xjwsforChrist

May you all have peace!

Earlier tonight dear hubby was relating to me how, when thinking about the question that is the title of this thread, he realized that, if considered along with our dear Lord's words, that "no one is good, except the Father," it is impossible for bad things to happen to good people... because there are no good people. Our dear Lord didn't even consider himself good, so while many things may be bad, if Christ's words were/are TRUE, bad things CANNOT happen/be happening to GOOD people.

That begs the question, though, does it not, as to whether or not there actually ARE (some) good people. For instance, what about the "Good Samaritans" of mankind? Those who demonstrate their love... and "goodness"...by, say, the help they give people and other GOOD deeds they do for and toward others, perhaps even their enemies? Doesn't that make THEM good? One would think so. Unless... one had the mind of and so thinking/outlook that Christ had and has.

Tonight I was given a bit of that mind and thinking by our dear Lord... and so can say... FOR A CERTAINTY... that what he said was absolutely true. That there WAS... NO ONE good... EXCEPT the Father, and that with one exception... him... that is still true now: there truly IS... NO ONE who is good except the Father... and Christ himself.

To understand why that is, why he could say what he did and how it COULD be true... one has only to know one thing: what "good" IS. Most think BEING good is synonymous with "doing good." Performing good deeds. Being kind/nice to others. Being generous. Patient. Merciful. Even... giving one's life. That those are (among) the things that make God Himself ... and ultimately Christ... good.

But those are NOT the qualities on our dear Lord's mind when he said "No one is good, EXCEPT the Father." No, to understand what he MEANT... and why he didn't even include HIMSELF, given all of the good deeds HE had done... and in light of what he was about to DO... one would have to go back... WAY back... to the Garden in Eden. And back... to the Tree of Knowledge of Good AND Bad... and what "good" and "bad" represented. Because it represented the same thing... when Christ said "NO ONE is GOOD, EXCEPT the Father... as it did then. And as it does NOW.

In the Garden, the man Adham and his wife, Eve, were told that if they DID eat (from a tree God had told them NOT to eat from lest they die, they would NOT die but would be "like" God: "KNOWING"... good... AND (knowing) bad. This knowledge was NOT, however, as many teach and some... most... believe: knowing the difference between right and wrong; or knowing good from evil. It was, as I've shared with you dear ones MANY times... knowing, as in having firsthand knowledge of... LIFE... AND knowing, as in having firsthand knowledge of... DEATH... YET... STILL LIVING. The man Adham knew life: he was a LIVING soul. He did not, however, know death. Because death... had not yet entered into THIS world. Thus, he KNEW... had knowledge OF... life... or... GOOD; he did not, however, KNOW... have knowledge of... death. Or... bad.

Only One had THAT knowledge... of good... life... AND bad... death: the MOST HOLY One of Israel, JAH of Armies Himself. Only HE know BOTH life AND death... and yet lived. When the man Adham ate, he ALSO came to know death... but... he did NOT live; he absolutely died, even if not right away.

Christ, too, died. After he said those words, that no one was good EXCEPT the Father... he died. And so he stated the TRUTH when he excluded himself as one who was good. Why? Because he HAD NOT YET DIED... CAME TO KNOW DEATH... AND YET LIVED. Until his death and resurrection... the Father... ALONE... KNEW good... life... AND bad... death... and STILL LIVE. Even those few who died and we're resurrected by Christ died AGAIN. So that while they've come to know death, like ADHAM they NO LONG LIVE.

Although he too died, Christ, however... LIVES. And so, as the firstborn FROM the dead to NEVER die AGAIN... he is "LIKE God" - KNOWING good AND bad... and LIVING. And so NOW... HE TOO... IS GOOD! And... he is... THE LIFE. Just the Father is good... and LIFE.

Like Adham, the rest of us, however, remain dead when we die. And we cannot resurrect ourselves. Because aside FROM Christ... the Life... Who GRANTS us life... by means of HIS life, the life that is in HIM... NWE... have NO LIFE... and thus no GOOD... IN us. And for this reason we are... ALL of US bad.

Bad, at least, in and of ourselves. There is no life... or GOOD... IN us... apart FROM the Life that is Christ. Apart from him we are ALL dead... not having come TO [the] life that HE is... and eternal life that he GIVES... and so we are dead. Bad. Versus living. Or GOOD.

And so, since at the time he said it, even HE did not yet know bad and yet lived... had not yet come to the ETERNAL life... he spoke the TRUTH: HE was not (yet) good - only the Father was. After that, he BECOME good, because he became LIKE God (Who is Good): knowing good AND bad... and yet living.

Those who are in union with him are also [considered] good (by the Father), because by means of GOD’S spirit that is in them... by means of Christ... they have life ATTRIBUTED to them. Why? Because they are "good" people? Because they do good deeds?

No, they are [considered] because they HAVE LIFE in themselves. By means of the life... or good... that is God and Christ in them. Because of this THEY HAVE NO CONDEMNATION. And thus they WILL be resurrected... or changed. And through those events THEY will come to be "like" God: knowing good (life) AND bad (death)... and yet LIVING. Or they bypass death altogether... with death never touching them at all.

In both cases, they too will be called "good." LIKE God.

I, SA, have shared with you dear ones this truth just as I heard and received it from my dear Lord, the HOLY One of Israel and Holy Spirit, JAHESHUA, the Chosen One of JAH ( MischaJah ).

I hope it helps... and I wish you all peace, you and your households!

Servant to the Household of God, Israel, and all those who go with, and a slave of Christ,

SA

Shelby, thanks for sharing that as you heard from our Lord! That makes so much sense.

Peace to you,
your sister and servant, and fellow slave of Christ,
tammy

Ditto that!

Love your sister and fellow servant of CHRIST, Kim

P.s. Hola Tams, hope your comic con week was a blast!

So, if I remember correctly, and I believe I do, whenever it was that Jah acted toward people in a so-called "bad" way, he would FIRST warn them of his coming action so as to give them sufficient time to repent AND/or time to turn around from their way. Jah does not want ANY to be destroyed. So why would He supposedly do something without first warning them--He wouldn't! Therefore, when bad things happen to seemingly "good" people he didn't cause it or will it--He wouldn't do that. Remember, THIS world has its own ruler, its own god, it has its own king, and is in the power of the wicked one. When people blame God for tragedies that occur they're blaming the wrong God.

Wow, very profound and truthful statement my brother. The one who deserves the blame along with the fact of realizing the consequences of choices that WE make is where it stands, remembering TO that if we belong to Jah and CHRIST, we are a target for the adversary. Remember Job!

Thanks for sharing,
Love and peace to you my brother Kim

Yes, Kim! May you and your household have peace.

Yes, in the remembering of Job, and ALL the events that happened to him, and perhaps more important—why the things that happened to him happened to him, don’t you think that when Satan spoke about Job to Jah, do you remember what he said: “Satan said ‘you put a hedge about him’ no wonder he serves you.” (Paraphrased)

However, when Satan failed turning Job away from Jah, might he not have walked away sulking that he couldn’t turn Job?

Might Satan then have said to Jah, “Okay, let me try others of your servants and see IF THEY will curse you to your face.” Servants like Armand or Kim or Tammy or Watersprout or Shel, or Leaving Quietly or . . . or . . . or . . . .”

“The Adversary walks about like a roaring Lion,” I hear, “seeking to devour someone.”

It is written:

Then the LORD said to Satan, "Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil."

Blameless? Upright? Fears God? Shuns evil? Does not equal “good.” ALL have fallen short of the glory of God. ALL have sinned.

As Shel stated, even Christ himself did not consider himself good. Perhaps it might be because at the time he made that statement HE was in “sinFUL flesh.”

Something to think about.

Again, Peace to you.

--Armand

YES, YES, YES... dear Armand (peace to you, dear one!)!!!!!!! THAT is the "universal challenge" that the WTBTS has WRONG! The Adversary did not, does not, HAS not challeged the [sovereignty of] MOST HOLY One of Israel, JAH of Armies. He has challenged the INTEGRITY... of US. Mankind. ALL of us.

Question is: how do WE (each) RESPOND to that challenge?

Thank you, truly, for your comments!

Peace to you!

YSSFS of Christ,

Shel

And I believe that to make his choice of WHO to challenge he watches us from childhood.

Loz x

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"This is my son. LISTEN to Him!"