The BIG Picture (Q&A)

Here is a selection of verses that I find encouraging, often for a greater purpose than just having a temporal view of life. 1. Romans 5:1 "Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:" This is encouraging because it declares a settled legal standing rather than a fluctuating feeling. This verse reveals that peace isn’t maintained by our behaviour but was secured at the cross. We are not striving for favour; we possess a finished, eternal tranquillity as a present reality. 2. Ephesians 1:6 "To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved." The encouragement lies in the fact that God has already "made" us acceptable. We often struggle to earn approval, but understanding our Mystery doctrine reveals that our position in Christ is a gift of grace. Regardless of our flaws, we are perfectly accepted because God sees us through His Son. 3. Colossians 2:10 "And...

SOCIAL MEDIA QUESTION: Why do Christians fall for Paul, who openly admitted that he was a liar (Rom 3:7), crafty (2 Cor 12:16), chief of sinners (1 Tim 1:15), a blasphemer (1 Tim 1:13), a murderer (Acts 22:4), preacher of his own gospel (Rom 2:16) who never even met Jesus? MY REPLY: Paul, like every one of us, is a sinner. His self-admitted flaws—being a persecutor of Christians (Acts 22:4), a blasphemer (1 Timothy 1:13), and the "chief of sinners" (1 Timothy 1:15)—highlight the universal truth that all have sinned and fall short of God's glory (Romans 3:23, KJV). Even Peter, James, and John were not without sin. Peter, for instance, denied the Lord three times (Luke 22:61-62), yet millions 'fall for Peter' as a saint. Despite these shortcomings, God’s grace transformed their lives and used them mightily for His purposes. Similarly, Paul’s violations you mention are no different from those of any of us. We are all in the same boat as sinners needing a Savior, and ...

Hello friend, In Hebrews 11:1 it tells us that faith is the substance of things hoped for. If you want to be SURE of salvation, which you hope for, you need faith. Thus, the actual question one must ask is, “How do I get faith”, which will give one surety of salvation. Fortunately, the bible gives us the answer to this question. We find it here: Rom 10:14-17 How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? (15) And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things! … (17) So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. If you want faith, you need to hear the word of God. To hear the word of God is to receive it into your understanding. This can be by means of hearing or reading the words of God and then processing what you have recei...

The Bible defines faith with the following statement, Hebrews 11:1  Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. In the physical realm, faith means placing your trust in something that belongs, or operates, in this realm, whether it be an object or a person, and hoping that your belief or trust will be validated through physical evidence or manifestation. For example, to sit on a chair, you need to believe that the chair will support you. Your faith in the chair, the substance of your hope in it, will become evident when you sit down, and the chair supports you. Faith that operates in the natural realm is limited to the constraints of this realm. But what about spiritual (or biblical) faith; which is the specific focus of this article? Well, spiritual faith means placing your trust in something that belongs, or operates in the spiritual realm, and hoping that your trust in it will be validated through evidence, or manifestation, of biblical truth...

In times past (before the cross), God was forming Israel to be the light and salvation to the Gentiles. God was going to use Israel to reach the Gentiles with His presence and His Word. This is why they are called a royal priesthood and holy nation in Exodus 19:5-6. The verse in Eph 2:12 is speaking of this time (before the cross) where Israel was still the center of God’s focus. God was not showing Himself to any Gentile nations as this would be the role of Israel after their Messiah came. This is why Paul says the following, Eph 2:12 That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: 13 But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. Verse 13 however tells of a radical change in events. Due to Israel’s unbelief, God suspended His dealings with them (temporarily), and converted Paul and sent him with a new gospel an...

Jesus was a minister of the circumcision (which is Israel). What Jesus said in this verse is true for Israel under the Kingdom gospel . They had to remain faithful to their Messiah and were taught to endure through the tribulation until Christ came again at His second advent. Jesus told them to pick up their cross and follow Him. He also told them that no man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God, Luke 9:62 . It is Israel that has to endure to the end as this is the conditions of their salvation. As for us, today, in this dispensation of grace, our salvation is not dependent on endurance. Yes, Paul encourages us to endure in our service to God and in the Body of Christ, because of our love for Him and the good works we are led to do for Christ, but as for our salvation, that is not based on works and enduring to the end. When we respond in faith to the grace gospel, we are saved and sealed eternally into Christ. The blood of Christ provides...

Answer Request: I'm in despair. I feel like I won't be forgiven for my sins. God doesn't love me. There's no hope for me anymore. I give up on my journey to salvation. What should I do? The first thing to understand is that faith is not feeling . Faith is not in your head or in your emotions. What is faith? It is a confident knowing that something is true even if you don't feel it. It's a choice you make and a stance you take without the evidence to back it up. Now, the above is important to understand! It is important that you come to the position of accepting it as true. So, read it again and let it sink in. With the above truth let me bring you to one of the most famous scripture passages in the bible. Let's look at this verse through the eyes of faith, not feeling! John 3:16 For God so loved the world , that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 17 For God sent not his S...