But whoever denies me before others, I will deny before my heavenly Father.
Matthew 10: 17 – But beware of people, for they will hand you over to courts and scourge you in their synagogues
Don’t we know it? Just ask DJ Trump.
This is why the Bible is so valued. What has happened before is happening again today. The Bible communicates that wisdom. That’s why I listen.
To wit, humanity proceeds through cycles. Hardship (suffering) produces reason (Grace), Grace produces success, but success produces entitlement (dysrationality, i.e., anti-Grace), and then, dysrationality leads to collapse.
The core problem is a lack of SELF-control (no free will). Entitlement is a symptom of this. People stop being problem-solvers. They become victims. Here’s the key observation: without free will, God IS unknown to them. This is atheism. This is explicitly why I call myself an ANTI atheist. Atheists cannot conceive of God. They cannot see objective truth–the evidence. It is not that they won’t see God; cognitively, they can’t. They need free will. NOTE: atheists routinely declare free will to be an illusion.
NOW to the POINT RE Matthew 10: 32-33 (my interpretation)
- 32 – Everyone who acknowledges me before others I will acknowledge before my heavenly Father.
- 33 – But whoever denies me before others, I will deny before my heavenly Father.
ME: Those “who acknowledge [Jesus] before others” possess free will. Grace is possible. Those who don’t will be unable to perceive the creator, and therefore, God is of no help to them. In the latter case, think also of animals and primitive hominids.
FREE WILL is key.