Romans 4-5

Ancient Roman ruins (vikgr)

Greetings again. In the first part of this series of the Book of Romans, we concluded in chapter 3, verse 31.

Beginning in the fourth chapter of the Book of Romans. Written around 57-58 A.D. The Apostle Paul is addressing the brethren at Rome, not necessarily to Romans in general.

Turn in your Bible to the Book of Romans, chapter 4.

Verse 1 ── “What then shall we say that Abraham our father has found according to the flesh?” 

Verse 2 ── “For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, …”

And, he’s talking about here – not the works of the Law but rather good works, hence, obedience to the LORD God.

“ … but not before God.”

Verse 3 ── “For what does the Scripture say? ‘Abraham believed God, and it was accounted [or imputed] to him for righteousness.’” 

We read a statement from the Book of Genesis that is repeated several times throughout the New Testament. Paul quotes it twice, and James quotes it once.

Verse 4 ── “Now to him who works, the wages are not counted as grace but as debt.”

Verse 5 ── “ But to him who does not work …”

Now, this word “works” we’re going to read several times in these passages. I don’t want to spend too much time on it, but I just feel compelled to say some things. So, throughout here we’re going to read the word “works,” or “the law,” or the “work of the law.” You’ve got to understand that the Apostle Paul is talking about the law of the regulations of the Levitical Priesthood, or sometimes called the Law of Moses. And I like to call it just the law or the traditions of Jewish-ness – Jewish traditions. 

Verse 5 ── “But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith, is accounted for righteousness.”

Verse 6 ── “just as David also describes the blessedness of the man to whom God imputes righteousness APART FROM WORKS.”

Verse 7 ── ‘Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, And whose sins are covered.’ 

Verse 8 ── ‘Blessed is the man to whom the LORD shall not impute sin.’” 

Many of us, brethren, continue to struggle with things that we did in our youth. Teenagers and into our 20s. Quite frankly, a lot of people, when they’re teenagers and up into the early 20s, do things that aren’t very smart. And we are reminded by these beautiful words of the Apostle Paul ── ‘Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven. And whose sins are covered.’ Because if you’ve gone to the LORD God and have asked for forgiveness, those problems of your past are gone! And we need to BELIEVE this, and understand it, and take great hope in it!

Verse 9 ── “Does this blessedness then come upon the circumcised only, or upon the uncircumcised also? For we say that faith was accounted to Abraham for righteousness.”

Verse 10 ── “How then was it accounted? While he was circumcised, or [before he was circumcised?].”

Verse 11 ── “And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had while still uncircumcised, that he might be the father of all those who believe, though they are uncircumcised, that righteousness might be imputed to them also.” 

So you see, it isn’t just that you believe and then you go on sinning and do not obey. Because we cannot obey the LORD God’s Law and live a perfect life IN OUR OWN STRENGTH. It takes the faith of God to trust that the LORD God will help us through with the glorious Holy Spirit. Later, we find in the Book of Galatians, and I believe back in the Book of James, how the Patriarch Abraham was not justified by faith alone, but also with works ── obedience to the Law.

Verse 12 ── “and the father of circumcision to those who not only are of the circumcision, but also walk in the steps of the faith which our father Abraham had while still uncircumcised.” 

Verse 13 ── “For the promise [we’re talking about Abraham] that he would be the heir of the world was not to Abraham or to his seed THROUGH THE LAW, …”

Again, we hear this phrase ‘the law.’ 

“ … but through the righteousness of faith.” 

Verse 14 ── “For if those who are of the law are heirs, faith is made void and the promise made of no effect.”

Verse 15 ── “because the law brings about wrath; for where there is no law there is no transgression.”

So, over and over again – the law, the law, the law. And I want you to understand, he wasn’t talking about the Ten Commandments here. He’s talking about Jewish traditions – as taught by the Pharisees. And, in fact, the Apostle Paul spent his entire ministry fighting their misunderstanding – sometimes to the point of them trying to kill him. And, I think, one time he was killed, that’s just my personal view. And God ‘raised’ him back up! Because He wasn’t through with Paul. And, Paul spent his entire ministry fighting Jewish leaders who were trying to bring the New Testament Church members to make them adopt Jewish traditions. And you can read about some of these warnings that Paul had over and over and over. 

Verse 16 ── “Therefore it is of faith that it might be according to grace, …” – that is, an undeserving pardon, a free gift from the Eternal One!. “ … so that the promise might be sure to all the seed, not only to those who are of the law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all.” 

The Patriarch Abraham is the father of all the faithful.

Verse 17 ── “(as it is written, ‘I have made you a father of many nations’) in the presence of Him whom he believed ── God, who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did.” 

Verse 18 ── Abraham, “who, contrary to hope, in hope believed, so that he became the father of many nations, according to what was spoken, ‘So shall your descendants be.’” 

Again, back in the Book of Genesis.

Verse 19 ── “And not being weak in faith, he did not consider his own body, already dead [meaning he was an old man] (since he was about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah’s womb.” 

So they’re both well advanced in age. And God has told him, ‘You’re gonna have a son!’ Well, notice …

Verse 20 ── “He did not waver at the promise of God, through unbelief, but was [strong] in faith, giving glory to God.”

And here’s verse 21, if you have a little marker on you, please mark Verse 21 – in my opinion is the very best definition in the entire Bible of what faith is. 

This is the best definition of faith you’re ever gonna read! Abraham, “and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform.” 

Faith is believing in the promises of the LORD God. So, to believe the promises of the LORD God, you’ve got to believe that God exists, you have to believe that the living word of God is the word of God, and then you’ve got to read and study God’s living word! And you need to study these promises that the LORD God made to you! In prayer and supplication, go to the LORD God and say, You have told me from Your word that this is what You will do. And I believe You! I place my life into Your righteous right hand! Truly, that is the Scripture I used this past Sabbath on Facebook – Isaiah 41:10.

Verse 22 ── “And therefore ‘it was [imputed] to him for righteousness.’”

Verse 23 ── “Now it was not written for his sake alone that it was imputed to him.” 

Verse 24 ── “but also for us. It shall be imputed to us who believe in Him who raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead.”

Verse 25 ── “who was delivered up because of our offenses, and was raised because of our justification.”

That is why we have our Savior, who came out of His tomb!

5th chapter of the Book of Romans. 

Verse 1 ── “Therefore, having been justified by faith, …”

Well… that’s a handful. Isn’t it? “Justified” means being made right in the eyes of God. Not in our own eyes. Because our eyes don’t count. But, it’s how the LORD God views us! ‘Being justified by faith …’ – alright, that faith is the faith that comes from Jesus Christ through His Spirit, and it lives within us! Faith is one of the fruits of God’s Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23).

“…we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” 

Now, I’ve said before, I don’t fear dying – or, I don’t fear death. But I don’t want that death to be painful, or miserable, or prolonged. But the idea of going to bed, putting my head on the pillow, and then waking up ── and God willing ── being in the glorious kingdom of God, that doesn’t cause me fear. 

Verse 2 – “through whom also we have access by faith into this grace …”

To understand grace, we need to evolve ── spiritually speaking ── from believing and following the Old Covenant, and you have to evolve and become practitioners and believers, reaching out and taking hold of the glorious New Covenant! So, what is this grace? What is that love, that kindness? And the fact that we mere mortals, small as a human sperm cell ── we don’t truly deserve the LORD God’s grace and mercy. Yet, the LORD God has chosen us out of a huge sea of humanity. And we have been blessed with the gift of the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ, the gift of repentance, the gift of baptism, and the gift of the glorious Spirit of God. And now, our names have been written down in the Book of Life, and we can look forward to the glorious and powerful Return of our Savior, Jesus Christ, and the establishment of the kingdom of God upon the Earth ── knowing and having faith that we will be a part of it! 

“…in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.” 

Talking about the resurrection. That’s talking about becoming a full-time, full-fledged, forever member of the glorious kingdom of God!

Verse 3 ── “And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, …”

And, yes, I know that’s hard to do. You know, our Lord Jesus said - in the Apostle Luke’s version – Luke 6 - of what we often call the beatitudes – “…’ Blessed are you poor, For yours is the kingdom of God. 21) Blessed are you who hunger now, For you shall be filled. Blessed are you who weep now, For you shall laugh.’” And there are times when we certainly feel like weeping. O’ my, I know I do. Especially when you thought you had friends and fellow brethren that would support you, and wanted to be with you, would defend you, protect you ── only to find out that they don’t. That’s the stuff of tears, right there. 

“ … and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.” 

Which literally means, the resurrection into the glorious kingdom of God! We truly rejoice in that, we think about that! We set our hearts upon that!

“ … knowing that tribulation produces perseverance [patience].” 

Verse 4 ── “and [patience creates experience]; [and experience], hope.”

Verse 5 ── “Now hope [never has to be apologized for], because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit [which] was given to us.”

The central meaning of the Days of Unleavened Bread! God’s Spirit becoming a part of us! And that’s what that bread means. We are imbibing the unleavened Bread of sincerity and truth. For a week, we follow the symbolism – the teaching point – that we need Jesus Christ, we need the mind of Jesus Christ, we need the Word of Jesus Christ, we need the hope of Jesus Christ, we need the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, we need the kingdom of Jesus Christ.

Love is the fulfillment of the Law of God. Yet, the often fickle love that we have, that we are born with, will not fulfill the spiritual Law of God. Because it takes the glorious Spirit of God, the fruits of God’s Spirit, which includes love ── spiritual love that we were not born with to fulfill the spiritual Law of God. 

Sadly, so few of our peoples understand these things. The LORD God not only gifts us love, but the Holy Spirit is the love of God. That is what is imparted to us, placed within us – the very love of God. A love that we never had before. And that’s the love that comes into us. A kind of faith which we never had. Many say that they just don’t have faith. Well… the faith we need is not something we can just work up. The faith we need is what the LORD God gifts us through the glorious Holy Spirit placed within us. We can’t just work it up. How does God’s Spirit place it with us? It’s the FAITH OF CHRIST. It is the same faith that our Lord Jesus used to walk on the water, that He used to raise the dead, to heal the sick and brokenhearted. And I don’t think many people in these worldly churches understand this. That we need to have a divine love, a divine faith that we were not born with and is not naturally within us. It is something that must be gifted to us from the LORD God. And that’s by the grace of God ── and an unmerited, undeserving gift.

Verse 6 ── “For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. 7) For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. 8) But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9) Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. 10) For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. 11) And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.”            

Our Lord Jesus Christ was the ‘atonement’ for us in the reconciliation to Father God.

Now… “we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son.” O’ my, there is so much greatness right there! Sadly, the majority of the Protestants tend to leave our heavenly Father out of it altogether. And most don’t even realize and understand that God the Father is coming to Earth with His Son and all the holy angels! (cf. Revelation 21:3). Most only focus on our Lord Jesus Christ. Television evangelists basically say to just “come on down, and give your heart to the Lord” ── with their southern accent making the word Lord sound like lard. And, they make it sound as if that’s all there is to it! Just accept Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, and poof ── you’re saved! But, ponder upon this – if you (God willing) are going to sit upon your throne with our Lord Jesus Christ, our Lord Jesus certainly couldn’t sit on His throne until He overcame Satan, the Devil. Our Master and Elder Brother – our Savior – had to conquer Satan! And… where Adam had disobeyed and rebelled against God the Father, our Lord Jesus (the Second Adam) obeyed God the Father. If you’re going to sit upon your throne with Him, you have to OVERCOME! In fact, overcoming is so important that our Lord Jesus tells us SEVEN SEPARATE TIMES! (see: Revelation 2:7, 11, 17, 26; 3:5, 12, 21).

Our Lord and Savior ── His Son. What does He have to do with it? He is the One who makes it possible to reconcile us to God the Father. We’ve got to be reconciled to God the Father first, before our Lord Jesus can save us. It’s important – pay close attention. Our Lord Jesus Christ was the ‘atonement’ for us in the reconciliation to Father God. 

Verse 12 ── “Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death [speaking of the Second Death] spread to all men, because all sinned ──” 

Honoring and worshiping God the Father and our Lord Jesus correctly is to keep and obey the LAW OF GOD – summed up in the TEN COMMANDMENTS – that They established in Their love for all mankind. If mankind would only abide in God’s love,  then they would keep and obey the Law of God. But mankind, as a whole, is rebellious, because we are born carnal – born under sin. So those who are flesh cannot please God. But, brethren, we know – “But [we] are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if ANYONE does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His.” – Romans 8:6-9. 

Adam disobeyed the LORD God. And, if there was no transgression, then how did Adam sin? Why then did the second death spread to all men? He was going to die because of the natural laws of decay and death ── but, because of his disobedience,  the second death (the ultimate penalty for disobedience against the LORD God) was therefore spread to all men. So, Adam couldn’t have sinned, had the LORD God not explained the Law of God to Adam.

Verse 13 ── (“For until the law sin was in the world, but sin is not imputed when there is no law.”

Again, sin is not imputed when there is no law. So, the Law of God (summed up with the Ten Commandments) was the Law before the physical ritual laws. Later, the Apostle Paul is going to say that the physical ritual laws were added because there had been transgressions of the spiritual Law. It was added to try and help them live without continuing to break the spiritual Law. It is clear to those who see and hear what the Spirit has to say. 

Verse 14 ── “Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, …”

The ultimate penalty of the Law of God (see: Revelation 20:14; 21:7-8) was being enforced!

“ … even over those WHO HAD NOT SINNED according to the likeness of the transgression of Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come.”

Verse 15 ── “But the FREE GIFT is not like the offense. For if by the one man’s offense many died, much more the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the One Man, Jesus Christ, abounded to many.”

Verse 16 ── “And the gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned. For the judgment which came from one offense resulted in condemnation, but the FREE GIFT which came from many offenses resulted in justification.”

Verse 17 ── “For if by one man’s offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.)”

Verse 18 ── “Therefore, as through one man’s offense JUDGMENT CAME TO ALL MEN, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man’s righteous act the FREE GIFT came to all men, resulting in justification of life.” 

Understand, it doesn’t mean that the free gift of the justification of life has come to all men yet, because the world has not yet been judged. But it is going to be, and it will be upon all men. So, first, the condemnation because of the transgression of the Law. Then second, the grace by the glorious righteous act of our Lord Jesus Christ – and it hasn’t been applied to everyone yet. But His part of it has been done.

Verse 19 ── “For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous.”

Verse 20 ── “Moreover the law entered that the offense might abound. …” 

Now … which law is he talking about here? Is he talking about the Ten Commandments? No. The Apostle Paul here is speaking about the Old Covenant physical ritualistic laws ── meaning the laws surrounding the Jewish religion, the Temple, the animal sacrifices, and the ceremonial washings that they did in the Old Covenant. 

So, “moreover the law entered …” He’s talking about the gathering together of the people of the house of Israel, who escaped the bondage of Egypt on the night of the Passover. Brought out of the land of Egypt by the righteous hand of the Eternal One. And now, while they are free from that Egyptian culture, eventually the LORD God directed the Patriarch Moses and Aaron to set up a physical Levitical priesthood with physical rituals and laws for the people who were physical and carnal-minded. And here the Apostle Paul says, “Moreover the law entered [meaning, the Old Covenant agreement] …” The law entered, and then… “… the offenses …” abound. Then he says ── 

“ … But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more.” 

A reference to the glorious New Covenant! There was no such concept as grace in the Old Covenant. The closest they got to grace was the sacrificing of animals, like a lamb, goat, bull ── those were a substitution for grace. In the New Testament, here the Apostle Paul is talking about grace. Our Lord Jesus Christ lived His life in the very personification of grace! 

Verse 21 ── “So that as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life [by] Jesus Christ our Lord.”

Again, talking about the New Covenant! Talking about the promises of the New Covenant! And the ultimate promise of the New Covenant is eternal life! I point out again ── the Old Covenant did not give the people hope for eternal life. Yet, on the other hand, the New Covenant – sanctioned by our Lord Jesus Christ, taught by our Lord Jesus Christ, taught by the Apostle Paul ── does have, hold, and present an offer for eternal life!

“ … grace might reign through righteousness …” 

And righteousness comes through the mind, the Spirit, of our Lord Jesus Christ living within us! CHRIST IN US!         

“ … eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” □

to be continued...

PART I

Tares Among the Wheat

by Leonard V Johnson

Well, greetings dear Brethren, Friends, and Co-Workers in Christ in Benissa and Marbella, Spain, in Bath, United Kingdom, and in Phoenix, Arizona! Welcome. This is Leonard V Johnson for the Church of Jesus Christ Online Ministries.

Again, let me ask, why does the LORD God allow wars, strife, and chaos around the world? Why does the LORD God allow suffering, poverty, squalor, and unhappiness around the globe? 

It is simply because the LORD God wants mankind to act for ourselves. God Almighty is working out a great purpose here below, and that purpose is to bring mankind to learn our lessons. Our Master and Creator has delegated a seven-thousand-year plan to accomplish His purpose. And the first six thousand years are delegated for humans to experience our own lessons for disobedience ── to do as mankind pleases, to reap our own consequences for disobedience. We are told by the LORD God, “’ I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life.’” – Deuteronomy 30:19. 

Now, as I’ve been speaking about the last two or three articles in this series, the LORD God could stop it. The LORD God can prevent wars. But, the only way that the LORD God can prevent wars would be, and pardon my vernacular, would be to cram His religion down our throats! And, you know, nobody would like that ── because mankind’s mind is hostile against the LORD God. Naturally hostile. There’s a growing number of people on Earth who are beginning to believe there is no God at all ── no Creator. But rather, like what the famous Stephen Hawking who self righteously hawked, “Because there is a law such as gravity, the universe can and will create itself from nothing.” And they speak of “spontaneous generation.” They tend to believe that man just evolved from lower primates after wiggling ourselves out of the oceans.

Now… our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, came bearing a Message from God the Father to all of mankind that had not liked to retain God in their knowledge and was given over to a reprobate mind. God the Father sent His glorious Son, Jesus, bearing this Message. 

Certainly, this world has been proclaiming ── more or less ── the Son of God. They have been proclaiming Jesus Christ, the name of Jesus. But His Message, I tell you, they have rejected. They have rejected the Message of Christ. And what was the Gospel of Christ? Why do we not hear this Message being proclaimed? The Gospel of Jesus Christ, the very Message that our Lord Jesus announced, the Message He brought that God the Father had sent to all mankind, which was ultimately spurned and outright rejected by mankind ── the kingdom of God.

Well… just what is the kingdom of God? 

This brings us back around to where we were in this series, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Seeing just what our Lord Jesus preached and why we are not hearing this Message today ── and what I mean by ‘not hearing it today,’ is the fact that this world’s so-called Christian churches are not proclaiming this Message unto mankind. Of what was His gospel message, what was His example, and His customs. And why are this world’s so-called Christian churches not following His examples today? He has set us an example that we should be following. But people today DO NOT ── these worldly churches do not! The churches do not proclaim the glorious Gospel of the kingdom! You think they do, but they don’t.

What, when, and where is the kingdom of God? 

Sadly, very few have understood. 

Our Lord Jesus spoke to the multitudes in parables, and the people did not understand. He did not speak in parables to make His meaning clearer, but rather to hide its true meaning, to cloak it and shut it up from the people. 

So, notice here Matthew chapter 13 ── 

“And the disciples came and said to Him, ‘Why do You speak to them in parables?’” 11) He answered and said to them, ‘Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given.’” – Matthew 10:10-11. 

So, our Lord Jesus said, ‘unto you it is given.’ Notice the Book of Mark, chapter 4 ── 

“But when He was alone, those around Him with the twelve asked Him about the parable. 11) 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 [those not within the fold], all things come in parables, 12) so that ‘Seeing they may see and not perceive, And hearing they may hear and not understand; Lest they should turn, And their sins be forgiven them.’” – Mark 4:10-12.

And, as my Catholic revised version of the Challoner-Rheims renders it, “ … ‘ lest perhaps at any time they should be converted, and their sins be forgiven them.’” As well as the King James Version. 

But, friends, this isn’t the way you’re hearing it today! That isn’t what most people believe. 

Returning again to Matthew 13. “Another parable He put forth to them, saying: ‘The kingdom of heaven is like …’” And notice that in each of these parables, He is speaking about the glorious kingdom of God. 

All glory, praise, and worship to our mighty, Almighty God! The apostles Mark, Luke, and John all speak concerning the glorious kingdom of God. The Apostle Matthew recorded the same speech, the same words, as our Lord Jesus Christ. Matthew wrote down, ‘kingdom of heaven.’ Mark, Luke, and John wrote the same speech, the same words, of our Lord Jesus, as saying, ‘kingdom of God.’ And, as we have explained before, it isn’t the kingdom inside of God or inside of heaven; rather,  it’s the kingdom that is ruled from heaven and is ruled by Almighty God whose mighty throne is in the upper heavenly realms. The word “of” denotes ownership ── hence, the kingdom of God.

“ … ‘The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field; 25) but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way.’”

Here again, it is the kingdom, the kingdom of God. Now… is He speaking about this present time?

Multiple people think, suppose, and outright teach that our Lord Jesus Christ spoke in parables to make things clearer. They have supposed that this is the only time of salvation, and that if you don’t perform a Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick before the person dies, they may not make it to heaven. And, they believe that God has been making a grand effort to get the whole world saved during this dispensation. Of course, if this be true ── He hasn’t succeeded very well, because most of the world is certainly not converted in any manner, shape, or form. And, God’s living word teaches us that the whole world has been deceived, and many false prophets have gone out into the world using Jesus’ name, telling the people about Jesus ── that Jesus is the Christ. They proclaim His name, and by acting like His ministers, by pretending to be ministers of righteousness, yet, actually denying the Law of God, and preaching unrighteousness and sin and upholding sin and abominations while they continue with their own doctrines, their own standards, of what they deem is right and wrong, giving their own definition of what sin is ── denying the LORD God and leading people into sin without even calling it sin. As the Prophet Isaiah wrote under divine inspiration, “’ Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; Who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!’” – Isaiah 5:20. They have turned truth upside down! And that which the LORD God says, ‘I hate!” they have said it is right! ── a blasphemous song, “Love Who You Want To” with the lyrics ──    

Say what we wanna say 

Do what we wanna do 

Be who we wanna be 

Love who we want to

My friends, we are living in a sin sick world, and it’s time we wake up and realize what kind of world we are living in!

So, most people believe that our Lord Jesus was speaking of this present evil age ── or, what is also called the Church age, or the dispensation of Grace, along with a whole plethora of other names that various churches around the world use. In other words, this present time, certainly from the time that our Lord Jesus Christ ascended to the upper heavenly realms ── O’ my, this morning perusing Facebook was the beautiful photo taken by the James Webb Space Telescope of the Pillars of Creation! The majesty and the awesome power of God! … and up until the glorious and powerful Second Coming of our Lord Jesus. And so, they tell their people that this is the only day of salvation – the only day of salvation. And they believe it, my friends, erroneously. Yet, this is not what God’s living word teaches us.

So, what is the kingdom of God that our Lord Jesus is talking about? Because most suppose that He’s talking about this Church age, or about the Church, because most people believe that the kingdom is the Church. But, notice this.

“ … ‘The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field; 25) but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way. 26) But when the grain had sprouted and produced a crop, then the tares also appeared. 27) So the servants of the owner came and said to him, ‘Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares? 28) He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ The servants said to him, ‘Do you want us then to go and gather them up? 29) But he said, ‘No, lest while you gather up the tares you also uproot the wheat with them. …’” Notice, 30) “’ Let both grow together until the harvest, …’” – Matthew 13:24-30. 

So, pay close attention. This is during the age of the kingdom. Whenever the kingdom of God is, they are both to grow together during the age of the kingdom until harvest. And, when is the harvest? Notice ── “’ Let both grow together until the harvest, and AT THE TIME OF THE HARVEST I will say to the reapers, ‘First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles TO BURN THEM, but gather the wheat into my barn.’” They are to be gathered together in bundles.

Have you ever noticed that it is inherently human to want to belong to something ── in other words, it is part of our human nature. Humans tend to want to belong to something. A club, a lodge, a society, a movement. They want to belong to something they can join and feel a part of. Have you ever thought of this and of what is happening today among the youth of America? The Black Lives Movement, climate groups such as Fridays for Future (FFF), Women’s Rights Movements, the #Me Too Movement, the LGBTQ+ movement, etc. 

“’ Let both grow together until the harvest …’” When is that harvest? Is He speaking of our present evil age, or the age to come? Well… what was our Lord Jesus specifically speaking to? At the time of the harvest, whenever that is, ‘I will say to the reapers, First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, …’ Friends, this is certainly something worth looking into. Something you might want to investigate and begin to ponder upon!

“ … ‘but gather the wheat into my barn.’” Notice, they weren’t bundled at all. They come into the barn. In other words, they come into the glorious kingdom of God. That is what He is saying. But the tares ── they are bundled together and burnt.

So the wheat is going to be saved. Salvation and eternal life are what the wheat here portrays.

Let’s notice the Book of Luke, the 19th chapter.

Verse 11 ── “Now as they heard these things, He [our Lord Jesus] spoke another parable, because He was near Jerusalem and because they thought the kingdom of God would appear immediately.” 

So, there were a lot of people in that day who believed the kingdom of God would appear immediately. In other words, believing that our Savior was going to establish the kingdom in Israel at that time. In fact, the disciples asked Him once, “’ Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?’” (see: Acts 1:6). They, not fully understanding at that time, ── disciples in training. They, thinking that here is the nucleus of the Church and that the kingdom of God is the Church, therefore, the kingdom of God was immediately appearing at that time. And our Lord Jesus Christ spoke to them that they would receive power when the Holy Spirit would come, and it did come, and the Church was started. And because they thought that that would be the kingdom, our Lord Jesus spoke a parable ── as well as because they were near Jerusalem. He gave this parable ── 

“ … ‘ A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom and to return.’” 

Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, is this “nobleman.” And, He went to a “far country” ── that is, the upper heavenly realms. He said to His disciples, “’ Nevertheless, I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper [the Holy Spirit] will not come to you; …’” – John 16:7. And if God’s Spirit hadn’t come, my friends, they could never have been imbued, or begotten of the glorious Holy Spirit of God ── the very life of God ── filled with the very nature of God so that they might now be begotten and later born into the kingdom of God. 

Recall our Lord Jesus said, “’ That which is born of the Spirit, is Spirit.’” And, He said that we must be ‘born of the spirit.’ Now, the LORD God is that Spirit. When you’re born of flesh, you are flesh… everyone after his own kind. We reproduce after our own kind. And when we are born of God, then we will be ── God willing ── of the glorious divine family of God within the divine kingdom of God! 

So, because they thought that the kingdom of God would immediately appear, He said to them that He had to go to the upper heavenly realms in order to send the Comforter for them that they might be begotten of God, and then later enter into the kingdom of God.

Throughout God’s living word, Satan the Devil is pictured as the true invisible, powerful ruler of this present evil age. Now, of course, the LORD God could alter that and change that at any given moment ── and indeed He shall eventually. Yet again, the LORD God has allotted mankind a certain period of time for Satan the Devil, and when the time is fulfilled, God is going to bind Satan along with his demons and throw them ── without a key ── into what God’s word calls the “bottomless pit.”

And, think on this! The Prophet Daniel, in vision, saw this young “nobleman” who had gone to that “far country” returning and receiving for himself a kingdom ── 

“’ I was watching in the night visions, And behold, One like the Son of Man, Coming with the clouds of heaven [the atmosphere]! He came to the Ancient of Days [God the Father, sitting on His throne in earth’s atmosphere], And they brought Him near before Him. 14) Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, …’” – Daniel 7:13-14.

So, notice this vision was not of the upper heavenly realms ── what God’s living word calls the Third Heaven. Because you don’t have … “ …’ all peoples, nations, and languages …’” in the Third Heaven. He was seeing a vision in Earth’s atmosphere, which is also called “heaven.”

God the Father is Supreme Ruler! And it has been decreed that Satan, the Devil, will rule earth for six thousand years. And now, that six thousand years is nearly up, and Satan “knows that he has a short time” left.

Now… the LORD God had given Adam a set of commands. The LORD God had revealed to Adam the very purpose of why he was created and the Way of life. That Adam was created from the ground, “’ for out of it you were taken; For dust you are, And to dust you shall return.’” Well, Adam had been lied to ── and he came to believe that Most Horrendous Lie Ever Perpetrated Upon Mankind!       

Because the ancient whisperer came along ── that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan ── and had told Eve, “You will not surely die – you are an immortal soul.” And Adam, naïve, believed this most horrendous lie – this first lie. They had obeyed Satan, the Devil. And, as the Apostle Paul tells us, “Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to DEATH, or of obedience leading to righteousness?” – Romans 6:16. They, in essence, became slaves to Satan the Devil, and had sold out the whole human race to Satan until our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ (the Second Adam) came to ransom us from our jailer. And He paid the ransom price ── His own life.

But before He gave His life for you and me, He had a confrontation with Satan, the Devil. And here again, Satan tried to lie and mislead the Second Adam. But our Lord Jesus didn’t listen, didn’t fall for Satan’s lies. He knew better. Then our Lord and Savior gave Satan an order that he had to obey, “’ Away with you, Satan!’” And, like the chameleon he is, he scampered away. “’ You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve.’” – Matthew 4:10. 

Our Master, Elder Brother, and Savior conquered him! Our Lord Jesus is the Master, and He is qualified to rule the Earth ── yet, He has not taken office. He has not assumed office at this time, because the LORD God has ordained a six-thousand-year period of mankind to rule themselves ── inspired and influenced by the evil one. Now… understand, Satan the Devil and his henchmen cannot force you to do anything ── you are a Free Moral Agent! We are able to make our own decisions. 

In the meantime, our Advocate and High Priest is in the upper heavenly realms on the right-hand side of the Ancient of Days ── God the Father. And soon They will return to this Earth, with all the angels, and the Prophet Daniel had seen this in vision by night ──

“Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, That all people’s, nations, and languages should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, Which shall not pass away, And His kingdom the one Which shall not be destroyed.” – Daniel 7:14.

Our Lord Jesus Christ is in the upper heavenly realms as our Advocate and having been “called by God as High Priest ‘according to the order of Melchizedek.’” He has only been gone, technically, for nearly two earth days (see: 2 Peter 3:8). 

My friends, His glorious kingdom has not yet been established upon Earth. And, again, a great many people believed then ── and continue to believe today ── that the kingdom is the Church … well… does the Church rule the world? No. There is a Mother Church of Europe that certainly tries to, however.

And I tell you ── there is no church of men today on the face of the whole Earth that surely wouldn’t rule the world if they had the opportunity and the power. But, they wouldn’t rule the Earth in righteousness and justice. They would rule the Earth as the Nicolaitans!     

Now, returning again to the Book of Luke – back to this parable, our Lord Jesus said, “’ A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom AND TO RETURN [and, the Prophet Daniel saw this in a vision by night]. 13) So he called ten of his servants, delivered to them ten minas, and said to them, ‘Do business till I come.’ 14) But his citizens [now, his citizens are his own nation –Judah] hated him, and sent a delegation after him, saying, ‘We will not have this man to reign over us.’” 

The mina is an ancient Near Eastern unit of weight for silver or gold, equivalent to approximately 1.25 pounds (570 grams of silver, 18 troy ounces). Ten minas in today’s prices would be about $1.1402. 1

And, of course, the Jews rejected Him as their king. They murdered Him ── they crucified Him! Well… in fact, we’re all guilty of that. We’ve all crucified Him because He died for our sins, and we’re the actual guilty party. I’m not trying to be like Mel Gibson, who just blamed it on the Jewish people of that time ── in his movie The Passion of Christ, he perpetuated the belief that Jews were solely responsible for Jesus’ death. But there were some Jewish people of that time shouting, “’ Crucify Him, crucify Him!’” – Luke 23:21. That generation was crying out for His blood, and that is a fact.

Alright. Getting back ── you’ll notice our Lord Jesus spoke of “ten of his servants.” That’s the ten tribes of the house of Israel. “‘Do business till I come.’”   

“’ And so it was that when he returned [speaking of the glorious and powerful Second Coming of our Lord Jesus Christ!], having received the kingdom, he then commanded these servants, to whom he had given the money, to be called to him, that he might know how much every man had gained by trading.’”

“’ Then came the first, saying, ‘Master, your mina has earned ten minas.’”

In other words, he had increased his spiritual growth. He had grown in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He had diligently studied God’s living word and had grown closer to the LORD God in fervent prayer, and had gone further away from this world. He had kept and obeyed the LORD God and had carried out the commanded Mission upon this Earth, each according to his own ability. He accomplished something. 

So our Lord Jesus said to him, “’ Well done, good servant; because you were faithful in a very little [and surely, almost everything you do in this world is ‘very little’], have authority over ten cities.’”

So then, we see the harvest is at the end of the Millennium. Not the end of this present evil age. Sadly, men have gravely misunderstood this.

“And with many such parables He spoke the word to them as they were able to hear it. 34) But without a parable He did not speak to them. And when they were alone, He explained all things to His disciples.” – Mark 4:33-34.

Yes, “All these things Jesus spoke to the multitude in parables; and without a parable He did not speak to them.” – Matthew 13:34. Yet, He explained and expounded all things to His disciples.

And now, let me remind you, if you really want to understand God’s living word, if you’re willing to set yourself to devote some time to Bible study, be sure to log onto our YouTube channel. We have a playlist, “A Morning Bible Study.” □    

1) Live Price Gold, Silver Price Calculator, 14 Aug 2025. 

God... THE FATHER

by Leonard V Johnson

Greetings. Our dear friends who are in the Russian Federation, Cochrane, Canada, in India, Kingston, Jamaica, and here in Ashburn, VA., and Forest City, N.C. Welcome. This is Leonard V Johnson, and I’m so pleased to be here today. 

I was going to title this article “Did Jesus Worship the Father?” And, it’s not that we don’t know ── because He absolutely did! This question came into my mind the other day, and I mentioned the question to my dear sister there in North Carolina. I think it’s an excellent question for study, because it highlights our Lord Jesus’ reverence towards Father God, His relationship of worship and submission, even after His glorious resurrection. However, I’ve decided to title this article simply, “God… THE FATHER.” And, I could take us through many of the Scriptures showing indeed that our Lord Jesus worships God the Father, and rightly do we as well. “Heavenly Father, Heavenly Brother, praise and glory always and forever is Your name!” Today, let's focus on a living truth of why God is called our Father.

Why call God “Father”? Why are we to pray, “’ Our Father in heaven, …”? Is the term a name, a title, a description, merely theological, just a comforting phrase, or just anthropomorphism? Or is God called “Father” because He is our collective Father of all mankind by creation? Is God truly a Father?

Delving into this subject matter, it becomes obvious through research that people have all points of view, different interpretations and understandings, and opinions, when it comes to God as Father. Long and often eloquent are the Bible commentaries and dictionaries when reading about this word, “Father.” Including their own ideas and ideals concerning the term Father ── “The term designates the first person of the Holy Trinity. God has revealed himself as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.” 1 In which it goes on and tries its best to explain how three goes into one. Or they go into frustratingly impotent statements like, “Theologian Wayne Grudem explains the idea of oneness, saying that Jesus and God the Father ‘are distinct persons, and the being of each person is equal to the whole being of God.’” 2 It becomes quite clear quickly that if one researches “Father” as a theological term, you come across their deep seeded doctrine of a Trinity. Be sure to watch our sermon,  Elohim ── the Family of God.

And, they go on and proudly announce ── God is the Creator, the Beginning, the Ending, the Father, the Benefactor, the Provider, the Love-giver, the Forgiver, the Punisher of sins, the Rewarder, the Maker and Father of angels, the true and actual Father of Jesus, the Son of God. So, they say that God is the Father, our Father, in every way, and we are His sons in every way… every way ── and all of that is true. So, every way… but one. 

And, which one is that? 

THAT WE HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO BE GOD AS GOD IS GOD! That God is our Father because He is actively in the very process of begetting and eventually bringing forth true born sons and daughters, in His image, according to His likeness. For us to be God as He is God ── which is the very purpose of all physical creations. “For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God.” – Romans 8:19. 

Are you calling me a heretic? Are you calling what I say blasphemous?

Well… it certainly wouldn’t surprise me if someone does. Our Lord Jesus told us, “’ If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you.’” – John 15:18. Don’t be too quick in your judgment. Don’t be like ancient Israel. “Yes, again and again they tempted God, And limited the Holy One of Israel.” – Psalm 78:41. “’ For with God NOTHING will be impossible.’” – Luke 1:37.

Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, had the same issue. And the ways that He answered His detractors ── the scribes, Pharisees, and the Sadducees of His time ── are still among His living word. And His words continue today as they did thousands of years ago ── and as they will for all eternity! And no, they were not just words that applied to our Lord Jesus alone. He distinctly said, “ …’ Is it not written in your law, ‘I said, ‘You are gods’? 35) If He called them gods, to whom the word of God came (and the Scripture cannot be broken), 36) do you say of Him whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son of God?’” – John 10:34-36.

So, understand. It wasn’t that our Lord Jesus was teaching that we should pray, ‘Our Father, Who art in heaven,’ because the Jews considered God as their Father. Such as, “ …’ Israel is My son, My firstborn.’” – Exodus 4:22. They certainly knew that God’s living word says, “Doubtless You are our Father, Though Abraham was ignorant of us, And Israel does not acknowledge us. You, O LORD, are our Father; Our Redeemer from Everlasting is Your name.” – Isaiah 63:16. No. The beautiful analogy that the LORD is our Father was accepted. The concept and understanding that God is truly Fatherlike was accepted. It truly is going to be ── like what Unger’s Bible Dictionary says, “the essential thought is plainly declared (2 Corinthians 6:18).  And more generally speaking, this may be said to be one of the doctrines upon which the New Testament lays special stress. That we who have forfeited and lost our place and privileges as children of God may be fully reinstated therein was one of the great teachings of Jesus Christ. For that, the parable of the prodigal son was spoken.” 3

Our Lord Jesus NEVER at any time taught His followers to just conjure up a heartfelt notion of thinking of themselves “as if” they were the sons of God. Nay, He outright told His believers to be considered “sons of God.”

What got the people in such an uproar was the fact that our Lord Jesus Christ meant exactly what He said. And what He said is, “’ I and My Father are one.’” – John 10:30. As well as, “’ Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.’” – John 8:58. Those bold and truthful statements are what triggered their outrage! That is what drove them to attempt to stone Him!

And sadly, our peoples have not really changed in nearly two thousand years. Some people continue to get irate and bellow out, “Blasphemer!” when they hear us, brethren, truthfully teach God’s living word ── of the fact that on the day our Lord Jesus was crucified and sacrificed for us, He said, “ … ‘ I come to You. Holy Father, keep through Your name those whom You have given Me, that they may be ONE as We are.’” – John 17:11.

Lord Jesus – the Only Begotten 

Our beloved Apostle John explains to us about our Lord Jesus Christ. That He was the Word – the Spokesman – and that He was God from the beginning, who had existed from eternity with God (John 1:1). To help understand that our Lord Jesus was the God of the Old Testament, please read our article “What Was Christ Jesus!?” The Apostle John also goes on and explains that EVERYTHING was created by the Word, “and without Him nothing was made that was made.” Also, that “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the ONLY BEGOTTEN of the Father, full of grace and truth.” – vs. 14.

The very One who was God became a man. Our Lord and Savior, Jesus of Nazareth, “Who, although He existed in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, 7) But emptied Himself [of His glory], and was made in the likeness of men, and took the form of a servant; 8) And being found in the manner of man, He humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.” – Philippians 2:6-8, a New English Translation. And by explaining to them that it was He who was both Lord of and yet also the son of David, He was actually telling them that God had become a man (Matthew 22:41-46). This was the same God from the beginning, who emptied Himself of His glory of being God (John 17:5), and He became flesh, and was therefore subject to the natural laws of decay and death. 

Well… this concept blew their mind! That God could become human, subject to the natural laws of death and decay, was and continues to be unacceptable to Jewish thinking. Jewish beliefs ── in the simplest concept ── emphasize that God is incorporeal and does not take human form. So the Jews outright rejected any claim that our Lord Jesus of Nazareth was the Son of God. And sadly, a great many who call themselves Christian also outright reject and consider it blasphemous to even think that a human being can become a God!

And so, in the glorious fulfillment which looked forward to the coming Messiah, the Son of Man, in His first coming, rejected of those of His own, Our Lord Jesus became the ONLY BEGOTTEN SON OF THE FATHER. He fulfilled what the Prophet Isaiah had told Ahaz, the King of Judah, regarding the coming Messiah, “’ Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.’” – Isaiah 7:14. And what so many of the other prophets were looking forward to as well ── that a human Child would be born by the power of the Spirit of God! – cf. Matthew 1:18. 

 The Firstborn of Many Brethren

The term “born again” is a principle with which every Bible scholar is familiar. Yet, so many don’t properly understand. Being “born again” into the kingdom of God. Our Lord Jesus explained to Nicodemus that to gain God’s kingdom, humans must first be “born again.” And He very patiently explained to him that it was not a physical rebirth, but rather a newborn spirit being – see John 3:1-12.

Perhaps, our beloved Apostle Paul best explains it ── that a human who is led by the Spirit is already children of God in every sense of that expression. 

“For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God” – Romans 8:14.

He explains to us in that chapter that as physical human beings with our carnal minds, we CANNOT be subject to the law of God, “nor indeed can be.” That those who are in the flesh CANNOT even please God. First and foremost, there must be a blood sacrifice to pay the penalty of sins (e.g., Leviticus 17:11) ── which demands our death. Then, to receive a new mind and heart spiritually rather than a physically only oriented mind and heart, so that we can begin to receive the fruits of God’s Spirit, and begin thinking and acting like God our Father in the upper heavenly realms. 

He explains to us that our Father’s Spirit “bears [or joins] with our spirit that we are children of God.” Also that by joining His glorious Spirit with our spirit, the LORD God does not immediately bring us into His kingdom, the God family, but rather we must first live through experiences ── and sometimes painful ── to develop godly character, to bring us to maturity (Matthew 5:48), so that we can finally be “born again” as sons and daughters of God. And we are comforted by these loving words, “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” – Romans 8:28. In verse 29, the Apostle Paul explains just for what purpose God the Father has called us out of this present evil age ── that we might be children of God as Christ is a Son of God. So, our Lord Jesus Christ, the Captain of our salvation, is called the “firstborn among many brethren.”           

Which truly means that Jesus of Nazareth, our Savior, the only human being at this moment in time, the only begotten in the womb of a woman by God the Father, the first human being to become a Son of God by the resurrection from the dead ── hence, the FIRSTBORN AMONG MANY BRETHREN!

Only the first!

Speaking of man ── the Apostle Paul quotes the Book of Psalms, “’ What is man that You are mindful of him, Or the son of man that You take care of him? 7) You have made him a little lower than the angels; You have crowned him with glory and honor, And set him over the works of Your hands. 8) You have put all things in subjection under his feet.’ … But NOW we do not yet see all things put under him.” – Hebrews 2:6-8. 

And, of course, we recognize that all things are in subjection to our Lord Jesus Christ! “ … ‘All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.’” - Matthew 28:18. So, the Apostle Paul is not only speaking of our Master and Elder Brother, Savior of all mankind, the Son of Man, but he is also referring to mankind. That the LORD God created mankind with the sole purpose of sharing His own rulership of the entirety of the universe with born members of the family of God. ALL OF MANKIND WAS CREATED WITH THIS PURPOSE IN MIND!  

Continuing, the Apostle Paul explains to the Jewish Christians who were coming from Judaism that rejected, and most of whom continue to reject this glorious living truth ──

“But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone. 10) For it was fitting for HIM, for whom are all things and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the captain of their salvation [referring to our Lord Jesus] perfect through sufferings.” – Hebrews 2:9-10.

The ”Him” in context is referring to God the Father, capitalized and bolded above. 

Indeed ── all glory and honor be to God Most High ── our heavenly Father intends, His will and for His good pleasure, to add many sons and daughters to His kingdom – the family of God. 

The Greatest of Creations

Within your Bible, it is revealed that there are only two great beings presently in the family of God ── the One whom we call “the Father” and the One whom we call “Jesus the Christ,” the Son of God. These are They who said, “’ Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; …’” – Genesis 1:26. 

Man was created physically in the image and likeness of the LORD God, “And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.” – Genesis 2:7. 

Man did not have eternal life, at that time, as the LORD God told Adam, “ … ‘ For dust you are, And to dust you shall return.’” – Genesis 3:19. 

Now… certainly the physical creation was completed in six days (each consisting of a literal 24-hour period; see Genesis 1:5), but the greatest of creations ── has not been completed yet. The awesome and mind-blowing spiritual creation first began with the physical creation of two human beings that would produce the entire human race, which would be offered sonship in the kingdom of God!     

Father ── Greater Than the Son 

When God was here on this earth as a human being, He constantly referred to the gospel of His Father ── the gospel of the glorious kingdom ── constantly speaking and bringing people’s attention to the fact that there is a Father. Revealing the Father. He not once ever hesitated to show us that He could do nothing except the Father guide, lead, support, and sustain Him ── 

“ … ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner. … 30) I can of Myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me.’” – John 5:19, 30.

“ … ‘ for My Father is greater than I.’” – John 14:28. 

An example of this could be ── just as some people have better jobs than others, greater responsibility, greater authority than others, so it is that our great and mighty Ancient of Days ── God the Father ── has the greatest authority and responsibility in the whole of the universe. Our Lord Jesus Christ, who is next in authority and responsibility to His Father, is joyfully, willingly, and properly fulfilling His responsibilities as second in line of the greatest and most powerful family ── the family of God. He gladly admits the Father’s superiority. And He focuses all of humanity's attention on this fact.

Father’s Responsibility

Let’s review a magnificent and glorious responsibility of our heavenly Father. Ask yourself ── if our Lord Jesus Christ, who was the Word, who was the very One who spoke, and all things in the universe came into existence, the seen and the unseen. He that created the vast worlds yet unheard of. He that called out Abraham, Moses, Isaac, and Jacob. He who called the children of Israel to come out of the bondage of Egypt. He who spoke and gave the Ten Commandments from Mount Sinai. He who chose the young David to become the king of Israel ── what greater thing can God the Father do?

If ── and indeed He did ── our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, did all these glorious and powerful things and fulfilled the magnificent prophecies that all pertained to Him ── what greater thing is it that our heavenly Father does?

Well… just as He resurrected His Son, so too will He beget and bring to birth many sons and daughters! Jesus Christ does not beget us as sons and daughters of God ── OUR FATHER DOES! Of course, it’s only through Jesus Christ that we know about the Father, and that we can go before our Father, our sins having been paid for by Christ’s blood.

‘I and My Father are one.’ 

The perfect oneness that God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ have is beautiful to behold. Our Lord Jesus said, “’ No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; …’” – John 6:44. And also He said, “ …’ I am the Way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.’”

Assuredly, God our Father ── seated upon His fiery throne, ‘His garments as white as snow, His hair like pure wool, with thousands upon thousands ministering to Him’ ── active, and in charge of His entire family ── decides whom He wants to call, and when. And upon being called, He causes those individuals to be drawn to our Lord Jesus Christ, His Son. And our Lord Jesus becomes our Advocate to the Father.

What glorious unity! 

Do they have discussions with each other? Certainly. Yet, our Lord Jesus will always do the will of the Father. We always see total agreement and unity, peace, and cooperation in the work of the LORD God’s SPIRITUAL CREATIONS, of which the Father is always in charge. 

 A Seven-Thousand-Year Plan

The time of your salvation is in the hands of God our Father. Because God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ (the Elohim, the family of God) have designated seven thousand earth years to bring all mankind from a physical human level to “the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.” – 2 Peter 1:4.

Six thousand of these earth years have been allotted for mankind to rule themselves, and for Satan the Devil to have dominion over earth’s kingdoms. Then comes the LORD God’s Sabbath-rest. The Millennium Reign ── a one-thousand earth year epoch ── in which Satan the Devil and his demons are bound and cast into ‘the bottomless pit’ and our Lord Jesus Christ sets up His glorious kingdom in which ‘the kingdoms of this world become the kingdoms of our Lord [God the Father] and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!’ – Revelation 11:15, paraphrased. 

Every week, we are reminded of this glorious soon-coming Sabbath-rest. “’ Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.’” – Exodus 20:8. Each week that passes is a glorious foreshadowing of the LORD God’s Master Plan… From the Beginning! 

And then… the resurrection of all people who have ever lived ── our peoples who never were called by God the Father, or never knew enough to be held accountable ── every man, woman, child (and even the unborn) who has ever lived will be brought back to life, ‘small and great, who will stand before God’s throne, and books will be opened. And then, another book will be opened, which is the Book of Life. And they will be judged according to the things which are written in the books [the Holy Bible].’ – Revelation 20:12, paraphrased. They will be offered ── without Satan the Devil’s influence ── their opportunity to eventually become a literal,  spiritually born son or daughter of God the Father. 

“But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become CHILDREN OF GOD, to those who believe in His name: 13) who were born, NOT OF BLOOD, nor of the will of man, BUT [BORN] OF GOD.” – John 1:12-13. 

A Living Truth!

Nearly every worldly church teaches that this living truth ── that your destiny is to become God as God is God ── is blasphemous! The Roman Catholic Church vehemently denounces this: “How is this teaching not heretical, or completely insane? God is absolutely unique, and the infinite chasm between the Creator and the creature can never be crossed. It is clear from the writings of those who make such statements that no orthodox theologian is confused on this point.” 4

Having read this article, surely you can now see that there have been IMPORTANT TRUTHS OF GOD that are not part of your Christian learning from your minister ── no matter how zealous, charismatic, or sincere they may be. Sadly, it appears that in their preaching of the Father and of the Son, they left out ── perhaps because of ignorance or outright rejection ── the MOST IMPORTANT reason why God the Father is called “Father,” and why our Lord Jesus is called His “Son”!

Read our A Morning Bible Study – What do you mean… Born Again? To help you understand a little more about this important truth. We also have this in PDF format.

Surely you’ve heard that our Lord Jesus Christ promised the glorious Holy Spirit to His followers, but have you ever heard it said that our Lord Jesus, in giving that very promise, called it the promise of His Father in the upper heavenly realms? Notice Luke 24:49 ── 

“’ Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; …’”    

God is called “Father” because He is a Father. And it is His will, purpose, and plan to become a Father of untold trillions upon trillions of spiritual children ── to share His glory, His majesty, His Kingdom ── to be God as He is God! 

“’ And I have put My words in your mouth; I have covered you with the shadow of My hand, That I may plant the heavens, Lay the foundations of the earth, And say to Zion, ‘You are My people.’” – Isaiah 51:16. □

1) Unger, M.F., Unger’s Bible Dictionary, Father, Father, God the, Moody Press, Chicago, Ill., 1966, pp. 347. 

2) Their plethora of theologians, If Jesus is God, why did He say that the Father is the only true God in John 17:3?, Got Questions.

3) Ibid. (1) Adoption, pp. 23.

4) Beaumont, D., Can Man Become God?, Catholic Answers, 23 Sept. 2019.