Who is Jesus?

  If I had to explain who Jesus was to me I'd say the following. Who is Jesus? Simply, He is a savior. He is the one who saves us from eternal torment and cleanses us from our sins. He is kind, loving and patient. He is the reason why we are here today because we all have a purpose and one of them is reflecting Christ and praising and worshiping him. He was beaten and killed on a cross because the first man and woman who were created, named Adam and eve, sinned. He rose from the dead on the third day and ever since He became our lord. Now, you might be wondering if Jesus is an angel. He most certainly is not. Hebrews 2:9 says: " but we do see Jesus, who was made lower than the Angels for a little while, now crowned with glory and honor because he conquered death, so by the grace of God He might taste death for everyone. " this is saying He died for us and was made a human just like us, and died just like we would, all for God's glory and for that He became crowned in heaven and is our God. God and Jesus are equal. This might be confusing because of the verse from heb. 2:9, but whenever Jesus became a human, he became nothing. Meaning he subjected himself to the will of His Father while on earth. So, Jesus simply plays a different role in the trinity. It's like having a boss and a worker. Yes the boss tells the worker what to do but as individuals they are equal. Like it says in the bible the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit are one. Also, another question you might ask about Jesus would be where is he? If he is so powerful he can rise from the dead, surely he can be with us. The thing is when Adam and Eve sinned in the garden, sin entered the world. Meaning shame, death, and including seperation from God. God used to walk with Adam and Eve in the garden talking on a day to day basis but now the only communication we can get from God is prayer and the Holy Spirit.

How being partial plays a role in society today

What do people today base there lives upon? Money. People who have more money look better in society also. But that isn't right. In james 5:1-2 it says " come now, you rich, weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you. Your riches have rotten and your garments are moth eaten. " what it's saying is your treasures don't last forever. Gold silver etc. has no spiritual value and will eventually perish. That's why instead of storing up on treasures that have no value we should be focusing on what builds us up spiritually and do not show favoritism twoards wealth. In verse five it says " listen, my beloved brothers, has God no chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom in which He promised to them that love Him. " what this is saying is God chose certain people to be poor. And you should ask yourself if you've ever made a difference in a poor mans life. What would you do if you saw a poor man on the side of the road? Probally avoid him, but see God wants us to act out in faith and help the poor and needy. James 2:8-9 say " if you really keep the royal law found in scripture ' love your neighbor as yourself ,' you are doing it right. But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as law breakers. " Love everyone equally. Humble yourselves so you can grow closer to God. Don't shun poor people because it's socially unexceptable. 1 Timothy talks about the love of money being the root of all evil. So this passage isn't shunning people who are wealthy, but how you should value your money. Make sure your wealthiness isn't your security.  It can sure make you feel that way but without God's will in your life it wouldn't be there in the first place. So don't show partiality twoards wealth because in God's eyes we are all equal.

Who has authority in church?

A church should be a place where you can be with believers or non believers to encourage one another in the word, and where you can be taught His word through a pastor. Church should be a safe place for anyone to go and feel welcomed, while praising God either through prayer, worship, etc. Who should be in charge of the church? Well, a pastor of course. Preferably male, why? Because in 1 Timothy 2:12-14 it states " but I do not allow a woman to teach or exercise authority over a man, but to remain quiet, for it was Adam who was first created, then eve. And Adam was not the one deceived; it was the woman who was deceived and became the sinner. " So now paul is proving his point with the fact that yes, Adam was created first and therefore should have authority over eve. Also yes, she was the one who convinced Adam to eat the forbidden fruit. Now In Ephesians is talks about submission and how we should submit to our husbands as the church submits to Christ. So overall I do think a man should be over a woman. But what kind of modern church practice would paul be trying to tell women by saying they are not to have authority over a man? The thing is paul is saying even if a woman's husband was to give her permission to have a high position in the church, that's not the problem. Paul's concern is not with the woman acting independently of her husband, but that the woman wants to exercise authority in the church over any man. Also, not all authority in the church is through teaching. Paul talks about how authority and teaching are closely related but very different and in 1 Timothy 2:12 paul is prohibiting women from conducting activities in relation to men. But here is the big question.  Does this apply to churches today? I do not think we can assume is does. Why? Because certain situations change like , in 1 corinthians it says " greet one another with a holy kiss. " but do we now? No, because time changes us and we now shake hands. So could we take 1 Timothy 2:12 and apply is circumstantally? Well we could think that paul just said that because of the back round at that time because of the false teaching at Ephesus. If so, how would this affect what he's saying. Well, I think Paul is having to give explicit teaching on this subject because it has become a problem in the church. But what if this only applies to women who have heard false teaching? Then Paul is saying that if you have heard false teaching you are not allowed to talk about it otherwise. But let's go back to 1 Timothy 2:14. It talks about how eve was the one who told Adam to eat the fruit that ruined the world. So paul is saying that you must not repeate the mistake by exercising false teaching to the church. So if the women at the church of Ephesus did not learn in quietness and full submission ( 1 Timothy 2:11 ) seeking roles that have been given to men in the church (2:12) they will make the same mistake eve did and ruin the church. Now let's apply Adam and Eve and why he would need to mention who was created first. He mentions Adam being created first because since women were created after men, this shows the woman's position of submission that God intended for the woman. So I think men should lead in a church. Why? Because God gave them the ability to have authority. And this applies to not only them having authority over women but other men as well.

Is free will in God's will?

Does our God really control all? If so, why does He give us a choice not to take what He so badly wants for us?  Why doesn't He just always put us in the right situations we need to be in? Because God gives us free will. An  example of this would be at the very beginning, creation.  God created not only the perfect human beings to be like Him but also the perfect world to live in. No sin, suffering, or  really anything bad you would have to bare. The world was truly at peace. But then, God gave Adam and Eve a choice. To be content with what God had so graciously given them, or to fall into sin and be convinced to eat the forbidden fruit. Well we all know what they chose. But if God knew that Adam and Eve would fall onto the wrong path why not stop it?  In Ephesians 1:11 it says " In Him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the council of his will. " How does this apply? Because it's saying yes God lets bad things happen, such as letting Adam and Eve lead the world twoards sin and suffering. But why?  Just because God knows we are going to choose the wrong path doesn't mean He's not in control. Mabey it's to teach us a lesson, to show us the right path, or He knows the right way to build our strength up.  Meaning, trails not only strengthen us but it builds our faith twoards God because we need Him more than ever when we're suffering. In First corinthians 10:13 it says " No temptation has overcome you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with temptation He will always provide a way of escape, that you may be able to endure it. " let's apply this to Adam and Eve. They were litterally in a perfect world with no sin, but tempted by the devil to not trust God's words and to listen to him instead and ruin what God wanted for them. Was this God's will? Yes. And I think this because God is always in control of all, I mean he created the universe after all. I'm pretty sure if He didn't want somthing to happen, He would would most certainly see to it.

Why faith is important

The reason Paul wrote Romans was to share the gospel and to teach us that our righteousness comes by faith in Christ, not by earning it. The first and second chapter of Romans talks about us being guilty before God, and that circumcision doesn't necessarily make them righteous in God's eyes. Chapters 3&4 talk about faith and how it's always been the means for justification, while 5 talks about how we are blessed through Jesus Christ. 6-8 talks about sin and how to live through Christ without sin and 9&10 talk about being saved through faith. What I think personally is the easiest thing to explain to a non believer is being saved by faith through Christ. Because all you have to tell them is if you  truly beleive in Christ you will be saved. Also, it's not only easy to understand but to do. Now on the other hand the hardest thing to explain would be sins. To a non beleiver it's allot to take in because they are probobally just realizing that they've been living their life wrong. It's also a very intimidating for a non beleiver because it makes them feel bad about themselves and how blind they've been. And sinning in complicated. If you sin yes your forgiven so the question is, what's the point of obeying God's word and not sinning? The answer is if your a true beleiver and follower of God, you should follow His word and want to do what it says. Plus it makes your faith stronger in Christ the less you sin. So if you really live by what paul talks about in Romans, you should be a strong believer.

How do you veiw the life after death?

In 1 & 2 Corinthians Paul talks about Heaven and what life after death is like. In the end of 1 Corinthians it talks about being resurrected with God and in the beginning of second Corinthians, it talks about how we will be spirits with God in our heavenly bodies. What is one of the scariest things to think about? You might first think of an animal or a bad hair day, but really when it comes down to it death is a very unpleasant thing to think about. We all know we are going to die someday because that's what happened when sin came into the world. The second Adam and Eve bit into that apple all hell broke loose, litterally. Death is a part of life and I think we shouldn't really see it as such a bad thing. Yes, loosing loved ones or seeing someone battling an illness and loosing is hard but there is no better place for happiness then Heaven. Christains see Heaven as described in Corinthians, being in  God's presence in pure bliss. Many people today think the opposite, such as athiest's don't beleive in God or a " god ". They also do not beleive there is a Heaven or a hell or really anything after death. How would you view death through an athiest's point of veiw? The point is, there is none. If your an atheist what is the point of thriving? Life? Kids? Love? Your so blindly filled with sin and you don't even know it. Other people may believe in reincarnation where you live your life through an animal. How would you feel about that? Me personally.. a little unpleasant. But if your a Christain and have faith in God, the after life is something you shouldn't need to worry about.

How people today over look sex

What is probobally the number one thing Americans today overlook? Personally, I think our world today emphasizes sex before marriage. In first Corinthians Paul talks about how important it is to stay away from sexual immorality. He goes on saying that a woman should stay faithful to her husband and the same goes for him also. He also says that you should never leave your spouse unless they are being physically abusive or cheating on you ; and if your widowed it's better to stay single but if you feel pressured to sin sexually, it's better to marry.

I think people today really do not take their wedding vows seriously. Once your married, you're making a commitment not only to your spouse, but to God. In 1 Corinthians 6:13 it says: " .. Yet the body is not for immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord is for the body. " People need to realize that divorce is a serious sin and can hurt allot of people in the process. You make a commitment for life not just for several years. People today think they can just easily get out of it by getting a divorce, but really there isn't an easy way out in God's eyes. Sin is sin, and we need to take marriage more seriously. Another thing that really annoys me is how people idolize sex. Yes, sex is one of Gods most beautiful gifts he's given us, but we don't take it seriously and we now use it for pleasure rather than to glorifying God. Really, sex is made to be fruitful and multiply, but most men today see it as the opposite. Another thing that christains over look is homosexuality. Of course if a Christian is introduced to a homosexual you shouldn't judge them. Yes, it's not only displeasing God but they don't know what it's doing to their body spiritually. As christains we should speak to them with kindness and love, assuring them that we are no better than they are and that through Christ, they can stay faithful to God. Now as for single people. Does our culture today look at people differently if they're single? The answer is absolutely. Why? Because obviously it makes the person look ten times more attractive. But, in 1 Corinthians it talks about if your single you  have so much more time to focus on God, rather than earthly things. ( aka having sex with your bf ). All together I think people today really need to take note of what Paul talks about in 1 Corinthians.