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Welcome,
I am the administrator for this blog site, and I encourge you to ask questions or share comments – particularly related to the Bible, Religion, or cultural issues in America and the world.
When is a person SAVED? I’ve always believed you are saved when you accept Jesus into your life. However, I recently heard that at that point you have the promise of being saved, but are not actually saved until you die and at that point we are SAVED from our sins. Is this true? Sounds like a play on words to me.
Answer:
The moment you genuinely believe that Christ died on the cross to pay for your guilt and for the penalty for your sin you become a child of God. The gift of eternal life is yours. In John 1: 10-13, we read,
“He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.” [ESV]
Also, in 1 John 5: 10-12, we read “Whoever believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself. Whoever does not believe God has made him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has borne concerning his Son. And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.” [ESV]
Many of the passages concerning salvation refer to the believer as having already received eternal life. Once we have become a believer in Christ, we can view salvation in our perspective of time. In the past, we were saved from the guilt and penalty of sin. This is the judicial process called justification (Romans 5:1+). In the present, we are being sanctified – set apart (Romans 6-8.) By this we are being saved from the power of sin. We become less like the world and more like Christ. In the future (either at death or the Rapture) we will be saved from the presence of sin. This is our eternal state. Revelation 20-22.
What is the meaning for authority? & What does 2 Corinthian 8:10 mean?
In 2Corinthians 8:10, the Apostle Paul is encouraging the believers at Corinth to follow through on their promise to help the financially troubled believers in Jerusalem. They had made a commitment a year before that they would help, so he was asking them to collect the money to send to Jerusalem.
Authority is the right and ability to do whatever one chooses. We must recognize first that the only correct source of authority is God. Paul declares this in Romans 13:1-2, “Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment.”
However, anyone that takes authority that does not come from God has usurped the authority and is in rebellion against God. Satan is the prime example. Humility is the submission to God’s authority. The Apostle Peter states, 1Pe 5:6, “Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:”
The most direct way to respect God’s authority is to believe the message He has given to us in the Bible. Sin is rebellion against God, and all of us are guilty. The penalty for this rebellion is death (Romans 6:23, Revelation Chapter 10.) However, the good news is that God loves us and does not want us to perish. That’s why God the Son became man and died on the cross. He died in the place of all that believe Him. His death paid the guilt and penalty of sin, therefore God can give us eternal life instead of eternal death.
When we read or hear the word “church,” it is normal for us to think of churches or denominations we know. However, the Bible must be our rule of measure. It denotes the whole body of the redeemed, all those whom the Father has given to Christ, the invisible universal Church (Ephesians 5:23,25,27,29; Hebrews 12:23.) This includes every individual person that has come to realize that their sin brings them under God’s penalty of death and believes that Jesus Christ, who is God the Son, became a man to die in our place. Thus, God’s righteous justice is satisfied for all that trust in this finished work on the cross. Such people are redeemed, born again, receive eternal life and all benefits explained in the Bible. They will naturally desire to observe the ordinances of baptism and communion. Their lifestyle will be consistent with their belief. This true Church began on the day of Pentecost described in Acts Chapter 2, and will be completed when Christ comes to gather all of the redeemed at the resurrection described in 1Thessalonians 4:13-18.
A local church exists in real time in a specific geographical location. The local church should be everything described in the New Testament that applies to the universal Church. However, considerable confusion has developed because of a myriad of reasons, including apostasy caused by Satan and false teachers (2Corinthians 4:2-4; 11:14-15) and by teachers that interpret the Bible allegorically. Additionally, church leaders are fallible and can create or foster wrong ideas. So, how is it possible to find a local church that looks to the true Church described in the Bible as its model? Such a church will have a clearly defined doctrine that includes a statement that their final authority for faith and practice is the Bible. It should also be clear that the pastor(s) and teachers interpret the Bible literally. In such a church, the social interaction should follow biblical principles with the people demonstrating the love of Christ toward one another. In general, the closer the local church is to the true Church the healthier that church will be. Such a church may not be large in numbers because it exists to edify and nurture not to entertain and attract people by using enticements and gimmicks. It emphasizes spiritual growth over numerical growth.
There is some speculation that President Obama is the Antichrist based on Aramaic/Hebrew words it is believed that Jesus used in Luke 10:18, “I beheld Satan as lightening fall from heaven.” The claim is that the Hebrew words are transliterated “Barak Obama.” It’s an interesting idea. But many have used various verses to prove the identity of the antichrist. Obama’s sudden and puzzling rise to power is what we would expect when the antichrist does come. I suspect, however, that he is more like the meteorite that will have a brilliant flash and his career will burn out. Someone else could use 2Thessalonians 2:3, “Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition.” The Greek, “son of perdition”, could be transliterated as Julius Apollo; and perhaps someone in the world with that name will rise to power. But I think using any of these methods is a stretch beyond the normal use of Scripture. Some were convinced that Henry Kissinger or Ronald Reagan or George Bush, etc. were the antichrist. Some have used the name of the Catholic Pope to make a case for his being the antichrist. Some use letters of names that add up to 666 to identify this man of sin. In Matthew 24-25, the Lord made it clear that there will be signs of the approaching end, but God will not reveal the exact time until it is His time. The final beginning of the end will happen when people are saying “peace and safety” (1Thessalonians 5:3.) But when the antichrist is revealed and the tribulation begins true believers won’t need to be concerned because we won’t be here. The important issue for anyone is to know and believe the Scriptures that explain why the true Christ came and to believe in God’s work of redemption.
But on a related issue, Barak Obama has been elected as President of the United States. It is essential that we respect the position of the President regardless of who occupies the office. Otherwise we will degenerate into anarchy, and some are already espousing this.
September 21, 2009 at 5:23 pm |
Welcome,
I am the administrator for this blog site, and I encourge you to ask questions or share comments – particularly related to the Bible, Religion, or cultural issues in America and the world.
September 22, 2009 at 2:45 am |
When is a person SAVED? I’ve always believed you are saved when you accept Jesus into your life. However, I recently heard that at that point you have the promise of being saved, but are not actually saved until you die and at that point we are SAVED from our sins. Is this true? Sounds like a play on words to me.
Answer:
The moment you genuinely believe that Christ died on the cross to pay for your guilt and for the penalty for your sin you become a child of God. The gift of eternal life is yours. In John 1: 10-13, we read,
“He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.” [ESV]
Also, in 1 John 5: 10-12, we read “Whoever believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself. Whoever does not believe God has made him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has borne concerning his Son. And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.” [ESV]
Many of the passages concerning salvation refer to the believer as having already received eternal life. Once we have become a believer in Christ, we can view salvation in our perspective of time. In the past, we were saved from the guilt and penalty of sin. This is the judicial process called justification (Romans 5:1+). In the present, we are being sanctified – set apart (Romans 6-8.) By this we are being saved from the power of sin. We become less like the world and more like Christ. In the future (either at death or the Rapture) we will be saved from the presence of sin. This is our eternal state. Revelation 20-22.
September 24, 2009 at 5:56 am |
What is the meaning for authority? & What does 2 Corinthian 8:10 mean?
In 2Corinthians 8:10, the Apostle Paul is encouraging the believers at Corinth to follow through on their promise to help the financially troubled believers in Jerusalem. They had made a commitment a year before that they would help, so he was asking them to collect the money to send to Jerusalem.
Authority is the right and ability to do whatever one chooses. We must recognize first that the only correct source of authority is God. Paul declares this in Romans 13:1-2, “Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment.”
However, anyone that takes authority that does not come from God has usurped the authority and is in rebellion against God. Satan is the prime example. Humility is the submission to God’s authority. The Apostle Peter states, 1Pe 5:6, “Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:”
The most direct way to respect God’s authority is to believe the message He has given to us in the Bible. Sin is rebellion against God, and all of us are guilty. The penalty for this rebellion is death (Romans 6:23, Revelation Chapter 10.) However, the good news is that God loves us and does not want us to perish. That’s why God the Son became man and died on the cross. He died in the place of all that believe Him. His death paid the guilt and penalty of sin, therefore God can give us eternal life instead of eternal death.
September 25, 2009 at 3:56 pm |
What is the true church and how do i find it
September 26, 2009 at 7:59 pm |
What it the true church and how do you find it?
When we read or hear the word “church,” it is normal for us to think of churches or denominations we know. However, the Bible must be our rule of measure. It denotes the whole body of the redeemed, all those whom the Father has given to Christ, the invisible universal Church (Ephesians 5:23,25,27,29; Hebrews 12:23.) This includes every individual person that has come to realize that their sin brings them under God’s penalty of death and believes that Jesus Christ, who is God the Son, became a man to die in our place. Thus, God’s righteous justice is satisfied for all that trust in this finished work on the cross. Such people are redeemed, born again, receive eternal life and all benefits explained in the Bible. They will naturally desire to observe the ordinances of baptism and communion. Their lifestyle will be consistent with their belief. This true Church began on the day of Pentecost described in Acts Chapter 2, and will be completed when Christ comes to gather all of the redeemed at the resurrection described in 1Thessalonians 4:13-18.
A local church exists in real time in a specific geographical location. The local church should be everything described in the New Testament that applies to the universal Church. However, considerable confusion has developed because of a myriad of reasons, including apostasy caused by Satan and false teachers (2Corinthians 4:2-4; 11:14-15) and by teachers that interpret the Bible allegorically. Additionally, church leaders are fallible and can create or foster wrong ideas. So, how is it possible to find a local church that looks to the true Church described in the Bible as its model? Such a church will have a clearly defined doctrine that includes a statement that their final authority for faith and practice is the Bible. It should also be clear that the pastor(s) and teachers interpret the Bible literally. In such a church, the social interaction should follow biblical principles with the people demonstrating the love of Christ toward one another. In general, the closer the local church is to the true Church the healthier that church will be. Such a church may not be large in numbers because it exists to edify and nurture not to entertain and attract people by using enticements and gimmicks. It emphasizes spiritual growth over numerical growth.
We welcome you to check out our web site to evaluate Bethany Bible Church – http://www.bethanyhavasu.com
October 4, 2009 at 8:24 am |
Do you think Obama is the anti-christ?
October 6, 2009 at 4:06 pm |
There is some speculation that President Obama is the Antichrist based on Aramaic/Hebrew words it is believed that Jesus used in Luke 10:18, “I beheld Satan as lightening fall from heaven.” The claim is that the Hebrew words are transliterated “Barak Obama.” It’s an interesting idea. But many have used various verses to prove the identity of the antichrist. Obama’s sudden and puzzling rise to power is what we would expect when the antichrist does come. I suspect, however, that he is more like the meteorite that will have a brilliant flash and his career will burn out. Someone else could use 2Thessalonians 2:3, “Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition.” The Greek, “son of perdition”, could be transliterated as Julius Apollo; and perhaps someone in the world with that name will rise to power. But I think using any of these methods is a stretch beyond the normal use of Scripture. Some were convinced that Henry Kissinger or Ronald Reagan or George Bush, etc. were the antichrist. Some have used the name of the Catholic Pope to make a case for his being the antichrist. Some use letters of names that add up to 666 to identify this man of sin. In Matthew 24-25, the Lord made it clear that there will be signs of the approaching end, but God will not reveal the exact time until it is His time. The final beginning of the end will happen when people are saying “peace and safety” (1Thessalonians 5:3.) But when the antichrist is revealed and the tribulation begins true believers won’t need to be concerned because we won’t be here. The important issue for anyone is to know and believe the Scriptures that explain why the true Christ came and to believe in God’s work of redemption.
But on a related issue, Barak Obama has been elected as President of the United States. It is essential that we respect the position of the President regardless of who occupies the office. Otherwise we will degenerate into anarchy, and some are already espousing this.