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It is very disconcerting to see how few preachers are honest about this. Pastors usually try to steer away from the obvious fact that God is the first and certainly also the last person to commit violence in the earth.
When confronted by unbelievers or baby Christians on the question, “why does a God of love allow suffering?” preachers typically start apologizing and even lying about the nature of God, the God of the Bible that is.
The elephant in the room is that God is Spirit and man is flesh. The two do not mix.
God is Spirit and man is flesh
These two relate like fire and paper. Six short chapters in and God’s problem becomes clear.
3 And the Lord said, “My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, for he is indeed flesh; yet his days shall be one hundred and twenty years.”
” (Genesis 6:3, NKJV)
The Crucifixion of Jesus and reality of Hell
The crucifixion and the calm consistent testimony of Jesus about hell shows us that nothing has changed ito the Spirit vs the Flesh.
Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
” (John 3:5–6, NKJV)
Death and judgement is God’s inevitable response to sin. Humanists do not like this, but scripture is very clear about it.
God’s sanction for sin is death
God’s immediate response to sin was to kill an animal and give its skin as clothing to Adam and Eve. Imagine how disgusted and shocked they must have been. Firstly at God, and then hopefully at themselves, realizing that death was the result of their sin. Not only their own death but also immediately the death of animals, other people and in the end Christ Himself.
I know many people who have said, “I won’t serve a God like that!” – Probably they won’t.
We hate death but God hates sin
The reality is that we hate death, but God hates sin and God knows that sin always leads to death and that sin is in fact death. As much as we want to get out of death, there is no other way. Death is not only the wages of sin but it turns out to be the solution to sin.
knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin.7. For he who has died has been freed from sin.
Romans 6:6-7
For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.
Romans 8:13
Death is the only way out of the cursed Adamic line and into the eternal blessed line of the “last Adam” also known as Jesus Christ.
The Holy Spirit Convicts unbelievers of sin, not love
“And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:9. “of sin, because they do not believe in Me;10. “of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more;11. “of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.
John 16:8-11
The church in the west has taken it on itself to try and seduce people into salvation by telling them God loves them, but not telling them honestly, that the Love of God is the cross of Jesus Christ. Not Christ dying in your place but Christ making the way for you to follow Him onto that cross.
Jesus’ cross has no value for spectators
Jesus’ cross has absolutely no value to you if it is not your own cross and your own death to self and Adam.
Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.24. “For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it.25. “For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost?
Luke 9:23-25
The doctrine that Jesus died in your place to appease the angry Father, is a deceptive half-truth, and when taken out of context it is a lie.
The message of the gospel is that we have all died on that cross and that a daily death is ministered in us and to us by the Spirit.
always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body.11. For we who live are always delivered to death for Jesus’ sake, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh.
2 Corinthians 4:10-11
The Revelation of Jesus Christ
In the Revelation of Jesus Christ we see more death, violence and curse that ever before. Most of it comes form God down to earth. One of the clear messages and effects of all the violence is that it makes your and my death on the cross a welcome escape. Death has always been the only way out of this cursed age, but in the comfortable western civilization, death on the cross is not an appealing message and certainly not “Good News”.
During the tribulation, the “death of the cross” will make a lot more sense and previously unspiritual people will suddenly be very spiritual. A prophet’s dream come true and every pastors nightmare (what about all those poor precious little sheepies). Who knows what the evangelists will be thinking?
This article is obviously quite a shock for most Christians, and yet I suspect everybody knows it is true.
When I was still subject to the half-truth that Jesus was punished in my place, the death, suffering and ongoing judgment of the Old Testament was quite a bit more difficult to explain. Now that I realize that the cross is an invitation for your and my death and that all the death curse and judgment in the Old Testament is just a simple and clear type and shadow showing us that we will all die, either with Jesus on the cross or alone in hell, the Second death.
Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.5. For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection,6. knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin.
Romans 6:4-6
