Me ~ Given today's events, so many people, Christians and non- Christians, are screaming to eliminate evil in the world. Is that possible?
John ~ First, let me say that my heart goes out to all those who have been hurt by recent events. There is no reason to lay blame or labels, this is a corrupt world. It has been since the Fall of Mankind. Now, the question, can we or God eliminate evil in the world? Probably more people would want me to address the question, if there is a God why does evil happen or why does he let it happen?
As His creation, I cannot suppose to know His mind or the potential of His mind in the world (this corrupted version). What I can say is what I imagine a great creator would be faced with: actual and potential evil. So, let us work with that since we understand through physics as in quantum applications of how things are as in 'actual' and are possible as in 'potential'.
Eliminating evil in the world as it would be with eliminating anything would mean that you have to rid the world all actual evil and all potential evil. So, in fact, that could very well mean eliminating 'you' or anybody as we all have within us potential for evil. God's way as I imagine a great creator would do (I can imagine that being His creation) would be to grant free will and let creation choose to reject evil. Therefore, on does not need to destroy the entire creation to eliminate evil.
Me ~ Amen! All things are possible with God Mark 10:27 and everything is permissible but not beneficial. 1COR 10:23
The Analyst
Being Brainy for God
Saturday, November 21, 2015
Saturday, November 14, 2015
Why bad things happen, evil in the world...
Me ~ In light of the tragedy in France, many people are asking why. They ask why would God allow such a thing. How would you comment?
John ~ Bad things happen all the time everyday to everyone, people everywhere. Why? Because, God gives us the ability to choose between right and wrong. If we were not able to make that decision why would we know what is evil and what is good.
Me ~ Yes, but when people are hurting and afraid they don't see how even this ability works in their favor let alone the world's.They think that good can be accomplished through man's law for all time.
John ~ Laws don't guarantee people will be good all the time, not in this world. Christ came to say that ... man cannot live under the law. His message was that You have to change hearts and it has to be a choice, our choice. Some choose evil and some choose good and there are eternal consequences for those choices. The best of all possible worlds is to live in the one where we are able to make choices, we are learning to make the right choice while at the same time others are making the wrong choice. This is how we learn to make the right choice....Follow Him. Jesus said, "Love your neighbor as yourself and love God with all your heart, mind and soul... pick up your cross and follow me" ~ Matthew 19:19. That would be the right choice.
Is that just? Yes it is just. Because we are given the freedom to choose right and wrong rather than having it dictated to us. And, as Christians, we have this knowledge of hope that there is a day coming when the Lord will return and when he does those choices will no longer be necessary because those living in that kingdom won't have to make those choices because they have learned how in this world.
Me ~ Amen!
John ~ Bad things happen all the time everyday to everyone, people everywhere. Why? Because, God gives us the ability to choose between right and wrong. If we were not able to make that decision why would we know what is evil and what is good.
Me ~ Yes, but when people are hurting and afraid they don't see how even this ability works in their favor let alone the world's.They think that good can be accomplished through man's law for all time.
John ~ Laws don't guarantee people will be good all the time, not in this world. Christ came to say that ... man cannot live under the law. His message was that You have to change hearts and it has to be a choice, our choice. Some choose evil and some choose good and there are eternal consequences for those choices. The best of all possible worlds is to live in the one where we are able to make choices, we are learning to make the right choice while at the same time others are making the wrong choice. This is how we learn to make the right choice....Follow Him. Jesus said, "Love your neighbor as yourself and love God with all your heart, mind and soul... pick up your cross and follow me" ~ Matthew 19:19. That would be the right choice.
Is that just? Yes it is just. Because we are given the freedom to choose right and wrong rather than having it dictated to us. And, as Christians, we have this knowledge of hope that there is a day coming when the Lord will return and when he does those choices will no longer be necessary because those living in that kingdom won't have to make those choices because they have learned how in this world.
Me ~ Amen!
Sunday, November 1, 2015
The Word of God ~ It is by Faith that We are Saved!
Me ~ Many Christians may have heard of William Tyndale but rather many have not. He was a Catholic priest who wanted the average person to read the Word of God; given that, he translated the Bible directly from Greek and Hebrew texts into English while in hiding and had them shipped to England. Sadly, he was considered a heretic by the Catholic Church and burned at the stake in 1536. How could that be when Tyndale was obviously a man of God? He could speak seven languages and he was
proficient in ancient Hebrew and Greek. As a priest and a man of God, his only desire was to teach English men and
women the good news of justification by faith. Why do you think that the Catholic considered him a heretic, was it because of his view of salvation by faith and not works?
John ~ Firstly, let me say that Tyndale was an excellent Biblical scholar. He was Oxford trained in Greek and Hebrew. His desire was to bring the Word of God to the people. He never refuted what he was doing because what he was doing was what Jesus had done and that was to rebuke the institutionalization of salvation that had crystallized and ultimately caged the very people that Christ came to set free. Tyndale's criticism of the Catholic Church was that it kept the Word of God away from the common man. Tyndale had justifiable criticism against the power and wealth of Catholic priests and bishops and this threatened to disrupt their monopoly and control over people and their own positions in the church. In a sense, Tyndale was much like Martin Luther who too as a Catholic priest saw that people were not served by the 'church' but rather they were enslaved by it.
Me ~ Some people today, especially Catholics think that works are part of salvation. What are they getting wrong?
John ~ Works do not save you but are evidence of your salvation. Paul stated that the works we do are the fruit of the Spirit therefore evidence to the world that you/we are Christs... It is by faith and faith alone that you are saved. Hence, works are the evidence of faith. Which means that salvation comes only by faith in Christ's finished works not by anything that we can do so that no one can boast ... by their own merit. Essentially, Tyndale was inline with Paul who stressed that salvation is a gift - God's grace. For if it were not a gift, then grace would be meaningless... if grace could be earned, it would not be grace but a work.
Read Hebrews 8, 9 and 10 ~ Jesus is our high priest, his ministry is far superior to the old priesthood...
Sunday, October 25, 2015
The Serpent in the Garden ~ The Problem for Women
Me ~ Today, we can see the Serpent in the garden. It appears Satan is gaining influence and again through 'woman'. Why is that?
John ~ Because, Satan sees a woman where God placed her...second to Adam. Woman thinks she is second to Adam as in being second best. However, that was not God's design. He gave a gift to Adam = Eve...and this gift was never intended to be second-hand or second best. This idea of being second best is how Satan sees himself. He went after Eve hoping to get her to think as He does... second best. He plays upon her by seducing and inducing in her jealousy and pride. Expecting her to react as he does... not wanting to be second to God but first - over and above God.
Me ~ As we can observe, woman is again being seduced and induced into Satan's false label of her - second best. What do you think will be the outcome?
John ~ Firstly, women today have fallen for the lie that being subservient to an authority makes them second best as if they are being forced into servitude. God's authority in the universe appears to be a kind of forced- upon order. However, God the Creator of Heaven and Earth, of all things seen and unseen, does not force anything into existence. He creates out of love. His authority has purpose which is to protect His order of things which exist because He exists and which remain because of His order and He cares for that order. Lack of order creates chaos uncertainty and inevitably destruction.
Look around, women seek to be independent from men, which actually puts them out of God's order and His protection. This is not recent. For sometime, women have seen themselves as requiring a revolt against men.... in a society that was in line with God's order.
Me ~ Yes, I agree. However, many women are in positions of power, some even 'have it all'. Yet, in saying that, studies reveal that more and more women are unhappy. What lies ahead for women? Is the serpent in the garden here to stay?
John ~ Before answering what lies ahead, I want to answer the later of the two. Satan is here to stay until the Lord comes back and throws him into the abyss. However, we as human beings can still make choices, both good and bad. Based upon the obvious collapse of our social fabric, we better start to make the right choices before everything is completely destroyed.
What lies ahead depends on both women and men. We need to return to Biblical marriage and family. Women need to understand their position which is not second best nor is it equal. God's position for women is that of a gift. As such, men are not made inferior nor are women made superior. A gift is respected and cherished. If that gift is set aside or left alone, it has no purpose as a gift anymore. The gift of being female, is to compliment male.
The promotion of homosexual lifestyle is a lack of understanding the gift. That is why, eventually, we will witness homosexuality leading to the complete destruction of God's society. When men no longer are men and women no longer women as God created them. The end of the human race is in sight. How? Through absolute self inflicted destruction. All because of pride, arrogance and refusal to embrace the loving God's order.
*My wife is a pearl of great price. I don't want to let her get dirty, or get lost and nor will I ever set her aside. Taking care of her is my job as her husband. When women don't let men take care of them, they 'men' don't understand themselves anymore.
John ~ Because, Satan sees a woman where God placed her...second to Adam. Woman thinks she is second to Adam as in being second best. However, that was not God's design. He gave a gift to Adam = Eve...and this gift was never intended to be second-hand or second best. This idea of being second best is how Satan sees himself. He went after Eve hoping to get her to think as He does... second best. He plays upon her by seducing and inducing in her jealousy and pride. Expecting her to react as he does... not wanting to be second to God but first - over and above God.
Me ~ As we can observe, woman is again being seduced and induced into Satan's false label of her - second best. What do you think will be the outcome?
John ~ Firstly, women today have fallen for the lie that being subservient to an authority makes them second best as if they are being forced into servitude. God's authority in the universe appears to be a kind of forced- upon order. However, God the Creator of Heaven and Earth, of all things seen and unseen, does not force anything into existence. He creates out of love. His authority has purpose which is to protect His order of things which exist because He exists and which remain because of His order and He cares for that order. Lack of order creates chaos uncertainty and inevitably destruction.
Look around, women seek to be independent from men, which actually puts them out of God's order and His protection. This is not recent. For sometime, women have seen themselves as requiring a revolt against men.... in a society that was in line with God's order.
Me ~ Yes, I agree. However, many women are in positions of power, some even 'have it all'. Yet, in saying that, studies reveal that more and more women are unhappy. What lies ahead for women? Is the serpent in the garden here to stay?
John ~ Before answering what lies ahead, I want to answer the later of the two. Satan is here to stay until the Lord comes back and throws him into the abyss. However, we as human beings can still make choices, both good and bad. Based upon the obvious collapse of our social fabric, we better start to make the right choices before everything is completely destroyed.
What lies ahead depends on both women and men. We need to return to Biblical marriage and family. Women need to understand their position which is not second best nor is it equal. God's position for women is that of a gift. As such, men are not made inferior nor are women made superior. A gift is respected and cherished. If that gift is set aside or left alone, it has no purpose as a gift anymore. The gift of being female, is to compliment male.
The promotion of homosexual lifestyle is a lack of understanding the gift. That is why, eventually, we will witness homosexuality leading to the complete destruction of God's society. When men no longer are men and women no longer women as God created them. The end of the human race is in sight. How? Through absolute self inflicted destruction. All because of pride, arrogance and refusal to embrace the loving God's order.
*My wife is a pearl of great price. I don't want to let her get dirty, or get lost and nor will I ever set her aside. Taking care of her is my job as her husband. When women don't let men take care of them, they 'men' don't understand themselves anymore.
Monday, October 19, 2015
Who is God talking to in Genesis 1:26 and Did God create Gender?
Me ~ The pronoun 'us' is used in Genesis 1:26. I thought that God created man in his 'God's' own image. We is this 'us'?
John ~ God is using the plural because God is plural - a trinity.
Me ~ Who is the implied audience in Genesis? Perhaps, he is talking to himself, the anthropomorphism???
John ~ Perhaps, God is talking to an audience of spiritual beings. However, we should be careful not to take this too literally. The 'we' is essentially the Godhead - The Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The audience we suppose is there is one that we cannot be sure about. Yet, I think that by applying anthropomorphic (because we are human) perspective, we understand better the Godhead.
Me ~ There are many who question if God actually created gender, though He called them male and female when He created man and then woman. Some say that 'gender' as we 'humans' in this world understand it implies that sexuality came after the fall when the man and woman realized that they were naked as in 'sexed'.
John ~ They were created having gender (God made them male and female) but we could rightly assume that the man and woman did not know/think that their sexual nature was not from God. It was rather a given aspect of their human being - one was male and the other female. Was it revealed to them in another way? Yes, we could suppose that when Satan tempted the woman she disobeyed God and then man also partook in that sin. In this moment, their sexuality was seen by them in a different way, almost in an unnatural way and not only were they ashamed but also afraid as they hid from God.
Me ~ Why would gender 'male and female' (God created sexuality) be seen differently after they were deceived by Satan? Why wouldn't they have seen that they were tall or short or hairy or something else to be ashamed of or that they were wondering why they were not birds or reptiles or something else than what God created them to be?
John ~ What is the one thing that atheists don't like about Christianity? They don't like not having sexual freedom. The fall turned sex into something ugly and corrupt. Sex became a gross distortion of what it was intended to be. I think we will understand sex as it was intended only when the Lord returns. Today, sex is a means of feeding evil obsessive selfish desires rather than glorifying God's creation. Hence, we have groups declaring that God did not create gender.
John ~ God is using the plural because God is plural - a trinity.
Me ~ Who is the implied audience in Genesis? Perhaps, he is talking to himself, the anthropomorphism???
John ~ Perhaps, God is talking to an audience of spiritual beings. However, we should be careful not to take this too literally. The 'we' is essentially the Godhead - The Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The audience we suppose is there is one that we cannot be sure about. Yet, I think that by applying anthropomorphic (because we are human) perspective, we understand better the Godhead.
Me ~ There are many who question if God actually created gender, though He called them male and female when He created man and then woman. Some say that 'gender' as we 'humans' in this world understand it implies that sexuality came after the fall when the man and woman realized that they were naked as in 'sexed'.
John ~ They were created having gender (God made them male and female) but we could rightly assume that the man and woman did not know/think that their sexual nature was not from God. It was rather a given aspect of their human being - one was male and the other female. Was it revealed to them in another way? Yes, we could suppose that when Satan tempted the woman she disobeyed God and then man also partook in that sin. In this moment, their sexuality was seen by them in a different way, almost in an unnatural way and not only were they ashamed but also afraid as they hid from God.
Me ~ Why would gender 'male and female' (God created sexuality) be seen differently after they were deceived by Satan? Why wouldn't they have seen that they were tall or short or hairy or something else to be ashamed of or that they were wondering why they were not birds or reptiles or something else than what God created them to be?
John ~ What is the one thing that atheists don't like about Christianity? They don't like not having sexual freedom. The fall turned sex into something ugly and corrupt. Sex became a gross distortion of what it was intended to be. I think we will understand sex as it was intended only when the Lord returns. Today, sex is a means of feeding evil obsessive selfish desires rather than glorifying God's creation. Hence, we have groups declaring that God did not create gender.
Tuesday, October 6, 2015
Rescued from the Kingdom of Darkness
"Don't let anyone capture you with empty philosophies and with
high-sounding nonsense that come from the human thinking and the spiritual powers of this
world" (the kingdom of darkness). "For in Christ lives all the fullness of God in a human body. so
you also are complete through your union with Christ, who is the head
over every ruler and authority" ~ COL 2:8-11.
Rejoice! We have been rescued from the kingdom of darkness. How are we rescued? It is God the Creator that draws You/His Creation to Him. Natural man, that is fallen man left to himself is merely a thing having free will, does not have a 'heart' for God. His natural tendency in this fallen world is to reject his creator as natural 'fallen' man is a thing in and for itself. The Old Testament was God's Will for natural man that was given in the form of law so that natural man could overcome the sin of being a thing in and for itself. However, God saw that the law was too much for him and God sent His Son to overcome that sin.
The New Testament is like the Old Testament ~ the Word of God. What is different is that God came into the world ~ Jesus Christ to lead the way out of 'being for and in oneself'. He came into the world to draw us to Him the Creator of Heaven and Earth- God the Father and to tell us that The Old Testament/Will of God is no longer necessary for our salvation. The New Testament/Will of God is no longer the law but has been written on our hearts. What remains is free will. We have the free will to make the conscious choice of accepting that truth. If we choose to look in our hearts, we will find Him there and His Will for us. If we choose of our own free will to look, find and accept this new condition; then, we have been born again.
With this information, we no longer seek/want to indulge in the old natural man who was only for him/herself, seeking to indulge in the flesh in the pleasure of the selfish body. Nor do we seek to justify that sin, or seek to have other people applaud that sin with new law to cover it up. We do not desire the flesh, but desire the Holy Spirit. Thus, we would not declare that we love Jesus Christ and He loves us and then purposely with determination: hate, envy, steal, fornicate or engage in any sexual immorality, commit adultery or murder.
You see, "when you accept Christ, you were circumcised, but not by a physical procedure as in the Old Testament. Christ performed a spiritual circumcision, the cutting away of your sinful nature. For you were buried with Christ when You were baptized. And, with him You were raised to new life because You trusted the mighty power of God, who raised Christ from the dead. You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive with Christ, for He forgave all our sins. He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away nailing it to the cross" ~ COL 2:11-14.
"You have died with Christ, and He has set you free from this world. So, why do You keep on following the rules of this world? "Don't handle! Don't taste! Don't touch!?" (the teachings and law of the Old Testament).
Such were the rules/laws that were mere human teachings (God ordered for and because of natural man's fleshly indulgence) about things that deteriorate as we use them.They were many such teachings (laws) and yet not near enough to deliver natural man from him/herself as they provide no help in conquering a person's evil desires ~ COL 2:20-23.
That is why we give Thanks and Praise to God..."For He has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of His Dear Son, who purchased our freedom and forgave our sins ~ COL 1:13. "And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow Him. Let your roots grow down into Him and let your lives be built on Him. Then your faith will Grow strong in the truth you were taught and you will overflow with thankfulness" ~ COL 2:6.
God's wrath then is His bringing in the Harvest!
Rejoice! We have been rescued from the kingdom of darkness. How are we rescued? It is God the Creator that draws You/His Creation to Him. Natural man, that is fallen man left to himself is merely a thing having free will, does not have a 'heart' for God. His natural tendency in this fallen world is to reject his creator as natural 'fallen' man is a thing in and for itself. The Old Testament was God's Will for natural man that was given in the form of law so that natural man could overcome the sin of being a thing in and for itself. However, God saw that the law was too much for him and God sent His Son to overcome that sin.
The New Testament is like the Old Testament ~ the Word of God. What is different is that God came into the world ~ Jesus Christ to lead the way out of 'being for and in oneself'. He came into the world to draw us to Him the Creator of Heaven and Earth- God the Father and to tell us that The Old Testament/Will of God is no longer necessary for our salvation. The New Testament/Will of God is no longer the law but has been written on our hearts. What remains is free will. We have the free will to make the conscious choice of accepting that truth. If we choose to look in our hearts, we will find Him there and His Will for us. If we choose of our own free will to look, find and accept this new condition; then, we have been born again.
With this information, we no longer seek/want to indulge in the old natural man who was only for him/herself, seeking to indulge in the flesh in the pleasure of the selfish body. Nor do we seek to justify that sin, or seek to have other people applaud that sin with new law to cover it up. We do not desire the flesh, but desire the Holy Spirit. Thus, we would not declare that we love Jesus Christ and He loves us and then purposely with determination: hate, envy, steal, fornicate or engage in any sexual immorality, commit adultery or murder.
You see, "when you accept Christ, you were circumcised, but not by a physical procedure as in the Old Testament. Christ performed a spiritual circumcision, the cutting away of your sinful nature. For you were buried with Christ when You were baptized. And, with him You were raised to new life because You trusted the mighty power of God, who raised Christ from the dead. You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive with Christ, for He forgave all our sins. He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away nailing it to the cross" ~ COL 2:11-14.
"You have died with Christ, and He has set you free from this world. So, why do You keep on following the rules of this world? "Don't handle! Don't taste! Don't touch!?" (the teachings and law of the Old Testament).
Such were the rules/laws that were mere human teachings (God ordered for and because of natural man's fleshly indulgence) about things that deteriorate as we use them.They were many such teachings (laws) and yet not near enough to deliver natural man from him/herself as they provide no help in conquering a person's evil desires ~ COL 2:20-23.
That is why we give Thanks and Praise to God..."For He has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of His Dear Son, who purchased our freedom and forgave our sins ~ COL 1:13. "And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow Him. Let your roots grow down into Him and let your lives be built on Him. Then your faith will Grow strong in the truth you were taught and you will overflow with thankfulness" ~ COL 2:6.
God's wrath then is His bringing in the Harvest!
Monday, October 5, 2015
God's Wrath Against Sinful Humanity
Me ~ Many people, Christians included, run away from talking about sin. They think that their sin doesn't stink or that they aren't sinners and they have all kinds of arguments to support/prove it. They and post modern Christians don't like the idea of God being angry with them. But, as I understand God's Word, Christians will face God's wrath, His wrath against sinful humanity. What's your view on this?
John ~ The first problem is that post modern Christians judge themselves against other people rather than against God's standards. Man's standards fluctuate with culture and time. While God's standards never change or alter. So, in Scripture God makes it clear that He has a specific way of dealing with sinful humanity. Romans 1: 18- 32 delineates that. It talks about God's wrath revealed against those who suppress truth. What truth is that? The existence and nature of the divine God.
Me ~ I understand and accept that. However, many people, including Christians, think that their truth is all that matters. God's truth is personal... he works with every individual on their own truth. What do you think?
John ~ That's a human invention. The idea that everyone has their own truth is absurd. If everyone had their own truth, we would not need laws, we could then all be the law unto ourselves. There is not an infinite number of truths. We instinctively know that there is not an infinite number of truths by creating laws that society has to follow. The instinct to do that is God - planted, called our conscience; unless we burn away our conscience by constantly ignoring it. This tells us that there is a standard of right and wrong outside of ourselves. So, what man has done to avoid dealing with his conscience is to suppress the truth of God's existence and nature which Scripture says was known since the creation of the world ...clearly seen and understood; therefore, everyone is without excuse.
Me ~ What is the biggest problem in terms of our salvation? What can we expect in terms of God's wrath?
John ~ The biggest problem is due to man thinking he knows more than God. The Bible, God's word, spells out exactly what He will allow to happen to a society which suppresses His reality and nature. Number one, God gives them over to the sinful desires of their sexual impurity, the degrading of their bodies with one another. This starts out as heterosexual infidelity and society's acceptance of fornication. Number two, once this happens, God gives them over to shameful lusts, described as homosexual relations. Just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge in truth, He gives them over to a depraved mind so that they desire to do what they should not do ~Romans 1 verse 31. This is the kind of people they become: envious, murderous, filled with strife, deceit and malice. They will enjoy gossip and slandering others, they will hate God, they will become insolent and arrogant and boastful. They will invent ways of doing evil. Children will be encouraged to disobey their parents. These people will have no sense of fidelity, love or mercy. In Romans 1 verse 32, although they know God's righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death they not only continue to do these things, but actually approve of those who do them.
Me ~ Don't you think that people avoid wrath because it seems to them too harsh and not about love? Also, Christians will tell you that they have been saved and avoid wrath simply by being baptized. They say that the New Testament is only about love and forgiveness and there is no wrath coming.
John ~ To say that is to ignore God's Word. The wages of sin is death. Yes, baptism is an affirmation of one's spiritual rebirth. Like the communion supper, it is a physical representation of something spiritual. However, water has no saving power, neither does wine or bread. It is the faith declaration involved when performing these acts that is the important aspect regarding salvation. Baptism and communion should be done when a person is/becomes aware of this, infant baptism is pointless. Being saved is different from being baptized. Yes, you can christen your child and dedicate them to God but that is far from being a disciple of Jesus. Being saved is making a conscious repentance before God for your sin and asking for His Mercy and accepting His Son as your Lord and Savior.
Me ~ That's real love, and its eternal!
John ~ The first problem is that post modern Christians judge themselves against other people rather than against God's standards. Man's standards fluctuate with culture and time. While God's standards never change or alter. So, in Scripture God makes it clear that He has a specific way of dealing with sinful humanity. Romans 1: 18- 32 delineates that. It talks about God's wrath revealed against those who suppress truth. What truth is that? The existence and nature of the divine God.
Me ~ I understand and accept that. However, many people, including Christians, think that their truth is all that matters. God's truth is personal... he works with every individual on their own truth. What do you think?
John ~ That's a human invention. The idea that everyone has their own truth is absurd. If everyone had their own truth, we would not need laws, we could then all be the law unto ourselves. There is not an infinite number of truths. We instinctively know that there is not an infinite number of truths by creating laws that society has to follow. The instinct to do that is God - planted, called our conscience; unless we burn away our conscience by constantly ignoring it. This tells us that there is a standard of right and wrong outside of ourselves. So, what man has done to avoid dealing with his conscience is to suppress the truth of God's existence and nature which Scripture says was known since the creation of the world ...clearly seen and understood; therefore, everyone is without excuse.
Me ~ What is the biggest problem in terms of our salvation? What can we expect in terms of God's wrath?
John ~ The biggest problem is due to man thinking he knows more than God. The Bible, God's word, spells out exactly what He will allow to happen to a society which suppresses His reality and nature. Number one, God gives them over to the sinful desires of their sexual impurity, the degrading of their bodies with one another. This starts out as heterosexual infidelity and society's acceptance of fornication. Number two, once this happens, God gives them over to shameful lusts, described as homosexual relations. Just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge in truth, He gives them over to a depraved mind so that they desire to do what they should not do ~Romans 1 verse 31. This is the kind of people they become: envious, murderous, filled with strife, deceit and malice. They will enjoy gossip and slandering others, they will hate God, they will become insolent and arrogant and boastful. They will invent ways of doing evil. Children will be encouraged to disobey their parents. These people will have no sense of fidelity, love or mercy. In Romans 1 verse 32, although they know God's righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death they not only continue to do these things, but actually approve of those who do them.
Me ~ Don't you think that people avoid wrath because it seems to them too harsh and not about love? Also, Christians will tell you that they have been saved and avoid wrath simply by being baptized. They say that the New Testament is only about love and forgiveness and there is no wrath coming.
John ~ To say that is to ignore God's Word. The wages of sin is death. Yes, baptism is an affirmation of one's spiritual rebirth. Like the communion supper, it is a physical representation of something spiritual. However, water has no saving power, neither does wine or bread. It is the faith declaration involved when performing these acts that is the important aspect regarding salvation. Baptism and communion should be done when a person is/becomes aware of this, infant baptism is pointless. Being saved is different from being baptized. Yes, you can christen your child and dedicate them to God but that is far from being a disciple of Jesus. Being saved is making a conscious repentance before God for your sin and asking for His Mercy and accepting His Son as your Lord and Savior.
Me ~ That's real love, and its eternal!
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