Tag Archives: Father

Blasphemy Against the Holy Spirit Awareness Month

We are kicking off January as Blasphemy Against the Holy Spirit Awareness Month. Hat tip to Vincent Cheung for nailing that label and pushing this idea forward. Look, we’ve got churches full of folks tiptoeing around miracles like they’re handling nitroglycerin, but Jesus didn’t mince words on this. Blasphemy against the Spirit isn’t some dusty relic from the Pharisees’ playbook; it’s a live wire humming in modern pews, zapping faith before it sparks.

A lot of so-called theology out there is just dressed-up unbelief, whispering that healing and power are “not for today.” That’s not piety—it’s soul damning peril.

First off, Jesus didn’t just waltz into ministry with a sermon and a smile; He launched it by claiming Isaiah’s prophecy as His own blueprint. Flip to Luke 4, where He stands in the synagogue, unrolls the scroll to Isaiah 61, and reads: “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” Then He rolls it up, sits down, and drops the mic: “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” Boom. The Spirit’s anointing wasn’t for show— it was for action. Healing, healing, healing, and preaching gospel to the broke and poor. Isaiah paints a picture of liberation from demonic oppression, sickness, and poverty, all under the Spirit’s power. Jesus embodied that, storming Satan’s kingdom like a one-man demolition crew. Demons shrieked, bodies mended, and the poor got the VIP treatment in God’s favor. This wasn’t optional flair; it was the core of His mission, fueled by the Spirit to crush the devil’s works. If you’re sidelining miracles today, you’re editing Jesus’ job description—and that’s not faith, that’s demonic vandalism.

Now, fast-forward to Mark 1, Jesus wastes no time showing what Spirit-empowered ministry looks like in action. What miracle does Mark show Jesus starting out with? Casting out a demon in His own house. Not out in the pagan wilds, but right in the synagogue—His own house, the heart of Jewish worship. A man with an unclean spirit cries out, “What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!” Jesus shuts him down: “Be quiet! Come out of him!” The demon convulses the guy and bolts with a shriek. The crowd’s buzzing: “What is this? A new teaching—and with authority! He even gives orders to impure spirits and they obey him.” Notice the venue: not a Roman temple or a Samaritan street, but the synagogue. Demons weren’t just lurking in heathen lands; they were comfy in God’s house, oppressing His people with torment and bondage. Mark makes a point to show Jesus starting His miracle spree by evicting the kingdom of demons out of His Father’s house. It’s a stark reminder—the kingdom of darkness doesn’t respect sacred spaces; it infiltrates them. And Jesus, anointed by the Spirit, confronts it head-on, freeing folks from pain and possession. If your church is demon-free but miracle-starved, ask why. Maybe the Spirit’s flow got dammed up by doubt. Maybe there are more demon filled people in the pews and Spirit filed ones, including your pastor. Jesus didn’t start with outsiders; He cleaned house first, because oppression in the family of God is an affront to His Father’s love.

That house-cleaning didn’t sit well, though, and by Mark 3, the resistance boils over into outright confrontation—from Jesus’ own kin and the religious elite. His family hears the crowds and buzz, thinks He’s lost it, and shows up to “take charge of him,” saying, “He is out of his mind.” But here’s the kicker—Mark slips in that Jesus was furious. In verse 5, amid healing a man’s shriveled hand on the Sabbath, He looks around at their stubborn hearts “in anger and, deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts.” The Greek word for anger there is “orge,” raw fury at their hardness. His own people, resisting the Spirit’s breakthrough, opposing the liberation He’d come to bring. They saw demons fleeing, bodies healing, and instead of rejoicing, they resisted God’s love and power. Sound familiar? Jesus got mad because this wasn’t just bad theology—it was blocking freedom for the oppressed. The Spirit’s anointing was for healing and deliverance, yet His own house pushed back, preferring tradition over transformation. If you’re in a camp that slows the miracle flow, you’re not just missing out; you’re mirroring that resistance, and Jesus’ anger at stubborn hearts hasn’t cooled.

Jesus doesn’t back down from that pushback; in Matthew 12, He goes on the offensive, turning the tables and issuing a chilling warning that cuts to the core of this sin. It starts with a bang: Jesus heals a demon-possessed man who’s blind and mute—bam, the guy sees and speaks. The crowd’s electric: “Could this be the Son of David?” But the Pharisees, those gatekeepers of unbelief, sneer, “It’s only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, that this fellow drives out demons.” Jesus dismantles their nonsense: divided kingdoms fall; if Satan’s evicting his own, he’s toast. Then He clarifies: “But if it is by the Spirit of God that I drive out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.” Boom—He attributes the power not to Himself, but to the Spirit. The Pharisees thought they were jabbing at Jesus, but since it was the Spirit at work, their words landed on Him. They saw undeniable divine power smashing demonic oppression—sickness, blindness, muteness—and credited it to Satan. That’s not a slip-up; that’s an idle word of unbelief slung at the face of the Spirit’s healing ministry.

And that’s when Jesus drops the hammer: “Every kind of sin and slander can be forgiven, but blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.” Why the Spirit specifically? Context screams it’s tied to miracles and healing. Jesus didn’t nuke them for botched tithing or weak preaching; it was their direct assault on the Spirit-powered healing right in front of them. They witnessed liberation from pain and bondage—the very mandate from Isaiah—and called it demonic. That’s blasphemy: attributing the Holy Spirit’s work to evil. And Jesus ties it to gathering or scattering: “Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.” No middle ground. Lazy on miracles? You’re actively opposing Him, hand-in-hand with demons without realizing it. The Spirit’s anointing was for healing those in pain and good news to the poor; resist that, and you’re walking on unforgivable turf.

Fast-forward to today, and the church is riddled with this sin dressed up in Sunday best. Folks dismiss miracles as “not for now” or hedge with “if it’s God’s will,” attributing the Spirit’s healing ministry power to Satan’s playbook or human hype. That’s blasphemy in piety’s clothing, folks. And get this: Even careless words count. Matthew 12:36-37 says we’ll give account for every idle word—by your words you’re justified or condemned. Speak against the Spirit’s healing ministry? You’re playing with eternal fire.

Look at 1 Corinthians 12-14. Paul corrects abuses in the gifts—selfish showmanship, disorder—but does he shut it down? No way. He urges more: “Earnestly desire the greater gifts,” “do not forbid speaking in tongues,” pursue love and eagerness for spiritual gifts, especially prophecy. He didn’t cross into blasphemy by telling them to slow down or stop. Instead, he pushed for more Spirit-empowered ministry, done right with love and not self-seeking. The line? Criticize selfish abuse, sure, but never hint at less healing, less miracles, less tongues, less prophecy. If only an idle word touches the Spirit you are eternally dammed, which is why if a cessationist tries to do what Paul did, they will likely commit the unforgivable sin. If someone even whispers, “dial it back,” get very suspicious; a whole bunch of red flags should be popping up in your mind. They are likely channelling demons without knowing it. It might already be too late for them.

Bottom line: Rally behind miracle ministry like your soul depends on it—because it does. Heal the sick, cast out demons, raise the dead; it’s gospel in motion, or at least charge in faith till it happens. Jesus promises: seek, and you’ll find. Neutral on this? Jesus brands you an enemy. You’re unwittingly teaming with demons, holding their hand in the dark.

But as for us? We’ll stoke the fire in ourselves and others for more Spirit-powered healing and miracles. No other reality exists. No other God but this One. It’s the path of health, freedom, liberation. Why settle for shadows when the light’s blazing? Let’s make this awareness month count—expose the blasphemy, embrace the power, and watch Satan’s kingdom crumble.

Does the Father Know You?

Jesus said, “If you have seen me you have seen the Father.” Think about that for a moment. There are countless voices out there claiming to define who God is, but Jesus cuts through the noise with absolute clarity: if you’ve seen Him, you’ve seen the Father. This isn’t some vague poetic flourish; it’s a revelation from the Son Himself, grounding our understanding of God’s character in the person and work of Christ. In the passage from Matthew 14, we see this truth illustrated, not through human speculation, but through Jesus’ actions amid a crowd desperate for relief. The disciple had just faltered in faith, doubting even as he stepped out on the water, yet the crowds surged toward Him with a simple, unwavering expectation. They believed that merely touching the edge of His cloak would bring healing—and without exception, every single one who reached out was made whole.

 Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?” And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down.  Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.” When they had crossed over, they landed at Gennesaret.  And when the men of that place recognized Jesus, they sent word to all the surrounding country. People brought all their sick to him and begged him to let the sick just touch the edge of his cloak, and all who touched it were healed. (Matthew 14:31-36 NIV)

This scene isn’t merely a historical footnote; its an infallible revelation of the heart of God. These weren’t spiritual elites—Jesus Himself described crowds like this as sinful, riddled with all manner of failings. Among thousands pressing in, there had to be some deeply entrenched in rebellion, yet not one was turned away. No lectures on repentance first, no prerequisites beyond their faith-fueled pursuit. They chased Him down, overtaking His boat, driven by the conviction that He was willing and able to restore them. And He did. Every ache erased, every affliction lifted. This is Jesus. This is the Father. This is the God we approach in prayer, the One whose nature overflows with compassion so profound that it heals without hesitation.

Before diving into the specifics of how healing ties into Abraham’s covenant and Jesus’ atonement, let’s linger on this foundational truth. God’s compassion isn’t a side note or an occasional mood swing; it’s the essence of who He is, revealed in Christ. Scripture doesn’t portray a distant deity weighing our worthiness on scales of performance. Instead, we see a Father so eager to bless that He over-engineers our redemption, providing multiple avenues for us to receive what He’s already accomplished. In Isaiah 53:4-5, we read that He bore our sicknesses and carried our pains, and by His stripes, we are healed. Matthew 8:17 confirms this wasn’t some spiritual metaphor but literal fulfillment in Jesus’ ministry, where He healed the sick as a direct outworking of that prophecy. James 5:15 echoes it: the prayer of faith will raise the sick, and the Lord will restore them. These aren’t suggestions; they’re promises rooted in God’s unchanging character.

Yet, how often do some approach God as if He’s reluctant? They pray hedging their bets—“if it’s Your will”—as though His compassion might waver like a fickle breeze. That’s not the Father Jesus revealed. In Matthew 9:36, seeing the crowds harassed and helpless like sheep without a shepherd, He was moved with compassion. The Greek word there, splagchnizomai, literally means to be stirred in the gut—a deep, visceral empathy that propelled Him to action. He taught, proclaimed the kingdom, and healed every disease and sickness among them. No audits of their sin logs, no waiting periods. Compassion drove Him to meet their needs immediately. And if we’ve seen Jesus, we’ve seen the Father—compassionate, powerful, and utterly committed to our wholeness.

This compassion alone should be enough to fuel our faith for healing. Those crowds in Matthew 14 weren’t quoting chapter and verse on atonement theology; they simply saw in Jesus a God who cared, who wouldn’t withhold good from those who sought Him. And He proved them right, healing every one without fail. No rejections, no “not today,” no mysterious denials. This is the God we pray to—a Father whose default is yes when faith reaches out. As Vincent Cheung notes in “Healing: The Will of Man,” “God’s will on healing is an artificially generated question. It is a theological scam and a trap. Christians should have never focused so much on it… Jesus answered the man, ‘All things are possible for one who believes.’” Here, Cheung highlights how Scripture shifts the focus from God’s Will to human Will, urging us to trust God’s revealed willingness rather than inventing barriers.

But let’s be frank: if your prayers for healing come laced with doubt, as if God might play favorites or withhold on a whim, you’re not praying to the Father Jesus unveiled. You’re addressing a counterfeit, a stingy idol crafted from human speculation and unbelief. The proof that you know this compassionate God—and that He knows you—is in the receiving. Just as the crowds’ touch brought instant restoration, your faith in His promises should yield the same. Mark 5:34 tells of the woman with the issue of blood: “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.” Luke 7:50 echoes it to the sinful woman: “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.” Faith in Jesus’ compassion doesn’t beg; it receives what’s already provided.

This ties directly into the blood covenant we have with God through Christ, a contract that guarantees healing as part of our inheritance. In Galatians 3:13-14, Paul explains that Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, so that we might receive the blessing of Abraham and the promise of the Spirit through faith. What was Abraham’s blessing? As detailed in Genesis 12-17, it was unmerited favor: prosperity, health, protection, and descendants as numerous as the stars. God declared Himself Abraham’s shield and very great reward, and Abraham believed, crediting it to him as righteousness (Romans 4:3). No mention of sin there—just God’s lavish promises. And Jesus, in Luke 13:16, healed a woman bound by Satan for 18 years, declaring it was necessary because “she was a daughter of Abraham.” Healing wasn’t optional; it was covenant-bound, a must for God’s faithfulness.

In the atonement, this exchange is perfected. Isaiah 53 isn’t poetic fluff—it’s prophetic precision: He took our infirmities and bore our diseases, and with His wounds, we are healed. Peter confirms it in 1 Peter 2:24: “By his wounds you have been healed.” Past tense, accomplished. Matthew 8:17 applies it directly to Jesus’ ministry, where He healed all who came, fulfilling that prophecy. James 5:15 commands the elders to pray over the sick, and the prayer offered in faith will make them well. This isn’t a “gift of healing” scenario; it’s faith in the promise, the same faith that receives forgiveness. Why? Because healing, like salvation, flows from the same substitution: Jesus bore our sickness so we don’t have to. To doubt healing is to doubt the fullness of His work, trampling the blood that bought it.

Those who peddle unbelief here—claiming healing isn’t guaranteed, or it’s not for today—aren’t just mistaken; they’re opposing the gospel. They’ll quote verses on suffering while ignoring the avalanche of promises for wholeness. It’s like focusing on Job’s boils and forgetting the double restoration at the end. Job’s suffering was for a brief moment and his excessive health and wealth was for a lifetime. God doesn’t contradict Himself; He over-engineers our benefits to crush doubt. Galatians 3 reminds us the curse included every disease (Deuteronomy 28), and Christ redeemed us from it all. So, three ways sickness was lifted: borne away (Isaiah 53:4), by His stripes (53:5), and through curse-reversal (Galatians 3:13). Even if one avenue feels shaky (which is shouldn’t), grab another—faith has options because God’s compassion is extravagant.

Skeptics act like God’s a cosmic miser, doling out healings like a kid with Halloween candy—only the “good” ones get the full-size bars. Meanwhile, Scripture shows Him flinging open the storehouse, saying, “Take it all—it’s yours!” If faith moves mountains (Matthew 17:20), why settle for molehills? Jesus rebuked His disciples for little faith amid storms and sickness, then turned to outsiders like the Canaanite woman (Matthew 15:28): “Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.” She twisted His words with bold belief, and her daughter was healed instantly. No religious resume required—just faith in His compassion.

This is the Father who knows you: the One who heals because He loves, who provides because He promised, who empowers because you’re His. The proof? Receive it. If you pray to a God who “might” heal, you don’t know Him. But if you approach with the crowds’ audacity—believing He’s willing, able, and eager—you’ll find every touch met with wholeness. As Mark 9:23 declares, “Everything is possible for one who believes.” Don’t let bad reports or weak theology rob you. Confess His promises, command reality to align, and watch the Father prove Himself through your faith. This is knowing God—not in theory, but in triumphant, life-altering reality. And yes, He knows you too—enough to heal you today.

Paul drives this home in 1 Corinthians 2:11-12: “For who knows a person’s thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God.” The Spirit reveals God’s mind to us, and through faith, we grasp His lavish gifts—including healing. Jesus, in Matthew 7:7-11, ties knowing God to receiving good things: ask in faith, and your Father gives generously, not withholding like earthly dads might. To know God is to know His unwavering commitment to heal, as Isaiah 53:4-5 declares He bore our infirmities for our wholeness. Doubt this, and you’re not communing with the true God but a figment born of unbelief. True knowledge of God ignites bold faith that commands sickness to flee, echoing Peter in Acts 3:16: “And his name—by faith in his name—has made this man strong.” Receive healing, and you’ll know Him intimately, as Jeremiah 17:14 promises: “Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved, for you are my praise.”

There is no other God but this Jesus who healed all, without exception. If you pray to a God who might not heal, you do not pray to Jesus. And by extension you do not pray to the Father. You do not know God, and you are not praying to God, if you pray not expecting with guarantee of healing when asked in faith. This is the only God who exist. There is no other God. Do you know Him? And Does this God who always heal, know you? The proof that this Jesus and this God knows you, is you getting healed.

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A Disciplined Son, Sitting In His Room, In His Father’s House

What is the fear of the Lord? The fear of the lord is defined by its context. At times is simply means to worship the lord, as Jesus quotes to the devil. But at times it means awful dread of judgment. And lastly it can mean, as a legitimate son, to fear the discipline (not condemnation) of your father.

Vincent Cheung writes regarding a besetting sin,

It is good that instead of excusing yourself, you admit your sin and you are taking it seriously. Even if the sin persists, remember to never lose this – never begin to make excuses or to think that it is not a sin.

It is correct that true faith in Jesus Christ leads to holiness. However, a stubborn sin – or two or three – can tend to capture our attention to the exclusion of other aspects of our lives. When you take your entire life into account, is the basic disposition toward holiness? Is there an overall growth in knowledge, reverence, purity, and good works? If so, then this is consistent with a genuine faith in Christ. Instead of allowing a stubborn sin to become a stumbling block for your whole faith, you should consider the fact of your continuing growth in Christ to draw strength and encouragement in the ongoing battle against the remaining evil… So even if you draw on the strength and pressure of a Christian community, see to it that your main focus remains on Jesus Christ. He is the sole Mediator, the Lord of the conscience, and the Shepherd of your soul.[1]

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. 2 We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith…
7 As you endure this divine discipline, remember that God is treating you as his own children. Who ever heard of a child who is never disciplined by its father? 8 If God doesn’t discipline you as he does all of his children, it means that you are illegitimate and are not really his children at all. 9 Since we respected our earthly fathers who disciplined us, shouldn’t we submit even more to the discipline of the Father of our spirits, and live forever?[g]
10 For our earthly fathers disciplined us for a few years, doing the best they knew how. But God’s discipline is always good for us, so that we might share in his holiness. 11 No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening—it’s painful! But afterward there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way,”
(Hebrews 12:1-3,7-11. NLT)

“Then Jesus answered, “Will you really lay down your life for me? Very truly I tell you, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times!
“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God[a]; believe also in me.  My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you?  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.  You know the way to the place where I am going,”
(John 13:38, 14:1-4. NIV)

“He will judge everyone according to what they have done.  He will give eternal life to those who keep on doing good, seeking after the glory and honor and immortality that God offers.”
(Romans 2:6-7 NLT)

“But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God—and righteousness and sanctification and redemption— that, as it is written, “He who glories, let him glory in the Lord,”
1 Corinthians 1:30-31.

So right after Jesus tells Peter that Peter will betray Him (people have forfeited their souls for less), Jesus says not to worry, but remember He is preparing a room in His Father’s house for all the disciples, including Peter.

Peter did suffer the disgrace and sorrow for what he, but Jesus restored him, and Peter upon receiving this freely given love, freely gave it back to the brethren by strengthen them.  Peter never stopped from having a room in the Father’s house.

When I was disciplined by my parents, my mom would make me wait in my room for my dad to come and give me a spanking. As Hebrews 12 says, discipline is not pleasant. How obvious this is. It is proper to “fear” the unpleasantness of discipline. The point to remember is this, it is discipline, and not condemnation. For those in Christ Jesus we never fear condemnation, because Jesus was already condemned in our place. [2] This is a fear a Christian should never experience, and any voice or feeling that says otherwise is a lie from Satan. Our judgment has already happened. Only grace and life are before us. It is a bight day, today in Christ. It is a brilliant future.

However, I want to bring your attention to this aspect.  I waited for my dad’s discipline, in my “room” in my “father’s house.” Think about that. The same is for our heavenly Father. For all those truly born-from-above, we never leave our Father’s house. Even if we wait for discipline, we wait as sons, in the safety of our own rooms.  And even in the extreme example of the parodical son, when the son left his room on his own, the father’s always had a room waiting for the son’s return.

Any discipline is to help you mature as a son. That is, the good things you are seeking, such as blessings, health, prosperity (etc.) God our Father wants to give this to us, more than we want to receive it. We are already in Christ, righteous in God’s sight, reconciled and co-heirs with Jesus. By faith, at any time we can approach God’s throne; our sins do not negate this. However, if our sin is to often or too big, it can hinder our conscience to be sin focused and not righteousness focus, and this will hinder our faith, and this will hinder us freely receiving all the good things from our Father. God’s discipline for His sons, is not to remake us as sons because our sins stopped us from being sons; no, our Father desires to mature us to understand we are beloved sons through Jesus and on this foundation, in faith freely receive the good things promised us. God wants to give more than you want to receive.

When we are sick, we need to have a relentless focus on our healing, on the word of God about healing day and night. We are not to focus on our sickness, we are to focus on the healing already accomplished by Jesus in His finished atonement. We are not to focus on the pain, but the how much God loves us and wants our healing more than we want it. Sickness is from the devil, it is a curse of the law and Jesus started to demolish it in His ministry and has commanded all His disciples to continue this battle. We are commanded to have faith to be healed.

The same for sanctification, even in besetting sins. We need to have a relentless focus on our righteousness in God, and not our sin. Hebrews 12 in context about the sins that so easily ensures us, says to focus on Jesus who began and will strengthen our faith. The application is obvious. We do not focus on what our eyes see, or minds feel, or body experiences; rather, we focus on all the promises of God that are yes through Jesus Christ. We focus day and night that we are the righteousness of God in Jesus, that we are children of God, beloved and reconciled once and for all time. We can march into the throne of heaven at any time and place to ask and receive from Almighty God, as dear children.  We need to see that even all our future sins are forgiven, forgotten and gone. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 1 that not only did Jesus become our righteousness for us, but also our “sanctification.” Jesus did not only start our faith, but He will be faithful, (not you), HE will be faithful to mature and finish our faith. In blood, Jesus promises in the New Contract, that God will write His laws on our minds so that we love God, by obeying His commands. This was not your promise to God, but God’s promise to you. The Father pointed to His Jesus’ bloody corpse and said on that day, I promise I will cause you to love Me. This is love, not that we loved God, but that God so loves us that He sent His son to be a wrath appeasing atonement for us. The old man has already died, and the new man is already here. We are free from the law of sin and death and now we reign in this life through Jesus Christ.

This does not diminish our sickness by focusing on our healing promised in Jesus, instead of the pain, but is obedience to focus on what God tells us to focus on. The same for sin and righteousness. It is obedience to focus on our righteousness, sonship and value in Christ and not sin conscience.  Psalm 1 says you will have success in all that you do if you think on God’s word day and night. We know the way. It is Jesus. It is a relentless focus on our beloved identity in Him, and that all the good promises are our definition and yes through Jesus.

ENDNOTES

[1] Vincent Cheung. Habitual Sin. Sermonettes Vol. 6. 2012. Pg.81.

[2] Now, if you are in extreme, gross sin (there are degrees of sin), it is not wrong to remember the dread of condemnation, in the sense that Paul says, check and see if your election is sure; yet, these are extremes that most Christians should not relate to (2 Corinth. 11:20-22, 27, “guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord.”). Yet, even in this extreme, God killed them with sickness before they could forfeit their salvation. And yet, in this extreme James 5:15 still applies, “Such a prayer offered in faith will heal the sick, and the Lord will make you well. And if you have committed any sins, you will be forgiven,” NLT. God wants you to prosper.

You are My Sheep, and I Pray for You

In these promises to each other the Father promises that Jesus is a priest according to the order of Melchizedek. In summery, this means Jesus’ priesthood is before and different from the Levitical one. It is an eternal and permanent priesthood, that the Levitical one cannot override, which came later. The Levitical priesthood, particularly with the Day of Atonement, we see a teaching illustration to learn what the substitutionary atonement of Jesus will look like, who has the original and eternal priesthood.

In Jesus’ priesthood, we learn in Isaiah 53:12 that He both bore (like the escape goat) the sins but He also “interceded” for them. For example, the priest in Leviticus 16 on the Day of Atonement, only sacrifice and interceded for the children of Israel, and not Moab or someone else. The atonement is for Israel only, not other people. The priest only intercedes for Israel. As the next chapter says (17) the “life” of the animal is in the blood. This is like “life” currency. Jesus gives us the currency of His life in exchange for our currency (or debt) of death. The “intercession” is about telling the bank where you want the money to go. What would happen if you dropped off a briefcase of money without say where you want it? This is why Jesus intercedes, He is telling the Father where the life currency of His atonement goes.

In John 17 Jesus prays, “not for the world” but only for those whom “Father gave Him.” This means His sacrifice was only for those whom the Father gave Him, and not the whole world, as in every single person. If Jesus did not intercede for ‘x’ group, then Jesus did not die for them. We call this definite atonement. Jesus’ atonement was successful for a definite group and not universally for all.

John 10:26-27, Jesus says, “you do not believe, because you are not of my sheep! My sheep listen to my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.” The “you do not believe” is the conclusion, the “you are not my Sheep,” is the major premise for why we have this conclusion. If you are not already part of Jesus’ sheep, then it concludes you do not believe, and will not believe. Jesus is answering a question with a separate statement about metaphysics and its effects. The ones not believing Jesus, ask if He is the Messiah. To put Jesus’ statement into a syllogism, (1) if you are not my sheep, then you do not believe.” (2) You are not my sheep. (3) Thus, you do not believe what I say.” Also, Jesus in other places says there is only two options, sheep and goats. By saying they are not sheep He is saying they are goats.

If you are not part of Jesus’ sheep then you will never listen and believe what Jesus says. “And I have other sheep which are not from this fold. I must bring these also, and they will hear my voice, and they will become one flock—one shepherd. (v.16)” Combining this with the above meaning we learn, if a future person is not already now part of Jesus’ sheep, then they will not believe. Jesus teaches if someone is a sheep now, even if they are not-born-again now, they will believe in the future. His sheep, including those who are “going to believe” (future), believe because they “are” (present) already His sheep. These are those who Jesus interceded for, therefore they will believe at God’s predetermined times.

Jesus says “My sheep listen to my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. And I give them eternal life, and they will never perish forever (v27-28).” After saying those who asked if He was the messiah, are not part of His Sheep, He says straight to their face that He gives eternal life to His sheep, which excludes those He is talking to, because He said they are not part of His sheep. There is no teaching of TWO groups that receive Jesus’ “eternal life,” in the scripture. Therefore, the law of excluded middle applies here. If you are not part of this group, then you are a goat, a reprobate.

This also kills the very stupid teaching that says predestination, election, reprobation and God’s absolute sovereignty is an insider doctrine for mature Christians, and not outsiders. Jesus in a mixed audience, in the face of those He is calling reprobates, is teaching these doctrines. Jesus does this again, for example, in John 6, where He says only those the Father draws will come to Him to receive eternal life, and it is for these, that He gives up His life for. If Scripture is going to be your first principle for all knowledge, then get all those answers there, not from men.

The foundational we learn from this are two things about salvation. One is the decrees of God. God in His sovereignty plans and does all the saving of sinful man. Since we have already dealt with the overall doctrine of God’s sovereignty we will focus on this second important point. Jesus’ statements teach the foundation of salvation is about metaphysic, or reality that is. God decides ‘x’ is a sheep and ‘y’ is a goat. The sheep is in the category of a sheep and gets all the category realities that belong to it, and the same with the goat. The world is God’s playdough. He makes up categories from nothing, with all their attributes. He then creates individuals out of nothing, to put into these categories that He wants.

Jesus says for the sheep that He dies for them. He will give them eternal life and they will live with Him forever. This is the reality, the category of being a sheep. He is the only Potter. If God decides ‘x’ is a sheep, then it is so. No one, not even Satan, not even the ‘x,’ can stop it, not because the person will believe against their own will, but because the Potter molds their will to be a sheep, and thus they will believe. Salvation at its foundation metaphysics, not ethics or about man and his choice. Because it is metaphysics first, then therefore, choice and ethics, which are conclusions of epistemology and reality, will follow.

This is great news for all God’s chosen ones who have cried out to God to save them. They will not be disappointed. Despite their internal struggles (even besetting sins) and the attacks of men and devils, even all this cannot stop them from being sheep, cannot separate them from God’s love, and cannot stop them from inheriting eternal life. This becomes a cornerstone for the believers to correct themselves and mature their faith, knowing they are winners. Their faith has overcome the world, because they are children of God.

[this is taken from my Systematic Theology book]