Posted on 02/08/2014 7:04:35 PM PST by ReformationFan
Exclusive: Matt Barber explains how Jesus is both exclusive and inclusive
You’ve heard it said that “We are all God’s children.” This rings flowery and nice.
It’s an insidious lie.
Indeed, God both created and loves – in a way most unfathomable – everyone who ever lived. He wove us together in our mother’s womb and numbered our every hair. But God the Father has only one begotten Son. The rest of us, in order to become one of God’s children, must be adopted – in, by and through – the One Who is the Son: Jesus Christ. Those who are not adopted are not children of God. Christ and Christ alone is “the way, the truth and the life.”
Indeed, to become a child of God, we must ask God – through Christ – to adopt us. We mustn’t just believe upon Him – for “Even the demons believe that” (see James 2:19) – but, rather, we must also accept Him. We must follow Jesus, the one true God, as our only God. “But to all who believed him and accepted him (Jesus), he gave the right to become children of God.” (John 1:12)
Don’t believe? Don’t accept? You have no right to become a child of God.
And that’s unholy hell.
I’m not here to question God. I can neither fully understand nor explain why what He says it is so. I can only convey to you that He unmistakably, unequivocally and without stuttering, says it is so.
(Excerpt) Read more at wnd.com ...
Yes, it’s quite sad. Satan is the father of lies. He seems to be feasting on this biblically ignorant generation. The woeful lack of knowledge makes it much easier to spread all sorts of unbiblical notions that appeal to sinful men. And when the truth is pointed out, most hate it. Most people simply will not tolerate the hard truths of Scripture. Far too many “received not the love of the truth.”
I suggest the same to you. I stand by my posts.
May God bless both you and .45 Long Colt.
I believe He will be more understanding and forgiving of those without missionaries visiting their locals than you two.
Do you believe peoples in 3rd world countries went without salvation PRIOR to the influx of missionaries? Say, in the 1800’s? The 1200’s?
God MADE His children, wherever they reside; I find it hard to believe you would judge them to be without salvation because of their locals.
Good night. And, may you have sweet dreams of a forgiving and understanding Father who gives a second chance.
Sad but true.
“For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.”
2 Timothy 4:3-4
Well Said!
We are all created, and because of that God has grace. Tremendous mercy as well, but long suffering.
We are not His children unless one becomes born again, through receiving what Christ has given!
Matt Barber, the author, says humans are made children of The God by adoption. That is a damnable lie; and so far not one here has contested that statemernt. How sad, and how ignorant of the gospel of salvation!
o - An infant's condition, from the moment of conception is thus:
Eph. 2:1-3 :
(1) And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; (2) Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: (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 of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath,
o - All, all children born of woman--save one--were born children of Satan, the god of this world.
Rom 5:13-14:
(14) (For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law.
(14) Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come.
o - Although it is true that children yet not of the accountability for violating The Law through lack of comprehension of it and thus protected by ignorance from unjust condemnation, humans who--God only knows--have reached accountability are thus slated for a fiery Etenal Death of bidy, soul, and spirit.
Jn. 3:18-20:
(18) He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. (19) And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. (20) For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.
o - Every human is under condemnation because of the sin committed by his federal head, Adam, for which all of his progeny are condemned to Hell and the Lake of Fire.
Joh 3:3-9:
(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. (6) That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. (7) Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.
o - The only escape from this condition is a thorough conviction of ones sin, and casting themselves upon God's mercy to be reborn as a new spiritual being who irreversibly and constantly trusts in Jesus and his sacrificial death, and the Holy Ghost directing his/her spirit going forward.
Rom 8:15 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.
Rom 8:23 And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body. o - Not "our bodies" which is an individualized terminology; but "our Body," which is His instantaneous removal of the bodies of those of His Church, and from the sphere of this world into another dimension to become His Wedded Consort. The Adoption is about His Church, not the bodies of individual members of it.
o - Becoming a child of The God is not a function of the assumption of new responsibilities as the creatures reigning with Christ as His Spouse. Humans become The God's children by new birth as a new spiritual human, conceived by the entry of the generative seed, the sperma, The Spoken Word (hrema) of The God, bringing total committed trust in The Faith, and the faithfulness of Jesus Christ, and submissive to His Kingship.
o - From 1Jn 3:9 exegeted (by me): "Whosoever is born spiritually anew of God doth not constantly commit sin (as a practice, a lifestyle); for His generative Seed (the sperma, the Spoken Word of The God) remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of The God. "
Rom 10:17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
o - Here, "word" is "hrema" the Spoken Word--not "graphe" the Written Word--but The Words of The God written on our heart for all time and Eternity.
Matt Barber is a very poor preacher of righteousness.
I’m an idiot.
Here are the key verses regarding the term "adoption"--the hweeohthayseeas--the operation of "placement as sons"--the moment of receiving an inheritance:
Rom_8:15 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.
Rom_8:23 And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.
Rom_9:4 Who are Israelites; to whom pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises;
Gal_4:5 To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.
Eph_1:5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,
o - Please note that in the above, the process of "adoption" only refers to a process applied to a plurality of individuals in and as a group. Most particularly, in Rom. 8:23 the moment of adoption is not as applied in millions of redemptions and adoptions, but is a singular event called "Redemption" (accusative, anarthrous, singular), also called "The Adoption" (accusative, articular construction, singular, meaning 'The Son-Placement') , "of the Body" (genitive, articular, singular), of "you-all" (genitive, inherently anarthrpous, a plurality of individual humans). This is a description of an event once occurring intime, which must be at the moment of the sudden removal, the snatching-away-together, the "harpagaysomethah", commonly termed "the rapturee" described in 1 Thess. 4:17 (cf 1 Cor. 15:51-53).
0 - Another similar mistake is customarily made in attributing a quality to an individual's body, which only can apply to a body--congregated as singular in identity and unity--but consisting of an association of a plurality of individuals. In the most general, as applied to the Christian enterprise, it is The (Now) Invisible Body of The Christ; which (when He becomes visible to the world), so will It become visible--as an army (a concept implying singularity as an organizational exclusive unit)--comprised of a plurality of individuals cooperating to serve its Head.
Consider the passage as follows, with embedded defining notes:
1 Cor. 6:19-20:
(19) What? know ye (plural) not that your (plural) body (singular) is the temple (articular, singular) of the Holy Ghost which is in you (pluraity joined in worship and work), which (refers to The Spirit, not His Temple) ye plural but joined in unity) have of God, and ye are not your own? (20) For ye (as individuals, as a joined local assembly, and of whom some are members of The Christ's Heavenly Church) are bought (redeemed, speaking of the process of redemption) with a price (the point of ransom payment at the Cross; but the delivery of the actual goods, the Church and all in it at the harpadzo) : therefore glorify God in (dative of association) your (genitive pluralized unit) body (dative, articular, singular), and in (dative of association) your (genitive, plural) spirit (dative, articular, singular), which (relative pronoun, nominaive, plural) are God's (genintive, articular, singular).
o - Contrary to the interpretation of many revered commentators, who say this passage applies on the one hand, the local visible assembly of Jesus-followers; but on the other hand, as the individual also thought of as also figurative-literal temple; I simply do not accept the grammatical construction and syntax as permitting this in the strictest, infallible interpretation.
But these aspects certainly shore up the assertion that the Son-placement event is not merely anticipatory, but actualized at one moment in time; and that it does not refer to the method by which one individual becomes a child of The God.
He is not an adoptive Father in the Spirit, He is The One from Whom The Life-bearing Regenerative Seed comes, that is planted in the mind and heart of the seeker-disciple of spiritual truths, in whom a new spiritual babe-child is conceived in the human's heart; gestated by nurture of a qualified spiritually mature Christ-ordained discipler; and finally born when the necessary complement, the Logos, the articles of The Faith have become the basis of the indoctrinated humble acceptance of the life principles marking a Christ-following disciple, acknowledged by the Holy Ghost, and demonstrated by Christ-honoring living.
At this time, administering the water-baptismic ritual would be appropriate to announce publicly the induction into a committed life of service to The Lord.
I challenged it right off the bat.
Thank you for your work.
So, are you saying that Jesus dying on the cross wasn't quite good enough? Are you saying that the Holy Spirit who leads us into all truth can't quite get it right the first time after the cross?
You may not see it, but what you are REALLY saying is not that people get a "second chance" during the millennium, but that our thrice Holy God, our sovereign God whose thoughts are above our thoughts, whose ways are above our ways (Isaiah 55), needs a "do-over". And that some people, just "lucky" enough to live during the millenium and not the thousands of years before then, get to benefit from God's "do-over". Too bad for all the others who died before then and never repented. That is what you are really saying.
Was John talking about people in general, or was he telling us, that while Jews were the chosen ones, Gentiles were being added to the list? Was he differentiating between God's kids who would and would not gain Heaven?
Be careful, brother, regarding dogmatism on issues such as this. I agree with your analysis regarding being born again, but the NT uses both the concept of "born again" and "adoption" in it's explanation of our new relationship with God through the sacrificial work of Jesus. For example:
Ephesians 1:5 he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will
Romans 8:15 - The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship.
Galatians 4:4-5 - But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship.
I think it might be better explained about the relationship of the 2 events, rebirth and adoption, but some used the terms interchangeably, where they may not necessarily be, in that rebirth precedes adoption, but this is past the point of the article, methinks.
Is it a truly a"damnable lie"?
I certainly had no intent to discredit any intimation of that. Most of the stuff inclined towards "this precious little child" (which they are, but they are not saved and certainly no by paedobaptism).
It was only #39 when I started writing, and #66 when I finished writing and posted.
Please, what # was the post you're referring to?
Thanks --
The Creator of all just has some fallen creation.
OK, but the point was that Matt correctly observed that children are not God’s by birth. The issue was that he claimed that humans became God’s by some adoption process. That is very clearly wrong. Humans become God’s by new birth in the Spirit, even if one might by 90 years old chronologically when it happens.
Yehova is a just God, and he knows who is his own.
Stop worrying about who is left out and just spread his truth; that is our only job on Earth, all the rest is drama.
>> “All, all children born of woman—save one—were born children of Satan, the god of this world.” <<
.
We would all do well to spend less time worrying about things that are not well defined in the word, and spread the things that are.
Yehova is a just God. He says that he has an election, a Remnant. He knows who they are, and he has not left it up to man to fritter about.
>> “Matt Barber is a very poor preacher of righteousness” <<
.
All writers have a habit of writing how they think it should be, rather than how the word says it is. That is probably why they write.
Read Yehova’s word, not man’s word.
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