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Religion See other Religion Articles Title: What is the Meaning of Life? What is the Meaning of Life? Or, Is There More to Life Than Just This Brief Period of Time That We Suffer on This Earth? The Bible is an amazing book. Frustration results from a life course that conflicts with the Creator’s requirement and his guidelines for happiness. Galatians 6:7,8 warns; “Do not be mislead: God is not one to be mocked. For whatever a man is sowing, this he will also reap; because he who is sowing with a view to his flesh will reap corruption from his flesh.” Galatians 5:19-21; Now the works of the flesh are manifest, and they are fornication, uncleanness, loose conduct, idolatry, practice of spiritism, enmities, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, contentions, divisions, sects, envies, drunken bouts, revelries, and things like these. As to these things I am forewarning you, the same way as I did forewarn you, that those who practice such things will not inherit God’s kingdom. When I read the above quoted Scripture, I always wonder about people who complain about the Bible. What possible objection can anyone have to the Bible when it offers such good advice?! And then I remember, because many people are addicted to one or more of the works of the flesh listed. Understanding grows. Romans 5:12; “Through one man (Adam) sin entered into the world and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men because they had all sinned.” But is that the end of it? Sin? Romans 6:23; For the wages sin pays is death, but the gift God gives is everlasting life by Christ Jesus our Lord. What does this mean? It means that we have paid for our sins with our death. But before you get too comfortable with that thought, you should note that Adam will not be resurrected. Turns out, there are more requirements than simply living and dying, or, claiming to accept Jesus Christ. And the more I read the Bible, and understand, the cleaner my life becomes, and the less pressure I experience. Part of this is because with my learning has come understanding of the promises made to us by Jehovah, and, the knowledge that in the history of the world, Jehovah has never broken one of His promises. He always keeps His Word. John 3:16; For God loved the world so much that he gave his only-begotten Son, in order that everyone exercising faith in him might not be destroyed but have everlasting life. Everlasting life, yep, that’s the promise, but the caveat to that is; might not be destroyed. It is one … or the other. There is no fence, and there are no time-outs. Exercising faith in him … or destruction. And is Jehovah serious about this? Revelation 3:16; So, because you are lukewarm and neither hot nor cold, I am going to vomit you out of my mouth. Ummmm. Lukewarm = no fences. Perhaps we had better take a closer look at what this means before we get to the rest of the promises. John 17:3; This means everlasting life, their taking in knowledge of you, the only true God, and of the one whom you sent forth, Jesus Christ. So you see, there are requirements. Think of it as a test, just like in school, but in this school (which is what the earth really is, and our lives are spent trying to graduate!), failure exacts a very, very high price. Then you come to the other side of the coin; understanding the knowledge once you have gained it, and here is where most, those who actually do read all of or at least parts of the Bible, fail. John 17:15,16; "I request you, not to take them out of the world, but to watch over them because of the wicked one. They are no part of the world, just as I am no part of the world. Do you understand that part, my friends? Because I understood most of it, but I have a much more comprehensive knowledge of it now. And there is one more point, a very, very important one, one that I was very confused about; James 2:26; Indeed, as the body without spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead. To understand this somewhat, you need one more Scripture; Matthew 28:18,19; And Jesus approached and spoke to thgem, saying: "All authority has been given me in heaven and on the earth. Go therefore and make disciples of people 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 the things I have commanded you. And look! I am with you all the days until the conclusion of the system of things." Disciple In Christianity, the disciples were the students of Jesus during his ministry. Though often restricted to the Twelve Apostles, the gospels refer to varying numbers of disciples. In the Book of Acts, the Apostles themselves have disciples. The word disciple is used today as a way of self-identification for those who seek to learn from the life of Jesus. Does it say anything in there about ministers or priests? No? And why not? Because in the new covenant, there are no ministers or priests; WE ARE THE ONES RESPONSIBLE for preaching the Kingdom of God on earth. No more Levites. And this preaching of the Kingdom of God is the Works referred to in James 2:26; i.e., to become a witness for Jehovah. Perhaps that may explain a couple of things that you may not have understood very well before. So if you are involved in a tax exempt church, one that assures you that, hey, don’t worry! Be happy! We got it all handled for you, and by the way, remember, everything you give us is tax exempt….. Perhaps you should re-examine some of your priorities… that is, if you believe in God. It is worth noting that this is your choice, because He does not force anyone to exercise faith, or to believe; but if you do not, then He will not believe in you either. And we exercise faith because…. Matthew 20:28; “The Son of man (Jesus Christ) came, not to be ministered to, but to minister and to give his soul a ransom in exchange for many.” Hebrew 5:9; “After he (Jesus Christ) had been made perfect he became responsible for everlasting salvation to all those obeying him.” John 3:36; he that exercises faith in the Son has everlasting life; he that disobeys the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God remains upon him. And to repeat; John 17:3; This means everlasting life, their taking in knowledge of you, the only true God, and of the one whom you sent forth, Jesus Christ. What is the purpose of human life? Basic to having purpose in our lives is recognition of the Source of life. If life were the product of mindless chance, our existence would, of necessity, be without purpose, and there would be no dependable future for which we could plan. Of necessity, you need to decide which it is, mindless chance, or, if we have been promised a certain future. And if you decide that we have a certain, dependable future, you need to decide if it is something that is worth working for and towards. As for me and mine, we have made that choice. I hope you also chose wisely. Acts 5:42; And every day in the temple and from house to house they continued without letup teaching and declaring the good news about the Christ, Jesus. If you have questions, please ask. Privately if you wish, of course. I have access to so much more information now that quite possibly I can answer any serious question. Blessings to you all. Richard
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#2. To: richard9151 (#0)
I have a real problem with James, the brother of Christ. After all, his family thought he was nuts when he was ministering. James apparently only had a somewhat change of heart in the message of Jesus Christ when he saw him after the resurrection and before His ascension. And at that wanted a different set of 'rules' or 'regulations' for Israelites and Gentiles. Further, when Christ was crucified, why did He put Mary into the hands of disciple John for taking care of--this would be a responsibility for the eldest son. And, my main problem with James is that by insisting that you have to do works in order for faith to be alive means that what Jesus Christ did on the cross was not enough, that is to say, when he says to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and be saved, that isn't true--that YOU have to do something, that YOU contribute to being saved. Having just spent time reading some about canonization, it seems the earliest of the church fathers did NOT believe James should be canonized.
I was going to leave this alone, but I simply can not. Luke 12:51-53; Do you imagine that I came to give peace on the earth? No, indeed, I tell you, but rather division. 52 For from now on there will be five in one house divided, three against two and two against three. 53 They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against (her) mother, mother-in-law against (her) daughter-in-law and daughter- in-law against (her) mother-in-law. AND: Luke 14:26; "If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own soul, he cannot be my disciple. 27 Whoever is not carrying his torture stake and coming after me cannot be my disciple. Now, what were you saying about James' family making fun of him? I wonder why.
I didn't say the family was making fun of James.....they thought Jesus was a 'looney tune'. And what is your concern regarding Jesus Christ splitting the wheat from the chaff, er family believers/faithers from non believers/faithers?
I have no concern. It is an individual choice. NO ONE CAN MAKE IT FOR YOU, and no one can force you to chose. Nor, can anyone protect you from the consequenses of your choice. It is wholly yours, as it should be. This is why, when we are faced with non-believers who will not change we are told to shake the dust off of our sandals and move it on down the road to someone more receptive. And for those reasons, no one, and I mean no one, could ever come between me and my choice. Family or otherwise.
#16. To: richard9151 (#14)
I agree with you wholeheartedly. I turned my back on God a long, long time ago.........but never again. I am so thankful the Holy Spirit keeps opening my eyes more and more to the Word, its meanings and applications.......and pray it continues til its time for the next phase of the journey.
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