The New Testament writers clearly believed that Jesus was God. For instance, look at this verse from Titus 2:13 "Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ."
-Here Jesus is referred to as the great God and Saviour.
Acts 20:28 says, "Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood."
-This verse says that God purchased His church with His own blood. It was the blood of Jesus that was shed when He was crucified.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Saturday, March 07, 2009
Apostate Christianity
Dear Christians, be very wary of the claims of some self proclaimed Christian denominations today. There is ONE way to judge whether or not a church is a Church of Christ or a synagogue of satan. Please read the quote below from the late Archbishop Cranmer.
"If there were any word of God beside the Scripture, we could never be certain of God's Word; and if we be uncertain of God's Word, the devil might bring in among us a new word, a new doctrine, a new faith, a new church, a new god, yea himself to be a god. If the Church and the Christian faith did not stay itself upon the Word of God certain, as upon a sure and strong foundation, no man could know whether he had a right faith, and whether he were in the true Church of Christ, or a synagogue of Satan."
Seek for wisdom, which is only found in the Scriptures:
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction. Prov 1:7
My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children. Hosea 4:6
When you seek for the truth you will find it. Pray to God to lead you in the right and righteous path.
And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. John 8:32
"If there were any word of God beside the Scripture, we could never be certain of God's Word; and if we be uncertain of God's Word, the devil might bring in among us a new word, a new doctrine, a new faith, a new church, a new god, yea himself to be a god. If the Church and the Christian faith did not stay itself upon the Word of God certain, as upon a sure and strong foundation, no man could know whether he had a right faith, and whether he were in the true Church of Christ, or a synagogue of Satan."
Seek for wisdom, which is only found in the Scriptures:
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction. Prov 1:7
My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children. Hosea 4:6
When you seek for the truth you will find it. Pray to God to lead you in the right and righteous path.
And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. John 8:32
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Baptism
So many times I have heard preachers say that Paul was basically downplaying the role of baptism in the Church, or showing its insignificance, in 1 Corinthians 1:17 when he says "For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel," putting preaching at a much higher level than the sacrament of baptism. However, a closer look at the context that the verse is placed in paints another picture.
In verses 12-17, Paul is correcting the church at Corinth for their mistaken belief that whoever baptized them, or introduced them to the faith, required their devotion and full allegiance, creating factions of Christians within the church. This is why, in vs. 13, Paul says "Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?" Paul goes on to say "I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, lest anyone should say that I had baptized in my own name." (vs. 14 & 15).
Paul's words, "I thank God that I baptized none of you", and "were you baptized in the name of Paul?", place a great deal of importance on baptism. The people of Corinth were all baptized in the Name of Jesus Christ. They all belong to Jesus Christ through their baptism in His name.
Paul's relief in not baptizing many of the members of the church of Corinth is caused by his desire to not be a major part of the factions that were being created in the church, not because he placed little or no importance on baptism. Paul writes in many other places about being baptized into Christ, dying in baptism and rising in Christ. Paul simply was not called to baptize them, but to preach to them. This means that there were others who were called to baptize them. Simply because Paul wasn't called to baptize but to preach doesn't mean that baptism isn't important, it just means that wasn't his job! Of course he would do it if he had to, as he mentions that he did baptize a few of them. The very fact that Paul points out that divisions were caused over the people who baptized them shows what a great deal of importance the early church placed on baptism.
In verses 12-17, Paul is correcting the church at Corinth for their mistaken belief that whoever baptized them, or introduced them to the faith, required their devotion and full allegiance, creating factions of Christians within the church. This is why, in vs. 13, Paul says "Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?" Paul goes on to say "I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, lest anyone should say that I had baptized in my own name." (vs. 14 & 15).
Paul's words, "I thank God that I baptized none of you", and "were you baptized in the name of Paul?", place a great deal of importance on baptism. The people of Corinth were all baptized in the Name of Jesus Christ. They all belong to Jesus Christ through their baptism in His name.
Paul's relief in not baptizing many of the members of the church of Corinth is caused by his desire to not be a major part of the factions that were being created in the church, not because he placed little or no importance on baptism. Paul writes in many other places about being baptized into Christ, dying in baptism and rising in Christ. Paul simply was not called to baptize them, but to preach to them. This means that there were others who were called to baptize them. Simply because Paul wasn't called to baptize but to preach doesn't mean that baptism isn't important, it just means that wasn't his job! Of course he would do it if he had to, as he mentions that he did baptize a few of them. The very fact that Paul points out that divisions were caused over the people who baptized them shows what a great deal of importance the early church placed on baptism.
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Tradition and Reason
I have to admit, I don't like change. I am a sucker for tradition. Tradition is usually a sign of stability, or maybe very slow change. This dislike for change and desire for tradition may be caused by a world that views truth as relative and a church that conforms to the fashions and fads of the day. Actually, I'm sure those reasons have something to do with it.
However, if tradition leads to a dead spiritual life I am against it. I've been in many traditional churches that are still Spirit filled and full of life. I've been in others where the members go to church because they really like the liturgy, or the sound of the organ, or they rant about their choir or they are really in love with the smells and bells, and they seem to lack spiritual life and vitality, and they have little or no concern for those in the world.
Tradition, theology, doctrine and liturgy are all very important; important to me personally. But I can't stand deadness! I don't mean that I need to see people doing back flips in church, waving their hands or speaking in tongues. What I mean is I can tell when I meet a Christian who really loves the Lord and who's life has been transformed by Him, and I can tell the other type; the type that goes to church for social reasons, and that's about it. They may sing ancient and beautiful songs that have beautiful words and melody's, but do they mean or feel what they sing? Of course, there may be people in the congregation that do love God and want to serve Him truly. I've met some.
What is more depressing is that there are hardly ever young people in either group. The church seems to be dying in America. At least the traditional church. To me, this is very sad. It's my opinion that it is NOT the right thing to do to coax them back to church using entertainment. That has nothing to do with conversion. They have to be made disciples, true converts, true seekers of God, and only conviction and the Holy Spirit can do this. I suppose we live in an age where people, especially young people, are completely and totally lost to entertainment. How can a quiet and reverential old traditional church compete? It can't. One has to love God to do anything truly. One must let go of over-entertainment as well. People are so consumed with entertainment that it is saddening. They must be doing something constantly, such as playing video games, chatting, texting, surfing the web, listening to IPod's, downloading music, looking at porn, watching a movie, whatever. Satan wins through these tools.
This post is turning into something I didn't intend it to. What I wanted to say is that tradition is good at making boundaries and passing on the ancient faith. It is not good when tradition becomes the god. There is One God. He is jealous for us and for our time.
Paul
"If anyone thinks that he knows anything, he knows nothing yet as he ought to know." St. Paul
However, if tradition leads to a dead spiritual life I am against it. I've been in many traditional churches that are still Spirit filled and full of life. I've been in others where the members go to church because they really like the liturgy, or the sound of the organ, or they rant about their choir or they are really in love with the smells and bells, and they seem to lack spiritual life and vitality, and they have little or no concern for those in the world.
Tradition, theology, doctrine and liturgy are all very important; important to me personally. But I can't stand deadness! I don't mean that I need to see people doing back flips in church, waving their hands or speaking in tongues. What I mean is I can tell when I meet a Christian who really loves the Lord and who's life has been transformed by Him, and I can tell the other type; the type that goes to church for social reasons, and that's about it. They may sing ancient and beautiful songs that have beautiful words and melody's, but do they mean or feel what they sing? Of course, there may be people in the congregation that do love God and want to serve Him truly. I've met some.
What is more depressing is that there are hardly ever young people in either group. The church seems to be dying in America. At least the traditional church. To me, this is very sad. It's my opinion that it is NOT the right thing to do to coax them back to church using entertainment. That has nothing to do with conversion. They have to be made disciples, true converts, true seekers of God, and only conviction and the Holy Spirit can do this. I suppose we live in an age where people, especially young people, are completely and totally lost to entertainment. How can a quiet and reverential old traditional church compete? It can't. One has to love God to do anything truly. One must let go of over-entertainment as well. People are so consumed with entertainment that it is saddening. They must be doing something constantly, such as playing video games, chatting, texting, surfing the web, listening to IPod's, downloading music, looking at porn, watching a movie, whatever. Satan wins through these tools.
This post is turning into something I didn't intend it to. What I wanted to say is that tradition is good at making boundaries and passing on the ancient faith. It is not good when tradition becomes the god. There is One God. He is jealous for us and for our time.
Paul
"If anyone thinks that he knows anything, he knows nothing yet as he ought to know." St. Paul
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Jesus told us to:
Jesus told us to:
To feed the poor.
To clothe the naked.
To visit the sick and imprisoned.
To help the orphans and widows in their afflictions and
To keep oneself unspotted from the world.
To obey the Ten Commandments.
To become like little children in order to inherit the kingdom of God.
To suffer the little children to come unto Him, and forbid them not.
To baptize believers and
make disciples of all nations.
To cleanse the lepers, heal the sick and raise the dead.
To sell all that we have, give it to the poor and come, and follow Him.
However, all these commands are summarized in this, "Love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, mind, soul and strength and to love thy neighbor as thyself."
Because, "Love suffers long and is kind;
love does not envy;
love does not parade itself,
is not puffed up;
does not behave rudely,
does not seek its own,
is not provoked,
thinks no evil;
does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth;
bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away. When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known. And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love." 1 Corinthians 13
Love is the fulfillment of the Law, because love looks after the salvation and welfare of others, and one who loves God will never want to offend their Holy Father.
To feed the poor.
To clothe the naked.
To visit the sick and imprisoned.
To help the orphans and widows in their afflictions and
To keep oneself unspotted from the world.
To obey the Ten Commandments.
To become like little children in order to inherit the kingdom of God.
To suffer the little children to come unto Him, and forbid them not.
To baptize believers and
make disciples of all nations.
To cleanse the lepers, heal the sick and raise the dead.
To sell all that we have, give it to the poor and come, and follow Him.
However, all these commands are summarized in this, "Love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, mind, soul and strength and to love thy neighbor as thyself."
Because, "Love suffers long and is kind;
love does not envy;
love does not parade itself,
is not puffed up;
does not behave rudely,
does not seek its own,
is not provoked,
thinks no evil;
does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth;
bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away. When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known. And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love." 1 Corinthians 13
Love is the fulfillment of the Law, because love looks after the salvation and welfare of others, and one who loves God will never want to offend their Holy Father.
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
1 John 1:3 "That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ."
The beloved Apostle John is writing his letter with a mission in mind. He wishes for the readers of his letter to gain knowledge of the precious Savior, Jesus Christ, so that they may have fellowship with him. Why does he wish for others to have fellowship with him? Well, because his fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ. Why would St. John want others to share in this fellowship? What is so pressing that he feels the need to write a letter to share with all the churches of his time, and, ultimately, to all Christians everywhere for all time?
There is a need for every living human to share in this fellowship, for there is no life outside of this fellowship. More to follow...
The beloved Apostle John is writing his letter with a mission in mind. He wishes for the readers of his letter to gain knowledge of the precious Savior, Jesus Christ, so that they may have fellowship with him. Why does he wish for others to have fellowship with him? Well, because his fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ. Why would St. John want others to share in this fellowship? What is so pressing that he feels the need to write a letter to share with all the churches of his time, and, ultimately, to all Christians everywhere for all time?
There is a need for every living human to share in this fellowship, for there is no life outside of this fellowship. More to follow...
Sunday, January 20, 2008
Give Thanks!
Give thanks to the Lord.
1 Thesselonians 5:18, "In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you."
In all circumstances and situations give thanks unto the Lord, for His steadfast love endures forever. Don't blame God for the bad stuff. All bad stuff, like sickness, disease, fights, wars, death, come as a result of human sin and the curse it brought upon the earth. Even vegetation and animals suffer because of sin. Before sin there were no thorns, thistles, or weeds and animals didn't eat one another. God is the source of life and light. In the book of James we read, "ever good gift and every perfect gift is from above and comes down from the the Father of lights". This is the verse that I read when my son James was born. He is a life, he is my son, he is a gift from God, a good and perfect gift.
The breath you breathe, the reason you woke up this morning, the heartbeat that just pumped, the food that you ate, the water you drank, the clothes you are wearing, the vehicle you drive; you don't DESERVE any of these things. These are conveniences and blessings from our heavenly Father. They could all be gone tomorrow, and you could be going to the bathroom outside and wiping with leaves, building a shelter out of sticks with a thatched roof and mud, digging up roots to eat for dinner, going without a shower because you don't have running water, or you could loose your health, your money, etc.
Give thanks to God, for this is His will and desire for your life.
Sunday, December 09, 2007
Simple Christianity
Sometimes I get confused. I get confused concerning different denominations, different theologies, new things in Christianity such as modern music, "relevant" Christianity and church services, watching movies, why Christians don't observe the Saturday Sabbath when it is a commandment of God, and other issues. I don't want to make you thing that I am confused because of lack of study. The reason I am so confused is because I have studied myself into confusion. I won't get into details right now. I am not writing tonight to elaborate on the causes for my confusion. I have been earnestly praying to God to help me and to give me clarity. I think He has done that.
I opened up my Bible tonight and it fell open to Galatians chapter 3, where St. Paul says,
"O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? It was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified. Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh? Did you suffer so many things in vain—if indeed it was in vain? Does he who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you do so by works of the law, or by hearing with faith— just as Abraham "believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness"?
"Know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham. And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, "In you shall all the nations be blessed." So then, those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith."
As far as I know, I am a Gentile. How then am I justified? I am justified by faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. I have faith that He who began a good work in me will see it through to the day of completion. I love Jesus Christ, and I place my trust totally in Him.
So, this for me settles many issues. Being justified by faith in the Son of God, will I be perfected then by my flesh? According to St. Paul, no. So if I worship God on Sunday because the Church at some time in history changed the date to make a distinction between them and the Jews, I am not guilty of breaking any law, because I am not under the law, nor will I be made perfect by the law. The purpose of God's Law is to lead us to Christ. All who would live by the law must live exactly and perfectly by the law, which no man or woman has ever been able to do. So the law serves as a moral guide, and the law also continually points us to Jesus Christ, and Jesus Christ points us to the law, showing that we are continually in the need of His mercy.
Concerning music, TV, movies, etc, this is easy now. I believe it is wrong to become so opposed or so scared of these things that it becomes superstitious. One must ask himself questions before he watches/listens to something, such as, "will this help me love God more? Would this be offensive to God? Am I going to walk away from this being edified or will I walk away with perverse thoughts?" There are other questions one could ask oneself, but I think you get the point. It is put well in Philippians 4:7-9, "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you."
As a Christian we must simply believe in Jesus Christ as God's Son who died to take away our sins and live grateful lives unto Him, serving Him all the days of our life in happiness and love towards others. Jesus told us what the greatest commandments are. Here is his reply to a man who asked Him what the great commandment is, "And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. "Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?" And he said to him, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets."
Jesus said that ALL the Law and the Prophets depend on those two commandments. Why did God give us these commandments? For our own good. Those who love God with their whole being will also love their neighbor, for how can a man love God who he has not seen when he does not love his brother? Love does no wrong to those who love is shown. This is Jesus' highest law: Love. That is the end of all His will for us. So I pray, that with God's help, I will have a heart filled with love for God and for all around me. Bitterness kills, and I am tired of being bitter. This doesn't mean that I have decided to be naive, or that I decided to stop noticing wrongs and pointing them out. True love is much different that the love that the world knows.
I opened up my Bible tonight and it fell open to Galatians chapter 3, where St. Paul says,
"O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? It was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified. Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh? Did you suffer so many things in vain—if indeed it was in vain? Does he who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you do so by works of the law, or by hearing with faith— just as Abraham "believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness"?
"Know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham. And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, "In you shall all the nations be blessed." So then, those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith."
As far as I know, I am a Gentile. How then am I justified? I am justified by faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. I have faith that He who began a good work in me will see it through to the day of completion. I love Jesus Christ, and I place my trust totally in Him.
So, this for me settles many issues. Being justified by faith in the Son of God, will I be perfected then by my flesh? According to St. Paul, no. So if I worship God on Sunday because the Church at some time in history changed the date to make a distinction between them and the Jews, I am not guilty of breaking any law, because I am not under the law, nor will I be made perfect by the law. The purpose of God's Law is to lead us to Christ. All who would live by the law must live exactly and perfectly by the law, which no man or woman has ever been able to do. So the law serves as a moral guide, and the law also continually points us to Jesus Christ, and Jesus Christ points us to the law, showing that we are continually in the need of His mercy.
Concerning music, TV, movies, etc, this is easy now. I believe it is wrong to become so opposed or so scared of these things that it becomes superstitious. One must ask himself questions before he watches/listens to something, such as, "will this help me love God more? Would this be offensive to God? Am I going to walk away from this being edified or will I walk away with perverse thoughts?" There are other questions one could ask oneself, but I think you get the point. It is put well in Philippians 4:7-9, "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you."
As a Christian we must simply believe in Jesus Christ as God's Son who died to take away our sins and live grateful lives unto Him, serving Him all the days of our life in happiness and love towards others. Jesus told us what the greatest commandments are. Here is his reply to a man who asked Him what the great commandment is, "And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. "Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?" And he said to him, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets."
Jesus said that ALL the Law and the Prophets depend on those two commandments. Why did God give us these commandments? For our own good. Those who love God with their whole being will also love their neighbor, for how can a man love God who he has not seen when he does not love his brother? Love does no wrong to those who love is shown. This is Jesus' highest law: Love. That is the end of all His will for us. So I pray, that with God's help, I will have a heart filled with love for God and for all around me. Bitterness kills, and I am tired of being bitter. This doesn't mean that I have decided to be naive, or that I decided to stop noticing wrongs and pointing them out. True love is much different that the love that the world knows.
Friday, November 30, 2007
1 John 1
1 John 1
That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life;(For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;)
That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ. And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full. This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.
--- This is one of my favorite books of the Bible. This is actually only the first chapter. Read 1st John if you get a chance; actually, make a chance. There's no reason why you can't take time to read it. It is a life changing book. It's towards the end of the New Testament. It will bring you through a series of small tests, to find out whether or not you are in the faith. I know some of you don't need to find out whether or not you're in the faith, because you know already that you are not in the faith. In that case, if you read this book, you will find a life giving message that will show you what it means to walk as a disciple of Jesus Christ. The Bible is full of amazement, and it never gets old. It is a fresh and living book, full of wisdom, full of the life giving message of Jesus Christ. Read it, obey it, believe it, conform your life to it, and examine yourself. James 4:14, "For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appeareth for a little time and then vanisheth away." Make sure you know where you're going when you go!
That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life;(For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;)
That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ. And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full. This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.
--- This is one of my favorite books of the Bible. This is actually only the first chapter. Read 1st John if you get a chance; actually, make a chance. There's no reason why you can't take time to read it. It is a life changing book. It's towards the end of the New Testament. It will bring you through a series of small tests, to find out whether or not you are in the faith. I know some of you don't need to find out whether or not you're in the faith, because you know already that you are not in the faith. In that case, if you read this book, you will find a life giving message that will show you what it means to walk as a disciple of Jesus Christ. The Bible is full of amazement, and it never gets old. It is a fresh and living book, full of wisdom, full of the life giving message of Jesus Christ. Read it, obey it, believe it, conform your life to it, and examine yourself. James 4:14, "For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appeareth for a little time and then vanisheth away." Make sure you know where you're going when you go!
Monday, November 26, 2007
"Perfect in the original manuscripts"
Search the internet for churches, preferably conservative churches who call themselves evangelical, and read their statement of faith. Concerning the Bible it will say something like this one from Campus Crusades for Christ, "The sole basis of our beliefs is the Bible, God's infallible written Word, the 66 books of the Old and New Testaments. We believe that it was uniquely, verbally and fully inspired by the Holy Spirit and that it was written without error (inerrant) in the original manuscripts. It is the supreme and final authority in all matters on which it speaks.
Can I ask you, does ANYONE have a copy of the ORIGINAL MANUSCRIPTS? NO! So what good does that statement do? If we don't have the exact word of God, copied exactly from the original manuscripts, then we don't have the Holy Scriptures. How is it that the so called intellectuals that write these statements of faith not see the stupidity in their statement concerning the Scriptures? So what if you believe that the original manuscripts were perfect, we don't have them now! Accuracy in translation doesn't mean inerrancy or infallibility, because translators, being human, or having evil intentions, can make small changes to the Scriptures and change the meanings of entire passages.
So these same people that will hold up a Bible and proclaim it to be "THE INFALLIBLE WORD OF GOD" are saying under their breath, "but not really, because we don't have the original manuscripts".
One has to trust that manuscripts that have been carefully copied are also infallible and inerrant. I believe that there were texts that were carefully transcribed and kept perfect, and I believe this only because God promised that He would preserve His word all generations.
The modern translations such as the NIV, ESV, RSV, NASB, among others, use a Greek text that was extremely modified by Westcott and Hort in the late 1800's. The text of the NIV has 64,000 less words than the King James Version. And ministers can stand in a pulpit and say it doesn't really matter that much which Bible version one uses. This is satanic. The more I study it, and the more I think about this issue, the more I am convinced that this is confusion sent from the devil himself.
God promised that He would preserve His word for all generations, and I believe Him. The 5,000 most ancient manuscripts of the Bible that we have match up with the Textus Receptus some 99%. I am still studying this issue, because I am certainly not an expert, and a man or woman may gain information for salvation from any decent translation of the Scriptures; I did. However, this is a confusing mess in the world of Christianity. I am sticking with the Authorized Version (King James).
Can I ask you, does ANYONE have a copy of the ORIGINAL MANUSCRIPTS? NO! So what good does that statement do? If we don't have the exact word of God, copied exactly from the original manuscripts, then we don't have the Holy Scriptures. How is it that the so called intellectuals that write these statements of faith not see the stupidity in their statement concerning the Scriptures? So what if you believe that the original manuscripts were perfect, we don't have them now! Accuracy in translation doesn't mean inerrancy or infallibility, because translators, being human, or having evil intentions, can make small changes to the Scriptures and change the meanings of entire passages.
So these same people that will hold up a Bible and proclaim it to be "THE INFALLIBLE WORD OF GOD" are saying under their breath, "but not really, because we don't have the original manuscripts".
One has to trust that manuscripts that have been carefully copied are also infallible and inerrant. I believe that there were texts that were carefully transcribed and kept perfect, and I believe this only because God promised that He would preserve His word all generations.
The modern translations such as the NIV, ESV, RSV, NASB, among others, use a Greek text that was extremely modified by Westcott and Hort in the late 1800's. The text of the NIV has 64,000 less words than the King James Version. And ministers can stand in a pulpit and say it doesn't really matter that much which Bible version one uses. This is satanic. The more I study it, and the more I think about this issue, the more I am convinced that this is confusion sent from the devil himself.
God promised that He would preserve His word for all generations, and I believe Him. The 5,000 most ancient manuscripts of the Bible that we have match up with the Textus Receptus some 99%. I am still studying this issue, because I am certainly not an expert, and a man or woman may gain information for salvation from any decent translation of the Scriptures; I did. However, this is a confusing mess in the world of Christianity. I am sticking with the Authorized Version (King James).
Monday, November 05, 2007
Be Reconciled To God (Get Right)
As a result of the first sin of Adam and Eve, disobedience to a direct command from God, sin entered into the world, and death through sin. Many people have argued that only Adam and Eve were punished for their specific sin against God, however, this is not true. Every succeeding generation has a natural inclination to sin against the Laws and perfect will of God. This is sufficient enough evidence to see that all have sinned in Adam and Eve, because every human being born after Adam and Eve have sinned, and will sin, because they have a gnawing desire inside that presses them to sin against God and man, some more than others, but all have sinned and come short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). As it is written, there is none righteous, no, not one (Romans 3:10). Nobody is righteous; nobody can attain the righteousness that God requires while he or she is in this flesh, and that will keep everyone out of heaven. This sounds discouraging, and it should. It may make you think that God is unfair or unkind. Think of it this way; God is perfect; not like man’s standard of perfection, He is “Perfection”. He meant for us to be perfect, as the Bible says in Matthew 5:48, “Be ye therefore perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” In order to be perfect, we must be reconciled to God, we must have a removal of all of our past sins. Without holiness no one will see the Lord (Hebrews 12:14). How do we have our past sins removed? How do we become perfect? How do we become holy so we can see the Lord? --Reconciliation through Jesus Christ!! He must be our redeemer and mediator between God and us. He must, first, remove our sins by taking the punishment for our sins on the cross, and then, by His ascension into heaven, He sits at the right hand of God making intercession for us always. This is the only way, as it is written in John 14:6, “I am the way, the truth and the life. No man cometh unto the Father but by me.” This excludes every other false way of getting saved and making it to heaven. You have two choices; believe what Jesus said, that He is the only way, or reject what Jesus said, call Him a liar, and wind up in hell. Romans 5:8-11 puts it very well, “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.” He will save us by His death, if we believe in Him, and we shall be saved by His life, because He is still alive and makes intercession for us. Make Him your savior, AND Lord, today. Don’t put it off. Amen.
Thursday, November 01, 2007
Once again, what matters?
What is the ultimate goal of being a Christian? Is it so we can "fill a void in our hearts"? Is is so we can "have our best life now"? No. Neither. The ultimate goal is spending eternity with our Father in Heaven. Jesus Christ made this possible by taking our place of eternal punishment, nailing it to a cross, dying, raising from the dead, ascending to heaven and ruling as Lord and King. The Lord is not willing that any should perish and go off to everlating hell. Not just separation from God, as most modern evangelists put it; ever-lasting-hell. Because of your sin you will be shut out of heaven and cast into hell, unless you repent and put your trust in Jesus. It's not about wearing nice clothes to church, having a blessed life on earth, having emotionally healthy spirituality or all that garbage; it's about being saved from wrath! It's about loving God with all your heart for being so loving as to give you a way to escape hell. Turn to Him today, surrender your life and follow Jesus. Read your Bible and pray every day.
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