Half truths are whole lies by Gary Rose

Recently I found this picture on the INTERNET. The statement is true; but Abraham Lincoln did not say this. When Abraham Lincoln was alive there was no INTERNET. Lincoln was born on February 12, 1802, our 16^th president from 1961-1865 and assassinated in April 1865. The INTERNET as we know it today came into being about 1990. Unfortunately, schools no longer teach history, so many younger people would not know these things and accept the picture as true.

This picture is symptomatic of much of the media today. It is obvious we are being lied to, deceived and only being told half-truths (whole lies). People who own most of the media are left wing Democrats and direct those employed by them to “spin” the truth to foster the advancement of their leftist agenda. And the Republicans are not much better. Only Fox news sometimes allow both sides of the story and sometimes I even wonder about them. In an age where viewpoint makes “truth”, is there anything that we can trust? Yes, there is; our Bible and specifically Jesus, for he is the only one capable of saving from sin. Jesus says…

John 8 ( World English Bible )

   ^[54]  Jesus answered, “If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing. It is my Father who glorifies me, of whom you say that he is our God.   ^[55]  You have not known him, but I know him. If I said, ‘I don’t know him,’ I would be like you, a liar. But I know him, and keep his word.   ^[56]  Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day. He saw it, and was glad.” 

  ^[57]  The Jews therefore said to him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?” 

  ^[58]  Jesus said to them, “Most certainly, I tell you, before Abraham came into existence, I AM. ” 

  ^[59]  Therefore they took up stones to throw at him, but Jesus was hidden, and went out of the temple, having gone through their midst, and so passed by. 

During this “discussion” between the Pharisees and Jesus, it is obvious that Jesus is saying that God is his father and that Jesus is the “I AM”; in other words- GOD (see Exodus 3:13-14). And then the Jews tried to stone Jesus. Why? Because they did not really believe in God, they believed only in the Torah. Jesus’ miracles, his truth, his testimony, his future sacrifice meant nothing to them. They would not listen and would not believe any proof because of their preconceived ideas.

Sound familiar? Don’t be like the Jews, seek truth based on evidence and believe it. I don’t care what friends, relatives, or “authorities” may tell you, learn from the Bible, obey Jesus and follow only HIM! But, if you don’t want to do this- then you can always believe that picture that quotes Lincoln, regardless of the facts.

Bible Reading February 17 & 18 by Gary Rose

Bible Reading February 17 & 18

World  English  Bible

Feb. 17

Genesis 48

Gen 48:1 It happened after these things, that someone said to Joseph, "Behold, your father is sick." He took with him his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim.

Gen 48:2 Someone told Jacob, and said, "Behold, your son Joseph comes to you," and Israel strengthened himself, and sat on the bed.

Gen 48:3 Jacob said to Joseph, "God Almighty appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan, and blessed me,

Gen 48:4 and said to me, 'Behold, I will make you fruitful, and multiply you, and I will make of you a company of peoples, and will give this land to your seed after you for an everlasting possession.'

Gen 48:5 Now your two sons, who were born to you in the land of Egypt before I came to you into Egypt, are mine; Ephraim and Manasseh, even as Reuben and Simeon, will be mine.

Gen 48:6 Your issue, who you become the father of after them, will be yours. They will be called after the name of their brothers in their inheritance.

Gen 48:7 As for me, when I came from Paddan, Rachel died by me in the land of Canaan in the way, when there was still some distance to come to Ephrath, and I buried her there in the way to Ephrath (the same is Bethlehem)."

Gen 48:8 Israel saw Joseph's sons, and said, "Who are these?"

Gen 48:9 Joseph said to his father, "They are my sons, whom God has given me here." He said, "Please bring them to me, and I will bless them."

Gen 48:10 Now the eyes of Israel were dim for age, so that he couldn't see. He brought them near to him; and he kissed them, and embraced them.

Gen 48:11 Israel said to Joseph, "I didn't think I would see your face, and behold, God has let me see your seed also."

Gen 48:12 Joseph brought them out from between his knees, and he bowed himself with his face to the earth.

Gen 48:13 Joseph took them both, Ephraim in his right hand toward Israel's left hand, and Manasseh in his left hand toward Israel's right hand, and brought them near to him.

Gen 48:14 Israel stretched out his right hand, and laid it on Ephraim's head, who was the younger, and his left hand on Manasseh's head, guiding his hands knowingly, for Manasseh was the firstborn.

Gen 48:15 He blessed Joseph, and said, "The God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac did walk, the God who has fed me all my life long to this day,

Gen 48:16 the angel who has redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads, and let my name be named on them, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac. Let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth."

Gen 48:17 When Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand on the head of Ephraim, it displeased him. He held up his father's hand, to remove it from Ephraim's head to Manasseh's head.

Gen 48:18 Joseph said to his father, "Not so, my father; for this is the firstborn; put your right hand on his head."

Gen 48:19 His father refused, and said, "I know, my son, I know. He also will become a people, and he also will be great. However, his younger brother will be greater than he, and his seed will become a multitude of nations."

Gen 48:20 He blessed them that day, saying, "In you will Israel bless, saying, 'God make you as Ephraim and as Manasseh' " He set Ephraim before Manasseh.

Gen 48:21 Israel said to Joseph, "Behold, I am dying, but God will be with you, and bring you again to the land of your fathers.

Gen 48:22 Moreover I have given to you one portion above your brothers, which I took out of the hand of the Amorite with my sword and with my bow."

Feb. 18

Genesis 49

Gen 49:1 Jacob called to his sons, and said: "Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you that which will happen to you in the days to come.

Gen 49:2 Assemble yourselves, and hear, you sons of Jacob. Listen to Israel, your father.

Gen 49:3 "Reuben, you are my firstborn, my might, and the beginning of my strength; excelling in dignity, and excelling in power.

Gen 49:4 Boiling over as water, you shall not excel; because you went up to your father's bed, then defiled it. He went up to my couch.

Gen 49:5 "Simeon and Levi are brothers. Their swords are weapons of violence.

Gen 49:6 My soul, don't come into their council. My glory, don't be united to their assembly; for in their anger they killed men. In their self-will they hamstrung cattle.

Gen 49:7 Cursed be their anger, for it was fierce; and their wrath, for it was cruel. I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel.

Gen 49:8 "Judah, your brothers will praise you. Your hand will be on the neck of your enemies. Your father's sons will bow down before you.

Gen 49:9 Judah is a lion's cub. From the prey, my son, you have gone up. He stooped down, he crouched as a lion, as a lioness. Who will rouse him up?

Gen 49:10 The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from between his feet, until he comes to whom it belongs. To him will the obedience of the peoples be.

Gen 49:11 Binding his foal to the vine, his donkey's colt to the choice vine; he has washed his garments in wine, his robes in the blood of grapes.

Gen 49:12 His eyes will be red with wine, his teeth white with milk.

Gen 49:13 "Zebulun will dwell at the haven of the sea. He will be for a haven of ships. His border will be on Sidon.

Gen 49:14 "Issachar is a strong donkey, lying down between the saddlebags.

Gen 49:15 He saw a resting place, that it was good, the land, that it was pleasant. He bows his shoulder to the burden, and becomes a servant doing forced labor.

Gen 49:16 "Dan will judge his people, as one of the tribes of Israel.

Gen 49:17 Dan will be a serpent in the way, an adder in the path, That bites the horse's heels, so that his rider falls backward.

Gen 49:18 I have waited for your salvation, Yahweh.

Gen 49:19 "A troop will press on Gad, but he will press on their heel.

Gen 49:20 "Asher's food will be rich. He will yield royal dainties.

Gen 49:21 "Naphtali is a doe set free, who bears beautiful fawns.

Gen 49:22 "Joseph is a fruitful vine, a fruitful vine by a spring. His branches run over the wall.

Gen 49:23 The archers have sorely grieved him, shot at him, and persecute him:

Gen 49:24 But his bow remained strong. The arms of his hands were made strong, by the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob, (from there is the shepherd, the stone of Israel),

Gen 49:25 even by the God of your father, who will help you; by the Almighty, who will bless you, with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that lies below, blessings of the breasts, and of the womb.

Gen 49:26 The blessings of your father have prevailed above the blessings of your ancestors, above the boundaries of the ancient hills. They will be on the head of Joseph, on the crown of the head of him who is separated from his brothers.

Gen 49:27 "Benjamin is a ravenous wolf. In the morning he will devour the prey. At evening he will divide the spoil."

Gen 49:28 All these are the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is what their father spoke to them and blessed them. He blessed everyone according to his blessing.

Gen 49:29 He instructed them, and said to them, "I am to be gathered to my people. Bury me with my fathers in the cave that is in the field of Ephron the Hittite,

Gen 49:30 in the cave that is in the field of Machpelah, which is before Mamre, in the land of Canaan, which Abraham bought with the field from Ephron the Hittite as a burial place.

Gen 49:31 There they buried Abraham and Sarah, his wife. There they buried Isaac and Rebekah, his wife, and there I buried Leah:

Gen 49:32 the field and the cave that is therein, which was purchased from the children of Heth."

Gen 49:33 When Jacob made an end of charging his sons, he gathered up his feet into the bed, and yielded up the spirit, and was gathered to his people.

Feb. 17

Matthew 24

Mat 24:1 Jesus went out from the temple, and was going on his way. His disciples came to him to show him the buildings of the temple.

Mat 24:2 But he answered them, "You see all of these things, don't you? Most certainly I tell you, there will not be left here one stone on another, that will not be thrown down."

Mat 24:3 As he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, "Tell us, when will these things be? What is the sign of your coming, and of the end of the age?"

Mat 24:4 Jesus answered them, "Be careful that no one leads you astray.

Mat 24:5 For many will come in my name, saying, 'I am the Christ,' and will lead many astray.

Mat 24:6 You will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you aren't troubled, for all this must happen, but the end is not yet.

Mat 24:7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; and there will be famines, plagues, and earthquakes in various places.

Mat 24:8 But all these things are the beginning of birth pains.

Mat 24:9 Then they will deliver you up to oppression, and will kill you. You will be hated by all of the nations for my name's sake.

Mat 24:10 Then many will stumble, and will deliver up one another, and will hate one another.

Mat 24:11 Many false prophets will arise, and will lead many astray.

Mat 24:12 Because iniquity will be multiplied, the love of many will grow cold.

Mat 24:13 But he who endures to the end, the same will be saved.

Mat 24:14 This Good News of the Kingdom will be preached in the whole world for a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come.

Mat 24:15 "When, therefore, you see the abomination of desolation, which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand),

Mat 24:16 then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.

Mat 24:17 Let him who is on the housetop not go down to take out things that are in his house.

Mat 24:18 Let him who is in the field not return back to get his clothes.

Mat 24:19 But woe to those who are with child and to nursing mothers in those days!

Mat 24:20 Pray that your flight will not be in the winter, nor on a Sabbath,

Mat 24:21 for then there will be great oppression, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, nor ever will be.

Mat 24:22 Unless those days had been shortened, no flesh would have been saved. But for the sake of the chosen ones, those days will be shortened.

Mat 24:23 "Then if any man tells you, 'Behold, here is the Christ,' or, 'There,' don't believe it.

Mat 24:24 For there will arise false christs, and false prophets, and they will show great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the chosen ones.

Mat 24:25 "Behold, I have told you beforehand.

Mat 24:26 If therefore they tell you, 'Behold, he is in the wilderness,' don't go out; 'Behold, he is in the inner chambers,' don't believe it.

Mat 24:27 For as the lightning flashes from the east, and is seen even to the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.

Mat 24:28 For wherever the carcass is, there is where the vultures gather together.

Mat 24:29 But immediately after the oppression of those days, the sun will be darkened, the moon will not give its light, the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken;

Mat 24:30 and then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky. Then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory.

Mat 24:31 He will send out his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together his chosen ones from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.

Mat 24:32 "Now from the fig tree learn this parable. When its branch has now become tender, and puts forth its leaves, you know that the summer is near.

Mat 24:33 Even so you also, when you see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors.

Mat 24:34 Most certainly I tell you, this generation will not pass away, until all these things are accomplished.

Mat 24:35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.

Mat 24:36 But no one knows of that day and hour, not even the angels of heaven, but my Father only.

Mat 24:37 "As the days of Noah were, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.

Mat 24:38 For as in those days which were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ship,

Mat 24:39 and they didn't know until the flood came, and took them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.

Mat 24:40 Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken and one will be left;

Mat 24:41 two women grinding at the mill, one will be taken and one will be left.

Mat 24:42 Watch therefore, for you don't know in what hour your Lord comes.

Mat 24:43 But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what watch of the night the thief was coming, he would have watched, and would not have allowed his house to be broken into.

Mat 24:44 Therefore also be ready, for in an hour that you don't expect, the Son of Man will come.

Mat 24:45 "Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his lord has set over his household, to give them their food in due season?

Mat 24:46 Blessed is that servant whom his lord finds doing so when he comes.

Mat 24:47 Most certainly I tell you that he will set him over all that he has.

Mat 24:48 But if that evil servant should say in his heart, 'My lord is delaying his coming,'

Mat 24:49 and begins to beat his fellow servants, and eat and drink with the drunkards,

Mat 24:50 the lord of that servant will come in a day when he doesn't expect it, and in an hour when he doesn't know it,

Mat 24:51 and will cut him in pieces, and appoint his portion with the hypocrites. There is where the weeping and grinding of teeth will be.

Feb. 18

Matthew 25

Mat 25:1 "Then the Kingdom of Heaven will be like ten virgins, who took their lamps, and went out to meet the bridegroom.

Mat 25:2 Five of them were foolish, and five were wise.

Mat 25:3 Those who were foolish, when they took their lamps, took no oil with them,

Mat 25:4 but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.

Mat 25:5 Now while the bridegroom delayed, they all slumbered and slept.

Mat 25:6 But at midnight there was a cry, 'Behold! The bridegroom is coming! Come out to meet him!'

Mat 25:7 Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps.

Mat 25:8 The foolish said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.'

Mat 25:9 But the wise answered, saying, 'What if there isn't enough for us and you? You go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.'

Mat 25:10 While they went away to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut.

Mat 25:11 Afterward the other virgins also came, saying, 'Lord, Lord, open to us.'

Mat 25:12 But he answered, 'Most certainly I tell you, I don't know you.'

Mat 25:13 Watch therefore, for you don't know the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming.

Mat 25:14 "For it is like a man, going into another country, who called his own servants, and entrusted his goods to them.

Mat 25:15 To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one; to each according to his own ability. Then he went on his journey.

Mat 25:16 Immediately he who received the five talents went and traded with them, and made another five talents.

Mat 25:17 In like manner he also who got the two gained another two.

Mat 25:18 But he who received the one went away and dug in the earth, and hid his lord's money.

Mat 25:19 "Now after a long time the lord of those servants came, and reconciled accounts with them.

Mat 25:20 He who received the five talents came and brought another five talents, saying, 'Lord, you delivered to me five talents. Behold, I have gained another five talents besides them.'

Mat 25:21 "His lord said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a few things, I will set you over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.'

Mat 25:22 "He also who got the two talents came and said, 'Lord, you delivered to me two talents. Behold, I have gained another two talents besides them.'

Mat 25:23 "His lord said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a few things, I will set you over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.'

Mat 25:24 "He also who had received the one talent came and said, 'Lord, I knew you that you are a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not scatter.

Mat 25:25 I was afraid, and went away and hid your talent in the earth. Behold, you have what is yours.'

Mat 25:26 "But his lord answered him, 'You wicked and slothful servant. You knew that I reap where I didn't sow, and gather where I didn't scatter.

Mat 25:27 You ought therefore to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received back my own with interest.

Mat 25:28 Take away therefore the talent from him, and give it to him who has the ten talents.

Mat 25:29 For to everyone who has will be given, and he will have abundance, but from him who doesn't have, even that which he has will be taken away.

Mat 25:30 Throw out the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'

Mat 25:31 "But when the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory.

Mat 25:32 Before him all the nations will be gathered, and he will separate them one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.

Mat 25:33 He will set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.

Mat 25:34 Then the King will tell those on his right hand, 'Come, blessed of my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world;

Mat 25:35 for I was hungry, and you gave me food to eat. I was thirsty, and you gave me drink. I was a stranger, and you took me in.

Mat 25:36 I was naked, and you clothed me. I was sick, and you visited me. I was in prison, and you came to me.'

Mat 25:37 "Then the righteous will answer him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry, and feed you; or thirsty, and give you a drink?

Mat 25:38 When did we see you as a stranger, and take you in; or naked, and clothe you?

Mat 25:39 When did we see you sick, or in prison, and come to you?'

Mat 25:40 "The King will answer them, 'Most certainly I tell you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.'

Mat 25:41 Then he will say also to those on the left hand, 'Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire which is prepared for the devil and his angels;

Mat 25:42 for I was hungry, and you didn't give me food to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave me no drink;

Mat 25:43 I was a stranger, and you didn't take me in; naked, and you didn't clothe me; sick, and in prison, and you didn't visit me.'

Mat 25:44 "Then they will also answer, saying, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and didn't help you?'

Mat 25:45 "Then he will answer them, saying, 'Most certainly I tell you, inasmuch as you didn't do it to one of the least of these, you didn't do it to me.'

Mat 25:46 These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."

What Is Your Life? by B. Johnson

http://www.oldpaths.com/Archive/Johnson/Edna/Elizabeth/1939/yourlife.html

What Is Your Life?

 

“Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away” (James 4:14).
Poverty is a litmus test for a preacher and his wife. There is no doubt that some good-looking, charismatic preachers may be able to earn more than the average scientist or doctor, but this is far from the norm. These men may demand an unreasonable salary from large churches, while the average evangelist is earning less than the minimum wage for much harder work. Is the wife willing to live on the salary the poor preacher provides? Is the family able to live and pay bills and be self-respecting? When a couple is young and just beginning a work, who can know what the future holds? The very real possibility of poverty needs to be considered.
Preachers often are forced to move from place to place when they and the congregation do not agree. Breaking up housekeeping and moving to an unknown area can be traumatic. In fact, it can tear a family apart. Many times preachers’ wives or children may be emotionally unstable because they have no roots, no security. Preachers’ wives sometimes refuse to move from place to place which ultimately forces the preacher to find other employment. In those cases, the wife’s attitude toward this nomadic existence takes yet another preacher out of the pulpit.
I can vouch that selling a house and moving is a heartrending job. It is natural not to want to dig up roots. I knew I had to do it though, and I had to be able to just close my eyes and walk away. I finally have been able to say to our children, “Take what you really need and give the rest to the poor.” It is like watching what happens to your things after your own funeral. So much of what we have will be thrown away and I know it. It is not truly valuable to anyone but us, but we know we cannot be bound to material things and be pleasing to God. We need to remember that the important things are not material. This world is not our home.
“And (Job) said, Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD. In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly” (Job 1:21-22).
Solomon said, “As he came forth of his mother’s womb, naked shall he return to go as he came, and shall take nothing of his labour, which he may carry away in his hand (Ecc 5:15).”
When we consider what is really important in life, anything material is not it. Remember that we must be like those described in Matthew 25:34-46 to be pleasing to the lord.
“Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me” (Matt 25:34-40).

Beth Johnson

The Scripture quotations in this article are from
The King James Version.

Published in The Old Paths Archive
(http://www.oldpaths.com)

GOD CAN SAVE WHOEVER HE WANTS TO by steve finnell

http://steve-finnell.blogspot.com/2017/04/god-can-save-whoever-he-wants-to-by.html

GOD CAN SAVE WHOEVER HE WANTS TO by steve finnell

Have you ever heard a preacher say, "God can save whoever He wants to?" The problem with that kind of preaching is it leaves questions unanswered. What about those that God says, He will not save? Did Jesus and the apostles teach God's terms for pardon and then say, "Of course, God can save whoever He wants to?" No, they did not.

John 8:24 "Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins." (NKJV)

Jesus did follow with a modification by saying, "Of course, God can forgive anyone's sins that He chooses."

John 3:5 Jesus answered, "Most assuredly , I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. (NKJV)

Jesus did not say, "You must be immersed in water to enter the kingdom of God, however, God can save whoever he wants to."

John 14:6 Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. (NKJV)

Jesus did not modify John 14:6 by saying, "Of course, God the Father can provide as many ways to Himself as He wishes."

Mark 16:16 "He who believes and is baptized  will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.(NKJV)

Jesus did not say, "He who believes and is baptized will be saved, however, God can save those who reject water baptism and do not believe, because God can save whoever He wants to."

Ephesians 5:1-5 Therefore be followers of God dear children.....5 For this you know, that no fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.(NKJV)

The apostle Paul did not modify his position by saying,  "Christians can continually live an unrepentant sinful lifestyle, because God can offer an inheritance, in the kingdom of God, to whoever He wants.

Can Christians who sin be forgiven? Of course, but Christians have not been issued a license to sin.

The real question is, do men have the right to offer modifications to God's word where none exist?

NOTE: Did you ever hear a preacher preach the gospel terms for pardon and modify it by saying, "Of course, God can send anyone to hell that He wishes?"

REFLECTIONS ON ROMANS (2) by Jim McGuiggan

http://theabidingword.com/logos/index.html

REFLECTIONS ON ROMANS (2)

 The Lord’s Commissioned witness tells his Story

Paul introduces his good news of God’s righteousness (faithfulness) in 1:1-17, which is good news for the whole of humanity (1:5, 13b-17).
Note that the word “gospel” occurs six times in these opening verses. Paul certainly used texts to explain and present his message but he preached “the gospel” rather than a host of verses.

The centrality of the “good news”
 
Why did Paul write the book of Romans? Scholars continue to debate that question and they come up with differing answers. Perhaps there is no one single reason for Romans. There certainly isn’t one that stands out so plainly that scholars can agree on it. That’s the trouble with and the beauty of rich literature. It carries our minds in so many directions that we find it hard to stay with one profound insight. This is especially true when the writer himself hasn’t offered a single purpose for writing. And even if a writer has a single purpose in mind, if the material is very rich he or she will be saying more than they consciously mean to say. This is because truths exist in a network of truth rather than standing in complete isolation from one another; so one truth leads to another. Humans, though individuals are not solitary beings; they are shaped by the community and culture they live in and experience life within the network of shared convictions and thought and speech patterns. I say a word that has many related uses and you experience one that I am not consciously thinking of.
In any case, it’s always helpful and sometimes critically important to discover the overall reason for the book. Just the same, sometimes we can understand how some of the pieces work together even if we can’t determine where it is going as a whole. Something like a jigsaw puzzle I suppose. We can piece together some of the sections and still not know what the whole is about. But if we can piece a significant number of pieces together we can get a sense of the kind of scene we’ll find in the end. We may adjust our educated “guess” but we’ll not be simply groping in sheer ignorance.
Paul introduces his good news of God’s righteousness (faithfulness) in 1:1-17, which is good news for the whole of humanity (1:5, 13b-17). He uses the word “gospel” 4 times in these opening verses that act as an introduction to the entire letter; that should affect how we view the book as a whole. However somber some of the parts of Romans are we need to remember that Paul sees himself as a preacher and teacher of “the gospel of God” (1:1) and it’s that good news he wants to bring to the Romans.

 The truth and authority of the “good news”

An inscription discovered in Priene in northern Turkey is dated 9 B.C. and it gives us an insight into what the word “gospel” means. Here’s a piece of what it says.
“Whereas the Providence which has ordered the whole of our life, showing concern and zeal, has ordained the most perfect consummation for human life by giving to it Augustus, by filling him with virtue for doing the work of a benefactor among men, and by sending in him, as it were, a saviour for us and those who come after us, to make war to cease, to create order everywhere and whereas the birthday of the God [Augustus] was the beginning for the world of the glad tidings that have come to men through him. Paulus Fabius Maximus, the proconsul of the province has devised a way of honoring Augustus.”
From this it’s clear that the “gospel” is glad tidings. It’s also clear that the gospel is an announcement, a proclamation rather than just an invitation to share the joy inherent in the good news. This inscription isn’t saying that Augustus is lord if only the people would let him into their hearts. It claims that the power that governs the universe had established Augustus as lord of the world and he is its instrument to bring peace and security to that world.
Individualism is such a part of our culture and religious decision is so stressed that we forget this aspect of the gospel.
When Paul preached Jesus as King he wasn’t inviting people to faith in a new religion, he was proclaiming a change in the entire creation because a new King had risen! Nothing is now to be seen in the same way. So he warns them as he approaches the gates of Rome, the world’s center of Caesar power, that he is coming with a gospel that is God’s power to save anyone who believes it!
Even the Roman historian Tacitus, quotes Calgacus, saying that Rome by force of arms created a desert and called it peace; but Paul insists that he was not on a destroying mission; he was coming with a gospel of salvation and life. It is this gospel he wants to lay before the Romans and see it bear fruit among them.

 Aspects of the gospel

He says it is the “gospel of God” (1:1). This phrase may mean it is a gospel that comes from God, a gospel that God himself makes known. It may also mean it is a gospel “about” God. There is no need to choose between these two because Paul might have had both in mind. Both are certainly true and it is important in the book of Romans to see that both are true.
The gospel isn’t about less) important things like the weather, or the economy of the Greco-Roman world or how to get along with our neighbors. The gospel is about God Himself and how He relates to His sinful creation as He works to bless a human family that still resists Him.. And the gospel comes from God Himself.
It isn’t good advice or a philosophy that Paul or others have dreamed up—it comes from God. All this means that the Romans (and we) should pay close attention to his message.
He says the gospel concerns God’s Son (1:1-4, 9) who is Jesus the Messiah (Christ). Paul insisted that God had made Himself and His purposes known in and as Jesus Christ in a way that never happened before.
When we think of the Son of God Paul insists that He had come to the world as a son of David’s line but that He was also marked out as God’s unique Son by His resurrection out from among the dead. The phrase “according to the spirit of holiness” suggests that there was more to Jesus than His “fleshly” (human) nature. Viewed from His “fleshly” side he is David’s son and viewed from His “spiritual” side He is God’s Son. Many scholars think we should understand that Christ was David’s son according to the flesh but that he was shown to be God’s Son by the Holy Spirit (“the spirit of holiness”).
That is, they think, and they may be correct, that here Paul isn’t speaking about the Godhood of Jesus but is particularly interested in His resurrection and glorification via the Holy Spirit.
He says the gospel is God’s power to save (1:16). We’re tempted to think of God’s “power” as merely “divine muscle” but it’s a mistake to think of it like that in this context and most others. Even when speaking about human power we know the difference between the power to move a huge stone and the power to “move” a person. A person “saved” in Paul’s sense means God brought that person back into relationship with himself and so saved him/her from sin and loss. This kind of “saving” isn’t done with “divine muscle.” Since God saves us in and by the crucified Christ it’s clear that he doesn’t bully us into life and doesn’t save us by force. To be saved by God’s “power” means God set himself the task and was able to complete it. The gospel, or good news, is the message that a faithful God did that very thing and that he did it through the crucified (and resurrected) Jesus Christ. There are some places naked powers or force can’t enter and one of them is the human heart. Paul comes to the most powerful city of the world armed with nothing but a GOSPEL about God.
He says the gospel is God’s power to save all who believe because in the gospel God’s righteousness (faithfulness) continues to be revealed (1:16-17). God’s righteousness is God’s covenant faithfulness. He keeps His commitments and when He created humanity He made a commitment to humanity. Despite our rebellion against Him He didn’t utterly destroy us He was faithful to his word and that’s part of what we mean when we say God is “righteous”. His faithfulness is to all people and not only those who are Jews. The gospel message that proclaims God’s faithfulness draws people to God in response to that faithfulness and they put their trust in Him. So the gospel is “from” faith (God’s faithfulness) “unto” faith (the faith of those who hear). The relationship between the righteous God and those who are declared righteous by faith is a dynamic one if salvation is to be experienced finally in glory. It isn’t just God keeping faith with man; it is man trusting himself to that God who keeps faith.
He says the gospel of God’s righteousness in Jesus Christ was promised in the Old Testament scriptures (1:2). Paul will make the point repeatedly that the Old Testament scriptures (including the covenant Torah itself) pointed to the gospel he was preaching about Jesus Christ, God’s Son (see also 3:21 with Acts 26:22-23).
So, in some senses Paul’s message might be surprising but the truth is, Israel had been given fair warning of how the good news would be worked out in Jesus the Messiah (see Luke 24:25-27,44-47). Many in Israel, eager to establish their own national connection with God missed what the Old Testament taught about God’s righteousness toward and for the whole human race (see Romans 9:30 -10:4 in light of 1:16). GENTILES were and are to take note.
In addition, the OT scriptures spoke of these glorious coming things as promises to Israel. Paul stresses again and again that the good news had special significance for Israel and then through them to Gentiles. But it’s “to the Jew first” [Romans 1:16; Acts 3:26; 13:46 and elsewhere].