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| What Does The Resurrection Mean? Do We Still Need The Ten Commandments?
Why should we read and believe the Bible? It is stated very simply that in 2 Timothy 3:16 "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness." In plain words it is God's word to us. There are many many questions people have that can be answered for us in scripture: what is the purpose of this life, why do I exist, what happens when I die, Is there a heaven, how do I get there, why must I struggle with life, what really matters in this life, can I really change my life to make it better? If so, how? These questions can go on and on. But these answers we can find in the Bible. All we have to do is read God's Word and believe in them. Our God is a never changing God; He was the same yesterday as He is today and will be the same for all eternity. Man's culture, environment, and technology changes, but not man's nature. Except for these few things; there is nothing new under the sun in this world. While mankind seeks answers and satisfaction in all the wrong places he just keeps getting more confused than he was before. God our Creator, tells us what will bring us everlasting joy and satisfaction; His revealed Word!! What did Jesus say to the Devil in Matthew 4:4 "But he answered and said, It is written, man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out if the mouth of God." If you want to live life to the fullest as God wants us to, then listen and heed to God's Word. We should know God's Word because there is alot of false teaching out there in this world. We have to know the truth from the false teachings or we will be no better off than we were before. In fact we will be worse off. We will be following and worshiping something that is not true to Our Creator. How do you really know that the church that you attend is telling you the truth? Do not just take the word of your Pastor about something; read your Bible; look it up in the Bible, and then you will know the truth. The real truth. Get the TRUTH right from the WORD! The Bible will get you ready for serving God. It will help you to know how to be saved from your sin and its consequence. Meditating on it and obeying its teachings will bring success in life. Gods Word will help you see the sin in your life and help you get rid of it; it will give you guidance in life. The Bible will keep you from wasting years of your life on things that will not last and does not matter. We are told in Matthew 6:19,20 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourself treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal. The Bible is not just for reading; it is for studying and for putting into practice into your own life. I, myself, did not realized how much I use to sin until I started to read the Bible. No you don't have to read the Word; you can ignore it and take the consequence of it which means spending all of eternity in the LAKE OF FIRE. It is your choice, choose wisely! The Bible does not try to prove the existance of God; but brings out His nature, love, grace, forgiveness, mercy, power, character, and many other things about him. You must think the right way about God or you will be going into idolatry; you do this and you will be going down the road into big time destruction. Understanding the Bible, Helpful hints on Bible reading The Dictionary defines the word ( Understand ) as,1. be aware of the meaning of. 2. deduce The Dictionary defines the word ( Deduce ) as, 1.derive by reasoning The Dictionary defines the word ( Derive ) as, 1. obtain from source or parent. Now that we know the full meaning of the word ( Understand ) Lets go on. Question; Do you need a college education to understand the Bible? Answer; NO Question; Do you need a High School School Education to understand the Bible? Answer; NO Question; Can everyone understand the Bible? Answer NO Question; Who can understand the Bible? Answer, Christians and Those who are seeking the Truth The Bible is The Living Word of God. Christians and those who come to the Bible seeking the Truth will find that the Bible has all the answers to all their questions. . To those who come to the Bible for the first time find, The Bible has The Old Testament and The New Testament. The Bible has alot of unfamiliar names that require unusual pronunciations, and at first the Bible might seem to be a challenge, and the question might be, How? or Where does one begin? The answer depends on who you are. A Christian? or A Seeker of Truth? For the Christian there is no wrong way to begin, However there are some things you should know before you start, and for the Seeker of Truth, there are some things you need to know also. Question: What is the difference between A Christian and A Seeker of truth? Answer: A Christian is one to whom the Truth has been revealed. A Seeker of Truth is one who is searching for something, and does not know what it is. Let us deal with The seeker of Truth first, then we can go on to the Christian. The first thing The Seeker of Truth needs to know, is, what they are experiencing is coming from God Our Father. For it is God Our Father who leads us to Jesus Christ. Ref: The Gospel of John, chapter 6 verse 44. No man can come to me, except the Father whichhathsent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day. The seeker of Truth could save alot of time and trouble if they could only believe this, and accept The Love of God by confessing the fact that they are a sinner and that they need Jesus Christ. However, like most of us this will only happen after all other options have been throughly exhausted. Here are somethings that might help those who are searching for Truth. 1. Jesus Christ said; ( God's Word is Truth ) Ref: The Gospel of John, Chapter 17 verse 17 2. Jesus Christ is God and also The Word of God. Ref: The First Epistle of John Chapter 1 verse1 also The Gospel Of John Chapter 1 verse 1 3. God is a Spirit Ref: The Gospel of John Chapter 4 verse 24 4. With God being a Spirit and The Word of God being God. We can only come to one conclusion, The Word of God is Spiritual. 5. The Natural person or the person who's spirit has not been ReBorn cannot receive the things of the Spirit, For they are Spiritualy Discerned. Ref: First Corinthians Chapter 2 verse 14 6. Conclusion for The Seeker of Truth. If you really want to understand the Bible, Become Born Again. Which means, From the time of your human birth your Spirit has been dead within you. Only God can give life to your Spirit, and this takes place when you accept His Love through Jesus Christ. By Recogonizing the fact that you are a sinner, and that you need to be Reconciled to God. There is only One Way to God and that is Through Jesus Christ. You can come to Jesus Christ anytime you want. You do not have to do anything special to come to Him, He takes us right where we are. For the Christian there is something you should know. As A Christian you are a Child Of God and part of Christ's Body, That is, The Church. Ephesians 4:3 thru 6 tells us ( Endeavouring to keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body, and one Spirit, even as you are called in one hope of your calling; One Lord, one faith, one baptism, One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.) The reason why we need to know this is, We have ( The Great Divide ) within the Body of Christ. The Divisions found within the Body of Christ come from schemes of Satan. When we put our trust in God to teach us and not in man, Satan cannot lead us down the wrong path. We can look at 2 verses of scripture that will assure us of God's teaching. 1. The Gospel of John 14:26 But the Comforter, which is the Holy Spirit, who the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembering, whatsoever I have said unto you. 2. The First Epistle of John 2:27 But the anointing which you have received of him abides in you, and you need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teaches you all things, and is Truth, and is no lie, even as it has taught you, you shall abide in him. The Holy Spirit teaches the same thing to all believers, meaning, The Holy Spirit will not teach one believer one thing, and then turn around and teach another believer something different on the same subject, which would lead to theological debates. for as it is written, First Corinthians 14:33 ( For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints.) Pray before reading God's word, and stand on these promises and you will learn what it is Our Father needs to teach you at your present time. Our Father in Heaven loves each one of us, and He knows what we need and when we need it. God will Bless You as you read His Word.
All right; now we know that we need faith to believe in God; but how do we get faith? Let's go back a few books to (John 1:1) "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God" We receive our faith by hearing about it and believing it from the Word and other people; after we receive faith it is up to each individual to grow in their faith and this we do by studying, and by talking to others, reading the Word, through church, Bible study, Sunday School, and reading related material; all of this will allow us to grow in our faith for our Lord. Faith is mention in the Bible well over two hundred times; mostly in the New Testament but it was also present in the Old Testament; let's look at some verses of the Bible Romans 1:17 For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith. Ephesians 6:16 Above all, taking the shields of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. Hebrews 11:13 These all died in faith, not having seen the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. 2 Corinthians 8:7 Therefore, as ye abound in every thing, in faith, and utterance, and knowledge, and in all diligence, and in your love to us, see that ye bound in this grace also. Luke 17:5 And the apostles said unto the Lord, increase our faith. Ephesians 3:12 In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him. As you can see; faith is our starting point; without it we can go nowhere. It is only after we believe in faith that we can grow in our relationship with the Lord.
The Bible is put into basically two parts, the Old Testament and the New Testament. There are thirty nine books in the Old Testament and there are twenty seven books in the New Testament making a total of sixty six books. In the Old Testament we have the law, history of Israel, books of wisdom, and prophets. The New Testaments we have the Gospels, Book of Acts, beginning of the early church, the epistles of Paul, what is called the general epistles and the Book of Revelations. However, each book will provide it own contribution to the Bible. All of these could be broken down into other segments, but this is enough for now. Most of the chapters will intermingle with each at one point or another. This should give you a general idea how the Bible is made up. The Old Testament basically tells of the Creation of the world, the history of the world before Jesus, the coming of Christ, and so much more. The New Testament tells us of His birth and life's ministry on earth. But the Bible tells us so much more; It tells us of wars, famines, times of milk and honey, salvation, death, births, prophesy, miracles, history of nations, rise and fall of nations, how to live and get along with one another, and many more things. Read the Bible and you will be amazed. This is only one of God's ways that He communicates to you. God tells us about different things in the Bible. On some of the things like the Tabernacle; He went into very minute detail about it. He left nothing out that was supposed to be done to it down to the last detail. On other things He just touched on the subject very lightly. And in doing this, it gives us a lot of questions without any real answers in the Bible. The commentaries of the Bible do a pretty good job of answering our questions. But even they at times they are different on their opinion on the same subject. It is also better to use more than one commentary on a subject. Then use the commentary that applies the best to the subject you are working with. Pray before reading the Bible and pray for the right answer. The Bible is the oldest book known to man. It has been around for years. The Bible has been condemned, criticized, burned, lied about, and anything else you can think of. And the Bible has survived all of it. God has preserved it for us and will continue to preserve it for all times. This is our instruction book for this life.
The Bible tells us to forgive others not only once, not only seven times, but seven times seventy, which is four hundred and ninty times. The Lord forgives us for our sins no matter what we have done. Jesus Christ is the perfect form of Forgiveness. Jesus Christ is The Way, The Truth, and The Life.What is the opposite of Life? answer Death. What is the opposite of Forgiveness, answer Unforgiveness, which makes Unforgiveness and Death synonymous. Christians are those who have their Spirits Reborn, Christians are alive and no longer Dead. In all actuality Christians have to go out of their way, or try to be something they are not, to carry out the act of unforgiveness. That's Right. Unforgiveness and Forgiveness are action words, to perform either one will require work, and we all know the meaning of work. We can work for the rewards of Life, or the consequences of Death. The choice we make is determined by our will, and all of our decisions are based on our will, for we are living souls free to choose. Forgiveness is an act of our will, and we can choose the time and the place when forgiveness happens. If we choose to forgive others right away, we can be released from the consequences of waiting. example-There is a land owner who purchased a field for growing crops. and on this field there are weeds that need to be cut. The land owner has a decision to make, to cut the weeds right away or to wait. The land owner knows that the weeds will only get higher and will be harder to cut the longer time passes. However, waiting always seems to be more desirable when it serves our self interest, for it delays the time of extra work, But there is a price to pay for waiting, not only will cutting the weeds require more work, but waiting will also require the extra work of trying not to think about cutting the weeds. For when we know we should do something, and we are not doing what we know is right, there is no peace of mind. To take this idea of waiting to the extreme. Lets say, The land owner waited for twenty years then decided to cut the weeds. Now it is not just the weeds that need cut, there are also large trees growing on the land which will require alot more work to remove.and all the years of waiting resulted in no income from the land. The land was useless and brought in no harvest. There is a testimony where Our Lord was healing the sick at a worship service. People were coming forward to the alter and walking away healed. When one lady who was elderly, and severly crippled with arthritus came forward desiring to be healed, as she approached the alter, The Holy Spirit spoke thru the minister, asking the question, there is someone, who, you have not forgiven is that right? The women replied, Yes, The Minister asked, who is it? The woman replied, I will never forgive my daughter in law for marrying my son. The minister replied, you must forgive her to be healed, The woman turned away and went back to her seat, still in pain from her arthritus.The years of unforgiveness had turned the heart of this Christian woman to stone. Mattthew 18:21-22 Then came Peter to Him, and said , Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times? Jesus said, I say not unto thee, untill seven times: but, untill seventy time seven. Mark 11:25-26 And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have aught against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses. But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses. Ephesians 4:32 And be ye kind to one another, tenderharted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.
The Dictionary defines the word (Rapture) as "spiritual or emotional ecstasy" The Dictionary defines the word (ecstasy) as "extreme emotional excitement" Looking at these two definitions we can agree, that when the Church "The Body Of Christ" is together with Our Lord. There will be some shouting going on! So in this way, the word Rapture is correct. However, when we look at the means or the method by which the Church "The Body Of Christ" will be ushered into this time of jubilation the term Rapture does not seem to be appropriate. The word (Rapture) will not be found in the Bible. No where in the original text of the "Old Testament" Hebrew, or the original text of the "New Testament" Greek. However, There is a Greek word, ( harpazo pronounced, har-pad'-zo;) which means " catch away up, pluck, shall be seized" This word is found in the New testament, First Thessalonians 4:17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. This is the basis for the term "Rapture" that is used so frequently today.caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord., There is no small controversy today among ( Theologians ) about when this catching away or Rapture is going to take place.The only concerns we should have is, YES, there is going to be a catching away of the Church, WHEN? Soon Let us look at some of the scriptures for more information on this time called the Rapture 1 Corinthians 15; 51-54 Behold I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruptible, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. 1 Thessalonians 4:14-18 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangle and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words..
In the same manner people {humans} regardless of where or how they live always had a feeling of a sense of a higher power that they look up to worship; their way of worship may be different than yours or mine, but it is there. You see, God does a little bit of tugging to pull you to himself. God created man with a free will; we can choose to believe in him or not to believe in him. If we choose to believe in him when we die, we will go to be with him in heaven for all eternity: if we choose not to believe in him, when we die we will spent all eternity in the Lake of Fire separated from God. God has revealed Himself to us through His Word, the Bible. All throughout the Old Testament He tells us "I am your God, I am your God" In the New Testament Jesus, His Son, (also God) tells us that He is the way, John 14:6 Jesus said unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father but by me. You may believe that there is a God; but do you believe in the God? This is where you faith comes into motion; you must have faith in God. Hebrews 11:6 tells us - But without faith it is impossible to please Him; for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarded of them that diligenty seek him.
We know there is a Creator because of creation, but we only know the will of the Creator through his Word. In the New Testament God reveled to us that He is not only one, but a triune family of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; who all work together as one. Jesus who took on human flesh is the most visible to us as Jesus shows us a very special relationship between the two of them; this is portrayed in the four gospels as well as the whole New Testament. The Godhead family cooperates as one in bringing the lost person into the redeemed family of the Lord. The most distinctive characteristic of the family is their selfless love and trust for each other: this is to portray a model family for the Christian families. After Jesus's miniseries here on earth and following His resurrection; He sent his disciples to baptize in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit: Matthew 28:19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. and this continued throughout the New Testament. After mankind fall in the Garden of Eden; mankind lost its' relationship with God; the fall is restored to mankind to fellowship by God's action; this will happen when we acknowledge the plan of salvation of the Father, expressed by the Son, and energized by the Holy Spirit. The word is in the singular, the "name," not names. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is the final name of the one true living God. It affirms that God is One. That He subsists in a personality which is three parts, indicated by a relationship as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
We were conceived in sin as we were born into sin;" we are all sinners and have to believe on salvation if we want to get out and away from sin; only our Lord Jesus Christ is able to do this for us: Acts 4:12 tells us - Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. When sin entered mankind, God already had the plan of salvation for man so that man could be reinstated to God instead of spending eternity in the Lake of Fire. The spiritual deliverance which God immediately grants to those who accept His conditions of repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus. The plan of salvation will allow us to have a personal relationship with Him that He wants. The Father has great thing in store to give us once we become His children. Salvation also means that when we leave this life that we will be with the Lord for all eternality; as Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 5:8 We are confident, I say, and willing to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord. and 1 Thessalonians 5:9 For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ. For more on salvation click here
Peter clearly taught that baptism was not a act of physical purification, but the pledge of a good conscience toward God. Baptism is the symbol of what has already occurred in the heart and life of one who has trusted Christ as Savior.
The resurrection of Jesus Christ is a doctrine of Christianity that tells us that God raised Jesus Christ from the dead on the third day of His death. Without the resurrection there would not be any Christianity, no salvation as we know it today, and no faith, nothing to look forward to. Jesus's preaching and belief would be meaningless. The resurrection is the point at when God's intention for Jesus becomes clear. As stated in 1 Corinthians 15:14-17 And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain. Yea and we are found false witnesses of God; because we have testified that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not, for if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised: And if Christ be not raised, your faith is in vain; ye are yet in your sins. --- He died to take away our sins when he himself was sinless: do you know of a greater love than this that someone has for you. Through this act of Jesus Christ is why we can have salvation; to have a personal relationship with Him while we are still here in this world and to be with the Lord for ever more when we leave this world. There is not one human being that could have done what Jesus has done for us; humans are full of sin and we are not holy; Jesus Christ was sinless and He was holy except the few hours on the cross when he took all the worlds sin onto himself. This is why God the Father forsaken Jesus, His Son, for those few hours: God the Father is a holy person and cannot be around sin. We are blessed to have a God like we have. Eternal life means that once you make a total commitment to Jesus Christ you will have eternal life once you die and leave this world; this life is given to us by Jesus as a gift to all believers. This also means that the second death that the Bible talks about will not have any effect on us; however, the persons that do not believe on Him will enter into the Lake of Fire after the Great White Throne Judgment, this is the second death, to spend all eternity separated from God. In this life God gave us two choices to choose from; to choose to be with Him or to choose to not be with Him: in either case it is for all eternity; and there is no changing your mind once you are there. You must choose in this life where you want to go when you die; Heaven or The Lake of Fire, you will have eternal life in either one. Here are a few verses concerning eternal life. Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. 1 John 5:13 These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God. Jude 1:21 Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. According to scripture, Hell is definitely real! The punishment of the wicked in Hell is described as are the never-ending blessings of the saved in Heaven. The punishment of the wicked in Hell is described throughout Scripture as everlasting fire, unquenchable fire, shame and contempt, a place where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched, a place of torments and flame, a place of torment with fire and brimstone, where the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever, and a lake of fire and brimstone where the wicked are tormented day and night forever and ever. Jesus himself tells us that the punishment in Hell itself is everlasting. Praise God that through his plan of salvation that we, the believers, will escape going into Hell. Jesus said that Hell is eternal just as Heaven is. The above description of Hell is taken right out of the Scriptures. Who in their right mind would like to spend eternity in Hell? The good news is that there is a way that you will not go to Hell; and that is by getting your salvation from Jesus Christ. The unbelieving are subject to the wrath of God; they consciously suffer shame and contempt of an accusing conscience, along with the fiery wrath for all of eternity. Even those in Hell will acknowledge the justice of God. Psalms 76:10 Surely the wrath of man shall praise thee: the remainder of wrath shalt thou restrain. Those who are in the very real Hell will know that their punishment is just and that they alone are to blame. Yes, Hell is real. Yes, Hell is a place of torment and punishment that lasts forever and ever, with no end! Regardless of whether you believe it or not, Hell exists and the Bible says that it is never full. I've heard people say that Hell is not mentioned in the Bible or that Hell is just the grave; neither one of these statements are true. When you die your body goes into the grave; but, your soul goes to Heaven or to Hell. It is your choice. Well, let's take a look at what the Bible says. Here are a few verses of scriptures that deal with Hell and the Lake of Fire, Hell, death and those names that are not written in the Book of Life will be cast into the Lake of Fire. The lake of fire and brimstone. Revelation 20:14 And death and hell were cast into the Lake of Fire. Matthew 25:41 Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels. Revelation 14:11, And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day or night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name. Revelation 20:12, 15, And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life...And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. Luke 12:5, But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, which AFTER he hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him. Matthew 18:8, 9 Wherefore if thy hand or thy foot offend thee, cut them off, and cast them from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life halt or maimed, rather than having two hands or feet to be cast into everlasting fire. And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire. Matthew 25:46, And these shall go away into EVERLASTING punishment: but the righteous into life eternal. II Thessalonians 1:9 Who shall be punished with EVERLASTING destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power. Isaiah 66:24, And they shall go forth, and look upon the carcasses of the men that have transgressed against me: for their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched; and they shall be abhorring unto all flesh. Mark 9:44 Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. Do you want to go there? Do We Still Need The Ten Commandments? As Jesus preached on the Sermon on the Mount He clearly showed that His coming had not canceled the Ten Commandments; these laws originate from God and His eternal character, therefore, their value cannot change or be taken away; they will exist as long as there is a God. Here is Exodus 20:3-17 3 Thou shalt have no other gods before me. 4 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. 5 Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; 6 And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments. 7 Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain. 8 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: 10 But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: 11 For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it. 12 Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee. 13 Thou shalt not kill. 14 Thou shalt not commit adultery. 15 Thou shalt not steal. 16 Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour. 17 Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's.
As Jesus preached on the Sermon on the Mount He clearly showed that His coming had not canceled the Ten Commandments; these laws originate from God and His eternal character, therefore, their value cannot change or be taken away; they will exist as long as there is a God. Some people think that because we live in the New Testament, Church Age, or in the Age of Grace we don't have to obey them; that they were for the Old Testament only; but they are in the New Testament also. There are not listen in the New Testament as they were in the Old Testament, but they are there and here they are. First Commandment - Thou shall have no other gods before me. Matthew 4:10 Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. Luke 4:8 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee behind me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. Second Commandment - Thou shalt not worship Idols. 1 Corinthians 10:14 Wherefore, my dearly beloved, flee from idolatry. Collossians 3:5 Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry: Third Commandment - Thou shall not take the name of the Lord in vain. Matthew 5:34 But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God's throne: James 2:7 Do not they blaspheme that worthy name by the which ye are called. Fourth Commandment - Remember to keep the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Matthew 12:8 For the Son of man is Lord even of the sabbath day. Mark 2:27 And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath: Fifth Commandment - Honour your father and mother. Matthew 15:4 For God commanded, saying, Honour thy father and mother: and, He that curseth father or mother, let him die the death. Colossians 3:20 Children, obey your parents in all things: for this is well pleasing unto the Lord. Sixth Commandment - Thou shall not murder. Matthew 19:18 He saith unto him, Which? Jesus said, Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness. Romans 1:29 Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, Seventh Commandment - Thou shall not commit adultry. Matthew 5:27 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: Matthew 5:28 But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart. Eigth Commandment - Thou shall not steal. Matthew 19:18 He saith unto him, Which? Jesus said, Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Luke 18:20 Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother. Ninth Commandment - Thou shall not bear false witness. Luke 18:20 Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother. Colossians 3:9 Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds. Tenth Commandment - Thou shall not covet your neighbour's things. Luke 12:15 And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth. Romans 7:7 What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet. Here we have the Ten Commandments from the Old Testament and the New Testament; this can be all summed up by one more verse; Matthew 5:18 For verily I say unto you, till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be filfilled. Did you take notice while reading the Ten Commandments that the first four of them were between God and us; the other six are between mankind? Now, let us take a look at Matthew 22:37-40 Jesus said to him, thou shalt love thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
Adam was the start of the whole human race and when he sinned he passed this sin along to all mankind. Out of this perverted nature come all the sins of the human race. There is no one person that is free from sin. Scripture tells us in Romans 3:23 For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. Also in Romans 6:23 For the wage of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. God the Father is holy and cannot sin; Jesus the Son is holy and cannot sin: the Bible focuses on mankind sin and Gods way of redemption for us; this redemption will bring us back into God's good gracefulness; without redemption we are set apart from God: the angles can also sin, but they cannot have redemption. Once they have fallen away from God's service, they will end up in the Lake of Fire as many humans will that don't have redemption. God demands righteousness; sin is rebellion toward God; when we sin we are breaking God's will, going against what God wants and stands for. James 2:10 tells us that - For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all. In plain words, there is no one sin greater than another and we are guilty of all of them. James 2:11 For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if you commit no adultery, yet you kill, you are become a transgressor of the law. The Bible comes as good news for mankind because it tells us that God has a plan of salvation for us through His Son; Jesus paid the price of our penalty for us to be redeemed. In the book of Titus 2:14 tells us that - Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. In the Epistle of Paul to the Galatians; Paul tells us of some of the sin that we commit: Galatians 5:19-21 - 19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, impurity, licentiousness, 20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, strife, jealousy, wrath, selfishness, divisions, heresies, 21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of which I tell you beforehand, as I have also told you in time past, that they who do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. Now,when we Christians sin, and we will, how can we get into heaven? According to the above verses we can't get there becaused we sinned: we ask our Lord for forgiveness and the Lord being the loving God that he is, will forgive us. Our Lord and Savior is a forgiving God!
There are two major views concerning predestination; the first one is known as Calvinism; in this view is that God chooses the person to be saved or to spend eternity in hell. This means that God chooses the person and that person has no say in the subject. In this view what happen to man's free will? The man can not choose this way. The other view is that man chooses God over the fact that God chooses man. This view is called Arminianism; here man is exercising his free will to choose God and God does not interfere with it. In this view man chooses to be saved or to spend eternity in hell. Let us look at this this way; God is omniscient; meaning that He has knowledge of the past, present, and future; so He looks into the future as sees some of us turning to Him; this is called the foreknowledge of God; so his foreknowledge saw us turning to Him and He predestined us to become Christ - like which is sinless. The Bible tells us in Ephesians 1:4,5 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will. Also in Romans 8:29 tells us what God predestine us to be: For whom he did foreknow, he also predestinate to be conformed to the image of His Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.
Matthew 11:21,22 Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works, which were done in you, had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the day of judgment, than for you. Matthew 11:23,24 And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven, shalt be brought down to hell: for if the mighty works, which have been done in thee, had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. But I say unto you, That it shall be more tolerable for the lande of Sodom in the day of judgement than for thee." The unbelieving are subject to the wrath of God. They consciously suffer shame and contempt of an accusing conscience, along with the fiery wrath for all of eternity. Even those in Hell will acknowledge the justice of God. What did Jesus say about Hell? Here are some verses about Hell. Matthew 25:41 Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: Mark 9:47 And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out: it is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire: John 5:29 And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation. Matthew 25:46 And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal. Mark 9:44 Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. Isaiah 66:24, And they shall go forth, and look upon the carcasses of the men that have transgressed against me: for their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched; and they shall be abhorring unto all flesh. The image of the worm is taken from Isaiah 66:24, and refers to those worms which feed upon the carcasses of men. The fire and worm can hardly be taken literally, for the two figures are incompatible--worms do not frequent fires. The two describe Hell as a state of decay which is never completed and of a burning which does not burn out or consume, the fire does not destroy you; it just torments you day and night forever. The Hinnom Valley is just outside of Jerusalem on the south west side of it; this valley was used as a garbage dump for the city of Jerusalem; what was in it? Just about anything you can imagin. all the cities garbage. dead animals, waste materials, dead humaim bodies, and anything else you can think of. Fires were continuely started to burn all of these things and as you can imagin the smell of it was terrible. Jesus describer Hell as this place to allow people to get a faint ideal of what Hell is like. It is a fact that the Doctrin of Hell was taught by Jesus. It was Him who said that the wicked shall be cast into the Lake of Fire along with the Devil and his angels and that there would be wailing and gashing of teeth as in Matthew 25:41 Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angles. God is full of love for us. but God is also just; He must preserve the Righteous from the Wicked; this demands that they be separated for all eternity; therefore friend, if you are not a child of God; I recommend that you flee from the Wrath of God and accept His mercy and plan of salvation before it is too late. Pray the right way and your inner needs will be met in many ways; as in the strength of your inner soul in Psalm 138:3 In the day when I cried thou answeredst me, and strengthenedst me with strength in my soul; guidance and satisfaction; in Isaiah 58:11 And the Lord shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul; wisdom and understanding; in Daniel 9:22 And he informed me, and talked with me, and said, O Daniel, I am now come forth to give thee skill and understanding; rewards you as in Matthew 6:6 But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly; in knowledge and judgement Philippians 1:9 And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and all judgement; our daily needs; Matthew 6:11 Give us this day our daily bread; healing and forgiveness James 5:14,15 Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sin, they shall be forgiven him. This list of prayers could go on and on; the results of prayers in the Bible is very numerous. There is nothing in this world that we can't pray for. For more information on prayer Click Here
Leaning has the sense of putting your whole weight on something, resting on and trusting in that person or thing. When we have an important decision to make, we sometimes feel that we can't trust anyone, not even God. But God knows what is best for us. And he knows even better than we do what we really need. We must trust him completely in every choice we make. We should not omit careful thinking or belittle our God given ability to reason; but we should not trust our own ideas to the exclusion of God. We must not be wise in our own eyes. We should always be willing to listen to and be corrected by God. Bring your decisions to God in prayer, use the Bible as your guide, and follow God's leading. He will make your paths straight by both guiding and protecting you. To receive God's guidance, we must acknowledge God in all our ways. This means turning every area of life over to him. Jesus emphasized this same truth in 2 Corinthians 1:9 but we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead. Look at your values and priorities. What is important to you? In what areas have you not acknowledged him? In many areas of your life you may already acknowledge God, but it is the areas where you attempt to restrict or ignore his influence that will cause you grief. Make him a vital part of everything you do. Then he will guide you because you will be working to accomplish his purposes. After the bad news about our sinfulness and God's condemnation, Paul gives us the wonderful news. There is a way to be declared not guilty by trusting Jesus Christ to take away our sins. Trusting means putting our confidence in Christ to forgive our sins, to make us right with God, and to empower us to live the way he taught us. God's solution is available to all of us regardless of our background or past behavior. Just read the Word. Here is the sum of all of this in two verses of scripture: Proverbs 3:5,6 Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. Ever wonder what God's Will is for you? I believe this question bothered many of us for a long time; I know it did me. What does God want me to do, if I don't do what He wants of me, will I still go to heaven, where do I work, who do I marry, and etc. Where can I find these answers? Knowing God's will for myself is not a problem for me any more and it need not be for you. Some people say all answers can be found in the Bible somewhere. Let us take a look into scripture for some answers, because God has revealed them to us there. It will help us how we look at things and how we make some decisions. The first thing He wants is in 1 Timothy 2:4 Who will have all men saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. Also in Titus 2:11-14 For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and wordly lust, we should live soberly, righteously,and godly, in this present world; Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a pecutiar people, zealous of good works. This happens when you get acquainted with the Bible, by hearing the Word, by believing the Word, and obeying the Word. God's Will is that it be preached to every creature, and that His people will embrace it. God also wants every creature to be filled with the Holy Spirit; which we receive when we become a believer; the Holy Spirit will convict us of sin and helps us do what is right. The scripture of 1 Corinthians 6:19 tells us that; What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which you have of God, and ye are not your own. The Holy Spirit does not come a little bit at a time or in spurts. He come when you get saved and He will be there until you die; then He will return to God, as it states in Ecclesiastes 12:7 Then shall the dust return to earth as it was: and the Spirit shall return to God who gave it. God also wants us to obey our parents and the authority where we live no matter what! Be submissive to all of your masters; this means parents, teachers, employers, authorities where you live.1 Peter 2:18 tells us that; Servants, be subject to your masters with all fear; not only to the good and gentle, but also to the forward. The only time you don't have to obey these commands is when they go against God's commands, and then you will obey God's commands. Each and every one of us must follow the Ten Commandants. These ten laws are the foundation for all the rest of the laws set down by God. If we follow these laws we cannot go wrong. Take notice; I did not say it would be easy. Some people think because they were given in the Old Testament that they do not exist any more as we live in the Age of Grace: but they do exist in the New Testament. They are here to be obeyed as long as we are alive in this life. The Bible tells us in Matthew 5:18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. God doesn't care too much as to the paths we follow in life; but what He does care about is how we do it. If we live a life according to scripture, no matter what path we take; He will open doors and guide us all the way. He will be with us in every step we take. We need wisdom in this life to make it through the hard times and to make it easier for us: as it states in James 1:5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not, and it shall be given him. It is our job in this life to find out what God wants of us; if we live our lives holy, within God's law, and make decisions based on wisdom and be obedient to Him: He will be with us no matter where we go. It will not matter where we work, who our friends are, who we marry, and etc. God will be with us through the good times and the hard times. In Hebrews 13:5 He tell us I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. God wants us to become a believer and come to Him. Now that we know what God wants us to do. Let's do it and God will direct all of our ways: as the Book of Proverbs tell us in 3:6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. And in Psalms 32:8 I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou will go: I will guide thee with mine eye. Where we work, play, marry, live, or whatever we do; this is our free will that God gave us and He will still be with us. Each and every one of us human beings has what we call a soul. A soul does not take up space, does not have matter like we do, it is invisible and has no weight. In a way it is like a spirit. We cannot see a spirit no more than we can see a soul. Where do we get our soul from? We get our soul from God at the moment of conception. Without the soul we would not be alive. This soul is the part of us that God gave us to make us alive. We may have a human body and still not be alive; we would be as a dead person. So let’s say that we are given life when we receive our soul from God. We are told in Genesis 1:1 And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. Whenever the word soul is used, it can refer to the immaterial part of man when he is alive or after death because the soul is immortal, our body is not. What part of our lives does the soul have to do with us? The soul is the center of our emotions, like in love, hate, joy, sorrow, passion, happiness, and etc. The soul takes care of all of our emotions of this world or this life. When we die in this life, the soul departs from our body; the body goes into the ground and awaits the resurrection: it depends on how we lived our life here as to where our soul goes; if we lived believing in Jesus Christ, our soul will go to heaven to be with the Lord for evermore: if we lived our life not believing in Jesus Christ, our soul will go into Hell and evidently to the Lake of Fire to be separated from God for evermore. The soul does not exist before a human is conceived. It is given by God at conception and will never die. The soul is not like God that did not have a starting point; He existed from eternity past and will exist for all eternity to the future. The soul once it becomes alive will also live for all eternity. In the Bible hope stands for confident expectancy. Hope does not arise from our desires or wishes but from God, who is Himself the believer's hope as in Psalm 39:7 and now, Lord, what wait I for? my hope is in thee. Real true hope is not wishful thinking, but it is a firm assurance about unseen and still in the future as in Romans 8:24, 25 For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? But if we hope for that we do not see, then do we with patience wait for it. Hope more or less distinguishes the Christian from the unbeliever, who has no hope. A Christian is one whom hope resides in as in 1 Peter 3:15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear. Our day-to-day experiences and hardships are sometimes overwhelming; unless we can see that God’s purpose is to bring about continual growth in us. The hope we need is well expressed in Jeremiah 17:17 Be not a terror unto me: thou art my hope in the day of evil. ’They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. In those days when you pray, God will listen. Retaining hope while we suffer shows we understand God’s merciful ways of relating to his people. Our relationship with God begins with faith, which helps us realize that we are delivered from our past sins by Christ’s death. Hope grows as we learn all that God has in mind for us; it gives us the promise of the future, and God’s love fills our life and gives us the ability to reach out to others to share it. Because Jesus Christ came back to life, so will all believers. All Christians, including those living when Christ returns, will live with Christ forever. Therefore, we need not despair when loved ones die or world events take a tragic turn. God will turn our tragedies to triumphs, our poverty to riches, our pain to glory, and our defeat to victory. All believers throughout history will stand reunited in God’s very presence. As Paul comforted his people with the promise of the Resurrection, so we should comfort and reassure each other with this great hope. Christianity is not a religion as many people believe that it is. Religion is a man made concept. Christianity is a unique way of living with each other who believe in Jesus Christ. Living in the believing faith, love, and trust of Christ. Not only of Christ but also between each other. As the Bible tells us in Matthew 19:19 Honour thy father and mother: and, thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. Another unique saying of Christ is in Matthew 5:44 But I say unto you, love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persectue you. Another unique factor in Christianity is the fact that we do not need a big fancy church to worship Him in; we can pray to Him any where we feel the need to; for instance, at home, anywhere in the house, any room, basement, bedroom, kitchen, living room, or even in the yard, walking down the street, at the store, anywhere we feel it is necessary to pray or just to talk to him. And it does not matter of what our status is in this world; are we rich, poor, middle class or whatever, He will hear us. Christianity is based upon Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection. The Old Testament tells us of the coming of Jesus is in the early part of the Bible and came to materialize in the New Testament thousands of years later. His resurrection is very important to us because without it there would be no Christianity, no faith, no eternal life, and no hope of anything. Just death to look forward to. Because of Christ's resurrection we know that death has been conquered, and we too will be raised from the dead by the power of God, to live forever with Christ. This we learn in 1 Corinthians 15:55 O death where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? Christ gives us meaning even in great tragedy. No matter what happens to us as we walk with the Lord, the Resurrection gives us hope for the future. God's power that brought Jesus back from the dead is available to us so we can live for Him in a evil world. The resurrection of Jesus from the dead is the central fact of Christian history. On this fact alone the church is built; without it there would be no Christian church today. Jesus’ resurrection is unique. Other religions have strong concepts, concepts about paradise and afterlife, and various Holy Scriptures. Only Christianity has a God who became human, who literally died for his people, and was raised again in power and glory to rule his church for eternity. Why is the resurrection so important to us? Because Christ was raised from the dead, we know that the Kingdom of Heaven has come into our humane history. Our world is now headed for redemption and not disaster. I know as we look around us at the things that are happening, it looks like it is all disaster; but, in the end God's power of redemption will take over and prevail. God’s power is at work destroying sin, creating new lives, and preparing us for Jesus. Because of the Resurrection, we know that death has been conquered, and we too will be raised from the dead. The Resurrection gives authority to the church’s witness to the world. Look at the early sermons in the book of Acts: the apostles’ most important message was the proclamation that Jesus Christ had been raised from the dead! The Book of Acts is telling us about how Christianity started. The first church. The Resurrection gives meaning to the church’s regular feast, the Lord’s Supper. The Resurrection helps us find meaning even in great tragedy. No matter what happens to us as we walk with the Lord, the Lord will help us to get through it. The Resurrection gives us hope for the future. The Resurrection assures us that Christ is alive and ruling his kingdom. He is not a myth, but is a legend that is very much alive and real. Christians can look very different from one another, and they can hold widely varying beliefs about politics, lifestyle, and even theology. But one central belief unites and inspires all true Christians; Jesus Christ rose from the dead! Top
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