all are one

All are one

“You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus,  
for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.  
There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” 
      Galatians 3:26-28
The above is a fact for all who believe in Christ Jesus. We are all children of God and we are all equal.
The apostle John writes,
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men.”
He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.  
Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—  children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God
                   John 1:1-4,11-13.
This is something totally unique to Christians. We believe that once we receive Jesus into our lives we actually become Children of God. That all people whoever they are become equal.
This belief arose at a time when such things as slavery were common place and women were far from equal with men.
The apostle Paul making the clear statement,
“There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”
As Christians we believe we have a personal relationship with God.
The apostle Paul writing to the Romans writes,
“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” 
Romans 5:8
Christ died for the sins of each of us.
C. S. Lewis states of Jesus,
“He died not for men, but for each man. If each man had been the only man made, He would have done no less.” 
                            C.S. Lewis.
The key to becoming a Christian, to becoming a Child of God is to accept Christ as your personal Lord and saviour.
The Apostle Paul wrote,
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—  not by works, so that no one can boast.” 
                                                                  Ephesians 2:8,9
Faith is the key to becoming a Christian. The writer of Hebrews stating,
      'Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." 
                                                                                                                               Hebrews 11:1
"And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him."
                                                                                                     Hebrews 11:6.
The Apostle Paul writing to Timothy wrote,
“Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst.  
But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life.”
                 1Timothy 1:15,16 
The final word goes to the apostle John who recorded the words of Jesus who said,
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.  
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.  Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.” 
                                                                                                                                     John 3:16-18.
Ultimately the decision is up to you on whether you believe what the New Testament says or not.
Please think about it.

A Thought for Christians

A thought for Christians

“It ain't those parts of the Bible that I can't understand that bother me, it is the parts that I do understand.”
         Mark Twain.
We have a just and fair God who will only hold us accountable for what we know about Him nothing more.
Mark Twain was right. We may not be able to understand the whole Bible, still the Bible was written to the everyday Christian believer, as such there is much we can understand. It is these parts we need to take heed of.
While it’s true we are saved through faith, and as such our faith will get us into heaven, we will still be judged by God for our deeds on this earth.
I like what the Talmud says. It could have been written to any believer. It states,
“When a man appears before the Throne of Judgment, the first question he is asked is not, “Have you believed in God?”  Or “Have you prayed and observed the ritual?  “He is asked: “have you dealt honourably and faithfully in all your dealings with your fellow men?”
                                                                                                             The Talmud
Think of it logically. The believer already believes in God therefor God has no need to ask them if they believe. The believer is more than likely attending church and worshipping. So it’s only logical that we would be asked how we feel, we’ve dealt with our fellow man.
James writes,
"What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him?  
Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food.  
If one of you says to him, “Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it?  
In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. 
But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.” Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do.  
You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder. 
You foolish man, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless?" 
                                                                                                                     James 2:14-20
Jesus in Luke 10:30-37, tells of the good Samaritan that helped a man in need. Calling the Samaritan who were not liked by the Jews of the day, this man's neighbour.
In Matthew 25 Jesus says,
“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.  
For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in,  
I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ 
“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink?  
When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you?  
When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ 
“The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’”
                         Matthew 25:34-40.
We should also remember to look at our lives from time to time to see if we are sinning in some way. If we are falling short of God’s ideal for our lives and confess that sin to God. As we discover it.
Always, always remember Christians are far from perfect. We are not perfect just progressing.
Think about it.