Sex, Death, and Creator's Displeasure

This week I want to share a few thoughts about some contemporary social issues in light of Biblical principles. Next week, I hope to finish the series on the "New Testament Conception of Law."

Human sexuality is probably the strongest natural and instinctive drive of human nature. History, biblical and secular, offers a long of examples moral and social havoc of fallen men and women. The lives of many people have been marred by the guilt, shame, and corruption of promiscuity. Many families have been destroyed by it as well. The effects of these tragedies is almost always felt by the circles of society in which the damaged people relate. Most people may not realize how these harmful situations harm society at large. As experience has been translated into justifications or coping mechanisms followed with new ideologies to further justify and normalize the evils of these moral and relational tragedies, the slow but certain effects are absolutely realized.

Secular culture guided by humanistic values and beliefs is one such ideology. Its religion of scientism and its sexual mores fill news headlines, police reports, and various professional studies. From the plague of divorce and teen pregnancies to rape, abortion, pedophilia, and gay rights agenda, the effects legitimated by psychologically latent ideology given official sanction is a great problem of our time.

Notice, all of the above is in apposition to the biblical basis of Western political freedom and rights as well as its natural law ideology. Sticking to my original goal, I refer to some biblical principles to remind us of our past and future destiny as human beings and as society.

The beginning of all existence is not Darwinian evolution or any other science, philosophy or even religion. The beginning and ending of life is God created. In Genesis 1:1, the self-evident truth is a Supreme Being created all things. Science has not and cannot prove it false because it is absolute truth. When each of us dies, what many practitioners of the medical sciences have researched, which also supports the biblical truth, is that life and death are not the only absolutes. God is. Eternal life in heaven or hell is. Jesus is the eternal propitiation for our crimes against God and His absolute moral laws in nature.

Another self-evident truth is God made humanity, male and female (Gen. 1:27). God made it a law of nature for male and female as one unity to reproduce and multiply (Gen. 1:28). This is the beginning of marriage, of family, and of society (Gen. 2:24). Any other sexual relationships like adultery, homosexuality, bestiality, or pedophilia are not only unnatural but crimes against God, society, and humanity ( Lev.18:20; 20:10; 18:22; 20:13; 18:23; 20:15). Any government who legislates otherwise is committing crimes against the same. As the apostle Paul states in the first chapter of his letter to the Romans, these things are worthy of God's wrath (vv. 18, 25-32).

God's law demands the death for those types of sins. It is the same punishment God informed Adam and Eve would suffer for any transgression. The day you eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you will die (Gen. 2:17). Evil denies this (Gen. 3:4). However, experience proves it was and still is the truth. Man was separated from his Creator. Humans began murdering each other. They began lying to each other, and doing many other evils. The result was death. Adam did not drop dead physically because death is not just the stoppage of bodily functions. Death is separation of right relationships like between spouses and families. Tragically, death is the officially sanctioned law of American society and most of the world.

Death and destruction has already come upon the world. Liberal politicians, lawmakers, NGOs, among nations and the United Nations are plannning, promoting, legislating, and funding the death of all societies around the globe. Gay rights, abortion, no-fault divorce, so-called sexual freedom, and the like are the goals of globalists today.

They are the servants of Satan and death. They oppose God and His law in nature--otherwise known as natural law--without conscience and with impunity. The fact that they push abortion as a right of women for almost any reason whatsoever is an affront to the One who created the process of life and its development. God did not create it for humans to kill and destroy life at will or mere convenience. A just God is not going to be tolerant of such blatant evil.

In fact, the secularist dogma of tolerance is the same as prevailed in Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen. 19). God is not tolerant of moral crimes. Many blameless animals died to satisfy the punishment of God on sin. This phenomenon is a universal human practice evidenced throughout human history and all cultures where Christianity did not have a significant influence. Jesus died in order to forever satisfy God's law and its sanction for the ultimate purpose of humanity's restoration and reconciliation to their Creator. When the prevalence of crimes perpetrated around the globe prove irreparable, the end-time wrath of God will come to end unrestrained violation of God's law and the perpetual violence of corrupt humanity's sadistic and masochistic practices. As God promised Noah and all of his descendants, God will not destroy the earth with another flood (Gen. 9:9-17). However, prophets and apostles foresaw a latter day of fire and brimstone (Gen. 19; Joel 2:30-32; 2 Pet. 3:3-7).

The more I learn about the issues and how liberal lie and deceive multitudes of people and even judges, some lawmakers, and others the clearer the evidence of the approach of the end-times. For example, Roe v Wade and Doe v Bolton established abortion based on deception and lies. The belief in Separation of Church and State is a belief in a liberal lie. Legal history shows Congress rejected strict separation during the framing of the First Amendment. Gay rights is another liberal legislative effort of deceit. Sexual orientation means simply homosexual behavior. No civil right, human right, natural rights, or Constitutional law has ever existed based solely on protecting bad behavior, especially behavior opposing natural law. Gay rights is another liberal act of lawlessness. That is why their secularism--the anti-Christ, anti-God, and anti-religion-ism--boldly lies about America's Christian founding and about natural law being non-existent or irrelevant to Constitutional law.

Therefore, Paul warning to the Thessalonians must be remembered in this treacherous and treasonous times. The mystery of lawlessness is already at work (2 Thes. 2:7). The one who comes will with the "deception of wickedness for those who perish" cause many to believe lies (2:9-10). Why? "Because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved." "For this reason God will send upon them a deluding influence so that they will believe what is false, in order that they may be judged who did not believe the truth, but took please in wickedness" (2:11-12). This has come with evolution, with liberal secularism, humanism, and now through the seemingly strong deluding influence of leaders of the gays.

New Testament Conception of Law: Contemporary problems and ancient solutions Part III

The focus of the last post was on the law in the gospels. Jesus never claimed to have abolished or negated the Law of Moses. Jesus said he came to both fulfill the law and to enable others to do the same. By doing so, he established the moral law of God and His governmental model for all time. Because his suffering and death satisfied God’s law and justice, faith in Jesus is the means by which we all may obtain God’s pardon for our sins or moral crimes against the law of God. In this, the love of God is reveal and experienced. God is not tolerant. Jesus’ suffering, death and resurrection fulfilled the law. The law of faith annulled the law of sin so that everyone who believes can fulfill the requirement of the moral law. Was this the view of Paul taught in his letters? If not, what was Paul’s view of law?

Paul’s View of Law

Paul’s conception of authority is important to understanding his view of the Law. In his letters, Paul clearly outlined the order of his authority. God was the highest authority. Paul called God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ and our Savior.[1] The authority of Jesus is almost as high as God is. Jesus is the Lord, messiah, savior, and our hope.[2] Paul’s apostleship was “according to the commandment of God our Savior and Jesus Christ, our hope.”[3] Jesus called him to be his apostle,[4] but God had ordained it. [5] Having been appointed to his apostleship and instructed by Jesus, Paul’s instructions to the followers of Christ were the commandments of the Lord Jesus.[6] They were the laws of the Jesus, Lord and Messiah. That is why he distinguished his opinions from his speaking on behalf of the Lord. His preaching and teaching was the same as Moses, the prophets, or Jesus himself.

When Jesus ascended to heaven, he created or recreated all rule and authority.[7] The office and authority of his Paul’s apostleship was one part of the new universal rule. Just as God ordained secular authorities, so were those in the kingdom of Christ. Therefore, whoever resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God.[8]

Paul defined the Law as the covenant of promise made to Abraham.[9] It encompasses the Law of Moses[10] as well as the word of the prophets.[11] The law of God was holy and good.[12] Paul even regarded the law as spiritual.[13] As we will see later, the new covenant in Jesus Christ was the fulfillment of the one promised by Jeremiah.[14] As portended by Jeremiah, the law of God fulfilled because of becoming of human nature.

Paul dealt extensively with the purpose of the Law. He taught that the law was made for the lawless, not the righteous (lawful); in modern conception, it is to regulate the moral behavior of citizens, protecting law-abiding from the destructive.[15] It seems strange that he would claim it was given so that transgression of the law would increase.[16] He preached this to explain how the power sin dominated human life because of rebellion against the can’t of the law. The knowledge of sin comes by knowing the law. The principle goes back to God’s warning to Adam’s eldest son Cain. When Cain revealed jealousy of his brother Able, God told him, “Sin lies at your door; its desire is for you, but you must master or dominate it.”[17] The problem is we all have failed to master it. As Paul wrote, “we have all sinned and come short of the glory of God.”[18] Therefore, “there is none righteous not even one.”[19] There may be some who are self-righteous, but none righteous before God.

The law also serves as a tutor teaching us all about our need for forgiveness.[20] The law then lead us to Jesus Christ because his death satisfies the required punishment of God’s law.[21] His resurrection is our hope of eternal life when we believe on the Lord Jesus. When anyone “confesses Jesus as Lord and believes in his or her heart that God raised him from the dead will be saved.”[22]

This concludes the definition and purpose of the Law as explained by Paul. In the next posting, Paul view on the law will be completed. Many believe Paul taught the law of the old covenant ended with Jesus. Whether this is true will be covered in the last part of this series on the New Testament Conception of Law.
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Notes:
[1] 2 Cor. 1:3; Eph. 1:3; 1 Col. 1:3; 1 Tim. 1:1
[2] Act. 2:36; Rom. 1:1-7; 10:9,13; Php. 3:20; 2 Tim. 1:10; 1 Tim. 1:1
[3] 1 Tim. 1:1
[4] Acts 9:1-19
[5] 1 Cor. 1:1; 2 Cor. 1:1; Gal.1:1; Eph. 1:1; Col. 1:1
[6] 1 Cor. 14:37; 1 Thes. 4:2; Tit.1:3
[7] Col. 1:16
[8] Rom. 13:1-3
[9] Gal. 3:15
[10] Act. 13:39, 15:5, Rom. 13:8-10, Gal. 3:15; 5:14; 6:2; Eph. 6:2
[11] Rom. 16:25-26; 1 Cor. 14:21; Isa. 28:11
[12] Rom. 7:12; 1 Tim. 1:8
[13] Rom. 7:1
[14] Jer. 31:31-34; 2 Cor. 3:1-6; Gal. 4:22-31
[15] 1 Tim. 1:8-9
[16] Rom. 5:20
[17] Gen. 4:6-7
[18] Rom. 3:23
[19] Rom. 3:10
[20] Gal. 3:22-25; 4:4-5href="http:
[21] Gal. 1:3-4; 3:24
[22] Rom. 10:9-10

New Testament Conception of Law : Contemporary problems and ancient solutions Part II

The focus of the last post was on the law of love. In the liberal or secular equation, the law of love equals tolerance of moral relativity, even immorality. In both the gospels and Paul’s letters, the law of love means fulfilling the moral law of God because of the abiding love for God and for others. This kind of love is result of experiencing the redeeming and restorative love of God. According to Paul, the law of love sums up the whole Law of Moses, but how exactly did Jesus and Paul regard God’s law.

Many believe the Mosaic Law ended forever with the death and resurrection of Jesus. Following this view to its conclusion, the view of life lived by faith and love is the only law of God. Moral law somehow ended with Christ. Is this liberal conception of law represented in the gospels, teaching of Paul or John?

Jesus’ View of Law According to the Gospels

Jesus said he came to fulfill the law not abolish it. When Jesus spoke about the law, he meant Torah law. The law of Israel was the Law of Moses. This is the law God gave Israel. Jews were subject to the laws of foreign empires like those of Babylon, Persia, Greece, and Rome. As it today, liberalization of local law gave some excuse to live immoral lives. Nonetheless, the law of God was Israel’s local law. It was under Roman influence that Jesus lived and died.

Under the laws of Moses, the Jewish people were promised a life of good health and healing. It seemed that Jesus had no problem with breaking God’s laws. He healed on the Sabbath. He and disciples picked grain to eat while traveling during the Sabbath. To many Jewish leaders, these actions were crimes against the law. To Jesus, the law was being fulfilled. No human heals another. Medicine does not heal. It enables the body’s immune system to fulfill its job of healing. Otherwise, medicine kills diseased cells or effected organs surgically removed. Because only God heals, Jesus was simply following God. Eating on the Sabbath was not a sin. Because Jesus followers had no food, they picked grain to eat. So how could picking grain to satisfy hunger be a crime to God? At least that is the implication. What offended the Pharisees more than doing some work on the Sabbath was the authority Jesus claimed for allowing his followers to do so. Jesus justified it by saying his was Lord of the Sabbath.[1]

Beyond these issues, Jesus explicitly said he did come to abolish the law or the prophets but to fulfill both. His position about law was made in the Sermon on the Mount, in which he said,

“Do not think I came to abolish the law or the prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill. For truly I say unto you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the law until all is accomplished. Whoever annuls one the least of these commandments, and teaches other to do the same, shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.”[2]

When lepers were healed, Jesus instructed them to go fulfill the requirement of the law.[3] When a disabled man was healed, Jesus told him to sin no more.[4] When Jesus forgave an adulterous woman caught in the act, he told her to sin no more.[5] It seems Jesus was being tolerant towards the adulterer, but actually, he was simply being just. The unjust Jews did not fulfill the law by bringing the man also caught in the act. The law required judgment of both adulterers. Therefore, it was only just for the women to have a second chance as well. When we consider the various acts of healing, exorcisms, and forgiveness, we witness Jesus instructing those who received mercy instead of judgment for their moral crimes to sin no more unless worse consequences occur. Jesus did not give anyone an excuse not to keep God’s moral laws. Jesus upholds the validity of God’s law. Jesus in no way suggests that he has eliminated the requirements of the law of God. His purpose was not to create antinomianism or anarchy, but his purpose was lead all to fulfill God’s law.

Jesus made another interesting statement in the Sermon on the Mount. He said,

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father…. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name cast out demons, and in your name perform many miracles?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you who practice lawlessness.’”[6]

The key to understanding this statement is the word lawlessness. This means two things: (1) God does not accept people who live contrary to the moral law of God. How could people live in the kingdom of God if they will not live according to God’s laws? In Acts 2:36, Peter confirms that Jesus was made Lord of God’s kingdom. Jesus’ perfect fulfillment of God’s law does not excuse anyone from breaking it. On the contrary, followers of Jesus receive the Spirit of God in order to fulfill that law. Those who enter the kingdom do so through Jesus. When they do, they are still accountable for obeying the law of the kingdom. (2) Lawlessness also means doing work of the kingdom without fulfilling God’s will. Notice Jesus said those who do the kind of works he did was not a ticket to heaven. If self-aggrandizement was the purpose of those who healed the sick and cast of demons, the aggrandizement is their only reward. Most people can think of a charlatan who pretended to do miracles only to get rich. This is implied in Jesus’ statement. His statement also means those who do not do what the Lord wanted them to do. Beyond living out the moral law, when people disregard Jesus revealed will about doing or not doing something, for example, praying for someone in need or some other service would be to disobey the Lord, which is lawlessness. Of course, one cannot disobey what has not been clearly revealed or commanded.

Obeying a command from the Lord Jesus and keeping the moral law seems more like duty. It could seem as something motivated by fear of punishment or losing salvation. It cannot be denied that disobedience will result in God’s judgment not his blessing. The purpose of salvation is the restoration of individuals to a right relationship with their Creator and kinsman redeemer. This is an act of God’s love solely initiated by God, which is life changing. It is natural, therefore, for recipients to respond to God with thanksgiving and love. The writer of the First Epistle of John stated it best when he wrote:

“In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He first loved us and sent His son to be the propitiation for our sins. If God so loved us, we ought to love one another.”[7]

The motivation to love God is the result of God’s unmerited love experienced by us. We experience this unmerited love because of the terrible sacrifice and suffering of Jesus. He bore the punish we deserve for the moral crimes we commit against the law of God. Once we have realize the full meaning of Jesus’ suffering on our behalf, our experience love God’s love become the motivation of our love toward Jesus and God the Father. This what Jesus meant when he said,

“He who has my commandments and keeps them is the one who loves me; and he ho loves me will be loved by my Father… and we will come to him and make our abode with him.”[8]

Nowhere in the gospels will the reader find Jesus contradicting, replacing, annulling, or negating the law of God. In addition to the law of redemption, the law of Moses is God’s model of government, of constitutional law, and of a common law. Jesus did not negate that law. The death and resurrection of Jesus satisfied the justice required by God’s law concerning our moral crimes. Consequently, the sacrificial laws are no longer valid for redemption. "By the works of the law no one will be saved."[9] Salvation is by faith alone in Jesus. Without submitting to his Lordship, salvation is not complete. The love of husbands and wives and their mutual submission to each other makes a marriage relationship. In every marriage, one of the spouses leads and the other follows in most things. This is true in most covenant agreements as well. In the kingdom of God, the love between the Lord and us is a mutual one. However, the authority of the covenant belongs to Jesus. We follow and he leads, and God is pleased.

In the next post, Paul’s view of law will be explored.

Notes:
[1] Matthew 12:1-14
[2] Matthew 5:17-19 NASB
[3] Luke 5: 12-15; 17:11-14
[4] John 5:1-17
[5] John 8:1-11
[6] Matthew 7:21-23
[7] 1 John 4:10-11 NASB
[8] John 14:21,23d NASB
[9] Galatians. 2:16

The Virgin Birth of Jesus: Is it a Reasonable Belief? ( Part I )

Christians believe Jesus was born of the Virgin Mary by the power of the Holy Spirit. The two gospels explicitly proclaiming the virgin birth of Jesus is Matthew 1:18-25 and Luke 1:26-45. The most succinct statement of the Christian confession is the Apostle’s Creed, which is the oldest version of Christian confession. The Apostle's Creed is as follows:

I believe in God the Father Almighty. And in Jesus Christ His only (begotten) Son our Lord, who was born of the Holy Ghost and the Virgin Mary; crucified under Pontius Pilate, and buried; the third day He rose from the dead; He ascended into heaven, and sitteth at the right hand of the Father, from thence He shall come to judge the quick and the dead. And in the Holy Ghost; the holy Church; the forgiveness of sins; the resurrection of the body; the life everlasting. (see article by James Orr, “The Apostle’s Creed,” International Standard Bible Encyclopedia Vol. 1, at www.reformed.org/documents/apostles_creed.html )

The Apostle’s Creed originates in apostolic times and was a baptismal formula. As such, new followers of Christ confessed this creed to confirm their faith in the essential message of the gospels and of the church. The Apostle’s Creed is the foundation of all other confessions including the Nicene, Chalcedon, Westminster, and other creeds. It is venerated by the Roman Catholic Church and by most Protestant Churches.

The clause of importance here is “Jesus Christ His only (begotten) Son our Lord, who was born of the Holy Ghost and the Virgin Mary.” Liberal scholars and their followers deny the possibility of the virgin birth. Because other ancient religions claimed their saviors were virgin born or otherwise supernaturally born, liberals believe the early church adopted the myth probably to make the gospel more attractive to superstitious ancient people. This skeptical view might be true. However, what is often behind liberal skepticism is their outright rejection of the supernatural. Liberals tend to deny all of the miracles mentioned in the Bible, not just the virgin birth. The Christian confession would be meaningless if the supernatural was not an experienced reality. As the Apostle Paul said, “If Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is vain, and your faith is in vain.” (1 Corinthians 15:14) The faith was not an exercise in philosophy or superstition to allay fear of death. Faith is (was) based on seeing, hearing, feeling the resurrection of Jesus and of others. Therefore, healing and resurrection from the dead was an experienced reality during the apostolic era that continued well beyond the apostles’ witness of Jesus’ resurrection and heavenly ascent. In fact, miraculous healings and resurrections continue in our own time.

The virgin birth of Jesus cannot be proved, nor can it be disproved either. An appropriate question requiring a logical answer is whether it is reasonable to believe in the virgin birth of Jesus. Merely dismissing the possibility because one does not believe in miracles or the supernatural is as meaningless as blindly confessing the virgin birth is true. To answer the question, one must consider whether any historical evidence exists that would support or refute the possibility of virgin birth. Is there any scientific evidence for virgin birth? If so, does the evidence prove the virgin birth? In addition, a search for evidence to support the reasonableness of Jesus’ virgin birth must consider any rational argument that might exist.

Skeptics readily supply a logical argument. However, from the outset, the argument by David Hume against testimonials for miracles must be discarded because medical testing confirms healing miracles based on religious faith do occur. We can also eliminate arguments against resurrection because many have occurred. More importantly, they are being medically and empirical verified. Consequently, by eliminating those two arguments that confirm the reality of God and the supernatural, much time will be saved in order to focus on the primary argument: is belief in the virgin birth of Jesus a reasonable belief?

In a future posting, I will begin to present an answer. Until then, a few observations from my past studies may be instructive. A number of years ago, I began searching for proof of the virgin birth of Jesus. I reviewed medical and scientific research on oocytology, regenerative medicine, genetics, reproductive behavior of animals and insects, neurology, paranormal science, and the like. Based on my less than fallible memory, I discovered research claiming virgin births do occur in nature. Men can have female type (XX) chromosomes of the 23rd pair just as women can have male type (xy) 23rd chromosomes. Women have a biological residue of male hormones that could be used in imprinting the genetic material of an egg. Imprinting is a hormonal process by which certain genes are turned on and off during various stages of cell development. These were some of my findings.

When considering people with terminal cancer and 6 month to live, my theory about people who have been miraculously healed because of religious faith is this: God answered their faith and prayers for deliverance. They were healed because the master geneticist forced aberrant cells to conform to His plan. The genetic information of cancer cells was changed to conform to normal cells. God spoke His word so that from quantum particles to individual genes all material aligned with God’s word. As it were, the blueprint of cancer cells was replaced by the blueprint of normal cells.

That is one reasonable possibility. It also gives an idea how I will approach my answer to the question: is the virgin birth of Jesus a reasonable belief?

Life Issues and Creator Rights

Modern debate about abortion, stem cell research, and euthanasia (remember, Terri Schiavo?) are issues concerning life. They encompass the life of a mother, the life of a child, the beginning of life at its most rudimentary biological stages, and the life of the disabled . Many believe medical practitioners are doing a good service to people troubled, threatened, or suffering. They view the issues as helping preserve a life that already is. When suffering becomes unbearable, they see the right to die as a merciful act. As long as the person has expressed their will, the right to die with dignity should be considered a good thing.

Opponents approach the same issues from the right to life and from the perspective of future consequences. The potential consequences are not merely about life after death or heaven and hell. Right-to-life advocates also consider the consequences for society in general. They see the immense value of life being diminished because of abortions that are often not real life threatening situations. The demand for perpetual creation and use of embryonic stem cells for potential cures while discounting, if not ignoring, the tremendous potential of other pluripotent stem cell sources further degrades regard for human life. Then, right-to-life advocates rightly regard these issues in light of the constitutionally guaranteed right to life.
No such right is guaranteed for death. The obvious reason is that death is a human certainty, but abuses of individual lives have been many throughout human history.

The biblical commandment "thou shall not kill" may used by advocates of life, but one party whose valid concern has not yet been heard. This party has more right to be heard than all other parties involved in the debate. That party is the Creator.

For Americans, the Creator's perspective is legally valid. As the Declaration states, it was the Creator who imbued nature with the right to life. Because life is not the work of science, government, or individuals, a long pause is necessary to consider what right does any one have to determine who lives or who does not. Abortion, stem cell research, euthanasia are all arbitrary determinations of who lives and who does not. Whether at the point of conception, at the blastocyte, embryonic, fetus, childhood, youth, adult, or elderly stage is all one continuum of human development. The Creator made it human life that way. Because human have learned how life develops does not give anyone a right to end life without just cause; otherwise, it must be considered murder in the sight of the Creator.

"Thou shall not kill" is a universal law evident in almost all cultures and societies. It means not to kill without a just cause. . Self-defense is a legitimate reason. The same is true of government executing a murder; it is a defense of a citizenry. Therefore, killing a human life at any stage without a just cause is murder.

It is also robbery. Death robs others of beneficial relations. Families, friends, associates, society, and even God are parties rob of companionship, productive activity, economic benefits, and other useful purposes when a life ends.

More important are the consequences resulting from killing and dying. If a person murders another and both are not morally right with God, they will both suffer eternal spiritual consequences. Heaven and hell are places where life and death continues. Because life and death are both relational states of being, all wrongful separations are forms of death including divorce. Ultimately, the punishment of hell is the eternal separation or alienation from God and loved ones. Heaven is the opposite. It is the continuation of beneficial relationships with God, loved ones, and others.

In the final analysis, abortion may be a necessary evil when actual life-and-death circumstances exist. Stem cell research should be encouraged and funded, but embryonic stem cells should be the very last source. It is hard to justify using live embryos when other types of stem cells are available and have resulted in actual cures not potential ones. In light of eternal justice in the Creator's world, the argument of sacrificing an unformed life for the potential end to suffering of others is not justifiable. It is not justifiable because a life sacrificed for others has already occurred. Jesus died so that human can have eternal life. His sacrifice encompasses realized promises of abundance and healing. Jesus is the means to divine healing. This is another reason why euthanasia is not justifiable in most cases. Because God is more than able to end a life suffering the pain and misery of disease, only euthanasia--if it can be called that--of non-responsive patients on life support could possibly be justified.

The issue comes down to whether society will continue on the path of rejecting God and defying the natural order. The ultimate decision is whether it is worth the risk of facing the judgment of God and an eternity of alienation and suffering.

What deniers cannot prove is that no God exists nor that an afterlife does not await all people. Science cannot provide any evidence to the contrary. Medical science has provided corroborating evidence of God's existence evidenced by healing of terminal illnesses and a great many testimonies to medical examiners of experiences of life while people were clinically dead.

It’s Been Two Days Since the Messiah—Are You Ready?

Two days ago, Jesus of Nazareth was born. Only a few moments ago his holy and short-lived life was snuffed out. He was crucified based on false charges at 30 years old. This was truly an astonishing tragedy!

God pronounced one and only penalty for ‘sin’, which is death. For individuals to be acquitted of past and present moral crimes, each person must meet God requirements. Like Jesus, we all must die. Ultimately, we will all suffer the eternal consequences of separation from God, but there is hope. In fact, the good news is that God regards Jesus’ death as having satisfied divine justice against all moral crimes of humanity. Thank God, Jesus paid the price. The catch is we must appropriate God’s gracious provision for the forgiveness of our legal and moral debt.

It is like being cited for breaking some law but not showing up in court. An unknown benefactor paid the fine, but before that payment can be applied to your crime; you have to appear in court and acknowledge the citation is valid. On then will the court apply acquit you of the crime by applying the payment, and by the grace of law expunge your crimes all court and police records.

So it is with God’s law.

More amazing than Jesus being raised from the dead--people are still being raised from the dead in his name--is eye witnesses reports of seeing Jesus carried into heaven like the prophet Elijah of old. Skeptics may doubt this. Paul, however, encountered the risen and glorified Jesus and so has many others since then. In fact, many people have encountered this same Jesus within the last 20 years. For example, a man crashed his plane; the fuselage exploded which caused the plane to burn. The fire raged all the way to the cockpit. Then, Jesus and an angel showed. Jesus assured the pilot that he was going to make it, after which Jesus blew on the cockpit until help arrived. Although I cannot recall his name, I did see photos of the pilot while he was still in the hospital. He bruise and swollen, but he was not burned. Another example of a modern visited by Jesus is an Egyptian government official who was angry that his daughter has converted to Christianity and was now in a European hospital dying, He had drawn up a legal plan to punish local Coptic Christians for some supposed crime. The night before his plan was to be implemented Jesus visited him. Thus changing his mind about Christians and their religion, he rescinded his previous orders and then left for Europe to be with his daughter. His daughter did not die. Instead, Jesus healed her; thus confirming his promise made during the visitation. A former Israeli officer crippled for life because of an accident also experienced healing by Jesus. So did a young Muslim Egyptian who was dying of a rare but severe form of shingles of the face, which was affecting his brain as well. He said he saw Jesus come into his hospital room and heal him.

Within the past 10 years, a number of well-documented resurrections have also occurred. An African pastor died and was three days later; he rose to life again. An Indonesian Buddhist monk died and was about to be cremated when he came back to life. While dead those 3 days, he saw Buddha while standing at the gate to hell. Later, he met by a man named Peter who told him about Jesus. After he came back to life, he told the crowd at his funeral that the Christian were right about Jesus being the only way to eternal life in heaven. Both of these resurrections have been investigated, collaborated, and found to be true.

What seems too incredible to be real is the fact that since Jesus' ascension until the present time all of these miraculous events have occurred in just two days. This may seem beyond belief to mere mortals but not to God. “For a thousands years is as one day, and a day as a thousand years” to the Creator. (Ps. 90:4; 2 Pe. 3:8)

This brings me to a problem requiring an explanation. We often hear prophecy teachers talk about the end time and the imminent return of the Messiah, about a millennial reign, and about a coming global peace. After thousands of years, these doctrines strike many as a lot of wishful thinking. Skeptics often scoff at such beliefs as myths or worse at childish make-believe. Yet, the warnings of prophets and apostles about such criticism must be heeded. Seemingly unfilled prophecy—hope against hope—is better understood in light of divine time rather than based on human conception of time. Based on God’s timetable, Rabbinical and Christian scholars believe that messianic end time prophecies will be fulfilled at the beginning of the seventh millennium or the seventh day of the creation of the habitable earth. Depending on the calendar followed, the seventh millennium should begin in either the next 50 to 1233 years. To the spiritual enemies of God, the time is short. To followers of Jesus the Messiah, it is not of utmost importance. What is crucial is being alert to what God is doing and aware of the progress of history towards the fulfillment of God’s promises. Jesus said, it is not for you to know times and seasons, but to be watching and always prepared for his coming, whether at death or at the rapture.

In the glorious realm of spiritual reality, time is short. Two days has passed, those beings who rule evil in darkness fearfully anticipate the dawning of the third day. While fear and anger grips the forces of God’s enemies, saints and angels both revel with joy in anticipation of that holy day when God shall rise from his throne to execute final justice. At God's right hand, Messiah Jesus also comes to administrate the eternal reign of God’s kingdom on earth. Vanquished to the abysmal prisons are the forces of violence and darkness, and filling their place will be the peace and righteousness that attends the presence of God. Amen.

What can a child-like faith do?

James, the brother of Jesus, said that faith without works is dead.¹ Who would leave their house without faith? Every one believes they will be relatively safe beyond their home. Who would sit on a chair or drive their car? It takes faith to believe all chairs will hold them and all cars will get them to their desired destination. Even when a father is encouraging his child to trust in his ability to
catch her, she usually hesitates for a few moments before jumping off from a highplace. Once her dad has caught her, she demands to do it again and again and again.

Jesus said, “Whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at all.”² This is comparable to a child jumping off a roof in the arms of her father. In fact, it is comparable in several ways: First, we are the human brain is hard wired to recognize the natural presence of God. The mystery of the divine presence is the awesome experience of newness. Most of us know the excitement of making a new friend or falling in love. Meeting God for the first time is like that. Once our gracious Creator has come near, we begin to recognize His still small voice. Then the call to jump comes … not merely a leap of faith but a risk of trust. The leap of trust risks failure of being wrong in hopes of being right. If God catches, the act of faith establishes a new trust—a do it again God kind of trust. The analogous catch means God also acts in a substantial way. God’s response may be healing, deliverance from an addiction, or some other miracle to a timorous situation; it could be an instantaneous experience of peace as if a heaven burden of guilt was lifted; or God’s act might simply confirm the reality of His presence some other way—maybe just by a subsequent feeling of His love and acceptance. Whatever God’s response, it is that concrete settling of trust that makes children want to repeat it over and over and over again--adults too.

Therefore, entering the kingdom of God means simply entering it at the bidding of the Lord Jesus. It is the excited, thrill seekers, heart thumping Yes to God’s invitation into the unknown. I dare even to think it might be comparable to running into a black hole and coming out on the other side realizing that you are not only still alive but aware of a whole new dimension. That dimension is called spirit, the realm of God and the core of one own being. It is at the core of you own existence that your trust relationship with God is fully experience. At the center of eternity, you meet God as the one you can trust forever.

In many ways, life as a child of God is difficult because of human nature. Living in a physical world in which social relationships are often oppositional to God’s ways makes adjustment to both worlds rather challenging. That is why Jesus came into the world to ransom us and to show us the way.³ The Jesus we encounter in the eternal spirit and in the Bible is the one who lived without moral or spiritual crime. He understands our frailties, confusions, lapses, and finiteness. He even understands the pain of sin. God accepted his death as sufficient punishment for all of our moral crimes called sin. Relying on God grace, our responsibility as children of God is to learn to live under His rule, and God made Jesus king to lead and teach us to do just that.⁴

“This is the work of God that you believe in him whom He has sent.”⁵ Jesus also said, “He who believes in me, the works that I do, he will do also.” ⁶ If Jesus is king of God’s kingdom, how could we do his works without obeying his laws? Therefore, Jesus said, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word.”⁷ That is what the faith of God’s people does. For we live by faith and not by our senses.⁸

________________________________________________

¹ Jas. 2:17
² Mk. 10:15; Lk.18:17
³ Mat. 20: 28; 1 Tim. 2:6; 1 Pet. 2:21-25; Heb. 2:14-18
⁴ Ac.2:36
⁵ Jo. 6:29
⁶ Jo. 14:12
⁷ Jo. 14: 21
⁸ 2 Cor. 5:7; Rom. 1:17; Hab. 2:7

Citizenship in God's Kingdom Means Freedom from Poverty

What Americans need now is not love, sweet love. In spite of the millions who live in poverty, Americans don't need to know how to get rich. Americans need to understand the meaning of kingdom.

I have been listening to Myles Munroe teach about the biblical meaning of kingdom. He pastors a church in the Bahamas. Bahama is a state of the United Kingdom. Munroe grew up under British rule, and he was a subject of the king/queen of the United Kingdom. Unlike Americans, he knows what it is like living under the rule of a modern kingdom. One of the scriptures he has quoted is Luke 6:20:

"Blessed are you poor, for yours is the kingdom of God."

According to Pastor Munroe, citizens of a kingdom do not speak of getting wealth because it is the king who provides for every need of his citizens. How his citizens live reflects on his rule. Poor citizens are a curse to a king. Therefore, citizens of a good king live well because it is for his name's sake. God is a good king. The prosperity message preached today is only relevant when it is in this context.

Paul taught Jesus was a king who desires his citizens to be rich. For example, Paul wrote to the Corinthians that "the Jesus Christ became poor so that his citizens could become rich. (2 Cor. 8:9) This is the redemptive grace believers experience as a result of his substitutionary poverty.

Does this mean all followers of Jesus--his citizens--are supposed to become millionaires? No, that is not what Paul meant. Here is what he meant:

"God is able to make his grace abound to you, so that always having sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good work." (2 Cor. 9:8)

We must not be mistaken by thinking his is a divine welfare system in the modern meaning welfare politics. Paul is teaching what Jesus in effect first did: Jesus sowed his life in order to reap a kingdom. Consider what Paul wrote just prior to the above.

"He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully." (9:6)

We, therefore, sow what we need by investing our surplus to reap everything we need. This a principle of kingdom economics. What if some are poor and do not have a surplus? This is not a problem for consider what else Paul wrote:

"Now He (God) who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness." (9:10)

Here is a double blessing of kingdom living. God supplies an abundance of both material things and social and moral qualities required of his citizens. Sowing and reaping as giving and getting according to God's planned economy is called obedience. This is what Jesus meant when he said:

"Seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all of these things will be added to you." (Mat. 6:33)

It is true that citizens of God's kingdom are as dependent divine government as the modern poor are on the welfare economy of liberal government. However, Jesus makes his people free while liberal governments enslave theirs. Dependent citizens and free popular government is a oxymoron.

Nevertheless, power, glory, and honor to authority are the ends of such governments--God's and man's.

It All Begins With Sonship

According to the first chapter of Hebrews, a biblical epistle written to followers of Jesus, God revealed his presence and purpose through the humanity of Jesus, His only begotten son. The author of Hebrews wrote:

“After God spoke long ago to the fathers through the prophets, in these last days He has spoken to us through His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things…. He is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of His nature….” (Hebrews 1:1-3)

The sonship of Jesus is also explained in the gospel of Luke. In a visitation to the Virgin Mary, the angel Gabriel revealed his presence to Mary. He also announced that God had chosen her to conceive and birth God’s son. The angel went on to reveal the reason God was requesting permission to create His son in her virgin womb:

“He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give him the throne of his father David; and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and his kingdom will have no end.” (Luke 1:31-33)

Gabriel was telling Mary her son was the long awaited Messiah whose coming was foretold by prophets like Nathan, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Zechariah. For example, Nathan told King David that God wanted to make a covenant with him and his descendants. The covenant was a promise of perpetual kingship. This covenantal promise would be fulfilled when God raises a certain descendant whose kingship and throne God would establish forever. This descendant would be a Son to God. Therefore, the promise was not to all of David’s descendants, but rather to only a particular one. (I Samuel 7:12-17) The Roman physician and historian Luke claimed Jesus is that one.

The Jewish author of the gospel of Matthew affirmed Luke’s statement about Jesus. He wrote about the experience of Mary’s fiancé, Joseph. Gabriel had also visited Joseph, who told him to marry his betrothed Mary. Gabriel assured Joseph that the child was the work of God’s Spirit. Gabriel told him that Mary’s son “will save his people from their sins.” (Matthew 1:20-21) The angel was affirming what was already believed by many ancient Israelites viewed about the Lord’s Messiah, a son of David.

The nature of Jesus’ sonship as portrayed by these two gospels is similar to the birth of humanity’s first parent, Adam. Why did the angel Gabriel tell Mary her son would be called the son of God? Because he would be the only human being since Adam to be created by the Spirit of God. According to the second chapter of Genesis, “God formed Adam from the dust of the ground.” (2:7) God formed Jesus in the virgin womb of Mary. That is a good reason for the apostle Paul to call Jesus the second Adam. (I Corinthians 15:45-47)

Who was Paul? His real name was Saul. Saul was a zealous religious Pharisee who was converted when Jesus-- after he had received his throne in heaven--visited him. Although Paul’s experience was as much a spiritual vision as a physical encounter, the record of his conversion informs us that his companions also witnessed the brilliant light and heard the sound of Jesus talking but did not understand what was said. (Acts 9:1-21; 22:4-16) Being commissioned by Jesus to continue his mission to the non-Jewish world, Saul was renamed Paul, the apostle of Jesus.

Paul’s understanding of Jesus’ sonship was influenced by his conversion experience. For example, Paul began preaching that Jesus was the son of God almost immediately after his encounter with the risen Jesus. (Acts 9:20) He also taught that Jesus was “declared the Son of God with power as a result of the resurrection from the dead.” (Romans 1:4) For Paul, Jesus was the eternal son of God because he was raised from the dead. To be raised from the dead, Jesus had to be born just like you and me. Therefore, writing to the church at Galatia, Paul penned these momentous words:

“In the fullness of time, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, so that he might redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive the adoption as sons.” (Galatians 4:4)

To some, the gospel of Luke and Paul’s epistles may seem contradictory. One claims Jesus as son of God because of the Spirit’s creative act and the other claims he is son of God because he was the first-born (resurrected) from the dead. (Colossians 1:15, 18) Actually, the two account compliment each other giving us a complete understanding of Jesus’ sonship, both as the promised descendant of David and as God’s Son.

The same understanding of Jesus’ sonship is evident in the book of Hebrews. As a side note, some scholars believe Paul wrote the epistle to the Jewish followers of Jesus known as Hebrews. However, there is no actual evidence to support this belief. Whoever the author actually was, Church leaders canonized it because of its important teaching and because of the agreement with its doctrinal views.

To the author of the Hebrews, Jesus was the iconic image of his glorious father—God. (1:3)

Some intelligent person will ask how can this be seeing that Jesus was a physical human being and God is not? The short answer is this: all humans, like the very first one whose name was Adam, were created to reflect physically the image and character of his Creator. The biblical answer begins in the first two chapters of the book of Genesis. “God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, according to our likeness….’” (1:26) The author of Genesis then writes, “God created man in his own image … male and female He created them.” (1:27)

This leads to an important point of great value today. All humans reflect the image of God. Humans as reflections of the Creator’s image is supported by the Torah, the Prophets, the epistles of Paul, and the book of Revelation. Extremely interesting is the fact that God revealed his appearance to Moses, Aaron, and the tribal leaders after the ancient Israelites had agreed to God’s covenant, which was while they camped at Mount Sinai. (Exodus 19-20; 24:3-18) In Exodus, it is written, “they saw the God of Israel; and under His feet there appeared to be a pavement of sapphire, as clear as the sky itself. Yet, He did not stretch out His hand against the nobles of the sons of Israel.” (24:10-11) In his vision, the prophet Isaiah “saw the Lord sitting on His throne, lofty and exalted, with the train of His robe filling the temple.” (6:1) Another priest-prophet who saw the appearance of God in a vision was Ezekiel. The record we have of his vision is very detailed and lengthy, but key descriptions summarizing it are as follows: There was a transparent pavement-like expanse above a host of winged creatures—probably cherubim. (1:22-26). Above the expanse, there was something resembling a throne. On it was a figure with the appearance of a man. (1:26) Ezekiel notices the glowing appearance of his loins, and (1:27) a radiance shown around his being that resembled a rainbow. “Such was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord.” (1:28). The prophet Daniel saw a similar vision of God. (7:9-10) In the New Testament, the book of Revelation gives another account of God’s appearance. God is always on the throne while the Jesus as lamb of God is in the midst the court (4:2-4; 5:1-7; 7:10; 20:11; 21:22-23; 22:1-5). In every vision, we learn men and women look similar to their Creator.

The important point is this: Men and women are spiritual beings physically reflecting the image of their real Father—their Creator. That means every human being is spiritual like his or her divine Father. Whether good or evil, every human is the physical image of his or her heavenly Father, God.

The problem of human spirituality is not appearance; the problem is with character. In Genesis, it is called likeness. In chapter three of Genesis, the story of humanity’s first sin reveals a very pertinent fact. After the sin of Adam and Eve, God said, “Man has become like one of us, knowing good and evil….” (3:22). This phrase teaches several things:

• There were others in the court of God.
• One of them knew good and evil.
• Humanity’s first parent became like that one.

Who was the mysterious person? Contrary to some scholarly interpretations, this scripture cannot be a reference to the holy trinity. The term ‘knowing’ does not mean knowing intellectual subject content as today. In ancient times, knowing meant something understood by experience. It was intimate knowledge. If God was referring to himself, it would mean God was an experienced moral lawbreaker. That is what evil is. Therefore, the mysterious person was an experienced evil doer, a sinner, a moral lawbreaker. According to the Bible, Satan, the fallen angel or the devil, is the first spirit-being to have sinned. According to the gospel of John, Jesus taught that the devil was a liar and a murderer from the beginning. (8:44) When Ezekiel’s prophesy concerning Tyre is analyzed, we see two different kinds of leaders being addressed. The first is a king, who is obvious a man with aspirations to play god. (28:1-10) The second leader is addressed as a prince. This prince is described as a cherub who was without sin while in the Garden of Eden. That is until he became arrogant because of his beauty and his clever trade, which led him to cause much violence and sin. (28:11-19) How could a spirit be involved in trade? Trade of what for what? The clearest example of Satan’s trade is found in the gospel accounts of Satan’s temptation of Jesus. If Jesus would transgress God’s word, deny his God-given purpose, and reject God by giving allegiance to the devil instead, Satan offered to give Him fame, fortune, and power. Jesus did not deny that Satan could give him rule over the empires and nations of the world. Instead, Jesus remained faithful to God. (Matthew 4; Mark 1:13; Luke 4) In the complicated story of Job, another example of a man overcoming the tempting trade of Satan is narrated. Except in this story, Job deals with very negative and painful experiences for which he had no explanation. Even though the loss of health, his wealth in livestock, the death of his workers and all of his children was beyond his comprehension, he remained faithful to God. Though he did not have a clue why God was doing this—actually, Satan was but God was allowing it—Job’s faithfulness was the means by which Satan was judged by God for the violence of his trade. Job’s accomplishment was limited to his generation, but Jesus’ is eternal. Looking back to the beginning, the story of Adam and Eve shows us a story of our first earthly parents being suckered by the tempting and deceptive marketing strategies of the devil.

That is the story of us all.

Like Job and Jesus, men and women are capable of being like God. Men and women are capable of creating. They are capable of reasoning. They are capable of managing the welfare of other soul-creatures of the animal kingdom. They are capable of showing loving-kindness and justice to other people. Most important is their capability of behaving like God. Like little children imitating parents, this capability of God-likeness is reflected in attitudes, viewpoints, and actions.

In other words, men and women are capable of consistent moral living, except for one huge problem. That problem is moral depravity. Sin is breaking the moral law in evident in humanity’s spiritual nature. It was Satan’s crime, Adam and Eve’s crime, and a crime all men and women commit. Immoral acts are crimes against God. When moral law is broken, whoever else may be offended, God certainly is. Until each of our moral crimes and their penalty are paid, we are in essence spiritual fugitives being hunted by divine justice.

As sinless Son, Jesus paid for all of our moral crimes. God considered his execution—by means of the Cross—and subsequent death sufficient payment for us all. The prophet Isaiah foresaw his suffering and death. Isaiah also understood its meaning. In the 53rd chapter of Isaiah, the prophet wrote, “He was pierced through for our transgressions; he was crushed for our sins; the punishment for our well-being fell on him, and by his scourging we are healed.” (vv. 5) Consequently, God says, “My servant will justify the many, because he will bear their sins.” (v. 11) The gospels Isaiah’s prophesy was fulfilled through Jesus. In Matthew, it is written, Jesus “came to give his life a ransom for many.” (20:28) Paul also claimed Jesus “gave himself as a ransom for all” (I Timothy 2:6) When we accept God’s system of justice and when we confess their sins and seek that forgiveness, we are restored to a right relationship with God in His world. The sense of alienation ends. Our guilt, fear, and bankruptcy ends because the hunt is also called off.

That is the gospel of Jesus, and it gets even better. Those of us whose moral crimes have been acquitted because of the death and resurrection of God’s Son, Jesus, we also become sons and daughters of God. To be more precise, our sonship is restored. As Paul wrote, “You are all sons of God through faith in Messiah Jesus.” (Galatians 3:26).

The restoration of sonship is God’s plan for every human being, even you and me.