Some claim that it is only through scientific experimentation that one can know and ascertain the truth of a matter. They would say: "Prove it scientifically!"
Well, how can you prove through scientific experimentation that Abraham Lincoln did exists? How can you prove through science that you were born on such and such a date? How can you prove love, honesty and integrity through science?
The answer to these questions is this---"No. You can't prove these things through scientific lab experiments."
Scientific experimentation is not the only way to ascertain and verify the truth of a matter. A lot of times in our daily lives we don't go by the scientific method in discovering facts. Science has limits. Science only applies to repeatable events. It can't turn back the hands of time and do a test on historical events.
If scientific experimentation is the only way to obtain facts then all the courts of law in the world should be closed down, because a lot of times there truth is ascertained through credible eye witness testimony.
How do we know that Abe Lincoln did really exists? How do you know that you were born on such and such a date? Through the credible testimony of other people. You know your birthday falls on such a date because your parents told you so. You believe their testimony.
It is exactly the same way with the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. Credible eye witnesses came forward and wrote down their testimonies that the Lord Jesus did really rise from the grave.
They never became rich or powerful because of their testimonies. On the contrary, they were persecuted, harassed and even murdered. They sealed their testimony with their blood. A man may live for a lie but no one dies for what he knows to be a lie.
The apostle Paul was a persecutor of Christianity, then suddenly, a change went over him and became the greatest apostle of Christianity. He left position, prestige and power in exchange for persecution, suffering, pain and even death. Why? Because he really witnessed the fact that Christ resurrected from the grave.
What's The Evidence That Jesus Really Resurrected From The Dead? We have credible eye witnesses (the apostles) who were willing to die and in fact did die for their testimonies that Christ really resurrected from the grave.
Tuesday, December 30, 2014
Monday, December 29, 2014
What Is Contentment?
1Ti 6:8 And having food and clothing/shelter (the Greek also implies a covering or a roof), with these we shall be content.
Contentment is the attitude of being satisfied with the essentials. Above that, he works like a horse for the glory of God and labors like an ox and aims high for the good of others. A satisfied minimalist when it comes to self, ambitious when it comes to welfare of others.
Eph 4:28 Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need.
What Does "Redeeming The Time" Mean In Ephesians 5:16?
Eph 5:16 redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
The expression "redeeming the time" is literally "buying up the opportunities" in the Greek.
Paul commanded the Ephesians walk in the light (verse 8) and the need to be up and about and alert in doing it (verse 14). The days are evil and the opportunity to shine is now. Believers are to take advantage of it. Seize it. Make most of the opportunity. They are to shine and not lose the opportunity in doing it. Every opportunity is precious. It should not be mishandled and lost.
Walking in the light is walking in Christ-likeness. It is exhibiting Christ to the world.
The expression "redeeming the time" is literally "buying up the opportunities" in the Greek.
Paul commanded the Ephesians walk in the light (verse 8) and the need to be up and about and alert in doing it (verse 14). The days are evil and the opportunity to shine is now. Believers are to take advantage of it. Seize it. Make most of the opportunity. They are to shine and not lose the opportunity in doing it. Every opportunity is precious. It should not be mishandled and lost.
Walking in the light is walking in Christ-likeness. It is exhibiting Christ to the world.
Monday, December 22, 2014
What Does It Mean For God To Harden Pharaoh's Heart?
Ex 4:21 And the LORD said to Moses, "When you go back to Egypt, see that you do all those wonders before Pharaoh which I have put in your hand. But I will harden his heart, so that he will not let the people go.
When God hardens a heart, He always does so, not arbitrarily, but as a punishment. God is a God of love. He wants all men to repent. He does not want any to perish.
However, if man stubbornly refuses to repent, God, as punishment, will give him over to his depraved and rebellious heart. Someone said that there are two kinds of people in the world: a) There are people who say to God: "Your will be done" and b) There are people to whom God says: "Your will be done."
Ps 81:12 So I gave them over to their own stubborn heart, To walk in their own counsels.
Ro 1:23 and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man--and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things.
24 Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves,
25 who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.
26 For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature.
When God hardens a man's heart, He just simply stops calling him or her to repent and withholds the converting grace which was repeatedly rejected and refused.
When God hardens a heart, He always does so, not arbitrarily, but as a punishment. God is a God of love. He wants all men to repent. He does not want any to perish.
However, if man stubbornly refuses to repent, God, as punishment, will give him over to his depraved and rebellious heart. Someone said that there are two kinds of people in the world: a) There are people who say to God: "Your will be done" and b) There are people to whom God says: "Your will be done."
Ps 81:12 So I gave them over to their own stubborn heart, To walk in their own counsels.
Ro 1:23 and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man--and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things.
24 Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves,
25 who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.
26 For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature.
When God hardens a man's heart, He just simply stops calling him or her to repent and withholds the converting grace which was repeatedly rejected and refused.
Saturday, December 20, 2014
What Does Fasting Connote?
Fasting simply means abstinence from food: "And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry." Mt 4:2
The Lord Jesus was hungry after forty days and forty nights of fasting because He abstained from eating food during those times.
What does fasting connote? It connotes control of our physical appetites. Bodily appetites are God-given. But if they are allowed to control our lives, if we have become slaves to it, then it has become sinful.
Fasting is also an expression of grief and sorrow. Notice:
Mt 9:14 Then the disciples of John came to Him, saying, "Why do we and the Pharisees fast often, but Your disciples do not fast?"
15 And Jesus said to them, "Can the friends of the bridegroom mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast.
When we are in grief and sorrow, we lose appetite, we are not disposed to eat. Fasting then is the expression, the physical result of a soul burdened and grieved with sin in one's own life and in others. We sorrow in a godly manner that it affects our appetite.
The Lord Jesus was hungry after forty days and forty nights of fasting because He abstained from eating food during those times.
What does fasting connote? It connotes control of our physical appetites. Bodily appetites are God-given. But if they are allowed to control our lives, if we have become slaves to it, then it has become sinful.
Fasting is also an expression of grief and sorrow. Notice:
Mt 9:14 Then the disciples of John came to Him, saying, "Why do we and the Pharisees fast often, but Your disciples do not fast?"
15 And Jesus said to them, "Can the friends of the bridegroom mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast.
When we are in grief and sorrow, we lose appetite, we are not disposed to eat. Fasting then is the expression, the physical result of a soul burdened and grieved with sin in one's own life and in others. We sorrow in a godly manner that it affects our appetite.
Friday, December 19, 2014
Was The Lord Jesus Ever Called Immanuel?
Isa 7:14 "Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.
He was not called Immanuel actually in His first coming, but He was called Immaneul in effect.
You see, the Jews believed that God alone is the Savior of mankind. That's a belief as stubborn as granite in their minds. Now, when Mary called Him Jesus, meaning Yahweh is Savior, she was actually, in effect, naming Him Immanuel, God with us. For He was really God the Savior and He was actually with them now as a human being.
God the Savior (Jesus) is in their midst. Whether she knew of the full import and meaning of what she called Him or not, the fact remains that she called the baby she was holding in her arms as Yahweh is Savior.
Of course, later on, she realized that her baby was really Immanuel, God with us. The name (Jesus) she called her Child actually corresponded as to who He is (God) and what He did (He became Man to be with us).
He was not called Immanuel actually in His first coming, but He was called Immaneul in effect.
You see, the Jews believed that God alone is the Savior of mankind. That's a belief as stubborn as granite in their minds. Now, when Mary called Him Jesus, meaning Yahweh is Savior, she was actually, in effect, naming Him Immanuel, God with us. For He was really God the Savior and He was actually with them now as a human being.
God the Savior (Jesus) is in their midst. Whether she knew of the full import and meaning of what she called Him or not, the fact remains that she called the baby she was holding in her arms as Yahweh is Savior.
Of course, later on, she realized that her baby was really Immanuel, God with us. The name (Jesus) she called her Child actually corresponded as to who He is (God) and what He did (He became Man to be with us).
Is It Unjust For Someone Who Is Innocent (Jesus) To Die In Our Place?
Where is justice if an innocent Man was the one who died for our sins? If God is a just Judge, how could He ever allow that to happen?
Agree. It is indeed unjust if an innocent man would die for the crimes I made. The guilty should be punished. The innocent should go free.
However, here is something that we should know about Adam and the Lord Jesus. When God created humanity, in His wisdom, He created us with a Representative Head---Adam. Whatever happened to Adam was viewed as having happened to us. Adam as us acted for us. His being our representative was not symbolic. It was real. He truly represented us.
Ro 5:12 Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned--
Ro 5:19 For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners...
There is good news. Actually, there are two Representative Heads, the other one is the Lord Jesus Christ. As our representative, He could truly substitute us and act as us for us. His being our representative is not symbolic. It is real. He can truly represent us.
Since such is the case, Him dying for us is not unjust. After all, He is truly our representative. As such, he could truly represent us. It would be unjust for any other man to die for our crimes since any other man is not recognized by the courts of heaven as our representative.
The court only recognizes two representative heads of humanity that could act for them and act as them---Adam and Christ.
We were condemned in Adam, but we could be redeemed in Christ. You see, just as condemnation is by representation, so is redemption, it's by representation.
Yes, redemption is by a representative. Not by works of our own. Not by anything we do. No, it all depends on the work of a representative.
Ro 5:18 Therefore, as through one man's offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man's righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life.
19 For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man's obedience many will be made righteous.
Agree. It is indeed unjust if an innocent man would die for the crimes I made. The guilty should be punished. The innocent should go free.
However, here is something that we should know about Adam and the Lord Jesus. When God created humanity, in His wisdom, He created us with a Representative Head---Adam. Whatever happened to Adam was viewed as having happened to us. Adam as us acted for us. His being our representative was not symbolic. It was real. He truly represented us.
Ro 5:12 Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned--
Ro 5:19 For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners...
There is good news. Actually, there are two Representative Heads, the other one is the Lord Jesus Christ. As our representative, He could truly substitute us and act as us for us. His being our representative is not symbolic. It is real. He can truly represent us.
Since such is the case, Him dying for us is not unjust. After all, He is truly our representative. As such, he could truly represent us. It would be unjust for any other man to die for our crimes since any other man is not recognized by the courts of heaven as our representative.
The court only recognizes two representative heads of humanity that could act for them and act as them---Adam and Christ.
We were condemned in Adam, but we could be redeemed in Christ. You see, just as condemnation is by representation, so is redemption, it's by representation.
Yes, redemption is by a representative. Not by works of our own. Not by anything we do. No, it all depends on the work of a representative.
Ro 5:18 Therefore, as through one man's offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man's righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life.
19 For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man's obedience many will be made righteous.
What Does John 3:8 Mean?
Joh 3:8 "The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit."
The Lord Jesus just told Nicodemus: "You must be born again" in verse 7. This may seem puzzling to him. And so the Lord Jesus used the illustration of the wind to describe the work of the Spirit in the new birth.
The presence of the wind is detectable and recognizable. We could readily perceive its presence. The howling sound it brings. The movements of trees and other objects as it passes by. Yet its movements and direction are incomprehensible and puzzling to a common man. It is invisible. It is untraceable. Its ways are beyond us.
It's just the same with the new birth. The new birth or being born again is incomprehensible, we cannot fully grasp its procedures, workings and modes of operation, though it is recognizable by its effects.
How in the world could, for example, a hopeless drunkard, become a transformed man? What went on inside him, we cannot fully explain. But nonetheless, the effect is there---he is a changed man.
The Lord Jesus just told Nicodemus: "You must be born again" in verse 7. This may seem puzzling to him. And so the Lord Jesus used the illustration of the wind to describe the work of the Spirit in the new birth.
The presence of the wind is detectable and recognizable. We could readily perceive its presence. The howling sound it brings. The movements of trees and other objects as it passes by. Yet its movements and direction are incomprehensible and puzzling to a common man. It is invisible. It is untraceable. Its ways are beyond us.
It's just the same with the new birth. The new birth or being born again is incomprehensible, we cannot fully grasp its procedures, workings and modes of operation, though it is recognizable by its effects.
How in the world could, for example, a hopeless drunkard, become a transformed man? What went on inside him, we cannot fully explain. But nonetheless, the effect is there---he is a changed man.
Thursday, December 18, 2014
The Fruit Of The Spirit: Self-Control Or Out Of Control?
Ga 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
23 gentleness, self-control...
It is sad to see many professing Christians, who claim to be under the influence of the Holy Spirit, show signs of uncontrollable actions in their worship services.
They, for instance, fall down and utter something unrestrainable and uncontainable in their worship services. They are beside themselves, out of control.
This is not the fruit of the Spirit. The Spirit influences but never dominates and possesses one's personality. To do that is to dehumanize. The only ones who do that in the Bible are Satan and his demons.
Genuine speaking in tongues is not an uncontrollable experience. It is never a loose cannon experience. Things like that lead to confusion in the church, but God is not the author of confusion. He is a God of order.
1Co 14:27 If anyone speaks in a tongue, let there be two or at the most three, each in turn, and let one interpret.
28 But if there is no interpreter, let him keep silent in church, and let him speak to himself and to God.
29 Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others judge.
30 But if anything is revealed to another who sits by, let the first keep silent.
31 For you can all prophesy one by one, that all may learn and all may be encouraged.
32 And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets.
33 For God is not the author of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints.
1Co 14:40 Let all things be done decently and in order.
The fact that they are told to speak "each in turn," "to keep silent" and to "speak to himself and to God" when there is no interpreter, the fact that only a certain number (two or three) are allowed to speak "one by one" indicates that it is not an uncontrollable experience.
23 gentleness, self-control...
It is sad to see many professing Christians, who claim to be under the influence of the Holy Spirit, show signs of uncontrollable actions in their worship services.
They, for instance, fall down and utter something unrestrainable and uncontainable in their worship services. They are beside themselves, out of control.
This is not the fruit of the Spirit. The Spirit influences but never dominates and possesses one's personality. To do that is to dehumanize. The only ones who do that in the Bible are Satan and his demons.
Genuine speaking in tongues is not an uncontrollable experience. It is never a loose cannon experience. Things like that lead to confusion in the church, but God is not the author of confusion. He is a God of order.
1Co 14:27 If anyone speaks in a tongue, let there be two or at the most three, each in turn, and let one interpret.
28 But if there is no interpreter, let him keep silent in church, and let him speak to himself and to God.
29 Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others judge.
30 But if anything is revealed to another who sits by, let the first keep silent.
31 For you can all prophesy one by one, that all may learn and all may be encouraged.
32 And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets.
33 For God is not the author of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints.
1Co 14:40 Let all things be done decently and in order.
The fact that they are told to speak "each in turn," "to keep silent" and to "speak to himself and to God" when there is no interpreter, the fact that only a certain number (two or three) are allowed to speak "one by one" indicates that it is not an uncontrollable experience.
Uncontrollable things can never be regulated, that's why they are called uncontrollable. But Paul wrote instructions to regulate their experiences. It only implies otherwise, that these things are controllable experiences.
Paul himself said: "...the spirits of the prophets are subject to the
prophets."
The Spirit influences, yes, but He never subjugates and takes over our personalities. He does not violate the personhood that He gave us.
Whether these things are still for us today or not is not the subject of this article. The point that is only emphasized is the fact that any genuine experience from the Holy Spirit is something that does not encroach upon and disrupt our personhood.
God is a "gentleman." He does not rape.
Whether these things are still for us today or not is not the subject of this article. The point that is only emphasized is the fact that any genuine experience from the Holy Spirit is something that does not encroach upon and disrupt our personhood.
God is a "gentleman." He does not rape.
Wednesday, December 17, 2014
Who Is The Senior Pastor Of The Church?
The Church's One And Only Senior Pastor
1Pe 5:4 and when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away.
Notice the description given to the Lord Jesus Christ here in this verse. He is the Church's Chief Shepherd. In other words, the Senior Pastor.
Chief = Senior
Shepherd = Pastor
Notice also the definite article "the" before it---"THE" Chief Shepherd. He is not A Chief Shepherd, as if there are many chief shepherds in the Church, and He's just one of them. No, He is THE Chief Shepherd.
You see, apostolic Christianity knows no other Chief Shepherd or Senior Pastor other than the Lord Jesus Christ. We criticize the Roman pontiff of the RC Church for arrogating to himself titles that only belong to God or the Lord Jesus Christ.
We are not aware that we ourselves have practiced many unbiblical things in our own local churches. If we should learn our theology from the Bible ALONE then we should never recognize any man to function as the Chief Shepherd of the Church or local churches for that matter.
The New Testament teaches that there is only one Senior Pastor, the Lord Jesus Christ, and the rest are just under-shepherds below Him. They simply follow His lead. They get their instruction and direction from His Word. Their "job description" is also clearly laid out in His book.
True, there are more experienced pastors or shepherds than others, ahead over others in terms of experience in the pastoral ministry, and they share their wealth of knowledge to new pastors, but they are never called "Senior Pastors" in the Bible. They are simply pastors...period.
We always say "Bible alone," making others believe that we get our belief and practices only from the Bible, but in this aspect, we have terribly failed. Search the New Testament, Paul, Peter, John and other apostles never called themselves as "Senior Pastors," not even among the local churches they founded.
What's The Difference Between An Elder, A Bishop And A Pastor?
In our local churches today, steeped with the traditions of men, we now have a false distinction or dichotomy that an elder is different from a pastor and a bishop.
One is called a senior pastor with other pastors under him, we also have another set of men called elders doing another set of function in the church. This is unbiblical and wrong.
Actually, an elder in the Bible is an overseer/ bishop and is also a pastor of the church. Elder speaks of the person's maturity. Bishop or overseer speaks of the same person's responsibility. Shepherd or pastor speaks of the very same person's ministry.
Elder --- refers to his maturity. Bishop/Overseer ---refers to his responsibility. Pastor/Shepherd ---refers to his ministry. This is very clear in Acts 20:17 to 28. Notice and observe very carefully:
Ac 20:17 From Miletus he sent to Ephesus and called for the ELDERS of the church.
The apostle Paul called for a conference of elders. He wants to meet with them for some final instructions. And then, some time later, speaking to the very same persons, he told them this:
Ac 20:28 "Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you OVERSEERS, to SHEPHERD the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.
Notice, the elders in verse 17 are also recognized by Paul as overseers/bishops and shepherds of the Church of God!
Paul even makes this clear in other portions of his letters. In Titus 1:5-9, he wrote:
Tit 1:5 For this reason I left you in Crete, that you should set in order the things that are lacking, and appoint ELDERS in every city as I commanded you--
6 if a man is blameless, the husband of one wife, having faithful children not accused of dissipation or insubordination.
7 For a BISHOP must be blameless, as a steward of God, not self-willed, not quick-tempered, not given to wine, not violent, not greedy for money,
8 but hospitable, a lover of what is good, sober-minded, just, holy, self-controlled,
9 holding fast the faithful word as he has been taught, that he may be able, by sound doctrine, both to exhort and convict those who contradict.
7 For a BISHOP must be blameless, as a steward of God, not self-willed, not quick-tempered, not given to wine, not violent, not greedy for money,
8 but hospitable, a lover of what is good, sober-minded, just, holy, self-controlled,
9 holding fast the faithful word as he has been taught, that he may be able, by sound doctrine, both to exhort and convict those who contradict.
Paul gave instructions to Titus to appoint elders in every city (verse 5). And then he proceeds to outline the qualifications of an elder (verses 6 to 9). In doing so, he conveniently shifts to call elders as a bishop of their respective churches (notice verses 5 and 7).
Why is this so? Because an elder is also a bishop biblically speaking.
The apostle Peter also has this to say about this issue. In 1 Peter 5:1-2, he wrote this:
1Pe 5:1 The ELDERS who are among you I exhort, I who am a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that will be revealed:
2 SHEPHERD the flock of God which is among you, serving as OVERSEERS, not by compulsion but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly;
You see, elders in verse 1 are called to shepherd/pastor and serve as overseers/bishops of the flock of God in verse 2, affirming what Paul said in Acts 20:17 to 28 that an elder is a bishop/overseer and a pastor/shepherd at the same time.
What Is Saving Faith?
Saving faith means trust, reliance, dependence and confidence in the Savior and what He did on the cross for salvation.
It is to be wholly and entirely confident that what the Savior did on the cross was enough and sufficient for one's salvation. It is resting on the worth of the Lord Jesus Christ and the work He did on the cross.
If the Lord Jesus Christ and His work on the cross for the sinner's salvation were a wall, faith leans on it entirely.
It is to be wholly and entirely confident that what the Savior did on the cross was enough and sufficient for one's salvation. It is resting on the worth of the Lord Jesus Christ and the work He did on the cross.
If the Lord Jesus Christ and His work on the cross for the sinner's salvation were a wall, faith leans on it entirely.
What Is It To Glorify God?
The word "glory" can mean many things, but one of its meanings is this---the manifested perfections, attributes and excellencies of God.
God is a perfect and excellent Being. His love is perfect and excellent. His holiness is perfect and excellent. His goodness is perfect and excellent. Everything in Him is perfect and excellent. He is loaded and heavy with perfections and excellencies.
To glorify God is to recognize Him for who He is and to manifest it. We see His wisdom in Creation, so we praise Him. We come to know of His love in the Cross of Christ and so we thank and praise Him for that and walk in love ourselves. We realize that He is holy and so we reflect that in our lives---we walk in holiness.
These are just examples of how we glorify God. Again, to glorify God is to recognize Him for who He is.
God is a perfect and excellent Being. His love is perfect and excellent. His holiness is perfect and excellent. His goodness is perfect and excellent. Everything in Him is perfect and excellent. He is loaded and heavy with perfections and excellencies.
To glorify God is to recognize Him for who He is and to manifest it. We see His wisdom in Creation, so we praise Him. We come to know of His love in the Cross of Christ and so we thank and praise Him for that and walk in love ourselves. We realize that He is holy and so we reflect that in our lives---we walk in holiness.
These are just examples of how we glorify God. Again, to glorify God is to recognize Him for who He is.
Tuesday, December 16, 2014
What Is True Love?
Let me attempt to give a definition of true love here. And this, we can glean from the most well-known Bible verse of all:
Joh 3:16 "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
You see, love is the willingness to give and sacrifice everything for the ultimate good of the one being loved. By good, I mean that which is truly good, untainted by something that is harmful and sinful, good which passes the standards of God.
By ultimate good, I mean this--- sometimes we allow something that is uneasy and oftentimes painful to our loved one to bring about in the end his or her ultimate good.
God allows trials and sufferings to come into the life of His beloved in order to conform him or her to the image of His Son. We can be sure though that the sufferings are always calibrated and never unnecessary. There is something that we can learn in our pain that we could never learn in comfort and ease.
Joh 3:16 "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
You see, love is the willingness to give and sacrifice everything for the ultimate good of the one being loved. By good, I mean that which is truly good, untainted by something that is harmful and sinful, good which passes the standards of God.
By ultimate good, I mean this--- sometimes we allow something that is uneasy and oftentimes painful to our loved one to bring about in the end his or her ultimate good.
God allows trials and sufferings to come into the life of His beloved in order to conform him or her to the image of His Son. We can be sure though that the sufferings are always calibrated and never unnecessary. There is something that we can learn in our pain that we could never learn in comfort and ease.
Monday, December 15, 2014
666 --- What Does It Represent?
There are many speculations about the number 666, the number mentioned in the book of Revelation. No one could exactly pinpoint a single and definitive interpretation of it because the Bible does not explain it explicitly as to what it really stands for. All we know is that it is the number of the anti-Christ. What you are about to read here is my understanding of it.
Tracing the mention of the number six in the Bible, we find these relevant facts:
* The number six is the number of man. Man was created on the sixth day of Creation (see Genesis 1).
The anti-Christ therefore will be a man, a human being.
Re 13:18 Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man: His number is six hundred and sixty-six.
* The number six was also associated with Goliath, the champion of the enemy of God's people Israel. Goliath was six cubits and a span. He had six pieces of armor and his spear's head weighed 600 shekels of iron (see 1 Sam 17:4-7).
Just as Goliath represented the champion of the enemy of God's people, Israel, so the anti-Christ will be the champion of Satan and the world against Israel during the Tribulation period.
Re 13:3 And I saw one of his heads as if it had been mortally wounded, and his deadly wound was healed. And all the world marveled and followed the beast.
4 So they worshiped the dragon who gave authority to the beast; and they worshiped the beast, saying, "Who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with him?"
* The number six was also associated with Nebuchadnezzar's idolatrous image of gold. It had a height of sixty cubits and its width six cubits. All people were commanded to bow down to it and worship it when they hear six different times of music (Daniel 3:5). Anyone who will not bow down to it will be killed.
Just as Nebuchadnezzar set up an idolatrous image to be worshiped by all people under his dominion, the anti-Christ also will set up his own idolatrous image and demand that all people will bow down to it. Anyone who refuses to do so will be put to death.
Re 13:14 And he deceives those who dwell on the earth by those signs which he was granted to do in the sight of the beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast who was wounded by the sword and lived.
15 He was granted power to give breath to the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak and cause as many as would not worship the image of the beast to be killed
* The number six is the number of man since he was created on the sixth day of Creation. However, during the time of Noah, humanity was divided into three. Humanity since then was divided into three different subdivisions, humanity could be traced into three different lines--the lines of Shem, Ham and Japeth (see Gen. 10:1).
To have dominion over the three is to have dominion over all humanity. The anti-Christ will have worldwide dominion over all humanity during the Tribulation Period.
Re 13:7 It was granted to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them. And authority was given him over every tribe, tongue, and nation.
Conclusion
Based on the facts we gathered, it seems that 666 represents a man, a human being, who will have worldwide dominion, who will be Satan's champion and the people of the world against God's people, Israel, during the Tribulation period, who will set up an idolatrous image of his own to be worshiped by all. Anyone who refuses to do so will be put to death.
Tracing the mention of the number six in the Bible, we find these relevant facts:
* The number six is the number of man. Man was created on the sixth day of Creation (see Genesis 1).
The anti-Christ therefore will be a man, a human being.
Re 13:18 Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man: His number is six hundred and sixty-six.
* The number six was also associated with Goliath, the champion of the enemy of God's people Israel. Goliath was six cubits and a span. He had six pieces of armor and his spear's head weighed 600 shekels of iron (see 1 Sam 17:4-7).
Just as Goliath represented the champion of the enemy of God's people, Israel, so the anti-Christ will be the champion of Satan and the world against Israel during the Tribulation period.
Re 13:3 And I saw one of his heads as if it had been mortally wounded, and his deadly wound was healed. And all the world marveled and followed the beast.
4 So they worshiped the dragon who gave authority to the beast; and they worshiped the beast, saying, "Who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with him?"
* The number six was also associated with Nebuchadnezzar's idolatrous image of gold. It had a height of sixty cubits and its width six cubits. All people were commanded to bow down to it and worship it when they hear six different times of music (Daniel 3:5). Anyone who will not bow down to it will be killed.
Just as Nebuchadnezzar set up an idolatrous image to be worshiped by all people under his dominion, the anti-Christ also will set up his own idolatrous image and demand that all people will bow down to it. Anyone who refuses to do so will be put to death.
Re 13:14 And he deceives those who dwell on the earth by those signs which he was granted to do in the sight of the beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast who was wounded by the sword and lived.
15 He was granted power to give breath to the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak and cause as many as would not worship the image of the beast to be killed
* The number six is the number of man since he was created on the sixth day of Creation. However, during the time of Noah, humanity was divided into three. Humanity since then was divided into three different subdivisions, humanity could be traced into three different lines--the lines of Shem, Ham and Japeth (see Gen. 10:1).
To have dominion over the three is to have dominion over all humanity. The anti-Christ will have worldwide dominion over all humanity during the Tribulation Period.
Re 13:7 It was granted to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them. And authority was given him over every tribe, tongue, and nation.
Conclusion
Based on the facts we gathered, it seems that 666 represents a man, a human being, who will have worldwide dominion, who will be Satan's champion and the people of the world against God's people, Israel, during the Tribulation period, who will set up an idolatrous image of his own to be worshiped by all. Anyone who refuses to do so will be put to death.
What Is Biblical Election?
God in eternity past promised the Lord Jesus Christ that He would be the heir of the entire universe. Furthermore, He promised Him glory, honor and a kingdom to reign on. He alone deserves it all.
All of it rightly belongs to Him as the Son of God. As such, He has all the rights to it. Add to the fact that it is only to such character as His that one can rightly and properly be the heir and ruler of the entire universe.
Now, God is a God of love. And love loves to share and dispense what it has. And so God in eternity past decreed that He would share and allow others to partake of the blessings He promised to His Son who will be united to Him in redemption and salvation.
The Lord Jesus Christ was ultimately the Chosen One to enjoy and inherit all these blessed promises, however, anyone who is united to Him through faith, through the enablement of His grace, are chosen in Him to enjoy the promised blessings.
Just as every single Israelite became part of the chosen nation Israel through their chosen father Abraham, through physical birth, to inherit the blessed promises God made to Abraham, so anyone now, in this dispensation, who is born again, one who is a new creature in Christ, becomes chosen in Christ to enjoy and partake of His promised glory.
The sphere and basis of election is the Lord Jesus Christ Himself:
Eph 1:4 even as He chose us IN HIM before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him.
Notice that it does not say: "even as He chose us TO BE IN HIM before the foundation of the world..." Rather, it says: "even as He chose us IN HIM..."
Christ is the sphere and the foundation of election. If you are IN Him, you are elect and chosen. I am not chosen and elected because of anything in me. No, I am chosen because of Him!
Election is a very Christ-centered doctrine in the Bible. Properly understood, it does not drive us to be occupied with ourselves and ask: "Am I elect or not? Am I elect or not?" Rather, it should make us ask: "Am I in Christ or not? Am I united to Him? If I am in Him, then I know I am elect."
Just as salvation is in Christ, so is election in Christ.
Ephesians 1 is an IN CHRIST chapter. At least eleven times, the idea of being in Him is repeated over and over again. This is the key to understanding the chapter. Miss this and you fail to get what Paul is trying to say.
All the spiritual blessings enumerated in the chapter is said to be IN CHRIST, including election.
Christ is the chosen ship that stores all of God's spiritual blessings. Anyone in Him will enjoy and possess all of these blessings. Predestination is one of the blessings inside the ship. Think of predestination as the blessed destination of the chosen ship.
If you notice, Paul never explained election in any of his letters. He just assumed that his readers already knew about it. This is because election in Paul's view is similar to that in the Old Testament. And the Old Testament was widely read during their times, even by the Gentiles.
We get our definition of election now from theologians like Calvin etc.
Many of them treated non-Jews (the Gentiles) as second class citizens in God's kingdom. They say that to a degree, Gentiles must become Jews to enjoy God's full blessings.
The apostle Paul had to fight tooth and nail to have this idea eradicated. In his letters, he would assure non-Jewish Christians that they themselves were chosen by God because they were in Christ. Christ is chosen (1 Peter 2:4), they are part of His body, therefore they were chosen too. No need to become a Jew. No need for Jewish rituals, regulations etc.
When Paul wrote in Romans 9:15 about God saying: "I will have mercy on whomever I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whomever I will have compassion", he was not using it to LIMIT God's mercy.
He was referring to God's prerogative to have mercy on anyone, NOT JUST JEWS! The verse is quoted to show that God can have mercy on anyone. He made it very clear afterwards!
Ro 10:12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him.
What if God will show mercy to believing Gentiles? Can anyone object to it? He is God. He has the prerogative to do it.
The Jews need to understand that God saves not by physical descent from Abraham. That they don't have the monopoly of God's mercy exclusively. God has chosen those who are in Christ, Jew or Gentile to enjoy His blessings.
Right now, in the meantime, God is molding and transforming those who are in Christ to be conformed to His image. It's training time for them for reigning time with Christ in the future.
Election in the New Testament is God in His foreknowledge choosing those in Christ to enjoy the blessings and privileges and promises He made to Christ.
All of it rightly belongs to Him as the Son of God. As such, He has all the rights to it. Add to the fact that it is only to such character as His that one can rightly and properly be the heir and ruler of the entire universe.
Now, God is a God of love. And love loves to share and dispense what it has. And so God in eternity past decreed that He would share and allow others to partake of the blessings He promised to His Son who will be united to Him in redemption and salvation.
The Lord Jesus Christ was ultimately the Chosen One to enjoy and inherit all these blessed promises, however, anyone who is united to Him through faith, through the enablement of His grace, are chosen in Him to enjoy the promised blessings.
Just as every single Israelite became part of the chosen nation Israel through their chosen father Abraham, through physical birth, to inherit the blessed promises God made to Abraham, so anyone now, in this dispensation, who is born again, one who is a new creature in Christ, becomes chosen in Christ to enjoy and partake of His promised glory.
The sphere and basis of election is the Lord Jesus Christ Himself:
Eph 1:4 even as He chose us IN HIM before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him.
Notice that it does not say: "even as He chose us TO BE IN HIM before the foundation of the world..." Rather, it says: "even as He chose us IN HIM..."
Christ is the sphere and the foundation of election. If you are IN Him, you are elect and chosen. I am not chosen and elected because of anything in me. No, I am chosen because of Him!
Election is a very Christ-centered doctrine in the Bible. Properly understood, it does not drive us to be occupied with ourselves and ask: "Am I elect or not? Am I elect or not?" Rather, it should make us ask: "Am I in Christ or not? Am I united to Him? If I am in Him, then I know I am elect."
Just as salvation is in Christ, so is election in Christ.
Ephesians 1 is an IN CHRIST chapter. At least eleven times, the idea of being in Him is repeated over and over again. This is the key to understanding the chapter. Miss this and you fail to get what Paul is trying to say.
All the spiritual blessings enumerated in the chapter is said to be IN CHRIST, including election.
Christ is the chosen ship that stores all of God's spiritual blessings. Anyone in Him will enjoy and possess all of these blessings. Predestination is one of the blessings inside the ship. Think of predestination as the blessed destination of the chosen ship.
If you notice, Paul never explained election in any of his letters. He just assumed that his readers already knew about it. This is because election in Paul's view is similar to that in the Old Testament. And the Old Testament was widely read during their times, even by the Gentiles.
We get our definition of election now from theologians like Calvin etc.
The Jews were very proud of their race. They could claim that they were God's chosen nation. They say that they were God's chosen because of physical descent from Abraham, because they had the Law of Moses etc.
They were chosen not TO BE in Israel. As if they were outside of Israel at first, but God chose them in. And so that's how they became eventually in. No, they were chosen because they were in Israel by birth. Anyone in Israel was chosen because of their relationship to Abraham.
In the same way now, a sinner is chosen in Christ by virtue of his new birth in Christ.
Many of them treated non-Jews (the Gentiles) as second class citizens in God's kingdom. They say that to a degree, Gentiles must become Jews to enjoy God's full blessings.
The apostle Paul had to fight tooth and nail to have this idea eradicated. In his letters, he would assure non-Jewish Christians that they themselves were chosen by God because they were in Christ. Christ is chosen (1 Peter 2:4), they are part of His body, therefore they were chosen too. No need to become a Jew. No need for Jewish rituals, regulations etc.
When Paul wrote in Romans 9:15 about God saying: "I will have mercy on whomever I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whomever I will have compassion", he was not using it to LIMIT God's mercy.
He was referring to God's prerogative to have mercy on anyone, NOT JUST JEWS! The verse is quoted to show that God can have mercy on anyone. He made it very clear afterwards!
Ro 10:12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him.
Ro 11:32 For God has committed them all to disobedience, that He might have mercy on all (whether Jew or Gentile).
What if God will show mercy to believing Gentiles? Can anyone object to it? He is God. He has the prerogative to do it.
The Jews need to understand that God saves not by physical descent from Abraham. That they don't have the monopoly of God's mercy exclusively. God has chosen those who are in Christ, Jew or Gentile to enjoy His blessings.
Right now, in the meantime, God is molding and transforming those who are in Christ to be conformed to His image. It's training time for them for reigning time with Christ in the future.
Election in the New Testament is God in His foreknowledge choosing those in Christ to enjoy the blessings and privileges and promises He made to Christ.
What Is Predestination?
Many are anxious thinking of the doctrine of predestination in the Bible. I used to feel uncomfortable with it. With the kind of teaching I received about it, it is understandable that one should feel apprehensive.
Like a friend of mine who wrote to me expressing his fears about his condition when considering the doctrine of predestination.
By God's grace, sometime later, I realized that predestination is not something to be scared of. It is something to thank and worship God for. That's why the apostle Paul bursts in praise to God as he mentioned predestination among other things in Ephesians 1.
It is not God predetermining who will go to heaven or who will go to hell. It is not about who will be saved or not. Rather, it answers the question: "Now, that you are IN HIM or IN CHRIST what's your destiny?" Predestination is God predetermining an already saved sinner to a position and a condition.
Position---He has predetermined that saved sinners would be adopted as His sons. Sonship is a biblical idea that emphasizes position. Hence, all saved sinners, including females occupy this position. Anyone who has trusted in Christ is a son of God right now, enjoying all the privileges and responsibilities that God could offer.
But a time will come when the fuller manifestation of sonship in the future will be enjoyed by Christians. And to that, God has predestined saved sinners.
Condition---He has predetermined that saved sinners would be conformed to the likeness of His Son. Saved sinners will be fully and perfectly be like Him in character eventually in the future. To this God has predestined Christians.
God could have predestined saved sinners to become angels in heaven. That would be tremendous indeed. He could have predestined saved sinners to be one of the sweepers of the streets or doorkeepers in that glorious city prepared by God that will descend here on earth in the future. That would be awesome.
However, God in His mind-blowing grace has determined that saved sinners should occupy a more exalted position and experience a more glorious condition. He has determined in advance that saved sinners will be adopted as one of His sons and be like His one and only unique Son the Lord Jesus Christ.
Think of it! PREDESTINED NOT TO BE ANGELS. NOT TO BE HEAVENLY SWEEPERS (if there is such a thing in heaven). NOT TO BE DOORKEEPERS (if there is such a thing in heaven). NO, SONS WHO WILL BE PERFECTLY CONFORMED TO THE LIKENESS OF HIS UNIQUE SON! I would never exchange my eternal destiny with that of an angel even though right now, I am in this world living inside this body of weakness.
Saved sinners will sit at the table of the King of the universe as sons like that of His Son with angels at their beck and call! That's mind blowing. It is enough to make us gasp and fall down and worship God forever.
Eph 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,
4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love,
5 having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will,
4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love,
5 having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will,
Sunday, December 14, 2014
What Is It To Receive Jesus?
There is a common misconception today that states to receive Christ, one must INVITE JESUS INTO HIS HEART.
Obviously, the
cause of this misconception is the failure to realize what it is to receive
Christ. To receive Christ is actually to receive His claims about Himself.
Did you not notice that in the Gospel of John, the apostle strives and labors so hard to present to his readers claim after claim after claim of the Lord Jesus?
The book piles up one claim after another of the Lord Jesus. Here are some of them:
Did you not notice that in the Gospel of John, the apostle strives and labors so hard to present to his readers claim after claim after claim of the Lord Jesus?
The book piles up one claim after another of the Lord Jesus. Here are some of them:
1. He is the Word of God (or the Revealer of God)
2. He is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world
3. He is the Bread from heaven
4. He is the Savior of the world
5. He is the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one comes to God except through Him.
6. He is the Light of the world
Now, in order to genuinely receive a claim, one must trust in the claim and the person making the claim. I might say for example: "I am superman", and your mouth may pay lip service to it by saying: "Yes, I believe", but if your heart does not trust what I am claiming, then you have not truly received my claim.
2. He is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world
3. He is the Bread from heaven
4. He is the Savior of the world
5. He is the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one comes to God except through Him.
6. He is the Light of the world
Now, in order to genuinely receive a claim, one must trust in the claim and the person making the claim. I might say for example: "I am superman", and your mouth may pay lip service to it by saying: "Yes, I believe", but if your heart does not trust what I am claiming, then you have not truly received my claim.
In order to genuinely receive a claim, one must trust
in it. Open your Bibles to John 12:46:
Joh 12:46 "I have come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in Me should not abide in darkness.
Joh 12:46 "I have come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in Me should not abide in darkness.
Joh 12:47 "And if anyone hears My words and does
not believe, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to
save the world.
48 "He who rejects Me, and does not receive My
words, has that which judges him--the word that I have spoken will judge him in
the last day.
Notice and observe, in verse 46, the Lord Jesus makes a claim about Himself: "I have come as a light into the world.”
Notice and observe in verses 47 to 48 that not receiving the Lord Jesus is rejecting His claims, verse 47: "And if anyone hears My words (what words? The claim that He has come as the light of the world) and does not believe.”
Verse 48: "He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words (What words? His claim that He is the light of the world).
Receiving Christ is receiving and trusting in the claims of Christ. And so that is why the apostle John says in John 1:12. Open your Bible there please, John 1:12:
“Yet to all who received him…what is it to receive Him?...to those who believed/trusted in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.”
You see, receiving Christ is qualified by John himself as to what it is: “It is trusting in His name.”
Names in the Bible, especially those of God and the Lord Jesus Christ, are not only mere words without significance to the one bearing the name.
It’s not like in our culture. When I was in high school, they used to call a schoolmate of mine “Fatso.” “Hey Fatso! How are you?”
When I turned to look at him, Fatso was as slim as slim can be.
They also called another schoolmate of mine as “Thinny.” “Hey there Thinny! What’s up?” When I turned around to look at him, Thinny was another planet of his own. He was so big.
It is not this way when it comes to the names of God and the Lord Jesus Christ. Their names describe who they are. When God says: “My name is God Almighty” His name is God Almighty because He is God Almighty.
When God says: “My name is Holy” His name is Holy because He is holy. Their names are who they are.
Listen, when God reveals His name, He is actually making a claim about Himself.
Notice and observe, in verse 46, the Lord Jesus makes a claim about Himself: "I have come as a light into the world.”
Notice and observe in verses 47 to 48 that not receiving the Lord Jesus is rejecting His claims, verse 47: "And if anyone hears My words (what words? The claim that He has come as the light of the world) and does not believe.”
Verse 48: "He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words (What words? His claim that He is the light of the world).
Receiving Christ is receiving and trusting in the claims of Christ. And so that is why the apostle John says in John 1:12. Open your Bible there please, John 1:12:
“Yet to all who received him…what is it to receive Him?...to those who believed/trusted in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.”
You see, receiving Christ is qualified by John himself as to what it is: “It is trusting in His name.”
Names in the Bible, especially those of God and the Lord Jesus Christ, are not only mere words without significance to the one bearing the name.
It’s not like in our culture. When I was in high school, they used to call a schoolmate of mine “Fatso.” “Hey Fatso! How are you?”
When I turned to look at him, Fatso was as slim as slim can be.
They also called another schoolmate of mine as “Thinny.” “Hey there Thinny! What’s up?” When I turned around to look at him, Thinny was another planet of his own. He was so big.
It is not this way when it comes to the names of God and the Lord Jesus Christ. Their names describe who they are. When God says: “My name is God Almighty” His name is God Almighty because He is God Almighty.
When God says: “My name is Holy” His name is Holy because He is holy. Their names are who they are.
Listen, when God reveals His name, He is actually making a claim about Himself.
To believe in Jesus' name is to trust who He is. Jesus
means Savior. Receiving Him is to trust Him as Savior.
At least 70 times in the book of John alone, the idea of believing/trusting in the Lord Jesus is emphasized. Not once can we find of anyone inviting Jesus into their hearts.
Receiving Christ is just another way of saying: "Trust in who He claimed to be and what He claimed that He did for you on the cross for your salvation.”
* Revelation 3:20 is addressed to a church. Not to unbelievers. Rev 3:14 says: “To the angel of the church in Laodicea write…”
* It is addressed to children of God who are out of fellowship with Him. Rev 3:19 says: “Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent.”
God only disciplines His children. He doesn't discipline those who are outside of His family that’s Hebrews 12:5-8. For discipline simply means child-training.
At least 70 times in the book of John alone, the idea of believing/trusting in the Lord Jesus is emphasized. Not once can we find of anyone inviting Jesus into their hearts.
Receiving Christ is just another way of saying: "Trust in who He claimed to be and what He claimed that He did for you on the cross for your salvation.”
* Revelation 3:20 is addressed to a church. Not to unbelievers. Rev 3:14 says: “To the angel of the church in Laodicea write…”
* It is addressed to children of God who are out of fellowship with Him. Rev 3:19 says: “Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent.”
God only disciplines His children. He doesn't discipline those who are outside of His family that’s Hebrews 12:5-8. For discipline simply means child-training.
* The promise of Revelation 3:20 is fellowship or
communion, not salvation: “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone
hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with
me.”
Fellowship means sharing the same things in common. It is perfectly symbolized by two people sharing a meal, dining together.
It is possible to be saved and be out of fellowship with the Savior leaving us in a wretched state and condition.
* Revelation 3:20 nowhere speaks of inviting Jesus into one's heart.
Ephesians 3:17 says that Christ dwells in our hearts through faith. Christ is received by faith, and He dwells in our hearts through faith.
We let Him in by faith. We let Him dwell and be at home in our hearts by faith. The first is justification. The second is sanctification.
It is entirely possible invite Jesus into our hearts with our lips, without the heart trusting in Him and what He did on the cross alone for salvation.
Receiving the Lord Jesus is receiving by faith His claims about who He is and what He did on the cross for our salvation.
Fellowship means sharing the same things in common. It is perfectly symbolized by two people sharing a meal, dining together.
It is possible to be saved and be out of fellowship with the Savior leaving us in a wretched state and condition.
* Revelation 3:20 nowhere speaks of inviting Jesus into one's heart.
Ephesians 3:17 says that Christ dwells in our hearts through faith. Christ is received by faith, and He dwells in our hearts through faith.
We let Him in by faith. We let Him dwell and be at home in our hearts by faith. The first is justification. The second is sanctification.
It is entirely possible invite Jesus into our hearts with our lips, without the heart trusting in Him and what He did on the cross alone for salvation.
Receiving the Lord Jesus is receiving by faith His claims about who He is and what He did on the cross for our salvation.
Friday, December 12, 2014
Is The Church Of God The Kingdom Of God?
No. The church of God is not the kingdom of God. The church of God is INSIDE the kingdom of God. You see, the kingdom of God is bigger than the church of God.
Col 1:13 He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us INTO the kingdom of the Son of His love
The apostle Paul here is writing to the called out ones of God (the Church of God) and he says that they were delivered from the power of darkness and conveyed, transferred and carried INTO the kingdom of the Son of His love.
The kingdom is something that they were conveyed INTO. The preposition signifies movement towards the interior or inner parts. It simply means entry. The kingdom is something that the Church entered into.
Take a look at another verse to make it more clear and plain:
2Pe 1:11 for so an ENTRANCE will be supplied to you abundantly INTO the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Peter, speaking of the future aspect of the kingdom, is writing to the called out ones of God (Christians or the Church of God) and he says that the kingdom is something that they will have an entrance into.
These verses (Col. 1:13 and 2 Pet. 1:11) speak of the Church entering the kingdom. If the Church is the kingdom, then why does she have to enter into the kingdom since she herself is the kingdom?
You see, the Church and the Kingdom are different. The one enters into the other.
Think about it. The Church is the bride of the King, the future queen, so to speak, who will sit beside the King to reign with Him. The queen is not the King's kingdom. No, she is inside His kingdom, reigning with Him.
Col 1:13 He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us INTO the kingdom of the Son of His love
The apostle Paul here is writing to the called out ones of God (the Church of God) and he says that they were delivered from the power of darkness and conveyed, transferred and carried INTO the kingdom of the Son of His love.
The kingdom is something that they were conveyed INTO. The preposition signifies movement towards the interior or inner parts. It simply means entry. The kingdom is something that the Church entered into.
Take a look at another verse to make it more clear and plain:
2Pe 1:11 for so an ENTRANCE will be supplied to you abundantly INTO the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Peter, speaking of the future aspect of the kingdom, is writing to the called out ones of God (Christians or the Church of God) and he says that the kingdom is something that they will have an entrance into.
These verses (Col. 1:13 and 2 Pet. 1:11) speak of the Church entering the kingdom. If the Church is the kingdom, then why does she have to enter into the kingdom since she herself is the kingdom?
You see, the Church and the Kingdom are different. The one enters into the other.
Think about it. The Church is the bride of the King, the future queen, so to speak, who will sit beside the King to reign with Him. The queen is not the King's kingdom. No, she is inside His kingdom, reigning with Him.
Who Created God?
The question is incongruous. It is not valid. "God" by definition is uncreated. That's why He is God. A created god is not a god at all---it is an idol.
God is self-existent.
Do you see the incongruity of the question? The question in essence is like this: "Who created the self-existent and therefore uncreated God?
Everything that began to exist has a cause. But we Christians never claim that God began to exist. That's not what we believe. God never began to exist because He never had a beginning. He is eternal. The question can only be valid if we Christians believe and claim that God is not eternal.
Somebody who could create space and time must be someone who is greater than space and time.
A being who is greater than space and time is both timeless and boundless. He is beyond space and time. He is both infinite and eternal. Being eternal, He is self-existent. Being self-existent, He is uncaused and therefore uncreated.
What was wrong with King David's census?
Here read the verses first:
1Ch 21:1 Then Satan stood up against Israel and moved David to number Israel.
1Ch 21:1 Then Satan stood up against Israel and moved David to number Israel.
1Ch 21:2 So David said to Joab and to the princes of the people, "Go, number Israel from Beersheba even to Dan, and bring me word that I may know their number."
1Ch 21:3 Joab said, "May the LORD add to His people a hundred times as many as they are! But, my lord the king, are they not all my lord's servants? Why does my lord seek this thing? Why should he be a cause of guilt to Israel?"
1Ch 21:3 Joab said, "May the LORD add to His people a hundred times as many as they are! But, my lord the king, are they not all my lord's servants? Why does my lord seek this thing? Why should he be a cause of guilt to Israel?"
2Sa 24:1 Now again the anger of the LORD burned against Israel, and it incited David against them to sa...y, "Go, number Israel and Judah."
2Sa 24:2 The king said to Joab the commander of the army who was with him, "Go about now through all the tribes of Israel, from Dan to Beersheba, and register the people, that I may know the number of the people."
2Sa 24:2 The king said to Joab the commander of the army who was with him, "Go about now through all the tribes of Israel, from Dan to Beersheba, and register the people, that I may know the number of the people."
David's sin was taking refuge and having faith in numbers. It is the old worldly principle: "The more the mightier."
David forgot about Psalm 33:16-17:
Psa 33:16 The king is not saved by a mighty army; A warrior is not delivered by great strength.
Psa 33:17 A horse is a false hope for victory; Nor does it deliver anyone by its great strength.
Psa 33:17 A horse is a false hope for victory; Nor does it deliver anyone by its great strength.
Apparently, king David and the nation Israel placed their faith in numbers and not in God. God seeing this, He allowed Satan to have his way with David and Israel. With David's heart bent on placing his trust in numbers, all it needed was a little nudge from Satan.
God can deliver with or without a mighty army. Just like He can cure any disease with or without medication. Whether He uses means or not, our trust should not be in the means but in God.
There are great armies who could not trounce small armies and there are small armies who easily toppled great armies and there are people who are cured without medication at all and there are sick people who remain in their condition even with the most expensive and effective of all medicines. Because deliverance is ultimately God's granting.
Does this mean that we will do away with our military or medications etc.? No, because, again, God can use means to effect deliverance, but our trust should not be in them but in God.
Do We Need A Mediator Or Mediators To Connect Us To The Mediator?
1Ti 2:5 For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus
The Lord Jesus Christ is the go-between between God and Man. In Bible times, a mediator did not need another mediator that connected one party to himself. The Lord Jesus is the way to God. No one comes to the Father except through Him.
Someone may ask: "But we need another mediator that could act as a middle man between the mediator and us right? Yes, I agree that we go to the Father through Jesus, but we go to Jesus through another mediator or a set of mediators right?"
No. For biblically, a Mediator Does Not Need A Mediator. You can go to Him directly.
Mt 9:11 And when the Pharisees saw it, they said to His disciples, "Why does your Teacher (Jesus) eat with tax collectors and sinners?"
What Does The Word "Mystery" Mean In The Bible?
Mr 4:11 And He said to them, "To you it has been given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God; but to those who are outside, all things come in parables,
Ro 11:25 For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion, that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in.
Eph 3:3 how that by revelation He made known to me the mystery (as I have briefly written already,
Eph 5:32 This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church.
Many of us in reading the Bible have the tendency to import our own meaning into what we are reading. This is not the way to go in reading the sacred Scriptures. Sadly, it is often the case.
Take for example the word "mystery." In reading the Bible, we often understand it as something mysterious, something that is puzzling and inexplicable, something hard to understand. But that is not so.
In the Bible, the word "mystery" refers to a truth that is not revealed previously but is now revealed, by the apostle Paul for example. Truth that is not directly and expressly revealed in the Old Testament but is now revealed and disclosed by a prophet of God in the New Testament.
It is a truth that is not discoverable by human effort but can only be known if God chooses to reveal it to us. That's the meaning of the word. In fact, Paul himself explains the meaning of the word to us:
Eph 3:1 For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for you Gentiles--
2 if indeed you have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which was given to me for you,
3 how that by revelation He made known to me the mystery (as I have briefly written already,
4 by which, when you read, you may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ),
5 which in other ages was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to His holy apostles and prophets:
6 that the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, of the same body, and partakers of His promise in Christ through the gospel,
In the Old Testament, God revealed to the prophets that Israel would become the top nation of the world, with the Gentile nations serving Israel. That blessing will flow from God to Israel to the Gentiles. Israel first, Gentile nations second.
But in the Church Age, it is different. It is a new program by God. In this dispensation, Jews and Gentiles are on equal footing with each other in the Body of Christ. They occupy the same position in the Church Age, one in His body. Jews are not over the Gentiles and vice-versa. No, as verse 6 above states, they are "fellow heirs."
I once attended a wedding in which the pastor quoted Ephesians 5:31-32. There he said that even Paul did not understand marriage. It was a mystery to him. Take a look at the verses:
Eph 5:31 "For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh."
32 This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church.
On the contrary, Paul clearly understood what he is saying here about marriage. Marriage is a picture of the union of Christ and His Church. This is a mystery. This is a truth not revealed in the Old Testament but is now revealed by him. A truth that no one could ever know if God did not choose to reveal it in our dispensation.
Read the entire Old Testament, nowhere is it predicted or prophesied there that the Messiah would be united to a group of people composed of Jews and Gentiles, with Him being the head, and they, His body.
This is proof that Israel is not the Church. The Church is a separate program in this age and dispensation in the economy of God. All the prophecies about Israel's glorious future in the Old Testament will be realized in the millennium. But, in the meantime, before that takes place, God is now building and forming His Church, God's distinct program in this age.
Read again about the Bible's own definition of a mystery:
Ro 16:25 Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery kept secret since the world began
26 but now has been made manifest, and by the prophetic Scriptures has been made known to all nations, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, for obedience to the faith--
Ro 11:25 For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion, that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in.
Eph 3:3 how that by revelation He made known to me the mystery (as I have briefly written already,
Eph 5:32 This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church.
Many of us in reading the Bible have the tendency to import our own meaning into what we are reading. This is not the way to go in reading the sacred Scriptures. Sadly, it is often the case.
Take for example the word "mystery." In reading the Bible, we often understand it as something mysterious, something that is puzzling and inexplicable, something hard to understand. But that is not so.
In the Bible, the word "mystery" refers to a truth that is not revealed previously but is now revealed, by the apostle Paul for example. Truth that is not directly and expressly revealed in the Old Testament but is now revealed and disclosed by a prophet of God in the New Testament.
It is a truth that is not discoverable by human effort but can only be known if God chooses to reveal it to us. That's the meaning of the word. In fact, Paul himself explains the meaning of the word to us:
Eph 3:1 For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for you Gentiles--
2 if indeed you have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which was given to me for you,
3 how that by revelation He made known to me the mystery (as I have briefly written already,
4 by which, when you read, you may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ),
5 which in other ages was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to His holy apostles and prophets:
6 that the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, of the same body, and partakers of His promise in Christ through the gospel,
In the Old Testament, God revealed to the prophets that Israel would become the top nation of the world, with the Gentile nations serving Israel. That blessing will flow from God to Israel to the Gentiles. Israel first, Gentile nations second.
But in the Church Age, it is different. It is a new program by God. In this dispensation, Jews and Gentiles are on equal footing with each other in the Body of Christ. They occupy the same position in the Church Age, one in His body. Jews are not over the Gentiles and vice-versa. No, as verse 6 above states, they are "fellow heirs."
I once attended a wedding in which the pastor quoted Ephesians 5:31-32. There he said that even Paul did not understand marriage. It was a mystery to him. Take a look at the verses:
Eph 5:31 "For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh."
32 This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church.
On the contrary, Paul clearly understood what he is saying here about marriage. Marriage is a picture of the union of Christ and His Church. This is a mystery. This is a truth not revealed in the Old Testament but is now revealed by him. A truth that no one could ever know if God did not choose to reveal it in our dispensation.
Read the entire Old Testament, nowhere is it predicted or prophesied there that the Messiah would be united to a group of people composed of Jews and Gentiles, with Him being the head, and they, His body.
This is proof that Israel is not the Church. The Church is a separate program in this age and dispensation in the economy of God. All the prophecies about Israel's glorious future in the Old Testament will be realized in the millennium. But, in the meantime, before that takes place, God is now building and forming His Church, God's distinct program in this age.
Read again about the Bible's own definition of a mystery:
Ro 16:25 Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery kept secret since the world began
26 but now has been made manifest, and by the prophetic Scriptures has been made known to all nations, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, for obedience to the faith--
Thursday, December 11, 2014
What Does 2 Peter 3:8 Mean About One Day Being Like A Thousand Years And Vice Versa?
2 Pe 3:8 But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.
The context of the passage is about the seeming delay of the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ to judge the world and fulfill God's promises. Peter tells them that the seeming delay is only felt by us finite creatures imprisoned in time.
God is never behind and ahead of His scheduled plan. It will arrive on time. God is not confined by time. He works from eternity. To us a thousand years is a very, very long time, a day may seem very short, comparatively speaking. Yet to God, they are all the same.
He can bring about what He wants to happen in a thousand years, but He can also bring about what He wants to happen in a day, no cinch, piece of cake, if He wills.
But God deliberately set up a schedule of the day of the Lord's judgment long enough so that sinners may have time to repent.
2Pe 3:9 The Lord is not slow in fulfilling His promise, in the sense in which some men speak of slowness. But He bears patiently with you, His desire being that no one should perish but that all should come to repentance.
P.S. God may work with time, but He is not a part of time. Einstein has proven that time is even part of the physical universe! He called it the space-time continuum.
What Does "Led Captivity Captive" Mean In Ephesians 4:8?
Eph 4:8 Therefore He says: "When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive, And gave gifts to men."
It is an expression of conquering and triumphing over a captor. It is a picture of a spiritual reversal. The one who was over us , who oppressed us and took us captive is now defeated, while we go scot-free emancipated. The best explanation to make the meaning of this expression clear is Isaiah 14:1-2:
Isa 14:1 For the LORD will have mercy on Jacob, and will still choose Israel, and settle them in their own land. The strangers will be joined with them, and they will cling to the house of Jacob.
2 Then people will take them and bring them to their place, and the house of Israel will possess them for servants and maids in the land of the LORD; they will take them captive whose captives they were, and rule over their oppressors.
* It is a fact that Satan exercises dominion over unsaved sinners:
2Ti 2:25 in humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth,
26 and that they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will.
* It is a fact that the Lord Jesus Christ in His death disarmed the spiritual forces of evil:
Col 2:15 Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.
Heb 2:14 Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil,
15 and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.
* It is also a fact that the Lord Jesus freed saved sinners from the bondage of sin:
Joh 8:34 Jesus answered them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin.
35 "And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever.
36 "Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.
Ro 6:14 For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.
It is an expression of conquering and triumphing over a captor. It is a picture of a spiritual reversal. The one who was over us , who oppressed us and took us captive is now defeated, while we go scot-free emancipated. The best explanation to make the meaning of this expression clear is Isaiah 14:1-2:
Isa 14:1 For the LORD will have mercy on Jacob, and will still choose Israel, and settle them in their own land. The strangers will be joined with them, and they will cling to the house of Jacob.
2 Then people will take them and bring them to their place, and the house of Israel will possess them for servants and maids in the land of the LORD; they will take them captive whose captives they were, and rule over their oppressors.
* It is a fact that Satan exercises dominion over unsaved sinners:
2Ti 2:25 in humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth,
26 and that they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will.
* It is a fact that the Lord Jesus Christ in His death disarmed the spiritual forces of evil:
Col 2:15 Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.
Heb 2:14 Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil,
15 and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.
* It is also a fact that the Lord Jesus freed saved sinners from the bondage of sin:
Joh 8:34 Jesus answered them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin.
35 "And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever.
36 "Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.
Ro 6:14 For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.
Wednesday, December 10, 2014
What Does It Mean To Pray In Jesus' Name?
To pray in Jesus' name is not to tag the expression "In Jesus' name we pray. Amen" at the end of our prayers. You will search the entire New Testament in vain finding this expression in the writings of the apostles in the prayers they wrote in the Bible.
As an example, Paul wrote down some of his prayers in the book of Colossians and Ephesians for them to read. He did not end his prayer with "In Jesus name I pray. Amen." Read the prayers uttered in the book of Acts. No one said "In Jesus name we pray. Amen."
If tagging the expression "In Jesus' name we pray. Amen" is what John 14:13-14 means, then none of the apostles obeyed what the Lord Jesus taught in these verses. For no one prayed a prayer in the Bible who ended their prayers with that formula and expression.
If tagging the expression "In Jesus' name we pray. Amen" is what John 14:13-14 means, then none of the apostles obeyed what the Lord Jesus taught in these verses. For no one prayed a prayer in the Bible who ended their prayers with that formula and expression.
Actually, to pray in the name of Jesus is a heart attitude, not an expression tagged at the end of prayers. To pray in Jesus' name a) is to pray in His authority. He commanded me to pray. So I pray.
b) It is to pray in His merit. I dare not approach God as a sinner on my own, but in the name and worthiness and merit of my Representative, Substitute, Savior and Lord, I can boldly approach God and ask things from Him.
c) It is to pray for His interests. I will only pray things that will glorify Him.
c) It is to pray for His interests. I will only pray things that will glorify Him.
Tuesday, December 9, 2014
What Does "Lower Parts Of The Earth" Mean In Ephesians 4:9?
Eph 4:9 (Now this, "He ascended" --what does it mean but that He also first descended into the lower parts of the earth?
10 He who descended is also the One who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things.)
The term could refer to three things: a) It could simply mean the grave. The Lord Jesus died and was buried. It refers to His humiliation.
1Sa 2:6 "The LORD kills and makes alive; He brings down to the grave and brings up.
b) It could refer to Hades, the underworld where the spirits (saved and unsaved) were temporarily confined before His resurrection and ascension to heaven. Peter on the day of Pentecost, citing a Messianic Psalm, said these words:
Ac 2:27 For You will not leave my soul in Hades, Nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption.
c) It could refer to the womb. The Psalmist figuratively referred to his mother's womb as the lowest parts of the earth. The expression, then, can refer to His incarnation.
Ps 139:15 My frame was not hidden from You, When I was made in secret, And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.
I believe letter a would be a more accurate interpretation of the Ephesian passage.
10 He who descended is also the One who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things.)
The term could refer to three things: a) It could simply mean the grave. The Lord Jesus died and was buried. It refers to His humiliation.
1Sa 2:6 "The LORD kills and makes alive; He brings down to the grave and brings up.
b) It could refer to Hades, the underworld where the spirits (saved and unsaved) were temporarily confined before His resurrection and ascension to heaven. Peter on the day of Pentecost, citing a Messianic Psalm, said these words:
Ac 2:27 For You will not leave my soul in Hades, Nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption.
c) It could refer to the womb. The Psalmist figuratively referred to his mother's womb as the lowest parts of the earth. The expression, then, can refer to His incarnation.
Ps 139:15 My frame was not hidden from You, When I was made in secret, And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.
I believe letter a would be a more accurate interpretation of the Ephesian passage.
Monday, December 8, 2014
What Does "Under The Earth" In Philippians 2:10 Refer To?
Php 2:10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth,
"Under the earth" could simply mean the waters under the earth.
Ex 20:4 "You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth;
If this is the meaning, then the apostle Paul was simply saying that the entire creation, every sphere of it (the heavens, the earth and those in the waters under the earth) that God has made will someday worship and own the Lord Jesus Christ as Lord.
Ps 148:1 Praise the LORD! Praise the LORD from the heavens; Praise Him in the heights!
2 Praise Him, all His angels; Praise Him, all His hosts!
3 Praise Him, sun and moon; Praise Him, all you stars of light!
4 Praise Him, you heavens of heavens, And you waters above the heavens!
5 Let them praise the name of the LORD, For He commanded and they were created.
6 He also established them forever and ever; He made a decree which shall not pass away.
7 Praise the LORD from the earth, You great sea creatures and all the depths;
8 Fire and hail, snow and clouds; Stormy wind, fulfilling His word;
9 Mountains and all hills; Fruitful trees and all cedars;
10 Beasts and all cattle; Creeping things and flying fowl;
11 Kings of the earth and all peoples; Princes and all judges of the earth;
12 Both young men and maidens; Old men and children.
13 Let them praise the name of the LORD, For His name alone is exalted; His glory is above the earth and heaven.
14 And He has exalted the horn of His people, The praise of all His saints-Of the children of Israel, A people near to Him. Praise the LORD!
However, the apostle Paul seems to refer only to created intelligences that God has made.
Php 2:10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth,
11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Paul then is referring to angels and saved sinners up there heaven, all the people here on earth and all those who are under the earth or the underworld. Paul is not referring to universal salvation since the Bible makes it very clear that not all will be saved. Rather, Paul is referring to universal subjugation.
Much like what happened during the Roman empire. Everyone under the empire bowed down and owned the lordship of the emperors, even their enemies. Those who have renewed and regenerated hearts will willingly own Him as Lord. While the unsaved and the infernal demonic spirits will do so out of defeat.
Verses 10 and 11 are only partially fulfilled right now. It will fully and completely be fulfilled when He comes back again to reign here on earth and on into eternity.
"Under the earth" or the underworld is the place of the departed spirits of human beings and demonic spirits. Where exactly this is, we don't know. All we know is that it is under the earth. Elsewhere in the Bible, it is called the Pit or Sheol or Hades.
Isa 38:18 For Sheol cannot thank You, Death cannot praise You; Those who go down to the pit cannot hope for Your truth.
Isa 14:15 Yet you shall be brought down to Sheol, To the lowest depths of the Pit.
Eze 26:20 'then I will bring you down with those who descend into the Pit, to the people of old, and I will make you dwell in the lowest part of the earth, in places desolate from antiquity, with those who go down to the Pit, so that you may never be inhabited; and I shall establish glory in the land of the living.
Ps 49:9 That he should continue to live eternally, And not see the Pit.
Re 9:1 Then the fifth angel sounded: And I saw a star fallen from heaven to the earth. To him was given the key to the bottomless pit.
Re 20:3 and he cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal on him, so that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years were finished. But after these things he must be released for a little while.
1Pe 3:19 by whom also He went and preached to the spirits in prison
Sunday, December 7, 2014
What Is The Purpose Of The Book Of Genesis? Why Did Moses Write The Book?
Moses wrote the book of Genesis to instruct and show the Israelites that the God they worshiped, the God who took them out of Egypt, the God who made a covenant with them was the very same God who made a covenant with their fathers Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and that He is the one true God who created everything. Therefore He alone must be worshiped.
Bible Guide's Ministry
Ac 8:30 So Philip ran to him, and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah, and said, "Do you understand what you are reading?"
31 And he said, "How can I, unless someone guides me?" And he asked Philip to come up and sit with him.
Simply explaining the Bible simply is Bible Guide's motto. If you have a Bible question, Bible Guide can sit with you, guide and explain to you to the answer.
31 And he said, "How can I, unless someone guides me?" And he asked Philip to come up and sit with him.
Simply explaining the Bible simply is Bible Guide's motto. If you have a Bible question, Bible Guide can sit with you, guide and explain to you to the answer.
Bible Guide's Statement Of Faith
* I believe that a sinner is saved by grace through faith and not by works. That salvation is a gift and therefore it can never be earned. It is impossible to earn something that is given and offered for free. However, true salvation will always result in good works. Good works are the result and the fruit of salvation, not its cause.
Eph 2:8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,
9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.
10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
* I believe that the one being God exists in three distinct blessed persons---Father, Son and Holy Spirit. That each person of the Godhead is co-equal in power and glory, co-eternal in being, co-identical in nature possessing the same attributes and perfections.
De 6:4 "Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one!
Mt 28:19 "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
20 "teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen.
2Co 13:14 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen.
* I believe that the Holy Scriptures, the Bible, in the original autographs, is the inspired Word of God and that it is therefore inerrant, infallible, authoritative and the final authority in what a Christian should believe in and practice in the Christian life.
2Ti 3:16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness,
17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.
Eph 2:8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,
9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.
10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
* I believe that the one being God exists in three distinct blessed persons---Father, Son and Holy Spirit. That each person of the Godhead is co-equal in power and glory, co-eternal in being, co-identical in nature possessing the same attributes and perfections.
De 6:4 "Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one!
Mt 28:19 "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
20 "teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen.
2Co 13:14 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen.
* I believe that the Holy Scriptures, the Bible, in the original autographs, is the inspired Word of God and that it is therefore inerrant, infallible, authoritative and the final authority in what a Christian should believe in and practice in the Christian life.
2Ti 3:16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness,
17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.
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