Showing posts with label an explanation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label an explanation. Show all posts

Saturday, 5 November 2016

Three Quotes and an Explanation

Three Quotes and an Explanation
The Quotes
The writer of Hebrews states,
“For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.  
Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account. “Hebrews 4:12,13.
The writer of Ecclesiastes,
“Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole  duty  of man. 
For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.”Ecclesiastes 12:13,14.
C. S. Lewis states,
“A man can no more diminish God's glory by refusing to worship Him than a lunatic can put out the sun by scribbling the word 'darkness' on the walls of his cell.” C.S. Lewis, The Problem of Pain.
The Explanation
I have no doubt God exists and as a Christian I believe that He in the form of His one and only Son entered His creation to point mankind to himself.
You can say God does not exist. But unless you’ve at the least been everywhere then the possibility exists that God exists where you have not been. And as far as I know, no one living today has been beyond the grave.
Thus if you don’t believe in God, I would ask are you so completely confident in what you believe?
As a Christian I believe in God. I also believe we cannot live a life good enough to stand before a holy God. As C. S. Lewis puts it,
“The Christian does not think God will love us because we are good, but that God will make us good because He loves us.”  C.S. Lewis.
That is why Jesus came into the world.
The apostle Paul tells us,
“You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.  
Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die.  
But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 
Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him!  
For if, when we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!  
Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation” Romans 5:6-11.
Paul also tells us,
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—  not by works, so that no one can boast.” Ephesians 2:8,9.
It is through the love and grace of God that we get to heaven. We cannot work for it.
God will one day judge every person that has ever lived. However as Christians we believe that the wrongs we have done are forgiven when we confess them to Jesus and accept His atoning sacrifice on the cross.
The apostle Paul does admit
“For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.  
For it is written: “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.” 
Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?  
For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe.  
Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom,  but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles,  but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.  
For the foolishness of God is wiser than man’s wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man’s strength.” 1 Corinthians 1:18-25.
God does not do things the way man would do things. God requires faith. The writer of Hebrews telling us,
“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for
 and certain of what we do not see.”  
Hebrews 11:1
“And without faith it is impossible to please God, 
because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists 
and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” 
Hebrews 11:6.
God does exist. God will one day judge each person who has ever lived this is a fact whether you believe it or not.
So the question is do you believe in God and have you accepted the saving Grace of God, by accepting Jesus God’s one and only Son as your Saviour.
Please think about it.

Thursday, 27 August 2015

An Explanation

An explanation
Someone pointed out that I from time to time mention when I speak to Christians or write my blogs to Christians that I speak of what as been called a “fundamental truth” an obvious truth. Thus I am asked why write such obvious truths to Christians.
The fact is a good percentage of those who attend church or who call themselves Christians don’t believe the fundamentals of Christianity. I know of several ministers that deny the deity of Christ among other things. They to me are not Christians, because you cannot deny the deity of Christ and be a Christian.
I know of others who are out there protesting against everything they disagree with, wishing to restrict the rights of others. This was something Christ and the apostles never did. Christians that protest in a democracy to restrict the rights of others need to read the Bible more carefully. It tells us,
“If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.”
                                                                                                       Romans 12:18.
We cannot live at peace with everyone if we are protesting against someone’s rights.
Thus I write to express what I believe makes one a Christian. The apostles creed while not written by the apostles dose express the basics of Christianity when it says,
APOSTLES' CREED
  "I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary.
      He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried; he descended to hell.
      The third day he rose again from the dead.
      He ascended to heaven and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty.
      From there he will come to judge the living and the dead.
      I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic* church, the communion of saints,
      the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting."
                                                     Amen.
                                                                *that is, the true Christian church of all times                                                                                           and all places
I believe as the Apostle Paul did when he wrote,
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—  not by works, so that no one can boast.” 
                                                                 Ephesians 2:8,9
I also believe the writer of the book of Hebrews who said,
           “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” 
                                                                                                                              Hebrews 11:1
“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”
                                                                                                  Hebrews 11:6.
I believe the words of Jesus who said,
...“I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” 
                                                                                                                                              John 14:6b.
I believe the words of the Apostle Paul who wrote,
“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.” 
                                                               Romans 3:23,24
  I believe the words of the Apostle John who wrote,
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.  
If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.” 
1John 1:9-10.
John also said,
“Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—  children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God." 
                 John 1:12,13
John also wrote,
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men....
Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—  children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God. 
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” 
                                                                                                John 1:1-4, 12-14
God actually entered this world because I believe because if he didn’t we could perhaps quite justly say to Him, “you don’t understand what it is to be human.” you have only experienced absolute power.
With God in the form of Jesus Christ, entering his creation to experience all it is to be human we cannot on the day he will judge us stand be for Him and say that He doesn’t understand.
Christians also believe one very crucial statement made by Jesus who said,
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.  
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.  Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son”. 
                                                                                                            John 3:16-18.
Please think about it.