Archives de catégorie : Edification @en

Studies for the edification and growth of believers in Christ

Logic: The Knock-out Blow to the Theory of Evolution

Edification @en,

As a new Christian at Clemson University I was confronted with a very real challenge to my new faith.  If the big-bang did occur and all life evolved over millions of years, then either the Biblical account was wrong or it needed to be adjusted to fit modern scientific knowledge. Fitting the accounts to suit science did not seem to me like a good solution. I decided to think for myself more closely at the theory of evolution. Instead of looking to textbooks, I simply thought backwards and then moved forward logically. The answer became so clear that I began to laugh out loud that I had ever believed that humans evolved from bacteria. Try the following exercise for yourself.

 STEP ONE: Begin with what we observe about life today.

 Humans are incredibly complex.  There are approximately 37 trillion cells in our body.[1] We have “about 200 different types of cells, and within these cells there are about 20 different types of structures or organelles.”[2]

03-02_CellStructure

Individual organelles within the cells have multiple functions. For example,

 “The smooth endoplasmic reticulum has such functions as the manufacture of steroid hormones in endocrine cells, the detoxification of organic compounds within liver cells, the release of glucose in liver cells, and regulating the concentration of calcium ions within the cisternal space.”[3]

 Cells work in conjunction with one another to make up the many systems of our bodies. You are there in an incredible body. Think of all the systems working together: endocrine, nervous, immune, digestive, circulatory, skeletal, muscle. Some of your cells carry oxygen, others transmit neural impulses, others defend your body from attacking virus and bacteria, others help transfer carbohydrates into energy. Your brain is coordinating all of this, with and without your conscious control. Now, think about how incredible your brain is. One cell in your brain is more complex that the computer you are using now.  There are about 100 billion of them in your brain. Your sensory system connected to your brain is also incredible: eyes, ears, nose, skin. Somehow that evolved?

 Look at the DNA in every living cell. A simple study of DNA transcription will leave anyone bewildered at how this code of life is unwound, read, and duplicated. And this is happening right now in every cell of our body. Shadowlabs.org has an incredible presentation of how DNA makes proteins.[4] Interestingly, a number of articles dealing with cellular evolution postulate that the first cells that evolved somehow had an early form of self-replicating RNA.[5] Do you know that “the number of cells that an adult male loses per minute is roughly 96 million. Fortunately, in that same minute, about 96 million cells divided, replacing those that died.”[6]

 STEP TWO:  Start at the beginning of evolution and work forward.

 In order for an incredibly complex human to evolve, there needs to have been a first cell which eventually became more complex through time.[7] Evolutionary theory says that the first cell developed in some primordial soup billions[8] of years ago. Now, no one knows for sure what that cell looked like, but it was supposedly simple enough to have evolved and yet also complex enough to be considered living.  Let’s assume they were bacteria, which are single-celled organisms with no organelles.[9] The chances of that first cell evolving are astronomical, but let’s assume that the first cell did evolve and life somehow did begin somewhere in some primordial soup. What logically comes next? Everything is working against the death of that cell. Time does not help. Conditions had to have been perfect, but will those conditions last for days, months, years, decades, thousands of years? How long did that first cell float around? What did it do? Obviously at some point it needs to evolve, but how? Given the sheer odds of that one cell ever “making it,” evolutionists postulate that life must have begun at more than one place and more than one time. This again increases the odds.

 Let’s assume again that somehow some of those cells did make it and we have millions of them all over the earth. What next? Somehow that cell needs to be able to survive by obtaining and storing energy, by being able to move on its own and not just float around. How do cilia or flagella or even amoeboid movement gradual develop? Also, some cells need to develop into what will eventually be plants. Others into what will become animals. At some point others will also need to develop into asexual and sexual organisms that either reproduce on their own or somehow find each other and interact with one another. This is just the beginning of an almost infinite amount of change that must take place to have the living world we live in now. The words “almost infinite” are not hyperbole.  No one knows the number of species that exist on the world today. Estimates are between two and fifty million.[10] The difference depends on how species are defined. There are about 950,000 species of insects!  There are numerous species of every animal from shark to virus: does this all point us to evolution?

 STEP THREE: Do the math.

Just take one species on this earth. Take a pine tree for example. From single cell to a pine tree. Can you imagine the changes that need to take place from that original plant cell? Bark, resin, needles, cones, pollen, roots: how many evolutionary changes needed to take place for just those parts of a pine tree not to mention the internal processes that go on in the tree from reproduction to photosynthesis to transpiration.  There are over 120 species of pine trees in the world.

nouvelle naissanceNow, take something a little more complex: butterflies. There are over 18,000 species of butterflies. Not only do evolutionists need to account for their differences (wings, legs, antennae, color, wing veins)  but also something even more difficult: the unique stages of a butterfly.  And not only that, what about their incredible migratory instincts that permit a second and third generation butterfly to return from thousands of miles away to their “grandmothers” birthplace.  But even before all of this, what was a butterfly before it was a butterfly? How many thousands of changes needed to occur for it to finally have eyes and wings and antenna?

 STEP FOUR: Jump again to today.

 From where do the changes come ? Where are observable changes occurring between species? Moths and finches can change because of environmental change, but they are still moths and finches. What made the original single cells that floated on this earth more complex? How do these unnatural changes come about? There is nothing natural about an e-coli developing a motor to move around. Can supposed natural selection, time, and mutations account for the changes involved there?  The flagella of e-coli has often been brought up as an example of an impossibility for evolution. For those who don’t know, scientist have found out that the flagella of an e-coli does not just wiggle back it forth. It rotates just like a motor at “several hundred to > 1000 times per second”![11]How many evolutionary changes are necessary to produce that motor? What process could account for a motor in a cell?

 Have you ever looked under a microscope at water from a pond? It is fascinating to see the protozoa swimming and moving around. About 20,000 protozoan species exist.  There are 156 named species of plasmodium. Take the one responsible for malaria: plasmodium falciparum. Its life cycle[12] is very complex starting in the salivary glands of the mosquito. When the mosquito bites a human it enters the blood stream and arrives at the liver cells as schizonts and later exits as merozoites into the blood stream where they develop into trophozoites, schizonts and merozoites. If another mosquito bites an infected individual then some merozoites from the blood that have transformed into gametocytes initiate sexual development in the midgut, involving ookinetes and oocysts. Sporozoites then infect the salivary glands of the mosquito and the cycle starts again.  This complexity of this microscopic organism is astounding.  To make it even more complex the host mosquito must be a female Anopheles which is one of 2500 species of mosquitos. Look at the diagram of the life cycle of plasmodium falciparum from the CDC and remember that this is one of the deadliest microscopic organisms on earth today.[13]

 If you think that life cycle is complex, consider also Dicrocoelium dendriticum, the Lancet liver fluke. There are over 10,000 species of flukes and thousands of liver fluke. Living mainly in the livers of cows and sheep, their eggs are released through the feces of their host.  When a specific snail ingests the eggs, the larva hatch and begin to develop in the snail. The snail irritated by the parasite “walls the growing parasite off in mucus cyst, eventually coughing up a slime ball containing the larvae.”[14] A second host, an ant, eats the slime ball containing the larval flukes which then distribute throughout the body of the ant. One larva attaches itself to a bundle of nerves that influence the ant in bizarre way. While other ants return at night underground, the “zombie” ant walks off and climbs a blade of grass ant attaches itself to the tip of the blade grass with its mandibles. The ant returns in the morning and fulfills it function in the colony, but continues every evening to attach itself to the tip of a blade of grass until it is eaten by a cow or a sheep. The larva then burrow through the stomach making their way to the liver where it develops into an adult and then continues again this remarkable life cycle. How could this complex life cycle have evolved? Three hosts are involved for its survival.

 STEP FIVE: Is there another solution?

 Look at not just yourself but all the complexity of life around you: sparrows, oak trees, grass, earthworms, grasshoppers . . . they are all crying out to you and are telling you the same thing: look to your Creator. The title of this article says that logic is the answer to evolution. The Bible concurs.  Listen to the words of Paul to the church at Rome written about A.D. 55: “What can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them” (Rom 1.19).  He goes on to say that God “has been clearly perceived… through the things that have been made” and the conclusion: “they are without excuse” (1.20). You know God created this world and yet you are not willing to recognize Him or even give thanks to Him. Instead your “foolish heart is darkened.” (1.21) You claim to be wise, but instead you have become a fool (1.22). Logic points to a creator not to unnatural processes.

 The problem Paul was addressing was the willful ignorance of God’s eternal power and divine nature that are clearly seen in his creation. My struggle with evolution was solved when I thought through the logic of evolution and compared it with the logic of the wonderful creation all around us. The conclusion ended up being easy, it was a choice between an all-powerful and loving Creator God and unnatural evolution.

 Perhaps you would say, “Well, I don’t understand it, but some very smart people do. I’ll just trust what they tell me.” Ultimately then you are basing your belief on the origin of your life on some scientist who is not even sure himself. Carl Woese, writing in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America states, “the evolution of modern cells is arguably the most challenging and important problem the field of Biology has ever faced.”[15] He goes on to state that the goal of finding a global view of how cells organize and work is “as elusive a goal as ever.” Scientist are not sure how it all happened. With the increases in scientific discoveries, especially the breakthroughs in the study of DNA, scientists recognize that it is beyond them to come up with a coherent solution.

Why not consider what God has already revealed in His word? God created the first male and female and all the animals and plants. Everything you see today came from God’s initial creation. The Bible which gives the creation account in Genesis 1 and 2 is also an incredible book. Consider this article for further study.

 I hope this helps. Feel free to comment or forward your questions and thoughts.

[1] Shyamala Iyer. “Building Blocks of Life. http://askabiologist.asu.edu/explore/building-blocks-life

[2] “The Cells in your body. » http://sciencenetlinks.com/student-teacher-sheets/cells-your-body/

[3] “Smooth Endoplasmic Reticulum.” http://www.facstaff.bucknell.edu/kfield/organelles/ser.html

[4] www.youtube.com/watch?v=SMtWvDbfHLo

[5] “The first cell is thought to have arisen by the enclosure of self-replicating RNA and associated molecules in a membrane composed of phospholipids.” Cooper as seen on http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK9841/.

[6] Ibid.

[7]“Life almost certainly originated in a series of small steps, each building upon the complexity that evolved previously.” (How did Life Originate. http://evolution.berkeley.edu/evosite/evo101/IIE2bDetailsoforigin.shtml)

[8] “As early as two billion years ago, some cells stopped going their separate ways after replicating and evolved specialized functions.” Ibid. “It appears that life first emerged at least 3.8 billion years ago, approximately 750 million years after Earth was formed.” (Cooper. The Cell: A Molecular Approach. 2nd Edition. Found on http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK9841/).

[9] See this article which also points to bacteria: “The Evolution of the Cell.” http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/cells/organelles/

[10]  “Estimated number of plant and animal species on earth.” http://www.factmonster.com/ipka/A0934288.html

[11] Michael D. Manson, “Dynamic motors for bacterial flagella.” http://www.pnas.org/content/107/25/11151.full

[12] Plamodium (sic) Life Cycle. http://www.icp.ucl.ac.be/~opperd/parasites/malaria4.htm

[13] http://www.cdc.gov/dpdx/malaria/

[14] http://thebestnursingschools.net/info/bizarre-parasitic-life-cycles

[15]He also further states “Evolving the cell requires evolutionary invention of unprecedented novelty and variety, the likes of which cannot be generated by any familiar evolutionary dynamic.” (Woese. On the evolution of cells. http://www.pnas.org/content/99/13/8742.long).

Logic: The Answer to Evolution

Edification @en

Logic: the answer to evolution.

As a new Christian at Clemson University I was confronted with a very real challenge to my new faith.  If the big-bang did occur and all life evolved over millions of years, then either the Biblical account was wrong or it needed to be adjusted to fit modern scientific knowledge. Fitting the accounts to suit science did not seem to me like a good solution. I decided to think for myself more closely at the theory of evolution. Instead of looking to textbooks, I simply thought backwards and then moved forward logically. The answer became so clear that I began to laugh out loud that I had ever believed that humans evolved from bacteria. Try the following exercise for yourself.

STEP ONE: Begin with what we observe about life today.

Humans are incredibly complex.  There are approximately 37 trillion cells in our body.[1] We have “about 200 different types of cells, and within these cells there are about 20 different types of structures or organelles.”[2]  Individual organelles within the cells have multiple functions. For example,

“The smooth endoplasmic reticulum has such functions as the manufacture of steroid hormones in endocrine cells, the detoxification of organic compounds within liver cells, the release of glucose in liver cells, and regulating the concentration of calcium ions within the cisternal space.”[3]

Cells work in conjunction with one another to make up the many systems of our bodies. You are there in an incredible body. Think of all the systems working together: endocrine, nervous, digestive, circulatory, skeletal, muscle. Some of your cells carry oxygen, others transmit neural impulses, others defend your body from attacking virus and bacteria, others help transfer carbohydrates into energy. Your brain is coordinating all of this, with and without your conscious control. Now, think about how incredible your brain is. One cell in your brain is more complex that the computer you are using now.  There are about 100 billion of them in your brain. Your sensory system connected to your brain is also incredible: eyes, ears, nose, skin. Somehow that evolved?

Look at the DNA in every living cell. A simple study of DNA transcription will leave anyone bewildered at how this code of life is unwound, read, and duplicated. And this is happening right now in every cell of our body. Shadowlabs.org has an incredible presentation of how DNA makes proteins.[4] Interestingly, a number of articles dealing with cellular evolution postulate that the first cells that evolved somehow had an early form of self-replicating RNA.[5] Do you know that “the number of cells that an adult male loses per minute is roughly 96 million. Fortunately, in that same minute, about 96 million cells divided, replacing those that died.”[6]

STEP TWO:  Start at the beginning of evolution and work forward.

In order for an incredibly complex human to evolve, there needs to have been a first cell which eventually became more complex through time.[7] Evolutionary theory says that the first cell developed in some primordial soup billions[8] of years ago. Now, no one knows for sure what that cell looked like, but it was supposedly simple enough to have evolved and yet also complex enough to be considered living.  Let’s assume they were bacteria, which are single-celled organisms with no organelles.[9] The chances of that first cell evolving are astronomical, but let’s assume that the first cell did evolve and life somehow did begin somewhere in some primordial soup. What logically comes next? Everything is working against the death of that cell. Time does not help. Conditions had to have been perfect, but will those conditions last for days, months, years, decades, thousands of years? How long did that first cell float around? What did it do? Obviously at some point it needs to evolve, but how? Given the sheer odds of that one cell ever “making it,” evolutionists postulate that life must have begun at more than one place and more than one time. This again increases the odds.

Let’s assume again that somehow some of those cells did make it and we have millions of them all over the earth. What next? Somehow that cell needs to be able to survive by obtaining and storing energy, by being able to move on its own and not just float around. How do cilia or flagella or even amoeboid movement gradual develop? Also, some cells need to develop into what will eventually be plants. Others into what will become animals. At some point others will also need develop into asexual and sexual organisms that either reproduce on their own or somehow find each other and interact with one another. This is just the beginning of an almost infinite amount of change that must take place to have the living world we live in now. The words “almost infinite” are not hyperbole.  No one knows the number of species that exist on the world today. Estimates are between two and fifty million.[10] The difference depends on how species are defined. There are about 950,000 species of insects!  There are numerous species of every animal from shark to virus: does this all point us to evolution?

STEP THREE: Do the math.

Just take one species on this earth. Take a pine tree for example. From single cell to a pine tree. Can you imagine the changes that need to take place from that original plant cell? Bark, resin, needles, cones, pollen, roots: how many evolutionary changes needed to take place for just those parts of a pine tree not to mention the internal processes that go on in the tree from reproduction to photosynthesis to transpiration.  There are over 120 species of pine trees in the world.  Now, take something a little more complex: butterflies. There are over 18,000 species of butterflies. Not only do evolutionists need to account for their differences (wings, legs, antennae, color, wing veins)  but also something even more difficult: the unique stages of a butterfly.  And not only that, what about their incredible migratory instincts that permit a second and third generation butterfly to return from thousands of miles away to their “grandmothers” birthplace.  But even before all of this, what was a butterfly before it was a butterfly? How many thousands of changes needed to occur for it to finally have eyes and wings and antenna?

STEP FOUR: Jump again to today.

From where do the changes come ? Where are observable changes occurring between species? Moths and finches can change because of environmental change, but they are still moths and finches. What made the original single cells that floated on this earth more complex? How do these unnatural changes come about? There is nothing natural about an e-coli developing a motor to move around. Can supposed natural selection, time, and mutations account for the changes involved there?  The flagella of e-coli has often been brought up as an example of an impossibility for evolution. For those who don’t know, scientist have found out that the flagella of an e-coli does not just wiggle back it forth. It rotates just like a motor at “several hundred to > 1000 times per second”![11]How many evolutionary changes are necessary to produce that motor? What process could account for a motor in a cell?

Have you ever looked under a microscope at water from a pond? It is fascinating to see the protozoa swimming and moving around. About 20,000 protozoan species exist.  There are 156 named species of plasmodium. Take the one responsible for malaria: plasmodium falciparum. Its life cycle[12] is very complex starting in the salivary glands of the mosquito. When the mosquito bites a human it enters the blood stream and arrives at the liver cells as schizonts and later exits as merozoites into the blood stream where they develop into trophozoites, schizonts and merozoites. If another mosquito bites an infected individual then some merozoites from the blood that have transformed into gametocytes initiate sexual development in the midgut, involving ookinetes and oocysts. Sporozoites then infect the salivary glands of the mosquito and the cycle starts again.  This complexity of this microscopic organism is astounding.  To make it even more complex the host mosquito must be a female Anopheles which is one of 2500 species of mosquitos. Look at the diagram of the life cycle of plasmodium falciparum from the CDC and remember that this is one of the deadliest microscopic organisms on earth today.[13]

If you think that life cycle is complex, consider also Dicrocoelium dendriticum, the Lancet liver fluke. There are over 10,000 species of flukes and thousands of liver fluke. Living mainly in the livers of cows and sheep, their eggs are released through the feces of their host.  When a specific snail ingests the eggs, the larva hatch and begin to develop in the snail. The snail irritated by the parasite “walls the growing parasite off in mucus cyst, eventually coughing up a slime ball containing the larvae.”[14] A second host, an ant, eats the slime ball containing the larval flukes which then distribute throughout the body of the ant. One larva attaches itself to a bundle of nerves that influence the ant in bizarre way. While other ants return at night underground, the “zombie” ant walks off and climbs a blade of grass and attaches itself to the tip of the blade grass with its mandibles. The ant returns in the morning and fulfills it function in the colony, but continues every evening to attach itself to the tip of a blade of grass until it is eaten by a cow or a sheep. The larva then burrow through the stomach making their way to the liver where it develops into an adult and then continues again this remarkable life cycle. How could this complex life cycle have evolved? Three hosts are involved for its survival.

STEP FIVE: Is there another solution?

Look at not just yourself but all the complexity of life around you: sparrows, oak trees, grass, earthworms, grasshoppers . . . they are all crying out to you and are telling you the same thing: look to your Creator. The title of this article says that logic is the answer to evolution. The Bible concurs.  Listen to the words of Paul to the church at Rome written about A.D. 55: “What can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them” (Rom 1.19).  He goes on to say that God “has been clearly perceived… through the things that have been made” and the conclusion: “they are without excuse” (1.20). You know God created this world and yet you are not willing to recognize Him or even give thanks to Him. Instead your “foolish heart is darkened.” (1.21) You claim to be wise, but instead you have become a fool (1.22). Logic points to a creator not to unnatural processes.

The problem Paul was addressing was the willful ignorance of God’s eternal power and divine nature that are clearly seen in his creation. My struggle with evolution was solved when I thought through the logic of evolution and compared it with the logic of the wonderful creation all around us. The conclusion ended up being easy, it was a choice between an all-powerful and loving Creator God and unnatural evolution.

Perhaps you would say, “Well, I don’t understand it, but some very smart people do. I’ll just trust what they tell me.” Ultimately then you are basing your belief on the origin of your life on some scientist who is not even sure himself. Carl Woese, writing in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America states, “the evolution of modern cells is arguably the most challenging and important problem the field of Biology has ever faced.”[15] He goes on to state that the goal of finding a global view of how cells organize and work is “as elusive a goal as ever.” Scientist are not sure how it all happened. With the increases in scientific discoveries, especially the breakthroughs in the study of DNA, scientists recognize that it is beyond them to come up with a coherent solution. Why not consider what God has already revealed in His word? God created the first male and female and all the animals and plants. Everything you see today came from God’s initial creation. The Bible which give the creation account in Genesis 1 and 2 is also an incredible book. Consider this article for further study.

I hope this helps. Feel free to comment or forward your questions and thoughts.

[1] Shyamala Iyer. “Building Blocks of Life. http://askabiologist.asu.edu/explore/building-blocks-life

[2] “The Cells in your body. » http://sciencenetlinks.com/student-teacher-sheets/cells-your-body/

[3] “Smooth Endoplasmic Reticulum.” http://www.facstaff.bucknell.edu/kfield/organelles/ser.html

[4] www.youtube.com/watch?v=SMtWvDbfHLo

[5] “The first cell is thought to have arisen by the enclosure of self-replicating RNA and associated molecules in a membrane composed of phospholipids.” Cooper as seen on http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK9841/.

[6] Ibid.

[7]“Life almost certainly originated in a series of small steps, each building upon the complexity that evolved previously.” (How did Life Originate. http://evolution.berkeley.edu/evosite/evo101/IIE2bDetailsoforigin.shtml)

[8] “As early as two billion years ago, some cells stopped going their separate ways after replicating and evolved specialized functions.” Ibid. “It appears that life first emerged at least 3.8 billion years ago, approximately 750 million years after Earth was formed.” (Cooper. The Cell: A Molecular Approach. 2nd Edition. Found on http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK9841/).

[9] See this article which also points to bacteria: “The Evolution of the Cell.” http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/cells/organelles/

[10]  “Estimated number of plant and animal species on earth.” http://www.factmonster.com/ipka/A0934288.html

[11] Michael D. Manson, “Dynamic motors for bacterial flagella.” http://www.pnas.org/content/107/25/11151.full

[12] Plamodium (sic) Life Cycle. http://www.icp.ucl.ac.be/~opperd/parasites/malaria4.htm

[13] http://www.cdc.gov/dpdx/malaria/

[14] http://thebestnursingschools.net/info/bizarre-parasitic-life-cycles

[15]He also further states “Evolving the cell requires evolutionary invention of unprecedented novelty and variety, the likes of which cannot be generated by any familiar evolutionary dynamic.” (Woese. On the evolution of cells. http://www.pnas.org/content/99/13/8742.long).

What do you think about Mohammed?

What do you think about Mohammed?

 Often muslims will ask me the following question: what do you think of Mohammed, is he a prophet from God? To answer this question, I ask them to put themselves in my shoes and to imagine my thoughts when I make the comparison between Jesus and Mohammed. I then tell them:

I have already found a prophet:

  1. He fulfilled a large number of prophecies .[1]
  2. He never sinned.[2]
  3. He did a number of astounding miracles.[3]
  4. He taught the truth that he received directly from God, without any intermediary.
  5. Il shed his blood to save me from my sins.
  6. After his death and burial he rose from the dead just as he prophesied.
  7. He is at the right hand of God interceding for me even now.

Now, you want to introduce me to another prophet, but:

  1. He did not fulfill any prophecies.
  2. He was not without sin.[4]
  3. He did not do any miracles (in the Koran)
  4. He received his messages through an intermediary, an angel.
  5. He shed the blood of others in war.
  6. His teachings contradict the Scriptures that have already been revealed by God.[5]
  7. He is dead and buried in a tomb that muslims visit today.

What should motivate me to want to know more about this prophet. In addition, I am convinced by incontestable proof that my Messiah, the man called Jesus of Nazareth, is God Himself manifested in human flesh. Do you see how difficult it is to look to another prophet when I have already found my Lord and Savior?

 

[1]  Luke 24:44   Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” 45 Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, 46 and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, 47 and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of these things.” (Luke 24:44–48 ESV)

[2] John 8.46; 2 Corinthians 5.21;  Hebrews 4.15;  Hebrews 7.26; 1 Peter 2.22 ; 1 John 3.5.

 [3] two blind men— Matt. 9:27–31 ; deaf–Matt. 9:32–33 ; money in the fish’s mouth — Matt. 17:24–27; deaf and mute healed — Mark 7:31–37 ; blind man — Mark 8:22–26; fish — Luke 5:1–11 ; son of widow raised from the dead — Luke 7:11–17 ; infirmity of a woman — Luke 13:11–17 ; a man with the dropsy — Luke 14:1–6 ; 10 lepers healed  — Luke 17:11–19 ; ear of Malchus healed ; Luke 22:50–51; water changed to wine  — John 2:1–11 ;  official’s son healed — John 4:46–54 ; sick man healed — John 5:1–9 ; man born blind healed — John 9:1–7 ; Lazarus raised from the dead — John 11:38–44 ; 153 fish in the net — John 21:1–14 ; daughter of a Canaanite woman healed  — Matt. 15:28 ; Mark 7:24 ; 4 000 fed — Matt. 15:32 ; Mark 8:1 ; cursing of the fig tree  — Matt. 21:19 ; Mark 11:13–14 ; Centurion’s servant healed –Matt. 8:5 ; Luke 7 ; deaf and mute demoniac — Matt. 12:22 ; Luke 11:14 ; demoniac in the synagogue healed  — Mark 1:23 ; Luke 4:33 ; leper — Matt. 8:2 ; Mark 1:40 ; Luke 5:12 ; Peter’s mother in law — Matt. 8:14 ; Mark 1:30 ; Luke 4:38 ; storm calmed  — Matt. 8:23 ; Mark 4:37 ; Luke 8:22 ; demoniacs healed — Matt. 8:28 ; Mark 5:1 ; Luke 8:26 ; paralytic healed — Matt. 9:2 ; Mark 2:3 ; Luke 5:18 ; Jairus’ daughter healed — Matt. 9:23 ; Mark 5:23 ; Luke 8:41 ; woman with the issue of blood — Matt. 9:20 ; Mark 5:25 ; Luke 8:43 ; man with a withered hand — Matt. 12:10 ; Mark 3:1 ; Luke 6:6 ; demon cast out from a boy — Matt. 17:14 ; Mark 9:17 ; Luke 9:37 ; blind man healed — Matt. 20:30 ; Mark 10:46 ; Luke 18:35; Christ walking on the water — Matt. 14:25 ; Mark 6:48 ; John 6:19; 5 000 fed — Matt. 14:15 ; Mark 6:34 ; Luke 9:10 ; John 6:1–14

[4] Surat 40.55 ; 47.19 ; 48.2 ; 110.3.

[5] The most surprising error in the Koran is found in Surat 4 :157-158, where the text implies that Jesus did not really die. The Koran also encourages practices that contradict teachings from the Bible on polygamy, keeping the laws of purity and impurity, revenge, and salvation through good works. Also, there is a major lack of continuity between the Bible and the Koran. For example, Moses spoke often about the covenants, the temple and the necessity of sacrifices. However, Jesus and the apostles demonstrate how the covenants, the sacrifices and the temple of God have their fulfillment in the Messiah, Jesus Christ. That is to say that we no longer need to offer the blood of bulls and goats and sheep.  Christ is our sacrifice and our High Priest.  Jesus cried out on the cross, « It is finished! »  So, if « Scripture » comes declaring that it is inspired of God, you would expect there to be a continuation of themes and not contradictions. .

 

Blameless

“If any be Blameless” (Titus 1.6)

Introduction:

In Cameroon, there is phrase which congregations often hear from the mouth of their pastors, “Do not as I do, but do as I say.” These pastors may have a manner of living that is reprehensible, but they escape blame by telling their flock to separate what they hear from what they see in his life. While it is true that the word of God will always be “quick and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword” (Heb 4.12), it is also apparent that this same sword teaches that the life of a pastor and his message are indivisible.[1] God’s Word requires that a pastor [2] must be an example in his way of life not only in his words. He must be blameless in his personal conduct. He must have a good testimony from those who are outside the church.

I.  “Be thou an example” (1 Tim 4.12).

Paul did not hesitate to present himself as an example to believers: “I beseech you, be ye followers of me“(1 Cor 4.16).  “Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ”(1 Cor 11.1). “Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an ensample” (Phil 3.17). “Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do” (Phil 4.9). “For yourselves know how ye ought to follow us: for we behaved not ourselves disorderly among you” (2 Th 3.7). “But in all things approving ourselves as the ministers of God . . . by pureness”(2 Cor 6.4,6). Paul was not the only one called to be this example. Timothy was exhorted to be an example to believers: “Be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity” (1 Tim 4.12). Paul also encouraged Titus to be an example in his works and his teaching,  “In all things shewing thyself a pattern of good works”(Ti 2.6-8). “The author to the Hebrews also underlined the importance of following the faith of those who ruled over them, “considering the end of their conversation” (Heb 4.7). Peter also exhorted pastors to “Feed the flock of God . . . being ensamples to the flock” (1 Pet 5.2,4). Every pastor must consider his own life in light of these passages. We must be examples; our lives must reflect what we preach.

Why must we be models? In 2 Corinthians 6.3, the Apostle Paul states that he did not want to give offence in any thing, “that the ministry be not blamed.” Imagine the implications for his ministry if he had fallen into moral sin. In Titus 2.6-8, Titus was to be a model so “that he that is of the contrary part may be ashamed, having no evil thing to say” of him.  Timothy also was to be an example in order that no one would “despise his youth” (1 Tim 4.12). The pastor must have a good report of those on the outside, “lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil” (1 Tim 3.7).  As ministers of the gospel we are inherently examples to others. Preachers who are no longer examples bring reproach upon the ministry and, as Augustine states, “in despising the preacher they learn to despise the word that is preached.”[3]

II. “A Bishop must then be blameless” 1 Tim 3.2.

In the two passages which specifically treat the qualification of pastors, (1 Tim 3.1-7; Ti 1.5-9), Paul underscored three times the importance of a pastor’s testimony by using two different Greek words: ???????????? (1 Timothy 3.2) and ?????????? (2x in Ti 1.6-7).  These two words were translated into one English word: “blameless.” In both passages, this qualification is at the first of the list. God’s placement of this requirement indicates its importance in His eyes and should, therefore, also be regarded as such by all who aspire to the office and by those who are already fulfilling it.

         A. Blameless, ????????????

The first word, ????????????, is found two other times in the New Testament (1 Tim 5.7, “blameless” ; 6.14, “unrebukeable”). In 1 Timothy 6.14, it occurs alongside a synonym (???????), meaning “without spot.” This synonym occurs three other times in the New Testament. In James 1.27 it is translated “unspotted” and in 1 Peter 1.19 and 2 Peter 3.14 it is translated again “without spot.”

A study of the root words of ???????????? is enlightening. They are the negative particle “??” the preposition “???”,  and the verb “???????.” The Greek word containing the preposition and verb is ??????????, and is found 19 times in our New Testaments. It has the idea of physically grasping with the hands: “And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him” (Matt 14.31). This word is also used in a figurative sense as in taking hold of someone words. The chief priests and scribes sent forth spies who tried to “take hold of his words.” (Luke 20.20). But they could not “take hold of his words” (epilabesthai autou rheœmatos)before the people.” (Lu 20.26). Placing the negative particle in front of this word gives the idea of not being able to grasp or lay hold of someone or something. Applying this to the pastor, we see that it is necessary for his lifestyle and character to be such that no one could grab hold of or find a handle in his present or past life. He must be blameless, without spot in the eyes of those who approve him.

B. Blameless, ??????????

 Another Greek word, ??????????, is used twice in Titus 1.6-7. Its double occurrence indicates the importance of the testimony of the pastor. This word is found three other times in the New Testament: 1 Cor 1.8, Col 1.22; 1 Tim 3.10.  It has the idea of a person who is “unaccused . . . he must have nothing laid to his charge”.[4] In Colossians 1.22 the word is translated “unreproveable” and occurs with two other words “holy and unblameable.” This demonstrates a link between holiness and being blameless. Hiebert remarks that the elder “must be a man about whose past or present accusations are not being circulated.”[5]

In Titus 1.7, the phrase, “a bishop must be blameless” is immediately followed by the phrase “as the steward of God” where God is placed first for emphasis (theou oikonomon). This gives the reason why he must be an example to others. As the steward of God he belongs to God and is His representative. He is sent by God and is entrusted with responsibilities that come from God. All he does is from God, whether he preaches the words of God or gives the counsels of God, he is God’s representative.[6] Paul states also that “it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.” (1 Cor 4.2). Such a steward must properly reflect his God not only in character but also in his actions. In addition to using the image of a steward of God, Paul also uses the figure of a minister of God. In an extended passage (2 Cor. 6.4-11), Paul demonstrates how he and his companions were “in all things approving” themselves “as ministers of God” (again placing God first for emphasis —theou diakonoi). Because he was God’s servant he was compelled to demonstrate that his service was from God, through God and for God. He gave this proof in order that “the ministry be not blamed” (2 Cor 6.3). A consciousness that his actions were under scrutiny pervades Paul’s epistles. He considered it essential for all ministers to have this same consciousness so as to not bring reproach or blame on the ministry.

III. “He must have a good report of them which are without (1 Tim 3.7)”

In the lists of qualifications for a pastor, Paul underlines another essential aspect of one’s testimony: the opinion of those who are on the outside. It is interesting that God does not want only the perspective of those in the church to establish the testimony of a pastor. It is necessary to also look to those who are on the outside. “His character and reputation must be such that ‘those without’ generally will give him a ‘good testimony,’ speak favorably of him as to his truthfulness, integrity, and purity.”[7] God arranged the list of qualifications so they began with the requirement to be blameless and with this last qualification we see that it also ends with this idea in mind. This further demonstrates the vital importance of the pastor’s testimony.

In determining what would disqualify a pastor from his position, we must keep to the forefront those sins which would cause him to be no longer blameless. We must, therefore, look especially at sexual sins which are set apart in God’s word as particularly affecting one testimony. No other sin can have an effect on one’s testimony like the sin of adultery. Proverbs 6.32-33 state clearly that, “whoso committeth adultery with a woman lacketh understanding: he that doeth it destroyeth his own soul. A wound and dishonour shall he get; and his reproach shall not be wiped away.” Paul states that sexual sins should not even once be named among Christians, “But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints” (Eph. 5.3). This indicates the seriousness of this sin in the eyes of God.

Immediately following the requirement to be blameless in 1 Timothy 3.2 comes the phrase “the husband of one wife.”[8] The phrase could be translated “a one woman man.” The pastor must only have one woman in his life; to have another disqualifies him. The position of this qualification is also important. It suggests an immediate application of the principle of being blameless.[9]

The consequences associated with adultery and fornication indicate that not only the present life of individual is affected but also his future. Take, for example, the kings David and Solomon.[10] David sinned and even continued to exercise his office as a king, but God left David’s sin in His word to serve as an example and warning to others: “Because David did that which was right in the eyes of the LORD, and turned not aside from any thing that he commanded him all the days of his life, save only in the matter of Uriah the Hittite.” ( I Ki 15.5). Solomon also is mentioned in Nehemiah 13.26, “ Did not Solomon king of Israel sin by these things? Yet among many nations was there no king like him, who was beloved of his God, and God made him king over all Israel: nevertheless even him did outlandish women cause to sin.”

IV. “Lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.” 1 Cor 9.27

Is it possible for a pastor to be disqualified from the ministry? Paul would say yes if we look at 1 Corinthians 9.27, “But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.” The word “castaway” is the word adokimos and has the idea of something that is rejected after being inspected.[11] As this cannot refer to the salvation of an individual, Paul must be speaking of his own ministry. In the context the only persons who can do the rejecting are those to whom he has preached. Also, when looking at the qualifications in 1 Timothy and Titus, one must ask the question: why do these qualifications exist if some cannot be disqualified?

What is the response of the church to those who have fallen into immorality? Today there are three reactions: (1) immediate restoration, (2) restoration after probation, and (3) disqualification.[12] To arrive at a biblical conclusion, one must ask certain questions of the pastor who has fallen. Can he still be an example in purity? Is he blameless? Can he have a good testimony of those who are without? For sexual sins one must categorically say no! John MacArthur makes the following commentary regarding the position of his church in this area.[13]

 I have received inquiries from other churches wondering if our church has written guidelines or a workbook for restoring fallen pastors to their pulpits. We have to tell people we do not have any such thing because we believe the Bible clearly teaches that once a man fails in the area of sexual morality, he is unqualified for pastoral ministry any longer. . . . . God’s standard cannot be lowered for the sake of sympathy. It does not need to be, because we can be loving, forgiving, gracious, merciful, and kind without compromising what God says about the character of the men He wants leading His church. All battles for the integrity of Scripture are ultimately in vain if the church’s preachers are corrupt and the sheep no longer follow their shepherds as models of holiness. The church must have leaders who are above reproach. Anything less is an abomination to God and spells disaster for the life of the church.

The pastor as the servant of God and steward of God must walk in a manner worthy of his calling. If he has fallen morally he is no longer a model, he is not blameless, he is no longer a one-woman man and he no longer has a good testimony from those who are without. His public service is therefore ended.[14] This does not mean that his service as a Christian has also ended. No, he will continue to use his gifts as every Christian is called upon to use his gifts and talents for the edifying of the body of Christ. A fallen minister, while no longer in the public ministry, should continue to seek out ways to help believers grow and unbelievers come to Christ. Regretfully, it can no longer be in the position of a pastor or elder in the church.

Conclusion:

The second chapter of 1 Thessalonians gives us a positive example of our subject. Paul states that his ministry among them was not in vain (v. 1). Why? Because his life and that of his fellow workers was exemplary, it was consistent with their preaching. Their preaching “was not of deceit, nor of uncleanness, nor in guile” (v. 3). They spoke “not as pleasing men, but God, which trieth our hearts.” (v. 4) God was their witness that they did not use flattering words nor did they use a cloak of covetousness (v. 5). They did not seek the glory of men but were gentle among them (v.6-7). They were willing to impart not only the gospel of God but also their own souls for the Thessalonians (v. 8). They labored night and day so as to not be a burden financially on them (v. 9). Paul said directly that the Thessalonians were “witnesses, and God also, how holily and justly and unblameably we behaved ourselves among you that believe (v. 10).  The result of their blameless ministry: the Thessalonians received the word of God “not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe” (v. 13). When our lives, as servants of God, are blameless, and when we are examples to the flock, we can have the confidence that our word will not be rejected or despised, but received as it is in truth, the word of God. May the Lord help us each to remain faithful to our calling and to be examples to those who are seeking the reality of our message.

[1] Men as early as Augustine spoke about preachers whose lives do not correspond with their preaching. Augustine gives the reason why a preachers life must conform to his preaching: “For there are numbers who seek an excuse for their own evil lives in comparing the teaching with the conduct of their instructors, and who say in their hearts, or even go a little further, and say with their lips: Why do you not do yourself what you bid me do? And thus they cease to listen with submission to a man who does not listen to himself, and in despising the preacher they learn to despise the word that is preached.” Augustine, On Christian Doctrine, In Four Books, Vol 4, Chap. 27.–The man whose life is in harmony with his teaching will teach with greater effect.

[2] The words “pastor,” “elder,” and “bishop” are used interchangeably in this paper. This reflects the usage of these words as synonyms in the New Testament. While there are many other qualifications listed in the word of God for pastors, these three points are underlined because of their direct bearing on the moral failure of those in the ministry.

[3] Ibid.

[4] D. Edmond Hiebert, Titus and Philemon, (Chicago: Moody Press, 1957), 31.

[5] Ibid.

[6] Hiebert states that the steward is directly accountable to God and is required to be conformed to “the highest moral and spiritual qualifications” Ibid., 33.

[7] Hiebert, First Timothy, (Chicago: Moody Press, 1957), 67-68.

[8] It is not within the scope of this paper to treat the various interpretations of this phrase. See Robert L Saucy, “The Husband of One Wife,” Bibliotheca Sacra (131:523 (Jul 74), 229ff; and Ed Glasscock, “The Husband of One Wife Requirement in 1 Timothy 3:2; Bibliotheca Sacra, (140:559 (July 83) 244ff. Parallel wording with regard to widows indicates that this does not simply refer to a prohibition of polygamists from the pastorate. The widow inscrolled on the benevolence list was to be “a one man woman” (1 Tim 5.9). This could not refer to woman who had multiple husbands at the same time.

[9] Saucy, 229-230.

[10] For further discussion on David and Solomon see John MacArthur, Rediscovering Pastoral Ministry, 90-91.

[11] “This term implies that a test is made, and that whatever stands the test is accepted as dokimos, whatever fails to stand the test is rejected as adokimos and is thrown out, cast away.’ (RCH Lenski, 1 Corinthians, 388.

[12] For an evaluation of these responses see, Sam Horn, “Fallen, Forgiven, and . . .? The Churches Response to Fallen Ministers.” Integrity of Heart, Fall 2002, 6:21-28.

[13] MacArthur, 90-91.

[14] Moses, Aaron and Saul are examples of those who suffered the consequences for their sin and were limited by God in their service (Num 20.12,24; Deut 3.23,26; 31.2; 32.51; 34.4; 1 Sa 15.11,24,35).

A Future Filled with Hope

Edification @en, ,

rose esperence

“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” (Jeremiah 29:11)

Introduction :

Discouraged?? Hopeless?? Depressed?? Have you lost hope?? These are all feelings that we have from time to time. Occasionally it falls on us and we don’t even know why. But what is the source of discouragement?

Discouragement is an emotion related to certain events:

(1) When we experience the loss of something important, for example:

  • the death of a friend or a member of the family, or even a favorite animal;
  • the loss of our employment or position;
  • the loss of respect in front of others
  • the decline of your health and welfare.

(2) When we sin, in particular a habitual sin: maybe telling lies, alcoholism, anger, bitterness or sexual impurity.  With every sin comes the feeling that God is not happy with us. We must know, therefore, the solution in God’s plan for the forgiveness of our sins.

(3) When we encounter something impossible: when we have tried everything and looked everywhere for a solution, but our resources and strength are not enough to resolve the difficulty.

If you continue in your discouragement, without hope, you will only fall into deeper depression and eventually hopelessness. When you believe that there is no possibility, or that something is too hard, you have lost all hope.

But how can you renew hope? We will be looking at God’s solutions for your loss, for your sin and for your impossible situations. But before this, we must look at the foundation of your hope. You must understand that God gives us hope through His word.

Man’s ideas are not enough. You need to see and believe what God has revealed in His word.

Romans 15:4 “For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.”

Psalms 119:28 “My soul melts away for sorrow; strengthen me according to your word!”

May the Lord give you encouragement and hope through His word today.

The Foundation of our Hope: The Word of God

During the time of Jeremiah the prophet, the Israelites were the object of the wrath of God. They were sent by God into captivity in Babylon. However, in the middle of this chastisement, God wanted to assure them that this time of distress was in His perfect plan for them: “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” (Jeremiah 29:11)

Never forget that there is always hope in God’s plan for you. God himself has permitted the situations surrounding your life. To renew hope, realize: 

  1. God can change the bad into good.
  2. Impossibilities are possibilities for God
  3. Lost things direct us to God who alone can fill the emptiness in the heart.
  4. Sin has a solution in the salvation (forgiveness and sanctification) found in Jesus Christ.

1. God can change the bad into good. 

The book of Lamentations in the Old Testament pictures for us the extreme afflictions endured by God’s people because of their sin. Many were at the point of despair:

Lamentations 3:17-20 “And thou hast removed my soul far off from peace: I forgat prosperity. And I said, My strength and my hope is perished from the LORD: Remembering mine affliction and my misery, the wormwood and the gall. My soul hath them still in remembrance, and is humbled in me.”

Nevertheless, in the middle of their thoughts, they found a reason to hope–they understood that God’s loving loyalty can never be exhausted.

Lamentations 3:21-26 “This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope. It is of the LORD’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. The LORD is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him. The LORD is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him.  It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the LORD.”

Do you know that behind your difficulties is a God who is good and who has a plan for your life?

Psalm 138:8 “The LORD will perfect that which concerneth me: thy mercy, O LORD, endureth for ever: forsake not the works of thine own hands.”

Think also about Joseph. He was sold into slavery by his brothers, slandered by the wife of his master and forgotten in prison. However, God never forgot him. Later, Joseph explained how God permitted those trials in his life to do something greater:

Genesis 50:20 “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.”

In the New Testament, the apostle Paul expressed the same idea:

Romans 8:28 “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”

You should never underestimate the power and goodness of God. Listen to what Joni Eareckson Tada said after more than 46 years of suffering caused by an accident that left her a paraplegic. Also, she is undergoing treatment for cancer.

« Oh Jesus, thank you for saying “no” for a request for physical healing; you really knew what you were doing many years ago. . .(the “no”) meant that many sins have been purged from life…(the “no”) has meant that I trust more in your grace…and this has made me to love you even more…and I would not exchange this for any amount of time walking. This is the profound healing, the true healing.” (From her testimony given during the Strange Fire Conference. http://www.gty.org/resources/sermon-series/325/strange-fire-conference).

2. Impossibilities are possibilities for God

Psalm 50:15 And call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me.

When it seems that God is not responding to our prayers or that his response is “no,” we think that we know more than God. We must trust God. Do not listen to the lies of the devil. Satan works to destroy you and to discourage you, but God works now to establish you, to assure you that His plan is perfect.  Listen to what He has said: “I know the plans that I have for you…” Trust in God’s perfect plan, a plan for welfare and not for evil.

Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.”

3.  Only God is sufficient to fill the emptiness of your heart. 

People in this world are searching to drown their worries in alcohol, drugs, immorality, food, money and possessions. But all of these things are in of themselves vain and empty. They promise everything, but offer nothing permanent.

Jeremiah 17:13 “O LORD, the hope of Israel, all that forsake thee shall be ashamed, and they that depart from me shall be written in the earth, because they have forsaken the LORD, the fountain of living waters.”

Jeremiah 14:22 “Are there any among the vanities of the Gentiles that can cause rain? or can the heavens give showers? art not thou he, O LORD our God? therefore we will wait upon thee: for thou hast made all these things.”

Hebrews 13:5  “Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.”

Psalm 73.25 “Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee.”

You must remember that there is a difference between treasures on earth and treasures in heaven.

Matthew 6.19-21 “Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”

4. Sin has a solution in the salvation (forgiveness and sanctification) that is found in Jesus Christ. 

 

Maybe you are searching for the truth. You know that this world cannot help you and that you need something more solid, like an anchor for your soul. Before salvation, believers were without hope :

Ephesians 2.12b-13 “having no hope, and without God in the world: But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.”

1Timothy 1.1 “…Jesus Christ, which is our hope”

You must see that in yourself you have no hope, but in God and His word we all have hope and there is always a solution. There once was a young lady that went with her mother to visit a number of pastors to find a solution to the many problems in her life. She always began by telling the pastors that life was not worth living, that she was horrible and evil, etc. The pastors responded in the same way: oh, you are not horrible, you are not evil, etc. But one day a pastor treated her comments seriously. Instead of having sympathy for her sins, he confronted her by saying, “You think that you are horrible and that you are evil and clearly you don’t think your life is worth living; what have you done that is so horrible and evil that you have thoughts like this?” The young lady began to pour out her heart. It was the first time anyone had confronted her with her sin. When she saw that someone was treating her sins biblically, she had hope: hope that she could change.

God gave hope to Adam and Eve just after they sinned in the garden of Eden. Today as well, God asks they we approach him:

Isaiah 1.18 “Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.”

John the Baptist said this when he saw the Lord Jesus:

John 1.29 “Behold the lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world.”

God also wants to give you hope today: there is a solution to your sin: the blood of the lamb. Jesus died in your place on the cross because of your sins. Repent of your sins and place your faith in Jesus Christ that you too can be saved. Jesus himself gives the reason for his coming into this world:

John 12:46 “I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness.”

Luke 19:10 “For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.”

John 8:24 “I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins.”

Maybe your time of discouragement was a time for you to see that God has a plan for you, a plan for your welfare, a plan to give you hope. May the Lord help you see this hope which is found in Jesus Christ.

Romans 15:13 “Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.”

Hope is possible:  “to give you a future and a hope.” (Jeremiah 29:11) 

— through Jesus Christ:  “Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Colossians 1.27