A Partial Allegory
1 Timothy 2:1-7 ESV
First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time. For this I was appointed a preacher and an apostle (I am telling the truth, I am not lying), a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.
Our Salvation
Purchased
God had purchased our salvation from sin, via his Son Jesus
Christ’s death on a cross. Through Jesus’ blood, shed on a cross for our sins,
Jesus, who became sin for us on that cross, put sin to death. And through his
death, he opened the way for us to come to God in faith, in order that we, who
believe on him, might be delivered from our bondage to sin, and so that we
might have eternal life with God and entry into his eternal kingdom.
Then God presented his plan of salvation to people (to
humankind). He told them that, although this was his free gift to mankind, it
was going to cost them something. It was going to cost them their lives (Rom.
6:1-23).
Yes, Jesus took our place on that cross so that we would not
have to face the penalty of sin, which is spiritual death and eternal
damnation, and so we could be restored to God, and have eternal life with him.
Nonetheless, the free gift of eternal life, which was bought for us on that
cross, is freedom from our slavery to sin and freedom to walk righteously before
God.
So, what that means for us is that, because of what Jesus
did for us on that cross, we can now die with him to sin and live with him to
righteousness, all in his power and strength within us, for this is why he died
(1 Pet. 2:24).
The Argument
But, then someone, who had desired God’s salvation from sin,
when told how much it was going to cost him, got very upset with God. For, he
had come to believe that faith in Jesus Christ and salvation from sin was going
to cost him very little. It was not his understanding that he was going to have
to die to his sin and to self, and that salvation from sin meant that he would
now be required of God to walk in holiness and righteousness in the power of God’s
Spirit living within him (Lu. 9:23-25; Rom. 8:1-17).
He thought his salvation was a free ride to heaven in the
sense that he could still live however he wanted to live, but that now God’s
grace covered (concealed) it all from sight, so that he was free from the guilt
of his sin. But, he underestimated the cost of following Jesus. So, he was
defeated by his sin rather than freed from his sin, because he felt he had the
freedom to continue in his sinful addictions, and all because of God’s grace,
he thought.
But, Jesus paid much too high a price for our freedom from
sin to have our souls “just stirred at times, yet never truly changed.” He
deserves “a fiery love that won’t ignore” his sacrifice, because He “paid much
too high a price” for our freedom from sin (1).
Thus, because of what Jesus did for us, we owe him our very
lives! For, in his death, too, he bought us back for God that we might become
the righteousness of God and his very own possession (2 Co. 5:21).
The person, still in discussion with God about his
salvation, though, was horrified (shocked) to hear that he must give up his
life to follow Jesus Christ in order to have eternal life with God. It was
almost as though he had just discovered that someone had died, but someone had.
He had, but not to sin, but in his sins, because he refused to believe in Jesus
Christ and to deny self and sin, and to follow Jesus Christ in obedience to his
commands.
So, this person began to attack God’s message of salvation,
and he attempted to bring it into disrepute. And, he began to attack God’s
messengers, too, who were bringing to him the message of salvation from his
sin. He tried to demonize them and to discredit them and their message in hopes
that no one would listen to them. And, this was partly to justify his own
sinful addictions, too.
And, then he surrounded himself with people who would support
him and his stance, and who would help justify his continuance in addiction to
sin, and who would join him in attacking the true gospel and its messengers,
too. He surrounded himself with others, like him, who would proclaim that God
requires nothing of us other than some ambiguous “faith” for our salvation from
sin; who would declare that Jesus requires no sacrifice on our part, no death
to sin, no living to righteousness, and no submission to Christ as Lord.
The Evidence
But, Jesus didn’t give us a free pass to keep on in willful
defiance to his commands. He didn’t cover our sins in the sense of concealing
our secret sins, allowing us to continue in sinful practices while his grace
hides our secret sins from public view. His free pass is a pass from death to
life via death to sin and living to righteousness, all in his power and
strength, and via us owning up to our sin, forsaking it, and following him in
obedience.
As well, if we are truly following Jesus Christ with our lives,
there should be evidence to demand a verdict of “saved from sin.” The fruit of
our lives should reveal lives which are committed to Christ, to walking in
obedience to him, in surrender to his will for our lives.
This is not saying we have to be perfect or that we will
never fail, but the evidence should be there to reveal a life that is crucified
with Christ in death to sin, and that has been resurrected with him to newness
of life, focused on Jesus, obeying him, too.
But, we don’t do this in our own strength or willpower. We
cannot do this in our own flesh. That is why Jesus had to die, because we, as
humans, were not able to be perfect. We were not able to be saved from our sins
by keeping the law. So, Jesus’ sacrifice for our sins also provided for us the
Holy Spirit to indwell us, to empower us, and to strengthen us to walk in
holiness and righteousness. Even the faith to believe in Jesus Christ and
repentance are gifts from God and divinely persuaded of God.
So, this is not works-based salvation, as some would have
you believe. For, this is not us trying to earn or to deserve our own salvation
from sin via good works. This is us, in God’s power and wisdom and strength,
doing the good works he prepared in advance that we should do, that we should
walk in them (Eph. 2:8-10).
Testing the Spirits
So, we need to test the spirits to see if they are of God,
and not believe everything we hear people say. For many out there are leading
people astray from pure faith in Jesus Christ, and in doing so, they are
leading them straight to hell thinking that they have the promise of eternal
life with God.
So, we should examine what we hear, and from whom we hear
it, and check out the evidence, the fruit of people’s lives to see if what they
are saying and what they are living is in agreement with each other.
For example, many of our government leaders in the USA, and
many of our church leaders, too, are promoting this cheap grace gospel which
demands no death to sin or living to righteousness, because they are, in
reality, working for Satan, and thus they are leading the way for the rule of
the beast and his one world religion.
And, that begins by first convincing people that Jesus didn’t
mean what he said when he said that we must repent of our sins, die daily to
sin and self, and follow him in surrender and obedience.
So, we should watch the lives of our leaders in government,
and in the church, and we should examine the fruit in their lives, the words
they say, their actions, and the decisions that they make. We should observe
their lifestyles, their attitudes, and the things they stand for and are
involved in, too. For, we can’t always take people at face value for who they
say they are, for there are many liars and deceivers out there in sheep’s
clothing.
For instance, many of our government and church leaders,
i.e. these wolves in sheep’s clothing, pretend outwardly that they are working
for us, and that they have our best interests in mind, while secretly they are
plotting how to take us down and how to destroy us and the gospel of our
salvation, too. Yet, if we pay attention, and we are spiritually discerning, we
will see that they are telling us the truth about what they are actually doing,
but it is hidden in plain sight.
They have an agenda, and it is called “Agenda 21,” and it is
to bring the entire world under the rule of this beast, i.e. this one world
totalitarian government, and to bring us in unity under a one world religion.
And, this agenda is in the works, and we can see it being played out in the
actions of many of our government and church leaders in the world today. And,
the plan, too, is to persecute and put to death those who are still preaching
the true gospel of our salvation and its message, too.
So, if we are going to pray for our leaders, and for all
people, we need to understand that this is what is going on right now in our
world and in much of the church here in America, too.
The gospel and its messengers are under severe attack, and a
replacement gospel is being accepted far and wide as the true gospel. Our
leaders in government are not for the people, but they are for this rule of the
beast, and that is where all this is headed. So, we need to pray for the truth
to be revealed to all people, and for many to be saved from their sins before
our Lord returns for his people and to judge the people of this earth.
He
Lifted Our Burdens
An
Original Work / February 15, 2014
Based
off Isaiah 9:2-7
People walk in darkness.
They abide in their sin.
It has power o’er them.
True belief escapes them.
Jesus Christ came to save them.
He gave His life up for them;
Crucified; died for our sin,
So we might be forgiven,
And have life up in heaven.
Many come to know Him.
God’s love now o’erflows them.
They rejoice in vict’ry.
Their sin is but hist’ry.
We were once bound in slav’ry.
Jesus lifted our burdens;
Set us now free from Satan,
So we now walk in freedom.
Sin has no more dominion.
Praise be to our Savior!
He showed us His favor.
He took all our burdens;
Cast them all upon Him.
He is our mediator;
The Light which shines in darkness.
Counselor in our troubles;
He gives peace now in our hearts;
Joy which is everlasting.
Thursday, March 28, 2019
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