Tag Archives: ontology

You Already GOT It.

I publicly proclaim bold promises.
I do not whisper obscurities in some dark corner.
I would not have told the people of Israel to seek me
if I could not be found.
I, the Lord, speak only what is true and declare only what is right.
Isaiah 45:19 (NLT)

We start this section with a presupposition that the Father and Jesus have when engaging men. The presupposition is if God talks about good things, no matter how awesome and wonderful, it is attainable by anyone who has faith. God is no respecter of persons. Small or great, it does not matter. If God promised to make Abraham’s name great, give him supernatural health, and excessive fruitfulness, then Abraham can get these by faith, and it is very doable. It is like God commanding a plant, “if you gather sunlight and water, you will have food.” In the context of a plant this is more than doable. God’s precious promises and definitions for man, is in context, that we more than able to walk in these excessive blessings.

When Jesus rebuked the disciples for not casting out a demon because of their lack of faith, the presupposition from Jesus is that the disciples are able to do this. When Jesus rebuked the disciple in multiple applications for their lack of faith, His presupposition is that they can have faith to do these things. When Jesus said, “if you seek, you will find, if you knock the door will be open,” and to pray and never give up because you will get what you pray for, the presupposition is that you are able to do this. Jesus would not said that if you bind something on earth it will be bound in heaven, if you could not do it. This is an encouragement. Jesus’ presupposition means casting out sickness or mountains, in His Name, is some as attainable as a plant getting food from soaking up water and sunlight. When you read the New Testament you realize doing miracles is an easy thing; it is only Satan and false tradition that teach the opposite. It is obvious why the devil is afraid of such a doctrine, but why do men conspire with him?

This presupposition might seem obvious, but some seem to miss this due to false teachings or the emotional hurt from being attacked by the devil. Be encouraged, God would not have promised these good things if you could not do them. He is cheering for you more than you are for yourself. He promised these good things because He likes you, because He loved you with and everlasting love.

The sword of the Spirit is already yours. You wield it, not God. You have been baptized in the Spirit with “power.” You wield this power, not God. It’s yours. You have authority in Jesus’ name to command demons and sickness to flee. You have the status of a child to ask for whatever you want and to get it. You do this, not God.

You already have these benefits, power, authority and blessings, you simply receive them freely by faith. God has already defined you with these things, and so you do not beg for them. I remember Andrew Wommack saying in a sermon “What if I gave you my bible, and then while holding my bible you look at me and say, “Andrew will you give me your bible?” I would think such a person is missing a few screws and wouldn’t know what to say to them. I would likely stay silent, which is exactly how God treats many of your prayers for the same reason.”[1] Andrew’s point is an important one. Many Christians do not know the fullness of their new definition in Christ; they do not understand they already possess God’s blessings, power and authority. And so, they end up begging God for things they think they do not have, but in fact already do. They walk in constant lack and defeat. This is why Christianity for many things is a Word of Faith Confession (“I am the father of many nation”), rather than asking God for things. This is why Christianity for many things is a command: “demon, sickness, mountain, trouble, Get out of my way.” You cannot confess something as true, when reality is a contradiction to it, if you do not have the power to make it happen. You cannot command something to leave if you do not already have the authority to do it. Jesus is an extreme faith teacher; He tells us to confess and command things because we already have His power and authority to do it.

Think about Christmas gifts, with your name on them, under the Christmas tree. They have already been given to you. Imagine picking up a present with your name on it and then begging your mom if you can have this on Christmas day. Your mom says “it is yours, your name is on it, open it!!” But then you continue to hold it and begin to beg even more if you can have it. Yet this is how many Christians treat God in prayer. This is why they do not see victory in their lives.

Faith is assenting to what God says is true. When you beg and hedge your prayers, it means you are not assenting to God’s definition of your new identity in Christ. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 2 that the Spirit of God, who alone knows God, has been given to us to help us know all things that God has “freely given” us. You do not beg for a Christmas gift with your name on it, you simply receive it. You do not beg God for gospel benefits that have been freely given to you; you simply receive them by faith. They are already yours. You do not beg the bank teller to give you your money when it is already in your account; and likewise you do not beg God to give you gospel blessings that have been deposited into your account by grace. They are already yours. Faith is your access or admission to retrieve them and use them.

Jesus did not say, “God will feed them” rather He said, “You feed them.” Jesus did not instruct us to tell God about our mountain in prayer; rather, the most God centered man told us to speak to the mountain and make it disappear. Jesus did to say God will cast out these demons and heal the sick; rather, He gave us the power and commanded us to do it (Acts 1:8).

The bibles tells us that it is not God who resists the devil and makes him flee, but that we resist the devil and he will flee from us (James 4:7).

Again, many things that people leave for God to do, God has already given us the grace, supply and authority to do it ourselves. They beg God to give them things that God has already given them. This is why God is silent for much of their prayers. It is hard to respond to insane requests.

They come to God saying, “we are nothing, we have nothing, and so we ask you to help us.” They approach God like beggars and outsiders to His Contract. The relate to God like reprobates. A person who is part of God’s Contract has the contractual right to boldly approach God as a prince of heaven, and by this same contract they have the authority to command demons, sickness and mountains to flee.

Because they said “they are nothing and have nothing,” then like God said in Exodus 14 to the Israelites by giving them what they said, He will say “ok, you are nothing, and you have nothing.”

Their faith in God’s Contract, by the blood of His only Son, is no greater than a brick wall. It seems unrealistic they can command mountains and sickness to flee, because they view the Contract by the blood of Jesus as insufficient to produce such great results. They reject God’s power and His love.

He clothes them in the full amor of God. He gives them His shield and even His sword of the Spirit. But these same people will leave God’s armor hanging on the wall, the shied of faith in their closet and the sword under their beds. Then they cry out for God to be a mighty warrior and come down to save them. It is not funny. It was not a suggestion for Christians to adorn God’s armor, use His weapons and be empowered with His power; It was a command. “Be strong in the Lord and in His might power.” They cry out for God to be a mighty warrior but God has given them the authority, power and weapons to be a mighty warrior. God has given all Christians the power to be like David facing Goliath, no, He has given greater power. David said God made him strong enough to leap over a wall (Psalm 18), but by the power of God’s Spirit Phillip was transported to different cities.

Imagine having to be in God’s place. He gives us power and authority, and people ask God to use authority to make Satan flee. He not only has given us this authority but commands us to make Satan flee by resisting him. “Lord, please make the devil flee.” How would you answer such a contradictive request? Imagine they keep asking over and over? Yet many Christians pray to God like this. The keep asking for things God has already given them.

“Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.
“Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven.”
Matthew 18: 18-19.

Christian: “how much authority do I have?”

God: “Whatever you bind, I will bind;
Whatever you lose, I will lose;
Whatever you allow, I will allow.”

This is another example of what God has already given us. He has already given us the authority to gather, ask for anything and then God will do it. This is not something we do not have and then ask God to have the privilege to gather, agree and then receive whatever we ask for. It is already our identity and definition in Jesus. This is already our royal privilege and right. The ablity to lock and unlock something on earth and then have this to be the same in Heaven is something God has already given us. You do not need to be a Christian for 10 years, working to achieve 100 acts of charity and a 1000 years of soul cultivation to be able to do this. Because we already have this, we simple do it and walk in it. If things need to be locked and unlock on earth and in heaven, we do it in Jesus’ Name rather than begging God about it. If we want anything, then we come together, agree, and receive our miracles.

Take for example depression. If the reports are true, this is a rampant issue in the church. Yet, does not the scripture address this problem? Paul faced many hardships and overwhelming difficulties. How did he deal with this, so that he did not succumb to depression? He tells us how in 1 Corinthians 14. He says that praying in tongues “edifies” the person. This is referring to the inner man. The soul of a Christian is strengthened to edification and peace by praying in tongues. Why else do you suppose Paul brags about praying in tongues more than the Corinthians. He needed inner edification and so he used the power God has already given him. He suffered continually and so he prayed in tongues continually. It’s so simply a child can do it. When you read the book of Acts, praying it tongues is a gift for all. Not the gift of “tongues” spoken in a congregation to be interpreted, but the gift of tongues for personal edification appears to be given to all (or super vast majority) in the book of Acts for those baptized in the Spirit.

And so, God has given us the power to be strengthened in the inner man for peace and joy. Beyond this, those who are experienced in Spiritual operations know praying in tongues for personal edification is a gateway into other spiritual powers and operations to manifest. This is such a powerful tool and many under use and under value it. I can personally testify in my own struggle with depression that it was overcome by praying in tongues and power. More than once when praying in tongues in my fight over sadness, fear and depression it led to interpretation and powerful words from God. It led to God being my personal counselor.

I will give this quick testimony and example. The important point to remember is the you need the foundation of God’s word and to continually study God’s word. Sometimes you might need your pastor for advice and counsel, but the thing that will deliver you is POWER. God’s unadulterated power is what will deliver you. Praying in tongues is gateway to God’s power. It is like a game cheat that can bypass all sorts of things and suddenly load you with God-mod power.

The other day I awoke 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 a few years. God has been delivering me from many of my old fears and even sins and etc. I remember 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 when I began to experience real breakthrough.

However, I suddenly felt all those old fears suddenly being pressed upon me, like they once did. So, 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 up strength. After about 15 minutes I felt a sudden power in speaking in tongues. This happens sometimes. You will be praying in tongues and suddenly, the power will increase. The bible says both the woman and Jesus “felt” power regarding the healing. There is such as thing as spiritual force and you can feel it. The bible is always true and men are liars. 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. Wonderfully, 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 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 can deliver you, your family, your church and even entire nations.

The point is God has already given you the power to be edified. And yet people will be depressed and cry out to God, “oh lord please help me overcome this depression.” Yet God has already answered their prayer by given the baptism of the Spirit and gift to pray in tongues. They keep asking for something Jesus has already purchased by His blood and given them free access to use. Jesus said the Father has given Him the Spirt, just as the Father promised, to freely pour out on His chosen ones. All you need to have the Power and tongues is faith and you receive it, just like you receive forgiveness of sins.

This is not to say we do not cry out to God for help in our troubles and emotional upheavals. Elijah was deeply saddened, and so God came down. He rebuked him and encouraged him. God gave him food that supernaturally sustained him. Elijah’s sadness was replaced with purpose and joy. We see God’s willingness to help. Because we see God in scripture wanting to help us in our sadness, and commands us to keep praying, we gladly obey Him. We pray continually until we get what we ask for. We seek and find. We knock and the door opens. The promise is that the door will open. The promise is that we will find it. The promise is if we do not give up praying that we will be given what we ask for.

The point is simple. Why cry out for God to help with depression if you are not willing to obey Him and do the things you are able to do, which is to pray in tongues. Being edified by praying in tongues does not mean this is all there is to fighting depression, but it means we are delusional if we seek God for help and are too lazy to do the things that are in our means to use. We see God’s love in both aspects. We see power that God has already given us, and recognize when there are closed doors that they will open, if we only keep knocking. God has predestined us to win. We win in both aspects. In preinstalled power and in opening shut doors, we are made to only win.

Think about God’s generosity. He has given us divine power from heaven to beat back depression. He gave us supernatural power to fight. He gave us His personal lightning bolt. And yet, Christians will turn to human counselors and drugs and then act like beggars before God, hoping He might help them. Wait. What? This is not Christianity. It is literally a different worldview than the viewing the world through the Spirit and power. Christianity is about believing. It is believing your identity in Christ. They don’t see themselves as new creations in Christ. They have an anti-Christian view of the world.

Again, how would you respond to someone who keeps asking for something you already gave them?

“Wherever you set foot, that land will be yours, (Deuteronomy 11:24 NLT).

God delivered Israel from Egypt by Himself. They did not lift one sword to fight. God did all the fighting Himself. Yet, after they were baptized in the Jordon river (as we are baptized in the Spirit), God said He will empower them. He commanded them to use shields and swords. God will be the supernatural power in obvious miracles and in guiding their hands as they swing their weapons. It was not God’s footsteps that determined how much land they took, but their footsteps. They had to put their own feet on the ground and move forward.

Imagin Joshua sitting at the foot of Cannan crying and begging God to give them Cannan? “Lord, please give this land to us?” How would God answer that? What if Josh kept doing this over and over? At one point God had to tell Mose to stop monologuing, shut up and cross over the Red Sea. People pray to God as if they are still in Egypt. But Egypt is an illustration of Jesus’ atonement. If you see yourself still in Egypt you still view Jesus as if He did not die and resurrect. Likewise, after God saved the people from Egypt, He then baptized them in supernatural power and they, not God, marched into Cannan. This is how we advance His kingdom today. With every footstep of faith in God’s promises, we march into the devil’s territory and take ground for our inheritance and our Father’s value.

We do not “wait” for God to move, we do not beg God to give, we do not sit around for a revival, because we already have God’s mighty power, rich supply, armor, weapons and authority to march forward. If you are a Christian you already have these things. And if we find closed doors, we are persistent at knocking and our God opens.

An illustration that Andrew Wommack uses on this same topic is to equate God as the powerplant pushing the power to our house, but if we want a light turn on in our house, we must flip the light switch. It would be unreasonable to call the power company and ask if a utility worker can come over to the house and turn on the lights, the stove, the fan and computer, because that is our job. This is a good analogy. We are not saying the that we inherently have the power, but that God richly supplies the power to us. We do not force God, rather, we enforce the power, privileges, blessings and authority freely given to us in Christ.

We pay to have the electricity directed to our house; however, in the gospel Jesus pays the tab for all the power and blessings of Abrham, faith and the Spirit to be directed to us. Not even an insane person would call the utility company to send over a worker to their house every time a light or appliance needs to be turn on, and yet people treat God this way. God has already provided us with blessings and power to do so much, and God expect us to turn on the lights, heat the stove and power up the computer. He asks so little.

Unbelief is so disgusting that it makes people excessively lazy. Proverbs says a lazy man will not even lift his hand out of the bowl to feed himself. Many Christians are the same with faith and power. God has already supplied them with all the power and authority they could ever hope to use. And like the lazy man who will not even lift his hand out of the dish, the so-called Christian will not even lift bread from God’s table to their face. Jesus referred to healing as bread that belongs to Abraham’s children. But so-called Christians are so lazy they will not even lift it to their face? Jesus says if in faith you “say” to this mountain to move, then it will happen. Jesus showed us over and over to “tell” sickness to leave and it leaves. But Christians are too lazy to even open their mouth to “tell” sickness, demons, poverty and demons to leave. Do they expect God to come down from heaven a second time and spoon feed them and shove the bread down their throats? Do they expect God to force open their jaws and speak?

If there is sickness, the power is already yours to heal. Because of Jesus finished work and because you are already born-from-above, the power of God is already directed to you. It is already yours. It is your responsibility and accountability to turn on the lights. It is your responsibility to speak to sickness and command it to leave in Jesus’ name (John 14:13). Jesus went to heaven to sit on His throne and commanded us to be filled with faith and power, so that millions of His followers will turn on lights all over the world. The power is already yours. Oh, sleeper, when will you wake up. The bread is on the table. Eat.

This doctrine about “you already got it,” is simply the application of knowing your identity in Christ. Our identity in Christ is a foundational doctrine from metaphysis. The way you “apply” this doctrine shows if you have understood it correctly. When we know what we already have, through our identity Christ, we apply this by using it, rather than begging God for something we already have.

God has given you so much power, authority and supply in your new identity in Christ. You should be so filled power and faith that when you see sickness your first impulse is to say “get out,” and it leaves; that when you see a demon, you say “leave,” and it leaves; that when you see a physical lack of a material substance you command it to multiply, and after it finishes multiplying, there are 14 baskets left over; that when you feel stressed you pray in tongues and joy feels your heart and God gives you a tailored word to help you; that when you need to make a house payment you go to your backyard and grab a random toad and pull out a gold ounce; that when you see a mountain in your way, you speak to it and it vanishes in a black hole. If this is not your first impulse, but rather to “ask or beg God for help,” then you are immature in knowing and walking in your identity in Christ. You still do not know who you are. You still do not know God’s power and generosity. You still approach God as if you are an outsider to Him and His Contract.

This is not to say we never pray to God by saying, “I need help for this or that,” because we are commanded to pray all the time and to boldly approach God for help. What we are saying is that when you understand your position in Christ this maturity will lead to you correctly use what God as already given you. You will correctly use your authority and faith in speaking to sickness, troubles, and demons rather than giving long winded prayers hoping God might help you. If God’s sword is in your right hand, is it a correct application to beg God to give you heavenly power?

“It makes no sense to knock on an open door, or ask for something you already have, or to look for something that has never been lost. Prayer makes sense when doors close, when there is need and loss. Prayer reverses tragedy, meets necessity, removes hindrance. Prayer is God solution to man’s problems.”[3]

Gabriel is correct. The fact the Jesus commands us to knock and the door will open, to seek and find, and to always pray for what we want and never give up, presupposes there are closed doors and hindrance blocking our progress in life, our desires and godliness. The way we face closed doors is to keep praying (knocking) until it opens. When we are lost and can’t find our way, we seek (pray, pray in the Spirit, read more scripture etc.) until we find. We are to be like Daneil and pray to God 3 times a day, if not more. When Jesus said “will the son of man really find faith,”(Luke 18:1-8) it was in the context of commanding us to pray and never give up. When you are mature and you know your identity and power as a Christian, it is easy to see a sickness and just command it to leave and it leaves. But to face a closed door is more difficult because it takes patience, diligence and constantly applying faith at all the fiery arrows telling you to give up. It is when we face closed doors that even the faith of a mature Christian can be tested. Mature Christians do better with this knocking because they understand how much God has given them and how much God loves them, (Ephesians 3:14-21, 1 Corinthians 2:6-16) But God’s chosen ones do not shrink back. They keep knocking and the door opens.

As a summary this is a worldview issue. Knowing, believing and walking in your identity in Christ makes you view the world in a completely different way. It can be a lack of knowledge, but it can also be that many so-called Christian are not born-again, and this is why their worldview is so limited, powerless, blessing-less. They see themselves as limited, because they only see themselves. Jesus is just a slogan, but their true view of the world is only though their human limitations. God’s elect see themselves in and through Christ. Because the see Christ as limitless they see themselves as limitless. Because they see Jesus as righteous without measure, they see themselves as righteous. Because the see how great God’s love is for Jesus, the see how great the Father loves them. They see themselves in the world filled with God’s power, blessings, privileges and authority. The difference couldn’t be more glaring.

If I were writing for the sake of importance, I would write pages and pages on this, because it is so important. However, I will only say that if you want to walk in the type of victory and power you read in the bible the above doctrine is foundational.

[1] This is paraphrases from memory.

[2] Ephesians 6:18 NIV. “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.”

[3] Gabriel Arauto. Google translate from Portuguese to English.

From my forthcoming Systematic Theology book.

GOD IS THE METAPHYSICAL AUTHOR OF ALL THINGS, EVEN SIN.

I got the term “metaphysical author of sin and evil,” from Vincent Cheung. See his Systematic Theology, Commentary on Ephesians and Author of Sin for original source. I developed my own doctrine of God’s absolute sovereignty (even occasionalism) on my own as a teenager from reading bible. It was the word and Spirit that taught me these things, not Calvin or Luther. Vincent helped me to expand my understanding, make adjustments and make it concise. His materials also helped me with the explanation of accountability mentioned below.

Metaphysical is meant in philosophy or systematic theology for reality and even causality (although ontology means directly causality). In our context we are focusing on causality. For example: If I pick my pen and cause it to write, “trees are blue,” who is the author of it? Is it the object, which the pen? Or is it me, who is causing it to move? We point reader see the separate categories of “cause” and an “object.”

God directly and immediately causes a demon to tempt a person. The demon is the “object.” God is the “cause,” but the tempter is the object. This is why God cannot tempt anyone, because if God directly Himself tells you to kill person (X) it is not a temptation but a command. There is no such thing as a “secondary cause,” in relation to God Himself. He directly causes all things.

Someone might respond by saying “by authoring sin, sinners could hurl back to Him saying, “You are the real sinner!”

What does “real” sinner even mean? If it means the object that is sinning, it is impossible for God to be a “real sinner.” I am not sure how such a person defines sin, but God defines sin as a man breaking a command given to man (1 John 3:4). God did not command Himself; rather He commanded man. They do not logically apply to Him. Also, there is no authority over God. Because responsibility is defined by “not having freedom from being under an authority who holds you to a definition,” then God is not responsible for anything. Thus, the terms sinning and God are logically impossible terms. God defines sin as lawlessness. Therefore, to accuse God of being a “real sinner,” would be to accuse God of being a “real law breaker,” and “under a real authority.” Fallacy. Dumb. Blaspheme.

Oddly, sometimes I get people who say God is “Ex-lex” (above the law), but in the next breath say God would be sinning if He authored/directly caused me to sin. Often I feel like I am talking to brick walls, when talking to people of tradition. “God is above the law, but if He causes me to sin, then God is under a law, because God would be guilty of sinning, which presupposes a law over God.” Brilliant, mystery, insane.

God did not command Himself, “thou shall not murder, or thou shall not commit adultery.” These are commanded to man, not God: not trees, not monkeys, but man. Therefore, it is a categorial fallacy to say God sinned, for it is impossible for God to break a law that is not applied to Him. Do trees commit sin when they do not confess Jesus the Son of God? Or is it irrational to apply these two things together? It is like saying “can God lift an infinitely heavy rock that He created?” God is not physical thus, the category of heavy cannot logically be applied to Him. The question is nonsense. It is the same with God and sin. Laws do not apply to Him.

God is not what he authors. If God creates a river. God is not a river. To call God a river because he created it, is again to commit a logcal category fallacy. It also presupposes pantheism. There is no way to show in formal validly that what you create you yourself are. Creating something else and your own being are two different categories. If I create a clay pot, I am not a clay pot. Why do I need to say this to adults?

Likewise, God is not what he causes. That is, if God causes a “lion” to “go” south into valley, then God Himself is not a south bound loin. If “author” is defined as what someone “cause to happen” in a story they are writing, then it is again a category mistake to say they are what they author. If Johnny writes in a novel that a lion walked south into valley, Johnny is not a loin moving south. The same is with God. If God authors/causes a river to flow north, God is not Himself a north moving river. This is logic at the most basic level, of the Law of identity.

Therefore, No one can accuse God of being a sinner even though God causes them to sin or authored them to sin; it would be a logical fallacy—like saying, “wet dryness,” or a “square circle.”

The fact that a person thinks God is accusable because He is the author of all things, exposes how little they think of God it; shows how small God is to them. It exposes that they are insane by mixing up categories, as if reality is their personal playdough. It exposes that they presuppose pantheism in their worldview thinking. They play lip service that God is totally sovereign, but they love God’s sovereignty no more than demons love God’s power.

Some people have even told me that “if what you say is true, then Ultimately, there will be no human accountability; and thus, no judgment.”

This is like saying, because God directly controls all things it means God does not control the weather. It’s insane. Brick walls are not known for their intelligence.

It is because God is sovereign over man and man is not free from God sovereignly holding man accountable that man is accountable. Man, not having freedom relative to God and God having absolute and direct sovereign control over man is the very thing that make man accountable. Romans chapter 9 deals directly with this issue of God’s sovereign control and man’s accountability. Not indirectly but directly deals with this question. God controls man so much that God hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and then God punished Pharaoh for this. Paul gives a hypothetical, typical response, “how is man accountable to God, if God is the one controlling man?” Paul answers this question by saying “God is the Potter and man is the clay, and God molds the man How He wants. God takes from the same neutral lump (not already sinful or good, but neutral lump) and then molds one for righteousness and mercy and the other for sin and destruction.”[1] Paul’s answer for why man is accountable considering God’s sovereign control over man, is that God is sovereign, and man is not free from God controlling man. The one thing not part of answer is “freedom.” This is the bible’s answer, and your theology needs to include it.

Human accountability is based upon God’s holding something accountable. The fact that a human is not free from God holding them accountable is the very thing that makes them accountable. Freedom is not the presupposition of accountability, but the lack of freedom from being under a sovereign God is. Men are not free relative to God’s control over them, and this is what makes them accountable. Accountability presuppose a sovereign over you and not freedom.

Tradition teaches us that “the author is accountable,” but the scriptures says the opposite. The Potter molds the clay from the same neutral lump, and molds them how He wants. It is this sovereign freedom of the Potter and lack of freedom of the clay that makes the clay accountable.

Such comments expose a person’s view of God. This is not a word game. People imply they have the right to hold God accountable because He is the author of all things. Defining terms is the least of their problems. Their view of God is so man-cantered and pathetic and distorted that “they” would hold God accountable “because He is the author of your sin.” They are so stupid, that in the context of “God is so sovereign that He causes me to sin,” they think they can “hold God accountable for commuting sin.” But if God is so sovereign already, then you obviously have no justification to hold God accountable to anything. Not only is there the category errors pointed out earlier, but the opponent does not have enough intelligence to apply a critique to the statement; that is, their critique answers their own question.

Where does the Bible say that God being an author makes Him accountable? Accountable to whom? A man? To be accountable only works if there is a sovereign over you. Thus, the only way God “as author” could be “accountable” is if they are an author over God! The blasphemy they uttered is so bad I feel polluted just repeating it. It is very telling that to critique my doctrine they had to put God under their feet and author Him accountable. This is what God will do to all those who rebel against Him.

[1] The last two quotes from Romans 9 was paraphrased by me.

Stupid Cessationism Argument #2

Jackie: “Person “x” says they believe in faith for miracles but their spouse died of cancer, and (etc). Thus, healing on the demand of faith is not true.”

Oshea: My math teacher made a few adding and division mistakes in class, therefore, addition and subtraction is not always correct. LOL!! If you think your argument is any less stupid, then you are delusional. Also for your examples to be taken as a truth claim, you would need to provide proof that empiricism as an epistemology yields truth and induction/observation, despite being irrational leads to valid conclusions. But scripture both rejects empiricism and induction for a method to know truth. Therefore, I also reject empiricism and induction/observation. If you make an argument that uses them I will not proceed further with you until you can prove they yield truth. This burden of proof is on you to make. They are your presuppositions, not mine.

—

This type of critique is very damming to the opponent because it shows their extreme level of disrespect and arrogance toward God. No one ever thinks to themselves, because my math teacher made an adding mistake therefore, 2 + 2 = 4, is not always correct. I have never meet people who apply this type of irrational logic with sincerity in life (even if some people might act this way it is not common in my experience). However, when it comes to God they will attack His word with it, as if their life depends on it. They would not dare apply this stupidity to themselves, their teachers, or workers, but they will slap God with it. Such attacks are an autobiographical description for the type of person they are and who they view God.

When there is an adding mistake we assume the mistake is with the person and not math itself. However, God’s promises are no less exact, faithful, immutable and unyielding as math is. Thus, when there is a mistake in receiving a healing, we assume it is with the person and not God’s promise to do what He said He would do when we believe.

Going to Church is Now A Red Flag

“You happily put up with whatever anyone tells you, even if they preach a different Jesus than the one we preach, or a different kind of Spirit than the one you received, or a different kind of gospel than the one you believed.”
-2 Corinthians 11:4

” After all, you think you are so wise, but you enjoy putting up with fools! 20 You put up with it when someone enslaves you, takes everything you have, takes advantage of you, takes control of everything, and slaps you in the face.”
-2 Corinthians 11:19 – 20

Since almost all churches are very bad, then it is a red flag when people congregate. We should look suspiciously at congregants and not trust them until they prove faithful and offer good excuses for their attendance in a local church. Congregation is a blemish in the spiritual curriculum of any believer today.

It’s a sin to allow spiritual abuse!

It is a sin to tolerate a different gospel, a different spirit and a different Jesus.

Apostle rebukes Corinthians for tolerating false teachers and their spiritual aggressions. It is a sin to tolerate another gospel. It is a sin to tolerate a different Christ. It is a sin to tolerate a diverse spirit. It’s a sin to allow your fake pastor to turn you into a slave. It’s sin to allow your fake pastor to use your money. It’s a sin to allow your false pastor to implant limiting doctrines in you. It’s a sin to allow your fake pastor to slap your face.

QUEST. “Which is better, congregating in a Cessationist Reformed church or congregating in an Arminian Pentecostal church? “

ANS. Best is to boycott false religion.

Gabriel Arauto

——————————–

Gabriel is correct.

If a church does not heal sick (there should be no sick member attending), cast out demons, and teach the absolute sovereignty of God, it does not have the right to assemble. So what if Satan assembles with its demons, you are not allowed to attend. You are forbidden to partake of the fellowship of Satan. Anyone who attends such a church shares in that church’s sin, and commits the sin of not exposing it.

A Christian does not have the right or privilage to assemble at whatever church they want. They are not allowed to assemble at a church that limits God or faith. If your pastor spiritual slaps your miracles down and smacks God’s sovereignty, they are not your friend. You do not have the right to be abused. You are commanded to stand up in courage and expose it. Your are under the command of God, at the very least to leave and boycott. (2 Corinthians 11:19 – 20, 2 Corinthians 11:4, Galatians 1:8)

I Do Care, That Is Why I Gave You My Power.

Jesus was sleeping at the back of the boat with his head on a cushion. The disciples woke him up, shouting, “Teacher, don’t you care that we’re going to drown?”

When Jesus woke up, he rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Silence! Be still!” Suddenly the wind stopped, and there was a great calm. Then he asked them, “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?”
(Mark 4:28-39 NIV)

Earlier Jesus gave them authority to heal the sick and cast out demons (ch.3). They have been seeing Jesus do miracles, and now they have been doing miracles. This is the context.

I wish to point Jesus’ evaluation of the disciples behavior. He revealed they had “no faith.” Not even a little, they had “no faith.”

Here is what I wish to focus on. The disciples accused Jesus of “not caring” about them. Today, people are sophisticated and so they avoid accusing God of this, and instead say their bad situation was “God’s will.” They use this to show-off and parade how they are “suffering for the glory of God.” They have their reward.

The disciples accused Jesus for “not caring” about them. The emotion that lead to this irreverent accusation was “fear.” The fear was coming from a natural situation. The disciples, many being fishermen, knew from human experience that they were in trouble.

Jesus said their fear and irreverent behavior came from having no faith at all. They did not trust God to help them. You cannot give the option that they should have trusted God and suffered, because Jesus made the storm go away. Thus, the “faith” Jesus was referring to, had to do with trusting God to make the bad situation disappear. Jesus thinks this is the type of faith we ought to have.

But there is one more element to this. It is not merely trusting God to keep them safe, in a general sense; no, there is more to it. Jesus had already anointed them with authority to do miracles. In the pervious chapter Jesus gave them power and His authority. They had already been doing things that would elevate them above some of the Old Testament prophets in raw power. They are doing it with success. They were not helpless. They wanted to blame Jesus for not caring to help them, when Jesus had already given them the faith and authority to command the trouble to go away. Jesus loved them so much and cared for them so much that He put heavenly swords in their hands to expand His kingdom. It is like Zeus freely giving someone his lightning bolt to use. Jesus loved them this much. Thus, when they accused Jesus for not caring, because Jesus did not use a miracle to save them, they were blind to the fact Jesus already gave them the power to do it themselves. They had no faith.

In addition to this is that fact Psalm 91 still stands. Ten thousand will fall at your side and no harm will touch you. Sickness and armies and natural troubles will not touch the one who dwells with the Almighty. Thus, the type of faith we are talking about is not fatalism or Buddhism that says “what will happen will happen by God’s will,” but the type of faith that assents to the promise of God. The promise is that no harm will touch you.

Many do this today. They have no faith, and so they have fear, and the fear leads them to accuse God of neglect or blame His sovereignty. If they are indeed Christians, they already have faith to move mountains, the power of the baptism of the Spirit and the right to wield Jesus’ name. They have the shield of faith in one hand the Spirit in the other. When troubles come they do not even raise their weapons, and when a trouble steamrolls over them, they become fearful and blame God.

No. Troubles of life are to be afraid of you, not the other way around. You wield God’s lightning bolt, and if you ever learned how to use it you will see the gates of hell explode.

Dominion over Time

“And God said, “Let there be lights in the vault of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark sacred times, and days and years, 15 and let them be lights in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth.” And it was so. 16 God made two great lights—the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars.” (Genesis 1:14-16 NIV)

“When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, The moon and the stars, which You have ordained, What is man that You are mindful of him,
And the son of man that You visit him? For You have made him a little lower than the angels, And You have crowned him with glory and honor. You have made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet.” (Psalm 83-6 NKJV)

The Scripture tells us that God made everything in the beginning by the word of His power. He spoke and then reality was created. In Genesis 14-16 we read how the sun, moon and stars was for time keeping. It was for man to follow time. In Psalm 8, as it mentions the moon and stars by name, it says that God has put all reality under man’s dominion. This is the same we read in the 1 Corinthians 3:22, when referring to Christians.

Because time is part of creation, not God, and creation has been put under the boot and dominion of Christians, then time is subject to man. This is why Joshua told the sun to stop and it stopped. This is why the sun dial went back 10 degrees for the king and why when Jesus made wine from water it was good tasting “aged” wine. In fact, when people are healed time is in effect reversed for them in the healing. Joshua and Calab had time held back for 40 years, because their bodies did not age, and their clothes did not wear out. These aspects of time being dominated were by men who had faith in God. When there is faith, then there is a way out of every trouble. Even if time is standing in the way, yet with faith, time must yield to the will of man.

Time was made for man and not man made for time. Under the curse, time dominated man, but this was not the original creation of time. Those under the curse are dominated by time to the point time is a nightmare. For the reprobated time is a monster that hunts their dreams and never stops chasing them down and stealing their bodies, minds and dreams. Under the curse, time becomes a curse. Time was created by God to be dominated by man and to serve man, not the other way around. For those in Jesus Christ, the curse is reversed and through faith they have access to cause time to serve its original purpose, which is to be a blessing to man. In Jesus Christ the truth that creation is for man (the elect) is even more so, because they are not merely the image of God, the image of Jesus Christ, with His imputed righteousness and adapted as sons and heirs of God.

Let us ever allow man to hinder us in expanding our faith and expanding the Kingdom of God. Let us never put limitations the glory of God, by limiting the glory of man and glory of man’s domination over creation. Let us never see time as a curse, but a servant to the will of man, through faith in Jesus Christ. Reprobates speak of time from a position of fear and defeat, whether it is from false preachers, co-workers, or how it is spoken of in popular movies. Let us recognize, for us, time is under our boots and a servant for those who have faith in Jesus Christ.

For those who fear time as a monster that ravages their bodies, minds, and dreams in this life, will find it will continue to do the same in the next life. Only those who have been born-from-above and make time serve them now in this life will find it will be so in the next.

Receive God’s Love & Give God’s Love

Lastly, we test to see if we have known and believed our new identity correctly when we can receive God’s love and give His love.

We are mature, as has been discussed, when we sit at Jesus’ feet and receive from Him and not giving to Him. We are mature when we receive His love for spiritual things such as forgiveness and joy, but also when we receive things like health, prosperity and fruitfulness in all our lives.

When we are strengthened in our inner man by receiving the full measure of God’s love that effects our entire lives, then we have even more strength to love our neighbor. It is not that we choose not to even try to love our families and neighbors without being mature in our inner man, but that there is a priority. The first effects the second to be better and not the other way around. Thus, there is always a priority to receive from God first, while never neglecting the second.

“The love chapter” is in-between “The Power Chapters.” But that is a little misleading because there is no such thing as The Love Chapter, as Vincent Cheung points out.

“There is no such thing as “The Love Chapter.” The topic of 1 Corinthians 13 is spiritual gifts, not love itself. Paul’s point is that spiritual gifts should be pursued in love, not replaced by love.

Don’t read 1 Corinthians 13 at your wedding unless you are prepared to put this love into action and lay hands on the sick among the guests as a couple after the wedding vows. That’s love…”[1]

The bible defines love in the middle of Paul defining different types of power. Paul’s answer is that supernatural power is to be used with love. The context is power and not love. Power is to be used with love. Thus, when people read 1 Corinthians 13 at their wedding, they should not do this without having a healing service right after, for this is the context for how to use power.

Because power and love cannot be separated, then Christian love cannot be Christian love without miracle power. We are to be like our Father in heaven. With God there is no such thing as loving without power. It is with great power that He loves us.

As Paul says, anyone who does not recognize that we are to zealously seek the spiritual gifts (power) is not recognized by God. We are not to merely seek them but have enough faith to have gifts regularly in our lives and ministries. Any ministry leader or pastor, who does not do this needs to step down immediately or be excommunicated. If God does not recognize such a person, then who I am to recognize them as spiritual? If God has disregarded them as trash, then who I am to treat trash as something different? If God has a low definition of them, who I am to define them differently?

“Prophecy is said to be imperfect, not because the gift itself is defective, but it offers incomplete knowledge. So “when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears.” Paul does not leave the time of “perfection” in doubt. He writes, “Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.” When perfection comes, there will be “face to face” knowledge. When perfection comes, we will know fully, even as we are fully known. This is not a potential knowledge, as in knowledge revealed but not completely assimilated, but an actual knowledge, so that we will know as we are fully known. When this happens, the gifts will cease, and we shall not miss them, for we will lack nothing.”[2]

“Paul does not refer to a potential knowledge, but an actual knowledge, as actual as we are “fully known.” As perfect as the Bible is, we do not even know fully the Bible. It takes an extraordinarily delusional person to think that he already knows fully, even as he is known fully. A “face to face” knowledge should not need exegesis, reading, revision, debate, and research. If the way I will know fully is the way that I am known fully, then unless God himself needs to perform exegesis, revision, and debate in order to know me, “face to face” knowledge cannot refer to what we possess at this time. Thus if a person insists on his cessationism on the basis of this text by sheer determination, although even then it can apply only to prophecy, he loses his God, and so his salvation as well.”[3]

The gifts will be imperfect in the next life because we will have so much spiritual power that the gifts will be too weak, or imperfect. Paul also teaches we will know as God knows us. Even with the completion of the Scripture, in order to know God we do so by study, mediation, review and revise, and debate; yet, God does not know us this way. He knows us intuitively and immediately. This is what Paul refers to the “prefect.” Thus until we know God this way, the “perfect” has not come and the gifts are still in play to help us. Paul’s command to seek them and use them to love others is still on the books.

God intends for us to love with supernatural power. When someone is sick, God wants you to love them not merely by sacrificing your time to “be there for them,” and fix them a meal, but to make the sickness and pain go away by commanding it to leave. This is how Scripture defines love. Love that does not command the sickness to leave is not Christian love, or at best it can be describe as a defective form of Christian love. The same for lack of insight. Christian love will bring a prophecy to help their family member or friends so that they have more understanding and wisdom for their jobs, ministry, relationships, and godliness. If your neighbor needs a specific type of knowledge for their life, you cannot give them true Christian love without spiritual prophecy, insight, and visions. Anything less than this is not Christian love. Your church family will have all sorts of troubles thrown at them and the bible’s answer is to overcome these troubles by miracles. You do not qualify as giving biblical love without helping them by providing miracles to help. Human love is merely human power; however, Christian love is distinguished by God’s supernatural power. Christian love cannot be Christian love without this miracle working power. Worldly love can be defined without God’s supernatural power, but not Christian love.

When we are sick, the bible defines this situation as coming from Satan, Acts 10:38; Luke 13:10-17. This does not mean it is only from the devil (1 Corinth. 11:30), however, these are the exceptions. That is, the type of high-level sinning that would invoke God’s response in 1 Corinthians 11:30 is not normal or the average. Rather, Acts 10:38 shows us that the norm for sickness is from the devil. Your theology needs to include this. God is the foundation of sickness, just as God is the foundation for all things in the metaphysical sense. But this God who is the foundation mostly speaks to us on the human level, and defines sickness as almost always from Satan. Jesus, the apostles, and followers, were on a one-way mission to eradicate sickness; by destroying sickness they were destroying the devil. Jesus did not interpret all the sickness he encountered as the “will of God,” and so we are to just let people be sick. No. He saw sickness as demonic victimization of people. Jesus could have spent more time preaching but instead directly attacked Satan’s power by healing people. In the one act of healing Jesus had compassion on people and destroyed the kingdom of Satan. Healing is one of those spiritual acts of power that accomplishes huge amount of compassion, grace, gospel advancement and devastates the devils kingdom in one punch.

Satan has kept many Christians in bondage, helpless and weak through sickness. The one who is sick is shamed, time constrained, in pain, usually must take money meant for the kingdom of God and try to buy healing from men. They are experts in giving glory to man. Many hours that could be devoted to ministry or devotion to God are spent in shameful pain and prostrating oneself to glory of man to heal them. Depending on how bad the sickness is, those in the family must also divert money and time that could be spend in ministry or devotion to God to helping the sick spouse or child. The one person who wins in this situation is Satan. If your family member is sick, then you better help them, or you are worse than an unbeliever. However, God has not called us to love and help by power of man, but through God’s power. God has called to destroy the works of Satan, which includes sickness. We are not permitted to allow Satan to steamroll our families with sickness, and all the effects that come from this, such as shame, time constrained and money spent on human medicine.

When God strengthened barren women to give birth it is said that God has taken away their “shame.” We know, and God also knows, that such sickness and physical defects brings us shame. You can lie to yourself and say, “this deformity or sickness does not define me,” but you are deluding yourself. The bible defines it as shame and so it is. If you are a Christian it is not part of your new identity, but God still recognizes that it does bring shame to a person. God is compassionate and wants to heal and bring honor to you. If you seek Him, He will heal and take away all your shame and make you sit on a throne of honor among princes. Then and only them, will that shame no longer be part of your definition. Satan wants you defined by shame, but God is able to destroy the works of the devil. With faith you can command Satan and sickness to leave. You can command the shame to run from you and it will.

Compassion that only helps the symptoms and does not cure the sickness is a human way to love, but not God’s way. Compassion that helps to only alleviate some pain, while drugging up your brain, is a human glory and power. If you are a Christian you are not a human any more, but a child of God, a new creation and the image of Jesus Christ. You have divine favor, authority and power to heal your family members. You can love like God does. You can love with real power. Compassion without power is how sinful, fallen men love, and it is pathetic. God loves with power that fixes, heals, transforms, and supplies miracles. When God loves the sickness is healed, the poverty is replaced with cash surplus, impossible situations are leveled to the ground, giant’s heads are cut off, bodies are transported to different cities, barren women give birth and the dead are raised to life. God’s way to love to is to make the bad go away and replace it with good; to make the trouble disaappear and command blessings; to make the sickness run and give honor with double portion. God’s powerful love destroys the works of Satan.

It is often said, “The Scriptures say that God is love, but it does not say that God is power.” Actually, it does. It says this in a way that is stronger than most Christians would want to admit, and in a context that is more intense than “God is love” in the letter of John. Jesus declared, “From now on you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven” (Matthew 26:64; Mark 14:62). In other contexts, the word refers to miraculous power, such as when Jesus said, “Power has gone out of me” to heal the woman with the bleeding disease, or when he said, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you.” Power. This is what Jesus called God. He did not say that he would be seated at the right hand of Love or Wisdom. He did not use a different word for power to call him Authority, but he called him Power, raw ability and force. No matter what hermeneutical excuse you attempt to use, I know all the tricks and I have already considered them, and the fact remains that in this place he did not refer to God as anything else but POWER. God is Power as much as Jesus is Word. Where is Jesus? Power. He is next to Power. What kind of power? Power for miracles. Power over demons. Power to rule in creation. Christians are ashamed of power. And if you are ashamed of power, you are ashamed of God, for God is Power. If you refuse to seek power, you refuse you seek God. If you mock miracle power as if it is some sideshow, you mock God as if he is a sideshow.

Everything else that Christians have been saying about “God is love” can be said with even greater emphasis about Power. Do you worship the one who is on the throne? Do you raise your hands and praise the one whose right hand is your Lord? Good! But your Lord called him Power. Now do you still worship him? Do you worship Power? Are you now zealous to excel in power no less than you wish to excel in love? Or do you shrink back and insist on calling him something else? We do not worship power, as in some impersonal force. But Power? Certainly, we worship Power, as in God who is All-Power. If you do not worship Power in this sense, you do not worship God at all. As the Scriptures say, “No one has ever seen God, but the One who is himself God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.” If you reject the God that Jesus himself declared, which is Power — miracle power — you will burn in hell. But Christians are ashamed of power. They are ashamed of such a God, who is All-Power. How often have you heard it said, “God has power, but God is love”? Jesus denied this. God is power at least as much as God is love. Power himself is on the throne, and Jesus is at Power’s right hand. This is the gospel. Accept this, or make up some other religion.

Satan has convinced Christians that it is unholy and unspiritual to seek spiritual power. But Jesus is at the right hand of Power. To seek the one on the throne is to seek Power. Thus it is most holy and most spiritual to seek spiritual power, no less than it is holy and spiritual to pursue divine love, because – you guessed it – God is love. Of course Satan has also tried to hinder Christians from walking in love, but it seems he has never tried to convince them that it is unholy and unspiritual to walk in love. Power is what he is afraid of. And love remains ineffective without the spiritual and miracle power that it is supposed to wield. If you love as God loves, you will want to preach the truth, heal the sick, and cast out demons. Power lets you do these things. Compassion is the strongest catalyst in the ministry of healing, but without power, it is either counterfeit compassion or compassion frustrated. Love and Power are not in conflict, but if you walk in love, you will seek the power. Pray that God would grant you, “according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with power by his Spirit in the inner man.” Power. You must have truth as the foundation. Then you must rise up in power. All this discussion about power is theological truth. But it will not release power if you only debate it and sit on it. Truth will release power when you boldly affirm it and act on it. Do it…[4]

When we can receive God’s love in powerful healing, prosperity, and miracles; and when we can give love to others with powerful healing, prosperity and miracles, then we have proof we understand and walk in our new identity in Jesus Christ.

[1] Vincent Cheung. From this wordpress blog commenting on the essay called “Way of Love.” Dec. 2018.

[2] Vincent Cheung. The Way of Love. 2011. Web. (www.vincentcheung.com)

[3] Vincent Cheung. The Worst Text for Cessationism. Web. 2016. (www.vincentcheung.com)
See ebook, Sermonettes Vol. 9. Chapter 1, page 6. 2016.

[4] Vincent Cheung. “On Spiritual Attacks”

From the ebook, Contract. 2020.

Receiving God’s love

“Just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Matthew 20:28NIV)

“But we speak God’s wisdom in a mystery, the wisdom which has been hidden, which God predestined before the ages to our glory,” (1 Corinthians 2:7 LSB)

“She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”
“Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” (Luke 10:39-42 NLT)

“For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us.” (Ephesians 3:14-20 NLT)

For many this seems like the opposite of Christian ethics. Does not James say religion is taking care of widows and orphans and staying unpolluted from worldly lusts? This is correct, but it is only partially correct. I do not want to undermine the importance of this. If a man does not work to supply for his family he is not even a Christian but worse than an unbeliever. Paul has guidelines for helping widows who have been faithful Christians. Orphans need help and guidance. The New Testament constantly stresses the need for sexual purity and how our relationships are founded on the same forgiveness and kindness that God showed us. But in the category of ethics such things are in the category of human interactions. God has also given commands in how we are to view our relationship with Him.

The first commandment is to love God, with all your mind soul and strength. Some infer this to mean that our relationship with God is about us giving to God, but this is a mistake. Loving God with everything does have this broad idea of giving God the best of your intellect, time, focus and admiration. This leads us to the study of the Word and theology. However, when we give our time and focus to the Word and theology, we realize it says that “Love is not that we loved God but that He loved us and gave us His only Son.” We realize “Jesus chose us” and not that we chose Him. We read that Martha was serving God and God was serving Marry, and God said Marry chose the “better part.” Marry was letting God serve her, and Jesus approved this as the better. Jesus said He came to “serve man.”

When the scripture says it is more blessed to give rather than to receive, it is referring to human relationships. It is not referring to our relationship to God. Jesus said that Marry chose the better thing by receiving from Him rather than giving to Him. In our relationship to God it is better to receive from Him and not give. The gospel is one immeasurable gift God gives to us. God serves and glorifies man. As Paul says so boldly in 1 Corinthians 2, God “predestined” the gospel to glorify man. The gospel values, honors and glorifies man. It is not that man is already these things or already possesses these, rather, it is Jesus’ finished atonement that conveys these things on His chosen ones. God wants us to approach Him knowing He will serve us in giving, helping and freely supplying all the good things He has promised.

Even with sanctification it is better to receive. The New Contract says God promises to write His laws on our minds. Hebrews 12 says our sanctification is looking to Jesus who is the author and perfector of our faith. We do not “give” better performance to God in sanctification; rather, we look to God to be faithful to do what He promises, and we “receive” sanctification from Him by faith. This does not mean we do not work and consider how to obey God better. It means as we strive for these things, we look to God to give us the sanctification He promised. By faith we receive sanctification power. We do not work to get sanctifying power, we receive this power by faith and then because we have the power, we walk in godliness.

Paul says in Ephesians that His prayer is that we can know and receive the length, width, depth and height of God’s love for us. He does not pray that we love God with our length, width, depth and height, but that we receive His great love. His prayer is that we both know how great His love is and experience this great love, here and now (not just later in heaven). By receiving His love we become complete with His life and fulness. We do not become complete by giving Him our love, but by receiving His love. Since the blessing of Abraham and the gospel has good things that effect the inner man, body, finances, relationships and ministry, we therefore know, experiencing God’s love is receiving fruitfulness in all these areas. When we receive fruitfulness in all these areas by faith, we are made stronger and grow more into God’s fullness.

Paul wants our inner man strong. Paul says by receiving His great love for us, Christ lives in our hearts more and more. We receive His love by faith. The explanation is simple. By faith we receive His love, then Christ lives in our hearts more, and the outcome is that we become stronger in our inner man. To be stronger in our inner man is to be more mature and more developed as a Christian. This happens not in our giving to God, but in faith receiving His love for us.

Paul then says that God will answer our prayers exceedingly and beyond all that we ask. This shows us what type of application Paul had in mind when instructing us about knowing and receiving His love. The application is to ask and have God give us much more than we ask. Think about all the extra baskets left over from the feeding of the 4 and 5 thousand. According to Paul this application is how you experience God’s love. Asking for good things and God giving these to you in overflow is how you experience God’s love; this is how you become stronger in your inner man. This is how you mature as a Christian and how Christ lives in your heart more and more.

When you ask for healing and God heals you of cancer and you also feel stronger than ever, then you become stronger in your inner man, mature as a Christian and are more complete with God’s fullness. When you ask for financial help and God causes 7 times more money to be sent to you, then you become stronger in your inner man, mature as a Christian and are more complete with God’s fullness. When you ask God to bless your spouse or children with their heart’s desires and God gives them more than they dreamed, then you become stronger in your inner man, mature as a Christian and are more complete with God’s fullness.

Vincent Cheung helped me to understand this better in his essay, What is Mature doctrine, saying:

“As Paul said, “However, we do speak a message of wisdom among the mature…what God has prepared for those who love him…that we may understand what God has freely given us” (1 Corinthians 2:6, 9, 12). What is mature doctrine? It is not what we do for God, but what God does for us (1 John 4:10).

Jesus said that a person cannot be his disciple unless he first counts the cost, and then renounces everyone and everything to follow him (Luke 14:26-33). This is not the pinnacle of spiritual maturity, but it is the beginning. This is what spiritual infants do. We repent of our transgressions and reorient our lives on Jesus Christ. We become God-centered…

Although the gospel demands total commitment, since the beginning it is not about what we do for God, but what God does for us, in all areas of our lives, by Jesus Christ (Romans 8:31-32). We truly come to know him as the Father that Jesus talked about, the one who is greater than all (John 10:29), the one who supplies everything (Psalm 103:2-5, Matthew 7:32-33, Philippians 4:19)…

Therefore, spiritual maturity must entail learning more about the benefits that God has given us in Christ, and then receiving and experiencing them (1 Corinthians 2:12). For this reason, Paul prayed that Christians would receive a spirit of wisdom and revelation to know God, to know the gospel hope and inheritance, and to know the super-surpassing power that God has put to work in us, which is the same power that raised Jesus from the dead (Ephesians 1:15-22). He prayed that Christians would be strengthened with power in their spirits, to have power to grasp all the dimensions of the love of Christ (Ephesians 3:14-19).

Do they teach you how to receive things from God by faith? Jesus taught these things as gospel, intertwined with the doctrines of faith, the atonement, and the Fatherhood of God (Matthew 6:32-33, 7:7-11, 8:16-17, Mark 9:23, 11:23-24, Luke 8:50, 18:1-8, John 11:40, 15:7, 15:16, 16:26-27, and many more). .. It takes spiritual power to grasp the magnitude of divine love toward us. Learning more and more about God’s love for us in more categories is not for babies, but adults, because it takes spiritual strength and maturity to grasp it.

If you are selective about the blessings of God, then you are spiritually feeble and immature. If you accept his forgiveness but reject his healing, then you are weak. If you embrace his discipline but refuse his prosperity, then you are a baby. You are not some epic apologist, some defender of the faith. You are just a crybaby…”[1]

It is interesting that Paul defines a “message of wisdom for the mature” is about knowing and receiving all the free blessings God has given us. If you listen to many theologians (past and present) they seem to say the opposite. They teach denying yourself and fearing God is wisdom for the mature, but this is reversed. Such things is wisdom for babies to start on the good path. Vincent is correct. To deny yourself, to fear God and follow Him, rather than your selfish lusts, is the beginning of wisdom not the maturity of it. The fear of God is the beginning, not the maturity of wisdom. The fear of God will start you on the path of wisdom and it will keep you firmly planted on it. Because the fear of God will keep you on the path of wisdom it is always relevant to remember the fear of God; but again, it is not the height of wisdom. Mature wisdom is receiving all the free goodies of God.

As Vincent says, “it takes spiritual strength and maturity in the inner man to receive from God.”[2] The bible teaches that it takes power in the inner man to fear God and deny yourself, but it takes even more power in the inner man to receive free goodies from God like healing and prosperity. Those who receive healing, prosperity and miracles from God prove they are mature in their inner man, and they prove they can handle at least some level of higher tier wisdom. Those who rebuke the “health and wealth” guys, if they don’t want to be hypocrites, at the very least must prove they have greater wisdom and more inner maturity by more healings, more prosperity and more various miracles. However, one who teaches Expansionism and God’s true level of absolute sovereignty has the correct place to rebuke the health and wealth guys, along with cessationist.

According to Paul you cannot claim to be spiritually mature and able to handle greater wisdom if you don’t prove it by receiving God’s freely given blessings in your life. You can give your money to the poor and help widows and receive forgiveness, but if you cannot heal the sick, cast out demons and receive various miracles, you are not mature and you cannot handle greater degrees of wisdom. You are still a baby who needs to be instructed.

Because denying yourself and the fear of God is the starting of wisdom, pastors who keep their message on this level either think their listeners are babes in Christ who never grow, or they are deliberately keeping their listeners stunted and deformed. When the bible tells us to run the race as if to win it, these pastors keep Christians crawling on all fours with wishful hope they might cross the finish line dead last. I am saying this nicely, because my rebuke could be ruthless here. Remove yourself from such teachers. They are your enemy, not friends. They are your worse type of enemies. They are brutal taskmasters employed by Satan. They are worthless at applying mature doctrine. They are trash who refuse to receive God’s love and free blessings. There is no healing, no casting out of demons and no obvious signs of God working miracles to help then. They know they are garbage with no proof of God’s love on them. They instruct you to be twice as worthless at receiving God’s blessings as they are to make themselves feel better. They trample Christ to hide their feelings of jealously.

Thus, even if history prizes certain Christians in the past as heroes, if they did not heal the sick, cast out demons and receive regular miracles from God, they cannot by definition of scripture be wise and mature. Scripture, not historical fame, defines if a Christian was wise and mature.

As shown in the previous section on the gospel, the gospel includes for this life healing, prosperity and excessive fruitfulness for all areas of life. Even if forgiveness of sins is a greater blessing in the gospel, in the since it takes one from hell to accepted, yet God commands us to receive all gospel blessings. It is not optional to obey commandments. To disobey and disbelieve any promise of God is not maturity, but immaturity and stupid. It takes a strong inner man and higher wisdom to believe the entire finished gospel and receive all its benefits. It takes a little wisdom to receive forgiveness but refuse the rest of the gospel. It is mature wisdom to receive all of the gospel.

Lastly, consider the Lord’s Supper. This is something Christians do all the time or should be doing constantly. It is the only repeated religious thing we do. The whole Old Testament religious activities has been boiled down to this one thing, the Lord’s Supper. What is it that we do in our one religious activity? We remember and receive God’s love for us. This is Christianity. We do not give to God, God gives to us.

In a correct understanding of ethics (God’s commands), this is the beginning and foundation of ethics. God commands us to be saved by faith in His Son, to receive His forgiveness, receive His love and receive all good blessings. It is on this ethic we receive strength to do other ethics that involve human interactions and purity. Receiving God’s love is the primordial ethic.

[1] Vincent Cheung. What is Mature Doctrine.
From the ebook, Fulcrum. 2017. Pg 69-70.

[2] Paraphrased from source.

Our Royal Authority and Power.

“I tell you the truth, whatever you forbid on earth will be forbidden in heaven, and whatever you permit on earth will be permitted in heaven. “I also tell you this: If two of you agree here on earth concerning anything you ask, my Father in heaven will do it for you. For where two or three gather together as my followers,[h] I am there among them.”
(Matthew 18:18-19 NLT)

“Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”
Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”
(Matthew 16:16-19 NIV)

“Don’t you realize that someday we believers will judge the world? And since you are going to judge the world, can’t you decide even these little things among yourselves? Don’t you realize that we will judge angels? So you should surely be able to resolve ordinary disputes in this life.” (1 Corinthians 6:2-3 NLT)

“He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned. 17 And these signs will accompany those who have believed: in My name they will cast out demons, they will speak with new tongues; 18 and they will pick up serpents, and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”
(Mark 16:16-18 LSB)

“When Jesus had called the Twelve together, he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases, 2 and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal the sick.”
(Luke 9:1-2 NIV)

“Then Peter said, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk… By faith in the name of Jesus, this man whom you see and know was made strong.”
(Acts 3:6, 16 NIV)

In context of Matthew 18 it does mention forgiveness, but it also mentions faith to ask for anything and then get this anything. Thus, do not let someone deceive you as if such a passage is not for the Christian to use God’s authority today, as Jesus states it.

This same phrase is said by Jesus in Matthew 16, and thus has the first mention hermeneutic. The context is Jesus asking Peter who he says He is. Peter makes a confession that Jesus is the Son of God. Jesus responds by saying He will build His church on this Rock. Some fools think this is referring to Peter himself, but they are confused. Jesus is referring to Peter’s faith confession that Jesus is the Son of God. Jesus will expand His kingdom with faith that declares He is the Son of God. Jesus refers to this like a military expansion. His kingdom will march forward and the gates of hell will not stop His Kingdom expanding and trampling the walls of hell. Fools have tried to make it all about Peter, but it is all about Jesus being the Son of God, and those who have faith in Him. This faith is a victorious expansion that has so much authority and power that it tears down the gates of hell. As faith marches forward, demons scream in terror.

It is in this context Jesus then says, what you lock on earth will be locked in heaven, and what you unlock on earth will be unlocked in heaven. Jesus sees His kingdom expansion as unstoppable, and in this context says you have the authority to loose and bind things. This authority is given to a faith confession that Jesus is the Son of God. Obviously, it is not about Peter, but about faith in Jesus. Peter is not the only one who believes Jesus is the Son of God.

This expansion of His kingdom will be so unstoppable that the gates of hell will not prevail against it. Thus, the context allows for a broad use of this authority. It is an all encompassing power that belongs to followers of Jesus who have faith; this is the same faith one uses to be saved, to be healed, to move mountains, to expand His kingdom, to forgive, and ask for anything you desire. It is a broad authority for anything related to kingdom expansion.

Think about it. You have faith to receive a miracle of wealth, and then use this to fund the gospel mission. Not only did you unlock a financial door here on earth, but by sowing this back into God’s work you have unlocked treasure for yourself in heaven. Faith opens doors on earth, in heaven and in other dimensions. Faith is the master key. Jesus says give to Caesar what belongs to “him.” He says if “you” tell this tree to be cast into the sea with faith, then it will “obey you.” Thus, if “you” cast out demons and “you” free an enslaved soul who receives Jesus, then what “you” loosed on earth will also be loosed in the next life. And God will reward “you” for using His authority to expand His kingdom.

It is first recorded that Jesus gave the 12 “authority over all demons.” But then later it was expanded to another group of 77 non-apostles. Then later in the last part of Mark 16 Jesus says this power is for all believers. Then Luke shows in Acts the power of the Spirit was given to a super majority of non-apostles, so that table bearers had so much faith and power they could see into the very throne of heaven and some teleported over time and space. Faith makes time and space your servants. Faith makes time and space bow to your will, not the other way around. Jesus made good tasting “aged” wine for the wedding. Thus, with faith “you,” are the master over reality and even with unyielding things such as time and space. The prophets multiply material substance like reality was their personal Lego set. Then Jesus command the disciples “you give them something to eat.” Jesus expected them to have faith and do the same, as if this was something normal for a believer to do. Jesus commands us to do the same. Jesus commands us to both multiply and distribute. The issue is not if God has promised, but if a person will believe God more than their eyes, experience, and calculations. Acts, shows the common Christian had more power than entire armies, just like with Samson and the Philistines.

Right after the baptism of the Spirit and the huge emphasis on this in Acts 1 and 2 and then throughout the book, Luke shows in chapter 3 how Peter helped to heal a man by authority in Jesus’ name. Luke shows how Peter “loosed” the man from sickness by faith in Jesus, rather than saying a gift of the Spirit empowered him. Thus, even after Jesus’ resurrection, the authority to loose and bind things, on the foundation of faith is still in full force, if not more so. Luke goes on to say God gave the man faith in Jesus to be healed, or ‘loosed’ from his sickness.

Thus, all who have faith in Jesus as the Son of God, have this access and authority to loose and bind. For any who love Jesus and want to see His Kingdom expanded, will desire and use this authority and power seriously. Jesus did not say He would expand His kingdom with governments or some cultural mandate. No. He wants you to expand His kingdom with authority to loose and bind. If you love Him, you will do it the way He has commanded you.

Our new identity and definition in Jesus is one were we are gods. We have the power to expand God’s kingdom. Our power to do this are words of faith that can bind and loose reality, sickness, demons and blessings. God obviously has this power and when He speaks reality obeys. But God has handed this kingdom expansion to us. God has given us His lightning bolt. He qualified us to speak and make reality obey us, and cause demons to tremble in fear. Like with Joshua, God told them to expand their territory with sword and shield. God would back them up with His power, but they were to march forward with weapons in their hands and use them.

Our weapons are faith filled words and confessions. God and His Word or promise is one and the same thing, as we learned in previous sections. Thus, when “you” speak God’s promise in faith you release God. “You” release unstoppable power. It is God’s power, but because the bible denies pantheism, “you” release God’s power when “you” speak in faith. With this “we” tear down the gates of hell. With faith filled words, mountains must “obey us.”

Furthermore, one day the saints will have so much authority that we will judge both the earth and angels. Not only do we have the glory of owning reality, but we will one day judge reality. Because angels are part of reality and we own and judge reality, we will thus judge angels one day. This is our definition in Christ. This is who we are.

All Things Are Yours to Moralize.

“All things are yours, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future—all are yours, and you are of Christ, and Christ is of God.”
(1 Corinthians 3:21:23 NIV)

They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. 3 They all ate the same spiritual food 4 and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ. … 6 Now these things occurred as examples to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things as they did. … 11 These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the culmination of the ages has come.”
( 1 Corinthians 10:3-4,6,11 NIV)

“And the prayer offered in faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up, and if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him… The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the earth for three years and six months. Then he prayed again, and the sky gave rain and the earth produced its fruit.”
(James 5:15-18)

As Vincent Cheung points out in “All Things Are Yours,” the bible moralizes itself. We use the word “moralize” to mean a deductive application of the truth and promises to oneself. The bible moralizes Elijah prayer for rain (natural weather) to be used to pray for healing and forgiveness of sins. The bible moralizes Elijah to the horizon and back.[1]

Paul directly tells us in 1 Corinthians 10 that moralizing Old Testament stories is good biblical interpretation. These stories are for our example to learn from and apply to ourselves. If you are a Christian, then these stories can be moralized. This is what keeps the bible from being used in a broad way for everyone to find ethical stories and apply them as a secular teaching. Only if you are a Christian can you apply them. Only if you are a Christian can you moralize Elijah praying for rain as an ethical story to apply to yourself to pray for healing. Non-Christians do not have the right, intelligence, or faith to do so.

Only if you are a Christian and you have inherited all things are you allowed to do this, well, because all things are indeed yours. This is not advanced calculus. Because all things are yours, of course you can moralize all these examples for yourself. As Paul says, they are yours, and you are allowed to use them.

Our identity in Christ means we have inherited all things. Reality itself belongs to us. Remember our earlier diagram. It is true that all reality belongs to Jesus. Yet, God has so highly exalted, glorified and positioned us in Christ, that instead of “reality” being contained in Jesus as a subcategory, “reality” now belongs as a subcategory in us. This is why we can apply all the stories in the Scripture to ourselves for our benefit. All things are ours. And we are Christ’s. And Christ is the Father’s.

We are discussing this in the ethic section of the book, because it is not a suggestion to live and walk in our new identity in Christ. It is a command. It is good ethics to read the Psalms and apply them to yourself. Psalm 103 is yours. Use it! The Exodus story is yours. Use it. The judges and prophets are yours. Apply them to yourself. And do it over and over.

We are to understand how all things are ours and walk in our new definition. Part of this walking is to use biblical examples and apply them to ourselves for instruction, growth and faith. Do not let religious elitists deceive you from using your inheritance. You can apply the bible to yourself, and if they keep hindering you, use your authority in Christ and hand them over to Satan to either repent or be destroyed.

[1] See Vincent Cheung, All Things Are Yours. This paragraph has paraphrased statements from this essay.

Oshea Davis

Systematic Theology. Logic. Faith. Healing. Power.