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HAVE YOU EVER WONDERED WHY GOD CREATED MAN KNOWING WHAT WE WOULD DO AND WHAT HE WOULD HAVE TO DO TO REDEEM US? HE KNEW HE WOULD HAVE TO SACRIFICE HIS ONLY SON ON A CROSS SO HE COULD HAVE A CLOSE RELATIONSHIP WITH US. THE SAD THING IS THAT THERE ARE SO MANY CHRISTIANS THAT DO NOT GET INTO HIS WORD TO HAVE THAT CLOSE RELATIONSHIP WITH HIM. TO ME, IT IS LIKE SLAPPING GOD IN THE FACE.
This phrase "Therefore also said the wisdom of God," is a part of Luke's narrative and not the words of Jesus. Luke is saying that Jesus is the wisdom of God, a truth well-established in scripture.
There is no way to access the wisdom of God except through Jesus. Until a person receives Christ, he is missing the only source of true wisdom. Men and women are incapable of receiving the wisdom of God, but those who submit themselves to God have access to the wisdom of God on their own, through the Holy Spirit. We must be dependent upon the Holy Spirit to receive the wisdom of God in our lives.
A Christian who has not received the Baptism of the Holy Spirit can have some revelation knowledge, but it will be limited. One of...
IS IT A SIN TO GET ANGRY? JESUS DID. THE JEWS' PASSOVER WAS AT HAND AND IN THE TEMPLE THE MONEY CHANGERS WERE GATHERED. THESE WERE JEWS WHO SOLD THE OXEN, SHEEP AND DOVES TO THE PEOPLE WHO HAD COME TO MAKE AN OFFERING TO GOD. A LOT OF WORSHIPERS HAD COME FROM MILES AWAY AND INSTEAD OF BRINGING THEIR OFFERINGS, THEY BOUGHT THEM IN THE TEMPLE.
When Jesus said, "and not to leave the other undone," it is clear that He is not arguing against doing what is right. God's Word stresses holiness in our actions. The Pharisees' error that caused Jesus' rebuke was that they believed their actions could produce a right relationship with God. But a proper relationship with God can only come by humbling ourselves and putting faith in a Savior, who is Jesus. God cleanses our hearts by grace through faith (Eph. 2:8) and then we have our fruit unto holiness (Rom. 6:22). Holiness is a fruit, not a root, of salvation.
In a similar instance found in Matthew 23:26, Jesus told the Pharisees, "Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first...
DID YOU KNOW THAT GOD WANTS YOU HEALED? THERE IS NOT ONE PLACE IN THE BIBLE WHERE JESUS REFUSED TO HEAL SOMEONE AND HE SAID HE ONLY DID THE WILL OF HIS FATHER. THAT IS WHAT JESUS SAYS IN JOHN 5:30 "I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me."
SO, IF IT IS GOD'S WILL TO HEAL, THEN YOU CAN BE HEALED. GOD DOES NOT DO FOR ONE THAT HE WOULD NOT DO FOR ANOTHER.
A sure sign of the error of legalism is misplaced priorities, as we see here with these Pharisees. It is not recorded in Scripture that the Pharisees marveled at the wonderful works of Jesus. They were too busy looking for something to criticize (Mark 3:2). But they marveled at Jesus not washing His hands. This is a classic example of straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel (Mt. 23:24).
Those who seek to earn righteousness through keeping the Law are consumed with "doing," while those who receive righteousness by faith are simply confessing what has already been done. This is a simple and yet profound difference. If we are still "doing" acts of holiness to get God to move in our lives, then we are still operating under a "Law" mentality that is not faith (Gal....
The Holy Spirit is a gift (Acts 2:38). You cannot be good enough to earn the gift of the Holy Spirit, but you do have to ask. This is speaking of the baptism of the Holy Ghost, which is subsequent to the born-again experience.
The Holy Spirit resides in our spirits, and once He comes, He doesn't leave (John 14:16). There is an initial filling when the Holy Ghost first comes. However, His control and influence over our souls and body does fluctuate proportionally to how well we have our minds renewed to His will (Rom. 12:2).
In that sense, we can be more full of the Holy Ghost than at other times, although in our spirits the presence and power of the Holy Spirit does not come and go. Therefore, even...
CAN YOU IMAGINE WHAT SOME OF THE JEWS THOUGHT WHEN THEY HEARD THE TERM "BORN AGAIN"? WE CAN SEE THIS IN JOHN 3. JESUS USED THE TERM WHEN HE WAS TALKING WITH NICODEMUS. NICODEMUS WAS A RULER OF THE JEWS AND WANTED TO KNOW MORE ABOUT THIS MAN JESUS SO THE BIBLE SAYS HE CAME TO JESUS BY NIGHT. HE SAID HE KNEW THAT JESUS WAS A TEACHER THAT CAME FROM GOD, OTHERWISE, HOW COULD HE DO THE MIRACLES HE DID. HOWEVER, HE WAS NOT SURE WHAT "BORN AGAIN" MEANT.
The most loving Father in the world cannot compare to our heavenly Father and the love He has for us. And yet, many times, we find it easier to believe in the willingness of a father or mother or mate to help us than in the willingness of God to use His power on our behalf. Relatively few people really doubt God's ability, but rather, it is our doubt of His willingness to use His ability on our behalf that causes most people to do without. Jesus is assuring us that God's love, and His willingness to demonstrate that love, is far greater than we can ever experience in any human relationship.
The Lord didn't just save us out of pity or a sense of obligation as our Creator. He saved us because He loved us (John 3:16). It was...