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Showing posts from September, 2013

Jesus: The Believer’s Inheritance

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  It is fascinating to observe when people talk about inheritance, ones mind would immediately cater properties, wills, houses, jewelries, and other material things. All of which are centered on material temporal things.   In 1 Peter 1:4 , although The Apostle Peter used the term “inheritance” once in his letter, Apostle Paul on the other hand, mentioned this term in his letters several times. ( Eph_1:14 , Eph_1:18 , Eph_5:5 , Col_3:24 ,) But what is so significant about this particular emphasis of Peter? After all, he made a brief description of the inheritance (verse 4-5) a believer will obtain now that he is part of God’s family.   The term “inheritance” is not something new among Jewish ears. Going back to the OT, when God divided the promised land among the 12 tribes of Israel, every tribe received a portion of the land as their inheritance, except for the tribe of Levi…”the priestly tribe”. They were the only tribe that didn’t get one. God’s reason for doing so is interesting. Th
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Are there degrees of sin? Is there an unpardonable sin?

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Although sin is sin, Scripture indicates that there are degrees of sin. Take for example the Old Testament: how that God gave different provisions for a murder committed that is intentional and unintentional. The person who commits murder intentionally was to be put to death immediately (Numbers 35:16-21). The person who commits murder unintentionally, however, can go to and seek protection from one of the six cities designated for refuge and can have the opportunity to go through a trial (35:9-15). In the New Testament, Jesus Christ’s statement to Pilate stresses the fact that there are degrees of sin. Jesus told Pilate that those who brought him had the greater sin (John 19:11). Pilate was guilty but to a lesser degree than the religious leaders and Jews who heard the message of Christ. Regarding the unpardonable sin, this sin was committed by the Pharisees who deliberately ascribed the work and power of the Spirit to that of the devil (Matthew 12:22-32). They who witnessed firsthand
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What makes someone truly human? How are humans and animals similar and different?

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Humans and animals are similar in many ways. They both are born; they grow; they get hungry; they get thirsty; they rest and sleep; they get tired; they reproduce their own kind; and they both die. However, despite the similarities, there are vast differences; primarily, that man is created in the image of God (Genesis 1:26-27; 2:7). Unlike animals, human beings exhibit the following as God’s image bearers: (1) as moral beings, we have been given the ability to choose and determine what is morally right or wrong; (2) as emotional beings, we manifest a variety of emotions such as love, anger, sadness, hatred; (3) as relational beings, we desire and long for relationships and to belong to a community (Genesis 2:18); (4) as intelligent beings, we invent, engage in debate and increase in knowledge (from building cities and cultures [Genesis 4:17, 20-22] to inventing the internet, smart phones, tablets and sending astronauts and spacecrafts to space); and finally (5) as spiritual beings, we
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