Preach Jesus, and if necessary use words.
- St. Francis of Assisi
Few appreciate the true extent of the Bible's conditionality. Even the angelic Annunciation to Shepherds heralding God's greatest gift of His only begotten Son to mankind had a specific target audience in mind, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”
Scripture is full of "great and precious promises" some estimating the number to exceed a thousand. The Bible is also replete with twice as many commands and conditions. Sadly, most of modern Christianity is mistakenly taught to focus on the former to the near exclusion of the latter. In what may prove an unfortunate revelation for billions, Scripture repeatedly warns that God's promises can only be appropriated through Christ's costly atonement as demonstrated by living faith, primarily evidenced in obedience and the service of others.
For millions, if not billions of modern believers, the idea that the faithful and loving, merciful and forgiving God of the New Testament offers gifts with strings attached seems offensive and absurd. After all, Scripture clearly states:
- "This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. God didn't go to all the trouble of sending his Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again." John 3:16-17 The Message
- "Anyone who trusts in him is acquitted; anyone who refuses to trust him has long since been under the death sentence without knowing it. And why? Because of that person's failure to believe in the one-of-a-kind Son of God when introduced to him." John 3:18 The Message
- "This is the crisis we're in: God-light streamed into the world, but men and women everywhere ran for the darkness. They went for the darkness because they were not really interested in pleasing God. Everyone who makes a practice of doing evil, addicted to denial and illusion, hates God-light and won't come near it, fearing a painful exposure. But anyone working and living in truth and reality welcomes God-light so the work can be seen for the God-work it is." John 3:19-21 The Message
“My soul magnifies the Lord,
And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.
For He has regarded the lowly state of His maidservant;
For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed.
For He who is mighty has done great things for me,
And holy is His name.
And His mercy is on those who fear Him
From generation to generation.
He has shown strength with His arm;
He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.
He has put down the mighty from their thrones,
And exalted the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things,
And the rich He has sent away empty.
He has helped His servant Israel,
In remembrance of His mercy,
As He spoke to our fathers,
To Abraham and to his seed forever.”
Again, as with John 3:16, in the first of his Love Epistles, the apostle John who arguably had been given the greatest revelation of the love of God, revisits the conditionality and responsibility of receiving such a priceless gift:
- "Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. The one who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous. The one who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work. No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in them; they cannot go on sinning, because they have been born of God. This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not God’s child, nor is anyone who does not love their brother and sister." 1 John 3:7-10 NIV
- "A journalist of Time Magazine has described John 3:16 as "one of the most famous and well-known Bible verses. It has been called the 'Gospel in a nutshell' because it is considered a summary of the central doctrines of Christianity."[4] The verb translated "loved" in this verse is ἠγάπησεν (ēgapēsen), past tense of "agapaō". 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.—John 3:16, KJV. Agape received a broader usage under later Christian writers as the word that specifically denoted "Christian" love or "charity" (1 Corinthians 13:1–8), or even God himself (1 John 4:8, ὁ θεὸς ἀγάπη ἐστίν, "God is Love"). The term agape is rarely used in ancient manuscripts, but was used by the early Christians to refer to the self-sacrificing love of God for humanity, which they were committed to reciprocating and practicing towards God and among one another (also see kenosis). When 1 John 4:8 says "God is love," the Greek New Testament uses the word agape to describe God's love. Agape has been expounded on by many Christian writers in a specifically Christian context. C. S. Lewis, in his book The Four Loves, used agape to describe what he believed was the highest level of love known to humanity – a selfless love, a love that was passionately committed to the well-being of the other."
- "Peter fairly exploded with his good news: "It's God's own truth, nothing could be plainer: God plays no favorites! It makes no difference who you are or where you're from—if you want God and are ready to do as he says, the door is open. The Message he sent to the children of Israel—that through Jesus Christ everything is being put together again—well, he's doing it everywhere, among everyone." Acts 10:34-36 The Message
Wikipedia, along with much of the church recognizes the famous John 3:16 passage as the keynote Scripture denoting the love of God. Yet as already demonstrated this very passage introduces at least two conditions to be a recipient of the free and priceless gift of salvation:
- Faith: "Anyone who trusts in him is acquitted..." The requirement of what Scripture calls living faith.
- Obedience: "Anyone working and living in truth and reality..." The requirement of obedience or walking "in the light as He is in the light."
In other words, seeing that "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" none other than Jesus could have accomplished redemption, without which mankind would be utterly lost for eternity. Christ, as both the door and ark of salvation, decides who is and is not fit to enter as seen in a myriad of passages including the Rich Man and Lazarus (the only conversation recorded in the Bible between human beings in the afterlife), Sheep and The Goats (humanity's apportionment to either heaven or hell), and Ten Virgins (one terrible parable where unprepared believers are lost). This truth is also reinforced by Jesus in His teachings on the importance of the fear of God and His judging the seven churches of Revelation.
Stumbling Stone
For the 1st Century, the message that the very Jesus whom both the Jews and Gentiles had rejected and crucified should be the resurrected Messiah and Christ seemed ludicrous:
- "While Jews clamor for miraculous demonstrations and Greeks go in for philosophical wisdom, we go right on proclaiming Christ, the Crucified. Jews treat this like an anti-miracle—and Greeks pass it off as absurd. But to us who are personally called by God himself—both Jews and Greeks—Christ is God's ultimate miracle and wisdom all wrapped up in one." 1 Corinthians 1:22-24 The Message
- "Look! I'm setting a stone in Zion, a cornerstone in the place of honor. Whoever trusts in this stone as a foundation will never have cause to regret it. To you who trust him, he's a Stone to be proud of, but to those who refuse to trust him, The stone the workmen threw out is now the chief foundation stone. For the untrusting it's a stone to trip over, a boulder blocking the way. They trip and fall because they refuse to obey, just as predicted." I Peter 2:5-8 The Message
A simple example of two should suffice to clear up any lingering doubt that a free gift can and actually always is conditional. I was once the administrator for a Christian drug rehabilitation ministry - prison pre-release program housing nearly 40 men. A major grocery retailer would semi-annually donate several thousand dollars worth of groceries to the ministry. Was this a free gift? Of course, the cost to us was zero. Was the gift conditional? Of course. Just a few of the conditions included the following:
• We had developed a ministry the chain was interested in assisting.
• We had to pick up the groceries.
• We had to do so during regular business hours.
• We had to provide them with a tax donation receipt.
• We had to use the donation in the manner in which it was intended.
While the donation was free, it clearly was not unconditional.
Many contest the simple fact all gifts, free or not, are conditional. Some quote Christ's assurance that God sends his sunlight on the just and the unjust:
- "But I say: Love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! In that way you will be acting as true sons of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust too. If you love only those who love you, what good is that? Even scoundrels do that much." Matthew 5:44-46 Living Bible
Or what of the air we breath? Is this not a gift of a loving Intelligent Designer without condition?
The above examples, while free and vital gifts all too often under appreciated again are clearly conditional. Our Universe, Galaxy, Solar System and planet abound with fine tuned conditions important us all. Obviously we did nothing to create or merit these circumstances. Yet many conditions exist if we are to avail ourselves of even such universal gifts as sunlight and oxygen. These include:
- Not starring into the sun.
- Not living where sunlight is absent.
- Opening one's eyes.
- Not being immersed in water.
- Not committing suicide.
- Wisely limiting dangerous activities that might cause death. War, gang violence, criminal activities, extreme sports etc... can cause comas and advance medical situations and/or death limiting/and or ending usage.
- Protecting one's health from unnecessary harm. Example: smoking often causes emphysema requiring continual oxygen supplement.
- Spiritual development. Without which these "gifts" will have produced more harm than good (an eternity in flaming hellish conditions). This warning was the original intent of Jesus' statement.
Sadly most modern believers would rather simply embrace the concept of “peace, peace” even “when there is no peace” than diligent discern the difference between the story we tell ourselves and the hard truth of Scripture. This long standing tradition among the people of God is warned against by such notables as Ezekiel and Jeremiah:
- “Because they lead my people astray, saying, “Peace,” when there is no peace, and because, when a flimsy wall is built, they cover it with whitewash…” Ezekiel 13:10 NIV
- “Everyone’s after the dishonest dollar, little people and big people alike. Prophets and priests and everyone in between twist words and doctor truth. My people are broken—shattered!—and they put on Band-Aids, Saying, ‘It’s not so bad. You’ll be just fine.’ But things are not ‘just fine’! Do you suppose they are embarrassed over this outrage? No, they have no shame. They don’t even know how to blush. There’s no hope for them. They’ve hit bottom and there’s no getting up. As far as I’m concerned, they’re finished. God has spoken.” Jeremiah 6:13-15 MSG
The current permissive mindset is the result of Churchianity being caught in the dangerous riptide of the original sin of entitlement popularized by various forms of Me-ism. Billions have and continue to reason that surely modern Christians enjoy favor and forgiveness through the love and mercy of God, not to mention the costly atonement of Christ. While having a ring of truth, such a vast over simplification of Scripture omits the clear and concise instruction of at least half the Old and New Testaments, including such unpopular topics as conditional salvation and additions to faith, presumption and the fear of God to name just a few.
Having stated the case for universality of free-conditional gifts, it's seems unfortunate that modern Christianity should continue to stumble from an overemphasis on the mercy and love of God while underemphasizing Omnity's holiness and justice. What remains to be seen is to what extent are we falling or fallen and what should be done? When comparing Churchianity's doctrine and practice to that of Biblical Christianity, are we in need of renewal, revival or reformation?
Though evidence abounds that much is amiss, few realize the gravity of the situation. To a great extent this is an unfortunate result of the overwhelming blessings we enjoy and the amazing tools at our disposal. In the last century technology has not only shortened the average work day but work week as well, all the while lavishing on Westerners unprecedented wealth of various kinds. Part of this "wealth" are previously unseen resources so abundant and powerful that the entire nature of nearly everything has changed.
While such progress should only be used to enrich mankind, too often the result has been the opposite. Why? With so much at our disposal and so many changes for the better? What few realize or fully appreciate is the Bible's insistence that mankind is not alone. The overall context of Scripture reveals the temptations and deception of an Evil One and his minions successfully targeting fallen mankind's proclivity towards sin and entitlement. The Bible's overview of the history of eternity reveals an amazing Adversary and Accuser capable of inciting as many as a third of heaven's ancient, holy and glorious angels into rebellion. Such a one, identified in Scripture as both the god of this age and the prince and power of the air, has and continues to find deceiving even God's anointed on earth of little difficulty.
Oddly, while computers make all the above assertions easily validated by Scripture few care to take notice. A chief reason for this, perhaps second only to the inertia of the faulty belief system Churchianity has spread over the globe, is the pandora's box such an admission would open. Nearly the entire Church drinks from the cup of "God's unconditional love." Sermons and Sunday school classes, worship choruses and the Christian music industry would all have to be scrutinized and retooled. Scriptures that clearly state free and conditional salvation would have to be integrated.
Nearly half the Bible, those verses ignored, repressed or misinterpreted would have to be re-worked. Worse still, lifestyles of nearly every believer would need to be addressed putting many personal freedoms at risk.. TV, movies, music, sports, drinking, drugs, pornography, sex, marriage, abortion etc. all would need to be revisited.
Scriptures would need to be studied and memorized once more. Today the average Christian can hardly quote 10 or less Bible verses in a row. Frequently less than 5 if Psalms 23 and the Lord's Prayer are omitted. Finally, a very good excuses would need to be developed as to why men and women of God have been teaching for decades doctrines that have led to our present ruinous state.
The above would be nothing short of religious and social pandemonium requiring a global level of Bible study and prayer, brokeness and seeking of God yet unseen. In other words, reformation marked by an unprecedented pre-revial repentance and Pentecostal outpouring unique in human history... Sounds just like the kind of prophetic advice and sacred assembly that The Doctor ordered.
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