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Goodness of Jesus Christ and the Evil of Mankind That Turns Him AwayReader comment on item: Newt Gingrich and the "Invented" Palestinian People Submitted by M. Tovey (United States), Jan 9, 2012 at 19:10 Return to the beginning: good versus evil, when did the rebellion start? In the Genesis narrative, it is written that sin (evil) first entered into the earthly realm when Eve succumbed to the wiles of the Adversary; after which Eve was able to convince Adam, the first mortal man, to disobey Almighty God's direct commandment, which resulted in consequences we are recipients of today. But even as the Genesis account tells of mortal man's disobedience, regarded by Almighty God as evil, as coming at this early time of human development, the evil that perpetrated the disobedience actually happened just prior to that event (how long from that to then, only Almighty God knows the time), when the Adversary was stricken from his first estate in the heavenlies. Immediately from his descent, his mission was to do everything allowed by Almighty God to foment evil upon anything that Almighty God created and was called good. Now all that is determined good by Almighty God and held in that estate by His will cannot be altered or diminished by any action or power that is subject to His WORD. However, under that frame of reference, since mankind was by the WORD of the LORD made in His image, part of that creation was the imputation of free will to humanity. Thus, although given original authority by Almighty God in the first creation to be the dominant created being, the first mortal man Adam had free choice; and gave it up by his disobedience-the example of good descending to evil. Here we see the first notice of the beginning of mankind's need for redemption-salvation if you will-in a process that required reconciliation to Almighty God if a return to a personal relationship with Him was desired. Now while that is seemingly not apparent to many in the American realm of freedoms and liberties, it is that free choice that gave rise to the founding documents of America that says all men are created equal, a dissenting ideology from the King's Churchmen who desired to keep the Colonies under British rule. As we now know, the actions to free America from Anglican and other government-controlled religions was central to America's establishment, a concept that even now is still misunderstood by religionists and secularists alike. Confessing Jesus Christ as LORD in that time, as it is now, does have a distinction of the requirement of having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, which if missing, leads to the type of denominationalism seen today-many claim Christ-but the same many do not know Him in their hearts. Now, due to the disobedience of Adam, the Holy Bible declares that humanity in its mortal form is inherently evil in the eyes of the LORD requiring the penalty of death as pronounced in the garden. Death is the resultant effect of human disobedience, for which the Holy Bible does provide the solution that allows for repentant hearts to approach Almighty God through Jesus Christ. What does that provide? Does a person who takes Jesus Christ into his/her heart now have their own personal righteousness? Not according to the Bible. The righteousness each person of faith receives is that of Jesus Christ, imputed to them in faith as faith was imputed to Abraham. They get their gift of grace and mercy from the accounts of righteousness of Jesus Christ through belief of His dying on the cross for their sins and receiving forgiveness as asked for in prayer. Jesus Christ has said that the only way to be able to get close to Almighty God is through Him by the previously mentioned belief. You have said that my personal relationship with Almighty God through Jesus Christ was faulty (I'll used a lesser tone of the invective you used then); and yet I know I have that due to His promises being kept. So while in my past I was an evildoer by Almighty God's standards, by my belief in Him I now have the covering of Jesus Christ's sacrifice that 'clears the books,' so to speak, of Almighty God's remembrance of my former self: and He looks upon me as a brother in Christ at this time. It prepares me also for entrance into heaven, clothed with Jesus Christ's righteousness. Let us come back to a discerning premise of good versus evil: that of whether evil can come from good and vice versa. Scripturally, evil is described as existent and resultant from disobedience to the WORD of Almighty God in the Holy Bible. Mortal mankind, with the sole exception of Jesus Christ Himself, was found to be evil by disobedience. Mankind does not have any innate ability to do good in the eyes of the LORD, thereby always requiring intercession by Jesus Christ to gain acceptance through reconciliation in His Name. In that perception of trying to be good in the eyes of Almighty God without having a relationship with Jesus Christ in His love is a humanist mentality, then it is correct to presume anyone not having that relationship with Jesus Christ cannot by any means do a good work without faith in Him and be acceptable before Almighty God. Now that's a lot to absorb. But simply, in the Holy Bible, it is written "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God;" and that "….God commends His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us;" and finally, "that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the Scripture says, 'Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.' …..For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek (Gentile), for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him." Get to this understanding of who Jesus Christ is and how a relationship with Him will forever change your life; and there will be no heavenly argument that would prevent us from being called brothers in Jesus Christ. Note: Opinions expressed in comments are those of the authors alone and not necessarily those of Daniel Pipes. Original writing only, please. Comments are screened and in some cases edited before posting. Reasoned disagreement is welcome but not comments that are scurrilous, off-topic, commercial, disparaging religions, or otherwise inappropriate. For complete regulations, see the "Guidelines for Reader Comments". Reader comments (108) on this item
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