1 Peter 5:7 says that we should cast all our cares on Him because He cares for us. Several passages in Psalms discuss God's compassion and or mercy. Romans 9:15 states that He will have mercy on whom He will have mercy; and compassion on whom He will have compassion. Ultimately; of course that involves those who come to saving faith in Christ; but of course for now it rains on the just and the unjust. ( Matthew 5:45). Luke 18:38 shows how Bartimaeus asked for mercy and Christ healed his blindness.
According to Lamentations 3:22 his compassions they fail not; and that is due to His mercy that we are not consumed. The theme there is the destruction of the Babylonians with the horrible famine in particular focus. This verse could be taken as physical survival of the ordeal but also spiritual preservation of the soul. God always preserves a remnant; and God honors His covenants and that is through the remnant that is purged in various trials.
God's Attributes: Covenants
I have discussed covenants in particular focus on the marriage covenant in previous posts. I have given at least an outline of the (imlied) covenant with Adam and the first one in scripture regarding the rainbow and God preserving the world from another global flood; the Abrahamic Covenant; the Mosaic Covenant; and finally the new covenant that Christ has given His people under the blood and how it is even more stringent with thoughts and intentions than the previous one (see Matthew 5:20 on exceeding the righteousness of the Pharisees). I will reinforce the fact that except for the abrogation of the Old Covenant in terms of the law and righeousness for the New under Christ; covenants in God's eyes are eternal; or at least as far as the terms made between men and God or even between men as to the length (in marriage it is until "death do us part" which fits in with 1 Corinthians 7:39.) We are not to take a vow flippantly ( Ecc. 5:4-6).
"And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground," and (God) "breathed into his nostrils."
The life of man gets a booster shot as it were, a familiar phrase in the post-Pandemic times. This life must explain the nature of soul. Since he is unseen we call him the inner man. In order to understand the nature of a living soul we need the following verse to help us along the way..
In v.7 the Spirit gives us two actions upon the man which have a bearing on the third and it is with regards to his context with the ground. This is the spiritual space that every man carries about him. It is thus Jacob sensed the gate of heaven from his own feelings. What caused him a dread? "And Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and he said, Surely the Lord is in this place; and I knew it not./And he was afraid, and said, How dreadful is this place! this is none other but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven. "(Ge.28:16-17). God revealed a vignette of images to him in a dream while he is asleep. He is spot on and the Spirit wants us to have a good grasp of our own native soil where the heart serves as a door and there is a gate opening which is heaven!
Like Adam arising from 'his deep sleep' and full well understands the identity of Eve we have the Spirit giving us the faculty of precognition. This is the spiritual twin of the cellular communication which is part of biology. What is knowable of God is an inextricable part of man whether he cares to admit or not. "What shall a man give in exchange for his soul?"(Matt.16:26) As the Psalmist would say, " I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well." And that my soul knoweth well is what we are discussing here.
Who but a fool will sell his soul out for 'other man's riches." Prosperity theology is for the damned.
The psalmist asks, "or whither shall I flee from thy presence?"(Ps.139:7-10, 14).
I think it is fine for us to do this together. You can identify the attribute that comes to your mind, and I can do what comes my mind for the same letter. It would be good to get both insights since this is such an important matter.
I once led jr. high Sunday school and had the kids brainstorm aspects of God's character a-z and then had partners pick use concordance and bible to find Scripture that spoke about what is said about that aspect. Then they shared out by reading the Scripture.
The intention was for them to learn more about God's nature and revere Him and to learn to use a concordance to find things in Scripture
So, I am glad to collaborate with you on this stream. It is always good to remind ourselves on the greatness of God in a wide and true view of His nature.
For letter "C" I think of His CREATIVITY
He created all this, visible and invisible, all from nothing but His Word and Power. He created physical matter with it's atoms and the protons, electrons and neutrons that make up the atom. He also created the energy that causes atoms to work. He created the life of every living thing. Life comes only from His Being because He is the Life's source.
He caused the planets to form and stars/suns to give off life, being constant burning of gases that emit light and heat. He created moons to reflect light from the suns. The vastness of the universe is mind boggling for us. The way the solar systems have organization, magnetic and gravitation pull on planets to revolve around the sun. The way forces keep solar systems stable is amazing.
The diversity of life on this planet is astounding. I was just watching two spiders in my yard where one smaller and a different species) attached the larger one in the web and prevailed. To see how the larger one continued to fight for life even when disabled by the smaller one showed me how God put this survival instinct into living creatures. Life is precious and worth living.
Maybe you should do every other study or certain letters as it is clear you have more detailed scriptural insight and such into these matters. Certain themes tend to overlap such as wrath; anger; indignation; etc. or love; compassion; mercy and the like. (As a sidenote I could do "X" ray vision or with His "stripes" we are healed like a zebra.) My foresight and planning are nil as you can probably tell although I think fast and type quickly so maybe I am able to camoflauge those weaknesses. Since my organization is lacking I will take any suggestions on your part on what is lacking.
As to the subject I discussed in my last letter; I just received an email from someone on another video on divorce and remarriage where I was able to talk about some more stuff in detail. Maybe that's an answered prayer it was from something I posted weeks or maybe over a month ago. I should say that there is obvious blessings in those who are in godly marriages and it is noteable in the raising of children; as well as prayers that are answered. In general we can't claim anything from the Lord if there is deliberate sin in our lives; which also gives Satan and his demons legal access to our minds. Staying in fellowship where there is doctrinal truth preached is vital; just as it is destructive to continue where lies are taught. Society has made something honorable in God's sight to be looked down upon as boring or whatever. Good is evil and vice versa in our society.
Maybe I'll get into that with the goodness of God if I get that far.
Agape; thanks as ever for your prolific responses although hope you aren't my only audience...
"for the Lord God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was not a man to till the ground./ But there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground."
Rain is a concrete image of divine favor which is in the sense the man in charge of the four Hebrew children made an exception in their case at the risk of his own head. "Now God had brought Daniel into favour and tender love with the prince of the eunuchs."Similarly those midwives found favor since they defied the edict of the Pharaoh. (Dan.1:9; Ex.1:20) What is man that God is mindful of him? When we consider favor it is thus we have been earmarked for blessings in his Son. We have been brought into tender love because of his Son. "What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?"(Ps.8:4) Mist stands for the spirit of Christ which explains his Son in human likeness. God formed man of the dust of the ground which is from within.
"And the Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed." (v.8) Adam was chosen in His son for all the spiritual blessings. Adam consequently is His workmanship, and God put him there for a purpose."For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them."(Ep.2:10). Is our religion merely Jesus talk and our walk 50-50? Be not deceived we carry about a world where both worlds are there to keep us preserve. Remember the cherubs guarding the tree of life, "Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life."(Ge.3:24) The Spirit has given us the significance of Mahanaim and iif it is what Jacob as the heir of promise had about him it is true for us. By the same token we ought to pay heed,"Loose the four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates./... which were prepared for an hour,(Re.9:14-15)
please remember me and my family in your prayers today , remember brother Bibleman and sister Gigi in your prayer and everyone else of the Prayer Warriors who pray for our needs , may the Lord bless you all
"And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul."
The Spirit of God moving upon the face of the waters also garnished the sky. What Job says about it does not contradict the ch.1:2. "By his spirit he hath garnished the heavens; his hand hath formed the crooked serpent."( Job 26:13).The crooked serpent is of same weight as the tree of knowledge of good and evil, a point which we discussed earlier. God is a Spirit and his kingdom rules over all. (Ps.103:19) When God said Let there be light, the stars did not evolve willy-nilly by some strange series of coincidences but by the word of God. "By the word of the LORD were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth." So what holds the dust, water vapor, the stars and the moon together? Is it not Jesus Christ the word become flesh?
"So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them./And God blessed them." God made man as His steward for the reason of the homogeneity that the word could create out of the two worlds. They are framed by the word of God and faith is what holds man and his world. Jesus Christ as the firstborn of His creation,
We shall see from what proceeds in the rest of this chapter that whatever knowable of God and his kingdom was imparted to Adam. Why would God do that? Jesus explains, "That where I am, there ye may be also".( John 14:3b)
The Spirit presents the man in full possession of his faculties so he did not need any other to teach him of good and evil. He was the son of God. ( Luke 3:38)
In the garden we have the word of the Spirit represented. Ch,1vv.11-12 informs as to in the vegetation that God caused to grow. Quality of the ground is also equally important is it not? This is the world of the body out of which the Spirit presents the tree of life as the crown jewel("also in the midst of the garden"-v.9) in the flora and fauna of the garden.
'A body has thou prepared me' refers to this world where we have to account for two worlds, that of the Spirit and of the body. This is a microcosm of the kingdom of heaven signifying world unseen and the world made to appear. (He.11:3). This is the spiritual space set about the heart of every believer called before the foundation of the world and God blessed man in his Son. Just as the world is not all about only saints in light there are entities that dare not come to the light so the calling and gifts of God are wasted. The tree of knowledge of good and evil represents them. 'The darkness and light are both alike' to the Lord God so according to the mystery of his will has let it.(Ps.139:12b)
With regards to the body we need examine closely. God blessed the vegetation and as a result the tree with seed in itself cannot produce brambles. God formed man out of the ground, which is not about the body we have been discussing hitherto. It is flesh and blood"signifying natural man. St Paul speaks of two kinds of bodies. "It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory:"(1 Co.15:43-44) God blessed man (Ge.1:28) and the Garden is all about abiding in Christ where the Garden represents the blessedness of being in heavenly places.
The Spirit instructs us by placing man in heavenly places as to what is the true state of a believer. The space about his heart where Spirit is that raised Jesus from the dead and the ground is the pit from where he was raised up. So Isaiah refers,"and to the hole of the pit whence ye are digged' (51:1b) We negotiate two world of the Spirit and of the Spirit.
God is giving. He gives of Himself within the Godhead in relationship with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. They give each other love, and, and harmony, and glory in an eternal way. He gives to creation life and beauty and provision for physical needs, and salvation from sin for those elected. He promised to give good gifts to His children when they ask. Luke 11:13.
He gives us all we need for life and godliness: 2 Peter 1:3
"According as His divine power hath given unto all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him (Jesus) who hath called us to glory and virtue."
God even gives to the unbelievers and the believers alike, making the sun to shine on both, giving rain in season, causing crops to grow for a harvest.
So I think it is good to be content in all things, because all good things comes from His hands. We also should cultivate gratitude to Him for all we receive each day from Him. I try to do this more and more. He deserves our gratitude and for us to have thankful hearts before Him.
Doing an A-Z study on the nature of God is a big task. But worth doing.
The attribute that came to mind first for me is:
ALMIGHTY
God has infinite power to the infinite degree. Nothing in creation can compare with the greatness of His power.
Gen. 17:1 - God identifies Himself to Abraham as "God Almighty". then He tells Abraham to walk before Him and be perfect.
This was when He appeared to Abraham again when Abraham was 99 years old. Here God renews the covenant with Abraham. Abraham falls on his face before God Almighty while he talks with God. He gives God the reverence He deserves.
Job 11:7-10 says it well:
"Canst thou by searching find out God? canst thou find out the Almighty unto perfection?
It is as high as heaven; what canst thou do?; deeper than hell; what canst thou know?
The measure thereof is longer than the earth, and broader than the sea.
If He cut off, and shut up, or gather together, then who can hinder Him?"
Amos 5:14-15 reassures us:
"Seek good, and not evil, that ye may live; and so the LORD, the God of Hosts (Almighty), shall be with you, as ye have spoken.
Hate the evil, and love the good, and establish (right) judgment in the gate: it may be that the LORD God of Hosts, (Almighty) will be gracious unto the remnant of Jacob."
This is wise counsel from Amos. Knowing that God is truly the absolute Almighty One, and that He is absolutely holy, we should have this attitude about good and evil.
I wonder if Adam and Eve came to have this attitude after gaining the knowledge of good and evil?
I guess "Absolute" could be another "A" attribute to explore.
I see God's anger as part of His Holiness and Justice. His holiness cannot tolerate sin and the offense of sin is eternal. That is why hell and its punishment is forever. God is morally righteous to be offended by sin and angry over it. His justice reveals His anger at sin and the rightness of His judgment on the ones who sin. He never makes a mistake in any of His judgments. They are all pure. He never has motives that are wrong for anything he does.
Each of us deserves eternal punishment of God's wrath for even one sin. I m so thankful that God does not leave us in our sin, but made a way for us to be forgivin and justified before Him in Christ. We have forever been freed from the condemnation of sin. Hallelujah!
Yes, we see the beauty of God in the scars on our Lord's hand feet, side, and head. These are viewable by all who see Him in heaven at the right hand of the Father, reigning and ruling with all power and authority. Praise God!
Our world is so very beautiful, even though corrupted and fallen from sin. When I am blessed to go into the mountains and see over the mountain ridges it is breathtaking. To see crystal clear mountain lakes undisturbed by civilization, I am wowwed. When I see all that God has allowed me to see in this life, I am thankful and blessed. But we do know that mankind is chief among His creatures. We are fearfully and wonderfully made. When I see new born babes, I am so taken.
But all of the beauty of creation cannot compare to the beauty of God in Christ. I am so glad that we will be able to see Him in eternity. Though the Father dwells in inapproachable light, Jesus is approachable and visible for us in heaven. So, we will see God, as all the Godhead dwells in Him bodily. How gracious of Him to have become incarnated so we mere humans can see Him with our own eyes.
I don't know if the angels can see the Father, or if for all eternity they saw the Godhead in the Son even before He was incarnated. But we are not purely spiritual beings like the angels and to think that God thought it best to take on humanity (that was formed in His image) for us! I also think that His holiness will be visibly beautiful, His perfection in every attribute awesome, and His Presence overwhelming. Can't wait!
In my understand and vision you need to re-study what you wrote for good self-correction. Remember: JESUS said: John 14:28 - 28 Ye have heard how I said unto you, I go away, and come again unto you. If ye loved me, ye would rejoice, because I said, I go unto the Father: for my Father is GREATER than I. I highlighted this detail in my prior post.
And about the person of the Holy Spirit I said and explained also he is the lesser among the three. By the way, in Revelation 11:4 JESUS called the person of the Holy Spirit as God of the earth.
Surely, as you said, "we must go with faith, just accept it as it written".
In your last paragraph you wrote: >>>We have 3 persons in one God, who have played and still play a distinctive role in the salvation of mankind. There isn't a person who is superior than the others, just their work, ministry is different. We don't know much about the Godhead, how, what, when, so we must go with faith, just accept it as it written. This is how I know it.
You said"God doesn't have a name like humans,say John,George, Michael..." .
Perfectly.Let us recapitulate what the Word reveals:In Exodus 3:14,when Moses wanted to know GOD's name,GOD said:I Am That I Am. In fact was not a name,for example,you are that you are,I am that I am. And GOD said unto Moses:Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel,I Am hath sent me unto you.
So,for Moses specifically the I Am was GOD, His GOD.
Well,it is interesting to consider that the people of GOD in Egypt, Abraham's descendants,were all Egyptians by birth,including Moses, in fact they became a people familiarized with the idolatry of the Egyptians, the Apis ox, so in their journey through the desert, a golden calf came out from their heart as was a god for them.
And for the people of Israel as a whole, then the I Am introduce Himself as the GOD of them, Moses was instructed to preach for the people, saying:"...the Lord GOD of your fathers, the GOD of Abraham, the GOD of Isaac,and the GOD of Jacob,hath sent me unto you:this is my NAME for ever, and this is my memorial unto all generations(of Israel).The Lord GOD of your fathers,the GOD of Abraham,of Isaac, and of Jacob,appeared unto me- Exodus 3:15-16.
And prophet Amos preached: For, lo, He that formeth the mountains,and createth the wind,and declareth unto man what is his thought,that maketh the morning darkness,and treadeth upon the high places of the earth,The Lord( Exodus 6:3),The GOD of hosts is His NAME.
By the way, YHWH,and Yahweh,Jehovah,Yehovah,Elohim,Adonai, HaShem,Yahusha,YEHshia,YEHvah,these 10 names,rather, nicknames,are NAMES of the father and god of the Jews.Jn.8:44-45 combined with 2:Th2:3-4& Jn 5:43-47.Take a look.
Acts 4:11-12 say:11 JESUS is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner.12 Neither is there salvation IN ANY OTHER:for there is none OTHER NAME UNDER HEAVEN given among men-EXCEPT JESUS- whereby we must be saved.
Heavenly Father, I ask You to please answer Marinlilly's needs. Father God, please bless them with enough money to pay all bills and have plenty for all the funds a family needs.
2 Corinthians 9:8 In the Mighty Name of Jesus Christ. Amen
The beauty of the cross is perhaps no better described than in Isaiah 52:14. His appearance or "visage" was so marred from the beatings and other injuries before the crucifixion that Jesus was hardly recognizable as a man. But by His stripes; we are healed ( Isaiah 53:5 just a few verses later). He has brought us beauty from ashes ( Isaiah 61:3) which in context means Israel will have restitution after suffering judgment. But God in the flesh resulted not in admiration but in a man of sorrows acquainted with grief ( Isaiah 53:3).
God's awe inspiring attributes are seen in the visions of the Lord as seen by Isaiah 6; Ezekiel 1:22 and associated verses in Revelation 15:2; etal; and Daniel 10:6; etal). The true beauty of God; of course ties in with His selflessness; agape love and other characteristics that are above storge; Philleo and eros type of human love. Satan himself was a most beautiful creation as Lucifer ( Ezekiel 28:12) UNTIL he fell. Now the beauty is vanity as it is with any fallen creature who pride has allowed to contaminate. God Himself deserves worship and is not being arrogant in stating this desire but there are no verses I am aware of that state God is PROUD of being the God of all creation; He is supreme and in that sense better than anyone else; but He calls His followers by name and "friends" ( John 15:15). This makes Him the perfect Father.
God created all things for His good pleasure including man ( Revelation 4:11). No doubt Adam and Eve in a sinless state were beautiful; and perhaps still externally appeared that way after the fall. All things were fearfully and wonderfully made ( Psalm 139:14) but man has sought out many inventions (see Ecclesiastes 7:29). 1 Chronicles 16:27 talks of the majesty of God which no doubt incorporates beauty as seen in the creation. This makes man without excuse; as Romans 1 and Psalm 19 make clear.
God's beauty is more than skin deep and indescribable as all other traits.
Concluding this first topic on God's attributes related to anger we also see the imprecatory Psalms; that is those Bible scriptures that plead with God for judgment to occur on our enemies. These verses sometimes are general in nature which David would say in his long struggle with Saul and those perusing Him. David is a good example for us of forgiveness in that regard; as Saul was cornered multiple times and because he was still recognized as the anointed king David didn't take the opportunity to slay him. Even at his death he mourned for him as we see in 2 Samuel 1. There was no PERSONAL vendetta here; much as there isn't with Christ who will rule and reign with justice ( Isaiah 11:3-4) but with righteousness; in other words He will work with God's direction and not let external circumstances skew the picture.
When studying God's anger our first reaction is to understand his attitude toward gross external manifestations of sin; which surely is the state of the world today more than ever. As I said in the last post He chastises all those he loves ( Heb. 12:6). God allowed collateral damage both with David's sin with Bathsheeba ( 2 Samuel 11:3-4) and with the census ( 2 Samuel 24:12). We find it illogical why many innocent had to die in such instances but David brought wars upon himself and others and many died in the second census incident with its after affects. Therefore it is following God's precepts as to HOW to worship and heeding His warnings against sin that are crucial. Saul began his fall by trying to offer a sacrifice himself in an unauthorized procedure as a king. ( 1 Samuel 13:8-14). David didn't trust God's strength when he took the census. This was much the reason Solomon fell as well; he hoarded gold and silver and foreign women as wives all which God warned about. (see 1 Kings 1:11; Deut. 17:17). Those who He loves go through the refining fire; let us pass the test so we can rejoice at the Bema Seat (2 Cor510
God is angry with the nations as well as individuals. Revelation 11:18 begins a discussion of God's wrath and it is accomplished when the winepress is trod alone by Christ ( Isaiah 63:3) which mirrors Armageddon as described in Revelation 19; but also the campaign of the Exekiel 38 war and the nations God destroys in the process.
In such a topic; of course we see other attributes of God balancing things such as wrath and anger with patience and longsuffering of the Lord; for instance. In all this discussion it is important to see how a balanced picture of our Lord brings a better focus as to who He is. We can't just focus on anger or there is no hope for His love; but the same holds true for those who only want to hear "encouraging" verses in scripture. As famously stated we either have all of Christ or we have in reality none of Him. We must take the whole counsel of the Word of God rather than cherry picking what we want as context gets thrown out the window at best with that mindset; and at worst whole doctrinal truths are cast aside. Such is the action of such deists as Benjamin Franklin apparently. The flesh really doesn't even comprehend God's love; for human love and its vicissitudes clearly can't be trusted ( Jeremiah 17:9) as our heart is desperately wicked and who can know it? God judges impartially and is not a "respecter of persons" ( Romans 2:11-16; Acts 10:34). He is entirely righteous and no one can argue with Him once judgment comes. As Psalm 2 states we should "kiss the Son" while He is in the way so that His anger doesn't make us perish (verse 12; loosely translated). God's terms are having Christ as our mediator and High Priest because He can't look upon sin ( Heb. 9:15; Habakkuk 1:13). God will thankfully bring His own people to completion and hence the new heaven and earth will have nations of righteous people serving God; both the survivors of the Tribulation and Resurrected/Raptured saints.
I have; after a suggestion by a sister in Christ on this site, endeavored to start a series on the attributes of God. I thought I could go from "a to z"; although I don't have anything in the "X" or "Z" letters; unless someone else can come up with something.
The first thing I came up with was anger which is not normally something people begin with in studying God; but perhaps a topic that needs discussion. God is clearly angry with the wicked every day ( Psalm 7:11). That verse also says that He judges the righteous.
In discussing God's reaction toward a saved individual as "chastisement" and the wicked as anger; we see a different outcome ultimately with believers not being damned every time they sin to hell. Nonetheless even with chastisement we can't say that God isn't angry. A father can be angry with a child with righteous indignation; and God as our Father certainly is upset when we grieve the Spirit ( Ephesians 4:30). Sin is sin; we clearly can't use grace as an excuse to sin more ( Romans 6:1-2). The REASON for His anger is different to some respect IF we are His children. We are as believers TRULY dead to our old nature; and if Satan attempts to renew our sinful behaviors it is foreign to our new nature; thus the Spirit contends against the flesh. ( Gal. 5:17). It is contrary to who we are in Christ DEAD TO SIN ( Galatians 2:20) if we sin as believers. If we really deceive ourselves then the truth is not in us ( 1 John 1:8). Thus without the Lord we are still dead in sins and trespasses ( Eph. 2:1); and if we do believe there is still potential for the old man to rise up but no NEED for it to happen if we continue to walk in the Spirit we will not satisfy the desires of the flesh ( Gal. 5:16). Clearly Galatians 5 in particular is a good read for that subject.
There are some things which God particularly hates ( Proverbs 6:16-19) and one he loathes (same idea). God also hates divorce ( Malachi 2:16). Anger and hatred are justified for God
"4 But what saith the answer of God unto him(Elias)? I(God) have reserved to myself seven thousand men, who have not bowed the knee to the image of Baal.
5 Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace.
6 And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work."
Verse 6 implies that God choses whom to save not due the works he did but due to His grace. This verse is often used by those who claim a predestination plan of God. BUT lets read verse 4. Those who enjoy God's grace didn't kneel before Baal. SO salvation is a result of a free will, NOT of an arbitrary election of people by God.
Well, its getting late at night here. Have a blessed night (or day).
"9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation."
SO
It is not adequate just to believe in Jesus to get eternal life. One has to confess his faith. Where, when, to whom?
Acts 8:36-37,
"36 And as they(Philipp and the eunuch) went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized? 37 And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. AND HE ANSWERED AND SAID, I BELIEVE THAT JESUS CHRIST IS THE SON OF GOD."
Nicene Creed, "...we acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins;"
"That is, They which are the children of the flesh(Israel), these are not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed."
Romans 9:6-8,
"6 Not as though the word of God hath taken none effect. For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel: 7 Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called. 8 That is, They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed.
Galatians 4:28,
"Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise."
Galatians 3:29,
"And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise (of the eternal life)."
"15 What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid.
16 Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?"
" 21 And being(Abraham) fully persuaded that, what he(God) had promised, he was able also to perform.
22 And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness."
The very important role that faith (about anything that has to do with God and us) plays in our life is shown in verse 22. When we believe that God is able to heal us when we ask Him for, then we will get what we asked for, because our faith "is imputed to us for rightneouness".
1 Peter 5:7 says that we should cast all our cares on Him because He cares for us. Several passages in Psalms discuss God's compassion and or mercy. Romans 9:15 states that He will have mercy on whom He will have mercy; and compassion on whom He will have compassion. Ultimately; of course that involves those who come to saving faith in Christ; but of course for now it rains on the just and the unjust. ( Matthew 5:45). Luke 18:38 shows how Bartimaeus asked for mercy and Christ healed his blindness.
According to Lamentations 3:22 his compassions they fail not; and that is due to His mercy that we are not consumed. The theme there is the destruction of the Babylonians with the horrible famine in particular focus. This verse could be taken as physical survival of the ordeal but also spiritual preservation of the soul. God always preserves a remnant; and God honors His covenants and that is through the remnant that is purged in various trials.
God's Attributes: Covenants
I have discussed covenants in particular focus on the marriage covenant in previous posts. I have given at least an outline of the (imlied) covenant with Adam and the first one in scripture regarding the rainbow and God preserving the world from another global flood; the Abrahamic Covenant; the Mosaic Covenant; and finally the new covenant that Christ has given His people under the blood and how it is even more stringent with thoughts and intentions than the previous one (see Matthew 5:20 on exceeding the righteousness of the Pharisees). I will reinforce the fact that except for the abrogation of the Old Covenant in terms of the law and righeousness for the New under Christ; covenants in God's eyes are eternal; or at least as far as the terms made between men and God or even between men as to the length (in marriage it is until "death do us part" which fits in with 1 Corinthians 7:39.) We are not to take a vow flippantly ( Ecc. 5:4-6).
"And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground," and (God) "breathed into his nostrils."
The life of man gets a booster shot as it were, a familiar phrase in the post-Pandemic times. This life must explain the nature of soul. Since he is unseen we call him the inner man. In order to understand the nature of a living soul we need the following verse to help us along the way..
In v.7 the Spirit gives us two actions upon the man which have a bearing on the third and it is with regards to his context with the ground. This is the spiritual space that every man carries about him. It is thus Jacob sensed the gate of heaven from his own feelings. What caused him a dread? "And Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and he said, Surely the Lord is in this place; and I knew it not./And he was afraid, and said, How dreadful is this place! this is none other but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven. "(Ge.28:16-17). God revealed a vignette of images to him in a dream while he is asleep. He is spot on and the Spirit wants us to have a good grasp of our own native soil where the heart serves as a door and there is a gate opening which is heaven!
Like Adam arising from 'his deep sleep' and full well understands the identity of Eve we have the Spirit giving us the faculty of precognition. This is the spiritual twin of the cellular communication which is part of biology. What is knowable of God is an inextricable part of man whether he cares to admit or not. "What shall a man give in exchange for his soul?"(Matt.16:26) As the Psalmist would say, " I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well." And that my soul knoweth well is what we are discussing here.
Who but a fool will sell his soul out for 'other man's riches." Prosperity theology is for the damned.
The psalmist asks, "or whither shall I flee from thy presence?"(Ps.139:7-10, 14).
God knows who are his.
I think it is fine for us to do this together. You can identify the attribute that comes to your mind, and I can do what comes my mind for the same letter. It would be good to get both insights since this is such an important matter.
I once led jr. high Sunday school and had the kids brainstorm aspects of God's character a-z and then had partners pick use concordance and bible to find Scripture that spoke about what is said about that aspect. Then they shared out by reading the Scripture.
The intention was for them to learn more about God's nature and revere Him and to learn to use a concordance to find things in Scripture
So, I am glad to collaborate with you on this stream. It is always good to remind ourselves on the greatness of God in a wide and true view of His nature.
For letter "C" I think of His CREATIVITY
He created all this, visible and invisible, all from nothing but His Word and Power. He created physical matter with it's atoms and the protons, electrons and neutrons that make up the atom. He also created the energy that causes atoms to work. He created the life of every living thing. Life comes only from His Being because He is the Life's source.
He caused the planets to form and stars/suns to give off life, being constant burning of gases that emit light and heat. He created moons to reflect light from the suns. The vastness of the universe is mind boggling for us. The way the solar systems have organization, magnetic and gravitation pull on planets to revolve around the sun. The way forces keep solar systems stable is amazing.
The diversity of life on this planet is astounding. I was just watching two spiders in my yard where one smaller and a different species) attached the larger one in the web and prevailed. To see how the larger one continued to fight for life even when disabled by the smaller one showed me how God put this survival instinct into living creatures. Life is precious and worth living.
Col. 1 :16-17
As to the subject I discussed in my last letter; I just received an email from someone on another video on divorce and remarriage where I was able to talk about some more stuff in detail. Maybe that's an answered prayer it was from something I posted weeks or maybe over a month ago. I should say that there is obvious blessings in those who are in godly marriages and it is noteable in the raising of children; as well as prayers that are answered. In general we can't claim anything from the Lord if there is deliberate sin in our lives; which also gives Satan and his demons legal access to our minds. Staying in fellowship where there is doctrinal truth preached is vital; just as it is destructive to continue where lies are taught. Society has made something honorable in God's sight to be looked down upon as boring or whatever. Good is evil and vice versa in our society.
Maybe I'll get into that with the goodness of God if I get that far.
Agape; thanks as ever for your prolific responses although hope you aren't my only audience...
Rich P
"for the Lord God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was not a man to till the ground./ But there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground."
Rain is a concrete image of divine favor which is in the sense the man in charge of the four Hebrew children made an exception in their case at the risk of his own head. "Now God had brought Daniel into favour and tender love with the prince of the eunuchs."Similarly those midwives found favor since they defied the edict of the Pharaoh. (Dan.1:9; Ex.1:20) What is man that God is mindful of him? When we consider favor it is thus we have been earmarked for blessings in his Son. We have been brought into tender love because of his Son. "What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?"(Ps.8:4) Mist stands for the spirit of Christ which explains his Son in human likeness. God formed man of the dust of the ground which is from within.
"And the Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed." (v.8) Adam was chosen in His son for all the spiritual blessings. Adam consequently is His workmanship, and God put him there for a purpose."For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them."(Ep.2:10). Is our religion merely Jesus talk and our walk 50-50? Be not deceived we carry about a world where both worlds are there to keep us preserve. Remember the cherubs guarding the tree of life, "Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life."(Ge.3:24) The Spirit has given us the significance of Mahanaim and iif it is what Jacob as the heir of promise had about him it is true for us. By the same token we ought to pay heed,"Loose the four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates./... which were prepared for an hour,(Re.9:14-15)
"And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul."
The Spirit of God moving upon the face of the waters also garnished the sky. What Job says about it does not contradict the ch.1:2. "By his spirit he hath garnished the heavens; his hand hath formed the crooked serpent."( Job 26:13).The crooked serpent is of same weight as the tree of knowledge of good and evil, a point which we discussed earlier. God is a Spirit and his kingdom rules over all. (Ps.103:19) When God said Let there be light, the stars did not evolve willy-nilly by some strange series of coincidences but by the word of God. "By the word of the LORD were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth." So what holds the dust, water vapor, the stars and the moon together? Is it not Jesus Christ the word become flesh?
"So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them./And God blessed them." God made man as His steward for the reason of the homogeneity that the word could create out of the two worlds. They are framed by the word of God and faith is what holds man and his world. Jesus Christ as the firstborn of His creation,
We shall see from what proceeds in the rest of this chapter that whatever knowable of God and his kingdom was imparted to Adam. Why would God do that? Jesus explains, "That where I am, there ye may be also".( John 14:3b)
The Spirit presents the man in full possession of his faculties so he did not need any other to teach him of good and evil. He was the son of God. ( Luke 3:38)
In the garden we have the word of the Spirit represented. Ch,1vv.11-12 informs as to in the vegetation that God caused to grow. Quality of the ground is also equally important is it not? This is the world of the body out of which the Spirit presents the tree of life as the crown jewel("also in the midst of the garden"-v.9) in the flora and fauna of the garden.
'A body has thou prepared me' refers to this world where we have to account for two worlds, that of the Spirit and of the body. This is a microcosm of the kingdom of heaven signifying world unseen and the world made to appear. (He.11:3). This is the spiritual space set about the heart of every believer called before the foundation of the world and God blessed man in his Son. Just as the world is not all about only saints in light there are entities that dare not come to the light so the calling and gifts of God are wasted. The tree of knowledge of good and evil represents them. 'The darkness and light are both alike' to the Lord God so according to the mystery of his will has let it.(Ps.139:12b)
With regards to the body we need examine closely. God blessed the vegetation and as a result the tree with seed in itself cannot produce brambles. God formed man out of the ground, which is not about the body we have been discussing hitherto. It is flesh and blood"signifying natural man. St Paul speaks of two kinds of bodies. "It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory:"(1 Co.15:43-44) God blessed man (Ge.1:28) and the Garden is all about abiding in Christ where the Garden represents the blessedness of being in heavenly places.
The Spirit instructs us by placing man in heavenly places as to what is the true state of a believer. The space about his heart where Spirit is that raised Jesus from the dead and the ground is the pit from where he was raised up. So Isaiah refers,"and to the hole of the pit whence ye are digged' (51:1b) We negotiate two world of the Spirit and of the Spirit.
Another "B" attribute that comes to my mind is:
BENEVOLENT
God is giving. He gives of Himself within the Godhead in relationship with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. They give each other love, and, and harmony, and glory in an eternal way. He gives to creation life and beauty and provision for physical needs, and salvation from sin for those elected. He promised to give good gifts to His children when they ask. Luke 11:13.
He gives us all we need for life and godliness: 2 Peter 1:3
"According as His divine power hath given unto all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him (Jesus) who hath called us to glory and virtue."
God even gives to the unbelievers and the believers alike, making the sun to shine on both, giving rain in season, causing crops to grow for a harvest.
So I think it is good to be content in all things, because all good things comes from His hands. We also should cultivate gratitude to Him for all we receive each day from Him. I try to do this more and more. He deserves our gratitude and for us to have thankful hearts before Him.
Doing an A-Z study on the nature of God is a big task. But worth doing.
The attribute that came to mind first for me is:
ALMIGHTY
God has infinite power to the infinite degree. Nothing in creation can compare with the greatness of His power.
Gen. 17:1 - God identifies Himself to Abraham as "God Almighty". then He tells Abraham to walk before Him and be perfect.
This was when He appeared to Abraham again when Abraham was 99 years old. Here God renews the covenant with Abraham. Abraham falls on his face before God Almighty while he talks with God. He gives God the reverence He deserves.
Job 11:7-10 says it well:
"Canst thou by searching find out God? canst thou find out the Almighty unto perfection?
It is as high as heaven; what canst thou do?; deeper than hell; what canst thou know?
The measure thereof is longer than the earth, and broader than the sea.
If He cut off, and shut up, or gather together, then who can hinder Him?"
Amos 5:14-15 reassures us:
"Seek good, and not evil, that ye may live; and so the LORD, the God of Hosts (Almighty), shall be with you, as ye have spoken.
Hate the evil, and love the good, and establish (right) judgment in the gate: it may be that the LORD God of Hosts, (Almighty) will be gracious unto the remnant of Jacob."
This is wise counsel from Amos. Knowing that God is truly the absolute Almighty One, and that He is absolutely holy, we should have this attitude about good and evil.
I wonder if Adam and Eve came to have this attitude after gaining the knowledge of good and evil?
I guess "Absolute" could be another "A" attribute to explore.
I see God's anger as part of His Holiness and Justice. His holiness cannot tolerate sin and the offense of sin is eternal. That is why hell and its punishment is forever. God is morally righteous to be offended by sin and angry over it. His justice reveals His anger at sin and the rightness of His judgment on the ones who sin. He never makes a mistake in any of His judgments. They are all pure. He never has motives that are wrong for anything he does.
Each of us deserves eternal punishment of God's wrath for even one sin. I m so thankful that God does not leave us in our sin, but made a way for us to be forgivin and justified before Him in Christ. We have forever been freed from the condemnation of sin. Hallelujah!
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Yes, we see the beauty of God in the scars on our Lord's hand feet, side, and head. These are viewable by all who see Him in heaven at the right hand of the Father, reigning and ruling with all power and authority. Praise God!
Our world is so very beautiful, even though corrupted and fallen from sin. When I am blessed to go into the mountains and see over the mountain ridges it is breathtaking. To see crystal clear mountain lakes undisturbed by civilization, I am wowwed. When I see all that God has allowed me to see in this life, I am thankful and blessed. But we do know that mankind is chief among His creatures. We are fearfully and wonderfully made. When I see new born babes, I am so taken.
But all of the beauty of creation cannot compare to the beauty of God in Christ. I am so glad that we will be able to see Him in eternity. Though the Father dwells in inapproachable light, Jesus is approachable and visible for us in heaven. So, we will see God, as all the Godhead dwells in Him bodily. How gracious of Him to have become incarnated so we mere humans can see Him with our own eyes.
I don't know if the angels can see the Father, or if for all eternity they saw the Godhead in the Son even before He was incarnated. But we are not purely spiritual beings like the angels and to think that God thought it best to take on humanity (that was formed in His image) for us! I also think that His holiness will be visibly beautiful, His perfection in every attribute awesome, and His Presence overwhelming. Can't wait!
In my understand and vision you need to re-study what you wrote for good self-correction. Remember: JESUS said: John 14:28 - 28 Ye have heard how I said unto you, I go away, and come again unto you. If ye loved me, ye would rejoice, because I said, I go unto the Father: for my Father is GREATER than I. I highlighted this detail in my prior post.
And about the person of the Holy Spirit I said and explained also he is the lesser among the three. By the way, in Revelation 11:4 JESUS called the person of the Holy Spirit as God of the earth.
Surely, as you said, "we must go with faith, just accept it as it written".
GOD bless and be careful
In your last paragraph you wrote: >>>We have 3 persons in one God, who have played and still play a distinctive role in the salvation of mankind. There isn't a person who is superior than the others, just their work, ministry is different. We don't know much about the Godhead, how, what, when, so we must go with faith, just accept it as it written. This is how I know it.
Greetings in Christ JESUS
You said"God doesn't have a name like humans,say John,George, Michael..." .
Perfectly.Let us recapitulate what the Word reveals:In Exodus 3:14,when Moses wanted to know GOD's name,GOD said:I Am That I Am. In fact was not a name,for example,you are that you are,I am that I am. And GOD said unto Moses:Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel,I Am hath sent me unto you.
So,for Moses specifically the I Am was GOD, His GOD.
Well,it is interesting to consider that the people of GOD in Egypt, Abraham's descendants,were all Egyptians by birth,including Moses, in fact they became a people familiarized with the idolatry of the Egyptians, the Apis ox, so in their journey through the desert, a golden calf came out from their heart as was a god for them.
And for the people of Israel as a whole, then the I Am introduce Himself as the GOD of them, Moses was instructed to preach for the people, saying:"...the Lord GOD of your fathers, the GOD of Abraham, the GOD of Isaac,and the GOD of Jacob,hath sent me unto you:this is my NAME for ever, and this is my memorial unto all generations(of Israel).The Lord GOD of your fathers,the GOD of Abraham,of Isaac, and of Jacob,appeared unto me- Exodus 3:15-16.
And prophet Amos preached: For, lo, He that formeth the mountains,and createth the wind,and declareth unto man what is his thought,that maketh the morning darkness,and treadeth upon the high places of the earth,The Lord( Exodus 6:3),The GOD of hosts is His NAME.
By the way, YHWH,and Yahweh,Jehovah,Yehovah,Elohim,Adonai, HaShem,Yahusha,YEHshia,YEHvah,these 10 names,rather, nicknames,are NAMES of the father and god of the Jews.Jn.8:44-45 combined with 2:Th2:3-4& Jn 5:43-47.Take a look.
Acts 4:11-12 say:11 JESUS is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner.12 Neither is there salvation IN ANY OTHER:for there is none OTHER NAME UNDER HEAVEN given among men-EXCEPT JESUS- whereby we must be saved.
2 Corinthians 9:8 In the Mighty Name of Jesus Christ. Amen
The beauty of the cross is perhaps no better described than in Isaiah 52:14. His appearance or "visage" was so marred from the beatings and other injuries before the crucifixion that Jesus was hardly recognizable as a man. But by His stripes; we are healed ( Isaiah 53:5 just a few verses later). He has brought us beauty from ashes ( Isaiah 61:3) which in context means Israel will have restitution after suffering judgment. But God in the flesh resulted not in admiration but in a man of sorrows acquainted with grief ( Isaiah 53:3).
God's awe inspiring attributes are seen in the visions of the Lord as seen by Isaiah 6; Ezekiel 1:22 and associated verses in Revelation 15:2; etal; and Daniel 10:6; etal). The true beauty of God; of course ties in with His selflessness; agape love and other characteristics that are above storge; Philleo and eros type of human love. Satan himself was a most beautiful creation as Lucifer ( Ezekiel 28:12) UNTIL he fell. Now the beauty is vanity as it is with any fallen creature who pride has allowed to contaminate. God Himself deserves worship and is not being arrogant in stating this desire but there are no verses I am aware of that state God is PROUD of being the God of all creation; He is supreme and in that sense better than anyone else; but He calls His followers by name and "friends" ( John 15:15). This makes Him the perfect Father.
God created all things for His good pleasure including man ( Revelation 4:11). No doubt Adam and Eve in a sinless state were beautiful; and perhaps still externally appeared that way after the fall. All things were fearfully and wonderfully made ( Psalm 139:14) but man has sought out many inventions (see Ecclesiastes 7:29). 1 Chronicles 16:27 talks of the majesty of God which no doubt incorporates beauty as seen in the creation. This makes man without excuse; as Romans 1 and Psalm 19 make clear.
God's beauty is more than skin deep and indescribable as all other traits.
Concluding this first topic on God's attributes related to anger we also see the imprecatory Psalms; that is those Bible scriptures that plead with God for judgment to occur on our enemies. These verses sometimes are general in nature which David would say in his long struggle with Saul and those perusing Him. David is a good example for us of forgiveness in that regard; as Saul was cornered multiple times and because he was still recognized as the anointed king David didn't take the opportunity to slay him. Even at his death he mourned for him as we see in 2 Samuel 1. There was no PERSONAL vendetta here; much as there isn't with Christ who will rule and reign with justice ( Isaiah 11:3-4) but with righteousness; in other words He will work with God's direction and not let external circumstances skew the picture.
When studying God's anger our first reaction is to understand his attitude toward gross external manifestations of sin; which surely is the state of the world today more than ever. As I said in the last post He chastises all those he loves ( Heb. 12:6). God allowed collateral damage both with David's sin with Bathsheeba ( 2 Samuel 11:3-4) and with the census ( 2 Samuel 24:12). We find it illogical why many innocent had to die in such instances but David brought wars upon himself and others and many died in the second census incident with its after affects. Therefore it is following God's precepts as to HOW to worship and heeding His warnings against sin that are crucial. Saul began his fall by trying to offer a sacrifice himself in an unauthorized procedure as a king. ( 1 Samuel 13:8-14). David didn't trust God's strength when he took the census. This was much the reason Solomon fell as well; he hoarded gold and silver and foreign women as wives all which God warned about. (see 1 Kings 1:11; Deut. 17:17). Those who He loves go through the refining fire; let us pass the test so we can rejoice at the Bema Seat (2 Cor510
God is angry with the nations as well as individuals. Revelation 11:18 begins a discussion of God's wrath and it is accomplished when the winepress is trod alone by Christ ( Isaiah 63:3) which mirrors Armageddon as described in Revelation 19; but also the campaign of the Exekiel 38 war and the nations God destroys in the process.
In such a topic; of course we see other attributes of God balancing things such as wrath and anger with patience and longsuffering of the Lord; for instance. In all this discussion it is important to see how a balanced picture of our Lord brings a better focus as to who He is. We can't just focus on anger or there is no hope for His love; but the same holds true for those who only want to hear "encouraging" verses in scripture. As famously stated we either have all of Christ or we have in reality none of Him. We must take the whole counsel of the Word of God rather than cherry picking what we want as context gets thrown out the window at best with that mindset; and at worst whole doctrinal truths are cast aside. Such is the action of such deists as Benjamin Franklin apparently. The flesh really doesn't even comprehend God's love; for human love and its vicissitudes clearly can't be trusted ( Jeremiah 17:9) as our heart is desperately wicked and who can know it? God judges impartially and is not a "respecter of persons" ( Romans 2:11-16; Acts 10:34). He is entirely righteous and no one can argue with Him once judgment comes. As Psalm 2 states we should "kiss the Son" while He is in the way so that His anger doesn't make us perish (verse 12; loosely translated). God's terms are having Christ as our mediator and High Priest because He can't look upon sin ( Heb. 9:15; Habakkuk 1:13). God will thankfully bring His own people to completion and hence the new heaven and earth will have nations of righteous people serving God; both the survivors of the Tribulation and Resurrected/Raptured saints.
The first thing I came up with was anger which is not normally something people begin with in studying God; but perhaps a topic that needs discussion. God is clearly angry with the wicked every day ( Psalm 7:11). That verse also says that He judges the righteous.
In discussing God's reaction toward a saved individual as "chastisement" and the wicked as anger; we see a different outcome ultimately with believers not being damned every time they sin to hell. Nonetheless even with chastisement we can't say that God isn't angry. A father can be angry with a child with righteous indignation; and God as our Father certainly is upset when we grieve the Spirit ( Ephesians 4:30). Sin is sin; we clearly can't use grace as an excuse to sin more ( Romans 6:1-2). The REASON for His anger is different to some respect IF we are His children. We are as believers TRULY dead to our old nature; and if Satan attempts to renew our sinful behaviors it is foreign to our new nature; thus the Spirit contends against the flesh. ( Gal. 5:17). It is contrary to who we are in Christ DEAD TO SIN ( Galatians 2:20) if we sin as believers. If we really deceive ourselves then the truth is not in us ( 1 John 1:8). Thus without the Lord we are still dead in sins and trespasses ( Eph. 2:1); and if we do believe there is still potential for the old man to rise up but no NEED for it to happen if we continue to walk in the Spirit we will not satisfy the desires of the flesh ( Gal. 5:16). Clearly Galatians 5 in particular is a good read for that subject.
There are some things which God particularly hates ( Proverbs 6:16-19) and one he loathes (same idea). God also hates divorce ( Malachi 2:16). Anger and hatred are justified for God
THANK YOU ALL !!!
"4 But what saith the answer of God unto him(Elias)? I(God) have reserved to myself seven thousand men, who have not bowed the knee to the image of Baal.
5 Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace.
6 And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work."
Verse 6 implies that God choses whom to save not due the works he did but due to His grace. This verse is often used by those who claim a predestination plan of God. BUT lets read verse 4. Those who enjoy God's grace didn't kneel before Baal. SO salvation is a result of a free will, NOT of an arbitrary election of people by God.
Well, its getting late at night here. Have a blessed night (or day).
"9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation."
SO
It is not adequate just to believe in Jesus to get eternal life. One has to confess his faith. Where, when, to whom?
Acts 8:36-37,
"36 And as they(Philipp and the eunuch) went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized? 37 And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. AND HE ANSWERED AND SAID, I BELIEVE THAT JESUS CHRIST IS THE SON OF GOD."
Nicene Creed, "...we acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins;"
IN THE BAPTISM IN WATER.
"That is, They which are the children of the flesh(Israel), these are not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed."
Romans 9:6-8,
"6 Not as though the word of God hath taken none effect. For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel: 7 Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called. 8 That is, They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed.
Galatians 4:28,
"Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise."
Galatians 3:29,
"And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise (of the eternal life)."
"Whose(Israel) are the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came, who is over all, God blessed for ever. Amen."
A better translation of "who is over all, God blessed for ever" is given by the NIV, "... who is God over all, forever praised! Amen."
The NIV makes clearer the divinity of Jesus. It agrees with how the grk text is understood.
"For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live."
Romans 6:1-13
"1 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?
2 God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?
...
11 Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.
12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof."
13 Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are
alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.
"15 What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid.
16 Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?"
" 21 And being(Abraham) fully persuaded that, what he(God) had promised, he was able also to perform.
22 And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness."
The very important role that faith (about anything that has to do with God and us) plays in our life is shown in verse 22. When we believe that God is able to heal us when we ask Him for, then we will get what we asked for, because our faith "is imputed to us for rightneouness".