Category: meaning of life

The Crux of God’s Eternal Purpose

Friday, January 27, 2012

“And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven” (Colossians 1:20 KJV).

God the Father has one grand purpose for creation—to make His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, the Head of the governments of heaven and earth (Ephesians 1:9,10). But, the Bible teaches that an angelic rebellion, led by Lucifer (Satan), sought to usurp Jesus Christ’s headship in heaven (Isaiah 14:12-14; Ezekiel 28:12-18). Once Satan enticed mankind to sin and cooperate with his policy of evil, that rebellion then infiltrated earth (Genesis 3:1-24).

Today, the governments that God created in heaven and earth are in rebellion. Satan has spoiled what was created “by” and “for” the Lord Jesus Christ (Colossians 1:16,17; cf. 2 Corinthians 4:3,4; Ephesians 2:2; Ephesians 6:12). How will God reconcile unto Himself the governments of heaven and earth? How will Jesus Christ eternally subvert Satan’s strongholds in those two realms? Today’s Scripture provides the answer.

Using Christ’s shed blood, God is currently forming a heavenly people for His name, the Church the Body of Christ (Ephesians 1:7; Ephesians 2:13; Colossians 1:14). In eternity future, He will use this entity—us!—to restore His authority in the heavens. At Christ’s Second Coming, God will restore His earthly people, the nation Israel, forgive them of their sins through Christ’s shed blood (Acts 3:18; Hebrews 9:11-15; 1 Peter 1:18,19), and use redeemed Israel to reclaim His authority in the earth.

Indeed, the very thing at which Satan thought he defeated God—Calvary’s cross—is that which God will use to permanently conquer Satan’s policy of evil. Christ’s finished crosswork on Calvary is the crux of God’s plans for eternity future: everything that God will accomplish in the ages to come hinges on Jesus Christ’s shed blood. In order to destabilize Satan’s power in heaven and earth, God must deal first with the sin issue in both realms, and Christ’s blood does just that in both realms. Behold the wisdom of our God!

Oh, by the way, interestingly, crux is Latin for cross….

The LORD is Exalted Far Above All gods #2

Saturday, January 7, 2012

“For thou, LORD, art high above all the earth: thou art exalted far above all gods” (Psalm 97:9 KJV).

The LORD is “the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy” (Isaiah 57:15). “Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; and his greatness is unsearchable… The LORD is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy. The LORD is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works” (Psalm 145:3,8,9).

Our finite human minds struggle to grasp Someone as magnificent and exalted as JEHOVAH our Creator because He differs from what we judge as “normal.” JEHOVAH is transcendent, existing independently of everything. He is everlasting, having neither beginning nor end. The LORD is sinless and holy. We never see Him physically or hear Him audibly. He exists outside of our universe.

Someone whose thoughts astronomically surpass our mental capabilities, whose ways (manners, behavior) are far grander and more complex than our simple activities (Isaiah 55:8,9). A Being who could devise a magnificent plan that would extend into the eons of eternity future, who could speak forth quadrillions of bodies into existence and then arrange them to form intricate systems (Hebrews 11:3), and finally set them into motion for His glory to accomplish that plan (Psalm 19:1)! How can He relate to us scrawny mortals?

Amazingly, JEHOVAH left that glory behind to become one of us! He “humbled Himself” and became “a Man of no reputation” (Philippians 2:5-11). Why? To die and shed His innocent blood for us to receive forgiveness of our sins. Wow… no idol ever did that!

Among the world’s gods, JEHOVAH alone can save you because JEHOVAH alone died to save you! Will you trust in the shed blood and resurrection of JEHOVAH (Jesus Christ), thereby receiving eternal salvation? Please do.

“Righteousness and judgment are the habitation of his throne… confounded be all they that serve graven images [manmade idols], that boast themselves of idols: worship him [JEHOVAH Jesus Christ], all ye gods” (Psalm 97:2,6). Hallelujah! Praise the LORD indeed—He will always be exalted far above all gods!

Hast Thou Chosen the Way of Truth? #1

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

“I have chosen the way of truth: thy judgments have I laid before me” (Psalm 119:30 KJV).

When God created mankind, He sought not to make robots. God granted mankind free will—mankind could believe and obey God’s Word, or he could reject it in unbelief and “do his own thing.”

For instance, in the beginning, God gave mankind only two commandments:

  1. “Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth” (Genesis 1:28).
  2. “Of every tree of the garden [of Eden] thou mayest freely eat: but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die” (Genesis 2:16,17).

Adam and Eve obeyed commandment #1… sort of. They did procreate, but they did not “subdue the earth” because they utterly broke commandment #2. Instead of ruling earth for God’s glory, mankind willfully sided with Satan, and disobeyed God by eating of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Thus, mankind lost its God-given dominion, and Satan—“the god of this world”—still rules earth today (Matthew 4:8,9; Luke 4:5-7; 2 Corinthians 4:4).

God strictly charged Adam, who then relayed those commandments to Eve. The Bible says Eve ate the forbidden fruit because she was “deceived;” Adam, however, was “not deceived” (1 Timothy 2:12-15). When Satan confronted Eve in Genesis 3:1-5, Eve could have refused the devil’s enticement. She could have sought Adam’s help, but she preferred Satan’s lies, and ate the forbidden fruit. Adam, who knew better but willfully rejected “the way of truth,” he gave in and ate to please his wife (Genesis 3:6)!

God wants faithful servants, not mindless robots. Hast thou chosen “the way of truth,” as the psalmist in today’s Scripture declares he has done? Have you followed and believed God’s Word “rightly divided?” Or, like Adam and Eve, have you embraced “the way of error,” Satan’s lies?

When the Fulness of the Time Was Come – 333’s 200th

Saturday, December 17, 2011

“But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons” (Galatians 4:4,5 KJV).

In the beginning God set the first man, Adam, on earth to “subdue [control] it,” to “have dominion” over it and everything on it (Genesis 1:28). Alas, Adam sided with Satan, joining the rebellion against God. The human race, now marred by sin, was unable to fellowship with its holy Creator God.

Fortunately, God promised mankind’s Redeemer in Genesis 3:15: a Man who would do what Adam failed to do—rule earth for God’s glory. Adam was “the figure [preview/type] of him that was to come” (Romans 5:14c). About 4000 years after Adam, the “him that was to come” finally came—Jesus Christ. How human history was forever impacted when that Redeemer came!

Jesus Christ’s birth was not some haphazard event of nature. God the Father had preplanned the exact moment of the incarnation of His Son, Jesus Christ (today’s Scripture). Recall that, unlike us, before His physical birth, Jesus Christ lived as a Spirit in heaven’s glory with His Father (John 1:1,2; cf. Micah 5:2).

When the appointed time came, at His Father’s behest, Jesus’ Spirit came to earth to indwell the body in the virgin Mary’s womb. For nine months, God Himself actually lived inside Mary’s womb! Being delivered, He lived a sinless life of 33 years, despised by His family (Israel) and the world. As one dear Christian brother explained, “That was the greatest life ever lived in a human body!”

No event in human history compares to the coming of Jesus Christ. As today’s Scripture teaches, the Lord Jesus became a small Baby… to become a grown man… to become Israel’s rejected Messiah… to ultimately die for us, the wretched Gentiles! God became a man, to “give Himself a ransom for all” (1 Timothy 2:6).

We are ever grateful that “when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son….”

Saints, we have reached a milestone – #200. WOW!

The Death of Evolutionary Theory

Thursday, December 8, 2011

“Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:” (Romans 5:12 KJV).

Historical secular geology teaches that earth’s fossil record was assembled over a period of four billion years, the result of at least five mass extinctions that wiped out 90% of earth’s species.

Modern humans, scientists claim, have existed for just a small fraction of earth’s 4.6-billion-year history (at most two million years). In other words, historical geology claims that death was not caused by man’s sin (since the fossil record contains the remains of plants and animals that died before man “evolved”). This is obviously contradictory to the Bible, which plainly teaches sin and death came into the world after man/Adam disobeyed God (today’s Scripture). According to the Bible, there was no such thing as death until man’s existence.

If we believe that creatures died prior to man, then we are also forced to conclude Adam’s sin did not cause death, and thus, we undermine the Gospel of Grace. The Bible clearly declares that just as eternal death came by Adam’s disobedience, so eternal life comes by Jesus Christ’s obedience (Romans 5:15-19). If the Bible is wrong about death being associated with Adam’s sinfulness, then could it also be wrong about eternal life being associated with Christ’s sinlessness? See how evolutionary theory even attacks the Gospel of the Grace of God?

Either we believe God’s Word (the Bible) or we believe evolutionary theory. It is that simple, friends. We either believe God or we do not. Evolutionary theory does not fit the Biblical creation account.

The placement of death before man’s existence is just one of the many theological (and scientific) flaws of evolutionary theory. Not only does evolutionary theory diminish God’s purpose and plan for mankind, but it also blinds the minds of the lost. Evolutionary theory keeps the unsaved from seeing their sinful state and their need for the salvation that God has so graciously provided us in Christ Jesus and His finished crosswork on Calvary.

Evolutionary theory is extinct!

Systems Declare the Glory of the LORD

Monday, October 24, 2011

“The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handiwork” (Psalm 19:1 KJV).

In science, a “system” is any part of the universe that we select for study. Systems can be as large as galaxies, planets, and moons, or as small as cells, mineral grains, and subatomic particles. Analyses of these systems reveal their extremely complex, highly organized nature. Thus, one who knows nothing about God or the Bible still understands an intelligent Creator exists (Romans 1:20). Anyone who refuses to believe in God has not only rejected the Bible’s testimony, but also visible, tangible scientific proof… trillions of systems!

The general consensus among scientists is that there was chaos during the formation of our universe, and that a coincidence process operating billions of years “magically” assembled everything into order. This is as ridiculous as any fairy tale used to lull children to sleep!

Consider the highly complex periodic table of elements. How can the structure of the 92 naturally occurring elements be so systematic that we can arrange them? Before man studied them to organize them into that diagram, Someone first had to predetermine their orderly structure.

Why is the human body symmetrical and equipped with a complex immune system? How can the planets and their 100 moons orbit the sun in such a highly complex array? How can organisms (“extremophiles”) thrive and reproduce in exceptionally arid, frigid, and boiling environments? Why does earth not freeze over completely or bake completely, annihilating the biosphere?

In today’s Scripture, we read of “the heavens declaring the glory of God.” Interestingly, verses 4 and 5 speak of God “setting [in the heavens] a tabernacle for the sun, which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, and rejoiceth as a strong man to run a race.” The very path that the sun travels to traverse Earth’s sky, or actually the Earth’s orbit around the sun, is another clear indication of God’s wisdom and another product of God’s imagination.

These are just a few of the many systems that declare the glory of the LORD Jesus Christ!

Genesis is the Firm Foundation for the Righteous

Saturday, August 6, 2011

“If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?” (Psalm 11:3 KJV).

The Genesis creation account is diametrically opposed to evolutionary theory. Lest they are forced to abandon their theory, Genesis-haters simply dismiss the first two chapters of the Bible as Hebrew poetry. In order to get around the anti-evolution statements in Scripture, Bible skeptics encourage us to allegorize Genesis chapters 1 and 2, claiming “the Bible does not mean what it says, so do not believe in a literal interpretation of Genesis.”

There is nothing to indicate that Genesis chapters 1 and 2 are allegorical. In fact, there is evidence in Scripture to indicate the first two chapters of Genesis are literal.

  • Genesis 2:7 says: “And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground….” This is a scientific fact: the human body contains elements—potassium, oxygen, magnesium, et cetera—that are also found in earth’s crust! Why would the rest of chapter 2 not be literal?
  • The Lord Jesus said: “But from the beginning of the creation God made them male and female” (Mark 10:6-8). Jesus Christ believed in a literal interpretation of Genesis 1:26,27 and Genesis 2:20-25.
  • The Apostle Paul writes in 1 Timothy 2:13,14: “For Adam was first formed, then Eve. And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression” (cf. 2 Corinthians 11:3). Paul supports a literal interpretation of Genesis 1:26,27, Genesis 2:20-25, and Genesis 3:1-13.
  • Exodus 20:8-11 is a literal commandment given to Jews. Obviously this literal commandment is based on a literal event: God really created the heaven, the earth, and all creatures in six, consecutive 24-hour periods, and that He rested on the seventh (Sabbath) day. Exodus 20:8-11 supports a literal interpretation of Genesis chapters 1 and 2.

Hebrew scholars tell us that Genesis chapters 1 and 2 do not exhibit the structure of Jewish poetry, but rather a literal account-narrative. Genesis teaches a literal account of creation, and should be believed literally. If you begin the Bible allegorically (Genesis), then we are left to wonder what is literal in Scripture, if anything at all…?

Do You Know Why You’re Here?

Thursday, June 2, 2011

“I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well” (Psalm 139:14 KJV).

Today’s Scripture tells us that none of us were accidents. Our bodies are “fearfully and wonderfully made,” anatomies that are highly complex and intricately designed. Medical science still stands in awe of our design! This is a testament that we are here for a purpose. Deep down inside, you know God exists. God made you and me, but why? Why do we exist? What are we mortal humans to a holy, righteous, Almighty God? What does God want with (or from) you?

The Bible says: “The LORD hath chosen Zion [in Jerusalem]; he hath desired it for his habitation” (Psalm 132:13). God created planet earth so that He could have a dwelling place! He set humans, our ancestors, on this planet so that He could fellowship with them and love them, and maybe they would love Him in return. Unfortunately, our father Adam disobeyed God and sinned (Romans 5:12; 1 Corinthians 15:21,22).

Originally, God created the human race for His glory: “O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created” (Revelation 4:11). However, Adam’s rebellion destroyed our fellowship with our Creator. Consequently, we are born “dead in trespasses and sins” (Ephesians 2:1).

Praise God for His wonderful works: all creation! God wants your trust, your faith. You believe people when they tell you information, so the Bible says: “If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater” (1 John 5:9a). The Bible says that you are here for God’s glory, not for your own, but as a sinner you do not bring God glory. However, God has reconciled you unto Himself through Jesus Christ. Do you believe that?

Will you trust in God’s Word… while you are still here? We are here for a reason—“and THAT my soul knoweth right well!”

Do You Want to Know God?

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

“The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God…” (Psalm 14:1a KJV).

Atheists claim there is no God because they cannot see Him (see today’s Scripture). We Christians admit that we have never seen God face-to-face and we have never heard God speak audibly to us, so how do we know God exists?

Consider this. We gather tangible data via five different “gates:” eyes, ears, a nose, taste buds, and appendages that perceive touch. However, the capacity of these “gates” is limited: data from a given source cannot be collected via all five “gates.” For example, you cannot smell this website; does it still exist? We are unable to taste voices or see air; do they exist? Our ears cannot hear gravity; yet it exists. We cannot touch the Milky Way Galaxy; yet it exists.

These five “gates” enable our bodies to interact with and perceive our natural environment, but what about invisible things? Values? Ideas? Feelings? These are spiritual, not physical, yet they exist, right?

In the same manner we do not perceive our ideas, values, and feelings through those five “gates,” neither do we use them to perceive God! God does exist because we see God through spiritual eyes, the eyes of faith.

Furthermore, we have an origin, so we know indirectly that God exists. Romans 1:20,21 says: “For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful.”

The Bible says that God is our Creator. If God does not exist, then neither do we! Regardless of whether or not we want to believe it, we all know that one Creator God made us. God is “not far from every one of us,” so we can know Him if we want to know Him (Acts 17:27). Do you want to know God?