Do all "good" people go to heaven?

Without a doubt, the number one objection I hear from those I speak with who do not feel they need Jesus in their lives is the following one,

             "I believe if you are a good person, you go to Heaven"

I hear this often and I find that people truly believe this. It just makes sense doesn't it?  If you are a good person and treat others well than God will give you entrance into His kingdom. Does it make sense however? Can you ever be good enough? 

If you’re like most people, you believe that once you die, your soul goes somewhere. The logic flows something like this: There is a good God who lives in a good place reserved for good people. Obviously, the criterion for making it to this place is to be and do good. Each religion has its own variations on the definition of “good,” but generally, men and women must do certain things and not do certain things to get to this good place.

The logic behind this assumption seems fair, doesn’t it? After all, if you do well in school, you move to the next grade. If you do well on the job, you receive raises and promotions. Being rewarded for your efforts is part of our human experience and expectation. So it only seems fair that if you do well in this life, you should go to heaven.

What other view could there possibly be? Perhaps bad people go to heaven? Unthinkable! In spite of all their differences, the major religions of this world share one common denominator: How you live your life on this side of the grave determines your destination in the afterlife. So many experts can’t be wrong, can they?

Jesus disagrees.

Everyone I’ve ever met who believes that good people go to heaven also has good things to say about  Jesus Christ. Most see him as  a "good teacher" or even will admit that he is the son of God. However many I've spoken won't admit they are in need of a Savior and that Jesus is the savior of the world. They inherently feel "good enough" on their own merits. But the truth is that if you embrace the notion that good people go to heaven, you can’t embrace Jesus or His teachings if you’re going to be intellectually honest. Because if good people actually do go to heaven, then Jesus completely misled His audiences.

Jesus taught the very opposite of what most people in the world believe. His standards were even higher than those found in Old Testament law, yet He taught that even the best of professional do-gooders wasn’t good enough to enter God’s kingdom. Furthermore, He claimed that God desires to give men and women exactly what they don’t deserve, including the “bad” people. Not only was this a major departure from the religious teachings of His day, it was a departure from anything that had ever been taught anywhere at any time by anyone. The whole idea was so unsettling and infuriating that the leaders of the religious establishment had Him arrested and crucified.

One particular incident brings eye-popping clarity to what Jesus actually believed. Luke records an exchange that took place between Jesus and the men being crucified on either side of him.

One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!” But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong” (Luke 23:39-41)  

Notice that the second criminal readily admitted that his life was so horrible that he was actually getting what he deserved. Then he did the unthinkable: He asked Jesus to have mercy on him in spite of his worthless life. He said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom” (Luke 23:42)

Keep in mind that this man was in no position to bargain. There was no “from now on”—the opportunity for doing good had come and gone. He’d come to the end and there was no chance to make up for lost time. None of that mattered to Jesus. Pushing up on the nail that pierced his foot for leverage, he managed to utter these words: “I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43). 

Do you realize what it means that one of His last acts before dying was to promise a criminal a spot in paradise? Clearly, he did not believe that good people go to heaven. Did Jesus know nothing of justice? He was operating off some other premise unknown to this world. It’s no wonder many refused to take His teachings seriously. He promised people precisely what they didn’t deserve.

Who is Jesus, anyway?

Jesus and His teachings can’t be blended with all other religions that believe good people go to heaven. He said things like, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6).  He didn’t claim to be a way—He claimed to be the way.

Of course, just because we know He claimed to be God the Son doesn’t automatically make His claims true. But this is undeniably true: He either was or wasn’t who He claimed to be. He was telling the truth or lying. Either His followers called it as they saw it, or they made up all those stories. But people are hesitant to embrace either of those options, and nearly every major world religion views Jesus as special—just not quite as special as He claimed to be. Which is interesting, because when a person claims to be more important than he really is, that generally doesn’t garner support and respect.

So what about you? Who do you think Jesus is? This is an important question, one for which there are only four possible answers.

Jesus claimed to be the one-of-a-kind Son of God and equated himself with God. If you don’t accept His claims about Himself, then one logical possibility is that He was actually a liar who knowingly misled others. A second possibility is that He was delusional, and because He was so convinced, He was convincing. Neither of these options allows you to consider Him just a good man. A third possibility is that Jesus never claimed to be the Son of God, and those words were added to the story after He died. This is the safest and most convenient option, because you can be respectful of Jesus as a good man with good things to say about a good God—without having to accept or submit to His teachings.

But there are problems with all these options. If Jesus was lying or just insane, why would so many continue to follow Him after his death? Not only did His followers continue to believe in Him and spread His teachings, they were all eventually arrested and/or put to death themselves because they claimed that He had come back to life. The resurrection of Jesus was the centerpiece of their message, and they claimed to be eyewitnesses. Either they witnessed the resurrected Jesus or they didn’t. Hundreds of thousands of other men and women have died for a false belief system they believe is true, but no one will die for what they know to be a lie.

And while it is convenient to believe that much was added to the gospels that Jesus didn’t actually say or do, this is a terribly complex view to hold and defend. To begin with, you have to come up with a motive. After Jesus died, it would have been much easier (and less risky) to simply spread his teachings like the disciples of every other religious figure who’s come and gone. There was no compelling reason to lie about His resurrection and add to what He taught. In fact, His unique claims make His teaching offensive and difficult to accept. Why would anyone add anything that would subtract from the believability of the message? It just doesn’t make any sense.

This brings us to the final option: that Jesus is who He said He is, and that He came for the reason He said He came—to take away the sins of the world.

No matter how much good we do, we all have the propensity to do things our way at another’s expense. Yet, as much trouble as our selfishness gets us into, we continue to bow to it. It chokes the love out of marriages. It drives a wedge between parents and their kids. It fuels ambition to the point of self-destruction. After several thousands of years of human experience, we still haven’t found a way to rid ourselves of this “taskmaster”—what we need is to be saved, or delivered, from that thing that rages inside us. And we need to be forgiven for all the hurt we’ve caused as a result of our sin.

The problem is, the law convicts me of my sin but does nothing to help me overcome it. The law declares me guilty, but it provides no promise of forgiveness. No matter how hard we work to keep it, the law offers provisions for neither. Jesus, on the other hand, came to this earth to be both deliverer and forgiver. No one else in history has ever claimed to be either of those. And His appeal is not fairness, but grace.

The Bible teaches that God chose not to give us what we deserve—we call that mercy. In addition, He decided to give us exactly what we don’t deserve—and that’s grace.  Romans 5:8  says, “But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” In other words, while we abandoned what was fair, God went beyond fair and paid for our sins Himself.

This means that every sinner is welcome. Everyone who gets to heaven gets in the same way. And everyone can meet the requirement. All three of these statements are supported by the most often quoted verse in the New Testament: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). Believing in Jesus is the only requirement. Believing means placing one’s trust in the fact that He is who He claimed to be and that you are no longer trusting in what you have done to get to heaven—but rather, on what He has done.

The good news is that good people don’t go to heaven. Forgiven people do.

A lightbulb moment

Over the weekend I spoke with an unbeliever when what I like to call "A lightbulb moment" occurred for this individual. After a lengthy discussion in which this person shared all of their objections to the Christian faith; I lovingly stepped in to tell this person that for me, one of the key pieces of evidence that changed my mind about Christianity and made me realize that Jesus Christ is the son of God, is the fact that most of his apostles (those who were with Him during His ministry, death and resurrection) were willing to die horrific deaths before they would deny that they had witnessed Jesus' miracles and ministry on earth, His death, resurrection and assension to heaven. This is historic FACT.

This person immediately said to me, "I believe that."

The lightbulb came on. What the person just realized is that these men's willingness to be killed verses deny Jesus was a very powerful piece of evidence for the Christian faith. Over 5,000 people witnessed the risen and resurrected Jesus Christ. He was who he said he was...the son of God. Suddenly this person I was talking to this weekend's list of objections held true for many long years, begin to melt away before their very eyes. After reading this short post I urge you to watch the above video of less than 10 minutes so you can see for yourselves what these men were willing to endure rather than deny the gospel of Jesus Christ. Remember the cases presented here have been proven historically accurate.

In the end it really doesn't matter if you had an annoying "so called" Christian say hurtful things to you. Your "bad experience" in church years ago is irrevelant. As I"ve said before, please do not let people and the bad experiences you have had with them and their interpretation of what it means to be and act like a Christian keep you from a relationship with the One who came to save you. I've provided many many posts that provide undeniable proof for Jesus, the Bible and creation. So you don't want to call yourself a "Christian" and don't want to go to church or become a " right winged conservative"?  Don't want to deny that you've been wrong all these years? Then don't! Who cares. Your relationship is with the LORD. That is what is important. It's not about putting a label on yourself...it's about following Jesus. Take the time to wrap your heart and mind around that reality. Read the Bible. Pray. God will lead you through the rest and to the right people if you decide to share your realization.

Jesus, the son of God...died on the cross for YOUR sins. Because of God's holiness, He is unable to be in the presence of sin without a sacrifice. Death. Death is the penalty for sin. Since we are all sinners and fall short of the glory of God and because He WANTS a relationship with us,  He sent his only begotten Son to die for us. Those who accept that His son is savior for their sins will be saved and can enjoy being in God's presence for all eternity. As someone who has been saved for almost 13 years I can promise you there is nothing better! As a child of God I have the hope of heaven upon my death. I can be in God's presence and his heavenly kingdom now for all eternity. I have the Holy Spirit inside me as a guide throughout the rest of my life!

If you are new to this blog, I urge you to read from the beginning with my "testimony of faith" back in January 2013 and work your way forward. I have spent many many hours of time researching and writing this blog after God asked me to do so almost a full year before I finally started. Some may ask why I and other Christians are so concerned with "converting" people to become Christians. The best way to explain it is like this. If you had tasted the most incredible piece of chocolate you had ever tasted, wouldn't you want to share it? If you knew that this chocolate could bring incredible happiness, joy and everlasting life and peace to whoever you shared it with who agreed to take a bite...wouldn't you share it? THAT is why many believer's choose to share the gospel with those who either don't know it or reject it. As a loving, obdient child of God I want the people I love and my fellow man in general to know the hope in Jesus and inherit eternal life. I also want to fulfill the assignment that God has asked of me. It is a simple as that.

Thank you for reading Living a spirit filled life and may you be blessed.

5 key reasons Evangelism is hard and why I do it anyway

I've decided to redirect one more time from my series on world wide religions to share this post today. I've been working on this blog ministry  for close to 19 months now. Many may wonder why I would devote my time and energy to evangelizing my faith. As I have said before, I felt personally called by the Lord to do this and He has made it clear to me from the very beginning of becoming a Christian that this was part of what He sent me to this world to do. 

For the most part this has been a very positive experience and something I enjoy devoting myself too. Having someone call you or email you and tell you that your blog influenced them in their decision in coming to faith in Jesus Christ can't help but make you feel that  the work you are doing has value. As wonderful as that is, there is another side. When you evangelize about your faith you open yourself to those who will criticize you or challenge you or those who will flat out go out of there way to prove you wrong or even mock you. I've had many conversations with people on both sides of the spiritual coin.

 As I've said from the beginning, I've chosen this blog as my way of evangelizing. I rarely will bring up my faith with anyone unless I'm asked about it. Since starting this blog, I'm asked a lot more. I figure this blog is here for those who want to read it, and apparently that is a lot of people. My recent blog statistics tell me I have a large number of people reading my blog on a daily basis. Although people rarely leave comments, they contact me by phone, email and often will send me a personal face book message.  What was once a one to two hour commitment each week is turning into a thriving ministry for me and I love it. This week alone (it's Wednesday) I've already put in over 10 hours on this ministry between researching, writing and communicating with people. Since I have a lot on my plate personally this week, that means I'm often up until after midnight sometimes making sure I give this ministry my all which is fine with me!  I take absolutely no personal credit for any good this blog may be serving...I give ALL the glory to God for it is through Him that I am inspired to write and share with others. The best part of where I am right now with this ministry is that I am at the point where I am getting confirmation that I am doing what I'm supposed to be doing.

In fact Monday was one of those days. What started out as what I will only call "a bumpy and difficult road in the mission field", turned itself around ten fold when I received a call out of the blue from someone who has not picked up the phone to call me  in a very long time. This person told me that not only had her and her husband been going to church for the first time in their marriage, but that additionally she wanted to share with me that after being agnostic her entire life that she had a very real encounter with God and was positive for the first time in her life that He was real, He cared for her and that she knew with complete certainty that she was now a beloved child of God. That conversation erased all the difficulties of the morning and God showed me that my work for Him has not been in vain.

I have friends that go on mission trips all over the world to evangelize. One of my dearest friends goes out on the streets of Italy and evangelizes to prostitutes. Another friend goes down to the Las Vegas Strip and talks with people on a weekly basis. Others serve food to the homeless and share the gospel with them. You don't have to be a writer and have a blog to evangelize! If you have ever shared your faith with a co-worker or friend, than you have evangelized. I will be sharing more on effective ways to share your faith in a future post.

Before Jesus departed to His heavenly throne to take His position as Lord and Christ, He spent a final time with His eleven disciples. The last command that He gave them was this: "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." Matthew 28:19-20

If these are the last words that Jesus gave His disciples, we must consider that they are of the utmost importance to Him, and to ourselves. Jesus commands us to tell others about Him. You may ask, "Why me?" Aren't there others more equipped to do that? I am not a preacher, I do not know what to say,"

The good news about that is that Jesus does not ask us to do something without equipping us with what we need. The beloved physician, Luke, recorded in Acts 1:8, "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."

Christ commanded us to tell others about Him and promised to give us power to do it. In the same way that a person is called to be a witness in a legal proceeding, we are asked to be His witnesses. In a legal proceeding, the witness will testify to the things that they have personally seen and heard; they will give an account based on what they have observed or experienced insofar as it has relevance to the current proceedings. As Christians, we have the opportunity and responsibility to tell others what we have "seen" and "heard" and what we have experienced in our walk with the Lord. Although God promised to equip us with what we will need, He never said it would be easy. Anything worth while seldom is.

Here are five reasons why evangelism is hard and why I do it anyway. 

1. It grates against social norms.

Think about the cringe-factor that comes with the word “proselytize.” That’s the same stigma that comes with word “evangelize.” Evangelism is often viewed (even by some Christians) as intrusive, coercive and crass.

But that stereotype is not Biblical evangelism. We should never coerce anybody to convert to Christ but, in the words of the Apostle Paul, set forth the truth of the gospel plainly.  When someone responds “no” we should pray for them. When they respond “yes” we should disciple them. When they say “I’m not sure” we should prayerfully journey with them to help them unpack the message of the Christian faith.

While evangelism grates against social norms,  it along with prayer, is the primary tool through which God’s kingdom advances on this earth. In the words of Jesus in Matthew 11:12, “And from the time John the Baptist began preaching until now, the Kingdom of Heaven has been forcefully advancing….”If we want to see God’s kingdom powerfully advance in our sphere of influence we must unleash the power of the gospel through evangelism.

2. It leads to awkward moments.

There’s no getting around it…evangelism can be awkward. Sure there are questions we can use to mitigate the awkwardness. Yes there are listening skills we can develop to break down the weirdness. But, at the end of the day, asking someone to consider embracing an entirely different belief systems is awkward.

With that said however, if there was a “Director of Awkward Moments” in the New Testament it would be Jesus himself. But it is in the crucible of the awkward where minds are changed and souls are saved (just ask the woman at the well.)

3. It exacerbates our fears of being rejected.

Think back to the first time you had a job interview. Your hands were sweating, your knees were knocking and your heart was pounding as you took those steps that lead from your car to the meeting place of the person interviewing you. If you are anything like I was...you were afraid!....and what was the primary fear?  The fear of being rejected!

In the same way when you evangelize you put yourself on the line. You open yourself to the possibility of being rejected. In other words, we become like Jesus in a very real and tangible way. According to Isaiah 53:3, “He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.”

Jesus was willing to be rejected so that we could accept the free gift of salvation that was purchased with his blood. If we really want to follow in his footsteps we need to be willing to be rejected as well.

4. It triggers demonic response.

If you want to anger Satan, then I can promise you that evangelizing about Christ will fire him up to wreak all kinds of havoc in your life. During the first century, the devil tried diligently to stop evangelism. He did not want Christians taking the Gospel to others. Thus, he caused per­secution, false teachers, and discouragement through the Roman government. Yet Chris­tians were still ardent in their evangelistic efforts. To defeat the devil and help us overcome sin, we need to spread the Gospel around the world. How the enemy would love us to ignore Mark 16:15-16. Jesus said, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.”

 Satan would like us to believe that we can stay home, watch our favorite tele­vision shows, and “let someone else worry about spreading the Gospel.”Satan wants people to think that they do not have the talent or ability to spread the Gospel, and that they therefore cannot do it. But each of us has been given the command to take the Gospel to the whole world. Look at the principle in Acts 5. Talk about people whose hearts were in evangelism—here they are. Christ’s disciples had been beaten for preaching the Gospel, and had been told not to go out to preach the Gospel any more. Yet verse 42 records, “Daily in the temple, and in every house, they did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ.” The disciples were told to hush, or they would be beaten. Yet while the blood on their backs was still wet, and while the Jewish leaders’ warning was still ringing in their ears, they went to the temple and house to house to teach people about Christ. Oh, if we only had the zeal and desire to carry out evangelism like those people had. 

Acts 8:4 records, “Those who were scattered went everywhere preaching the word.” We need to fol­low the command of Jesus, Who said in Matthew 28:19—“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations.” We are told in 1 Peter 2:9 that we are to “proclaim the praises of Him who called us out of darkness into His marvelous light.” In Colossians 1:28 Paul wrote, “Him we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus.” Look at the good that comes from evangelism. In the first century, the critics of Christians said that they had “turned the world upside down” (Acts 17:6). But what they really did was turn the world right-side up by getting people back in line with the will of God. Paul, Barnabas, Luke, and others would go into a city, and peo­ple would burn their books of magic (Acts 19) or they would tear down idols and give hon­or to God. That is the last thing that Satan wanted!

St. Peter’s warning to the early believers of the 1st Century church, “Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour” 1 Peter 5:8.

Who do you think Satan is out to destroy? Those who are evangelizing Jesus! I am convinced that Satan will attack first those who attack him hardest. Christians who are prayerfully, consistently and lovingly sharing their faith are the ones who Satan will bring about a host of unpleasant doses of spiritual warfare. I could write an entire post on the spiritual warfare I've had to deal with since I began this blog. The more I write in it, the more Satan does everything in his power to get me to stop.  I will share more about spiritual warfare in a future blog post.

How do we overcome his attacks? Through prayer! We remember to clothe ourselves in the strength that God provides which will energize our spiritual armor (Ephesians 6:10-20) and encourage us to to keep evangelizing in spite of the opposition. Remember too, as believers in Jesus we have authority over Satan. Don't let the spiritual warfare you may encounter keep you from sharing your faith.

5. It makes us realize how much we don’t know.

I can’t tell you how many times somebody I was sharing Jesus with asked me a tough question and I just stood there thinking, “uhhhhhhhhh hmmmmmm.” There’s nothing more frustrating in evangelism than not having an answer to a lost person’s question.

But recently the Lord gave me a “get-out-of-jail” free card (so to speak) when it comes to this issue. He helped me realize that I don’t need to know all the answers. After all, He is the one who is all knowing, not me!

So when someone I’m sharing Jesus with asks me a question that I don’t have the answer to I’ll say, “Wow! That’s a great question! I have no idea what the answer is but I will find it out and get back to you. In the meantime, let's keep talking!” I’ll then start praying for and searching for the answer. I’ll search the Bible, read books or trusted Internet sources and go to my Pastor or my mentor and find those answers. I’ll then go back and re-engage the conversation.

We don’t have to know all the answers because we know the only One who does (God!) And we can learn some of those answers along the way when we engage people evangelistically and are honest enough to admit that we’re still learning.

Yes, evangelism is hard, but it’s also necessary. It’s necessary because people hang in the balance between heaven and hell and between hope and despair. If we really care about them we’ll do whatever it takes to get the message of Jesus to them in spite of the challenges.

I pray this post encourages you to engage in the challenging yet extremely rewarding work of evangelism in your sphere of influence. And, by the way, once you learn how to share the gospel it becomes much easier.

Thank you for reading A Spirit Filled Life and God Bless you.

Unveiling Grace: Eight Mormons' Life-Changing encounters with Jesus Christ

As I had mentioned in my last post, I will be concluding my examination of Mormonism with this video, Unveiling Grace: Eight Mormons' life-changing encounters with Jesus Christ. I hope you will take the time to watch this incredible video.

Thank you for reading my series of posts on Mormonism. As I move on now through my series on Examining World Religions, my next religion to examine will be Buddhism. Stay tuned, and thank you for reading A Spirit Filled Life. God Bless.

Joseph Smith examined: Part two: Prophet of God?

Joseph Smith, the founder of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints claimed to be a prophet of God.  Was he a prophet of the true and living  God?  There are two ways to find out.  First, compare what he says regarding Scripture (The Bible) and if what the Prophet teaches contradicts Scripture (The Bible), then he is false.  The second way is to examine any prophecies that he has made.  If a single prophecy fails, then the person is a false prophet.

Please note that having several fulfilled prophecies and even a single false prophecy still means that the  person is not a true prophet of God. The test for a prophet is not if he gets them most right but all right.  The Bible tells us . . .

"But the prophet who shall speak a word presumptuously in My name which I have not commanded him to speak, or which he shall speak in the name of other gods, that prophet shall die.’ ²¹ "And you may say in your heart, ‘How shall we know the word which the Lord has not spoken?’ ²² "When a prophet speaks in the name of the Lord, if the thing does not come about or come true, that is the thing which the Lord has not spoken. The prophet has spoken it presumptuously; you shall not be afraid of him." (Deut.18:20-22) .  

We can see that the criteria of a true prophet is not failing when predicting the future.  This is because God, who is outside of time and the creator of the universe, makes no mistakes when he tells us what will happen.  Those prophets whom he has called will not make a mistake and prophesy the future since to do so would mean the person is not speaking on God's behalf.  Therefore, if anyone claims to be a prophet of God and speaks in the name of God and gives a prophecy that fails, then the person is not of God.

Did Joseph Smith make any prophecies?  Yes, he did.  Here are just a few of his false prophecies.

False prophecies of Joseph Smith

1. History of the Church
   1. Prophecy about Jesus' return within 56 years--"President Smith then stated that the meeting had been called, because God had commanded it; and it was made known to him by vision and by the Holy Spirit. He then gave a revelation of some of the circumstances attending us while journeying to Zion--our trials, sufferings; and said God had not designed all this for nothing, but He had it in remembrance yet; and it was the will of God that those who went to Zion, with a determination to lay down their lives, if necessary, should be ordained to the ministry, and go forth to prune the vineyard for the last time, for the coming of the Lord, which was nigh--even fifty-six years should wind up the scene." (History of the Church, vol. 2, p. 189). 
   2. Jesus did not return within fifty-six years when 1891 arrived.
2. Doctrine and Covenants
   1. Prophecy that the temple would be built in Missouri within Smith's Generation--"Yea, the word of the Lord concerning his church, established in the last days for the restoration of his people, as he has spoken by the mouth of his prophets, and for the gathering of his saints to stand upon Mount Zion,  which shall be the city of New Jerusalem. ³ Which city shall be built, beginning at the temple lot, which is appointed by the finger of the Lord, in the western boundaries of the State of Missouri, and dedicated by the hand of Joseph Smith, Jun., and others with whom the Lord was well pleased. ⁴ Verily this is the word of the Lord, that the city New Jerusalem shall be built by the gathering of the saints, beginning at this place, even the place of the temple, which temple shall be reared in this generation. ⁵ For verily this generation shall not all pass away until a house shall be built unto the Lord, and a cloud shall rest upon it, which cloud shall be even the glory of the Lord, which shall fill the house . . .  Therefore, as I said concerning the sons of Moses for the sons of Moses and also the sons of Aaron shall offer an acceptable offering and sacrifice in the house of the Lord, which house shall be built unto the Lord in this generation, upon the consecrated spot as I have appointed." (Doctrines and Covenants 84:2-5,31.)  
      1. The Mormons were driven out of Jackson County in 1833.  They were not gathered there in accordance to this prophecy dealing with building the temple.
      2. The prophecy clearly states that the generation present when the prophecy was given would not pass away until the temple was built at the western boundaries of the state of Missouri which is in Independence.  This clearly failed.
   2. All Nations would be involved in the American Civil War--"Verily, thus saith the Lord concerning the wars that will shortly come to pass, beginning at the rebellion of South Carolina, which will eventually terminate in the death and misery of many souls; ² And the time will come that war will be poured out upon all nations, beginning at this place. ³ For behold, the Southern States shall be divided against the Northern States, and the Southern States will call on other nations, even the nation of Great Britain, as it is called, and they shall also call upon other nations, in order to defend themselves against other nations; and then war shall be poured out upon all nations," (Doctrine and Covenants 87:1-3).  
      1. This is clearly another false prophecy since all nations did not get involved in the American Civil War.
   3. Prophesy that the earth will tremble and the sun be hidden in "not many days": "For not many days hence and the earth shall tremble and reel to and fro as a drunken man; and the sun shall hide his face, and shall refuse to give light; and the moon shall be bathed in blood; and the stars shall become exceedingly angry, and shall cast themselves down as a fig that falleth from off a fig-tree," (Doctrine and Covenants 88:87) 
      1. The sun hasn't yet been hidden nor has the moon hidden its face.
      2. This prophecy was given on 12/27/1832.  "Not many days hence"?  Since the writing of this article on 6/22/06, it has been 63,364 days or 173 years, 5 months, 26 days.  I think that 63,364 days is more than "not many days".
         1. For reference to January 1, 2000 it was 61,000 days (even), or 167 years, 5 days.
3. Pearl of Great Price
   1. Prophecy that Isaiah 11 was about to be fulfilled--"In addition to these, he quoted the eleventh chapter of Isaiah, saying that it was about to be fulfilled. He quoted also the third chapter of Acts, twenty-second and twenty-third verses, precisely as they stand in our New Testament. He said that that prophet was Christ; but the day had not yet come when 'they who would not hear his voice should be cut off from among the people,' but soon would come," (Pearl of Great Price, Joseph Smith, History, verse 40).
      1. Isaiah 11:6-9 says, "And the wolf will dwell with the lamb, And the leopard will lie down with the kid, And the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; And a little boy will lead them. ⁷Also the cow and the bear will graze; Their young will lie down together; And the lion will eat straw like the ox. ⁸And the nursing child will play by the hole of the cobra, And the weaned child will put his hand on the viper's den. ⁹They will not hurt or destroy in all My holy mountain, For the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord As the waters cover the sea."
         1. This has not yet been fulfilled.  The wolf is not dwelling with the lamb, the calf and the lion are not together, nor are the cow and bear grazing together.  The lion is not eating straw like an ox.  Nursing children are not playing in the dens of cobras.

EXAMINING WORLD RELIGIONS PART TWO: Mormonism: Are Mormons Christians?

In my continued look a world religions, today I will examine Mormonism, aka The Church of Jesus Christ of Later Day Saints (LDS). 

Recently I received a knock on my door. When I answered there stood two Mormon missionaries. They told me they were there to discuss their church with me. I thanked them for stopping by but I was a born again Christian and was very sure of my faith in Christianity. 

One of the young missionary men quickly responded with telling me that Mormons are ALSO Christians. I told him that with all due respect that I didn't agree. In this post I will share some of what I told the missionaries about their claim to "also being a Christian."

"Is Mormonism Christian?" The answer is simple.  No. Mormonism is not Christian.

If you are a Mormon, please realize that I am not trying to attack you, your character, or the sincerity of your belief.  If you are a non-Mormon looking into Mormonism or if you are a Christian who is simply researching Mormonism, then this post should be of help.

The reason Mormonism is not Christian is that it denies one or more of the essential doctrines of Christianity.  Here is a basic list of what true Christianity teaches as essential doctrine according to the Bible.

1. There is only one God in all existence (Exodus 20:1-4; Isaiah 43:10; 44:6, 8; 45:5). 
2. Jesus is divine (John 1:1, 14; 8:24; Col. 2:9)
3. Forgiveness of sins is by grace alone without works (Eph. 2:8-9; Rom. 3:28; 4:1-5)
4. Jesus rose from the dead physically (John 2:19-21; Luke 24:39)
5. The gospel is the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus (1 Cor. 15:1-4)

Mormonism denies that there is only one God in all existence and also denies the forgiveness of sins in Christ alone. Therefore, it is outside Christianity.  It is not a Christian religion.

What does Mormonism teach primarily?

Mormonism teaches that God the Father has a body of flesh and bones  and that Jesus is a creation who was begotten in heaven as one of God’s spirit children. This is in strict contrast to the biblical teaching that he is God in flesh (John 1:1, 14), eternal (John 1:1, 2, 15), uncreated, yet born on earth (Col. 1:15), and the creator of all (John 1:3; Col. 1:16-17). Jesus cannot be both created and not created at the same time. Though Mormonism teaches that Jesus is God in flesh, it teaches that he is "a" god in flesh, one of three gods that comprise the office of the Trinity . These three gods are the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. This is in direct  contradiction of the biblical doctrine that there is only one God (Isaiah 43:10; 44:6, 8; 45:5). 

Because Mormonism denies the biblical truth of who God is, who Jesus is, how forgiveness of sins is attained, and what the gospel is, Mormonism is not Christian.

What else does Mormonism teach?

Mormon theology teaches that God is only one of countless gods, that he used to be a man on another planet, that he became a god by following the laws and ordinances of that god on that world, and that he brought one of his wives to this world with whom he produces spirit children who then inhabit human bodies at birth. The first spirit child to be born was Jesus. Second (though this is disputed among some Mormons) was Satan, and then we all followed.  But, the Bible says that there is only one God (Isaiah 43:10; 44:6, 8; 45:5), that God has  been God eternally (Psalm 90:2)--which means he was never a man on another planet.  Since the  Bible denies the existence of other gods (and goddesses--there is a mother goddess in Mormonism), the idea that Jesus is  the product of a god and goddess couple is rejected.  The Bible tells us that Jesus--The Jesus of Mormonism--is definitely not the same Jesus of the Bible. Therefore, faith in the Mormon Jesus is faith misplaced because the Mormon Jesus doesn't exist.

Mormonism says Jesus' Sacrifice is not enough

Mormonism teaches that the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross itself (and receiving it by faith) is not sufficient to bring forgiveness of sins. It teaches that the forgiveness of sins is obtained though a cooperative effort with God; that is, we must be good and follow the laws and ordinances of the Mormon church in order to obtain forgiveness. Consider the late James Talmage, an LDS apostle who said, "The sectarian dogma of justification by faith alone has exercised an influence for evil," (Articles of Faith, p. 432), and "Hence the justice of the scriptural doctrine that salvation comes to the individual only through obedience," (Articles of Faith, p. 81).  This clearly contradicts the biblical doctrine of the forgiveness of sins by grace through faith (Rom. 3:28; 5:1; 6:23; Eph. 2:8-9) and the doctrine that works are not part of becoming salved (Rom. 4:1-5) but a result of them (James 2:14-18).

To further confuse the matter, Mormonism states that salvation is twofold.  It maintains that salvation is both forgiveness of sins and universal resurrection. So when a Mormon speaks of salvation by grace, he is usually referring to universal resurrection. But the Bible speaks of salvation as the forgiveness of sins--not universal resurrection. Where Mormonism states that forgiveness of sins is not by faith alone (2 Nephi 25:23; Moroni 10:32), the Bible does teach it is by faith alone (Rom. 3:28; 4:1-5).  Both cannot be true.

Mormonism and the Bible

In order to justify its aberrant theology, Mormonism has undermined the authority and trustworthiness of the Bible.  The 8th Article of Faith from the Mormon Church states, "We believe the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is translated correctly."  This means that when the Bible contradicts Mormonism, the Bible isn't trustworthy.  This allows them to say and teach whatever they want even when it contradicts scripture.

Therefore...

Mormonism is not Christian because it denies that there is only one God, denies the true Gospel, adds works to salvation, denies that Jesus is the uncreated creator, distorts the biblical teaching of the atonement, undermines the authority and reliability of the Bible, says that God used to be a man who came from another planet, that we can become gods, that there is a goddess mother in heaven, etc.

I do not deny that Mormons are decent helpful people, and that they do many good things.  But that isn't what makes someone Christian--nor does putting "Jesus Christ" in your title make you Christian if you deny who Jesus really is.  Jesus said in Matthew 7:21-23, "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name? And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!".

Notice that Jesus condemns those who combine their faith with their works in order to be saved.  If you doubt that, see also Luke 18:9-14 where Jesus teaches the same thing again.

Becoming a Christian does not mean belonging to a church, doing good things, or simply believing in a god from another planet. Being a Christian means that you have trusted in the true God for salvation, received the True Jesus--not the brother of the devil, not the god of Mormonism, not the gospel of Mormonism.  Becoming a Christian means believing the gospel of Christ, who is God in flesh, 2nd person of the Trinity, who was sent by the Father, bore our sins in his body on the cross (1 Pet. 2:24), died, was buried and rose again (1 Cor. 15:1-4).  You must trust Jesus.  Believe what he did. Put your faith in him.

In my next post I will discuss the founder of the LDS church, Prophet Joseph Smith.

EXAMINING WORLD RELIGIONS: PART ONE: The New Age Movement

If you have been reading this blog from the beginning, then you might recall that I said I was going to examine and discuss several religions in addition to mine which is Christianity. As a seeker of my "spiritual truth" I felt it important to be sure that I research all the religions and spiritual movements in search of that truth, which I found in Christianity. You may also recall that I said that prior to becoming a Christian, that I considered myself agnostic, that is I did not subscribe to any particular religion or spiritual movement. If there was any "spiritual" path I subscribed to at all it  was The New Age Movement. 

I want to stress that as I share information that is a result of many years and hours of research about several of the prominent world religions, that I am in no way criticizing or judging anyone who may be reading this who identifies,subscribes or is a member of any of the religions I will discuss. I will say that I am often surprised to see that people may say they are "a Mormon" or "A Buddhist" or "A "Spiritual" person ie: New Age Thinker", but have never taken the time to dig really deep into what they believe in. It is my belief that we can not afford to only partially understand or follow the crowd in matters of spirituality.  As a past journalism major and reporter for my college newspaper I learned that research reveals the truth. Blind faith does not. Adhering spiritually to what is politically correct, what is popular or even what your parent's taught you is not going to matter very much when it comes to matters of your soul's eternal resting place. It is up to you to be sure that you do the research and truly understand what it is that you believe in. With that said, If you are reading this then you are most likely seeking answers regarding spiritual truth and my goal is to give you all the keys necessary to unlock the door to spiritual truth.

* My goal is to share to the best of my ability the information that I have found on several world religions, starting with The New Age Movement. Clearly, I have found all of the religions I will talk about to not be true and I feel it is my responsibility as an evangelist and disciple of Jesus to expose the truth about these religions. Once again, this is in no way a personal attack on anyone who is a member of or adheres to any of the spiritual movements that I will discuss.

 I will refer to The New Age Movement as (NAM) throughout this post. New Age" Movement (NAM), sometimes also referred to as the "Human Potential Movement", is a loosely connected network of people, groups, activities and practices which, according to its adherents, purportedly foster and produce a vast array of beneficial results such as "spiritual" and personal growth, financial success, improvement in relationships, physical and psychological healing, individual and global peace, stabilization of the environment, etc. 

Warning! This is a long, in depth post on the NAM. There are many important things to cover and I feel it is very important to devote the time and space to that effort. 

BACKGROUND 
 
Although the words "New Age" could cause one to assume that these beliefs are new, little is new in the New Age Movement. The words "New Age" are derived from the idea that the world is about to enter a utopian age of Aquarius. Astrology -- the belief that the heavenly 
bodies affect the mundane matters of humanity -- gets a lot of attention from the New Agers. It is from astrology that the "age of Aquarius" is derived.
The NAM was born in the U.S. during the rebellious 1960's when all traditional institutions and values, especially in relation to the Church and the family were under attack. The forerunner and vanguard of the New Age was the "Peace Movement" of the 1960's which condemned traditional morality. The NAM also drew from Radical Environmentalism, Radical Feminism and Feminist spirituality of the 1970's while it gained popularity around the world. Today the NAM has been able to successfully infiltrate almost every major institution, both religious and secular.

The New Age Movement seems to be a reaction to the scientific age. During a time when everything has become so objective and particularized, the shift now is to emphasize the subjective and the whole. This shift has focused attention on the "inner" feelings and on 
wholistic (or holistic) health, as well as on global matters rather than nationalistic ones. 


BELIEFS 
 
  Douglas R. Groothuis, research associate with Probe Ministries 
  (Seattle, Wash.), identifies six distinctives of New Age thinking: 

  All is One 
  All is God 
  Humanity is God 
  A change in consciousness 
  All religions are one 
  Cosmic evolutionary optimism 
  Norman L. Geisler focuses on 14 doctrines typical of New Age 
  religions: 

  1) an impersonal god (force) 
  2) an eternal universe 
  3) an illusory nature of matter 
  4) a cyclical nature of life 
  5) the necessity of reincarnations 
  6) the evolution of man into godhood 
  7) continuing revelations from beings beyond the world 
  8) the identity of man with God 
  9) the need for meditation (or other consciousness-changing 
 techniques) 
 10) occult practices (astrology, mediums and so forth) 
 11) vegetarianism and holistic health 
 12) pacifism (or anti-war activities) 
 13) one world (global) order 
 14) syncretism (unity of all religions) 
 
    SOURCE OF AUTHORITY 
 
  Generally, New Agers do not speak of a source of authority. If such is referred to, it is not an external authority but an internal one. In the New Age Movement, the individual is considered to be the standard of truth. New Age proponent Shirley MacLaine reveals the supposed power of the individual when commenting, "It's all my dream. I'm making all of it happen -- good and bad -- and I have the choice of how I'll relate to it and what I'll do about it."   MacLaine goes on to say, "Perhaps everyone has his own truth, and truth as an objective reality simply does not exist." 

  The Scriptures, on the other hand, present objective truths.  They are inspired (literally, "God-breathed"); therefore, they can be fully relied on. The fact of the inspiration of the Scriptures is seen in 2 Timothy 3:16: "All Scripture is inspired by God, and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness." The method of inspiration is seen in 2 Peter 1:21: "No prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God." The extent of inspiration is seen in Matthew 5:18: "For truly I say to you," said the Lord Jesus Christ, "until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass away from the Law, until all is accomplished." So no individual is left to himself and his inner feelings as final authority; the Bible serves as this objective standard. 
Although I do not believe we "create our own reality" like most New Agers believe, I see nothing wrong with having a good overall attitude towards the future and envisioning good things for yourself. I would imagine that God would not want you to focus on the negative, but instead to project a positive attitude towards the future and all the good things that one can expect as a result of the many blessings that God promises to those who love Him. 
I sometimes will write down scriptures or positive biblical affirmations on post-it notes and put them around my house. Filling our minds with the love of Christ and His promises is never bad! Visualizing God's love and the things that He has promised to do in your life are positive, life affirming practices. 
 
  GOD 
 
New Age thinkers show their true colors in what they believe about God. To them, God is not a Supreme Being distinct from creation -- He IS  creation. In developing a worldview about the material and immaterial world, New Agers reach a faulty conclusion. To them there is 
only one essence in the universe, and everything and everyone is part of that essence. This is known as "monism," which comes from the Greek word monos, meaning "one". 

 Monism is a common view of Eastern religions, especially Hinduism. All creatures, as well as inanimate objects, are viewed as part of this divine essence. Some of the more commonly known groups in the United States that share this Hindu view with the New Agers are Transcendental Meditation (also known as the Science of Creative Intelligence), Christian Science and Unity School of Christianity. The monism of the New Age Movement is really pantheism, believing that all (pan) is God (theos). Following this line of reasoning, whatever exists -- whether it's a person, a poodle or a pickle -- is part of God. This leads observers to say that the worldview in the United States has switched from the atheism of secular humanism (man is the measure of all things) to the pantheism of the New Age Movement (man is god). 

 The God of the New Age Movement is an impersonal presence, not a person with intellect, emotions and a will, as the Bible presents Him. 

  The God of the Bible is a personal Father, not an impersonal force. This reveals why New Agers cannot accept the teaching of the Bible. They are not able to get beyond the first five words: "In the beginning God created" (Gen. 1:1). Because they confuse God with creation, the New Agers see God as part of creation -- not separate from it.  Biblical Christianity clearly distinguishes between God and creation. 

  While rejecting the Bible's distinction between God and creation, the New Agers accept and believe the lie of Satan. Eve told the Tempter that God had said they would die if Adam and she ate from the tree in the middle of the garden. But the Seducer said, "You surely shall not 
die! For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil" (Gen. 3:4,5). 

  Notice that not even Satan indicated they would not "be" God -- only that they would be "like" God. And even this was in only one aspect: "knowing good and evil." After the fall of Adam and Eve, God acknowledged what had occurred: "Behold, the man has become like one of 
Us, knowing good and evil" (v.22). "This knowledge, as absolute, is an attribute of God (3:5), who is omniscient," wrote Merrill F. Unger. "But man, created with only the knowledge of good, acquired the experiential knowledge of evil through pride and disobedience, and in this manner fell into a state of sin and misery." 

 Satan's lie -- as verified by history -- was "You surely shall not die!" (v.4). Adam and Eve immediately died spiritually, for their act of disobedience separated them from God. They later died physically as a result of their sin (see Romans 5:1 2). 

  Because the New Agers think all is One, this leads them to thinking they -- and everything else -- are part of this divine essence. They believe each person is "intertwined" with God. New Agers even use the Bible to support their erroneous beliefs. They are especially fond of 
Jesus' words "the kingdom of God is within you" (Luke 17:21, KJV). New Agers use these words to claim that each one has a divine spark within because he or she is part of the divine essence. 

 As in other instances where they use the Bible, New Agers twist the context and words to mean what they wish. Jesus Christ had come to earth to present Himself as the Messiah of Israel. The Pharisees were opposed to Him because He was ruining their established man-made rules, which they had added to Old Testament revelation. They were always trying to 
pose some question to disprove the deity of the Lord Jesus Christ. When they demanded of Him an answer concerning when the kingdom of God would come (v.20), He answered, "The kingdom of God is within you" (v.21). 

  Jesus did not mean that these Pharisees had the kingdom of God inside of them. To the contrary, they were the enemies of everything the kingdom stood for. The word translated "within" is entos. Although it can have the meaning of "inside", it can also mean "in your midst". This latter possibility fits the context, as well as the rest of the Bible's teaching. Jesus Christ Himself was the King -- the ruler of the kingdom. When the Pharisees asked Him when the kingdom would arrive, Jesus told them that the kingdom was in their midst, because the King (whom hey rejected) was standing right in their presence. 
 
  Appearance of Good/Reality of Evil 

The NAM, on the surface, appears to be a good thing. It promises global peace, health, personal and spiritual growth, and environmental stability. However, the methods it promotes to achieve these goals are cleverly hidden beneath this benevolent surface appearance. A closer scrutiny reveals a dark, sinister methodology for drawing people away from the Jesus Christ and towards individualism, and the religious practices of pagans, belief in reincarnation, and the power of the "Self". 

Nevertheless, the NAM, on the surface, does not deny the existence of Jesus Christ - to do so would scare off most Christians in an instant. Instead, clever syntax is applied, while traditional aspects of the Christian faith are redefined. Jesus Christ becomes less than what He is, God, and instead is relegated to becoming one of a number of "Spiritual Guides" or "Ascended Masters" who were mere humans who "evolved" into higher beings after discovering and using "ancient wisdom." Indeed, the NAM promises that any individual can attain this status through "Self Realization" or "Higher Consciousness" of the fact of one's own "Higher Self", "God-Self", or "Divinity". Essentially, each individual can become God.

Forbidden Fruit 

The NAM is riddled with occult and other forbidden practices which make up the "ancient wisdom", including mediumship, channeling, divination, astrology, consulting spirits of the dead, tarot cards, crystals, palm reading, ouija boards, psychic powers, some forms of Yoga, transcendental meditation, rose poetry, past-life regression, etc. God spoke to Moses about such practices:

"Let there not be found among you anyone who immolates his son or daughter in the 
fire, nor fortune teller, soothsayer, charmer, diviner, or caster of spells, nor one who consults ghosts and spirits or seeks oracles from the dead. Anyone who does such things is an abomination to the Lord" (Deut 18:10-12)

"Do not turn aside to idols, nor make molten gods for yourselves. I, the Lord, am your 
God." (Lev 19:4)

"The Spirit says clearly that some men will abandon their faith in later times. They will obey lying spirits and follow the teaching of demons." (1 Timothy 4:1)

Despite the clear implications of such practices, an increasing number of people are abandoning their true faith to follow some or many aspects of the NAM. People today are replacing God with evil spirits and pagan gods, just as the ancient Israelites and Egyptians did during the time of Moses. The seductions are subtle, but at its core is Satan himself. 

What appears to some New Agers to be a "Divine Light" is, in reality, the "Shining Darkness" of Satan. Despite the attractiveness, and apparent concern shown by these "Spirit Guides", these spirits will ultimately lead to spiritual oppression and other forms of spiritual destruction here on Earth, and possibly serious consequences in the life to come.

Because of my past association with the NAM I not only have sought out advice from a psychic in the past, but I have also had a session with a medium and sought to speak to a deceased loved one. I also once attended a channeling. At the time, the experience seemed very real and the thought was "there is no way this person would have known all these things about me or about the deceased loved one if they were not truly a psychic or medium".  It  is undeniable that psychics sometimes know things that should be impossible for them to know. Where do they get this information? The answer is from Satan and his demons. “And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve” (2 Corinthians 11:14-15) (Acts 16:16-18) describes a fortune teller who was able to predict the future until the apostle Paul rebuked a demon out of her.

Satan pretends to be kind and helpful. He tries to appear as something good. Satan and his demons will give a psychic information about a person in order to get that person hooked into spiritism, something that God forbids. It appears innocent at first, but soon people can find themselves addicted to psychics and unwittingly allow Satan to control and destroy their lives. Peter proclaimed, “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” (1Peter 5:8). In some cases, the psychics themselves are deceived, not knowing the true source of the information they receive. Whatever the case and wherever the source of the information, nothing connected to spiritism, witchcraft, or astrology is a godly means of discovering information. How does God want us to discern His will for our life? God’s plan is simple, yet powerful and effective: study the Bible (2 Timothy 3:16-17) and pray for wisdom (James 1:5). Clearly, I no longer seek the counsel of psychics or mediums. I seek only one source now for direction and that is the Bible.

"No Sin, No Hell" 

In New Age writings, I've searched in vain to find references to sin. Because New Agers believe that each person is God, they don't believe in sin as the Bible defines it. Any lack a person has, they say, is a lack of enlightenment. Their solution is to alter that person's consciousness 
so he will think properly about his oneness with the Force, or the impersonal presence. Because they explain away sin, they have no need for salvation in the biblical sense. In their minds, any salvation would simply be a more complete unification with the One. 

 But this is not what the Bible teaches. Genesis 3, previously referred to, reveals that mankind was separated from God when he disobeyed God in the Garden. Because of this sin, a curse was placed on both mankind and nature (see vv. 14-19). The New Testament confirms that each individual is a sinful being (see Romans 5:12). Note that the reason death passed to all of us is that we all have a sin nature. Contrary to what the New Agers tell us, each person is not god; each person is separated from God. 
 
The concepts of sin and hell do not exist in the NAM. Reincarnation and "ascension" are the explanations given by the NAM. "Original blessing" replace the concept of original sin, and Man's fall from grace is now termed Man's "ascension". The redemptive power of the cross is no longer needed, and in this way Jesus' Crucifixion is no longer meaningful and can therefore be totally ignored. Some aspects of the "New Age" depersonalize Jesus Christ by referring to a "Christ Consciousness" (Eckankar) -who came through various persons in channelings throughout the ages, or a "Cosmic Christ" (Rosecrusianism). 
  

  JESUS CHRIST ACCORDING TO THE NAM
 
 Many counterfeit religious groups use the same tactic when explaining who Jesus Christ is - they deny His deity by distinguishing between "Jesus" and "Christ". Those who believe that "all is One" cannot accept the teaching of the Bible concerning Christ. The Bible teaches 
that Jesus Christ is God. It teaches that He took upon Himself human form to redeem mankind from sin's penalty. 

  Typically, those who believe all is of one essence make "Christ" the cosmic principle, or ideal. Jesus was simply an unusual man, they say, who had this ideal within Him as we all do. Barbara Marx Hubbard says we need to recognize that the "Messiah is within." 

  The human potential movement among the New Agers is based on the faulty premise that each person is god and needs only to have his consciousness enlightened so he will realize that fact. And the means to this enlightenment is meditation. But the forms of meditation are many. 
Daniel Coleman, writing in Psychology Today (March, 1977), described 13 different forms of meditation. "Each of these approaches," wrote Coleman, "seeks the same basic psychological change in the meditator's awareness." 
 
  The New Age Movement is not the only group that emphasizes human potential. Biblical Christianity releases individuals to achieve their true potential in Jesus Christ by freeing them from the burden of sin and condemnation and by giving them untold optimism for this life. But 
biblical Christianity is also concerned about preparing people for eternity - not just preparing them to reach their maximum potential on earth. 

  Although the emphasis on human potential is selling well in the business world, when a person truly looks inside of himself, he finds wickedness and ugliness - not God. "The heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick," says Jeremiah 17:9, "who can understand 
it?"  

   We cannot separate the human Jesus from the divine Christ, as the New Agers attempt to do. They believe that the same Christ ideal, or spirit, dwelt in "Hercules, Hermes, Rama, Mithra ... Krishna, Buddha, and the Christ." 

  Sound confusing? It is. The Bible, however, does not leave a person wondering about who Jesus Christ is. The name "Jesus" means "Savior." Referring to the child who would be born to the virgin Mary, the angel told Joseph, "You shall call His name Jesus, for it is He who will save 
His people from their sins" (Matt. 1:21). 

  The name "Christ" means "anointed one," or "Messiah." In Bible times, saying "Jesus Christ" was the same as saying "Jesus, the Messiah." After Andrew first began to follow Jesus, he went looking for his brother, Simon Peter. When he found him, Andrew announced, "We have 
found the Messiah." By inspiration, the Apostle John added in his record of this event: "which translated means Christ" (John 1:41). 

  Jesus is like no other. He was unique in His birth, life, death and resurrection. He was virgin born (see Isa. 7:14; Matt. 1:23); He lived a sinless life (see 1 John 3:5); He died in the place of others to pay the penalty for sin (see 2 Cor. 5:2 1); and He was raised from the dead on 
the third day and ascended to the Heavenly Father (see 1 Cor. 15:3,4; Acts 1:11). 
 
  
  FUTURE LIFE (REINCARNATION) 

 Reincarnation is the central belief  of the NAM  and says that the soul survives death and is reborn in another body, destined to repeat this cycle of death and rebirth until enlightenment is achieved. In the East, the doctrine is sometimes referred to as transmigration of the soul, wherein a soul may return to earth as any number of creatures such as an insect, mammal, person, and so on. The tendency in the West is to view reincarnation as dying and returning as another person. The belief itself is foundational to both Hinduism and Buddhism.

The system of reincarnation depends on belief in karma. Based on moral cause and effect, karma is essentially responsible for human fate. In relation to reincarnation, if in a past life one developed bad karma by committing, for instance, murder, then this bad karma must be balanced with good karma in a future life in order to make progress on the path to enlightenment or spiritual liberation. Within certain Hindu traditions that adhere to monistic pantheism (“all is one, all is divine”), such as Advaita Vedanta, enlightenment is attained when, following a series of reincarnations, a soul is ready to be released from the cycle of death and reincarnation (samsara) and be absorbed into the impersonal Brahman.



However if reincarnation, in the end, leads to an absorption into something impersonal, how did such a personal system ever get started? Moreover, if after countless reincarnations we finally reach enlightenment, what is the lasting purpose of this spiritual liberation if we are then absorbed into an impersonal force? How did the system of reincarnation get started? If we presumably had a first life, was it tainted already? How so? If we don’t recall our past lives in our current life, what’s the point? Doesn’t all the spiritual progress we may have made in past lives seem empty if we can’t even remember what we did or did not do? Furthermore, since believers in the NAM don't typically adhere to any authority, who is it that decides who is reincarnated into what? Is there a big "reincarnation mill in the sky"? 





 Some point to past life regressions as proving they lived past lifes. Others may say that a spirit came through in a channeling and told humanity that reincarnation was true. These "spirits" are not evolved souls from the past, they are Satan and his demons aimed at misleading, confusing and drawing humanity away from God and Jesus.  If reincarnation is true, then there is no need for a savior. Satan has pulled off this scheme with great success and many believe that reincarnation is what can be expected for your soul to experience when you die. There is no proof source for this theory, unlike the Bible which is a historically accurate, proven and trusted word of God. If you are questioning whether the Bible is the word of God or is accurate, please see my posts under the label at the top of my blog called " The Bible" where I show many evidences of it's authencity.





God makes it abundantly clear that those who are believers in His son Jesus Christ as their Lord and savior will live forever in heaven. Those who reject His Son will be eternally separated from God. We live once and then we face God for judgement. Are you ready to face God at your time of death? Or, are you going to hope that there is some cosmic reincarnation mill out in space that will recycle your soul into a new body for another "go around" here on earth? If you are not entirely sure of the answer to this question than I encourage you to do the work in researching what the future holds for your soul.



 There is absolutely no proof source for the theory of reincarnation, however there is over whelming proof that the Bible is truly the word of God, that Jesus lived, died and was risen from the dead. The work he did on the cross was to save all mankind from their sins and those who believe in Him can be sure where they will spend eternity with God in Heaven. Why a need for a savior? As I've explained in past posts, God, the source from which there is no source, is HOLY. He is unable to be in the presence of sin. Since all men are sinners and fall short of the glory of God they can not approach God and be in His presence on their own. God said that the wages for sin is death. In the old testament times (before Jesus) sacrifices were made to cleanse people of their sins so they could be right before God. Typically a goat or a lamb was used as a sacrifice. God so loved the world, that He gave his one and only son, Jesus to once a for all pay the price of death on the cross to wash us clean of our sin, so that we could be in the presence of our almighty creator and God.  If we accept this truth and accept Jesus as our Savior from sin, we are saved....and we can be in the presence of God! We can be with God forever in his kingdom of heaven upon our death. God promises eternal life to all who are saved through His son. 

  FINAL THOUGHTS

 
  The concepts of the New Age Movement are not new - they are based on ancient erroneous beliefs about God, man and the world. The Movement is to be commended for its spiritual concern, but it has turned away from the true God to gods of the spirit world. As Paul said of the Jewish leaders of his day, "They have a zeal for God, but not in accordance with knowledge" (Romans 10:2). 

  Anyone who is tempted to delve into the teachings of the New Age Movement needs to heed the warnings of the Bible (see Deut. 13:1-3;18:9-12). God has given us His completed revelation, so we have no need to seek further information through the spirit world. Our need is to know the clear teachings of the Bible better. 

  We should be concerned about world peace, the environment, humane treatment of animals and reaching our full potential in Christ. Our concern should not be based, however, on the theology of Eastern religions - believing that all these things are part of the One, or the 
impersonal Force. Above all, we should not be naive when we hear someone mention the terms "God" and "Christ." When the New Agers use these terms, they are not talking about the God and the Christ of the Bible. 

 

Truth=Jesus Christ 
We need to become more aware of the lures and traps of the NAM in order to avoid them. We must reject the lies and false promises of Satan's NAM, and give ourselves completely to the Truth that is Jesus Christ. Satan wishes to rule the world, but God will ultimately triumph. He alone is our hope and our salvation. Thank you for reading my first blog post installment of EXAMINING WORLD RELIGIONS. Next up will be Mormonism.