"I have not hidden Your righteousness within my heart; I have declared Your faithfullness and Your salvation; I have not concealed Your lovingkindness and Your truth ..." (Ps. 40:10, NKJV)
posted by candy @ 5:41 PM
2 comments
Published in Pasugo
Ang totoo, ang paniniwala noon ay ibang-iba kaysa ngayon. Noon, ang gayong balita ay kakatuwa at hindi kapani-paniwala. Marahil ay pagtatawanan lamang ito o kaya’y kokondenahin ng madla ang magpahayag ng gayong naiibang kaalaman. Ang isang halimbawa ay ang nangyari kay Galileo, isa sa mga unang scientist na nakatuklas na mali pala ang laganap na paniniwala noon na ang araw ay umiikot sa mundo.
Ngayon, sa makabagong panahon, sa tulong ng siyensya ay naiwasto na ang dating maling paniniwala. Tanggap na ng tao ang katotohanang ipinahayag ni Galileo; ang katotohanang ang mundo ay bilog at nakalutang sa wala ay hindi na rin pinagtatalunan ngayon.
Subalit, alam mo ba na ang mga katotohanang ito tungkol sa daigdig, maging tungkol sa kalawakan at mga bituin, ay nakasulat na sa Biblia daan-daang taon na ang nakalipas bago pa ito matuklasan ng siyensya?
Ang mundo ay bilog. “When the Bible was written it was universally believed that the earth was flat. …Finally, Magellan and his men sailed around the earth and thus proved it to be spherical in shape.” [Nang panahong isinusulat ang Biblia malaganap ang paniniwalang ang mundo ay lapad. …Sa wakas, naglayag at nilibot ni Magellan at ng kaniyang mga tauhan ang daigdig kaya’t napatunayan niyang ito ay bilog.] (George Dehoff. Why We Believe The Bible. p. 49)
Sa pamamagitan ng makabagong teknolohiya, mapatutunayan ng sinuman na bilog ang mundo. Ang katotohanang ito ay nasulat sa Biblia libu-libong taon bago pa libutin ni Magellan ang daigdig:
“Nakaupo siya sa itaas ng bilog ng mundo …” (Isa. 40:22, Biblia ng Sambayanang Pilipino)
Ang mundo’y nakabitin sa wala. “The ancient Greeks and Romans were the most advanced peoples of their time, yet they believed that the earth was held in place by poles or by the neck of Atlas.” [Ang mga Griego at Romano ang pinakamaunlad na tao sa sinaunang panahon, gayunman naniwala sila na ang mundo ay natutukuran ng mga poste o nakapasan sa leeg ni Atlas.] (George Dehoff. Why We Believe The Bible. pp. 49-50)
Habang ang mga “pinakamaunlad” na tao sa matandang panahon ay nanghahawak lamang pala sa kathang-isip, nasulat naman sa Biblia na ang mundo ay nakabitin sa wala:
“Kaniyang iniuunat ang hilagaan sa pagitang walang laman, At ibinibitin ang lupa sa wala.” (Job. 26:7)
Hindi mabilang ang mga bituin. “The ancients believed that there were only a very few stars in the heavens. In 150 B.C. Hipparchus said that there were less than three thousand. In A.D. 150 Ptolemy said there were not more than three thousand. …After the middle ages and the invention of the telescope, men discovered that the stars are innumerable.” [Ang mga tao noong unang panahon ay naniniwala na kakaunti ang mga bituin sa langit. Noong 150 B.C. sinabi ni Hipparchus na hindi aabot sa tatlong libo. Noong A.D. 150 sinabi ni Ptolemy na hindi hihigit sa tatlong libo. …Pagkatapos ng edad medya at nang maimbento ang teleskopyo, natuklasang ang mga bituin ay hindi mabilang sa dami.] (George Dehoff. Why We Believe The Bible. p. 56)
Ang katotohanang ito ay malaon nang nasulat sa Biblia:
“Gaya ng di mabilang na bituin sa kalangitan at ng buhangin sa dagat…” (Jer. 33:22, Magandang Balita Biblia)
Pansinin natin na ang mga katotohanang binanggit sa itaas (at iba pa) tungkol sa mundo, bituin, at kalawakan ay mapatutunayan sa tulong lamang ng modernong kasangkapan. Makikita lamang nating bilog ang mundo kapag tayo ay nasa kalawakan, na daan-daang milya ang layo mula sa daigdig. At, maliban nang gumamit tayo ng teleskopyo o kaya’y may libu-libong milya ang ating layo sa ating galaxy, kakaunting bahagi lamang ng di mabilang na bituin ang ating makikita.
Ngunit bagaman hindi gumamit ng mga modernong kasangkapan ang mga sumulat ng Biblia, paano kaya nila nalaman ang mga katotohanang ito? Nalaman nila iyon sapagkat ang Diyos na Siyang gumawa ng lupa, langit, at mga bituin ang nagpahayag nito sa kanila:
“Pagka binubulay ko ang iyong mga langit, ang gawa ng iyong mga daliri, Ang buwan at ang mga bituin na iyong inayos.” (Awit 8:3)
Ito ang nagpapatibay sa ating pananampalataya na ang Biblia ay kinasihang aklat at ang mga nakasulat dito ay mga salita ng Diyos:
“Ang lahat ng mga kasulatan na kinasihan ng Dios ay mapapakinabangan din naman sa pagtuturo, sa pagsansala, sa pagsaway, sa ikatututo na nasa katuwiran.” (II Tim. 3:16)
Samantalang ang kaalaman ng tao ay nababago kapag ito’y napasisinungalingan ng bagong tuklas na karunungan, ang mga salita ng Diyos na nakasulat sa Biblia ay nananatili sapagkat pawang katotohanan:
“Pakabanalin mo sila sa katotohanan: ang salita mo’y katotohanan.” (Juan 17:7)
Lamang, hindi dapat isipin na ang bawat natutuklasan ng tao sa kaniyang pisikal na kapaligiran ay mababasa rin sa Biblia. Ang Biblia ay walang gayong pag-aangkin.
Higit na mahalaga kaysa mga kaalaman tungkol sa pisikal na kalagayan ng daigdig, itinuturo ng Biblia ang karunungang makapagpapadunong “sa ikaliligtas sa pamamagitan ng pananampalataya kay Cristo Jesus” (II Tim. 3:15). Itinuturo nito ang katotohanang dapat nating malaman upang tayo ay maligtas pagdating ng Araw ng Paghuhukom (I Tim. 2:3-4; Heb. 9:27).
Dahil sa mahabagin ang Diyos at hindi Niya ibig na tayo ay maparusahan, ipinasulat Niya ang Kaniyang mga salita upang ating malaman ang mga katotohanang ikaliligtas natin.
Ano ang itinuturo ng Biblia upang matamo ng tao ang walang hanggang buhay?
Kilalanin ang Ama na Siyang iisang tunay na Diyos, at ang Kaniyang Anak na si Jesucristo na sinugo Niya upang tayo’y iligtas:
“Ang mga bagay na ito ay sinalita ni Jesus; at sa pagtingala ng kaniyang mga mata sa langit, ay sinabi niya, Ama, …At ito ang buhay na walang hanggan, na ikaw ay makilala nila na iisang Diyos na tunay, at siyang iyong sinugo, sa makatuwid baga’y si Jesucristo.” (Juan 17:1,3)
Pumasok sa kawan o Iglesia ni Cristo na siyang tinubos at ililigtas ni Cristo:
“I am the door; anyone who comes into the fold through me will be safe.” [Ako ang pintuan; sinumang pumasok sa loob ng kawan sa pamamagitan ko’y magiging ligtas.] (Jn. 10:9, Revised English Bible)
“Take heed therefore to yourselves and to all the flock over which the Holy Spirit has appointed you overseers, to feed the church of Christ which he has purchased with his blood.” [Ingatan ninyo kung gayon ang inyong mga sarili at ang buong kawan na rito’y hinirang kayo ng Espiritu Santo na mga katiwala, upang pakanin ang iglesia ni Cristo na binili niya ng kaniyang dugo.] (Acts 20:28, Lamsa Translation)
“Sapagkat ang lalaki ang ulo ng kanyang asawa, tulad ni Cristo na siyang ulo ng iglesya, na kaniyang katawan, at siyang Tagapagligtas nito.” (Efe. 5:23, Magandang Balita Biblia)
Manatiling kaanib sa Iglesia ni Cristo na tapat na sumusunod sa mga utos ng Diyos hanggang wakas:
“Kailangan ang pagtitiis at katatagan ng mga banal na sumusunod sa mga utos ng Dios, at nananatiling tapat kay Jesus. At narinig ko ang isang tinig na mula sa langit na nagsasabi, ‘Isulat mo: Mapalad ang namamatay sa paglilingkod sa Panginoon mula ngayon’.’Oo’, ang wika ng Espiritu, ‘magpapahinga sila sa kanilang gawain, at susundan sila ng kanilang mga gawa’.” (Apoc. 14:12-13, New Pilipino Version)
“Ngunit ang manatiling tapat hanggang wakas ay siyang maliligtas.” (Mat. 24:13, MB)
posted by candy @ 5:22 PM
Published in Pasugo, Jun 2005
“Ito ang sinasabi ng PANGINOON: ‘Tumindig kayo sa mga sangandaan at magmasid. Magtanong kayo tungkol sa mga dating landas. Itanong ninyo kung saan ang mabuting daan, at siya ninyong lakaran’…”
Jeremias 6:16, New Pilipino Version
Kung pare-parehong sa Diyos ang lahat ng relihiyon, hindi na ipahahanap pa ng Diyos ang mabuting daan. Ngunit hindi lamang Niya ipinahahanap ito kundi pinalalakaran pa ito sa tao.
SA PANANAW NG MARAMI, ang pangangailangan ng tao sa kaligtasan ay isang paksang hindi na dapat pagtalunan. Ang kontrobersya ay nasa pagkakaiba-iba ng mga paraan na itinuturo ng iba’t ibang tagapangaral ng relihiyon sa ikapagtatamo ng kaligtasan. Upang hindi magkamali ang tao sa susunding kaparaanan ay dapat niyang piliin ang pamamaraang itinuturo ng Diyos at ito’y mababasa sa Biblia. Kapag ang sinunod ng tao ay ang sarili niyang pamamaraan, hindi siya makararating sa pagpapawalang-sala na kaloob ng Diyos, anupa’t hindi siya maliligtas kahit taos-puso ang pagsisikap niyang maging kalugod-lugod sa Diyos, kung mali ang kaniyang batayan. Ganito ang sabi ni Apostol Pablo:
“Mapatutunayan kong sila’y nagsisikap na maging kalugod-lugod sa Diyos, subalit mali ang kanilang batayan. Sapagkat hindi nila nakilala ang pagpapawalang-sala na kaloob ng Diyos, at nagsikap silang magtayo ng sarili nilang pamamaraan sa halip na sundin ang pamamaraan ng Diyos.” (Roma 10:2-3, Magandang Balita Biblia)
“Dahil sa pananalig sa Diyos, pinakinggan ni Noe ang babala ng Diyos tungkol sa mga bagay na mangyayari na hindi pa niya nakikita. Gumawa siya ng isang daong upang siya at ang kanyang sambahayan ay maligtas. Sa pamamagitan nito’y hinatulan niya ang sanlibutan, a siya’y ibinilang na matuwid ng Diyos dahil sa kanyang pananalig.” (Heb. 11:7, Ibid.)
Sa panahon ni Noe ay ipinasiya ng Diyos na lipulin sa pamamagitan ng malaking baha ang sanlibutan dahil sa kasamaan ng mga tao. Apatnapung araw at apatnapung gabi na bumuhos ang ulan at pagkatapos ay matagal na hindi humupa ang tubig. Ngunit bago nilipol ng Diyos ang sanlibutan noon, itinuro muna Niya kay Noe ang paraan ng kaligtasan. Inutusan Niya si Noe na gumawa ng isang daong.
Ano ang iniutos ng Diyos kay Noe at sa kaniyang sambahayan noong magawa na ang daong? Inutusan Niya sila na lumulan o pumasok doon:
“Datapuwa’t pagtitibayin ko ang aking tipan sa iyo; at ikaw ay lululan sa sasakyan, ikaw, at ang iyong mga anak na lalake, at ang iyong asawa, at ang mga asawa ng iyong mga anak na kasama mo.” (Gen. 6:18)
“At sinasabi ng Panginoon kay Noe, Lumulan ka at ang iyong buong sangbahayan sa sasakyan; sapagka’t ikaw ay aking nakitang matuwid sa harap ko sa panahong ito.” (Gen. 7:1)
Ang pagsunod ng wawalong tao sa paraang itinuro ng Diyos noon ay nagbunga sa kanila ng kaligtasan:
“At ang dating sanglibutan ay hindi pinatawad, datapuwa’t iningatan ni Noe na tagapangaral ng katuwiran na kasama ng ibang pito pa, noong dalhin ang pagkagunaw sa sanglibutan ng masasama.” (II Ped. 2:5)
Sa kabilang dako, ang mga hindi sumunod ay pawing nangapahamak:
“Sila ang hindi sumunod nang sila’y matiyagang hinintay ng Dios noong panahon ni Noe, samantalang ginagawa nito ang daong. Ilan lamang tao, walo lamang ang naligtas sa pamamagitan ng tubig.” (I Ped. 3:20, New Pilipino Version)
“Nguni’t ang Israel ay ililigtas ng Panginoon ng walang hanggang kaligtasan. …” (Isa. 45:17)
Pinatutunayan din ng Biblia na noon ay “walang Diyos sa buong lupa, kundi sa Israel” (II Hari 5:15). “Sila’y mga Israelita at itinuturing ng Diyos na mga anak niya. … Sa kanila nakipagtipan ang Diyos; sa kanila rin ibinigay ang Kautusan, ang tunay na pagsamba, at ang mga pangako” (Roma 9:4, MB). Kaya noon ay walang karapatang dumiyos sa Diyos ang “hindi kabilang sa Israel.” Ang sabi ni Apostol Pablo tungkol sa kanila: “… Wala kayong bahagi sa tipan at pangako ng Dios sa kanila. Wala kayong Dios o pag-asa sa kaligtasan” (Efe. 2:12, Salita ng Buhay).
Ang matandang Israel ay nagkaroon ng karapatan sa kaligtasan dahil sa tipan ng Diyos kay Abraham, na isinalin sa anak niyang si Isaac, na isinalin naman kay Jacob at sa kaniyang angkan (Awit 105:6, 8-10). Kaya, ang bayang Israel noon ang “pinili” ng Diyos upang maging Kaniya “na higit sa lahat ng mga bayan na nasa ibabaw ng balat ng lupa” (Deut. 7:6). Subalit, dumating ang panahon na ang Israel ay hindi nanatili sa pagsunod sa Diyos – sila ay tumalikod sa Kaniya at dahil dito ay nasumpa sila (Dan. 9:11).
“Ito ang sinasabi ng PANGINOON: ‘Tumindig kayo sa mga sangandaan at magmasid. Magtanong kayo tungkol sa mga dating landas. Itanong ninyo kung saan ang mabuting daan, at siya ninyong lakaran, at doon ninyo masusumpungan ang kapahingahan ng inyong mga kaluluwa. Ngunit sinasabi ninyo, ‘Hindi kami lalakad doon’.
“Makinig ka, O daigdig: Ang baying ito ay padadalhan ko ng kapahamakan, ang bunga ng kanilang mga pakana, pagkat hindi sila nakinig sa aking mga salita at tinanggihan nila ang aking kautusan.” (Jer. 6:16, 19, NPV)
Kung pare-parehong sa Diyos ang lahat ng relihiyon, hindi na ipahahanap pa ng Diyos ang mabuting daan. Ngunit hindi lamang Niya ipinahahanap ito kundi pinalalakaran pa ito sa tao. Nangako ang Diyos sa mga nasa mabuting daan na sila ang makasusumpong ng kapahingahan ng kaluluwa. Ito ang kaligtasan at ang ipinangakong buhay na walang hanggan sa Bayang Banal sa piling ng Diyos (Apoc. 21:1-4). Subalit ang sabi ng iba, “hindi kami lalakad doon.” Kaya ang pasiya ng Diyos sa mga ayaw sa paraang itinuturo at ipinag-uutos Niya ay: “Padadalhan Ko [sila] ng kapahamakan, … pagkat hindi sila nakinig sa Aking mga salita at tinanggihan nila ang Aking kautusan.”
Sa panahong Cristiano, ang mabuting daan na dapat lakaran ng tao ay ang Panginoong Jesucristo:
“Sinabi sa kaniya ni Jesus, Ako ang daan, at ang katotohanan, at ang buhay: sinoman ay di makaparoroon sa Ama, kundi sa pamamagitan ko.
“Kaya’t muling sinabi ni Jesus, ‘Tandaan ninyo: ako ang pintuang dinaraanan ng mga tupa.
“Ako ang pintuan. Ang sinumang pumasok sa pamamagitan ko’y maliligtas. …” (Juan 14:6; 10:7, 9 MB)
Ang Panginoong Jesucristo ang pintuang dinaraanan – hindi sinasampalatayanan lamang – ng mga tupa. Ang sinumang daraan at papasok sa pamamagitan Niya ay maliligtas. Ang nasusulat na “sinuman,” kaya hindi nagtatangi ng tao ang Panginoong Jesucristo; ang itinatangi ay ang paraan: dapat dumaan o pumasok sa pamamagitan Niya. Tandaan natin na Siya ay nagturo ng mga aral at utos ng Diyos. Ang sabi Niya, “ang turo ko ay hindi akin, kundi doon sa nagsugo sa akin” (Juan 7:16). Kaya, ang itinuro ng Panginoong Jesucristo ay paraan ng Diyos:
“Magsipasok kayo sa kaniyang mga pintuang-daan na may pagpapasalamat, At sa kaniyang looban na may pagpupuri: Mangagpasalamat kayo sa kaniya, at purihin ninyo ang kaniyang pangalan.” (Awit 100:4)
Ang mga magpupuri o sasamba at magpapasalamat sa Diyos sa tamang paraan ay pinapapasok sa pintuang-daan at sila ay makararating sa looban. Ang katumbas ng “pintuang daan” sa Juan 10:1 ay “pintuan ng kulungan ng mga tupa” o “pintuang dinaraanan ng mga tupa” (Juan 10:7, MB). Ang katumbas naman ng “looban” sa Awit 100:4 ay “kulungan ng mga tupa.” Doon pumaloob ang mga tao na pumasok sa Panginoong Jesucristo. Kaya sa Revised English Bible ay ganito ang pagkakasalin:
“I am the door; anyone who comes into the fold through me will be safe. …” [Ako ang pintuan; sinumang pumasok sa loob ng kawan sa pamamagitan ko ay magiging ligtas. …] (John 10:9)
Ang “kawan” ay sheep pen sa John 10:9 ng saling God’s Word. Ito ang katumbas ng “kulungan ng mga tupa.” Kaya ang paraan tungo sa kaligtasan na itinuturo ng Diyos at ng ating Panginoong Jesucristo sa panahong Cristiano ay ang pagpasok sa pintuan na ang tinutukoy ay ang Panginoong Jesucristo o pagdaan sa Kaniya upang makarating sa loob ng kawan. Ang tutupad sa paraang ito ang pinangakuan ng kaligtasan sa ating panahon.
Ang kawan na tinutukoy ng ating Panginoong Jesucristo, na doon makakabilang ang mga taong tunay na pumasok sa Kaniya, ay ang Iglesia ni Cristo:
“… All the flock … the church of Chirst which he has purchased with his blood.” [… Ang buong kawan … ang iglesia ni Cristo na binili niya ng kaniyang dugo.] (Acts 20:28, Lamsa Translation)
Ang katibayan pa na ang aral tungkol sa kaligtasan na itinuro ng Panginoong Jesucristo ay hindi Niya sariling pamamaraan kundi pamamaraan ng Diyos ay ito:
“Now glory be to God … because of his master plan of salvation for the church through Jesus Christ.” [Ngayon ay luwalhatiin nawa ang Diyos … dahil sa kaniyang pangunahing panukala ng kaligtasan para sa iglesia sa pamamagitan ni Jesucristo.] (Eph. 3:20-21, Living Bible)
Kaya kung tayo’y nasa tunay na Iglesia ni Cristo, ang kaligtasan ay para sa atin. Ito ay sapagkat pangunahing panukala ng Diyos na ang kaligtasan sa pamamagitan ni Cristo ay para sa Iglesia. Ito rin ang “bayan ng Dios” (I Ped. 2:10) ngayon. Tandaan din natin na nasa Iglesiang binili o tinubos ng dugo ng Panginoong Jesucristo ang pagpapawalang-sala at tiyak na kaligtasan (Roma 5:8-9, MB)
Kaya, ang tao na susunod sa paraang itinuturo ng Diyos ay tiyak na maliligtas at magmamana ng kaharian ng langit.
posted by candy @ 5:16 PM
Published in Pasugo, Nov 1998
The Iglesia ni Cristo upholds that not all religions or churches will be saved on the day of Judgment but only the true Church established by Christ. It is for this belief that the Iglesia ni Cristo is criticized time and again. People could not imagine how God would save only a handful and confine the rest of mankind to His punishment.
Is it surprising if only a chosen few will be saved from God’s punishment? Certainly not. Because, even in the time of Noah, only he and his family were saved from the great deluge:
“It was faith that made Noah hear God’s warnings about the things in the future that he could not see. He obeyed God and built a boat in which he and his family were saved. As a result, the world was condemned, and Noah received from God the righteousness that comes by faith.” (Heb. 11:7, Today’s English Version)
Noah’s obedience resulted in his salvation. On the other hand, disobedience to God’s command and warning resulted in massive perdition for the rest of mankind as is attested in I Peter 3:20:
“Who disobeyed long ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built. In it only a few people, eight in all, were saved through water.” (New International Version)
In the early times, God saved only eight people and punished the rest of mankind due to the latter’s disobedience to God’s will. God certainly cannot be blamed for the death of almost the entire mankind since the fault lies entirely on man’s defiance to God’s plan for salvation.
God has laid His commandment for man’s salvation in the Christian era. Which commandment is this which those destined for damnation have disobeyed? This is written in Jeremiah 6:16 and 19:
“Thus says the LORD: ‘Stand in the ways and see, And ask for the old paths, where the good way is, And walk in it; Then you will find rest for your souls’. But they said, ‘We will not walk in it’.
“Hear, O earth! Behold, I will certainly bring calamity on this people, Even the fruit of their thoughts, Because they have not heeded My words, Nor My law, but rejected it.” (New King James Version)
God had commanded people to look for the good way and walk therein. However, the Bible states that there are those who refuse to walk in the way that God has set. Which is this path to salvation? This is written in John 10:7 and 9:
“Then Jesus said to them again, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep’….I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved.” (Ibid.)
To walk in the path to salvation is to enter in Christ. Those who have entered in Christ have entered into the fold or flock (Jn. 10:9, Revised English Bible). This flock is the Church of Christ as stated in Acts 20:28:
“Take heed therefore to yourselves and to all the flock over which the Holy Spirit has appointed you overseers, to feed the church of Christ which he has purchased with his blood.” (Lamsa Translation)
Therefore, by entering or joining the Church of Christ, a person walks in the path that leads to salvation.
But why is it that in spite of God’s plan for salvation, some people still refuse to enter the Church that Christ built? Why is it that even though they had been taught the path to salvation, they refuse to walk in it?
Many of those who refuse to join the Iglesia ni Cristo reason out that the Church imposes too many restrictions. They complain that there are too many rules to follow and that such rules are too difficult to obey. Others even go to the extent of accusing the Church of making it too difficult for a person to worship God and attain salvation. We, therefore, should find out whether the road to salvation is an easy one or a difficult one. The Savior Himself testified:
“Go in through the narrow gate, because the gate to hell is wide and the road that leads to it is easy, and there are many who travel it. But the gate to life is narrow and the way that leads to it is hard, and there are few people who find it.” (Mt. 7:13-14, TEV)
There is no such thing as an easy way to salvation. The Lord Jesus Himself testified that the road that leads to life is hard and few people are able to find it.
Many people nowadays are looking for a convenient religion. They are seeking for a church that will not impose on them the laws of God written in the Bible but instead will give them an easy and convenient way of serving God and attaining salvation. This path of convenience which many people take is not at all the road that leads to life. On the contrary, this road leads to eternal punishment.
What will happen to those who refuse to join the true Church of Christ? This is written in I Corinthians 5:12-13:
“What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? God will judge those outside. ‘Expel the wicked man from among you’.” (NIV)
Those who refuse to join the Church of Christ will be judged by God on the day of Judgment and perdition of ungodly men.
So, if a person seeks the path that leads to salvation, he must enter the narrow gate, the Lord Jesus Christ (Jn. 10:9), by becoming a member of His Church, the Church of Christ. This is the only way to salvation that man must consider and take. This plan for salvation is attested to by Apostle Paul in Ephesians 3:21:
“May he be given glory forever and ever through endless ages because of his master plan of salvation for the church through Jesus Christ.” (Living Bible)
There is no other way to attain salvation – it is only by joining the Church of Christ. This is the plan of God that man must fulfill in order to receive eternal bliss on the day of Judgment.
posted by candy @ 5:08 PM
Published in Pasugo, Oct 2001
The Lord Jesus Christ described those who believe in Him as known to Him and called by His name:
“I am the good shepherd; I know My sheep and my sheep know me –
“The watchman opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.” (Jn. 10:14, 3, New International Version)
Hence, it is not enough for people to know and believe in Christ. More importantly, they must also be recognized by Christ as His own sheep and must be called by the name given to Him by God:
“I pray for them, I do not pray for the world but for those you gave me, for they belong to you.
“And now I am coming to you; I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world. Holy Father! Keep them safe by the power of your name, the name you gave me.” (Jn. 17:9, 11, Today’s English Version)
The name that is above every name is the name given by God to Jesus. That name is “Christ” who was made Lord by God, so that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God (Philip. 2:9-11); Acts 2:36, New King James Version). Thus, Christ’s sheep are called by the name “Church of Christ”:
“Take heed therefore to yourselves and to all the flock over which the Holy Spirit appointed you overseers, to feed the church of Christ which he has purchased with his blood.” (Acts 20:28, Lamsa Translation)
Those who truly know Christ and at the same time are recognized by Him as His own are the members of the Church of Christ.
A Catholic authority, Francis B. Cassily, agrees to the fact that the true Church is called “Church of Christ”:
“5. Did Jesus establish a Church?
“Yes, from all history, both secular and profane, as well as from the Bible considered as a human document, we learn that Jesus Christ established a Church, which from the earliest times has been called after Him the Christian Church or the Church of Christ.
“This Church, founded and organized by Christ and preached by the apostles, is the Church of Christ. …It is the only true Church, and the one which God orders all men to join.” (Religion: Doctrine and Practice, p. 330)
Even Bible scholars conform to the truth that the Church, which is Christ’s body (Col. 1:18), is called after His name. A professor of Ozack Bible College says:
“The church is the body of Jesus Christ. Eph. 1:22, 23. The idea of ownership is absolute here. As a man’s body is his own and not another’s, so the church is the church of Christ and not of another.
“Nothing could emphasize more strongly than these statements the right of Christ to call the Church His own, and to give the church His own name.” (The Church in the Bible, p. 349)
Since Christ considers His Church as His body (Col. 1:18; Eph. 1:23), His ownership of this Church is absolute and unquestionable. The name “Church of Christ,” therefore, is perfectly right.
The Church of Christ is also the sheepfold, the flock, and those who enter in it shall be saved (Jn. 10:7, 9). Hence, those who truly believe in Christ and are recognized by Him as His sheep are the members of the Church of Christ. Salvation is through Christ and this Church.
The name “Church of Christ” is not the only identifying mark of those who belong to Christ. Those who belong to Him are chosen and appointed (Jn. 15:16, NKJV). They are sure of their calling and election (II Pt. 1:10, Ibid.), because their election is founded or anchored on the prophetic word of God (II Pt. 1:19, Ibid.)
On the strength of which prophecy does the Church of Christ that emerged in the Philippines in these last days base its claim on God’s election? This Church was prophesied as Christ’s “other sheep”:
“I have other sheep too. They are not of this flock here. I must lead them also. They will listen to my voice. In the future there will be one flock and one shepherd.” (Jn. 10:16, Easy-to-Read New Testament)
The “other sheep” also belong to Christ and are recognized by Him. They would also be gathered into one flock. They are called the “other sheep,” because they don’t belong to the first-century Church of Christ, but were to be called in the future as one flock. As stated earlier, the flock is the Church of Christ (Acts 20:28, Lamsa Translation). These other sheep of Christ would hear Christ’s voice, although He is already in heaven, through the preaching function of the prophesied messenger. To hear the messenger sent by Christ is to hear Him (Lk. 10:16; Jn. 13:20, NKJV). Therefore, those who listen to Christ’s voice through the preaching of His messenger would be gathered as one flock, in the Church of Christ.
The first-century Church of Christ ceased to exist because it veered away from God’s unadulterated teachings (I Tim. 4:1, 3). From the ruins of the first-century Church of Christ emerged the Catholic Church whose doctrines are contrary to God’s truth. But the true Church would reemerge through God’s appointed messenger. The uniqueness of the preaching function of God’s messenger is that the believers are sealed with the Holy Spirit:
“And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit.” (Eph. 1:13, NIV)
We sincerely believe that Brother Felix Y. Manalo, who registered the Iglesia ni Cristo with the Philippine government on July 27, 1914, is the fulfillment of the prophecies concerning God’s messenger in these last days. What is the proof that he was instrumental in sealing God’s servants in these last days? He is the fulfillment of the angel from the east who had the seal of the living God:
“Then I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God. And he cried with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was granted to harm the earth and the sea,
“Saying, ‘Do not harm the earth, the sea, or the trees till we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads.” (Rev. 7:2-3, NKJV)
The word “angel” denotes the office and not the nature of the one sent by God:
“A minister or pastor of a church” is called an angel (Cruden’s Complete Concordance, p. 16). Thus, the preacher sent by God is called an “angel.” The angel from the east having the seal of God is a preacher of the gospel because he bears the seal of God.
This is why the members of the Church of Christ are confident that they are among those whom God and Christ recognize as their servants. As servants of God and of Christ, they are blessed and their deeds will follow them (Rev. 14:12-13, NIV). Christ Himself assures them salvation.
posted by candy @ 5:01 PM
Published in Pasugo, Jul 1999
Before ascending to heaven, our Lord Jesus made a prophecy regarding the Church of Christ that would emerge in the Philippines. In John 10:16, the Savior said:
“And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there shall be one flock and one shepherd.” (New King James Version)
Our Lord Jesus spoke of His other sheep that would, at a future time, become one flock. [The flock refers to the Church of Christ (Acts 20:28, Lamsa Translation).] These other sheep were not yet in the fold or flock that existed during the time of Christ and His apostles in the first century. They have yet to hear His voice and were to be called to become one flock.
What does “to hear the voice of Christ to be one flock or Church” mean? In Matthew 7:24-25, our Lord Jesus explains:
“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against the house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.” (New International Version)
To hear the voice of Christ is to put His words into practice, to obey or follow them. Our Lord Jesus declared, “… I am the door of the sheep. …If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved” (Jn. 10:7, 9, NKJV). Those who enter through Christ, the door of the sheepfold, become His sheep and are found in the flock. The prophesied other sheep of Christ, therefore, are those yet to be called by the Lord to be one flock or Church.
Though Christ’s call necessitates listening to and understanding the words of Christ, not all preachers who use the Bible today teach His words that can bring people into the true Church. According to Apostle Paul, not all preachers have the authority to teach the true gospel. Apostle Paul declared:
“How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent? (Rom. 10:14-15, NIV)
The preachers who have the exclusive authority to preach the pristine gospel of our Lord Jesus leading people to become members of His Church are the ones sent by God (His messengers). The apostle is explicit, “How can they preach unless they are sent?” Hence, those who were not sent or authorized by God cannot deliver the true gospel of Christ that can bring people into the true Church. Those who use the Bible and claim to preach the gospel, so to speak, while without divine authority, only preach a perverted gospel that is really no gospel at all (Gal. 1:6-8, Ibid.) and lead people to damnation.
God’s policy from the beginning has always been to send messengers who will preach His laws and commandments. To reject the messenger of God is equivalent to rejecting both the Lord Jesus Christ and God (Lk. 10:16) because what the messenger preaches are not his own but the teachings of God taught by the Lord Jesus Christ.
Why are we certain that the “other sheep” of Christ mentioned in John 10:16 refers to the Church of Christ that emerged in the Philippines? How many groups of people comprise the Church established by Christ? In Acts 2:39, it is written:
“For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.” (NKJV)
Apostle Peter said that three groups of people comprise the Church established by Christ. The third group – those who are afar off – are those who then were yet to be called by God into the Church (Col. 3:15, 1:18). They were not yet members of the Church in the first century. They are the members of the Church of Christ prophesied to emerge in the future. The other two groups of people who had already been called by God and have become members of the Church during the first century were Jews and the Gentiles (Rom. 9:24). The Gentiles were the children of the Jews in the faith as they were the converts of Apostle Paul who is the messenger to the Gentiles, who himself was a Jew.
Apostle Peter said that the third group of people who were also prophesied to become members of the true Church of Christ – the other sheep of Christ – would come from afar off. But where from “afar off” would this third group emerge? The prophecies in the Book of Isaiah teach that the third group would emerge in the Far East, in the islands of the sea (Is. 43:5, Moffatt Translation; Is. 24:15, NIV)
True to these prophecies, the Iglesia ni Cristo emerged in the Philippines, a nation in the Far East composed of many islands, more or less 7,100. Aside from being acknowledged by God Himself as His children, the members of this Church will be called by His name – just as His nation Israel was called by His name (Is. 43:5-7, II Chron. 7:14). The name of Christ, by which God’s nation in the Christian era is called, is God’s name which He gave to Christ (Jn. 17:11, Today’s English Version), hence, the name Church of Christ – Iglesia ni Cristo (Rom. 16:16).
Others believe that the founder of the Iglesia ni Cristo is Brother Felix Y. Manalo because he was the one who preached this Church in 1914. Although he did preach about the Iglesia ni Cristo, this does not make him its founder. Like the apostles, he was merely instrumental in preaching the true gospel of Christ so that the believers would be brought back or restored to the true Church of Christ.
The Lord Jesus Christ commissioned the messenger from the Far East for His Church to be reestablished. Take note that when the third group of people were called to become members of the Church of Christ, the Lord Jesus Christ had long been in heaven. He did not have to come down to preach His words in order for His Church to reemerge; instead, He sent His messenger to do this task. Listening to and accepting the preaching of this messenger is equivalent to listening to and accepting the Lord Jesus Christ.
The doctrines taught by Brother Felix Y. Manalo to the members of the Church of Christ were not his own but were purely scriptural. As the messenger of God in these last days, he was instrumental in the restoration of the true Christian faith by means of preaching God’s righteousness, the gospel, snatching people from false religions that are holding them captives, and bringing them into the true Church (Rev. 7:2-3; Is. 46:11-13, 43:5-6; Rom. 1:16-17).
Why was there a need to reestablish the Church of Christ? What happened to the Church founded by Christ in the first century to which the Jews and the Gentiles belong? While the Lord Jesus Christ was still on earth, He warned His disciples to watch out that they may not be deceived (Mt. 24:4). This was because many false prophets would rise to deceive many, if possible even the elect (Mt. 24:24). How would the false prophets accomplish their deception and what does “to be deceived” mean? Apostle Paul explains:
“NOW the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;…Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth.” (I Tim. 4:1,3, King James Version)
In deceiving people, the false prophets would propagate the doctrines of demons or the teachings of the devil. And those who were deceived would depart from or abandon the true teachings of God. Two of the devil’s doctrines are forbidding to marry and imposing abstinence from meats. The church that teaches or upholds these two doctrines is the apostate church or the one that has departed from the true Christian faith.
In the book Faith of our Fathers, Cardinal Gibbons stated:
“The disciples of the Church[Catholic Church] has been exerted from the beginning in prohibiting Priests to marry after their ordination.” (p. 328)
In another Catholic book entitled The Teaching of Christ, it is stated:
“…Fasting and abstinence are encouraged in Lent, but Church[Catholic Church] law does not require a great deal of us in this regard. Specific regulations vary in different countries. In the United States of America, for example, all Fridays of Lent are days of abstinence, that is, days on which no meat is to be eaten; and Ash Wednesday and Good Friday are days of fast as well as abstinence.” (pp. 461-462).
The Catholic Church, therefore, practices both celibacy and abstinence, both doctrines of the devil which are against the true Christian faith. No wonder the true Church established by Christ in the first century did not continue.
Therefore, to restore the true Christian faith based on the teachings of the Holy Bible, it is indispensable that the true Church of Christ be reestablished. Hence, the emergence of the Church of Christ in the Philippines is the fulfillment of Christ’s prophecy regarding His other sheep. The true founder of the Church of Christ that emerged in the Philippines, therefore, is Christ Himself (Rom. 16:16; Acts 20:28, Lamsa Translation; Jn. 10:9).
The call of God to those who have abandoned the true Christian faith and those who have joined false churches is stated in the Book of Revelation:
“Then I heard another voice from heaven, saying, ‘Come out, my people! Come out from her! You must not take part in her sins; you must not share in her punishment!” (Rev. 18:4. TEV)
But, it is not enough to just come out or leave the false churches or religions to win God’s favor and be freed from His punishment on Judgment Day. God said:
“… Stand in the ways and see, And ask for the old paths, where the good way is, And walk in it; Then you will find rest for your souls.” (Jer. 6:16, NKJV)
To be assured of salvation on Judgment Day – which is to find rest for our souls – is to find the good way and to walk therein. The good way and only true way to the Father and to eternal life is our Lord Jesus Christ. We can walk the good way by entering Christ as the door to become His sheep and be found in His fold or flock which is the Church of Christ (Jn. 10:9, 16; Acts 20:28, Lamsa Translation).
posted by candy @ 3:41 PM
Published in Pasugo, Aug 2005
“The LORD is gracious and full of compassion, Slow to anger and great in mercy.” (Ps. 145:8, New King James Version)
The testimony of those who have experienced God’s compassion and mercy is this:
“Through the LORD’s mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not.” (Lam. 3:22, Ibid.)
Because of God’s mercy and compassion, sinners are not consumed immediately. But this does not mean that God is slack toward or is condoning the wrongdoings of sinners. There is something in God’s compassion that keeps Him from allowing the sinners to be destroyed or consumed immediately. Apostle Peter explains:
“The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.” (II Pet. 3:9, Ibid.)
God is giving sinners the chance to repent. He does not want anyone to perish on account of sin. Had he not been full of compassion, all of us sinners would not have been given the chance to repent and we would have certainly been destroyed.
“Now I, the Sovereign LORD, am telling you Israelites that I will judge each of you by what he has done. Turn away from all the evil you are doing, and don’t let your sin destroy you.” (Ezek. 18:30, Today’s English Version)
Destruction shall surely come on the sinners who do not take heed and ignore the chance God is giving them to turn away from their evil acts and repent. Concerning the stubborn-hearted, Apostle Paul points this out, thus:
“Or perhaps you despise his great kindness, tolerance, and patience. Surely you know that God is kind, because he is trying to lead you to repent. But you have a hard and stubborn heart, and so you are making your own punishment even greater on the Day when God’s anger and righteous judgments will be revealed.” (Rom. 2:4-5, Ibid.)
The sinners who hate God’s great kindness, tolerance, and patience by hardening their hearts and refusing to repent will surely suffer punishment on Judgment Day. They will perish and will be consumed by fire on that day as testified to by Apostle Peter:
“But the heavens and the earth which are now preserved by the same word, are reserved for fire until the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.” (II Pet. 3:7, NKJV)
The sinners’ conflagration will be followed by the lake of fire, in which they will suffer eternal punishment (Rev. 20:14). Inasmuch as the Bible testifies that all men have sinned (Rom. 5:12) and, because of this, they have been separated from God and have become His enemies (Isa. 59:2, Col. 1:21), it behooves us therefore to rethink our condition to avoid His punishment. We should not ignore the chance God is giving us so that we may avoid the dire consequence of our sins. God calls our attention to this:
“ ‘Yet from the days of your fathers you have gone away from My ordinances And have not kept them. Return to Me, and I will return to you’, says the LORD of hosts. ‘But you said, “In what way shall we return?”’” (Mal. 3:7, NKJV)
Since the fall of man from God’s grace because of sin, he has been separated from God. Hence, he has to return to Him so that God will again be with him. Without returning to God, man on account of his sins will remain in his precarious condition of being under God’s judgment, which is the eternal punishment in the lake of fire.
“Thus says the LORD: ‘Stand in the ways and see, And ask for the old paths, where the good way is, And walk in it; Then you will find rest for your souls’. But they said, ‘We will not walk in it’.” (Jer. 6:16, Ibid.)
God instructs man who has turned away from His ordinances to look for the good way. Once he has found the good way, he should walk in it to find rest for his soul. Our Lord Jesus Christ testified that He is “the way, the truth, and the life” that would lead man back to the Father (John 14:6). For man to benefit from Christ as the way to God, it is not enough that he profess faith in Him as His Lord and Savior. He must prove His faith by coming into the fold through Christ as the doorway. As the Lord declares:
“I am the door; anyone who comes into the fold through me will be safe. …” (John 10:9, Revised English Bible)
Those who have come into the fold through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ are His sheep in His flock (John 10:16), which is the Church of Christ as testified to by Apostle Paul, thus:
“Take heed therefore to yourselves and to all the flock over which the Holy Spirit has appointed you overseers, to feed the church of Christ which he has purchased with his blood.” (Acts 20:28, Lamsa Translation)
Therefore, in order to return to God through our Lord Jesus Christ, one should join the sheepfold of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Church of Christ, which He redeemed with His precious blood.
“But God has shown us how much he loves us – it was while we were still sinners that Christ died for us! By his sacrificial death we are now put right with God; how much more, then, will we be saved by him from God’s anger!” (Rom. 5:8-9, TEV)
Those redeemed by our Lord Jesus Christ through His precious blood are forgiven of their sins. Through Christ’s sacrificial death, they have been put right with God – back I His grace and loving care – and thus they are assured of their salvation from God’s anger or from perdition on Judgment Day. Although any Christian-professing person would readily claim that he has been redeemed by Christ by virtue of his faith in Him, only those who are in Christ’s Church have benefited from His sacrificial death. This, Apostle Paul clarifies:
“For a husband has authority over his wife just as Christ has authority over the church; and Christ is himself the Savior of the church, his body.” (Eph. 5:23, Ibid.)
Christ the Savior will save the Church which is His body. So if one is not in the true Church of Christ, he will not benefit from the sacrificial death of our Lord Jesus Christ. On the other hand, if a person joins the Church of Christ, this means that he does not discount God’s loving-kindness and compassion for the sinners.
“What shall we say, then? Should we continue to live in sin so that God’s grace will increase? Certainly not! We have died to sin – how then can we go on living in it?” (Rom. 6:1-2, Ibid.)
Thus, the true members of the Church of Christ strive to renew their lives completely in order to enjoy God’s loving-kindness and not to waste their opportunity to be saved. Never do they take their membership in the Church as a license to commit sin for they know that if they sin willfully after having received the knowledge of the truth, “there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries” (Heb. 10:26-27, NKJV).
And if sometimes they still fall into sin, despite their striving to fulfill God’s commandments an to live a life that is worthy before Him, Apostle John writes them this reassuring lines:
“I am writing this to you, my children, so that you will not sin; but if anyone does sin, we have someone who pleads with the Father on our behalf – Jesus Christ, the righteous one.” (I John 2:1, TEV)
Indeed, the members of the Church of Christ are truly fortunate, for even if they also sinned, they have received God’s loving-kindness and found redemption and forgiveness of their sins in the Church. And should they fall into the sin of either commission or omission, God will cleanse them if they sincerely repent, and earnestly return to Him, and turn away from their evil and wicked ways, for Apostle John says assuredly that “if we confess our sins to God, he will keep his promise and do what is right: he will forgive us our sins and purify us from all our wrongdoing” (I John 1;9, Ibid.)
posted by candy @ 7:21 AM
boxer crab
posted by candy @ 4:00 PM
3 comments
Published in Pasugo, Jun 2005
“Jesus spoke these words, lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said: ‘Father…
And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God,
And Jesus Christ whom You have sent’.” (John 17:1,3, New King James Version)
THE ISSUE CONCERNING the attainment of eternal life will always be essential to the belief system, not only of Christian-professing churches but also of all religious groups that believe in the hereafter and look beyond this present and temporal life. In fact, this is an issue that is unfailingly associated with everything a man does in his service to his Creator or to anyone whom he considers as a supreme being who has power and authority to either reward or punish him. Among Christian-professing peoples, eternal life is the ultimate reward which they eagerly await from God whom they faithfully serve and worship. Their belief and hope in eternal life and the Almighty God who promised it to them is basically hinged on the teachings of the Bible, the repository of God’s revealed truth. It is the Bible which clearly teaches how one can be worthy of God and His grace of the promised eternal life. Hence, those who believe and serve God with the hope of attaining eternal bliss should faithfully obey what the Bible teaches in order that their hope will not end up in vain. What is one of the teachings of the Bible that aspirants of eternal life should understand and fully believe in? The Holy Writ records this pronouncement of our Lord Jesus Christ, the greatest of God’s messengers:
“Jesus spoke these words, lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said: ‘Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You, as You have given Him authority over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as You have given Him. And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent’.” (John 17:1-3, New King James Version)
In this prayer of Jesus to the Father, He affirmed some important doctrines essential to gaining eternal life. He said that the Father had given Him authority to give eternal life to those given to Him by the Father. It is clear then that life eternal is reserved for such people. But for them to receive this, they must know and understand that the Father alone is the true God and that Jesus Christ was sent by Him. Hence, anyone who wants to attain eternal life should be certain that he is among those given by the Father to our Lord Jesus Christ and that he recognizes the Father as the only true God and Jesus Christ was sent by Him. In pointing to the Father as the only true God, which means that there is no true God other than the Father, and in distinguishing Himself from the Father by emphasizing that He was sent by Him, Christ has shown that He should not be recognized as God.
“God is to be trusted, the God who called you to have fellowship with His Son Jesus Christ, our Lord.” (I Cor. 1:9, Today’s English Version)
God gives people to Christ by calling them to have fellowship with His Son. How one is called by God to have fellowship with His Son is explained further by Apostle Paul, thus:
“It was for this that he called you when we preached the gospel to you, and he wanted you to possess the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. …” (II Thess. 2:14, Phillips Modern English Bible)
God calls people to have fellowship with our Lord Jesus Christ through the preaching of the gospel. But this does not mean that all preachers who use the Bible are God’s instruments in calling people. Only God’s messengers have the authority to preach the gospel that will result in man’s having fellowship with Christ. As Apostle Paul rhetorically asked, “how can they preached unless they are sent?” (Rom. 10:15, New International Version), pointing out further that those whom God has called to have fellowship with Christ through the authoritative preaching of His messenger are in the one body of Christ:
“And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful.” (Col. 3:15, NKJV)
The body being referred to here is the Church headed by our Lord Jesus Christ (Col. 1:18) and called the Church of Christ (Acts 20:28, Lamsa Translation). Therefore, those given by God to our Lord Jesus Christ are those whom He called inside the Church of Christ. It is to the members of the Church of Christ therefore that eternal life is reserved, as prayed for by the Savior:
“I pray for them. I do not pray for the world but for those whom You have given Me, for they are Yours. ‘And all Mine are Yours, and Yours are Mine, and I am glorified in them’. … ’Father I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for you loved Me before the foundation of the world’.” (John 17:9-10, 24, NKJV)
“Yet there is for us only one God, the Father, who is the Creator of all things and for whom we live; and there is only one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things were created and through whom we live. But not everyone knows this truth. …” (I Cor. 8:6-7, TEV)
For the members of the true Church of Christ like Apostle Paul, there is only one God, the Father. For them, Christ, the Son, is not the true God, for they recognize no other God except the Father although such truth about the true God is not known to everyone. They learned this knowledge not only from Christ but from God Himself who taught:
“Fear ye not, neither be afraid: have not I told thee from the time, and have declared it? Ye are even my witnesses. Is there a God beside me? Yea, there is no God; I know not any.” (Isa. 44:8, King James Version)
Thus, the members of the Church of Christ do not subscribe to the doctrine of a triune God – a God that is allegedly composed of three persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, who, according to the adherents of this Trinitarian doctrine, are all equal in being God. Such a teaching is unbiblical because it goes against the declaration of God, who says, “I am God, and there is no other; I am God and there is none like me” (Isa. 46:9, NIV).
The true God recognizes no other God beside Himself. Neither does He recognize any equal. Hence, one should not insist that aside from the Father, there are still others who are like Him and co-equal with Him in being God as in the doctrine of the Trinity which holds that besides God the Father, there are still God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. Adherents to such a doctrine are recognizing a god other than the Father and therefore they do not have the true God as their God. At best, they are worshipping and serving a false god.
“Righteous Father! The world does not know you, but I know you, and these know you that you sent me. I made you known to them, and I will continue to do so, in order that the love you have for me may be in them, and so that I also may be in them.” (John 17:25-26, TEV)
Indeed, God’s love and that of His Son will abide in those who have known the Father as introduced by our Lord Jesus Christ. And not only have they received God’s love but also the blessing of eternal life as was assured by the Savior Himself when He prayed to the Father, “And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent” (John 17:3, NKJV).
On the other hand, a great misfortune awaits those who do not know who the true God is and, in the process, worship a god other than Him. Apostle Paul points this out in II Thessalonians 1:8-9:
“In flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power.” (Ibid.)
The Father, who alone is the true God, will exact vengeance on Judgment Day on those who do not know and recognize Him as such. He will punish them in the lake of fire with everlasting destruction on the Second Advent of His Son whom He sent to the world in order to make known that the Father alone is the true God, and whom he will send again to judge those who have not come to that knowledge and understanding. Those whom God has given to our Lord Jesus Christ by calling them into the true Church of Christ have come to that knowledge and understanding and therefore they will not be judged on that great day; instead, they will be rewarded with eternal life.
posted by candy @ 3:59 PM
Published in Pasugo, Jul-Aug 1989
But the law of God against the eating of blood is clear and the penalty annexed to it is very severe. God dos not allow man to take blood as food. He created and designed it for a definite purpose which man should uphold.
This truly amazing red fluid circulates in the vascular system of human beings and most multi-cellular animals. Hence blood is life. The Bible says, “For the life of the flesh is in the blood” (Lev. 17:11, King James Version). Biological sciences confirm it. Blood supplies nourishment (nutrition) and transports oxygen (respiration) to all parts of the body. It carries away waste products (excretion) and safeguards the body against foreign and disease-producing organisms (protection against infection). It also functions in the water balance and in the regulation of body temperature and body activity (Encyclopedia International, Vol. III, p. 73). The absence or lack of it could render man lifeless or in a deficient condition. Because of its fundamental importance for the individual’s existence, blood is frequently used as a synonym for life. Hence, the prohibition.
Another reason given by the Bible for this law prohibiting the eating of blood is that, blood is used as atonement for man’s soul. Animal blood was used (man is supposed to die for his sin) as a sacrifice to atone for man’s sin (so that man might live and not suffer death). Thus, blood served as a ransom or counterprice for it. The same was echoed in the letter to the Hebrews, “without shedding blood is no remission” (Heb. 9:22, KJV). Blood, therefore, is not intended as food but as atonement for man’s soul. For this reason too, it should not be eaten.
The prohibition on the eating of blood dates back to the time of the patriarchs:
“And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth. And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth, and upon every fowl of the air, upon all the moveth upon the earth, and upon all the fishes of the sea; into your hand are they delivered. Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you; even as the green herb have I given you all things. But flesh with life thereof, which is the blood thereof, shall ye not eat.” (Gen. 9:1-4, Ibid.)
This prohibition continued into the time of God’s ancient people, the Israelites:
“Even as the roebuck and the hart is eaten, so thou shalt eat them: the unclean and the clean shall eat of them alike. Only be sure that thou eat not the blood: for the blood is life; and thou mayest not eat the life with the flesh.” (Deut. 12:22-23, Ibid.)
The prohibition has never been revoked in the Christian dispensation but has been confirmed in the New Testament:
“But that we write unto them, that they abstain from pollution of idols, and from fornication, and from things strangled, and from blood.” (Acts. 15:20, Ibid.)
Apostle James, moved by the power of the Holy Spirit gave this decision on the matter of blood although it was the issue of circumcision that caused the meeting of the Apostles in Jerusalem. Hence, and administrative circular containing such decision was sent to all Christian congregations to be observed (Acts 16:4) and the Christians of the first-century Church gladly obeyed (Acts 21:25), as it is observed today by faithful Christians, the members of the Iglesia ni Cristo, all over the world.
Though in the Christian era it was the blood of Christ which was shed to atone for man’s sin, and not animal blood, the prohibition still goes on and has never been lifted. In fact, the first-century Church observed such prohibition (Acts 21:25).
Animal offerings done before by the people of Israel were a shadow of the reality or of a good thing to come, that is, Christ’s offering of Himself. Animal blood prefigured Christ’s blood. Christ’s sacrifice, however, was far greater, attests Apostle Paul:
“…How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?” (Heb. 9:14, KJV)
It is the blood of Christ that cleanses man of his dead works or sins, and gives him the right to serve God. Man is not redeemed with corruptible things as silver and gold but with the precious blood of Christ (I Pt. 1:18-19, Ibid.).
There are people or religions that do not eat blood, but do not benefit likewise from the redemptive blood of Christ. It is because they are not purchased by the blood of Christ. Unknown to many and contrary to other’s belief, the beneficiary of the blood of Christ is the Church of Christ as testified by Apostle Paul:
“Take heed therefore to yourselves and to all the flock over which the Holy Spirit has appointed you overseers to feed the church of Christ which he has purchased with his blood.” (Acts 20:28, Lamsa)
Because God strictly forbids the eating of blood, any offender is going to pay for the price. He who eats blood of any beast or fowl will be “cut off from among his people.” God will also set his face against him who eats blood (Lev. 17:9-10).
So, those who take blood as part of their diet are not recognized by God as His people for God’s people do not eat blood. And if he who eats blood happens to be among God’s people, he will be “cut off” or expelled from God’s organization. Man should not allow this to happen. In the first place, he has no reason to eat what has been forbidden by God. Since the time of Adam and Eve, God has provided man with food. The Lord said to Adam, “Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat” (Gen. 2:16). He made it clear, however, what is not to eat – the tree of knowledge of good and evil. God warned him also that the moment he eats the forbidden fruit, he will surely die (Gen. 2:17).
Unfortunately, he did against God’s advice. Adam, together with his wife, was driven away from the Garden of Eden. Thus, man was alienated from God.
Until now, God continues to provide man with the food he needs for survival. He made it clear, however, that blood should not be taken as food. Come what may, man should uphold this. It is only by obeying that man can show his gratitude and prove his love to his Creator.
posted by candy @ 11:55 PM
Not d cry, but d fly of d wild duck,
posted by candy @ 4:20 PM
2 comments
posted by candy @ 6:30 PM
1 comments
