By the Numbers

Saturday, July 25, 2015

How Can Christians Believe Such Things?

                  How Can Christians Believe Such Things?

Don't people have the right to question Christian beliefs? I'm suspicious of any religion that forbids or threatens harm for asking questions. How else are we to learn the truth? Such religions it seems must have a bad background and false and dangerous teachings they want to hide. It's true hostile deceived people can harm honest questioners. But Bible Christianity invites honest thinking people to question it freely without fear because it gives evidence of being God's truth. Let me briefly address two Bible issues many people understand little or nothing about, or may have heard lies.. See my other articles for other questions and fuller discussion. God bless.
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1. Isn't being good the way to a good God and a good Heaven? That seems so logical and true, but it assumes a host of false notions people never consider. It assume God's goodness means he approves things we think good, and disapproves things we think bad. It assumes our selfish prideful desires are normal and not displeasing to God. It assumes Christianity is just a bunch of unnecessary rules that spoil our fun. It assumes our teachers, and parental examples were right. Now please consider God's teachings and reasons. "We are all infected and impure with sin. When we display our righteous deeds, they are nothing but filthy rags" (Isaiah 64:6).
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This is the relationship God wants to have with us now and forever. "But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things." (Gal. 5:22). Now why is there no law against these things? Could it be that people know this would be the ideal world with a God who loves us? It's God's desire we have a kind of Heaven on earth in relationship with Him.
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I hope this is not the way our Creator and Owner may see you in the day of judgment. "When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sensual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you . . .that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God" (Galatians  5:19-21). Many people call these lifestyles fun. They don't realize they're rejecting the standard of God who loves them. Their choice of rejecting His offer of love is an eternity of torment in darkness, loneliness, guilt and shame--it's called Hell.  God loves us enough to tell us the truth!
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2. How can a loving God send anyone to Hell?  Could there be some false assumptions here too? Does love mean it's alright to do anything we desire without reprimand or punishment? Should everybody be allowed to run the streets robbing, rapeing, killing people they don't like, or for fun? Is it a mistake to put such people in jail? How do you know there is life after death? Should such people be allowed to do their thing in Heaven? What is the meaning of justice and does it have anything to do with love? Is it better to allow one person's feelings rule over the good and safety of all others? Isn't hell God's torture chamber? Is there a way to avoid hell? Can you put your feelings aside for a moment and be courageously honest and open to Bible teaching?
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(1) Nothing we think, believe, or do ultimately matters if death means we cease to exist.  That's a meaningless insane world going nowhere. We have no dignity, freedom, purpose, or hope. We're just  born, struggle to exist, reproduce, and die, lights out. But if there's a Heaven we can gain and a Hell we can avoid, then human dignity, freedom, ethics, and everything else comes together, makes sense, and shows an ultimate purpose.
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(2) A loving God doesn't send anyone to Hell-- we sinners send ourselves by rejecting God's loving offer of salvation. True love invites; it doesn't force itself upon us. People go to Hell by their own choice of preferring their way to God's way and rejecting the Savior. "Anyone who believes in God's Son has eternal life. Anyone who doesn't obey the Son will never experience eternal life, but remains under God's angry judgment" (John 3:36). God is very patient with us inviting us to trust in Him to save us from our sins. "He is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent" (2 Peter 3:9 NLT).
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(3) The afterlife in Hell is not torturous fire, but fiery torments. It's  memories like described above in Gal. 5:19-21). It's aloneness, darkness, hate, guilt, shame, regret, lost opportunities, God's wrath, and a hopeless forever.  Hell was created for the devil and his angels which are evil spirits. So, Hell's undying worms aren't consumed in physical fire, but tormented with burning evil passions. Hell's lake of fire is degrees of torment-- serial killers tormented worse than liars. Sins in life decides degrees of torments in Hell (Luke 12:48; Rom.2:6). Love applied socially is God's truth and justice: "Don't be misled--you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant" (Gal. 6:7) 
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(4) Unrepentant God rejecting people can't be allowed to corrupt God's perfect Heaven. Believers in Christ aren't perfect, but shouldn't their sincere faithful efforts be rewarded? Bible says they will be given crowns and wear white robes of purity. Not their righteousness, but Christ's who they trusted in to save them. Now the worm is not consumed, so the Bible doesn't teach annihilation of the unrepentant wicked. Considering that God rejectors despised His ways on earth and mocked His worship, blessings, and praise, so why would they be any different in Heaven? They would enjoy turning Heaven into their kind of Hell! So wouldn't it be most unloving of God to allow them to destroy Heaven?
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(5) Jesus, the world's only perfect man suffered for nothing on the cross if we sinners would go to Heaven anyway.  "For the wages of sin is death (spiritual & eternal), but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord" (Romans 6:23). "There is no greater love than to lay down one's life for one's friends" (John 15:13). Jesus did this for us as his enemies leading shameful lives. "If keeping the law could make us right with God, then there was no need for Christ to die" (Gal. 2:21). The whole Bible from Genesis 2:15 until Revelation 22:21 in many ways teaches Jesus blood and righteousness is humanities only means a loving God provided for us sinners to come into relationship with God and be made fit to dwell in His perfect Heaven. Do you know Him?

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Have you ever felt empty longings that there must be something greater than you've known in life? We need water, water exists. Do you seek inner peace and ultimate purpose? Have you sensed  Someone calling you to relationship with Him? Could trusting your soul into Jesus care be what you need? Pray, Lord, I'm an unworthy sinner, but I trust You now and forever to be my Savior, Lord, and Guide until You come for me, or death takes me to You. Now use me Lord to do those things that really count for now and for eternity.
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Monday, July 20, 2015

The Ultimate Cause of Human Sufferings!

                 The Ultimate Cause of Human Sufferings!

The Ultimate Cause of Human Sufferings is our Human Free Will Rejection of God. Even those who claim science shows we are programmed expect you to freely believe their arguments against free will-- Say, isn't this being a bit hypocritical? Free will means our mind can weigh alternatives and make rational choices. No free will makes us either instinctual animals or programmed machines without dignity, freedom, purpose, destiny, or hope. We struggle to survive, reproduce, and then our lights go out. 
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Our acts then can't be either praised or blamed, and all sense of responsibility degenerates into lawless anarchy and warfare until some strong man and group usurp control and dictates who lives or dies by their rules. That seems to be the way we're headed.
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We reject the God made known to us in creation, conscience, and Christ. Most scientists today admit that, like a wound-up clock, the universe is running down. That means it's not permanent, but had a beginning and will have an end. Nothing (no non existent thing), can create itself, and any beginning thing must have a cause.
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What then is required of the sourse or cause of the universe's origion? It must exist prior to and independently of the space, time, and matter it created. It would be outside time, eternal, and unchanging, thus self-existent. An immense universe of energy too, would require its sourse be a power that exists throughout the universe. And the source would be an infinite mind and will to account for things showin undeniable specific complex design of means adapted to ends. No mindless force, nor random process, can be the source of our universe.  Just as red, white, and blue, confetti thrown from an airplane billions of times for billions years is unlikely to form the American flag.
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Creation's source, then seems to exhibit these characteristics. The source of the universe's origion is self-existent, eternal, immutable, immaterial, outside time, everywhere present, and an infinitely powerful, everpresent, intelligent mind and will. Now, if we consult the Bible with an honest, open mind, isn't this exactly the sort of things its describes about God as creation's Source. Genesis 1:1; Exodus 3:14; Col. 1:15-17; John 1:1-4, and multitudes of others?
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Can non living mindless chemicals organize themselves into all the specified complex life forms we see on our planet? Didn't Louis Pasture and others demonstrate long ago that life only comes from life? Isn't there incredible genetic steps mindless molecules by random process must overcome? Isn't what we actually know, biologically, that mutations are usually destructive, are weeded out, and would require a multiple simultaneous changes to occur at once to make real permanent change? Isn't the supposed genetic tree an unproved "evolutionary gaps argument?" Do extinct dinosaur bones prove anything more than that some animals died out as some are becoming extinct today? What do artist drawings of a monkey becoming an erect man prove other than a lack of real evidence to support a dogmatic theory?  We see every day that animals reproducee after their own kind as dogs birth verities of dogs, but never horses? We know life forms are genetically programmed to have limits. 
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And what does our human conscience showing compassion, guilt, and shame mean? Yes, we can harden our hearts to the point of indifference, yet conscience seems to be a natural, rational, objective trait in everyone. Everywhere people show moral beliefs saying some acts are not fair, shouldn't happen, etc. We unavoidably make moral judgments. Such moral judgments point to an ultimate standard to judge our behavior as right or wrong. It is a moral law, we feel constrained to make excuses when we break it. We feel guilt and shame when we do. It's not like mathematics, but discovered, not invented. We may risk our own lives in a sense of duty to save others. Acts of genocide and rape are regarded as evil in all cultures. And we condemn others who would cheat, steal, kill and betray us.
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 Christians say this moral standard or law doesn't make sense unless there is a higher Moral Standard we're all responsible to. The forces of nature or nothing in the natural world can know our actions or motives. Atheists admit evils abound but nothing can we absolutely right or wrong if limited, conflicting human opinion of dying persons are all we have as a basis. Science can only describe what is, not tell us how things ought to be. Monist religions that claim everything is God have no basis to say anything is really good or evil. The only thing that makes sense is that the infinite Creator God exists as our Moral Standard and Righteous Lawgiver. He would know all our acts and motives, and could hold us accountable. Yes! a Righteous Judge is scary! And still leaves crucial questions unanswered.
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A Creator God can explain the universe as rational, understandable, accounts for specified complex life forms,  for our human conscience, and does make sense of so much of our world. But even supposing this God exists, the big unanswered questions are: Does he love us? Can he make himself know to us in personal relationship? Is there hope we human beings don't just reproduce and die, lights out?
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Only Biblical Christianity can answer all those questions affirmatively in the person of Jesus Christ. "God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son (the sinless God-man), so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him. There is no judgment against anyone who believes (surrenders themselves in truth). But anyone who does not believe in him has already been judged for not believing in God's one and only Son. And the judgment is based on this fact. God's light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light for their actions were evil. All who do evil hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed. But those who do what is right come to the light so others can see that they are doing what God wants (John 3:16-21). "For the Son of man came to seek and save those who are lost (Luke 19:10)." Only Jesus arose from the dead, we who trust ourselves to Him will arise too and live with him forever. I love you Lord, praise you, and thank you Lord.
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Dear reader friend, from our first parents unto today the ultimate cause of suffering is our choice to reject God. He offers us dignity & destiny, not of compulsion, but of love. Eternal fulfillment are offered you in relationship with God in Christ now and forever in Heaven. But if you prefer your way, the Bible calls it darkness, torment, and Hell.  God  loves you. Jesus died to save you. Trust in God's love and light. Won't you say, "I trust you now Lord Jesus to forgive my sins, save me, and guide me as your child." Now get a Bible to learn God's will for you. Get with God's people for encouragment and ministry. God bless.
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Saturday, July 11, 2015

Is Any Human Act Really & Ultimately Right or Wrong?


       Is Any Human Act Really & Ultimately Right or Wrong?

Little Bobby playing in the school sandbox made a beautiful sandcastle. He was so happy and proud of his achievement, he wanted to show it to his friends. Billy made a sandcastle on the other end of the sandbox, but Billy's sandcastle fell in and was ruined. Angrily, Billy stomped over and stepped on Bobby's sandcastle. Bobby was so angry and disappointed, almost to tears. He screamed, "Billy, you're mean. You don't play fair, and I'm gonna tell the teacher." Was Billy wrong to destroy Bobby's sandcastle? Upon what basis would any act of man be ultimately right or wrong?
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What if there's no kind of God? C.S. Lewis points out that people say things like: "How'd you like it if anyone did the same to you?" --"That's my seat, I was there first"-- Leave him alone, he isn't doing you any harm"--"Why should you shove in first?"--"Give me a bit of your orange, I gave you a bit of mine"--"Come on, you promised." People everywhere say such things every day whether young, old, educated, uneducated.  uoo
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Lewis isn't saying people don't mean just that other persons don't please them; they mean there is a standard of behavior they expect others to know and to follow. If others do deny the standard, they are constrained to give some special reason to excuse their bad behavior. So both parties had in mind some kind of law, ethical rule, sense of fair play, or standard of acceptable behavior. But if no kind of God exists, nature is everything, then something within nature must serve as every body's ethical standard.

Now if man within all of nature is the highest being (no God we know really exists), then whatever moral standard there is must rest on human ideals. It seems the Golden Rule of treat others the way you want them to treat you, would be our ideal guide. But our selfish nature's want to dominate and control things our way. So we fight and destroy each other until some group or strong man gets control. The victors must enslave and kill all who oppose them to keep the peace and maintain their standard. Essentially, it seems we're no different than the perishing animals. This ultimate conclusion of  no God is the atheist humanist ethic and its what we see throughout history.
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What if the universe is God? Eastern religions as Hindus, Buddhists, Taoists, and others as "Christian Science", New Age claim the universe is God (pantheism), and God is the universe (monism). Like different ingredients cooked together in a cake, everything ultimately is the same and the differences are (Maya) illusion. We have multiple lives that take different forms (reincarnations). It's like the crops that come up each spring from the seeds they leave behind (deeds, karma). We are all a part of God and must not help suffering people as that only prolongs their suffering in other lives. But the mindless forces of nature don't know us, guide us, give us dignity, nor moral incentive. Monists may follow some esteemed wise man, worship ancestors, spirits, or do as they please. There is no moral standard, no ethical incentive. Absorption is the escape from the wheel of many lives of misery.
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What if there's only a limited God or gods? Ancient peoples as the Greeks, Romans, Babylonians, believed in many gods and goddesses that evolved out of nature. Their gods are selfish, fight each other, and are limited to their particular people or domain. They really are no better than their human worshippers. There's no assurance their gods care about them or even exist. Persons may show respect for their own tribe or people but not care about others--maybe even be head hunters. So, again, people in themselves have no dignity, ultimate purpose, and death may be relief. It boils down to might makes right--whatever group can get the upper hand  enslaves or kills those below them. 
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What if there's a God who created the universe, then abandoned it? It's called deism and there are good reasons to believe in a Creator God (Read my articles). But does he love us, hear our prayers, guide us, and act in our world to help us. No! Deists claim natures laws tie his hands, so miracles are impossible, which makes such a God irrelevant and belief in him amounts to practical atheism.
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 None of the views above give us a standard of behavior to say Billy mistreated Bobby. Nor do they prove what C.S. Lewis explained, that people everywhere have a common moral understanding of a real right and wrong. Now there is what is called "the natural law ethic." It is that all human beings are born free with dignity, equality, rights to life, liberty, happiness, land ownership, and have ethical incentives. It is supposed to be self-evident and inscribed upon the heart of every human being. The American constitution appeals to this as its basis of government. But if there is no God, no ultimate purpose to life, we are just animals waiting for the extinction of death, how, or on what basis is there to say there is any natural law giving all men dignity, equality, rights and ethical incentives?
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We must get beyond a deist God! If we live, reproduce, and die,--lights out! Life doesn't seem to mean much--we're without dignity, value, and ethical incentive. What we do doesn't really matter. We feel human compassion, guilt, and shame. But they don't make sense, if there's no more to life than just reproduction.  Now we need food, water, and sex, and what we need really exists. We too feel the need for a relationship that can give us forgiveness, acceptance, inner peace, fulness of life, hope,-- this is exactly what converts to faith in Christ say they experience.
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Now there are three great world religions that claim there is an afterlife of rewards or punishments. That adds a new dimension to the mix. These three world religions are Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
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Judaism (2,000 B.C. to today), is presented in the Tanakh (O.T.). It records events of God's actions from creation until the Jews return to the land of Israel. It never reads like a fairy tale once upon a time, in some far off land. It discusses events we all experience in real life including our victories and failures. It mentions people, places, events known to history. A timeline can be established to events that correlate with histories in other nations. Miracles and prophecies are discussed that are established by eyewitness testimony and by martyrs. Things critics say never existed, archaeologists have uncovered with their spade. It describes people in rebellion against God and our need of a Messiah/Savior who is to come. But Israel never recognized such a Savior; its temple was destroyed and people again scattered among the nations in unbelief (A.D. 70).
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Christianity (First century until today), picks up where Judaism left off as recorded in the New Testament. Christians claim Jesus was the Messiah/Savior and King that Israel rejected. Jesus was actually the God-man who walked among us claiming and showing he was God by fulfilling  prophecies and by miracles. Yet, the people rejected him, and crucified him. Ancient prophets foretold of his life both as suffering for people's sins and as reigning as Israel's King. The final proof was that Jesus arose from the dead as he said he would. His disciples went out to establish the church and tell the world to trust in the Lord Jesus Christ to receive eternal life. Jesus promised to return to judge humanity and set up the kingdom promised throughout the O.T. One day all evil will be defeated and true believers in Jesus will dwell with him forever while those who want their way, and not Jesus, have their wish in a place separate from Heaven called Hell. The infinite God is one essence in three persons: the  Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. God makes himself known to persons who really want Him and is both loving and just, justice being love shown in society as preventing evil.
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Islam (A.D. 622 until today). It teaches there's only one God, Allah, and there are 124,000 prophets, but Muhammad is the seal or final one. All claims to other Gods is blasphemy (shirk). Islam is based upon Muhammad's claim that the Angel Gabriel revealed the holy book, the Qu'ran only to him alone in a cave. The Qu'ran reveals Islam's laws which can be abrogated  or superseded by later laws. Like Christians, Muslims believe in angels, Heaven, and Hell. People are basically good and salvation is by doing more good deeds that bad ones, fighting for Islam, and if Allah wills. Muhammad lived centuries after the Bible, partially understood some of its teaching which didn't seem reasonable to him and claimed its teachings had been corrupted. Ethics is doing what Muhammad did and anything that promotes submission to Islam.  
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How Then Can We Know Human Acts To Be Either Right Or Wrong? Feelings of human compassion, guilt, and shame require the Golden Rule ethic, which can be understood universally. The natural law ethic is not self-evident to millions of people of no Christian belief.  If life is only to be born, a fight to survive, and we cease to exist in death, it isn't worth much, and ALL our desires then seem reasonable.The American constitution was written by men educated in Christian schools of that time, who were active Christians in churches, and understood the love of God in Christ and the freedom, hope, and dignity it gives to humanity. Thomas Jefferson and Ben Franklin were deists, but still influenced by Christianity. So its a lie to represent the American constitution as the product of deists. Biblical Christians say there is a moral standard only because a moral rational God and Legislator has made himself known to us in our conscience, in the Bible, in history, and especially in Christ. Then, everything we do counts, and we will receive our just reward when we stand before our Judge, the Lord Jesus.
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This world is not perfect and we're all sinners. The Lord Jesus will save all who trust in Him. He offers us forgiveness of sin, His love and guidance, and will reward our service and he may return anytime. We will still face human weakness and problems, but He is with us. Won't you say, "Lord Jesus, I trust you now to save me and to live in your love until I meet you when you come." So be it.  Now share your new Christian faith with others.
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