Archive | 2012/04/06

We can fall from grace, and grace is conditional – we must be HUMBLE

We can fall from GRACE

The word for “grace” in Greek is charis and it can mean favor, kindness, mercy, etc. As always, it’s best to check the usage of this word in the rest of the Scriptures because lexicons might not get the true meaning. We can read here and there that the grace of God is endless, and this means that God is always a merciful and forgiving God ready to cleanse people from their sins, but it doesn’t say that he does this without conditions. Even if grace is unmerited, we certainly don’t get it unconditionally and no matter how we live our lives.

Unfortunately, there some who believe that Grace means that Jesus always covers our sin, or hides it from the Father, so that we can get some kind of a “license to sin” even if they emphasize that we should still not “misuse” Grace in that way. But they still believe that Jesus has taken our sins on himself and transferred his righteousness to us, so that we are always positionally righteous even if we sin – as long as we have faith in God. The truth is, however, that we are only righteous if we DO righteousness. We are indeed cleansed from our sins in the blood of Jesus IF we confess our sins and repent, but nowhere does it say “once righteous, always righteous”.

The Biblical definition of Grace signifies obedience

Tit 2:11 For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, 12 Teaching us that, DENYING UNGODLINESS and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world

Col 1:6 Which is come unto you, as it is in all the world; and bringeth forth fruit, as it doth also in you, since the day ye heard of it, and knew the grace of God in truth

1 Pet. 1:2 Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied.

We can fall from Grace and we can get it in vain

Gal. 5:2-4 shows that we can fall from grace. 5:14 shows that those who were rising to fall were previously saved. They had believed and received the true gospel (3:2; 1:9); were deserting God and turning to a false gospel (1:6); had received the Spirit of God (3:2,5) and were initially running a good spiritual life (5:7); etc. Compare this to Acts 14:21-23 which shows that the Galatians who became disciples were in the Christian faith and placed their trust in the Lord. Paul was not upset with the Galatians for that they had the nerve to obey the ten commandments, but because they believed circumcision (the ceremonial law) was necessary for salvation.

Gal 1:6 I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel:

Galatians 2:21 I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.

Gal. 5:4 Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace.

Hebr. 12:15 Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled;

1 Kor 15:10 But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.

2 Kor 6:1 We then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain.

Jona 2:8 They that observe lying vanities forsake their own mercy (forfeit the grace that could be theirs NIV)

Apg 13:43 Now when the congregation was broken up, many of the Jews and religious proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas: who, speaking to them, persuaded them to continue in the grace of God.

Hebr. 10:29 Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?

Judas 1:4 For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.

2 Sam 7:15 But my mercy shall not depart away from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away before thee.

Jer 16:5 For thus saith the LORD, Enter not into the house of mourning, neither go to lament nor bemoan them: for I have taken away my peace from this people, saith the LORD, even lovingkindness and mercies.

Read the CONDITIONS stated below, and notice that being humble is one of the requirements

We cannot boast of grace because it appears before all men. Grace is a teacher that will instruct the humble to deny themselves and all sins. The grace of God appeared to all men, but only the humble receive of it.

James 4:6 But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the HUMBLE.

1 Peter 5:5 Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the HUMBLE.

Prov. 3:34 Surely he scorneth the scorners: but he giveth grace unto the LOWLY.

Deut. 5 Mos 7:9 Know therefore that the LORD thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and KEEP HIS COMMANDMENTS to a thousand generations;

2 King 8:23 And he said, LORD God of Israel, there is no God like thee, in heaven above, or on earth beneath, who keepest covenant and mercy with thy servants that WALK BEFORE THEE with all their heart:

2 Chron. 30:9 For if ye turn again unto the LORD, your brethren and your children shall find compassion before them that lead them captive, so that they shall come again into this land: for the LORD your God is gracious and merciful, and will not turn away his face from you, IF YE RETURN unto him.

Neh 1:5 And said, I beseech thee, O LORD God of heaven, the great and terrible God, that keepeth covenant and mercy for them that LOVE HIM AND OBSERVE HIS COMMANDMENTS

Ps 103:17 But the mercy of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that FEAR HIM, and his righteousness unto children’s children;

Jer 3:12 Go and proclaim these words toward the north, and say, RETURN, thou backsliding Israel, saith the LORD; and I will not cause mine anger to fall upon you: for I am merciful, saith the LORD, and I will not keep anger for ever.

Amos 5:15 HATE THE EVIL, and love the good, and establish judgment in the gate: it may be that the LORD God of hosts will be gracious unto the remnant of Joseph.

Either we can work ourselves up to a point of salvation OR we are saved by God’s grace and mercy. It’s one or the other. Since none of us have obeyed the law perfectly, we are saved by grace. But does the fact that God cleanses us from our sins mean it’s ok for us to continue in sin? Of course not. Then we would be defiled and unrighteous yet again.

Luke 6:36 Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.

We are to be merciful the way our Father is merciful, but if he is only merciful to SOME (the elect), wouldn’t this mean that we too can choose to be merciful to SOME people? The Bible says that Jesus died for all of us and we should always be prepared to be merciful to our neighbors. This doesn’t mean we should throw pearls to swine because we too can set up conditions. God has mercy on who he will have mercy, but this should not be interpreted as though he does this unconditionally or arbitrarily. God can set up his own rules, and if God decides to show mercy on whoever believes in him and love him, he is entitled to enforce this rule. He can also decide to show NO mercy to an individual who shows no mercy himself.

Romans 9:¹⁸Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth.

James 2:13 For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against judgment.

The wicked are estranged from the womb Psalm 58:3 – no support for a sinful nature

Apr6

The wicked are estranged from the womb: they go astray as soon as they be born, SPEAKING LIES (Psalm 58:3)

This verse is sometimes used as some kind of support for that babies are born sinful because we have all inherited Adam’s sin. However, this is a PSALM and psalms can be read either literally or figuratively depending on context. Some people also take Psalm 51:5 as support for the sinful nature, but then they believe babies are sinful upon CONCEPTION (it says David was conceived in sin, and you can read about this psalm too on my Blog). So which one is it? Do we get the mysterious “sinful gene” when we are conceived or when we are born? I suggest NEITHER. Check the context:

Ps 58:1 Do ye indeed SPEAK righteousness, O congregation? do ye JUDGE uprightly, O ye sons of MEN? ²Yea, in heart ye WORK wickedness; ye WEIGH the violence of your hands in the earth. ³The wicked are estranged from the womb: they GO ASTRAY as soon as they be born, SPEAKING LIES. ⁴Their poison is like the poison of a serpent: they are like the deaf adder that stoppeth her ear; ⁵Which will not hearken to the voice of charmers, charming never so wisely. ⁶Break their teeth, O God, in their mouth: break out the great teeth of the young lions, O LORD. ⁷Let them melt away as waters which run continually: when he bendeth his bow to shoot his arrows, let them be as cut in pieces.

We can see that the psalmist starts out addressing a “congregation” and apparently they are old enough to SPEAK since they are asked if they speak righteousness. They are also old enough to JUDGE (albeit not necessarily uprightly), they are able to WORK WICKEDNESS in their hearts and WEIGH the violence of their hands. Babies are unable to do any of that, and it’s the WICKED that “are estrange“. Notice the words “go astray as soon as they are born“. If someone goes astray it means it must have started from a position where it was not “astray”. How many babies do we know who speak LIES? Who can speak at all when they are newly born? Can we really say that innocent little newborn babies have poison like serpents? How could newborn babies choose to “stop their ears” and not hearken? How many babies do we know who have TEETH in their mouths when they are born? Is God seeking to break the teeth of little infants? And cut them in pieces?

No this is about God taking vengeance on the WICKED who have done nothing but engaged themselves in violence and bloodshed, and they must be ADULTS in order to do that. They must be old enough to be able to make decisions, or else it wouldn’t make sense that God would punish the for something they haven’t chosen to do themselves. Psalm 58 is not a about our nature at the time of birth. The rest of Psalm 58:

⁸As a snail which melteth, let every one of them pass away: like the untimely birth of a woman, that they may not see the sun. ⁹Before your pots can feel the thorns, he shall take them away as with a whirlwind, both living, and in his wrath. ¹⁰The righteous shall rejoice when he seeth the vengeance: he shall wash his feet in the blood of the wicked. ¹¹So that a man shall say, Verily there is a reward for the righteous: verily he is a God that judgeth in the earth.

In verse 10 and 11 we can read about righteous people who do NOT go astray, so this shows that all are not wicked since only the wicked go astray.

It’s never a good idea to take poetic verses out of context (such as those is Psalms, Proverbs and Job) and make doctrines out of them, in combination with ignoring loads of other clear verses in the Bible which tell us another story. Nowhere in the Bible will you see the teaching that man is born with a sinful nature, and/or that we have inherited Adam’s sin. Sinning is a choice which can’t be inherited.

Jesus är LJUSET som kom till jorden för att ge oss LIV

Apr6

Jesus är ljuset och livet!

1 Mosebok 1:1 I begynnelsen skapade Gud himmel och jord. ²Jorden var öde och tom, och mörker var över djupet. Och Guds Ande svävade över vattnet.³Gud sade: “Varde ljus!” Och det blev ljus. ⁴Gud såg att ljuset var gott, och han skilde ljuset från mörkret. ⁵Gud kallade ljuset dag, och mörkret kallade han natt. Och det blev afton och det blev morgon. Det var den första dagen.

Ljuset fanns FÖRE solen, månen och stjärnorna som skapades Dag 4, och i Guds nya rike kommer vi inte ens att behöva solen för att ge oss ljus. Det kommer inte att finnas några nätter eller mörker.

Upp 21:²³Staden behöver inte ljus från sol eller måne, ty Guds härlighet lyser upp den, och dess ljus är Lammet. ²⁴Och folken skall vandra i dess ljus, och jordens kungar skall föra in sin härlighet i den. ²⁵Stadens portar skall aldrig stängas om dagen – natt skall inte finnas där

Hur började det?

Joh. 1:1I begynnelsen var Ordet, och Ordet var hos Gud, och Ordet var Gud. ²Han var i begynnelsen hos Gud. ³Genom honom har allt blivit till, och utan honom har inget blivit till, som är till. ⁴I honom var liv, och livet var människornas ljus. ⁵Och ljuset lyser i mörkret, och mörkret har inte övervunnit det.⁶En man trädde fram, sänd av Gud. Hans namn var Johannes. ⁷Han kom som ett vittne för att vittna om ljuset, för att alla skulle komma till tro genom honom. ⁸Själv var han inte ljuset, men han kom för att vittna om ljuset.⁹Det sanna ljuset, som ger ljus åt alla människor, skulle nu komma till världen. ¹⁰Han var i världen och världen hade blivit till genom honom, och världen kände honom inte. ¹¹Han kom till sitt eget, och hans egna tog inte emot honom.¹²Men åt alla som tog emot honom gav han rätt att bli Guds barn, åt dem som tror på hans namn. ¹³De är inte födda av blod eller av köttets vilja eller av någon mans vilja utan av Gud.

Jesus är ljuset! Han är vårt lamm! Han offrade sitt liv för oss!

Matthew 3:16 ¹⁶När Jesus hade blivit döpt, steg han genast upp ur vattnet. Och se, himlen öppnades, och han såg Guds Ande sänka sig ner som en duva och komma över honom.

Matthew 17: ²Och han förvandlades inför dem: hans ansikte lyste som solen, och hans kläder blev vita som ljuset. (Petrus, Jakob, Johannes)

Upp. 1:¹⁶I sin högra hand höll han sju stjärnor, och ur hans mun gick ett tveeggat, skarpt svärd, och hans ansikte lyste som solen, när den skiner i all sin kraft.¹⁷När jag såg honom, föll jag ner som död för hans fötter, och han lade sin högra hand på mig och sade: “Var inte förskräckt. Jag är den förste och den siste (Johannes)

Johannes och Petrus ovan, och även Paulus, såg hans ljus. Herrens ängel sprider också Guds ljus.

Apg 9: ³Men när han på sin resa närmade sig Damaskus, strålade plötsligt ett ljussken från himlen omkring honom. ⁴Och han föll till marken och hörde en röst som sade till honom: “Saul, Saul, varför förföljer du mig?”

Apg 12:⁷Och se, en Herrens ängel stod där, och ett ljussken lyste upp rummet. Ängeln stötte Petrus i sidan och väckte honom och sade: “Skynda dig upp!” Då föll kedjorna från Petrus händer,

Moses hade en unik upplevelse med Guds heliga ljus. Under det första mötet måste Gud, ansikte mot ansikte, måste Gud ha dolt sitt ansikte honom för ingen kan se Guds ansikte och leva.

2 Mosebok 33:¹¹Och Herren talade med Mose ansikte mot ansikte, som när en man talar med en annan. Sedan vände Mose tillbaka till lägret. Men hans tjänare Josua, Nuns son, som var en ung man, lämnade inte tältet.

2 Mosebok 33:20 Men mitt ansikte kan du inte få se, ty ingen människa kan se mig och leva.”²¹Därefter sade Herren: “Se, här är en plats nära intill mig. Ställ dig där på klippan. ²²När min härlighet går förbi skall jag ställa dig i en klyfta i klippan och jag skall låta min hand vara över dig till dess jag har gått förbi. ²³Sedan skall jag ta bort min hand, och då skall du få se mig på ryggen. Men mitt ansikte kan ingen se.”

2 Mosebok 34:²⁹När Mose sedan steg ner från Sinai berg och på vägen ner hade med sig vittnesbördets båda tavlor, visste han inte att hans ansiktes hy strålade, därför att han hade talat med Herren. ³⁰Aron och alla Israels barn såg Mose, och se, hans ansiktes hy strålade. Och de fruktade för att komma nära honom. ³¹Men Mose ropade till dem. Då vände Aron och menighetens alla hövdingar tillbaka till honom, och Mose talade till dem. ³²Därefter kom alla Israels barn fram till honom, och han framhöll för dem allt som Herren hade sagt honom på Sinai berg. ³³När Mose hade talat färdigt till dem hängde han en slöja för ansiktet. ³⁴Varje gång som Mose trädde fram inför Herrens ansikte för att tala med honom, tog han av sig slöjan till dess han gick ut igen. När han kom ut, talade han till Israels barn det som han fått befallning om. ³⁵Och Israels barn såg att Moses ansikte strålade, och Mose hängde slöjan över ansiktet igen till dess han gick in för att tala med Herren.

2 Kor. 3:⁷Redan dödens ämbete, som med bokstäver var inristat på stenar, framträdde i sådan härlighet att Israels barn inte kunde se på Moses ansikte för dess strålglans, fast den glansen bleknade. ⁸Hur mycket större härlighet skall då inte Andens ämbete ha? ⁹Om redan fördömelsens ämbete trädde fram i härlighet, hur mycket mer överflödar då inte rättfärdighetens ämbete av härlighet. ¹⁰Ja, det härliga är i detta fall utan härlighet på grund av den överväldigande härligheten. ¹¹Ty om det som bleknade framträdde i härlighet, så framträder det som består i ännu större härlighet.¹²Då vi har ett sådant hopp, går vi helt öppet till väga ¹³och gör inte som Mose, han som hängde en slöja för sitt ansikte, för att Israels barn inte skulle se hur det som bleknade försvann. ¹⁴Men deras sinnen blev förstockade. Än i dag finns samma slöja kvar när gamla förbundets skrifter föreläses, och den tas inte bort, först i Kristus försvinner den. ¹⁵Ja, än i dag ligger en slöja kvar över deras hjärtan när Mose föreläses. ¹⁶Men närhelst någon omvänder sig till Herren, tas slöjan bort.

Jesus Guds son, Gud i köttslig skepnad, kom till jorden för att dö för oss och erbjuda oss frälsning! Hans födelse profeterades det om 800 år innan han föddes.

Jesaja 9: 2 Det folk som vandrar i mörkret skall se ett stort ljus, över dem som bor i dödsskuggans land skall ljuset stråla fram.

Jesaja 9:6Ty ett barn blir oss fött, en son blir oss given. På hans axlar vilar herradömet, och hans namn är: Under, Rådgivare, Mäktig Gud, Evig Fader, Fridsfurste.⁷Så skall herradömet bli stort och friden utan slut över Davids tron och hans kungarike. Det skall befästas och stödjas med rätt och rättfärdighet från nu och till evig tid. Herren Sebaots nitälskan skall göra detta.⁸Herren sänder ett ord mot Jakob, och det slår ner i Israel.

Jesaja 42:16 De blinda skall jag leda på en väg som de inte känner, på okända stigar skall jag föra dem fram.
Jag skall göra mörkret framför dem till ljus och det som är ojämnt till jämn mark. Detta är vad jag skall göra, och jag skall inte överge dem.

Psalm 50:Från Sion, fullkomlig i skönhet, träder Gud fram i glans.³Vår Gud kommer, han skall ej tiga.
Förtärande eld går framför honom och kring honom stormar det våldsamt.

Jesaja 60:1 Stå upp, var ljus, ty ditt ljus kommer,och Herrens härlighet går upp över dig.²Se, mörker skall övertäcka jorden och töcken folken, men över dig skall Herren gå upp, hans härlighet skall uppenbaras över dig.³Hednafolk skall vandra i ditt ljus och kungar i glansen som går upp över dig.

Herrens ljus leder oss!

Mika 7:8 Gläd dig inte över mig, du min fiende. Om jag har fallit, skall jag resa mig igen. Om jag sitter i mörkret, är Herren mitt ljus.⁹Eftersom jag har syndat mot Herren skall jag bära hans vrede, till dess att han tar sig an min sak och skaffar mig rätt. Han skall föra mig ut i ljuset, och jag skall se hans rättfärdighet.

Psalm 56:13 Jag har löften att infria till dig, Gud, jag vill ge dig lovoffer.¹⁴Ty du har räddat min själ från döden och mina fötter från fall, så att jag kan vandra inför Gud i de levandes ljus.

Jesaja 2:5 Kom, ni av Jakobs släkt, låt oss vandra i Herrens ljus.

Syndare vill inte komma till ljuset för då får de sina liv belysta, men de som väljer att komma till ljuset får LIV. Om vi vandrar i ljuset så faller vi inte . LJUSET kommer att splittra oss. Vi är antingen i ljuset och vandrar i det, eller i mörkret.

Joh. 3:¹⁸Den som tror på honom blir inte dömd, men den som inte tror är redan dömd, eftersom han inte tror på Guds enfödde Sons namn. ¹⁹Och detta är domen: ljuset kom till världen och människorna älskade mörkret och inte ljuset, eftersom deras gärningar var onda. ²⁰Ty var och en som gör det onda hatar ljuset och kommer inte till ljuset, för att hans gärningar inte skall avslöjas. ²¹Men den som lyder sanningen kommer till ljuset, för att det skall bli uppenbart att hans gärningar är gjorda i Gud.

Joh. 8:12Jesus talade åter till dem och sade: “Jag är världens ljus. Den som följer mig skall inte vandra i mörkret utan ha livets ljus.” ¹³Fariseerna sade till honom: “Du vittnar om dig själv. Ditt vittnesbörd är inte giltigt.” ¹⁴Jesus svarade: “Även om jag vittnar om mig själv, är mitt vittnesbörd giltigt, eftersom jag vet varifrån jag har kommit och vart jag går. Ni vet inte varifrån jag kommer eller vart jag går.

Joh. 11:⁹Jesus svarade: “Har inte dagen tolv timmar? Den som vandrar om dagen snavar inte, eftersom han ser denna världens ljus. ¹⁰Men den som vandrar om natten snavar, därför att ljuset inte finns i honom.

Joh. 12:35 Jesus sade till dem: “Ännu en kort tid är ljuset ibland er. Vandra medan ni har ljuset, så att mörkret inte övervinner er. Den som vandrar i mörkret vet inte vart han går. ³⁶Tro på ljuset, medan ni har ljuset, så att ni blir ljusets barn.” När Jesus hade sagt detta drog han sig tillbaka och dolde sig för dem.³⁷Fastän han hade gjort så många tecken inför dem, trodde de inte på honom.

Joh 12:⁴⁶Jag är ljuset som har kommit till världen, för att ingen som tror på mig skall bli kvar i mörkret.

2 Kor. 4:³Är vårt evangelium dolt, så är det dolt för dem som går förlorade. ⁴Ty den här tidsålderns gud har förblindat de otroendes sinnen, så att de inte ser ljuset som strålar ut från evangeliet om Kristi härlighet – han som är Guds avbild. ⁵Vi predikar inte oss själva, utan Jesus Kristus som Herren, och oss som era tjänare för Jesu skull. ⁶Ty Gud som sade: “Ljus skall lysa fram ur mörkret”, han har låtit ljus lysa upp våra hjärtan, för att kunskapen om Guds härlighet, som strålar fram i Kristi ansikte, skall sprida sitt sken.

Vi måste fortsätta att leva i världen, och vi kommer att vara bland både troende och icke-troende, men vi bör inte gå i ok med mörkret.

2 Kor. 6:¹⁴Gå inte som omaka par i ok med dem som inte tror. Vad har väl rättfärdighet med orättfärdighet att göra? Eller vad har ljus gemensamt med mörker?

Ef. 5:⁸Ni var en gång mörker, men nu är ni ljus i Herren. Vandra då som ljusets barn. ⁹Ty ljusets frukt består i allt vad godhet, rättfärdighet och sanning heter. ¹⁰Och pröva vad som är Herren kärt. ¹¹Ha inget att göra med mörkrets ofruktbara gärningar utan avslöja dem i stället. ¹²Vad sådana människor gör i hemlighet är skamligt till och med att nämna. ¹³Men allt kommer i dagen, när det uppenbaras av ljuset, ¹⁴ty allt som uppenbaras är ljus. Därför heter det: “Vakna upp, du som sover, och stå upp från de döda, så skall Kristus lysa över dig.

Vi är tillsagda att vara världens LJUS och att VANDRA i ljuset

1 Tess. 5:⁴Men ni, bröder, lever inte i mörker, så att den dagen kan överraska er som en tjuv. ⁵Ni är alla ljusets barn och dagens barn. Vi tillhör inte natten eller mörkret. ⁶Låt oss därför inte sova som de andra utan hålla oss vakna och nyktra. ⁷Ty de som sover, de sover om natten, och de som berusar sig är berusade om natten. ⁸Men vi som hör dagen till, låt oss vara nyktra, iförda tron och kärleken som pansar och hoppet om frälsning som hjälm.

Lukas 11:³⁵Se därför till att ljuset i dig inte är mörker. ³⁶Om hela din kropp har ljus och ingen del ligger i mörker, då får den ljus helt och hållet, som när ljuset från en lampa lyser på dig med sitt klara sken.”

1 Joh 1: ⁵Detta är det budskap som vi har hört från honom och som vi förkunnar för er, att Gud är ljus och att inget mörker finns i honom. ⁶Om vi säger att vi har gemenskap med honom och vandrar i mörkret, så ljuger vi och handlar inte efter sanningen. ⁷Men om vi vandrar i ljuset, liksom han är i ljuset, så har vi gemenskap med varandra, och Jesu, hans Sons, blod renar oss från all synd.

1 Joh 2:⁸Ändå är det ett nytt bud jag skriver till er. Detta är sant i honom och i er, eftersom mörkret viker och det sanna ljuset redan lyser. ⁹Den som säger sig vara i ljuset och hatar sin broder är ännu kvar i mörkret. ¹⁰Den som älskar sin broder förblir i ljuset, och i honom finns inget som leder till fall. ¹¹Men den som hatar sin broder är i mörkret och vandrar i mörkret. Han vet inte vart han går, ty mörkret har förblindat hans ögon.

Matt. 5:¹⁴Ni är världens ljus. Inte kan en stad döljas, som ligger på ett berg. ¹⁵Inte heller tänder man ett ljus och sätter det under skäppan, utan man sätter det på ljushållaren, så att det lyser för alla i huset. ¹⁶Låt på samma sätt ert ljus lysa för människorna, så att de ser era goda gärningar och prisar er Fader i himlen.

Fil. 2:1⁵så att ni blir fläckfria och rena, Guds oskyldiga barn mitt ibland ett falskt och fördärvat släkte, bland vilka ni lyser som stjärnor i världen

2 Pet.1:¹⁹Så mycket fastare står nu det profetiska ordet för oss, och ni gör rätt i att hålla er till det som till ett ljus som lyser på en mörk plats, tills dagen gryr och morgonstjärnan går upp i era hjärtan.

Matt. 13:⁴³Då skall de rättfärdiga lysa som solen, i sin Faders rike. Hör, du som har öron att höra med!

När han återvänder så kommer blixtar att flamma upp

Luke 17: ²⁴Ty liksom blixten flammar till och lyser från himlens ena ända till den andra, så skall Människosonen vara på sin dag

Jesus is the LIGHT which has come into the world to give us LIFE

Apr6

Jesus is the light and the life!

Gen.1:1In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. 2And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. 3And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. 4And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness. 5And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.

The LIGHT was before the sun, moon and the stars that were created on Day 4, and in the new Kingdom we won’t need a sun to give us light, and there will be no nights and no darkness.

Rev. 21:23And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof. 24And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it. 25And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for there shall be no night there.

How did it start?

John 1:1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2The same was in the beginning with God. 3All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4In him was life; and the life was the light of men. 5And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not. 6There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe. 8He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. 9That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. 10He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. 11He came unto his own, and his own received him not. 12But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:

Jesus is the light! He is our lamb! He offered his life for us!

Matthew 3:16 And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him:

Matthew 17:2And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light. (Peter)

Rev. 1:16 And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength.17And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last (John)

John and Peter above, and also Paul saw his light. The angel of the Lord spreads the light of God.

Acts 9:3 And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven:

Acts 12:7 And, behold, the angel of the Lord came upon him, and a light shined in the prison: and he smote Peter on the side, and raised him up, saying, Arise up quickly. And his chains fell off from his hands.

Moses had a unique experience with the glorious LIGHT of God. During the first meeting with God face to face God apparently had his face covered because no one can see his face and live:

Exodus 33:11 And the LORD spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend. And he turned again into the camp: but his servant Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man, departed not out of the tabernacle.

Exodus 33: ²⁰And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live. ²¹And the LORD said, Behold, there is a place by me, and thou shalt stand upon a rock: ²²And it shall come to pass, while my glory passeth by, that I will put thee in a clift of the rock, and will cover thee with my hand while I pass by: ²³And I will take away mine hand, and thou shalt see my back parts: but my face shall not be seen.

Exodus 34:²⁹And it came to pass, when Moses came down from mount Sinai with the two tables of testimony in Moses’ hand, when he came down from the mount, that Moses wist not that the skin of his face shone while he talked with him.³⁰And when Aaron and all the children of Israel saw Moses, behold, the skin of his face shone; and they were afraid to come nigh him. ³¹And Moses called unto them; and Aaron and all the rulers of the congregation returned unto him: and Moses talked with them. ³²And afterward all the children of Israel came nigh: and he gave them in commandment all that the LORD had spoken with him in mount Sinai. ³³And till Moses had done speaking with them, he put a vail on his face. ³⁴But when Moses went in before the LORD to speak with him, he took the vail off, until he came out. And he came out, and spake unto the children of Israel that which he was commanded. ³⁵And the children of Israel saw the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses’ face shone: and Moses put the vail upon his face again, until he went in to speak with him.

2 Cor. 3:⁷But if the ministration of death, written and engraven in stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not stedfastly behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance; which glory was to be done away: ⁸How shall not the ministration of the spirit be rather glorious?—¹²Seeing then that we have such hope, we use great plainness of speech: ¹³And not as Moses, which put a veil over his face, that the children of Israel could not stedfastly look to the end of that which is abolished: ¹⁴But their minds were blinded: for until this day remaineth the same vail untaken away in the reading of the old testament; which vail is done away in Christ. ¹⁵But even unto this day, when Moses is read, the vail is upon their heart. ¹⁶Nevertheless when it shall turn to the Lord, the vail shall be taken away.

Jesus, son of God and God in flesh, came to earth just to die for us and offer us salvation! His birth was prophesied about 800 years before he was born.

Is. 9:2The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.

Is. 9:6For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. 7Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this. 8The Lord sent a word into Jacob, and it hath LIGHTED upon Israel.

Isaiah 42:16And I will bring the blind by a way that they knew not; I will lead them in paths that they have not known: I will make darkness light before them, and crooked things straight. These things will I do unto them, and not forsake them.

Psalm 50:2 Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God hath shined.

Isaiah 60:1 Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee.²For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the LORD shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee. ³And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising.

The Lord is the LIGHT that guides us!

Micah 7:8 Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy: when I fall, I shall arise; when I sit in darkness, the LORD shall be a light unto me.9 I will bear the indignation of the LORD, because I have sinned against him, until he plead my cause, and execute judgment for me: he will bring me forth to the light, and I shall behold his righteousness.

Psalm 56:13 For thou hast delivered my soul from death: wilt not thou deliver my feet from falling, that I may walk before God in the light of the living?

Isaiah 2:5 O house of Jacob, come ye, and let us walk in the light of the LORD.

Sinners don’t want to come to the light to get their lives exposed, but those who choose to come to the light will get LIFE. If we walk in the light, we won’t stumble. The LIGHT will divide us. We are either in the light and walk in it, or we are in darkness.

John 3:18He 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. 19And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. 21But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.

John 8:12Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. 13The Pharisees therefore said unto him, Thou bearest record of thyself; thy record is not true. 14Jesus answered and said unto them, Though I bear record of myself, yet my record is true: for I know whence I came, and whither I go; but ye cannot tell whence I come, and whither I go.

John 11:9Jesus answered, Are there not twelve hours in the day? If any man walk in the day, he stumbleth not, because he seeth the light of this world.10But if a man walk in the night, he stumbleth, because there is no light in him.

John 12: 35Then Jesus said unto them, Yet a little while is the light with you. Walk while ye have the light, lest darkness come upon you: for he that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth. 36While ye have light, believe in the light, that ye may be the children of light. These things spake Jesus, and departed, and did hide himself from them. 37But though he had done so many miracles before them, yet they believed not on him:

John 12:46 I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness.

2 Cor. 4:3But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: 4In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. 5For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus’ sake. 6For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

We must continue to live in the world, and we will be around both believers and unbelievers, but we are not to be unequally joked with the darkness

2 Corinthians 6:14 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?

Ephesians 5:⁸For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light: ⁹(For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;) ¹⁰Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord. ¹¹And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them. ¹²For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret. ¹³But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light: for whatsoever doth make manifest is light. ¹⁴Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light

We are told to BE LIGHT in this world and to WALK in the light

1 Thessalonians 5:4 But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. 5Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. ⁶Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober. ⁷For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night. ⁸But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation.

Luke 11:35 Take heed therefore that the light which is in thee be not darkness.

1 John 1: 5This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. 6If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: 7But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.

1 John 2:8Again, a new commandment I write unto you, which thing is true in him and in you: because the darkness is past, and the true light now shineth. 9He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now. 10He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him. 11But he that hateth his brother is in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth, because that darkness hath blinded his eyes.

Matt. 5:14Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. 15Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. 16Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

Philippians 2:15 That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world;

2 Peter 1:19 We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts:

Matthew 13:43 Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.

When he returns to earth lightening will shine

Luke 17:24 For as the lightning, that lighteneth out of the one part under heaven, shineth unto the other part under heaven; so shall also the Son of man be in his day.