I want to focus in on a couple of verses today. But first let me start off my asking a question. If man severed himself from God (when Adam and Eve decided to be "independent" of God and try to be "gods" rather than abiding in God Who IS Life and Who is Love, Joy, Rest, and Peace)..then how did the Gospel happen. Did man go and ask God to come and redeem Him?
NO! Every other world religion says "try as hard as you can, thru good works, and maybe you'll make god love you."
Only Christianity (that is true Christianity NOT the perverted religious countepart), only that says "God loves you and has provided a way back to Him." The world Gospel (evangelion) in Greek means "good news." It brings joy and peace!
It means this: The Gospel was initiated by God and not man. Why did God pursue man after man rejected God? The answer: God loves man unconditionally! God is love! Read the following verses from the NIV translation.
"God is love.
1Jn 4:9 This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.
1Jn 4:10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.
1Jn 4:11 Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.
1Jn 4:12 No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us."
and also "1Jn 4:16 And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.
God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him."
Notice is says twice "God is love." He doesn't just have love or give love. He IS love!! That means He loves the vilest sinner. He loves the drug addict, the prostitute, He loves even the rapist and child molester. How can He do this? Because He is love!
How can He accept sinners without being unjust? The Answer lies in the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. God does have to punish sin, but yet He loves man. He has to love man but He does this while maintaining justice, for He cannot be unjust.
The answer - Jesus took the punishment for the sins of the whole world. He makes us brand new so that we are not the same person anymore! The Apostle Paul was a terrorist who hated and killed christians but He was changed to a brand new person that loved Jesus Christ and who loved other christians.
More about this in my next post.
In Christ Who is my Life
Steve
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Genesis of a blogger
I am not the most fluent computer user. However this is my first attempt at creating a blog.
I have a website already that I eagerly desire for you to check out. It is http://gracelibertyalliance.bravehost.com/.
This will be the beginning of one man's attempt to speak from the heart of a radical LOVE and LIFE that has taken over me. I am literally consumed by such love and truth and it is changing me from selfishness to one that desires to Love Jesus The Christ and Master and to love others (and to forget myself in order to serve others).
The road has been bumpy filled with trials, hurts, my own many failures, but so much more.....forgiveness, renewal of faith, lessons learned, redemption, the Power of Another who has empowered me to do what I, otherwise, could never do on my own.
This is - a life lived in union with Christ. You may have never heard christianity explained this way.....that is unfortunate. You may have been taught by modern day Sadducess or Pharisees (the judgemental religious scholars that were there in Jesus time of the 1st century and are alive and well today).
I announce to you the true and only Gospel (which means good news)God is LOVE!!! God's only plan was to created humanity to be able to abide in His love and worship Him (worhsipping Him is eating up His goodness,,,,reveling in His love and Awesome greatness which in turn blesses us). Man sinned but God has spent 6000 years pursuing mankind to repair that relationship for one purpose.......that we may be united to Him Who IS love once again. Jesus The Messiah made that possible. Trust in Him and you will begin a journey of finding LIFE....Zoe.
More later
I have a website already that I eagerly desire for you to check out. It is http://gracelibertyalliance.bravehost.com/.
This will be the beginning of one man's attempt to speak from the heart of a radical LOVE and LIFE that has taken over me. I am literally consumed by such love and truth and it is changing me from selfishness to one that desires to Love Jesus The Christ and Master and to love others (and to forget myself in order to serve others).
The road has been bumpy filled with trials, hurts, my own many failures, but so much more.....forgiveness, renewal of faith, lessons learned, redemption, the Power of Another who has empowered me to do what I, otherwise, could never do on my own.
This is - a life lived in union with Christ. You may have never heard christianity explained this way.....that is unfortunate. You may have been taught by modern day Sadducess or Pharisees (the judgemental religious scholars that were there in Jesus time of the 1st century and are alive and well today).
I announce to you the true and only Gospel (which means good news)God is LOVE!!! God's only plan was to created humanity to be able to abide in His love and worship Him (worhsipping Him is eating up His goodness,,,,reveling in His love and Awesome greatness which in turn blesses us). Man sinned but God has spent 6000 years pursuing mankind to repair that relationship for one purpose.......that we may be united to Him Who IS love once again. Jesus The Messiah made that possible. Trust in Him and you will begin a journey of finding LIFE....Zoe.
More later
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