Where is hell?

Where is hell?

The Bible teaches that lost sinners will exist forever, after the final judgment, in a place which is described under different names and symbols. The notion in modern times that hell won't be a place but a state of mind or a condition, even on earth now , does not do justice to the teachings of the Bible. The place where the lost will exist forever, body and soul, is described by using examples of places that people of the Bible knew. For example the word used for hell "gehenna" is a Hebrew word consist ing of ge (=land) and Hinnom (= a valley southwest of Jerusalem). It was the place where wicked idol-worshippers burnt their own children alive as sacrifices to the idol-god Moloch. It was considered a filthy and horrible place, a symbol of hell. In Matt hew 18:9 we hear of "the fires of hell," in verse 8: "eternal fire". In Revelation 20:14-15 it is called "a lake of fire".  Hell is not a condition, it is a place. Where it shall be, nobody knows. All that we know is that - (a) God is not there except for His wrath.  (b) It is a place of eternal torment and pain, and remorse, where your conscience will be like a devouring worm, always reminding you of what could have been if only you did not despise the calls of God; a place of utter despair, weeping and grinding of teeth (Matthew 8:12; 13:50; Mark 9:43-48; Luke 16:23-28; Revelation 14:10; 21:8).

How do I know whether something is sinful?

How do I know whether something is sinful?

 

This question is regularly being asked by our young people. Is it sin? / whether we are speaking of dancing, smoking, drinking, horseracing, gambling or something else. The answer is to test each of those things against the principles of the Word of God, so that we can know.

Before we come to the tests of the Bible, first of all you have to answer a few important questions: 

1. Are you already a true child of God? If not, you don't have to read further. Everything that you do, even your "best actions are filthy through and through" before God (Isaiah 64:6). And the holiest life does not count before God if you haven't received Jesus Christ first of all (1 John 5:10-12).

2. Are you willing to be obedient? If you are not willing to be convinced by God / you do not need to read any further. But if you are willing to do the will of God, please read on (John 7:17).

3. Is this matter mentioned in the Bible? If the Bible clearly talks about this matter (e.g. 1 Cor. 6:9-10; Ex. 20:1-17) it is not necessary to use the following ten tests. Then we know already whether it is right or wrong.

Are you still doubtful? Let us see what God says in the Bible. Everything that we do should pass the following ten tests. Anything that does not pass all the tests, should not be in the life of a Christian. Do not do it. There are better things to do.

Ten Tests Whereby a Christian Can Know: "May I Do It Or Not?"

1. Do I wish to do it to God's glory? "Well, whatever you do, whether you eat or drink, do it all for God's glory" 
(1 Cor. 10:31; also see Col. 3:23).

2. Is it a hindrance in my spiritual life? "So then, let us rid ourselves of everything that gets in the way, and of the sin which holds on to us so tightly, and let us run with determination the race that lies before us" (Hebrew 12:1; also read Matt. 18:89).

3. Does this lead to sin? "But now I tell you: anyone who looks at a woman and wants to possess her is guilty of committing adultery with her in his heart" (Matt.5:28; also see Romans 13:14).

4. In whose company will I do this thing? "Do not be fooled. Bad companions ruin good character." (1 Cor. 15:33; also see Psalm 1:12).

5. Do I lead others into temptation by doing this thing? "So then, if food makes my brother sin, I will never eat meat again, so as not to make my brother fall into sin." (1 Cor. 8:13).

6. Does it help me to win others to Christ? "While working with the Jews, I live like a Jew in order to win them ... So I become all things to all men, that I may save some of them by whatever means are possible" (1 Cor. 9:20-27).

7. Am I sure that this thing is not sin? "Anything that is not based on faith is sin." (Romans 14:23).

8. What is the end result of doing this thing? "A tree is known by the kind of fruit it bears"  (Matt. 12:33; also see James 3:10-12; 2 Cor. 6:17).

9. What would Jesus have done in my place? "Be obedient to God, and do not allow your lives to be shaped by those desires you had when you were still ignorant. Instead, be holy in all that you do, just as God who called you is holy. 
The Scripture says: Be holy because I am holy" (1 Peter 1:14-16).

10. Do I help a weaker brother by doing this thing? "We who are strong in the faith ought to help the weak to carry their burdens. We should not please ourselves." (Romans 15:1).

 

Must I be Baptised in order to be born again?

In order to understand this question we must first answer the question: What is the Second birth or what is being "born again"? The Lord Jesus taught the necessity to be regenerated or being born again in John 3:3 when He said to Nicodemus: "In truth, in very truth I tell you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God unless he has been born over again".
 What does this mean? It means that man in his natural state, under the influence of inherited sin, is lost. On the cross Jesus paid for the guilt of sin. Now, when God wants a person to change and become a Christian, the Holy Spirit comes into the heart and takes away the old love for sin, renews the person inside and he/she is born again. It is solely the activity of the Holy Spirit, just as it happened at the natural birth. The baby is totally passive in the whole process and knows nothing.
 But as soon as the Holy Spirit brought about that change inside man, whether in the childhood days or in a crisis (like Saul in Acts 9), that person adopts a changed attitude. He no longer lives for sin; he lives for God because he wants to. We say he is converted. He lives a new life for God. He is regenerated.
 Some churches teach that regeneration or new birth includes, not only Spiritual renewal, but also justification, which is affected by Baptism, especially in children. But we don't see it that way. A person can be regenerated, become a new creature (2 Corinthians 5:17) without baptism. Baptism is a sacrament. A sacrament is a sign which points to a greater mysterious work. Baptism simply says: Just as you wash your body clean with water, so Christ washes away the filth of your sin by the blood of the cross (not literally). So it is good to be baptized, but baptism is not an essential element in the second birth. If you are born again but not baptized, you are not lost. You are saved by Jesus Christ through the work of the Holy Spirit; you are not saved by baptism. The thief on the cross went to Paradise without being baptized (Luke 23:43), while Judas Iscariot was lost, even though he was probably baptised. The essential thing is faith (trust) in Jesus, not an outward sign (John 3:16, 18, 36).

 

How can a person be set free from strong drink? The question refers to a person who has become a slave of strong drink. Somebody who persistently indulges in the use of strong intoxicating liquor, in spite of the sad consequences regarding his health, his family and his job, is a slave of intoxicating liquor and cannot free himself. Such a person is called an alcoholic and certainly needs help. But he can only be helped when he himself wants to be helped. As long as a person denies that strong liquor is his boss, he cannot be helped to abstain from it. That is why we must not try to force him to stop drinking. He may promise not to drink any more, but he is unable to keep his promises.  If someone wants to help him, he/she must win his confidence by proving that he/she is a real friend who wants to help. Never condemn him or speak angry words. Listen patiently to everything the alcoholic has to say about his problems, even if you know that some may be untrue. Speak gently about the wonderful love of Jesus who is stronger than the power of liquor. Try and convince him that Jesus can save him from the power of liquor and that he must give himself to Jesus, with all his problems. If Jesus sets him free he will be free indeed.  Of course, the Lord sometimes makes use of other people to help such a person. Sometimes it is imperative that an alcoholic goes to a clinic where he can be medically assisted, so that he can cope with temptations in the future. If he wants to be assisted, his minister or other Christians may be able to help him to go.  An alcoholic can only be set free by the saving power of the Lord.  Suitable Bible texts are: Psalm 27:14; 34:7; 40:17; 46:2; Proverbs 20:1; 31:4-5; Isaiah 5:11; 26:4; 40:31; 42:10; John 8:34-36; Romans 14:21; 1 Corinthians 6:9-11; Ephesians 5:18.

 

What is the purpose of the death watch in African customs?

The custom among black people to guard the remains of a person who died, before burial, is explained in different ways when we ask questions about the motive. Some say they are afraid that the sorcerer will come and remove some of the organs of the body to prepare muti -- medicine. Some say they are afraid to sleep because they fear that they will meet the spirit of the dead one in their dreams. Others say they fear something they cannot explain.
 Others again, declare that they only meet for religions purposes to comfort the bereaved family with songs of comfort.
 If there is no connection between this custom and sorcery; no fear for the spirit of the one who died and the ancestral spirits, we, as Christians, can find no fault with it. Because, as Christians, we are in the hands of our Heavenly Father. That applies also to the Christian who died, next to whose corpse we gather together. We must say with Paul: so whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord (see Romans 14:7-12). The sorcerer cannot harm the spirit of the Christian who died because he is under the protection of the mighty Holy Spirit.

 

The baptism and filling of the Holy Spirit.

In this letter we will try to explain the difference between two important events in the life of the true Christian
 1. The baptism of the Holy Spirit and
2. the filling of the Holy Spirit.
 But we must first define what we understand when we think of the Holy Spirit.
 The Holy Spirit is a Divine Person and not a mere power.He is the Third Person in the Trinity of God. In other words, the Holy Spirit is God himself with all the attributes and activities of God.
 He took part in Creation (Genesis 1:2); 
He gives life (Job 33:4); 
He speaks (Acts 1:16; 1 Peter 1:11);
He testifies for and glorifies Christ (John 15:26; 16:14); 
He convicts of sin (John 16:8); 
He teaches (John 14:26); 
He comforts and strengthens (Acts 9:31);
He helps us to pray (Romans 8:26); 
He leads us (John 16:13); 
He sanctifies (Romans 15:16; 1 Corinthians 6:11);
He transforms a sinner into a child of God (John 3:5-8) etc.
 1. The Baptism with the Spirit
 The term Baptism with the Spirit is often use in an unbiblical sense. We need to see what the Bible itself has to say about this term.
 The baptism of the Spirit, from the standpoint of the Bible is only connected with the events which centre and circle around Pentecost. Subsequent to the book of the Acts, wherever Spirit baptism is referred to, the verb of the passage is in the past tense. That means that the baptism of the Holy Spirit is a historically fulfilled event and is not to be repeated in this dispensation. He was poured out once and for all on the church on the day of Pentecost. He is here on earth at this very moment, and he is active.
 Everyone who becomes a true Christian is at that very moment baptised with the Holy Spirit. In other words, the Spirit comes into a human life and performs the great change inside him which Christ called the second birth or being born again. In response to this working of the Spirit within him he becomes converted, a new creature (2 Corinthians 5:17-21). This can happen even in the heart and life of a very small child (2 Timothy 1:5), or in the life of an adult (Acts 9:1-9).
 The baptism of the Spirit in the life of the Christian therefore occurs when he is converted and becomes part of the true Christian church. It can occur only once (John 14:23; 1 Corinthians 12:13).
 Christians are never ordered to be baptised with the Spirit (this is God's work) but we are commanded to be filled.
 2. The Filling with the Spirit
 Some people teach that there is a second blessing which every true Christian must experience. What actually happens is that many Christians are baptised by the Holy Spirit without realizing the true meaning of it all.
 Paul writes to the Ephesians in Chapter 5:18: "Do not get drunk with wine, which will only ruin you; instead be filled with the Spirit" (Good News Bible). What does this mean? It is imperative that we understand that this means that we surrender ourselves completely to the Holy Spirit who is already in our hearts.
 Let us use a simple example: If I take a bucket which is half-filled with sand to a tap and fill it with water, the water will only fill the half that is not filled with sand. I cannot say the bucket is filled with water. This is what happens in the lives of many Christians. They are not fully surrendered to Christ and His Spirit. The indwelling Spirit controls only a part of their lives. To be filled with the Spirit does not however mean that you get more of the Spirit, but that the Spirit gets more of you.
 Don't think that the filling of the Spirit means that you must go through an emotional and miraculous experience. Some people do experience such a crisis. But please understand that in the process of sanctification the filling of the Spirit can be repeated. The baptism of the Spirit happens only once.
 Our part is to surrender our whole life to the indwelling Spirit, not to look for extraordinary experiences, to examine ourselves and not to trust or rely on our emotions. Read Galations 5:22-23. Are the fruits of the Spirit in your life? Read John 7:37-39. Do you have that joy?
 In conclusion the following advice:
 How not to be filled by the Spirit:
 1. Do not say: "Come, Holy Spirit." He is in you as a Christian. 
2. Do not seek for "power". Seek for the Spirit as the source of power - Acts 8:17-19, 21.
 How to be filled by the Spirit:
 1. Acknowledge his presence in your heart and confess all your sins daily - 1 John 1:9.
2. Accept His authority over your life - by faith in God's Word - Acts 2:38-39.
3. Keep in daily touch with Him through prayer, Bible study and meditation.
4. Rely upon him in every situation - you are never alone. His strength and love and assistance is at your disposal if you fully obey Him.

 

How can I help people who believe in spirits?

You ask how you can change your family whose faith is dependant on ancestral spirits, sangomas etc.
 One thing we should all be aware of is that we cannot change people ourselves. It is only the Holy Spirit of God who can change people inside, but we can do something. We can pray. God has chosen to let us be co-workers with Him by prayer. He works in answer to prayer, but sometimes we need to grow in our Christian lives so that the way we pray is more dependant on God. Sometimes as we pray, God needs to change us and make us more loving, more honest and trustworthy so that our families can see that being a Christian is better than their way of life.
 So that is our answer: Pray - that God will work in their hearts and also make us better witnesses for Him.

 

Do the spirits of the dead wander about on earth?

No! The Bible teaches very clearly that when one has died, it is impossible that his soul or spirit or whatever you may call it, that entered the abode of the dead, can come back to earth. Job�207:9-10 says: "Like a cloud that fades and is gone, people die and never return." David, mourning the death of a child says: "I will some day go to where he is, but he can never come back to me" (2 Samuel 12:23).
 The spirits of those who die, go to the abode of the dead immediately when the last breath has ceased. They cannot, in any form whatsoever, come back to earth. Jesus taught that clearly in the parable of the rich man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31). They shall remain there where they are until the second coming of Christ, when the dead shall rise.
 What we call "ghosts" cannot be the spirits of our departed loved ones. These mysterious things are the works of the Evil one and his many demons. They can appear in different forms, even imitating the departed loved ones. The devil can appear as an angel of light to deceive the children of God (2 Corinthians 11:14). We must not underestimate him and his power. And we must never, ever try to contact the spirits of those who have died. God forbids it, because He knows the evil powers of the devil (Leviticus 20:6).
 When a person dies and breathes his last breath, his body goes to the grave, but his spirit immediately enters the abode of the dead (Luke 23:43). God's children go to where Jesus is, while unbelievers go to another place. But let it be clear: They can never come back to be wandering spirits.

 

Who are Ham's descendants?

Ham was the son of Noah who, when his father lay drunk and naked in his tent, did not pay the necessary respect to Noah. The other two sons of Noah, Shem and Japheth, walked backwards with a robe while they kept their faces turned away so as not to see him naked, and covered Noah with the robe.
 When Noah was sober again, he placed a curse on Canaan, the son of Ham and said Canaan would be a slave to Shem and Japhet. Read the sad story in Genesis 9:20-27.
 It is difficult to say which nations are the descendants of Ham today. In Genesis 10:6-20 we find a genealogical list of some of Ham's descendents and the places where they lived.
 Please note that Noah cursed the son of Ham, Canaan. The descendents of Canaan dwelt in Canaan in the time of Joshua and were either destroyed or subjected to Israel. So the prophecy of Noah was fulfilled.
 When Christ died for the sins of the world he took away any curse that might have been on any nation and set everyone free who believes in Him. No nation or nations are today under any curse of God. Read what Paul says in Colossians 3:11.

 

Is it good to use family planning?

In many places in the Bible, God tells his people to "be fruitful" or have many children (Genesis 1:28). He told Abraham He would give him many descendents. The Psalmist in Psalm 127:3-5 speaks of children being a blessing from the Lord and says that people should have many children.
 But in our modern world we face many problems such as overpopulation and an inability to feed so many people in certain areas. The result is that there is much suffering and starvation. Of course much of this suffering is caused by sin, because if people obeyed God's laws by not taking part in sex outside of marriage, there would not be so many children born outside of families, and who are therefore not being cared for properly.
 However, parents do need to act responsibly and not allow so many children to be born that they cannot care for them properly. Children need to be fed and clothed and educated and this cannot be done if there are too many.
 So there should be some kind of limitation of children or family planning, but it would be wrong to do it with selfish motives. Some couples feel that they can have more money for themselves or be less tied down if they do not have children.
 Christian parents need to be open before God and restrict their families for reasons that are acceptable to God. Sometimes the health of the mother is a big factor to be considered. If she is not strong enough, she should ask advice from a doctor about family planning. Christian parenthood is a great responsibility before God.
 Not all methods of family planning are acceptable before God. Those which kill babies after conception, eg. abortion, are not acceptable and should be avoided.

 

Who is the God of the Bible?

All the nations of Africa believe in the existence of a supreme being. They say it is He who sends rain. He is the Creator who lives far away from mankind and is not really interested in us.
 But the Bible, which is called the Word of God, tells us clearly who the true God is and that He is really and truly interested in us all.
 What does the Bible say about God?
 It says: "We know that an idol stands for something that does not really exist; we know that there is only one God. Even if there are so-called `gods,' whether in heaven or on earth, and even though there are many of these `gods' and `lords', yet for us there is only one God, the Father, who is the Creator of all things and for whom we live; and there is only one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things were created and through whom we live" (1 Corinthians 8:4-6). Deuteronomy 4:35 and 39 says: "The Lord has shown you this, to prove that He alone is God and that there is no other ... The Lord is God in heaven and on earth. There is no other god." These verses teach us that there is only one God (Read Deuteronomy 6:4; Isaiah 44:6 and 8; Mark 12:29; Galatians 3:20).
 Furthermore, the Bible teaches that God is SPIRIT. He has no flesh and bones like a human being (John 4:24; 2 Corinthians 3:17). Those who worship Him must do so in spirit and in truth.
 In spirit: That means with all our love, fully dedicated to Him, obeying Him with all our heart and with complete adoration.
In truth: That means without false or distorted motives, honestly, with an undivided heart.
 The Bible also teaches that God is a TRINITY. This is very difficult to understand. But when God speaks about Himself or addresses Himself he says "us" or "we". And now "we" will make human beings... (Genesis 1:26). "Now the man has become like one of us" (Genesis 3:22). "Who will be our messenger?" (Isaiah 6:8). When people are baptized we hear the minister saying: "I baptize you in the name (not names) of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit" (Matthew 28:19). When the pastor closes the service he pronounces the benediction by saying: "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all" (2 Corinthians 13:13).
 Does this mean that there are three Gods: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit? No! There is only one God with three personalities in the Godhead. Our small human understanding cannot explain or grasp this mystery. All we can do is to believe it because this is how God revealed Himself to us.
 The second Person, the Son, became a man in a miraculous way (read Matthew 1:18-22; Luke 1:26-38 and Luke 2:1-14). He had to become a real man to be able to pay the debt of the sins of man by His own blood on the cross (Philippians 2:5-11). He rose from the dead and in His glorified body ascended to heaven (Luke 24:50-52; Acts 7:56).
 On the day of Pentecost the third Person, the Holy Spirit, descended to earth (Acts 1:5-8; Acts 2:1-13). He is still here and also lives in the hearts of the children of God. We don't understand how He does this, but it is wonderful to know it. If you are a real Christian, He is also in your heart (Romans 8:9).
 But the greatest miracle of all is that the God of the Bible, who is too wonderful to understand, loves you and me and is interested in everyone of us. "For God so loved the world (you also) that He gave His one and only Son, so that whoever (you included) who believes in Him (you also) shall not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16).
 Please understand that you need no one else to speak to Him on your behalf. You can speak through Christ to Him in prayer, because on the day of His crucifixion, when the curtain hanging in the temple was torn from top to bottom, the road to His heart was opened for us (Matthew 27:51). "When you pray, go to your room, close the door, and pray to your Father, who is unseen" (Matthew 6:6). This is a command of Jesus.
 God is too wonderful in His being to explain Him. But the most wonderful news is that He loves us, and that we may know Him personally.

 

How can I be certain that I am saved?

God wants us to be certain that our sins are forgiven. He wants us to be in the right relationship with Him. This is possible because Jesus died for us on the cross (Ephesians 1:7; Isaiah 53:5-6). The Bible says: "These things have I written ... that you may know that you have eternal life" (1 John 5:13).
 If you haven't trusted Jesus fully, you can do so now. We wrote a prayer at the end of this letter which you can pray. Come just as you are!
 The Lord promises you in John 6:37: "I will never turn away anyone who comes to me." He shall forgive all your sins if you trust Him, Him alone (Acts 10:43).
 If you still doubt, even if you gave yourself to him, do the following:
 1. Trust the promises of the Lord, do not trust your feelings. God promises, "if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (our wrongdoing)" (1 John 1:9). You must believe Him and accept this promise. It is only one of His many promises such as John 1:12; John 3:16 and others. We must not try to feel saved, we are saved because Jesus says so. Ponder over these promises and believe them. If you gave your heart to the Lord, don't believe Satan when he says the Lord did not accept you. Read what John 8:44 says about the devil.
 2. Tell other people that you are now living a new life. Tell them that the Lord saved you and that you are on a new road now. Read Romans 10:9 with great care. A secret disciple of Jesus is a weak disciple.
 3. Remember that it is the task of the Holy Spirit to tell us that we really are God's children; that you are a real believer (underline the following verses in your Bible: Romans 8:15-16; 2 Corinthians 1:21-22).
 Say with Paul the words of 2 Timothy 1:12. (Read it aloud from your Bible).
 If you still need help, please write again.
_________________________________________________________________
 If you gave yourself to Jesus
 Fill in this form, print it out and place it in your Bible:
 Lord Jesus, I, __________________________ give myself to you today with all my sins and weaknesses. Come into my heart and purify it with Your blood. Let Your Holy Spirit stay in my heart and help me to be Your child forever! I thank you (I say so, believing Revelation 3:20) that you entered my heart this day _________________________ (date).
 From now on I am on a new road, Your road. I want to live for you, for you only!

?

Is it wrong to repeat our prayers? The Bible does not forbid us to repeat our prayers. Jesus says: "When you pray, do not use a lot of meaningless words, as the pagans do, who think that their gods wil hear them because their prayers are long" (Matthew 6:7). The Lord warns against the use of senseless repetitions - i.e. saying the same words over and over again until you are hypnotized. The priests of Baal prayed like that in 1Kings 18:26. They called from morning until noon: "O Baal, hear us."  The Lord warns against such practices as shouting slogans over and over in prayers. He says, on the other hand: We must pray without ceasing (Luke 18:1; 1 Thess 5:17). That is, our attitude must be right, we must be in contact with him always, without repeating empty phrases. We should not be discouraged if He does not answer us immediately in the way we expected.

 

What does the number 666 mean in Revelation 13:16-18?

Slaves usually received a mark on their hand as proof of who their owner was. Kings of those times had their own personal stamp or seal for use on official documents. This mark to which John refers namely 666 must be understood symbolically. Six is often used as the symbolic number of humankind (two arms, two legs, one head, one body). "It is man's number" (verse 18).
 Through the ages people have tried to identify a person to whom this number may refer, instead of trying to establish what his main function is said to be. There are several methods which were used to try to identify a certain person to which 666 refers. One method is to give a number to every letter of the alphabet. For example: A=1; B=2, C=3; D=4 etc. So we can identify a name like Bongikasi = 115; and Vusumuzi = 152. The name of Caesar Nero in Greek is 666, because in Greek some of the letters also have numerical values.
 There are Bible expositors who teach that the number 7 is the divine number of perfection, and 6 the incomplete number of man. They say that 777 refers to the Three-in-One God and that the person or power to which 666 refers, will be nearly perfect, but will never quite attain it. The purpose of the symbolic number 666 is thus to warn the believers that the Antichrist will be active near the end of time to seduce or tempt the people to believe him and to follow him. That is why believers are warned not to worship the image of the beast (verse 16).
 Other people believe that the number refers to the computer age. If you look at the bar code on any article, you will notice that there are three codes that are longer than the others, but are not explained. Compare them to any of the numbers that are given, and you will see that the two thin lines mean 6. The three unnamed numbers on every barcoded article are therefore 666!. There are also proposals that every person on earth should be marked with an invisible bar code on the hand or forehead, which will have the same purpose as a credit card. It will prevent fraud, because every person will have a unique number. You will also be able to buy without money, and the amount will be substracted from your bank account and deposited in the shopkeeper's account electronically. Nobody will be able to rob you of your money or credit card, because it will be imprinted in your body. In the light of this development it is interesting to see what Revelation 13:16-17 says!
 The number may therefore have several different explanations. The mark is a symbol of the attacks of the evil one on the Christian church. Christians have to remain true to their faith and loyalty to Christ even if they are persecuted. But the Lord will still be with them to support them, in whichever way the attacks may come.

 

Who is God?

God is the name the Bible gives to the great and wonderful Creator, the one who made the whole universe (Genesis 1:1). We live in time, so we have a beginning and an end. But God is different. God has no beginning and no end (Psalm 90:2). We live in a world of change, but God never changes. His love and care never change.
 Christians believe in one God. The key verse of the Torah is: "Hear, o Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your soul and with all your strength (Deuteronomy 6:4-5). It is the will of God that He becomes the focus of our entire life (Mark 12:28-30).
 God has the right to command our ultimate loyalty because of who He is. In order to understand God as revealed in the Bible, we must ask: "What is not true about God?"
 First, God is not the invention of the human mind. The Bible calls all man-made gods false gods or images (Hosea 13:2-3).
 Second, God is not in any way part of nature. No aspect of the universe is worthy of worship (Exodus 20:4-6).
 Third, God is known, not through human philosophy, but rather by what He has done. It is God Who takes the initiative to reveal Himself to mankind.
 If God is known by what He does, the question then arises, what has He done?
 First, God has acted as Creator (Genesis 1; Romans 1:20). One way in which the Bible refers to God as the Creator of mankind is "Father" (Matthew 6:9). God as Father cares for His creation and especially for mankind.
 Second, God has acted by revealing Himself. God guided the prophets or their disciples to write the revelations which the prophets received from God (Hebrews 1:1). It is in this way that the Holy Scriptures have been formed. The Bible often refers to God Who reveals Himself through the words of the prophets (Zechariah 7:12).
 Third, God has also acted in history. His acts in history were especially evident to the people of faith who participated in the Biblical covenant community (Psalm 78:1-72).
 The most dramatic and definite act of God in human history is the coming of the Messiah, Jesus Christ. Through the Messiah, God has revealed Himself in a special way as Saviour (Matthew 1:21; Hebrews 1:1-3). The coming of Jesus Christ from heaven to this earth is crucial to the Christian understanding of God. Christians believe that through God's revelation in Jesus the Messiah, all the dimensions of God's revelation through nature, prophets or history are fulfilled and enlightened. Through Jesus we recognize in a special way that God's revelation to mankind is one of self-giving love. That is the key to understanding God as the Father who is the Creator, God as the Spirit Who reveals Himself through the words of prophets, God as the Saviour Who acts in history (Luke 5:32). The love of God is the fountain out of which the Christian witness concerning God proceeds (1 John 4:16).
 When the New Testament calls Jesus "the Son of God," this does not for a moment mean that God begot a child through a woman, as men beget their children. The title must be understood along with all the other names given to Jesus in the Bible. The title indicates, above all, the extremely close relationship between Jesus and God. He is not merely someone "sent by God"; He has a unique knowledge of God, there is between Him and God an intimacy so profound that it becomes an actual identity of thought and action. Therefore, according to the New Testament, to obey Jesus is to obey the One who sent Him; to reject Jesus is to reject the One who sent Him; to believe in Jesus is not to believe in another Lord besides God ö it is to believe in God through Jesus (John 5:23, 10:30; 12:44).
 According to the Bible, there can be no true knowledge of God outside Jesus Christ.
 The one true God Who reveals Himself as Creator, Spirit, Saviour is a perfect unity of self-giving love (John 17:22). Although the Bible does not use the term, later in the history of the Christian church Christians began to use the word Trinity to try to express in human language the mystery of God's perfect unity and perfect love. The concept of Trinity was not intended to convey that there are three gods. Never! The term is now used throughout the Christian Church in an attempt to express in human language the Biblical witness that there is only one God whose very essence is redemptive love. Christians recognize that it is unwise to attempt to explain God. Our attempts to explain God are never adequate. The term Trinity is an example of the inability of human language to adequately express the mystery of God.
 Although God is a mystery, He is not unknown. The Biblical witness is that God has chosen to make Himself known to us. We have already noted that through Jesus, God has revealed Himself in a special way as Saviour (Matthew 1:21). Jesus was unique in His virgin-birth, His titles, sinlessness, His ascension to heaven. Jesus gave His life for our redemption from sin. He is the perfect Lamb of God, and through His sacrificial death and resurrection, we are forgiven and redeemed (Revelation 5:9).
 The willingness of Abraham to offer his son to God (Genesis 22) was the highest proof of love that any man could show for God, so the grace of God in giving His Son for us must be the greatest manifestation of God's Love for men. By giving His life on the cross, Jesus gave Himself as the perfect sacrifice for our sins (Hebrews 8:10). The return of Jesus from heaven will be the climax of history. He will return to judge the living and the dead, awarding eternal life to those who love and obey Him, while casting the rest into outer darkness where they will remain for ever as objects of God's wrath.
 It should be clear by now that it is very important for you to know this wonderful God personally. You can. You can talk to Him in prayer right now. If your need any further help, please contact us by email.