I was told growing up this passage of Scripture, John 14-16, is the section about God’s Love.  This is true? What does Jesus emphasize the most here? Let us look together by comparing how many time Jesus commands love of each other, to another doctrine that is repeated here.

The context is interesting here. Jesus is about to die. This is the night of His betrayal and arrest. These are His dying words, so to speak. What did Jesus stress to His followers, to His church? What was so important Him, that in these precious limited moments, He focused on? This was Jesus’ last sermon before His death. Well, what did He preach on? What did He repeat and put emphasis on?

Chapter 14

Verse 12 (Faith to receive anything)
“I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father.”[1]

Verse 13 (Faith to receive anything)
 You can ask for anything in my name, and I will do it, so that the Son can bring glory to the Father.

Verse 14 (Faith to receive anything)
 Yes, ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it!

Chapter 15

Verse 7–8 (Faith to receive anything)
But if you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted! When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples. This brings great glory to my Father.

Verse 12 (love)
This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you.

Verse 16 (Faith to receive anything)
 You didn’t choose me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce lasting fruit, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask for, using my name.

Verse 17 (Love)
This is my command: Love each other.

Chapter 16

Verse 23 (Faith to receive anything)
At that time you won’t need to ask me for anything. I tell you the truth, you will ask the Father directly, and he will grant your request because you use my name.

Verse 24 (Faith to receive anything)
You haven’t done this before. Ask, using my name, and you will receive, and you will have abundant joy.

Verse 26–27 (Faith to receive anything)
Then you will ask in my name. I’m not saying I will ask the Father on your behalf,  for the Father himself loves you dearly because you love me and believe that I came from God.

[1] All translations are the NLT. New Living Translation.

God’s Perfect Will Is for You to Be Healed

“Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.” 3 John 1:2

Look no further than 3 John 1:2 for a prayer that reflects God’s heart. That’s how you know that He wants you healed, healthy and never sick, as much as He wants your soul to prosper!

Don’t go by human experiences to know if God wants His people healed today. If you say, “Well, I know of Christians who are sick,” I can point you to many others whom God has healed. We’re not called to base our believing on human experiences. We’re called to believe God’s Word.

Beloved, never put your eyes on people and their experiences, even good ones. The basis of your faith must always be God’s Word. Believe that God still heals today because His Word says so!

[Joseph Prince. Devotional, “God’s Perfect Will Is for You to Be Healed.” Web.]

—–

Despite the complaints against these so-called health and wealth preachers, here Prince is a perfect textbook example, for how to make God’s revelation your sole epistemology (i.e. sole starting point for knowledge).(I am not saying Prince is perfect in all points of theology in this regard, but in this very common area of everyday living under God’s revelation, he is superior to those who mock him.)

Catholics have their dual epistemology with the Pope. Reformed have their triple epistemology with tradition and even more so with their feelings and experiences (and superstitious conclusions from them). Yet, the so-called back-water health and wealth preachers shame them all with superior philosophy, and having a purer starting point for knowledge, being God’s Revelation. lol ahahahaahhah

Sometimes I see the preachers of faith and or, health and wealth, take mockery over the fact they say things like, “I speak positive things, not negative things,” or “I focus on grace of Jesus and not His wrath”. I have been listening to some of them the last few months and although they are wrong on some points of theology (like God’s sovereignty (etc.), they are not wrong on this point.  I remember Joseph Prince saying something to the effect of (as I paraphrase), “When Jesus quoted Isaiah 61:1-2, in Luke 4, Jesus did not read the last part of verse 2 when it reads, “and the day of vengeance.” Jesus stopped there, and so I will to. Vengeance is for another day, however, today is still the day to proclaim God’s goodness, to set free, to liberate and to heal.”

He is not wrong in saying this, in the context of saying it.

Context has a big part to play. For example, I remember Joel Osteen being asked about hell on national TV. He dodged the question by saying he only speaks on positive things. The context demanded a straight answer on the truth, but he bowed to cowardness. Jesus told us to teach everything He commanded and taught. Speaking on this broadly. There is a place to do a straight teaching on systematic theology where you cover (at least the basics) on all doctrines; however, context is important as well. Are you speaking to a mixed audience? Are you speaking to mainly a Christian audience, that you know has a decent understanding of God’s word and are doing acts of love and healings? If the latter, then there is nothing wrong in saying, I mostly speak about positive things; I focus on God rewarding and giving; I mainly speak about rewards; I mainly focus on unmerited grace: I speak mostly on all the goodies we get from our Father.

Consider the letters Paul wrote to the Corinthians. There were some serious sinful issues. One man was sleeping with his stepmother. Paul excommunicated him, and by God’s grace he repented. There was some trampling on the body and blood of Christ during the Lord’s supper, so that God killed some of them. In addition, they were acting like children and mere mortals, by playing favorites. In their responsibility of using God’s power of the Spirit, they were using this power in an unloving manner. However, in this context, of gross sins, Paul message is still mainly positive; it is mostly about rewards; it is mostly about God giving; it is mostly about God enriching them; it is mostly about God lavishing the whole world to them. Paul says God gives so much, He has given them the past and future; God has given the world to them! When talking about day of Judgement Paul uses the word for “rewards (bema 2 Cor.5),”. For them God is not judging and taking away; rather He is giving and rewarding. In the same chapter Paul says that they who are reconciled to God in Christ have been so categorically declared, as the righteousness of Christ, that he does not regard them as humans anymore; rather, Paul sees them as new creations, different from humans.  What about a church that is not dealing with such overwhelming sins? Imagine, how fanatically positive it would have been then.

Back to the Letter. Paul says, why are you playing favorites, God has given you the whole world. God has given you the past and the future. You are thinking to small. Enlarge your vision for all of God’s goodies. Because God is a giver, and has given you so much, there is no need for fear to cause you to grab small things and hold on to them tightly. Paul also tells them that only God’s Spirit knows God, but God has given them His Spirit. Paul then categorically says, You have the Mind of Christ. Paul then qualifies what specifically the Spirit of God is telling them about God; He is telling them all the goodies God has and will give to them (ch.2). That is the teaching is positive. In their abuse of the gifts of the Spirit Paul’s teaching is mainly positive, Keep doing what you are doing, just do it correctly, and do in it in love. Oh, and do it even more, not less: Enthusiastically seek the gifts even more.” Again, it is a positive message of God giving and rewarding. Then, the one issue of a broad negative about judgment (ch. 5-6) is not even about God Himself taking things from them in judgment; rather, it is that they should judge themselves, not about God judging them. God has given judging over to the church. And again, it is a positive teaching. You will one day judge angels, and so, start with judging yourselves. If all this positive teaching of God giving is in context of a sinful church, then how much more in a church with maturity?

Jesus tells Peter that he will deny him 3 times. Have not people lost their souls for less? Yet, Jesus (John 14) tells Peter an overly positive message. Jesus says do not fear, but believe. Then in the next statement tells him, He is going to heaven to prepare a room in Yahweh’s Penthouse, for Peter and the disciples. In light of such wicked sin, Jesus’ message is a message so positive it reaches into the highest heavens, literally.  In light of Peter’s sin, God’s message is not one of God taking, but of God giving and then giving more, and even more, and even more than we can imagine. Seriously, how much more positive can it get?

To the Jewish leaders, Jesus had some negative (even harsh and cruel) things to say, because the context of their doubt to believe demanded such a response. However, to those who came to Jesus wanting to receive His message and power it was all grace and positive. In fact, this is precisely how Jesus summed up this message to the messengers to John the Baptist, “Healing, Healing, Healing, Healing, resurrection, truth proclaimed.”

Luke :7:20-23 NLT John’s two disciples found Jesus and said to him, “John the Baptist sent us to ask, ‘Are you the Messiah we’ve been expecting, or should we keep looking for someone else?’”

At that very time, Jesus cured many people of their diseases, illnesses, and evil spirits, and he restored sight to many who were blind.  Then he told John’s disciples, “Go back to John and tell him what you have seen and heard—the blind see, the lame walk, those with leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised to life, and the Good News is being preached to the poor.”  And he added, “God blesses those who do not fall away because of me.”

I do not wish to stay long here but only wish to make a quick point. Some might point out “the last sentence sounds a little negative.” You truly are blind, are you not?  Jesus is not talking about people being offended at His negative news, but positive news. Jesus is not talking about people getting offended and falling away from His teaching on hell. Rather, the context is a total positive teaching of all God’s goodies. God is healing, healing, restoring, setting prisoners free, unchaining people from sin, resurrecting women’s children out of their coffins, making leapers leap, making blind to see their family for the first time and proclaiming the acceptable year of Yahweh. Jesus says if this offends you, then you fall away, and remove yourself from God’s blessing.  That is, the negative message comes in, because you reject God’s positive message and compassionate power. As Paul says in Romans 10, don’t you dare say I will go down, and I will go up, so as to save and bless myself. You do not give to God. God gives to you. God is fanatical with giving to those with faith.

Vincent Cheung’s article has again reminded me of this. He says,

“The Bible says that, without faith, it is impossible to please God. We must have faith that God exists, and that God exists as a rewarder. This second part is usually neglected, but it is integral to true faith. We believe that there is a God, but what do we believe about this God? He is a rewarder of those who seek him. To those who have faith, God is not a punisher, he is not a taker, but he is a rewarder and a giver. Why is it that Christian teachers often present God as a punisher, taker, and withholder even to his own people? It is because they have no faith. It is because their religion is fundamentally different from a religion of faith. And God is not pleased with them. Since the Bible says that faith sees God as a rewarder, this means that if someone teaches God as a taker and withholder, then it must mean that this person has no faith, and that he is a false teacher. What rewards does God give? The Bible also tells us in the same context. It says that God rewards with victories that subdued entire nations, healing miracles that created new life in the wombs and raised the dead, miracles that shielded men from fires, lions, and swords, and things like these. Even when God grants the honor of martyrdom to a person of faith, it is the death of a hero, not the defeat of a spiritual loser who never truly believed God’s promises.”[1] 

—–ENDNOTES—–

[1] Vincent Cheung. Counterfeit Faith. Web March/30/2020

Poor Isaiah, no one would believe his message given by God. Jesus, who’s that? It is said that literally all who came to Him were healed. All. Every last one of them. Luke in Acts, says Jesus healed “ALL” who were oppressed by Satan.  Yet it is said, as a whole, they did not believe Jesus. Isaiah prophesied of it. They did not believe the message. Jesus performed the message in their faces, and they did not believe Him either. Matthew (8:17) says this is a fulfillment of Isaiah 53; yes, the one about Jesus being an atonement in our place, as a high priest.

If you use this passage to rebuke religious legalism, but not failure to receive healing, then you negate forgiveness of sins, because both are produced by the same substitutionary atonement and same Jesus as high priest. God has defined what a substitutionary death is by His word. There is no other definition of it that is an accurate description of reality. Isaiah 53 puts healing as something Jesus mediated between God and man in His substitutionary atonement.

Some might suggest the temporary healing of the body is not as important as forgiveness of sins. First, Jesus (and the Father) was fixated with healing people. It is God’s nature. Do you even know Him? Second, a promise produced by the bloodshed of Jesus is still a blood purchased promise, regardless of the priority of importance. To make little of any of them is to make little of the blood of Jesus and the faithfulness of God to sovereignly uphold God’s Word.

God has been from the beginning of Genesis giving definitions to the world He created and directly controls.  He has given definitions about categorical reality, such as that all plants will produce seeds after their own kinds or species. God has defined new-creations in Christ, as those who “by His wounds are healed.” This definition God etched upon the back of His only Son in stripes. And yet people will look at the scarred back, and still not believe God’s message.

“Who has believed our message…

Surely he took up our [sicknesses] and bore our [pain],
But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities…
and by his wounds we are healed,” (Isaiah 53:4-5, NIV).

 

At least King David believed this ancient message that was preached even before Isaiah. Even a Canaanite dog, who was outside the timing to receive the atonement benefits, still believed the message. Yet, to those who it was preached to, rejected it.

“Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits—
who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases,” (Psalm 103, NIV).

Did you know that the prayer offered in faith will save a sinner? They will be forgiven! Not maybe, but they will be. Do you know why? Because God is sovereign in keeping His promises. Because Jesus has already finished the substitutionary atonement in our place. Thus, you have no problem with me saying that, the prayer offered in faith will heal the sick, right? They will be raised from the sick bed, right?

This is God’s nature, it is the fulfilled atonement, and it is His faithful promise. Yet, who has believed our message?

“And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven,” (James 5:15 NIV).

Vincent commenting on this topic says,

“Settle clearly in your mind the various topics. With something like healing, decide why it is wrong to say that it happens “if it is God’s will.” Your spouse never says, “I know that God promised salvation to anyone who has faith in Christ, but even when there is faith, it happens only if it is God’s will. So it is possible for someone to have more faith than Jesus himself and still be damned to hell.” Your spouse never says this. But the healing of the body stands on the same basis as the forgiveness of sin — the atonement (Matthew 8:17). Therefore, for someone to say that healing happens only “if it is God’s will” regardless of our faith is also a logical repudiation of salvation by faith. In principle, this person cannot be a Christian. The least we can say is that there is a gross inconsistency, and it comes from unbelief. It is the opposite of reverence for God’s will. God was the one who sovereignly sent Jesus to bare our sins and diseases. [1]

The Bible teaches that deliverance from damnation is not the only benefit of the atonement, but among many other things, it also offers healing for the body. Matthew 8:16-17 says, “When evening came, many who were demon-possessed were brought to him, and he drove out the spirits with a word and healed all the sick. This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah: ‘He took up our infirmities and carried our diseases.'” This applies Isaiah’s prophecy about the atonement to the healing miracles of Christ. Thus it is certain that the atonement offers healing for the body, and that this benefit is manifested in miracles of healing, and not in natural remedies. Since verse 16 also mentions the “demon possessed,” this means that verse 17 – the atonement – applies to both those who are afflicted by physical sicknesses and those who are afflicted by demonic powers. Anyone who denies this doctrine makes himself an enemy of the atonement, and holds the blood of Christ in contempt…

If someone says, “Since faith for salvation is a sovereign gift, I will not come to Christ, but wait for faith. If God wills, he will save me.” We would realize that he is making an excuse for his unbelief, uncertainty, and rebellion. We would answer, “Now he commands all people everywhere to repent” (Acts 17:30), and “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Acts 2:21). Likewise, although God is sovereign over healing as he is sovereign over everything, this is not an excuse for unbelief, uncertainty, and rebellion. We relate to God on the basis of his precepts, not his decrees. He says, “The prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up” (James 5:15), and “Everything is possible for him who believes” (Mark 9:23).[2]

——–Endnotes————

[1] Vincent Cheung. Fulcrum 2017. P.28

[2] Vincent Cheung. Biblical Healing. 2012. P 8,12.

“These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.
Their worship [fear/respect/reverence] of me is based on merely human rules they have been taught.” (NIV Isaiah 29:13)

The NLT footnote on this verse reads. “Greek version reads Their worship is a farce, / for they teach man-made ideas as commands from God. Compare Mark 7:7.”

The key to understand this verse is at the epistemology or presuppositional level. The NIV and some other helpful translation says their reverence/worship of God starts at the “human” presuppositional level rather than at Divine revelation level. That is, it is the epistemology of human speculation as a starting point of knowledge vs God’s revelation.

Today the common phrase for this respect/worship/fear of God is worded as “God-centeredness,” or “gospel-centeredness,” or “for the glory of God” (etc.). What makes this particularly deceptive is that fact that we are dealing with the topic of being humble and respectful to God, which sounds very humble and God-centered. However, the Jews in Isaiah’s time and in Jesus time had a problem with this. Today many still have an issue with it. The cross-roads of this issue is that man starts with himself (human starting points with inductive logic (i.e. superstition)) to come up with what God-centeredness looks like. Vincent has been helpful on this topic saying, “A truly God-centered theology would ask God to tell us what it means to be God-centered, but this is not what we are presented by those who claim to be the most God-centered in their theology. If you ask man what it means to be God-centered, then the product is only a seemingly God-centered religion founded on a man-centered foundation. It is a man-centered opinion on what it should mean to be God-centered. It still ignores what God thinks about himself. It still ignores how God wants us to relate to him. So it is still a man-centered religion, but more hypocritical. What we need is a God-centered religion on a God-centered foundation.”[1]

And so, it is a man-centered view, in what it means to have a God-centered view. This one extra layer of deception confuses many people it seems; however, it does not confuse God.

As the verse says, God knows the heart. Also, as Jesus says the tree will be known by its fruit, and Jesus said this in context of the idle words spoken by the religious leaders. These idle words included the blasphemy of the Spirit when they gave a demonic definition to the holy and awesome work of the Spirit. They thought they were respecting God, but the opposite was the reality, being exposed by their words.

Let us use the example that Jesus used in Luke 14:10. To be humble is to take a place in the back, and if you really are an honorable man in God sight, God will come to you and ask you to come sit closer to the front. You will not need to promote yourself, God will do it Himself. He will say, “you ARE my righteousness,” “you ARE a son of God,” “you have acknowledge me before men, I will now acknowledge you before angels, and elders,” “through My Son’s gift you deserve this.”
The deception in the man-created view of humbleness is glaring.  It will take a seat up front, but then say debasing things like, “I am such a sinful man,” “I am the worst of sinners,” “God’s ways are not like my evil ways,” “I don’t deserve this.” That is, they promote themselves, and give reasons why they deserve this, and they disguise their pride in self-debating phrases. God comes up to this man and says, “yes you have spoken truthfully, you are a rebellious sinner, so go sit in the back.” As an example God told the Israelites that God has given them the Land; that He is with them and against the inhabitants. The Israelites said “they could not do it,” and God in response said, “because your idle word were spoken in unbelief, then you will live out what you said.” You will not be strong enough to take it, just like you said it.

As a contrast to real humility consider the man that John the apostle rebuked for healing in Jesus’ name.   Luke 9:49-50  (NLT) “John said to Jesus, “Master, we saw someone using your name to cast out demons, but we told him to stop because he isn’t in our group.” But Jesus said, “Don’t stop him! Anyone who is not against you is for you.”” To cast out a demon in Jesus name is humility because it is not your name but Jesus’. It is His power, not yours. Jesus’ response is that such a man has God’s approval. Or that is, John took this man and made him sit in the back, but Jesus approached him and took him back to the front. What God and men value is often opposites. Do you remember what God said gives Him glory? “Then call on me when you are in trouble, and I will rescue you, and you will give me glory (Psalm 50:15 NLT).”

Considering David’s gross sins, what did David say? He said what a horrible thing He did. However, also in these contexts, David ask both for mercy and prosperity (Psalm 118). How is asking for prosperity humble in context of asking for mercy for great sins you committed? Many reasons for this, but we will focus on a few. One is that it obeys God, we are commanded to get all we have from God and seek His good promises. We are always to both seek spiritual and natural benefits from God, all the time.  Also, asking God to give shows God as the true value and power. Furthermore, asking for prosperity right after asking for mercy, shows that you truly believe God has imputed Jesus righteousness to you. It means, you believe you are the righteousness of God, and so you have the foundation to ask for all of God’s good things.

The man, who beat is chest in Jesus’ parable, was humble and respectful in the right way, in the context it was given; however, the woman, with the flow of blood problem, is equally as respectful and worshipful of God when she took, without asking (or stole), Jesus’ power for her healing. The fact that God let her have the power for healing, is like God walking to the back of the room and asking this woman to come sit up front. Faith pleases God. When you have faith, it is God’s mark of His approval on you. When you have faith for all of God’s goodies (Psalm 103, James 5:15), it is God showing you off in front of everyone else, by asking such a humble and righteous person to sit up front with the nobles and princes. Faith in God’s promises is an act of the highest respect, fear, worship and reverence of the King of Ages. When you have faith in God, you do not need to self-debase yourself, because you are living what true worship and reverence to God is. Do not look to man. Do not look to human speculations or the kingdom self. Live by faith. Live a life of true worship to God. Forget man’s approval. Get God’s approval.

—————Endnotes——————-

[1] Vincent Cheung. Faith Override. (https://www.vincentcheung.com/2016/04/08/faith-override/) From Sermonettes Vol. 9. 2016 Pg.9

Saw this heretical trash today. (See picture below. )

First. In my experience those who rebuke diseases are asking to be healed, which is the same thing to rebuke it. Also, Peter says that Jesus healing multitudes of people was Jesus helping those oppressed by Satan. Acts 10:38, (NLT) “Jesus went around doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil.” Peter says it, as if most the healings Jesus did (which was so much its hard to put a number on it) was in response to the Devil causing the sickness, cancer, skin deformities, blindness, flow of blood, backs bent over and (etc.). If casting out Satan in order to be healed is not “rebuking our disease,” then I do not know what is.

Second. Because a sickness or a deformity in your health is attributed by scripture as mostly oppression from Satan, then to be healed of this physical “problem” is to “cast” it out, so to speak. Thus, there is nothing in wrong saying it this way.

Third and Forth. James says if you face a trial of lacking wisdom we are to ask in faith, and you will absolutely receive wisdom from the Father.  Remember when Joshua told the sun to stop, this was in essence a “word of faith.” Jesus did this and others in scripture did this as well, even Gentile women in the Old Testament. And so, a word of faith is essentially just a short hand way of praying when one has faith. Such words of faith would be at the same time “speaking into one’s trial.” Nothing wrong with this. The issue is if you have faith for it, or do you say it just as a pragmatic program or wishful hope.

This is the same for claiming success, such as the success promised in Psalm one. If one is doing what Psalm one says, it is perfectly fine to believe and speak the promise over oneself. The issue is again, faith. I believed and so I have spoken. If your faith is weak, it is fine to say such things to practice saying the right thing rather than speaking in unbelief: “this is too hard, we can’t take the Promise Land, they are giants and we are small, there is no way Yahweh, the Lord of Lords, has the power to use us to take the land.” And you know what, God made their “Word of unfaith,” a reality for them. They were to small, and the people were too strong for them.

Six. Yes, of course you can force God to do your will. Now, I would not personally say it this way, either in teaching or in my own prayers; however, there is nothing wrong with this, if understood in relative causality.[1]

God was sovereign when He made the promises. He is still sovereign. God’s sovereignty is absolute and direct, so that He is even the author of sin and evil. God controls all things. God knows all things, because He has predestined everything.  The objector in Romans 9 to Paul was about this arbitrariness of God’s choices to love one but hate the other, among other things. From the same neutral lump, God chooses to make some evil and some good. There is no law for God to follow; there is no authority over Him. There is no one to give Him advice. All created things get their value, or valueless state by God’s own definition of it. This is the God of the Bible. He creates all things and He defines His own creation as He so wishes. He also absolutely and directly controls all things He creates, and thus He controls ‘x’ and ‘y’. Therefore, God controls all thoughts, so that God is the metaphysical author of all evil and sin.[2] All Christian epistemology is God’s revelation. All Christian metaphysics and ontology is God’s direct and absolute sovereignty.

Why is it a correct definition that all people born after Adam were born created with a sinful nature and death, when they did not do the sin themselves? Because God thinks so. Why is it a correct definition that sinful people are credited with Christ’s righteousness, healings, Spirit and blessings, when they did not do it themselves? Because God thinks it so, and defines it so.

Thus, when God sovereignly makes a promise and binds Himself to it, it means He freely wanted to. The Bible says God cannot lie, (Hebrews 6:18). When God sovereignly promised to forgive sin if one believes in His son, then God cannot, not do it. Thus, we can force God to do it, because He promised to do it. We are speaking on the relative level, not ultimate. In ultimate causality, God both gives the promise, and then He causes a person to have faith to believe this promise. However, Jesus Christ when speaking on the relative level (and Jesus was the most God centered man who ever spoke) said, “your faith saved you.”

1 john 1:9 says, “ If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins.” For God to honor both His word to His Son Jesus Christ, and honor His promise to us, He must forgive our sins if we ask in faith for it. This is in essence, forcing God to do what “you” want; that is, “relative” to what “you” want. Now, since God ultimately gives the faith, it is what He wants; however, we are speaking relative to man; the way Jesus often does.

Seven. God is not a genie, because a genie only gives 3 wishes. How small and pathetic! God gives us our daily bread every day. If seek Him first, God will clothe us better than King Solomon and give us the things the “pagans seek after.” If you ask for an enlarged tent and territory in faith, you get it. Genies are too small to compare to God’s power to give good gifts, over and over and forever. God gives us new mercies every morning and evening. Time would fail me to mention all the natural and spiritual wishes God gives us so freely. This person’s critique backfires, and it exposes him as theologically damaged. His god is not the God of the Bible.

Eight. Jesus says if you have faith you can say to this mountain to cast itself into the sea, and if you “OBEY YOU.” Notice this is just faith, not the “gifts of the Spirit.” Also, Jesus was the most God centered man who ever live. But He says statements like the natural world “obeying you.” This is said in relative level ontology, and so it is fine to say it that way. In ultimate level ontology it is God who uses His power to perform the action, or as the Scripture says, “not by power, but by my Spirit (Zechariah 4:6).” And so, when one speaks faith and something happens like a healing, or a demon cast out, or mountain thrown, it is the Spirit who performs this work. Jesus also says, if you ask for anything in His name, in faith, that He will do it, no exception. Jesus, like a broken record says this many times in John 14-16. Thus, if I were to be technical or nitpick over this, the Holy Spirit is “just” ( or faithful, (you could say puppet if meant in this sense) to perform every word spoken in faith, similar in that God is not merely “merciful,” but “just” to forgive us based on His sovereign promise, to do so for Christ’s sake.

Notes—————-

[1] Ultimate level. God caused Oshea to believe and confess Jesus Christ. (Oshea moves white pawn to H3 to take black knight.)

Relative Level. Oshea confessed and made Jesus Lord of his life. (White pawn takes black knight).

Just because the announcer at the Chess tournament says, “white pawn takes black knight,” then should I rebuke the announcer and tell him he should know better because the pawn did not move itself?

The Big idea is that ultimate level causality is God moving everything directly. However, the Bible often speaks of relative level causality, “Oshea buys some gum at the store from Johnny.”

– I got this initial idea of a chess game from Vincent Cheung. See, “There is No Real Synergism.”

[2] I got this phrase “metaphysical author of evil,” from Vincent Cheung.