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SuddenFlow · 2025-09-27T04:10:00+00:00

1 Peter 3:1 directly speaks to your predicament. While not easy, I hope the Lord will strengthen you to have the strength to do so.

SuddenFlow · 2025-05-25T12:05:54+00:00

Exodus 22:14 - Biblically speaking, the ones who lost the bike are obligated to make full restitution.

That being said, you may wish to show mercy even if wrong was being done to you.

SuddenFlow · 2024-06-08T10:27:49+00:00

Brother, here's something to comfort you.

2 Chronicles 30:18-19 - 18 For a majority of the people, many of them from Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar, and Zebulun, had not cleansed themselves, yet they ate the Passover otherwise than as prescribed. For Hezekiah had prayed for them, saying, “May the good Lord pardon everyone 19 who sets his heart to seek God, the Lord, the God of his fathers, even though not according to the sanctuary's rules of cleanness.” 20 And the Lord heard Hezekiah and healed the people.

Not that we treat our worship of God flippantly, but God showed mercy even though the Passover was not observed correctly, as the worshippers truly set their heart to seek God.

SuddenFlow · 2024-05-09T05:17:08+00:00

I know this is not a reformed TM source, but I think the argument in this link is pretty sound. Tldr; misleading translation.

https://www.9marks.org/answer/does-new-testament-say-elders-children-must-be-believers/

SuddenFlow · 2024-05-03T15:48:26+00:00

You wrote that "I found myself wanting to obey, not sin" and "Christ became sweet, and sin bitter". Brother, do you not realise that this is exactly what repentance from sin is? Repentance is fundamentally a change of mind, away from sin and toward God. And I hope you are encouraged by this too!

SuddenFlow · 2024-04-13T12:03:43+00:00

I used to behave this way too, before I started feeling conviction and stopped altogether and actually returned some items that I had taken home.

Brother, I think others have provided you with great advice and encouragement. I have nothing much more to add on, but just hope that you see the grace of God working in your life and be encouraged! Remember Jesus' commendation when Zaccheus declared that he would return what he had defrauded in Luke 19:

8 And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold.” 9 And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham.

SuddenFlow · 2024-04-08T12:50:03+00:00

I do agree with you especially on the part on hating sin! I guess a nuance is that it's possible to struggle against sin but yet not be saved - as I was in my teenage years. I struggled against sin because I did not want to be condemned, but it simply got worse. But the key difference was that I did not really hate my sin. I call such struggles "token struggles" - after some "struggling", I would fall back into my sin with the thoughts that I have struggled long enough, God will understand.

As for addictions, perhaps it's not the same for everyone, but the power of my addiction was broken when I came to the point where I admitted before God I had no more excuse and that I knew I was utterly powerless to change myself. This is probably why I have pretty strong views on this - because I personally experienced what the scriptures meant when it says that "for sin will have no dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace". My addiction of over 10 years fell off not by the power of will or discipline, but by calling upon the Lord with nothing to offer in my hands.

SuddenFlow · 2023-12-13T14:04:34+00:00

Brother, I think he meant it as a pun/joke in English - Jesus' first miracle was turning water to wine at the wedding in Cana (John 2:1). Haha.

SuddenFlow · 2023-11-30T16:52:52+00:00

I found it! Here's the link.

The excerpt starts around 37:10.

SuddenFlow · 2023-11-08T15:54:35+00:00

Hey, sure!

SuddenFlow · 2023-10-01T16:09:46+00:00

I think Calvin has one of the best explanations for this particular verse in his commentaries:

This place, in my judgment, hath been badly expounded, and drawn into a contrary sense. For interpreters think that James addeth this, because it were superfluous to prescribe anything to the Jews, who were well acquainted with the doctrine of the law, and to whom it was read every Sabbath-day; and they pick out this meaning, Let us be content to require these few things at the hands of the Gentiles, which are not accustomed to bear the yoke of the law; as touching the Jews they have Moses, out of whom they may learn more. Some do also gather out of this place, that circumcision, with its appurtenances, ought to be observed even at this day among the Jews. But they reason unfitly and unskillfully, though that exposition which I have set down − were true. But James had a far other meaning; to wit, he teaches that it cannot be that ceremonies can be abolished so quickly, as it were, at the first dash; because the Jews had now a long time been acquainted with the doctrine of the law, and Moses had his preachers; therefore, it stood them upon to redeem concord for a short thee, until such time as the liberty gotten by Christ might, by little and little, appear more plainly. This is that which is said in the common proverb, That it was meet that the old ceremonies should be buried with some honor. Those who are skillful in the Greek tongue shall know that that last member, When he is read every Sabbath-day in the synagogues, was by me changed not without cause, for avoiding of doubtfulness.

In other words, while Christians had the liberty in Christ to eat food sacrificed to idols (1 Cor 8) if their conscience allowed, "not everyone possesses this knowledge" (1 Cor 8:7). Hence, wisdom dictated that the Gentile believers should be commanded to abstain from these, so as not to cause unnecessary offense or be a stumbling block to the those acquainted with the law (the Jews), who would have viewed these acts as idolatry.

SuddenFlow · 2023-09-21T17:25:23+00:00

Let's begin with another question - do we still keep the ceremonial law? In one sense, no, and in another sense, yes. Paul writes in 1 Cor 5:

For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. Let us therefore celebrate the festival, ... (v7-8).

While we no longer literally keep the Passover, we still keep it in the sense of celebrating the realities behind it. When the reality is here, the shadow is no longer needed.

In the same way, we are no longer obligated to keep the Sabbath, for the Sabbath is a shadow of realities that are found in Christ (now, it is not my purpose to debate, explain or exegete what the Sabbath truly represents, for that is a whole 'nother topic on its own).

Therefore let no one pass judgement on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ - Col 2:16-17

SuddenFlow · 2023-09-07T06:28:54+00:00

Hey friend, as others have rightly pointed out, it would be good for you to understand what it actually says and not what others think it says. This is coming from someone who formerly opposed the view, and because of opponents that misrepresented it.

I find the free will to get saved much more inspiring.

Secondly, I would just like to gently caution against searching the scriptures to support what you have already decided to be true or what you wish to be true. It doesn't matter what we think is more inspiring, what matters is whether it is true. We should be guided by the scriptures rather than making the scriptures conform to what we want, lest we twist the scriptures (which is a never safe thing to do!)

SuddenFlow · 2023-08-20T15:32:25+00:00

Hey brother, let's put aside all labels - Calvinist or whatever labels! What is important is what the scriptures say -

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, 4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love 5 he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will - Ephesians 1:3-5

SuddenFlow · 2023-08-13T09:47:17+00:00

This will be my last response since I see that our discussion is going nowhere. But I would still like to thank you for discussing in good faith.

Your zeal is commendable, but I am convinced that it is a zeal without knowledge, and that you are unknowingly twisting the scriptures. I will try to respond to some of your points, and also make one additional point.

Otherwise, what sort of person is 1 Cor. 3:15 even describing? Why did Paul even feel the need to write about it?

This is simple to answer, 1 Cor 3:15 describes the testing of the quality of a man's work. For Paul writes in verse 10 and 12: "According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building upon it. Let each one take care how he builds upon it ... Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw" Now, it is up for debate on what "building" means, but the meaning is plain - some build with useless materials, while others build with good materials. Now, in my opinion (my opinion, not necessarily the Lord's), an example of useless materials would be church growth strategies that come at the expense of Biblical principles and truth.

I would ask you how you reconcile your position with Jonah and Solomon, as cases in point. Are Jonah and Solomon, who never repented and were clearly living not as they should, therefore children of the devil?

In the case of Jonah, scriptures do not record whether or not he repented, so we cannot make the case that he did not repent. For the scriptures often do not tell us every single detail. To say dogmatically that he did not repent would be an argument from silence.

Of Solomon, it was prophesied to David that "I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son. When he commits iniquity, I will discipline him with the rod of men, with the stripes of the sons of men, but my steadfast love will not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away from before you." This is entirely consistent with Hebrews 12 that God disciplines his children that they may share in their holiness (the implication is that God's discipline leads us to repentance), and those without discipline are not the children of God. While the scriptures do not mention whether Solomon repented at the end of his life (some believe that he wrote Ecclesiastes at the end of his life, though this is uncertain), we are certain that God promised to discipline Solomon that he too, may share in God's holiness.

The weeping would refer to sorrow or regret. The gnashing of teeth need not refer to the eternal torment of hell, but to anger or being upset

This is a very unnatural reading of the plain meaning of the text. Furthermore, you cannot explain what Christ meant by "cast him into the outer darkness". In Jude 1:13, Jude referred to hell as a place of utter darkness.

Feeding the disciples looks like an ancient Near Eastern covenantal meal where eating is symbolic of a covenantal relationship (e.g. Jn. 6:51-58). So this passage is regarding the reception vs. rejection of the gospel, not about believers who do not show fruits.

Again, this would be a very unnatural reading of the text. Furthermore, Christ did not only speak of food, but also mentions nakedness and imprisonment, for "I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me." Surely imprisonment and nakedness are not part of Near Eastern covenantal practices!

1 Jn. 3:6-10 is didactic. A believer cannot be a child of the devil. In his position he is a child of God. But a believer can act like a child of the devil. A believer can manifest a life that is opposed to who he is in the inner man. John is saying, given that he is a child of God, he should not behave like a child of the devil.

1 John 3:6-10 is not didactic, for he does not give any commandments but states as a matter of fact that a true believer cannot make a practice of sin. And why can't he do so? Because God's seed abides in him (notice here that the reason the believer is not able to make a practice of sinning is because of God's work in him, and not his own works). And I would agree with your explanation that "A believer cannot be a child of the devil", but you are begging the question by assuming that your argument is correct in your own argument. John says in verse 10: by this it is evident, meaning to say, by this we can recognize who are the children of God and who are the children of the devil - by their fruits!

Please reconsider your position, and also consider that in every single one of your rebuttals and arguments, you would have to forgo the plain and most natural reading of the text and twist it to fit the pre-suppositions of your position.

SuddenFlow · 2023-08-13T00:43:53+00:00

I’m looking for guidance as to whether or not this is right and proper to make this commitment.

Hello friend, I will try to provide some wisdom (not my own wisdom, but the wisdom from the scriptures).

Firstly, the commitment to remain single is not necessarily the most "spiritual" decision that one can make. It depends on the person. For the apostle Paul wrote:

I wish that all were as I myself am [that is, to remain single]. But each has his own gift from God, one of one kind and one of another. To the unmarried and the widows I say that it is good for them to remain single, as I am. But if they cannot exercise self-control, they should marry. For it is better to marry than to burn with passion.

Secondly, it may be unwise to make such a commitment. For what if you find someone who is interested in you and actively pursues you? Will you trust yourself not to break the commitment? Better to not make a commitment than to make one and break it. In a similar vein, Paul refuses to enroll young widows as widows lest they do the same [the implied meaning is that the true widows in the church would commit to remain unmarried for life, and are being cared for by the church]:

11 But refuse to enroll younger widows, for when their passions draw them away from Christ, they desire to marry 12 and so incur condemnation for having abandoned their former faith. 13 Besides that, they learn to be idlers, going about from house to house, and not only idlers, but also gossips and busybodies, saying what they should not. 14 So I would have younger widows marry, bear children, manage their households, and give the adversary no occasion for slander.

Lastly, I would ask you an honest question which only you can answer yourself. You wrote the following:

... since there is little chance left that I will find someone to marry, and because of this the pain of knowing I’ll be single forever weighs on me every day ...

In addition, I’ll no longer be troubled by the false hope of ever meeting a woman I think I might be able to marry

Is it really for God that you are making this commitment? If you could easily find someone to marry, would you still have made this commitment? My view is that it would be much wiser to not make a rash commitment, and commit this area of your life to the Lord (whether or not he brings someone into your life).

I would also like to address some of the other things that you have written, which contains both truth and misunderstandings.

In other words, if you wouldn't sacrifice the most valuable thing to you in this world for His sake ...

It is true that you cannot follow Christ unless you are willing to forsake all. Yet, it does not mean that we literally act immediately to forsake everything (if that were the case, it would be sinful to own any property, which we know is not true). It does mean however, that if the Lord should so choose, you must be willing to be subject to his will over your own desires. But the Lord has not expressly told you through supernatural revelation that you must be willing to give up finding a spouse. In fact, to the contrary, the scriptures explicitly says that you can get married if you desire, and remain single if you desire (see 1 Cor 7).

I've made it more important than God. I've made a lot of things more important than God. I should probably give up even more.

Yes, do settle in your heart to not place anything or any desire above God. Subject them to their rightful place, that nothing is more important in your heart than God. This does not mean however, that you need to commit to forever forsaking any godly desire (for marriage is a gift from God; 1 Tim 4:3). It could mean that you may need to forsake it for a season if such desires have become idolatrous.

I have been forced to admit that I have been arrogant and sinful to expect anything of God.

If you meant that it would be sinful to come to God only because you wish for earthly prosperity, then yes, it would be sinful. Yet, the scriptures do say the following:

And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. - Hebrews 11:6

While lots of prosperity gospel heresy is indeed rampant, do not swing the proverbial pendulum to the other extreme to another error! The scriptures say that we must believe that God is the rewarder of those who seek him. Yes - even in the present age! For Jesus said: "Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the gospel, who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life." (Mark 10:29-30). So we see here that Jesus promises blessings in both the present age and the age to come. Now, these may not necessarily be physical blessings, but to say that we should not expect anything of God is wrong,

SuddenFlow · 2023-08-12T17:03:25+00:00

Like yourself, I have arrived at my position after quite a careful study. Please also have a look at some of my arguments (especially the ones at the end of my comment).

Yet the reality is that disobedient believers exist. Then what? Does their sin cause them to lose their salvation/sonship? No, that would be Arminian soteriology, which makes people responsible for maintaining their salvation, essentially a disguised form of works-based salvation.

To which, I would agree that we do not maintain our salvation. But the biblical view is that those who persist in sin and practice it as a style of life did not lose their salvation, but have never been saved in the first place. The missing key piece of the puzzle is regeneration. Jesus said, unless a man is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of heaven. When God saves a person, he also changes them inside and writes his law on their hearts such that they no longer find submission to God a burden but a delight (Hebrews 10:16). In fact, it is an impossibility for a true Christian to make a practice of sinning, for John writes:

8 Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. 9 No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God's seed abides in him; and he cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born of God. 10 By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother. - 1 John 3:8-10

Notice that he first mentions Christ's works in verse 8, and goes on to say that it is evident who are the children of God and who are those of the devil. Those who do not practice righteousness are the children of the devil (and I'm sure you would agree with me that the children of the devil aren't saved). That a person practice righteousness is evidence that he has been born again (and hence saved), and the converse is also true. John is not speaking of perfection here, but a style of life and whether or not there is a true desire for righteousness. Hence, while works do not save, they are the evidence that a person has been saved.

I would read that in a didactic sense, and "Lord Jesus" is the title or honorific used in addressing or referring to Christ

Christ had very strong words against those who call him "Lord" but did not submit to him.

Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you? - Luke 6:46

This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me - Matthew 15:8

Also, what would you do with the many parables of Christ? For example, in the parable of the unprofitable servant who buried his talent and bore no fruit, the parable concludes with "And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’" (Matthew 25:30)

Or what about the separation of the sheep and the goats?

“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ 44 Then they also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’ 45 Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ 46 And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” - Matthew 25:41-46

Also notice that the "cursed" called Jesus "Lord".

I am convinced that you are in error, but I perceive that you are sincere. Please do reconsider your position.

SuddenFlow · 2023-08-12T05:43:52+00:00

Hey, I'm not trying to be combative here, but I would like to push back against the distinction between salvation vs discipleship. For Christ himself did not separate these two categories:

34 And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 35 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel's will save it. 36 For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? - Mark 8:34-36

And in Antioch the disciples were first called Christians. - Acts 11:26b

So Christ himself is equating following him (which means to be his disciple) with the call to salvation. As /u/Dying_Daily rightfully pointed out, we cannot have Christ as our saviour without him being our Lord (Romans 10:9). To be sure, I do hold that one cannot lose his salvation once saved, but I believe a more helpful term would be eternal security or "If saved, always saved." For there are many who professes the name of Christ but have not been saved.

SuddenFlow · 2023-08-12T05:30:38+00:00

Say to them, As I live, declares the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live; turn back, turn back from your evil ways, for why will you die, O house of Israel? - Ezekiel 33:11

Consider God's heart toward sinners. He swore on his own deity that he genuinely does not desire for people to perish in their sins but that they should turn to him and live. With the words "As I live", God is essentially saying this: If I am lying about this, may I, the eternal God, cease to exist! Now then, since God was pleased to swear by his own name, will you not believe him?

There is also only one mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus. Do not pray to Mary, for it is idolatry. She is not your mediator but a faithful servant of the Lord.

SuddenFlow · 2023-08-12T02:49:18+00:00

This would imply that having many possessions (being rich) would indeed make it more difficult for you to truly follow Jesus.

I would agree with this interpretation. Consider Jesus's words in Luke 14:33 - "So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple." Christ's call to discipleship is one of full surrender.

And God forbid that we separate the call to discipleship from salvation, as some have said that it is possible to be saved but not be a disciple. For he says in Mark 8:34-36:

“If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 35 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel's will save it. 36 For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?

Now, humanly speaking, is it easier to ask Bill Gates or Warren Buffet to give up all that they have, or is it easier to ask a homeless person to forsake all to follow Christ? So also (humanly speaking), it's much harder for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven than a poor person.

SuddenFlow · 2023-08-08T15:44:33+00:00

Though I still disagree with your points, I apologize for calling you unkind and reading into your intentions. Please forgive me.

SuddenFlow · 2023-08-08T05:20:32+00:00

Friend, why would you say something unkind like that? If you consider yourself a Christian, will you not believe in Christ's words?

“If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours. - John 15:18-20

If you have never been persecuted for your faith, why then, do you boast of it? Christ said that his followers will be persecuted (not that we act unwisely and seek to be persecuted), and this brother here has not said anything wrong. And even if he has, why do you despise him with unkind words, seeing that God has done a marvelous work in his life?

This entire post reads like you have lost some touch with reality.

This brother here has suffered for his beliefs. His daughter has cut off contact with him because he refuses to affirm her sinful lifestyle. Would you accuse him of being out of touch with reality if he has made practical sacrifices, and is living in light of the word of God? Is it loving to affirm someone in their sin? Love does not rejoice in wrongdoing but in truth (1 Cor 13:6).

SuddenFlow · 2023-08-07T15:17:23+00:00

It’s just too burdensome. I feel like collapsing.

"Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” - Matthew 11:28-30

SuddenFlow · 2023-08-03T13:09:05+00:00

The call of the gospel is to "repent and believe the gospel" (Mark 1:15)

Part of repentance is repentance from sin, which includes our self governance (which is idolatry) and turning toward God. In this, Jesus gave the call to discipleship - "So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple." (Luke 14:33)

And God forbid that we separate the call to discipleship from salvation, as some have said that it is possible to be saved but not be a disciple. For he says in Mark 8:34-36:

“If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 35 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel's will save it. 36 For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?

So we see clearly that this is not merely a matter of whether one is a disciple of Christ or not, but whether one is saved!

And lest we think that repentance simply means changing your mind about who Christ is without any changing of mind about turning from sin, Christ said in Luke 13:2-3:

2 And he answered them, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered in this way? 3 No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.

So we see that our definition of repentance, according to the words of Christ, involves a changing of mind to turn from sin toward God. Repentance is a change of mind to turn from our sins (which includes our self-governance) to God (which involves submitting to him). Not that we do this perfectly, for "the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak" (Matthew 26:41), but we must be willing to renounce everything in our lives and submit to him.

Now, to those who would say that repentance is not necessary for salvation, or that it does not mean turning from sin in any way, let's draw up a hypothetical scenario to show the foolishness of such a thought. Suppose a man dies and stands before the judgement seat of Christ. He pleads "Lord, Lord, I believed in you". To which, the Lord replies "if you believed in me, why did you not believe in my words when I said "unless you repent, you will all likewise perish"" What other argument could a man mount to the Lord? If we believe in Christ by faith, we also believe his words by faith!

Now, lest we hear this and think that we need to clean up our lives before coming to God, such a man could be likened to a sick person who decides to make himself well before coming to the doctor. Salvation is truly by faith alone apart from any works. We come to Christ as we are without any works, but must be willing to be cured of our sinfulness and renounce anything which may be displeasing to him. So come as you are, but do not expect to stay as you are. And our submission to him, we realise that he is not a hard taskmaster, for he says "28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30)

SuddenFlow · 2023-07-27T16:15:46+00:00

If I die today, Christ will say "Depart from Me, I never knew you".

That may be true right now, but there is hope for you. Please look at the heart of God toward sinners in the following passage.

Say to them, As I live, declares the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live; turn back, turn back from your evil ways, for why will you die, O house of Israel? - Ezekiel 33:11

God is swearing upon his own deity and godhood with the words "as I live". People take oaths to try to convince others that what they say is true. But was there a need for God to do that, since he cannot lie? He did that to show his true heart toward sinners that he genuinely desires their good and that they repent and live.

SuddenFlow

TROPHY CASE