God's will, not ours - God's thoughts, not ours

[anti_nietzsche]

I think the condemnation we fear so often is really in ourselves. Our flesh condemns and punishes - God has no such flesh and instead only saves and loves us. Jesus Christ with his sacrifice on the cross ended the age of revenge, now God does not know revenge anymore. The cross also ended the age of sin and punishment, this doesn't come upon us anymore either. Whereas the Jews sometimes were afraid of God starting wars against them, now we have God as an ally against all wars. Smithing weapons into plowshares - when will that happen in America? So many people have guns, would they not be better off farming and tilling and living off the land?

God's thoughts towards us are kind and loving. He has good plans for us. Things do not depend on our thoughts, and that is a blessing. Our thoughts are angry and futile, and we build the condemnation and the wrath. God's thoughts are not angry and futile, that is why we must leave ourselves be and turn to God in our thoughts to receive a renewed mind.

Salvation does not depend on us, it depends wholly on God. Not even our faith, while good, is so important because basically salvation was already finished on Christ's cross. Let us return often to this tree of life. While the cross meant pain and suffering for our Lord, it also meant that he would gain the whole of mankind as his children. Not a bad bargain, though us humans can be a real bad crowd. But again, we serve a God of virtue and as such God is such a sweet spirit. No punishment, no hell, no harsh judgment - because Jesus Christ is our lawyer at the heavenly court, and God the father is love.

Yet there are those who do not want to believe that this is our spiritual reality. They are covered by the cross too, and by God's loving thoughts. Jesus can ask the Father whatever he wants, and he gets it. So he simply asks for mankind and gets it.

The yet terrible thing is the fear and terror and suffering on Earth. That is where mankind has to learn to serve God. Say no to terror, say no to fear, say no to suffering and practice love instead.

[marie glen]

we serve a God of virtue and as such God is such a sweet spirit. No punishment, no hell, no harsh judgment - because Jesus Christ is our lawyer at the heavenly court, and God the father is love.

Amen! It was all finished at the foundation/beginning of the world.. A guaranteed thing, fully stamped by God..

I get the sense too, like with a small child who wants to touch a hot stove.. you may yell "no!" and for awhile it's simply no (don't do that) or with an unruly child who, say, is mean.. You may even threaten that child.. sternly.. No T.v! whatever.. In the good ole days, "I'll swat your butt!" Until they mature and you can peacefully reason with them..

I figure the bible has to speak also to barbaric bullying types (and parts of ourself?) who at the stage their heart is at, a stern, harsh reality voice is all they will really understand.. It's not the fault with God's Word, which is perfect.. it's the fault of knowing how to read it..

[anti_nietzsche]

Yeah Marie, you touch the right buttons. God's word is strict in the sense that it is strict to those who are sinning too much. The law was not given to the righteous but to the unrighteous. That is why many people should stop being afraid because in reality they are not sinning. And even when we sin we have a lawyer in Christ who is faithful and who forgives us. The bible at most of its places cannot be read literally but must be discerned. In the truth we needn't be afraid of God at all because He is love. But love sometimes must be tough to those who don't want to understand dangers. Like in your example with the child and the hot stove. A mother loves her child but can't allow the child to touch the hot stove, that's why  she must yell and maybe swat the butt of the child so it will learn. A swat does not hurt much. And if the mother is otherwise consistent and loving to her son or daughter will find their love and trust. But there are those among us humans who are very unruly. Who are violent, meanspirited, nasty and unkind. To those God must speak too, not just to the gentle and peace-loving, and his threats are against them, not against the others. To those who are pure, everything is pure. If we are spiritual, the law cannot harm us and indeed it is not for us because Christ took it away and we're under grace now. But if we are unspiritual the law strikes us. But by Jesus' stripes we are healed. Jesus took all punishments upon himself. That's how He loved us. And in God who is love now the punishments are taken away and we live in peace with our Savior. And we should be mindful not to scare other people away except if they are really evil and need to be restrained.

[eaglesway]

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