Finding unity: obedience
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Precious friends, then there is also a Rightly Divided study of 'obedience To What?', on which
there is Very little agreement, eh?:
I have decided to follow Jesus?
Amen.
there is Very little agreement, eh?:
I have decided to follow Jesus?
Amen.
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1
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Disciples of Jesus (or Believers) tend to love and help others, not by virtue of their own goodness, but because they are moved or motivated by the goodness of God/loving Spirit of the Lord (1JN 4:7-8). Humans can never become good enough to earn or merit salvation as a reward for right behavior. A person cannot be good by doing "good". Those who try to attain heaven by imitating Christ-like behavior without accepting Christ’s Lordship and atonement actually go in the opposite direction (GL 5:4), so we should cooperate with God’s Way.
5. The Bible says that God is love and true love comes from God (1JN 4:7-21, RM 5:5), so volitional creatures or souls can love or be good only by reflecting or cooperating with the Creator’s love/goodness. Although the Bible speaks of God hating Esau (ML 1:3) and other evil people (HS 9:15), Jesus’ teaching of love for enemies (MT 5:44) reveals that the good God loves all creatures including Satan but hates evil and their sinful choices.
It seems logical to assume that the all-loving and righteous God would create the best possible world or one in which the greatest percentage of persons may attain ultimate joy (1TM 2:3-4, 2PT 3:9). God may have created all possible kinds of worlds simultaneously: the world of dead matter, the world of living plants, the world of intelligent animals, and the world of morally accountable souls/humans. God’s world/way is best.
The cliche “might makes right” is true; it is because God is almighty that only He can determine what is right and good ultimately. There is no super-divine authority that determines God; God is free to be self-determined. The only basis humans have for evaluating whether God is just or good is understanding how God’s acts and judgments are consistent with the moral principles He has ordained for those created in His image (RM 3:22-26). God’s decision to be all-loving is rational, because God is pleased by doing good for creatures, but it is free because God could have chosen to anoint Satan to embody evil logic/lies rather than Jesus to manifest love and truth (JN 1:14, PHP 2:9-11), and this earthly existence would be hell (RV 19:11-13, 20:7-10 & 21:6-8).
If God were ever to change His mind, it would mean that God is tricky and that morality is ultimately arbitrary. Thus, ultimate reality would indeed be a farce (although we are unable to imagine an alternative moral reality in detail). This is why we should not take God's goodness and divine love for granted. Instead, we should be eternally grateful that God has decreed loving to be right and good, and He promises never to change (ML 3:6). Let us praise God in the spirit of Psalm 66:1: “Shout with joy to God, all the earth! Sing to the glory of his name; Offer him glory and praise!”
5. The Bible says that God is love and true love comes from God (1JN 4:7-21, RM 5:5), so volitional creatures or souls can love or be good only by reflecting or cooperating with the Creator’s love/goodness. Although the Bible speaks of God hating Esau (ML 1:3) and other evil people (HS 9:15), Jesus’ teaching of love for enemies (MT 5:44) reveals that the good God loves all creatures including Satan but hates evil and their sinful choices.
It seems logical to assume that the all-loving and righteous God would create the best possible world or one in which the greatest percentage of persons may attain ultimate joy (1TM 2:3-4, 2PT 3:9). God may have created all possible kinds of worlds simultaneously: the world of dead matter, the world of living plants, the world of intelligent animals, and the world of morally accountable souls/humans. God’s world/way is best.
The cliche “might makes right” is true; it is because God is almighty that only He can determine what is right and good ultimately. There is no super-divine authority that determines God; God is free to be self-determined. The only basis humans have for evaluating whether God is just or good is understanding how God’s acts and judgments are consistent with the moral principles He has ordained for those created in His image (RM 3:22-26). God’s decision to be all-loving is rational, because God is pleased by doing good for creatures, but it is free because God could have chosen to anoint Satan to embody evil logic/lies rather than Jesus to manifest love and truth (JN 1:14, PHP 2:9-11), and this earthly existence would be hell (RV 19:11-13, 20:7-10 & 21:6-8).
If God were ever to change His mind, it would mean that God is tricky and that morality is ultimately arbitrary. Thus, ultimate reality would indeed be a farce (although we are unable to imagine an alternative moral reality in detail). This is why we should not take God's goodness and divine love for granted. Instead, we should be eternally grateful that God has decreed loving to be right and good, and He promises never to change (ML 3:6). Let us praise God in the spirit of Psalm 66:1: “Shout with joy to God, all the earth! Sing to the glory of his name; Offer him glory and praise!”
I just wanted to say it brings my heart such joy seeing everyone in fellowship and unity and understanding. @Believer08 I appreciate you trying to bring unity and understanding in the body as well as you @GWH in your study thread and the other thread you made thank you both for doing the Lords work
