upgraded on August 9, 2008

ETERNAL LIFE - CAN IT BE LOST?

If the rebellious, destructive, twisted self-will is removed, can it ever be restored? In considering the security of eternal life, we must look at three cases: The case of the physical Adam, the case of the spiritual Adam (who is Jesus Christ), and consequently, the case of every man.

In the case of Adam, he was created with eternal life. Adam was a perfect man, with no dislocated joint, with no inbred sin, and with no preclusion to sinning. The moment he was created he had communion with God. He was given a rule by which he could keep eternal life:

Genesis 2:16-17 (KJV) And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: 17 But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.

Adam sinned. Did Adam physically die the day he ate of the tree of knowledge of good and evil? The answer is no. Adam lived 830 years totally, and begat sons and daughters after leaving the Garden of Eden. The very day Adam disobeyed God, he died a spiritual death. He was banished from the presence of God.

In the case of the spiritual Adam (Jesus), if God had predestined that Jesus in his humanity could not fall, the devil did not know it, or he would not have wasted time tempting Him. The Spirit of God did not know that Jesus could not fall, or He would not have led Jesus into the desert to be tempted. It has been said "For temptation to be temptation, it must be tempting." If there was no chance for Jesus to fall, then it was not temptation. If Jesus was eternally secure, then the temptation of Jesus was a deceptive and futile exercise:

Matthew 4:1-11 (NIV) Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. 2 After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3 The tempter came to him and said, "If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread." 4 Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.'" 5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. 6 "If you are the Son of God," he said, "throw yourself down. For it is written: "'He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.'" 7 Jesus answered him, "It is also written: 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test.'" 8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. 9 "All this I will give you," he said, "if you will bow down and worship me." 10 Jesus said to him, "Away from me, Satan! For it is written: 'Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.'" 11 Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.

If Jesus could not have fallen, then He can get no credit for what He accomplished. If Jesus was locked into God’s will and could not have sinned, then He would not have been exalted by God for what He did. If Jesus could not have fallen; then He was a lifeless puppet with no will of His own. If Jesus could not have fallen, then he showed no love for lost mankind, He simply carried out an order. If Jesus could not have fallen, then He was not fully man, because man fell. He, like we, have free moral agency. At this point in time, we are free to worship God, or to not worship God. If Jesus did not retain His free will, and consequently have the option to do His will, or God's will, Jesus did not know it, or at the Garden of Gethsemane He would not have prayed as He did:

Matthew 26:39 (NIV) Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, "My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will."

Jesus was exalted because of what He personally accomplished.

Philippians 2:5-11 (NIV) Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, 7 but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death-- even death on a cross! 9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Jesus personally accomplished eternal life for all men who would receive it. Jesus restored to the human race what Adam had lost from the human race.

1 Corinthians 15:21-22 (NIV) For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. 22 For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.

1 Corinthians 15:44b-49 (NIV) If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. 45 So it is written: "The first man Adam became a living being" ; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit. 46 The spiritual did not come first, but the natural, and after that the spiritual. 47 The first man was of the dust of the earth, the second man from heaven. 48 As was the earthly man, so are those who are of the earth; and as is the man from heaven, so also are those who are of heaven. 49 And just as we have borne the likeness of the earthly man, so shall we bear the likeness of the man from heaven.

Romans 5:12-19 (NIV) Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned-- 13 for before the law was given, sin was in the world. But sin is not taken into account when there is no law. 14 Nevertheless, death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a command, as did Adam, who was a pattern of the one to come. 15 But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God's grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many! 16 Again, the gift of God is not like the result of the one man's sin: The judgment followed one sin and brought condemnation, but the gift followed many trespasses and brought justification. 17 For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God's abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ. 18 Consequently, just as the result of one trespass was condemnation for all men, so also the result of one act of righteousness was justification that brings life for all men. 19 For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.

The third case to be considered is the case of every man. God gives clear teaching in His Holy Word concerning whether a man can fall from grace.

Deuteronomy 11:13-17 (NIV) So if you faithfully obey the commands I am giving you today--to love the LORD your God and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul-- 14 then I will send rain on your land in its season, both autumn and spring rains, so that you may gather in your grain, new wine and oil. 15 I will provide grass in the fields for your cattle, and you will eat and be satisfied. 16 Be careful, or you will be enticed to turn away and worship other gods and bow down to them. 17 Then the Lord's anger will burn against you, and he will shut the heavens so that it will not rain and the ground will yield no produce, and you will soon perish from the good land the LORD is giving you.

Deuteronomy 30:11-20 (NIV) Now what I am commanding you today is not too difficult for you or beyond your reach. 12 It is not up in heaven, so that you have to ask, "Who will ascend into heaven to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?" 13 Nor is it beyond the sea, so that you have to ask, "Who will cross the sea to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?" 14 No, the word is very near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart so you may obey it. 15 See, I set before you today life and prosperity, death and destruction. 16 For I command you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commands, decrees and laws; then you will live and increase, and the LORD your God will bless you in the land you are entering to possess. 17 But if your heart turns away and you are not obedient, and if you are drawn away to bow down to other gods and worship them, 18 I declare to you this day that you will certainly be destroyed. You will not live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess. 19 This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live 20 and that you may love the LORD your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the LORD is your life, and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

1 Chronicles 28:9 (NIV) "And you, my son Solomon, acknowledge the God of your father, and serve him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind, for the LORD searches every heart and understands every motive behind the thoughts. If you seek him, he will be found by you; but if you forsake him, he will reject you forever.

2 Chronicles 15:1-2 (NIV) The Spirit of God came upon Azariah son of Oded. 2 He went out to meet Asa and said to him, "Listen to me, Asa and all Judah and Benjamin. The LORD is with you when you are with him. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will forsake you.

Isaiah 7:9b (NIV) If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all.'"

Isaiah 63:9-10 (NIV) In all their distress he too was distressed, and the angel of his presence saved them. In his love and mercy he redeemed them; he lifted them up and carried them all the days of old. 10 Yet they rebelled and grieved his Holy Spirit. So he turned and became their enemy and he himself fought against them.

Ezekiel 18 (NIV) The word of the LORD came to me: 2 "What do you people mean by quoting this proverb about the land of Israel: "'The fathers eat sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge'? 3 "As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, you will no longer quote this proverb in Israel. 4 For every living soul belongs to me, the father as well as the son--both alike belong to me. The soul who sins is the one who will die. 5 "Suppose there is a righteous man who does what is just and right. 6 He does not eat at the mountain shrines or look to the idols of the house of Israel. He does not defile his neighbor's wife or lie with a woman during her period. 7 He does not oppress anyone, but returns what he took in pledge for a loan. He does not commit robbery but gives his food to the hungry and provides clothing for the naked. 8 He does not lend at usury or take excessive interest. He withholds his hand from doing wrong and judges fairly between man and man. 9 He follows my decrees and faithfully keeps my laws. That man is righteous; he will surely live, declares the Sovereign LORD. 10 "Suppose he has a violent son, who sheds blood or does any of these other things 11 (though the father has done none of them): "He eats at the mountain shrines. He defiles his neighbor's wife. 12 He oppresses the poor and needy. He commits robbery. He does not return what he took in pledge. He looks to the idols. He does detestable things. 13 He lends at usury and takes excessive interest. Will such a man live? He will not! Because he has done all these detestable things, he will surely be put to death and his blood will be on his own head. 14 "But suppose this son has a son who sees all the sins his father commits, and though he sees them, he does not do such things: 15 "He does not eat at the mountain shrines or look to the idols of the house of Israel. He does not defile his neighbor's wife. 16 He does not oppress anyone or require a pledge for a loan. He does not commit robbery but gives his food to the hungry and provides clothing for the naked. 17 He withholds his hand from sin and takes no usury or excessive interest. He keeps my laws and follows my decrees. He will not die for his father's sin; he will surely live. 18 But his father will die for his own sin, because he practiced extortion, robbed his brother and did what was wrong among his people. 19 "Yet you ask, 'Why does the son not share the guilt of his father?' Since the son has done what is just and right and has been careful to keep all my decrees, he will surely live. 20 The soul who sins is the one who will die. The son will not share the guilt of the father, nor will the father share the guilt of the son. The righteousness of the righteous man will be credited to him, and the wickedness of the wicked will be charged against him. 21 "But if a wicked man turns away from all the sins he has committed and keeps all my decrees and does what is just and right, he will surely live; he will not die. 22 None of the offenses he has committed will be remembered against him. Because of the righteous things he has done, he will live. 23 Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked? declares the Sovereign LORD. Rather, am I not pleased when they turn from their ways and live? 24 "But if a righteous man turns from his righteousness and commits sin and does the same detestable things the wicked man does, will he live? None of the righteous things he has done will be remembered. Because of the unfaithfulness he is guilty of and because of the sins he has committed, he will die. 25 "Yet you say, 'The way of the Lord is not just.' Hear, O house of Israel: Is my way unjust? Is it not your ways that are unjust? 26 If a righteous man turns from his righteousness and commits sin, he will die for it; because of the sin he has committed he will die. 27 But if a wicked man turns away from the wickedness he has committed and does what is just and right, he will save his life. 28 Because he considers all the offenses he has committed and turns away from them, he will surely live; he will not die. 29 Yet the house of Israel says, 'The way of the Lord is not just.' Are my ways unjust, O house of Israel? Is it not your ways that are unjust? 30 "Therefore, O house of Israel, I will judge you, each one according to his ways, declares the Sovereign LORD. Repent! Turn away from all your offenses; then sin will not be your downfall. 31 Rid yourselves of all the offenses you have committed, and get a new heart and a new spirit. Why will you die, O house of Israel? 32 For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Sovereign LORD. Repent and live!

Matthew 5:13 (NIV) "You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.

Matthew 24:45-51 (NIV) "Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time?  It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns.  I tell you the truth, he will put him in charge of all his possessions.  But suppose that servant is wicked and says to himself, 'My master is staying away a long time,'  and he then begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards.  The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of.  He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Luke 11:24-26 (NIV) "When an evil spirit comes out of a man, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, 'I will return to the house I left.'  When it arrives, it finds the house swept clean and put in order.  Then it goes and takes seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that man is worse than the first."

Jude 1:5-7 (NIV) Though you already know all this, I want to remind you that the Lord delivered his people out of Egypt, but later destroyed those who did not believe. 6 And the angels who did not keep their positions of authority but abandoned their own home--these he has kept in darkness, bound with everlasting chains for judgment on the great Day. 7 In a similar way, Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding towns gave themselves up to sexual immorality and perversion. They serve as an example of those who suffer the punishment of eternal fire.

As Satan tempted Eve, Adam, and then Jesus to sin, so every human will be tempted to sin. When a Holy Spirit filled believer is tempted, if they decide in their heart that they will have their will over God's will, they will instantly be back in a state of rebellion. One disobedient decision, even prior to the act of sin, will restore you to a state of rebellion. In recognizing your frame, the mercy of God will allow you time to realize that something is God's will. Once however, you realize that something is God's will, you must comply or you will be in rebellion.

Psalms 103:13-14 (NIV) As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him; 14 for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust.

In accordance with John 8:34-35, if you do not sin, you are a son forever. You have eternal security. If you do sin, you are not a son, you are a slave, and have no permanent place in the family.

John 8:34-35 (NIV) Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin.  Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever.

The Spirit of God through Paul in Romans 11:17-24 draws an analogy between the Jews, who are God's covenant children and a cultivated olive tree; and the Gentiles, who are here described as a wild olive tree. He states that the Jews were cut off after they rejected Jesus Christ, and states that God will not spare Gentiles if they reject Jesus Christ.

Romans 11:17-24 (NIV) If some of the branches have been broken off, and you, though a wild olive shoot, have been grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing sap from the olive root, 18 do not boast over those branches. If you do, consider this: You do not support the root, but the root supports you. 19 You will say then, "Branches were broken off so that I could be grafted in." 20 Granted. But they were broken off because of unbelief, and you stand by faith. Do not be arrogant, but be afraid. 21 For if God did not spare the natural branches, he will not spare you either. 22 Consider therefore the kindness and sternness of God: sternness to those who fell, but kindness to you, provided that you continue in his kindness. Otherwise, you also will be cut off. 23 And if they do not persist in unbelief, they will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again. 24 After all, if you were cut out of an olive tree that is wild by nature, and contrary to nature were grafted into a cultivated olive tree, how much more readily will these, the natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree!

1 Corinthians 3:16 references people who are filled with the Spirit of God, and their punishment for Sin:

1 Corinthians 3:16-17 (NIV) Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you? 17 If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him; for God's temple is sacred, and you are that temple.

Paul was certainly filled with the Spirit of God, and yet he knew that he could fall.

1 Corinthians 9:26-27 (NIV) Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. 27 No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.

The writer to the Hebrews is crystal clear in stating that people who are filled with the Spirit of God can fall from grace:

Hebrews 6:4-6 (NIV) It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, 5 who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age, 6 if they fall away, to be brought back to repentance, because to their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace.

Jesus is the truth of Hebrews 10:26. Knowledge of the truth is knowledge of Jesus.

Hebrews 10:26-27 (NIV) If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, 27 but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God.

Hebrews 10:28-31 (NIV) Anyone who rejected the law of Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. 29 How much more severely do you think a man deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God under foot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified him, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace? 30 For we know him who said, "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," and again, "The Lord will judge his people." 31 It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

The Spirit of God through Peter is again very clear on whether a man can fall from grace.

2 Peter 2:20-22 (NIV) If they have escaped the corruption of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and are again entangled in it and overcome, they are worse off at the end than they were at the beginning. 21 It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than to have known it and then to turn their backs on the sacred command that was passed on to them. 22 Of them the proverbs are true: "A dog returns to its vomit," and, "A sow that is washed goes back to her wallowing in the mud."

God in His Holy Word clearly teaches conditional eternal security. We are eternally secure as long as we do not sin.

1 John 2:3-4 (NIV) We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands. 4 The man who says, "I know him," but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him.

John 15:10 (NIV) If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love.

1 Corinthians 15:2 (NIV) By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.

1 John 1:7 (NIV) But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.

2 Peter 1:10 (NIV) Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never fall,

What a person has been taught, or even what they believe, is only significant if it aligns with the Holy Word of God. What God says in His Holy Word, He has said consistently and throughout time. The Holy Word of God is perfectly consistent throughout. In any case where something in the Word of God appears to be inconsistent, it is due to a deficiency on the part of our understanding. God has responded to rebellion in a consistent and constant manner since time began.

2 Peter 3:17 (NIV) Therefore, dear friends, since you already know this, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of lawless men and fall from your secure position.

Jude 1:5-7 (NIV) Though you already know all this, I want to remind you that the Lord delivered his people out of Egypt, but later destroyed those who did not believe. 6 And the angels who did not keep their positions of authority but abandoned their own home--these he has kept in darkness, bound with everlasting chains for judgment on the great Day. 7 In a similar way, Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding towns gave themselves up to sexual immorality and perversion. They serve as an example of those who suffer the punishment of eternal fire.

The expanding light of God has illuminated some theologies previously thought to be from God

One of the theologies previously thought by some to be from God is "Once saved - Always saved."

Matthew 6:9 (NIV) This, then, is how you should pray: "'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, 

God is your Father whether you know it, or like it, or not, as He is the Creator/Father of all things:

Genesis 1:1 (NIV) In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

John 1:1-3 (NIV) In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.

Like humans, Lucifer is also a created being, consequently God is also Lucifer's Creator/Father.  God did not create wickedness, as Lucifer was created "the model of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty" (Ezekiel 28:12 NIV).  Lucifer was created good, but with the option to do good, or evil.  Philosophically, if you do not have the option to do evil, then you also do not have the option to do good.  Lucifer rebelled in his spirit and in his actions against his Father and became an evil creation/son.  Consequently Lucifer was cast out of Heaven:

Ezekiel 28:11-18 (NIV) The word of the LORD came to me: {12} "Son of man, take up a lament concerning the king of Tyre and say to him: 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: "'You were the model of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. {13} You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone adorned you: ruby, topaz and emerald, chrysolite, onyx and jasper, sapphire, turquoise and beryl. Your settings and mountings were made of gold; on the day you were created they were prepared. {14} You were anointed as a guardian cherub, for so I ordained you. You were on the holy mount of God; you walked among the fiery stones. {15} You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created till wickedness was found in you. {16} Through your widespread trade you were filled with violence, and you sinned. So I drove you in disgrace from the mount of God, and I expelled you, O guardian cherub, from among the fiery stones. {17} Your heart became proud on account of your beauty, and you corrupted your wisdom because of your splendor. So I threw you to the earth; I made a spectacle of you before kings. {18} By your many sins and dishonest trade you have desecrated your sanctuaries. So I made a fire come out from you, and it consumed you, and I reduced you to ashes on the ground in the sight of all who were watching.

Revelation 12:7-10 (NIV) And there was war in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. {8} But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven. {9} The great dragon was hurled down--that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him. {10} Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: "Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ. For the accuser of our brothers, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down.

Lucifer will ultimately be cast into the Lake of Fire:

Revelation 20:10 (NIV) And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever.

While God stated that Lucifer was created perfect and blameless, referenced above in Ezekiel 28:11-19, at the beginning of the Seven Thousand Years of Measured Time, Lucifer was already  a murderer:

John 8:44 (NIV) You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.   

Lucifer is the spiritual father of all those who are wicked:

John 8:44 (NIV) You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.  

All of Lucifer's children will be with him in eternity:

Revelation 14:9-11 (NIV) A third angel followed them and said in a loud voice: "If anyone worships the beast and his image and receives his mark on the forehead or on the hand, {10} he, too, will drink of the wine of God's fury, which has been poured full strength into the cup of his wrath. He will be tormented with burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb. {11} And the smoke of their torment rises for ever and ever. There is no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and his image, or for anyone who receives the mark of his name."

Revelation 20:10-15 (NIV) And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever. {11} Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. Earth and sky fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. {12} And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. {13} The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what he had done. {14} Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. {15} If anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.

Lawlessness is violation of God's order.

1 John 3:4-10 (NIV) Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness. But you know that he appeared so that he might take away our sins. And in him is no sin. No one who lives in him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him. Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. He who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous. He who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil's work. No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God's seed remains in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God. This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God; nor is anyone who does not love his brother.

The Lawless reflect the hatred of their father.

John 8:44 (NIV) You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.

John 10:10 (NIV) The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

1 John 3:12-13 (NIV) Do not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own actions were evil and his brother's were righteous. 13 Do not be surprised, my brothers, if the world hates you.

In the entire universe, only fallen angels, and man with his free will is lawless. The physical body with cancer is paradigm of God's universe with lawlessness. You love your body but if individual cells no longer respond to the order required for the good of your body, if they go their own way, and do what they individually want to do, then you must remove and destroy those cells before they destroy the whole body.

1 Corinthians 5:6b (NIV) Don't you know that a little yeast works through the whole batch of dough?

God the Creator/Father is Holy, and He requires that His children be Holy:

1 Peter 1:15-16 (NIV) But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; {16} for it is written: "Be holy, because I am holy."

You can only be Holy by having your sins forgiven.  God provided His Son as a remission for your sins.  Accept the Blood of Jesus and be restored At-One with your Father.

God is your physical Creator/Father, as God created you physically.

As all of humanity was born in rebellion, if you have not been born again of the Spirit of God, Lucifer is your spiritual father.

John 8:44 (NIV) You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. 

You must be reborn Spiritually of God by the Spirit of God.

There is an attempt to use the fact that once you are born to your physical father, you always remain a child of his forever, to support the premise "once saved, always saved."  The point is made that you may be a good child, or a bad child, but you always remain his child. This distortion is based on an earthly understanding of human physical relationships, and is an effort to force-fit them onto spiritual relationships. The spiritually discerning Christian realizes the fallacy in the lie "once saved, always saved."

Consider that Lucifer is also God's creation and was God's offspring, but was cast away from God, out of Heaven, and will end up in Hell.  

    physical life - when you are conceived

    spiritual life

John 3:3 (NIV) In reply Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again."

    physical death

Hebrews 9:27 (NIV) Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment,

    spiritual death

Spiritual death is separation from God. It is the death Adam incurred the day he sinned and was cast out of the Garden of Eden. When we are born physically, we are "spiritually dead," because of the sin of our father Adam.

The lie "once saved, always saved" is more than 2,000 years old, was perpetrated by the devil, and was used by Organized Religion, and the learned scholars of Jesus' day. It is the same lie that the Pharisees used in telling Jesus they were religious because they were descendants of Abraham. They were ignorantly attempting to force-fit a physical law onto a spiritual relationship. Jesus destroyed their distorted analysis and interpretation when He said that it was false, and that those hiding behind it were the children of the devil. Jesus said they weren't sons of God, they were slaves to sin.

It is interesting that simultaneously, Jesus addressed the lie "man sins every day in word, thought, and deed."

Apparently the lie of Satan; "man sins every day in word, thought and deed," was connected 2,000 years ago to the lie of Satan; "once saved, always saved."  As Solomon said, "there is nothing new under the sun." Satan apparently picked up his old lies, dusted them off, and submitted them again through the teaching of John Calvin.

The Spirit of God addressed sin through Paul:

Paul and John's remarks concerning a man prior to the crisis act of Righteousness are frequently used by "Calvinistic theologians" as their biblical proof:

"Calvinistic theologians" fail to see and note that Paul and John both conclude with the cure for the problem in Romans 7:25-8:4; and I John chapters 2-5 and particularly in I John 3:4-6.

"Calvinism" is the theology of the people who are: "having a form of Godliness, but denying its power." (2 Timothy 3:5) The only power in Christendom today that is being denied is the power to live a sinless life. The devil is able to counterfeit every power except one.

The power of God, manifested in Moses was counterfeited by Satan to an extent. (Exodus 7:11,22)

The power of God, manifested in the gifts of the Spirit of God is counterfeited by Satan. Certainly anyone in a charismatic church knows this. Anyone who would attempt to defense the position that the gift of tongues is the irrefutable evidence of the infilling of the Spirit of God, realizing how often it is practiced by those living in sin, is exposing their blindness.

The power to bring back to life is even counterfeited by Satan.

The only power Satan cannot counterfeit is the power to live a sinless life. Because he cannot counterfeit it, he contends that it does not exist. (2 Timothy 3:5) This great power is manifested in the crisis act of Righteousness, spoken of throughout Romans.

There is only one irrefutable evidence of the infilling of the Spirit of God.

It is the only Biblically referenced proof. It is recorded in 1 John 2:3-4.

In every other case, the person is deceived.

JOHN CALVIN, I DO NOT KNOW YOU AND I CANNOT JUDGE YOU PERSONALLY. WHAT IS BEING CREDITED TO YOU AS YOUR THEOLOGY IS A LIE FROM THE DEVIL, A HERESY THAT WILL DAMN MILLIONS OF PEOPLE TO HELL! ANY MAN WHO TEACHES THAT GOD'S GRACE GRANTS A LICENSE FOR IMMORALITY IS GODLESS, AND HIS TEACHING IS FROM THE DEVIL!

John Calvin built his theology strongly emphasizing the sovereignty of God. This is an issue that no one takes dispute with.

"The Augustinian doctrine of the damnation of unbaptized infants and the Calvinistic doctrine of reprobation...surpass in atrocity any tenets that have ever been admitted into any pagan creed." - William Edward Hartpole Lecky 1838-1903

Why "Christian" people desire to study the teaching of Satan put forth as "Calvinism" has ceased to be a mystery to me. These people want to retain the sin in their lives. They deceive themselves into thinking that God will accept sin and them.

"Nothing is easier than self-deceit.  For what each man wishes, that he also believes to be true." - Demosthenes 384-322 B. C.

They delight in their sin and do not want to give it up. In many cases they consider the sin that they retain to be very small, and not important enough to keep them out of heaven. They do not realize that ANY sin is proof of a rebellious, destructive, twisted self-will that will send them to Hell.

To deny that man can live without sin is to deny what Jesus Christ accomplished.

It is to deny Jesus Christ Himself!

"Grace" that covers willful present sins is no different than "once saved, always saved."

Proverbs 14:12 was a haunting scripture to me, as I hoped that I wasn't one of the disillusioned who actually believe they are going to heaven, but are not. Then the Spirit of God comforted me with the knowledge that throughout the Bible, spiritually speaking, only one thing ever leads to the room of death. It is the hallway of SIN, and the hallway of unrepented sin always leads to one place - the room of DEATH. This sad victim is the person that Satan has deceived into believing he can continue sinning and go to heaven.

There is power in the name of Jesus to do many wonderful things, even though you don't know Him. The word knew used here is in the biblical sense of the word. The answer to the mystery of Matthew 7:22-23 is in the last word. These people were "evildoers" (sinners) because they never knew Jesus in the biblical sense of the word.

If you want to know who the prophets are, referenced in Matthew 7:22-23, who are going to Hell, it is ONLY those prophets who are committing sin.  However, it is ALL of those prophets who are committing sin, and ALL other people who are committing sin.  This group going to Hell will also include those functioning in the other gifts of the Spirit of God.

Hebrews 6:4-6 referenced above is certainly a denunciation of "once saved, always saved."

The devil would have us believe that your eternal destiny was set before time began. You cannot in any way control where you will spend eternity. After life, you are brought before God's justice bar, and sent to eternal punishment for what you cannot control.

To state that Jesus Christ chooses who He will love without regard for that individuals free will is to imply that Jesus Christ is a spiritual rapist.

That philosophy is dung!

The Word of God teaches that because of God's omniscience, He knew before time began where every individual would spend eternity. To believe that God was surprised by the fall of Adam is to not believe in God's omniscience. It is a faithless position that leaves a person without the assurance that God will not be surprised by the future events of their own life. It would be a frightening position to think that God does not expect and plan for everything in our lives. God does not control our destiny, He simply is aware of it, and attempts to get people to prepare, and make changes for their own benefit. God knew Adam would fall before time began, and He predestined to bring humanity back to God through Jesus Christ. God knows where a man will spend eternity, but man determines where he will spend eternity.

Consider the contrasting net effect on humanity of the two diverse poles of theology. If I have misunderstood the Word of God concerning predestination, (I know that I have not) I have not lost anything because my eternal destiny was already set. If, however, someone believes the teaching of the devil and is discouraged into a fatalistic inaction, he will spend an eternity in Hell.

The devil would have us believe that we cannot keep from sinning. Since we "cannot keep from it," accept the inevitable, and continue sinning. The Word of God is very clear.

Consider again the contrasting net effect on humanity of these two diverse poles of theology. If I have misunderstood the Word of God, and am deluded about sin in my life, I have lost nothing, because "no one can live without sin." If however I have correctly understood the Word of God, everyone who is sinning is going to hell.

Consider the contrasting desire of the devil and God.

The devil first puts forth the lie, "Your eternal fate is predestined, do not concern yourself with eternal life." If your eternal fate is predestined, why is the devil troubling himself to tell you anything? His crowd would already be predetermined. He could not effect the outcome in any way. He would not waste his efforts on you if he thought that his efforts were futile.

When a person receives life in Jesus Christ, the devil puts forth the lie "your eternal salvation is guaranteed, you cannot fall from grace." Then the devil tempts you to sin. If after salvation, the devil thought that you could not fall from grace, the devil would immediately cease tempting you, as he would recognize that his battle would be completely lost. You are tempted to sin, because he knows that you, like Adam and Judas, can fall from grace.

The devil puts forth the lie, "man sins every day in word, thought, and deed," and he then tempts you to sin. If "man sins every day in word thought and deed," the devil would not waste his time tempting anyone to sin, as everyone would sin anyway. The fact that the devil tempts you is proof that the devil knows that you can live without sin. If the devil's lies were true, he would not need to tempt anyone. The devil continues tempting because he knows that the lie he is putting out through a lot of "Calvinistic theologians" is impure excrement. He knows it, unfortunately, most of them don't. "Eternal Security" people have about as much "security" as a fat ostrich with his head buried in the sand surrounded by a pack of hungry wolves. Refusing to acknowledge the reality of the situation does not change the situation for the ostrich or for them.

Which theology is most risky? Which theology will prove catastrophic? Which theology is from the devil?

We know that God does not listen to sinners. He listens to the godly man who does his will. - John 9:31 (NIV)

God is a God of perfect order.

1 Corinthians 14:33 (NIV) For God is not a God of disorder but of peace.

When God created the universe, God brought order to chaos.  God set a standard of physical laws in place that are still in effect.

Genesis 1:3-5 (NIV) And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light. 4 God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light "day," and the darkness he called "night." And there was evening, and there was morning--the first day.

Genesis 1:14-19 (NIV) And God said, "Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark seasons and days and years, 15 and let them be lights in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth." And it was so. 16 God made two great lights--the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars. 17 God set them in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth, 18 to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19 And there was evening, and there was morning--the fourth day.

Genesis 8:22 (NIV) "As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease."

When God said "Let there be light," God imposed himself or God's order on the creation.  The creation is perfect order, and a perfect reflection of God.  All physical laws, whether understood or not are perfect and consistent.  Physical laws never change.  God is omnipresent - God is everywhere.  God is everywhere because God is the order, structure and power of the universe.  God's perfect order imposes perfect cause and effect into infinity.  Perfect cause and effect exists in everything within the entire universe, from the sub-atomic level of the smallest atom, to the entire universe as a whole, from the micro to the macro.  For every action there is an opposite and exact reaction.  Every action will create a reaction because of God's established order of cause and effect.

"To every action there is always opposed an equal reaction: or, the mutual actions of two bodies upon each other are always equal, and directed to contrary parts."  Sir Issac Newton 1642-1727

E=mc2  Albert Einstein 1879-1955

"The theory of probabilities is at bottom nothing but common sense reduced to calculus." - Pierre Simon de Laplace 1749-1827

Sir Isaac Newton's observations, Albert Einstein's formula, and Pierre Simon de Laplaces' philosophy is still correct, because they all reflect the perfect order of God.

“Nature is but a name for an effect, Whose cause is God.” – William Cowper 1731-1800

In mathematics, physics, and all other sciences, you can see the perfect consistency of God's order. That cause and effect order is perfect from before the first moment of time until after time is no more. All science is the study of cause and effect in God's universe. If the universe were chaotic, where cause created inconsistent effect, we could not know and understand anything.

Because God is a God of perfect order, God also set spiritual laws in place to bring order to our spirit. Like physical laws, spiritual laws also never change.

Exodus 20:1-17 (NIV) And God spoke all these words: 2 "I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. 3 "You shall have no other gods before me. 4 "You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. 5 You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, 6 but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments. 7 "You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name. 8 "Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates. 11 For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. 12 "Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you. 13 "You shall not murder. 14 "You shall not commit adultery. 15 "You shall not steal. 16 "You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor. 17 "You shall not covet your neighbor's house. You shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor."

God's universe of law and order is set up to bless the lawful, those who comply with God's Law and order.  God's universe of law and order is set up to curse the lawless, those who do not comply with God's order.  The curse of sinners is that they do not accept God's Spiritual Laws and live by them. Consequently, they pay great prices for their violations. The blessing of the righteous is to understand God's Laws and apply them to our lives.

Deuteronomy 30:11-20 (NIV) Now what I am commanding you today is not too difficult for you or beyond your reach. 12 It is not up in heaven, so that you have to ask, "Who will ascend into heaven to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?" 13 Nor is it beyond the sea, so that you have to ask, "Who will cross the sea to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?" 14 No, the word is very near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart so you may obey it. 15 See, I set before you today life and prosperity, death and destruction. 16 For I command you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commands, decrees and laws; then you will live and increase, and the LORD your God will bless you in the land you are entering to possess. 17 But if your heart turns away and you are not obedient, and if you are drawn away to bow down to other gods and worship them, 18 I declare to you this day that you will certainly be destroyed. You will not live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess. 19 This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live 20 and that you may love the LORD your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the LORD is your life, and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

Romans 9:11-18 (NIV) Yet, before the twins were born or had done anything good or bad--in order that God's purpose in election might stand: 12 not by works but by him who calls--she was told, "The older will serve the younger." 13 Just as it is written: "Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated." 14 What then shall we say? Is God unjust? Not at all! 15 For he says to Moses, "I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion." 16 It does not, therefore, depend on man's desire or effort, but on God's mercy. 17 For the Scripture says to Pharaoh: "I raised you up for this very purpose, that I might display my power in you and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth." 18 Therefore God has mercy on whom he wants to have mercy, and he hardens whom he wants to harden.

Romans 9:12d referenced above states: "The older will serve the younger."  Esau was the older, Jacob was the younger of Isaac's sons.  Esau the physical man never personally served Jacob the physical man. The older Esau never personally, nor physically served the younger Jacob.  Because Romans 9:11-18 referenced above was not fulfilled personally, in the physical realm, we must look to the spiritual realm for clarification.

Esau was godless, rebellious, and lawless, and did not train his family to obey God's or man's laws. His family was cursed because of it. 

Malachi 1:2-5 (NIV) "I have loved you," says the LORD. "But you ask, 'How have you loved us?' "Was not Esau Jacob's brother?" the LORD says. "Yet I have loved Jacob, 3 but Esau I have hated, and I have turned his mountains into a wasteland and left his inheritance to the desert jackals." 4 Edom may say, "Though we have been crushed, we will rebuild the ruins." But this is what the LORD Almighty says: "They may build, but I will demolish. They will be called the Wicked Land, a people always under the wrath of the LORD. 5 You will see it with your own eyes and say, 'Great is the LORD--even beyond the borders of Israel!'

Hebrews 12:16-17 (NIV) See that no one is sexually immoral, or is godless like Esau, who for a single meal sold his inheritance rights as the oldest son. 17 Afterward, as you know, when he wanted to inherit this blessing, he was rejected. He could bring about no change of mind, though he sought the blessing with tears.

Genesis 26:34-35 (NIV) When Esau was forty years old, he married Judith daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and also Basemath daughter of Elon the Hittite. 35 They were a source of grief to Isaac and Rebekah.

Genesis 27:46 (NIV) Then Rebekah said to Isaac, "I'm disgusted with living because of these Hittite women. If Jacob takes a wife from among the women of this land, from Hittite women like these, my life will not be worth living."

Genesis 28:6-9 (NIV) Now Esau learned that Isaac had blessed Jacob and had sent him to Paddan Aram to take a wife from there, and that when he blessed him he commanded him, "Do not marry a Canaanite woman," 7 and that Jacob had obeyed his father and mother and had gone to Paddan Aram. 8 Esau then realized how displeasing the Canaanite women were to his father Isaac; 9 so he went to Ishmael and married Mahalath, the sister of Nebaioth and daughter of Ishmael son of Abraham, in addition to the wives he already had.

In contrast to the rebellious, wicked Esau, Jacob had a heart for God. Jacob's name means "he grasps," and he truly lived up to his name in grasping everything about God that he could. Genesis chapter 27 reveals that Jacob wanted the birthright even if he had to lie and steal to get it. The end justified the means in Jacob's mind.  Jacob did not have the knowledge of God's Law that we have today, and so Jacob's actions will not be judged in the same light as our actions.  Because of Jacob's heart for God, Jacob taught his family to serve God, and comply with God's Law to the extent that Jacob understood God's Law.  Jacob's family was blessed because of Jacob's teaching, and because of their attempted compliance with the Law of God.

Genesis 28:20-22 (NIV) Then Jacob made a vow, saying, "If God will be with me and will watch over me on this journey I am taking and will give me food to eat and clothes to wear 21 so that I return safely to my father's house, then the LORD will be my God 22 and this stone that I have set up as a pillar will be God's house, and of all that you give me I will give you a tenth."

Genesis 32:22-32 (NIV) That night Jacob got up and took his two wives, his two maidservants and his eleven sons and crossed the ford of the Jabbok. 23 After he had sent them across the stream, he sent over all his possessions. 24 So Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him till daybreak. 25 When the man saw that he could not overpower him, he touched the socket of Jacob's hip so that his hip was wrenched as he wrestled with the man. 26 Then the man said, "Let me go, for it is daybreak." But Jacob replied, "I will not let you go unless you bless me." 27 The man asked him, "What is your name?" "Jacob," he answered. 28 Then the man said, "Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with men and have overcome." 29 Jacob said, "Please tell me your name." But he replied, "Why do you ask my name?" Then he blessed him there. 30 So Jacob called the place Peniel, saying, "It is because I saw God face to face, and yet my life was spared." 31 The sun rose above him as he passed Peniel, and he was limping because of his hip. 32 Therefore to this day the Israelites do not eat the tendon attached to the socket of the hip, because the socket of Jacob's hip was touched near the tendon.

Genesis 35:1-7 (NIV) Then God said to Jacob, "Go up to Bethel and settle there, and build an altar there to God, who appeared to you when you were fleeing from your brother Esau." 2 So Jacob said to his household and to all who were with him, "Get rid of the foreign gods you have with you, and purify yourselves and change your clothes. 3 Then come, let us go up to Bethel, where I will build an altar to God, who answered me in the day of my distress and who has been with me wherever I have gone." 4 So they gave Jacob all the foreign gods they had and the rings in their ears, and Jacob buried them under the oak at Shechem. 5 Then they set out, and the terror of God fell upon the towns all around them so that no one pursued them. 6 Jacob and all the people with him came to Luz (that is, Bethel) in the land of Canaan. 7 There he built an altar, and he called the place El Bethel, because it was there that God revealed himself to him when he was fleeing from his brother.

Esau - Lawless - Disorder is a direct contrast to Jacob - Lawful - Order.

Esau the elder, lawless one; will serve Jacob, the younger lawful one.  The lawless will serve the law abiding.  The law makers will always be superior sociologically to those that the law controls.  Sociologically, disorder will ultimately always subordinate to another form of order.  When the leaders of a society do not require that their laws be adhered to, that society disintegrates to the point of non-function, and is then replaced by a new society with new leaders who will force adherence to their new laws.  The lawless need the iron scepter of law for control.  The lawless must be controlled like brute beasts, because they are brute beasts. 

"Laws control the lesser man - right conduct controls the greater." - Mark Twain 1835-1910

Esau's heirs were frequently in subjection to Jacob's heirs.  The godless, rebellious, and lawless people will ultimately serve the Godly, Holy, and Righteous people. 

Proverbs 12:24 (NIV) Diligent hands will rule, but laziness ends in slave labor.

Proverbs 11:29 (NIV) He who brings trouble on his family will inherit only wind, and the fool will be servant to the wise.

The lawless will always have to be subjected to the law.  All godless, rebellious, and lawless people are brothers to Esau and will incur God's hatred and wrath, through the order that God has established in God's universe.  All Godly, Holy, and Righteous people are brothers to Jacob and will enjoy God's love and support, through complying with the order that God has established in God's universe. 

Romans 9:11-18 referenced above, as stated in the NIV translation, appears to be inconsistent with the entire Holy Word of God. The entire Holy Word of God, perfectly and consistently throughout declares man to have "free moral agency," or the ability within himself to choose between God and Satan, good and evil, right and wrong. The ninth chapter of Romans appears to rob Jacob and Esau, Pharaoh, and all mankind of their ability to choose, or their "free moral agency."

It is the teaching of the devil through what is credited to John Calvin that the sovereignty of God allows a person no choice. Proof of our "free moral agency," is found in the fact that Cain and Able were in the same household with the same genetics and training, but Able attempted to comply with God's Law while Cain rebelled against God's Law. Moses and Pharaoh were in the same household with the same training, but Moses chose to obey God's Law while Pharaoh chose to rebel against God's Law. The fact that Pharaoh initially had "free moral agency," is clarified in "The Mercy Of God Has A Deadline."  Esau and Jacob were in the same household with the same genetics and training, yet Jacob attempted to obey God's Law while Esau chose to rebel against God's Law.

Romans 9:13 referenced above states:   Just as it is written: "Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated."  In what respect does God hate Esau.

AS THE ELDER INDIVIDUAL MAN NAMED ESAU DID NOT PERSONALLY SERVE THE YOUNGER INDIVIDUAL MAN NAMED JACOB; SO GOD DID NOT PERSONALLY HATE THE INDIVIDUAL MAN NAMED ESAU, WHILE GOD PERSONALLY LOVED THE INDIVIDUAL MAN NAMED JACOB.

God (God's order) loves those "Jacob's" who love God (God's order).  God (God's order) hates (God's order does not aid, God's order is not set up to support the existence of, God's order will effect the destruction of) those "Esau's" who do not comply with God's order.

Paul's writing in the original Greek language of Romans more clearly reflects the fact that God has the right to choose God's own standard by which God will judge everyone. God is Perfect, Holy and Righteous. Because God is a Perfect, Holy and Righteous God, He is forced by His Perfection, Holiness, and Righteousness to set a standard of Perfection, Holiness and Righteousness. God's order is forced by God's Justice to reserve God's mercy and compassion for those "Jacob's" who comply with God's standard of Perfection, Holiness and Righteousness.  God's order loves those "Jacob's" who attempt to comply with God's Law, and God's order hates those "Esau's" who choose their own rebellious self-will over God's Perfect, Holy and Righteous Will. 

Who is man to question why God established God's order of Perfection, Holiness and Righteousness?

The Holy Spirit through Paul in Romans 9:11-18 referenced above, is first addressing the Jew/Gentile issue, and not a personal salvation issue, and in the original Greek, is addressing the standard by which God will judge everyone.

Paul concludes the Jew/Gentile issue in Galatians 3:26-29.

Galatians 3:26-29 (NIV) You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, 27 for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.

In Galatians 3:26-29, Paul is simply stating that the only important issue is whether you are in Christ. He is not stating that you physically cease to be Jew or Greek, slave nor free, male nor female. Although you are spiritually in Christ, you physically remain what you are. If Paul was stating that in Christ you cease to be Jew or Greek, slave or free, male or female, then homosexuality would not be a sin, because if you are neither male nor female, then it would not matter if you, a male, married a male, or a female married a female. It does matter, as you physically remain what you are in this physical world. 1 Timothy 2:8-14 and 1 Corinthians 14:33-35 concerning women speaking in the church is still the Holy Word of God and applicable, and homosexuality is still a sin.

All people who comply with God's Law of Matthew 22:37-40 are brothers not only to Jacob; they are or can become brothers to Jesus Christ.

Matthew 22:37-40 (NIV) Jesus replied:" 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."

We must not add to God's Law as Eve did. God did not say "You must not touch it." The Jewish Midrash visualizes that after she added to the Law, and then touched the fruit in violation of her addition to the Law and sustained no penalty; she was emboldened to eat the fruit in violation of God's Law.

Genesis 2:16-17 (NIV) And the LORD God commanded the man, "You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; 17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die."

Genesis 3:3 (NIV) but God did say, 'You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.'"

Like Eve, the Jews added to what God said through their oral tradition known as the "Mishna."  When people disprove, disbelieve or violate what the Mishna says, they are emboldened to violate what God has said in His Holy Word.

We must not take away from the law.

Revelation 22:18-19 (NIV) I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book. 19 And if anyone takes words away from this book of prophecy, God will take away from him his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book.

God's laws are superior to man's laws. Yet we are even directed by God to obey man's laws unless they conflict with God's laws. You will pay a penalty if you are caught violating man's laws. God directed His children to comply if possible with man's laws so that His children do not have to pay that penalty.

Romans 13:1-10 (NIV) Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. 2 Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. 3 For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and he will commend you. 4 For he is God's servant to do you good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword for nothing. He is God's servant, an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. 5 Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also because of conscience. 6 This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God's servants, who give their full time to governing. 7 Give everyone what you owe him: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor. 8 Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law. 9 The commandments, "Do not commit adultery," "Do not murder," "Do not steal," "Do not covet," and whatever other commandment there may be, are summed up in this one rule: "Love your neighbor as yourself." 10 Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.

How are we under grace and not under law? Because we are under grace and not under law, are we then allowed to have other god's before Adonai Elohim? Are we allowed to engage in idolatry? Are we allowed to blaspheme the Name of God? Are we allowed to commit murder, adultery, or steal? The answer is obviously no. And yet there are those that believe that under God's grace, we are allowed to violate any and all of God's spiritual laws without penalty. Jesus paid the penalty for my violation of God's Law. It does not give me a license to continue in violation of His Law.

Jude 1:4 (NIV) For certain men whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are godless men, who change the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord.

People who teach that we can violate God's Law without penalty are clearly exposing the irrefutable fact that they are a brother of Esau and the Amalekites!  They are a child of the devil! The Antichrist or Man of Sin is the Man of Lawlessness. Sin is Lawlessness 1 John 3:4 (NIV). The Antichrist is a man of chaos. The Man of Lawlessness will not accept God's Law. The Man of Lawlessness is a rebellious direct contrast to God who is perfect in His Law.

If God's spiritual laws are no longer in effect then His physical laws have also been judged null and void. If you believe that God's physical laws are inconsistent and no longer in effect, attempt to defy the law of gravity. You can't fly because His physical laws are still in effect. God's laws never change - as light comes, we understand them better. Jesus NEVER denounced or minimized God's Law. Jesus consistently criticized the Pharisee's interpretation of God's Law. He also criticized their traditions that they considered to be superior to God's Law, or that they used to negate God's Law.

John 7:19-24 (NIV) Has not Moses given you the law? Yet not one of you keeps the law. Why are you trying to kill me?" 20 "You are demon-possessed," the crowd answered. "Who is trying to kill you?" 21 Jesus said to them, "I did one miracle, and you are all astonished. 22 Yet, because Moses gave you circumcision (though actually it did not come from Moses, but from the patriarchs), you circumcise a child on the Sabbath. 23 Now if a child can be circumcised on the Sabbath so that the law of Moses may not be broken, why are you angry with me for healing the whole man on the Sabbath? 24 Stop judging by mere appearances, and make a right judgment."

Paul complied with God's Law.

Acts 21:20-26 (NIV) When they heard this, they praised God. Then they said to Paul: "You see, brother, how many thousands of Jews have believed, and all of them are zealous for the law. 21 They have been informed that you teach all the Jews who live among the Gentiles to turn away from Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children or live according to our customs. 22 What shall we do? They will certainly hear that you have come, 23 so do what we tell you. There are four men with us who have made a vow. 24 Take these men, join in their purification rites and pay their expenses, so that they can have their heads shaved. Then everybody will know there is no truth in these reports about you, but that you yourself are living in obedience to the law. 25 As for the Gentile believers, we have written to them our decision that they should abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality." 26 The next day Paul took the men and purified himself along with them. Then he went to the temple to give notice of the date when the days of purification would end and the offering would be made for each of them.

Acts 23:3-5 (NIV) Then Paul said to him, "God will strike you, you whitewashed wall! You sit there to judge me according to the law, yet you yourself violate the law by commanding that I be struck!" 4 Those who were standing near Paul said, "You dare to insult God's high priest?" 5 Paul replied, "Brothers, I did not realize that he was the high priest; for it is written: 'Do not speak evil about the ruler of your people.'"

Compliance with the Levitical law cannot effect communion with God, so the Levitical law or ceremonial law was nailed to the cross, and fulfilled in Jesus Christ. It is not through obedience to spiritual laws that you are saved, as the law can never give life. Compliance with spiritual laws do not guarantee communion with Jesus Christ any more than compliance with health laws guarantee good health, or compliance with financial laws will make you rich. Violation of health laws will guarantee ruining your health just as violation of financial laws will ruin you financially, and violation of spiritual laws will ruin you spiritually.

Galatians 2:15-16 (NIV) "We who are Jews by birth and not 'Gentile sinners' 16 know that a man is not justified by observing the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by observing the law, because by observing the law no one will be justified.

Galatians 2:21-3:14 (NIV) I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!" 3:1 You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified. 2 I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by observing the law, or by believing what you heard? 3 Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort? 4 Have you suffered so much for nothing--if it really was for nothing? 5 Does God give you his Spirit and work miracles among you because you observe the law, or because you believe what you heard? 6 Consider Abraham: "He believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness." 7 Understand, then, that those who believe are children of Abraham. 8 The Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: "All nations will be blessed through you." 9 So those who have faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith. 10 All who rely on observing the law are under a curse, for it is written: "Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law." 11 Clearly no one is justified before God by the law, because, "The righteous will live by faith." 12 The law is not based on faith; on the contrary, "The man who does these things will live by them." 13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: "Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree." 14 He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.

Obedience to the Law is required but it does not and cannot save. Only Jesus can save. However, faith in Jesus does allow full obedience to the Law.

Romans 1:5 (NIV) Through him and for his name's sake, we received grace and apostleship to call people from among all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith.

Romans 1:17 (NIV) For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: "The righteous will live by faith."

Romans 2:13-15 (NIV) For it is not those who hear the law who are righteous in God's sight, but it is those who obey the law who will be declared righteous. 14 (Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law, 15 since they show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts now accusing, now even defending them.)

Romans 3:21-31 (NIV) But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. 22 This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. 25 God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished-- 26 he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus. 27 Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded. On what principle? On that of observing the law? No, but on that of faith. 28 For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from observing the law. 29 Is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles too? Yes, of Gentiles too, 30 since there is only one God, who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through that same faith. 31 Do we, then, nullify the law by this faith? Not at all! Rather, we uphold the law.

Romans 10:4 (NIV) Christ is the end of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes.

Romans 11:6-7 (NIV) And if by grace, then it is no longer by works; if it were, grace would no longer be grace. 7 What then? What Israel sought so earnestly it did not obtain, but the elect did. The others were hardened,

Acts 13:39 Through him everyone who believes is justified from everything you could not be justified from by the law of Moses.

The Pharisees had a level of righteousness. Levels of righteousness are based on levels of the law.

Matthew 5:20 (NIV) For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.

The stated laws of the Old Testament are embryonic. The Pharisees were in partial compliance with the Intuitive, Noahatic and Mosaic law, but they were not in compliance with the Law of Love. To love God, love your fellowman, and love yourself covers all spiritual laws.

Matthew 22:37-40 (NIV) Jesus replied: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."

Romans 14:5-6 (NIV) One man considers one day more sacred than another; another man considers every day alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. 6 He who regards one day as special, does so to the Lord. He who eats meat, eats to the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he who abstains, does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God.

Compliance with God's Law leads us to Holiness.

Romans 6:19 (NIV) I put this in human terms because you are weak in your natural selves. Just as you used to offer the parts of your body in slavery to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer them in slavery to righteousness leading to holiness.

Jesus was the first from the dead and was able to conquer Death because He had no sin. Sin is lawlessness (1 John 3:4 NIV). Sin gives Death a handle on a person so that Death may hold them.

Every human has sinned.

Romans 3:23 (NIV)  for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

If the Blood of Jesus does not cover your sin, death can and will hold you in hell. Through Jesus we must live without sin so that when we die, we may also conquer Death.

Acts 2:24 But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him.