BIG IDEAS VS FIGURES OF SPEECH.

A LITTLE CHAT I HAD WITH THE FREEWILL CHICK, WHO FAVORED JOHN’S WRITINGS OVER PAUL’S WRITINGS.
SHE WAS QUOTING I JOHN AFTER I TOLD HER THAT “ALL IS OF GOD” (ROMANS 11:36:

SHE QUOTED: 1 John 2:16
“For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.”

MY REPLY:
DEAR FREEWILL CHICK:
ISA 45:7 GOD CREATED BOTH GOOD AND EVIL.
ROMANS 11:36 ALL IS OUT OF GOD, THROUGH GOD AND FOR GOD.
Some things are mere figures of speech and cannot be literal.
Some things are literal and goes beyond our shallow imaginations.
Of course some things are “of the world”… but it is just figurative… as in the larger sense, “all is of God”.
It is important to see both the larger sense and the figurative sense.
But it seems to me, a real mistake to favor the figurative sense over the GREATER TRUTH.
Why?
Both John and Paul reveal something.
But John’s revelation is focus on a narrow view…his ministry was for the Jews only. (Galatians 2:7)
Paul, on the otherhand, has the greater revelation–that all is out of, through and for him. Paul’s message is FOR the pagan world – the “uncircumcision”.
You tend to focus on the every verse you can find that shows that the negative rules the day.
You’re like those folks who

1. focus on the bad.
2. overlook the good.
3. exaggerate the importance of the bad.

If hell is endless as you say, then surely, you’re overlooking that Christ died for our sins and was roused for our justification.
He died for our sins before we ever sinned.
He was roused because we were justified at the cross. It’s PROOF of justification.
If we were not saved by the cross, there is no sense believing that we were saved by the cross.

Belief in belief is not very stable.

All sin was justified at the cross.

Adam’s sin.
Judas’ sin.
Paul’s sin.
All sin was justified at the cross.
Even the sin of not believing He died for all sin.

You’re all hung up on HOW, EXACTLY is it going to happen — before the 1,000 year reign or after — Sugar, it happened at the cross.

As an example that some things are figurative language… Didn’t God say “Adam, where are you?” ???
As if the all-knowing God, didn’t know.

Even the “wrath” of God, is figurative language, as “wrath” and “anger” are human emotions. We may speak of the “wrath of God” but we’re merely speaking of how God is dealing with humans at a certain period of time. God, cannot truly lose His cool and “get angry”… as if all this sin business is a big shock, shock, to Him.

It’s not a “shock”… All is of God.
Christ was slain “before the foundation of the world” says one verse.
What? Before the foundation of the world???
Before we were even created? Sinned? Everything?
Yes, He was Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.
I don’t understand it all, so it’s obviously bigger than my little peabrain can grasp.

Should I trust God??? Or trust my trust in God???

All is of God. In our limited view, somethings are “of the world” — But why not trust the living God, who is the saviour of all???

You are not your own saviour.
God is.

You’re not saved by your doing, but by God’s doing.

God deals with Pea Brains in a way that Pea Brains might understand. But get this — God is under no obligation to reveal the big plan to pea brains just yet.

God was in Christ conciliating the world to Himself. Is it true? Paul says it is.

“Adam where are you?”… indeed.

All sin was justified at the cross.
One day, we’ll go up to Judas, the betrayer… and say, “You stinker, it was a dirty, rotten trick, what you did to Christ… but if not for you, we would not have a risen savior, so Thanks pal. Welcome home.”

Years ago… a woman was staring at a photograph of her great grandmother on the wall. In the photo was the great grandmother’s two brothers and two sisters.
Everyone in her family knew the story of the great grandmother, that she was a naughty girl. She had sex with a married man and conceived his child. And as I recall, she might have done it twice. Two kids born out of wedlock to her and her married man boyfriend.
As she was staring at the photograph, it dawned on her, that the two brothers and two sisters in the photo were childless, respected in the town, upstanding citizens… but the lineage STOP WITH THEM…
And it dawn on this lady that 287 people were alive today, thanks to that naughty great grandmother.
287 people.
All sin was justified at the cross.
Adam’s sin. The many’s sin. (Romans 5:18-19)
All sin.
We’re just waiting for all the puzzle pieces to come together so that the whole universe sees and enjoys what was purchased at the cross.
Christ Glorified.

See Colossians 1:16-20