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I think the rain falls on the just and unjust, and God blesses many, many people because of his mercy and grace.

I also believe it's the hardest thing for many Christians to understand... but it really does come down to the sovereignty of God. He is God and will bless whom He will.

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Okay, I ask because I know someone who is looking at this family wondering why they can't be this blessed and they are faithful to church...blah blah blah.

If that person didn't believe that God is a harsh taskmaster, they would be out of church months ago.

But now the person looks at that family and sees that nothing bad is happening to them in spite of the husband's problems.

I have not any way of explaining why this is just stupid.

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now the person looks at that family and sees that nothing bad is happening to them in spite of the husband's problems


That's a common way for people to feel. Why do people obviously doing wrong "get away" with things? Both David and Job felt that way in Psalm 73 and Job 21. Did Joseph deserve to become a slave while his brothers "got away" with what they had done to him for years? Basically God is merciful but in the end the Judge of all the earth shall do right. :thumb Not many Christians die wishing they had been more ungodly, and I doubt anyone feels that way when they get to heaven either. :lol
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I'm glad God only blesses sinners, I wouldn't qualify otherwise.

The Bible says God will bless so your cup overflows, and many blessings are intended to be great enough that the people around you benefit and thus see God working in your life.
Also, God as our Father must go through unsaved/backslidden people to bless us at times. God would not let this lady or her children starve to spite the husband, but to bless them with food on the table, the husband of course would also be eating.

The people in church I know that look around with an attitude such as this, I stop wondering why God is not blessing them as much as they feel they should. Inward, they are judging other people against themselves, picking who they think is "good" using themselves as a measuring stick. They then take it to a level as to question God, and his ability to be fair. Starting to say "if I was God I would..." is a very dangerous attitude.

You never know how many hours someone spends in prayer through the week, how much bible reading, how much soul winning. How does someone know what someone is thinking, or how much their heart weeps for the unsaved in the city?

It could even be as simple as God blessing someone you don't think should be blessed, to teach you a lesson. Instead though of being happy that God blesses so readily and generously, they don't learn the lesson and get stuck in wrong thinking.

I got caught in this type of thinking for about a month, after going through about 1.5 years of trials. I noticed an exponential increase in my blessings from God, as well as a huge leap in my walk with God, as I got happy for blessings others got without regard to who or why.

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The people in church I know that look around with an attitude such as this, I stop wondering why God is not blessing them as much as they feel they should. Inward, they are judging other people against themselves, picking who they think is "good" using themselves as a measuring stick. They then take it to a level as to question God, and his ability to be fair. Starting to say "if I was God I would..." is a very dangerous attitude.


True, but it is an easy trap to fall in, Job, (the man God said was perfect and upright) and David(the man after Gods own heart) both did.
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I think the rain falls on the just and unjust, and God blesses many, many people because of his mercy and grace.

I also believe it's the hardest thing for many Christians to understand... but it really does come down to the sovereignty of God. He is God and will bless whom He will.


Let's make a disctinction here. That verse is talking about general provision or general care over His creation. The Bible does quite clearly indicate that God spiritually blesses those who walk in faithfulness before Him.

That verse does indicate God's blessing is on a home because of the one or more believers in it. There are other verses that teach the same thing:

Proverbs 3:33 The curse of the LORD is in the house of the wicked: but he blesseth the habitation of the just.

Proverbs 14:11 The house of the wicked shall be overthrown: but the tabernacle of the upright shall flourish.

Genesis 39:5 And it came to pass from the time that he had made him overseer in his house, and over all that he had, that the LORD blessed the Egyptian's house for Joseph's sake; and the blessing of the LORD was upon all that he had in the house, and in the field.

Proverbs 28:20 A faithful man shall abound with blessings: but he that maketh haste to be rich shall not be innocent.

There is more to life than just having rain on your city or field. And actually, the Bible does teach He withholds rain on cities that are rebellious to Him.
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Let's make a disctinction here. That verse is talking about general provision or general care over His creation. The Bible does quite clearly indicate that God spiritually blesses those who walk in faithfulness before Him.

That verse does indicate God's blessing is on a home because of the one or more believers in it. There are other verses that teach the same thing:

Proverbs 3:33 The curse of the LORD is in the house of the wicked: but he blesseth the habitation of the just.

Proverbs 14:11 The house of the wicked shall be overthrown: but the tabernacle of the upright shall flourish.

Genesis 39:5 And it came to pass from the time that he had made him overseer in his house, and over all that he had, that the LORD blessed the Egyptian's house for Joseph's sake; and the blessing of the LORD was upon all that he had in the house, and in the field.

Proverbs 28:20 A faithful man shall abound with blessings: but he that maketh haste to be rich shall not be innocent.

There is more to life than just having rain on your city or field. And actually, the Bible does teach He withholds rain on cities that are rebellious to Him.


So in your opinion you can say that is the case per the original post?

That verse is NOT teaching about blessings it's teaching about sanctification.

1 Corinthians 7:13-17 And the woman which hath an husband that believeth not, and if he be pleased to dwell with her, let her not leave him. For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband: else were your children unclean; but now are they holy. But if the unbelieving depart, let him depart. A brother or a sister is not under bondage in such cases: but God hath called us to peace. For what knowest thou, O wife, whether thou shalt save thy husband? or how knowest thou, O man, whether thou shalt save thy wife? But as God hath distributed to every man, as the Lord hath called every one, so let him walk. And so ordain I in all churches.

I hope I am misunderstanding you when you say that this is indeed what the verse is teaching (the the husband or wife is blessed because of their spouse, because that removes the context of the whole chapter. People were splitting up with their spouses because they weren't saved and they (the people) considered their union to not be holy or acceptable marriage in front of God. THAT is clearly what this verse is speaking to.

I will agree that other people are blessed for the sake of a servant of God.

I'll let God speak for his own Sovereignty:

Romans 9:15-23 For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy. For the scripture saith unto Pharaoh, Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might shew my power in thee, and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth. Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth. Thou wilt say then unto me, Why doth he yet find fault? For who hath resisted his will? Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus? Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour? What if God, willing to shew his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction: And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory,

1 Timothy 6:15 Which in his times he shall shew, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords;

Job 5:8-20 I would seek unto God, and unto God would I commit my cause: Which doeth great things and unsearchable; marvellous things without number: Who giveth rain upon the earth, and sendeth waters upon the fields: To set up on high those that be low; that those which mourn may be exalted to safety. He disappointeth the devices of the crafty, so that their hands cannot perform their enterprise. He taketh the wise in their own craftiness: and the counsel of the froward is carried headlong. They meet with darkness in the daytime, and grope in the noonday as in the night. But he saveth the poor from the sword, from their mouth, and from the hand of the mighty. So the poor hath hope, and iniquity stoppeth her mouth. Behold, happy is the man whom God correcteth: therefore despise not thou the chastening of the Almighty: For he maketh sore, and bindeth up: he woundeth, and his hands make whole. He shall deliver thee in six troubles: yea, in seven there shall no evil touch thee. In famine he shall redeem thee from death: and in war from the power of the sword.

Job 21:7-15 Wherefore do the wicked live, become old, yea, are mighty in power? Their seed is established in their sight with them, and their offspring before their eyes. Their houses are safe from fear, neither is the rod of God upon them. Their bull gendereth, and faileth not; their cow calveth, and casteth not her calf. They send forth their little ones like a flock, and their children dance. They take the timbrel and harp, and rejoice at the sound of the organ. They spend their days in wealth, and in a moment go down to the grave. Therefore they say unto God, Depart from us; for we desire not the knowledge of thy ways. What is the Almighty, that we should serve him? and what profit should we have, if we pray unto him?

Jeremiah 5:24-31 Neither say they in their heart, Let us now fear the LORD our God, that giveth rain, both the former and the latter, in his season: he reserveth unto us the appointed weeks of the harvest. Your iniquities have turned away these things, and your sins have withholden good things from you. For among my people are found wicked men: they lay wait, as he that setteth snares; they set a trap, they catch men. As a cage is full of birds, so are their houses full of deceit: therefore they are become great, and waxen rich. They are waxen fat, they shine: yea, they overpass the deeds of the wicked: they judge not the cause, the cause of the fatherless, yet they prosper; and the right of the needy do they not judge. Shall I not visit for these things? saith the LORD: shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this? A wonderful and horrible thing is committed in the land; The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means; and my people love to have it so: and what will ye do in the end thereof?

Jeremiah 12:1 Righteous art thou, O LORD, when I plead with thee: yet let me talk with thee of thy judgments: Wherefore doth the way of the wicked prosper? wherefore are all they happy that deal very treacherously?

Ecclesiastes 3:14-15 I know that, whatsoever God doeth, it shall be for ever: nothing can be put to it, nor any thing taken from it: and God doeth it, that men should fear before him. That which hath been is now; and that which is to be hath already been; and God requireth that which is past.

Daniel 2:21 And he changeth the times and the seasons: he removeth kings, and setteth up kings: he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding:

And to the original poster I suggest you read all of Psalms 73.

It really is all about God's Sovereignty.

Since we live in a post agricultural era, most people (city slickers) really don't understand the whole context behind the rain falling on the just and the unjust. It is MORE than just God's general provision, because as He specifically says he withholds it from some.

Rain = harvest = wealth and life. These are really the biggest blessings that we can see OTHERS receiving. We can't usually see their peace of mind (or lack thereof) there guilt ridden hearts, etc.
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True, zeal, but scripture also teaches God deals with the ungodly eventually. Just read the rest of Job 21 that you quoted. :lol You probably know that though. :wink I think the verse first mentioned, 1 Corinthians 7:14, is not related to the situation mentioned. As you said, that verse is about what to do if you are married to someone unsaved.

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True' date=' zeal, but scripture also teaches God deals with the ungodly eventually. Just read the rest of Job 21 that you quoted. :lol You probably know that though. :wink I think the verse first mentioned, 1 Corinthians 7:14, is not related to the situation mentioned. As you said, that verse is about what to do if you are married to someone unsaved.[/quote']
um, who said he didn't??? :puzzled:

That's called judgment... and that has to do with his sovereignty too.

See I am on a mission to see preachers teach this doctrine, because in general they do a poor job at it.

That and the doctrine of suffering.

Two that seem to be skipped over quite a bit.
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Sanctified means "set apart" - and the verses I quoted showed that God does set apart and bless a house for the righteous and upright (those living right) in it.

Is it possible that the Lord is blessing because of the wife's continued faithfulness to the Lord?


Yes, I totally believe so. God is certainly not blessing the house because of the husband who is not living right or walking right.

As far as Psalm 73 goes, there is no contradiction. It is dealing with physical prosperity - sometimes the wicked do prosper physically for a time (but never spiritually) - but only the righteous prosper spiritually, and those spiritual blessings would include the meeting of their physical needs (not necessarily physical prosperity though). I can win the lottery and be physically prosperous and be totally without God's blessing on my home and life - on the other hand, I can be dirt poor and be so abundantly blessed that my life is overflowing with God's goodness to me. No contradiction - they are dealing with different things.

Since we live in a post agricultural era, most people (city slickers) really don't understand the whole context behind the rain falling on the just and the unjust. It is MORE than just God's general provision, because as He specifically says he withholds it from some.

Rain = harvest = wealth and life. These are really the biggest blessings that we can see OTHERS receiving. We can't usually see their peace of mind (or lack thereof) there guilt ridden hearts, etc.


And Amos 4 makes it very clear that God withholds rain as a curse or a judgment, as a form of chastisement for those going on in sin.

It is MORE than just God's general provision


Yes, but that is what God is dealing with in Matthew five. He is teaching us to be like Him and to treat others with love, regardless of how they treat us. He generally provides for all His creation - however, His blessing is on His own children that are walking with Him in right fellowship.
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If we attend church in the hopes of receiving a blessing then we are attending for the wrong reason.

God doesn't want us to "do good" in order to receive a blessing. Our Heavenly Father desires a personal relationship with each of us. Our Lord wants us to do right, because we love Him and desire to be obedient to Him out of our love for Him.

God blesses all His faithful followers, but He doesn't always bless them in the same manner and He doesn't always bless them in ways some may wish or in a manner the world would consider a blessing.

The Lord wants our hearts, not our own efforts striving to receive a blessing.

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Okay, I ask because I know someone who is looking at this family wondering why they can't be this blessed and they are faithful to church...blah blah blah.

If that person didn't believe that God is a harsh taskmaster, they would be out of church months ago.

But now the person looks at that family and sees that nothing bad is happening to them in spite of the husband's problems.

I have not any way of explaining why this is just stupid.



One thing I wanted to point out is - we don't know what their home life is like. He may not be going to church, but that doesn't mean that he isn't applying scriptural principles to his home. If he is the head of his wife, and he trains, disciplines and loves his children as he should, and the wife follows her husband as she should, God will bless that.

We had an example of that in our church. The father wasn't saved, but the mother came to church regularly and brought the kids (they actually started coming first on the bus). The kids grew up in church and the Christian school. The father was the head of his home, and he raised his children well. Two of the kids are in full time ministry today. BTW, the man got saved after years of prayer.

The problem is that there is no guarantee that the children will be spiritual once they are grown. If they are disciplined and trained in obedience, they will be more prone to follow the Holy Spirit, but if their father is not, there is a possibility they won't. God is merciful, and zyg is right - He is Sovereign. God can answer the mother's prayers that the children will serve Him when they are grown.

Perhaps this person who is looking at this family is looking in the wrong place...they should be looking at Christ, and praying for this family - I'm sure it's a heartbreak for the wife that her husband will not go to church. A wife who wants to serve the Lord knows that she cannot do it alone...she needs that spiritual leader that God intended her to have. This lady has a burden on her shoulders that the looker-on has no conception of. It sounds to me like the looker-on is a bit envious...and that will stop blessings cold!
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If we attend church in the hopes of receiving a blessing then we are attending for the wrong reason.

God doesn't want us to "do good" in order to receive a blessing. Our Heavenly Father desires a personal relationship with each of us. Our Lord wants us to do right, because we love Him and desire to be obedient to Him out of our love for Him.

The Lord wants our hearts, not our own efforts striving to receive a blessing.


Of course the Lord wants us to have right motivations - but there are many times in Scripture where we are appealed to do right in order to receive a blessing, to receive a reward, to have our needs met, to reap what we have sown, etc. It those were wrong, we would not be exhorted to do them. Personally, I think God exhorts us in various ways because He knows we are so weak, and our devotion and love for Him will wane at times - so He gives us more reasons to keep doing right. For example, when times are tight and a Christian doesn't have much money or resources, to give to the needs of others - to give solely out of love for the brethren or love for the Lord - might be hard to do; but when the Christian considers that if he gives God will reward him, pay him back, and meet all his needs for doing so, then that Christian gets the moral courage to step out in faith anyway and do what he feels the Lord is prompting him to do.
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