P. Douglas: December 2005

Further Proof That Those Who Have Faith Are To Become Fully God

Please note the following scriptures:

Romans 9

1 I speak the truth in Christ—I am not lying, my conscience confirms it in the Holy Spirit—
2 I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart.
3 For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, those of my own race,
4 the people of Israel. Theirs is the adoption as sons; theirs the divine glory, the covenants, the receiving of the law, the temple worship and the promises.
5 Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them is traced the human ancestry of Christ, who is God over all, forever praised! Amen.
6 It is not as though God's word had failed. For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel.
7 Nor because they are his descendants are they all Abraham's children. On the contrary, "It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned."
8 In other words, it is not the natural children who are God's children, but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as Abraham's offspring.

Romans 4

16 Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham's offspring—not only to those who are of the law but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham. He is the father of us all.
17 As it is written: "I have made you a father of many nations." He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed—the God who gives life to the dead and calls things that are not as though they were.

The above scriptures indicate that the nation of Israel was bestowed great gifts from God: including the adoption as God’s sons, and being given divine (or God-type) glory. This means that the people of Israel were given the gift of being God. However, the true Israel is not really the physical nation Israel, but rather all those who have faith – who are Abraham’s offspring. It follows therefore that all those who have faith have been given the gift of being God. (See here for more information on the Godhood of Man.)

Post Category: Godship

The following contains a list of posts that fall under the category, “Godship”.

Further Proof That Those Who Have Faith Are To Become Fully God

Proof That John 10:31-36 Means That Someone Who Has Faith Is a 'god'

Proof That Those Who have Faith Are To Become Fully God

Resurrection: The Transformation Of Men Of Faith Into Mighty Gods

The Duality and Kingdom of God

The Godship And Impending Glorification Of Man

Those Who Have Faith Are Members Of The Only Begotten Son

Why We Are Here? What is The Meaning of Life?

Post Category: Having Faith

The following contains a list of posts that fall under the category, “Having Faith”.

Post Categories

The following contains a list of all the categories of posts contained in this blog.

Having Faith

Godship

Complete List of Blog Posts

The following contains a complete list of all (non-listing) posts made to this blog. The posts are listed in alphabetical order.

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The following provide listings of the posts made to this blog.

Complete List

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Bearing Fruit

The following scriptures indicate that real faith must result in someone’s behavior bearing fruit (i.e. improving over time [2 Corinthians 3:18]), in a natural manner:

(NASB)

James 2

17 Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself.

John 15

2 "Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit.

Romans 9

30 What then shall we say? That the Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have obtained it, a righteousness that is by faith;

It is important to realize how these fruits of (faith / the Spirit) appear in a person. Please note the following scriptures:

Galatians 5

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

1 Corinthians 13

4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.
5 It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.
6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.
7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

The fruits of the Spirit are actually fundamental qualities (listed in the scriptures above) - and not high-level actions highly regarded by society (e.g. a person appearing to act responsibly) - found in a person's major actions. Therefore it is not the person who works two jobs for his family, and does a lot of volunteer work who necessarily bears fruit, rather it is the person who: is not proud; does not harm others; is kind; is good; and shows the above qualities in a natural and enduring manner.

Another important point (alluded to in Matthew 7:15), is the fact that a person’s fruits are centered at his core - not on his surface. This means that someone who has faith may appear imperfect on the surface, though at his core (seen in his major actions), he is perfect.

The most reliable indicator therefore of a person's faith, is his core behavior: which is constantly good. As a consequence, it is important that you look beneath the surface of a person's behavior, to determine if he truly bears fruit.

Christian Discussions

I take part in a number of Christian discussions over the web. These discussions give you an opportunity to see how the things that I write about hold up under debate.

I did most of my discussions on 123 Christian Forums. My username at this web site was ‘PDoug’. You can see a list of my posts to the web site here.
This is a discussion I had on a Catholic web site from 2/06/05 to 2/08/05. You can identify my posts from my email address: patmore_douglas@hotmail.com.
I had a discussion on Zdnet, starting 6/17/05, about general Christianity. The discussion started here. My posts have been made under the username: P. Douglas.
I had a discussion on Zdnet on 8/29/06 about how several principles of the universe undermined evolution and related thinking, and how these principles supported things written in the Bible and other inspired texts. The discussion started here.
I essentially continued the above discussion on another Zdnet blog post on 9/1/06. The discussion continued here

I will continue adding to this post, links to other discussions, as I have them in the future.

Post Last Updated: 9/16/2006

Having And Pursuing Great Faith

It is important to realize that the point of us being here on earth, is to see who will have faith, and pursue it the most (1 Corinthians 9:24-27). The prize for this, is the opportunity to become the highest ranking beings in the union of God, after Christ (1 Corinthians 3:21-22).

Please read here for practical steps on how you can have faith. The following builds on the above referenced steps, giving you the capacity to increase your faith appreciably, and have faith very effectively. (Remember, having faith is saying what you want and believing you will receive it, or asking God for what you want and believing you will receive it – Mark 11:22-24.)

1) Make repeating one or more sentences containing your request to God, the cornerstone of your praying. E.g. if you want great intelligence, repeat for a number of minutes, the sentence, “Father, give me great intelligence.” Try to pray in the above fashion every time you pray privately. If you feel comfortable doing this with other people, by all means do so. Note also, the faster you repeat your prayer sentences within a given time (e.g. a half hour), the more effective your prayer will be.

If you want, you can actually write out your prayer sentence or sentences on a piece of paper, and read them as your prayer to God. God will understand what you are doing.

2) Visualize the end result of what you want while you are praying. If it seems difficult for you to do this, draw a picture of the end result you want, and look at the picture while you are praying. E.g. if you are sick and you would like to become well again, picture yourself healthy, and repeat for a number of minutes, the following sentence in prayer, “Father, please end my sickness.” (This step is extremely, extremely effective at making what you pray for come true.)

3) Pray using a powerful name of God. This is extremely important. There are many names of God ranging from extremely weak to extremely powerful. The more powerful the name of God you use in your prayers, the more effective your prayers will be. Provided you practice having faith at a reasonable level, you can literally throw mountains into oceans by using a suitably powerful name of God. The catch is, the more powerful the name of God, the more guarded it is in secret, and the more praying you will have to do, in order to obtain it.

One thing a lot of people do not realize, is that the original names of God that were used in Old Testament texts in the Bible, were replaced by weaker names to minimize the possibility or consequence of people taking God's name in vain. These original names of God in Old Testament texts are fairly powerful - and significantly more powerful than the weak, generic name 'God'. (They are however not nearly as powerful as the name of God used by Jesus and his disciples.) As a consequence, when you use the original names of God in your prayers, they make your prayers significantly more effective.

Notwithstanding the above, the name ‘Father’ is the most powerful name of God I’ve been able to find. This is reasonable, considering the Father is the highest God there is, and is the source of all things. Therefore it is not unreasonable to expect, that even the Father’s ordinary name, is more powerful compared to some of the secret names of other Gods in the godhead. Therefore if you were for example to repeat the following sentence (over and over) in prayer, you would find it to be very effective: "My sickness is gone, in the name of The Father."

When you combine all the steps above, you will find yourself praying fairly powerful prayers. E.g. you can visualize (or stare at a picture / drawing of) what you want, and repeat the following prayer sentence until you obtain what you are looking for: "I have the job I want, in the name of in the name of the Father."

Abiding by the above steps a whole lot (e.g. several hours a day) will increase your faith and other spiritual qualities appreciably, and will result in you having qualities that approach - and even exceed - those of the prophets, apostles, and others in the bible. The catch is that you have to do this over a considerable period of time (praying several hours a day for a number of months or years), to see it happen – i.e. the showing up specifically of apostle level qualities. (Also see here.)

A person doesn’t have to pray several hours a day consistent with the instructions above, to gain increased effectiveness in his praying. Someone can do well praying for maybe twenty minutes a day. Remember however, the longer you pray, the more effective your prayers overall will be.

Step 1) is very important for not only being able to pray effective prayers, but to also ensure that your level of having faith does not fall below the minimum level God finds satisfactory. E.g. if you pray around 20 minutes a day asking God for a number of things (in a non-repetitive manner), and also praise God directly a lot during these times, your practice of having faith, can actually lie at a level that is below what God considers satisfactory. However if you pray for the same amount of time, strictly “asking and believing” for things in a repetitive manner, and don’t actually praise God directly for certain things during your prayers, your level of having faith will actually be satisfactory to God. (See here for why praising God directly, can undermine your having faith.)

I’m not against praising God, and I believe you should praise God if you feel inclined to do so. It is however important to realize that praising God is not the same as having faith, and you should not consider the time that you spend praising God, time invested in having faith. These two times are very different. Therefore considering the fact that we are saved and made righteous by (specifically) having faith (Ephesians 2:8-9, Romans 3:28), you should ensure that you first spend sufficient time having faith, then spend time praising God - if you feel so inclined.

The process of praying ever more effectively is ongoing. It never stops. It is a phenomenon in which someone keeps pushing the limits of what he can do via faith, and God via His Holy Spirit showing him more and more (through thoughts and other means), how he can accomplish it. I therefore expect the above steps to be revised a number of times, as I try to attain great faith myself. This blog post will be updated several times, to reflect the new information I come by. (I will place a note at the bottom of the post, when the post gets updated.)

Post Last Updated: 09/06/2010

Exceeding The Minimum Required Level For Having Faith

As I indicated here, per Christ in Mark 11:22-24, having faith is saying what you want and believing it will happen, or asking God for things, and believing that you will receive them. You can have faith that lies within several ranges of effort, that has a bearing on how God sees you. Please note the diagram below:

Maximum Satisfactory Faith Level / Great Righteousness

Minimum Satisfactory Faith Level

Minimum Unrighteousness Level

Maximum Unrighteousness Level / Great Wickedness

The maximum satisfactory level for having faith, marks the maximum, most effective faith you can have. At this level of having faith, you do a lot of ‘saying and believing’ or ‘asking and believing’ type praying, as effectively, and as long as possible (Ephesians 6:18). This can include several hours of praying (consistent with Mark 11:22-24) a day. Below this, you can have faith satisfactorily in decreasing amounts, down to the minimum satisfactory level for having faith. This means that you can have faith within these two limits, and God will be happy with you. When you go beneath the minimum satisfactory level for having faith however, you enter a danger zone where God becomes uncomfortable with the level of faith you have. The following scriptures describe what can happen if you are in this danger zone - specifically between the minimum satisfactory level for having faith, and the minimum unrighteousness level:

1 Corinthians 11

17 In the following directives I have no praise for you, for your meetings do more harm than good.
18 In the first place, I hear that when you come together as a church, there are divisions among you, and to some extent I believe it.
19 No doubt there have to be differences among you to show which of you have God's approval.
20 When you come together, it is not the Lord's Supper you eat,
21 for as you eat, each of you goes ahead without waiting for anybody else. One remains hungry, another gets drunk.
22 Don't you have homes to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God and humiliate those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you for this? Certainly not!
23 For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread,
24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, "This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me."
25 In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me."
26 For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.
27 Therefore, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord.
28 A man ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup.
29 For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body of the Lord eats and drinks judgment on himself.
30 That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep.
31 But if we judged ourselves, we would not come under judgment.
32 When we are judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be condemned with the world.
33 So then, my brothers, when you come together to eat, wait for each other.
34 If anyone is hungry, he should eat at home, so that when you meet together it may not result in judgment. And when I come I will give further directions.

1 Corinthians 3

10 By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should be careful how he builds.
11 For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.
12 If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw,
13 his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man's work.
14 If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward.
15 If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames.

Revelation 2

1"To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands:
2 I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked men, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false.
3 You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary.
4 Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love.
5 Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place.
6 But you have this in your favor: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. 7 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.

In the first scripture, the Corinthians' behavior bore evidence that their faith was weakening (1 Corinthians 11:18, 20-22). This means that they were not having faith at the level they should have been. The consequence of this was that they were being judged by God through the receipt of sicknesses and even death from Him (1 Corinthians 11:29-30). Paul went on to say that despite God's judgments, the Corinthians would ultimately be saved (1 Corinthians 11:31-32).

Paul wrote something similar in 1 Corinthians 3:10-15. Paul effectively noted that if anyone starts having faith at a level acceptable to God, but that person becomes distracted with pursuits of the world, and does not keep up his level of faith satisfactorily, then he will not receive any rewards, but he will be saved.

In Revelation 2:1-7, Christ noted some behavior in the Church that were acceptable to Him. This indicates that the Church had some level of faith. But Christ also expressed anger with them, indicating that their level of faith was overall unsatisfactory, and that He would punish them if they did not raise their level back up. (Note: Christ would have punished them by taking away their eternal reward, because there was the possibility if they did not take action, their faith could have slipped below the minimum unrighteousness level - which would have made them apostate.)

If a person's faith decreases so that it lies below the minimum unrighteousness level, that person's faith becomes too weak to save him, and God then regards that person as forsaking his faith. This is a very bad state for someone to be in, because God becomes most angry at the person who once had faith, then turns his back on it.

Between the minimum and maximum unrighteousness levels, are people who don't have faith, and are increasingly unrighteous. These people unforturnately will not be saved.

As the above indicates, it is very important to ensure that your level of faith lies between the maximum and minimum satisfactory levels, to be assured you have a sound relationship with God. As a practical matter, you can tell that this is the case, by looking at your fundamental behavior, to see if it improves over time. Also it is best to try and have faith as much as possible, as the the primary reason we are here on earth is to see who will have faith, and who will have it the most.

(Please use this link to see how you can have faith and gain results. Please use this link for practical steps on how you can have faith.)

P. Douglas

Thursday, December 29, 2005