In our study of Mark we are in Mark 13:31; where Jesus backs up his promises that are contained in the prophesy to the Jews during the Tribulation with the oath that "Heaven and earth will pass away but My words will not pass away.
Based on this we have taken up a study of the doctrine of immutability that is based in His righteousness and justice that comprise God's Holiness.
As we were closing last time we noted that every blessing we receive is on the basis of the immutability of grace. People think of grace as God giving out something for free. That is wrong, because that would compromise His integrity.
Grace is given because of what God accomplished through Jesus' work on the cross so grace is completely compatible with of the immutable righteousness and justice of God so His integrity is not compromised.
That is why God's grace gifts are irrevocable. Rom 11:29;
There is no emotion in the essence of God. God is love but God's love is not emotional. God's love is based on His immutable holiness or integrity that is far greater than emotion.
Remember that we may have feeling or emotion from love, but love is actually the correct thought, decision and action in any given situation regardless of how one feels.
This means that while the believer may express emotion spirituality is not emotion. Spirituality is the integrity or holiness that the believer develops as they function under the ministry of God the Holy Spirit in the PMA of God's Word.
Under this principle only what God provides for us in grace and our doctrinal response to His grace is spirituality. 1John 4:19;
Emotion does not have the power of spirituality. Spirituality is God's power and therefore does not compromise the immutable essence and holiness of God.
This does not mean we are emotionless. It means that when we respond with emotion it is because of what God has provided in grace.
Those who do not know and apply God's Word that is truth are slaves to their emotions. The worst kind of slave mentality is the irrational emotional response that comes from insufficient doctrinal knowledge. Hosea 4:6;
God' love found a way to give us His very own eternal life and His very own righteousness without compromising His perfect immutable integrity. That is true giving. When you are giving properly you never allow your emotion to compromise your integrity.
You do not give because you want to control someone. You do not give to make up for your own failures in your relationships with others. You do not give out of the emotional sin of guilt. You give because you are responding to God's love.
All of our production from self-righteousness and human good is dead works. Heb 6:4-8; 1Cor 3:12;
All human works are excluded from salvation through faith alone and all human self-righteousness is excluded from the unique protocol plan of God for the Church.
God's righteousness does not accept our righteousness. No one is saved because they are good. No one is saved because of self-righteousness. No one is saved because people respect them.
God's righteousness could have been compromised by the problem of divine personal love toward every believer, but is not.
God's personal love is directed toward all believers whether they advance His plan or not because all believers have God's imputed righteousness. God can love every believer with personal love because of this imputed righteousness.
Therefore, God can only impersonally love the "the world" that is comprised of unbelievers. He cannot have any personal love for any human being until after they believe in Jesus Christ because all human beings are born spiritually dead and the best that spiritual death can produce is human self-righteousness that is rejected by God as "filthy rags" Isa 64:6;
God's personal love can only love perfect righteousness because to do so would compromise His perfect immutable holiness. This uncompromised personal love is illustrated by the personal love that the members of the Godhead share with each other.
God protects His immutable integrity by imputing His perfect righteousness to every believer. This is how God can have personal love for every believer without compromising His righteousness.
That is the basis for the mandate for believers to love the brethren without exception. This command is based on the fact you have to have a motivation of personal love for God the Father and on that basis that you have capacity to have impersonal love for all mankind just like God does.
This is the only place where the capacity to "love your enemy" is developed. To "love your enemy" with personal love would compromise your integrity but "loving your enemy" with impersonal love is compatible with your integrity so it is mandated.
The evil satanic "progressives" in our country don't understand this principle and they accuse believers of injustice if they do not accept certain categories of sin they think are acceptable because they are evil.
Sins such as homosexuality and so called homosexual "marriage" that violates the 7th and 10th commandments and illegal undocumented immigration that violates the 8th and 10th commandments.
If the believer were to accept these things they would compromise their integrity. Under the principle of impersonal integrity love the believer can hate and reject all forms of sin while simultaneously loving the person who is sinning just like God does.
God did the right thing for the entire world by giving his uniquely born son Jesus Christ. The believer does the right thing for any sinner they encounter based on God's Word and their relationship with God while simultaneously rejecting the sinner's sin.
Anything that violates God's Word is not Love it is at best sentimentality based on human "good" that is actually evil.
Believers are to love the person but they must reject their sin or they will be compromised. This complies with God's mandate for believers to love unconditionally and simultaneously maintains integrity.
The principle of rebound by confession alone to God alone does not compromise the integrity of God but adding anything to confession alone to God would compromise by making it a work and make it unacceptable to God.
That is why the only way for believers to deal with sin is to simply acknowledge any known sin to God. Nothing more.
God's righteousness would be compromised if human works were added to the function of confession in rebound but it is not because God rejects any type of penitence or reparations.
Rebound confession does not compromise the perfect holiness of God because it is compatible with His grace policy.
There is a heresy concerning rebound that says that since faith is the solution at salvation, faith must also be the solution for confession therefore confession is not necessary.
God's Word does not mention anything about faith in confession. Faith-Rest always functions under the filling ministry of the Spirit but confession functions apart from the filling ministry of the Spirit.
Confession is designed for the believer to recover the filling ministry of the Holy Spirit so that the Faith-Rest of the spiritual life can resume.