ThinkGOSPEL Q&A
Why do Christians believe that Jesus Christ was God?
Why do Christians believe that Jesus Christ was God?
Because the Bible distinctly proclaims him to be so: (John 1:1/14) calling Him by that name and also identifying Him as "our great God and Saviour, Jesus Christ" (Titus 2:13) He freely took the title of Deity in John 8:58 saying "Before Abraham was, I am" (and not "I was" but eternally present and above time) He is accredited with all the attributes and actions of Deity i.e. Creation etc., (John 1:3) When Thomas saw Him after His resurrection, he proclaimed Christ in John 21:28 to be "My Lord and my God" (Literally: "the Lord of me and the God of me") Christ commended him for his faith (John 20:29)
What is the State of the Christian Immediately After Death?
Dear ..... (Australia)
Among the many theories concerning the afterlife are Purgatory, and Soul-Sleep. Roman Catholicism teaches that in Purgatory the individual is "purged" and made fit for heaven. The idea of Soul-sleep is that after death the soul sleeps (is unconscious) until the resurrection. This however is a misunderstanding of the use of the term "sleep" in Scripture which refers only to the physical body (I Thess 4:14; Acts 7:60 etc.). Seventh Day Adventists also use Ecclesiastes 9:5 to speak of Soul-Sleep, but the context is clear that the writer is speaking of things temporal and tangible; the dead know nothing "of these things as the living do." This is clearly the comparison he is making. There are certain things about Heaven that we will not know until we get there, but the true believer in Christ can be assured that when he dies he goes directly into the presence of God to be with Christ (Luke 23:39-43). There is no need of Purgatory if faith lays hold of Christ as the complete salvation without works. And there is every indication of optimism that the vital and conscious presence of Christ is ours in death. This is why there is no sting in death nor fear of the grave. On the cross, Christ commended his soul to the Father in Heaven and the believing thief went to be with him that same day. Paul also was clear in where he would be immediately after death. "...Absent from the body and to be present with the Lord." (II Corinthians 5:8). In Luke 16:19-31 we have a very clear picture of what happens immediately after death; it is either Heaven or Hell. The rich man, who died without Christ, "was buried and in hell he lifted up his eyes being in torment." There is no lapse in time here in these events. Lazarus went immediately to be in the bosom of Abraham which is another clear indication that Old Testament Saints (cf. II Kings 2:11) and New Testament saints are not separated in death; they have the same Saviour, the same salvation and the same destiny.
I trust this helps and gives you an assured hope in Christ's full and free salvation.
Aaron
Why is the blood of Christ so important?
Why is the blood of Christ so important?
When Adam sinned the penalty of that sin was death. This death has come on all humanity. At that time God instituted the sacrifice, the shedding of blood to represent the giving up of life (Leviticus 17:11-14). But it is more than the mere giving of life; it is the giving of that life for another, the substitution of an innocent life for a guilty (Isaiah 53:10). All of the sacrifices in the Old Testament pointed to the ultimate final, full and once for all sacrifice of Christ at Calvary (Hebrews 10:11-12). It is by faith in the blood of Christ, the sacrifice of Calvary alone that saves sinners (I Peter 1:18-19; Acts 20:28b; I Corinthians 6:20).
What is Salvation by Grace?
What is Salvation by Grace?
When we speak of salvation by grace alone, we mean that the Bible says that every man is a sinner before God. Now we have to take that seriously. People say, “I am really not a bad person; I don’t drink, I don’t gamble, I don’t steal, I have never committed adultery, I have never murdered,” etc. etc. These are all good things in a relative sense; We applaud those social virtues, but before God we are all sinners. We have broken the first and great commandment of the Law of God, which is to love God with all our soul, strength and mind. We are all sinners, and not small sinners, but big sinners. We are dead in sin and corrupted in sin, we are self-centered and not God-centered.
The Gospel declares that man has no saviour from sin except the Lord God Almighty—the Father, Son and Holy Spirit revealed in the Holy Scriptures. God is the saviour of sinners. So salvation has to start with God. According to Scripture, it was purchased by God sending His Son into the world in the likeness of sinful flesh, taking a real humanity into union with Himself so that He could live, suffer, bleed and die in our place—so that He could pay the price and the ransom for our guilt and reconcile us to God—and, having died, that He should rise again from the dead to break the power of death, sin and hell and bring us into union with Himself in the living Christ.
Now, God offers this salvation free of charge. You don’t pay for it; you don’t work for it. It is not by tears of repentance, it is not by church or sacrament; it is by faith in Jesus Christ. This salvation is by grace alone, that is, it comes from God freely, because He loves us. It is in Christ alone, because He purchased it by His death on the cross, and it is through faith alone. You receive Christ by faith, not by works, not by effort, but by trusting Him.
What is the best definition of faith?
Mr. M. – What is the best definition of faith?
Mr. R. – Trust in the Son of God as the Saviour He has given to us. Simple trust, not only in a creed, but in a Person. I trust my soul to Him. I trust the keeping of my soul to Him. God has promised that whosoever trusts Him, mercy shall compass him on every side (Ps. 32:10).
