Be Diligent…

Okay, this is another one of those things that I just wanted to investigate.  I find it very difficult to believe any sane person could swallow this philosophy, but several sites I read say that at least 40% of all Americans say that they believe in reincarnation!  And that includes those who also claim to be  “born again Christians.”  So, let us proceed to investigate.

• Hinduism   Now the world’s third largest religion, Hinduism dates back to about  about 1500BC to 1400 BC.  It places its teachings in four main sources: the Vedas (considerated the most important), the Upanishadas, the Mahabharata, and the Ramayana.  All of these teach that reincarnation must occur until a soul realizes that he is part of Brahman, and then he will be “enlightened” and cease being reincarnated.  They also teach Kharma…that however you are in this life determines what you will be in your next life.  That is, if you are really good, you will be reborn into a higher caste, but if you have not done your best, you will be reborn into a  lower caste.
• Sikhism   Invented by Nanak, Sikhism was an attempt to harmonize Islam and Hinduism.  He taught reincarnation and karma exist until you achieve union with God by devotion and chanting.
• Jainism   In the 6th Century, Mahavira reformed Hinduism.  He taught that there is no Supreme Being.  He  completely renounced 1) killing living things, 2)greed, 3) lying, 4) sexual pleasure, and 5) worldly attachments.  Since he taught that all followers should avoid women entirely as they were the source of all evil, one wonders how the sect continues!
• Shirley McClain  Actually, I am using Shirley McClain as a representative of many others.  She claims that she firmly believes that she has lived several lives before.  She cites Edgar Cayce and Bridie Murphy as “proof.”  The problem with these people is that several of them claim to have been the same person in the past!  Some of the favorites are Napolean, Cleopatra, and various royal personages.

Okay, so what should a Christian believe?  Well, what does the Bible say?  Actually, God knew this might be a problem today, so he had the Holy Spirit to inspire the Hebrews writer to write: It is appointed unto man once to die and after this the judgment. (Emphasis mine.)  (Hebrews 9:27)  I guess that settles the question, does it not?  Reincarnation does not exist.

What say ye?

Posted on April 19th, 2012 by doc
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I have definitely had some heavy articles lately.  Guilty!  So, while our minds are light with the thought of the resurrected Christ, I thought it appropriate to talk about joy.

First of all, some think that what the New Testament writers wrote is not really important because it is not what Jesus, Himself, said.  Not so!  In John 14:16,  John 14:26, John 15:26, and John 16:7, Jesus tells us that He will send the Holy Comforter to remind the Apostles of all that He had taught them. In the New Testament, the word “joy” is used in 60 verses, and the word “rejoice” is used in 41 verses. Since we believe that all Scripture is inspired by God (II Timothy 3:16), it follows that the Holy Spirit inspired the Scriptural writers  with what they should write,and, therefore, whatever they wrote was from God, and should be both believed and followed.  That having been said, let’s investigate joy.

We are commanded to be joyful and to rejoice.  In Romans 12:15, Paul wrote, “Rejoice with them that do rejoice…”  Yes, Paul wrote it, and, because the Holy Spirit directed him to write it, it is a command! In Romans 15:10, Paul quotes a line from Deuteronomy 32:43, which says that we are to “Rejoice, ye Gentiles…”  Paul also wrote a verse that we all have memorized, “Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord.  Rejoice in the Lord alway: again I say, Rejoice.” (Philippians 3:1)   In like manner, we have I Thessalonians 5:16, where Paul wrote simply “Rejoice evermore.”  We get the same message from John, when he says, “Let us be glad and rejoice and give honor to Him:” (Revelation 19:7)

In a slightly different mode, we are told in Romans 14:17, “For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.”  Are you in the kingdom of God, the church?  Then you are to partake of the fruit of the Spirit, as we are told in Galatians 5:22, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,”

But, you protest, sometimes bad things happen.  Surely, God does not expect me to be happy then!  Wrong, again!   James tells us “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various temptations;”  (James 1:2)  And Peter tells us “But rejoice  inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; then, when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy.”  (I Peter 4:13)

And we have so much to be joyful about!  In the USA, so far, we live in a time and a place where we are neither prosecuted nor persecuted when we worship the One and Only True and Living God, the mighty Jehovah, and His blessed Son, Christ Jesus.  We have adequate food and clean water.  We have access to sufficient clothes and shelter.  We breath clean air.  We have easy access to a Bible, and to faithful churches if we care to look for them.

Friends, God has truly blessed us, and we have NO excuse not to be joyful.  Rejoice!

What say ye?

Posted on April 12th, 2012 by doc
Filed under: Authority of Scripture, Joy, Word study | Comments Off

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That is a fearful short quote.  I think we should take a good look at what God has said:

Do not be deceived, God is not mocked: for whatever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.

Let’s look at the verse through the eyes of the Greek scholar, Thayer:

• deceived  to roam from the truth, go astray, err
• God  the Supreme Deity
• mocked  ridiculed, made fun of
• soweth  scattered seed
• reap  harvest

In essence, the verse tells us that we go astray from the truth and err if we believe that we can trick or ridicule the Supreme Diety—God—because whatever it is that we do, whether good or evil, we will harvest the same thing, just as the farmer who plants corn harvests corn.  I weep for my beloved country because we are certainly, not everyone but as a nation, attempting to ridicule the laws of God, and seem to believe that it is all right.  I am not going to give a full discourse on each item, for I have done that in previous articles, but just look at the ways we attempt to mock God:

• Abortion, including the new abomination in which the Ethics Commission of the American Medical Association has said that it is OK to have “after-birth abortion”—that  is, it is no worse to kill a baby after birth if you don’t want it than it would have been to have an abortion before birth.  I fully agree in that, but, then, I hold that any abortion, regardless of the time, is an abomination and is surely murder in God’s eyes.
• Homosexuality
• Fornication and adultery—living together before marriage
• Lewd dress
• Suggestive songs, movies, and TV shows
• Drugs
• Teaching of evolution as a fact
• Women preachers, song leaders, and other church officers
• Substituting doctrines of men for the Word of God  (Matthew 15:9; Mark 7:7; Colossians 2:22)
• Putting people on public doles who refuse to work when they are able  (II Thessalonians 3:10)

I could continue in like fashion for several more, but I know you know what I mean.  Friends, our country is headed the way of all flesh.  Do any of us, as christians, stand up and try to tell the truth about our situation?  It is critically evident that our nation has forsaken God.

So, what does God say about this?  …vengeance is Mine;  I will repay, thus sayeth the Lord  (Romans 12:19)  Did you catch that?  We are not to deceive ourselves, because our God will take vengeance on those who try to mock Him and do not obey His Word.  ( II Thessalonians 1:8)  After all, the Hebrew writer has warned us that It is a fearful thing to fll into the hands of the living God.  (Hebrews 10:31)

What say ye?

Posted on April 5th, 2012 by doc
Filed under: Abomination, abortion, Authority of Scripture, Mocking God, Revenge, Word study | Comments Off

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As I have said before, sometimes I really enjoy writing these blog articles because I get to “philosophize” on things that interest me at the time.  This is one of those times.  I want to talk about time.  But bear with me.  There will be a very important point to my rambling.

In Genesis 1:14, God is quoted as saying:  Let there be lights in the firmament of Heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs and for seasons, and for days and for years:

Whether you believe in God or not, this still holds true.  Let us examine it carefully:

• Day  Whether you count a day from 6 PM to 6 PM, as did the Jews, or from midnight to midnight, as did the Romans and as do we, no matter where you are on the globe called Earth, the measure of a day is approximately 24 hours, the time the rotation of the earth takes for the sun to be directly overhead on two successive daylight periods.  No, it is not exactly 24 hours, but close enough for this discussion.
• Month  Our calendar months today do vary in the number of days, but the lunar month is steady.  Basically, it is the time necessary for the moon to make one revolution of the earth.
• Seasons  These are determined by  the tilt of the earth on its axis.  As the “north” tilts more toward the sun, we, in the USA, have what we call summer.  As the “north” tilts more away from the sun, we have winter.  During the time of the tilting, we have spring or autumn.  It is interesting to note that, generally,  spring begins with the vernal equinox (length of day and night roughly equal) on March 21 each year, autumn begins with the autumnal equinox on September 21 each year, summer begins with the summer solstice (longest period of daylight) on June 21 each year, and winter begins with the winter solstice (shortest daylight period of the year) on December 21 each year.  These can be determined by repeated observations.
• Year  A year is the time it takes for the earth to make one elliptical revolution around the sun.  On Earth, it is approximately 365 1/4 days, so every four years we have a leap year to account for the extra one-fourth day of each year.

Having said that, what is my point?  I’m getting there.  Just one more observation.  Anyone who has sight can observe the heavens and the two great lights God has made and determine for themselves that there are days, months, and years.  In fact, as far back as we have recorded history, man has been able to do this…and has done so, witness Stonehenge in England and Chichen Itza in Mexico, for example.  It does not take a modern rocket scientist to determine days, months, seasons, and years, does it?

OK, here it is.  If you don’t believe in God, if you discount the Genesis account with God accomplishing all creation in six days and resting on the seventh day…HOW DO YOU ACCOUNT FOR A SEVEN DAY WEEK?

What say ye?

Posted on March 29th, 2012 by doc
Filed under: Authority of Scripture, Bible study, Time | 4 Comments »

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Abominable, Abomination

A. Adjectives.

1. athemitos (G111) occurs in Act_10:28, “unlawful,” and 1Pe_4:3, “abominable” (a, negative, themitos, an adjective from themis, “law”), hence, “unlawful.” see UNLAWFUL.

2. bdeluktos (G947), Tit_1:16, is said of deceivers who profess to know God, but deny Him by their works.

B. Verb.

bdelusso

C. Noun.

bdelugma

(G946), akin to A, No. 2 and B, denotes an “object of disgust, an abomination.” This is said of the image to be set up by Antichrist, Matthew_24:15; Mark_13:14; of that which is highly esteemed amongst men, in contrast to its real character in the sight of God, Luke_16:15. The constant association with idolatry suggests that what is highly esteemed among men constitutes an idol in the human heart. In Revelation_21:27, entrance is forbidden into the Holy City on the part of the unclean, or one who “maketh an abomination and a lie.” It is also used of the contents of the golden cup in the hand of the evil woman described in Revelation_17:4, and of the name ascribed to her in the following verse.

Strange way to begin a blog article, isn’t it?  Surely we aren’t exposed to abominations today, are we?  Don’t be too sure.  I began with an extensive definition of the word so that we can see how detestable the word is to God.  Now let  us talk about a few modern day abominations:

1. Homosexuality   This is an abomination in God’s sight.  I Corinthians 6:9 assures us that homosexuals, if they continue to practice their sin and do not repent and cease, will never go to Heaven.  It does not matter what any man says, they are condemned by God.
2. Abortion   Matthew 18:2-5 is only one passage that shows Jesus love for little children.  How can anyone supposed God will hold him blameless who murders babies in the womb?  God has warned against those who “shed innocent blood.” (Proverbs 6:17, isaiah 59:7, Jeremiah 7:6, Jeremiah 22:3, Joel 3:19 to mention a few.)
3. Divorce  and Remarriage   Yes, this, too, is an abomination to God.  Jesus, Himself, taught against divorce and remarriage in Matthew 5:32, Matthew 19:3-9, Mark 10:2-11, and Luke 16:18.  In fact, Jesus said that any divorce that did not include adultery but was followed by remarriage was adultery in itself.  And adultery itself is an abominastion.
4. Fornication and adultery  are mentioned too often to need much to be said here.
5. Lying   What?  Do I really mention lying here?  Yes, I do.  Revelation 21:8 tells us that “all liars shall have their part in the lake of fire.”  Surely, if an act merits eternity in Hell, it must be an abomination.

There are many more, but you get the idea.  There is one last thing to mention…

      6.   Willfully absenting one’s self from the assembly.      How dare I mention missing a “church service” in the same context as those “bad” sins above?  Of course, sometimes one gets an “ox in the ditch,” meaning something that is unavoidable.  However, if you miss any of the scheduled services purely for your own convenience…sleeping late because of a late  Saturday night, a ball game (yes, even the Super Bowl), a TV show, golf, even homework…then you  have put that in a higher priority than God, and that is an abomination. In the strictest sense, you are committing idolatry in the sense that you are putting something…or someone (including yourself)…above God and that is the basic definition of idolatry.  Look at it this way…If anything on this earth is more important to you than God and the assembly of the saints at a time prepared by the elders, if you do not care to associate with the saints here,  how can you dare think you will  be in Heaven with the saints there?

What say ye?

Posted on March 22nd, 2012 by doc
Filed under: Abomination, Attendance | Comments Off

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I think I did an article on pride some time ago, but since this is something that I find myself falling into, I thought it a good idea to visit it again.  Unfortunately, I do not know a single person whom I can truthfully say I believe has never been bothered by pride.

First of all, pride is a sin.  But we need to investigate  just what is pride?  Pride is unwarrented boasting or vainglory .  If I have done a good job, I have a right to be happy within myself that the job was successfully completed in a workmanlike fashion because I have done my work and have glorified God by being responsible.  However, if I brag to others about what a good job I did, that becomes a sin.  Do you see the difference?

If God mentions a thing a single time, is that not sufficient for us?  However, the Holy Spirit inspired Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived, to mention pride at least five times and warn against it:

• Proverbs 11:2  When pride cometh, then cometh shame;
• Proverbs 13:10  Only by pride cometh contention…
• Proverbs 14:3  Only in the mouth of fools is a rod  of pride…
• Proverbs 16:18  Pride goeth before a fall and a haughty spirit before destruction
• Proverbs 29:23  A man’s pride shall bring him low…

Those warnings are powerful enough to warn us away from the mistake of pride.  No Christian should want “shame,” “contention,” “a fall,” “destruction,” or to be brought “low.”  Likewise, no Christian, or anyone else for that matter, wants to be called a fool.  Yet, Solomon was inspired to warn us that all of these things are closely associated with pride.  Given the relatively small size of the Bible, can you imagine God mentioning something five times in one book if it were not important?  Also, there is never a mention, anywhere in the Bibles…Old Testament or New Testament…that pride is given a good slant.  It is always condemned.

Let’s  examine the words used for pride.  Vine’s   gives three Greek words:

1. alazonia  boast, vainglory  (I John 2:16)
2. huperephania  haughty  (Mark 7:22)
3. tuphoo  puffed up; high-minded  (I Timothy 3:6)

Let us look at two of  those verses:

1. I John 2:16  For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world
2. I Timothy 3:6  not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride, he fall into the condemnation of the devil 

That’s powerful stuff, friends.  The Holy Spirit inspired both Paul and John to tell us that pride is not of the Father, but that it was what caused the fall of Satan.  I know neither you nor I want to be in either of those classes, do we?

Destructive pride can be a major stumbling block in your Christian walk.  How do I know?  Because God said, “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”  (I Peter 5:5)  In addition, God has said, “For this is what the High and Lofty One says, He Who lives forever, Whose Name is holy,: ‘I live in a high and holy place, but also with him who is contrite and lowly in spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite.’ “  (Isaiah 57:15)  Jesus, Himself, told us :  Indeed, those who are last will be first, and those who are first shall be last.”   (Luke 13:30) James was inspired to write:  He gives more grace.  Therefore, He says: “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”  (James 4:6)  These verses assure us that God is still not pleased with those who vaunt themselves and try to present themselves as more than they are.  Humility is required of every Christian, but pride is equally condemned in every Christian.

Again, God is not condemning a sense of satisfaction in a job well done.  If you are an artist (and I certainly am not) and you have painted a beautiful picture, and men have praised you for it, you have a right to a sense of satisfaction; however, you do not have a right to brag on yourself, and vaunt yourself above others.  After all, where did your talent come from?  As sure as you have a talent, it came from God.  He gave it to you.  You should be thanking God for the talent, not bragging that you have it.

What is the final word?  Therefore, humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon HIm, for He cares for you.  Amen.  (I Peter 5:6-7)

What say ye?

Posted on March 15th, 2012 by doc
Filed under: Humility, Pride | 4 Comments »

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1. Be Humble

We live by faith, not by sight.  (II Corinthians 5:7)

Have you ever thought of that?  Isn’t that a truly great thought?    It is very similar to  Faith is the  substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.  (Hebrews 11:1)  Faith is not something we can touch, taste, hear, or see, but it is nonetheless real. It is simply beyond our senses, but it is a gift of God.  Okay, but what does that mean to me today?  How can I use this in my daily life?

Ever have a problem?  Most of us do, don’t we?  When you have that problem, talk to God in prayer and place it in His capable hands.  Then, whatever you do, try your best NOT to hold on to a tiny corner of that problem, thinking to pull it back from God and handle it yourself.  Remember, when you truly put your trust in God, He will  lead your way.  After all, what did Jesus Himself say about this?  He said, “Do not let your hearts be troubled.  Believe in God; believe also in Me.”  (John 14:1)  You have the assurance of both God and Jesus that They will  faithfully help you.

So?  Trust in Him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to Him, for God is our refuge.  (Psalm 62:8)  Do you see that?  God is your refuge and will help you.  Further,  Blessed is the man who makes the Lord his trust.  (Psalm 40:4)  The converse of this would be “cursed is the man who does not trust in God.”

What is your evaluation of God?  Do you truly believe that He is omniscience, omnipotent and omnipresent…that He knows all, is all-powerful, and is present everywhere?  You must believe this to be pleasing to God because Hebrews 11:6 teaches us that without faith it is impossible to please God.  Therefore, to please God… and we do want to do that, don’t we?…we must believe that He will help us when we ask for His help.  That is a part of our faith.  If we have prayed for something we really need (James 4:3) and have prayed in accordance with His will, God has assured us that He has heard us. (I John 5:14)  There is no greater promise of help, is there?

Now to Him Who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever!  Amen.  (Ephesians 3:20-21)

What say ye?

Posted on March 8th, 2012 by doc
Filed under: Assurance, Faith, Prayer | Comments Off

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Recently I wrote an article about the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives as the Great Comforter.  That has made me think about the presence of the Lord. I would like to share some thoughts with you.

First of all,who is the Lord?  He tells us,  For this is what the Lord says—He Who created the heavens, He is God; He Who fashioned and made the Earth, He founded it—He says, “I am the Lord, and there is no other.” (Isaiah 45:18)  As the One and Only True and Living God, He is always in control, and always with us  When things seem to be out of control, as they do today with Islam rising exponentially and all its threats, we need to remember the great power of our Lord.  After all,  In the beginning, God created the Heavens and the Earth. (Genesis 1:1)  He covers the sky with clouds; He supplies the earth with rain and makes the grass grow on the hills.  (Psalm 147:8)  He determines the number of the stars and calls them by name.  Great is our Lord and mighty in power; His understanding has no limit.  (Psalm 147:4-5)

It does not make any difference what happens to me in this world, nor how sad or alone I allow myself to feel.  I need to refuse to feel alone, for, as a Christian, I should remember that God is always with me and is always the One in control  Therefore, I need to  Be strong and courageous.  Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you,  (Deuteronomy 31:6; Hebrews 13:5)  for the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and His ears attentive to their prayers, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.  (I Peter 3:12)  Remember, For the foundations of the earth are the Lord’s; upon them He has set the world.  He will guard the feet of His saints, but the wicked will be silenced in darkness.  (I Samuel 2:8-9)

If you need to, go back and read these verses again.  Just know:  My God is the Creator of all things.  He  created all for my benefit (and yours), so that we might enjoy the fruits of His work.  He is the One and Only True and Living God, and there is none other like Him.  In the end, He will triumph over all evil, and take all His children to Heaven with Him.  He has promised never to leave me or forsake me; therefore, I should never allow Satan to enter my mind and cause me to feel lonely or alone.  If (and only if) you are a child of God—if you have obeyed God, put on Christ, and become a child of God through baptism, and then diligently studied the New Testament to see what the Holy Spirit has inspired men to write telling us what God would have us do and be as His children—then you have God’s promise that He is always with you and will never desert you.

What say ye?

Posted on March 1st, 2012 by doc
Filed under: Assurance, Chosen people, Comfort, Encouragement, Security | Comments Off

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Do you trust the Bible to be true?  Do you believe it is God’s Word?  Do you believe that God cannot lie? (Titus 1:2)  Then I have some good news for you.

I would not even hazard a guess about you, but there are times that I find myself in need of comfort.  No matter how close we might be to another human, there are simply times when I need more comfort that a mere human can supply.  As I have said before, there have been times when I was to the point that I did not even know how to pray..to find the words I needed to talk with God.  You know what?  God has handled that.  Let’s investigate.

Jesus (another Who cannot lie)  told us: And I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, that He may abide with you forever (John 14:16)…But the Comforter, which is the Holy Spirit, Whom the Father will send in My Nane, He shall teach you all things, (John 14:26)…But when the Comforter is come, Whom I shall send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of Truth (John 15:26)…Nevertheless I tell you the truth; it is expedient for you that I go away; for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send Him unto you.  (John 16:7).

Jesus promised to send us a Holy Comforter.  Jesus cannot lie.  Therefore, we have received a Comforter.  But how does that work?  Romans 15:4 tells us that Whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning that we, through patience and the comfort of the Scriptures, might have hope.  The Holy Spirit, our Comforter, has given us all Scripture (II Timothy 3:16-17) so that we might know the Will of God, so that we might know what God wants us to do and what will be the reward of our obedience.  It is through the comfort of the Scriptures that we can be assured that God will never leave us alone (Hebrews 13:5).  It is through the Scriptures that we learn of the steadfast love of God and His patience and long-suffering toward mankind.  When we are in a situation where we cannot pray because of our distress, it is the Holy Spirit, our Comforter, that makes intercession for us with groanings that cannot be uttered, telling God the Father what it is that we need. (Romans 8:26)  The Holy Spirit is our “comfort of Love (Philippians 2:1).”  If you believe in God and in the truth of His Word, there cannot possibly be a greater comfort than to realize that He has sent the Holy Spirit to be our own personal Comforter.  You are never alone, for the Holy Spirit, the Holy Comforter, is always there, just as are God and Jesus.

Therefore, when you feel alone and forsaken, take heart.  The Holy Spirit, that great Comforter, is always ready to lead you through the Scriptures.  It is through Him that we can be comforted, knowing that God loves us and will never forsake us.  All we need to do is to trust God and His Word, open the Bible and read what the Holy Comforter has inspired men to write down for us.  After all, if the Scriptures are given by the inspiration of God (II Timothy 3:16-17) , and God has given us all things that pertain to life and godliness (II Peter 1:3), then the Scriptures, and the Holy Spirit, are the ultimate source of comfort in this life.  I urge you to lay hold of that comfort in your life by studying your Bible.

What say ye?

Posted on February 23rd, 2012 by doc
Filed under: Authority of Scripture, Comfort, Comforter, Word study | Comments Off

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For many years, I must admit, I was hesitant to boldly proclaim, “Yes, I know that I am going to Heaven.”  I think it just sounded arrogant to me.  But, as with all Scriptural studies, it doesn’t hurt to keep on studying.  So the question comes up again:  “Am I really saved?  Will I really go to Heaven?”  After more study, I believe the answer is a resounding, “YES!”

Now, I need to explain my new certainty to you.  You see, it is really a question of faith.  Just how much faith do I really have in God’s Word?  I will be leaning quite heavily on Thayer and his knowledge of Greek in this explanation.  First of all, I have great confidence that God cannot lie (Titus 1:2), and He has promised to save me; He had announced to all that He has the ability to assure my salvation and  to perform what He has promised.  The promise for my salvation was made before the world began and is everlasting, ceaseless and without end.

I have often worried over I John 1:7.  I don’t think I ever doubted God’s ability to save me; rather, what I doubted was my ability to continue to “walk in the light as He is in the light.”  Because I know I am weak and often slip, I have a problem believing that I am always  “in the light.”  Now, here is where further study is helpful.  Psalm 94:18-19 assures me that, if I am doing the best I can, when I begin to slip—to waver, to fall into decay—God will hold me up, will refresh and strengthen me.  Since I know that God cannot lie, and since He has promised to lift me up, I can be assured that He will help me when I need His help (which is all the time, isn’t it?).  Likewise, when I read John 14:1, I am reminded that, when I am disquieted by inward commotion, I need to have the conviction and trust to which a man is impelled by a certain inner and higher prerogation and law of the soul.  I need to trust in God’s ability to do what He says He will do, knowing that He has promised and cannot lie.

Finally, I must reread and believe Hebrews 11:6.  I must have a conviction respecting man’s relationship to God, including trust. My belief must be based on the conviction and trust to which a man is impelled by inner prerogation and law of the soul.  I must search for God, and do whatever He has said for me to do.

Have you been saved?  Are you headed to Heaven?  I cannot answer that for you, because I cannot read your heart as God can.  But this I do know:  If you have studied the Bible, especially the New Testament, and you are doing what God has said for you to do—if you have put away all creeds written by man, and followed strictly the Word of God as He revealed It in the New Testament—then it is a measure of your faith in God and His Word that you believe that you are saved and going to Heaven.  It involves studying the Bible, believing what It says, doing what It says, and then believing that God has chosen those who follow HIm to be with Him in Heaven.

What say ye?

Posted on February 16th, 2012 by doc
Filed under: Assurance, Authority of Scripture, Bible study, Salvation | 2 Comments »

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