“Sing unto the LORD, bless his name; shew forth his salvation from day to day.”
King James Version (KJV)
Chris's comment on 2021-01-10 14:24:57:
Norman, I just want to add another point to Adam's very good perception of "people wanting to believe what they want to believe". As we read of Jesus' Life & Ministry, we see that the Jewish religious leaders were never far away. Their sole objective was to discredit Jesus & to also keep the people from following this 'false teacher with strange doctrines & claims'. Not only did they have to protect their understanding of the Law, & of course their added rules & regulations thereby overburdening the people & compelling them to adhere to what they said, but they had to protect their own position & credibility. The matter of God's Word, of Truth or of the witness of Jesus' Life & Work before their eyes had little or no bearing as the other (more important) matters of 'their rules, their hold on people & their position in the eyes of the people' outweighed anything else.
So when we read of Jesus' full blown accusatory remarks against these "blind leaders of the blind" (Matthew 15:14), He did well to describe them as "whited sepulchres", as "vipers", "hypocrites", "blind guides/fools", etc. This was not said by Jesus as snide remarks as to those who opposed Him, but as if speaking to workers from Satan, "children of the Devil" (John 8:44), who did nothing for the Kingdom of God, but only served Satan, dragging many innocent people with them to hell. If in any group of people, whether in Islam, RC, the cults, etc., where the adherents are bound to their leaders or else face wrath & retribution, ought to be a clear demonstration of the fallacy of such a system & its great departure from the Truth.
So many began to follow Jesus by what they heard & saw of Him (John 10:40-42), thereby opposing the Pharisaical teachings & no doubt facing their wrath, but also they followed the dictates of their consciences, of what they witnessed & the opening of their eyes by God's Spirit. Christ came to set men free in many more ways than we fully realize.
Adam's comment on 2021-01-10 11:16:36:
Hi Norman,
I think if Jesus came today and performed a bunch of miracles people still wouldn't believe. Perhaps even a fewer % today would believe than the % that believed in Jesus's time. We have a society that wants to believe what it wants to believe, not based on what is evident or true. Some believe their arbitrary feelings determine 'my truth,' or that truth is relative.
Many non-believers have spiritual and supernatural experiences today and that doesn't automatically mean they believe in God. Some even have stories of dying and talking to their dead relatives and coming back to life- some choose to believe after that, but some don't.
So, I think most do not have an intellectual block to believing, but an emotional block.
Romans 1:20 says that God's design is so evident that everyone is without excuse to believe. There's nothing that makes our heart beat right now. Only God is keeping us alive. That's God's amazing design, but yeah, others would have you believe that it's likely that a random explosion from nothing which has never been witnessed and can never be recreated created this amazing design with countless advanced features that the smartest minds on earth can't comprehend. It takes more faith to believe in accidental design than in God's intentional design, yet people don't want to believe in God because they are afraid of giving up their lifestyle of sin, so they do mental gymnastics to arrive at their desired belief. This is what I mean by an emotional block.
anonymous's comment on 2021-01-10 09:31:18:
When is Jesus going to come take his children away?
Norman Walker Butch's comment on 2021-01-10 08:44:07:
I have a question that I cannot get a answer to and have been trying for a long time. How could the people see Jesus raise people from the dead, heal people right in front of them that they knew was sick, preform miracles right in front of there faces like raise people from the dead and walk on water. My question is why did people still not believe in him when they saw all this right in front of them and knew for sure he did it because they knew the people for a long long time. If I saw him walk on water and preform a miracle on one of my friends that is all it would take for me to believe in him! So what do you all think? Love you Jesus Amen
Chris's comment on 2021-01-09 23:48:55:
I certainly will do, Curtis. The Lord is well able to minister His Help & Blessing even when we can't see clearly the road ahead. Our faith is the trigger for His action & outcome. I hope your son is also trusting the Lord for his need, or if not, then you are able to be beside him to guide & counsel him in this very important lifelong decision. And that all will proceed well for your wife & that in good time, she will be able to have dentures that will fit & work well for her. Often, some of the greatest help one can receive from us, is just to be there for those in pain & to share that burden with them. When it's borne all by oneself, then it may become unbearable, so your presence, your words of comfort & assurance & your prayers will be for their joy & healing. The Lord help you too as you share the load of your loved ones.
rod's comment on 2021-01-09 19:45:09:
Our Salvation is paid for us through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ on the cross, and all we need to do is repent, and believe, (Faith) and live a Godly life, knowing that when we fail, and we all do, we need to ask for forgiveness in prayer on a daily basis, and also give thanks for all the blessing we also receive on a daily basis.
In Galatians, chapter 5 Paul explains the fruits of the flesh and the fruits of the Spirit, I pray this helps,
1 John 1:7 "But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin."
1 John Chapter 5:1 Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him.
2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments.
3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.
4 For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, [even] our faith.
Galatians 5:16 "This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh."
17; "For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would."
Galatians 5:22 "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,"
Galatians 5:23 "Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law."
Curtis's comment on 2021-01-09 17:02:01:
I thank you and glory to God he is faithful and more real than anything I can see!id like if you could pray for my son that God would send him a suitable mate..he had to quit school in 8th grade for social anxiety disorder so the few he meats are definitely unevenly yolked as God says we should be!for good reason?but these two are so lonely there willing to put up with worldly attitudes and ways as opposed to loneliness!also people I indirectly know that have Cancer and my wife on Friday getting many teeth removed not only will be painful but be hard on self esteem!God says when two or more are gathered in my name there shall I be!so I ask your help through our lord ?in Gods Love Curtis and I pray for your ministry in these times right from hell!God blessCurtis
Earl Bowman's comment on 2021-01-08 17:58:14:
Chad, may the Spirit grace you with his (spiritual) understanding and his (spiritual) wisdom.
Romans 8:20 For the creature (creation) was made subject to vanity, not willing, but by reason of him (the creator) who hath subjected the same (creation), in hope.
Eve sinned because she was created subject to vanity.
All flesh sins because we were created subject to vanity; but we were also created in hope.
Romans 8:21 Because the creature (creation) itself shall be delivered (by the creator) from the bondage of corruption into the glorious LIBERTY of the children of God.
Job 15:14 What is man (flesh), that he should be clean? and he which is born of a woman, that he should be righteous?
Job 25:4 How then can man be justified with God? or how can he be clean that is born of a woman (flesh)?
G
Chris's comment on 2021-01-08 17:25:50:
Psalm 51:5, "Behold, I was SHAPEN IN INIQUITY; and in sin did my mother conceive me."
Ephesians 2:3, "Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and WERE BY NATURE the children of wrath, even as others."
In the Psalm, David believes that it was from the womb that iniquity (sin) was what characterized his being. He knew that the sin nature from Adam was passed onto him from that point of conception & it was not from anything he did later in life.
In Ephesians, Paul speaks of "by nature" we were the children of (God's) Wrath. The Greek for this word is 'phusis' which means: nature, inherent nature, origin, birth. Again, we were already condemned to physical death by having that sin nature, but when sin was made alive by our first act of sin, our only hope of salvation & eternal life rested upon God's Mercy upon fallen man.
I tried to think of my very first act of sin as a child, given that most of our memories are now mostly absent. I was about 5 yrs of age, my sister, 2 yrs old. She was given a small chocolate bar from our Mother & I wasn't. I didn't have the time or capacity at that age to consider whether I should choose to react in a sinful way or make a concerted effort to resist sin's temptation. I reacted by grabbing it from her causing her to howl. Why did I do that to her? The sin nature in me manifested itself in the most appropriate & prescribed way & will always do no matter our age, except for our wills & the Spirit's help (if we are believers), to either abstain from it or allow it.
Chad's comment on 2021-01-08 04:16:18:
"original sin" is not a Biblical doctrine. We are not born sinners, we are born innocent and choose to sin. There is not one Bible verse that says we are born with a sin nature.
Chris's comment on 2021-01-07 18:23:07:
You certainly have been through so much in your life & we can certainly see the Work of God in you to help you in your release from the things that have controlled you. Thank you for that testimony of God's Grace & to know that you're experiencing the Power & Love of God in ways that many fail to experience or even notice.
He's always there for you & His Spirit within you will ever be your strength, comfort, guide & companion. The Word is there for you & to keep in your heart: "Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not." Jeremiah 33:3. And it's particularly at those lowest times in life, that a 'shout out' to the Lord brings forth His Word of Peace & Comfort (the great & mighty things which the world can never know) but becomes the reason for your joy & strengthening of faith in the One Who gave Himself for you. The Lord bless you & keep you strong in faith & in His Love, Curtis, & write in if you need to - someone's always around to help.
Adam's comment on 2021-01-07 17:25:04:
He was fully man and fully God. Hard to comprehend of course. He seemed to chose not to use God-like qualities except for rare occasions to heal, perform miracles. He could have easily called 10,000 angels to avoid his crucifixion, but didn't. Matthew 26:53 He also fully experienced emotions of man- like stress- sweating blood, etc.
Curtis's comment on 2021-01-07 16:23:16:
Thank you so much for explaining that for me!I always wondered?ive lead a sinful life but at 8 years old I made a promise to pray to God and have that I can remember?between heroin abuse and alcohol and anything that would get me out of body?but everything I tried many times couldn't stop but I sincerely ran to the lord and been healed of everything I've ever put before him this is abuse in every facet for over 30 years and 3 rehabs but last almost didn't make it!bless and praise Gods name I know how real he is and what he does it's give it to him and forget it!the lord does the rest no question about how long or if he can just total trust!thought I'd share that with you I went to church and bible studies twice Sundays and Wednesday Thursday but I live very rurally and miss Gods people so so much bible says don't forsake the assembly well I know why?big time!so with that I thank you once again and may the lord bless the ministry in abundance!in Gods love Curtis
Chris's comment on 2021-01-07 15:22:55:
Curtis, that's a very good observation & comments. This is my take on it: I can see that you understand about man's creation, his sin & that this nature was transmitted to each of his progeny, including us, so will deal less with that.
So how was Jesus' coming any different? Was Jesus not fully Man? Firstly, in 1 Corinthians 15:45, Paul refers to Jesus as the "last Adam" & even though he was writing in respect to death & resurrection in that passage, that phrase is worth noting & expanding. The coming of Jesus was similar to that of Adam & yet different. Adam was a 'fresh' creation by God from the 'dust of the ground'; Jesus was & is the "Word of God made human". Both the first & last Adams were made by God except for their origins (one earthy, the other spiritual). Both were created perfect & sinless - one however succumbed to Satan's convincing arguments, the Other, withstood Satan by His (Jesus') Own Word, as God's Word.
When Satan comes to Adam's progeny with the temptation to sin, we provide no resistance to him as the sin nature was transmitted to us all & it becomes a 'given' that we WILL sin. At Jesus' temptation, Satan had to create the sin nature in Him just as he did to Adam, but Jesus withstood him thus being the perfect & fully acceptable Sacrifice for our sins. Indeed, God could have wiped us all out for our disobedience & sin nature within, but in His Love & Mercy, He gave us a way out: His chance for our escape.
So if Jesus was the only sinless One ever to walk on Earth, was He then entirely Man as we are? His coming in the flesh was through a human agency unlike Adam's creation. Jesus' conception in Mary was from the Seed of God not from the dust of the ground (i.e. a new Adam made in the womb). He was a full human embryo in Mary & brought into the World in the usual way to fulfil the prophecies about His coming & His lineage to David & to Adam. Jesus was perfectly Man in every way (physically, emotionally & spiritually) BUT without sin.
Curtis's comment on 2021-01-07 09:06:24:
Jesus was without sin came to earth sinless and yes had gone through same as mankind!we were born into original sin and continue to sin ..that said if God was made in the flesh like man God could have never sinned?man cannot do that God was able to resist every temptation man cannot so how is it that we were on equal ground up against a sinful man to God who was sinless?how is it he became man when he was sinless we could never do that so God was man except for one thing sinless?so he was not entirely man ???