April 23rd 2023
The Bible Is The Only Book On This Earth That Was Supplied Through Revelation From God!
James 1:27 (NIV)
Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.
James wrote about a “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless” that requires us “to look after orphans and widows in their distress,” and it also requires us “to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” In my study Bible there was clarification about what James meant about the world. Not the world of nature but the world of people in rebellion against God. (NIV Notes). In this cursed world people are all in rebellion to God in some form. We all have inherited a sinful nature, which if it is not checked by salvation, we are apt to lash out and be violent when we do not get our own way! In this once great country we see this being played out, as we pull away more and more from Jesus, we become violent, and some even resort to wanting to kill anyone who “may” not agree with them getting our own way.
Just a byline: I noticed the use of nature in the NIV Notes, which I believe shows a desire to sell their Bibles more than a clarification for a Bible study. To me, there is no such phrase as nature related to this world. Jesus created this world just a few thousand years ago, the world was not created by mother nature with a big bang billions of years ago! This failure to give credit to Jesus for creation, and thus, to hold the Son of God in awe, causes many people to distance themselves from anyone who espouses a love for God, and a belief in His Son as their Lord and Savior!
John also wrote about not loving this world. Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. (1John 2:15). If anyone loves the world, then they cannot love God. It seems here that John is not referring to the world of people or the created world, but the world, or realm, of sin, which is controlled by Satan and organized against God and righteousness. We see this love of this world being played out by someone arming themselves and going out into this world they believe exists and shooting as many people as they can. In the Bible we read about people being possessed by a demon or demons. In our modern world we look for some human(s) to blame, but never consider the fact that demons do exist in this world. Jesus certainly believed it, and He even cast out many demons as a way of healing people when He walked this same earth!
Jesus professed a need for loving God the Father as a necessity for life here on this cursed earth. Matthew wrote about on incident when Jesus told us about this great need to love God. Satan was trying to tempt Jesus to perform a miracle, so Jesus could eat, when He was very hungry. The tempter came to him and said, "If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread." Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” (Matthew 4:3-4). So, bread or food, is not enough for us to stay alive in this cursed world, we need God’s love to understand this world, and to be thankful for this life we have been blessed with by God. Life in this cursed world is not a curse, as some tortured people believe, but a blessing from God our Father!
Jesus told His disciples about His joy in this world, because of His love for His Father. Jesus farther told us that He wanted to share His joy of life with us, which we could obtain by following His commands. If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. (John 15:10-11). The joy of Jesus is available to all His disciples and is obtainable by just knowing and thus loving Jesus. Jesus refers to everyone who loves Him as His friend. You are my friends if you do what I command. (John 15:14). What a friend we have in Jesus!
In this world today, we look to education as being a key to happiness and stability in our lives, and while this certainly is evident in a person’s ability to earn and maintain better living conditions, and can improve their outlook on life, it does not always result in them being wise in their decision making and does not cause them to obtain wisdom. A worldly person is often hoodwinked into accepting the ideas of mankind, and to never believe they have a need for real wisdom. The writer of Psalm 111 wrote about the necessity of having a fear of the LORD, or in other words, holding the LORD in awe as. “the beginning of wisdom!” The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his precepts have good understanding. To him belongs eternal praise. (Psalm 111:10).
Political Correctness tells us to leave everyone believe what they want, and do not try to change them. God loves mankind too much to allow them to believe what will result in them spending eternity in hell. Do you love them enough to tell them about Jesus? Only Jesus offers salvation for their immortal souls, and thus, their ability to spend eternity with Jesus in Heaven. Some people believe that worldly religions have a holy book that will guide them to heaven when they die. Jesus did not believe this however. Jesus believed that He is the only way by which mankind can find their way to heaven. You know the way to the place where I am going." Thomas said to him, "Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?" Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No-one comes to the Father except through me. (John 14:4-6). Did you understand what Jesus said, “No-one comes to the Father except through me.”
The following was borrowed from a free devotional I use supplied by ICR titled “Days of Praise”:
The Bible is not just a book but the Book. Its content is “for ever . . . settled in heaven.” Your word, O LORD, is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens. (Psalm 119:89), “able to make thee wise unto salvation” How from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. (2 Timothy 3:15) and is “given by inspiration of God” (“God-breathed”). All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, (2 Timothy 3:16). Its words must guide our very lives! HMM of ICR
As you can see from the above article the Bible is the only book on this earth that was supplied through revelation from God, and therefore, the only guidebook for pointing us to the real and only God. The God of the Bible!
Your brother in life through Adam, your brother in eternity through Jesus,
Bob Moak
James 1:27 (NIV)
Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.
James wrote about a “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless” that requires us “to look after orphans and widows in their distress,” and it also requires us “to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” In my study Bible there was clarification about what James meant about the world. Not the world of nature but the world of people in rebellion against God. (NIV Notes). In this cursed world people are all in rebellion to God in some form. We all have inherited a sinful nature, which if it is not checked by salvation, we are apt to lash out and be violent when we do not get our own way! In this once great country we see this being played out, as we pull away more and more from Jesus, we become violent, and some even resort to wanting to kill anyone who “may” not agree with them getting our own way.
Just a byline: I noticed the use of nature in the NIV Notes, which I believe shows a desire to sell their Bibles more than a clarification for a Bible study. To me, there is no such phrase as nature related to this world. Jesus created this world just a few thousand years ago, the world was not created by mother nature with a big bang billions of years ago! This failure to give credit to Jesus for creation, and thus, to hold the Son of God in awe, causes many people to distance themselves from anyone who espouses a love for God, and a belief in His Son as their Lord and Savior!
John also wrote about not loving this world. Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. (1John 2:15). If anyone loves the world, then they cannot love God. It seems here that John is not referring to the world of people or the created world, but the world, or realm, of sin, which is controlled by Satan and organized against God and righteousness. We see this love of this world being played out by someone arming themselves and going out into this world they believe exists and shooting as many people as they can. In the Bible we read about people being possessed by a demon or demons. In our modern world we look for some human(s) to blame, but never consider the fact that demons do exist in this world. Jesus certainly believed it, and He even cast out many demons as a way of healing people when He walked this same earth!
Jesus professed a need for loving God the Father as a necessity for life here on this cursed earth. Matthew wrote about on incident when Jesus told us about this great need to love God. Satan was trying to tempt Jesus to perform a miracle, so Jesus could eat, when He was very hungry. The tempter came to him and said, "If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread." Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” (Matthew 4:3-4). So, bread or food, is not enough for us to stay alive in this cursed world, we need God’s love to understand this world, and to be thankful for this life we have been blessed with by God. Life in this cursed world is not a curse, as some tortured people believe, but a blessing from God our Father!
Jesus told His disciples about His joy in this world, because of His love for His Father. Jesus farther told us that He wanted to share His joy of life with us, which we could obtain by following His commands. If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. (John 15:10-11). The joy of Jesus is available to all His disciples and is obtainable by just knowing and thus loving Jesus. Jesus refers to everyone who loves Him as His friend. You are my friends if you do what I command. (John 15:14). What a friend we have in Jesus!
In this world today, we look to education as being a key to happiness and stability in our lives, and while this certainly is evident in a person’s ability to earn and maintain better living conditions, and can improve their outlook on life, it does not always result in them being wise in their decision making and does not cause them to obtain wisdom. A worldly person is often hoodwinked into accepting the ideas of mankind, and to never believe they have a need for real wisdom. The writer of Psalm 111 wrote about the necessity of having a fear of the LORD, or in other words, holding the LORD in awe as. “the beginning of wisdom!” The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his precepts have good understanding. To him belongs eternal praise. (Psalm 111:10).
Political Correctness tells us to leave everyone believe what they want, and do not try to change them. God loves mankind too much to allow them to believe what will result in them spending eternity in hell. Do you love them enough to tell them about Jesus? Only Jesus offers salvation for their immortal souls, and thus, their ability to spend eternity with Jesus in Heaven. Some people believe that worldly religions have a holy book that will guide them to heaven when they die. Jesus did not believe this however. Jesus believed that He is the only way by which mankind can find their way to heaven. You know the way to the place where I am going." Thomas said to him, "Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?" Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No-one comes to the Father except through me. (John 14:4-6). Did you understand what Jesus said, “No-one comes to the Father except through me.”
The following was borrowed from a free devotional I use supplied by ICR titled “Days of Praise”:
The Bible is not just a book but the Book. Its content is “for ever . . . settled in heaven.” Your word, O LORD, is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens. (Psalm 119:89), “able to make thee wise unto salvation” How from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. (2 Timothy 3:15) and is “given by inspiration of God” (“God-breathed”). All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, (2 Timothy 3:16). Its words must guide our very lives! HMM of ICR
As you can see from the above article the Bible is the only book on this earth that was supplied through revelation from God, and therefore, the only guidebook for pointing us to the real and only God. The God of the Bible!
Your brother in life through Adam, your brother in eternity through Jesus,
Bob Moak