You Can Know God!

"Proclaiming the Virtues of Him who called us out of darkness into His marvelous light!" (1 Peter 2:9)

The Gospel Early Christians proclaimed was POWERFUL: it turned the world around, and replaced Paganism with Christianity! What Changed? Are we proclaiming a different gospel?

There’s an old saying, “If you can't defeat them, join them!” And that’s exactly what Satan did. At the Close of the 4th Century Century, Emperor Theodosius issued an edict, which outlawed Paganism: and so all of the rich and powerful pagans to preserve their positions of power and influence, supposedly converted to Christianity. But like the Children of Israel in the wilderness; in their hearts they still worshipped their pagan gods. And with this massive influx of pagans into the Church; the prophesy of the Apostle Peter was filled, “But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in damnable heresies…” (2 Peter 2:1) By bringing paganism into the Church: the devil was able to change the image of God the Father into a image that more closely resembled Zeus, than Jesus: But God the Father is exactly like Jesus! “A compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, and abundant in loving kindness and truth, watching over thousands with loving kindness. forgiving iniquity and disobedience and sin." (Exodus 34:6-7) But Religion has turned the Father into a Strict Unmerciful Judge who demands absolute perfection. Yet the Bible declares, “God is LOVE” and “He DELIGHTS in showing mercy!” Because God simply wants us to have a change of heart and return to Him!

But because the Church stopped teaching on the Love of God, and instead taught “An Angry God Gospel.” the Jesus Movement (which had lasted almost 400 years), faded into history: because it was replaced with a State Religion, whose Popes ruled as Emperors: and used fear as a tool to control the masses, putting to death everyone who disagreed with them! Because of this even kings feared them, because they had the power of the Empire behind them! (For more on this read or listen to Foxes Book of Martyrs online.) But this was the exact opposite of what Jesus intended, because Jesus said, “IT SHALL NOT BE SO AMONG YOU!” (Matthew 20:25-28) Nevertheless, this religious system was so powerful that it ruled over Europe for over 1000 years! The REFORMATION corrected many things that were obviously wrong, according to the Scriptures: But the Reformation didn't address the most important issue of all: THE NATURE OF GOD!

Therefore please prayerfully read the enclosed letter, BECAUSE THE FIRST REFORMATION DIDN'T GO FAR ENOUGH! We need a Third Jesus Movement to restore to GOD; The Glory Due His Name! Because "The god of this age has blinded the minds of those who do not believe, TO KEEP THEM FROM SEEING the light of the Good News of THE GLORY OF CHRIST, who IS THE IMAGE OF GOD." (2 Corinthians 4:4) LEST “the light of the knowledge of THE GLORY OF GOD in the FACE OF JESUS CHRIST should SHINE ON THEM.” (2 Corinthians 4:6) But by Restoring the Doctrine of God’s Goodness, we will also restore the POWER of the True Gospel, and give birth to a New Jesus Movement that can change the world, just like the First Jesus Movement did 2000 years ago!

The Gospel Early Christians proclaimed was POWERFUL: It turned the world around, and replaced Paganism with Christianity! What Changed? Are we proclaiming a different gospel?

“GOD IS LOVE.” (1 John 4:4-8, 16) But religion has ascribed SELFISHNESS to God. But God is the most SELFLESS being in the Universe. For “[He] did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:45) Because, LOVE DOES NOT PUT ITSELF BEFORE OTHERS. (1 Corinthians 13:4-7) That's why Jesus taught, "Whatever you have DONE UNTO THE LEAST OF THESE, you have DONE UNTO ME.” (Matthew 25:31-46)

“Therefore, I felt it necessary to write to you,
and appeal to you to Contend Earnestly for ‘The Faith’,
which was entrusted to God’s holy people, once for all time.” (Jude 1:3)

For the first 1,100 years of the Church, the Ransom Gospel was the most widely held view of the Atonement, as Augustine of Hippo wrote in the 4^th Century, “The Redeemer came and the deceiver was overcome. What did our Redeemer do to our Captor? In payment for us He set the trap, His Cross, with His blood for bait. He [Satan] could indeed shed that blood; but he had no right to drink it. By shedding the blood of One who was not his debtor, he was forced to release his debtors.”

God GAVE His Son as a Ransom for us, because HE LOVES US! “For God loved the world so much, that He gave his only born Son, so that whoever believes and trusts in Him wouldn’t perish, but have eternal life.“ (John 3:16) For "God demonstrated His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8) LOVE was the reason for the Atonement! But sadly for the last 900 years the Church has believed a lie, “Jesus died to appease the Father’s wrath.”

At the close of the 11^th Century, in 1098 AD, a Roman Catholic Philosopher, by the name of Aselm, published his book, “Cur Deus Homo” in it he sought to discredit the Ransom Atonement Gospel, but he didn’t use Scripture to disprove it, rather he used human reasoning, according to the feudal social system of that time. (RED FLAG! See Colossians 2:4-8, Acts 20:30 & Ephesians 4:18) He reasoned that since God is the King of the Universe, He wouldn't have to give anything to the devil; and that if God did, that would make the devil God’s equal. (But if a murderer kidnaps you're children, and you give your life as a ransom to secure their release: that doesn't somehow make you and your murderer equals: rather that is True Love!) But instead Anselm ascribed to the Father the devil’s main narcissistic characteristic: self-centered-pride. Claiming that like a king whose honor had been offended, God’s Wrath burned against all humanity! And Anselm reasoned that since we are the peasants who offended the King: there was nothing that we could do to appease His Wrath. But that’s NOT TRUE, because even under the law GOD said, "Let the wicked forsake his way, And the unrighteous man his thoughts; LET HIM RETURN TO THE LORD, and He will have mercy on him; and to our God, FOR HE WILL ABUNDANTLY PARDON!" (Isaiah 55:7, also see Isaiah 1:18) Because ALL GOD WANTS is for people to return to Him!

Nevertheless Aselm taught: God CAN’T just forgive sin; because divine justice requires ALL SIN to be punished! (But if sin must be punished; that is NOT true forgiveness!) Anselm also claimed that since Jesus become human, He too owed the Father a debt; but by being obedient unto death on the cross, Jesus paid more than he owned. So because of the surplus of his payment, now we too can be forgiven.

Anselm’s heretical teaching completely removed God’s Love & Mercy and the devil from the equation! Yet, the Scriptures teach, “Inasmuch then as [God’s] children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil.” (Hebrews 2:14) This Scripture does not say, “That through death He might appease the Father,” but rather, “That through death He might destroy him WHO HAD THE POWER OF DEATH…THE DEVIL.” (Also see 1 John 3:8) Yet sadly, the Roman Catholic Church embraced Anselm's Heresies as Official Church Doctrine.

Four hundred years later, during the time of the Reformation, the reformers were so steeped in this doctrine, that they still believed that the Father was an angry God who had to be appeased by the death of Christ. So they only modified Aselm’s theory slightly: Luther called his new theory the Penal Atonement Theory and Calvin called his new theory the Vicarious Satisfaction Atonement Theory.

But I would remind the reader of what the Apostle Paul said, “If WE, or a messenger from heaven, proclaims any other gospel to you; other than that which we have proclaimed to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so I now say again, if ANYONE proclaims any other gospel to you; other than that which you have received, let him be accursed!” (Galatians 1:8-9) Therefore, we don't want to just PARROT someone else's Theory; rather each of us needs to be like the Bereans, “and search the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things are so.” (Acts 17:11) We each need to “Study to show yourself approved by God, as a workman who doesn’t need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of Truth. But avoid words without substance, which cross the line, because they will increase to more ungodliness.” (2 Timothy 2:15-16) But as Troy J. Edwards said, “Sadly, most Christians do not enjoy reading the Bible for themselves and prefer to adhere to conventional views, despite the fact that these views misrepresent God’s character.”

Therefore we NEED a Second Reformation:
Because the First Reformation didn't address the most important issue of all:
THE NATURE OF GOD!

These Penal Atonement Theories are Truly Detestable! Because They Dishonor Our Father! And Greatly Diminish His Love, Kindness, Goodness, and Mercy.

This whole idea that GOD FEELS THE NEED TO PUNISH SIN is Unbiblical: the message of all of the Old Testament prophets was simply “Return to the LORD, and He will abundantly pardon.” Which is also what Jesus taught in the Parable of the Prodigal Son: the Father waited longing for His son to return to Him; and when he did, the Father didn't punish him or even rebuke him, instead He embraced him and kissed him; gave him a signet ring (restoring his authority), and threw a Big Party! (Luke 15:11-32) Because GOD ALWAYS prefers to forgive sin, rather than to punish the sinner! (So their whole premise is wrong!)

Yet Luther & Calvin’s Theories teach: God feels an immense NEED to punish sin, and that Divine Justice CANNOT be Satisfied unless sin is punished. So God came up with a plan by which He could pay a ransom to Himself. (Which in itself is ABSURD: because No one pays a Ransom to themselves nor Redeems something from themselves!) Yet they claimed, Jesus stood in our place and took the punishment we deserved; and by so doing God's NEED to punish sin was Vicariously Satisfied; so God can now forgive us, because Jesus took our punishment--but this is not only absurd; it’s morally wrong, and blasphemous! Because how could punishing an innocent man justify letting a guilty person go free? And how could killing an innocent man ever Satisfy Divine Justice? Because from God's Perspective, killing an innocent person is one of the Greatest Sins there is! So wouldn't killing an innocent man make God a wrongdoer? And if the Father added His Wrath to the afflictions His Son was already receiving from the devil, the Jews, and the Romans on the cross; wouldn’t that made the Father the worst Child Abuser in the History of the World?And if He found Vicarious Satisfaction from doing so,wouldn’t that make Him the worst sadist in the History of the World? ~ These theories ARE TRULY DETESTABLE & BLASPHEMOUS!

People got the idea that God is angry with all mankind from a misreading and misinterpretation of Romans 1:18-32. So let's take a look at those verses and see what they are actually saying, "God Wrath is revealed from heaven [Not against EVERYONE who has sinned, but] AGAINST THOSE WHO SUPPRESS THE TRUTH." (Romans 1:18) Why? “BECAUSE, even though they Knew God, THEY DIDN'T HONOR HIM AS GOD... BECAUSE, THEY EXCHANGED THE GLORY OF THE INCORRUPTIBLE GOD FOR AN IDOL.” So God’s Wrath isn’t revealed from heaven against all sinners in general, but against those who have totally rejected God and the truth. “BECAUSE, THEY CHANGED THE TRUTH OF GOD INTO A LIE.” (Roans 1:21 & 25) “BECAUSE OF THIS, God also gave them over to uncleanness,"and “FOR THIS REASON, GOD GAVE THEM OVER” to all the other sins listed in Romans 1:23-32: so it wasn’t these other sins that brought God’s Wrath on them, but their earlier sin of TOTALLY REJECTING GOD & THE TRUTH! (Also see John 16:7-8 ) That’s why God doesn’t condemn people who are seeking Him, even when they sin. Because “In every nation whoever fears Him and does righteous deeds IS ACCEPTED BY HIM!” (Acts 10:35) David sinned, yet God called him “Righteous!” and “A man after my own heart.” (Acts 13:22) God didn’t say this because David was sinless, but rather because even with all of David’s hang ups, the core desire of David’s heart was to Know and Love God! And because God accenpted Him David testified, “Blessed and happy is the man whose sin the Lord will not take into account.” (Romans 4:8) So they are LYING to people when they say, “One sin will send you to Hell!” Because the only sin that is GUARANTIED to send you to Hell, is to REJECT GOD!

God doesn’t have a sick desire to inflict pain! So to say that the Father found “Vicarious Satisfaction” by torturing His Son on the cross–is TRULY BLASPHEMOUS! The Father didn’t send His Son to die, to satisfy a sick desire within Himself for Vengeance, but rather to “Rescue us out of [Satan’s] dominion of darkness, and transfer us into the Kingdom of His dear Son.” (Colossians 1:13), and to demonstrate His Great Love for us! So that we would choose to TRUST in Jesus – But Jesus’ TORTURE was SATANIC! In fact Jesus prophesied: that the Father would be SO ENRAGED by THE MURDER OF HIS SON AND OF HIS SERVANTS, that He would wipe out those murderers and destroy their city! Which God did in 70 AD. (See Matthew 21:33-45, Mark 12:1-12, Luke 20:9-19, and Matthew 22:6-7) SO GOD WASN’T PLEASED BY THE MURDER OF HIS SON!

[Note: My heart was deeply torn while writing this; because I wanted to Fully Refute both of these lies: that “God’s Wrath Rests Upon All Mankind!” And that “Jesus Died To Appease The Father’s Wrath!” (But to do that would have made this letter far too long. Plus, I felt that God wanted me to focus on His Love in this letter: so that is what I have done.) But please read my companion article: “The Penal Atonement Heresy: Refuted!” @ lovebible.org/refuted.html ]

At this point, I feel it’s important for us to remember THE OTHER REASON Jesus came: JESUS CAME TO REVEAL THE FATHER TO US! But Jesus didn’t reveal the Father to us as “Your JUDGE who is In heaven,” but as “Your FATHER who is in heaven.” And Jesus said, "I ONLY DO THE THINGS I SEE MY FATHER DOING." So if the Father condemns EVERYONE for their sin; Jesus would have went around doing the same thing–condemning EVERYBODY for their sins! BUT JESUS DIDN'T DO THAT. Why didn’t Jesus do that? BECAUSE THE FATHER WASN’T DOING THAT! Because as Scripture says, “GOD WAS IN CHRIST! Reconciling the world to Himself, NOT COUNTING THEIR OFFENCES AGAINST THEM!” (2 Corinthians 5:19) SO NONE OF THE THINGS THESE THEORIES SAY ABOUT THE FATHER ARE TRUE!

Do you see the Father as a strict judge or someone who is like Jesus? If you see Him as a strict judge, you need to have a paradigm shift; because Jesus said, “WHOEVER HAS SEEN ME, HAS SEEN THE FATHER.” (John 14:6) But the devil doesn't want people to know that OUR Father is just like Jesus! And JESUS IS JUST LIKE OUR FATHER!

Therefore, for Centuries "The god of this age has blinded the minds of those who do not believe, TO KEEP THEM FROM SEEING the light of the Good News of the glory of Christ, who IS THE IMAGE OF GOD." (2 Corinthians 4:4) LEST “The light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the FACE OF JESUS Christ should shine on them.” (2 Corinthians 4:6) How was the devil able to do this, by creating a false gospel that sounds Scriptural; so that even Christians themselves would believe it and propagate it. (Matthew 24:24) That's why we must, "Test all things; and hold on tightly to that which is good.” (1 Thessalonians 5:21) Therefore, "Examine yourselves to see if you are in The Faith. (2 Corinthians 13:5) Because a person who has been deceived, doesn't know they have been deceived.

In the Old Testament, GOD also describes Himself as someone who sounds JUST LIKE JESUS, “A compassionate and gracious god, slow to anger, and abundant in loving kindness and truth, watching over thousands with loving kindness. forgiving iniquity and disobedience and sin; but one who will by no means cleanse the unrepentant." (Exodus 34:6-7) Which is why the Apostle John was convinced, “God is Love!” (John 4:8-16) And since "GOD IS LOVE" not only is 1 Corinthians 13 a perfect description of LOVE, it is also a perfect description of the nature and character of GOD!

How we picture the Father is very important! Because if we picture our Father as always being angry, we’ll hear everything He says in an angry tone of voice; but if we picture our Father as being just like Jesus, we’ll hear everything He says in a more balanced tone of voice.

Sadly, after the 4th Century ‘Edict of Theodosius’ (which outlawed the worship of other gods), all of the rich and powerful pagans to preserve their positions of power and influence, supposedly converted to Christianity. And so from that time on their pagan philosophies began to influence Christian Theology. And their false view of God the Father as being someone like Zeus, rather then someone LIKE JESUS, began to influence Church doctrine; and gave birth to many false doctrines–some of false doctrines still influence how translators translate the Bible today. For that reason I’m working on a New Bible Translation, “The Living Word / The Love Bible”, which ignores religious traditions, and simply translates the “literal meaning” that the Greek & Hebrew words had in the First Century–minus Religious Traditions. (For more on this: See LoveBible.org/about.htm)

But first, let me share how I came to this conclusion. The Jesus Movement of the late 60’s and early 70’s was the closest thing to First Century Christianity this world has ever seen: because we weren’t seeking to Reform the Church; we were simply seeking to Return to First Century Christianity: therefore the New Testament alone was our Final Authority. As one of the Jesus People: I enjoyed going to Lithia Park, in Ashland Oregon, and sharing Jesus with those in the New Age Cults, and Mormons and Jehovah Witnesses; because these people were seeking God. But sometimes what they said sounded so close to the truth, I would question my own heart; “Do I believe this because this is what the Bible says? Or because this is what I've been taught?” So I bought a Greek/English New Testament Interlinear and a Strong’s Concordance and looked up every verse I could find on whatever topic I was looking into, and checked the meaning of the Greek and Hebrew words (to make sure they were translated correctly), because my Goal was to “Find the one interpretation that agreed with everything that is written in The Bible.” This helped my faith and understanding of God’s Word to grow. (Because of this, I rarely read Bible Commentaries, because I really don’t care what this or that person thought; because they’re only human and they’re not infallible: but GOD’S WORD IS INFALLIBLE! (So study the Bible! And search for the one interpretation that agrees with everything that is written in the Word of God. The Word of God is so Pure, that if you find even one verse that contradicts your interpretation; that means there’s something wrong with your interpretation. But the problem with the Penal Atonement Theory is it contradicts a multitude of Scriptures!)

As a young Christian, who Loved the Lord, one of the things I really wanted to understand was, “Why did Jesus have to die for us?” So I read my Bible from cover to cover to try to piece together the reason Jesus had to die. And the following are the things the Lord taught me.

Why did Jesus have to die? That we might “come to [our] senses and escape from the devil’s trap, having been taken captive by him to do his will.” (2 Timothy 2:26) For “Don’t you know? That to whomever you present yourselves as obedient slaves, you are the slaves of the one whom you obey.” (Romans 6:1) But a slave doesn’t own anything, his life and everything he has belongs to his master! So by listening to the devil, Adam & Eve became the devil’s slaves, and handed the Title Deed to the Earth over to Satan; and that’s why Satan could basically boast to Jesus, “If you want the Earth back, bow down and worship me!” (See Luke 4:5-7 & Matthew 4:8-9) Jesus didn’t dispute the devil’s claim, because Jesus knew it was true. (See 2 Timothy 2:26, Ephesians 2:2-3, 1 John 5:19, & Colossians 1:13) So the devil and our rebellious hearts are the problem, not God: Because God cannot allow rebellious people into Heaven, unless they first truly have a change of heart! because if He did Heaven would become even more messed up than the Earth! (See Revelation 21:27) So the only way that God could restore us to Himself, was if of our own free will; we CHOSE to return to Him and obey Him. Therefore, Jesus came and "demonstrated his own Love toward us, in that, while we were still sinners, Christ died for us," (Romans 5:8) that we might choose TO MAKE JESUS THE LORD OF our LIFE, (John 1:12, Matthew 11:28, & Romans 10:9-10) and “Have Abundant Life!” (John 10:10)

The following Scriptures show clearly that: it was not God’s Wrath that needed to be appeased, but the devil that needed to be taken out of the way. “Inasmuch then as [God’s] children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil.” (Hebrews 2:14) “The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.” (1 Corinthians 15:58) “Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: “Now has come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Anointed: because THE ACCUSER of our brothers and sisters, WHO ACCUSED THEM BEFORE OUR GOD day and night, has been hurled down.” (Revelation 12:10)

Because the devil knew one thing about God, “It’s IMPOSSIBLE for God to lie!” Therefore, the devil has always tried to use God's own words against Him, and against us: because the devil knew, "God is not a man, that He should lie, Nor a son of man, that He should change His mind. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?" (Numbers 23:19) So the devil entices people to sin and then uses God's word against them; and reminds God of what He said; to if possible get God Himself to judge them, or at least bring the sinner under the devil's dominion. So it's not that the devil is more powerful than God, or that the devil is God's equal: it's simply, GOD HAS BOUND HIMSELF BY HIS OWN WORD, because “God honors His Word even above all of His names.” (See Psalm 138:2 & Hebrews 6:13-18)

Therefore for God to redeem mankind He had to have a plan that would FULFILL everything He had said, and that would win our hearts back to Himself. But the devil was completely unaware of God’s Secret Plan to redeem His people with His own blood. Nevertheless, God had this plan in place “from the foundation of Cosmos.” Because in the very beginning GOD SAW ALL OF OUR TOMORROWS, more clearly than we can remember yesterday. (See Psalm 90:4, 139:16 & Ephesians 2:10) Therefore, in the beginning, before the foundation of the Cosmos, God saw the wedding supper of the Lamb in Heaven in Revelation 19:6-10 & 21:1-27. And GOD saw Himself wiping away every tear from our eyes. (Revelation 21:4) And He saw us walking and talking with Him throughout eternity. (Revelation 3:4) And that’s why Jesus is called "The Lamb slain from the foundation of the Cosmos." (Revelation 13:8) And Jesus saw our “names written in the Lamb’s Book of Life”, and it was THIS KNOWLEDGE, that gave Jesus the “strength to ensure cross”, because of “THE JOY” it would bring Him to welcome you and I into Heaven one day. (See Hebrews 12:2)

In light of all of these things: the following verse should NOW have more meaning to you: “In this is LOVE, not that we loved God, but that he LOVED us, and sent his Son to be the (Hilasmos) satisfying sacrifice for our sins.” (1 John 4:10) Jesus death was the "Satisfying Sacrifice" for our sins, because it satisfied the requirements of the Law of Moses (Colossians 2:14); and it satisfied God's desire to forgive all of our sins and “justify the ungodly” (1 Timothy 4:5, Romans 3:26 & 4:5); and it satisfied Jesus because one day we would become His Bride; and ironically it even satisfied the devil-but only for a very short time.

But all of this hinged on one critical act: the devil of his own free will would have to choose to crucify the innocent Son of God; and thus fulfill the very first prophecy given by God in the Bible: “He will crush your head (authority), and you will bruise his heel.” (Genesis 3:14)

God hide an obscure passage in the Law of Moses (one that had never been implemented in the history of Israel; until the day Jesus died on the Cross). But when the devil became aware of that passage, he thought he had finally found a way to get rid of Jesus; but it back-fired on him: because this was part of God’s Secret Plan. That Passage is found in Deuteronomy 21:22-23, and it reads, "If a person commits a sin deserving of death and he is put to death, and you hang him on a tree, his body is not to be left overnight on the tree, but you must bury him that same day: because he who is hanged is cursed by God!"

But because God Said It, and since Satan knew, “You have magnified Your word above all Your names.” (Psalm 138:2) The devil thought that if he could get the Jews to crucify Jesus, the Father would have to curse His own Son; because “It’s IMPOSSIBLE for God to lie!” (Hebrews 6:18) And the devil was right about this; but what the devil didn't realize was that this was “The Critical Part” of God's Secret Plan.

That’s why it is Now written: “He made Him who knew no sin, to become sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” (2 Corinthians 5:21) Jesus “became sin” by allowing Himself to be “hung on a cross.” But because He did, “Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us; because it's written, ‘CURSED IS EVERYONE WHO HANGS ON A TREE.’” (Galatians 3:13)

Those who embrace the Penal Atonement Theory, claim, “God poured out His Wrath on Jesus on the Cross!” But on the Cross Jesus didn’t cry out, “My God, my God! Why are you pouring out your Wrath on me?” but rather, “My God, my God! Why have you have you forsaken me?” because for the first time since eternity past, fellowship with His Father was broken. But no supernatural judgment came from the Father against Jesus that day, the only supernatural event that happened before Jesus’ death, was the heavens became as black as night, when the Father turned His face away.

Here’s how it happened: “The chief priests... said, “What are we going to do? For this man performs many signs. If we let him continue on like this, everyone will believe in him.” (Luke 11:47-48) Satan realized this too; so Satan entered Judas, and Judas went to the High Priests to betray Jesus. Satan and all the demons rejoiced the day they crucified Jesus, and “Satan was satisfied” because he thought that he’d finally gotten rid of Jesus. But what the devil didn’t realize until 3 days later, was that the Father, like a Chess-Master, had OUTSMARTED him, by enticing him to take His Queen (metaphorically speaking). But by taking the Hilasmos (the Satisfying Sacrifice) the devil was in CHECKMATE! (It was an EXTREMELY WISE, but EXTREMELY COSTLY MOVE! ~ But now SINCE WE NOW KNOW HOW MUCH GOD LOVES US, we should LOVE GOD WITH ALL OUR HEART!) Therefore, “We are speaking about The Wisdom of God’s Secret Plan, even THE HIDDEN WISDOM which God ordained before the ages FOR OUR GLORY, Which none of the rulers of this age knew: BECAUSE HAD THEY KNOWN IT, they never would have crucified the Lord of glory!” (1 Corinthians 2:7-8) Notice too, it says, that this was “FOR OUR GLORY!” This is TRULY SELFLESS LOVE!

But God had to hide His Secret Plan to ransom His children back from the devil, “because if [the devil] had known”, the prophecy in Genesis 3:14 would never have been fulfilled: "He will crush your head (authority), and you will bruise his heel.” The devil bruised Jesus heel on the Cross, but Jesus Crushed the dragon’s head on the Cross; because, it’s written 3 times in The Law, "LIFE FOR LIFE." (Leviticus 24:18, Exodus 21:23, Deuteronomy 19:21) So since the devil MURDERED the innocent Son of God on the Cross, Satan’s Sin is now greater than anyone’s sin in the entire Universe! So he now owes a debt he cannot pay: “LIFE FOR LIFE!” So now he must release from captivity even the worst sinner when they call on the Name of JESUS!

Therefore, I’m convinced that this Penal Atonement Gospel is the devil’s own counterfeit gospel, and that Satan himself is its author: because this false gospel completely removes the devil and God’s Mercy from the equation, and instead makes the Father’s supposed wrath against us the problem.

The other thing that Jesus did on the Cross; was He taught us the True Meaning of Love, and Won our hearts! For Jesus said, "THIS IS MY COMMANDMENT: Love each other, just as I have Loved you. No one has Greater Love than this; that someone should lay down their own life for their friends." (John 15:12-13) And then Jesus
did just that, Jesus laid down His life for us on the Cross, and then 3 days later He rose from the dead.

So now the Father also has just One Commandment, “THIS IS HIS COMMANDMENT: believe and trust in the name of His Son Jesus Christ; and Love one another, just as He commanded us.” (1 John 3:23) Because the Ten Commandments were only designed to be temporary, until the Father could send His Son to teach us God’s True Law of Love.

The reason God gave the Jews the Ten Commandment in the wilderness, wasn’t because it was His Eternal Standard; but since the Jews who came Egypt were rebellious, and didn’t want to hear God’s Voice (Deuteronomy 18:16), God gave them the Ten Commandment instead–so that at least they would stop wronging one another, and have a form of godliness until He could send His Son, TO TEACH US ALL, THE TRUE MEANING OF LOVE! That’s why God told Moses, “I will raise up a prophet like you for them, from among their brothers, I will put my words in his mouth, and HE WILL TELL THEM EVERYTHING THAT I COMMAND HIM.” (Deuteronomy 18:18) Therefore, "GOD said, 'THE DAYS ARE COMING, when I will make a NEW COVENANT with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah—NOT ACCORDING TO THE COVENANT THAT I MADE WITH THEIR FATHERS in the day that I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt… But THIS IS THE COVENANT THAT I WILL MAKE with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put My Law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they will be My people.'" (Jeremiah 31:31-33)

NOW THOSE DAYS HAVE COME! Because Jesus has come and made A NEW & BETTER COVENANT with us, and He has given us A NEW & HIGHER LAW–Replacing the Ten Commandments with One Commandment! “THIS IS MY COMMANDMENT: Love each other, just as I have Loved you… EVERYTHING THAT I HAVE HEARD FROM MY FATHER, I HAVE MADE KNOWN TO YOU… These things I command you: you’re to Love each other.” (See John 15:12-17) So we no longer have any need for the Ten Commandments, "Because since LOVE does no wrong to a neighbor; LOVE fulfills the Law." (Romans 13:10) So NOW we have GOD’S LAW written on the Tablets of our Hearts, instead of on Tablets of Stone. (2 Corinthians 3:3-11)

The Penal Atonement Theory teaches that God the Father is a Righteous Judge who must punish all sin, for if He didn’t He wouldn't be a righteous Judge. They normally say something very similar to the following,

"Would you respect a Judge who let guilty criminals go free? Of course not! In the same way the Father who is a Righteous Judge, cannot overlook the outright rebellion of His own creation; therefore HE MUST PUNISH ALL SIN! Because God’s Standard is Perfection! Even as Jesus said, “Be perfect, just as your Heavenly Father is perfect!” So how many murderers would you have to commit to be a murderer? Just one! How many lies would you have to tell, to be a liar? Just one! Have you ever looked on someone with lust? Then according to Jesus, you're an Adulterer! Have you ever hated anyone? Then according to Jesus, you're a murderer! The Ten Commandments are God’s Standard, by which the Father will judge the world! And James says, “Whoever keeps the whole law, and yet stumbles in one point, has become guilty of it all. Because he who said, "Don't commit adultery," also said, "Don't [commit] murder" (James 2:10-11). So, if you break even one of the Ten Commandments, you’re guilty of breaking them all! And you have already admitted that you’ve broken at least Three of the Ten Commandments; so that means that you already stand Condemned before God! Therefore since the Father is a Righteous Judge, on Judgment Day, He will HAVE TO send you Hell. So what defense could you possibly present to Him on that Day?"

This sounds Scriptural: BUT ACTUALLY NONE OF IT IS TRUE!
(Because these statements are all based on Scriptures that were manipulated and taken out of context!)

In Matthew Chapter 5:48, when Jesus said, "Be perfect, just as your Father in Heaven is perfect,” He was speaking to His Followers, and teaching us how we are to live: "Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous." (vs 44-45) “Therefore, [Paul said, we are to] be imitators of God as dear children; and walk in love, just as Christ has also loved us.” (Ephesians 5:1-2) So Jesus wasn't trying to show everyone that they had broken the Ten Commandments–He was giving us a “HIGHER LAW!” He was teaching us that we’re be loving and kind to everyone, just like our Heavenly Father is! (Yet I actually heard Ray Comfort (the founder of “The Way of the Master”), actually negate the clear teaching of Jesus here, in one of his videos, by saying, “Jesus was showing us that it is impossible for us to actually live like this.” So he missed the whole point of Jesus’ teaching!)

And in James 2:10-11, James was also teaching on LOVE! Because in context, what James was saying, was this, “If you indeed FULFILL THE ROYAL LAW according to the Scripture, ‘YOU’RE TO LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF,’ YOU DO WELL! But if you favor an individual, you commit sin, and are convicted by the law as transgressors.” (James 2:8-9) “So speak, and so act, as those who will be judged by THE LAW OF FREEDOM. [Not the Ten Commandment!] For judgment will be without mercy to the one who has shown no compassion. SHOWING COMPASSION TRIUMPHS OVER JUDGMENT!” (James 2:12-13) That's why James said in James 2:9-11, "But if you favor an individual" or "commit murder" or "adultery" you’ve violated THE LAW OF LOVE! (Also see Matthew 25:23-46)

What Jesus and James were teaching: is actually the same thing the Prophet Micah taught centuries early, "He has shown you, O man, WHAT IS GOOD! And WHAT DOES THE LORD REQUIRE OF YOU? TO DO JUSTLY, TO LOVE TO HAVE COMPASSION [ON OTHERS], and to walk humbly with your GOD." Therefore if you want to go to heaven when you die, you MUST walk with God in this life! That means doing what is just, right, and good in His sight; and being loving, kind, and compassionate toward others just like He is.

And when they claim "God HAS TO judge sin," THAT ALSO ISN’T TRUE! Because GOD said, “I will have mercy on whomever I want to have mercy , and I will have compassion on whomever I want to have compassion.” (Romans 9:15) And because GOD WANTS TO HAVE MERCY on everyone, even under Law, GOD said, "Let the wicked forsake their way, And the unrighteous person their thoughts; Let them return to the LORD, And He will have mercy on them; [return] to our God, FOR HE WILL ABUNDANTLY PARDON." (Isaiah 55:7) That’s why GOD said, even in the Old Testament, “Come now, and let’s reason together,” says the LORD: “THOUGH YOUR SINS ARE LIKE SCARLET, they will become as white as snow. THOUGH THEY ARE RED LIKE CRIMSON, they will become [as white] as wool." (Isaiah 1:18)

Wicked King Manasseh is a prime example of God’s Mercy & Forgiveness! "Manasseh did what was evil in the sight of the LORD, erected altars to the Baals and bowed down and worshiped them. He built altars to them in the Temple of the LORD. He sacrificed his own children in fire in the Valley of Ben Hinnom, he practiced divination and witchcraft. He did much evil in the eyes of the LORD. Manasseh led all of Judah astray, they did more evil than the nations the LORD had destroyed. So the LORD brought the army of the king of Assyria against them, and they took Manasseh prisoner, and brought him to Babylon. In his distress he sought the LORD, he humbled himself before God. And God was moved by his prayer, and restored him to his kingdom again. Then Manasseh knew that the LORD was God." (See 2 Chronicles 33:1-30) Why did God have mercy on such a wicked man? BECAUSE GOD STILL LOVED HIM! And "Love Covers a Multitude of Sin!' (1 Peter 4:8) Therefore GOD and everyone in Heaven rejoiced the day this prodigal son came Home! (See Luke 15:11-32) Because God doesn’t judge according to human standards, because “HIS WAYS ARE HIGHER THAN OUR WAYS!” (See Isaiah 55:8-9) So Jesus’s death wasn’t necessary to appease the Father’s wrath, because God forgave Manasseh long before the Cross! So why did Jesus have to die? “To rescue us out of [Satan’s] dominion of darkness and transfer us into the Kingdom of His dear Son.” (Colossians 1:13)

But this Vindictive God Gospel turns our Loving & Merciful Heavenly Father into an Unmerciful Judge who demands absolute perfection, one who would even send those who want to know Him and are trying to do good to others, to Hell, if they commit even one sin. And for the redeemed, it turns JESUS into our DEFENSE ATTORNEY; who must defend us daily before the Father.

BUT NONE OF THAT IS TRUE! ~ JESUS IS NOT OUR ATTORNEY! ~ HE’S "THE RIGHTEOUS JUDGE!" (2 Timothy 4:8) The Bible teaches, “The heaven of heavens, [are] the LORD's; But the earth He has given to the children of men.” (Psalm 115:16) Therefore, since God gave the Earth to man, God had to redeem and judge the Earth through a man;“Because the GIFTS and the CALLING of God ARE IRREVERSIBLE!” (Romans 11:28) Therefore, God CANNOT & WILL NOT usurp authority over the dominion HE GAVE to Adam! That’s why it’s written, the Father gave Jesus “the right to execute judgment, BECAUSE HE IS A SON OF MAN.” (John 5:27) So, "The Father judges no one, because He’s given all judgment to the Son." (John 5:22) Therefore, Scripture declares, “THE LORD JESUS CHRIST... WILL JUDGE THE LIVING AND THE DEAD at His appearing and His kingdom.” (2 Timothy 4:1) “All the nations will be gathered before Him.” (Matthew 25:32, 25:31-46) That’s why Peter declared, “HE COMMANDED US TO PROCLAIM to the people and TO EARNESTLY TESTIFY that HE IS THE ONE whom GOD APPOINTED AS JUDGE OF THE LIVING AND THE DEAD!” (Acts 10:42)

The Great White Throne Judgment ~ Christ in His Glory!
The Glory which He had before the foundation of the Cosmos

“And I saw a great white throne, and him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, the small and the great, standing before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the Book of Life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their deeds.” (Revelation 20:11-12) For He “Will repay each person according to what they have done. Indeed, to those who are seeking eternal life through patient continuance in doing good—glory and honor and immortality. But to those who are self-seeking, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness—indignation and anger. There will be tribulation and distress for every human soul who does evil.” (Romans 2:6-9) But “When those of the nations, who do not have the law, by nature do the things contained in the law, these though they don't have the law, are a law to themselves: who show that the work of the law is written in their hearts—their conscience also testifying, and their thoughts within themselves either accusing or defending them; On the day when God judges people's secret [motives], by Jesus Christ.” (Romans 2:14-16)

“All the nations will be gathered before Him.” (Matthew 25:32a) “The sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and Hades delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were each judged according to their deeds.” (Revelation 20:13) “He will separate them one from another, like a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And he set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on his right hand, 'Come, you who are supremely blessed of my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the cosmos: Because I was hungry, and you gave me food; I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink; I was a stranger, and you took me in; Naked, and you clothed me; I was sick, and you visited me; I was in prison, and you came to me.' …Then he will also say to those on the left hand, ' Depart from me, you accursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his messengers! Because I was hungry, and you gave me no food; I was thirsty, and you gave me nothing to drink; I was a stranger, and you didn't take me in; naked, and you didn't clothe me; sick, and in prison, and you didn't visit me.' …'Indeed, I tell you, INASMUCH AS YOU DIDN'T DO IT TO ONE OF THE LEAST OF THESE, YOU DIDN'T DO IT TO ME!' And these will go away into everlasting punishment: BUT THE RIGHTEOUS INTO ETERNAL LIFE.” (Matthew 25:32b-46) BECAUSE LOVE IS SELFLESS (1 Corinthians 13): JESUS TAKES HOW WE TREAT OTHERS PERSONALLY! Plus these verses CLEARLY REVEAL that GOD’S STANDARD IS LOVE!—NOT PERFECTION! Because those who enter Heaven: ENTER BECAUSE THEY LOVED THEIR FELLOW-MAN. And those who are cast into Hell: ARE CAST IN BECAUSE THEY DIDN’T LOVE THEIR FELLOW-MAN. And that’s why there won’t be any COWARDS in Heaven: BECAUSE COWARDS ONLY CARE ABOUT THEMSELVES, and DO NOT CARE about others! (Revelation 21:8)

So to say, “Everyone who stands before the Great White Throne Judgment will be CONDEMNED!”– IS A LIE! Because as we just saw: THE BIBLE DOESN'T TEACH THAT! Yet that’s what this false gospel claims! So this FALSE GOSPEL has needlessly hardened many hearts against GOD! Because people don’t want to serve a god who demands absolute perfection! One who would even send those who honor Him and try to do right by others to Hell. But the Good News is: THIS IS NOT THE GOD OF THE BIBLE! Because God even blesses those who aren’t perfect, when they do right by others: like the midwives who lied to Pharaoh; in Exodus 1:15-21. SO GOD’S STANDARD ISN’T PERFECTION; GOD’S STANDARD IS LOVE! Therefore, we need to lay our axes to THE ROOT OF THIS PENAL HERESY TREE: And CUT IT DOWN, so that it can no longer produce ITS DETESTABLE FRUIT! (Mark 3:10 & Luke 3:9) BECAUSE THIS FALSE GOSPEL MAKES GOD APPEAR TO BE FAR LESS LOVING, COMPASSIONATE, KIND, AND MERCIFUL THAN HE ACTUALLY IS!

AS WE HAVE ALREADY SEEN:
This penal gospel has blinded our minds to the Goodness & Mercy of our God!

Therefore, it is very interesting to note: Jesus says something very thought provoking in Matthew 11:20-24, “He began to denounce the cities in which most of his mighty works had been done, because they didn't have a change of heart: “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! Because if the mighty works, which were done in you, had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have changed their minds long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I tell you, It will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon on the Day of Judgment, than for you. And you, Capernaum, who are exalted to heaven, will be brought down to Hades! Because if the mighty works, which have been done in you, had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. But I tell you, It will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom on the Day of Judgment, than for you.” Jesus says this in the form of a PROCLAMATION and a DECLARATION! But in what way WILL IT BE MORE TOLERABLE FOR THEM? Jesus doesn't explain that here: But since Jesus said, “It will be more tolerable” for them: we KNOW they will receive mercy from the LORD on that Day!

After Jesus’ death on the Cross: we know too that Jesus descended into the deepest part of the Earth, past Paradise (Abraham's Bosom), into the Satan's Realm of the Dead; and there “He proclaimed News to the spirits in prison, who formerly were disobedient.” (See 1 Peter 3:18-20) The Greek word kay-roos´-so literally means "to herald the news"; so since they already knew they were Satan's prisoners, Jesus must have proclaimed "GOOD NEWS" to them!

Since Jesus “Is the Satisfying Sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours, but also for the sins of the whole world.” (1 John 2:2) And since Jesus knew that many of them would have received Him, if they would have had the opportunity to do so in their generations. I believe Jesus may have said, “I am going to allow you to be reborn in another generation, where you will have an opportunity to receive or reject Me; but you will not remember this time, nor your former lives.” And I believe there is a Biblical president for this: because when John the Baptist was asked, “Are you Elijah?” though he answered, “No.” Yet Jesus Himself said of John the Baptist, “If you are willing to accept it, HE IS ELIJAH, the one who is going to come [again].” (Matthew 11:14) So who was right? John the Baptist? Or Jesus?

But please don’t teach this as Doctrine, because although I believe this may very well be the case; and after over 45 years of pondering this, I haven’t found any Scriptures that refute this theory: yet it doesn’t have enough Scriptural evidence to be taught as Doctrine. But Knowing the heart of Jesus and the Father, I believe this theory may very well be true, and that’s why I am sharing this Theory here. Because since “[God] desires for all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” (1 Timothy 2:4) And since Jesus Knew they would have received Him: to me it only makes sense, that He would give them the opportunity to do so; since it is within His power to do so! Because when Jesus’ disciples asked Him, “Who then can be saved?” Jesus answered, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” (See Matthew 19:23-26)

I also believe this may be true because GOD LIKES to have Mercy on our Ignorance: Scripture says, 'These times of ignorance God overlooked." (Acts 17:30) Because “Sin is not charged when there is no law.” (Romans 5:13) Therefore, GOD told Jonah, "Shouldn’t I have mercy on the great city of Nineveh, which has more than 120,000 people who cannot tell their right hand from their left?" (Jonah 4:11) Plus, on the Cross, Jesus prayed, “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.” (Luke 23:34) Therefore Paul said, "God showed me mercy, because I acted in ignorance and unbelief." (1 Timothy 1:13) Yet in "The Way of the Master" gospel presentation they claim, "Ignorance of the Law is no excuse." But Their Way is not The Master’s Way! (Isaiah 55:8-9) Because from GOD’S PERSPECTIVE: “Ignorance” is an excuse for mercy! “Because, He DELIGHTS in Mercy!” (Micah 7:18)

I also believe this Theory may be true; because it agrees with God’s sense of fairness and justice, because it would give everyone who has ever lived the same opportunity. (And maybe that’s why there are so many people on earth right now? Because it is time for the Final Harvest!)

But sadly, even if all of this is true, we know that not everyone will be saved; because we are told in Revelation 20:15, “If anyone was not found written in the Book of Life, they were thrown into the lake of fire.” (See Note on Hell @ LoveBible.org/hell.html) But possibly more people will be saved than we can possibly fathom! But for them to be saved we MUST share the True Gospel of Love with them, “Because how can they believe in Him if they have never heard about Him?” (Romans 10:14)

Two other Scriptures this FALSE GOSPEL often Twists or Misrepresents:
Romans 6:23 & Hebrews 9:27

These 2 Scriptures are general statements rather than blanket statements: but some of these presentations turn them into emphatic declarations of what THEY WANT people to believe.

Romans 6:23. In the late 1980’s, I and my wife were attending a very good Church that stressed the importance of evangelism; so we joined their witnessing team. They were using a book by C S Lovett on how to use a pocket New Testament as a witnessing tool. But when it came to Romans 6:23, Lovett said to do something that is totally unscriptural to do–to alter the Word of God! He said, “Take a pen and cross out the word ‘~~death~~’ and beside it, write in the word ‘HELL!’ so that it reads, “The wages of sin is HELL!” But death and HELL are 2 different things: all of those whom GOD called “Righteous!” in the Bible had SINNED, and they all DIED (except for Enoch, Elijah & Melchizedek: whether or not there were others who had sinned and yet did not die, the Bible doesn’t tell us?) But the point here is God didn’t send the Righteous who had SINNED and DIED to Hell. Because, “The wages for sin is DEATH,” not “~~HELL~~!” So this PRESENTATION WASN’T BEING HONEST with people about what the Bible actually teaches!

Hebrews 9:27, says, “It’s appointed unto man to die once, and after that the Judgment.” though I haven’t actually seen a presentation that crossed out the word “Judgment” and wrote in “HELL”, yet many times I’ve heard people infer they mean the same thing. But this verse DOESN'T TELL US WHAT GOD'S JUDGMENT WILL BE? But from Scripture we Know sometimes God's verdict is “Return to your body, and live again!” (See John 11:1–45, Luke 7:11-15, Luke 8:41-55, Matthew 27:52-53, Acts 9:36-43, 1 Kings 17:17-24, 2 Kings 4:32-37, 2 Kings 13:21) Others times God has allowed people to descended into Hell, but in His mercy He called them back and gave them a second chance; and their spirit returned to their body. So to infer that in this verse “Judgment” actually means “Hell” (in order to try to scare people into Heaven), is to “Handle God’s Word deceitfully!” (2 Corinthians 4:2) as C S Lovett clearly did in the previous verse. AND THAT IS SIN! Because, “NO LIE is of THE TRUTH!” (1 John 2:21)

We should be giving people reasons to want to Know, Love, and Follow Jesus! But to use the fear of Hell to try to scare people into saying the sinner's prayer is the wrong motivation! But because that’s their main goal; these presentations don’t take the time to tell people who Jesus is, and what Jesus requires to become His Disciple. They simply tell people, “Just repeat this prayer after me, AND YOU WILL BE SAVED!” But Jesus and the Apostles NEVER TOLD ANYONE, “Just repeat this prayer, and you will be saved!” Rather Jesus told people to “COUNT THE COST!” (Luke 14:28) Because to have "Peace" with God: you have to come to Him on His "Terms!" (Luke 14:32) Therefore Jesus said, “Those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be My disciples!” (Luke 14:33) Therefore, “Whoever loves father or mother more than Me IS NOT WORTHY OF ME. And whoever loves a son or daughter more than Me IS NOT WORTHY OF ME. And whoever does not take their cross and follow after Me IS NOT WORTHY OF ME.” (Matthew 10:37-38) So if Jesus was the one sharing the Gospel today, He’d remind people, “Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter into the kingdom of the heavens; but only those who do the will of my Father who is in the heavens.” (Matthew 7:21) “FOR WHOEVER WANTS TO SAVE THEIR LIFE WILL LOSE IT! But whoever looses their life on account of me and for the Good News, the same will save it. For what will it benefit a person, if they gain the whole world, but lose their own soul? Or what will a person give in exchange for their soul? For whoever is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of them when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy messengers.” (Mark 8:35-38)

Yet most of these false gospel presentations do not even ask people to follow Jesus or to make him the Lord of their life. They simply say, “Just pray this prayer, and you will be saved!” But according to Jesus, this is NOT TRUE! Therefore, they have deceived a lot people into believing that they’re Christians_; when they probably are not! Because God is not obligated to save anyone, just because they prayed a prayer, if their heart is not right!

But the reason most people pray the penal gospel’s “Sinner’s Prayer”; ISN’T BECAUSE THEY WANT TO KNOW JESUS & BECOME HIS DISCIPLES, rather they just ‘WANT TO SAVE THEMSELVES’ FROM HELL! So because they don't truly LOVE JESUS, “When trouble or persecution comes because of the Word, they quickly fall away.” (Mark 4:17)

Others too prayed the prayer, just because they ‘WANT TO SAVE THEMSELVES’ FROM HELL! And they thought they were getting a “Free Fire Insurance Policy!” But they really have NO DESIRE TO KNOW & FOLLOW JESUS! So they go away and live the rest of their lives just as they have always lived it; thinking that He paid the premium for them. But on Judgement Day, Jesus will tell these kind of people, "DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO ACT WICKEDLY: I NEVER KNEW YOU!" (Matthew 7:23)

Sadly, even many Christians who get SAVED under this false gospel: think that since they were told, “You’re saved and on your way to Heaven!” There’s nothing more they need to do! But Jesus didn’t save you, just to set in Church and warm a pew, until He comes. Jesus told all of us to, “GO, AND MAKE DISCIPLES OF ALL THE NATIONS, …TEACHING THEM TO OBSERVE EVERYTHING I HAVE COMMANDED YOU!” (Matthew 28:18-19) Because, "YOU ARE TO BE MY WITNESSES... UNTO THE REMOTEST PART OF THE EARTH!” (Acts 1:8) Also see 1 Peter 2:9. Therefore Jesus would ask those of you who are just warming the pews, “WHY DO YOU CALL ME, ‘LORD, LORD,’ BUT DO NOT DO THE THINGS THAT I SAY?” (Luke 6:46)

Jesus has some very sobering words for Nominal Christians, “I KNOW YOUR WORKS, THAT YOU ARE NEITHER COLD NOR HOT. I wish that you were cold or hot. BUT BECAUSE YOU ARE LUKEWARM, AND NEITHER COLD NOR HOT, I WILL VOMIT YOU OUT OF MY MOUTH. Because you say, 'I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing!' Yet you do not see that you are miserable, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked. I advise you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may become rich; and white robes, so that you may be clothed, and the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and eye ointment to anoint your eyes, so that you may see. As many as I love, I admonish and discipline. Be zealous therefore, and repent (change your minds)!” (Revelation 3:15-19)

SO THIS penal gospel HASN’T PRODUCED ANYTHING GOOD!
IT’S ONLY PRODUCED HERESIES, NOMINAL CHRISTIANS,
AND HARDENED MANY PEOPLE’S HEARTS AGAINST GOD!

Yet, for over 500 years this penal gospel has been taught by Christians, as “The Gospel Truth!” And because of that: it has hardened untold millions of hearts against God; because Christians taught, “All the heathen who have never heard the Gospel are lost; and those who have died, are in Hell right now!” (And people rightly thought, “That’s unfair!”) But IF this penal gospel is indeed true: THEN THE APOSTLE PAUL & GOD ARE WRONG! Because Paul taught, "He has made out of one blood every nation of people to dwell on the face of the whole earth, having pre-determining their fixed times and the fixed boundaries of their habitation; THAT THEY SHOULD SEEK GOD, and perhaps feel their way toward him, AND FIND HIM!” (Acts 17:26-27) Because Like the Pagan King, Abimelech, mentioned in Genesis 20:1-6, “IN EVERY NATION WHOEVER FEARS HIM AND DOES RIGHTEOUS DEEDS IS ACCEPTED BY HIM!” (Acts 10:35) SO GOD IS NOT A STRICT & UNMERCIFUL JUDGE! YET THAT IS WHAT THE penal gospel MAKES HIM OUT TO BE!

The Jesus Movement of my generation was Powerful: Because it focused on Jesus and God’s Love focused on Jesus and God’s Love, the fact that a person can actually Know God, and being totally sold-out to JESUS! Those were wonderful times: the love of the brothers and sisters for one another was deep, and our love and passion for Jesus was even greater; because we were focused on Loving Jesus and Loving others as He Loves us! So because Jesus Loved us, we went everywhere telling everybody, "Jesus Loves You!" (Because LOVE generates LOVE! (1 john 4:18-19) But a "gospel based on fear" CAN NEVER generate love! Because “THERE IS NO FEAR IN LOVE!”)

The Jesus Movement of my generation was unlike any other revival in Church History: We weren’t trying to reform the Church; we simply were seeking to return to First Century Christianity. We simply wanted to be Jesus’ Disciples, like His First Century disciples were. We were hippies and rebels from the 60’s and 70’s, who had questioned authority and all the things we had been taught: yet we fully submitted to the Lordship of Jesus Christ, because in Him we found the Truth and Love we had been searching for. We wanted to be like the Berean Christians, of whom it’s written: “These were nobler than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the Scriptures daily, to see whether those things were so.” (Acts 17:11) So we, “Tested everything; and held onto that which was good.” (1 Thessalonians 5:21) We tested everyone’s doctrine against the Word of God. Because 1 John 2:27 says, “You have no need for anyone to teach you; because His anointing teaches you about all things, AND IS TRUE AND IS NOT A LIE.” Because Jesus said, “When He the Spirit of Truth has come, He will guide you into all truth: …He will take from that which is mine and explain it to you.” (John 16:13-14, also see John 14:25-26, 6:45, & Jeremiah 31:34, John 6:45) So the Good News the Jesus People proclaimed wasn’t based upon the traditions of men, because like the Apostle Paul, “[We] neither received it from man, nor [were we] taught it, but [we] received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ.” (Galatians 1:12)

The Gospel the Jesus People proclaimed FOCUSED ON JESUS, not on people’s sins; because if a person TRULY LOVES JESUS THEY’LL KEEP HIS COMMANDMENTS! So LOVING JESUS solves the sin problem! Plus, Jesus said THE ONLY SIN the Holy Spirit would focus on was the sin of NOT TRUSTING in Jesus: “He will convict the world OF SIN (Singular)… OF SIN, because they haven't BELIEVED in Me.” (John 16:7-8) So we told people about Jesus! Because, “How can they BELIEVE in Him, if they’ve NEVER heard about Him?” (Romans 10:14) So the Jesus Movement spread like WILD-FIRE, because PEOPLE LONG TO BE LOVED BY GOD! And the reason we didn’t produce Nominal Christians is because we ALSO taught, “Since Jesus gave everything for us; we must give everything for Him!”

The Jesus People didn't have any Churches of our own, we used to just meet in Parks. So we began going to the Traditional Churches of those who went out Witnessing with us. And in the End, we joined their Churches and we stopped meeting in Parks: and they taught us their Traditional Gospel and Witnesses Techniques; and without realizing it, we became “their disciples” instead of “The Disciples of Christ!”

I too fell into this trap: because I wanted to become a better and more efficient witness for Jesus: and since I thought they were more experienced at Witnessing than I was, I submitted to them. But John said, “You have no need for anyone to teach you,” because Jesus said, “When the Spirit of Truth has come He will guide you into ALL TRUTH.” So this was my Big Mistake! ONLY the Bible and the Holy Spirit are right 100% of the time; as for ALL THE REST OF US, we are right on some things, but wrong on other: Therefore ONLY that which is written in the New Testament IS A SURE GUIDE! So we MUST submit to it, and let it correct us! But because I was misguided: for the next 30 years I shared various forms of the penal gospel, including some which I had written—but I no longer enjoyed witnessing, because I was confronting people about their sins, instead of telling them about Jesus and His Love!

Finally the LORD confronted me for my sin of not Loving Him and others like I should have: with these words out of Revelation 2:4-5, “I have this against you, that you have left your first love. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place—unless you repent.” (NKJV) My heart was shaken to its core! So began my quest to return to my First Love, and to discover what the True Gospel was from God’s Perspective. As I prayed and studied, God birthed a Vision for a New Jesus Movement in me; one which I believe will not pass away, because it is founded on HIS LOVE! (Because the problem is: if we focus on serving the Lord instead of Love; Love becomes secondary & artificial.) So this letter contains the things GOD taught me, and that He wanted me to share with His people. He also gave me the “You Can Know God!” Pamphlet & the “Do You Hope To Go To Heaven?” Script, which make it EASY & FUN for anyone to SHARE GOD’S LOVE with anybody! You can download them for FREE! @ ShareJesus.Love

We need to tell people: Jesus Loves You! And God is Love! And His Law is Love! And the reason God Hates Sin is because it Hurts People! And JESUS is the perfect reflection of Our Heavenly Father! And you can Know God as your Personal Friend! - This is the Gospel! The GOOD NEWS the World longs to Hear! Because everybody longs to BE LOVED, and to serve A CAUSE that is greater than themselves!

We need to lay our axes to the root of the Penal Heresy Tree and cut it down! So that it can no longer produce its detestable fruit! And in its place let's plant “The Gospel of Love Tree!” So that it can produce its wonderful fruit, and cover the Earth with the Knowledge of the GOODNESS OF GOD! So If you’re a member of a Church, please share this letter with your Pastor, and others. Or if you’re a Pastor, please share copies with other Pastors and with your Congregation. You can download it @ LoveBible.org/love.pdf

Please share your thoughts on these things.
Text: (530) 364-0333 Email: jim@lovebible.org

P.S. I have always felt privileged to have been one of the Jesus People, because the way they lived and their deep love for one another, gave me a glimpse of what First Century Christianity most have looked like. If you’d like a glimpse of the former Glory of the 2nd Jesus Movement read the 1972 Time Magazine Article, “Jesus Revolution” @ LoveBible.org/time.html

But I believe the Glory of this 3rd Jesus Movement
will be even More Glorious!
This Should Be Our Anthem:
“And They’ll Know We Are Christians, By Our Love!”

LoveBible.org/love.mp4

But let’s change one line in it, to “And we’ll crucify our pride.”
Because "God opposes the proud, but gives cheerful favor to the humble.” James 4:6

The Living Word Gospel of John
contains SPIRITUAL SEEDS for a
New Jesus Movement!

It restores “The Good News of God's Love.” & refutes the lie that “God is a Perfectionist: who Poured out His Wrath on His Son; as Punishment for our sins.” And it Was designed to draw people into a Relationship with Jesus, and make True Disciple of the Christ, who Share Jesus' Love with others!

"You Can Know God!" Shares the Simple and Beautiful “Restored Gospel of God’s Love & His Law of Love.” It shares the GOOD NEWS that a person can KNOW GOD in a very deep and personal way. And it asks the reader to make a complete commitment to Christ, and shares the most important things to do to Grow in Christ.

“An Easy Way To Share Jesus’ Love.” Makes it Easy for anyone to share the Good News of Jesus with their family, friends, acquaintances, co-works, and even strangers; it gives people an idea of what to say, and links where they can download Free Gospel Pamphlets that keep the Good News GOOD!

"The Mystery of the Shroud." Looks at the Biblical & Scientific Evidence for the Authenticity of the Shroud of Turin, and gives doubters a tangible reason to believe in Jesus.

"The Gospel of John" Doesn't use religious terminology, it simply translates ‘God’s Word’ literally into common everyday English, making it easy for anyone to understand, which helps people to see Jesus more clearly. (It also contains: Helpful Notes & Insights.)

"The Book of First John" More than any other book of the New Testament, 1st John shares what it means to Truly Follow Jesus, and is a Practical Guide to Everyday Christian Living; so it gives New Believers a Good Foundation to build their lives on.

“The Restored Gospel of Love” Is a Manifesto for “A New Jesus Movement.” It restores to GOD the Honor due His Name: by restoring the Doctrines of God’s Goodness, Love, Mercy, & Law of Love ~ Which is the TRUE POWER of the Gospel!

Help FAN into FLAME a New Jesus Movement!
Download this Gospel of John and Share it others!

If you give out just 5 Gospels of John a week; by the end of the year, you’ll have Shared the Gospel with 260 people! Or 10 a week = 520 people! Or 20 a week = 1,040 people! And if some of them do likewise, within as few short years the number of people you could potentially reach with the Good News of Jesus Christ is astronomical! (Simply because you gave out a few free copies of the Gospel of John each week! So give it a try! And see what God will do! And your reward in Heaven will be Great! ~ Psalm 112:9 & Daniel 12:3) All you need is a printer and a long stapler; I'm able to print this Gospel very inexpensively on my Epson EcoTank ET-3850 printer, and perhaps you could do the same? (You can download this Gospel of John @ LoveBible.org/john.pdf)

My Vision: Eventually, I want to mail this Gospel of John out to homes across America! But first I want to send it to people in our jails and prisons in Oregon, because these people have broken lives, and they have nothing but time on their hands: but as they read and meditate on this Gospel; it will give them Hope and transform their lives! And I believe that many of them will become Leaders in this New Jesus Movement, and together we can bring forth a New Jesus Movement the likes of which the world hasn’t seen since the first century! So please send a donation through this (PayPal Donate) link, so that we can get the Good News of Jesus Christ out to them first! (Matthew 25:36)

Thank You & God Bless You! Jim Atto

Text/Vmail: 530-364-0333 Email: jim@lovebible.org