Section 10: THE DARK LIGHT: Exposing The Antichrist Virus

“If the light that is in you be darkness,
                     how great is that darkness?” - Jesus

        

[Quick-Link] STUDY OUTLINE

       

         Section 1: Link

      Forward: THE LONG WAY HOME

        Section 2: Link  

      GOD’S EXPECTATIONS:

                        In The Old Testament

                        In The New Testament

                        Summary and Conclusion

       Section 3: Link

            GOD’S AUTHENTIC REDEMPTIVE PROCESS: 

                        Shaped By His Expectations

                        It Is His Plan

                        It Is a Precise Plan

                        The Plan Employs a Process 

                        A Quick Overview of the Redemptive Process

                        It’s All Essential

                        The Process Requires Completion

                        A Father’s Anticipation

                                   

      Section 4: Link

            THE WINDS OF CHANGE: 

                        The Original Plan

                        Christ Our Perfect Way Back

                        But That Was Then... 

                        The Foundational Idea

                        The Term Its Self

                        The New Version 

                        This Changes Everything

                        The Perfect Example: THE ROMAN DILEMMA 

                        The Devil’s Normal

                        Discrediting The “Non-responsibility” Idea

     Section 5: Link

            REESTABLISHING SOME CRITICAL CONCEPTS: 

                        GRACE: 

                                    An Overspecialization

                                    The Broader Meaning More Accurate

                                    A Superior Government 

                                    What It Is, What It Isn't

                                    How Very Logical

                        SIN: 

                                    The Nature of Sin and The Sin Problem

                                    The Sin Value

                                    Back To The Sin Issue 

                                    God's Primary Target

                                    The Sin Voice: Open Hostility vs. Quiet                                                  Independence

                                    Condemnation, Absent Expression 

                                    An Obvious Conclusion

                                    Essential Sin = The Heart Value Of Self-                                               determination  

                        FAITH: 

                                    Faith Is Also Two Dimensional

                                    A Non-responsibility Twist 

                                    The Perfect Answer

                                    Faith Ultimately Rules 

                                    More Will Than Intellect

                                    The Faith That Saves: Influential Humility

                                    Influential Humility Defines The Believer 

                                    The Great Leap 

                        THE NATURE OF GOD’S LOVE:

                                    Love And Respect: Some Interesting                                                    Connections

                                    In The Nature of God

                                    In The God’s Word

                                    In The Family Structure 

                                    Now, Some Powerful Parallels

                                    Respect Comes In Three Types:

                                    Based In Nature

                                    Based In Position

                                    Based In Performance

                                    In A Word

                                    Now God's Love 

                                    God's Love Based In His Nature

                                    God's Love Based In His Position

                                    God's Love Based In Performance

                                    Again, Redefinition

                                    In Summary

                                    Now, God’s Love In Action

           

        Section 6: Link 

            THE DUAL ROLE OF CHRIST:

                        The Magnificent Savior Of The World

            The Dying Christ:  Our Reconciliation     

                        Imputed Righteousness

                        A Sidebar:  Imputed Righteousness

1.      It is based in the work of Christ, not those of the believer.

2.      It is a transitional protection.

                                    Reality Based Righteousness

                                    The Spirit Source  

                                    Imputed vs. Reality Based

                                    It’s By Christ’s Faith

                                    A Protection Of Ever Diminishing Necessity

                                    The Non-responsible Exaggeration

                                    A False Security

                                    Distortion = More Distortion

                                    In Conclusion

                        Now, Back To The Dying Christ

            The Living Christ:  Our Completion   

                        The Believer’s Completion

                        The Divine Merger

                        The Implications 

                        The Great Mystery: A Completely Unique Event 

                        The Benefits of the Baptism

                                    Character Fruit

                                    The New Birth In Real Terms

                                    True Righteousness 

                                    God's Vision Enabled

                                    A New Creature

                                    An Empowered Faith

                                    Power Over Sin 

                                    How This Works

                                    The Target Event

                                    The Most Important Result 

                                    The Old Man, The New Man

                                    Created According to God 

                                    Free At Last, Free At Last

                                    The Transformative Walk

                                    Again, It’s Like DNA

                                    But, It’s Never Merely A Growth Process

                                    In The Living Christ:Faith Empowers Grace

                        It Takes Both

                        Now, Let’s Return To – “The Roman Dilemma” 

             

       Section 7: Link

            A RETURN TO THE ROMAN DILEMMA 

                        Back To The Dilemma: Romans 7: 14-25

                        The Carnal State: “The Big In Between"

                        God’s Purposes Served

                        And, The Answer Does Come

                        The Conceptual Interpretation:  Romans 7:14-25

                        “Flesh” Guided vs. Spirit Guided:  Romans 8:1-2

                        The Fallacy Exposed

                        The Conceptual Interpretation:  Romans 8:1-2

                        Inner Values vs. External Rules:  Romans 8: 3-4

                        Two Essential Objectives

                        The Conceptual Interpretation:  Romans 8: 3-4

                        A Sobering Contrast:  Romans 8: 5-9

                        The Statement-Of-Faith Age

                        The Sin Essence Will Be Eradicated

                        Again, A Process Requiring Completion

                        The “What If’s”

                        The Important Take-away

                        The Conceptual Interpretation:  Romans 8: 5-9

                        Redemption:  A Very Serious Business

                        The Spirit of Life:  Romans 8: 10-11

                        The Conceptual Interpretation:  Romans 8: 10-11

                        A Vision Of Renewal:  Romans 8: 12-17

                        Subjugation and Empowerment

                        The Conceptual Interpretation:  Romans 8: 12-17

                        The “Roman Dilemma”- The Real Picture

                        A Head-To-Head Summary: The True vs. The False

                        The Final Conclusions

                        From Dilemma To Dream Come True

       Section 8:  Link

            AN IMPORTANT QUESTION: 

      The Question:  
           How do we account for occasional sinful failures?

                        Vessels Of Clay

                        The War Of The Secondary

                        Is This A Contradiction?

                        A Cleansing Sub-process

                        Always With A View Of Victory

                        The Larger Conclusions

    Section 9: Link

      THE ULTIMATE QUESTION: 

                  One Simple Question

                   [Continue to Section 11 - The Glossary]

Section 11: THE DARK LIGHT: Exposing The Antichrist Virus

“If the light that is in you be darkness, 

how great is that darkness?”  -Jesus

GLOSSARY OF TERMS

            ANTICHRIST (Adjective)

The word “antichrist” in this writing is always used as an adjective, never as a noun.  It does not refer to the specific personality.  It is merely a descriptive word referring to the antichrist ethos, or spirit, or philosophy which gives rise to the non-responsible gospel.

            CARNAL

Having to do with the physical/ material appetites.  As specifically applied in the Bible and this work, the term typically describe one who is still primarily driven by selfish appetites, rather than the more noble motives of the divine Spirit.

            CHARACTER ESSENCE

Our core metaphysical make up, primarily defined by our values and the personal traits they produce to uniquely identify us.

            CORE PERSON

Our most essential being.  Figuratively, our “heart.”

            ESSENTIAL OR PRIMARY SIN VALUE

This is the most basic sin motive held at the deepest governing level of our subconscious core person.  It is essentially the value which engenders the desire to self-direct our lives instead of embracing God’s guidance.

   

            FLESH

As used figuratively in the New Testament, the term refers to an inner body or collection of completely self-concentric appetites which server to motivate selfish actions.

            GOSPEL

Strictly rendered, the word means, “The good news.”  Broadly rendered, it is used to denote Christian redemption in general, including its teachings and dynamics.  In this writing it is also used figuratively to identify the false teachings of the antichrist which only masquerade as the Gospel of Christ, but are, in truth, a great heresy.  Thus, the phrase “non-responsible gospel” used in this writing is used with a note of sarcasm to refer to these heretical teachings.  Please notice, in this use, the word “gospel” is never capitalized, as is a reference to the true “Gospel” of Christ is, to show respect.

            GRACE

The term grace, including its use in the Bible, refers to an innate, or naturally occurring goodness. The pop-definition of grace is “unmerited favor” which is really more the definition of “Mercy” when use in the redemptive context.  But, grace is a much larger term than mercy.  Grace produces Mercy; but, grace and mercy do not equally interchange, especially in the Bible.  It is important that grace be correctly understood as naturally occurring goodness so as not to lose the important redemptive truth that those who are Spiritually merged with the character essence of the Living Christ also experience His natural goodness in their own character through their symbiotic relationship with Him.

            HEART

This word is used figuratively in the Bible to refer to one’s core person, which would include, of course, the mind, both conscious and subconscious, one’s value system and the motives or drives which it produces, and one’s emotional make-up.  Our heart is essentially the non-corporal us, the character essence who is actually housed within our physical body, but in some since, is separate from it.

HEART-ONENESS

In this writing, “Heart-oneness with God” means to share and fully embrace his values and life interpretations.

            HOLY / HOLINESS

In the simplest terms, to be “Holy” is to be singularly devoted to God.  In the case of a believer in Christ, holiness has to do with the condition of his heart, his core person.  A heart becomes holy before God when, on its most primary governing level, it is singularly set aside and devoted entirely to Him.  In other words, its ultimate and supreme devotion is completely unshared with anyone or anything else.  That highest level of devotion belongs only to God.  So, while on secondary levels of a believer’s heart a believer may actually embrace many worthy devotions, his family, his job etc., yet, in a holy heart, all of those lesser devotions are subject to and governed by that more primary devotion to God.  And, this is the singularity of devotion which the Living Christ enables through our Spiritual merger with His character essence.  As his divine faith supplements the believer's faith to entirely subjugate that essential sin motive of self-determination, our heart is then no longer divided between self and God on its primary governing level.  Now, the core being of the believer is wholly given to God and thus, it is holy.  So, when God says, “Be ye holy, for I am holy,” the idea is simply that God is singularly devoted to goodness, thus, we should also be singularly devoted to God’s goodness on the most primary governing level of our heart.

            INFLUENCE

Influence is the sum total of our power to effect our own and the larger reality around us.  A good and accurate concept of redemptive faith is to understand it as the willingness to humble our influence (the sum total of our power) before God’s influence.

[Influence: Learn More - Read this Section of "Touching God's Heart"]

            MOTIVE

An inner stimulation which drives us to an action.  In this writing, the word “Motive” is often used in connection with “Values” (see below) simply because our values often do produce motives which drive us.

            NON-RESPONSIBLE / NON-RESPONSIBILITY

 These terms are used to label and describe the antichrist belief system which has as its prime tenet, the idea that since a believer cannot consistently resist the primary sin motive (the desire to be self-determined) a just God cannot and does not require him to do so.  Thus, the believer becomes non-responsible for his sinful lifestyle realities.

            REDEMPTIVE FAITH

The specific type of faith which saves the soul.  In Christian Redemption, it is a type of trust which engenders a profound humility.  The idea is that Redemptive Faith expresses itself as a willingness to fully embrace of God’s values and daily directions in one’s life.  Thus, it becomes the highest form of trust.

            SELF-DETERMINED / SELF-DETERMINATION

To be self-directed and thus self-sovereign over one’s life.  The idea is that one charts his own life course and develops his own values and prefers not to answer to any others – specifically God’s.

             

            SPIRIT / SPIRITUAL

The best way to conceive of “the Spiritual” is in terms of “Influence.”  One’s influence is the sum total of his power to effect his own and the larger reality.  Thus, stripped to our most abstract nature – we are each, a very unique and personalized influence.  And, “the spiritual” is all about the issues surrounding the nature, quality, and impact of that influence on reality.   So, for now, our spiritual person is housed within a physical body and a physical dimension of life. Yet, even now, that spiritual person within us transcends the physical.  This is so, in that our spiritual person is not really identified by physical attributes.  And, he remains, in some sense, a separate core person, merely residing within that physical house.  Instead, our spiritual person is identified by his character essence – plus – his influence (the impact of his character essence on reality).  So, in short, “the spiritual” refers to that dimension of life which is entirely driven by and concerned with the issues surrounding the idea of influence:  is it good or bad, strong or weak, oppressed or free, holy or unholy, humble or arrogant, etc.  And, eventually, in Christ, our spiritual person will, indeed, be ushered into a purely spiritual dimension of life, the economy of which, is completely centered around the issues of influence.  We typically refer to that coming reality simply as – “Heaven.”

[Influence: Learn More - Read this Section of "Touching God's Heart"]

            SPIRITUAL BAPTISM / SPIRITUAL MERGER / SPIRITUAL INTEGRATION

These terms refer to a unique, stand-alone, redemptive event which occurs after one’s conversion.  In this occurrence, the divine Spirit effects a merger of the human character essence of the believer with the divine character essence of the Living Christ.  And, through this merger, the believer is infused with the values of Christ in primordial or infant form.  And, the power of those shared divine values then bring to the believer a liberation from the domination of the essential sin motive resulting in a consistently faith-expressive life.

SYMBIOTIC / SYMBIOSIS 

Interconnected.  In this writing these terms describe the relationship that exists between the believer and Christ as a result of their Spiritual merger.  This interconnected relationship between the believer and Christ results in the believer sharing in the character essence of Christ – including His value system.

TRUTH

The correct interpretation of reality.  Only God’s interpretation of reality is the authoritative and decisive interpretation of life’s circumstances.  Thus, only God is the real Truth Giver.  All other interpretations of reality are merely alternative delusions which serve only to compete with and /or obscure the Divine Truth.

            VALUES / VALUE SYSTEM

Values are our most deeply held life principles, tenets, beliefs, etc.  Our value system is the entire collection of our values, taken together.  And, these guiding life principles are so deeply held and well established in our core person that they typically function more like instincts than a cognitive thought process.  Our values and our value system actually constitute a kind of “life filter” which we use to interpret life.  Thus, we pass all of life’s issues through this interpretive filter to gain a perspective on those issues.  So, very obviously, a value system which is entirely based in divine truth is completely indispensable to the quality of our relationship with God.  Our values system is the very basis of our heart-oneness (heart agreement) with Him.  And, it is the complete and thorough renewal of our value system which is at the absolute center of God’s redemptive agenda, and all of the redemptive work of both the Dying and the Living Christ. 

                                     [Return to Section 10 - Study Outline]

                                

Conversion Factors

Conversion to what? Centigrade to Fahrenheit? Teaspoons to Tablespoons? Well, maybe sometimes, but not in this case. In this case, we are talking about Christian conversion. We are talking about the dramatic change in status which occurs when the non-believer becomes a believer in Christ.

But what is the real essence of conversion? What are the mechanics of this shift in our reality? We certainly need to answer those important questions – but, not for a minute or two. First, let’s talk about what conversion involves in terms of the everyday human reality.

For example, conversion means you don’t wake up alone anymore. It means that you will never have to face another day, depending only upon yourself, or forsaken to the dilemmas of your own weakness. 

To experience Christ is to experience the grand privilege of His enduring and empowering friendship, and with that, the confidence and synergy that comes from a life lived as two. It is an existence which is exponentially better than life lived as one.

In the everyday, conversion also means a thorough reprieve from our own inner darkness. Whether it’s a latent and unexplainable anger, some ugly appetite, or some unresolved guilt, etc., conversion means – “It’s all solvable.” The reality of life in Christ is that the path is ever upward. In simple terms, under his care, newness of heart and life flourish.

Conversion is also the means by which the living Jesus conveys to the believer’s heart, every day, a durable hope for that day, and for the days to come. He whispers confidence in words unspoken, and yet, clearly understood. 

And, by these confirming whispers of love and support, we discover the means to escape the previous patterns of our own stupidity.  We are set free from the devilish lies and silly delusions which have, before, led us astray. These things are all replace by new, and fulfilling, and entirely attainable dreams – dreams of substance, which do, indeed, eventually become a personal success story.

The simple reality, of which unbelievers are completely unaware, at least in the real terms of daily relationship, is that our Savior lives. And through His constant and invisible presence we are, every day, helped in a thousand ways – far beyond just the needs of our soul. 

The world needs a Savior of the soul; and Christ is certainly that. But, in the everyday, our Savior becomes our best friend, our confidante’, our advice giver, our direction provider, our forgiver, and our constant encourager.

It’s true; conversion has some mechanics to it. But most days, those mechanics are far less important than the daily result. To live in the light of God’s daily friendship and blessing is the “daily redemption.” It is the redemption, not so much of our soul, as of our life circumstance.

Nevertheless, understanding the mechanics of conversion does sometimes expedite this blessing that is – the divine friendship. So, again, what is the real essence of conversion? What are the mechanics of this shift in our reality? Well, to put it simply, it is ultimately just a matter of values.

It works like this. Each human being has a value system which is completely unique to them. And, this value system is composed of a group of deeply held and very basic beliefs, tenets, principles etc. 

These very primary "instincts" essentially form our guidance system in life. They are our perception mechanism. And thus, our values largely determine our actions and reactions. They form our likes and dislikes. Our values determine what is important and what is not important to us.

So, for example, the value system of one person may determine that slavery is horribly wrong. The value system of another may dismiss the moral implications of slavery, altogether. 

 And so it goes with all of the issues of life. It is our value system which determines how we feel and behave toward most everything. And it is the absolute uniqueness of our value system which makes us see and react to things differently.

So, before we encounter Christ, our value system is very small and subjective. That is, it creates a very me-centered view of life. And, if we do occasionally get briefly beyond this “me” perspective, it is with no small effort and no great consistency. 

 Always this subjective view of life exerts itself as a background pressure upon who we are and what we do. And it is this specific condition which Jesus begins to address at conversion.

The redemption which Christ offers is essentially about giving us a new value system which is based in God’s perspective, rather than our own. And, while we might not actually verbalize it in these terms, yet the reality is, at conversion, we are declaring our willingness to take on this new value system - God’s value system.

So, at conversion, the obverse decision is to entrust ourselves to the will of Christ, going forward. But, intrinsic to that decision is the underlying necessity of embracing His values, the same values revealed to us in the Bible.

The concept of values, and more specifically, subjective values, explains a lot in our world. For example, when we view the conflict between good and evil, it is really simply a clash of values. 

When we look at the controversial social issues of our times: abortion, homosexuality, same sex marriage, legalization of recreational drugs, etc., the controversy is born from a clash of values. The same is true of racial and ethnic tensions, religious differences, as well as political ideologies. It is all about differing values.

So, it becomes obvious that, as people, we cannot really resolve our serious differences until we reconcile our values. And God understands that this same dilemma exists between Himself and mankind. 

 We will never have peace with God until we share a common value system with Him. Thus, the central, underlying issue of conversion is really our willingness to forsake our own flawed value system and embrace His.

And, that is exactly the opportunity which God offers to humanity through Christ. It is the opportunity to be reconciled to Him in this enduring way. He is offering us a profoundly peaceful relationship which is well anchored in our common values. So, Paul would write in the Book of Romans, “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord, Jesus Christ...”

We actually discover this new and harmonious relationship with God in two stages. The first stage of discovery is, indeed, at conversion. As described, at that conversion moment, we are actually agreeing, in our conscious mind, to begin operating our lives in accordance with His value system.

But the conscious mind does not entirely decide the redemptive matter. Even after this conscious decision is made, there remain the issues of the subconscious mind. And those subconscious issues are very real. 

Paul paints a clear picture of the subconscious confrontation in Romans, chapter 7, where he writes, “For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man. But, I see another law in my members warring against the law of my mind and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.”

So, beyond the conscious mind, we must also take the decision to embrace God’s values to our subconscious mind. However, the subconscious mind is one over which we have virtually no control. So, what is to be done?

In fact, God has devised the perfect solution through the Living Christ. It is our spiritual baptism into His living essence. Through this literal merger of natures, our human nature with His divine nature, the embrace of His value system is effected in our subconscious mind. 

When this happens, the clash of values between God and the individual is finally and entirely settled. And what is left in the wake of this Christ arranged peace is a new and harmonious relationship with God, which reaches to the very core of the believer’s being.

Jesus once said, “A house divided against its self cannot stand.” When we share a common value system, whether with people or with God, there is peace and agreement of heart. When we do not, conflict, tension, and division are inescapable.

In Christ, God has devised a way to bring about a beautifully harmonious and enduring relationship with those who would be converted from darkness to His light. And ultimately – it is just a matter of Christ implanted values.

"Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you..." - Jesus

Lovers Of Truth

In general, truth is a very desirable thing in life – but not to all, and not all the time. To some, truth is far less attractive than the “rose colored view,” which keeps them ever comfortable, or the “spin view” which provides some circumstantial advantage. 

Truth, to many, is less desirable than the lie which distorts it to their benefit. And to still others, truth is only as winsome to their heart as it is approving of their actions. But, when truth becomes their corrector, it falls instantly and entirely out of favor.

But, maybe we should first simply define truth. For some, that, in itself, becomes a formidable task. But, in fact, it’s not really that difficult – unless, of course, you need it to be. 

Nevertheless, a good working definition of truth is this: “Truth is a correct interpretation of reality.” So, if you are telling the truth, you are accurately describing reality. If you are telling a lie, you are distorting reality into something it is not. Simple, huh?

The final authority on truth, and thus, the ultimate Assessor of reality, is, of course, God. Sound a little authoritative? Well, He is God. And the divine authority is, absolutely, a part of our truth, that is, if you are into correctly assessing reality.

This is why Jesus could describe himself as, “the Way, the Truth, and the Life.” It is because He, as God, determines and decrees the correct view of reality - what is factual and what is false.

How we view truth – whether as very pliable or very concrete - says a lot about us. How we deal with truth, whether we embrace and value it or try to escape it, says even more about us. And our thoughts and actions regarding the truth are strong determining factors in how we relate to God, and how He relates to us.

This last idea becomes very obvious in 2nd Thessalonians, chapter 2. There, in verse 10, Paul, speaking of the characteristic followers of the antichrist, says that God rejects them because they do not “receive the love of the truth.” 

What is interesting is that God’s rejection is not said to be based in their mistreatment of the truth, itself, – but in the fact that they do not possess a love of the truth. The idea is that they are void of an appreciation for the worth of God’s interpretation of reality.

So, it is true. Some much prefer distortion to the divine version of reality. And human beings are free to do that – to a point. We can mentally ignore, and rationalize, and justify away the undesirables in our existence. 

We can wrap ourselves in comfortable lies and preferable reinterpretations of the facts. But ultimately, loving and living by God’s truth, His interpretation of reality, is the difference between Heaven and Hell. Simple, huh? 

                 Unless, of course, you don’t want it to be.