ProJesus

“Dear JESUS, I have a problem...It’s me” “Dear child, I have the answer.....It’s ME”
 

PROJESUS COMMENTARY ON QUESTIONS & COMMENTS RECEIVED FROM E-MAIL
06-08-05     Are dinosaurs in the Bible?
05-09-05     Explain the Doctrine of Election/Predestination!
05-01-05     Who was Cain's wife?
04-12-05     Expound on "The Ascension"!
04-01-05     Was Christ "Saved"?
09-09-04     Is Baptism required for salvation?
05-14-04     Who forgives "Jesus the Savior"?
05-05-04     Did God create good and evil?
05-03-04     Is pork O.K?
04-25-04     Why is Jesus' way the correct "religion"?
04-20-04     Why tell people about Jesus?
04-08-04     Describe the Crucifixion!
04-05-04     Christians are closed minded!
04-04-04     Why do Christians go to church on Sunday and not the Sabbath?
03-29-04     Who does the ProJesus site represent?
03-25-04     Who Created Jesus?
03-08-04     The Names of God!
03-05-04     General information on Wiccan and clouds!
03-01-04     Where did God come from?
02-26-04     Church Family!
02-16-04     Where do dinosaurs fit into the Bible?
02-03-04     What is a "Drink Offering"?

13.) What was Jesus' life like from ages 1 to 12?
12.) Explain the "Trinity" and the reference to Jesus as "God the Son"
11.) How did Judas die?
10.) Explain Jesus being in the tomb 3 days and nights
9.) Please provide information about the furnace used on Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.
8.) What is Baptism?
7.) What is a Cult?
6.) What is Heaven? (Question from a child)
5.) Does Jesus create evil?
4.) Why should I pray?
3.) If God is perfect, why aren’t we?
2.) Who were the "sons of God"?
1.) Kill or Murder is there a difference?
 

Are Dinosaurs in the Bible?
Greetings Janet in the Precious Name of Jesus the Christ.
You ask where dinosaurs are referenced in the Bible. We will never fully understand all that the Bible has to offer. However, we at ProJesus believe that the Bible is in-errant. We all may question a point in the Bible, but with study and intelligent query we will discover the truth. So, your questions are encouraged and welcome.
We at ProJesus don't pretend to have all the answers right away. We make use of the writings of experts in the field. No need to "re-invent the wheel". Thus, you will find in this text, an excellent discussion by Duane Gish and Kelly Segraves.
The first two sections below are exclusively from the Bible (NKJV). Knowing that the two animals mentioned were real, you will get a good feel about them. Some other information , of which you did not request, may be very interesting and helpful.

BIBLE VERSES
Job 40:15-24 "Look now at the Behemoth, which I made along with you; He eats grass like an ox. See now, his strength is in his hips, and his power is in his stomach muscles. He moves his tail like a cedar; the sinews of his thighs are tightly knit. His bones are like beams of bronze, His ribs like bars of iron. He is the first of the ways of God; Only He who made him can bring near His sword.

Surely the mountains yield food for him, and all the beasts of the field play there. He lies under the lotus trees, in a covert of reeds and marsh. The lotus trees cover him with their shade; the willows by the brook surround him. Indeed the river may rage, yet he is not disturbed; He is confident, though the Jordan gushes into his mouth, Though he takes it in his eyes, or one pierces his nose with a snare. NKJV

Job 41:1 "Can you draw out Leviathan with a hook, or snare his tongue with a line which you lower? Can you put a reed through his nose, or pierce his jaw with a hook? Will he make many supplications to you? Will he speak softly to you? Will he make a covenant with you? Will you take him as a servant forever? Will you play with him as with a bird, Or will you leash him for your maidens? Will your companions make a banquet of him? Will they apportion him among the merchants? Can you fill his skin with harpoons, or his head with fishing spears? Lay your hand on him; remember the battle--Never do it again!

Indeed, any hope of overcoming him is false; shall one not be overwhelmed at the sight of him? No one is so fierce that he would dare stir him up. Who then is able to stand against Me? Who has preceded Me, that I should pay him? Everything under heaven is Mine.
"I will not conceal his limbs, His mighty power, or his graceful proportions. Who can remove his outer coat? Who can approach him with a double bridle? Who can open the doors of his face, with his terrible teeth all around? His rows of scales are his pride, Shut up tightly as with a seal; One is so near another That no air can come between them; They are joined one to another, They stick together and cannot be parted. His sneezing flash forth light, And his eyes are like the eyelids of the morning.

Out of his mouth go burning lights; Sparks of fire shoot out. Smoke goes out of his nostrils, As from a boiling pot and burning rushes. His breath kindles coals, and a flame goes out of his mouth. Strength dwells in his neck, and sorrow dances before him. The folds of his flesh are joined together; they are firm on him and cannot be moved. His heart is as hard as stone, even as hard as the lower millstone. When he raises himself up, the mighty are afraid; Because of his crashing they are beside themselves. Though the sword reaches him, it cannot avail; nor does spear, dart, or javelin.

He regards iron as straw, And bronze as rotten wood. The arrow cannot make him flee; Sling stones become like stubble to him. Darts are regarded as straw; He laughs at the threat of javelins. His undersides are like sharp potsherds; He spreads pointed marks in the mire. He makes the deep boil like a pot; He makes the sea like a pot of ointment. He leaves a shining wake behind him; one would think the deep had white hair. On earth there is nothing like him, which is made without fear. He beholds every high thing; He is king over all the children of pride." NKJV

DISCUSSION OF BIBLE VERSES
Scholars differ in their views as to who these creatures were. Consider first, the view that the Behemoth and Leviathan are mythological, as some suggest. Take into account these facts:
(1) God told Job to "look at" the behemoth, (40:15).
(2) God said He "made" the behemoth, as He had made Job (40:15).
(3) The detailed descriptions of both animals' anatomies befits real not mythological beasts.
(4) Animals in myths were based on real creatures, but were given exaggerated features.
(5) The 12 animals in Job 38:39 to 39:30 were real, which would cause one to expect the
Behemoth and the Leviathan to be real also.

The Behemoth (chap. 40). God mentioned several things about the behemoth: its position with Job as a fellow creature (v. 15), its diet (v. 15), its physical strength (vv. 16-19), its habitat (vv. 20-23), and its fierceness (v. 24). The word behemoth is the plural of "beast." Since one animal is described in verses 15-24, the plural probably points up the animal's greatness. Suggestions as to the identity of this animal include an elephant, a rhinoceros, a plant-eating brontosaurus (dinosaur), a water buffalo, and a hippopotamus. However, the key to the description of the behemoth is; He moves his tail like a cedar. The animal that best fits this detail is the dinosaur.

The Leviathan (chap. 41). The discussion of the leviathan is longer than God's comments on any of the other animals. The leviathan was the largest and fiercest of all the aquatic dinosaurs. (Henry Morris, The Remarkable Record of Job, pp111-125)

DISCUSSION BY DUANE GISH
(The following was compiled from Dinosaurs by Design, Duane T. Gish)
We know that God created dinosaurs because God created all living things. God created man and dinosaurs on the sixth day of creation. Genesis 1:24-26

If God created dinosaurs along with all the other animals (and Adam and Eve), then why don't we find the word "dinosaur" anywhere in the Bible? The answer is simple. The Bible was translated into English in about 1600, but fossils of dinosaurs were not discovered until almost 250 years later and the word "dinosaur" didn't exist until 1840.

Even though the Bible doesn't use the word "dinosaur," the Bible does describe an animal that must have been a dinosaur. This is found in Job, Chapter 40. Job 40:15-24 See above

Some people have suggested that this creature that the Bible calls a behemoth was an elephant. But have you ever seen the tail of an elephant? The tail of an elephant certainly doesn't look like a cedar tree, does it? Besides, the behemoth was so big he thought he could drink up a river, even the Jordan river, and wouldn't even have to be in a hurry to do it! Have you ever seen an elephant that big? There is no animal on the earth today that even comes close to being as big and fearsome as the behemoth described in the Bible. But, as we will see, the description of the behemoth sounds very much like what we would expect of an Apatosaurus, or perhaps the huge Brachiosaurus, or some other great big dinosaur.

Thus, the Bible gives us information that humans and dinosaurs really did live at the same time, a long time ago, for here in the Book of Job we find a good description of a dinosaur. This tells us that people in those ancient times, after the great Flood of Noah, still remembered dinosaurs.

Job tells us about another great animal--called leviathan--that lived in water. Job 41--all 34 verses--describes a very fearsome beast. These verses tell of an animal that can't be caught, is very hard to kill, and if you do battle with him, you won't want to try it again. The very sight of him causes so much Fear that people cringe in fright. Leviathan has no fear of man nor other animals. (Dinosaurs by Design, Duane T. Gish, pp82 and 83)

When did this (Job) live'? Since he is describing dinosaurs, it would be most helpful to put him in a time period. We are not given an exact date for Job, but we do have several clues. It is believed that Job is the oldest book in tile Bible except for tile first 11 chapters of Genesis.

He certainly lived before the days of Moses, since there is no mention of the Ten Commandments or the Mosaic laws. As a humble servant of God, if he had known the laws of God, he would have quoted them often. But, the Bible says that he "was blameless and upright, and one who feared (honored) God and shunned evil" (Job 1:1). God's laws were known to men and women from the very beginning.

Most scholars place Job around 2,000 B.C., after the Flood of Noah, but before great cities were built. The animals described in the book of Job were alive after the Flood. No dinosaurs, as far as has been determined, still survive today. The leviathan, possibly the dragon of widespread legends, certainly has not survived to this day.

From our reading of the record in the Bible and our study of fossils we have very good evidence concerning the nature, structure, and way of life of these very unusual and fascinating creatures. (Compiled from Dinosaurs by Design, Duane T. Gish, pp20-21)

ARE DINOSAURS & REPTILES RELATED TO BIRDS? Let's take a look! Bones
Dinosaurs, the alleged ancestors of birds, according to evolutionists, have thick and solid bones because of their massive structure. Whereas the bones of living and extinct birds are hollow and thus very light. This light-weight bone structure is very important in the flight of birds.

Metabolism
Reptiles have the slowest metabolism in the animal kingdom. Birds, have some of the fastest. Reptiles cannot regulate their body temperature because they are cold-blooded, while birds are warm-blooded.

Lungs
Bird and dinosaur lungs are completely different. The bird lung was designed for flying, unlike dinosaur lungs.

Similarities?
Evolutionist claim that since some dinosaur hip bones have the same shape as bird hip bones, they must be related. Just because one part looks like something else does not mean it came from it.

Feathers
Feathers are the most complex epidermal appendages (things attached to the skin) found on animals. Feathers have a wonderful design where the ridges allow the barbs to slide, keeping the surface intact, yet allowing the flexibility required for flight. Feathers did not evolve for insulation from frayed scales or collogen hair found on some dinosaurs. Actually, a hair-like structure on dinosaurs would have been a better insulator than feathers.

DISCUSSION BY KELLY SEGRAVES

Dinosaur Monument
If you visit the Dinosaur Monument in Vernal, Utah (See below), you will be told that the dinosaurs buried in the mountainside did not live in the area, but actually lived upstate someplace and were washed down by some type of local flood. It is also suggested that quite possibly they were trapped while crossing a sandbar. Or, it is said that for some reason not well understood, the dinosaurs died out, their bones lay on top of the ground and later a local flood washed the bones down the state. Whatever the reason for the extinction of dinosaurs in that area, they were buried .by some type of water action
At the monument dinosaur bones are found buried in a hillside in the Morrison formation, named after the man who happened to find them. They are encased in sandstone which is a type of water deposited rock; thus, the dinosaurs were buried by some type of water action. That is exactly what you would expect if there had been a great flood which took place in the days of Noah. You would expect to find plants and animals, even dinosaurs, buried by some type of water action.
A Reptile that Grows
What is a dinosaur? The name "dinosaur" means "terrible lizard." A dinosaur is nothing more than a large reptile. An interesting and significant fact about reptiles is that a reptile continues to grow for as long as he lives. If a reptile lives for 100 years, that reptile will grow for 100 years. This is different from man who grows upward for twenty years and outward the rest of his life. With reptiles that does not happen; the longer a reptile lives, the longer he has time to grow and the larger he becomes.
This is fascinating because of the Biblical framework which tells us that in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth by power. God created everything in six days and at the end of that period, on the sixth day, God created man to have dominion over all the creatures. Then on the seventh day God rested. We are told that Adam named all of the creatures and therefore must have named dinosaurs. We learn something else about the conditions God created for man on this planet. They were perfect. It was a perfect environment, there was no sin, no death, no decay.
Vegetation was perfect for man and animal to eat. We are told that it did not rain on the earth but a mist came up and watered the ground. Without rain there was no erosion, nothing to take the trace minerals out of the soil. Therefore all of the plants which were created perfect had the proper amounts of minerals, including all of the trace elements. The early earth environment was perfect in every respect. But man fell into sin.
Evidently the fall of man affected the world in which we live and because of Adam's expulsion from the Garden, he had to deal with weeds, thorns and thistles. Immediately after the fall things were not drastically different. Even though Adam was cursed he was so perfectly created, he lived to be 930 years old.
The environment was such that man before the flood lived longer than he does now. Methuselah made it to the age of 969. Our average life span is about 70 years. The reported average life span in India is only 42 years. The initial impression is that people in India live to 41 and then die. But this is not exactly true.
Some people in India live to great ages just as they do here, reaching the century mark. In India the infant mortality rate is much higher, more children die at birth. And, of course, if you have one person who lives to be 100 and one who dies at birth, the average is 50. People in the United States are led to believe that we live longer than our predecessors of earlier times. Again, this is not exactly correct. A century ago some lived to great ages, but many more than today died of childhood diseases or at birth.
Modern medical care has greatly altered the picture and lengthened the average life span. Nevertheless, our average life span is only 70 years whereas the average life span before the flood was 911 years.
The antediluvian life span was some 13 or 14 times longer than our life span today. Since man lived longer, it seems logical that animals also lived longer. This affects our little reptiles.
If a reptile were allowed to live 13 or 14 times longer than it does today, provided with the proper amounts of trace minerals in the soil so that the vegetation produced for it to eat contained all the proper proteins, vitamins, and minerals, the results would be a pretty good sized reptile. Take the four-foot iguana who lives on the Galapagos Islands today, increase his life span some 13 or 14 times and the result would be a very large reptile. Take the twelve-foot Komodo Dragon living in Sumatra today, increase his life span 13 to 14 times, allowing him to grow the entire length of time, and he would be an extremely large reptile.
Both of these reptiles look very much like some of the dinosaurs which roamed the earth in the past.

WHERE ARE DINOSAUR FOSSILS TO BE FOUND?
UTAH DINOSAUR NATIONAL MONUMENT
The Uinta Basin is a large depression in remote northeast Utah, encircled by several mountain ranges and bisected by the Green river - the basin extends approximately between Vernal in the north and the town of Green River in the south and is largely inaccessible by road. Habitation in this area is restricted to the Uintah/Ouray Indian Reservation, reached only by several long dirt tracks. North of the basin, the Green river crosses from Utah into Colorado and is joined by the Yampa river, and for many miles both rivers flow through deep twisting canyons and gorges cut through the mountain range.

The Landscape: The canyons around the river junction form the centerpiece of the Dinosaur National Monument, although almost all visitors come for the other main attraction - a steep cliff face, now enclosed within a large building, with hundreds of large fossilized dinosaur bones. This dinosaur 'quarry' is close to the Green river, 6 miles from US 40 near Vernal. For 50 miles north and east, the land becomes mountainous and a large area of colorful canyons and ridges is protected within the monument boundary although there are only a few access roads to several viewpoints. As with most National Parks, entrance fees were dramatically increased in 1997, from $5 to $10 at Dinosaur, as part of a national program to modernize and extend visitor facilities.

The Quarry: The approach to the monument from the southwest is dominated by Split Mountain, a rocky peak that really does look as if it has been recently cleaved by some great force - many twisted strata are exposed.

TEXAS DINOSAUR VALLEY STATE PARK
Still just about in the Southwest, Dinosaur Valley contains many fossilized dinosaur footprints, preserved in flat limestone rock layers exposed by the Paluxy River - a scenic tributary of the Brazos, one of the largest rivers in central Texas. The valley is contained within a state park, 40 miles from the suburbs of Fort Worth and close to the little town of Glen Rose, on Farm Road 205. The park includes 4 miles of the river, which here flows around a large 180° meander, while other tracks are located on private land upstream. Apart from looking at prints, the park is good for camping, hiking, mountain biking, swimming and observing nature.

The Park: Visitors to the park are greeted by two large plastic dinosaurs near the entrance, beyond which there is a loop road with several short paths leading to viewpoints along the river, and also a campground with 46 shady, well-separated sites. The number of tracks visible depends on the river level, which can vary by 10 feet during the year, and the flow may dry up almost completely during a hot summer. Footprints are best viewed when covered by a small depth of water - they tend to be less distinct when dry, and those permanently above the river level are liable to erode and disappear quite quickly.

Tracks: Tracks of two species are commonly found - distinctive three-toed prints, up to 2 feet long left by a carnosaur (carnivorous animal) of the same family as tyrannosaurus rex, and even larger saucer-shaped impressions from a sauropod - the general name for huge, slow-moving, plant-eating dinosaurs. There are also occasional tracks from a third creature - similar to those of the carnosaur but wider, with less distinct toe impressions. All date from the Cretaceous era, about 100 million years ago.

Locations: Fossilized footprints are found in 3 main locations along the river. First is The Blue Hole - a large pool, up to 20 feet deep and popular for swimming - with many 3-toed prints on rock ledges just above or below the water. The main location is 300 yards further - both of the common types of tracks occur quite extensively. Several trenches in this area indicate where large slabs with particularly fine fossils were excavated and donated to museums. The third location is 1 mile downstream, close to the campsite - various well-defined trails of up to 20 steps cross the river bed, at this point quite flat and usually with shallow water.

Explain the Doctrine of Election/Predestination!
Greetings G.F. in the Precious Name of Jesus:
Our replies to questions and comments are usually not of this length. However, your subject matter warrants and requires as complete an answer as possible.
Your questions and comments are great! You have touched on four somewhat separate issues:
1. You tend to believe that all mankind has a choice for salvation and God.
2. A cult taught you that we are puppets etc.
3. Information from a friend told you that we should not tell people about Jesus because Jesus has already called or elected those that He and He alone selected.
4. Is God Love and is He fair? Do we have a choice for heaven or hell?

Your topics of pre-destination and/or election and free-will have been debated, especially over the past 400+/- years, by many high profile Christians A portion of the ideology from both sides, Calvinists and Arminianism, will be touched upon and the view of ProJesus will be offered a little further in this article. The answers to your questions (No's.1 and 4) will be dealt with throughout this article.

Concerning your comment (No.2): There are some cults that believe it is useless to pray or follow any belief system. However, most of the cults believe we can gain something like salvation by being good, doing "good works", etc. Our main effort with cult members should be, to lovingly explain what can be gained by knowing the LORD Jesus Christ, who is LOVE. We need to preach the Gospel and show that Jesus is the Christ, the Creator, our Savior and our GOD.

Your comment (No.3) stating that your Christian friend told you it is useless to tell people about Jesus, etc. As you pray for your friend or share the Gospel with that friend, God works in your heart so that when He does what He has chosen to do, you will be in harmony with His will. Through prayer, God lets you in on what He is doing; as your faith is strengthened, and your love and faith increase, He is glorified.

The heavenly Father in a similar way choose to work through us because He is a God of relationship. He wants to involve us in His work! You may be a key element in His plan. So you see it is important for you to speak with your friend and/or pray for him/her: the LORD can and will use you in His work. For example it says in James 5:16-17: "Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much." Further, the "Great Commission" stated by the LORD before He rose to heaven says in Matt 28:18-20 "And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations…………teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you." This verse spoken by Jesus Himself definitely calls people to tell others about Christ.

AN INTRODUCTION
What does it mean to be a part of the Christian Religion? There are certain distinctions that cause some Christians to stand out in a crowd (See the ProJesus article "Are you a Christian or are you a Christian" which is on the ProJesus web site). Many Christians could point to a shared commitment of regular and efficient Bible study or the emphasis upon love that transcends all cultural and ethnic barriers.
We at ProJesus maintain a stand for a pre-tribulation to mid-tribulation rapture and pre-millennial view of the second coming of Jesus Christ. We have also expressed a steadfast love and support for the nation of Israel, its right to a historic homeland and its need for the Messiah.
There will be differing views on various subjects where Bible believers and teachers disagree. For ProJesus to answers questions from the general public, it is important to state as clearly as possible the doctrinal basis of our belief. We encourage a degree of doctrinal understanding and unity among those who teach the truths of God's Word.

Below is an outline of the beliefs of both Arminianism and Calvinism.
ARMINIANISM
What are the "Five Points of Arminianism"? They are the following:
1. FREE WILL
Arminius believed that the fall of man was not total, maintaining that there was enough good left in man for him to will to accept Jesus Christ unto salvation.

2. CONDITIONAL ELECTION
Arminius believed that election was based on the foreknowledge of God as to who would believe. Man's "act of faith" was seen as the "condition" or his being elected to eternal life, since God foresaw him exercising his free will" in response to Jesus Christ.

3. UNIVERSAL ATONEMENT
Arminius held that redemption was based on the fact that God loves everybody, that Christ died for everyone, and that the Father is not willing that any should perish. The death of Christ provided the grounds for God to save all men, but each must exercise his own "free will" in order to be saved.

4. OBSTRUCTABLE GRACE
Arminius believed that since God wanted all men to be saved, He sent the Holy Spirit to "woo" all men to Christ, but since man has absolute "free will," he is able to resist God's will for his life. He believed that God's will to save all men can be frustrated by the finite will of man. He also taught that man exercises his own will first, and then is born again.

5. FALLING FROM GRACE
If man cannot be saved by God unless it is man's will to be saved, then man cannot continue in salvation unless he continues to will to be saved.

CALVINISM
Interestingly, John Calvin, the French reformer, did not formulate what today we know as the Five Points of Calvinism. This came out of the Canons of the Council of Dort (1618), and subsequent statements among the many Reformed Confessions have expanded upon these matters.
Those in the reformed tradition who answered the teachings of Arminius chose the word "TULIP" as an acrostic to summarize their answer to the Five Points of Arminianism":
1. "T" = TOTAL DEPRAVITY - The Calvinists believed that man is in absolute bondage to sin and Satan, unable to exercise his own will to trust in Jesus Christ without the help of God.

2. "U" = UNCONDITIONAL ELECTION - The Calvinists believed that foreknowledge is based upon the plan and purpose of God, and that election is not based upon the decision of man, but the "free will" of the Creator alone.

3. "L" = LIMITED ATONEMENT - The Calvinists believed that Jesus Christ died to save those who were given to Him by the Father in eternity past. In their view, all for whom Jesus died (the elect) will be saved, and all for whom He did not die (the non elect) will be lost.

4. "I" = IRRESISTIBLE GRACE - The Calvinists believed that the Lord possesses irresistible grace that cannot be obstructed. They taught that the free will of man is so far removed from salvation, that the elect are regenerated (made spiritually alive) by God even before expressing faith in Jesus Christ for salvation. If a totally depraved person wasn't made alive by the Holy Spirit, such a calling on God would be impossible.

5. "P" = PERSEVERANCE OF THE SAINTS - The Calvinists believed that salvation is entirely the work of the Lord, and that man has absolutely nothing to do with the process. The saints will persevere because God will see to it that He will finish the work He has begun.

Both sides of the question on pre-destination and/or election and free will have been supported by outstanding scholars, theologians and preachers. Below is a list of a few of the scholars and the era in which they lived.
Calvinism                                             Arminianism
John Calvin 1509-1564                         Jacob Hermann (Arminius) 1560-1609
William Wilberforce 1759-1833             Hugo Grotius 1583-1645
Charles Spurgeon 1834-1892                 John Wesley 1703-1791
                                                           Charles Grandison Finney 1792-1875

Despite the history of disagreement between the two sides, the evangelical coalition has held Calvinist and Arminian believers together. At least as many member churches of the National Association of Evangelicals are Arminian in theological orientation as Reformed**. However, some noted modern day Calvinists like Michael Horton and R. C. Sproul have questioned the validity of the evangelical credentials of any and all Arminians: those Protestants who deny the unconditional election and affirm resistible grace.

It should be noted here that Arminius himself had never denied the first and the last of the five points of Calvinism and his followers debated those among themselves for centuries. A noted Arminius, Roger E. Olson, was advised by his college professor that Arminiaism usually leads to liberal theology." Olson, knowing this belief wasn't entirely true, endeavored to prove that Arminian theology and modern evangelicalism could be combined comfortably. **Protestant, especially Calvinist: relating or belonging to a Protestant Church, especially one based on the teachings of John Calvin rather than those of Martin Luther.

A SHORT COMMENTARY by Chuck Smith of Calvary Chapel
All details are not clearly presented in the Bible. In no area of controversy is this more obvious than in the long simmering debate between Calvinists and Arminians. In the midst of this heated argument it is easy to ignore or neglect the plain statements of the Bible, or to believe that we have the ability to fully understand the ways of God (Romans 11:33-36).

But how tragic it is when we become more concerned with being "right" than being loving. When we discuss the ministry of the Holy Spirit, it is easy to disagree over terms such as "baptism" and "filling" and to miss the blessing and power of God's Spirit in our lives. The way we conduct our debates and express our opinions will sometimes "quench" as well as "grieve" the blessed Spirit who dwells within the believer. In the midst of our arguments over spiritual gifts, we can miss the Biblical admonition to love, which clearly is greater than all the gifts (I Cor. 12:31-14:1).

Our desire is to bring believers together in the love and unity of the Holy Spirit. Our focus is on our awesome God, not on ourselves. We are committed to glorifying our Lord in all we say and do. Chuck Smith is the founder of the Thousands of Calvary Chapel churches throughout the world. He began in 1965 in Costa Mesa. We at ProJesus agree 100% with the comments by Chuck Smith.

A BIT OF HISTORY
Perhaps no issue is as important or as potentially divisive as the doctrine of salvation, reflected in the debate between followers of John Calvin (1509-1564) and those of Jacob Hermann (1560-1609), best known by the Latin form of his last name, Arminius. Since the Protestant Reformation in the 16th Century, Christian churches and leaders have disagreed over such issues as depravity, God's sovereignty, human responsibility, election, predestination, eternal security and the nature and extent of the atonement of Jesus Christ.
Interestingly, John Calvin, the French reformer, did not formulate what today we know as the Five Points of Calvinism. This came out of the Canons of the Council of Dort (1618) some 54 years after the death of Calvin.
Although trained in the reformed tradition, Arminius had serious doubts bout the doctrine of "sovereign grace" as taught by the followers of John Calvin. He was a pastor of the Reformed congregation in Amsterdam (1588), but during his fifteen years of ministry there, he began to question any of the conclusions of Calvinism. He left the pastorate and became professor of theology at the University of Leyden. It was his series of lectures on election and predestination that led to a violent and tragic controversy. After Arminius' death in 1609, his followers developed the Remonstrance of 1610 which outlined the "Five Points of Arminianism." This document was a protest against the doctrines of the Calvinists and was submitted to the State of Holland.

In 1618, a National Synod of the Church was convened in Dort to examine the teachings or Arminius in the light of Scripture. After 154 sessions, lasting seven months, the Five Points of Arminianism were declared to be heretical. After the synod, many of the disciples of Arminius, such as Hugo Grotius, were imprisoned or banished. Because they were not about to "disband". The Arminians spread to other countries and to other branches of Protestant Christianity who already believed much of their same doctrine (Mennonites, Ana-Baptist, etc.).

Some of the groups that split unfortunately followed a path to the left that led to the Unitarian Church and other similar cults. When John Wesley took up some of the teachings of Arminianism, the movement began to grow, and it affected the Methodist tradition as well as the beliefs of most Pentecostal and Charismatic churches.

THOUGHT ONE
We will discuss, for a moment, our free will as it pertains to our thoughts not our works. Jesus himself commanded that we "Repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand." (Matt. 4:17) John the Baptist spoke the same word (repent) in Matthew 3:12. Acts 2:38 instructs its hearers to repent and receive the forgiveness of sins.
Let's define repent: To be sorry: to recognize the wrong in something you have done and be sorry about it. In religion: change ways: to feel regret about a sin or past actions and change your ways or habits.

Notice that this repentance is a free will action and is a thought process not a works. This is very important. In religion man must acknowledge that he is fallen and sinful in the eyes of God. This realization of a marred image and broken relationship with God causes an accompanying need for change. How is this change brought about? Man must respond in faith and turn towards Christ. "Faith...is the vehicle by which we are enabled to receive the grace of God".

We believe that Christ died for us, has forgiven us, and enabled us to be called to Him. We also must believe in Christ, and know that He is our sufficiency. We must acknowledge our dependence on Him, that we are weak and finite creatures, and that Jesus, God the Son, alone is our means for relationship with God the Father.
Once we have responded to the offer of salvation from God, our mind and spirit are transformed. We are regenerated. 2 Cor. 5:17 says "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new."

Although the realigning of our relationship, spirit and desires occurs instantaneously with repentance, it is the beginning of a process, not simply an end in itself. It starts with the repair and rebridging of our relationship with God. Our spirit is now in proper alignment and order with Christ and our spiritual impulses have been redirected.

We continuously struggle to bring our sinful nature and mind into submission to Christ. We can be confident however, that the process is still occurring. We may be filled with contrary impulses and desires; one towards the things of the spirit, and one towards the things of the world and flesh, but we are still Christ's. The apostle Paul comforts and assures us that "...And I am sure that He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ." (Philippians 1:6)

THOUGHT TWO
The apparent paradox between predestination and free will, both of which are taught in scripture, and which are, on the surface, mutually exclusive. The paradox is generally seen as a question of whether God's sovereignty is absolute and his decrees fixed and unalterable, or whether man has been given space to decide for himself whether to follow God or not, and to influence the course of history independently of God. "Calvinism" and "Armenianism": Most evangelicals can be defined in terms of their link between the two ideologies; most are somewhere in the middle, believing that God has a fore-ordained plan for our lives (as do Calvinists), but also that man is free to follow that plan or reject it (an Armenian perspective); they devise arguments to explain how God's sovereignty is not incompatible with, nor compromised by, man's free will.

Most evangelicals care little about logic**, so this question does not trouble them; those who are troubled by it inevitably gravitate to one of the two theological poles. **I would like to add a note to this portion of the text. I am a Civil Engineer and in such work I am completely engulfed in decisions which require a logical outcome. But, these logical evaluations I am referring to are step by step discoveries over time. Thus you might say I would have a decision that is considered by some as a "proof". Read ahead, you will be more confused.

If all that happens in the universe is predetermined and unchangeable, as a logical understanding of Calvinism would lead us to believe, prayer is neither necessary nor or any value: the realities are fixed, and prayer will not change anything. And if free will is absolute, as Armenianism logically leads us to believe, prayer is similarly of little value: God regards the free will of the individual as sacrosanct, and will not override it. If so, what effect will prayer have on that person?

This contradicts not only the scriptural command to pray, but also the scriptural testimony of the many occasions on which God's own heart was moved by prayer. It also contradicts all logic that tells us to pray for everything. Any theology which precludes the need for prayer is false; therefore, both the Calvinist and Armenian positions have fundamental flaws.

The eternal kingdom belongs to God the Father, Jesus Christ(God the Son), and God the Holy Spirit. All authority on earth has been given to Jesus. Through faith in Jesus Christ, we become joint heirs with him. He entitles and empowers us to participate, through prayer, in the exercise of the sovereignty of God. Through prayer we cross the boundary out of time and into eternity, where we participate in the sovereign election of saints and determination of world events that happen within time. Hallelujah! (Extracted from an article by David Cannon 7/14/98)

THOUGHT THREE
The thrust of the argument is found in the common debate between Calvinism and Armenianism. But both of these belief systems are man's interpretation of the Bible, that I believe still falls far short of the knowledge of our all knowing Lord. But I do believe in both free will AND predestination. But how each of these apparently contradictory themes work together is a mystery that our earthly minds may never fully comprehend.
While this mystery is a riddle that we will never solve, it is good that we study it fervently and use our best efforts to know the Lord's heart.

So again, if both doctrines are moderately represented, then they both have to have some truth and we should trust in them and in the Lord who inspired them. Though we may never figure out this ambiguous paradigm, we must trust that it is true until we get to heaven and completely understand how these complex doctrines are interwoven.

THOUGHTS FROM JOHN WESLEY---SERMON 58
"Hard to be understood" we may well allow them to be, when we consider how men of the strongest understanding, improved by all the advantages of education, have continually differed in judgment concerning them (Predestination and Free-Will). And this very consideration, that there is so wide a difference upon the head between men of the greatest learning, sense, and piety, one might imagine would make all who now speak upon the subject exceedingly wary and reserved.

1. The first point is, the foreknowledge of God. God foreknew those in every nation those who would believe, from the beginning of the world to the consummation of all things. But, in order to throw light upon this somber question, it should be well observed, that when we speak of God's foreknowledge, we do not speak according to the nature of things, but after the manner of men. For, if we speak properly, there is no such thing as either foreknowledge or after-knowledge in God. All time, or rather all eternity, (for the children of men,) being present to Him at once, He does not know one thing in one point of view from everlasting to everlasting. As all time, with everything that exists therein, is present with Him at once, so He sees at once, whatever was is, or will be, to the end of time. In a word, God, looking on all ages, from the creation to the consummation, as a moment, and seeing at once whatever is in the hearts of all the children of men, knows every one that does or does not believe, in every age or nation.

Indeed, if man were not free, he could not be accountable either for his thoughts, word, or actions. If he were not free, he would not be capable either of reward (Note: the Bible mentions rewards repeatedly) or punishment; he would be incapable either of virtue or vice, of being either morally good or bad.

2. "Whom He did foreknow, them He did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son." This is the Second point: (To speak after the manner of men: For in fact, there is nothing before or after in God:) In other words, God decrees, from everlasting to everlasting, that all who believe in the Son of his love, shall be conformed to his image; shall be saved from all inward and outward sin, into all inward and outward holiness.

3. "Whom He did predestinate, them He also called." This is the Third point: He calls both outwardly and inwardly, - outwardly by the word of His grace, and inwardly by His Spirit.

4. "Whom he called, them he justified." This is the Fourth point. It is generally allowed that the word "justified" here is taken in a peculiar sense; that it means He made them just or righteous.

5. "Whom he justified, them he also glorified." This is the Fifth and Last point. Having made them "meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light," He gives them "the kingdom which was prepared for them before the world began." This is the order wherein, "according to the counsel of His will," the plan He has laid down from eternity, He saves those whom He foreknew; the true believers in every place and generation.

The sum of all is this: the almighty, all-wise God sees and knows, from everlasting to everlasting, all that is, that was, and that is to come, through one eternal now. With him nothing is either past or future, but all things equally present.
What is it, then, that we learn from this whole account? It is this, and no more: - (1.) God knows all believers; (2) wills that they should be saved from sin; (3) to that end, justifies them, (4) sanctifies and (5) takes them to glory.
Oh that men would praise the Lord for this his goodness; and that they would be content with this plain account of it, and not endeavor to wade into those mysteries which are too deep for angels to fathom!

MODERN EVANGELICALISM
The emergence of theological Modernism during the 19th century, particularly historical criticism of the Bible (see Biblical Scholarship), produced a movement of reaction within many denominations. From 1910 to 1915 conservative scholars produced a series of booklets entitled The Fundamentals, and in 1920 a conservative northern Baptist journal coined the designation Fundamentalist for the defenders of orthodoxy.

The term Fundamentalism gradually came to designate only the most uncompromising and militant wing of the movement, however, and more moderate Protestant conservatives began to adopt the older designation of Evangelical. They created the National Association of Evangelicals in the U.S. (1942) and the World Evangelical Fellowship (1951), the latter reviving an international body formed under Britain's Evangelical Alliance (founded 1846). The constituencies of these bodies are largely outside the World and National Councils of Churches, but large numbers of Evangelicals exist within the mainstream ecumenical denominations.

The largest U.S. Protestant body, the Southern Baptist Convention, embraces Evangelical tenets; other components of Evangelicalism include Pentecostalists, the Charismatic Renewal (including its Roman Catholic wing), Arminian-Holiness churches, conservative confessionalists such as the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, and numerous black Baptists, as well as independent "faith missions" and interdenominational ministries such as Inter-Varsity Christian Fellowship, Campus Crusade for Christ, and World Vision. Current Evangelicalism bridges two elements that were, for the most part, antithetical in the 19th century, the doctrinaire conservatives and the revivalists.

Evangelical educational materials are produced by a number of publishing houses, and such publications as Christianity Today are widely read. Evangelical preachers have long made extensive use of radiobroadcasts, and during the 1970s evangelical programs on television proliferated, reaching an audience of more than 20 million. According to a recent estimate, there are about 157 million Evangelicals throughout the world, including about 59 million in the United States.

A BIBLE VERSE
Read carefully this verse in which Moses is relaying the words of God to the people of Israel. Notice the promises and the human free will required. Deut 30:19-20 says: "I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live; that you may love the LORD your God, that you may obey His voice, and that you may cling to Him, for He is your life and the length of your days; and that you may dwell in the land which the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them." These verses have extreme importance in life and in indicating our free will. There are close to one hundred additional verses that definitely reveal our free will.

SUMMARY It is not our purpose to take sides on these issues or to divide the body of Jesus Christ over human interpretations of these Biblical truths concerning our salvation. We simply desire to state how we at ProJesus understand the Bible's teaching regarding these matters.
DEPRAVITY
We believe that all are sinners (1) and unable by human performance to earn, deserve, or merit salvation (2). We believe that the wages of sin is death (3), and that apart from God's grace, no one can be saved (4). We believe that none are righteous, or capable of doing good, as much as some try to do good, (5), and that apart from the conviction and regeneration of the Holy Spirit, none can be saved (6). Mankind is clearly fallen and lost in sin. (1) Romans 3:23, (2) Titus 3:5, (3) Romans 6:23, (4) Ephesians 2:8-9, (5) Romans 3:10-12, (6) John 1:12-13; 16:8-11; I Peter 1:23-25.
ELECTION
We believe that God chose the believer before the foundation of the world (1), and based on His foreknowledge, has predestined the believer to be conformed to the image of His Son (2). We believe that God offers salvation to all who will call on His name. Romans 10:13 says, "For whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved." We also believe that God calls to Himself those who will believe in His Son, Jesus Christ (3).
However, the Bible also teaches that an invitation (or call) is given to all, but that only a few will accept it. We see this balance throughout scripture. Revelation 22:17 states, "And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely." 1 Peter 1:2 tells us we are, "elect according to the foreknowledge of God, the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ." Matthew 22:14 says, "For many are called, but few are chosen (elected)." God clearly does choose, but man must also accept God's invitation to salvation. (1) (Ephesians 1:4-6, (2) Romans 8:29-30, (3) 1 Corinthians 1:9.
ATONEMENT
We believe that Jesus Christ died as a propitiation (a satisfaction of the righteous wrath of God against sin) "for the whole world" (1), and that He redeems and forgives all who will believe in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ as their only hope of salvation from sin, death, and hell (2). We believe that eternal life is a gift of God (3), and that "whosoever believeth" in Jesus Christ will not perish, but will have eternal life (4). 1 Timothy 4:10 says "we trust in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, specially of those that believe." Hebrews 2:9 states that Jesus, "was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honor, that He, by the grace of God, should taste death for every man." The atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ was clearly sufficient to save the entire human race. (1) 1 John 2:2 & 4:9-10, (2) Ephesians 1:7; 1 Peter 1:18-19, (3) Romans 6:23, (4) John 3:16-18.
GRACE
We believe that God's grace is not the result of human effort or worthiness (1), but is the response of God's mercy and love to those who will believe in His Son (2). Grace gives to us what we do not deserve nor can earn by our performance (3). We believe that God's grace and mercy can be resisted by us. Jesus said in Matthew 23:37, "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them who are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not." We are not condemned because we have no opportunity to be saved, but a person is condemned because he makes a choice not to believe (4). In John 5:40 we read "And ye will not come to Me, that ye might have life." Jesus also said in John 6:37, "All that the Father giveth Me shall come to Me; and him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out." John 6:40 states, "And this is the will of Him that sent Me, that everyone who seeth the Son, and believeth on Him, may have everlasting life." In John 7:37 Jesus said "If any man thirst, let him come unto Me, and drink." In John 11:26 He adds "whosoever liveth and believeth in Me shall never die."
Jesus clearly acknowledges the fact of human resistance and rejection. In John 12:46-48 He said, "I am come as a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on Me should not abide in darkness. And if any man hear My words, and believe not, I judge him not; for I came, not to judge the world but to save the world. He that rejecteth Me, and receiveth not My words, hath One that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day". (1) Romans 3:24-28; 11:6, (2) Ephesians 2:4-10, (3) Romans 11:6, (4) John 3:18.
PERSEVERANCE
We believe that nothing can separate us from the love of God in Jesus Christ our Lord (1) and that there is no condemnation to those who are in Jesus Christ (2). We believe that the promise of Jesus in John 10:27-28 is clear: "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of My hand." Jesus said in John 6:37, "him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out." We have this assurance in Philippians 1:6 "Being confident of this very thing, that He who hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ." We believe that the Holy Spirit has sealed us unto the day of redemption (3). (1) Romans 8:38-39, (2) Romans 8:1, (3) Ephesians 1:13-14 & 4:30.
Jesus said in Luke 9:62, "No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God." I Corinthians 6:9-10 insists that "the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God" and warns us not to be deceived. A list is then given of various kinds of sinful lifestyles with an ending remark that they will not inherit the kingdom of God. Similar statements and conclusions are given in Galatians 5:19-21 and Ephesians 5:3-5.
It is no wonder that Peter says in I Peter 1:10, "Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure; for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall." We thank God for the encouragement of Jude 24 - "Now unto Him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy."
Maintaining a Bible centered balance in these difficult issues is of great importance. We do believe in the perseverance of the saints (true believers), but are deeply concerned about sinful lifestyles and rebellious hearts among those who call themselves "Christians." We don't have all the answers to these matters, but we desire to be faithful to the Lord and His word. If we find ourselves basing our view of salvation on the performance and attitudes of people we become discouraged and concerned. But when we keep our eyes on the Lord, and trust in Him alone and in His power, we say with Peter in 1 Peter 1:7 "…..That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than gold….". Please read 1 Peter 1:3-9.
It is not easy to maintain the unity of the Spirit among us on these matters. It seems that the sovereignty of God and human responsibility are like two parallel lines that do not seem to intersect within our finite minds. God's ways are "past finding out" (Romans 11:33), and the Bible warns us to "lean not unto thy own understanding" (Proverbs 3:5). May God help us all to love each other, to be kind, tenderhearted, forgiving one another as Jesus Christ has forgiven us! In difficult doctrinal matters, may we have gracious attitudes and humble hearts, desiring most of all to please Him who has called us to serve Him in the body of Christ. Discussion- YES! Disagreements - YES! Division - NO!
Jesus said, "By their fruit ye shall know them." When a particular position on the Scriptures causes one to become argumentative, legalistic, and divisive, we question the validity of that position. We seek to embrace those things that tend to make us more loving and kind, more forgiving and merciful. We know then that we are becoming more like my Lord.
Seek those things that produce the loving nature of Jesus in our lives. Let us always have the right attitude, one that pleases Jesus. God can change my understanding of the facts in a moment, but it often takes a lifetime to effect changes of attitude. (A portion of this summary comes from Chuck Smith)

Who was Cain's wife?
Greetings Vanessa in the Precious Name of Jesus
You asked about the beginning of life when Cain had a wife: where did she come from and when? Your question is a good one and is asked often because people are curious how this world started. The answer can be a simple one. It may not seem simple due to the amount of text we are sending. However, our desire is to include the necessary Bible references in this study for the subject matter.

To begin with, Jesus Created Adam and Eve to be the "Only" parents for the whole future human race. In other words, as you know, Jesus didn't start His Creation from the beginning with four or five sets of husbands and wives to "fill the earth". He started with one couple, Adam and Eve. Scripture tells us that at first Adam and Eve had three sons: Cain, Abel and Seth. Scripture does not tell us if any other sons or daughters were born before Seth. We do know that Adam was 130 years old when he had Seth: then Adam lived 800 more years and had sons and daughters (how many we don't know, probably a whole bunch of kids in 800 years). (See Genesis 5:1-5)

Notice all that took place on earth prior to sin entering the world at Genesis 3:6b. Now, please take the time to read Genesis 1:1 to Genesis 3:6a. The full text is below for your convenience.

Genesis 1:1 The History of Creation
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.

3 Then God said, "Let there be light"; and there was light. 4 And God saw the light, that it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. So the evening and the morning were the first day.

6 Then God said, "Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters." 7 Thus God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament; and it was so. 8 And God called the firmament Heaven. So the evening and the morning were the second day.

9 Then God said, "Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear"; and it was so. 10 And God called the dry land Earth, and the gathering together of the waters He called Seas. And God saw that it was good.

11 Then God said, "Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb that yields seed, and the fruit tree that yields fruit according to its kind, whose seed is in itself, on the earth"; and it was so. 12 And the earth brought forth grass, the herb that yields seed according to its kind, and the tree that yields fruit, whose seed is in itself according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 13 So the evening and the morning were the third day.

14 Then God said, "Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs and seasons, and for days and years; 15 and let them be for lights in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth"; and it was so. 16 Then God made two great lights: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night. He made the stars also. 17 God set them in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth, 18 and to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19 So the evening and the morning were the fourth day.

20 Then God said, "Let the waters abound with an abundance of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the face of the firmament of the heavens." 21 So God created great sea creatures and every living thing that moves, with which the waters abounded, according to their kind, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 22 And God blessed them, saying, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth." 23 So the evening and the morning were the fifth day.

24 Then God said, "Let the earth bring forth the living creature according to its kind: cattle and creeping thing and beast of the earth, each according to its kind"; and it was so. 25 And God made the beast of the earth according to its kind, cattle according to its kind, and everything that creeps on the earth according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.

26 Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth." 27 So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. 28 Then God blessed them, and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth."

29 And God said, "See, I have given you every herb that yields seed which is on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit yields seed; to you it shall be for food. 30 Also, to every beast of the earth, to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, in which there is life, I have given every green herb for food"; and it was so. 31 Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good. Note: The Greek word here for "very good" is me'od which means exceedingly or exceptionally, remarkably, extremely, extraordinarily, outstandingly. Jesus is not just saying that His recent Creations are OK. I picture Him looking at His Creation and saying to Himself , "this is all outstanding and beautiful". (Scripture continues) So the evening and the morning were the sixth day.

Genesis 2:1 The Garden of Eden
Thus the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them, were finished. 2 And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. 3 Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made. (See John 1:3)

4 This is the history of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens, 5 before any plant of the field was in the earth and before any herb of the field had grown. For the LORD God had not caused it to rain on the earth, and there was no man to till the ground; 6 but a mist went up from the earth and watered the whole face of the ground.

7 And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.

8 The LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden, and there He put the man whom He had formed. 9 And out of the ground the LORD God made every tree grow that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

10 Now a river went out of Eden to water the garden, and from there it parted and became four riverheads. 11 The name of the first is Pishon; it is the one which skirts the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold. 12 And the gold of that land is good. Bdellium and the onyx stone are there. 13 The name of the second river is Gihon; it is the one which goes around the whole land of Cush. 14 The name of the third river is Hiddekel; it is the one which goes toward the east of Assyria. The fourth river is the Euphrates.

15 Then the LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it. 16 And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, "Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die."

18 And the LORD God said, "It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him." 19 Out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the air, and brought them to Adam to see what he would call them. And whatever Adam called each living creature, that was its name. 20 So Adam gave names to all cattle, to the birds of the air, and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper comparable to him.

21 And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept; and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place. 22 Then the rib which the LORD God had taken from man He made into a woman, and He brought her to the man.
23 And Adam said:
"This is now bone of my bones
And flesh of my flesh;
She shall be called Woman,
Because she was taken out of Man."

24 Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.

25 And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.

Genesis 3:1 The Temptation and Fall of Man
Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, "Has God indeed said, 'You shall not eat of every tree of the garden'?"

2 And the woman said to the serpent, "We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; 3 but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, 'You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.'"

4 Then the serpent said to the woman, "You will not surely die. 5 For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."

6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, (NKJV)
 

Here is where the Scripture ends and we continue the study. As we said above, sin began with the verse Genesis 3:6b-7: "she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate. 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings". (More on this below, see "A")

Before we go any further let's go back to Genesis 1:31 where we have made the wording bold. There is a very important lesson here. Jesus, God the Son, is proclaiming that all He Created was and is extraordinary and perfect. This includes the genes and the DNA within Adam and Eve's bodies. (A gene is a basic unit of heredity: the basic unit capable of transmitting characteristics from one generation to the next. It consists of a specific sequence of DNA or RNA that occupies a fixed position (locus) on a chromosome.) Having said that about the gene, it tells us that a seed and sperm from Adam and Eve's family members would produce a perfect, or near perfect, offspring: that scenario is not possible today. I'm sure that it took many generations with sin and sickness before relatives were told not to marry. Maybe Moses' writings were the first to relay this information to the people. (See Leviticus 18:1-23)

I doubt that Jesus would have allowed Cain to have sexual relations with his mother, Eve. However, I am also sure that a sister who was born either before or after Seth was Cain's wife. You see, their genes would still be perfect or at least close to perfect. They were the second couple on earth to have children.

So Vanessa, it is true that the Bible does not give all the details on every subject, however, I pray that you will see what the Bible does say "between the lines". Cain's wife must be one of his sisters and that is perfectly okay. About 1800+/- years after Adam, Abraham married his half sister and Isaac and Jacob both married their cousins. It really wasn't until God gave Moses "The Law" that the people were told not to marry a close relative. (See Leviticus 18:1-23)

Here is another place that the Bible speaks to us "between the lines". Gen 4:13-14 "And Cain said to the LORD, "My punishment is greater than I can bear! Surely You have driven me out this day from the face of the ground; I shall be hidden from Your face; I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond on the earth, and it will happen that anyone who finds me will kill me." Notice that Cain tells God: that anyone who finds him will kill me. That verse tells us that there were "many" people on earth at that time. So, this event was before Seth was born when Adam and Eve had many children, grandchildren etc. or: the other possibility is that this event took place after Seth was born along with other brothers and sisters.

("A" from above) This is a different subject matter but I thought pertinent. Here is a little more information about the coverings that Adam and Eve made for themselves. After the LORD talked to Adam and Eve about their future, please notice here that Jesus made tunics of skin for them. Gen 3:21 "Also for Adam and his wife the LORD God made tunics of skin, and clothed them." This is the first sacrifice of an animal and the spilling of its blood. This sacrifice leads up to the last sacrifice which is Christ's death on the cross for the forgiveness of our sins.

We have included, for your information, an additional attachment which covers Cain's descendants.

We pray that this information will assist you in explaining to your friend(s) about the early inhabitants of earth.

Expound on the Ascension!
Greetings to you Norman and Molly in the Precious Name of Jesus:
Below is a little background on the Ascension.
The fortieth day after Easter Sunday, commemorates the Ascension of Christ into heaven, according to Mark:16:19, Luke:23:50-51, and Acts 1:2,9-11. His earthly ministry ceased with His ascension into heaven. To a large extent the ascension was for the benefit of Jesus' followers. They could no longer expect His physical presence. They must now wait for the promised Holy Spirit through whom the work of Jesus would continue.

In the Eastern Church this feast was known as analepsis (the taking up) and as the episozomene (the salvation). The terms used in the West, ascensio and ascensa, signify that Christ was raised up by His own powers. Mount Olivet, near Bethany, is designated as the place where Christ left the earth. The feast falls on Thursday, and in some churches it is one of the most solemn in the calendar, ranking with the feasts of the Passion, Easter and Pentecost.

The ascension marked the beginning of Christ's intercession for His followers at the right hand of God (1 Cor. 15:20-28). There He makes continual intercession for all believers (Rom. 8:34; Heb. 4:14; 6:20; 7:25). Although Christ is not physically present with His people today, He is no less concerned for them or less active on their behalf.

This reign will last until His Second Coming, when He will return to the earth as the reigning Messiah (Acts 1:11 & 3:20-21) ("This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven").

The appearances of Jesus are clearly at the heart of early Christian belief. The consistent witness of the New Testament is that in the appearances of Jesus something incredible happened. The two followers in Emmaus, upon realizing it was the risen Jesus, forgot their concern with the lateness of the hour and rushed back to Jerusalem to tell the others (Luke 24:29-33).

The doubting Thomas uttered Christianity's greatest confession when he realized that the risen Christ was actually addressing him (John 20:27). Peter left his fishing nets for good when the risen Savior asked him, "Do you love Me?" (John 21:15). And at a later time (1 Cor. 15:8), the persecutor Paul was transformed into a zealous missionary as the result of a special appearance by the risen Lord (Acts 9:1-22).

A key point here is, Jesus did not suddenly disappear from them, never to be seen by them again, but He gradually ascended as they were watching. But the angels immediately said that He would come back in the same way in which He had gone into heaven. We can not now say where heaven is. Rather than taking extra space here for an explanation of heaven, I will simply suggest you obtain a copy of Randy Alcorn's book titled "Heaven", also, see chapters 54 to 57 of Wayne Grudem's book "Systematic Theology".

When the New Testament writers speak of the resurrection of Jesus, they are bearing witness to, not just what God did for them but what God the Father did to Jesus (God the Son). Certainly, as a result of the resurrection of Jesus human lives were transformed. For Paul this transformation of Christians is not termed resurrection but salvation. "In Christ" is the expression Paul uses for the spiritual experience of the living Christ.

Although no documentation of it exists prior to the beginning of the fifth century, St. Augustine says that the Ascension originated with the Apostles, and that it was observed by the Church long before his time. The Ascension is frequently mentioned in the writings of St. John Chrysostom, St. Gregory of Nyssa, and in the Constitution of the Apostles. Perhaps, prior to the fifth century it was commemorated in conjunction with the feasts of Easter or Pentecost. In some churches, the Ascension was depicted by elevating the figure of Christ above the altar, through an opening in the roof. In others, the figure of Christ was made to ascend and that of the devil was made to descend.

The day celebrates the completion of the Lord's work for our salvation, the pledge of our glorification with Christ, and His entry into heaven with our human nature glorified.

The Bible explicitly speaks of Christ's appearance as a "second time," the phrase "second coming" occurs nowhere in the New Testament. Many passages, however, speak of His return. In fact, in the New Testament alone it is referred to over 300 times.

The night before His crucifixion, Jesus told His apostles that He would return (John 14:3). When Jesus ascended into heaven, two angels appeared to His followers, saying that He would return in the same manner as they had seen Him go (Acts 1:11). The New Testament is filled with expectancy of His coming, even as Christians should be today.

The New Testament makes it clear that the Second Coming will be a climactic historical event. The Lord will return in the same manner in which He left (The Ascension). His coming will be personal, bodily, and visible. The time of the Second Coming is unknown. In fact, Jesus stated that only the Father knew the time. Therefore, the return of the Lord should be a matter of constant expectancy.

Of some interest are a few of the Holy days of obligation in the Catholic Church and their descriptions.
Ascension of the Lord
May 8, 2005 (Sunday) A Holy Day Of Obligation
All ecclesiastical Provinces, except Boston, Hartford, New York, Newark, Philadelphia and the State of Nebraska, have transferred this Solemnity to the Seventh Sunday of Easter. Sundays are always a day of Holy Obligation. Commemorates the Ascension of Christ into heaven 40 days after his Resurrection from the dead.
Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
August 15, 2005 (Monday) A Holy Day Of Obligation
This Solemnity falls on Sunday in 2004. Sundays are always a day of Holy Obligation. Commemorates the taking into heaven of Mary, soul and body, at the end of her life on earth. A truth of faith that was proclaimed a dogma by Pius XII on Nov. 1, 1950.
Note: Catholics are deeper into the celebration of the Ascension than the Protestants.

Octave of Christmas
Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God
January 1, 2005 (Saturday) A Holy Day Of Obligation
The Bishops of Region 11 have determined that due to the pastoral reality and the pastoral hardships resulting from the obligation to attend Mass on January 1, the obligation of attending Mass on Saturday January 1, 2005 has been dispensed.
Please make note that January 1st is not a Holy Day of Obligation in the Diocese of Orange. It remains a Holy Day of Obligation for the Universal Church.
Celebrates the Blessed Virgin Mary's role in salvation through her divine and virginal motherhood as the Mother of Jesus Christ, Son of God.
The Ascension of the Lord by Allen Ross Th D…Ph.D.
This was a study prepared in Cambridge England on the Ascension
When we consider the doctrine of the Ascension, we must not only think of it as the culmination of Jesus' earthly ministry, the crowning victory, but we must also think of it as the beginning of a new phase of His ministry.
The doctrine is not covered very well in many theology books or commentaries; all too often it seems to have been tucked away as an afterthought. Of course, if some theologians deny the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, they are not likely going to do very much with the ascension.
But even those who believe in the resurrection give little more than a nod to the Ascension and what it means. When Allen Ross was studying in Cambridge in England it was an Ascension Day service that made an impression on him, perhaps because it was, well, unexpected. His professor cancelled classes for the services; and the services culminated in the choirs of St Johns College ascending to the roof top of the chapel tower to sing anthems to the exalted Christ that echoed across the skies over the city.
But when he returned to the United States and tried to attend an Ascension Day service in his church, he was surprised to learn that the church had completely forgotten about it. (And this was a liturgical church that was to observe these things.)
Note: Europeans are deeper into the celebration of the Ascension than the United States.
The Nicene Creed affirms that Christ Jesus "ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of the Father, and He shall come again with glory, to judge both the quick and the dead; whose kingdom shall have no end." In other words, the Creed affirms what the Bible clearly teaches, that after the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, after He appeared to various people and groups, He departed from His disciples from the top of the Mount of Olives.
That is, He simply ascended from the earth in the clouds and entered into the heavenly court to be exalted. The ascension teaches that there is in heaven today a "God-man," Jesus, who is fully human and fully divine. And because He ascended into heaven, those who are alive at his second coming will be caught up to be with the Lord in the air, along with those raised from the dead. And that coming of the Lord will be in the same manner as his departure. The doctrine teaches that neither time nor space interferes with our Lord's movements; He was able to travel between earth and heaven (whether a distance or a dimension we cannot say) by His own power.
So Jesus completed his mission to redeem His fallen creation by bringing glorified humanity into heaven at His ascension--in His own person. This is but the foretaste of things to come, for we will follow Him there. In fact Ephesians says that we are already seated in the heavenlies, because we are in Him. Our future is certain.
The significance of this aspect of the Ascension as explained by Scripture is that heaven is our home and not this world. The entire ministry of our Lord has been and continues to be to fit us for glory. So the lesson should be clear: We must live above the world and not like the world (world meaning the present world system that has no place for the Lord). The Scripture again and again tells us not to love the world, neither the things that are in the world, for it is passing away; we are not to lay up treasures here on earth where there is corruption, but in heaven; and we are not to be conformed to this world.
Rather, we must measure everything by heavenly standards, by spiritual, eternal things (2 Cor. 4). We do not belong here. Our rightful place is with Jesus in glory. The more that we grow spiritually, the more that we become like Jesus Christ, the more we will realize that we do not belong here, and that our stay here is an earthly ministry in our eternal life. If our rightful place is with Jesus: we must first accept His teachings in the Gospels and acknowledge Him as God, Creator and Savior of the world and that He is the only one who can forgive me of my sins.
It is note-worthy to mention other ascensions. Gen 5:23-24 "So all the days of Enoch were three hundred and sixty-five years. And Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him." Enoch ascended to be with God, he did not die. You will notice that all the other before and after Enoch lived for about nine hundred years. In another instance, Elisha was talking with Elijah in 2 Kings 2:9-11. "Elisha said, "Please let a double portion of your spirit be upon me. So he said, "You have asked a hard thing. Nevertheless, if you see me when I am taken from you, it shall be so for you; but if not, it shall not be so." Then it happened, as they continued on and talked, that suddenly a chariot of fire appeared with horses of fire, and separated the two of them; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven." So Elijah also ascended into heaven, he also did not die. Finally, The Two Witnesses in Revelation were killed. Rev 11:7-8 & 11-12 "The beast that ascends out of the bottomless pit will make war against them, overcome them, and kill them. And their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city….. Now after the three-and-a-half days the breath of life from God entered them, and they stood on their feet, and great fear fell on those who saw them. And they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, "Come up here." And they ascended to heaven in a cloud, and their enemies saw them."
Here are some additional Bible verses. John 3:13 "No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven." Now Paul tells us in Eph 4:7-10 "But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ's gift. Therefore He says: "When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive, And gave gifts to men." (Ps 68:18) (Now this, "He ascended" - what does it mean but that He also first descended into the lower parts of the earth? He who descended is also the One who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things.) Also, see 1 Thess 4:17.
We usually compose our answers much shorter, however, the more we investigated the Ascension, the more we thought you would like to have most of the information. We pray that this material is helpful.
In the Service of Christ our King, Creator and Savior

Was Christ "saved"?
Greetings to you Shontae in the Precious name of Jesus:
You asked if Jesus Christ, the man, is saved.
I will begin with a short story, a parable. The kingdom of heaven is like a Monarch of a certain town. The Monarch is also the lifeguard. Now that town decided to have a pot-luck party at the beach so the people could go swimming. Now the Monarch of the town was a very wise and honest man who informed the people that they should not eat a certain food if they were planning on going into the water because it would cause cramps which would cause them to drown. This particular food was quite delicious. Against the Monarch's strict directions, all the people there ate some of the "forbidden" food. After the meal the beauty of the day lured all of the people into the water. As predicted by the Monarch, all of the people did indeed get sick, got cramps, and started yelling for help. All of the people needed someone to save them, so the Monarch provided their salvation. Who was there to save the Monarch of the town? Does the Monarch need to be saved? The Monarch does not need anyone to save him because he is the lifeguard, the spiritual ruler of the town.
Say that eating the particular, delicious, food and then going into the water is a sin. Now, think about our life here on earth. We all sin and need someone to save us because we can't be "good enough" ourselves to eliminate our sins.
That is where Jesus comes in. Let's look at 1 John 1:8-10, it says, "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He(Jesus) is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us." This verse states unequivocally that Jesus will forgive our sins and thus, He is the only one who can save us.
Let us look further into just who Jesus really is! In the Bible, John 1:1-3, gives us one of the best accounts concerning Jesus, It says, "In the beginning was the Word (Jesus), and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made." In other words, Jesus was in existence from the beginning, from all eternity. Jesus was God and is God and He created all things.
Your question is: "Was Jesus Christ in the flesh (the man) saved?" The question might have been asked: "Did Jesus Christ need to be saved?" The answer to the last question is NO! Let's look at 1 Cor 15:24-25 to see why: "….in the end, when He (Jesus, God the Son) delivers the kingdom to God the Father, when He (Jesus) puts an end to all rule and all authority and power. For He (Jesus) must reign till He (Jesus) has put all enemies under His (Jesus) feet." It's very clear here that Jesus will terminate the control of all kings, rulers and presidents all around the world.

Here are a couple of additional verses that may be of some assistance.
1.Acts 4:9-12 "….let it be known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth (God the Son), whom you crucified, whom God(the Father) raised from the dead, by Him this man stands here before you whole……Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved." Only Jesus can save us!
2. Heb 4:14-16 "Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need." Note here that He (Jesus) was without sin. Therefore, there was nothing for Him to be saved from. He was perfect!!
I have also included below a chart titled "Who saves us God or Jesus, or are they the same". You will ascertain, with this information, that Jesus is in fact God, our LORD, Creator and Savior.
In the Service of Christ

WHO SAVES US, GOD OR JESUS? OR ARE THEY ONE AND THE SAME?
Old Testament Isa 43:11                  I, even I, am the Lord, and apart from me there is no Savior.

New Testament Acts 4:12                Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven (Jesus)

Old Testament Jonah 2:9                 Salvation comes from the Lord

New Testament Titus 2:13              The glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Old Testament 2Sam 22:12              ...Exalted be God, the rock, my Savior.

New Testament John 4:42                ...and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world.

Old Testament Isa 12:2                    Surely God is my Salvation

New Testament Heb 1:8                   But about the Son He says, your throne, Oh God, will last for ever and ever,...

Old Testament Isa 45:22                  Turn to me and be saved, all you ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other

New Testament Titus 3:4                 ...And love of God our Savior appeared, He saved us, ...through Jesus Christ our Savior

Old Testament Deut 1:17                 ...For judgement belongs to God

New Testament John 5:22                ...All judgement to the Son

Old Testament Isa 55:3                    ...Hear me that your soul may live

New Testament 1 John 5:20              ...In His Son Jesus Christ, He is the true God and eternal life

Old Testament Mal 3:6                     I the Lord do not change

New Testament Heb 13:8                 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever

Is Baptism required for salvation?
Greetings Michael and Claudia in the Precious Name of Jesus.
Thank you for your question: Is baptism required for salvation?
Your question is frequently asked. Unfortunately, many Christian denominations set "Requirements" for Salvation that have no Biblical basis. Baptism happens to be one of those so-called requirements. Other erroneous requirements are: 1. Speaking in tongues, 2. Confessing after every sin. 3. Attending only that particular church. There are others, all of which are wrong and very damaging.

Let's look at a passage in Romans 6:3 which says, "Do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death?" There are three parts of this blessing: that is, (1) the death and burial of the old man and/or his sin. (2) The resurrection of the new man, which descends into us, due to the benefit of our own death and burial. (3) The Resurrection of Christ, of which baptism is a sign and pledge. Please understand that baptism is used here as an outward sign (or pledge) that we will follow Jesus. It has nothing to do with salvation.

Now let's look at a verse from the LORD in Matt 28:18-20: "And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, 'All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you'". There is nothing here that says one must be baptized to be saved. Mark 16:15-16 says it a little differently but with the same meaning. "And He said to them, 'Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.'" Jesus does not say that if you are not baptized you will be damned. He is not saying that baptism is necessary to salvation, but that the person who is saved will be baptized. It is the rejection of Christ which brings eternal damnation. See what John the Baptist says, below.

John makes it very clear that the Lord Jesus Christ is superior, and he gives his followers this wonderful testimony concerning the Lord Jesus. "He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him." (John 3:36)
"He who believes in the Son has everlasting life." It is true for you right now, Michael and Claudia if you believe the Gospel of Jesus. It couldn't be any clearer than that. John the Baptist preached the gospel, as you can see. He told the men that they are lost without Christ, but they have everlasting life through faith in Christ. What a testimony this man had. What a tremendous witness to the LORD Jesus Christ.

Let's look at a verse that Paul wrote to the Roman church. This verse is used extensively when discussing Salvation. Romans 10:9 says; "......if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved." Simply put, if you believe that Jesus is God, our Creator and our Savior and that He rose from the dead, you are saved for all eternity. Of course, there is much more to learn and to do. This makes you a believer and is the first step on the road of Christian growth. Enjoy your time with Jesus!
Do you have a follow up question? ProJesus is here for you.
In the Love of Jesus:

Who forgives "Jesus the Savior"?
Greetings Shonna in the Precious Name of Jesus:
May I first apologize for the delay in this reply? We were doing some work on the web-site and the e-mail.
Your question was how can you have God forgive your sins and also be your savior?

Jesus is very simply "All things to all men and women". John 13:3 says
"Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands."
Thus, Jesus is God, He is the Creator of the universe and He is the Savior of the world. He is your Savior and mine. He forgives your sins and mine.

The Bible in Matt 9:2 says: "Then behold, they brought to Him a paralytic lying on a bed". When Jesus saw their faith and knowing full well that God and only God can forgive sins, "Jesus said to the paralytic, "Son, be of good cheer; your sins are forgiven you." This of course made the religious leaders of the day very angry because Jesus was saying that He in fact was God. They were angry to the point that they wanted to have Jesus killed.

This act by Jesus led to His suffering, His death on the cross and His Resurrection from the dead. Why did He do this for you and me? Because He loves us that much, that's why.

The Bible states in Romans 10:8-9, "if you confess with your mouth Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved." This verse makes it quite clear, if we sincerely believe that Jesus is God and He rose from the dead we will be saved. We will be with Jesus in Heaven for all eternity.
Now Shonna, who do you say that Jesus is?
In the Love of Jesus the Christ

Did God create good and evil?
Greetings Bill in the Precious Name of Jesus:
Once we understand that God is the all-powerful Creator it seems reasonable to conclude that he also preserves and governs everything in the universe as well. Though the term providence is not found in Scripture, it has been traditionally used to summarize God's ongoing relationship to his creation. Moreover, the biblical doctrine does not teach that events in creation by chance (or randomness), nor are they determined by impersonal but by God, who is the personal yet infinitely powerful and Lord.

We may define God's providence as follows: God is continually involved with all things in such a way that he (1) keeps them existing and maintaining the properties with which he created them; (2) cooperates with created things in every action, directing their distinctive properties to cause them to act as they do; and (3) directs them to fulfill his purposes.

What About Evil? If God docs indeed cause, through his providential activity, everything that comes about in the world, then the question arises, "What is the relationship between God and evil in the world?" Does God actually cause the evil actions that people do? If he does, then is God not responsible for sin?

In approaching this question, it is best first to read the passages of Scripture that most directly address it. We can begin by looking at several passages that affirm that God did, indeed, cause evil events to come about and evil deeds to be done. But we must remember that in all these passages it is very clear that Scripture nowhere shows God as directly doing anything evil, but rather as bringing about evil deeds through the willing actions of moral creatures.

Moreover, Scripture never blames God for evil or shows God as taking pleasure in evil, and Scripture never excuses human beings for the wrong they do. However we understand God's relationship to evil, we must never come to the point where we think that we are not responsible for the evil that we do, or that God takes pleasure in evil or is to be blamed for it. Such a conclusion is clearly contrary to Scripture.

There are literally dozens of Scripture passages that say that God (indirectly) brought about some kind of evil. Quoted here is an extensive list (in the next few paragraphs) because Christians often are unaware of the extent of this forthright teaching in Scripture. Yet it must be remembered that in all of these examples, the evil is actually done not by God but by people or demons who choose to do it.

A very clear example is found in the story of Joseph. Scripture clearly says that Joseph's brothers were wrongly jealous of him (Gen. 37:11), hated him (Gen. 37:4, 5, 8), wanted to kill him (Gen. 37:20), and did wrong when they cast him into a pit (Gen. 37:24) and then sold him into slavery in Egypt (Gen. 37:28). Yet later Joseph could say to his brothers, "God sent me before you to preserve life" (Gen. 45:5), and "You meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today'' (Gen. 50:20).s Here we have a combination of evil deeds brought about by sinful men who are rightly held accountable for their sin and the overriding providential control of God whereby God's own purposes were accomplished. Both are clearly affirmed.

The story of thc exodus from Egypt repeatedly affirms that God hardened the heart of Pharaoh: God says, "I will harden his heart" (Ex. 4:21), "I will harden Pharaoh's heart" (Ex. 7: 3), "the LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh" (Ex. 9:12), "the LORD hardened Pharaoh's heart" (Ex. 10:20, repeated in 10:27 and again in 11:10), "I will harden Pharaoh's heart" (Ex. 14:4), and "the LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt" (Ex. 14:8). It is sometimes objected that Scripture also says that Pharaoh hardened his own heart (Ex. 8:15, 32; 9:34), and that God's act of hardening Pharaoh's heart was only in response to the initial rebellion and hardness of heart that Pharaoh himself exhibited of his own free will. But it should be noted that God's promises that he would harden Pharaoh's heart (Ex. 4:21; 7:3) are made long before Scripture tells us that Pharaoh hardened his own heart (we read of this for the first time in Ex. 8:15).

Moreover, our analysis of concurrence given above, in which both divine and human agents can cause the same event, should show us that both factors can be true at the same time: even when Pharaoh hardens his own heart, that is not inconsistent with saying that God is causing Pharaoh to do this and thereby God is hardening the heart of Pharaoh. Finally, if someone would object that God is just intensifying the evil desires and choices that were already in Pharaoh's heart, then this kind of action could still in theory at least cover all the evil in the world today, since all people have evil desires in their hearts and all people do in fact make evil choices.

What was God's purpose in this? Paul reflects on Exodus 9:16 and says, "For the scripture says to Pharaoh, 'I have raised you up for the very purpose of showing my power in you, so that my name may be proclaimed in all the earth'"
More detail on this subject can be found in "Systematic Theology" by Wayne Grudem.

The following is an excellent paper written by Gregory Koukl. Mr. Koukl is founder and president of the organization "Stand to Reason", based in Southern California (www.str.org).
A GOOD REASON FOR EVIL by GREGORY KOUKL
What is evil? Could it have a purpose? Here is a view of evil from an adult rather than a childish perspective. The first step in answering the problem of evil is this: We've got to get clear on what this thing "evil" actually is. It does seem to follow that if God created all things, and evil is a thing, then God created evil. This is a valid syllogism. If the premises are true, then the conclusion would be true as well. The problem with that line of reasoning is that the second premise is not true.

Evil is not a thing. The person who probably explained it best was St. Augustine, and then Thomas Aquinas picked up on his solution. Others since them have argued that evil has no ontological status in itself. The word ontology deals with the nature of existence. When I say that evil has no ontological status, I mean that evil, as a thing in itself, does not exist.

Let me give you an illustration to make this more clear. We talk about things being cold or warm. But coldness is not a thing that exists in itself; it has no ontological status. Coldness is the absence of heat. When we remove heat energy from a system, we say it gets colder. "Cold" isn't a thing. It's a way of describing the reduction of molecular activity resulting in the sensation of heat. So the more heat we pull out of a system, the colder it gets. Cold itself isn't being "created." Cold is a description of a circumstance in which heat is missing. Heat is energy which can be measured. When you remove heat, the temperature goes down. We call that condition "cold," but there is no cold "stuff" that causes that condition.

Here's another way of looking at it. Did you ever eat a donut hole? I don't mean those little round sugar-coated lumps you buy at the donut shop. I mean the hole itself. Donut holes are actually what's left when the middle is cut out of a donut. There's a space called a hole, a "nothing," the condition that exists when something is taken away. Same thing with a shadow. Shadows don't exist as things in themselves; they're just the absence of light.

Evil is like that. Evil isn't like some black, gooey stuff floating around the universe that gloms onto people and causes them to do awful things. Evil is the absence of GOOD, a privation of good, not a thing in itself. When God created the universe, he created everything good. He made a universe that was perfectly GOOD. Everything was as it should be. After God was completely done with creating everything, something happened that reduced the good in the world. That loss of good is called evil. That's why in Genesis 1 we read "it was good" many times.

From the record we know that God didn't create evil. But something did happen in which evil-the loss of good-took place, and as a result a lot of other grotesque things came about. So donut holes don't exist; they're just the absence of donut. Shadows don't exist; they're just the absence of light. And evil doesn't exist; it's just the absence of good. The next question is, if God created everything good, why would He allow evil to infect His creation? Satan would be the first example of an independent source of evil.

Adam and Eve would also be a source of evil with regard to the human race. They didn't get Satan's evil; they initiated their own. Satan influenced them--he made his own hole in goodness--but Adam and Eve made their own holes in goodness. They're responsible for their own evil. It isn't that Satan did something bad and passed that stuff on to them, because evil is not a stuff. This is a key point in this discussion. They cannot "dip into" evil because it's not a thing to dip into.
When we make a shadow, we don't do it with shadow stuff, but by blocking existing light.

In the same way, evil doesn't cause our actions. In fact, it's the other way around. Our actions are what cause evil-or the loss of goodness-in us, and that loss of goodness does have an impact on future actions, giving us a predisposition to cause further evil. God did not create Adam and Eve with bad stuff in them. What He did was to create them with a capability to rebel against Him or choose to do wrong. This is called moral free will, and it's a good thing, but it can be used for bad. It can be used to rebel against God, which digs out a hole in goodness, so to speak.

Satan and man both used their free moral agency to originate actions that fell short of the goodness of God. I'm sure God had a good reason for allowing evil. It has caused a lot of suffering, but that suffering has, in turn, also brought about a lot of good under God's direction. When you forgive someone who's wronged you
and you treat him kindly, is that a good thing? Sure it is, but you couldn't forgive him if he hadn't done something bad against you. I'm not saying that we should do evil so that the good of forgiveness could come about. I'm showing that it's not a contradiction to claim that good can come out of evil.

It's not good to promote evil itself, but one of the things about God is that He's capable of taking a bad thing and making good come out of it. Mercy is one example of that. Without sin there would be no mercy. That's true of a number of good things: bearing up under suffering, dealing with injustice, acts of heroism, forgiveness, long-suffering. These are all virtues that cannot be experienced in a world with no sin and evil.

Now the real question at this point is, "Was it worth it? Good can come out of evil, but was it worth it in the long run, the measure of good that comes out of the measure of evil in the world?" And my response is that the only One who could ever know that is God. You and I couldn't know that because our perspective is too limited. Only God is in a position to accurately answer that question. Apparently God thinks that, on balance, the good is going to outweigh the evil that caused the good, or else He wouldn't have allowed it to happen.

Christ paid a tremendous price, an example of the tremendous love God had for us. God would not be able to show His sacrificial love unless there was something to sacrifice for.

Here's the problem, and this is why we don't think that, on balance, it's really a fair trade. We think that life is about giving us pleasure and making us happy. That's what we think. This view is very prevalent in the United States. Our personal happiness, pleasure, and enjoyment are the most important things in life. That's not what the Bible teaches at all, though. There are aspects of enjoyment, but the ultimate reason we were created was not so we can have fun and enjoy life. God's purpose for creating us was to develop us into certain types of people who were fit to spend eternity with Him. He does that by conforming us to His image by helping us grow through the process of living in a fallen world. This is part of the message of the book of Hebrews.

Even Jesus was conformed-made mature-by the process of suffering. In God's mind, the goal of the process-being conformed to the image of His Son-is a much greater good than the bad of the evil that we have to put up with on this earth. The balance is definitely on the side of good. I admit that this is not an easy issue, and part of the reason is that we bring some baggage to the discussion.

Part of the baggage is that we have this idea that if God put us here on this earth and created the world for us to live in, then it seems to make sense that the summum bonum-the greatest good-is our immediate sense of personal pleasure and satisfaction. Therefore, if there is some circumstance in which we can't have immediate satisfaction, then God must either have abandoned us, not exist, or be evil for allowing such a thing.

Last weekend I had a conversation with a young man about homosexuality. He challenged me with this point: Why would God create people as homosexuals if He didn't want them to experience the pleasure of homosexual sex? Now, of course, I didn't agree with Him that God created people to be homosexuals. It wasn't God's design that they have this desire. But even if I conceded such a thing, why must I admit that-since one was created with a capacity for pleasure-only a mean, cruel God would allow conditions in which they'd have to say no to that pleasure?

When you think about it for a moment, doesn't it strike you as odd that we've developed a view that in order for us to acknowledge God as good, He must give liberty to all of our passions? And if God doesn't give liberty to all of our passions, if He doesn't allow us what we want, when we want it, if He ever asks for self sacrifice, if He ever allows a condition in which we hurt, in which we suffer, in which we are inconvenienced, if He ever allows a circumstance in which our bodily desires are not given full reign, then certainly He must be a cruel God? Isn't that an odd view?

Do you know what kind of person thinks that way? A child. A child sees what it wants and goes to get it, and if it's stopped, that child puts up a fuss. I was with a little two-year-old today who wanted to go into the house while wearing muddy shoes. She was stopped, and she put up a fuss when her shoes were removed. Mom and Dad new, though, that there were other things more important than their daughter's desires at that moment. Now she didn't understand it. All she knew was what she wanted (understandably, by the way, she's a two-year-old; that's the way two-year-olds think). Unfortunately, we've bred a society that are, in many ways, like a bunch of adult two-year-olds, grown-ups who believe it's their divine right to feel every pleasure they can possibly feel, to never encounter any difficulty, any pain, any suffering. And if they do, then God must be a cruel God.

Now I realize that some of you might be thinking, "come on, Koukl, you're really whitewashing this, aren't you. How can so much egregious suffering be justified?" I don't at all mean to brush away the terrible impact of evil on people's lives. But I'm talking about a frame of mind that we do seem to have, a frame of mind that we are first and our pleasures are first and God owes that to us. And if He denies us our pleasures to any degree, then there must be something wrong with Him.

Now if God is a good God, and He denies us our pleasures, then I'll tell you one thing, there's a good reason He does so. That's what it means to be a good God. I'm not going to buy the idea-the infantile idea that Americans have-that in order for God to be considered good, He has to give me everything I want, when I want it, or conversely, He must protect me from every injury and every difficulty. No, it's fair to say that God has allowed suffering in the world for very good reasons, even though we're not clear on all of those reasons.

By the way, what's the alternative? If you co