This whole book (The bible) is a love story, 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. You see, God believes that you will perish without looking to Jesus for salvation. He believes that so much, that in response to this broken hearted belief, he sent his only son. Reading this page is not going to give you salvation but it will give you the tools to seek and receive it. Salvation comes through belief alone. Unfortunately a lot of the churches of today unintentionally push people away by using the phrase "You have to", “You haft to _______”, “You haft to give 10%”, “You have to be perfect”, etc. etc. etc. I see a different story. Salvation changes the, "you have to" to "I want to". I believe giving is taught in the bible but not doing so will not place you in hell, not knowing Jesus would although. our church's should have faith that our Father will provide for all the needs, and the people will increase giving as they grow in fellowship with Him.
--Understanding Who Jesus is--
John 1 v1 (KJV)
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
This is the very first sentence from the gospel of John. One of the four gospels recorded in the bible. John declares this book to be altogether unique. Gods word, Gods truth, and somehow…God himself. And for a little bit we shall examine some of this letter to understand exactly what He is saying.
And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.
Jesus Christ --- 100% God 100% Man The birth of Jesus was foretold in the Bible.
Isaiah 9 v6-7 (KJV) For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.
I have had the pleasure of sitting down with a small group of people who came to my door one day with bibles in there hands, and we went through the scriptures, but as we progressed it became apparent that there was quite a bit of confusion as to whom Jesus Christ was (is). And as I explained to them, the bible teaches clearly that Jesus set aside his former glory and received it again when he ascended to the right hand side of the father.
This verse in context is talking about Jesus Christ.
Philippians 2 v6-7 (KJV) Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God, But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men
In other words... Jesus, as the very form of God, believed that it would not be stealing if he were called God He decided that servant hood would be the better reputation. and he was made in the likeness of men…
Revelation 1 v17-18 (KJV) And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last: I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.
Wow, Jesus declares here that He is the First and last. He that he was dead and BEHOLD ... alive forevermore. With that last verse, there can be no confusion, Jesus is able to save!!
--why do we need salvation--
The fall of man began when Adam and Eve chose to disobey God after the serpent tempted them with fruit from a tree God said not to touch. Genesis 3 v4-5 (KJV) And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: for God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. The two underlined words above are exactly the same word in Hebrew.
The devil mixed truth and a lie (as usual), he said two things, 'you won’t die'. and 'ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil'. The death of Adam has long passed but the knowledge gained from eating the fruit remains within us all and ever since that day, man's sin nature was passed down from father to child.
Genesis 3 v22 (KJV) And the Lord God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever:
Most people have heard the story of Adam and Eve, the very first married couple in the world, and the standard bearer for marriage If you would like to explore the story more then just click on drawing on the left.
Isaiah 53 v6 (KJV) All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all
Isaiah wrote this verse about God's plan to remove our sins over 500 years before the birth of Jesus, but the plan to redeem man has always been in the mind and heart of God. We see a verse in Genesis where God curses the serpent and reveals a shadow of the plan.
Genesis 3 v15 (KJV) And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.
Think of God as light, and you and I as darkness. The bible teaches that man cannot approach God because darkness is all we are, and the closer we get to the light... well... Can light and darkness come together or does darkness flee from light. I used this analogy because God uses it. Our darkness has a name; it is called 'Sin'. God placed 10 commandments in our hands and hearts and if we could follow every one for the whole of our lives we would be perfect. However the truth is that only one person could live the perfect life, and never again will any one else. That person was Jesus Christ.
Jesus calls for you to be saved, and tells of a terrible danger for all the people who refuse this great salvation. He tells of a place of suffering and anguish. A final destination from which there is no return. But in effect it’s a separation from everything that is good, it’s a separation from everything wonderful, it’s a separation from him forever. For if you think that God is not here now, you who have nice water to drink and who have nice air to breath. You might want to think again.
There are a few places in the bible that give clues to how things may be in the coming kingdom of God, Although we can only see as through a darkly colored glass. The verse below talks about an event that may occur over and over again forever. Everyone in heaven will go down to the lake of fire every Saturday and look upon the bodies of all those that refused salvation, and we will be disgusted at what we see. We will remember the difference between God and man. We will remember the love and justice and perfection of the one and only savior of us all.
Isaiah 66 v23-24 (KJV) And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the Lord. And they shall go forth, and look upon the carcasses of the men that have transgressed against me: for their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched; and they shall be an abhorring unto all flesh
This cycle may be coming and we get to choose what part of the lake of fire would be our final destiny, the bank looking in on Saturdays, or the center forever.
Jesus believed in hell and he was scared for us concerning it. Jesus selflessly and lovingly laid down his perfect life for you and I. With his death, he purchased a place for you in heaven... with his family. He has erased your sin stained past and covered you with his perfect life, so you now as children of light can have fellowship with the father.
Suffering on the cross, with the power to end his suffering, Jesus looked out through all times and focused in on you in your worst moments and although seeing you do the worst things that you did in your life, he thought it would be better to die then loose you. With this love for you the only fiber keeping him there, he remained on that cross and cried ‘it is finished’, then giving up his ghost he purchased our salvation for eternity.
Is there any better love then that?
He Lives forever more
The resurrection of Christ is the one piece of history that has more supporting sources than any other historical event, over 24 thousand sources. Something profound happened back then, and according the bible it was the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. With His resurrection is the hope of our own resurrection and verification that he has power over death.
--How Does one receive salvation--
A Free Gift
When I first understood what salvation was, the best way I could explain it was, imagine you have a Christmas present all wrapped up and in the closet but its only mid July, You can’t open the present for 6 more months but you know what it is. When I was younger I knew there was a present for me in the closet about a month early once, and I pestered my mom every day until she finally gave me the toy, and when Christmas finally came there was not much for me to be excited about.
How come more Christians aren’t excited about what God has in store for us?
Salvation is a free gift to man according to the bible, however knowing that the bible is written by a single author through many people might help you to grasp it more easily.
2 Timothy 3 v16 (KJV) All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness
1 Corinthians 14 V33 (KJV) For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.
So I am going to assume God wrote the whole bible because he claims so, and that he is not the author of confusion... or in other words, interpret scripture in light of the easier scriptures such as john 3:16, where God states his desire to save those who believe in his Son.
John 3 V16 (KJV) 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.
So his motivation is love… God teaches us in his word that sin is bad and the sin nature that we inherited from our father is altogether corrupt and that we need to be born again...
John 3 v3 (KJV) Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
And then the bible teaches us that repentance and believe go hand in hand, hence, if you don’t repent, then you don’t believe. Repentance is simply agreeing with God that your sin is bad, and asking for his forgiveness and aid in removing it from your life.
Matthew 21 v32 (KJV) For John came unto you in the way of righteousness, and ye believed him not: but the publicans and the harlots believed him: and ye, when ye had seen it, repented not afterward, that ye might believe him.
Sometimes it is impossible for a man to turn away from his treasure
In Mark 10:17-25 Jesus tells a story about a young man that kneels before him to ask what could be done to inherit eternal life. My whole life I have heard about this parable, of how the man who was rich, was told to sell all his possessions: and he walked away sad. Jesus then tells how it would be easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than a rich man to enter heaven. But the point of the whole parable is that we all have something of great value that we wont let go of, and in the last part of the parable Jesus says that 'With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible.' The greatest victory is that 'while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.'
Good News !! The father knows there are some things that are to hard for man, and that's why He has sent his Son so whoever believes in him will live. God is not a liar and no lie can be found in him.
1 John 5 v13 (KJV) These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.
And that our salvation is sure.
John 5 v24 (KJV) 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.
Please take a moment to pray this prayer with me. If you've never made Jesus the Lord of your life, now is the time. If you've gotten away from God, it's time for you to come on home where you belong... pray, "Oh God in Heaven, I believe with all of my heart in Jesus and his resurrection, I repent of my sin. Come Lord, into my heart, that I may receive your precious sacrifice. Fill me with your Spirit and teach me to walk in your ways. In, Jesus name. Amen.”
The Bible Geek and staff would like to recommend that all new believers plug into a local church, not only to speak with a pastor about baptism, but the internet or television can never replace the friendships that can grow from church.
( This topic is very serious, if you feel God moving in your heart, and you would like to Speak to someone.. DM me on twitter @The_Bible_Geek )