Through Jesus Christ, the grace and mercy of God forgives our ignorance against Him

1 Timothy 1:12-20

Click for a description of the mark of the beast.
Click for a description of the image of the beast.

“And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord who has enabled me, because He counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry, although I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an insolent man; but I obtained mercy because I did it ignorantly in unbelief. And the grace of our Lord was exceedingly abundant, with faith and love which are in Christ Jesus.” 1 Timothy 1:12-14

The Holy Spirit wants us to know that God considers us to be faithful for ministry through our Lord Jesus Christ who enables us. He has enabled us through our born-again experience, which is the Gospel of Christ written on our heart. The ministry is to spread the Good News brought to us through Jesus the Christ.

Paul did not consider himself to be enabled by his background as a rising star among the Pharisees and Jewish power structure. He felt empowered by his born-again experience, something that changed his heart, soul, and mind through the Holy Spirit that came by saying “Yes” to Jesus as his lord. Paul was a blasphemer of the way of Christ, a persecutor of Christians, as well as being rude, arrogant, and disrespectful towards those contrary to the laws of Judaism.

Paul also is the one who wrote this through his enabler, the Holy Spirit, “For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, that no flesh should glory in His presence. But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God—and righteousness and sanctification and redemption— that, as it is written, “He who glories, let him glory in the Lord.” 1 Corinthians 1:26-31

Like Paul, there are many things against God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit that we do and have done in ignorance. Even so, we can come to the Light and reconcile to God at anytime. That is what the grace, mercy, and forgiveness of God is all about when we come to His Son Jesus Christ. The problem arises when we are aware of the Truth of Jesus Christ and reject Him anyway, we begin speaking against God the Creator, and we oppose the presence of the Holy Spirit. “For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins…” Hebrews 10:26 That is where the beast wants us to be, enemies to the way of Christ. That is why the beast gives people what to speak, do, think, and feel.

No one is perfect, we grow in the grace and knowledge of our lord Jesus Christ everyday, “…being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ…” Philippians 1:6 The grace of our Lord Jesus is exceedingly abundant, with faith and love. “My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.” 1 John 2:1-2

“This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief. However, for this reason I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show all longsuffering, as a pattern to those who are going to believe on Him for everlasting life. Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, to God who alone is wise, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.” 1 Timothy 1:15-17

“This charge I commit to you, son Timothy, according to the prophecies previously made concerning you, that by them you may wage the good warfare, having faith and a good conscience, which some having rejected, concerning the faith have suffered shipwreck, of whom are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I delivered to Satan that they may learn not to blaspheme.” 1 Timothy 1:18-20

The prophecies concerning Timothy involved his calling into the ministry, as God also chose Paul and enabled him through Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit wants us to know that whatever our name is, Paul, Timothy, Peter, James, etc. we are all called into the ministry of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and He is our enabler. Timothy was called to do spiritual warfare against false teachers and to be diligent in teaching the gospel of Jesus Christ. Today, we are called into spiritual warfare against the beast that presents itself as being Godly but denies God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. We must be diligent in our belief in God, acknowledging Jesu as our Lord and Savior, and embracing the presence of the Holy Spirit.

When people allow the beast to give them what to speak, do, think, and feel, there is no longer any room for faith. They have no hope of eternal life beyond the grave and no faith in the word of God, even though global warming is the Fourth Plague of Revelations 16:8-9. They believe in global warming but not that God sent it. The beast also corrupts the good conscience by being people’s moral compass by giving life to the image of the beast to speak and live through people everywhere. By what they say and do they are being groomed to the mark of the beast.

To have a good conscience is to allow the Holy Spirit to guide our conscience, “For if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things. Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence toward God.” 1 John 3:20-21 Faith is to believe God, live for Jesus Christ, and embrace the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit within us is the guarantee of our eternal inheritance, “In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.” Ephesians 1:13-14 We are the “purchased possession”, purchased by the blood Christ shed on the Cross to atone for our sin. Our redemption comes when we are resurrected and given an eternal body.

Those who willfully and knowingly reject Jesus Christ to serve the beast without the Holy Spirit in their conscience and without faith in the word of God, have suffered spiritual shipwreck. They have been delivered to Satan, and if they continue to blaspheme, their end will be eternal condemnation in hell.

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“….to you who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned Satan’s so-called deep secrets,“
‘I will not impose any other burden on you, except to hold on to what you have until I come.’”
“I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown.”
Revelation 2:24-25, 3:11