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Monday, 29 June 2009

**Are YOU A New Christian? Welcome, My Brother! - Here's Whut To Expect:**

Your New Life in Christ

Starts right away

If you just now prayed to God and invited Jesus to come into your life as your Lord and Savior, you have begun your new life in Christ. Jesus has entered into a personal relationship with you. Or maybe it has been awhile since you made that prayer, confessed your sins, acknowledged that Jesus is Lord, and invited Jesus to come into your heart and life. In either case, if you were sincere, you should begin to experience the work of the Holy Spirit right away as he begins to make you into a new person. Just as a new-born baby is no longer in a sack of amniotic fluid in its mother’s womb, so you are now in the world as a “new creation” (according to Paul in 2 Corinthians 5:17), having been “born” of the Spirit (as explained by Jesus in John 3:6). You have a new life as a new person in Christ Jesus, and your situation is new and different. You have been “born again”. You have been given a fresh start in life.
My Personal Testimony, Of The Miracles Jesus Christ Performed In My Life In 11/06/2006!

New emotions

One of your new emotions may be an immediate sense of having a heavy burden lifted off of you. This is your sins being taken from you by Jesus who bore them on the Cross so that God could forgive you and receive you into his family as one of his “children” (see John 1:12). As Jesus explained to Nicodemus, “...God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned....” (John 3:17–18) You are now in the world as a forgiven sinner. There is nothing that you did to earn God’s forgiveness. It is his gift of grace to you through Jesus when you accepted him by faith as your Savior and Lord. That is a really good gift!

God’s forgiveness is real and personal. You should experience a feeling of joy and relief as you are given new life through his grace. Your mood should be one of praise and thanksgiving for what God has done for you. As David, Israel’s great king who himself was forgiven by God, says, “rejoice in the Lord and be glad, you righteous, all you who are upright in heart.” (Psalm 32:11) Your heart has been made “upright” and “righteous” through God’s forgiving grace and cleansing power in his Son and the Holy Spirit. Your old heart that had been deadened by your sins has been replaced by a new heart that is vibrant and healthy through the indwelling presence of Jesus Christ in your life (see Colossians 2:13).

Your emotional mood may change from time to time, but don’t let that make you anxious about your new life. It is based on God’s promise to those who believe, not your feelings. As John says in his first letter, “and this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.” (1 John 5:11–12) That is a good word of instruction.

New initial perceptions

You may immediately perceive yourself, those close to you, and your worldly situation in new and different ways. This is to be expected. As Paul says, “from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view.....The new has come!“ (2 Corinthians 5:16–17) Individuals with whom you have a close relationship may be seen in the new light of God’s love and glory because some of the impressions created by your selfish sinful rebellion have been removed by the new lenses of God’s forgiveness and transforming power. They may appear to be more beautiful and friendly than they have ever been. People that you once considered to be your personal enemies may no longer be seen with much fear and hostility.

Your situation in the world may take on a new perspective. Things that once appeared to be insurmountable problems may no longer be so large. Material issues and desires may no longer have the same priority and appeal. Habits and friends that may have seemed to provide so much fun and pleasure may no longer be as enjoyable as they once were.

As you humbly share the results and blessings of your new life in Christ with others, they will also begin to see you in new and different ways. The change that they see in you may please some of them, but it may offend others. That is to be expected. Not every one of Jesus’ contemporaries was comfortable in his presence.

Your first steps

Your first steps as a new person in Jesus Christ should be taken as you hold his hand, as you trust yourself to his upholding strength and guiding wisdom. He died to give you new life, and he doesn’t want the Devil to crush it out of you or to see you all buised and bloody because you have been trying to walk around too soon on your own. It is one thing for a toddler to learn to walk in the safe comfort of his/her carpeted living room. It is quite a different situation were he/she to try to learn to walk in the middle of a busy four-lane highway.

Paul, writing to new Christians in Thessalonica, told them to “pray continually” (1 Thessalonians 5:17). You may be nervous and somewhat unsteady as you try out your new legs of faith. That is why Paul told his Christian friends in Philippi to “do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6–7). Keep your prayers simple and use your own sincere words of praise and request. God really loves to hear such prayers from his children.

One of the psalmists gives us this wise instruction: “How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your (the LORD'S) word. I will seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands. I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.” (Psalm 119:9–11) As you take your first steps as a new Christian, do so with an open Bible in your hand. The Bible is your “owners manual”. It is your book of instructions for your new life.

It may seem to be “grown up” to start walking about with an attitude of independence and arrogant confidence, but as a “new born” child of God you are not strong enough or wise enough to go to battle on your own against the Devil. You might start your new walk with Jesus by reading the book of Ephesians in the New Testament. It is a short book in which Paul describes the basic blessings that God has given to you through Jesus Christ. The brief letters of 1st, 2nd. and 3rd John may also be helpful. John is very practical and clear in these instructions and teaching. The book of James also has some good practical guidance for Christians. To learn more about Jesus read the gospels of John and Luke.

Start every day with a few minutes of reading from your Bible and prayer for God’s protection and guidance through the day. You can find various books and resources for such daily devotions at your local Christian book store or on the Internet. One excellent devotional resource is published by Ron Hutchcraft Ministries. “A Word With You” is his free email message that can come to you regularly through your email provider, if you choose to subscribe.

Become active in God’s family

When God gave you a new life in Christ, he also provided for you a local group of “brothers” and “sisters”, other believers in Jesus with whom you can now fellowship as you seek to grow in God’s grace and love. You will find these spiritual “relatives” in a church in your community or area. Make sure that the group, congregation, and its leaders are recognizing that Jesus is the “head” of their “body” of believers and that the Bible, God’s Word, is the authority and guide for their worship and teachings.

This local family of fellow believers should welcome you with a friendly spirit and be ready to help you to grow in your new life and walk with Jesus. They should provide a weekly opportunity for you to join with others in uplifting experiences of worship and praise to God. The pastor’s preaching should be instructive and encouraging. There should be classes in which you can get some teaching in biblical doctrines and the history of God’s revelation in the world and in his work with his family of “children” in the Church and with his special people, the Jews. If they offer a variety of small groups on various types of personal problems or concerns or particular aspects of spiritual growth and development, you might also join such a gathering to share in their supporting fellowship and study. Such a group can be very helpful as you make the transition from your old life to your new life in Christ.

When you received new life in Christ, you also received at least one personal spiritual gift from God through the Holy Spirit. This gift is a special ability that God has given to you for you to use in your new life of worship and service. It may be a gift of wisdom or one of knowledge. It may be a gift to teach or one to serve in some position of administration within a church. It may a gift to enable you to provide psychological or even physical healing for someone. It may be a special gift of hospitality or one that provides strength and encouragement and comfort to others, and there are other gifts. No gift is given to make you superior to someone else who may have a different gift.

Paul has a lot to say about “spiritual gifts” in his letter of 1 Corinthians. Your pastor and other leaders and teachers in your church family should be able and willing to help you to recognize and to effectively put your spiritual gift to good use in your new life. Don't wait too long to unwrap your spiritual gift and begin to use it. God will be greatly pleased as you use it, and your use of it will produce many blessings in your life and that of others.

Be on your guard

Although you have been given a fresh start in life and a new life in Christ, you are still living on a “battlefield”. The Devil and his servants and soldiers will still be out to get you, to hurt you, to disable you, to make your service to God and others ineffective, to persecute you, to take away the joy of your walking with Jesus, to discourage you as you continue to sin, and to generally seek to deprive you of the “full” life or the “abundant” life (see John 10:10) that God has given to you in Christ.

When you sin, and you will, and again displease God or dishonor Jesus your Lord and Savior, confess your sin in prayer and ask God for his cleansing and strengthening power. It is promised to you according to 1 John 1:9. If you have been spiritually hurt by any of the Devil’s weapons, ask God for his comforting and healing touch. David, the ancient king of Israel, was a sinner who faced a lot of violent enemies in his life, but he said “O LORD my God, I called to you for help and you healed me.” (Psalm 30:2)

Every morning as you get up and get ready for another day, “put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness” (Ephesians 4:24). Continue to read these words of Paul in Ephesians 4:25–6:18. You will find some very practical and helpful instructions that will enable you to live your new life in Christ with victory, joy, and confidence that your fresh start and new life in Christ will not be in vain. It will be a good life.

In chapter 6 verses 11–18 of Ephesians Paul describes the spiritual “armor” that you had better wear while on the “battlefield” of this world. Don’t give in or surrender to the Devil and his tempting sins for one minute. In his letter to the Romans Paul states with confidence that “neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38–39) You may be a new young child of God, but he has not left you alone to fight off the enemy and survive by yourself.

Includes a great inheritance

The benefits of your fresh start and new life in Christ are not limited to the physical duration of your human life on earth, but they are greatly increased when you join God and Jesus in his eternal heavenly kingdom. There you will receive “every spiritual blessing in Christ” and share in “the riches of his (God’s) glorious inheritance in the saints” (Ephesians 1:3, & 18). Our minds cannot comprehend the complete eternal inheritance that God has reserved for his children.

May God really bless you in your new life in Christ. If you have questions about this matter or this statement, you may address them to Me, Mr. Andrew Friedman.
**Here's Why YOU Should Investigate Christianity, & Give J.C A Chance In Yer Life:**
Why investigate Christianity?

Why is Christianity worth investigating? Why think about the questions of religion or God at all?

Benefits of Christianity

Do you have peace when you think about yourself, your past, your future, your death? Do you want to know what the purpose of your life is? Do you want to be a better person? Do you want to be fully loved and fully understood? Do you want to have a friend who is always there, who is able to help you in any situation; a teacher who knows everything and knows the best way to teach you; a hero who always does what is right, who is capable of bringing about justice, who will never disappoint you by doing wrong?

If you have a desire for any of these these things, it is well worth your while to investigate Christianity, for Christ can and will provide you with all of them (see Do atheists need God?).

Intellectual integrity

You may have decided that Christianity is false or that there are no gods. How did you come to that conclusion? If you decided that the notion of God existing was silly or that Christians are stupid and/or hypocrites, you've judged a book by its cover. We as a society have learned that one shouldn't judge people by their accents or skin color, but by who they are - which can only be done by talking to people and getting to know them. Likewise, there's no way of knowing if Christianity is true or not unless you investigate its claims for yourself by reading the Bible, praying, etc.

How much are you willing to bet on your current beliefs?

Some Christians use Pascal's Wager as an argument for becoming a Christian: if God exists and there's an afterlife, it's best to be a Christian and enter heaven rather than hell; but even if there's no God, nothing is lost by becoming a Christian. While I don't view this as the best reason for becoming a Christian, Pascal's Wager does serve to raise the question of how much we are willing to bet on our beliefs. The questions of the existence of God and truth of Christianity are not merely abstractions or matters of opinion. If the Bible is correct (or if Judaism or Islam are correct, for that matter), there is a God and an eternal afterlife, and our eternal state depends on the choices we make while we're here - including the choice of whether to investigate Christianity or ignore it.
Benefits of Christianity

What's in it for me?

Introduction

Before I describe the benefits I am aware of that are available to a Christian, I feel it is necessary to first give a quick explanation of what it actually means to be a Christian. It does not mean, as many would think, attending church once a week or in some cases twice a year. It means both more and less than that..

To be a Christian, you must first believe in God. Not just any god either, but a real God who has created the universe and relates to us personally. Christians believe this God is omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient, all-good, and all-loving. He is perfect in every way.

Furthermore, you must believe that there is a problem with the human race. Namely, that we are all imperfect and that no amount of willpower or attempts at greatness will erase the fact that mankind is inherently evil. This belief should not be too difficult to conclude; crimes against humanity are committed daily and not a single person lacks selfish and destructive motives. This evil tendency is what Christians call “sin”, and unfortunately this is what separates us from God.

Next, you must believe that there was once born a man named Jesus who was the son of God, and who was sent to Earth by God to take the punishment for the sins of mankind by being crucified on a cross. Because Jesus lived a sinless and perfect life, he was the only one qualified to take the punishment for everyone else, allowing for reconciliation between mankind and God.

Lastly, God asks only one thing in return for the forgiveness of your sins, and that is to put your faith in Jesus Christ and to surrender your life to Him. This is the most difficult part, because you must choose between serving yourself and loving the world versus loving others and serving God, and our whole lives we choose the former by default.

This article will not attempt to persuade its readers to believe in these things on the basis of evidence or argument. There are plenty of resources available which effectively argue the truth of the above propositions. Instead my goal is to show the reader what the direct benefits are of allowing Jesus to become the lord of your life and your savior, if you do decide that you believe.

I will quote verses from the Bible assuming that you already believe in it, in order to explain the main benefits as I see them.

Eternal Life

The Bible states that “The wages of sin are death” (Romans 6:23), and not only that but “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). Without someone to pay those wages, you will surely die. John 17:3 says, “This is eternal life—to know the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom He has sent.” Jesus also says “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father (God) except through me.” It is clear that Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross was meant to give eternal life to the men and women who have faith in him.

Not only that, but once you have accepted Christ as your savior, you will never lose your salvation. Consider John 10:28, “I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand.”

Guidance and Direction (The Holy Spirit)

John 14:16, “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate to be with you forever. This is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, because he abides with you, and he will be in you.”

Jesus is talking about the Holy Spirit here, the third part of the Trinity. When you become a Christian, you receive the power of the Holy Spirit within you, which has the following benefits:

He guides us to the truth [John 16:13]
Assures us that we are children of God [Romans 8:16]
Acts as an intercessory between you and God during prayer [Romans 8:26]
Gives us hope [Romans 15:13]
Strengthens us [Ephesians 3:16]

The Holy Spirit then, is our personal link to God the Father. When we pray or read the Bible, the Holy Spirit is the one who will let us communicate with God. Through the Spirit we can discern God’s will for our lives, giving us guidance and direction.

Fruits of the Spirit

This may be one of my favorite things about being a Christian. If we “walk with the Spirit”, then our character improves in the following ways, as described in Galatians 5, verse 22:

Love
Joy
Peace
Patience
Kindness
Generosity
Faithfulness
Gentleness
Self-control

Because God has a purpose for our lives as Christians, he works in us through the Holy Spirit to improve us in these ways. Although ultimately these character improvements work to serve Him, they also benefit us in the process. Who couldn’t use a little bit more patience, peace, hope, or love?

The nice thing about this improvement is that we don’t have to do it all ourselves, via sheer willpower. God is the one who will shape and mold us in this way if we merely trust in Him.

Joy

This is one of the fruits of the Spirit, but I think that it deserves special mention. It’s not as important as love of course, but I will talk about this one because it’s not well understood. Joy is not pretending to be happy when you are actually depressed, nor is it genuinely being happy all the time.

What joy really means is that you are content in all situations. In Philippians 4:12, Paul writes, “In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being well-fed and of going hungry, of having plenty and of being in need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” Christians can find peace knowing that God is in control, no matter the current circumstances.

A Purpose

In John 17, Jesus prays to God for himself, his disciples, and for the world. It is here that we find the reason why God doesn’t take us straight to heaven once we accept Jesus—it’s because we have a job to do! “I am not asking you to take them out of the world, but I ask you to protect them from the evil one.” He also says, “As you have sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world.”

We have a duty to share Christ’s love with others, just as it has been shown to us. God wants to use us, the weak, to proclaim Christ to the mighty.

Paul reiterates this point, saying “My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better; but to remain in the flesh is more necessary for you.” [Philippians 1:23].

And let’s not forget Matthew 28:19, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Lasting Impact

A man’s natural instinct is to spend his whole life trying to be successful, rich, and powerful. The natural man focuses all of his energy on himself and his accomplishments. Ultimately a life focused on success leads to shallow relationships and selfish endeavors.

Jesus has a different plan for our lives. John 13:15 says, “Greater love hath no man than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.”

Matthew 6:19-21 says, “"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

Jesus is saying that the only thing that really matters when it comes to your life is how you stand in relation to the Creator of the Universe, and whether your life is eternal or temporary.

As a Christian, you can share God’s gift of reconciliation with those around you in order to make their lives better. Your impact on them will likely produce fruit in their lives that has an impact on others who they interact with. By introducing even one person to Christ, you have the potential to influence thousands or millions of people before the end of time.

Eradication of Fear

Fear has a crippling effect on our lives if unchallenged, leaving us weakened, disheartened, and miserable. We fear losing our jobs, losing material possessions, and losing loved ones. We fear heights and uncomfortable social situations. We fear criticism and judgment from others. But we don’t need to fear any of these things.

1st John 4:18 says, “There is no fear in love. But perfect love casts out all fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears has not yet been fully formed in love.”

With God in heaven and our salvation secure, there is no reason to fear anything on this earth. For even if we die, we achieve a much greater happiness than we now have. And we know that there is nothing we cannot face if God is with us.

2nd Timothy 1:7, “For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.”

Divine Support (Prayer)

Prayer is the Christian’s way to talk to God. Through prayer, we can praise Him, thank Him, confess our sins to Him, and petition Him for the things we desire. We can ask for His guidance and listen for His advice. When we pray, we have confidence that God loves to answer our prayers.

Mark 11:24 says, “Whatever you ask for in prayer, believe you have received it and it shall be given to you.”

Luke 11:9-11 says, "So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.”

John 14:13-14 says, “I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If in my name you ask me for anything, I will do it.”

James 5:16, “Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.”

Freedom

Once we accept Christ as our personal savior, we are freed from the bondage that sin puts on our lives. Romans 8:1-2 says, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.”

Romans 6:5 says, “For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. We know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be destroyed, and we might no longer be enslaved to sin. For whoever has died is freed from sin. But if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him.”

Pure Heart and Mind

Philippians 4:8 says, “Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”

Psalm 51:10, “Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.”

Matthew 5:8, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.”

James 3:17, “But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-¬loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.”

True Love
We all need love. But we are as equally unable to show others true love as we are to successfully receive it. But God’s love for us is perfect, and true, and because of it we have the capacity to love others.

“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.” [1st Corinthians 13:4-8]

1st John 4:19 says, “We love because God first loved us.”

Because of God’s abundant love for us, we can truly love others the way that God loves them. It is never enough to simply say “I care”—we have to act in order to demonstrate our love. Feelings of compassion are worthless without making a sacrifice and taking action to help the person you love.

Love is never easy. But if you walk with God, He will give you a bigger heart for those who are hurting. He will give you the desire, the power, and the means to serve others with all of your heart.

Earthly Benefits in Being a Christian

Often in my life I have heard a Christian declare, "I would want to be a Christian even if Christianity were not true." In other words, the temporal benefits of Christianity are so great that they make it worthwhile even if there is no such thing as eternal life in heaven. But Paul says, "If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable" (1 Cor. 15:19). How do we account for the difference in perspective? Paul lived under severe persecution. A Christian in modern America does not. He need not endure continual ugly opposition to his faith or continual danger of torture and martyrdom.

But does Paul mean that there are no earthly benefits in being a Christian? Certainly not.

A Christian can participate in a loving community of believers (John 13:35).
A Christian can rear children according to principles and under influences that will protect them from vice and its destructive consequences (Prov. 4:10-13). We need not tell you here how vice ruins health and character and shortens life.
A Christian can enjoy the ministry of the Holy Spirit.
He teaches us (John 14:26; 1 John 2:27).
He guides us (Rom. 8:14).
He gives us inward happiness (Gal. 5:22-3).

A Christian can have daily fellowship with God (1 John 1:3).

Yet notice that all these benefits (and many more we could list) depend on Christianity being true. Without the power of God there can be no love and no victory over sin beyond what is available outside of Christianity, and without the Holy Spirit there can be no supernatural assistance and happiness. Thus, Paul says that if Christ be not raised, our faith is vain (1 Cor.. 15:17).

But great as the temporal benefits of Christianity may be, they pale next to the eternal benefits.

Eternal Benefits in Being a Christian

A Glorified Body

The Bible teaches that when Christ returns to gather the church, all dead believers will, at His spoken command, rise from the grave (John 5:25-29). Then all believers who are alive will be caught up into the air together with the raised dead and the whole church will meet Christ (1 Thess. 4:16-17). At the moment of resurrection or rapture, each believer will receive a new body (1 Cor. 15:52-3). The promise of a new body capable of life in heaven naturally stirs in our minds a number of questions—questions that the Bible is willing to answer.

Whom will we resemble?

We will resemble angels (Matt. 22:30). The angels are glorified beings (in other words, beings invested with brilliant radiance). Hence, the Bible compares them to stars (Rev. 1:20; compare Rev. 9:1 and 10:1). Moreover, the angels are powerful beings. A single angel smote the Assyrian army (2 Kings 19:35).
We will resemble Christ Himself (Phil. 3:21; 1 John 3:2). In His glorified state, He is magnificent beyond description (Rev. 1:13-6).

What kind of body will we have?

When Paul deals with this question, he conceives of the questioner as someone who cannot imagine what a resurrected body will be like and who, as a result, has decided that bodily resurrection is impossible. Paul calls that person a fool (1 Cor. 15:35-6) and relieves his ignorance by describing the body we will acquire before we go to meet Christ. It will have the following characteristics (1 Cor. 15:42-4):

It will be incorruptible—that is, immortal. After we have obtained it, we will never die.
It will be glorified, meaning that it will exude a radiance of light (Matt. 13:43; Dan. 12:3).
It will be powerful. We will be able to do things we cannot now imagine. Some of the remarkable abilities exhibited by Jesus in His risen body give us an inkling of what lies in store for us.
He could disappear (Luke 24:31). As He was eating with the disciples He had met on the road to Emmaus, He suddenly vanished.
He could appear out of nothing (Luke 24:36-37). As the disciples sat in the Upper Room, He suddenly became visible in their midst.
He could pass into a closed room (John 20:19). The Upper Room was shut tight when He entered and appeared to the people inside. It has been conjectured that barriers in three dimensions could not hinder Him because He existed in four dimensions.
He could rise in the air (Acts 1:9). At the Ascension, He went up into a cloud as the discples watched, gravity having no limiting effect on Him. At the rapture or resurrection of our bodies, we will also be able to fly, as it were. It will probably be in our own power that we will rise to meet Christ in the air (1 Thess. 4:15-17). For this reason, when Scripture speaks of the saints gathering to Christ at His descent, it compares them to eagles (Luke 17:37).
He could traverse distances in a brief time (compare John 20:11-17 with Matt. 28:8-10). He went directly from Mary in the garden to the women who were running away from the garden.
He could even change His appearance (Mark 16:12). Angels also have this ability. Several texts report them having the form of a man (Dan. 9:21; Mark 16:5), but we should not suppose that these beings, created before man, look human when they take their places in the court of heaven. After all, the design of our bodies represents an ingenious adaptation to the special conditions of life on the earth. But not only can angels make themselves look like men, they can assume an appearance so strongly human that people on occasion have mistaken them for men (Heb. 13:2). When in human form, they can perform acts possible only for a material being, such as eating (compare Gen. 18:1-8 with 19:10) and touching (Gen. 19:16).

It will be spiritual. We will inhabit not only the currently visible realm of the universe, but also the currently invisible realm of spiritual beings; namely, angels and demons. We will have spiritual bodies, but we will not be spirits. All the dead, both righteous (Heb. 12:22-23) and unrighteous, are spirits while they await resurrection.. But they are not disembodied ghosts. The rich man in hell had eyes, and he felt the whole gamut of bodily sensations. He could hear, see, thirst, feel the pain of fire, and probably also smell the fire’s smoke (Matt. 16:24-27). When Samuel and other righteous spirits rose from Hades to confront Saul, Samuel had a visible presence in bodily form clothed with a mantle, and he had a voice (1 Sam. 28:8-14). He was even recognizeable as an old man.. The witch who was looking on was terrified at the sight, unlike anything she had ever seen before, despite her claim to be a medium for communication with the dead. She called the ascending spirits “gods.” Evidently they were majestic and shining. Yet Jesus said that a spirit lacks flesh and bones (Luke 24:39). In other words, it is not composed of matter. Although it looks like a body and has sensations parallel to bodily experience, it is not made of actual atoms and molecules. Of what then is it made? It must consist solely of light. We can only speculate on how a being of light can seemingly retain bodily characteristics, yet, now that modern physics has identified light as the fundamental reality, we cannot dismiss the possibility that fuller knowledge would resolve the paradox. But when we are raised from the dead, we will not then be spirits. We will have real material bodies, although they will also be spiritual, in the sense that they will have the capacity to enter the dimension where angels and other invisible beings dwell. How will God give us material existence? Just as He created Adam out of dust, so He will recreate us from our scattered remains.

Will we be able to recognize each other?

In the four respects just listed our bodies will resemble Christ's. Yet it does not follow that we will look alike. According to Paul, we will all have a different glory (1 Cor. 15:41-2)—a distinctive and individual appearance—and for this reason we will be able to recognize each other instantly.

Will there be marriage in heaven?

No, there will be neither the continuation of old marriages nor the formation of new marriages (Matt. 22:30). Presumably, then, there will also be no sexual love.

Why did God create human beings as male and female? So that they might be fruitful and multiply (Gen. 1:27-8). The chief purpose of marriage is procreation (Mal. 2:15). But in heaven there will be no bearing of children. Since marriage and sexual love will serve no purpose, God will abolish both, although we may retain our sexual identities. In His resurrected body, Jesus still looked like a man—a male human being. So it may be that men will still be men, at least in spirit and personality, and women will still be women. Yet on such a question, we can only speculate.

Although God will do away with marriage, we will feel no disappointment, for three reasons:

We will no longer have an instinctive desire for sexual love, so we will have no sense of being deprived.
Although there will be no marriage, there will be special friendships. An important basis for friendship will be the indebtedness we feel toward those who nurtured us spiritually during our life on earth (Luke 16:9). Yet there will be every other conceivable basis for friendship as well, including common interests and shared reponsibilities. Another will be continuation of family relationships. The love we have for people on earth will not diminish but grow. Love is good, and nothing truly good can perish. So I am confident that my very special friend on earth—my wife—will also be my very special friend in heaven. I have often imagined that her mansion will be next door to mine.
Who created marriage? If God can create something so precious and satisfying as marriage to enrich our lives in a sinful world, what else might He give us in heaven that we will enjoy even more (1 Cor. 2:9; Psa. 16::11)?

Escape from Evil

Every manner of evil experience will cease forever.

Every cause of physical discomfort will be removed (Rev. 7:16). We will never again suffer from hunger, thirst, blinding light, or heat.
Every cause of mental anguish will be removed (Rev. 21:4). There will be no more "death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain."
We will escape from every chronic disability. As Isaiah promised, “Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing” (Isa. 35:5-6).
The world we will inhabit in eternity will no longer be under the judgment of God (Rev. 22:3). The penalties imposed on nature and society in consequence of the Fall will be lifted (Gen. 3:15-9).
There will be no more difficulty in childbirth because there will be no more childbirth.
There will be no more male dominance. In this world, God has put every woman under a man's authority. But in eternity, every woman will serve God only.
There will be no more back-breaking difficulty and physical exhaustion in a man's labor and no more struggle to obtain the necessities of life. We will have challenging work to do, but it will also be fulfilling, and it will never reduce us to fatigue or boredom.

Best of all, there will be no more sin. It is hard to look long ages into the future and imagine what kind of beings we will become. Might we grow so powerful and proud that we will reintroduce sin into the universe? No, we can be sure that we will never sin in eternity. Why? Because if we sinned, we would receive the wages of sin, which is death, yet God’s Word promises that if we believe on Jesus, we have eternal life (John 3:15-16). If we have it now, we cannot lose it later, because if we could, we would not have it now. We will never sin because we will be free of all the influences that provoke sin. There will be no world, flesh, or devil to undermine our purity of life. The devil will be confined to the lake of fire (Rev. 20:10). Our sinful flesh will be transformed into a spiritual body that is pure like the body of Christ (1 John 3:2-3). A world hostile to Christ will no longer press upon us because our only companions will be the Lord and His saints (1 Thess. 4:16-17).

A Wonderful Home

Where exactly will the children of God spend eternity? Many Christians imagine that heaven will be our eternal home, and they erroneously conceive of heaven as an ethereal place unsuited to any way of life that we could now anticipate with pleasure—a place where we will have nothing to do except sit on clouds and strum harps. It is true that when we die, our spirits go to heaven (Heb. 12:22-3; 2 Cor. 5:6-8). It is true also that the eternal dwelling places which Jesus has prepared for us are currently in heaven (John 14:1-3). But these dwelling places, within the heavenly city called the New Jerusalem, will not always remain where they are now (Rev. 21:1-3). After God destroys the present cosmos and fashions a new heaven and a new earth, the New Jerusalem will descend from heaven and take its place as the earth's capital city. The realm of our eternal home will therefore not be heaven, but the earth in a newly created form, free from all the corruption and death we see in the present world (Rev. 21:1-3).

Nature as we know it is, as the poet Tennyson said, "red in tooth and claw." It is a place where most creatures live brief, miserable lives in constant fear of being seized and eaten by larger creatures. Consequently, the Bible describes the present natural world as groaning and travailing in pain, awaiting deliverance from the curse (Rom. 8:22). But in the new world that God will create after the Millennium, there will be no pain, no suffering, no death anywhere in nature (1 Cor. 15:26-8). Every creature, down to the smallest bunny (and it is hard to imagine that God will exclude the most amiable forms of life from the new earth), will live happily ever after. During the Millennium, when the curse will be only partially lifted, Christ will enforce total peace on His holy mountain, Mt. Zion, as a witness to the conditions that will prevail in the new earth He intends to create (Isa. 11:1-9).

The place where we will dwell forever will be, as we said, the New Jerusalem. Jerusalem means "possession of peace.." This city made by God will be vast beyond our comprehension (Rev. 21-22:7). Each of its three dimensions will be 12,000 furlongs. A furlong is 660 ft., but the Greek word is "stadion," the term for 1/8 of a Roman mile, equal to about 607 ft. So, in length, width, and height, the new Jerusalem will measure about 1380 miles, roughly the distance from St. Louis to Portland, Maine, or Salt Lake City, Utah. It will be so tall that it will reach virtually into outer space and be visible throughout almost a whole hemisphere..

Some have imagined that the city will be cubical in shape. In our immortal bodies, gravity will not fetter us, so that vertical motion will be as easy as horizontal motion. If the shape of New Jerusalem is indeed cubical, it will, even if its levels are widely separated, contain enormous ground area. It has been estimated that if only 25% of the city is reserved for residences, and if the number of residents is 20 billion (a greatly exaggerated number, I suspect), each person will own a block of space which is 1/3 of a mile long, wide, and high.

The difficulty in this conception is that the Bible says that the city will have a wall only 144 cubits (about 215 ft.) high (Rev. 21:17). Therefore, others have imagined that the city will be shaped like a pyramid, or Babylonian ziggurat. It is likely that John's readers would have assumed a shape of this kind.

From a distance the city will be so magnificent as to defy description. Unlike the ancient and medieval cities of man, which were surrounded by rough walls of gray stone, the New Jerusalem will shine with all the colors of the rainbow. The wall will be jasper, the meaning of which is unknown. Perhaps it refers to diamond. The identity of many of the foundation stones is also a mystery, but we recognize a few, like sapphire (which is blue), emerald (green), amethyst (purple), beryl (yellow), etc. The gates will be pearl (translucent white), and the pavement and buildings of the city will be pure, untarnished gold (muted orange).. There will be dazzling reflections wherever you look.

The city will have no need of artificial illumination. All the necessary light will come from God Himself.

We need not imagine that we will live only in the New Jerusalem. We will all have private lodgings there, serving as our place in town, as it were. But the whole universe will exist for our pleasure and benefit. We will sometimes occupy ourselves by roaming through and exploring distant worlds. Perhaps God will give each of us places to develop for our own use.

The Finest Luxuries

Food

The Millennium will begin with the Wedding Supper of the Lamb, surely a literal feast (Rev. 19:9). After the universe is restored to perfection, no doubt the whole earth will be a garden surpassing the original Garden of Eden. We will find every manner of luscious fruit and succulent vegetable and wholesome grain. Moreover, we will have access to the Tree of Life, not an ordinary tree of normal size but a huge plant with offshoots extending over many square miles (Rev. 22:2). It is called the Tree of Life because the leaves will be for "healing," better translated "health." They will contain some ingredient essential to maintaining our bodies forever. If we understood the chemistry of our present bodies well enough, we would see that something is missing to prevent aging. How we will draw this missing ingredient from the leaves, we can only surmise. Perhaps we will boil them to make a tea. Another virtue of the Tree of Life is that it will bear edible fruit of a different kind every month.

The same tree existed also in the Garden of Eden (Gen. 2:9). God permitted man to eat from it, although He forbade him to eat from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. After the Fall, God removed man from the Garden lest he eat from the Tree of Life and live forever (Gen. 3:22-4).

Clothing

Perhaps we will have a varied wardrobe, as we do here, but at least on state occasions and at high ceremonies we will wear white robes of linen (Rev. 3:4, 5. 18; 6:11; 7:9, 13-4; 19:8, 14).

Fulfilling Occupations

Great authority

The Bible says that in eternity we will reign with Christ (Dan. 7:27; 2 Tim. 2:12; Rev. 5:10; 20:6, all referring to the Millennium; Rev. 22:5, referring to the eternal state). Several parables of Christ teach that the amount of authority we will be given depends on how faithfully we discharge our responsibilities and how diligently we use our talents here on earth (Luke 19:12-27; Matt. 25:14-30). Over whom or over what will we reign?

Over nature. In the beginning, God gave man dominion over the earth (Gen. 1:28), and this dominion has never been revoked (Psa. 8:3-9). No doubt God will give it to man again when He creates the new earth, which will be a restored Paradise, populated with an immense variety of subhuman creatures. In our governance of the animals, we will expect them to serve us by assisting us in our duties and giving us their companionship, and they will gladly comply, because serving man will be their natural desire. We find an inkling of man's future relationship with the animals in the account of Christ's descent to the earth at His second coming (Rev. 19:11-14). He and the army of saints in His train will ride on horses—not earthly horses, but horses with immortal, spiritual bodies as possessed by all heavenly creatures.
Over the angels. It appears that in eternity we will have authority over the angels, at least in respect to judging their conduct during the millennia when sin and Satan ruled the earth (1 Cor. 6:2-3).
Over new worlds. It is in the nature of God to create wonderful things. It is at least possible (and here we enter the realm of speculation, or perhaps we should say "sanctified imagination") that in the remote future He will put us in charge of new worlds and new races of men who, by virtue of our oversight, will be shielded from any reemergence of chronic sin.

Humble service

While we are reigning with Christ, we will also be serving Him (Rev.. 22:3). We will be servant-kings (Dan. 7:14, 27). He will then, as He does now, direct our paths, giving us work and responsibility enough to fill our lives with meaningful activity, and we will, without hesitation or complaint, do everything He asks. In serving Him, we will also serve each other. We will spend much of our time in the effort to bring others joy and happiness.

The more we devote ourselves to others, the greater our standing in the Kingdom will be (Matt. 20:25-8). Recognizing that this life is preparation for the next, we should be active in service now. Do not wait for a call; volunteer. Choose a ministry and get busy. Let God close the door if the ministry is not right for you.

A second determinant of greatness in the Kingdom is whether in this life we have observed and taught every commandment of Christ (Matt. 5:19). Do not live close to the line; seek perfection. If you go to what you think is the line between good and evil, you will find that you have already crossed it.

Still another determinant of our standing in eternity is how many souls we have won to Christ or helped to grow in Christ (Dan. 12:3). Do not keep silent; share the truth with others. If you hide your light under a bushel, you will suffocate spiritually.

Fellowship with God

Most Christians understand that one of the great privileges of heaven will be to gather with the saints and sing praises to God. The many texts that foresee our future worship before the throne reveal many interesting details of the eternal state.

We will not remember the evil days in our past (Isa. 65:11-17).
Heavenly music will employ instruments (Rev. 15:2-4).
We will shout as well as sing (Rev. 7:9-10).
We will wave palm branches—a prophecy confirming that indeed our new home will be adorned with plants (Rev. 7:9-10).
We will raise our voices in unison speech (Rev. 19:1-7).
We will see smoke, a perpetual reminder of what happens to rebels against God (Rev. 14:11; compare with Isa. 66:23-4). Here is one reason we will never think of starting a new rebellion.

Our greatest joy in eternity will be personal fellowship with Christ (Rev. 22:4; 1 John 3:2; 1 Cor. 13:12). We will see Him "face to face," a figure of speech expressing the thought that He will meet and talk with us individually, just as He did with His first disciples. What a privilege! To see Him will perhaps at first give us trepidation, and no doubt we will never lose a sense of wonder and reverence in His presence. But perfect love casts out fear (1 John 4:18). The purpose in these times together will be fellowship. He will want to share our joys and pleasures, and we will want to show Him our love. At every opportunity we will praise and thank Him for all He has done for us.

The Highest Good

Of all the arguments for the truth of Christianity, one of the best employing pure reason points out that Christianity is the only world view which offers a convincing and satisfying conception of the highest good. The highest good is to live forever in fellowship with a loving Almighty God and in enjoyment of all the rich possibilities of life resident in a glorified body and set in a world devoid of corruption and death. If we were to survey how other world views conceive of the highest good, we would see that none offers a hope comparable to that of a Christian. The best future that any imagines seems pale and petty and disappointing in comparison with eternal life in the Kingdom of Christ. None defines a highest good that excites our desire to attain it.

In brief, Christianity is the only world view that offers us what we really want. It does not follow that Christianity is wishful thinking. Why not? Because the good that it offers is beyond any thought that the natural human mind could generate. Yet when men discover what God intends to give them, they desire it, feeling that it is exactly right. They must be told about it before their desire awakens, however, so it is not wishful thinking.

For example, no other world view posits an eternal state so grand and powerful and thrilling as a saint’s glorification. Not even science fiction writers in their childish fancies about extraterrestrials have come close to the Biblical picture of what a saint will be after he has been loosed from all the trammels of earthly existence. Yet who, knowing the options, would choose to be anything less?

The Christian conception of good appeals to us because the good that it describes is what we were created to want. Its fitness to our nature and natural desires and yet its transcendence beyond our imagination are proof that it derives from our Creator. In other words, Christianity suits us because Christianity is true.

Behold: The Case, For God's Existance!

PleaseConvinceMe Academy Course 2

Making A Case for God's Existence

The "Plausibility of Theism" Curriculum

Course Articles (PDF Format)
Can Be Viewed with Adobe's Free Software

Evidence for God from Creation

(The Cosmological Argument)

Evidence for God from Design

(The Teleological Argument)

Evidence for God from Morality

(The Axiological Argument)

Evidence for God from Fine Tuning

(The Anthropic Argument)

Evidence for God from Probability

(The Statistical Probability Argument)

Evidence for God from Logic

(The Transcendental Argument)

The Case for the Christian Worldview

The Cumulative Case for Christianity

Imagining a World Without Belief

The Impact Faith Has On Our World

Reasoning the Nature of God

From the Evidence of His Existence

How the Evidence Becomes Proof

How God Chooses Yet We Choose

Biblical Empiricism and the Existence of God

Scriptural Examples of Empiricism

The 'Big Bang' As An Act of God

The Science Confirms Our Faith

Course Note Sheets (Bible Inserts in PDF Format)
Can Be Viewed with Adobe's Free Software

'The Cosmological Argument'

Course Notes and Bible Insert

'The Teleological Argument'

Course Notes and Bible Insert

'The Axiological Argument'

Course Notes and Bible Insert

'The Anthropic Argument'

Course Notes and Bible Insert

'The Statistical Probability Argument'

Course Notes and Bible Insert

'The Transcendental Argument'

Course Notes and Bible Insert

'The Case for the Christian Worldview'

Course Notes and Bible Insert

'The World Without Belief'

Course Notes and Bible Insert

'Reasoning the Nature of God'

Course Notes and Bible Insert'

'How the Evidence Becomes Proof'

Course Notes and Bible Insert

'Biblical Empiricism'

Course Notes and Bible Insert

'The 'Big Bang' As An Act of God'

Course Notes and Bible Insert

'Evidence for God's Existence'

Bible Insert

Course Instructional Audios (From the Podcast Archive)
Can Be Uploaded to Any MP3 Player

The Cosmological Argument for the Existence of God

PleaseConvinceMe Podcast # 31

Answering Objections to the Cosmological Argument

PleaseConvinceMe Podcast # 32

The Big Bang as an Act of God

PleaseConvinceMe Podcast # 33

The Teleological Argument for the Existence of God

PleaseConvinceMe Podcast # 47

Answering Objections to the Teleological Argument

PleaseConvinceMe Podcast # 48

Religious Relativism and Foundations for the Axiological Argument

PleaseConvinceMe Podcast # 51

The Axiological Argument for the Existence of God

PleaseConvinceMe Podcast # 55

Answering Objections to the Axiological Argument

PleaseConvinceMe Podcast # 58

The Anthropic Argument for the Existence of God

PleaseConvinceMe Podcast # 61

Answering Objections to the Anthropic Argument

PleaseConvinceMe Podcast # 64

The Statistical Probability Argument for the Existence of God

PleaseConvinceMe Podcast # 66

The Transcendental Argument for the Existence of God

PleaseConvinceMe Podcast # 68

Answering Objections to the Transcendental Argument

PleaseConvinceMe Podcast # 69

The Difference Between Evidence and Proof

PleaseConvinceMe Podcast # 67

Three Steps Toward Christian Theism

PleaseConvinceMe Podcast # 9

Sharing With Atheists (Four Observations)

PleaseConvinceMe Podcast # 16

Phil Spector and the Case for the Christian Worldview

PleaseConvinceMe Podcast # 21

Religious Experience as Evidence

PleaseConvinceMe Podcast # 23

Course Videos (In MPEG1 Format)
Can Be Viewed with Windows Media Player

A Wallet, A Dollar, and the Existence of God 1

(Theism)

A Wallet, A Dollar, and the Existence of God 2

(Personal Theism)

A Wallet, A Dollar, and the Existence of God 3

(Christian Theism)

Glory Defined

Music Video

Total Truth

Music Video

Course Bonus Materials
Can Be Used to Encourage You and to Help Train Others

A Wallet, A Dollar, and the Existence of God

Presentation Manual

A Wallet, A Dollar, and the Existence of God

Training Manual

A Wallet, A Dollar, and the Existence of God

Powerpoint Training Presentation

A Wallet, A Dollar, and the Existence of God

Training Focus Questions for Leaders

A Wallet, A Dollar, and the Existence of God

Training Focus Questions for Students

Jim Teaches About Purpose on JCTV

Video

Jim Teaches About "Belief 'That' Versus Belief 'In'

MP3 Audio

Jim Teaches About "Belief 'That' Versus Belief 'In'

PDF Article

Jim Teaches About "Belief 'That' Versus Belief 'In'

Course Notes and Bible Insert

EXPOSED! - Phony Catholic Doctrines!

MARY WORSHIP?

A Study of Catholic Practice and Doctrine

by Mary Ann Collins (A Former Catholic Nun)

July 2001

INTRODUCTION

            Jesus said that the truth will set us free.. (John 8:32) However, He did not say that the truth would necessarily be easy to accept. It was painful for me to learn the information that I am about to share with you, but it was also liberating and it led to a closer relationship with God.

            As a faithful Catholic, and later as a nun, I practiced Mary worship for many years without realizing it. The prayers and practices were so familiar. They were taught to me by good people, sincere people that I trusted. I prayed rosaries and wore a scapular and engaged in other “devotions” which I honestly thought were good and pleasing to God. Because of my lack of knowledge of the Bible and of Church history, I honestly had no idea that I was actually worshipping Mary.

            If modern Catholic teachings and doctrines about Mary are true, then they will not be contrary to Scripture, the writings of the Early Fathers, or the decrees of past popes. For a devout Catholic to question these issues and put them to the test can be painful. It certainly was for me. However, it would be far more painful to have God correct us when we face Him on Judgment Day.

LETTING THE CATHOLIC CHURCH SPEAK FOR ITSELF

            I believe in letting people speak for themselves. Therefore my primary sources about Catholic doctrines and history come from the Catholic Church.

            First and foremost is the official Catechism of the Catholic Church which was written for the purpose of summarizing the essential and basic teachings of the Roman Catholic Church. It was approved by Pope John Paul II in 1992 and the English translation was released in 1994. The latest English edition was printed in 2000. Most of my other sources are either practicing Catholics or else former Catholics whose approach is loving and respectful and who have thoroughly documented their work.

            When I cite the Catechism I will give paragraph numbers rather than page numbers. I will summarize what it says. If you want to see the paragraphs for yourself, there are two web sites with search engines for the Catechism. (Their addresses are given in the Notes.) You can search by topic or by paragraph number. [1]

            Scripture quotations are from the King James Version of the Holy Bible.

            If you really want to understand Catholic teaching in the light of Scripture and the history of the Catholic church, then I strongly recommend reading the following two books. The authors are former Catholics who love and respect Catholics. They are gentle and respectful in their approach. (See the Bibliography for information about these books.)

The Gospel According to Rome: Comparing Catholic Tradition and the Word of God, by James G. McCarthy. This book is easy to read, well documented, objective, and gentle. It is a comprehensive guide to Catholic beliefs, based on Catholic sources. It examines Catholic teachings in the light of Scripture.

The Church of Rome at the Bar of History by William Webster. This book compares modern Catholic doctrines with the teachings of the early Church.

            For a good overview of Catholicism, I recommend the video Catholicism: Crisis of Faith. A friend of mine said that in one hour, this video gave him a better understanding of Catholicism than he had received from a college course on the subject. This video is gentle and respectful. An annotated transcript is available on‑line. (Information about videos follows the Bibliography.)

WILL THE REAL CATHOLIC CHURCH

PLEASE STAND UP?

            When I was in the convent, our mother superior told us about Catholics in Mexico who, in their devotion to Mary, were doing things that we would only do when worshipping God. We were concerned about this. We considered this practice to be unusual and unbalanced. We thought that the American practice of Catholicism was the true thing. However, many years later I realized that if you want to know what something really is, then look at how it behaves when it is in a position of power. In America, Catholics are in the minority. To see the true spirit behind Catholicism, watch what the Catholic Church does in countries where it is in power.

            One place where the Catholic Church is strong is Spain, which is known for the Spanish Inquisition. I always thought that the Inquisition was ancient history. However, the last official Spanish execution for heresy occurred in 1826. A schoolmaster was hanged because he substituted the phrase “Praise be to God” in place of “Ave Maria” (“Hail Mary”) during school prayers. [2]

            I always thought that abuses of power by the Catholic Church were something that happened long ago. However, look at the following example from the Philippines, where the Catholic Church is strong.

            Beginning in 1948 there was a series of apparitions of Mary in the city of Lipa. These apparitions were sometimes accompanied by showers of rose petals and other supernatural phenomena. They occurred in a convent. The local bishop personally experienced a shower of rose petals and thereafter supported the apparitions. The media mocked the supernatural events in Lipa and street vendors sold phony “holy rose petals.” In response to the bad publicity, the Vatican sent a Papal Administrator to take over the diocese where the apparitions occurred. He replaced the bishop and the mother superior. The nun who saw the apparitions was forced to leave the convent. The nuns were ordered to destroy all materials associated with the apparitions, including a statue. The convent was sealed and the nuns were not allowed to talk to anyone outside the convent. An official Commission of Inquiry was convened, which unanimously ruled that the apparitions were not valid. However, they did not interview anybody who had personal, first-hand knowledge of the events. Several of the bishops who were part of the Commission of Inquiry stated on their deathbeds that the Papal Administrator had forced them to sign the verdict by threatening to excommunicate them if they did not sign it. [3]

            After years of no longer being a Catholic, I attended a Catholic funeral. When I went into the church something hit me hard. It had always been there, but I had never noticed it before because I was used to it. There were statues of Mary and the saints. They looked solid, real, as if they represented people of power. Jesus only appeared as a helpless baby in Mary’s arms, as a dead man nailed to a cross, and as little wafers of bread hidden inside a fancy box. Visually and emotionally the message was very clear ‑- if you want real power, if you want someone who can do something for you, then go to Mary and the Saints.

DEVOTION TO MARY

            If you want to see what a person's real priorities are, then watch what they do when their life, or the life of a loved one, is in danger. When Pope John Paul II was shot, while the ambulance was rushing him to the hospital, the Pope was not praying to God or calling on the name of Jesus. He kept saying, over and over, “Mary, my mother!” Polish pilgrims placed a picture of Our Lady of Czestochowa on the throne where the Pope normally sat. People gathered around the picture. Vatican loudspeakers broadcasted the prayers of the rosary. When the Pope recovered, he gave Mary all the glory for saving his life, and he made a pilgrimage to Fatima to publicly thank her. [4]

            Jesus said, “[W]here your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” (Luke 12:34) Some statues of Mary have real crowns made of gold. The web sites listed in the Notes show pictures of statues of Our Lady of Fatima and Our Lady of Lourdes wearing crowns. [5] The statues in the pictures are replicas, and their crowns are ceramic and painted gold. But the crowns on the original statues at Fatima and Lourdes are real crowns made of real gold.

            Vast sums of money are spent on some special statues of Mary. For example, the statue of Our Lady of the Pillar in Saragossa, Spain has a crown made of 25 pounds of gold and diamonds, with so many diamonds that you can hardly see the gold. In addition, it has six other crowns of gold, diamonds and emeralds. It has 365 mantles which are embroidered with gold and covered with roses of diamonds and other precious stones. It has 365 necklaces made of pearls and diamonds, and six chains of gold set with diamonds. [6]

            In Sabana Grande, Puerto Rico, preparations are underway to construct a huge statue of Our Lady of the Rosary. Inside the base of the statue there will be chapels, conference rooms, apartments, a food court, and radio and TV stations. There will also be observation decks. This statue will be part of a 500-acre “Mystical City” complex. According to an article in Caribbean Business, this statue “will top at 1,500 feet”. According to an article by the Associated Press, the statue will be 305 feet high. [7] The discrepancy in numbers can be explained by looking at the Statue of Liberty, which is a 151 foot statue on top of a 154 foot base. Some sources say that the Statue of Liberty is 305 feet high (which includes the height of the base) and some say that it is 151 feet high (which is the height of the actual statue). What we probably have in Sabana Grande is a 305 foot statue with a 1,200 foot base.

            I have personally participated in American processions which honored Mary. We walked through the streets following a statue of Mary which was carried on a platform, high up where it was clearly visible. We sang songs in Mary’s honor. We prayed rosaries and other prayers to her. These were small processions. At Fatima, Portugal, crowds of over a million people gather on the anniversary of the apparition of Our Lady of Fatima. The celebration includes a procession of a million people following a statue of Mary and singing her praises. [8]

            One popular prayer in Mary’s honor is the Hail Holy Queen, which is known in Latin as the Salve Regina. It is traditionally included as part of praying the rosary.

            For Catholics who are reading this, please try to overcome your familiarity with this text and really look at the words. Doesn’t this sound like worship?

“Hail, holy Queen, Mother of Mercy! Our life, our sweetness and our hope! To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve. To thee do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping, in this valley of tears. Turn, then, most gracious Advocate, thine eyes of mercy toward us; and after this our exile show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus. O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary.”

            Alfonsus de Liguori (1696-1787) was a principal proponent of the Marianist Movement, which glorifies Mary. He wrote a book entitled The Glories of Mary which is famous, influential and widely read. In this book, de Liguori says that Mary was given rulership over one half of the kingdom of God; Mary rules over the kingdom of mercy and Jesus rules over the kingdom of justice. De Liguori said that people should pray to Mary as a mediator and look to her as an object of trust for answered prayer. The book even says that there is no salvation outside of Mary. Some people suggest that these views are extreme and not representative of Catholic Church teaching. However, instead of silencing de Liguori as a heretic, the Catholic Church canonized him as a saint and declared him to be a “doctor of the Church” (a person whose teachings carry weight and authority). Furthermore, his book is openly and officially promoted by the Catholic Church, and his teachings have influenced popes. [9]

            Pope Benedict XV said of Mary that “[O]ne can justly say that with Christ, she herself redeemed mankind.” [10] Pope Pius IX said, “Our salvation is based upon the holy Virgin... so that if there is any hope and spiritual healing for us we receive it solely and uniquely from her.” [11]

            A lay movement called “Vox Populi” (“Voice of the People”) gathers signed petitions to send to the Pope, seeking to have him officially declare that Mary is Co‑Redemptrix. Over six million signatures have been sent to him, representing 138 countries and all seven continents. This doctrine is supported by over 40 cardinals and 600 bishops worldwide. [12]

            The Catholic Church exalts Mary as an idealized, larger-than-life, perfect mother. However, the Bible shows that at one point Mary misunderstood Jesus’ calling to the point that she thought He was insane and she tried to prevent Him from doing what God wanted Him to do. Look at Mark 3:20-34.

“And the multitude cometh together again, so that they could not so much as eat bread. And when his friends heard of it, they went out to lay hold on him: for they said, He is beside himself.’” (Mark 3:20-21, emphasis added)

The New International Version says “His family”. The New King James Version says “His own people.” The King James Version says “his friends”. According to Strong’s Greek/Hebrew Dictionary the Greek word has a variety of meanings, including “kinsmen”. However, we don’t have to depend on the exact meaning of the word here because it will be made clear in verse 31. Strong’s defines “lay hold on” as “to use strength, i.e. seize or retain”. It defines “beside himself” as “become astounded, insane”.

            Verses 22 through 30 describe a confrontation between Jesus and the scribes. Then we get back to what is happening with the people who thought that Jesus was out of His mind and were so concerned that they were coming to “lay hold on him” (seize him).

“There came then his brethren and his mother, and, standing without, sent unto him calling him. And the multitude sat about him, and they said unto him, Behold, thy mother and thy brethren without seek for thee. And he answered them, saying, Who is my mother, or my brethren? And he looked round about on them which sat about him, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren! For whosoever shall do the will of God, the same is my brother, and my sister, and mother.” (Mark 3:31-35, emphasis added)

CATHOLIC DOCTRINES ABOUT MARY

COMPARED WITH WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS

            My sources for this section are the Bible and the Catechism of the Catholic Church, which has numbered paragraphs.   For the sake of simplicity and brevity, I will just say Catechism plus the number of the paragraph (s). For example, “Catechism 411, 493” means “Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraphs numbered 411 and 493”.

            For each doctrinal category, I will indicate the Catholic doctrine, followed by the appropriate references from the Catechism. I will follow this with quotations from the Bible which relate to the doctrine. For the sake of clarity, I will emphasize some portions of Biblical quotations by using boldface type. The last book in the Bible is called “The Book of Revelation” in Protestant Bibles and “The Apocalypse” in Catholic Bibles. I will refer to it as “Revelation”.

            IMMACULATE CONCEPTION -- Mary was preserved from all stain of original sin from the first instant of her conception. (Catechism 490-492).

            In Luke 1:46-47, Mary said: “My soul doth magnify the Lord, And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour”.   Mary knew that she needed a savior.

            The doctrine of the Immaculate Conception was first introduced by a heretic (a man whose teachings were officially declared to be contrary to Church doctrine). For centuries this doctrine was unanimously rejected by popes, Fathers and theologians of the Catholic Church. [13]

            ALL-HOLY ‑- Mary, “the All-Holy,” lived a perfectly sinless life. (Catechism 411, 493)

            Romans 3:23 says “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God”.   Revelation 15:4 says, “Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name? For thou only art holy”. Romans 3:10 says, “There is none righteous, no, not one”.

            Jesus is the only person who is referred to in Scripture as sinless. Hebrews 4:15 says, “For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feelings of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.” 2  Corinthians 5:21 says, “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.” 1 Peter 2:22 says, “Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth”.

            In contrast, Mary said that God is her Savior. (Luke 1:47) If God was her Savior, then Mary was not sinless. Sinless people do not need a Savior.

            In the Book of Revelation, when they were searching for someone who was worthy to break the seals and open the scroll, the only person who was found to be worthy was Jesus. Nobody else in Heaven or on earth (including Mary) was worthy to open the scroll or even look inside it. (Revelation 5:1-5)

            PERPETUAL VIRGINITY ‑- Mary was a virgin before, during and after the birth of Christ. (Catechism 496-511)

            Matthew 1:24-25 says, “Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife: And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name JESUS.” “Till” (until) means that after that point, Joseph did “know” (have sexual relations with) Mary. (See Genesis 4:1 where Adam “knew” Eve and she conceived and had a son.)

            Jesus had brothers and sisters. The Bible even tells us their names. Matthew 13:54-56 says,

“And when he was come into his own country, he taught them in their synagogue, insomuch that they were astonished, and said, Whence hatch this man this wisdom, and these mighty works? Is not this the carpenter’s son? Is not his mother called Mary? And his brethren, James, and Joses, and Simon, and Judas? And his sisters, are they not all with us?”

Other Scripture verses which specifically refer to Jesus’ brothers are: Matthew 12:46; John 2:12; John 7:3; Acts 1:14; and Galatians 1:19.

            I was always taught that “brothers” and “sisters” were general terms that really could refer to any kind of kinsman, including cousins. This is true in the Hebrew language. However, the New Testament is written in Greek, which is an extremely precise language. It makes a clear distinction between the words used to describe family relationships. There is a Greek word which refers to people who are relatives but not of the immediate family, such as aunts, uncles, nephews, nieces and cousins. There are other Greek words which refer specifically to a person’s brother or sister within a family. [14]

            MOTHER OF GOD ‑- Because she is the mother of Jesus, and Jesus is God, therefore Mary is the Mother of God. (Catechism 963, 971, 2677).

            The Incarnation means that Jesus was both fully God and fully man. Mary was only the mother of Jesus as man, and not the mother of Jesus as God. According to the Bible, the world was created through Jesus. This was long before Mary was born. Hebrews 1:1-2 says,

“God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds”.

Colossians 1:16-17 says,

“For by him [Jesus] were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers; all things [including Mary] were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things [including Mary] , and by him all things consist”.

            John 8:58 says, “Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, before Abraham was, I am.” Jesus existed before Abraham was born. That means that He also existed before Mary was born. In John 17:5, Jesus says, “And now O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.” So Jesus existed even before the world began. Jesus came first ‑- not Mary.



            MOTHER OF THE CHURCH ‑- Mary is the Mother of the Church. (Catechism 963, 975)..

            Acts 1:13-14 gives a picture of a group of people praying together. Mary is mentioned as one of them, but nothing indicates any special prominence.

“And when they were come in, they went up into an upper room, where abode both Peter, and James, and John, and Andrew, Phillip, and Thomas, Bartholomew, and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon Zelotes, and Judas the brother of James. These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren.”

            Mary was probably in the Upper Room when the tongues of fire fell upon the 120 disciples. However, she is never mentioned again in the Book of Acts, which is our only historical record of how the Church was born.   She is also not specifically identified in the epistles. Paul did send greetings to “Mary”, but that was a common name. (In the Gospels and in the Book of Acts, she is referred to as “Mary the mother of Jesus” to distinguish her from other women named Mary.)

            It is notable that John, who took Mary into his home after Jesus was crucified, does not mention her in his epistles, and he only mentions her on two occasions in his Gospel (the wedding at Cana and the crucifixion of Jesus). John mentions Mary Magdalene more than he mentions Jesus' mother.

            ASSUMPTION ‑- At the end of her life, Mary was taken up (“assumed”) body and soul into Heaven. (Catechism 966, 974)

            There is no biblical reference to the assumption of Mary. The Gospel of John was written around 90 A.D., which is more than 100 years after Mary was born. (Surely Mary was more than ten years old when Jesus was conceived.) If Mary had been supernaturally assumed into Heaven, wouldn’t John (the disciple that Mary lived with) have mentioned it? When Enoch and Elijah were taken up to Heaven, the Bible recorded it. With Elijah it was recorded in some detail. (See Genesis 6:24 and 2 Kings 2:1‑18.)

            The Assumption of Mary was officially declared to be a dogma of the Roman Catholic faith in 1950. This means that every Roman Catholic is required to believe this doctrine without questioning it. However, as we will see, the teaching of the Assumption originated with heretical writings which were officially condemned by the early Church.

            In 495 A.D., Pope Gelasius issued a decree which rejected this teaching as heresy and its proponents as heretics. In the sixth century, Pope Hormisdas also condemned as heretics those authors who taught the doctrine of the Assumption of Mary. The early Church clearly considered the doctrine of the Assumption of Mary to be a heresy worthy of condemnation. Here we have “infallible” popes declaring something to be a heresy. Then in 1950, Pope Pius XII, another “infallible” pope, declared it to be official Roman Catholic doctrine. [15]

            CO-MEDIATOR ‑- Mary is the Co-Mediator to whom we can entrust all our cares and petitions. (Catechism 968-970, 2677)

            There is only one mediator and that is Jesus. 1 Timothy 2:5-6 says, “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus: Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.”   Hebrews 7:25 says,Wherefore he [Jesus] is able to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.” Ephesians 3:12 says, “In whom [Jesus} we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him.”

            If Jesus is constantly interceding for us and He is able to save us “to the uttermost,” (utterly, completely) then He doesn’t need Mary’s help. If we can approach God with “boldness” and “confidence” because of our faith in Jesus, then we don't need Mary’s help either.

            QUEEN OF HEAVEN ‑- God has exalted Mary in heavenly glory as Queen of Heaven and earth. (Catechism 966) She is to be praised with special devotion. (Catechism 971, 2675)

            Psalm 148:13 says, “Let them praise the name of the Lord: for his name alone is excellent; his glory is above the earth and heaven.” This makes it quite clear that only God’s name (not Mary’s) is to be exalted. (In Catholic Bibles the numbering of the chapters and verses of some of the Psalms is slightly different.)

            When people tried to give Mary special honor and pre-eminence because she was His mother, Jesus corrected them.

“And it came to pass, as he spake these things, a certain woman of the company lifted up her voice, and said unto him, Blessed is the womb that bare thee, and the paps which thou hast sucked. But he said, Yea rather, blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it.” (Luke 11:27-28)

            In chapters four and five of the Book of Revelation, we are given a quite detailed picture of Heaven. God is seated on the throne, surrounded by 24 elders and four living creatures. The Lamb (Jesus) is standing in the center of the throne. Thousands upon thousands of angels circle the throne, singing God's praises. And Mary is not in the picture at all.

COMPARING CATHOLIC TEACHINGS ABOUT MARY

WITH MODERN GODDESS WORSHIP

            Goddess worship is not ancient history. It is going on today. It is practiced in Wicca and a variety of modern pagan religions. (Wicca is a religion based on witchcraft. It involves goddess worship, rituals and spells.)

            The credibility of goddess worship has been increased through its acceptance by university professors and its incorporation into textbooks. Wiccan doctrines are being promoted in publicly funded, accredited colleges and universities. Nursing school textbooks are overtly promoting goddess worship, including textbooks written by the National League for Nursing (an accrediting agency for nursing schools). [16]

            The following table compares the Mary of Roman Catholic theology and religious practice with the Biblical portrayal of Mary and with the goddess which is worshipped by Wiccans and modern pagans. My information about Wicca comes from the book Wicca: Satan's Little White Lie by Bill Schnoebelen (who was the high priest of a Wiccan coven before he became a Christian), the World Book, the on-line version of The Encyclopedia Brittanica, and numerous web sites. [17]

BIBLICAL MARY

CATHOLIC MARY

THE GODDESS

Humble and obedient. Calls herself “the handmaid of the Lord.”

The Pope officially gave Mary the title “Queen of Heaven” and established a feast day honoring Mary, Queen of Heaven.

Wiccans call their goddess the “Queen of Heaven”.

Knew she needed a savior: “And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.” (Luke 1:47)

“Immaculate Conception” (Mary was conceived sinless, without original sin) and “All-Holy” (Mary lived a sinless life).

Goddesses don't need salvation.. They make the rules.

Normal wife and mother who had other children.

“Perpetual Virginity” (Jesus' brothers and sisters are considered to be cousins).

Goddesses don't have human children.

No biblical evidence that Mary didn't die like a normal person.

“Glorious Assumption” (Mary was bodily taken up into Heaven).

Goddesses don't die.

Jesus told John to take Mary into his home and take care of her as if she was his own mother.

Catholics are the adopted children of Mary. “Woman behold your son” (John 19:26) is taken to apply literally to every Catholic.

Witches are the adopted, “hidden children” of the Queen of Heaven.

Normal woman.

Sometimes pictured standing on a crescent moon, wearing a crown or with a circle of stars around her head.

Moon goddess.

Normal woman.

Supernatural (apparitions accompanied by miracles and healings).

Supernatural.

Points people to Jesus. Mary said, “Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it.” (John 2:5)

Can make Jesus do things. A full page newspaper ad showing Mary and Jesus says, “He hasn't denied her anything in 2,000 years. What would you have her ask Him?” This is not official Catholic doctrine but it is a widespread attitude which is encouraged by pious literature.

Points to herself.

Wants to be worshipped.

Knew that she needed a savior. (Luke 1:47)

Apparitions of “Mary” have promised that if people wear certain objects (such as a Scapular or Miraculous Medal) or say certain prayers then they are guaranteed to go to Heaven. The Catholic Church has not officially approved of these practices, but it has also not discouraged them.

Invoked to make supernatural things happen through witchcraft (the use of special objects and special verbal formulas).

Goddesses don't need a savior.

            Goddess worship has infiltrated main-line Christian denominations. In November 1993, a Re‑Imagining Conference was held in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Most of the 2,000 participants were women. This ecumenical church conference was sponsored by and attended by members of over a dozen denominations, including Presbyterians, Episcopalians, Catholics, Lutherans and Methodists. They prayed to Sophia, the goddess of Wisdom, calling her their Creator. They did rituals for this goddess, including a communion service where bread and wine were replaced by milk and honey. They openly rejected the doctrines of the incarnation and the atonement. This conference was repeated in 1996, 1998 and 2000. [18] An on‑line report (with photographs) is available at http://www.layman.org/layman/news/reimagining‑revival.htm

            There are Wiccan web sites with web pages devoted to individual goddesses. The Virgin Mary is included among the goddesses of the following web sites: The Spiral Goddess Grove, The White Moon, and Goddess 2000. They consider Mary to be the “Divine Feminine” and say that for centuries, many people have “blended” their ancient goddesses with Mary. [19]

HOW DID WE GET HERE?

            How did modern Catholic doctrine about Mary wander so far away from the teachings of the Bible and the Early Fathers? Two reasons are the importance given to Church tradition and the doctrine of papal infallibility.

            The Catholic Church officially states that Church tradition is equal in authority to the Bible. (Catechism 80, 84, 86, 97) The problem is that Catholic tradition consists of various expressions of worship and belief of the Catholic people. (Catechism 78, 98, 113, 2650, 2661) It is nebulous. It keeps changing. You cannot find it written in one place. You can’t really put your hands on exactly what it is.

            The Early Fathers used Scripture as the standard against which they tested Church tradition. The modern Catholic doctrine that Church tradition is equal in authority with the Bible is contrary to the writings of the Early Fathers. [20]

            According to Jesus, Scripture is the plumb line for measuring everything else. He judged religious traditions by comparing them to Scripture. When religious traditions contradicted Scripture, he condemned them. This shows clearly that nothing is equal in authority to Scripture. The Bible stands alone as the standard by which all other things are to be judged.

“Then came together unto him the Pharisees, and certain of the scribes, which came from Jerusalem. And when they saw some of his disciples eat bread with defiled, that is to say, with unwashen, hands, they found fault. For the Pharisees, and all the Jews, except they wash their hands oft, eat not, holding the tradition of the elders. And when they come from the market, except they wash, they eat not. And many other things there be, which they have received to hold, as the washing of cups, and pots, brasen vessels, and of tables. Then the Pharisees and scribes asked him, Why walk not thy disciples according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashen hands? He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do. And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition. For Moses said, Honour thy father and thy mother; and Whoso curseth father or mother, let him die the death: But ye say, If a man shall say to his father or mother, It is Corban, that is to say, a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me; he shall be free. And ye suffer him no more to do ought for his father or his mother; Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye.” (Mark 7:1-13, emphasis added.)

            According to the official teaching of the Catholic Church, Catholic men and women are not allowed to believe what they read in the Bible without checking it out with the Catholic Church. They are required to find out how the bishops of the Church interpret a passage and they are to accept what the bishops teach as if it came from Jesus Christ Himself. They are not allowed to use their own judgment or follow their own conscience. They are required to believe whatever the bishops teach without questioning it. (Catechism 85, 87, 100, 862, 891, 939, 2034, 2037, 2041, 2050)

            The Catholic Church teaches that when the bishops officially teach doctrine relating to faith and morals, then God supernaturally prevents them from making any errors. This is called “infallibility”. It applies to official councils, such as the Second Vatican Council. It also applies to other teachings, as long as the bishops and the Pope are in agreement about them. (Catechism 890, 891, 939, 2033, 2034, 2049)

            The Pope is said to be infallible whenever he makes an official decree on matters of faith and morals. According to Catholic doctrine, it is impossible for the Pope to teach false doctrine. Catholics are expected to obey the Pope without question even when he is not making an “infallible” statement about doctrine. They are expected to submit their wills and minds to the Pope without question. (Catechism 892, 2037, 2050)

            The Early Fathers, and the theologians and canon lawyers of the Middle Ages, never taught that the bishops or the Pope were infallible. This is demonstrated by the fact that in 680 A.D. the Sixth Ecumenical Council condemned a pope as a heretic. It was not until the fourteenth century that the theory of infallibility began to emerge. With the development of this theory came a change in the interpretation of some biblical passages. [21]

            The history of the early Church shows that the Bishop of Rome was considered to be just another bishop. For example, Pope Gregory (590-604 A.D.) explicitly stated that all of the bishops were equal. He specifically repudiated the idea that any one bishop could be the supreme ruler of the Church. [22]

            The claim for papal infallibility does not stand up to the test of history. For example, Pope Zosimus (417-418 A.D.) reversed the pronouncement of a previous pope. He also retracted a doctrinal pronouncement that he himself had previously made. Pope Honorious was condemned as a heretic by the Sixth Ecumenical Council (680-681 A.D.). He was also condemned as a heretic by Pope Leo II, as well as by every other pope until the eleventh century. So here we have “infallible” popes condemning another “infallible” pope as a heretic. In 1870, the First Vatican Council abolished “infallible” papal decrees and the decrees of two “infallible” councils. [23]

            In the seventeenth century, the Catholic church officially condemned Galileo as a heretic because he taught that the earth revolves around the sun. This did not conflict with the Bible or with the teachings of the Early Fathers. However, it was contrary to seventeenth century Catholic theology. The Greek philosopher Aristotle taught that the sun revolves around the earth. Aristotle influenced Thomas Aquinas, a thirteenth century theologian and “doctor of the Church” whose theology had a major impact on the Catholic Church. Some modern astronomers believe that Galileo was right. Others believe that Einstein's theory of relativity makes the question irrelevant. [24] Either way, Galileo was not a heretic for disagreeing with Aristotle. The “infallible” pronouncement of the Catholic Church regarding Galileo's teaching was wrong.

            Most people have heard of “papal bulls” and “infallibility”. Have you ever seen what they actually look like? Following is the ending of the bull Ineffabilis Deus in which Pope Pius IX declared the dogma of the Immaculate Conception of Mary in 1854:

“Therefore, if some should presume to think in their hearts otherwise than we have defined (which God forbid), they shall know and thoroughly understand that they are by their own judgment condemned, have made shipwreck concerning the faith, and fallen away from the unity of the Church; and, moreover, that they, by this very act, subject themselves to the penalties ordained by law, if, by word or writing, or any other external means, they dare to signify what they think in their hearts.” [25]

The phrase “subject themselves to the penalties ordained by law” is significant because less than 30 years earlier, a man in Spain was executed for heresy. [26]

MARIAN APPARITIONS

            On May 13, 1981, a man shot Pope John Paul II. As the ambulance carried him to the hospital, the Pope kept praying, “Mary, my mother! Mary, my mother!” One year later, the Pope made a pilgrimage to Fatima to thank Our Lady of Fatima for saving his life and to consecrate the entire human race to her. [27] The video Catholicism: Crisis of Faith shows the Pope kissing the feet of a statue of Mary. [28]

            Millions of pilgrims go to shrines which honor apparitions of Mary. Every year fifteen to twenty million pilgrims go to Guadalupe in Mexico, five and a half million go to Lourdes in France, five million go to Czestochowa (Jasna Gora) in Poland, and four and a half million go to Fatima in Portugal. Special dates draw huge crowds. On August 15, half a million pilgrims go to Czestochowa. On October 13, a million people go to Fatima. On December 12, 1999, five million pilgrims went to Mexico to honor Our Lady of Guadalupe. [29]

            Are these pilgrims worshipping Mary? You can observe them and see for yourself, thanks to a video entitled Messages from Heaven.   (Information about this video is given following the Bibliography.)

            If you watch the video, you will see the Pope bow in front of a painting of Mary and cover the area with incense. You will see a million pilgrims walking in a procession, following a statue of Our Lady of Fatima and singing songs in her honor. You will see several million people in a procession following a painting of Our Lady of Guadalupe. You will see people weeping and raising their arms towards Mary. You will see the largest assembly of bishops and cardinals since the Second Vatican Council, gathered together to join Pope John Paul II in solemnly consecrating the entire world to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

CONCLUSION

            Proverbs 14:12 says, “There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.” Our minds can be deceived and so can the minds of bishops and popes. Only the Bible is totally trustworthy. When religious traditions conflict with the plain meaning of Scripture then we need to discard those traditions. We cannot afford to do otherwise, because our eternal destiny is at stake.

            The Apostles told the religious leaders of their day, “We ought to obey God rather than men.” (Acts 5:29b) As an old hymn says, “On Christ the solid rock I stand. All other ground is sinking sand.”

            If you are not persuaded that Catholicism encourages and even requires a level of “devotion” to Mary that really is a form of worship, then I challenge you to ask God what He thinks about it. If you are sincere in your prayer and open to letting God show you the truth, then He will.

CONTACTS

            To contact the author, send an e-mail message to MaryAnnCollins@juno.com.

            If you would like to discuss specific issues, please contact the following ministry. The members are former Catholics. Their approach is loving, respectful and well informed. Their web site has many documents which you can print, including an annotated transcript of the video Catholicism: Crisis of Faith. Some of their documents are also available in Spanish.

                        Good News for Catholics

                        P.O. Box 595

                        Cupertino, CA 95015

                        E-mail: gnfc@gnfc.org

                        Web Site: http://www.gnfc.org

USING THIS ARTICLE

            You have my permission to copy this article, in whole or in part. You have my permission to quote from it. You have my permission to post it on your web site. You have my permission to incorporate the entire article, or portions of it, into publications of your own. You have my permission to sell it for profit. I do not want any fees or royalties or financial remuneration of any kind.

            The information in this article is the result of many years of personal struggle and search for truth. I want to make it as easy as possible for people to get this information and to pass it on to anyone who might be helped by it.

May the Lord bless, guide, and reveal His truth to everyone who reads this article,

Mary Ann Collins

July 1, 2001

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Aardsma, Gerald E. “Geocentricity and Creation”, Vital Articles on Science/Creation, July 1994, Impact No 253. Santee, California: Institute of Creation Research. It is available on‑line at http://www.icr.org/pubs/imp/imp-253.htm.

Anderson, James (Associated Press). "Giant statue of Mary part of shrine plan," Lexington Herald-Leader, July 17, 1999. This is available on-line with two different titles, at: http://www.kentuckyconnect.com/heraldleader/news/071799/faithdocs/shrine17.htm and http://www.star-telegram.com/news/doc/1047/1:RELIGION64/1:RELIGION64071699.html

Beauclair, Steve. "Skyscraper statue slated for Sabana Grande; $42 million Virgin Mary part of Mystical City," Caribbean Business, February 26, 1998 (Late News cover story).

Bloesch, Donald G. Essentials of Evangelical Theology, Vol. I. San Francisco, California: Harper & Row, Publishers, 1982. The author is an evangelical Christian. He quotes some papal encyclicals.

Catechism of the Catholic Church. Washington, DC: U.S. Catholic Conference, 2000. This book comes in numerous editions and languages. Because it has numbered paragraphs, statements can be accurately located in spite of the variety of editions.

Davis, Philip G. Goddess Unmasked: The Rise of Neopagan Feminist Spirituality. Dallas, Texas: Spence Publishing Company, 1998. This book can be ordered directly from the publisher (888‑773‑6782).

Heintz, Peter. A Guide to Apparitions of Our Blessed Virgin Mary, Part I, 20th Century Apparitions. Sacramento, California: Gabriel Press. This is a Catholic book. It covers 60 apparitions in detail. It is methodical, with 33 categories of information for every apparition. The book is out of print. According to the publisher (who is now out of business), copies of the book were sent to major Marian institutions. The book can be obtained from the following web site: http://www.marianland.com/101books.html

Hunt, Dave. A Woman Rides the Beast. Eugene, Oregon: Harvest House Publishers, 1994.

Johnson, Paul. A History of Christianity. New York: Simon & Schuster, a Touchstone Book, 1995. The author is Catholic.

McCarthy, James G. The Gospel According to Rome: Comparing Catholic Tradition and the Word of God. Eugene, Oregon: Harvest House Publishers, 1995. The author is a former Catholic.

Queenship Jubilee Year 2000 Catalog. Queenship Marian Center for World Peace. This is a Catholic publication. The catalog has a section called “Vox Populi” where they promote books which support the doctrine that Mary is our Advocate, Mediator, and Co-Redemptrix. They promote petitions asking the Pope to officially give Mary those titles. They promote an inexpensive pamphlet (for wide distribution) which supports those doctrines. They also summarize the status of the petition, giving numbers of people who have signed it, and the numbers of cardinals and bishops that support the doctrines.

Schnoebelen, Bill. Wicca: Satan's Little White Lie. Chino, California: Chick Publications, 1990. Before his conversion to Christianity, the author was the high priest of a Wiccan coven for over 12 years. He taught and initiated hundreds of Wiccan novices. He shows the truth behind “white” witchcraft and “Earth Religion” including insights which trace the epidemic of child abuse directly to the root of the rapid spread of Wicca.

Tetlow, James. Messages from Heaven. This book is scheduled to be published in the summer of 2001. It can be ordered by phone (877-370‑7770). James Tetlow is a former Catholic. In doing the research for this book, he read literally hundreds of Catholic books about Marian apparitions.

Webster, William. The Church of Rome at the Bar of History. Carlisle, Pennsylvania: The Banner of Truth Trust, 1996. The author is a former Catholic.

VIDEOS

Catholicism: Crisis of Faith. Lumen Productions, P.O. Box 595, Cupertino, CA 95015. ISBN Number 0-962-9152-0-3. This video was produced by James G. McCarthy, a former Catholic and the founder of Good News for Catholics. It covers a wide range of issues, including Mary. You can order it through D&K Press (800-777‑8839). An annotated transcript of the English version, with 83 footnotes, is available on‑line at http://www.gnfc.org/transcript.html   Information about foreign language versions is available at http://www.gnfc.org/ccf.html

Messages from Heaven. Eternal Productions, P.O. Box 324, Fairport, NY 14450. ISBN Number 1-57341-119-1. This video deals primarily with apparitions of Mary. It also deals with UFOs and angels. The producer is a former Catholic who has read literally hundreds of Catholic books about Marian apparitions. You can order the video by phone (877-370‑7770) or on‑line at http://video.labargemedia.com It is also available at D&K Press (800-777‑8839).

NOTES

[1] http://www.christusrex.org/www2/kerygma/ccc/searchcat.html and http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc.htm This second address didn’t always work for me. If you have a problem with it, then go to http://www.scborromeo.org and click under “Must Know” where it says “The Catechism of the Catholic Church”. If these addresses don’t work for you, then you can do an Internet search for catechism + Catholic.

[2] Paul Johnson, A History of Christianity, page 308. Paul Johnson is a prominent historian and a Catholic.

[3] Peter Heintz, A Guide to Apparitions of Our Blessed Virgin Mary, pages 151-164. The author is a Catholic. The following web site gives a brief summary of the events, including the rose petals, but it fails to mention the forceful Church politics involved: http://198.62.75.1/www1/apparitions/pr00013.htm

[4] James G. McCarthy, The Gospel According to Rome: Comparing Catholic Tradition and the Word of God, pp. 181-184; 199-200.

[5] http://www.pacificheritage.com/images/Products/fatimachild22.JPG

http://www.pacificheritage.com/images/Products/fatimag45.JPG
http://www.pacificheritage.com/images/Products/Lo90.JPG

[6] Dave Hunt, A Woman Rides the Beast, pages 239-240.

[7] Steve Beauclair, "Skyscraper statue slated for Sabana Grande; $42 million Virgin Mary part of Mystical City," Caribbean Business, February 26, 1998 (Late News cover story).   James Anderson (Associated Press), "Giant statue of Mary part of shrine plan," Lexington Herald-Leader, July 17, 1999. This article is available on-line at http://www.kentuckyconnect.com/heraldleader/news/071799/faithdocs/shrine17.htm

[8] James Tetlow, Messages from Heaven, Chapter 1. (I read a pre-publication manuscript and therefore don’t know what page this information will occur on when the book is published.)

[9] William Webster, The Church of Rome at the Bar of History, page 87.

[10] In the Encyclical Intersodalicia (1918). Quoted in Donald G. Bloesch, Essentials of Evangelical Theology, Vol. 1, page 196.

[11] In the Encyclical of February 2, 1849. Quoted in Donald G. Bloesch, Essentials of Evangelical Theology, Vol. 1, page 196.

[12] Queenship Jubilee Year 2000 Catalog, page 92. This is a catalog of the Queenship Marian Center for World Peace, which promotes the doctrine of Mary as Advocate, Mediator, and Co-Redemptrix. It also promotes the petition. The catalog gives information about the petition's progress, and about church leaders who support the doctrine.

[13] William Webster, The Church of Rome at the Bar of History, pages 72-77.

[14] William Webster, pages 79-80.

[15] William Webster, pages 81-85.

[16] Philip G. Davis, Goddess Unmasked: The Rise of Neopagan Feminist Spirituality, pages 29-33. The author is a university professor who wrote this book because of his concern about Wiccan teaching at his university.

[17] World Book, Millennium 2000 is a CD-ROM by IBM. For information about Wicca, see “Contemporary Witchcraft,” an article from the on‑line version of The Encyclopedia Brittanica which describes Wicca: http://www.britannica.com/eb/article?eu=115001&tocid=214884

[18] Philip G. Davis, pages 3-4 and 28-29.   Dates of follow-up conferences are given at http://www.rexp.com/rc.html

[19] http://www.goddess2000.org/Mary.html   http://www.thewhitemoon.com/mary/main.html
http://www.spiralgoddess.com/Mary.html

[20] William Webster, The Church of Rome at the Bar of History, pages 22-33. For a description of how pious practices can become official Catholic doctrine, and how this conflicts with both Scripture and the writings of the Early Fathers, see James G. McCarthy, The Gospel According to Rome: Comparing Catholic Tradition and the Word of God, pages 281-309.

[21] William Webster, pages 34-55.

[22] William Webster, pages 56-63.

[23] William Webster, pages 63-71.

[24] Gerald E. Aardsma, “Geocentricity and Creation,” Vital Articles on Science/Creation July 1994. Information about Aristotle's influence on Thomas Aquinas comes from a class on Metaphysics which I took at Catholic University.

[25] Philip Schaff, The Decree of Pope Pius IX on the Immaculate Conception, in The Creeds of Christendom, vol. II (New York: Harper, 1877), pages 211-212. Quoted in William Webster, pages 187-188.

[26] Paul Johnson, A History of Christianity, page 308.

[27] James G. McCarthy, The Gospel According to Rome: Comparing Catholic Tradition and the Word of God, pages 181-184 and 199-200.

[28] This video covers a broad range of topics, including Mary. The producer is a former Catholic.

[29] James Tetlow, Messages from Heaven, Chapter 1. Mr. Tetlow also produced a video with the same title. If you can afford to get both, I would recommend it. The book gives a lot of information and it is thoroughly documented. The author is a former Catholic. The book and video are respectful and gentle in their approach.

Why is Catholicism So Popular?

by David J. Stewart

"He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do. And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition." -Mark 7:6-9

The Catholic religion is composed of traditions which are NOT based upon the Word of God. Matthew 23:9 warns us not to reverence any man as "Father." Yet, this is exactly what the Catholic religion practices. 1st Timothy 4:1-3 warns us about the Catholic religion...

"Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron; Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth." -1st Timothy 4:1-3

What religion teaches it's members not to eat meat (such as during Lent)? Catholicism!!! What religion forbids its priests from getting married? Catholicism!!! It has always been disturbing to me that ANYONE would be so gullible to join the Catholic religion in light of such irrefutable Scriptures. What's so ironic is that the Catholic Bible contains the exact verses I just gave you. The problem is that Catholic people are not encouraged to read their Bibles by the Vatican, so they don't. Catholics listen to the "holy father" in Rome, the local priest, and their catechisms instead of studying the Word of God for themselves. The traditions of the Catholic religion are "doctrines of devils." How do I know this? Simply because the teachings of the Catholic religion are CONTRARY to the Holy Word of God.

The reason why the Catholic religion is so popular is because people are looking for someone to STRUCTURE their life. The Catholic church offers a package deal from the cradle to the casket, from infant baptism to have your last rites read over your dying body. By nature, we don't like to do anything by faith. I like to see exactly where I'm going to land before I leap. The Catholic religion lays it all out for people to see, a systematic plan...baptism, confirmation, holy Eucharist, the rosary, marriage, confession, last rites...and much more. It seems like a great way to go, somebody to tell me exactly what to do make God happy. The PROBLEM is that most of the teachings of the Catholic religion are merely traditions, doctrines of devils, NOT found anywhere in the Bible. According to the Bible, there were also foolish religious people in Jesus' day...

"...This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men" -Mark 7:6-7

Did you reads that?..."in vain do they worship me!" Did you know that the world is filled with religious heathens? The Bible teaches this! Jesus said, "But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking." -Matthew 6:7.

The Catholic religion is a HEATHEN religion, based upon damnable heresies and NOT upon the preserved, inerrant, inspired, precious Word of God. Catholics "think" that they are going to heaven, but they are NOT. I realize that this seems cruel and unkind, but it is certainly NOT intended to be. I am warning you about the phony and heathen Catholic religion, it is of the devil. Why Criticize Religion?

We are commanded in James 5:16 to "Confess your faults one to another..." The Bible does NOT tell us to confess our "sins" to one another, there is a BIG difference. We should never confess our sins to anyone but Jesus Christ, since He is the One Who died upon the cross for us and paid for our sins. ONLY God can forgive sin, "...who can forgive sins but God only?" (Mark 2:7).

Jesus Christ is Almighty God and did forgive sin in the Bible..."When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee" (Mark 2:5).. The Pope cannot forgive anyone. The priest cannot forgive anyone. The Catholic church cannot forgive anyone. ONLY through Jesus Christ can we have peace with God, and the Catholic church is NOT Jesus!

"Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:" -Romans 5:1

There is nothing taught in the Bible about Last Rites.   And why do Catholics bow down to Mary? You know, they all say the same thing..."We don't worship Mary, we just worship God through Mary." Listen my Catholic friend, you had better go back and read the Ten Commandments in Exodus chapter twenty because the Bible clearly forbids even BOWING to any image...

"Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them...." -Exodus 20:4,5

The Pope is a heathen who is guilty of IDOLATRY as the photo above clearly shows. Don't be fooled any longer friend, you can still be saved and go to heaven if you'll simply forsake your false religion and turn to Jesus Christ alone for salvation.

How to be born-again.

Have you ever heard the Pope speak about being "born-again?" No! Well, the catholic Bible has all the same verses as the King James Bible. "Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." (John 3:3). If you don't become a born-again believer in Jesus Christ, you will burn in hell for all eternity. So why doesn't the Pope warn anyone? The answer is because the Pope is a liar bound for hell-fire if he doesn't repent of his unbelief and turn to Christ for forgiveness. You heard Jesus in the above Scripture...

"Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men" -Mark 7:7

Do you know what Jesus meant by "in vain?" Jesus was telling those people that they were wasting their time because you CANNOT worship God in heresy. "God is a Spirit: and they that worship Him must worship him in spirit and in truth." (John 4:24).

If you try to worship God in a false religion, you are just wasting your time. Also, notice the correlation God makes between worship and doctrine. This is very interesting...and important! You can't truly worship God unless you worship Him in TRUTH. Most of the people in the world who "think" they are worshipping God are in reality living a lie, worshipping in vain, wasting their time. The Islamic Moslems claim to love God and are known worldwide for their intense worship of Allah (god). Unfortunately, Moslems worship Allah in VAIN because they do not worship the True God, Jesus Christ. Likewise, every Catholic who tries to worship or pray to God THROUGH is doing so in VAIN. You are wasting your time, God is not part of your worship. If you don't worship God in TRUTH, then you are just practicing false religion.

The Catholic religion is the unrepentant sinners religion.. You can still live like the devil and feel comfortable in a Catholic church. Most of the Catholics I have known over the years cursed in God's name, indulged in pornography, had contempt for true Christians, went to strip joints, never shared their faith with anyone, and had an arrogant attitude about the fact that they were "Catholic." You won't feel comfortable living like this in a good Baptist church. This is another reason why the Catholic religion is so popular...you are not required to live right. There is NO call to holiness. Instead, you are taught by the Catholic priests to go into a confessional booth to make everything right (a license to sin). It's sickening! The Catholic religion does not require you to carry your cross, but Jesus does. Read, Carrying Your Cross.

The catholic religion is perfect for the heathen who doesn't want to become born-again, but does want religion. The Catholic religion is perfect for the heathen who wants to continue living and sin and never be told to repent and get right with God. You can remain an unsaved, unrepentant sinner and feel at home by being a Catholic. But be warned, you will burn in hell when your time comes.

The Christian life is a life of FAITH, not ceremonial religion or organized formalism. We read in Hebrews 11:1, "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."

Many people refuse to live by faith; instead, they prefer to see, hear, touch, smell, and taste religion. Catholicism eliminates faith. When a Christian prays, they do NOT need to pray through a statue of Mary. Rather, the Christian prays to God from within the heart. Jesus said, "Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you" (Luke 17:21). The kingdom of God is within your heart only if you have been born-again through the blood-atoning work of Jesus Christ. No religion can save you, not even the Baptists. ONLY Jesus can save you (John 14:6). The Catholic religion offers all the external manifestations of religion, but their hearts are FAR FROM GOD because for doctrines they teach the commandments and traditions of men. The "Immaculate conception of Mary" is NOT taught in the Bible. The "Seven Sacraments" are NOT taught in the Bible. The "rosary" is NOT taught in the Bible. The little wafer on a pole that the Catholic masses worship is NOT Jesus, and this evil religious practice is certainly NOT taught in the Bible. Think for yourself!

Don't forget friend, the road to destruction is often paved with good intentions...

"There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death." -Proverb 14:12

**Attn. Heathen: - Jesus Christ Is The ONLY Way To Enter Heaven, P-E-R-I-O-D.**

Put All Your Faith in Jesus



Jesus Christ is the ONLY Way to Heaven!

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever BELIEVETH IN HIM should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). “For ye are all the children of God by FAITH IN JESUS CHRIST” (Galatians 3:26).

The Bible is clear concerning this matter—All people are to believe upon Jesus Christ. The main purpose for which Christ came into the world was to save sinners, “ For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be SAVED” (John 3:17).

We are so blessed to have been made the object of God’s great love, “But God commendeth (demonstrated) his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).

What a wonderful God! It is a happy thought when we realize just how much God loves us. God is not out to get us; rather, He wants us to live a happy, enjoyable life while serving Him in decency and uprightness. Most of all, God wants us to believe on His Son, Jesus Christ. To believe on the Son is to believe on the Father because Jesus and the Father are One. There is NO condemnation to those who are resting in Jesus Christ for salvation, “There is therefore now NO CONDEMNATION to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit” (Romans 8:1).

The only safe place to be is in the everlasting arms of Christ. We must trust (rely) wholly upon Christ to forgive our sins and take us to Heaven. Those who do no believe on Christ are already condemned, “He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is CONDEMNED ALREADY, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God” (John 3:18).

We MUST put all our faith in Christ, there is NO other option. It’s Jesus or hell, turn or burn! What will you do with Jesus? The Bible tells us why people won’t come to Christ, “And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were EVIL. For every one that doeth EVIL hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved” (John 3:19,20).

We have no excuse if we miss Heaven, God has made salvation very simple and accessible to anyone. All we need to do is to put all our faith in Jesus Christ.

Thieves and Robbers Try to Sneak into Heaven Without Jesus

Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by THE DOOR into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber” (John 10:1).

God says you are “a thief and a robber” if you are trying to enter Heaven through a side door or an underground tunnel. You’re a thief because your illegally trying to make an entrance. Jesus paid for our sins because we simply CANNOT pay for our own sins. The ticket into Heaven has been paid for, all you have to do is accept the free gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ.   Since you cannot pay for your own ticket, you don’t have an other choice if you want to enter into Heaven’s pearly gates. It’s Jesus or hell folks, I cannot stress this enough! John 10:9 says, “I AM THE DOOR: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.”

Jesus is the door into Heaven. Listen to John 11:25,26. “Jesus said unto her, "I AM THE RESURRECTION, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?” Believest thou this? Do you believe the words which Jesus spoke?   Jesus saith unto him, "I AM THE WAY, THE TRUTH, and THE LIFE: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me” (John 14:6).

Mary CANNOT save you. The Pope CANNOT save you. The priest CANNOT forgive your sins. Only Jesus CAN save you and forgive your sins. “I AM THE GOOD SHEPHERD: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep” (John 10:11).

What a wondrous Savior! Being saved is so simple—all we must do is believe, “Just enough” to call upon the name of the Lord. “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be SAVED” (Romans 10:13).

The word “call” means to believe. It does NOT means that you have to audibly sound your voice to be saved. Salvation is of the heart, not the mouth. The mouth can do nothing to save you. You must believe in your heart that Christ raised from the dead and trust in Him. Do you believe He arose after being crucified and buried? Some folks think Jesus is dead. Let me tell you my friend, Christ is alive and well and lives within the heart of every Christian Believer. Let me encourage you again to put all your faith in Jesus Christ if you have never done so, make that decision to do so now.

The Gift of God



Nothing in Life is Free

"For the wages of sin is death; but the GIFT OF GOD IS ETERNAL LIFE through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23).

Eternal life is a gift, complements of the Godhead: God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. Nothing in this life is free, not even salvation. That’s right, not even salvation! Jesus paid a great price by giving up His own life. It was Christ Who shed His blood. It is Christ Who wears the scars in His hands, feet, head, back and side. Jesus had been beaten beyond recognition, “As many were astonied at thee; HIS VISAGE WAS SO MARRED more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men” (Isaiah 52:14).

Listen to the Prophetical Words of King David concerning Jesus Christ, “For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have inclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet. I may tell all MY BONES: THEY LOOK AND STARE UPON ME. They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture” (Psalm 22:16-18).

Jesus skin had been torn right off His bones. Perhaps this was from the Cat-o-nine-tails (a whip with nine strands of leather, each with a piece of glass, rock or jagged metal at the end). Perhaps the bones Jesus spoke of were in His wrists, pulled apart by the nails and the weight of His body hanging on the cross. Most of the pictures of Jesus hanging on the cross show a little blood but this is not accurate. Jesus must have been bathed in blood from head to toe. The Roman soldiers ripped Jesus beard out, hit Him over he head repeatedly with a long staff to drive in the crown of sharp thorns, physically beat Him with their fists, stripped Him naked, spit upon Him, scourged Him with a whip—Jesus had been abused beyond recognition. Oh yes my friend, Jesus paid a great price for your salvation. I bid you please do not say “no” to Jesus. The trifle sufferings of this life cannot be compared to the damnation of those who die in their sins without Christ as Savior. Hell is forever. The sad thing is that no one needs to go to hell, Jesus has paid the price.

Eternal Life is Offered as a FREE GIFT to All Humanity

Eternal life is a gift. Even though a gift is free, it MUST be accepted. If I buy someone a gift and place it under the Christmas tree, the gift will sit there until someone claims it. Jesus has purchased you a gift, it is sitting in Heaven with your name on it, you MUST reach out by faith and take it. If you don’t take it—then it will go unclaimed.. Eternal life is a FREE gift from God, “But not as the offence, so also is the FREE GIFT. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many. And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the FREE GIFT is of many offences unto justification” (Romans 5:15,16).

How much plainer can the Bible be concerning the gift of eternal life. Let’s say you go out and buy me a nice gift. When you offer it to me I open my wallet and try to pay you some money. You say, “no, no, it’s a gift!” I continue to try to pay you for your gift but you refuse. This is no more ridiculous than the person who seeks to impress God with their own good deeds and religion. Eternal life is a gift my friend and there’s nothing you can do to earn it. If you try to earn it, it is no longer a gift. You can keep the seven sacraments all you want but it will avail you no good at the judgment.

A Gift Has No Strings Attached

I have often used the illustration of a gift in Sunday School or while out soul-winning. If I offer you a gift, all you have to do is to REACH OUT AND TAKE IT. That is all you have to do and nothing more if it is truly a gift with no strings attached. Salvation is a gift with NO strings attached. I once witnessed to an Islamic Muslim man who didn’t believe Jesus was ever crucified. I asked him, “Do you KNOW if you died today that you would go to Heaven?” He abruptly responded in amazement by saying, “How arrogant!” He said it was wicked arrogance for anyone to even think of claiming to “know” that they were going to Heaven. He believed that a person must win the favor of Allah by their own merit. He said that all we can do is our best and hope that Allah is merciful. These are all lies of the devil!!!

First, the Bible says we can KNOW we’re saved in 1st John 5:13, “These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may KNOW that ye have eternal life...”

Second, if the Muslims believed the Bible (which they don’t), they would KNOW that eternal life is a gift. Every religion in the world is either “DO” or “DONE!” Either you believe you must “DO” something to merit salvation OR else you believe Jesus did it all for you and it is “DONE.” The Muslims are following a “DO” religion; whereas, all true Christians are following the “DONE” religion.

Salvation Is Of The Heart

"That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine HEART that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved” (Romans 10:9). Salvation is of the heart, NOT the mouth. I’ve actually heard radio preachers teach that a person needs to audibly profess Christ in order to be saved. Would you show me that in the Bible?

On the contrary, we read the opposite in Matthew 7:21, “Not every one that saith unto me, LORD, LORD, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.” We are NOT saved by saying certain magic words or by performing certain religious duties. The Scriptures are clear—we are saved by doing God’s will. These people in Matthew chapter seven were sincere I believe, they were religious no doubt.

Let’s hear their testimony in Matthew 7:22, “Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?” They had done so many wonderful things “in Jesus name” but listen to what Jesus told them in Matthew 7:23, “And then will I profess unto them, I NEVER KNEW YOU: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.”

Wow! These people had spent their lives prophesying “in Jesus name”, casting out devils “in Jesus name” and doing many wonderful works “in Jesus name.” Now their about to be cast into hell for their disobedience. They failed to do GOD’S WILL. People get the wrong impression that they can earn their way to heaven or merit salvation by their own works—this is a lie of the devil! There is NOTHING we can do to earn heaven, we ALL deserve to burn in hell.

The passage of Scripture we just read is perhaps the most shocking and eye-opening truth in the Bible. It’s hard to imagine these sincere people going to hell after spending so much time trying to help others in the name of Jesus. We learn several truths from this passage.

First, The road to hell is paved with good intentions.

      Many sincere and loving people will be shocked someday to find out that their name is NOT in the book of life. They thought they were going to heaven for any number of reasons but THEY WERE WRONG. “There is a way which SEEMETH RIGHT unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death” (Proverbs 14:12).

Second, Many false religions operate in Jesus’ name.

      I cannot stress this fact enough, beware! I once witnessed to a Hispanic couple in their home concerning Christ. The man barely understood English, but the mother was able to understand. They had several wonderful children. The kids had been coming to our Baptist church on the church bus for awhile bus but then stopped coming. We kept visiting them on Saturdays. Unfortunately, this family had been caught up with the Jehovah Witnesses. I tried to explain to the mother that these people were NOT their friends and were not of God. She said, “but they talk about Jesus.”

        I explained Matthew chapter seven to her. She said, “but they came to visit me when I was in the hospital and brought me a box of food.” I did my best to open her eyes to the truth but she just wouldn’t listen. In her mind, anyone who came “in Jesus name” was of God and readily accepted into her home.   I prayed with the family and then left. I only wish I could get people to realize that most religion is of the devil. Jesus said in Matthew 7:23 that false prophets are “workers of iniquity.”

Third, The only way to be saved is by doing GOD’S WILL.

      What is God’s will? We find the answer in John 6:40, “And this is the WILL of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.”

       God’s will is for each and every person to see Jesus as He is portrayed in the Word of God and to believe on Him. Many religions will come to us but they have “another Jesus.” We must believe on Jesus Christ as he is presented by God’s Holy Word, as the true and living God. And then we must simply believe on Jesus Christ the best we know how for salvation and forgiveness of sins.

Fourth, We are NOT all God’s Children.

        I often hear these modernists and liberals speaking of how “we are all God’s Children.” Not so! We are all God’s creation, but we are definitely NOT all God’s Children. A “modernist” is someone who makes light of the Bible, a “liberal” is someone who doesn’t believe the Bible or deliberately disregards the Bible. These are not God’s Children Liberals are anti-authority and do what they feel like doing—”if it feels good, do it” attitude. These are the modern “free-thinkers” that discourage marriage, decency and respect for authority. Many endorse sodomy, abortion, gambling, nudity, tobacco, alcohol, drugs, etc. They have little or no purpose for God in their life. They are friends of the world and with the devil. Only those who are truly born-again can claim to be Children of God.   Someone has foolishly taught that all rivers lead to the ocean. That depends! It depends on which was your traveling.. Do all airplanes fly to Tokyo? Do all trains lead to Boston? Do you see how silly man’s reasoning can be?

"For with the HEART man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation” (Romans 10:10).

It is with our mouth that we can confess to others that we have been saved but it is only with the heart that we can believe on Christ and become saved. The confession of the mouth can only follow the believing of the heart. It is the believing of the heart that makes us righteous in God’s eyes because of Christ’s righteousness applied to our record. If we believe on Christ in our heart but fail to confess Him to others with our mouth, we are still saved. Why? Because it is “with the heart” that a person believeth unto righteousness. Mouth confession is optional. Surely it is a good idea to make a public confession to others that we have been saved, but this is NOT mandatory to salvation.

Neither is baptism necessary for salvation but it is something that God wants us to do if we have the opportunity to do so. When we get baptized, we are making a public profession of our faith. We are displaying outwardly what has happened inwardly. Baptism pictures the death, burial and resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. We symbolize our faith in the Gospel in being baptized. It is similar to wearing a wedding ring. The ring doesn’t make you married, it is simply a symbol of ownership. You own each other. If the ring is destroyed, the marriage is still valid. Two people do not need a ring to be married in God’s eyes. Likewise, baptism does not save nor is it required to be saved. However, you must be saved before you can be legitimately baptized. “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that BELIEVETH NOT shall be damned” (Mark 16:16).

A wedding ring means nothing if you have no marriage. Likewise, baptism means nothing if you have not Christ in your heart. Salvation is of the heart, not baptism or anything else. It is NOT what you say that is important. What does matter is whether or not you believe in your HEART that Jesus is the Savior and that you have personally asked Him to forgive and save you.   You need not open your mouth, Salvation is of the heart.