If It’s in The Bible?



Just because it's in the Bible, doesn't make it true!

I know I am going to step on many religious toes here, but this is more important than offending someone’s religious beliefs. Because when we take scripture out of context, or think that every writer and translator had a correct interpretation of God, it brings confusion, doubt, conflict, and hurts. Yes, the Lord did lead people to write down and record through songs and stories all the events of the past; but God cannot violate our free will into making us some programmed dictation machine without error.

2 Timothy 3:16-17
Collectively, the contents of scripture is inspired by God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.

It was the Lord that led people to write the Bible, but in their humanity, did not always interpret His Word rightly. Yet the Lord used over 40 different people over 1500 years to compile what we know as the Bible. And although some of the little things vary as to the nature and character of God (as they interpreted it), the one unmistakable truth is that it all points to a Messiah, Jesus Christ.

Luke 24:25-27
Then He said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory?” And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.

John 5:39
Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.

It was this same Jesus Christ that came and revealed the TRUE Nature and Character of God: as an Agape Loving Father to us all!

From the first (oldest) stories and writings of the Bible, there is a progressive (irregular) revealing of who God is. Humanity (until Christ) could not fully comprehend Him, due to the Fallen nature of the world and mankind. Thus, it took a human born ‘in, but not of the Fallen world’ to be able to express everything that God is. And the only person able to do this is Jesus Christ. And from that point, we see scripture develop into a whole new (New Testament) way of seeing God. He was a mystery to us until Christ, BUT NOT ANYMORE! This is where we can see the completed and comprehensive revelation of who God (His Kingdom) is:

Mark 4:10-11
But when Jesus was alone, those around Him with the twelve asked Him about the parable. And He said to them, “To you it has been given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God; but to those who are outside, all things come in parables.

Romans 16:25-27
Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery kept secret since the world began, but now made manifest, and by the prophetic Scriptures made known to all nations, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, for obedience to the faith—to God, alone wise, be glory through Jesus Christ forever. Amen.

1 Corinthians 2:10-12
But God has revealed [the things of God] to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.

Ephesians 1:9-10
having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself: that in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him

Ephesians 3:1-6,9-12
For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles, if ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to you-ward: how that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words, whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ) which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit; that the Gentiles should be fellow-heirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel. …and to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ: to the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God, according to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord: in whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him.

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.

All those verses show just how impossible it was for the early writers of the scriptures to fully understand God as a whole. But because of what Jesus Christ demonstrated and taught, and what Paul revealed through the Holy Spirit, we now do know, and can fully comprehend, that former mystery! And now, when we read the scriptures, we can do so from a strong foundation in Christ and all that He accomplished for us.

2 Timothy 2:15
When you study the word of God, 
to be able to rightly discern what it says, you must first know and understand that: You yourself are already approved unto God [by Christ Jesus], and that you have absolutely no reason to be ashamed towards Him
!

This is one of the most profound foundations to reading the Bible. And this is even how Jesus discerned the Old Testament writings to discover He was a Loved child of a Father God. He saw God's Love and saw God (accepting Him as such) as a Father. Jesus had the same scriptures to read as the Pharisees; Jesus grew up as a Jew and went to the Temple (hearing and asking questions – Luke 2:41-52).

But, in part, due to His sinless birth, Jesus wasn’t corrupted in His heart or mind into seeing the God in the scriptures as an Agape Loving Father. When the Pharisees read and studied those same scriptures, the only saw religion and ritual. But Jesus saw a Loving and caring Father as God. This is why Jesus, during His ministry, was so adamant against the Scribes, Pharisees, and Sadducees for their hypocrisy and false teachings, culminating in the “Woe unto you Scribes and Pharisees” statements in Matthew 23. But also seen in many of the meet-ups between Jesus and the Pharisees or His warnings of them to His disciples:

Matthew 16:6,12
Then Jesus said to them, “Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees.” Then they understood that He did not tell them to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and Sadducees.

Jesus showed much frustration with them because their eyes were covered by religion to be able to see clearly what Jesus saw in the scriptures. The book of John has many accounts of His frustration with them:

John 5:37-47
And the Father Himself, who sent Me, has testified of Me. You have neither heard His voice at any time, nor seen His form. But you do not have His word abiding in you, because whom He sent, Him you do not believe. You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me. But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life. “I do not receive honor from men. But I know you, that you do not have the love of God in you. I have come in My Father’s name, and you do not receive Me; if another comes in his own name, him you will receive. How can you believe, who receive honor from one another, and do not seek the honor that comes from the only God? Do not think that I shall accuse you to the Father; there is one who accuses you—Moses, in whom you trust. For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for he wrote about Me. But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words?”

In these passages, we can clearly see that the Pharisees knew the scriptures, but were blinded (in and of themselves) from seeing that the scriptures pointed to, revealing, Jesus! They refused to believe!

Likewise, for Paul when he went about preaching the Gospel of Jesus; many disputed, and not all believed. But Paul commended the Bereans who went about to prove in scriptures (Old Testament) what Paul was saying.

Acts 17:11
The Bereans were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.

And with Paul, a devout Pharisee of Pharisees, he himself knew all the scriptures as well. And whatever Paul might have believed as a Pharisee, he discarded in Light of the Truth of the Gospel! Paul not only had to learn to see those scriptures as pointing to Christ; he had to both see those scriptures in the point-of-view of Christ, and their meanings under the Finished Work of the Cross! Paul had the greatest wisdom of any Pharisee of the time, but it was this same Paul that told the Corinthian church that he did not come with the wisdom of humanity.

1 Corinthians 2:1-5
And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling. And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.

And Paul continues by sharing with us that what was once a mystery, is no longer a mystery at all; in that God has revealed Himself fully to us all! Which He has done for us in the most precise way: through HIS OWN Spirit within us, eliminating any kind of confusion!

1 Corinthians 2:6-8,10-16
However, we speak wisdom among those who are mature, yet not the wisdom of this age, nor of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God decreed before the ages for our glory, which none of the rulers of this age knew; for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.
But God has revealed this former mystery to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know [perceive, discern, observe, and experience] the things that have been freely given to us by God. These things we indeed speak, not in words which humanity's wisdom teaches, but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one. For “who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct Him?” But we have the mind of Christ.

His own Spirit reveals all what was previously a mystery. Although we can study and search the scriptures in OUR own wisdom, it will never reveal His Truth! We must always be using His Spirit, not only in evaluating the Old Testament scriptures and the four Gospels, but also in the interpretations of all scripture: the Old Testament, four Gospels, and New Testament.

Yes, in our own wisdom and studying, the scriptures are simple enough to reveal the Truth that Christ is the Messiah and Saviour for all humanity. However, our own wisdom will only create doctrines, religion, works, and lies when it comes to the True Nature of God our Father. And though the writers of the Old Testament were guided by the Holy Spirit to write down their experiences of the Lord, they did not have the full aspects of the Holy Spirit as we do now living in a Redeemed World (no longer a Fallen World).

Thus, for those Old Testament writers, misunderstandings came about—not because they wanted to, but because they did the best they could. And even translators have misinterpreted the original languages. I have tackled a few of these in a previous post titled: Misunderstanding and Misinterpretation. And I will continue to do so here…





No Fearing God

As I discussed at the start of this post, there is a crucial foundation of which we need to stand on in reading scriptures. In short, they are understanding the TRUE nature of what Agape Love means…that being that we should never fear God: He is never angry with us, He cannot hold any sin of the flesh against us, He does not judge us, He can never violate our free will in any part of life, and we don’t need to work or prove ourselves for Salvation (only believe).

Romans 5:1
Therefore, being justified by Christ’s faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Ephesians 2:8
For by God’s Grace are you are saved through Christ’s Faith; and that not of yourselves: but are gifts of God.

2 Timothy 2:15
When you study the word of God, to rightly discern what it says is to know you are already approved unto God [by Christ Jesus] and you have absolutely no reason to be ashamed with Him!

Hebrews 6:1-2
Therefore, moving away from the beginning origins of the words and teachings of Christ, let us endure and move forward to a position of perfection; not throwing to the ground (discarding what we have learned) to repeat the principles of truth that are: repentance from dead works and a position of faith with God; of the teachings of baptisms; and of laying on of hands; and of resurrection of the dead; and of eternal judgment.

This verse in Hebrews shows us specifically what we should understand regarding all Christ accomplished for us: Moving Forward to a Position of Perfection.

Understanding all this clears our heart, mind, and soul from veils that cloud the true nature of God and helps us interpret clearly the writings of the scriptures. So, let’s look at where the Bible says something not the truth.





Rejecting Untruth

We will start with a verse in Psalms which Paul rejects outright:

Psalms 44:22 (Romans 8:36)
Yea, for thy sake are we killed all-the-day long;
we are counted as sheep for the slaughter.

Romans 8:37-39
Objection! In all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, 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.

Look at what Paul said in his response to the Psalm, “I am persuaded”. Here Paul says he is fully convinced of what he is saying about God’s Love and his rebuttal of the Old Testament (pre-Cross) scripture. We need to hold onto who we are in Christ more than anything that is counter to that in other scripture. And for me, even this Old Testament writing is in conflict with what the Lord says about the Israelites, who said to them that they were already conquerors of a land already given to the—they just needed to believe it themselves (which only Caleb did).

Numbers 13:1-2,30
And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Send men to spy out the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the children of Israel; from each tribe of their fathers you shall send a man, everyone a leader among them.”
Then Caleb quieted the people before Moses, and said, “Let us go up at once and take possession, for we are well able to overcome it.”

Sadly, the writers of Psalms 44:22 did not see themselves as the conquerors God saw them as; they only saw themselves as weak and inferior. Hence why Paul rejects that notion, specifically now under the accomplishment of Christ Jesus for all people! This sense of false-humility is not accepting what Christ has done for us all.




We Are Not "Sinners Saved by Grace"!

Whenever we don’t fully recognize or acknowledge the completeness of what Christ Jesus accomplished, Christians will usually live with the attitude that I am just a “sinner saved by grace” (which is false)—we are the Righteousness of and by Christ Jesus. The opposite ends of the spectrum. These are the comparisons Paul makes in much of his writings. He usually starts with what we were, then concludes to tell us who we are now. Sadly, if you stop reading scriptures before the conclusion, then you will not see who you are in Christ—taking scripture out of context and making the scriptures a lie by omitting the truth.

As we saw Paul do with Psalms 44:22 in regard to Romans 8:37-39, we see him do so as well in 1 Corinthians 2:9-10 (in relation to Isaiah 64:4).

1 Corinthians 2:9-10
As it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. But God hath revealed them to us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searches all things; indeed, the deep things of God.

Paul now proclaims: “But God HAS revealed them to us”. If we had just read verse 9 and quit reading there, we would be stuck in a past time when the character and nature of God was not yet fully known. Yet we now DO KNOW the Full and True Nature of God as a Father because of what Jesus Christ demonstrated and made known to us and for us! Verse 10 is the Truth, and to omit it would be rejecting what Jesus Christ accomplished. We all now live post-Christ where everything is revealed for us—we must never live pre-Cross!

Though something at one point might have been true, it is not true now. This would be like calling Istanbul, Constantinople…a city once called one name, but now called another. Both true at a given time, but only one is true in the now.

We can also see the pre-Cross vs post-Cross in Romans 5:6-11 where Paul talks about who humanity was before Christ came (ungodly and sinners). But this applied to those people who lived at the time before and during Jesus’s ministry (saying “we” in the sense of Paul and the others lived during that time). However, Paul concludes that this is no longer true from the point after the Cross—saying that though people were enemies of God before the Cross, He has NOW reconciled us. Thus, no longer “sinners”, but reconciled to Him! If all we did was read verses 6-8, we would convince ourselves we were still “lowly sinners”. NO! We have been reconciled!!! How joyous is that.

Romans 5:6-8 (about who people were before Christ came)
For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commended his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

Romans 5:9-11 (about who we all are now from the time of the Cross)
Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.

The same can be said of Romans 6:23 where a believer can easily see oneself as a “sinner” without acknowledging the context of all of Romans 6 that tells us we are dead to sin; and likewise, the second half of verse 6:23 after the ‘but’, nullifying the first half because we live in the truth that is Jesus Christ (being confirmed by Romans 6:18):

Romans 6:23
For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Romans 6:18
And thus, because we have been made free from sin, we exist now as slaves of being righteous.

When we live after the ‘but’ of the verse, we see the truth in who we are. Here are several examples of where the truth is after the ‘but’ from Romans 8:

Romans 8:1-2
There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit: for the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.

Romans 8:5
For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.

Romans 8:6
For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.

Romans 8:7-9
The carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you.

Romans 8:13
For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.

Romans 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.

When we live our lives after the ‘but’, we live as conquerors and in truth! Our focus in on who we already are, not who we once were. Nor focused on something future-related that has already occurred—or something we are striving to get that we have already been given.




We Have the Kingdom and Authority Now

One of these is the Kingdom of God / Kingdom of Heaven. This was something I always believed was a “to-be” or a “to-get”. Yet, I believed wrong and didn’t see the truth that the Kingdom of God / Kingdom of Heaven is a now reality—which I shared here: Kingdom Rest.

Another is regarding the book of Revelations. We can read it all as something that is to happen on the future; yet, some of what is in Revelations is an account of what has happened already. Revelation 12 recounts what happened during Jesus’s ministry on earth 2000 years ago. During that time Jesus said these verses:

Matthew 11:12
And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force. 

Luke 10:18
And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven.

The context of Luke 10:18 is that the Disciples had Jesus’s authority over Devils; and that nothing could harm them. And that at that moment in time was when Satan lost his battle in Heaven and was cast out, down to the earth. Of which is accounted in Relevation:

Revelation 12:7-12
And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, and prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceives the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, “Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death. Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knows that he hath but a short time.”

We see that the Devil and Satan was defeated in the violent battle Jesus saw take place in heaven. And that at their loss, was cast out of heaven as fast as lighting. No longer, like in the account of Job, can Satan stand in front of God accusing the people of the earth. No longer are we condemned by Satan; for we have been made “more than conquerors through Christ Jesus!” (Romans 8:37).

We thus should have no fear of the Devil or Satan. We stand as righteous and we can never be accused of sin or being sinners.





No More Sacrifices and Works /
The Sins of the Flesh and Sin of Not Believing

For us to see oneself as a sinner is to actually reject the Devil and Satan’s defeat, and rejecting who God sees you and every human being as: righteous. To acknowledge oneself as a sinner can create false doctrines and a false mindset that can often be seen in the notion that we have to offer sacrifices for sins over and over again. As a Christian, this is not talking about animal sacrifices, but the ritualistic ungodly sacrifices of asking God for the constant forgiveness of one’s sins. The verse often quoted for this process is this:

1 John 1:9
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

This is very “Law-Driven”. But is this saying, "we must do this?", as it is in conflict with these verses:

Romans 5:12,15,18-19
Wherefore, as by one man (Adam) sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many. Therefore, as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life. For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.

Hebrews 10:1-4,12-23
For the law, having a shadow of the good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with these same sacrifices, which they offer continually year by year, make those who approach perfect. For then would they not have ceased to be offered? For the worshipers, once purified, would have had no more consciousness of sins. But in those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year. For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins.
But this Man (Jesus Christ), after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God, from that time waiting till His enemies are made His footstool. For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified. The Holy Spirit also witnesses to us; for after He had said before, “This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws into their hearts, and in their minds I will write them,” then He adds, “Their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.” Now where there is remission of these, there is no longer an offering for sin. Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh, and having a High Priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.

1 Peter 3:18
For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit.

When we study out the passages in Hebrews, we see that Christ Jesus made one complete sacrifice for sin, once and for all time. There is therefore no sin of the flesh that we can ever commit that was not taken care of at the Cross before we ever committed any sin! How can we then ask for forgiveness of our sins of the flesh if they have already been forgiven. And repentance is not asking for forgiveness of sins. If I asked the Lord to forgive a sin I committed, the only response He has for me is “I already have” (not “I will” or “I will not”. Thus it seems futile and foolish to ask when we have no need to ask.

Which also begs the question, “what if I missed confessing one?”. This then creates religion, doctrines, and Pharisaical rules where we then try and make some sins more important than other sins to confess or believe. How can one sin be greater or less-than another sin when ALL sins of the flesh were accounted for at the Cross. No sin is greater or less-than any other as they have ALL been nullified and reduced to ZERO!

So how do we read what John was saying then? We look at the context to whom he was writing to; and understand that he was not talking about the sins of the flesh.

Thus, firstly, when we look at the book of 1st John, we see that he is writing to non-Christians—to his Jewish companions that had not yet believed on Jesus Christ as the Messiah. His writing is declaring to them Jesus Christ. This can be seen in these two verses in which he states, “that you also may have fellowship with us…which is with the Father and His Son Jesus Christ”:

1 John 1:1-4
That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life; (for the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;) that which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ. And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.

1 John 5:13
These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.

John is longing for his Jewish brethren to come to understand and know Jesus Christ and what it meant that He died for them, taking all the sins of the flesh away; and when believing, takes away the only unforgiven sin away: the Sin of not believing. This I explained in a previous post titled: The Sin of Not Believing / Judgment.

When we recognize that there are only two types of sin/Sin, we get set free from the everyday sins of the flesh. It was these sins of the flesh that Christ bore on the Cross once and for all time for all human beings. But there remained one Sin that He could not forgive, leaving it up to us to do so through. This is because He cannot and will never violate our free-will to choose. For Him to believe for us would mean we never had the ability to choose. And since we will always have the ability to choose, He could not believe for us. And this process of believing regarding the Sin of unbelief looks like this:

1.  Before being Born-Again by believing in Christ Jesus, we are in Sin—not the sins of the flesh, but only the Sin of unbelief. Reminder: the sins of the flesh have and will always have been forgiven.

2.  When we believe and are Born-Again, that unbelief is removed, which then in-and-of-itself, removes the Sin of unbelief. Now, along with the already-forgiven sins of the flesh, we are completely free from any sin/Sin!

This then aligns with what John says in 1 John 1:8-10:
Verse 8: If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
·       This is saying that if you deny that you are in unbelief, you are denying the Truth that you require Christ Jesus as Lord and Saviour—which is not only anyone now that does not recognize Jesus Christ; but also the Jews whom John was specifically writing to.

Verse 9: If we confess our Sin, he is faithful and just to forgive us our Sin, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
·       If, per verse 8, we do acknowledge that, as a non-believer, we have the Sin of unbelief, then we can choose to believe upon Him which will remove that Sin of unbelief (with the former forgiven sins of the flesh)—making us then absolutely righteous (no longer having the unrighteousness of unbelief).

Verse 10: If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and his word is not in us.
·       If a person says they have never sinned (that is the Sin of unbelief), then we are really confessing that we do not believe, and that Christ Jesus died for no cause whatsoever. Making it true for ourselves that we are not Born-Again, and Christ does not dwell in us.

Having said all this, the basic point is that John is not talking about sins of the flesh, but the Sin that is not believing. We cannot be held accountable for our sins of the flesh because Christ took them all upon Himself--"never to be remembered again". But what we can be held accountable for is the Sin of unbelief (not believing on Him). If we die in this earth without believing on Him, this is the unforgivable sin that will result in our eternal Death in Hell (way from God).

On a side-note, I want to tackle the following verse:

Hebrews 10: 26-27
For if we Sin willfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remains no more sacrifice for Sin, but a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries.

This Sin being talked about here is the Sin of unbelief—that once Born-Again, a person who then rejects that Salvation and willfully choses to un-believe (returning to a state of unbelief), that person then falls back into the Sin of not believing. And once a person chooses to do so, they cannot be Born-Again (Again). They are eternally now in that Sin of unbelief. This is not something that can easily happen though as described in Hebrews 6:4-8.

All of these counter the doctrine that God pre-chooses who will be Saved and who will not; since it is completely up to each and every individual to chose or not chose Jesus Christ as The Saviour! And for each individual to maintain that belief.




God’s Desire Is That All Be Saved /
Doctrinal Mistranslations & Misinterpretations

Let’s look at a few Bible version translations that create doctrines; or are interpretations to fit into a specific doctrine. Most of which (incorrectly translated) deny the Completeness of the Cross and Jesus Christ; or deny the True Loving Nature of God as a Father. I will tackle the following three:

1.  Peace between God and all humans.
2.  Our personal right to believe or not believe (and our own hardness of heart).
3.  Paul’s Thorn.

Before I do this, I want to make clear that there is no perfect Bible translation. Some hold true to the King James Version of the Bible, but even it has errors. For me, I do enjoy reading various Bibles versions, but will always do my own personal studies of the original language to get specific clarification. If something does not fit into the character and nature of Jesus Christ (who is the exact duplication and representation of God the Father), then I examine the original language meanings, dismiss the interpretation, or put it aside for later study as I seek the Holy Spirit (which can take time to come back to). But my go-to for studying and the original language is the King James Version (KJV / AKJV).

Item 1: Peace between God and all humans.

Let’s look at some comparative translations regarding peace between God and humans, as well as righteousness (right-standing with God):


Luke 2:14 AKJV
“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men!”

Luke 2:14 NLT
“Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.”



Romans 3:21-24 AKJV
But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: for all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.

Romans 3:21-24 NLT
But now God has shown us a way to be made right with him without keeping the requirements of the law, as was promised in the writings of Moses and the prophets long ago. We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are. For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins.

There are two huge differences here in these two translations—one (the AKJV) states that the Angels claim that Peace and Goodwill is from God towards all humankind; the other (NLT) claims the Angels declared this only for a certain select group of humans.

Likewise, the NLT claims that righteousness is only for those who believe; yet the AKJV says that righteousness is unto (gifted out to) everyone (believer or not), and upon (accepted and credited to) all those who believe. The AKJV makes the bold claim that what Christ accomplished was for every human being, gifting every human being the choice of right-standing with God--not because of our faith, but by (of) Christ's Faith. And having been already reconciled by God, this right-standing, becomes a TITLE for us... “upon” in the eternal-sense for those who believe—which relates back to the previous section in 1 John 1). That ALL can receive this gift of righteousness seems to be wonderful news for the world: “Good News”…the Gospel!

Related reading on forgiveness and a non-judgmental peace with God right now:



But are these AKJV claims true? Let’s look at a few other verses to deem what the Angels really meant:


John 3:16-17 AKJV
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. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

John 3:16-17 NLT
“For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him."



Romans 5:1 AKJV
Therefore, being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Romans 5:1 NLT
Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us.


Colossians 1:19-22 AKJV
For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell; and, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven. And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled in the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight.

Colossians 1:19-22 NLT
For God in all his fullness was pleased to live in Christ, and through him God reconciled everything to himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of Christ’s blood on the cross. This includes you who were once far away from God. You were his enemies, separated from him by your evil thoughts and actions. Yet now he has reconciled you to himself through the death of Christ in his physical body. As a result, he has brought you into his own presence, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before him without a single fault.

John 3:16 and Colossians 1:20 does not say God only Loved some people, He said He Loved the entire world (ALL people), reconciling ALL things to Himself. And why would He not Love His own Creation! He always wanted us all to be able to live in right-standing with Him, without fear or reprisal. Something lost by Adam, but gained by Jesus Christ:


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

Romans 5:18 NLT
Yes, Adam’s one sin brings condemnation for everyone, but Christ’s one act of righteousness brings a right relationship with God and new life for everyone.


Beautiful! Adam brought condemnation to everyone; Christ brought His Righteousness for everyone. We didn’t have to believe in Adam for his sin and condemnation to fall upon us; so, neither do we have to believe in Christ for His Righteousness to be gifted to us! What an amazing declaration of God’s Love! This is why the Angels could only proclaim Peace and Goodwill from God to ALL humanity (not just some). For God has reconciled everyone to Himself through what Christ accomplished through His Faith. So through this reconciliation, we can receive HIS gifted Righteousness upon our belief in Him.


2 Corinthians 5:14-21
For the love of Christ constrains us; because we have made this absolute declaration: that if One (Jesus Christ) died for all, then were all dead. And that since He died for all, that they which are alive should now not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto Him which died for them; and rose again. Insomuch, that henceforth, know we no person (no one) after the flesh. Yes, though we perceived Christ according to the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more. Wherefore, whoever is in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. And all things are (every single thing is) of God, who hath reconciled us to Himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; to wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the entire world (all people) unto himself, not imputing (not taking into consideration) their trespasses (sins and misdeeds) unto them; and hath committed unto us this word: that all are reconciled. Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did encourage you by us. So pray in Christ’s behalf, as one reconciled to God! Because He made Jesus Christ to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we have been made the righteousness of God in Christ.

Romans 5:10
For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.

This is now where there is a difference between Righteousness, Reconciliation, and Salvation. Separate things; all are a gift, but one is by choice (our personal right to choose salvation through our own God-Given free will into receiving His title of Righteousness).

Here is an in-depth study on Reconciliation / Redemption:



Item 2: Our personal right to believe or not believe (and our own hardness of heart).

We see that because of what Christ accomplished, all have been given right-standing with God (Righteousness) and even reconciled all humanity to God Himself as a gift! But does that mean everyone is Saved? No, because Righteousness, Reconciliation, and Salvation are different things. The latter is a choice for us—we have to believe to be Born-Again into Salvation and maintain that belief.

John 3:3,5-8,14-18
Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.” And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

Being Born-Again is something that happens in our spirit—changing the spirit we were born with (born of this world) into being Born of Jesus Christ. In this moment, our spirit becomes a Spirit made Holy—the same Holiness that is the Spirit of Christ (that being that there is only One Kind of Holy).

The critical aspect to what Jesus was stating is that in order to be Born-Again, one must believe. This is something Jesus tried to get the Pharisees to understand, but they would not believe what He was saying; the He Himself was the Messiah. Instead, they rejected Him, even though all the Jewish scriptures pointed to and claimed that He is the Messiah. Thousands of Jews believed during Jesus’s ministry; yet it was mainly those who had their own head-knowledge of Scriptures (Scribes, Sadducees, and Pharisees) that failed to believe. Why? Because their hearts were hardened by their own selves. And no matter what miracles and scriptures Jesus used, they refused to unharden their own hearts.

John 12:37-40
But though Jesus had done so many miracles before them, yet they believed not on Him; that the saying of Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spoke: “Lord, who hath believed our report? and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?” (Isaiah 53:1)

Therefore, they could not believe, because that Isaiah said again: “Their eyes are blinded, and their hearts hardened; that they should not see with their eyes, nor understand in their heart; indeed, being converted; indeed, healing themselves.” (Isaiah 6:10).

One major point of contention here is that most translations of John 12:40 and Isaiah 6:10 say it is/was the Lord that blinded and hardened them. But this is blatantly false (don’t believe everything you read in the Bible). The original Greek and original Hebrew DO NOT say it was the Lord—the word Lord or any word or mention of Him being the One doing so is absent in both those Texts. This is the verse in Isaiah:

Isaiah 6:10
The heart of the people is fat, their ears are heavy, and their eyes are shut; They must see with their eyes, hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, to convert (turn back) and be healed.

As can be seen, this does not tell us the Lord was the culprit in their closedness; but the Lord was saying they were closed; wanting them to open themselves to come back to Him and be healed. This is really the heart of the Lord, for them to come to Him and be healed. This is EXACTLY what Jesus cried out:

Matthew 23:37
O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!

And here Jesus makes it clear too that THEY “were not willing”. It is God’s will that everyone comes to Him (1 Timothy 2:3-4). So it is not God that is keeping them from believing, it is their own doing and their own hardness of heart.

God has chosen to save everyone and anyone who believes in Christ Jesus; no exception! But just because God chooses to accept everyone, doesn’t mean all will accept Him.

Remember, God cannot and will not ever violate a person’s free-will to choose (in everything and anything that person chooses). Jesus always spoke to the Scribes, Sadducees, Pharisees, Israel, and His Disciples about their hardness of heart:

Matthew 19:8
He said to them, “Moses, because of the hardness of your hearts, permitted you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so.

Mark 3:4-5
Then He said to them, “Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?” But they kept silent. And when He had looked around at them with anger, being grieved by the hardness of their hearts, He said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And he stretched it out, and his hand was restored as whole as the other.

Mark 6:51-52
Then He went up into the boat to them, and the wind ceased. And they were greatly amazed in themselves beyond measure, and marveled. For they had not understood about the loaves, because their heart was hardened.

Mark 8:17-21
But Jesus, being aware of it, said to them, “Why do you reason because you have no bread? Do you not yet perceive nor understand? Is your heart still hardened? Having eyes, do you not see? And having ears, do you not hear? And do you not remember? When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of fragments did you take up?” They said to Him, “Twelve.” “Also, when I broke the seven for the four thousand, how many large baskets full of fragments did you take up?” And they said, “Seven.” So He said to them, “How is it you do not understand?”

So we see it isn’t anything that God is doing to harden their hearts; but it is that their own rejection of the truth in what they see (contrary to their flesh) which is causing them to harden their own hearts. The same is what happened to Pharaoh in Egypt and to the Israelites who came out of Egypt. Their witnessing of God’s Miracles was so unbelievable in their eyes (flesh), that they could not grasp or accept it as reality. Their own unbelief was the cause of their own hearts being hardened by themselves (not God—although it is what God performed that became the revealer of their hardness; which had been hidden in their own deception).

Romans 9:14-18
What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid. For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy. For the scripture saith unto Pharaoh, Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might shew my power in thee, and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth. Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth.

This interpretation of scriptures makes it seem that God chose to harden Pharaoh’s heart. But in reality, Pharaoh hardened his own heart to what God chose to show as a demonstration of Himself. God knew this in advance that Pharaoh would reject Him; thus, what God planned came to fruition. Pharaoh did not want to deny his own false-truth that he was a god; even though God Himself showed Himself to be the True God. In reality it was the presence of God's righteousness to Pharaoh that Pharaoh hardened himself to in rejection of the Truth.

Just as God planned to make all righteous through the accomplishment of Christ Jesus and the Cross. But this gifted righteousness was rejected by the self-righteous (the Pharisees) and the Jewish nation as a whole. Hence why their hardness and rejection brought salvation to the Gentiles. Yet it was not God who hardened their hearts, but they themselves hardened it in response to God's righteousness.

Being in a right-standing with God is not based on how much a person wants (wills himself) to be righteous, or how hard they try to be righteous; it is based purely on God's will and work; whom made us righteous by His choice and will. By God's Grace we have been saved through Christ's Faith; purely Gifts from God the Father—not of our own personal works or ability, lest anyone could boast. For we are all His Creation, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. (Ephesians 2:8-10).

Remember, as we read above, God has chosen everyone to be saved through Christ Jesus. So we cannot view God as being able to violate or harden a person’s heart for the purpose of rejection. As such, it is still up to the person’s own choice to reject God and all that God shows to peoples—even though He constantly reminds each and everyone of us through the Holy Spirit to accept Him TODAY!

Hebrews 3:7-13
Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says: “Today, if you will hear His voice, Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, In the day of trial in the wilderness, Where your fathers tested Me, tried Me, And saw My works forty years. Therefore I was angry with that generation, And said, ‘They always go astray in their heart, And they have not known My ways.’ So I swore in My wrath, ‘They shall not enter My rest.’” Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God; but exhort one another daily, while it is called “Today,” lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.

We all have a choice when God presents Himself to us (of which differs in every person). We are all presented the Truth of Jesus Christ personally by the Holy Spirit with every human being. His purpose is to present the Truth of Christ Jesus to every person in this world—He convict (convince) every person of their Sin of Unbelief (John 16:7-11).

Sometimes too, we are presented the Truth of Jesus Christ through a specific encounter, just as we saw with Paul (Paul being his Greek name, and Saul being his Hebrew name). In a single moment, Jesus revealed Himself personally to Paul; and in that immediate moment, Paul had a choice to either receive or reject the Lord. And in that moment, he chose to say, “Who are you Lord” and obeyed. To the point where Paul eventually rejected everything that he known before, seeking out only to know Christ Jesus.

1 Corinthians 2:2
For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.

Philippians 3:13-16
Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus [perfect] minded; and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you. Nevertheless, whereto we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us mind the same thing.


Item 3: Paul’s Thorn.

Which now brings us to something Paul had to deal with: “a thorn in his side”.

2 Corinthians 12:7-9
And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure. For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

Sadly, many doctrines have tried to convince us that Paul’s thorn was both given by God, but also that it was some kind of disease. Yet this rejects everything that is God the Father’s Love (that He has given us peace); and rejects fully what Christ Jesus accomplished (baring all sickness and disease onto himself through His Stripes – 1 Peter 2:24). Sickness is purely and only the work of the Devil / Satan (Luke 13:10-16).

But the simplest thing in these verses to see is what is plain and clearly written—his thorn in the flesh was a MESSENGER of Satan. And all a messenger is, is a person. And this person was NOT sent by God (it never says in the verses that it was from God—as it actually says it was sent by Satan). And as I will explain below, Satan does not work for God, and God does not work for Satan (there are two separate and distinct Kingdoms at work). Thus, it was Satan that sent his own messenger (person) to harass Paul.

Then why did God not remove that thorn Paul prayed to have removed? Paul prayed in vain for the Lord to take away this evil person on his life. But the prayer failed; not because God did not want to, but because Paul was asking wrong—he was asking selfishly. Paul would have used that answered-prayer to gloat about what God did for him. He prayed to glorify himself, not God. This is asking amiss:

James 4:1-3
From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members? Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not. Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.

This is why Paul says it's because of pride: "Exalted", due to his uniquely abundant revelations:

2 Corinthians 12:1-7a
It is not expedient for me doubtless to glory. I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord. I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) such an one caught up to the third heaven. And I knew such a man, (whether in the body, or out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) how that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter. Of such an one will I glory: yet of myself I will not glory, but in mine infirmities. For though I would desire to glory, I shall not be a fool; for I will say the truth: but now I forbear, lest any man should think of me above that which he seeth me to be, or that he heareth of me. And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations

So we see Paul had to deal with his own pride, not anything to do with what God did or didn’t do; nor a sickness or disease. Which brings us to see that God and Satan are not on the same side; nor used of each other.





Differing Accounts of the Lord /
Kingdom of God vs Kingdom of Satan

The Bible can often give different telling’s of the same account. We see this in the accounts of Matthew, Mark, and John who were disciples of Jesus. They each shared their personal testimony of their walk with Jesus. Likewise, we can see different accounts in the Old Testament. One of those is the story of King David when he took a census of Israel:

2 Samuel 24:1
And again the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he moved David against them to say, Go, number Israel and Judah.

1 Chronicles 21:1
And Satan stood up against Israel, and provoked David to number Israel.

One account tells us that is was God who made David sin; the other says it was Satan. Which one is true?

Since Satan is not a pawn of God, but an enemy of God, it cannot be that Satan did this with God’s approval or command. This is something that Jesus confirmed when he talked about Satan’s Kingdom and God’s Kingdom as separate Kingdoms; and that “any kingdom divided against itself cannot stand”:

Matthew 12:23-28
And all the multitudes were amazed and said, “Could this be the Son of David?” Now when the Pharisees heard it they said, “This fellow does not cast out demons except by Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons.” But Jesus knew their thoughts, and said to them: “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand. If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand? And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore, they shall be your judges. But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you.

Thus, if Satan and God are not of the same Kingdom, they cannot be working for or with each other. Satan was even cast out of Heaven and cannot even approach God (confirmed in Revelations 12)!

Matthew 11:12
And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force.

Luke 10:18
And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven.

Then, was it God or Satan that caused David to sin? It was Satan. God that cannot test, try, or tempt us (James 1). And because we know that it is Satan that destroys and God that brings life:

John 10:10
The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

Jesus always clarifies for us God’s true Nature. And sadly, in the account David in 2 Samuel, the author did not fully understand God’s true Nature of Love, and that it was Satan who tempted David.





Story of Job

Lastly, let’s look at the story of Job. When we read the story of Job, we can see the trouble and hardship he faced—a trial that saw the destruction of his family, his belongings, and almost his own life. But was God responsible for this trial in his life. This is not only seen in the conversation between God and Satan, but confirmed by James in the New Testament.

Job 1:8-12
Then the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered My servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil?” So Satan answered the Lord and said, “Does Job fear God for nothing? Have You not made a hedge around him, around his household, and around all that he has on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. But now, stretch out Your hand and touch all that he has, and he will surely curse You to Your face!” And the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, all that he has is in your power; only do not lay a hand on his person.” So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord.

James 1:13
Let no man say when he is tried, I am tried of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tries he any man.

The conversation that happened between God and Satan was one where God could not withhold Satan from Job—not because God didn’t have the power to do so, but because God didn’t have the authority to withhold Satan. Mankind gave God’s authority to mankind to Satan at the Fall through Adam (which was only returned to mankind through Jesus Christ). Satan didn’t need permission from God, mankind gave that permission themselves to Satan. And although Satan asked God to curse Job, God could not, replying to Satan, “all he has is in your hands.”

Yet Job believed it was God in his statement: “The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away” (Job 1:21). But we see that it was Satan that takes away. This is something that Jesus Christ (the exact representation of God) confirmed:

John 10:10
The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

God brings life, Satan brings death. Hence why also God did not leave Job in misery, but blessed him even more abundantly. So it’s not the truth what Job said about God “taking away”.

The story of Job also brings about some unfortunate translations for Dragons, Leviathan, and the Behemoth.

For the Behemoth, some translations call it an elephant or hippopotamus; yet the description of this animal is nothing like either of those; and is more an accurate description of what we would call the dinosaur: Diplodocus or Brachiosaurus. Which in Job 40:15-24 describes a massive animal with a tail as big as a cedar tree.

For the Dragon (H8577 & H8565), it has been translated into “great whale”, “serpent”, or “monster”. And Leviathan (H3882) into “crocodile”. Yet, Leviathan in Job 41 describes a literal fire-breathing Dragon. This is not folk-lore, but reality; hence, to me, explains the separate and differing cultures that embrace fire-breathing dragons in their history.





Conclusion

Though this is not all the accounts of some untruth in the Bible, it is meant to open ones questioning of specific accounts, translations, and doctrines that can completely sway one’s perspective on who the True person and Nature of God is.

God = Jesus = Holy Ghost = God.

They are One and of the same; in pure unity. Neither can do something opposing to the other or apart from the other. This is why we look at the person of Jesus and the person of the Holy Ghost to help define who God really is; this being a Loving Father.

Both Jesus and the Holy Ghost bring healing, restoration, and Life to people. They never killed or brought sickness on anyone; nor do they bring trials on people. And they will always meet people wherever that person is in life, without judgment or harm. We have all been forgiven. This is the God of the Bible I know! This is the God of the Bible I want everyone to come to know! And this is the Father that Jesus wants us to know!


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