The Myth of Potential Sin
By

Lee
Friday, December 30, 2011

Adam and Eve were the only potential sinners that have ever lived.  After Adam sinned, sin entered the world and all humanity became sinners.  Sin is like pregnancy, you are either pregnant or your not.  All of humanity has sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, with only one exception, Jesus Christ.

KJV Hebrews 1:3
3.  Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;

Jesus is described as being the brightness of Gods glory and sin is falling short of the glory of God.

KJV Romans 3:23
 23.  For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

Jesus did not fall short of the glory of God because he was the brightness of it.  This is why Jesus could not sin.

You and I were not created the same way as Jesus.  Jesus was directly conceived by Gods spirit and had no human father.  Jesus was born of God.  Jesus was a soul but of a higher level than any other human being.

KJV Luke 1:35
35.  And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.

Jesus was a human being that was directly born of God for a special reason and his human spirit was unable to sin because…………….

KJV 1 John 3:9
 9.  Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.

When the saints are born into the kingdom of God they will be made unable to sin just as Jesus was when he was on Earth as a man.  Jesus had to be a human being, a man, because God commanded that if a man brought sin and death into the world a man would have to provide for a resurrection of the dead.

KJV 1 Corinthians 15:21
 21.  For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.

Jesus did not provide the resurrection of the saints to being unable to sin as a spirit being but as a man, a human being. Since Jesus would be the one God would use as messiah God directly conceived Jesus in the womb of Mary making Jesus born of God and unable to sin. 

You and I  were not born this way.  We all came from Adam and Eve and are sinners, we do not have the potential to sin, we are sin.

KJV Romans 5:8
 8.  But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

KJV Romans 5:19
19.  For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.

KJV 1 Timothy 1:15
15.  This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.

So then, saying that we have the potential to sin is a misnomer or oxymoron, sin is what we are and what Jesus came to save us from.  If we say that we only have the potential to sin we are denying the reality of what we are.  The phrase “potential sin”  combines two words that do not go together, similar phrases would be; almost pregnant, half dead, bright darkness, half truth or potential messiah.  We must come to see what sin really is to understand why we need saved by Jesus from sin.

Everyone that I have ever spoken to or written to about this subject thinks that sin is any type of evil that people do as an outward act that can be seen or heard by other people.  This is not what sin is.  Sin is how we think, if we think evil we are evil as Jesus himself told us.

KJV Matthew 5:27-28
 27.  Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery:
 28.  But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.

KJV Matthew 15:18-20
 18.  But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man.
 19.  For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies:
 20.  These are the things which defile a man: but to eat with unwashen hands defileth not a man.

The word “heart” is another way of saying our human spirit.  It is our spirit that Jesus came to save.

KJV Hebrews 12:23
23.  To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect,

KJV 1 Corinthians 5:5
 5.  To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.

KJV John 3:6
 6.  That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

KJV John 6:63
 63.  It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.

All human beings including Jesus have a human spirit.

KJV Job 32:8
 8.  But there is a spirit in man: and the inspiration of the Almighty giveth them understanding.

KJV Proverbs 20:27
 27.  The spirit of man is the candle of the Lord, searching all the inward parts of the belly.

KJV Zechariah 12:1
1.  The burden of the word of the Lord for Israel, saith the Lord, which stretcheth forth the heavens, and layeth the foundation of the earth, and formeth the spirit of man within him.

KJV 1 Corinthians 2:11
 11.  For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.

This spirit of man is what Jesus calls the heart and the heart of all human beings is sin.

KJV Jeremiah 17:9-10
 9.  The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?
 10.  I the Lord search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings.

KJV Ecclesiastes 7:20
 20.  For there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not.

KJV Matthew 7:11
 11.  If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?

KJV Romans 3:10-12
 10.  As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:
 11.  There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.
 12.  They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.

All this evil and sin is now what humanity is and needs saved from, the condition of the defilement of our human spirit that we acquired from Satan the devil.

KJV 1 John 3:8
 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.

KJV John 8:44-45
44.  Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.
 45.  And because I tell you the truth, ye believe me not.

This statement of Jesus applies to all people, we are all children of Satan until we come to Christ. Jesus was not of the Devil but of God and to even think Jesus could have sinned is of the Devil.

KJV Acts 26:18
18.  To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.

Sin is a condition of our human spirit that can manifest itself by outward acts but the true sin is a result of our defiled human spirit.
Your body can only perform what your human spirit directs it to do.  Sin is a spiritual problem not a physical one but since sin is manifested physically by words and deeds people incorrectly think the act is the sin rather than the thought. 

KJV Psalms 10:4
 4.  The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is not in all his thoughts.

KJV Proverbs 16:3
 3.  Commit thy works unto the Lord, and thy thoughts shall be established.

KJV Proverbs 20:9
 9.  Who can say, I have made my heart (thoughts) clean, I am pure from my sin?

Since Jesus was born of God and not a descendent of Adam like all of us he was unable to sin.  Jesus was called the second Adam.  The first Adam ate of the wrong tree but the second Adam ate of the tree of life and if we feed on him we can live too. 

Potential sin is a myth, a lie, and we are all sinners but Jesus was not a sinner and was unable to sin.  The love of God is the highest form of love and this love is what fulfills the law.  Jesus fulfilled the law with this Godly love that was in him.  Gods love is unable to sin and this love was in His son. The question, could Jesus have sinned is asked by those who lack knowledge and fail to search the scripture sufficiently to find the answer.  The answer is no, Jesus was incapable of sin. 

Sin is defined in scripture in many verses, here are a few:

KJV Romans 14:23
23.  And he that doubteth is damned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith: for whatsoever is not of faith is sin.

Jesus is the one we are to have faith in, how, if his spirit was like ours full of evil thoughts and desires just as any child of the Devil? If Jesus was like us then we have no messiah, his spirit would have been defiled just as ours is.

KJV 1 Corinthians 15:56
 56.  The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.

The 10th commandment says lust is sin.  Lust is the inner thoughts of sin that produce the outward manifestations of words and deeds that are evil. Lust is thinking of sin, of planning to do evil.  Did Jesus have this nature in him?  Some think he did.  Jesus Was Gods love in a man and Jesus always did good and never evil because his thoughts, his mind was like that of God Himself.

KJV James 4:17
 17.  Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.

KJV 1 John 5:17
 17.  All unrighteousness is sin: and there is a sin not unto death.

A person is unrighteous if they sin and sin is our thoughts and what we are while the acts are only the manifestation of our thoughts. A person is either righteous or unrighteous, there is no in between, no potential sin.  God has a zero tolerance for sin you either are sin or your not.  You are either righteous or unrighteous.  So what was Jesus?

KJV Isaiah 53:11
 11.  He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.

Jesus Christ was righteous.

KJV Proverbs 21:4
 4.  An high look, and a proud heart, and the plowing of the wicked, is sin.

KJV Proverbs 24:9
 9.  The thought of foolishness is sin: and the scorner is an abomination to men.

KJV John 8:34
 34.  Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.

Jesus defined sin, defilement, as coming from the heart or spirit of people, we are sin.  Was Jesus a servant of sin? 

KJV 1 John 3:4
 4.  Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.

Jesus fulfilled the law by the love of God for Gods love is the fulfillment of the law.  Gods love thinks no evil therefore can do no evil.  Jesus was the love of God manifested in the flesh.

KJV 1 Corinthians 13:5
 5.  Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;

You and I either are or have been guilty of sin and deserve to die.  The death of Jesus for those who believe will pay this price for us so that we can have the hope of everlasting life when Jesus returns to Earth to give it to us.  All of this was made possible by a man who some say had the potential to sin but chose not to sin.  As I have shown, sin has no potential but is a fact of who and what we are.  If you are alive then you are a sinner.  The only way other than Jesus to never sin again is to die.

KJV Romans 6:7
 7.  For he that is dead is freed from sin.

If you die rejecting Jesus knowingly and willingly you will be dead forever.  Only a living person can think, have thoughts and perform acts as a result.  When you are dead you cannot even think, therefore you cannot even sin.

KJV Psalms 146:4
 4.  His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish.

KJV Ecclesiastes 9:10
10.  Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.

 Jesus came to save our human spirits from the defilement of sin, the thoughts and intents of our heart that are evil and can be manifested by outward acts or words.  How can Jesus save us if he was infected by the same thing as we are?  Jesus exampled and displayed to us the divine nature of his Father and God.  This is how Jesus was the image of the invisible God, the express image of the person of God.  This is how Jesus could say, I and my Father are one, if you have seen me you have seen the Father.  To accuse Jesus of being a “potential sinner” is a dishonor to him and his Father.

KJV John 5:23
 23.  That all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent him.

Anyone who says Jesus was a “potential sinner” has insulted Jesus and God.

Jesus, as a man, provided to the saints access  to the divine nature of God so that by our partaking of Gods nature we can have all the benefits now and in the promised life to come. 

KJV 2 Peter 1:4
4.  Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

We are corrupted because of our lust, the thoughts and intents of our human spirit that is evil but we can escape this by taking part in Gods nature whereby we hope for the promises. Jesus, as a man, had this divine nature, not in part but in its fullness. The divine nature of love that conquers all evil and sin, that is unable to sin.

Jesus came, as a man, revealed the Father in this way to us but you must believe this, you must believe Jesus.  Jesus came to save us from ourselves, save yourselves and believe.

WARNING

WARNING
By
Lee
Monday, December 12, 2011

The scriptures contain many warnings of what the last days will be like and how at that time many people will turn from the truth and believe lies.  As you read the scriptures below ask yourself, is it possible that I could be deceived? 

KJV 1 Timothy 4:1-2
 1.  Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;
 2.  Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;

KJV 2 Timothy 3:1-5
1.  This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.
 2.  For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
 3.  Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,
 4.  Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;
 5.  Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.

KJV 2 Peter 2:1-3
1.  But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.
 2.  And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of.
 3.  And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not.

KJV 2 Peter 3:3
 3.  Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts,

KJV 1 John 2:18-19
 18.  Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time.
 19.  They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us.

KJV 1 John 4:1
 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.

KJV 2 John 1:7
7.  For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist.

KJV 3 John 1:9-10
 9.  I wrote unto the church: but Diotrephes, who loveth to have the preeminence among them, receiveth us not.
 10.  Wherefore, if I come, I will remember his deeds which he doeth, prating against us with malicious words: and not content therewith, neither doth he himself receive the brethren, and forbiddeth them that would, and casteth them out of the church.

KJV Jude 1:4
 4.  For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.

KJV Acts 20:29-31
 29.  For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock.
 30.  Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them.
 31.  Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears.

KJV Matthew 7:15
15.  Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.

KJV Matthew 24:4-5
4.  And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.
 5.  For many shall come in my name, saying I am Christ; and shall deceive many.

KJV John 16:2
 2.  They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service.

KJV 2 Timothy 4:3-4
 3.  For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;
 4.  And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.

KJV Revelation 12:9
 9.  And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

Satan has not been inactive, since the beginning he has caused division and false doctrine by using certain men as tools to try to tear down what Jesus built.  If there is only one truth then why are there so many churches?  You would think that there would be only one church with one perfect truth as it was when the church was given the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost.  Very soon after Pentecost Satan began his work of deception by changing the truth into a lie using unconverted men to infiltrate the church and cause division and eventually take over the name of the church.  When the second century began this work of Satan was well in place and what emerged was a church claiming to be of God and Christ but proclaiming a false gospel.  This false gospel has been handed down through the generations and is believed today by all in the worlds churches.  In truth the Christianity you see in today’s world is not the truth and is false.  The warnings of Jesus and the Apostles given in the scriptures above have come to pass but since the lies were planted centuries have passed and the lies have become engrained and accepted as doctrine.  The worlds churches are the Babylon God now calls people out of and not into, the synagogues of Satan that masquerade as Gods church. 

KJV 2 Thessalonians 2:11-12
11.  And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:
 12.  That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

The Oracles of God
By
Lee

If anyone desires to understand scripture and know the truth they must base all their research upon the oracles of God.  What are the oracles of God?  The oracles of God are the old covenant writings by the prophets and holy men who wrote the scripture by inspiration of the Holy Spirit of God.  This makes the view of the understanding uniquely Jewish or from Jewish thought because it was to the nation of Israel that God gave His oracles.

KJV Acts 7:38
 38.  This is he, that was in the church in the wilderness with the angel which spake to him in the mount Sina, and with our fathers: who received the lively oracles to give unto us:

The old covenant writings are the source of understanding, the lively oracles, and the place to begin your search for truth. Jesus and the Apostles taught the gospel from the old covenant writings because the new covenant writings were not yet written.

KJV Romans 3:1-2
1.  What advantage then hath the Jew? or what profit is there of circumcision?
 2.  Much every way: chiefly, because that unto them were committed the oracles of God.

The Jews had an advantage over the Gentiles because they had the oracles, the beginning of knowledge.  The new covenant writings are a further revelation of those oracles that contained the knowledge of salvation in shadow form. Only by the light of Christ on the oracles can the shadows be explained to gain knowledge and wisdom.

KJV Hebrews 5:12
 12.  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.

Many of the Jews in the days of Jesus would not come to light so that they could see what the shadow of the oracles were to teach them.  Instead they remained in the shadows practicing the works of the law in a vain attempt to become righteous by their own works.

KJV 1 Peter 4:11
 11.  If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

The foundation of truth begins with the oracles and proceeds from there into the light of Christ to reveal the meaning of those shadows. Today the churches have substituted Greek thought and ideas in an attempt to find truth that is uniquely Jewish in origin. If the shadows of salvation were given to the Jews why would someone look for truth in Greek ideas that had a culture far removed from Jewish ways. Salvation is not from the Greeks but from the Jews.

KJV John 4:22
 22.  Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews.

Jesus was a Jew and he came to shed light upon the oracles of God.  Greek thought, ideas or philosophy are far away from the truth and to interpret scripture from this mind set will always lead to error.  The Greeks were a pagan people who had ideas about life, death and God that were completely wrong but yet most people today who claim to be Christian base their beliefs on this type of thinking and this has led to a multitude of false teachings.

Early in the primitive Catholic church an intense dislike developed for the Jewish people because they blamed the Jews for the death of Jesus and because of this they separated themselves from anything perceived to be Jewish and substituted their own Greek ideas for those that God gave to Israel. The oracles God gave to the Jews no longer had Jewish understanding but pagan Greek.  It is no wonder there are so many churches today all claiming to be Christian but teaching different doctrines.  The substitution of Greek thought to define Jewish thought  has produced Babylon.

If you desire to know the truth on any doctrine use the definition of words describing that doctrine from the old covenant writings, the oracles of God, as the truth from Genesis to Revelation will remain pure.  Truth never changes unless you change the way it is thought out and then it becomes a lie.  Greek plus Jewish will equal lie but Jewish plus Jewish will equal truth. Jesus was not a Greek but a Jew and if truth is to be revealed it will begin with the oracles of God.  An example of how Greek ideas changed the truth of the oracles of God is the false belief in the immortal soul that lives on after death in either heaven or hell.  This is a classic Greek idea of paganism that is in total opposition to the truth of the oracles of God and alien to Jewish thought.  If the oracles define what death is then that truth has not changed and is the same today as when it was written by the Holy prophets of God.

KJV Ecclesiastes 9:10
10.  Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.

KJV Psalms 146:4
 4.  His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish.

KJV Isaiah 38:18-19
 18.  For the grave cannot praise thee, death can not celebrate thee: they that go down into the pit cannot hope for thy truth.
 19.  The living, the living, he shall praise thee, as I do this day: the father to the children shall make known thy truth.

KJV John 3:13
 13.  And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.

The oracles plainly say that the dead are dead and have no life in any way, shape or form but Greek ideas changed this truth into a lie because Greek pagan beliefs in an after life entered and replaced Jewish thought.  Even the false idea of  life after death in heaven or hell is of Greek pagan belief and is totally against what the oracles teach about death.  Jesus taught that only by a resurrection from the dead can a man ever live again and this only because of belief in him as messiah and son of God.

KJV John 3:16
 16.  For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Notice one must believe in Jesus to not perish and to have everlasting life.  If you do not you will perish, die, cease to exist.
Everlasting life is a gift from God because of our belief in Jesus and we do not have this life by nature if it is a gift through faith.

KJV Romans 6:23
 23.  For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is everlasting life through Jesus Christ our Lord.


KJV John 4:10
 10.  Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.

Everlasting life, immortality or living forever is a promise of God to the saints that will be fulfilled when Jesus returns and resurrects the saints to immortality.


KJV 1 Corinthians 15:52-57
 52.  In a moment, in the twinkling of an
eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
 53.  For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.
 54.  So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.
 55.  O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?
 56.  The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.
 57.  But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

KJV 1 John 2:25
 25.  And this is the promise that he hath promised us, even everlasting life.

Do you see how Greek ideas have turned the truth of the oracles of God into a lie?  This is only one example, there are many more and in this blog I expose these lies and tell you the truth of the oracles of God.

The Baptism of Jesus

By

Lee

In Matthew 3 Verses 13 to 17 is the account of Jesus being baptized by John the Baptist.

Matthew 3:13    Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him.

This would be the symbol of the death and resurrection of Jesus into which we are baptized.

14 And John tried to prevent him saying, “I have need to be baptized by you and you are coming to me?”

John said he needed to be baptized so why would anyone else think baptism is not needed and John had the Holy Spirit from his mother’s womb. Luke 1:15     It is just like Cornelius, it does not matter if you have the Holy Spirit first you still need baptized.

15. But Jesus answered and said to him, “permit it to be so for now for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.”  Then he permitted him.

John understood what Jesus said and agreed to baptize Jesus.

Daniel 9:27 “to bring in everlasting righteousness”

16. Then Jesus when he had been baptized came up immediately from the water and behold the heavens were open to him and he

saw the spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon him.

Daniel 9:27 “to anoint the most holy”

17. And suddenly a voice came from heaven saying, “This is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased.”

To understand these verses we must ask the questions; who, what, where, when, how and why and depend upon God to answer them from the scripture.

First we know that Jesus was without sin and was unable to sin because God created Jesus righteous, Jesus was as righteous as God, and this is how when we see Jesus we see the Father.  Jesus had no need to be baptized for himself, which means he did this for another reason.  That reason Jesus told John, who first tried to prevent the baptism saying he had need that Jesus baptize him, was to fulfill all righteousness.  What could it mean to fulfill all righteousness?  Scripture says that through Jesus the saints become righteous.  Through our faith in Jesus as Gods son and messiah, we are accounted to be righteous just as Abrahams faith was accounted to him for righteousness. 

In the book of Romans chapter 4 the faith of Abraham is accounted by God as righteousness and Abraham is called the father of the faithful and we saints are all of the seed of Abraham through Jesus.

Romans 4:11 says that circumcision was given to Abraham as a sign, a seal of the righteousness of the faith he had, faith in God and a future messiah and son of God.  This seal or sign of circumcision is replaced in the new covenant by baptism and the baptism of Jesus was that act of replacement for all the ancient saints that had never been baptized.  We know that circumcision was done away in Christ who gave his flesh as the true sacrifice and not the flesh of the foreskins of men but until Christ came, circumcision was the seal God gave to Abraham.  Just as all Israel in 1 Corinthians 10:1-2 were baptized into Moses while passing under the cloud and through the sea all the saints both ancient and modern are baptized into Jesus.

Therefore, our righteousness and all righteousness was fulfilled by Jesus in the act of being baptized by John the Baptist.

 The saints who lived before Jesus like Noah, Abraham, Moses and David all knew of the messiah and the message of the gospel and looked forward in faith to the first advent but none of them were ever baptized in the name of Jesus Christ.

Luke 10:24 “For I tell you that many prophets and kings have desired to see what you see and have not seen it and to hear what you hear and have not heard it.”

While it is true all these ancient saints had the Holy Spirit, they were never baptized. 

A new covenant example of this is the story of the house of Cornelius that received the Holy Spirit first and then later baptized in the name of Jesus.  This happened to show the Apostles that God was calling the Gentiles into the faith as well as the Jews.  The ancient saints needed baptized in the name of Jesus and that God would confirm Jesus as His son and messiah. 

This confirmation from God is in verses 16 & 17 with the Holy Spirit anointing Jesus for his ministry as messiah and that Jesus was indeed the son of God by a voice from heaven.

David in Psalm 20:1-6 speaks of this future baptism of Jesus in Verse 2 the help from the sanctuary is the helper, the Holy Spirit.

Verse 3 your burnt sacrifice is your broken contrite heart that is to God a sacrifice.

Verse 4 God grants you the desire of your heart for where your heart is there your treasure will be also.

Verse 5 then we will rejoice in God and in His salvation and set up our banners or plant our flag in Him as He answers our petitions or prayers. 

Verse 6 God saved Jesus from the grave and set Jesus at His right hand. When Jesus was baptized by John God answered from His holy heaven with a voice saying, “This is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased.”  Jesus is the right hand of God the saving strength of us all. 

Verse 9 All the saints of the time before Jesus called to God to save them in the messiah they had faith in even though they knew Jesus would not be born in their lifetime. The King, the great God answered this psalm when God confirmed Jesus as messiah and His son at his baptism by John the Baptist.

And thus, it is as Jesus told John, “It is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.”

Physical circumcision was outward in the flesh before the time of Jesus and was a sign God gave to Abraham.

Matthew 11:13 “For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John.”

Jesus would fulfill all the prophecy about himself, the things of the law concerning him; the sign of circumcision ended at the baptism of Jesus, and baptism took its place.

A “sign” is like a promise, token or prelude to a future event that looks to fulfillment.  This sign of circumcision indicated Abraham’s faith in messiah and the gospel.  This sign of circumcision was fulfilled at the baptism of Jesus and Abraham’s faith was confirmed.

Romans 15:8 Now I say that Jesus Christ has become a servant to the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made to the Fathers.

Genesis 17:11 “And you shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskin and it shall be “sign” of the covenant between you and me.”

This was not the old covenant that God was talking about; it was the new covenant because God did not make the old covenant with Abraham or any of the Fathers.

Deuteronomy 5:3 “The Lord did not make this covenant with our Fathers but with us, those who are here today, all of us who are alive.”

Circumcision was a sign for the new covenant baptism of Jesus that fulfilled the faith and imputed righteousness of the saints before the new covenant began to be preached to the world and was not affected by the giving of the law as Paul says in Galatians 3:15-18.  

When Jesus was baptized, the new covenant great comission came into effect and circumcision since being fulfilled was done away and replaced with baptism in Jesus that is of the inner heart and not outward in the flesh.  It is now by the flesh of Jesus and not by a sign in the flesh of man.

God gave the new covenant to Abraham but because Jesus was not yet born and baptism not yet instituted God gave the sign of circumcision that would expire when Jesus would be baptized by John the Baptist. Romans 2:28-29 explains this fact. 

Baptism is to the new covenant as circumcision is to the old.  If you were not circumcised you could not enter the old covenant or keep the Passover and if not baptized could not enter the new covenant or keep the Passover of Jesus, see Mark 16:16.  Romans 4:11-12 states that baptism was a sign of the faith of Abraham that would apply to both circumcised and uncircumcised.

The cutting of the foreskin was replaced by the cutting of the heart, see Acts 2:37-38, these Jews were cut to the heart or circumcised in the heart and were ready to be baptized and receive the Holy Spirit. 

Romans 4:16  I will paraphrase; That the promise might be sure to all the seed----Jesus was baptized by John to fulfill all righteousness----not only to those under the law and circumcision but also to those of faith and baptism.

Jesus fulfilled all the law and once fulfilled it is no longer to be observed otherwise it would deny the fulfillment, the work of Christ. And this is why today we no longer circumcise we baptize.

If you are reading this paper baptism should become most important to you as it was with Jesus and John the Baptist and to honor the command of Jesus to be baptized in His name to receive all the promises God gave to Abraham, to become Abraham’s seed and heir to those promises.

FORGIVENESS

By

Coni

Matthew 6:12-15- In order for God to forgive you, you must be willing to forgive others.

Matthew 18:21-35- there is no limit to how many times God forgives us so there is no limit to how many times we forgive our brother.

Luke 17:3-4- The guilty party should ask or repent to receive forgiveness and each time we are to forgive.

Ephesians 4:32 – Forgiveness and mercy is to teach us something.

Colossians 3:13 this is repeated

John 20:23 – We are to become like Jesus who had power on Earth to forgive sins.  See Matthew 9:6 and 1 John 4:17 and Matthew 18:15-35.

God is willing to forgive if we ask and repent of our sins and we must accept that forgiveness putting the sin behind us and move forward.  Mercy and forgiveness are a function of Gods love extended to us.  Just as God will not forgive the unrepentant we cannot either, in this case their sins are retained.

In order to be forgiven, we also have to be willing to forgive others. Sometimes we will have to be willing to forgive repeatedly. There is no limit to the times we may have to forgive, we are in the world but not of the world and this is unfortunately they way things are. We always pray for forgiveness from the Lord, but we as individuals must be able to forgive others as well.

        On a personal level, as a converted person, when someone does wrong to you they must ask for your forgiveness, but if they do not ask you for your forgiveness, then we need to forgive them anyway because we are converted and wishing to be more like Christ. For instance when on the cross, Jesus said, “Forgive them Father, for they know not what they do”. We all do things and think things we need to ask the Lord forgiveness for and we need to forgive others whether they are converted or not. If we as individuals are truly trying to be more like God and Christ, we must behave like Christ, and forgive and forget the sins our transgressors. 

        Like Jesus, we have the power to forgive sins of others who ask for forgiveness. Being able to forgive is a learned trait for us; it takes practice and is always a work in progress, a development of character so to speak. We will need this character trait in the millennium, so we need to be willing to practice what we believe so that it becomes first nature to us.  Even now, we partake of the divine nature of God and of His son Jesus. 2 Peter 1:4 – “by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.”

God is creating us after His image and likeness and forgiveness is part of this process.

What is Life?

By

Lee

I was watching on the science channel a program called, “Through the Wormhole”, hosted by Morgan Freeman and it was about how we humans came to be.  The scientists approached life as the combination of certain elements, compounds and chemicals that under special conditions brought about life on Earth.  Over the years, science has attempted to reproduce those conditions to see if life would develop but it never has.  I realized that our modern science was looking for life in the wrong way and this because most of those involved in science would never consider the reality of what life is.  Science looks to the material and ignores all else with the focus being on matter and energy as though these things could produce life.  I rely on God for answers to the question of what life is, scripture reveals that human life, and all life is not in the body but in the spirit.  The Apostle James says that, “As the body without the spirit is dead so faith without works is also dead.” The book of Genesis says that all life forms including man are souls and that a soul is a living creature composed of two things, dust and spirit.  To study this fact you can read my article on this blog entitled, “Immortal Soul”.

This writing will deal with the source of life and using scripture give answers.  As James said the spirit is what gives life to the body for without the spirit the body is dead, has no life.  Modern science is attempting to answer the question by looking only at the matter from which our body was formed.  Our body is the dust of the ground just as Adams body was and when God first formed Adams body it had no life until God breathed into it the breath of life and then Adam became a living soul.  The breath of life is our human spirit and is what makes us alive, the spirit is life.  Science brings out the fact that our bodies are composed of elements, compounds and chemicals that make our flesh, hair, bones and blood and this agrees with scripture as our bodies were made from the dust of the ground.  This is the one-track mind of science that cannot accept anything that involves the idea of a creator God.  Science looks at the body as life not knowing that it is only an extension of life.  Your body is animated by your spirit and without the spirit; this animation will slow down or decay and eventually be devoid of any sign of life.  When the spirit departs the life force quickly fades and some functions fade faster than others, fingernails and hair may continue to grow after death but will eventually stop.  The body and spirit were designed to work in concert to make the complete human being but if the union of these two are broken this is called death.  In death, neither the body or the spirit will function and life completely ends, you cease to exist.  As long as science refuses to acknowledge God and spirit, they will never understand what life is and even if they did, could never find out life’s secrets because this is far beyond the ability of all but God.  In order to create life you would have to able to create spirit, matter of itself cannot have life.  That spirit part of us is how Adam and all of us are made after Gods image and likeness.  God is a spirit and man has a spirit but the spirit of man is far less than God so as to make man a shadow of his maker.  The words in the Hebrew for Image and likeness indicate a shadow, a phantom or poor quality copy and this is what we are compared to God.  The potential of man is to become “like” God and in His “image” in some way.  This is not to say that we will become Gods because Isaiah 43:10 dispels that notion but we are to be made similar to God is some ways.  Jesus was sent by God to us so that we could see God through Jesus.  Jesus was the fulfillment of what God is doing with man and we follow the example of Jesus and have the same destiny as Jesus.  God made us to exist as temporary mortal beings with a spirit that can only continue on forever if that spirit is in a body that can continue on forever.  This type of body is given to us only if we obey the message of the gospel and desire this change for ourselves.  We must come to know and understand Gods will for us and agree with it.  God has the power to put our human spirit that departed the fleshly body at death into a spiritual body at the resurrection when Jesus returns to Earth but until that time, we remain dead with no life of any kind.  This is the promise God gives to those who believe, everlasting life, a type of life that God and the angels have now.  The human spirit was created by God so that without a body, it cannot function in any way and this is why we need a new spiritual body in order to live forever.  This does not happen immediately after death but at the return of Jesus.  This is why it is the spirit that is the part of us that gives life to our mortal bodies now as well as to the spirit bodies we will receive.  Life is spirit and not matter or energy in some chemical compound and only God can create life.  God is called in scripture, “The Father of Spirits”, and weather we are a flesh being or spirit being God will always remain our Father. 

Are We Alone?

By

Lee

Time did not exist until the fourth day of what is called creation week. (Genesis 1:14-19) On the fourth day, God created the sun, moon, stars and other planets for days, month’s, seasons, signs and years.  This is when time, as we know it came to be. (Genesis 1:26-31) Adam was created on the 6^th day and lived until age 930, this means that only 24 hours or so had passed from the creation of time along with other planets until the creation of Adam.  If any other alien intelligent life exists, it could be no older than humanity and this would mean that technological advancement would have been similar and the aliens along with us would be incapable of interstellar travel.  The bible never mentions the existence of life on other planets and is concerned with humanity only.  You would think that if God created alien life salvation would have been offered to them as well.  (Revelation 21:6-7) In Revelation, when all of God’s purpose and will is completed, not only is there no mention of aliens being there but the physical heavens and Earth are burned up and replaced with a new heaven and Earth. (Revelation 21:1) & (2 Peter 3:10-13)  Would God destroy perhaps trillions of aliens if they existed and deny them salvation?  The answer is no.  This means we are alone and there are no aliens.  The physical universe of the heavens was created by God to prove God exists, (Psalm 19:1),  to inspire awe of God in the hearts of men and provide a celestrial clock. The only possible explanation for UFO and alien encounters are; natural phenomenon, demonic activity, human activity or lies told to gain attention.  The only intelligent life that exists is God, Jesus, the angels and humanity and in that sense we are not alone.

Thoughts

By

Lee

KJV Philippians 2:5-6

 5.  Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:

 6.  Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:

I gather from this scripture that I am to have the same mind Jesus did, the mind of God, to be equal to God in some way. The mind and the will are the same thing.

KJV John 5:30

 30.  I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me.

Here Jesus said that he could do nothing but Gods will or Gods mind.

KJV John 5:23

23.  That all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent him.

Jesus and God have the same will, the same mind and we should honor the Son as we honor the Father.  To say that Jesus was capable of sin is to dishonor him and his Father.  Even though Jesus was a created being, God created Jesus with His will and His mind.  The quality of God of being unable to sin was also in Christ Jesus.

While Jesus was not omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent or eternal he was unable to sin and it is in this thing that Jesus was the image of the invisible God, the express image of His person, the brightness of His glory and that in Jesus was all the fullness of God in bodily form.

It is our thoughts that make us who we are and Gods thoughts that make God who He is.  Our thoughts must become His thoughts and His ways our ways.

KJV Psalms 139:23-24

 23.  Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts:

 24.  And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

David knew his thoughts could be sin.

KJV Proverbs 16:3

 3.  Commit thy works unto the Lord, and thy thoughts shall be established.

God has the power to establish your thoughts if you submit to His will.

KJV Isaiah 55:7

 7.  Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.

KJV Matthew 15:19-20

 19.  For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies:

 20.  These are the things which defile a man: but to eat with unwashen hands defileth not a man.

Jesus brings out the true cause of sin and it is our thoughts.

KJV Mark 7:21-23

 21.  For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders,

 22.  Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness:

 23.  All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.

Our minds, our thoughts are what defile us. Jesus did not have a mind with evil thoughts and his mind was like Gods in this way. Jesus was like God in that he could not sin.

KJV Romans 2:15

15.  Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness,and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another;)

The law could not address the thoughts and intents of the heart, the true place of our sins. By the Holy Spirit God begins to transform our minds to be like the mind of Christ that was equal to God.

KJV Hebrews 4:12

12.  For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

This is how God will truly judge humanity.

KJV Genesis 6:5

 5.  And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.

The evil thoughts of our minds, our hearts needs and inner cleansing by the Spirit of God.

KJV 1 Chronicles 28:9

 9.  And thou, Solomon my son, know thou the God of thy father, and serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind: for the Lord searcheth all hearts, and understandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts: if thou seek him, he will be found of thee; but if thou forsake him, he will cast thee off for ever.

I know that some teach that Jesus could have sinned and I believe this to be because they use the temptation angle to try to prove that Jesus is not God.  This issue about temptation, cannot be used to prove Jesus was not God. This is because in the matter of temptation Jesus was exactly like his Father.

KJV James 1:13

 13.  Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man:

KJV John 5:17-18

17.  But Jesus answered them, My Father worketh hitherto, and I work.

 18.  Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only had broken the sabbath, but said also that God was his Father, making himself equal with God.

KJV Philippians 2:5-6

 5.  Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:

 6.  Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:

Jesus could not have sinned any more than God could sin because they had the same nature, will or mind.  In this Jesus was equal to God.

KJV John 5:19-20

 19.  Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise.(Jesus could only have sinned if God could sin)

 20.  For the Father loveth the Son, and sheweth him all things that himself doeth: and he will shew him greater works than these, that ye may marvel.

Consider that God gave a testimony about His son long before Jesus was born by the words of the prophets and Jesus knew these words. Jesus knew that he was going to rule the kingdom of God, he told Pilate,

KJV John 18:37

 37.  Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice.

What this means is that Jesus knew that he would never sin and could not sin.

Consider also that if Jesus could have sinned on Earth what

would prevent him from sinning in heaven?  If Jesus is the same now in mind as he was when on Earth and it was possible for him to sin then perhaps God had better keep an eye on him.

KJV Hebrews 13:8

 8.  Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.

God has no need to be concerned about Jesus because God created Jesus like Himself. Did not God say, “let us make man after our image and according to our likeness.”  Adam did not fulfill this, Jesus did.  There are many other ways to prove Jesus is not God but when it comes to the temptation way it will not work. 

Satan is the absolute master of temptation; after all, he tempted many angels to rebel against God. Remember that angels have seen the face of God and experienced the most high in all of His glory and yet they still sinned. Jesus went head to head with him and defeated him never once wavering. 

It has been said that if Jesus could not have sinned that the temptation would have been a farce, I will address that claim with my own thoughts and with scripture.

Since I was converted and came out of the law I learned the lesson of the schoolmaster, that lesson being that try as I may I could never keep the law because I always sinned.  Now that I have arrived and am with Jesus I find a teaching that says the Messiah I love had the ability to sin the same as me.  My desire is to become unable to sin to be like God and my hope to achieve that is the resurrection.

KJV 1 Corinthians 15:52-57

 52.  In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

 53.  For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.

 54.  So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.

 55.  O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?

 56.  The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.

 57.  But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

My understanding is that at the resurrection not only will I put on immortality but also be made incorruptible or unable to sin.  Sin was the problem that caused my death and I need to be changed so that I do not die.

This victory comes from God through Jesus Christ.  If I achieve this incorruption it had to have been made possible by a man who had been incorruptible, unable to sin.  When I sin today I know the blood of an incorruptible messiah can cover that sin so that I have the hope of some day becoming like him when he was on this Earth.  This knowledge provides me with great confidence and is proof from God to me that God is able to do for me what he did in the man Jesus.  This in no way diminishes Jesus being able to sympathize with us in our weakness but rather shows that he and the Father provided us with the hope of being raised in power.

KJV 1 Corinthians 15:43

 43.  It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power:

I am yet weak because I still sin and need forgiveness and these sins   cause me to hate this life of flesh and yearn for the change to come.

KJV John 12:25

 25.  He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life everlasting.

If Jesus was a potential sinner he could not provide for me what he himself did not have. I would always be a potential sinner just like Jesus, never truly being free from sin, unable to sin and become like my Father who cannot sin.  The only two potential sinners that ever lived were Adam and Eve and they became sin as all of their children are, we do not have sin we are sin.  Our human spirit, our mind and thoughts are sin and this is what defiles us and what we need saved from.

KJV Romans 6:22

 22.  But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life.

I am kept free from sin by the blood of Jesus looking to have my nature of sin changed to righteousness and holiness at the resurrection to everlasting life. I will never be completely free from sin until this change comes that is possible through God and Christ. At this time I have partaken of the nature of God only in part by the measure of His Spirit that I have been given but hope to put on the stature and fullness of Jesus when that change comes. I still sin but I know that will end when Jesus returns because then I will be like him and his Father, unable to sin.

This is not a farce but a living hope by which we draw close to God.

KJV Hebrews 7:19

19.  For the law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better hope did; by the which we draw nigh unto God.