The End of Religion

What is religion? Let us look at the etymology, from Wikepedia:

Religion is derived from the Latin religiō, the ultimate origins of which are obscure. One possibility is derivation from a reduplicated *le-ligare, an interpretation traced to Cicero connecting lego “read”, i.e. re (again) +lego in the sense of “choose”, “go over again” or “consider carefully”. Modern scholars such as Tom Harpur and Joseph Campbell favor the derivation from ligare “bind, connect”, probably from a prefixed re-ligare, i.e.re (again) + ligare or “to reconnect,” which was made prominent by St. Augustine, following the interpretation of Lactantius. However, the French scholar Daniel Dubuisson notes that relying on this etymology “tends to minimize or cancel out the role of history”; he notes that Augustine gave a lengthy definition of religio that sets it quite apart from the modern word “religion”.

Christianity is not a religion, based on the definition above, which defines religion as the “reconnection between God and humans”. Why reconnect? Because the connection was broken by sin (disobeying God). Christianity is the end of religion, since this reconnection has already been implemented, by the finished work of Jesus the Christ on the cross. It is written:

Joh 19:30  When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, He said, It is finished: and He bowed His head, and gave up the ghost.

It is finished.

The Project (Salvation) has been completed, the Requirements (Law) have been met, and the Customer (God) is delighted. We are now enjoying the Benefits (Eternal Life). It is all God’s work, and all we are doing is responding to what has already been done for us. If you have not believed in God’s Project, which is the Good News of Jesus the Christ, then you are clueless. Wake up, if you can, as time is running out.  Beg for mercy from God, if you can, as only He can help you.

Some of us are very religious, and the idea of the end of religion may fill you with horror and disgust. The religious establishment was not supportive of God’s Project either. The religious thought that killing Jesus the Christ would save religion, but the result was unforeseen: the death of Jesus the Christ reconciled God and humans, making religion obsolete.

Gal 6:15  For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature.

Do you want to be reconciled to God? Here is the Good News of Jesus Christ:

God bless,

George

Sarah Palin Live!

An avatar that looks like Sarah Palin quotes Joseph Caryl, on the subject of the Salvation of Jesus the Christ!

“It more pleaseth the saints that they enjoy God, than that they enjoy salvation. False and carnal spirits will express a great deal of desire after salvation, for they like salvation, heaven, and glory well; but they never express any longing desire after God and Jesus Christ. They love salvation, but they care not for a Savior. Now that which faith pitcheth most upon is God Himself. He shall be my salvation. Let me have Him, and that is salvation enough!” (Joseph Caryl)

Repent

Matthew Chapter 7

Judge not, that ye be not judged.

For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.

And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?

Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye?

Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye.

Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you.

Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:

For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.

Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone?

Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent?

If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?

Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.

Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:

Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.

Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?

Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.

A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.

Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.

Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.

Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.

Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?

And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:

And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.

And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:

And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.

And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at his doctrine:

For he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.

In the hands of God

“Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.” (Matthew 11:28-29)

Here is a new single from the Newsboys. Hope you like it.

The Good News

Here is a treat for those who like to watch instead of read… LOL.

News Update: This video was taken down by Facebook last year, and I have not been able to upload any videos there since. I think a lot of atheists complained, as I was told by a few that I would be reported.  I got a standard terms of use violation letter from Facebook. However, no worries. I can  still post videos to Facebook from YouTube.

God bless,

George

Does the Bible say we are God?

Someone told me this week that the Bible says that we are God! I thought about whether I should even bother to respond to a statement that, frankly, is the craziest thing I have heard in some time! However, the Lord has placed a burden on my heart to respond.  Let us look at the verse he used to support this. The meanings of the Hebrew words that I will show are those found in the Hebrew dictionary of Strong’s Concordance, which is a standard reference work for Biblical Hebrew.

Gen 1:26-27 “And God said, Let us make man in Our image, after Our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in His own image, in the image of God created He him; male and female created He them.”

The word “image” is used several times, and Hebrew word that is used is:

צלם (tseh’-lem)
From an unused root meaning to shade; a phantom, that is, (figuratively) illusion, resemblance; hence a representative figure, especially an idol: – image, vain shew.

This word is used when describing something that looks like something else. For example, a life-like statue of a person resembles a person but is not an exact copy of that person. Another example is a picture of a person on TV, which is an illusion that looks like that person but is not the actual person. Likewise, in the context that is used in these verses, we look like God, but are not God.

The following verse warns against believing that we are God, or can become God.

Gen 3:4-5 “And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.”

In Gen 3:5, the Hebrew word used for “gods” is the same Hebrew word used for “God”, which is “Elohim”, which refers to the Creator, as this is the same word used for God in Gen 1:1 “In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth.” Gen 3:4-5 are uttered by the serpent, who is Satan, who is a deceiver. It is written: Rev 12:9 “And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.” It is therefore Satan who lies to us by saying that we can be God.  

I say to those of you who believe in this lie of Satan: Repent! Turn away from your sin, reject sin, and choose to obey God! Believe the Gospel of Jesus Christ: Jesus Christ paid the price of our sins, so that we are saved from the punishment for our rebellion against God, which is everlasting torment in Hell!  

John 3:16-19 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved. He that believeth on Him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.”

The opportunity to do this is closing! You do not know when you will die, and after you die you will be judged, and then the opportunity to repent will have closed. It is written:

Heb 9:27-28 “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for Him shall He appear the second time without sin unto salvation.”

God bless,
George

Haiku

Jesus Christ loved me
Defeating death made all new
So I can love you