Share God’s Gift With Others – His Grace

Grace is its own reason for doing good to those deserving the opposite.

We did not and cannot earn favor with Holy God.

God’s very nature, which is love and righteousness, satisfied our sin natured disconnect with Him by personally bridging the gap between us.

The only reason for this given in the Bible is ,”God so loved the world.” (John 3:16)

The sacrifice of God’s Son on the cross 2,000 years ago for the sin debt of all mankind was purely motivated by a God whose nature is love.

God’s righteousness stood in stark contrast and condemnation to the imperfection of mankind.

The love of God satisfied what was lacking for each of us to know God by the gracious gift of Christ’s imputed righteous nature in all who believe in Christ as Savior.

This year, in a world that is growing increasingly dark, let God’s Gift of love through Christ shine in you and through you in the same way God’s love came to us,.. even though we were undeserving and in desperate need, He came to save us.

 “Freely you have received, freely give.” ~Jesus Christ~ (Matthew 10:8)

“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)

God Bless, and Happy New Year

Christ Centered Teaching and God Came Down

Related articles

• Thankful for the Grace through Righteousness (loopyloo305.com)
• The Lord Reigneth (savedbygraceblogdotcom.wordpress.com)

Come to Jesus and Obtain the Fullness of Love and of Grace

“The best way to come to Christ is to come meaning to get everything, and to obtain all the plenitude of grace, which he has laid up in store, and promised freely to give. Some poor souls who come to Jesus Christ seem as if they wanted a little relief from fear, a hope that they may just get saved, and a fair chance of going to heaven when they die. Pray do not come in that way, my dear friend. Come intending to obtain the fullness of love, the uttermost of grace.” C.H.Spurgeon

Ephesians 1:13,14 “And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.”

The Very Best Place To Live

 

 

heavens (Photo credit: Mystic Musings…)

 

“For here we have no continuing city, but we seek the one to come.” (Hebrews 13:14)

 

Heaven.

 

Think of it.
Living with God in God’s city!
Streets paved with pure gold.

 

Jobs- Don’t need them. Everything is God’s and all who received Christ are His royal family! We will have no want or need except to be with God.
Crime rate – eternally zero.
Climate – always perfect, never storms or cloudy, never too hot or too sunny, in fact, it is always day time because Christ is always there and His glory is it’s light!
Health- Our bodies are totally changed into perfect bodies when Christ returns to take us home. No more illnesses or death, weaknesses or bad health ever. Our new bodies will be incorruptible.

 

Ethnic diversity- People from every kingdom,nation, and tribe on Earth.

 

Things to do- Basking in the full and continually abundant love of almighty God. Worshiping God in His presence will be a natural response.

 

The ultimate best place to live is literally out of this world!
But we can have our citizenship to that city now.
The price of our residence in Heaven has been paid for already by a generous benefactor, God.

 

” for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”(John 3:16)

 

In fact, if we decide we want to go there, God will personally seal the deal.

 

(Ephesians 1:13,14)” And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.”

 

If you want to be sure now of where you will live for eternity, ask Jesus to be your Lord and Savior now,…He’s listening.

 

“Give Me Jesus” – Fernando Ortega – Ruth Graham Tribute” Video – 4 min.

“For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost?” 

~Jesus ~ (Luke 9:25 NKJV)

“…you can have the whole world, give me Jesus….”

To say this tribute video to the life and faith of Ruth Graham, the wife of the famous Christian evangelist Billy Graham, is  moving is an understatement. 

This is one of my favorite Christian songs if not my absolute favorite .

Click the link below.the 

“Perhaps you could know Him today? ” ~Billy Graham ~

16″ For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.  17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. 18 “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.  19 And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.  20 For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.  21 But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.” 

(John 3:16-21 NKJV)         Jesus is waiting now.  Only believe and ask Him. He hears you. 

Augustine on “Hope has two beautiful daughters” Christian Anger and Courage

“Hope has two beautiful daughters. Their names are anger and courage; anger at the way things are, and courage to see that they do not remain the way they are.” Augustine

Augustine is of course talking about getting angry at the problem,…and people are not the problem!

The people have a problem,…they need Jesus.

But not everybody thinks they need to be saved.

“From what?”‘they might say.

And that is when we give them the ,”Bad News,” and say, “You need Jesus, without Him you will spend eternity in Hell. ”

How could the truth always be what we want to hear?
It can’t be.Life isn’t that way.

But still, anyone who speaks the truth when needed is showing more love than a dozen people who say nothing simply because they don’t want to ,”be negative.”

Is it love to not say what someone you love needs to hear?

If a bridge is out on a road, would you even think of taking down the big yellow warning sign that reads,”Bridge is Out”, because your opinion is that people don’t want to hear that negative stuff ?

That is just what living without Jesus is like.

Without Jesus, we are on a road that leads to certain and eternal death!

My HOPE is that we all heed this warning and tell others as well.

Christian, find your voice.

Be angry at the way things are!

State the ugly truth of the way things are, even if everyone else chooses to ignore it!

If they are blind and cannot see, that is God’s job to open their eyes.

All you must do is be faithful in telling others.

Then have the courage to tell others how it should be!
That Jesus came to seek and to save what was lost.
That Jesus loved them enough to die for their wrongdoing.
That Jesus rose in victory over death and now offers life to as many as receive Him a Lord and Savior.

Jesus is the bridge to life.
Make the turn.
Heed the warning.
And then…
Put up the Big Yellow Warning Sign.

You might save an eternal life from eternal death.

Jesus! The Savior Of My Soul!

Jesus!

The Savior of my soul,
He is the promise of eternal tomorrows,
the fact that He resides in me,
and the thought that He will never leave me,

He lives in me as the promise of life unending,

A promise that God who cannot lie, has made!

He is the seal of an eternity of tomorrows!

His Spirit in me!
His Spirit teaches me,
His Spirit guides me,

His Spirit changes me,

His Spirit comforts me,
and gives me peace that passes understanding,…

theses are only a few reasons I worship my Jesus.

Tim Keller- Hell: Isn’t the God of Christianity an Angry Judge?” Video – 35 Min.

http://wp.me/p1Lr49-er

Original Sin – Muslim vs Christian – 9 Min.

Not My Righteousness, But Christ’s In Me

 

“For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.”

(NKJV) Matthew 5:20 

That would be bad news for us were it not for the fact that Christ died in our place paid the sin debt of all who believe.

“and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith.”

Philippians 3:9

“It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption.”

1 Corinthians 1:30

“Jesus answered,

“I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

John 14:6 

That is why ,”Gospel”, is translated,” Good News”!

Do you believe?

 

Infinite Truth – Finite Reasoning

We can’t grasp all the infinite concepts of God with the finite reasoning of man.
We think within the limitations of our known existence.

Only Faith in God’s limitless abilities through faith will satisfy.

God came down in the person of Jesus Christ to personally save us Himself.

What humility!
What bridled strength in order to identify with those who have no strength!
What love, even for those who hated and cursed Him!

God created the limits of our existence, but He is not limited.

God created reason, but transcends all our attemps to fully explain Him.

An Unutterable Sigh In The Depths of The Soul

God’s Breath of Life – The Ultimate Reunion

“Our lifelong nostalgia, our longing to be reunited with something in the universe from which we now feel cut off, to be on the inside of some door which we have always seen from the outside is no mere neurotic fancy, but the truest index of our real situation.” C.S.Lewis

When God created man He gave man life by His own breath. The importance of this is that the life of mankind had a personal link to The Maker.Perhaps this is in part what it means to be created in His image.

” 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 being.” (Genesis 2:7 )

It’s interesting to find parallels between the old and new testaments of the Bible. There are tons of them.

Now consider the second time God gave mankind the Breath of life.

“Then, the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst, and said to them, “Peace be with you.” 20:20 When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. 20:21 So Jesus said to them again, “Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” 20:22 And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” (John 20:19) 

The Breath of life is restored to mankind at salvation and we become a new creation.

” Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” (II Corinthians 5:17)

Was mankind created to have God’s Spirit inside us as this would indicate?
Is the absence of God’s Spirit the cause of man’s universal longing?

C..S.Lewis said;
“Our lifelong nostalgia, our longing to be reunited with something in the universe from which we now feel cut off, to be on the inside of some door which we have always seen from the outside is no mere neurotic fancy, but the truest index of our real situation.”

“It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.” (John 6:63)

“And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.” (Ephesians 1:13,14)

This much is clear, if you believe in Christ as your Savior, He will come into your heart as a seal and a promise that cannot be broken,(because God can’t lie),WHO will Himself personally by the deposit of His Spirit IN you, guarantee your salvation, your inheritance until God comes for you or you go to Him.

Friends, what are you waiting for?

Believe and receive God’s breath of life!

If Bell’s Hell Has No Flame

If Bell’s Hell Has No Flame

Then why did Jesus warn us about hell more than He talked about heaven?

Then why did Jesus warn about hell more than any person recorded in the Bible?

Then why did Lazarus ask for a drop of water for the tip of his tongue to cool his torment from the flames?

Then why did Jesus warn there will be wailing and gnashing of teeth?

(If you are not familiar with the issue, two fairly well-known pastors have rejected the Biblical meaning of the “lake of fire”, as Hell . One has written a book that states that a loving God would not send people to eternal torment in flames).

My Take on why this happened

I fear that many Christians have left their first love, Jesus Christ, and Rob Bell and Brian McLaren have had occasion to occupy that which we abdicated, namely, the emphasis of the Love of God as clearly portrayed in the cross of Christ.

All of God’s attributes of Holiness and Justice were satisfied for us by God himself in the personage of Jesus Christ.

Why do we Christians have such a difficult time reconciling God’s love and God’s Holiness and justice when it was God himself who personally settled that issue on the cross and the reason He did so is because He loved us?

John 3:16 states – “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”

Choice is valued in our culture.

People like it when they can choose on their own.

Before Christ’s sacrifice people had nothing but death to choose from.

God gave us a choice.

Hell is real and people who reject Christ will go there.

And the following is a summary of what is written in the Bible and why that is the case.

Satan desired to ,”be like the Most High”, and his pride became sin.

One third of heaven’s angels sided with Satan and suffered the same fate as him.

They were condemned and Hell, the lake of fire, was created for them.

They are awaiting that sentence to be carried out.

Then Satan tempted mankind to do that which had been forbid by God, to eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil.

He tempted mankind by saying to them the same thing that he was condemned for,”you will be like the Most High”.

Satan no doubt knew that if mankind sinned the same sin as him, mankind would suffer the same fate as him, the lake of fire for all eternity.

That is why a Loving God would send people to Hell, because He is also a just God.

Satan’s sin was our sin also.

Satan’s fate became our fate as well.

It is just.

But consider this.

We owed God for our sin.

Then God came down to personally pay the debt that we owed Him.

Our debtor paid our debt for us!

God came down to mankind and was born of a virgin , grew up as a boy, worked as a carpenter, and never sinned.

Our God did this for us to become what we could not be, sinless and perfect, so He could then sacrifice Himself for our sins and pay the price for us.

The just for the unjust.

How can we then say condemnation to Hell is unjust if the one we were indebted to personally paid our debt himself ?

The explanations that are common in the lake of fire debate are foolish at best.

The lake of fire ,(Hell ),that Christ warned about extensively was not mere symbolism or a smoldering trash heap outside the city walls of Jerusalem.

Reconsider your stance Brian McLaren and Rob Bell , for you risk  causing many to miss the seriousness of what is at stake, and you diminish the sacrifice of Christ.

We are saved from infinitely more than mere regrets.

Our Savior is infinitely more worthy of being called Savior than you imply by what you call Hell.

“And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever.” 

“Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death.  If anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.”

Revelation 20:10,14-15

“But he was pierced for our transgressions, 
   he was crushed for our iniquities; 
the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, 
   and by his wounds we are healed. 
We all, like sheep, have gone astray, 
   each of us has turned to his own way; 
and the LORD has laid on him 
   the iniquity of us all.”

Isaiah 53:5,6

A Reason For Living – An Audio Sermon By Dr. Tim Keller – Redeemer Presbyterian Church- Manhattan, NY- Keller Answers The Big Question- “What Is The Reason,Meaning, And Purpose For Life?”

What is the reason for living?

All the big thinkers, atheist , agnostic, and believer, have written about the reason for our existence and the meaning of life.

In this sermon, Keller does what many big thinkers refuse to do, and that is to honestly and logically examine the premise, or basis on which to answer the big question.

If God does exist and we can know Him, then we have hope in this life because we know this is not the end, the best is yet to come.

This view also gives hope to all who suffer in this life because they too can say they have a ,”future hope”.

Keller exposes that the typical atheist view is built on the premise that if God does not exist then the individual experiences ,

“Freedom”, but that view is not enough reason for living.

The problem is that ,”freedom”, as the sole reward in life ,robs us of any hope for a future beyond this life,

and results in a lack reason, purpose and meaning, and results in a loss of hope.

But the answer to life’s big question is that God does exist, we do have a future hope, and we have a reason  for living.

His name is Jesus.

————————————————-

How I Post Sermons

I typically listen to a sermon 6 or more times before I recommend, comment and post them ?

This is especially true of Keller’s sermons.

I do this in part because I’m following Keller’s own example of how he studies the great early American revivalist, Jonathan Edwards.

Keller has mentioned that he reads, and re-reads Edward’s books and sermons over and over again.

Re- reading Edwards, Keller says, allows the benefit of learning how Edwards thought, and gives the benefit of applying that kind of thought to all of life,

as if to anticipate how Edwards would have answered any question himself.

Since I can’t listen to Edwards audio sermons,( since none exist), but Keller studies Edwards,

then I figure Keller’s audio sermons are the practicle choice for the student of deep theological issues.

This Sermon – In Summery

Keller answers the big question by dwelling on the basis for question, for most of sermon.

At one point in the sermon Keller receives applause for one of his comments, to which he replies,”that has never happened to me before, no wait,

I should say , that has never happened to me in a white church before.”

Another great sermon by Keller.

Free online. Click on the link below.

http://sermons2.redeemer.com/sermons/reason-living

Enjoy.

This is Eternal Life

“And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.” (John 17:3)

“The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,” that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming:  That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.  For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.” (Romans 10:8-10) 

Related articles

• The Secret Ingredient To Eternal Life (christcenteredteaching.wordpress.com)

Life After Death – We Can Know Our Final Destination

 

One day our journey will end.
Our life as we know it will end.

But we can know where we are going after this life is over.

“I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.” 1 John 5:13

What are we saved from?

“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” romans 3:23

God is perfect, we are not. Therefore we cannot live with him when our journey is over unless He makes us perfect.
He promises to change us into perfection and give us eternal life with Him if we let Him save us from our current path.

The following Bible references have helped me to know my final destination beyond any doubt.
The rest and assurance that results from knowing and no longer fearing death is that I now love Him more than my own life.

“And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession–to the praise of his glory.” Ephesians 1:13,14

If then God puts His Spirit in those who believe, these next verses are also true.

“And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.
God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him.” 1 John 4:16

God is love. He warms the hearts of those who truly know Him, and we feel His presence in us.

“We know that we live in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit.” 1 John 4:13

“The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.” Romans 8:16

Do you know Him…? You can know Him, and you can know your final destination for certain and forever.

“That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. As the Scripture says, “Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame.” For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile–the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him,for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Romans 10:9-13

Heaven is my final destination.
I hope to see you there!

Saved and Sealed for Eternity – God Cannot Lie

God keeps His promises.

“… it is impossible for God to lie…” (Hebrews 6:18).

God made a promise to all of us who believe and have accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior. This particular promise is found in Ephesians 1:13-14.

“And you were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the Gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in Him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession – to the praise of His glory.”

For those who believe The Good News of Christ, there is a “promise” that cannot be broken and a “seal” that cannot be taken away.
This ‘promise” and ‘seal’ is not a ‘what’, but a ‘who’ as stated in verse 14, God Himself in the believer.

He is the ultimate fulfillment of the greatest longing of every soul. To feel His presence in your heart, is to be changed forever. None who experience His presence can find fulfillment to this degree in anything else that can be desired.

“He has made everything beautiful in its time, He has also set eternity in the hearts of men;” (Ecclesiastes 3:11).

We are created by Him to have a relationship with Him. We are ‘hardwired’ to know God and once you do, if you really do, you would never want to leave Him….ever!

God Himself is the deposit who guarantees our inheritance.
We, who placed our faith in Christ, The Gospel of our salvation, are now “God’s possession”. He bought our lives with the life He gave in the personage of Jesus Christ on the cross, His life for ours. When you trust Him to save you owe Him everything.
You are God’s possession. And no one can take us from God. Nor would any who experience Him want to leave.

“They went out from us, but they did not belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us.” (1 John 2:19)

The arms of God hold us in an embrace that possesses our deepest longing. Our free will chooses God because He made us for Himself.

God cannot lie.

His promise cannot be broken.

His Spirit in us is the seal that cannot be taken away.

None who ever genuinely know Him would ever want to leave Him.

He Will Be Called Mighty God , Everlasting Father

Isaiah 9:6 ” For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

Isaiah 9:6 was written about 700 years before God came down in the personage of Jesus Christ.

The verse foretells the birth of a child whom Christianity celebrates at Christmas time every year. The child’s birth is hailed as the coming of a savior who would save mankind from the curse of sin and death.

Our sin nature had taken us far from God. He came to us. He became one of us. He lived like one of us. He suffered and died in our place. Then Christ rose from death to prove He is the author and creator of life and offers life to all who choose to receive Him as Lord and Savior. He will not force us, He made a way for us and beckons us to receive Him.

At Christmas time we celebrate the ultimate act of love and humility performed by God for us. May we all remember the gift of eternal life was bought with pain and suffering, shame and rejection, and Christ’s own blood that He gave to pay our debt. God personally paid the debt we owed Him. He did not send another to do His work for him.

Ephesians 2:8-9 “For it is by grace you are saved, through faith – and that not from yourselves , it is the gift of God – not by works , so that no one can boast.”

To receive God’s gift of Eternal Life you need only to ask God to save you and receive Him as your Savior and God.

We were created for fellowship with our Creator God. Our fulfillment is met only through a relationship with God through the personage of Jesus Christ our Savior.

He promises to live in you and to never leave you or forsake you. His Spirit living in the believer will grow our love for Him and for His desires in place of our own.

Remember, Christ is also part of this gift. He is our , “Wonderful Counselor”, and He is love. We are created for a relationship with Him, therefore He alone can fulfill mankind’s greatest desire.

He is love. And it is by His indwelling Spirit of love that we are changed.
So don’t worry about old habits. If you really mean it when you ask Him into your heart, He will live in you forever and will never leave you.

Related articles

• Revisiting the Trinity (christcenteredteaching.wordpress.com)

The Gospel Story – So Unlike Man Made Stories it Must Be True

Nobody would make up a story about the leader of their religion like the story of Jesus Christ in the Bible.

“Embarrassing testimony is powerful evidence for historical accuracy.” Frank Turek

The four Gospels all record events that some historians call, “The Criterion of Embarrassment“.

The list has caused quite a lot of debate, and the kind of commentary that includes a lot of anger in the absence of coherent reasoning on the part of naysayers.

The list of embarrassing stories is long and I have only recorded a few of them here for examples.

——————-

Jesus Christ was accused repeatedly by His contemporaries of being born illegitimately.

His parents were not from nobility or influential.

He was born in a stable.

His arrival was announced by a chorus of Angels, not to nobility, but to humble shepherds watching their flocks by night.

His brothers did not believe in Him.

The religious leadership of His day hated Him.

He didn’t flaunt His miraculous powers for influence on a grand scale.

He did not free Israel from its Roman oppression as they wanted.

He didn’t even own a sword himself and forbid His followers from using them to defend Him.

He did not choose men of nobility to be His 12 Disciples. Instead He chose fisherman and tax collectors.

Many of the disciples did things that Jesus corrected them for doing, lack of faith, hunger for power, being judgmental and so on.

Most of the disciples betrayed Him when He was captured, and Peter denied he knew Him three times.

He showed tender mercy,kindness and respect to women during a time and culture that was very oppressive to women, and over one thousand years before the rest of the world would do so.

He made His Triumphant Entry into Jerusalem on a donkey’s colt instead of a valiant steed.

He took the role of a servant and washed His disciples feet.

He allowed Himself to be captured by His enemies.

He did not speak in defense of Himself before the Jewish and Roman rulers.

He suffered public torture and shameful humiliation, but did not speak out in resistance to it.

He allowed Himself to be crucified on a Roman Cross.

While on the cross, He cried out,
“My God ,My God, why have you forsaken Me?”

He did not save Himself from undue punishment, instead, He died for those who rejected Him.

He was laid in a borrowed tomb,( but He rose again on the third day !)

All of these events and much more, stand in stark contrast to the things that commonly and historically appeal to the heart of mankind.

If the story of Jesus Christ was manufactured by men,

they would omit these events and try to cover them up in an effort to fabricate a leader devoid of embarrassments.

 ^“Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus,

who, being in the form of God,

did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation,

taking the form of a bondservant,

and coming in the likeness of men.

 And being found in appearance as a man,

He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death,

even the death of the cross.” (Philippians 2:5-8)

Why not believe in Jesus Christ and follow Him.

He alone is worthy.

The Only Sin God Will Not Forgive

 

 

God came down in the personage of Jesus Christ the Man/God, to live a perfect life, and offer a perfect sacrifice for our sins. All our sins great and small were paid for by Jesus on the cross when He freely laid down His life for you and me.
Here are Christ’s own words as recorded in Matthew 12:31;

“Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men.”

No one is beyond God’s forgiveness but those who attribute the miracles by the power of God’s Spirit to the Devil. That is blasphemy against the Spirit. That is the only sin that God will not forgive.
The sacrifice of God’s One and Only Son, Jesus Christ, is more powerful than the deepest darkest sin. God eagerly welcomes all who repent and seek Him by taking Jesus, the Savior, as their very own. He knows the thoughts of all who live. He will hear your prayer of belief in Him as Savior.

Don’t wait. Do it now.

 ^“That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. As the Scripture says, “Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame.” For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile —the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him,  for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” (Romans 10:9-13)

God Was Manifested in the Flesh

” And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifested in the flesh, justified in the Spirit,Seen by angels, Preached among the Gentiles, Believed on in the world, Received up in glory.”1Timothy 3:161

 The above verse from the Bible states that Jesus is God revealed to mankind in Bodily Form.

Just to think the God of all that is , was, and shall be personally came down to Earth as Jesus, to be one of us and to make a way for us back into fellowship with Himself.

This amazing love and humility is also beyond comprehension.
Great is the mystery.

Related articles

• God Came Down! (samuelatgilgal.wordpress.com)
• Manifest in the Flesh (samuelatgilgal.wordpress.com)
• Jesus is Truly God and became Manifest in the Flesh (samuelatgilgal.wordpress.com)

Archeological Proof The Bible is an Accurate Translation of Ancient Holy Manuscripts

English: The Psalms scroll, one of the Dead Sea scrolls. Hebrew transcription included. English translation available here. Français : le rouleau des Psaumes, l’un des manuscrits de la mer Morte. Une transcription en hébreu moderne est incluse. Une traduction anglaise est disponible ici. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Archeological Proof The Bible is an Accurate Translation of Ancient Holy Manuscripts

The Dead Sea scrolls are available to view online now. The scrolls are over 2000 years old. They predate Christ’s earthly ministry and include the entire Old Testament books except Esther. They,” bare witness to,” the integrity of modern translations made from other ancient Greek and Hebrew manuscripts.

The best Bibles are not interpretations, but translations. A translation seeks to accurately translate words and thoughts. The most accurate translations included many Greek and Hebrew scholars in the project. In some cases, such as the NIV84, over 100 scholars translated the Bible from ancient Greek, Hebrew, and Aramaic manuscripts. We can verify the credentials of each translator. The project began in 1966 and was not completed until 1978.

The NIV84, The NKJV, MSG, and the New American Standard are among the most accurate translations from the Greek, Hebrew and Aramaic scriptures in English.

The Codex Sinaiticius is the oldest entire New Testament manuscript, dating back to about 350 A.D. Constantine Tischendorf, a German Bible scholar, found this manuscript in 1859 at the Monastery of Saint Catherine, Mount Sinai, an ancient monastery in the arid Sinai desert.
Each ancient manuscript has served to prove the accuracy of our Modern translations of the Bible.
Digitally photographed images are now available online for study by scholar and skeptic alike.

You can research them at the following links,

View the the Dead Sea Scrolls, available online since 2009-

http://dss.collections.imj.org.il/isaiah

View the 1600-year-old Complete New Testament of the Bible, The Codex Sinaiticus online-

http://www.codex-sinaiticus.net/en/

http://www.csntm.org/home/about

God Came Down -The Greatest Expression of Humility Ever – Bible Passages That Support The Claim That Jesus is God

Whereas selfish pride is the downfall of mankind, God’s ultimate expression of humility has provided for our restoration.

God came down to us to save us.

This act of love and humility traveled the greatest distance anyone can imagine.

God came from the highest place in Heaven to Earth as the man Jesus Christ.

Then He died in our place and went to death for us.

He paid our debt when He sacrificed Himself for our sins by allowing Himself to be tortured, crucified and gave His perfect life for our imperfect lives.

He went to the grave, yet rose in victory over death three days later.

Jesus is now worthy to offer new life to all who believe in Him and ask Him by faith to save them.

John 8:58
“I tell you the truth,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was born, I am!”

“I am”, is the name God gave Moses when asked ,”they say to me, ‘What is His name?’ what shall I say to them?”

Exodus 3:14
And God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And He said, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’”

He is the Image of the Invisible God

Colossians 1:15-20

(speaking about Jesus)

“He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible,…all things were created through Him and for Him. He is before all things and in Him all things consist.”verse 19, “For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell, and by Him to reconcile all things to himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross.”

Jesus is the Same God the Prophet Isaiah Saw on His Throne in All His Glory

“Isaiah said this because he saw Jesus’ glory and spoke about Him.”

John 12:41 

Equal With God

Philippians 2:5-8

“who being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God.”

verse 8- ” And being found in appearance as a man,He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.”

He Who Has Seen Jesus Has Seen God

John 14:7-11

” If you would have known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him”.

“All the Fullness of the Godhead Bodily”

Colossians 2:9

“For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.”

Our God and Mediator Are One in the Same, The Man Christ Jesus

1 Timothy 2:5,6

“For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.”

God Reconciling the World to Himself

2 Corinthians 5:19

“that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.”

Jesus is the true God and Eternal Life

1 John 5:20

“And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us an understanding, that we may know Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life.”

Christ Shared in God’s Glory Before Creation

John 17:5

“And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.”

“I and the Father are one”

John 10:30-38

” Again the Jews picked up stones to stone him,(vs.31)
…”you, a mere man claim to be God.”
(The Jews knew that there can only be one God,and to claim that you are God’s son is to claim to be God for there can only be one eternal, divine, all-powerful Holy God.)

“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.

Hebrews 13:8

Jesus Christ did not earn the right to be God as a result good works and exaltation, as if being God was a position to be earned, for Jesus Christ is God.

Jesus Christ is God and always has been the same, always will be the same, yesterday today, and forever. (Eternal)

To Hate Jesus is to Hate God.

John 15:24

“If I had not done among them what no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin. But now they have seen these miracles, and yet they have hated both me and my Father.”

2 Corinthians 4:4

“;Christ, who is the image of God,“

“Christ came,who is over all, the eternally blessed God.” Romans 9:5

“He made the worlds.“

Hebrews 1:2

Hebrews 1:2-3

(Jesus),”who being the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power,when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,”

Hebrews 1:6

“Let all the angels of God worship Him.”

Hebrews 1:8

“But to the Son He says, “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever,”

Hebrews 1:9

“Therefore God, your God has anointed you”…

Hebrews 2:8

“You have put all things under His feet.” ( Speaking of Jesus).

God Became One of Us in Order to Save Us.

Hebrews 2:14-18

(Speaking of Jesus from verse 9) , “He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is , the devil.” vs 17 ” Therefore, in all things He had to be made like His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in all things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people”
“For in that He Himself has suffered being tempted, He is able to aid those who are tempted.”

Luke 10:18

” I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.”(Jesus speaking to the Jews).

Who is Himself God

John 1:18

“No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known.”
This verse says Jesus is God in two ways. First it states that Jesus is the one and only Son. This is also stated in John 3:16 where Jesus is called ,”One and Only Son.” God did not create another God because there can only be one All Powerful, All mighty, All Knowing , Most High God. So Jesus is the One and Only because, as this verse also clearly states,”…the one and only Son, who is himself God,”.

John 10:38

“...the Father is in me, and I in the Father.” (Speaking of oneness).

The Jews in Christ’s day knew what Jesus was saying when He claimed to be one with the Father

John 10:30,33

” I and my Father are one.” vs 33 “We are not stoning you for any good work,” they replied,”but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God.”