Monthly Archives: October 2015

Economics, Politics

Ted Cruz, centrist. Seriously.

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Sure, there are lots of people far to his left and some to his right.  But with respect to governing in the United States of America, he is truly a centrist.  Why?  Because he is centered on the Constitution, the governing document of our country.

He loves the Constitution.  He talks about it a lot.  He memorized it.  He applies it accurately.

If you don’t like the Constitution, then I’ve got good news for you: You can change it!  It even tells you how to change it.  Oh, sure, it is hard work, but that’s by design.  Many of our current problems are caused by gutless Republicans who have let Obama and the rest of the Left ignore the Constitution.

But there is hope if we can get someone strong enough to undo some of the damage.  And Cruz is the only one even talking in those terms.

Bible

Pastors who lied at their ordination vows or changed their minds later . . .

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Most Broadway plays are God-mocking, but it sounds like this off-Broadway play addressed an interesting topic in an even-handed way.  Source: How Far Would You Follow Your Pastor?

When a pastor changes his theology, does he have a duty to let his congregation know? Should he make the shift subtly, in the hope his people will follow, or does he have a responsibility to make his view plain and let the chips fall where they may? This is one of the many intriguing questions raised by a recent off-Broadway show called The Christians. The play, written by Lucas Hnath, is no mocking send-up of evangelicals; in fact, it deals seriously with the most serious subject of all: hell. Waiting for the Right Time Pas tor Paul is a winsome preacher whose storefront church plant has grown into a mega church. The thriving congregation has just paid off a massive building debt, and Pastor Paul marks the occasion by telling the worshipers that henceforth the church will no longer believe in a literal hell. After he finishes his sermon, a shocked associate pastor walks out, followed by 50 members with more to come. Over the course of 90 minutes, the play gives a remarkably thorough and fair treatment of the arguments for and against the existence of hell, as well as a complex and realistic portrayal of church politics. For example, the congregation takes note that Pastor Paul’s revelation coincided with the payoff of the church building debt. One member suspects he has disbelieved in hell for some time but hid his belief to avoid splitting the church while still in debt. Pastor Paul doesn’t deny this, but he sees his silence as virtuous forbearance rather than cowardice. He defends his decision to keep his view a secret by saying that he was “waiting until the people could handle it.”

I have long noted how the “Christian” Left “pastors” either lied at their ordination vows or changed their minds later and failed to disclose that they were no longer Christians.  There is no other way that those who deny Jesus’ divinity, his exclusivity for salvation, the authority of the Bible, and so on, should have ever been permitted in the pulpit.  And the latest example, of course, is the pro-LGBTQX agenda.  People like Beth Stroud, whose well-documented premeditated acts were designed to win her congregation over and then play on their sympathy when she “changed her mind.”

These pastors, such as Rob Bell, Tony Campolo, etc., have supported the anti-God agenda for years then “come out” when it is most profitable for them.  Very Christ-like, eh?

Bible, Matthew

Matthew 1

Greetings!  This is part of the read-the-New-Testament-in-a-year series running from June 2015 – May 2016.*  Please read and enjoy the word of God and feel free to leave comments and/or ask questions.  Pray that the Holy Spirit will reveal his truths to you.  Don’t just focus on what you don’t understand.  Think carefully about the things that are clear to you.

Matthew 1 (ESV)

1 The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.

2 Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers, 3 and Judah the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, and Perez the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Ram, 4 and Ram the father of Amminadab, and Amminadab the father of Nahshon, and Nahshon the father of Salmon, 5 and Salmon the father of Boaz by Rahab, and Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse, 6 and Jesse the father of David the king.

And David was the father of Solomon by the wife of Uriah, 7 and Solomon the father of Rehoboam, and Rehoboam the father of Abijah, and Abijah the father of Asaph, 8 and Asaph the father of Jehoshaphat, and Jehoshaphat the father of Joram, and Joram the father of Uzziah, 9 and Uzziah the father of Jotham, and Jotham the father of Ahaz, and Ahaz the father of Hezekiah, 10 and Hezekiah the father of Manasseh, and Manasseh the father of Amos, and Amos the father of Josiah, 11 and Josiah the father of Jechoniah and his brothers, at the time of the deportation to Babylon.

12 And after the deportation to Babylon: Jechoniah was the father of Shealtiel, and Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel, 13 and Zerubbabel the father of Abiud, and Abiud the father of Eliakim, and Eliakim the father of Azor, 14 and Azor the father of Zadok, and Zadok the father of Achim, and Achim the father of Eliud, 15 and Eliud the father of Eleazar, and Eleazar the father of Matthan, and Matthan the father of Jacob, 16 and Jacob the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, who is called Christ.

17 So all the generations from Abraham to David were fourteen generations, and from David to the deportation to Babylon fourteen generations, and from the deportation to Babylon to the Christ fourteen generations.

18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. 19 And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. 20 But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” 22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:

23 “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,

and they shall call his name Immanuel”

(which means, God with us). 24 When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, 25 but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.

*If you missed anything you can always catch up later.  Just dive in!

We will go in order other than spreading the Gospels throughout the year.  We’ll start with Luke, then Acts, some of Paul’s letters, Matthew, more letters, Mark, more letters plus Revelation and then close with John.

Remember, this is the word of God.  The original writings turned out exactly as God and the human writers wanted them to.  If you aren’t a believer, give it a try.  If you are a believer, you’ll want to be in the practice of hearing from God every day through his chosen primary means of communicating to us.

False teachers

“Christian” Left leader Mark “Jesus is not my God” Sandlin goes over the top in promoting abortion

1 Comment

Via  By Her Own Standards Bristol Palin is Worse Than a Slave Owner – Here’s Why, with my comments that I left there.  I have a feeling they may disappear soon!

“The ultimate point is, for all their religiosity and appeal to science, the arguments that Palin and Carson make are neither particularly biblical nor scientifically sound. They are mostly smoke and mirrors, full of sound and fury. And, they signify nothing.”

Of course they are biblical: Jesus is the author of life (Acts 3 and elsewhere). We aren’t to shed innocent blood. We are to protect the weak. And so on.

And the science is 100% on our side. Pro-life reasoning is simple and accurate: It is a scientific fact (http://tinyurl.com/yfje8lq ) and basic common sense (what else would two human beings produce?) that a new human being is reproduced at fertilization. Seriously, go check out any mainstream embryology textbook. I’m too pro-science to be pro-choice. Based on the settled science, it is then simple moral reasoning that it is wrong to take the life of an innocent human being without proper justification, and that is what happens during 99% of abortions.

The situations surrounding abortions are psychologically complex (pressures on the mother to abort, economic concerns, etc.) but morally simple (you don’t kill unwanted humans outside the womb for those reasons, so you shouldn’t kill them inside the womb for those reasons). Their size, level of development, location and degree of dependency are not reasons to ignore their right to life. Arguments about “bodily autonomy” ignore the body destroyed in the abortion.

In other words, it is wrong to take the life of an innocent human being without proper justification. Abortion does that. Therefore, abortion is wrong.

“Even historically in the Church, the idea that abortion is a horrible, no good, very bad thing is an idea that (as another Patheos blogger put it) is younger than the Happy Meal.”

Another lie, inspired by the father of lies, who trusts that his low-information followers will believe him.

Here are a few quotes from early church leaders on abortion. I’m sure the pacifists quote these left and right in their pro-life efforts:

And when we say that those women who use drugs to bring on abortion commit murder, and will have to give an account to God for the abortion, on what principle should we commit murder? For it does not belong to the same person to regard the very foetus in the womb as a created being, and therefore an object of God’s care, and when it has passed into life, to kill it . . . Athenagoras of Athens, circa 180 A.D. from A Plea For The Christians

You shall love your neighbor more than your own life. You shall not slay a child by abortion. You shall not kill that which has already been generated. (Epistle of Barnabas 19.5; second century)

Do not murder a child by abortion or kill a new-born infant. (The Didache 2.2; second century catechism for young Christian converts)

It does not matter whether you take away a life that is born, or destroy one that is coming to the birth. In both instances, the destruction is murder. (Tertullian, Apology, 9.4; second century)

Those who give abortifacients for the destruction of a child conceived in the womb are murderers themselves, along with those receiving the poisons. (Basil the Great, Canons, 188.2; fourth century)

Jerome called abortion “the murder of an unborn child” (Letter to Eustochium, 22.13; fourth century).

Augustine used the same phrase, warning against the terrible crime of “the murder of an unborn child” (On Marriage, 1.17.15; fourth century).

The early church fathers Origen, Cyprian and Chrysostom likewise condemned abortion as the killing of a child.

“In Exodus we learn that if a man causes a woman to miscarriage he is fined, but is he causes the woman to die, he will be put to death.”

No, we don’t learn that in Exodus. That is a mistranslation used by pro-abortion extremists to justify killing unwanted children.

Exodus 21:22–25, ESV — When men strive together and hit a pregnant woman, so that her children come out, but there is no harm, the one who hit her shall surely be fined, as the woman’s husband shall impose on him, and he shall pay as the judges determine. But if there is harm, then you shall pay life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, stripe for stripe.

The short version is that the key word of the passage is sometimes not translated well and says “miscarriage” instead of “children come out.” It you study the original Hebrew it becomes very clear that Moses did not mean that if the child is killed that the penalty is less severe.

And even if they use their mistranslation, they ignore that a punishment was required, so abortion would still be wrong!

More here, with a listing of all the errors pro-aborts make with this passage: https://1eternitymatters.wordpress.com/2010/01/22/exodus-21-and-abortion/

“For heaven’s sake, they were told to stone disobedient children.”

There you go, folks: Mark Sandlin again mocks the word of the God that he pretends to follow. If you think Sandlin is a Christian you are part of the problem.

“Biblically, life is believed to begin with breath, with breathing. But let’s face it, the Bible was never meant to be used as a science manual.”

No, that isn’t biblical. Even a hyper-literalist shouldn’t take Adam’s creation to support the killing of unwanted children. It was GOD’S BREATH that went into Adam to create life. Genesis doesn’t even mention Adam’s first breath.

And does anyone see the hypocrisy and irony in claiming that the Bible isn’t a science manual then using the creation of Adam — a “slightly” unique human — to justify abortion? Oh, and how about the fact that the “Christian” Left turns around and denies a historical Adam when it comes to original sin, Darwinian evolution, etc. What happened to their literal interpretation? Oh, never mind that. They just use that to justify killing unwanted children. What frauds.

Remember that the “Christian” Left “first breath” reasoning is far more extreme than the average pro-choice belief, which opposes late-term abortions. But the “Christian” Left says Jesus is fine with killing a child even outside the womb for any reason until she takes her first breath.

“How cruel is that? By her own definition, she created life and then allowed it to not receive the sustenance and nurturing that all human life deserves! That’s just despicable. Unbelievable!”

Wow. Just wow. I’ve seen a lot of stupid pro-abortion rhetoric from the “Christian” Left but that one is over the top even for those Molech-worshiping ghouls.

Read slowly, people: I encourage those using the miscarriage argument to consider these distinctions:

A. Human being dies of natural causes (inside or outside the womb)

B. Human being is deliberately killed by a 3rd party (inside or outside the womb)

Miscarriages would be in category A and abortions are in category B. Grandma dying in her sleep is not the same as you bludgeoning her to death. Did I really have to just type that? Apparently so.

I think most people can see that they are significantly different. That is, most people who don’t worship death and mock God.

—–

My only encouragement was that even one of his Leftist followers saw how ridiculous his miscarriage argument was.

Ben Carson and Bristol Palin are both right.  Abortion is like slavery.

Politics

Hillary Clinton: The most publicly cheated-on woman ever?

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One of the most pathetic things about Hillary Clinton is that she continues to stay married to her serial-adulterer husband just to improve her chances at becoming President.  That’s it.

I realize that the Bible doesn’t require divorce in the case of adultery, but pro-abortion extremist / pro-LGBTQX extremist “Christian” Leftist Hillary is obviously not a Christian anyway.  How could any self-respecting person stay married with someone who mocks her and their wedding vows with such public impunity?  Because she craves power, and she will endure anything to get it.

She is a desperate, lying, greedy, corrupt, vile person who is completely unfit for public office.  Which is why the “Christian” Left will vote for her.

 

Bible, Ephesians

Ephesians 6

Greetings!  This is part of the read-the-New-Testament-in-a-year series running from June 2015 – May 2016.*  Please read and enjoy the word of God and feel free to leave comments and/or ask questions.  Pray that the Holy Spirit will reveal his truths to you.  Don’t just focus on what you don’t understand.  Think carefully about the things that are clear to you.

Ephesians 6 (ESV)

1 Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 2 “Honor your father and mother” (this is the first commandment with a promise), 3 “that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land.” 4 Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.

5 Bondservants, obey your earthly masters with fear and trembling, with a sincere heart, as you would Christ, 6 not by the way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, 7 rendering service with a good will as to the Lord and not to man, 8 knowing that whatever good anyone does, this he will receive back from the Lord, whether he is a bondservant or is free. 9 Masters, do the same to them, and stop your threatening, knowing that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and that there is no partiality with him.

10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. 14 Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. 16 In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; 17 and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, 18 praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, 19 and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.

21 So that you also may know how I am and what I am doing, Tychicus the beloved brother and faithful minister in the Lord will tell you everything. 22 I have sent him to you for this very purpose, that you may know how we are, and that he may encourage your hearts.

23 Peace be to the brothers, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 24 Grace be with all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with love incorruptible.

*If you missed anything you can always catch up later.  Just dive in!

We will go in order other than spreading the Gospels throughout the year.  We’ll start with Luke, then Acts, some of Paul’s letters, Matthew, more letters, Mark, more letters plus Revelation and then close with John.

Remember, this is the word of God.  The original writings turned out exactly as God and the human writers wanted them to.  If you aren’t a believer, give it a try.  If you are a believer, you’ll want to be in the practice of hearing from God every day through his chosen primary means of communicating to us.

Bible, Ephesians

Ephesians 5

2 Comments

Greetings!  This is part of the read-the-New-Testament-in-a-year series running from June 2015 – May 2016.*  Please read and enjoy the word of God and feel free to leave comments and/or ask questions.  Pray that the Holy Spirit will reveal his truths to you.  Don’t just focus on what you don’t understand.  Think carefully about the things that are clear to you.

Ephesians 5 (ESV)

1 Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. 2 And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

3 But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints. 4 Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving. 5 For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. 6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. 7 Therefore do not become partners with them; 8 for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light 9 (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), 10 and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. 11 Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. 12 For it is shameful even to speak of the things that they do in secret. 13 But when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible, 14 for anything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says,

“Awake, O sleeper,

and arise from the dead,

and Christ will shine on you.”

15 Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, 16 making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. 17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. 18 And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, 19 addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, 20 giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, 21 submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.

22 Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. 24 Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands.

25 Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, 26 that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, 27 so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. 28 In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 29 For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, 30 because we are members of his body. 31 “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” 32 This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church. 33 However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.

*If you missed anything you can always catch up later.  Just dive in!

We will go in order other than spreading the Gospels throughout the year.  We’ll start with Luke, then Acts, some of Paul’s letters, Matthew, more letters, Mark, more letters plus Revelation and then close with John.

Remember, this is the word of God.  The original writings turned out exactly as God and the human writers wanted them to.  If you aren’t a believer, give it a try.  If you are a believer, you’ll want to be in the practice of hearing from God every day through his chosen primary means of communicating to us.

False teachers

As if Mark Sandlin hadn’t outed himself a false teacher clearly enough already . . .

5 Comments

. . . he joins false teacher Chuck “Jesus is not the only way but He sure is a bigot” Currie of the UCC (Unitarians Counterfeiting Christ) in insisting that Jesus is not the only path to God.  You’ll recall that Sandlin is on record for denying Jesus’ divinity, and of course, the Trinity.

In How To Respond to Other Christians Who Quote “I am THE Way” he does the usual “Christian” Left trick in pretending that John 14:6 (Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.) only applied to the one person asking the question, and even then that it wasn’t about repenting and believing but following his teachings as defined by the “Christian” Left.

Here are my comments there (I’m sure there will be more once the phonies there try to defend the post).  I think I’ll just keep responding with different verses that contradict Sandlin.

It is amazing that “Christian” Leftists pretend that Islam, for example, is a valid path to God just as Christianity is.

The “Islam and Christianity worship the same God” lie is so transparently false you can refute it in a single Tweet: Denying Jesus’ deity is a heresy in Christianity. Affirming it is a blasphemy in Islam. #notthesame

You can also tighten it up and do it twice in a single Tweet: Denying Jesus’ deity=Christian heresy affirming it=Islamic blasphemy.

This is so convenient of Sandlin to out himself as a false teaching wolf. Like fellow “Christian” Leftist false teacher Chuck “Jesus is not the only way but He sure is a bigot” Currie, Sandlin chooses to clearly oppose something affirmed in over 100 passages. One hundred plus*.

“One of my personal mantras is “One God. Many paths.””

Sounds like a Hindu to me. No, wait, Hindus don’t lie and masquerade as Christians, let alone Christian pastors.

“I’ve been surprised by the number of fellow Christians who not only disagree with me, but who are offended that a Christian (let alone a minister) might “legitimize” other religions.”

Uh, because they are from Satan?

“Yep, you read that correctly, conservative Christian at a bar.”

Real Christians can go to bars, provided they don’t get drunk, tempt their neighbors or break laws.

“Here’s the thing: it turns out some Christians think that thoughtful reflection is hazardous to their faith – or maybe they simply believe thoughtful reflection is the opposite of faith?”

Straw man argument & ad hominem attack.

“My point here is this: if you choose route of thoughtful engagement, I might suggest some small degree of fear and trepidation in doing so – or, at least, informed caution.”

Begging the question. He never proved we aren’t thoughtful.

“One of the things I mention to them about the “I am the way” quote is that this particular statement from Jesus is meant for a specific person, in response to a specific question, within a specific setting in the Bible.”

Bzzzzzt. Epic fail. False teacher Sandlin either doesn’t know (really bad) or knows (really, really bad) that there are another 100+ verses affirming the truth that Jesus is the only way to salvation*. Seriously, folks, read the Bible for yourself with that question in mind. You can’t miss unless you really try.

“I then give that a minute to sink in. If the person no longer has the “I squashed a spider!” look on their face, I continue.”

That’s only because Sandlin is talking to someone as ignorant as he is.

“It is simply impossible for me to read the rest of Jesus’ teachings about love and inclusiveness, and then read John 14:6 and conclude it is about excluding folks.”

That’s because he is unsaved and has created a god in his own image.

“A few verses prior to this, Jesus tells us that there are many, many rooms in God’s house. Taken within the larger teachings of Jesus, it sounds like there is literally room for everyone.”

Ugh. Why doesn’t Sandlin take that the way he took 14:6 and say how the room verse was “only” for the person He was directly talking to? Because that doesn’t fit his bad theology.

*There are more than 100 passages teaching that Jesus is the only way to salvation. In other words, there are far, far more passages than just John 14:6 (Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.) — although that alone is clear enough.

The number of passages isn’t what makes it true, of course. His resurrection does that. But it does mean that anyone claiming the name of Christ must hold to that explicit and supremely important teaching, among other essentials of the faith. Anyone who disagrees isn’t teaching something a little different from Christianity, they are teaching the opposite. We have a very specific term for people like them: Non-Christians. I have seen false teachers try to rationalize away John 14:6 when they thought that was the only verse they had to get rid of, but that is just more evidence of their being wolves.

Just read through Ephesians or Colossians, for example, and note how nothing makes sense if Jesus isn’t the exclusive way to salvation.

Consider this as one example. There is no room for Vishnu, Mohammad, Buddha or anyone else here:

Ephesians 1:1–14 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To the saints who are in Ephesus, and are faithful in Christ Jesus: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth. In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.

Some things in the Bible may be difficult to understand, but this isn’t one of them. Jesus is the only way. People shouldn’t sit in judgment of God’s gracious rescue plan and insist that there be other paths. They should rejoice that there is a path for us sinners at all!

Here are 10 to start with:

John 14:6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

Acts 4:11-12 He is “‘the stone you builders rejected, which has become the capstone.’ Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.”

Acts 16:30-31 He then brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.”

1 Timothy 2:5 For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,

1 John 2:23 No one who denies the Son has the Father; whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also.

1 John 5:11-13 And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life.

Luke 10:16 “He who listens to you listens to me; he who rejects you rejects me; but he who rejects me rejects him who sent me.”

Luke 12:8-9 “I tell you, whoever acknowledges me before men, the Son of Man will also acknowledge him before the angels of God. But he who disowns me before men will be disowned before the angels of God.

John 3:18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.

John 3:36 Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him.”

John 8:24 I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am the one I claim to be, you will indeed die in your sins.”

John 10:7-8 Therefore Jesus said again, “I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep. All who ever came before me were thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them.

Bible, Ephesians

Ephesians 4

Greetings!  This is part of the read-the-New-Testament-in-a-year series running from June 2015 – May 2016.*  Please read and enjoy the word of God and feel free to leave comments and/or ask questions.  Pray that the Holy Spirit will reveal his truths to you.  Don’t just focus on what you don’t understand.  Think carefully about the things that are clear to you.

Ephesians 4 (ESV)

1 I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, 2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, 3 eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. 7 But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift. 8 Therefore it says,

“When he ascended on high he led a host of captives,

and he gave gifts to men.”

9 (In saying, “He ascended,” what does it mean but that he had also descended into the lower regions, the earth? 10 He who descended is the one who also ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things.) 11 And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, 14 so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. 15 Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.

17 Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds. 18 They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart. 19 They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity. 20 But that is not the way you learned Christ!— 21 assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, 22 to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, 23 and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, 24 and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.

25 Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another. 26 Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, 27 and give no opportunity to the devil. 28 Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need. 29 Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. 32 Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.

*If you missed anything you can always catch up later.  Just dive in!

We will go in order other than spreading the Gospels throughout the year.  We’ll start with Luke, then Acts, some of Paul’s letters, Matthew, more letters, Mark, more letters plus Revelation and then close with John.

Remember, this is the word of God.  The original writings turned out exactly as God and the human writers wanted them to.  If you aren’t a believer, give it a try.  If you are a believer, you’ll want to be in the practice of hearing from God every day through his chosen primary means of communicating to us.

Bible, Ephesians

Ephesians 3

Greetings!  This is part of the read-the-New-Testament-in-a-year series running from June 2015 – May 2016.*  Please read and enjoy the word of God and feel free to leave comments and/or ask questions.  Pray that the Holy Spirit will reveal his truths to you.  Don’t just focus on what you don’t understand.  Think carefully about the things that are clear to you.

Ephesians 3 (ESV)

1 For this reason I, Paul, a prisoner for Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentiles— 2 assuming that you have heard of the stewardship of God’s grace that was given to me for you, 3 how the mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I have written briefly. 4 When you read this, you can perceive my insight into the mystery of Christ, 5 which was not made known to the sons of men in other generations as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit. 6 This mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.

7 Of this gospel I was made a minister according to the gift of God’s grace, which was given me by the working of his power. 8 To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, 9 and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things, 10 so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. 11 This was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord, 12 in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in him. 13 So I ask you not to lose heart over what I am suffering for you, which is your glory.

14 For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, 15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, 16 that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19 and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

20 Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

*If you missed anything you can always catch up later.  Just dive in!

We will go in order other than spreading the Gospels throughout the year.  We’ll start with Luke, then Acts, some of Paul’s letters, Matthew, more letters, Mark, more letters plus Revelation and then close with John.

Remember, this is the word of God.  The original writings turned out exactly as God and the human writers wanted them to.  If you aren’t a believer, give it a try.  If you are a believer, you’ll want to be in the practice of hearing from God every day through his chosen primary means of communicating to us.