GOD'S GOODNESS AND GREATNESS MAN'S DEPRAVITY AND NOTHINGNESS

Article aH 1989

Man is prone to judge and understand things according to what he experiences on earth, unaware of or forgetting that because of sin, man by inheritance is depraved of true goodness and corrupt, and unawares that the present world is cursed of God. It is sad that most are unaware of and do not understand the inexpressible power, goodness, and Holiness of God. The goodness of God holds unspeakably good things, things such as eye hath not seen nor ear heard, for those who choose to love God (1 Cor 2:9). Jesus wept and said of many Jews, that if only they had known the things which belong to their peace but now they are hid from their eyes (Luke 19:42). The things which Jesus here had reference to, have infinite value, and pertain to knowing about God's power, Holiness, and goodness, and how to be a partaker of them. aH-1

How can man who is corrupt and depraved, measure or comprehend how wicked he is, and how far removed he is from true Holiness when he himself is corrupt and thus must measure with that which is corrupt? "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?" (Jer 17:9). How can man know or comprehend, the possible great things, inexpressible good things, and perfect world which God can create when he has nothing to measure with except depraved man and an earth cursed of God? How can man who is corrupted comprehend the Holiness and power of God? Jesus said that these things are hid from the wise and prudent and revealed unto babes (Matt 11:25). Babes or small children are not wise or prudent in their own concept, but rather love and honor their parents and are willing to be taught of them. As babes in lowliness of mind, love, honor, and learn, from their parents, so adults to learn and be assured of these things of infinite value about God's creation, dare not be wise and prudent in their own eyes, but must love and honor their Creator and learn from Him. aH-2

Man is saved through faith and the Holy Spirit, because it is through them that he can learn and be assured of the vast truths about how he relates to his God, and thus be moved with desire to obey God and partake of His Holiness. Hebrews 11:1 reads, "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen". Through hearing God's Word, which is one with learning from God, one receives this faith. Romans 10:17 reads, "So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God". God offers faith to all men. It is through the faith that God's Spirit offers to all man, that man can have desire and be motivated to hear God's Word, after which hearing one then receives the possession and inspiration of faith and the Holy Spirit and is saved. aH-3

Many are void of faith, and are unaware that our present life and world is only a small part of a greater plan of God. The greater plan of God already exists in heaven and is of a perfect material creation and government. Men should consider, why one that has power to create life could not also make it live forever, or why he could not make that which dies live again. One should also consider, why that which is created would not have and obligation to that which created it. Men should consider that it would be no harder for the one who created our present world with it's cycles, physics, storms, weeds, and properties of deterioration, to create a world without storms, weeds, and deterioration. Yes God is creating a world and city whose streets are paved with gold! Yet the greater creation of our perfect, good, and Holy God, is His creation of perfect government, a kingdom wherein will dwell only citizens that have partaken of God's Holiness thus are perfect and Holy as is God who created them. This kingdom and government will have perfect order, unity, fellowship, and joy. This kingdom and government will not be ruled by force, but will be united by perfect love, respect, and glad obedience, and will be without end! God is gathering from this earth, such as love Him, learn of Him, thus partake of His Holiness, and planting them in His eternal kingdom. God's Word teaches that God chastens us for our profit that we might be partakers of His Holiness (Hebrews 12:10). aH-4

The foundation, key, and secret of the Christian faith lies in understanding God's Holiness and man's depravity. It was God's goodness and Holiness that moved Him to provide Christ's redemption, through which only man can again partake of God's goodness and Holiness. Although Christ Jesus is one with God, yet much of the exalted honor and praise which man owes Him has it's bases in that He bridged the great gulf between the Holiness of God and depravity of man. Only such as acknowledge their depravity and God's Holiness are truly humble. aH-5

God's unspeakable wrath toward men that reject His Holiness has it's bases in His incomprehensible goodness and Holiness dealing with that which is evil and perverted. It is dreadful and sad that most are so accustomed to their depravity that it appears and feels quite normal to them. Because of man's depravity, it is nearly beyond his comprehension to understand, that so far exalted is God's goodness and Holiness and so far removed is man from true goodness and Holiness, that in the light of true goodness and Holiness man deserves eternal damnation in hell. When God's Holiness and man's depravity is not understood, God's judgments on sin appear harsh, God's salvation plan is not properly understood and appreciated, and men lack desire to strive to enter the blessed canopy of God's inexpressible goodness and grace, favor and Holiness. When God's Holiness and man's depravity is not understood and believed in, men will find themselves to have missed their opportunity to become a citizen of unspeakable bliss, Holiness, and joy, while rather finding themselves to be a subject of God's Holy wrath against evil, a citizen of hell, a place whereof Jesus said, the worm dieth not and the fire is not quenched. God's extreme wrath on sin reveals to man how depraved man actually is. When one thus understands man's depravity in it's true depth, it gives man a greater insight how unspeakably better and greater God's saints and creation in heaven will be than what we know on earth. Oh may all learn and believe these vast truths about God and His creation, and strive in this time of opportunity to become a partaker of God's Holiness and goodness, lest suddenly opportunity pass and one becomes a citizen of hell. God's Word says, "But the "...unbelieving ...shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone..." (Rev 21:8). aH-6

It is sad that these things of infinite importance and value, are hid from the eyes of most, thus in deception they are unaware of the unspeakable importance of being a partaker of God's goodness and Holiness and are choosing and accepting evil. Many in deception are calling evil good, good evil, darkness light, and light darkness. Isaiah 5:20-21 reads, "Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight!". aH-7

God is the master of the universe, He is not superman or any other invention of man but a incomprehensible Holy and powerful being who can not be deceived or evaded. God is a jealous God and will reveal to all that He is God. Every knee shall bow and tongue confess before Him (Phil 2:10-11). God will reveal to all the universe of which He is King, His extreme goodness to those who love and learn of Him and His extreme wrath on such as reject Him. Man does not need to wonder if their is any other life out their in our universe for their definitely is. Most of this life is perfectly Holy and unspeakably superior to man who is depraved by sin. These beings are the angels of God. Their is also life in our universe that is irrecoverably evil. These beings also were angels of God but because of rejecting God's Holiness and goodness are now irrecoverably void of all good and Holiness. These evil beings are Satan and his angels, who will by God, be cast into hell, together with all those of the human family that rejected God's Holiness. Likely the human family is far outnumbered by other beings of God's creation. God's word it appears speaks of a multitude of Holy angels numbering far greater than one hundred trillion, while all humans that ever served their term of earth since creation make up only 1/2 percent of one hundred trillion, counting there to be the same population from creation forward as is now. How nothing man is, being so corrupted and possibly so outnumbered! Should not man fear, and be moved with desire to partake of God's goodness and Holiness, lest suddenly one's time of opportunity be past and he becomes a sufferer of God's Holy wrath? aH-8

Written with an earnest desire that many will by the workings of God's Spirit and faith be assured of man's depravity, God's high and inexpressible goodness and Holiness, and thus the extreme differences between His creation of good for those who partake of His Holiness and His creation of evil for those who reject His Holiness, and thus by this awareness be moved with desire to partake of God's offered Holiness, thus escape His Holy wrath, and find eternal citizenship in God's kingdom of infinite bliss. aH-9

(Count 1682 2/17/01)