Sun, Feb 27th - 7:27PM
As previously mentioned, this and the following questions will be answered as quickly as possible:
(And again, should you have any questions please post them and I will try to answer them within 24 hours. Thank you, and God's Blessings to you and yours!)
Is it possible to work my way, that is, earn my way to Heaven?
Three things ought be understood about salvation: First, it is 100% a matter of Grace - "But God, who is rich in mercy, for His great love wherewith He loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with
Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)" (Ephesians 2.4-5); "But we believe that through
the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved, even as they." (Acts 15.11). Secondly, it was completely realized by the shed Blood of the Saviour - "For
this is my blood of the New Testament, which is shed for many for the
remission of sins." (Matthew 26.28 ) "Whom God hath set forth to be a
propitiation through faith in His blood, to declare His righteousness
for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God" (Romans 3:25) and Thirdly, it was brought about by the arbitration of the Lord Jesus Christ - "And for this cause He is the Mediator of the New Testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance." (Hebrews 9.15) "And to Jesus the Mediator of the New Covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel." (Hebrews 12:24)
With the above in mind, Ephesians 2.8-9 can be better appreciated: "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast." In addition, it is not possible to work or earn one's way to Heaven since salvation is a Gift of God, made available to us by His Grace. Furthermore, we are " . . . bought with a price . . . " (1 Corinthians 6.20)
Is it true that once saved, always saved?
Another way to state this might be - Can a believer enjoy eternal security; that is, once a person puts their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ for the salvation of their soul, can they loose (anytime) that eternal security? Simply put, No, a believer (a saved person) cannot become unsaved (lose their salvation). Once saved always saved! However, the reason why 'always saved' is possible is because the salvation believers enjoy is not secured through any effort of their own. Nonetheless, don't take my word for it. Let's take the Lord Jesus' Word (can't get any better than that!) "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on Him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life." (John 5.24) In John 10.28-29 our Lord says, ". . . I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand." "For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8.38-39)
Last, but most definitely not least, each believer is sealed. Ephesians 1.13-14 explains further the sealing each believer has: "In Whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in Whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of His glory."
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Thu, Feb 24th - 2:00AM
Tough Questions Answered with God's Word
Tough Questions AnsweredWith the Bible
by Bro. Timothy
Today's verse:"Thus saith the LORD, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein,and ye shall find rest for your souls." Jeremiah 6.16a
(Do you have any questions? Please submit them and I will answer them within 24 hours.)
Is there really a Heaven? Is there really a Hell?
Throughout the Scriptures you will find no shortage on the subject of Heaven. From the book of Genesis, all the way through to the Revelation of St. John, Heaven is referred to in numerous ways. They tell us how God created the heavens in the beginning, to the new Heaven and new Earth, and the New Jerusalem, that city of our God, which the apostle John says will descend from out of Heaven and all that will dwell therein will enjoy perfect happiness before the presence of God and the Lamb. This realm of God, the spiritual universe, as per the prophet Isaiah, is so beyond our capability to comprehend that God saw fit to explain it in this manner: "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the Earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts." (Isa. 55.8-9) Nevertheless, our inability to fully understand all of its glory does not by any means limit our comprehension of other details revealed about it. For instance, it is the dwelling-place of God - Colossians 4.1 says, "Masters, give unto your servants that which is just and equal; knowing that ye also have a Master in Heaven." After our Lord had ascended (post, His Resurrection), Dr. Luke wrote in Acts 1.11 about some questioning men, ". . . Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into Heaven? This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into Heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen Him go into Heaven." As a matter of fact, did you know that as a believer, (if you have consciously sought a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ, that is, you have expressed a faith in Him and His trustworthiness) that you are a citizen of Heaven? Acts 16.31 says, ". . . Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved . . ."
and Ephesians 2.8 tells us, "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God." If you can relate to these verses then you also are a citizen of Heaven according to Ephesians 2.19-22, "Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God; and are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the Chief Cornerstone; in Whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an Holy Temple in the Lord: in Whom ye are also builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit."
Now, as for the subject of Hell. First and foremost, Hell was not created for man. Hell's initial intent was for the internment of Satan and his demonic angels. Actually, Satan was known as Lucifer before he was expelled from Heaven. "How art thou fallen from Heaven, o Lucifer . . ." (Isaiah 14.12) He was God's highest ranking angel; his rank was that of Archangel! Nevertheless, there was a conflict in Heaven between the archangels Michael and Lucifer which culminated with Lucifer and his angels being cast out. The Archangel Lucifer sought to usurp God's sovereignty through this conflict with the Archangel Michael, and from that point forward he became known as the Dragon, the Devil, Satan - "And the great Dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the Earth, and his angels were cast out with him." (Revelation 12.9) So how did mankind get caught up in all of this? In short, it is what is referred to as The Fall of Man. When Adam and Eve chose to go against God's will in the garden in Eden, mankind's innocence was tarnished. All that God had warned them about now had to play itself out. Man had deliberately transgressed, (the woman through pride, the man intentionally), consequently they became sinners, being thus naturally inclined, did so not through constraint but by choice. By doing so, man's character, state, and visions, were altered.
Lastly, a classic parable penned by the apostle, Dr. Luke, about our Lord recounting the experiences of a rich man and a poor man, offers not only the name of an individual (a fact that cannot be found in any other parable) but also is quite specific about two locations. God's Word says,
"There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day:
and there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores,
And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table:
moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. And it came to pass, that the beggar died,
and was carried by angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died,
and was buried; and in Hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.
And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water,
and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.
But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things,
and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now is comforted, and thou art tormented.
And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed:
so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot;
And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed:
so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence."
Should there still be a doubt as to the existence of Heaven or Hell, perhaps the very next few words (verses 27-31) will help remove your doubt:
"Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father's house:
For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them,
lest they also come into this place of torment.
Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.
And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent.
And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets,
neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead."
COMING SOON ----> These are some of the questions that will be addressed.
Is it possible to work my way, that is, earn my way to Heaven?
answered Feb. 27th.
Is it true that once saved always saved?
answered Feb. 27th.
What does God have to say about homosexuality?
answered Mar. 1st.
Is marriage limited only to one man and one woman?
answered Mar. 1st.
Does the Bible address birth control?
Is capital punishment really spoken of in the Scriptures?
My pastor tells me women ought not to be pastors, Is he right?
Are tattoos something a Christian ought not to have?
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Wed, Feb 23rd - 5:14AM
CITIZENS!
The time has arrived, nay, it actually was here long ago;
nevertheless, it has passed us by.
Now we must face
the consequences that lay before us;
though we once thought it would never reach our shores -
the madness of totalitarian regimes,
or the extreme behaviors disseminated while using the name of Allah or God,
the time is now to see things as they really are!
Our Republic has been attacked;
our economy has been undermined, both from without and within.
Our loved ones have been murdered,
our children indebted!
And now, tough decisions must be made;
yet there are some that flee from even obligation!
As sincere as they may be,
one thing they have failed to recall -
our Republic was birthed with its supreme power resting in the body of entitled citizens,
and thereby to be exercised through elected representatives;
to neglect that very process
is to be guilty of the same actions
undertaken by those who have meant us harm.
Therefore, I call on each one of you that love our Republic,
what it stands for,
and value the freedoms that have been secured at so great a cost,
to PRAY!
First, thanking our Father for His mercies and care,
and lastly,
for Him to forgive our failure to honor His will.
After all, it is He
that has stated it clearer than any other could -
"If my people, which are called by my name,
shall humble themselves, and pray,
and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways;
then will I hear from heaven,
and will forgive their sin,
and will heal their land."
(2Chron. 7.14)
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Tue, Feb 22nd - 2:01PM
Prayer
Greetings in the precious name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ!
Today I request prayer for our beloved republic. We truly live in a blessed nation! Our forefathers, along with other brave men, women, and children, endured the most harshest of conditions - all for the blessed purpose of freely expressing their respective faiths. However, though we have come a long way, today our nation faces a great danger. There are evil-minded people seeking every opportunity to destroy us; shamefully, they do this in the name of God. As you well know, they have already inflicted severe structural damage - worst of all, they have taken innocent lives, and have left families devastated and scarred for life. Nevertheless, with the same spirit that our forefathers so courageously set in motion that "beacon of hope" for all who sought freedoms, we also must rise to the challenge and face these evil forces and defeat them. Though we are a mighty nation, all of our strength lies not solely with our military forces, but with and under the care and guidance of our heavenly Father. It is for this reason that I request prayers be raised before His Throne, that these evil-doers may repent of their sin and come to have a personal relationship with the King of kings and Lord of lords, our Lord Jesus Christ.
"If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land."
 2 Chronicles 7.14
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Wed, Feb 16th - 9:29AM
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I
I took the one less traveled by,
and that has made all the difference.
Robert Frost
Joshua 24:15 "And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; . . . but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD. "
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Sun, Feb 6th - 12:22AM
# 3 2011-02-06
My Doctrinal StatementDoctrines / Precepts Addressed
Abortion
Baptism
~Bible (God's Word)~
~Blessed Hope (Second Coming)~
Church
Creation
Evangelism
Faith
Fall of Man
Gospel
Government
Heaven
Hell
~Holy Spirit (Ghost)~
Lord's Day
~Lord Jesus Christ~
Man
Marriage
~Millennium~
~Premillennial~
~Pretribulational~
Resurrection
Revelation
Salvation
Satan
Security
Separation
Stewardship
Supper Lord's
~Tribulation~
~Trinity~
~Virgin~~
It is my conviction that God's Word consists of both the New and Old Testaments. Although I do not consider myself a "King James Only" believer, it is my opinion that the 1611 King James Bible is the foremost translation of the Scriptures available. This version has been read by and been a blessing to millions for centuries. Although the original Hebrew and Greek autographs have been lost, I am convinced that since the God of all creation, and Sustainer of all, is able to do this without any difficulty by either speaking or willing, surely He is able to safeguard the very word by which He conveys the means for securing forgiveness and remission for sin? I further believe that because He has chosen to preserve His Word for the very purpose of communicating His will to us, I have no reason to doubt that it will remain the verbally and plenarily inspired, inerrant, infallible, and all-in-all authoritative Word of God. II Timothy 3.16,17 says, "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works."
I also believe that the Holy Spirit supernaturally begot the Lord Jesus Christ and that He is the only begotten Son of God, born of a Virgin, totally God and fully man. He is also the King of kings, and Lord of lords, is omnipotent, omniscient, and sinless. These truths may be found in Matthew 1.20,21:"... 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 Ghost. And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call His name JESUS: for He shall save His people from their sins." Luke 2.11 states, "For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord." I further believe in His literal, physical, bodliy resurrection and ascension into Heaven where He holds the office of High Priest, Mediator and Advocate for all. I Timothy 2.5,6 says, "For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; Who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time." I John 2.1b,2"...if any man sin, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the Righteous: And He is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world."
The Lord Jesus Christ, having ascended into Heaven after His crucifixion will also be returning. His Second Coming is addressed in Zechariah 14.4"And His feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the Mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west . . ." This Second Coming also brings other matters to the forefront - known as the "Blessed Hope," (also referred to as the rapture, though the word does not appear in the Scriptures,) is an event which will unfold in two parts:
First, a dispensational view of Scripture which involves the returning of our Lord Jesus Christ for His redeemed (He will meet His redeemed in the air, thus the term rapture) and later return with them to establish a one-thousand year reign (Millennium) on earth. Because His actions occur in the order described, they have been identified as follows: His return for His redeemed is Pretribulational (will take place prior to the seven year Tribulation) (The Tribulation is a seven-year period of great trial on the earth); because His actions also precede His thousand-year reign they are classified as Premillennial. Scripture references supporting these time lines are as follows: As for the Second Coming, I Thessalonians 4.13-18 states, "But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with Him. For this we say unto you by the Word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord Himself shall descend from Heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words." Add to these words, II Thessalonians 2.1-3 " Now I beseech you brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto Him, that ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition."
As for the Second part of His Second Coming, the Revelation can best be described by God's Word: Revelation 20.4-6 states, "And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the Word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years."
Thus far I have mentioned three Persons, the Father, the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost (Spirit). While I brought up three separate individuals, I also was referring to three eternally existing Persons, that is, co-eternal in being, co-identical in nature, co-equal in power, and co-equal in glory - and each of these Persons have the identical characteristics and flawlessness. I John 5.7 says, "For there are three that bear record in Heaven, the Father, the Word (also known as the Lord Jesus Christ), and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one."Thus we have the doctrine of the Trinity. John 14.10 & 26 further state, "Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, He doeth the works." & "But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, Whom the Father will send in my name, He shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you." In addition, the Holy Spirit has a very important and critical obligation to every believer. At the exact moment an individual is born-again, the Holy Spirit indwells that person, consequently, baptizing them into the body of Christ; this action places that individual in a secure and eternal position in Christ, thereby eternally sealing that individual as a son or daughter of the living God. This indwelling further serves the believer in the form of empowerment; not only does the new believer have a Comforter, Teacher and Guide for eternity, the new child of God also now has the Holy Spirit readily available to assist in any situation that may arise. The following verses of Scripture speak to these matters further: John 1.32-34 introduces the Holy Spirit, "And John bare record, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from Heaven like a dove, and it abode upon Him. And I knew Him not: but He that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shall see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, the same is He which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost. And I saw and bare record that this is the Son of God. " Acts 1.8 & 15.8 says, "But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth . . . And God, which knoweth the hearts, even as he did unto us . . ." Romans 6.13 continues, "Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God . . . " and 12.1-2, "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God." As the child of God continues in the quest for alignment with God's will, one last exhortation, Ephesians 5.18,"And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit . . ."
Another one of the Holy Spirit's ministries is safeguarding the eternal security of the believer. John 10.28-29 says, "And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand . . ." Romans 8.38-39,"For I am persuaded, that neither death, not life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Furthermore, in John 5.24, our Lord Himself ........***.... "Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that heareth my Word, and believeth on Him that sent Me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life."
***S O R R Y ------------------UNDER CONSTRUCTION
II Peter 1.21 tells us, "For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost."
Revelation 22.18 & 19 say, "For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: and if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the Book of Life, and out of the Holy City, and from the things which are written in this book."
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Fri, Feb 4th - 6:58PM
Belief / Reason
The last posting ended with God's Word communicating to us His inviting us to reason with Him. For some, non-believers (doubters, etc.) that may be quite difficult since some question His very existence. Nonetheless, rather than getting bogged down commenting on the numerous theories about our origin, (it is my conviction that God is the Creator of all) I am going to include scriptural evidences (references) for all positions I advance from this point forward. I welcome any challenges. I simply ask that there be the utmost respect and courtesy afforded to all that post and/or reply. In addition, in the interest of presenting a fair-minded and sensible posting I hereby introduce an additional contextual backdrop to better clarify where my belief system originated - our republic's Founders and how the Bible influenced their lives. (As a side note: I sincerely believe that a large portion of today's youth is ignorant - actually, so is a greater part of our citizenry - Sadly, our country suffers from a serious knowledge deficiency of its early history! This is a serious threat to the welfare of our future as the 'beacon of hope' to the rest of the world.) After all, a people that fail to appreciate past errors and triumphs are doomed to deprive themselves and their posterity of opportunities and benefits realized through those experiences. ----------------------------------------------------- Back to the matters of Belief and Reason: To believe is to trust or to have faith in something or someone. As far as I'm concerned, I favor Emerson's position on belief. He wrote, "Belief consists in accepting the affirmations of the soul: unbelief, in denying them." All of us believe in something, even atheists! However, that which we believe in must be embraced by reason. Reason is not as clear a concept as some might think (At least, not in the beginning stages of what one may be considering). It is not something we are born with; we are simply wired with the ability to reason; thus, we return to where we began, our reasoning is defined and advanced by our faith. Paul's words in the Epistle to the Hebrews may thereby seem easier to comprehend in light of this, "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen . . . Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the Word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear." (Heb. 11.1, 3)
(For a comprehensive summary of my spiritual convictions please scroll to page # 3.)
QUESTION ? Please select one of two formats: Post your question and an answer will be posted, and no further action is necessary.
Should you prefer privacy you may send your question directly to me at brotimothyarango@aim.com and I will keep both your question and my response in strictest confidence.
COMING SOON --------------- INCREASE YOUR REPUBLIC IQ ----------------COMING SOON
We often hear about there being a separation of church and state.
Where did that come from? Is it in our constitution; if so, who wrote it and where can it be found?
A little over 390 years ago the Mayflower sailed from Plymouth, England (the date - September 6, 1620) with 102 souls on-board. For 66 long and arduous days these brave men, women and children endured the dark, cold, and extremely limited space......................................................
TO BE CONTINUED
********W O R K I N P R O G R E S S ********
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Name: Timothy Arango
