Leopard's Spots

brakelite · Dec 31, 2019

ReChoired said:
Not in denial, and most assuredly accepted/believed. The topic was not about "sin", but about "fallen flesh".

Notice what scripture says:

Joh_3:6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

Jesus was not at sinner, but He did take upon Himself our fallen flesh. The latter (fallen flesh) does not make Him the former (sinner), as the definition of "sin" in scripture is "transgression of the law" (1 John 3:4), not existing with "fallen flesh". The Son of God took upon Himself the "seed" of "Abraham" (fallen), and not the "nature of angels" (unfallen), but was born of the Holy Ghost/Spirit (Luke 1:35). Notice the two things, [1] flesh, [2] Spirit.

If all will go with me to other scriptures please, where it describes this "flesh" [sarx]:

"And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us..." [John 1:14]

"GOD manifest in the flesh" [1 Timothy 3:16],

"the LORD from Heaven" [1 Corinthians 15:47],

"made of a woman" [Galatians 4:4],

"made of the seed of David according to the flesh" [Romans 1:3],

"...to every seed his own body..." [1 Corinthians 15:38],

"...of the fruit of his [David's] loins, according to the flesh..." [Acts 2:30]

of the "seed of Abraham" [Hebrews 2:16],

even "as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same" [Hebrews 2:14] [what flesh are we born with, that He partook of then, what blood?]

and "in all things it behoved him to be made like unto [his] brethren" [Hebrews 2:17],

that we might have "...known Christ after the flesh..." [2 Corinthians 5:16],

and scripture giving us the family line and genealogy of that very flesh [sarx] and blood nature He took upon Himself [Matthew 1:1-25; Luke 3:23-38]

the "[the son] of Adam" [Luke 3:38]

as it is said, "made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men" [Philippians 2:7],

and "...in the days of His flesh..." [Hebrews 5:7],

"was in all points tempted like as [we are yet] without sin" [Hebrews 4:15],

and in His death it is written, "...my flesh shall rest in hope..." [Acts 2:26], and

"...his soul [being/person] was not left in the grave, neither his flesh did see corruption..." [Acts 2:31] because He was/is...

"holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners" [Hebrews 7:26]

that "holy thing" [Luke 1:35]

and "holy child" [Acts 4:27,30]

born of the "Holy Ghost" [Matthew 1:18; Luke 1:35],

where even though He came in the likeness [Romans 8:3; Philippians 2:7; etc] of sinful flesh, yet He was without sin:

"...lamb shall be without blemish..." [Exodus 12:5]

"… But found none: yea, though many false witnesses came, yet found they none." [Matthew 26:60]

"...the innocent blood..." [Matthew 27:4]

"...For he knew that for envy they had delivered him. ..." [Matthew 27:18]

"… Have thou nothing to do with that just man …" [Matthew 27:19]

"… Why, what evil hath he done? …" [Matthew 27:23]

"… I am innocent of the blood of this just person …" [Matthew 27:24]

"The said Pilate … I find no fault in this man.” [Luke 23:4]

"… Said unto them, Ye have brought this man unto me, as one that perverteth the people: and, behold, I, having examined him before you, have found no fault in this man touching those things whereof ye accuse him:" [Luke 23:14]

"… what evil hath he done? I have found no cause of death in him ..." [Luke 23:22]

"...lo, nothing worthy of death is done unto him." [Luke 23:15]

"...this man hath done nothing amiss." [Luke 23:41]

"… Now when the centurion saw what was done, he glorified God, saying, Certainly this was a righteous man." [Luke 23:47]

"...I have kept my Father's commandments..." [John 15:10]

"...I find in him no fault [at all]." [John 18:38]

"...I find no fault in him." [John 19:4]

"...I find no fault in him." [John 19:6]

"...the obedience of one..." [Romans 5:19]

"...who knew no sin..." [2 Corinthians 5:21]

"...without sin." [Hebrews 4:15]

"...[who is] holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners..." [Hebrews 7:26]

"Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth:" [1 Peter 2:22]

"...in him is no sin." [1 John 3:5]

"How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God..." [Hebrews 9:4;p]

...and thereby, in the same likeness of sinful flesh as we, yet living without sin, never having sinned, never once transgressed the Holy Law of God; Jesus showed that with God there is no excuse for sin and thus "...condemned sin in the flesh." [Romans 8:3];

"...having crucified the flesh..." [Galatians 5:24],

and "...nailing it to His cross." [Colossians 2:4],

"Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh..." [1 Peter 4:1];

even "...being put to death in the flesh..." [1 Peter 3:18],

and we are to be "...crucified with Christ..." [Galatians 5:24],

"In the body of His flesh through death..." [Colossians 1:22],

become dead to the penalty of the Law, the 2nd Death, "...by the body of Christ..." [Romans 7:4],

that we might be "...members of His body, and of His flesh, and of His bones." [Ephesians 5:30],

by a "...new and living way, which He hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, His flesh;" [Hebrews 10:20]

so that we may know this, "...Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with [him], that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin." [Romans 6:6]

"Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me:" [Hebrews 10:5]

"Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed." [1 Peter 2:24]

"By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once [for all]." [Hebrews 10:10]

Therefore, we have this hope, "Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself." [Philippians 3:21]

@Taken

justbyfaith · Dec 31, 2019

Webers_Home said:
.
This comment is off-topic, but I seriously think it's something that needs saying from
time to time.

Internet forums have given many of Christ's obscure followers a convenient venue for
sharing their time-won knowledge and experience with a worldwide audience. For the
world's sake, I highly recommend making an effort to compose legible posts; neatly
arranged, sensible, coherent, and tidy.

Excessive bolding and italics, lack of adequate paragraphing, twitter spelling,
unnecessary emogies, horrible grammar, confusing mixtures of fonts and colors, and/or
shouting with caps and oversize letters, makes for tiresome clutter and annoying graffiti
that leave a bad impression.

Some people's posts resemble the obnoxious placards of worked-up protesters and
political activists; yelling, shrieking, and sometimes even spraying spittle. They are
beyond reason and objectivity in their desperation to be taken seriously. Apparently they
assume that if only they shout loud enough, and make themselves annoying enough,
maybe they'll get their point across and somebody will finally listen.

I rather suspect that some people regard forums as a canvas for painting their
comments instead of composing them. Well; that might be okay for outsiders, they can
be as messy as they want because it doesn't matter. But for those of us who honestly
believe ourselves to be representing God's son; it's unacceptable.

● Phil 1:27 . . Conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ.
_

I know that it is my practice to put in larger letters things that I seek to emphasize in any particular scripture that I may post. I do not see this as an unacceptable practice but as a method of clarifying my points.

You may judge otherwise and that is fine; I am not going to change my practice because of it.

Webers_Home · Dec 31, 2019

.
FAQ: If Jesus Christ's body really was bone of Adam's bones, and flesh of
Adam's flesh, and his blood was Adam's too; then wouldn't Jesus be effected
by Rom 5:12a, which reads: "Just as sin entered the world through one
man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men?

A: Yes; had Jesus not been crucified, he would've eventually died of some
other cause.

FAQ: You're saying that Jesus Christ's body wasn't immortal?

A: Had Jesus' body been immortal, the Romans would've failed to execute
him on the cross and he would've just hung there in agony day after day
after day even after the soldier stabbed him with a spear.

FAQ: What about the remainder of Rom 5:12, which says: "because all
sinned". And also Rom 5:19 which says: "Through the disobedience of the
one man the many were made sinners". Are you saying that Adams sin
made Jesus Christ a sinner just the same as all the rest of Adam's progeny?

A: Jesus Christ never committed a single solitary sin of his own in his entire
life. (John 8:29, 2Cor 5:21, Heb 4:15, and 1Pet 2:22)

But note that I said "of his own".

Adam's sin is what's sometimes called imputed. In other words, it's a sin
whose consequences are held against you without your having actually done
anything yourself to deserve it. (cf. Isa 53:5-9)

I realize that sounds extremely unjust and unfair but it is what it is, and not
even the very son of God himself could circumvent it because in order for
the Word of John 1:1-14 to be fully man, he had to take upon himself not
only a human man's body, but also a human man's liabilities; which for
someone of his stature, must have been terribly humiliating.

Now, let me emphasize that I'm not talking about the so-called fallen
nature here. This is strictly a legal issue; and justice for the offense is easily
satisfied by just simply passing away. (Gen 2:17)
_

justbyfaith · Dec 31, 2019

Webers_Home said:
A: Yes; had Jesus not been crucified, he would've eventually died of some
other cause.

And if He had died of some other cause, He would not have stayed in the grave that time either.

Act 2:24, Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it.

I think that had Jesus died of natural causes, He would have simply woken up the next day as though He had not died.

1Ti 6:14, That thou keep this commandment without spot, unrebukeable, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ:
1Ti 6:15, Which in his times he shall shew, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords;
1Ti 6:16, Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honour and power everlasting. Amen.

justbyfaith · Dec 31, 2019

Jesus was set apart from the sin imputed to the human race through Adam's transgression; because the sin DNA is passed down through the sperm and not the egg (as is the blood of the individual) biologically.

Webers_Home · Dec 31, 2019

.
● Luke 1:31-32 . . the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father.

When Joseph adopted Jesus into Solomon's lineage, it gave the child a legal
opportunity to inherit David's throne, but it did not give him a natural
opportunity, viz: in order to fully qualify as a candidate for the throne, Jesus
absolutely had to be David's biological progeny.

● Ps 89:3-4 . . I have made a covenant with My chosen; I have sworn to
David My servant: I will establish your seed forever, and build up your
throne to all generations

● Ps 132:11 . .The Lord has sworn to David, a truth from which He will not
turn back: Of the fruit of your body I will set upon your throne.

● Ps 89:35-36 . . Once have I sworn by my holiness that I will not lie unto
David. His seed shall endure forever, and his throne as the sun before me.

The New Testament verifies that Jesus satisfies the natural requirement in
those Psalms.

● Rom 1:1-3 . . Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David
according to the flesh

The Greek word for "seed" in that passage is sperma (sper'-mah) which is a
bit ambiguous because it can refer to spiritual progeny as well as to
biological progeny; for example:

● Gal 3:29 . . If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed.

That seed is obviously spiritual progeny. But the seed in Rom 1:1-3 is
biological progeny because David's seed is "according to the flesh" i.e. his
physical human body.

David's seed according to the flesh not only validates Jesus' natural
candidacy for David's throne, but also verifies that Adam was Jesus'
biological progenitor because the Bible traces David's lineage all the way
back there in Luke's genealogy.

But even without Luke's contribution, it's easy to prove that Adam was
David's biological progenitor simply by referring to the fact that all human
beings, regardless of race or color, are Adam's biological progeny; which of
course includes David.

● Acts 17:26 . . From one man God made every nation of men, that they
should inhabit the whole earth.

Now, unless somebody can prove clearly, conclusively, iron clad, and without
spin and sophistry that David's body was in no way biologically related to
Adam's body, then we have to conclude that baby Jesus' body was also
biologically related to Adam's body due to his natural descent from David.
_

Taken · Jan 1, 2020

brakelite said:
@Taken

Addressing your points.

Notice what scripture says:

Joh_3:6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

Jesus was not at sinner, but He did take upon Himself our fallen flesh.

Nothing in Scripture says Jesus "took upon Himself "OUR" fallen flesh".

Scripture expecitedly says, and you quoted...
Jesus "took upon Himself"..."the "SEED" of Abraham.

The Son of God took upon Himself the "seed" of "Abraham" (fallen),

How did you determine the "seed" of "Abraham" was......(fallen)?

Point being...YOU are speaking of the WORD OF GOD, taking upon Himself the "seed" "OF" "Abraham"...and Scripture expecitily reveals it was "Abram" who served "OTHER" gods....
(WAS...past tense...FALLEN...applies to ABRAM....NOT ABRAHAM.)
Joshua 24:2

If all will go with me to other scriptures please, where it describes this "flesh" [sarx]:

Again...you say..."THIS FLESH"...(you begin with FALLEN FLESH of Abram, which sets a FALSE Premise).

Point Being, A false base, will dictate a false result.

Glory to God,
Taken

justbyfaith · Jan 1, 2020

Webers_Home said:
.
● Luke 1:31-32 . . the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father.

When Joseph adopted Jesus into Solomon's lineage, it gave the child a legal
opportunity to inherit David's throne, but it did not give him a natural
opportunity, viz: in order to fully qualify as a candidate for the throne, Jesus
absolutely had to be David's biological progeny.

● Ps 89:3-4 . . I have made a covenant with My chosen; I have sworn to
David My servant: I will establish your seed forever, and build up your
throne to all generations

● Ps 132:11 . .The Lord has sworn to David, a truth from which He will not
turn back: Of the fruit of your body I will set upon your throne.

● Ps 89:35-36 . . Once have I sworn by my holiness that I will not lie unto
David. His seed shall endure forever, and his throne as the sun before me.

The New Testament verifies that Jesus satisfies the natural requirement in
those Psalms.

● Rom 1:1-3 . . Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David
according to the flesh

The Greek word for "seed" in that passage is sperma (sper'-mah) which is a
bit ambiguous because it can refer to spiritual progeny as well as to
biological progeny; for example:

● Gal 3:29 . . If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed.

That seed is obviously spiritual progeny. But the seed in Rom 1:1-3 is
biological progeny because David's seed is "according to the flesh" i.e. his
physical human body.

David's seed according to the flesh not only validates Jesus' natural
candidacy for David's throne, but also verifies that Adam was Jesus'
biological progenitor because the Bible traces David's lineage all the way
back there in Luke's genealogy.

But even without Luke's contribution, it's easy to prove that Adam was
David's biological progenitor simply by referring to the fact that all human
beings, regardless of race or color, are Adam's biological progeny; which of
course includes David.

● Acts 17:26 . . From one man God made every nation of men, that they
should inhabit the whole earth.

Now, unless somebody can prove clearly, conclusively, iron clad, and without
spin and sophistry that David's body was in no way biologically related to
Adam's body, then we have to conclude that baby Jesus' body was also
biologically related to Adam's body due to his natural descent from David.
_

According to Genesis 3:15, Jesus is primarily the seed of the woman.

Taken · Jan 1, 2020

justbyfaith said:
According to Genesis 3:15, Jesus is primarily the seed of the woman.

Gods SEED IS "Christ"... Gal 3:16

Webers_Home · Jan 1, 2020

.

justbyfaith said:
According to Genesis 3:15, Jesus is primarily the seed of the woman.

The woman's seed was made from flesh and bone taken from the man's
body (Gen 2:21-23). Ergo; her seed had something of the man in it.

So then any progeny produced by her seed would be his progeny, i.e. he and
the woman's progeny would be blood kin; and thus her seed would be in his
line because she was in his line right from the get-go..

Bottom Line: If Jesus Christ is the seed spoken of in Gen 3:15, then he is
Adam's biological progeny by reason of Eve's flesh and bone being Adam's
flesh and bone.
_

justbyfaith · Jan 1, 2020

The sin DNA is passed down through the seed of the father.

Therefore, since Jesus had no earthly father, He was without sin

(but only came "in the likeness of" sinful flesh).

Webers_Home · Jan 2, 2020

.
FAQ: According to Jer 31:29-30 and Ezek 18:20, the father's guilt is not laid
to the account of his posterity for the evil he has done. So then, how was
it legal for God to condemn the entire human race to death for what Adam did?

A: According to Deut 5:1-3, Rom 4:15, Rom 5:13, and Gal 3:17, the laws of
God do not have ex post facto jurisdiction; viz: they aren't retroactive. So at
the time of the forbidden fruit incident, God was at liberty to impute the guilt
of Adam's transgression to his entire posterity, which of course included Eve
seeing as how according to Gen 2:21-23, her flesh and bones were made of
his flesh and bones. In effect; Eve was Adam's first child; and from her came
everyone else. (Gen 3:20)
_

Ernest T. Bass · Jan 2, 2020

Webers_Home said:
.
● Jer 13:23a . . Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the leopard its spots?

The answer to both those questions is of course "no" because if an h.sapiens
is born with black skin, it stays black; and if a cat is born with spotted fur,
its stays spotted. In other words: the color of an Ethiopian's skin, and the
spots on a leopard's fur, are indelible; they're permanent.

● Jer 13:23b . . Neither can you do good who are accustomed to doing evil.

The apostle Paul said something similar in Rom 7:7-24; which is pretty much
summed up in verse 18, which reads thus:

"I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh"

The Greek word for "flesh" is sarx (sarx); which basically indicates the
meaty parts of either man or beast; i.e. the body. The meaty parts of course
consist of not only muscle and fat; but also the organs and the brain and the
nervous system along with the eyes, the ears, and the tongue. Those are all
"meaty" parts.

What Paul is saying in Rom 7:7-24 is that the human body has a will of its
own, and it quite naturally, and quite intrinsically, has a predilection for evil
instead of good. In other words; any man who would be 100% righteous is
in for a fight against nature, i.e. a fight against his own self-- an inner
conflict that (speaking from experience) can lead to a mental disorder or a
nervous breakdown.

Ironically, should someone manage to succeed in a war with themselves, in
the long run it will be for naught because all they will have done is suppress
their body's natural predilection for evil rather than get rid it.
_

I do not agree with the Calvinist interpretation of the passage...

1) the context is specifically referring to Israel/Judah at a time in their history when they turned from God and continued to rebel and refused to repent, hence the comparison between the leopard spots and their refusal to repent. It therefore cannot be used in an universal sense to describe all men. Same is true with Isaiah 64:6-7 which specifically refers to Israel at a time when they were in iniquity.

2) The state Israel found itself in in Jeremiah 13:23 was due to their willful choice not due to some nature they were born with, therefore the state they were in was due to their own will and not a necessary, unavoidable state due to how they were passively born. It is 'impossible' for the leopard to change his spots is similar to the one who has fallen away and it is 'impossible' for them to come to repentance, Hebrews 6:6. This state of impossibility is due to the willful choice in continuing to crucify Christ and put Him to an open shame and not due to some total depraved nature one was passively born with.

The rich young ruler did not do as Jesus said but went away sorrowful. In response to this Jesus said "For it is easier for a camel to go through a needle's eye, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God." The 'impossibility of a camel going through the eye of the needle is used to express the willful state the young rich ruler chose for himself and not how he was born. Those in Hebrews 6:6 and the rich young rule were in an 'impossible' state due to willful choices they made therefore their state was not unavoidable due to being born with a totally depraved nature.
Inability of the lost is due to choice and not a nature one was born passively born with...Israel had backslidden so far it would have been easier for the leopard to change it spots than for Israel to repent of their wickedness just as it would be easier for a camel to go through a needle's eye than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God. Again, it is not impossible for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God or for a sinner to repent yet if the sinner allows wickedness to continually dwell in his heart then it becomes impossible for him to repent. Jesus' words nor Jeremiah's words cannot be taken literally but are being used in a comparative sense.

3) God created the leopard with spots and the Ethiopian with dark skin. Does this imply that God created man with a totally depraved nature then God punishes man for the sin brought about by having a totally depraved nature?

Webers_Home · Jan 3, 2020

.
FAQ: To be possible for Mary's conception to produce a male child, her ovum
would need a Y chromosome; which only a man's gamete can provide. From
whence did she get it?

A: Some say she got it directly from God via the Holy Spirit as per Luke
1:35, but I'm inclined to suspect that Jesus got the Y chromosome from his
virgin mother's body via a miracle.

In the beginning God made the first woman with human material taken from
the first man's body (Gen 2:21-22) so that the woman became just as much
Adam as Adam; she is not a discrete creature made independently of the
man out of sand or dirt and rock. She was made from the flesh and bone of
an already existing human being's flesh and bone. (Gen 2:23, Gen 5:2)

Seeing as how God constructed an entire woman-- top to bottom --from a
sample of the man's flesh and bone, then I do not see how it would be any
more difficult for God to construct a dinky little Y chromosome from a
sample of a woman's flesh and bone.

And seeing as how a woman's flesh is Adam's, then any Y chromosome that
God might construct from woman's flesh would be Adam's seeing as how
Eve's flesh was made with Adam's flesh.

God didn't have to create a Y chromosome ex nihilo, same as he didn't have
to create a woman ex nihilo. He made her from something human already
existing, which served to keep her in Adam's family. In the same vein, by
making a Y chromosome from a woman's flesh and bone, it keeps Jesus'
genes all in the Adams' family too.
_

marks · Jan 3, 2020

Webers_Home said:
FAQ: If Jesus Christ's body really was bone of Adam's bones, and flesh of
Adam's flesh, and his blood was Adam's too; then wouldn't Jesus be effected
by Rom 5:12a, which reads: "Just as sin entered the world through one
man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men?

A: Yes; had Jesus not been crucified, he would've eventually died of some
other cause.

Except . . . Jesus stated that no one takes His life from Him, that He lays it down. He said He had the power to lay it down, and the power to take it back up again.

What would have killed the Man Who has life in Himself?

Much love!

marks · Jan 3, 2020

Webers_Home said:
Now, unless somebody can prove clearly, conclusively, iron clad, and without
spin and sophistry that David's body was in no way biologically related to
Adam's body, then we have to conclude that baby Jesus' body was also
biologically related to Adam's body due to his natural descent from David.

There's another aspect I haven't seen addressed,

1 Corinthians 15
45 And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.
46 Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual.
47 The first man is of the earth, earthy; the second man is the Lord from heaven.
48 As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly.
49 And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.

What makes Jesus the "Last Adam"?

How is it that Adam was of the earth, and was earthy, while Jesus, the "second man", is from heaven? What makes Jesus the "second man"? After all, as soon as Cain was born, wasn't he the "second man"? Unless it means something different, that is, unless it means that Adam was created and began humanity, then Jesus began a new humanity?

Much love!

Webers_Home · Jan 3, 2020

.
FAQ: The Bible predicts that it would be Eve's seed that eventually destroys
the Serpent. Doesn't that clearly indicate there would be no traces of Adam
in the final stage of Jesus' biological origin?

A: There are times in the Bible when a woman's "seed" simply refers to her
offspring-- her children --and isn't meant to exclude a male ingredient. For
example Gen 16:8-11 where God speaks of Ishmael as Hagar's seed;
however that doesn't mean Ishmael was virgin-born because Gen 21:13
speaks of him as Abraham's seed too

To my knowledge none of Eve's children were virgin-born. The perpetuation
of her seed spoken of at Gen 3:15 was made possible only by conjugal
relations with a man. (Gen 4:1-2, Gen 4:25)

In other words: Eve's "seed" doesn't speak of her ovum, rather, it speaks of
her posterity, which all came about via the participation of hundreds, maybe
even thousands, of men down thru the centuries-- most especially Abraham,
Isaac, and Jacob --and I have no plausible reason to believe that God
preserved some of Eve's eggs so that later on one could be implanted at just
the right moment in Mary's womb to produce Jesus.
_

Webers_Home · Jan 4, 2020

.
● Jer 13:23 . . Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the leopard its spots?
Neither can you do good who are accustomed to doing evil.

Back in the mid 1960s-- when I was a young single guy around 24 years old
living solo in a tiny rented room in a family home's daylight basement --I
had lots of time to myself to think about things since I had no friends, nor
any kind of social contact whatsoever other than at work. I wasn't distracted
with a girl friend, nor by pals and beer buddies, nor by an obsessive hobby.
It was just me, my 1961 Volkswagen, and a 305 Honda motorcycle that I
rode all over northwest Oregon.

I thought about Hell a lot back in those days; and the very real possibility of
my ending up there. It occurred to me at the time that it would be a whole
lots easier to comply with God's wishes if only I were like Him instead of like
me. Doing bad is easy for me because I'm bad without thinking about it
whereas doing good is a fight against nature. If only I could do good as
naturally as God does good; I'd have it made.

Another thought crossed my mind back in those days. Let's assume that I
could somehow manage to be pious enough in this lifetime to qualify for
Heaven. Then what? I was pretty sure I could never manage to be pious for
all eternity: possibly in this life, but certainly never in the next; no, I could
never keep it up forever. Sooner or later my true colors would show
themselves.

I envied people like Moses because he had Heaven in the bag while I had no
clue about my future; though I was fairly sure that for me, Hell was pretty
much a foregone conclusion.

I didn't know it at the time, but I was very fortunate to be thinking those
kinds of thoughts because right around then I ran across a solution to my
problem in the Old Testament that says:

"I will take you from among the nations and gather you from all the
countries, and I will bring you to your land. And I will sprinkle clean water
upon you, and you will be clean; from all your impurities and from all your
abominations will I cleanse you.

. . . And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit will I put within you,
and I will take away the heart of stone out of your flesh, and I will give you
a heart of flesh. And I will put My spirit within you and bring it about that
you will walk in My statutes and you will keep My ordinances and do them."
(Ezek 36:24-27)

Those promises were made to the Jews so of course I, being a Gentile,
couldn't expect God to let me in on them. But just think of the tremendous
advantages that passage speaks of. Whereas I am normally and naturally
impious, with those promises in hand I could become just the opposite, viz:
I could become normally and naturally pious. Ezek 36:24-27 really perked
me up and lifted my spirits because it gave me a light at the end of the
tunnel whereas before then, I had none.

Eph 2:11-22 tells how that God has a way for Gentiles to share in the Jews'
benefits. The light at the end of the tunnel spoken of above is available to
everyone on Earth regardless of age, race, color, or gender; which the
apostle Peter sums up by saying:

● 2Pet 1:2-4 . . Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the
knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. His divine power has given us
everything we need for life and piety through our knowledge of Him who
called us by His own glory and goodness. Through these He has given us His
very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate
in the divine nature.
_

justbyfaith · Jan 4, 2020

Webers_Home said:
God didn't have to create a Y chromosome ex nihilo,

Nevertheless, that is what He did.

Leopard's Spots

brakelite

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