Why Christianity Matters

As fish aren't conscious that they're in water, we followers of Christ take Christianity for granted. Unless we spent time in a pagan culture, we aren't aware of how special our faith is and how it benefits all people.

We read in Galatians 3:8 (BBE) how the world would be blessed through Christ, Abraham's descendent. "And the holy Writings, seeing before the event that God would give the Gentiles righteousness by faith, gave the good news before to Abraham, saying, 'In you will all the nations have a blessing.'"

The gospel is that blessing. As Christ commanded his disciples in Matthew 28:19 (BBE), "Go then, and make disciples of all the nations, giving them baptism in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit:"

And since Christianity is a personal belief system and not a political or national one, it improves the lot of even its enemies. That's why Christ said in Matthew 5:43 and 44 (BBE), "You have knowledge that it was said, Have love for your neighbour, and hate for him who is against you: But I say to you, Have love for those who are against you, and make prayer for those who are cruel to you;"

Imagine how violent this world would be if Christians didn't love their enemies but sought to get revenge. Like a certain Chinese proverb says, "he who seeks revenge must dig two graves."

Even in the Old Testament, we read that God is the only one who can repay evil. Deuteronomy 32:35 (BBE) quotes him as saying, "Punishment is mine and reward, at the time of the slipping of their feet: for the day of their downfall is near, sudden will be their fate."

In a way, Christianity spawned hospitals. Christ told a parable of a man badly beaten and a Samaritan who had compassion on him. Luke 10:34 (BBE)shows how this caring gentleman made sure the beaten-up stranger had a safe place to recover. "And came to him and put clean linen round his wounds, with oil and wine; and he put him on his beast and took him to a house and took care of him." The Samaritan even gave money to the Innkeeper to pay for the man's extended stay.

But imagine if we lived in a non Christian world where vengeance reigned and violence was praised. This is what our western lands are becoming. Since governments have abandoned God, so god has abandoned our countries.

I hope to put my next book together and title it, You Think You're Going to Heaven? Just knowing that there are eternal consequences for wickedness has tempered our collective behaviour.

On Saturday, I hope to publish a post about a great song by The Hollies and how it relates to us believers in Christ.

What is This Hope We Celebrate?

I feel sad that most people today are missing the point of Christmas. All they hear in the malls are songs about Santa, trees, and snow. None of those things were part of the first Christmas.

Even though we don't know which day Christ was born on, December 25th is when we remind ourselves, and the unsaved world, of the fulfilled hope of the saviour.

As early as Genesis 3:14 and 15, (BBE), we read of God's plan to rescue us from Satan's deception. "And the Lord God said to the snake, 'Because you have done this you are cursed more than all cattle and every beast of the field; you will go flat on the earth, and dust will be your food all the days of your life: And there will be war between you and the woman and between your seed and her seed: by him will your head be crushed and by you his foot will be wounded.'"

This pictorial language shows that Christ, who is the seed of the woman, will be killed but his resurrection will crush Satan's power of eternal death over us.

When God called Abram and gave him the name Abraham, he promised something wonderful. Galatians 3:8 (BBE) says, "And the holy Writings, seeing before the event that God would give the Gentiles righteousness by faith, gave the good news before to Abraham, saying, 'In you will all the nations have a blessing.'" That blessing was Christ.

And defying our kind of logic, Christ's birth was announced to the lowest individuals in first-century Jude an society. Luke 2:10 (and 11 BBE) tells us what the messenger of God said to certain shepherds. "And the angel said, 'Have no fear; for truly, I give you good news of great joy which will be for all the people: For on this day, in the town of David, a Saviour has come to birth, who is Christ the Lord.'"

By the way, Christ means the anointed one; the messiah which Israel waited so long for. And as we just read, Jesus is he who would conquer Satan, giving us life eternal.

I plan on emphasizing these truths in my next book called You Think You're Going to Heaven? The world doesn't understand our joy. Therefore, we Christians must proclaim why Christmas begins with Christ. Our rejoicing  shouldn't end there either as he is the fulfillment of God's ancient promise.

On Thursday, I'll expand more on the hope of Christmas.

Are Jews Saved?

Since God calls the Jews his chosen people, some folks might say they're all saved. But as we see from the most famous Bible verse, it's whosoever believes on Jesus that are saved.

So if the chosen people weren't chosen to be saved, what does it mean that they were chosen? It was so that the Messiah would be born through the lineage of Abraham. As the Apostle Paul explains in Galatians 3:8 (KJV), "And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed."

This shows that the purpose of God to work through Abraham was to lead humanity to salvation. These people are what Paul calls the Israel of God. As he wrote in Galatians 6:16 (KJV) regarding those who are in the body of Christ, "And as many as walk according to this rule, peace be on them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God."

Some folks might argue that Romans Chapters nine to eleven claim that all Jews will be saved. They quote Romans 11:26 (BBE) which says,  "And so all Israel will get salvation: as it is said in the holy Writings, There will come out of Zion the One who makes free; by him wrongdoing will be taken away from Jacob:"

But look at the context of the verse and you'll see that Paul's writing about those of Israel who are faithful to the Lord verses those who were not. Likening them to olive tree branches, he said that it's possible to graft them back into the tree. Therefore, this Israel of God is all the faithful believers in the Lord down through the ages without regard to ancestry. Like wild olive branches, we gentiles who trust in Christ are grafted into the Israel of God tree.

There's so much more I could write but I'll save that for my next book called You Think You're Going to Heaven? It isn't a matter of genetics but of trust in God and his son which saves us from eternity in hell.