I'm not a trinitarian

4 Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord: (Deuteronomy 6:4)

My pastor said something in his sermon last night that blew me away. 

He said, "I am not a trinitarian!" 

How refreshing in these modern times where most "Christians" worship either a "God-headquarters", or a 3 headed monstrosity. 

Yet, scripture itself proudly and boldly proclaims that there is only ONE God. 

That is not a unity, as many like to say. No, sir. It is emphatically only one in essence. ONE divine being. 

The confusion seems to center around the incarnation. How can God be one God, yet Jesus be God? 

Let's have a look, shall we? 

The first thing that we must understand is that God is omnipresent. In other words, he's everywhere all at the same time. David put it this way: 

7 Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence?

8 If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there.

9 If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea;

10 Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.

11 If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me.

12 Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee. (Psalms 139:7-12)

In other words, there is no place we can go where God is not there! I realize that this is more than our minds can usually comprehend, but it's still true. 

So, why does scripture say that Jesus is at the right hand of the father?

It's a spiritual word picture that expresses the fact that Jesus has all power and authority. 

Take when the children of Israel crossed the red sea, for example.

Exodus 14: 21 And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the Lord caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided.

22 And the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea upon the dry ground: and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left.

23 And the Egyptians pursued, and went in after them to the midst of the sea, even all Pharaoh's horses, his chariots, and his horsemen.

24 And it came to pass, that in the morning watch the Lord looked unto the host of the Egyptians through the pillar of fire and of the cloud, and troubled the host of the Egyptians,

25 And took off their chariot wheels, that they drave them heavily: so that the Egyptians said, Let us flee from the face of Israel; for the Lord fighteth for them against the Egyptians.

26 And the Lord said unto Moses, Stretch out thine hand over the sea, that the waters may come again upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots, and upon their horsemen.

27 And Moses stretched forth his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to his strength when the morning appeared; and the Egyptians fled against it; and the Lord overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea.

28 And the waters returned, and covered the chariots, and the horsemen, and all the host of Pharaoh that came into the sea after them; there remained not so much as one of them.

29 But the children of Israel walked upon dry land in the midst of the sea; and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left.

30 Thus the Lord saved Israel that day out of the hand of the Egyptians; and Israel saw the Egyptians dead upon the sea shore.

31 And Israel saw that great work which the Lord did upon the Egyptians: and the people feared the Lord, and believed the Lord, and his servant Moses.

Great story! An awesome move of God almighty! Now look at the song of praise in the next chapter 15:

6 Thy right hand, O Lord, is become glorious in power: thy right hand, O Lord, hath dashed in pieces the enemy.

Go back and read the story again. Please show me where a huge arm came down out of the heavens and smashed the Egyptians. I'll wait.

It's not there because it's a spiritual word picture of what physically happened. Why the right hand? Because most humans are right-handed and that is their strongest arm because it gets the most use. So, when scripture refers to God's right hand, it is not referring to a literal arm or a literal place. It is referring to God's strength and power!

How about this one?

8 And with the blast of thy nostrils the waters were gathered together, the floods stood upright as an heap, and the depths were congealed in the heart of the sea.

Read the story of the red sea again. Please show me where a literal nose comes down out of the clouds and sneezes, causing the waters to divide in a heap. Again, I'll wait.

It's not there because it's a spiritual word picture of what physically happened. God causes the wind to blow so hard that the waters divide and the ground below dries up allowing the Israelites to cross. 

10 Thou didst blow with thy wind, the sea covered them: they sank as lead in the mighty waters.

Did enormous lips descend from the sky and cause the waters to return to where they had been and cover the Egyptians? No! It's another word picture used to help our finite minds to understand something our infinite God did. 

The term "right hand of God" is used 8 times in the New Testament. "Right hand of power" is used twice. 

These 10 verses seem to be the central cause of misunderstanding "the Godhead." BTW, the term Godhead simply means "divinity." It means he is GOD. It is not, as many say, a God headquarters. 

A simple question to ask. 

If God is omnipresent and there is no place where he is not, then how does anyone stand or sit beside him in any way, shape, or form? I'll wait.

To sit beside a being that is everywhere requires another place to be created outside of God for this being to sit. But, there's no place anyone can go where they can be beside God. 

The term right hand, when it is used in reference to God, always refers to God's strength and power. It's never a literal place. So, when scripture says that Jesus is on or at God's right hand, it is simply saying that Jesus is God and is all-powerful! 

Jesus said this himself. 

Matthew 28:18

And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.

Now, let that sink in. If Jesus has ALL power, then, if there's a trinity, the other 2 "God's" are powerless because Jesus has all power. 

If Jesus is a part of a "trinity", then they have shared power and none of them have all power. Therefore, this verse would not be true. Furthermore, if Jesus is part of a trinity, then he would have no need to be given anything. He'd already have it. 

But, wait, brother Mike. Are you now saying Jesus is not God at all? 

Not at all. 

Here's the crux of the matter. God became flesh. 

1 Timothy 3:16 And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.

It does not say "God the Son," or even "the Son of God" was manifested in the flesh. It clearly says GOD HIMSELF was manifested in the flesh. What's the difference? 

First of all, the term God, the Son is never ever found in scripture. Not even once. It's a made-up term by people trying to defend a false "triune" god. 

Secondly, the terms "son of God" and "son of man" are synonymous terms that refer to the flesh, or the MAN Christ Jesus. 

The angel told Mary about her baby that: "therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God." (Luke 1:35)

Satan and his demons called Jesus, "son of God" on multiple occasions (Matthew 4:3; Matthew 4:6; Matthew 8:28-29; Mark 3:11; Luke 4:3; Luke 4:9; Luke 4:41; Luke 8:28). 

And yes, John the Baptist and others called him the "son of God" (Matthew 14:33; Matthew 27:54; Mark 1:1; Mark 15:39; Luke 1:35; John 1:34; John 1:49; John 11:27; John 20:31).

And Jesus himself said he was "the son of God" (Matthew 27:43; Luke 22:70; John 3:18; John 5:25; John 9:35-37; John 10:36; John 11:4).

Therefore, I truly admit that Jesus is the son of God. 

But, notice this often overlooked scripture: 

6 Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect: yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world, that come to nought:

7 But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory:

8 Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. (1 Corinthians 2:6-8)

Satan (the prince of the powers of the air-Ephesians 2:2) and his demons (Ephesians 3:10; Ephesians 6:12) DID NOT KNOW who Jesus really was! Their human counterparts on earth DID NOT KNOW who Jesus was! 

Indeed, if they had known who Jesus truly was, they would've fallen on their faces before the very LORD OF GLORY, the Father and creator of all! So, God hid himself in human flesh in order to pay for our sins and restore relationship with man. 

Yes, Jesus is the son of God, but he is also GOD ALMIGHTY in human flesh! (John 1:1.14; John 1:18; John 5:18; John 8:56-59; John 10:30; John 14; John 15:23-24, Isaiah 9:6 and many more).

Jesus has all power (Matthew 28:19), therefore if there's a trinity, the other 2 are powerless!

Jesus has all wisdom (Romans 16:27; 1 Timothy 1:17; Jude 1:25), therefore if there's a trinity, the other 2 have no wisdom! 

God is our only savior (Isaiah 43:3-11), and Jesus is our savior (Philippians 3:20), therefore Jesus is God!

I could go on and on. 

The flesh of Jesus is the son of God. The spirit inside of him and everywhere else is God almighty. Jesus is God alone!

Yes, God sent his Son to die for our sins, that's how God shed "HIS OWN BLOOD (Acts 20:28). But, get the bigger picture here.

This was not a father looking down and seeing all the sin and turning to his son to go and die for that sin. 

This was The Father BECOMING a son and shedding HIS OWN BLOOD in order to pay for our sins. 

How much more loving a God could we have? 

I am not a trinitarian and never will I be. Jesus is GOD all by himself. Any other teaching cheapens the message of calvary and places divisions in our God that do not exist.  

America better take heed!

Isaiah 5:18 Woe unto them that draw iniquity with cords of vanity, and sin as it were with a cart rope:

19 That say, Let him make speed, and hasten his work, that we may see it: and let the counsel of the Holy One of Israel draw nigh and come, that we may know it!

20 Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!

21 Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight!

22 Woe unto them that are mighty to drink wine, and men of strength to mingle strong drink:

23 Which justify the wicked for reward, and take away the righteousness of the righteous from him!

24 Therefore as the fire devoureth the stubble, and the flame consumeth the chaff, so their root shall be as rottenness, and their blossom shall go up as dust: because they have cast away the law of the Lord of hosts, and despised the word of the Holy One of Israel.

We are living in a very sad day. 

It used to be that righteousness and peace were the law of the land. People used to care about each other. People used to know right from wrong. Wrongdoers used to be prosecuted in order to keep the righteous safe. Poor folks used to be helped by their neighbors and their churches rather than being told to go and sign up for a government-controlled handout. Men were willing to work to care for their families and women were willing to be good mothers and wives. Businesses looked to hire and train men of good character rather than looking for someone who just connects the dots they want to be connected. 

Rioting was nearly unheard of. Treating people as equals was expected. People working for their living was the norm as was helping your neighbor. 

Not anymore. 

Now, the culture has been inundated with a me-first attitude. We are told that we should allow what God says is an abomination as normal. People who are struggling are turned away by "God's people" and told to go and sign up for Government help. Men who want to work are turned away because they don't exactly line up with the job qualifications. Employers can't be bothered to train good workers anymore. 

People don't want to protest and sign petitions to right wrongs anymore. Rather, they want to riot and destroy other people's lives. Please tell me how in the world that solves any of the underlying issues? 

Congress passes laws they say are meant to "help" the people. Yet, a careful examination of the laws shows that what they actually passed was something designed to subvert our Constitution and destroy our liberties. And the media pats these evil people on the back for doing it. 

And the masses truly don't care because all they want to do is "eat, drink, and be merry." As long as the party goes on, they don't care about the wrongs of our society. In fact, they endorse them because they believe it makes things better for them!

Noone cares about aborted babies. No one cries for the homeless. No one weeps for the needy that don't know where their next meal will come from. Who cares that millions of illegals are taking jobs that legal citizens should hold? Who cares about the tears of families whose livelihood has been destroyed by riots about a death that was wrong, but was twisted into something meant to cause riots? 

Pastors teach and preach love from their pulpits, but ignore God's judgment of sin so people keep partying on their way to hell- thinking they're alright with God. 

Churches would rather move their congregation than reach out to the hurting masses that surround them. 

God is looking for intercessors! 

God is looking for people who will hit their faces and cry out to the only one who can fix our problems- Jesus Christ!

I pledge to pray! 

Every day, several times a day, I will seek my Lord and cry out for the iniquities of our land. 

He said if we will humble ourselves and pray, repent of our wicked ways, he will heal our lands. 

Come on, people. Pray!!!! If you've never prayed before, now is the time. If you've grown lax in your prayers, today is the day to start over. All people everywhere need to pray as if our country, our communities, and our very lives depend on it. 

Because it does.

America is in the hands of an angry God. The only hope we have is to repent and turn back to him. If we do not, America will go down in flames. 

And don't say it won't happen. 

If he'd take down his people, ancient Israel, he'll take us out too. They went down because of their sins. We will, too.

Every "great civilization" that rose up in the past has fallen. Rome did. Greece did. Great Britain once controlled 1/3 of the world. Now they're reduced to a small bit near Europe. Don't tell me God won't do it to us.

But America has done so much good for the world!

Yet, she's done much evil, too. God doesn't wink at our evil because we do good things.

He's serious. He's angry. And his judgment is even now beginning to fall. 

We had better fall on our faces and pray. 

Today. Right now.

Or we may not be able to in the very near future. 

What I deserve!

Dear Lord, 

                  I've been born again now for nearly 29 years and called to preach for 22 years. In that time, I've had many ups and downs. But, overall, I feel I've served you well. I've held firm to the truths of Acts 2:38, holiness, and the oneness of God. I've reached out to others with truth and love. I've withstood and stood against false teachings. On top of this, I've worked very hard to try and care for my family as you've instructed me. 

               So, Lord, I don't understand. Why have you allowed me to suddenly be jobless? Why am I sending out resumes for jobs I could do and not even getting a nibble? Why am I not even able to get unemployment, when everyone else is gaining extra unemployment at this time? Why have you allowed me and my wife to be afflicted with the health issues we have? 

              I deserve better than this, don't I? Is this how I'm to be rewarded for all my hard work, sacrifices, prayer, study, fasting, tolerating all the crazy people I've had to deal with? 

              I feel I deserve at least an answer, don't I? 

                                        In Jesus name, your servant,

                                                                                    Mike

Ever find yourself praying like this?

This is a true representation of my current situation. So, I do need your prayers. 

It is not, however, a true representation of my prayers. 

Everything I do, or will ever do, is done "as unto the Lord." It is a form of praising my Lord for all he has done for me and my family. When I was working, it was a labor of love to try and support the family he's blessed me with. When I study now, it's to learn more about God and his ways. When I pray, yes I give him my needs, but it's because I know who the supplier is! 

But, I thank God, that though I do not like my current circumstances, I still have what we need. I thank God that we have clothes on our backs, food in our bellies, vehicles to take us where we need to go, and a place to rest our heads. 

More than this, though, I thank God I don't get what I deserve! 

Because what I deserve is hellfire! 

What I deserve is for God to turn away from me and never look back! To, let me be kicked out of my home, lose my vehicle, and have no way to feed my family. I don't even deserve my family! 

The very fact that I am alive, breathing, in my right mind, and learning and growing in Jesus is a testament to HIS grace and mercy! 

I've done NOTHING to deserve calvary! I've done nothing to deserve his spirit within me! I've done nothing to deserve his mercy or his grace!

Every good action I've ever done is not a testament to me or my righteousness. Rather, it's a testament to Jesus working in and through me. It's all about HIS blood, HIS truth, HIS spirit, and never about me!

God help me to stay humble and not to revel in the ways you've allowed me to stand. Help me to point my entire being directed at you and never to be tempted to believe that I deserve even ONE thing from you or life because of what YOU gave me the strength to do or stand for. 

So, I don't know where our next meal is coming from, but he does. I don't know where my next dollar is coming from, but he does. I don't know what his next job for me to do is, but he does. I don't know what tomorrow holds for us, but he has it all under control. 

Thank you Jesus for your love, your mercy, and your grace. Thank you for your blood your spirit, and your name! Thank you that you know right where we are and that you hold tomorrow and it's challenges and provisions. 

Thank you for NOT giving me what I deserve.

And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever. -Revelations 5:13

            

So you've accepted the Lord as your personal savior, but what must you do for him to accept you?

Jude tells us to "earnestly contend for the faith that was once given to the saints." (Jude 1:3) But, what does he mean?

We love to sing the old hymns that talk about, "give me that old-time religion." Most of us like to think of that as back when our parents or grandparents were in church, or what they taught 50-100 years ago. But, Jude wasn't talking about that. The book of Jude was written close to 2 thousand years ago! He knew nothing of our modern religious practices. But, there was one thing he did know.

Jude and James were Jesus' half brothers. You can find them listed in Matthew 13:55 as being part of his human family (Jude is listed as Judas here). They didn't believe in Jesus's ministry at first. In fact, they taunted him because they thought he was just another self-serving and self-proclaiming Messiah trying to deceive the masses (John 7:3-6). But, somewhere along the way, both he and James became disciples and later Apostles of Jesus. If I had a seemingly (from a human standpoint) perfect brother who suddenly started doing miracles, I'd be skeptical at first, too. But, after a bit, I'd probably start believing. 

But, I digress a bit. 

Since Jude was there at the beginnings of the church, saw Jesus first hand (miracles, signs, wonders, and teachings, and the death, burial, and resurrection of our Lord), and he was there at the birth of the church (in the upper room on the day of Pentecost, heard and participated in the teachings and preachings of the early church), to what was he referring to when he said: "the faith once delivered unto the saints?"

Many today are taught that all we have to do is "accept the Lord as (our) personal savior."

Spoiler alert!!! That phrase is not in the scriptures!

Many point to Romans 10:9 and John 3:16 as "the plan of salvation" that was taught by the early church, as well as by Jesus. 

Well, lets research that teaching a bit by looking into what scripture actually says:

John 3: "There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews:

2 The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him.

3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

4 Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born?

5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.

14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:

15 That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.

16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved."

They swoop into the middle of John 3, hit verses 15-17, and swoop out again. They might hit verses 1-3, but they rarely hit verse 5. 

Yes, Jesus says we must believe in order to be saved, but there are folks in chapter 2:23-25 that believed in him in the same way (it's the same Greek word for "believe" there as we find in John 3:16), yet Jesus didn't commit himself to them. 

They accepted him, we assume, but he didn't accept them! 

Verse 5 explains how to be born again by saying, "Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God."

So, evidently, it's not just a matter of belief. It's a matter of also being born of water and born of the spirit. So, how do we do that? 

Well, let's look at how the early church obeyed what Jesus said to do.

On the day of Pentecost, the Holy Ghost was poured out in an upper room filled with 120 people. They began to speak in tongues and worship God. This prayer meeting poured out into the street and caused people to marvel at what was happening. Some were in awe and some mocked. But, their mockery caused the first sermon in church history. (Acts 1:12-15, Acts 2)

The Apostle Peter stood up and began to preach the gospel (death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus) to the gathering crowd. He tells them that God had indeed sent their long-awaited Savior and they had crucified him! The listening crowd was very convicted by this revelation and asked, "what shall we do?" In other words, "how do we remove this sin and guilt from our lives?" 

Peter responded, "38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

39 For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call."

Now, think about this for a second. There were the other Apostles, along with many who had followed Jesus and had heard the teaching and preaching of their Master for close to 3 1/2 years there that day. 

NOT ONE OF THEM STOOD UP AND CORRECTED PETER!!

Not one of them said, "Hey bro, you're out of line here. All they have to do is believe." 

Not one of them said, "All they have to do is accept Jesus as their personal savior."

None of them said, "If they believe in their heart and confess with their mouth, they shall be saved."

Why? Because Peter had spoken the absolute truth!

Jesus said we must Repent (Mark 1:15 & Luke 24:47).

Jesus said we must be born of water and of spirit (John 3:5).

Jesus said we must be baptized (Mark 16:16).

Jesus said we must receive the spirit (John 16:13, John 3:8, John 7:38-39).

But, is that the only place we're told the same thing that Peter said for what we must do to be born again and accepted of God? 

Nope. 

Acts 8:5-8 (believe and baptize in Jesus name), 14-17 (baptism of the Holy Ghost).

Acts 10: 1-6 (a devout Centurian that needed to do more to be accepted of God), 40-46 (Baptism of the Holy Ghost), 47-48 (Water baptism in Jesus name).

Acts 19: 1-7. 

Let's dig into this one a little deeper: 

"19 And it came to pass, that, while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul having passed through the upper coasts came to Ephesus: and finding certain disciples,

2 He said unto them, Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed? And they said unto him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost."

Now, some people teach that you receive the Holy Ghost as soon as you believe. There's no outward sign of your deep experience. You just receive it by faith. 

If that belief is true, then Paul's question to these "believers" makes absolutely no sense. He should have just said, "So good to meet you, brethren. I'm Paul." But, by his questioning, apparently, you actually receive the Holy Ghost at some point AFTER you believe. 

3 And he said unto them, Unto what then were ye baptized? And they said, Unto John's baptism.

4 Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus.

When they said no they hadn't even heard of, much less experienced, the Holy Ghost, Paul checks their baptism. If, as some folks teach, water baptism is not a necessity ("it's an outward sign of an inward act," they say), then Paul's question here makes no sense again! Why ask about it, if it's not necessary? 

When he heard their reply he explained Jesus to them. What was the result? 

"5 When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.

6 And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied.

7 And all the men were about twelve."

So, Paul taught water and spirit baptism, as well. He didn't tell them that they just have to accept the Lord as their personal savior. He didn't tell them to repeat a sinner's prayer (another thing that's not in the scriptures). He taught the exact same things taught by the rest of the Apostles and his hearers obeyed it! (This, my friends, was the birth of the Ephesian church!)

"Repent, and be baptized every one of in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ for the remission of sins and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost." (Acts 2:38)

So, when Jude speaks of contending for the faith once delivered to the saints, as far as the new birth is concerned, this is what he is referring to! 

Paul puts it this way:

"8 But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.

9 As we said before, so say I now again, if any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed." (Galatians 1:8-9)

Those who would pervert the Biblical Gospel message should take heed to this scriptural warning. 

I'm glad you accepted the Lord, my friend, but please do what is necessary for the Lord to accept you: 

"Repent, and be baptized every one of in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ for the remission of sins and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost." (Acts 2:38)

 

Lord we praise your name!

I'm a 54-year-old Apostolic Pentecostal preacher, teacher, singer, and writer. I, like nearly 40 million Americans have been laid off. Consequently, I have lots of free time right now. Since states and churches are opening up, if you are interested in having me come and do a special service then please email me at dellmichaels@gmail.com. May God bless you all! 

The truth about God's love in our lives

38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,

39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:38-39)

I both love and hate this scripture. 

Let me explain.

I love it because, first of all, it shows that God loves us. The word for love here in the original Greek means "love, affection or benevolence, especially a love-feast." It means that the God of the whole universe, the creator and sustainer of all things, has a heart filled with affection for you and me.

Let that sink in a minute. God is perfect, we are imperfect. God is righteous, we, without him, are unrighteous. God is Holy. We are unholy without him. God knows all things about everything- including us. He knows the thoughts we entertain when we are angry and upset. He knows the things we allow to fester in our minds when we are all alone.  Yet he has affection for us.

The word affection means a feeling of liking and caring for someone or something: tender attachment: fondness. 

So, God almighty, the mighty God who's never lost a battle and presides over all things with his power and Glory, feels affection for you and me. Isn't that incredible! 

Even more than that, and probably because of his affection towards us, he feels benevolent towards us! The word benevolent means: a disposition to do good, an act of kindness, a generous gift. His affection towards us causes him to want to do good for, in, and through us. 

True affection causes benevolence. True benevolence causes action! God looked down on his creation and the mess we had made. He was moved by his affection for us to feel compassion. This compassion caused him to be benevolent and act to change the situation. Left to our own devices, we would have gone to eternal punishment in the pits of Hell.

But, because of his benevolence, he robed himself in a human body to allow us to experience him in a way we never could before! That's why Jesus is called, Emmanuel. It literally means "God with us." God came here to leave us both an example of (1Peter 2:21) and the power to live (John 1:5) the way he desires us to live. But, he also paid the price for our sins through Calvary (Galatians 1:3-5). For without his death, burial, and resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:1-4 is the gospel), we would have no hope of either having the power to following his example.

Finally, there's the love-feast. God wants to get so caught up in a relationship with us that we're overwhelmed with a heart to heart connection to our God. We can get lost and carried away in our relationship with him! Imagine being totally open to God. Totally abandoning ourselves to his love, wisdom, and care. That's what he desires and it's what we should desire, too!

The purpose of the gospel wasn't just so our sins could be forgiven. The purpose of the gospel is so that we can take advantage of that obstacle being cleared away and absolutely fall deeply in love with the God who is deeply in love with us!

God's love is unconditional. There is no one on earth- past, present, or future that he does not love. That's the whole point of this passage of scripture. Nothing can change God's love for us! Nothing can divide us from the love that he has for us. It's offered by him. Openly, freely, and without restrictions. 

However, and now I'll show you why I say I hate this scripture, many people have misused this passage to say that once we are saved, we are always saved. That because it says we can't be separated from God's amazing love, that we can never become unsaved. 

That's not what this passage says at all. 

Please notice Jude 1:20-21:

 20 But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost,

21 Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.

Please focus your attention on verse 21. It says that by following the prescription of verse 20 (praying in the Holy Ghost) we will KEEP ourselves IN THE LOVE OF GOD. 

Now, go back to Romans and read the list again: Death, life, angels, principalities, powers, things present, things to come, height, depth, nor any other creature. 

It doesn't say anything about ourselves on that list. This is all about external forces that we have no control over. These things may come along and affect us, but they cannot separate us from God's love. 

We, however, can walk away from that love. It doesn't mean that he doesn't love us anymore. In fact, John 3:16 says that God so LOVED (same word for love here in the Greek as in Romans 8) the world (that's everybody) that he gave...

But, we know from many passages that not everybody is going to make heaven. Just reading the parable of the sower (Matthew 13:18-23) reveals a shocking statistic. There are 4 types of people listed here that hear the word of God. Of those 4, only 1 ends up being right with God and producing fruit. The rest of them die. That tells me that, at most, only 25% of the people who have or will ever hear the word of God will ever make heaven. Why? Because only those people who truly fall in love with Jesus and make him their absolute priority will build the relationship with Jesus that is required to make heaven. 

The rest will end up in the fire. The rest are tares and not wheat (Matthew 13:24-30). Goats and not Sheep (Matthew 25: 31-46). In fact, please notice Matthew 7:22-23:

 22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?

23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

Compare this passage to Mark 16: 15-18:

15 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.

16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.

17 And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;

18 They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.

The Matthew passage says the people would try and defend themselves by saying, "I've prophesied, cast out devils, and done many wonderful works in your name!"

The Mark passage says that those exact things will follow "them that believe." 

So, evidently, the folks who try and plead their cause on judgment day will be folks that made a good start but did not finish where they needed to be in God. They did not KEEP themselves in the love of God. 

I love my wonderful wife, Della Mae. She's my everything and the love of my life. AS long as I perform my husband roles (provider, spiritual leader, loving her, being faithful to her, etc) then I have the God-given privilege of staying in her love. 

Now, if I choose to pursue other women and walk away from her love, she will still love me. But, I've given up those rights and privileges because I did not KEEP myself in her love. 

God is a jealous God. He will not tolerate our going after other gods (fame, fortune, jobs, literally other gods, etc). 

God is a holy God. He cannot tolerate sin. Sin cannot enter into heaven. 

Yes, when we are born again (Acts 2:38) all our sins from that point backward are forgiven and under the blood that Jesus shed on Calvary. 

If we sin after that, 1 John 1:9 says "if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us of all unrighteousness." But, we've got to keep that attitude of repentance towards God.

That's why we must "Grow in grace (relationship with God) and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." (2 Peter 3:18)

The closer we get to him, the more we will learn to live like him. The more we live like him, the closer we get to him. Our love grows deeper and deeper for him and we live deeper and deeper IN him. 

This is the only path to heaven and why scripture says that we are to "make (our) calling an election sure." (2 Peter 1:10)

If we will fall deeper and deeper in love with him, if we will strive diligently to walk in the calling he has for us, then we will make that calling an election sure. We will make heaven.

It takes prayer (and lots of it). It takes fasting (when needed). It takes studying his word and obediently aligning ourselves with it. But, if we do, we will make it because HE will help us. 

We're not in this alone! When he gives us his spirit he empowers us to live the way he wants us to. The more we walk in his spirit, the less we will give in to the sins of the flesh. (Galatians 5:16) In other words, we must learn to submit to him and let him live through us. 

In closing, does God love everyone? ABSOLUTELY.

Unfortunately, HELL is going to be chock full of people he loves, but who chose to never love him in return with their whole lives. 

God gave his all, we must give our all in return. Anything less, and hell will be very hot. As the old song said, "99 1/2 won't do." He gives 100%. He expects us to give 100% also.