BEARING WITNESS IN HEAVEN AND ON EARTH

Bearing witness in heaven and on earth

In most cases I normally do a general analysis of the passage that I am going over but due to the complication of these verses it would be much better if I just let you read the words of the Apostle John penned by the Holy Spirit and then break it down in a very simple way for your understanding and edification.

(6) "This is He that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ; not by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit that beareth witness because the Spirit is truth. (7) For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one. (8) And there are three that bear witness in earth, the spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one. (9) If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater: for this is the witness of God which He hath testified of His Son." 1 John 5: 6-9. 

A Christian especially in this time period of history has to have strong faith in Jesus Christ. The Apostle John starts out by listing the credentials of the Son of God. How did Jesus Christ come to earth? According to verse six He came by water and blood. I think we need to ask a fundamental question in that apart from Jesus Christ are we defiled both inwardly and outwardly? The answer is yes.

Inside of us we have a sin nature. For our cleansing from this we need spiritual water. We are defiled on the outside from the guilt of our sin so we need to be purged by the atoning blood of Jesus Christ. Both ways of cleansing were shown to us in the ceremonial institutions of God. Both people and things had to be purified by water and blood. This just goes to show us that we do sin and need to take repentance very serious before God.

When Jesus Christ died on the cross his side was pierced with a soldier's spear and out of His wound came water and blood. The Apostle John saw this with his own eyes. The water and blood are comprehensive of all that is essential to our redemption through Jesus Christ. By the water our souls are washed and purified. By the blood God gets the glory and His law is honored. We are justified, reconciled and presented righteous to God. Even on my very best day in my life my righteousness would be seen as filthy rags before God. The water and blood encompass all things required for our true salvation in Jesus Christ.

If you will notice the last part of verse six the Bible talks about a witness. He is the Holy Spirit who can not lie. He is perfect truth and a heavenly witness.

The Bible clearly tells us we are to overcome the world through Jesus Christ. As the Apostle John bore witness of the Son of God who is Jesus Christ verse seven says," For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one." This verse is describing the Trinity in heaven.

As we can see there are several witnesses supporting the truth of Jesus Christ being the Son of the Living God. The Apostle John already told us that the Holy Spirit bears witness to Jesus Christ who is the truth. He shows us that He is the great, "I AM" and assures us the Lamb of God died for our sins and now resides in heaven. A Trinity of heavenly witnesses that are testifying to the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ and all His claims.

The first is God The Father because He was the One who sent His Son Jesus Christ to earth to die on the cross for our sins. The second witness is the Word. Jesus Christ is referred to this title in the Bible. "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." John 1:1. Remember the Son of God who is Jesus Christ came to earth as a man but He never sinned even one time. The third witness is the Holy Ghost. He sets His seal from heaven as a witness in heaven. Verse seven ends ..." And these three are one."

I just explained the threefold witness in heaven to the best of my ability but this passage in Scripture also says with the Triune Godhead in heaven there is a threefold witness on earth working in connection with God The Father, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. The Bible says ... "The Spirit, and the water, and the blood and these agree in one." John 5:8.

The first is the spirit. If you see people that are regenerated through the Person of Jesus Christ and then observe their souls renovated this is a testimony to the Son of God. This testimony happens on earth but to see ongoing sanctification (the Holy Spirit working through a Christian) this is victory over the world. This is the first witness.

The second is the water. This is a testimony to Jesus Christ Himself. This is a witness to His purifying power. When Christians get baptized it is supposed to be a testimony to their souls being purified and washed through the Person of Jesus Christ.

The third witness is the blood. Jesus Christ shed His blood on the cross for our sins and this was the ransom for our transgressions. The love that God has for us must be incomprehensible to send His only Son to die on a cross for us so we could be redeemed through Jesus Christ. These three witnesses on earth and agree in one.

You can read verse nine at the top of this article if you want but in essence, the Bible says God The Father has testified of His Son Jesus Christ. This truth is of the highest authority with unquestionable infallibility.

If you are one that has never accepted Jesus Christ as your personal Savior and Lord by repenting of all your sins and inviting the Son of God into your life then by all means now would be a good time to make that all-important eternal
decision.

Do not get to upset if you do not understand everything I wrote in this article. God is very much looking at your heart and if you were truly sincere and earnest regarding your decision in accepting Jesus Christ into your heart that is what God is looking at so rejoice in the Lamb of God who died for your sins. For those that made this choice your name is now in The Lamb's book of Life. Rejoice because this is wonderful news. There could be nothing more important than this reality that just happened to you. To have eternal life through Jesus Christ is the greatest news in this worn down world.

God Bless you,

Bob

OUR VERTICAL AND HORIZONTAL RELATIONSHIP IS UNIQUE

Our vertical and horizontal relationship is unique

God wants our love made perfect inside of us and that is not easy when we battle the world, flesh and the devil everyday because temptations are constantly popping up in our life. The primary reason Jesus Christ desires this for us as His children is because our judge wants us to have boldness on the day of judgment. When I quote the passage you will see the phrase ... "Because as He is, so are we in this world." Jesus Christ desires us to be conformed to His image in our travels down here on earth.

The love that the Holy Spirit sheds upon our hearts is so strong that it casteth away all fear in our spirit. Did you ever notice that this type of fear has torment so I hope we can all understand why God wants our love made perfect in His Son?

As I reviewed in the last article we are able to do this because God first loved us so more specifically if we do have affection for God we can not hate our brother. If our vertical relationship with God is present then our horizontal fellowship with people will be put into practice. This is not a one time thing but a struggle everyday to obey this command. It is not easy because this takes the work of the Holy Spirit in our hearts to have this love for Jesus Christ and people. Self, sins and flesh are constantly rising up in our lives so we have to constantly depend on God.

Another way we can look at this is if we can see our brother and not at the very least have Godly love for Him how can we love God who we can not see? The Apostle John turned the whole scenario around so I did the same thing. It is a commandment to love God and our brother which fulfills the whole law. Even if you do not know the ten commandments and practice this there will not be any problems in obeying Jesus Christ. 

All of this presupposes that we believe ... "Jesus is the Christ is born of God."  The Apostle John repeats himself many times on the golden rule but please do not walk away from this and get a false impression that this is easy to apply in our life.

John makes a very interesting point by saying that we are to obey the commandments of God but with the attitude that it is not a grievous thing to live this way before Jesus Christ and man. I don't know how many times I said, "I can't do this" but the Holy Spirit is always working in us so we can get to the point where we desire to obey God in all situations with the right spirit.

If we become strong Christians we will overcome the world through Jesus Christ which is our test and is accomplished when we have true faith in God. Let me give you a hint. The stronger we believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and is able to deliver us in our circumstances the more we will overcome this world. Let me quote  John 4:17-21 to 1 John 5:1-5 so you will see the original text in the Bible and perhaps make reference to the passage if need be for your edification in the Person of Jesus Christ.

(17) "Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as He is, so are we in this world. (18) There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love. (19) We love Him, because He first loved us. (20) If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen. (21) And this commandment have we from Him, That he who loveth God love his brother also. (1) WHOSOEVER believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God : and every one that loveth Him that begat loveth Him also that is begotten of Him. (2) By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep His commandments. (3) For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments: and His commandments are not grievous. (4) For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. (5) Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?" 1 John 4:17-21 to 1 John 5:1-5.

It is obvious we are to love God and our brother but do we really apply this biblical principle in our lives? Loving God gives us peace which is closure for our spirit. It is ideal that we have boldness in the day of judgment but for all practical purposes not every Christian will experience this at the Bema seat.

Those that do have confidence in this day will be able to look Jesus Christ in His eyes but the most important truth they will be presented with is the Son of God is their friend. We will have boldness in that day if we are conformed to His image down here on earth.

Love is the vehicle in how this happens but earthly fear is the enemy. If true Godly love prevails fear ceases. It is our job to discern between the fear of God or being afraid of Him.

The proper fear of God is the essence of our faith in Jesus Christ. This is when we receive His love by experience but if we are scared of Jesus Christ understand it is rising up because of our guilt before Him. In this case fear will be turned to dread and this bad emotion has nothing to do with Godly love.

This is a decision we must make by having joy in Jesus Christ. Remember love casteth away fear so dread is something we want to avoid in our relationship with God. We need to understand that our Redeemer does love us but it is only at this point (when we understand this truth) that we can triumph in His affection for us as we journey down here in life on this earth. 

If our spirit is quiet fear will make it loud but if our heart is noisy then what the love of God does is replace the tormented emotions with His closure of peace. This should give us a hint that our love is not capable of doing this so why not ask the Holy Spirit to shed His love in our hearts? The love of God must be incomprehensible because at the very least more than once if you know what I mean we were miserable in life. We go through stages in our journey down here on earth and that is one of them. When God sheds His love on me it is a stamp on my soul. If I do not have this in my heart I walk around naked in a figurative way because not only do I not feel complete but probably am vulnerable and at the mercy of the world. 

If God grants us this love does it make any sense to look at our brother and cut him or her off from this wonderful Godly affection. What if I am having a really bad day and just feel horrible? That is the point when we want to start loving people because we can see them with our eyes.

The world goes about that in this fashion --- " I am miserable so I'm going to make you miserable." Demons do this in hell not to mention it lacks a great amount of intelligence on our part if that is the approach we have with people. Ideally we are to have the love of Jesus Christ in our hearts but if it is a bad hair day step out in faith and show love to your brothers and sisters because God will honor that and fill you with His presence. It is the perfect opportunity for our plight.

If we all accepted Jesus Christ into our hearts we are related to God. My true brother in Jesus Christ descends from God so he is to be beloved but do not show this wanting something back from him. This is not some business enterprise.

When we show Godly affection to our brothers and sisters in Christ God Himself is loved. This is one of the ways we learn the truth of our love to God.

The commandments of God are not hard but we can not see this as a grievous practice because a person that is born again through Jesus Christ is now serving God (born for God) so delighting rather than groaning is pleasant for our souls. Any other way is hardship. Did you ever notice this world will always find the miserable way?

We should always cleave to Jesus Christ by faith in this world because the Son of God conquered this world so that is the way we are victorious through the Lamb of God that died for our sins. He also rose again from the dead on the third day and He is coming again very soon to rapture His children and give them their resurrected bodies in heaven. Are you going up or will you be left behind?

We as Christians could never be satisfied with this world so we look beyond it because our real home is heaven. God desires us to be victories in His Son Jesus Christ and gain another world which is heaven. Did you ever notice how the news media talks and constantly tries to make their own utopia on this earth? Little do they know that the book of Revelation shows how bad this worldly order will be so keep your focus on Jesus Christ. This world in this sinful state was not designed to be our home. 

If you have not accepted Jesus Christ as your personal Savior and Lord it is biblically obedient to repent of all your sins and invite the Son of God in your life. A wise person will make this eternal decision.

God Bless you,
Bob D.

ATTENTION WITH LOVE BUT TO WHO /

Attention with love but to who? 

Whenever the Bible uses the term "They" the word of God is almost always referring to a group of people that has not accepted Jesus Christ into their heart. In 1 John 4:5 the Apostle John is referring to an unbeliever in Jesus Christ who does not know the Lord. They speak of the world and the world is very receptive to what they are saying.

We are of God and know His Son Jesus Christ but if somebody is listening to you they will not hear you unless you convert him or her to Jesus Christ. This is the test that John is showing us that because of this response or lack of response we will know the spirit of truth or the spirit of error. 

John once again reinstates his point that we are to love one another. Do you think the Apostle is trying to tell us something? How many times has John repeated himself on this issue? Here is the truth of the matter, if we love one another this is proof that we are born of God and we know Jesus Christ in a personal way in our life. If a person does not have love in his or her heart he or she does not know God because Jesus Christ is the very essence of love.

The biggest expression of this truth that is literally all over the Bible was already manifested because God sent His only begotten Son (Jesus Christ) into the world but it was and still is for the purpose that we might live through Him.

We need to understand a very specific truth in the Bible because we did not love God first because Jesus Christ had deep Godly affection for us before we were even born. God loved us so much that He sent His Son to be the substitution for our sins and if God chose not to do this nobody would ever go to heaven. Let me ask you a very basic question --- if God loved us this much is it not fair to say at the very least we should love one another. This is evidence that Jesus Christ dwells in us and His love is perfected in our spirit.

We do dwell in the Son of God and He dwells in us but it is only because He has given us His Spirit because of our obedience in Him. John caveats a little and explains that he saw and testifies that God the Father sent His Son Jesus Christ to be the Savior of the world.

A person needs to confess that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and believe this truth in his or her heart to be saved then we are giving the promise that God dwelleth in him and he in God.

One of the wisest truths we can believe is that God loves us very much because He personifies the very embodiment of affection for us and our well being. Does it not only make sense that we should dwell in love because we will be dwelling in Jesus Christ and Him in us. God wants to make our love nothing short than perfect because He desires that we may have boldness in the day of judgment. Let me just show you 1 John 4:5-16 to see the original text in the Bible so you can read the passage and perhaps make reference to it if need be in this amazing study in the Bible.

(5) "They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them. (6) We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error. (7) Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. (8) He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. (9) In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. (10) Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. (11) Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. (12) No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and His love is perfected in us. (13) Hereby know we that we dwell in Him, and He in us, because He hath given us of His Spirit. (14) And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Savior of the world. (15) Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God. (16) And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him." 1 John 4:5-16.

The bottom line is the world is going to love their own and it's own will love them back. If a believer in Jesus Christ knows the purity and holiness of God this love and grace will be listened to but only by true Christians. They will be attentive to us because they also know the Prince of Peace. This is one way we can see the distinction between believers and unbelievers.

This is not to hard to comprehend but to have love for the brethren is very important but empathy for a person that does not know Jesus Christ should be obvious because they are unregenerate and not on their way to heaven.

People ask all the time, "What is the truth" but the bottom line is it will be known by true love for Jesus Christ. Being united in His love is how the world will recognize the truth who is Jesus Christ. 

If we ever forget the basics of the God we serve we will always be off balance in our approach to Jesus Christ and other people. God is love and there will always be a high and heavenly decent of divine affection to us but what good is this wonderful truth if we do not claim this biblical promise for our life? The Spirit of God is the Spirit of love.

If we show Godly love this is a true apprehension of the divine nature in our spirit. This is the communicative goodness of Jesus Christ. If people have guile in their heart how could they know God when the very essence of Jesus Christ is love? Love will come natural if we know Jesus Christ but it is essential to showing the divine Majesty of God to others. What the recipient will see is the pureness of Jesus Christ and that is exactly what they need in their life.

I often times ask myself, "Who is truly my friend" but what we need to understand as Christians is the love that God has for us is in incomparable. Imagine a master carpenter doing a job and he has his two year old son with him helping finish the project. The father is an expert but the child has no idea what he is doing. That is us compared to God. Only the Holy Spirit can work His love through us so we can in return show Godly affection to Jesus Christ and others.

Obviously God loved us first because He sent His only Son to die for us on the cross but the main point is God The Father did this when we had no love for Him. Jesus Christ became the propitiation (substitution) for our sins that we might live with God for all eternity. I want you to think about one more point --- Jesus Christ desires to be with us forever. When somebody/ anybody wants to be with us for all eternity then there is abundant love. Did you ever see two people say, "I can't stand to be with you one more minute" but God desires to be with us forever. The bottom line is we look at this evil world and just simply can not comprehend the love of God but we can allow this to reside in our heart.

This is what the Bible teaches with our brothers and sisters --- if God loves them so should we and that should be a final verdict. If we do this it is evidence the Holy Spirit is working through our spirit. A very specific residence is in a believer who has a special love for his brothers and sisters in Christ. It is one divine truth for us to feel the love of God in us but it goes to a higher level when we love the brethren.

Faith is seen through our works if it is done with the right motive but love is seen through our operations. First God loved/loves us so we are drawn to His love and as a result we show the brethren love. The one thing we do not want to do is make this complicated. In fact we should always keep this simple. Love is a mutual consent but according to this passage it is because God has given us His Spirit. God acts we respond.

Remember the Apostle John was there and he personally walked with Jesus Christ on this earth. God The Father sent His Son and He became the Savior of the world. The love of God is seen in Jesus Christ. Christians should be revealing this love through their life. God is love and this truth is boundless but it was demonstrated in what Jesus Christ did for us on the cross because the Son of God Himself is love.

If a person dwells in this sacred love the result will be a divine presence in his or her heart and this individual will be with God forever so I invite you to accept Jesus Christ into your heart if you have not already done so as your very own personal Savior and Lord by repenting of all your sins and inviting Jesus Christ into your life. I believe the Apostle John did a pretty good job in convincing us that this is the right way to eternal life through Jesus Christ.

God Bless you,

Bob D.   

THE TWO COURTROOMS OF OUR HEART AND CONSCIENCE

The two courtrooms of our heart and conscience

I will be going over 1 John 3: 20 - 24 and also including 1 John 4: 1 - 3. John starts out for all practical purposes at least for this article writing about the heart. The one place we do not want to be is our heart condemning us which does involve the conscience.

The Apostle also gives the alternative solution to the problem. If our heart does not condemn us then he goes on to say we will have confidence with God. This is not an easy place to be because we constantly have to do a self evaluation on ourselves with honestly. This practice is not a one time thing but an ongoing process in our lives.

It is kind of interesting to me that in verse 20 God reminds us He is greater than our heart and knows all things. We can not get anything past Jesus Christ. This should be comforting if we are living right because we serve a good and perfect God who does acknowledge our righteous living. He sees our heart even if we fall short and promises to work with us which is a process but the key to a proper walk with our Lord if you read the whole article is a clear conscience before God.

This passage speaks of requests, obedience and being pleasing in His sight. What encourages me is ... "Being pleasing in His sight" because if the Bible stopped at obedience then a legalistic picture would be painted and a heart to heart with Jesus Christ would not be present in our relationship with God.

The Apostle John really starts to focus on the Person of Jesus Christ. He urges his readers to believe in the Son of God, love one another and keep His commandments. Once again I am comforted because the result is we dwell in the Person of Jesus Christ and He in us which gives us assurance and peace in God. 

John warns us to believe not every spirit but try them because many false prophets are in the world. The Apostle goes really strong on ..."Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God " but if a person does not believe this he or she is of the spirit of antichrist.

Every once in a while I will listen to people talk and see the void in their heart. It is interesting that they have to fill that emptiness with more and more evil. This is the spirit of antichrist. The Apostle John assures us that we have overcome them because greater is He who is within us than he that is in the world. Let me just write the passage down so you can read the original text for reading and perhaps reference purposes. I personally believe most people will get a lot out of this study.

(20) "For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things. (21) Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then we have confidence toward God. (22)  And whatsoever we ask, we receive of Him, because we keep His commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in His sight. (23)  And this is His commandment, That we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as He gave us commandment. (24) And he that keepeth His commandments dwelleth in Him, and He in him. And hereby we know that He abideth in us, by the Spirit which He hath given us." 1 John 3:20-24.

(1) "Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. (2) Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: (3) And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world. (4) Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world." 1 John 4:1-4.

The Apostle John has to explain the court of conscience to his readers. Our heart is a court of law because we make decisions from our "Heart." We have to judge ourselves honestly before God. We have to constantly take check of our state before Jesus Christ.

There are two courts in this passage. The first court is our heart. We make thirty to sixty thousand decisions per day. Every one of these choices have their origin from our heart. The second court is our judgment about the decisions we made before God as we walk through life. This is specially for our conscience. If we are not honest our heart will not be right but if we are honest then our conscience will not be seared. Repentance will inevitably be in the second court because there is no way that we can make thirty to sixty thousand decisions correctly per 24 hours. This is a practice that should be part of our walk with Jesus Christ.

Imagine a real courtroom in life. The first gives a verdict but then a second courtroom reviews the first and is sometimes more strict than the original. Our heart is the first courtroom and our judgment of ourselves is the second courtroom. The second is for our conscience so we can have a strong relationship before God but also involves an honest relationship with people.

God built a conscience within us so we need to tend to it all the time. If our conscience condemns us so does God (pretty strong language) but verse 20 says God is a far greater witness than our conscience and His ways also far bigger.

Everybody knows when they do wrong but the problem lies when the second courtroom is not put into practice before God. Eventually this person will just do anything he or she desires before Jesus Christ. They will be judged someday before a God that knows everything in the final courtroom. This process does not stop with us but ends with Jesus Christ. By the way I am writing to Christians and trying to explain how God desires us to live before Him through His Son Jesus Christ and in the power of the Holy Spirit. This is a practice on our part because if our conscience acquits us so does God. This is providing that our conscience is not seared but tuned into obedience to God with a relationship in His Son Jesus Christ.

Verse 21 says we need confidence now or assurance that God accepts us through His Son Jesus Christ. I think of the verse that says, "The Spirit Itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God." Romans 8:16.

As you can see there is preparation before we go to heaven even with the fact that we already accepted Jesus Christ into our hearts as our very personal Savior and Lord. We need to diligently attend to our conscience everyday and come to a verdict through repentance and allow the Holy Spirit to comfort us with His All Knowing presence in our spirit.

In my job I was told that if a person reaches that final step before he or she gets fired the worst thing they can do is lie. If they come forward with the truth from beginning to end they are usually granted leniency but if they cover up their debacle then it is almost guaranteed they will get fired. This same principle applies with us and our relationship with Jesus Christ. It is foolish to hid something from God who sees all things? 

I hope this passage brings home the point that we are to have a good conscience before God. If we practice this everyday we will be obedient to God but just as important we will be prepared for the blessings of the Holy Spirit. This comes in different forms for different believers in Jesus Christ but a good conscience before God, obedience and blessings from the Holy Spirit is the order. At the same time we must incorporate understanding that Jesus Christ is the Son of God but even more specific the Savior of the world.

First we are to judge or heart honestly and then we are to talk to God about our conscience. This is when it is good to consent to Jesus Christ as our Redeemer. Not only did the Son of God save us when we accepted Him as our personal Savior and Lord but He comes to our rescue in the present tense. In fact this is the way God set this divine process up in our dependence of Him.

Verse 23 reminds us to love one another because God gave us goodwill so at the very least we should have a Godly affection to other people.

When the Bible talks about abiding in Jesus Christ obedience is always connected to this biblical principle. Verse 24 phrases this precept different because the passage says we dwell in God and God dwells in us. This is divine inhabitation in the frame of our soul.

People may say, "Oh if you have that you can never be healed" but they do not understand who dwells in us through a clear conscience, obedience and the blessings we have positioned ourselves to receive from God.

If you had two choices to visit homes for dinner and one just kinds of looks at you when you came in but the other gives you a wonderful kind greeting and says, "Make yourself at home, we have plenty of good food and we are just so glad to see you" which choice would you make for your visitation? This is the same with our fellowship with Jesus Christ. Don't you think Jesus Christ wants to dwell in the person that gives Him a warm welcome?

This passage we are going over ends with the Apostle John reminding us that false prophets (seducing antichrist spirit) are everywhere so discretion is needed as we listen to them. They tend to set up in churches. The person that confesses and teaches Jesus Christ does so by the Spirit of God. There was an anti Christian spirit in that day and I see it all the time in our time.

We see the words of Jesus Christ fulfilled and we are confirmed in our spirit about the truth of the Son of God. The Holy Spirit is a strong preserver in us because He dwells in our spirit and He is more mighty than men or devils. "Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is He that is in you, then He that is in the world." 1 John 4:4. That is the very last verse I quoted in the above passage.

If you are one that never accepted Jesus Christ as your very own Savior and Lord by repenting of all your sins and inviting the Son of God in your life now would be a good time to make that all important eternal decision today/tonight wherever you are because time is running short before Jesus Christ returns again in the rapture of the church. I do not know when but the prophetic clock is coming very close to the midnight hour. 

God Bless you,

Bob DTHE 

LOVING GOD AND OTHER PEOPLE IN A CYNICAL WORLD

Loving God and other people in a cynical world

This is perhaps one of the most difficult articles I ever had to write because John is dealing with much sin and hatred in the early church. If a Christian reads 1 John 3: 9-19 and does not squirm and struggle with these verses something is wrong somewhere. As this writing progresses you will see exactly what I mean.

In verse nine the Apostle mentions three times that we are born of God and two times that sin is not in that nature. One out of the three times he uses the term ... "His seed remaineth in him." ... but this is just another way to describe our born again position before God through His Son Jesus Christ. There were many farmers in that day so he wanted to bring this message to their world so they understood what he (the Apostle John) was saying to them.  

In verse ten John is basically saying that if we are true Christians we will be living a righteous life and of course John goes on to say you heard this message from the beginning. The Apostle goes to an extreme example going all the way back to Cain but he does this for a reason. Cain had murder in his heart and he did slew his brother because his works (Abel) were righteous but John uses this story as a steppingstone to ask us, "Should you really be surprised if the world hates you?" I will talk about that in more detail in a bit but we did pass from death to life and the Apostle says that ultimate evidence of this is we truly love our brother. Always look for the emphasis in Scripture. Some Christians believe winning a theological debate will score them extra points in heaven but the real truth of the matter is it will not especially if we engage in this with the wrong spirit. If anything we will lose points if you know what I mean.

John goes on to state the obvious that if we hate our brother we do not have eternal life abiding in us but then goes to the opposite end and writes if Jesus Christ laid down His life for us we should desire to do the same for our brethren. Then he even gets more specific and says if we are blessed and see our brother in need we should have compassion for him and then assures us that the love of God dwells in us. To love in word and tongue is important but not nearly as vital as showing Godly affection in deed and truth. If we do this we know we are of the truth and our hearts will be assured before God. Let me just quote the original text for you and then I will expand on these biblical precepts and principles.

(9) Whoever is born of God doth not commit sin for His seed remaineth in him: and he cannot commit sin, because he is born of God. (10) In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother. (11) For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. (12) Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother's righteous. (13) Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate you. (14) We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death. (15) Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in Him. (16) Hereby perceive we the love of God, because He laid down His life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. (17) But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him. (18) My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth. (19) And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before Him." 1 John 3: 9-19.

There is a difference between the children of God and the children of the devil. There are distinct characteristics to look for because the Bible does say we will know them by their fruits. When verse nine talks about seed that can also go the other way. The seed of the serpent is neglecting our faith in one way or the other. We need to be very careful what goes into our minds and hearts because this becomes part of us and then is a permanent part of our spirit. If we do not allow God to correct us we will go down a dark path.

A Christian will live a righteous life but that does not mean we will never sin. This is why John starts at the beginning of the book of 1 John about the Christian repenting of their transgressions. The early church was having a problem with sin and loving their brother. In verse eleven John recommends fraternal Christian love. Before we can truly do that we have to love Jesus Christ but just as important value His affection for us. This is why we need to get to know Him which can be work but special when the Holy Spirit sheds light in our minds and hearts about the Son of the Living God.

This is the part when the Apostle John gets heavy duty in explaining the whole situation. This is why I said in the beginning of this article that I was squirming much because John is blunt and we are all going to have to do some really serious soul searching about ourselves.

John uses the example of Cain because he was the first that imitated and resembled the wicked one who is Satan. Cain had ill will (if we have this we need to stop right away) toward his brother because he had no restraint. This went so deep in his spirit that he committed murder.

If we indulge in sin we are positioning ourselves where we will continue to commit transgressions with no bounds. In plain language we will keep doing it over and over again and our consciences will become seared. Restraint does not sound like a spiritual word but it is more biblical than we could ever possible imagine.

I need you to think about what I am about to say. Cain was vexed with Abel being superior because of his obedience to God but what if he turned the whole thing around? What if Cain admired and imitated Abel and got right with God? Cain did not have good will toward Abel and let this be a learning process to us because that will teach us hate and revenge. This is why John goes on to say marvel not that the world hate you. He was going back to the original example of Cain to explain to Christians why the world has disdain for you as a believer in Jesus Christ. This is not to say that the majority of unbelievers will hate you but some will reach that level of sin and then he adds it should not shock us as Christians.

Love for God and our brother is a mark or evidence of our true faith in Jesus Christ. It is kind of interesting to me but every credible afterlife experience in hell gives me the same report. The demons in hell have such hatred toward God and unregenerate sinners that they could actually feel the hate. What if unbelievers in life could actually feel our love?

John is encouraging us to have a particular love to our brothers and sisters in the Lord. It is simple --- God loves them and we should also because we passed from death to life in Jesus Christ. Hatred is a sign of a deadly state in darkness (Satan). We should desire the welfare of someone else not bad to become their life. This involves the disposition of our heart and unfortunately hatred is emotional murder. This person does not have eternal life abiding in him.

The Apostle John explains that we need to follow the example and reality of Jesus Christ which should inflame our hearts with holy love. The Lamb of God died for our sins and as a result we should love those who the Triune Godhead loves and presently has deep affection.

This is the hard part of the message that John is portraying to his readers. Our love for our brother should be so fervent that we should be willing to suffer or die for him or her. If I were to stand up on the platform of where I work and say, "I love you guys and I am willing to die for you" I would either be hauled away to the funny farm or labeled as a man that had one to many drinks. The only way I could get away with that statement is if I were in a bar and did have to much alcohol.

I am saying this to describe the cynical way of life and the way we were taught be weary of people taking advantage of us on this earth. We need to understand that life is a cosmetic setup of the devil but it is also a test from God to us to see what is truly in our character.

What John is saying is we are to be compassionate, communicative and liberal for our brother's welfare and benefit. Remember we are going to be spending eternity with our brothers and sisters in Christ.

Verse seventeen is a very important verse in the Bible because we can usually get away with this under an earthly law but we will never get away with this under the heavenly law. Read the verse again which is in the fifth paragraph of this article.

If we can help in a tangible way we should in another person's plight but we are never called to be their enabler in their sin. If you feel yourself growing cold in your busy daily routine and do not stop to help someone in their hour of need then count to ten if you know what I mean because God will be offended by your lack of response. We should have a mind and heart set to help because this is part of our character. Our Godly affection in this case would be service but do not just walk away in their time of despair.

If we do this we will be more sincere in our faith and our hope in Jesus Christ will increase which should say there is nothing like having integrity in our walk with Jesus Christ. If we follow the biblical precepts and principles that the Apostle John is talking about we will have more inward peace and abound in love through the Person of Jesus Christ.

If you are one out there that has not accepted Jesus Christ as your very own personal Savior and Lord you may want to repent of all your sins and invite Jesus Christ to come into your life. God loves everyone so much and desires you to have love for Him and other people. This is so much better than living your life apart from Jesus Christ.

God Bless you,
Bob D.

ABIDING IN JESUS CHRIST, LIVING HOLY AND THE RAPTURE!

Abiding in Jesus Christ, living holy and the rapture

God the Father has bestowed a strong matter of love toward us as His children because this is part of our adoption as children of God through His Son Jesus Christ. It is the delight of God to call us His sons. We are to love God because this is a two way relationship but that is not what the Apostle John is keying on here in this passage.

We can not comprehend how much Jesus Christ loves us but I can say this is the main reason the world does not recognize us because they do not know Jesus Christ Himself. They may understand us as the carpenter, the hairdresser or the single Mom but not as a born again Christian. Read through this article and I will explain what I mean.

In this passage John talks about the rapture of the church. He says it does not yet appear what we shall be (unless of course you died, went to heaven and were brought back to life as a believer in Jesus Christ) but when He does appear we shall be like Him and see Jesus Christ. This does not mean we will know as much as the Son of God but it does mean we will have our resurrected bodies. By the way we will all have different faces because God created us as individuals.

The hope that John talks about is the rapture (Blessed Hope) but we are encouraged to purify ourselves even as Jesus Christ is pure. Grace is gracious but John admonishes us to live holy lives rather than sinful paths in our journey through life. If there are three realities that the Apostle keeps writing about it is living holy, the rapture of the church and abiding in Jesus Christ but not necessarily in this order.

If anyone commits a sin they do transgress against the law of God but Jesus Christ was manifested to take away our sins because there was never even one sin in Him. He is our perfect sacrificial atonement but we just have to make sure we accepted Him into our hearts based on what He did for us on the cross approximately 2000 years ago. 

If you ever desired to know in a nutshell how not to sin it is abiding in Jesus Christ because He is 100 percent pure. There are different degrees of abiding in Christ just like there are different levels of sin and repentance. That is why it is pivotal to abide in Jesus Christ in a very deep way because then we will be pure in Him. In fact that is a promise in 1 John 3:6. Going the other way is not knowing Jesus Christ.

Once again John refers to his readers as, "Little children" and goes straight to the positive. He basically says if we live a righteous life this is good because God is righteous. John also explains that a person that keeps sinning as a lifestyle is of the devil and mentions that Satan sinned from the beginning. Jesus Christ did not just come to take away our sins but He also came to destroy the works of the devil. Let me quote 1 John 3:1-8 so you will see the original text.

(1) "Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew Him not. (2) Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when He shall appear, we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is. (3) And every man that hath this hope in Him purifieth himself, even as He is pure. (4) Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law. (5) And ye know that He was manifested to take away our sins; and in Him is no sin. (6) Whosoever abideth in Him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen Him, neither known Him. (7) Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as He is righteous. (8) He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil." 1 John 3:1-8.

The Apostle John argues for holy living as opposed to sin. John starts by being very encouraged by the grace of God through His Son Jesus Christ in the Power of the Holy Spirit. The world can not perceive a God that would love us this much or they would have come to know Jesus Christ in a very personal way unless of course they are playing the excuse game. They may even see us as contaminated but we are the favorites of heaven and will be inhabitants there forever according to what the Bible teaches. We are strangers in this world and remember Jesus Christ Himself was treated horrible when He was down here on earth. The glory of our son ship and adoption is reserved for heaven. This did take place on earth for us as His children when we became born again in Jesus Christ but we live in a corrupted world so glory is reserved for heaven. Let the prideful person try and receive glory on earth and there are plenty of them in this world.

It is already determined that the rapture of the church will take place (Verse 3) and we are very close but I don't know how soon. This is up to God the Father. Our likeness will enable us to see Him as He is in heaven.

John urges us to be holy because those that hope to be with Jesus Christ must live pure lives because this "Hope" will constrain every true believer to live righteous. To sin as a lifestyle is a contraction to the very God we are serving who is our Creator.

If we are sanctified by faith for our salvation in Jesus Christ then we must be sanctified by hope through pure living as we prepare for the rapture which is a sign less event. It could happen at any moment. This Blessed Hope purifies us for the "Hope" of heaven. We could never be happy in this world in our present state because it is evil and we are not destined to stay.

John talks about sin and holy living much and even argues his case. We have to do business with either heaven or hell. If only two people do construction work we have to choose one and that is the same with the way we live here on earth. We are either doing business with holy or evil but it is one or the other. If someone is in the middle that is called lukewarm which is a sin according to the account of the Laodicean church in the book of Revelation.

Jesus did not just save us if we are a believer because He is chipping away flesh in our life which can be painful and conforming us to Himself. This is one reason why our communication with God should be pure because sin is in opposition to Jesus Christ but purity is real union with Jesus Christ. If we abide in the Son of God we can not continue in the practice of sin. Christians that abide in Jesus Christ are keeping their covenant with Him which is holy living. Don't you think it is a pretty good idea to abide deep into the Person of Jesus Christ? Bible reading, prayer and living holy/righteous.

One question would be are we to renounce sin? Of course because this is good evidence of saving knowledge in our Lord Jesus Christ. The practice of righteousness through Jesus Christ is true salvation in the Son of God but the practice of sin and a justified state in Jesus Christ is inconsistent. True faith in Jesus Christ takes integrity and a strong conscience.

A person that always sins has a relationship with the devil or they are doing business with the kingdom of darkness. If we commit sin we are living under the power and dominion of that transgression. This is why repentance is a practice that every true believer in Jesus Christ should be engaging in every day. Jesus Christ conquered sin so we should let go of our transgressions more and more and let the one that defeated death to destroy this in our lives. We were regenerated from sin so we should try and relinquish it from our daily living. We will slip and fall but allow the Holy Spirit to pick us up through our repentance to God through His Son Jesus Christ.

To be a born again Christian (the Bible says we must be born again in John chapter 3) is to be inwardly renewed and restored to a holy nature by the power of the Spirit of God. Grace should be renewed in our life all the time because it is an abiding principle. We have a new nature in Jesus Christ so a true regenerated person in Jesus Christ can not sin as a lifestyle. This person can not practice sin without repentance because he is born of God not the devil.

It is hard to see the malignity and evil of our transgression if it is a besetting sin because it comes so natural to us but trust what the Bible has to say because it is there even if we do not see the contamination. There should be a bias in our heart not to sin. We should have a bent that is against transgressions.

A person that is not saved is morally unable to abstain from sin because he or she does not have the power of Jesus Christ in him or her. Most unbelievers that I know of don't even struggle with their sin but an authentic believer in Jesus Christ will so where do you want to be in life and eternity?

If you are one that never accepted Jesus Christ into your heart as your very own personal Savior and Lord by repenting of all your sins and inviting the Son of the Living God in your life please do so because sin will destroy a life and an eternity apart from God. Jesus Christ came and died for our sins in the most cruel and brutal way so you must know this is a very serious subject. I trust you made that all important eternal decision and will live for Jesus Christ.

If you are a believer in Jesus Christ remember we were saved by faith in Jesus Christ but our Blessed Hope is living a pure life. If we do this proper preparation for the rapture of the church is taking place in our lives and we will be ready when the trumpet sounds. The Apostle John keyed in on abiding in Jesus Christ, living holy and the rapture of the church. If all three are incorporated in our life we will be the profitable servants for Jesus Christ. I pray and hope that everyone will make the right decision because life is short but eternity is long.

God Bless you,

Bob D.