Why Christians Aren't Perfect

Christians aren't perfect - just like everyone else.

God gave Adam and Eve full reign of the Garden of Eden. They were naked and didn't even realize it or worry about it. They had no worries, had every thing they could want, but Eve blew it. She listened to the serpent and ate a bad apple that God had specifically told her not to eat. Eve eating that piece of fruit changed everything and there was no more perfect world.

Genesis,Chapter 3, Verse 13-14:

"And the LORD God said unto the woman, what is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, the serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.

And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life:"

So, now you know why Christians aren't perfect and as an added bonus, you even know why snakes crawl on their bellies.

Why God Punishes Evil

Exercise of free will determines punishment.

Scripture bears the truth that God does chastise His people for being disobedient to His will and for continuing to live in an unacceptable manner.  God delivers that sort of punishment meant to correct a person, with the hope of teaching them not to repeat the wrongdoing.

When God placed Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden everything was perfect.  It was a beautiful paradise with every animal and bird of nature and God had given them everything they would ever need.  Adam was told that he could live forever and be happy forever if he listened to God’s instructions. God told Adam that he could eat the fruit of every tree in the garden, except one.  He clearly outlined the penalty of eating of this one particular tree.

Was Mary The Mother Of Jesus?

Mary - the mother of Jesus

For one to pose the question "Was Mary Jesus' Mother?" would lead a rational person to believe that the one asking the question not only believes in Jesus, but also holds some belief in a woman named Mary.

All accounts of the life of Mary must come from the scriptures and there is much debate as to whether Mary was a normal mortal human being or a divine creation like Adam and Eve, who were created and not born in the traditional sense. In reading the scriptures about Mary, we can sometimes find more questions than answers.

In the Islamic faith, Mary is certainly considered to be the mother of Jesus as we can plainly see from the following verses from the Quran:

"O Mary! Behold, God gives you good news of a word from Him, who shall become known as the Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary..." (Quran 3:45)

"Indeed the likeness of Jesus to God as the likeness of Adam; He created him from dust, then said to him, Be,' and he was." (Quran 3:59)

Christianity vs Religion

Christianity consists of beliefs based on the Bible

In order to clearly understand the differences between Christianity and religion, we must first
understand the meanings of these two terms.  The dictionary defines religion as

"A specific fundamental set of beliefs and practices generally agreed upon by a number of persons or sects." , 

while Christianity is defined as

"The religion derived from Jesus Christ, based on the Bible as sacred scripture, and professed by Eastern, Roman Catholic, and Protestant bodies."

According to these definitions, religion can be a set of beliefs on just about anything, while Christianity consists of beliefs based on the Bible and the teachings of Jesus.

Should The Bible Be Used As A Textbook In Our Schools?

The Bible can teach children things they need to know.

The question "Is the information in the Bible relevant to today's classroom as a textbook on every subject?" is a very complex question and must be broken down into its separate parts.

First, the answer to the question "Is the information in the Bible relevant to today's classroom?" would be a definite yes. The problem here is in determining just which Bible we are referring to. Just the nature of the question would suggest that we are referring to the Christian Holy Bible, but other faiths have their own version of the Bible and its teachings would be just as relevant to the children of that particular faith.

God's word and the teachings of Jesus are extremely important to any child who must struggle through this world of hatred and greed, where we tolerate just about any kind of behavior or lifestyle.

Should Christians Work On Sunday?

Certain jobs must be done, even on Sunday.

The Bible makes no particular reference to working or not working on Sunday.  The Old Testament Exodus 20: 8-11: scriptures teach the following, found in

"Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.  Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:  But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:  For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it."

The Sabbath day that the bible speaks about is Saturday, the seventh day of the week.  People of the Jewish faith continue to observe a holy day of rest on the Sabbath, from sunset Friday until nightfall on Saturday.  For some reason, Christians moved their Sabbath to Sundays in recognition of Sunday being the day of Jesus' resurrection.

Is Jesus The Only Way Of Salvation?

"Today shalt thou be with me in paradise."

In posing the question "Is Jesus the only way of salvation?" one could easily assume that someone has been told there might be another way.

Salvation in common everyday language could mean "the act of protecting something from loss or harm", like insurance in a catastrophic event might be our only "salvation". From a Biblical or Christian point of view, salvation is a deliverance from the power and penalties of sin or redemption.

For Christians whose guiding principles are founded in the Bible, the answer to this question can be found in one single passage of scripture, where we find in John 14:6:

"Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me."

Since I am a Baptist, some might feel that I am just a little biased, so let's take a look at what other religious denominations have to say about salvation.

Is Smoking A Sin?

There is no such thing as "good" sin or "bad" sin.

According to the American Heart Association, in 2004 there were some 25.1 million men and some 20.9 million women smokers in the United States. They go on to say that smokers have an increased risk of heart attack and stroke and I think we already know that.

If you look up statistics published by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), you will find some equally alarming statistics:

• Men With High Serum Cholesterol - 16.6% of the population

• Women With High Serum Cholesterol - 16.2% of the population

• Overweight Men - 70.7% of the population

• Overweight Women - 61.4% of the population

Our Relationship With God Today

The relevance of God in today's world is necessary.

The relevance of God in today's world in terms of being "significant" should be without question.  Each time we make a cash purchase, we present the cashier with currency and coin that has "In God We Trust", our national motto, permanently embossed on the face.

In the 1950s, Congress added the words "under God" to our Pledge of Allegiance. In the first session of the 108th Congress a bill to recognize the public need for prayer for all people of the United States and for members of our armed forces was passed by a vote of 346 to 49.

Each time a new President of the United States takes the oath of office, the final words of that oath are normally, "So help me God." There should be no doubt that God is of great significance, not only in our nation's history, but also in the lives we live today.

Noah Was A Man Of Faith And Obedience

"But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord."

If stories are to be told about the faith and obedience of man, the accounts of a man named Noah must be at the top of the list.

In considering Noah’s faith and obedience to God, I am immediately reminded of the 2007 movie “Evan Almighty”.  In this movie Steve Carrell is portrayed as Evan Baxter and Morgan Freeman plays the part of God.  This movie actually sheds a lot of light on the aspects of the Biblical account of Noah and the ark.  Here, Evan Baxter is not a professional boat builder, but rather a professional newscaster who has been elected to Congress.  Noah in the Biblical account wasn’t a carpenter or ship maker either.

How Would Jesus View Homosexuality?

In the beginning, God made them male and female.

Anyone who has studied the Bible to any extent realizes that homosexuality is mentioned many times. Whether it is referenced by the terms "abusers of themselves with mankind", "without natural affection" or some other term, homosexuality is condemned many times in both the Old and New Testaments.

What does the Bible have to say about homosexuality?

 

Romans 1:26-32:

 "For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet. And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them."

Show Me Proof That God Exists

Proof that God exists is all around us.

Skeptics may ask "Is there proof that God exists?" and will demand to be given some type of mathematical formula or biological evidence that will scientifically prove the existence of God and will not accept any religious or moral philosophy.

There are many things in the history of the world which we take as fact but have no scientific proof; the existence of dinosaurs is a perfect example. Sometime in the early 1800s a man found a large bone, called it a dinosaur and the rest is history. So why is it difficult to believe that the world and everything in and upon it was created by God?

In the history of our nation we find the belief in God was the inspiration which allowed us to be free. Today, God has a significant presence in our daily lives by being minted on all of our coins and currency and being a part of every oath of office from the new enlistee in the armed forces to the President of the United States.

We Should Get Inspiration From Bible Heroes

The heroes of the Bible were just ordinary people.

The Bible is filled with stories of inspirational characters whose divine influence changed the lives of many people. Many of these Biblical characters could actually be described as heroes.

We find that some dictionaries define a hero as:

"a person who, in the opinion of others, has heroic qualities or has performed a heroic act and is regarded as a model or ideal".

Heroes might be more clearly described as ordinary people who do extraordinary things. In the book of Hebrews, Chapter 11, we find the names of several inspirational Biblical heroes, including Abraham, Enoch, Noah, Sara and others. There are many more chapters of the Bible containing the names of those whom we could classify as heroes, but here we will take a closer look at only five.

Is Hell A Real Place Or Just Imaginary?

Hell is a real place for the condemned.

In answering the question, "Is Hell a real place or a metaphor to deter evil-doers?", the simple quick answer would be "both", but before elaborating on this issue, we must first understand some reasoning behind the question.

First, one must assume that the person asking this question would know the difference between right and wrong and secondly, this person believes there are consequences for doing evil.

If we look up the term "hell" in a Thesaurus, we find that hell is defined as "place of the condemned;  bad situation".  We also find the following synonyms: "Hades, abyss, affliction, agony, anguish, blazes, bottomless pit, everlasting fire, hell-fire, misery, pit, place of torment, purgatory, suffering, torment", among others. The only antonym I can find is "heaven".  I think we would all agree that most of these terms refer to real places.

Are Christians Losing Christmas As A Holy Day?

Christmas is a celebration of Jesus - today and forever.

What would you do if you opened your morning newspaper and saw these headlines? - "Will
Christians Reclaim Christmas As A Holy Day?"

Did you know that there was a time when Christmas was cancelled? Yes, there really was a Scrooge. In the mid-1600s, when Oliver Cromwell took over England, he officially cancelled Christmas.

In 1789, when the first congress was in session under our new Constitution, it was in session on December 25, 1789. Finally, in 1870 Christmas was declared a federal holiday.

How Should Christians View The Death Penalty?

We must look within ourselves for the answer.

At one point in my life I was very troubled about whether or not a soldier, in time of war, was guilty of "murder" when an enemy soldier was killed in battle. At that particular time I could not make a sound decision in my own mind as to whether this action was actually a "sin". It was not until after I had contacted three ministers of three different religious beliefs that I finally found my own peace on this issue.

I was immediately reminded about the parting of the Red Sea, David and Goliath, Cain and Abel and many other accounts of "murder or killing" mentioned in the Bible and how the circumstances surrounding each of these events were totally different. Some acts of murder were committed out of anger and revenge, while others were necessary to protect a nation or for self-preservation.

Do Christians Judge Others?

"It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment."

It is most certainly not against Christian principles to "judge" the actions of others, but we must be very careful of our interpretation of the word and its many uses scattered throughout the Bible. We all "judge" in one form or another. 

Here's a perfect example: Let's suppose we hear a news report on the 6 o'clock news that involves the murder of two small children. The video shows the father, who is in handcuffs, being placed in the back of a police car. I would bet my next paycheck that the following thought (or something similar) is going through the minds of 90% of the people who saw the newscast "They shouldn't even waste the money and time to try that scum, they should just hang him from the public square." The sad thing is that we don't even know whether or not the man has been accused of a crime or not.

Does Christianity Have Room For Other Beliefs?

Our beliefs must help us strive for a better life.

Christianity has its origin in Judaism, after all Jesus was a Jew. The followers of Jesus believed him to be the "messiah". At the convening of the first Christian council, the apostles decided that Christians didn't have to follow Jewish laws and the two faiths or beliefs moved further away from one another.

A few of the major differences between Judaism and Christian beliefs are:

• Christian principles are founded in the Bible, while the sacred text of Judaism is the Tanakh. (It is important to note here that the Old Testament of the Holy Bible was originally the Jewish Bible.)

• Christians believe in the "Trinity" of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit as three persons, while Judaism normally recognizes "Unity", one person. (There are some Christians who believe the same as Judaism in this area.)

• Christians believe in a virgin birth of Jesus, while Judaism believes he was born by a normal birth.

• Christians believe Jesus to be the Son of God, while Judaism recognizes him as a false prophet.

• Christians believe that Jesus ascended into heaven after his crucifixion; Judaism does not.

• Christians believe that Jesus will return to earth one day; Judaism does not.

• Christians accept Judaism as a true religion with incomplete revelation, while Judaism believes Christianity to be a false interpretation of Judaism.

Can Christians Sin?

Christians can sin just like anyone else.

Some feel that Christians walk around barefoot, in white robes, with the Holy Bible neatly tucked beneath their arm, spreading hell and damnation all across the world.  People often confuse us with Jesus; maybe that's because they don't really understand who Jesus was.

True Christians  sincerely believe they should do everything in their power to follow the teachings of Jesus, always knowing and understanding they will never be perfect, like Jesus was when he walked the earth.  Christians serve their country in time of war and  are forced to make many difficult decisions in that position. Most Christians wear shoes every day and only like to go barefoot on the beach. A Christian is just like most other people, with one exception; they know, not think, they  know that they have a loving heavenly father who watches over them.