It would be one thing to have just been swept up by the moment and be drawn in by the crowd. It would be quite another to have been one of the primaries that concocted this trap, to think enough of the plan to carry it out thinking that this will catch Jesus, but to have it slammed back into your face. Guilt wont stop them from trying again however.
The Gospel of Jesus Christ in a few short verses. He said we will know when we lift Him. We have been told so in other places. Like building a building root fisrt, we approach faith in reverse order thinking that if all the other numerous pieces add up then we will believe. The building is never built because it never squares up. Here, if the chief corner stone is laid first, the other pieces will square up and fit.
The works of Abraham. The writer Hebrews lists Abraham in the Hall of Faith; he counted it not beyond God to do that which had been promised. He was willing to offer his son but, was confident that the Lord would provide. We also recall that Abraham supped with the Lord and two angels as they were trekking toward Sodom.
It is appointed for all men to die once. There is a second death however at the time after judgement which is the final and complete separation. Those that believe in Jesus will never see this death.
For those that insist that Jesus never claimed to be God, that He never suggested a Triune godhead, that He had not existed before His human birth, or that He had become enlightened by some secret knowledge or presence, this verse requires a whole lot of re-explaining. For those of us who accept Him at His word it just flows as written.
It is amazing at how far distant these two extremes are; the ones who claim to know God by being the seed of Abraham, and the one who claims to be Abraham's "I Am". If they the chosen are this far off, imagine how far we gentiles are. Previously, we were told of being servants of sin, now we are told of being children of sin. The two are important to understand. Though sin did not create us we are born under sin, we naturally become it's property, there is no free will left to us in this initial transaction. What remains is a limited free will in how that we will serve sin, there is no escape from serving however, there is a bit more leeway as to the means. For one to say that they have never served nor are serving now are truly deceived for it is not within us to serve any other unless serving the Lord in full.
A famous song "Hydee Ho" (Blood Sweat + Tears) played on the radio last night depicting a very popular belief - not being any ones servant/tricking the devil out of the contract owed for ones indulgences but, not serving the Lord either. The belief that one can serve ones self and not have to serve either of the other two is prevalent in modern culture. The imagination that one can trick either entity out of the pleasures and comforts derived is nothing but vain. Often, in times of need we in fact attempt to extort comfort from the Lord without signing. From the Devil's standpoint all he really cares is that you not sign the Lord's contract. Whether you think you've tricked him or that you haven't in turn signed his contract is of little concern to him, even amusing knowing that you are then his.
The crucial mistake of the Reprobate Mind is to reduce sin down to mere actions and to compare actions with other more active sinners. Sin becomes relative rather than legitimate. Sin becomes something one step beyond that the conscience could do but hasn't done yet, thus it can applaud itself for having not done that (even though it has done all of this other). It is justified itself no matter what it has done or hasn't done in beneficial terms.
2012 - pBiblx2 Field Wise Bible System Version 2.0.9d - GPL3
