My next expanded area of GOD's great Salvation is our having No Fear of Condemnation by GOD or Through our LORD Christ Jesus. But first Pastor Hoekstra and his teaching on GOD's Grace received by us through the ascended LORD. Then I will move into No Condemnation with the LORD's help using the ESV translation.
"God Promising Eternal Life"
"And this is the promise that He has promised us — eternal life." (1John 2:25)
"We have examined a number of strategic promises from GOD in the Old Testament. We have also considered how a growing awareness of GOD's Ability builds our faith in His Promises. Now, let's begin to examine some of the promises that GOD has made in the New Testament.
The first promise that we will look at could actually be called "the promise of all promises," as far as that which impacts man the most. This promise is the culmination of all the others. "And this is the promise that He has promised us — Eternal Life." As in human life, eternal life has a quantitative aspect (related to duration) and a qualitative aspect (related to substance).
The quantitative aspect of eternal life pertains to the fact that it never ends. Consequently, it is sometimes translated as everlasting. "And this is the Will of Him Who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes (en, this is unity with, translated) in Him may have everlasting life; and I Will raise him up at the last day" (John 6:40). This coming from the lips of Jesus is a vary bold statement of deed unimaginable by the world at large. And is hard therefore to grasp hold of let alone believe. As humans, who begin natural life, limited to a brief number of years, the thought of a never-ending life is overwhelming. Yet, as amazing as the quantitative side of Eternal Life is, the qualitative side is even more stupendous.
Jesus spoke of the qualitative aspect of eternal life. "I have come that they may have Life, and that they may have it more Abundantly" (John 10:10). This would be a life in which the fullness of Jesus' Grace and light is being increasingly manifested. "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. . . full of Grace and Truth . . . And of His fullness we have all received, and Grace for (upon) Grace" (John 1:14, 16). This would be a Life in which the Holy Spirit is being trusted to produce Christ-like characteristics in an increasing manner. "But the fruit of gentleness, self-control" (Galatians 5:22-23). This would be a Life in which we could not be the source of sufficiency, but GOD would be. "Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from GOD." (2Corinthians 3:5).
Appropriately, this Eternal Life is offered to man as a gift. "For the wages of (satan's) sin is death, but the Gift of GOD is Eternal Life the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, in Christ Jesus our (ascended) LORD . . . And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish" (Romans 6:23 and John 10:28). Necessarily, this gift can only be received by faith: "that whoever believes (as being Divinely One) in Him should not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:15).
No Condemnation, for GOD's righteous,
Isaiah 50:4-11 "The LORD GOD has given me the tongue of those who are taught, that I may know how to sustain with a word him who is weary. Morning by morning He awakens; He awakens my ear to hear as those who are taught. The LORD GOD has opened my ear, and I was not rebellious; I turned not backward. I gave my back to those who strike, and my cheeks to those who pull out the beard; I hid not my face from disgrace and spitting. But the LORD GOD helps me; therefore I have not been disgraced; therefore I have set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be put to shame. He Who vindicates me is near. Who will contend with me? Let us stand up together. Who is my adversary? Let him come near to me. Behold, the LORD GOD helps me; who will declare me guilty? Behold, all of them will wear out like a garment; the moth will eat them up. Who among you fears (reverences and greatly respects) the LORD and obeys the voice of his servant? Let him who walks in darkness and has no light trust in the name of the LORD and rely on his God. Behold, all you who kindle a fire, who equip yourselves with burning torches! Walk by the light of your fire, and by the torches that you have kindled! This you have from my hand: you shall lie down in torment."
Luke 6:37-38 (Jesus is speaking) "Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven; give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you."
John 3:16-21 (Jesus is speaking) "For GOD so loved the world, that HE gave His only Son, that whoever believes (en, this is unity with, translated) in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For GOD did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him. Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of GOD. And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were (are of the) evil (one). For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in GOD."
John 5:24-29 (Jesus is speaking) "Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears My word and believes Him Who sent Me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to Life. "Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of GOD, and those who hear will live. For as the Father has Life in Himself, so HE has granted the Son also to have Life in Himself. And HE has given Him authority to execute judgment, because He is the Son of Man. Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear His voice and come out, those who have done good to the resurrection of Life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment."
Romans 7:20-8:8 (Paul is explaining his inner struggle of evil verses good) "Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but (satan's) sin that dwells within me. So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. For I delight in the law of GOD, in my inner being, but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to GOD through Jesus Christ our LORD! So then, I myself serve the law of GOD with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin. There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of Life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death (found in Genesis 2:16-17 and came into force in chapter 3). For GOD has done what the (this of Moses) Law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the (this of Moses) Law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is Life and Peace. For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile (enmity) to GOD, for it does not submit to GOD's (Love and Faithfulness) law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please GOD."
Romans 8:31-39 and 1John 3:13-22 "What then shall we say to these things? If GOD is for us, who can be against us? He Who did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all, how will HE not also with Him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against GOD's elect? It is GOD Who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, Who was raised—Who is at the right hand of GOD, Who indeed is interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, "For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered." No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him Who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of GOD in Christ Jesus our LORD."
1John 3:11-22 "For this is the message that you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. We should not be like Cain, who was of the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own deeds were evil and his brother's righteous. Do not be surprised, brothers, that the world hates you. We know that we have passed out of death into Life, because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death. Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. By this we know (sefless) Love, that He laid down His life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does GOD's Love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in Truth. By this we shall know that we are of the Truth and reassure our heart before Him; for whenever our heart condemns us, GOD is greater than our heart, and HE knows everything. Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before GOD; and whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do what pleases Him."
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