May 20th 2018
The Promises Of God Depend Upon The Death And Resurrection Of Jesus Christ!
Ephesians 4:32 (NIV)
Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.
Forgiveness is likely one of the most difficult virtues to adopt in the Christian experience as we do not often equate our forgiveness as a free gift, but as something we have somehow earned. Do you find this to be true for you too? Paul tells us we are to be forgiving, “just as in Christ God forgave you.” Can you be Christ-like and forgive everyone who may offend you, or even those who strongly disagree with you on matters important to you? Paul next went too far, as he wrote we are to be able to imitate God! Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people. (Ephesians 5:1-3).
In my first sentence above I used the term “a free gift” and the MSWord Processor flagged this term as an error and wanted me to write “a gift” as all gifts from a human perspective should be free. Does the term “there is no such thing as a free lunch,” have any meaning to you. Human gifts are often given with strings attached, as a type of bribe for the gift receiver to comply with some form of repayment! Jesus’ gift of salvation is however, a true free gift! Remember, your salvation is given in spite of the fact that you are a sinner! Yes, God loves us even when we are still sinners. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8)
In this modern era, we hear the term attitude being used in a way that attempts to stress the importance for each individual to raise their status by thinking very highly of themselves, by just imposing their attitude as proof of their own importance, and therefore, everyone should recognize them as an important person. This kind of thinking causes people to take a lot of “selfies” or pictures of themselves. If possible, they try to get known important or very popular people in the picture with them. This is done to show their importance, as they are surrounded by known important people. However, Jesus came to this earth and lived as a member of mankind, and He did not flaunt His importance, but instead He retained an attitude of humility. Paul wrote for us about this Christ-like attitude we should present in this world. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. (Philippians 2:5-7)
Do you seek equality with God in this lifetime? Many people do by questioning their very existence in this world, and attribute it to evolution, as opposed to having been part of a special creation act of God/Jesus! So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. (Genesis 1:27). The Bible tells us that God created mankind as being immediately capable of reproduction as they were originally created as male and female and thus capable of reproducing immediately. Mankind did not have to wait for millions or billions of years before we could reproduce human babies. Jesus believed this when He walked this earth as the God/man. When He was questioned about divorce Jesus quoted Genesis. "Haven’t you read," he replied, "that at the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female’, and said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh’? (Matthew 19:4-5). Jesus did not believe in evolution, so why would a professing Christian believe it? Jesus asked, "Haven’t you read," Jesus was telling them, and us, to read the book of Genesis, and believe it!
Paul wrote to the early church about unbelievers being blinded and thus “they cannot see the light of the gospel.” Paul wrote, the god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. (2Corinthians 4:4). Is it possible that professing believers have been also blinded by “The god of this age?” Do Not miss the importance of the terminology Paul is using, it is a god not the God. Paul is referring here to Satan as “The god of this age.” Believers can be influenced by Satan, and we often are attracted to sinful desires in this world. Do your best to read and believe what our Bible teaches, and please do not forget that Jesus left the Holy Spirit behind on this earth to help guide us to believe the Word of God is the only absolute truth available to members of mankind.
Paul wrote about this conundrum we find ourselves in that in this world we will be tempted to do wrong, and this also includes that we are tempted to believe the wrong doctrines too. We can be law abiding citizens, and we may be following laws that are not supported by God. Is the law, therefore, opposed to the promises of God? Absolutely not! For if a law had been given that could impart life, then righteousness would certainly have come by the law. But the Scripture declares that the whole world is a prisoner of sin, so that what was promised, being given through faith in Jesus Christ, might be given to those who believe. (Galatians 3:21-22). Notice that Paul here is saying that righteousness cannot come from abiding by the law. The promises of God are not tied to abiding by the law, as the law cannot “impart life,” but life is given by “what was promised, being given through faith in Jesus Christ!”
The promises of God depend upon the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, so that what was promised, being given through faith in Jesus Christ, might be given to those who believe. Only those who believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and His death and resurrection paid the price for their sins will be given life eternal, and they will spend eternity with Jesus Christ. Peter wrote about how the death of Jesus paid the price required for you to go to heaven when you die. For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit, (1Peter 3:18).
The promises of God depend upon the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ!
Your brother in life through Adam, your brother in eternity through Jesus,
Bob Moak
Ephesians 4:32 (NIV)
Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.
Forgiveness is likely one of the most difficult virtues to adopt in the Christian experience as we do not often equate our forgiveness as a free gift, but as something we have somehow earned. Do you find this to be true for you too? Paul tells us we are to be forgiving, “just as in Christ God forgave you.” Can you be Christ-like and forgive everyone who may offend you, or even those who strongly disagree with you on matters important to you? Paul next went too far, as he wrote we are to be able to imitate God! Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people. (Ephesians 5:1-3).
In my first sentence above I used the term “a free gift” and the MSWord Processor flagged this term as an error and wanted me to write “a gift” as all gifts from a human perspective should be free. Does the term “there is no such thing as a free lunch,” have any meaning to you. Human gifts are often given with strings attached, as a type of bribe for the gift receiver to comply with some form of repayment! Jesus’ gift of salvation is however, a true free gift! Remember, your salvation is given in spite of the fact that you are a sinner! Yes, God loves us even when we are still sinners. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8)
In this modern era, we hear the term attitude being used in a way that attempts to stress the importance for each individual to raise their status by thinking very highly of themselves, by just imposing their attitude as proof of their own importance, and therefore, everyone should recognize them as an important person. This kind of thinking causes people to take a lot of “selfies” or pictures of themselves. If possible, they try to get known important or very popular people in the picture with them. This is done to show their importance, as they are surrounded by known important people. However, Jesus came to this earth and lived as a member of mankind, and He did not flaunt His importance, but instead He retained an attitude of humility. Paul wrote for us about this Christ-like attitude we should present in this world. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. (Philippians 2:5-7)
Do you seek equality with God in this lifetime? Many people do by questioning their very existence in this world, and attribute it to evolution, as opposed to having been part of a special creation act of God/Jesus! So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. (Genesis 1:27). The Bible tells us that God created mankind as being immediately capable of reproduction as they were originally created as male and female and thus capable of reproducing immediately. Mankind did not have to wait for millions or billions of years before we could reproduce human babies. Jesus believed this when He walked this earth as the God/man. When He was questioned about divorce Jesus quoted Genesis. "Haven’t you read," he replied, "that at the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female’, and said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh’? (Matthew 19:4-5). Jesus did not believe in evolution, so why would a professing Christian believe it? Jesus asked, "Haven’t you read," Jesus was telling them, and us, to read the book of Genesis, and believe it!
Paul wrote to the early church about unbelievers being blinded and thus “they cannot see the light of the gospel.” Paul wrote, the god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. (2Corinthians 4:4). Is it possible that professing believers have been also blinded by “The god of this age?” Do Not miss the importance of the terminology Paul is using, it is a god not the God. Paul is referring here to Satan as “The god of this age.” Believers can be influenced by Satan, and we often are attracted to sinful desires in this world. Do your best to read and believe what our Bible teaches, and please do not forget that Jesus left the Holy Spirit behind on this earth to help guide us to believe the Word of God is the only absolute truth available to members of mankind.
Paul wrote about this conundrum we find ourselves in that in this world we will be tempted to do wrong, and this also includes that we are tempted to believe the wrong doctrines too. We can be law abiding citizens, and we may be following laws that are not supported by God. Is the law, therefore, opposed to the promises of God? Absolutely not! For if a law had been given that could impart life, then righteousness would certainly have come by the law. But the Scripture declares that the whole world is a prisoner of sin, so that what was promised, being given through faith in Jesus Christ, might be given to those who believe. (Galatians 3:21-22). Notice that Paul here is saying that righteousness cannot come from abiding by the law. The promises of God are not tied to abiding by the law, as the law cannot “impart life,” but life is given by “what was promised, being given through faith in Jesus Christ!”
The promises of God depend upon the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, so that what was promised, being given through faith in Jesus Christ, might be given to those who believe. Only those who believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and His death and resurrection paid the price for their sins will be given life eternal, and they will spend eternity with Jesus Christ. Peter wrote about how the death of Jesus paid the price required for you to go to heaven when you die. For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit, (1Peter 3:18).
The promises of God depend upon the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ!
Your brother in life through Adam, your brother in eternity through Jesus,
Bob Moak
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