That Eternal Choice.

 Evidence of our mortality.

Simply- we all die. The nicest and, the most awful people in the world both die. The brave, the cowardly, the upstanding, the degenerate, the young, the old, the innocent, the guilty, all die. Being given long life doesn't make you especially pleasant and seemingly deserving of that long life. And having a very short life doesn't make you a nasty person deserving of a short life. 

When God created mankind He created them as eternal beings. Yes, we were created to be eternal, all of us. Not a single one of us were born to be finite and that is why we all have the possibility of eternity. I said, possibility because while we were created to be eternal beings, that gift of the eternal was contingent upon our remaining united with the eternal God. We could not expect to be allowed eternity without the eternal, ever was, ever is, ever will be God. Separating ourselves from the Eternal God caused us to no longer warrant eternal life. When we chose self over God we chose to live by our own powers only to realize that we have none. Still today after six thousand or so years, many of mankind are trying to find something, anything, to grant them that eternal life of pure health and happiness. They've been trying to cure all illness, all disease, and trying to make even the accidental injury results a thing of the past. Trying, trying and trying without succeeding. Yes, they can put bandages on things, but it seems as if just as one illness has a cure, two or three new illnesses pop up to take its place. We want to be healthy, to be in the prime of our life forever, and this desire is only natural because it was what we were intended for. 

Bottom line- without the Eternal God- we have no everlasting good thing at all whatsoever. Our temporary life affords us the opportunity to choose eternal life. Our temporary life offers us a chance to reunite with our Eternal God. Because all of mankind has a choice, we are called to make that choice- that eternal choice. 

May we choose salvation through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior, our eternal Savior, our eternal God!

We all have death promised to us.

We do not all have eternity promised to us, eternity is something we must choose and accept by faith in God.

(Excerpt)

The Condemnation.

5:12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned

"Death passed upon all men;" or, as stated later, "judgment came upon all men to condemnation." "The wages of sin is death." Rom. 6:23. All have sinned, and, therefore, all are in condemnation.  There has not a man lived on earth over whom death has not reigned, nor will there be until the end of the world.  Enoch and Elijah, as well as those who shall be translated when the Lord comes, are no exceptions.

There are no exceptions, for the Scripture says that "death passed upon all men." For the reign of death is simply the reign of sin. "Elias was a man of like passions with us." Enoch was righteous only by faith; his nature was as sinful as that of any other man. So that death reigned over them as well as over any others. For be it remembered that this present going into the grave, which we so often see, is not the punishment of sin. It is simply the evidence of our mortality. Good and bad alike die. This is not the condemnation, because men die rejoicing in the Lord, and even singing songs of triumph.

All.

 All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. This is ENOUGH to condemn every single human being to eternal death. In fact it DOES condemn every single human being to eternal death. (Let me rephrase that just a bit, it condemns every mentally competent human being to eternal death- I'm a firm believer in the very young and mentally incompetent as belonging to God.) 

Our sins condemn us, but we are all, and I do mean ALL are given an opportunity find salvation from that condemnation. Not all opportunities are the same, some are very unique, but all have the chance to accept Christ Jesus as their Savior. 

(Excerpt)

Romans 5:14 Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression, who is the figure of Him that was to come. 

15 But not as the offense, so also is the free gift; for if through the offense, so also is the free gift; for if through the offense of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many. 

16 And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift; for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offenses unto justification. 

17 For if by one man's offense death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.) 

18 Therefore as by the offense 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. 

19 For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.

The Reign of Death. 

"Death reigned from Adam to Moses." That does not imply that death did not reign just as much afterwards. But the point is that Moses stands for the giving of the law; "for the law was given by Moses." John 1:17. 

Now since death reigns through sin, and sin is not imputed when there is no law, it is evident from the statement that "death reigned from Adam to Moses," that the law was in the world just as much before Sinai as it was afterwards.

"The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law." 1 Cor. 15:56.

There can be no sin imputed when there is no law; but wherever there is sin, there death reigns.

Adam a Figure. "Death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression, who is the figure of Him that was to come." 

How is Adam a figure of Him that was to come, namely, Christ? Just as the following verses indicate, that is, Adam was a figure of Christ in that his action involved many besides himself. It is evident that Adam could not give his descendants any higher nature than he had himself, so Adam's sin made it inevitable that all his descendants should be born with sinful natures.  Sentence of death, however, does not pass on them for that, but because they have sinned.

A Figure by Contrast. Adam is a figure of Christ, but only by contrast. "Not as the offense, so also is the free gift." Through the offense of one many are dead; but through the righteousness of One, many receive life. "The judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offenses unto justification. "For if by one man's offense death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by One, Jesus Christ." There is contrast all the way through. Everything that came through Adam's fall is undone in Christ; or, better still, all that was lost in Adam is restored in Christ.

"Much More." This might be taken as the key-note of this chapter. Not only is everything that is lost in Adam restored in Christ, but "much more." "If, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son; much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life."

And there is no chance of finding fault with the inevitable fact that we are inheritors of a sinful nature through Adam. We can not complain that we are unjustly dealt with. It is true that we are not to blame for having a sinful nature, and the Lord recognizes the fact. So he provides that just as in Adam we were made partakers of a sinful nature, even so in Christ we shall be made partakers of the divine nature.

But "much more." "For if by one man's offense death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by One, Jesus Christ." That is, the life of which we are made partakers in Christ is much stronger for righteousness than the life which we received from Adam is for unrighteousness. God does not do things by halves. He gives "abundance of grace."

By One.

 By one tempted human being sin passed unto all humans.

By one God in human flesh life is offered to all humans.

Before we start going off on how unfair it is that we personally are condemned by the actions of another human being, you have absolutely no idea whatsoever whether you would have succumbed to the same temptation that brought sin to humanity. You cannot say with any iota of truth that you could have kept from sinning, you just CAN'T. You can sit there and say you never would have, but where do you get your facts from to base that statement upon? Do you give into any temptations right now? Do you? Are you holding up the excuse that you can't help but give in because you were born into a sinful humanity? Stop right there, you have an Advocate with the Father, you have a Savior, you have hope, you are told to go and sin no more, and why would the Savior tell you to do the impossible? Can you, right this moment, think of an instance when by God's grace you kept from giving into a temptation to sin? Just one instance, do you have that memory? By the grace of God we can keep from sin. Only by the righteousness of God could Adam and Eve keep from sinning. They had to exchange the righteousness of God for the sin they committed.  We too exchange that same righteousness for every sin we commit.  We make a choice. To sit back and even believe for a single moment that you would not have done as Adam and Eve, well that is a fool's belief, a fool's excuse to place blame elsewhere, in fact anywhere other than on yourself.

Sin exists. Salvation exists. 

Fairness, righteousness both exist. 

*

A Series of Contrasts Romans 5:12-19

12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned: 

13 (for until the law sin was in the world; but sin is not imputed when there is no law.

14 Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression, who is the figure of Him that was to come. 

15 But not as the offense, so also is the free gift; for if through the offense, so also is the free gift; for if through the offense of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many. 

16 And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift; for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offenses unto justification. 

17 For if by one man's offense death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.) 

18 Therefore as by the offense 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. 

19 For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.

(Excerpt)

There is probably no passage in Romans [considered] more difficult to understand than verses 12-19. 

The reason is that there is so long a parenthesis in the midst of the main statement, and there is so much repetition of the same form of expression. There is really no greatly involved argument. In this study we shall not attempt to deal with every particular, but will note the main thought running through the whole, so that the reader can read and study it more satisfactorily for himself.

First Principles. 

It will be seen from verse 12 that the apostle goes back to the very beginning. "By one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned." There can never be any presentation of the gospel, if these facts are ignored.

Death by Sin.

Death came by sin, because sin is death. Sin, when it is full grown, bringeth forth death. See James 1:15. 

Jas 1:15  Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death. 

"To be carnally minded is death." Rom. 8:6. "The sting of death is sin." 1 Cor. 15:56. 

There could be no death if there were no sin. 

Sin carries death in its bosom. So it was not an arbitrary act on the part of God that death came upon men because of sin. It could not possibly be otherwise.

Righteousness and Life. 

"To be spiritually minded is life and peace." Rom. 8:6.

"There is none good but one, that is, God." Matt. 19:17. 

He is goodness itself. Goodness is his life. Righteousness is simply God's way. 

Therefore righteousness is life. 

It is not merely a conception of what is right, but it is the right thing itself. 

Righteousness is active.

As sin and death are inseparable, so are righteousness and life. "See, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil." Deut. 30:15.

Death Passed upon All Men. 

Note the justice here. Death passed upon all men, "for that all have sinned." "The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son; the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him." Eze. 18:20. And this is also a necessary consequence of the fact that sin contains death in it, and that death can not come in any other way than by sin.

The Conclusion.

It will be noticed that the twelfth verse begins a proposition that is not completed. Verses 13-17 are parenthetical; we must pass on to the eighteenth verse to find the conclusion. But as the mind would naturally lose the first part of the statement on account of the long parenthesis, the apostle repeats the substance of it, so that we may perceive the force of the conclusion. So the first part of verse 18 is parallel to verse 12. 

"As by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men to condemnation." The conclusion is, "Even so by the righteousness of One the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life."

Temporary Joy or Eternal Joy?

 Our joy is not to be found in ourselves. Seriously, we keep trying to find a place of joyfulness as if we can attain such a state and once we do our lives will be exponentially easier to live. The truth is, the joy we need to have is joy IN GOD THROUGH OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST.

Joy in God.

If we truly joy in God, we are not seeking self-joy. If we place our trust in God, truly place our trust in Him then our joy is in Him, not in ourselves or anything of this world.  We can joy in God and the flower HE created for us to see, smell, touch and feel happy about, but that joy isn't in the flower itself but rather the Creator of the flower we are being allowed to enjoy. Joy in the glory we know is of God. Joy in the plan God has given to us. Joy in the salvation we are given. Joy in the eternal, not the temporary. Yes, appreciate the temporary joys we are often blessed to receive, but joy in God who provided the temporary joys. When the temporary joys disappear we must be thankful for however long we had to enjoy them, giving glory and honor to the God we joy in for His ways are far above ours. As temporary joys are stripped from our lives in a moment or agonizingly slowly allowed to disappear, we cling to the joy that is God and His wisdom as we are given that chance to place our joy fully in God through all of our lives. When we comprehend that the most horrible of tribulations and tragedies are for us to endure and still joy in God, we know in our core that all tribulation, all tragedies and trials are temporary. Fifty years of tribulation, sixty years, seventy years… of pure trial and tragedy- some lives are just this. Some lives have little to no joy, just day after day of pain. This life is temporary- in all its horror and all its temporary joys. The problem is, so many of us want temporary joy over eternal joy, seeking temporary joys constantly and only being satisfied with temporary joy. 

When we joy in God we have joy in the eternal. 

We joy in the things above, not the things of earth. Satan would have us only seek the temporary joys, and barring that settle for temporary contentment, and even further Satan would have us believe there is no such thing as eternal joy. Satan would have us despair now and cut us off to all eternal joy. 

We must joy in God, joy in our eternal God first and foremost. 

God help us to that end.  All through Jesus Christ, our Lord, and Savior now and forever!

*

Rom 5:11  And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement. 

(Excerpt EJ Waggoner_

Joy in God.

By the same life by which we receive the reconciliation and salvation, "we also joy in God." 

Christ's life is a joyous life. When David had fallen, he prayed, "Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation;  and uphold me with thy free Spirit." Ps. 61:12. The brightness of the heavens, the beauty of the infinite variety of flowers with which God clothes the earth, and the glad songs of the birds, all indicate that God delights in joy and beauty. Brightness and song are but the natural expressions of his life. "Let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee." Ps. 5:11.

Psa_5:11  But let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice: let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them: let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee.

Psa_35:9  And my soul shall be joyful in the LORD: it shall rejoice in his salvation.

Psa_95:1  O come, let us sing unto the LORD: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation.

Psa_95:2  Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms.

Psa_98:4  Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all the earth: make a loud noise

Psa_149:5  Let the saints be joyful in glory: let them sing aloud upon their beds.

Isa_61:10  I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels

2Co 7:4  Great is my boldness of speech toward you, great is my glorying of you: I am filled with comfort, I am exceeding joyful in all our tribulation. 

2Co 7:5  For, when we were come into Macedonia, our flesh had no rest, but we were troubled on every side; without were fightings, within were fears. 

2Co 7:6  Nevertheless God, that comforteth those that are cast down

A Whispered Prayer.

 

Guilty

 I'm guilty. Do I want to be guilty? No, I don't want to be guilty. Do I want to make excuses to explain away the guilty, give reason for the actions of guilt? Yes. I do not want to be guilty. Being guilty is an awful thing. Having no excuse good enough to wipe away the guilty, is horrible.

You've been blindsided with horrible news, someone you love has tragically been murdered. You drown your sorrow in a few alcoholic beverages and then get up enough nerve to drive home to face the tragedy with others. On the way home you crash into another car and kill someone. You are guilty of killing someone because you chose to put alcohol into your body which caused your driving skills to be diminished. You put alcohol in your body because of a tragedy you experienced. Such a vicious turn of events. Your reason for doing what you did is comprehensible on some level but at the same time you caused yet another tragedy. Guilty. The reasons for the guilt do not negate the guilt. A penalty must be paid for the guilt. How many people have gone to prison for things they didn't mean to do, but are none the less guilty of doing. They are paying for their actions, unintentional actions perhaps but their actions. 

I am guilty. Unintentionally, and intentionally guilty. My guilt has many facets unfortunately. 

What am I guilty of? So many, many things. Chief among my guilt is my worshiping of myself above God, and the putting of myself above others. 

I am guilty.

I deserve punishment.

I stand before my judge, God the Father.

I turn to my advocate, Jesus Christ the only begotten Son. 

I yield all of me to the Son. I believe the Son alone can make me guiltless, by choosing to take my guilt upon Himself. He doesn't tell me I'm guilt free, but rather He tells me the guilt I have He will take from me, He tells me that He suffered, that He died, that He did that for me. He tells me that His blood was shed for me. He chose to end His life in order to save my life eternally.

My Savior ascended from death's darkness to heaven's light. 

My Savior stands before the Father, advocating for me right now and as long as there is time He will plead for me. When the cup is full and probation for all mankind has run out, when the Savior finishes all His advocating for all His people and the way of salvation is over, I will be on saved solely by His grace!

In the heavenly sanctuary right now Christ is advocating for us, but soon He will finish His work of advocating and take on His kingship, coming to call all His people to be with Him.

This is truth!

Lord, I am nothing, you are all. All glory to YOU, all glory to GOD.

Will We Yield?

 Lessons to Learn.

Being taught, something we've all experienced, right? You can't say no if you're reading this, because you were taught to read. Spiritual learning is our being taught by the Spirit, and we are taught this way once we are born of the Spirit. The lessons the Spirit teaches us are lessons for our eternity. We live now and right now we are being perfected for our eternal life. We have a spirit and our spirit with the Holy Spirit learn things of the Spirit. You may think it's not important to be Spirit taught, but it is. The Spirit convicts us, and our convictions become more and more intense the more we are taught of the Spirit. A conviction causes us to realize our complete and utter need of relying upon our Savior. We realize this need by comprehending our inability to save ourselves. 

The sanctuary was a structure that was a blatant reminder of man's sin and need of a Savior.

'The earthly sanctuary was a teaching tool for mankind and the lesson it was teaching was taught. That lesson all pointed to the heavenly sanctuary, to our Savior and His offer of salvation. Christ lived the sanctuary upon earth and after living out the sanctuary on earth He went to the heavenly sanctuary to finish the lesson there. The lesson… we have a High Priest in heaven right now! And once that High Priest FINISHES His priestly work in the heavenly sanctuary- He and His Father will become the all that the sanctuary of embodies.'

Christ is a working High Priest. Christ isn't simply a figurehead for people to look to, but a REALITY. HE is our ADVOCATE, our HEAVENLY LAWYER pleading our CASE. He has ALL the evidence, all the proof to be able to redeem us! What will determine each case is our accepting our Lord as our Savior- fully accepting that HE alone can save us! Yielding ourselves to salvation in Christ Jesus. Will we yield all we are to Him?