The Holy Trinity...for those who don't know

A lot of issues arise from not clearly and properly defining the meaning of the Trinity. The Holy Trinity, as expressed in Scripture, is nothing more than the one and only Covenant God (I AM Who I AM) revealed in three co-equal and co-eternal but distinct persons (members): the Father, the Son (Jesus the Christ), and the Holy Spirit.

This short writing is to speak against the “modalism” teaching and there not being distinction within the Godhead. According to this false doctrine, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and the Father are simply modes (simultaneous manifestations) of one God, not distinct co-equal and co-eternal divine members of one Godhead. I will show 9 distinctions between the three, which then also affirms their co-equal divine mono-nature.

Distinction #1: Jesus says of the individuality of the Father, “My Father is greater than I” (Jn. 14:28 cf. Phil. 2:5-11)

Distinction #2: Jesus says to the Father of the individuality of Himself, “Glorify Your Son” (Jn. 17:1)

Distinction #3: Jesus said of the individuality of Himself and the Holy Spirit to the scribes and Pharisees that they will be forgiven if they blaspheme Him but not if they blaspheme the Holy Spirit (Matt. 12:31-33)

Distinction #4: Jesus speaks of the individuality of the Holy Spirit, Himself, and the Father (Jn. 14:25-26; 16:13-15)

Distinction #5: Jesus quoted to the Pharisees David’s prophetic divine distinction and equality of the individuality of Himself and the Father (Matt. 22:41-46)

Distinction #6: Peter, in the first sermon recorded after Jesus, mentions the individuality of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:22-36)

Distinction #7: Paul speaks on the individuality of one Lord, one Spirit, and one Father of us all (Eph. 4:4-6 cf. Rom. 8:26-27, 1Cor. 15:15-28)

Distinction #8: John talks about fellowship with the Son and the Father (1Jn. 1:1-3) and that the Spirit serves as a witness to Jesus coming in the flesh (1Jn. 5:6-8)

Distinction #9: Jesus said if He bears witness of Himself by Himself His witness is not true. So Jesus says the Father and the Holy Spirit bear witness of Him––showing a distinction of the individuality of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit (Jn. 5:31-37; 15:26; 8:14-18).

Just from these 9 alone we see this is not some doctrine picked up in later centuries as some suggest. Not to mention the book of Hebrews by itself displays––based on the Old Testament laws, the tabernacle, and such––the distinct persons of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit! That’s some good company to have (Jesus, David, Paul, Peter, John) if you’re going to hold to a doctrine!

The Holy Trinity, or the plurality of the Godhead, is apparent in Scripture (e.g. Gen. 1:26; 11:7, Isa. 6:8, Jn. 3:11; 17:11, 21) and supported in history––for it is recorded that the first century and second century believers also believed, accepted, and worshipped the Triune God (e.g. Justin Martyr AD150, Polycarp AD116 [disciple of the Apostle John], Irenaeus AD185 [disciple of Polycarp], and in the late 2nd century/early 3rd century AD, Tertullian).

The Apostles got it from Jesus, the early church got it from the Apostles, and we got it from the scriptures passed on to us from the early church.

_________________________________________________________________

For those who may have questions about the heretical "Oneness/Modalism" doctrine, please check this site...Trinity versus Oneness.

2009

Unmasking the Witnesses: Putting the JW's on the stand

“It is important, then, that you “keep testing whether you are in the faith,” as Paul declared. Keep checking to see whether the things you believe are in keeping with God’s Word. But the question is, are you willing to put your religion through such a test? There is nothing to fear, because if you have the right religion you can only be reassured by the examination. And if what you believe is not in keeping with the Bible, then you should welcome the truth, because it leads to light and life.” (Watchtower May 1 1958 p.261 Is Your Religion the Right One?)

Allow me to put the Jehovah’s Witnesses on the stand and unmask some of the fallacies of their belief. This is very close to my heart. I had a young cousin who was a JW and he committed suicide because he had no hope of a better way out of his mess and I have a grandfather who is presently a JW, so I’m not doing this to bash but rather to challenge minds to see false for false and create the opportunity to come to the Truth. I should’ve done this a long time ago.

Timeline of the origin of JW’s
1852- Birth of Charles Taze Russell, founder of the Jehovah’s Witnesses.
1872- Charles Taze Russell founds the International Bible Students Association in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
(Only 20 years old, he’s still a kid. He’s not even old enough to have finished a 4 year degree in Biblical Studies, hmm.)

1874- Year designated by Charles Taze Russell as the year of Christ’s invisible return (with the visible return to occur in 1914).
(Wow, 22 years old and making prophecies about the return of Christ.)

1879- Russell begings publishing the Zion’s Watch Tower and Herald of Christ’s Presence magazine.
1884- Zion’s Watch Tower Tract Society established as an incorporated body.
1886- Russell begins writing Studies in the Scriptures, which came to be considered second only to the Bible in importance.
(Now he has cornered the market on authoritative writings, interesting.)

1914- Year designated by Russell for Christ’s visible second coming.
(No return of Christ. Prediction is false, yet he is the JW’s inspired, authoritative and prophetic founder/leader.)

1916- Russell dies and is succeeded by “Judge” Joseph Franklin Rutherford (1869-1942).
1925- Year predicted by Rutherford as the year Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and the prophets would return to earth. (From a booklet in 1920 entitled Millions Now Living Will Never Die. pp.89-90)
(Nowhere in the Bible does it say Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob would return after their death. Oh, and the prediction was false. This would be the second false prediction in 20 years of the new birth of this religion. So much for being inspired.)

1931- Judge Rutherford adopts the name “Jehovah’s Witnesses” for the group, based on Isaiah 43:10.
(Though believers/followers of Jesus Christ have been called “Christians” since the middle of the first century in Antioch, and the Apostle Peter confirmed it in one of his epistles-1Peter)

1942- Rutherford dies and is succeeded by Nathan Homer Knorr (1905-77).
1975- Year predicted for Armageddon, based on calculation of Adam’s creation (determined to be 4026 BC) plus 6,000 years. But Watchtowers leading up to that year warn that no one can predict “the day or hour” with certainty.
(Yet we see the founder of this group started with a false prediction, as well as the next three successors. Not to mention, the same “Watchtower” that now says no one can predict with certainty was created by the founder who made a false prediction, hmm. Oh, and again, another false prediction.)

1977- Death of Knorr, who was succeeded by Frederick Franz. Franz explained the uneventful 1975 by noting that perhaps Eve was created several months or years after Adam, and Armageddon would occur 6000 years from that date.
(If this is true, according to the calendar of time recorded in the Bible, we have either passed or are close upon the 6000 years after Eve was created. Another false prediction after they say no one can predict with certainty.)

From this timeline we see the JW’s have no historic depth. They were founded by a 22 year old who made, he and his successors, false predictions and used them as the basis for why they are the one true faith. They have not been affirmed by the scholarly communities as historic or systematically legitimate. And as we are about to further see they are a false offshoot of Christianity.

The JW’s Bible
“For the most part, the NWT is similar to most other modern translations. However, notable differences occur in verses that touch on particular doctrines of the Jehovah's Witnesses that differ from mainstream Christianity.”
     The JW’s say their New World Translation is the “Hebrew Scriptures” and “Christian Greek Scriptures”. How can the NWT (which has only been around for 50 years) truly have the “Hebrew Scriptures” and “Christian Greek Scriptures”—of which they took from the Holy Bible—when they have altered the Holy Bible scriptures to fit their belief and no longer stand in accordance with the 2,400 year old complete Hebrew Bible and the 1,900 year old New Testament? The Hebrew Bible and the New Testament have been consistent for over a thousand years and yet only the NWT—which is supposedly taken from the same Holy Scriptures as the Bible—has altered the context of the content within. Why would one want to trust the NWT? Yet the JW’s say they “affirm the full inspiration of the Bible by God and the preservation of its copies over the centuries.” But how can this be when they have altered it. So despite the “full inspiration of the Bible by God” within the last 50 years they figured God did not do a good enough job the first time and the centuries upon centuries of preserving it so they had to change the very source they got their translation from and make a “New Word of God”. Smells fishy.

JW’s on the End-times
“A belief that is unique to Jehovah’s Witnesses is that the eschatological events predicted in Revelation began in 1914. This is when God gave Jesus his Kingdom, and Jesus has been ruling from heaven ever since. At this time Jesus threw Satan and his demons out of heaven and down to earth, which is why, according to Witnesses, the world has been getting progressively worse since 1914.”
     Jesus said, while He was still on earth amongst His disciples before His death and resurrection, He saw Satan fall from heaven like a flash of lighting (Lk. 10:18). How can this be so if He didn’t throw Satan and his demons out until 1914? Somebody is wrong, the JW’s or Jesus.

JW’s on the Afterlife
“Jehovah’s Witnesses deny the existence of hell. Instead, they hold that the souls of the wicked will be annihilated.”
     And yet they also believe Jesus went to the place of the dead. How can the souls of the wicked be annihilated (to destroy something completely so that it ceases to exist) and yet still have a place where Jesus can go? Where does the Holy Bible—from which they made up the NWT—say anything about the souls of the wicked being annihilated?

“The death that Adam brought into the world is spiritual as well as physical, and only those who gain entrance into the Kingdom of God will exist eternally.”
     Solomon, the wisest man to walk the earth next to Jesus, says in Ecclesiastes that God put eternity in the hearts of men and that man will go to his eternal home (Eccl. 3:11; 12:5-7). Jesus Himself said when speaking to His disciples that some will be raised to eternal life and others to everlasting punishment (Matt. 25:31-46). The Apostle Paul says the same thing to the Thessalonians, as does the writer of Hebrews and Jude (2Thess. 1:6-9, Heb. 6:2, Jude 6-8). And let’s not get into Revelation in regards to this. Yet JW’s hold that only those who gain entrance into the Kingdom of God will exist eternally, how can this be when Jesus just said there will be some who will be raised to everlasting punishment, Solomon affirms an eternity for mankind not just the saved, and the others? Someone is wrong, either Jesus and Solomon and company or the JW’s, hmm. Oh and how can one be certain if they have gained entrance into God’s kingdom? JW’s teach that “eternal life comes not simply from faith in Jesus but from “learning about Jehovah and obeying his requirements,” proving oneself to be God’s loyal subject, and listening to the Kingdom message and acting on it.” So you may never really know if you’re in until you die. That’s a lot of hoping and risk-taking with no guarantee!

JW’s on Jesus
JW’s teach that Jesus was crucified “not on a cross, but a single upright stake.”
     In first century Roman history it has been documented that when they crucified someone, they were nailed to two wooden beams attached in the shape of a cross. The nails went through the wrist (which was considered a part of the hand during that time) and a single nail through both feet, also there would be times the legs where broken so they couldn’t hold themselves up and die quicker. The New Testament’s account of Jesus’ crucifixion also affirms the Roman’s custom of punishment for capital crimes at that time. So who is right the JW’s or the Holy Bible and history? The 1,900 year old New Testament records Jesus being crucified on a cross, and those (both believers and non-believers) during that time who wrote of Jesus after His death says He was crucified.
(Samaritan born historian Thallus AD 52; 1st century Jewish historian Josephus; Roman historian Tacitus AD 112; 2nd century satirist Lucian; and the Jewish Talmud all record Jesus being crucified/hung on a cross)

JW’s teach that Jesus is not God “but rather God’s first creation.” “Jesus existed in pre-human form as God’s agent of creation and God’s chief spokesman (the Word), and took on human form as the man Jesus by means of a virgin birth.”
     Here is where it gets steamy. In the JW’s NWT they, and only their translation, have changed John 1:1. No other biblical translation of the Holy Bible has changed the context of any of the content of what has been passed on since the first century. How can someone trust a translation that has altered the context of the content from the historical translations—the same it copied from—which has passed the scrutiny and rigorous analyzing that the New Testament has from the first century? Secondly, where in any Holy Bible does it say that Jesus is God’s first creation? Jesus Himself told John in the heavenly revelation (Rev. 1:8, 17-18; 22:13) that He was the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end—names which in the Old Testament that only God attributes to Himself. Where does the Holy Bible say Jesus ever existed in “pre-human form”? Is not God an invisible spirit (Jn. 4:24, Rom. 1:20, 1Tim. 1:17)? Does not the Apostle Paul say Jesus is the image (Gr. eikon—a likeness, i.e. (literally) statue, profile) of the invisible God (Col. 1:15, 2Cor. 4:4)? This same “image” (eikon) is used in Matthew 22:20 and Mark 12:16 when Jesus said to the disciples about the coin with Caesar’s face on it, “Whose is this image and inscription?” In the Book of Hebrews it says Jesus is the “express image of [God]” (Heb. 1:1-3). The term “express image” in this context in the Greek is charakter which means “exact likeness/exact image”. (This Greek word is where we get our word “character” from). Just from these we see Jesus is portrayed as the visible image of the invisible God. Jesus says out His own mouth that He is God, equal in nature and power (Jn. 5:17-39; 8:57-59; 10:30-39; 17:11, 21-22). And every time He made these claims the Jews who knew exactly what He was saying shouted “blasphemy” and then tried to stone Him as was the custom for blasphemy, death—the exact reason why they wanted Him crucified, because He was a blasphemer. Not only did Jesus say it, but those who followed Him preached it and worshipped Him as the one true God. This has been documented by believers and non-believers as far back as late first century and the early second century (1st century Jewish historian Josephus; First Clement AD 96; Pliny the Younger and Emperor Trajan AD 112; Polycarp AD 116; Suetonius AD 120; Justin Martyr AD 150; Irenaeus AD 185; etc). Yet with just this little bit of data the JW’s still somehow come up with the Jesus they came up with.

JW’s on the Holy Spirit
“Witnesses disagree with mainstream Christianity that the Holy Spirit is one of the three Persons in the Godhead. Instead, they believe the Holy Spirit to be “God’s active force.”
     Jesus, the Apostle John, and the Apostle Paul seem to disagree with JW’s on the Holy Spirit. Jesus specifically makes references to the Holy Spirit as a Person (Jn. 14:15-17, 26; 15:26; 16:7-11, 13-15) not some impersonal “active force”. Apostle’s John and Paul also make references to the Holy Spirit as a Person (Rom. 8:9-16, 26-27, 1Cor. 2:10-14; 3:16, Eph. 4:30, Heb. 9:14, 1Jn. 5:6-8). Whom should one trust, the Savior Jesus and the inspired by God Apostles John and Paul or the JW’s translation which supposedly corrects what they themselves believe was already fully inspired?

More facts and critical examining about the JW’s
–“The Jehovah’s Witnesses organization (The Watchtower Bible and Tract Society) has claimed in its own writings to be THE ONLY channel through which God communicates His truth to the world. (WT, 4/1/1919, p.6414; WT, 1/15/1917, p.6033) Furthermore, it has described itself as a “Prophet-like” group that does not interpret what God’s truth is, but merely puts in writing the truth that God delivers to the world through them, and only them! (WT, 7/1/1943, p.203; WT, 11/1/1931, p.327; WT, 10/1/1994, p.6) Considering these claims to posses the exclusive ability to communicate God’s truth, the Jehovah’s Witnesses must succeed in passing the highest Biblical scrutiny. Deuteronomy 18:20-22 and 13:1-4 give two tests for distinguishing between genuine Prophets of God and False Prophets.
     (1)If one prophesies in God’s name and what they predict does not come to pass, they are a False Prophet.
     (2)If one prophesies in God’s name and the prediction does come to pass, BUT they teach you to follow false gods, they are a False Prophet.
Thus, recognizing False Prophets is achieved by simply applying these tests to the teachings and prophecies of the WTBTS to determine if the claims it makes about itself hold up to Biblical and reasonable scrutiny. If they are THE ONLY TRUE “Prophet” of God, then everything they have ever predicted should have come to pass. Tragically, everything they have ever predicted has FAILED to come to pass. “Judge” Rutherford in his book Light, he wrote that making false predictions is proof positive that someone is a False Prophet, Rutherford stating,

“...their prophecies to date have not come to pass; and that alone is strong evidence that they are false prophets.” (Light Vol.2, p.47).

Anyone can read and study the WTBTS publications from 1879 to present and discover for themselves how deceptive that have been to their followers.”*

–“…reading Russell’s Studies in the Scriptures is enough for many people to realize that the religion Russell started has very little resemblance to the Witnesses today. There are also over 20 wrong dates, many that were part of Watchtower doctrine for over 50 years. “F&D Slave” shows that there has never been a line of Jehovah’s Witnesses that even remotely believe current Watchtower truth. What is disappointing is the way that current Watchtower articles refer to these changes. When a significant doctrine has changed back and forth, or been introduced and then renounced, a person must ask “Can I believe that God directed the Organization to make such mistakes?””**

“Proving that the Organization is not directed by Jehovah took me many years because of fear; fear of change, fear of my own motives and fear of researching outside of the Watchtower.” (Paul Grundy)

Conclusion
I didn’t touch on everything, but I touched on enough to show the falsity of this belief. For how can something continue to profess to be the “truth” with so many falsehoods? Revelation 19:10 says, “Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.” And on that note let’s sum this up:

-False predictions since its inception.
-False prophetic leaders.
-False doctrine fostered from an altered version of a tested historic and divinely written source existing over a thousand of years before the JW’s.
-False divine inspiration—the Holy Spirit of God is not with JW’s/Watchtower doctrine as exposed by the false doctrines and false predictions.
-This all equals a false testimony of Jesus, which means JW’s are worshipping a false god and therefore they are a false belief.

If you’re reading this and you are a practicing Jehovah’s Witness, I’m sure the thought of disfellowship and being shunned by family and friends is intimidating. And I will not try and act like I can relate, because I can’t. But I still have to ask, which is worth more...being shunned and rejected by family and friends or being shunned and rejected by God for eternity? I have lost a young cousin to this false belief and I may lose a grandfather, please don’t allow it to take you to Hell—–eternal separation from God in an eternal like prison.

If you want to talk, please contact me. You are not alone. The real Jesus would love to rescue you from the house of bondage, give you eternal life, and truly bring you into His family.

_______________________________________________________________________
*1. Essential for Addressing J.W. Assertions, June 8, 2007 by Chris Cross
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1597815071?ie=UTF8&tag=religionfacts-20&link_code=as3&camp=211189&creative=373489&creativeASIN=1597815071
**2. © Paul Grundy 2005 http://www.jwfacts.com/

All other information on Jehovah’s Witnesses taken from www.religionfacts.com
_______________________________________________________________________

11/2009

Genesis Contemplations II

GENESIS CONTEMPLATIONS II

Curse of Cain, son of Adam:
Most of us are familiar with the story of Cain and Abel. Cain’s offering to the Lord was rejected while his brother Abel’s was accepted. I can go off and get into why that was the case, but I’m not. Cain goes on to draw his brother Abel out into the field and then kill him. This is where I want to meditate. Cain kills his brother. God confronts him about it. Cain denies even knowing what God is talking about. God then curses Cain, “So now you are cursed from the earth… When you till the ground, it shall no longer yield its strength to you. A fugitive and a vagabond you shall be on the earth.” That’s it. God hit Cain right where it hurt the most, Cain’s gifting. The Bible says Cain was a tiller of the ground (Gen. 4:2). God said your gift will be useless now, the thing you love to do (or the thing you are great at doing) will no longer yield to you, and you shall continually wander among the earth. That’s it from God. His said His peace, He rendered His punishment.
     Cain, on the other hand, feeling the brunt of the punishment for what he did, says to God, “My punishment is greater than I can bear!” (Gen. 4:13-14). Separated from his family, soon to be separated from the presence of God (Gen. 4:16), living with the guilt of what he did to his younger brother, and in his mind a useless existence because the thing that identified him will no longer do so. Outcasted by the consequence of his action, just like his father Adam was, Cain in a depressed, guilt-ridden state of mind goes on to add on to God’s curse and curse himself, “…it will happen that anyone who finds me will kill me.” (Gen. 4:14). Cain no longer wants to live. But God, demonstrating yet again—like He did with Cain’s father—what Paul says in Romans 5:8, adds a curse onto Cain’s curse, ““Therefore whoever kills Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold.” And the Lord set a mark on Cain, lest anyone finding him should kill him.” (Gen. 4:15).
     How wonderful is our God, that even when Cain cursed himself for the pain and affliction he caused his parents and himself by way of his selfish acts, God sovereignly intervened and saves him, not from the consequences, but from the added curse he put on himself. Not only did God do this for Cain, but for Cain’s grandson Lamech as well. Like his grandfather Lamech killed a man and possibly internally cursed himself (Gen. 4:17-19, 23). God perceiving something in regards to this put a curse on anyone who attempted or did kill Lamech for what he did (Gen. 4:24).

The takeaway
What can we take away from Cain son of Adam? One is to be honest before God and with God. Another is to know that we are our brother and sister’s keeper and God will hold us accountable accordingly. Also our life is not identified by our gift(s), careers, accomplishments, and so on, but rather our lives are to be identified with the Creator and Giver of all good things. It should affect and penetrate us more to know we can lose fellowship (not relationship) with our God because of our sin more than we are affected or penetrated by the loss of anything else. And finally there are times in our life where we curse ourselves for the pain and affliction our selfish acts have caused others and/or ourselves. What we need to know is our God sees and knows what the just consequence is for our actions (and will allow such), and in His mercy He intervenes and “sets a mark” on us to keep us from our own curses.

Curse of Ham, son of Noah:
The Bible says from Noah’s three sons the whole earth was populated (Gen. 9:19). Noah’s son Ham has a very interesting story and lineage, which had major implications on history.
     In Genesis 9:22 the Bible records Ham seeing his father’s nakedness and then telling his two brothers. Ham’s brothers Shem and Japheth covered their father without looking at his nakedness (Gen. 9:23). Because of what Ham did God cursed Ham’s son Canaan (Gen. 9:25-27). But back to Ham, we’ll get to Canaan later. Ham’s decision to look upon his father and not cover him caused lingering internal problems for his lineage. Ham begot Cush (Gen. 10:6). Cush is the father of Nimrod (Gen. 10:8). The infamous Nimrod built a kingdom from Babel (which is Babylon- Gen. 11:9) to Assyria (Gen. 10:8-12). In Assyria Nimrod built Nineveh, whom we know from the story of Jonah. Nimrod was the founder of the lands and nations that were future enemies to the Israelites. Ham begot Mizraim (Gen. 10:6). Mizraim begot the father of the Philistines (Gen. 10:13-14), a consistent enemy of Israel during the Old Testament. Ham begot Canaan (Gen. 10:6). Canaan begot majority of the “ites” the Israelites warred with in the Old Testament (Gen. 10:15-18). And that is because Canaan was cursed to be a servant to the lineage of which the Israelites came through, Noah’s son Shem (Gen. 9:26; 11:10-26). The border of the Canaanites stretched from Sidon to as far as Gaza to as far as Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen. 10:19). We know Sodom and Gomorrah as the most sexually vile city among the world at one point (Gen. 13:13; 18:20-21; 19:1-13). They were a straight descendant of the first person to look upon the nakedness of the same sex--his father at that. Should we be shocked by Sodom and Gomorrah seeing the lineage in which they descend from? I think not. Canaan is also the land promised by God to the descendants of Abraham (Gen. 12:4-7; 15:12-21).
     More can be expounded on, but for the point I’m trying to make this is enough.

The takeaway
We can see from one man’s act, a whole lineage was internally cursed (also displayed in Cain with Lamech). This may be the case in your life. Your parents (or their parents, and so on) passed on their lineage of dysfunction to you in someway—depression, promiscuity, alcoholism, drug abuse, status seeking, people pleasing, bad decision making, etc. Praise God for making a way for us to born from the Seed of promise and not from the seed of shame! Praise God for Jesus who can break our generational dysfunctionality from being passed on to our children (ref. Acts 16:31-34) as long as we follow His prescription on life (Rom. 6:10-23).* (Let me clarify something. I didn't say nor was I implying that all of our problems, struggles, or the affects/influence of sin in our lives will go away because we are saved. Paul prayed three times that God would remove the thorn from his flesh, but He didn't. There are "thorn(s)" God allows to stay in our lives so that we, like Paul, don't get to elated and we always have a reminder of our constant need for Jesus- 2Cor. 12:7-10).

Conclusion
To conclude on both, how great is our God! For while we were still sinners He sent His Son Jesus Christ to die for us and redeem us from the curse of the law (and the curse of ourselves) and bring us into grace! This grace is available for us in every area of our lives and in every situation we come upon. Take away from these two whatever you can. I hope my contemplations have helped you in someway.

_________________________________________________________________

* Just because Jesus can break any generational curse/dysfunction from being passed on by us to our children that doesn’t mean that our children won’t have any dysfunction or cause and pass on any dysfunction of their own (Jer. 31:29-30, Hos. 10:12-13, Gal. 6:7-8).

2009

Genesis Contemplations I

GENESIS CONTEMPLATION I

Adam & Sin vs. Evolution & Evil
In the beginning God made the first human being, Adam. Adam is the Father of mankind/humankind (Gen. 2:7). We all come from Adam’s sperm/seed. When Adam disobeyed God’s command (Gen. 2:16-17; 3:1-11), that act was what produced sin—the missing the mark of God, the erring from God’s way, disobedience to God—and death*, and because we all come from Adam we therefore are all born into sin and death (Rom. 5:12). Thus all the evil and chaos and bad crap in life, from Adam to the last day, is due to the sin and death consequence from Adam’s act of disobedience.
     Those who don’t believe that God created everything as it states in the Genesis account reject this origin of the problem of evil and so on as insufficient or unscientific. Ok, well let’s look at the only other theory for human life in this light then, evolution. The theory of evolution says, loosely, that we as humans evolved from other things, etc, etc. If we trace the “other things” back to its first beginning, some type of unformed substance, what eventually came from this—according to natural selection—survived by killing off (or outliving) its opposition or hindrance to survive (that’s an act of self-centeredness and violence). And so on the evolutionary process goes. From this we see, even the “in the beginning” of evolution an act we now consider an evil—violence—and a problem—selfishness—is integrated in the very fabric of this process. Evolution is secular science’s equivalent to Adam as the origin of humankind, and so we can deduce the same conclusion from Adam for evolution: Because we all come from the evolutionary process we therefore are all born into the evil produced from evolution. Thus all the evil and chaos and bad crap in life, from the beginning to the end, is due to the beginning acts of the evolutionary process (self-centeredness and violence).
     We can see regardless to which view one holds, the problem of sin/evil originates at the very beginning. The difference is, and it’s a big one, every ideology (aside from one) has no, nada, none, zero, zilch of an adequate answer or solution to this problem, except death—which without a 100% certainty there is no afterlife “death” may not even be an answer/solution but a greater eternal problem. However, I can say this with all the confidence in the world, one will find the only adequate answer to this problem in Jesus Christ*, if one looks without prejudice or discrimination to the good reasons and ample evidence that is available on His behalf.

A Talking Snake?
The Bible reports a cunning serpent as the culprit behind the deception of Eve which led ultimately to Adam’s disobedience to God. People who don’t accept the Bible’s account of the beginning think it is preposterous to believe in a talking snake, though it’s easy for them to believe that we evolved from this glob thing, and then another thing, and then more things, and then finally monkeys (so it is said and widely accepted in the secular scientific community but still debated). Yet it’s preposterous to believe in a talking snake, hmm. For all we know, especially because empirical science* cannot pose absolutes only probabilities, natural selection could very well have us evolving from snakes and we can talk, hmm. Doesn’t sound so preposterous after all now does it?
     Evolution doesn’t explain away God as so many atheists suggest. In certain cases the theory of the evolutionary process actually shows plausibility for God’s existence and the trustworthiness of the Bible. For example, Genesis 3:14—written thousands of years before the theory of evolution—records, “So the LORD God said to the serpent, “On your belly you shall go…all the days of your life.”” Evolution shows this as probable for the ancestry of snakes. So whether true or not, (though I believe Darwin’s theory of evolution is false and the Creation account in Genesis to be true), evolution does not necessarily explain away God or the credibility of the Bible. People simply choose to use evolution as a scapegoat for not accepting the Covenant God’s existence, to which the Bible attests (Rom. 1:20-21).

Take away whatever you can from these two topics. I do hope this was a help in some way. It was a simple contemplation of mine as I journey again through the book of Genesis. I will post more as they come along during this journey of mine.

_________________________________________________________________

*1. There are 4 parts to the death consequence if Adam disobeyed God’s command. The first part of death is death by separation from God (Gen. 2:23-24). The second part of death is death by violence (Gen. 4:8). The third part of death is death by the natural (Gen. 5:5). The fourth part of death is death by destruction (Gen. 6:7).
*2. Jesus the Son of God and God the Son distinguishes Himself from the “Jesus” of Jehovah Witness, Mormonism, Christian Science, the Jesus Seminar, or any other beliefs spun off of the historic Jesus of Nazareth found in the Holy Bible.
*3. Science generally and largely makes empirical claims and deals with empirical issues, meaning there claims and issues can be solved by experience, either directly by observation or indirectly by experimentation. Empirical science is obviously verifiable, but an unspoken fact of empirical science is that it is also falsifiable (capable of being disproved). This is why empirical science can never deduce (assume, conclude) absolutes only strong or weak probabilities (e.g. theories, hypothesis).

2009

The Bible and Science

I stumbled upon this online like in 2007 on someone's blog on MySpace. I figured I would post it so everyone can know and have it. I want us all to be educated, not just the educated.



The Bible’s statements 2,000-3,000 years ago vs. Science

* At a time when it was believed that the earth sat on a large animal or a giant (1500B.C.), the Bible spoke of the earth’s free float in space:

“He…hangs the earth upon nothing” (Job 26:7)

* Only in recent centuries has man discovered that there are mountains on the ocean floor. But this was revealed in the Bible thousands of years ago.
While deep in the ocean, Jonah cried, “I went down to the bottoms of the mountains…” (Jonah 2:6)

* Only in recent centuries has science discovered that everything we see is composed of invisible atoms.
Here, Hebrews 11:3, the Bible tells us that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.

* Science expresses the Universe in five terms: time, space, matter, power, and motion.
Genesis 1:1-2 revealed such truths to the Hebrews in as early as 1450 B.C. “In the beginning [time] God created [power] the heaven [space] and the earth [matter]… And the Spirit of God moved [motion] upon the face of the waters.” Now the very first thing God tells man is that He controls all aspects of the universe, and notice all five terms.

* In 1845 the presence of microscopic diseases were unknown. Until recent years, doctors washed their hands in a bowl of water, leaving invisible germs on their hands. However, the Bible says specifically to wash hands under [running water].
Look at the specific instructions God gave His people for when they encounter disease:

“And when he that has an issue is cleansed of his issue; then he shall number to himself seven days for his cleansing, and wash his cloths, and bathe his flesh in [running water], and shall be clean.” (Leviticus 15:13).

* We now understand that a year is the time required for earth to travel once around the sun. The seasons are caused by the changing position of the earth in relation to the sun. Astronomers can tell exactly the earths motion around the sun when one season ends and the next season begins. A month is the time of one revolution of the moon around the earth with respect to the sun.
In Genesis 1:14, the Bible says God created the lights in the heavens for signs and for season, days and years. How could Moses have known 3,500 years ago that the lights of the sun and moon were the actual determining factors of the years length, unless his words were inspired by God? (cf. Psalm 136:7-9)

* Centuries later, scientists began to discern the rules [decree] for the rain. Rainfall is part of a process called the water cycle. The sun evaporates water from the ocean, the water vapor then rises and becomes clouds, this water in the clouds fall back to earth as rain and collects in streams and rivers then makes its way back to the ocean. About 300 years ago Galileo discovered this cycle but amazingly the scriptures described it centuries before.
Job stated God made a decree [law] for the rain, and a way for the lightning of the thunder (Job 28:26). The prophet Amos (Amos 9:6) wrote that God calls for the water of the sea and pours them out upon the face of the earth.

* Even evolutionist Stephen Hawking, considered the best-known scientist since Albert Einstein, acknowledges

“the universe and the laws of physics seem to have been specifically designed for us. If any one of about 40 physical qualities had more that slightly different values, life as we know it could not exist: Either atoms would not be stable, or they wouldn’t combine into molecules, or the stars wouldn’t form the heavier elements, or the Universe would collapse before life could develop…”

There is no other book in any of the world’s religions (Vedas, Bhagavad-Gita, Koran, book of Mormon, etc.) that contains these kinds of consistencies. Hank Hanegraaff said, “Faith in Christ is not some blind leap into a dark chasm, but a faith based on established evidence.”

The reason the Bible and true science harmonize is that they have the same author.


By: Unknown

10/5/09

A Defense for the Hope: Series Intro

I want to help my brethren with logic and reason know that what they believe (that God exist, our Faith is not built on lies, the Bible can be trusted, etc) is true and they can be sure of it. I am not a scholar. So what I share is not as extensive as it would be if it were from a scholar, but it is still useful and beneficial.

In this series I'll be presenting numerous writings that I've written in past years that are great for strengthening a believer's foundation from a different angle. Each writing will share the title so you'll know which ones are a part of the series.

(Just so you'll know, I posted this series all on the same day in the order I wanted it to be read).

2009

A Defense for the Hope: Does God Exist?

Somewhere around 6,000 years ago someone declared, from a personal encounter, there is only one true Higher Power/Supreme Being– also known as, GOD. This declaration of theirs they passed on to the generations after them and told them to do the same, and it has gone on until this present day in time.
     From this point in history on people have made it a life endeavor attempting to prove this age old claim to be false. Now some will say that this age old claim was made from an assumption taken from independent reasoning. With this said, we can now see from the studies of certain things like *Astronomy, *Cosmology, and *Biology that those centuries ago who declared God exists aren't looney; which in turn means the burden of proof is truly on those who oppose this claim to not simply show reasonable doubt but “foolproof” doubt. Yet, if one who accepts the existence of God can show even an ounce of solid, concrete evidence for it the case against it, no matter how sophisticated it may be, is no more. For who can truly prove that something doesn’t exist if there is even one shred of solid evidence that says it does?
     Here are three things I believe is solid and simple evidence for the existence of God.

The Universe
Scientists say, by way of their “Big Bang Theory”, that the universe has always existed, originating in a coalition of energy: gravity, electromagnetic, strong nuclear, and weak nuclear. Well, using their theory, energy––an effect and also a cause, but in this case an effect because of its four manifestations––cannot exist (come to be, occur) without the direct result of some other “cause” (action). In order for this such “cause” (i.e. action by somebody or something else) to create/cause this such “effect” (i.e. energy [and eventually matter] that makes up this immeasurable universe), this such “cause” would have to be something absolute––the origin/starting point of all “CAUSE”, something that always was, is, and will be. Otherwise, this universe remains an effect (a state) of energy (and eventually matter) without a sufficient “cause” (action by some “thing” completely separate from the “effect”), and that’s scientifically impossible. In all of the efforts to explain the “Big Bang” (the origin of the universe aside from a Higher Power), it still doesn’t and will never be able account for how the “Big” was provided for the “Bang” to take place.

The Earth
Earth is too perfectly placed within this galaxy. Any closer to the sun it would be too hot for life and any further away it be too cold for life, and it’s not blocked by the Asteroid Belt having a perfect view to view the rest of the universe. It's too perfectly suited for the different kinds of life forms on it to be an accident, chance, or luck. The percentage of that happening is in the billions times billionth percentile. Again, this is far too scientifically improbable to explain with certainty without some Higher/Supreme Power causing it.

Humankind
Evolution? Scientists from the same field aren’t all on the same page with evolution. (Scientists from the same field aren’t all on the same page on a lot of things, but that’s for another discussion). Scientists can only tell us educated guesses (empirical claims) not precise, absolute facts. They theorize from pictures of space, equations, certain species, and so forth of how life on earth came to be. (The same is to be said for their explanation for the universe and earth as well). For example, stories and reenactments from ages ago where we do not have anything credible or tangible to support them are fictitious and speculative not absolute or necessarily true. So the stories and reenactments we read and watch about dinosaurs, life ten’s of thousands to millions and billions of years ago, and so on, have no such support for how they are being told or described. Thus they are speculative not definite. They cannot tell us from a first person position only a third person position, and a third person position is not solid enough to be accepted as first-hand facts (in this case); which is exactly why they’re still called theories and not absolutes. Therefore, there is no “fail-safe” scientific way to explain the existence of humankind except for a Higher/Supreme Power; that is, atleast starting the process of “evolving” or something of the sorts. Again, humankind is such an “effect”, like that of the universe or the position of earth within the galaxy, that it needs such a “cause”.


Conclusion
I read somewhere, “People claim to not believe in God because it is “not scientific” or “because there is no proof.”” Yet, we can see that not believing in a Higher Power is actually what is “not scientific”. These three alone give ample enough evidence that there is a God out there who atleast is the cause for the universe, the positioning of and the situating of life on earth, and then humankind; as well as reasonable doubt on the allegation that there is no existence of God. It’s after acknowledging the existence of a Higher Power that we have to ask the question of, does this Higher Power want something to do with us, or did it start it all and leaves it to it’s own devices? This is where I believe some of the different faiths/beliefs come from, trying to answer this question. Nonetheless, the reality of the existence of God is much more credible than that of those who adamantly disagree. Even well-known, non-Christian scientists agree. Renowned astrophysicist and evolutionist Stephen Hawking said,

“The universe and the laws of physics seem to have been specifically designed for us. If any one of about 40 physical qualities had more than slightly different values, life as we know it could not exist: Either atoms would not be stable, or they wouldn’t combine into molecules, or the stars wouldn’t form the heavier elements, or the universe would collapse before life could develop and so on.”*

And again he said,

“It would be very difficult to explain why the universe should have begun in just this way, except as the act of a God who intended to create beings like us.”*

Even Charles Darwin himself said,

“The impossibility of conceiving that this grand and wondrous universe, with our conscious selves, arose through chance, seems to me the chief argument for the existence of God … I am aware that if we admit a first cause, the mind still craves to know whence it came, and how it arose.”*

There’s an old saying I like to close with, “A fool says in his heart, there is no God.”* And that’s because you’d have to be a fool to not see the evidence of the existence of a Higher/Supreme Power, or dim-witted enough to cover ones eyes and say, “I don’t see anything.”


Here's a link to another site that shares a lot of information on this same topic:
http://www.bcrevolution.ca/collapse_of_evolution.htm
_________________________________________________________________

*1 - Astronomy is the scientific study of the universe, especially of the motions, positions, sizes, composition, and behavior of celestial objects.
*2 - Cosmology is the scientific study of the origin and structure of the universe.
*3 - Biology is the science that deals with all forms of life, including their classification, physiology, chemistry, and interactions.
*4, 5, 6 - One Heartbeat Away, Mark Cahill. Retrieved from http://audio.markcahill.org/Heartbeat.pdf, pg. 22, 24, 25.
*7 - Psalms 53:1

2009

A Defense for the Hope: True or False Witnesses

• Why would eleven Jewish men (thirteen including Matthias and later Paul) follow, live, and preach a Hebrew prophetic message that they knew they would be killed for, just as the one who taught it to them was, if they didn't believe it to be true (fulfilled)?
• Why would they lie about something as serious as the prophesied Messiah?
• What would be their reason for lying?

People lie or are deceitful to gain something or avoid something. These eleven had nothing to gain or avoid from this message if it was a lie. No money, property, respect, power, etc, was to be gained nor was any reason for avoidance from what they preached/taught. They had no reputation to lose if it was false. They had no reputation to gain if it was true. There was nothing to be gained, lost, or avoided from the message they were preaching/teaching. So why risk their lives; unless they knew what they knew was worth the consequences of preaching/teaching it.
     We can see during the first century that even though every Jew is taught of and awaits the promised Messiah, nobody was really analyzing each person to see if they were He. The Jewish people then went about their lives normally just as we do today––same stuff, different day. Again, why would normal, everyday Jews put all their eggs in one basket and risk their life for a false Messiah who did numerous miracles, feats, and such just as it was prophesied of Him to do? Why would normal, everyday Jews teach/preach the prophetic message (that they had come to learn) to every other Jew they came across (even the teachers), if what they had personally witnessed in the life of Jesus was not in accordance with the prophetic scriptures taught by the teachers of the Law? Why would the writers of the Gospels misquote or manipulate prophetic scriptures? Again, they had nothing to gain or avoid from this alleged deception. These Jewish writers, with the exception of Luke, were no more educated then whom they were writing to. To misquote or manipulate the holy Hebrew Scriptures simply to get other Jews to believe the message or follow their cause was truly not worth the consequences they would face––inevitably––if they were right or wrong.
     These Jewish followers of Jesus had a prime opportunity to let this blasphemy die out. Right after Jesus' crucifixion they were no longer in the public eye. They had all scattered. This was a perfect set-up to lay low and let everything die down if Jesus' was a false Messiah. So, as for the many who deny Jesus as the Messiah and only way to God, why would His followers further risk their life and steal His body just to cover up the so-called lie? No one was looking for them. They could've stayed in hiding, rather than risk Roman imprisonment, ex-communication from their culture, and death. But no, they say three days later an angel rolled the stoned away and their so-called Messiah rose from the dead. He even had the nerve to come to them and over 500 others as well. That's an over-reaching lie right there isn't it? If this wasn't true, they were making the situation way worst then what it was already with just Jesus doing and saying all that He did. Either they were the dumbest Jews alive, or again, they knew what they knew was unquestionably true and they were willing to die to tell everyone.
     Fifty days after Jesus' crucifixion, these normal, yet seemingly senseless Jewish followers of Jesus, arose from what appeared to be humiliation of their fallen false Messiah and took their region by storm. They went from outcasted nobodies to speaking multiple languages, prophesying, and doing similar miracles attributed to their so-called false Messiah. These ordinary Jews were doing extraordinary things. They had their life to lose but nothing to gain or avoid from preaching Jesus as the promised Messiah. To them they had already gained that which mattered most, eternal life. And all they wanted to do was offer that same life giving to them to everyone else for free. No deceit needed. Nothing intended to be gained. They just preached what they knew, what they witnessed, the Truth of God revealed.

The most notable convert to the so-called prophesied Messiah's message was Saul of Tarsus, later known as Paul. Paul was a teacher of the Law and an original persecutor of Jesus' followers. Why would this man, who knew the scriptures much much more then his eventual counterparts, risk his reputation, status, and life on something he didn't know for certain to be true? No follower converted Paul. Luke records Paul's story saying Paul was converted by the One who claimed to be the Messiah Himself. Who else could have converted Paul? Paul watched and assisted in the stoning of one of Jesus' followers. He wasn't moved by Jesus' follower's words. He knew too much to be won over by a nominal follower. Only one smarter than Paul could've convinced him that Jesus, who they called the Christ, was the prophesied Messiah. And Paul eventually came to the same conclusion, without any interference or influence of Jesus' followers, that Jesus was the promised Messiah. He then went on (by way of person and writing) to preach and teach Jews, and for the first time non-Jews (Gentiles), the now revealed Truth of God found in Jesus.
     The same that was said for Jesus' first followers can be said for Paul. Why would Paul misquote or manipulate the holy Hebrew Scriptures, which he probably held to much stricter than the others being a former teacher of the Law, simply to get other Jews and non-Jews to believe Jesus' message or follow Jesus' cause? What would Paul have to gain from preaching/teaching a false Jewish message? Paul, just as the others, had no reason to lie and no intention to gain, he just preached what he knew was the Hebrew Scriptures fulfilled in Jesus.

Now you tell me, why would these men (and women) risk their lives and their family's lives on a lie? Why would they preach lies to other Jews who would be able to tell if it wasn't in accordance with the Hebrew Scriptures? What did they have to gain from preaching/teaching their so-called false message? How did they do all the extraordinary things they did, which had not been seen before among the Jews except that of Jesus (and the prophets of old), if what they witnessed and knew was not the Truth? To me, there is no other logical answer to how they came to do what they did or why, except that Jesus is the promised Messiah, the Truth of God revealed.

2009

A Defense for the Hope: Simple Apologetics

First and foremost I must say this is a simple explanation, it’s not extensive.

There are two core facts in understanding the defense for our hope.

1. We know a Creator/Supreme Supernatural Being exist for the fact that there is overwhelming evidence due to the detailed explorations of science through Astronomy, Cosmology, and Biology; in addition to the fact that there is no way to concretely prove He does not exist.
2. The Holy Bible is the written source for the Christian Faith (not Jehovah's Witness or Mormons). Therefore, true Christians believe that the Creator/God that exists is the Covenant God of the Holy Bible.

After these two facts (and also according to Paul in Romans 1:20-21) its obvious one cannot rationally (legitimately, validly) deny the existence of God. And as we are about to see, the Bible cannot be rationally denied as well. So note it, understand it, and memorize these two facts, because in order to properly explain and/or defend our Faith as irrefutable truth we have to make sure these two facts remain coherent (agreeable).

Now that the core facts have been stated, let’s move onto a more literal documented fact. The Bible––which was written over a span of 1,500 years by roughly 40 different authors––has been sourced by the scientific, academic, and philosophical (non-religious) communities as a historical document due to the accuracy of the people, places, events, and the track record of fulfilled prophecies within in it. No other religious manuscript has been vetted and shown to be accurate more than the Holy Bible. Thus, all other religions are banking their so-called "truth" (and lives) on unvetted and unproven manuscripts. Therefore, continue to hold fast to these facts as solid evidence for the trustworthiness of the Bible.

The facts we just discussed now lead us to three “Faith facts”––facts of our Faith. As Christians, these Faith facts we ourselves need to know (believe and accept) to be the undeniable truth.

Faith fact #1: God is in control of all things past, present, and future.
Faith fact #2: The Holy Bible is God’s divine word to us, everything that is written in it is exactly what He wants us to have, no more no less.
Faith fact #3: Because God is in control of all things and the Bible is His word to us, He would never allow anyone nor anything to tamper, change, add, or take away from what was is in our written source to Him. As a result, He has protected and preserved its originality and trueness from the moment it was written, up to now, and forevermore.

I’ll wrap it up saying this. Considering the two core facts, the historical actuality (people, places, events, and the track record of fulfilled prophecies) of the Bible cited by Christians and reputable non-Christians alike, and the three “Faith facts”, one can see the logical reasoning in understanding why the Christian tenaciously (uncompromisingly) believes and claims that the Bible and its information inside are flawless. Indicating the life, purpose, and divinity of Jesus Christ is truth and reality. These facts, along with the testimony of the original witnesses of Jesus, one can’t substantially (with concrete evidence) deny the Christians claim of the Bible's authenticity. As long as this is the case, the Bible will be authentic until proven otherwise.

Standing on the two core facts, the historical documentation, the three Faith facts, and the testimony of the original witnesses and of what you’ve experienced to be true and what Jesus has done for you––as well as any other facts you may possess––is an adequate defense for our hope.

Note: Possessing some knowledge of Church history, other religions, as well as science and philosophy is a tremendous asset to have for proving and defending the case for our Faith. Moreover it will also strengthen one's own personal foundation and faith.

2009

Blog Debate: Is the Word of God literal, spiritual, or both?

I’ve had numerous blog debates. This is one I had in April 2008. I believe it can serve to edify the Body. I’ll be posting other blog debates later on. They are long, but they are worth the read.

Michelle: The stories [in the Bible] are not literal, but symbolic. They have complete Spiritual meaning. We know this is true when we apply the spiritual meaning to our lives - Not the literal. The literal would be silly... I myself can not ‘hear’ the literal any longer...

Me: “The stories are not literal, but symbolic”, by what means? Are you familiar with the historical educational and generational system of the Jews? Because if you were, you would be aware of how and what they took literal and symbolic by way of they’re writing. From Genesis to Esther are considered by Jews as historical (with respect to the Torah). They take the accounts recorded within these books as literal, not symbolic. The Poetic, Wisdom, and Prophetic books contain historical and symbolic language. These you can argue about what to take literal or not, but the first 17 books are considered by the people who God used to present the Bible to us as historical not symbolic. They know better than us of what’s written in it is literal and symbolic. Ask any Jewish rabbi about the Garden of Eden, the Genesis account of Creation and so on, I guarantee you they say it is literal not symbolic.

And what’s so “not so” about a snake talking? In the story of Balaam the donkey spoke. I guess you’ll question that story’s reality as well huh? What about the burning bush, not literal? Mount Sinai, not literal? The Passover, not literal? Jesus in the wilderness with Satan, not literal? The Resurrection, not literal? Pentecost, not literal? His second coming, not literal?

“As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established IN THE FAITH, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving. BEWARE lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ.” (Col. 2:6-8)
___________
IF I based my reverence for God/Jesus Christ on any speck of His professed believers, then I wouldn’t believe in Him either (like those who don’t for this exact reason), because His people do a horrible job of representing Him. We’re all over the board when it comes to explaining Him and His Word. No wonder they think we’re simple or gullible, we can’t even come together on one Book.

------------------
Michelle: I agree there is a very real Jewish history, and Moses account of history. However, the problem is that Christians take the whole bible literal - Heaven, Hell, the fire, Satan, streets of gold, etc. The truths of the Kingdom are hidden in the literal things all around us (trees, relationships, look at all Jesus parables - not litereral, symbolic!). Trees are literal, yet Jesus uses them for our understanding of a deeper truth - This is my point!!!

In what God has shown me TODAY, the Spiritual meaning applies individual for my understanding of how awesome He is... Yes, I believe much of the bible has a literal history, but how does that change me from the inside (the letter?), No, it is the Spirit that gives life!!!

Gods creation is so amazing that whats around us has Spiritual meaning (the changing life, seasons, times, etc.) - The question is do we have Spiritual eyes and ears or carnal?

Me: Hey, I get what you are saying and have no problem with what you stated, but... “the problem is that Christians take the whole bible literal - Heaven, Hell, the fire, Satan, streets of gold, etc.”

How can you not take the existence of Satan (i.e. the Devil, Lucifer, etc.) literally? Again, do you deny Jesus’ wilderness experience with Satan? What about when Jesus said He saw Satan fall from heaven (Lk. 10:18)? Right there He takes care of Satan and heaven as literal. How do you explain not taking that literal?

Now whether Hell is really called hell with fire and brimstone or whatever is not worth going back and forth over. But by saying it’s a problem taking Hell (i.e. “the place where the eternal separation from God is served”) literal, you just rejected a number of passages within the Bible that clearly affirms this. How do you explain not taking that literal?

Streets of gold and such, that’s no big deal if some take it literal and others not. But to say it’s a problem taking Heaven (i.e. the promised New Heaven; also the paradise of being in a place with the presence of the Almighty for eternity) literal, again is rejecting a number of passages within the Bible that clearly affirms this. Even Jesus Himself affirms this (Jn. 14:3). How do you explain not taking that literal?

Yes we should be mindful of the literal and the symbolic. Yes we should know what scriptures fall in what category. YET, we should not water down one just to further emphasize the other. That was the problem with the second and third century Church. Paganism crept in and tried to emphasize on the symbolic and ignore (even deny) the scriptures that were literal. What happened as a result of that was “sacramentalism” and a host of other junk that sent the Church into a serious sick symbolic state for 1300 years, right up ‘til the Reformation.

Be careful not to over spiritualize the Bible, just as one needs to be careful not to over literalize the Bible. There are times, places, and things to take literal, and there are times, places, and things to take it symbolic. We have to be very careful teetering on that line and not make what is absolute as relative, and what’s relative as absolute.

Oh and it takes “Spiritual eyes and ears” to be able to receive what is literal, as literal (1Cor. 2:1-5, 13-14).

------------------
Michelle: Just two little things, How can I overspiritualize God, He is Spirit! God has shown me the Spirit gives life, not knowledge! Carnal mind is the enmity...

And I do not ignore scriptures when I study a topic or the bible, I just read them with different glasses now....

It may come to surprize that I do not find it required to read and study the bible to find God - His word is not letters on a paper, but His Word is Chirst in me, and ears to hear His Word for me personally,

God Bless

Me: I didn’t say over spiritualize God, I said don’t over spiritualize the Bible.

Yes the Spirit gives life, but what life is that? Is it not the life that our eyes, ears, hearts, and minds have been opened? Did not Jesus say that eternal life is that they (that would be us) may *know* the Father and Jesus Christ whom He sent (Jn. 17:2-3)? God even said my people perish for the lack of *knowledge* (Hos. 3:6). The knowledge God desires is knowing Him. This is not a bad or carnal thing, it is what God wants from us (Hos. 6:6).

“Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom,
Let not the mighty man glory in his might,
Nor let the rich man glory in his riches;
**But let him who glories glory in this,
That he understands and knows Me,**
That I am the LORD, exercising lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth.
**For in these I delight**,” says the LORD.” (Jer. 9:23-24)


I agree with your last statement. His word is more than simply words, they are words of Life and words of Truth! Without His word, how would we have known Truth or Life?

-------------------
Michelle: We need to have our own testimony of God and Know Him (not just words on paper), I agree!!! This knowledge comes from our own personal experience and testimonies, not others. (not even those who wrote the bible). To know God is to know love and to deny self absorbant ways. To me God has made this wisdom much easier then the bible scholars have through His Holy Spirit and Word in me. The change is inward, not outward - thats about all in a nutshell, at least the way I have come to know God.

Me: Yeah, we just have to be careful not to water down or give little weight to the Word of God. If the Bible was removed from the planet, a whole lot more of professing believers would fall sway to the ways, ideas, philosophies, and teachings of the world and/or false teachers. It’s bad enough a whole lot are already falling sway now with the Bible available, and that’s because they water it down and/or don’t take it seriously.

The Bible is our guideline/boundary, kind of like the lane dividers on the street that keep us in our respected lanes for our safety. If the lines begin to blur, vanish, or people just stop regarding them, how much more chaos and disorder would our streets be filled with? And how safe would we truly be on the road? That’s how life would be without the Word of God, or even a failed respect for the Bible- ex. what we see today.

Yes there is a personal responsibility to our testimony, but the Bible also plays a part in our development and relationship with God. Again, we wouldn’t truly know who we are believing in if it were not for the Bible. God has presented and preserved the Bible for us for a reason much greater than it just being words on paper.

4/2008

Let's talk about... "TRUTH"

Here's a piece I wrote in response to a blog I was reading and discussing on myspace in like '07. Just wanted to share it. Thought it was a good read.

So, let's talk about truth shall we...
1. Truth is something that cannot be “concretely” denied. That’s what makes it TRUTH.
2. Truth is something that has or can be proven to be true. Otherwise, if it cannot be proven to be TRUTH, then it is subjectable to being denied (ex. theories).
3. Truth can be a person’s perception. One cannot tell me that what I perceived was not true, because it is what “I” perceived; therefore it now becomes “my truth”, whether you believe it or not. Now does this mean that what “I” perceive to be true is right, no. It is simply “my” truth, and not “the” TRUTH. For example, you can say you do not believe there is a such thing as an outer space. “You” hold this to be “the truth”. However, before scientist were able to look into “outer space” to prove that there is an actual “outer space”, all one would have to do (if they were not blind) is look up in the sky and see there are things (which we came to know as stars, the sun, and the moon) beyond our earth, thus proving there is a “space” out of our realm of earth––“outer space”. This would then make what “you” believe to be truth simply “yours” and not “the” actual TRUTH. It is on the “my truth’s” where we as people become divided.

     If “the” TRUTH cannot be concretely denied, can it then be proven to be undeniably true? Can there be concrete evidence to prove that this (whatever it is) is the TRUTH? Emphatically yes! TRUTH is a reality––something that is and can be known, even with our limited knowledge on certain things. Again, outer space is a perfect example. Only a fool can and would deny the existence of “outer space”, but no one can or ever will be able to offer a shred of concrete evidence to deny “the” TRUTH of an outer space. It is a reality. The “my truths” are individualistic and subjective. The TRUTH is absolute. It is true regardless of opinions or perceptions. The question that should be asked is, what do you do when “the” TRUTH is presented and proven to be true?
     TRUTH is a reality, period. Those who deny its reality, actually affirm its reality. Someone once told me, “…no matter what is told to a person or even “proven” to being true, that individual can and will accept whatever they care to as “the” truth.” Here’s my response, a person's perception is not “the” TRUTH but simply “their” truth.
     Where the problem or contention enters is when “the” TRUTH doesn’t fit with a person or persons “my truths”; which in turns leads them on a quest to deny the specific truth that has been presented. But if that which has been presented is “the” TRUTH, they will not be able to concretely deny it. Thus they just come up with theories and their pot of so-called “reasonable doubt” to mislead those who are already looking for a scapegoat not to believe “the” TRUTH, or mislead the gullible, non-researching folk.

     A wise man from Tarsus once wrote, “Since they refuse to trust truth, they’re banished to their chosen world of lies and illusions.” This is the end result of those individuals that can and will accept whatever they care to as “the” truth.
     The greatest commandment says to love the LORD God not just with our heart, strength, and soul, but also with our mind! Go educate yourself with the things, history, and people of God or you will find yourself being––whether you want to or not––educated with the things, history, and people of this world.

2007

Evidences of True Forgiveness

I had a trial over the weekend. So, I grabbed my resources (Bible, certain Christian books that touch on what I was going through, and my spiritual journal), took a ride and talked to Jesus about what I was going through and how to deal with it. At the end of my time with Jesus I asked Him about forgiveness. I said, “Am I truly forgiving a person if I just say I forgive them, or are there signs that accompany true forgiveness?” He responded with bringing some Bible verses to my mind and then dropped into my spirit how He forgives us. From this, I came to understand what biblical forgiveness/true forgiveness really is.

Biblical forgiveness/True forgiveness means:

1. not holding the fault/offense of the person to them (Ps. 103:10, 12) 
2. not having any animosity (ill will, hatred, resentment, hostility) toward the person still (Rom. 5:8-11) 
3. being able to leave the fault/offense right where it is (the past) and move on (Rom. 6:5-6ff)

These three are based off of how Jesus forgives us. 

1. When Jesus forgives us He no longer holds our sins against Him to us. The Bible says, “He doesn’t treat us as our sins deserve, nor pay us back in full for our wrongs… And as far as sunrise is from sunset, he has separated us from our sins.” (Ps. 103:10-12, MSG). 
2. When Jesus forgives us He doesn’t have any animosity toward us. The Bible says, “But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. And since we have been made right in God’s sight by the blood of Christ, he will certainly save us from God’s condemnation. For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of his Son. So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God.” (Rom. 5:8-11, NLT). 
3. When Jesus forgives us He leaves our sins right where they are, with our old man, and He moves on to our new man. The Bible says, “If we shared in Jesus’ death by being baptized, we will be raised to life with him. We know that the persons we used to be were nailed to the cross with Jesus. This was done, so that our sinful bodies would no longer be the slaves of sin.” (Rom. 6:5-6, CEV).

Jesus confirmed in a parable that we are to forgive just as we have been forgiven, “Then the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’” (Matt. 18:32-33, NIV). Thus, if our forgiveness of a person does not possess the three characteristics of how Jesus forgave us, then we have not completely forgiven that person and we need to be honest about it so to do something about it.

Hopefully what I learned during my trial has been helpful to you.

6/2009