All True Science should point to the Great Creator God (Genesis 1:1), not the contrary!
The fool has said in his heart, "There is no God." (Psalm 14:1 NKJV)
The heavens declare the glory of God;
And the firmament shows His handiwork.
Day unto day utters speech,
And night unto night reveals knowledge.
There is no speech nor language
Where their voice is not heard. (Psalm 19:1-3 NKJV)
The earth is the Lord's, and all its fullness,
The world and those who dwell therein.
For He has founded it upon the seas,
And established it upon the waters. (Psalm 24:1-2 NKJV)
Sunday, January 24, 2016
Sunday, January 10, 2016
Stand Against the Heresy of Cheap Grace
• Some heirs of the Reformation commit the heresy of cheap grace when they treat salvation as an instant heavenly passport triggered merely by:
1. Baptismal Regeneration, or
2. Birth into the Covenantal Community, or
3. Flippant Human Decision
• Justification by grace alone must issue forth in Christian Discipleship or it is merely Cheap Grace. You must be born again (i.e., regenerated).
• Dietrich Bonhoeffer
– In his famous book, The Cost of Discipleship, Bonhoeffer warned against the twin problems of works-righteousness and cheap grace.
– When God calls a man, He bids him come and die.
– The only man who has the right to say that he is justified by grace alone is the man who has left all to follow Christ.
• Karl Barth
– There is no grace without the lordship and claim of grace.
• Malcolm Yarnell
– Vocatio indicates not only the gracious divine call to salvation, but also the gracious divine command to service.
1. Baptismal Regeneration, or
2. Birth into the Covenantal Community, or
3. Flippant Human Decision
• Justification by grace alone must issue forth in Christian Discipleship or it is merely Cheap Grace. You must be born again (i.e., regenerated).
• Dietrich Bonhoeffer
– In his famous book, The Cost of Discipleship, Bonhoeffer warned against the twin problems of works-righteousness and cheap grace.
– When God calls a man, He bids him come and die.
– The only man who has the right to say that he is justified by grace alone is the man who has left all to follow Christ.
• Karl Barth
– There is no grace without the lordship and claim of grace.
• Malcolm Yarnell
– Vocatio indicates not only the gracious divine call to salvation, but also the gracious divine command to service.
The paradox or mystery of Salvation
God is the sole source and mainspring of all redemptive action, but he is not the sole actor…. One must be careful not to convert man into an automaton or robot…. To give all the glory to God in the accomplishing of our salvation is not to reduce man to nothing. Yet we must also not say that man gets some of the credit for our salvation. On the one hand is the peril of a divine determinism or fatalism…. On the other hand is an egalitarian voluntarism… The act of salvation is a paradox or mystery which defies and eludes rational comprehension.
Donald Bloesch, Essentials of Evangelical Theology, 1:201
Work Out What God Works In
Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of [his] good pleasure.
Philippians 2.12-13
Donald Bloesch, Essentials of Evangelical Theology, 1:201
Work Out What God Works In
Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of [his] good pleasure.
Philippians 2.12-13
Let's affirm that...
1. Salvation is entirely by God's gracious work from beginning to end.
2. Human merit is not in anyway involved in salvation.
3. For human will to be free, divine grace must liberate it.
4. From the beginning the human will is somehow involved in salvation. Faith involves despair in Man's power but total reliance upon God Himself alone.
5. The proper response to divine grace must eventually be doing good works.
2. Human merit is not in anyway involved in salvation.
3. For human will to be free, divine grace must liberate it.
4. From the beginning the human will is somehow involved in salvation. Faith involves despair in Man's power but total reliance upon God Himself alone.
5. The proper response to divine grace must eventually be doing good works.
Saturday, January 9, 2016
B.H. Carroll's Prayer
O blessed Spirit of God, the administrator of Jesus Christ,
breathe on Thy church and let the inspiration of the Almighty enter it!
Let us feel that Thou art a presence,
a presence that can be known,
a presence that will comfort,
a presence that will protect,
a presence that will shine on heaven and make it glitter like diamonds,
a presence that will shine on death
and make a portal of glory.
So, Spirit of God, breathe on us!
breathe on Thy church and let the inspiration of the Almighty enter it!
Let us feel that Thou art a presence,
a presence that can be known,
a presence that will comfort,
a presence that will protect,
a presence that will shine on heaven and make it glitter like diamonds,
a presence that will shine on death
and make a portal of glory.
So, Spirit of God, breathe on us!
The Bridge
There is a place I want to go,
but an obstacle I have encountered.
It is my sins that are blocking my path,
and preventing me from going any farther.
I can see the light of heaven,
but how can I possibly span this great divide?
So I wandered hopelessly through the darkness,
looking for anything that might provide,
a means of somehow traversing my sins,
so that I could get to the other side.
I tried everything that man could think of,
but these all failed to get me across.
Then I came upon a narrow bridge,
its shape in the form of a cross.
At its entrance hung a very large sign,
addressed simply to "The Lost."
So I approached the sign with caution,
and slowly began to read.
It said, "Although His holiness demands judgment,
His love desires to set all sinners free.
So be careful not to slip or stumble,
on the blood that you will see.
For it is the price that had to be paid,
to make atonement for you and me.
Forgiveness awaits all those who enter,
but to enter you must first believe,
in the one who shed this righteous blood,
so that divine satisfaction could be achieved.
For this bridge stands as the Holy testament,
to what God has so graciously done.
For He has reconciled a world of sin,
through the sacrifice of His Son.
His holiness and love collided,
at this bridge called Calvary.
There is no greater act of kindness,
that mankind will ever see.
So please step forward and put your faith,
in the one who gives us the victory.
For the blood that purchased this bridge to heaven,
came from Jesus of Galilee.
So I opened my heart and invited Him in,
and off across the bridge I went,
with the blood He shed cleansing my sin,
and to me His righteousness being sent.
Now I serve as His disciple,
helping others to know what it meant,
for God the Son to come to earth,
in the form of a humble servant.
His sinless body they did slay,
but not without His consent,
and not because He deserved to suffer,
for innocence need not to repent.
But in our place He willingly died,
so the Father is now content,
to forgive all those who believe,
of the sins that they commit.
© 2006 Michael T. Nelson
but an obstacle I have encountered.
It is my sins that are blocking my path,
and preventing me from going any farther.
I can see the light of heaven,
but how can I possibly span this great divide?
So I wandered hopelessly through the darkness,
looking for anything that might provide,
a means of somehow traversing my sins,
so that I could get to the other side.
I tried everything that man could think of,
but these all failed to get me across.
Then I came upon a narrow bridge,
its shape in the form of a cross.
At its entrance hung a very large sign,
addressed simply to "The Lost."
So I approached the sign with caution,
and slowly began to read.
It said, "Although His holiness demands judgment,
His love desires to set all sinners free.
So be careful not to slip or stumble,
on the blood that you will see.
For it is the price that had to be paid,
to make atonement for you and me.
Forgiveness awaits all those who enter,
but to enter you must first believe,
in the one who shed this righteous blood,
so that divine satisfaction could be achieved.
For this bridge stands as the Holy testament,
to what God has so graciously done.
For He has reconciled a world of sin,
through the sacrifice of His Son.
His holiness and love collided,
at this bridge called Calvary.
There is no greater act of kindness,
that mankind will ever see.
So please step forward and put your faith,
in the one who gives us the victory.
For the blood that purchased this bridge to heaven,
came from Jesus of Galilee.
So I opened my heart and invited Him in,
and off across the bridge I went,
with the blood He shed cleansing my sin,
and to me His righteousness being sent.
Now I serve as His disciple,
helping others to know what it meant,
for God the Son to come to earth,
in the form of a humble servant.
His sinless body they did slay,
but not without His consent,
and not because He deserved to suffer,
for innocence need not to repent.
But in our place He willingly died,
so the Father is now content,
to forgive all those who believe,
of the sins that they commit.
© 2006 Michael T. Nelson
Friday, January 8, 2016
A Summary of the New Testament Doctrine
• Leon Morris, upon surveying in detail the entirety of the New Testament witness to the atonement, found 14 points of agreement by its writers (Writer) concerning the cross of Christ.
1. All men are sinners.
2. All sinners are in desperate peril because of their guilt.
3. Salvation takes place only because God in His love wills it and brings it about.
4. Salvation depends on what God has done in Christ.
5. Both the Godhead and the manhood of Christ are involved in the process.
6. Christ was personally innocent.
7. While the importance of the life of Christ is not to be minimized, central importance is attached to His death.
8. In his death Christ made Himself one with sinners. He took their place.
9. By His life, death, resurrection and ascension Christ triumphed over Satan and sin and every conceivable force of evil.
10. Not only did Christ win a victory, but He secured a verdict. He wrought salvation powerfully, but also legally.
11. In His death, Christ revealed the nature of God as love.
12. In His death, Christ is man's supreme example.
13. Men are invited to make a threefold response in repentance, faith, and holy living.
14. There is a cross for the Christian as well as the Christ.
1. All men are sinners.
2. All sinners are in desperate peril because of their guilt.
3. Salvation takes place only because God in His love wills it and brings it about.
4. Salvation depends on what God has done in Christ.
5. Both the Godhead and the manhood of Christ are involved in the process.
6. Christ was personally innocent.
7. While the importance of the life of Christ is not to be minimized, central importance is attached to His death.
8. In his death Christ made Himself one with sinners. He took their place.
9. By His life, death, resurrection and ascension Christ triumphed over Satan and sin and every conceivable force of evil.
10. Not only did Christ win a victory, but He secured a verdict. He wrought salvation powerfully, but also legally.
11. In His death, Christ revealed the nature of God as love.
12. In His death, Christ is man's supreme example.
13. Men are invited to make a threefold response in repentance, faith, and holy living.
14. There is a cross for the Christian as well as the Christ.
The Seven Words from the Cross
1. Father, forgive them; they do not know what they are doing.
2. I tell you this: today you shall be with me in Paradise.
3. Woman, behold thy son! and Behold, thy mother!
4. My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?
5. I thirst.
6. It is finished.
7. Father, into thy hands I commit my spirit.
(Fulton J. Sheen, Life of Christ, ch. 49)
2. I tell you this: today you shall be with me in Paradise.
3. Woman, behold thy son! and Behold, thy mother!
4. My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?
5. I thirst.
6. It is finished.
7. Father, into thy hands I commit my spirit.
(Fulton J. Sheen, Life of Christ, ch. 49)
The Niceno-Constantineopolitan (Nicene) Creed
Πιστεύομεν εις ΄ενα Θεον Πατερα παντοκράτορα, πάντων ορατων τε και αοράτων οιητήν.
Πιστεύομεν εισ ΄ενα κύριον `Ιησουν Χριστον, τον υ΄ιον του θεου, γεννηζέντα εκ του πατρος μονογενη, τουτέστιν εκ της ουσίας του πατρός, θεον εκ θεου αληθινου, γεννηθέντα, ου ποιηθέντα, ΄ομοούσιον τωι πατρί δι οϋ τα πάντα εγένετο, τα τε εν τωι
ουρανωι και τα επι της γης τον δι ΄ημας τους ανθρώπους και δα την ΄ημετέραν σωτηρίαν κατελθόντα και σαρκωθέντα και ενανθρωπήσαντα, παθόντα, και αναστάντα τηι τριτηι ΄ημέραι, και ανελθοντα εις τους οθρανούς, και ερχόμενον κριναι ζωντασ και νεκρούς.
Και εις το ΄Αγιον Πνευμα. Τους δε λέγοντας, ΄οτι ΄ην ποτε ΄ότε οθκ ΄ην, και πριν
γεννηθηναι ουκ ΄ην, και ΄οτι εξ ΄ετερας ΄υποστάσεως η ουσιας φάσκοντας ειναι, [η κτιστόν,] τρεπτον η αλλοιωτον τον υ΄ιον του θεου, [τούτους] αναθεματίζει ΄η καθολικη [και αποστολικη] εκκλησία.
We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen.
We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one Being with the Father. Through Him all things were made. For us and for our salvation He came down from Heaven: by the power of the Holy Spirit He became incarnate from the Virgin Mary, and was made man. For our sake He was crucified under Pontius Pilate; He suffered death and was buried. On the third day He rose again in accordance with the Scriptures; He ascended into Heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and His kingdom will have no end.
We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son. With the Father and the Son He is worshiped and glorified. He has spoken through the Prophets. We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church. We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.
Πιστεύομεν εισ ΄ενα κύριον `Ιησουν Χριστον, τον υ΄ιον του θεου, γεννηζέντα εκ του πατρος μονογενη, τουτέστιν εκ της ουσίας του πατρός, θεον εκ θεου αληθινου, γεννηθέντα, ου ποιηθέντα, ΄ομοούσιον τωι πατρί δι οϋ τα πάντα εγένετο, τα τε εν τωι
ουρανωι και τα επι της γης τον δι ΄ημας τους ανθρώπους και δα την ΄ημετέραν σωτηρίαν κατελθόντα και σαρκωθέντα και ενανθρωπήσαντα, παθόντα, και αναστάντα τηι τριτηι ΄ημέραι, και ανελθοντα εις τους οθρανούς, και ερχόμενον κριναι ζωντασ και νεκρούς.
Και εις το ΄Αγιον Πνευμα. Τους δε λέγοντας, ΄οτι ΄ην ποτε ΄ότε οθκ ΄ην, και πριν
γεννηθηναι ουκ ΄ην, και ΄οτι εξ ΄ετερας ΄υποστάσεως η ουσιας φάσκοντας ειναι, [η κτιστόν,] τρεπτον η αλλοιωτον τον υ΄ιον του θεου, [τούτους] αναθεματίζει ΄η καθολικη [και αποστολικη] εκκλησία.
We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen.
We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one Being with the Father. Through Him all things were made. For us and for our salvation He came down from Heaven: by the power of the Holy Spirit He became incarnate from the Virgin Mary, and was made man. For our sake He was crucified under Pontius Pilate; He suffered death and was buried. On the third day He rose again in accordance with the Scriptures; He ascended into Heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and His kingdom will have no end.
We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son. With the Father and the Son He is worshiped and glorified. He has spoken through the Prophets. We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church. We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.
Jesus is indeed the Way, the Truth, and the Life!
Jesus Christ is indeed the Way, and the Truth, and the Life (John 14:6) as testified by the Holy Scriptures!
1 John 1:1-5; 14 NIV
1 John 1:1-5; 14 NIV
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
Philippians 2:5-11NIV
5 In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:
6 Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
7 rather, he made himself nothing
by taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
8 And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
by becoming obedient to death—
even death on a cross!
did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
7 rather, he made himself nothing
by taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
8 And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
by becoming obedient to death—
even death on a cross!
9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.
Colossians 1:15-20 NIV
15 The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. 17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. 19 For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.
Hebrews 1:1-14; 2:1-18 NIV
and gave him the name that is above every name,
10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.
Colossians 1:15-20 NIV
15 The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. 17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. 19 For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.
Hebrews 1:1-14; 2:1-18 NIV
1 In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe. 3 The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. 4 So he became as much superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is superior to theirs.5 For to which of the angels did God ever say,
“You are my Son;
today I have become your Father”?
today I have become your Father”?
Or again,
“I will be his Father,
and he will be my Son”?
and he will be my Son”?
6 And again, when God brings his firstborn into the world, he says,
“Let all God’s angels worship him.”
7 In speaking of the angels he says,
“He makes his angels spirits,
and his servants flames of fire.”
and his servants flames of fire.”
8 But about the Son he says,
“Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever;
a scepter of justice will be the scepter of your kingdom.
9 You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness;
therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions
by anointing you with the oil of joy.”
a scepter of justice will be the scepter of your kingdom.
9 You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness;
therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions
by anointing you with the oil of joy.”
10 He also says,
“In the beginning, Lord, you laid the foundations of the earth,
and the heavens are the work of your hands.
11 They will perish, but you remain;
they will all wear out like a garment.
12 You will roll them up like a robe;
like a garment they will be changed.
But you remain the same,
and your years will never end.”
and the heavens are the work of your hands.
11 They will perish, but you remain;
they will all wear out like a garment.
12 You will roll them up like a robe;
like a garment they will be changed.
But you remain the same,
and your years will never end.”
13 To which of the angels did God ever say,
“Sit at my right hand
until I make your enemies
a footstool for your feet”?
until I make your enemies
a footstool for your feet”?
14 Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?
2 We must pay the most careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away. 2 For since the message spoken through angels was binding, and every violation and disobedience received its just punishment, 3 how shall we escape if we ignore so great a salvation? This salvation, which was first announced by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard him. 4 God also testified to it by signs, wonders and various miracles, and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will.5 It is not to angels that he has subjected the world to come, about which we are speaking. 6 But there is a place where someone has testified:
2 We must pay the most careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away. 2 For since the message spoken through angels was binding, and every violation and disobedience received its just punishment, 3 how shall we escape if we ignore so great a salvation? This salvation, which was first announced by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard him. 4 God also testified to it by signs, wonders and various miracles, and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will.5 It is not to angels that he has subjected the world to come, about which we are speaking. 6 But there is a place where someone has testified:
“What is mankind that you are mindful of them,
a son of man that you care for him?
7 You made them a little lower than the angels;
you crowned them with glory and honor
8 and put everything under their feet.”
a son of man that you care for him?
7 You made them a little lower than the angels;
you crowned them with glory and honor
8 and put everything under their feet.”
In putting everything under them, God left nothing that is not subject to them. Yet at present we do not see everything subject to them. 9 But we do see Jesus, who was made lower than the angels for a little while, now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.
10 In bringing many sons and daughters to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through what he suffered. 11 Both the one who makes people holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters. 12 He says,
“I will declare your name to my brothers and sisters;
in the assembly I will sing your praises.”
in the assembly I will sing your praises.”
13 And again,
“I will put my trust in him.”
And again he says,
“Here am I, and the children God has given me.”
14 Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil— 15 and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. 16 For surely it is not angels he helps, but Abraham’s descendants. 17 For this reason he had to be made like them, fully human in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people. 18 Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.
Romans 1:1-4 NIV
1 Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God— 2 the gospel he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures 3 regarding his Son, who as to his earthly life was a descendant of David, 4 and who through the Spirit of holiness was appointed the Son of God in power by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord.
1 Corinthians 15:3-8 NIV
3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve. 6 After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, 8 and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.
1 John 1:1-3 NIV
1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. 2 The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. 3 We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.
Revelation 1:1-20 NIV
12 I turned around to see the voice that was speaking to me. And when I turned I saw seven golden lampstands, 13 and among the lampstands was someone like a son of man, dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest. 14 The hair on his head was white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. 15 His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters. 16 In his right hand he held seven stars, and coming out of his mouth was a sharp, double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance.
17 When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. 18 I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.
19 “Write, therefore, what you have seen, what is now and what will take place later. 20 The mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand and of the seven golden lampstands is this: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.
Romans 1:1-4 NIV
1 Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God— 2 the gospel he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures 3 regarding his Son, who as to his earthly life was a descendant of David, 4 and who through the Spirit of holiness was appointed the Son of God in power by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord.
1 Corinthians 15:3-8 NIV
3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve. 6 After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, 8 and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.
1 John 1:1-3 NIV
1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. 2 The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. 3 We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.
Revelation 1:1-20 NIV
1 The revelation from Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, 2 who testifies to everything he saw—that is, the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ. 3 Blessed
is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are
those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near.4 John,
To the seven churches in the province of Asia:
Grace and peace to you from him who is, and who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits before his throne, 5 and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth.
To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, 6 and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father—to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen.
7 “Look, he is coming with the clouds,”
and “every eye will see him,
even those who pierced him”;
and all peoples on earth “will mourn because of him.”
So shall it be! Amen.
and “every eye will see him,
even those who pierced him”;
and all peoples on earth “will mourn because of him.”
So shall it be! Amen.
8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.”
9 I, John, your brother and companion in the suffering and kingdom and patient endurance that are ours in Jesus, was on the island of Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. 10 On the Lord’s Day I was in the Spirit, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet, 11 which said: “Write on a scroll what you see and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea.”12 I turned around to see the voice that was speaking to me. And when I turned I saw seven golden lampstands, 13 and among the lampstands was someone like a son of man, dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest. 14 The hair on his head was white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. 15 His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters. 16 In his right hand he held seven stars, and coming out of his mouth was a sharp, double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance.
17 When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. 18 I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.
19 “Write, therefore, what you have seen, what is now and what will take place later. 20 The mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand and of the seven golden lampstands is this: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.
Thursday, January 7, 2016
The Apostles' Creed- A Traditional Summary of the Faith
• I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.
• I believe in Jesus Christ, God's only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried;
He descended to the dead.
On the third day He rose again;
He ascended into Heaven,
He is seated at the right hand of the Father,
and He will come again to judge the living and the dead.
• I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. AMEN.
creator of heaven and earth.
• I believe in Jesus Christ, God's only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried;
He descended to the dead.
On the third day He rose again;
He ascended into Heaven,
He is seated at the right hand of the Father,
and He will come again to judge the living and the dead.
• I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. AMEN.
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