Should Christians Judge People?

I often get the don't judge verses thrown at me. The Bible is clear that we should judge others in their sinning but we must do it according to God's standard and not inject our own beliefs.

2 Timothy 3:16 "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:"

What does for reproof, for correction, mean to you?

Do you believe that "Christian love" is to coddle people in their wickedness? Should we "not" judge others if they're a Pedophile? Should we not judge people if they speed in a school zone? Laws are judging right over wrong. Should judges not judge?

Do you remember what it says in Matthew 22:39 "And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself"

But what does this truly mean? Does that mean we are to love them no matter what they do because we are sinners also? Do we coddle them in their sins, tell them God loves them no matter what? Nope Jesus was clear when he said this. He was telling us what the standard was. The way to show your love to your neighbor is to warn them and their sins will take them to hell.

The only way you can show your love to your neighbor was outlined in Leviticus 19:17-18 "Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thine heart: thou shalt in any wise rebuke thy neighbor, and not suffer sin upon him. Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself: I am the LORD." (emphasis added)

If you believe coddling is love then you are delusional. You must confront to show love to someone. Would you let a friend go and drink and drive? We will take the keys and get into your face, if necessary, to show that you are wrong. Get offended if you wish, but I will not accept the evil wickedness of unrepentant sinning.

I have no clue if you have children but we correct out of love, not hate. We guide. Hebrews 12 makes that point clear. I love you, but love is not coddling.

I am merely commanded to speak the truth, defend it, and expose falsehoods. I do not condone sin and if you shall perish because of your wickedness then so be it, without any grudge, Hell's Gates will be locked from the inside as CS Lewis said.

Do we listen to part or the whole Bible?

Ephesians 5:11 "And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them." HOW do we do this, without judging?

Psalm 37:30 "The mouth of the righteous speaketh wisdom, and his tongue talketh of judgment."

Amos 5:15 "Hate the evil, and love the good, and establish judgment in the gate: it may be that the LORD God of hosts will be gracious unto the remnant of Joseph." How can you hate the evil and love the good if you refuse to judge? You can't. You are SINNING when you refuse to judge.

Our generation is well described in Isaiah 59:8: "The way of peace they know not; and there is no judgment in their goings: they have made them crooked paths: whosoever goeth therein shall not know peace." People have refused to judge, so there is no peace.

Paul said in I Corinthians 1:10 to ". . . be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment." Why would Paul make such a statement if judging is wrong?

In I Corinthians 2:15 Paul says, "But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man." Judging is not a sin; judging is a characteristic of being a spiritual person! Satan has been lying to us, hoping that we will NOT judge, because he knows that the right kind of judgment PLEASES God and betters our lives and Christian service.

If judging is wrong, then Paul needs to confess and repent for misleading these Christians! He clearly told them to JUDGE PEOPLE. 1 Corinthians 6:1-5

If judging people is wrong, how can we obey Romans 16:17-18? II Corinthians 6:17? II Timothy 3:5-6? I John 4:1? If judging is wrong, then God has contradicted Himself and His words cannot be trusted!

Notice Malachi 3:18: "Then shall ye return, and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not." WOW! Does that sound like it is wrong to judge?

What about Revelation 2:2? " I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars:" Why would the Lord be pleased with these Christians if judging was wrong? Is it not impossible to find someone a "liar" without judging them?

John 7:24 "Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment."

Sometimes people judge when they have no business doing so. This can only be done by following the rules that God has established in His word. Here follow seven good rules from Scripture: (taken from Is It Right to Judge?)

Judge Scripturally (Isaiah 8:20), Don't Judge When God's Word Is Silent. Don't rush to judgment on an issue when the Bible says very little or is silent about it. Don't make more of a matter than God makes of it. A good example of this is found in Colossians 2:16, Pray for Good Judgement Ability (I Kings 3:9, James 1:5),Don't Respect Persons truly fair judge is blind and deaf to any outer influence. (Isa. 42:1,19-21,Proverbs 24:23),Judge in Truth A true judge is one who seeks the truth. Do not judge another when you do not have all the relevant facts. (Jeremiah 5:1),Judge Mercifully (Matthew 7:2,Gal. 6:7-8) You'll reap what you sow.If you are swift and harsh in judging others, then God will see to it that you receive the same from others. Has God not been very merciful to you, even though you don't deserve it? Likewise, you should exercise mercy toward others. Don't Forget to Judge Yourself (I Corinthians 11:30-31) If you refuse to judge and improve yourself as a child of God, then God will take it upon Himself to judge you.A good judge will not fail to judge himself.

Should we Judge others? Yes, but do it that is pleasing to God.

Matthew 7:6-15 is clear that we can judge the message and fruit of false apostles. Obedience to such commandments obviously requires one to make a judgment as to whether certain unbelievers should be regarded as "dogs" or "swine," to whom it would be counterproductive to try to speak of spiritual matters; or whether certain professing Christian leaders are actually false prophets who should be repudiated. However, Jesus is saying in Matthew 7:1 that we should be careful in nitpicking and judging people’s motives or eternal destiny. Ultimately only God is the judge of those things. We can, after all, be too hard on people in minor matters.

We can judge qualifications, however we cannot judge qualities. Qualities are internal motivations known only by God Himself.

In John 21:16-17, Jesus said, “Peter, feed my sheep.” The feeding of sheep has to do with external qualifications. We can evaluate a man’s sermons, appraise if he has studied and researched. Lack of preparation will become obvious in time. Poor doctrine or overtly false doctrine is obvious.

But Jesus also said in John 21:15-17, “Peter, do you love me?” This has to do with qualities and internal motivation. Does a man feed the sheep for power? For prestige? For money? Only God knows the motivation. Or is he doing it out of love for Christ? Again, only God knows. If the person is living an ostentatious and lavish lifestyle, those externals all say something and may be an obvious outworking of the inner motivation.

1 Corinthians 6:2 "Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters?"

A great explanation on how to judge properly is in 1 Corinthians 6:3-6

After all we are judging for Him:

2 Chronicles 19:6 "And said to the judges, Take heed what ye do: for ye judge not for man, but for the LORD, who is with you in the judgment."

On that Day of Judgment God will judge the world for their iniquities, why not let us warn you with love before that happens? 1 Thessalonians 5:21 "Prove (Examine) all things; hold fast that which is good."

Perfect love is a constant confronter, it takes far more love to confront than to ignore the situation.



bit.ly/judgepeople

Homosexuality in the Bible

Stan gave me an article to read called "What the Bible Says - And Doesn't Say - About Homosexuality"

To me, it appeared the article was a bunch of gripes and complaints about other people, without substance. Now, I agree people don't understand the Bible, as they should, but that has nothing to do with what the Bible says about gays.

The article claimed:

MARK 12:18-27
"If a man dies childless, his widow is ordered by biblical law to have intercourse with each of his brothers in turn until she bears her deceased husband a male heir."

The whole passage was about the mistake just claimed here. 'He is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living: ye therefore do greatly err', and so does this article.

He said: "Actually, I'm not from Sodom. That city was buried beneath the Dead Sea centuries ago. I'm from California -- but perhaps that just confirms their suspicions!"

I am sure that Dani'El and I would disagree and Sodom is indeed in California.

This joker claims "Jesus and five Old Testament prophets all speak of the sins that led to the destruction of Sodom -- and not one of them mentions homosexuality. Even Billy Graham doesn't mention homosexuality when he preaches on Sodom."

Pointless argument, because the Bible is clear about Sodom's wickedness as in Jude 1:7.

"But what does the story of Sodom say about homosexual orientation as we understand it today? Nothing."

I guess it would be pointless to talk of the etymology of the word sodomy also. Whatever dude.

"You'll also note that Romans 2 begins with "Therefore, [referring to Romans 1], you have no excuse, whoever you are, when you judge others; for in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself..." Even after he describes the disturbing practices he has seen, Paul warns us that judging others is God's business, not ours."

That is not what the passage says at all. We are indeed to judge but not if we are doing the same things. You know "for thou that judgest doest the same things"

What's a malokois? ... Actually, ...Greek words have confused scholars to this very day.

No they haven't. First in Strong's its malakos and its clear that effeminate means 'of a boy kept for homosexual relations with a man or of a male who submits his body to unnatural lewdness'. Again whatever.

That's the lesson we all need to learn from these texts. God doesn't want us squabbling over who is "in" and who is "out." God wants us to love one another. It's God's task to judge us. It is NOT our task to judge one another.

We have been down this road before in a past post. Of course we are to judge.

Although the prophets, Jesus, and other biblical authors say nothing about homosexual orientation as we understand it today, they are clear about one thing: As we search for truth, we are to "love one another."

Again, I have been down this road, but not in a posting, so I will say it again for this post. Do you believe that "Christian love" is to coddle people in their wickedness?

Do you remember what it says in Matthew 22:39 "And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself"

But what does this truly mean? Does that mean we are to love them no matter what they do because we are sinners also? Do we coddle them in their sins, tell them God loves them no matter what? Nope Jesus was clear when he said this. He was telling us what the standard was. The way to show your love to your neighbor is to warn them and their sins will take them to hell.

The only way you can show your love to your neighbor was outlined in Leviticus 19:17-18 "Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thine heart: thou shalt in any wise rebuke thy neighbor, and not suffer sin upon him. Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself: I am the LORD." (emphasis added)

If you believe coddling is love then you are delusional. You must confront to show love to someone. Would I let you as a friend go and drink and drive? We will take the keys and get into your face if necessary to show that you are wrong. Get offended if you wish but I will not accept the evil wickedness of unrepentant sinning. God, nor I, condone sinning.

But the United States is not a nation governed by the Bible. Our nation is governed by the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. Our laws were created to protect an individual's right to disagree.

Good point. So I have the right to disagree that gay marriage should be allowed.

In this last premise, I'm asking you who disagree with my stand on homosexuality to support my stand on full civil rights for all people, including gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender Americans.

From our Declaration of Independence: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."

So yes our Creator gives us certain unalienable Rights and one of them is for a man to marry a woman as instructed in His Word, the ultimate authority for our Creator. (Gen. 2:18, 24, Ephesians 5:23-32,1 Corinthians 7:2)

Hebrews 13:4 "Marriage is honourable in all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge."

Update: Children Raised by Openly Homosexual Parents More Likely to Engage in Homosexuality.

I guess I also should reference a past post to show my agenda and intentions to gay people.

Self Esteem Movement

I commented on another post and I thought I would just add it here to make another point.

In short, Josh believes that self-deprecating mentality leads to arrogance.

I responded by asking if he has any evidence of that bare assertion at all.

He did bring up an excellent subject that I would like to drive home though. I will go on tangents but I will get to point soon.

There is a movement that is called the "self esteem movement" (just Google it) and it is riddled throughout our school systems and secular teachings.

Like teachers writing on the chalk board in school “Nil Carborundum Bastardii” (Don’t let the bastards grind you down), it is very detrimental to one self but not the way that you think.

As an example, I don't know if you have ever watched American Idol. You see these kids "writing off" and cussing at Simon who honestly told them they are horrible, which was the truth. They get all huffy and go back to their moms who say "it's OK baby, you are the best" and they storm off cussing profanity to the camera and Simon.

It was Scott Peterson's mom Jackie who raised him in a way to let him think that he could do no wrong and you obviously see how destructive that was. She was very open about it also. Jackie Peterson held Scott up as her 'golden boy' that could do no wrong. She didn't show love towards the boy. If he did something wrong she covered it up for him instead of reprimanding him. She raised him to have "high self esteem"

Matthew 22:39, Leviticus 19:17-18 tells us how to treat people. It takes far more love to confront then to ignore the situation, perfect love is a constant confronter. Coddling someone, like Jackie did, is not love at all. I believe God holds us accountable to our actions as it states in Ezekiel 3:20.

Most people don't realize this but bullies, most often, have very high self esteem. They are viewed as "cool kids" and destroy many lives in their growth.

"In contrast to a fairly common assumption among psychologists and psychiatrists, we have found no indicators that the aggressive bullies are anxious and insecure under a tough surface" (source)

"From early on, the bully can do whatever he wants without clear consequences and discipline." (source)

Today parents are raising pure monsters and our society is paying the price for it.

Kids need discipline and guidance in truth. Not some inflated self esteem that goes unchecked.

I am sure you have heard the term inflated ego. Swollen heads are what makes people fall hard after they have been popped by life's challenges. To be humble is a very good thing and it will keep you grounded in life, so know thyself (Proverbs 27:1, James 4:10, 1 Peter 5:6), and stay on the ground.

bit.ly/SelfEsteem

Atheist religion

It seems a group of people in Philadelphia with the religion of 'secular humanism' is promoting there hatred towards God by buying a huge billboard with the price tag of $22,500. On the billboard is a beautiful sky with the question "Don't believe in God? You are not alone."



This fits right into my hypothesis that most atheists seek validation from like minded individuals, for their beliefs, instead of seeking truth.

To the atheist: Look I fully understand that truth always is confrontational, there is always someone on the wrong side of truth. This is a very serious and real subject for us all. If I didn't love you enough to tell you the truth, then I wouldn't. If I truly love you, as I do, then I can only keep pressing you to the point of understanding. It takes far more love to confront then to ignore the situation, perfect love is a constant confronter.

I would rather like to receive a slight nod from God then to seek the applause of the entire world. Atheists, on the other hand, seek the validating applause of like minded individuals as seen on this new attack on God.

They are NOT seeking TRUTH they are seeking VALIDATION. There is a huge difference.

bit.ly/promoteAtheism

Not Just A Jobs...

In the environment, where entrepreneurship is almost a bad word for this current administration, life is speaking to you to find your true passion. Jobs Commencement Speech given at Stanford in 2005 is good advice about life, hints of spiritual matters about the connecting the dots and keeping the faith, but also mirrors our style of thoughts and philosophy about homeschooling our children.

That quiet inner voice steering us (God) will guide us to our purpose in life, not what we or others believe we should do, but what is our destiny in our future actually is. Trust that voice, that certainty of direction, and you will find your calling. Yes, you are called to your life's direction.

My advice to Jobs would be twofold: It is not your heart that you should follow because our hearts are deceitfully wicked.(Jeremiah 17:9) Follow that quiet, deeper, inner voice which is what I refer to as your soul of certainty. Your heart will tell you what you may want (desire), but your soul will tell you what you need to do to feel whole as a person. Also, Jobs needs to explore that spiritual side more. His fruit tells me his is not a Christian, because he was uncertain what that "calling" was, yet he kept faithful to it. Maybe someday he will know God with that same faith. Don't "stay foolish" for too long Jobs. (Psalm 14:1, Mark 8:36)

Here is a transcript of the speech:

The Bible isn't proof

"Sorry, I can't examine the claim because the Bible account is pure hearsay...particularly with the fabulous claims."

"The reason I don't believe in ANY supernatural beings is because there is no evidence for their existence."

Are you claiming Jesus and the apostles and/or disciples didn't exist at all? They were made up figures? Your logic is flawed.

One example:

You have heard of Julius Caesar and I am sure you believe that he existed right? Well there were 10 manuscripts of antiquity that explained who he was as we know him today. 10 that is it, in one language, everything we know today about him came from just those 10 manuscripts, with the earliest one dating to 1,000 years after the original autograph

By contrast, the New Testament antiquity of the Bible (with all its information about Jesus) was claimed to be written between 40 A.D. and 100 A.D. The earliest known copy is from 130 A.D. and there are 5,000+ known copies in Greek, 10,000 in Latin and 9,300 in other languages.

"There is no body of ancient literature in the world which enjoys such a wealth of good textual attestation as the New Testament.

Homer's Iliad, the most renowned book of ancient Greece, is the second best-preserved literary work of all antiquity, with 643 copies of manuscript support discovered to date. In those copies, there are 764 disputed lines of text, as compared to 40 lines in all the New Testament manuscripts. 8 In fact, many people are unaware that there are no surviving manuscripts of any of William Shakespeare's 37 plays (written in the 1600's), and scholars have been forced to fill some gaps in his works. This pales in textual comparison with the over 5,600 copies and fragments of the New Testament in the original Greek that, together, assure us that nothing's been lost. In fact, all of the New Testament except eleven minor verses can be reconstructed outside the Bible from the writings of the early church leaders in the second and third centuries AD." (Bible Manuscripts)

You believe that Caesar existed and a real person but not Jesus, hmm. But again your presuppositions will determine if you will accept documented historical proof or not. I perfectly understand that there is always someone that loses on the other side of truth but I have said many times to others that it takes far more love to confront then to ignore the situation, perfect love is a constant confronter. So I confront with love.

bit.ly/Bibleisproof

Holidays, ...Meh

I was considering doing a post about this subject, then I read over at Triablogue, who asked the question "Why December 25?"

So, this is my perspective.

A good tree will bear good fruit. Is Christmas good fruit? You decide, because I certainly have.

I know our President wants Christmas to be a large part of America. Many don't know the true origins.

So, let the bridges I burn light my way. To truth.

Colossians 2:16-17 is clear, you make choices for your own families.

One verse says it all, Romans 14:5 "One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind."

In my home we do not celebrate Christmas. Like a friend said, "we celebrate Christ's birth every single day" Over commercialization, covetous children to objects, lying to children, worshiping false idols are not good fruit to me. I also hold a strong refusal to go into debt for anyone, especially for holidays.

Now, we can debate how Christmas started. Do the 12 Christmas myths debunked, even. Whether in 336 it was the RCC that chose to honor the birthday of the Christ since it was already a well loved holiday because in 274, December 25th, the Winter Solstice was celebrated because Aurelian [a Roman emperor] instituted the cult of Sol Invictus and thus a major feast day throughout the Roman Empire.

Make Your Calling Sure

Fm: ICR July 14, 2009
Sign up today.

"Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall." (2 Peter 1:10)

Although the calling of God is solely by His grace, apart from works (2 Timothy 1:9), and although "the gifts and calling of God are without repentance" (Romans 11:29), it is quite possible for a person to believe mistakenly that he has been called, and so Peter urges each professing Christian to make sure of his calling.

In the first place, one who is truly called will love God (Romans 8:28), and such love should not be superficial, but with the whole heart and soul and mind (Matthew 22:37). One who is called should "walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love" (Ephesians 4:1-2). If our lives fail such tests, we should at least "examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves" (2 Corinthians 13:5).

God's call is not only unto salvation, of course, but to a particular service for His glory. Some like Paul were "called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God" (Romans 1:1). Many in Paul's day were actually called to be slaves: "Let every man abide in the same calling wherein he was called. Art thou called being a servant? care not for it: but if thou mayst be made free, use it rather. For he that is called to the Lord, being a servant, is the Lord's freeman: likewise also he that is called, being free, is Christ's servant. . . . Brethren, let every man, wherein he is called, therein abide with God" (1 Corinthians 7:20-22, 24).

Even the apostle Paul, however, could still say (and so should we), "I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 3:14). We need, first of all, to make our "calling and election sure." HMM

Truly Saved, Finally!

Bart: "I have done that in my past with sincerity and there was no revelation of the existence of God. So where do you search for God?"

It begins in His Word. (John 14:21)

Now, I don't know you at all. So this is me sharing what I have observed and helped this hypothesis of mine.

There is something I noticed with many atheists, proclaiming Christians and false converts. They have one thing in common and this might have been you. It was me for many years, dare I even say 15 years, I thought I was a Christian. I received the word as many false converts with pure gladness. I was so happy to be(come) a Christian I went to church and volunteered and was very involved. The entire time I was false, sinned occasionally but that was OK, God was so forgiving. He wouldn't care, for example, that I went out Fridays to the clubs with the intention to fornicate. He loves me and I love Him. Happy, happy, joy, joy!

Flash ahead to a real dark place I was in. It was then I realized that I actually was a false convert all those years, that I was playing a Christian. Once I realized that fact, I was frozen. I was shaken to my core and I was actually afraid of God, the real kind of fear. (Proverbs 1:7; Proverbs 9:10)

I was a mess, broken, spent, and truly lost all over again. God allowed me to realize what a wretch I truly am. I approached God again but this time a very fragile, crushed, and a broken man. (Psalm 34:18;Psalm 51:17)

Words will never do the experience justice. An indication that I look for now a days isn't the happy story of becoming a Christian, its the dark and broken heart that I look for.

The other day I read something I could relate to:

"God never clothes men until He has first stripped them, nor does He quicken them by the gospel till first they are slain by the Law. When you meet with persons in whom there is no trace of conviction of sin, you may be quite sure that they have not been wrought upon by the Holy Spirit; for 'when He is come, He will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment.'" (Charles Spurgeon)

Science would have a hard time measuring the evidence that I now have in referenced to God. I am here to tell you that these days I know God exists and he has saved me once and for all and my name is actually written in the book of life and I am in awe daily because of it.

Thoughts are immaterial, emotions are immaterial, the mind is immaterial, none of them can be seen or observed, the lover experiencing the feelings of love to his loved one, they cannot be proven by science, only the lover can know that feeling that they are experiencing.

They are all immaterial just like the laws of logic, yet we do not question their existence just because we do not see them.

Once you experience God (and his love) it will be impossible to go backwards. You are changed, you are born again. Any truly saved Christian will tell you this. Just a mere 2-3 years ago I was saved and I experienced God.

If you want a good example of how a man responds to being soundly saved listen to Paul Washer's testimony

Ellen Johnson?

The former leader and president of American Atheists, Ellen Johnson, talks about some jaw dropping statistics about how atheists vote and what they vote for. Johnson is the successor of the most hated woman in America. Now, I fully understand that not "all" of you hold her views but like Richard Dawkins, she is the voice for American Atheism and is trying to get all of you to drink the kool-aid. Of course in 'light' of this Public Relations nightmare the organization immediately placed on their website "American Atheists has positions open for Editor and President" as to 'save face' from the public outcry. So how did she get to the top then?


Is this really who you want to go down in history as being associated with? "No of course not, no way, we aren't like that at all." Let me shoot it strait here, let's use some logic because I actually love you. You don't become president of anything without expressing your opinion. An organization would appoint someone president who can best represent their viewpoint, a president has to have a mouth on them. I know I have been one. You have to be able to sell your ideas. So please don't give me the "we aren't like that" speech. A chain is as strong as it's weakest link and Ms. Johnson was the weakest link of a Walmart $3 dollar necklace.

Why professing Christians would break such a sacred Covenant with God to follow the likes of Johnson and Dawkins is so beyond my comprehension. Then, only later to find that the leaders are flakes. Remember you can't put Jesus on to make your flight more comfortable. You do it because you are so very grateful for being saved from death. Your loyalty would be a lot less shallow.

Any other company would fail with a president like Ms. Johnson. If you were to get rid of a Bill Gates or a Steve Jobs, the company would suffer a great deal or fold completely. Without Ray Comfort there would be no Living Waters or Way of the Master. Atheists tried to make Ray a laughing stock by quote mining his soda/banana presentation. To some now, he is labeled "banana man." But we still love him and his ministries because of the good fruit (banana) we see. On a side note, did anyone else notice that it was atheists that broke the quote-mining rule by editing his soda/banana parody. Don't you all even complain about Ray quote mining? Am I the only one that sees the total outright hypocrisy here? Do any of you have any morals? Does Ms. Johnson have any morals? Can you see a pattern here?

You would pick this lady or Richard Dawkins over Jesus? Really? No, really?

Carl Packman wrote recently a news article about Richard Dawkins creepy viewpoint of The Genius of Charles Darwin. Packman points out "Dawkins, in choosing a form of firebrand fundamentalist atheism over the discipline science, is no longer the champion of reason but rather a kind of evangelical against religion" Packman also observed "It's not very long before Professor Dawkins cuts to the chase and explains how utterly irrational and dangerous spiritual beliefs can be (indeed it was an amusing undertaking to see how long it was until Dawkins plunged his dagger once more into faith)."

Like Dawkins, Ms. Johnson is the spokesperson for all of you like it or not. What I don't understand though and I often wonder, doesn't anyone see through these people? Don't you see the push of their own Dogma of atheism as a religion. Please don't answer that, it was rhetorical. I just don't get you all.

Don't you think the charades and damage has been done already? Let me take a wild guess, when that day comes when it's Judgement Day each and every one of you will say, in reference to being an atheist, "No of course not, no way, we aren't like that at all." It's time right now to Repent and trust in Jesus our Lord and our only Savior. We will never fail with Him as our President like Ms. Johnson and Richard Dawkins has failed all of you. Do it today!

Enacting God's Will

I believe we are doing a disservice to mankind by enacting God's will on anyone. God gave us free will to choose to love Him. Why should we force things on people? For their own good?

Throughout History people that believe to be enacting God's will have failed to do just that.

Hitler believed he was enacting God's will during The Holocaust.

A leader of the false religion of Mormonism called LDS Church named Brigham Young thought he was enacting God's will when he ordered the killings of 120 men, women and children in what is now known as the Mountain Meadows massacre. On a side note, there is a great movie called September Dawn that I highly recommend if you want to understand the false and tragic thinking of the Mormons. Chills went down my spine when they were screaming "Blood Atonement" over and over again.

Many believe the Crusades was a huge stain on our history when the Roman Catholic Church (RCC) murdered many, but they were a direct response to Islam's attacks on the innocent people believing they, the Muslims, were enacting their god's will.

Another fine example is Andrea Yates (raised Roman Catholic), who lived an hour away from me at the time, decided to drown all five of her children. She claimed "It was the seventh deadly sin. My children weren't righteous. They stumbled because I was evil. The way I was raising them, they could never be saved. They were doomed to perish in the fires of hell."

We can plainly see the pattern of people acting as God. People that are not of God, love, try to enact the will of God. This horrible misunderstanding of Scripture is what delivers them to the devil. God is God, we are not. God knows all and we do not. If a person blows up a abortion clinic they are doing the devil's work, not God's. If some joker is claiming to heal people of spinal bifida he is of the devil.

So what we need to take from this is the fact there is only one God and we are to worship Him. Any deviation and the results are horrific. Once we start reasoning ourselves we stop letting God be in charge. Let God do God's work, as we can plainly see, He is much better at it then man is. The key is that everything that is contrary to God comes from the enemy of our souls.

Proverbs 3:5-6 "Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths."

Christians are Misogynistic?

freddies_dead said in that last post called Woman Boss (bit.ly/womanboss):Wow .. just wow .. the misogyny is almost palpable.

My friend Eric just today said on his Facebook page that his "faith is pure and his pimp hand is strong."

But seriously, we are called bride of Christ for a reason, God loves woman. Yes, women submit to the husband, and husband submit to God. See, we are playing the role of the marriage that will happen in heaven with Jesus and his believers. Stay loyal in Christ and you will understand how exalted you will be in heaven.

Many women don't like what the Bible says because it calls wives to "submit to their husbands."

However, submission is not limited to wives submitting to their husbands. We are told to submit to God, governmental authorities, our boss, and leaders in the assembly. We are also told to submit to one another in love, which includes men serving women and vice versa in love in unity of mind. God is a God of order. In a sinful world, submission to those in authority is the only way to maintain order. Romans 13 as a fine example.

Genesis 1:27 "So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them."

Traits from man and woman equally make up the "image of God"

What about Genesis 2:18 where it says it is "not good" for man to be alone.

How did God treat women? Remember story of Esther?

You then have to ask, How did Jesus treat women? Like the woman at the well or Mary Magdalene or even the prostitute about to get stoned.

As it was said in the last post, "The women described in the Bible are not always homemakers and mothers. Obviously, the biological function of women is to produce children. However, Deborah was both a judge and leader of Israel.(Judges 4:4) Other women were involved in ridding Israel of her enemies.(Judges 4:21) Quite a number of women are described as being prophetesses.(Exodus 15:20,2 Kings 22:14,Luke 2:36) Other women in the Bible were involved in teaching the Word of God(Acts 18:26)"

Countless other verses point to Jesus holding high regard for women.

God's people are referred to as female, not male. In the Old Testament, God's people are the "daughters of Zion." The Body of Christ (including us men) is referred to as the "bride" of Christ and God is said to be our "husband." Whenever referred to by sex, the assembly is described as "she" or "her." (Ephesians 5:25,27)"

In conclusion we have one verse that sums it all up: Galatians 3:28 "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus." We all have our roles as the body of the Christ head.






 

bit.ly/misogynistic

Science needs a better god

Dave W. said:

You seem to be looking to end science entirely...you do shun modern medicine, right?"

Well not entirely. You depend on science fully and I know for a fact that it has tremendously large holes. You must agree there is bad science also. Yes I believe that certain science needs to go away. I would love to see pharmaceuticals go away myself. Legal drug pushers is just not working and there are many examples. Instead of reaching for the medicine cabinet there is another medicine cabinet in the house, it's called the kitchen.

Also annoying things like genetic alterations to 'juice up' cows with hormones to produce ten times the amounts of milk and other synthetic ways to ruin a perfect thing. Science cannot even begin to understand the complexity and perfection of cows milk yet they try to alter it 'willy nilly' and the world is the Ginny Pig. We have mad cow disease, scientists thought it was a great idea to feed cows, cow spinal cords? Ask yourself this, which is better for you raw vegetables (closest to God) or canned or frozen?

Vaccines also are ruining many children and rendering them with autism and on and on. Chemicals they used to use to induce labor used to render the children deformed. There are many out there with defects because of it. They still don't know for sure if the current methods are better for women and children. Again Natural is better.

Like it was pointed out in an older post, "You know, there is nothing in human nature or in human history that points to the idea that we are moving anywhere. Technology and science, though they are cumulative and have improved, in many ways, the lives of people within the industrialized nations, have also unleashed the most horrific forms of violence and death, and let's not forget, environmental degradation, in human history. So, there's nothing intrinsically moral about science."

I was searching to see if gelatin (pork or animal fat) was in yogurt, which it is (plain might be OK). I stumbled on this also:

"Another set of controversial ingredients is natural colorings. It is advantageous for manufacturers to use natural colorings to avoid listing artificial colors on the label. Two natural colors with kashrus concerns are carmine and grape. Carmine is derived from the insect coccus cacti."

This bug is crushed up in yogurt and other foods for quote "natural" color. MMM, Yummy!

So yes I would love to see some science go away but that just won't happen. Maybe if we stop connecting science with profit we would be better off. If science could honor God's Creation more in the mindset of scientists, to keep God's things sacred, then we wouldn't be in this trouble we are in. Science has no moral rudder and the ship is adrift.

From that same older post "I think the New Atheists also make that leap from science into the cult of science, and that's a problem."

What's the Purpose of Evil?

I cannot even answer if evil is eliminated will there be free will in Heaven? I know we won't want to leave and/or be tempted to leave.

We can appreciate God's goodness in the presence of evil. Unlike Adam who didn't know evil, Satan who didn't know evil, until they fell. We do! Because of it, we so appreciate his goodness and no matter what temptation that will come our way in heaven, if that could even happen, there would be no way, why? Because we knew how horrible evil was and now we can fully appreciate his goodness.

The presence of sin allows God to demonstrate his righteousness, the presence of sin allows God to demonstrate His love, and how else could He show the character of love that loves enemies and sinners if there were none? God endures this horrible assault on His everlasting holiness; He endures the horrifying blaspheming, history of fallen beings, He suffers it, the imposition it is on His purity to display His wrath to the fullest extent, to put Himself on everlasting display.

Why are we here? What is the theological answer? To glorify God and enjoy Him ever more. How do you glorify God? Here is how, you sinner, go get saved. Get saved so God can be glorified, that's it; this is the purpose of this entire universe.

God knew we would sin, He knew we would rebel, He knew we would introduce evil, He knew it. So that he can send forth a savior born of a virgin, to live under the law to save us under the curse of the law so that, we can be a little trophy of his grace, he can always point to us as a testimony to his goodness. Ephesians 2:7

We wouldn't know how God is righteous as He is, everlastingly, and give him glory for it. If it hadn't of been for unrighteousness, we wouldn't know He's loving, as He is, if it hadn't been for sin, we wouldn't know He's holy, if it weren't for judgment.

How holy is God? So holy that He must send out of His presence, everlastingly, anyone who is not fit. Why of all this? That he might make known the riches of his glory, that is, He did all of this in order that He might gather into heaven a redeemed humanity who would forever glorify Him for all that He is. (paraphrased from Todd Friel)

bit.ly/whyevil

Have you put Jesus on like a parachute?

"Two men are seated in a plane. The first is given a parachute and told to put is on as it would improve his flight. He's a little skeptical at first because he can't see how wearing a parachute in a plane could possibly improve the flight. After a time he decides to experiment and see if the claim is true. As he puts it on he notices the weight of it upon his shoulders and he finds that he has difficulty in sitting upright. However, he consoles himself with the fact that he was told the parachute would improve the flight. So, he decides to give the thing a little time. As he waits he notices that some of the other passengers are laughing at him, because he's wearing a parachute in a plane. He begins to feel somewhat humiliated. As they begin to point and laugh at him and he can stand it no longer, he slinks in his seat, unstraps the parachute, and throws it to the floor. Disillusionment and bitterness fill his heart, because, as far as he was concerned, he was told an outright lie.

The second man is given a parachute, but listen to what he's told. He's told to put it on because at any moment he'd be jumping 25,000 feet out of the plane. He gratefully puts the parachute on; he doesn't notice the weight of it upon his shoulders, nor that he can't sit upright. His mind is consumed with the thought of what would happen to him if he jumped without that parachute.

Let's analyze the motive and the result of each passenger's experience. The first man's motive for putting the parachute on was solely to improve his flight. The result of his experience was that he was humiliated by the passengers; he was disillusioned and somewhat embittered against those who gave him the parachute. As far as he's concerned it'll be a long time before anyone gets one of those things on his back again. The second man put the parachute on solely to escape the jump to come, and because of his knowledge of what would happen to him without it, he has a deep-rooted joy and peace in his heart knowing that he's saved from sure death. This knowledge gives him the ability to withstand the mockery of the other passengers. His attitude towards those who gave him the parachute is one of heart-felt gratitude.

Now listen to what the modern gospel says. It says, "Put on the Lord Jesus Christ. He'll give you love, joy, peace, fulfillment, and lasting happiness." In other words, "Jesus will improve your flight." So the sinner responds, and in an experimental fashion, puts on the Savior to see if the claims are true. And what does he get? The promised temptation, tribulation, and persecution. The other passengers mock him. So what does he do? He takes off the Lord Jesus Christ, he's offended for the word's sake (Mark 4:17), he's disillusioned and somewhat embittered, and quite rightly so. He was promised peace, joy, love, fulfillment, and lasting happiness, and all he got were trials and humiliation. His bitterness is directed toward those who gave him the so-called "good news". His latter end becomes worse than the first: another inoculated and bitter backslider." ~(Hell's Best Kept Secret)

Does this sound familiar? Have you been duped by this doctrine? Have you put Jesus on to comfort your ride?





bit.ly/Jesusparachute

Golden Rule

"Remember the Golden Rule: He who has the gold makes the rules!"

Apparently, whoever owns the most gold, rules.

Well, that is the sentiment, and mentality, of these governments who are positioning themselves in this current financial war, the real World War III.

Just recently, Germany fired across the bow by proclaiming they will be repatriating their gold, literally tons of it, from the United States and other governments.

Max Keiser reported about it, and as I was watching the program I had a moment of pause as to what was actually happening here. The conversation about gold is everywhere now; we see many shows about mining for gold for our entertainment; many commercials and ads about taking gold off our hands, are all increasing dramatically.

Why all this gold talk?

Why Believe Jesus?

James Morey asked many questions in a previous conversation. They are all important questions, if someone is honestly seeking answers. We have seen in the past that many are not seeking answers, but seek an argument. There is a difference. While we all love to banter here I thought it would be fitting to answer these questions as a post.

First, James here is a kind man. He questions the morality of hell and Christianity. I believe at one time he claimed "I'm effectively a Buddhist/Taoist."

I am sure its safe to say that his driving force is compassion, moderation, and humility towards others. Unlike Atheists, Buddhists may have some assemblance of moral accountability. To who is another subject to discuss.

Dan,

So you would say, rather that without God there is no basis for morality, without God there would be no morality, period. So all secular or differently religious ethical systems that lead to goodness are ultimately God's doing.

...and is it fair to say that you believe it is simply impossible to be good without God, regardless of whether or not a person believes in the existence of a god?

Would it follow that the ultimate human good, in your mind, is acceptance of Jesus as god/savior, as that is what, all else excepted, "saves" you? You've written that religions that focus on works are "false," and that grace is the sole reason for salvation.

So it ultimately comes down to whether or not a person believes in Jesus as savior or not, other goodness (Godliness, to you) excepted.

...if I understand you correctly. I'm trying to figure out exactly what it is you believe so I don't ask questions of you that aren't germane to your beliefs.

Morey,

Yes, I am claiming that without God there is no good. Now, does it matter if you believe it or not? Not at all. Gravity still exists even if I don't believe in it. So, even if you have a professing atheist, they will still have morality because we have consciences that was given to us by God. Your religion may call it alaya-vijnana although I don't fully understand the term.

>>So it ultimately comes down to whether or not a person believes in Jesus as savior or not, other goodness (Godliness, to you) excepted.

Not at all!! I believed in Jesus for years as a false convert. (James 2:19) The difference is what God says that He will do to save us. Like a gift given to us we have to open it to receive it. First, we must first repent (turn away) from sinning, simply as an understanding how wretched and broken and corrupt that we really are compared to a perfect and loving God. Second, we have to trust Jesus that He did do what He did in sacrifice to save us and trust Him with our lives and our Salvation. If you do that, at that moment and for eternity, you are saved by Christ and you will spend eternity in Heaven. Fight it, deny it, and reject it then there is no other avenue but Hell.

>> I'm avoiding it because theism makes close to zero sense to me and because theistic religions in general strike me as profoundly unfair should they happen to be true.

Ray says that its a legal transaction. You have violated the law (God's Law) and Jesus has paid your fine in full.

Its not just a belief, its an understanding of ourselves and a release of ourselves to Him. Because we are separate from God in sin.

Someone else over at "To The Ends" put it nicely this way "This way back to God is not just a legal transaction, but results in an inner spiritual awakening described as a "new birth" or being "born from above" (John 3:3). This is a personal, spiritual transformation in which inner emptiness and death is replaced by new life, and "all things have become new" (2 Cor. 5:17) The key to accepting this new life is accepting Jesus himself, accepting his resurrection and his claims to be God, and then submitting yourself to his absolute authority as God over your life."

You cannot reason out of Christianity if Jesus Christ is Lord of your reasoning.

On Religions

Moshe over at carm.org said to me in the past, "That is, our religion is from the Creator. It is a result of our hope and trust in God. It is the natural fruit. False religions have stolen from God and not the other way around. False religions have a common denominator and that is there assault on the term "Justification." They are working toward their salvation. We are working as a result of our salvation...

A religion that is pure in the sight of God is a "discipline" which results and originates, from God. We do these things as a result of being justified. We do these things because God has declared us "not guilty" because of the passive/active obedience of the Messiah being given to us as a gift. His works are what save us. In contrast, the religions of the world who deny justification seek to bring their "religious" efforts to God to "save" them.

...We as believers have a beautiful religion because it is a fruit which comes from God. It starts with him and ends with him. Like I said; the religion we show is a result of what God did. It is an external response. For example, we love because he first loved us right? The false religions out there have a completely different gospel. As a result they bring their filthy rags and present then to Gtod thinking they are working their way to God. We have been made clean by [Jesus Christ]. The false religions make themselves clean."

In reference to Hell

>>because you clearly believe that this (Hell) is all not only fair, but just and merciful. Or unfair, but not to us. We're the recipients of your God's unfairness to himself...which I'm trying to make sense of.

Yes its fair. Is it fair to punish the violator of a law? Should the punishment fit the crime? If you see in the newspaper a man getting a small $20.00 fine for an infraction you would assume that the infraction was petty or small. When you find out the fine was for raping and murdering 10 woman in cold blood you would be outraged, as we all would be.

So what is the punishment for one little lie? Hell.

Why is that? Sin is always directly against God. GotQuestions.org puts it this way, "God is an eternal and infinite Being (Psalm 90:2). As a result, all sin requires an eternal punishment. God’s holy, perfect, and infinite character has been offended by our sin. Although to our finite minds our sin is limited in time, to God—who is outside of time—the sin He hates goes on and on. Our sin is eternally before Him and must be eternally punished in order to satisfy His holy justice."

I believe a sinner, without being forgiven of sins, cannot be in the presence of God because he/she would burst into flames (Genesis 32:30). God is perfect so we must be perfect to be in His presence. Without the mediator we would perish (1 Timothy 2:5). Look what happened to Saul (now Paul) he was blinded by God's holy presence of light.

The rich man is a good example of someone that understands the gravity of sinning against God and going to Hell. God loves us (John 3:16) and wants us to be saved from Hell (2 Peter 3:9).



bit.ly/whyJesus

God speaks? Collective Experiences

In light of this weekend movie release: "The X-Files: I Want to Believe" I feel it would be a good time to discuss the various experiences that people have, that they relate to God.

A conversation in Pulp Fiction came to mind where Vincent and Jules were discussing the miricle they witnessed when neither one were shot by that Man. Bullets were behind them but they were untouched. The Man completely misses every shot and is gunned down himself. While Vincent shrugs it off, Jules realizes he should be dead.

VINCENT: Yeah, we were lucky.

JULES: That wasn't luck. That was somethin else.

VINCENT: Yeah, maybe.

JULES: That was...divine intervention. Do you know what divine intervention is?

VINCENT: Yeah, I think so. That means God came down from heaven and stopped the bullets.

JULES: Yeah, man, thats what it means. Thats exactly what it means!

The conversation later continues while getting breakfast in a coffee shop (the Dennys-like place from the opening scene, about to be robbed).

JULES: I just been sittin here thinkin.

VINCENT: (mouthful of food) About what?

JULES: The miracle we witnessed.

VINCENT: The miracle you witnessed. I witnessed a freak occurrence.

JULES: Do you know what a miracle is?

VINCENT: An act of God.

JULES: Whats an act of God?

VINCENT: I guess its when God makes the impossible possible. And Im sorry, Jules, but I dont think what happened this morning qualifies.

JULES: Dont you see, Vince, that dont matter. Youre judging this thing the wrong way. Its not about what. It could be God stopped the bullets, he changed Coke into Pepsi, he found my car keys. You dont judge this based on merit. Whether or not what we experienced was an according-to-Hoyle miracle is insignificant. What is significant is I felt Gods touch. God got involved.

VINCENT: But why?

JULES: ...I dont know why. But I cant go back to sleep.

VINCENT: So youre serious, youre really gonna quit?

JULES: The life? Most definitely.

Atheists are always asking what these 'so called' experiences that people have pertaining to God. I have had many try to explain each one of them away and this is why I named it "Collective Experiences" There are many "God experiences" that removes all doubt. God's Word is vague about these encounters though.

Aimee Moiso said: My Hebrew Bible professor would say, the biblical writers were not interested in psychoanalysing the protagonists.

The Bible says God speaks through a burning bush, through angels, through farm animals. But how does he speak to us? Between these two following lists you can see vastly different personal experiences, so nothing is set in stone. (pun intended) Maybe you could add some more for us. My list is quite similar to these two with few insertions/ deletions. Personally, I should have died 5-7 times in my younger years and when I now look in my children's eyes I understand why God kept me around.

In a different blog in the past, someone asked how does God speak to me and a couple of people, who had much better answers then mine, wrote the following:

So how does God speak to me?
In no particular order:
1) Through scripture.
2) Through nature (the big things and the small).
3) Through other Christians.
4) Through other people (all truth is God breathed).
5) Through impressions in my Spirit.
6) Through dreams (very rarely in my case).
7) With an audible voice (extremely rare in my case).
8) Through seeing things with my eyes that are not actually present in the physical world (rare, but it has happened).
9) Some things I just "know" without having perceived them.
10) Through miracles.
11) Through peace, joy etc. (deeper than mere emotion).
12) Through things I have written.
13) Through science, mathematics, philosophy.
14) Through all expressions of love.
15) Through reason.
16) In music, especially (but not exclusively) gospel / worship music.

Another answered like this:

I do not know How He is speaking with you. He speaks to me most often in:

1. synchronicities…
2. impossible "coincidences"…
3. things that oddly catch my attention…
4. unfolding chains of events.
5. SYMBOLS symbolism found in my dreaming and my waking!
6. "double" meanings and "life signs"…
7. creation. everything existing in the physical world… speaks of the Spirit. everything.
8. supernatural heightening of the senses.
9. out and out "impossibilities"
10. simple spiritual intuition.

Probably most of these things can be argued away as coincidence or whatnot individually, but collectively in someone's life experiences they cannot be written off. There is a double entendre going on with this post title also. The collective experiences of the individual through one's life and collective experiences in a group of people.

These "coincidences" happen to many people all over the world. Are they all phenomena that can be explained away? Does it mean God is reaching out to us? If you are going to rebuttal and debate, then you will have to explain the phenomena as a whole collection of experiences not just each event individually.

You can experience these same experiences yourself but you have to go to God on His terms.

God will manifest himself to you as He promised in John 14:21 "He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him."

What should we do with these revelations?

Proverbs 25:2 "It is the glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honour of kings is to search out a matter."

Schooling At Home

I have been teaching my kids for a while now, their whole life even, and I cannot tell you how rewarding and fun it is to see the spark in my own children as they learn and explore about life.

I know deep down I am doing the right thing even though I hear all the naysayers, like many atheists here, speak of my inability to teach. Its just wrong and baseless. I believe they are trying to knock down some of the complete confidence I have in my decision to do so. I know with certainty that it is, and was, the right decision based on the fruit that I am witnessing. I am enjoying watching everyone collaborate on such an intimate level with various subjects and I can see how effective it is.

(Proverbs 22:6, Deuteronomy 6:7, Proverbs 6:20, Proverbs 29:17)

Fallen Away?

What about those who fall away?

Many of us know people who, at one time, walked very closely with the Lord, confessed Jesus as their Savior, went to church, read the Bible, taught the Bible, and defended the Christian faith, only to fall away, and deny Christ. Many atheists here have similar stories.

Is this proof that it is possible to lose our salvation? This is a fair question to ask, and the Scriptures answer it: 1 John 2:19 says, "They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us."

The Scripture says that if someone really is of God, if they really are saved, then they will remain. If they do not, it is because they never were saved, to begin with.

From CARM: If it is possible for us to lose our salvation, then we must ask some questions:

* What must we do to lose it?

* How much sin must we commit?

* If we stop believing, do we lose our salvation, and if we believe again, do we get it back again? (2 Corinthians 5:17)

* If we can get our salvation back again, doesn't that contradict the Scriptures, which say, "If we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins," (Hebrews 10:26)?

* If we can lose our salvation, and we must continue to believe, in order to keep our salvation, then are we in danger of keeping our salvation by being good? After all, believing in God is a good thing to do.

* If we can lose our salvation, what is to prevent someone from living in fear, not knowing what he can, or cannot do, before he loses his salvation?

* If he lives in fear of constantly losing his salvation, then how is he resting in Christ? Jesus said, “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest," (Matthew 11:28).

Is this a license to sin?

No! This is not a license to sin. The Bible says, "What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?" (Romans 6:1-2). Being secure in Christ in no way means that we can go out and sin. Anybody who would think they could do that, would be exhibiting evidence that they are not saved in the first place.

Though the members of the Body of Christ still fail, and still sin in their struggle to be more like Christ (1 John 1:7-9), their sins have all been paid for by the risen Lord Jesus, who bore their sins in His body on the cross (1 Peter 2:24). They do not need to maintain their salvation by their deeds (Gal. 3:1-3). They have rest in Christ (Matt. 11:28). They have been made clean by the blood of Jesus (1 John 1:7), and possess eternal life (John 10:28).

So how can you tell that you are saved? Many of you have heard this from me before but I never posted the list. This was taken from True and False Conversion, Ray Comfort:

What fruit will grow in a True Christians life:

1. Repentance - A 180 degree turn away from sinful behavior and towards Godly behavior.

2. Thankfulness - A thankful heart that is grateful for what God has done... and shows itself in a cheerful disposition.

3. Good Works - A life that becomes others centered (helping the aged, feeding the poor, teaching children, etc.) Not self centered (all free time consumed in personal hobbies and interests)

4. Fruit of the Spirit - An ever-growing capacity of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness and self control in the life of the believer.

5. Fruit of Righteousness - Doing the right thing according to the way God defines it in his word. Not according to the way man defines it in his own mind.

We are here to get fruit bearing Christians not decisions for Christ to fill pews.

If we understand the parable in Mark 4:3-13 then it unlocks the secret to all parables: Foolish virgin=false convert Wise virgin=Genuine conversions. The good fish, the bad fish. The man who built his house on rock and the man who built his house on sand. The one who built his house on sand is the one who hears the word of Jesus but doesn't keep them. False Convert.

6 characteristics of a False Convert:

1. Mark 4:5 - Lack depth of understanding. Immediate results impressive changes occur quickly then false convert will fall away from their faith over time and the results and changes disappear.

2. Luke 8:6 - False convert lack moisture in other words they lack the life-giving and life-sustaining power of God's word. To a false convert the Bible is dry and uninteresting and struggles with daily devotions.

3. Matthew 13:6 - False convert have no roots like a plant that dries up when the heat comes because it's roots aren't deep enough to reach water to sustain it. So is the false convert who's faith dries up where persecution comes his roots of faith don't run deep enough to reach the life sustaining water of God's word and Holy Spirit.

4. Mark 4:16 - False Converts receive the word with gladness. Hears the gospel message with gladness and really seems to latch on to it. He may express, for example, with tear filled eyes of joy. How this is the answer he's been looking for. When any test or trials comes his way, excuses become his trademark he falls away from following Jesus.

5. Matthew 13:20 - Repeats that same point false convert receive the word with joy (at first)

6. Luke 8:13 - Because they do believe for a season this is the one that fools the most people because they do believe, for a short time, the Gospel message. These false converts walk and talk a very good game. They often sincerely believe the Vital truths. That Jesus was born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, died a sacrificial death and rose from the earth and that he was fully man and fully God. they believe those things in their mind. When it comes time to deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Jesus into test and self sacrifice the false convert displays, slowly but surely, the truth that they never believed in their hearts. Never made that commitment to Christ and eventually becomes distracted by the worries and opportunities of life and lives for himself not Christ.

bit.ly/fallaway