Finding Truth Today - Blog

If the wife is not a virgin, she shall be executed!

@Unreal7Reality made a comment to me about Deuteronomy 22:13-21

Quote "A marriage shall be considered valid only if the wife is a virgin. If the wife is not a virgin, she shall be executed" Deuteronomy 22:13-21. Do you believe in this statement? I was under the impression that the sacred Bible was the word of God, who would never approve of killing. End Quote

 

To answer Unreal7Reality’s question about if I believe in this statement, my answer is, no, I don’t believe in the statement Unreal7Reality wrote as it is by far nowhere near being in context to the actual verses of Deuteronomy 22:13-21.

 

To correct the impression Unreal7Reality is under about God never approving of killing; God does at times approve killing yet murder is never approved of by God. Killing is approved by God in self-defense/protection of individual and of nations. In Deuteronomy 22:13-21 stoning the offenders of the laws is an approved killing because it is both protection of individuals and of the nation of Israel.

 

Now to set those who want to really know what Deuteronomy 22:13-21 really says, please stay with me and we’ll go through it now. To you others, you can stay in ignorance about it if you want as it is your God given few will choice to do so if you so please. I suggest however, that you stay and actually learn what Deuteronomy 22:13-21 actually says.

 

Deuteronomy 22:13-21 (Holman Christian Standard)

Violations of Proper Sexual Conduct

13 "If a man marries a woman,
has sexual relations with her, and comes to hate her, 14 and accuses [her] of shameful conduct, and gives her a bad name, saying, 'I married this woman and was intimate with her, but I didn't find [any] evidence of her virginity,'

15 the young woman's father and mother will take the evidence of her virginity and bring [it] to the city elders at the gate.

16 The young woman's father will say to the elders, 'I gave my daughter to this man as a wife, but he hates her.

17 He has accused her of shameful conduct, saying: 'I didn't find [any] evidence of your daughter's virginity, but here is the evidence of my daughter's virginity.' They will spread out the cloth before the city elders.

18 Then the elders of that city will take the man and punish him.

19 They will also fine him 100 silver [shekels] and give [them] to the young woman's father, because that man gave an Israelite virgin a bad name. She will remain his wife; he cannot divorce her as long as he lives.

20 But if this accusation is true and no evidence of the young woman's virginity is found,

21 they will bring the woman to the door of her father's house, and the men of her city will stone her to death. For she has committed an outrage in Israel by being promiscuous in her father's house. You must purge the evil from you.”

 

First, what is the book of Deuteronomy all about?

The book of Deuteronomy is in the Old Testament and is God reminding the Israelite people of what He had done and encouragement for them to rededicate their lives to Him. God reviewed His laws for the people and outlined how the legal contract between God and His people (the Israelites) had to be renewed by each generation and each person responding to God’s call for obedience. In God’s plan, the Israelites were the people whom He had made a promise of a Messiah to save them from their sins against God. Also, the Messiah would be a descendant from the Israelites. In the New Testament we learn that Christ Jesus is the Messiah whom within the Old Testament was prophesized would come and take upon Himself everyone’s sins thus giving to everyone who repents of their sins and believes in Him as fully paying for their sins everlasting life with God.

 

God desires love from the heart, not merely legalistically keeping the law and God reminded His people that in order to ratify His agreement that they much choose the path of obedience. A personal decision to obey would bring benefits to their lives; rebellion would bring severe calamity. We see this every day in the way someone’s choices impact the lives of not only themselves but of those around them. Take a drunkard who drives a car while drunk and then crashing into someone else’s car head-on killing everyone in the other car.

 

Or better yet seeing that we are talking about Deuteronomy 22:13-23:2 and its laws of proper sexual conduct; take a person who is infatuated with sexual pleasures who indulges into sexual promiscuity, getting sexually transmitted diseases, and continues to indulge with multiple sex partners transmitting sexual transmitted diseases to others and then to someone who goes home to a faithful spouse who now gets a sexually transmitted disease. Take too those who indulge into sexual promiscuity who then abort the unborn child. Each of these personal decisions to rebel brings severe calamity to each one involved and others who are not.  

 

Deuteronomy 22:13—23:2 deals with the Laws of Proper Sexual Conduct

There are six laws of chastity given to the Israelites in Deuteronomy 22:13—23:2 which are basic to family integrity. Violations were punishable by stoning the violators (man and woman) to death.

 

To my knowledge only one encounter of someone breaking one of these six laws given in Deuteronomy was given in the Bible and it wasn’t told in the Old Testament, it was told in the New Testament when the Pharisees (the Jewish extreme religious leaders) brought only the woman who was caught in the act of adultery and not the man who was committing adultery with her. If you care to know the outcome of this, you can find it in the New Testament book of John 8:1-11.

 

Loss of virginity was tantamount to adultery in the case of betrothal, implied here in Deuteronomy 22:21. It was considered nothing short of harlotry, a sin that brought disrepute upon the whole community. Physical whoredom was analogous to spiritual unfaithfulness to the Lord, and was therefore deemed deserving of death - as severe as this sanction may appear by today’s “standards.”

 

Today’s “standards” allow for anything goes before marriage because marriage is taken by more and more people as nothing special at all. More and more marriages are about convince rather than about a man and woman choosing to love one another through good and bad times; and more like mere selfish sexual relations instead of a man and woman making a lifelong commitment to each other working together through the tough times and becoming closer to each other; desiring to give pleasure to the other and unselfishly enjoying each other’s presence.

 

Evidence of the woman’s virginity refer to those means by which a betrothed woman and her family proved her virginity to her husband. Failure to produce evidence (the blood stained honeymoon bed sheet for example) could lead to the woman’s execution for “playing the whore.” Seeing that the woman was to be married to the man there was a trust given by the man to the woman that the woman would stay pure and sexually untouched before their marriage. Back then, both man and woman being virgins was an important and special thing unlike today where so many men and women take instead sexual relations before marriage as something special… until the “right” spouse actually comes along.

 

I wish that I would have waited until after I was married yet instead, I rushed into sexual relations with a number of women instead of waiting to really get to know any of them. From one to the next it was all only about me and my sexual satisfaction and not about my giving to them the love and affection they deserved. From them too, it was about their sexual satisfaction and nothing about a lasting relationship. Overall there was nothing good about any of these sexual relations that I had and now there’s only regret that I have for how I treated those women and even more so regret for how it negatively affects my marriage today.

 

The Husband Lied!

Yet, if the woman was a virgin and the man was lying about her, that man would be taken out and would be punished and would also have to pay the woman’s father a fine in silver and had to remain as the woman’s husband. The punishment would include some sort of beating and a monetary fine.

 

Basically, the fine was such that the man lying about the woman’s virginity would become a bond slave to the woman’s father and the husband to the woman he lied about. Now you may think that the woman who was lied about is being forced to be married to the man who lied about her yet you’d be wrong. Remember that the woman and man were already both pledged to be married and were married. You may think that it be unfair to the woman who was lied about having to continue to be married to the man who lied about her however, how many of you have never lied? Also, the woman is to be supported by this man for the rest of her life. How many fathers would you think would let their daughter not be kept well by her husband especially seeing that her husband was a bond slave to him?

 

So you say that the woman shouldn’t have to stayed married to the man who lied about her and again I ask you how many lies do you tell each day?

 

Sexual Violations

Why did God include all these laws for the Israelites about sexual sins in Deuteronomy? Remember that around three million Israelites were wondering around for 40 years on an extended camping trip and thus instructions about sexual behavior would have been vital to help keep everyone healthy. Yet equally important is when they entered the promised land and settled down as a nation.

 

Sins involving sex are not innocent dabbling in forbidden pleasures, as is so often portrayed, but powerful destroyers of relationships. They confuse and tear down the climate of respect, trust, and credibility so essential for solid marriages and secure children. Sexually transmitted diseases were started and are spread by sins involving sexual violations and promiscuity. As does sexual promiscuity cause hundreds if not thousands of unborn babies to die each day from abortions.

 

Just as the choices the Israelites, our choices make a difference. Choosing to follow God benefits us and improves our relationships with others. Choosing to abandon God’s ways brings harm to ourselves and others. The more we individually and as a society belittle the call for us to not be sexually promiscuous prior to and during marriage, the more we bring harm to ourselves, others, and generations to come.  

 

What do You Think?

So basically, these laws in Deuteronomy were given to the Israelites by God to prohibit sexual conduct outside of marriage for both men and women. The consequences of breaking these laws (stoning to death), I’m sure deterred many men and women from sexual conduct outside of marriage. Do you think any of the Israelites broke these laws? I do and I think many of them didn’t get caught. Do you think that if these laws were applicable to us today and that their consequences were carried out that would deter sexual conduct outside of marriage? I do to some degree however as we can see by how many laws we as a society have today which are broken every day there would be some who would do so anyway and as with the many other laws broken today many will get away with it here on earth. However, each one of us (me included) will face God for judgment because; “Everyone must die once, and after that be judged by God.” Hebrews 9:27

 

I am certainly glad that these laws in Deuteronomy are applicable to only the Israelites because I if caught back when I was breaking these laws, would have been stoned a long time ago if God had them applicable during my lifetime and they were carried out against me for my breaking them. Just because these laws and their consequences do not directly apply to us today as law doesn’t mean that you and I should not choose to follow these laws instructions about proper sexual behavior today. For example if everyone had followed them in the past from Adam to today, there would be no sexually transmitted diseases and also there would be a great reduction in unborn babies being aborted. If everyone started following them today, eventually there would no longer be any sexually transmitted diseases and a great reduction in unborn babies being aborted.

 

It is Your Choice

It is your choice to make to read the Bible in context or not. It is your choice to make if you want to know and follow where truth leads. It is your choice to make if you want to not just take my word for truth and do your own seeking for truth. I suggest that you not take my word for anything that I’ve said. It is your life, why should you believe me? I don’t know everything however I do know where to start learning about it… the Holy Bible.

 

I suggest to you that you learn and follow where truth leads now rather than later. “Who are you and I but a vapor that is visible for a moment and then vanishes for you and I do not know what tomorrow brings.” James 4:14

 

“You can enter God's Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose the easy way. But the gateway to life is small, and the road is narrow, and only a few ever find it.” Matthew 7:13-14

 

Which road are you on and which gate will you enter through?

  

References

The Apologetics Study Bible, Holman Christian Standard Bible; Holman

The King James Study Bible; Nelson

Life Application Study Bible, New International Version; Zondervan

An Angry Blood Thirsty Wrathful God

LiveFreeOrDie1985 made this comment on one of my YouTube videos:

Quote: When I look at the cross I see an angry blood thirsty wrathful God venting his anger on himself and not justice at all the bible says God is just. Explain to me how someone being punished for someone else’s wrong doing is justice. Imagine if my son killed someone and had the death penalty given to him. I asked the judge kill me instead of him. The judge would say no you did not commit the crime and its unjust. So explain to me how the cross is just punishment for our sins? : end quote

My Reply to LiveFreeOrDie1985

Your questions and comments LiveFreeOrDie1985 shows that you either do not understand what the Bible teaches us about what Christ Jesus’ death on the cross was all about or that you are doing this maliciously. I’ll assume that you are ignorant of what the actually Bible teaches and that you’ve taken someone’s word for what it teaches instead of actually reading it for yourself.

How can someone being punished for someone else’s wrong doing bring about justice?

Let me read for you a story that happened in 2004 that will help shed light on what Christ Jesus did for you and me on the cross. After this story, I’ll explain to you how the cross is related to our wrong doings and how it redeems us.

Saturday, November 20, 2004 - Page updated at 12:00 A.M.

Marine sacrifices his life for others in grenade blast

By Gordon Trowbridge

The Army Times

FALLUJAH, Iraq — Sgt. Rafael Peralta built a reputation as a man who always put his Marines' interests ahead of his own.

He showed that again, when he made the ultimate sacrifice of his life Tuesday, by shielding his fellow Marines from a grenade blast.

"It's stuff you hear about in boot camp, about World War II and Tarawa Marines who won the Medal of Honor," said Lance Cpl. Rob Rogers, 22, of Tallahassee, Fla., one of Peralta's platoon mates in 1st Platoon, Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment.

Peralta, 25, as platoon scout, wasn't even assigned to the assault team that entered the insurgent safe house in northern Fallujah, Marines said. Despite an assignment that would have allowed him to avoid such dangerous duty, he regularly asked squad leaders if he could join their assault teams, they said.

One of the first Marines to enter the house, Peralta was wounded in the face by rifle fire from a room near the entry door, said Lance Cpl. Adam Morrison, 20, of Tacoma, who was in the house when Peralta was first wounded.

Moments later, an insurgent rolled a fragmentation grenade into the area where a wounded Peralta and the other Marines were seeking cover.

As Morrison and another Marine scrambled to escape the blast, pounding against a locked door, Peralta grabbed the grenade and cradled it into his body, Morrison said. While one Marine was badly wounded by shrapnel from the blast, the Marines said they believe more lives would have been lost if not for Peralta's selfless act.

"He saved half my fire team," said Cpl. Brannon Dyer, 27, of Blairsville, Ga.

The Marines said such a sacrifice would be perfectly in character for Peralta, a Mexico native who lived in San Diego and gained U.S. citizenship after joining the Marines.

"He'd stand up for his Marines to an insane point," Rogers said. … (1)

How the Cross is Related to Our Wrong Doings and how it Redeems Us

Just as Sgt. Rafael Peralta giving up his life for his fellow Marines is not the same as a father telling a judge to punish him for his son’s murdering someone, so is God the Father’s sacrifice on a cross of His only begotten Son Jesus, not the same as an angry blood thirsty wrathful God venting his anger on himself. Marine Sgt. Rafael Peralta sacrificed his life for the love of his fellow Marines because he wanted to save their life from the fragment grenade tossed into the room they were in that could have killed each of them. Christ Jesus sacrificed His life for the love of each and every one of us because He wants to save us from the wrong doings we each do which can eternally separate us from God. “Christ died for us while we were still sinners. This demonstrates God's love for us.” Romans 5:8

Why cannot God just let Everyone into Heaven?

There are two reasons God cannot let everyone into Heaven. First is because God is perfect and none of us are. Perfection cannot have anything imperfect near it because if anything imperfect comes near perfection, perfection is no longer perfect because the imperfection contaminates the perfection. Therefore God who is perfect cannot just let everyone into Heaven unless there’s some way that the imperfect can become perfect or at least be accepted as being perfect.

Second, not everyone wants to be with God. Remember, Satan and 1/3 of the angels decided to not be with God and God let them rebel (use their free will) against God’s desire for them to stay with Him. Not every human being wants to be with God. I have had many people tell me that they don’t want anything to do with God. Because God loves everyone equally, and because God is just in every way, God allows those people who do not want to be with Him, to not be with Him. If God were to force someone into Heaven against his/her will who did not want to be in Heaven, that would neither be loving nor just to the person not wanting to be with God. So, God at the time of judgment will tell those people who do not want to be with Him in Heaven that their will, will be done, not His.

Why did God have to send His only begotten Son to earth to die for us?

God loves us very much and made a way for us to become His children. God sent His only Son, Christ Jesus, to earth (John 3:16). Jesus was both fully God and fully human (like you and me) yet while He grew up, Jesus didn’t act out against His heavenly Father; Jesus was always obedient to God and never sinned. Jesus told people how they could have a right relationship with God and become His children.

God said that death was the punishment for sin and that eternal life is in Christ Jesus (Romans 6:23). So, “Everyone must die once, and after that be judged by God. (Hebrews 9:27)”

Basically, God set down the consequences for our wrongful behaviors (death) and how we can be redeemed from an eternal separation from Him through Christ Jesus.

Why do we have to die?

Again, we have to die once because we have each sinned and the punishment for sin is death. (Romans 6:23) (Hebrews 9:27)

How does Christ Jesus’ death count towards our having eternal life?

“The death Christ Jesus died, He died to sin once for
everyone which was a unique event that need not be repeated; but Jesus’ life, He keeps on living for God. (Romans 6:10)” What this means for you and me is that if we place our trust in Christ Jesus’ physical death and physical resurrection from death as actually happening, you and I are at that time accepted by God the Father as pure and holy just as Christ Jesus truly is because God accepts us through Christ Jesus’ perfectness and not as we truly are which is sinful.

Why can God not just let those people who accept Him into Heaven without having Christ Jesus go through all of that pain, suffering, death?

As explained in the Bible because as we know, God is perfectly just and being so it is against God’s nature to have anything not perfect near Him. The only way for you and me to be in Heaven with God would be if we were perfect (which we are not) or for God to have some way for us to be accepted as being perfect (even though we are not).

So because of our not being perfect, God sent His only Son, Christ Jesus, to earth (John 3:16). Jesus was both fully God and fully human (like you and me) yet while He grew up, Jesus didn’t act out against His heavenly Father; Jesus was always obedient to God and never sinned. Jesus told people how they could have a right relationship with God and become His children.

Why didn’t God create us to not sin?

God could have made each of us like robots i.e., without free will yet He didn’t. God gave to us free will to choose to knowingly do what we know is good and free will to knowingly do what we know is evil because He loves us and God loves each and every one of us equally, regardless of if we love Him or not. Just like loving parents love their child who has knowingly done something wrong or evil still love their child and desires that their child not knowingly do evil, God loves us and desires for us to not do evil.

Where does faith come in?

This is where my faith in God comes in. From what is taught to us in the Bible from Genesis to Revelation is of how God knew from the beginning that mankind using their free will would sin. And that God from the beginning had a plan in place by which you and I could using our free will be redeemed. And by God allowing our sin to happen He was able to show the redeemed how much He loved us by His sacrificing His only begotten Son for us.

We also need to realize that there are so many things which we do not understand and never will fully understand. God has a wonderful plan that stretches into eternity, full of things that we “do not know.” It is important to remember that God is in control and that He promises to work everything (even the bad things) together for the good of those who love Him. Sometimes we need to trust Him and walk in faith.

And thus my faith is in God’s promise of salvation through His only begotten Son Jesus for, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. (Romans 10:13)" along with my faith in God keeping His other promises of a new heaven and new earth, no more pain, tears, suffering, and death assures me that once I am in Heaven with God, that I’m there to stay.

“Why” you ask, “do you have faith that God will fulfill His promises in the first place, Victor?”

I have faith in God fulfilling the promises He has made because God has shown a rock solid history of fulfilling the promises He has made all throughout the Old Testament and New Testament. From Genesis to Revelation, God has proven worthy of fulfilling every promise He has made. That’s why.

Are you ready for that day?

Have you accepted Christ’s redeeming work on the cross? It is a free gift! If you want to receive Christ’s free gift of salvation, take seriously John 3:16 (above) which reveals God’s resolve, it states that God loves the world (you and me) and that He sent His Son to die on a cross, because of this love He has for you and me.

Are you ready for that day, the day you die?

Have you accepted Christ’s redeeming work on the cross? It is a free gift! If you want to receive Christ’s free gift of salvation, take seriously John 3:16 (above) which reveals God’s resolve, it states that God loves the world (you and me) and that He sent His Son to die on a cross, because of this love He has for you and me.

To take seriously John 3:16 you need to stop sinning and not plan to sin and accept Christ Jesus as full payment for your sins. Call upon Christ Jesus to save you because everyone who calls upon Christ Jesus to help them will be saved from eternal death; for “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord Christ Jesus will be saved!” Romans 10:13

1) http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2002096428_hero20.html

 

A rock solid argument for atheism toward the biblical God; Really?

LiveFreeOrDie1985 made a series of comments on one of my YouTube videos which I consolidated here so that I can give answer to per LiveFreeOrDie1985’s request of me to reply.

LiveFreeOrDie1985’s Comments

Quote: I have a rock solid argument for atheism toward the biblical God. I would like to hear your opinions on it please. I will make four assumptions on the biblical God. He is all knowing all powerful all loving and Just. Basically perfect. ok here is the argument. If God is the greatest possible good then if God had not created there would be nothing but the greatest possible good.

If for some reason God could not create a world without evil because of humans free will then if he was all good it should not have been created. For instance God made Adam and Eve in a perfect world they sinned and messed up the world and brought pain and suffering in. If God was all knowing and all Good why were humans created in the first place.

It’s the same as a parent giving a loaded handgun to the baby knowing they will shoot themselves or someone else.

Lastly what makes you think everything in heaven will be great if you still have free will???

After all the angels according to the bible rebelled against a perfect God indicating free will in heaven. You see what I am getting at if suffering is from free will of man and man has free will in heaven how will there be no suffering??????? :End Quote

My reply to LiveFreeOrDie1985

LiveFreeOrDie1985, your so claimed “rock solid argument for atheism toward the biblical God” is a really weak argument to anyone who has actually read the Bible in context. So either you misrepresent God purposefully or you are purely ignorant about what the Bible teaches about God. I’ll assume that you need to actually read the Bible instead of taking hearsay from people as you show your ignorance about it greatly with the way you phrased your questions about God.

The four assumptions LiveFreeOrDie1985 made about God are true; “He is all knowing all powerful all loving and Just.” God is “perfect” instead of “basically perfect” as you stated. “God is the Rock, His works are perfect, and all His ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is He.” Deuteronomy 32:4 NIV

LiveFreeOrDie1985’s states: “If God is the greatest possible good then if God had not created there would be nothing but the greatest possible good.”

God, being the greatest possible good, if God had not created anything there would be nothing but the greatest possible good. So LiveFreeOrDie1985’s statement is true.

Yet God did create the heavens and earth and we know that when He finished creating everything, it was all very good. Genesis 1:31 “God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. …”

LiveFreeOrDie1985 then states: “If for some reason God could not create a world without evil because of humans free will then if he was all good it should not have been created.”

God could have created a world without evil yet to do so God could not have given to anyone “free will” because for anybody having “free will” means that anybody can freely choose to do evil.

LiveFreeOrDie1985 then states: “For instance God made Adam and Eve in a perfect world they sinned and messed up the world and brought pain and suffering in.”

True, God made Adam and Eve knowing that they would each sin, doing the single request God made of them to not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, they each ate from it; Genesis 3. This did indeed bring in pain and suffering; Genesis 3:16-19 ‘To the woman he said, "I will greatly increase your pains in childbearing; with pain you will give birth to children. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you."  To Adam he said, "Because you listened to your wife and ate from the tree about which I commanded you, 'You must not eat of it,' "Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life. It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return.’

LiveFreeOrDie1985 then asks: “If God was all knowing and all Good why were humans created in the first place.”

Good question, why did God who knows everything that ever was, is, and will be, create you and me in the first place when God knows that we knowingly do things we know we shouldn’t do and we knowingly don’t do things we know we should do? You can ask the same question of a man and woman who plan to have and have a child or more. Why do a man and woman knowingly plan to have a child and have a child when they know their child will knowingly do things they know that they shouldn’t do and knowingly not do things they know they should do? Why do a man and a woman knowingly plan to have a child knowing that their child may grow up and not love them? For the same reasons God planned and created you and me; God wanted to create us and because of love. God loves us.

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son. This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God." John 3:16-21

LiveFreeOrDie1985 then states: “It’s the same as a parent giving a loaded handgun to the baby knowing they will shoot themselves or someone else.”

No LiveFreeOrDie1985, parents knowingly planning and having children the parents know will disobey them isn’t the same as parents giving a loaded handgun to their baby. Knowingly planning and having children is done because the parents can do it and done in love. Parents giving a loaded handgun to a baby is stupidity on the part of the parents and does not relate to why a man and woman knowingly bring a child into this world whom they both know will knowingly do things the child knows it shouldn’t and will knowingly not do things the child knows it should do.

God could have made each of us like robots i.e., without free will yet He didn’t. God gave to us free will to choose to knowingly do what we know is good and free will to knowingly do what we know is evil because He loves us and God loves each and every one of us equally, regardless of if we love Him or not. Just like loving parents love their child who has knowingly done something wrong or evil still love their child and desires that their child not knowingly do evil, God loves us and desires for us to not do evil.

Because you and I knowingly do evil things, doesn’t make it the same as if God gave to either of us a loaded handgun. And, even if God had given to either of us a loaded handgun, it would be your and my free will at work in what we shot with it or not and your and my fault if we shot someone with it and not God’s fault. Just as good parents correct their child for knowingly doing something wrong or knowingly not doing something right, God corrects us through the consequences of pain and suffering we experience and cause other people to experience.

LiveFreeOrDie1985 at this point asks:
“Lastly what makes you think everything in heaven will be great if you still have free will???”

Another good question. This is where my faith in God comes in. From what is taught to us in the Bible from Genesis to Revelation is of how God knew from the beginning that mankind using their free will would sin. And that God from the beginning had a plan in place by which you and I could using our free will be redeemed. And by God allowing our sin to happen He was able to show the redeemed how much He loved us by His sacrificing His only begotten Son for us.

“For the kingdom of God is not food and drink but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.” Romans 14:17

LiveFreeOrDie1985 ends with these statements: “After all the angels according to the bible rebelled against a perfect God indicating free will in heaven. You see what I am getting at if suffering is from free will of man and man has free will in heaven how will there be no suffering???????”

Another good question indeed. First of all, we know from Genesis 1:31 that God created everything to be “very good.” Everything that God made was originally perfect! Unfortunately, Lucifer sinned by rebelling against God at some point after the Creation Week (Isaiah 14:12–15). Adam and Eve also sinned by rebelling against God (Genesis 3:1–11). They chose to eat the forbidden fruit, and as a result, the earth was cursed because of sin (Genesis 3:17–18). We live in a world affected by the consequences of their sin. Of course, God knew that all this would happen.

Colossian 1:16 tells us that God created all things “through Him and for Him.”

Basically God created Lucifer, the angels that chose to rebel, and people because He wanted to. Let’s explore this a further so that we can better understand it.

Not only did God create all things, but he also gave angels and people the freedom to rebel against Him. And rebel is exactly what Lucifer, the fallen angels, Adam, Eve, and all of us have done. We (you and me) have sinned and rebelled against God, so we are all guilty.

We know that God is not pleased when someone who rejects Him dies (Ezekiel 33:11), but it is precious in His sight when one someone who accepts Him passes away (Psalm 116:15). There is also joy in the presence of angels when a sinner (like you and me) repents (Luke 15:10). Why? Obviously, God does not want to sentence someone to eternity apart from Him (2 Peter 3:9), but He is also holy and just, so God does if the person chooses to be separated from Him. Since God is love (1 John 4:8, 16), perhaps He enjoys (pleasures in) showering His love on His creation.

We must always keep in mind that God created a perfect world (Genesis 1:31) and that we (you and me) are the ones who messed it up. So even though God knew Satan and 1/3 of the angels would rebel, and much of mankind would reject His offer of salvation, it is not God’s fault that they rebelled against Him.

Of course, sin and a broken world are not the end of story. Let’s not forget that someday God promises that He will make a new heaven and a new earth (Rev. 21:1). There will be no more pain, tears or death (Rev. 21:4). Everyone who has asked Jesus to save them from the penalty of their sins will be with Him for all eternity (Rev. 22:1–5)!

We also need to realize that there are so many things which we do not understand and never will fully understand. God has a wonderful plan that stretches into eternity, full of things that we “do not know.” It is important to remember that God is in control and that He promises to work everything (even the bad things) together for the good of those who love Him. Sometimes we need to trust Him and walk in faith.

And thus my faith is in God’s promise of salvation through His only begotten Son Jesus for, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. (Romans 10:13)" along with my faith in God keeping His other promises of a new heaven and new earth, no more pain, tears, suffering, and death assures me that once I am in Heaven with God, that I’m there to stay.

“Why” you ask, “do you have faith that God will fulfill His promises in the first place, Victor?” I have faith in God fulfilling the promises He has made because God has shown a rock solid history of fulfilling the promises He has made all throughout the Old Testament and New Testament. From Genesis to Revelation, God has proven worthy of fulfilling every promise He has made. That’s why.

Are you ready for that day? Have you accepted Christ’s redeeming work on the cross? It is a free gift! If you want to receive Christ’s free gift of salvation, take seriously John 3:16 (above) which reveals God’s resolve, it states that God loves the world (you and me) and that He sent His Son to die on a cross, because of this love He has for you and me.

“Why” you ask, “did God have to send His only begotten Son to earth to die for us? Could God not just let everyone into Heaven?”

I’ll answer the second question first. As we talked about already, not everyone wants to be with God. Remember, Satan and 1/3 of the angels decided to not be with God and God let them rebel (use their free will) against His desire for them to stay with Him. Not every human being wants to be with God. I have had many people tell me that they don’t want anything to do with God. Because God loves everyone equally, and because God is just in every way, God allows those people who do not want to be with Him, to not be with Him. If God were to force someone into Heaven against his/her will who did not want to be in Heaven, that would neither be loving nor just to the person not wanting to be with God. So, God at the time of judgment will tell those people who do not want to be with Him in Heaven that their will, will be done, not His.

The first question’s answer we’ve touched on a few times already. God loves us very much and made a way for us to become is children. God sent His only Son, Christ Jesus, to earth (John 3:16). Jesus was both fully God and fully human (like you and me) yet while He grew up, Jesus didn’t act out against His heavenly Father; Jesus was always obedient to God and never sinned. Jesus told people how they could have a right relationship with God and become His children.

God said that death was the punishment for sin and that eternal life is in Christ Jesus (Romans 6:23). So, “Everyone must die once, and after that be judged by God. (Hebrews 9:27)”

Basically, God set down the consequences for our wrongful behaviors (death) and how we can be redeemed from an eternal separation from Him through Christ Jesus.

Now, you ask, “Why do we have to die?” Again, we have to die once because we have each sinned and the punishment for sin is death.

You ask, “But how does Christ Jesus’ death count towards our having eternal life?” The death Christ Jesus died, He died to sin once for everyone which was a unique event that need not be repeated; but Jesus’ life, He keeps on living for God. (Romans 6:10)” What this means for you and me is that if we place our trust in Christ Jesus’ physical death and physical resurrection from death as actually happening, you and I are at that time accepted by God the Father as pure and holy just as Christ Jesus truly is because God accepts us through Christ Jesus’ perfectness and not as we truly are which is sinful.

“Yet could God not just let those people who accept Him into Heaven without having Christ Jesus go through all of that pain, suffering, death?” Not as explained in the Bible because as we know, God is perfectly just and being so it is against God’s nature to have anything not perfect near Him. The only way for you and me to be in Heaven with God would be if we were perfect (which we are not) or for God to have some way for us to be accepted as being perfect (even though we are not).

So because of our not being perfect, God sent His only Son, Christ Jesus, to earth (John 3:16). Jesus was both fully God and fully human (like you and me) yet while He grew up, Jesus didn’t act out against His heavenly Father; Jesus was always obedient to God and never sinned. Jesus told people how they could have a right relationship with God and become His children.

Are you ready for that day, the day you die? Have you accepted Christ’s redeeming work on the cross? It is a free gift! If you want to receive Christ’s free gift of salvation, take seriously John 3:16 (above) which reveals God’s resolve, it states that God loves the world (you and me) and that He sent His Son to die on a cross, because of this love He has for you and me.

To take seriously John 3:16 you need to stop sinning and not plan to sin and accept Christ Jesus as full payment for your sins. Call upon Christ Jesus to save you because everyone who calls upon Christ Jesus to help them will be saved from eternal death; for “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord Christ Jesus will be saved!” Romans 10:13  

Yes I Use Circular Reasoning

The common accusation that I use circular reasoning is actually true. In fact, everyone uses some degree of circular reasoning when defending his ultimate standard (though not everyone realizes this fact). Yet if used properly, this use of circular reasoning is not arbitrary and,
therefore, not fallacious.

 

Contrary to what you think, circular reasoning is surprisingly a valid argument. The conclusion does follow from the premises. Circular reasoning is a logical fallacy only when it is arbitrary, proving nothing beyond what it assumes.

 

However, not all circular reasoning is fallacious. Certain standards must be assumed. Dr. Jason Lisle (AnswersInGenesis.org) gave this example of a non-arbitrary use of circular reasoning:

 

1.  Without laws of logic, we could not make an argument.

2.  We can make an argument.

3.  Therefore, there must be laws of logic.(1)

 

While this argument is circular, it is a non-fallacious use of circular reasoning. Since we couldn’t prove anything apart from the laws of logic, we must presuppose the laws of logic even to prove they exist. In fact, if someone were trying to disprove that laws of logic exist, he’d have to use the laws of logic in his attempt, thereby refuting himself. Therefore, you must
agree there are certain standards that can be proven with circular reasoning.

 

1. Dr. Jason Lisle, “Logical Fallacies: The Fallacy of Begging the Question,” August 17, 2009, http://www.answersingenesis.org/articles/2009/08/17/logical-fallacies-begging-the-question.

 

Other Resources

http://www.answersingenesis.org/articles/2011/05/27/feedback-circular-reasoning#fnMark_1_1_1

 

 

Why Do I Believe?

The other day I made the following comments on a YouTube video;

 

The Bible was written over a period of roughly 2,000 years by 40 different authors from three continents, who wrote in three different languages.

 

And one of its most remarkable qualities is the complete unity of the overall message despite having so many different authors writing over many centuries on hundreds of controversial subjects.

 

The unity of Scripture demonstrates its supernatural inspiration. Only the one true, holy God could provide us with such a flawless Bible that reveals such a matchless message: the Lord’s staggering love for His creation.

 

trajaen534 sent to me an email via Facebook wanting me to say in my own words what makes me believe those comments. trajaen534 holds that what I quoted; “has not been established as fact or most probably true scientifically, historically, or in any way, or there would be no debate.. you know of inconsistencies and errors in the Bible,” as he went on to say; “you know it isn't inerrant so why make such claims you can't back up?”

 

trajaen534 went on and asked: “Tell me in your own words why you think this is even remotely true let alone believable.* Have you read the Bible yourself? It's not all literally true is it..?”

 

Basically trajaen534 is asking me a very good question, “Why do I believe?”

Why would anyone believe something that’s not been clearly established? If the Bible was as trajaen534 states, has not been established as fact or most probably true scientifically, historically, or in any way, there would be no debate about someone not believing in what it says. If the Bible is as trajaen534 says, it would be foolish for anyone to believe anything the Bible has written in it.

 

However if one actually researches the facts about the Bible, one finds that it is very much established as confirmed scientifically, historically, archeologically, biologically, through astronomy, physics, and even has eyewitnesses for many of the events. And to date, no one has ever brought forth a contradiction in the Bible or an error in the original language manuscripts that if even the slightest research made on it, confirms that it is actually a contradiction or error. Also, the New Testament has stronger manuscript support than any other classical literature from Homer, Plato, Aristotle, Caesar and Tacitus.

 

I have read the Holy Bible. The Holy Bible is a world best seller and no other book has ever out sold it. It is the bloodiest book in all history with many of its writers death resulting from their work on it and forfeiting their lives for their believes in it. The Holy Bible is also the most precious book on earth giving to us in its New Testament the good news of Jesus Christ who with His blood, freely paid the price for your and my sins so that if only we place our faith in Him, that we will be saved from our sins for ever and ever. The Holy Bible tells us of God’s great love for us and of His wanting us to choose to love Him.

 

If you are interested, here’s a starting point for you to learn more about the Bible: http://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1352&context=lts_fac_pubs http://thebibletrial.org/resources.asp
http://www.answersingenesis.org/articles/aid/v3/n1/look-at-the-canon
http://www.answersingenesis.org/articles/am/v6/n2/unity-bible
http://www.biblequery.org/bible.htm
and my website: http://findingtruthtoday.org/faq.htm

 

What is it that I believe?

It wasn’t but within the last five years that I actually researched how well the Bible is supported and confirmed. Yet just because the Bible is a world best seller with no other book outselling it and is confirmed by eye witnesses, science, astronomy, biology, archeology, etc. and the fact that there are no contradictions or errors in it doesn’t make what is written in the Bible true. Nor does this make me believe what is written in it is true. It does however create a great foundation that helps me believe that what is written in the Bible is true.

I’m guessing trajaen534 is thinking that my belief is in the Bible. My belief is not in the Bible per se although I do believe without any doubt that what is written in the Bible is factual and true.

 

I believe in the promises that God has made to us that He told to us that are found in the Bible.

 

But the ultimate question to me by trajaen534 is; Why do I believe?

From the Old Testament Genesis the first book of the Bible including each and every book (66 books in all) through the New Testament Revelations the last book of the Bible, we see man’s repeated rebellion against his holy Creator. God made a perfect world, but mankind has continually rejected God’s authority and sought to decide truth for himself. Nevertheless throughout each of the 66 books of the Bible, God promised to extend His love, grace, and mercy to unworthy people (including you and me) who deserved to be cast into the lake of fire for all eternity. I fully have faith in God and trust God will fulfill all that is written in the Bible.

 

The most simplistic answer as to why I believe is that I believe because of the drastic change that transpired in my life after I made the choice to really accept Christ Jesus as full payment for my sins and allowed Him to direct my life instead of me directing my life. The personal relationship that I have with Christ Jesus radically changed the direction of my life 180 degrees from when I didn’t allow Him direct my life to currently where I am totally aware that I’m unable to live without Him.

 

Saying that I Accepted Jesus

I first accepted Jesus Christ as my savior when I was eleven years old however going into my mid adolescence I did not at all times act as a Christian which means that in reality, I did not act at all like a true Christian. I was a hypocrite in my thoughts and actions and it lasted from my mid adolescence to later into my adult life. Although I said that I had accepted Jesus Christ, I did not allow Him to lead me in my life choices thus I didn’t really accept Him at all as I continued to do what I wanted to do instead of what God wanted me to do. So really, I didn’t truly accept Christ Jesus as I did not allow Him into my life. (1 Timothy 4:1-12)

 

Even though I knew and understood what I was doing was wrong and against Jesus' teachings, I did it anyway just because I wanted to do it. I wanted to do it because I enjoyed doing what I wanted to do when I wanted to do it and how I wanted to do it. I wanted to do what I wanted to do when I wanted to do it how I wanted to do it and that’s what I did. I did not listen to anyone’s advice and I didn’t follow Christ Jesus’ teachings as I knew what it was I wanted to do. Anyone else’s direction especially Christ Jesus’ did not fit in with how I wanted to live. So I did what I wanted to do whether or not it hurt someone or not because I at that time did not care about anyone but me; I did not even care about God’s will for me. I just wanted to do and did whatever it was I wanted to do because I could do it and because I wanted to do it how I wanted to do it without thought of any future consequences. (Romans 1:18-21)

 

I Deluded the Truth

Although I did not plan to do so, along the way I know that I deluded the truth to many people around me hearing my words and seeing my actions because I was deluding the truth to myself. The delusion of truth I created around me caused turmoil in my thinking and the longer I let myself think what I was thinking was true even though it wasn’t, it was only true to the point which I could suppress my conscience thought because deep inside I knew that I was living in a self-made delusion yet I just didn’t want to admit to myself that I was; and so to the best of my ability, I did not admit it to myself. (Jeremiah 17:5)

 

I did not admit it to myself because I wanted to continue to believe that what I was doing was okay to do. I kept justifying what I was doing to myself. In all these things that I was doing I kept saying to myself that they were really okay because everyone else was doing it and that with everyone else doing it, it must be okay for me to do it too. My “everyone” included the worldly peers who were doing it, movies and TV showing and doing it and songs telling about it. The temptations were all there for me to choose to do and with many examples to follow, I made my choice and fell to those temptations. (1 Corinthians 10:13)

 

In reality however; I was continually lying to myself to suppress the truth. The more and longer I lied to myself the easier it got for me to lie to not only myself but to others as well. My initial lie to myself grew to include other lies which included me lying to other people verbally and/or in my actions. All along the way I also continued to tell myself and others that I was a Christian.

 

After all I would think to myself; I did grow up in a Christian home and called myself a Christian. Yet really I was not a Christian because I was not following Christ Jesus’ teachings and had not regretted nor had stopped any of my sinful ways. (Romans 1:18-32)

 

Living a Multiple Life of Lies

Dependent upon who it was I was with, I would totally act differently around them. When I was with my party friends, I’d be a partyer. When I was with my parents and certain family members, I’d act more devout. At work I would be somewhere in between. On my own I’d be scheming and trying to keep track of the various stories I’d told the people around me and predominantly selfishly thinking of only myself. It was very difficult at times when I was required to be around more than one group of people at a time because I was always putting on an act and I was never just me because I didn’t feel like anyone would like just me being me. In reality, I didn’t really know who I really was because I had let myself lie to myself so often and for so long. At times I had some feelings of guilt and during these times I’d get a slight awareness of who I should be and how I should act yet I would quickly suppress that notion of who I was because it didn’t fit with what I was telling myself I wanted to do. (Proverbs 12:5)

 

Underage drinking, experimental drug use, totally reckless driving, taking advantage of family and friends, theft, planning a murder (shortly after my father was murdered) and sexual addiction are among the most terrible things I did. All are against God’s will for anyone to do yet I did them without thinking of any consequences for myself or those around me. During this time I easily broke each of the “Ten Commandments” and did not think anything about breaking them either. After all, I said that I was a Christian and at certain times I acted as one. Yet just saying and acting as a Christian isn’t asking forgiveness and truly not planning sinful actions and following Christ Jesus’ teachings is it? (Psalm 7:14)

 

Arguing with God

One night when I was 18 years old after taking more than half a bottle of over the counter sleeping pills, I lay wide awake in bed all night not being able to close my eyes for more than a few seconds at a time. God told me that I was going to be an evangelist spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ to thousands of people and point them to the truth of His love for them. I started arguing with God. I told Him that there’s no way that I’m going to do that because if I did that, that I’d be a huge hypocrite. God told me again that I would be and evangelist pointing people to Him and again I told Him that I would not be. (Proverbs 17:19)

 

I knew of and actually ran around with a preacher who was in secrete living the same lies I was and I first hand saw his hypocrisy. We would compete for the same women, drink the same alcohol, and smoke the same pot. There was no way that I wanted to be that much of a hypocrite. I remember asking him about how could he preach in the pulpit and do what he was doing and not feel that it was wrong. He told me that it was easy because he didn’t preach against what he was doing. Yet in reality, he was doing the exact same think I was, not letting God lead his life and going against God’s teachings and living a life of lies. Thus this preacher’s hypocrisy was the same as mine. He was not asking forgiveness and not planning sinful actions and following Christ Jesus’ teachings yet he was supposedly teaching Christ Jesus’ instructions and saying that he was a Christian. (Psalm 59:12)

 

I Chose to Really Accept Christ Jesus

On and on I went living my life for myself and living a life of multiple lifestyles dependent upon where and who it was I was with and lying as needed to everyone about who I was until one day I came to my senses and realized that I had become someone I did not want to be. Not only did I realize that I had become someone I did not want to be, I realized that I had become someone who I did not want to be around. I had realized that I was not able to trust myself and this especially became clear to me when I caught myself planning to take someone’s life in revenge of my father’s murder. (John 14:1)

 

I was in my mid 30s when I admitted the truth to myself and to God that I was a liar. I confessed to God that I should not be acting as I was because I know the truth. I asked God for forgiveness and through the loving gift of His only begotten Son Jesus’ death on a cross and resurrection, God forgives me because I repented of and repent of the sins I commit (Romans 5:8 ). At that time I also started allowing God to lead me in life instead of just doing things on my own although I didn’t fully let God lead me as I didn’t place all of my trust in Him at first. (2 Samuel 22:31)

 

At first, I continued to take sexual advantage of women as before but unlike before when I could lie to myself about it and suppress any guilty feelings I had because my relationship with Christ Jesus would not let me suppress any guilt. In fact, the guilt I felt would increase even more intensely over time and to such an extent that I finally realized that what I was doing was wrong. It was wrong because in my actions were selfish and not healthy for neither me nor the women I was taking advantage of in a number of ways. It wasn’t healthy in that still today I deeply regret that I had not waited until I was married and I’m sure that the women I was with have the same regrets as to being with me and any other man other than their husband. Another way it isn’t healthy to have sexual relations outside of marriage is that of sexually transmitted diseases. The main way it is wrong is that it goes against the teachings of Christ Jesus. (1 John 2:16)

 

Humbling Myself

Very soon after I repented of my sins and accepted Christ Jesus as full payment for my sins, God led me to give apologies to many of those whom I hurt during my deceitful era which I humbled myself and apologized to them. Still to this day God brings to my attention people I need to apologize to by bringing them back into my life and reminding me of how I hurt them. (2 Corinthians 12:21) It’s hard for me to humble myself and apologize to someone I’ve done wrong. Yet God doesn’t bring these people back into my life and wag His finger in my face telling me how wrong I was to do whatever it was I did to them. God brings these people back into my life and reminds me of how I hurt them and He not only gives to me the courage and strength to apologize to them but the right opportunity to apologize to them. (Isaiah 12:2)

 

God has shown to me that I am not any more or less special than anyone else in this world. God loves me just as much as he loves you; no more and no less. From God showing to me His love for me by His changing the destructive life I was living, I learned how to humble myself and to put others ahead of myself. (Proverbs 11:2) As I’ve learned over the years from God how to humble myself, God has over these years gave to me hundreds of blessings including my wonderful wife and opportunities which if I had continued along the way I was prior to my acceptance of Christ Jesus as full payment for my sins would have never come along. (James 4:10)

 

A Positive Change in My Life

Right after I really accepted Christ Jesus as full payment for my sins and made the choice to let Him lead me in life, I started becoming me with everyone instead of putting on an act of whom I thought the people around me wanted me to be with them. God help me realize that no matter what goes on around me and with whomever it is I am with even if I am alone, I need to be consistent with my thoughts and actions and follow His teachings of loving Him and everyone. Loving everyone includes loving those people who cut you off while you are driving and for me those people who murdered my father when I was 28 years old just after Christmas. (Romans 12:19)

 

The more I let myself trust God in my life, the more I realized that the hatred I held against those people who murdered my father wasn’t hurting them, it was hurting me. By my actively thinking negatively about the people who murdered my father, I was giving these negative thoughts an opportunity to control me and thus my actions. By my giving these thoughts of hate a place in my thinking, I was still not fully letting God lead me. (Proverbs 10:12)

 

Yet now after I had really accepted Christ Jesus as my Savior, God would convict me of my thinking negatively about my father’s murderers making me feel guilty for wanting them dead. God would remind me that I am in fact no better than they are because I had planned their murder and would have done it if I had not finally been honest with myself and with God about the life of lies and multiple life that I was living. Each time I thought hate about anyone God would not let me do so without continually reminding me of how wretched I am and of how He loves these people just as much as He loves me. God reminds me that I should rightfully be against and hate what they did but not hate the people who did it. (James 4:7)

 

At that time instead of hating the people who murdered my father, I realized that they were living a life of lies like I had been. I realized too that God loves them just as much as He loves me and that He wants them to come to realize that they are living a life of lies and that God loves them. It was at this point in my life in my late 30s that instead of hating those people who murdered my father, I understood that they were lost as I had been and I forgave them for murdering my father and started to love them and pray for them to accept Christ Jesus as their Savior. (Matthew 6:14-15)

 

I read Richard Dawkins’ book, “The God Delusion”

One day not long after “The God Delusion” was published, I was in a book store and was strongly compelled to get it. So I bought it and I started reading it. As I read it, I realized that even though I had not done much study of the Bible, that what Richard Dawkins had written was way off from what the Bible actually had written in it. I also noticed that Richard Dawkins has a habit of stating something as fact when there is no evidence of it at all. As I continued to read “The God Delusion” I couldn’t help but realize that Richard Dawkins was attacking straw men he made up and was stating that this is was God and Christianity was all about. The more I read “The God Delusion” the more I was compelled to do something to correct all of the erroneous teachings about God and Christ Jesus that Richard Dawkins had written. (2 John 1:7; 2 Peter 2:3)

 

It was at this point in my mid-forties that I remembered and realized that what God had told me when I was 18 about me being an evangelist for Him was going to actually happen. God had not told me that sometime in the future I would be an evangelist for Him. God just told me when I was 18 that I would be an evangelist for Him. I knew now as I read “The God Delusion” that just as God had told me when I was 18 that I would not be a hypocrite being an evangelist for God because unlike when God first told me what I would be doing for Him, I now let Him lead me in life and I fully trust Him. (James 3:1)

 

So in 2008 at the age of 46 I started a web site, blog (http://FindingTruthToday.org) and Twitter (https://twitter.com/GospelToday) and in December 2010 a YouTube channel (http://www.youtube.com/user/FindingTruthToday) to evangelize God’s message of love and to point people to Him just as God had told me when I was 18 that I would do.

 

My evangelism of the Gospel of Christ Jesus thus started because of Richard Dawkins’ book, “The God Delusion” and reading “The God Delusion” also was when I started studying the Bible and evidence supporting it. The more I read the Bible and study it and learn more about it and am asked to answer questions about it, the more the Bible stands as solid evidence that it came from God to us so that we can learn of His great love for us. (Romans 5:8)

 

Why Do I Believe?

trajaen534, I believe God loves me because of the positive change He made in my life. I know from the universe and life that God exists and through the personal relationship I have with Him. I believe that God loves me because of the positive change God made in my life through my personal relationship with Christ Jesus which demonstrates to me that God cares about us so much that He only wants the best for us and He tells us in the Bible how to do this (Titus 2:5-15; ).

 

From the way God positively changed my life, I trust that God will fulfill the promise He made that His only begotten Son, Christ Jesus, through His living a sinless life as a fully human man and with His suffering on a cross and His bodily dying for my and your sins Christ Jesus fully paid the debt of death we (you and I) owe and through His physical resurrection from death, He created for you and me a means by which if we choose to believe in Him, opens up the narrow path’s gate for us to be in Heaven with God (1 Corinthians 15:4-14).

Yes I am a Liar

What is a liar? From dictionary.com: a liar is a person who tells lies. Lies are a false statement made with deliberate intent to deceive; an intentional untruth; a falsehood - something intended or serving to convey a false impression; imposture - an inaccurate or false statement - the charge or accusation of lying. Lying is the telling of lies, or false statements; untruthfulness.

Over the years I’ve been accused of being a liar by hundreds of atheists. Up to this point, I’ve just ignored their accusations. Today however, I will admit that yes, I am a liar.

 In fact everyone including you is a liar to some extent. Some people lie more lies and larger lies than others and many people lie about different things but the truth is, everyone is a liar.

 Be honest with yourself and with others and above all be honest with God. You know you have lied. You know you lie. You know when you tell a lie. You know what you lie about. You know why you lie when you lie. You even know that it is wrong to tell the lie as you are telling the lie.

Just because everyone (including you and me) lies, does not make lying a good thing to do, the right thing to do or an okay thing to do. All lies, even the so called “white” lie are wrong for us to do  because even a so called “white” lie is in reality, a lie.

Many people do not want to admit that they are a liar. They lie to themselves and deny that they are a liar. They make up excuses to cover up their lies so to feel better about themselves. In their lying to themselves they train themselves to better ignore their lies and how to make up excuses for their lies. Their ignoring and making excuses for their lies helps them to tell more lies easier. Do you ignore yourself when you tell a lie? Do you lie to yourself? Do you make up excuses for the lies you have told and are telling? Do you deny that you lie or have ever lied?

You know you don’t want anyone including your family and friends to lie to you. You know how it feels to be lied to by someone. So why do you continue to lie?

“Loyalty is desirable in a person, and it is better to be poor than a liar.” Proverbs 19:22 - GOD'S WORD Translation (GW)

I used to lie a lot about a lot of things and to everyone and to myself. I didn’t let my lying bother me much because I made excuses for my lying. You can read about some of it here: http://findingtruthtoday.typepad.com/finding-truth-today/2009/08/a-testimonial-of-a-sinner.html

God says that lying is a sin and that everyone has committed sin. Sin is  knowingly doing something we know we should not do i.e., lying and knowingly not doing we what we know we should do i.e., tell the truth.

“Everyone has sinned. No one measures up to God's glory.” Romans 3:23 - New International Reader's Version (NIRV)

God informs us that; “Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.” Exodus 20:16 - King James Version (KJV)

God affirms that; "You (and me) must not tell lies. …” Exodus 23:1 - New Century Version (NCV)

God warns us that; “A false witness will not go unpunished, and he who breathes out lies will not escape.” Proverbs 19:5 - English Standard Version (ESV)

“When people sin, they earn what sin pays -- death. But God gives us a free gift -- life forever in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 6:23 - New Century Version (NCV)

“Everyone must die once, and after that be judged by God.” Hebrews 9:27 - Good News Translation (GNT)

“And I tell you that on the Judgment Day people (including me) will be responsible for every careless thing they have said.” Matthew 12:36 - New Century Version (NCV)

“If we (you and me) say we have not sinned, we make God a liar, and we do not accept God's teaching.” 1 John 1:10 – New Century Version (NCV)

I am a human being and like you I am not perfect. At times I do lie but nothing like I did prior to my repenting of my sins and accepting God’s free gift; Christ Jesus as my savior and Lord. The lies I tell now albeit the “white” lie kind are few and infrequent yet tear me up inside more so than any of the huge lies I told and lived out before I allowed God to work in me to change my evil ways. True, I am not perfect yet I continue to tell fewer and fewer lies. I will however never be perfect and cannot ever be perfect on my own.

Everything in my possession including each heart beat and breath I take comes from God and nothing in my possession can I take with me when I die. If it was not for Christ Jesus taking my sins upon Himself, I would have no means to pay the debt of death I owe God for the sins I have committed against Him.

“For God had such love for the world that he gave his only begotten Son, so that whoever has faith in him may not come to destruction but have eternal life. God did not send his Son into the world to be judge of the world; he sent him so that the world might have salvation through him.” John 3:16-17 - Bible in Basic English (BBE)

“Anyone who believes in the Son of God has the truth that God told us. Anyone who does not believe makes God a liar, because that person does not believe what God told us about his Son.” 1 John 5:10 – New Century Version (NCV)

“Who is the liar? It is the person who does not accept Jesus as the Christ. This is the enemy of Christ: the person who does not accept the Father and his Son.” 1 John 2:22 – New Century Version (NCV)

It is a lie to think that atheism offers anything good and that any value can come from atheism. Truth is Atheism offers only eternal death. Christ Jesus offers eternal life.

It is your choice during your time here on this earth to choose either death or life. I suggest that you choose wisely; accept God’s free gift of Christ Jesus by placing your trust in Him and turn away from sinning.

In this article and video; “God knows I am not lying. He is the God and Father of the Lord Jesus Christ, and He is to be praised forever.” 2 Corinthians 11:31 - New Century Version (NCV)

 

Why do Atheists Insult Christians?

Why do Atheists Insult Christians?

Atheists insult Christians because atheists are insecure and being insecure atheists want to feel better about themselves and thus atheists insult those people who do not accept their belief that God does not exist because deep inside they know God really does exist. Their knowing God exists and yet denying God’s existence causes a guilty feeling inside the atheist and thus to feel better about themselves, many atheists turn to verbal abuse.

Verbal abuse is a bullying tactic. Verbal abuse is best described as an ongoing emotional environment organized by the abuser (atheists in this case) for the purposes of control. The control atheists want when talking with Christians is emotional control over the Christian. Turning to bullying and insults, the atheist tries to take the conversation away from facts and make it an emotional display for them and their atheist friends can feel better about themselves. With verbal abuse consisting of insults and slurs against Christ Jesus and the follower of Christ Jesus, the atheist sets the stage for building their self-esteem. The underlying factor in the dynamic of verbal abuse is the abuser’s [the atheist’s] low regard for him or herself. The (atheist verbal) abuser attempts to place their victim [the Christian] in a position to believe similar things about him or herself, a form of warped projection. (1)

Atheists continue to bully and insult me (and others who follow Christ Jesus) because atheists feel the imbalance of power of their atheist’s beliefs as opposed to Christian beliefs because deep down inside each atheist, know that they are suppressing the knowledge within each of us that God exists. “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools,... being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice; they are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, unmerciful; and although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also give hearty approval to those who practice them.” (Romans 1:20-32)

Denial of Truth

No matter how much atheists deny that they are insecure with their atheist beliefs, atheists bully and insult Christians because they are insecure with their atheist beliefs. Some atheists go so far as to mask their face and disguise their voice in their videos because they are so insecure of their atheist beliefs yet they still bully and insult Christians in their videos because of the insecurity they have about their atheist beliefs so that they can feel better about themselves. Further studies have shown that envy and resentment may be motives for bullying. Research on the self-esteem of bullies has produced equivocal results. While some bullies are arrogant and narcissistic, others can use bullying as a tool to conceal shame or anxiety or to boost self-esteem: by demeaning others, the abuser him/herself feels empowered. (2) Most atheists who do the bullying and insulting of Christians are both, arrogant and narcissistic as they use bullying as a tool to conceal their anxiety over their atheistic beliefs... or as some atheists put it, their lack of beliefs.

Atheists know that bullying is a form of abuse yet they deny that they use bullying tactics just as they deny God exists. An atheist may say, “I insult you because I find you annoying and uninteresting, and morally bankrupt. I am not bullying you, I am insulting you.” OR “I insult you because I consider you worthy of great insult and find your messages very annoying.” OR “Still, whatever makes you feel special I guess.” Other bullying tactics atheists deploy is when they make statements like these in their trying to change the discussion from facts to an emotional display; “Well for one thing you are deflecting by changing the subject.” OR “I think you fail to grasp the…” OR “God revealed himself to you? How? Hearing voices in your head? You should probably see a psychiatrist.” OR “It is sad, you are clearly a very dishonest man.” OR “Wow you are clearly mentally ill!” OR “You are profoundly dishonest.” OR “You are a sick and dishonest man.” OR “Please stop lying.” OR “You simply refuse to answer a single question.” OR “You are a liar.” OR “You've never had an answer for anything, just BS claims, lies and fairy tales.” Each of these bullying tactics I have had addressed explicitly at me by atheists along with many much more insulting and profane than these examples.  It is odd how many times different atheists use almost the exact wording/jargon in their insults and their denying of their insults. It is as if they get together on it so to be as one voice yet I’m sure that atheists will deny that they do; yet if one does some research, one will see the truth about just how much atheists come together as one voice such as does a cult.

Imbalance of Power

Atheists know bullying involves repeated acts over time attempting to create or enforce one person's (or group's) power over another person (or group), thus an "imbalance of power". The "imbalance of power" may be social power and/or physical power. Bullying is an act of repeated aggressive behavior in order to intentionally hurt another person, physically or mentally. Bullying is characterized by an individual behaving in a certain way to gain power over another person. Bullying behavior may include name calling, verbal or written abuse. Research indicates that adults who bully have personalities that are authoritarian, combined with a strong need to control or dominate. (2) Atheists who turn to bullying and insults in conversations with Christians want to control and dominate the conversation away from facts and into emotional displays. Atheists who turn to bulling and insults are not seeking truth, they are using bullying as a tool to conceal their shame and anxiety and to boost their self-esteem: thinking that by demeaning Christians their atheist friends will come and bully and insult the Christian too thus the atheist abuser feels him/herself more empowered and in control… especially when other atheists jump in and bully and insult the Christian too.

No Moral Absolutes

Atheists knowing that there is no absolute moral basis for atheists to stand. Based on their belief in Darwin Evolution, atheists believe that they are merely stating a chemical reaction randomly occurring in their brain when atheists state their opinion; thus, an atheist’s opinion is purely meaningless especially when it comes to moral judgments. The evolutionist [atheist] has no basis for moral judgments. If man is just the result of millions of years of evolution, our behavior is based on random chemical reactions. There is no ultimate moral code. All morality is relative. So if a person needs money, why is it wrong to rob someone? According to evolution, the stronger person should succeed. Might makes right. So, in the evolutionary view, such violence is a natural, and necessary, part of the world. Why would someone place their life at risk for someone else if all morality is relative? According to evolution, the life at risk needs culled so that it doesn’t continue to procreate. (3)

Moral Absolutes

Those who have a worldview based on the Bible have a consistent basis for acts of kindness, charity, or caring. We are commanded in Scripture to love our neighbors as ourselves, to perform acts of mercy, and to care for the widows and orphans. If we take evolution to its logical conclusion, we will conclude that these widows and orphans should die because they are a drain on the resources of nature. (3) Thus the imbalance of power of atheist’s beliefs as opposed to Christian beliefs; atheists have relative subjective opinions over time changing and Christians have a solid unchanging foundation of morals set by God.

If you don’t start moral sets on God then where do they come from? They would come from men. But no two people believe the same thing. So who would be right—the rapist, the murderer, the thief, or one who doesn’t do all these things? They are all right in their own eyes. Without God, there is no way you could ever tell someone they are right or wrong. Ultimately, in the system of beliefs by man, there is no right or wrong, it’s just opinions. Only God can determine right and wrong as He created us and only He knows what is best. (3)

Atheists rejecting God sets forth the imbalance of power atheists recognize between themselves and Christians. In doing so, many atheists turn to bullying and verbal abuse to compensate for their feelings of insecurity and use insults as a tool to conceal their shame and anxiety to boost their self-esteem. Atheists who continue to bully and insult Christians do so because the atheists are trying to suppress the truth of God even further down and out of their conscience. The more atheists suppress the truth, the more vile and enraged atheists become. The more vile and enraged atheists become, the more atheists damage their physical body due to the stress they implore upon themselves and risk their eternal life to damnation. The longer duration an atheist continues to deny God, use bullying tactics, and insult Christ Jesus and those people who follow Christ Jesus, the more likely that these atheists will become even more insecure with their atheist beliefs because the longer the atheist pushes himself/herself away from God, the farther away the atheist is from loving not only God, but the people around them because God is love and without God, there is no love because all love comes from God. (1 John 4:7) The longer an atheist continues being an atheist, the less love for others the atheist displays who do not hold the same insecure atheists beliefs.

Good News

I suggest that atheists seek help in order to address their low regard for themselves. In fact, I suggest that atheists drop to their knees and repent of their sins to Christ Jesus and ask forgiveness to which Christ Jesus will forgive them if they are indeed repentant of their sins and then they should accept Christ Jesus as their savior. Even though these atheists have insulted Christ Jesus, He loves them and wants them to accept His love for them and He wants them to choose to love Him (Romans 5:8). Christ Jesus does not force His love on anyone as His mercy comes as a gift which each of us must accept.

As I stated, atheists denying the true reason why atheists insult Christians is the reason for atheists insulting Christians. The true reason atheists insult Christians is that atheists deny Christ Jesus as their savior. Atheists are insulting Christ Jesus more than atheists are insulting Christians thus is why atheists do their insults and bullying; atheists have deluded themselves by pushing down their knowledge of God. Atheists can overcome their insecurity by confessing that they are not perfect and accepting Christ Jesus as their savior.

1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Verbal_abuse
2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bullying
3. From Where do Morals Come?

 

Morals I Cannot Live By

God from the beginning of creation with Adam and Eve has placed into each of us a moral standard which He requests us to live by. Even without reading the Bible, you and I know right from wrong. We know what is good and what is evil. We know when we should do the right thing, yet you and I do not always choose to do the right thing. God gave us free will to choose and within each of us He gave us a conscience; that little voice inside each of us which individually makes us who we are, letting us know when we have done something wrong or should have done something right.

God revealed to us in written word in the Old Testament, Ten Commandments where God outlines the absolute moral standards which He requests us to live by (Exodus 20:2-17). Summing it up into the very basics of ultimate morality in the New Testament, Jesus tells us the two most important commandments are; first, to love God with all our heart and with all our soul and with our entire mind and all our strength and second, to love each other as we love our self (Matthew 22:34-40; Mark 12:28-34).

God knowing that you and I could never meet the standards of ultimate morality, tells us in Genesis 3:14-15, of His plan for our recovery from our not being able to meet His standards of morality. This is the first prophecy in the Bible of Jesus’ coming to conquer the immoral lives that you and I live. There is a cost for our living an immoral life of sin; that cost is death but through God’s master plan, eternal life is available through His only begotten Son, Jesus.(Romans 6:23). But there is hope for you and me because God loves each of us (Romans 5:8).

 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.” John 3:16-21

Jesus Christ's perfect life was lived for us because we cannot live a perfect life of our own doing. Jesus suffered and died for us on the cross because of the sins you and me have and will continue to do. Jesus rose from death so that through Him, you and I can have a way into Heaven to be with Him.

God does not force you to love Him because He wants you and me to choose to love Him. It's not love if it is forced, is it? God does not force you to repent (regret and turn away from) your sinful ways, He wants you to choose to do so on your own because He knows if He forces you to repent, that it would be coercion. God does not make you accept His only begotten Son, Jesus as your savior, He lets you make up your own mind within your own time to do so or not because God knows that you cannot insist that a person accept a free gift that the person doesn’t choose to accept.

You and I have the same choice to make, we can choose to be with God or we choose to not be with God. I choose to be with God. My prayer is that you choose to be with God too.

Do not just take my word for what I have written. Seriously do your own research do not be apathetic and seek the truth. It is your choice to make for yourself and only you can make that choice for you. I suggest that you earnestly consider what is at stake here and that you diligently and strive for truth.

Deuteronomy 4:29 - Jeremiah 29:13 -  Proverbs 8:17

How can I grow if I cannot admit that I could be wrong?

Could I be wrong? It depends upon what it is that I could be wrong about. For example, I'm often told by atheists that I am wrong to have faith in God because they don't have faith in God due to their, “non-belief” clause. They then tell me that I’m not open-minded because I say that I am right and that they are wrong. Then they ask something like, “How you can grow (mature) if you have limited your thinking to depend upon God and say that you are right and everyone who doesn’t believe in your God is wrong?” In their asking this question many of these atheists don’t realize that they are in fact telling me that they are right and that I am wrong and when they are confronted with this fact, most of these atheists stake claim to their relative non-absolute moral standards to say that, that isn’t what they are doing and the rest ignore the fact that they are telling me that they are right and that I am wrong.

Most often these conversations are in Twitter which is limited to 140 characters per tweet so I thought that I’d place my whole answer here on my blog so that it is readily available for everyone to read to find my answer to the question, “How can I grow if I don't admit that I could be wrong?”

It could be that I am wrong however after researching the evidence all around me I found that it points to God as Creator as described in the Bible. After hearing about Christ Jesus’ life, suffering and death for my sins and of His rise from death to bridge the gap between my imperfectness and God’s perfectness so that I could have a personal relationship with Him, I took the step of faith as described in the Bible to take Christ Jesus as my savior and started following Christ Jesus and I started doing what He told us to do which is written in the Bible.

It was shortly after my step of faith that I experienced the most wonderful love that I have ever felt, the perfect love of God. Not only did I start feeling God’s perfect love for me, I started seeing more and more evidence of God’s wonderful work in my life and the beautiful works He has created in the whole universe.

As I grew in my faith, God revealed and has been revealing more to me about how true the Bible is and of how much God loves not only me, but you too. So if it wasn’t for my being open-minded to the evidence all around me that pointed to God as described in the Bible and if I had not ever taken that first step of faith needed taken as the Bible describes and if it wasn’t all based upon evidence confirming the Bible by scientific methods and if I had not experienced God’s perfect love for me, I could be wrong. But as it is that I see the evidence in all of its glory which God created, I have experienced God’s perfect love for me through a wonderful personal relationship with Christ Jesus and know that He is absolute truth.

So, could I be wrong? I can be wrong about a number of things but not about my faith in God and His love for you and me. No, how can it be that I am wrong to have placed my faith into God when all the evidence I needed to have, God provided? So no, I am not wrong in placing my dependence upon God. It was God who created everything including you, me and everything else so to think that we don’t need to depend upon Him is just silly foolishness.

God is the King of all kings and has His protocol which requires our honesty in seeking the truth. God considers being yelled at, cursed, called nasty names, being belittled, putdown, insulted, and told that He doesn’t exist as not an honest seeking of truth. I’ve discovered that those who do this are not honestly seeking the truth, they are seeking to prove themselves right.

God respects our freedom. If and only if we love the truth with our heart, our mind, and soul will we find the truth about God. The choice to seek truth is a free choice. And all honest seekers find truth. The verses below come from the Holy Bible and each claim that –all seekers find God.  

Deuteronomy 4:29 - But from there you will seek the LORD your God, and you will find Him if you search for Him with all your heart and all your soul.

Jeremiah 29:13 - You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.

Proverbs 8:17 - I love those who love me; And those who diligently seek me will find me.

Skeptic or not, if you are honest about finding truth, politely ask God to fulfill His promise that all who seek Him will find Him. In His own time, of course because He promised that you will find, but He did not promise a schedule. God’s a lover, not a commuter bus. So if you say something like; “God, within the next ten minutes disclose yourself to me or you don’t exist.” God considers that not honestly seeking Him.

You don’t have to take my word for God’s love for you and I suggest that you don’t take my word for it. I suggest that you be open minded and honestly seek truth and find out for yourself.

Reality Check!

There are many of you who will start to read this article and at a point not so far into it will consider to stop reading it. I know this because at one point in my life, I would have done the same thing. In fact, I may not have even started reading an article like this one because I knew that this type of article would make me think about myself… my true self. Now before you stop reading this article, ask yourself these three questions, “Why am I not going to finish reading this article? Is there something I am afraid of about myself that this article brings forth in front of me to confront that I don’t want to confront? Why don’t I want to confront it?”

 

Have you ever thought about your life? I mean really sat down and thought about who you really are and what needs you have that neither you nor anyone else on earth can provide? Seriously, have you ever really earnestly contemplated your life for an hour or even 30 minutes? How about for just 10 minutes? What about for only one full minute?

 

If you have not ever sincerely openly and honestly considered your life, you are not living in reality and are living a multiple life filled with deceit. I know this because I personally did not sincerely consider my life for many years and during these years my life was filled with deceit. It is to just a matter of degree in which you are living a multiple life filled with deceit if you do not openly and honestly contemplate your life.

 

Be totally honest with your answers to yourself as you ask yourself each of these questions. It is your life you these questions are asking about so you should know the answers. Are you truly honest enough with yourself to fully explore your answers?

 

Who are you really? Who are you when you are truly alone, all by yourself? What do you think about, what do you do, what do you care about, who do you want to be if…? Are you truly pleased with your life today? Are you doing in your life something that completely fulfills your desires? Are you thinking about others and are considerate to their needs or are you really just centered on your own needs? Are you truly content where you are right now in your life or is there something missing?

 

Are you being totally open and honest with yourself right now? There is only you and this article that you are reading so why not take this time to be totally open and honest with yourself? Is there you something you feel deep down inside yourself that needs explored?

 

Are you afraid? If so, of what? If not, really, are you not afraid to be honest with yourself? Are you being honest with yourself right now?

 

The time is now that you need to be fully and totally open and honest with yourself. Face reality today, here and now. What needs do you have that even if you had all the money, power, fame and fortune in the world, you would never be able to have those needs met?

 

For many years I hid behind an illusion. I was afraid to come out from behind this allusion. So when I caught myself peeking out from behind the allusion which I had made of my life, I was afraid to step totally out from behind it and face reality. Each time I would peek around, I would very quickly jump back behind the allusion of me which I had made of my life because I was afraid to face reality.

 

It was at the very lowest point in my life in which I took a peek around the allusion that brought me into harsh reality about myself. No, it wasn’t that I didn’t have education, success, a good job, status, food, housing, cars, boats, motorcycles, computers, etc. that made it the very lowest point in my life because I had all of these and much more. In fact, I was quite successful and had been checking off the items I acquired from my mental list of material wants as I acquired each of them for many years.

 

It wasn’t that my father was murdered that became the lowest point in my life either although I did use the act of someone murdering my father as the catalyst to which I would eventually lower myself to the very extreme lowest most point in my life. I had lowered myself to the plotting of murdering those who had been involved with the murder of my father. Not just a thought or two about getting revenge, I had a fully executable plan with timing and an alibi if I was thought of as a suspect. I had even made a few dry runs to work out the details and was in the process of setting up the actual event.

 

At that point is when for some reason I decided to take a little peek around my allusion to see my true self which led me to be for the first time in many years fully and totally open and honest with myself. When I was finally fully and totally open and honest with myself, I didn’t like what I was. Not only did I not like what I was, I was appalled about what I was and what I had made myself. I had made myself into a murder. The steps I took to get there all led me to where I was and I took each of the steps on my own accord.

 

Reality for the first time I truly faced and in looking reality in the face, I saw who I had made myself by my hiding behind an allusion. During all the years of my hiding behind an allusion, I had made myself into many different people. Instead of being just me, I had been subduing my true self behind the allusion I had made for myself. Being behind the allusion I told myself that I could have more friends, be liked by more people, be able to do more things, and be able to accomplish more than if I was just really being me without an allusion. When in fact, my hiding behind an allusion was just making me sink lower and lower into oblivion and while doing so I was denying anything at all was wrong as I was drawing more near to committing murder.

 

Here is your reality check. Are you hiding behind an allusion? You may think you are not plotting a murder at this time however, if you are hiding behind an allusion, are you really sure that you are not? If you are hiding behind an allusion you are murdering, YOU! Yes, you are murdering yourself if you hide behind an allusion. The real you is being subdued more and more with each passing day you hide behind your allusion of yourself. Although you may not sink so low as to plot the murder of another human being as I did but if you are living behind an allusion instead of just being yourself you may actually commit murder.

 

Neither of us is perfect. We each have imperfections and these imperfections are what make you and me unique. Living behind an allusion is only a cover up for not facing reality. Reality is harsh however living behind an allusion is even more severe. Living behind an allusion is more severe because it only complicates reality that much more. Reality is still reality even if you don’t admit that it is reality. For you to have any hope in your life, you must live in reality and not behind an allusion.

For true hope in your life you must admit the reality that Christ Jesus is the answer to all of your needs. Christ Jesus lived a perfect life for us because you and I cannot live a perfect life for ourselves. We have to have faith in Christ's life, death and resurrection so to have that link to God which Christ has because you and I can never be perfect. Our having faith in Christ Jesus fills us with the hope He promises.

 

I know that for many of you reading this article that admitting Christ Jesus is the answer to your needs is far more than what you can do right now. That’s okay although I’d really like it if you’d drop to your knees right now and confess Christ Jesus as your Lord and savior, you may not want to do that now or even ever because that is a choice for you to make for yourself and not for me or anyone else to make for you.

 

All I am asking of from you right now is that you step out from behind your allusion to take at least a few minutes after reading this article to be totally openly and blatantly honest with yourself and that you become yourself, your true self instead of an allusion which you have made up about yourself.

 

“But anyone who is alive in the world of the living has some hope; a live dog is better off than a dead lion. Yes, the living know they are going to die, but the dead know nothing. They have no further reward; they are completely forgotten. Their loves, their hates, their passions, all died with them. They will never again take part in anything that happens in this world. Go ahead---eat your food and be happy; drink your wine and be cheerful. It's all right with God. Always look happy and cheerful. Enjoy life with the one you love, as long as you live the useless life that God has given you in this world. Enjoy every useless day of it, because that is all you will get for all your trouble. Work hard at whatever you do, because there will be no action, no thought, no knowledge, no wisdom in the world of the dead---and that is where you are going.” Ecclesiastes 9:4-10