paravanes:meditations

Jesus Christ values all people equally. His people value and care for all people equally. God's people are not "color-blind", unable or unwilling to see clear and visible differences among humans. God's people see and acknowledge the beauty of the differences expressed in creation, including among people. If you hold the belief that "others" are a different "type" of person, a person not fully deserving of fully and forever sharing God's goodness, blessings, and love, think again. If you would  be offended to see a certain "type" of person in the eternal heavenly kingdom , think again. If you would be offended to forever live as a certain "type" of person in the eternal heavenly kingdom , think again. If you believe you are blessed in a special, favored, or different way because of what you see in the mirror each day (a certain skin color, a certain weight, a certain height, a certain type of clothing, a certain t...

Yes, your prayers are always answered. How can you be certain of this? You can be certain because God invites us to pray and God never invites us into a meaningless, useless experience. Not only does God invite us to pray, but during his time here, Jesus gave direct, easy to understand instructions to his disciples who wanted to know how to pray. Jesus begins his instructions by saying "Pray like this..." Note that he doesn't tell the disciples to say the exact words he spoke. He tells the disciples to "pray like this..." Jesus then speaks the prayer known as The Lord's Prayer . Usually, when we wonder if prayers are answered, we want to know if we will receive the thing we request. Only God knows if you will receive the thing you request. Be cautious of those who tell you you're entitled to whatever you ask of God. If you are a true servant of God, you understand servants don't make demands. Servants make requests and are grateful for the...

Let's take a final look at the question asked last month. Is it true that a Christian, a true Christ follower, is "once saved, always saved?" The answer is yes. If you have not read the previous posts on this topic, please read them: ICYMI: Here is the original question . ICYMI: Here is part one of the answer . ICYMI: Here is part two of the answer . Why is there some much confusion over this question? There lives within the organized church structure a problem which has existed since the early days of the church: the false confessor, or the person who claims to be saved but is not. This is not new. Read this passage from the single-chapter Book of Jude (written, according to scholars, at or before the end of the first century, AD or CE). : "These people are grumblers and faultfinders; they follow their own evil desires; they boast about themselves and flatter others for their own advantage." (verse 16) Read this passage from the seventh cha...

Once saved, always saved? Yes. Why? As referenced in the first part of the article, Christian salvation is a work of God. Salvation is an act of God: for God's glory. In the epistle written by Jude, the author describes (in verse one of the book) the saved ones as those who are "kept for Jesus Christ." As the all powerful creator of everything, nothing and no one who is kept for Jesus Christ will ever be lost or removed from his keeping. Even physical death, which is how we leave this world, cannot destroy our spirits (our true selves) or remove those true selves from the keeping and protection and fellowship of Jesus Christ. Salvation is defined as a status, not a set of behaviors. Throughout the New Testament, believers are described as those who are adopted into God's family  and those who have been transferred into the kingdom of light and transferred out of the kingdom of darkness. In each case, it is God, through Jesus Christ, who initiates these ac...

Does the "once saved, always saved" teaching reflect faith trust or prideful arrogance? This was the Final July Challenge question. The answer will be given in three parts. Here is part one. Scripture teaches as much about Christian salvation as we are capable of understanding. Some of these teachings are: 1. Salvation is completely of (through, by, and for the glory of) God. Salvation is based upon grace, and demonstrated through the atoning death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ, the God-Man who demonstrated God's love and purpose in the earth. 2. No human person can justly or accurately judge another person's salvation. No human person is qualified. 3.  Christ followers are directed in the teaching of the apostle Paul to "examine themselves" to see if they are in (walking in and living by) "the faith." 4. Salvation is not defined in Scripture as a set of behaviors. Salvation is defined as adoption  (a change in family...

"Once Saved, Always Saved."  Is this belief A.  a faithful trust, or B. a prideful arrogance?

I was saddened today when I read about yet another "Stand Your Ground " related incident in the southern U.S. state of Florida. The exchange between two men in a parking lot led to the death of one and the (possible) criminal prosecution of the other. The two men argued over a handicapped parking space. I don't normally post about political/social conflicts in the United States because those topics don't normally include ideas I feel led to explore on this blog. Others write very well on those topics. Also, I have readers in other countries who may not be very interested in domestic politics in the U.S. At times, however, there are overlaps between my reasons for writing and managing this blog (Trust the God who is worthy of your love) and what shows up in my news feeds on other platforms. I don't personally know any of the people involved in this tragedy and my knowledge of the event is limited to news reports. I'd like to share a few thoughts about the ...