Jesus had a brain that thought and reasoned and controlled his human body.
So this convinces me that Jesus indeed was both fully God and fully man.
So then I ask, why did God become a man?
In John 1:29, John the Baptist, upon seeing Jesus says, "Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world."
And Jesus, Himself, says ( John 3:15-17) "And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world but that the world through Him might be saved."
This tells me that Jesus became a man to take away the sin (all sin) of the world by being a "sacrificial lamb" and the one by which anyone can be saved from their sinfulness and the condemnation that comes with it by believing in Him.
Therefore, since He is Truth, I believe that He is the only one who can save me from my sins.
The Gospels tell me that Jesus told people that their sins are forgiven. Only God can forgive sins. So, if I want my sins forgiven, I must believe that they are forgiven by and through Jesus.
The next question I ask is: If Jesus came to take away the sins of others, did He have sins to be forgiven?
I must admit that God does not have any sin in Him, and if Jesus is God, He is without sin.
I am also told that in 2 Corinthians 5:21 "For He (God) made Him (Jesus) who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him." (NIV)
From this passage, I am told that Jesus never sinned, but to make us righteous before God, He became sin for us (in His death)
Before this verse, Paul says in 1Corinthians 5:14- 15 that Jesus died for all.
Then we go to John 1:14-18 which tells us that the Word (spoken of in verse 1) "became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld
His glory, the glory as the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth." (NIV)
This tells me that The Word spoken of in verse 1 is Jesus. This tells me that Jesus existed before He became flesh, being the Word of God and with God and is God.
So here we have the Word becoming a human person but still being God. Whoa!
But it says Jesus was full of grace and truth, so what is said about Him by John is to believed as true.
So now I know why Jesus was unique and singularly special. Well, then I ask, "What did He do to show His deity?
I read the accounts of His life and works in the Gospels and I find that He performed miracles that only God could do.
I find that He had power of demons, which only God can have.
I find that He expanded on the Law in the Sermon on the Mount that only God can legitimately claim to have authority to do.
I find that He was one with the Father and if one has seen Him they have seen the Father, which is a claim to be God.
I find that He was transfigured on the mountain with His disciples present to witness. Only God can have such glory.
I find that He said He had the authority to lay down His own life and to take it back up again. Only God can raise someone from the dead, and He said that He would raise Himself from the dead.
I find that He predicted His death and resurrection ahead of time and it happened just as He said, even being in the grave for three days before rising again.
Then I ask, how do I know He was human as well as divine? Again I go to the Gospel accounts.
He was conceived in the womb of Mary by the Holy Spirit, grew within her and was born as a baby. He had flesh, bones, and blood. He grew and matured, He ate, slept, got tired, was able to be injured, and die. He did all of the things that humans did and had a body made of matter, DNA. -continued
You will probably get many responses that vary somewhat. That is o.k. I think there is a link of this site that is How To Become a Christian.
Part 1
For me, I have often tried to write down what it means to believe in Jesus and found that it has broad and deep meaning.
Foremost, in 1 Corinthians 15:3-8 gives the essence of what the gospel is:
Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and He was buried, and that then He rose again on the third
He was seen by Cephas (Peter), then by the twelve. After that He was seen by over 500 brethren at once...
After that He was seen by James, the by all of the apostles. Then last of all He was seen by me also...
In this passage, we are to believe that Jesus Christ did die for our sins, was buried, and rose again from the dead and was seen
by many eyewitnesses alive after eyewitnesses saw him die and be buried.
To believe this is to accept as fact and wholly true of Jesus Christ.
But then, I ask myself, what is it about Jesus, (besides rising from the dead) that sets Him apart from any other spiritual leader in all of history?
For that, I go to John 1:1-4
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. he was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life and the life was the light of men." (NIV)
This verse tells me that Jesus was the eternal Word who existed with God and was in fact God. He existed before anything was creed with God and He is the Creator of all things. This also tells me that He was both God and with God, telling me that God is a Godhead, consisting of more than one person in one God. (I wish I knew what the Greek words used here for with God and was God so we can distinguish what two persons are being spoken of here in this verse.) But, when it comes to believing in Jesus, it does include this, that He is God. Whoa!
In Luke 14:34, When it says salt is good, the word good means useful. In those days, salt was a preservative. You put salt on things rather than refrigeration to keep it from putrefying. But if salt does not contain the proper ingredients, what is it good for?
Verse 35 says "It is neither fit for the land, nor yet for the dunghill; but men cast it out. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear."
And I've seen pictures of wagons going through the streets of Jerusalem and salt is alongside of the road where the people just come out and just throw it out in the street.
It is not good for anything. Once salt loses its seasoning and it doesn't serve its purpose, it's no longer effective, or useful. Do you see what Jesus is saying?
He is saying here's the reason why I tell you all of these hard things. Because if your life is so entangled with the cares of this life, to where your life is no longer effective for Christ, we are good for nothing. Now our family might not agree with that. Oh you are good for something. Give me a few minutes and I'll think of something!
You see, we were created by the Creator for His purposes. But if my life gets so entangled with the things of this earthly life, where my life is no longer effective for Christ, where I can no longer say with the apostle Paul that whether I will live or whether I die may Christ be magnified in my body.
If I can no longer say that, I am really good for nothing. There will be nothing eternal, and nothing that represents the truth.
People around me won't see Christ in me, and they won't see my love for Him, my dedication to Him. They won't see my sacrifice and the surrender of my life to Him. They might see the Jesus sticker on my car, but I am "too busy" doing other things to follow him. The salt will be good for nothing, not even to pour on the dung hill.
The time frame of the book of Acts, appears to be many years. Starting right about the time of the Resurrection of Jesus CHRIST. Please note Acts 1, Acts 2, - Acts 4:34-35, shows time passage, because those events cannot be done in one day, but over time. Acts 7, young man Saul, Acts 8,
Acts 12 again shows process of time, note Acts 12:25, Acts 14:21-28, again Acts 15, note Acts 15:33,36, Acts 27, Acts 28:11,
Thank you! That is so sweet of you.. and I love your name too. It sounds joyful.
I have indeed received many answers already but to receive this one from you is nonetheless a sweet blessing from God. I feel so happy upon seeing this longer reply from your name.
I agree and accept the enlightenment through you because I felt God is using you to help me. It is true that we have to use our will and actions to cooperate with the Holy Spirit to work within us and in our lives. I pray for the Holy Spirit to dwell within me and in in my loved ones life.
I keep asking the Holy Spirit of God to guard my heart.
I was also wondering: is it right to address the Holy Spirit in your prayers ? or should we always say it to the Father in Jesus Name ?
Please pray for my son. He has grown to be a young man of this world .. he is a good kid but is so vulnerable to the present world. He thinks he knows everything and insisted to not to listen anymore to my advise because he knows.. He is not reading the bible. I think only God can do the work for him.
The book of Acts covers approximately 30 years. Luke is the author and he wrote to present what Jesus did and taught through His human body. In Acts Chapter 1 Verse 1, it says that this was written to present what Jesus continues to do and to teach through His Spiritual body, the church.
I agree, Acts does present differing accounts of what happens when God brings someone to salvation. Some hear the gospel, believe, are baptized in water and receive the Holy Spirit; others hear the gospel, believe, receive the Holy Spirit and then are water baptized; others hear, believe and receive the Holy Spirit in a powerful way as to be called baptism.
But in every case, it is the Holy Spirit who acts first to regenerate those whom God knows from before creation are His. the Holy Spirit provides the regeneration of our deadness to God, the person or means by which pronouncement of the gospel comes to us, the faith to believe it, the repentance to cause us to turn from our sinful life to God, and the power of His grace to sustain our eternal walk with Him. God is truly unchangeable in these matters, but even so, He treats each person individually as to how He brings one into union with Himself through salvation.
Thank you for this list of one to pray for. I was just thinking in past days about Gabriel and Gabby, having not heard from him in a while, and Kent Bass, who hasn't posted in some time. LaTonya is recovering from heart transplant and has not updated us lately. Your son, Daniel, has a hard road in front of him. Tasha, too. Mason, and others have lost loved ones recently.
So, I will join you in prayer for these whom we have come to know on this site.
Heavenly Father, We lift up these requests Donna has voiced here to You in the name of Your Son, Jesus. We ask that you will help Daniel successfully complete rehab and maintain recovery. Please remove the addiction from him completely. Bring healing to his brain that has been damaged from a trauma from his early years. Bring these miracles in his life, Father. More so, bring Daniel to salvation, the biggest miracle of all! Though nothing is too difficult for You, Father.
We pray for Gabriel and Gabby, that You will unite them together once again and heal their relationship, hearts, hurts, and redeem this relationship. Uplift Gabriel in his sorrow and longing and strengthen his faith and trust in You and Your timing and ways. Urge Gabriel to come back on this site again.
We ask that You continue to heal Latonya as her body learns to accept this new heart you provided for her. We ask that You prevent any rejection of this heart, any complication. Bring her health and many more years of life. Urge her to come back on this site and post an update.
We lift up Tasha to You Father, bring her comfort and healing from cancer and treatment. Strengthen her in every way.
We lift up Mason, and others who have lost a loved one recently. Comfort their hearts and help them as they grieve their losses. You are God who sees us, hears us, helps us, and comes alongside us in our times of sorrow. Have mercy on all who grieve.
Yours is one of the most useful sharing I've ever received. You remind me that to be saved one has to confess it loud that you believe that Jesus is my Savior and that God has risen him from the dead. I have done this before but I think I need to do this again in front of someone or in front of a group. Does the type of declaration it affects the credit of your act of confessing it?
Like for example, if we say it virtually on our video posted in the you tube, will God accept that even if it is not done in person?
Yes the renewing of mind to a mature mind in God is the real product of your acceptance of Jesus as your Savior. This is one of the hardest things to do that I think we must accomplish to be victorious in Christ Jesus. I got to read the 12:2 I need to check it back. I received so many replies... Praise the Lord ! Hallelujah...
I was thinking upon this matter last night sort of along the lines that you posted.
I thought, well, of what great significance is it whether Paul or Matthias was the 12th apostle? Really. I don't think that this is a matter to really have a long discussion about, as it does not affect the topics of salvation, the truth about Who God or Jesus is, or the Christian walk. So, thanks for appreciating the discussion between all of us. I, too, find such discussions helpful. It takes me back the Word of God to find truth. That is always a good thing! Blessings to you today.
You have received some helpful comments already, but I wish to add these thoughts prompted by reading your question and the replies:
First, In my mind, a rephrasing of your question may be helpful. Are you saying that yes, we are saved by faith, not good works, but are good works still important in the life of a believer?
To this question, I would answer. Correct, we are saved by God through His outpouring of grace by faith gifted to us by Him. And, yes, good works are important in the life of a believer. They are, as Jessie states, the result of the working of the Holy Spirit indwelling in us after conversion. Yet, I will add, in order for the Holy Spirit to cause us to abound in good works, we do have to use our will and actions to cooperate with the Holy Spirit to allow Him to work in us and through us.
If we yield and cooperate with the Holy Spirit (which is a choice to walk with the Spirit) we will produce the fruits listed in Galatians 5:22. The Holy Spirit does not take over us and force us to do good works. He creates in us a desire to love what is good and hate what is evil. He creates in us a deep desire to obey like Jesus did, who never sinned. Our natural body, mind, and soul all work with the Holy Spirit to do these good works. It is the sinful nature in use that works in us to tempt us to do evil works.
We have both the Holy Spirit and the sinful nature in, it is a constant battle within us to choose which we will allow to reign in each action, thought, and motive brought forth in our mortal, natural being. With the indwelling Holy Spirit, we have the power of grace to overcome sin in any given moment and choose God's way. But, even so, the sinful nature is still within us and we give in to it at times. In these times, we are to do what John says in 1 John 1: to confess to God that we have sinned and ask for forgiveness, knowing He will always forgive us and cleanses us from all unrighteousness.
This is amazing. T How wonderful to think that God has given us the gift of salvation . Without Jesus our savior we are wretched sinners with no hope of salvation at all.
Now we can smile and dance and be happy . We just have to believe and obey.
Titus 3:4-6. But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared,
Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of REGENERATION, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;
Which he shed on us abundantly THROUGH Jesus Christ our Saviour;
Let's look at this word regeneration. Greek:
Transliteration: paliggenesia
Pronunciation: pal-ing-ghen-es-ee'-ah
Definition: From G3825 and G1078; (spiritual) rebirth (the state or the act) that is (figuratively) spiritual renovation; specifically Messianic restoration: - regeneration.
We have been REGENERATED, REBORN, Given a new heart and ready to present Christ work through you.
So we have the words Quickening.
Greek:
Transliteration: zopoie
Pronunciation: dzo-op-oy-eh'-o
Definition: From the same as G2226 and G4160; to (re-) vitalize (literally or figuratively): - make alive give life quicken.
KJV Usage: quicken(9x), give life(2x), make alive(1x).
It means to make alive or give life.
Here in
1 Corinthians 15:45.
We know Jesus is that Quickening spirit which is also the Holyspirit that gives life in Romans 8:11-14.
( If you notice verse 14 you have to be led by the Spirit.)
A life now that can bare fruit such as faith.
This is what James is saying in James 2:17-18. Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.
Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.
What James is saying is he's going to show that this gift is in me by his work. You see a Christian is saved UNTO good works. Ephesians 2:10.
This is why the Lord says you shall know them by their fruits. It doesn't say you shall know them by their works! You see your fruits is something only God can produce such as Love/Agape, Faith, ect.. and fruit determines what type of works it is. "OF God/Spirit. or of Self/flesh. Matthew 7:15-20.
Thank you so much for sharing the scriptures related to my question. These has really done a great impact in my understanding and finding the truth. I need to ponder on the given verses and have to read the Bible diligently and heartily.
I am so grateful to God today and forever
Glad to have someone out there to answer my questions because I am still a baby Christian :)
You are asking for details that the scripture doen't give us, so everything else would be a guess. But you must know that at that time people got ill and die and nobody knew why, i.e its written that Lasarus had fever, but fever is due to thousand different reasons. But at a time that the ancient people had no knowledge about illnesses and medicines, nobody really knew what was the illness that often killed them. Many of those illnesses today are cured by simply giving antibiotics for a few days, but at that time those things were fatal.
continued
Jesus had a brain that thought and reasoned and controlled his human body.
So this convinces me that Jesus indeed was both fully God and fully man.
So then I ask, why did God become a man?
In John 1:29, John the Baptist, upon seeing Jesus says, "Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world."
And Jesus, Himself, says ( John 3:15-17) "And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world but that the world through Him might be saved."
This tells me that Jesus became a man to take away the sin (all sin) of the world by being a "sacrificial lamb" and the one by which anyone can be saved from their sinfulness and the condemnation that comes with it by believing in Him.
Therefore, since He is Truth, I believe that He is the only one who can save me from my sins.
The Gospels tell me that Jesus told people that their sins are forgiven. Only God can forgive sins. So, if I want my sins forgiven, I must believe that they are forgiven by and through Jesus.
The next question I ask is: If Jesus came to take away the sins of others, did He have sins to be forgiven?
I must admit that God does not have any sin in Him, and if Jesus is God, He is without sin.
I am also told that in 2 Corinthians 5:21 "For He (God) made Him (Jesus) who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him." (NIV)
From this passage, I am told that Jesus never sinned, but to make us righteous before God, He became sin for us (in His death)
Before this verse, Paul says in 1Corinthians 5:14- 15 that Jesus died for all.
...continued
"He who knew no sin became sin
Part 2
Then we go to John 1:14-18 which tells us that the Word (spoken of in verse 1) "became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld
His glory, the glory as the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth." (NIV)
This tells me that The Word spoken of in verse 1 is Jesus. This tells me that Jesus existed before He became flesh, being the Word of God and with God and is God.
So here we have the Word becoming a human person but still being God. Whoa!
But it says Jesus was full of grace and truth, so what is said about Him by John is to believed as true.
So now I know why Jesus was unique and singularly special. Well, then I ask, "What did He do to show His deity?
I read the accounts of His life and works in the Gospels and I find that He performed miracles that only God could do.
I find that He had power of demons, which only God can have.
I find that He expanded on the Law in the Sermon on the Mount that only God can legitimately claim to have authority to do.
I find that He was one with the Father and if one has seen Him they have seen the Father, which is a claim to be God.
I find that He was transfigured on the mountain with His disciples present to witness. Only God can have such glory.
I find that He said He had the authority to lay down His own life and to take it back up again. Only God can raise someone from the dead, and He said that He would raise Himself from the dead.
I find that He predicted His death and resurrection ahead of time and it happened just as He said, even being in the grave for three days before rising again.
Then I ask, how do I know He was human as well as divine? Again I go to the Gospel accounts.
He was conceived in the womb of Mary by the Holy Spirit, grew within her and was born as a baby. He had flesh, bones, and blood. He grew and matured, He ate, slept, got tired, was able to be injured, and die. He did all of the things that humans did and had a body made of matter, DNA. -continued
Numbers 16:5,
Matthew 20:16, Matthew 22:14,
John 6:70, John 13:18, Acts 1:2,
Hopefully these are helpful
Very well laid out and great use of scripture. Amen!
Thanks for your reply.
This is such a important are of scripture.
God bless you.
You will probably get many responses that vary somewhat. That is o.k. I think there is a link of this site that is How To Become a Christian.
Part 1
For me, I have often tried to write down what it means to believe in Jesus and found that it has broad and deep meaning.
Foremost, in 1 Corinthians 15:3-8 gives the essence of what the gospel is:
Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and He was buried, and that then He rose again on the third
He was seen by Cephas (Peter), then by the twelve. After that He was seen by over 500 brethren at once...
After that He was seen by James, the by all of the apostles. Then last of all He was seen by me also...
In this passage, we are to believe that Jesus Christ did die for our sins, was buried, and rose again from the dead and was seen
by many eyewitnesses alive after eyewitnesses saw him die and be buried.
To believe this is to accept as fact and wholly true of Jesus Christ.
But then, I ask myself, what is it about Jesus, (besides rising from the dead) that sets Him apart from any other spiritual leader in all of history?
For that, I go to John 1:1-4
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. he was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life and the life was the light of men." (NIV)
This verse tells me that Jesus was the eternal Word who existed with God and was in fact God. He existed before anything was creed with God and He is the Creator of all things. This also tells me that He was both God and with God, telling me that God is a Godhead, consisting of more than one person in one God. (I wish I knew what the Greek words used here for with God and was God so we can distinguish what two persons are being spoken of here in this verse.) But, when it comes to believing in Jesus, it does include this, that He is God. Whoa!
continued to part 2
In Luke 14:34, When it says salt is good, the word good means useful. In those days, salt was a preservative. You put salt on things rather than refrigeration to keep it from putrefying. But if salt does not contain the proper ingredients, what is it good for?
Verse 35 says "It is neither fit for the land, nor yet for the dunghill; but men cast it out. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear."
And I've seen pictures of wagons going through the streets of Jerusalem and salt is alongside of the road where the people just come out and just throw it out in the street.
It is not good for anything. Once salt loses its seasoning and it doesn't serve its purpose, it's no longer effective, or useful. Do you see what Jesus is saying?
He is saying here's the reason why I tell you all of these hard things. Because if your life is so entangled with the cares of this life, to where your life is no longer effective for Christ, we are good for nothing. Now our family might not agree with that. Oh you are good for something. Give me a few minutes and I'll think of something!
You see, we were created by the Creator for His purposes. But if my life gets so entangled with the things of this earthly life, where my life is no longer effective for Christ, where I can no longer say with the apostle Paul that whether I will live or whether I die may Christ be magnified in my body.
If I can no longer say that, I am really good for nothing. There will be nothing eternal, and nothing that represents the truth.
People around me won't see Christ in me, and they won't see my love for Him, my dedication to Him. They won't see my sacrifice and the surrender of my life to Him. They might see the Jesus sticker on my car, but I am "too busy" doing other things to follow him. The salt will be good for nothing, not even to pour on the dung hill.
Acts 12 again shows process of time, note Acts 12:25, Acts 14:21-28, again Acts 15, note Acts 15:33,36, Acts 27, Acts 28:11,
Acts 18:11,18, Acts 19:10,22, Acts 20:3, Acts 24:27, Acts 28:30
Hopefully these are helpful
became contaminated it was rendered useless i.e. like dung. Gods words are salted or pure when we allow things of the world to
break down the words in oiur lives we become useless. thats why we need to continually put it on and stay fresh spiritually in
our walk with God. Look up all things pertaining to salt in eastern culture in the bible very enlightening. Also Jesus Christ many
times explained spiritual truth according to the manner and custom of eastern culture and life.
Thank you! That is so sweet of you.. and I love your name too. It sounds joyful.
I have indeed received many answers already but to receive this one from you is nonetheless a sweet blessing from God. I feel so happy upon seeing this longer reply from your name.
I agree and accept the enlightenment through you because I felt God is using you to help me. It is true that we have to use our will and actions to cooperate with the Holy Spirit to work within us and in our lives. I pray for the Holy Spirit to dwell within me and in in my loved ones life.
I keep asking the Holy Spirit of God to guard my heart.
I was also wondering: is it right to address the Holy Spirit in your prayers ? or should we always say it to the Father in Jesus Name ?
Please pray for my son. He has grown to be a young man of this world .. he is a good kid but is so vulnerable to the present world. He thinks he knows everything and insisted to not to listen anymore to my advise because he knows.. He is not reading the bible. I think only God can do the work for him.
God bless you,
Mae
us to do.
The book of Acts covers approximately 30 years. Luke is the author and he wrote to present what Jesus did and taught through His human body. In Acts Chapter 1 Verse 1, it says that this was written to present what Jesus continues to do and to teach through His Spiritual body, the church.
I agree, Acts does present differing accounts of what happens when God brings someone to salvation. Some hear the gospel, believe, are baptized in water and receive the Holy Spirit; others hear the gospel, believe, receive the Holy Spirit and then are water baptized; others hear, believe and receive the Holy Spirit in a powerful way as to be called baptism.
But in every case, it is the Holy Spirit who acts first to regenerate those whom God knows from before creation are His. the Holy Spirit provides the regeneration of our deadness to God, the person or means by which pronouncement of the gospel comes to us, the faith to believe it, the repentance to cause us to turn from our sinful life to God, and the power of His grace to sustain our eternal walk with Him. God is truly unchangeable in these matters, but even so, He treats each person individually as to how He brings one into union with Himself through salvation.
Hi sis ! Thank you!
God bless you !
Thank you for your encouragement to help me grow spiritually. I haven't seen yet my reply to you posted.
It might be still undergoing screening.
God bless you!
Yes, I agree. That's what the scripture teaches.
( 1 Corinthians 15:53).
Thanks!
Thank you for this list of one to pray for. I was just thinking in past days about Gabriel and Gabby, having not heard from him in a while, and Kent Bass, who hasn't posted in some time. LaTonya is recovering from heart transplant and has not updated us lately. Your son, Daniel, has a hard road in front of him. Tasha, too. Mason, and others have lost loved ones recently.
So, I will join you in prayer for these whom we have come to know on this site.
Heavenly Father, We lift up these requests Donna has voiced here to You in the name of Your Son, Jesus. We ask that you will help Daniel successfully complete rehab and maintain recovery. Please remove the addiction from him completely. Bring healing to his brain that has been damaged from a trauma from his early years. Bring these miracles in his life, Father. More so, bring Daniel to salvation, the biggest miracle of all! Though nothing is too difficult for You, Father.
We pray for Gabriel and Gabby, that You will unite them together once again and heal their relationship, hearts, hurts, and redeem this relationship. Uplift Gabriel in his sorrow and longing and strengthen his faith and trust in You and Your timing and ways. Urge Gabriel to come back on this site again.
We ask that You continue to heal Latonya as her body learns to accept this new heart you provided for her. We ask that You prevent any rejection of this heart, any complication. Bring her health and many more years of life. Urge her to come back on this site and post an update.
We lift up Tasha to You Father, bring her comfort and healing from cancer and treatment. Strengthen her in every way.
We lift up Mason, and others who have lost a loved one recently. Comfort their hearts and help them as they grieve their losses. You are God who sees us, hears us, helps us, and comes alongside us in our times of sorrow. Have mercy on all who grieve.
Amen.
Yours is one of the most useful sharing I've ever received. You remind me that to be saved one has to confess it loud that you believe that Jesus is my Savior and that God has risen him from the dead. I have done this before but I think I need to do this again in front of someone or in front of a group. Does the type of declaration it affects the credit of your act of confessing it?
Like for example, if we say it virtually on our video posted in the you tube, will God accept that even if it is not done in person?
Yes the renewing of mind to a mature mind in God is the real product of your acceptance of Jesus as your Savior. This is one of the hardest things to do that I think we must accomplish to be victorious in Christ Jesus. I got to read the 12:2 I need to check it back. I received so many replies... Praise the Lord ! Hallelujah...
Glad I am off today... Thanks for this day Lord !
Thank you for such a good reply. I am looking forward to part 2!
I was thinking upon this matter last night sort of along the lines that you posted.
I thought, well, of what great significance is it whether Paul or Matthias was the 12th apostle? Really. I don't think that this is a matter to really have a long discussion about, as it does not affect the topics of salvation, the truth about Who God or Jesus is, or the Christian walk. So, thanks for appreciating the discussion between all of us. I, too, find such discussions helpful. It takes me back the Word of God to find truth. That is always a good thing! Blessings to you today.
You have received some helpful comments already, but I wish to add these thoughts prompted by reading your question and the replies:
First, In my mind, a rephrasing of your question may be helpful. Are you saying that yes, we are saved by faith, not good works, but are good works still important in the life of a believer?
To this question, I would answer. Correct, we are saved by God through His outpouring of grace by faith gifted to us by Him. And, yes, good works are important in the life of a believer. They are, as Jessie states, the result of the working of the Holy Spirit indwelling in us after conversion. Yet, I will add, in order for the Holy Spirit to cause us to abound in good works, we do have to use our will and actions to cooperate with the Holy Spirit to allow Him to work in us and through us.
If we yield and cooperate with the Holy Spirit (which is a choice to walk with the Spirit) we will produce the fruits listed in Galatians 5:22. The Holy Spirit does not take over us and force us to do good works. He creates in us a desire to love what is good and hate what is evil. He creates in us a deep desire to obey like Jesus did, who never sinned. Our natural body, mind, and soul all work with the Holy Spirit to do these good works. It is the sinful nature in use that works in us to tempt us to do evil works.
We have both the Holy Spirit and the sinful nature in, it is a constant battle within us to choose which we will allow to reign in each action, thought, and motive brought forth in our mortal, natural being. With the indwelling Holy Spirit, we have the power of grace to overcome sin in any given moment and choose God's way. But, even so, the sinful nature is still within us and we give in to it at times. In these times, we are to do what John says in 1 John 1: to confess to God that we have sinned and ask for forgiveness, knowing He will always forgive us and cleanses us from all unrighteousness.
This is amazing. T How wonderful to think that God has given us the gift of salvation . Without Jesus our savior we are wretched sinners with no hope of salvation at all.
Now we can smile and dance and be happy . We just have to believe and obey.
Thank you bro
I am really so thankful to God for all of your help in my spiritual growth as a baby Christian.
Thank you ! Yes these should help greatly in my spiritual growth as a Christian.
All of these are must reads. I need to finish reading these with whole heart and mind.
God bless !
Titus 3:4-6. But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared,
Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of REGENERATION, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;
Which he shed on us abundantly THROUGH Jesus Christ our Saviour;
Let's look at this word regeneration. Greek:
Transliteration: paliggenesia
Pronunciation: pal-ing-ghen-es-ee'-ah
Definition: From G3825 and G1078; (spiritual) rebirth (the state or the act) that is (figuratively) spiritual renovation; specifically Messianic restoration: - regeneration.
We have been REGENERATED, REBORN, Given a new heart and ready to present Christ work through you.
So we have the words Quickening.
Greek:
Transliteration: zopoie
Pronunciation: dzo-op-oy-eh'-o
Definition: From the same as G2226 and G4160; to (re-) vitalize (literally or figuratively): - make alive give life quicken.
KJV Usage: quicken(9x), give life(2x), make alive(1x).
It means to make alive or give life.
Here in
1 Corinthians 15:45.
We know Jesus is that Quickening spirit which is also the Holyspirit that gives life in Romans 8:11-14.
( If you notice verse 14 you have to be led by the Spirit.)
A life now that can bare fruit such as faith.
This is what James is saying in James 2:17-18. Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.
Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.
What James is saying is he's going to show that this gift is in me by his work. You see a Christian is saved UNTO good works. Ephesians 2:10.
This is why the Lord says you shall know them by their fruits. It doesn't say you shall know them by their works! You see your fruits is something only God can produce such as Love/Agape, Faith, ect.. and fruit determines what type of works it is. "OF God/Spirit. or of Self/flesh. Matthew 7:15-20.
God bless.
Thank you so much for sharing the scriptures related to my question. These has really done a great impact in my understanding and finding the truth. I need to ponder on the given verses and have to read the Bible diligently and heartily.
I am so grateful to God today and forever
Glad to have someone out there to answer my questions because I am still a baby Christian :)
God bless you bro!
You are asking for details that the scripture doen't give us, so everything else would be a guess. But you must know that at that time people got ill and die and nobody knew why, i.e its written that Lasarus had fever, but fever is due to thousand different reasons. But at a time that the ancient people had no knowledge about illnesses and medicines, nobody really knew what was the illness that often killed them. Many of those illnesses today are cured by simply giving antibiotics for a few days, but at that time those things were fatal.