Damned if You Don’t

By Frederick Hoehn, copyright 2013, all rights reserved.

Chapter 1

We have an expression, “Damned if you do, and damned if you don’t.”  It came up recently on TV regarding the decision the President was making whether to strike the regime of Bashar Al Assad in Syria or not.

There is an unpleasant set of possible results if we do, and also if we don’t.

But with God, you’re only damned if you don’t get born again.

In John chapter 3, Jesus said, “You must be born again.”  You get born again when you believe the gospel message that Jesus never sinned, died on the cross for our sins, and that God raised him from the dead.

In Romans chapter 10, verses 9,10

That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and believe in your heart God raised him from the dead, you’re saved.  For with the heart man believes for righteousness, and with the mouth, confession is made for salvation.

This Syria thing could prove to be a quagmire for the United States.  They’re saying, “No boots on the ground.”  That seems like a very worthy goal.

But a little thing like the death of the archduke of Austria in Serajevo was responsible for the start of World War 1.

There is always the possibility of unintended consequences.

Another scripture that applies here is, “A house divided against itself cannot stand.”  Who said that?  Jesus.  And President Abraham Lincoln also quoted that as a reason not to allow the South to secede from the United States.

If we strike Assad, we could be divided against ourselves.  A military strike against him couldn’t help him in any way.  It would only hurt him.

It would send him a step further in the direction of regime collapse.  If his regime does collapse, radical Islamists could take over, and make Syria a worse place than it was under Assad.

It is lamentable that Syrians were killed by chemical weapons (gas), but there were about one hundred thousand more that were killed without chemical weapons.

Since when is it the job of the United States to be the policemen for the world?

We have already done a lot, and expended a lot of treasure.  What other nation is partnering with us if we do strike Assad?

Nor will such a strike guarantee that Assad won’t do it again.

This seems a very good opportunity to ask God to render justice, and then to leave it in his hands.

Chapter 2

But with God, people get damned because of sins they commit.  Sin is the transgression of the law.  God has given us laws to live by in the Bible.

There is only one person who never committed sin, and that’s Jesus.

It is because he committed no sin that his death is acceptable by God the Father as payment for the sins of the world.

But Christians today tend to be somewhat ignorant about what their benefits are as Christians.  In Psalm 103, we are told that not only does God forgive our sins, but he also heals our diseases.

Exodus 15:26 tells us, “I am the Lord that heals you.”

But when you get something from God, you get it by faith.  Jesus said, “When you pray, believe you receive the things you ask for, and you shall have them.” (Mark 11:24)

Notice that the believing is present tense, but the shall having is future tense.  First you believe, and then you shall have.  But if you don’t believe, then you don’t have.

Beside healing for his people, the Lord also has the Baptism with the Holy Ghost with the speaking in unknown tongues.  It is an unknown tongue to the person doing the speaker.  You speak a language that you never learned.

How is that possible?  Because when Jesus baptizes you with the Holy Ghost, the Holy Ghost then gives you words to speak in a strange language.  Then, you add your voice and speak those words out loud.

Though you don’t understand what you’re saying, God understands all languages.

You build up yourself on your faith when you pray in unknown tongues. (Jude vs. 20)

Scriptures quoted are from the Holy Bible, Hoehn Version, and the New Testament, Hoehn Version, copyright  2011.  Both are available as ebooks for the Kindle readers from Amazon.com

The Lord Bless you.  Frederick Hoehn.

www.FredHoehnMinistries.com

___1 John chapter 1

1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life,

2 (For the life was made clear, and we've seen it, and testify, and show you that eternal life, that was with the Father, and was made clear to us.)

3 That which we've seen and heard we tell you, so that you also will have fellowship with us, and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.

4 And these things we write to you, so your joy will be full.

5 This then is the message that we've heard from him, and tell you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.

6 If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and don't do the truth,

7 But if we walk in the light, like he is in the light, we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanses us from all sin.

8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

10 If we say that we haven't sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

___1 John chapter 2

1 My little children, these things I write to you, so you won't sin.  And if any man sins, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.

2 And he is the payment for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.

3 And by this we know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.

4 He that says, "I know him," and doesn't keep his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.

5 But whoever keeps his word, the love of God is truly perfected in him.  By this we know that we are in him.

6 He that says he lives in him ought to walk like He walked.

7 Brothers, I write no new commandment to you, but an old commandment that you've had from the beginning.  The old commandment is the word that you've heard from the beginning.

8 Again, a new commandment I write to you, which thing is true in him and in you, because the darkness has past, and the true light now shines.

9 He that says he is in the light, and hates his brother, is in darkness even until now.

10 He that loves his brother lives in the light, and there is no occasion of stumbling in him.

11 But he that hates his brother is in darkness, and walks in darkness, and doesn't know where he's going, because that darkness has blinded him.

12 I write to you, little children, because your sins are forgiven for his name's sake.

13 I write to you, fathers, because you've known him that is from the beginning.  I write to you, young men, because you've overcome the wicked one.  I write to you, little children, because you've known the Father.

14 I've written to you, fathers, because you've known him that is from the beginning.  I've written to you, young men, because you're strong, and the word of God lives in you, and you've overcome the wicked one.

15 Don't love the world, nor the things that are in the world.  If any man loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

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.

17 And the world passes away and its lust, but he that does the will of God lives forever.

18 Little children, it is the last time, and as you've heard that antichrist shall come, even now there are many antichrists, by which we know that it is the last time.

19 They went out from us, but they were not of us, for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us, but they went out, so that they'd be made clear that they were not all of us.

20 But you have an unction from the Holy One, and you know all things.

21 I haven't written to you because you don't know the truth, but because you know it, and that no lie is of the truth.

22 Who is a liar but he that denies that Jesus is the Christ?  He is antichrist that denies the Father and the Son.

23 Whoever denies the Son doesn't have the Father, but he that acknowledges the Son has the Father also.

24 Let that therefore live in you that you've heard from the beginning.  If that which you've heard from the beginning remains in you, you'll also continue in the Son, and in the Father.

25 And this is the promise that he has promised us, eternal life.

26 These things I've written to you concerning those who try to seduce you.

27 But the anointing that you've received from him lives in you, and you don't need any man to teach you, but as the same anointing teaches you about all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and just as it has taught you, you'll live in him.

28 And now, little children, live in him, so that, when he appears, we'll have confidence, and not be ashamed in his presence when he comes.

29 If you know that he is righteous, you know that everyone that does righteousness is born of him.

___1 John chapter 3

1 Look at what kind of love the Father has loved us with, that we should be called the sons of God, therefore the world doesn't know us, because it didn't know him.

2 Beloved, now we are the sons of God, and it doesn't yet appear what we'll be, but we know that when he appears, we'll be like him, for we'll see him as he is.

3 And every man that has this hope in himself purifies himself, just as he is pure.

4 Whoever commits sin also violates the law, for sin is the violation of the law.

5 And you know that he was revealed to take away our sins, and in him there's no sin.

6 Whoever lives in him doesn't sin, whoever sins hasn't seen him, nor known him.

7 Little children, let no man deceive you, he that does righteousness is righteous, just as he is righteous.

8 He that commits sin is of the devil, for the devil sinned from the beginning.  For this purpose the Son of God was revealed, so that he'd destroy the works of the devil.

9 Whoever is born of God doesn't commit sin, for his seed remains in him, and he can't sin, because he is born of God.

10 In this, the children of God are made clear, and the children of the devil, whoever doesn't do righteousness is not of God, nor he that doesn't love his brother.

11 For this is the message that you heard from the beginning, that we should love each other.

12 Not like Cain, who was of that wicked one, and murdered his brother.  And why did he murder him?  Because his own works were evil, and his brother's righteous.

13 Don't be surprised, my brothers, if the world hates you.

14 We know that we've passed from death to life, because we love the brothers.  He that doesn't love his brother remains in death.

15 Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life living in him.

16 By this we perceive the love of God, because he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.

17 But whoever has this world's goods, and sees his brother in need, and won't show compassion on him, how does the love of God live in him?

18 My little children, let's not love in word, nor in tongue, but in deed and in truth.

19 And by this we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him.

20 For if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things.

21 Beloved, if our heart doesn't condemn us, then we have confidence toward God.

22 And whatever we ask, we receive from him, because we keep his commandments, and do the things that are pleasing in his sight.

23 And this is his commandment, that we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love each other, as he gave us commandment.

24 And he that keeps his commandments lives in Him, and He in him.  And by this we know that he lives in us, by the Spirit that he has given us.

___1 John chapter 4

1 Beloved, don't believe every spirit, but test the spirits whether they are of God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.

2 By this you know the Spirit of God, every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God,

3 And every spirit that doesn't confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God, and this is that spirit of antichrist, about which you've heard that it would come, and even now already it's in the world.

4 You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.

5 They are of the world, therefore they speak about the world, and the world listens to them.

6 We are of God.  He that knows God listens to us, he that is not of God doesn't listen to us.  By this we know the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.

7 Beloved, let us love each other, for love is of God, and everyone that loves is born of God, and knows God.

8 He that doesn't love, doesn't know God, for God is love.

9 In this, the love of God was made clear toward us, because God sent his only begotten Son into the world, so that we would live through him.

10 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the payment for our sins.

11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love each other.

12 No man has seen God at any time.  If we love each other, God lives in us, and his love is perfected in us.

13 By this we know that we live in him, and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit.

14 And we have seen and testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Savior of the world.

15 Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him, and he in God.

16 And we have known and believed the love that God has for us.  God is love, and he that lives in love, lives in God, and God in him.

17 In this our love is made perfect, so that we'll have boldness on the day of judgment, because as he is, so are we in this world.

18 There is no fear in love, but perfect love throws out fear, because fear has torment.  He that's in fear hasn't been made perfect in love.

19 We love him, because he first loved us.

20 If a man says, "I love God," and hates his brother, he is a liar, for he that doesn't love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he hasn't seen?

21 And we have this commandment from him, that he that loves God should love his brother also.

___1 John chapter 5

1 Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone that loves him that fathered loves him also who was fathered by him.

2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments.

3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments, and his commandments don't cause grief.

4 For whoever is born of God overcomes the world, and this is the victory that overcomes the world:  our faith.

5 Who is he that overcomes the world, but he that believes that Jesus is the Son of God?

6 He's the one that came by water and blood, Jesus Christ, not by water only, but by water and blood.  And it is the Spirit that testifies, because the Spirit is truth.

7 For there are three that testify in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost, and these three are one.

8 And there are three that testify on earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood, and these three agree in one.

9 If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater, for this is the witness of God that he has testified about his Son.

10 He that believes on the Son of God has the witness in himself, he that doesn't believe God has made him a liar, because he doesn't believe the record that God gave about his Son.

11 And this is the record, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.

12 He that has the Son has life, and he that doesn't have the Son of God doesn't have life.

13 I've written these things to you who believe on the name of the Son of God so that you'll know that you have eternal life, and so that you'll believe on the name of the Son of God.

14 And this is the confidence that we have in him, that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us,

15 And if we know that he hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have what we requested from him.

16 If any man sees his brother sin a sin that's not to death, he shall ask, and he'll give him life for those who don't sin to death.  There is a sin to death, I don't say that he should pray for it.

17 All unrighteousness is sin, and there is sin not to death.

18 We know that whoever is born of God doesn't sin, but he that's begotten by God keeps himself, and that wicked one doesn't touch him.

19 And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lies in wickedness.

20 And we know that the Son of God has come, and has given us understanding, so that we'll know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, in his Son Jesus Christ.  This is the true God, and eternal life.

21 Little children, keep yourselves from idols.  Amen.