Burning Sons and Daughters

“For the children of Judah have done evil in my sight,” saith the LORD: “they have set their abominations in the house which is called by my name, to pollute it. And they have built the high places of Tophet, which is in the valley of the son of Hinnom, to burn their sons and their daughters in the fire; which I commanded them not, neither came it into My heart” (Jeremiah 7:30-31).

God calls burning children an abomination, but He burns His children – forever?

It has never even entered God’s mind to do such a thing! Yet, it is a common and very acceptable idea that that’s what God is going to do to His children, and not only burn them as the Hebrew’s did, but the common belief is that God is even going to change their bodies such that they cannot have the luxury of dying!

NO! He is going to do no such thing! By the sacrifice of His son, all are redeemed.

Grant Miller
Author of Think, and Be Free

What We Learn from the Costa Concordia

In the largest passenger ship loss since the Titanic, 33 of the 4,252 passengers and crew of the Costa Concordia perished. The captain of the ship was arrested on preliminary charges, including manslaughter.

Despite the fact that some 99.2% were saved, it remains a tragic loss of life. Every life on board the ship was of unique value, and their individual death is a great tragedy.

Just the other day, my dear friend and brother, Jim Burson, shared with me an astute illustration spawned by this cruise ship incident.

There was a large passenger ship with a thousand people on it. The captain assembled all passengers and announced to them, “The ship is about to sink, but I have ‘Good News.’ Fifty of you will be able to make it to dry land.”

This is the “Good News” of traditionalism, but I contend that it is not “Good News” at all. For the nine hundred and fifty who are about to perish, it certainly is not “Good News.” For those fifty who will not perish, it is not “Good News,” because they likely will leave behind children, wives and husbands. Most of all it is not “Good News” to the captain because he knows it was his responsibility to assure the well-being of his passengers.

Here is what we learn from the Costa Concordia: the captain is always responsible for his ship – and all under his care. Any loss is unacceptable, even .8%. This is even truer concerning the Sovereign of the Universe. He is responsible for all He has made – for His entire creation – and He emphatically declares Himself to be the “Savior of all men” (I Timothy 4:10).

In effectually discharging His responsibility God sent His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, to “take away the sin of the world” (John 1:29), proclaiming Him to be the actual “Savior of the world” (John 4:42).

In spite of all of this, Christianity has the faithless audacity to bring an indictment against God: the vast majority of His creation will be eternally lost, and His Son will utterly fail, being guilty Himself of dereliction of responsibility for His Saviorhood.

Our Lord Jesus Christ “came to seek and to save the lost” (Luke 19:10), and He Who leaves the 99, tirelessly and unfailingly will “go after that which is lost, until He finds it” (Luke 15:4). Some of Christianity would have the nerve to suggest that only a fraction will eventually be saved. However, if Christ’s rate of salvation was that of the Costa Concordia’s – 99.2% – He would be an utter failure, as He was not declared to be the “99.2% Savior of the world.”

Salvation is not the responsibility of the crew or passengers, but of Salvation’s Captain (the “Captain of their salvation” – Hebrews 2:10, KJV) – the successful “Savior of the world.” He, and He alone, will see to its full and complete accomplishment. The Good News is that the ship Salvation is in unwaveringly capable hands. Father and His Son are in absolute control.

Rest, and enjoy the cruise.

Clyde L. Pilkington, Jr.
Daily Email Goodies

Is Adam Greater than Christ?

Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of One the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life (Romans 5:18).

What we do has no effect on who we are in Christ … The cross wasn’t some piece of groundwork Christ laid that now requires your belief to validate it … Everyone constituted a sinner in Adam will eventually be constituted just in Christ …

Does everyone experience this justification simultaneously? No. Just as a person cannot experience Adam’s cure until he or she is born, neither can a person experience Christ’s victory until Christ chooses to reveal it to him or her. But it will happen for every son and daughter of Adam, if not in this life, then in the next. This is the testimony of Scripture (I Timothy 2:5-6; I Corinthians 15:22-23) …

Man’s theology, however, has destroyed the parallels, placing everyone under Adam’s disobedience, but on a fraction under Christ’s obedience. Man’s theology has made the former involuntary, while the latter they have made a matter of free choice. Scripture doesn’t do this, man does. By doing so, man’s theology had made Adam greater than Christ.

This does not seem to bother anyone.

Martin Zender
How to Be Free From Sin While Smoking a Cigarette (2007), pages 30-36

The End Is Not Yet

And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, Who created all things by Jesus Christ (Ephesians 3:9).

For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men (Titus 2:11).

Here in both places, the term is universal, all men; all men must see what is the fellowship of the mystery …

If you say, but we see not yet all men brought to the knowledge of the mystery. I answer as in another case, “the end is not yet.” … I shall answer this exception in the words of the author of Hebrews in a like case,

But now we see not yet all things put under Him. But we see Jesus, Who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honor; that He by the grace of God should taste death for every man (Hebrews 2:8-9).

Jeremiah White (1629-1707)
(Chaplin to Oliver Cromwell)
Restoration of All Things, pages 38, 39

The Salvation of ALL: Creation’s Final Destination (A Biblical Look at Universal Reconciliation)

A book by:

Clyde L. Pilkington, Jr.

The Gospel of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ is truly better “Good News” than we ever could have imagined. It is far more glorious than religion would ever have us believe. The Salvation of All is a book about a “Good News” that will reach its final goal in the salvation of all mankind.

ISBN:

9781934251010

1934251011

316 pages, PB

Expanded Edition (132 additional pages)

http://salvationofall.com

The Divine Crisis

The primary word translated “judgment” in the Greek Scriptures is Strong’s Greek Lexicon #2920, krisis. This word krisis means, “a critical period of time, decisive moment, turning point or deciding time” (see Arthur P. Adams, Judgment, 1885; Jack E. Jacobson, The Concept of Circularity, page 36) and is where we get our English word crisis. The American Heritage Dictionary defines “crisis” as “a crucial or decisive point or situation; a turning point.” Thus divine judgment is the divine crisis in the creation. It is the divinely appointed “turning point.”

Arthur P. Adams (1845-1925) has well written in his 1885 work on Judgment,

Judgment is given to man as a blessing and favor, and when such time arrives for any individual, class of individuals, or the world, it is cause for great rejoicing and thanksgiving; read, for example, the 96^th Psalm, and notice how all people and even inanimate nature are called upon to exult and rejoice “Before the Lord, for He comes to judge the world. He shall judge the world with righteousness and the people with His truth.” This presentation of the nature of the time of judgment as a period of great rejoicing and special blessing, is in most striking contrast with the orthodox view, which makes the judgment day a time of almost unmitigated horror and dread.

Clyde L. Pilkington, Jr.
Daily Email Goodies

Inexhaustible Grace

Millions of hells of sinners cannot come near to exhaust infinite grace.

Samuel Rutherford (1600-1664)
A Letter (1646)
World of Quotes

The Gift of Life Cannot Be Refused

Sometimes it is objected that a man can always refuse a gift. He has this much freedom at least. But there is one gift which he cannot refuse: and that is the gift of life. He will not be offered it because he is dead. It can only be conferred upon him and it is not within his power to refuse it …

The initiative must always be with God. Nor can he hinder the grace of God. The dead cannot refuse resurrection any more than the dead can ask for it. Divine Election and Sovereign Grace, not human inclination, are what account for man’s salvation.

Arthur C. Custance (1910-1985)
The Sovereignty of God, Part I, Chapter 2

Gloriously Subdued

Only when Christ has subdued all things unto Himself, will the successions of time pass away, and God be “All” in all beings and things, every shadow of evil being swept out of the universe, that the everlasting blessedness of the eternal world may be without spot or stain.

Samuel Cox (1826-1893)
Salvator Mundi, chapter 5

Faith by Him

It is not even our own faith but a faith given to us from the Father, channeled through the Son, and made effective through the power of the Holy Spirit. It is “by Him” (Jesus Christ) that we believe in God (I Peter 1:21), a truth perceived by Peter from the very beginning of his ministry: “The faith which is by Him” (Acts 3:16). … Saving faith is not the human contribution of a sinner seeking salvation, but the divine contribution of the gracious God seeking a sinner (Acts 18:27). We are saved “by grace … through faith; and that not of ourselves” (Ephesians 2:8). It is through faith as a channel that we are saved and not because of a faith of our own which is taken as a kind of guarantee of our earnestness. So also in I Corinthians 3:5, where Paul speaks of himself and Apollos as those by whom the Corinthians had believed. He does not speak of either of them as the originators of their faith but as the channels of it. … As Paul said to the Philippians (1:29), it had been given them to exercise saving faith. It was a gift. …

The Lord Jesus Christ is truly the “author of faith” … Thus it is really His salvation (Psalm 8:9; Luke 2:30; 3:6); it becomes our own only after we have received it as a gift (Philippians 2:12).

Arthur C. Custance (1910-1985)
The Sovereignty of Grace, chapter 6