B
Bullshovic Donkeykick
Guest
John 3:16 - 16 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.
Right off the bat, I will make a statement regarding this thread.
This is not a place for hate, obscenity or foul speaking of any nature. Your post will be deleted if it displays hostility or intolerance.
ALSO
This is not something I am trying to force down people's throats. I understand VERY WELL that this is a world filled with many religious views and practices. I will not fight with you, or persecute you in any way for your beliefs. In fact, I would simply have you know that I LOVE YOU NO MATTER WHAT YOU BELIEVE. God has entitled the people of this world to free will, and I have no right to infringe upon that. However, there is a reason that I did not label this as a debate. If you strongly disagree with anything listed/stated here, you are more than free to leave. I am not asking you to leave. I am only trying to prevent arguments of any sort from arising.
FOR MY FELLOW BELIEVERS:
This topic is highly controversial to societies all over the world, so treat this subject with gentleness and be respectful to all people. It is ok to be on fire for God, and to want to bring His offer of salvation to others. However, it is not okay to look down on others who choose not to follow Him. They are entitled to their choice. It is simply our job to inform them that the offer of salvation stands.
SO! Now that everyone is on a level field: Let's delve into what God has done for YOU!
The Beginning
1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was [a]formless and void, and darkness was over the [b]surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was [c]moving over the [d]surface of the waters. 3 Then God said, "Let there be light"; and there was light. 4 God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light day, and the darkness He called night. And there was evening and there was morning, one day.
6 Then God said, "Let there be [e]an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters." 7 God made the [f]expanse, and separated the waters which were below the [g]expanse from the waters which were above the [h]expanse; and it was so. 8 God called the [i]expanse heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, a second day.
9 Then God said, "Let the waters below the heavens be gathered into one place, and let the dry land appear"; and it was so. 10 God called the dry land earth, and the gathering of the waters He called seas; and God saw that it was good. 11 Then God said, "Let the earth sprout [j]vegetation, [k]plants yielding seed, and fruit trees on the earth bearing fruit after [l]their kind [m]with seed in them"; and it was so. 12 The earth brought forth [n]vegetation, [o]plants yielding seed after [p]their kind, and trees bearing fruit [q]with seed in them, after [r]their kind; and God saw that it was good. 13 There was evening and there was morning, a third day.
14 Then God said, "Let there be [s]lights in the [t]expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night, and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years; 15 and let them be for [u]lights in the [v]expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth"; and it was so. 16 God made the two [w]great lights, the greater [x]light [y]to govern the day, and the lesser [z]light [aa]to govern the night; He made the stars also. 17 God placed them in the [ab]expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth, 18 and [ac]to govern the day and the night, and to separate the light from the darkness; and God saw that it was good. 19 There was evening and there was morning, a fourth day.
20 Then God said, "Let the waters [ad]teem with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth [ae]in the open [af]expanse of the heavens." 21 God created the great sea monsters and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarmed after their kind, and every winged bird after its kind; and God saw that it was good. 22 God blessed them, saying, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth." 23 There was evening and there was morning, a fifth day.
24 Then God said, "Let the earth bring forth living creatures after [ag]their kind: cattle and creeping things and beasts of the earth after [ah]their kind"; and it was so. 25 God made the beasts of the earth after [ai]their kind, and the cattle after [aj]their kind, and everything that creeps on the ground after its kind; and God saw that it was good.
26 Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the [ak]sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth." 27 God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. 28 God blessed them; and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the [al]sky and over every living thing that [am]moves on the earth." 29 Then God said, "Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the [an]surface of all the earth, and every tree [ao]which has fruit yielding seed; it shall be food for you; 30 and to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the [ap]sky and to every thing that [aq]moves on the earth [ar]which has life, I have given every green plant for food"; and it was so. 31 God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.
To begin, I started with...the beginning!
As you can see, the word of God tells the people of the world that He(God) created everything: including us! Not only did He create us, but He created us in His image!
Pretty cool, huh?
"But what does that even mean?" you might ask. Well, many Christians are even unsure as to what exactly is being stated. However, I believe I have discovered it, and will detail it into three points.
We are created:
1) Immortal - God created us to be beings that would never die, but would live forever. After all, God is immortal. See how that goes along with the whole "His image" thing?
"But how is that possible? People die every day!"
Well, check this out. Our bodies perish, it's true. However, our spirits don't die! God only created the body so that our spirit had a way of interacting with the physical world. So! Whether we go to heaven, or to hell, we will never die.
2) Invisible - Sounds weird, eh? We can see ourselves: so how are we created invisible?
Easy.
Our spirits, not our bodies, are invisible. God is also invisible, because He is spirit as well.
(Catching on?)
3) Eternal - This one speaks for itself. We go on forever! Once our physical bodies die, we will face eternity. (I'm pretty sure you've figured out the "God's image thing by now.")
Genesis 1:7 Then the Lord God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living [f]being.
Now you've got the basics! Let's move on.
The Creation of Man and Woman
2 Thus the heavens and the earth were completed, and all their hosts. 2 By the seventh day God completed His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. 3 Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created [a]and made.
4 [b]This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the Lord God made earth and heaven. 5 Now no shrub of the field was yet in the earth, and no plant of the field had yet sprouted, for the Lord God had not sent rain upon the earth, and there was no man to [c]cultivate the ground. 6 But a [d]mist used to rise from the earth and water the whole [e]surface of the ground. 7 Then the Lord God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living [f]being. 8 The Lord God planted a garden toward the east, in Eden; and there He placed the man whom He had formed. 9 Out of the ground the Lord God caused to grow every tree that is pleasing to the sight and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
10 Now a river [g]flowed out of Eden to water the garden; and from there it divided and became four [h]rivers. 11 The name of the first is Pishon; it [i]flows around the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold. 12 The gold of that land is good; the bdellium and the onyx stone are there. 13 The name of the second river is Gihon; it [j]flows around the whole land of Cush. 14 The name of the third river is [k]Tigris; it [l]flows east of Assyria. And the fourth river is the [m]Euphrates.
15 Then the Lord God took the man and put him into the garden of Eden to cultivate it and keep it. 16 The Lord God commanded the man, saying, "From any tree of the garden you may eat freely; 17 but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not [n]eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die."
18 Then the Lord God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper [o]suitable for him." 19 Out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the [p]sky, and brought them to the man to see what he would call them; and whatever the man called a living creature, that was its name. 20 The man gave names to all the cattle, and to the birds of the [q]sky, and to every beast of the field, but for [r]Adam there was not found a helper [s]suitable for him. 21 So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept; then He took one of his ribs and closed up the flesh at that place. 22 The Lord God [t]fashioned into a woman the rib which He had taken from the man, and brought her to the man. 23 The man said,
"This is now bone of my bones,
And flesh of my flesh;
[u]She shall be called [v]Woman,
Because [w]she was taken out of [x]Man."
24 For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh. 25 And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed.
Without a doubt, this is my favorite time in human history. And for good reason!
This was a time when man and woman walked freely with God Himself! And not only that, but God planted a garden for them to live in so they could all be together! Pretty amazing, if you ask me.
Why all the boring detail? Well, the main reason I wanted this whole section of Genesis 2 to be detailed is simple: It describes the beautiful situation man and woman had before THE FALL OF MAN.
The Fall of Man
3 Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, "Indeed, has God said, 'You shall not eat from [a]any tree of the garden'?" 2 The woman said to the serpent, "From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat; 3 but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, 'You shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die.'" 4 The serpent said to the woman, "You surely will not die! 5 For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." 6 When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate. 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves [b]loin coverings.
8 They heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the [c]cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. 9 Then the Lord God called to the man, and said to him, "Where are you?" 10 He said, "I heard the sound of You in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid myself." 11 And He said, "Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?" 12 The man said, "The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me from the tree, and I ate." 13 Then the Lord God said to the woman, "What is this you have done?" And the woman said, "The serpent deceived me, and I ate." 14 The Lord God said to the serpent,
"Because you have done this,
Cursed are you more than all cattle,
And more than every beast of the field;
On your belly you will go,
And dust you will eat
All the days of your life;
15 And I will put enmity
Between you and the woman,
And between your seed and her seed;
He shall [d]bruise you on the head,
And you shall bruise him on the heel."
16 To the woman He said,
"I will greatly multiply
Your pain [e]in childbirth,
In pain you will bring forth children;
Yet your desire will be for your husband,
And he will rule over you."
17 Then to Adam He said, "Because you have listened to the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree about which I commanded you, saying, 'You shall not eat from it';
Cursed is the ground because of you;
In [f]toil you will eat of it
All the days of your life.
18 "Both thorns and thistles it shall grow for you;
And you will eat the [g]plants of the field;
19 By the sweat of your face
You will eat bread,
Till you return to the ground,
Because from it you were taken;
For you are dust,
And to dust you shall return."
20 Now the man called his wife's name [h]Eve, because she was the mother of all the living. 21 The Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife, and clothed them.
22 Then the Lord God said, "Behold, the man has become like one of Us, knowing good and evil; and now, he might stretch out his hand, and take also from the tree of life, and eat, and live forever"— 23 therefore the Lord God sent him out from the garden of Eden, to cultivate the ground from which he was taken. 24 So He drove the man out; and at the east of the garden of Eden He stationed the cherubim and the flaming sword which turned every direction to guard the way to the tree of life.
Sadness does not cover the feeling I get when I read this.
Man and woman decided to disobey God! They were tempted by the serpent, and they fell for it.
Because of this disobedience, God could no longer keep them in closeness with Him. How horrible! God loves His people so much, and never wanted to be separate from us. However, how could God be the source of perfect justice if He didn't judge His people for their sin? God is perfect, and cannot be in the presence of sin.
So, as a result of this sin, Adam and Eve were banished from the presence of God. Not only that, but the world was cursed because of this separation. Sin entered the world, and immediately began corrupting everything in it.
THIS IS WHERE I COME TO THE "GOOD NEWS"!
God didn't just leave man to their fate. No way! He loves us far too much!
He instead devised a plan to redeem us to Him! To save our souls from the consequences that our sin would hold. (Hell)
This brings us back to the verse I posted at the top of the thread: John 3:16 - 16 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.
In this verse, God acknowledges that our fate for our sin and separation from God will be to perish: for eternity. However, He also states that anyone who believes in His Son (Jesus Christ) will be saved and given eternal life! Wow!
Here are a few verses to consider on these subjects:
Sin -
Romans 3:23: "for all [a]have sinned and fall short of the glory of God"
Romans 6:23: "For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."
God's love/plan -
Romans 5:8: "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."
God's grace and the necessity of faith/belief in order to be saved -
Ephesians 2:8-9: "For by grace you have been saved through faith; and [a]that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 not as a result of works, so that no one may boast."
HOW TO BE SAVED! THE GOOD NEWS!!! -
Romans 10:9-10: "that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; 10 for with the heart a person believes, [b]resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, [c]resulting in salvation."
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In summary,
I love you all very much. I posted this for that exact reason. I cannot bear the thought of millions of people going to hell! No way!
Especially when it is so simple to avoid that fate.
God loves each and every one of us. He demonstrates this more often than we know. However, of all of the ways He demonstrated this, the death of Jesus was the biggest.
Knowing that: what are you waiting for? God wants to bring you to heaven. To provide you eternal bliss! To dwell with you and love you forever. All that you have to do is call on Jesus!
If you feel that you want to secure the salvation of your soul through a relationship with Jesus Christ, you may do so now. Simply bow your head, and give your heart to him. Admit to him you are a sinner. Ask Him to forgive you. And He will!!
My friends, Jesus is calling all to repentance. To lead changed lives in is name. He promises us He will come for those who are His! Will you answer His call? Now is the time to decide.
I LOVE YOU ALL VERY MUCH, AND ENCOURAGE YOU TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE GOOD NEWS!
(If any of you desire for someone to pray for you or with you: I will! I would also LOVE to start a separate conversation with you, so that I can help you in your new, SAVED RELATIONSHIP with Jesus Christ!!)
Right off the bat, I will make a statement regarding this thread.
This is not a place for hate, obscenity or foul speaking of any nature. Your post will be deleted if it displays hostility or intolerance.
ALSO
This is not something I am trying to force down people's throats. I understand VERY WELL that this is a world filled with many religious views and practices. I will not fight with you, or persecute you in any way for your beliefs. In fact, I would simply have you know that I LOVE YOU NO MATTER WHAT YOU BELIEVE. God has entitled the people of this world to free will, and I have no right to infringe upon that. However, there is a reason that I did not label this as a debate. If you strongly disagree with anything listed/stated here, you are more than free to leave. I am not asking you to leave. I am only trying to prevent arguments of any sort from arising.
FOR MY FELLOW BELIEVERS:
This topic is highly controversial to societies all over the world, so treat this subject with gentleness and be respectful to all people. It is ok to be on fire for God, and to want to bring His offer of salvation to others. However, it is not okay to look down on others who choose not to follow Him. They are entitled to their choice. It is simply our job to inform them that the offer of salvation stands.
SO! Now that everyone is on a level field: Let's delve into what God has done for YOU!
The Beginning
1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was [a]formless and void, and darkness was over the [b]surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was [c]moving over the [d]surface of the waters. 3 Then God said, "Let there be light"; and there was light. 4 God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light day, and the darkness He called night. And there was evening and there was morning, one day.
6 Then God said, "Let there be [e]an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters." 7 God made the [f]expanse, and separated the waters which were below the [g]expanse from the waters which were above the [h]expanse; and it was so. 8 God called the [i]expanse heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, a second day.
9 Then God said, "Let the waters below the heavens be gathered into one place, and let the dry land appear"; and it was so. 10 God called the dry land earth, and the gathering of the waters He called seas; and God saw that it was good. 11 Then God said, "Let the earth sprout [j]vegetation, [k]plants yielding seed, and fruit trees on the earth bearing fruit after [l]their kind [m]with seed in them"; and it was so. 12 The earth brought forth [n]vegetation, [o]plants yielding seed after [p]their kind, and trees bearing fruit [q]with seed in them, after [r]their kind; and God saw that it was good. 13 There was evening and there was morning, a third day.
14 Then God said, "Let there be [s]lights in the [t]expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night, and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years; 15 and let them be for [u]lights in the [v]expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth"; and it was so. 16 God made the two [w]great lights, the greater [x]light [y]to govern the day, and the lesser [z]light [aa]to govern the night; He made the stars also. 17 God placed them in the [ab]expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth, 18 and [ac]to govern the day and the night, and to separate the light from the darkness; and God saw that it was good. 19 There was evening and there was morning, a fourth day.
20 Then God said, "Let the waters [ad]teem with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth [ae]in the open [af]expanse of the heavens." 21 God created the great sea monsters and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarmed after their kind, and every winged bird after its kind; and God saw that it was good. 22 God blessed them, saying, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth." 23 There was evening and there was morning, a fifth day.
24 Then God said, "Let the earth bring forth living creatures after [ag]their kind: cattle and creeping things and beasts of the earth after [ah]their kind"; and it was so. 25 God made the beasts of the earth after [ai]their kind, and the cattle after [aj]their kind, and everything that creeps on the ground after its kind; and God saw that it was good.
26 Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the [ak]sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth." 27 God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. 28 God blessed them; and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the [al]sky and over every living thing that [am]moves on the earth." 29 Then God said, "Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the [an]surface of all the earth, and every tree [ao]which has fruit yielding seed; it shall be food for you; 30 and to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the [ap]sky and to every thing that [aq]moves on the earth [ar]which has life, I have given every green plant for food"; and it was so. 31 God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.
To begin, I started with...the beginning!
As you can see, the word of God tells the people of the world that He(God) created everything: including us! Not only did He create us, but He created us in His image!
Pretty cool, huh?
"But what does that even mean?" you might ask. Well, many Christians are even unsure as to what exactly is being stated. However, I believe I have discovered it, and will detail it into three points.
We are created:
1) Immortal - God created us to be beings that would never die, but would live forever. After all, God is immortal. See how that goes along with the whole "His image" thing?
"But how is that possible? People die every day!"
Well, check this out. Our bodies perish, it's true. However, our spirits don't die! God only created the body so that our spirit had a way of interacting with the physical world. So! Whether we go to heaven, or to hell, we will never die.
2) Invisible - Sounds weird, eh? We can see ourselves: so how are we created invisible?
Easy.
Our spirits, not our bodies, are invisible. God is also invisible, because He is spirit as well.
(Catching on?)
3) Eternal - This one speaks for itself. We go on forever! Once our physical bodies die, we will face eternity. (I'm pretty sure you've figured out the "God's image thing by now.")
Genesis 1:7 Then the Lord God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living [f]being.
Now you've got the basics! Let's move on.
The Creation of Man and Woman
2 Thus the heavens and the earth were completed, and all their hosts. 2 By the seventh day God completed His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. 3 Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created [a]and made.
4 [b]This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the Lord God made earth and heaven. 5 Now no shrub of the field was yet in the earth, and no plant of the field had yet sprouted, for the Lord God had not sent rain upon the earth, and there was no man to [c]cultivate the ground. 6 But a [d]mist used to rise from the earth and water the whole [e]surface of the ground. 7 Then the Lord God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living [f]being. 8 The Lord God planted a garden toward the east, in Eden; and there He placed the man whom He had formed. 9 Out of the ground the Lord God caused to grow every tree that is pleasing to the sight and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
10 Now a river [g]flowed out of Eden to water the garden; and from there it divided and became four [h]rivers. 11 The name of the first is Pishon; it [i]flows around the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold. 12 The gold of that land is good; the bdellium and the onyx stone are there. 13 The name of the second river is Gihon; it [j]flows around the whole land of Cush. 14 The name of the third river is [k]Tigris; it [l]flows east of Assyria. And the fourth river is the [m]Euphrates.
15 Then the Lord God took the man and put him into the garden of Eden to cultivate it and keep it. 16 The Lord God commanded the man, saying, "From any tree of the garden you may eat freely; 17 but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not [n]eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die."
18 Then the Lord God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper [o]suitable for him." 19 Out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the [p]sky, and brought them to the man to see what he would call them; and whatever the man called a living creature, that was its name. 20 The man gave names to all the cattle, and to the birds of the [q]sky, and to every beast of the field, but for [r]Adam there was not found a helper [s]suitable for him. 21 So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept; then He took one of his ribs and closed up the flesh at that place. 22 The Lord God [t]fashioned into a woman the rib which He had taken from the man, and brought her to the man. 23 The man said,
"This is now bone of my bones,
And flesh of my flesh;
[u]She shall be called [v]Woman,
Because [w]she was taken out of [x]Man."
24 For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh. 25 And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed.
Without a doubt, this is my favorite time in human history. And for good reason!
This was a time when man and woman walked freely with God Himself! And not only that, but God planted a garden for them to live in so they could all be together! Pretty amazing, if you ask me.
Why all the boring detail? Well, the main reason I wanted this whole section of Genesis 2 to be detailed is simple: It describes the beautiful situation man and woman had before THE FALL OF MAN.
The Fall of Man
3 Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, "Indeed, has God said, 'You shall not eat from [a]any tree of the garden'?" 2 The woman said to the serpent, "From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat; 3 but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, 'You shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die.'" 4 The serpent said to the woman, "You surely will not die! 5 For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." 6 When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate. 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves [b]loin coverings.
8 They heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the [c]cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. 9 Then the Lord God called to the man, and said to him, "Where are you?" 10 He said, "I heard the sound of You in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid myself." 11 And He said, "Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?" 12 The man said, "The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me from the tree, and I ate." 13 Then the Lord God said to the woman, "What is this you have done?" And the woman said, "The serpent deceived me, and I ate." 14 The Lord God said to the serpent,
"Because you have done this,
Cursed are you more than all cattle,
And more than every beast of the field;
On your belly you will go,
And dust you will eat
All the days of your life;
15 And I will put enmity
Between you and the woman,
And between your seed and her seed;
He shall [d]bruise you on the head,
And you shall bruise him on the heel."
16 To the woman He said,
"I will greatly multiply
Your pain [e]in childbirth,
In pain you will bring forth children;
Yet your desire will be for your husband,
And he will rule over you."
17 Then to Adam He said, "Because you have listened to the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree about which I commanded you, saying, 'You shall not eat from it';
Cursed is the ground because of you;
In [f]toil you will eat of it
All the days of your life.
18 "Both thorns and thistles it shall grow for you;
And you will eat the [g]plants of the field;
19 By the sweat of your face
You will eat bread,
Till you return to the ground,
Because from it you were taken;
For you are dust,
And to dust you shall return."
20 Now the man called his wife's name [h]Eve, because she was the mother of all the living. 21 The Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife, and clothed them.
22 Then the Lord God said, "Behold, the man has become like one of Us, knowing good and evil; and now, he might stretch out his hand, and take also from the tree of life, and eat, and live forever"— 23 therefore the Lord God sent him out from the garden of Eden, to cultivate the ground from which he was taken. 24 So He drove the man out; and at the east of the garden of Eden He stationed the cherubim and the flaming sword which turned every direction to guard the way to the tree of life.
Sadness does not cover the feeling I get when I read this.
Man and woman decided to disobey God! They were tempted by the serpent, and they fell for it.
Because of this disobedience, God could no longer keep them in closeness with Him. How horrible! God loves His people so much, and never wanted to be separate from us. However, how could God be the source of perfect justice if He didn't judge His people for their sin? God is perfect, and cannot be in the presence of sin.
So, as a result of this sin, Adam and Eve were banished from the presence of God. Not only that, but the world was cursed because of this separation. Sin entered the world, and immediately began corrupting everything in it.
THIS IS WHERE I COME TO THE "GOOD NEWS"!
God didn't just leave man to their fate. No way! He loves us far too much!
He instead devised a plan to redeem us to Him! To save our souls from the consequences that our sin would hold. (Hell)
This brings us back to the verse I posted at the top of the thread: John 3:16 - 16 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.
In this verse, God acknowledges that our fate for our sin and separation from God will be to perish: for eternity. However, He also states that anyone who believes in His Son (Jesus Christ) will be saved and given eternal life! Wow!
Here are a few verses to consider on these subjects:
Sin -
Romans 3:23: "for all [a]have sinned and fall short of the glory of God"
Romans 6:23: "For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."
God's love/plan -
Romans 5:8: "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."
God's grace and the necessity of faith/belief in order to be saved -
Ephesians 2:8-9: "For by grace you have been saved through faith; and [a]that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 not as a result of works, so that no one may boast."
HOW TO BE SAVED! THE GOOD NEWS!!! -
Romans 10:9-10: "that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; 10 for with the heart a person believes, [b]resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, [c]resulting in salvation."
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In summary,
I love you all very much. I posted this for that exact reason. I cannot bear the thought of millions of people going to hell! No way!
Especially when it is so simple to avoid that fate.
God loves each and every one of us. He demonstrates this more often than we know. However, of all of the ways He demonstrated this, the death of Jesus was the biggest.
Knowing that: what are you waiting for? God wants to bring you to heaven. To provide you eternal bliss! To dwell with you and love you forever. All that you have to do is call on Jesus!
If you feel that you want to secure the salvation of your soul through a relationship with Jesus Christ, you may do so now. Simply bow your head, and give your heart to him. Admit to him you are a sinner. Ask Him to forgive you. And He will!!
My friends, Jesus is calling all to repentance. To lead changed lives in is name. He promises us He will come for those who are His! Will you answer His call? Now is the time to decide.
I LOVE YOU ALL VERY MUCH, AND ENCOURAGE YOU TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE GOOD NEWS!
(If any of you desire for someone to pray for you or with you: I will! I would also LOVE to start a separate conversation with you, so that I can help you in your new, SAVED RELATIONSHIP with Jesus Christ!!)
