The trinity,father, son and Holy Ghost expained

Understanding the Trinity Most of the religions of our day and most of the false cults of our day reject the plain teaching of the Trinity. They are all agreed that such a word is not found in the Bible and that such a doctrine is against reason. We know that the word Trinity is not found in the Bible. Neither is the word theocracy nor the word substitution or many other words that are widely used today in religious circles. We also know that the Bible does teach the doctrine of the Trinity in two ways: by asserting and implying the personality and Godhood of each of the three separately, and by mentioning the three together in such a way as to express their equal Deity. This we shall be proving in our present series of Bible studies. For those who find the Trinity is too mysterious and against human reasoning I would ask them if there are no other mysterious subjects just as much believed in this scientific age. Take for instance the belief in God. Can the Trinity objectors comprehend the Divine essence? Can they tell how this Being exists who had no beginning? Can they explain how this Being is present alike in every place? Is not this beyond the power of reason to comprehend? The question is, should we give up faith in God because in His nature He transcends our reason? Surely reason will acknowledge that an infinite being must know more than a finite being. Certainly reason has its own province, within which its services are indispensable. But if reason goes beyond its appointed province, and presumes to judge, and decide about matters too high in its apprehension, it soon discovers its own weakness and insufficiency. We might say that reason reaches its results by the processes of logic, whereas faith is the organ by which truth deeper and more primary is discerned. It is the eye which sees truths beyond the knowledge of reason. Its convictions are intuitive because they come from the heart. The greatest truths, like the conception of God, are not deducible from reason, but are intuitive perceptions. Pascal has well said: "It has pleased God that Divine verities should not enter the heart through the understanding, but should enter the understanding through the heart." The fact of the Trinity is illustrated in nature. Man is made up of body, soul and spirit. Electricity has light, feeling, and heat. An equilateral triangle has three equal angles and three equal sides. Of course these do not adequately illustrate the Trinity because God the Father is not a part of God, or the Son or the Holy Spirit a part of God. Each is fully God. A better illustration may be found in the chemical formula H2O. When two parts of hydrogen and one part of oxygen are liquid, they are called water. When they are hot, they produce steam. When they are cold, they become ice. All forms are the same chemical formula, but are manifested in three different forms. God is one in essence but three in Person. To use another illustration, we speak often of MANKIND. Suppose there were only three persons in the human race. All three would be mankind but three persons. In the Godhead there is only one GOD-KIND but there are three Persons. All three are God, but each has His own office and work. One problem we have in speaking of God in three Persons is to properly define the word person. The ordinary usage of the word simply means a human being. But this is not the Bible usage of the word. A man may lose his arms, legs, eyes and hearing and still be a person. He is able to think, to feel, and to determine. These are the true marks of personality. The one verse so often quoted by Jew and Gentile alike to contradict the Trinity is found in Deuteronomy 6:4-9: "Hear, O Israel, the LORD our God is ONE LORD; and thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all they might ..." The usual argument is that since God is one there can be no Trinity. The Hebrew word for one is 'echawd' and it means not one in isolation but one in unity. We find it in such verses as: Genesis 2:24: "Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be ONE flesh." They are one in unity not one in isolation. Do they become one person? No, but in a divine way they become ONE. Genesis 11:6: "And the LORD said, Behold, the people is ONE, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do." Again the word for one is a compound unity not a simple unity. We find a similar use of the Greek word for one in the New Testament: 1 Corinthians 3:6-8: "I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase. So then neither is he that planteth anything, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase. Now he that planteth, and he that watereth are ONE; and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labor." The word one means one in unity. 1 Corinthians 12:13: "For by one Spirit are we all baptized into ONE body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into ONE Spirit." (See also Galatians 3:28). Now compare this usage of the word one in John 17:22,23: "And the glory which thou gavest me, I have given them; that they may be ONE, even as we are ONE: I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in ONE; and that they world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast love me." I am sure this will help us to see the Bible usage of the word one in relation to God. He is One but He is also three-in-one. Daniel Webster was once reproved by an agnostic because he believed so strongly in the Trinity of the Godhead. Webster's reply was: "I do not pretend to understand fully the arithmetic of Heaven now." Actually this great doctrine can only be truly understood by those who are born again of the Spirit of God. It is only when the Spirit of God comes into the life of a person that he is given a discernment to understand the spiritual realities of life. In 1 John 5:20 we read: "We know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ." First, we must know in order that we may know. God says here in effect, "We know that we know." We must first know Christ. Then He gives us an understanding to know these other truths. It is impossible to explain to a man born blind the beautiful colours of the spectrum as seen in the rainbow. He lacks one important sense and nothing can be done about it. So it is with the non-believer who tries to understand the things that are found in the Word of God. True believers receive a new set of senses the moment they are born again; senses that the ordinary person does not have and which cannot be procured by a college education or a D.D. degree but only through a miracle of God. We should not be alarmed when attacks are made on the heart of the Christian faith concerning the Deity of the three persons of the Godhead. We are told in 1 Corinthians 12:3: "Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost." Again we read in 1 Corinthians 2:14: "But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned." The first important step in understanding the Trinity of the Godhead is to be born again by the Holy Spirit. When Nicodemus came to Jesus he said to Him: "Rabbi, WE KNOW that thou art a teacher come from God..." (John 3:2). As a religious man he knew many things. But when it came to the spiritual realities of eternal life Jesus had to say to him: "Art thou a master of Israel and KNOWEST NOT these things?" (John 3:10) No one can know spiritual realities until he is born again. The Trinity in the Old Testament One of the problems of believing in the Trinity is to try to understand it by analogy or comparison or by human reasoning rather than accepting it as it is so clearly taught in the Bible. It is not possible to use the finite to understand the infinite or to use the natural to describe the supernatural. One example that has been set forth to help us understand the three-in-one truth of the Trinity may be illustrated by yourself at this moment. Hold up your hand and look at it. Between your eye and your hand there are three things which are one and which are three. They may be studied separately and it is impossible to have the one without the other. I refer to light and heat and air. Your eye can see your hand because of the light waves. Before you in the light that you see there is also air. This you can feel by blowing on your hand. There is also heat between you and your hand. This can be measured by a thermometer. Science can use any one of them apart from the others but they can never be totally separated. they are three—and they are one. It is important to notice that the Bible speaks of these things in relation to God. God calls Himself light, heat, and air. "This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all" (1 John 1:5). "For our God is a consuming fire" (Hebrews 12:29). "God is a Spirit" (John 4:24) and the word for spirit is breath. A rabbi friend once told me that the doctrine of the Trinity was found only in the New Testament and therefore belonged only to the Christians. But the fact is that God reveals Himself as a three-in-one God even in the Old Testament. First, we think of the names for God. There are three primary names found in the Old Testament for God which is a Trinity in itself. They are Elohim, Jehovah, and Adonai. There are three compounds used with Elohim: El Shaddai, El elyon, and El Olam. There are also three compounds used with Jehovah: Jehovah Elohim, Adonai Jehovah, and Jehovah Sabaoth. Thus we find three groups of three each in these names of Deity. The one name for Deity which presents the Trinity is Elohim. Instead of being used in the singular, as are the others, it is plural, but it is with a singular verb as in Genesis 1:1: "In the beginning God (Elohim) created the heaven and the earth." The Bible teaches clearly that the three Persons of the Godhead all had a direct part in the creation of the World. In John 1:3 we read of the Word, the Lord Jesus: "All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made." In Job 26:13 and Job 33:4 we read of the Holy Spirit's part in the creation: "By his Spirit he hath garnished the heavens." "The Spirit of God hath made me." The elementary rule of Geometry is that things equal to the same thing are equal to each other. There can be no doubt that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are One. They are God. Again, after the fifth day's work, God said in Genesis 1:26: "Let US make man in OUR image." But the following verse says, "God created man in HIS own image." The word us certainly refers to other persons of the Godhead. The same truth is found in Genesis 11:7 at the tower of Babel, when God said, "Let US go down." Since there is no other God but Jehovah (Isaiah 43:10,11), not even a lesser mighty god as some cults affirm (Jehovah's Witnesses for example), there must be a unity in plurality and Substance or the passages are not meaningful. This is clear teaching on the Trinity. Another example of the plain teaching of the Trinity is found in Isaiah's vision, Isaiah 6:3: "And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory." The inner part of the Jewish sanctuary was called the holy of holies, that is, the holy place of the Holy Ones. The number of these is here given as three. In verse 8 Isaiah heard the voice: "Whom shall I send, and who will go for US?" This is the same language of plurality, us representing the Trinity of the Godhead. Especially should we notice the term in verse 3: "the LORD of hosts." This will certainly include God the Father. But in John 12:41 we are told it included Christ: "These things said Esaias, when he saw his (Christ's) glory and spake of him." So the Son is certainly included here according to the Bible. Now you may not believe the Bible but you cannot help but agree that the Bible includes the Son along with the Father in Isaiah 6:3. Now in Acts 28:25,26 we have evidence that there was also the presence of the Holy Spirit: "Well spake the Holy Ghost by Esaias the prophet unto your fathers, Saying, Go unto this people, and say, Hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand..." These words found in Isaiah are declared by the Apostle Paul to have been spoken by the Holy Spirit. When Isaiah speaks of the Lord of Hosts he is referring to the Trinity. There are also three distinct Persons set forth in other places in the Old Testament. 2 Samuel 23:2,3: "The Spirit of the LORD spake by me, and his word was in my tongue. The God of Israel said, the Rock of Israel spake to me, He that ruleth over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God." Isaiah 48:16: "Come ye near unto me, hear ye this; I have not spoken in secret from the beginning; from the time that it was, there am I: and now the Lord God, and his Spirit, hath sent me." Isaiah 63:7-10: "I will mention the lovingkindnesses of the LORD, and the praises of the LORD, according to all that the LORD hath bestowed on us, and the great goodness toward the house of Israel, which he hath bestowed on them according to the multitude of his lovingkindnesses. For he said, Surely they are my people, children that will not lie: so he was their Saviour. In all their affliction he was afflicted, and the angel of his presence saved them: in his love and in his pity he redeemed them; and he bare them, and carried them all the days of old. But they rebelled, and vexed his holy Spirit: therefore he was turned to be their enemy, and he fought against them." I am sure there is one fact upon which we are all agreed, that the Old Testament does teach the truth of the Trinity. Now we may not accept the Old Testament as God's Word and we may not wish to believe in the Trinity because of it being beyond human reasoning, but we must agree that the Bible teaches it. Our next study will show the plain teaching of the Trinity in the New Testament where we see it in all its fullness. The Trinity in the New Testament In approaching the theme of the Trinity, the believer may well be prepared to confront a deep mystery which, of necessity, is not explained to finite minds. Dr. Walter L. Wilson gives us this illustration to help us to understand it: "There is one firm, but three officers: the president, the vice-president, and the treasurer. There are not three firms but just one firm, with one bank account, one charter, one advertising program, one building housing the firm, etc.. Each officer, however, is an executive, separate from the other two. Those who call to see the firm may see any one of the three persons for all three work in unity and harmony." The work each One in the Godhead does reveals that there are three distinct Persons. "The Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world" (1 John 4:14). The Father who sent and the Son who came are separate Persons. "If I depart, I will send him [the Spirit] unto you" (John 16:7). The Son who sent and the Spirit who came are different Persons. The Father sent the Son to die. The Son went to the cross and died. The Spirit reveals Him to our hearts for "He shall glorify me" (John 16:14). The Father loved (John 3:16); the Son died (Romans 5:6:); the Spirit convicts and teaches (John 16:8-13). The New Testament gives ample teaching on the reality of the Trinity. We have the Trinity set forth in Matthew 28:19: "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost." It is most significant that the first public appearance of Christ was that of His baptism and the three Persons of the Godhead were present and identified. The Holy Spirit was seen to descend upon Christ in the form of a dove and the Father openly identified the Son saying: "This is my beloved Son" (Matthew 3:17). When baptism is administered it is to be done in the name (not names) of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit as the verse above teaches. The word name reveals the divine unity which exists in the Father, Son, and Spirit. The name is threefold. Christ refers to the Trinity in John 14:16,17: "I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter...Even the Spirit of truth." Paul speaks of the Trinity in 1 Corinthians 12:4-6: "Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all." So there are distinctions in office, differences in administrations, and diversities of operation with the Trinity. The benediction of 2 Corinthians 13:14 clearly presents the Trinity: "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen." In Ephesians we have at least two references to the Trinity. "For through him [Christ] we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father" (Ephesians 2:18). There is "one Spirit...one Lord...one God and Father of all" Ephesians 4:4-6). In 1 Peter 1:2 we have the clear distinction given of the work of each person of the Trinity: "Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ." We also read in 1 John 5:7: "For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost; and these three are one." Now it is most interesting to observe the three Persons of the Godhead present in the important aspects of Christ's life. WHEN CHRIST WAS BORN, OR AT THE INCARNATION OF CHRIST, WE SEE THE THREE PERSONS. Christ was born of a virgin, but was conceived by the Holy Spirit (Matthew 1:20-25), God was also present (Luke 2:13,14). IN THE DEATH OF CHRIST WE SEE THE THREE PERSONS PRESENT. "God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son" (John 3:16). It was also written of the Father: "He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all" (Romans 8:32). But we also hear the Son speaking of Himself: "No man taketh it [my life] from me, but I lay it down of myself, I have power to lay it down" (John 10:18). But the Holy Spirit also had His part as set forth in Hebrews 9:14: "Christ...through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God." THE TRINITY WAS ALSO PRESENT IN THE RESURRECTION. The Father raised up the Son from the dead as testified in Acts 2:24: "Whom God hath raised up." We also hear Christ say: "I have power to take it again" (John 10:18). Christ also said in John 2:19: "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up." The Holy Spirit also was there: "Christ [was]...put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit" (1 Peter 3:18). WE SEE ALL THREE PERSONS AT WORK IN RELATION TO SERVING THE LORD. The Father is mentioned in 2 Corinthians 3:5,6: "Our sufficiency is of God; Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament." The Son is mentioned in 1 Timothy 1:12: "He counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry." The Spirit is mentioned in Acts 20:28: "Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood." AS BELIEVERS WE KNOW THE REALITY OF THE TRINITY IN OUR OWN LIVES. First, the Father: "One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and IN YOU ALL" (Ephesians 4:6). Then the Son: "Christ in you, the hope of glory" (Colossians 1:27). And also the Holy Spirit: "Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you?" (1 Corinthians 6:19). To sum it up, I would like to give you the words of Dr. Horrace Bushnell who writes: "To hold this grand subtonic mystery, in the ring of whose deep reverberation we receive our heaviest impressions of God, as if it were only a thing just receivable, not profitable; a dead truth, not a living; a theologic article, wholly one side of the practical life; a truth so scholastic and subtle as to have in fact no relation to Christian experience; nothing, we are sure, can be less adequate than this, or bring a loss to religion that is more deplorable, unless it be a flat denial of the mystery itself. In this view we cannot but hope that what we have been able to say may have a certain value...preparing some to find how glorious and how blessed a gift to experience, how vast an opening of God to man, how powerful, transforming, transporting, this great mystery of God may be. We can wish the reader nothing more beatific in this life than to have found and fully brought into feeling the practical significance of this eternal act or fact of God, which we call the Christian Trinity. Nowhere else do the bonds of limitation burst away as here. Nowhere else does the soul launch upon immensity as here; nowhere fill her burning censer with the eternal fires of God, as when she sings, 'One inexplicably three, One in simplest unity.' (From New Englander, Vol.12, Nov.1854). The Eternal Trinity A dear rabbi friend once said to me: "But why do you believe in three? Why not seven?" I answered him: "God is revealed as existing in three persons—not in seven." Of course by using the word person we do not mean a human being. Rather, we are referring to One who has knowledge, feelings and will. The fact of the Trinity is clearly found in the Bible as we have seen in our last three studies. It is not necessary for you to believe the Bible but it is necessary for you to believe that the Bible plainly teaches the Trinity. We see a wonderful illustration in science. There are three basic things in the universe; no more, no less. They are space, matter, and time. This is a space universe. What is space? It is three dimensions; no more, no less; length, breadth, and height. Anything built in space must have those three dimensions. The so-called plane surface is a purely imaginary space object. Space is THREE in ONE. Length, breadth and height are not three things which space DOES but which space IS. So with the Trinity. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are not three things which God does, but IS. Each is referred to as God, and while Three, they are yet One, even as the sun is light, heat, and power; yet one. Now each person of the Godhead is presented in the scriptures as being Deity with the attributes and titles of Deity. The Lord Jesus Christ God calls Jesus "God." Hebrews 1:8: "But unto the Son he saith, They throne, O God, is for ever and ever." (See also Titus 2:13). He is "the Lord from heaven." (1 Corinthians 15:47). He is "God blessed forever" (Romans 9:5). He is "The mighty God" (Isaiah 9:6). He is "The true God" (1 John 5:20). He is "over all, God blessed for ever" (Romans 9:5). He is one with God. "I and my Father are one" (John 10:30,38). He is "the brightness of his [God's] glory" (Hebrews 1:3). Also Philippians 2:6. He is equal with God. "...[he] said also that God was his Father, making himself equal with God" (John 5:17-23). He has the divine attributes: (1) ETERNAL "Before Abraham was, I AM" (John 8:56-58). Also John 1:1; Hebrews 1:8; Colossians 1:17; (2) OMNIPRESENT. "For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them" (Matthew 18:20; Ephesians 1:23. (3) OMNIPOTENT. "All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth" (Matthew 28:18). Also Hebrews 1:3; John 5:21-23; Ephesians 1:20-23. (4) OMNISCIENT. "In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge" (Colossians 2:3). Also John 2:24,25. (5) IMMUTABLE. "Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever" (Hebrews 13:8). Christ is associated with creation. "All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made" (John 1:3). Also Colossians 1:16. He forgives sin. "... the Son of man hath power upon earth to forgive sins" (Luke 5:20-25). He is the source of life. "In him was life; and the life was the light of men" (John 1:4,5). He is the Judge of all "...the Father...hath committed all judgment unto the Son" (John 5:22). Also 2 Timothy 4:1. He raises the dead. "...The hour is coming and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God" (John 5:21,25). He is worshipped as God. "...let all the angels of God worship him" (Hebrews 1:6). Also Philippians 2:10,11. He is prayed to. "...Lord Jesus, receive my spirit" (Acts 7:59,60). Also 1 Corinthians 1:2. He is God manifested in the flesh (1 Timothy 3:16; John 1:14). In Him dwells the fullness of God. " ...it pleased the Father that in him should all fullness dwell" (Colossians 1:19). Also Colossians 2:9. Now you may not believe the Bible's testimony concerning the Deity of Christ, but you must surely see that the Bible teaches the Deity of Christ who has the attributes of God. The Holy Spirit The same can be said of the Holy Spirit. He is eternal. Hebrews 9:14. He is omnipresent. "Whither shall I go from thy spirit" (Psalm 139:7-10)? He is omnipotent. "The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest ..." (Luke 1:35). He is omniscient. "...for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God" (1 Corinthians 2:10,11). Also John 16:12,13. He does the works of Deity: (1) CREATION. "The Spirit of God hath made me" (Job 33:4). Also Psalm 104:30. (2) IMPARTS LIFE. "It is the Spirit that quickeneth" (John 6:63). (3) INSPIRES PROPHECIES. "...holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost" (2 Peter 1:21). His name is joined with God's "Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all" (1 Corinthians 12:4-6). He is called God. "...why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost? ...thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God" (Acts 5:3,4). Thus we see from the Bible that all three Persons of the Godhead are equal in glory, in power, and in characteristics (Deity). All three Persons have the unique attributes of God. Of course our finite minds cannot conceive of the glorious mystery of the Trinity. Wesley once said: "Bring me a worm that can comprehend a man, and I will show you a man that can comprehend God." One simple fact we must surely all agree upon is this: That while there are difficulties in mentally understanding the Trinity, the evidences of the Trinity of the Godhead are so striking and numerous that one cannot hold to the Scriptures and deny them. The wonderful reality of it all is that this God loves you and He loves me and He loves everybody. God hates sin and God must deal with sin. But God loves sinners and His love is poured out upon a guilty world by the blood of Jesus Christ that was shed on Calvary for our sin. His Cross-work is sufficient for the world, but is EFFICIENT only to those who personally receive Him as Saviour. There are five parts to John 3:16: "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." Now four parts belong to God for they are His work: (1) For God so loved the world... (2) that He gave His only begotten Son... (3) should not perish... (4) but have everlasting life. But although God has done His part and loved us and provided us a Saviour, He cannot take away our sin and keep us from Hell until WE DO OUR PART. What is our part? "That whosoever believeth in Him", that is, whosoever receives Christ as personal Saviour. Our part is to receive Christ. God has done His part. God has done all that is required for our salvation. It is now our turn, our decision, our acceptance of this wonderful Saviour into our hearts. By faith today won't you bow before Christ who died for you and say from your heart: "Into my heart, into my heart Come into my heart, Lord Jesus. Come in today, come in to stay, Come into my heart, Lord Jesus."

The Gospel on marriage, Divorce and remarriage the correct order from bible pt2 (vic stock)

Divorce and Remarriage America leads the world in divorces. Divorce has become the nation's number one social and legal problem. The chances are almost one in three that your own marriage will end in divorce! What are the real "Bible Grounds" for divorce and remarriage? What's the true significance of this alarming trend? Here's a courageous straight-from-the-shoulder article daring to tell you the plain truth -- an article that will directly affect nearly every fourth reader! The ALARMING rise in the divorce rate is not merely America's growing "Tragedy" -- it is America's growing SIN -- a sin which America could prevent, and for which she will PAY. Every Fourth Home Affected!

In telling you the PLAIN TRUTH on this vital subject, it is realized this truth strikes home to every fourth reader. It's realized, too, that some will become offended at the truth. It is not our purpose, however, to offend people, but rather to please God and to carry out His solemn commission to us: "CRY ALOUD, SPARE NOT! LIFT UP THY VOICE LIKE A TRUMPET, AND SHOW MY PEOPLE THEIR TRANSGRESSION, AND THE HOUSE OF JACOB THEIR SINS!" Isaiah 58:1. That we must do, no matter whom it offends -- and even though this sin reaches into, perhaps, every fourth home. This is an appalling world sin that reaches, also, to high Heaven and threatens to destroy this  nation and bring upon it the wrath of God.

 But, if this sin exists in every fourth home, THAT IS THE MOST IMPELLING REASON FOR SENDING INTO THOSE HOMES GOD'S TRUTH! Where GOD Places the Blame! Do you know where GOD places the blame for this colossal national sin? The Eternal places it squarely on the PREACHERS who have neglected telling the nation GOD'S TRUTH. Listen to God's stinging indictment of the self-professing ministers! "My people hath been lost sheep: their shepherds (preachers) have caused them to go astray," Jeremiah 50:6. In this article we propose to give you the plain WORD OF GOD, straight from the shoulder, hoping and praying you will not become angry at the truth. Those who do take offense will be offended at GOD and HIS WORD, because these laws are not ours, but GOD'S. God's Laws Protect the HOME Did you ever realize that God's laws are designed primarily to do two things -- (1) keep people in a close and right relationship with GOD and NEIGHBOR, and (2) protect the FAMILY -- the HOME? God made the husband the head of the wife, and the parents the head over their children. The fifth command protects this relationship: "Honor thy father and thy mother." And, again: "Thou shalt not commit ADULTERY." That command was given to PROTECT THE HOME! To prevent broken homes, juvenile delinquents, untrained children! Marriage by God's Authority Only Now notice the first, original, fundamental, basic rule of all in the husband-and-wife -- the family -- relationship.

 When God first created man upon the earth He ordained the marriage union. Marriage was not instituted by authority of a man-made court, or the laws of a legislature or a congress. Notice: "And the Eternal GOD said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him," Genesis 2:18. And Jesus said: ". . . from the beginning of the creation God made them male and female. For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and cleave to his wife; And they twain shall be ONE FLESH . . . . What therefore GOD hath joined together, let not man put asunder . . . . And he saith unto them, Whosoever shall put away his wife, and marry another, committeth adultery against her. And if a woman shall put away her husband, and be married to another, she committeth adultery," Mark 10:6-9, 11-12. There is the FOUNDATION of the marriage union! There is the BASIS of family life! There is the DIVINE LAW ! Did you notice what that basis is? Almighty GOD, not a human legislative body, creator of the human race -- made us male and female. When it is fully understood, and straightened in your mind, the whole question of divorce and remarriage will be clear. It is GOD, not man, who joins husband and wife together! We call marriage "HOLY matrimony," or "HOLY wedlock." Why? What makes it HOLY? Only the fact that it is a divine institution, ordained of GOD -- that it is GOD who joins the man and woman as ONE FLESH. The minister doesn't "tie the knot." The minister, justice of the peace or other officer authorized by men, merely conducts the ceremony. It is ALMIGHTY GOD who "ties the knot." It is GOD who binds them as one flesh FOR LIFE. It pertains to "saved" and "unsaved" alike -- to all races, creeds, and colors. It is not an ordinance of the CHURCH -- the marriage institution started with CREATION, long before there was any church. It is for MALE and FEMALE, regardless of the church. They become ONE FLESH, not one spirit. From Creation to now, every man and woman who have taken each other as man and wife have been JOINED TOGETHER as ONE FLESH by the Eternal GOD for the remainder of their natural lives! One thing, and one only, can break that marriage union -- death! Understand that BASIC FOUNDATION of the marriage institution, and everything else becomes clear.

Marriage is not of human institution; it is not a political, a civil, a legal, or even a church institution -- it was originated with Adam and Eve from Creation; it was instituted by GOD, and not man; its authority is solely that of GOD, not man! Therefore MAN-MADE LAWS CONTRARY TO THOSE OF GOD HAVE NO AUTHORITY OVER MARRIAGE! Its only binding laws are those of GOD. And GOD HAS NEVER GIVEN ANY AUTHORITY WHATSOEVER FOR ANY BODY OF MEN, CIVIL, ECCLESIASTICAL OR OTHERWISE, TO LEGISLATE ON MARRIAGE CONTRARY TO HIS MARRIAGE LAWS! Since our human governments have legislated laws concerning marriage, and since we are to be SUBJECT to the government that is over us (but without breaking the laws of God), all couples naturally should satisfy the man-made laws so far as they conform to those of God, by securing a marriage license and having a legal ceremony properly recorded. But every state legislature which passes laws authorizing divorce and remarriage is defying Almighty God, and WHOLLY WITHOUT AUTHORITY! Any human judge who grants a divorce based upon such unauthorized man-made laws stands himself in contempt of the HIGHER court of the Eternal GOD! Anyone who procures a divorce from wife or husband from any such unauthorized human court receives a divorce which is INVALID -- not legal or binding according to the LAWS OF GOD! When any person, holding such a "divorce," marries and lives with another, THE WHOLE PROCEDURE IS WITHOUT AUTHORITY FROM GOD -- and such a person is NOT in fact or in God's sight married to this second husband or wife, but instead is merely LIVING IN ADULTERY with this second person! And any professing minister of Jesus Christ who performs such a ceremony involving such a divorced person is himself DOUBLY GUILTY, and will be so held in the final judgment! Yes, the MAIN REASON for so much of this legally licensed (by man) ADULTERY in our land is the SILENCE of the ministers concerning the TRUTH -- their actual upholding and condoning of this SIN, their participation in it! One incidental point should be made clear just here. The SIN is not the ceremony alone, but the SEX RELATIONSHIP which CONTINUES after the ceremony.

 The Principal Scriptures The basic Scriptures on the subject of marriage and divorce are these, in addition to those given above: "It hath been said, Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement: But I [Jesus Christ] say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery," (Matthew 5:31-32 -- part of Jesus' sermon on the Mount). "The Pharisees also came unto Him, tempting Him, and saying unto Him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause? And He answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that He which made them at the beginning made them male and female, and said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be ONE FLESH? Wherefore they are no more twain, but ONE flesh. What therefore GOD hath joined together, let not man put asunder. They say unto Him, Why did Moses then command to give a writing of divorcement, and to put her away? He saith unto them, Moses because of the hardness of your hearts suffered you to put away your wives; but from the beginning it was not so. And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery," Matthew 19:3-9. Before quoting the other Scriptures, let us examine these more closely. Here are the ONLY TWO places in the New Testament where any exception whatsoever is given. Here, then, is stated the ONLY "BIBLE GROUNDS" for a second marriage (except, of course, after the death of a mate). Notice, in speaking to the Pharisees, Jesus went back to the very beginning of creation for HIS AUTHORITY for the laws of God respecting marriage. The man-ordained laws in the nation Israel were contrary, and NOT BINDING TODAY.

 But He did make one exception: "except it be for FORNICATION." What is "fornication?" Is it the same thing as adultery? NOT AT ALL! "Fornication" and "adultery" are two altogether different things. Here is the Webster Dictionary definition: "Fornication -- Illicit sexual intercourse on the part of an UNMARRIED person." "Adultery -- Voluntary sexual intercourse by a married man with another than his wife or by a married woman with another than her husband." "Fornication" is committed BEFORE marriage, and only by an UNmarried person. "Adultery" is UNFAITHFULNESS to a husband or wife. Why did Jesus make this explanation about "except it be for fornication?" He was speaking to the strict, legalistically minded hypocritical Pharisees. They were questioning Him so closely about the laws of marriage in an effort to trap Him. They were familiar with every detail of the law. So to be explicit and legally exact in answering them, Jesus here referred to the laws as recorded in Deuteronomy 22:19 regarding marriage. These laws provided that, if a man married a woman, and, after marriage found she had not been a virgin -- that she had committed fornication BEFORE marriage to him -- he was allowed to put her away. It was not actually a divorce but rather an ANNULMENT -- a canceling out of the marriage. The man had been tricked -- deceived -- the victim of a fraud. He had no way of knowing this until after the marriage ceremony. The assumption is that God, having known it, NEVER JOINED TOGETHER this man and woman at all. They are not bound in God's sight -- the ceremony is nullified, just as if it never had taken place. The man is left in the status of not having been married at all. He is, then, free to marry, just as if this fraudulent ceremony, now erased, had never occurred. This is NOT strictly speaking a divorce, at all! It is not a separation, divorcing, or putting asunder of a couple joined as ONE FLESH by God, for in this case God never had joined them as one.

WHAT God has actually joined together as ONE FLESH, God will not, and commands man not to separate. That is the principle. The Old Testament Example Turn just briefly to the Old Testament scriptures. "If any man take a wife, and go in unto her, and hate her, and give occasions of speech against her, and bring up an evil name upon her, and say, I took this woman, and when I came to her, I found her not a maid: Then shall the father of the damsel, and her mother, take and bring forth the tokens of the damsel's virginity unto the elders of the city in the gate: . . . and the elders of that city shall take that man and chastise him; . . . because he hath brought an evil name upon a virgin of Israel: and SHE SHALL BE HIS WIFE; HE MAY NOT PUT HER AWAY ALL HIS DAYS," Deuteronomy 22:13-19. Notice, his EXCUSE for putting her away was that she was not a virgin -- that she had committed fornication BEFORE marriage to him. But in case the man accused her falsely and attempted by a lie to free himself from the marriage, the man was fined and punished and forced to take the woman as his wife for THE REMAINDER OF HIS LIFE -- because in this case she was a pure woman, NOT guilty of fornication but a virgin, and so GOD HAD JOINED THEM FOR LIFE, AND NO DIVORCE WAS PERMITTED FOR ANY CAUSE WHATSOEVER. But, in case such a man rightly accused the woman he had married, notice how the law operates: "But if this thing be true, and the tokens of virginity be not found for the damsel: then they shall bring out the damsel to the door of her father's house, and the men of her city shall stone her with stones that she die: because she hath wrought folly in Israel, to play the whore in her father's (not her husband's) house," verses 20-21. This shows, too, how serious the sin of fornication is regarded by God.

Today general estimates are that perhaps two out of three young women, and perhaps nine out of ten young men have been guilty of fornication before marriage! Yes, this is FOLLY IN ISRAEL TODAY! One a great proportion of young people today do not even consider seriously!  It paves the way for that still more serious sin, ADULTERY, with our national rampage of divorce and remarriage!

The NEW Testament Example

The New Testament example of this is in the case of the birth of Jesus Christ Himself. These Christ-rejecting Pharisees, knowing that Joseph was not the real father of Jesus, and rejecting the truth that HE was conceived of the Holy Spirit, sneered at Him: "We be not born of fornication," John 8:41. By this they insinuated that His mother Mary was guilty of fornication before marriage, and Jesus of being illegitimately born. Plainly, they understood the meaning of "fornication" to be an act committed BEFORE marriage. At first, even Joseph, Mary's husband, believed Mary to be guilty of fornication, and "with child" as a result, not knowing Jesus was begotten not by any human father, but by GOD through the Holy Spirit. "Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as His mother Mary was espoused [married] to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit. Then Joseph her husband [they were already married, not just engaged], being a just man, and not willing to make her a public example [according to the law of Deuteronomy 22:20-21] was minded to put her away privily. But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit," Matthew 1:18-20. Now notice carefully! Joseph knew God's laws regarding marriage. He supposed Mary guilty of fornication -- an act committed BEFORE marriage. He was going to put her away "before they came together" -- immediately!

The point I want you to catch here is that if he were to take advantage of this one exception of fornication, he must do it BEFORE HE LIVED WITH HER AS A WIFE. He must not accept her as a wife at all, but before he does, if she is a fornicatress and he wishes to put her away, the marriage must be SET ASIDE -- erased, annulled. But a man can, if he wishes, accept the woman he has married as his wife and live with her, in which case the union becomes valid in God's sight, and they are then BOUND TO EACH OTHER FOR LIFE. Undoubtedly, in a day of low morals and prevalent promiscuity before marriage such as exists today, the best course in such a case would be to forgive the sin of fornication, accept the wife or husband, in which case the marriage becomes binding, and live together. A man or woman is not barred from marriage for life because of fornication. Although it is a sin, and very serious in God's sight, it is a sin that can be forgiven upon repentance by the blood of Christ, and it would be better, when two are in love, to forgive if either or both are guilty of fornication, and make the marriage binding. Someone will be bound to bring up the question: "What if it is the MAN who was guilty of fornication -- can the woman put him away in the same manner?" While the scriptures are silent on this specifically, yet it is my judgment, and I believe I have the mind of God, that, since God has no double standard, and is no respecter of persons, that this law applies exactly the same to either sex.

 Another question is bound to arise: "What if this fornication is not discovered for, say, two years, or ten or twenty years? Can the injured man or woman after all that time put away the mate on the grounds of something that happened BEFORE marriage?" Again, while the scriptures do not cover this point specifically, the PRINCIPLE revealed is that a marriage may be SET ASIDE when this pre-marital sin is discovered after marriage, but "before they come together," as specifically illustrated in the case of Joseph and Mary. In such a case the man must not live with the woman as his wife at all, or the woman with the man if he is the guilty one. But, if they do take each other in the marriage relationship and live together as husband and wife, they are then JOINED BY GOD, legally married, and there can be NO DIVORCE. Certainly a man could not, for instance, continue to live with a wife as long as he pleases, KNOWING she had been a fornicatress, with a ready excuse any time he decides he would like to get rid of her. If he accepts her, HE IS BOUND TO HER FOR LIFE, and she to him if she accepts him. If a man or woman knows the other has been guilty of fornication, and marries anyway, then THERE ARE NO GROUNDS WHATEVER FOR DIVORCE. The only grounds are when the innocent party was deceived and defrauded. Thus the ONE EXCEPTION mentioned by Jesus is not actually grounds for a divorce and remarriage at all -- but merely the annulling, or erasing, of a ceremony in which the parties were not actually joined by God at all. Adultery Not Bible Grounds I have heard many people speak of "adultery" as "the Bible grounds for divorce." It will come as a great surprise to many, therefore, that ADULTERY is no grounds whatever for divorce!

There are NO GROUNDS WHATSOEVER for divorce and remarriage, once joined by God for life! Consider, now, the other principal New Testament scriptures on the question: "And He saith unto them, Whosoever shall put away his wife, and marry another, committeth adultery against her. And if a woman shall put away her husband, and be married to another, she committeth adultery," Mark 10:11-12. Notice, it does not say "did commit adultery in the ceremony," but "committeth" -- that is, is NOW COMMITTING adultery by a sex relationship with one to whom he or she is not married in God's sight. "Whosoever putteth away his wife and marrieth another, committeth adultery: and whosoever marrieth her that is put away from her husband committeth adultery," Luke 16:18. Is One Bound to a Sinning Mate? A listener asks if he is bound to live with a non-Christian and sinning wife. The answer is, he is BOUND to her by marriage, and therefore is not free as long as she lives, to marry any other woman, but he is not required to live with her -- he may live apart from her, and remain unmarried, except to her. Here is the scripture on the point: "And unto the married I command, yet not I, but the Lord, Let not the wife depart from her husband: but and if she depart, let her remain unmarried, or be reconciled to her husband: and let not the husband put away his wife," I Corinthians 7:10-11. It applies equally whether man or woman. Further: " . . .

 If any brother [Christian] hath a wife that believeth not, and she be pleased to dwell with him, let him not put her away. And the woman [Christian] which hath an husband that believeth not, and if he be pleased to dwell with her, let her not leave him . . . . But if the unbelieving depart, let him [or her] depart. A brother or a sister is not under bondage in such cases," Verses 12-15. It is a COMMAND of God, II Corinthians 6:14, that Christians shall not marry unbelievers, and trouble nearly always results when this command is broken. But IF one is married to an unbeliever, the marriage is a physical, not a spiritual union, and they are then BOUND as long as they live. The Christian is not forced, however, to live with the unbelieving mate, but must, in that case, live as one single. There are no grounds for divorce and remarriage. Again, in I Corinthians 7:39: "The wife is BOUND by the law as long as her husband liveth; but if her husband be dead, she is at liberty to be married to whom she will; only in the Lord." Now Romans 7:2-3, "For the woman which hath an husband is bound by the law to her husband so long as he liveth; but if the husband be dead, she is loosed from the law of her husband. So then if, while her husband liveth, she be married to another man, she shall be called an adulteress: but if her husband be dead, she is free from the law; so that she is no adulteress, though she be married to another man." Some have written me that they were not converted when they divorced, or married, or remarried, arguing that since they were not then Christians the marriage didn't "count," or, that since the divorce and remarriage occurred before conversion, and the knowledge of the truth, that God should wink at it, and asking if it is not right for them to now continue living with one divorced. I repeat, MARRIAGE IS A FLESH UNION, instituted by GOD at Creation, before there was any Church -- it applies for ALL PEOPLE, from Creation, through all dispensations and ages, and is for Egyptians, Russians, Chinese or Indians, as well as for Americans and Canadians -- it applies to the unconverted as well as the converted.

The only exception is that a converted person should avoid marrying an unconverted. If a man was a thief before he was converted, is it right for him to continue stealing after conversion? Nonsense! The converted person must REPENT of sin -- must QUIT SINNING -- and living with one divorced and actually bound by God's law to another is LIVING IN ADULTERY. Jesus was talking at a well to a Gentile woman from Samaria. "I have no husband," answered the woman. Jesus said, "Thou hast well said, I have no husband: for thou hast had five husbands'; and he whom thou now hast IS NOT THY HUSBAND: in that saidst thou truly," John 4:16-18. She was a divorced and remarried woman, and the man she lived with was NOT HER HUSBAND, though she had "married" him. Hollywood is full of such women today! John the Baptist finally paid with his life, because as a faithful servant of God he warned King Herod that it was not lawful for him to have his brother Phillip's wife. Josephus tells us Herod had divorced his wife and married Philip's wife, who in turn had divorced Philip. WHAT, Then, Shall We Do? I know full well that literally THOUSANDS will read this article, who have been divorced and remarried, or have married a divorced person. I know only too well that the question will come to thousands of you, for the first time: "Well, then, if I am living in adultery, WHAT SHALL I DO?" My heart goes out to all such people. Being human, I wish I could spare them God's answer, but God helping me, I can't! He has called me to "Cry aloud, and SPARE NOT, and show My people their sins." He has called me to TURN YOU FROM YOUR SINS -- that isn't often pleasant for me, or easy for you. It is the greater pity that most such people are the innocent victims of either false teaching, or lack of teaching. GOD HOLDS THE PROFESSING MINISTERS TO BLAME! But, hard as it may be to have to say it, all I can say as a faithful minister of Jesus Christ is: "COME OUT OF SIN" and "QUIT LIVING IN SIN!" Adultery is SIN -- and if one of the two parties, or both, has been divorced, and the previous husband or wife is still living, then the present "marriage" is not a marriage at all in GOD'S SIGHT -- you are STILL BOUND BY GOD to the one from whom you were divorced, and the one you now live with is NOT your husband or your wife, but merely the one with whom you are LIVING IN ADULTERY! Yes, I know, all kinds of complications arise. There is property involved. Perhaps there are children. Perhaps there is, now, a home with children by this second marriage. And it SEEMS wrong and unjust in human eyes to break it up. So human beings usually begin to argue that God isn't fair, and try to find a way around God's commands! But "there is a way that seemeth RIGHT to a man, but the end thereof are the WAYS OF DEATH." So says God's Word! We are to obey God, not human reasoning. No matter how it looks to us, no matter how we reason, GOD'S WAYS AND THE LAWS ARE ALWAYS RIGHT -- MORE FAIR BY FAR -- THAN THE WAYS THAT SEEM RIGHT TO US! Remember, God's laws are not made to break up homes, but to establish and PROTECT them -- and if it SEEMS to human reason that in rectifying these sins that homes might be broken up, I can only remind you that it was the original DIVORCE which broke up a God-established home, and the home made by divorced persons is a home founded on ADULTERY, ugly as this fact may seem. Marriage is not taken seriously enough in America today. Young people are not taught to realize its serious responsibility -- that it is for LIFE. Too many marriages should never have been made, in the first place. But, once made, they are BINDING! Too few know the difference between LOVE and LUST. We are attempting to found the  home today upon IGNORANCE, CARELESSNESS, AND SIN. No wonder we are becoming a world of broken homes and juvenile delinquents! God help all who are guilty of this sin, innocent of intentional wrong through ignorance of GOD'S TRUTH and His ETERNAL LAWS, to have the courage to PUT THIS SIN OUT OF THEIR LIVES, and to quit living in ADULTERY! God help all such not to put human reasoning, or the false advice of ministers, in the place of the PLAIN LAWS OF GOD! It makes no difference how we REASON, as to what is fair or unfair -- it makes no difference how many MEN professing to be ministers of Jesus Christ advise you otherwise, THE MARRIAGE LAWS WERE ORDAINED BY GOD; they were ordained AT CREATION; they are binding UPON ALL MEN AND WOMEN OF ALL RACES, IN ALL AGES, WHETHER BELIEVER OR UNBELIEVER; GOD'S LAWS ARE INEXORABLE AND CANNOT BE CHANGED; AND LIVING IN A MARRIAGE AFTER DIVORCE IS LIVING IN ADULTERY -- THERE ARE NO EXCEPTIONS -- AND ALL HUMAN REASONING AND ASSURANCES OF THIS WORLD'S MINISTERS WILL BE OF NO AVAIL IN THE JUDGMENT! It cannot be denied that, once entangled in this violation of God's marriage laws, an apparent injustice may be brought on innocent people by now OBEYING God's commands. BUT I STILL SAY THAT NO MATTER HOW IT MAY APPEAR, NO MATTER HOW WE HUMANS MAY REASON, IT IS ALWAYS BETTER, IN EVERY INDIVIDUAL CIRCUMSTANCE, TO FOLLOW THE LAWS OF GOD AND OBEY HIS COMMANDS! Yes, the horrible thing about sin is that the innocent suffer with the guilty. Penalties from past sins cannot always be avoided. But to continue in sin only brings further penalties!

 What so few seem to realize is that THESE LAWS OF GOD ARE LIVING THINGS! These laws are actually IN MOTION! They are instituted and set in motion to BRING US HAPPINESS and to PROTECT our happiness. We never fare better by following some other way of human reasoning, no matter how the special circumstances of an individual case may APPEAR. If we dare to break these laws of God, WE SUFFER! These laws are active, living things -- and THEY CRACK DOWN ON US when they are disobeyed! They are INVISIBLE laws. Perhaps it may SEEM to a man some other way is the better way. But always, in all cases, that other way that seemeth RIGHT to a man will only bring on more unhappiness and suffering! God, who instituted these laws, IS ABLE TO ALTER CIRCUMSTANCES so as to BLESS those who put their faith in Him by following HIS ways, and obeying HIS laws, instead of the traditions, customs, and reasonings of mortal humans! Of course, where sins have been committed, there are penalties. But STILL the lesser of the two evils is to OBEY GOD'S LAWS in regard to the marriage relationship! If you permit human reason to lead you into transgressing them, no matter how RIGHT that course may SEEM to you, God's INEXORABLE LAWS WILL PUNISH YOU and you will suffer far more -- be far more unhappy. Trust God -- turn to Him, OBEY HIM -- quit living in adultery; or, if you were contemplating a divorce and remarriage, put away that temptation -- AND SEE WHETHER THE ALMIGHTY CREATOR IS NOT ABLE TO WORK CIRCUMSTANCES OUT TO A REALLY HAPPY SOLUTION! Suffering and unhappiness come ONLY from living contrary to God's laws! Happiness can come ONLY by living according to them. May God help each one to see this basic TRUTH -- to FEAR to go contrary to it -- and to PUT HIS FAITH IN GOD!

1 RON KENOLY - MAJESTY

Born again what is it ? (vic stoc)

The words "born again" have always signified something of great importance to those who believe in the Bible. They are expressive of the new birth which follows the believer's death to, or separation from, sin, and delivers us into the kingdom of God. The expression is heard frequently today. Many people claim to have experienced this unusual phenomenon. But what is it? What does it mean to say someone is born again?And, how does it happen? What is our involvement, if any, that causes this birth to occur? These questions are important, and worthy of careful investigation. By examining what the Bible has to say about this matter, we should be able to find the answers. In John 3:1 and following, the Bible depicts a meeting that occurred between Nicodemus, a Pharisee and ruler of the Jews, and Jesus. During their conversation, Jesus said to Nicodemus: "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." Nicodemus must not have understood what Jesus meant, for he asked: "How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?" Jesus answered: "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, 'You must be born again.' " By answering this way, Jesus taught that physical birth is not the same as the new birth. The new birth was something quite different. Man had to be "born of water and of the Spirit." Some have taken this to mean that in order to be born again you must first be born as a child is born (a physical birth), and then, later in life, be born in a "spiritual" sense, when the Holy Spirit miraculously comes upon you. According to this understanding, John 3 applies to two births which are separated by an expanded period of time. But Jesus answered Nicodemus' question (verses 4-6) in order to show that no aspect of a physical birth was intended. In addition, other Bible pas-sages refer to the new birth as a single, not a dual, event. Thus, two births could not have been the object of Jesus' teaching. What then is this birth of water and spirit? Though much could be said, we note only these three important truths about the new birth: (1) The new birth allows us to see (verse 3), or enter (verse 5), the kingdom of God. In verse three, Jesus states that being "born again" allows one to "see" God's kingdom. That thought is explained, in verse five, when Jesus says that it is through the birth of water and the Spirit that one enters God's kingdom. It seems obvious that the phrases "born again" and "born of water and the Spirit" refer to each other. When one is born of water and Spirit, he is born again. Likewise, "seeing" and "entering" the kingdom are related. When one "sees" the kingdom, as Jesus intends it in verse 3, he enters the kingdom. Consequently, understanding what it means to enter God's kingdom is crucial. That understanding is made clearer when we realize that the Bible equates the kingdom with the churchthat Jesus died to build. (see Matthew 16:18-19). It is a kingdom that the prophets of God foretold in the Old Testament (Isaiah 2:1-4; Micah 4:1-2; Daniel 2:44; Joel 2:28-32). In the second chapter of Acts we learn that the establishment of that kingdom (and thus the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy) was realized when the church began on the Pentecost following Christ's resurrection. Peter's preaching that day was a message of repentance and baptism and was obeyed by some 3000 souls who were "added" to something (verse 41). The last verse of the chapter teaches us that God added these souls to the church as they were being saved. That is to say that their addition to the church by the Lord occurred at the same time that they were being saved. Entrance into the church, then, is both simultaneous and synonymous with entrance into Christ's kingdom. As a result, whatever adds one to the kingdom also adds one to the church, and vice versa. When one enters the kingdom of God, by means of the new birth, he enters the church. When one, by means of the birth of water and the Spirit, enters the church, he also enters the kingdom. (2) The new birth includes baptism (immersion) in water. John the Baptist, the fore-runner of Jesus, was involved in heralding the kingdom of God. His message was "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!" (Matthew 3:2) As part of his work in preparing the way for Christ, John baptized those who came confessing and repenting of their sins, for the remission of those sins (Matthew 3:2-6; Mark 1:1-5; Luke 3:1-8; John 1:19-34; 4:1). Though Jesus was sinless (Hebrews 4:15), he, too, was baptized of John to "fulfill all righteousness." (Matthew 3:13-17) Though many Jews relied upon their ancestry through Abraham, that is their physical birth, to save them, John corrected them: "do not think to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.' For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones." (Matthew 3:9) The new birth, then, is quite different than a physical birth. It is primarily a spiritual birth, occurring simultaneously with the act of baptism, or immersion, in water. Concerning this, note the following remark: "Water naturally suggested to Nicodemus the baptism of John which was then awakening such profound and general interest; and, with this, the symbolical purifications of the Jews, and the Old Testament use of washing as the figure of purifying from sin (Ps. 51:2,7; Ezek. 36:25; Zech. 13:1). Jesus' words opened to Nicodemus a new and more spiritual significance in both the ceremonial purifications and the baptism of John which the Pharisees had rejected (Luke 7:30). John's rite had a real and legitimate relation to the kingdom of God which Nicodemus must accept." This simply means that baptism (immersion in water) was necessary for entrance into the kingdom of God. The physical act of baptism fulfills that part of the new birth which states that we are to be "born of water." (3) The new birth includes our obedience to the word of God.While Jesus affirmed the necessity of baptism as an essential element of the new birth, he also affirmed the necessity of the spiritual element in that birth by instructing that such be "of the Spirit." The physical act without the spiritual element would have been meaningless. But what is this spiritual element? How are we born "of the Spirit?" As we examine the Bible, we note at least these significant points concerning the Spirit: (1) the Holy Spirit is part of the Godhead, which is also composed of God (the Father) and Christ (the Son), (2) every attribute and characteristic of God the Father and God the Son applies with equal force to the Holy Spirit, (3) each person of the Godhead has unique roles which often overlap those of the other two, and (4) one of the unique roles of the Spirit centers around the message of God. It is this last element of the Spirit's work that is of importance to us as we examine the meaning of the birth "of the Spirit." The Holy Spirit, in both Old and New Testaments, played a unique role in the revelation and the inspiration of the message of God.

The Jews rejecting the spirit of God Pt2 (vic stoc)

In our first article in this series we noted the following: (1) The new birth allows us to see (John 3:3), or enter (John 3:5), the kingdom of God. (2) The new birth includes baptism (immersion) in water. (3) The new birth includes our obedience to the word of God. We were discussing this third point at the end of the article, and reproduce it here so that you will have it before you. te83) The new birth includes our obedience to the word of God.While Jesus affirmed the necessity of baptism (by immersion in water) as an essential element of the new birth, he also affirmed the necessity of the spiritual element in that birth by instructing that such be "of the Spirit." The physical act without the spiritual element would have been meaningless. But what is this spiritual element? How are we born "of the Spirit?" As we examine the Bible, we note at least these significant points concerning the Spirit: (1) the Holy Spirit is part of the Godhead, which is also composed of God (the Father) and Christ (the Son), (2) every attribute and characteristic of God the Father and God the Son applies with equal force to the Holy Spirit, (3) each person of the Godhead has unique roles which often overlap those of the other two, and (4) one of the unique roles of the Spirit centers around the message of God. It is this last element of the Spirit's work that is of importance to us as we examine the meaning of the birth "of the Spirit." The Holy Spirit, in both Old and New Testaments, played a unique role in the revelation and the inspiration of the message of God. [End of part one] It is through the Holy Spirit of God that the Bible, God's word, was revealed to man. The revelation of God's word came from God through the Holy Spirit in the process called inspiration. Let us examine how it is that such takes place. How Inspiration Works The Lord is a God of knowledge (1 Samuel 2:3; Psalm 147:4), and as such he knows all that can be known (Job 28:10). God knows: (1) the future before it comes to pass (Isaiah 42:9; 46:10; 48:5-6), (2) all that can be known about the activities and conditions of all men (Exodus 3:3-20; 6:1; 11:1: Numbers 14:27; Job 24:24; Psalm 33:13; 66:7; Proverbs 5:21), (3) the hearts and minds of men (1 Chronicles 28:9; 1 Kings 8:39; Isaiah 66:18; Luke 16:15; Acts 1:24; 15:8; et. al.); and (4) every detail about us, even the number of hairs upon our heads (Matthew 10:29). But God is not the only person that knows all of this, for the Holy Spirit knows all that the Father knows. This is plainly taught in 1 Corinthians 2:9-13. In this passage Paul states: "For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God." (vs.11) Paul's purpose in this text, however, is not simply to inform his readers of how much God knows and how much the Spirit knows. His purpose is to point out that what God and the Spirit know has been revealed to man. He says: "But God has revealed them (things pertaining to salvation-vs.9) to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God." (vs.10) God has revealed, through the influence of the Holy Spirit (i.e., the process of inspiration), those things that man needs to know for salvation (see 1 Peter 1:3-4). In summary: God, through the Spirit, revealed to certain men (e.g., the apostles, Mark, Luke, et. al), things that he wanted them to write and speak about. When these things were written, or spoken, they were able to be understood by the readers and hearers in such a way that they were able to understand the message not just as the message of men, but as it was intended to be understood-as the message of God. Paul thus affirmed, in 1 Corinthians 2:9-13, that because the Spirit knows the mind of God, what is revealed to the apostles by the Spirit is from the mind of God. Thus, what the apostles wrote or spoke by inspiration came from God himself. When someone read, or heard, an apostle's message he was reading, or hearing, God's message. To understand that message therefore, was more than understanding the words of mortal men; it was to understand the message (word) of God. (1 Corinthians 2:1; Ephesians 3:1-5) This thought is stated plainly in 1 Thessalonians 2:13: "...because when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God..." Thus, because the message came through the influence of the Spirit, to understand the word and message of God is equivalent to understanding the word and message of the Holy Spirit. Rejecting God's Message Equals Rejecting The Spirit If what God knows the Spirit knows, and if what God reveals the Spirit reveals, then it seems obvious to conclude that to reject the message of God is not only a rejection of God, but also a rejection of the Holy Spirit too. This is exactly what the Bible teaches. In Acts 7 Stephen was accused by the Jews of blaspheming the law and the temple. In his defense before the Jewish council he gave an overview of the history of Israel, at the end which he declared that God did not live in houses made with hands. Then, in a terse remark aimed directly at his antagonistic Jewish audience he said: "You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit; as your fathers did, so do you. Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who foretold the coming of the Just One, of whom you now have become the betrayers and murderers ..." (Acts 7:51-52)%e moD Notice the allegations, listed in reverse order, made against these Jews by Stephen: (1) you have betrayed and murdered the Holy One, the Christ; (2) your fathers (ancestors) killed those who foretold Christ's coming; (3) your fathers persecuted the prophets; and (4) just as your fathers resisted the Holy Spirit, so do you. The meaning of the first three allegations is obvious. These Jews, and their ancestors, were actually responsible for the crucifixion of Christ, as well as the killing and persecution of old testament prophets. But how did these Jews and their fathers resist the Holy Spirit? The answer to this question can be found in many Bible passages, but we will focus on just one of them. After the Jews were restored to their homeland following the period of captivity, there was a need to re-instruct them in the ways of the Lord. In Nehemiah, chapters 8 and 9, Ezra the scribe read the law of God before the nation of Israel in order to inform them of God's ways. In the ninth chapter an overview of Israel's history is presented. This was done to show how God cared for them and taught them his will in the past, and how they had reacted to his commands. In verse 20 of this chapter we learn that God "gave Your good Spirit to instruct them." Verse 26 says that the Israelites "were disobedient and rebelled against You, cast Your law behind their backs and killed Your prophets who testified against them." Verse 30 states: "Yet for many years You had patience with them, and testified against them by Your Spirit in Your prophets. Yet they would not listen..." These passages correspond to Stephen's accusation in Acts 7. The Jews killed the prophets that God sent to testify against them. These prophets, sent by God, spoke by the Spirit of God. Thus, when the Jews rejected the message of the prophets, they rejected, or resisted, the message of the Holy Spirit. To refuse to listen to or h sh God's message is to reject the Holy Spirit. We have shown how the process of inspiration works. We have also noted that a rejection of God's message is also a rejection of the Holy Spirit. In our next article in this series, we will show how obeying the apostles' message is the same as obeying the message of the Spirit. See also:

Born Again (1979) by Dr.Billy Graham (vic stoc)

Evangelism in Nigeria - Reinhard Bonnke (vic stock)

A person who sins in church (vic stock)

If self discipline were practised properly, there would be no need for any other form of discipline. It becomes necessary, however, to sometimes exercise discipline upon those who won't exercise it upon themselves. Just as we convert sinners to Christ, we must nurture and discipline them in Christ, lest Satan snatch them away again. In this lesson we outline the proper procedure for correcting sin in others. Correcting Sin in Others 1 Wrong responses to sin in others Some take the attitude is that individual accountability leaves everyone free to do as they please without interference or intervention. Others respond with fanatical, abusive, and cultish forms of discipline. Wrong responses to sin may be summarized as follows.... A. Ignoring it. If you saw that a fire had started in someone's house, what would you do? Would you ignore the problem, hope it would fix itself, and trust nobody would get hurt? Of course not. Similarly, you cannot ignore the sin you see in others. You must "snatch them out of the fire" (Jde 1:23). Please don't say, "It's none of my business!" when you see others in sin. Surely it is your business to "save a soul from death" (Jas 5:19-20). B. Worrying about it. It is inappropriate, on the other hand, to lose sleep and worry yourself sick when you see sin in others. At least you are not ignoring the sin, but you are not, by worrying, helping to restore the sinner either (Gal 6:1). C. Praying for the sinner. It might seem strange to put "praying for the sinner" down as a wrong response, especially as it appears better than ignoring the problem or worrying about it. Prayer is appropriate for the penitent struggling to overcome sin. But when someone is not dealing with their sin, go and confront that person, don't hide away in your prayer closet and use prayer as a cop-out (1Jhn 5:16). Certainly you would pray before going to the person. That prayer helps you go. It is not a substitute for going. D. Complaining about it. An obviously wrong response is to complain to others and "speak against a brother" (Jas 4:11) when you have not spoken to him. 2 Right response to sin in others Go to the sinner privately (Matt 18:15). You must respect confidentiality at this stage. You do this for two reasons. First, privacy keeps the problem contained, and under control. Second, privacy protects a reputation from unnecessary hurt. Before you go, examine whether there has really been a sin. Are you perhaps nit-picking and being a nuisance? Or have you jumped to unfounded conclusions? Or are you seeking to bind your personal opinion on someone else? Maybe you are trying to get even with this person. If any of those are so, then to go would be out of line. 3 When your initial response fails If a person is in sin, but won't listen to you, don't shrug off the matter —a soul is in danger. Go again, this time with the help of one or two others (Matt 18:16). Obviously you should choose those helpers carefully: They should be not novices but mature, objective, impartial, and trustworthy to keep the matter confidential. If they happen to already be aware of the problem, so much the better, as it saves having to expand the circle in which the problem is being handled. 4 When the private admonitions fail If you still have no success, don't delay or abandon the Lord's plan. Take the matter further: "Tell it to the church" (Matt 18:17). This does not mean that you drop a bombshell in the church and shock the assembly with a surprise speech! It means that you let the church quietly take the matter out of your hands. A sensible approach would be to bring the matter to the attention of a church elder. The elders will quietly confirm the facts and approach the sinner in an attempt to avoid rebuking him publicly, but they should not resile from a public rebuke if that becomes necessary (1Tim 5:20). 5 When the public admonitions fail If even a public rebuke fails, the final effort to restore the person will be the "disfellowship" of that person. The Bible calls this action a "rejection" or "removal" from the church (Tit 3:10-11 1Co 5:11-13). This is definitely a rare and last resort, and it is not meant to be a threat constantly held over the heads of church members. 6 The purpose of disfellowship If a someone is weak and struggling to overcome sin, if someone needs our help and support, it is hardly appropriate for us to remove that person from our fellowship. On the other hand, if someone has left the church and wants no more to do with us, there is no point in disfellowshipping (excommunicating) that person either. How can you "remove" somebody who has already gone? Disfellowship is appropriate for the person who is leading a double life. Some people want to have their cake and eat it too. They want to be in fellowship with us, yet at the same time to be in sinful rebellion against God. Disfellowship may be the only way to force them to choose whom they will serve, the Lord or Satan. In the rare event that disfellowship does take place, there is certainly no intention of vengeance or intimidation. There are two main reasons for rejecting or removing such a person from the church fellowship. Firstly a handing over to Satan. The person needs to be shown, in a clear-cut way, what it is like to be in fellowship with Satan and alienated from God. So we give the person to Satan for the time being (1Cor 5:5). Hopefully the sinner, having to deal with Satan without the shelter of the church, will cease to be double minded. The sinner will realise what sort of person Satan is, and no longer wish to serve him. The person will appreciate the blessings of church membership and no longer take them for granted (Eph 1:3-14). Secondly protecting the church. The second reason for disfellowship is to prevent contamination of church (1Co 5:6-7). It is only right that the leaven of evil influence should not be allowed to remain in the church. This worthy principle sometimes degenerates into a witch hunt mentality. In their enthusiasm to "purify" the church, legalistic people lose sight of an even greater principle. It is the blood of Jesus Christ our Lord which purifies the church, and he shed his blood for the forgiveness of sins (Matt 26:28). A person struggling with sin in an attitude of contrition needs help, prayer and counsel . Such a person is no threat to us. That person belongs in the church, sins and all. 7 Acting properly toward the disfellowshipped The following points are intended to help clarify a general misunderstanding of the relationship between the church and someone disfellowshipped from it. Social restrictions. A disfellowshipped person is no longer included in normal social engagements with church members (1Cor 5:11). Invitations to lunch, for example, are neither issued nor accepted. But the person is not banished from or avoided at the family table. He is disfellowshipped from the church, not from his home and family. Not shunned. A disfellowshipped person should not be "shunned". Crossing to the other side of the street, and other forms of psychological abuse, are not Christian practice. A beloved brother or sister should not be treated as though they were hated enemies (2The 3:14-15). The disfellowshipped will be made unwelcome at church business meetings until willing to repent, but will also be made to feel that he or she is missed. Remember the story of the prodigal son (Lke 15:11-32). Not pestered. A disfellowshipped person is not pestered. "Exhorting as a brother" means saying the appropriate thing at the appropriate opportunity. It does not mean constant harassment by church members to wear the person down. Not blacklisted. A disfellowshipped person is not blacklisted. When the Bible tells us to "mark" people (Rom 16:17), it means to be watchful that such people are properly disciplined so they might mend their ways. It doesn't mean to put their names on a blacklist or to send emails and letters far and wide about them, or to wreck their reputation. It may be necessary to inform some others, but this should be done discreetly. Welcome to come back. A disfellowshipped person is welcomed back and comforted as soon as a change of heart occurs (2Cor 2:6-8). Naturally we would expect the change of heart to manifest itself in a change of practice, but the right environment for that change is fully restored fellowship and a warm embrace. Again, remember the story of the prodigal son.

The Church and Israel explained

Question: "Are Israel and the church the same thing? Does God still have a plan for Israel?" Answer: This topic is one of the more controversial in the Church today, and it has significant implications regarding the way we interpret Scripture, especially in regard to the end times. More importantly, it has great significance in that it affects the way we understand the very nature and character of God Himself. Romans 11:16-36 records the illustration of the olive tree. This passage speaks of Israel the (“natural” branches) being broken off from the olive tree, and the Church (“wild” branches or shoots) being grafted into the olive tree. Since Israel is referred to as branches, as well as the Church, it stands to reason that neither group is the “whole tree,” so to speak; rather, the whole tree represents God’s workings with mankind as a whole.

Therefore, God’s program with Israel and God’s program with the Church are part of the outworking of His purpose among men in general. Of course, this is not intended to mean that either program is of little significance, because as most commentators have noted, more revelation is given in the Bible regarding God’s programs with Israel and with the Church than any of God’s other dealings! The best way to interpret Scripture is with the Scripture itself, so with that in mind, recall that in Genesis 12, God promised Abraham that he would be the father of a great nation (the Jews), that that the Jews would possess a land, and that nation would be blessed above all other nations, and that all nations would be blessed out of Israel. So, from the beginning God reveals that Israel would be His chosen people on the earth, but that His blessing and working would not be limited to them exclusively.

Galatians 3:14 identifies the nature of the blessing that would come to all the other nations in addition to Israel. It says, “That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.” All the nations of the world, then, would be blessed by Israel, through whom would come the Savior of the world. God’s plan of redemption is built upon the finished work of Jesus Christ, who came from the line of David, who is himself a physical descendant of Abraham. Of course, Christ’s death on the cross is sufficient for the sins of the entire world, not just the Jews! Galatians 3:6-8 states, “Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness. Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham. And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, [saying], In thee shall all nations be blessed.” Finally, Galatians 3:29 says, “And if ye [be] Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.”

When you put all of this together, what it is saying is not that believers become Jews (the physical descendants of Abraham), but that in Christ, they are counted righteous by faith in the same way that Abraham was (Galatians 3:6-8). Verse 29 tells us that if people are in Christ, (believers, members of the Church), then they are partakers of the blessing of Israel and all nations in the redemptive work of Christ. In this sense, believers become the spiritual descendants of Abraham. In summary, believers do not become Jews, but may enjoy the same type of blessings and privileges as the Jews. Now, this does not contradict or nullify the revelation given in the Old Testament. What took place in the Old Testament is still valid, in that God’s relationship with Israel as a chosen people points to the work of Christ as a Redeemer of the whole world. The Old Testament contains the Mosaic Law, which is still mandatory for all the Jews (the physical descendants of Abraham) to follow, because they have not yet accepted Christ as their Messiah, who would do what they could not do—fulfill the Law in all its details. As New Testament believers, we are no longer under the curse of the Law (Galatians 3:13), because Christ has taken that curse upon Himself on the cross. The Law served two purposes, first to reveal the problem of unrighteousness, and mankind’s inability (on his own merit) to do anything about that problem, and to point us to Christ, who fulfills the Law. His death on the cross completely satisfies God’s righteous requirement of perfection. It must be remembered that God’s promises are not made invalid by the acts and unfaithfulness of man. Nothing we do is ever a surprise to God, and He does not need to adjust His plans according to the way we behave. No, God is sovereign over all things—past, present and future—and what He has foreordained for both Israel and the Church will come to pass, regardless of circumstances. Romans 3:3-4 explains that the unbelief of the Jews would not nullify His promises concerning them: “What if some did not have faith? Will their lack of faith nullify God's faithfulness? Not at all! Let God be true, and every man a liar. As it is written: ‘So that you may be proved right when you speak and prevail when you judge.’

" One final thought: promises made to Israel are still going to be kept in the future. The “clock” for that has been temporarily stopped, and only God knows when those things will come to pass. However, we can be sure that all God has said is true and will take place, because of His character and consistency. Earlier, we mentioned that how one views Israel and the Church has implications on the interpretation of Scripture, and here is why: it is not possible for the Church to fulfill or expect to have fulfilled for them the promises made to Israel. So, as one reads Scripture, it is absolutely essential to follow the pattern set by Scripture itself and keep Israel and the Church separate.

Marriage edited by (vic stock)

Teaching on Marriage in Corinthians and Ephesians The purpose of this paper is to compare the teaching on marriage from the book of I Corinthians and Ephesians. The Bible tells us, "It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him" (Gen. 2:18). In the beginning, God saw that it was not good for His creation to be alone; therefore He created a helper suitable for Adam, a wife to be his companion and counterpart. From the book of Proverbs, we are also told that God designed marriage not only as a means for bringing children into this world, but also as God's appointed means for a man to find pleasure in his wife. In the New Testament, we are told that Jesus attended a wedding in Cana of Galilee and miraculously provided wine when their supplies were exhausted. The Apostle Paul also had a great deal to say about the covenant that God ordained between man and woman. Paul assumed that elders and deacons would be married and bare children. Paul also encouraged younger widows to marry and he claimed the right as an apostle to lead about a wife. Therefore, the Bible views marriage as the norm, and the single life as the exception.

Marriage is viewed as holy, righteous, and good. So, as we approach I Corinthian 7 and Ephesians 5, we must do so in confident that marriage is a gift from God, and a blessing that many Christians gratefully receive and enjoy. First of all, Paul's words in I Corinthians 7 are in response to a question asked by some of the Corinthian saints who had previously corresponded with him. Paul is writing to address a problem, which the Corinthians had concerning an interpretation of not being able to contain and marriage. Paul's words in these verses of Scripture should be understood in light of the broader teaching of the Bible concerning marriage. Before devoting our attention to the distorted views of marriage held by some of the Corinthians, we must understand what the Bible has to say about the subject of marriage. In this passage of Scripture Paul begins by making a bold statement concerning  marriage. He states, "It is good for a man not to touch a woman" (I Cor. 7:1b). In this verse Paul defends the vali marriage, but he also acknowledges the place of the celibate life. Paul relates celibacy to the gift of self-control and states there are certain advantages to remaining single if one has this gift. Two of such advantages are that the single person is more free to minister, and has fewer distractions to a life of devotion to God. "Paul does not say that it is better to remain single. Paul is not disparaging marriage, but he is defending celibacy against those thought it wrong" (Boyer 76).

Paul however is saying that marriage as a reciprocal relationship in which, "the wife hath not power over her own body, but the husband: and likewise also the husband hath not power over his own body, but the wife" (1 Cor 7:4). Paul tells us that both man and woman is enjoined to regularly satisfy the duty of marriage  needs of the other within the marital relationship. It is biblical for the husband to concern himself with pleasing and serving his wife, and for the wife to desire to please and serve her husband. It should also be noted that marriage is to be a permanent relationship between man and woman. The Bible is clear concerning the fact that marriage is to be a covenant relationship between man, woman and God. Separation and divorce are contrary to the purposes for which God instituted marriage. When a man and a woman marry, God yokes them in an indissoluble union. It is therefore dishonoring to God to even consider divorce as an escape hatch, because this distorts the spiritual reality of marriage and creates a breach in commitment that can widen under pressure. As Christians, we are to pursue a higher standard than that of our prevailing culture. God's pattern and purpose for marriage is constantly imperiled by internal forces of selfishness and external forces of society. Because of the problem of sin, we all fall short of God's ideal for our marriages. It is only as we abide in His power that we can fulfill His plan in this most important of earthly relationships. Gen 2 21-25. Matt 19 3-12 Secondly, another area of Paul's teaching on the subject of marriage is found in the book of Ephesians.

The subject of Paul's teaching in Ephesians 5:21-33 is that of submission in the context of marriage. Paul's instructions here create a head-on collision with the beliefs and practices of our culture. Paul's instructions in this section of Scripture are often written off as a set of standards that are no longer part of our generation. Submission on any level of society is not readily accepted today. "Many people today object that such a view of marriage is not appropriate for the twentieth-century society" (Vaughan 116). However, in order to understand Paul's instructions to the church in Ephesus, we must understand that marriage is a covenant relationship that is based on different roles and responsibilities. Both the husband and wife have specific roles and responsibilities to fulfill not only to each other, but also to God. Roles always determine relationships, and relationships create responsibility. So, because the Bible clearly teaches us that men and women have distinctive roles to fulfill within a Christian marriage, these roles must be fulfilled within the light of God's word. "The one wifely duty which Paul insists upon is that of submission". Having said this, we must consider the fact that submission is not totally the responsibility of the wife. According to the Bible, submission is to be the lifestyle of the husband as well. God has placed the husband as the head of the family, but only in regards to his love for Christ. So, before we can understand what Paul is teaching us about the importance of headship and submission within a marriage; we must understand that the ultimate head of the family is Christ. The headship of Christ over His church is the first characteristic mentioned by Paul in our text, which symbolizes the husband's headship over his wife. "The supreme duty enjoined upon the husband is that he love his wife" (Vaughan 117). If the husband cannot love his wife as Christ has loved the church, then he will not fulfill the position of headship over the family. Headship involves authority, therefore, to be the ‘head' means to be in control of, or in authority over another. Headship does not mean that a husband is to misuse or abuse the authority that God has give to him. "Just because the wife is to submit to her husband does not give the husband a right to act like a petty tyrant around the house" (Boice 199). Headship means that a husband must love his wife as he loves himself. Being the head of the family is a great responsibility because the man will be held accountable to God for his obedience to this command. In conclusion, we have to consider the fact that Christian marriage is important because this relationship is indicative of all our relationships. The same principles, which guide and govern our marriages guide and govern all our relationships. If we cannot live together with the one that we have purposed to love until death parts us, it will be very difficult to live in peace and harmony with our fellow-believers, our neighbours and with our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. According to the Apostle Paul, marriage is but a rehearsal for the great marriage yet to come, our union with Jesus Christ.

Beyoncé - Silent Night

Silent Night (with lyrics)

MARK OF THE BEAST IS HERE -- MUST SEE INFO!!! (Part 1)

Please note I personal agree with most of what this man is saying 85%. a few of his comments I question but over all it is in fairly accurate vic stoc

The road to a possible cashless world ?

A Cashless Society May Be Closer Than Most People Would Ever Dare To Imagine Most people think of a cashless society as something that is way off in the distant future. Unfortunately, that is simply not the case. The truth is that a cashless society is much closer than most people would ever dare to imagine. To a large degree, the transition to a cashless society is being done voluntarily. Today, only 7 percent of all transactions in the United States are done with cash, and most of those transactions involve very small amounts of money. Just think about it for a moment. Where do you still use cash these days? If you buy a burger or if you purchase something at a flea market you will still use cash, but for any mid-size or large transaction the vast majority of people out there will use another form of payment. Our financial system is dramatically changing, and cash is rapidly becoming a thing of the past. We live in a digital world, and national governments and big banks are both encouraging the move away from paper currency and coins. But what would a cashless society mean for our future? Are there any dangers to such a system? Those are very important questions, but most of the time both sides of the issue are not presented in a balanced way in the mainstream media. Instead, most mainstream news articles tend to trash cash and talk about how wonderful digital currency is. For example, a recent CBS News article declared that soon we may not need "that raggedy dollar bill" any longer and that the "greenback may soon be a goner".... It's what the wallet was invented for, to carry cash. After all, there was a time when we needed cash everywhere we went, from filling stations to pay phones. Even the tooth fairy dealt only in cash. But money isn't just physical anymore. It's not only the pennies in your piggy bank, or that raggedy dollar bill. Money is also digital - it's zeros and ones stored in a computer, prompting some economists to predict the old-fashioned greenback may soon be a goner. "There will be a time - I don't know when, I can't give you a date - when physical money is just going to cease to exist," said economist Robert Reich. So will we see a completely cashless society in the near future? Of course not. It would be wildly unpopular for the governments of the world to force such a system upon us all at once. Instead, the big banks and the governments of the industrialized world are doing all they can to get us to voluntarily transition to such a system. Once 98 or 99 percent of all transactions do not involve cash, eliminating the remaining 1 or 2 percent will only seem natural. The big banks want a cashless society because it is much more profitable for them. The big banks earn billions of dollars in fees from debit cards and they make absolutely enormous profits from credit cards. But when people use cash the big banks do not earn anything. So obviously the big banks and the big credit card companies are big cheerleaders for a cashless society. Most governments around the world are eager to transition to a cashless society as well for the following reasons.... -Cash is expensive to print, inspect, move, store and guard. -Counterfeiting is always going to be a problem as long as paper currency exists. -Cash if favored by criminals because it does not leave a paper trail. Eliminating cash would make it much more difficult for drug dealers, prostitutes and other criminals to do business. -Most of all, a cashless society would give governments more control. Governments would be able to track virtually all transactions and would also be able to monitor tax compliance much more closely. When you understand the factors listed above, it becomes easier to understand why the use of cash is increasingly becoming demonized. Governments around the world are increasingly viewing the use of cash in a negative light. In fact, according to the U.S. government paying with cash in some circumstances is now considered to be "suspicious activity" that needs to be reported to the authorities. This disdain of cash has also grown very strong in the financial community. The following is from a recent Slate article.... David Birch, a director at Consult Hyperion, a firm specializing in electronic payments, says a shift to digital currency would cut out these hidden costs. In Birch’s ideal world, paying with cash would be viewed like drunk driving—something we do with decreasing frequency as more and more people understand the negative social consequences. “We’re trying to use industrial age money to support commerce in a post-industrial age. It just doesn’t work,” he says. “Sooner or later, the tectonic plates shift and then, very quickly, you’ll find yourself in this new environment where if you ask somebody to pay you in cash, you’ll just assume that they’re a prostitute or a Somali pirate.” Do you see what is happening? Simply using cash is enough to get you branded as a potential criminal these days. Many people are going to be scared away from using cash simply because of the stigma that is becoming attached to it. This is a trend that is not just happening in the United States. In fact, many other countries are further down the road toward a cashless society than we are. Up in Canada, they are looking for ways to even eliminate coins so that people can use alternate forms of payment for all of their transactions.... The Royal Canadian Mint is also looking to the future with the MintChip, a new product that could become a digital replacement for coins. In Sweden, only about 3 percent of all transactions still involve cash. The following comes from a recent Washington Post article.... In most Swedish cities, public buses don’t accept cash; tickets are prepaid or purchased with a cell phone text message. A small but growing number of businesses only take cards, and some bank offices — which make money on electronic transactions — have stopped handling cash altogether. “There are towns where it isn’t at all possible anymore to enter a bank and use cash,” complains Curt Persson, chairman of Sweden’s National Pensioners’ Organization. In Italy, all very large cash transactions have been banned. Previously, the limit for using cash in a transaction had been reduced to the equivalent of just a few thousand dollars. But back in December, Prime Minister Mario Monti proposed a new limit of approximately $1,300 for cash transactions. And that is how many governments will transition to a cashless society. They will set a ceiling and then they will keep lowering it and lowering it. But is a cashless society really secure? Of course not. Bank accounts can be hacked into. Credit cards and debit cards can be stolen. Identity theft all over the world is absolutely soaring. So companies all over the planet are working feverishly to make all of these cashless systems much more secure. In the future, it is inevitable that national governments and big financial institutions will want to have all of us transition over to using biometric identity systems in order to combat crime in the financial system. Many of these biometric identity systems are becoming quite advanced. For example, just check out what IBM has been developing. The following is from a recent IBM press release.... You will no longer need to create, track or remember multiple passwords for various log-ins. Imagine you will be able to walk up to an ATM machine to securely withdraw money by simply speaking your name or looking into a tiny sensor that can recognize the unique patterns in the retina of your eye. Or by doing the same, you can check your account balance on your mobile phone or tablet. Each person has a unique biological identity and behind all that is data. Biometric data – facial definitions, retinal scans and voice files – will be composited through software to build your DNA unique online password. Referred to as multi-factor biometrics, smarter systems will be able to use this information in real-time to make sure whenever someone is attempting to access your information, it matches your unique biometric profile and the attempt is authorized. Are you ready for that? It is coming. In the future, if you do not surrender your biometric identity information, you may be locked out of the entire financial system. Another method that can be used to make financial identification more secure is to use implantable RFID microchips. Yes, there is a lot of resistance to this idea, but the fact is that the use of RFID chips in animals and in humans is rapidly spreading. Some U.S. cities have already made it mandatory to implant microchips into all cats and all dogs so that they can be tracked. All over the United States, employees are being required to carry badges that contain RFID chips, and in some instances employers are actually requiring employees to have RFID chips injected into their bodies. Increasingly, RFID chips are being implanted in the upper arm of patients that have Alzheimer's disease. The idea is that this helps health care providers track Alzheimer's patients that get lost. In some countries, microchips are now actually being embedded into school uniforms to make sure that students don't skip school. Can you see where all of this is headed? Some companies are even developing RFID technologies that do not require an injection. One company called Somark has developed chipless RFID ink that is applied directly to the skin of an animal or a human. These "RFID tattoos" are applied in about 10 seconds using micro-needles and a reusable applicator, and they can be read by an RFID reader from up to four feet away. Would you get an "RFID tattoo" if the government or your bank asked you to? Some people out there are actually quite excited about these new technologies. For example, a columnist named Don Tennant wrote an article entitled "Chip Me – Please!" in which he expressed his unbridled enthusiasm for an implantable microchip which would contain all of his medical information.... "All I can say is I’d be the first person in line for an implant." But are there real dangers to going to a system that is entirely digital? For example, what if a devastating EMP attack wiped out our electrical grid and most of our computers from coast to coast? How would we continue to function? Sadly, most people don't think about things like that. Our world is changing more rapidly than ever before, and we should be mindful of where these changes are taking us. Just because our technology is advancing does not mean that our world is becoming a better place. There are millions of Americans that want absolutely nothing to do with biometric identity systems or RFID implants. But the mainstream media continues to declare that nothing can stop the changes that are coming. A recent CBS News article made the following statement.... "Most agree a cashless society is not only inevitable, for most of us, it's already here." Yes, a cashless society is coming. Are you ready for it?