The word “sin” appears 427 times in the King James Version of the Bible. That’s not counting appearances of all its derivations (sinful, sinner, sinning, etc.). The Biblical writers use nine Hebrew and three Greek terms in their discussions of it. It is central to the message of Scripture, and poses a potentially eternal threat to us all: “The wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). In light of this, we do well to understand it.
The Gospel Saves Posts
The above title is a fragment of what was spoken by the Lord to Moses and later written among the ten commandments. According to the book of Hebrews, they along with other matters of the Old Covenant are “. . . obsolete.” “Now what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.” (Heb.8:13)
A Times magazine article titled “Christians: No One Path to Salvation” reported in a survey that 70% of respondents agreed with the statement “Many religions can lead to eternal life.” ( Times Magazine, by: David Van Biema Monday, Jun. 23, 2008) This movement as a whole is very disturbing. It points to the erosion of biblical knowledge even by those claiming to be Christians.
Have you ever known someone who says they love you, yet their actions demonstrate that they do not love you? I know I have been guilty of such hypocrisy. Perhaps you have as well. Just as a living faith requires works, so too a living love requires action, “let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth.” (1 John 3:18) If you asked the average religious person, “Do you love God?”, I venture they would say, “Yes.” Of course, there might be some question as to WHICH god they love, but for those who believe in a monotheistic Creator, most would likely affirm their love. But then the question becomes, “What does it mean to love?” Is our love for God merely a verbal expression, a warm feeling, a sentimental tear? How do we express our love for God? How does He want us to express our love for Him? If God is Your Father, You Must Love the Son
Over the last sixty years there has been a drastic increase in the number of available Bible translations. By my count, there have been at least fifty full (both Old Testament and New Testament) English Bible translations published since 1949, and at least twenty-five of those fifty were published after 1990. It appears this trend will continue with more translations being published every year. There is no doubt that the Bible being translated from the original languages (Old Testament was written in Hebrew and New Testament was written in Greek) into other languages is a praiseworthy event.
The Protestant Reformation is rightly viewed as a reaction against the theological, doctrinal and moral abuses of the Roman Catholic Church. Many educated members of the Latin church applied reason and scripture to what they witnessed in the common European religion of the day and saw that not only was the papacy and the bishopric corrupt, but it was also unscriptural.
“I have faith, I just don’t believe in organized religion…” Wasn’t sure what to think when I heard this for the first time. A close friend of mine made this statement after listening to a long and lively classroom discussion on religion. This wouldn’t be the last time I would hear something like this. Another friend later said, “I go to church, but I’m not a member anywhere… Christianity is about a personal relationship with Jesus, not an affiliation with a specific church…” Each person had a very different approach to their faith, but they were equally disillusioned toward organized religion by past religious experiences.
With regard to the subject of life, the psalmist writes in Psalms 90:10, “The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away.” The strength, or boast, of this earthly life is labor and sorrow. Then we die. These are sobering words, to read that even in our best years we can expect nothing more than labor and sorrow.
“Then God said, `Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness …” (Genesis 1:26). “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”(Genesis 2:7). “So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him…” (Genesis 1:27). God imagined man, incorporated him, and imbued him with life. On the day of man’s making, God blessed the capstone of His creation (Genesis 1:28), teaching us that He who “…forms the spirit of man within him” (Zechariah 12:1) counts His creation valuable. This truth was further communicated in His declaration to Noah: “Surely for your lifeblood I will demand a reckoning; from the hand of every beast I will require it, and from the hand of man. From the hand of every man’s brother I will require the life of man. Whoever sheds man’s blood, by man his blood shall be shed; for in the image of God He made man” (Genesis 9:5-6). Clearly then, life is sacred, and its taking no small thing.
In the world, confidence is placed in the credentials of professionals. An honorable society of men and women bestow accolades upon their peers and those who join their ranks, giving them a standing. For the most part, we count on this when committing our affairs into the hands of others. It is generally wise to consult and do business with those who have some form of recognition in their field of expertise.