Tag Archives: Jesus Christ

Nathan Dooley

12/31/2022: Sin’s Cycle Concluded

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Originally my idea for concluding Sin’s Cycle was discovering how sin originated and then to investigate the matter of whether you, I or someone we know remains in unbelief to the gospel—by which the Christian knows to be the power of God to salvation (Rom. 1:16)—and is presently condemned to the eternal consequence. It turned out that that was going to be a lot more work than I had planned, so now I’m working off the idea of all things in our present state of being leading to one conclusion: The Coming of The Lord!

When I think about this world I share with you, but without the gospel, it’s natural to conform to what the world is up to no matter where you are located; we awake, we ache, we eat, we work, we play, we sleep into the entertainment of agendas today. Lets go see a movie, smoke some weed, watch some reels—or porn, drink something new, rewrite the constitution, ‘how about dem Cowboys?!’. The distractions from the burden of disciples made are relentless.

Diagram – 6

Ultimately, I think human’s consciousness of this world—our world that is passing away and the lust its of—has ‘hit the roof’. It’s a game of risk. Every move on the chess board a person makes is to checkmate their own soul in hell for the sake of being king rather than subjecting to their King of God’s will, Jesus Christ. When the boundaries to what this world has to offer has been discovered a question is proposed: Will you escape? Because being a “good” person does not grant salvation.

1 John 2:15-17
Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.

Nathan Dooley

Monologue: A Clear Conscience | 11/13/2022

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In case you missed it, it was a beautiful day. This morning there was frost on the rooftops and green grass, a warm glow pierced through the cold making everything sparkle as though Edward from Twilight were on the scene in everything.

Laura (my wife) was still asleep; I went to our spot, the Place Unexpected, and sat on a bench to enjoy the mood of the morning.

Nathan posing for an epic pic of the morning mood

I’ve been thinking about how to “upload” what is “downloaded” in my heart and mind. I feel like at this present time my conscience is clear and in the process of being cleansed; cleansed from all the dust and muck that “hidden” sin leaves behind after every “item” is moved out. That reminds me of biblical verses vital to my present state:

“When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest, and finds none. Then he says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when he comes, he finds it empty, swept, and put in order. Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first. So shall it also be with this wicked generation.”

— Matthew (12:43-45)

“When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest; and finding none, he says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when he comes, he finds it swept and put in order. Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first.”

— Luke (11:24-26)

In both the gospel of Matthew and Luke, Jesus warns how the unclean spirit goes of a man—in this case myself—and travels through dry places until the spirit returns finding my conscience clear and clean, then goes out to bring with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, making my next state worse than it was prior. I take responsibility for allowing what is unclean and against Christ in me.

As the Holy Spirit works to cleanse the dust and muck from within me, I must discipline myself as the apostle Paul said, “I do all things for the sake of the gospel, so that I may become a fellow partaker of it. Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown. Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air. But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.” And this writing is me showing up to do just that, discipline my body!

UNTIL NEXT TIME – LORD WILLING TOMORROW

Christian Soapbox, Nathan Dooley

A WORLD DROWNING IN SIN

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DISCLAIMER: I’m exploring the gospel from a unique perspective and am aware that I might be way off from the truth as I explore, and if I am, please feel free to contact me at nldooley@timeforprovidence.com.

THOUGHT BUBBLE: If you read my previous post you’ll find something that even made me feel strange when writing it because no one other than God knows what the heck I was/am thinking and why, but explore this with me, and if what I write is unreasonable… scratch it. My goal is to learn as I go with the reader.

When I think about a world drowning in sin, I think about the story of Noah and the Ark because it was a world drown, in sin. But I see Noah and the Ark much more than yesterday’s story by how it connects to what’s coming to our world next, which is a world melted by intense heat (2 Peter 3). And if the Lord permits, we’ll explore that prophetic reality in writing eventually.

I’m going to approach our subject matter, a world drowning in sin, with a question derived from the gospel according to Luke chapter 22. The question I present is: Was there another way, a different way, than for Christ our Lord to go to the cross? 

I think at first glance, the immediate answer is… no (Luke 22:42); “yet not My will, but Yours be done.”, Jesus said. But then again, if there wasn’t another way, then why would Jesus say that? I think there would be no reason for Jesus to have said that if Jesus’ will was the same as His Father’s will. And if my observation is reasonable, how was Jesus’ will different from that of His Father’s will?

Here is where I, as your author, feel strange writing what I’m thinking, but bear with me. What I’m thinking is, “If my education serves me right, the primal instincts of mankind are what compel us as humans to survive…” And then I map that thought to when Jesus was at the garden of Gethsemane. Jesus was a man no different than any other human man (other than of course being the Son of God and that’s not the point yet); Jesus experienced the will, primal instincts of man. And so I argue that the will of man is to survive by that of sacrifice or murder, meaning that while Jesus was under the curse of Mankind’s sin as the Lamb of God was also experiencing the instinct of Mankind’s sin to survive by requesting another way than the cross if there was another way.

An example might be like when Cain offered produce from the fruit of the ground and Abel offered a lamb from the firstborn of his flock (Genesis 4). Was there another way? The will of Mankind without faith in God is to survive, perhaps commit murder for sustainability apart from God; whereas Mankind’s faith in God with responsibility to survive, perhaps sacrifice self to believe God will save me to a new life with Him!

Now I’m not saying that Jesus was making request to be separated from God His Father, on the contrary; I think Jesus was expressing Himself as Adam—resembling the time when man was created in the image and likeness of God and placed in the garden with dominion—being expelled from the garden of Eden to survive, Adam listened to the voice of his wife and ate from the fruit that God commanded him not to eat from (“yet not My will…”). It sounds to me like Jesus is saying, “yet not the will of Adam, but Yours be done.”

I think Jesus experienced two natures, (1) the nature of Mankind and (2) the nature of God—God is love. The love of God overruled the sin of Mankind by the sacrifice of the Lamb. Jesus was compelled by the Spirit of God to the cross while simultaneously resisting the temptation of man to survive by offering these words, “…but Yours be done.” But Your will, Father, be done, not mine or any other will, but the Father’s will be done!

Jesus put the instinct or law of sin in Adam to death for the joy set before Him, enduring the cross for the salvation of the world. Looking at it another way, I think it’s safe to say that Jesus overcame the eternal consequence of man’s allegiance to do the devil’s will—even sweating blood—having suffered to provide our way of escape, the discipline of Holiness in Himself bought the world by His blood. I think the only other way would have been for God to destroy Mankind and start over with His Son, which sounds familiar, doesn’t it? (Moses).

I am concerned for the people of the world in denial about the gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, because to suppress the truth of the gospel is to generate unrighteousness of the devil for an inevitable judgment. It doesn’t have to be that way!

There would be no way for me to discern the truth about Christ without believing that the Son of God in the flesh of Jesus followed the will of His Heavenly Father by the help of the Holy Spirit, dying on the cross. For God so loved the world… (finish it). It’s Mankind’s freedom to regress in the darkness of Satan or to progress in the Light of God. Had not Jesus died on the cross and rose from the dead, my faith is in vain.

Do you remember when the Spirit of God descended upon Jesus after he was baptized, and then God spoke, “This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”? Jesus knew exactly why God called Him Son, and why God was pleased with Him. Mankind had no idea! But the mystery to Jesus Christ and the gospel is now revealed through faith in Him by the power of the Holy Spirit!