A Gentle Answer (Romans 3:25)

God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished (Romans 3:25)

I’m approaching one million views on this blog, and I’m grateful.

Thank you to BSF, and to my friend Jason, who encouraged me to share my faith online. When I started writing, I wanted a place to keep my homiletics and remember the big ideas before walking through Scripture with my mentees. I did not expect these notes to travel so far. God has been kind to let them reach people I may never meet.

A view is a number on a screen. A reader is a person with questions, burdens, hopes, and a story I do not know. Remembering that changes how I want to write.

Why this week’s reminder matters

This week’s leader training is Communicating Value through a Gentle Answer. The timing feels right. We are studying atonement in Romans 3:21–26, and the way I speak about it should fit the grace I am trying to explain.

“A gentle answer turns away wrath” (Proverbs 15:1). Peter likewise tells believers to be ready to explain their hope, doing so with gentleness and respect (1 Peter 3:15). A gentle answer can be clear about sin and honest about the cross. It listens, speaks truth, and remembers that the person asking matters.

If this blog’s reach has taught me anything, it is that I cannot argue someone into trusting me. I can welcome a question, open the passage, and point to Christ. The outcome belongs to God.

A roadmap through Romans

Paul begins Romans by calling the gospel God’s power for salvation (Romans 1:16–17). Then he explains why everyone needs that good news. Sin is not merely someone else’s problem; all have fallen short (Romans 3:9–23).

Two words in Romans 3:21 turn the corner: “But now.” Having shown that we cannot make ourselves righteous before God, Paul describes what God has done. Righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ. People are justified freely by grace through the redemption Christ accomplished. God presented Jesus as the sacrifice of atonement, showing that He is both just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus (Romans 3:21–26).

The road continues beyond this week’s lesson. Abraham believed God, and that faith was credited to him as righteousness (Genesis 15:6; Romans 4:3). Those justified through faith have peace with God through Jesus Christ (Romans 5:1). God’s love meets us while we are still sinners (Romans 5:8). This is the movement from guilt to grace that makes Romans such a hopeful book.

Four words worth slowing down for

Righteousness tells us something about God before it tells us anything about ourselves. He loves justice and does what is right (Psalm 33:5; 89:14). Romans 3 announces that God provides the right standing we cannot earn. Paul later describes his hope as a righteousness from God through faith in Christ (Philippians 3:9).

Grace means that this standing is given, not achieved. Romans 3:24 calls our justification free. The kindness of God does not wait for us to become worthy of it (Titus 3:4–7).

Redemption speaks of release at a cost. Paul says that redemption came by Christ Jesus (Romans 3:24). Peter reminds believers that they were redeemed through the precious blood of Christ (1 Peter 1:18–19).

Justification answers a question many people carry: How can I stand before a holy God? Paul’s answer is faith in Jesus Christ, not a claim that I have lived well enough (Romans 3:26; Galatians 2:16). This declaration also begins a changed life; grace teaches us to turn from sin and live for God (Titus 2:11–14).

These words are connected. God’s righteousness explains why sin matters. His grace explains why sinners may hope. Christ’s redemption tells us what that gift cost. Justification names the standing God gives to those who trust Jesus.

The cross holds justice and love together

Atonement can sound like a classroom word. Romans makes it deeply personal. God does not overlook sin or ask us to repair it by trying harder. In love, He gives His Son. Isaiah foresaw the righteous servant bearing the sins of many (Isaiah 53:10–11). Hebrews contrasts repeated sacrifices with Christ’s decisive offering (Hebrews 10:1–18). John says God’s love was shown in sending His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins (1 John 4:10).

That is why I want to speak about the cross carefully. The truth is serious: sin separates us from God, and His justice matters. The invitation is tender: the God who is just has made a way for sinners to be justified through Jesus. Paul would later say that God reconciled us to Himself through Christ and entrusted believers with a message of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:18–21).

A gentle answer does not make that message smaller. It helps another person hear it.

Making room for the person in front of us

This week’s homiletics connection has me thinking about how people learn. One person may need to trace Paul’s argument from Romans 1 through chapter 3. Another may need plain definitions of grace, redemption, and justification. Someone else may first ask, “How could God forgive me and still be just?”

We can meet each person’s question without changing the passage. We can read Romans 3:21–26 together, pause over its words, and let the text lead. The aim is understanding that opens the way to faith, not a polished explanation that leaves no room for a response.

An invitation

Week 6 · Lesson 5 · October 16, 2026
Passage: Romans 3:21–26, How God Saves Sinners
Leader training: Communicating Value through a Gentle Answer

If you have been reading along, thank you. If you have questions about Jesus, faith, or what it means to be made right with God, you are welcome here.

BSF’s Life in Christ Romans mini-study is in its second week, and this lesson turns to Romans 3. You can begin with the passage, bring your questions, and study with others. And if someone came to mind while you read this, consider inviting them to join you.

I began this blog to remember the big ideas before conversations with a few people. Nearly a million views later, that purpose remains: open God’s Word, make room for people, and point to the grace of Jesus Christ.

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Holiness begins with belonging, not behaving (1 Peter 1:15-16)

Enjoyed  Our Call Holy Living – Timothy Keller Sermon his central idea is that holiness is not primarily moral rule-keeping. It is belonging to God. Peter grounds holy living in identity, redemption, and hope. Because Christ purchased us at extraordinary cost, holiness becomes the response of a person who increasingly says, “My life is His.”

Key takeaways with Scripture

1. Holiness begins with belonging, not behaving.
   To be holy means to be set apart for God and available for His purposes. Obedience follows from that new identity rather than creating it.

1 Peter 1:15–16: “Be holy, because I am holy.”
See also 1 Corinthians 6:19–20; Romans 14:7–8; Exodus 19:5–6; 2 Timothy 2:20–21.

A helpful summary is: I am not my own. I belong to God.

2. Holiness transforms the mind.
   Peter begins, “prepare your minds for action” or, literally, “gird up the loins of your mind.” Holiness requires disciplined thinking. What captures the mind eventually shapes desires, decisions, and behavior.

1 Peter 1:13
See also Romans 12:1–2; Philippians 4:8; Colossians 3:1–2; 2 Corinthians 10:5; Psalm 1:1–3.

The question shifts from simply, “What am I allowed to do?” to “What is forming the way I think?”

3. Holiness involves wholehearted obedience.
   Peter contrasts our former desires with living as “obedient children.” Biblical obedience is not selective. We increasingly surrender even those areas where God's will conflicts with our preferences.

1 Peter 1:14–15
See also John 14:15; John 14:21; Luke 6:46; James 1:22–25; Romans 6:16–18.

Jesus captures this discipleship posture in Luke 9:23: deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow Him.

4. Holiness reaches every part of life.
   Peter says, “be holy in all you do.” Christianity does not divide life into sacred and secular categories. Work, money, sexuality, relationships, speech, entertainment, ambitions, and private thoughts all come under Christ's lordship.

1 Peter 1:15
See also Colossians 3:17, 23–24; 1 Corinthians 10:31; Romans 12:1; Ephesians 4:20–24.

Holiness therefore asks: “What would it look like for this part of my life to belong completely to God?”

5. Holiness includes reverent awe, not merely discipline.
   Peter tells believers to “live out your time as foreigners here in reverent fear.” Keller's point about awe is important. Holiness grows not merely from stronger willpower, but from seeing God as He truly is.

1 Peter 1:17
See also Proverbs 9:10; Isaiah 6:1–8; Hebrews 12:28–29; Psalm 96:9.

Isaiah 6 provides a powerful picture. Isaiah sees God's holiness, recognizes his own sin, receives cleansing, and then responds, “Here am I. Send me!” Holiness moves from revelation → repentance → cleansing → surrender → mission.

6. The gospel, not fear of punishment, provides the deepest motivation for holiness.
   Peter reminds Christians that they were redeemed not with silver or gold, but “with the precious blood of Christ.” Our obedience is a response to redemption already accomplished.

1 Peter 1:18–19
See also Ephesians 2:8–10; Titus 2:11–14; Romans 5:8; 2 Corinthians 5:14–15; Revelation 5:9–10.

This prevents holiness from becoming legalism. We do not become holy so Christ will redeem us. We pursue holiness because Christ has redeemed us.

7. Jesus demonstrates what complete consecration looks like.
   Keller's reference to Christ sanctifying Himself connects strongly with Jesus' prayer before the cross:

John 17:19: “For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified.”

Jesus completely gives Himself to the Father's will for our sake. See also Philippians 2:5–8; Hebrews 10:5–10; Mark 10:45; Galatians 2:20.

This creates the gospel paradox: Christ gave Himself completely for us, freeing us to give ourselves completely to Him.

8. God's holiness becomes beautiful when seen through the cross.
   The Old Testament repeatedly portrays God's holiness as overwhelming. Isaiah cries, “Woe to me!” Yet in Christ, the holy God Himself provides the sacrifice that allows sinful people to approach Him.

Isaiah 6:3–7 → Hebrews 10:19–22

Also compare Exodus 33:18–23; Leviticus 11:44–45; John 1:14, 18; Hebrews 4:14–16; Revelation 4:8–11.

That helps explain Keller's description of God's holiness in Christ as not merely awesome, but gorgeous. At the cross, God's absolute holiness and extraordinary love are revealed together.

The strongest synthesis may be Belong → Behold → Become → Behave. I belong to God because Christ redeemed me. I behold God's holiness and Christ's sacrificial love. By grace I become increasingly like the One to whom I belong. Therefore, I behave differently, not to earn God's acceptance, but because I have already been claimed by Him.

Action items: For personal study, read 1 Peter 1:13–19, then Isaiah 6:1–8, Romans 12:1–2, and John 17:13–19. Ask one application question: “What part of my life am I still treating as mine rather than God's?”

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Jesus is the same, but people tend toward reinterpretation with existing religious frameworks

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever Hebrews 13:8

I create a new compare feature for deity-and-sonship-of-christ from various religious perspectives. 

Here's why it matters.

Across these language-specific Comparative Theology sections, a clear set of recurring themes emerges. Each language identifies the dominant worldview that could cause readers to reinterpret the biblical doctrine of Christ's deity and divine Sonship through familiar religious categories rather than allowing Scripture to define the doctrine on its own. 

The common pattern is not outright rejection of Jesus. Rather, it is reinterpretation. Every language identifies a local theological framework that can make biblical language sound familiar while fundamentally changing its meaning. The translation challenge is therefore conceptual fidelity, not simply lexical accuracy.

Comparative Theology is not primarily comparing religions. It is identifying the specific conceptual "gravity wells" within each culture that could pull readers away from the biblical presentation of Christ. Those gravity wells differ by language, but the objective remains the same: preserve the Bible's claim that Jesus Christ is the unique, eternal Son of God, fully divine and fully human, whose incarnation, death, resurrection, and future return are singular events in God's plan of redemption.

Language	Dominant comparison	Primary misunderstanding risk
Arabic	Druze, Alawite	Jesus divided into categories or incarnation language redefined
Bengali	Vaishnava Hinduism	Jesus understood as another avatar of Vishnu
Czech	Hussite history	Little Christological conflict from local history
Hindi	Puranic Hinduism	Jesus absorbed into avatar theology
Somali	Islamic worldview (described elsewhere in the library)	Jesus honored as prophet but not divine Son

Several higher-level themes emerge.

1. Existing religious frameworks reinterpret new information

Every culture already has categories for understanding divine beings. Instead of learning a new biblical category, readers naturally map Jesus onto one they already know.

Examples include:

• Avatar (Hinduism)
• Prophet (Islam)
• Divine manifestation
• Inspired teacher
• Divine incarnation of another person

This is a universal cognitive pattern.

Translation implication

A translator cannot assume that "Son of God" or "God became flesh" will automatically communicate the biblical meaning.

2. Superficial similarities hide profound theological differences

Nearly every comparison notes that something appears similar.

For example:

Arabic

• incarnation language
• divine figure
• heavenly messenger

Hindu

• God entering the world
• divine appearance
• future deliverer

These similarities create false confidence.

The Comparative Theology repeatedly warns:

Similar vocabulary does not imply similar doctrine.

3. Uniqueness of Christ is consistently at risk

Nearly every collision reduces Jesus from unique to one among many.

Instead of

the eternal Son who became incarnate once for all

the competing framework suggests

• another avatar
• another prophet
• another manifestation
• another divine representative

The biblical claim of uniqueness is therefore weakened.

4. Christ's return is often reinterpreted

This is especially strong in Bengali and Hindi.

Instead of

the visible return of the same historical resurrected Jesus

the expectation becomes

• another avatar
• Kalki
• another divine descent

The doctrine of the Second Coming changes even if similar words are used.

5. Personhood of Christ becomes distorted

Different traditions modify Christ's identity differently.

Arabic examples

• distinction between Jesus and "the Christ"
• incarnation transferred to another person

Hindu examples

• one incarnation among many

Islamic examples

• honored prophet but not divine Son

Each changes who Jesus actually is.

6. Historical context matters

Czech stands out.

Instead of identifying a major theological collision, it notes:

• Jan Hus
• Hussite reform

These movements challenged

• church authority
• sacramental practice
• ecclesiology

They did not reject Christ's deity.

This illustrates an important principle:

Comparative Theology should identify the actual risks for that culture rather than forcing identical concerns into every language.

Common translation principles

Across all languages, several principles emerge.

Avoid using familiar religious terminology if it imports another theology.

For example

• avatar
• manifestation
• emanation
• prophet
• divine messenger

unless Scripture itself requires the wording and explanatory notes remove ambiguity.

---

Preserve uniqueness.

Translation should consistently communicate that Jesus is

• the eternal Son
• uniquely incarnate
• fully God
• fully man
• crucified
• risen
• returning

not one example within a larger category.

---

Preserve historical identity.

The same Jesus who

• was born,
• lived,
• died,
• rose,

is the one who returns.

This prevents reinterpretation into cyclical or recurring divine appearances.

---

Translate concepts, not merely words.

Literal translation alone is insufficient if readers automatically interpret terms through local religious systems.

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What has God made known to us?

I was looking at Eph 6:19, the greek word made known

Pray in the Spirit at all times, with every kind of prayer and petition. To this end, stay alert with all perseverance in your prayers for all the saints. Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will boldly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may proclaim it fearlessly, as I should (Eph 6:18-20)

The Mystery of God's Redemptive Plan — this is by far the dominant subject, especially in Paul's letters. Ephesians alone hits it four times: the mystery of God's will (Eph 1:9), the mystery revealed by revelation (Eph 3:3), the mystery hidden from prior generations (Eph 3:5), and the mystery of the gospel (Eph 6:19). Colossians 1:27 ties it to "Christ in you, the hope of glory," and Romans 16:26 describes the mystery now disclosed to all nations.

God's Own Attributes — His power and wrath (Rom 9:22–23), the riches of His glory (Rom 9:23), His grace (2 Cor 8:1), and His manifold wisdom made known to heavenly rulers through the church (Eph 3:10).

The Father's Name and Character — Jesus declares in John 17:26 that he has made the Father's name known and will continue to do so, connecting to John 15:15 where he says he's disclosed everything from the Father to the disciples.

The Gospel itself — 1 Cor 15:1 and Gal 1:11 use gnōrizō for the gospel's content and origin (not from human beings).

Christ's power and coming — 2 Pet 1:16, explicitly distinguishing eyewitness proclamation from myth.

Mundane/practical uses — Tychicus making Paul's circumstances known (Eph 6:21, Col 4:7, 4:9), requests made known to God (Phil 4:6), and Paul saying he doesn't know which to choose (Phil 1:22).

The theological weight of the word clearly falls on divine disclosure of what was previously hidden — particularly "the mystery," a technical term in Paul for God's plan to unite Jews and Gentiles in Christ, kept secret for ages but now actively being revealed through proclamation.

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Gut reaction, the lamp of the LORD (Proverbs 20:27)

I enjoy the Bible references found in biblehub.com and was brought to Proverbs 20:7 through Spirit's power blesses us with understanding. My wife and I were talking about the Body keeps the score and anxiety that impacts our physical being. Last week I was talking with my brother about psychology. Psychology is the scientific study of the mind and behavior, exploring mental processes, emotions, motivations, and human actions. We talked about cognitive, and behavioral psychology, about methods to study how humans think and behave, aimed at improving mental health, understanding behavior, and supporting well-being. This is all God's design. 

“The spirit of man is the lamp of the LORD, searching all the inward parts of the belly.” (KJV)

“The human spirit is the lamp of the LORD that sheds light on one’s inmost being.” (NIV)

God has placed within every person an inner witness: the human spirit, conscience, and moral awareness. He uses this inner “lamp” to expose motives, reveal truth, convict of sin, and guide us toward wisdom and repentance.

This verse teaches personal accountability before God, spiritual self-awareness, and the need for our conscience to be formed by God’s truth.

Proverbs 20:27 teaches that God has placed within us an inner lamp, our spirit and conscience, through which He searches, exposes, and reveals the true condition of our hearts. That light is meant to lead us to wisdom, repentance, integrity, and dependence on Christ.

God uses the inner life He created in us to reveal what is really going on within us, so we can walk in truth, not self-deception.

1) God searches the hidden places of the heart

God is not limited to outward behavior. He examines what is deep, private, and unseen.

• Psalm 139:23–24 – “Search me, O God, and know my heart…”
• Jeremiah 17:10 – “I, the LORD, search the heart and examine the mind…”
• Hebrews 4:12–13 – God’s Word discerns “the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”
• 1 Samuel 16:7 – “Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”

Key insight: God’s light reaches deeper than reputation, words, or performance.

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2) The human spirit functions like a lamp

Our inner spirit is a God-given capacity for moral awareness, discernment, conviction, and reflection.

• Genesis 2:7 – God breathed life into man.
• Job 32:8 – “There is a spirit in man, and the breath of the Almighty gives him understanding.”
• Zechariah 12:1 – God “forms the spirit of man within him.”
• Ecclesiastes 3:11 – God has placed eternity in the human heart.

Key insight: Human beings are not merely physical or instinct-driven. We are spiritually accountable creatures made to respond to God.

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3) Conscience is a gift, but it must be trained by truth

The conscience can accuse, excuse, warn, or become distorted. It is a lamp, but not an infallible one unless shaped by God.

• Romans 2:15 – Conscience bears witness.
• 1 Timothy 1:5 – Love comes from “a pure heart and a good conscience.”
• 1 Timothy 4:2 – A conscience can become “seared.”
• Titus 1:15 – A defiled conscience affects perception.
• Hebrews 9:14 – Christ cleanses our conscience.
• Psalm 119:105 – “Your word is a lamp to my feet…”

Key insight: Conscience is not enough by itself. It must be illuminated by Scripture and purified by Christ.

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4) God calls us to honest self-examination

Proverbs 20:27 invites us not to hide from God’s light, but to welcome it.

• Lamentations 3:40 – “Let us examine and test our ways…”
• 2 Corinthians 13:5 – “Examine yourselves…”
• Galatians 6:4 – “Each one should test their own work.”
• Psalm 26:2 – “Test me, LORD, and try me…”

Key insight: Spiritual maturity grows where there is humility, honesty, and repentance.

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5) God’s light exposes sin in order to heal, not merely condemn

When God searches us, His purpose is not only exposure, but restoration and cleansing.

• Proverbs 20:30 – Deep correction can cleanse evil.
• John 3:19–21 – Light exposes deeds so truth may be seen.
• 1 John 1:7–9 – Walking in the light brings cleansing and fellowship.
• Psalm 51:6 – God desires truth “in the inward being.”
• James 4:8 – “Purify your hearts…”

Key insight: God shines light into the soul because He loves us enough to transform us.

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6) True light is ultimately found in Christ

The inner lamp of conscience is real, but it is not the final light. Jesus is the Light of the world who fully reveals God and ourselves.

• John 1:4–5 – “In Him was life, and that life was the light of men.”
• John 8:12 – “I am the light of the world…”
• John 3:20–21 – Coming to the light reveals whether our works are in God.
• Luke 11:34–36 – Be careful that the light in you is not darkness.
• 2 Corinthians 4:6 – God shines in our hearts through Christ.

Key insight: Conscience may awaken us, but Christ must redeem and lead us.

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7) The Holy Spirit works with our spirit

In the New Covenant, God does not merely inspect the heart from the outside. He dwells within His people by the Holy Spirit.

• Romans 8:16 – “The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit…”
• 1 Corinthians 2:10–12 – The Spirit reveals what is from God.
• Ephesians 1:17–18 – God enlightens “the eyes of your heart.”
• Philippians 2:13 – God works in us “to will and to act.”
• Ezekiel 36:26–27 – God gives a new heart and Spirit.

Key insight: The believer’s inner life is not only examined by God, but also indwelt and renewed by Him.

Practical Application

Ask:

• What motives are driving me right now?
• Where am I rationalizing sin?
• Is my conscience shaped by God’s Word or by culture, emotion, or pride?
• Am I bringing hidden things into Christ’s light?

A healthy response to Proverbs 20:27 is:

1. Invite God to search you
2. Submit your conscience to Scripture
3. Confess what He reveals
4. Walk in the light daily

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Short devotional takeaway

Your heart is never dark to God.
He sees what you avoid, what you fear, and what you hide. But His light is not merely to expose you. It is to heal, purify, and lead you into truth.

“Search me, O God… and lead me in the everlasting way.” (Psalm 139:23–24)

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Christ Brought Peace, Unity, and Reconciliation Through the Cross

Celebrating Good Friday today. We had our first "Fath in the Workplace" with SALT network yesterday, lots of great testimonies and sharing. Jesus did not die merely to save isolated individuals. He died to reconcile enemies to God and to one another, creating one new people through His blood.

The cross:

• brought peace with God
• destroyed hostility between people
• formed one body
• and calls us to live in that peace

Christ Himself is our peace. Through His body on the cross, He reconciled us to God, broke down the walls that divided us, and formed one new people who now live under the rule of His peace.

• “For Christ himself has brought peace to us. He united Jews and Gentiles into one people when, in his own body on the cross, he broke down the wall of hostility that separated us.”
• Ephesians 2:14 (NLT)
• “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, for to this you were called as members of one body. And be thankful.”

Colossians 3:15

At the cross, Jesus did far more than forgive individual sin. He created a new humanity. He removed the barriers of alienation between God and man, and between people and one another. The cross is not only the place of pardon. It is the place of peace, reconciliation, and unity.

1) Christ Himself is our peace

Paul does not merely say Jesus gives peace. He says Christ Himself is our peace. Peace is found in a Person before it is experienced as a feeling.

• Isaiah 9:6 – “And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.”
• John 14:27 – “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you.”
• Romans 5:1 – “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

This means biblical peace is not just the absence of conflict. It is restored relationship with God through Jesus Christ. Before peace can rule in our hearts, it must first be purchased by His blood.

2) The cross reconciled us to God

Humanity’s deepest problem was not social division first. It was separation from God because of sin. Jesus solved that at the cross.

• Colossians 1:19–20 – “For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things... by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.”
• 2 Corinthians 5:18–19 – “All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ... that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them.”
• Romans 5:10 – “For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son...”
• 1 Peter 3:18 – “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God.”

The cross ended the hostility between holy God and sinful man for all who believe. Peace with one another begins with peace with God.

3) Jesus broke down the wall of hostility between people

Paul’s language in Ephesians 2 is especially powerful because he is talking about one of the deepest divisions in the ancient world: Jew and Gentile. In Christ, that hostility was dismantled.

• Galatians 3:28 – “There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”
• Romans 10:12 – “For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him.”
• Acts 10:34–35 – “God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him.”
• James 2:1 – “My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.”

The gospel does not erase human distinction, but it does destroy human superiority. At the foot of the cross, pride dies, boasting dies, and division loses its right to rule.

4) Jesus created one new people in Himself

Christ did not merely make peace between two hostile groups. He created something entirely new: one body, one family, one household of God.

• Ephesians 2:15–16 – “He did this by ending the system of law with its commandments and regulations. He made peace between Jews and Gentiles by creating in himself one new people from the two groups.”
• 1 Corinthians 12:13 – “For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, Jews or Greeks, slaves or free.”
• Colossians 3:11 – “Here there is not Greek and Jew... but Christ is all, and in all.”
• Romans 12:5 – “So we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.”

The church is not a collection of like-minded individuals. It is a supernatural people formed by the blood of Jesus and filled by the Holy Spirit.

5) The blood of the cross is the basis of our unity

Christian unity is not built on personality, culture, politics, or preference. It is built on the finished work of Christ.

• Ephesians 2:13 – “But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ.”
• Hebrews 13:12 – “So Jesus also suffered outside the gate in order to sanctify the people through his own blood.”
• Revelation 5:9 – “For you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation.”
• 1 John 1:7 – “The blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.”

What race, class, tribe, language, and history could never accomplish, the blood of Jesus did. He brought near those who were far off and made them one.

6) Christ’s peace is meant to rule in the Church

The peace Jesus purchased is not just a doctrine to admire. It is a reality meant to govern our relationships.

• Colossians 3:15 – “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, for to this you were called as members of one body.”
• Romans 12:18 – “If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.”
• Hebrews 12:14 – “Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord.”
• Matthew 5:9 – “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.”

“Rule” in Colossians carries the idea of an umpire or deciding authority. Christ’s peace should settle disputes, restrain fleshly division, and shape how believers relate to one another.

7) Unity is both a gift and a calling

The cross created unity, but believers are also commanded to preserve it.

• Ephesians 4:1–3 – “Walk in a manner worthy of the calling... eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”
• John 17:20–23 – Jesus prayed “that they may all be one... so that the world may believe that you have sent me.”
• Philippians 2:1–4 – “Complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind.”
• Psalm 133:1 – “Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity!”

Unity is not maintained by ignoring truth. It is maintained by submitting together to Christ, walking in humility, and loving one another sacrificially.

8) The Church becomes a living witness of the cross

When hostile people become one family in Christ, the gospel becomes visible.

• John 13:34–35 – “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
• Acts 2:42–47 – The early church displayed shared life, generosity, worship, and favor before others.
• 1 Thessalonians 5:13 – “Be at peace among yourselves.”
• 2 Corinthians 13:11 – “Aim for restoration, comfort one another... live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you.”

A divided church contradicts the message of the cross. A reconciled church displays its power.

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The Breastplate of Righteousness: Protected Living

 Righteousness that comes from God

The breastplate protects the heart. Paul roots that protection not in our performance but in God’s righteousness given through Christ.

• “Stand firm… with the breastplate of righteousness in place.” (Ephesians 6:14)

• “This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.” (Romans 3:22)

• “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.” (2 Corinthians 5:21)

• “Not having a righteousness of my own… but that which is through faith in Christ.” (Philippians 3:9)

Righteousness is a gift before it becomes a lifestyle.

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Ephesians 1–3: Foundations

Paul spends three chapters telling believers who they are before he tells them how to live. Identity fuels obedience.

Key foundations:

• Chosen before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:4).

• Adopted as sons and daughters (Ephesians 1:5).

• Redeemed through His blood (Ephesians 1:7).

• Sealed with the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:13–14).

• Made alive with Christ (Ephesians 2:4–5).

• Saved by grace, not works (Ephesians 2:8–9).

• God’s workmanship, created for good works (Ephesians 2:10).

• Strengthened with power through the Spirit in the inner person (Ephesians 3:16–19).

The breastplate rests on these truths. Righteous living grows from secure identity.

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Ephesians 4–6: Evidence in daily life

Chapters 4–6 shift from identity to evidence. Righteousness becomes visible.

Paul outlines the lifestyle:

• Put off the old self and put on the new (Ephesians 4:22–24).

• Speak truthfully (Ephesians 4:25).

• Control anger (Ephesians 4:26–27).

• Work honestly and share generously (Ephesians 4:28).

• Build others up with your words (Ephesians 4:29).

• Forgive as God forgave you (Ephesians 4:32).

• Walk in love as Christ loved (Ephesians 5:1–2).

• Walk as children of light (Ephesians 5:8–10).

• Submit to one another in reverence for Christ (Ephesians 5:21).

• Stand firm against spiritual forces (Ephesians 6:10–12).

This is righteousness in action. Identity produces integrity.

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Guarding the heart through obedient living

The heart is the command center. Righteousness shields it.

• “Guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” (Proverbs 4:23)

• “Above all else, keep your heart with all diligence.” (Proverbs 4:23 NKJV/NIV)

• Jesus warned that sin flows from an unguarded heart (Mark 7:20–23).

• Obedience strengthens the armor: “If you love Me, keep My commands.” (John 14:15)

• “Blessed are those who walk in obedience… who seek Him with all their heart.” (Psalm 119:1–2)

Righteousness lived out closes the gaps where the enemy seeks entry.

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Redeeming Your Timeline by Troy Brewer

I had a great conversation with Paul, a friend who was on the USS Cole that was bombed before 911, 2001. He's involved in a healing ministry that reminds me of Redeeming your timeline by Troy Brewer that I first heard about from a SALT friend at work in 2022: God redeems our past and we can see our future with him (Job 19:25-27) Today I have serval friends going through late stage cancer and others suffering from anxiety over past truma. I thought I post some of the key ideas and scripture to encourage these friends and hope others find encouragement as well. 

Troy Brewer’s central premise: God is not bound by time.

Because He stands outside past, present, and future, He can redeem all three — healing yesterday, securing tomorrow, and giving rest today.

This book addresses the deep human need for peace, identity, and hope by showing how God interacts with our personal timelines.

God redeems your timeline by healing past wounds, stabilizing the present with peace, and guiding the future with purpose.

Brewer’s message is that nothing in your past disqualifies you, nothing in your future can intimidate you, and nothing in your present has to overwhelm you — because Jesus rules your entire timeline.

God’s View of Time: He Is Eternal, We Are Not

Big idea: Time is a created dimension. God moves through it freely and can rewrite what sin, trauma, or fear broke.

Key Scriptures

• Isaiah 46:10 — “I make known the end from the beginning.”
• Psalm 139:16 — All our days were written before one came to be.
• 2 Peter 3:8 — With the Lord, one day is like a thousand years.

Insight: We often act like our timeline is fixed. God sees it as flexible, healable, and redeemable.

Redeeming the Past: Healing Memories and Wounds

Big idea: God can reach into the past, heal what happened, and break the power of damaging moments that shaped unhealthy patterns.

Key Scriptures

• Joel 2:25 — “I will restore the years the locusts have eaten.”
• Psalm 147:3 — He heals the brokenhearted and binds wounds.
• Colossians 1:20 — Through Christ, God reconciles all things. 

People carry old scripts — identity wounds, shame stories, losses. Brewer teaches replacing those memories with God’s truth and letting Christ heal the emotional residue.

Redeeming the Present: Calming the Chaos of “Right Now”

Big idea: Trust transforms the present. The Holy Spirit produces peace, presence, and strategic clarity when we surrender control.

Key Scriptures

• Matthew 6:34 — Don’t worry about tomorrow.
• Philippians 4:6–7 — Peace guards our hearts and minds.
• Psalm 23 — God leads, restores, and protects moment by moment.

Insight: Anxiety comes from living either in the past or the future. God invites us into a redeemed present anchored in Him.

Redeeming the Future: Breaking Off Fear of Tomorrow

Big idea: God already occupies your future. Therefore fear has no authority over it. Brewer emphasizes prophetic identity and future hope.

Key Scriptures

• Jeremiah 29:11 — Plans to prosper and not harm.
• Romans 8:28 — God works all things for good.
• Proverbs 3:5–6 — Trust Him and He makes your paths straight. 

People fear uncertainty. God’s kingdom reframes the future as safe, guided, and purposed.

Supernatural Skillsets Brewer Teaches

• Timeline Redeeming Prayer
• Invite Jesus into a specific past moment to heal the wound and rewrite the pattern.

• Luke 4:18 — Jesus heals the broken and sets captives free.
• Prophetic Declaration Over Future Moments
• Speaking God’s promises over upcoming decisions, seasons, or events.
• Job 22:28 — “You will decree a thing, and it will be established.”
• Redeemed Perspective
• Seeing time through heaven’s lens; aligning your story with God’s story.
• Romans 12:2 — Renew the mind to discern God's will.

The Promise: Rest in the Now

When past wounds lose their power and future anxiety evaporates, you experience rest — a settled confidence that God carries the whole timeline.

Key Scriptures

• Hebrews 4:9–11 — There remains a rest for God’s people.
• Matthew 11:28–30 — “Come to me… and I will give you rest.”

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King of Kings, resurrection and the Kingdom of Heaven (part 1)

 Reflecting on King David and Jesus "King of Jews" 

• David chosen by God, brings victory against Goliath (1 Samuel 16-17). 
• King Jesus fulfills prophecy of salvation on the cross and is buried (Matt 27:32-66, Psalm 22)
• When Jesus was dying he was speaking God's word

But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” 1 Sam 16:7

What is the kingdom of heaven, paradise, a world uncorrupted by sin. A place of perfection, where we will be like Jesus (eyes, ears, heart, and mind). 

Kingdom in the New Testament

Matthew 3:2: “Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near.”

• Matthew 4:8: Next the devil took him to the peak of a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. (Jesus remember "serve the Lord only" and don't forget all of Deuteronomy 6-8 MSG  

Matthew 4:17: From then on Jesus began to preach, “Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near.”

• Matthew 4:23: Jesus traveled throughout the region of Galilee, teaching in the synagogues and announcing the Good News about the Kingdom. And he healed every kind of disease and illness. (pattern continues in Matthew 9:35, Go and announce to them that the Kingdom of Heaven is near Matthew 10:7)
• Matthew 5:3: “God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for him, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.
• Matthew 5:10: God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs. (like John the Baptist Matthew 11:11-12)

What does turning to God and humbly doing the right thing look like? Righteousness is asking God "your kingdom come, your will be done - on earth as it is in heaven." It's like the correct way to swing a golf club - the ball ends up where you wanted it. Humility doesn't swing harder, it swings righteously - trusting the club and learned mechanics to do the work. Turning to God, we find effortless joy and peace, the presence of God in our heart, the kingdom of heaven is ours. 

What does jesus say about ignorance, obedience, and teaching? To ignore is to forget, disregard, overlook, neglect, miss, reject, bypass, or omit. To obey is to follow, observe, conform (to), adhere (to), comply (with), abide by, keep to, mind, fall in with, submit (to), yield (to), surrender (to), hear, defer (to), agree (to), heed, watch, accede (to), regard, take, listen (to). 

Matthew 5:19: So if you ignore the least commandment and teach others to do the same, you will be called the least in the Kingdom of Heaven. But anyone who obeys God’s laws and teaches them will be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven.

• Matthew 5:20: “But I warn you—unless your righteousness is better than the righteousness of the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees, you will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven!

Pray and seek the kingdom of God above all else. Enter through the narrow gate by actually doing the will of Father God.

• Matthew 6:10: May your Kingdom come soon. May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.
• Matthew 6:33: Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.
• Matthew 7:13: “You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way.
• Matthew 7:21: “Not everyone who calls out to me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter.

Jesus shared that when the Kingdom of Heaven is near we should repent of our sins and turn to God. 

• Matthew 8:11: And I tell you this, that many Gentiles will come from all over the world—from east and west—and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob at the feast in the Kingdom of Heaven.
• Matthew 8:12: But many Israelites—those for whom the Kingdom was prepared—will be thrown into outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

Turning to God in repentance is changing our minds. To receive the light of God and say yes to him, is to say no to all other spiritual forces that make us miss the mark. 

• Matthew 12:28: But if I am casting out demons by the Spirit of God, then the Kingdom of God has arrived among you.
• Matthew 13:11: He replied, “You are permitted to understand the secrets of the Kingdom of Heaven, but others are not. 

Our heart must be prepared to receive the good news about the Kingdom. 

• Matthew 13:19: The seed that fell on the footpath represents those who hear the message about the Kingdom and don’t understand it. Then the evil one comes and snatches away the seed that was planted in their hearts. 
• Matthew 13:24:  Here is another story Jesus told: “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a farmer who planted good seed in his field. 
• Matthew 13:31: Here is another illustration Jesus used: “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a mustard seed planted in a field.
• Threads of the inner veil (unrebuked self-life, self-sins), true rending should be excruciating
• Love is the tool that unveils our hearts, crucifies our flesh, and welcomes God into our lives (Gal 2:20,5:22-25,Rom 6:6-14)
• Love keeps us faithful to the Lord (James 1:12)
• How the wayward in spirit will gain understanding (Isaiah 29, Mark 7)

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Rescued, kept.. so now I can walk in your presence, O God, in your life-giving light (Psalm 56:13 Coram Deo))

I found Psalm 56:13 while thinking about what coram deo means. In my study of People of Promise part 2 kingdom divided, I'm seeing how kings did evil in the sight of the Lord. 

• The Lord is omnipresent and perceives our every action and thought (Psalm 139:1–4, 7–10)
• The purpose of God's people: created and formed by God for his glory (Isaiah 43:7), not to us but to your name be the glory (Psalm 115:1). 
• God is who we live for; not for others (Galatians 1:10) because God alone is the One who redeemed us from our sin, He alone deserves all the glory and praise (Acts 4:12; Titus 3:5)

God's purpose in rescuing people is eternal life after death

• to bring back his soul from the Pit, that he may be enlightened with the light of life. (Job 33:30)
• to deliver them from death and keep them alive in famine. (Psalm 33:19)
• But God will redeem my life from Sheol, for He will surely take me to Himself. Selah....(while unrighteous) will join the generation of his fathers, who will never see the light of day. (Psalm 49:15,19)
• Our God is a God of deliverance; the Lord GOD is our rescuer from death. (Psalm 68:20)
• For great is Your loving devotion to me; You have delivered me from the depths of Sheol. (Psalm 86:13)
• He sent forth His word and healed them; He rescued them from the Pit. (Psalm 107:20)

What's it like to not live in God's purpose?

• Making idols of any kind (Deut 4:25)
• Serve other gods or worship the sun, the moon, or any of the stars—the forces of heaven (Deut 17:3), deserves the death penalty to purge evil among you. 
• Application: purge evil among you in a modern sense is to throw away your American Idols. Tear down pillars of Baal (2 Kings 3:2)
• Served the images of Baal...They abandoned the Lord, the God of their ancestors, who had brought them out of Egypt. They went after other gods, worshiping the gods of the people around them (Judges 2:11-12) - result Lord fought against them, and people were in great distress (Judges 2:15), hand them over to oppressors (Judges 13:1)
• Forgot about the Lord their God, and they served the images of Baal and the Asherah poles (Judges 3:7)

Baal, god worshipped in many ancient Middle Eastern communities, especially among the Canaanites, who apparently considered him a fertility deity and one of the most important gods in the pantheon. As a Semitic common noun baal (Hebrew baʿal) meant “owner” or “lord,” although it could be used more generally; for example, a baal of wings was a winged creature, and, in the plural, baalim of arrows indicated archers.Aug 24, 2022 - britannica.com/topic/Baal-ancient-deity

Looking at Baal in the Bible I came across Baal of Peor. Got Questions had this interesting insight: Balaam...could not curse Israel, he found another way to fulfill the wishes of Balaak, who was paying him. Balaam knew if the Israelite men could be seduced into idol worship, God Himself would curse them.

• This is the evil of pornography in our day. We are "worse than our ancestors" (1 Kings 14:22), leading a whole nation into sin (1 Kings 22:52)
• Application: don't refuse to turn from the sins handed down to us. Live as foreigners in reverent fear, the blood of Christ redeemed us from the empty way of life we inherited (1 Peter 1:17-19). It's through Jesus we believe in God who raised him from the dead, glorified Him so our faith and hope are in God. 
• I'm cleansed from my sins when I obeyed the truth, able to show sincere love to others, born again through the living and enduring word of God (1 Peter 1:20-23)
• Trinity: according to the foreknowledge of God the Father and sanctified by the Spirit for obedience to Jesus Christ and sprinkling by His blood: Grace and peace be yours in abundance. (1 Peter 1:2)

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God redeems our past and we can see our future with him (Job 19:25-27)

I know that my redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand on the earth. And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God; I myself will see him with my own eyes—I, and not another.    How my heart yearns within me! Job 19:25-27 

I've been listening to Redeeming Your Timeline Supernatural Skillsets for Healing Past Wounds, Calming Future Anxieties, and Discovering Rest in the Now and seeing the reality of God working in our past even before we see. this morning I'm reading how Sandy learned that 46 years ago this woman had driven by the accident and stopped to respond

Tonight I'm going to a visitation for Derec Joshua McKinney, Waaseyaa Ajiijak (Shining Crane). Praying for a gentle heart to comfort my friend Jason.

John 8:34; Romans 6:6, 19; Romans 6:22-23; 1 Corinthians 6:19-20; Ephesians 1:7;Job 19:25-27 NIV - Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell - Bible Gateway

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God gives grace to be successful to fulfill the covenant (Deut 8:1-18)

Deut 8:1-18;psalm 49:16-20;1 john 3:15-20;ecc 2:3-11

Be careful to obey all the commands, then live and multiply
 - Lord's promise
 - Lord your God led you (through wilderness 40 years)
     * humbled and tested to prove your character
Am I ready to obey?
 - Lord let me be hungry, then feeds me with manna
Thank you, Lord, for taking care of me (Deut 8:4) because you love us like a father disciplines his child (Deut 8:5, Heb 12)
 - to teach me to live not by bread alone but every word that comes from the Lord (Matt 4:4, Deut 8:3)
As with Jesus, it can be 40 days or with Israel 40 years (Matthew 4:1-2, Deut 8:2)

When Jesus was tempted to take a headline-grabbing leap from the temple, he responded by going back deeper into scripture, You must not test the Lord your God  (Deut 6:16).

What does it mean to obey?
 - by walking in his ways and fearing him
 - Lord your God IS BRINGING YOU into a good land (water, farms, plentiful, rich natural resources to mine)
 - THEN be sure to praise the Lord your God for the good land HE HAS GIVEN YOU
 - In riches, remember, be careful, beware not to forget the Lord your God and disobey

How to be careful not to disobey when I'm rich?
 - Do not become proud, it was God who rescued me from slavery
 - He led me through the great and terrifying wilderness, snakes and scorpions
 - I was nearly dead, but he gave water from the rock (John 4), Jesus teaches about Living Water at Festival of Tabernacles!
 - He humbles me, tests me for my own good
 - Never say I'm rich by my doing, God has given me everything to fulfill his confirmed covenant

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Redemption and the "To Be" list

Redemption: freedom, we are the temple of the Holy Spirit
 - new identity, part of the family
 - redeemer sets the value of the redeemed
Joy from the heart

Redemption validates future hope, eternal life starts now and last forever. I was reading, “To-Do” List or “To-Be” List? that talks about God's part and our part in being the people we want to be, rather than just doing things. Focus on why, in other words, what do we want to BE at the end.
God's part: "...God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose. (Phil 2:12-13)"
Our part: "Anyone who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with their own hands, that they may have something to share with those in need. (Ephesians 4:28)"

Bsf has this great doctrine statement we got as part of our Ruth study that reminded me of Jason V: Redemption is a word borrowed from the commercial world of the ancient near east (where slaves were bought and sold) and pressed into biblical service to describe how Jesus has purchased us in the marketplace of sin to set us free from sin’s dreadful bondage. The story of Hosea’s purchase of Gomer in the Old Testament book by his name is a wonderful example of this transaction (Hosea 3:1-2). Peter has the same concept in mind when he writes, “It was not with perishable things such as silver and gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect” (1 Peter 1:18, 19). His point is we have been set free from slavery to sinful ways of life and should therefore live as being Christ’s possession. (See Romans 6:22-23; 1 Corinthians 6:19-20; Ephesians 1:7.) 

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Naomi sees redemption through Ruth, Boaz, and Obed (Ruth 1-4)

AIM: Godly families bring immeasurable blessing to the world through children

Key verses: 

"Ruth replied...Wherever you go, I will go; wherever you live, I will live. Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God." - Ruth 1:16

"Praise the Lord, who has now provided a redeemer for your family...the son of your daughter-in-law who loves you...she cared for him as if he were her own...Obed. He became the father of Jesse and the grandfather of David." - Ruth 4:13-17

Ruth 1-4
A) Naomi looses everything heads home with Ruth
1:1-2) Judges ruled, famine, Elimelek from Bethlehem/Judah, wife Naomi, 2 sons Mahlon, Kilion to Moab
3-5) Elimelek died, sons married Orpah, Ruth, ten years - sons died
8-13) Naomi, go home daughters, find another husband, Lord's hand against me
14-18) Orpah left, Ruth clung - your my people, your God - my God

B) Naomi pushes Ruth a faithful worker to pursue Boaz
19-22) Ruth/Naomi to Bethlehem - call me Mara Almighty made my life bitter, afflicted me, misfortune
2:1-3) Boaz, clan of Elimelek - Ruth to fields anyone whose eyes I find favor (i.e. Boaz)
4-7) Boaz "Lord be with you" Lord bless you they answered, who's Ruth (Moabite with Naomi)
8-11) My daughter, stay here you'll be cared for because you cared for Naomi,
 - 12) " May the Lord repay you for what you have done. May you be richly rewarded by the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge.”
13-16) Ruth "favor in your eyes, my lord, kindness", Boaz wine/bread plenty, said let her gather
17-23) Ruth gleaned, threshed until evening, gave left overs, told Naomi "LORD bless him!, kindness to living and dead, guardian-redeemers
3:1-8) Naomi plan, clean up, best clothes, when Boaz is wasted - uncover his feet, he'll direct you, Ruth does it

C) Ruth innocent in desire for guardian-redeemer, Boaz plan ends in LORD's blessing
9) “Who are you?” servant Ruth,” she said. “Spread the corner of your garment over me, since you are a guardian-redeemer of our family.”
10-18) LORD bless you daughter, woman of noble character, stay discreetly, closer relative will redeem, else I will - generous six measures of barley
4:1-4) Boaz, elders and close relative of Elimelek, redeem the land - I'll do it
5-8) includes Ruth Moabit, widow, I can't might endanger my own estate - you redeem it - sandal promise
9-12) I've bought from Naomi property of Elimelek, Kilion and Mahlon married Ruth, elders blessed Ruth famous in Bethlehem through offspring LORD gives
13-17) Boaz, Ruth LORD enabled her to conceive, Naomi cared for him: "Naomi has a son!" Obed, fahter of Jesse, father of David
18-22) Perez, father of Hezron, father of Ram, father of Amminadab, father of Nahshon, father of Salmon, father of Boaz, of Obed, Jesse, David

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Hell as an experience for those not dressed (Matthew 22:2-14)

I've been preparing for Christianity 101 Destiny (happening at work in two days). In my study of the wonderful truths that of the resurrection portrayed as "new clothes" we must put on, giving ourselves fully to the work of the Lord.

Isaiah 1:18; 61:10; 1 Corinthians 15:53-58; Colossians 3:12-17 ;1 Peter 1:3-9;Deuteronomy 8:5; Proverbs 3:12; 1 Corinthians 11:32; Hebrews 12:4-11

Came across, Hosea 13:14

“I will deliver this people from the power of the grave;

    I will redeem them from death."

from the Dictionary of Bible Themes
Dictionary of Bible Themes Scripture index copyright Martin H. Manser, 2009. As Editor, Martin Manser wishes to thank all those who compiled or edited the NIV Thematic Study Bible, on which this work is based.

Hell as an experience
The state of final separation from God, and so from all light, love, peace, pleasure and fulfilment.
Hell is separation from God
2Th 1:8-10 See also Mt 7:23; Mt 8:12; Mt 25:32; Rev 21:8
The final state of the wicked is one of eternal punishment
Mt 25:41-46 “eternal punishment” means the punishment that is part of, and belongs to, the final order of things that follows this present age. This is usually, though not invariably, understood as an unending process of punishment consciously experienced by the wicked. See also Jude 7
Biblical expressions for final punishment
God’s wrath Jn 3:36 See also Dt 32:22; Zep 1:18; Mt 3:7; Ro 2:5; 1Th 1:10; Rev 19:15-16
Torment Lk 16:23-24 See also Mt 8:29; Rev 14:11; Rev 20:10
Corruption Ps 55:23; 2Pe 1:4
Destruction Gal 6:8 See also Dt 7:10; Ps 88:11; Jn 17:12; Ro 9:22; Php 3:18-19; 2Th 2:3; Rev 17:8
Unquenchable fire Jude 7 See also Isa 66:24; Mt 3:12; Mt 18:8-9; Heb 10:27; Rev 19:20
Intense darkness, emphasising utter isolation Jude 13 See also Mt 22:13; 2Pe 2:17; Jude 6 (Matt 22:2-14)
Death Jn 8:21 See also Job 28:22; Pr 15:11; Isa 28:15; Hos 13:14; Ro 6:23; 1Co 15:26,54-55
The second death Rev 20:14-15 See also Rev 20:6; Rev 21:8
The finality of hell
Lk 16:26 See also Heb 6:4-6; Heb 10:26-27; Rev 16:11

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Jesus demonstrates the importance of forgiveness (Luke 5:17-26)

Coming to God for forgiveness

Sins have a root or a starting place.  Ideas and thoughts embraced and repeated become like building blocks that become structures in our hearts and mind.  Our purpose here is to expose the root or foundation of sin that has escalated and grown. 1 Corinthians 15:33 says “bad company ruins good morals." Jesus famously said, "A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart... (Luke 6:45)".  So how do we expose sin to remove it and bring healing?

Jesus demonstrates the importance of forgiveness (Luke 5:17-26)

1.  What problem did the man on the bed have (Luke 5:18)? Luke 5:20 says Jesus saw their faith, what was it that Jesus saw them doing (Luke 5:19)? How did their faith impact that man (Luke 5:20,24-26)?

2.  What came first for the man, forgiveness of sins or physical healing? Why were the scribes and Pharisees upset about Jesus forgiving the man’s sin?

3.  What did Jesus want to prove and how did he prove it (Luke 5:23-24)? What impact did Jesus’ words and actions have on the man and witnesses (Luke 5:25-26)?

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