1. The Word of God will save your life. My son, give attention to my words; Incline your ear to my sayings. Do not let them depart from your eyes; Keep them in the midst of your heart. For they are life to those who find them, And health to all their flesh. (Prov 4:20-22 NKJV)
2. God’s Word will not fail. Not a word failed of any good thing which the LORD had spoken to the house of Israel. All came to pass. (Josh 21:45 NKJV)
3. God’s will -- healing-- is working in you. for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure. (Phil 2:13 NKJV)
4. The Spirit of Life is making your body alive. But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.(Rom 8:11 NKJV)
5. God is for you. For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us. (2 Cor 1:20 NKJV)
6. It is God’s will for you to be healed. And behold, a leper came and worshipped Him, saying, "Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean. Then Jesus put out His hand and touched him, saying, "I am willing; be cleansed." Immediately his leprosy was cleansed. (Mat 8:2-3 NKJV)
7. Obey God’s Word and be healed. and said, "If you diligently heed the voice of the LORD your God and do what is right in His sight, give ear to His commandments and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have brought on the Egyptians. For I am the LORD who heals you." (Exo 15:26 NKJV)
8. Serve the Lord and healing will be yours. "So you shall serve the LORD your God, and He will bless your bread and your water. And I will take sickness away from the midst of you. (Exo 23:25 NKJV)
9. God takes all sickness away from you. "And the LORD will take away from you all sickness, and will afflict you with none of the terrible diseases of Egypt which you have known, but will lay them on all those who hate you. (Deu 7:15 NKJV)
10. Obey all God’s commandments and receive all His blessings. Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, That there may be food in My house, And try Me now in this," Says the LORD of hosts, "If I will not open for you the windows of heaven And pour out for you such blessing That there will not be room enough to receive it. (Mal 3:10 NKJV)
11. One of God’s benefits is healing. Bless the LORD, O my soul; And all that is within me, bless His holy name. Bless the LORD, O my soul, And forget not all His benefits: Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases, Who redeems your life from destruction, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies, Who satisfies your mouth with good things, So that your youth is renewed like the eagle's. (Psa 103:1-5 NKJV)
12. God’s Word is healing. He sent His word and healed them, And delivered them from their destructions. (Psa 107:20 NKJV)
13. God wants you to live. I shall not die, but live, And declare the works of the LORD. (Psa 118:17 NKJV)
14. Choose to live. Be a fighter! "I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live; (Deu 30:19 NKJV)
15. You will live a long life. With long life I will satisfy him, And show him My salvation." (Psa 91:16 NKJV)
16. Jesus bore your sins AND your sicknesses. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed. (Isa 53:5 NKJV)
17. God will restore your health. For I will restore health to you And heal you of your wounds,' says the LORD, 'Because they called you an outcast saying: "This is Zion; No one seeks her."' (Jer 30:17 NKJV)
18. You can take authority over the sickness in your body. "Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. (Mat 18:18 NKJV)
19. Agree with someone for your healing "Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven. (Mat 18:19 NKJV)
20. What you say will make a difference. So Jesus answered and said to them, "Have faith in God. "For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be removed and be cast into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. (Mark 11:22-23 NKJV)
21. Believe, and you will receive. "Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them. (Mark 11:24 NKJV)
22. Plead your case to God. even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake; And I will not remember your sins. Put Me in remembrance; Let us contend together; State your case, that you may be acquitted. (Isa 43:25-26 NKJV)
23. Have someone lay hands on you for healing. "And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; "they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover." (Mark 16:17-18 NKJV)
24. Worship God. "Now we know that God does not hear sinners; but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does His will, He hears him. (John 9:31 NKJV)
25. The devil wants to kill you; God wants to heal you. "The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. (John 10:10 NKJV)
26. You are redeemed from the curse. Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree"), that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. (Gal 3:13-14 NKJV)
27. You will not waiver in your faith. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. (Heb 10:23 NKJV)
28. You can have confidence in God and His Word. Therefore do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward. (Heb 10:35 NKJV)
29. You can find strength in God and His Word “.... Let the weak say, 'I am strong.'" (Joel 3:10 NKJV)
30. Jesus Christ has never changed. What He did in the Bible, He will do for you today. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. (Heb 13:8 NKJV)
31. God’s highest wish is for you to be well. Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth. (3 John 1:2 KJV)
32. Be anointed with oil by a Christian who believes in healing. Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. (James 5:14-15 NKJV)
33. Jesus has already paid the price for your healing. who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness; by whose stripes you were healed. (1 Pet 2:24 NKJV)
34. Be confident in your prayers. Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him. (1 John 5:14-15 NKJV)
35. God answers the prayers of those that keep His commandments. Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence toward God. And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight. (1 John 3:21-22 NKJV)
36. Fear is not of God. Rebuke it! For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. (2 Tim 1:7 NKJV)
37. Cast down those thoughts and imaginations that don’t line up with the Word of God. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, (2 Cor 10:4-5 NKJV)
38. Be strong in the Lord’s power. Put on His armor to fight for healing. Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; (Eph 6:10-17 NKJV)
39. Give testimony of your healing. "And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death. (Rev 12:11 NKJV)
40. Your sickness will leave and not come back again. What do you conspire against the LORD? He will make an utter end of it. Affliction will not rise up a second time. (Nahum 1:9 NKJV)
Important Healing Prayer
Heavenly Father, I thank you for your Living Word. You said that your Word is Life to those who find it and medicine to all their flesh. Today, by my confession, I apply your Word to my body by giving voice to it.
You said in Psalm 139:14 that I am fearfully and wonderfully made and that your works are marvelous. I declare that I was created by you and I am a marvelous creation.
I speak to sickness and disease today and proclaim that according to Philippians 2:10 that they must bow down to the mighty name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Every name in Heaven, on earth, and under the earth bows its knee to Jesus’ name.
I speak to my body today and declare that I have authority over it. I command it to receive the Word of God. Matthew 8:17 proclaims that Jesus bore my sicknesses and took my infirmities.
Heavenly Father, I thank you that the same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead dwells in me and makes alive my mortal body.
I speak to my immune system and command it to line up with the Word of God.
My immune system will destroy sickness and disease in my body and perform its job; for this is what God created it to do.
I thank you Father that every cell in my body responds to your Word. Your Word permeates my body from the top of my head to the bottom of my feet. I confess that the Word of God is being made flesh in me.
Psalm 103:3 declares that you Father, forgave all my iniquities and healed all my diseases. Father, that is your confession and I make it my confession also. I don’t judge by the sight of my eyes, I judge by your Living Word. It is your Word that lives in me and brings health and healing to every part of my body.
Heavenly Father, I rejoice at your promise of divine health. You said it and I believe it! Today, I declare that I will see your promise of healing manifest in my body.
Healing is mine because Jesus paid the price two thousand years ago. God so loved me that He sent His Son to die on the cross so that I could experience life on God’s terms. His abundant life manifesting in me, making me whole – body, soul, and spirit. Amen.
Sunday, October 7, 2007
Saturday, March 31, 2007
Saying Your Prayers!
"In returning and rest shall ye be saved; in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength." (Isa. 30:15)
In the Old Testament, when the Lord spoke through the prophet Isaiah to the Israelites, He would encourage them to trust completely in Him to fight their battles for them. Yet, despite His Word, they refused to listen to Him. In verse 16 we read: "But ye said, No; for will flee upon horses; therefore shall ye flee; and, we will ride upon the swift; therefore shall they that pursue you be swift. One thousand shall flee at the rebuke of one..."
When calamity comes, whose counsel will you take? Just like the Israelites at that time were faced with annihilation from their enemies all around them, we are faced with enemies seemingly too big to handle. We are in the end times, exactly as foretold in the Word of God. Wars and rumors of war, earthquakes, floods, fires and pestilences are upon us. Fear is all around us and daily expounded on by the news media.
The people of old SAID: No, we will handle it our way. Not only did they think it. They spoke it, and therefore they received what they spoke (verse 16 above). You get what you ask for, i.e. speak! The Lord gives His Word which tells us what to do. Yet, He will not negate your words. In other words, He answers your prayers! You may "pray" for healing, safety and provision in church or in your quiet time with Him, but do your everyday words reflect your faith that you have already received His answer?
"For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not ....but watereth the earth... give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: so shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return to me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it." (Isa. 55: 10; 11)
Wow! That's a fresh new revelation from the Lord for me today! As I'm writing this I realize that those verses don't just mean that whatever the Lord says, he will do, as I have always thought they referred to! Yes, it means that as well. But.. can you see it? He is telling you by His example not to speak anything you do not want, expect or mean to happen! Why? Because it will do what it says out to so! Your words express what you believe in your heart will happen. What you speak is tantamount to the most fervent "prayer." In fact, it is the essence of true prayer. If you ask Him in your prayer closet to heal your cyst, but constantly tell your family and friends about the pain and the doctor's negative prognosis, what are you doing? You are taking your fervent prayer back out of His hands and telling Him that you can do it in your own might!
The more you come to know His Word and thus His Will, the more you can speak His perfect purpose for your life into being! Fear is a strong motivator to get you to react against the Word of God. But, fear is the exact opposite of faith, and without faith we cannot please God. (Heb. 11:6)
Have you been preoccupied with work, worries about the future, and bad reports? Then I encourage you to return your attention to the Lord. Then He will give you rest. In His rest your spirit will grow quiet and gradually gain more and more confidence that He will do what He promises.
"Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved." (Ps. 55: 22)
Article Source: http://www.articles-galore.com
In the Old Testament, when the Lord spoke through the prophet Isaiah to the Israelites, He would encourage them to trust completely in Him to fight their battles for them. Yet, despite His Word, they refused to listen to Him. In verse 16 we read: "But ye said, No; for will flee upon horses; therefore shall ye flee; and, we will ride upon the swift; therefore shall they that pursue you be swift. One thousand shall flee at the rebuke of one..."
When calamity comes, whose counsel will you take? Just like the Israelites at that time were faced with annihilation from their enemies all around them, we are faced with enemies seemingly too big to handle. We are in the end times, exactly as foretold in the Word of God. Wars and rumors of war, earthquakes, floods, fires and pestilences are upon us. Fear is all around us and daily expounded on by the news media.
The people of old SAID: No, we will handle it our way. Not only did they think it. They spoke it, and therefore they received what they spoke (verse 16 above). You get what you ask for, i.e. speak! The Lord gives His Word which tells us what to do. Yet, He will not negate your words. In other words, He answers your prayers! You may "pray" for healing, safety and provision in church or in your quiet time with Him, but do your everyday words reflect your faith that you have already received His answer?
"For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not ....but watereth the earth... give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: so shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return to me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it." (Isa. 55: 10; 11)
Wow! That's a fresh new revelation from the Lord for me today! As I'm writing this I realize that those verses don't just mean that whatever the Lord says, he will do, as I have always thought they referred to! Yes, it means that as well. But.. can you see it? He is telling you by His example not to speak anything you do not want, expect or mean to happen! Why? Because it will do what it says out to so! Your words express what you believe in your heart will happen. What you speak is tantamount to the most fervent "prayer." In fact, it is the essence of true prayer. If you ask Him in your prayer closet to heal your cyst, but constantly tell your family and friends about the pain and the doctor's negative prognosis, what are you doing? You are taking your fervent prayer back out of His hands and telling Him that you can do it in your own might!
The more you come to know His Word and thus His Will, the more you can speak His perfect purpose for your life into being! Fear is a strong motivator to get you to react against the Word of God. But, fear is the exact opposite of faith, and without faith we cannot please God. (Heb. 11:6)
Have you been preoccupied with work, worries about the future, and bad reports? Then I encourage you to return your attention to the Lord. Then He will give you rest. In His rest your spirit will grow quiet and gradually gain more and more confidence that He will do what He promises.
"Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved." (Ps. 55: 22)
Article Source: http://www.articles-galore.com
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
David and Goliath
Imagine that you are standing in the middle of a valley. On the hill in front of you are thousands of enemy soldiers all shaking their fists at you and hoping you will die. On the hill behind you are thousands of your soldiers, all scratching their heads because they think that you are crazy. Right in front of you is a heavily armed, very angry giant that is twice your size, and he wants to kill you.
And there you are, all alone, with nothing in your hands except a sling and a few lousy pebbles, and the thought that keeps going through your mind is: What was I thinking?
I don't know if that's how David felt, but I know that I've felt that way a number of times. There I was just following my heart and doing what I thought God wanted me to do, and all along the path to my dream were giants, one after another.
Maybe you've also felt like that on the way to your dreams. Not only do the problems not go away, but they also seem to get bigger and bigger. You wonder if you've made a mistake, and if anyone will notice as you quietly slip away, go back to your "day job," and forget the whole thing.
People have asked me what I thought David was thinking as he stood there facing Goliath. The Bible doesn't really tell us, but I would imagine that he must have had some doubts. But we know from how the story ends that David didn't allow his doubts to stop him.
Throughout our lives we all face "giants" - problems and struggles that stand in our way. They loom large on the path to our dreams and make us feel like the difficulties we are facing are greater than the rewards we hope to gain.
But because of David's example, we have hope - not that the problems will disappear, but that the problems we're facing can be overcome. Regardless of what others may think, we know from our own experiences with God that the victory doesn't go to the one who seems strongest but to the one who is willing to believe.
What was it about David that enabled him to defeat Goliath? Jesus gave us the simple answer to that question when He said, "Have faith in God" (Mark 11:22). But as simple as that answer may seem, putting that statement into practice and living a life that exemplifies faith in God isn't always as easy as it sounds.
In order for us to overcome the "Goliaths" that we will face as we pursue our dreams, we will need to learn how to deal with our doubts. We all have them, and circumstances will continue to happen in our lives that will cause our doubts to surface and even stop us dead in our tracks. But like David, we can't allow our doubts to keep us from taking action on our dreams.
When we have doubts, thoughts that keep nagging at us and causing us to question God, we need to take control of our minds. We should fill our minds with God's promises. God spoke to Joshua and said, "Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful."
Like David, we can overcome any giant of a problem, if we will simply allow the word of God to speak to us when our minds are filling with doubts and fears. When we "meditate" on His word, it means that we repeat it to ourselves. We stop the doubts by reminding ourselves of God's faithfulness. He will never fail us and we don't have to let our doubts rob us of our dreams.
Free Article brought to YOU by ArticlesOn.com
And there you are, all alone, with nothing in your hands except a sling and a few lousy pebbles, and the thought that keeps going through your mind is: What was I thinking?
I don't know if that's how David felt, but I know that I've felt that way a number of times. There I was just following my heart and doing what I thought God wanted me to do, and all along the path to my dream were giants, one after another.
Maybe you've also felt like that on the way to your dreams. Not only do the problems not go away, but they also seem to get bigger and bigger. You wonder if you've made a mistake, and if anyone will notice as you quietly slip away, go back to your "day job," and forget the whole thing.
People have asked me what I thought David was thinking as he stood there facing Goliath. The Bible doesn't really tell us, but I would imagine that he must have had some doubts. But we know from how the story ends that David didn't allow his doubts to stop him.
Throughout our lives we all face "giants" - problems and struggles that stand in our way. They loom large on the path to our dreams and make us feel like the difficulties we are facing are greater than the rewards we hope to gain.
But because of David's example, we have hope - not that the problems will disappear, but that the problems we're facing can be overcome. Regardless of what others may think, we know from our own experiences with God that the victory doesn't go to the one who seems strongest but to the one who is willing to believe.
What was it about David that enabled him to defeat Goliath? Jesus gave us the simple answer to that question when He said, "Have faith in God" (Mark 11:22). But as simple as that answer may seem, putting that statement into practice and living a life that exemplifies faith in God isn't always as easy as it sounds.
In order for us to overcome the "Goliaths" that we will face as we pursue our dreams, we will need to learn how to deal with our doubts. We all have them, and circumstances will continue to happen in our lives that will cause our doubts to surface and even stop us dead in our tracks. But like David, we can't allow our doubts to keep us from taking action on our dreams.
When we have doubts, thoughts that keep nagging at us and causing us to question God, we need to take control of our minds. We should fill our minds with God's promises. God spoke to Joshua and said, "Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful."
Like David, we can overcome any giant of a problem, if we will simply allow the word of God to speak to us when our minds are filling with doubts and fears. When we "meditate" on His word, it means that we repeat it to ourselves. We stop the doubts by reminding ourselves of God's faithfulness. He will never fail us and we don't have to let our doubts rob us of our dreams.
Free Article brought to YOU by ArticlesOn.com
Friday, March 23, 2007
Are all of the Christians who have died, in Heaven?
It has long been taught that when a Christian dies they go straight to
> heaven. Is this what the Bible teaches or have paganistic doctrines and
> myths crept unbeknown into our Christian faith?
>
> What did Jesus say about his friend Lazarus who had died? John 11:11-14
> "These things said he: and after that he saith unto them, Our friend
> Lazarus sleepeth; but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep. Then said
> his disciples, Lord, if he sleep, he shall do well. Howbeit Jesus spake of
> his death: but they thought that he had spoken of taking of rest in sleep.
> Then said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead".
>
> Jesus clearly showed us that the dead sleep. If Lazarus had gone to heaven
> Jesus would have said that he was in heaven with the Father. Also, after
> Jesus raised Lazarus, did anyone ask Lazarus "What was it like in heaven?
> Tell us about it". No one did, because it was the belief of the day that
> when someone died they slept until the resurrection on the last day.
>
> This is further clarified in Psalms where we are told that when we die our
> thoughts perish Psalms 146:4 "His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his
> earth; in that very day his thoughts perish".
>
> We are also told that we will not rise again until the heavens are no more
> (when Jesus returns) Job 14:12 "So man lieth down, and riseth not: till
> the heavens be no more, they shall not awake, nor be raised out of their
> sleep".
>
> Paul reinforced this understanding 1 Thessalonians 4:16 "For the Lord
> himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the
> archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise
> first":
>
> Many Christians believe that when they die they go directly to heaven,
> even though the day of judgment has not even occurred yet. They visualize
> themselves in heaven with the angels praising God. But what does the Bible
> say? Psalms 115:17 "The dead praise not the LORD, neither any that go down
> into silence".
>
> It is clear that the Bible writers all believed that the state of the dead
> is like sleeping, to be awakened the moment after they closed their eyes
> at the final trumpet at the coming of Jesus on the day of redemption. 1
> Corinthians 15:52 "In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last
> trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised
> incorruptible, and we shall be changed".
>
> Job made it clear that we return to dust and are no more until the
> resurrection Job 7:21 "And why dost thou not pardon my transgression, and
> take away mine iniquity? for now shall I sleep in the dust; and thou shalt
> seek me in the morning, but I shall not be".
>
> There are many deceptions of Satan going on in these end times and
> spiritism is on the increase. If people realized that the dead are all
> asleep and can't communicate with us, then they would start to question
> who exactly it is that they are communicating with. There are many
> deceptive demonic spirits in the invisible world around us, who take every
> opportunity they can to lead people astray. It is time that we recognized
> that when mediums are speaking to the 'other side' it is actually the evil
> angels that they are talking to and not dead beloved relatives.
>
> How can we help those who have been tricked by these deceptive spirits, if
> we don't demonstrate to people from a Biblical perspective that the dead
> are asleep and have no thoughts, so it can't be them doing the
> communicating?
>
> All Bible references are from the King James Version.
>
> Article Source: http://www.articles-galore.com By: Debra Lohrere
> heaven. Is this what the Bible teaches or have paganistic doctrines and
> myths crept unbeknown into our Christian faith?
>
> What did Jesus say about his friend Lazarus who had died? John 11:11-14
> "These things said he: and after that he saith unto them, Our friend
> Lazarus sleepeth; but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep. Then said
> his disciples, Lord, if he sleep, he shall do well. Howbeit Jesus spake of
> his death: but they thought that he had spoken of taking of rest in sleep.
> Then said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead".
>
> Jesus clearly showed us that the dead sleep. If Lazarus had gone to heaven
> Jesus would have said that he was in heaven with the Father. Also, after
> Jesus raised Lazarus, did anyone ask Lazarus "What was it like in heaven?
> Tell us about it". No one did, because it was the belief of the day that
> when someone died they slept until the resurrection on the last day.
>
> This is further clarified in Psalms where we are told that when we die our
> thoughts perish Psalms 146:4 "His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his
> earth; in that very day his thoughts perish".
>
> We are also told that we will not rise again until the heavens are no more
> (when Jesus returns) Job 14:12 "So man lieth down, and riseth not: till
> the heavens be no more, they shall not awake, nor be raised out of their
> sleep".
>
> Paul reinforced this understanding 1 Thessalonians 4:16 "For the Lord
> himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the
> archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise
> first":
>
> Many Christians believe that when they die they go directly to heaven,
> even though the day of judgment has not even occurred yet. They visualize
> themselves in heaven with the angels praising God. But what does the Bible
> say? Psalms 115:17 "The dead praise not the LORD, neither any that go down
> into silence".
>
> It is clear that the Bible writers all believed that the state of the dead
> is like sleeping, to be awakened the moment after they closed their eyes
> at the final trumpet at the coming of Jesus on the day of redemption. 1
> Corinthians 15:52 "In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last
> trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised
> incorruptible, and we shall be changed".
>
> Job made it clear that we return to dust and are no more until the
> resurrection Job 7:21 "And why dost thou not pardon my transgression, and
> take away mine iniquity? for now shall I sleep in the dust; and thou shalt
> seek me in the morning, but I shall not be".
>
> There are many deceptions of Satan going on in these end times and
> spiritism is on the increase. If people realized that the dead are all
> asleep and can't communicate with us, then they would start to question
> who exactly it is that they are communicating with. There are many
> deceptive demonic spirits in the invisible world around us, who take every
> opportunity they can to lead people astray. It is time that we recognized
> that when mediums are speaking to the 'other side' it is actually the evil
> angels that they are talking to and not dead beloved relatives.
>
> How can we help those who have been tricked by these deceptive spirits, if
> we don't demonstrate to people from a Biblical perspective that the dead
> are asleep and have no thoughts, so it can't be them doing the
> communicating?
>
> All Bible references are from the King James Version.
>
> Article Source: http://www.articles-galore.com By: Debra Lohrere
Sunday, March 11, 2007
Justification by faith alone
For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.
One of the most famous song in the world is Amazing Grace.
Amazing grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me.
I once was lost, but now am found; was blind, but now I see
Twas grace that taught my heart to fear and grace my fears relieved.
How precious did that grace appear the hour I first believed
Every person has sinned, and broken God's law. Each person has turned away from God. The outcome of our sin is death - eternal separation from God.
Because we have turned away from God, there is nothing we can do to bring us back to him. No amount of good works will ever be enough to undo the sin we have done.
On the Cross, Jesus took our sin upon himself, and died for us. This was the only way that our sin could ever be taken away from us.
We can be made righteous in God's eyes (that is, justified) by our faith - when we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and believe that he died for us. This belief wipes away all our sins - past, present and future. We are no longer eternally separated from God, but are now his children!
This faith is all that is needed for our salvation. There is nothing we can or need to do to earn our salvation - faith alone is sufficient.
Grace is this free, unmerited gift of salvation from God.
Good works are not required for our salvation. However, faith in Christ will lead to good works.
John 3:16 is probably the most well known Bible verse in the world.
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life
Luke wrote in Acts 13:38-39
Paul said, "Therefore, my brothers, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. Through him everyone who believes is justified from everything that could not be justified from the law of Moses."
Paul wrote in Romans 3:28
For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from observing the law.
Again Paul wrote in Galatians 2:16
We know that a man is not justified by observing the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by observing the law, because by observing the law no-one will be justified.
Throughout the New Testament the theme is clear. There is nothing we can do to gain everlasting life with God. There is no way to ever earn this because we have sinned and turned from God. But because of Christ there is nothing we need to do. We can be cleaned from our sin (justified) and can have everlasting life with God freely, as a gift. This is grace.
The first words of the well known book called, "What's so amazing about grace" are
There is nothing we can do to make God love us more
There is nothing we can do to make God love us less.
I think that's pretty amazing too.
One of the most famous song in the world is Amazing Grace.
Amazing grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me.
I once was lost, but now am found; was blind, but now I see
Twas grace that taught my heart to fear and grace my fears relieved.
How precious did that grace appear the hour I first believed
Every person has sinned, and broken God's law. Each person has turned away from God. The outcome of our sin is death - eternal separation from God.
Because we have turned away from God, there is nothing we can do to bring us back to him. No amount of good works will ever be enough to undo the sin we have done.
On the Cross, Jesus took our sin upon himself, and died for us. This was the only way that our sin could ever be taken away from us.
We can be made righteous in God's eyes (that is, justified) by our faith - when we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and believe that he died for us. This belief wipes away all our sins - past, present and future. We are no longer eternally separated from God, but are now his children!
This faith is all that is needed for our salvation. There is nothing we can or need to do to earn our salvation - faith alone is sufficient.
Grace is this free, unmerited gift of salvation from God.
Good works are not required for our salvation. However, faith in Christ will lead to good works.
John 3:16 is probably the most well known Bible verse in the world.
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life
Luke wrote in Acts 13:38-39
Paul said, "Therefore, my brothers, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. Through him everyone who believes is justified from everything that could not be justified from the law of Moses."
Paul wrote in Romans 3:28
For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from observing the law.
Again Paul wrote in Galatians 2:16
We know that a man is not justified by observing the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by observing the law, because by observing the law no-one will be justified.
Throughout the New Testament the theme is clear. There is nothing we can do to gain everlasting life with God. There is no way to ever earn this because we have sinned and turned from God. But because of Christ there is nothing we need to do. We can be cleaned from our sin (justified) and can have everlasting life with God freely, as a gift. This is grace.
The first words of the well known book called, "What's so amazing about grace" are
There is nothing we can do to make God love us more
There is nothing we can do to make God love us less.
I think that's pretty amazing too.
Thursday, February 22, 2007
Guiding Principles for Growing your Christian Church
Are you a church leader that is struggling to maintain numbers? Or have you sensed the call of God to build your church and have hit a brick wall?
Perhaps you have been led to start a small group and have trouble finding the right people to contribute within the group.
If so, you're not alone. There are many Christian men and women who are asking themselves, "How am I supposed to do this?"
The short answer that they receive from their friends and colleagues is "trust God" and "let Him show you the way."
While this is theologically correct and we should rely totally on God's strength, we need to be prepared to spend all our own efforts to see the vision come to pass.
Sadly, most pastors and church leaders get disappointed when no-one can answer their questions, and their eager desire to fulfil the call of God results in termination of the project.
Ultimately they move on. Or worse, they stay with the congregation bearing the shame of this unresolved project knowing that they are being looked down upon.
Is there hope to take up the call that you've heard from the Lord? Here are seven basic principles of Christian church growth:
Seven Steps to a Healthy Church
1. What is your call?
Most pastors and church leaders don't have a firm conviction or idea about what they are to do. Ironically their congregations are looking for them for direction and spiritual input, but they lack the vision and wisdom to know what to do.
2. What are your convictions?
Once you clarify your call, are you prepared to see it through? You will need to be very clear about what is acceptable, and what is not acceptable. Know what you will be fighting to achieve, and what is best left. That is, avoid distractions.
3. Who shares your vision?
Are you the only person with this call and conviction? If so, you will need to seek out other pastors and ministers who can verify whether the call and conviction are from God. The community of believers will be able to testify with you and provide you extra direction if you need it. Use them.
If there are already people in your congregation that share your vision and convictions, set aside time for prayer and direction and get them actively involved with the project. Listen to them.
This will help you avoid the pitfalls of the "lone ranger" mentality.
4. Prepare your plan
Plans alone won't bring about the call. You will need to rely and trust God for the power to accomplish the task that He has given you. However this is a practical step concerned with implementation.
Here is an exercise to do with those that share the call with you. It is best that you pray and ask God for ideas prior to this exercise so that He can reveal more about the project whilst you work.
Draw a mind map. Start with your call as the main topic in a large sheet of paper and draw a circle around it. From there, let your ideas become major topics spreading out from the main topic, and draw circles around them too. This will form the basis of your major concerns or activities about the project.
Further, you will need to draw more lines from these major topics that provide extra details. These deal with:
a) Is this a problem?
b) What can be done about it?
c) Is there a historical precedent set?
d) Will this impact other churches?
e) What can be done about it?
f) What funds are required?
etc.
5. Pray
Yes, pray. This is fundamental to the whole process. Leave your plans on the table for a week or so, and ask God to speak more clearly about the project. Rely on him to show you the things that you need to change, remove or reconsider.
More-so, you will need to learn how to listen to God. Most people have never learnt the art of silence and meditation. When you quiet your spirit you are able to hear God more clearly, above the noise of everyday life. Read the Bible and ask God, "Is there anything else You can tell me?"
6. An Outward Focus
Most projects fail because the people involved become self-focused. All of a sudden it's no longer God's project, but a project that is going to bring glory to some man or woman in a church. As a result, the project typically splits churches, and damages relationships.
The most successful projects are those that have the support of the entire congregation and all share the mission to make the call successful. The leaders are the biggest servants to lead and motivate.
When we aim to help others and look beyond our own circumstances, there is energy and motivation that is created that supersedes the focus that exists when we focus inwardly. That is, on ourselves. The first step to church decline is focusing on "maintaining our numbers".
As a leader, you will need to ensure that everyone maintains an outward focus to achieve the project.
7. Launch
After careful planning, prayer, support and focusing on the task at hand, you need to ask God, "Is this the right time?"
You will sense that the time is right when there is a strong and level headed sense of direction among the group. Does the launch have support systems in place to care for those doing the work? How many people will be doing the work? What will you do when things go wrong? Have you got funds in place to cover expenses?
Since every call is different you will need to ensure that the planning phase covers most of the work that you intend to do.
It is better to delay launch until the problems you identified are resolved, rather than to launch early.
One of the major de-motivating factors occurs when people launch a project in anticipation of the results, and then the results never eventuate. This is careless planning, and should be avoided.
Be careful with the call you have been given. You may only get one real chance to do it properly.
Now you have the seven steps to assist you to build your church. Remember that you can't do it alone. You must work 100% with God's direction using 100% of your effort to bring this about.
Article Source: http://www.articles-galore.com
Perhaps you have been led to start a small group and have trouble finding the right people to contribute within the group.
If so, you're not alone. There are many Christian men and women who are asking themselves, "How am I supposed to do this?"
The short answer that they receive from their friends and colleagues is "trust God" and "let Him show you the way."
While this is theologically correct and we should rely totally on God's strength, we need to be prepared to spend all our own efforts to see the vision come to pass.
Sadly, most pastors and church leaders get disappointed when no-one can answer their questions, and their eager desire to fulfil the call of God results in termination of the project.
Ultimately they move on. Or worse, they stay with the congregation bearing the shame of this unresolved project knowing that they are being looked down upon.
Is there hope to take up the call that you've heard from the Lord? Here are seven basic principles of Christian church growth:
Seven Steps to a Healthy Church
1. What is your call?
Most pastors and church leaders don't have a firm conviction or idea about what they are to do. Ironically their congregations are looking for them for direction and spiritual input, but they lack the vision and wisdom to know what to do.
2. What are your convictions?
Once you clarify your call, are you prepared to see it through? You will need to be very clear about what is acceptable, and what is not acceptable. Know what you will be fighting to achieve, and what is best left. That is, avoid distractions.
3. Who shares your vision?
Are you the only person with this call and conviction? If so, you will need to seek out other pastors and ministers who can verify whether the call and conviction are from God. The community of believers will be able to testify with you and provide you extra direction if you need it. Use them.
If there are already people in your congregation that share your vision and convictions, set aside time for prayer and direction and get them actively involved with the project. Listen to them.
This will help you avoid the pitfalls of the "lone ranger" mentality.
4. Prepare your plan
Plans alone won't bring about the call. You will need to rely and trust God for the power to accomplish the task that He has given you. However this is a practical step concerned with implementation.
Here is an exercise to do with those that share the call with you. It is best that you pray and ask God for ideas prior to this exercise so that He can reveal more about the project whilst you work.
Draw a mind map. Start with your call as the main topic in a large sheet of paper and draw a circle around it. From there, let your ideas become major topics spreading out from the main topic, and draw circles around them too. This will form the basis of your major concerns or activities about the project.
Further, you will need to draw more lines from these major topics that provide extra details. These deal with:
a) Is this a problem?
b) What can be done about it?
c) Is there a historical precedent set?
d) Will this impact other churches?
e) What can be done about it?
f) What funds are required?
etc.
5. Pray
Yes, pray. This is fundamental to the whole process. Leave your plans on the table for a week or so, and ask God to speak more clearly about the project. Rely on him to show you the things that you need to change, remove or reconsider.
More-so, you will need to learn how to listen to God. Most people have never learnt the art of silence and meditation. When you quiet your spirit you are able to hear God more clearly, above the noise of everyday life. Read the Bible and ask God, "Is there anything else You can tell me?"
6. An Outward Focus
Most projects fail because the people involved become self-focused. All of a sudden it's no longer God's project, but a project that is going to bring glory to some man or woman in a church. As a result, the project typically splits churches, and damages relationships.
The most successful projects are those that have the support of the entire congregation and all share the mission to make the call successful. The leaders are the biggest servants to lead and motivate.
When we aim to help others and look beyond our own circumstances, there is energy and motivation that is created that supersedes the focus that exists when we focus inwardly. That is, on ourselves. The first step to church decline is focusing on "maintaining our numbers".
As a leader, you will need to ensure that everyone maintains an outward focus to achieve the project.
7. Launch
After careful planning, prayer, support and focusing on the task at hand, you need to ask God, "Is this the right time?"
You will sense that the time is right when there is a strong and level headed sense of direction among the group. Does the launch have support systems in place to care for those doing the work? How many people will be doing the work? What will you do when things go wrong? Have you got funds in place to cover expenses?
Since every call is different you will need to ensure that the planning phase covers most of the work that you intend to do.
It is better to delay launch until the problems you identified are resolved, rather than to launch early.
One of the major de-motivating factors occurs when people launch a project in anticipation of the results, and then the results never eventuate. This is careless planning, and should be avoided.
Be careful with the call you have been given. You may only get one real chance to do it properly.
Now you have the seven steps to assist you to build your church. Remember that you can't do it alone. You must work 100% with God's direction using 100% of your effort to bring this about.
Article Source: http://www.articles-galore.com
Monday, February 19, 2007
What is Christianity?.....
Christianity is based upon the teachings and miracles of Jesus.
Christianity teaches that there is only one God in all existence, that God made the universe, the Earth, and created Adam and Eve.
God created man in His image. This does not mean that God has a body of flesh and bones. Image means the likeness of God's character, rationality, etc.
Because we are made in the image of God, every person is worthy of respect and honor. Furthermore, this means that we did not evolve through random processes from a single celled organism into rational, emotion beings.
God created Adam and Eve and put them in the Garden of Eden and gave them the freedom to choose between right and wrong. They chose to sin.
Sin is doing that which is contrary to the nature and will of God. For example, God cannot lie; therefore, lying is sin.
The sin of disobeying God that Adam and Eve committed resulted in them being expelled from the Garden of Eden as well as suffering the effect of death.
As a result of their sin, their children and all of us inherited a sinful nature. In other words, our offspring are not perfect in nature -- we don't have to teach children to be selfish. They know it naturally. That which is sinful cannot produce that which is not sinful.
Christianity teaches that God is a Trinity (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, not three Gods), that Jesus Christ is second person of the Trinity, that Jesus died on the cross and rose from the dead physically, that all people are under the righteous judgment of God because all people have sinned against God.
It teaches that Jesus is the only way to be saved from the coming judgment of God and that salvation is received by faith in the work of Christ on the cross and not by anything that we can do to please God.
Christianity teaches salvation by grace. This means that we are not made right before God by our efforts, sincerity, or works. Instead, we are made right before God by faith in what Christ did on the cross.
Christianity further teaches that once a person is "born again" (becomes saved) that the Holy Spirit lives in that person and the person is changed: "Therefore if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come," (2 Cor. 5:17).
This means that God actually lives in the person and the Christian then experiences a true and living relationship with God.
Therefore, "What is Christianity?" is best answered by saying that it is a relationship with the true and living God through the person of Jesus Christ by whom we are forgiven of our sins and escape the righteous judgment of God.
What is the Bible?.....
The Bible is a collection of 66 books written by about 40 authors, in three different languages, on three different continents, over approximately 1600 years. The Bible claims to be inspired and inerrant. This means that the Bible claims to be from God and that it is without error in everything it addresses.
The Bible contains many different styles of writing such as poetry, narration, fiction, history, law, and prophecy and must be interpreted in context of those styles. It is the source of the Christian religion in that the Bible contains the words of God and how the Christian is to apply the words of God to his life.
Basically, the Bible describes the origin of man in the Garden of Eden along with his fall into sin and out of fellowship with God. It then describes how God called out a special people to Himself, the Israelites. He promised the Israelites a future Messiah who would restore mankind's relationship with God.
The Bible is the account of the work of God in history bringing to fruition His prophetic declarations concerning Jesus. Jesus was born of the Virgin, died on the cross, and paid for sins, just as the Bible prophesied in the Old Testament and fulfilled in the New.
In short, the Bible points to Jesus, "You search the Scriptures, because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is these that bear witness of Me," (John 5:39).
Furthermore, the Bible teaches us that forgiveness of sins is found in Jesus alone, "And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men, by which we must be saved,” (Acts 4:12).
Some say that the Bible is nothing more than fairy tales. But this cannot be for it contains great wisdom and truth and it has been verified throughout history as being accurate. Its historical accounts are flawlessly accurate. In fact, archaeology routinely demonstrates the accuracy of the biblical records concerning locations and events recorded in the Bible.
The Old Testament Books written by the prophets such as Moses, David, Isaiah, etc.
1. Pentateuch - 5 books: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy
2. Historical Books - 12 books: Joshua, Judges, Ruth, First Samuel, Second Samuel, First Kings, Second Kings, First Chronicles, Second Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther.
3. Poetical - 5 books: Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon
4. Prophetical - 17 books: Major Prophets - Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, Daniel; Minor Prophets - Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi
The New Testament Books written by those who knew Jesus or were under the guidance of those who did
1. Historical Books - 5 books: Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts
2. Pauline Epistles - 13 books: Romans, 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 Thessalonians, 2 Thessalonians. 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon
3. Non-Pauline Epistles - 9 books: Hebrews, James, 1 Peter, 2 Peter, 1 John, 2 John, 3 John, Jude, Revelation
Who is God?.....
The question "Who is God?" is a good question. It is better than asking "What is God?" This is because God exists, created us, loves us, is concerned for our being, desires to provide for us, and sent the Son to redeem us.
If we were to ask "What is God?" we might be tempted to say that God is the infinite being, the creator, a presence, or something like that. In some respect, this would be true. But the first question brings us closer to understanding more of who God really is in His character and His love for us as revealed in the Bible.
The Bible teaches us that in all existence, from all eternity, there has been and always will be only one God. God was never created, is completely loving, completely just, completely holy, completely merciful, and that He desires the best for us.
God is holy and He can have nothing to do with sin as the Bible says, "His eyes are too pure to look upon evil," (Hab. 1:13). This does not mean that God cannot see what someone does that is wrong. It is a way of describing how holy God is. God cannot sin. He is perfect.
In Christianity, God is a Trinity. This means that God is three persons, not three gods. Technically, the doctrine of the Trinity states that in the one God is the person of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Each is not the same person as the other; yet there are not three gods but one.
This is similar in analogy to the nature of time. Time is past, present, and future. The past is not the same as the present, which is not the same as the future. But, there are not three times. There is only one thing called time.
The reason the word "person" is used in describing the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit is because each exhibits attributes of personhood -- not in a body of flesh and bones, but in personality.
In other words, each has a will, loves, speaks, is aware of others, communicates with others, etc. These are attributes of personhood and we see the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit each demonstrate these qualities.
Because of the Trinity, God can become flesh in the form of the Son, and still exist in such a way so that He can run the universe. Therefore, the Son can communicate to us on our level.
Following are a couple verses that hint at the Trinity.
Matt. 28:19, "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit."
2 Cor. 13:14, "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you all."
The Bible says there is only one God: "I am the Lord, and there is no other; Besides Me there is no God," (Isaiah 45:5).
Who is Jesus?.....
Jesus is the central figure of Christianity. He said, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me," (John 14:6).
Also, Jesus claimed to be God in flesh. If you compare what God said to Moses in Exodus 3:14 ("And God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM”) with what Jesus said in John 8:58 (Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am,"), then you quickly see that Jesus was claiming to be God. In fact, others testified that He was divine as well:
John 20:28, "Thomas answered and said to Him, 'My Lord and my God!'"
Col. 2:9, "For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form."
Heb. 1:8, "But of the Son He says, “Thy throne, O God, is forever and ever..."
Jesus is the second person of the Trinity. He is the Word that became flesh and dwelt among us. "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God...And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth," (John 1:1-2,14).
Because the word was with God and was God and became flesh, we then state that Jesus has two natures: divine and human.
Therefore, Christianity teaches that Jesus is both God and man at the same time. The reason that he is God in flesh is because only God can atone for our sins; we can't do it on our own because we are finite, sinful beings and we cannot please an infinitely holy God.
Jesus had to be a man to be able to die for humanity. This means that Jesus took our place on the cross; that is, He took our place and suffered the wrath of God the Father. If you trust in what Christ has done, then you will be saved from the righteous judgment of God.
God is infinitely holy, sinless, and just. When we sin, when we do something contrary to God's will, then we have offended God. Since He is infinite, our offense against Him takes on an infinite quality -- because of who we have offended: an infinite God.
Since no person can please an infinite God (because we are finite and sinners) then the only one left to remove our sins is God Himself. Therefore, Jesus is God in flesh, the one who died on the cross, bore our sin in his body (1 Pet. 2:24), and physically rose from the dead.
Right now, in heaven, Jesus is still in the form of a man: "For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus," (1 Tim. 2:5).
Jesus rose from the dead in the same body he died in: "Jesus answered and said to them, 'Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.' The Jews therefore said, 'It took forty-six years to build this temple, and will You raise it up in three days?'
But He was speaking of the temple of His body. When therefore He was raised from the dead, His disciples remembered that He said this; and they believed the Scripture, and the word which Jesus had spoken," (John 2:19-21).
Also, He retained the wounds of His crucifixion after He rose from the dead: "Then He said to Thomas, “Reach here your finger, and see My hands; and reach here your hand, and put it into My side; and be not unbelieving, but believing,” (John 20:25).
Forty days after His resurrection He ascended into heaven bodily: "And after He had said these things, He was lifted up while they were looking on, and a cloud received Him out of their sight," (Acts 1:9). He will return again from the heavens, and will judge the world and all people: "This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven," (Acts 1:11). Yet, at the same time, He is still divine, "For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form," (Col. 2:9).
Jesus never did anything wrong. He performed many miracles such as healing, casting out demons, walking on water, calming a storm with the command, raising people from the dead, and rising from the dead himself. Though there have been many great teachers throughout history, none of them have performed such miracles and claimed to be divine as Jesus claimed. This is why we can believe Him when He says, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me," (John 14:6).
We trust what Jesus said. Therefore...
Jesus is prayed to - Acts 7:55-60; 1 Cor. 1:2 with Psalm 116:41; (John 14:14)
Jesus is worshipped - Matt. 2:2,11; 14:33; John 9:35-38; Heb. 1:6
Jesus cleanses from sin - 1 John 1:9
Jesus forgives sins - Matt. 9:1-7; Luke 5:20; 7:48
What is sin?...
Sin is the breaking of God's law. If God says "Do not lie" and you lie, then you have broken His law and sinned. When you sin, you offend God because it is His law that you have broken. Also, the reason God says to not lie, not cheat, etc., is because these laws reflect the moral purity of His nature. Therefore, the Law is a reflection of the character of God. It is wrong to lie because God cannot lie. It is wrong to steal because God cannot steal, etc. The moral law is not arbitrary. It is based on God's holiness.
The law, then, is a standard of moral purity. The Old Testament contains the Law of God. It is a perfect standard in that it is God's standard. When we fail to keep the law, we sin. When we sin, we offend God. This offense against God results in a judgment. There is no law without a penalty. Likewise breaking God's law incurs a judgment which is separation from God. "But your sins have made a separation between you and your God," (Isaiah 59:2). And, "the wages of sin is death..." (Rom. 6:23).
So, to sin, to break God's law, results in a judgment. The judgment is known as damnation which is the righteous judgment of God upon the sinner. If God did not judge the sinner, then He is not upholding His holiness.
Of course, Jesus came to take our place and die for our sins (1 Pet. 2:24). This means that Jesus bore our sin in His body on the cross and supernaturally paid for them. This further means that anyone who trusts in what Jesus did on the cross will have his sins removed; he will be saved from God's future judgment.
So, answering the question "What is sin?" is best answered by stating that it is breaking God's law. All people have sinned. Therefore, all people are under God's judgment -- except for those who've trusted in God's provision to escape that judgment which God will carry out.
Where are you? Are you in the place of judgment or of salvation?
What is salvation?...
Salvation is being saved from the righteous judgment of God upon the sinner.
A lot of people think that salvation means being saved from yourself or the devil. But that is not accurate. All who have sinned against God are under the judgment of God. This judgment is known as damnation where God condemns to eternal he*ll all those who have offended Him by breaking His Law.
This does not mean that God is unfair. It shows that God is holy. God must punish the sinner. But, He has provided a way of escape so that people will not face His righteous judgment. This means that God is both holy and loving. He must manifest each quality equally. So, being saved from the wrath of God is called salvation.
Salvation is found in Jesus, and only in Jesus, who is God in flesh (John 1:1,14), and who died for our sins and rose from the dead. 1 Cor. 15:1-4 says... "Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,"
This is how salvation works: All of us have sinned against God and deserve judgment. But Jesus never sinned (1 Pet. 2:22). He lived the Law of God perfectly. In this He has a perfectly righteous standing before God. When the corrupt Jewish leaders forced Rome's hand into crucifying Jesus, God used this crucifixion as the means to place the sins of the world upon Jesus (1 Pet. 2:24; 1 John 2:2). This is when Jesus became sin on our behalf. 2 Cor. 5:21 says, "He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him."
The crucifixion became the place where Jesus bore our sins in His body and suffered in our place. "But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, and by His scourging we are healed,"... (Isaiah 53:5). Remember, no sinner could please God perfectly and no sinner could offer a perfect sacrifice to God. Only God in flesh, Jesus, could do that.
So, since there is nothing we can do that is righteous before God (Isaiah 64:6 says our righteous deeds are filthy rags), then we cannot please an infinitely holy and righteous God by anything we do. But, Jesus who is perfectly righteous before God the Father, died in our place. What we could not do, He did.
If you want to escape the righteous judgment of God, then you need to trust in the sacrifice of God. You need to be made right before God, by God. This righteousness of Christ is given to you if you accept it, if you trust and belief in what Jesus did. This is why the Bible says that we are saved by grace through faith. "For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God,"... Eph. 2:8.
When you trust in what Christ has done on the cross, and in no works of your own (since they aren't good enough anyway), then the righteousness of Christ is given to you -- even as your sins were "given" to Jesus. Its like a trade. He gets your sin. You get His righteousness.
Once you have trusted in what Christ has done, then you possess eternal life and you will never face the judgment of God.
“My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they shall never perish; and no one shall snatch them out of My hand,"...John 10:27-28.
What about different denominations?...
The reason there are different denominations within Christianity is because the Bible allows for us to have differences of opinions. Within Christianity there are very few essential doctrines that make someone a Christian. These essential doctrines are,
1. Jesus is both God and man (John 1:1,14; 8:24; Col. 2:9; 1 John 4:1-4).
2. Jesus rose from the dead physically (John 2:19-21; 1 Cor. 15:14).
3. Salvation is by grace through faith (Rom. 5:1; Eph. 2:8-9; Gal. 3:1-2; 5:1-4).
4. The gospel is the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus (1 Cor. 15:1-4; Gal. 1:8-9).
5. There is only one God...Exodus 20:3; Isaiah 43:10; 44:6,8
6. God exists as a Trinity of persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
7. Jesus was born of the Virgin Mary (nature of incarnation)
As long as a church believes in these essential doctrines, then it is Christian.
However, there are many things in the scriptures that have been interpreted in different ways.
For example, what day of the week should be worship on, Saturday or Sunday? Should we baptized by sprinkling or baptized by immersion? Do we take communion every Sunday, once a month, or once a year?
The answers to these questions do not affect whether or not someone is a Christian or not. It is in these issues, and others like them, that denominations are formed. It does not mean that one denomination contradicts another. It means that though they agree in the essentials, they differ in some nonessentials. This is permitted in Scripture:
"Now accept the one who is weak in faith, but not for the purpose of passing judgment on his opinions. One man has faith that he may eat all things, but he who is weak eats vegetables only. Let not him who eats regard with contempt him who does not eat, and let not him who does not eat judge him who eats, for God has accepted him. Who are you to judge the servant of another? To his own master he stands or falls; and stand he will, for the Lord is able to make him stand. One man regards one day above another, another regards every day alike. Let each man be fully convinced in his own mind," (Rom. 14:1-5).
Sadly, there is another reason for denominational differences and that is the failure of Christians to live according to the will of God. The truth is that we are all sinners and we do not see things eye to eye. It is an unfortunate truth that denominational differences are due to our shortsightedness and lack of love. But, the good thing is that God loves us so much that He puts up with our failures. There waits for us, in spite of our differences, a great reward in heaven. Neither salvation nor damnation is dependent upon our differences. Our salvation is based on our relationship with Christ.
What about other religions?...
There are many religions in the world. They do not all teach the same thing. In fact, many of them contradict each other. So, they can't all be true and it cannot be said that each is a different path to God. What are we to say about all those other religions compared to Christianity? To get to the point, all of the religions are false.
If Jesus is who He said He was, God in flesh, then whatever He says is authoritative and true. He said that He was the way, the truth, and the life and that nobody comes to the father except through Him (John 14:6). Right there, we see that any other way, according to Jesus, is not true.
Christianity bases its truth and its doctrine on the word of God, the Bible. In the word of God, Jesus claims to be the only way. Since He performed many miracles, raised people from the dead, commanded a storm to be still and it obeyed, healed diseases, and rose from the dead Himself, then we are forced to face the reality of His words. Is what He said true or not?
Either Jesus is a liar, a lunatic, or He is Lord. No one else in history, except Jesus, has fulfilled detailed prophecies, performed many miracles before eyewitnesses, and risen from the dead. Jesus is unique.
For those of us who are Christians, we have trusted what Christ has said. We believe in what He said and did. Like it or not, Jesus is the one who said He was the only way. It is not the Christians who are being "narrow-minded." It is Jesus.
Therefore, to say that other religions can be true means that Jesus is false. To say that there are other ways to God, also means that Jesus is false. This is what it comes down to. Either Jesus is who He said He was and what He said is true, or He is false. This is a choice you must make. To trust what He said or reject His words.
Is the Bible reliable?...
One of the most important questions asked by non-Christians as they look into Christianity is whether or not the Bible is trustworthy. They want to know if it can be trusted. If it has been corrupted, then we cannot trust what is attributed to Jesus' words and deeds. So, is the Bible reliable or not?
Yes, the Bible was reliable. The original writings of the Bible have been lost. But before they were lost, they were copied. These copies were incredibly accurate, very meticulous, and very precise. The people who copied them were very dedicated to God and their copying tasks. They took extreme care when copying the original manuscripts. This copying method is so exact, and so precise, that the New Testament alone is considered to be 99.5% textually pure.
This means that of the 6000 Greek copies (the New Testament was written in Greek), and the additional 21,000 copies in other languages, there is only one half of 1% variation. Of this very slight number, the great majority of the variants are easily corrected by comparing them to other copies that don't have the "typos" or by simply reading the context.
You should know that copying mistakes occur in such ways as word repetition, spelling, or a single word omission due to the copyist missing something when moving his eyes from one line to another. The variants are very minor. Nothing affects doctrinal truth and the words and deeds of Christ are superbly reliably transmitted to us.
This science of studying ancient literature and its accuracy of transmission to is called historicity. The Bible is so exceedingly accurate in its transmission from the originals to the present copies, that if you compare it to any other ancient writing, the Bible is light years ahead in terms of number of manuscripts and accuracy.
If the Bible were to be discredited as being unreliable, then it would be necessary to discard the writings of Homer, Plato, and Aristotle as also unreliable since they are far less well preserved than the Bible.
The Bible was written by those who were inspired by God. When we look at the New Testament we realize that it was written by those who either new Jesus personally, or were under the direction of those who did. They wrote what they saw. They wrote about the resurrection of Christ. They recorded His miracles and His sayings. It comes down to whether or not you believe what it says about Christ. Do you?
Are you looking for God?...
Some people know there is a God. They just know. They are aware of a calling, a presence, a special something about God that is in them. They want Him. They know they need to be connected to Him.
Are you like that? Is there a longing in your heart? Is there a soft but regular desire to be fulfilled, to be completed in a way that only being with God can bring you? I know that feeling. I know it well.
As a child, I always knew that God existed. There was always a quality in my heart that desired Him, that "knew" He was there, out there somewhere. I can't explain it. It was something I was born with. I needed God. I knew that I wouldn't be complete unless I was with Him and loving Him. I'm glad I've found Him.
Those who are looking for God know the echo in their hearts of God's voice calling them. They know it. They feel it. It is there. It is soft, yet persistent. It is gentle, yet constant. It echoes and draws us to Him, to find Him, to know Him, to touch Him.
Sometimes, we realize that everything in the world is ultimately meaningless unless we do what He wants, unless we are in His will. We can gain money and possession but they don't satisfy. We know that when we die, it will all fall away and mean nothing. That is why we look up. That is why we hear the voice of God calling in us. Do you hear it? Do you feel it?
Are you looking for God? Is what you have in life providing the answer to the call of that voice? Do you feel empty in spite of all you've done. Do you know you must find God? If these words resonate with you, then you need to encounter God by encountering Jesus. He is the good Shepherd of love and forgiveness. Jesus said, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they shall never perish; and no one shall snatch them out of My hand," ...John 10:27-28.
Did you get what Jesus said? He said that His sheep Hear HIS voice and they follow Him. Is He calling to you?
Do you want forgiveness of sins? Jesus forgives sins (Matt. 9:1-7; ...Luke 5:20; 7:48.
Do you want to know God? Jesus reveals God (Matt. 11:27; Luke 10:22).
Do you want to have joy and peace? Jesus gives them (John 15:11, John 14:27).
You won't find God in man made religions like Islam, Mormonism, Hinduism, Buddhism, etc. You only find God through Jesus who said, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me," (John 14:6). Trust Him. After all, He raised people from the dead, performed great miracles, died and rose from the dead Himself. Who else has done that?
How do I become a Christian?...
First of all, you don't become a Christian by joining a church, adopting a creed, or by believing in God. There are lots of false churches, false creeds, and even the devil believes in God. Becoming a Christian means you need to understand what the real issues are. Let's take a look.
Jesus
Jesus is the most important figure in all of human history. He is God in flesh (John 1:1,14; Col. 2:9), physically risen from the dead, Lord (Luke 24:34; John 2:19-21) and Savior (Acts 5:30-32). He came to die for sinners - Rom. 5:8 - to deliver people from the righteous wrath of God upon us.
Jesus is the One you need. He alone. Not your works (Rom. 3:10-12; Isaiah 64:6). Not your sincerity. Not your goodness. You have nothing to offer God except your sinfulness. It is only by the love and grace of God found in Jesus and His sacrifice that you can be delivered from the righteous wrath of God upon all who have broken His law. Jesus saves you from God.
God's wrath on the Day of Judgment is upon sinners
On the Day of Judgment God will judge all people for their sins against Him. He will do this because He is holy and righteous. God must punish the sinner. God cannot and will not ignore the person who has broken His righteous law. The Law is a reflection of the character of God.
The Bible says that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Rom. 3:23). That means that your sins have caused a separation between you and God (Isaiah 59:2) and the result is death (Rom. 6:23) and wrath (Eph. 2:3). The only way to be saved from the wrath of God, is to be saved from it by faith in Christ (Eph. 2:8-9; Rom. 5:1). You must trust in what Jesus did on the cross to forgive you of your sins and not trust anything else, not even your own sincerity or works. It is Jesus and only Jesus who can turn away the righteous judgment of God upon the sinner.
The Gospel
The gospel is that Jesus died for sinners on the cross, was buried, and rose from the dead (1 Cor. 15:1-4). His death was a sacrifice that turns away the wrath of God (1 John 2:2). This is the only way to be saved.
Jesus is the one who died for the sins of the world (1 John 2:2). He is the only way to the God the Father (John 14;6). He alone reveals God (Matt. 11:27). He has all authority in heaven and earth (Matt. 28:1. It is only through Him that you can be saved from God's wrath (Eph. 2:3). He can forgive you of your sin (Luke 5:20; Matt. 9:2). He can remove the guilt that is upon your soul. Jesus can set you free from the bondage of sin that blinds your eyes, weakens your soul, and brings you to despair. He can do this because He bore sin in His body on the cross (1 Peter. 2:24) that those who trust in Him would be saved.
Read Romans 10:9-10.
9For if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved.
Romans 3:22
22We are made right in God's sight when we trust in Jesus Christ to take away our sins. And we all can be saved in this same way, no matter who we are or what we have done.
Christianity teaches that there is only one God in all existence, that God made the universe, the Earth, and created Adam and Eve.
God created man in His image. This does not mean that God has a body of flesh and bones. Image means the likeness of God's character, rationality, etc.
Because we are made in the image of God, every person is worthy of respect and honor. Furthermore, this means that we did not evolve through random processes from a single celled organism into rational, emotion beings.
God created Adam and Eve and put them in the Garden of Eden and gave them the freedom to choose between right and wrong. They chose to sin.
Sin is doing that which is contrary to the nature and will of God. For example, God cannot lie; therefore, lying is sin.
The sin of disobeying God that Adam and Eve committed resulted in them being expelled from the Garden of Eden as well as suffering the effect of death.
As a result of their sin, their children and all of us inherited a sinful nature. In other words, our offspring are not perfect in nature -- we don't have to teach children to be selfish. They know it naturally. That which is sinful cannot produce that which is not sinful.
Christianity teaches that God is a Trinity (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, not three Gods), that Jesus Christ is second person of the Trinity, that Jesus died on the cross and rose from the dead physically, that all people are under the righteous judgment of God because all people have sinned against God.
It teaches that Jesus is the only way to be saved from the coming judgment of God and that salvation is received by faith in the work of Christ on the cross and not by anything that we can do to please God.
Christianity teaches salvation by grace. This means that we are not made right before God by our efforts, sincerity, or works. Instead, we are made right before God by faith in what Christ did on the cross.
Christianity further teaches that once a person is "born again" (becomes saved) that the Holy Spirit lives in that person and the person is changed: "Therefore if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come," (2 Cor. 5:17).
This means that God actually lives in the person and the Christian then experiences a true and living relationship with God.
Therefore, "What is Christianity?" is best answered by saying that it is a relationship with the true and living God through the person of Jesus Christ by whom we are forgiven of our sins and escape the righteous judgment of God.
What is the Bible?.....
The Bible is a collection of 66 books written by about 40 authors, in three different languages, on three different continents, over approximately 1600 years. The Bible claims to be inspired and inerrant. This means that the Bible claims to be from God and that it is without error in everything it addresses.
The Bible contains many different styles of writing such as poetry, narration, fiction, history, law, and prophecy and must be interpreted in context of those styles. It is the source of the Christian religion in that the Bible contains the words of God and how the Christian is to apply the words of God to his life.
Basically, the Bible describes the origin of man in the Garden of Eden along with his fall into sin and out of fellowship with God. It then describes how God called out a special people to Himself, the Israelites. He promised the Israelites a future Messiah who would restore mankind's relationship with God.
The Bible is the account of the work of God in history bringing to fruition His prophetic declarations concerning Jesus. Jesus was born of the Virgin, died on the cross, and paid for sins, just as the Bible prophesied in the Old Testament and fulfilled in the New.
In short, the Bible points to Jesus, "You search the Scriptures, because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is these that bear witness of Me," (John 5:39).
Furthermore, the Bible teaches us that forgiveness of sins is found in Jesus alone, "And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men, by which we must be saved,” (Acts 4:12).
Some say that the Bible is nothing more than fairy tales. But this cannot be for it contains great wisdom and truth and it has been verified throughout history as being accurate. Its historical accounts are flawlessly accurate. In fact, archaeology routinely demonstrates the accuracy of the biblical records concerning locations and events recorded in the Bible.
The Old Testament Books written by the prophets such as Moses, David, Isaiah, etc.
1. Pentateuch - 5 books: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy
2. Historical Books - 12 books: Joshua, Judges, Ruth, First Samuel, Second Samuel, First Kings, Second Kings, First Chronicles, Second Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther.
3. Poetical - 5 books: Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon
4. Prophetical - 17 books: Major Prophets - Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, Daniel; Minor Prophets - Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi
The New Testament Books written by those who knew Jesus or were under the guidance of those who did
1. Historical Books - 5 books: Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts
2. Pauline Epistles - 13 books: Romans, 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 Thessalonians, 2 Thessalonians. 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon
3. Non-Pauline Epistles - 9 books: Hebrews, James, 1 Peter, 2 Peter, 1 John, 2 John, 3 John, Jude, Revelation
Who is God?.....
The question "Who is God?" is a good question. It is better than asking "What is God?" This is because God exists, created us, loves us, is concerned for our being, desires to provide for us, and sent the Son to redeem us.
If we were to ask "What is God?" we might be tempted to say that God is the infinite being, the creator, a presence, or something like that. In some respect, this would be true. But the first question brings us closer to understanding more of who God really is in His character and His love for us as revealed in the Bible.
The Bible teaches us that in all existence, from all eternity, there has been and always will be only one God. God was never created, is completely loving, completely just, completely holy, completely merciful, and that He desires the best for us.
God is holy and He can have nothing to do with sin as the Bible says, "His eyes are too pure to look upon evil," (Hab. 1:13). This does not mean that God cannot see what someone does that is wrong. It is a way of describing how holy God is. God cannot sin. He is perfect.
In Christianity, God is a Trinity. This means that God is three persons, not three gods. Technically, the doctrine of the Trinity states that in the one God is the person of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Each is not the same person as the other; yet there are not three gods but one.
This is similar in analogy to the nature of time. Time is past, present, and future. The past is not the same as the present, which is not the same as the future. But, there are not three times. There is only one thing called time.
The reason the word "person" is used in describing the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit is because each exhibits attributes of personhood -- not in a body of flesh and bones, but in personality.
In other words, each has a will, loves, speaks, is aware of others, communicates with others, etc. These are attributes of personhood and we see the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit each demonstrate these qualities.
Because of the Trinity, God can become flesh in the form of the Son, and still exist in such a way so that He can run the universe. Therefore, the Son can communicate to us on our level.
Following are a couple verses that hint at the Trinity.
Matt. 28:19, "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit."
2 Cor. 13:14, "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you all."
The Bible says there is only one God: "I am the Lord, and there is no other; Besides Me there is no God," (Isaiah 45:5).
Who is Jesus?.....
Jesus is the central figure of Christianity. He said, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me," (John 14:6).
Also, Jesus claimed to be God in flesh. If you compare what God said to Moses in Exodus 3:14 ("And God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM”) with what Jesus said in John 8:58 (Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am,"), then you quickly see that Jesus was claiming to be God. In fact, others testified that He was divine as well:
John 20:28, "Thomas answered and said to Him, 'My Lord and my God!'"
Col. 2:9, "For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form."
Heb. 1:8, "But of the Son He says, “Thy throne, O God, is forever and ever..."
Jesus is the second person of the Trinity. He is the Word that became flesh and dwelt among us. "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God...And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth," (John 1:1-2,14).
Because the word was with God and was God and became flesh, we then state that Jesus has two natures: divine and human.
Therefore, Christianity teaches that Jesus is both God and man at the same time. The reason that he is God in flesh is because only God can atone for our sins; we can't do it on our own because we are finite, sinful beings and we cannot please an infinitely holy God.
Jesus had to be a man to be able to die for humanity. This means that Jesus took our place on the cross; that is, He took our place and suffered the wrath of God the Father. If you trust in what Christ has done, then you will be saved from the righteous judgment of God.
God is infinitely holy, sinless, and just. When we sin, when we do something contrary to God's will, then we have offended God. Since He is infinite, our offense against Him takes on an infinite quality -- because of who we have offended: an infinite God.
Since no person can please an infinite God (because we are finite and sinners) then the only one left to remove our sins is God Himself. Therefore, Jesus is God in flesh, the one who died on the cross, bore our sin in his body (1 Pet. 2:24), and physically rose from the dead.
Right now, in heaven, Jesus is still in the form of a man: "For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus," (1 Tim. 2:5).
Jesus rose from the dead in the same body he died in: "Jesus answered and said to them, 'Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.' The Jews therefore said, 'It took forty-six years to build this temple, and will You raise it up in three days?'
But He was speaking of the temple of His body. When therefore He was raised from the dead, His disciples remembered that He said this; and they believed the Scripture, and the word which Jesus had spoken," (John 2:19-21).
Also, He retained the wounds of His crucifixion after He rose from the dead: "Then He said to Thomas, “Reach here your finger, and see My hands; and reach here your hand, and put it into My side; and be not unbelieving, but believing,” (John 20:25).
Forty days after His resurrection He ascended into heaven bodily: "And after He had said these things, He was lifted up while they were looking on, and a cloud received Him out of their sight," (Acts 1:9). He will return again from the heavens, and will judge the world and all people: "This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven," (Acts 1:11). Yet, at the same time, He is still divine, "For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form," (Col. 2:9).
Jesus never did anything wrong. He performed many miracles such as healing, casting out demons, walking on water, calming a storm with the command, raising people from the dead, and rising from the dead himself. Though there have been many great teachers throughout history, none of them have performed such miracles and claimed to be divine as Jesus claimed. This is why we can believe Him when He says, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me," (John 14:6).
We trust what Jesus said. Therefore...
Jesus is prayed to - Acts 7:55-60; 1 Cor. 1:2 with Psalm 116:41; (John 14:14)
Jesus is worshipped - Matt. 2:2,11; 14:33; John 9:35-38; Heb. 1:6
Jesus cleanses from sin - 1 John 1:9
Jesus forgives sins - Matt. 9:1-7; Luke 5:20; 7:48
What is sin?...
Sin is the breaking of God's law. If God says "Do not lie" and you lie, then you have broken His law and sinned. When you sin, you offend God because it is His law that you have broken. Also, the reason God says to not lie, not cheat, etc., is because these laws reflect the moral purity of His nature. Therefore, the Law is a reflection of the character of God. It is wrong to lie because God cannot lie. It is wrong to steal because God cannot steal, etc. The moral law is not arbitrary. It is based on God's holiness.
The law, then, is a standard of moral purity. The Old Testament contains the Law of God. It is a perfect standard in that it is God's standard. When we fail to keep the law, we sin. When we sin, we offend God. This offense against God results in a judgment. There is no law without a penalty. Likewise breaking God's law incurs a judgment which is separation from God. "But your sins have made a separation between you and your God," (Isaiah 59:2). And, "the wages of sin is death..." (Rom. 6:23).
So, to sin, to break God's law, results in a judgment. The judgment is known as damnation which is the righteous judgment of God upon the sinner. If God did not judge the sinner, then He is not upholding His holiness.
Of course, Jesus came to take our place and die for our sins (1 Pet. 2:24). This means that Jesus bore our sin in His body on the cross and supernaturally paid for them. This further means that anyone who trusts in what Jesus did on the cross will have his sins removed; he will be saved from God's future judgment.
So, answering the question "What is sin?" is best answered by stating that it is breaking God's law. All people have sinned. Therefore, all people are under God's judgment -- except for those who've trusted in God's provision to escape that judgment which God will carry out.
Where are you? Are you in the place of judgment or of salvation?
What is salvation?...
Salvation is being saved from the righteous judgment of God upon the sinner.
A lot of people think that salvation means being saved from yourself or the devil. But that is not accurate. All who have sinned against God are under the judgment of God. This judgment is known as damnation where God condemns to eternal he*ll all those who have offended Him by breaking His Law.
This does not mean that God is unfair. It shows that God is holy. God must punish the sinner. But, He has provided a way of escape so that people will not face His righteous judgment. This means that God is both holy and loving. He must manifest each quality equally. So, being saved from the wrath of God is called salvation.
Salvation is found in Jesus, and only in Jesus, who is God in flesh (John 1:1,14), and who died for our sins and rose from the dead. 1 Cor. 15:1-4 says... "Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,"
This is how salvation works: All of us have sinned against God and deserve judgment. But Jesus never sinned (1 Pet. 2:22). He lived the Law of God perfectly. In this He has a perfectly righteous standing before God. When the corrupt Jewish leaders forced Rome's hand into crucifying Jesus, God used this crucifixion as the means to place the sins of the world upon Jesus (1 Pet. 2:24; 1 John 2:2). This is when Jesus became sin on our behalf. 2 Cor. 5:21 says, "He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him."
The crucifixion became the place where Jesus bore our sins in His body and suffered in our place. "But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, and by His scourging we are healed,"... (Isaiah 53:5). Remember, no sinner could please God perfectly and no sinner could offer a perfect sacrifice to God. Only God in flesh, Jesus, could do that.
So, since there is nothing we can do that is righteous before God (Isaiah 64:6 says our righteous deeds are filthy rags), then we cannot please an infinitely holy and righteous God by anything we do. But, Jesus who is perfectly righteous before God the Father, died in our place. What we could not do, He did.
If you want to escape the righteous judgment of God, then you need to trust in the sacrifice of God. You need to be made right before God, by God. This righteousness of Christ is given to you if you accept it, if you trust and belief in what Jesus did. This is why the Bible says that we are saved by grace through faith. "For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God,"... Eph. 2:8.
When you trust in what Christ has done on the cross, and in no works of your own (since they aren't good enough anyway), then the righteousness of Christ is given to you -- even as your sins were "given" to Jesus. Its like a trade. He gets your sin. You get His righteousness.
Once you have trusted in what Christ has done, then you possess eternal life and you will never face the judgment of God.
“My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they shall never perish; and no one shall snatch them out of My hand,"...John 10:27-28.
What about different denominations?...
The reason there are different denominations within Christianity is because the Bible allows for us to have differences of opinions. Within Christianity there are very few essential doctrines that make someone a Christian. These essential doctrines are,
1. Jesus is both God and man (John 1:1,14; 8:24; Col. 2:9; 1 John 4:1-4).
2. Jesus rose from the dead physically (John 2:19-21; 1 Cor. 15:14).
3. Salvation is by grace through faith (Rom. 5:1; Eph. 2:8-9; Gal. 3:1-2; 5:1-4).
4. The gospel is the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus (1 Cor. 15:1-4; Gal. 1:8-9).
5. There is only one God...Exodus 20:3; Isaiah 43:10; 44:6,8
6. God exists as a Trinity of persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
7. Jesus was born of the Virgin Mary (nature of incarnation)
As long as a church believes in these essential doctrines, then it is Christian.
However, there are many things in the scriptures that have been interpreted in different ways.
For example, what day of the week should be worship on, Saturday or Sunday? Should we baptized by sprinkling or baptized by immersion? Do we take communion every Sunday, once a month, or once a year?
The answers to these questions do not affect whether or not someone is a Christian or not. It is in these issues, and others like them, that denominations are formed. It does not mean that one denomination contradicts another. It means that though they agree in the essentials, they differ in some nonessentials. This is permitted in Scripture:
"Now accept the one who is weak in faith, but not for the purpose of passing judgment on his opinions. One man has faith that he may eat all things, but he who is weak eats vegetables only. Let not him who eats regard with contempt him who does not eat, and let not him who does not eat judge him who eats, for God has accepted him. Who are you to judge the servant of another? To his own master he stands or falls; and stand he will, for the Lord is able to make him stand. One man regards one day above another, another regards every day alike. Let each man be fully convinced in his own mind," (Rom. 14:1-5).
Sadly, there is another reason for denominational differences and that is the failure of Christians to live according to the will of God. The truth is that we are all sinners and we do not see things eye to eye. It is an unfortunate truth that denominational differences are due to our shortsightedness and lack of love. But, the good thing is that God loves us so much that He puts up with our failures. There waits for us, in spite of our differences, a great reward in heaven. Neither salvation nor damnation is dependent upon our differences. Our salvation is based on our relationship with Christ.
What about other religions?...
There are many religions in the world. They do not all teach the same thing. In fact, many of them contradict each other. So, they can't all be true and it cannot be said that each is a different path to God. What are we to say about all those other religions compared to Christianity? To get to the point, all of the religions are false.
If Jesus is who He said He was, God in flesh, then whatever He says is authoritative and true. He said that He was the way, the truth, and the life and that nobody comes to the father except through Him (John 14:6). Right there, we see that any other way, according to Jesus, is not true.
Christianity bases its truth and its doctrine on the word of God, the Bible. In the word of God, Jesus claims to be the only way. Since He performed many miracles, raised people from the dead, commanded a storm to be still and it obeyed, healed diseases, and rose from the dead Himself, then we are forced to face the reality of His words. Is what He said true or not?
Either Jesus is a liar, a lunatic, or He is Lord. No one else in history, except Jesus, has fulfilled detailed prophecies, performed many miracles before eyewitnesses, and risen from the dead. Jesus is unique.
For those of us who are Christians, we have trusted what Christ has said. We believe in what He said and did. Like it or not, Jesus is the one who said He was the only way. It is not the Christians who are being "narrow-minded." It is Jesus.
Therefore, to say that other religions can be true means that Jesus is false. To say that there are other ways to God, also means that Jesus is false. This is what it comes down to. Either Jesus is who He said He was and what He said is true, or He is false. This is a choice you must make. To trust what He said or reject His words.
Is the Bible reliable?...
One of the most important questions asked by non-Christians as they look into Christianity is whether or not the Bible is trustworthy. They want to know if it can be trusted. If it has been corrupted, then we cannot trust what is attributed to Jesus' words and deeds. So, is the Bible reliable or not?
Yes, the Bible was reliable. The original writings of the Bible have been lost. But before they were lost, they were copied. These copies were incredibly accurate, very meticulous, and very precise. The people who copied them were very dedicated to God and their copying tasks. They took extreme care when copying the original manuscripts. This copying method is so exact, and so precise, that the New Testament alone is considered to be 99.5% textually pure.
This means that of the 6000 Greek copies (the New Testament was written in Greek), and the additional 21,000 copies in other languages, there is only one half of 1% variation. Of this very slight number, the great majority of the variants are easily corrected by comparing them to other copies that don't have the "typos" or by simply reading the context.
You should know that copying mistakes occur in such ways as word repetition, spelling, or a single word omission due to the copyist missing something when moving his eyes from one line to another. The variants are very minor. Nothing affects doctrinal truth and the words and deeds of Christ are superbly reliably transmitted to us.
This science of studying ancient literature and its accuracy of transmission to is called historicity. The Bible is so exceedingly accurate in its transmission from the originals to the present copies, that if you compare it to any other ancient writing, the Bible is light years ahead in terms of number of manuscripts and accuracy.
If the Bible were to be discredited as being unreliable, then it would be necessary to discard the writings of Homer, Plato, and Aristotle as also unreliable since they are far less well preserved than the Bible.
The Bible was written by those who were inspired by God. When we look at the New Testament we realize that it was written by those who either new Jesus personally, or were under the direction of those who did. They wrote what they saw. They wrote about the resurrection of Christ. They recorded His miracles and His sayings. It comes down to whether or not you believe what it says about Christ. Do you?
Are you looking for God?...
Some people know there is a God. They just know. They are aware of a calling, a presence, a special something about God that is in them. They want Him. They know they need to be connected to Him.
Are you like that? Is there a longing in your heart? Is there a soft but regular desire to be fulfilled, to be completed in a way that only being with God can bring you? I know that feeling. I know it well.
As a child, I always knew that God existed. There was always a quality in my heart that desired Him, that "knew" He was there, out there somewhere. I can't explain it. It was something I was born with. I needed God. I knew that I wouldn't be complete unless I was with Him and loving Him. I'm glad I've found Him.
Those who are looking for God know the echo in their hearts of God's voice calling them. They know it. They feel it. It is there. It is soft, yet persistent. It is gentle, yet constant. It echoes and draws us to Him, to find Him, to know Him, to touch Him.
Sometimes, we realize that everything in the world is ultimately meaningless unless we do what He wants, unless we are in His will. We can gain money and possession but they don't satisfy. We know that when we die, it will all fall away and mean nothing. That is why we look up. That is why we hear the voice of God calling in us. Do you hear it? Do you feel it?
Are you looking for God? Is what you have in life providing the answer to the call of that voice? Do you feel empty in spite of all you've done. Do you know you must find God? If these words resonate with you, then you need to encounter God by encountering Jesus. He is the good Shepherd of love and forgiveness. Jesus said, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they shall never perish; and no one shall snatch them out of My hand," ...John 10:27-28.
Did you get what Jesus said? He said that His sheep Hear HIS voice and they follow Him. Is He calling to you?
Do you want forgiveness of sins? Jesus forgives sins (Matt. 9:1-7; ...Luke 5:20; 7:48.
Do you want to know God? Jesus reveals God (Matt. 11:27; Luke 10:22).
Do you want to have joy and peace? Jesus gives them (John 15:11, John 14:27).
You won't find God in man made religions like Islam, Mormonism, Hinduism, Buddhism, etc. You only find God through Jesus who said, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me," (John 14:6). Trust Him. After all, He raised people from the dead, performed great miracles, died and rose from the dead Himself. Who else has done that?
How do I become a Christian?...
First of all, you don't become a Christian by joining a church, adopting a creed, or by believing in God. There are lots of false churches, false creeds, and even the devil believes in God. Becoming a Christian means you need to understand what the real issues are. Let's take a look.
Jesus
Jesus is the most important figure in all of human history. He is God in flesh (John 1:1,14; Col. 2:9), physically risen from the dead, Lord (Luke 24:34; John 2:19-21) and Savior (Acts 5:30-32). He came to die for sinners - Rom. 5:8 - to deliver people from the righteous wrath of God upon us.
Jesus is the One you need. He alone. Not your works (Rom. 3:10-12; Isaiah 64:6). Not your sincerity. Not your goodness. You have nothing to offer God except your sinfulness. It is only by the love and grace of God found in Jesus and His sacrifice that you can be delivered from the righteous wrath of God upon all who have broken His law. Jesus saves you from God.
God's wrath on the Day of Judgment is upon sinners
On the Day of Judgment God will judge all people for their sins against Him. He will do this because He is holy and righteous. God must punish the sinner. God cannot and will not ignore the person who has broken His righteous law. The Law is a reflection of the character of God.
The Bible says that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Rom. 3:23). That means that your sins have caused a separation between you and God (Isaiah 59:2) and the result is death (Rom. 6:23) and wrath (Eph. 2:3). The only way to be saved from the wrath of God, is to be saved from it by faith in Christ (Eph. 2:8-9; Rom. 5:1). You must trust in what Jesus did on the cross to forgive you of your sins and not trust anything else, not even your own sincerity or works. It is Jesus and only Jesus who can turn away the righteous judgment of God upon the sinner.
The Gospel
The gospel is that Jesus died for sinners on the cross, was buried, and rose from the dead (1 Cor. 15:1-4). His death was a sacrifice that turns away the wrath of God (1 John 2:2). This is the only way to be saved.
Jesus is the one who died for the sins of the world (1 John 2:2). He is the only way to the God the Father (John 14;6). He alone reveals God (Matt. 11:27). He has all authority in heaven and earth (Matt. 28:1. It is only through Him that you can be saved from God's wrath (Eph. 2:3). He can forgive you of your sin (Luke 5:20; Matt. 9:2). He can remove the guilt that is upon your soul. Jesus can set you free from the bondage of sin that blinds your eyes, weakens your soul, and brings you to despair. He can do this because He bore sin in His body on the cross (1 Peter. 2:24) that those who trust in Him would be saved.
Read Romans 10:9-10.
9For if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved.
Romans 3:22
22We are made right in God's sight when we trust in Jesus Christ to take away our sins. And we all can be saved in this same way, no matter who we are or what we have done.
Sunday, February 18, 2007
The Song Of Moses
Lord, 1 “Listen, O heavens, and I will speak!
Hear, O earth, the words that I say!
2 Let my teaching fall on you like rain;
let my speech settle like dew.
Let my words fall like rain on tender grass,
like gentle showers on young plants.
3 I will proclaim the name of the lord
how glorious is our God!
4 He is the Rock; his deeds are perfect.
Everything he does is just and fair.
He is a faithful God who does no wrong;
how just and upright he is!
5 “But they have acted corruptly toward him;
when they act so perversely,
are they really his children?[a]
They are a deceitful and twisted generation.
6 Is this the way you repay the lord,
you foolish and senseless people?
Isn’t he your Father who created you?
Has he not made you and established you?
7 Remember the days of long ago;
think about the generations past.
Ask your father, and he will inform you.
Inquire of your elders, and they will tell you.
8 When the Most High assigned lands to the nations,
when he divided up the human race,
he established the boundaries of the peoples
according to the number in his heavenly court.[b]
9 “For the people of Israel belong to the lord;
Jacob is his special possession.
10 He found them in a desert land,
in an empty, howling wasteland.
He surrounded them and watched over them;
he guarded them as he would guard his own eyes.[c]
11 Like an eagle that rouses her chicks
and hovers over her young,
so he spread his wings to take them up
and carried them safely on his pinions.
12 The Lord alone guided them;
they followed no foreign gods.
13 He let them ride over the highlands
and feast on the crops of the fields.
He nourished them with honey from the rock
and olive oil from the stony ground.
14 He fed them yogurt from the herd
and milk from the flock,
together with the fat of lambs.
He gave them choice rams from Bashan, and goats,
together with the choicest wheat.
You drank the finest wine,
made from the juice of grapes.
15 “But Israel[d] soon became fat and unruly;
the people grew heavy, plump, and stuffed!
Then they abandoned the God who had made them;
they made light of the Rock of their salvation.
16 They stirred up his jealousy by worshiping foreign gods;
they provoked his fury with detestable deeds.
17 They offered sacrifices to demons, which are not God,
to gods they had not known before,
to new gods only recently arrived,
to gods their ancestors had never feared.
18 You neglected the Rock who had fathered you;
you forgot the God who had given you birth.
19 “The Lord saw this and drew back,
provoked to anger by his own sons and daughters.
20 He said, ‘I will abandon them;
then see what becomes of them.
For they are a twisted generation,
children without integrity.
21 They have roused my jealousy by worshiping things that are not God;
they have provoked my anger with their useless idols.
Now I will rouse their jealousy through people who are not even a people;
I will provoke their anger through the foolish Gentiles.
22 For my anger blazes forth like fire
and burns to the depths of the grave.[e]
It devours the earth and all its crops
and ignites the foundations of the mountains.
23 I will heap disasters upon them
and shoot them down with my arrows.
24 I will weaken them with famine,
burning fever, and deadly disease.
I will send the fangs of wild beasts
and poisonous snakes that glide in the dust.
25 Outside, the sword will bring death,
and inside, terror will strike
both young men and young women,
both infants and the aged.
26 I would have annihilated them,
wiping out even the memory of them.
27 But I feared the taunt of Israel’s enemy,
who might misunderstand and say,
“Our own power has triumphed!
The Lord had nothing to do with this!”’
28 “But Israel is a senseless nation;
the people are foolish, without understanding.
29 Oh, that they were wise and could understand this!
Oh, that they might know their fate!
30 How could one person chase a thousand of them,
and two people put ten thousand to flight,
unless their Rock had sold them,
unless the Lord had given them up?
31 But the rock of our enemies is not like our Rock,
as even they recognize.[f]
32 Their vine grows from the vine of Sodom,
from the vineyards of Gomorrah.
Their grapes are poison,
and their clusters are bitter.
33 Their wine is the venom of serpents,
the deadly poison of cobras.
34 “The Lord says, ‘Am I not storing up these things,
sealing them away in my treasury?
35 I will take revenge; I will pay them back.
In due time their feet will slip.
Their day of disaster will arrive,
and their destiny will overtake them.’
36 “Indeed, the Lord will give justice to his people,
and he will change his mind about[g] his servants,
when he sees their strength is gone
and no one is left, slave or free.
37 Then he will ask, ‘Where are their gods,
the rocks they fled to for refuge?
38 Where now are those gods,
who ate the fat of their sacrifices
and drank the wine of their offerings?
Let those gods arise and help you!
Let them provide you with shelter!
39 Look now; I myself am he!
There is no other god but me!
I am the one who kills and gives life;
I am the one who wounds and heals;
no one can be rescued from my powerful hand!
40 Now I raise my hand to heaven
and declare, “As surely as I live,
41 when I sharpen my flashing sword
and begin to carry out justice,
I will take revenge on my enemies
and repay those who reject me.
42 I will make my arrows drunk with blood,
and my sword will devour flesh—
the blood of the slaughtered and the captives,
and the heads of the enemy leaders.”’
43 “Rejoice with him, you heavens,
and let all of God’s angels worship him.[h]
Rejoice with his people, you nations,
and let all the angels be strengthened in him.[i]
For he will avenge the blood of his servants;
he will take revenge against his enemies.
He will repay those who hate him[j]
and cleanse the land for his people.”
Hear, O earth, the words that I say!
2 Let my teaching fall on you like rain;
let my speech settle like dew.
Let my words fall like rain on tender grass,
like gentle showers on young plants.
3 I will proclaim the name of the lord
how glorious is our God!
4 He is the Rock; his deeds are perfect.
Everything he does is just and fair.
He is a faithful God who does no wrong;
how just and upright he is!
5 “But they have acted corruptly toward him;
when they act so perversely,
are they really his children?[a]
They are a deceitful and twisted generation.
6 Is this the way you repay the lord,
you foolish and senseless people?
Isn’t he your Father who created you?
Has he not made you and established you?
7 Remember the days of long ago;
think about the generations past.
Ask your father, and he will inform you.
Inquire of your elders, and they will tell you.
8 When the Most High assigned lands to the nations,
when he divided up the human race,
he established the boundaries of the peoples
according to the number in his heavenly court.[b]
9 “For the people of Israel belong to the lord;
Jacob is his special possession.
10 He found them in a desert land,
in an empty, howling wasteland.
He surrounded them and watched over them;
he guarded them as he would guard his own eyes.[c]
11 Like an eagle that rouses her chicks
and hovers over her young,
so he spread his wings to take them up
and carried them safely on his pinions.
12 The Lord alone guided them;
they followed no foreign gods.
13 He let them ride over the highlands
and feast on the crops of the fields.
He nourished them with honey from the rock
and olive oil from the stony ground.
14 He fed them yogurt from the herd
and milk from the flock,
together with the fat of lambs.
He gave them choice rams from Bashan, and goats,
together with the choicest wheat.
You drank the finest wine,
made from the juice of grapes.
15 “But Israel[d] soon became fat and unruly;
the people grew heavy, plump, and stuffed!
Then they abandoned the God who had made them;
they made light of the Rock of their salvation.
16 They stirred up his jealousy by worshiping foreign gods;
they provoked his fury with detestable deeds.
17 They offered sacrifices to demons, which are not God,
to gods they had not known before,
to new gods only recently arrived,
to gods their ancestors had never feared.
18 You neglected the Rock who had fathered you;
you forgot the God who had given you birth.
19 “The Lord saw this and drew back,
provoked to anger by his own sons and daughters.
20 He said, ‘I will abandon them;
then see what becomes of them.
For they are a twisted generation,
children without integrity.
21 They have roused my jealousy by worshiping things that are not God;
they have provoked my anger with their useless idols.
Now I will rouse their jealousy through people who are not even a people;
I will provoke their anger through the foolish Gentiles.
22 For my anger blazes forth like fire
and burns to the depths of the grave.[e]
It devours the earth and all its crops
and ignites the foundations of the mountains.
23 I will heap disasters upon them
and shoot them down with my arrows.
24 I will weaken them with famine,
burning fever, and deadly disease.
I will send the fangs of wild beasts
and poisonous snakes that glide in the dust.
25 Outside, the sword will bring death,
and inside, terror will strike
both young men and young women,
both infants and the aged.
26 I would have annihilated them,
wiping out even the memory of them.
27 But I feared the taunt of Israel’s enemy,
who might misunderstand and say,
“Our own power has triumphed!
The Lord had nothing to do with this!”’
28 “But Israel is a senseless nation;
the people are foolish, without understanding.
29 Oh, that they were wise and could understand this!
Oh, that they might know their fate!
30 How could one person chase a thousand of them,
and two people put ten thousand to flight,
unless their Rock had sold them,
unless the Lord had given them up?
31 But the rock of our enemies is not like our Rock,
as even they recognize.[f]
32 Their vine grows from the vine of Sodom,
from the vineyards of Gomorrah.
Their grapes are poison,
and their clusters are bitter.
33 Their wine is the venom of serpents,
the deadly poison of cobras.
34 “The Lord says, ‘Am I not storing up these things,
sealing them away in my treasury?
35 I will take revenge; I will pay them back.
In due time their feet will slip.
Their day of disaster will arrive,
and their destiny will overtake them.’
36 “Indeed, the Lord will give justice to his people,
and he will change his mind about[g] his servants,
when he sees their strength is gone
and no one is left, slave or free.
37 Then he will ask, ‘Where are their gods,
the rocks they fled to for refuge?
38 Where now are those gods,
who ate the fat of their sacrifices
and drank the wine of their offerings?
Let those gods arise and help you!
Let them provide you with shelter!
39 Look now; I myself am he!
There is no other god but me!
I am the one who kills and gives life;
I am the one who wounds and heals;
no one can be rescued from my powerful hand!
40 Now I raise my hand to heaven
and declare, “As surely as I live,
41 when I sharpen my flashing sword
and begin to carry out justice,
I will take revenge on my enemies
and repay those who reject me.
42 I will make my arrows drunk with blood,
and my sword will devour flesh—
the blood of the slaughtered and the captives,
and the heads of the enemy leaders.”’
43 “Rejoice with him, you heavens,
and let all of God’s angels worship him.[h]
Rejoice with his people, you nations,
and let all the angels be strengthened in him.[i]
For he will avenge the blood of his servants;
he will take revenge against his enemies.
He will repay those who hate him[j]
and cleanse the land for his people.”
Thursday, February 15, 2007
Dr. Martin Luther's Letter to the Christian Reader
EDITION OF 1545
Above all things I beseech the Christian reader and beg him for
the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ, to read my earliest books very
circumspectly and with much pity, knowing that before now I too
was a monk, and one of the right frantic and raving papists. When
I took up this matter against Indulgences, I was so full and
drunken, yea, so besotted in papal doctrine that, out of my great
zeal, I would have been ready to do murder -- at least, I would
have been glad to see and help that murder should be done -- on
all who would not be obedient and subject to the pope, even to
his smallest word.
Such a Saul was I at that time; and I meant it right earnestly;
and there are still many such to-day. In a word, I was not such a
frozen and ice-cold champion of the papacy as Eck and others of
his kind have been and still are. They defend the Roman See more
for the sake of the shameful belly, which is their god, than
because they are really attached to its cause. Indeed I am wholly
of the opinion that like latter-day Epicureans, they only laugh at
the pope. But I verily espoused this cause in deepest earnest and
in all fidelity; the more so because I shrank from the Last Day
with great anxiety and fear and terror, and yet from the depths of
my heart desired to be saved.
Therefore, Christian reader, thou wilt find in my earliest books
and writings how many points of faith I then, with all humility,
yielded and conceded to the pope, which since then I have held and
condemned for the most horrible blasphemy and abomination, and
which I would have to be so held and so condemned forever. Amen.
Thou wilt therefore ascribe this my error, or as my opponents
venomously call it, this inconsistency of mine, to the time, and
to my ignorance and inexperience. At the beginning I was quite
alone and without any helpers, and moreover, to tell the truth,
unskilled in all these things, and far too unlearned to discuss
such high and weighty matters. For it was without any intention,
purpose, or will of mine that I fell, quite unexpectedly, into
this wrangling and contention. This I take God, the Searcher of
hearts, to witness.
I tell these things to the end that, if thou shalt read my books,
thou mayest know and remember that I am one of those who, as St.
Augustine says of himself, have grown by writing and by teaching
others, and not one of those who, starting with nothing, have in a
trice become the most exalted and most learned doctors. We find,
alas! many of these self-grown doctors; who in truth are nothing,
do nothing and accomplish nothing, are moreover untried and
inexperienced, and yet, after a single look at the Scriptures,
think themselves able wholly to exhaust its spirit.
Farewell, dear reader, in the Lord. Pray that the Word may be
further spread abroad, and may be strong against the miserable
devil. For he is mighty and wicked, and just now is raving
everywhere and raging cruelly, like one who well knows and feels
that his time is short, and that the kingdom of his Vicar, the
Antichrist in Rome, is sore beset. But may the God of all grace
and mercy strengthen and complete in us the work He has begun, to
His honor and to the comfort of His little flock. Amen.
_________________________________________________________________
Above all things I beseech the Christian reader and beg him for
the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ, to read my earliest books very
circumspectly and with much pity, knowing that before now I too
was a monk, and one of the right frantic and raving papists. When
I took up this matter against Indulgences, I was so full and
drunken, yea, so besotted in papal doctrine that, out of my great
zeal, I would have been ready to do murder -- at least, I would
have been glad to see and help that murder should be done -- on
all who would not be obedient and subject to the pope, even to
his smallest word.
Such a Saul was I at that time; and I meant it right earnestly;
and there are still many such to-day. In a word, I was not such a
frozen and ice-cold champion of the papacy as Eck and others of
his kind have been and still are. They defend the Roman See more
for the sake of the shameful belly, which is their god, than
because they are really attached to its cause. Indeed I am wholly
of the opinion that like latter-day Epicureans, they only laugh at
the pope. But I verily espoused this cause in deepest earnest and
in all fidelity; the more so because I shrank from the Last Day
with great anxiety and fear and terror, and yet from the depths of
my heart desired to be saved.
Therefore, Christian reader, thou wilt find in my earliest books
and writings how many points of faith I then, with all humility,
yielded and conceded to the pope, which since then I have held and
condemned for the most horrible blasphemy and abomination, and
which I would have to be so held and so condemned forever. Amen.
Thou wilt therefore ascribe this my error, or as my opponents
venomously call it, this inconsistency of mine, to the time, and
to my ignorance and inexperience. At the beginning I was quite
alone and without any helpers, and moreover, to tell the truth,
unskilled in all these things, and far too unlearned to discuss
such high and weighty matters. For it was without any intention,
purpose, or will of mine that I fell, quite unexpectedly, into
this wrangling and contention. This I take God, the Searcher of
hearts, to witness.
I tell these things to the end that, if thou shalt read my books,
thou mayest know and remember that I am one of those who, as St.
Augustine says of himself, have grown by writing and by teaching
others, and not one of those who, starting with nothing, have in a
trice become the most exalted and most learned doctors. We find,
alas! many of these self-grown doctors; who in truth are nothing,
do nothing and accomplish nothing, are moreover untried and
inexperienced, and yet, after a single look at the Scriptures,
think themselves able wholly to exhaust its spirit.
Farewell, dear reader, in the Lord. Pray that the Word may be
further spread abroad, and may be strong against the miserable
devil. For he is mighty and wicked, and just now is raving
everywhere and raging cruelly, like one who well knows and feels
that his time is short, and that the kingdom of his Vicar, the
Antichrist in Rome, is sore beset. But may the God of all grace
and mercy strengthen and complete in us the work He has begun, to
His honor and to the comfort of His little flock. Amen.
_________________________________________________________________
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
Martin Luther's Definition of Faith
God's Grace, Faith is not what some people think it is. Their human dream
is a delusion. Because they observe that faith is not followed by
good works or a better life, they fall into error, even though they
speak and hear much about faith. ``Faith is not enough,'' they
say, ``You must do good works, you must be pious to be saved.''
They think that, when you hear the gospel, you start working,
creating by your own strength a thankful heart which says, ``I
believe.'' That is what they think true faith is. But, because
this is a human idea, a dream, the heart never learns anything
from it, so it does nothing and reform doesn't come from this
`faith,' either.
Instead, faith is God's work in us, that changes us and gives
new birth from God. (John 1:13). It kills the Old Adam and makes us
completely different people. It changes our hearts, our spirits,
our thoughts and all our powers. It brings the Holy Spirit with
it. Yes, it is a living, creative, active and powerful thing, this
faith. Faith cannot help doing good works constantly. It doesn't
stop to ask if good works ought to be done, but before anyone
asks, it already has done them and continues to do them without
ceasing. Anyone who does not do good works in this manner is an
unbeliever. He stumbles around and looks for faith and good
works, even though he does not know what faith or good works are.
Yet he gossips and chatters about faith and good works with many
words.
Faith is a living, bold trust in God's grace, so certain of
God's favor that it would risk death a thousand times trusting in it.
Such confidence and knowledge of God's grace makes you happy,
joyful and bold in your relationship to God and all creatures. The
Holy Spirit makes this happen through faith. Because of it, you
freely, willingly and joyfully do good to everyone, serve
everyone, suffer all kinds of things, love and praise the God who
has shown you such grace. Thus, it is just as impossible to
separate faith and works as it is to separate heat and light from
fire! Therefore, watch out for your own false ideas and guard
against good-for-nothing gossips, who think they're smart enough
to define faith and works, but really are the greatest of fools.
Ask God to work faith in you, or you will remain forever without
faith, no matter what you wish, say or can do.
An excerpt from
"An Introduction to St. Paul's Letter to the Romans,"
Luther's German Bible of 1522
by Martin Luther, 1483-1546
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
MAKE THIS YOUR HUB OF YOUR INTERNET VENTURES
You Can Be The Owner Of A 100% Turn-Key Multi-Profit Search Engine Portal.
Take 5 Minutes right now and learn about the most exciting advertising opportunity to hit the web since Google. How would you like to have YOUR Own FREE TOP Keyword Position + Exclusive Search Engine Portal + $50 in FREE Advertising Without Paying One Cent? http://www.BigDaddyPays.com/ronandcarol
is a delusion. Because they observe that faith is not followed by
good works or a better life, they fall into error, even though they
speak and hear much about faith. ``Faith is not enough,'' they
say, ``You must do good works, you must be pious to be saved.''
They think that, when you hear the gospel, you start working,
creating by your own strength a thankful heart which says, ``I
believe.'' That is what they think true faith is. But, because
this is a human idea, a dream, the heart never learns anything
from it, so it does nothing and reform doesn't come from this
`faith,' either.
Instead, faith is God's work in us, that changes us and gives
new birth from God. (John 1:13). It kills the Old Adam and makes us
completely different people. It changes our hearts, our spirits,
our thoughts and all our powers. It brings the Holy Spirit with
it. Yes, it is a living, creative, active and powerful thing, this
faith. Faith cannot help doing good works constantly. It doesn't
stop to ask if good works ought to be done, but before anyone
asks, it already has done them and continues to do them without
ceasing. Anyone who does not do good works in this manner is an
unbeliever. He stumbles around and looks for faith and good
works, even though he does not know what faith or good works are.
Yet he gossips and chatters about faith and good works with many
words.
Faith is a living, bold trust in God's grace, so certain of
God's favor that it would risk death a thousand times trusting in it.
Such confidence and knowledge of God's grace makes you happy,
joyful and bold in your relationship to God and all creatures. The
Holy Spirit makes this happen through faith. Because of it, you
freely, willingly and joyfully do good to everyone, serve
everyone, suffer all kinds of things, love and praise the God who
has shown you such grace. Thus, it is just as impossible to
separate faith and works as it is to separate heat and light from
fire! Therefore, watch out for your own false ideas and guard
against good-for-nothing gossips, who think they're smart enough
to define faith and works, but really are the greatest of fools.
Ask God to work faith in you, or you will remain forever without
faith, no matter what you wish, say or can do.
An excerpt from
"An Introduction to St. Paul's Letter to the Romans,"
Luther's German Bible of 1522
by Martin Luther, 1483-1546
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
MAKE THIS YOUR HUB OF YOUR INTERNET VENTURES
You Can Be The Owner Of A 100% Turn-Key Multi-Profit Search Engine Portal.
Take 5 Minutes right now and learn about the most exciting advertising opportunity to hit the web since Google. How would you like to have YOUR Own FREE TOP Keyword Position + Exclusive Search Engine Portal + $50 in FREE Advertising Without Paying One Cent? http://www.BigDaddyPays.com/ronandcarol
Sunday, February 4, 2007
Today Is Precious.
I may never see tomorrow; there's no written guarantee,
And things that happened yesterday belong to history,
I cannot predict the future, I cannot change the past,
I have just the present moment, I must treat it as my last,
I must use this moment wisely for it soon will pass away,
and be lost to me forever as part of yesterday,
I must exercise compassion, help the fallen to their feet,
Be a friend unto the friendless, make an empty life complete,
The unkind things I do today may never be undone,
And friendships that I fail to win may nevermore be won,
I may not have another chance on bended knee to pray,
And thank God with humble heart for giving me this day
THANK YOU FATHER FOR THIS MOMENTOUS DAY
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Web Businesses You Should Be In.
SearchBigDaddy is a must. It is a search portal that is growing DAILY, both
with members and services. You can join for FREE and have for your use, a top search engine, a social networking system that includes a friends site and a bookmarks page, also an ecards
site, classified ad site, a video site and a blog site and so much MORE to come.
Global Domains, Int., GDI, is one of the best bargins on the internet!
Build your own website to fit all of your web promotions. There are enough
pages to enable you to market all of your links, at one site. You also get
up to 10 email addresses and your own domain name, all for only $10 per
month. If you bring others into GDI, they will evan pay you an Income for
life.
http://ourdotcom.ws , is our self designed GDI website where we are
promoting all
of our internet spaces. Take a look, it was easy, your can do it to.
FREE1UP, is launching a NEW PRODUCT CATEGORY consisting of new
state-of-the-art "PROGRESSIVE TECHNOLOGY! Their new AD SYSTEMT will make
your inernet advertising much more effective.
And things that happened yesterday belong to history,
I cannot predict the future, I cannot change the past,
I have just the present moment, I must treat it as my last,
I must use this moment wisely for it soon will pass away,
and be lost to me forever as part of yesterday,
I must exercise compassion, help the fallen to their feet,
Be a friend unto the friendless, make an empty life complete,
The unkind things I do today may never be undone,
And friendships that I fail to win may nevermore be won,
I may not have another chance on bended knee to pray,
And thank God with humble heart for giving me this day
THANK YOU FATHER FOR THIS MOMENTOUS DAY
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Web Businesses You Should Be In.
SearchBigDaddy is a must. It is a search portal that is growing DAILY, both
with members and services. You can join for FREE and have for your use, a top search engine, a social networking system that includes a friends site and a bookmarks page, also an ecards
site, classified ad site, a video site and a blog site and so much MORE to come.
Global Domains, Int., GDI, is one of the best bargins on the internet!
Build your own website to fit all of your web promotions. There are enough
pages to enable you to market all of your links, at one site. You also get
up to 10 email addresses and your own domain name, all for only $10 per
month. If you bring others into GDI, they will evan pay you an Income for
life.
http://ourdotcom.ws , is our self designed GDI website where we are
promoting all
of our internet spaces. Take a look, it was easy, your can do it to.
FREE1UP, is launching a NEW PRODUCT CATEGORY consisting of new
state-of-the-art "PROGRESSIVE TECHNOLOGY! Their new AD SYSTEMT will make
your inernet advertising much more effective.
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
Summary of Church History
Christianity is the religion instituted by Jesus Christ that has defined an era in history continuously for the last 2000 years plus. It teaches that there is no salvation without Christ's atonement, without faith in God and a belief in the gospels. Though the great moral principles which it reveals and teaches and the main doctrines of the gospel have been preserved without interruption, the genius of the different nations and ages has materially colored its character. The first community of the followers of Jesus was formed at Jerusalem soon after the death of their Master in 30/33 AD. Another was formed at Antioch in Syria about 59/65 AD, where the followers of Jesus were first called Christians. The travels of the apostles spread Christianity through the provinces of the Roman Empire, Palestine, Syria, Asia Minor, Greece, the islands of the Mediterranean, Italy and the northern coast of Africa, as early as the first century. At the end of the third century almost one-half of the inhabitants of the Roman Empire, and of several neighboring countries, professed this belief, and in the twenty-first century it is still spreading through missionary work. As a result of this missionary zeal, Christians have suffered persecution down through history, on the other hand, holy wars have been fought in the name of Jesus and free-thinkers have been subject to various inquisitions in the name of love, but the successes outweigh the setbacks and in the Christian viewpoint the world is a better place for the gospel outreach. Many offshoots sprang from the main trunk. The Gnostics who date from the days of the apostles professed a deeper knowledge of God’s hidden spiritual realities with a degree of asceticism, while incorporating Jesus in the system, but often combined this with a desire for moral freedom. The Arians of the fourth century believed the Son was created inferior to the Father. The Nestorians of the fifth century believed in two separate persons of Jesus, divine and human, in one personality. These early questions were representative of the dissonant voices which detracted from the message. The most important events in the subsequent history of Christianity were the division of the Roman Church in 1054 and the Western Reformation beginning in 1517. The number of Christians in the world in 1900 was computed at 477,000,000. Of these about 230,000,000 were Roman Catholics, 98,000,000 belonged to the Eastern Orthodox Church and 149,000,000 were Protestants. The figures for the year 2000 approximate 1,000,000,000 plus for Catholics, 240,000,000 for Orthodox, 590,000,000 for Protestants, and 275,000,000 for other Christian identity groups. Of the various churches of Protestants the most numerous are the Lutheran and the Calvinistic churches.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Web Businesses You Should Be In.
SearchBigDaddy is a must. It is a search portal that is growing DAILY, both
with members and services. You can join for FREE and have for your use, a top search engine, a social networking system that includes a friends site and a bookmarks page, also an ecards site, classified ad site, a video site and a blog site and so much MORE to come.
Global Domains, Int., GDI, is one of the best bargins on the internet!
Build your own website to fit all of your web promotions. There are enough
pages to enable you to market all of your links, at one site. You also get
up to 10 email addresses and your own domain name, all for only $10 per
month. If you bring others into GDI, they will evan pay you an Income for life.
http://ourdotcom.ws , is our self designed GDI website where we are
promoting all of our internet spaces. Take a look, it was easy, your can do it to.
FREE1UP, is launching a NEW PRODUCT CATEGORY consisting of new state-of-the art "PROGRESSIVE TECHNOLOGY! Their new AD SYSTEMT will make
your inernet advertising much more effective.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Web Businesses You Should Be In.
SearchBigDaddy is a must. It is a search portal that is growing DAILY, both
with members and services. You can join for FREE and have for your use, a top search engine, a social networking system that includes a friends site and a bookmarks page, also an ecards site, classified ad site, a video site and a blog site and so much MORE to come.
Global Domains, Int., GDI, is one of the best bargins on the internet!
Build your own website to fit all of your web promotions. There are enough
pages to enable you to market all of your links, at one site. You also get
up to 10 email addresses and your own domain name, all for only $10 per
month. If you bring others into GDI, they will evan pay you an Income for life.
http://ourdotcom.ws , is our self designed GDI website where we are
promoting all of our internet spaces. Take a look, it was easy, your can do it to.
FREE1UP, is launching a NEW PRODUCT CATEGORY consisting of new state-of-the art "PROGRESSIVE TECHNOLOGY! Their new AD SYSTEMT will make
your inernet advertising much more effective.
The Historic Ecumenical Creeds of the Christian Church
Members of the Lutheran Church express their faith in corporate worship by use of the historic creeds, or belief statements, common to most Christians. This common profession of faith is a way to proclaim our unity with Christians around the world and throughout time back to the ancient church. The creeds are also useful for private devotions, especially the Apostles' Creed. In fact, Martin Luther suggested:
In the morning, when you rise, make the sign of the cross and say, "In the name of God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen." Then, kneeling or standing, say the Apostles' Creed and the Lord's Prayer. ... In the evening, when you retire, make the sign of the cross and say, "In the name of God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen." Then, kneeling or standing, say the Apostles' Creed and the Lord's Prayer. ....................... The Small Catechism: Morning and Evening Prayers
The Apostles' Creed as we now have it dates from the eighth century. However, it is a revision of the so-called Old Roman Creed, which was used in the West by the third century. Behind the Old Roman Creed, in turn, were variations which had roots in the New Testament itself. While this creed does not come from the apostles, its roots are apostolic. It serves as a Baptismal symbol -- that is, it describes the faith into which we are baptized and is used in the rites of Baptism and Affirmation of Baptism.
The Apostles' Creed
I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord.
He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit
and born of the virgin Mary.
He suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried.
He descended into hell.*
On the third day he rose again.
He ascended into heaven,
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen.
+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
A greater variety of creeds appeared in the East than in the West. When the Council of Nicaea (A.D. 325) rejected the teaching of Arius, it expressed its position by adopting one of the current Eastern symbols and inserting into it some anti-Arian phrases, resulting in this creed. At the Council of Constantinople (381) some minor changes were made, and it was reaffirmed at the Council of Chalcedon (451). It is an essential part of the doctrine and liturgy of the Lutheran churches. Historically it has been used especially at Holy Communion on Sundays and major feasts (except when the Apostles' Creed is used as the Baptismal Creed).
The Nicene Creed
We believe in one God,
the Father, the Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all that is, seen and unseen.
We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
the only Son of God,
eternally begotten of the Father,
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made,
of one Being with the Father.
Through him all things were made.
For us and for our salvation
he came down from heaven;
by the power of the Holy Spirit
he became incarnate from the virgin Mary, and was made man.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered death and was buried.
On the third day he rose again
in accordance with the Scriptures;
he ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,
and his kingdom will have no end.
We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son.
With the Father and the Son he is worshiped and glorified.
He has spoken through the Prophets.
We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.
We acknowledge one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look for the resurrection of the dead,
and the life of the world to come. Amen.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Web Businesses for your consideration.
SearchBigDaddy is a must. It is a search portal that is growing DAILY, both with members and services. You can join for FREE and have for your use, a top search engine, a social networking system that includes a friends site and a bookmarks page, also an ecards site, classified ad site, a video site and a blog site.
Global Domains, Int., GDI, is one of the best bargins on the internet! Build your own website to fit all of your web promotions. There are enough pages to enable you to market all of your links, at one site. You also get up to 10 email addresses and your own domain name, all for only $10 per month. If you bring others into GDI, they will evan pay you an Income for life.
FREE1UP, is launching a NEW PRODUCT CATEGORY consisting of new state-of-the-art "PROGRESSIVE TECHNOLOGY! Their new AD SYSTEM™ will make your inernet advertising much more effective.
http://ourdotcom.ws , is our self designed GDI website where we are promoting all
of our internet spaces. Take a look, it was easy, your can do it to.
In the morning, when you rise, make the sign of the cross and say, "In the name of God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen." Then, kneeling or standing, say the Apostles' Creed and the Lord's Prayer. ... In the evening, when you retire, make the sign of the cross and say, "In the name of God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen." Then, kneeling or standing, say the Apostles' Creed and the Lord's Prayer. ....................... The Small Catechism: Morning and Evening Prayers
The Apostles' Creed as we now have it dates from the eighth century. However, it is a revision of the so-called Old Roman Creed, which was used in the West by the third century. Behind the Old Roman Creed, in turn, were variations which had roots in the New Testament itself. While this creed does not come from the apostles, its roots are apostolic. It serves as a Baptismal symbol -- that is, it describes the faith into which we are baptized and is used in the rites of Baptism and Affirmation of Baptism.
The Apostles' Creed
I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord.
He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit
and born of the virgin Mary.
He suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried.
He descended into hell.*
On the third day he rose again.
He ascended into heaven,
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen.
+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
A greater variety of creeds appeared in the East than in the West. When the Council of Nicaea (A.D. 325) rejected the teaching of Arius, it expressed its position by adopting one of the current Eastern symbols and inserting into it some anti-Arian phrases, resulting in this creed. At the Council of Constantinople (381) some minor changes were made, and it was reaffirmed at the Council of Chalcedon (451). It is an essential part of the doctrine and liturgy of the Lutheran churches. Historically it has been used especially at Holy Communion on Sundays and major feasts (except when the Apostles' Creed is used as the Baptismal Creed).
The Nicene Creed
We believe in one God,
the Father, the Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all that is, seen and unseen.
We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
the only Son of God,
eternally begotten of the Father,
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made,
of one Being with the Father.
Through him all things were made.
For us and for our salvation
he came down from heaven;
by the power of the Holy Spirit
he became incarnate from the virgin Mary, and was made man.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered death and was buried.
On the third day he rose again
in accordance with the Scriptures;
he ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,
and his kingdom will have no end.
We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son.
With the Father and the Son he is worshiped and glorified.
He has spoken through the Prophets.
We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.
We acknowledge one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look for the resurrection of the dead,
and the life of the world to come. Amen.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Web Businesses for your consideration.
SearchBigDaddy is a must. It is a search portal that is growing DAILY, both with members and services. You can join for FREE and have for your use, a top search engine, a social networking system that includes a friends site and a bookmarks page, also an ecards site, classified ad site, a video site and a blog site.
Global Domains, Int., GDI, is one of the best bargins on the internet! Build your own website to fit all of your web promotions. There are enough pages to enable you to market all of your links, at one site. You also get up to 10 email addresses and your own domain name, all for only $10 per month. If you bring others into GDI, they will evan pay you an Income for life.
FREE1UP, is launching a NEW PRODUCT CATEGORY consisting of new state-of-the-art "PROGRESSIVE TECHNOLOGY! Their new AD SYSTEM™ will make your inernet advertising much more effective.
http://ourdotcom.ws , is our self designed GDI website where we are promoting all
of our internet spaces. Take a look, it was easy, your can do it to.
Thursday, January 25, 2007
Christian Beliefs On Hell
According to a 2004 Gallup Poll, 70% of Americans believe in hell. Belief in hell is highest among regular churchgoers: 92% of those who attend church weekly believe in hell, as do 74% of those who attend nearly weekly. In Christian theology, hell is the place or state into which unrepentant sinners pass after this life. Hell is generally thought to be eternal, and to include both punishment and separation from God. Although not central to the Christian faith, the doctrine of hell has been a significant part of historical Christian theology throughout its history. For some, however, hell has also been a major stumbling block to acceptance of Christianity. Some Christian groups no longer believe in an eternal hell, or at least regard belief in it as unnecessary. The word "hell" in English Bibles is used to translate the Hebrew word Sheol (and its Greek equivalent Hades) and the Greek word Gehenna. The English word derives from the Anglo-Saxon meaning "to conceal" or "to cover," which is similar to the meanings of Sheol and Hades. In the Old Testament, Sheol (which is also sometimes translated "grave" or "pit") denotes the underworld or the place of departed spirits. "The notion reflects an undeveloped and shadowy belief in the future life which was gradually superseded by the more defined beliefs of later Judaism." Gehenna ("the Valley of Hinnom") is the Greek translation of a Hebrew word that seems to refer to an actual place on earth. The identity of Hinnom is not known for certain, but scholars have suggested an area southwest of Jerusalem near the Cedron. Gehenna is mentioned in Jos. 15:8 and 18:16, and in 2 Kings, it is described as a place of human sacrifice (16:3, 21:6) that was polluted (23:10-12). Jeremiah warned that one day would be renamed "Valley of Slaughter" (Jer. 7:32, 19:6). A statement dating to 1200 AD that fires were continually kept burning in the Valley of Hinnom is generally regarded as reliable, although no earlier reference has yet been found. The idea of hell (as understood in Christianity) is virtually absent from the Old Testament, which has very little to say about the afterlife at all. A possible mention of hell in the Old Testament is this prophecy about the end times: "Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt." (Daniel 12:2, NIV) Another notable passage that likely contributes to Christian imagery of hell is Isaiah 66:24, which also refers to the end times: "And they will go out and look upon the dead bodies of those who rebelled against me; their worm will not die, nor will their fire be quenched, and they will be loathsome to all mankind. Other passages that speak of the afterlife seem to indicate extinction of the soul after death (Ecclesiastes 9:10). Rabbis have generally taught the existence of a hell-like place for the unrighteous, but many Jews, both historical and modern, do not believe in hell or an afterlife. In the New Testament, the notion of hell is more clearly expressed, but still not in a systematic way. In many cases, "death" and "destruction" are the only mentioned penalties for rejecting God (Matthew 7:13, John 3:16, Acts 4:12, Romans 6:23, 2 Thessalonians 1:9, James 1:15). Also, the same terminology is often used in the New Testament that in the Jewish context may have suggested nothing more than physical death and destruction of the soul. New Testament passages that have suggested eternal torment to Christians include the following: "Anyone who says, 'You fool!' will be in danger of the fire of hell." (Matthew 5:22, quoting Jesus) "And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell." (Matthew 5:29, quoting Jesus; see parallel passage in Mark 9:44, which adds, "where the fire never goes out.") "Do not be afriad of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell." (Matthew 10:28, quoting Jesus) "As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. They will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." (Matthew 13:40-42, quoting Jesus) "Throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." (Parable of the Talents, Matthew 25:30) "Then he [the King] will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels." (Parable of the Sheep and the Goats, Matthew 25:41) "The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell." (James 3:6) "The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what he had done. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. If anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire." (Revelation 20:13-15) "The cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile...the idolaters and all liars - their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulpher. This is the second death." - Revelation 21:8. Modern Christian views of hell tend to emphasize its spiritual aspects over the notion of physical suffering or material fire. Hell is seen as a logical extension of the free will of mankind to reject God's gracious advances, even for eternity, and its punishment as a realization of one's mistake and the great remorse that would follow. Many modern Christians also question hell's eternality in favor of some form of universalism (all are saved in the end) or annihilationism (wicked souls are destroyed). Following is a sampling of the positions of various Christian denominations on the issue of hell. It is impossible to describe the glory and splendor of heaven and the terror and torment of hell. Whether taken literally or figuratively, the meaning is the same: Hell is a place where one will experience total separation from God; heaven enjoys the total presence of God. Knowing that this is the horrible end awaiting the wicked, the Assemblies of God is strongly motivated to win the lost before it is too late. (Assemblies of God) To die in mortal sin without repenting and accepting God's merciful love means remaining separated from him for ever by our own free choice. This state of definitive self-exclusion from communion with God and the blessed is called "hell." (Catechism of the Catholic Church) The statement of Christ in Matthew 25, and elsewhere, are taken at face value. It is believed that after death each man must come before God in judgment and that he will be judged according to the deeds done while he lived (Hebrews 9:27). After judgment is pronounced he will spend eternity either in heaven or hell. (Churches of Christ) We believe that glorious and everlasting life is assured to all who savingly believe in, and obediently follow, Jesus Christ our Lord; and that the finally impenitent shall suffer eternally in hell. (Church of the Nazarene) This hope for the final salvation of humanity and the eternal universal restitution of all things in heaven and on earth ... is drawn from the unlimited promise of the Gospel and the magnitude of God's grace made known to the world through Christ. (Evangelical Lutheran Church of America) We believe in the bodily resurrection of the dead; of the believer to everlasting blessedness and joy with the Lord; of the unbeliever to judgment and everlasting conscious punishment. (Evangelical Free Church of America) The moral progress of the soul, either for better or for worse, ends at the very moment of the separation of the body and soul; at that very moment the definite destiny of the soul in the everlasting life is decided. ... The Orthodox Church believes that at this moment the soul of the dead person begins to enjoy ... the life in Paradise or to undergo the life in Hell. There is no way of repentance, no way of escape, no reincarnation and no help from the outside world. (Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America) One of the most common beliefs that we have today is a belief in an afterlife and in most religions a belief in a heaven. If one were to ask at random, people outside Christianity, where they will go after death, almost unanimously, it's heaven. And while heaven is each person's preference, we know that this isn't true. Everyone is not going to be able to go there. One of the most repugnant subjects is the opposite end, which is hell. Is there a Hell? Hell is a place no one likes to talk about, much less go there, however, Jesus spoke more on hell than on heaven and had very strong warnings to keep people He loved from going there. As Christians, we are constantly challenged to prove what we believe, not only from the Bible but with logic and rationale. How many times have you heard, "How can a loving God send people to hell?" or "I can't believe in a place of everlasting punishment." I personally encounter this a lot and I'm going to attempt to give some reasons why not only is hell a reality as much as heaven is, but that God's love actually demands a place such as this. Jesus spoke more about hell than all the writers of Scripture. 13% of the New Testament is on Judgment and hell, and half of the parables. Hell is describe as a place of constant fire and smoke. Now I think we're all familiar with the descriptive terms of fire that continues to burn, where the worm does not die and that it's outer darkness, as in Matt. 25:30 "And cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.' Away from the presence of God. In Matt. .13:49-50 Jesus tells us the angels will separate the wicked from the just and cast them into the furnace of fire. Hell is described as a garbage dump by Jesus to illustrate some points (this is called Gehenna where the corpses of animals were thrown. As complete darkness Matt. 8:12 "cast into outer darkness." Where exactly does the Bible say hell is? The Bible describes it as down, Psalm 55:15, Proverbs 15:24, Isaiah 14:9, speak of it being beneath. The angels that sinned in Noah?s day were cast down 2 Peter 2:4. Many other Scriptures describe it as underneath, while God is up in heaven. Heaven is upward, hell is down. It's also described as outer darkness, yet, God is described as light. These are relational terms of contrast, yet, they are literal. It's a place at the end of the road that everyone travels on, going away from God. It's also described as a bottomless pit, no security. It's like free falling forever. Jude describes hell like a wandering star in the blackness forever, no course or direction, no end. Luke 16 is not a parable but a story, it uses name that no parables use and it is giving specific information about the afterlife. It tells us it's a place of agony and self rejection, the rich man asked for only a drop of water to quench his insatiable thirst. He still had concern for his family and felt pain for himself. It's described by the rich man in his remorse asking to warn his family, yet he is told they will not believe even if someone (Jesus) would rise from the dead and tell them so. This is how great their unbelief was! We see the rich men is still giving orders telling Abraham to send Lazarus, who was an invalid in life and the rich man did not care at all for, now he asking him to do him a favor. Hell is not just a place deprived of God's presence or blessing. Now, where does the Bible describe hell as a torture chamber? Well, actually it doesn't. It's not Dante's Inferno with Devils poking people with pitchforks. God is not into torturing people himself either (neither is the devil, or the fallen angels as they will be in torment too). If those of us who received Christ as our substitute for our sin have everlasting life with Him, then those who will suffer away from Christ will have eternal suffering. The same word for eternal is used for both the wicked suffering and the just living with God. If the punishment of the wicked is only temporary as secessionists say, then there will come a day when God will no longer exist! Because the same descriptive term is used for eternal life and eternal punishment is used for the eternal God. There was recently a report produced by the Doctrine of Commission of the Church of England titled "The Mystery of Salvation," and on addressing the doctrine of heaven and hell, hell was described as non being, in other words, annihilation. This can only come from disguising the literal words of Scripture to mean something other than they plainly mean. And it's not unusual for those inside the evangelical church to question the concept of eternal punishment. While we may wrestle with this, we have to eventually submit to the Scriptures and what they clearly state. They teach greater and lesser punishments for the works of the wicked and what they've done (Matt. 25:46, 2 Peter 2:9). All speak of the day of reckoning of judgment. Punishment will be dealt with different increments. Would it be fair of God to inflict on everyone, even people that did some good, the same punishment as the Devil or the false prophets. Would it be fair if a regular person was punished just as Hitler who killed indiscriminately. No of course not! God is just and will meet each with a fair judgment. Luke 12:46-48 tells us the difference between servants who obeyed and disobeyed, Where one will be given few stripes another many in punishment. For the Pharisees who took advantage of widows and showed off their religion publicly they will receive the greater condemnation. Matt. 23:14. Luke 12:4-5: "And I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. But I will show you whom you should fear: fear him, who after he has killed, has power to cast into hell, yes, I say to you, fear Him!" Jesus is saying that death of the body is not the end of ones existence. Matt. 11:23-24: "And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted up to the skies? No, you will go down to the depths. If the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Sodom, it would have remained to this day. But I tell you that it will be more bearable for Sodom on the day of judgment than for you." All these statements show that God will treat all in judgment with different degrees of punishment. Some claim that the lake of fire is just a illustration of the grave and the dead go there. The best example of this not being true is the beast and the false prophet are thrown in the lake of fire alive Revelation 19:20-21: "But the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who had performed the miraculous signs on his behalf......The two of them were thrown alive in the fiery lake of burning sulphur." Clearly showing this is not the grave of the dead. Satan is later captured by an angel and bound captive being put in the worst part of this location. While there are some groups and cults that say God annihilates people, that they somehow cease to exist after they die, this teaching is clearly unbiblical. The antichrist who is a man is resurrected after he is killed by Jesus? second coming and then cast into the abyss (hell). In Rev. 20:7 Satan is alive and spends 1,000 years only to be let out again to lead one last rebellion and to be judged proving this is not annihilation. The angels who sinned in the time of Noah, are held in reserve in chains for judgment in the abyss (Jude 6, 2 Peter 2:4). They clearly are waiting for judgment day. Obviously they do exist as spirits and so does man after he dies. God does not annihilate people, He respects the creatures he created and their own choice so much that he will never take their life away. He's not going to take their consciousness away either because they didn't go His way. The question comes up, if He doesn't annihilate, why doesn't He just reform them instead of punish them when they're disobedient? It's like being classed with infants and domestic animals. To be punished ever severely because we have deserved it, that we should know better, it is to treat us as humans made in God's image. It is immoral to force reformation on someone against their will so a reformatory concept is really what is inhumane. Punishment is the most humane and loving thing God can do. Justice demands punishment for those who hurt others and break eternal laws. There is no eternal reformatory, but there is a temporary one which is called life. In a lifetime, if one does not reform, repent and go God's way, then the day of reformation is over and the day of justice and punishment begins, which will last longer than a billion lifetimes. Remember when the demon possessed man cried out in Matt. 8:29: "And suddenly they cried out, saying, "What have we to do with You, Jesus, You Son of God? Have You come here to torment us before the appointed time? So even the spirits who once knew God are afraid to go to this place. Rev 20:10 "The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever." It clearly does not say annihilated! Hell is an eternal penal institution with no release. Eternal sin must be treated justly with eternal consequences. Since sin is against an eternal God and sin's effects are also eternal, the punishment therefore must have eternal consequences. So we find that hell is part of God's justice and to understand God's justice we first need to understand that a law without any consequences is just good advice. If there is a moral standard that God sets it's for a reason. It is then an absolute standard because it relates to His character and His being, and it's from His very nature that this standard flows. One can receive mercy as a pardon for what they have done or refuse it and get the punishment they deserve. We can see the wicked prosper in our world today and justice is not paid by those who live this wicked type of lifestyle that the Bible condemns, so there must be a time when it will be paid and justice will prevail. God has put off the judgment until a certain time. So we all, good or bad, in Christ or not, are enjoying the benefits of His time of grace. It's by His mercy, the Bible says, that each and every day, we are not consumed. Paul says all are under condemnation and are without excuse in Rom. 1:18-20. He continues in Romans 2:1-8, by saying we are all guilty of the same we judge others of, "But we know that the judgment of God is according to truth against those who practice such things. And do you think this, O man, you who judge those practicing such things, and doing the same, that you will escape the judgment of God? Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance? But in accordance with your hardness and your impenitent heart you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God who "will render to each one according to his deeds": eternal life to those who by patient continuance in doing good seek for glory, honor, and immortality, but to those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness-- indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish, on every soul of man who does evil, there will be wrath and anger." Romans 2:16: "This will take place on the day when God will judge men's secrets through Jesus Christ,....." Now, those who refuse God's love will be totally out of place in heaven. People can?t stand hearing about God and Jesus Christ in conversation with you, now. So how will these same people be comforable in heaven with us praising God for his work? Imagine those who hate to worship God, and learning about Him, and then they end up in heaven in an eternal church meeting with everyone else loving God, who are thanking Him that saved them from their sins. Now this would be hell for them. They're more apt to be comfortable away from God then with Him. If they look with disdain on what He is all about now and do not want to love Him now, how will they be able to love Him later? God's solution will be to give them what they want. God will not violate the free will of a person and force his convictions to change. He does not force people to modify their beliefs and behavior to coerce them into the kingdom. God works through man's dignity, not violating it. Our choices have consequences and sometimes they're eternal consequences. God's love demands a hell. Imagine a man proposing to a woman in marriage and the woman refuses saying I respect you, I admire you, but I am not going to marry you. Then he comes to her and proposes to her again and she declines. He comes to her again and proposes and she declines. And then the man says I love you so much I'm going to force you to marry me. That relationship would not be operating by love, forced love is really not love at all. God's love is persuasive, it's convincing, but it's never coercive. He's not going to put your arm behind your back and force you to do what's right. He's going to allow you to have the freedom of choice, yet he will give you all the proof one needs to be convinced that He is love. God is longsuffering in His love, patient, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. So the choice is really up to us, it's ours to make. It's an eternal choice which we cannot change once we die. There are no shotgun weddings in heaven, but there will be a great divorce for those who refuse to enter into a vow and a covenant with God and Christ. If there is no heaven to gain or hell to shun, justice would not prevail in the universe. If there is final judgment there is a Hell. The Bible teaches the dead will be raised to give an account and then punished. So there has to be a final separation for wickedness. We find evil is unable to be contained, it's easily spread. This cannot be said for godliness, which is not easily spread. We are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth at which time evil will cease. Evil will be totally removed from those of us who are going God's way, who love God, and who have been born again into His kingdom. Sin has taken its effect on this world and its people and we are told in Scripture that all creation groans in travail for the day when all this will be removed. Hell shows the nature of sin and the great cost of salvation, it shows the very love of God. By the cross we see how hideous sin is and how much more powerful Gods' love is. This is the very reason that Jesus died, to save people from their sins. Death is the penalty of sin, the body dies and the soul becomes separate from the creator who gave them life. If there is no eternal consequences to sin then the crucifixion is robbed of its very significance. Jesus suffered in vain and it would not have been necessary for Him to die for our sins. Yet, God the father said there is no other way, that Christ is the only way. Jesus, who was truth incarnate, warned us, if your hand offends you, cut it off, it was better for you to go to heaven maimed than to go to the unquenchable fire whole, or with two arms. Jesus was not speaking in a literal sense but using extreme examples to make the point on how serious Hell is. Was He putting a non-existent fear in us for over two thousand years? Of course not. Fear can actually be a good motivation because it leads to the preservation of one's life or soul. The Bible tells us the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, that if we want to understand what wisdom and knowledge is, it begins with a healthy respect and fear of God because He is in control and he deals justly. However we need to be as the evangelist D.L. Moody who said, "when we speak of Hell, have a tear in your eye and a quiver in your voice." If one denies the existence of hell and the doctrine of eternal punishment, they are actually denying the teachings of Jesus. Jesus affirmed that Jonah was swallowed by a fish, and He also affirmed that there was a flood that covered the whole earth, and He said that Adam and Eve were really created. So we must take His teaching on Hell as literal also if all these other teachings are literal. Don?t certain evil people deserve judgment such as Adolph Hitler or Osama Bin Laden. They can escape mans law, but they, nor no one else who ever lived will escape breaking God's law. If there is no Hell you can do whatever you want and there will be absolutely no consequences for it. There will be no difference for a Hitler or a Saddam Hussain and the non-believer or atheist. Hell is the only thing that satisfies the demand for the ultimate justice. The ultimate triumph of good over evil demands such a place as hell. The thing that bothers good people is evil and the thing that bothers evil people is good. When good people are around those who are doing evil it frustrates them, it stumbles them, because they know what is right from wrong. Evil people who are around good people that are trying to do what is right in the Lord's eyes (are stumbled because we are salt and they actually end up saying terrible things about God because of the way we live). God has a solution for this dilemma, a final separation of good and evil, a place where no evil can bother good people. For those who have rejected the Lord, there will be no more good people to frustrate them, they won't be around them anymore. What is hell going to be like? One thing for sure Hell is not a place of eternal sunburn. The Bible describes it as darkness, loneliness, thirst, torment, a place where we would not want even our enemies to go to. Torment is not torture. It is to be separated from Gods love and goodness for an eternity. Before one is saved from their sins they are already separated from God in relationship, but not in certain respects from his goodness or grace. Those who will be there will become acutely aware of their creatureness and fallen state. They will know their sin and its effect on themselves as they are self afflicted. They will understand their selfish ways and self idolatry and will gnash their teeth. They will understand there is a God and experience eternal judgment. Their whole consciousness will be engulfed in sinfulness and will not be able to get away from their nature. It will be like an itch and not being able to scratch it. It will be a mental and emotional torture that they will not be able to be removed. It will be darkness with no relief . God knows that no one who goes to eternal separation and punishment would really change their mind, they are bent on their own way. Only those who are unretrieveable, unrepentant, unredeemable, those who have their one way decision, with an irreversible mind set will be there. Yet hell is more than just eternal separation from God! Everyone who is a sinner, the devil and his angels are presently separated from God and they enjoy it. They are in this state now and not in hell. While hell is separation this is only one aspect of the consequences of going there. Hell is the absolute final punishment for those who refused to turn from ruling and ruining their own lives with their own sin nature. In Rev. 20 we find the small and great from all time standing before the throne, resurrected in the bodies they committed their sins in, only to face a greater terror. What they received prior in torment in their spirit will be even more. There's probably been billions of people from all time that went to their eternal destiny without Christ. And today we're surrounded by people who will do the same. People who are now in hell were once alive like you and I. They had the chance to make the same choice that we have today. God never sent anyone there except those that reject the light that they already have, all people have a witness and are without an excuse. Romans 1:19-20 tells us about God's witness in creation. So everyone has creation as a testimony that God exists, and are without excuse. The Biblical principle is sequential for God to reveal himself to all people. If they do not respond to the light they already have, God is not responsible to give them more light. Yet, if one responds to the knowledge that the Lord has given them, they will be led out of the darkness into His kingdom, His marvelous light. It's our choice to respond either to the general revelation that is all around us or to the specific revelation which is His word. God pleads with people who are going the opposite way to turn toward Him and become reconciled to Him through His Son's death. When we open our eyes in the after life it will only reflect what we have done in this life. We can either bless Him for His grace or despise him for the judgment we brought upon ourselves. So how does one escape their punishment for sin and not submitting to the God who loves them? By Believing in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Hell is avoidable. Just as a doctor offers you a cure for a disease, if you refuse to take, you cannot blame him, its not his fault you are sick. Jesus offers everyone the cure for the disease of sin, God is working to get your attention to take it.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Web Businesses for your consideration.
SearchBigDaddy is a must. It is a search portal that is growing DAILY, both with members and services. You can join for FREE and have for your use, a top search engine, a social networking system that includes a friends site and a bookmarks page, also an ecards site, classified ad site, a video site and a blog site.
Global Domains, Int., GDI, is one of the best bargins on the internet! Build your own website to fit all of your web promotions. There are enough pages to enable you to market all of your links, at one site. You also get up to 10 email addresses and your own domain name, all for only $10 per month. If you bring others into GDI, they will evan pay you an Income for life.
FREE1UP, is launching a NEW PRODUCT CATEGORY consisting of new state-of-the-art "PROGRESSIVE TECHNOLOGY! Their new AD SYSTEM™ will make your inernet advertising much more effective.
http://ourdotcom.ws , is our self designed GDI website where we are promoting all
of our internet spaces. Take a look, it was easy, your can do it to.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Web Businesses for your consideration.
SearchBigDaddy is a must. It is a search portal that is growing DAILY, both with members and services. You can join for FREE and have for your use, a top search engine, a social networking system that includes a friends site and a bookmarks page, also an ecards site, classified ad site, a video site and a blog site.
Global Domains, Int., GDI, is one of the best bargins on the internet! Build your own website to fit all of your web promotions. There are enough pages to enable you to market all of your links, at one site. You also get up to 10 email addresses and your own domain name, all for only $10 per month. If you bring others into GDI, they will evan pay you an Income for life.
FREE1UP, is launching a NEW PRODUCT CATEGORY consisting of new state-of-the-art "PROGRESSIVE TECHNOLOGY! Their new AD SYSTEM™ will make your inernet advertising much more effective.
http://ourdotcom.ws , is our self designed GDI website where we are promoting all
of our internet spaces. Take a look, it was easy, your can do it to.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)