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.

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. 

Reincarnation.....examined

Prior to becoming a Christian I believed that when we die we are reincarnated. I was very sure of this belief and knew people who had "past life regression therapy" in which their past life or lives were revealed. These past life regressions seemed very convincing and real, therefore I had no reason to doubt. Someone I knew had a fear of water. She was told in a past life regression that she had drowned in a past life. Suddenly the fear of water was explained. Since I didn't believe in sin, Satan or Hell, then it seemed only right that the answer for what happens to us at our time of death is to be reincarnated....given another chance to get life right. Additionally this was the belief I was raised with and I had no reason to doubt it...that is until I became a believer in Jesus Christ and the Bible.

I no longer believe in reincarnation for several reasons which I will discuss in this post. Before I discuss the concept of reincarnation I feel it is important to understand what incarnation is.

"What is incarnation?"

Incarnation is the process of a soul entering a fetus at some point before birth.  Most religions, including Christianity, believe that this occurs and it is what distinguishes man from all other animals.  Incarnation is a normal process, part of the regular human life cycle.

"What is reincarnation?"

Reincarnation is a core doctrine of many Eastern religions, such as Hinduism and the  popular New Age Movement. It is the belief that a single soul goes through many physical lives, that when a person's body dies, his soul enters a new body prior to that body's birth.  When that body dies the soul enters a third body, etc. Eventually, the soul reaches Nirvana.

Buddhism believes this is accomplished by following the Eightfold Path to Enlightenment, and that when a soul reaches Nirvana the soul ceases to exist. (The idea of reincarnation is not limited to a single religion and the concept varies.  Technically, at least Tibetan Buddhism teaches that man does not have a soul.)

Hinduism believes that Nirvana involves a reunion with Brahm, the all-pervading force of the universe which Hinduism considers to be god.  This is like a drop of water rejoining the ocean. The soul loses its individual identity when it rejoins Brahm but does not cease to exist. Understand that a lot of "teaching" about reincarnation in the United States is "pop theology" thrown together from various TV shows such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer and horror movies and is simply the imagination of Hollywood scriptwriters, with no basis in any historical religious or philosophical tradition or belief system.

Another term for reincarnation is the Transmigration of Souls.

Another term for reincarnation is the transmigration of souls, "migrate" meaning to move from one place to another and "trans" meaning "across".

"What is karma?"

Karma is another core doctrine collateral to reincarnation.  Karma is essentially a "spiritual track record."  The belief is that each person has a sort of spiritual record of everything good and everything evil he has done in every incarnation he has ever had.

"What is the relationship between karma and reincarnation?"

Religions which espouse reincarnation teach that  the karma track record follows from one lifetime (reincarnation) to the next.  Which body you get for your next incarnation depends on your total track record when you die.  In other words, you may have a sickly body, be poor, and be the victim of a lot of violence in this lifetime because three lifetimes ago you murdered two people.

Reincarnation religions teach that incarnations are not limited to human bodies.

Reincarnation religions claim that a soul is not always reincarnated as a human.  In other words, if you are really horrible this time around, the next time your soul might go into the body of a chicken, a dog, etc. Some versions believe that a reincarnation might not even be an animal, e.g., the soul could be reincarnated as a tree.

"What does the Bible have to say about reincarnation?"

The Bible does not expressly talk about "reincarnation."  However, it makes it clear that "you only go around once in life."

Hebrews 9:27-28  [27] Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, [28] so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.

"Which is better, reincarnation or salvation by grace?"

a) The one that's true!

b) Reincarnation would require each person to work out his own salvation—and when he finally did he would simply cease to exist!  Jesus already paid for all of our evil deeds.  All we have to do is accept the salvation He offers as a free gift!

"I've heard people say that Jesus was reincarnated, not resurrected."

This contradicts both the Bible and religions that teach reincarnation.  Jesus came back in a different kind of body, as an adult human.  A resurrection body is incorruptible and is not restricted by natural physical laws.  After He was resurrected, Jesus walked through a wall without injury and without damaging the wall.  He also "popped into" the middle of a group in a locked room and then "popped out."

Luke 24:30-36 [30] When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. [31] Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight. [32] They asked each other, "Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?" [33] They got up and returned at once to Jerusalem. There they found the Eleven and those with them, assembled together [34] and saying, "It is true! The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon." [35] Then the two told what had happened on the way, and how Jesus was recognized by them when he broke the bread. [36] While they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, "Peace be with you."

John 20:19 On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you!"

John 20:26 A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you!"

"Is there any evidence that reincarnation is true?"

There IS  false evidence that reincarnation is true.

Huh?  False evidence of truth?  What does that mean?

Suppose you are on a jury trying Smith for burglary, and Smith did commit the burglary. Smith gets on the witness stand and lies—he says he was with his girlfriend all day.  Smith has presented evidence.  It is false evidence, but it still is evidence.

But what if you believe Smith?  You think you reached the correct decision, but it's still false evidence.  You leave secure in the knowledge that Smith didn't and could not possibly have committed the burglary—after all, you have evidence.  But your decision is based on false evidence.

"A lot of people have experienced past lives.  Doesn't that prove reincarnation is true?"

Many people have reported "reliving" parts of "past lives."

These reports cannot simply be dismissed as hallucinations, psychotic episodes, hoaxes, etc.  In a number of cases, details have been verified.

In the early 1950's a book called The Search for Bridey Murphy by Morey Bernstein caused a great stir and great interest in reincarnation.  The author used hypnotic regression to regress Virginia Tighe mentally all the way back to the womb, and then before conception.  Much to his surprise, the hypnotized subject started describing life as another person -- a woman named Bridey Murphy, who had lived in Ireland in the 1800's.  Of course, the question arose whether there ever was an actual Bridey Murphy, etc.

According to the book, research eventually proved that there definitely was a Bridey Murphy.  Furthermore, she had been a "nobody."  No one had ever written any books, magazine articles, etc. about her.  There was no fraud and absolutely no way the hypnotized subject could have obtained the detailed information she provided.

(Note: In March 1998 follow-up search was done and researchers found some sites indicating that a later investigation by the newspaper Chicago-American turned up a woman named Bridey Murphey who had lived across the street from Virginia when she was a young girl and that no supporting evidence had ever been found in Ireland.  Obviously, I don't know whether the Bernstein book or the newspaper is correct.)

Similarly, actress Shirley MacLaine has described her experiences "reliving" parts of "past lives" and so have many others.  However, as astronomer, computer scientist, venture capitalist, prize-winning science fiction author, co-developer of the original Internet, noted author of over a dozen books, ufologist and occult researcher Dr. Jacques Vallee has noted, it is so hard to believe that all these people lived important past lives.  No one was ever a chambermaid who had to clean out "chamber pots" for the aristocracy before indoor plumbing was widespread in Europe, no one ever had a life as a slave, a 12-hours-a-day-7-days-a-week factory worker, or other horrible conditions most of humanity has had to endure for most of history.

It is not enough to say "reincarnation disagrees with the Bible."  To provide a credible refutation of reincarnation a Christian must offer an explanation for the "past lives" experiences and that explanation must be consistent with the Bible.

Many Christians feel that when confronted with information like this, all they have to say is "Reincarnation (or whatever) disagrees with the Bible."  Then they get annoyed when people say Christians are closed-minded and superstitious and their opinions on Christianity are not worth considering because Christians can't explain the evidence.

"Past life experiences" can be explained consistently with the Bible.

"Past life experiences" are genuine experiences with counterfeit contents.

It is important to realize that people like Shirley MacLaine (and many others) have had actual experiences.  The content of the experiences is the thing that is false.  Satan and his demons have supernatural powers.  They have the power to induce hallucinations and demonic manifestations.

Demon spirits have existed since before man.  They know details of earlier people's lives.

It is true that no person currently alive could have known details of the lives of people who lived in previous centuries.  But the same demons that were alive then are still alive now.  They saw what particular people did, how they felt, etc., they know the names of their friends, etc.

Demon spirits can induce hallucinations containing information from other lives.

A person having a hallucination thinks it is a real experience.  A demonic hallucination using information from someone else's life seems real.  Reincarnation is a reasonable explanation for these experiences—false, but nevertheless reasonable.

"Wait a minute!  You said that these past-life experiences can't be explained as hallucinations!"

There are different types of hallucinations.  One is caused by body chemistry, illness, etc.  The other is from an altered state of consciousness, brought on by things such as:

• Hypnosis
• Certain kinds of eastern-religion Yoga
• Eastern-religion types of meditation
• Biofeedback
• Various drugs
• Certain kinds of electrical stimulation applied to the brain
• "Going into a trance" to act as a spirit medium
• "Channeling" (a term used by UFO researchers.  The activity involved is the same as medium practices.)
• "Remote viewing" (a term used by the U.S. military to describe the same activity as channeling or medium practices.)
• Contacting "spirit guides"
• Typical activities of a medium at a seance
• "Visualization" techniques
• Any kind of occult activity that invites spirits to make contact, such as Ouija boards, Tarot cards, astrology, consulting a "psychic."

Prior to becoming a Christian I was exposed to many of the above activities and beliefs. In fact even after becoming a believer I often times felt a desire to dabble in some of the above especially after the death of my Mother. I wanted to seek a medium to help me connect with my Mother's spirit. In a separate post I will discuss further the lure of the above activities and beliefs and why as Christians we should refrain from being a part of any of them..as enticing, popular and accepted as they are and seem.

"Why would Satan bother coming up with a big lie about reincarnation?  What's the point?"

Mankind has an innate desire to commune with God.  It is in our nature, because God put it there.  Satan will use any means available to lead people away from God.  He doesn't have to get people to believe there is no god, he simply has to get them to not believe in the Christian God. A simple way for him to do this is with counterfeit religious experiences such as "reincarnation past-lives."

To get a better idea of Satan's motivation and tactics, I will soon post more information on the subject.

God will judge us on our belief and our actions.  If we do not believe in Jesus and accept His gift of justification by faith we will be condemned. We cannot work out our own salvation by good deeds, lest any man boast.  But that is exactly what reincarnation teaches—if you screw it up this time, you simply have to do it again and again until you get it right.  The pernicious lie here is that the person dies and finds out too late that he doesn't get another chance.

If you currently believe in reincarnation or are new to my blog I urge you to take the time to seek the truth for yourself. Once an agnostic, who associated most of my beliefs with New Age teachings; at the age of 35 I spent many years researching all the religions in the world until I found the truth...which is in Jesus Christ and the teachings of Bible. I've spent a lot of time compiling and posting information in this blog that is a good starting part for your research. If you are not 100% sure what would happen to your soul if you died today, then I urge you to read this blog and do further researching seeking the truth, which can only be found in Jesus Christ.

Why did Jesus have to die?

Before I shared Lee Strobel's video series on the proof of creationism, I shared several posts regarding the Bible. Those posts contained several proof sources that the Bible is indeed the inspired, infallible word of God. So far I have shared information regarding the Bible and the proof of science and prophecy. I promised to also share information regarding the proof of history and archaeology to conclude my posts titled "Examining the Bible". You can find those posts under the tab THE BIBLE.

However, because this is Good Friday (the day Jesus was crucified) and Easter is this weekend, I am shifting my focus to spending the next few posts explaining the central role of Jesus in the Christian faith and why it is that Easter is one of the most important holidays celebrated by believers. I'll never forget when I was in my twenties and pregnant with my 2nd child. I worked at a bank as a personal banker. It was Good Friday and the branch manager (my boss) told us she was leaving early to attend a church service for Good Friday. First of all I had no idea what Good Friday was nor did I even understand the true meaning of Easter. To me Easter was about dying Easter eggs, Easter egg hunts and baskets full of candy and gifts. Curiosity got the best of me and I asked her what Good Friday was. She explained that Good Friday was the day that Jesus died on the cross for our sins. If you read my testimony of faith than you know that it was at my job in banking that I first started to be introduced to Christianity as I worked with many Christians. I basically replied "Oh, I see" and turned around to return to my desk. That is when she said, "Debi, I'd love to have you and your family join mine for Easter service this weekend". I replied that I was not religious, didn't know what Easter was about and would feel strange going. She then told me that Easter was basically a love story. A story about Jesus taking the penalty for my sins and dying on the cross so I could live eternal life with God in heaven. I remember vividly thinking my boss was out of her mind. First of all, I did not believe in "sin" nor did I believe in heaven. I believed that we all created our own reality  and were responsible only to ourselves when it came to matters of morality. Sin was nonsense. I lived by the concept of "if it feels right, do it" and believed  I was a "good" person and that was enough! I also firmly believed in the idea of reincarnation. Heaven was a myth, we died and were reincarnated into another person. I was very sure of these beliefs and had no time for what she was talking about. This "encounter" with my boss at the bank was the first time in my life that someone had witnessed to me about Jesus. A small door was opened that day. It would take many more years however before I accepted her "story about Jesus" as truth.

You may be where I was in my twenties. Hearing about the concept of "sin" and either not understanding it or believing in it. Trust me I get that! I was once in your shoes. The purpose of this post is to discuss what sin is and what it's role is in us being accountable to God. I'm hoping that at this point, if you have been a regular reader of this blog and have read my posts on the Bible; that perhaps you have come to the point at which you can acknowledge that the Bible is what it claims to be-God's word, his revelation of truth, written for us. Doing so gives you the peace and assurance that comes with knowing God went out of his way to communicate with us, revealing himself as our loving heavenly Father.

But this is also challenging, because the Bible presents us with some very sobering realities. The first of these realities is that God is not only loving, but also holy. The word, holy, seems like sort of an old-fashioned one-we don't hear it much anymore. But the Bible presents it as a vitally important concept, because it tells us that God is absolutely pure and separate from anything that is tainted or stained by impurity, described in the Scriptures as sin.

We live in a culture where the concept of sin has become entangled in legalistic arguments over right and wrong. When many of us consider "What is sin?" we think of violations of the Ten Commandments. Even then, we tend to think of murder and adultery as "major" sins compared to lying, cursing or stealing. The truth is that sin, as defined in the original translations of the Bible, means "to miss the mark." The mark, in this case, is the standard of perfection established by God. Viewed in that light, it is clear that we are all sinners. The Apostle Paul says in Romans 3:23: "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."

This truths brings us face-to-face with a serious difficulty: God's standard of righteousness is something that none of us can live up to. Specifically, both the Old and New Testaments present a clear message from God that tells us "You must be holy because I am holy." The problem with that is obvious: we are not holy!

We are sinful people, plain and simple. Yes, the Bible says that originally we were created good; God does not create evil. But starting with the first human beings, right down to you and me, we have all rebelled against God in various ways. We've chosen our own path and ignored His will for our lives. We've become sinners.

Lest there by any doubt, just watch the daily news. The human race is marked by violence and immoral behavior, crimes large and small. Our wars destroy countless people--estimates say well over 100 million were killed in the twentieth century alone. Then there's the growing reality or terrorism, with its murder of innocent civilians, including women and children of all ages. Human trafficking and the growing worldwide sex trade. Governmental corruption. Corporate fraud. Immorality and abuse among clergy. Tax evasion, employee theft, students cheating on exams, job applicants lying on resumes. Abuse of our bodies, each other, and the planet. The stories and the statistics concerning our sinfulness are staggering.

The Bible predicted that society would become increasingly like this. Look at this prophetic description in Timothy 3:2-5, written by the apostle Paul some 2,000 years ago:

For people will love only themselves and their money.  They will be boastful and proud, scoffing at God, disobedient to their parents, and ungrateful. They will consider nothing sacred. They will be unloving and unforgiving; they will slander others and have no self-control.  They will be cruel and hate what is good. They will betray their friends, be reckless, and be puffed up with pride, and love pleasure rather than God. They will act religious but they will reject the power that could make them Godly.

It's easy to read a passage like that and tell yourself that although that may be a good description of the world as a whole, that its not true of you. Remember God sees our impure thoughts, our mixed motives, our ugly envy, our insincere sentiments & our disingenuous gestures. Worse still he sees our PRIDE, which the Bible describes as being among the most destructive of all sins-though it's the one that is often the most transparent to us. Ultimately it is our pride that convinces us that we are really not that bad and that we really don't need God after all.

You might ask why God simply won't forgive someone who comes to Him and apologizes sincerely for their sin. When we sin, we are rebelling against God. The reason sin is rebellion against God is because He made us in His image and wrote His laws on our conscience. Revelation 21:17 says that "nothing impure will enter heaven because God is absolutely Holy and righteous and evil cannot exist in His presence." Psalm 5:4 says, "you are not a God who takes pleasure in evil, with you the wicked cannot dwell" In God's absolute and complete holiness He is simply unable to be in the presence of sin and therefore He can't just simply say "That's OK child, you are forgiven just try harder next time" Because he loves us so much and wants to be in fellowship with us but can not if we are in sin (and we all are!) it is easy to see why God developed a hatred for sin. In His hatred of sin God has said "the wages for sin is death" (Romans 6:23) The whole human race is under a death sentence because "all have sinned" (Romans 3:23)

Since our sin condemns us, God, in His great love for us sent His son Jesus to die in our place so that through Jesus we can be forgiven and enter into His presence. "God's own law says that death is the penalty for sin so He cannot simply forgive as "without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness" (Hebrews 9:22) Therefore, to make a way to forgive us, God put the sins of the world on Jesus who shed His blood as though HE were the guilty one. So now, when anyone repents of their sins, God forgives them and accepts Jesus' death as punishment for sin. In this way God has satisfied His own law which says that sin must be punished by death.

To make it possible for us to enter into God's presence Jesus had to die to pay the penalty of death for sin. Jesus' death satisfied God's law and allows Him, as our just Judge, to forgive us when we repent and accept Jesus as our Savior. Some may say that "all paths lead to God", but as can be clearly seen by what I have presented in this post their is only ONE path to God and that path is through Jesus.