You should treat all
Prayer
like and experiment,
do more of it
and you will
discover
something new.
anzaholyman
Arminian
John 3:14 Death or Resurrection?
So here we are back in the 3rd Chapter of the Johns open letter to believers in Christ and it is recorded that Jesus said the following: “Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up (exalted),that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.” Now how are we to understand this verse, does it follow that Jesus here is talking about his death on a cross?
Remember now Jesus is to talking to Nicodemus about the Nation Israel and it’s people, it is clear from many other places in the gospels that the ministry of Jesus was not to the Gentiles. I am pretty sure at this point in his ministry Jesus is aware that he will be rejected by the leadership as the Messiah of Israel. Lets be clear here Death on a Cross would not prove to the religious authorities that Jesus was the Messiah of the Jewish Prophets. Nor would death on a cross prove to the people Jesus Christ was the exalted of God, which is what the phrase “Lifted up” means in the Greek.
Lets pause here and ask a question, why is it that the church theology & doctrine for thousands of years sees the cross in this statement of Jesus to Nicodemus? The answer is almost self evident, because the church has built it’s salvation dogma around the cross and the idea of your guilt and the blood sacrifice. What if however Jesus is looking past the cross which is far more likely and to the Resurrection. Because lets be honest anybody can die for love as Jesus taught, but raising from the dead three days later and defeating the whole sin/death paradigm is another story altogether. Remember when Paul is teaching the Corinthians and he says “if the Resurrection from the Dead is a myth then we above all people are most miserable”
Do you see this is not to deny the cross but rather to put it in it’s proper place, there is no power in the cross alone. The only power in the cross is the resurrection because all men in Adam die. Jesus was the Last Adam and his power is not demonstrated in death but rather in life, or as Paul taught: “The first man Adam became a living being”; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit.” Therefore looking to the future Paul confidently says: All of Israel shall be saved.”
Now is there a partnership also implied in this section of scripture you bet ya, but if you think This Christ is playing second fiddle to the will of man you haven’t read the story. Do you see we have built many theologies around man’s will, either in the affirmative or the negative giving us all the control, and don’t kid yourself it’s all about control. This will however is not dead as the Calvinists over think nor is it the trump card the Arminians passionately imagine, it is that which you will give freely to love eventually and I recommend now rather than later, it makes for a better life.
Can I tell you a secret though it’s not about you, or as Paul so eloquently says in the letter to the Philippians and with this I will close. Now yes I know I haven’t tied everything up in a nice little Theological bow, but who ever told you that was how this mystery was to be approached in the first place?
Philippians 2:6b Jesus: who, being in very nature of God,did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
7 rather, he made himself nothing
by taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
8 And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
by becoming obedient to death—
even death on a cross!
9 Therefore God (exalted) him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.
a recovering Hell Fire & Brimstone preacher
Three Views on Salvation
The first view is the Calvinist View which simply stated is this. Salvation is 100% a work of God but He does not intend on Saving everyone, but those He chooses are eternally safe, Christ did not die for all humanity but only the elect. Our Part in this matter is merely to preach the absolute sovereignty of God and those Chosen will respond because they have been given the spirit of grace to do so.
The second view is the Arminian View which simply stated is this. Salvation is 99.9999% a work of God and the rest is your freewill which you must exercise in order to receive it. Now some believe at this point Salvation becomes guaranteed and others do not. Our part in this matter is to tell them without faith in Christ they will most certainly perish in Hell. Those we do not reach with this message, God can’t save for his hands are tied according to our part in proclaiming the Gospel and mans part in confessing belief in his life time.
The third view is that of Jesus Christ which simply stated is, that “He is Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.” “And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to Myself.” Your responsibility in this mater is to proclaim the full love of God in Christ and to walk in that same love in this life. Reach as many as you can with this Real Heavenly Love, but in the finished work of Christ is the guarantee for those we do not reach “that every knee shall bow and every tongue will confess Jesus is Lord to the Glory of God” and then God sorts it out.
ANZAHOLYMAN
Calvin & Job (The Great Debate)
Job: The Lord gives and The Lord takes away blessed be His name.
Calvin: You are absolutely correct Job for God is Sovereign.
Job: I am blameless and upright before my God.
Calvin: I’m sorry Job but you do err in not knowing how to rightly divide the word.
Job: What word are you talking about Calvin.
Calvin: The word of God starting with the book of Genesis and proceeding to the Book of Revelation. In that Book it is declared that all have fallen short of the glory of God. Further more you are dead in your trespasses and sins, you were born spiritually dead.
Job: No I was born a Human being in the Image of God, my father taught me to honor God and make sacrifice.
Calvin: You where born guilty in the sight of God, according to the clear teaching of Scripture.
Job: No I was born with the same potential to serve God as was any Human ever Born.
Calvin: You have broken God’s Law and He demands Perfection.
Job: What Law?
Calvin: The covenant Law given to Moses.
Job: Sorry I’m drawing a blank here Calvin but maybe where there is no Law it can’t be broken.
Calvin: You sound like a Pelagian Heretic.
Job: No I am a servant of the God whose name I do not know, and I am blameless and upright before His eyes.
Calvin: but you need to be perfect in His eyes.
Job: Says who?
Calvin: Basically any body whose somebody in the church world from Anselm to Me.
Job: Sounds complicated I think I will stick with my simple faith and conscience.
Calvin: Well broad is the way that leads to destruction.
Job: I will stick with my God and my proclamation of Innocence, God is mighty to save.
Calvin: On that we agree Job.
GOD: So do I
Satan: I tend to agree with Calvin
God: You would.
ANZAHOLYMAN
Bill Langill's Blog 
You must be logged in to post a comment.