In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, in the seventeenth day of the month, in this day all the fountains of the great deep were risen, and the windows of the heavens were opened up. And the rain was on the earth forty days and forty nights. (Genesis 7:11-12) I have set My bow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of a covenant between Me and the earth. And it will be when I gather the clouds on the earth, then the bow shall be seen in the clouds. (Genesis 9:13-14) And all the days of Noah were nine hundred and fifty years. And he died. (Genesis 9:29) These four scriptures, I believe, tell us volumes about the earth upon which Adam and Eve walked. The earth of The Garden of Eden was like a greenhouse, heavily overcast, with no direct sunlight. Genesis 1: 6-7 tells us that God separated the waters above from the waters below and called that thing in between "heaven" (or "sky" as Hebrew and modern English both use the word heaven to refer to that which we see when we look up, as well as to refer to the abode of God) As we read thru the various geneologies in the early chapters of Genesis, we see lifetimes spanning centuries. How can this be? While I believe God created an "old Earth" I also beleieve God did not create geneticaly faulty creatures. If we were able to look at the genetic material from Adam or any of the creatures that populated the earth of his day we would seee NO mutations, and because of the heavy cloud cover there would be no damaging solar radiation to start the process of genetic mutations. so it was not untill after the flood, when God opened "the windows of heaven" and released the "waters above" to flood the earth, creating mostly clear skies, and exposing mankind and flora and fuana alike to essentially unfiltered solar radiation. Further proof of this is the fact that the Rainbow appearing in the clouds was a new thing. Why and how was this a new thing? To see a rainbow the air must contain water molecules AND DIRECT SUNLIGHT. therefor; beasue there had been no direct sunlight before teh flood a rainbow had never been seen And finally we see through the various geneologies that after Noah the lifespans reduced with each generation:
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May 4, 2009
Living 900 years has GOT to be a bit boring
April 16, 2009
Do We Live by Law or by Grace?
IF we are to live by the Law, what Law are we to live by?
Are we under the Law God gave to Moses, in the first five books of the Old Testament?
Moses was the leader of a nation sovereignly created by God. God gave Moses a set of laws to govern that nation, the nation of Israel. These laws included everything from how to worship to how to cook dinner, how to plant crops, how to hold trials. All the laws a nation needs. It governed the Nation of Israel just as the Constitution Governs the U.S. Just as any nation does; over the years more laws were written that added detail and complications to those original laws. Jesus was a Jew, living in Israel, under the Laws of Israel as were Peter, John, Paul and most everyone mentioned in the New Testament (Tho not all). This is partly why there is so much mention of the Law of Moses; because that was the Religious, Criminal & Civil law under which they lived (also Roman law, of course).
Are we subject to the Law God gave Moses? No
(unless you live in Israel).
This issue was addressed early on (in the Book of Acts, chapter 15) when various Jews who were following Jesus' teachings taught that one must FIRST become a Jew, following Jewish Law, before one could become a follower of Jesus. The leaders of that first congregation ruled that there was NO REQUIREMENT for Christians to follow Jewish Law.
In Romans; Paul calls for all believers to submit to authority, because the originator of law, the ultimate authority is God. The Law which we are to submit to is that Law established by the Authority under which we live, the Law of your Country, Province, City, Village, whatever. Peter pointed out to the rulers of Israel that when Man's laws CONFLICT with God's law we are bound to obey God.
What the exactly is the Law of God, from which all other law is derived?
Jesus taught; “ You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. ... You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” and then He said;”On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”
Paul expands on this in Romans Chapter 9.
In Paul's letter to the Christians in Rome he discusses the issue of Law in great detail. He acknowledged that we all live under various systems of Law. Paul even discusses those that live under NO law and will be judged by that inward law that they understand naturally, absent of any government.
Jesus preached that God's judgment is much broader than man's. That not only can one be condemned for breaking a law, but even for DESIRING to break a law, without the opportunity to do so. In His “Sermon on the Mount” in Matthew 5,6 and 7, Jesus repeatedly says “You have been taught...” “But I say...” thereby expanding the definition of sin beyond the details that the rabbis used when teaching the Law of Moses.
The best example of this is;
Mat 5:21 You have knowledge that it was said in old times, You may not murder; and, Whoever murders will be in danger of being judged: But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be in danger of being judged; and he who says to his brother, Raca, will be in danger from the Sanhedrin; and whoever says, You foolish one, will be in danger of the hell of fire.
Jesus was trying to make it clear to the Jews that ALL were guilty of Sin, that NONE were innocent. And therefor... ALL needed Jesus. All of us need a sin sacrifice, and Jesus Himself was that final Sacrifice. This is why He says “Do not think I came to DESTROY the Law or the Prophets,. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.” His sacrifice on the Cross was the Final sacrifice for sin, called for under the Law of Moses.
One thing Jesus did not teach was a NEW LAW. His every reference to the Law was to Moses' Law, that which governed the Nation of Israel. When God set out to give a law He made it quite clear what He was doing. Read those first books of the Old Testament, esp; Exodus, Leviticus and Deuteronomy. God not only clearly stated the Law, but also made it very clear to WHOM they applied.
There is no such Law in the New Testament, beyond the two basic commandments; “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. ... You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” The New Testament teaches Grace, based on Christ's sacrifice. We are taught to guide our actions not by threat of God's anger and condemnation but by our LOVE for Jesus.
So, what happens when (not if) we violate GOD's law?
What happens when we sin?
Sin has natural consequences as well as criminal and civil consequences (that defines sin). However our ultimate judge is God. Jesus told us not to fear those that can only hurt our bodies, but to fear the One that can destroy both body and soul in hell!
Every one of us from Adam through to the last man standing at the end of Armageddon and beyond will one day stand at the Judgment Seat of heaven. Two things will happen that day, either we will have to answer to our creator for breaking HIS law, or we will be declared innocent because the record books of Heaven show that we belong to the Lamb of God; Jesus Christ. The Lamb's Book of Life is the record of those who have accepted Jesus as their Lord and Saviour. That one single decision, to accept Jesus, to Believe, is the ONLY thing that allows you to escape the requirement of answering for your own crimes against Heaven.
For this reason, for our sin, Jesus came to earth.
The Son of God, divine, and eternal CHOSE to lower himself to the place of mankind, to walk without sin for over thirty years, and to offer Himself as the ultimate sacrifice for the sins of all mankind. By this God offers us His Grace, a free gift, the ultimate “Get-Out-of-Hell-Free-Card.”
So... Do we live by Law, do we hope to prove ourselves to God by our own good works, avoiding any and all sin, or do we accept God's free gift, and be declared innocent, sanctified, made pure and Holy because, and only because of the Blood that Jesus Christ shed on that ugly cross?
Do we live in fear, under the Law, or in Love under God's Grace. Jesus said that if we Love Him we demonstrate this by keeping His commandments. Do you see the contrast there; Obedience based on Love Vs Obedience based on fear of punishment.
God's Grace covers our sin, declares us innocent.
Jesus freed us from the bondage of sin and guilt. Does this mean then that we can go through life sinning as we please? Paul ask the obvious question: WHY WOULD WE DO THAT! Sin causes pain and suffering to ourselves and others, Sin has bad consequences.
DO we Sin? Yes.
Why? Because we still live on this earth captive to our physical limitations, subject to our physical desires and such. For this reason, God, knowing we would fail, sent His Son to die for our sins... God did this while we were still sinners. He did not wait for us to clean up our act and deserve this free gift.
In the three years or so that Jesus preached, He made clear what SIN was, how God viewed it, and what HE came to do about it. He also taught a better way to live, not based on perfection, but based on the principals of Love of God and love of our fellow men.
After Jesus died, resurrected and ascended back into Heaven his followers wrote various letters addressing various issues in the various congregation they established, all based on the teachings of Jesus. They were giving practical application to the principals that Jesus taught.
Please understand however... These letters(epistles) are NOT a New Testament Law, they are simply advice and direction as to how best to live one's life as a follower of Jesus.
When we fail, when we sin, WE ARE NOT CONDEMNED. We repent (we change our ways), God forgives, and we move on.
We study the Old Testament to understand God, how he deals with men and women; to learn of the prophecies that prove Jesus was the Promised one. We do not study the Old Testament because we are required to live by that Law. Jesus teaches about the Old Testament Law to show the futility of sin, to show that everyone sins, either by violating the letter of the law or by DESIRING to do so. And, all of these types of sins are Covered by the Sacrifice that Jesus made on the Cross. Covered by the Grace, the free gift of forgiveness, from God.
Let me give three examples:
Lying; We tell a lie, and then tell another lie to cover the first lie, and then another, and another... Under Grace when we tell a lie, we simply admit the lie, seek forgiveness, God forgives and we move on.
Murder; To kill a person in anger or without legal sanction puts us under the condemnation of the law, we are judged, convicted and punished. Jesus taught that even just the anger puts us under the same condemnation. God judges more harshly, but forgives completely.
Divorce; Most countries laws allow divorce, some require a reason, most no longer do. God said “What therefore God hath joined together, let not put asunder” so then when a couple divorces their remarriage is considered adultery in God's courtroom, and what does HE do? He forgives.
In each case the outcome is the same, under Grace, no matter what Man's law says.... God forgives the followers of His Son, who are covered by the price Jesus paid (death) on the cross.
So, when you ask; “ is _______ a sin?”
I answer; “Yes” and God forgives
Are we under the Law God gave to Moses, in the first five books of the Old Testament?
Moses was the leader of a nation sovereignly created by God. God gave Moses a set of laws to govern that nation, the nation of Israel. These laws included everything from how to worship to how to cook dinner, how to plant crops, how to hold trials. All the laws a nation needs. It governed the Nation of Israel just as the Constitution Governs the U.S. Just as any nation does; over the years more laws were written that added detail and complications to those original laws. Jesus was a Jew, living in Israel, under the Laws of Israel as were Peter, John, Paul and most everyone mentioned in the New Testament (Tho not all). This is partly why there is so much mention of the Law of Moses; because that was the Religious, Criminal & Civil law under which they lived (also Roman law, of course).
Are we subject to the Law God gave Moses? No
(unless you live in Israel).
This issue was addressed early on (in the Book of Acts, chapter 15) when various Jews who were following Jesus' teachings taught that one must FIRST become a Jew, following Jewish Law, before one could become a follower of Jesus. The leaders of that first congregation ruled that there was NO REQUIREMENT for Christians to follow Jewish Law.
In Romans; Paul calls for all believers to submit to authority, because the originator of law, the ultimate authority is God. The Law which we are to submit to is that Law established by the Authority under which we live, the Law of your Country, Province, City, Village, whatever. Peter pointed out to the rulers of Israel that when Man's laws CONFLICT with God's law we are bound to obey God.
What the exactly is the Law of God, from which all other law is derived?
Jesus taught; “ You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. ... You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” and then He said;”On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”
Paul expands on this in Romans Chapter 9.
In Paul's letter to the Christians in Rome he discusses the issue of Law in great detail. He acknowledged that we all live under various systems of Law. Paul even discusses those that live under NO law and will be judged by that inward law that they understand naturally, absent of any government.
Jesus preached that God's judgment is much broader than man's. That not only can one be condemned for breaking a law, but even for DESIRING to break a law, without the opportunity to do so. In His “Sermon on the Mount” in Matthew 5,6 and 7, Jesus repeatedly says “You have been taught...” “But I say...” thereby expanding the definition of sin beyond the details that the rabbis used when teaching the Law of Moses.
The best example of this is;
Mat 5:21 You have knowledge that it was said in old times, You may not murder; and, Whoever murders will be in danger of being judged: But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be in danger of being judged; and he who says to his brother, Raca, will be in danger from the Sanhedrin; and whoever says, You foolish one, will be in danger of the hell of fire.
Jesus was trying to make it clear to the Jews that ALL were guilty of Sin, that NONE were innocent. And therefor... ALL needed Jesus. All of us need a sin sacrifice, and Jesus Himself was that final Sacrifice. This is why He says “Do not think I came to DESTROY the Law or the Prophets,. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.” His sacrifice on the Cross was the Final sacrifice for sin, called for under the Law of Moses.
One thing Jesus did not teach was a NEW LAW. His every reference to the Law was to Moses' Law, that which governed the Nation of Israel. When God set out to give a law He made it quite clear what He was doing. Read those first books of the Old Testament, esp; Exodus, Leviticus and Deuteronomy. God not only clearly stated the Law, but also made it very clear to WHOM they applied.
There is no such Law in the New Testament, beyond the two basic commandments; “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. ... You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” The New Testament teaches Grace, based on Christ's sacrifice. We are taught to guide our actions not by threat of God's anger and condemnation but by our LOVE for Jesus.
So, what happens when (not if) we violate GOD's law?
What happens when we sin?
Sin has natural consequences as well as criminal and civil consequences (that defines sin). However our ultimate judge is God. Jesus told us not to fear those that can only hurt our bodies, but to fear the One that can destroy both body and soul in hell!
Every one of us from Adam through to the last man standing at the end of Armageddon and beyond will one day stand at the Judgment Seat of heaven. Two things will happen that day, either we will have to answer to our creator for breaking HIS law, or we will be declared innocent because the record books of Heaven show that we belong to the Lamb of God; Jesus Christ. The Lamb's Book of Life is the record of those who have accepted Jesus as their Lord and Saviour. That one single decision, to accept Jesus, to Believe, is the ONLY thing that allows you to escape the requirement of answering for your own crimes against Heaven.
For this reason, for our sin, Jesus came to earth.
The Son of God, divine, and eternal CHOSE to lower himself to the place of mankind, to walk without sin for over thirty years, and to offer Himself as the ultimate sacrifice for the sins of all mankind. By this God offers us His Grace, a free gift, the ultimate “Get-Out-of-Hell-Free-Card.”
So... Do we live by Law, do we hope to prove ourselves to God by our own good works, avoiding any and all sin, or do we accept God's free gift, and be declared innocent, sanctified, made pure and Holy because, and only because of the Blood that Jesus Christ shed on that ugly cross?
Do we live in fear, under the Law, or in Love under God's Grace. Jesus said that if we Love Him we demonstrate this by keeping His commandments. Do you see the contrast there; Obedience based on Love Vs Obedience based on fear of punishment.
God's Grace covers our sin, declares us innocent.
Jesus freed us from the bondage of sin and guilt. Does this mean then that we can go through life sinning as we please? Paul ask the obvious question: WHY WOULD WE DO THAT! Sin causes pain and suffering to ourselves and others, Sin has bad consequences.
DO we Sin? Yes.
Why? Because we still live on this earth captive to our physical limitations, subject to our physical desires and such. For this reason, God, knowing we would fail, sent His Son to die for our sins... God did this while we were still sinners. He did not wait for us to clean up our act and deserve this free gift.
In the three years or so that Jesus preached, He made clear what SIN was, how God viewed it, and what HE came to do about it. He also taught a better way to live, not based on perfection, but based on the principals of Love of God and love of our fellow men.
After Jesus died, resurrected and ascended back into Heaven his followers wrote various letters addressing various issues in the various congregation they established, all based on the teachings of Jesus. They were giving practical application to the principals that Jesus taught.
Please understand however... These letters(epistles) are NOT a New Testament Law, they are simply advice and direction as to how best to live one's life as a follower of Jesus.
When we fail, when we sin, WE ARE NOT CONDEMNED. We repent (we change our ways), God forgives, and we move on.
We study the Old Testament to understand God, how he deals with men and women; to learn of the prophecies that prove Jesus was the Promised one. We do not study the Old Testament because we are required to live by that Law. Jesus teaches about the Old Testament Law to show the futility of sin, to show that everyone sins, either by violating the letter of the law or by DESIRING to do so. And, all of these types of sins are Covered by the Sacrifice that Jesus made on the Cross. Covered by the Grace, the free gift of forgiveness, from God.
Let me give three examples:
Lying; We tell a lie, and then tell another lie to cover the first lie, and then another, and another... Under Grace when we tell a lie, we simply admit the lie, seek forgiveness, God forgives and we move on.
Murder; To kill a person in anger or without legal sanction puts us under the condemnation of the law, we are judged, convicted and punished. Jesus taught that even just the anger puts us under the same condemnation. God judges more harshly, but forgives completely.
Divorce; Most countries laws allow divorce, some require a reason, most no longer do. God said “What therefore God hath joined together, let not put asunder” so then when a couple divorces their remarriage is considered adultery in God's courtroom, and what does HE do? He forgives.
In each case the outcome is the same, under Grace, no matter what Man's law says.... God forgives the followers of His Son, who are covered by the price Jesus paid (death) on the cross.
So, when you ask; “ is _______ a sin?”
I answer; “Yes” and God forgives
April 2, 2009
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