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Is The Word Christian In The Bible

The Word Of God Is Alive

IS THE WORD âCHRISTIANâ? IN THE BIBLE?

The bible is alive! No, your physical bible is not going to get up and start walking across the floor, or gliding through the air in your room. It means the Word of God is living and active in our lives.

The Spirit gives life the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you – they are full of the Spirit and life.

God’s Word gives life to those things which are otherwise considered spiritually dead. Why do you think when we become Christians, the bible says we become a “new creation” . The Holy Spirit changes us through the Word of God and gives us true life.

For the word of God is alive and active.

The more we embrace the bible in our lives, the more it actively works in our lives. Then we begin to tap into the true power of the Word of God.

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The third category of supposed contradictions is not the result of context.

For instance, 2 Samuel 24:1 states that the Lord incited David to take a census of the people 1 Chronicles 21:1 records, Satan rose up against Israel and incited David to take a census of Israel.

But the Jewish people saw all that happens as within the providence and permission of God, so that Satans activity was permitted by the Lord and thus attributable to him . And the people grew in their knowledge of God so that the Chronicler could record Satans activity in more detail than the people had earlier understood.

Matthew 4 records Jesus temptations in a different order than does Luke 4. But neither claimed to be writing chronology, so the order is immaterial. One could set them in time order, the other in spiritual priority, for instance.

1 Kings 7:13 states that Huram, one of the builders of Solomons temple, came from the tribe of Naphtali 2 Chronicles 2:14 says his mother was from the tribe of Dan. But she could have lived in the territory of Naphtali, or her parents could have come from both tribes.

The Bible Claims To Be The Word Of God

This fact does not settle the issue, of course.

The Koran claims to be the word of Allah the Book of Mormon claims to be the revelation of God. But at least we know that Christians do not believe something about the Bible which it does not claim for itself.

Paul was convinced that all Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness . He meant the Old Testament, which was the Bible of his day.

Peter, the leader of early Christianity, considered Pauls writings to be Scripture as well: writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do to the other Scriptures, to their own destruction .

Jesus believed his words to be divinely inspired: Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away .

Speaking of the totality of biblical revelation, the writer to the Hebrews claims, The word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart .

Someone said, God said, I believe it, and that settles it.

His friend replied, No, God said it and that settles it, whether I believe it or not.

J. I. Packer called the Bible God preaching. Augustine described it as love letters from home.

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The Copies We Possess Are Trustworthy

Now, lets turn to objective evidence that the Bible is right in its self-description as Gods inspired, authoritative word.

We begin with the manuscript evidence. No original manuscript of any ancient book exists today. The materials used in that era could not stand the effects of elements and time.

For instance, we have only nine or ten good copies of Caesars Gallic Wars, none made earlier than nine hundred years after Caesar. Tacitus, the greatest ancient Roman historian, wrote fourteen books of his Histories we possess only 4½, none made earlier than the tenth century AD. We can find only five manuscripts of any work of Aristotle, none copied earlier than fourteen centuries after Aristotle wrote the originals.

Textual critics are scholars who devote their attention to comparing ancient manuscripts and trying to produce a copy as close to the original as possible. Those who work with biblical texts believe that the Old and New Testaments we possess today are virtually identical to the originals. The only questions that remain affect matters of spelling, punctuation, and isolated verses. None relates to essential doctrines or practices of the faith.

The Best Test For The Bible

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There are strong evidential reasons to believe the Bible is Gods word. But the best test comes from personal experience.

I once owned a 1965 Ford Mustang and found myself under its hood as often as I was behind its wheel. Chiltons Car Repair Manual became my constant companion. I learned to trust its advice because it worked.

Try living by the Bible. Accept its Savior as yours. Make its principles the guideposts of your life. And youll learn for yourself that its words are the word of God.

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Nephilim: Fallen Angels Or Giants

The word Nephilim is found in the Bible two times, the first is in Genesis 6:1-6 and then again in Numbers 13:33. Scholars and commentators translate the word Nephilim as giants or fallen ones. Even among the most brilliant, there is debate on translating this term.

One reason Nephilim is often translated as “fallen ones” is the relation to the Hebrew word naphal . One school of thought associates these beings with fallen angels or their offspring.

Genesis 6:1-6 never states that the Nephilim were giants, but it does say they were “mighty men who were of old, the men of renown.” The verse that clues us into them being giants is Numbers 13:33 which states “and there we saw the Nephilim , and we seemed to ourselves like grasshoppers, and so we seemed to them. Here Scripture indicates they were possibly giants, men larger and bigger than normal.

No one really knows exactly who or what were the Nephilim however, Scripture gives us clues about who the “sons of God” and the “daughters of men” were .

A Christian Is Somebody Who Has Received Salvation

The first definition of a Christian according to the Bible is derived from the book of Ephesians 1:13 which says,

“You were included in Christ when you heard the gospel of salvation”.

According to the Bible, for you to be included in Christ or rather become a follower and believer of Christ, you ought to hear the message of truth which is the gospel of salvation. Therefore, the initial step to becoming a Christian is through receiving Christ, which in turn occurs by being saved.

In our churches today, a majority of the sermons end with a call for those individuals who have not accepted Jesus as their Lord of Savior to do so. These individuals are persuaded to receive Christ thus receive salvation in order to become Christ-like. If you have not being saved, it means that you do not have Christ in you. Subsequently, upon salvation, you attain the entitlement to not only be free of sin but to also be called a Christian. Therefore, you cannot label yourself as a Christian unless you are saved.

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The Word Of God Is Powerful

Remember the story of creation? God literally spoke everything into existence. He said, ‘Let there be light’, and there was light.

That’s how powerful the Word of God is! Having authority is one thing, but having authority, along with being alive and powerful, magnifies the effectiveness of the bible. This is why, just by simply hearing or reading God’s Word it has the power to prompt conviction and change in our hearts and minds.

Let’s take a look at Hebrews 4:12 in full:

For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow, it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.

Now I have sat through many amazing motivational speeches, and read some very inspirational books, none of which have ever changed my life the way the bible has. No book has the authority or power to dig into the depths of our soul and spirit, and convict us towards life-altering changes the way the bible does!

The Word Of God Is Flawless

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The bible is without error:

  • Every word of God is flawless he is a shield to those who take refuge in him. Do not add to his words, or he will rebuke you and prove you a liar. Proverbs 30:5-6 NIV
  • Do not add other laws or subtract from these just obey them, for they are from the Lord your God. Deuteronomy 4:2 TLB

God doesn’t make mistakes, and despite popular belief, the bible does NOT contradict itself!

We don’t have to add in our own words to make it sound better, or dress it up nicely for others. As you begin to read, learn, and study the bible, even difficult passages, or seemingly contradictory passages will begin to make sense as you look at the Word of God as a whole, rather than random stand alone verses.

The bible is flawless, and we cannot improve upon the God’s Word.

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List Of English Bible Translations

The Bible has been translated into many languages from the biblical languages of Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek. The Latin Vulgate translation was dominant in Western Christianity through the Middle Ages. Since then, the Bible has been translated into many more languages. English Bible translations also have a rich and varied history of more than a millennium.

Included when possible are dates and the source language and, for incomplete translations, what portion of the text has been translated. Certain terms that occur in many entries are linked at the bottom of the page.

Christians, Jews, Samaritans, Rastafari and others differ on the true content of the Bible, the “incomplete translations” section includes only translations seen by their translators as incomplete, such as Christian translations of the New Testament alone. Translations such as Jewish versions of the Tanakh are included in the “complete” category, even though Christians traditionally have considered the Bible to consist properly of more than just the Tanakh.

What Does The Bible Say About Loving Yourself

Scripture talks about loving yourself in two different ways:

1. As an Assumption

  • Love your neighbor as yourself.
  • The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born. Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners .

We naturally love and care for ourselves. Notice that the Bible never directly tells us to love ourselves, because its unnecessary. We take care of our own needs. We do so to the extent of putting ourselves and our welfare, needs, desires, and ambitions first, before God and before others. It is for this reason that Gods Word says, Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves . The problem is not that we do not love ourselves, but that we love ourselves too much and others too little. Self-love can too easily morph from a natural state to a corruption of what is natural. The goal instead should be for natural love to be transformed into spiritual, or Christ-like love.

Most sins stem from love of self and a lack of love for God and others. Think about it: hate, greed, envy, murder, strife, gossip, slander, arrogance and pride all result from a love of self. When we love ourselves without regard for God or others, the result is sin. If Gods law is summed up by love for God and love for others , then sin, defined in Scripture as lawlessness, is any thought, word, or deed void of love.

2. As a Corruption

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Who Decided What Books Should Be In The Bible

My earliest experience with the Bible was leafing through an ancient King James Version my parents kept in the guest room. The fountain-penned family tree calligraphied in the first pages fascinated me. The printed thees and thous made no sensethe begats even less. I assumed the entire thing had been handed from God to man in black leather.

Most people know better. Theyve heard somewhere along the way that some books were excluded from the Bible and wonder why. Maybe a group of church officials decided the whole thing. Maybe there were books that told a different story than the one we have in our Bibles. Maybe there was a smoke-filled room somewhere. Maybe there were hanging chads.

The actual story is nowhere near that interesting.

Do You Know Where The Word Christian Comes From

191 best images about Live By The Word. Jesus Is The Word ...

Did you know that the word Christian comes from the Greek word christianos, meaning little Christ? And that the accusers of Jesuss disciples used it as an insult? Check it out, theres the little Christs, they would say. So, what was meant to be a jeer became a blessing for billions of people. What a beautiful historical irony

The Bible says, Soitwasthatforawholeyeartheyassembledwiththechurchandtaughtagreatmanypeople. AndthediscipleswerefirstChristiansinAntioch.

But why did the opponents of the Way call the disciples Christians, little Christs? The believers lifestyle was so clear and unmistakable that this name was assigned to them. Because they put into practice what they had learned from Jesus, they completely achieved the mission that was given to them : to represent Christ and make Him known!

SowhatdoweourselvesneedtodotorepresentChrist? Rather than pummeling our neighbors with judgments through the strategic use of Bible verses, the gentler and most effective approach is, without a doubt, standing alongside Jesus through reading His Word and setting time aside to be with Him. ThemoreweknowHim, themoreHischaracterrubsoffonus.

Yesterday, we took a look at some of the traits that make up Jesuss character . You can dig even deeper with your own study if youd like, but here are a few other attributes:

  • Hishumility: He is the King of heaven yet, He became a servant of all.

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God’s Word Is Quite Clear That One Cannot Just Decide To Be A Christian One Has To Be Invited

So what is a Christian? A couple of billion people on the planet all claim to be Christians, but their beliefs, doctrines and practices vary widely. What does being a Christian mean? Let’s take a quick look at what the Bible says a Christian is.

The word Christian is used three times in the New Testament . Followers of Jesus Christ were first called “Christians” in Antioch because they believed in Christ and followed His example. The word was initially used by their detractors in a derogatory sense, but believers embraced the term as a badge of honor.

While the first-century Christians did follow the teachings, practices and example of Jesus Christ at that time, since then the term has virtually lost its meaningas it’s usually not accompanied by the same way of life and understanding. Today many claim to be Christians yet don’t really follow Jesus’ teachings.

A Christian Is Someone Who Believes In One God

As a religion, Christianity is monotheistic, hence Christians should only believe in one God. In the Bible, the book of Exodus 20:3 states that,

You shall have no other gods before me.

This is the first commandment that God gave to his people. He demanded that they should not have any other gods apart from Him. Therefore, for any person to claim Christianity, he or should be a believer of God as the only god.

According to the scriptures, God is the creator of the entire universe as well as its sustainer. Although God manifests himself in different ways that are beyond human conception, a Christian should have reverence to one God. According to the Bible, a Christian, therefore, is one who believes in the power of one God. The belief in a singular God who is manifested in different forms is one of the most important aspects of Christianity.

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A Christian Is Someone Who Believes In The Holy Trinity

Although Christianity is the belief in one God, a Christian is one who believes in the three parts of one God known as the Holy Trinity. These are God the father, God the son, and God the Holy Spirit. In the Bible, the book of 1st John 5:7 in the New Testament records that,

There are three present in heaven, the father, the word and the Holy Ghost and they are all one. From this scripture, the Bible refers to God the son as the word because Jesus Christ came on earth to spread the gospel of truth and salvation to all humankind. God uses the Holy Trinity in accomplishing His will upon His people.

God the father is the supreme being that created the universe which includes all human beings in it. God the father also sent his only son Jesus Christ to come on earth and save the people. God the son is Jesus Christ who is the only begotten son sent on earth. Jesus died on the cross to set us free from sin and give us salvation. Though he was without sin, he carried away all our sins, thus enabling us to have life in abundance. God the Holy Spirit is manifested in all Christians after baptism. After the resurrection of Jesus Christ on the third day, He left the Christians with a helper who is the Holy Spirit.

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