The Kingdom of the Heavens > Articles by: Ian Johnson

Author Archive: Ian Johnson

I have been in Christ since 1991, and have been writing about the general subject area of this site since 1996. My less relevant qualifications are: B.S. (Chemistry) and B.A. (Linguistics), 1976, Wichita State University. M.S. (Biochemistry), 1982 (course work finished in 1980), Iowa State University; J.D., 1982, University of Iowa; M.A. (History), 1984, University of Iowa; plus one year of a History Ph.D. program, 1984-1985, University of Kansas. I was employed from 1991 to 2016 as a research paralegal in a firm that handled mostly complex civil litigation, including toxic tort litigation (in which I was always involved). That firm merged with a larger litigation firm in 2016, where I have been employed ever

Adam and Eve–Idolatry in the Fall

July 11, 2021 10 Comments

When the first humans, who already knew all good, chose to disobey God and experience evil, they initiated every kind of idolatry known to later generations. This included worship of created things, of themselves, their own wisdom and their own desires, of their bodies, and, most importantly, of a false picture of the true God as miserly and hostile toward us.

A God who Speaks, An abuse of God's image, Conversation with God, Desire to have our own way, Free will, God Never Stopped Speaking, God Speaks to Us, God was never our enemy, God's purpose for us, God's rationality, God's Voice, His Friends, idolatry, Knowing good and evil, Restoration of God's Image, To fill and govern the Earth, Trusting sight over God's words, Truth and Falsehood, Ultimate reality, What is God's Word

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IDOLS = Gods we can Manipulate (Do ut des.)

July 6, 2021 15 Comments

Idols are gods we think we can manipulate to give us our own way, individually, corporately or nationally, through service, sacrifices and offerings. The true God cannot be so manipulated, but we can convert even the true God into an idol in our own minds by supposing that he can be.

Desire to have our own way, Greed, idolatry, Leaving Our First Love, Peril of Seeking Respectability, Religious violence and persecution, Sin, Sins versus sin, Truth and Falsehood, Wars as consequences, What is sin?

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Repentance of the Ninevites and Unrepentance of Israel in Matthew 12:41

June 28, 2021 2 Comments

Jesus contrasted the Jewish leaders, who refused to hear his words, with the Ninevites who repented at the preaching of Jonah and put away their bloodshed and violence.

A God who Speaks, Changed treatment of each other, God is Love, God's sovereignty, Prophecy, Refusing to hear, Repentance, Repentance in community, Sin, Through Jesus, What is sin?

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Repentance, in the Weaker Sense, in the Parable of the Two Sons

June 24, 2021 2 Comments

As the parable of the two sons in Matthew 21:28-32 shows, repentance is merely changing our minds so that we start to do what the Father asks. Repentance does not require remorse, payment of a penalty, or even in all cases a spoken apology, and the forgiveness that it produces cannot be sold.

A God who Speaks, Changed treatment of each other, Divisions in the Church, Forgiveness and Unforgiveness, God Speaks to Us, Greed, Parables, Repentance, Salvation, Selling Forgiveness, Through Jesus

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Matthew 5:8–Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

June 21, 2021 1 Comment

Matthew 5:6 and 5:8 speak of the state of hungering and thirsting for righteousness, which leads to purity of heart because God satisfies the hunger. The result of purity of heart is being able to to “see” God, to perceive his presence and work, even in the present time.

A God who Speaks, Free will, God's purpose for us, His Friends, Repentance, Through Jesus, To see God's glory

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Matthew 5:3–Blessed Are the Beggars!

June 18, 2021 2 Comments

Only beggars qualify to enter the Kingdom of the heavens around us, where God is king and his power supplies. The self-sufficient are disqualified by their own inability to fully trust in God while trusting in themselves.

God's rationality, Must Trust God to Enter, Peril of Seeking Power, Peril of Seeking Respectability, Repentance, The Kingdom of the Heavens, Trusting sight over God's words, What is sin?

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God’s Working with Us is Not About Our Present, Temporary Happiness or Comfort

June 16, 2021 11 Comments

To enter God’s kingdom, moment by moment, I must repent of my claims of ownership of my own life. Instead, I must be willing to do things His way, even if it is His will that I crash and burn in this world. He is reality. His unseen Kingdom will one day be seen, and it will eventually be obvious to everyone that His reward is more real than anything in this world.

A God who Speaks, God Speaks to Us, God's Existence and Nature, God's purpose for us, God's rationality, God's sovereignty, Immanence, Must Trust God to Enter, Promises, Repentance, The Invisible God's Self-Existence, The Kingdom of the Heavens, To see God's glory, Transcendence, Ultimate reality, What is God's Word

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Repentance and Salvation: What is Repentance?

June 11, 2021 6 Comments

Salvation cannot happen without repentance. But this repentance isn’t remorse, it is changing my mind, turning from my own works and my other idols and turning to the true God. It is never really present without a change in the way I live. But my new way of life does not come from me, but from God who has prepared it for me and lives it through me.

Changed treatment of each other, Desire to have our own way, Is forgiveness of sins the focus of salvation?, Merit, Reconciliation, Repentance, Repentance versus Remorse, Salvation, Sins versus sin, Trusting sight over God's words, What is sin?

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Repentance–Definition of Terms

June 6, 2021 7 Comments

“Repentance” is a decision to change one’s outlook and way of life and leads to changed behavior. It is NOT the same as remorse, regret, contrition, guilt, shame, or feeling sorry for the consequences of an act.

Merit, Repentance, Repentance versus Remorse

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