Spiritual Nuggets

To Ponder 021008

1. The people described in the last ten verses of Romans 1 had salvation at a point before they became so filled with sin. Please ponder 1:21,22 carefully:

For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools

The ones Paul wrote of once knew God, that is, had a relationship with God. John 17:25; 14:17; 15:20,21 says the world (unsaved mankind) doesn’t know God and 1 John 2:3,4 states that the saved do know God. The same Greek word is found in all these verses, as well as in John 17:3, which states eternal life is having a relationship with (knowing) the only true God, and Jesus Christ.

Hence, the ones in Rom. 1:21 had salvation at one point. It is also clear that the same people became fools and their thinking became futile. They drifted further and further from God. Read that passage carefully and be stirred. You must guard your heart (Prov. 4:23).

2. Christians often speak of eternal life but seem to rarely recognize that eternal life is a person—namely the Lord Jesus. Ponder this verse, which also shows Jesus was never created (since eternal life could never have a beginning):

The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. (1 John 1:2)

3. Who is the true God in 1 John 5:20? That verse reads:

We know also that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true. And we are in him who is true—even in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.

According to the last part of that verse: (1) the same one who is eternal life is also the true God and (2) the true God and eternal life is describing just one person by the singular pronoun he. The part He is the true God and eternal life does not refer to the Father and Son because of the singular pronoun he. This should end all doubts about Jesus’ deity. (There are many other verses which also show Jesus’ deity.)

4. The teaching of eternal security will cause one to not walk guarded, etc. which will lead to backsliding, and then conceal the urgency and necessity of turning away from those sins to become alive again, as with the Prodigal (Luke 15:24,32). Eternal security is the devil’s masterpiece and is now being presented as the gospel and grace by many. This alone reveals the deep apostasy of our modern day.

5. Many people think if anything bad happens the source is the devil and when good things happen the source is God. Especially in the Old Testament this is refuted. We observe that God (not the devil) struck Miriam with leprosy (Num. 12:9-15). After she was healed of leprosy and brought back into the camp, she caused no more trouble!

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