ActivityPub Viewer

A small tool to view real-world ActivityPub objects as JSON! Enter a URL or username from Mastodon or a similar service below, and we'll send a request with the right Accept header to the server to view the underlying object.

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{ "@context": "https://www.w3.org/ns/activitystreams", "type": "OrderedCollectionPage", "orderedItems": [ { "type": "Announce", "actor": "https://www.minds.com/api/activitypub/users/1522342228201050121", "object": { "type": "Note", "id": "https://www.minds.com/api/activitypub/users/1199759892655644689/entities/urn:activity:1607354796346445832", "attributedTo": "https://www.minds.com/api/activitypub/users/1199759892655644689", "content": "<a href=\"https://www.minds.com/newsfeed/1607354796346445832\" target=\"_blank\">https://www.minds.com/newsfeed/1607354796346445832</a>", "to": [ "https://www.w3.org/ns/activitystreams#Public" ], "cc": [ "https://www.minds.com/api/activitypub/users/1199759892655644689/followers" ], "tag": [], "url": "https://www.minds.com/newsfeed/1607354796346445832", "published": "2024-02-22T10:54:06+00:00", "attachment": [ { "type": "Document", "url": "https://cdn.minds.com/fs/v1/thumbnail/1607354782987587585/xlarge/", "mediaType": "image/jpeg", "height": 1350, "width": 1080 } ], "source": { "content": "https://www.minds.com/newsfeed/1607354796346445832", "mediaType": "text/plain" } }, "id": "https://www.minds.com/api/activitypub/users/1522342228201050121/entities/urn:activity:1607359465781202946/activity", "to": [ "https://www.w3.org/ns/activitystreams#Public" ], "cc": [ "https://www.minds.com/api/activitypub/users/1199759892655644689", "https://www.minds.com/api/activitypub/users/1522342228201050121/followers" ] }, { "type": "Announce", "actor": "https://www.minds.com/api/activitypub/users/1522342228201050121", "object": { "type": "Note", "id": "https://www.minds.com/api/activitypub/users/1199759892655644689/entities/urn:activity:1607356340609486849", "attributedTo": "https://www.minds.com/api/activitypub/users/1199759892655644689", "content": "<a href=\"https://www.minds.com/newsfeed/1607356340609486849\" target=\"_blank\">https://www.minds.com/newsfeed/1607356340609486849</a>", "to": [ "https://www.w3.org/ns/activitystreams#Public" ], "cc": [ "https://www.minds.com/api/activitypub/users/1199759892655644689/followers" ], "tag": [], "url": "https://www.minds.com/newsfeed/1607356340609486849", "published": "2024-02-22T11:00:14+00:00", "attachment": [ { "type": "Document", "url": "https://cdn.minds.com/fs/v1/thumbnail/1607356329993703436/xlarge/", "mediaType": "image/jpeg", "height": 1350, "width": 1080 } ], "source": { "content": "https://www.minds.com/newsfeed/1607356340609486849", "mediaType": "text/plain" } }, "id": "https://www.minds.com/api/activitypub/users/1522342228201050121/entities/urn:activity:1607358895393607700/activity", "to": [ "https://www.w3.org/ns/activitystreams#Public" ], "cc": [ "https://www.minds.com/api/activitypub/users/1199759892655644689", "https://www.minds.com/api/activitypub/users/1522342228201050121/followers" ] }, { "type": "Create", "actor": "https://www.minds.com/api/activitypub/users/1522342228201050121", "object": { "type": "Note", "id": "https://www.minds.com/api/activitypub/users/1522342228201050121/entities/urn:activity:1530728345140989966", "attributedTo": "https://www.minds.com/api/activitypub/users/1522342228201050121", "content": " My wife and I were sitting at the kitchen table, and she said, “I want to go HOME and see the kids for Christmas.” A few days later, we were on our way. While there, we got the flu and started longing to go HOME. While on the way HOME, we stopped in Sheyenne, WY. I was sick, and two nights in a nice hotel helped a lot, but I wanted to go HOME. On the way through Nebraska, we had some very long detours because of I-80 closures, and we kept saying I wanted to go HOME; we stopped in Kansas City, MO. We thought we had reservations at a pet-friendly hotel. No, they were not pet-friendly, so we decided to go HOME. We drove another 9+ hours, we were dead tired, but when we saw Home, none of that mattered. We were happy to be HOME.<br />HOME is not a specific place; HOME is where we grew up and raised our children. HOME is where our grandchildren are raised. HOME is our place of refuge. HOME is and always will be where my wife and I can relax and let go. HOME is so many things you cannot contain it in one location. Home is where anybody and everybody you love lives.<br />", "to": [ "https://www.w3.org/ns/activitystreams#Public" ], "cc": [ "https://www.minds.com/api/activitypub/users/1522342228201050121/followers" ], "tag": [], "url": "https://www.minds.com/newsfeed/1530728345140989966", "published": "2023-07-26T00:07:56+00:00", "source": { "content": " My wife and I were sitting at the kitchen table, and she said, “I want to go HOME and see the kids for Christmas.” A few days later, we were on our way. While there, we got the flu and started longing to go HOME. While on the way HOME, we stopped in Sheyenne, WY. I was sick, and two nights in a nice hotel helped a lot, but I wanted to go HOME. On the way through Nebraska, we had some very long detours because of I-80 closures, and we kept saying I wanted to go HOME; we stopped in Kansas City, MO. We thought we had reservations at a pet-friendly hotel. No, they were not pet-friendly, so we decided to go HOME. We drove another 9+ hours, we were dead tired, but when we saw Home, none of that mattered. We were happy to be HOME.\nHOME is not a specific place; HOME is where we grew up and raised our children. HOME is where our grandchildren are raised. HOME is our place of refuge. HOME is and always will be where my wife and I can relax and let go. HOME is so many things you cannot contain it in one location. Home is where anybody and everybody you love lives.\n", "mediaType": "text/plain" } }, "id": "https://www.minds.com/api/activitypub/users/1522342228201050121/entities/urn:activity:1530728345140989966/activity" }, { "type": "Create", "actor": "https://www.minds.com/api/activitypub/users/1522342228201050121", "object": { "type": "Note", "id": "https://www.minds.com/api/activitypub/users/1522342228201050121/entities/urn:activity:1530727011121631242", "attributedTo": "https://www.minds.com/api/activitypub/users/1522342228201050121", "content": " I chose to discuss this before we get into the attribute of God's will. Decreeing reflects God's will, and there has been a long-running discussion about the order of God's decrees. To discuss this, we need a couple of definitions.<br /> Definition of supralapsarianism.: the doctrine that God decreed both election and reprobation prior to creation and then allowed the fall of man as a means of carrying out his divine purposes — compare infralapsarianism.<br />Definition of infralapsarianism.: the doctrine that God foresaw and permitted the fall of man and that after the fall, he then decreed election as a means of saving some of the human race — compare supralapsarianism.<br />These are arguments that theological minds have argued, and since it is impossible to know with 100% assuredness, I will not tell you with confidence that I am right about what I believe on this subject. Much holier minds than mine have differed about this discussion.<br />I am not going to expound on the differences between these two definitions. If you want to know more about them, you will need to look them up. Instead, I will tell you from my limited knowledge of who God is how I justify the fall of man and angels.<br />God being God, knew when He created that his creatures could not be like God and would never be God. Therefore, the creature by nature would fall because the creature cannot keep himself as God keeps Himself. Thus, the fall of men and angels was a forgone conclusion because only God alone can be God. The fall is a foregone conclusion because man and angels had free will pre-fall. Acting on this free will puts the creature at risk of transgressing against God. Having a free will also makes you desire autonomy; therefore, we want equality with or sovereignty over God. It was a foregone conclusion that the creature would fall because it was in our nature from the beginning. All one needs to do is read about the rebellion against God in the old testament; you can't miss it.<br />What God did decree was how and who He would redeem. If we go back to God's attribute of omniscience and knowledge, we find that God knows everything all at once. God sees everything and knows everything all at the same time. God was not surprised at the fall of man or angels, which would be infralapsarianism. God did not decree the fall of man or angels, which would be supralapsarianism, because their fall was, by nature, going to happen. These are the arguments of the opposing sides. How God redeemed man, and angels is what He decreed.<br />Elect angels were kept by God, so in God's decree for the angels, who were each created separately, it was decreed that some would be allowed to fall and some would be elect. It is an essential distinction between the creation of man and angels: angels were created individually, and mankind was created through one man, Adam. Because one angel falls, all do not fall; given the opportunity, all would have fallen, but God kept some.<br />All mankind fell when Adam fell because all were in Adams's loins at the time of the fall. The sin that caused the angels and man to fall was desiring to be over God. Satan desired to put his throne above the throne of God in heaven. Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit because they wanted the knowledge of good and evil, which would, in their minds, makes them equal to God—two sides of the same sin. No one has ever been born that would have made a different decision than Adam and Eve made. So, put that thought out of your head. We all fell in Adam, and rightly so.<br />If supralapsarianism means that God decreed the fall, then I disagree with this notion. Decreeing and allowing the inevitable are two different things. If supralapsarianism means God chose His elect before the foundations of the earth were formed, then I am a Supralapsarian. Having said all this, I believe God is in sovereign control of all things. Being all-knowing and sovereign, God would have decreed the circumstances around the fall of the angels and man. And God, being sovereign, would have decreed the path of salvation and who the elect would be.<br />Therefore, God is not the author or creator of sin; the natural desire to be like God is generated from the creature's heart entirely without the help of God. God did not cause the fall, the creature did, but that does not mean that God was not in control of all the circumstances around the fall.<br />Now, God willing, we will tackle the will of God. For this, I ask your prayers for me; the will of God and how it works itself out are not to be taken lightly. I will continue to pray for the lost, and God willing; this blog has an effect on the hearts of the lost.<br />", "to": [ "https://www.w3.org/ns/activitystreams#Public" ], "cc": [ "https://www.minds.com/api/activitypub/users/1522342228201050121/followers" ], "tag": [], "url": "https://www.minds.com/newsfeed/1530727011121631242", "published": "2023-07-26T00:02:38+00:00", "source": { "content": " I chose to discuss this before we get into the attribute of God's will. Decreeing reflects God's will, and there has been a long-running discussion about the order of God's decrees. To discuss this, we need a couple of definitions.\n Definition of supralapsarianism.: the doctrine that God decreed both election and reprobation prior to creation and then allowed the fall of man as a means of carrying out his divine purposes — compare infralapsarianism.\nDefinition of infralapsarianism.: the doctrine that God foresaw and permitted the fall of man and that after the fall, he then decreed election as a means of saving some of the human race — compare supralapsarianism.\nThese are arguments that theological minds have argued, and since it is impossible to know with 100% assuredness, I will not tell you with confidence that I am right about what I believe on this subject. Much holier minds than mine have differed about this discussion.\nI am not going to expound on the differences between these two definitions. If you want to know more about them, you will need to look them up. Instead, I will tell you from my limited knowledge of who God is how I justify the fall of man and angels.\nGod being God, knew when He created that his creatures could not be like God and would never be God. Therefore, the creature by nature would fall because the creature cannot keep himself as God keeps Himself. Thus, the fall of men and angels was a forgone conclusion because only God alone can be God. The fall is a foregone conclusion because man and angels had free will pre-fall. Acting on this free will puts the creature at risk of transgressing against God. Having a free will also makes you desire autonomy; therefore, we want equality with or sovereignty over God. It was a foregone conclusion that the creature would fall because it was in our nature from the beginning. All one needs to do is read about the rebellion against God in the old testament; you can't miss it.\nWhat God did decree was how and who He would redeem. If we go back to God's attribute of omniscience and knowledge, we find that God knows everything all at once. God sees everything and knows everything all at the same time. God was not surprised at the fall of man or angels, which would be infralapsarianism. God did not decree the fall of man or angels, which would be supralapsarianism, because their fall was, by nature, going to happen. These are the arguments of the opposing sides. How God redeemed man, and angels is what He decreed.\nElect angels were kept by God, so in God's decree for the angels, who were each created separately, it was decreed that some would be allowed to fall and some would be elect. It is an essential distinction between the creation of man and angels: angels were created individually, and mankind was created through one man, Adam. Because one angel falls, all do not fall; given the opportunity, all would have fallen, but God kept some.\nAll mankind fell when Adam fell because all were in Adams's loins at the time of the fall. The sin that caused the angels and man to fall was desiring to be over God. Satan desired to put his throne above the throne of God in heaven. Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit because they wanted the knowledge of good and evil, which would, in their minds, makes them equal to God—two sides of the same sin. No one has ever been born that would have made a different decision than Adam and Eve made. So, put that thought out of your head. We all fell in Adam, and rightly so.\nIf supralapsarianism means that God decreed the fall, then I disagree with this notion. Decreeing and allowing the inevitable are two different things. If supralapsarianism means God chose His elect before the foundations of the earth were formed, then I am a Supralapsarian. Having said all this, I believe God is in sovereign control of all things. Being all-knowing and sovereign, God would have decreed the circumstances around the fall of the angels and man. And God, being sovereign, would have decreed the path of salvation and who the elect would be.\nTherefore, God is not the author or creator of sin; the natural desire to be like God is generated from the creature's heart entirely without the help of God. God did not cause the fall, the creature did, but that does not mean that God was not in control of all the circumstances around the fall.\nNow, God willing, we will tackle the will of God. For this, I ask your prayers for me; the will of God and how it works itself out are not to be taken lightly. I will continue to pray for the lost, and God willing; this blog has an effect on the hearts of the lost.\n", "mediaType": "text/plain" } }, "id": "https://www.minds.com/api/activitypub/users/1522342228201050121/entities/urn:activity:1530727011121631242/activity" }, { "type": "Create", "actor": "https://www.minds.com/api/activitypub/users/1522342228201050121", "object": { "type": "Note", "id": "https://www.minds.com/api/activitypub/users/1522342228201050121/entities/urn:activity:1530722064502099977", "attributedTo": "https://www.minds.com/api/activitypub/users/1522342228201050121", "content": " Which of these scriptures indicates that God’s wrath only burns against sin?<br />Romans 1:18, “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth.”<br />Proverbs 11:4 says, “Riches do not profit in the day of wrath, but righteousness delivers from death.”<br />Ephesians 5:6, “Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.”<br />Romans 2:5, “But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed.”<br />Revelation 14:10-11 “He also will drink the wine of God’s wrath, poured full strength into the cup of his anger, and he will be tormented with fire and sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever, and they have no rest, day or night, these worshipers of the beast and its image, and whoever receives the mark of its name.”<br />John 3:36 “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.”<br />The first statement is a question, and the reason I asked is that it is a widespread belief that God hates sin and not the sinner. We see from the above scripture references that it is not the act of sin that burns eternally; instead, it is the actor. When we say that God hates the sin and not the sinner, we soften the blow of God’s wrath. The statement God hates the sin and not the sinner makes God out to be unjust. The sinner now feels he has cover. God’s wrath is not burning against him; personally, it’s just a general hatred against sin.<br />The truth is,<br />22 “What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, 23 in order to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory” (Romans 9:22-23).<br />God’s wrath is equally Glorifying to Him, equally Just; without wrath, we would not know His mercy or love. Because God is perfect in all of His attributes and perfectly balanced in all of His attributes, His wrath is righteous and just. Wrath is not glorifying to man at all; His purpose is not to glorify man, but Himself.<br />The Christian should be Greatfull because,<br />3 “Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others” (Ephesians 2:3).<br />The Christian has no room to boast. We are, by nature, children of wrath. This should cause us to look at our friends and neighbors with an understanding and merciful heart and a desire to tell them of the great love of God in the hope that they, too, will turn and flee from the coming wrath. But what should they flee from if God’s wrath is not burning against them? We must tell the truth; they must know the eternal results of their actions. They need to know that,<br />“And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).<br />Peter was speaking to the rulers of the people and the elders about Jesus, so there is salvation only in Jesus, who is Christ, our savior, and king.<br />Wrath is another bitter pill to swallow when speaking of God’s attributes. Wrath must be seen in conjunction with His other attributes, like mercy, grace, love, righteousness, and on and on. You can not judge the righteous judge of all the creation. If you tried to judge God, you would be wrong judging from the limited view of one attribute. Remember,<br />“But who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its molder, “Why have you made me like this?” (Romans 9:20).<br />We have about four attributes left, and then we will start something new. I am unsure what yet, but I am sure who is in control. So, I keep praying for you and this blog that you and the blog would glorify God.<br />", "to": [ "https://www.w3.org/ns/activitystreams#Public" ], "cc": [ "https://www.minds.com/api/activitypub/users/1522342228201050121/followers" ], "tag": [], "url": "https://www.minds.com/newsfeed/1530722064502099977", "published": "2023-07-25T23:42:59+00:00", "source": { "content": " Which of these scriptures indicates that God’s wrath only burns against sin?\nRomans 1:18, “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth.”\nProverbs 11:4 says, “Riches do not profit in the day of wrath, but righteousness delivers from death.”\nEphesians 5:6, “Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.”\nRomans 2:5, “But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed.”\nRevelation 14:10-11 “He also will drink the wine of God’s wrath, poured full strength into the cup of his anger, and he will be tormented with fire and sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever, and they have no rest, day or night, these worshipers of the beast and its image, and whoever receives the mark of its name.”\nJohn 3:36 “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.”\nThe first statement is a question, and the reason I asked is that it is a widespread belief that God hates sin and not the sinner. We see from the above scripture references that it is not the act of sin that burns eternally; instead, it is the actor. When we say that God hates the sin and not the sinner, we soften the blow of God’s wrath. The statement God hates the sin and not the sinner makes God out to be unjust. The sinner now feels he has cover. God’s wrath is not burning against him; personally, it’s just a general hatred against sin.\nThe truth is,\n22 “What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, 23 in order to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory” (Romans 9:22-23).\nGod’s wrath is equally Glorifying to Him, equally Just; without wrath, we would not know His mercy or love. Because God is perfect in all of His attributes and perfectly balanced in all of His attributes, His wrath is righteous and just. Wrath is not glorifying to man at all; His purpose is not to glorify man, but Himself.\nThe Christian should be Greatfull because,\n3 “Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others” (Ephesians 2:3).\nThe Christian has no room to boast. We are, by nature, children of wrath. This should cause us to look at our friends and neighbors with an understanding and merciful heart and a desire to tell them of the great love of God in the hope that they, too, will turn and flee from the coming wrath. But what should they flee from if God’s wrath is not burning against them? We must tell the truth; they must know the eternal results of their actions. They need to know that,\n“And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).\nPeter was speaking to the rulers of the people and the elders about Jesus, so there is salvation only in Jesus, who is Christ, our savior, and king.\nWrath is another bitter pill to swallow when speaking of God’s attributes. Wrath must be seen in conjunction with His other attributes, like mercy, grace, love, righteousness, and on and on. You can not judge the righteous judge of all the creation. If you tried to judge God, you would be wrong judging from the limited view of one attribute. Remember,\n“But who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its molder, “Why have you made me like this?” (Romans 9:20).\nWe have about four attributes left, and then we will start something new. I am unsure what yet, but I am sure who is in control. So, I keep praying for you and this blog that you and the blog would glorify God.\n", "mediaType": "text/plain" } }, "id": "https://www.minds.com/api/activitypub/users/1522342228201050121/entities/urn:activity:1530722064502099977/activity" }, { "type": "Create", "actor": "https://www.minds.com/api/activitypub/users/1522342228201050121", "object": { "type": "Note", "id": "https://www.minds.com/api/activitypub/users/1522342228201050121/entities/urn:activity:1530720314827214849", "attributedTo": "https://www.minds.com/api/activitypub/users/1522342228201050121", "content": " Jealousy in our minds is usually a bad thing. Jealousy is depicted as a green-eyed monster, and that is because our jealousy is tainted by sin. Our pride and arrogance destroy biblical jealousy and make it next to impossible for us to use this emotion properly in our lives.<br />Biblical jealousy is How the apostle Paul felt about the Corinthians when he said, “I feel a divine jealousy for you” (2 Corinthians 11:2). Paul cared for the Corinthians as a father cares for his children. In this sense, jealousy is a protective fear for their spiritual well-being. I think that is about as good as it gets for humans.<br />God has jealousy that is so far above ours it is hard for us to understand, especially if we compare it to the two descriptions of jealousy above. God, in scripture, depicts Himself in this way, always, earnestly, and continually. He seeks to protect His honor jealously. I know this sounds selfish, but we must remember the other attributes and see him as best we can. God is the only one worthy of all praise, honor, and glory, so He rightly protects that. These commandments are part of how God is jealously protecting His honor,<br />4 Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord:<br />5 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.<br />6 And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart:<br />7 And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.<br />8 And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes.<br />9 And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates.<br />10 And it shall be, when the Lord thy God shall have brought thee into the land which he sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give thee great and goodly cities, which thou buildedst not,<br />11 And houses full of all good things, which thou filledst not, and wells digged, which thou diggedst not, vineyards and olive trees, which thou plantedst not; when thou shalt have eaten and be full;<br />12 Then beware lest thou forget the Lord, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage.<br />13 Thou shalt fear the Lord thy God, and serve him, and shalt swear by his name.<br />14 Ye shall not go after other gods, of the gods of the people which are round about you;<br />15 (For the Lord thy God is a jealous God among you) lest the anger of the Lord thy God be kindled against thee, and destroy thee from off the face of the earth. (Deuteronomy 6: 4-15).<br />God’s jealousy is defined as follows: God’s jealousy means that God continually seeks to protect His honor.<br />“It is not wrong for God to seek His own glory and honor because He deserves it fully. God freely admits that His actions in creation and redemption are for His honor” (Systematic Theology, Grudem, 206).<br />When God wants to withhold judgment against His people, He says, “For my own sake, for my own sake, I do it…My glory I will not give to another” (Isaiah 48:11).<br />Once again, God alone is worthy of all praise, honor, and glory. I agree with Wayne Grudem when he says, “To realize this fact and to delight in it is to find the secret of true worship” (Grudem 206).<br />For some, this is a bitter pill to swallow. I continue to pray for you.<br />", "to": [ "https://www.w3.org/ns/activitystreams#Public" ], "cc": [ "https://www.minds.com/api/activitypub/users/1522342228201050121/followers" ], "tag": [], "url": "https://www.minds.com/newsfeed/1530720314827214849", "published": "2023-07-25T23:36:01+00:00", "source": { "content": " Jealousy in our minds is usually a bad thing. Jealousy is depicted as a green-eyed monster, and that is because our jealousy is tainted by sin. Our pride and arrogance destroy biblical jealousy and make it next to impossible for us to use this emotion properly in our lives.\nBiblical jealousy is How the apostle Paul felt about the Corinthians when he said, “I feel a divine jealousy for you” (2 Corinthians 11:2). Paul cared for the Corinthians as a father cares for his children. In this sense, jealousy is a protective fear for their spiritual well-being. I think that is about as good as it gets for humans.\nGod has jealousy that is so far above ours it is hard for us to understand, especially if we compare it to the two descriptions of jealousy above. God, in scripture, depicts Himself in this way, always, earnestly, and continually. He seeks to protect His honor jealously. I know this sounds selfish, but we must remember the other attributes and see him as best we can. God is the only one worthy of all praise, honor, and glory, so He rightly protects that. These commandments are part of how God is jealously protecting His honor,\n4 Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord:\n5 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.\n6 And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart:\n7 And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.\n8 And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes.\n9 And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates.\n10 And it shall be, when the Lord thy God shall have brought thee into the land which he sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give thee great and goodly cities, which thou buildedst not,\n11 And houses full of all good things, which thou filledst not, and wells digged, which thou diggedst not, vineyards and olive trees, which thou plantedst not; when thou shalt have eaten and be full;\n12 Then beware lest thou forget the Lord, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage.\n13 Thou shalt fear the Lord thy God, and serve him, and shalt swear by his name.\n14 Ye shall not go after other gods, of the gods of the people which are round about you;\n15 (For the Lord thy God is a jealous God among you) lest the anger of the Lord thy God be kindled against thee, and destroy thee from off the face of the earth. (Deuteronomy 6: 4-15).\nGod’s jealousy is defined as follows: God’s jealousy means that God continually seeks to protect His honor.\n“It is not wrong for God to seek His own glory and honor because He deserves it fully. God freely admits that His actions in creation and redemption are for His honor” (Systematic Theology, Grudem, 206).\nWhen God wants to withhold judgment against His people, He says, “For my own sake, for my own sake, I do it…My glory I will not give to another” (Isaiah 48:11).\nOnce again, God alone is worthy of all praise, honor, and glory. I agree with Wayne Grudem when he says, “To realize this fact and to delight in it is to find the secret of true worship” (Grudem 206).\nFor some, this is a bitter pill to swallow. I continue to pray for you.\n", "mediaType": "text/plain" } }, "id": "https://www.minds.com/api/activitypub/users/1522342228201050121/entities/urn:activity:1530720314827214849/activity" }, { "type": "Create", "actor": "https://www.minds.com/api/activitypub/users/1522342228201050121", "object": { "type": "Note", "id": "https://www.minds.com/api/activitypub/users/1522342228201050121/entities/urn:activity:1530719193517789192", "attributedTo": "https://www.minds.com/api/activitypub/users/1522342228201050121", "content": "\"I am speaking the truth in Christ—I am not lying; my conscience bears me witness in the Holy Spirit— 2 that I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. 3 For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers,[a] my kinsmen according to the flesh. 4 They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises. 5 To them belong the patriarchs, and from their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ, who is God over all, blessed forever. Amen.<br />6 But it is not as though the word of God has failed. For not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel, 7 and not all are children of Abraham because they are his offspring, but \"Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.\" 8 This means that it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as offspring. 9 For this is what the promise said: \"About this time next year, I will return, and Sarah shall have a son.\" 10 And not only so, but also when Rebekah had conceived children by one man, our forefather Isaac, 11 though they were not yet born and had done nothing either good or bad—in order that God's purpose of election might continue, not because of works but because of him who calls— 12 she was told, \"The older will serve the younger.\" 13 As it is written, \"Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.\"<br />14 What shall we say then? Is there injustice on God's part? By no means! 15 For he says to Moses, \"I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.\" 16 So then it depends not on human will or exertion,[b] but on God, who has mercy. 17 For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, \"For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I might show my power in you, and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.\" 18 So then he has mercy on whomever he wills, and he hardens whomever he wills.<br />19 You will say to me then, \"Why does he still find fault? For who can resist his will?\" 20 But who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its molder, \"Why have you made me like this?\" 21 Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use? 22 What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, 23 in order to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory— 24 even us whom he has called, not from the Jews only but also from the Gentiles? 25 As indeed he says in Hosea,<br />\"Those who were not my people I will call 'my people,'<br /> and her who was not beloved I will call 'beloved.'\"<br />26 \"And in the very place where it was said to them, 'You are not my people,'<br /> there they will be called 'sons of the living God.'\"<br />27 And Isaiah cries out concerning Israel: \"Though the number of the sons of Israel[c] be as the sand of the sea, only a remnant of them will be saved, 28 for the Lord will carry out his sentence upon the earth fully and without delay.\" 29 And as Isaiah predicted,<br />\"If the Lord of hosts had not left us offspring,<br /> we would have been like Sodom<br /> and become like Gomorrah.\"<br />Israel's Unbelief<br />30 What shall we say, then? That Gentiles who did not pursue righteousness have attained it, that is, a righteousness that is by faith; 31 but that Israel who pursued a law that would lead to righteousness[d] did not succeed in reaching that law. 32 Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as if it were based on works. They have stumbled over the stumbling stone, 33 as it is written,<br />\"Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense;<br /> and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.'\" (Romans 9).<br />I block-quoted all of Romans chapter 9 because I wanted all to see it in the context of what is said as we discuss God's righteousness/justice. Some of this will sound like circular reasoning. You need to remember the other attributes we have already discussed in previous blogs, especially the omnipotence of God, the wisdom of God, and the grace of God.<br />Righteousness and justice have different meanings in English. In Hebrew and Greek, both words come from the same word groups. In Hebrew, they are from forms of the tsedek word group. In Greek, they are from the dikaios word group. I am no language expert, but I have to trust that my systematic theology book is telling me the truth. So, we will treat both attributes together for this discussion because righteousness and justice are so intertwined that I feel, it would be splitting hairs to separate them. Because I want this to be very clear, I am relying heavily on my systematic theology book, so there will be many quotes.<br />Definition; God's righteousness/justice means that God always acts by what is right and is Himself the final standard of what is right and just. (Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology, 204).<br />\"Speaking of God, Moses says, \"All His ways are justice. A God of faithfulness and without iniquity, just and right is He\" (Deuteronomy 32:4). Abraham successfully appeals to God's character of righteousness when he says, \"Shall not the judge of the earth do right?\" (Genesis 18:25). God also speaks and commands what is right: \"The precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart\" (Psalms 19:8). And God says of Himself, \"I the LORD speak the truth, I declare what is right\" (Isaiah 45:19).<br />Because of God's righteousness/justice, God must, therefore, treat people in accordance with what they disserve. Now, if God only treated people with what they disserve, we would all be going to hell. Thank God He has prepared a way for His people to go to heaven. Before the ultimate sacrifice of our Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, God, it seems overlooked sin, but this is not true.<br />\"22 What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, 23 in order to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory\" (Romans 9:22-23).<br />God put up with Patience and longsuffering the sins of past generations, looking forward to the time of salvation through Jesus, who is the Christ and the Son of God, and even now, God puts up with the sin of unbelievers preparing for the day of wrath. So, just because it appears that we have gotten away with some secret sin, rest assured that without repentance, a day is coming when the price for sin will be paid.<br />Some examples of God's Righteousness/justice:<br /> 10 \"And not only so, but also when Rebekah had conceived children by one man, our forefather Isaac, 11 though they were not yet born and had done nothing either good or bad—in order that God's purpose of election might continue, not because of works but because of him who calls— 12 she was told, \"The older will serve the younger.\" 13 As it is written, \"Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.\" (Romans 9:10:13).<br />My example may sound trivial, but; I have a pack of gum, and I, being the owner of the gum, decide to share the gum with someone. There is more than one other person there, and I give the piece of gum not based on any other reason except I desire to share it. It would be fair if I gave a piece to everyone there. But it is just if I only provide a piece for one undeserving individual. No one has a claim to the gum. God is righteous/just, and He is perfectly righteous/just to choose Jacob over Esau, and no one can say to God you are unjust,<br />19 \"You will say to me then, \"Why does he still find fault? For who can resist his will?\" 20 But who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its molder, \"Why have you made me like this?\" 21 Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use?\" (Romans 9:19-21)<br />So, here is the deal; everyone wants humankind to have absolute free will, especially regarding salvation. Why? Because humans want control over their life and death. Well, we already know what happened when humankind had free will; our father and mother, Adam and Eve, chose the lie over the truth, and we, humankind, have been choosing the lie ever since. That is why I implore you at the end of almost every one of these blogs to seek Christ, especially if you are feeling that urge, that calling to seek, and not to give up until you have confidence, eternal security, to know that you belong to God through Jesus who is the Christ.<br />I will continue to pray that God uses this blog to reach those whom He will and that you are one of those whom He wills.<br />", "to": [ "https://www.w3.org/ns/activitystreams#Public" ], "cc": [ "https://www.minds.com/api/activitypub/users/1522342228201050121/followers" ], "tag": [], "url": "https://www.minds.com/newsfeed/1530719193517789192", "published": "2023-07-25T23:31:34+00:00", "source": { "content": "\"I am speaking the truth in Christ—I am not lying; my conscience bears me witness in the Holy Spirit— 2 that I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. 3 For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers,[a] my kinsmen according to the flesh. 4 They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises. 5 To them belong the patriarchs, and from their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ, who is God over all, blessed forever. Amen.\n6 But it is not as though the word of God has failed. For not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel, 7 and not all are children of Abraham because they are his offspring, but \"Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.\" 8 This means that it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as offspring. 9 For this is what the promise said: \"About this time next year, I will return, and Sarah shall have a son.\" 10 And not only so, but also when Rebekah had conceived children by one man, our forefather Isaac, 11 though they were not yet born and had done nothing either good or bad—in order that God's purpose of election might continue, not because of works but because of him who calls— 12 she was told, \"The older will serve the younger.\" 13 As it is written, \"Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.\"\n14 What shall we say then? Is there injustice on God's part? By no means! 15 For he says to Moses, \"I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.\" 16 So then it depends not on human will or exertion,[b] but on God, who has mercy. 17 For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, \"For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I might show my power in you, and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.\" 18 So then he has mercy on whomever he wills, and he hardens whomever he wills.\n19 You will say to me then, \"Why does he still find fault? For who can resist his will?\" 20 But who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its molder, \"Why have you made me like this?\" 21 Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use? 22 What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, 23 in order to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory— 24 even us whom he has called, not from the Jews only but also from the Gentiles? 25 As indeed he says in Hosea,\n\"Those who were not my people I will call 'my people,'\n and her who was not beloved I will call 'beloved.'\"\n26 \"And in the very place where it was said to them, 'You are not my people,'\n there they will be called 'sons of the living God.'\"\n27 And Isaiah cries out concerning Israel: \"Though the number of the sons of Israel[c] be as the sand of the sea, only a remnant of them will be saved, 28 for the Lord will carry out his sentence upon the earth fully and without delay.\" 29 And as Isaiah predicted,\n\"If the Lord of hosts had not left us offspring,\n we would have been like Sodom\n and become like Gomorrah.\"\nIsrael's Unbelief\n30 What shall we say, then? That Gentiles who did not pursue righteousness have attained it, that is, a righteousness that is by faith; 31 but that Israel who pursued a law that would lead to righteousness[d] did not succeed in reaching that law. 32 Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as if it were based on works. They have stumbled over the stumbling stone, 33 as it is written,\n\"Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense;\n and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.'\" (Romans 9).\nI block-quoted all of Romans chapter 9 because I wanted all to see it in the context of what is said as we discuss God's righteousness/justice. Some of this will sound like circular reasoning. You need to remember the other attributes we have already discussed in previous blogs, especially the omnipotence of God, the wisdom of God, and the grace of God.\nRighteousness and justice have different meanings in English. In Hebrew and Greek, both words come from the same word groups. In Hebrew, they are from forms of the tsedek word group. In Greek, they are from the dikaios word group. I am no language expert, but I have to trust that my systematic theology book is telling me the truth. So, we will treat both attributes together for this discussion because righteousness and justice are so intertwined that I feel, it would be splitting hairs to separate them. Because I want this to be very clear, I am relying heavily on my systematic theology book, so there will be many quotes.\nDefinition; God's righteousness/justice means that God always acts by what is right and is Himself the final standard of what is right and just. (Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology, 204).\n\"Speaking of God, Moses says, \"All His ways are justice. A God of faithfulness and without iniquity, just and right is He\" (Deuteronomy 32:4). Abraham successfully appeals to God's character of righteousness when he says, \"Shall not the judge of the earth do right?\" (Genesis 18:25). God also speaks and commands what is right: \"The precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart\" (Psalms 19:8). And God says of Himself, \"I the LORD speak the truth, I declare what is right\" (Isaiah 45:19).\nBecause of God's righteousness/justice, God must, therefore, treat people in accordance with what they disserve. Now, if God only treated people with what they disserve, we would all be going to hell. Thank God He has prepared a way for His people to go to heaven. Before the ultimate sacrifice of our Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, God, it seems overlooked sin, but this is not true.\n\"22 What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, 23 in order to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory\" (Romans 9:22-23).\nGod put up with Patience and longsuffering the sins of past generations, looking forward to the time of salvation through Jesus, who is the Christ and the Son of God, and even now, God puts up with the sin of unbelievers preparing for the day of wrath. So, just because it appears that we have gotten away with some secret sin, rest assured that without repentance, a day is coming when the price for sin will be paid.\nSome examples of God's Righteousness/justice:\n 10 \"And not only so, but also when Rebekah had conceived children by one man, our forefather Isaac, 11 though they were not yet born and had done nothing either good or bad—in order that God's purpose of election might continue, not because of works but because of him who calls— 12 she was told, \"The older will serve the younger.\" 13 As it is written, \"Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.\" (Romans 9:10:13).\nMy example may sound trivial, but; I have a pack of gum, and I, being the owner of the gum, decide to share the gum with someone. There is more than one other person there, and I give the piece of gum not based on any other reason except I desire to share it. It would be fair if I gave a piece to everyone there. But it is just if I only provide a piece for one undeserving individual. No one has a claim to the gum. God is righteous/just, and He is perfectly righteous/just to choose Jacob over Esau, and no one can say to God you are unjust,\n19 \"You will say to me then, \"Why does he still find fault? For who can resist his will?\" 20 But who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its molder, \"Why have you made me like this?\" 21 Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use?\" (Romans 9:19-21)\nSo, here is the deal; everyone wants humankind to have absolute free will, especially regarding salvation. Why? Because humans want control over their life and death. Well, we already know what happened when humankind had free will; our father and mother, Adam and Eve, chose the lie over the truth, and we, humankind, have been choosing the lie ever since. That is why I implore you at the end of almost every one of these blogs to seek Christ, especially if you are feeling that urge, that calling to seek, and not to give up until you have confidence, eternal security, to know that you belong to God through Jesus who is the Christ.\nI will continue to pray that God uses this blog to reach those whom He will and that you are one of those whom He wills.\n", "mediaType": "text/plain" } }, "id": "https://www.minds.com/api/activitypub/users/1522342228201050121/entities/urn:activity:1530719193517789192/activity" }, { "type": "Create", "actor": "https://www.minds.com/api/activitypub/users/1522342228201050121", "object": { "type": "Note", "id": "https://www.minds.com/api/activitypub/users/1522342228201050121/entities/urn:activity:1530637712065826831", "attributedTo": "https://www.minds.com/api/activitypub/users/1522342228201050121", "content": "It speaks for it's self.", "to": [ "https://www.w3.org/ns/activitystreams#Public" ], "cc": [ "https://www.minds.com/api/activitypub/users/1522342228201050121/followers" ], "tag": [], "url": "https://www.minds.com/newsfeed/1530637712065826831", "published": "2023-07-25T18:07:47+00:00", "attachment": [ { "type": "Document", "url": "https://cdn.minds.com/fs/v1/thumbnail/1530637561918132236/xlarge/", "mediaType": "image/jpeg", "height": 960, "width": 832 } ], "source": { "content": "It speaks for it's self.", "mediaType": "text/plain" } }, "id": "https://www.minds.com/api/activitypub/users/1522342228201050121/entities/urn:activity:1530637712065826831/activity" }, { "type": "Create", "actor": "https://www.minds.com/api/activitypub/users/1522342228201050121", "object": { "type": "Note", "id": "https://www.minds.com/api/activitypub/users/1522342228201050121/entities/urn:activity:1530381971937562640", "attributedTo": "https://www.minds.com/api/activitypub/users/1522342228201050121", "content": " Peace/Order is not typically considered an attribute of God. The peace of God comes from His infinite wisdom, knowledge, and power. It comes from His omnipresence, omnipotence, and omniscience. God is orchestrating outcomes worldwide in Billions of people's lives in real-time. All the while, He has been orchestrating in history the outcomes he has foreordained should come about—the destruction and rebuilding of the temple in Jerusalem. The words of the profits in history brought together in perfection, culminating on the cross of Christ. Peace and order are God in sovereign control, in active control moving through history, working all things together for the righteous outcomes that he decreed in eternity past.<br />The definition of God's Peace: \"God's peace means that in God's being and, in His actions, He is separate from all confusion and disorder, yet He is continually active in innumerable well-ordered, fully controlled, simultaneous actions\" (Systematic Theology, Grudem, page 202).<br />Why do I mention peace as an attribute if it is not traditionally considered an attribute of God?<br />\"For God is not a God of confusion but of peace. As in all the churches of the saints\" (1 Corinthians 14:33).<br />\"May the God of peace be with you all. Amen,\" (Romans 15;33).<br />\"The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you\" (Romans 16:20).<br />There are dozens of scriptures in both the Old and new testaments that describe God as the God of peace; this is why I chose to write about the attribute of peace.<br />This is a short blog this week. If you are God's elect, you are in my prayer. If you don't know whether you are, you're still in my prayers. The words of Christ and my prayer for you,<br />\"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid\" (John 14:27).<br />", "to": [ "https://www.w3.org/ns/activitystreams#Public" ], "cc": [ "https://www.minds.com/api/activitypub/users/1522342228201050121/followers" ], "tag": [], "url": "https://www.minds.com/newsfeed/1530381971937562640", "published": "2023-07-25T01:11:34+00:00", "source": { "content": " Peace/Order is not typically considered an attribute of God. The peace of God comes from His infinite wisdom, knowledge, and power. It comes from His omnipresence, omnipotence, and omniscience. God is orchestrating outcomes worldwide in Billions of people's lives in real-time. All the while, He has been orchestrating in history the outcomes he has foreordained should come about—the destruction and rebuilding of the temple in Jerusalem. The words of the profits in history brought together in perfection, culminating on the cross of Christ. Peace and order are God in sovereign control, in active control moving through history, working all things together for the righteous outcomes that he decreed in eternity past.\nThe definition of God's Peace: \"God's peace means that in God's being and, in His actions, He is separate from all confusion and disorder, yet He is continually active in innumerable well-ordered, fully controlled, simultaneous actions\" (Systematic Theology, Grudem, page 202).\nWhy do I mention peace as an attribute if it is not traditionally considered an attribute of God?\n\"For God is not a God of confusion but of peace. As in all the churches of the saints\" (1 Corinthians 14:33).\n\"May the God of peace be with you all. Amen,\" (Romans 15;33).\n\"The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you\" (Romans 16:20).\nThere are dozens of scriptures in both the Old and new testaments that describe God as the God of peace; this is why I chose to write about the attribute of peace.\nThis is a short blog this week. If you are God's elect, you are in my prayer. If you don't know whether you are, you're still in my prayers. The words of Christ and my prayer for you,\n\"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid\" (John 14:27).\n", "mediaType": "text/plain" } }, "id": "https://www.minds.com/api/activitypub/users/1522342228201050121/entities/urn:activity:1530381971937562640/activity" }, { "type": "Create", "actor": "https://www.minds.com/api/activitypub/users/1522342228201050121", "object": { "type": "Note", "id": "https://www.minds.com/api/activitypub/users/1522342228201050121/entities/urn:activity:1530380662836563983", "attributedTo": "https://www.minds.com/api/activitypub/users/1522342228201050121", "content": " Dear friends and neighbors, brothers and sisters. Because of my last two blog’s I desire to make clear that I do not believe that God takes pleasure in the destruction of the wicked. You may be asking your selves why He destroys the wicked if He takes no pleasure in it? It is because of Holiness. At the beginning of this journey into the attributes of God, I said that all attributes had to be displayed equally, that one attribute did not take precedence over another. When it comes to holiness, however, I think I have to change my thinking a little. The Seraphim in heaven do not fly around the throne of God singing, Love, Love, Love, is the Lord God almighty. The Seraphim do not sing, Wrath, Wrath, Wrath, is the Lord God almighty. NO, the Seraphim fly around the throne of God singing, Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who is and was and is to come. Holiness is the defining attribute of God. Holiness demands that all of God’s attributes be displayed to the elect so that we can more fully know Him. Holiness is why God’s wrath is stored up for vessels of wrath prepared beforehand and at the same time, God does not take pleasure in their destruction. God’s wrath and God’s love must be equally displayed. God’s anger at sin and His love must equally be displayed. Because all of God’s attributes are equally holy, one attribute cannot take precedence over another. Holiness is the attribute that makes this balance possible and makes God the one true and holy God.<br />I have read that love is God’s defining attribute but, if God’s love were not controlled by God’s holiness, we might have a God blinded by love, unable to move against sin. Locked in fear of losing one of his creation and not the Holy God of the scripture. If God’s wrath were not controlled by holiness, we would have a tyrant god, much like the man-made gods of old. However, this is not the God we have. We have a holy, loving, merciful God who is also righteous, just, and filled with wrath against sin. His decrees will be carried out untarnished by unbridled emotion, but instead controlled by God’s holiness.<br />The primary biblical definition of Holiness: Separate; Other or Different; Higher or Superior.<br />The secondary definition: Personal righteousness and purity.<br />The secondary definition is holiness as applied to Humans,<br />“since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” (1Peter 1:16).<br />But it is the primary definition that we are concerned with. The Separate, Different, Higher, Superior God. Defining God in this way helps to understand why we cannot understand God’s Holiness. The reason why we sound to some hard and unforgiving when we discuss issues like God’s wrath being saved up for vessels of wrath prepared beforehand. We almost always get the response that God takes no pleasure in the destruction of the wicked. To which we should always respond amen because there is no disagreement in these two statements. God is Holy and because His ways are not our ways, for Him, both can be true. We should not judge God based on our understanding of how emotions work, because our emotions are illogical, unthought messes. God is Holy and Righteous and true and because He is Holy all of his attributes must be equally weighed. All of His attributes must be equally displayed. One attribute of God cannot outweigh the other.<br />The disciples, after having watched Christ's displays of power in healing, believing that His prayer life had some effect, asked Him to teach them how to pray. Jesus responded.<br /> \"Pray then like this: 'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil,'\" (Mathew 6:9-13).<br />Christ is not here proclaiming that God’s name is Holy or he would have said, hallowed is your name. No, instead He said ‘hallowed be your name.” We need to be praying every time that we lift our voices to God that God’s name would be held as Holy on earth as it is in heaven. Then we can ask that His will be done and that His kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven. There is divine order in this prayer that Christ instructs, not just His first-century followers, but he instructs us to pray.<br />There are so many privileges and honors in being part of the elect of God. What was said in the first half of this blog may sound confusing, or incomprehensible to those who are not elect It may sound this way to those who are elect but have been under false teaching their whole lives. It may sound this way to newborn elect, who haven’t had the benefit of proper teaching or time to read and study God’s word. To you, I say pray for God’s wisdom. It is contained in the word of God and imparted by the Holy Spirit of God. To those who are simply not of the faith at this time but feel like you want to know more, find someone to help you, to pray with you. Most importantly seek Christ and do not stop until you have the assurance that you belong to Him.<br />I hope that I did some justice to God’s Holiness. If you want to no more, R C Sproul has a 5 or 6 video series on The holiness of God on YouTube. I highly recommend it. As always I will continue to pray that God uses this blog, and for those who are not believers, that God would give you hearts of flesh, ears to hear, and eyes to see. For those who are believers I will pray for God to increase your understanding, and for wisdom.<br />May God have mercy on our eternal souls.<br /><br />", "to": [ "https://www.w3.org/ns/activitystreams#Public" ], "cc": [ "https://www.minds.com/api/activitypub/users/1522342228201050121/followers" ], "tag": [], "url": "https://www.minds.com/newsfeed/1530380662836563983", "published": "2023-07-25T01:06:22+00:00", "source": { "content": " Dear friends and neighbors, brothers and sisters. Because of my last two blog’s I desire to make clear that I do not believe that God takes pleasure in the destruction of the wicked. You may be asking your selves why He destroys the wicked if He takes no pleasure in it? It is because of Holiness. At the beginning of this journey into the attributes of God, I said that all attributes had to be displayed equally, that one attribute did not take precedence over another. When it comes to holiness, however, I think I have to change my thinking a little. The Seraphim in heaven do not fly around the throne of God singing, Love, Love, Love, is the Lord God almighty. The Seraphim do not sing, Wrath, Wrath, Wrath, is the Lord God almighty. NO, the Seraphim fly around the throne of God singing, Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who is and was and is to come. Holiness is the defining attribute of God. Holiness demands that all of God’s attributes be displayed to the elect so that we can more fully know Him. Holiness is why God’s wrath is stored up for vessels of wrath prepared beforehand and at the same time, God does not take pleasure in their destruction. God’s wrath and God’s love must be equally displayed. God’s anger at sin and His love must equally be displayed. Because all of God’s attributes are equally holy, one attribute cannot take precedence over another. Holiness is the attribute that makes this balance possible and makes God the one true and holy God.\nI have read that love is God’s defining attribute but, if God’s love were not controlled by God’s holiness, we might have a God blinded by love, unable to move against sin. Locked in fear of losing one of his creation and not the Holy God of the scripture. If God’s wrath were not controlled by holiness, we would have a tyrant god, much like the man-made gods of old. However, this is not the God we have. We have a holy, loving, merciful God who is also righteous, just, and filled with wrath against sin. His decrees will be carried out untarnished by unbridled emotion, but instead controlled by God’s holiness.\nThe primary biblical definition of Holiness: Separate; Other or Different; Higher or Superior.\nThe secondary definition: Personal righteousness and purity.\nThe secondary definition is holiness as applied to Humans,\n“since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” (1Peter 1:16).\nBut it is the primary definition that we are concerned with. The Separate, Different, Higher, Superior God. Defining God in this way helps to understand why we cannot understand God’s Holiness. The reason why we sound to some hard and unforgiving when we discuss issues like God’s wrath being saved up for vessels of wrath prepared beforehand. We almost always get the response that God takes no pleasure in the destruction of the wicked. To which we should always respond amen because there is no disagreement in these two statements. God is Holy and because His ways are not our ways, for Him, both can be true. We should not judge God based on our understanding of how emotions work, because our emotions are illogical, unthought messes. God is Holy and Righteous and true and because He is Holy all of his attributes must be equally weighed. All of His attributes must be equally displayed. One attribute of God cannot outweigh the other.\nThe disciples, after having watched Christ's displays of power in healing, believing that His prayer life had some effect, asked Him to teach them how to pray. Jesus responded.\n \"Pray then like this: 'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil,'\" (Mathew 6:9-13).\nChrist is not here proclaiming that God’s name is Holy or he would have said, hallowed is your name. No, instead He said ‘hallowed be your name.” We need to be praying every time that we lift our voices to God that God’s name would be held as Holy on earth as it is in heaven. Then we can ask that His will be done and that His kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven. There is divine order in this prayer that Christ instructs, not just His first-century followers, but he instructs us to pray.\nThere are so many privileges and honors in being part of the elect of God. What was said in the first half of this blog may sound confusing, or incomprehensible to those who are not elect It may sound this way to those who are elect but have been under false teaching their whole lives. It may sound this way to newborn elect, who haven’t had the benefit of proper teaching or time to read and study God’s word. To you, I say pray for God’s wisdom. It is contained in the word of God and imparted by the Holy Spirit of God. To those who are simply not of the faith at this time but feel like you want to know more, find someone to help you, to pray with you. Most importantly seek Christ and do not stop until you have the assurance that you belong to Him.\nI hope that I did some justice to God’s Holiness. If you want to no more, R C Sproul has a 5 or 6 video series on The holiness of God on YouTube. I highly recommend it. As always I will continue to pray that God uses this blog, and for those who are not believers, that God would give you hearts of flesh, ears to hear, and eyes to see. For those who are believers I will pray for God to increase your understanding, and for wisdom.\nMay God have mercy on our eternal souls.\n\n", "mediaType": "text/plain" } }, "id": "https://www.minds.com/api/activitypub/users/1522342228201050121/entities/urn:activity:1530380662836563983/activity" }, { "type": "Create", "actor": "https://www.minds.com/api/activitypub/users/1522342228201050121", "object": { "type": "Note", "id": "https://www.minds.com/api/activitypub/users/1522342228201050121/entities/urn:activity:1530380405109166086", "attributedTo": "https://www.minds.com/api/activitypub/users/1522342228201050121", "content": " After further word study and scripture reading, I decided to write more on Grace. There was a little discussion about common Grace after my last blog. After more study, I have not changed my mind but would like to argue against common Grace from the book of 1 Peter. I will go to the end of 1 Peter and start there. 1 Peter 5:12, NASB,<br />\"Through Silvanus, our good brother (for so I regard him), I have written to you briefly, exhorting and testifying that this is the true Grace of God. Stand firm in it.\"<br />Peter is saying that what he has written in this book is the true Grace of God. I added the emphasis on true Grace. I will only summarize 1 Peter, not quote it word for word. So, be a Berean and read 1 Peter for yourself to determine if my interpretation is correct.<br />1 Peter chapter 1: 1-2, \"Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who reside as aliens, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, who are chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, that you may obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with His blood: May grace and peace be yours in the fullest measure.\"<br />Peter goes on in Chapter 1 to praise the Father and the Son for so great a salvation and to warn against falling back into things they have been saved from. I am suggesting that the true Grace here is this great salvation.<br />After Peter explained this great salvation, how it came about, and what we need to do to Honor it. He goes on in chapter 2 in a little more detail about the things we need to put off and how Christ was the stone laid in Zion, the rock that was rejected, a stumbling stone. When we get to verse 9, we read,<br />\"But you are A CHOSEN RACE, A ROYAL PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR GOD'S OWN POSSESSION, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.\"<br />Is this not God's true Grace? Peter goes on in chapter 2 to explain how they were once not a people but are now a people of God. He explains they should submit themselves to their authorities and how punishment for doing right is better than punishment for doing wrong. He explains how being punished for doing wrong brings no reward but how being punished for doing right glorifies God and silences the ignorance of men. Then Peter uses our suffering Christ as an example of what he has been teaching. Again, I ask you, is this not the true Grace of God?<br />In Chapter 3, Peter gives examples of submission using the relationship between a husband and a wife. The rest of chapter 3 is a summary or reexplanation of what he went over in the first two chapters.<br />Chapter 4 applies the truths, or true Grace, that Peter has been teaching us how to live and respond to this truth. In the last part of chapter 4, Peter encourages us to share Christ's sufferings. I believe to the extent we receive this true Grace that Peter has been teaching us about; we can share in the suffering of Christ. The more we strive in sanctification through the Holy Spirit. The more we will be able to share in the sufferings of Christ through this true Grace received in Christ.<br />In Chapter 5, Peter exhorts the shepherds of the local flocks on how to deal with their flocks. He exhorts young men to be in subjection to their elders and how we should all humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God. He explains how we should resist the adversary. But soon, we are back to verse 12,<br />\"Through Silvanus, our good brother (for so I regard him), I have written to you briefly, exhorting and testifying that this is the true Grace of God. Stand firm in it.\"<br />I hope this was not too dry for you and you held on to the end. I have only a couple of remarks left for you to consider.<br />1) This true Grace that Peter wrote about was to and for believers. He was not writing to any unbelievers with this epistle. <br />2) This true Grace that believers receive brings salvation, sanctification, and eventually glorification.<br />3) This true Grace that Peter speaks of informs us how to live and why we should live that way.<br />Lastly, I did not write this because I felt like I was under attack from anyone. I wrote because when people you respect question what you have written, it is best to take precautions and restudy what you think you know. I have not changed my position on common Grace. I still believe that common Grace is confused with the manifold mercies of God, spoken of in Psalm 145:9, NASB,<br />\"The Lord is good to all, and His mercies are overall.\"<br />After a word study of Grace, gracious, and Graciously, I believe I understand the misconception. The definitions lead one to believe that Grace is or can be applied like mercy is applied. However, reading the scripture, I only find where Grace is applied to the elect of God. The way Peter applies true Grace in his first epistle.<br />I want to remind everyone that I added the emphasis on true Grace, and this was not written to be argumentative. I hope this is a blessing to those who read it.<br />", "to": [ "https://www.w3.org/ns/activitystreams#Public" ], "cc": [ "https://www.minds.com/api/activitypub/users/1522342228201050121/followers" ], "tag": [], "url": "https://www.minds.com/newsfeed/1530380405109166086", "published": "2023-07-25T01:05:20+00:00", "source": { "content": " After further word study and scripture reading, I decided to write more on Grace. There was a little discussion about common Grace after my last blog. After more study, I have not changed my mind but would like to argue against common Grace from the book of 1 Peter. I will go to the end of 1 Peter and start there. 1 Peter 5:12, NASB,\n\"Through Silvanus, our good brother (for so I regard him), I have written to you briefly, exhorting and testifying that this is the true Grace of God. Stand firm in it.\"\nPeter is saying that what he has written in this book is the true Grace of God. I added the emphasis on true Grace. I will only summarize 1 Peter, not quote it word for word. So, be a Berean and read 1 Peter for yourself to determine if my interpretation is correct.\n1 Peter chapter 1: 1-2, \"Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who reside as aliens, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, who are chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, that you may obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with His blood: May grace and peace be yours in the fullest measure.\"\nPeter goes on in Chapter 1 to praise the Father and the Son for so great a salvation and to warn against falling back into things they have been saved from. I am suggesting that the true Grace here is this great salvation.\nAfter Peter explained this great salvation, how it came about, and what we need to do to Honor it. He goes on in chapter 2 in a little more detail about the things we need to put off and how Christ was the stone laid in Zion, the rock that was rejected, a stumbling stone. When we get to verse 9, we read,\n\"But you are A CHOSEN RACE, A ROYAL PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR GOD'S OWN POSSESSION, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.\"\nIs this not God's true Grace? Peter goes on in chapter 2 to explain how they were once not a people but are now a people of God. He explains they should submit themselves to their authorities and how punishment for doing right is better than punishment for doing wrong. He explains how being punished for doing wrong brings no reward but how being punished for doing right glorifies God and silences the ignorance of men. Then Peter uses our suffering Christ as an example of what he has been teaching. Again, I ask you, is this not the true Grace of God?\nIn Chapter 3, Peter gives examples of submission using the relationship between a husband and a wife. The rest of chapter 3 is a summary or reexplanation of what he went over in the first two chapters.\nChapter 4 applies the truths, or true Grace, that Peter has been teaching us how to live and respond to this truth. In the last part of chapter 4, Peter encourages us to share Christ's sufferings. I believe to the extent we receive this true Grace that Peter has been teaching us about; we can share in the suffering of Christ. The more we strive in sanctification through the Holy Spirit. The more we will be able to share in the sufferings of Christ through this true Grace received in Christ.\nIn Chapter 5, Peter exhorts the shepherds of the local flocks on how to deal with their flocks. He exhorts young men to be in subjection to their elders and how we should all humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God. He explains how we should resist the adversary. But soon, we are back to verse 12,\n\"Through Silvanus, our good brother (for so I regard him), I have written to you briefly, exhorting and testifying that this is the true Grace of God. Stand firm in it.\"\nI hope this was not too dry for you and you held on to the end. I have only a couple of remarks left for you to consider.\n1) This true Grace that Peter wrote about was to and for believers. He was not writing to any unbelievers with this epistle. \n2) This true Grace that believers receive brings salvation, sanctification, and eventually glorification.\n3) This true Grace that Peter speaks of informs us how to live and why we should live that way.\nLastly, I did not write this because I felt like I was under attack from anyone. I wrote because when people you respect question what you have written, it is best to take precautions and restudy what you think you know. I have not changed my position on common Grace. I still believe that common Grace is confused with the manifold mercies of God, spoken of in Psalm 145:9, NASB,\n\"The Lord is good to all, and His mercies are overall.\"\nAfter a word study of Grace, gracious, and Graciously, I believe I understand the misconception. The definitions lead one to believe that Grace is or can be applied like mercy is applied. However, reading the scripture, I only find where Grace is applied to the elect of God. The way Peter applies true Grace in his first epistle.\nI want to remind everyone that I added the emphasis on true Grace, and this was not written to be argumentative. I hope this is a blessing to those who read it.\n", "mediaType": "text/plain" } }, "id": "https://www.minds.com/api/activitypub/users/1522342228201050121/entities/urn:activity:1530380405109166086/activity" }, { "type": "Create", "actor": "https://www.minds.com/api/activitypub/users/1522342228201050121", "object": { "type": "Note", "id": "https://www.minds.com/api/activitypub/users/1522342228201050121/entities/urn:activity:1530376402090594306", "attributedTo": "https://www.minds.com/api/activitypub/users/1522342228201050121", "content": " This blog has required a lot of contemplation on how I would write it. Should I do all three in one blog? Should I do a blog for each attribute? Having been influenced by my systematic theology book and A. W. Pink. I decided to treat them all together. Because these three attributes are separate but intertwined, in these three attributes, you see the love of God played out, and you see the wrath of God played out.<br />God, in describing himself, said,<br />\"The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness\" (Exodus, 34:6).<br />The LORD tells Moses of the three attributes we will describe for you in this blog, showing their relationship in His steadfast love. Mercy, Grace, and Patience are described as slow to anger. Again, the same description is in Psalm 103:8. It may seem difficult to tell them apart because they are often described together in the bible, but they have distinguishing traits.<br />After much thought, I decided to begin with the Patience of God. The Patience of God should be defined as God's goodness in withholding punishment toward those who sin against him. The patience of God is applied to the just and the unjust. To the vessels of wrath and the vessels of mercy. God's patience is often described as a function of His mercy, and this fact is undeniable. However, His patience is also displayed as a function leading to wrath. The patience of God is a function of his divine goodness and mercy, but it is different from both. Stephen Charnock said, \"Mercy respects the creature as miserable, patience respects the creature as criminal; mercy pities him in his misery, and patience bears with the sin which engendered the misery and is giving birth to more.\" How does this apply to the unjust?<br />\"What if God, desiring to show His wrath and make known His power, endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction\" (Romans 9:22)?<br />God is enduring with great patience the sin, the hate, and the crimes against Himself, and He is receiving from vessels of wrath. Why wouldn't God destroy them? If God let His wrath go without exercising patience, would it not go against all who sin? I am suggesting that if God exercised His wrath against sin right now, no one would be left to be saved. But in his mercy, God is keeping His wrath for the day of wrath, not for the benefit of the wicked but the benefit of the elect,<br />\"In order to make known the riches of His glory for vessels of mercy, He has prepared beforehand for glory\" (Romans 9:23).<br />So even His wrath is displayed for His glory, and to show the elect exactly what he saved us from, to show the elect His mercy. Because so great a mercy has been shown to us, we also should exercise patience. Patience should not just be shown to our children and loved ones but to our enemies and the enemies of God. Exercising patience is one way of exercising God's Grace and love.<br />Now we can focus on the mercy of God. We can define mercy this way; compassion or forgiveness is shown toward someone whom it is within one's power to punish or harm. This is an internet definition. Webster defines it this way; compassion or forbearance is shown especially to an offender or to one subject to one's power. I didn't like the definition in my systematic theology book. It defines mercy this way; goodness towards those in misery and distress. I don't think this captures the mercy of God. Everyone that has ever lived is in distress because of sin and being under the wrath of God. Those who God reveals Himself know their misery and distress over it. Those to whom sin is never revealed will never know their true misery and, therefore, cannot be distressed. Yet God's mercy is shown to the just and the unjust. How, you say? There is general mercy shown to all that is made,<br />\"The LORD is over all, and His mercy is over all that He has made\" (Psalm 145:9). <br />\"Nor is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything since, He Himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything\" (Acts 17:25).<br />God has pity on His creation and supplies all their needs. This is sometimes called common Grace. At this time, I do not believe in common Grace. Grace is shown only to God's elect. That goes for angels and men. We will get into that a little more when we discuss Grace.<br />Then there is a special mercy God shows to all mankind. He provides for them all the necessities of life.<br />\"For he makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and the unjust\" (Mathew 5:45).<br />The General mercy is for all of his creation, and the special mercy is for all mankind. There is, however, a third mercy, which we will call God's sovereign mercy. God's sovereign mercy is reserved for the heirs of salvation, delivered to them through the mediator Christ Jesus. The mercies of the special and general kind given to the unjust are strictly in the present life. Once in the grave, mercy ceases for the unjust,<br />\"For this people is without discernment; therefore, He who made them will not have compassion on them; He who formed them will show them no favor.\" (Isaiah 27:11).<br />Now you might say to me, doesn't it say in Psalm 136:1 that His mercy endures forever? Not for those under general or special mercy who are vessels of wrath, the unjust. God can never cease to be merciful; it is part of His person, and He does not change. His ongoing mercy, however, is reserved for vessels of mercy prepared beforehand for glory.<br />Some are relying heavily on God's mercy and sinning without repentance. To continue in this lifestyle of sin, even though you claim the name of Christ, is folly. It is like saying, \"Let us do evil that good may come,\" your \"damnation is just\" (Romans 3:8).<br />The riches of God's mercies transcend our ability to think about it. His ways are not our ways. The elect will live in God's Sovereign mercy for eternity. Please seek Christ while you can do so.<br />Now we will turn to God's Grace and use Abraham Booth's definition, \"It is the eternal and absolute free favor of God, manifested in the vouchsafement of spiritual and eternal blessings to the guilty and the unworthy.\" God's divine Grace is the sovereign favor of God bestowed upon hell-bound mankind. A.W. Pink said, \"When a thing is said to be of \"grace\" we mean that the recipient has no claim upon it, that it was in nowise due him. It comes to him as pure charity, and, at first, unasked and undesired\" (The Attributes of God, pg.66). In the epistles of the apostle Paul, Grace and works do not mix,<br />\"But if by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace\" (Romans 11:6).<br />\"For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this not of your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast\" (Ephesians 2:8-9).<br />Please don't say it's your faith. In the context of what is being said here and grammatically, this verse is saying that Grace and faith are not your doing. They are gifts from God.<br />The three principles of divine Grace are 1) Grace is eternal, 2) Grace is free, and 3) Grace is sovereign. Grace is eternal; God is an eternally gracious being. He decreed before the foundations of the world who would receive His Sovereign Grace. Grace is free. No one who receives grace pays for Grace. There was a price, and only one was worthy of paying it, Jesus Christ. Grace is sovereign. Because God is sovereign, Grace is sovereign and sovereignly doled out,<br />\"I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious\" (Exodus 33:19). <br />I mentioned angles and men earlier. A.W. Pink would say that because the elect Angels were never in a position to require mercy, they never received mercy, only Grace. I am not quite sure what I think of that because I believe it was merciful of God to keep the Angels who are elect from falling. Or was it gracious of God to keep them? I am still chewing on that. Based on our definitions, I would say he is correct, but I'm not ready yet.<br />What does all of this mean? We have a loving and merciful God, a gracious and sovereign God, and if you don't know Him and you are being pulled in that direction. Then you need to seek Him and not give up until you have assurance from the Holy Spirit that Christ is your savior. <br />", "to": [ "https://www.w3.org/ns/activitystreams#Public" ], "cc": [ "https://www.minds.com/api/activitypub/users/1522342228201050121/followers" ], "tag": [], "url": "https://www.minds.com/newsfeed/1530376402090594306", "published": "2023-07-25T00:49:26+00:00", "source": { "content": " This blog has required a lot of contemplation on how I would write it. Should I do all three in one blog? Should I do a blog for each attribute? Having been influenced by my systematic theology book and A. W. Pink. I decided to treat them all together. Because these three attributes are separate but intertwined, in these three attributes, you see the love of God played out, and you see the wrath of God played out.\nGod, in describing himself, said,\n\"The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness\" (Exodus, 34:6).\nThe LORD tells Moses of the three attributes we will describe for you in this blog, showing their relationship in His steadfast love. Mercy, Grace, and Patience are described as slow to anger. Again, the same description is in Psalm 103:8. It may seem difficult to tell them apart because they are often described together in the bible, but they have distinguishing traits.\nAfter much thought, I decided to begin with the Patience of God. The Patience of God should be defined as God's goodness in withholding punishment toward those who sin against him. The patience of God is applied to the just and the unjust. To the vessels of wrath and the vessels of mercy. God's patience is often described as a function of His mercy, and this fact is undeniable. However, His patience is also displayed as a function leading to wrath. The patience of God is a function of his divine goodness and mercy, but it is different from both. Stephen Charnock said, \"Mercy respects the creature as miserable, patience respects the creature as criminal; mercy pities him in his misery, and patience bears with the sin which engendered the misery and is giving birth to more.\" How does this apply to the unjust?\n\"What if God, desiring to show His wrath and make known His power, endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction\" (Romans 9:22)?\nGod is enduring with great patience the sin, the hate, and the crimes against Himself, and He is receiving from vessels of wrath. Why wouldn't God destroy them? If God let His wrath go without exercising patience, would it not go against all who sin? I am suggesting that if God exercised His wrath against sin right now, no one would be left to be saved. But in his mercy, God is keeping His wrath for the day of wrath, not for the benefit of the wicked but the benefit of the elect,\n\"In order to make known the riches of His glory for vessels of mercy, He has prepared beforehand for glory\" (Romans 9:23).\nSo even His wrath is displayed for His glory, and to show the elect exactly what he saved us from, to show the elect His mercy. Because so great a mercy has been shown to us, we also should exercise patience. Patience should not just be shown to our children and loved ones but to our enemies and the enemies of God. Exercising patience is one way of exercising God's Grace and love.\nNow we can focus on the mercy of God. We can define mercy this way; compassion or forgiveness is shown toward someone whom it is within one's power to punish or harm. This is an internet definition. Webster defines it this way; compassion or forbearance is shown especially to an offender or to one subject to one's power. I didn't like the definition in my systematic theology book. It defines mercy this way; goodness towards those in misery and distress. I don't think this captures the mercy of God. Everyone that has ever lived is in distress because of sin and being under the wrath of God. Those who God reveals Himself know their misery and distress over it. Those to whom sin is never revealed will never know their true misery and, therefore, cannot be distressed. Yet God's mercy is shown to the just and the unjust. How, you say? There is general mercy shown to all that is made,\n\"The LORD is over all, and His mercy is over all that He has made\" (Psalm 145:9). \n\"Nor is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything since, He Himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything\" (Acts 17:25).\nGod has pity on His creation and supplies all their needs. This is sometimes called common Grace. At this time, I do not believe in common Grace. Grace is shown only to God's elect. That goes for angels and men. We will get into that a little more when we discuss Grace.\nThen there is a special mercy God shows to all mankind. He provides for them all the necessities of life.\n\"For he makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and the unjust\" (Mathew 5:45).\nThe General mercy is for all of his creation, and the special mercy is for all mankind. There is, however, a third mercy, which we will call God's sovereign mercy. God's sovereign mercy is reserved for the heirs of salvation, delivered to them through the mediator Christ Jesus. The mercies of the special and general kind given to the unjust are strictly in the present life. Once in the grave, mercy ceases for the unjust,\n\"For this people is without discernment; therefore, He who made them will not have compassion on them; He who formed them will show them no favor.\" (Isaiah 27:11).\nNow you might say to me, doesn't it say in Psalm 136:1 that His mercy endures forever? Not for those under general or special mercy who are vessels of wrath, the unjust. God can never cease to be merciful; it is part of His person, and He does not change. His ongoing mercy, however, is reserved for vessels of mercy prepared beforehand for glory.\nSome are relying heavily on God's mercy and sinning without repentance. To continue in this lifestyle of sin, even though you claim the name of Christ, is folly. It is like saying, \"Let us do evil that good may come,\" your \"damnation is just\" (Romans 3:8).\nThe riches of God's mercies transcend our ability to think about it. His ways are not our ways. The elect will live in God's Sovereign mercy for eternity. Please seek Christ while you can do so.\nNow we will turn to God's Grace and use Abraham Booth's definition, \"It is the eternal and absolute free favor of God, manifested in the vouchsafement of spiritual and eternal blessings to the guilty and the unworthy.\" God's divine Grace is the sovereign favor of God bestowed upon hell-bound mankind. A.W. Pink said, \"When a thing is said to be of \"grace\" we mean that the recipient has no claim upon it, that it was in nowise due him. It comes to him as pure charity, and, at first, unasked and undesired\" (The Attributes of God, pg.66). In the epistles of the apostle Paul, Grace and works do not mix,\n\"But if by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace\" (Romans 11:6).\n\"For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this not of your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast\" (Ephesians 2:8-9).\nPlease don't say it's your faith. In the context of what is being said here and grammatically, this verse is saying that Grace and faith are not your doing. They are gifts from God.\nThe three principles of divine Grace are 1) Grace is eternal, 2) Grace is free, and 3) Grace is sovereign. Grace is eternal; God is an eternally gracious being. He decreed before the foundations of the world who would receive His Sovereign Grace. Grace is free. No one who receives grace pays for Grace. There was a price, and only one was worthy of paying it, Jesus Christ. Grace is sovereign. Because God is sovereign, Grace is sovereign and sovereignly doled out,\n\"I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious\" (Exodus 33:19). \nI mentioned angles and men earlier. A.W. Pink would say that because the elect Angels were never in a position to require mercy, they never received mercy, only Grace. I am not quite sure what I think of that because I believe it was merciful of God to keep the Angels who are elect from falling. Or was it gracious of God to keep them? I am still chewing on that. Based on our definitions, I would say he is correct, but I'm not ready yet.\nWhat does all of this mean? We have a loving and merciful God, a gracious and sovereign God, and if you don't know Him and you are being pulled in that direction. Then you need to seek Him and not give up until you have assurance from the Holy Spirit that Christ is your savior. \n", "mediaType": "text/plain" } }, "id": "https://www.minds.com/api/activitypub/users/1522342228201050121/entities/urn:activity:1530376402090594306/activity" } ], "id": "https://www.minds.com/api/activitypub/users/1522342228201050121/outbox", "partOf": "https://www.minds.com/api/activitypub/users/1522342228201050121/outboxoutbox" }