A Line

𐂕 There was a line.. a thought, many (many) years ago, which drifted across a very blue sky.. and hit me in the head. After which, my life was never the same. I was never the same.
     What was this thought? "You've been learning about the forces in the universe" - I'd been reading up on world religions, and then astrology (spiritual) - "and what about the force that created the universe, and what if that force has consciousness?"

     Today while watching the last episode of one of the best shows I've ever watched, I heard this line - which sounded awfully familiar. I'll begin it midstream, where it struck me as familiar, "...about the forces that bind the universe, but what binds humans? Love.."*

     It's the same answer for both questions - "God is Love" - 1 John 4:8. ("Love never fails" - 1 Corinthians 13:8.)

"...until the time comes for the restoration of all things (pas - every, all, the whole)"... Acts 3:21

"..made known to us the mystery of His will.. at the fullness of time, to bring all things in heaven, and on earth, together in Christ." Ephesians 9:10

"...through Jesus, to reconcile to Himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven.." Colossians 1:20

And Revelation 21:5,4 - "Behold I will make all things new.. and death will be no more nor mourning nor crying nor pain; they will be no more.." None, anywhere!

God is love. ...Love never, ever, fails.

(*Last episode of "Numbers".)

Beware The Rules

Galatians 5:1 says -
                    "..Christ has made us free! And do not be entangled again by a yoke of servitude".

This does not of course, mean a believer and follower of Jesus is free to live a dissolute life! As Paul wrote "God forbid!" and "those things lead to death, where's the attraction?"

That's why The Way is a "narrow way"! Because there's huge ditches on either side! One is the ditch of license. And the other is the ditch of "rules". Beware the rules!

The first churches were not as we have our churches now. They were brothers and sisters (in love with God and Jesus) getting together. And following the Spirit.

The first enemies - "love your enemies" - were the 'Judaizers'. They wanted Gentiles (non-Hebrew, not under the Law of Moses) believers to become Judean. If we read the Letter to the Galatians, or any other letter actually, but especially Galatians, it's obvious this was not the plan of God. [Also Acts chapter 15, of course.]

And we can see that spirit today. It's always been very active! You must do this, you must not do that. When The Way is a relationship. And the living upon God's Word and Spirit (bread and wine of life). "If you are led of the Spirit, you will not be doing the acts of the lower carnal character." You just won't. You are following and yearning after the Spirit and drinking of the Word of Life. That is The Way of transformation and 'self improvement' - though it is NO act of self.

When we seek to follow rules.. any rules, to be 'right with God', approved of by God.. we have stepped out of His plan. We are saying or trying to believe, that God will owe us acceptance, like wages. (On the Holy Day "you will do NO work!") It is a gift. It is His doing. It is a recognition and affirmation that HE, is the only source of good. (The only source of Life!) And this is "all given to us, freely, through Jesus".
     "That the spirit in our heart cries 'abba, Father!' is the sign and seal and proof that we are His! His pledge that all that He has promised shall be given." And "He is faithful to carry out the good work which He has begun in us". ..."via the same POWER which rose Jesus from the grave."

The other - "any 'other' gospel" - has not that power. It's a dead end. It's a ditch.

It comes in many guises. The second 'enemies' of the gospel (news/good news) were the gnostics. They had a very large whole set of rules! They believed matter, the universe, was why mankind was flawed and the world was as it is. That somehow we (life) had 'fallen into matter' and this is what we needed to be saved from. The body was especially evil, and all its functions. Of course this led to other sects of the belief, which was license, for if all earthly functions were evil, like eating and drinking (and breathing? And don't forget, the bible says "honorable [is] the marriage in all, and the bed undefiled".) So if even walking was 'evil' then what the heck, why not just do anything and everything since it was the body itself that was guilty, lacked character, and hey, this must all be God's fault! And my special insight/knowledge/gnosis is what will set me free!

How crazy is that!? But it's the root and foundation of any "rules" system. And unlike the "freedom in Christ" it's a system of following humans and a human group. We get this from individuals and from organizations. It says 'believe in Jesus and.. ..and I'll tell you the special rule.. come and follow me..' And, or, be a part of my group..

I don't know why it works, but it seems to work very well.

Galatians 5:1 - "..Christ has made us free! ..do not be entangled again by a yoke of bondage".

Any personal conviction I may have.. be it vegetarian, or any rule I may choose to follow, is likely a wonderful thing.. but not mine to impose or even suggest to another. Paul - led of the Spirit to write a large bulk of the New Testament - said, "know only Christ".

Genesis Chapter Two

Why is there a second account of the creation of man?

Man is made of the soil of Eden?

Acts 17:26, The Living Bible - "He created all the people of the world from one man, Adam, and scattered the nations across the face of the earth.."

Genesis 3:20 - "The man called his wife's name Eve, because she was the mother of all living."

An inheritance from one man - "Romans 5:12 - "Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men.."

The second account is an insert and addendum to the first.
The first says man was created. The second tells us how.

The first account's setting is the world and universe. The second account is how the creation of man and woman occurred in the section of the world designated as the Garden of Eden.

"Then God said, `Let us make man in our image.. ...So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female created He them." (Genesis 1:26,27) with "Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female." (Matthew 19:4) -- Which is what is described in the insert/second account.

By What Authority

Now when He came into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people confronted Him as He was teaching, and said, “By what authority are You doing these things? And who gave You this authority?” (Matthew 21:23)

This was the morning after Jesus went into the temple of God and drove out all those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves. (Matthew 21:12)

By what authority..? They had to have been kidding right?! I mean Wherever He entered, into villages, cities, or the country, they laid the sick in the marketplaces, and begged Him that they might just touch the hem of His garment.. great multitudes followed Him, and He healed them.. the blind and the lame came to Him in the temple, and He healed them.. When the sun was setting, all those who had any that were sick with various diseases brought them to Him; and He laid His hands on every one of them and healed them.. And the whole crowd sought to touch Him, for power went out from Him and healed them all.. as He went, the crowds were pressing against Him.. (Mark 6:56; Matthew 19:2,21:14; Luke 4:40,6:19,8:42) 

Who gave You this authority? Either they were so focused upon this world, their world and day, and their seats of power and staying in Rome's good graces, they couldn't see. Or they knew and plotted to silence Him (by death) anyway.

But don't forget! Because Israel didn't recognize (though some did, many common folk) the coming of Messiah and the fulfilled prophecies, the good news went out to the nations, all according to God's blueprint, plan and will.
     Romans 11:15 - For if the casting away of them (from the faith) be the reconciling of the world, what shall the receiving of them be, but life from the dead? (Resurrection, which occurs at His return and the arrival of the second advent.)

Postscript

Our heavenly Father - it only possible that He be in complete control of all things - did 'create evil'. Albeit, indirectly. How? By creating rational creatures. (Surely?) I.e. He did not create us as robots. Even the angels cannot be called robots as some "left their first place" - "place" more accurately translated as (left their) appointed position.

This does not mean we have what's commonly called 'free-will' as we all have boundaries and limitations, in many ways, etc, etc.. where and when we live for example.

The reason for pointing all this out, is because of another strange theory, which is the idea that something unexpected occurred and took God by surprise and mankind was 'captured' by an enemy (adversary), the fallen angel called Satan and dragon. Of course this 'being taken by surprise' is impossible.

Why do we suppose that He only created the universe and man and woman, not only after the first (bound to occur) rebel, or wayward thought not only occurred but had ripened and fully matured into outright revolt, sedition and trickery? Didn't He know what would happen?

Of course He did! ...So why do you suppose He did it in just that way?

The Evil That Men Do

Every so often I hear the claim that the evil that mankind does is God acting through them.

The verse Ephesians 1:5 says we are adopted as children of God through Jesus "according to the good pleasure of His will."

Does the Bible say evil is according to His will?

The verse which is used to claim God does evil is Isaiah 45:7 - the traditional King James Version says it like this - I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the Lord do all these things.
  {In context - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Isaiah+45&version=NKJV

But the New King James says it like this - I form the light and create darkness, I make peace and create calamity; I, the Lord, do all these things. - which is a much better translation of the word used, #H7451 ra' - adversity, calamity.

When we read the Old Testament it's plain to see that our heavenly Father does indeed bring calamity upon the heads of the wayward. (Especially if they are sacrificing live babies in fire to 'the gods'?) I'd also dare to say that there is natural law which He built right into everything which, spiritually, is the seed of fruit is always in its own likeness. Even the judgments of God are results and consequences. He may indeed, speed them along or multiply them upon miscreants and criminals' heads whenever He sees fit!

But this (surely?) is a far cry from saying the evil that evil men do, is actually God doing it and it is according to His will.

Why? Is there evil in the world?? Let's seriously ponder that question and consider every thing the Bible says about it. (Every verse, not in this brief post, but in our heart and mind.)

Luke 17:1 says, - He said to the disciples, “It is impossible that no offenses should come, but woe to him through whom they do come!"

Which, to me, seems to be openly implying "responsibility" for actions and choices, upon the one acting and choosing. Thank goodness our choices are so highly limited! 'Offences are sure to come'.. What does that mean? Does it mean we are all robots destined to do what things we do? Isn't that another belief system? An old one, where 'the gods' moved humans like so many chess pieces..?

If it were God acting through Stalin (etc) why should Stalin ever "repent"?

(Seriously, where do people get these ideas?!)

1 Peter 5:8 says, Be alert, be on watch! Your enemy, the Devil, roams around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.

Note: the earliest church fathers did not metaphor everything! It's true all of life is a parable and a metaphor! But that doesn't mean it's not literal. To metaphor everything is to put our own take upon everything as "private interpretation".

Our minds are to be renewed by the washing of His Word. Not by my own (so-called) 'lofty' thoughts as truth. But by His Word.

But don't forget.. The original intent, the Hebrew and the Greek. "The Church" is (can be) great for united worship, study, prayer, learning and service, but it is not perfection, nor is it yet "the kingdom"! No church is perfection, but is made up of people. And we should always let the Word itself speak to us, and not only what other persons say about His Word. "Sheol" for instance, "where there is neither thought nor doing" is a far cry from 'eternal burning hell for ever and ever'.

There's a BIG push on (spiritually) to devalue God's Word. But! fellow believers, that is our sWord! It cuts through every untruth. If we let it. "Give us, this day, Lord, our daily Bread.."

http://biblehub.com/interlinear/genesis/1.htm
http://biblehub.com/interlinear/matthew/1-1.htm
http://biblehub.com/interlinear/1_timothy/4-10.htm