The Fool Who Would Be Holy > God's purpose for us

God’s purpose for us

What is God’s purpose for human beings?

Foundational Repentance and Falling Away, Hebrews 6:1-6

September 10, 2022 3 Comments

Hebrews 6:1-6 has nothing to do with losing our salvation through sinful acts. Instead, it teaches that we must repent from our rebellion and from our own dead works as a way of becoming acceptable to God. Further, when we do sometimes fall back into relying on our own works, we cannot repent of this in our own power. God must provide both the initiative and the power.

Confession and Repentance, forgiveness and mercy, Free will, God is Love, God's Existence and Nature, God's purpose for us, Losing salvation, Pride in accomplishments as our own, refusal to repent, Repentance, Repentance versus Remorse, Replacing Relationship with Morality, Salvation, self-serving worship, Sin, Sins versus sin, What is sin?

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What I Believe–stated simply

July 24, 2022 7 Comments

In this post, I give a short, one web page, summary of what I believe, in language as simple as I can manage. It gives only a quick, “big picture” of my understanding of God, my relationship to him, and my role on Earth. Comments are invited.

Church purpose versus church growth, Complex unity, Conversation with God, Divisions in the Church, Eternity, Free will, God Acts by Speaking, God is Love, God Never Stopped Speaking, God Speaks to Us, God was never our enemy, God's Existence and Nature, God's purpose for us, God's rationality, God's sovereignty, His Children, His Friends, Immanence, Islam as a Consequence, Language and Speech, Male and female, Merit, Omnipresence, Reconciliation, Refusing to hear, Regeneration, Rejecting God, Repentance, Restoration of God's Image, Salvation, Show us the Way of Truth, Sin, Sins versus sin, The Invisible God's Self-Existence, The Kingdom of the Heavens, The Problem of Evil, To be his ambassadors, To be in his image, To live in unity, Transcendence, Trinity, Ultimate reality, Unity, Wars as consequences, What is God's Word, What is sin?

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Distinction Between “Sin” (Singular) and “Sins” (Plural)–Part 5–First John

June 25, 2022 2 Comments

The Scriptures generally draw a qualitative distinction between “sin,” in the singular, and “sins,” in the plural. “Sin” is our inward attitude of rebellion against God. “Sins” are bad actions. This post gives examples from First John which paint a picture of the complete Christian life.

A God who Speaks, Confession and Repentance, Confession of Sin, Desire to have our own way, God was never our enemy, God's Voice, Is forgiveness of sins the focus of salvation?, missing the mark, Reconciliation, Repentance, Sin, Sins versus sin, To live in unity, What is sin?

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Distinction Between “Sin” (Singular) and “Sins” (Plural)–Part 4–The Epistles of James and Peter

June 20, 2022 0 Comments

The Scriptures generally draw a qualitative distinction between “sin,” in the singular, and “sins,” in the plural. “Sin” is our inward attitude of rebellion against God. “Sins” are bad actions. This post gives a series of examples from James and First and Second Peter.

Desire to have our own way, Forgetting God, God's purpose for us, Greed, Knowing good and evil, Refusing to hear, self-serving worship, Sins versus sin, Trusting sight over God's words, What is sin?

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Distinction Between “Sin” (Singular) and “Sins” (Plural)–Part 3–Hebrews

May 22, 2022 2 Comments

The Scriptures generally draw a qualitative distinction between “sin,” in the singular, and “sins,” in the plural. “Sin” is our inward attitude of rebellion against God. “Sins” are bad actions. This post gives a series of examples from Hebrews.

A God who Speaks, God Speaks to Us, God's purpose for us, God's Voice, His Friends, Is forgiveness of sins the focus of salvation?, Merit, Promises, Reconciliation, Refusing to hear, Rejecting God, Repentance, Restoration of God's Image, Salvation, Sins versus sin, What is sin?

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Distinction Between “Sin” (Singular) and “Sins” (Plural) — Part 2

May 12, 2022 1 Comment

The Scriptures generally draw a qualitative distinction between “sin,” in the singular, and “sins,” in the plural. “Sin” is our inward attitude of rebellion against God. “Sins” are bad actions. This post gives a series of examples from John and the shorter Pauline Epistles.

Confession and Repentance, Confession of Sin, Discipline or Correction, God was never our enemy, God's purpose for us, God's rationality, Is forgiveness of sins the focus of salvation?, Peril of Seeking Respectability, Reconciliation, Regeneration, Repentance, Repentance in community, Restoration of God's Image, Restoration of our Relationships, Salvation, The Problem of Evil, To be his ambassadors, To live in unity

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The Distinction Between “Sin” (Singular) and “Sins” (Plural)–Part 1

May 5, 2022 3 Comments

The Scriptures generally draw a qualitative distinction between “sin,” in the singular, and “sins,” in the plural. “Sin” is our inward attitude of rebellion against God. “Sins” are bad actions. This post gives a series of examples from Romans, 1 and 2 Corinthians.

God was never our enemy, God's purpose for us, God's rationality, Is forgiveness of sins the focus of salvation?, Reconciliation, Regeneration, Rejecting God, Restoration of God's Image, Salvation, self-serving worship, Sin, Sins versus sin, The Problem of Evil, To be his ambassadors, What is sin?

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The Implications of Jesus’ Humanity, Revisited

April 24, 2022 2 Comments

Jesus came as a man–fully human–and lived under the control (“filling”) and power of the Holy Spirit, in exactly the same way we can, if we will permit him to do it. In this respect, the only difference between Jesus, as a human, and us, is that Jesus was never anything but fully under the Spirit’s control. Jesus invites us to live as He did, obeying the Spirit’s direction and living by the Spirit’s power.

A God who Speaks, God Acts by Speaking, God Never Stopped Speaking, God Speaks to Us, God's purpose for us, His Children, His Friends, Holy Spirit, Jesus the Son, Promises, Show us the Way of Truth, Son of Man, The Invisible God's Self-Existence, The Kingdom of the Heavens, Through Jesus, To be in his image, Trinity, Ultimate reality, What is God's Word

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Related Keys to Psalm 37:4-5 and Psalm 51:3-4

April 17, 2022 1 Comment

God’s intention is that, as we take delight in him, he will put his desires within us. This will make us progressively more able to trust God, do good, and avoid sin. It will also make us increasingly able to discern when our guilt doesn’t come from God.

A God who Speaks, Confession and Repentance, God Never Stopped Speaking, God Speaks to Us, God's purpose for us, God's Voice, His Children, missing the mark, On speaking terms again, Reconciliation, Refusing to hear, Repentance, Restoration of God's Image, Salvation, Show us the Way of Truth, Sin, Sins versus sin, Through Jesus, To be in his image, What is sin?

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God gave the Gentiles repentance, Acts 11:18

February 6, 2022 2 Comments

When God gave the Holy Spirit to the Gentiles in Cornelius’ house, what this showed the Jewish believers was that God had given them repentance leading to life.

A God who Speaks, Divisions in the Church, God Acts by Speaking, Jew versus Gentile, Repentance, To live in unity

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