FAQ For Non-Christians

[Evangelist]

One question that never fails to arise among Christians, both new and old, and sometimes among those who are just seeking, is (in my opinion) one of the most important questions that must be settled in the heart and mind.

There are a number of reasons why is needs to be settled, but I will only propose two: One is that if the question is unsettled, or wishy-washy, the believer or future believer will basically be ineffective in both personal walk and ministry. The second is that if the answer is in the negative, then any vestige of hope is ripped away, so that again, personal walk and ministry is rendered ineffective.

How can anyone tell another, or hold out a hope for something in which they themselves are not hopeful?

The question comes in many forms, but it is summed up as: Am I saved? Is there any assurance of being saved? What if I'm not strong enough to endure?

Let's begin by looking carefully at:
Eph 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: [it is] the gift of God.

This verse clearly and unequivocally states that salvation (saved) is a grace (charis), which means gift. It is something given by God. As a gift, it means exactly that....it was given, freely, willingly, and with love. It was not bought, paid for, put on layaway, or charged on a card for future payment. It is a gift, and gifts do not have strings attached.

If salvation is then a gift from God, how then can we be sure that He will not take it back?  Or what if we try to return it to Him?

Next, we look at:
Rom 11:28
As concerning the gospel, [they are] enemies for your sakes: but as touching the election, [they are] beloved for the fathers' sakes.
29
For the gifts and calling of God [are] without repentance.

Notice, this is concerning the Gospel. What is the Gospel, or good news? Simply, as has been pointed out, that "[/i]whosoever believeth in me shall NOT die, but have life everlasting (eternal)[/i].

So God is saying in His Word that the gift He has given is not one that He will recall, take back, stick in a closet when you are bad, or hide under a bushel basket.  In other words, God has a no-return policy.....and He does NOT change His mind about what He has given.

Fanny Crosby wrote a beautiful song about it, called "Blessed Assurance."

Of a truth, one who believes has this assurance, that they have been forgiven, accepted into the family, and it is eternal.  Anything less than that is the same as saying God is a liar, or an indian-giver, or requires us to work.

DO NOT get this assurance of salvation confused with those who make false professions of belief....and DO NOT fall into the trap of the devil about God going back on His word based on the actions and attitudes of those false professors.  

[Jemidon2004]

Here it is again...I hope you enjoy it!

·   Romans 12:1-2
·   What does it mean to be a sacrifice? Let alone a living sacrifice. Before you go into the analysis of that verse, go back and explain what sacrifice is
·   Webster’s Dictionary defines it as – a) an offering of the life of a person or animal, or of an object, in homage to a deity. B’ the thing offered, c) a giving up, destroying of one thing for the sake of another.
·   Sacrifice is a main issue in the Bible from the time of the Fall right up until Christ’s death.
·   Due to man’s fall, a sacrifice was needed to atone for the sin that had been committed and Abel and Cain gave the first sacrificial offering. As you know the story goes on and Abel gives God his first fruits, while Cain waits and gives God second best. God is disappointed with this second best effort given by Cain. Thus we see in this episode that we are to give God back the best we have to offer Him.
·   We find that God wants not our second best, but our best…so this is the question I want you to consider throughout this message. Are you offering God your best?

·   As the Scripture explain, God wants man to have a relationship with Him, but because of man’s sin, there can be no relationship…it is not in God’s personality that He should associate with evil. So He provides a way for man to be forgiven, through a blood sacrifice of a clean lamb. This of course foreshadows another part of God’s plan for the world.

·   In the OT the blood sacrifice was the only way for man to be cleansed of his sin, but that didn’t save him from sinning again. It was and still is our nature to sin. There is no escaping it. We are all sinners! Yet God in His Mercy provided a way of salvation. Throughout the course of the OT we see many sacrifices and offerings given to God, but this was only good for forgiveness. Not of repentance, So many times Israel turned away from God and sinned against Him.

·   So God continues to accept these offerings, but that’s not the end of it…the sin debt that had been amassed was so huge, and the amount of sacrifice it would take to justify man before God was unimaginable. As Scripture records in Romans 3:10 and 23 “There is none righteous, no not one” and “For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God” That’s God’s Words, not my own.

·   God knew that man could not save himself from his own condemnation, so following His own system of sacrifice for atonement, He sent His Son to save man from his sins. Only a perfect sacrifice would justify our sin, and have the power to cleanse us. That perfect sacrifice was Jesus of Nazareth. In John 1:32 John the Baptist says this: Behold the Lamb of God, that taketh away the sin of the world.” Until this time John knew Him as a good cousin, not as the Son  of God. We know from Scripture that Jesus Christ was guilty of nothing…He was sinless! Even His enemies found no fault in Him when they closely examined His life and His Words. Yet they still condemned Him.

·   Many have heard about the “Passion of the Christ” and about the supposed anti Semitism that is portrayed against the Jews. They say that this movie tells that the Jews killed Jesus and will spread hate to them. I’ll tell you this now, no one killed Jesus! Judas betrayed Him, Peter denied Him not once but 3 times, His disciples forsook Him, the Jews condemned Him, Pilate found no fault in Him not once but twice,  the Romans crucified Him, yet through it all He still lived. He could have called 10,000 angels to help Him, yet He didn’t! He suffered and bled for man’s sin. It was man’s sin that held Him to the Cross, the nails couldn’t have restrained Him, still He chose to give up His life in order to save man! If one actually examines the Scripture they will see that Jesus in fact ‘gave up’ His life. Check these verses out!

·   Turn to Luke 23:46 and it says this: “And when Jesus had crude with a loud voice, He said, Father into thy hands I commend my Spirit; and having said thus, He gave up the Ghost”

·   Turn to John 19:23 it says this also Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head and gave up the ghost” The greek word used is Tetelestai which is a cry of purpose, a shout of triumph. He was being sacrificed for a specific purpose and that purpose was now fulfilled! Don’t you see…Christ was a living sacrifice, the Ultimate Sacrifice.

· Yet He did it for you because He loves you and I. Check this verse out in Romans Chapter 5:8-10 Read along with me:

·   (Rom 5:  But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.(Rom 5:9)  Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.(Rom 5:10)  For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.

[Jemidon2004]

Here's the rest of it

Here is a poem that a friend wrote that may give a deeper meaning to what God says in His Word…Instead of Him being up there. We deserved to be up there suffering. Not Him! Yet in His unconditional Love, He did it anyway.

It should of been me
alone i sat, the day he died
how could life go on?
I watched as they beat him
i watched them scorn him
this man who could heal
this one who had shown nothing but love
now had died for it all
his one true friend denying
any knowledge of him
the soldiers shoved a crown made of thorns on his head
as the blood bagan to flow
they drug him to a cross
Nailing his feet and hands to it
mocking his name
as he bagan to die
shouldn't that crown be ours
should not we be the ones to die
the nails should have been in our hands
but his love for us surpassed our sin
our salvation on his mind
not his pain, not his death
just his love for us.
His voice echo's in my mind
as they take his body down
"father forgive them for they know not what they do"
how could i let an innocent man die!
the was mine.
yet i stood by and let him die
his pain was mine
yet he took it upon himself
what kind of love is this?
that causes a man to die for another
shouldn't that crown be ours
should not we be the ones to die
the nails should have been in our hands
but his love for us surpassed our sin
our salvation on his mind
not his pain, not his death
just his love for us.
three days he laid in the grave
soldiers guarding the place he lay
yet death, a grave and soldiers
couldn't hold the son of God
and he's alive forever more
·   It brings a new realization to me that in order to follow Jesus Christ we need to be living sacrifices also. In order to be a living sacrifice as Jesus is we need to examine what it really means to be a living sacrifice as I’ve shown from Chapter 12 and verse 1 from Romans.

·   To the believer a living sacrifice mean to offer up his body to God and God alone. A living sacrifice means that the believer and his/her body lives for God by serving God. It means that the believer gives up his/her own selfish ambitions and desires and serves God while proclaiming the Love of God. The body is to be offered in every act of service to God. God wants us to acknowledge all that belongs to Him and to offer ourselves daily. To live Holy lives! God tells us “Be Ye Holy, for I am Holy.” How are we to be holy? It begins with submission to God. When we submit to God and obey His commandments, we learn to live holier lives, but we cannot do it by ourselves. It is a miracle from God.

·   So let’s take a look at ourselves…let’s ask ourselves this question…Are you offering your best? What is it that I am offering up to God, what is it that I may be holding back, trying to hide from God? What is it that I don’t want to give up?

·   We as Christians need to offer ourselves to God, and listen to His will, without it, we get nowhere! So what will you give up to Him…maybe it’s pride, maybe it’s a personal issue that you’ve been holding on to, maybe it’s some physical ailment, . I don’t know, but God does and He yearns to listen to you. He wants to help you, but you have to allow Him to. Give yourself to Him, after all He gave Himself for you. So you have a choice…continue to hold on to whatever it is that’s a hindrance to your walk with Christ, or give it up to God and let Him deal with it. All it takes is the faith of a mustard seed and a little trust in your Creator, it will make all the difference.

I preached this earlier in the year, and i'm thinking of adding to it, but i'm not at a moment when I can...i'll update it when I can. Enjoy...God Bless


and DW, i ain't a pastor....yet. lol. GB

Joshua

[Soldier4Christ]

Long before Jesus Christ came to earth in the flesh, man was told of His coming and the reason for His coming. The events of His birth, life and death as recorded in the New Testament was told in the Old Testament as early as 1500 years before His birth.

Jesus' birth place prophesied:

Mic 5:2  But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.

The prophecy of being born a virgin and being called Immanuel (God with us):

Isa 7:14  Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.
Isa 7:15  Butter and honey shall he eat, that he may know to refuse the evil, and choose the good.
Isa 7:16  For before the child shall know to refuse the evil, and choose the good, the land that thou abhorrest shall be forsaken of both her kings.

Prophecy of the many names Jesus would be called and that He would be a King:

Isa 9:6  For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

Here it is prophesied that many earthly kings and rulers would be against Jesus and that He would rule over the gentiles (here called heathens):

Psa 2:1  Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing?
Psa 2:2  The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed, saying,
Psa 2:3  Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us.
Psa 2:4  He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision.
Psa 2:5  Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure.
Psa 2:6  Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion.
Psa 2:7  I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee.
Psa 2:8  Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.
Psa 2:9  Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel.
Psa 2:10  Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth.
Psa 2:11  Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling.
Psa 2:12  Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.

The prophecy of Jesus riding a donkey into Jerusalem:

Zec 9:9  Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.

The prophecy of Jesus being betrayed for 30 pieces of silver and those pieces of silver would be thrown to the potter:

Zec 11:12  And I said unto them, If ye think good, give me my price; and if not, forbear. So they weighed for my price thirty pieces of silver.
Zec 11:13  And the LORD said unto me, Cast it unto the potter: a goodly price that I was prised at of them. And I took the thirty pieces of silver, and cast them to the potter in the house of the LORD.

The prophecy of Jesus being given gall and vinegar:

Psa 69:21  They gave me also gall for my meat; and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.

It was a usual procedure to break the bones of people being executed on a cross by the Romans. This prophecy tells that Jesus would die with His bones unbroken:

Psa 34:20  He keepeth all his bones: not one of them is broken.

This prophecy tells of His execution, His hands being pierced and those mourning for Him:

Zec 12:10  And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.

The prophecy on Jesus being afflicted, thrown into prison, whipped and dying for the sins of many:

Isa 53:2  For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.
Isa 53:3  He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
Isa 53:4  Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
Isa 53:5  But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.
Isa 53:6  All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.
Isa 53:7  He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.
Isa 53:8  He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken.
Isa 53:9  And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth.
Isa 53:10  Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.
Isa 53:11  He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.
Isa 53:12  Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

The prophecy of Jesus' clothes being parted by lots amongst the Roman soldiers:

Psa 22:16  For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have inclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet.
Psa 22:17  I may tell all my bones: they look and stare upon me.
Psa 22:18  They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture.

The prophecy of Jesus' resurrection and the resurrection of the saints with Him:

Isa 26:19  Thy dead men shall live, together with my dead body shall they arise. Awake and sing, ye that dwell in dust: for thy dew is as the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out the dead.

All of these prophecies came true. According to Louis S. Lapidesm, M.DIV., TH.M. in The Case for Christ, coincidence is not a reasonable explanation. “The odds are so astronomical that they rule that out. Someone did the math and figured out that the probability of just eight prophecies being fulfilled is one chance in one hundred million billion. That number is millions of times greater than the total number of people who’ve ever walked the planet!”

Jesus Christ fulfilled all of these and many other prophecies. For this to occur, God had to know the future and then communicate it to human beings. Both testaments of the Christian Bible receive tremendous credibility as the text documenting the communication. The identity of Jesus Christ as God’s Son is solidly confirmed.

[nChrist]

Brothers,

AMEN!

I'm away from home, so I'm just now being able to enjoy these beautiful Gospel messages. I was just thinking what a wonderful way this is to begin a New Year. Love and appreciation for what our precious Jesus did for us and keeps doing for us is a matter of great joy and peace.

The world is in a continual search for peace, but the world won't find it. The world is also in a continual search for joy, but the best the world will find is a sad, fake, and temporary joy without Jesus. The only true peace and joy is in Jesus.

Christians have experienced the REAL peace and joy. Many people wonder why Christians want to tell others about Jesus. Well, peace and joy are just the beginnings of belonging to Jesus. Much of the world is also desperate for love. If you don't belong to Jesus, you really don't know what REAL LOVE is.

The world has made the word "Love" a cheap and many times meaningless term. Jesus Christ was crucified on the cross and died willingly to rescue us from the curse of sin and death. He gave Himself for us and actually took the punishment we deserve in His own body. Jesus was perfect and without sin, yet he was condemned to die one of the most horrible deaths ever devised. Men were and are GUILTY, but Jesus was pure, without spot or blemish, and NOT GUILTY. The best example of REAL LOVE is Jesus Christ willingly dying on the Cross for us. Jesus Christ could have destroyed the earth with a whisper, BUT INSTEAD - He humbled Himself and died - THE JUST FOR THE UNJUST. In other words, HE WAS THE RIGHTEOUS, and HE died for the unrighteous. There is no greater LOVE than this.

It's hard to imagine that Almighty God, THE CREATOR, would humble Himself, take the form of a man, and die on the Cross for us. He was and is the ONLY PERFECT SACRIFICE because He was and is completely HOLY. It is HIS precious blood that washes away our sins. HIS SACRIFICE is a GIFT to all who will believe and ask HIM to come into their hearts as Lord and Saviour. He will forgive you, regardless of how many bad things you have done in your life. HIS BLOOD will wash your sins away, and you will belong to JESUS.

Haven't you waited long enough? Isn't it time for you to give your heart to JESUS? TODAY, the first day of a NEW YEAR is a good day for you to accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour forever. Every day is a good day to let JESUS save you and forgive you of your sins, but won't you stop right now and think about JESUS?

Love In Christ,
Tom

[Evangelist]

For those who are humanistic evolutionists (believe that everything evolved from nothing), I would like to caution you to be very careful.

For those Christians who tend to follow the evolutionary worldview, also be very careful.

Following such ideas will make a monkey out of you.  

[Jemidon2004]

 

Joshua

[Shammu]

Inspiration of the Bible

The Bible asserts extraordinary claims concerning its contents. It claims to be the inspired word of God. This entails the idea that God guided or influenced in a direct manner the men who wrote the Bible such that the words written are those that God intended to have written. The question of biblical inspiration can be resolved by thoughtful examination of the Bible's contents. The first step is to read and study the Bible.

The individual interested in resolving the question of biblical inspiration must be personally involved in the effort. Personal examination of the Bible's content allows one to make an informed judgment. There is a big difference between reading the Bible and reading someone's comments about the Bible. Depending upon another person's judgment is unsatisfactory since there is no way to reliably know beforehand that the other person will come to the same conclusion as you would. Another person's judgment is unsuitable as a substitute for your own. Thus, a personal examination of the Bible combined with personal judgment is essential.

The characteristics of the Bible provide a wealth of content that makes deception difficult. The Bible is composed of many books written by different men with diverse backgrounds over many hundreds of years. The Bible discusses many different subjects and historical events covering thousands of years. It contains commands on how life should be lived, stories and teachings that form a highly inter-related message, and a tremendous number of details. It becomes increasingly difficult to conceal lies as the number of people and details involved increase in number.

It may help to provide a few suggestions on how to approach your study and assessment of the Bible's message. Take your time and make final judgments only after sufficient study and meditation. In your attempt to understand the Bible's message, take into account the context of the passage and reconcile the scriptures with one another. What appears to be a contradiction can arise due to a number of causes other than a false message. You should expect to encounter difficult to understand passages. Write down questions that you have concerning the Bible's message. A good starting point is a study of the life, death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ in the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, and Acts.

The doctrine of Biblical Inspiration is fundamental to evangelical Christianity. Without this essential notion, the uniqueness and authority of the Bible is destroyed. The Bible just becomes one of many ancient books and the truths of historic Christianity are reduced to a collection of religious myths.

The word "inspiration" is a legacy of the rendering in the King James Version of the Greek word theopneustos in 2 Timothy 3:16, which is a hapax legoma in the New Testament. The word literally means God-breathed so using the word "inspiration" to describe this doctrine is a little misleading. The idea is God breathing out rather than God breathing in (Packer, "Inspiration" in New Bible Dictionary). Therefore the New International Version renders it as "God breathed".
2 Timothy 3:16[/b] All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness. (KJV)

It has said that inspiration is the supernatural act of the Holy Spirit guiding the Biblical authors, making use of their own personalities to write what He wanted them to write and ensuring that what they wrote was accurate, reliable and without error. The Holy Spirit guided the authors in selecting which material to include and how that material was to be presented and arranged according to that author’s style and personality. Inspiration implies the Bible is God's authorative self-revelation calls the Scriptures "God's own testimony and teaching in human form".

By rejecting inspiration and authority, people have found a way to remove the absolutes from the Bible, making it all relative. Many truths have been stripped out and labeled as scientifically or historically incorrect or simply cultural. Easy divorce and remarriage are examples of this. Therefore the Bible is made to echo only what the current morality says instead of standing as judge of this morality.

God has caused his message to be recorded in the Bible, then we would expect him to use communication that is simple and understandable. So when we interpret the Bible we must approach it as if it is God’s plain word to us, spoken through His prophets in time-space history, and is to be taken literally and accepted completely. This notion rules out ripping apart the text to discover the actual historical words used or reconstructing hypothetical sources because the Bible is inspired and authoritative as it is. This also rules out the rationalization of miracles and other supernatural events. Narratives should be taken as literal and historical rather than analogized unless the context indicates otherwise because, unlike other religions, the Bible is rooted in history.

The Bible is God’s authoritative word to humanity, set in history. It is understandable, eternally relevant, always applicable and completely sufficient for all our spiritual, philosophical and psychological needs although it does not always satisfy our curiosities. But it is when the Bible is read, understood and obeyed that it truly becomes the inspired and authoritative word of God.

2 Tim 3:12-15 Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. 13 But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived. 14 But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them; 15 And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.

Bob

[nChrist]

Dreamweaver,

AMEN BROTHER!!

It's an absolute fact that the Holy Bible is the inspired WORD OF GOD. It is HIS WORD!

Love In Christ,
Tom

Psalms 32:10  Many sorrows shall be to the wicked: but he that trusteth in the LORD, mercy shall compass him about.

[Raoooul]

SALVATION - HOW TO BE SAVED - "BORN AGAIN" - Part One

From my web page: http://www.sirinet.net/~blkidps/besaved.html

Also See One Gospel:  http://www.sirinet.net/~blkidps/gospel.html


WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW FIRST:

If we need to know this 1st, then why is it no where mentioned in the bible of Iesus ?

[nChrist]

SALVATION - HOW TO BE SAVED - "BORN AGAIN" - Part One

From my web page: http://www.sirinet.net/~blkidps/besaved.html

Also See One Gospel:  http://www.sirinet.net/~blkidps/gospel.html


WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW FIRST:

If we need to know this 1st, then why is it no where mentioned in the bible of Iesus ?

Raoooul,

If you have a Holy Bible, go to and read the many Scripture references given. There are also many Scriptures posted completely in this thread and many others. Just read them. This is the main reason why so many Christians posted this information.

It would also help if you read entire Chapters of the Holy Bible, not just the Scriptures posted. If you don't have a Bible, please let me know. There are many On line Bibles that you can use on the Internet.

Love In Christ,
Tom

Psalms 100:1-5  Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands. Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing. Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.

[Raoooul]

Why should I believe the Bible over other books?

General info on the Bible
The Bible consists of 66 books: 39 in the OT and 27 in the new.  The Bible took about 1600 years to write. It was written in three languages (Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek) by about 40 authors and is internally consistent throughout.

But this is just not the case, as the NT is constantly contradicting the bible of Iesus, and itself.

Reliability of the Bible
A. The Bible is 98½ percent textually pure. Through all the copying of the Biblical manuscripts of the entire Bible, only 1½% has any question about it. Nothing in all of the ancient writings of the entire world approaches the accuracy of the biblical documents.

Ah, but if you remove the NT and only deal with the bible of Iesus, then it rises to 100% reliability.  As all of the contradictions and problems originate in the NT.

B. The 1½ percent that is in question does not affect doctrine. The areas of interest are called variants and they consist mainly in variations of wording and spelling.

Also, not true, as the diety of Iresus is at the heart of most of the mistranslation in the Christian messianic prophecies.

...Prophecies of the Bible
Odds of Jesus filling the prophecies:  
i  The odds of Jesus fulfilling 48 of the 61 major prophecies concerning Him are 1 in 10157; that is a one with 157 zeros behind it.  By comparison, the estimated number of electrons in the entire known universe is about 1079; that is a one with 79 zeros behind it.

Ah, but since the only messianic prophecies  that were fulfilled by Iesus were ones that cannot be proven, and must be accepted on faith alone.

Virgin Birth Prophecy
i   Isaiah 7:14, "Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel."
Note:  the Jews who translated the Septuagint (Greek Translation of the Hebrew Old Testament) translated Isaiah 7:14 as the word virgin, not young maiden.

No one knows who translated the LXX of today.  2nd, the word in the LXX that we read as virgin in most English versions does not mean "virgin" in either the Hebrew or the Greek:(Isa 7:14BBE)  For this cause the Lord himself will give you a sign; a young woman is now with child, and she will give birth to a son, and she will give him the name Immanuel.
(Isa 7:14 GNB)  Well then, the Lord himself will give you a sign: a young woman who is pregnant will have a son and will name him 'Immanuel.'
(Isa 7:14 MSG)  So the Master is going to give you a sign anyway. Watch for this: A girl will get pregnant. She'll bear a son and name him Immanuel (God-With-Us).
(Isa 7:14 JPS)  Therefore the Lord Himself shall give you a sign: behold, the young woman shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

Here are 4 translations that do not state the word "virgin"

H5959
עלמה
‛almâh
al-maw'
Feminine of H5958; a lass (as veiled or private): - damsel, maid, virgin.
G3933
παρθένος
parthenos
par-then'-os
Of unknown origin; a maiden; by implication an unmarried daughter: - virgin.

As any scholar knows the Strong's was written with the specific intent of supporting the KJV translation.  As such Strong's gives his translation of each word 1st.  And if the KJV used a different word to translate it wold always appear after the "-".  But this did not mean that it was the correct translation of the word in question.

Born in Bethlehem
i   Micah 5:2 "But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times."
ii   Matt. 2:1, "After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem

But was Iesus born in Beth-Lechem ?
(Luk 2:4 WEB)  Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David...

And the distotions of Luke aside, Where is the city of David biblically ?  (2Sa 5:7 WEB)  Nevertheless David took the stronghold of Zion; the same is the city of David.

Preceded by a messenger
i   Isaiah 40:3, "A voice of one calling: 'In the desert prepare the way for the LORD; make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God.'"
ii   Matt. 3:1-2, "In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the Desert of Judea and saying, 'Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.'"

Ah, but whom is this prophet to be ?  The whole reason that Christianity rearranged the Jewish bible was to put this verse right before the book of Matthew.  
(Mal 4:5 Webster)  Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD:

But did Eliyahu come fefore Iesus ?  Only if he was John the Baptist.  So, what did John say about being Ehiyahu the prophet ?
(Joh 1:25 Webster)  And they asked him, and said to him, Why baptizest thou then, if thou art not that Christ, nor Elijah, neither that prophet?
(Joh 1:21 Webster)  And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elijah? and he saith, I am not. Art thou that prophet? And he answered, No.
So, this is another prophecy not fulfilled.

Side Pierced
i  Zech. 12:10, "And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication. They will look on me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one mourns for an only son."
ii   John 19:34, "Instead, one of the soldiers pierced Jesus' side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water."

An unfulfilled prophecy.  Try reading it in context, these events have never happened.

Crucifixion
i   Psalm 22:16-18, "a band of evil men has encircled me, they have pierced my hands and my feet. I can count all my bones; people stare and gloat over me. They divide my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing."

A mistranslation.  (Psa 22:16 JPS)  (22:17) For dogs have encompassed me; a company of evil-doers have inclosed me; like a lion, they are at my hands and my feet.
(Psa 22:17 JPS)  (22:18) I may count all my bones; they look and gloat over me.
(Psa 22:18 JPS)  (22:19) They part my garments among them, and for my vesture do they cast lots.
I see no crucifixion in these verses.

[Raoooul]

I was just reflecting on some questions:

Why should I believe the Bible over other books?

Why do you think that Jesus Christ is real?

Iesus is, as the messiah, i see no proof.

If there is a loving God, why would he condemn people to hell?

And why do you assume that the Christian hell exist ?

If there is a God, why did he create evil and allow such suffering, pain, and grief for His creation?

(Isa 45:7 Webster)  I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things.

Evil is merely the opposite of peace, as kight is the opposite of darkness.

If there is a real God, why doesn't He simply make all people saved and good?

Then how would you have free will ?  And without free will there would be no reward of heaven.

If God is real, wouldn't that make Him the author of all wars, disasters, mass starvation, and all of the other suffering of mankind?

Why ?

Someone told me that God either hates us or loves us before we are ever born, so why should we try to learn about a God who has already made up His mind about us?

And was this person perfect in all things ?

If God is real, why doesn't he make all the preachers get their stories right and say the same thing?

Are any of them correct ?

[nChrist]

Raoooul,

If you are here to preach or teach a religion without Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour, ALMIGHTY GOD:

There is no pulpit on Christians Unite for that;

It won't be done here.

If you have questions, we will try to help you. Most of your questions are already answered and heavily documented here from the Holy Bible. All you have to do is open your eyes and read them. I would ask you to do more than just open your eyes and read them - STUDY THEM.

Let me repeat:  Religious doctrines without Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour, ALMIGHTY GOD, will NOT be posted on Christians Unite.

Moderator

[Shammu]

Ephesians 2:22     And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.

Do you have to go to church to be a Christian? It sure does help a lot! Paul wrote the book of Ephesians. It was a letter to people who were already Christians. In this part of Ephesians he was talking about how we are an important part of the church. Most of the time when we think of church we think of a building. It's not! A church is a group of people, Christians. Every Christian is a part of the church, even if they don't go to one. If we don't attend a church we aren't doing our part to hold the church together. And, we can't have the support of the other parts (Christians) of the church. Paul was telling us that when we come together as a church we become the dwelling place for God. We need the friendship, worship, teaching, and preaching. We also need to be a part of it!

These days if you need bread or milk you go to the store and pay money for it. The same thing if you need a doctor visit, karate lessons, a pair of jeans or a bicycle (unless you win one by becoming a member!). A long time ago, though, people didn't have or need money. Although people still lived in houses with their close family, the community of hundreds of people was sort of a family and they all depended on each other. They used what is called the "barter" system. They all lived in a big community and swapped services.  You might bake bread and swap it for a toy. You might have laying hens and swap eggs for piano lessons. And people shared in church, too. They would all get together. Some would sing, some teach, some listen, some pray, whatever their gift or talent was.

Then people started making money to make the barter system better. The community was less dependent on each other. Instead of having to know your neighbor to swap goods, you just took your money and pay the price they had set for their product. We started getting independent about church, too. If we don't need our neighbors, do we need the church? Isn't just having God OK? We can send our tithes to the TV preacher. We can call a relative's pastor and pay him $50 to marry us or bury us.

There are a lot of places in the Bible where it tells us to use our gifts and talents for God. It tells us to stay away from unbelievers. Where are we going to meet believers or use our talents if we don't go to church? When you get to dating age, are you going to find a Christian husband or wife at a party? Chances are, you won't.  You have a better chance in a church!

Paul said in our scripture that we are being built together as a dwelling place for God. If we don't become a part of the church we will be weak. We will not be built up on the foundation of the church, the prophets, apostles, with Jesus as the chief cornerstone. Imagine that all Christians are bricks. All of the bricks are being put together to form a building. Those that attend will be cemented together and strong. If you are not cemented with the others, you will still be a brick, but just thrown out in the yard. Since you are not cemented with the others, it will be easy for someone to steal you, drop and break you, or just be covered with dirt and grass that builds up. Either way, it's hard for you to be close to God. The bricks that are cemented together have a lot better chance of standing the test of time and weather.

John 1:32  Behold the Lamb of God, that taketh away the sin of the world.”
Bob