Hi Mike and Sandi,

I was reading ‘Were Judas’s Steps Ordered by God‘, and I found the following sentence:

Consequently there is a Judas in any of us depending only on the sovereignty of God either hedging Judas in or hedging Judas out of each of us. He truly is “working all things after the counsel of His own will.”

I do understand that we have all the types which were written for our admonition within ourselves. What I never really understood is how “we live by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God”

From what you say in that email, Mike, I understand that although all is within us, not all will come out. I know there is a Judas in me, there is a Peter in me, a Saul and a David and a Goliath… although it might not come out in the physical, in the spiritual realm they are all here. It is the hedging in or the hedging out by our Father which makes them come out in the physical realm or not. Do I understand this correctly?

Your brother in Christ,
R____

Hi R____,

This email will be easy to answer because you have answered it yourself.

You are right, we do not have to commit adultery with another man’s wife, kill that man to cover it up as did King David in order to be guilty of adultery and murder. If we deny that we have done such things as murder and adultery, then we, like King David and like Job, are guilty of saying, “I’m not the kind of person who would ever do such a thing as that.” We are like Joseph’s brothers who were indignant that they were being falsely accused of stealing the silver cup of Pharaoh’s comptroller, while still bearing the guilt of having sold their own brother into slavery. If we see ourselves only as Job saw himself in Job 29, then we still have to learn the lesson learned by Job, by Joseph’s brothers and by King David, which lesson is “Thou art the man.”

2Sa 12:5  And David’s anger was greatly kindled against the man; and he said to Nathan, As the LORD liveth, the man that hath done this thing shall surely die:
2Sa 12:6  And he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity.
2Sa 12:7  And Nathan said to David, Thou art the man. Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, I anointed thee king over Israel, and I delivered thee out of the hand of Saul;

“The man that has done this thing shall surely die” is a truth that must be acknowledged, and a new man must take his place. It is to our own benefit to realize this truth which you have come to see, because of what our Lord has taught us.

Luk 7:40  And Jesus answering said unto him, Simon, I have somewhat to say unto thee. And he saith, Master, say on.
Luk 7:41  There was a certain creditor which had two debtors: the one owed five hundred pence, and the other fifty.
Luk 7:42  And when they had nothing to pay, he frankly forgave them both. Tell me therefore, which of them will love him most?
Luk 7:43  Simon answered and said, I suppose that [he], to whom he forgave most. And he said unto him, Thou hast rightly judged.
Luk 7:44  And he turned to the woman, and said unto Simon, Seest thou this woman? I entered into thine house, thou gavest me no water for my feet: but she hath washed my feet with tears, and wiped [them] with the hairs of her head.
Luk 7:45  Thou gavest me no kiss: but this woman since the time I came in hath not ceased to kiss my feet.
Luk 7:46  My head with oil thou didst not anoint: but this woman hath anointed my feet with ointment.
Luk 7:47  Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little.
Luk 7:48  And he said unto her, Thy sins are forgiven.

We have no way of knowing exactly what that woman’s sins were. It doesn’t matter exactly what she had done. What does matter and what was of most benefit to that woman and to you and to me, is that she, like the apostle Peter when the cock crowed while he was cursing the air blue and denying his Lord, and like the apostle Paul, who had persecuted the body of Christ; these people all felt that they were the chief of sinners and worthy of death.

It was only after Job acknowledged that he was “vile” instead of righteous that the Lord doubled his wealth back to him. It was only after Joseph’s brother’s acknowledged that they deserved to die for what they had done to Joseph, that they were delivered from their fear of death, and it was only after David realized he was indeed that man who deserved to die, that he was given the assurance that the sword would not depart from his house, but would finish the work of destroying “that man” and securing the kingdom to the new King David.

If the sword of God’s word is always in our own home, then we too, will “die daily” and be “crucified with our Lord” to our own great benefit.

The verse that best explains how we live every word written in the bible is a verse in 1Jn 2.

1Jn 2:16  For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.

Those three facets of lust encompass “all [sins] that are in the world.” You and I and all who are “in Adam” are “by nature” full of these three facets of lust. They are listed in 1 John in the very order that our mother Eve displayed them, as she saw the forbidden fruit of the forbidden tree first as food, then as beautiful to the eyes and then as “a tree that would make one wise.”  “The lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life” were all in our mother who came out of our Father, and it was there by nature before she ever touched that tree.

If we can see and acknowledge all of that is within us, then we will understand the depth of the truth of these words of the Lord.

Ecc 9:2  All things come alike to all: there is one event to the righteous, and to the wicked; to the good and to the clean, and to the unclean; to him that sacrificeth, and to him that sacrificeth not: as is the good, so is the sinner; and he that sweareth, as he that feareth an oath.

The timing and the rewards may vary, but there is still but “one event [of fiery judgment (1Pe 4:12-17)] to the righteous and to the wicked,” and “all things [really do] come alike to all.”

As you point out, whether we actually, physically commit a depraved act or not is all determined by God either hedging out or bringing in Satan to excite our flesh to commit any given act of depravity. It was all in our father Adam, and it is all in us.

Your brother in Christ,
Mike