By John Larkins
The Father’s plan to provide humans with the option of eternal salvation in heaven (where God is present) was to send us a Redeemer, who was His son created as a human being who would establish a Church.
This Son of Man, also known as the Son of God, would suffer humiliation and death to compensate for the disobedience of Adam and Eve. He would also train and commission men who would be delegated the authority and power to dispense the sacred grace that would be given this Redeemer after His death and resurrection from death.
This dispensation over the entire life of men on earth would accomplish the basis for establishing which humans would spend eternity with God and which would not. At the end of man’s time on earth, the Redeemer, known as Jesus Christ, would judge all men.
God made it well known that He was the creator of the universe and of all living and nonliving things. He also warned us that He would not tolerate other so-called gods. He alone was our father.
Jesus Christ was born about 33 A.D. When He was about 30 years old, He began His teaching of those who would lead His Church. He performed much of His teaching in public, converting Jews and others who were not members of His new and everlasting covenant that replaced the teachings of Moses. While Moses taught God’s instructions, this New and Everlasting Covenant was an introduction to The Way but was not in itself The Way. When Jesus was asked how we should pray to our God, He gave us what is now commonly called the “Our Father.” Please think about each word, especially, “Lead us not into temptation.”
Our relationship with God must begin with an honest and absolute declaration and mind/body conversion to accept God’s will in place of our own fleshly whims. It cannot be a superficial and insincere mouthing meant to placate the Creator of the Universe. Most importantly, the “Our Father” causes us to admit the obvious: we do not have the power to replace God, either with our own ego or those of any other person or group.
Today, we are being tempted by evil persons who will set us on a course to lose our souls. These treacherous liars have seduced many of those in our nation, and, yes, in our own families. Some of their names are progressive, or enlightened, or Socialists, or Socialist Democrats or Communists. You can detect their hateful nature as they preach to you that they can make you “happy” and “equal” and give you all that you deserve. They present spurious arguments that you deserve “more” (money, prestige, respect, pleasure) of whatever you have decided to worship, in replacing the love of God in your life.
All they want in return for their generous gifts is your soul. Oh, they avoid any mention of eternity, or the supernatural, or most certainly of God. The foremost enemy of these false teachers is God and His works.
God gave us our freedom to form and prosper this nation, as a “city on a hill.” Communists do not have the power to give us freedom; they can only take it away!
John Larkins was born in Oklahoma to an U.S. Army family. After 50 years of various positions in federal service at home and in Vietnam, Saudi Arabia and Iraq, John and his wife Carol live in Gadsden. His formal education includes a BS certified for science teaching, an MBA from the University of Missouri and an MPA from Jacksonville State University in public administration and environmental management. Contact him at johnlarkins@bellsouth.net.