Father's Love and the Problem of Evil

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"The heavens, are telling the glory of GOD, And, the work of his hands, the expanse is declaring;" (Ps 19:1 [EBR])

"I form the light, and create darkness; I make peace, and create evil. I am Jehovah, that doeth all these things." (Isa 45:7 [ASV])

Father created for us a daily demonstration of the function of evil (which may be defined as the absence of God)...

The glory of the stars is unknown to the daytime. It is night, or the absence of the sun's light, that allows the revelation their glory. As shown in the banner above, without that backdrop, we would not know the wonders of the heavens. It is darkness, the absence of sunlight, that allows us to perceive the glorious light of the stars. Each evening, as the light of the sun fails, the glory of the heavens is once again displayed.

This daily cycle testifies to the purpose of evil. The very definition of love is the divine response to evil (1 Cor 13). It is evil that provides the backdrop against which Father's unending and overwhelming love is revealed. Without evil, Father's love would have no meaning to us.

What is light without darkness? What is mercy without guilt? What is long-suffering without evil?

Unconditional Love (Father's essence and nature, Light - Good) can be fully comprehended, appreciated and accepted, only as it is demonstrated against the backdrop of rebellion, sin and rejection (darkness, evil). Careful observation will reveal that the creation is performing exactly as Father designed and intended in this regard. When the ages have run their course, every created being will have experienced Father's Love set against the backdrop of their own darkness.

Then, when evil has served its purpose, it will cease to exist. Paul tells us in 1 Cor 15:24-28 that Jesus will yield up the kingdom to the Father who will then be All in all (everything to everyone). Father will no longer be absent from any part of His creation. Father will fully inhabit His creation and evil will thus be banished. Evil, which Father created, will have performed its function, providing the background necessary to reveal Father's very nature.

May we also observe that long after the ages have seen their end, they will seem to us to have been but a few moments, whose sufferings will fade in the overwhelming flood of joy that will be the result.

"​​​​​​​For his anger lasts only a brief moment, and his good favor restores one’s life. One may experience sorrow during the night, but joy arrives in the morning." (Ps 30:5 [NET])

Father Loves You

Father Loves you. He always has.
Before Elohim knelt in the clay of Eden to form the first Adam, Father loved you. He knew your name, the lines of your face, your voice, your laughter, your tears. He knew the street your parents lived on the day you were born. He knew your first word. Father knew your kindergarten teacher and your high school counselor. He knew your dentist and your best friend. Father knew every one of your thoughts before you did. And still, He loved you.
Father will always love you. His love for His children will never end. It is the one constant in the universe. There is nothing you have done or can do that will diminish or increase Father's love for you. Father loves you completely and always will.
Father knows exactly what you will be. He has a place for you in His plans and will see to it that you are in your place. You will be the perfect expression of your Father - just as He designed you to be. He is making you into a unique and perfect vessel of His presence.
Father loves His children so much that He sent His Son to take on Himself our sentence of death. What the first Adam brought on our race, the second Adam has removed. Jesus has saved us from our sins. His work is finished. All that remains is the opening of each one's eyes and heart at his appointed time. When Father chooses, He opens the child's heart to receive His Love. The response is universal and positive.
Father's Love, through Jesus, will win all.
All that you will have experienced was designed by Father to make of you that perfect expression He intends. And when we finally experience the result, we will have it no other way. We will come to treasure what now seems to us so odious and unbearable, for we will see that those things were the very instruments of our making.

And the vessel that he made in clay was ruined in the hand of the potter. So repeating he made it, another vessel, as it seemed good in the potter's eyes to make it.
[Jer 18:4]

For I am reckoning that the sufferings of the current era do not deserve the glory about to be revealed for us. For the premonition of the creation is awaiting the unveiling of the sons of God. For to vanity was the creation subjected, not voluntarily, but because of Him Who subjects it, in expectation that the creation itself, also, shall be freed from the slavery of corruption into the glorious freedom of the children of God.
[Rom 8:18-21]

For all things are for your sake, so that the superabounding grace might be made to abound through the thanksgiving of the greater number, to the glory of God. For this cause we do not faint; but though our outward man perishes, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. For the lightness of our present affliction works out for us a far more excellent eonian weight of glory, we not considering the things which are seen, but the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are not lasting, but the things which are not seen are eonian.
(2Co 4:15-18)

Now the God of all grace, Who calls you into His eonian glory in Christ, while briefly suffering, He will be adjusting, establishing, firming, founding you.
[1Pet 5:10]

Eat to Starve Cancer

Esther - The Cause of Liberty

"And the Lord is that Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty." [2Co 3:17]

"Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free ...” Emma Lazarus

Is there anything sweeter than liberty? Does not every soul yearn for freedom?
One lesson of the book of Esther is that liberty exists in exact proportion to the extent to which Father restrains Haman (our Adamic nature, self, the flesh). Freedom is ENTIRELY and ONLY the product of Jesus' Life in the individual.
In Father's absence, Ahasueras chooses Haman. This is ALWAYS the case and it cannot be otherwise. Only as Haman is exposed AND restrained can the king make the right choice. Even though this is true, for now, we still sometimes choose Haman (to our own chagrin [Rom 7:9]). Father will ultimately remedy this for Esther teaches us that all of Haman's sons and all of the enemies of the Jews were completely defeated.
It is only through the agency of the Holy Spirit that self is exposed and restrained. This earnest of our future Hope points to a time when each will be entirely free from his sinful nature. We will one day live in the freedom found only in Christ.
This has profound implications for interpreting history and the world around us. Indeed, it will radically alter how we see even ourselves.
*Edmund Bourke was incorrect in believing that "men of intemperate minds cannot be free ...” He could not see that man is incapable of imposing "moral chains upon his own appetites". Indeed, man's fetters forge his passions. It is, in fact, men who have been made free that are made temperate of mind, whose appetites are chained. Rather than being the result of man's effort, liberty is the fruit of Father's work.
Some might label this manipulation. The truth is that Father is teaching in the only way we can learn without being destroyed. And Haman is certainly opposed to the outcome. There is only One who is capable of restraining evil. Our behavior is dictated by the relative amount of restraint imposed upon the flesh and the degree to which Father has finished His work in us. Father is thus illustrating to each, individually, and to all collectively, the fruit of the tyranny of self and its remedy.
The believer's life in Christ is a demonstration of Father's restraint of the flesh. Though far from complete, it is an earnest of what lies before us. Paul tells us the primary purpose of this demonstration...

"This grace is given to me (who am less than the least of all saints) to preach the gospel of the unsearchable riches of Christ among the nations, and to bring to light what is the fellowship of the mystery which from eternity has been hidden in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ; so that now to the rulers and powers in the heavenlies might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God, according to the eternal purpose which He purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord; ..." [Eph 3:8-11]

In the Ecclesia, Father is providing for Himself a witness, a living testimony, of the purpose that has been hidden for most of mankind's history. Personal demonstrations of the tyranny of self exposed and eradicated. This is Father's great wisdom in providing for each and for all the only Life that is life, which will be received wholeheartedly by all at their appointed time. For we are His workmanship, as clay to the Potter.
One might ask 'does this apply to nations?’ The liberties which have been enjoyed here in the US were unprecedented in history. This nation was once the beacon of freedom to the rest of the world. In this there is the demonstration of what we have been discussing.
Those liberties were the product of the restraint of the flesh on an unprecedented scale. They were a priceless demonstration, a brief glimpse, of what Father has in store for His children. Our Constitution, rather than being the cause of freedom, was the result, the product, of minds that had been set free (to a degree). As we witness the loss of those precious liberties it is evidence that Father has been loosening those restraints. The explosion of regulations and proliferation of laws is a bellwether (addressing attendant behavioral issues) of same. As the individual goes, so goes the nation.
Liberty then is the direct result of Father's presence restraining the flesh. It is the end result of the process of Father gifting an individual with His Spirit which exposes and restrains self (Haman). This is the only true liberty and it is not dependent upon civil, political or physical circumstances. This will also be the heritage of all men - for this is Father's will. Father is the cause of Liberty!

*Edmund Burke (1729-1797) was an Irish Statesman. The above quotes are from a Letter to a Member of the National Assembly (1791). The section from which they derive is quoted in full below. (In the light of the discussion above, what Mr. Burke saw as cause was actually effect.)

"Men are qualified for civil liberty in exact proportion to their disposition to put moral chains upon their own appetites, — in proportion as their love to justice is above their rapacity, — in proportion as their soundness and sobriety of understanding is above their vanity and presumption, — in proportion as they are more disposed to listen to the counsels of the wise and good, in preference to the flattery of knaves. Society cannot exist, unless a controlling power upon will and appetite be placed somewhere; and the less of it there is within, the more there must be without. It is ordained in the eternal constitution of things, that men of intemperate minds cannot be free. Their passions forge their fetters."

Esther - Oh Glorious Day

"I have been crucified with Christ, and it is no longer I that live, but Christ that lives in me; and the life which I now live in the body I live through faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave Himself up to death on my behalf." [Gal 2:20 WNT]
"... to whom God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the nations, who is Christ in you, the hope of glory; ..." [Col 1:27 LITV]

Esther is the story of Father's deliverance of His children. It is the divine revelation of the purpose of the creation. To understand and appreciate fully the glory of selflessness, that is Divine Love, we must experience the tyranny of complete selfishness, life apart from Father governed by flesh. Light has no meaning to us without darkness. The contrast between good and evil must be established. Father is doing this in a controlled environment where each must actually experience the horrors of self, yet be preserved to fulfill Father's purpose for him.
Each of us was born in Adam's image, under the tyranny of self. For most of our race it will have been their lot for their entire tenure in this life. For each, Father has designated a time and place when the gift of sight will be given. This was determined before Adam was created. For relatively few, that time and place will have occurred in this lifetime. It has absolutely nothing to do with merit, or intelligence, or talent, or anything else intrinsic to the individual. Out-calling is purely an act of Father's sovereign, Divine Grace. For those so blessed, it is given to believe without seeing. For the balance of Father's children, the gift of believing will coincide with their encounter with our risen Lord and Savior at the throne of Grace. While the out-called will have been there figuratively, most will receive their sight there actually.
The process of that gifting is revealed to us in the story of Esther. Father brings the Spirit into close proximity with the flesh and the exposure to Light reveals to the child both the overwhelming beauty of Divine Love and the true nature of self. In the power of the Spirit, self is put to death and new life is imparted through the indwelling of Christ Himself.
It is simple really. Our flesh would make us masters of our own destiny. It would have us believe that some, given the options, choose life while the rest go to some horrible end. This is utterly impossible, for flesh cannot see Divine Life and so choosing life is not an option. Only by the gift of the Holy Spirit is our soul made capable of perceiving Divine Life. Only in receiving Life are we made aware of it.
So life is a gift. Both our common bondage to flesh, and the universal gifting of Freedom in Christ. The outcome for all will be the same. Each will experience fully life apart from Father. Each will also receive the gift of the Spirit, which always imparts Father's life. The only question that remains is when. And that is in Father's most capable hands.

To be continued ...

Esther - Haman's Children

"For Mordecai was great in the king's house and his fame went out into all the provinces, for this man Mordecai was going on and growing greater." [Est 9:4]
"And the king commanded it to be done so. And the order was given at Shushan, and they hanged Haman's ten sons." [Est 9:14]
"... when the king's command and his order came to be done, in the day that the enemies of the Jews hoped to have power over them; though it was turned around, so that the Jews had rule over the ones who hated them." [Est 9:1]
"I have spoken these things to you so that you might have peace in Me. In the world you shall have tribulation, but be of good cheer. I have overcome the world." [Joh 16:33]
"... for the weapons of our warfare are not fleshly, but powerful to God to the demolishion of strongholds, the demolishing of arguments and every high thing lifting up itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought into the obedience of Christ, ..." [2Co 10:4-5]

Even as Mordecai grows in power and influence in the kingdom, there remain enemies yet to be dealt with.
So the time for the final introduction has arrived. We find that Haman has left ten sons in Shushan and there are all the enemies of the Jews who reside within the kingdom. The malice of these is undiminished even in the face of Haman's demise and each must be dealt with in turn.
While the believer has received an earnest of the Spirit and is assured of his life in Christ, as long as we remain in the flesh, we will continue to deal with sinful self. Note however that in the end ALL enemies are vanquished. We have Father's assurance that He will finish the work He has begun. For the battle is the Lord's and not ours.
The outcome for Ahasueras, Esther, Mordecai and the kingdom is quite a happy one. To this day Jewish people celebrate the outcome of these events. The day is coming when we will also celebrate the complete vanquishing of self, the day we trade our terrestrial body for a celestial one. For he is truly free who has been freed from himself.
The life of the believer is a one of progressive change. Father works progressively to "form Christ" in us. We may have confidence that He will keep His promise to complete this work.

To be continued ...

Esther - The Enemy Unmasked

It is a hard thing to discover the treacheries of an intimate. To be informed that one we love has betrayed a sacred trust is agonizing. The sweet Psalmist of Israel expressed the pain of it:

"My heart is sore pained within me: and the terrors of death are fallen upon me. Fearfulness and trembling are come upon me, and horror hath overwhelmed me." [Psa 55:4-5]
"For it is not an enemy who reviled me; then I could have borne it; it is not one who hates me who magnified himself against me; or I would hide myself from him; but it is you, a man my rank, my guide and my friend. We took sweet counsel together, and walked to the house of God in company." [Psa 55:12-14]

How often is this same scenario played out in the lives of our race. Countless are the betrayals that mark our history. And how often is it those closest to us that are caused to suffer most. These real life experiences picture to us an inward reality designed to teach us about the character of the flesh.
When Father brings the Spirit into close proximity with self He is applying a poultice. A wound cannot heal until the infection has been withdrawn and the drawing out of poison is a painful process. Yet it is this very agony that signals the prospect of the cure. Not until one sees the true nature of self in the light of the Spirit can the balm begin its work.
Ahasueras does not yet know Haman. To the king, Haman is a benefactor, enriching and protecting the kingdom. Haman has the king's best interest at heart - or so the king believes. How could that be bad? Haman is the king's closest confidante, his best friend. But scripture paints a different picture of the type Haman portrays and the blindness we all suffer when it comes to our own Adamic nature.

"The heart is deceitful above all things, and it is incurable; who can know it?" [Jer 17:9]
"A man's steps are from the LORD; how then can man understand his way?" [Pro 20:24]
"I know, O LORD, that the way of man is not in himself, that it is not in man who walks to direct his steps." [Jer 10:23]
"They have not known nor understood: for he hath shut their eyes, that they cannot see; and their hearts, that they cannot understand." [Isa 44:18]

To reveal to one of His children the true nature of their flesh requires great care and preparation. Father has lovingly orchestrated all the preceding events to bring the king and Haman to this point. Now we have the second revelation from Father. To draw the flesh out into the light of the Spirit. To give the king eyes to perceive the treachery of this familiar. To see self for what it really is and to have done with it.
And so Esther springs the trap and Haman is caught in his own snare. Ahasueras now sees Haman's true nature and the fiend's fate is fixed.
The king's antipathy is the purpose of the process. Father must allow us to experience the ravages of the rule of self to ratify in each of our minds the same animus. This marks a permanent turning point in the kingdom.
Swiftly now the king bequeaths Haman's house to Esther and the seal of the kingdom to Mordecai. The kingdom is infused with a new hope and new life.
So prospers the new life of the believer. Father enables in His child the recognition of His Son by the Spirit, and then sets about to draw out to us the true character of the Adamic nature. The first is a joyous encounter, the second is a painful necessity, which in the end, is no less joyful. The order is always the same. One cannot recognize Haman who has not first been smitten with Esther and Mordecai. The gift of the Spirit precedes belief in our Savior and the recognition of our true enemy.
Now, though the course has been set and great changes affected, the work is not quite finished. We have yet one more introduction and then on to the conclusion.

To be continued ...

Esther - Power and Worship

"So Haman came in. And the king said unto him, What shall be done unto the man whom the king delighteth to honour? Now Haman thought in his heart, To whom would the king delight to do honour more than to myself?" [Est 6:6]

That the flesh cannot be satisfied we have established. A moment's reflection on this will inform our ruminations concerning governance, commerce, industry and in fact, all human intercourse, including religious inclinations. Those who reside at the pinnacles are loath to vacate them. Those who do not, harbor convictions that they could, no doubt, govern better.

Haman is a study in this. He is positioned near the pinnacle of power in the kingdom. Yet he cannot be satisfied, for Mordecai refuses to worship him. In his fury he plots to assasinate Mordecai ahead of schedule. Little does he know that he has been playing into Esther's hands.

Haman's response to the king's query is very telling. The first concern of flesh is to be front and center. To Haman, all others are subordinate. And so pomp, ceremony and identification with the throne are prescribed. To the flesh this is worship. The flashier the better - a big show. While Esther and Mordecai work behind the scenes, Haman prefers the spotlight.

Yet how often does Father foil the schemes of the flesh? How often do the plans of those who follow the flesh meet an untimely end? To his dismay, the king orders Haman to honor his mortal enemy. The tables have been turned. Though he is second in the kingdom, he humbles himself at the king's command and performs the loathsome duty. He will do anything in his efforts to retain position and power.

"And Haman told his wife Zeresh and all his friends everything that had happened to him. Then his wise men and his wife Zeresh said to him, If Mordecai is of the seed of the Jews, before whom you have begun to fall, you shall not prevail against him, but falling shall fall before him. And while they were still talking with him, the king's eunuchs arrived, and they hurried to bring Haman to the banquet which Esther had prepared." [Est 6:13-14]

Haman's efforts will not avail. The flesh holds no power over the Spirit. Father's will cannot be resisted. The Divine arrangement cannot be thwarted. From this point forward Haman is unwillingly borne along to an end he had planned for another.

To be continued ...

Esther - The Great Awakening

"But a natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he is not able to know them, because they are spiritually discerned." [1Co 2:14]
"And a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple of the city of Thyatira, one that worshipped God, heard us: whose heart the Lord opened to give heed unto the things which were spoken by Paul." [Act 16:14]

The magnitude of the miracle that is the opening of the human heart to spiritual sight cannot be overstated. It is the seminal event in the existence of each individual. To begin the journey from darkness to light, from death to life marks the entry of the Spirit's direct influence in the life of a child of God. Without the Spirit, man is incapable of knowing Father and Jesus, of comprehending the meaning of his own existence or interpreting the events of his life. This then is Father's gift to man. That gift always precedes belief. Belief is the inevitable consequence of the gift of the Spirit. And each in his own time will receive that gift.

Now Esther has prepared herself and her people and she defies the law of the kingdom and approaches the king in his throne room. The king's response is immediate. He is enamoured of her beauty and extends his scepter, signaling welcome. So is the universal response of man when Father sends His Spirit to impart spiritual sight.

The first task of the Spirit is to provide eyes to perceive Father through the Son. The night following the king's acceptance of Esther and her invitation, he falls victim to insomnia. He causes the annals of the kingdom to be rehearsed to him and makes a startling discovery. No honor has been paid to Mordecai for saving the king's life. This the king must rectify speedily. So the Son becomes the vehicle of the revelation of the Father by the Spirit to the king. The magnitude of Mardecai's action is no longer lost on the king.

The response of all hearts enabled by the Spirit to perceive Father's Love is expressed in Isa 25:9,

"And one shall say in that day, Behold, this is our God; we have waited for Him, and He will save us. This is Jehovah; we have waited for Him; we will be glad and rejoice in His salvation."

This event marks a permanent change in the king. The Lover of our soul has made Himself known and all else pales. The work is not yet complete, but has begun for this one. So it will be true for all who have ever lived. The gift of the Spirit precipitates our belief in the One who made us. Once the Spirit is given the change is permanent. Where this one may have heard with the hearing of the ears, he has now seen with new eyes.

There remains however, one more revelation for the king.

To be continued ...

Believing

If the natural man cannot receive the things of God [1Cor 2:14] and is in fact hostile towards Father [Rom 8:7], and if the believing of Spiritual truth requires the Spirit of God [1Cor 2:14], does it not follow that the gift of the Spirit must PRECEDE believing and does in fact facilitate believing? Is it not then true that Father grants the Spirit to ENABLE believing rather than rewarding belief with the gift of the Spirit? Is it not impossible for man to believe unless Father enables by a prior giving of the Spirit? So then, it is not the choice of man, but rather Father's will, that determines who believes and when [Rom 9:16].

Esther - Open Warfare

"For the cravings of the lower nature are opposed to those of the Spirit, and the cravings of the Spirit are opposed to those of the lower nature; because these are antagonistic to each other, so that you cannot do everything to which you are inclined." [Gal 5:17]

The flesh, self, our Adamic nature, will suffer no rivals. It is megalomaniacal. Unchecked, self is capable of shocking things. It will go to any length to preserve its power. Self rightly perceives that Father is its mortal enemy. Father has wisely placed restraints upon the flesh. And so there is open warfare between flesh and Spirit.

Flesh desires to be worshipped. Have you noticed this? The drive for recognition is powerful. It may openly seek the praise of others, or it may mask its desire with deeds of charity.

In the end, self is bitterly hostile against any restraint or criticism. So we see that Mordecai's refusal to bow to Haman (at the king's command) has Haman enraged to the point of genocidal edict. Even the reminder of opposition is maddening. And so Haman elicits the utter destruction of the Jewish people.

In Mordecai's response we glimpse Father's most tender affection for His children. Though He has subjected us to these things in hope, and has already worked out the solution, the pain of the process is not lost on Him. Jesus was a man of sorrows and aquainted with grief. He suffered more than any man. He knows what we are facing.

When Father begins the process of opening a heart to believe there is much opposition. Yet He draws near, even unto the gates, setting in motion events that will change one's life permanently. The act of drawing near to an unbelieving child provokes this opposition. The flesh perceives the threat and reacts. How often the gift of believing is given in the midst of great crisis. Jesus is fully aware of the suffering that the process will require. This is expressed in Mordecai's mourning. The affinity between Esther and Mordecai (the Spirit and Jesus) can be seen in Esther's response to Mordecai's sorrowing. They are one.

The great hope for mankind is that Jesus willingly suffered, tasting death for every man, that all His children might receive the gift of believing in their appointed time. The granting of sight to man is the process that now lies before us in this most precious book.

Mordecai's presence has provoked Haman, and the inexorable march to freedom has begun. As of yet the king is unaware of these things. But that will soon change.

To be continued ...

Questions Concerning Man's Will

Some would have us believe that Father will not violate man's will. It has been said the Father "loves" us so much that He will allow us to "choose hell". Following are a few questions that these ideas seems to beg:

If Father does not, in fact, will not, violate man's will ...

• How is it that Father "drove" Adam and Eve out of the Garden of Eden and then placed a sentry to guard against their return?
• Did Job ask Father to slay his family and destroy all his worldly possessions?
• Which group at the tower of Babel requested Latin?
• How many leadership conferences did Joseph attend preparing to rule Egypt?
• Did Father send Pharoah a questionaire asking him to list his ten favorite plagues?
• Was Jonah first in line for foreign missions to Nineveh?
• How excited do you suppose Nebuchadnezzar was to look and act like an ape and eat grass like a cow?
• Did Cyrus contemplate rebuilding the temple while still in his mother's womb?
• How many of the twelve camped out all night in front of Jesus' place to be the first to get the new discipleship?
• Did Paul abandon a dead-end job for a promising new career as a martyr (travel benefits included)?

Some things to think about ...

Esther - The Ascendency of Self

"After these things, did King Ahasuerus promote to power Haman son of Hammedatha the Agagite, and exalted him,-and placed his seat above all the rulers who were with him." [Est 3:1]

"... But the Scripture locked up all under sin, ..." [Gal 3:22a]

"... because the carnal mind is enmity against God, ..." [Rom 8:7a]

You have no doubt seen the illustration. Dressed in a robe, Moses is seated on a flat rock flanked on either side by Aaron and Hur. They are holding up his arms so the army of Israel will prevail in the battle. It is Israel's first taste of war and it comes shortly after passing through the Red Sea. The Amalekites have been attacking Israel's rear, preying on the old and infirm, the women and children. There is much symbolism in this account, yet we must hasten on and so we will make a single observation: it is the Amalekites who become the archetypal enemy of Israel. They are despised for their cowardly and merciless tactics. Ever a thorn in Israel's flesh, Father eventually orders their extermination early in Saul's reign. In failing to complete the mission, Saul unwittingly sets the stage for the next event in our study.

At the outset of the third chapter of Esther we find the king has ceded authority within the kingdom to Haman. Haman is an 'Agagite', a descendant of Esau through Amalek. He owes his existence to Israel's disobedience. He is not ignorant of history and bears great malice toward the sons of Jacob.

In the wake of his banishing of Vashti, the king has elevated Haman to what amounts to the role of Prime Minister, the face of the government. Haman's counsel the king keeps. At this point the king has not a clue what he has done or the effect it will have on his kingdom.

So the types are coming into focus. Adam's decision has resulted in our race's loss of connection with Father and bondage to the rule of the flesh. Self replaced Father as the authority in our life. We have been indentured to a despot and short of Father opening our eyes, we are completely ignorant of the current state of affairs. The vast majority of mankind live their entire lives in this state. Controlled by the flesh, looking out for 'number one'. This is 'normal' for mankind and the basis for all conflict.

We are born to this, it is Adam's legacy and our present reality. We have been sold into the hands of a cunning regent. But Father has planned for this and the coming confrontation will perfectly serve His purposes. In the mean time, mankind is held under the sway of selfish flesh. Not even believers are free from its grip.

To be continued ...

Esther - A Fork in the Road

"All the watercourse are flowing to the sea, yet there is no filling the sea; to the place from which the watercourses are flowing, there they return to go forth again. All the words are weary,; a man cannot utter it. The eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor is the ear filled with hearing." [Ecc 1:7-8]
"One who loves silver is never satisfied with his silver, and one who loves large amounts never has enough income; this too is vanity." [Ecc 5:10]

"The farmer did not want ALL the land ... he just wanted what was next to his." Unknown

"... But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you, ..." [1Pe 1:19-20]

There is something that drives us, an insatiable appetite that is hard to put a finger on. No matter what we do, something is missing. At times it drives us to great achievement, and at others, to acts of desperation. Success in satisfying it is fleeting. That new car just isn't the same after the first door ding. One need only turn on the television to see the enormous industry employed to cater to mankind's bottomless pit of desire. We are consumed with consumption. It may seem hard to believe, but this is just as Father designed us to be.

Now some may protest that there are also countless examples of good things that man does. Look at Haiti. This is true. But, as we shall see in a later post, if those acts do not have Father as their source, they too are symptoms our disease. Our aim is not to assign motive but to point out what the scriptures teach about our nature apart from Father. Only Father knows the heart.

So the king must now find a remedy to the emptiness caused by Vashti's absence. We are now introduced to the namesake of the book. While the king's advisors set about a solution, we shall see that Father has been waiting in the wings, having already provided for the king's need.

Long before this king ascended the throne, Father had provided for the presence of Mordecai (humble, contrite) and Hadassah (hidden) or Esther (beautiful) in the kingdom. You see, all of this was designed by the Creator to fulfill His purposes. Before Jesus formed Adam, the entire plan was laid out and settled. In Mordecai's and Esther's names are revealed the types they answer to. Our porposal is that Mordecai is a type of the Savior (humble and contrite) and Hadassah or Esther (hidden beauty) the Holy Spirit. The fulfillment of those types will play out in the affect each has on the king and the kingdom.

So two parallel threads run through the story. A fork in the road so to speak. One represents the work of the flesh (the king's advisors, and one in particular), while the other pictures Father's grand design (Esther and Mordecai).

By the end of the second chapter Father has arranged for Esther's presence in the palace of the king (interestingly, using the agents of the flesh). Her eventual place is not fully realized yet. While she is present, she does not yet figure prominently in the business of the kingdom.

As for Mordecai, His presence has an immediate impact on the king himself. Foiling a plot by two of the kings confederates, Mordecai saves the king's life. This is little noted by the king. The event gets lost in the annals of the kingdom, all but forgotten. It will not surface again until Father deems it is the king's time. This is nothing short of our Savior's work on the cross. For the scriptures plainly tell us that Jesus is the savior of ALL mankind. But to the vast majority, it has been and remains unknown or deemed of little consequence. Its real significance is lost, until such a time as Father has designated for each, to be impacted and changed by its revelation.

So then, long before the anticipated (designed) sin of Adam and its consequences, Father, in His great Love and mercy, provided a Savior. While man seeks to save himself from the curse of sin, Father, having prepared THE solution in advance, waits until the appointed time for each to be healed and saved by the gift of faith through grace.

To be continued...

Esther - That Which Was Lost

"For this cause , even as by one man sin entered into the world, and by sin death; and thus death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned: ..." [Rom 5:12]
"... for God is not a God of disorder but of peace." [1Co 14:33a]

Our world is an external reflection of an internal reality. As a race, we exhibit the physical symptoms of our spiritual deficiency. At first flush this may seem a tragedy. But the truth is, what appears to fleshly eyes as chaos, is purposeful, and ultimately for our good. Everything is unfolding just as planned.

The book of Esther is the story of us. That is, it accurately portrays man's inner history. It is the journey away from Eden and Father into self and ultimately back again, into a far more beautiful future.

At the outset we are introduced to a kingdom (a life) at peace and rest, in the midst of an opulent celebration. The king is liberal in his gifts which are offered without condition. Queen Vashti is hosting the women of the kingdom and all is well.

On the seventh day of this feast, under the influence of wine, the king makes a fateful decision. The results of that decision spell the end of the peace and celebration of the kingdom and the permanent banishment of Vashti. Her counterparts in the kingdom are subjected to control with fear by decree (law). The state of his empire immediately changes and the peace and celebration are replaced with consternation, uncertainty and turmoil. The king has lost his peace and is filled with anger and rage. Self has blossomed and the fruit is ugly.

Vashti is banished without remedy. We shall see through the role of her replacement that she represents the place of man's connection with his Maker. Sans Father's internal presence, self becomes the proprietor of the establishment. This, by Father's design, will contrast for all, good with evil, darkness with light. In the end there will be no doubt as to the reality of life apart from Father. This will be experienced by all in the most personal and real way.

This is our natural state. Adam was created in Father's image, but we have all been born in Adam's image [Gen 5:3]. We have inherited Adam's nature. Vashti is banished. We are without our internal connection with Father. We are born in a state of spiritual death (the rule of self).

The results of life apart from Father are writ large in our collective and individual histories. The most difficult may yet be ahead of us. But take courage, for the story is just beginning.

To be continued.

Esther - The Principal Characters

"... to the end that you may be putting to the test the things that differ, in order that you may be incorrupt and may give no occasion of stumbling, unto the day of Christ" [Php 1:10] [Roth]

The first person we shall mention is the king. As we have already noted in the previous post, he represents our soul and the story of our life. This will become obvious to us by the end of the account. When we come to the next installment it will be the interplay of all the following characters with the king that sheds much light on our own circumstances, struggles and joys. As a side note, the word Ahasuerus is a title rather than a proper name. It is speculated that this is referring to Xerxes, the Persian. But the inspired account leaves this detail out. So you see, Father has left open the door of our association in type, with this unnamed individual.

Next we are introduced to Vashti. She is described in glowing terms. It is generally held that her name means "beautiful".

In the account, Vashti never appears in public. We know very little about her and secular scholars deem her to have been a minor consort of this king - a concubine. Her role, however, will turn out to be quite significant. So Vashti remains mostly a mystery.

Now we come to Mordecai. He is introduced simply as a Jew who has occasioned the capital City of Susa. How he arrived there, what his occupation might be and so on are also a mystery. The salient point is that Mordecai is in the vicinity of the king.

Esther, for whom the book is titled, is now introduced as the younger cousin of Mordecai who has assumed the role of her parent. We wil have much to say about her later.

Next we meet the antagonist, the Agagite, Haman. His heritage as an Amalekite also figures into the metaphor, as we shall see. As you may recall, Agag was the Amalekite king spared by Israel's king Saul after Samuel had given him explicit instructions from God to leave none of that nation living. As it turns out, Father was way ahead of Saul, preserving a descendant to assume the role of the enemy of the Jews. The type that Haman portrays (which his lineage and Saul's actions suggests to us) will add significantly to our understanding.

Now we have introduced almost all of the significant characters. There is one more introduction to make, but we are going to leave that until the very end of the story.

Next up: Esther - the Story Unfolds.

Esther - Moments of Discovery

"The glory of God is to conceal a thing, but the glory of kings is to search out a matter." [Pro 25:2]

One of Father's wonderful gifts to us is that of moments of discovery.  That moment when light dawns on the mind in an area that had been shrouded in dense fog is an occassion for joy and celebration.

The late Ray Stedman often noted that the great truths revealed in the Greek scriptures are illustrated in the lives and events of the Hebrew scriptures.  No detail is too small to add subtle nuances of understanding to the objects of discovery. Important are the events themselves, the meanings of the names of the participants, the order in which people and events occur, the relationships between the characters, where the history takes place, and so on.
One of Dr. Stedman's observations regards the passage quoted above.  He took from it, and many other passages, that a king in scripture is a metaphore for the totality of the human soul. Noting this in study, there are marvelous insights to be gained regarding the workings and purpose of human will, emotions and intellect.
 
The goal of this series of posts will be to throw light on the subject of the struggle between flesh and Spirit, where the battle takes place, how it is fought, and the final outcome. We shall discover that Father has left clues for us to encourage us in our daily walk as He works out His purposes in us. Armed with new insight, we may find greater peace in the midst of life's most challenging moments.
 
Our first task will be to charaterize the principals of the account. Subsequently we will consider the roles of the principals, their relationships to one another, and the implications of the account and its outcome regarding the larger truth that Father is illustrating. Hopefully we will enjoy some of those "aha" moments as we progress.
 
Next up: The principal characters.

Christian Service

This post is not likely to draw a lot of fan mail from the ranks of the clery, but here goes.

Thanks to Clyde Pilkington Jr for his inspiring post here.  An excerp appears below.

We would do well to discard the phrase "christian service" from the believer's lexicon. It has become too closely linked with organized events of the organized church to be used to identify Father's real work.

In the above mentioned post, Clyde beautifully contrasts Father's real work from what receives top billing in the organized church.

"True ministry is intensely personal, borne out of self-sacrifice for another. It is freely being spent (used up) in the situations of life where Father has placed us, and regardless of how you may “see” things or “feel” about the value of your personal sacrifice, it is in the silent, unrecognized giving of yourself and your daily life in the seemingly routine details of the day that you are used in HIS real ministry. It is in your regular avenue of living that your role as a “Son of God” is manifest in the real “work of God”!

I am not talking here of an occasional “act of service,” but of your daily LIVING SACRIFICE for Him in every detail and circumstance of life, being His available vessel – His channel of care and love – in EVERY SINGLE SITUATION, EVERY SINGLE DAY, day in and day out.
Your life is what true ministry is all about. It is not something that you “go and do.” It is who you are as our Father lives His life in and through you. Your daily sacrifice is what true ministry is all about. To give your life as a living sacrifice to God is a tremendous amount of hardship, care, burden, heartache, difficulty, trial and inconvenience. "

Believe that the focus of Father's work is in and through you every moment of your life and not organized events of the organized church. Rather than measuring one's self or others by participation in organized events, simply rest in the assurance that our daily life is Father's work. No pressure.  No "measuring up".  No need for motivation by guilt or fear.

Does this mean one should not participate in organized events? If one can participate without being motivated by fear or guilt or the need to measure up, have at it. If the motivation is purely the joy of opportunity and Father's Love or the need of another, by all means participate. If it does not become a substitute in your own mind for Father's real work, carry on. But recognize the danger.

One of the challenges in all of this is to realize that our flesh desires recognition. That means that participation in organized events (the recognition that inevitably results) is far more attractive to the flesh than the idea of Father working in the mundane things of our life. This is where our warfare takes place. The Spirit against the flesh and the flesh against the Spirit.

Father willing, in future posts we will take a look at what the book of Esther reveals about this struggle and the marvelous outcome.

Saved By Grace

Law is the instrument that exposes the symptoms of our universal and fatal disease. Death is the prognosis (the letter kills).

"What shall we say then? Is the Law sin? Let it not be! But I did not know sin except through Law; for also I did not know lust except the Law said, "You shall not lust. Ex. 20:17 " [Rom 7:7]
"for the wages of the sin is death, ..." [Rom 6:23a]
"Delighting, do I delight in the death of the wicked? declares the Lord Jehovah. Is it not that he should turn from his ways and live?" [Eze 18:23]

Grace is the cure, and when administered by the Spirit at Father's direction, it is 100% effective. Life is the result (the Spirit gives Life).

"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: ..." [Eph 2:8]
"... and the gift of God is life age-during in Christ Jesus our Lord." [Rom 6:23b]

And Father assures us that He will see to it that ALL are inoculated.

"... who desires all men to be saved and to come to a full knowledge of truth." [1Ti 2:4]
"You will then say to me, Why does He yet find fault? For who has resisted His will?" [Rom 9:19]
"... declaring the end from the beginning, and from the past those things which were not done, saying, My counsel shall rise; and, I will do all My desire; ..." [Isa 46:10]

Hope For All

If death is the finish line for choosing between heaven and hell, why did Father withhold this information for millenia?  Why do we not read of this in Genesis where sin began?  Why did Father not clearly explain this?  How can we account for this seemingly callous disregard of all those millions and perhaps billions who lived and died before Jesus' Advent?  Could anything be more important?  If Father has no other options, would He not give all an opportunity to hear of the coming of Christ and His atoning sacrifice?  Would not such dire consequences warrant such a chance?
Or is it possible that death is not the finish line?  That those who sleep in death await their opportunity?  That Father has something more glorious in store?  That He has given the keys to death and the unseen (hell) to Jesus who will use them in due time? That each, at his appointed time, will meet his Savior face to face, have his blindness removed, and at that moment will bow the knee and confess with his tongue to the Glory of the Father?
Why are we so dead set on sending the vast majority of mankind to eternal punishment?  Are we so arrogant as to believe that we would have fared any better than they given the same circumstances?  Does any honestly believe that they chose Jesus due to some superior intellect or good sense of their own?  Can we not believe the scripture that tells us that we are all the same without exception?

"What, then? are we better? not at all! for we did before charge both Jews and Greeks with being all under sin, according as it hath been written--`There is none righteous, not even one; There is none who is understanding, there is none who is seeking after God. All did go out of the way, together they became unprofitable, there is none doing good, there is not even one." [Rom 3:9-12]

Is it so hard to believe that He chose us and not the other way around?  Is that not the most hopeful of the two alternatives?  For if it is Father who does the choosing (and the scripture declares it so) then all indeed have Hope!

The Sky is Falling

The pagan invention of the conscious dead may be a candidate for the 'Original Oxymoron'.

Conscious eternal torment of those who misbehaved in this life was an early tool used to manage populations. Conjuring pandemics and climate catastrophies are examples in a contemporary genre. Those who rule (or wish to) find that a fearful people are easily manipulated.

The Hebrew scriptures do not so much as whisper the idea of conscious thought in the grave. In fact, they confirm the opposite.

"His breath will go out, he returns to the earth; his thoughts perish in that day." [Psa 146:4]"
"By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread until your return to the ground. For you have been taken out of it; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return." [Gen 3:19]
"... then the dust shall return to the earth as it was, and the spirit shall return to God who gave it." [Ecc 12:7]

One will find no such concept of an "immortal soul" in the Hebrew Scriptures. The dead 'sleep', and like Job, await their change.

Enter Augustine

Most translations of the Greek scriptures groan under the ponderous weight of Augustine's Manichaean machinations. He brought to Christianity some of the syncretic system ascribed to the pagan Assyrian Mani. One of those was a form of eternal conscious torment of the unbelieving. And so this became a motivational tenet of the organized church and severely cambered the early translators work. Scared parishoners are motivated parishoners.

Enter Toto

Yet Paul clearly explains, "... this mortal must put on immortality ...". The real Good News is that, while being mortal is our present condition, and death a present reality, One has transcended the grave, for it could not hold Him. He has been given the keys to death and the grave and He has every intention of using them. Death's days are numbered. Father is exposing the farce like Toto discovering the real wizard of Oz. All that fear-mongering is just smoke and mirrors. He is moving the Ecclesia out of the shadows of church traditions into the full light of the glorious gospel of Christ.

"For the Love of Christ constrains us ..." not the fear of hell.

Nations and Rulers

"And He made every nation of men of one blood, to live on all the face of the earth, ordaining fore-appointed seasons and boundaries of their dwelling, ..."[Act 17:26]

"This matter is by the decree of the watchers, and the command by the word of the holy ones, so that the living may know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men and gives it to whomever He will. And He sets up over it the lowest of men." [Dan 4:17]

"And all those living in the earth are counted as nothing. And He does according to His will among the army of Heaven, and among those living in the earth. And no one is able to strike His hand or say to Him, What are You doing?" [Dan 4:35]

"And he was driven from the sons of men. And his heart was made like the animals, and his home was with the wild asses. They fed him with grass like oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of the heavens, until he knew that the Most High God is Ruler in the kingdom of men, and that He appoints over it whomever He desires." [Dan 5:21]

"As streams of waters, the king's heart is in the hand of Jehovah; He turns it wherever He desires."
[Pro 21:1]

If Father determines the times and boundaries of all nations and who rules them and how and when, are not all who are in power now placed there by Him for His purposes?  And were not Gandhi and Hitler and Churchill and Idi Amin and Pol Pot?
 
"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith Jehovah. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts." [Isa 55:8-9]

"I form the light, and create darkness; I make peace, and create evil. I am Jehovah, that doeth all these things." [Isa 45:7]

He Alone is Able

Credit goes to The Christian Heretic whose deft logic able prose was the inspiration for this post.

Law incites sin.  We hardly need the scriptures to confirm what our experience teaches us. Anyone who has attempted a diet can cite ample proof.  The imposition of law has the effect of inciting rebellion. No one is exempt from the axiom. Paul makes this abundantly clear in Romans 5, 7 and 8.

It seems an odd thing then that we continue to insist on imposing law. The ways in which we attempt this are legion.  Signing contracts, dedicating ourselves to some discipline, promising adherence to some creed, agreeing to some covenant or other.  All have the effect of creating in us the desire to do the opposite of what was intended.

Do we not see that these impositions are ill-fated?  That frustration and even dispair can result?  Is it not indeed true that we, of ourselves, even with the best of intentions to keep the noblest of principals when they are obviously in our own best interest, are utterly unable to perform?

Now some will protest success in this endeavor.  But John has the answer for them. "He that says he has no sin is a liar and the truth is not in him."  We conclude they are blind to their own weaknesses.

Where does this leaves us?  Shall we not trust the One who made us for His own pleasure?  When He says "He that hath begun a good work in you will finish it ..." we may have confidence.

We will never achieve what we desire by the keeping of some law.  Indeed, to use law for this end will have the opposite effect.  We must trust to the One who created law to prove to us this very point.  He alone is able.

The Holy Spirit Given to All?

Will Father condemn one from whom He has withheld the Truth?

"For God shut up all into disobedience ..." [Rom 11:32a]
"Because of this they could not believe, because Isaiah said again, "He has blinded their eyes" and "has hardened their heart," "that they might not see with the eyes" and "understand with the heart," "and be converted," "and I should heal them."Isa. 6:10" [Joh 12:39-40]
"So, then, to whom He desires, He shows mercy. And to whom He desires, He hardens." [Rom 9:18]
"... in whom the god of this age has blinded the thoughts of the unbelieving, so that the brightness of the gospel of the glory of Christ who is the image of God, should not dawn on them." [2Co 4:4]
"... that He may show mercy to all." [Rom 11:32b]

Can any believe without the Holy Spirit? [1Cor 12:3]

"But God revealed them to us by His Spirit, for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God. For who among men knows the things of a man, except the spirit of a man within him? So also no one has known the things of God except the Spirit of God. But we have not received the spirit of the world, but the Spirit from God, so that we might know the things that are freely given to us by God. Which things we also speak, not in words taught in human wisdom, but in Words taught of the Holy Spirit, comparing spiritual things with spiritual things. But a natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he is not able to know them, because they are spiritually discerned. But the spiritual one discerns all things, but he is discerned by no one. For "who has known the mind of the Lord?" "Who will teach Him?" But we have the mind of Christ." ^{Isa. 40:13}[1Co 2:10-16]

Shall not all confess Christ? [Php 2:10, Rom 12:11]
Can any confess without the Holy Spirit? [1Cor 12:3]

One is not granted the Holy Spirit because one believes. One believes because Father has granted the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Truth Withheld

Can one be held accountable for the truth if it is purposely withheld?  Will Father condemn those from whom He has withheld the truth?

"Jesus said to him, I am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." [Joh 14:6]  

"But though He had done so many miraculous signs before them, they did not believe into Him, so that the Word of Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled, which he said, "Lord, who has believed our report? And the arm of the Lord, to whom was it revealed?" Isa. 53:1

"Because of this they could not believe, because Isaiah said again, "He has blinded their eyes" and "has hardened their heart," "that they might not see with the eyes" and "understand with the heart," "and be converted," "and I should heal them."^{Isa. 6:10"} [Joh 12:37-40]

"What then? What Israel seeks, this it did not obtain, but the election obtained it, and the rest were hardened;" [Rom 11:7]

"... But their thoughts were hardened, for until the present time the same veil remains on the reading of the Old Covenant, not being unveiled, that it is being done away in Christ." [2Co 3:14]


"... in whom the god of this age has blinded the thoughts of the unbelieving, so that the brightness of the gospel of the glory of Christ who is the image of God, should not dawn on them." [2Co 4:4]

"No one is able to come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him, and I will raise him up in the last day." [Joh 6:44]

If Father bestows the gift of believing on some now, must He not, if He is just, bestow the same gift on all eventually?  Shall not the Judge of the earth do right?

"For God shut up all into disobedience, that He may show mercy to all." [Rom 11:32]

"... because it was granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer on His behalf, ..." [Php 1:29]

"But as many as received Him, to them He gave authority to become children of God, to the ones believing into His name, who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but were born of God." [Joh 1:12-13]

"For by grace you are saved, through faith, and this not of yourselves; it is the gift of God; ..." [Eph 2:8]

"And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, I will draw all to myself."  [Joh 12:32]

Will Any Be Lost?

If Father has yieded all to Jesus, what in the creation (visible or invisible) remains outside His control?

"The Father loves the Son and has given all things into His hand." [Joh 3:35 LITV]

If Father has made Jesus heir of all (visible and invisible), what remains for the Adversary to inherit?
Does this inheritance not also include the Adversary?

"... in these last days He spoke to us in the Son, whom He appointed heir of all; through whom He indeed made the ages;" [Heb 1:2 LITV]

If all come to Jesus (and are not cast out), and if nothing of what Father gives to Jesus will be lost, how shall any remain in hades or Tartarus or the Fire or the Abyss or death?  Shall not even the Adversary come to Jesus?

"All that the Father gives to Me shall come to Me, and the one coming to Me I will in no way cast out. For I have come down out of Heaven, not that I should do My will, but the will of Him who sent Me. And this is the will of the Father sending Me, that of all that He has given Me, I shall not lose any of it, but shall raise it up in the last day." [Joh 6:37-39 LITV]

The Bema and White Throne

Judgment is the process of discernment - bringing truth to light.

For the Body of Christ this takes place at the bema, the judgment seat of Christ.  For all others it is the Great White Throne.

All will be led by the Holy Spirit into the presence of pure Love, pure Light.  Each will have joyfully received the Savior, some without seeing Him, others upon seeing Him in His Glory. There each one's life will be laid bare for them. Jesus will gently discern to each the purpose the flesh (the Adamic nature) has served in Father's work.
There also, having served its purpose, the flesh will be stripped away, forever consumed, leaving only the pure, flawless vessel of Father's making, a perfect and unique expression of Father's Glory.  There, all wrongs will have been made right, tears turned to joy, sorrows to rejoicing.
When the last has been purified thus, Jesus will yield His reign to the Father, and with our Savior pre-eminent, Father will at last be All in all. 
And that dear friends is the end of the beginning.  Beyond that we have only the faintest glimpses.  We only know that it has not entered into our thinking what Father has in store next.

Judgment

Author's note: I originally used forms of determine where forms of discern should have been used.

We judge that the penalty for sin has been paid in full for all [Really Good News]. No account remains to be balanced. There are no charges to be read. No penalty remains for any of God's creatures. Therefore, judgment does not concern sin.

For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that one died for all, therefore all died; and he died for all, that they that live should no longer live unto themselves, but unto him who for their sakes died and rose again. [2Co 5:14-15 ASV][Ed note: Love controls us - not the fear of hell. He died and rose for the sake of all.]

So what is judgment?

For we must all be made manifest before the judgment–seat of Christ; that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he hath done, whether it be good or bad. [2Co 5:10]

Judgment is the task of discerning truth, bringing the truth to light so that a discernment may take place. The bema, or judgment seat, is the place where this takes place for Christ's Body. What is it that is being brought to light here? It cannot be sin, for that has been dealt with. Who must discern? It cannot be Father or Jesus, for they already know all.

Is it not those who have been in the dark? Those who could not see past the flesh? Would that not be us? Will we not be brought to the Light for just that purpose?

And what must be discerned?

Can the flesh produce anything of value? Do all the "good works" I perform "for God" purchase me anything from Father? Is there anything the flesh has that Father wants? Does Father want anything from us? In the Light of the bema seat we receive the answer. The works done in our bodies that were really living for ourselves will be distinguished from Father's work in us, which is living for Him. Doesn't the flesh convince us that we can and must perform good works for Father? But the truth we will finally see is that it is only Father's work in (and through) us that has value. Is it not He who will finish the good work He began in us? Is it not He who works in us both to will and to do His good pleasure? Is it not His life given to us that has value? How can we tell the difference between our "good" work and His? We cannot. We must wait for Him to bring us to the Light.

The hardest thing for us to lose is the robe of our own righteousness. In that Light Jesus will discern to us its true value. And though it be painful, like Paul, we will gladly suffer the loss of all things done in the flesh.

Father has given us living illustrations of this in the scriptures. It is the point of the book of Job. It is also an underlying theme of the book of Esther. Isaiah paints the most moving and inspiring portrait of the marvelous outcome of all people brought out of darkness into the Light.

And in this mountain shall the LORD of hosts make unto all people a feast of fat things, a feast of wines on the lees, of fat things full of marrow, of wines on the lees well refined. And he will destroy in this mountain the face of the covering cast over all people, and the vail that is spread over all nations. He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of his people shall he take away from off all the earth: for the LORD hath spoken it. And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us: this is the LORD; we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation. [Isa 25:6-9]

Really Good News

"Yet all is of God, Who conciliates us to Himself through Christ, and is giving us the dispensation of the conciliation, how that God was in Christ, conciliating the world to Himself, not reckoning their offenses to them, and placing in us the word of the conciliation. For Christ, then, are we ambassadors, as of God entreating through us. We are beseeching for Christ's sake, ''Be conciliated to God!''" (2 Cor 5:18-20 CLV)

Let's take a look at Paul's summary of the Gospel.

"... All is of God, ..."

Nothing happens that does not serve Father's purposes. From Father's perspective, all His purposes were accomplished before He began.  Such is the power of His Sovereign Will.  So He is able to declare the end from the beginning and things that are not as though they are. All that Father has declared, He will do.  He will do all His pleasure.  His purposes will be accomplished. 

"Who conciliates us to Himself through Christ ... conciliating the world to Himself ..." 

We, indeed all of mankind, were conciliated to Father in Christ.  All the barriers between Father and mankind were removed.  That work was finished on Calvary and nothing remains to be done.  This is difficult for us to concede since, from the perspective of the flesh, nothing is accomplished save for human volition, energy and industry.  We are continually tempted to think we can or must add to Father's work.  Let's concede this point: the work of conciliation is finished, and we had nothing to do with it.

"... not reckoning their offenses to them ..."

Father has no accounting sheet with a list of your sins. No record of sin exists. This can't be overemphasized. GOD HAS NO RECORD OF YOUR (OR ANYONE ELSE'S) SINS. (THE Judgment has NOTHING to do with transgressions! We'll look at that subject in an upcoming post). Father is not waiting to squash you like a bug if you stray even a hair's breadth from the straight and narrow.  Father has no can of canola oil with your name on it. (That is not to say that sin has no consequences NOW.  That is an entirely different matter.)  THE PENALTY FOR ALL SIN HAS BEEN PAID IN FULL.  We also had nothing to do with this.

"... placing in us the word of the conciliation."

The ecclesia is now privileged to share this Good News as Father gives opportunity.  He has done all the work. All the barriers are gone. This is our calling.  To declare that Father, through Jesus, has conciliated all mankind to Himself, so be at peace with Father.  Each will come to saving faith WHEN Father bestows it. And ALL creation will declare Their praises!

And I heard every creature which is in the Heaven and on the earth, and under the earth, and those that are in the sea, and all who are in them, saying, Blessing and honor and glory and power be to Him sitting on the throne, and to the Lamb forever and ever. [Rev 5:13]

Eternal Death?

The wages of sin is death [Rom 6:23]. Is death eternal in any sense?

     If death really means eternal life in some really nasty place, or eternal destruction from the presence of God, and if Jesus paid (past tense really wouldn't work here) the penalty for sin [Heb 2:9], how is it that Jesus is now at the right hand of the Father [Acts 7:55-56]?
     If death really means death (the cessation of life), and it means forever dead, how is it that Jesus is now at the right hand of the Father [Rom 8:34, Rom 6:9]?
     How can death be "swallowed up in victory" [1 Cor 15:54], and "be no more" [Rev 21:4], if a single created being remains in its grip?
     If, on the other hand, death does mean the cessation of life [Eze 18:20], and Jesus has paid the penalty IN FULL for all men [1 Jn 2:2], abolishing death [2 Tim 1:10], and when the last of mankind bows the knee and confesses Jesus [Phil 2:10-11] (which thing can only be done by the Holy Spirit [1Co 12:3]), and receives salvation and immortality [Rom 10:10, 1Cor 15:53-54] (which only Jesus possesses [1Tim 6:16]) will not the last enemy, death, truly be swallowed up in victory [1 Cor 15:54] and be no more [Rev 21:4]?
     Is this not Father's will [1Tim 2:4]?  Shall He not accomplish all His will [Isa 46:10]?

Seeing through a brick wall.

My absolute favorite line from the pen of JRR Tolkein occurs in the Lord of the Rings trilogy and is attributed to Gandalf remarking on the cognitive prowess of a certain frenetic innkeeper.  It goes; "Even old Barliman can see through a brick wall if you give him enough time".
The horrors of unfettered flesh (the consequences of selfishness) must be FULLY comprehended (observed and experienced) before the unfathomable riches of righteousness (the gift of selflessness) may be received and FULLY appreciated.
Our present frame cannot tolerate the extremes of either.  In mercy, Father restrains the evil He created (Isa 45:7, 2Th 2:7).  In grace we receive tokens of the fullness of what lies ahead (1Cor 2:9).
All have been given the gift of selfishness, that in time, each may also receive the gift of selflessness.
It is enough that some have been given the gift of hope now (His Grace is sufficient) to be shared as He gives opportunity.
In time, even old Barliman will see through the brick.

The Salvation of All

The objection is often raised that if Father will eventually save all anyway, why bother proclaiming the Gospel? In answer, please consider these:

First, that Father was in Chirst conciliating the whole world to Himself.
That believing is a gift, bestowed at Father's discretion.
That Father will give this gift to every one who has ever lived at their appointed time.
That Father has ordained that through the foolishness of proclaiming, the Word does His work.
The fact that Father will EVENTUALLY bring all mankind to belief, does not preclude Him from opening the hearts and minds of some NOW.

Once the full magnitude and glory of this marvelous truth dawns on the mind and heart (the gift from Father) it becomes fairly impossible to REFRAIN from proclaiming it. Such is the overflowing joy of a heart so changed.  And, since Father and Christ Jesus our Head are the authors and cause of all of this, the full credit and glory go to Them (before whom no flesh shall glory).  And we are privileged to participate in the process!

Of Chocolate and Men

  For the best part of the weekend they had listened with varying levels of indifference to the testimonies of men who had no clue about life in this place. Oh, there were some stories that struck a chord. But the most hardened were unimpressed. Mostly they agreed to participate because the food was known to be excellent and abundant. But now there was hardly a dry eye in the place. I watched with wonder as one of the hardest men I had ever met stared in disbelief. He sat there motionless, unwilling to allow the emotions seething beneath the surface to erupt. He had not seen this coming.
   In this place, where there is absolutely no privacy and most shreds of dignity had been stripped away, everyone has an agenda, everyone is working some kind of con. But this, this came out of left field. It had him by the throat and it wouldn't let go.
   It's not that he hadn't earned his berth here. He was guilty and he owned up to it. As the Chaplain liked to say, "These men aren't in here for singing in the church choir." It's just that he had never experienced anything like this. Or it had been so long he could no longer remember.
   It wasn't really the object itself. It was the idea. And someone he had never met, and likely never would, had taken the time to prepare it, expecting nothing in return. And it had flattened this street-hardened, institutionalized wise guy.
   And when I whispered 'happy birthday' in his ear (strictly forbidden in that place) the dam broke, and I watched a heart of stone turn to flesh.
   The power of unconditional love is irresistible. No one can tell me differently. And when the Author of Life removes the blinders from the eyes of the most hardened, which He will most surely do, the power of the flesh will be washed away in the flood of tears that follow.
   It was not the threat of eternal torment or the promise of streets of gold that changed this man's heart. Nor was it a promise of freedom.  It was a birthday cake with his name on it.
Isn't Father amazing!

O' For a Thousand Tongues!

What a priceless gift, to be given the eyes to see!

When Father says all, He means ALL! And when Father says every, He means EVERY! And when Father says 'no more', He means NO MORE!

All is of God  (I Cor 11:12, II Cor 5:18)

As in Adam all die, so in Christ will all be made alive. (I Cor 15:22)

God, The Savior of all mankind  (I Tim 4:10)

If I, if I be lifted up, will draw all men to myself.  (Jn 12:32)

And he will destroy in this mountain the face of the covering cast over all people, and the vail that is spread over all nations. He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of his people shall he take away from off all the earth: for the LORD hath spoken it. And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us: this is the LORD; we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation.  (Isa 25:7-9)

All mankind will fear; they will proclaim the works of God and ponder what he has done. (Ps 64:9)

God will bless us, and all the ends of the earth shall reverently fear Him.  (Ps 67:9)

Who will not fear you, O Lord, and bring glory to your name? For you alone are holy. All nations will come and worship before you, for your righteous acts have been revealed. (Rev 15:4)

Every knee shall bow, and every tongue confess. (Isa 45:23, Phil 2:10)

And every creature which is in heaven and on the earth and underneath the earth and on the sea, and all in them, I hear also saying, ''To Him Who is sitting on the throne-To the Lambkin-Be blessing and honor and glory and might For the eons of the eons!'' (Rev 5:13)

And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. (Rev 21:4)


EVERY WRONG MADE RIGHT FOR ALL WHO HAVE EVER LIVED! NO MORE TEARS, DEATH, SORROW, CRYING OR PAIN!  Oh that this unworthy had a voice to sing!

Vessels of Clay

Lydia's father was a potter.  I never met him, he had died before my family and Lydia's became acquainted.  Their home was full of his pottery.  As a matter of fact,  he had built their home as well.  It was made out of stone and it was beautiful.  His workshop was separate from the house and also made of stone. 
I will never forget his pottery.  Each piece was uniquely beautiful.  Some were created just to admire for their beauty.  Some were very clever in their design.  Some were quite practical.  One piece in particular remains a vivid memory even more than forty years since the last time I saw it.  It was tubular like a tire.  It was perfectly round with a hole in the center and had a base, spout, and handle as well.  It was artfully ornate and glazed a gorgeous blueish brown.  I remember puzzling over how on earth he made it.  As he crafted it, I wonder how many times he had to knead the clay into a lump and start over until at last it took the exact shape he had designed.  I have imagined him seated at his wheel shaping the clay as it turned.  To this day I remain awed by his skill.
In a sense,  I came to know Lydia's father through his work.  Both in the things he made with his hands and through his children.  His children are as unique as his pottery.
There is another Lydia whose Father is the Master Potter.  You know the story.  She was from Thyatira, running her business in Philippi.  Paul found her near the river on the sabbath, praying.  Her Father had prepared her heart to receive the Good News Paul was about to present.  The clay was on the wheel, already being shaped.  Over the rest of her life, Father continued to shape the clay.  Sometimes kneading it back into a lump, continuing the process until His design was perfected.  The finished piece will be a marvel to behold.  Completely unique, genius in design, a perfect expression of the Master Potter.
Consider your own life.  You are also on Father's wheel.  Clay in His loving and perfectly competent hands.  Sometimes in the shaping process.  Sometimes being kneaded (Fire is also used in this process.  But for now it is enough to be kneaded. :-) You may have confidence that the outcome will be perfect.
Now multiply all of this countless billions of times and the scope of what Father is doing begins to come into focus.  Every person who will ever have lived becomes a unique expression of Father's Love.  And all of this is happening according to the design laid out long before the first lump of clay ever took shape.

To Him be all the praise and glory!

Love's Triumph

Would Father's unconditional Love (grace and mercy) ever have found expression (been brought to light) if no created being had ever sinned?

Is it possible to experience unconditional love (grace and mercy) not having sinned?

Since all have sinned, are not all, as a result, made capable of experiencing the full expression of unconditional love?

Having experienced the ravages of sin's consequences, what is the opened heart's response to the full expression of unconditional love?  (Ps 107, Isa 25)

Who is it that opens hearts? (Acts 16:14, Jn 6:44-45)

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The demonstration of Father's love needed only one Perfect Expression. (Heb 1:1-4)
 
All will have been made capable of receiving that Love because all have sinned. (Rom 11:32, Rom 3:23)
 
All that remains is the opening of the heart. (Rom 9:14-18)

Each in his own time. (I Cor 15:22-23)

Toward Liberty

In Brief...

Organized religion (read corporate church) is a God-ordained monument to the flesh (teaching as doctrines the traditions of men) set in contrast to the Ekklesia, the called-out body of believers (the glorious liberty of the children of God, worshiping in spirit and truth).  These are not synonymous.

For the vast majority of believers organized religion is a Divine training ground that sets bondage against liberty, law against grace.  Man's traditions obscure truth.  Most believers are, or have been, professing "members" of some corporate church.  It is the experience of bondage that makes liberty so sweet.

In contrast, all believers have been placed (called out) into the body by its Head, Christ Jesus our Lord.  And in time all will be set free.

Both are a necessary part of Father's purpose.

Toward God

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. (Jn 1:1-2) And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.(Jn 1:14)

The Greek pros translated here "with" is better translated "toward" as in 2Cor 3:4 and 1Thes 1:8.
The use of with here obscures a marvelous truth. Let's explore how "with God" obscures the meaning.

We know from 1Jn 4:8, 16 that God is Love.  That is, Father is selfless, without self.  Father's thoughts are always toward His creation, outward (Psa 145:16, Jer 29:11).  Father does not need (Acts 17:25).  He is complete, whole (Holy). We (creation) have nothing that Father wants or needs. He provides for our every need (Psa 107:9, Psa 136:25, Ecc 2:24). The mistake we make is imbuing our contrived deities with human needs and desires (self).  We create gods in our image.

We find then in Jn 1:1-2 that the Word is "toward God".  As the perfect expression of the Father, Jesus was/is also outward, selfless.  

I believe that in his original state, Adam was also toward God.  However, he was created to become selfish.  And so he became.  Once so oriented, there was nothing he could do to remedy it.  In fact, he had no desire to remedy it.  Self has no use for God (Rom 8:7). Self IS god (I, god - sorry Will Smith).

And every human since has been born in Adam's image (toward self - selfish, Gen 5:3).  The second Adam,  was once again in God's image, selfless, toward God (the Word made flesh).

So the idea that the Word was "with" God completely misses the point and obscures a marvelous truth about the very nature of Father and the Word (Who became flesh). Both are "toward".  That is, outward, selfless, Love. And by the indwelling Life of Christ, mankind will once again become selfless.  But we will all have had to experience the bondage of self and all the attendant torment and suffering.  For every ill is the direct result of the selfish nature in man (I, god).

So John is not speaking of the spatial relationship between Father and the Word.  Rather, Holy Spirit is revealing the selfless nature of both.  Now imagine for a moment future ages shared by countless sons and daughters brought to Glory through the Son, sharing the same selfless nature.  No conflict, hurt, sin or evil.  Consider also the priceless memorials of common suffering that will have proven beyond the shadow of a doubt, that the way of self is not an option, contrasting and revealing the transcendent Glory of Father.