Marv Wiseman

God’s Part and Your Part (Part 1)

      God´s Part and Your Part - Part 1 - Pr. Marv Wiseman

Efforts have been made to establish and affirm one very important and straightforward concept that permeates Scripture, and the New Testament in particular. It is so straightforward and plain one should feel embarrassed not to acknowledge it. Christ died a substitutionary death for the sins of, and on behalf of, the entirety of the human race, past, present, and future. No exceptions. Insisting that Christ died for all does require the redemption of all humanity. This is because the sin of Adam resulted in the falleness of all humanity. No exceptions. Continue reading “God’s Part and Your Part (Part 1)” →

Marv Wiseman

Christ Did Not Come to Condemn

      Christ Did Not Come To Condemn - Pr. Marv Wiseman

We are barely through the first half of these segments on this particular tenth compact disk of Christianity Clarified, and we continue to elaborate on the theme pursued at the outset. It is the oft-repeated subject matter relating to the provision God made for the entire world, and we do so without apology. This is because, as far as all of humanity of all of the ages is concerned, there is no more important subject. Each of us is going to survive the death of our physical body with our human spirit, our immaterial self, existing somewhere. Continue reading “Christ Did Not Come to Condemn” →

Marv Wiseman

God’s Desire for Man’s Salvation (Part 2)

      God´s Desire For Man´s Salvation - Part 2 - Pr. Marv Wiseman

In writing to young Timothy, Paul, the apostle, states in 1st Timothy 2 that “God will have all men to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth.” Once again, we take “all men” to mean all of mankind. Barkley states it, “who wants all persons to be saved”, and Williams says, “God is ever willing for all mankind to be saved.” Continue reading “God’s Desire for Man’s Salvation (Part 2)” →

Marv Wiseman

God’s Desire for Man’s Salvation (Part 1)

      God´s Desire For Man´s Salvation - Part 1 - Pr. Marv Wiseman

Earlier reference was made to 2nd Peter 3 and God’s patience with man, patience because He was “not willing that anyone perish but that all should come to repentance.” But, the word for “willing” in 2nd Peter 3:9 is not the word for “will” in 1st Timothy 2:4. It is a word to express “desire or preference” and allows room for man’s volition to align itself with God’s preference. Continue reading “God’s Desire for Man’s Salvation (Part 1)” →

Marv Wiseman

God was Determined for Man’s Salvation

      God´s Will For Man´s Salvation - Pr. Marv Wiseman

A most comforting verse for any serious person who is searching for God is found in 2nd Peter 3:9. In it, the Apostle Peter tells us “God is not slack concerning His promise, as some men count slackness, but is long-suffering toward us, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” “Slackness”, or negligence, connotes the idea of being irresponsible, or dilatory; that is, not making good on what one promised in a timely fashion. God did not do that. Continue reading “God was Determined for Man’s Salvation” →

Marv Wiseman

The Spirit of Man and Animals 

      The Spirit of Man and Animals - Pr. Marv Wiseman

According to Genesis 2, God made a body for Adam from the dust of the ground.  He, then, breathed into that body the breath of life, and man became a living soul.  The breath of life breathed into Adam was that which actually enlivened him, or animated his body, which was, otherwise, lifeless.  In Scripture, the words used for air, wind, breath, and spirit are the same.  James 2 mentions the body without the spirit is dead.  Continue reading “The Spirit of Man and Animals “ →

Marv Wiseman

Human Volition and Original Sin 

      Human Volition and Original Sin - Pr. Marv Wiseman

An important part of what makes us human is that we, through our first parents, Adam and Eve, were endowed with the capacity of volition.  This means we possess the power to make choices, to exercise our will, to do a thing or not do a thing.  This freedom of choice is a necessary component of our humanness.  But, with the capacity to choose, there are equally necessary consequences resulting from those choices.  Actions are always attended by results, good or bad.  Continue reading “Human Volition and Original Sin “ →

Marv Wiseman

The Divine Rationale for Creation 

      The Divine Rationale for Creation - Pr. Marv Wiseman

It might be expected to be found at the beginning of the Bible, but it isn’t.  It’s found at the ending.  In Revelation, chapter 4, in a single verse often overlooked, we find the most succinct expression of why God created anything and everything.  This alone, in the final analysis, provides us with the only true rationale behind the creative acts of God. Continue reading “The Divine Rationale for Creation “ →

Marv Wiseman

The Necessity of Human Volition (Part 3)

      The Necessity of Human Volition (Part 3) - Pr. Marv Wiseman

The biblical record of the making and creating of man in Genesis 1 and 2 is thoroughly engrossing.  God made Adam physically and created Adam spiritually.  His body was the material, and His spirit was the immaterial.  Together, they constituted the human soul.  This combination, and it alone, is peculiar to human beings, separating humans from all other biological life produced by God.  Continue reading “The Necessity of Human Volition (Part 3)” →

Marv Wiseman

The Necessity of Human Volition (Part 2)

      The Necessity of Human Volition (Part 2) - Pr. Marv Wiseman

The question has been posed regarding how God, who knows everything including the future, could be responsible for having created as He did and whom He did when He knew the course they would take; of course, diametrically opposed to His own nature and character.  Why did He instill the ability to make moral choices in the angel Lucifer, who would, then, become Satan?  Continue reading “The Necessity of Human Volition (Part 2)” →

Marv Wiseman

The Necessity of Human Volition (Part 1)

      The Necessity of Human Volition (Part 1) - Pr. Marv Wiseman

The disastrous results of the original rebellion of our first parents is incalculable.  Their sin resulted in the moral and spiritual contamination of themselves and all their descendants.  Disease and death are the predictable and inevitable realities every generation since the first have suffered.  The question almost automatically surfaces: If God knows everything, Continue reading “The Necessity of Human Volition (Part 1)” →