Do You Really Know Him?

 Do You Really Know Him?

 Are you relying on your works?

 

“And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican.The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.”—Luke 18:9-14

This is an important subject. The Lord calls us to examine ourselves, so that we are not lost. We are to judge ourselves so that we are not judged with the world. We turn to Him and confess Jesus as our Lord. We humble ourselves and stop relying on ourselves. We give it to Him. (1 Corinthians 11:31-32, Rom. 10:9-10, Rom. 14:11)

But, if we live under a deception of self-righteousness, like the pharisee in the parable, it makes it hard to see that we have never really known Him. We are not saved.

We are called by Him. And if we are willing, we turn to Him and confess Jesus as our Lord. We are saved forever, we are a new creation, and the Holy Spirit comes to dwell in us and mold us into the likeness of Christ.

But, the scriptures are clear that there will be tons of church going people who think they are saved, and are not. They never knew Him. They went to church every Sunday. They wore the pretty clothes. They gave tithes. They sang songs. They obeyed all the rules. They feared that God might get them. But, they never really knew Him. They were never broken.

Churches full of people who have never read the Word. They listen to the pastor and everything he says, and go to Sunday school, but do not know Christ. They believe in Churchianity, not Christianity.

 They are taught that they are the bride of Christ and that they will be raptured out before anything bad happens.

But, when you read about the churches in Revelation it is clear that God judges His churches. He removes the lamp stand. Especially if they never really knew Him. (Rev. Chapters 1-3)

We see the Elder Brother in the parable of the prodigal son. He spews hate, because the Father (God) gives grace and love to his brother who has fallen.

“And he (the elder brother) answering said to his father, Lo, these many years do I serve thee, neither transgressed I at any time thy commandment: and yet thou never gavest me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends: But as soon as this thy son was come, which hath devoured thy living with harlots, thou hast killed for him the fatted calf. And he said unto him, Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine. It was meet that we should make merry, and be glad: for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found.”— Luke 15;29-32

Notice, the elder son relies on his works.

But, he did not know the father’s heart. He thought it was about obedience, not love and grace. He was bitter.

In Matthew Chapter 25 we have three descriptions of what will happen when the Lord returns.

In all of these parables, it is obvious that the Lord is speaking to “Servants” who thought they knew the Lord.

In the first one, 10 virgins have lamps, and wicks in the lamps. But, when the Lord returns 5 of the virgins have no oil (faith) in their lamps. They heard the Gospel, as in the parable of the sower, but did not really confess Him as Lord. the seed fell on stony ground, or was choked out by thorns. They never grew in Him, and had no oil or faith for their light to shine. They buried it under a bushel. (Matthew 5, Matt. 13)

In the second one, the Lord goes away and leaves talents with His servants. But, when He returns, He finds one servant who buried His talents in the ground. The servant believes the Lord is a hard man and doesn’t want to upset Him. So, he did nothing. Again, this servant clearly does not know the Lord or trust Him. It’s not about works, it’s about knowing the master. The servant did not know the master because he did not care about the things the master cared about. If he had, he would have tried to do something to grow the Kingdom.

In the third, the Lord divides the nations into goats and sheep.

“Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:

³⁵ For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:

³⁶ Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.

³⁷ Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?

³⁸ When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?

³⁹ Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?

⁴⁰ And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.

⁴¹ Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:

⁴² For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink:

⁴³ I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.

⁴⁴ Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?

⁴⁵ Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.

⁴⁶ And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.”

There is not one mention of going to church. He doesn’t talk about porn, or fornication. He says nothing about homosexuality or abortion. He never mentions drug use or addiction. 

 Why?

Because if you know Him, your sins are forgiven. Never to be brought back up, and thrown in your face. BUT… if you know Him you would care about the things He cares about. He forgave all their debt. But, they still did not forgive others and cared nothing about helping those in need. (Matt. 18:23-35)

Again, we see the Lord say,

“Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.”—(Matt. 7:21-23)

Again, notice that when they stand in judgement, they rely on the works they have done, not in the fact that they know Him. They were never saved. They never accepted the Grace of God. They never confessed Jesus as Lord. They have relied on being an obedient servant instead of relying on the finished work of Christ, and having a relationship with Him. They took the broad road of works, and not the narrow path of faith in Christ alone.

The worst thing to be is a religious self-righteous person. They think they are saved, because they do all the churchy things, and believe all the churchy rules. They never miss a sermon. They’ve got their favorite pew, and their favorite Bible. They don’t cuss. They don’t watch bad movies, unless it’s approved.

But, they wouldn’t go sit with the stinky homeless. They wouldn’t write letters to inmates. They think the stranger in the church might be a felon or a molester or publican. When they see a family with no clothes they judge that the dad won’t work three jobs, or it’s a single mother with no husband. They don’t help them. They might be sinners. They might be trying to con the good church people in order to get a tank of gas, or get a bill paid.

Who cares if they con us? It’s about love and grace not merit. Jesus died for us, and we are not worthy. We take advantage of his grace, whether we want to admit it or not. We are conning Him. Truth be told.

The worst thing, would be to go to church your whole life, obeying the rules; thinking you’re saved, only to discover that you never really knew Him.

Do not be like the virgins with no oil, when He comes.

Turn to Him and know Him. Taste and see that He is good.

It’s about a relationship, not religion.

---

Bio: Chris Bunton is a writer, poet and blogger.

Follow Him on Medium: https://chris-bunton.medium.com/

Follow Him on Free Life Blog: https://myfreelifeblog.com/

Subscribe on Substack: https://substack.com/@chrisbunton

Read His Bible Studies on Blogger: https://chrisbunton.blogspot.com/

Support the work for the cost of a Coffee

Support the work through Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=13514235&fan_landing=true&view_as=public

Cover photo from pexels

What Is Hell?

 What Is Hell?

What do the scriptures say?

 

 

 

When we study the scriptures on a subject, we go by what the entire Word says, based upon the guiding of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit will lead us into ALL truth. That’s how it works. (John 16:13, Jas 1:5)

We are surrounded by lots of false teachings, and it is going to get worse as the last days move forward. This is why being taught by the Holy Spirit is most important. (1 John 2:27)

Hell and/or the Lake of Fire according to scripture seems to be two different places. There is a current holding place called Hell, and a final destination which is the Lake of Fire.

Why two? Because after all is said and done there will be a final judgement, and at some point God will create a new Heaven and new Earth. Hell seems to be the containment for this current creation, and the Lake of Fire is the containment for eternity, after the last judgement and new creation.

The current containment of Hell along with death will be cast into the Lake of Fire, so nothing escapes. (Rev. 20:14)

This containment system seems to have been created for Satan and his angels.

At some point in the distant past, when Satan fell and led a rebellion against God, which included angels and all sort of spiritual beings, God created or “prepared” it for them. (Matt. 25:41)

According to scripture, Satan and his angels are not currently bound in Hell. We have verses showing Satan visiting God’s throne room in Heaven and the angels battling each other. We also have verses speaking of the demonic forces ruling and influencing things on Earth. (The book of Job, The book of Zechariah, 2 Cor. 4:4, Eph. 2:2, Rev. 20:1-3, Dan. 10 )

There are also scriptures that show that some fallen angels or beings are bound in other places. We see that there is a place called the Bottomless Pit. So, it seems that the true spiritual cosmology, involves more than Heaven, Hell and Earth. The Bible doesn’t give us a lot of info on these places and on the cosmology. I have my beliefs on them, but let’s stick to Hell. (Rev. 20:1-3, Rev. 9:14)

 Hell is eternal death. Death is separation, not an end as we suppose. Hell/Lake of Fire is a place that is separated from God for all eternity. It is a holding place for all that is filthy, corrupt and wicked. It is a place for those who refuse to be washed clean of Sin and Evil in the Blood of Jesus. Hell exists as a containment for Sin. It is like a plague that corrupts us. God cannot let Sin into Heaven or Paradise, or else death and pain and suffering would contaminate all of eternity. (Rev. 1:5, Rev. 7:14, 1 John 1:7, Eph 2:13, Heb. 10:19)

Hell is best viewed as the garbage dump outside of an ancient walled city. This image gives the best picture.

Hell/The Lake of Fire is the garbage dump outside the City of God. Outside of Paradise.

When you read in the Old Testament about lepers. This is a picture of the unsaved in Hell. They were living corpses rotting away and stinking. They were contagious, and had to stay away from others. They were forced to cover their face and yell “Unclean!” any time an uninfected person approached. (Lev. 13:45) Separation.

They were poor, and no one helped them much. They dwelt in the garbage dump because they could get scraps, and scavenge things thrown away, and people would leave stuff for them.

The dump stinks. It is where the dogs dwelt eating scraps and fighting lepers. It’s the same in Hell/Lake of Fire (Revelation 22:15) (Dogs in the ancient world were vermin and tormentors. They were scavengers and thieves, who roamed in packs and might even attack a child, or solitary person. It is not the view we have of family pets. Course those family pets can turn feral.)

Jesus described Hell as a place where “the fire is not quenched and the worm dieth not.” He was quoting Isaiah. (Isa 66:22-24, Mark 9)

The fires of trash burning with filthy smoke, choking the lungs and blocking the light. A place of darkness and misery, without the love and joy and peace of God. A place where the worms live forever eating the flesh, filth and corruption. (Matt. 25:30)

This is the basic picture of Hell. A garbage dump separated from God and all that is clean.

Jesus gives us a parable of the torment of Hell. He speaks of the poor man Lazarus who basically was a homeless man who lived outside a nameless rich man’s gate. The rich man ignored Lazarus. He could have loved Him and helped Him. If the rich man really knew God, he would have done what He could do to help the homeless man. But, He did not. (Luke 16)

Both of them die.

The rich man is in Hell. Again, not because he could earn His way into heaven by doing good deeds, but because He never knew God. He never had a relationship with God. If He had, then He would have had compassion. He would have felt conviction to help Lazarus.

The rich man is thirsty in Hell and and says “Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.”

There is no water in Hell, it’s hot. He sees Lazarus in Heaven/Paradise leaning against Abraham’s chest, and makes this request. (There are teachings about Abraham’s Bosom and all of that, which the Bible doesn’t really teach. In this parable it is clear that Lazarus is leaning against Abraham the person, because Abraham speaks. It is not a place. Locations do not speak. Any doctrines on a place called Abraham’s Bosom are actually referring to Paradise or Heaven. The place of the the righteous dead, where the saints go to be with the Lord, and the other members of their family and saints who were saved as well. Abraham and all the saints are there. The phrase “Abraham’s Bosom” is actually poetic language for Heaven/Paradise.)

Abraham tells the rich man that Lazarus cannot give him a drink because there is a gulf between Hell and Paradise. They can see each other, but cannot go there. Again separation and containment. Many ancient cultures had a similar cosmology, because it is true. God told Adam, and the truth went to Noah, and was taught to the people. Then it was confused at the Tower of Babel, when people scattered globally with different languages and different names for past events. But, the basic idea remains. Because it’s true.

 The rich man begs Abraham to send Lazarus to warn his family, so they won’t go to Hell. But, Abraham says “They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them. And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent. And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.”

Abraham basically says, “They have God’s Word.” But, the rich man knows his family won’t read it or learn of it. He assumes his family would be shocked into turning to God if Lazarus rose from the dead.

But, Abraham says, “If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.”

Basically, if they won’t believe the Word, they won’t believe anything, even if someone rose from the dead.

In case you missed it, this is a reference to Jesus rising from the dead; and people still refuse to believe. Just to be clear, a man named Lazarus also rose from the dead, and people still refused to believe. (John 11, John 20)

So, that is Hell. But, what about the Lake of Fire?

In my best understanding, Hell is a current spiritual place in the cosmology. It rests separated by a gulf from Heaven/Paradise. (Luke 23:43, 2 Cor. 12:4, Rev. 2:7)

It is Spiritual. It is out there beyond the veil that separates us from spiritual things.

But, the Lake of Fire is material. It exists in the material world forever.

It seems that at some point, God creates a new heaven and new earth. The city of God, and Paradise itself seems to come to Earth and joins with Earth. There is no more Separation. Sin has been contained. Death has been defeated. Everything is created new and seems to go back to how it was before the fall of man and the rebellion of Satan. (Heb. 11;16, Isa 65:17, Isa 66, Rev. 21, Rev. 22 )

The Lake of Fire is a place on Earth at this future time. A material location, not a spiritual one. It rests outside the City of God. It is the garbage dump, and containment place for everything and everyone who refused to washed in the Blood and be cleansed and healed of the Plague of Sin. Understand that sometime before the final judgement everyone who is dead will be raised into bodies that can never die. The dead currently have spiritual bodies. These future bodies will allow us to either live forever in Paradise, or live forever in Hell/Lake of Fire. (Rev. 20:12)

Why do I say this? Because it’s what God says, “ For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, saith the Lord, so shall your seed and your name remain. And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the Lord. And they shall go forth, and look upon the carcases of the men that have transgressed against me: for their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched; and they shall be an abhorring unto all flesh.” (Isa 66:22-24)

After God creates a new heaven and new earth. When His city comes to Earth and Paradise is here. The saints who the Lord has saved, will gather together on a regular basis to worship God. And part of that celebration, or after the worship service; people will be able to go out and look at the Lake of Fire and see Satan, His angels, and those who followed them in the Lake of Fire.

Now, a Lake of Fire implies liquid fire. So, I personally believe that it is like a volcano or magma. The City of God and Paradise Earth is near enough to see it, but there is a separation or gulf. People will come from all over the new Earth to worship, and see it.

So, let me tell you that our words and current understanding cannot really explain this. There are gaps in what the scriptures say and our ability to explain it. We have tried to give a time line. But, from what I can tell, no timeline or explanation of the events to come is totally perfect. 

 We are not supposed to “Intrude into things we have not seen.” (Col. 2:18)

That means that as humans who have never traveled to spiritual realms, or seen glimpses of the future new creation, we can only give limited knowledge and understanding.

I’ve tried to connect some dots. and clear things up in order to get people to understand and get saved or have a hope of the future. I am not going to say I have it all figured out in such a way that I can teach it or prove it. I don’t.

This is a simple explanation of what I have learned so far. I hope it helps you in your studies.

---

Bio: Chris Bunton is a writer, poet and blogger.

Follow Him on Medium: https://chris-bunton.medium.com/

Follow Him on Free Life Blog: https://myfreelifeblog.com/

Subscribe on Substack: https://substack.com/@chrisbunton

Read His Bible Studies on Blogger: https://chrisbunton.blogspot.com/

Support the work for the cost of a Coffee

Support the work through Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=13514235&fan_landing=true&view_as=public

Photo by Pexels/Eyez Heaven. Edited by Author

Evil Is With Me

 Evil Is With Me

 We have a corrupted nature

 

“I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me.”—Rom. 7:21

Romans chapter 7 explains to us the purpose of God’s Law.

It’s purpose is to reveal sin in us, so that it can be dealt with.

Paul describes the struggle between law and flesh. He says that when he saw the law “Though shalt not covet” it was revealed that he had covetousness in his life.

He sinfully wanted what others had. The law revealed this and since he realized he had broken the law, he was slain by it. The law killed him, because the punishment for sin is death. He died in God’s eyes the moment he knew He had sinned. That’s the law.

But, he did not want to commit the sin. You can plug any sin into this box. Paul used covetousness, but it could apply to any sin. It was revealed to him that he sinned, and he was slain by it. He agreed with the law, because it is good. So, he did not want this sin in his life any more.

But, he discovered that he could not quit. The evil thoughts continued. The lusting or fear or doubt or whatever sins continued in his mind and heart; even though he did not want it anymore because he saw it was wrong in the Word of God.

Now, God revealed to Him a massive truth that opened his eyes. A truth that many people miss.

If he did not want to do it any more, then it was not really him doing it. He hated the sin, but yet still did it. He still thought the thoughts and did the deeds. He could not escape.

This showed him that there was something wrong with him. That he had a corrupted nature, beyond his control. Something in himself that he did not want or desire. He hated the sin, but still did it anyway. Therefore it was not him, but SIN in him.

This is important because when we think about obeying God’s law and put burdens on ourselves and others; we ignore the truth that we cannot obey it ourselves because of our corrupted nature. We are fallen. We are plagued with sin from Adam.

Our sins we commit are like symptoms of a deeper plague in us.

We don’t see how wicked we are until the light of God’s Word reveals it to us. Our flesh is totally corrupt and we are incapable of stopping it, in such a way that is true. If we stop one thing, we sin somewhere else. Trying to quit sinning is a torturous never ending hell, full of fear that God is watching and wants to destroy you.

When we have a works based doctrine, that’s where we are. We believe we must quit sinning, but we cannot. We want to please God, but fail constantly.

But, the law actually is supposed to reveal that you cannot quit and that it is not even really you committing the sins, it is something in you. The corrupted nature.

God’s law is far more than just the ten commandments. We can’t even obey the ten, let alone the rest. And don’t even start on the sins of thoughts. The sins of omission. or sins of Pride, Doubt, Fear, and other things we do, that we do not even realize we are doing.

The law reveals it. This is why the law is good, as Paul says.

It is like a mirror.

But, our response is to change. We cannot. It won’t work. A sinful being cannot change his sinful nature, he needs God to do it.

Now, ask yourself, why would God provide a means to have your sins covered through the sacrificial system?

Because He knows we cannot obey. He wants it. He demands it. But we cannot, because of the corrupted nature in us from Adam. He knows this.

God is not ignorant of our sins and failures. We try to hide these things and try to quit or deal with it ourselves but it doesn’t work. It gets worse.

Have you ever seen a child who plays with magic markers? They color themselves, they color the walls, they color everything. But, there often comes a point where they realize they messed up. Sometimes they realize it on their own (Spirit or Conscience), or sometimes it’s when the parent reveals it to them (law).

The child tries to fix it and might get a wet rag to wash it with. But it just smears it on themselves and the wall. They cannot fix it, and it’s there before them all the time. They need an adult to help them.

That is what happens with us. Even if a person doesn’t believe in God or has some other belief system, it doesn’t matter. God created us and this is what happens. This is what ALL religions deal with. This is why people go to therapy or drink to escape.

This thing in us torments us, because we know we are wrong and cannot get right. We try to fix it by fleshly means because that is all we know. But, it won’t work for eternity. It is a fleshly band aid at best, or makes things worse.

Look at Adam and Eve. When they fell from God, they saw they were naked and tried to cover themselves with fig leaves. That is religion, and every other thing we do to fix our problem in us. It’s nothing but fig leaves.

But, God showed up and revealed the sin in them and fixed it Himself. That’s Jesus.

We cannot fix it ourselves.

Paul says “O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?”—Rom. 7:24.

In the very next verse He thanks God.

“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.”

He thanks God that the law has revealed to him that there is something wrong, and it is not him doing it. He serves God, but there is also the corrupted nature and he realizes that it is not him that does it but sin in him.

 The very next verse is Romans 8:1, a new chapter and he reveals why he is thankful.

“There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.”

He reveals the solution. God came in the flesh to die for us, because of our sins and corrupted nature. He washes us clean in the Blood of Jesus when we turn to Him.

Our eyes are opened to the truth and we believe it. We turn to God, and ask Him to save us, confessing Jesus is the Lord, and we make Him our Lord.

God washes us clean of all sin. Past, present and future. He fills us with His Holy Spirit, and we grow in relationship with Him. We are no longer condemned. We are friends of God. We are righteous. Not because of what we do or don’t do. But, because of what Jesus did for us.

Our growth in Christ works to reveal and purge the things that we do in the flesh, as we confess our sins to Him. But, it is Him that does the work in us, not us. Even in our saved state, if we get in the habit of living a life trying to not sin, we are not really living in faith that Jesus has washed us. We think we must obey and do it ourselves. We forget that we cannot. This is why Paul says there is power in weakness. We admit our failure and give it to God and let Him do it.

If we go a few verses more in Romans chapter 8 we see this struggle continues in us even though we are saved. The flesh battles with the Spirit. We walk in the Spirit, by abiding in Christ, growing the relationship, turning to Him and confessing our sins, being in prayer, loving God and others. We realize that the sinful nature is not us anymore. We are dead to it. We died with Christ and rose with Him to new life. Those fleshly things no longer impact our spirit or salvation. They can cause trouble in this world, by opening the doors for demonic forces to attack us, but not our souls. Not our eternal spirits.

Here’s the verses

“For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.”

It’s about knowing Him, and He works to heal us and change us.

Walking in the Spirit is walking with Him. It is letting Him take care of it. because if we try to do it ourselves, or ignore it, we are walking in the flesh, and that leads to death.

What is death? Death is separation. It is not an end, as we suppose. When someone dies, they do not end, they are separated from us and from this fleshly world, and that body of flesh stays behind.

Eternal death is also separation. Nothing really dies or ends. it just changes form and continues on. We will all get a spiritual body that can never die. A vessel for our souls and spirits to dwell forever.

But, if we are not washed, that spiritual body will become corrupted by the corrupted soul, and dead spirit. It must then be separated to another place where nothing good dwells, because all good things are wrapped up in God. God is love. There is no love in separation. There is not love in that quarantine place of separation called Hell and the Lake of Fire. It is darkness and no light. It is separation from God.

If God allowed the corrupted nature into Paradise or Heaven, then all of eternity would be full of pain and evil just like this world. Separation occurs to protect God’s eternal kingdom and creation.

If we know Him we shall be with Him forever in Paradise. That’s the promise. Just like He told the thief on the cross.

All we have to do is turn to Him and ask, and believe. He will take care of the rest. We cannot change ourselves, He will do it, if we trust Him. And that is the difficulty of walking in the Spirit. Trusting and believing He’s got you. It builds patience. It builds meekness. We submit to Him and grow. Not by works, lest any should boast.

 We can trust Him.

---

Bio: Chris Bunton is a writer, poet and blogger.

Follow Him on Medium: https://chris-bunton.medium.com/

Follow Him on Free Life Blog: https://myfreelifeblog.com/

Subscribe on Substack: https://substack.com/@chrisbunton

Read His Bible Studies on Blogger: https://chrisbunton.blogspot.com/

Support the work for the cost of a Coffee

Support the work through Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=13514235&fan_landing=true&view_as=public

Photo by pexels/cottonbro studio

By Faith...

 By Faith...

Faith Matters

 

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”—Heb. 11:1

Translation: Faith is made up of hope for things we do not see and have never seen, but have evidence for.

If we rightly divide this verse we first need to understand what “Hope” is.

Hope is not a “Gee I sure hope so.”

No, it’s “more like “My only hope”. It’s like a life preserver or like a harness that a steel worker wears when he is on a high rise and needs a safety line to prevent falling.

We hope for things we have never seen, but have been given evidence of.

We have never seen God. We have never seen heaven or hell.

But, things have happened in our lives that have given us evidence of the reality of these things.

We have seen God move in our lives and answer prayer. We have seen people get healed of disease. We have seen blessings come to us and to others. We have seen the beauty of nature and the signs it holds. We have felt God in our spirit, comforting us.

This evidence is our lifeline to God. God provides this evidence so that our lifeline will be stronger and cause us to reach out to Him more and trust Him more. God Himself is our lifeline and He provides faith for it.

He gives us faith at birth, and He builds our faith to believe in Jesus Christ and put our faith and trust in Him. Then, He continues throughout our life to build our faith. If we know Him.

Hebrews chapter 11 is called the faith chapter of the Bible. This is where we can get a definition of what faith is.

The very first thing it mentions is having faith in God’s creation. Belief that God created all things out of nothing, simply by speaking it into existence.

We believe in creation because God told us in His Word that this is what happened. So, by faith we believe His Word. Our belief in His Word makes us righteous. Abraham believed God and it was counted to Him for righteousness. When we are told of Jesus Christ, we have the chance to believe or not. If we believe, then we are believing the Word of God, and we put our faith in Jesus Christ and we are declared righteous. Jesus is the living Word of God. (Romans 4:3 Rom. 3:22)

God washes us and places us in Christ. This is what happened to all the Old Testament saints. They believed God and God declared them righteous and placed them in Christ. Just like us.

Remember God is not bound by time or place. God is not filled with doubt. He knows for a fact that His plans will succeed. So, when an Old Testament saint died, having never known Jesus, God places them in Christ because they believed God’s Word.

So, if that saint was alive to today, and heard a sermon on Jesus. This saint would have accepted Him. I know this might not be liked by some believers, but every person who has ever been saved has been saved by grace, through faith. Not by works. They did the works because they believed the Word God gave them.

Grace comes from God and we see evidence, then choose to put our faith in Him at His Word.

Obedience or works are nothing without faith.

They are just rule keeping or going through the motions.

There are some things we cannot do without faith first. Like Confessing Jesus is the Lord, or believing He came in the flesh. (1 Cor. 12:3, 1 John 4:1-3 )

Like Abel sacrificing the first of his flock, as a picture of the future sacrifice of Christ. That’s what ALL sacrifices are. (Heb 11)

He did this because He received a Word from God, or believed the Word of God given to Him from Adam.

He then became a picture of Jesus, when he was killed by His brother because of envy. Like Christ was killed by His brethren for envy. (Gen. chapter 4, Matt. 27:18)

And they were sent to wander the earth.

We see that Enoch walked with God. He had a relationship with him, just like we are called to have a relationship. But, it started by first seeing evidence of God from God, or it came from a Word given from God by someone else. Perhaps from Seth, or from Adam himself. (Gen. 5:22-24)

Remember Adam often walked with God in the cool of the day.

Do you see that our faith leads us to know God and walk with Him. it leads us to seek Him and turn to Him and let Him direct our paths.

It’s a relationship not rule keeping. No one is saved by keeping the law. We are saved by knowing Him. By confessing Jesus is the Lord and having a relationship with Him by faith. (Rom. 3:20-31)

Noah built an Ark. Because He believed the Word given to Him and he acted upon it. Who in their right mind would build an ark in the front yard?

Our faith might lead us to do crazy things. It might lead us to look strange or be persecuted. But, it might also lead to the saving of our family, friends and world.

We see that Abraham believed the Word God gave Him, and he was made righteous. He went unto a land that was not his own and trusted God. He trusted God even though Abraham never saw the promise fulfilled.

There are things we are trusting God for. And we might never see it fulfilled, until we stand with him on that day in glory. When we cross into Paradise to be with Him, and we see the new heaven and new Earth to come.

We seek a city, a country, a future place with God called Home. For this place is not our home.

Sara believed that God would give her a child in her old age. Even through her doubt, God provided. Despite her laughter the promise came and she was written in this book. Because God’s promises are not based upon our faith, and obedience. But, on His might, grace, and goodness. He does it. Not us. (Gen. 18)

Our faith often leads us to reject things in this life, knowing God has a better plan.

Like Moses who chose to reject the high living of Pharaoh and suffer with His own people. Because He knew that he would be the Deliverer and knew that Christ would deliver us all. (the book of Exodus, Acts Chapter 7, Hebrews 11:26)

All of the Old Testament saints teach us that God gives us a Word, and by faith we believe that Word and follow Him.

Jesus is that Word. And when we turn to Him by Faith, He saves us and directs our paths through His Holy Spirit and the relationship we have with Him.

Even through persecutions and a tough life we keep turning to Him and calling out to Him in faith trusting His Word.

And even if we do not see the promises fulfilled in this life, we know that there is a better day.

So, since we are surrounded by the great saints of old and the lives they lived we can turn to Jesus and trust Him through faith like they did. Setting down our burdens and letting Him wash away our sin. So, we can be free to live the life with him that he called us to live. (Heb. 12:1)

Jesus is the author and finisher of our faith. He wrote it, and will bring it to pass in our lives. Not by our works but His.

And it was a joy to Him to endure the suffering and shame of the cross for us. Then sit down at the right hand of God in power. (Heb. 12:2)

Through faith we are saved and our faith grows as God builds it through our relationship. And every bad thing we face, and every good thing we receive, all works together to build our faith as we turn to Him and trust Him.

And His promises will come.

They come today. They come in the future. And they come forever.

Trust Him.

-----

 Bio: Chris Bunton is a writer, poet and blogger from Southern Illinois. He has published in several magazines, and has written a poetry eBook called “Against the Man” and an Addiction Recovery eBook called “Made Free: Overcoming Addiction“  a collection of dystopian short stories.“The Future is Coming” and his latest book “The Latter Days‘ is a book on Bible Prophecy and avoiding the deceptions to come.

Follow Him on Medium: https://chris-bunton.medium.com/

Follow Him on Free Life Blog: https://myfreelifeblog.com/

Subscribe on Substack: https://substack.com/@chrisbunton

Read His Bible Studies on Blogger: https://chrisbunton.blogspot.com/

Support the work for the cost of a Coffee

Support the work through Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=13514235&fan_landing=true&view_as=public

---

God Will Come Running

 

 God Will Come Running

 When we turn to Him

 

 

 

 Jesus tells us a story about a young man who left home and went to make a name for himself. (Luke 15:11-32)

It could be a kid going to college with his parents credit card.

Or a kid chasing a dream with his fathers support and blessing.

We know this guy. We have seen him or her in our families or neighbors. We have seen them in ourselves.

We are free. We don’t have to answer to anyone.

We are trying to make it. We are chasing a dream or forced to take care of ourselves.

But we get pulled off the path.

Like the man in Jesus’ story.

He started riotous living. He started making friends in low places. He was meeting all the best guys or best girls. He was getting drunk and using drugs of all kinds. He was down at the club, or local bar. He woke up next to all kinds of people.

And all the dreams died.

We’ve been there, or seen people there. We can smell the smells, taste the tastes and hear the sound of the music thumping. We’ve done the beer runs, and smoked the things that make us wanna go get some more.

They are living for the party. Living for friends. Maybe living the dream. But, it’s not the real dream. It’s not real hopes and dreams.

Jesus says that trouble comes. A famine in the land.

 And trouble always comes. The party always ends.

It could be an accident that causes it. Maybe a divorce or break up. The loss of income and friends. Illness.

But, the party ends.

This causes us to get desperate. These times of trouble can lead us to draw more into the party life, trying to hold on. Drinking and drugging more to try to numb the fear and pain. Chasing things that is not good for us. Trusting people we should not trust. Waking up in places we do not want to wake up in. As our friends abandon us.

And we break. We have no choice. We are ruined.

Jesus said, the man went and got the worst job possible. The lowest of the low, just to keep himself from starving.

But, even that wasn’t working. He wanted to eat the pigs food.

We might end up homeless, digging in the dumpsters. We might even consider a life of crime. Stealing, selling drugs, stripping and prostitution to survive.

We hit rock bottom. We are as low as we think we can go.

Do not be deceived. There are always worst things that can happen. Rock bottom has a basement.

Jesus said, that the man woke up. He was willing to be a slave in His fathers house.

How desperate are you? Are you desperate enough to turn to God and say “I can’t do it! I don’t know what to do! But, I need you! Do whatever you want but please save me and help me.”

Are you so desperate to be free from your troubles and addictions and life, that you just give it all to God, and even if He kills you or throws you in prison or cripples you, it’s ok.

How desperate are you?

Jesus said the man went to see his father. He was desperate. He had ruined his life and was not worthy for anything good.

But, the father saw his child a long way off, and ran to him. And hugged him and held him.

That’s God.

 He sees our broken and desperate heart, long before we even get to Him. And He comes running. He comes running to save us and help us.

He wraps His arms around us and makes us His child. He brings us a robe and a ring and we are with the father forever.

And our life changes. We see things happening. Good or bad, but it’s ok because the Father is with us. He shakes it out and gives us hope. He grows our faith as we draw closer to Him. And we see him move. And more faith grows.

The dreams come back to life and we see them growing in Him. We see good things coming into our life, and it comes even more abundantly.

God himself is working in our life and everything is fine.

He blesses us where we are because we are His. We are His child and we turn to Him and know Him.

And He always comes running when we turn to Him. He always moves to help us, even when we can’t see it. He is working and it will work out. He is with us.

And we will be with Him

Forever.

-----

 Bio: Chris Bunton is a writer, poet and blogger.

Follow Him on Medium: https://chris-bunton.medium.com/

Follow Him on Free Life Blog: https://myfreelifeblog.com/

Subscribe on Substack: https://substack.com/@chrisbunton

Read His Bible Studies on Blogger: https://chrisbunton.blogspot.com/

Support the work for the cost of a Coffee

Support the work through Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=13514235&fan_landing=true&view_as=public

Grace Cannot Exist With Works

 Grace Cannot Exist With Works

If you seek to save yourself you've destroyed Grace. 

 

 

 

"Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace. And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then it is no more grace: otherwise work is no more work."---Romans 11: 5-6 KJV---all verses are KJV

In this verse in Romans, Paul makes a statement regarding grace that should settle all matters regarding salvation by faith, or works, or whether you can lose your salvation, or whether you must do works to maintain it.

He plainly states, that it cannot truly be grace if you have to do anything to obtain it, or keep it.

The whole idea of grace is negated by any notion of effort on our part.

The King of everything is offering us salvation, adoption, total forgiveness, mercy, joint ownership of the Kingdom, all for free, forever, if we just turn to Him, and ask. Confessing Him as our Lord, believing and trusting Him alone.

 

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

Not of works, lest any man should boast.

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them."--- Eph. 2:8-10

We are saved by grace. THROUGH faith. 

Faith is a medium. It's like a telephone line that connects us to God's Grace. We are not saved by faith, we are saved THROUGH faith.

God does not want anyone boasting or acting like they did some great deed to be saved, or that they were obedient servants. We must accept our fallen state and inability to save ourselves, in order to receive God's Grace. That's part of it. You must acknowledge your need for him alone.

But, here's where we encounter a problem.

Some people want to use Ephesians chapter 2 verse 10 as an excuse to try to save themselves. It will not work. We cannot save ourselves or even help God at all. The second you try or think you are, grace ends.

After Adam fell humans became corrupted with a sin nature. We are not able to do right or fix ourselves. This is why God gave us the law. The purpose of God's law is to show us we cannot obey it and need to turn to God for salvation. This is why Jesus came to save us. We are not saved by doing the works of the law. We are saved by Grace. We are saved through faith in Christ alone. We follow the law because it helps us avoid trouble in this life. But, it does not save us.

Let's rightly divide the Word, in verse 10.

"We are HIS workmanship"=  It is God's Work not ours.

"created in Christ Jesus unto good works"= We are "Born Again" or Created in Christ, to build the Kingdom, to Spread the Gospel. to love and help people. These are the works we do.

"which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them."= God already had a plan for our lives in Him and wants to work through us.

This is not about our salvation. We cannot do the works God desires without first being saved and letting Him work through us, by His Spirit.

But, some continue to use this verse and other verses to attempt to prove that we must  pay for our salvation or do something to earn it.

The fact that they think they can earn it, is proof that they really do not understand how wicked we are. It proves God right, when He says "None seek God". We seek ourselves, when a person wants to save themselves. (Romans 3:11)

When you wonder if someone can lose Grace. The answer is no. But, many "Christians" have never received Grace. Because they have chosen to earn it themselves, And force others to do the same.

They don't lose it.  They never had it. They never fell on their face and said "Have mercy on me a sinner". They never really had any oil in their lamp because they never had faith in God. ( Luke 18:10-14)

Let God save you.

 

Just turn to Him and ask Him to save you. (Acts 2:21)

 

Confess that Jesus is your Lord and believe He rose from the dead. (Romans 10: 9-10)

Believe He has saved you and is working on you. Trust His promise. It's not a feeling.

God has saved you, if you asked him to. Now He will start working in your life to help you to have more faith and grow in Him. To help you serve Him. He will lead you to study his Word and find a place where you can be with other saved people.

 

 Trust Him.

Let me give you a little analogy.

Let's say there's a parent and a child.

Which is better?

The child that ignores the parent, and goes its own way and is hurt or has a ruined life?

 

or

The child who chooses to read about the parent and rules and laws, obeying them perfectly but never really knowing the parent?

 

or

The child who turns to the parent and says. "Please help me". The child who chooses to turn to the parent and ask them to help them and grow them. The child who wants a relationship?

 

Which is better?

 

It's kind of a no brainer.

 
Turn to the Lord and trust Him.

 

 -----

Bio: Chris Bunton is a writer, poet and blogger from Southern Illinois. He has published in several magazines, and has written a poetry eBook called “Against the Man” and an Addiction Recovery eBook called “Made Free: Overcoming Addiction“  a collection of dystopian short stories.“The Future is Coming” and his latest book “The Latter Days‘ is a book on Bible Prophecy and avoiding the deceptions to come.

Follow Him on Medium: https://chris-bunton.medium.com/

Follow Him on Free Life Blog: https://myfreelifeblog.com/

Read His Spiritual Writings on Blogger: https://chrisbunton.blogspot.com/

Support the work for the cost of a Coffee

Support the work through Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=13514235&fan_landing=true&view_as=public

Photo by the writer, Gulf Shores, Alabama

Meat vs. Milk

 Meat Vs. Milk

Are you ready?

 

 

“Of whom we have many things to say, and hard to be uttered, seeing ye are dull of hearing. For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat. For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.”— Heb. 5:11-14

God’s Word teaches us that there is a difference between milk and meat when it comes to our growth in Christ.

There comes a point when we have read the Word, over and over. When we have sat in all the bible studies and read commentary books. When we have heard all the sermons for years. There comes a point when we are supposed to be ready to serve Christ.

There comes a point where we step into our gift and start using it for the Kingdom. When Church is no longer about sitting in the same pew, listening to the same music, and the same sermon series, from the same guy who gives only milk to drink.

The burden is on both the leader and the church member to grow.

If all a church member ever gets from the pastor or preacher is milk, then how are they supposed to be ready to consume meat?

If the pastor never hears from the Holy Spirit, or even talks about the Holy Spirit, then who is guiding this man? Who is giving him his sermon notes? Does he get his ideas from other preachers in books who never spoke of the Holy Spirit? Men who never spoke as unto the Oracles of God themselves?

The preacher is to tell the flock what the Holy Spirit tells him to preach. It’s not about what the preacher thinks. It’s not a scholarly task. If he says “I was thinking about this”, he is glorifying himself. He should be teaching what the Spirit has told him. If he can’t “Speak as the Oracle of God” meaning that he is speaking what God has told him to say, then he needs to go sit down. He is too afraid to acknowledge that he heard from God, because certain members of his congregation would label him as crazy or false. The congregation should never think that hearing from God is crazy. We are supposed to converse with God, and we are supposed to be crazy for Jesus. (1 Peter 4:11)

That doesn’t mean that a preacher cannot express his own opinion or tell what his own understanding of the Word is. There are lots of places where that’s needed. But, his view point must really be from the Word and the Holy Spirit.

The congregation gets the preacher they deserve. If they are not ready for meat, then they get a preacher who never preaches meat, and the congregation will not grow in Christ. If the congregation doesn’t read the Word, or spend time in prayer or service, fighting the fight of faith how can they be ready for meat?

If all they know is from Bible classes and sermon series, then they are babes. They have never been broken or know Christ. They have never really learned from Him. They are like baby birds sitting in a nest eating regurgitated food from their parents.

Have you ever read the Word? Have you ever really studied it? Not cherry picked sermon series, but actually read and studied the Word? If your pastor started teaching false things, would you really know?

If you get enlightened things from your pastor, and you have never read or studied the Word for yourself, how do you know you are not just getting really good milk? How do you know that it’s not just a good speech? Good speeches can elicit emotions as well. It doesn’t mean the sermon is from God.

The writer of Hebrews goes on to speak of what Milk is.

“Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God, Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment. And this will we do, if God permit.”—Heb. 6:1-3

If you do not know the basic doctrines of Christ well enough to go out and teach others and preach the Gospel, then you are still a babe.

Have you asked the Holy Spirit to teach you? Do you realize your teaching comes through getting up and serving? Do you read the Word? Do you have real faith in God? Do you only get your doctrines from one man teaching milk?

Does your pastor feed you milk, because he wants to keep the flock in the pen so he can fleece them of tithes? Perhaps, you’re not growing in Christ because the leader you keep following doesn’t really know Him? Is he too afraid to preach the meat of the Word because he doesn’t want to upset the rich people of the church who pay his salary?

We are called to be soldiers in Christ. We are supposed to be serving God. That means that our pastors, preachers and teachers are supposed to be letting the Holy Spirit, speak through them for the purpose of getting people saved and preparing them to go forth and fight the true fight of faith. They should be leading and providing means for them to really serve. Not just waiting on tables or doing tasks, but exercising their gifts for real out in the world. Not just sitting on committees and doing bible studies.

We are supposed to be telling people about Jesus. Not bringing them to church so that someone else can tell them about Jesus. The time we waste between inviting a person to church and them showing up, is the time Satan draws them away. We are supposed to be prepared to give the Gospel at the moment Jesus brings someone to us. Not force them to wait a week to come to church and hope the preacher happens to give the Gospel that week. Are you really ready to serve? Can you not present the Gospel? If not, then are you really saved? Do you understand it enough to really know it? (1 Peter 3:15)

We are supposed to be taught by the Holy Spirit, and listen to his guidance as He leads us to serve and learn from teachers who really speak the Word. ( 1 John 2:27, John 16:13)

But, are we “dull of hearing” because we are lazy and sitting in that same old pew? We have been lulled into a stupor and need woken up? Like the writer of Hebrews says “For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again “

They had fallen into false doctrine. They had never grown. They did not really know Christ because they were never taught by Him. They had left the basic doctrines.

This is why the writer goes on to say some of the most terrifying words in the scriptures.

“ For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame. For the earth which drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed, receiveth blessing from God: But that which beareth thorns and briers is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing; whose end is to be burned.”—Heb. 6:4-8

He is warning them. They had heard the Gospel. They had woken up with joy. They had been partakers of the Holy Spirit’s work, and seen Him move. But, they were still babes. They still consumed milk. They never grew. This should be a red flag, that they never really got saved.

Since they never grew, they turned away into false things. They turned from God and his salvation unto their own self-righteousness. You must understand these are people who are sitting in the church reading this letter.

They had turned away from the basic teachings of Christ. They had turned to thinking they were saved by obeying the Law, and by doing good works, instead of grace by faith. This is why the writer speaks of relearning the basic doctrines, when they should be teachers of it. Because they never really got it.

These people did not lose their salvation, they never really had it. They never really knew Christ. They just saw the truth, but never really moved to accept it and become a part of it. They just sat in their pews and ate the food, clapped to the music and enjoyed the story telling from the pulpit. But, it never changed them. It never led them to be saved. It never led them to grow in Christ.

These people are like the folks in the parable of the sower. The tares among the wheat. They are birds in the tree, stealing the seed. (Matthew 13)

They never really knew Him. The devil snatched the Word from their heart. Persecutions and tribulations kept them from trusting God. The flesh, the cares of this life and the deceitfulness of riches kept them from really turning to God. They were never saved.

These folks are the foolish virgins. They are the ones who say “have we not done marvelous works in thy name?“. They are the ones at the wedding feast in the wrong clothes, because they never really put faith in God for salvation through Jesus Christ. They trusted in their own works and their own name to save them. They thought that living a life resisting temptation and not sinning was knowing Christ. Ignoring the fact that Christ died for those sins, and giving it all to Him and following Him. (Matthew 22, Matt 25)

They “crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame” because they never really accepted the salvation from Jesus the first time. They did not accept the salvation Jesus gave them. They are like Moses who hit the Rock twice, because his flesh did not allow him to realize that all he needed to do was speak to the Rock, and get water. It was his work, he thought, that brought out salvation, not the finished work of Christ. ( Exodus 17:1-7 ,Numbers 20:1-12, 1 Cor. 10:4 )

We confess our sins and He cleanses us and changes us. That’s the relationship. We don’t change ourselves. Sinners cannot change their own sinful ways, for all they do breeds more sin.

Do you know Him? Are you ready for meat? Are you following the Holy Spirit? Are you serving in your gift from God? Are you fighting the enemy, helping and serving others?

Or are you sitting in a pew for years, getting milk from someone who probably should not have been a preacher?

Ask God to save you and grow you.

---

Bio: Chris Bunton is a writer, poet and blogger from Southern Illinois. He has published in several magazines, and has written a poetry eBook called “Against the Man” and an Addiction Recovery eBook called “Made Free: Overcoming Addiction“  a collection of dystopian short stories.“The Future is Coming” and his latest book “The Latter Days‘ is a book on Bible Prophecy and avoiding the deceptions to come.

Follow Him on Medium: https://chris-bunton.medium.com/

Follow Him on Free Life Blog: https://myfreelifeblog.com/

Read His Spiritual Writings on Blogger: https://chrisbunton.blogspot.com/

Support the work for the cost of a Coffee

Support the work through Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=13514235&fan_landing=true&view_as=public

Photo by pexels

How Sanctification Works

 How Sanctification Works

A Word on Sanctification

There has been a debate since the days of the Apostle Paul, regarding salvation by faith versus works.

I'll give you a hint. It's neither. It's Grace. Both Faith and Works rely on human power in some way

But, I want to talk about sanctification, and I'm going to use an analogy to do it.

 

Sanctification comes after salvation. 

 

We get saved by hearing God calling us, and turning to Him (Repent) and confessing Jesus as Lord. 

 

Let me break it down.

 

Everyone who is saved was called. That is grace. We realize that God is real and he is there for us and wants to save us. We believe what He has told us in our heart. That is faith. We turn to Him and ask Him to save us, confessing that Jesus is our Lord. That is faith and works. (Romans 10:9-10, James 2:26)

Salvation and sanctification are kind of like getting a job.

You need a job so you fill out an application. The human owner decides whether he needs you and if you can make him money.

But, God wants you. He made a way for you, before you even knew you needed one. He doesn't care about your background or skills or college or attitude. He just wants you to come.

So if you want Him, you are hired. God trains you and gives you everything you need to serve HIM. He is the boss. Remember this.

So, now comes sanctification. Which is where God works in our lives to change us. A lot of changes occur when we first get saved. But, there are things that we need to work on our whole life.

Let's continue with the analogy.

So, let's say you show up late to work.(sin)

A human boss warns you and threatens to fire you. (Punish you and throw you in hell)

But. God is not like that. He forgives you and looks into your life to see what's up. He might change your mind. Or make some adjustments to your circumstances so you can be on time, without a rush or hurting yourself or others. He works to correct us or solve our problem, or set us free from some bondage. he does not cast us away.

That's how it works. God works in us and with us to fix us.He saved us already, now He continues to work. That is sanctification. The Holy Spirit helps us to grow, if we are willing to listen.

Too many people believe their heavenly father is like the boss or their earthly father.  He is not.

 

God is not a slave driver. He doesn't need to be. When He speaks something, he knows for a fact that it will happen. There is no doubt. 

Sometimes sanctification leads to correction or brokenness. When we get saved we are basically giving ourselves to God, because we need Him and He knows whats best. So, we have given Him permission to work on us as He sees fit. (Prov. 3:11-12)

In our lives we often find that we have gone the wrong way or that we have become entangled with some problem. Perhaps a hurtful lifestyle or addiction.

In order to grow us and help us, God must sometimes take drastic measures to set us free from bondage. We might be at what we call rock bottom and lose everything and everybody. We might become broken. It's terrible and painful, but He is there with us to protect us. 

Like a refiner's fire.He controls the heat to melt the precious metal and remove the dross or crud. All of this works to make us of greater use by Him. (Malachi. 3:1-3)

We often find ourselves broken by this process of correction or setting us free.

This brokenness leads to meekness. 

People think meekness is weakness. It's not. 

Brokenness is like a powerful horse being broken by his master. He does not lose his power, but he becomes usable. This is meekness.

This is sanctification. 

This is why some folks have their lives torn apart after they get saved. God is setting them free. He has saved them, now He is working to remove things that are bad for them. 

The temptation at this point is to fight what is happening, or run away. But, that only makes things worse.

 

Remember Jonah. 

 

God spoke to Jonah and Jonah refused. He ran away. All kinds of bad stuff started happening to Jonah; storms and even getting swallowed by a fish, till he was broken and accepted God's will. 

Prison or a hospital bed could be your fish.

Turn to God. Read His Word. Listen to the Holy Spirit.

When you turned to God and asked Him to save you, He promised He would. Sanctification is a part of that. We never really know how bad we are and how much God must remove from us. We sometimes, need a lot of pruning in order to bear fruit for the Kingdom.

 

Remember, God is with you. You have turned to Him and He is there, no matter what you are facing. 

 

Remember ALL things work together for good to those who love God and are called according to His purpose. (Rom 8:28)

Everything that happens in our life can be used by God to grow us and serve Him. The key is to turn to Him in everything. Suffer in Him. Do not run from Him.

Not everything bad that happens is caused by God. We have an enemy. We live in a fallen world. We also do things to cause problems for ourselves. But, EVERYTHING can work for our good, when we turn to Him and give it to Him.

 

I have had terrible things happen in my life. Most of it was my fault. Most of it was because I listened to the enemy.

 

But, I love those terrible things because God used them to set me free. 

 

Would I change it?

I wish I had not been so foolish. But, it all drew me closer to God, and made my life better. So, I would not change it for the world.

When we know Him, He becomes more valuable than this world, this life, family, or anything we can think of.

 

That is how sanctification works.

It works to build the relationship. If you really know Him.

-----

Bio:Chris Bunton is a writer, poet and blogger from Southern Illinois. He has published in several magazines, and has written a poetry eBook called “Against the Man” and an Addiction Recovery eBook called “Made Free: Overcoming Addiction“ His newest book is called “The Future is Coming” and is a collection of dystopian short stories.

Follow Him on Medium: https://chris-bunton.medium.com/

Follow Him on Free Life Blog: https://myfreelifeblog.com/

Read His Spiritual Writings on Blogger: https://chrisbunton.blogspot.com/

Buy a cup of Coffee

Support the work on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=13514235&fan_landing=true&view_as=public

Photos by the author