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Was Jesus Created?

Was Jesus Created?

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Was Jesus created? – No. not according many Bible scholars, preachers, creeds, and Christian denominations, who say Jesus has existed from eternity. Notice:

“The Son uncreated . . . the Son eternal”—Athanasian Creed

“Within the one Being that is God, there exists three eternally . . . coeternal persons”—The Forgotten Trinity, by James White, p 23

Since this is the case, why is there even any question about whether or not Jesus was created? — The reason why is because of what the Bible has to say. read more

What Are John 3:16 & The Gospel About?

What Are John 3:16 & The Gospel About?

“For God loved the world so much that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life”—John 3:16 NKJV

On November 8, 2018, an article was posted on Patheos entitled, “Why John 3:16 Isn’t About The Crucifixion“:

In preparation for an upcoming online debate about PSA [Penal Substitutionary Atonement] Theory, I started wondering whether or not Jesus, or any of the Gospel authors, specifically communicated the Gospel as being about Jesus dying on the cross for our sins, or to appease the wrath of God, etc.

In the process of exploring this question, I started with John 3:16 because, growing up, I had always equated it with the crucifixion. However, I realized that this entire conversation has nothing to do with the crucifixion, nor does it even mention the death of Jesus at all.

Here’s what the verse actually says:

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in him will not perish but have everlasting life.”

Now, I think most of the time we have been told to read the word “gave” in this sentence to mean that “God laid Jesus down on the cross as an atoning sacrifice for the sins of the world and sacrificed Him for us.”

But, quite obviously, it does not say any such thing.

What it says is that God loved the world. He loved the world so much that he gave us Jesus and that if anyone would trust in him, and his teachings, he would live and not die.

I’ve also started to realize that whenever Jesus talks about “eternal life” or “will not perish”, he is not talking about the afterlife, or about what happens to us after we die.

In a very practical way, John 3:16 is a verse about how those who follow the path of Jesus will escape the coming destruction of Jerusalem and live beyond that event.

Here’s the deal: Jesus showed up as the promised Messiah at a time when the Jewish people were seeking a violent, revolutionary hero who would lead the uprising against their Roman oppressors. Instead, Jesus tells them to repent of this desire for violent revolution and warns them that if they live by the sword they will all die by the sword. He teaches them to love their enemies, turn the other cheek, walk the extra mile, and seek to overcome evil with good.

The promise, then, that Jesus makes is that they will have life that extends beyond the end of the age [that is, the end of the Jewish age], if they follow His teachings. If they refuse, then they will be slaughtered along with the destruction of the Temple, the end of the daily sacrifice, and the death of the Jewish Priesthood. [Which, by the way, is exactly what happened to those who rejected the message and path of Jesus].

So, the promise of John 3:16 is that those who trust in Jesus [that’s what the word “believe” really means], and put his teachings into practice, will not reap the fruit of rebellion [which is death], but survive the end of the age which Jesus promises will come within a single generation.

Forty years later, that prediction came to pass.

And, just as Jesus promised, those who followed the Way of Christ, escaped the “wrath of God” – which was simply the reaping of a harvest of rebellion against Rome – and the Christians who were in Jerusalem fled to the city of Pella months before the Roman army surrounded the city and began to lay siege to it.

In this way, the promise of John 3:16 was fulfilled: Those who put their trust in the Way of Christ – which was to love their enemies, bless those who cursed them, and do good to those who hated them – escaped the horror of AD 70. They did not perish but inherited life beyond the end of the age [or “eternal life” that extended beyond the present age].

Jesus never communicated the Gospel as saying a prayer so you could go to heaven when you die, or as a human sacrifice that would appease the wrath of God. What Jesus said the Gospel was is simply this: “Change your way of thinking! The Kingdom of God is here, right now! You can live under the rule and reign of God today. No need to wait until you’re dead. The Good News is for your life now, not for after you die.”

Here are just a few examples from Scripture:

“I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns also, because that is why I was sent.” (Luke 4:43)

“The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe the good news!” (Mark 1:15)

“Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness.” (Matt 9:35)

“Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom..” (Matt 4:23)

Jesus taught this Gospel, and so did the Disciples, and the Apostles, including Paul and Peter and Philip, etc.

Why are we teaching any other Gospel than this one?

That’s a great question. (And another blog post).

Now let’s see what the Bible really says about John 3:16 and the Gospel:

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16 NIV)

The writer of the Patheos article falsely claims that John 3:16 isn’t about Jesus’ sacrificial death and his followers getting eternal life. He takes John 3:16 in isolation from its context. Not only taking the verse out of context, he also twists its meaning into something foreign to the writer’s intent, by claiming that doing what Jesus taught would enable them to live beyond Jerusalem’s destruction in 70 CE, without any promise of eternal life. A.nd, yet, eternal life is exactly what Jesus promised to those who are faithful, not just for those people who were living in the Jerusalem area back then, but for all people living at all times through history.

No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man. Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.(John 3:13-15 NIV)

These verses prove it is all about God’s love for humankind, manifested in Jesus being put on the cross, or execution stake, and it also has to do with our response to it, resulting in our ETERNAL life or death!

For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” (John 3:17 NIV)

This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus.(Ephesians 3:6 NIV)

These verses show that Jesus’ death is not just for Jews living back then before 70 CE, but is for all time, and is for the salvation of the entire world of mankind, for whoever will believe, and ‘do the will of God’ (Matthew 7:21).

By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.(1 Corinthians 15:2-4 NIV)

The writer of the Patheos article claims that ‘believing in Jesus Christ doesn’t save us from the wrath of of God’. However, the Bible indicates that it does, by saying:

“Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains upon him” (John 3:36 NIV). Believing in God’s Son is contrasted with rejecting God’s Son. Of course, the ‘belief’ mentioned here is not just mental acknowledgment, but an active doing. Jesus made this very clear. 

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 7:21 NIV).  read more

Eternal Security: Once Saved, Always Saved?

Eternal Security: Once Saved, Always Saved?

Many modern Christians believe in the doctrine known as “eternal security” (commonly known as “once saved, always saved”). But is this belief scriptural? Let’s allow the scriptures to speak for themselves.

eternal security
Is the doctrine of eternal security supported by the Bible?

“I mention it that you may be saved.” (John 5:34 NIV). Salvation is not guaranteed to everyone, or anyone. See Matthew 7:21-23.

“For in this hope we were saved” (Romans 8:24 NIV). “It is by grace you have been saved.” (Ephesians 2:5).  As these verses show, in one sense, salvation is past tense.

“To us who are being saved it is the power of God.” (1 Corinthians 1:18 NIV). “We are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ among those who are being saved.” (2 Corinthians 2:15 NIV). “Being saved” in these two verses is in the present tense. Salvation began at baptism and this process continues during a Christian’s life, as long as he/she is faithful. So in another sense, salvation is an ongoing process for Christians.

“The one who stands firm to the end will be saved.” (Matthew 10:22). To be finally saved, we must be faithful to the end, and not give up. According to the Scriptures, “Once saved, always saved” is unscriptural. This may be surprising for some, but it is true.

The Apostle Paul did not consider anyone, including himself, to have eternal security

This can be clearly seen from the Apostle Paul’s candid discussion of his “goal” in Philippians 3:11-14:

“And so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”

These verses make it obvious that Paul did not consider himself “once saved, always saved.” Other verses he wrote will also emphasize this point.

“For in this hope you were saved.” (Romans 8:24). So Paul is saying salvation is past tense. “But…” But what? “Hope that is seen is not hope at all.” So the salvation Roman Christians had received was not finalized, otherwise it would “be seen,” which “is no hope at all.” This can be seen in the final part of verse 24: “Who hopes for what they already have?”

“But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.” (Romans 8:25). Paul is saying “the redemption of our bodies” referred to in verse 23 is not yet attained. The “salvation” referred to in verse 24 is not finalized. These Christians are not “once saved, always saved.”

“I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be  read more

Once Saved, Always Saved? How About Works?

Once Saved, Always Saved? How About Works?

Once saved, always saved
How about works?

Many modern Christians believe in the doctrine known as “eternal security” (commonly known as “once saved, always saved”). But is this belief scriptural? Let’s allow the scriptures to speak for themselves.

“I mention it that you may be saved.” (John 5:34 NIV). Salvation is not guaranteed to everyone, or anyone. See Mt 7:21-23.

“For in this hope you were saved.” (Romans 8:24 NIV).  In one sense, salvation  is past tense.

“It is by grace you have been saved.” (Ephesians 2:5 NIV). read more

Is the Trinity Doctrine in the Book of Romans?

Is the Trinity Doctrine in the Book of Romans?

 

Is the Bible reliable?
Is the Trinity doctrine in Romans?

In our series about what is stated concerning God, Jesus, and the holy Spirit, is there any evidence of the Trinity doctrine in the various books of the New Testament? This article examines whether the Trinity is in Romans.

“Romans is theologically the most important of all the epistles written by Paul, and it contains his most comprehensive and logical presentation of the gospel . . . this =&0=&

Since Romans is said to “this foundational New Testament book,” we would expect to at least find some evidence of the Trinity doctrine, if it is true, in this important book of Romans.

Notice the relationship between the two – God and Jesus. How about the holy Spirit, how does it play a role?

Romans 1:1“Paul” is “a slave of Jesus Christ . . . and set apart for the gospel of God”  (NAB). The gospel, the good news, belongs to God, not Jesus. Also, there is no mention of the holy Spirit or the Trinity in this verse. Why? Because, the holy Spirit, although it is real, is not a person.

Romans 1:3“the gospel about his Son” (NAB), “regarding his Son” (NIV). The gospel is about God’s Son, Jesus Christ. We see from the book of Romans that the focus is on God, who deals with humankind through his Son.

Romans 1:4 “Established as Son of God in power according to the spirit of holiness through the resurrection of the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord” (NAB). Jesus was “appointed the Son of God in power by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord” (NIV). Since he was “appointed,” that means the one who did the appointing is the superior. Therefore, there is no equality, as the Trinity doctrine claims. Jesus is “the Son of God,” not “God the Son” – separate and distinct from the God the Father.  Since “God has resurrected this Jesus” (Acts 2:32 HCSB), and Jesus “was dead” (Revelation 1:18), it means that Jesus has not been eternal, as the Trinity doctrine claims.

Romans 1:7 – “from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ” (NIV). It is admitted by Trinitarians that, “two divine persons are in view here . . . the Lord Jesus Christ . . . is shown to be another person besides the Father” (The Forgotten Trinity, p 157). But, why isn’t the letter also from the holy Spirit if the Trinity doctrine is true? – Because the holy Spirit is not a person. “God” is shown in this verse to be the “Father,” and not “the Lord Jesus Christ.”

Romans 1:8 – “I give thanks to my God through Jesus Christ” (NAB) – Notice that he thanks God, not Jesus, or the Trinity. But he does sothrough Jesus.” This is the proper way to pray, not to Jesus or the Trinity, but through Jesus (John 14:6). “My God” is clearly shown not to be Jesus Christ.

Romans 1:9 – “God, whom I serve in preaching the gospel of his Son” (NIV) – Paul says he is serving God, not Jesus, or the Trinity, in the preaching of God’s Son. “God” is clearly shown to be someone other than “his Son.”

Romans 2:16 read more

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