Five Essential Beliefs 

     One more blog thanks to the authors of Creation & Evolution 101. They believed there are essential things about God and the world we must agree on...if we are to call ourselves "believers" in the God of the Bible. 

1. God created the universe and everything in it, including human beings, whom He created in his image (Genesis 1-2.) 

2. Sin and death (consequence of sin) infected the entire human race when we disobeyed God and turned to our own ways, thereby separating us from God (Genesis 3; Isaiah 53:6, Romans 5:12). 

3. God's eternal plan is to save us from the consequences of sin and to bring us back into relationship with Him through his only Son, Jesus Christ, who is fully God and fully man. The only way to God is through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ (John 3:16; 14:6; Romans 3:21-24; 1 Corinthians 15:3). 

4. The Bible is the completely true and completely trustworthy word of God, inspired by God and useful to teach us everything we need to know about Him and how we should live (1 Timothy 3:16). That does not mean we know everything about God and his ways.

5. Jesus is at the right hand of God preparing a place for us in heaven. At some future time known only by God, Jesus Christ will return to earth to gather all who believe in him, both the dead and the living, to join him in heaven. Jesus will defeat all the enemies of God, and God will judge all who rejected his plan to save humankind (John 14:1-4; Thessalonians 4:15-18; 1 Corinthians 15:20-24; Revelation 20:11-15).  

NOTE: We thought the authors omitted some essential beliefs, especially in Revelation. But after reading all the scriptures (above), we think they have it right. I'm going to type each one for myself and you may consider the same. 

The Universe Points to God  

Who   The two men who wrote Creation & Evolution 101 share David's Psalm 104. "In 35 verses David used the names God, Lord and Spirit 14 times. The personal pronouns You and Your are used 48 times. The who of creation is the most important issue. No question, God - speaking through Moses - and he wants us to know that God is responsible for the universe, our world and our lives." See the first five verses of Ps. 104. 

How   "The Bible is not a scientific book, written in scientific terms. Nothing in the text of Genesis 1 and 2, written in the B.C. 1400s, contradicts the latest (as of 2001) scientific discoveries. The universe points to God. He created it - out of nothing. 'What we now see did not come from anything that can be seen' - Hebrews 11:3. All God had to do is say the word." 

When   "In Hebrews, the original language of Genesis (which means beginning), is indefinite. A Hebrew language expert says, 'Beginning refers to an indefinite period of time. We can't say for certain when God created the world of how long it took. This period could have spanned as much as several billion years, or much less. As for the word day in Genesis 1 & 2, the original Hebrew is even less definite. It can refer to three different periods of time." 

     So, our authors say, "We know the who, and we know the how. We don't know the when."  

Tomorrow: Five essential beliefs

The Real Issue 

     It's not the age of the universe or the length of creation days. The real issue is God. Either He created the heavens and the earth or He didn't.

Mrs. Donut in Pittsburgh was overseeing 50 Christians who volunteered to befriend children whose families were not so caring. Two other people each oversaw 50 volunteers. And there were those who oversaw the overseers. One of them had been the backup quarterback for Navy. Who could beat out Roger Staubach? Well, this backup and a friend later wrote Creation & Evolution 101 in 2001. Views will quote them this week beginning today. Everyone needs to know what they knew. Beginning with:

     "God is real because He made the world." - Romans 1:20.

     "God is real because He made you in his image." - Genesis 1:26-27 

     "God has given you a real life and real hope because He made you into a new person through Jesus Christ." - 2 Corinthians 5:17. 

     "There's nothing wrong with doubt, as long as you are truthfully seeking God for who He is, not for who you want him to be. You're never going to figure out God completely, which is part of the joy and excitement of the Christian life." - James 1:5. 

     "God breathed - inspired - into 40 different human authors to write down His message. - 2 Timothy 3:16. He got what He wanted. There are three creation accounts: Genesis 1 and 2, and Psalm 104, told by King David."

Tomorrow: Who, How and When

 The Abyss

     Part 3. If there is a hell, John the disciple would know. In John chapter 19, Jesus, dying on the cross, said to his mother who was there with John, Dear woman, here is your son. And to John he said, Here is your mother. Imagine the moment! 

     Decades later, Jesus appeared to (old) John. See Revelation chapter 1 for his incredible appearance. Then turn to Revelation 20-22 to see how our world ends...and a new world begins. 

     The abyss would be, in our dictionary, "an unfathomably deep place, a seemingly bottomless chasm, a deep fissure in the earth." It's for humans, "the second death," and the forever prison for Satan and the other fallen angels.   

     Rev. 20. Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. Anyone whose name is not found written in the book of life...was thrown into the lake of fire. Hell!  

     Rev. 21 lists some of the sins that will send people into the fiery lake of burning sulfur. The last sin listed is "all liars," again in chapter 22.  

     Rev. 22, Jesus says, Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and go through the gates into the city. I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book. If anyone adds anything to them (or takes away), God will add to him the plagues described in this book. 

Okay, my respected readers. If you want a summary of the Bible, read the first three chapters in the Old Testament and the last three chapters in the New Testament. Pick a gospel and read again the crucifixion of Jesus (the penalty He suffered for you and me). John saw the crucifixion on Friday, the risen Christ on Sunday...and Christ again in A.D. 90 or later. John obviously was led by the Lord, as were other authors of Scripture, writing long after the events.                                                                                                                   Truth wins! 

He Who Had Most to Say 

     Mark, a citizen of Jerusalem, associated with Paul, Peter and others, wrote: If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life maimed than with two hands to go into hell, where the fire never goes out. - Chapter 9.

     Mark added: It is better for you to enter life crippled than to have two feet and be thrown into hell. And, It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell, where the worm does not die and the fire is not quenched. 

     This wasn't Mark's words. He quotes the Son of God himself, Jesus.  

     Luke, also quoting Jesus, was a Gentile convert, the only non-Jewish author of two Bible books. Fear him who, after the killing of the body, has power to throw you into hell. - Luke 12:5. As for the "rich man," In hell, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. - Luke 16:23. 

     Matthew, a tax collector who became a disciple, quotes Jesus seven times about hell. Matthew 5:22, 29, 30, 10:28, 18:9, 23:15, 33.

     Anyone who says "you fool" will be in danger of the fire of hell. Wow! 

     And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell.

     Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.

     Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel overland and sea to win a single convert, and...you make him twice as much a son of hell as you are. 

     You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell?     >  Two other verses are similar to Mark's.

     What about John? Didn't this disciple chosen to outlive all others have anything to say about hell? See you tomorrow. 

   ~ ~ ~ 

 "Just for the Hell of It" 

     As would say some guys in my school. Well, not in school. Walking home from school, this future blogger learned words Mom never taught me. So, is there really a hell? Most people might say "no." Otherwise, their lives would be different. American pastors seldom mention hell these days. Let's ask someone who certainly believed there is a hellish place of no return.

     The disciple Peter. He may have written the world's longest sentence (I counted 150+ words). Here is the key, in 2 Peter 2:4: For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but sent them to hell, putting them in gloomy dungeons to be held for judgment...the Lord knows how...to hold the unrighteous for the day of judgment while continuing their punishment. 

     Well, Peter is one man, about 30 years after Jesus arose. Okay. Would you believe James, who wrote this 15 or so years after his half-brother Jesus returned to heaven: The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire and is itself set on fire by hell. James addressed this message to the 12 Jewish tribes, and he became leader of the Jerusalem church. In A.D. 62 he was martyred Jerusalem.

     Still not convinced there is a hell? When disciples and other leaders began to realize Jesus wasn't returning as soon as they expected, they began to write letters that became "books" of the New Testament. My understanding is the Holy Spirit took over. Those authors couldn't remember word for word all that Jesus and others said decades earlier. The Spirit also worked with Old Testament prophets. How else would Moses know how the earth was formed?

     If you need ultimate proof there is a hell, check out the ultimate voice, tomorrow on Views. 

 ~ ~ ~

God's Faithfulness and Character 

     One more time. "Replacement theology claims that God has revoked His promises to Israel. Twenty centuries ago, Paul addressed this directly: 'The gifts and calling of God are irrevocable,' - Romans 11:29. God's promises to Israel remain intact. They are not canceled or transferred." 

     "If God could revoke His promises to Israel, what confidence could believers have in promises to them through Christ? 'It is impossible for God to lie,' - Hebrews 6:18. 

     "When the church forgets Israel, arrogance often follows and it breeds antisemitism, again on the rise, by denying Israel's place in God's plan. Antisemitism is an affront to God's heart. His love for Israel has never expired and Genesis 12:3 still stands: 'I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you.' Antisemites hate what God loves."

     "If God were to break His covenant with Israel, how could we trust Him to keep His promises to us? Remember God's Word. Remember His promises. Remember whom He loves."

     "To our Jewish friends," Hawkins says, "while some voices within Christianity have forgotten, a vast majority have not. We stand with you. As Ruth once declared, so do we: Your people shall be my people, and your God my God' - Ruth 1:16." 

Tomorrow: Is there hell or not?