Nov 10 2026

New testament division of the people of planet earth.


You might justly ask yourself “What in the world is old Royce talking about now? Ok, hang on to your theological hat and consider some things.

The top guy of the Jews came to Jesus asking some questions. He had knowledge of some of the work of this Rabbi (teacher) Jesus. After giving Jesus some compliments, Jesus got right to the problem with Nicodemos saying to him,“Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” During the later part of this discourse Jesus also said to him, “That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

The afore mentioned division of humaniaty is, flesh and spirit. In New Testiment writings these words come up again. You and I and everyone else is operating in the “flesh” category or the “Spirit” category. Romans 8 5 “For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. 6 For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. 7 For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot. 8 Those whose mind is set on the flesh cannot please God.”

A dead being is totally helpless and hopeless. The only cure for death is life. The gospel of Jesus of our Lord is that the dead can be alive through new birth. Not everyone will come to Him, but everyone who does will be made alive for eternity. Romans 8 continues with more detail. “9 You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. 10 But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 11 If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.” By the way this is one of the verses of the Bible I am trusting in. I figure since the Resurrection himself is living in me my two fatal desieses can only usher me to be with the Lord faster.

Continuing, “12 So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. 13 For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. 14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. 15 For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” 16 The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him. Romans 8:12-17

How can this happen? God had a plan before the world was spoken into existance to glorify Himself. He, because he is God made a pian reveal his righteousness by Jesus, coming in flesh, living in perfect obedience, offering his own body to be killed by a horrible means, and then to raise himself from the dead. When Jesus died, we died with him. He was our substitute, taking my sins and yours and giving us the record of Jesus. We have been set free from the law that condemned us and made righteous be the decree of God.

Now to Ephesians. “1 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the flesh and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. 4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

I can’t finish until I mention Colosians “10 In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, 12 having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead. 13 And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, 14 that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. 15 He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.” Colosians 2:10-15

Have you ever heard in church,”The old man died” speaking of their conversion? I believe the opposite. “The old man” was already dead but now lives by Spirit of God.

I hope you will turn yourself in.

I have about exceeded my brain width by doing this much writing. And am aware that this is not the best post but it is sincere. Please pray for me and Carol. I am fairly stable, about like a 3 cyl car in the Datona 500, just making noise. Carl will have double knee replacement early in December.

Full of Resurrection hope,

Royce

Jun 20 2026

The good news about death…


Most thoughtful people do some things to prepare for death. I think of life insurance, pre-paid funerals and other expenses associated with their death or the death of a loved one. There are those who do everything they can imagine to avoid dying. I have friends whose lives are partially consumed with all sorts of physical exercise, supposed healthy diets, and other pursuits of anything that gives hope of living longer.

The truth is there is only one proven cure for death, life. A key part of the Christian gospel (good news) is that Jesus in his human body was raised from the dead to live forever. In the Bible we learn that the Apostle Paul had some very good news for the Christ followers in Rome. Romans chapter 8 is a treasure chest of truth about death and dying.

The first two verses of chapter 8 say: “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.

This is our first nugget of truth, if you are “in Christ” just as you have no worry about being condemned you also don’t need to worry about death. You are “free in Christ from the law of sin and death“. The death you fear no longer applies to you because of the work of God in the man Jesus who died “for us” to redeem us from the curse of the law.

3 For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, 4 in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. 5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. 6 For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. 7 For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot. 8 Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

9 You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. 10 But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 11 If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.

12 So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. 13 For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. 14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. 

The light will never go out. Yes, your mortal body will die but the life that really matters will continue forever. Jesus told the sisters of Lazarus “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” (John 11:25-26).

In conclusion…well…do you?

My hope is that you do and if you don’t please put your faith in the only one who can give life everlasting.

Royce Ogle

Jan 17 2026

The Simplicity of the Gospel of Christ


When asked about salvation, or the gospel, teachers, preachers, and seminary scholars will immediately refer to any number of scripture passages and then tell you what they think it means. And, I might add, they do it for good reason. The Bible is filled with teaching about this topic and if you read the Bible much they are hard to miss. Many people will select John 3 to make their case for salvation. It is a great chapter. I can’t get past John 1. That’s where I drive my stake in the ground.

The Gospel of John, the latest of the gospels, was written some 40 years after Jesus lived on earth and ascended to the Father. Most scholars agree the writer was John the disciple of Jesus from the great city of Ephesus. What a book! It begins with teaching about the divinity of Jesus, his eternal attributes, and ends with the resurrection. John covers only a few of the great miracles (Signs) of Jesus the God man and ends with these words in the 20th chapter.

“30 Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; 31 but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.” This is the heart of the good news about Jesus and God’s work through Him for the sake of ungodly sinners. Being saved by believing doesn’t fit some denominational particulars and others will insist that there is much more. Before someone’s eyes bleed will you stay with me for a while?

Before we get wrapped up into a fury let’s take a deep breath and go back to a passage of scripture in John 1.

“11 He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. 12 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.”

This is the way God saves sinners. It was true 40 or so years after Jesus left earth and went back to the side of the Father. It was true on the day of his resurrection, it was true on the day of Pentecost, and it is true today. He doesn’t have any other way to make a sinner fit for heaven. So…let’s take a look at what is said here.

“His own people” , the Jews largely rejected Him. Why? He didn’t fit their religious mold. Their merit based religious acts meant nothing to Him. When questioned by a member of the Jews’ highest court Jesus insisted that Nicodemus and everyone else needed to be born again. And how were they to do that? Not by another birth like the one he had already had but by simply believing, John 3:14–16

[14] And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, [15] that whoever believes in him may have eternal life

[16] “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

How many times does God need to say it? You must grapple with this question. Is Jesus enough? Of course he is, but by thousands and millions of people, even religious people, just can’t accept that Jesus is enough. Many, many people, well meaning people, think Jesus needs some help. So they go through rites and rituals, they chant some words to impress upon God how faithful they are, they baptize, they adhere strictly to their group’s rules, they keep holy days, they stick to dietary rules, they give money, all in a failed effort to get God to like them more than he already might. And, listen carefully, it’s all a waste of time and proves to God that you don’t think what God accomplished in the doing and dying of Jesus is quite enough. So you reject his offer of believing in Jesus.

“All” who receive Him, “All” who believe have the God given right to become children of God. Not by the will of the “flesh”, not of the will of “man” but of God.

If you have not already, will you become the “Who” of John 1:12,13

The “who” received Him are the “who” that believed in Him are the “who” that become children of God and have been born again so they also have new life, eternal life, through the one who alone could say “I am the life”.

In Jesus,

Royce Ogle

Jun 13 2024

Dying Daily…


For many, reading these first two words will cause you to assume that I am making reference to the Apostle Paul’s admonition that Christ followers should “die daily” to self and our physical body’s tug at our morality. For sure, those of us who identify with Christ as Lord, should “consider ourselves dead” as Paul instructed. No argument here.

That’s not the death I’m referencing. The cycle of death we all should be familiar with applies to human bodies. ( I am currently living in one and trust me it’s not the same as it was several years ago…) Pets, flowers, grass, trees, aunts and uncles, grandparents and well, everyone has an expiration date.

This is not a complaint, it’s rather a report on an old man with 2 fatal conditions, Parkinson’s and Pulmonary Fibrosis. My container is almost 79 years old with high mileage and low maintenance, so…I am toward the end of my cycle of life in a human frame.

I am dying one day at a time and it’s not a bad thing. Dying is not a problem at all for me. It’s the collection of days between here and Wylie Funeral Home that frightens me a bit. I guess honesty demands that I admit I’m somewhat a coward. Pain is not my friend, shortness of breath is a caution light warning me that one day breathing will stop. The trip from today to that day is my only concern.

I do have something else to report. I have eternal life! Yea for me! Eternal life is a free gift given to all those who put their whole trust in Jesus Christ and his finished and final work for sinners like me. Eternal life is reserved for ONLY those who are in Christ by faith. There is not a hint of doubt that my exit from this tired body will be the entrance to the presence of the Lord.

To put all this in perspective, my dying is a gift. It’s confirmation that being with the Lord, free of every malady, every disappointment, every fear, every heart ache, and forever with the Lord is my future. So I can listen to my oxygen machine beep with deep seated joy in my soul knowing that the hope of the gospel is my comfort now and then.

To die is gain…

Royce