Category Archives: christian soteriology

I AM a Grasshopper?

The Bible never calls Christians “sinners” and never calls their hearts “idolatry” or “deceitful” referring to their life after regeneration.

Stop belittling yourself for nothing, you fool! The power for holiness that the Spirit has placed in us is much greater than you can imagine.

Andre De Mattos Duarte

Andre is correct.

We are never labelled as sinners in the bible, that is, those who are born again. We are called children of God with God’s “seed” or “nature in us. We are told if our nature is “sin” and we wilfully practice it, we are not from God, but Satan (1 John 3-4).

The Corinthians who had so many issues, are labelled by the Apostle Paul as those who have inherited life, death, time and the entire world. Paul’s says they will one day judge angels. He labels the people, whose behavior is (in some areas) human and sinful, as “saints,” “new creations,” “reconciled to God,” and the very “righteousness of God.” He says they are “God’s light,” “God’s righteousness,” and “God’s temple.” He never says they are the worst of sinners. He says the opposite. He says they used to be that way, but now they are something different.

Paul says the “gospel” was predestined for (not God’s glory), but theirs. He says they have the fellowship of the Son, and even have the Mind of Christ. Referring to us as a true definition (A tree is organic), the bible always labels us as Saints, holy, undefiled, light, righteousness, power and heirs etc. It never labels a saint as a sinner, or as an unbeliever.

Paul did say in the present tense “I am the worst of sinners.” He earned this label in the past, for persecuting the body of Christ. Thus, the context, as a whole, shows it to be a past tense label, which very few can claim. The absurdity to say this is meant in the present tense, would mean Paul is presently attacking the body of Christ in the same way he did before he was born-from-above, because that is the context for the label.

For example, if I was in the military for a few years and earned the record for the “worst parachuter.” However, I left and have been working as a butler for 50 years, and yet, after all this time my worst record still stands. If that is the case I can say, “I am the worst parachuter.” Even though I am not presently in the military, or presently a parachuter, nor have been for 50 years, I can say in the present tense (I am the worst parachuter), but it refers to the past. Even if my record was replaced by a slightly worst record 30 years ago, I could still say, I am the worst parachuter, in the sense of a perfect example, representative or poster-boy. This is how Paul meant it. Thus, even after all these years, you hear drill sergeants yelling at recruits, don’t end up like, Oshea Davis, who was the worst parachuter. They will say this even though someone might have a worst record, because the name Oshea Davis became an infamous example for everyone to use.

Paul says God chose him specifically, as an example for how bad sinners can be. God wanted to show off His grace and power, and used Paul’s terrible actions to give an example for how far His grace goes. Thus, you cannot claim to be the poster-boy of sinners, because God gave the title to Paul.

Furthermore, to claim to be the worst of sinners in the present tense today, would logically mean you are presently attacking and destroying the body of Jesus Christ, or something equally damming. If that is truly you, then claim such a title so that I can avoid you. If not, then you are so delusional, I would also want to avoid you.

Why do I need to explain basic grammar to adults who say they know the bible and can discern it?

Jesus, like Paul referring to the behavior of the Corinthians, at times would label His disciples as “foolish” or “spiritual perverts” because they could not cast out demon, but this was not a label about who they are. We all find those few sins we are more easily ensnared by, but to label ourselves by them, is to label the ministry of Jesus, His Gospel and nature with such labels. What you are, after your conversion is a product of Jesus’ ministry. Your new identity is by Jesus. And so, to claim you are still a sinner is to make Jesus a minister of sin. Jesus is not a minister of sin, or sickness or any other negative thing to His chosen ones. Light and darkness, sin and righteousness contradict one another. You are either one or the other. Jesus is not Satan, and a saint is not a sinner. A believer is not an unbeliever. Because of the contraction they cannot be attributed to the same person.

Vincent Cheung on this subject says,

Accordingly, Paul referred to Christians as “saints” in his letters. It is often suggested that the Christian is both sinner and saint. There is much biblical evidence to the contrary. As we have seen, Paul said the Christian is a new creation, and the old has passed away. In another place, he wrote, “Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with wickedness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever?” The statement addresses partnership or association with unbelievers, but notice what he calls each group. There is no mixture between the two. You are either righteousness or wickedness. You are either light or darkness. You cannot be both at the same time. Jesus is not both Christ and Satan at the same time. The Christian is not both righteousness and wickedness at the same time. (The Chief of Sinners)

I always find it odd that so-called Christians want to affirm how awful they are. I am an porn-star Christian, I am a alcoholic Christian, I am a vile sinner. We are grasshoppers and they are too big (etc.).

Such a confession would logically lead back to God, and how ineffective His is at forgiving, sanctifying and empowering His chosen ones. There also could be some connection to the unforgivable sin against the Spirit, by connecting your confession of sinfulness, worthlessness, and patheticness to the Spirit who lives in the believer.

At the end of the day God gets to play with reality and define reality the way he wants. I am the righteousness of God and not that God is the righteousness of God. I am what I am, by the grace of God. The Bible rejects pantheism, thus, what God creates and gives me, is “me,” or “mine.” I am a child of God, a prince of heaven, with free access to the throne, while other created beings do not have this access. This is me. I am what I am, by the grace of God.

When God thinks of me, He thinks I am holy; He thinks I am righteous with His righteousness, blameless, and empowered with His power; God thinks I am amazing and glorious. Who am I to disregard God, unless I’m a reprobate?

That is why the word of faith confessions of reprobates is a confession in how sinful God sees them, because that who they are. It is natural for reprobates to label themselves as grasshoppers. God will see to it that they die as grasshoppers in the desert, every last one of them. But the children of faith, who give a declaration of confidence in God’s definition and promises; yes, those who confess His great promises of healing, miracles and power are true for them today (no matter how fantastical they are) God will insure they will inherit the land, every last one of them.

Do Not Accept God’s Ordained Circumstances

This section addresses an abuse of God’s sovereignty I often encounter, falling under the basic category of Decree versus Command. I’ve mentioned this fallacy before, and I’m thankful to Vincent Cheung for pointing out this error numerous times in his materials. Rather than paraphrasing what he’s said, I’ll tackle this from a slightly different angle.

We’ll first deal with the negative and then the positive.
I read a piece of garbage posted on social media saying:

“Stop wasting time wishing your circumstances were different. It is God who ordained them. Learn how to be faithful in every circumstance.”

Let’s see how this works in Bible stories:

Hannah, stop wanting your childless circumstance to be different; be childless.

Hezekiah, stop wishing you weren’t going to die by Isaiah’s prophecy; just die and let the grave praise God.

Jacob, stop wanting your circumstances to be blessed; stop this crazy, charismatic wrestling with God and move on without God’s blessing.

Canaanite woman, Jesus already gave theologically correct arguments that His ministry isn’t for you and that it’s morally wrong to take from the Jews and give to you; just accept your circumstances and let your daughter foam at the mouth and roll on the floor. Accept God’s circumstance for your daughter.

People lying in the street for Peter’s shadow, stop this charismatic, man-centered embarrassment; just accept your painful circumstances and moan to the glory of God.

You blind men sitting by the road, causing all this loud commotion and public annoyance, just shut up already, accept you’re blind, and beg for money to the glory of God.

Sinner, stop thinking there might be salvation in Jesus, for God has ordained you to be born a sinner; accept your drug addiction circumstances and be spaced out to the glory of God.

Sola empiricism,
Sola suffering,
Sola circumstances,
Sola Satan.

I’m not being over-the-top. This person’s theology is a doctrine of demons. It uses circumstances (what God caused) as an excuse to invalidate God’s commandments. They use circumstances the way satanists use a Ouija board to divine what they ought to do. They use metaphysics to divine ethics, like witch doctors.

It’s like soldiers on the battlefield saying, “There’s fierce fighting, so we need to leave,” when their commanding officer ordered them to enter the fierce fighting and aid the left flank. They use circumstances to invalidate the commands given to them. So-called Christians do this all the time. They use circumstances to negate God’s revealed commands. They don’t want to obey God and use circumstances to argue their way out from under them. However, they’ll give an account for such rebellion.

Circumstances aren’t the revealed commands of God. If you want to know what you ought to do with the circumstances God has given you, go to Scripture, find the commands and precepts related to that subject, and obey them. We’re children of God, and we obey our Father’s commands, not circumstances. As Christians, we get knowledge (subject and predicate combinations about “oughts”) from God’s commands, not circumstances.

Luke 18:1-8 NLT
One day Jesus told His disciples a story to show that they should always pray and never give up.
“There was a judge in a certain city,” He said, “who neither feared God nor cared about people. A widow of that city came to him repeatedly, saying, ‘Give me justice in this dispute with my enemy.’ The judge ignored her for a while, but finally he said to himself, ‘I don’t fear God or care about people, but this woman is driving me crazy. I’m going to see that she gets justice, because she’s wearing me out with her constant requests!’”
Then the Lord said, “Learn a lesson from this unjust judge. Even he rendered a just decision in the end. So don’t you think God will surely give justice to His chosen people who cry out to Him day and night? Will He keep putting them off? I tell you, He’ll grant justice to them quickly! But when the Son of Man returns, how many will He find on the earth who have faith?”

This is an explicit command. Jesus, as our Master, doesn’t give suggestions like some yoga guru. He’s our commanding officer, our Master, our God. God is sovereign, so this lady’s circumstance is caused by God ordaining it. Jesus isn’t teaching us to accept our God-ordained circumstances; rather, He tells us to ask God to stop what He ordained and make it go away. Jesus commands us to keep praying until God gives us what we want, and what we want is for the circumstance God ordained to vanish.

The last statement is Jesus asking if He’ll find faith on earth. This is said in the context of a person having a bad circumstance (that God ordained) and praying for God to make it go away, with the certainty that God will come quickly and make it vanish. This is the kind of faith Jesus was talking about when He said, “Will the Son of Man find faith on earth?” He wasn’t talking about faith for the forgiveness of sins but faith to change your circumstances—faith that changes the material world around you to be a blessing for you. This is the true test of faith; therefore, this is the true test of orthodoxy.

The command of God is to not accept bad circumstances that He ordained but to have enough perseverance and faith to make them go away. He commands you to have faith to make circumstances favorable for you.

(I want to add a quick note: I normally don’t think in terms of “God’s ordained circumstances” when facing everyday troubles, at least not in the way we’re discussing here. We acknowledge God’s absolute and direct sovereignty over all things, so He directly and absolutely causes all circumstances. However, when dealing with everyday troubles like those above, Jesus doesn’t deem it necessary to say such things when the topic is faith and the Spirit. Thus, I follow Jesus’ example on such topics. I’m focusing on God’s sovereignty here because the person forced it into this type of topic.)

Romans 5
“(12) Because of this, just as sin entered into the world through (Adam), and death through sin, so also death spread to all people because all sinned… (15) by the trespass of the one, the many died…
(19) For just as through the disobedience of the one man, the many were made sinners.”

Acts 17:30
“God now commands all people everywhere to repent.”

God, in His absolute and direct sovereignty over all things, has ordained all men to be born sinful and dead and made sinners in their behavior. He did this through Adam. I did ask to be born into existence. I did not ask to be given the consequence of Adam’s sin and born with a sinful nature. God gest to write His story the way He wants. Therefore, according to some Christians who divine ethics from circumstances, we ought to accept being born sinners, stay that way, and not want to change what God ordained. LOL!

At this point, some will realize that divining ethics from circumstances contradicts Scripture, at least on the point of forgiveness. They’ll say Acts 17 commands us to repent, so we “ought” to do this rather than divine an ethic from our ordained circumstance. But they might not want to apply this to things like healing, for example. However, you can’t turn God’s commands “on and off” like a light switch. You’ll be judged by them, even if you give dumb excuses to avoid them. Christian ethics comes from God’s commands, and there’s no other option.

God has commanded that we shouldn’t be happy with the bad circumstance He ordained for us. He commands us to repent and cause Him to remove the bad circumstance. He commands us to repent so we can be blessed with reconciliation and forgiveness, so that times of refreshing will flood our lives. God has also commanded us not to be happy with our sickness circumstances but to acknowledge that in His atonement we’ve been healed, and He commands us to make the sickness go away (James 5:15, John 14:12-14, Mark 16:18, Luke 10:9, Matt. 21:21-22).

Acts 10:38
“And you know that God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. Then Jesus went around doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.”

James 5:13-15
“Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they’ll be forgiven.”

Because God is sovereign, all the sick people in the Gospels that Jesus healed were sick by God’s ordained will. Also, by God’s ordained will, relative to created object to created object, it was the devil (not God) who made all these victimized people sick, as Acts 10:38 indicates.

Some teach that we’re to let Satan and sickness steamroll over us and that we should be their victims for entire lifetimes because “God ordained it.” Those who suggest such things teach a doctrine of demons. Their doctrines increase the kingdom of Satan and his dominion of victimizing human beings. This is ultra cruel and unloving.

However, for us with faith, we view the world differently. We see God’s commands as our foundation for how we behave, rather than using divination to formulate ethics from circumstances. We read the commands to be healed and to heal others. Thus, this is how we behave.

Jesus healed all who came to Him. In Acts, it says those with faith and filled with the power of the Spirit healed all who came to them. In fact, the Spirit so empowered them that their shadows and handkerchiefs healed people. This proves the critics of the health-and-wealth preachers who teach “name it and claim it” are wrong—but they’re wrong for opposite reasons. The “name it and claim it” doesn’t go far enough in affirming Jesus’ faith teaching. Peter didn’t even speak; his shadow had enough spiritual physics to heal. This is called “shadow it and be done with it.” Thus, you don’t even need to “name it” to “claim it.” All you need is a shadow. All you need is to be filled with the power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus healed all those under the kingdom and torment of Satan. Holy Spirit-empowered church members, even table bearers, did the same. Jesus commanded them to be filled with power and continue His work. They did just that.

Jesus, who understood God’s sovereignty better than anyone, didn’t accept His Father’s ordained circumstances for all the sick people He encountered. The Scriptures record that only unbelief could stop Jesus from healing—not demonic power, not the Father’s will, only unbelief. In the ultimate sense of ontology, God did ordain all those people sick. Jesus went against His Father’s ordained circumstances and followed His Father’s command by healing all who asked—and even some who didn’t ask. In the book of Acts, the entire church, filled with power, did the same. They went on a campaign of war against the ordained circumstances of God by healing all who asked.

“What about Job and how he submitted to God’s ordained circumstances?” some might say. What about him? Beyond the point that God gave him double health and wealth, Job didn’t have a covenant with God as we do in Christ. I have a contractual right to make demands on God, as He does on me. Thus, Job and I aren’t in the same category. We’re not equivalent in this way. Beyond this, if we consider the category of healing, Jesus already became my substitute for sickness, and He’s commanded me to get healed (Isaiah 53:4-5, James 5:15). I’m categorically different from Job. If you insist on acting like Job, then you must treat God like an outsider, and if you still must act like Job, get his double health and wealth to prove it.

Even Jesus didn’t bow to the Father’s ordained circumstances—who am I to think I’m better than Jesus? I’m not better than Jesus, so I’ll follow His example. The apostles didn’t bow to God’s preordained circumstances when they healed all the sick—who am I to think I’m better than them? To bow to God’s ordained circumstances in the context of healing, for example, is to abuse God’s sovereignty to trample on God’s commands as garbage.

James says if you’re happy, then praise God. This isn’t a suggestion. If you’ve truly been blessed by God and are happy, you’re commanded to praise God. And why wouldn’t you? As Jesus said, if these didn’t praise God, the stones would cry out. God deserves our praises. However, James doesn’t stop his commandments there. He says if you’re sick, the elders are to come together and pray, and then you’ll be healed. The command isn’t to merely pray for healing and see what happens. The command is to pray and be healed. James is commanding the result of healing.

You’re to pray in faith with absolute certainty you’re healed. The same certainty you have when you pray for forgiveness and know you’re forgiven is the certainty you’re to have when you pray for healing and are healed. Anything less than receiving forgiveness is disobedience, for God has commanded all to repent and be forgiven. Anything less than receiving healing is disobedience, for God has commanded us to get healed. God is patient and will sanctify us to have this level of faith, but His patience and compassion don’t turn an act of disobedience into its opposite.

How wonderful is our God. How kind He must be. For His children, what He commands, He also grants. What He’s commanded is for us to ask for healing. He’ll grant both the faith and the fulfillment of this. He truly loves us. One way to view God’s commands and promises is to see them as a definition. To be healed and victorious over everyday troubles is God’s definition of His children. This is who we are. We already have God’s authority and power as part of our DNA.

Bread

Joshua 14:9 LSB
“Do not rebel against Yahweh; and do not fear the people of the land, for they’re our bread. Their protection has been removed from them, and Yahweh is with us; do not fear them.”

Mark 7:27
“First let the children eat all they want,” He told her, “for it’s not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.”

Jesus, in the context of being asked for healing and a demon being cast out, says this “bread” belongs to Jews, and it’s “not right” to take this healing that “belongs to the children” and give it to non-family members. Jesus is correct. However, this woman wouldn’t accept the ordained circumstance that she was born at the wrong time, on the wrong side of the covenant. By faith, she made it her time and made the covenant apply to her.

The point relevant to our discussion is how Jesus refers to healing and casting out demons as bread on His Father’s table, meant to be freely eaten by the children at that table.

Those who use God’s ordained circumstances to deny God’s children their RIGHT to freely eat the bread of healing and casting out devils on their Father’s table are themselves children of Satan, twice dead, foaming at the mouth, and perverted stars. How dare anyone, seeing a child of God reaching for some delicious, buttery bread of healing on their Father’s table, slap their hand away. They’ll receive their just reward.

For us who are seated in the heavenly places with Christ and at God’s table of gospel benefits, we see the world differently from those without faith. We see the world as Joshua did. We don’t see sickness, political troubles, or finances as painful burdens to bear on our shoulders but as bread for us to eat. God didn’t ordain the high walls of Jericho to hinder Israel but as an opportunity for faith to turn them into bread. God didn’t ordain the sickness for the people James referred to in his letter to hinder them but as an opportunity for faith to turn cancer into bread of healing and praise.

John says our faith overcomes the world. Our faith is victorious even over the bad circumstances God ordained in this world. Faith is the answer. It’s the answer to all the troubles of the world and even God’s ordained circumstances. Faith in God will turn them into delicious bread. Are you seated at God’s table or not? If you are, reach for the bread. Just one crumb can cast out a demon and heal. What would happen if you had enough faith to take a big bite from it? What would happen if, by faith, you ate the whole loaf? If you want this, you have free access to grab it. God is the power and salvation for all your troubles. He’ll deliver. And when He does, don’t forget to praise Him, for you’re commanded to do so.

Using God’s sovereignty to shrug at sickness or sin is a demonic dodge—circumstances aren’t commands! Jesus didn’t mope over ordained hardships; He zapped them with faith, and so should we. Healing’s our bread; so grab a loaf, ditch the devil’s Ouija ethics, and turn cancer into crumbs with Spirit-powered moxie.

The Core Gospel Damns Cessationists as Trash

Jesus triumphed over the world, and those born-again, also do the same thing. John says that Jesus has triumphed over the world. This is an all encompassing triumph, just like the abundant life of God is for all parts of our lives, both spiritual and material. All negative aspects of this life and world, Jesus triumphed over it, to replace it with goodness and favor for us. Satan, sin and death were defeated by Jesus’ finished atonement. Both the curses of the fall, and the curses of the Law, which included all forms of sickness, poverty and life working against you were defeated by Jesus Christ. God does not know how to lose. This life of winning is mirrored in God’s children, because God’s very nature is in them.

The curses of the law included “all” sickness and diseases for the entire world. Jesus became our curse for us, so as to give us the blessing of Abraham. He defeated the curses of sickness, in substitutionary atonement. In addition to becoming our curses Jesus removed all forms of sickness, according to Isaiah 53 in a substitutionary atonement, for He “bore” (the word used on the Day of Atonement for substitutionary atonement) our sickness, and also by the exchange of His stripes we are healed.

Thus, for our healing, Jesus endured substitutionary atonement in three different ways. Healing is therefore the gospel, if not more so than forgiveness of sin; or at the very least as much so. Therefore, to say healing on demand of faith is not the gospel, is to trample the blood of Christ. To reject gospel is to teach a doctrine of demons. It is to be anti-gospel, anti-Christ, and anti-sovereign God. Those who deny healing is the gospel, ought to be excommunicated immediately. People who often deny healing is the gospel are usually those who claim to be experts on such things as God’s absolute sovereignty and covenants; however, if they cannot understand and believe the most basic ideas of the gospel, then how can they claim to know doctrines beyond the basic level? Which explains why they are intellectually defective when trying to teach about God’s sovereignty and covenants. Their minds mirror the intellectual brokenness of reprobates.

The logic of Modus Tollens shows us if you deny the necessary effect of a antecedent, then you deny the antecedent. Thus, if you deny healing by faith, you deny the blood of Jesus Christ. It does not matter what the effect is, if the bible teaches it is a necessary effect and you deny it, you have invalided the blood of Jesus as trash. This the same with the bible as a whole. If you deny one truth claim, then you invalided it as a whole for a starting point for knowledge. You just kissed Christianity goodbye. The same with the atonement. If you reject forgiveness of sins, healing, Abraham’s blessings, Baptism of Spirit, miracles, and prosperity you logically denied the gospel as a whole.

Some make a big deal about dividing so-called secondary issues and the core issues of the gospel being the important ones we must affirm. They say those who deny this core gospel (Whatever that means), by teaching another one are “accused” as Paul says in Galatians. The Scripture does not make such a divide. But for sake of argument let us assume it. If the gospel (the things Jesus’ substitutionary death and resurrection accomplished) is the core doctrines, then by definition those who deny healing on demand of faith, are teaching a different gospel. They are accursed. They are trash and spiritual filth. As Paul said about those who deny the gospel and its effects, they teach a “doctrine of demons.” Jesus said those who reject His message were “morons,” and bastard offspring of Satan. Jude said false teachers,

“blaspheme the things which they do not understand; and the things which they know by instinct, like unreasoning animals, by these things they are destroyed. Woe to them! For they have gone the way of Cain, and for pay they have poured themselves into the error of Balaam, and perished in the rebellion of Korah. These are the men who are hidden reefs in your love feasts when they feast with you without fear, caring for themselves; clouds without water, carried along by winds; autumn trees without fruit, doubly dead, uprooted; wild waves of the sea, casting up their own shame like foam; wandering stars, for whom the black darkness has been reserved forever.”

Thus, let their own standard condemn them as the trash they are. They are a cult of demons and death. Do not wash your hands with such people.

Then they pose a false dilemma and say that the promises of God, from the Father who “knows that you need all these things,” in fact aim too low and promise too little, but that they would look toward the “higher” promises instead. This is a pious-sounding excuse for a rejection of the blood of Jesus Christ. If you castigate the explicit promises of the gospel as too low, too unholy, too worldly, then you are no longer a Christian preacher. You are preaching some other gospel, and some other religion. Look! You can only push so far until you are proved a reprobate.[1]

The Bible uses God’s sovereignty to explain why some people cannot have faith in the gospel, and therefore cannot receive the promise of God (John 6:44, 65, 10:26, Romans 9:18). They are doomed. They will not be saved. The Bible never uses God’s sovereignty to teach that some people could have faith in the promise — but because of the will of God — still cannot receive the promise. God withholds faith from the reprobates, but he never withholds faith to his chosen ones, and he never withholds his promise to those who have faith. … Therefore, the more someone claims that he does not receive the promise of God because of the will of God, the more he insists that he is reprobate, made for damnation, and reserved for everlasting torture in the fires of hell.[2]

[1] Vincent Cheung. On Unbeliefism. From Trace, 2008. P 5-6.

[2] Vincent Cheung. Faith and Divine Sovereignty. Contract. 2020. P 145.

For more see Vincent Cheung’s books. Biblical Healing. Systematic Theology. Sermonettes Vol 8-9. Trace. Fulcrum. Contract. Hero

Power is what will Finally Deliver You

I awoke today feeling off and with a headache. Halfway through the day I saw a reminder to seek God in devotion for spiritual strength, and I felt the Spirit prod me to do this. As the day went on the headache got worse and I felt an irrational oppressive pressure on my mind. I even had a difficult time remembering things. Finally it got to a point where it was irrational fears and accusative thoughts coming out of nowhere.

I have been seeking personal inner strength as a priority for about 2 or 3 years now. God has been delivering me from many of my old fears and even sins and etc. I will one day write about this, but even as a young man I experienced a direct demonic attack regarding temptation. It frightened me. I lacked the knowledge and power to know how to deal with such a thing. It caused me years of terrible fear in my heart. Vincent’s materials were helping me, and his essay on Demonic Attacks was a moment of where I began to experience real breakthrough.

Today, I suddenly felt all those old fears suddenly being pressed upon me, like they once did. So, again I did the easy thing and just began to pray in tongues and declares God’s promises over me. When I began this, the oppressive mental attacks ratcheted in up strength. However, after about 15 minutes I felt a sudden power in speaking in tongues. This happens often to me. You will be praying in tongues and suddenly, the power will increase, and you feel power and urgency. The moment this happened I heard the Spirit say to me, “You are a child of God, these things are to be afraid of you, not the other way around!” At this exact moment, all the oppressive thoughts and pressure vanished and even my headache was instantly healed.

In a perfect world of mature faith, a simple word would have stopped this attack earlier on the day. And we are all to seek this level of faith. So, while you work on a strong faith, have compassion on yourself and those around you needing help, by praying in tongues and bringing down the power of God to expand His kingdom.

Vincent Cheung in the essay, “Cure for Psychological Trauma,” says, “Power is what will finally deliver you.” The foundation is first correct theology and promises. But the thing that will deliver from all your troubles is power. Unadulterated power of God. Mature faith will always do this. However, praying in tongues is one of the easiest, (it is so easy it is like having game cheat), ways to move the power of God directly into your soul, body and life. You should eagerly seek this gift. We need less talk and more power! God’s power is able to deliver you, your family, your church and even entire nations.

He Will Do It/We Will Do It

Salvation’s broad foundation, is “God.” God is the foundation of theology and thus salvation. Without Him, there is no point in doing theology. God’s foundation as taught in Scripture, is that of absolute and directly sovereign over all reality. This foundation takes away all the problems for salvation and man’s ablity to obey God.

We will not rehash the absolute reliability of the Contract we have God. God will do what He says, no matter how great and wonderful the promise. That is the summary of the doctrine.

Many look at their sanctification and thus proof that they will be glorified, from a man-centered focus. Doing so will bring heartache, stress, depression, blasphemy, and if not rectified damnation.

When Isaiah 55 says that God’s ways are not our ways, and His thoughts are not our thoughts, it is not referring God’s knowledge versus human knowledge in general. If that was the case, then the knowledge that God’s knowledge is not our knowledge is not our knowledge. It would end up in self-contradictory nonsense. But since Jesus appeals to the law of contradiction, we know anything that leads to skepticism is false. Thus apart from the obvious nonsense we know such an interpretation is unbiblical.

Rather, in this passage God refers to knowledge about His future revelation of unmerited favor that will be given through Jesus Christ. The verse that follows says, come buy milk and honey without price. That is, things like forgiveness and healing (etc), because of Jesus’ finished work, we can buy them without cost. For the audience at that time, such a revelation of grace was beyond their understanding and faith. However, since we live after the finished work of Jesus, then God’s ways of grace are our ways, and His throughs of grace are our thoughts. Paul even says in 1 Corinthians 2 that “we have the Mind of Christ.”

I say this to remind the reader, that the gospel radically changes the believer into a super species. They have a new created reality, fundamentally different from their old reality. The Christian renews their mind to think in line with the new definition given to them in Christ.

In laymen’s terms, what King David says is 100 more true today, when he says, “In your strength I can crush an army; with my God I can scale any wall,” Psalm 18:29

Man’s ablity is God’s ablity. Or stated negatively, man’s limitation is God’s limitation. We are not talking about being deified with attributes that by definition can only belong to God like being infinite, or immutable. What we are referring to is God’s promises to strengthen us, bless us and empower us.

Our ablity to be sanctified is not measured by man’s limitation but by God’s infinite ablity to work in man. Our ablity to know God, is not measured by our finiteness, but by the limitless ablity of the Spirit of God to make us to have the mind of Christ, and to cause us to know all the things freely given to us. Or is the finiteness of man greater than God’s ablity of infinite power? Some perverts not satisfied to limit man, but they are not quenched until they limit God. We are not talking about something irrational like God creating a rock to heavy for Him to lift, when God does not have body. We are talking about the sheer power of God to create and cause. How many propositions can you think of at the same time? Or how high can you jump? Or how long does it take to go 500 miles? Howe well can you cure an incurable disease? How well can you sanctify your actions? The issue is how much ablity does God have to enable me to think of many propositions at the same time. How much power does God have to enable me to jump or go a distance of 500 miles? How much power does God have to renew and heal the body? How much ablity does God have to sanctify my actions? This is the new measure the Christian is to measure their own ablity.

Jesus says, “Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible,” Matthew 19:26. Jesus is making a distinction with God’s power and human power. Jesus points out that human power it limited, but God’s is not.

Paul in Ephesians 6:10 says, “be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.” Also, in Acts 1:1-8, Jesus commands the apostles and believers to be empowered by the Holy Spirit. Lastly, Jesus says about those who believe in Him, “Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these,” John 14:12.

The conclusion is simple. Jesus says in Mark 9:23

“Everything is possible for one who believes.”

We are not pantheists. God is not what He creates. God is separated from creation. When God empowers “you,” then it is “you” not God that is empowered.

It will obey “you.” Jesus says you can command a mountain to be thrown into the sea and it will obey who? God? No. It will obey “you.” In Ephesian 6, it is a command, not a mere suggestion, to be empowered with human limitations? No. To be empowered with God’s own power and strength. Let the sink in. Imagine Zeus freely giving power and his lightning bolt to “you” to empower “you.” But this is what God does for us, and commands that we do. Boldly walk into the throne of grace and grab Yahweh’s lightning bolt and use it. God like this. He wants you empowered with His power.

The limitations of the old man are gone, whether if it is about spiritual things such as sanctification or something like being teleported 500 miles to another city.

We are children of God. His ways are now our ways, and His thoughts are now our thoughts. So much so that “all things are possible to the one who believes.” This is the glory and splendor and privilege that belongs to the sons of God. The corrupted world will be liberated into the “liberty of” the “children” of God.

It is a confession of unbelief to say, “in my humanity I can’t.”

I read this today and had these thoughts.

“You have probably heard all your life that God won’t put any burden on you greater than you can bear. Don’t mark me off as a heretic just yet, but I don’t believe it. I believe that God will put heavier burdens on you than you can bear, especially when He is trying to bring you to the place of brokenness. God will allow the burden to be greater than you can bear so that you will finally allow Him to bear it for you. God’s purpose in the breaking process is to bring you to the end of your own resources so that you will be ready to understand that He is the only resource you need in life. As long as your own abilities are sufficient to rise to the challenge, you will never understand that He doesn’t just give strength. He is your Strength. In the breaking process, God has no intention of helping you get stronger. He wants you to become so weak that He can express Himself as the strength you need in every situation.”
-(Billy)

This is one of those statements that I agree with it (in part) because I understand what they mean, despite it not being said well, (I say this in a kind way, for I could be harsher with my criticism).

This answer is like the Reformed answer of compatableist, where it answers the question, by not directly dealing with the specific question, by answering another question, and then acting like they directly answered your question.

When the Paul says to the Corinthians that God will not tempt you beyond what you can endure, it is implied or presupposed you are under the grace, supply and power of God as a Christian. The Christian can take burdens that will kill non-Christians, such as an untreatable sickness. They can survive because they are already born-again and have faith. It does not necessarily mean they every Christian will always win, but that they have the tools and free supply from God to always be successful if they have faith.

Sickness can be a temptation to give into a sin of confessing unbelief. The non-Christian, has no hope, but the Christian can confess Isaiah 53:4 in faith.

I understand the idea of wanting to say “humanly, I can’t do this etc”.. and there is proper place to remind ourselves how we use to be before Jesus saved us. However, If you are a Christian you are not just a human any more, therefore it is a confession of unbelief to say “in my humanity I can’t,” as a correct statement about your present reality. If you are a Christian you are a new creation, a superior species. You are gods; you are a child of God who has God’s DNA in you. You do not have the right to see yourself as only human with human limitations. That old man is dead.

Are burdens too hard for God? Then they are not too hard for you. Are things impossible for God? Then they are not impossible for you. Even if God gives impossible temptations as burdens, then so what? All things are possible for those who believe. God is compassionate and knows if one of His children are weak on faith, and will help them mature. However, the way to grow from immature to maturity is seeing your high identity in God.

God does not want or send you weakness or sickness. Jesus died to free you from weakness and sickness, not give them to you. God sent His word, and healed them. The same for strength. God sends His word (not weakness) and by this we are made strong. Sure, if you are a disobedient child who refuses to be made strong by resting and receiving His Word, He might send Satan to make you weak, and by this cause you to do what you were suppose to do to begin with, which is rely on His Word in faith and by this be strong.

A person who only learns God is their strength by burdens and weakness is not a Christian by definition but a reprobate. A Christian learns God is their strength, ONLY and I mean only, by the Word of God and believing it. Experience is the worst teacher you can have. God’s word is only teacher for the Christian.

Jesus is the Vine, we are the branches. Jesus does not seen up weakness and sickness through the root to the branches, or is Jesus a minister of sickness and weakness and burdens? No. Jesus sends an unmerited and unending supply of righteousness, healing, joy, power, soundness of mind, strength, freedom and love. The Father prunes the branches. He does not give unfruitful branches and grafts them into us. No. We produce unfruitful branches and all the Father does is remove them, so that we can be more fruitful. God takes away burdens and weakness, by giving us freedom and strength. Being a branch grafted into Jesus the vine, is a reality for me; I do not go in and out of being one. I am citizen of heaven, without one line of a sinful record attached to my name. I am a child of God. I am heavenly royalty.

Let the weak say, “I am strong in the strength of the Lord (Eph 6:10.,” and that you always fill my heart with songs of deliverance (Psalm 32). Not that the weak, “will” be strong, but” now” is strong. Not that God is strong, but that in God, “I am” strong.

A Superior Species

We declare God’s wisdom, a mystery that has been hidden
and that God destined for our glory.
1 Corinthians 2:7

Its all fun, joy and praises when I mention we need to glorify God, praise Him, give Him all the credit, and extol His Name above all others, and this is as it ought to be. However, once I mention how highly God has exalted man as a superior species in Christ, then I am attacked. The reason for this is the church being under the oppression of tradition and false humility. People are stuck at the doorway of forgiveness, being centered on their sin; they are centered on themselves. This doorway into the next life, is so precious and magnificent that they remine there. They never truly inter in the glory and privilege of being children of God. They never experienced what it means to be child and sit at the table of their beloved Father.

The Logic of Denying the Consequent is used throughout the Scripture. If there is a logical necessary connection from the antecedent to the consequent, then if you deny the consequent, you deny the antecedent. The part that makes this work is if the connection is necessary and not merely sufficient. Ultimately, this means it must be a truth, but only God is able to reveal truths. However, since the scripture gives us truth and uses this logic, then so will we.

For example,

Galatians 3:18, “For if the inheritance is of the law, [then] it is no longer of promise; but God gave it to Abraham by promise.”

M.1. (P) If inheritance if of the law, (~Q) then inheritance is not by promise.
M.2. ~(~Q) It is by promise.
M.3. ~(P) Thus, inheritance is not by the law.

This example is given to lead to our present subject. If you deny the consequences of man’s highly exalted position produced by Jesus’ atonement, then you deny the atonement. There is no way around this.

Does Jesus sit in the heavenly places?
So does man (Ep. 2:6, Col. 3:1-3).

Is Jesus blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places?
So is man (1:3).

Does Jesus have the Mind of Jesus?
So does man (1 Corinthians 2:16).

Was the gospel predestined for the glory of God?
Yet, it was also predestined for the glory of man (1 Corinthians 2:7)

Does Jesus have direct access to the Father?
So does man (Hebrews 4:16, 10:19)

Is Jesus heir of the world?
So is man (Romans 4:13).

Does everything belong to Jesus, including time?
It also belongs to man ( 1 Corin. 3:23).

Does Jesus have the intellectual and ethical power to judge all things?
So does man ( 1 Corin. 2:15)

Jesus is the only begotten son of God, but in this context, I ask, is Jesus a child of God?
Yet, so is man (1 John 3:1,9, 4:13)

Is creation liberated into the liberty of God?
Yet, it is also liberated into the glorious liberty of man (Romans 8:21).

How glorious and valuable is the resurrected Jesus Christ?
Man also has this glory and image (Romans 8:30)

Did Jesus have the fullness of the Spirit of God on earth? (Acts 10:38)
So does man (Acts 1:1-8)

Does Jesus dwell in the house of God?
So does man (John 14:1-3)

Does God judge Angels?
So does man (1 Corinth. 6:3)

The same love the Father has loved Jesus, Jesus loves man. (John 15:9)

The same love the Father loves Jesus, the Father loves man. (John 17:23

The same glory the Father gave Jesus, Jesus gives this glory to man. (John 17:22)

The same Spirit of God, who knows God exactly (because it is God’s Spirit), God has given to us, so that we have the Mind of Christ.

If we deny pantheism (as the bible does), then we must affirm, as the Scripture does that God does these glorious thing to man, not Himself. When Peter says to humble yourself under God’s hand, he says God will exalt “you” and not Himself. It was Jesus, who created all things and sustains all things by His power, who said, “give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar.” If this is so for a pagan, how much more is this true for all thing magnificent things God as given His children.

God promised to make Abraham’s name great and famous. Abraham became excessively rich and defeated a combination of many armies. Even to this very day Abraham is sung in the songs of millions and millions of Christians. Even in Heaven Abraham is famous (Matthew 8:11). The promise was to make His friend’s name great, not His, and it happened just as God said. God made Moses like a God to Israel and Pharaoh. God promised to do the same for Joshua, by making him great in the eyes of Israel. It was never recorded that Jesus was teleported by the Spirit, but this glory was given to a man, a table bearer named Philip.

To diminish the glory of man, particularly the born-from-above man, is to diminish the glory of God, because God said He has greatly exalted and glorified man through Jesus Christ. It would be to say God is defective and stupid at accomplishing His desires. To trample on the glory, fame and exaltation God has given His chosen ones is to trample on the blood of Jesus Christ as a common and ineffectual thing.

We are part of Abraham’s blessing, fame and glory (Gal. 3-4).

God does not mind sharing His glory, authority and power, for example, with His friend Abraham or giving the disciples 12 thrones, and all saints the inheritance of being His children; however, what God will not share is the credit and praise that belongs only to Him for all the good things He predestined for our value. Praise and credit is one type of glory (there are many types of glory), however, this type of glory, God will not share. Herod learned this the difficult way. Fame, power, favor, thrones, an eternal name, riches God has no issue lavishing these glories on His friends and children.

God has made us a superior species in Jesus Christ. Any denial of the unmeasurable magnitude of this reality is a denial of the gospel and blood of Jesus. There is no risk of pride, for we know God has give all these things to us by unmerited favor and mercy. Jesus loved us to the point of the cross. To accomplish these great things for us He was nailed to our curses. However, by the magnificent promises of God we partake of the divine nature itself. It is our new identity. We are glad to recognize this and praise God for eternity. We are filled with inexpressible joy for all the good things God as lavished so freely upon us. Oh, what great love this is, that God calls us His highly beloved children.

Flooding the Gospel with Funding

2 Corinthians 8:9 NLT,
“You know the generous grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty he could make you rich.”

2 Corinthians 9:8 LEB,
“And God is able to cause all grace to abound to you, so that in everything at all times, because you have enough of everything, you may overflow in every good work.”

“The more you gain financially, the more you’re a threat to the devil.”
(Kenneth Copland. Twitter, Aug 2022)

“This shipwrecks people’s faith. It’s a mockery of what it means to follow Jesus. Jesus was not rich, nor His disciples; and yet, nobody was a bigger threat to the devil and Him.”
(Johnny Billy)

Part of the substitutionary atonement of Jesus is the aspect of Jesus taking on (being imputed) our poverty and in exchanging crediting His elect with His wealth. Paul’s statements above, are in context of money, and giving this money to fund the gospel ministry and aid. Paul says the foundation of this, is not the Corinthians working hard for their own money, but just like with sin and righteousness, Jesus worked hard by taking on their poverty, and in exchange freely credited wealth to the Corinthians. Paul argues part of the reason Jesus deposited such financial excess to His elect, (not the only reason), is for the purpose of giving this excess to fund the church and gospel ministry.

Peter said it was not good for him and the apostles to focus on serving tables, but rather on the ministry of the word and prayer. The reason is because the ministry of the word is the most powerful ministry. The bible always shows this to be the case; indeed it is God’s gospel (the word) that is powerful to save. Peter’s short sermon in Acts 2 brought in 3 thousand souls out of the kingdom of darkness and conveyed them into Kingdom of God’s unmerited favor. The point is this, severing tables is a good thing (and those who do this will not lose their reward), but a focus on a ministry of the word is always the most important. Therefore, how obvious it is to see that a ministry that lacks money and thus, must divert time away from a ministry of the word, to other do things, is a ministry that is being hindered. A ministry that is fully funded and is able to and does focus on the ministry of the word with power, will be a very fruitful ministry.

It is not a secret how poorly the church overall gives tithes. Many pastors end up begging for financial help. God sees their pain. However much that Satan rejoices in a defunded police, that allows the innocent to be unprotected, Satan much more rejoices in a defunded church, so that the preaching of the Word is hindered. The funding of the church is 100 times more on the hearts of Christians than the funding of any other organization.

“Look! The wages you failed to pay the workmen who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty” (James 5:4).

The money that you withhold from preachers who proclaim the word of God to you, who teach you sound doctrine, who defend you against assaults and deceptions, and who pray for you, so that your faith would not fail, now testifies against you before the Lord. It will stand as a witness against you in the day of judgment, as evidence of your injustice and cruelty. God will hold you responsible for every lack that they endure. He will charge to your account every occasion that their wives worry about the future. He will punish you for every night that their children go to sleep hungry. And what about those who have to do without the ministry of preachers who lack the resources to reach them? Surely their blood is on your hands.”
Vincent Cheung. “Preachers and Their Wages.”

Those who oppose Christians seeking, teaching and asking Jesus to give them financial prosperity, are those who have sided with Satan, and are enemies of the gospel and blood of Jesus Christ. Logically, Prosperity is no less the gospel, than the forgiveness of sins and healing. Because financial abundance is produced by the gospel of Jesus Christ, it is received in the same way forgiveness and healing is, by faith.

Jesus said,

Luke 16:9 NIV, “I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.”

He is instructing us to use earthly prosperity to gain spiritual friends (the chief of friends is God) so that when you died, God will welcome you to His eternal house. You can either set your mind on money and by your own effort attain it (the love of money), or in “faith” in the gospel receive an abundance of wealth by God’s power, so that you can use it fund the ministry of the Word, help those in need and use it even for your own enjoyment. Yes, you can use money on earth in such a way as to exchange it for eternal blessings.

Johnny Billy’s statement is an attack of the blood of Jesus Christ. It is also mis-leading and stupid. Jesus’ type of ministry is one that even many missionaries do not follow. How many go from town to town, nonstop preaching, healing the sick and casting out demons? Jesus said He had nowhere to lay His head, because of this specific way to do ministry, and not as a general statement about ministry itself. Also, Jesus and the disciples had enough money to fund them with all the people following them, and so much extra that Judas was able to steal from the money bag and it not be a problem. This might not be a definition of wealthy, but they were not poor either. And lastly, their specific ministry does not negate the doctrine that Paul taught saying Jesus exchange His wealth for our financial lack, so that we have His wealth to fund the gospel.

In addition to these mis-leading statements it is self-damning. Johnny says that Jesus and the disciples, did not have prosperity, but they were still a bigger threat to the devil than anyone.

This is stupid for a few reasons. Jesus and the disciples were funded by money for their ministry. Many people and women followed, supported and provided for them. This is the very reason why Paul said Jesus died with our poverty and gave us His wealth, so that we can support the gospel.

Kenneth Copeland often teaches on healing and even casting out demons. Jesus and the disciples were supported and funded for their ministry. What did they focus on in their ministry that was such a threat to Satan?

“And you know that God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. Then Jesus went around doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him,”
Acts 10:38.

Jesus was a treat to Satan being able to victimize people, by healing thousands of them.

Jesus said He was opposing the kingdom of Satan by casting out devils and healing. Jesus said God anointed Him to heal, heal, heal, resurrect the dead and preach the gospel. I wonder how many of those who criticize the prosperity gospel, heal the sick, heal the sick, heal the sick, resurrect the death and cast out demons? If they do not, then their ministries are not a gospel ministry and their ministries do not oppose a threat to the devil. So when they are opposing ministries that do focus on healing, casting out demons and encouraging faith to receive money through the gospel to finance a real gospel ministry, they are in fact mouth pieces for Satan. They have sided with the devil to oppose ministries that are the only true threat their god victimizing people.

Let us instead focus on being a true threat to Satan by healing the sick and teaching God’s chosen ones to have faith in the gospel of Jesus to receive financial help, and then to use this to fund gospel ministries that are pushing back the darkness and shining the light of heaven on the earth.

Indeed, you can tell the false gospel from the true gospel, by the sounds it produces. The false gospel will produce sounds of demons yelling and foaming out the mouths of people in joy, as people scream in pain, fear and poverty. However, the biblical gospel will produce sounds of demons screaming in fear, and the saints shouting for joy, in healing, forgiveness, blessings and prosperity!

“Many evil spirits were cast out, screaming as they left their victims.
And many who had been paralyzed or lame were healed.
So there was great joy in that city.”
(Acts 8:7-8).

And when you hear this sound, then flood such gospel ministries with funding.

Let the demons scream and the saints shout for joy.

Judgment OR Salvation

In the scripture the terms “salvation” and “deliverance” have similar meanings, but not the same. Deliverance usually is in the context of judging an enemy to rescue someone out of slavery and trouble. This is seen in Israel crossing the Red Sea and the Egyptians were drowned in it. Salvation includes this, but it also means more (Heb. 9:28). On this judgement aspect the two terms are interchangeable.

When Jesus mentions in John 16 that the Holy Spirit “correct the world about judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged,” this is what we mean by deliverance. Judgement is referring to all aspects of power and command that belongs to a ruling king. Salvation is this and the addition of His positive works of righteousness freely given (Romans 5) and positive blessings given to us by His Contract in blood (Hebrews 8).

Jesus executes judgement on Satan by binding him up and blundering his house.

“But if it is by the Spirit of God that I drive out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. “Or again, how can anyone enter a strong man’s house and carry off his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man? Then he can plunder his house. “Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters,” (Matthew 12:28-30 NIV). (see Acts 10:38, Heb. 2:10-14, Colossians 2:15)

Jesus is the caption of salvation for His chosen ones. Satan is the chief enemy against Jesus’ kingdom, and thus, the King must deal with Satan to show His power. Jesus does this. Jesus removes the dominion of Satan and replaces it with His dominion. This is Jesus’ judgment and deliverance. The Holy Spirit corrects the souls of men about this, because they have sided with Satan against the Kingdom of God. Satan is defeated; his kingdom is weakening. Soon he, and all who align with his rule, will be thrown into hell. But Jesus’ kingdom will last forever and ever, amen.

In Satan’s dominion, his law was a law of accusation, bondage, and fear. Jesus defeated this. He obtains His Kingdom by war and conquest. Jesus bound, plundered, and casts out Satan; He neutered his power and accusations against His chosen ones. Jesus came to earth and by His power, even power showed in sacrifice, defeated Satan in battle. Jesus is a mighty warrior. The devil defied the saints of God. Jesus with one stone, killed Satan and cut off his head. In Jesus’ atonement and resurrection, it was 100 times truer, “Today the whole world will know there is a God in Israel.”

“Now is the time for judgment on this world;
now the prince of this world will be driven out.”
John 12:31

In Jesus’ dominion, He rules with the law of unmerited favor and sonship. The Father has transferred us from the kingdom of darkness into the Kingdom of the Son of His love (Colossians 2:13). These additional super blessings of being sons of God, even co-heirs with Jesus and being highly favored by God and not merely forgiven and in a neutral standing with God, is the fuller meaning of “salvation.” The word salvation can mean just judgement or the fuller meaning depending on context. David often used salvation as God both delivering him, and setting his feet in a good and prosperous place. Jesus does this for all His saints through His atonement.

The substitutionary atonement of Jesus is both a deliverance in power and a substitutionary exchange were Jesus gives us His righteousness and highly favored status. Thus, the finished atonement of Jesus is the fuller meaning of salvation.

Substitutionary Atonement: Curses For Miracles

“For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” (2 Corin.5:21 LEB).
“Though (Jesus) was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty he could make you rich.” (2 Corin. 8:9 NLT)
“Surely He has borne our sickness, And carried our pains… And by His stripes we are healed.” (Isaiah 53:4-5 LEB).

“Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, because it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree,” in order that the [gospel] might come to the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, so that we might receive the [gospel]
of the Spirit [ & miracles, – verse 5,8] through faith,”
(Galatians 3:13-14 LEB).

Sin for righteousness.

Poverty for prosperity.

Sickness for health.

Curses for Spirit and Miracles.

Interestingly, the reverse for curses is the baptism of the Spirit and miracles. Tradition the rejects these things as a common experience for the believers and so put themselves under a curse, by doctrine and practice. If you are not under miracles, then by Paul’s argument you are still under a curse.

Paul argues in the beginning of chapter 3 that by faith they were filled with the Spirit and miracles, and not by doing the law. Thus, Spirit and Miracles are put together by Paul. Next, Paul says this is the blessing of Abraham that God promised, and this promise is also for gentiles who have faith. Then Paul says, the Scripture preached this blessing as the “gospel” to Abraham.

Two important notes in how Paul is using terms. Paul uses the terms “God” and “Scripture” as interchangeable, and terms “blessing to Abraham” and “gospel” as interchangeable.

Thus, when verse 14 says that we might receive the Spirit, it has already been defined by Paul along side with “miracles,” and that they are together defined with the interchangeable terms, “blessing and gospel.” By defining the gospel as the Spirit and miracles Paul is defining the gospel or blessing by important specific effects, and not defining it in its broadest meaning. Therefore, in Paul’ argument it is not a straight “curses for blessings” conclusion, the way it might mirror, sins for righteousness. Paul is going straight to the effects. Curses for the Spirit and miracles.

This should not be a surprise if you consider the origin of this gospel, which is Abraham. God’s blessing to him equated in an onslaught of miracles after miracles. Physical miracles of his and his wife’s bodies, prosperity, favor, military victories over multiple kingdoms, the King of Salem giving him bread and wine and talking with God face to face (etc.). Thus, when we are grafted into this blessing by the atonement of Jesus and faith in Him, we are grated into an onslaught of miracles.

Paul’s argument is that through Jesus by faith, we have the same gospel that was promised to Abraham is given to us. Simple and beautiful.

Thus, even after the death and resurrection of Jesus, Paul’s argument is the gospel of Abraham is the foundation for the abundant miracles and Spirit of power being demonstrated in the Galatian church. The church receives this freely in faith and not by works of the law. Thus, the foundation for the current New Testament church dispensation is the ongoing gospel of Abraham. Therefore, any argument about miracles ending with the apostles, is stupid, anti-scripture and anti-gospel.

The reason people say such things, is because they are men who are focused on men, albite good men, but men nonetheless. They love men, love the praise of men and will do anything to side with men. God is just an afterthought and decoration. As demonic as it is, God is used as an exegesis principle to help them focus on men.

The Scripture is focused on God. God and His swearing by His name to bless Abraham with unending miracles in the foundation. All those who turn to this God and His gospel of miracles, will not be put to shame.

The important point is that the “age of miracles” is interchangeable with the “age of the gospel of Abraham.” If this gospel stands, it is an age of miracles and the Spirit. The only 2 ways for abundant miracles to stop is (1) God stops being faithful to His promise to Abraham (which He swore by His Name to do, Heb. 6:13-14) or (2) people do not believe in God’s gospel promise (Rom. 10:16).

Many men have conspired with demons to say it was the first reason and not their lack of faith that explains the lack of the effects of the gospel, which is miracles and the Spirit in their life. They have their reward.

But for us, let us partake of the Lord’s Supper and remember the sufferings of Jesus that exchanged our sin for His righteousness, our sickness for His Health, our poverty for His wealth, and ours curses for His miraculous power. Let us be Christians and live the gospel of Abraham that Jesus made ours by being literally nailed to our curses on that tree. God wanted this. Just as God wanted Abraham to be blessed with a life of miracles, He wants you to be.