again under the preaching of Philip, was in apostasy and became reprobate, a Scriptural condition of the damned.

Therefore, since Simon Magus renounced God by deed (works), evidence of that one person doing that supports the position of "conditional security". Since Simon was in apostasy, likewise Christians today are free to exercise their own will and abandon the one who offered salvation!

Do I believe that a Christian must believe in conditional security to be a Christian? Not at all! However, conditional security is a motivator for Christians to pattern themselves after Christ. Being righteous isn't a sacrament (saving), but it is a demonstration of the love of God. Christians are told to keep the commandments: love God and others!  How can one never praise God and still love him! How can one love others yet murder? The answer is Not "They weren't saved to start with!", but that their faith was planted on rocky ground and failed to grow! Their faith turned to doubt and their doubt to unbelief!

Don't get angry with my analysis if you disagree. I'm not angry with those who differ. I have the assurance that if I maintain my faith that I will be saved! Others that they believed and were saved. Which position offers the most assurance. I'll take conditional security! I look forward to finishing the race and being told "Well done good and faithful servant!" Those who tire of the race and lack perseverance should be wary of gaining the trophy of eternal life! If they're wrong, they're toast.