Is there a quality that is generally more detested than favoritism? We cry out when we observe our branches of government perverted by bribery, “pork-barrel politics”, or racial bias. Some political movements are formed for the sole purpose of promoting fairness, equality, social impartiality.
The Gospel Saves Posts
“The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. As it is written in the Prophets: “Behold, I send my messenger before your face, Who will prepare Your way before You.” “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord; Make His paths straight (Mark 1:1-3 KNJV).’”” Before the arrival of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, God sent a messenger, John the Baptist. His purpose was to prepare the hearts and minds of the Israelites for the coming of their King.
Saving faith is sadly an integral part of many mainstream churches today. It is also deadly to people that believe it and those they teach. As a concept, it is derived from the Calvinist doctrines of Unconditional Election and Perseverance of the Saints. To sum up the concept of ‘saving faith’ in a few words; it is something that the predestined to election receive upon hearing the word.
1. What is the origin of the universe? The current consensus of Science is that the entire cosmos (including time and space) came into existence at a precise point in the past. All of our observations, equations, and physical laws testify to this point. Given this troubling possibility that the universe may indeed have a finite beginning, consideration must be given to these questions: “Why is there something rather than nothing?” and “Where did it all come from?” If the cause of creation was not God, what was it?
In Ezekiel 2:4 God tells Ezekiel that he is being sent to the children of Israel, “a rebellious nation,” to say to them, “thus says the Lord.” Ezekiel, throughout the entire book of prophecy bearing his name, states the same thing: thus says the Lord. (See Ezekiel 6:1, 12:17, 22:33, etc.) This is a very important statement made in Ezekiel, and he is not alone among the prophets in its use. Jeremiah begins his book stating these were the words of the Lord (1:2,4).
The word “sin” appears 427 times in the King James Version of the Bible. That’s not counting appearances of all its derivations (sinful, sinner, sinning, etc.). The Biblical writers use nine Hebrew and three Greek terms in their discussions of it. It is central to the message of Scripture, and poses a potentially eternal threat to us all: “The wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). In light of this, we do well to understand it.
The above title is a fragment of what was spoken by the Lord to Moses and later written among the ten commandments. According to the book of Hebrews, they along with other matters of the Old Covenant are “. . . obsolete.” “Now what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.” (Heb.8:13)
A Times magazine article titled “Christians: No One Path to Salvation” reported in a survey that 70% of respondents agreed with the statement “Many religions can lead to eternal life.” ( Times Magazine, by: David Van Biema Monday, Jun. 23, 2008) This movement as a whole is very disturbing. It points to the erosion of biblical knowledge even by those claiming to be Christians.
Have you ever known someone who says they love you, yet their actions demonstrate that they do not love you? I know I have been guilty of such hypocrisy. Perhaps you have as well. Just as a living faith requires works, so too a living love requires action, “let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth.” (1 John 3:18) If you asked the average religious person, “Do you love God?”, I venture they would say, “Yes.” Of course, there might be some question as to WHICH god they love, but for those who believe in a monotheistic Creator, most would likely affirm their love. But then the question becomes, “What does it mean to love?” Is our love for God merely a verbal expression, a warm feeling, a sentimental tear? How do we express our love for God? How does He want us to express our love for Him? If God is Your Father, You Must Love the Son
Over the last sixty years there has been a drastic increase in the number of available Bible translations. By my count, there have been at least fifty full (both Old Testament and New Testament) English Bible translations published since 1949, and at least twenty-five of those fifty were published after 1990. It appears this trend will continue with more translations being published every year. There is no doubt that the Bible being translated from the original languages (Old Testament was written in Hebrew and New Testament was written in Greek) into other languages is a praiseworthy event.