Is Christianity really real? If so, where is it? (Anyone can claim to be a Christian, and many do, who don’t have a clue about what it really is, because, deceived by their own imagination and conscience they want to define it in their own terms. That can not be it. The Bible tells us how to know the real thing and the real Christians.)
I can understand why many young people have doubts, when preaching seems to be simply a way of controlling your life by guilt, fear and expectations, rather than teaching the “newness” of life which Christ taught for the New Covenant way. (Please know that the “New Covenant” and the “New Testament” are not the same thing. See this “New Covenant Interpretation” topic)
But don’t give up on the Bible, it is actually spot-on for all of life’s circumstances and relationships and for what happens in this world. But, you must be born-again in order to interpret its meaning correctly in a nonlegalistic and selfless way. Somehow, if you are really “born-again”, over time, the Holy Spirit will help you understand what the scripture really means and it will change the frustrations of your heart.
Don’t let ill-informed preaching influence your personal views. Study scripture yourself from a “New Covenant” perspective and see if it is really real. If it begins to make sense, that may be the Holy Spirit calling you to repent of unbelief. Being a born-again believer is simply repenting of your unbelief not making a commitment to resolve all sin in your life.
Walking by faith, then, is simply believing God for what He has done and what He says He will do in Scripture, in all of life’s situations, opportunities and circumstances. Walking by faith, is not trying to avoid sin and sinful thoughts. You walk (think and act) where God is, not where your mind wants you to go.
January 29th, 2010
Posted by
Theophilos |
Living Faith, New Covenant |
no comments
There are also terms such as “in me”, “in Christ”, “in the Father”.
Sometimes it is just an object of belief, other times it is a spiritual identity kind of like DNA is a physical identity.
This new spiritual identity is called being born-again, so it is not just a commitment to a cause like “Semper Fi”. It is an actual spiritual indwelling of God into “us”. So, spiritually we are also “in God”.
This is the essence of the “new covenant”, which is called a “new and living way”. We now walk in this “new and living way” rather than by written laws and commandments.
Christ taught under the law and explained the “new way” which was coming. The Apostles did not understand that part of what He was teaching until the Pentecost.
Many people still do not understand this “new way”, because they may have been taught according to the “Flesh” rather than according to the “Spirit”. (Motivational teaching always speaks to the flesh. Much of Scripture may also speak to the “Flesh” if it is not studied with an understanding of the New covenant.) So, they live according to a mixture of “law” and “grace”. For some, it is easier to grasp rules and try to live those than it is to understand the freedom of Grace and live because you really know what it means to be “in Christ”.
A few scripture references:
Continue reading “What Does “In God” Mean?”
January 28th, 2010
Posted by
Theophilos |
Uncategorized |
no comments
True Christianity must be based on correct interpretation of the meaning and message of Scripture as enlightened by the Holy Spirit in the heart of a true believer. Thus, any systematic christianity taught by seminaries and churches is by definition a pseudo christianity or simply a christian philosophy of life. Anyone espousing a legalistic form of christianity is most likely presenting his or her own ideas based on their conscience. Conscience is not how God speaks to us. Quite the contrary, conscience is that part of a fallen nature which allows humans to think that they can be; like God, apart from God.
Much of the Bible is about a particular legalistic system, knowledge and use of this part of the Bible, to promote fear, without understanding and explaining God’s purpose and Grace in the New Covenant is a gross misunderstanding of the Bible. Have you ever noticed, that people with a strong conscience, usually want to tell other people how they should live.
Here is the plan.
________________________________________
1. WE WERE ALL BORN GUILTY (IN ADAM’S NATURE) AND SPIRITUALLY DEAD.
Romans 3:19. Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.Romans 3:2323 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin [is] death; but the gift of God [is] eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Romans 8:33 For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:
2. WHILE WE WERE YET GUILTY, JESUS DIED FOR US
Romans 5:8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
3. GOD WAS IN CHRIST RECONCILING THE WORLD UNTO HIMSELF.
2 Corinthians 5:19 To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.
1 John 2:22 And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for [the sins of] the whole world.
GOD WAS IN CHRIST - CAN YOU COMPREHEND THAT!
1 Corinthians 2:9-14 But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. 10 But God hath revealed [them] unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. 11 For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. 12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. 13 Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. 14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know [them], because they are spiritually discerned.
4. BY HIS DEATH HE RECONCILED US, BY HIS LIFE HE SAVES US.
Romans 5:10 For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.
Romans 7:44 Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, [even] to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God.
1 Peter 1:3. Blessed [be] the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
SALVATION IS MORE THAN JUST GETTING OUR SINS FORGIVEN, IT IS RECEIVING LIFE.
5. THAT WHOSOEVER BELIEVETH IN HIM WOULD BE BORN AGAIN.
John 3:3 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 3:15 That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
1 Corinthians 15:22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.
6. THAT WE WOULD HAVE LIFE - HE HAS GIVEN US HIS LIFE (A NEW NATURE)
•
o - THE VERY PRESENCE OF GOD, IN US
o - NOT JUST A PRINCIPLE OF LIFE
WE ARE REDEEMED, FORGIVEN AND GIVEN ALL WE NEED FOR LIFE AND GODLINESS
- WHAT HAPPENED?
Romans 8:1-2 [There is] therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.
2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if any man [be] in Christ, [he is] a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
Romans 8:15-16 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. 16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:
Hebrews 10:20 By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh;
John 6:28. Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? 29 Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.
2 Peter 1:3 According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that [pertain] unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:
Colossians 1:4 Since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and of the love [which ye have] to all the saints,
Continue reading “Let Scripture Tell You The Plan”
January 15th, 2010
Posted by
Theophilos |
Salvation, Saving Faith |
no comments
This works best with Internet Explorer. There are seven news feeds each in a seperate window below. Each window works the same way. You can scroll the list of items by clicking in the window to set focus and then use the wheel or scroll bar. If you click on a hyperlink item, the site page will display in that frame. You can return to the list with the “back arrow” or a right click and the “back” option. Of course, if you right click on a hyperlink item in the list, you may open that item in a new window or tab; or you can refresh the feed. These are conservative news sites. If you have a news site which you like, send an email to me.(
Human Events, CNS News, Real Clear Politics, Renew America, Worldnet Daily, National Review, Lew Rockwell, and Newsmax)
Continue reading “Other News Feeds”
July 5th, 2009
Posted by
Theophilos |
Uncategorized |
no comments
If someone tells me that the Holy Spirit or God “spoke” to them or guided them in some way, I am more interested in knowing exactly how that happened, than I am in what was said or done. Many people claim this in a very casual way, others casually accept it as a frequent occurrence.
If a preacher tells me the Holy Spirit told him, very clearly, that he was not to preach what he had prepared, and then told him what to preach. The real story is in the explanation of how that happened, not in the message. I take the comment at face value, a direct communication from God. When you stop to think about it, the Holy God of the universe contacting a person in that way would be an amazing event.
Now, if it is really a normal thinking process whereby a conclusion and decision is reached concerning an issue, then how can that be attributed to the Holy Spirit? Are the people who do this just naming the Holy Spirit for effect and authority?
Of course, it may be a result of a true understanding of your connection to the Life of Christ working in you and your response to that. That spiritual connection is what needs to be taught.
August 6th, 2008
Posted by
Theophilos |
Church, Practical Theology |
no comments
What is the Gospel?
I asked this question in a Bible study group with about twenty people. I gave them time to write out their answer. The answers were unexpectedly varied indicating that there is little common understanding of what the gospel is. Can “the gospel” have different meanings? Paul said, there was one gospel which is the death burial and resurrection of Jesus. 1Corinthians 15:1-4
The term is frequently used in preaching, teaching and Bible studies and many times seems to imply more than Paul’s statement. When used in this way, it is a term which people will define by projecting their particular idea into it, similiar to the terms “hope” and “change” which politicians use.
How many passages in the Bible can be considered the gospel, or “good news”? Many denominations preach the “Sermon on the Mount” as applicable to Christian living.
17 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. 18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. 19 Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven. Matt 5:17-20 (KJV)
Was that “good news” for the Jews He was teaching?
Here is what Jesus said to Martha in Chapter 11 of John’s Gospel.
21 Then said Martha unto Jesus, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died. 22 But I know, that even now, whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, God will give it thee. 23 Jesus saith unto her, Thy brother shall rise again. 24 Martha saith unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day. 25 Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: 26 And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this? John 11:21-26 (KJV)
So what do you say the Gospel is?
John MacArthur’s book “the Gospel According to Jesus” is about “Lordship salvation” and “making” Jesus Lord in our life. Is that “Good news”?
Jesus is Lord of our life; we don’t make Him Lord of our lives.
Print View Return to Index
Copyright © 1996 - 2008 Theophilos and gflstudy.org web site. All rights reserved.
March 8th, 2008
Posted by
Theophilos |
Grace, Faith & Life, Salvation, The Gospel |
no comments
We know God does the saving, but what is our part? We repent and believe. Does repenting mean we must make a commitment to make Jesus the Lord of our life before we are saved?
Listen to this seven minutes of a sermon on why a Pastor thinks that a guy he is talking to can’t be saved. Click on Sermon to play audio.
Continue reading “What is Saving Faith?”
March 7th, 2008
Posted by
Theophilos |
Grace, Faith & Life, Salvation, Saving Faith |
no comments
Christian faith is not our intellectual resolve and commitment to something, this is just religious belief.
Faith is not our hope in a promise.
Faith has to do with our experiencing the object of our faith in our heart.
God has never spoken to me, or anyone I’ve ever known, verbally, or through any means of direct revelation. He has spoken to us in His written Word. But, I know Him through a “spiritual” communication in my heart. (It is not our conscience; I will cover that in a later topic.) I believe God speaks to us spiritually with a still small voice deep in our inner being which is also sometimes called our “heart”, when we come to understand the “Truth” of His scripture for all areas of our life.
If this is true, then I understand faith to be “responding to what God puts into my heart“.
Continue reading “How do We Increase in Faith?”
March 6th, 2008
Posted by
Theophilos |
Grace, Faith & Life, Salvation |
no comments
There are several terms used for essentially the same process in a Christian’s life, “increasing faith”, “growing in grace”, “spiritual maturity”, and “sanctification”.
Increasing Faith # 2 PET 1:5-12 EPH 4:14-24
When we talk about increasing our faith, we are talking about spiritual maturity in terms of “putting on” something new. When we were “born again”, we didn’t get a new old (old being the Flesh). We were not made righteous in the Flesh. By the grace of God, we are being changed from the image of Adam into the image of Christ. This change comes by responding to what God puts into our heart by the Holy Spirit enlightening us as to the meaning of Scripture. He is not looking for “sacrifice” but a contrite heart. The Psalms 37:4 “Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart”. I think this means He is changing the desires of our heart, not giving us what we want.
Continue reading “What is Growing in Grace?”
March 5th, 2008
Posted by
Theophilos |
Christian Life, Grace, Faith & Life, Salvation |
no comments
God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth. –2 Thess. 2: 13.
It is not about us trying to clean-up our “old-nature” by obedience.
Bob George says, “sanctification of something means it is being used for the intelligent purpose for which it was created”.
Spiritual maturity is not about what we do for God, but understanding what God does in us. It is about putting on the right thing in the right way. What comes out is our love of God and our love of others. This is the “law of Christ” and “obedience of faith”.
14 And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world. 15 Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God. 16 And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.
17 Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world. 18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love. 19 We love him, because he first loved us. 20 If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? 21 And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also. 1 John 4:14-21 (KJV)
Until we are enlightened by the Holy Spirit to really understand this part, we are probably out there giving it all we’ve got to “win” for God. Kind of like our “sacrifice” for God which He said He didn’t want. He wants us to know Him which requires a different attitude in our heart. This attitude change won’t happen until we come to understand and believe that there is nothing we can do for God. This would be kind of humbling, wouldn’t it? Scripture calls it the “offense of the cross”. It all comes from Him if we just come without any fleshly pride and commitments and allow “Christ in us” and His Word to work it out in our life.
Eph 4:21-24
21 If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus: 22 That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; 23 And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; 24 And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.
Acts 20:32
32 And now, brethren, I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified.
Print View Return to Index
Copyright © 1996 Theophilos
March 4th, 2008
Posted by
Theophilos |
Grace, Faith & Life, Spiritual Maturity |
no comments
Our problem is not our sin.
Our problem is that we are spiritually dead.
GUILTY and DEAD
From a Biblical perspective, everyone is born in the image of Adam, born without the Spirit of God in them. This means that we not only have the distinction of having the same basic fallen nature of Adam, but we are also dead spiritually.
If we are guilty and dead, we not only need to be forgiven, but we need life. Jesus not only came to pay the penalty for our sins, but to give us life. Romans 5:10
Chapter two of Genesis explains how Adam was created in God’s image. And that God breathed the breath of life into man.
The soul consists of the MIND, EMOTION and WILL. Animals have this, but animals don’t consider where they came from or how they came to be. Animals don’t have the “breath of life” which God gave man.
The Bible and our experience indicates that man is BODY, SOUL and SPIRIT. Man was created by God, in the image of God. Created with free- will, the ability to choose.
An unanswerable truth, for natural man, is “how are we here” and “why are we here”? These are spiritual questions which reveal the difference between spirit and soul (man and animal).
Lack of understanding of the difference between the spirit and the “flesh” is the major misunderstanding of Christianity today. Scripture talks about the contention between the spirit and the flesh. Scripture also says God is spirit and “speaks” to us Spirit to spirit.
Continue reading “New-Life Plan”
March 3rd, 2008
Posted by
Theophilos |
Christian Life, Grace, Faith & Life, Salvation, The Gospel |
no comments
The law (moral and ceremonial) is what God required of Israelunder the old covenant.John 1:17 Gal 3:23-25 Heb 8:1010:20Legalism is a self-defined, or religiously definedset of laws (works) and expectationsfor satisfying our commitment to Godbased on a misunderstandingof how we come to Godand how we walk as Christians.Rom 6:11-14 Gal 2:20-21 Mark 7:5-9
The “law” and legalistic terms always speak to our “flesh”.
Grace is god acting in our life to reveal, by the Holy Spirit, spiritual truths in the Word of God.
Continue reading “Law and Grace”
March 2nd, 2008
Posted by
Theophilos |
Grace, Faith & Life, Law & Grace |
no comments
How do churches grow? For many people, growth in numbers is “the” measure of success.
There are many ways churches grow and sometimes it may even be due to the working of the Holy Spirit.
A charismatic motivational leader can motivate high achievers in the congregation to be part of making a “successful” enterprise. It doesn’t matter how.
Most of the “Mega” churches in America have written books and have leadership programs for how they did it.
Continue reading “Church Growth”
March 1st, 2008
Posted by
Theophilos |
Church, Grace, Faith & Life |
no comments
Attitude testifies to a person’s view of Christianity as a spiritual experience from God or as a religion trying to come to God or please God on their own terms …..
Everyone should understand that there are a lot of counterfeit Christians and counterfeit Christian denominations out there.
There are some who practice a counterfeit religion because they have been deceived. There are also alot of charlatans whose purpose is to deceive. They get personal gratification from controlling others through religious deception. Some may even be well meaning, but they can’t stand to have people really understand their freedom in Christ, so they keep people in all kinds of religious bondage, and the people are willing because they don’t take responsibility for knowing the scriptures. Jeremiah 5:26-31
In order to be accepted or to belong to a group, some people will pretend that they have had the same experience which others claim that they have had. (Many denominational clergy and cult leaders are all to willing to allow this and to use these people to their advantage.)
Some people are discouraged in their faith when they do not experience God in the same way as others claim they do. They may fall away from a counterfeit religion and never come to understand that their faith should be based on their own relationship to God as revealed to them in scripture and not what someone else claims. There is a big difference between what God puts into our heart and what someone else puts into our mind.
Continue reading “Why do Christians have so many attitudes?”
February 27th, 2008
Posted by
Theophilos |
Attitude |
no comments
The function of conscience is knowing right from wrong coupled with an expectation that we should act accordingly.
The first part of this function tends to make us feel autonomous. We don’t need any one telling us what to do,especially God, and we certainly don’t need, nor do we even believe in, absolute standards.This puts us right up there with God, doesn’t it? I mean all I need to do is be true to myself and I will…, will what?
The problem is that our concept of what is right is not even close to what God says is right. When the rubber hits the road, we are always going to look out for our own. God says, in the Bible, that in His ideal society, we should have an attitude which puts others first, but it is our natural nature to do what pleases us.
Conscience is also coupled with the idea that we should always act accordingly. This is one of the problems. We may think that we know right from wrong in a limited sense, but we will not keep on doing the right thing. We do not have that power. That is not in our nature.
This leads to another function of conscience which is to produce feelings of guilt when we don’t act according to our conscience. Conscience not only responds to some wrong which we did, but also to something which we believe we should have done and didn’t, or even something which we believe we should have been and weren’t.
Continue reading “Conscience”
February 26th, 2008
Posted by
Theophilos |
Attitude, Christian Life, Conscience, Emotions, Law & Grace, Spiritual Maturity, Truth |
no comments
We usually speak of the church as the building, or as a group of people in “the” building who are all “born again” and have a common understanding of their faith.
The Church, which is the spiritual body of Christ in the New Testament, is not the same as our denominational “Christian” churches.
I have heard of statements from prominent preachers that “ninety percent of the people in churches are not saved”. I am not sure I agree with this. I will agree that ninety percent of the people in churches don’t exhibit an understanding of what it means to be “in Christ”. I attribute much of the blame for this on what new Christians are taught. Being “in Christ” is spiritual, how do people learn to understand their spiritual relationship with God when they are taught organizational planning, and denominational doctrines and methods?There are many different types of believers in every local denominational congregation.
Continue reading “Church Muddle”
February 25th, 2008
Posted by
Theophilos |
Church |
no comments
TRUTH
When we speak of truth from God, it is that understanding which gives meaning and purpose to life. To have meaning and purpose, is to know how to be who we were created to be.
Truth testifies to the meaning and purpose of life.
Ephesians 4:14-16
14 That we [henceforth] be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, [and] cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; 15 But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, [even] Christ: 16 From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.
Nothing which man does in the Flesh (our fallen nature) gives meaning and purpose to life, ultimately all is vanity. Man in the Flesh is dead.Many people are searching for meaning and purpose in life, but they are searching in terms of the desires and expectations of their flesh and the standards of the World.
Continue reading “Truth is That Which Is.”
February 22nd, 2008
Posted by
Theophilos |
Truth |
no comments
Theophilos
Peggy's Juice Plus