FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

noreply@blogger.com (ROBERT PAUL) — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 16:30:00 +0000

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS; BUT RARELY ANSWERED.

Here are some selected questions that we Christions find difficult to answer. To make this blog possible I had to go through many web sites as well as different books. Any way, now I am happy, but I wonder!

Please go through this and click on your "difficult" questions. Even if you know the answer, try to read this... it would boost up your knowledge. It will also help you answer when somebody questions you. To God be all the Glory.

May God Bless Us All!!

How do we know that Jesus was the Messiah?

What messianic prophecies were fulfilled by Jesus Christ?

Is Jesus Christ a man, or is he God?

How and why did God greatly humble himself?

Has science disproved the miracles associated with Jesus Christ?

Answers to objections raised by some Jews?

List of miracles recorded in the Bible (WebBible Encyclopedia)

Is it LOGICAL to believe that the biblical miracles really happened?

If Christ's miracles really happened, why weren't they reported by historians?

Could Christ have sinned?

If Jesus is God, how could he die? If Jesus died on the cross, then how can he be alive today?

SON OF MAN - If Jesus was the Son of God, why did He call Himself the Son of Man?

Was Jesus Christ only a legend?

Isn't the virgin birth of Jesus Christ mythological and scientifically impossible?

What is the Trinity?

How can one God be three persons?

Are you good enough to go to Heaven?

SUFFERING - Why does God allow innocent people to suffer?

Why is the world so full of pain?

Can a saved person ever be lost?

What is the eternal destiny of an infant who dies?

Is there anyone in Hell today?

Is there an actual place called “Hell”?

Why was Hell made?

How can a God of love send anybody to Hell?

What if I don't believe in Hell?

The Good News - How to be saved from Hell.

DID YOU READ THE BIBLE TODAY?
IF NOT,
>> READ YOUR BIBLE HERE <<

noreply@blogger.com (ROBERT PAUL) — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 14:46:00 +0000

HOW DO WE KNOW THAT JESUS WAS THE MESSIAH?

The word "Messiah" means "Anointed One," the name given to the promised Deliverer who would some day come to the people of Israel as their great Savior and Redeemer, "anointed" as Prophet, Priest, and King by God Himself.

Some, of course, are still looking for the fulfillment of these Old Testament promises in the future, when the "Messiah" will come to establish a world kingdom of peace and justice centered around the chosen nation, Israel.

On the other hand, the group of Jewish believers who became the first founders of Christianity were convinced that Jesus of Nazareth was their promised Messiah. The name "Christ" is the Greek equivalent of "Messiah," so that the name Jesus Christ really means "Jesus the Messiah," or "Jesus the anointed." They preached this truth with such conviction and power that not only many Jews but, later, a still greater host of Gentiles, believed on Jesus, both as the Christ and also as the Lord and Savior of all men.

And indeed they had good reason for such faith. The Old Testament Messianic prophecies were found to be uniquely fulfilled in the Lord Jesus Christ. There are hundreds of these prophecies, so that the possibility of their accidental convergence on any ordinary man is completely ruled out by the laws of probability.

Some of the prophecies are so framed, in fact, as to preclude their fulfillment by anyone living after the first century A.D. For example, the patriarch Jacob said, in Genesis 49:10, "The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come."

The name "Shiloh" is a title of the Messiah, and the prophecy states that Judah's tribe would remain the chief tribe in Israel, in particular providing their kings, until Messiah would come. The prophecy must have been fulfilled prior to the destruction of Judah and Jerusalem in A.D. 70, by which time certainly all semblance of a scepter had departed from Judah.

Similarly the promise was given to King David that the Messiah should be one of his descendants, as the King eternal, the one of whom God said, "I will establish the throne of his kingdom for ever" (II Samuel 7:13). Isaiah said, "There shall come forth a rod out of the stem (literally 'stump') of Jesse (that is David's father), and a Branch shall grow out of his roots" (Isaiah 11:1). This is another name of the Messiah, and indicates that, even after it would appear that the family tree of Jesse has been cut down, yet one Branch will grow out of the stump. Evidently the very last one who could be known to have come of this lineage would finally prove to be the promised Messiah!

This was fulfilled uniquely in Jesus. His foster father, Joseph, was in the royal line from David and thus held the legal right to the throne (Matthew 1:1-16). His mother, Mary, was also a descendant of David, as shown by her genealogy in Luke 3:23-31. But ever since the time of Jesus, it would be quite impossible to establish the legal or biological lineage of any pretender to

David's throne, as all the ancient genealogical records were destroyed soon after that.An even more striking prophecy is given in Daniel 9:24-27. There Daniel was told explicitly that Messiah would come 69 "sabbaths" (that is, 69 sabbatical years - a total of 483 years) after the decree was given to rebuild Jerusalem, which at that time lay in ruins after Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, had destroyed it.

Such a decree was given later by the Persian emperor. Although the exact date of the decree is somewhat uncertain, the termination date of the prophecy must have been some time in the first century A.D. In fact, it must have been before the destruction of the city and the temple by the Romans in A.D. 70, because the prophecy said quite explicitly: “After (the 483 years) shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself; and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary” (Daniel 9:26). Not only must Messiah come before this destruction, but He was also to be“cut off,” rejected and killed, before it came.

It is obvious that no one but Jesus could have fulfilled these prophecies. The prophecies absolutely preclude any still future Messiah, except that even that hope also will find its fulfillment in the second coming of Christ.

And then, of course, there are still hundreds of other prophecies, all of which were fulfilled by Jesus Christ: His virgin birth (Isaiah 7:14); His birth in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2); His sacrificial death (Isaiah 53:5); His crucifixion (Psalm 22:14-18); His bodily resurrection (Psalm 16:10); and many others. All of these unite in their witness that “Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God” (John 20:31).

The probability that hundreds of such specific predictions, each quite independent of the others, could all be fulfilled concurrently in one individual, is unlikely in the highest degree, especially in view of the miraculous nature of many of them (e.g., the virgin birth, the resurrection, etc.). No rational conclusion seems possible except that Jesus is all He claims - Messiah, Savior, Lord and God.

Next Question:
What messianic prophecies were fulfilled by Jesus Christ?

noreply@blogger.com (ROBERT PAUL) — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 14:37:00 +0000

WHAT MESSIANIC PROPHECIES WERE FULFILLED BY JESUS CHRIST?

The Old Testament includes about sixty different prophecies, with more than 300 references, of the coming of the Messiah. It was through the fulfillment of these prophecies that Israel was told she would be able to recognize the true Messiah when He came. The four gospels record several times when Jesus said that He was fulfilling a prophecy of the Old Testament. Luke 24:27 records, for example,

"And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself." And verse 44 notes, "And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and the prophets and the psalms, concerning me."

Jesus Christ himself said, "For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for he wrote about Me" (John 5:46, NKJV). Likewise, Christ's disciples taught that He fulfilled Old Testament prophecy (e.g., Acts 3:18; 17:2-3; 1 Corinthians 15:3-4). Partial list of prophecies about the Messiah. A prophet like unto Moses. This was prophecied by Moses, himself:

"The LORD your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your midst, from your brethren. Him you shall hear, according to all you desired of the LORD your God in Horeb in the day of the assembly, saying, 'Let me not hear again the voice of the LORD my God, nor let me see this great fire anymore, lest I die.' And the LORD said to me: 'What they have spoken is good. 'I will raise up for them a Prophet like you from among their brethren, and will put My words in His mouth, and He shall speak to them all that I command Him. And it shall be that whoever will not hear My words, which He speaks in My name, I will require it of him'." (Deuteronomy 18:15-19, NKJV).

Like Moses, the Messiah would be a leader, a prophet, a lawgiver, a deliverer, a teacher, a priest, an anointed one, a mediator, a human and one of God's chosen people (a Jew) performing the role of intermediary between God and man—speaking the words of God—and like Moses, the Messiah would offer himself to die for the sins of the people. Both Moses and Jesus performed many miracles validating their message. As infants, both their lives were threatened by evil kings, and both were supernaturally protected from harm. Both spent their early years in Egypt. Both taught new truths from God. Both cured lepers (Num 12:10-15; Matt. 8:2-3) and confronted demonic powers.

Both were initially doubted in their roles by their siblings. Moses lifted up the brazen serpent to heal all his people who had faith; Jesus was lifted up on the cross to heal all who would have faith in Him. Moses appointed 70 elders to rule Israel (Num. 11:16-17); Jesus appointed 70 disciples to teach the nations (Luke 10:1, 17). And there are many other parallels between the lives of Moses and Jesus.

The Messiah would be a descendant of Noah's son, Shem. Noah said, "Blessed be the LORD God of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant. God shall enlarge Japheth, and he shall dwell in the tents of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant (Gen. 9:26-27). Chapter 10 goes on list descendants of Shem, noting that he was ancestor of Eber (Heber: Luke 3:35), the founder of the Hebrew race.

Noah associated Shem especially with the worship of Jehovah, recognizing the dominantly spiritual motivations of Shem and thus implying that God's promised Deliverer would ultimately come from Shem. The Semitic nations have included the Hebrews, Arabs, Assyrians, Persians, Syrians and other strongly religious-minded peoples. Shem was peculiarly His [God's] steward with respect to the propagation of God's will and plan for mankind, especially the transmission of His saving Word. (Henry M. Morris, The Defender's Bible)

More specifically, he would be a descendant of Shem named Abraham ( Genesis 22:18; 12; 17; 22). Fulfilled: See Christ's genealogy in Matthew 1.

More specifically, he would be a descendant of Abraham's son, Isaac, not Ishmael (Gen. 17; 21). Fulfilled: See Christ's genealogy in Matthew 1.

More specifically, he would be a descendant of Isaac's son, Jacob, not Esau (Gen. 28; 35:10-12; Num. 24:17). Fulfilled: See Christ's genealogy in Matthew 1.

More specifically, he would be a descendant of Judah, not of the other eleven brothers of Jacob. Fulfilled: See Christ's genealogy in Matthew 1.

More specifically, he would be a descendant of the family of Jesse in the tribe of Benjamin (Isaiah 11:1-5). Fulfilled: See Christ's genealogy in Matthew 1 and Luke 3:23-38.

More specificially, he would be of the house of David (2 Samuel 7:12-16; Jeremiah 23:5; Psalm 89:3-4). Fulfilled: See Christ's genealogy in Matthew 1; Luke 1:27, 32, 69.

Note: Since the Jewish genealogical records were destroyed in 70 A.D., along with the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple, it would not be possible for a Messiah imposter who was born later to prove his lineage back to David and thus fulfill this prophecy.

He will be born in a small city called Bethlehem, specifically the one formerly known as Ephratah (Micah 5:2). Fulfilled: Luke 2:4-20. Note: Christ's birth in Bethlehem was apparently not by the choice of Mary and Joseph; it was forced upon them by Caesar Augustus' taxation decree which required Joseph to leave his home in the city of Nazareth and return to his place of origin to pay the tax.

He will be born of a virgin (Isaiah 7:14). Fulfilled: Matthew 1; Luke 1.

The Messiah would be the "seed of of a woman" come to destroy the work of the Devil. Not long after Creation, God prophecied to the serpent Satan, "And I will put enmity between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel" (Genesis 3:15). The implication was that Eve's descendant would undo the damage that Satan had caused.

The "seed of the woman" can only be an allusion to a future descendant of Eve who would have no human father. Biologically, a woman produces no seed, and except in this case Biblical usage
always speaks only of the seed of men. This promised Seed would, therefore, have to be miraculously implanted in the womb. In this way, He would not inherit the sin nature which would disqualify every son of Adam from becoming a Savior from sin. This prophecy thus clearly anticipates the future virgin birth of Christ.

Satan will inflict a painful wound on the woman's Seed, but Christ in turn will inflict a mortal wound on the Serpent, crushing his head. This prophecy was fulfilled in the first instance at the cross, but will culminate when the triumphant Christ casts Satan into the lake of fire (Revelation 20:10).

This primeval prophecy made such a profound impression on Adam's descendants that it was incorporated, with varying degrees of distortion and embellishment, in all the legends, mythologies and astrologies of the ancients since they are filled with tales of mighty heroes engaged in life-and-death struggles with dragons and other monsters. Mankind, from the earliest ages, has recorded its hope that someday a Savior would come who would destroy the devil and reconcile man to God. (Henry M. Morris, The Defender's Bible)

In the New Testament, Christ's apostle John confirms that this was His Master's purpose, "He who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil's work" (1 John 3:8). (Also see: Hebrews 2:14; Revelation 20:10.)

He will be a priest after the order of Melchisedek (Melchisedec) (Psalm 110:4). Fulfilled: Hebrews 5:6

The scepter shall not pass from the tribe of Judah until the Messiah comes. In other words, He will come before Israel loses its right to judge her own people. The patriarch Jacob prophecied this:The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be. (Genesis 49:10)

As Dr. Henry M. Morris' The Defender's Bible explains:This important prophecy has been strikingly fulfilled. Although Judah was neither Jacob's firstborn son nor the son who would produce the priestly tribe, he was the son through whom God would fulfill His promises to Israel and to the world. The leadership, according to Jacob, was to go to Judah, but this did not happen for over 600 years. Moses came from Levi, Joshua from Ephraim, Gideon from Manasseh, Samson from Dan, Samuel from Ephraim and Saul from Benjamin. But when David finally became king, Judah held the scepter and did not relinquish it until after Shiloh came. "Shiloh" is a name for the Messiah, probably related to the Hebrew word for "peace" (shalom) and meaning in effect, "the one who brings peace."

According to the Jewish historian Josephus, the Sanhedrin of Israel lost the right to truly judge its own people when it lost the right to pass death penalties in 11 A.D. (Josephus, Antiquities, Book 17, Chapter 13). Jesus Christ was certainly born before 11 A.D.

He will come while the Temple of Jerusalem is standing ( Malachi 3:1; Psalm 118:26; Daniel 9:26; Zechariah 11:13; Haggai 2:7-9). Fulfilled: Matthew 21:12, etc. (Note: The Temple did not exist at certain periods in Jewish history, and it was finally destroyed in 70 A.D.)

He will perform many miracles (Isaiah 35:5-6). Fulfillment: Those Miracles are recorded in the Gospels.

He will open the eyes of the blind (Isa. 29:18). Fulfillment: Matt 9:27-31; 12:22; 20:29; Mark 8:22-26; 10:46; Luke 11:14; 18:35; John 9:1-7.

He will speak in parables (Psalm 78:2). Fulfillment: Matthew 13:34, etc.

The Gentiles will believe in Him, while His own people (the Jews) will reject him ( Isaiah 8:14; 28:16; 49:6; 50:6; 60:3; Psalms 22:7-8; 118:22). Fulfillment: 1 Peter 2:7, etc.

A messenger (a man of the wilderness) will prepare the way for Him (Isa. 40:3; Malachi 3:1). See John the Baptist (Matthew 3:1-3; 11:10; John 1:23; Luke 1:17).

The precise timing of Jesus' crucifixion was also given to the Jews when God revealed to the prophet Daniel (9:24) how the Jews could calculate the day of the revealing of the Messiah.

Talking of a 490 year period, the prophet foresaw that it would begin "from the going forth of the commandment to restore and build Jerusalem" (9:25). In the book of Nehemiah we learn that this command was given "in the month Nisan [on the Hebrew calendar], in the twentieth year of the king" (2:1). The king was Artaxerxes Longimanus who ruled from 465 to 425 B.C. The prophet Daniel said that 483 years from that date, the Messiah would be revealed to Israel, but He would then "be cut off, but not for himself" (9:26). This prophecy refers to the crucifixion when Jesus died, or was cut off, for the sins of the world.

483 years later, to the day, was Sunday, April 6, 32 A.D. On that day, which we commemorate as Palm Sunday, Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey and revealed Himself as Israel's Messiah. He was killed four days later, thus fulfilling the prophecy that He would be revealed and then slain.

He will enter Jerusalem riding a donkey (the colt of an ass) (Zechariah 9:9). Fulfillment: Matt. 21:5; Luke 19:32-37.

He will be hated for no reason (Psalm 69:4). Fulfillment: John 15:25.

He will be betrayed (Psalm 41:9). Fulfillment: Matt. 27:3-10.

More specifically, He will be betrayed by a friend (Psalm 41:9). Fulfillment: Matt. 27:3-10; 26:47-48.

The price of his betrayal will be thirty pieces of silver (Zech. 11:12). Fulfillment: Matt. 27:3-10.

The betrayal money will be cast onto the floor (Zech. 11:13). Fulfillment: Matt. 27:5.

More specifically, it will be cast onto the floor of the Temple (Zech. 11:13). Fulfillment: Matt. 27:3-10.

The betrayal money will be used to buy a potter's field (Zech. 11:13). Fulfillment: Matt. 27:6-10.

He will not open his mouth to defend himself (Isaiah 53:7). Fulfillment: Matthew 27:12.

He will be beaten and spit upon (Isaiah 50:6). Fulfillment: Matthew 26:67; 27:26-30.

He will be "numbered with the transgressors" (Isaiah 53:12). Fulfillment: Jesus was crucified as a criminal in between two thieves (Mat 27:38).

He will be pierced (Zechariah 12:10). Fulfillment: John 19:34

His hands and feet will be pierced (Psalm 22:16; cf. Zechariah 12:10; Galatians 3:13).

Crucifixion foretold. Psalm 22 graphically prophecies the Messiah's manner of death. At the time the psalm was written (and long after), the penalty for blasphemy was stoning. However, at the time Jesus was condemned by the Sanhedrin, it no longer had the legal right to put people to death. Thus, the case was taken to the Roman governor Pontius Pilate who crucified him according to Roman custom.

The Jewish Passover sacrifice and Jesus Christ's sacrificial death coincide exactly. The dates on which Jesus was taken by the Roman authorities, and then slain, also coincided precisely with the Jewish Passover. Jesus became the Passover Lamb, "without blemish." At the first Passover, described in Exodus 12, God instructed the Israelites to kill a lamb with no blemishes and to put its blood on their door posts. When the angel of death passed through Egypt where the Israelites were being held as slaves, it would pass by any house that had the blood of the a Passover lamb on its door posts. Jesus fulfilled Moses' prophecy of the Passover Lamb because it is through His blood that we can be saved from, or passed over by, death.

His bones will not be broken (Psalm 34:20; Exodus 12 states that the Passover lamb's bones are not to be broken.). Fulfillment: John 19:33.

They will divide his clothing and cast lots for them (Psalm 22:18). Fulfillment: John 19:23-24.

He will be given vinegar and gall to drink (Psalm 69:21). Fulfillment: Matthew 27:34, 48.

He will say: "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" (Psalm 22:1). Fulfillment: Matthew 27:46.

He will be buried with the rich (Isaiah 53:9). Fulfillment: Matthew 27.

According to Henry Morris,
This passage [Isaiah 53:9] could also be read, "they planned His grave (to be) with the wicked, but it was with a rich man [Joseph of Arimathea] in His death."

He will not decay (Psalm 16:10). Fulfillment: Acts 2:31

He will be resurrected from the dead (Psalm 16:10). Fulfillment: Acts 2:31, etc.

He will ascend into heaven (Psalm 68:18). Fulfillment: Acts 1:9.

He will be seated at the right hand of God (Psalm 110:1). Fulfillment: Hebrews 1:3.

He will be the Son of God (Psa. 2:7). Fulfilled: Matthew 3:17, etc.

Next Question:
Is Jesus Christ a man, or is he God?

noreply@blogger.com (ROBERT PAUL) — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 14:29:00 +0000

IS JESUS CHRIST A MAN, OR IS HE GOD?

The story of Jesus is either the greatest event in history or the cruelest hoax. If it is a hoax, then the whole of the Christian message crumbles together with the hopes of those multitudes of lives built on his name. The apostle Paul said: “And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty. Yes, and we are found false witnesses of God, because we have testified of God that He raised up Christ, whom He did not raise up; if in fact the dead do not rise. For if the dead do not rise, then Christ is not risen. And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins! Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable.” -1 Corinthians 15:14-19 (NKJV)

But if the story is true, then this world has been hit with extraordinary news of earth-shaking consequences. Have you taken the trouble to decide which it is? In a matter this weighty, it is in your interest to explore the truth or falsity of Christ's claims. Amazingly however, many people who don't believe have never bothered to explore the evidence in support of Jesus,[1] but to the contrary, often run away from it. At the same time, many Christians themselves are not sure, at bottom, whether the claims of their faith are solid. Is the Christian claim a hoax? Is it just wishful thinking? Or is it actually true?

SORTING THROUGH THE CONFUSION Disagreement abounds today regarding the identity of Jesus of Nazareth. If you were to randomly ask people in a survey who they think he is, you would get a variety of responses. Some might say he is a great prophet who stands equal to Buddha, Mohammed, Confucius, and others. Some give him credit for being a profound moral teacher. Still others might say he was a loving, but weak person who happened to get killed for a noble, but lost, cause. Who do you think Jesus is? Are the above opinions accurate to any degree? Or are some relevant details missing? Our age rightly demands open-mindedness and intellectual honesty in any investigation. So also regarding Jesus, it is essential to have all the facts before deciding for, or against, him.

Jesus Christ claimed to be God, the Creator of the cosmos, the one and only way by which we can enter into Heaven. These are high claims!

Our relativistic age is confusing the whole issue about Jesus by imagining his relevance to be merely a matter of individual taste, like one's choice of hats! But the issue is really of an altogether different kind. Either this claim of the New Testament is true or it isn't. If it is falsehood, then let us go on to something else. But if the claim is true, shall we not come to terms with him and believe in him as he commands? The answer to that question rests not on what we may happen to prefer, but on whether Jesus of Nazareth stacks up as the one he claims to be.

Helping you understand that he indeed is The Eternal Son of God (John 8:58) is what this answer is all about. Millions of Christians are quite certain that your eternal destiny and mine is at stake over what we have done with Jesus Christ (1 John 5:11-12).

Jesus Christ is most definitely God. He is the Creator of the universe. The Bible says, "Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made" (John 1:3). This includes all the stars, all the original animals and plants, and even the angels (Colossians 1:15-17).

It is important not be confused. Jesus was not created by God, but he was always existed. Because He created Adam and Eve, the first man and woman, in his own image.

Jesus proved that he is God by doing many things that only God could do. These are called miracles. He made dead people alive. He walked across a great lake. He made blind eyes see perfectly again. He healed deadly diseases with a word.

He humbled himself to become like one of his own creations. He chose to become a man to help us in an extremely important way. This amazing event happened about 2-thousand years ago. The results have changed the world forever.

The part of God that is called the Holy Spirit created God's human body inside of a woman named Mary (Matthew 1:20). God went into this human body that grew inside of Mary. The baby was born and grew into a man. At various times, Jesus had appeared to people in human form. One example is when he appeared to Abraham just before the judgment of the evil cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. But now, for the first time in history, God did not simply appear as man, he became fully human. Yet, he is still God. He is both God and man.

One huge difference between this man and every other man and woman, or boy and girl, is that Jesus was (and still is) sinless. We humans are full of sin. We sin every day. Jesus never did anything wrong, not even once. No matter what temptations came to him, he refused to sin. He has always remained pure and perfect.

Isn't it amazing to think about?! Our Creator walked among us. Like us, our Almighty God smelled the flowers and touched the animals that he had created. He loved boys and girls. As a man, God experienced the same temptations that we feel (Hebrews 2:18). He suffered the same kind of physical pains that we suffer with. He also experienced emotional pain. He even wept about the city of Jerusalem (John 11:35). He was ignored, unappreciated, unloved, misunderstood, and even despised -- even though he did nothing wrong, and always loved everyone (1 Peter 2:23). Not only is Jesus Christ the greatest man that ever lived; he is our Creator. He deserved all glory and honor!

I am sure that you have heard what people did to him. It was horribly painful and terribly unjust. He had the power to stop their torture and taunting at any time. His power is awesome beyond anything we can understand. Yet, he did not defend himself. He let himself be like a perfect, innocent little lamb that hurt no one, and was sacrificed for the sins of the people.

He did this for us, because he loves us. Only he could pay the price for our sins. Only he could save us from the punishment we deserve. He suffered for us (1 Peter 2:21; 3:18; 4:1).

Today, he lives in Heaven and works to help us (Romans 8:34). The Bible tells us that one day he will return to earth to become the rightful king of the entire world. That will be a most wonderful time! Finally, we will have a leader that is good and wise in every way. The earth will be filled with God's glory and justice. Life on this planet will become so much better. Even the dangerous animals will become harmless (the wolf will lie down with the lamb) (Isaiah 11:6).

Is Jesus Christ God or man? The amazing answer is BOTH; he is God and man.

Why did God become a man?

God did this wonderful thing for various reasons, including:
....to fulfill the prophecies of God's Word To satisfy the law, paying for all who are guilty of sin (Isa. 53; Heb. 9:12,15).
....by his sacrifice, he purchased the right to give us salvation.
....to show us an example of how to live, and to tell us important stories face-to-face.

“And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.”—1 John 5:11-12(NKJV)

Next Question:
How and why did God greatly humble himself?

noreply@blogger.com (ROBERT PAUL) — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 14:25:00 +0000

HOW AND WHY DID GOD GREATLY HUMBLE HIMSELF?

Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is the Creator of the cosmos (John 1:1-3). As God, he is all-powerful and all-knowing. Yet, so great was his love for us, his creations, that he humbled Himself greatly for our sake (Phil. 2:8). This was first seen by man at the birth of Jesus (Gal. 4:4; Luke 2:7; John 1:46; Heb. 2:9). He did not come as a powerful king or a superman; he came as a baby dependent on others for his physical care.

It continued in…

…his purpose (He came to Earth to be a sacrificial lamb to pay for our sins.) (John 1:29)
…his humble circumstances throughout his life - virtually no possessions, no physical wealth, often dependent on others for food, drink and clothing.
…the way people perceived him (Isa. 53; Matt. 26:59, 67; Ps. 22:6; Matt. 26:68)
…his soul (Ps. 22:1; Matt. 4:1-11; Luke 22:44; Heb. 2:17,18; 4:15)
…his death (Luke 23; John 19; Mark 15:24,25)
…his burial in a borrowed tomb (Isa. 53:9; Matt. 27:57,58,60)

God suffered much to become flesh and walk among us. He was all-powerful, but he rarely did anything to protect himself. He humbled Himself for our sake.

His humiliation was voluntary, and was necessary to…

…execute the purpose of God (Acts 2:23,24; Ps. 40:6-8)
…fulfill the Old Testament types and prophecies.
…satisfy the law, paying for the guilty (Isa. 53; Heb. 9:12,15), and obtaining For them eternal redemption.
…show us an example of how to live.

What's the truth about Jesus Christ? His identity, life, death and claims. Want to know how to be saved? Have questions about salvation in Jesus Christ?
Go back and read...

The Messiah - Was Jesus really him?

What messianic prophecies were fulfilled by Jesus Christ?

Is Jesus Christ a man, or is he God?

Next Question:
Has science disproved the miracles associated with Jesus Christ?

noreply@blogger.com (ROBERT PAUL) — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 14:21:00 +0000

HAS SCIENCE DISPROVED THE MIRACLES ASSOCIATED WITH JESUS CHRIST?

No. Science depends upon observation and replication. Miracles, such as the Incarnation (Christ's virgin birth) and the Resurrection, are by their very nature unprecedented events. No one can replicate these events in a laboratory. Hence, science simply cannot be the judge and jury as to whether or not these events occurred.

The scientific method is useful for studying nature but not super-nature. Just as football stars are speaking outside their field of expertise when they appear on television to tell you what razor you should buy, so scientists are speaking outside their field when they address theological issues like miracles or the Resurrection.

Actually, there is good reason to believe in the biblical miracles.

MANY WITNESSES WERE STILL ALIVE WHEN THE RECORD WAS PUBLISHED. One highly pertinent factor is the brief time that elapsed between Jesus' miraculous public ministry and the publication of the gospels. It was insufficient for the development of miracle legends. Many eyewitnesses to Jesus' miracles would have still been alive to refute any untrue miracle accounts (1 Corinthians 15:6).

MEN OF NOBLE CHARACTER. One must also recognize the noble character of the men who witnessed these miracles ( Peter, James, and John, For example). Such men were not prone to misrepresentation, and were willing to give up their lives rather than deny their beliefs.

HOSTILE WITNESSES PROVIDED NO DISPUTE. There were also hostile witnesses to the miracles of Christ. When Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, for example, none of the chief priests or Pharisees disputed the miracle (John 11:45-48). (If they could have disputed it, they would have.)

Rather, their goal was simply to stop Jesus (verses 47-48). Because there were so many hostile witnesses who observed and scrutinized Christ, successful “fabrication” of miracle stories in His ministry would have been impossible. Science, Nature and ScriptureI believe that nature and Scripture, properly interpreted, do not conflict. God has communicated to humankind both by general revelation (nature, or the observable universe) and special revelation (the Bible). Since both of these revelations come from God -- and since God does not contradict Himself -- we must conclude that these two revelations are in agreement with each other. While there may be conflicts between one's interpretation of the observable universe and one's interpretation of the Bible, there is no ultimate contradiction.

We might say that science is a fallible human interpretation of the observable universe while theology is a fallible human interpretation of the Scriptures. If the secularist challenges the idea that science can be fallible, remind him or her of what science historian Thomas Kuhn proved in his book The Structure of Scientific Revolutions -- that is, science is in a constant state of change. New discoveries have consistently caused old scientific paradigms to be discarded in favor of newer paradigms.

Here is the point:

It is not nature and Scripture that contradict; rather, it is science (man's fallible interpretation of nature) and theology (man's fallible interpretation of Scripture) that sometimes fall into conflict. Hence the secularist cannot simply dismiss certain parts of the Bible because "science and the Bible contradict."

Next Question:
Answers to objections raised by some Jews?

noreply@blogger.com (ROBERT PAUL) — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 14:15:00 +0000

ANSWERS TO OBJECTIONS RAISED BY SOME JEWS?

The following article is addressed primarily to those Jews among our friends and readers who remain unconvinced that Jesus of Nazareth was the promised Messiah and, therefore, the Son of God.

"He was despised and forsaken of men, A man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; And like one from whom men hide their face, He was despised, and we did not esteem Him." --Isaiah 53:3

The fifty-third chapter of the Book of Isaiah the prophet has long been a controversial text in Jewish literature, and remains so today. One source says, "Isaiah 53 is so controversial that many Jews think the chapter [must have been] added after Christ!" However, the fact is, Isaiah was penned by the celebrated prophet Isaiah seven full centuries B.C. (before Christ).

Another source alleges that Jewish teachers today markedly avoid Isaiah 53, and that "...this passage [has come to be] called the 'bad conscience of the synagogues".

Stephen Stuwart says "I have personally spoken with a number of Jews over the years, including at least one rabbi, who have seemed intent on side-stepping my questions about the proper and best interpretation of Isaiah 53, or who have even very conspicuously tried to change the subject altogether".

The Bible says, "But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed." --Isaiah 53:5

How did Jesus die?

Venerable Bible scholar Henry Halley once described this text as being "...so vivid in detail that one would almost think of Isaiah as standing at the foot of the cross. It cannot possibly fit any person in history other than Christ."

And yet, for the most part, non-Christian Jews today would outright deny that view. Why? The most common alternative interpretation of Isaiah 53 by Jewish scholarship today is that the 'suffering servant' in this text is either an unknown temple priest or, most probably, the nation of Israel itself.

But such an interpretation only leads to further questions and objections. The Nation of Israel?The view that Isaiah 53 actually refers to the nation Israel itself is a relatively recent one. Ancient rabbinical sources depict an unquestioning acceptance that the Messiah would indeed be a suffering servant.

In the portion of the Midrash known as the Haggadah, the tractate interestingly links Isaiah 53 with Psalm 22, another text from Jewish Scripture that graphically portrays a crucifixion scene 1000 years before Rome ever began using crucifixion as a form of capital punishment. Read Psalm 22!

Interpreting the suffering servant of Isaiah 53 as the nation Israel distorts the natural sense of the passage. This was also the view of the 14th Century rabbi, Moshe Cohen Crispen, and many other rabbis of his era.

Was the nation of Israel ever sinless? Or has the nation Israel ever atoned for the sins of people?

"All of us like sheep have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way; But the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all To fall on Him." --Isaiah 53:6Has the nation of Israel ever suffered willingly, without protestation, voluntarily?

"He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He did not open His mouth; Like a lamb that is led to slaughter, And like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, So He did not open His mouth." --Isaiah 53:7 Has the nation of Israel ever actually died, i.e. ceased living, expired? Clearly not. And yet Isaiah says this of the suffering servant:

"His grave was assigned with wicked men, Yet He was with a rich man in His death, Because He had done no violence, Nor was there any deceit in His mouth." "Therefore, I will allot Him a portion with the great, And He will divide the booty with the strong; Because He poured out Himself to death, And was numbered with the transgressors; Yet He Himself bore the sin of many, And interceded for the transgressors." --Isaiah 53:9, 12

"The fact is, the birth, crucifixion, and bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ are celebrated worldwide by folk of every race, language, and color, every year. And believing in Jesus, they have been delivered from the most evil, disastrous, frustrating, debilitating habits and life forms possible. The real problem with Jesus Christ is not that folk can't believe in Him--but that they won't believe in Him." My friend, in all honesty, what are the chances you've not been altogether objective about the nature of the baby born in Bethlehem? What if the baby was God? What if He is God? What if you are to submit your life to Him?

May the God of all truth
convict & enlighten you
by His Word of truth.

Next Question:
List of miracles recorded in the Bible (WebBible Encyclopedia)

noreply@blogger.com (ROBERT PAUL) — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 13:49:00 +0000

LIST OF MIRACLES RECORDED IN THE BIBLE (WEBBIBLE ENCYCLOPEDIA)

A true miracle is an event in the external world brought about by the immediate agency or the simple volition of God, operating without the use of means capable of being discerned by the senses, and designed to authenticate the divine commission of a religious teacher and the truth of his message (John 2:18; Matt. 12:38).

It is an occurrence at once above nature and above man. It shows the intervention of a power that is not limited by the laws either of matter or of mind, a power interrupting the fixed laws which govern their movements, a supernatural power.

"The suspension or violation of the laws of nature involved in miracles is nothing more than is constantly taking place around us. One force counteracts another: vital force keeps the chemical laws of matter in abeyance; and muscular force can control the action of physical force. When a man raises a weight from the ground, the law of gravity is neither suspended nor violated, but counteracted by a stronger force. The same is true as to the walking of Christ on the water and the swimming of iron at the command of the prophet.

The simple and grand truth that the universe is not under the exclusive control of physical forces, but that everywhere and always there is above, separate from and superior to all else, an infinite personal will, not superceding, but directing and controlling all physical causes, acting
with or without them."

God ordinarily effects his purpose through the agency of second causes; but he has the power also of effecting his purpose immediately and without the intervention of second causes, i.e., of
invading the fixed order, and thus of working miracles. Thus we affirm the possibility of miracles, the possibility of a higher hand intervening to control or reverse nature's ordinary movements.

In the New Testament these four Greek words are principally used to designate miracles:

1) Semeion, a "sign", i.e., an evidence of a divine commission; an attestation of a divine message (Matt. 12:38,39; 16:1,4; Mark 8:11; Luke 11:16; 23:8; John 2:11, 18, 23; Acts 6:8, etc.); a token of the presence and working of God; the seal of a higher power.

2) Terata, "wonders;" wonder-causing events; portents; producing astonishment in the beholder (Acts 2:19).

3) Dunameis, "might works;" works of superhuman power (Acts 2:22; Rom. 15:19; 2 Thess. 2:9); of a new and higher power.

4) Erga, "works;" the works of Him who is "wonderful in working" (John 5:20, 36). Miracles are seals of a divine mission. The sacred writers appealed to them as proofs that they were messengers of God. Our Lord also appealed to miracles as a conclusive proof of his divine mission (John 5:20, 36; 10:25, 38). Thus, being out of the common course of nature and beyond the power of man, they are fitted to convey the impression of the presence and power of God.

Where miracles are there certainly God is. The man, therefore, who works a miracle affords thereby clear proof that he comes with the authority of God; they are his credentials that he is God's messenger. The teacher points to these credentials, and they are a proof that he speaks with the authority of God. He boldly says, "God bears me witness, both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles."

The credibility of miracles is established by the evidence of the senses on the part of those who are witnesses of them, and to all others by the testimony of such witnesses. The witnesses were competent, and their testimony is trustworthy. Unbelievers, following Hume, deny that any

testimony can prove a miracle, because they say miracles are impossible. We have shown that miracles are possible, and surely they can be borne witness to. Surely they are credible when we have abundant and trustworthy evidence of their occurrence. They are credible just as any facts of history well authenticated are credible.

Miracles, it is said, are contrary to experience. Of course they are contrary to our experience, but that does not prove that they were contrary to the experience of those who witnessed them. We believe a thousand facts, both of history and of science, that are contrary to our experience, but we believe them on the ground of competent testimony.

An atheist or a pantheist must, as a matter of course, deny the possibility of miracles; but to one who believes in a personal God, who in his wisdom may see fit to interfere with the ordinary processes of nature, miracles are not impossible, nor are they incredible.

Creation of the universe, including plants, animals and humans (Genesis 1-2)
The flood (Gen. 7, 8)
Confusion of languages (tongues) at Babel (Gen. 11:1-9)
Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen. 19:24)
Lot's wife turned into a "pillar of salt" (Gen. 19:26)
Birth of Isaac at Gerar (Gen. 21:1)
The burning bush not consumed (Ex. 3:3)
Aaron's rod changed into a serpent (Ex. 7:10-12)
The ten plagues of Egypt (Ex. 7:20-12:30)
1) waters become blood
2) frogs
3) lice
4) flies
5) murrain
6) boils
7) thunder and hail
8) locusts
9) darkness
10)death of the first-born
Red Sea divided; Israel passes through (See: Passage of Red Sea) (Ex. 14:21-31)
Waters of Marah sweetened (Ex. 15:23-25)
Manna sent daily, except on Sabbath (Ex. 16:14-35)
Water from the rock at Rephidim (Ex. 17:5-7)
Nadab and Abihu consumed for offering "strange fire" (Lev. 10:1, 2)
Some of the people consumed by fire at Taberah (Num. 11:1-3)
The earth opens and swallows up Korah and his company. (Num. 16:32-34)
Fire at Kadesh (Num. 16:35-45)
Plague at Kadesh (Num. 16:46-50)
Aaron's rod budding at Kadesh (Num. 17:8)
Water from the rock, smitten twice by Moses, Desert of Zin (Num. 20:7-11)
The brazen serpent in the Desert of Zin (Num. 21:8, 9)
Balaam's ass speaks (Num. 22:21-35)
The Jordan divided, so that Israel passed over dryshod near the city of Adam (Josh. 3:14-17) The walls of Jericho fall down (Josh. 6:6-20)
The sun and moon stayed. (Josh. 10:12-14)
Hailstorm. (Josh. 10:12-14)
The strength of Samson (Judg. 14-16)
Water from a hollow place "that is in Lehi" (Judg. 15:19)
Dagon falls twice before the ark. (1 Sam. 5:1-12)
Emerods on the Philistines (1 Sam. 5:1-12)
Men of Beth-shemesh smitten for looking into the ark (1 Sam. 6:19)
Thunderstorm causes a panic among the Philistines at Eben-ezer (1 Sam. 7:10-12)
Thunder and rain in harvest at Gilgal (1 Sam. 12:18)
Sound in the mulberry trees at Rephaim (2 Sam. 5:23-25)
Uzzah smitten for touching the ark at Perez-uzzah (2 Sam. 6:6, 7)
Jeroboam's hand withered. (1 Kings 13:4)
Jeroboam's new altar destroyed at Bethel (1 Kings 13:4-6 31.
Widow of Zarephath's meal and oil increased (1 Kings 17:14-16)
Widow's son raised from the dead (1 Kings 17:17-24)
Drought at Elijah's prayers (1 Kings 17, 18)
Fire at Elijah's prayers (1 Kings 18:19-39)
Rain at Elijah's prayers (1 Kings 18:41-45)
Elijah fed by ravens (1 Kings 17, 18)
Ahaziah's captains consumed by fire near Samaria (2 Kings 1:10-12)
Jordan divided by Elijah and Elisha near Jericho (2 Kings 2:7, 8, 14)
Elijah carried up into heaven (2 Kings 2:11)
Waters of Jericho healed by Elisha's casting salt into them (2 Kings 2:21, 22)
Bears out of the wood destroy forty-two "young men" (2 Kings 2:24)
Water provided for Jehoshaphat and the allied army (2 Kings 3:16-20)
The widow's oil multiplied (2 Kings 4:2-7)
The Shunammite's son given, and raised from the dead at Shunem (2 Kings 4:32-37)
The deadly pottage cured with meal at Gilgal (2 Kings 4:38-41)
A hundred men fed with twenty loaves at Gilgal (2 Kings 4:42-44)
Naaman cured of leprosy, Gehazi afflicted with it (2 Kings 5:10-27)
The iron axe-head made to swim, river Jordan (2 Kings 6:5-7)
Ben hadad's plans discovered. Hazael's thoughts, etc. (2 Kings 6:12)
The Syrian army smitten with blindness at Dothan (2 Kings 6:18)
The Syrian army cured of blindness at Samaria (2 Kings 6:20)
Elisha's bones revive the dead (2 Kings 13:21)
Sennacherib's army destroyed, Jerusalem (2 Kings 19:35)
Shadow of sun goes back ten degrees on the sun-dial of Ahaz, Jerusalem (2 Kings 20:9-11) Uzziah struck with leprosy, Jerusalem (2 Chr. 26:16-21)
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego delivered from the fiery furnace, Babylon (Dan. 3:10-27) Daniel saved in the lions' den (Dan. 6:16-23)
Jonah in the fish's belly. Safely landed (Jonah 2:1-10)
Gideon's fleece (Judg. 6:37-40)

MIRACLES RECORDED IN THE GOSPELS

Cure of two blind men (Matt 9:27-31)
Piece of money in the fish's mouth (Matt 17:24-27)
The deaf and dumb man (Mark 7:31-37)
The blind man of Bethsaida (Mark 8:22-26)
Jesus passes unseen through the crowd (Luke 4:28-30)
The miraculous draught of fishes (Luke 5:4-11)
The raising of the widow's son at Nain (Luke 7:11-18)
The woman with the spirit of infirmity (Luke 13:11-17)
The man with the dropsy (Luke 14:1-6)
The ten lepers (Luke 17:11-19)
The healing of Malchus (Luke 22:50-51)
Water made wine (John 2:1-11)
Cure of nobleman's son, Capernaum (John 4:46-54)
Impotent man at Bethsaida cured (John 5:1-9)
Man born blind cured (John 9:1-7)
Lazarus raised from the dead (John 11:38-44)
Draught of fishes (John 21:1-14)
Syrophoenician woman's daughter cured (Matt 15:28; Mark 7:24)
Four thousand fed (Matt 15:32; Mark 8:1)
Fig tree blasted (Matt 21:18; Mark 11:12)
Centurion's servant healed (Matt 8:5; Luke 7:1)
Blind and dumb demoniac cured (Matt 12:22; Luke 11:14)
Demoniac cured in synagogue at Capernaum (Mark 1:23; Luke 4:33)
Peter's wife's mother cured (Matt 8:14; Mark 1:30; Luke 4:38)
The tempest stilled (Matt 8:23; Mark 4:37; Luke 8:22)
Demoniacs of Gadara cured (Matt 8:28; Mark 5:1; Luke 8:26)
Swine rush into and drown (Mark 5:1-20)
Leper healed (Matt 8:2; Mark 1:40; Luke 5:12)
Jairus's daughter raised (Matt 9:23; Mark 5:23; Luke 8:41)
Woman's issue of blood cured (Matt 9:20; Mark 5:25; Luke 8:43)
Man sick of the palsy cured (Matt 9:2; Mark 2:3; Luke 5:18)
Man's withered hand cured (Matt 12:10; Mark 3:1; Luke 6:6)
A lunatic child cured (Matt 17:14; Mark 9:14; Luke 9:37)
Two blind men cured (Matt 20:29; Mark 10:46; Luke 18:35)
Jesus walks on the sea (Matt 14:25; Mark 6:48; John 6:15)
Jesus feeds 5,000 "in a desert place" (Matt 14:15; Mark 6:30; Luke 9:10; John 6:1-14)
The conception of Jesus Christ by the Holy Ghost (Luke 1:35)
Star of Bethlehem The transfiguration (Matt 17:1-8)
The resurrection (John 21:1-14)
The ascension (Luke 2:42-51)
Peter and the healing of a the paralytic Aeneas at Lydda (Acts 9:32, 35, 38)
Miraculous ability to speak and/or understand a foreign language (tongue) previously unknown to the speaker Inspiration of Scripture by God.

Next Question:
Is it LOGICAL to believe that the biblical miracles really happened?

noreply@blogger.com (ROBERT PAUL) — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 13:42:00 +0000

IS IT LOGICAL TO BELIEVE THAT THE BIBLICAL MIRACLES REALLY HAPPENED?

From one end to the other, the Bible refers to miracles. There's the story of Moses parting the Red Sea in Exodus. There's Elijah calling down fire from heaven on Mt. Carmel. There's Jesus walking on water, healing the sick, and raising the dead. But are these accounts really credible? Can anyone with an intelligent mind accept the reality of the miracles described in Scripture? Did miracles ever actually occur? Perhaps the accounts are myth?

The Bible, with a credibility of its own, is replete with reports of miracles. All four Gospel accounts refer to Jesus as a miracle-worker. Specific details in those accounts (Matthew 11, John 11) and the fact that first-century Jewish authorities acknowledged Jesus' miracles (John 3:2), adds weight to the case. Even so-called antagonistic sources, such as the Talmud and certain Islamic writings, allude to the miracles of Jesus. Then, finally, all attempts to refute the broad-ranging reports of miracles in the Bible have themselves lacked reliable documentation and credibility.

But isn't it possible that Bible miracles are just the fantasies of ignorant people who don't even know about the laws of nature?

C.S. Lewis once observed:
If a man had no conception of a regular order in nature, then of course he could not notice departures from that order. When the disciples saw Christ walking on the water, they were frightened: they would not have been frightened unless they had known the laws of nature, and known that this was an exception.

But aren't miracles actually a violation of the principles of logic? Don't miracles essentially therefore make Christianity out to be an unreasonable faith?

Not at all. You are confusing the laws of logic with the laws of nature. The laws of logic are prescriptive. They define the basic and inviolable parameters and unavoidable patterns of human thinking. On the other hand, the laws of nature are descriptive. They are a record of how the natural world normally operates. Scientific laws don't control or explain events. They are only a generalized record of those events. The laws of logic constitute a perfect standard. The laws of nature describe actual reality. God can suspend the laws of nature at will because He designed them. He would not (and actually cannot) violate the laws of logic, because they are a part of His nature.

What do you mean when you say that logic is a part of God's nature?

Logic is inherent to the character of God, and God cannot ever stop being what He is, or deny His nature (2 Timothy 2:13). God is rational and, because we are created in His image, so are we.

God can do what is humanly impossible (Luke 18:27).
Doesn't science rule out miracles in nature?

To prove or disprove any natural phenomenon, science typically depends on verifiable, repeatable experimentation. Miracles are, by nature, unrepeatable—the result of God supernaturally suspending, or transcending, the created order and the laws of nature. Author Ron Rhodes says, “The scientific method is useful for studying nature, but not super-nature.”

Are you suggesting that God can violate the very laws of nature that He Himself implemented in the first place?

Yes, although the term “transcend” seems preferable to the term “violate.” “God is outside, over, and above natural law, and is not bound by it,” says Paul Little. Another commentator once observed: “The God of Scripture is an Almighty God. He would have had no problem getting the great fish to swallow Jonah... or Jonah to swallow the great fish.” God can, has, and will transcend the laws of nature to accomplish His purposes in the world.

Next Question:
If Christ's miracles really happened, why weren't they reported by historians?

noreply@blogger.com (ROBERT PAUL) — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 13:40:00 +0000

IF CHRIST'S MIRACLES REALLY HAPPENED, WHY WEREN'T THEY REPORTED BY HISTORIANS?

A skeptic asks: “The Bible makes a lot of claims about Jesus' miraculous feats. But if all these amazing things really did happen, why didn't reputable contemporary historians write about them?

You'd think that phenomenon like a great darkness at Noon (crucifixion), or bright stars moving across the sky toward Bethlehem (Christmas), would have been reported by other historians. Yet we only have the biased claims of Christ's supporters.”The reporting of the events around the life and death of Jesus are just about what you would expect in the first century, given that Jesus' following was so small during his lifetime, that He lived in such a remote corner of the Roman Empire, and given the state of astronomy at that time.

Despite these limitations, Josephus (the first century Jewish historian), and Tacitus (an early second century Roman historian) make significant reference to Him. And actually, the very thing that you call for does exist. The mid-first century Roman historian Thallus makes reference to the darkness of the sun at the time of the crucifixion as he tries to refute the apostles’ claim. He argues that the crucifixion had, by chance, taken place during a solar eclipse.

Your position discounts the experience and witness of those who were “biased”—presumably referring to the New Testament writers, biased because they believed in Jesus. But who was unbiased? Can we count on those who rejected Jesus to have been unbiased? Why? Those closest to the events had high stakes in trying to protect their power base. The reports of Jesus' followers [actually] gain a certain authority because of their willingness to die for their witness to the resurrection.

Next Question:
Could Christ have sinned?

noreply@blogger.com (ROBERT PAUL) — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 13:36:00 +0000

COULD CHRIST HAVE SINNED?

In a sense, this is a strictly hypothetical question, since the Bible clearly teaches that Jesus never sinned (Hebrews 4:15). However, theologians have discussed it at length. In technical terms, “impeccability” is the doctrine that Christ could not sin, though he could be (and was) tempted.

Christian churches generally agree that: Jesus never sinned, but he was tempted. For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin (Heb. 4:15 NASB).Any temptations he faced were directed at His human nature, rather than His divine nature. Let no one say when he is tempted, ‘I am being tempted by God’; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt any one (James 1:13 NASB).

It is possible to attempt the impossible, and temptation is merely Satan’s attempt to lead us astray. Temptation and susceptibility do not have to go together; only successful temptation always goes hand in hand with susceptibility. All the temptations Jesus faced in Matthew 4 were legitimate offers. The struggle in Gethsemane was a real, difficult experience. One might even say that Jesus experienced worse temptation than we do, because we usually surrender before the devil brings out his worst weapons. Jesus stayed firm through the most powerful temptations in Satan’s arsenal. Although the human nature of Jesus may have had desires which temptation could target, His divine

nature would ensure that He would never actually decide to sin. It is impractical to speculate on what Christ’s human will might have decided if it were operating independently of His divine nature; such a situation never arose. Christ’s divine attributes would make it impossible for him to sin:

1) Immutability - His basic nature never changes (Hebrews 1:12; 13:8). He was holy in eternity past, and He would remain holy now.
2) Omnipotence - Falling to temptation shows moral weakness or lack of power and ability. Christ had infinite power, and was therefore not susceptible to sin.
3) Omniscience - Satan tempts us by attempting to deceive us. Jesus had infinite knowledge, so he could not be deceived.

Next Question:
If Jesus is God, how could he die? If Jesus died on the cross, then how can he be alive today?

noreply@blogger.com (ROBERT PAUL) — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 13:30:00 +0000

IF JESUS IS GOD, HOW COULD HE DIE? IF JESUS DIED ON THE CROSS, THEN HOW CAN HE BE ALIVE TODAY?

His body really did die. The Roman soldiers made sure of that. They were experts at killing people. Jesus Christ's physical body was 100-percent human, not just part human.

For further studies, refer:
"Is Jesus Christ a man, or is he God?

Our bodies can die, and so could his. When we die, our physical body dies, but our soul and spirit remain. They are eternal; they never die. The same is true of Jesus Christ. His physical body died, but his inner self is eternal and did not die.

Is Jesus alive today?

Yes, he is. Thousands of people saw him alive again. The Bible is very clear; Jesus Christ's physical body is no longer dead. He is alive today. The Bible records 11 times when people saw him.

How can this be?

Jesus is more than a man. Although he is 100-percent human, he is also 100% God, the Creator of the universe. He is all-powerful. Although evil men killed his physical body, he easily had the
power to restore life to his body again.

When his body came alive, he walked out of his tomb, completely healthy and strong. As you can imagine, when this happened in the darkness, it really frightened the Roman soldiers who were guarding his tomb to keep people away. They were surprised and terrified! It was suddenly very obvious that Jesus was not merely a man. He is God, with power over life and death.

The people of Jerusalem certainly should have known this already. Jesus had proved it many times before. He raised many people from the dead. One was a young girl. Another was a man who had been dead and buried for days.

Here's something else that is wonderful. Did you know that the moment that Jesus Christ's physical body died, he brought many dead people to life in the city of Jerusalem? It's true! The people were alive and healthy again. Many people saw them in the streets and homes of that great city (Matthew 27:52-53), and were so glad to see them again. These were not ghosts (there are no such things). These were living, breathing people, seen by many. They had been dead, some perhaps for years, and now they were alive because of Jesus' great power!

What about your death or the death of someone you love?

Here is a fact that is even more amazing! Everyone who dies and is a true follower of Jesus Christ will experience this same, awesome, life-giving power. Jesus will give them their body back again -- alive, heathy and strong -- a glorious body. Won't that be wonderful! Millions and perhaps billions of people will be made alive again. Mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters, grandparents -- every person that is a true follower of Jesus will be alive again -- forever. For all of us who are Christians, death is not permanent. When our loved ones in Christ die, we can know for certain that we will see them alive again.

You can be one of those people! If you haven't already done so. Admit that you are a sinner that has broken the Law and deserves punishment and is lost without him. Accept his free gift of Salvation and life. Become a faithful follower of Jesus Christ, the Lord and Giver of Life.

Next Question:
SON OF MAN - If Jesus was the Son of God, why did He call Himself the Son of Man?

noreply@blogger.com (ROBERT PAUL) — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 13:28:00 +0000

SON OF MAN - IF JESUS WAS THE SON OF GOD, WHY DID HE CALL HIMSELF THE SON OF MAN?

This sounds like some kind of contradiction at first glance, but in fact there is no contradiction. An examination of Scripture reveals that the phrase "Son of Man" carries broad significance.

First of all, even if the phrase "Son of Man" is a reference to Jesus' humanity, it is not a denial of His deity. By becoming a man, Jesus did not cease being God. The incarnation of Christ did not involve the subtraction of deity, but the addition of humanity. Jesus clearly claimed to be God on many occasions (Matthew 16:16,17; John 8:58; 10:30). But in addition to being divine, He was also human (see Philippians 2:6-8). He had two natures (divine and human) conjoined in one person.

For further studies, refer:
"Is Jesus Christ a man, or is he God?

Further, Scripture indicates that Jesus was not denying His deity by referring to Himself as the Son of Man. In fact, it is highly revealing that the term "Son of Man" is used in Scripture in contexts of Christ's deity. For example, the Bible says that only God can forgive sins (Isaiah 43:25; Mark 2:7). But as the "Son of Man," Jesus had the power to forgive sins (Mark 2:10). Likewise, Christ will return to earth as the "Son of Man" in clouds of glory to reign on earth (Matthew 26:63-64). In this passage, Jesus is citing Daniel 7:13 where the Messiah is described as the "Ancient of Days," a phrase used to indicate His deity (cf. Daniel 7:9).

Further, when Jesus was asked by the high priest whether He was the "Son of God" (Matthew 26:63), He responded affirmatively, declaring that He was the "Son of Man" who would come in power and great glory (verse 64). This indicated that Jesus Himself used the phrase "Son of Man" to indicate His deity as the Son of God.

Finally, the phrase "Son of Man" also emphasizes who Jesus is in relation to His incarnation and His work of salvation. In the Old Testament (Leviticus 25:25-26, 48-49; Ruth 2:20), the next of kin (one related by blood) always functioned as the "kinsman-redeemer" of a family member who needed redemption from jail. Jesus became related to us "by blood" (that is, He became a man) so He could function as our Kinsman-Redeemer and rescue us from sin.

Next Question:
Was Jesus Christ only a legend?

noreply@blogger.com (ROBERT PAUL) — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 13:27:00 +0000

WAS JESUS CHRIST ONLY A LEGEND?

This answer is based on a discussion between a man of God and a skeptic.

Man of God: who is Jesus of Nazareth to you? Are you suggesting that He was deliberately lying as regards His claims to be God (i.e. John 5:18)? Or are you saying that He was self-deluded, a wacko, who had somehow only come to think of Himself as God?

Skeptic: Neither. I think that the Jesus we see portrayed today is probably the composite of more than one person. I think the story of his life was no doubt embellished to some degree, just the same as may be true for King Arthur or Robin Hood.

Man of God: So you're not suggesting that Jesus was a liar. And you're not saying that He was a lunatic. You're really of the opinion that He is, as we know Him today, just a legend?

Skeptic: Essentially, yes. I tend to believe that the supernatural aspects of Jesus' life are fictional. That's the scenario that seems most plausible to me.

Man of God: Well, I would say that a number of problems come to mind with regard to the idea that Jesus as we know Him today is just a legend.

Let me set them out as follows:

None of the most reputable first century historians (Josephus, Tacitus, et al) or other first century contemporaries of Christ (Biblical or extra-Biblical, e.g. the physician Luke, Roman officials, members of Jesus' own family) of whom we are aware—excepting the Jewish religious leadership, who clearly had an agenda of their own—ever apparently disputed the New Testament accounts of Jesus' supernatural claims and feats, although such accounts were all being quite widely circulated during their lifetimes.

No one—not even one—ever spoke up and said, “Hey, wait a minute. This is crazy. Jesus never actually walked on water. He never claimed to be God. He never did these miracles. He never came back from the grave.” Such an outcry could have occurred. But it never did.

The argument from silence is often a rather dubious way to proceed. But in this case, the lack of any such uproar against the “falsity” of the Gospel accounts actually becomes a rather convincing piece of evidence.

There is solid evidence that Jesus really did claim to be unique among men in His relationship with God the Father, i.e. Divine in essence. Consider even the Christological titles. For instance, Jesus' favorite self-title was probably “the Son of Man” (note the definite article, e.g. Luke 18:31). Commonly thought to be a reference to His humanity, in light of Daniel 7:13-14 this term is no doubt more accurately regarded as a reference to His Deity.

Even such radical 'scholars' as those on the Jesus Seminar seem inclined not to dispute Jesus' use of this term to describe Himself.

Even critical scholars concede the historicity of Jesus' healings and exorcisms, while denying the fact that any of them constituted real true-to-life miracles. Such denials, though, seem clearly based on presuppositions and worldviews.

Legends typically require a significant period of time to develop and gain credibility. In this case, within just twenty years of Jesus' death, Christian doctrine, conviction, churches, creeds, martyrs, and sermons—every one unequivocally confessing Jesus as Lord—can all be handily documented.

Would Jesus' disciples have been willing martyrs for a story they knew was pure fantasy and legend? Some men may be willing to die for what they believe to be true, though it isn't. But who is, or has, ever been willing to die for the sake of a cause which they clearly know to be a lie? Remember, the disciples were eye witnesses to what actually had happened. Can one realistically attribute to mere legend the historic, worldwide, ongoing impact of the life of this one individual—all of which includes the faith-profession of many of the world's most respected, wise, thinking men and women?

Next Question:
Isn't the virgin birth of Jesus Christ mythological and scientifically impossible?

noreply@blogger.com (ROBERT PAUL) — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 13:18:00 +0000

ISN'T THE VIRGIN BIRTH OF JESUS CHRIST MYTHOLOGICAL AND SCIENTIFICALLY IMPOSSIBLE?

Larry King, the CNN talk show host, was once asked who he would most want to interview if he could choose anyone from all of history. He said, "Jesus Christ." The questioner said, "And what would you like to ask Him?" King replied, "I would like to ask Him if He was indeed virgin-born. The answer to that question would define history for me." --from Just Thinking, RZIM, Winter 1998.

Critic's Claim #1: The idea of a virgin birth is SCIENTIFICALLY IMPOSSIBLE.

Really? Where have you been for the past 21 years? Ever since in vitro fertilization and embryonic transfer came on the scene in 1978 (not to mention artificial insemination), it is quite possible for a woman who has never experienced sexual intercourse to give birth.

Of course, the Bible makes it clear that it was Almighty God, not some high-paid gynecologist, who worked the details of Jesus' Divine-Human conception, i.e. “And the angel answered and said unto [Mary], The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.” --Luke 1:35, KJV.

Sound miraculous? Of course. But these days, who would deny that miracles occur? And such a 'small' one for the God who created the entire universe!

Critic's Claim #2: The idea of a virgin birth is MYTHOLOGICALLY DERIVED.

Author Patrick Campbell (The Mythical Jesus) and Episcopal Bishop J.S. Spong are two of a number of individuals who have suggested that "...the virgin birth account [is a]...clearly recognized mythological element in our faith tradition whose purpose was not to describe a literal event but to capture the transcendent dimensions of God in the earthbound words and concepts of first-century human beings."

Both men, however, overlook a simple fact: No respectable Jew would have ever condescended to buy into a Greek/Babylonian mythological base for an account dealing with the birth of his/her Messiah.

Critic's Claim #3: The idea of a virgin birth is HISTORICALLY UNSUPPORTED

The Apostles' Creed, written in the 4th century; the Nicene Creed, adopted at the Council of Nicea in 325 A.D.; the Athanasian Creed, written about 450 A.D.; the Chalcedon Definition, adopted at the Council of Chalcedon in 451 A.D.; and the Small Catechism of Martin Luther of 1529 A.D. are only a few of the historic creeds that recognize the veracity of the Virgin Birth of Jesus. Only in more modern times have Bible critics begun to try to cast doubt on a doctrinal truth that the Church has long since historically endorsed.

Critic's Claim #4: The idea of a virgin birth is BIBLICALLY UNCONVINCING

Some critics cite the fact that the Apostle Paul is silent on the subject of the Virgin Birth, and the fact that Mary's virginity is never mentioned in the Gospel According to John, as evidence that Jesus was never born of a virgin.

But the argument from silence, always a rather weak tactic in making a case, is particularly weak here due to the fact that both Paul and John were alive and quite familiar with the Gospel accounts written by Matthew and Dr. Luke (a physician!) -- and yet never either questioned or refuted it.

Critic's Claim #5: The idea of a virgin birth is STATISTICALLY UNWARRANTED

If you really want to put truth up for a vote (and who does?), let's get all of the statistics out in the open. While it is true that one very famous poll taken in 1965 (and still being frequently cited today) of 7,441 Protestant clergy showed that many mainline denominational ministers were not convinced of the truthfulness of the Virgin Birth, a more recent Harris poll of a randomly selected group of 1,011 adults found that 91% of U.S. Christians do believe in the Virgin Birth. All of which goes to show that when it comes to determining spiritual truth, our authority ought to be the Bible (Isaiah 7:14, Matthew 1:25), not men -- including clergy!

Next Question:
What is the Trinity?

noreply@blogger.com (ROBERT PAUL) — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 13:17:00 +0000

WHAT IS TRINITY?

There is only one God, but He consists of three distinct persons, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

The word "trinity" is not found in Scripture. It is a word used by Christians to express the doctrine of the unity of God as consisting of three distinct Persons. This word is derived from the Greek word trias, first used by Theophilus (A.D. 168-183), or from the Latin trinitas, first used by Tertullian (A.D. 220), to express this doctrine.

The propositions involved in the doctrine are these:

That God is one, and that there is but one God (Deut. 6:4; 1 Kings 8:60; Isa. 44:6; Mark 12:29, 32; John 10:30).

That the Father is a distinct divine Person (hypostasis, subsistentia, persona, suppositum intellectuale), distinct from the Son and the Holy Spirit.

That Jesus Christ was truly God, and yet was a Person distinct from the Father and the Holy Spirit. (John 20:30-31)

That the Holy Spirit is also a distinct divine Person.

Notice the use of the words "us" and "our" when the Son of God ("The Word") created Man (Gen. 1:26).

Although equal in divinity, the Father is in a position of authority or hierarchy over Jesus Christ, incarnate Son of God (John 14:28, 13:16; 1 Cor. 11:3; Phil. 2:6-8).

For further studies, refer:
"How can one God be three persons?"

noreply@blogger.com (ROBERT PAUL) — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 13:16:00 +0000

HOW CAN ONE GOD BE THREE PERSONS?

The doctrine of the Trinity -- that God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit are each equally and eternally the one true God -- is admittedly difficult to comprehend, and yet is the very foundation of Christian truth. Although skeptics may ridicule it as a mathematical impossibility, it is nevertheless a basic doctrine of Scripture as well as profoundly realistic in both universal experience and in the scientific understanding of the cosmos.

Both Old and New Testaments teach the Unity and the Trinity of the Godhead. The idea that there is only one God, who created all things, is repeatedly emphasized in such Scriptures as Isaiah 45:18:

"For thus saith the Lord that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; …I am the Lord; and there is none else."

A New Testament example is James 2:19:

"Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well; the devils also believe, and tremble."

The three persons of the Godhead are, at the same time, noted in such Scriptures as Isaiah 48:16:

"I have not spoken in secret from the beginning; From the time that it was, there am I; and now the Lord God, and his Spirit, hath sent me."

The speaker in this verse is obviously God, and yet He says He has been sent both by The Lord God (that is, the Father) and by His Spirit (that is, the Holy Spirit).

The New Testament doctrine of the Trinity is evident in such a verse as John 15:26, where the Lord Jesus said:

"But when the Comforter is come whom I will send unto you from the Father, He shall testify of me."

Then there is the baptismal formula:

"baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost" (Matthew 28:19).

One name (God) -- yet three names!

JESUS -- That Jesus, as the only-begotten Son of God, actually claimed to be God, equal with the Father, is clear from numerous Scriptures. For example, He said:

"I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty" (Revelation 1:8).

HOLY SPIRIT -- Some cults falsely teach that the Holy Spirit is an impersonal divine influence of some kind, but the Bible teaches that He is a real person, just as are the Father and the Son. Jesus said:

"But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come" (John 16:13).

TRI-UNITY -- The teaching of the Bible concerning the Trinity might be summarized thus. God is a Tri-unity, with each Person of the Godhead equally and fully and eternally God. Each is necessary, and each is distinct, and yet all are one. The three Persons appear in a logical, causal order. The Father is the unseen, omnipresent Source of all being, revealed in and by the Son, experienced in and by the Holy Spirit. The Son proceeds from the Father, and the Spirit from the Son. With reference to God's creation, the Father is the Thought behind it, the Son is the Word calling it forth, and the Spirit is the Deed making it a reality.

We "see" God and His great salvation in the Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ, then "experience" their reality by faith, through the indwelling presence of His Holy Spirit.

Though these relationships seem paradoxical, and to some completely impossible, they are profoundly realistic, and their truth is ingrained deep in man's nature. Thus, men have always sensed first the truth that God must be "out there," everywhere present and the First Cause of all things, but they have corrupted this intuitive knowledge of the Father into pantheism and ultimately into naturalism.

Similarly, men have always felt the need to "see" God in terms of their own experience and understanding, but this knowledge that God must reveal Himself has been distorted into polytheism and idolatry. Men have thus continually erected "models" of God, sometimes in the form of graven images, sometimes even in the form of philosophical systems purporting to represent ultimate reality.

Finally, men have always known that they should be able to have communion with their Creator and to experience His presence "within." But this deep intuition of the Holy Spirit has been corrupted into various forms of false mysticism and fanaticism, and even into spiritism and demonism. Thus, the truth of God's tri-unity is ingrained in man's very nature, but he has often distorted it and substituted a false god in its place.

Next Question:
Are you good enough to go to Heaven?

noreply@blogger.com (ROBERT PAUL) — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 13:12:00 +0000

ARE YOU GOOD ENOUGH TO GO TO HEAVEN?

Of all the questions you will ask yourself in life, probably the most important is, “Am I good enough to go to Heaven?” The way to find this out is to ask yourself if you have obeyed the Ten Commandments (listed below). Most would answer the question, “Well, I’ve broken one or two, but nothing too serious, like murder, etc.”

So, let’s go through them and see how you do:

Is God first in your life? Do you love God above all else? Many years ago, I purchased a T.V. for our children, but the first evening we had it, I arrived home from work and found that they didn’t even bother to greet me. They were too busy watching television. I turned it off and explained to them that if they ignored me because they preferred to watch T.V. they were setting their love on the gift rather then the giver, a wrong order of affections. In the same way, if we love anything-- husband, wife, children or even our own lives--more than we love God, we are setting our affection on the gift rather than the Giver, which is a transgression of the First Commandment. (Matt. 10:37)

In fact, the Bible says that we should so love God that our love for Mom and Dad and brother and sister should seem like hatred compared to the love we have for the God who gave those loved ones to us.

We are also commanded to love our neighbor as much as we love ourselves. Jesus spoke of a Samaritan who found an injured stranger, bathed his wounds, carried him to an inn, gave money for his care and told the inn-keeper that he would pay for his expenses. We call him the good Samaritan, but in reality he wasn’t “good” at all, he merely obeyed the basic command to love his neighbor as himself. That is a picture of how God expects us to love our fellow human beings. We should love them as much as we love ourselves... whether they be friend or foe. Have you loved God with all your heart? Have you loved humanity as much as you love yourself? You be the judge. Will you be innocent or guilty on Judgment Day of breaking that Commandment? I’m not judging you--I’m asking you to judge yourself before the Day of Judgment. The sentence for breaking this Commandment is death.

This means that we shouldn’t make a god to suit ourselves, either with our hands or our mind. I was guilty of this. I made a god to suit myself. My god didn’t mind a “white” lie or a fib here and there--in fact, he didn’t exist. He was a figment of my imagination, an “image” which I shaped to suit myself. Is your God the One revealed in Holy Scripture? If not, then you have made your own god to suit yourself-- you have committed the oldest sin in the Book. Scripture warns that no idolater will enter the Kingdom of Heaven.

Have you ever taken God’s name in vain--instead of using a four-letter word to express disgust, you’ve used His name? Hitler’s name wasn’t despised enough to use as a curse word. If you have used His holy name in that manner, you are a blasphemer and will not enter the Kingdom of God.

I ignored this command for 22 years. Even though God gave me the gift of life, never once did I ask what He required of me. I was guilty of breaking this Commandment.

Have you always honored your parents in a way that’s pleasing in the sight of God? Ask Him to remind you of the sins of your youth. You may have forgotten them, but God hasn’t.

Jesus warned that if we get angry without cause we are in danger of judgment. If we hate our brother, God calls us a murderer. We can violate God’s Law by attitude and intent.

Who of us can say that we are pure of heart? Jesus warned, “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust after her has committed adultery already with her in his heart.” Remember that God has seen every thought you have had and every sin you have ever committed. The day will come when you have to face His Law, and we are told that the impure, fornicators (those who have sex before marriage) and adulterers will not enter the Kingdom of God. Punishment for transgression of this Commandment is the death penalty. Have you ever taken something that belonged to someone else (irrespective of its value)? Then you are a thief--you cannot enter God’s Kingdom.

Have you ever told a lie? Then you are a liar. How many lies do you have to tell to be a liar? Just one. The Bible warns that all liars will have their part in the Lake of Fire. You may not think deceitfulness is a serious sin. God does!

That means we shouldn’t desire anything that belongs to another person. The covetous will not inherit the Kingdom of God. Who of us can say we are not guilty of breaking these Commandments? All of us have sinned, and just as with civil law, you don’t have to break ten laws to be a lawbreaker, so the Bible warns, “For whoever shall keep the whole Law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all.” (James 2:10)

A little girl was once watching a sheep eat grass and thought how white it looked against the green background. But when it began to snow she thought, “That sheep now looks dirty against the white snow!” It was the same sheep, but with a different background.

When we compare ourselves to man’s standard we look pretty clean, but when we compare ourselves to the pure snow-white righteousness of God’s standard-His Law, we can see ourselves in truth, that we are unclean in His sight. That Law is the holy standard by which humanity will be judged on Judgment Day.

This may sound strange, but the worst thing you could do at this point of time is to try and clean up your lifestyle--you realize that you have sinned, so from now on you will keep the Ten Commandments, do good deeds, say the right things and think only pure thoughts. But should a judge let a murderer go because he says he will now live a good life? No, he’s in debt to justice and therefore must be punished.

The Law of God is merely like a mirror--all a mirror does is show you the truth. If you see egg on your face, you don’t try and wash yourself with the mirror, its purpose should be to send you to water for cleansing. Neither should you try and wash yourself with the mirror of God’s Law...that’s not its purpose.

The sight in the mirror is not a pretty one, but if you don’t face it and acknowledge that you are unclean, then all that “dirt” will be presented on Judgment Day as evidence of your guilt, and then it will be too late to be cleansed.

Perhaps you think that God is good and will therefore overlook your sins. But if you were guilty of terrible crimes in a civil court and said to the judge, “Judge, I am guilty, but I believe that you are a good man and will therefore overlook my crimes,” the judge would probably respond by saying, “You are right about one thing; I am a good man, and it’s because of my goodness that I am going to see that justice is done, that you are punished for your crimes.”

The very thing that many are hoping will save them on Judgment Day, God’s “goodness,” will be the very thing that will condemn them. If God is good, He should punish murderers. liars, thieves, etc., and Hell will be their dreadful fate.

What a terrible place Hell must be. If you read in the newspaper that a man received a $5 fine for a crime, you could conclude that his crime was insignificant. But if a man received multiple life sentences, you could conclude that his crime was heinous. In the same way, we can catch a glimpse of how terrible sin must be in the sight of God by looking to the punishment given for it--eternal punishment.

Ungrateful humanity never bothers to thank God for His wonderful blessings of color, light, food, joy, beauty, love, and laughter, so He will take those blessings away from them. Instead of proving their gratitude by obedience to His will, they use His name to curse. Their punishment will be just, but severe to the uttermost.

Take the time to read what Jesus said Hell was like in Mark 9:43-48.

You can also refer,
Is there anyone in Hell today?

Is there an actual place called “Hell”?

Why was Hell made?

How can a God of love send anybody to Hell?

Why does God allow innocent people to suffer?

What if I don't believe in Hell?

Can a saved person ever be lost?

The Good News - How to be saved from Hell?

I am afraid for you... please, look honestly into the mirror of the Law, then seek the “water” that cleanses every sin. If you don’t believe what I am saying about the reality of Hell, it means you think God is corrupt (that He hasn’t the moral backbone to seek justice), that Jesus was a liar, that the Apostles were false witnesses, that God’s promises are nothing but prefabricated lies, and there is no greater insult to God than to call Him a liar.

Imagine if you reject the Savior, die in your sins and find that what I have told is the Gospel truth? Then it will be too late, you will be judged for your sins. If that happens, and your eyes meet my eyes on the Day of Judgment, I’m free from your blood. I have told you the truth, but if you choose to ignore it, your blood will be upon your own head... you will have no one to blame, but yourself.

Can you see your predicament? You are guilty of sinning against God Himself, and, because you have a conscience, you have sinned “with knowledge.” Isn’t it true that every time you lied, stole, lusted, etc., you did it with knowledge that it was wrong?

Does the fact that you have sinned against God scare you? It should. You have actually angered Him by your sin. The Bible says His wrath abides on you, that you are an “enemy of God in your mind through wicked works.” But let fear work for your good, in the same way that a fear of jumping out of a plane at a great height would make you put on a parachute. Let your will to live open your heart to the Gospel of salvation.

I am not the only one who doesn’t want you to end up in Hell. The people behind this, to make this blogger (FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS - http://www.robertu06.blogspot.com/) cared enough to post this information and risk your rejection and ridicule, and God Himself is not willing that you perish.

To make clear what an incredible thing He has done for you in the Gospel, let’s look again to civil law:

Imagine that you are standing in front of a judge, guilty of very serious crimes. All the evidence has been presented and there is no doubt about your guilt. The fine for your crime is $250,000 or imprisonment, but you haven’t two pennies to rub together. The judge is about to pass sentence... he lifts his gavel, when someone you don’t even know steps in and pays the fine for you. The moment you accept that payment, you are free to go. Justice has been served, the law has been satisfied, and what’s more, the stranger who paid your fine showed how much he cares for you. His payment was evidence of his love.

That’s what God did for you, in the person of Jesus Christ. You are guilty. He paid the fine 2,000 years ago. It is that simple. The Bible puts it this way: “he was bruised for our iniquities...Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the Law being made a curse for us...God commended His love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” (Isaiah 53:5, Galatians 3:13, Romans 5:8)

It was no small thing for Jesus to die for us. The only thing that would satisfy the demands of Eternal Law was the suffering death of the sinless Son of God. What love God must have for you! He suffered unspeakable agony, so that you wouldn’t have to be punished for your sins. His sacrificial death and resurrection mean that you need no longer be in debt to the Law, and God can now grant you everlasting life if you obey Him -- death no longer has a legal hold upon those who belong to Jesus Christ.

Two men were offered a parachute while seated in a plane. The first man was told it would improve his flight, but the second man was informed he had to make a 25,000 foot jump. When the flight struck severe turbulence, the first man took his parachute off, because as far as he was concerned it didn’t improve the flight. But, during the same violent turbulence, the second man clung tighter to his parachute. Each man’s motive for putting the parachute on determined whether or not they would keep it on.

In the same way, the reason you should “put on the Lord Jesus Christ” shouldn’t be to find peace, joy, true happiness, to have your marriage healed or your problems fixed, etc. (to have your flight improved). It should be to escape the jump to come—because of the fact that you have to pass through the door of death. Then, when the flight gets bumpy (when problems come) you won’t fall away from the faith.

What should you then do? Simply repent and put your trust in Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord. Don’t put it off until tomorrow.

Would you sell one of your eyes for a million dollars? How about both for $20 million? No one in his right mind would. Your eyes are priceless to you, yet they are merely the windows of your soul. Your life (your soul) is of such value, Jesus said that you should despise the value of your eye compared to it. He said that if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you, for it is better to enter Heaven blind than to go to Hell seeing (Matt. 18:9). In other words, of all the things you should prioritize in your life, it’s not your health, your vocation, etc., it’s your eternal salvation.

Think of a man who has committed adultery. His faithful wife is more than willing to take him back, so what is the attitude in which he should approach her? It should be one of tremendous humility, asking for forgiveness, and determining in his heart never to even think of committing adultery again.

That’s how you should approach God (see King David’s prayer in Psalm 51). Put your faith in Jesus Christ in the same way you would put your faith in a parachute. You don’t just “believe” it will benefit you, you actually trust yourself to it by putting it on.

Confess to God that you have broken His Law and sinned against Him. Ask Him to forgive your sins. Thank Him for Jesus Christ’s death on the cross in your place, paying for your sins. Believe that He rose again and conquered death for all mankind. Accept His gracious gift of eternal life, a gift that you could never earn. Place your trust in Him as your Savior and Lord.

Then, once you have made peace with God, read the Bible daily and obey what you read.

Next Question:
SUFFERING - Why does God allow innocent people to suffer?

noreply@blogger.com (ROBERT PAUL) — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 13:12:00 +0000

SUFFERING - WHY DOES GOD ALLOW INNOCENT PEOPLE TO SUFFER?

This is one of the most difficult questions for Christians to answer.

The "problem of pain," as the well-known Christian scholar, C.S. Lewis, once called it, is atheism's most potent weapon against the Christian faith.

All true science and history, if rightly understood, support the fact of God. This evidence is so strong that, as the Bible says: "The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God" (Psalm 14:1).

Most atheists, therefore, without any objective evidence on which to base their faith in "no God", must resort finally to philosophical objections. And this problem of suffering is the greatest of these.

That is, they say, how can a God of love permit such things in His world as war, sickness, pain, and death, especially when their effects often are felt most keenly by those who are apparently innocent? Either He is not a God of love and is indifferent to human suffering, or else He is not a God of power and is therefore helpless to do anything about it. In either case, the Biblical God who is supposedly one of both absolute power and perfect love becomes an impossible anachronism. Or so they claim!

This is a real difficulty, but atheism is certainly not the answer, and neither is agnosticism. While there is much evil in the world, there is even more that is good. This is proved by the mere fact that people normally try to hang on to life as long as they can. Furthermore, everyone instinctively recognizes that "good" is a higher order of truth than "bad".

We need also to recognize that our very minds were created by God. We can only use these minds to the extent that He allows, and it is, therefore, utterly presumptuous for us to use them to question Him and His motives.

"Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?" (Genesis 18:25).

"Shall the thing formed say to Him that formed it, why hast Thou made me thus?" (Romans 9:20).

We ourselves do not establish the standards of what is right. Only the Creator of all reality can do that. We need to settle it, in our minds and hearts, whether we understand it or not, that whatever God does is, by definition, right.

Having settled this by faith, we are then free to seek for ways in which we can profit spiritually from the sufferings in life as well as the blessings. As we consider such matters, it is helpful to keep the following great truths continually in our minds.

There is really no such thing as the "innocent" suffering.Since "all have sinned and come short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23), there is no one who has the right to freedom from God's wrath on the basis of his own innocence.

As far as babies are concerned, and others who may be incompetent mentally to distinguish right and wrong, it is clear from both Scripture and universal experience that they are sinners by nature and thus will inevitably become sinners by choice as soon as they are able to do so.

The world is now under God's Curse (Genesis 3:17) because of man's rebellion against God's Word.

This "bondage of corruption," with the "whole world groaning and travailing together in pain" (Romans 8:21, 22), is universal, affecting all men and women and children everywhere. God did not create the world this way, and one day will set all things right again. In that day, "God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain" (Revelation 21:4).

Learn about how much Jesus Christ sufferedThe Lord Jesus Christ, who was the only truly "innocent" and "righteous" man in all history, nevertheless has suffered more than anyone else who ever lived.

And this He did for us! “Christ died for our sins” (I Corinthians 15:3). He suffered and died, in order that ultimately He might deliver the world from the Curse, and that, even now, He can deliver from sin and its bondage anyone who will receive Him in faith as personal Lord and Savior. This great deliverance from the penalty of inherent sin, as well as of overt sins, very possibly also assures the salvation of those who have died before reaching an age of conscious choice of wrong over right.

With our full faith in God's goodness and in Christ's redemption, we can recognize that our present sufferings can be turned to His glory and our good.

The sufferings of unsaved men are often used by the Holy Spirit to cause them to realize their needs of salvation and to turn to Christ in repentance and faith. The sufferings of Christians should always be the means of developing a stronger dependence on God and a more Christ-like character, if they are properly "exercised thereby" (Hebrews 12:11).

Thus, God is loving and merciful even when, "for the present," He allows trials and sufferings to come in our lives.

“For we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28).

Next Question:
Why is the world so full of pain?

noreply@blogger.com (ROBERT PAUL) — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 13:11:00 +0000

WHY IS THE WORLD SO FULL OF PAIN?

If God is all-knowing, all-powerful, and loving, would He really create a world like this?

God allowed man to choose to live in obedience to Him or to live in rebellion against His rightful authority. God was not a harsh ruler, He gave only one simple rule…

Perfection - "God saw all that he had made, and it was very good" (Genesis 1:31).

No suffering, death or oppression - only freedom to live a wonderful life.

Since God created all things, He is the master of all.

Man's choice resulted in the fall (sin).Simply stated, sin is disobedience to God. He is the Creator and should be obeyed. Even more important, God is Himself the standard of what is right. Sin causes spiritual separation from God and physical death. Separation occurred because God is perfect and pure. His purity cannot dwell with sinfulness and His justice cannot allow it to go unpunished.

As a result of sin, the natural world was also cursed and began to die. The ground became less fertile and food became scarce. Man had to work harder to harvest much less. Mankind would also realize the effect that sin has on human relationships, leading to cruelty, murder, lust and causing disharmony within the family.

Mankind continues to sin, living in rebellion against God, the Creator. This is why the world is filled with suffering today. Man must take responsibility for destroying the perfection of God's creation.

Because of our sinfulness, man cannot know and experience God's love and fellowship, no matter how hard he may try to reach God on his own through good deeds, religious rituals or philosophies. "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23).

Jesus came to explain the truth about God and to pay the price for man's rebellion.

John 1:18: "No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father's side (Jesus Christ), has made him known."

2 Corinthians 5:21 says, "He (God) made Him (Christ) who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him." In other words, Jesus died because of our sins, so that we wouldn't have to pay the penalty demanded by true justice - eternal death.

Jesus died for our sins, and was raised victorious over death.

1 Corinthians 15:22: "For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive" and again, (verses 54-57) "Death has been swallowed up in victory. Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting? The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."

Aren't all religions basically the same?Jesus Christ is the only way to have our sins forgiven and to have a relationship with God which results in eternal life.

"But God demonstrated His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8). Jesus said "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me" (John 14:6).

Ultimately, God will restore paradise. Again there will be no death, no suffering, no evil. Our experience in this world of hardship and travail will be but a brief moment in a wondrous eternity.

We will spend eternity exploring God's new creation...How great that will be! Imagine having an eternity to discover the infinite creations of an all-knowing, all-powerful God! We will praise God while in heaven for His work as Creator and Redeemer, "You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for You created all things, and by Your will they were created and have their being" (Revelation 4:11).

Believe in Him, receive the forgiveness that He offers.

"To all who received Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God" (John 1:12). Trust God for eternal life in heaven,

"For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16).

Trust God for fulfillment in your present life.

"I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full" (John 10:10). Don't put it off for another time. Accept God's gift of life today!

What does God expect of me? The Bible says: "It is appointed for men to die once, and after this comes judgment." (Hebrews 9:27) Someday, each of us must stand face to face with the God of creation. What happens at that judgment depends upon the decisions you are making right now.

Example of prayer for accepting Christ's gift of salvation:

"God, I know that you are good and loving. You Created this wonderful world in perfection. Because of sin, it has been corrupted and awaits your renewing. I know that I am a sinner. Thank you for dying in my place and forgiving my sins. Thank you for giving me new life, both on earth and in heaven. Please help me to be committed to you and live in a way that is pleasing to you. In Jesus name, Amen."

You are no longer viewed by God as a sinner.God sees Christ's righteousness in you. "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things have passed away; behold, all things become new" (2 Corinthians 5:17).

Now here are some other things you may want to read and places to look for help:

=> CHOOSINING A CHURCH - With so many denominations and religions, HOW CAN I DECIDE WHICH ARE TRUE AND WHICH ARE FALSE? [Read more]

=> ASSURANCE - HOW CAN I BE SURE OF MY SALVATION? [Read more]

=> 10 TIPS - FOR NEW AND GROWING CHRISTIANS! [Read more]

=> FRIENDS AND FAMILY- Do you know of any Christian friends or family that would be happy to hear you have accepted Christ?

=> Church - Do you know of a good church that could help you become more informed about your new life?

=> The Bible - Read the Bible and learn more about God's word for mankind! We offer a one-year or three-year Bible reading plan you are welcome to use.

=> God's Story - Get an illustrated overview of the entire Bible in this multilingual, unique presentation.

=> Pray to God - He cares about you and wants you to express yourself to Him. Christianity is a relationship with Jesus Christ!

Next Question:
Can a saved person ever be lost?

noreply@blogger.com (ROBERT PAUL) — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 13:09:00 +0000

HOW CAN I DECIDE WHICH ARE TRUE AND WHICH ARE FALSE?

It is certainly understandable that even a very earnest and sincere seeker after truth would be confused over the religious situation today, with hundreds of denominations, sects, and cults in Christendom alone, as well as hundreds more in other countries and cultures, and with new religious movements arising almost every day. Nevertheless, God has provided adequate instruction for us to enable us to “know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error” (I John 4:6) if we really want to do so.

There are three criteria which are especially helpful in evaluating a particular cult or movement: the teachings of its leaders concerning the Bible, concerning Christ, and concerning the way of salvation, respectively.

1. ATTITUDE TOWARD THE BIBLE

The Bible claims, many hundreds of time, to be the written Word of God. The Old Testament Scriptures were accepted by Christ and the apostles as divinely inspired and completely infallible. Jesus said: “The scriptures cannot be broken” (John 10:35). With respect to the New Testament, He promised His apostles that “the Holy Ghost shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you” (John 14:26), and that “the Spirit of truth will guide you into all truth” (John 16:13).

Therefore, during the first century, the apostles who had been with Christ, had witnessed His resurrection and had received these promises, gradually wrote down the Gospels and Epistles which now comprise the New Testament. These were readily received and recognized by the early Christians as inspired Scriptures. The apostles claimed that these writings were divinely inspired and authoritative, and true Christians have always accepted them as such.

Finally, the last of the apostles, John the Beloved, near the end of the first century, was enabled to look prophetically into the future ages and to write down the last of the true Scriptures, the book of Revelation. This completed God's written words,

“For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life” (Revelation 22:18, 19).

These last words of Christ's apostles give us a most important rule. The Scriptures are fully inspired, even to the very words, and those who would add to them or take away from them are, to the extent they do so, false teachers.

In general, cultists have been guilty of "adding to" the Scriptures, claiming either that the writings of their own founders were divinely inspired or that the interpretations of their leaders were uniquely necessary and authoritative. Modernists and liberals, on the other hand, have been guilty of the even more serious error of "taking away from" Scripture, culling out or allegorizing those portions which they decide are unscientific or unreasonable to modern man. The true teacher, however, will accept all the Scriptures, and only the Scriptures, as the infallible Word of God.

2. ATTITUDE TOWARD CHRIST

A true Christian teacher will gladly accept and proclaim Jesus Christ as He is, true God and true man.

“Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is the antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son” (I John 2:22).

“For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist” (II John 7).

“There shall be false teachers among you, who privately shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought [that is, ‘redeemed’] them” (II Peter 2:1).

Error concerning the person of Christ can take either the form of the ancient Gnostic heresy, which denied His true humanity, or that of the modern Agnostic heresy, which denies His true deity. The latter considers Him to be a great man and great religious teacher and leader, but rejects His virgin birth, His sinless life, His substitutionary atonement, and His bodily resurrection and ascension. Any cult or denomination or religious movement which does not clearly and forcefully proclaim the Lord Jesus Christ both as the perfect Son of man and the only begotten Son of God, “the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty” (Revelation 1:8), is false, and should be rejected.

3. ATTITUDE TOWARD THE SALVATION

The gospel of Christ is “the power of God unto salvation, to everyone that believeth” (Romans 1:16). The word “gospel” means "good news," not "good advice." It does not tell us what we must do and not do in order to earn salvation, but rather what Christ has done to provide salvation as a free gift. "For by grace are you saved through faith; and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God; Not of works, lest any man should boast" (Ephesians 2:8,9).

Every other religion under the sun, whether pseudo-Christian or non-Christian, panders to man's pride by teaching him there is something he can do to earn, or to help in earning, his own salvation. Only true Biblical Christianity recognizes man as he really is, utterly lost in sin, destined for eternal separation from God. The gospel, “by which you are saved,” is the glorious news that “Christ died for our sin” (I Corinthians 15:1,3), and that we can be saved by grace, through personal faith in Christ, plus nothing else whatever! Any religion which teaches otherwise is, to that extent, false. Paul said,

“If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that you have received, let him be accursed” (Galatians 1:9).

One who is truly saved by God's grace in Christ will, of course, then seek to follow Christ and His Word in all things, not to earn salvation, but in love and gratitude for His glorious gift of cleansing and everlasting life.

Next Question:
HOW CAN I BE SURE OF MY SALVATION?

noreply@blogger.com (ROBERT PAUL) — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 13:06:00 +0000

HOW CAN I BE SURE OF MY SALVATION?

Many people struggle with uncertainty about their salvation. If you are facing this struggle, here are some questions you can ask yourself to help you be certain about your relationship to God.

Have I believed in Jesus Christ as the substitute for my sins and received him as my personal Savior? The Bible says that this is the only requirement for salvation.

Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God (John 1:12).

Are you trusting feelings, rather than God's Word, for assurance of salvation?The Bible says: Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on him (John 3:36).

I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned, he has crossed over from death to life (John 5:24).

Are you basing your salvation on what you do for God, instead of what God has done for you?The Bible says that we can do nothing to earn our salvation. God, because of His grace, did all that needs to be done.

He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy (Titus 3:5a). For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast (Ephesians 2:8-9).

The Bible says that we can know for certain that we have eternal life if we have believed in Jesus as our Savior!

And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life and this life is in his Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life (1 John 5:11-13).

Evidences of the Christian LifeBelief in Jesus Christ as the Son of God who died as the substitute for our sins is the only requirement for salvation. The following are not tests of our faith, because we cannot be good enough to merit God's salvation. We can be encouraged that we do have eternal life because God says so, because changes have taken place in our lives, because we want to share Christ with others, and because we desire to live lives that would be pleasing to God.

We know that we have eternal life because God says we do.God's Word tells us that we have eternal life if we have received Christ as our Savior. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life (1 John 5:13).We know that we have eternal life because changes have taken place in our lives since we became a Christian. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! (2 Corinthians 5:17).These may be small changes. At first, they may not even be noticeable to others. But this verse tells us that positionally, we become a new person when we accept Christ and changes in our life are inevitable.

We know that we have eternal life because we want to share Christ with others. I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile (Romans 1:16). We know that we have eternal life because we want to live godly lives. For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say no to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in the present age… (Titus 2:11-12).

10 TIPS - FOR NEW AND GROWING CHRISTIANS! [Read more]

noreply@blogger.com (ROBERT PAUL) — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 13:05:00 +0000

10 TIPS - FOR NEW AND GROWING CHRISTIANS

Becoming a Christian is the most incredible event that will ever take place in your life. You have found peace with your Creator. You have found everlasting life! Be assured--God will never leave you nor forsake you. He has brought you this far, and He will complete the wonderful work He has begun in you. God knows your every thought, your every care, your deepest concerns.

Let's now look at some of those possible concerns. First, and of primary concern—do you have "assurance" of your salvation? The Bible says to "make your calling and election sure " (2 Peter 1:10, italics added), so, let's go through a short "check list" to make sure that you are truly saved:

Are you aware that God became flesh, in the person of Jesus Christ (1 Timothy 3:16, KJV), and that He died for the sins of the world? Did you come to the Savior because you had sinned? Did you "repent" and put your faith in Jesus? Are you convinced that He suffered and died on the cross, and that He rose again on the third day? God acquits us from the Courtroom of Eternal Justice on the grounds that Jesus Christ paid our fine. We are "justified" (made right with God) by His suffering death. The resurrection of Jesus Christ was God's seal of approval of the fact that His precious blood was sufficient to pay the fine. Think of it this way. You have violated the law and face a $50,000 fine. You tell the judge that you are truly sorry for your crime, but he answers, "So you should be—you have broken the law! Now, can you pay this fine?" He can only acquit you if the fine is paid. If someone else pays your fine, then he can let you go, but he must have "grounds" on which to release you.

The reason we need a substitute to pay our moral "fine" (a savior), is because we have broken God's Law. To see how much we have transgressed this Law (the Ten Commandments), we will go through some of them—Have you ever told a lie? Have you ever stolen something? Have you ever lusted after another person? If you answered "Yes" to these questions, you admit that you are a lying, thieving, adulterer at heart, and you have to face God on Judgment Day! If you have used His name in vain, then you are guilty of "blasphemy"—you've substituted God's holy Name for a curse word. Perhaps you've hated someone, then the Bible says that you are a murderer. You have violated God's holy Law, and you're in BIG trouble. On Judgment Day, you will be found guilty, and end up in Hell. That's why you need the Savior. Merely being sorry for your sins, or confessing them to God won't help you. You must turn from sin, and your faith must be in Jesus Christ alone. He is the only "grounds" for God to grant mercy towards you. If you're not sure of your salvation, make Psalm 51 your own prayer.

Let's now look at some more important principles that can save a great deal of pain.

Next…

1) Feeding on the Word- Daily Nutrition- A healthy baby has a healthy appetite. If you have truly been "born" of the Spirit of God, you will have a healthy appetite…

2) Faith- Elevators Can Let You Down … in a world where we are continually let down, we can totally rely on, trust in, count on His promises…He will never, ever, let you down…

3) Evangelism- Our Most Sobering Task You probably have a limited amount of time after your conversion to impact your unsaved friends and family with the Gospel… Here's some advice that will save you a great deal of grief…

4) Prayer- "Wait For A Minute." Surveys show that more than 90% of America prays daily…Prayer is the key to open the doors of heaven. Talk with God! He cares about you and wants you to express yourself to Him. Christianity is a relationship with Jesus Christ!

5) Warfare- Praise The Lord and Pass the Ammunition When you became a Christian, you stepped right into the heat of an age-old battle. You have a three-fold enemy--the world, the flesh, and the devil… Let's look at these three resistant enemies…

6) Fellowship- Flutter by Butterfly Pray about where you should fellowship… Don't become a 'spiritual butterfly.' Send your roots down…

7) Thanksgiving- Do the Right Thing For the Christian, every day should be Thanksgiving Day. We should even be thankful in the midst of problems…

8) Water Baptism- By diping in water, you are confessing to the world that you are burying your old man(old nature, old habits, old attitudes,....)

9) Tithing- The Last Frontier It was once said that the wallet is the 'last frontier.' It is the final area to be conquered—the last thing that comes to God in surrender…

10)Troubleshooting- Cults, Atheists, Skeptics When cults tell you that you must acknowledge God's name to be saved, that you must worship on a certain day that you must be baptized by an elder of their church, don't panic. Merely go back to the Instruction Manual…

Next Question:
Can a saved person ever be lost?

noreply@blogger.com (ROBERT PAUL) — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 13:03:00 +0000

CAN A SAVED PERSON EVER BE LOST?

“Can a saved person ever be lost? Can a Christian, a person who has received Jesus Christ as his personal Saviour, sin to such a degree that he will lose his salvation, go to hell or Hades at death, and eventually be consigned to the lake of fire at the great white throne judgment?”

That question takes on clearer focus if we first answer two other questions:
... (1) What does it mean to be lost?
... (2) What does it mean to be saved?

=> What does it mean to be lost?

Jesus came to seek and to save those who are lost (Luke 19:10). What does it mean to be a lost and guilty sinner in the eyes of God? Why is it that the non-Christian is under the wrath of God? (John 3:36)

The essential reason that we all were once lost and guilty sinners under the wrath of God was our relationship to sin—any lack of conformity to the character and will of God.

Are we sinners because we sin, or do we sin because we are sinners? Both are true. The Bible says that we are all guilty of personal acts and attitudes of sin (Romans 3:23; cf. 3:10-18; Mark. 7:20-23). It also indicates that we are guilty because we are born with a sinful nature (Psalm 51:5), ultimately inherited from our ancestral father, Adam. The Bible even shows that all humankind is viewed by God as having sinned in Adam's initial sin (Romans 5:12).

The penalty that is the result of our sin is death...

Physical death (the separation of the soul from the body), which affects humankind as the result of Adam's sin charged to our account (Romans 5:12-14)

Spiritual death (the separation of the soul from God), a condition transmitted to us from Adam through our ancestors (Ephesians 2:1,5)

Eternal death (the culmination and extension of spiritual death), the eternal separation of the soul from God in the lake of fire (Revelation 20:14)

Scripture describes our condition before believing in Jesus Christ as being under the wrath of God:

"Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on him." -John 3:36

=> What does it mean to be saved?

"Salvation is from the LORD" (Jonah 2:9). It is both negative and positive (Colossians 1:13), for we are saved from a lost condition (our sins are forgiven), and we are brought into a saved condition that provides the believer with several dozen positive blessings the moment we trust Christ.

These blessings are very comprehensive, for our "salvation includes every divine undertaking for the believer from his deliverance out of the lost estate to his final presentation in glory conformed to the image of Christ." Paul declares that God has already blessed us with all spiritual blessings in Christ (Ephesians 1:3).

Some of the principal blessings of salvation include:

Regeneration, which is an instantaneous work of the Holy Spirit in originating a new nature in the believing sinner so as to transform the believer from a state of spiritual death to spiritual life (cf. John 3:5, 10:10,28; 1 John 5:11-12)

Justification, by which God declares the believer righteous since clothed in the righteousness of Christ (Romans 3:21-26)

Freed from the domain and dominion of sin (Romans 6:2-14)

Given as a gift from the Father to the Son (John 17:2-24)

Placed as a member in the spiritual body of Christ, the church (1 Corinthians 12:13)

and many, many more positive acts of God that would have to be reversed if a saved person could ever again be lost.

....Can a saved person ever again be lost?....Can a Christian lose his salvation?....Can a person once saved, having received God's free gift of eternal life and having been born into the family of God, again return exactly and completely to the position of being a lost and guilty sinner in the eyes of God?

Of course not! The very nature of the spiritual life that has been received—eternal—and the Divine Source and Agent of that life—God—forbid drawing the conclusion that a saved person can ever again be lost.

"And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand." -John 10:28 (NKJV)

This Biblical doctrine that a person who has received Jesus Christ, been born into the family of God, and justified by faith, can never again be lost is sometimes called eternal security. Others speak of it as the perseverance of the saints. The latter expression might better be termed the perseverance of God in behalf of the saints, because the security of our salvation does not rest on us but on God—it is based on the work of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

What is the work of the Father in securing eternally our salvation?The eternal security of believers rests on the Father's purpose in choosing us to salvation in eternity past and predestinating us to sonship in Jesus Christ (Ephesians 1:4-5).

Further, God's power is promised to keep us secure in salvation (Romans 8:28-30), for the ones that the Father foreknew, predestined, called (effectually to salvation, cf. 1 Corinthians 1:21-24), and justified are the very same ones he "glorified". (Paul uses the past tense since in God's sight it is "good as done" that we will one day be conformed to the image of Christ in heaven).

Further, Jesus Christ guaranteed that we are secure in His and the Father's hand, and so He will keep safe each one who has received the gift of eternal life (John 10:28-29).

What is the work of the Son in securing eternally our salvation?Our security further rests on the death and the prayers of Jesus Christ. He has redeemed us (Ephesians 1:7) and removed the wrath of God from us (Romans 3:25) so that we may be justified (Romans 5:1), forgiven (Colossians 2:13), and sanctified (1 Corinthians 1:2).

Further, "Christ's present ministry in heaven of praying for His own consists of two aspects: a preventive ministry (intercession) and a curative ministry (advocacy). His prayer in [John] chapter 17 illustrates the preventive aspect. There He prayed that we might be kept from the evil one (v. 15), that we would be sanctified (v. 17), that we would be united (v. 21), that we would be in heaven with Him (v. 24), and that we might behold His glory (v. 24). Because of His unceasing intercession for us He is able to save us completely and eternally (Hebrews 7:25)". [3] -Charles Ryrie

The "curative" aspect of Christ's present ministry is indicated in 1 John 2:1. When we do sin as believers, He acts as our Advocate before the Father, forgiveness and cleansing of all our sins.

What is the work of the Holy Spirit in securing eternally our salvation?By the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit, we have received eternal life (Titus 3:5). When we trusted Christ, the Holy Spirit began an eternal indwelling ministry in us (John 14:17). Also He was the seal placed on us by the Father to guarantee our future inheritance (Ephesians 4:30). And He baptized us into union with Christ and into the body of believers (1 Corinthians 12:13).

Can a saved person ever be lost?"For a believer to lose his salvation would demand a reversal and an undoing of all the preceding works of the Father, Son, and Spirit. The key issue in the discussion of the believer's security concerns the issue of who does the saving. If man is responsible for securing his salvation, then he can be lost; if God secures the person's salvation, then the person is forever secure." [4] -Paul Enns.

"What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us?"-Romans 8:31; cf. vv. 32-39.

Next Question:
What is the eternal destiny of an infant who dies?

noreply@blogger.com (ROBERT PAUL) — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 13:02:00 +0000

WHAT IS THE ETERNAL DESTINY OF AN INFANT WHO DIES?

It is one of the most frequently asked questions concerns the death and eternal state of infants, children and those who are not mentally capable of accepting Jesus Christ as their savior. This question is charged with emotion and has been debated since the early Church fathers. Unfortunately, the Scriptures do not directly and explicitly address this topic. It would be presumptuous, therefore, to suggest that we have written the final and authoritative answer to this important question. Nevertheless, the following considerations may help to bring some light to a confusing issue.

In one of the darkest moments of the Psalmist's life, the death of his son, David makes a proclamation which many feel reveals the eternal state of an infant. 2 Sam. 12:23 states,

“But now he has died; why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he will not return to me.”

Was David teaching that he would be reunited with his son in heaven, or that death was inevitable for all human life? Most biblical scholars believe that the context of this verse indicates that David was probably acknowledging the inevitability of death and thus this verse adds little to our understanding of the eternal state of infants. If one chooses to believe, however, that David was hopeful of spending eternity with his son, we must ask if his hope is an explicit declaration of biblical truth.

Even if David had, in a time of great grief, expressed hope of being with his deceased child, this should not be viewed as a theological promise for the salvation of infants. David, although a man after God's heart, was not infallible and many of the things he said that thought were not in accord with truth.

For example, read any of David's imprecatory Psalms—7, 35, 55, 58, 59, 69, 79, 109, 137, 139. Although the Bible faithfully records David's feeling and his call to God to bring righteous judgment, few would argue that these words represent the consistent promise of God's judgment toward sinners.

We cannot simply assume that children are "innocent" and are therefore exempt from the penalties of sin. The Bible teaches clearly that infants are in a state of sin and need to be regenerated. They, like all humanity, can be saved only through Christ.

Ps. 51:5 — "Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me."

John 3:6 — "That which is born of the flesh is flesh."

Rom. 5:14 — "Nevertheless death reigned from Adam until Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the likeness of Adam's transgression."

In Matthew 19:14, Jesus warned against forbidding children to come to Him. This account testifies that children, just as adults, need to come to Christ.

At the same time that Jesus implied the children's need to come to Him, He praised children for their innocent faith— "for such is the kingdom of heaven."

While this is most probably an endorsement of healthy character and attitudes, it is also an approval of children in general. Jesus' teachings concerning children show the highest love and respect (Matt. 18:1-6).

While Christ's endorsement of childlike character is not a denial of sin nature, the Bible does seem to teach that compared to the sins of adults, infants and children possess a "relative innocence." (Deut. 1:39, Jonah 4:11, Rom. 9:11)

To reconcile the truths that all humans are sinful but that children do possess a kind of "relative innocence", some theologians have suggested that the distinct variations in sin could carry different kinds of "death penalties." For instance, could it be proposed that the penalty for inherited sin (sin passed genetically from generation to generation) is spiritual death (separation from God) which state, if left unchanged and confirmed in personal sin (sins personally committed as an act of free will) results in eternal death and eternal separation from God? Could the penalty of imputed sin (Judicially passed from Adam directly to each individual - Rom. 5:12f) be physical death?

Category of Sin Temporal Penalty for Sin Ultimate Penalty Inherited Sin (from generation to generation) Spiritual death (separation from God) If not reconciled, results in eternal death (eternal separation from God) Imputed Sin (Judicially from Adam to each individual) Physical death none Personal Sin (act of willful disobedience) Results in broken relationship with God for Christians, requiring confession of sins (I John 1:9) Confirms inherited Sin in unbeliever - resulting in eternal death.

If so, it could help us to understand how a child (born in sin, yet having not committed sin as an act of the will) could be subject to physical death without being subject to the penalty of eternal spiritual death. Infants, born "guilty" of both imputed sin (ultimately resulting in physical death) and inherited sin, would not be subject to the eternal penalties of sin until confirmed by personal acts of unrighteousness committed with an understanding of right and wrong. It must be confessed that the Scriptures do not explicitly teach the existence of these distinctions. The Bible does, however, allow for this possibility.

The condition of salvation for adults is personal faith. Infants are incapable of fulfilling this condition. For this reason, many have suggested that there is an age of accountability. By this, it is understood that at a certain time in a person's life he/she becomes aware of personal responsibility for wrong actions.

This is not simply a recognition of cause and effects, but of personal accountability and responsibility. This “age of accountability” would probably be different for every individual. In deed, some who are mentally handicapped may never become aware of their own struggle against unrighteousness.

Again, this concept is not explicitly mentioned in the scriptures, but seems to be an accepted part of early Jewish custom. It has been suggested that one of the reasons that the apostles do not directly address the subject of infant mortality is because it was understood in their culture that a person was not responsible to God/to covenant until maturity, approximately 12 to 13 years of age.

If in some sense there is an age of accountability, it seems that provision is made for the infant's reception of Christ in some other way. There is a possibility that infants are objects of special grace for which normal rules don't apply. In this case, we would appeal for salvation based upon God's love and compassion for those who are incapable of making decisions about their eternal destiny.

Some would argue that the salvation of an infant is not so much related to the child's righteousness as it is to the righteousness of God. Based upon the gracious character of our God, we would argue that God would not condemn an infant to eternal punishment.

In Genesis 18, Abraham talked with God about the impending destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. During his intercession, Abraham appeals to God's righteousness,

“Will not the Judge of all the earth do right?” (vs. 25)

To Abraham, it was an impossibility that God would send destruction and wrath upon those who did not deserve it. He challenged God that a righteous Judge would certainly do right. In response, God promised to acknowledge the existence of those who were righteous and not to destroy the cities if even ten could be found who had not conformed to wickedness. Unfortunately, ten faithful people could not be found.

Even then, however, God proved his righteousness by saving Lot and his daughters from destruction.

CONCLUSION

Through the ages, this question of infant salvation has been emotionally debated. The persistence of this debate has been aided by the fact that the writers of Scripture did not explicitly comment on this subject. Having reviewed many pertinent avenues of reason, we can safely say that the salvation of infants can be regarded as at least an uncontradicted hope. It is my conviction, however, that although infant salvation is not taught explicitly, based upon the justice and character of God, infant salvation is an implicit certainty.

In humility, we worship a righteous God who will certainly do right!

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Is there anyone in Hell today?