I hope this might clarify questions from an earlier post. This was written to Christians, of course, but all are welcome to read and comment as you feel led to. RM TIME WITHOUT END (OR BEGINNING) When and where, now or later, before and after. These concepts are understood by human beings because we are constrained by space-time. We can only inhabit one place at a time because no two things can occupy the same place at the same time. And we think nothing of it because it is just the way things are. We humans had a yesterday, we have today, and we look forward to tomorrow. But time is an invention. There was a before time. There will be an after time. For now, there is a beyond space and time. But we humans do not inhabit beyond space and time. And so we measure time. We celebrate birthday anniversaries. We look forward to the birth of a child, and we mark the passing of high school and college graduation. But God is not constrained by time or space. God invented the universe and he invented time. Genesis 1:14–And God said, “Let there be lights in the vault of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark sacred times, and days and years. For us upon this earth, time passes as a parade before our eyes. The marching bands that have already gone by are in the past. The marching bands still to come are in the future. But not so for God, who is everywhere at once and sees everything at once. For God, the parade of history is below. He sees the beginning, and he sees the end of the parade–all at the same time. Romans 5:8 tells us “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Ephesians 1:4 teaches us “Long before he laid down earth’s foundations, he had us in mind, had settled on us as the focus of his love, to be made whole and holy by his love.” So, from the beginning, God saw every sin that every person throughout history would commit, from the little white lie to the most heinous crime imaginable, Nevertheless, God became man, lived the life required of us all (sinless perfection), then surrendered his own life willingly that whosoever believes in him shall not perish but have everlasting life. Believe--in this context--simply means a quid pro quo, for without consideration, there is no contract. When Jesus took our sins upon himself, he returned to us the full measure of his righteousness so that when God looked down upon his son at Golgotha, he turned his face away from the evil, making Jesus cry out, Eli,Eli, lama sabachthani? (Why have you forsaken me?) God judged his son that knew no sin before he took that sin upon himself. Likewise, when God looks upon the redeemed (the parties to the contract) he sees us through the righteousness of his son. In Gods eyes, we are clean, pure, and clothed in white. God saw your sin and my sin from eternity past. Every single one of them. And he died for ALL of them at the same time. Humans fathom Gods forgiveness for what theyve done in the past but not for what they do in the future. But, God died once for all sin--even the sins you believe are in the future. So, then why do some Christians limit God who sees all, from the alpha to the omega and everything in between…why do some restrict him to being a bean-counter wearing a green eye shade? God is not an accountant who adds our assets (good deeds) then adds up our liabilities (bad deeds) and subtracts the bad from the good. Why are some so concerned about a hidden or forgotten sin they may have committed, fearing such will consign them to hell? Many would argue this rationale allows Christians to sin with impunity because God’s grace is sufficient to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Yet, Paul said it best: Do we sin that grace may abound? God forbid. Any Christian who has faltered and fallen back from his previous estate is not to be condemned but loved. We are to hate the sin but love the sinner–and that includes those who fall after being saved. There is no pleasure to sin after a season. Backsliders are some of the most unhappy, miserable people on earth. I know this from experience. If, however, anyone tells you that since you are saved, you can sin all you want without consequences, hes a liar and the truth is not in him. You may be saved by grace and destined to live with God for eternity, but trust me on this, sin is like a cancer that eats away at your peace of mind. And the Hound from Heaven will not stop pursuing you ever until you repent, up to and including taking you home if necessary (Think Sam Kinison) So, my advice is for us all to focus on God for the purpose he called us to, and pray for those who are double-minded. Please stop counting beans and put your mind on the task God called you to do. I promise you, if youre concerned about carrying out the plan God has for you, there wont be time to worry about your beans or anyone elses.
Posted on: Wed, 31 Dec 2014 22:42:42 +0000
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