The Bible is well able, and does in fact, interpret itself, because it is a masterful work of divine literature, from God's mouth dictated to holy men. Not only that, but the Holy Spirit of our Lord Jesus Christ will also help you understand what you are reading, maybe not right away, but he will get the answer to you, I promise, he has done that very thing for me many times over. You must also LIVE in holiness unto the Lord Jesus Christ, without hypocrisy. Well, there you have it, the basic Christian beliefs. Know them. Breath them. Live them, and spread the good news while there is still time -Amen!
In truth, living a Christian life is so much more than just "going to church." A living faith in Jesus Christ, is one where you actually DO what you are taught in Scripture. If you think hyperfaith is even better than a simple faith in Jesus Christ, then you are sadly mistaken. Hyperfaith makes you focus on everything and anything other than Jesus. Real faith simply believes what God/Jesus says. There's no special formula. Just believe. No emotional rigmarole. Just believe. No need for in depth teaching and instruction in "special revelation" knowledge. Just believe. Faith comes by hearing the word of God, not hearing the word of some faith preacher's private interpretation of Scripture. Therefore, it is very important that you read your Bible daily, because it's the only God approved manual for Christian living, so choose a good version, such as the New King James Version, or New International version because they are easy to understand and are direct translations of Hebrew and Greek texts, not a paraphrase like The Living Bible. Just read it from cover to cover, starting at Genesis and ending in Revelation, and if you don't understand something, may I recommend using Matthew Henry's commentary of the Bible. It is online and can be a good help to grasp what is being said, however, one should be leery of any commentaries that espouses a "mystical" or "allegorical" interpretation of Scripture. Although allegory is found in Scripture, such as Jesus' parables, the Bible itself isn't an entire allegory, nor should it be interpreted as such. The Bible is well able, and does in fact, interpret itself, because it is a masterful work of divine literature, from God's mouth dictated to holy men. Not only that, but the Holy Spirit of our Lord Jesus Christ will also help you understand what you are reading, maybe not right away, but he will get the answer to you, I promise, he has done that very thing for me many times over. You must also LIVE in holiness unto the Lord Jesus Christ, without hypocrisy. Well, there you have it, the basic Christian beliefs. Know them. Breath them. Live them, and spread the good news while there is still time -Amen! Written by Heather Zubiate Posted 4/10/14
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Let me tell you about going to church, dear reader. These days going to church (for some) is fast becoming a boring chore, and even a huge waste of time. More and more people are realizing that going to church to fellowship with other believers is not the joyous event Scripture portrays it to be, but rather it is a big Hollywood production complete with stage actors, and well rehearsed scripts. These disillusioned and starving sheep are leaving their folds in droves, and they are wondering around like lost sheep looking for their Shepherd in greener pastures; fields with real grass, not the shiny fake turf. Then there are those who go to what some would call stodgy, old-fashioned, or even spiritually 'dead' congregations. A few emaciated lambs in those congregations start searching for some new and refreshing feed somewhere else, even a church that will entertain and excite their dulled senses, where they can "feel " the presence of the LORD. All of this was foretold in Scripture, not only that, but it happened several times to the lost sheep of Israel when the lures of idolatry was too much for them, and their priests failed them in their duties to uphold the standard of God's righteousness. Today, we see history is repeating itself, and prophecy is being fulfilled before our very eyes. So should we be shocked by what it is happening in the once hallowed halls of Christianity, today? Please, let me be frank with you dear reader. Just as the holy temple of God was not a place to bring "Gentiles", the church is not a place to bring an unsaved loved one to hear an emotionally coated milquetoast gospel message. Rather, it is supposed to be a holy place where believers are to gather in the spirit of truth, to worship Jesus Christ, and to receive sound instruction and edification in our faith, and yes, even to receive some good ol' fashioned discipline when necessary. A true Christian church should not embrace any human creeds, man-made traditions, or have any false spirits residing and ruling among its leaders and its members. As I'm sure some of you have discovered, it is a very difficult thing to find a Philadelphia style church. So, if you can find a church that teaches the full counsel of God [sound doctrine], and teaches and enforces holiness and truth, and one that shuns political correctness, or seeker sensitivity, and one that rejects the compromise of ecumenical unity and the false spirit of mysticism, and one that displays joyful yet self-controlled reverent worship, rather than the animalistic wild abandon of "contemporary Christian" mosh worship, then I whole heartily encourage you to join a church that does all of these things immediately! But if you can find a church that even does a few of those things, you are doing well. As for me personally, I have struggled with the idea of going to a church that is in some way or another, compromised in their theology, or religious practices. I'm finding it hard to sit under teachings that are not fully biblical. And so I am one of those disillusioned and wandering sheep, looking for those elusive greener pastures. I have finally come to terms with the fact that reading the Bible and praying on my own and with my family is far better than attending a loveless, compromising, corrupt, dead, or lukewarm church. For more on what I have learned a true Christian church should be, click here for the Church Page. Written by Heather Zubiate Posted 4/10/14
What is religious syncretism? Religious syncretism is the amalga-mation, or mixing together of different religious practices, cultures, or schools of thought, better knows as, philosophy. We see this very thing occurring in Christianity, just as it did when the Children of Israel tried to combine the idolatrous practices of the nations that surrounded them with the righteous religion of the LORD God. What happened to them? Were they told by their God, "Well done my good and faithful servants"? No? No. Instead of being petted for their sycretism, they were severely punished by God with his four sore judgments, which are: famine, plague[sickness], sword [war], and pestilence [vermin]. This was done to make the sinning Israelites turn away from their evil ways, and come running back to God. This seemingly harsh behavior of our God is also his way of clearing his good name. So, what I want to know is this: Why do "Christians" today seem to think that it is now okay to take Babylonian mystery religion a.k.a. Catholicism and eastern mysticism a.k.a. The New Age, and any other of the idolatrous practices of the ancient Greeks and Gnostics and them mix them with Christ's teachings, and expect God will be cool with it? Well, it is certainly not "okay ", and God isn't concerned about being "cool " either. You see dear reader, God [our Lord Jesus Christ] still hates syncretism, and it is still a grievous sin to do this very wicked thing. Wicked? Yes. Wicked! I realize that many wonder what is so wrong with this practice. I'm sure they wonder, "Can't we just all get along through compromise? Ya' know...just coexist? " No! Compromise is wrong, because false religions are of the Devil, and compromise always weakens what ever you apply it to. The doctrines of demons may seem to be right to men, but according to Jesus they lead to death. Besides, God's true light has no concord with Satan's false light, which is really darkness in disguise. Any "truth" these false religions claim to teach is tainted by the lies they slyly slip in here and there. So they are to be avoided altogether, not embraced, and certainly not mixed with the righteousness of faith in Christ Jesus. This is the current condition in which we find ourselves, where the people and teachings of Christendom embrace the faith of the fathers such as: Justin, Origen, and St. Augustine. These men, and those who followed them, were syncretists, meaning, they blended pagan beliefs and philosophies, such as triad gods, with Biblical teachings, such as monotheism. What was birthed from this unholy mixing? The trinity teaching. Once false teachings gain a foot hold in the Church and go unchallenged, they spread like an aggressive cancer and destroy the body from within. The only solution is to cut out the cancerous growth to restore order and health. This simply cannot be done humanly speaking. The spiritual malignancy has spread too far, and it has become out of our power to remove. The Reformation tried and failed to do this spiritual surgery,but it seems they only made it worse. For us, this unholy growth is inoperable. However, it is not too difficult for Dr. Jesus to cure, and he will cure it, but in his own good time, and in his own good way, as he has always done, with his patented and highly effective brand of chemo-- his four sore judgments. Get ready! They're a comin' and hell's comin' with 'em!Written by Heather Zubiate Posted 4/10/2014
There are many, many, many people who say, "I'm a Christian.", yet they don't have the slightest clue as to what that really means, or entails. Just because someone says they are a Christian that doesn't make them one, any more than a mule made to look like a thoroughbred, will win the Kentucky Derby! Why don't people realize that there are liars and hypocrites out there? Jesus told us that we would know a person by their fruit, meaning they will reveal their true selves in what they say, but mostly by what they do. Jesus said that if someone claims to love God, yet acts in hatred toward his brother, or fellow man, then he is a liar. So from this, I can confidently surmise that if someone claims to be a Christian, yet lives in sexual sin and perversion, then he too, is a liar. And yet again, if someone claims to be a Christian, yet denies that Jesus is the Son of God, or that Jesus is God in the flesh, or denies that the blood of Jesus is the only thing that cleanses us from sin, then he too, is a liar. Are you now understanding the concept of hypocrisy? People pretend. They lie. And so the way we can know that they are pretending to be Christians, is through their words and their actions, because actions prove words. Even so, there are moral people who don't follow Christ, or call him Lord. However, living a moral life alone, doesn't make anyone a Christians either. To be a true biblical Christian, one must believe and confess that Jesus is Lord and God who was born of a virgin, died on a cross to redeems us from sin with his blood, and then rose again on the third day. And they must forsake this world's lusts and sins by adhering to his two great commandments, and they must defend and keep the faith that was revealed to them in Holy Scripture, not emotionally cooked up spiritualistic experience oriented seances, a.k.a "doing church differently." They must also uphold and actually live according to its sound, Holy Spirit breathed doctrine. Anything less is to be considered hypocrisy, a false hope, and a false faith, replete with lying wonders. And I give you two examples of the shepherds of hypocrisy: [Pictured on the right of Samir, is Brian McLaren, world famous syncretist, or wolf in sheep's clothing. I swear he is smirking here.] Samir has pretty much summed up the entire Anti-Christ movement, known to many of us as the emergent church. Isn't that right Brian McLaren? Yet these false teachers are quick to point out that they aren't false teachers. Well...are they, or aren't they? How can you tell? All you have to do is read the Bible for yourself, and if what these men and women teach doesn't jibe with the O.T. and Jesus' teachings in the N.T. regarding the gospel that Jesus and the apostles preached, and his two great commandments, then they are indeed false teachers. They will also reveal their true nature by what they do. For instance, do they advocate unity at the expense of obedience to sound doctrine? Do they have sin hiding in the wings, like their penchant for little boys, or prostitutes? Have they had an affair, or use drugs? Well, there you go. Or does a look of impatience, anger, or seasickness appear on the prideful faces of your pastoral staff when the word "doctrine" is mentioned especially in conjunction with the word "sound?" Is your favorite teacher being accused of plagiarism? Are they under suspicion for creative book keeping? Do they only talk about material prosperity and physical health as being Scriptural "proof" of having an abundant Christian life? Do they teach it's okay to get tattoos, and condone leaders who shack up together? Do they put far too much emphasis on the experience of feelings as a means of being in the Lord's presence, rather than relying on faith? These are just a few of the hallmarks of a compromised pastor or teacher. The apostle Paul admonishes Christians in this way: But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becomes saints; Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks. Will your favorite emergent preacher pass this muster? Remember, none of those evil things mentioned by Paul, should ever be named among saints, not even ONCE, much less these sins being a regular occurrence, especially concerning Christian leaders. These kinds of occurances just go to show us that not everyone who says they are a Christian, actually is one! Becoming A Real ChristianAll one needs to do, in order to become a "real" Christian, as opposed to a real hypocrite, is to:
I can't emphasize that enough, as you can tell. This is known as being a "doer" and not only a "hearer" of the word of God. Counting the cost means that you understand that you may lose your family, your job, your house, and your friends, all because you want to follow Christ. That is a heavy price to pay, and for most people the price is too high, so they either abandon the offer altogether, or they try to use compromise as a means of being of the world while trying to sneak into heaven.. Truly, this is a huge decision to make! One that will determine your spiritual state forever, and due to its magnitude, it should never be made on an emotional whim. If you love sinning and hanging out with sinners more than life itself, then the true Christian life is not for you, until you're sick and tired of living that way. Believe it or not, there are droves and droves of people in this world who love being disobedient to authority, are ardent adulterers and fornicators, expert liars and thieves, remorseless murderers, gleeful gossips, brazen blasphemers, and the zealously greedy and covetous. But for those of us who are already sick and tired of living in sin and desire to be free from its strangling gnarled clutches, then perhaps you are primed to reach out for and take hold of Jesus' outstretched nail scared hand with yours, and accept him as your Lord and Savior. But to do so, you need to let go of the garbage you're holding on to. So I encourage you to count the cost of discipleship, and decide this day who you will follow and serve: Jesus as your Lord, God, and ever living Savior, or your flesh and Satan as the temporary god of this dying world system. The choice is yours. Choose wisely. Amen! Written by Heather Zubiate Posted on April 10, 2014
hristianity, as a religion, is not very old compared to other world religions, such as Hinduism. Yet, when examined, its roots are indeed very ancient. Just because one faith is older than another, that doesn't make it "better" or "correct." Anyway, it is surprising to me how many Christians don't realize that the roots of their faith actually go down into the utter most depths of history, into the days of Abraham, and even to the first days of creation! Now that is really old - well- based on our modern and impatient concept of time, anyway!
Abraham believed God's promises, and made occasional offerings to the LORD, and he kept God's commandments. Well, okay, so he had a problem with lying regarding Sarah's status as his wife, but God overlooked it, only because God allowed him to grow in his faith, and the LORD looked forward to his coming as Jesus (his name means: the Lord is Salvation) in which his atoning blood would forgive Abraham's past infractions. Abraham was given a glimpse of the wonderful revelation of Jesus' coming sacrifice, that would save mankind from their sins, and he rejoiced and then lived by his simple faith and hope, that God would do exactly what he promised. Not only that, but Abraham faithfully taught his faith to his entire household. Christianity TodayOne thing is for certain, true Biblical Christianity (as Abraham practiced it) is far different than what tries to pass itself off as "Christianity" today. Jesus himself taught his disciples to walk a very narrow and straight path toward everlasting life. He taught that we are in the world, but we are not to be of the world, and that grace through faith was, and is, a higher standard of spiritual living in comparison to the law of Moses. Fortunately for us, these teachings are recorded in Holy Scripture, both in the Old Testament and in the New Testament. Though it is true that the New Testament has replaced the Old Testament based upon Jesus' work of bringing us a better covenant with better promises, the Old Testament is still the foundation of the New Testament, and won't be totally annulled until all is fulfilled; that means not until Revelation 22 happens in real time. So we can look back upon the Old Testament, (as God intended) in order to learn from the examples of the patriarchs, and to gain understanding of what was, and what is, and what is to come. The Old Testament contains God's wondrous plan of bringing himself to earth as Jesus (the Messiah), as the Savior of the world. This was fulfilled in the New Testament by his birth and ultimate goal, or his destiny at Calvary. The second and final time of his coming, at the Mt. of Olives, will lead to him bringing total and complete salvation to his faithful followers, which was also foretold of in the Old Testament. But only those who have ears to hear, and eyes to see, and a faithful heart to obey what is written; only those who are lead of the Holy Spirit, are the ones who are truly worthy to be named as belonging to Christ. All others who read the Bible and try to claim it as their manual for righteous living, but mix it with idolatrous beliefs and philosophical teachings, will eventually reveal their true nature through their deeds, despite what they say. These people were, are, and will be the scoffers, and hypocrites, who amass for themselves the false teachers who tickle their ears with the doctrines of demons (that they love), and are fooled by the lying wonders they embrace. Yes dear reader, the Christianity of today is very sensual, and worldly. Many base their faith on their five physical senses, and secular marketing tactics, because they have found Christianity is big business. For many people, they must "feel " the Lord's presence when they gather together, or else it just isn't real to them. Their flesh is gratified with the help of special lighting, and music which is geared to induce the proper mood. And other carefully contrived formulas that lead to the maximum yield of profitability are sought after in most churches. Usually this model of success consists of:
Not all churches follow this model for success, but many have taken it up for the sole purpose of driving up their attendance and hopefully, their bottom line, in the name of Jesus. More like the false Jesus, not the real one, a charge which they will vehemently deny - of course. Basic Biblical Christian BeliefsTo say that there are many denominations of the Christian religion; and that they all claim their tenants are based on the bible, is a gross understatement. That has to be by far, one of the biggest complaints that non-Christian's hold against Christianity. And who can blame them? All of these "Christian" sects teach some of the same things, but often in a different context. And since they all teach that their different tenants are biblical, well then that means that they can't all be right - right? For instance, Catholicism teaches infant baptism as a sacrament, while Baptists teach baptism should be done when the person understands why they are being baptized. Still others teach that the Bible insists that you can't truly be saved, unless you are water baptized, not by sprinkling, but by full immersion. And so on, and so on.... Jesus the Christ (or Messiah) is the name sake of the Christian faith, because to be a Christian, one must be "Christ-like", or be a disciple of his teachings, and according to him, there is only one way (his way) to eternal life. He and his disciples (after his ascension) faithfully taught sound doctrine to subsequent disciples, based on OT Scripture, and they expected those in the church body to obey that doctrine implicitly, out of love for their God, and in single minded devotion to him, and to each other. Even so, Jesus and his disciples knew that this wouldn't happen for the most part, so they warned us of this very thing repeatedly. Acts 20:31 has Paul telling the elders of the church in Ephesus, that there would come false teachers, prophets, and false gospels, all of them claiming to have come from God, but that they would only desire to have a following and make a name for themselves. He warned them for three years! Day and Night! With tears even! They would make their many ways seem like the only way, but instead of leading to life everlasting, these false ways will only lead the forgers themselves, and their blind followers into a ditch. A very deep, and a very HOT ditch! We would do well to take heed of our Lord's, and his disciples, numerous and explicit warnings. Which Way Is The Right Way?Despite what many claim, Christianity is a reasonable religion. Really it is. It stands to reason that the founder of an organization, or the inventor of an invention, is the one who knows it best. Well, since Christianity bears the name of Jesus' title: "Christ", then that would make him the only one who lays down the criteria for membership, right? And so all of the rules, or laws he laid down, are how Christianity is to be practiced, no "ifs", "ands", or "buts" about it. So how can we know what are the real basic tenants, or beliefs of biblical Christianity that Jesus issued as opposed to the man made tenants of the now nearly apostate culturally accepted brand of Christianity that is so prevalent today? Well, there are a couple of ways to tell if a tenant is from God's word, rather than man's idolatrous tendency toward syncretism. For starters, you must read the Good Book for yourself! I read for myself that Jesus said he is the only way to the Father, and thankfully he left us with two great commandments. We are to:
For a biblical "tenant", or belief to be truly Christian, then it must:
and one Redeemer of mankind, that saves them from sin. This is taught in both testaments. What is NOT taught outright is the trinity. According to most biblical scholars, it is "implied". In reality, it is only implied by trinitarian teachers, not Scripture.
their "god" that lead them out of Egypt; then Aaron declared that they would have a feast unto the LORD. This is syncretism, and God hates it. All of the people who worshiped the golden calf were executed by the Levites. These days many pagan worship rites are linked to God's worship, such as the ones found in Christmas and Easter. While God hasn't had the people who celebrate these pagan rituals executed, those who perform them will not escape his final judgment.
being human mediators between God and man. Any religions that claim to be "Christian" and teach these things are false and idolatrous religions.
prayers, and forced fasts. Any meeting where "feeling" the presence of God as lightening, goosebumps, liver quivers or any tingly sensations are not based in faith. Mystical and superstitious rituals like lighting candles, and using prayer beads, etc. are all kinds of activities satisfy the flesh, and are not of Jesus Christ.
they will loose other so-called "benefits." These are just a few of the examples of the tenants from some denominations that claim to be "Christian", but when carefully examined in the light of Jesus' two great commandments, they actually violate them. We have been blessed with the Divine gift of Scripture, which tells us how these two great commandments govern our faith. But, the only way to rightly divide the word of truth from the lies, you must have the Spirit of the Lord residing with in you, and that can only happen when you are born again. Otherwise, you will be lead by a false spirit, or by a humanistic point of view, rather than the author's point of view. For example, I once knew a Jewish young man who said that he had read the Bible from cover to cover, not once, but three times! He also said that he didn't get anything from it. Nothing! Nada! Zilch! I was truly amazed. Either he was boasting a lie, or he was obviously not saved and therefore not able to comprehend what he read. Even so, I hold to the hope that seeds were planted in his heart, if he in fact did read the Bible cover to cover three times. And that which God plants, will sprout, take root, and grow. Now (finally) I will list some basic, and key tenants, of the Christian faith based on Jesus' two great commandments. MonotheismJesus said in his two great commandments, that there is only one God, and that we are to love him with all our souls, minds, hearts, and strength. Therefore, since there is only one Almighty God, then there cannot be any more than that. Where many Christians go wrong in their understanding of who their God is, stems from syncretic teachings, and the fact that they don't seem to fully understand the concept of what Hebrews 1:1 teaches. God, our one and only God, has many names, and has many titles of office, all of which have been revealed to us in various ways, and through various times [Duet. 6:4; Isa. 44:6; Isa. 45:5; Heb. 1:1]. (Also see: Is our God a Trinity for more details.) This is what a true monotheistic religion is, one that believes in only one God, whereas the prevailing tradition borrowed from idolatrous teachings, is that there is one office of God, held by three separate co-equal persons. This is an inversion to the biblical model where one God, holds several titles that describe his nature, and the offices that he holds. For instance, the Almighty's' Old Testament title of "The LORD of Hosts", reveals that he is a warrior and the commander and chief of heaven's armies. He and only he has ever held that O.T. title of office, and only he has the authority to carry out the duties of it, this is carried over in the N.T. where Jesus also bears this title. So either God is confused as to how many beings hold that title, or The Almighty and Jesus are one in the same person who bears the title "The LORD of Hosts." God's WordThe Bible, is the infallible word of The Almighty, and was written via divine inspiration [Isa. 1:2; Jer. 10:1,2; Ezk. 1:3 etc.], through the Hebrew prophets, kings, priests, and apostles. I guess you could say that The Almighty dictated some of it to them, and guided them by his Holy Spirit to truthfully write down the rest, like historical events. Historians can attest to the fact that many past and current cultures apply a great deal of spin doctoring to their written records. But Scripture is pretty brutal in its historical veracity. Anyway, The Almighty dictated to Moses that his words were not to be added to, nor were they to be removed [Deut. 4:2]. The Scripture is the only and final word of authority in a true Christian's life-- period. After John wrote Revelation (as he was told to do by Jesus), no more subsequent "revelations" are to be added to it, because it is a closed canon, meaning Jesus didn't forget to tells us anything, it's all there. And if we love God, then we will prove it by doing (or obeying) what he tells us to do, by it. That means any and all subsequent "revelations" that came from other men claiming to have received words from an angel, or a vision, are lying. Scriptures are to be properly interpreted from God's divine point of view, and not from a humanistic, or philosophical (allegorical) point of view [2 Tim.3:16; 2 Peter 1:20-21], and it is the only reliable source for proper instruction in righteousness. That means we are not to mix the musings of idolatrous philosophers with Scripture; no matter how "beautiful" we may think their minds may be. According to Scripture, if a man doesn't fear God, or if he denies that there is only one Almighty God, then he is without wisdom and knowledge [Psm.14:1; 35:1; Prov. 1:7], and has no biblical moral compass. Sorry folks, but that means the likes of Aristotle, Socrates, Plato, or Philo of Alexandria are really spiritual morons. And their teachings are not to be married with Scripture and taught as reliable doctrine. Jesus' DivinityJesus was divinely conceived by the Holy Spirit of God (not sexually), and born of a virgin. [Gen. 3:15, Isa. 9:6; Jer. 31:22, Luke 1:34-38] After the miraculous conception and very normal birth of Jesus [Matt. 1:18], Mary had marital relations with her husband (Joseph) resulting in Jesus having siblings. [Matt. 12:46; Like 8:19; Mark 3:31]. Jesus is the only begotten son of God [Ps. 2:7; John 3:16]. Jesus is divine [Isa. 7:17, 9:6; John 8:58; Isa. 44:6, Rev. 22:13] It's amazing to me how people will try to use Scripture to nullify these Scriptures just to keep their false beliefs intact. Jesus' Earthly Life & ExampleJesus is God in the flesh. That means the Almighty decided to allow himself to be born as a mortal man. How was this done if God is only one? Well, what does omnipresent mean to you? God is in all places at all times, so it is absolutely possible for God as Father to be in heaven, while he was on earth as the Son of God at the exact same time. By doing this, God was able to live a sinless life as a mortal man, while physically living on this earth [Matt. 1:23], but was also the vessel of God's Holy Spirit [Gen. 1:1; Jn. 1:1; 5:39; 2 Cor. 3:17]. So, Almighty God was able to die, as it were, which he did. I get a lot of people tell me that it's impossible for God to die. (Rev. 1:8;18) Yeah, I know. As if rising from the dead after three days is completely possible, and happens all of the time too. Right? Let's not be absurd. Just accept the truth that the Bible teaches, that God became a man so he could die on the cross. If you refuse to believe this, then the love of the truth is not in you. So be honest and live like the sinner you are. Don't try to save your cake and eat it too. Decide. Pick a lane. Don't be a hypocrite. Jesus also performed many miracles, proving his divine call as Messiah, and fulfilled all of the Scriptures pertaining to the Messiah's first advent, and will continue to do so, until all of his enemies are under his feet. [Ps.110:1; Acts 2:35; Luke 20:43] Jesus taught and lived sound doctrine. He only said and did the Father's will, then lived it out by example, leaving us the true Christian way of life for others to follow. [John 1:1;14. John 14:6] Jesus modeled for us the concept of: Word and deed, or a true living and saving faith. Any faith that teaches a Triune God, or that Jesus was just a man, or that he was a spook hovering around earth is not Christian. The Cross & RessurectionJesus did his Father's will and obediently died on the cross at Calvary, to pay for (or redeem) the world from sin, as the sinless Lamb of God. [ Isa. 49:26; 60:16; recorded in all four gospels.] Jesus rose from the dead three days later, and is alive ever more, and is seated at the right hand of the Father (which means: in great glory and power) in heaven. [Ps. 16:10; Isa. 53; as recorded in all four gospels, and is referred to many times in the New Testament.] If anyone teaches that Jesus died spiritually and suffered in hell at the hand of Satan and his demons, then they are not saved. They have the wrong gospel, and the wrong Jesus. God's plan of salvation was demonstrated through the Passover. Please study it in the Old Testament so you will have a foundation upon which to build in the New Testament. Salvation (Word and Deed)Salvation, as a whole, has many parts to it, such as repentance, redemption, justification, sanctification, and consummation. Initial salvation is brought about by the preaching of the gospel, which leads to repentance. Repentance is simply changing your mind. You once loved being a sinner, but you have come to change your mind. You have decided that you don't like sinning anymore. You are now ready for redemption. Redemption, or the price of Jesus' blood spilled at the cross, is to fulfill the obligation sin requires according to the Almighty; redemption is not acquired by good works [Gen. 15:6; Hab. 2:4; Rom. 1:17]. This is the part that we cannot do on our own. A sinless sacrifice must be made to God, and Jesus is the only sinless lamb of God that was acceptable to pay the price of sin. The redeemed are then justified, or no longer guilty of sin, thanks to Jesus' work on the cross, and this brings the desired peace toward God and man. This too is done solely by Jesus' sacrifice on the cross. Again, to be clear, redemption and justification are solely Jesus' part, we can't add to redemption or justification with any works of our own. After accepting these gifts of grace, the saint must then move on and live in sanctification (holiness) to Christ [Isa. 51:11; Luke 1:68; Rom. 3:24; Eph. 2:8]. Now this is our part in conjunction with the Holy Spirit in the salvation covenant. This is the fulfillment of the word and deed of the one who claims to be a Christian, which is the evidence against hypocrisy, or even a false conversion. To be clear, repentance, is solely our part, while sanctification is cooperated in us with the help of God's grace, his power to help us live a holy life through the Holy Spirit. The redeemed and justified saint only receives the end promise of salvation (consummation) by keeping the faith in sanctification until the end of their life, or the end of this age, which ever comes first [1 Thes. 4:3-7; Col. 1:23]. Salvation can be lost. A person's faith can suffer shipwreck due to improper prodigal living, or by embracing false doctrine rather than sound doctrine. [1 Tim. 1:19, 4:1; 2 Tim. 2:18; 2 Peter 2:1; 2 John 1:10-11) False conversions are another matter entirely. [Acts 8:9-24] The promise of eternal life [alluded to as: rest, in the O.T.] with Jesus in a new sinless body, and in a new heaven and earth, is a hope only assured to those who keep the faith. Heb. 3:14 - Heb. 4 Please note: The covenants that the Almighty initiates, do require some form of active response (or obedience) to the terms he sets, by the lesser party, namely- us. The redemption, justification, and consummation parts of salvation are provided for by the Almighty alone, while the repentance, and sanctification part are carried out by the saint with God's help; Jesus doesn't leave sanctification entirely to us. Even so, we can still elect to opt out by choosing to love the world and its ways. For that reason, he mercifully provides us with his Holy Spirit, and his grace to help us grow up in the faith (sanctification), until the consummation (or full adoption) part of our salvation is fulfilled. How foolish it is to reject such a wondrous salvation, because the fulfillment of the salvation covenant is our new glorified bodies, and then we will live in rest, or eternal life and peace, forever with Jesus, whose name (title of office) shall be called: Immanuel! Glory to God! Heaven & HellThere is a literal heaven where God's kingdom, and throne (seat of power) resides, and there is a literal Hell, or lake of fire. This dreadful place is the future (not the current) and eternal home of Satan and all those who reject Jesus as their Savior after the final judgement. [Gen. 1:1; Ezek.1; Daniel 7; Rev. 4; Rev. 19:20; 20:14]. There are those who refuse to believe this. They are not fit for salvation and disqualify themselves for rejecting what the Bible so clearly teaches. Eternal LifeThe promise of eternal life [alluded to as: "rest," in the O.T.] with Jesus in a new sinless body, in a new heaven and earth, and is a hope only assured to those who keep the faith. Deut. 12:9-10; Heb. 3:14 - Heb. 4] Jesus' 2nd ComingJesus will come back to claim his bride that has been purified through persecution and tribulation, and he will rule and reign, while Satan is locked up for 1000 years after a great battle know as: Armageddon. It is at that time when Jesus will execute perfect and righteous rule over the nations. There will finally be World Peace! [Ps. 2:9; Rev. 2:27] Satan will be released and allowed to insight a final rebellion after the 1000 year reign of Jesus. [ 1 Cor. 15:28; Rev. 3:12, 22:4] After Satan is defeated once and for all, then he and all his minions, will be judged at the great white throne, and tossed into the lake of fire, forever. [Rev. 20:10 - 15] The Children of God will be judged and rewarded, and will live with their God, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will take a new name (Immanuel) and when they will at last, receive "rest" from all sinful earthly striving, and labor forever ![Rev. 22:1-5] Amen and Amen! Final ThoughtsThe great men of God who were called to pen Scripture, were zealous for God's holiness, even though they themselves were capable of sinning, and they would be the first ones to admit it. Those holy men were surrounded by idolatrous philosophies and religious practices. Even so, they stood against the rising satanic tide, and maintained their spiritual integrity to the end, well, perhaps except for Solomon - go figure. In order to maintain the purity of the Christian faith, we must be thorough fruit inspectors, the way Jesus taught us to be (Matt. 7). The popular and accepted religious leaders in Jesus' day were the Pharisees, Saduccees, and the Essenes. Jesus said that they didn't know Scripture (Matt. 22:29; Luke 2: 46-47), and that they valued the doctrines of men and their traditions above God's word, thus making it of no effect(Mar. 7:13). Should we then follow the teachings of these men that Jesus rebuked? No, that wouldn't be a very good idea. What about the world renowned Greek philosophers of the past, did Jesus quote any of them, or endorse any of them as being reliable authorities on Scripture? No. Did he pattern his gospel and doctrine according to their humanistic and metaphysical points of view? No. So why did the "father's" of the faith (Irenaeus, Origen, and Augustine), so called, by modern theologians, feel the need to look to these idolatrous men as inspiration for their thought processes in interpreting and teaching Scripture? Did Paul go to Greek philosophy schools before he taught the Greeks the gospel? No. Did Paul use Pharisaical teachings, or quote notable rabbis to capture his audiences' hearts? No, on both counts. Remember, when Paul brought the pure gospel to Greece? Many of them laughed and scoffed at it. Why? Because Paul said that the cross of Christ, and the gospel, were both foolishness to them. Even so, some embraced it, and they didn't need syncretism to make that happen either. When Paul preached Christ, Christ drew them to himself. When Paul wrote his letters to the Gentile churches, he was always correcting false teachings that were being mingled with sound doctrine. Rather than using idolatrous teachings and understandings of how the world worked, he based his teachings on the Old Testament, but revealed them as being fulfilled in the New Testament. The only way the LORD can fix this syncratic mess we have made of the pure gospel, is to apply his tried and true classical remedy for removing the dross of idolatry from his people; that being his four sore judgments. We will know it as the Tribulation period, and then the Great Tribulation. But before his righteous smelting process is in full swing, I encourage you dear reader, to thoroughly examine God's word like the Berean's (Jews in Greece) of Paul's day did, who were exemplified as a righteous model of proper biblical exegesis. They didn't go to the writings of Plato, Aristotle, Socrates or their guy Philo to see if what Paul said was so; instead they went solely to the word of God, more specifically, the Old Testament. The word of God bears witness to itself, and so interprets itself. Don't be like the people Peter spoke of in his second epistle (2 Pet. 3:16-17), be like the Bereans and know the Old Testament. Run to it, and no other book, to see if what a teacher or preacher says is so, and begin your own Christ based sound doctrine smelting process, assisted by his Holy Spirit. Trust me, I've been there and done that. So when I say, "You'll be glad you did.", I mean it! Amen! Written by: Heather Zubiate Posted 4/10/2014
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