Most people tend to think God is good.
However, you would have to be wondering about the God who created people just to cast them into eternal punishment as being good.
The god of John Calvin apparently does this. John Calvin is still one of the most influential people within the Christian church, even though he died in the 16th century. Evidently, many theological colleges still teach his interpretation of the will of God as being sound, even though there are many Bible verses that contradict Calvin interpretation of the Bible.
One of Calvin’s so-called great Biblical truths is the doctrine of “Limited Atonement”.
This doctrine asserts that Jesus Christ only died on the cross to save a few souls and not as the Bible states to redeem the souls of every person.
The doctrine of Limited Atonement states that Jesus did not come to reconcile the world back to God but rather came to reconcile only those select people whom God created to be reconciled with Him. Everybody else God created to be condemned to eternal punishments.
The god of the Calvinists, and those who teach his doctrines, is obviously not the God of the Bible.
The God of the Bible is a loving God who desires that all men come to salvation and than none should perish.
As you can see that there is big difference between a loving and good God who desires all men to be reconciled with Him and a hateful and evil god who creates people for the sadist purpose of seeing them suffer for eternity.
The other problem with this doctrine of the Calvinists is the god they worship must have a twisted sense of reasoning because he felt the need to create people so he could reconcile them to himself.
Why would an Omniscient God, One who is all-knowing, need to create people so he could reconcile them to Himself? It just does not make sense.
The argument is that Adam needed to be reconciled and all those who were born after Adam, were born into sin and this separated humankind from God, so they need to be reconciled.
Now there is no dispute about the fact that all humankind needed to be reconciled to God because of Adam’s sin. But the doctrine of limited atonements states than only some needed to be reconciled, the rest were destined to eternal punishment.
There is no disputing that Jesus said that hypocrites were going to be cast into eternal punishment. Actually, I find it rather interesting that Jesus seemed to single out hypocrites for eternal punishment and not those who are guilty of murdering, stealing, committing adultery, telling lies or coveting.
Not that I would want to be pointing the finger at anyone in particular, but everybody knows a hypocrite when they come across one.
The Merriam-Webster online dictionary defines a “hypocrite” as
1. “a person who puts on a false appearance of virtue or religion” or
2. “a person who acts in contradiction to his or her stated beliefs or feelings”.
In respect to the first definition, there would have to be no redemption.
In respect to the second definition, our human failings might get the better of us; otherwise we would all be condemned to hell. It is also true that our beliefs and feelings can change over time, and the grace of God allows for our ignorance.
Regarding murderers, adulterers, thieves, liars and the covetous, there is no guarantee that they will escape eternal punishment, unless they repent of their wicked ways. But, unlike those who put on a public face of being virtuous and religious and upright but are not, at least, we who recognize the error of our ways have a hope.
As for those who put on a public face, not all are involved in religion, many use religion as a convenience in the hope of a get out of jail free card or to bolster their credibility for public office.
One has to wonder about John Calvin though. He was not only a religious figure but also a political figure in Geneva. But when he instigated the slow barbecuing of the physician Michael Servetus at the stake, it is doubtful that he was acting in a flash of anger. That was a very public execution instigated by a man cloaked in the appearance of religious virtue and political guise and justified by his doctrine of limited atonement.
www.tencommandmentstoday.com
Friday, September 3, 2010
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Total Depravity
You may have heard of the doctrine of “Total Depravity”. If you haven’t heard of it, essentially it states that all human beings have no goodness in them at all and are incapable of doing anything good.
I was just reading a recent article published by Matthiasmedia, written by David Starling in support of this teaching. What struck me were these words:
“While the doctrine of total depravity is not at all a denial that fallen human culture is capable of accomplishing magnificent works of beauty, truth and wisdom, it does remind us that on all these works of human hands—even the most magnificent—there will be the stains and smudges of human sin.”
The above paragraph is not what the doctrine of total depravity; rather it is more in line with another teaching known as Arminianism that was accepted by John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist Church.
Arminius rejected Calvinism because of the view that Jesus died only for the elect and not for all people. Calvin, of course, was so arrogant that he barbecued the Spanish Physician, Michael Servetus, at the stake outside Geneva without any compunction. (Evidently, in his shortsightedness, Calvin thought he would save God the hassle of having to do it at the great judgment of all mankind.)
Paul the Apostle also signed his name to murder and the pangs of his conscience were causing him much grief; so much so, that the resurrected Jesus Christ appeared to him and asked him why did he try to fight them.
Now, let’s get back to the Calvinist doctrine of total depravity: it never ceases to amaze me how much people will go to support a position, even when it is obviously wrong, incorrect and erroneous.
The truth is that human beings are capable of doing good deeds. Even David Starling recognizes this. However, this contradicts the concept of total depravity. Since this is the case: Why support the doctrine?
It is very hard for people to admit they might be wrong because this sometimes means they will lose favor with friends or their position in society or cost them money or, as in the case of Michael Servetus, being barbecued at the stake.
While it is true that only God is good, what is meant by goodness here is more than what we think of being good means. However, man does do good deeds, even if they are only temporary and do not have eternal worth.
What I have found over the years is that a majority of people do not really want to know the truth; they tend to want to be accepted by their peers. Those who rebel against the status quo are often doing so for reasons other than seeking the truth.
If you want to know the truth, you have to admit that you did not ask to be born. I have yet to meet anybody who actually asked their parents if they could come into this world.
Since you did not ask anybody whether you could come into this world: How could you be totally depraved from birth? It just does not make sense. Yet there are those who will fight to the death in defense of the doctrine that you were born totally depraved.
David Starling further asserts: “Our children do not enter the family pristine, waiting to be messed up by the excesses of our parenting.”
Try telling that to a loving mother and father.
According to David Starling then, we can assume that every little child is damned to hell and doomed to eternal punishment; unless, of course, the child grows up a Calvinist.
Yet, oddly enough, Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, for unto such belongs the kingdom of heaven.”
www.tencommandmentstoday.com
I was just reading a recent article published by Matthiasmedia, written by David Starling in support of this teaching. What struck me were these words:
“While the doctrine of total depravity is not at all a denial that fallen human culture is capable of accomplishing magnificent works of beauty, truth and wisdom, it does remind us that on all these works of human hands—even the most magnificent—there will be the stains and smudges of human sin.”
The above paragraph is not what the doctrine of total depravity; rather it is more in line with another teaching known as Arminianism that was accepted by John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist Church.
Arminius rejected Calvinism because of the view that Jesus died only for the elect and not for all people. Calvin, of course, was so arrogant that he barbecued the Spanish Physician, Michael Servetus, at the stake outside Geneva without any compunction. (Evidently, in his shortsightedness, Calvin thought he would save God the hassle of having to do it at the great judgment of all mankind.)
Paul the Apostle also signed his name to murder and the pangs of his conscience were causing him much grief; so much so, that the resurrected Jesus Christ appeared to him and asked him why did he try to fight them.
Now, let’s get back to the Calvinist doctrine of total depravity: it never ceases to amaze me how much people will go to support a position, even when it is obviously wrong, incorrect and erroneous.
The truth is that human beings are capable of doing good deeds. Even David Starling recognizes this. However, this contradicts the concept of total depravity. Since this is the case: Why support the doctrine?
It is very hard for people to admit they might be wrong because this sometimes means they will lose favor with friends or their position in society or cost them money or, as in the case of Michael Servetus, being barbecued at the stake.
While it is true that only God is good, what is meant by goodness here is more than what we think of being good means. However, man does do good deeds, even if they are only temporary and do not have eternal worth.
What I have found over the years is that a majority of people do not really want to know the truth; they tend to want to be accepted by their peers. Those who rebel against the status quo are often doing so for reasons other than seeking the truth.
If you want to know the truth, you have to admit that you did not ask to be born. I have yet to meet anybody who actually asked their parents if they could come into this world.
Since you did not ask anybody whether you could come into this world: How could you be totally depraved from birth? It just does not make sense. Yet there are those who will fight to the death in defense of the doctrine that you were born totally depraved.
David Starling further asserts: “Our children do not enter the family pristine, waiting to be messed up by the excesses of our parenting.”
Try telling that to a loving mother and father.
According to David Starling then, we can assume that every little child is damned to hell and doomed to eternal punishment; unless, of course, the child grows up a Calvinist.
Yet, oddly enough, Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, for unto such belongs the kingdom of heaven.”
www.tencommandmentstoday.com
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Why Prayers Are Not Answered
One of the biggest problems why people do not get their prayers answered is they do not ask in faith.
I was listening to a man pray for somebody who was ill just recently and this is how he prayed.
“Dear Heavenly Father,
We are such awful people; we always do wrong and fall short of what you require from us. We are nothing in your eyes and are deserving of nothing. If it is your will, we ask you to heal this person.”
What’s wrong with that, you might ask.
Firstly, it is the prayer of the defeated. Or you might say the prayer of the hopeless.
Secondly, this kind of prayer lacks faith. There is no expectancy that it will be answered.
Thirdly, this prayer is an insult to God. The person praying is stating that God is a waste of time because he created humans as a waste of time.
Let’s get some facts right.
Firstly, it is true that people are born only to die and our lives are futile as a consequence of being born only to die. But this does not mean that there is no reason for us being here.
Secondly, if you are going to pray to God as your Heavenly Father, wouldn’t you expect Him to think of you as someone who is important to Him, as any loving father does of his own children?
Thirdly, if you are going to ask someone to do something, you do so in the expectation that the person will do it; even more so when it is a father who sees his children in trouble.
The Bible says the prayer of faith is answered.
Jesus said that if you have faith and do not doubt in your heart, your requests will be answered.
This is the problem with most people, they lack faith. They do not believe that God really cares. They do not really want to see God working on their behalf. They do not really want to have a genuine relation with their Heavenly Father.
The reason for this unbelief starts from a faulty basis of reasoning from which people approach God.
For instance, I know a person who has no family, believes he is the smartest person in the world, yet doesn’t see his life as futile. This is the case, even though he has no occupation, but believes he should be a CEO of a large company. The truth is he is a CEO, but not a chief executive officer of a company, he is the couch executive officer of the lounge room, who watches TV and drinks beer during the day and wine of a night. He lives off the government and has been doing so for the last seven years.
This person does not believe God exists because he is a scientist. He has no degree in science. He dropped out of university because it was too boring. Yet he claims he is a thinker and, according to him, science has proved that there is no God.
I was talking to a bus driver just recently who was telling me that global warming was destroying the world because the Earth was getting hotter every year. I asked him had he heard that the Earth had actually been cooling over the last decade. He hadn’t, but said most of the scientists said it was getting hotter, and he believed the scientists. I suggested he did some critical thinking. He replied, “I am a subjective thinker.”
So many people simply want to believe what they feel comfortable with and do not want to know the truth.
Either there is a Heavenly Father or this world is doomed regardless of what men or women do. Not asking the hard questions about existence, and then seeking God out with expectancy of being heard as to why you are here and what is your purpose in life is like saying I don’t really care if I live or die, or whether I enjoy pleasure or suffer pain.
The truth is nobody asked to be born. Therefore you have the right to ask, or even challenge God, to give you the answers you need. God has to reply. And the Bible teaches he answers the prayer of faith
www.tencommandmentstoday.com
I was listening to a man pray for somebody who was ill just recently and this is how he prayed.
“Dear Heavenly Father,
We are such awful people; we always do wrong and fall short of what you require from us. We are nothing in your eyes and are deserving of nothing. If it is your will, we ask you to heal this person.”
What’s wrong with that, you might ask.
Firstly, it is the prayer of the defeated. Or you might say the prayer of the hopeless.
Secondly, this kind of prayer lacks faith. There is no expectancy that it will be answered.
Thirdly, this prayer is an insult to God. The person praying is stating that God is a waste of time because he created humans as a waste of time.
Let’s get some facts right.
Firstly, it is true that people are born only to die and our lives are futile as a consequence of being born only to die. But this does not mean that there is no reason for us being here.
Secondly, if you are going to pray to God as your Heavenly Father, wouldn’t you expect Him to think of you as someone who is important to Him, as any loving father does of his own children?
Thirdly, if you are going to ask someone to do something, you do so in the expectation that the person will do it; even more so when it is a father who sees his children in trouble.
The Bible says the prayer of faith is answered.
Jesus said that if you have faith and do not doubt in your heart, your requests will be answered.
This is the problem with most people, they lack faith. They do not believe that God really cares. They do not really want to see God working on their behalf. They do not really want to have a genuine relation with their Heavenly Father.
The reason for this unbelief starts from a faulty basis of reasoning from which people approach God.
For instance, I know a person who has no family, believes he is the smartest person in the world, yet doesn’t see his life as futile. This is the case, even though he has no occupation, but believes he should be a CEO of a large company. The truth is he is a CEO, but not a chief executive officer of a company, he is the couch executive officer of the lounge room, who watches TV and drinks beer during the day and wine of a night. He lives off the government and has been doing so for the last seven years.
This person does not believe God exists because he is a scientist. He has no degree in science. He dropped out of university because it was too boring. Yet he claims he is a thinker and, according to him, science has proved that there is no God.
I was talking to a bus driver just recently who was telling me that global warming was destroying the world because the Earth was getting hotter every year. I asked him had he heard that the Earth had actually been cooling over the last decade. He hadn’t, but said most of the scientists said it was getting hotter, and he believed the scientists. I suggested he did some critical thinking. He replied, “I am a subjective thinker.”
So many people simply want to believe what they feel comfortable with and do not want to know the truth.
Either there is a Heavenly Father or this world is doomed regardless of what men or women do. Not asking the hard questions about existence, and then seeking God out with expectancy of being heard as to why you are here and what is your purpose in life is like saying I don’t really care if I live or die, or whether I enjoy pleasure or suffer pain.
The truth is nobody asked to be born. Therefore you have the right to ask, or even challenge God, to give you the answers you need. God has to reply. And the Bible teaches he answers the prayer of faith
www.tencommandmentstoday.com
Monday, August 30, 2010
Understanding the Truth
Within Christianity there are many different views about what the bible teaches. One of the reasons for these many different views is the basis upon which a person or group of people begin to interpret the Bible.
Establishing a sound basis from which to begin to understand the Bible is important if you are going to find the truth and be set free from ignorance, fear and futile thinking.
Here are a couple of misconceptions that seem to bind people that call themselves Christians or, more correctly, identify themselves by some religious persuasion (Orthodox, Catholic, Protestant, Evangelical, Pentecostal, Charismatic, Fundamental) and carry a denominational brand; be it Roman Catholic, Lutheran, Anglican (Episcopalian), Methodist, Presbyterian, Baptist, Reformed, United Pentecostal, Assembly of God, Apostolic, Seventh Day Adventist, and so on.
One is that that Bible is the living word of God, when in fact the Bible states that Jesus is the Living Word of God and the Bible merely bears witness to him.
Another is that the Old Testament is no longer relevant for today, since it has been superseded by the New Testament.
Some more are:
You have to study to show yourself approved of God.
The King James Version is the Only True Word of God.
Man is completely and utterly incapable of doing a good act.
The Church is built upon the Apostle Peter.
If you do not accept the historical church dogma and statements of faith, you are of the devil.
Unless you are baptized, or sprinkled with water, you are going to eternal punishment.
Praying to saints is acceptable to God.
The second commandment of the Ten Commandments about manufacturing images and bowing before them does not really matter.
Once a person is saved, that person cannot lose his or her salvation.
All Catholics are going to hell.
All Protestants are going to hell.
Anybody who does not speak in unknown tongues is not saved and going to hell.
There is no such thing as eternal punishment.
Unless you keep the Sabbath, you cannot be saved.
Unless you believe the Earth was created in seven twenty-four hour periods, you are deceived.
God has ceased performing miracles like those recorded in the Bible.
The gifts of the Spirit are not available today.
Unless you speak in unknown tongues you have not been baptized in the Holy Spirit.
Speaking in unknown tongues is of the Devil.
The parable about talents is not about money, it is about abilities and gifts.
Good works will get you to heaven.
God does not require people to reason.
God is not really interested in human affairs.
God has not given humans a free will.
God has decided people’s destiny before they are born, so that nobody has any say whether in whether he or she shall go to eternal torment or share in heavenly bliss
God knows everything there is to be known ever.
God is not capable of creating anything he has not thought of yet.
The list goes on. There are so many erroneous ideas about God and man’s purpose for being on this earth, trying to work out what is true and false, right and wrong, incorrect or correct is similar to searching through a rubbish dump.
However, I can point out a couple of truths that you cannot deny. And if you are starting from the truth, then you will have a sound basis to progress towards gaining the freedom that comes with the truth.
First truth: Nobody asked to be born.
Second truth: Nobody would ask to be born on this earth only to die.
And a third truth is if anybody asked to born on this earth and they are going to die, this is nothing but futility. All this means is being born only to die is futile.
To me the basis of all truth has to be self-evident. If you start with self-evident truth, then you have a solid foundation with which to begin understanding what is true.
As Jesus said, ”The truth shall set you free.”
www.tencommandmentstoday.com
Establishing a sound basis from which to begin to understand the Bible is important if you are going to find the truth and be set free from ignorance, fear and futile thinking.
Here are a couple of misconceptions that seem to bind people that call themselves Christians or, more correctly, identify themselves by some religious persuasion (Orthodox, Catholic, Protestant, Evangelical, Pentecostal, Charismatic, Fundamental) and carry a denominational brand; be it Roman Catholic, Lutheran, Anglican (Episcopalian), Methodist, Presbyterian, Baptist, Reformed, United Pentecostal, Assembly of God, Apostolic, Seventh Day Adventist, and so on.
One is that that Bible is the living word of God, when in fact the Bible states that Jesus is the Living Word of God and the Bible merely bears witness to him.
Another is that the Old Testament is no longer relevant for today, since it has been superseded by the New Testament.
Some more are:
You have to study to show yourself approved of God.
The King James Version is the Only True Word of God.
Man is completely and utterly incapable of doing a good act.
The Church is built upon the Apostle Peter.
If you do not accept the historical church dogma and statements of faith, you are of the devil.
Unless you are baptized, or sprinkled with water, you are going to eternal punishment.
Praying to saints is acceptable to God.
The second commandment of the Ten Commandments about manufacturing images and bowing before them does not really matter.
Once a person is saved, that person cannot lose his or her salvation.
All Catholics are going to hell.
All Protestants are going to hell.
Anybody who does not speak in unknown tongues is not saved and going to hell.
There is no such thing as eternal punishment.
Unless you keep the Sabbath, you cannot be saved.
Unless you believe the Earth was created in seven twenty-four hour periods, you are deceived.
God has ceased performing miracles like those recorded in the Bible.
The gifts of the Spirit are not available today.
Unless you speak in unknown tongues you have not been baptized in the Holy Spirit.
Speaking in unknown tongues is of the Devil.
The parable about talents is not about money, it is about abilities and gifts.
Good works will get you to heaven.
God does not require people to reason.
God is not really interested in human affairs.
God has not given humans a free will.
God has decided people’s destiny before they are born, so that nobody has any say whether in whether he or she shall go to eternal torment or share in heavenly bliss
God knows everything there is to be known ever.
God is not capable of creating anything he has not thought of yet.
The list goes on. There are so many erroneous ideas about God and man’s purpose for being on this earth, trying to work out what is true and false, right and wrong, incorrect or correct is similar to searching through a rubbish dump.
However, I can point out a couple of truths that you cannot deny. And if you are starting from the truth, then you will have a sound basis to progress towards gaining the freedom that comes with the truth.
First truth: Nobody asked to be born.
Second truth: Nobody would ask to be born on this earth only to die.
And a third truth is if anybody asked to born on this earth and they are going to die, this is nothing but futility. All this means is being born only to die is futile.
To me the basis of all truth has to be self-evident. If you start with self-evident truth, then you have a solid foundation with which to begin understanding what is true.
As Jesus said, ”The truth shall set you free.”
www.tencommandmentstoday.com
Friday, August 27, 2010
The problem with being a Christian
The problem with being a Christian is that there are so many different views on what being a Christian means. In the end, this becomes confusing.
The difficulty is Christians have different views on yesterday, today and tomorrow. You might think that this is impossible if the Bible says that God is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. But Christians, or I should say, people who claim to be Christians, simply do not agree on what should be quite obvious, if God is the same yesterday, today or tomorrow.
There are three subjects which concern yesterday, today and tomorrow. These are Creation, Salvation, and Judgment. Creation is about how the world came into being and is found in the first chapter of Genesis. Salvation is how people are able to discover the answers for existence and their purpose in life. Judgment is basically about the end times and whether or not people are going to receive just recompense for what has happened in their lives.
The Creation story is found in the book of Genesis. The first chapter talks about how God created light on the first day of creation and mentions that there was water and spirit. The light was not that of the sun, because the sun was not created until the fourth day of creation. So the light has to be something else other than what is understood by daylight or electromagnetic radiation from the sun. This fact alone suggests that the days of the creation are not twenty-four hour days. The twenty-four hour day is dependent on the sun and the earth turning on its axis. Neither the sun or the earth were created on the first day. Hence, it is quite obvious that the light on the first day of creation is not sunlight.
There a many different views on the length of the days on the creation period and these range from twenty-four hour days to billions of years. There are also theories about prior universes existing prior to the current creation. There are also different ideas of how humankind was formed. Some theorists claim that humankind evolved from a bacteria that was originally created by the Creator; others claim that humankind evolved from a primate form that was created by God; while the Bible simply says that God created man in their own image: male and female. This suggests that God is more than one, but the Bible claims God to be one, even though manifest in different forms of Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
The Creator is represented in different ways throughout the world. Some see the Creator as a some form of force. Some see the Creator as a vengeful judge. Some see the Creator as an indifferent entity who is not concerned with the universe. Some see the Creator as a loving Father. Some see the Creator as the Godhead who consists of the Father, His Son and the Holy Spirit.
This concept of the Godhead is also interpreted in different ways, with some accepting the Son of God as being God himself and others only seeing him as a demi-God. The Holy Spirit is also accredited with being God Himself or being less than God because the being emanated from the Father and the Son or an impersonal force that represents Godhead or executes the Father's fiats.
Salvation is seen as being predestined for some and not for others. Some see salvation as something that is obtained by performing certain rituals or doing good works. Some see salvation as something that has been universally provided for all and their is nothing that needs to be done to obtain it. Others see salvation as series of reincarnations or transmigrations. Some see salvation being only available to people who belong to a certain grouping. Yet the Bibles teaches that salvation is obtained by grace through faith in the death and resurrection of the Son of God, which some see as a progressive walk and others believe it is a once and only acceptance that cannot be lost.
The Bible also teaches that a person's name is written in the book of life. It also teaches that a person's name can be erased from the book of life. In the Book of Ezekiel, a whole chapter is devoted to how a sinner can be saved and righteous man can lose his salvation. Besides this, there is reference to people blaspheming the Holy Spirit and not being saved, and holding the word of God up to contempt. and spurning the blood of the covenant, and outraging the Spirit of grace, and being repossessed with evil spirits after having been made clean.
Judgment is about what happens in the end. Judgment not only refers to personal accountability and recompense, but also how the nations of the world will be judged. This is known as the study of the end times and there are many interpretations regarding this that are difficult to prove because end has not yet come.
Essentially, there are what as known as three interpretations which hold different schools of thought. There is the amillennium, premillennium and post-millennium views.
The amillennium view holds that world is already in the process of being judged and people of God are being tested, while at the same time God is working out his plan which will culminate with the church being triumphant and Jesus having fully established his kingdom on earth at the end of the age. Within this view there are many variations of interpretation. The Roman Catholic Church figures as the Antichrist in this view.
The post-millennium view holds that Jesus will return to earth and reign for a thousand years, after which the Devil and his angels will be released upon the nations of the earth. The judgments of God will be unveiled upon the nations and this will culminate in the great battle of Armageddon, after which the great white throne judgment will commence.
The pre-millennium view seems to be the most popular of the three positions. Within this view there are three perspectives known as Pre-tribulation, Mid-tribulation and Post-tribulation, that also have variations in interpretation.
What is known as Pre-tribulation is the popular view among Evangelical and Pentecostal Christians. This view holds that there is going to be seven years of tribulation just prior to Jesus setting up his kingdom on earth. Before this seven years of tribulation occurs (of which, somewhat oddly, three and a half years are not tribulation but peace) all the believing Christians are to be caught up to into the sky. Then the Antichrist will be revealed and all havoc will take place on earth. This will culminate with Armageddon taking place and then Jesus will reign on earth for one thousand years.
The mid-tribulation position holds that the Antichrist will be revealed and then those elect believers, who are not deceived by him, will be caught up to meet Jesus Christ in the sky just before the three and a half years tribulation, mentioned in the Bible, occurs on earth. Many subscribers of this view have the three and half years peace occurring during the time of Jesus ministry on Earth, while some place this as the working of the Antichrist prior to the tribulation.
The post-tribulationists have the Christians living through the tribulation period and meeting Jesus in the air as he returns to reign on earth. Some views have Armageddon occurring at the return of Jesus and others at the end of the millennium.
Then there are the different views on whether people are going to be thrown into an eternal Lake of Fire to be tormented for ever, or only for a period of time or will be burned into non-existence. Some people believe that members of their sect are going to be raised to live for one thousand years on Earth during the millennium of Christ rule and after this, there is nothing more to look forward to. Others look forward to spending an eternity discovering and learning about new experiences.
Regardless of what many people might claim, there is one way to know if Christians really know what the Bible means, and this is by considering the Ten Commandments.
www.tencommandmentstoday.com
The difficulty is Christians have different views on yesterday, today and tomorrow. You might think that this is impossible if the Bible says that God is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. But Christians, or I should say, people who claim to be Christians, simply do not agree on what should be quite obvious, if God is the same yesterday, today or tomorrow.
There are three subjects which concern yesterday, today and tomorrow. These are Creation, Salvation, and Judgment. Creation is about how the world came into being and is found in the first chapter of Genesis. Salvation is how people are able to discover the answers for existence and their purpose in life. Judgment is basically about the end times and whether or not people are going to receive just recompense for what has happened in their lives.
The Creation story is found in the book of Genesis. The first chapter talks about how God created light on the first day of creation and mentions that there was water and spirit. The light was not that of the sun, because the sun was not created until the fourth day of creation. So the light has to be something else other than what is understood by daylight or electromagnetic radiation from the sun. This fact alone suggests that the days of the creation are not twenty-four hour days. The twenty-four hour day is dependent on the sun and the earth turning on its axis. Neither the sun or the earth were created on the first day. Hence, it is quite obvious that the light on the first day of creation is not sunlight.
There a many different views on the length of the days on the creation period and these range from twenty-four hour days to billions of years. There are also theories about prior universes existing prior to the current creation. There are also different ideas of how humankind was formed. Some theorists claim that humankind evolved from a bacteria that was originally created by the Creator; others claim that humankind evolved from a primate form that was created by God; while the Bible simply says that God created man in their own image: male and female. This suggests that God is more than one, but the Bible claims God to be one, even though manifest in different forms of Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
The Creator is represented in different ways throughout the world. Some see the Creator as a some form of force. Some see the Creator as a vengeful judge. Some see the Creator as an indifferent entity who is not concerned with the universe. Some see the Creator as a loving Father. Some see the Creator as the Godhead who consists of the Father, His Son and the Holy Spirit.
This concept of the Godhead is also interpreted in different ways, with some accepting the Son of God as being God himself and others only seeing him as a demi-God. The Holy Spirit is also accredited with being God Himself or being less than God because the being emanated from the Father and the Son or an impersonal force that represents Godhead or executes the Father's fiats.
Salvation is seen as being predestined for some and not for others. Some see salvation as something that is obtained by performing certain rituals or doing good works. Some see salvation as something that has been universally provided for all and their is nothing that needs to be done to obtain it. Others see salvation as series of reincarnations or transmigrations. Some see salvation being only available to people who belong to a certain grouping. Yet the Bibles teaches that salvation is obtained by grace through faith in the death and resurrection of the Son of God, which some see as a progressive walk and others believe it is a once and only acceptance that cannot be lost.
The Bible also teaches that a person's name is written in the book of life. It also teaches that a person's name can be erased from the book of life. In the Book of Ezekiel, a whole chapter is devoted to how a sinner can be saved and righteous man can lose his salvation. Besides this, there is reference to people blaspheming the Holy Spirit and not being saved, and holding the word of God up to contempt. and spurning the blood of the covenant, and outraging the Spirit of grace, and being repossessed with evil spirits after having been made clean.
Judgment is about what happens in the end. Judgment not only refers to personal accountability and recompense, but also how the nations of the world will be judged. This is known as the study of the end times and there are many interpretations regarding this that are difficult to prove because end has not yet come.
Essentially, there are what as known as three interpretations which hold different schools of thought. There is the amillennium, premillennium and post-millennium views.
The amillennium view holds that world is already in the process of being judged and people of God are being tested, while at the same time God is working out his plan which will culminate with the church being triumphant and Jesus having fully established his kingdom on earth at the end of the age. Within this view there are many variations of interpretation. The Roman Catholic Church figures as the Antichrist in this view.
The post-millennium view holds that Jesus will return to earth and reign for a thousand years, after which the Devil and his angels will be released upon the nations of the earth. The judgments of God will be unveiled upon the nations and this will culminate in the great battle of Armageddon, after which the great white throne judgment will commence.
The pre-millennium view seems to be the most popular of the three positions. Within this view there are three perspectives known as Pre-tribulation, Mid-tribulation and Post-tribulation, that also have variations in interpretation.
What is known as Pre-tribulation is the popular view among Evangelical and Pentecostal Christians. This view holds that there is going to be seven years of tribulation just prior to Jesus setting up his kingdom on earth. Before this seven years of tribulation occurs (of which, somewhat oddly, three and a half years are not tribulation but peace) all the believing Christians are to be caught up to into the sky. Then the Antichrist will be revealed and all havoc will take place on earth. This will culminate with Armageddon taking place and then Jesus will reign on earth for one thousand years.
The mid-tribulation position holds that the Antichrist will be revealed and then those elect believers, who are not deceived by him, will be caught up to meet Jesus Christ in the sky just before the three and a half years tribulation, mentioned in the Bible, occurs on earth. Many subscribers of this view have the three and half years peace occurring during the time of Jesus ministry on Earth, while some place this as the working of the Antichrist prior to the tribulation.
The post-tribulationists have the Christians living through the tribulation period and meeting Jesus in the air as he returns to reign on earth. Some views have Armageddon occurring at the return of Jesus and others at the end of the millennium.
Then there are the different views on whether people are going to be thrown into an eternal Lake of Fire to be tormented for ever, or only for a period of time or will be burned into non-existence. Some people believe that members of their sect are going to be raised to live for one thousand years on Earth during the millennium of Christ rule and after this, there is nothing more to look forward to. Others look forward to spending an eternity discovering and learning about new experiences.
Regardless of what many people might claim, there is one way to know if Christians really know what the Bible means, and this is by considering the Ten Commandments.
www.tencommandmentstoday.com
Monday, August 31, 2009
The Good And Bad of Alcoholism And What It Might Mean When Jesus Returns
I decided to attend some Alcoholic Anonymous meetings just recently. I hadn't been to one for decades. The last time I was at one, the convener for the night asked me to give a testimony. I stood up and stated that I prayed to God at the age of sixteen asking that I would not become an alcoholic. Then I told some of stories of what had happened to me whilst drinking. Afterwards, the convener who asked me to speak said, "You are either an alcoholic or not, and once you are an alcoholic, you are one for life."
Evidently, the Alcoholic Anonymous belief system has not changed. Alcoholism is considered a disease and incurable. The only solution is not to consume alcohol in any form, least you prove beyond all doubt that alcohol controls your life for evermore.
The concept of alcohol being a disease is helpful, but at the same time it is also a complete untruth. One reason for this is immunity to disease is acquired by being inoculated with a small shot of the disease. For instance, immunity to malaria or influenza is created by receiving a small shot of malaria or influenza. Likewise, one would think that if alcoholism were a disease, a small shot of alcohol would provide the body with sufficient antibodies to prevent a person from becoming an alcoholic. Makes sense, don't you think?
However, if alcoholism is not a disease, but an addiction, then the cause of the problem has to be an issue of psychology rather than that of a physical nature. In fact, the truth is alcoholism is really a spiritual problem, as are most psychological issues, only people like to make a distinction, and in some instances use the distinction as a means of denial that a spiritual reality exists.
It is ironic that God or the Higher Power (an allusion to the Creator for those who have difficulty with the idea of the Heavenly Father) is very much a part of the Alcoholic Anonymous program and alcoholism is called a disease. When Jesus was on Earth, he equated disease with sin, when he healed people of their diseases, by saying that they were also forgiven of their sins.
What happens at Alcoholics Anonymous is beneficial, to say the least, but at the same time it is restrictive in that people who follow the program tend to bound up in fear rather than the discovering the liberty of being set free from the very thing that prevents them from discovering a richer and fuller life of self-discovery. People who are set free from alcoholism are no longer alcoholics. But Alcoholic Anonymous members are never permitted to think of themselves as being set free from alcoholism and start off every testimonal speech with "My name is ..... I am an alcoholic." And this is their confession. As many have said, "You are, what you say you are."
The other notable behavior among members of Alcoholics Anonymous is each one tends to repeat his or her story over and over again at every meeting they attend. There does not seem to be any real change in their testimony, except when they decide to embellish the facts a little and make the story more sensational as they revel in the spotlight Some call this hyperbole, others call it evangelastically-speaking, while others call it untruth.
Regardless of the negative element, on a positive note, there is a sense of reality when people share how they are struggling daily to come to grips with their alcoholism and stay sober. Like any addiction it is not easy to go cold turkey, and plenty of support is required. Alcoholics Anonymous provides this support in the many meetings that are conducted throughout the world at all times through the day.
Upon reflection, I wonder what would happen if Christians were able to mobilize themselves into having something similar to Alcoholics Anonymous, where meetings were organized for people to go and confess their sins and pray for one another, as the Bible says believers should, in the villages, towns and cities of the world throughout the day. This might be inconceivable today, but could this be what is going to happen in the thousand years that Jesus is going to reign on Earth. I wonder!!
www.tencommandmentstoday.com
Evidently, the Alcoholic Anonymous belief system has not changed. Alcoholism is considered a disease and incurable. The only solution is not to consume alcohol in any form, least you prove beyond all doubt that alcohol controls your life for evermore.
The concept of alcohol being a disease is helpful, but at the same time it is also a complete untruth. One reason for this is immunity to disease is acquired by being inoculated with a small shot of the disease. For instance, immunity to malaria or influenza is created by receiving a small shot of malaria or influenza. Likewise, one would think that if alcoholism were a disease, a small shot of alcohol would provide the body with sufficient antibodies to prevent a person from becoming an alcoholic. Makes sense, don't you think?
However, if alcoholism is not a disease, but an addiction, then the cause of the problem has to be an issue of psychology rather than that of a physical nature. In fact, the truth is alcoholism is really a spiritual problem, as are most psychological issues, only people like to make a distinction, and in some instances use the distinction as a means of denial that a spiritual reality exists.
It is ironic that God or the Higher Power (an allusion to the Creator for those who have difficulty with the idea of the Heavenly Father) is very much a part of the Alcoholic Anonymous program and alcoholism is called a disease. When Jesus was on Earth, he equated disease with sin, when he healed people of their diseases, by saying that they were also forgiven of their sins.
What happens at Alcoholics Anonymous is beneficial, to say the least, but at the same time it is restrictive in that people who follow the program tend to bound up in fear rather than the discovering the liberty of being set free from the very thing that prevents them from discovering a richer and fuller life of self-discovery. People who are set free from alcoholism are no longer alcoholics. But Alcoholic Anonymous members are never permitted to think of themselves as being set free from alcoholism and start off every testimonal speech with "My name is ..... I am an alcoholic." And this is their confession. As many have said, "You are, what you say you are."
The other notable behavior among members of Alcoholics Anonymous is each one tends to repeat his or her story over and over again at every meeting they attend. There does not seem to be any real change in their testimony, except when they decide to embellish the facts a little and make the story more sensational as they revel in the spotlight Some call this hyperbole, others call it evangelastically-speaking, while others call it untruth.
Regardless of the negative element, on a positive note, there is a sense of reality when people share how they are struggling daily to come to grips with their alcoholism and stay sober. Like any addiction it is not easy to go cold turkey, and plenty of support is required. Alcoholics Anonymous provides this support in the many meetings that are conducted throughout the world at all times through the day.
Upon reflection, I wonder what would happen if Christians were able to mobilize themselves into having something similar to Alcoholics Anonymous, where meetings were organized for people to go and confess their sins and pray for one another, as the Bible says believers should, in the villages, towns and cities of the world throughout the day. This might be inconceivable today, but could this be what is going to happen in the thousand years that Jesus is going to reign on Earth. I wonder!!
www.tencommandmentstoday.com
Saturday, May 16, 2009
The Error Of Christian Views
Among Christians, or shall we say, people who call themselves Christians, there are many different views. This is normal and to be expected. For there are many different views among Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists and any other identifiable bloc of adherents.
Now you would expect that if two people were to find the truth, that truth would be seen in the same light and both persons would have the same understanding. Ironically, the truth is that when two people discover the same truth, this does not result in the same understanding, but, instead, this often results in misunderstanding because the two individuals interpret this same truth differently. This might sound odd, only this is the truth more often than not. Instead of a truth being understood for what the truth really is, people will interpret the truth and then argue about who is right and who is wrong.
One way of avoiding arguments is to say that your truth is your truth and my truth is my truth. This way we have no need to argue over whose interpretation of the truth is right or wrong. The problem with this apparent problem-solving idea is nobody really knows what is really true. This is because you could as well be saying, "You believe whatever lies you want to believe, and I will believe whatever lies I want to believe." However, we know that no lie is the truth.
The truth about people who believe lies is whoever believes a lie is being deceived. Nobody likes to be deceived, yet this is more often the case than not. Unless a person has the truth, then that person is deceived. If we all want the truth, then we will first of all have to learn to recognize what is false and what is true. If we cannot distinguish between what is false and what is true, we definitely are deceived.
One of the things that amazes me about people is they are all too often ready to defend something that cannot be proved, and quick to reject the obvious. Rather than admit to the truth, most people are more inclined to believe a lie, and then reluctantly acknowledge the truth when it becomes evident that continuing in their personal deception is going to be detrimental to their self-interest and there is no benefit in continuing to be deluded.
When it comes to wanting to know about the truth for your reason for being here on earth, you have to be honest with yourself. To be honest with yourself means that you have to acknowledge you were born on a certain date and have only lived a certain number of years on this planet. What this means is that you cannot really prove history and your personal knowledge of life is restricted to what you have heard, seen, smelled, tasted and touched. Your experience of life is your reality.
Some might say that your reality is not just your experience of life, but what you think of that experience. Your reality becomes your thoughts and not necessarily what you experience with your senses. Since we are conscious beings who are not only capable of being aware of our surroundings but also capable of attributing meaning to our sensual experiences, our personal reality becomes wrapped up in the attitudes we form, and the interpretations of the facts that we consider.
How you can interpret the facts that you see, hear, smell, taste and touch is evidenced by whether you attribute the creation around you to a Creator or to chance. If you believe that cities, planes, cars, ships and technology and other man-made creations were not created by a creator and believe that they merely happened by chance, what can I say? If you believe that moon rotates around the Earth and the Earth revolves around the Sun and there are seasons on Earth, year after year, century after century, and thousands of millennia after thousands of millennia, just by chance, then what can I say? Maybe mathematicians are deceived when they say that odds for such things happening by chance are beyond the bounds of probability.
One thing I know is that I did not ask to be born into this world. Neither do I believe that you asked to be born into this world. Like myself, you just found yourself here. Yes, we are all born into a world that is full of suffering, injustice and subjected to death. Yet according to many people who call themselves Christians, you and I were born to be cast into everlasting punishment by the Creator of the Universe.
Now I was speaking to a Christian Pastor and I challenged this view that people were born to be cast into everlasting punishment. But he said that it was right. Well, if this is right, then God is an unjust God. But according to the Bible God is a God of justice. Now, either the Bible is wrong, or this Pastor (along with all the other people who believe this theory that people are born to be cast into hell) doesn't understand what justice means and is deceived.
Personally, I think most Christians are deceived about quite a number of things and are not really seeking to know the truth. The reason I say this is there are too many Christians arguing about what is right and wrong because they do not want to have a clear understanding of the very words they use.
According to the Merriam-Websters dictionary, "Just implies an exact following of a standard of what is right and proper." To be just means "having a basis in or conforming to fact or reason" and "acting or being in conformity with what is morally upright or good".
There is no way that a just God could create people with the intention of throwing them into everlasting punishment. It is illogical and unreasonable and does not conform with being morally upright. Yet Christians believe this deception, and many try to use it as a means of scaring people into their brand of man-made religion.
Actually, the Bible says that Hell (the place of everlasting punishment) was created for the Devil and his angels. Nowhere does the Bible say Hell was created for men or women. However, the Bible does say that people will also join the Devil and his angels in the event that they reject what God has provided for them. Now who in their right mind would reject what God the Creator has to offer them.
The question for you is to answer is: Have you found out what God has put on the table for you yet?
www.tencommandmentstoday.com
Now you would expect that if two people were to find the truth, that truth would be seen in the same light and both persons would have the same understanding. Ironically, the truth is that when two people discover the same truth, this does not result in the same understanding, but, instead, this often results in misunderstanding because the two individuals interpret this same truth differently. This might sound odd, only this is the truth more often than not. Instead of a truth being understood for what the truth really is, people will interpret the truth and then argue about who is right and who is wrong.
One way of avoiding arguments is to say that your truth is your truth and my truth is my truth. This way we have no need to argue over whose interpretation of the truth is right or wrong. The problem with this apparent problem-solving idea is nobody really knows what is really true. This is because you could as well be saying, "You believe whatever lies you want to believe, and I will believe whatever lies I want to believe." However, we know that no lie is the truth.
The truth about people who believe lies is whoever believes a lie is being deceived. Nobody likes to be deceived, yet this is more often the case than not. Unless a person has the truth, then that person is deceived. If we all want the truth, then we will first of all have to learn to recognize what is false and what is true. If we cannot distinguish between what is false and what is true, we definitely are deceived.
One of the things that amazes me about people is they are all too often ready to defend something that cannot be proved, and quick to reject the obvious. Rather than admit to the truth, most people are more inclined to believe a lie, and then reluctantly acknowledge the truth when it becomes evident that continuing in their personal deception is going to be detrimental to their self-interest and there is no benefit in continuing to be deluded.
When it comes to wanting to know about the truth for your reason for being here on earth, you have to be honest with yourself. To be honest with yourself means that you have to acknowledge you were born on a certain date and have only lived a certain number of years on this planet. What this means is that you cannot really prove history and your personal knowledge of life is restricted to what you have heard, seen, smelled, tasted and touched. Your experience of life is your reality.
Some might say that your reality is not just your experience of life, but what you think of that experience. Your reality becomes your thoughts and not necessarily what you experience with your senses. Since we are conscious beings who are not only capable of being aware of our surroundings but also capable of attributing meaning to our sensual experiences, our personal reality becomes wrapped up in the attitudes we form, and the interpretations of the facts that we consider.
How you can interpret the facts that you see, hear, smell, taste and touch is evidenced by whether you attribute the creation around you to a Creator or to chance. If you believe that cities, planes, cars, ships and technology and other man-made creations were not created by a creator and believe that they merely happened by chance, what can I say? If you believe that moon rotates around the Earth and the Earth revolves around the Sun and there are seasons on Earth, year after year, century after century, and thousands of millennia after thousands of millennia, just by chance, then what can I say? Maybe mathematicians are deceived when they say that odds for such things happening by chance are beyond the bounds of probability.
One thing I know is that I did not ask to be born into this world. Neither do I believe that you asked to be born into this world. Like myself, you just found yourself here. Yes, we are all born into a world that is full of suffering, injustice and subjected to death. Yet according to many people who call themselves Christians, you and I were born to be cast into everlasting punishment by the Creator of the Universe.
Now I was speaking to a Christian Pastor and I challenged this view that people were born to be cast into everlasting punishment. But he said that it was right. Well, if this is right, then God is an unjust God. But according to the Bible God is a God of justice. Now, either the Bible is wrong, or this Pastor (along with all the other people who believe this theory that people are born to be cast into hell) doesn't understand what justice means and is deceived.
Personally, I think most Christians are deceived about quite a number of things and are not really seeking to know the truth. The reason I say this is there are too many Christians arguing about what is right and wrong because they do not want to have a clear understanding of the very words they use.
According to the Merriam-Websters dictionary, "Just implies an exact following of a standard of what is right and proper." To be just means "having a basis in or conforming to fact or reason" and "acting or being in conformity with what is morally upright or good".
There is no way that a just God could create people with the intention of throwing them into everlasting punishment. It is illogical and unreasonable and does not conform with being morally upright. Yet Christians believe this deception, and many try to use it as a means of scaring people into their brand of man-made religion.
Actually, the Bible says that Hell (the place of everlasting punishment) was created for the Devil and his angels. Nowhere does the Bible say Hell was created for men or women. However, the Bible does say that people will also join the Devil and his angels in the event that they reject what God has provided for them. Now who in their right mind would reject what God the Creator has to offer them.
The question for you is to answer is: Have you found out what God has put on the table for you yet?
www.tencommandmentstoday.com
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