Thank you!
I made you admin so you can put the diagram as the group pic
So, all that's from the article, and that basically sums up what I believe pretty well.
Those who fall away will be cut off. That’s why we must keep the faith to the very end, living obediently, lest we receive this grace of God in vain. We must never use these promises as an excuse to live disorderly and disobedient lives, for without holiness no one will see the Lord. Rather abide in him, praying that He will keep you from falling, and trusting Him to do so. And He will be faithful to do it!
“Behold then the kindness and severity of God; to those who fell, severity, but to you, God's kindness, if you continue in His kindness; otherwise you also will be cut off.” (Rom 11:22). We've got to avoid rebellion and idolatry.
Conclusion: God is able to save us forever, complete the work He began in us, and keep us by His mighty power. We should consider the kindness of God for us in these promises. But we must always consider the severity of God as well. He will show kindness if we continue in His kindness, and severity if we fall away.
The grace of God is a beautiful covering, but it is not a license to sin. God's grace is a gift and should not be received in vain. God loves us so much he has posted warning signs all along the lake of joy, just for our protection!
The message of rebellion and idolatry are divine warning signals for us to heed so that we may be protected from slipping away from God. Gabriel referred me to 1 Corinthians 10, and let me look at Moses and the children of Israel, who were God's chosen people, to see what took them out from under the cloud covering which is a illustration of the blood covering God places over us today. Verse 1 says, "Moreover, brothers, I would not that you should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea."
Idolatry is excessive attachment or veneration (reverence) for some person or thing; admiration which borders on adoration. Idolatry is not just worshiping a god or image other than God, it is lusting after our own desires and pleasures, instead of doing what he wants us to do for him.
To rebel is to refuse allegiance to or resist the authority of someone or some authority over you. God is our authority. To rebel against him is to turn our backs on that which he offers: the protection, the blessings, the love and the promises. Throughout the Bible, God plainly spells out the overwhelming blessings which come when we submit to his absolute control, and the curses which come when we resist or rebel against him.
So the two things that will take you out from under the atonement arch are rebellion and idolatry. So be very careful not to let that happen in your life. Beware of the warning signals the Lord gives you if those begin to creep into your life. Brother Buck says in chapter 9 what the warning signals are. Here are some excerpts: God loves us so much that he offers us everything in heaven and earth, even making us joint-heirs with Jesus. However, some individuals still choose to voluntarily walk out from under the atonement (the covering, or the blood of Jesus) through REBELLION and IDOLATRY.
We GET UNDER the covering by repenting of our sins. We STAY UNDER the covering by wanting to please God, and by obeying him even to the thoughts and intents of our heart. We GET OUT FROM UNDER the covering by rebellion or idolatry. 'AS FOR ME AND MY HOUSE, WE WILL SERVE THE LORD!' (Joshua 24:19)."
Our sins were all washed away by the blood of the lamb, and the only way God looks at us is through the cleansing blood of Jesus. Then he sees: Holiness instead of sin. Blamelessness instead of fault. Unreproveable (perfection) instead of failure.
When people put their faith in anything other than what Jesus has done, they voluntarily choose to be out from under his protective covering. When this is their decision, they are exposed to God's eyes, and he sees their sins, faults, and failures.
"God explained to me that rebellion and idolatry are the two things which will take man out from under the covering. It is not that God removes the covering, it is not that God goes down and looks under it, but man removes himself. Look at the life of Israel and you will find that whenever God smote them and punished them, it was because of rebellion and idolatry.
"We also need to remember that God is not only a God of love, but he is also a God of wrath. Sometimes people are looking for a license or excuse to sin because they have no real desire to turn from evil. However, they still want to have the safety of the covering and are trying to pull it over themselves. God wants people to know that while he has provided a place of safety, there is also an edge beyond which the covering does not reach...
He gave me a reference in Colossians 1:21-22 where he said God has wrapped up this message in a brief verse just as he showed me on the atonement diagram. "And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now has he reconciled in the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable IN HIS SIGHT:" Look back at the atonement diagram - from God's viewpoint. Then God lists the conditions for this to be so IN HIS SIGHT. Colossians 1:23: "IF you continue in the FAITH (in his covering) grounded and settled (confident), and be not moved away from the HOPE OF THE GOSPEL (this Good News) ..."
Buck explained it like this: "Because of the sacrifice of Jesus, which was the atonement for our sins, God can look down at us and upon all that happens in the normal course of this life, and our sins are hidden from him...."
I really like what the Lord showed brother Roland Buck about the atonement covering of Christ, which he wrote about in chapter 8 of his book, Angels on Assignment. He says that it's like this photo. (I can put the illustration as the group pic, if you want, so you can see it.)
Alright, I'm just going to put the parts of the article in here that are applicable to the discussion
Lol, that's what I thought 😅
yes, it’s the disciples in the boat
I'll do all the copying over if it's still not possible for you to access the link after trying the other methods (in the other group) 😉
Lol, what's the group picture? 😂 The disciples in the boat on the Sea of Galilee during the storm or something? 😅😆