Was Paul a hippie? :)

It seems to me that Paul is saying "let your conscience be your guide".  That seems kind of close to back in the day when people said "everybody has their own morality.  You do your thing and I'll do mine.".  Take a look and I'll comment more on the other side.

Romans 14:1-11(NKJV)

Receive one who is weak in the faith, but not to disputes over doubtful things. 

For one believes he may eat all things, but he who is weak eats only vegetables. 

Let not him who eats despise him who does not eat, and let not him who does not eat judge him who eats; for God has received him. 

Who are you to judge another’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls. Indeed, he will be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand.

One person esteems one day above another; another esteems every day alike. Let each be fully convinced in his own mind. 

He who observes the day, observes it to the Lord; and he who does not observe the day, to the Lord he does not observe it. He who eats, eats to the Lord, for he gives God thanks; and he who does not eat, to the Lord he does not eat, and gives God thanks. 

For none of us lives to himself, and no one dies to himself. 

For if we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s. 

For to this end Christ died and rose and lived again, that He might be Lord of both the dead and the living. 

But why do you judge your brother? Or why do you show contempt for your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. 

For it is written:      “As I live, says the Lord,     Every knee shall bow to Me,     And every tongue shall confess to God.” 

There is a lot there I agree with.  The food thing for example.  I like meat.  Others don't.  That is fine.  Just don't try to force your vegan ways on me and I won't force my meat eating ways on you. 

But how far do we take this in relation to the Scriptures.  Isn't Paul actually saying that if your conscience allows, you can eat lobster even though Scripture back in the day said no shellfish.  Are we simply allowed to strike the Scriptures that our conscience say it is OK to strike? 

Interesting question isn't it?

The first reference in the Bible of man going up to Heaven

Well here is the first instance I can find in the Bible where there is a reference of a human going up to Heaven.  However in this case I don't think it is really what I was looking for.  This Scripture is written by King David and I think he was speaking metaphorically.  I don't think he really thought he personally would be going up to Heaven.  See what you think.   

Psalms 139:1-8(NKJV)

    O Lord, You have searched me and known me.

    You know my sitting down and my rising up;     You understand my thought afar off.

    You comprehend my path and my lying down,     And are acquainted with all my ways.

    For there is not a word on my tongue,     But behold, O Lord, You know it altogether.

    You have hedged me behind and before,     And laid Your hand upon me.

    Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;     It is high, I cannot attain it.

    Where can I go from Your Spirit?      Or where can I flee from Your presence?

    If I ascend into heaven, You are there;     If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there.

Umm, wouldn't this require a judgement? :)

Romans 12:9(NKJV)

Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good. 

Wouldn't we need to make a judgement to discern what is good vs what is evil? 

Was God just using the Gentiles?

I ran across this passage today. 

Romans 11:11-12(NKJV)

I say then, have they stumbled that they should fall? Certainly not! But through their fall, to provoke them to jealousy, salvation has come to the Gentiles. 

Now if their fall is riches for the world, and their failure riches for the Gentiles, how much more their fullness!

It lead me to wonder, if the Israelites had not fallen away would God have not extended salvation to the Gentiles?  Hmm. 

Does God hate?

One of the things I hear many people say is God doesn't hate anything.  In Kalamazoo, MI there are a lot of sings in people's front yards that says "Hate doesn't live here".  People say it as if it is a virtuous thing. 

But is it?  I would say no.  Scripture is very clear that God hates evil.  When you point that out then the virtue signalers will admit that is correct but they will fall back to "well yeah but God doesn't hate any person.  God loves everybody." 

Do you think that is true?  Again I would say no.  And here is a Scripture to prove it.

Romans 9:10-13(NKJV)

And not only this, but when Rebecca also had conceived by one man, even by our father Isaac 

(for the children not yet being born, nor having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works but of Him who calls), 

it was said to her, “The older shall serve the younger.”  

As it is written, “Jacob I have loved, but Esau I have hated.” 

Now let me be clear that I am not suggesting we go around hating everybody.  I'm simply pointing out that hate in and of itself isn't bad or immoral.  There are times when hate is justified.  How do I know?  Because Scripture tells us that in certain cases God hated and we know that God isn't immoral.   

Not all are children of God according to Scripture

Not all are children of God according to Scripture

Tuesday, March 19, 2019

10:06 AM

I have heard on multiple occasion that we are all children of God.  Scripture seems to say otherwise.

Romans 9:8(NKJV)

That is, those who are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God; but the children of the promise are counted as the seed. 

Why is this important?  In my opinion, the reason it is important is that if all were children of God then all would be entitled to the benefits of Heaven.  Scripture tells us that isn't the case.  Only those who believe in Jesus are children of God and therefore heirs with Christ.

One of the greatest promises of all time!

Here is another great foundational verse.  One of the greatest promises of all time.  We can take total comfort in knowing that even when things may not be going exactly how we would like them to go, as long as we are following God, there is a purpose behind it all. 

Romans 8:28(NKJV)

And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. 

Sounds like rationalization and justification to me.

This is Paul writing in Romans.  As you know, I have some issues with Paul's writings.  Here he seems to be rationalizing and justifying.  He also seems to be directly contradicting Jesus in my opinion.  That makes for an interesting dilemma because we are told in Scripture that Jesus chose Paul to carry His message to the Gentiles.  So who do we listen to when there seems to be a direct contradiction?

Here is what Jesus said about the law.

Matthew 5:17(NKJV)

“Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. 

Now compare that to what Paul writes.

Romans 7:1-25(NKJV)

Or do you not know, brethren (for I speak to those who know the law), that the law has dominion over a man as long as he lives? 

For the woman who has a husband is bound by the law to her husband as long as he lives. But if the husband dies, she is released from the law of her husband. 

So then if, while her husband lives, she marries another man, she will be called an adulteress; but if her husband dies, she is free from that law, so that she is no adulteress, though she has married another man. 

Therefore, my brethren, you also have become dead to the law through the body of Christ, that you may be married to another—to Him who was raised from the dead, that we should bear fruit to God. 

For when we were in the flesh, the sinful passions which were aroused by the law were at work in our members to bear fruit to death. 

But now we have been delivered from the law, having died to what we were held by, so that we should serve in the newness of the Spirit and not in the oldness of the letter.

What shall we say then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! On the contrary, I would not have known sin except through the law. For I would not have known covetousness unless the law had said, “You shall not covet.”  

But sin, taking opportunity by the commandment, produced in me all manner of evil desire. For apart from the law sin was dead. 

I was alive once without the law, but when the commandment came, sin revived and I died. 

And the commandment, which was to bring life, I found to bring death. 

For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it killed me. 

Therefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy and just and good.

Has then what is good become death to me? Certainly not! But sin, that it might appear sin, was producing death in me through what is good, so that sin through the commandment might become exceedingly sinful. 

For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am carnal, sold under sin. 

For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do. 

If, then, I do what I will not to do, I agree with the law that it is good. 

But now, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. 

For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find. 

For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice. 

Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me.

I find then a law, that evil is present with me, the one who wills to do good. 

For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man. 

But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. 

O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? 

I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin.

This last part highlighted in green I find suspect as well.  It seems like Paul is saying that after accepting Jesus, when he sins it is no longer his (Paul's) fault.  That just seems dubious to me.

An oldie but goodie!!!

I do believe this is my favorite foundational verse.  It contains God's plan for success in just a few words.

Romans 5:3-5(NKJV)

And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; 

and perseverance, character; and character, hope. 

Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

Our hope in Jesus will not disappoint!

The faith chapter

Romans 4.  The faith chapter.  This is where Paul really spells out that salvation is totally dependent on faith!  He does a great job of showing that Abraham earned God's favor by his faith and that he earned God's favor while still uncircumcised.  The reason that is important is that it shows that his favor in God's eyes had nothing to do with the law. 

Good stuff.  Give it a read!

First mention of a human going to Heaven

So here we have the first mention of a human going up to Heaven.  It is Elijah.  What is interesting about the first human going to Heaven is that he didn't have to die first.  God took him up to Heaven while he was still alive.  I don't know what the significance of that is but I wanted to call that to your attention. 

10So he said, “You have asked a hard thing. Nevertheless, if you see me when I am taken from you, it shall be so for you; but if not, it shall not be so.” 11Then it happened, as they continued on and talked, that suddenly a chariot of fire appeared with horses of fire, and separated the two of them; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.

The other thing of note is that his ascension into Heaven had nothing to do with faith in Jesus. 

It'll be interesting to see where the rest of this study leads.

Was this a lack of faith?

As I read this the thought occurred to me, was this a lack of faith on Paul's part?

Acts 28:17-20(NKJV)

And it came to pass after three days that Paul called the leaders of the Jews together. So when they had come together, he said to them: “Men and brethren, though I have done nothing against our people or the customs of our fathers, yet I was delivered as a prisoner from Jerusalem into the hands of the Romans, 

who, when they had examined me, wanted to let me go, because there was no cause for putting me to death. 

But when the Jews spoke against it, I was compelled to appeal to Caesar, not that I had anything of which to accuse my nation. 

For this reason therefore I have called for you, to see you and speak with you, because for the hope of Israel I am bound with this chain.”

A couple of thoughts.  The first one is why were you "compelled to appeal to Caesar"?  Did you trust Caesar more than God to protect you from death?  The other thought is if he hadn't appealed to Caesar, would he have ever made it to Rome to fulfill God's plan for him?  In other words, was Paul's appeal to Caesar actually the mechanism that God used to have His plan fulfilled?