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Monday 18 March 2013

Just what is a Christian?



A Christian is not somebody who follows the ethical and moral structures of Jesus, because a person can do this and still deny that Jesus Christ is the eternal God in the living form. It’s done all the time. There are people all over the world following morality and ethics very close to Christianity who are not Christians. What we have to do is determine how to define words “Christian”. For that we must to go to the scriptures.

A “Christian” in the New Testament is somebody who believed that Jesus Christ was the Messiah of Israel and the savior of the World; that He died on the cross in the place of our sins; that His blood is atonement for our sins; that He rose bodily from the grave and ascended to heaven; and that He will come again to judge the living and the dead.

A great quote by Dr. Walter Martin, “A Christian is not defined by the life lived, but the beliefs believed. Therefore while a certain type of behaviour flows, from the Christian’s beliefs it is not the behaviour but the beliefs themselves that define what a Christian is.”

Source: Dr. Walter Martin, Martin Under Fire, Audio Tape #4

Where to look in the Bible?

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yX-2qkFVNN4/TwTtoxJkzII/AAAAAAAABJs/z3cjaDUqKpA/s1600/open-bible2.jpg

I wonder if God can forgive me:  Mark 2:1-12, 1 John 1:8, 1 John 2:2, Matthew 12:31
I am stressed out: Matthew 6:25-34, 1 Peter 5:7
I am afraid of devil: Mark 1:21-27, James 4:7
Am I a ‘real’ as a Christian: Mark 4:3-20, 1 John 2:4, 1 John 3:16-19
What is the cost to follow Jesus: Mark 8:34-38, Romans 12:1-2
Is being a Christian worth it: Mark 10:28:31, Romans 8:17
I want to give up: Hebrews 4:14-16, Hebrews 10:35-39
I am holding a grudge: Mark 11:25, Ephesians 4:26-27
I find hard to forgive: Matthew 18:21-35, Colossians 3:12-15
I wonder if I should I obey law: Mark 12:13-17, Romans 13:1-7
I want to do the most important thing in Life: Mark 12:28-34
I want to know about the end of the world: Matthew 24:36-51, Mark 13
I am tempted with sex/drugs: 1 Corinthians 6:12-20, 1 Corinthians 10:13
I need strength: Philippians 4:12-13
I am unable to handle church: Hebrews 10:25, Hebrews 13:17
I am being hassled being a Christian: John 15:18-21, 1 Peter 4:12-19
I am being tempted to do wrong: 1 Corinthians 10:13
What about being rich: James 5:1-6
Should I watch my language: Ephesians 4:29, James 3:2-12
I am having issues with my parents: Ephesians 6:1-4
I am having doubts about praying: Matthew 7:7-12, Luke 11:1-8
We will be adding more verses, but we would really appreciate if you can post your “Situation” in the comments section below, as we further plan to expand this article. God bless you!

Monday 11 March 2013

What is Trinity?





In the nature of God, there are three persons, Father, Son and the Holy Spirit.

In other words, all three persons are one God.  We can perceive 3 distinct persons and not 3 gods within the unity.

According to John 17:22, it says, “The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one.” We generally interpret the bible’s New Testament in the light of Old Testament.

If New Testaments says are 3 persons are God, then that means 3 persons are Jehovah or Yahweh or YHVH. If 3 persons are one Jehovah, the God is one and likewise 3 persons are one. The debate gets over here.



Now let us take few questions:


1- Is there any person “The Father” in the New Testament and is He called God?



2 Peter 1:17 says, For when he [Jesus] received honor and glory from God the Father, and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” If we further read John 8:54, it says, Jesus answered, “If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing. It is my Father who glorifies me, of whom you say, ‘He is our God.’ From these two verses, we see that we have found two things, 1) there is a person, ‘The Father.’ 2) Father is God.

Now let us read from Mark 12:2, Jesus answered, “The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.”



2- Is there any person like “The Son” and is He identified as ‘YHVH’?



Let us read from the Gospel of John 8:57-58, So the Jews said to him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham? Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.” Here we see, that there is “Jesus, who is claiming Himself as YHVH. Another clear example according to revelation 1:8, it says, “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.” In its cross reference, Revelation 22:12-13 says, “Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay each one for what he has done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.” I think this is pretty clear since even according to Jehovah’s Witnesses, Alpha and Omega is the YHVH. Now, according to Revelation 1:17-18, it says “When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand on me, saying, “Fear not, I am the first and the last (Alfa and Omega), and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades.” Now let us checkout an amazing verse from the Old Testament which further proves the same in Isaiah 44:6, Thus saith Jehovah, the King of Israel, and his Redeemer, Jehovah of hosts: I am the first, and I am the last; and besides me there is no God.



Now let us compare these two questions as mentioned above in the light of Gospel. Let us read from the Gospel of John 10:30-33, it says, “I and the Father are one. The Jews picked up stones again to stone him. Jesus answered them, “I have shown you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you going to stone me?” The Jews answered him, “It is not for a good work that we are going to stone you but for blasphemy, because you, being a man, make yourself God.”


3- Is Holy Spirit YHVH?


Acts 5:3-4 says, But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back for yourself part of the proceeds of the land? While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not at your disposal? Why is it that you have contrived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God.” Now here we see, Peter is talking about Holy Spirit, also, Peter warns that you have lied to YHVH i.e. GOD.

Now what we conclude here is, if there is only one YHVH, which means there is only one God, where as in the 3 questions above, we see that these three persons are proved as one YHVH. In other words, the doctrine of TRINITY is true.



Image Source: http://dbmz6k5r32451.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/Trinity1.png