Every year as Christmas rolls around, liberals begin their "Happy Holidays" lingo to further entrench their political correct definition of tolerance into our lives. There are numerous religious holidays in America celebrated by people of all faiths, yet when those holidays occur such as Ramadan, Diwali, or Vesak you don't hear "happy holidays" forced on them. Christmas is the ONLY holiday which liberals try to rename and take significance from. This is what we Christians like to call the war on Christmas. But I suggest we no longer be the victims in this war, let us be bold and courageous as we take arms and engage in the war FOR Christmas!
Our battle strategy will be simple and effective. We shall demand equal treatment from our liberal counterparts. Either all holidays are now simply known as "Happy Holidays" or we, just like Muslims, Hindu's, and Buddhists, can celebrate our religious holidays with passion and boldness, no longer suppressed by political correctness. I am not advocating the removal of distinct holidays to lump in the term "Happy Holidays" I am merely exposing the logic of equal treatment if left under the idea of politically correct tolerance. Therefore I encourage all Christians to embrace our second option and that is to boldly proclaim MERRY CHRISTMAS in our homes, churches, and cities!
Let's be loud and clear as we proclaim our saviour's birth and support those in the public square who are willing to do the same! Whether its businesses such as Hobby Lobby and Chic Fil A, or public leaders in office, let us stand with them in openly celebrating one of the greatest events in human history.
As Christians, we are the body of Christ. Let's not be afraid to celebrate Christ's birth.
Wednesday, December 10, 2014
Friday, November 14, 2014
Does God side with a political party?
Politics is a very viotale topic in our country. Don't believe me? Turn on your tv a week before an election. As we move forward from a huge midterm election for Republicans, I get asked this question alot, does God side with a political party? This is a really simple question and is a really a simple one to answer. No, God doesn't affiliate with any political party. I have yet to see a political add end with Jesus saying "I'm Jesus Christ, and I approve this message". Yet, I feel the quick witted response signiyfing God is not a Republican or Democrat is not enough to truly answer the question. I feel we have not yet found a good answer because we are not asking the right question. I, like so many others, have the undying curioisity to find out which political party God would choose to vote for. But why are we asking this question? God already told us whats right and wrong, whats good public policy and whats bad. The Bible makes it very clear, politically, where God stands. Knowing this, the question we should be truly asking is, does a political party side with God?
Absolutely.
Let us take a look at the issues so I can substantiate my claim. The issues I will be looking at today aren't political issues, they are Biblical issues that have been pushed into the forefront of political debate. I would like to preface this in depth look at the issues by identfying Biblicaly what the role of government is. God is very clear on what he designed the institution of governemnt to do. 1st Peter 2:13-15 tells us that we are to submit to governing authorites who punish those who do wrong and commend those who do right. Knowing this, which political party fulfills that role? Let's find out.
1. Abortion. God says an unborn child is as important as a grown human being (Exodus 21:22-23). God says he knew you before he, himself, made you in your mother's womb. (Jeremiah 1:5 and Psalm 139:13). God is pro life. Republicans generally are pro life, Democrats are generally pro abortion.
2. Homosexuality. God says marriage is between 1 man and 1 woman (Genesis 2:24). God says homosexuality is a sin (!st Corinthians 6 :9 and Romans 1:26-28). Republicans generally support mantaining the definition of marriage as one man and one woman while Democrats generally support and encouraging homosexuality.
3. Charity/welfare. God says giving to the poor is important, in fact it is as if you are giving unto the Lord himself! (proverbs 19:17) But this giving must be done out of love not forcibly (1st Corinthians 13:3). Republicans generally support private charity not charity through taxes aka welfare. Democrats generally support charity through government taxation. Both help the poor but which one is done with more love? An individual giving their own money to the poor or the government forcibly taking it from you through taxation? I think we both know the answer to that one.,
These are just 3 of many examples of issues that are Biblical. God clearly tells us where he stands and what is right and wrong. We have foolishly allowed these Biblical issues to become political ones.
God does not side with a political party, but a political party can side with God. Do your research, vote the way God would vote.
3. Charity/welfare. God says giving to the poor is important, in fact it is as if you are giving unto the Lord himself! (proverbs 19:17) But this giving must be done out of love not forcibly (1st Corinthians 13:3). Republicans generally support private charity not charity through taxes aka welfare. Democrats generally support charity through government taxation. Both help the poor but which one is done with more love? An individual giving their own money to the poor or the government forcibly taking it from you through taxation? I think we both know the answer to that one.,
These are just 3 of many examples of issues that are Biblical. God clearly tells us where he stands and what is right and wrong. We have foolishly allowed these Biblical issues to become political ones.
God does not side with a political party, but a political party can side with God. Do your research, vote the way God would vote.
Friday, October 24, 2014
Uncle Sam is now in the pulpit
This past week has been a revealing one. Throughout the past few decades we have seen a rise in Christian persecution to an extent our forefathers would never have imagined. The city of Houston recently demanded that multiple Pastors hand over their sermons if they contain anything about homosexuality. The first openly lesbian mayor of the city refuses to be criticized about her lifestyle thus she hopes to stifle the Christian community. Sounds a lot like tyranny to me.
Think about it folks. The Pilgrims, the Protestants, the Quakers, the Catholics. All came to America for freedom of religion. The first amendment was specifically designed to protect free speech and religion. Yet this Houston mayor thinks she can stomp on the Constitution and take away our rights as citizens of this nation? She has no constitutional authority, no moral authority, and no physical means of accomplishing this goal, yet she insists on infuriating millions of Christians and constitutional believers throughout the nation. She demands tolerance, acceptance, and encouragement in her lifestyle and she will stop at nothing to get that done. Even if it means ignoring the constitution.
Folks, this is not England under King George the 3rd. This is America! A nation blessed by God with freedom, liberty, and prosperity. This Houston mayor needs to rethink her decisions and understand that our freedoms are not something to be trifled with. Our rights come from God not the government, when the government fails to protect those rights we need to replace those in office.
Think about it folks. The Pilgrims, the Protestants, the Quakers, the Catholics. All came to America for freedom of religion. The first amendment was specifically designed to protect free speech and religion. Yet this Houston mayor thinks she can stomp on the Constitution and take away our rights as citizens of this nation? She has no constitutional authority, no moral authority, and no physical means of accomplishing this goal, yet she insists on infuriating millions of Christians and constitutional believers throughout the nation. She demands tolerance, acceptance, and encouragement in her lifestyle and she will stop at nothing to get that done. Even if it means ignoring the constitution.
Folks, this is not England under King George the 3rd. This is America! A nation blessed by God with freedom, liberty, and prosperity. This Houston mayor needs to rethink her decisions and understand that our freedoms are not something to be trifled with. Our rights come from God not the government, when the government fails to protect those rights we need to replace those in office.
Tuesday, September 30, 2014
Baptism, is it necessary for your salvation or is it a reflection of your salvation?
That monumental moment of washing away your sins and cleansing yourself of your former unrighteousness. Baptism is a beautiful process that is solely Christian. I was baptized when I was 8 and can remember arising from my immersion to an excited, clapping congregation of supportive church members. It was a moment I will never forget. But for some, baptism occurred when they were an infant. Instead of immersion in water, it was the sprinkling of water. Some believe baptism remove sins. Others believe baptism is simply an outward replication of the inward cleansing you receive from faith in Christ. Millions of Christians believe in both of these views on Baptism. But what does the scriptures say? Let's take an in depth look using scripture to guide our beliefs about this issue.
First let's identify the verses supporting an infant baptism/baptism cleanses sin point of view. "Acts 19:1-6 explains how Paul entered Ephesus and found believers who claimed to not have the holy spirit. How did Paul respond? Well let's take a look starting in verse 2 "He said unto them, have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed? We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost. (verse 3) And he said unto them, unto what then were ye baptized? And they said, unto John's baptism. (verse 4) Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus. (verse 5) When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. (verse 6) And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied." This verse initially leads us to believe that the holy spirit came once they were baptized in Christ, after all they were already believers and simply lacking baptism in Christ right? I will address this later. Until then, lets look further into scripture. Earlier on in the book of Acts Peter had something to say about baptism. Acts 2:38 says "Then Peter said unto them, repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and yea shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost." Peter clearly stated that repentance and baptism come before receiving the Holy Spirit once again reaffirming the belief that baptism is required to receive the Holy Spirit or Salvation itself. So is this belief correct? After all when Christ was baptized by John the Baptist the spirit descended upon him like a dove. (Luke 3:22)
Before we dive into scripture supporting the contrary, let's respond to a few of these verses. To begin with, the verse in Acts concerning Paul, when looked at from a distance, appears to be supporting baptism as necessary for reception of the Holy Ghost. But, when looked at under a microscope we find it really does not. Take a look at how Paul presents the idea of baptism. He asks to what then were ye baptized? These folks were believers and baptized, but Paul here is indicating that not just any baptism is sufficient. Paul states you must be baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus, not just simply a baptism of repentance. Only then did they receive the Holy Ghost. So what made the difference between the two baptisms they received? It was their faith! They first were baptized with a simple idea of repenting from their former lives, the baptism of John the Baptist. But their second baptism was a result of their faith in Christ. So both baptisms used the same thing, water, but they were motivated by two different faiths. This shows me that the Holy Spirit does not enter a person simply because of baptism, but because of the person's faith motivating them to get baptized. The next scripture I will respond to is the verse from Acts. Peter states that one must repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ (the exact same baptism Paul described) for the remission of sins, and yea shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. Once again, we must be baptized in the name of Christ which demonstrates we must have faith in Christ first. Furthermore, Peter describes the Holy Ghost as a gift, which means it is given to us, not earned by any action. Ephesians 2:8-9 says "for by grace are ye saved through faith, it is not of yourselves, but is a gift of God lest any man should boast" a gift as described in this verse is not obtained through anything we can do otherwise we would boast about it. So the Holy Ghost is also a gift! Thus using scripture to interpret Scripture we know that no action earns the Holy Ghost and getting baptized is an action. God gives it to us because of our faith in him. Baptism is going public with that faith. The last example I will respond to is Christ's baptism. First and foremost I see this as a symbol of him beginning his 3 year ministry because Jesus was teaching the religious leaders in the temple when he was a young boy before this moment (Luke 2:41-52) so did Jesus not have the spirit during his first 30 years of life? The fact is, this example can be interpreted either way, but after I present the scripture supporting baptism as not necessary for receiving the Holy Spirit, we will understand that using scripture to interpret scripture that the Holy Spirit comes by faith not by baptism.
To begin with, I will split this next section into two portions. The first being scripture that explains salvation excluding mention of baptism. The second portion I will give scripture explaining how baptism is simply an act of obedience going public with your faith. Let's begin.
John 3:16, Acts 2:21 Acts 16:31, Romans 6:23 Romans 10:13. All these verses and many more explain the path to salvation, and NONE of them include baptism. Let's analyze 2 of them. Acts 16:31 "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved". Here God says a person simply has to believe or put your faith in Christ to be saved. Romans 10:13 "Anyone who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved". Once again, no baptism, salvation comes through calling out to Christ, one cannot call to something they do not believe exists. So did God forget to add the an important step to salvation? Did he forget to mention baptism??? Did Christ lie? In Luke 23:42-43 the thief on the cross next to Jesus puts his faith in him saying "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom" Christ replied "Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise". Christ promised salvation to a man who never was baptised. Some would consider this impossible, but Christ proved that the thief's salvation is indeed consistent with what the Scriptures teach. If baptism is required, then the scriptures are fallible and no longer can be considered the Word of God because Paul, John, and Luke failed to mention it, and Christ lied to the thief on the cross. But we can use these scriptures as our foundational belief in how we attain salvation. If we do this, the scripture remains consistent with the scripture mentioned in previous paragraphs. I will explain how this is possible in the next paragraph.
This second portion I will be explaining the way we are to interpret scripture to maintain consistency between salvation and baptism. Ephesians 2:8-9 "For by grace are you saved through faith, it is not through works, but is a gift from God unless any man should boast". This is salvation. It's a gift, not earned, not through works, baptism is a work. Continuing on, modern day baptism can be compared to old testament circumcision. Early church Jews would often argue that in order to be a true believer, to receive salvation, the men must be circumcised as prescribed in old Testament law. Paul refutes this in Romans, and we can use his response as our response to the idea that baptism makes someone a true believer or is necessary for salvation. In Romans 2:29 Paul is responding to those demanding circumcision, he says "No, a person is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code. Such a person's praise is not from other people, but from God". Paul just stated that true circumcision is not by the written code, it is not the physical circumcision that matter, it is the spiritual circumcision. No, you are not cutting your soul's foreskin, you are committing your life to God and setting yourself apart from non believers. See, in the old testament a way for God to separate his chosen people from Pagans was to physically differentiate them through circumcision, but this physical separation FOLLOWED the spiritual separation by dedicating yourself to God. An outward expression of someone's faith. Sound familiar? Yes, baptism is the exact same. Check out Matthew 3:11, John the Baptist is explaining the difference between baptism by water and the baptism offered through Christ. John says, "I indeed baptize you with the water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire." John explained that as he is inferior to Christ, his baptism is also inferior to Christ's. John baptized by water (which holds no spiritual significance just like circumcision) while Christ baptized by fire and with the Holy Spirit. Catch that? Christ baptized with the Holy Spirit John does not. WATER BAPTISM IS NOT BAPTISM WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT. Scripture clearly shows us that there is a definitive separation between the spiritual and the physical. The physical should reflect the spiritual, not the spiritual reflecting the physical. The Old testament Israelites were commanded to be circumcised, they followed this command with obedience because of their already existing faith in God. We are commanded to be baptized following salvation. We should follow with obedience because of our already existing faith.
So this baptism debate can be summarized into two different views on salvation. The first being, certain actions (baptism) produces the faith in us to receive salvation. Or, the second being, we place our faith in Christ and certain actions (baptism) are a reflection of our new found faith. Scripture clearly teaches the latter rather than the former. Remember Ephesians 2:8-9 shows us no works can gain us salvation, only faith can give us the gift of salvation (which includes the Holy Spirit). Remember Paul in Romans 2:29, We must be circumcised of the heart not the flesh. Don't forget John the Baptist in Matthew 3:11 stating that baptism by water is inferior compared to Christ's baptism by fire. Folks, baptism is a great thing, but, it must not become the stumbling block preventing us and others from beginning a relationship with Christ.
First let's identify the verses supporting an infant baptism/baptism cleanses sin point of view. "Acts 19:1-6 explains how Paul entered Ephesus and found believers who claimed to not have the holy spirit. How did Paul respond? Well let's take a look starting in verse 2 "He said unto them, have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed? We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost. (verse 3) And he said unto them, unto what then were ye baptized? And they said, unto John's baptism. (verse 4) Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus. (verse 5) When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. (verse 6) And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied." This verse initially leads us to believe that the holy spirit came once they were baptized in Christ, after all they were already believers and simply lacking baptism in Christ right? I will address this later. Until then, lets look further into scripture. Earlier on in the book of Acts Peter had something to say about baptism. Acts 2:38 says "Then Peter said unto them, repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and yea shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost." Peter clearly stated that repentance and baptism come before receiving the Holy Spirit once again reaffirming the belief that baptism is required to receive the Holy Spirit or Salvation itself. So is this belief correct? After all when Christ was baptized by John the Baptist the spirit descended upon him like a dove. (Luke 3:22)
Before we dive into scripture supporting the contrary, let's respond to a few of these verses. To begin with, the verse in Acts concerning Paul, when looked at from a distance, appears to be supporting baptism as necessary for reception of the Holy Ghost. But, when looked at under a microscope we find it really does not. Take a look at how Paul presents the idea of baptism. He asks to what then were ye baptized? These folks were believers and baptized, but Paul here is indicating that not just any baptism is sufficient. Paul states you must be baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus, not just simply a baptism of repentance. Only then did they receive the Holy Ghost. So what made the difference between the two baptisms they received? It was their faith! They first were baptized with a simple idea of repenting from their former lives, the baptism of John the Baptist. But their second baptism was a result of their faith in Christ. So both baptisms used the same thing, water, but they were motivated by two different faiths. This shows me that the Holy Spirit does not enter a person simply because of baptism, but because of the person's faith motivating them to get baptized. The next scripture I will respond to is the verse from Acts. Peter states that one must repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ (the exact same baptism Paul described) for the remission of sins, and yea shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. Once again, we must be baptized in the name of Christ which demonstrates we must have faith in Christ first. Furthermore, Peter describes the Holy Ghost as a gift, which means it is given to us, not earned by any action. Ephesians 2:8-9 says "for by grace are ye saved through faith, it is not of yourselves, but is a gift of God lest any man should boast" a gift as described in this verse is not obtained through anything we can do otherwise we would boast about it. So the Holy Ghost is also a gift! Thus using scripture to interpret Scripture we know that no action earns the Holy Ghost and getting baptized is an action. God gives it to us because of our faith in him. Baptism is going public with that faith. The last example I will respond to is Christ's baptism. First and foremost I see this as a symbol of him beginning his 3 year ministry because Jesus was teaching the religious leaders in the temple when he was a young boy before this moment (Luke 2:41-52) so did Jesus not have the spirit during his first 30 years of life? The fact is, this example can be interpreted either way, but after I present the scripture supporting baptism as not necessary for receiving the Holy Spirit, we will understand that using scripture to interpret scripture that the Holy Spirit comes by faith not by baptism.
To begin with, I will split this next section into two portions. The first being scripture that explains salvation excluding mention of baptism. The second portion I will give scripture explaining how baptism is simply an act of obedience going public with your faith. Let's begin.
John 3:16, Acts 2:21 Acts 16:31, Romans 6:23 Romans 10:13. All these verses and many more explain the path to salvation, and NONE of them include baptism. Let's analyze 2 of them. Acts 16:31 "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved". Here God says a person simply has to believe or put your faith in Christ to be saved. Romans 10:13 "Anyone who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved". Once again, no baptism, salvation comes through calling out to Christ, one cannot call to something they do not believe exists. So did God forget to add the an important step to salvation? Did he forget to mention baptism??? Did Christ lie? In Luke 23:42-43 the thief on the cross next to Jesus puts his faith in him saying "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom" Christ replied "Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise". Christ promised salvation to a man who never was baptised. Some would consider this impossible, but Christ proved that the thief's salvation is indeed consistent with what the Scriptures teach. If baptism is required, then the scriptures are fallible and no longer can be considered the Word of God because Paul, John, and Luke failed to mention it, and Christ lied to the thief on the cross. But we can use these scriptures as our foundational belief in how we attain salvation. If we do this, the scripture remains consistent with the scripture mentioned in previous paragraphs. I will explain how this is possible in the next paragraph.
This second portion I will be explaining the way we are to interpret scripture to maintain consistency between salvation and baptism. Ephesians 2:8-9 "For by grace are you saved through faith, it is not through works, but is a gift from God unless any man should boast". This is salvation. It's a gift, not earned, not through works, baptism is a work. Continuing on, modern day baptism can be compared to old testament circumcision. Early church Jews would often argue that in order to be a true believer, to receive salvation, the men must be circumcised as prescribed in old Testament law. Paul refutes this in Romans, and we can use his response as our response to the idea that baptism makes someone a true believer or is necessary for salvation. In Romans 2:29 Paul is responding to those demanding circumcision, he says "No, a person is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code. Such a person's praise is not from other people, but from God". Paul just stated that true circumcision is not by the written code, it is not the physical circumcision that matter, it is the spiritual circumcision. No, you are not cutting your soul's foreskin, you are committing your life to God and setting yourself apart from non believers. See, in the old testament a way for God to separate his chosen people from Pagans was to physically differentiate them through circumcision, but this physical separation FOLLOWED the spiritual separation by dedicating yourself to God. An outward expression of someone's faith. Sound familiar? Yes, baptism is the exact same. Check out Matthew 3:11, John the Baptist is explaining the difference between baptism by water and the baptism offered through Christ. John says, "I indeed baptize you with the water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire." John explained that as he is inferior to Christ, his baptism is also inferior to Christ's. John baptized by water (which holds no spiritual significance just like circumcision) while Christ baptized by fire and with the Holy Spirit. Catch that? Christ baptized with the Holy Spirit John does not. WATER BAPTISM IS NOT BAPTISM WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT. Scripture clearly shows us that there is a definitive separation between the spiritual and the physical. The physical should reflect the spiritual, not the spiritual reflecting the physical. The Old testament Israelites were commanded to be circumcised, they followed this command with obedience because of their already existing faith in God. We are commanded to be baptized following salvation. We should follow with obedience because of our already existing faith.
So this baptism debate can be summarized into two different views on salvation. The first being, certain actions (baptism) produces the faith in us to receive salvation. Or, the second being, we place our faith in Christ and certain actions (baptism) are a reflection of our new found faith. Scripture clearly teaches the latter rather than the former. Remember Ephesians 2:8-9 shows us no works can gain us salvation, only faith can give us the gift of salvation (which includes the Holy Spirit). Remember Paul in Romans 2:29, We must be circumcised of the heart not the flesh. Don't forget John the Baptist in Matthew 3:11 stating that baptism by water is inferior compared to Christ's baptism by fire. Folks, baptism is a great thing, but, it must not become the stumbling block preventing us and others from beginning a relationship with Christ.
Monday, September 1, 2014
Freedom, equality, and tolerance are all Biblical values.
America was known as the great experiment at its conception. Our nation was given this specific title because we did something no other people group has ever done before. Our nation, was formed on the foundation of freedom and equality. Our declaration of independence makes this clear when our founders said "We hold these truths to be self evident that all men are created equal and are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness." This was a revolutionary statement. A statement that would literally shake the foundations of the entire world for the years to come. Equality came forth because all men are created equal by almighty God. Freedom came forth because we are all endowed by God with rights that we are born with which includes liberty or the ability to make our own decisions without government interference. Tolerance is the glue that allows freedom and equality to coexist. All of these values directly originate from the scriptures.
I will be the first to admit that at our nation's conception we did not live out these values. But our founders understood that we had to start somewhere. By making these values clear in our Declaration of Independence, and by protecting these values through the constitution and the bill of rights our founders ensured our nation would be bound by these righteous values and that as a people, if we followed our founding documents, we would make continued progress to perfecting these values. This manifested itself through the Abolitionist movement, the Civil Rights movement, and the Women's Rights movement. All of these movements were driven by God himself, by Christian values of equality, tolerance and freedom. But now as a nation we have seemed to forgotten our founder's intent in writing the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. They have forgotten how Christianity, and the Bible influenced our founders in creating this great experiment. So let us dive into scripture and reaffirm the reality of our history.
FREEDOM, the idea of free will is a good characteristic God created us all with. Genesis explains that he created mankind in his image, and that mankind should rule over all creation and subdue it. God gave all of creation to us except for the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. So God gave us a choice, he gave us free will to choose him or not. Spiritually God gave us freedom so our founders protected this spiritual freedom in the first amendment of the Bill of Rights. Also God gave us liberty through the Bible. Galatians 5:13 "For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another." John 8:32" And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." 2 Corinthians 3:17 "Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty." Liberty is a Biblical right, with guidelines. To ensure each individual's freedom does not intrude on another individual's freedom we must be a moral people. Using Liberty not to fulfill our sinful fleshly desires as mentioned in Galatians. But we must use our freedom to love one another and build up our unified society. I guess that is why John Adams stated " Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other."
EQUALITY, the idea of true equality can only be upheld in a Biblical society. We know in a Muslim society equality is not upheld (Iraq), in an atheist society equality is not upheld (North Korea) in all societies in history equality fails to be upheld. America and Christian societies are not perfect because we all continue to sin. But equality is protected and upheld in scripture. In Genesis God says we are all created in his image, men and women! Genesis 1:27 "So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them." Did God say only white people are created in his image? Or only men? No, God said all people are created in his image! Therefore we are all created equal in worth. Thus when our declaration mentions how all men are created equal, we know that this statement is legitimate since all were created in the Creator's image.The reality of equality is reinforced in Galatians 3:28 God says "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus." This statement shows us that the God of the Bible, treats all equally. All are one in Christ Jesus, no matter your cultural background, no matter your occupation, no matter your gender all are equal in created worth in the eyes of the Biblical God! In fact God calls out discrimination of non sinful matters evil! In James 2:1-4 God says "My brothers and sisters, believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ must not show favoritism. Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in filthy old clothes also comes in. If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, 'Here's a good seat for you,' but say to the poor man, 'You stand there' or 'Sit on the floor by my feet,' have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts". James 2:9 goes on to say "But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers."Now we are also all equal in sin (Romans 3:23) and in equal need of a savior. But speaking from a government perspective equality must be upheld to be a truly God honoring society.
TOLERANCE, the idea of tolerance is the glue that holds freedom and equality together. Tolerance is agreeing to disagree, it is peacefully coexisting with others of different beliefs. It is the opposite of hate! Now lets get one thing straight. Attempting to convert someone or correcting someone is not an act of intolerance. In fact the more interactive discussion and action you have in a society only shows the bountiful amount of tolerance that society has to allow such interaction! But tolerance is scattered all throughout the Bible in Proverbs 10:12 God says "hatred stirs up conflict, but love covers all wrongs". Here Solomon is demonstrating a fact of life. More hate more conflict, more love less wrongs. God hates hate! Another example of this is Proverbs 15:1 "A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger." One final example of God's view on hate is found in 1 John 3:15 "Anyone who hates a brother or sister is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life residing in him." God views hate as murder! Clearly if we applied this same view of hate in our society tolerance would abound and love would flourish. Furthermore Luke 6:29 is a classic way to sum up Biblical tolerance. Christ said "If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn to them the other also. If someone takes your cloak, do not withhold your shirt from them." If you get slapped wouldn't it take a lot of tolerance to turn the other cheek? You better believe it would. Biblical tolerance is derived from love, political correct tolerance is not.
Freedom is a human right since the beginning of creation. We can choose the freedom outside of God and morality which leads to chaos, or we can choose the freedom found in God which leads to peace and prosperity. Where the spirit of the Lord is there is liberty! Equality is only possible in a God honoring society. If there is no god, there is no creator, thus no equal worth in creation. If evolution became our prevalent belief then it is only logical to assume some races are more evolved then others. The God of the Bible created all in his image, all in equal worth, and he demands protection of equality in his Word! Finally tolerance is a clear value upheld throughout all of scripture. God will not tolerate intolerance. We are to hate evil, but correct in love. A society corrected by love, will be a society cured from hate. This type of society can only be found in a Biblical one.
I will be the first to admit that at our nation's conception we did not live out these values. But our founders understood that we had to start somewhere. By making these values clear in our Declaration of Independence, and by protecting these values through the constitution and the bill of rights our founders ensured our nation would be bound by these righteous values and that as a people, if we followed our founding documents, we would make continued progress to perfecting these values. This manifested itself through the Abolitionist movement, the Civil Rights movement, and the Women's Rights movement. All of these movements were driven by God himself, by Christian values of equality, tolerance and freedom. But now as a nation we have seemed to forgotten our founder's intent in writing the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. They have forgotten how Christianity, and the Bible influenced our founders in creating this great experiment. So let us dive into scripture and reaffirm the reality of our history.
FREEDOM, the idea of free will is a good characteristic God created us all with. Genesis explains that he created mankind in his image, and that mankind should rule over all creation and subdue it. God gave all of creation to us except for the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. So God gave us a choice, he gave us free will to choose him or not. Spiritually God gave us freedom so our founders protected this spiritual freedom in the first amendment of the Bill of Rights. Also God gave us liberty through the Bible. Galatians 5:13 "For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another." John 8:32" And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." 2 Corinthians 3:17 "Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty." Liberty is a Biblical right, with guidelines. To ensure each individual's freedom does not intrude on another individual's freedom we must be a moral people. Using Liberty not to fulfill our sinful fleshly desires as mentioned in Galatians. But we must use our freedom to love one another and build up our unified society. I guess that is why John Adams stated " Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other."
EQUALITY, the idea of true equality can only be upheld in a Biblical society. We know in a Muslim society equality is not upheld (Iraq), in an atheist society equality is not upheld (North Korea) in all societies in history equality fails to be upheld. America and Christian societies are not perfect because we all continue to sin. But equality is protected and upheld in scripture. In Genesis God says we are all created in his image, men and women! Genesis 1:27 "So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them." Did God say only white people are created in his image? Or only men? No, God said all people are created in his image! Therefore we are all created equal in worth. Thus when our declaration mentions how all men are created equal, we know that this statement is legitimate since all were created in the Creator's image.The reality of equality is reinforced in Galatians 3:28 God says "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus." This statement shows us that the God of the Bible, treats all equally. All are one in Christ Jesus, no matter your cultural background, no matter your occupation, no matter your gender all are equal in created worth in the eyes of the Biblical God! In fact God calls out discrimination of non sinful matters evil! In James 2:1-4 God says "My brothers and sisters, believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ must not show favoritism. Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in filthy old clothes also comes in. If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, 'Here's a good seat for you,' but say to the poor man, 'You stand there' or 'Sit on the floor by my feet,' have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts". James 2:9 goes on to say "But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers."Now we are also all equal in sin (Romans 3:23) and in equal need of a savior. But speaking from a government perspective equality must be upheld to be a truly God honoring society.
TOLERANCE, the idea of tolerance is the glue that holds freedom and equality together. Tolerance is agreeing to disagree, it is peacefully coexisting with others of different beliefs. It is the opposite of hate! Now lets get one thing straight. Attempting to convert someone or correcting someone is not an act of intolerance. In fact the more interactive discussion and action you have in a society only shows the bountiful amount of tolerance that society has to allow such interaction! But tolerance is scattered all throughout the Bible in Proverbs 10:12 God says "hatred stirs up conflict, but love covers all wrongs". Here Solomon is demonstrating a fact of life. More hate more conflict, more love less wrongs. God hates hate! Another example of this is Proverbs 15:1 "A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger." One final example of God's view on hate is found in 1 John 3:15 "Anyone who hates a brother or sister is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life residing in him." God views hate as murder! Clearly if we applied this same view of hate in our society tolerance would abound and love would flourish. Furthermore Luke 6:29 is a classic way to sum up Biblical tolerance. Christ said "If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn to them the other also. If someone takes your cloak, do not withhold your shirt from them." If you get slapped wouldn't it take a lot of tolerance to turn the other cheek? You better believe it would. Biblical tolerance is derived from love, political correct tolerance is not.
Freedom is a human right since the beginning of creation. We can choose the freedom outside of God and morality which leads to chaos, or we can choose the freedom found in God which leads to peace and prosperity. Where the spirit of the Lord is there is liberty! Equality is only possible in a God honoring society. If there is no god, there is no creator, thus no equal worth in creation. If evolution became our prevalent belief then it is only logical to assume some races are more evolved then others. The God of the Bible created all in his image, all in equal worth, and he demands protection of equality in his Word! Finally tolerance is a clear value upheld throughout all of scripture. God will not tolerate intolerance. We are to hate evil, but correct in love. A society corrected by love, will be a society cured from hate. This type of society can only be found in a Biblical one.
Friday, August 8, 2014
The evidence is in the prophecy.
Isaiah 41:22-23 "Tell us you idols, what is going to happen....Tell us what the future holds so we may know you are gods..." Ever wonder if something actually comes from God? Many religions make the claim that they hold the words of the true God. But do they really?
The Bible demonstrates a clear requirement for divine inspiration. A requirement I believe we can all agree on. That requirement is that the future must be accurately predicted in order for someone or something to qualify as a god. In fact, Isaiah here in the above verse is challenging his pagan counterparts by demanding their "gods" prove themselves by predicting the future. If they fail to do so they are not gods.This makes sense, after all, only someone who knows the future can predict the future in accurate detail.
So let's apply this requirement to the Bible and see if it passes the test. Reasons to believe ministries have done thorough research into this matter and came up with some truly awe inspiring results. The Bible contains roughly 2500 prophecies throughout the old and new testaments. Upon identifying these prophecies they held it to the utmost scrutiny and used observable evidence and historical records to confirm that an astonishing 2000 of these prophecies have been confirmed to the minutest of details. The other 500 have yet to occur in the future!
A few major prophetic statements include Micah 5:2, Genesis 25:23 and Isaiah 7:14. Micah 5:2 states "but you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times". This is a clear reference to Christ being born in Bethlehem written about 700 years before his birth! Furthermore Genesis 25:23 contains prophecy that can be observed today! Genesis 25:23 is a record of what God foretold about Rebecca's twin sons. This verse says "The Lord said to her,'Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you will be separated; one people will be stronger than the other, and the older will serve the younger.". The younger son was named Jacob later known as Israel and the older son was named Esau later known as Edom. Jacob's descendants became the nation of Israel and Esau's descendants became the nations in current day Palestine. Even today they are still in conflict and Israel continues to be the stronger military and economic power. Israel has been conquered before but never by a nation of the people of Edom. Lastly, Isaiah 7:14 is one of hundreds of prophecies about Christ's life. This verse says "Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel." Not only does Isaiah accurately predict the miraculous virgin birth which is confirmed in the Gospels, but also foretold of a title given to Christ mentioned many times in the New testament!
Today we covered 3 of the possible 2000 confirmed prophecies in the Bible! No other religious book can accurately predict as many prophecies to such detail as the Bible. The God of the Bible exceeded the requirement laid out in Isaiah 41:22-23 and stands alone in the sheer quantity of prophecy and quality of prophecy compared to other religions. Therefore the evidence of the Bible being the true Word of God is in the prophecy!
The Bible demonstrates a clear requirement for divine inspiration. A requirement I believe we can all agree on. That requirement is that the future must be accurately predicted in order for someone or something to qualify as a god. In fact, Isaiah here in the above verse is challenging his pagan counterparts by demanding their "gods" prove themselves by predicting the future. If they fail to do so they are not gods.This makes sense, after all, only someone who knows the future can predict the future in accurate detail.
So let's apply this requirement to the Bible and see if it passes the test. Reasons to believe ministries have done thorough research into this matter and came up with some truly awe inspiring results. The Bible contains roughly 2500 prophecies throughout the old and new testaments. Upon identifying these prophecies they held it to the utmost scrutiny and used observable evidence and historical records to confirm that an astonishing 2000 of these prophecies have been confirmed to the minutest of details. The other 500 have yet to occur in the future!
A few major prophetic statements include Micah 5:2, Genesis 25:23 and Isaiah 7:14. Micah 5:2 states "but you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times". This is a clear reference to Christ being born in Bethlehem written about 700 years before his birth! Furthermore Genesis 25:23 contains prophecy that can be observed today! Genesis 25:23 is a record of what God foretold about Rebecca's twin sons. This verse says "The Lord said to her,'Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you will be separated; one people will be stronger than the other, and the older will serve the younger.". The younger son was named Jacob later known as Israel and the older son was named Esau later known as Edom. Jacob's descendants became the nation of Israel and Esau's descendants became the nations in current day Palestine. Even today they are still in conflict and Israel continues to be the stronger military and economic power. Israel has been conquered before but never by a nation of the people of Edom. Lastly, Isaiah 7:14 is one of hundreds of prophecies about Christ's life. This verse says "Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel." Not only does Isaiah accurately predict the miraculous virgin birth which is confirmed in the Gospels, but also foretold of a title given to Christ mentioned many times in the New testament!
Today we covered 3 of the possible 2000 confirmed prophecies in the Bible! No other religious book can accurately predict as many prophecies to such detail as the Bible. The God of the Bible exceeded the requirement laid out in Isaiah 41:22-23 and stands alone in the sheer quantity of prophecy and quality of prophecy compared to other religions. Therefore the evidence of the Bible being the true Word of God is in the prophecy!
Saturday, July 12, 2014
The Bible condones slavery? Think again.
Some folks now days try to shame Christians into apologizing for their faith and their nation's past time. I recently ran into a fellow who was not afraid in the slightest to obnoxiously express his opinion that slavery is condoned and even encouraged in the Bible. As I held back some acid reflex that resulted from hearing the absurdity of this claim, he continued stating that the confederates in the Civil War were Christians who used the Bible to justify the continued enslavement of the African American people. The idea that this could be a main stream belief concerning the Scriptures and our nation's past time inspired me to put pen to paper (or fingers to keys) and create this article not just rebutting such claims but correcting and upholding the integrity of the Word of God and our nation's past time.
For starters lets examine my counterparts first claim that the Bible condones and even encourages slavery. I'll give my friend some credit and assume he has read the Bible, so my guess is that he is referring to 1st Peter 2:18-20. (For sake of space I will not type the verse word for word) These verses tell slaves to submit to their masters, even the harsh ones for it is commendable to bear unjust suffering to honor God! So here, Peter is telling slaves to work for God not their masters and if their masters treat them badly it is honorable for the slave is being persecuted for honoring Christ! So that is what the Bible says concerning slave behavior but how should the master's behave? My friend must not have read the rest of the Bible or just omitted the parts concerning slave masters. Colossians 4:1 gives us the guidelines on how masters should treat their slaves, this verse says "Masters, provide your slaves with what is right and fair, because you know that you also have a master in Heaven". So clearly Paul is telling us here that everyone has a master, even slave owners. So earthly masters should treat their slaves as Christ, our master, treated us, with what is right and fair. Also in Philemon Paul desperately pleads for love and compassion to be shown to a slave, Onesimus, that he may be treated as a dear brother in the Lord and no longer a slave. So the Bible is crystal clear when it comes to slavery. That Masters should treat their slaves with the respect, and love that Christ shows them, if not, then I would say that a slave is more than justified in fighting for his freedom. It is best summarized in this passage of scripture, Ephisians 6:5-9 "Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ, Obey them not only to win their favor when their eye is on you, but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart. Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not people, because you know that the Lord will reward each one for whatever good they do, whether they are slave or free. And masters, treat your slaves in the same way. Do not threaten them, since you know that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no favoritism with him".
Now let us address my friend's second claim that the Confederates used the Bible to justify racial slavery. This is true, but it was an intentional misinterpretation, and misrepresentation of Scripture stemming from them cherry picking different verses to help their pro slavery agenda. Kind of like how the pro gay community tries to manipulate Scripture to support homosexual relationships. Frederick Douglass said it best concerning slave holders using and abusing Scripture to fit their opinions. Frederick said "I love the pure, peaceable, and impartial Christianity of Christ: I therefore hate the corrupt, slave holding, women-whipping, cradle-plundering, partial and hypocritical Christianity of this land. Indeed, I can see no reason, but the most deceitful one, for calling the religion of this land Christianity. I look upon it as the climax of misnomers, the boldest of all frauds, and the grossest of all libels." Mr. Douglass understood the Bible and clearly saw the pro slavery "Christians" as hypocrites, frauds, and liars. True Christianity is what inspired the abolitionist movement! Tens of Millions of Christians fought to end the practice of slavery BECAUSE OF THE BIBLE! Famous Christian abolitionists include: Ida B. Wells, Harriet Tubman, Fredrick Douglass, Sojourner Truth, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Angelina Grimke and the list could go on forever going as far back as many Founding Fathers and going as far forward as Martin Luther King Jr. and the Civil Rights Movement! These warriors for God ordained equality probably used many verses to drive their abolitionist views. Verses such as: Exodus 21:16 "Anyone who kidnaps someone is to be put to death, whether the victim has been sold or is still in the kidnapper's possession." Or how about the whole book of Exodus where God rescues the Hebrews from racial inspired slavery! Honestly, Galatians 3:28 is enough to convince me to support equality, it says "There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus." That says it all right there, Christ created us all equally and any other view concerning humanity is a clear deviation from Scripture.
This was one of my lengthier posts, but I appreciate you muscling your way through it and hopefully absorbing every detail! The facts speak for themselves. Christianity doesn't condone forced slavery, it condemns it. Christianity didn't keep slaves in shackles, it inspired the Civil War to end it! Christianity is the only means in which we can achieve true equality, for we are all one in Christ.
For starters lets examine my counterparts first claim that the Bible condones and even encourages slavery. I'll give my friend some credit and assume he has read the Bible, so my guess is that he is referring to 1st Peter 2:18-20. (For sake of space I will not type the verse word for word) These verses tell slaves to submit to their masters, even the harsh ones for it is commendable to bear unjust suffering to honor God! So here, Peter is telling slaves to work for God not their masters and if their masters treat them badly it is honorable for the slave is being persecuted for honoring Christ! So that is what the Bible says concerning slave behavior but how should the master's behave? My friend must not have read the rest of the Bible or just omitted the parts concerning slave masters. Colossians 4:1 gives us the guidelines on how masters should treat their slaves, this verse says "Masters, provide your slaves with what is right and fair, because you know that you also have a master in Heaven". So clearly Paul is telling us here that everyone has a master, even slave owners. So earthly masters should treat their slaves as Christ, our master, treated us, with what is right and fair. Also in Philemon Paul desperately pleads for love and compassion to be shown to a slave, Onesimus, that he may be treated as a dear brother in the Lord and no longer a slave. So the Bible is crystal clear when it comes to slavery. That Masters should treat their slaves with the respect, and love that Christ shows them, if not, then I would say that a slave is more than justified in fighting for his freedom. It is best summarized in this passage of scripture, Ephisians 6:5-9 "Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ, Obey them not only to win their favor when their eye is on you, but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart. Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not people, because you know that the Lord will reward each one for whatever good they do, whether they are slave or free. And masters, treat your slaves in the same way. Do not threaten them, since you know that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no favoritism with him".
Now let us address my friend's second claim that the Confederates used the Bible to justify racial slavery. This is true, but it was an intentional misinterpretation, and misrepresentation of Scripture stemming from them cherry picking different verses to help their pro slavery agenda. Kind of like how the pro gay community tries to manipulate Scripture to support homosexual relationships. Frederick Douglass said it best concerning slave holders using and abusing Scripture to fit their opinions. Frederick said "I love the pure, peaceable, and impartial Christianity of Christ: I therefore hate the corrupt, slave holding, women-whipping, cradle-plundering, partial and hypocritical Christianity of this land. Indeed, I can see no reason, but the most deceitful one, for calling the religion of this land Christianity. I look upon it as the climax of misnomers, the boldest of all frauds, and the grossest of all libels." Mr. Douglass understood the Bible and clearly saw the pro slavery "Christians" as hypocrites, frauds, and liars. True Christianity is what inspired the abolitionist movement! Tens of Millions of Christians fought to end the practice of slavery BECAUSE OF THE BIBLE! Famous Christian abolitionists include: Ida B. Wells, Harriet Tubman, Fredrick Douglass, Sojourner Truth, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Angelina Grimke and the list could go on forever going as far back as many Founding Fathers and going as far forward as Martin Luther King Jr. and the Civil Rights Movement! These warriors for God ordained equality probably used many verses to drive their abolitionist views. Verses such as: Exodus 21:16 "Anyone who kidnaps someone is to be put to death, whether the victim has been sold or is still in the kidnapper's possession." Or how about the whole book of Exodus where God rescues the Hebrews from racial inspired slavery! Honestly, Galatians 3:28 is enough to convince me to support equality, it says "There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus." That says it all right there, Christ created us all equally and any other view concerning humanity is a clear deviation from Scripture.
This was one of my lengthier posts, but I appreciate you muscling your way through it and hopefully absorbing every detail! The facts speak for themselves. Christianity doesn't condone forced slavery, it condemns it. Christianity didn't keep slaves in shackles, it inspired the Civil War to end it! Christianity is the only means in which we can achieve true equality, for we are all one in Christ.
Tuesday, June 24, 2014
Salvation comes from grace, not from works.
The low information religious observer might believe that all religions are the same. That all these deities and prophets simply add up to the same end goal; salvation. But once we dive into the details of each religion and establish the contrasts between each one, we find that the idea that all religions are the same couldn't be further from the truth.
To begin with, the idea that all religions strive for salvation is true. But, it is how we attain that salvation that differentiates the faiths. Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism and every other religion in the world, besides Christianity, relies on some sort of work based salvation that requires the person to complete certain actions to earn his or her salvation. The god must be satisfied with the person's efforts to reach the level of achievement to acquire the salvation.
This is where Christianity separates itself from the group. The Christian God set a standard for his creation to enter heaven and that standard is perfection, for God is righteous, no sin can be let into heaven thus perfection is the requirement for someone to enter heaven. But as Romans 3:23 states "for all have sinned and have fallen short of the glory of God". Since we all are sinners, none of us can live up to God's perfect requirement for entrance into heaven. But the God of the Bible, unlike all other deities, refused to leave us in the calamity of our failure. No, God himself came down to earth to do what we could not. God came down in the form of a human named Jesus Christ and lived the perfect life we couldn't. Christ paid the price on the cross that we should have paid. Romans 6:23 states "For the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord". Once a human sins they are deemed unrighteous and must bear the penalty for sin which is death. Christ paid that price for us and took our penalty on the cross!
So in conclusion, all religions are not the same! Christianity is the ONLY religion who's God came to earth and satisfied God's requirement for us. Christianity offers salvation through grace not through works. Christianity stands alone in the comparison of world religions and I praise God for that every single day.
To begin with, the idea that all religions strive for salvation is true. But, it is how we attain that salvation that differentiates the faiths. Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism and every other religion in the world, besides Christianity, relies on some sort of work based salvation that requires the person to complete certain actions to earn his or her salvation. The god must be satisfied with the person's efforts to reach the level of achievement to acquire the salvation.
This is where Christianity separates itself from the group. The Christian God set a standard for his creation to enter heaven and that standard is perfection, for God is righteous, no sin can be let into heaven thus perfection is the requirement for someone to enter heaven. But as Romans 3:23 states "for all have sinned and have fallen short of the glory of God". Since we all are sinners, none of us can live up to God's perfect requirement for entrance into heaven. But the God of the Bible, unlike all other deities, refused to leave us in the calamity of our failure. No, God himself came down to earth to do what we could not. God came down in the form of a human named Jesus Christ and lived the perfect life we couldn't. Christ paid the price on the cross that we should have paid. Romans 6:23 states "For the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord". Once a human sins they are deemed unrighteous and must bear the penalty for sin which is death. Christ paid that price for us and took our penalty on the cross!
So in conclusion, all religions are not the same! Christianity is the ONLY religion who's God came to earth and satisfied God's requirement for us. Christianity offers salvation through grace not through works. Christianity stands alone in the comparison of world religions and I praise God for that every single day.
Saturday, June 21, 2014
Christian persecution becomes a normality in a society run by liberal philosophy.
Persecution and tolerance are the exact opposites of each other. Tolerance was invented to prevent or end persecution. Yet ironically, the liberal movement in America clings to the idea of "tolerance" but as they come into power and enact their so called "tolerant" laws we see a rise in Christian persecution. Truly tolerant laws do not increase persecution, but decrease it. Therefore we can gauge how tolerant a policy or person is based off of how much persecution the policy or person causes. As we see liberal judges, lawmakers, and leaders take hold of American government I can't help but notice these champions of "tolerance" have brought forth an unprecedented rise in Christian persecution.
Let's take a closer look at just a few of the numerous examples of Christians being persecuted for their first amendment right to freedom of religion. Throughout the country Christian business owners have been systematically forced to give up their religious liberty to make room for the radical (and sinful) homosexual activist agenda. No longer is homosexuality simply an act in the bedroom, it is now an artificially created right that follows them into the workplace, military, and wedding ceremonies in which everyone else has to conform to their lifestyle preference no matter the convictions or faith driven beliefs that might object. Compromise is not an option. Roughly half the country voted through state referendums or state legislatures to define marriage as one man and one woman, yet rogue liberal judges have overstepped the people, state constitutions, and democracy to put homosexuality on a pedestal and brand it into our daily lives. Christian bakers and photographers have been bullied into complying with these rulings. In fact, several Christian business owners have lost their businesses because they exercised their first amendment rights to freedom of religion! A pro football player who expressed distaste for watching two gay men kiss on national television was forced to not only apologize but to begin taking sensitivity training to cure his view of Biblical relationships. Is this tolerance? Did homosexuals lose their jobs when Christians were in power? Did homosexuals lose their first amendment rights while Christians were in power? Absolutely not! But we see Christians losing their rights and jobs when "tolerant" liberals are in power.
When water is applied to a fiery furnace the flames decrease. When tolerance is applied to a persecuted society we see the persecution decrease. Based off the clear assessment of the recent shift in cultural views and how liberal philosophy has grown in government, we see persecution on the rise! Simple logic dictates us to conclude that Liberals are not concerned about tolerance, but simple and brutal, Christian discrimination.
Let's take a closer look at just a few of the numerous examples of Christians being persecuted for their first amendment right to freedom of religion. Throughout the country Christian business owners have been systematically forced to give up their religious liberty to make room for the radical (and sinful) homosexual activist agenda. No longer is homosexuality simply an act in the bedroom, it is now an artificially created right that follows them into the workplace, military, and wedding ceremonies in which everyone else has to conform to their lifestyle preference no matter the convictions or faith driven beliefs that might object. Compromise is not an option. Roughly half the country voted through state referendums or state legislatures to define marriage as one man and one woman, yet rogue liberal judges have overstepped the people, state constitutions, and democracy to put homosexuality on a pedestal and brand it into our daily lives. Christian bakers and photographers have been bullied into complying with these rulings. In fact, several Christian business owners have lost their businesses because they exercised their first amendment rights to freedom of religion! A pro football player who expressed distaste for watching two gay men kiss on national television was forced to not only apologize but to begin taking sensitivity training to cure his view of Biblical relationships. Is this tolerance? Did homosexuals lose their jobs when Christians were in power? Did homosexuals lose their first amendment rights while Christians were in power? Absolutely not! But we see Christians losing their rights and jobs when "tolerant" liberals are in power.
When water is applied to a fiery furnace the flames decrease. When tolerance is applied to a persecuted society we see the persecution decrease. Based off the clear assessment of the recent shift in cultural views and how liberal philosophy has grown in government, we see persecution on the rise! Simple logic dictates us to conclude that Liberals are not concerned about tolerance, but simple and brutal, Christian discrimination.
Tuesday, April 22, 2014
The Resurrection, The Single Most Important Event In Human History.
The struggle between good and evil has raged since the beginning of time. Right vs wrong, light vs darkness, God vs Satan. What appeared to be an eternal struggle soon came to a climax that would decide whether the forces of good would conquer evil, or whether the darkness would quench the light. This climax came on Passover when a certain man was hung on a cross. This man was Jesus Christ.
At first glance it appeared that Satan had won. After all, the Son of God was killed and buried in a tomb. No one has been able to raise themselves from the dead, clearly death has overcome life. But God had different plans. Satan was the cause of humanity's demise but Satan was also the cause of humanity's salvation in a sense. Satan ensured that Christ was hung on that cross, his hand can be clearly seen when orchestrating the actions of the religious and political leaders of that day. But he was unaware that Christ's death would be the beginning of the end for him. For the power that Satan wielded was sin. That is how he controlled humanity and how he drew people away from God. But little did he know, that by crucifying Jesus, he just crucified himself in the process. Christ's death paid the price for our sin thus freeing all sinners from Satan's chains as long as they put their faith in him.
But Christ's death was not the climax of the struggle between good and evil. No, that was still to come, in 3 short days. Christ may have paid the price for humanity's sin, but death still held Christ in the tomb. That is, until Easter Sunday. Christ arose victorious over his final enemy and Satan's last pawn, death. Satan threw everything at Christ but God was able to use his futile efforts to achieve victory!
Christ is alive! Life triumphed over death. Good arose victorious over evil. The light blinded the darkness. The resurrection is the single most important event in human history. It bridged the gap between God and man, it set afire the flame of hope for life everlasting, and it stripped Satan of his power by cleansing the stain of sin.
The forces of evil will try to snuff out the spreading of the good news of the resurrection. But their efforts are in vain as their fate is sealed for all of eternity. Let us rejoice in the promise of everlasting life because of Christ's resurrection. But let us also become bold proclaimers of the truth and ensure that all people know that the God of the Bible is not dead, he is alive and wanting a relationship with all those who he has created.
At first glance it appeared that Satan had won. After all, the Son of God was killed and buried in a tomb. No one has been able to raise themselves from the dead, clearly death has overcome life. But God had different plans. Satan was the cause of humanity's demise but Satan was also the cause of humanity's salvation in a sense. Satan ensured that Christ was hung on that cross, his hand can be clearly seen when orchestrating the actions of the religious and political leaders of that day. But he was unaware that Christ's death would be the beginning of the end for him. For the power that Satan wielded was sin. That is how he controlled humanity and how he drew people away from God. But little did he know, that by crucifying Jesus, he just crucified himself in the process. Christ's death paid the price for our sin thus freeing all sinners from Satan's chains as long as they put their faith in him.
But Christ's death was not the climax of the struggle between good and evil. No, that was still to come, in 3 short days. Christ may have paid the price for humanity's sin, but death still held Christ in the tomb. That is, until Easter Sunday. Christ arose victorious over his final enemy and Satan's last pawn, death. Satan threw everything at Christ but God was able to use his futile efforts to achieve victory!
Christ is alive! Life triumphed over death. Good arose victorious over evil. The light blinded the darkness. The resurrection is the single most important event in human history. It bridged the gap between God and man, it set afire the flame of hope for life everlasting, and it stripped Satan of his power by cleansing the stain of sin.
The forces of evil will try to snuff out the spreading of the good news of the resurrection. But their efforts are in vain as their fate is sealed for all of eternity. Let us rejoice in the promise of everlasting life because of Christ's resurrection. But let us also become bold proclaimers of the truth and ensure that all people know that the God of the Bible is not dead, he is alive and wanting a relationship with all those who he has created.
Thursday, April 17, 2014
I have the anti-gay gene!
Yes, you heard me correctly. I just made the erroneous claim that I was born with a gene that causes me to speak out against the act of homosexuality. Your probably thinking that I am out of my mind and simply made up such a gene to justify my opposition to homosexuality. Well, your exactly right. There is as much evidence of an anti-gay gene as there is an actual gay gene. It is simply an idea conceived in the notion that if someone is born with something they cannot be condemned for doing it. Frankly they are right. Traits that someone is born with are natural and is not considered sin. Traits such as: skin color, gender, height etc. The left tries to group homosexuality into that group of inborn traits. If they are successful in doing so, there is no justification in condemning homosexual behavior because frankly it would be an inborn trait which cannot be considered sin since all sin is caused by a choice, a decision to rebel against the law of God. But in reality, there is no such evidence supporting that homosexuality is an inborn trait.
Genes are what make up our inborn traits. Experts can easily point out the genes that cause our skin color, gender, and height. But for some reason they just can't find a gene that makes someone a homosexual. This here is a problem for the left, the one shred of evidence they needed to confirm their claims simply doesn't exist.
Surprise, the Bible is proven correct again. Nowhere in the Bible is it a sin to be a certain skin color, height, or gender. But it is a sin to commit acts of homosexuality see verses such as 1st Corinthians 6:9 and Romans 1:26-28.. This shows that the Bible already told us there is no gay gene, the Bible also tells us there is no anti-gay gene, and science confirms both of these Biblical claims! The fact of the matter is that Homosexuality is a lifestyle someone chooses to commit themselves to. Just as we all choose a lifestyle of sin before we have been reborn in Christ, the homosexual is no different. But sadly, society nowadays is not just tolerating this sinful lifestyle in the bedrooms of an individual's home, society is now promoting and encouraging it in the military, schools, and movies! This is the first time in my lifetime that my country has actively tried to convince it's citizens to embrace sin not because we want to, but because we are born to commit this sinful act. That is why it is that much more important to speak out against this perverted act because those struggling with this sin are hearing society's version of homosexuality a lot more than the reality of homosexuality which is God's version! In fact, the more people begin to accept this lifestyle as normal, the less people will receive the salvation power of Jesus Christ. For how can someone be saved if they do not understand they are sinners and turn from that sin?
So let us all speak out with one strong clear unified voice speaking the truth in love! Homosexuals are no different than us, for we all are sinners! Let us stand strong in the faith, defending ourselves against political correctness and Satan himself! The homosexual community needs Christ as much as any lost sinner in this world. God loves them with an abundant love and it is our job as the church to guide them to that moment when they will have the opportunity to embrace their savior and free themselves from society's lies and the shackles of sin.
Genes are what make up our inborn traits. Experts can easily point out the genes that cause our skin color, gender, and height. But for some reason they just can't find a gene that makes someone a homosexual. This here is a problem for the left, the one shred of evidence they needed to confirm their claims simply doesn't exist.
Surprise, the Bible is proven correct again. Nowhere in the Bible is it a sin to be a certain skin color, height, or gender. But it is a sin to commit acts of homosexuality see verses such as 1st Corinthians 6:9 and Romans 1:26-28.. This shows that the Bible already told us there is no gay gene, the Bible also tells us there is no anti-gay gene, and science confirms both of these Biblical claims! The fact of the matter is that Homosexuality is a lifestyle someone chooses to commit themselves to. Just as we all choose a lifestyle of sin before we have been reborn in Christ, the homosexual is no different. But sadly, society nowadays is not just tolerating this sinful lifestyle in the bedrooms of an individual's home, society is now promoting and encouraging it in the military, schools, and movies! This is the first time in my lifetime that my country has actively tried to convince it's citizens to embrace sin not because we want to, but because we are born to commit this sinful act. That is why it is that much more important to speak out against this perverted act because those struggling with this sin are hearing society's version of homosexuality a lot more than the reality of homosexuality which is God's version! In fact, the more people begin to accept this lifestyle as normal, the less people will receive the salvation power of Jesus Christ. For how can someone be saved if they do not understand they are sinners and turn from that sin?
So let us all speak out with one strong clear unified voice speaking the truth in love! Homosexuals are no different than us, for we all are sinners! Let us stand strong in the faith, defending ourselves against political correctness and Satan himself! The homosexual community needs Christ as much as any lost sinner in this world. God loves them with an abundant love and it is our job as the church to guide them to that moment when they will have the opportunity to embrace their savior and free themselves from society's lies and the shackles of sin.
Sunday, March 2, 2014
Atheist Problems: The Beginning
The beginning, what happened in the beginning of, well, everything in existence? Both Christian scientists and Atheist scientists agree, there had to be a beginning. Before that beginning was nothing, if that was not true and there was something before the beginning then that would disqualify it from being the true beginning. If the universe had no beginning then it would be eternal, which breaks the natural law of time and space therefore is supernatural and atheists cannot make such a claim because it would be a direct contradiction to their reasoning to be opposed to the existence of God. So therefore our Atheist friends have a dilemma. If naturally there had to be a beginning, what initiated that beginning? If there was nothing, what caused that nothing to become something if there was nothing to cause that something? Richard Dawkins cannot answer this, Bill Nye the science guy says its a "great mystery" and I agree with them. If we refuse to acknowledge the existence of God then the universe cannot exist. The universe had to have a supernatural beginning period.
This is the reason why Christians have the most logical explanation of origins, its because we have the written account by the one who made everything. Genesis 1:1 "In the beginning GOD created the heavens and the earth". So yes there was a beginning, and God was that something that caused nothing to become everything. God in 6 literal days about 6000 years ago created everything and breathed life into his most wonderful creation, us. But then Atheists chime in the classic "who created God"? The answer is quite simple and I will go into more depth in a future article but basically, the creator is not bound by the rules he specifically made for the creation. For example God created humans with the need to eat and drink for survival, does that mean God needs to drink and eat for survival? Absolutely not, that would be idiotic to believe. But Atheists do just that when they suggest that someone had to create God. Just because we humans have a creator, doesn't mean God had to have a creator. God created humans with a beginning and an end, just like all of his creation, we are bound by time. We are born then we die. God isn't bound by his own rule of time that he created for us. If the Atheists then responds "well that's not logical that God could exist eternally, and have no beginning or end". Well Mr. Atheist that's exactly right. God created logic therefore he is not bound by it, God is supernatural therefore he is not bound by nature, the rules that apply to us do not apply to God.
So there you go folks. Atheists ascribe to a belief system that will forever be unable to answer the question "what happened in the beginning?". That is the moment when us Christians stand tall and proclaim the Word of God. For we have the truth and we must ensure others have it to.
This is the reason why Christians have the most logical explanation of origins, its because we have the written account by the one who made everything. Genesis 1:1 "In the beginning GOD created the heavens and the earth". So yes there was a beginning, and God was that something that caused nothing to become everything. God in 6 literal days about 6000 years ago created everything and breathed life into his most wonderful creation, us. But then Atheists chime in the classic "who created God"? The answer is quite simple and I will go into more depth in a future article but basically, the creator is not bound by the rules he specifically made for the creation. For example God created humans with the need to eat and drink for survival, does that mean God needs to drink and eat for survival? Absolutely not, that would be idiotic to believe. But Atheists do just that when they suggest that someone had to create God. Just because we humans have a creator, doesn't mean God had to have a creator. God created humans with a beginning and an end, just like all of his creation, we are bound by time. We are born then we die. God isn't bound by his own rule of time that he created for us. If the Atheists then responds "well that's not logical that God could exist eternally, and have no beginning or end". Well Mr. Atheist that's exactly right. God created logic therefore he is not bound by it, God is supernatural therefore he is not bound by nature, the rules that apply to us do not apply to God.
So there you go folks. Atheists ascribe to a belief system that will forever be unable to answer the question "what happened in the beginning?". That is the moment when us Christians stand tall and proclaim the Word of God. For we have the truth and we must ensure others have it to.
Wednesday, February 12, 2014
What happened to the Gospel?
The Gospel is made more prevalent in today's world than any other time in history. Millions upon millions of Bibles are being distributed throughout the world. Jesus Christ is the most popular man in the world. Yet why here in America, are we seeing the culture reject these age old values? Why is it no longer politically correct to say Merry Christmas, or say a prayer in school? Why are Christian businesses being forced to shut their doors simply for expressing their support of traditional marriage? Ladies and gentleman I believe I know the answer to these troubling questions. Its because the Biblical Gospel is not being preached, it has been replaced with man's reformed gospel. Some call this the prosperity gospel.
The prosperity gospel takes the truth presented in the Bible, then distorts it to filter out the conviction and just leave the feel good aspects of the truth. An example of this would be something like "Jesus loves you, died for you, so that you may experience the everlasting joy of eternal life with God. Trust in Christ and you will be blessed with both spiritual and physical joy, embrace Christ for a better life". To the low information Christian this excerpt has nothing wrong with it and sounds great. To the Biblically sound Christian this excerpt leaves out many important factors of the real Gospel. When we Christians preach about the Gospel of Jesus Christ, we shouldn't try to convince people with our own abilities, this leads to exactly what we see today. The gospel being spun and sugared up to fit society's wants. We need to return to what the Bible says and rely on the Holy Spirit to do the converting. What we should be preaching should sound a little like this...
"Romans 3:23 states that we all our sinners before a holy God. The Law of Moses demonstrates that God requires perfection and none of us can live up to such a standard. A price must be paid for rebellion. Romans 6:23 states that the wages of sin is death. An eternity in Hell is our payment for treason against our creator. But God loves us too much to leave us hopelessly condemned. Christ paid the price for our sins by dying on the cross, and just as he rose from the dead we too can be resurrected into eternal life. Acts 16:31 states that we all must believe in Christ and what he did, for our salvation. It is merely not enough to believe that God exists for according to James 2:19 even the demons believe in God. We must all turn from our sins and rely on Christ for our salvation. This alone will lead us into God's kingdom and we all can rejoice in that fact". That there is the Biblical Gospel. As the Bible says in Romans 10:4 Christ is the fulfillment of the law so that we too can be counted righteous before a righteous God. We must not ignore the law for the law is what brings light to our sins. If our sin is never made visible, we will not feel the conviction to repent and without repentance no one can be saved. For how can someone be saved if they don't know what they are being saved from?
So the main difference between the Biblical Gospel and man's gospel we see today, is that one uses the law and sin to bring forth the conviction required for repentance and ultimately salvation, while the other one simply taps into the good feelings of people to produce a belief in god simply to receive a better life materialistically rather than to be forgiven of sins. The demons love the prosperity gospel because they live it out everyday. They believe in god and selfishly act to advance their will. But the Biblical Gospel is what really transforms lives by utilizing the Holy Spirit to bring people from darkness to light, from sin to righteousness, from death into life.
The prosperity gospel takes the truth presented in the Bible, then distorts it to filter out the conviction and just leave the feel good aspects of the truth. An example of this would be something like "Jesus loves you, died for you, so that you may experience the everlasting joy of eternal life with God. Trust in Christ and you will be blessed with both spiritual and physical joy, embrace Christ for a better life". To the low information Christian this excerpt has nothing wrong with it and sounds great. To the Biblically sound Christian this excerpt leaves out many important factors of the real Gospel. When we Christians preach about the Gospel of Jesus Christ, we shouldn't try to convince people with our own abilities, this leads to exactly what we see today. The gospel being spun and sugared up to fit society's wants. We need to return to what the Bible says and rely on the Holy Spirit to do the converting. What we should be preaching should sound a little like this...
"Romans 3:23 states that we all our sinners before a holy God. The Law of Moses demonstrates that God requires perfection and none of us can live up to such a standard. A price must be paid for rebellion. Romans 6:23 states that the wages of sin is death. An eternity in Hell is our payment for treason against our creator. But God loves us too much to leave us hopelessly condemned. Christ paid the price for our sins by dying on the cross, and just as he rose from the dead we too can be resurrected into eternal life. Acts 16:31 states that we all must believe in Christ and what he did, for our salvation. It is merely not enough to believe that God exists for according to James 2:19 even the demons believe in God. We must all turn from our sins and rely on Christ for our salvation. This alone will lead us into God's kingdom and we all can rejoice in that fact". That there is the Biblical Gospel. As the Bible says in Romans 10:4 Christ is the fulfillment of the law so that we too can be counted righteous before a righteous God. We must not ignore the law for the law is what brings light to our sins. If our sin is never made visible, we will not feel the conviction to repent and without repentance no one can be saved. For how can someone be saved if they don't know what they are being saved from?
So the main difference between the Biblical Gospel and man's gospel we see today, is that one uses the law and sin to bring forth the conviction required for repentance and ultimately salvation, while the other one simply taps into the good feelings of people to produce a belief in god simply to receive a better life materialistically rather than to be forgiven of sins. The demons love the prosperity gospel because they live it out everyday. They believe in god and selfishly act to advance their will. But the Biblical Gospel is what really transforms lives by utilizing the Holy Spirit to bring people from darkness to light, from sin to righteousness, from death into life.
Thursday, February 6, 2014
Atheist Problems: Absolute Laws and Logic
Atheism champions the idea that a god cannot exist. They say it is scientifically impossible and goes against the laws of nature. Which I would agree, God is supernatural meaning he is not bound by the laws of science or nature. That right there is the reason why Christianity trumps Atheism. If we constrict ourselves to only what is scientifically possible through the laws of nature, then we wouldn't even be able to have this conversation right now. Why? Because absolute laws found in science, nature, and even our brains cannot exists in a world without God.
I say this because if there was no one designing what we currently know as the universe, then that means everything came into existence through random impulses of energy on non living matter. (Which by the way atheists cannot explain how the first piece of matter came into existence but we'll save that for another time). So if everything is here because of random processes then how do absolute or non changing laws exist in a random constantly changing universe? How does the law of gravity remain constant if supposedly everything in existence is random processes? How can we think logically when our mind is simply another random process? Its kinda like this. You hold 2 dice, you must always roll them randomly and non stop just as the universe was in the beginning. Once you land on, lets say, two 6's you want to stop. But that is unscientific because you would be inflicting an element of intelligent design on the dice which supposedly cannot happen. So you would have to continue rolling the dice randomly and hoping you get two 6's every time. This obviously cannot happen you would get different numbers every time! In the same sense when it comes to the natural laws like gravity, or the laws of logic in our mind how did we end up maintaining these absolutes when it originated from random processes or rolling of the dice? Who told these processes to stop acting randomly? Who stopped rolling the dice? Atheist's cannot answer because if they did, it would be supernatural. That's where us Christians come in.
We believe God was our designer. We believe he is the one who, instead of randomly rolling the dice, set the dice down so that it would always be two 6's. God placed the laws of nature and science so that we would have an absolute not random foundation to use our logic to thrive here on earth. This makes sense, this explains how absolutes can exist, because someone designed them to be absolute. Christians can take comfort knowing that gravity will not randomly change, or our minds will not randomly stop thinking logically, or that logic itself will not randomly cease to exists. Atheists can take comfort in that also, but they cant explain why. We can.
I say this because if there was no one designing what we currently know as the universe, then that means everything came into existence through random impulses of energy on non living matter. (Which by the way atheists cannot explain how the first piece of matter came into existence but we'll save that for another time). So if everything is here because of random processes then how do absolute or non changing laws exist in a random constantly changing universe? How does the law of gravity remain constant if supposedly everything in existence is random processes? How can we think logically when our mind is simply another random process? Its kinda like this. You hold 2 dice, you must always roll them randomly and non stop just as the universe was in the beginning. Once you land on, lets say, two 6's you want to stop. But that is unscientific because you would be inflicting an element of intelligent design on the dice which supposedly cannot happen. So you would have to continue rolling the dice randomly and hoping you get two 6's every time. This obviously cannot happen you would get different numbers every time! In the same sense when it comes to the natural laws like gravity, or the laws of logic in our mind how did we end up maintaining these absolutes when it originated from random processes or rolling of the dice? Who told these processes to stop acting randomly? Who stopped rolling the dice? Atheist's cannot answer because if they did, it would be supernatural. That's where us Christians come in.
We believe God was our designer. We believe he is the one who, instead of randomly rolling the dice, set the dice down so that it would always be two 6's. God placed the laws of nature and science so that we would have an absolute not random foundation to use our logic to thrive here on earth. This makes sense, this explains how absolutes can exist, because someone designed them to be absolute. Christians can take comfort knowing that gravity will not randomly change, or our minds will not randomly stop thinking logically, or that logic itself will not randomly cease to exists. Atheists can take comfort in that also, but they cant explain why. We can.
Sunday, January 26, 2014
Jesus is the Christ!
Many reject Jesus as the chosen one, some call him a prophet, others doubt his very existence. But a few call him the Christ. Christ is simply a term meaning the anointed or chosen one. In John 8 many of the Jews rejected him as the chosen one questioning the validity of his claims. Jesus responded by saying that his testimony of himself is true because God also testifies of him being the Christ. This is exemplified all throughout the Old Testament,and the New. in fact about 351 prophecies Jesus fulfilled to the smallest of detail.
The claims Jesus made either made him a madman or the true Son of God. I could go through all 351 examples of the Bible referring to the Christ but I want to spend this time to focus on one verse that I believe is the solidifying verse that proves Jesus to not just be the Christ but be God in human form. John 8:58. That is the verse that changed the world. "Jesus said unto them, verily, verily, I say unto you, before Abraham was, I am.". This statement is truly mind blowing. Jesus just claimed to have existed over 1500 years ago, and also described himself with 2 words that were only reserved to be a description of God himself; I am. Let's first discuss the age of Jesus. Jesus's physical body was only about 31 or so years old at this point, but who he actually is has existed forever. In fact in Genesis 1:26 God says concerning creating humans "Let US make mankind, in OUR image, and in OUR likeness." this shows God was not alone during this creation period. The trinity was present at this time and is as timeless as God the father. Jesus was present at creation, in fact he did the creating. John 1:1-4 tells us that Jesus was with God, and was God, all things were made by him and without him nothing was made. So this brings legitimacy to Jesus's claim that he existed before Abraham because he has always existed and created everything. If that wasn't convincing enough to show Jesus is God, look at his second statement about him being the I am. God called himself the I am in Exodus 3:13-15 when Moses expressed worry when the Hebrews would ask who sent him. So Jesus and God both described themselves as the I am, they both have always existed, and they both created everything. Jesus is the Christ, he is the Son of God, and he is God. The trinity is 3 branches of the same tree. If you don't know the Son, you don't know the Father. If you don't know Christ you will never know God. For Jesus Christ is God.
The claims Jesus made either made him a madman or the true Son of God. I could go through all 351 examples of the Bible referring to the Christ but I want to spend this time to focus on one verse that I believe is the solidifying verse that proves Jesus to not just be the Christ but be God in human form. John 8:58. That is the verse that changed the world. "Jesus said unto them, verily, verily, I say unto you, before Abraham was, I am.". This statement is truly mind blowing. Jesus just claimed to have existed over 1500 years ago, and also described himself with 2 words that were only reserved to be a description of God himself; I am. Let's first discuss the age of Jesus. Jesus's physical body was only about 31 or so years old at this point, but who he actually is has existed forever. In fact in Genesis 1:26 God says concerning creating humans "Let US make mankind, in OUR image, and in OUR likeness." this shows God was not alone during this creation period. The trinity was present at this time and is as timeless as God the father. Jesus was present at creation, in fact he did the creating. John 1:1-4 tells us that Jesus was with God, and was God, all things were made by him and without him nothing was made. So this brings legitimacy to Jesus's claim that he existed before Abraham because he has always existed and created everything. If that wasn't convincing enough to show Jesus is God, look at his second statement about him being the I am. God called himself the I am in Exodus 3:13-15 when Moses expressed worry when the Hebrews would ask who sent him. So Jesus and God both described themselves as the I am, they both have always existed, and they both created everything. Jesus is the Christ, he is the Son of God, and he is God. The trinity is 3 branches of the same tree. If you don't know the Son, you don't know the Father. If you don't know Christ you will never know God. For Jesus Christ is God.
Sunday, January 19, 2014
Time to abort abortion.
I would like to start this post by asking you a question. What events in history do you consider the most horrific? Most people I believe, would think of the holocaust, the purges by Stalin, or maybe even racist lynchings in the 1800's and early 1900's. All of these events were terrible and caused many people to lose their lives, but I'm going to mention a procedure that has caused easily more deaths of innocent people then all of these events combined. This procedure has truly brought to light the evil within humanity. This procedure leaves no survivors, targets the weakest most innocent among us, and worst of all is justified as a "right". Welcome to a blog post on the raw truth of Abortion.
Let's start with some simple numbers. The holocaust murdered roughly 6 million Jews during the late 1930's to the mid 1940's. Modern day abortion has murdered 14 million Americans in the past decade alone. 40 million people were slaughtered under the rule of Stalin over 30 years. Abortion slaughters 50 million people ANNUALLY worldwide. Racist lynchings in America from 1864 to 1968 led to the brutal killing of 4,946 African Americans roughly 47 a year. Abortion from 1973 to 2013 brutally killed 18,778,000 that's an average of 450 thousand African Americans each year this is a ratio of 3,756 to 1 concerning abortions and lynchings. If we do some simple addition we find that the Holocaust, the Purges, and lynchings combine to a total of 46,004,946 innocent people. Abortion is attributed with 1,500,000,000 innocent people worldwide since World War Two. 1.5 billion is about 32 times as large as 46 million. So when I first asked you what events were most horrific in your mind, if you came up with the three examples I did, abortion is 32 times as horrific, as terrible, and as evil as all of those mentioned combined.
After exploring these FACTS let me show you how 2 of our elected leaders chose to address this issue. Let's start first with our current president. Barack Hussein Obama is known for not just being a fiscal liberal but also a social liberal. This is a quote from Mr. Obama addressing the issue of abortion "I've got two daughters. 9 years old and 6 years old. I am going to teach them first of all about values and morals. But if they make a mistake, I don't want them punished with a baby". Our current president has voiced his support for abortion many times, but this quote I specifically chose to show how he views human life within the womb. Mr. Obama called this human life a punishment, and basically said that removing this child from his daughter's lives permanently would be the best solution so his daughter's aren't inconvenienced for a mistake they made. Folks, I am deeply saddened by this statement knowing that all human life in whatever form is precious and certainly not a punishment. I would like to ask the president if removing human life from inconveniencing us would be the right thing to do for our current illegal immigration problem? He would disagree I am sure, but this only brings to light his double standard when it comes to the value of human life. But now let's look toward another ideology concerning addressing abortion. Former president Ronald Wilson Reagan had a lot to say about this issue and could communicate it well. Mr. Reagan represents a leader who is the opposite of our current president for he is fiscally and socially very conservative. This is what our former president had to say "We cannot diminish the value of one category of human life-the unborn-without diminishing the value of all human life". I specifically chose this quote to show a much more mature, Biblical based view on human life. ALL HUMAN LIFE IS EQUALLY VALUABLE! The Bible teaches us that God fearfully and wonderfully made us in his image, knowing us before we were even in the womb! Mr. Obama and Mr. Reagan represent two different views on life. On the left we have the view of relative morality, a view that boils down to devaluing human life to fit our needs so that we can live comfortably. While on the right we have the view that all life is of equal value, no matter what gender, color, age, born, or yet to be born.
I hope this post helped open your eyes to the reality of what abortion really is. This is a matter of immense Biblical and political importance and Christians need to be leading the charge to uphold our Biblical and Constitutional right to life, and to be the voice for those who don't have one. This is the current civil rights movement.
P.S. All the links to my evidence and quotes are posted below.
www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/b/barackobam409134.html
www.notable-quotes.com/a/abortion_quotes.html
http://www.movementforabetteramerica.org/abortionindex.html
I hope this post helped open your eyes to the reality of what abortion really is. This is a matter of immense Biblical and political importance and Christians need to be leading the charge to uphold our Biblical and Constitutional right to life, and to be the voice for those who don't have one. This is the current civil rights movement.
P.S. All the links to my evidence and quotes are posted below.
www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/b/barackobam409134.html
www.notable-quotes.com/a/abortion_quotes.html
http://www.movementforabetteramerica.org/abortionindex.html
Friday, January 17, 2014
"The Bible is outdated and doesn't apply to us today"
That is one of the main criticisms I hear many secularists make today. "The Bible was written thousands of years ago, I don't want an old book governing my life". I partially am glad when I hear an unbeliever say this because I know that anyone, including the most devout of Christians and the most battle hardened atheists, know that the Bible certainly does apply to us today. If someone does not see how the Bible applies to us modern day it has to be simply out of ignorance of what is in the Bible. This is a somewhat good sign because here is your opportunity to show them the relevance of the Bible and in turn point them to Christ!
To begin with, anyone who says the Bible doesn't apply to us today, simply doesn't make the connection between the majority of our laws and the Bible. Here are a few examples of modern day law that is a reflection of what the Bible teaches. Let's start with a few things that are deemed illegal under both the gov't law and Biblical law. Murder, stealing, rape, racial slavery, false representation, burglary, polygamy, incest, bestiality and so much more. Those are just a few examples of how Biblical law is applicable to modern day society. Furthermore, there are a few other society implemented morals that are derived specifically from the Bible such as: the golden rule (Mat 7:12), loving your enemies (Mat 5:44) not falsely judging (Mat 7:1-5), and helping the needy (Deuteronomy 15:11). I could give you so many other examples of the Bible influencing our society. In fact, most of these, atheist secularists would agree are good for society! So even the most ardent atheist knows that at least certain parts of the Bible have been used to greatly improve society. Not to mention that our natural rights endowed to us by our creator which is established in the declaration of independence and the constitution derive from God, and if we look at our founder's faith its a clear conclusion that it is the Biblical God.
So its crystal clear that the Bible does indeed still apply to society, unless someone really thinks murder should be legal or the golden rule is bad? Furthermore, use this as an opportunity to point to the Holy inspiration of Scripture that separates itself from all other religions. Most importantly though, use this to lead them to the Cross for a very real God whom influences our society even today, wants a relationship with that person.
To begin with, anyone who says the Bible doesn't apply to us today, simply doesn't make the connection between the majority of our laws and the Bible. Here are a few examples of modern day law that is a reflection of what the Bible teaches. Let's start with a few things that are deemed illegal under both the gov't law and Biblical law. Murder, stealing, rape, racial slavery, false representation, burglary, polygamy, incest, bestiality and so much more. Those are just a few examples of how Biblical law is applicable to modern day society. Furthermore, there are a few other society implemented morals that are derived specifically from the Bible such as: the golden rule (Mat 7:12), loving your enemies (Mat 5:44) not falsely judging (Mat 7:1-5), and helping the needy (Deuteronomy 15:11). I could give you so many other examples of the Bible influencing our society. In fact, most of these, atheist secularists would agree are good for society! So even the most ardent atheist knows that at least certain parts of the Bible have been used to greatly improve society. Not to mention that our natural rights endowed to us by our creator which is established in the declaration of independence and the constitution derive from God, and if we look at our founder's faith its a clear conclusion that it is the Biblical God.
So its crystal clear that the Bible does indeed still apply to society, unless someone really thinks murder should be legal or the golden rule is bad? Furthermore, use this as an opportunity to point to the Holy inspiration of Scripture that separates itself from all other religions. Most importantly though, use this to lead them to the Cross for a very real God whom influences our society even today, wants a relationship with that person.
Wednesday, January 15, 2014
Supposed contradiction in Genesis explained away using simple logic.
I recently came into contact with an atheist who was very excited to announce he found a Biblical contradiction! He was ready to finally justify his disbelief in the supposed infallible word of God. He came up to me and said that God was happy with his creation as stated in Genesis 1 where God calls his creation very good and blesses it. But he went on to say that God suddenly changed his mind in Genesis 6:6 which states "The Lord regretted that he had made human beings on the earth, and his heart was deeply troubled". The atheist said that God can't be pleased about his creation and regret making it at the same time! After about 1 minute of further discussion the smile on his face was long gone, because yes it is a contradiction IF he didn't overlook one small event that took place between Genesis 1 and Genesis 6. Sin.
God had good reason to be disappointed in his most beloved creation. Humans chose to reject God through sinning. Whether it be eating forbidden fruit, fornicating, murdering, or even denying his very existence, humans turned completely away from God and his love in the process. God saw this and declared that this was not the same creation he had originally made in Genesis 1. Humans have effectively ruined everything by forcing the curse upon all the universe through the rejection of their creator. That is why God was pleased and then was displeased, just as a father is pleased with his son until that son disobeys the father.
The Bible has not, will not, and frankly can not contradict itself. The Truth is the truth for a reason, because it is reality. If anyone questions you on this supposed Genesis contradiction simply remember what you read here today.
God had good reason to be disappointed in his most beloved creation. Humans chose to reject God through sinning. Whether it be eating forbidden fruit, fornicating, murdering, or even denying his very existence, humans turned completely away from God and his love in the process. God saw this and declared that this was not the same creation he had originally made in Genesis 1. Humans have effectively ruined everything by forcing the curse upon all the universe through the rejection of their creator. That is why God was pleased and then was displeased, just as a father is pleased with his son until that son disobeys the father.
The Bible has not, will not, and frankly can not contradict itself. The Truth is the truth for a reason, because it is reality. If anyone questions you on this supposed Genesis contradiction simply remember what you read here today.
Sunday, January 12, 2014
Satisfaction is found only in God.
Sin is simply humans trying to find satisfaction outside of God. All of us no matter what race, gender, or culture seek satisfaction from this life. We look to find physical, emotional, and spiritual satisfaction. But can true satisfaction be attained by our own means? ABSOLUTELY NOT.
I maintain this conclusion with certainty based on the testimony of two people, myself and King Solomon. I, being 18 yrs old, have already tried to fill my needs with worldly things, whether it be lustful activities to satisfy the flesh, hanging out with the wrong crowd to satisfy the emotions, or seeking spiritual satisfaction through materialistic idols. But I can tell you that there was indeed temporary pleasure like a sugar high, but immediately followed by depression or an even stronger craving for satisfaction only to have the process repeat itself. Furthermore King Solomon experienced the same thing but he tested out everything, and I mean everything. In Ecclesiastes 1:1-2 Solomon (the author of this book) stated "Meaningless, meaningless, everything is utterly meaningless.". Let me remind you that King Solomon was offered everything he could possibly imagine from God as stated in First Kings 3. But Solomon turned down the riches of this world and asked for wisdom. Because of this, God granted him everything from riches and power, to land and victory in battle! In fact, God let Solomon build a magnificent temple in his honor to offer worship, something he did not let his father King David do. But Solomon, like most humans, eventually sought satisfaction in anything and everything other than God. Solomon had 2000 wives, all the money in the world, felt the joy of victory, and the power of expanding his borders, yet he stated that all of this is meaningless. He was never satisfied!
You might be saying to yourself "my situation is different" or "In today's day and age this doesn't apply". Well let me respond by saying that humans have already tried every possible alternative to God when searching for satisfaction, but don't take my word for it, listen to the wisest man to ever live. In Ecclesiastes 1:9 Solomon said "What has been will be again, that which has been done will be done again, there is nothing new under the sun". Listen closely to his words, whatever you are doing now to find that coveted satisfaction has already been done! People in the future will try it again and again to no avail. It is ludicrous to believe that doing the same thing over and over again will produce different results, but that is exactly what humans have been doing for centuries! But whats the point in identifying a problem if we don't also identify the solution. Want to find true eternal satisfaction? Here's how!
God. God created us, he made us, he knows us, and he wants a personal relationship with us! Human relationships have proven unreliable, material goods have an expiration date attached, but God is eternal and his love is reliable. That is why true satisfaction is only found in God! God will satisfy your physical needs Mathew 6:31-32. God satisfies our emotional needs through the fruits of the spirit Galatians 5:22-23. Finally God satisfies our spiritual needs by securing our eternal salvation in Christ Jesus John 3:16 and by promising to always be with us Joshua 1:9. So God promises in his word that all of our needs will be satisfied Philippians 4:19.
So I want to personally reach out to you and encourage you to stop wasting your life chasing vain worthless sin. Sin DOES NOT satisfy, Solomon knew this and I'm sure you do too since you are still searching for that satisfaction. God is the answer, you were created to be connected to him so don't waste another second! Acts 16:31 says that all who believe in our Lord Jesus Christ will be saved and therefore will be satisfied!
Thursday, January 9, 2014
A Christian cannot stand if our foundation is lost.
Psalms 11:3 "If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?". This verse is the key in describing the struggle between Christianity and the religion of Atheism. As Ken Ham of Answers In Genesis Ministries has said on multiple occasion, atheists are attacking the foundations of our faith and we fail to respond adequately. We are responding merely defensively or not attacking atheists in the right spot, their foundations. I cannot help but notice that we are losing the culture war. Prayer has been kicked out of schools, abortion has taken the lives of over 50 million human beings, and homosexuality is not just tolerated but encouraged as an alternative lifestyle. All three of these anti-God characteristics are merely a result of the rejection of the authority of the Word of God. But what has caused the Bible to lose its authority? Why would any Christian doubt what God has revealed to us? It's quite simple, Atheists have successfully damaged the foundations of our faith.
Up to this point, Satan has lost the battle when it comes to stopping the gospel from being spread to the ends of the earth. Martin Luther, Dwight Moody, Billy Sunday, and Billy Graham have made sure of that. But Satan has changed his strategy, instead of resisting the spread of the gospel he is now tainting the spread of the gospel with a poison known as doubt. This poison is conceived in the womb of astrological and biological evolution. Society, being of the world, has tried to convince the populace that evolution is a scientific fact. But let me tell you with up most certainty there is not a shred of observable science that proves evolution. All evolution is, is an atheists biased interpretation of fossils. I will address the debunking of evolution in a future article so be on the look out for that! Lets bring it back now though, why is evolution causing millions to reject the authority of the Bible? Its because we, as Christians, have not addressed the issue head on, we have not adjusted strategies like the enemy. While atheists are shouting that the Genesis account of creation is unscientific, we are responding by saying Jesus loves you, and you must believe in him. Although it is the truth, why would we expect a non Christian to believe that Jesus can save them when we don't address their concerns that Genesis is not true? In their minds, if Genesis is not accurate or literal how can any other part of the Bible be different? Its a legitimate concern and now lets address how we can successfully restore authority to the word of God.
We must take a lesson from the atheists, and use their own methods against them. Just as it is true with Christianity, it is also true with atheism. That if we can successfully destroy their foundation then what can the atheists do? So that's why we MUST focus and address those who attack Genesis. First, we must ask questions. When a non believer mocks you for believing in creationism, start asking questions about their belief forcing them to defend their faith. How do you know evolution is true? What evidence can we observe that supports that the universe is billions of years old? What if your wrong and we are right? How does any of what you believe disprove the existence of a god? Those are the killer questions I have field tested myself and have found great success in it. Trust, me even the most scholarly atheist cannot answer all of those questions without contradicting himself, or saying something unscientific. But before you head to the front lines converting hundreds, I must encourage you to visit the website of Answers In Genesis to fully equip yourself with the tools necessary to defend your faith and creationism in general.
So its time to win our culture back and rebuild our foundation. Once we successfully restore the legitimacy of Genesis as a literal historical account of creation, we will restore the legitimacy of the existence of God. Then we can say Acts 16:31 "Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved" and now that we have rooted out the weed of doubt, they will believe.
Up to this point, Satan has lost the battle when it comes to stopping the gospel from being spread to the ends of the earth. Martin Luther, Dwight Moody, Billy Sunday, and Billy Graham have made sure of that. But Satan has changed his strategy, instead of resisting the spread of the gospel he is now tainting the spread of the gospel with a poison known as doubt. This poison is conceived in the womb of astrological and biological evolution. Society, being of the world, has tried to convince the populace that evolution is a scientific fact. But let me tell you with up most certainty there is not a shred of observable science that proves evolution. All evolution is, is an atheists biased interpretation of fossils. I will address the debunking of evolution in a future article so be on the look out for that! Lets bring it back now though, why is evolution causing millions to reject the authority of the Bible? Its because we, as Christians, have not addressed the issue head on, we have not adjusted strategies like the enemy. While atheists are shouting that the Genesis account of creation is unscientific, we are responding by saying Jesus loves you, and you must believe in him. Although it is the truth, why would we expect a non Christian to believe that Jesus can save them when we don't address their concerns that Genesis is not true? In their minds, if Genesis is not accurate or literal how can any other part of the Bible be different? Its a legitimate concern and now lets address how we can successfully restore authority to the word of God.
We must take a lesson from the atheists, and use their own methods against them. Just as it is true with Christianity, it is also true with atheism. That if we can successfully destroy their foundation then what can the atheists do? So that's why we MUST focus and address those who attack Genesis. First, we must ask questions. When a non believer mocks you for believing in creationism, start asking questions about their belief forcing them to defend their faith. How do you know evolution is true? What evidence can we observe that supports that the universe is billions of years old? What if your wrong and we are right? How does any of what you believe disprove the existence of a god? Those are the killer questions I have field tested myself and have found great success in it. Trust, me even the most scholarly atheist cannot answer all of those questions without contradicting himself, or saying something unscientific. But before you head to the front lines converting hundreds, I must encourage you to visit the website of Answers In Genesis to fully equip yourself with the tools necessary to defend your faith and creationism in general.
So its time to win our culture back and rebuild our foundation. Once we successfully restore the legitimacy of Genesis as a literal historical account of creation, we will restore the legitimacy of the existence of God. Then we can say Acts 16:31 "Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved" and now that we have rooted out the weed of doubt, they will believe.
Tuesday, January 7, 2014
Is Judas's death a contradiction?
One of the many supposed "contradictions" of the Bible championed by pride ridden atheists is the seemingly two radically different descriptions of Judas Iscariot's death. The verses we will be referring to today are Mathew 27:5 and Acts 1:18. Mathew 27:5 states "So Judas threw the money into the temple and left. Then he went away and hanged himself." so clearly Mathew recorded Judas as committing suicide by hanging himself. But Acts 1:18 states "With the payment he received for his wickedness, Judas bought a field; there he fell headlong, his body burst open and all his intestines spilled out." clear contradiction right? WRONG. Let's dive a bit under the surface of this story and we will find that this is not a matter of two different deaths but simply two different views of the same death.
Let's preface this explanation with a few occupational details. Mathew was a tax collector prior to following Christ while Luke (the author of Acts) was a doctor prior to following Christ. These occupations are of immense importance when trying to understand these two passages. Tax collectors back in Jesus's day often took larger quantities of money from individuals then what was mandated by the state so detail was of no matter. While being a doctor, same as modern day, required great importance being placed on every detail. After all, a procedure could mean life or death. So this explains why Mathew's description is rather general and right to the point, he simply wrote what he saw. Luke of the other hand immersed his passage in detail. For example Mathew said Judas threw his money into the temple, and Luke stated how that thrown money was used to purchase the field of Judas's death. Another more important example of Luke diving into detail is the medical implications of hanging oneself. When Judas hung himself in this open field his body most likely hung there for hours on end, baking in the hot Jerusalem sun. Medically speaking, the body begins to decompose while hanging there and bacteria begins eating away at Judas's internal organs. A bi product of this bacterial decomposition is gas. This gas forced fluids out of the organs and cells in body cavities leading to a bloated corpse. The skin by now has been eaten away by the decomposition and is wearing thin thus leading to "his body bursting open and all his intestines spilling out".
Now that we have done a little extra research and studying, we find that a contradiction is a far cry from what these passages actually are. Two different people with radically different backgrounds explain the difference in describing the same death of one of the most infamous men in history.
(I attribute much of my knowledge of this issue to the ministry of Answers In Genesis, so please visit their website to learn more)
Let's preface this explanation with a few occupational details. Mathew was a tax collector prior to following Christ while Luke (the author of Acts) was a doctor prior to following Christ. These occupations are of immense importance when trying to understand these two passages. Tax collectors back in Jesus's day often took larger quantities of money from individuals then what was mandated by the state so detail was of no matter. While being a doctor, same as modern day, required great importance being placed on every detail. After all, a procedure could mean life or death. So this explains why Mathew's description is rather general and right to the point, he simply wrote what he saw. Luke of the other hand immersed his passage in detail. For example Mathew said Judas threw his money into the temple, and Luke stated how that thrown money was used to purchase the field of Judas's death. Another more important example of Luke diving into detail is the medical implications of hanging oneself. When Judas hung himself in this open field his body most likely hung there for hours on end, baking in the hot Jerusalem sun. Medically speaking, the body begins to decompose while hanging there and bacteria begins eating away at Judas's internal organs. A bi product of this bacterial decomposition is gas. This gas forced fluids out of the organs and cells in body cavities leading to a bloated corpse. The skin by now has been eaten away by the decomposition and is wearing thin thus leading to "his body bursting open and all his intestines spilling out".
Now that we have done a little extra research and studying, we find that a contradiction is a far cry from what these passages actually are. Two different people with radically different backgrounds explain the difference in describing the same death of one of the most infamous men in history.
(I attribute much of my knowledge of this issue to the ministry of Answers In Genesis, so please visit their website to learn more)
Sunday, January 5, 2014
Christianity: the only logical religion.
I come across many people whom understand the fundamental truth that there is a creator to this vastly intricate universe. They understand that a god exists. But they are led astray by the question which god? I have Hindu friends, Muslim friends, Janist friends, and of course, Christian friends. Many might suggest that all religions lead to the same god, or the same spiritual truth. I vehemently disagree.
I disagree not only because of the numerous fundamental differences between each religion, but also because the Bible sets itself apart as the clear inspired word of God. To begin with Hindu's have over 250 million different gods, basically a god for anything and everything. Janist's, like Buddhists, conform to the belief that all forms of life contain spiritual significance. Muslims adhere to a monotheistic view in which Allah is their god. All of these religions have texts that were derived from one generational period or in some cases, just one person. Also, none of these religions existed at the beginning of time, Jainism is listed as one of the oldest, but not the oldest. Islam didn't begin until Mohammad walked the earth centuries after the death of Christ. Hinduism has been coined by some as the oldest religion but there is no evidence to support this besides tradition passed down through the generations. Another major point is that none of these religions give a detailed historical account of the beginning of time without borrowing views expressed in the Bible. These religions impact many spiritually, but there is no evidence to support their legitimacy or the fact they all claim to be the "right religion".
This is where Christianity stands alone. Christianity is easily the oldest religion as described in Genesis 1:1 "In the beginning God created the Heavens and the Earth". The God of the Bible has always existed and he revealed to us through his word how he made everything come to be. Later in Genesis we find that on the 6th day of creation God created man in his own image and later created a woman from the man. These first two people were named Adam and Eve, and they walked with God as recorded in Genesis. So the first human beings to walk the Earth had a clear intimate relationship with the God of the Bible. In addition, the universally accepted dating system of BC and AD refer to Christ and the number of years in relation to before or after Christ lived on this Earth, and just more evidence of the Biblical God being incorporated in our dating methods for both ancient and modern times. So one can easily conclude those who believe in the Biblical God adhere to the original God of the universe, the same God as Adam and Eve. Furthermore the Bible, unlike any other religion, has over 40 authors over a period of 2000 years. Its very easy to make up a religion or falsehood when one person is writing everything over one generation, but it is extremely difficult to maintain a good religion that is consistent with over 40 people adding to it over many generations with some authors not even knowing each other or living in completely different countries. This would be near impossible to do, unless it was truly inspired by God. The Bible has no contradictions, no falsehoods even with such diverse authorship. Anyone who has read the Bible can testify to the extreme detail about history and spiritual truths that it records, it should be easy to prove at least a few things false if the Bible was as outrageous as some claim. But with every cross reference, archaeological find, and secular historical account, the Bible comes out spotless.
So I contend that the Biblical God is the most logical religion based on the issues mentioned above. The fact that the Bible records creation and has stood the test of time, and the fact that the Bible contains more diverse authorship and a lengthier time span of revelations than any other contemporary religion. It is a grave mistake to not believe in God, and it is most logical to believe in the Biblical God.
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