Writing #1 (Part Two of Three)
Page 12 Why a creation based upon love can still produce evil
Page 13 Why God allows evil to continue while so many suffer
Page 14 Clarifying the 2 key parts about Christianity
Page 15 Why our spiritual birth is crucial for eternal life
Page 16 Biblical support for the Trinity (Father, Son, Spirit)
Page 17 Why a loving God must judge all sinners
Page 18 Logical reasons to trust Christ rose from the dead
Page 19 Explaining atonement using modern courts of law
Pages 20 – 24 are Part Three and include:
Page 20 Why we can have confidence the Bible is accurate
Page 21 The oldest Bible manuscripts we currently have
Page 22 Brief answers about claimed Bible contradictions
Some pages are still being edited
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Page 12 of 24 Why a creation based upon love can still produce evil (This page is equal to about four A4 pages long as I included a section about the heart condition, addictions, depression, and appreciation Edit in progress)
As humans, we have a foundational understanding of right and wrong.
Here are a few clues to support we were designed to understand morality, and purity.
- Humans have a logical conscience. This is what enables us to recognise what is kind and what is cruel.
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- The general consensus among humans is that ‘lasting feelings of calm’ come about through loving choices, not rudeness and disrespect.
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- Therefore, based upon this logic, purity (the highest level of peace and respect) is the ultimate path to experiencing the highest level of calm.
- We are also made with fragile flesh and bones, so that we can experience and learn from the effects of kindness and cruelty.
- Plus, we have emotions that help us to further understand the conditions that bring about happiness and suffering.
- On top of all this, humans understand logical laws, and appropriate justice.
It is no coincidence every sovereign nation is built upon the foundation of enforceable laws.
It is also worth bearing in mind that even extremely evil people understand cruelty when such actions are directed towards them.
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Humans were created with the gift of freewill so that we could each make personal choices. This is a key requirement for each of us to have an individual personality.
Freewill means ‘having a genuine opportunity to make personal choices’.
The very nature of freewill choice must allow for both respectful and disrespectful choices to be made.
Because our actions can have consequences that affect others, this is why us having freewill carries with it a huge responsibility.
There is a reason adults teach young children to behave and be respectful. This displays that adults understand right and wrong. But who focuses on teaching the adults, especially when they become corrupt?
If we teach young children to try to be pure, how much more should we try to encourage adults, given that adults are meant to be leaders within society for young children to look up to and follow?
Sadly, many people view the pursuit of purity as a weakness, when it is actually a strength – especially because God will bless us for our efforts.
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So again, why can a creation based upon love still produce evil?
True love can only exist when we have freewill to choose who / what we love. This is why love cannot be forced or programmed, it can only be explained and encouraged.
And so, just because this Creation was made on the foundation of love, the very fact that freewill choices exist, means that the opportunity to choose evil must also exist.
If we couldn’t genuinely choose to do real evil, it would show that we never had true freewill. If we never had true freewill, it would mean that the love we can experience could never be true love.
Bear in mind that a rock falling onto a creature is not evil, because that rock has no freewill to decide (or alter) its course of actions. Evil actions come about through the ability of choice.
Of course there are cases where some evil choices occur through manipulation, pressure, or even due to the influence of chemical substances, and possibly demonic forces, but as humans we each have the ability to repent, so are called to take this action if and when we do stumble.
Again, the Bible teaches that God is super merciful to those who repent sincerely.
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For reality to be authentic all actions must produce accurate consequences. This applies to both loving choices and cruel choices.
When individuals choose to do evil, if God did not allow evil choices to produce their genuine consequences, it would show that our reality is not accurate.
Also, how would we truly comprehend the harm evil can cause if we never witnessed its damaging effects? Many modern deterrents to corruptions have come about through deeper understanding gained over years / generations of knowledge. But the fact innocent lives still suffer, shows just how careful we should be with our freewill choices.
This need for education is why God allows actions to produce their true consequences, and why He will judge unrepentant sinners after they pass from this life.
The Bible teaches that our ancestors were told to be obedient to God’s guidance, but as with many lessons in life, we often only truly value such guidance after experiencing the effects of rejecting wise instruction. When wisdom is not passed on, it doesn’t take long for entire generations to become corrupt.
Until we pass from this life, we all have the opportunity to repent of our sins. This is the mercy God allows us – it is truly staggering, and is a further display of the compassion true love can offer.
God knows we all grow to tolerate various corruptions, this is why He offers us the opportunity to be re-guided by Him. This guidance takes place through a Spiritual Birth (see Page 15), which effectively helps restore our moral conscience to less corrupt levels so that we can grow in wisdom and truth.
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Section about the heart condition, addictions, depression and appreciation. Edit in progress
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God examines our heart condition to see who uses freewill responsibly, and how consistent we are.
The heart condition is what influences our thoughts, words, and deeds.
This is why the Bible teaches that guarding our lives from corrupt influences is so critical.
In the book of Proverbs, chapter 4, verse 23 it says this:
Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.
It is often when we are most weak / tired / frustrated that our true heart condition is exposed. And because the heart condition directly affects our ‘critical thinking abilities’, a purer heart will naturally produce far more wise choices during such weaker moments than a corrupted heart.
It is no coincidence people stumble back into addictions when they experience moments of weakness / or are more stressed. This is why protecting the heart is especially important for those with a weaker disposition. The best way to overcome addictions / sins, is to surround oneself with more pure influences.
Plus, one of the best ways to overcome depression is to have more appreciation for what we already have.
For example, clothes don’t have to look good in order to keep us warm. Food doesn’t need to taste amazing for it to be nutritious and energise us. A job doesn’t need to be enjoyable for it to pay us money that we can then use to have fun or progress. Learning (including reading – such as the Bible) doesn’t need to be entertaining for us to gain huge benefits.
And may I add that reading the Bible took me a long time, and felt very boring for the first few months (I was reading it at a rate of less than one page every few days, starting from Page 1 in the Old Testament). But the guidance, wisdom and understanding I have gained has transformed my life, and has led me to do plenty of research and then try to compile this website.
Also, experiences don’t need to be nice / comfortable in order for us to learn a good lesson. Some of the best lessons I learnt came about through struggles. They conditioned me mentally and physically so that I can now endure so much more than before. Of course, had I gained sufficient wisdom earlier, I could have avoided a lot of strife, but I did gain a huge amount of empathy on my journey.
A good education is a fortune that can last forever. This includes life-lessons, as well as studying sensible topics.
Wisdom is the highest level of education as this directs how we use our intelligence. This is why the Bible encourages us in the book of Proverbs, chapter 8, verse 11:
For wisdom is better than rubies; and all the things that may be desired are not to be compared to it.
So, if your feel that your glass is only half full, pour that ‘drink’ into a smaller glass. Appreciation is the fastest way to experience greater wealth. The more appreciation we have for the smaller details to life, the greater our ability to respect and enjoy this incredible creation – and God promises He will purify this creation; this will give us further opportunities to feel blessed.
A lack of appreciation is a far more expensive attitude and often causes people to make larger investments for relatively marginal gains. (And when it comes to investments, please consider charity – the imbalance of wealth in our world has created many who are needy and worthy of our support.)
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There is actually scientific evidence of how water molecules change their structure when respectful and disrespectful words are used, so please consider how repeated actions can affect our physical and spiritual health. It is also worth pointing out that some people have a higher baseline of good health, so negative affects may take longer to manifest when compared to others of a lower baseline of good health.
When society neglects to protect its members from corrupt choices (such as swear words, lust, violent entertainment etc.) this will be reflected in how easily people feel they can justify their immoral choices.
When large numbers of people feel they can justify their corrupt ways, this opens the door to passing laws that protect these new levels of freedom. When laws are passed, it becomes very hard to undo them, even when these laws support corruptions.
This is why wise leadership and logical boundaries are fundamental to protecting the long term health of a society. Plus, a wise society seeks to protect its weakest and most vulnerable members.
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Also, God doesn’t simply focus on our deeds, He also examines our intentions – He views our lives with an unbiased perspective. For example, many people try to do better, but often still stumble to make a big difference. On the other hand, wealthy people are able to donate comparatively large amounts of wealth without it really being much effort, or much of a compromise to their comfort levels.
And finally on this point for now, while we cannot be held accountable for other people’s choices when they go against what we support, we can still be held accountable for our intentions, and this includes our lack of willingness to support what God encourages us to respect – therefore, in certain cases, indifference to a corruption can be similar to supporting that corruption.
Page 13 of 24 Why God allows evil to continue while so many suffer (This page is equal to about 1 and ¼ A4 pages long)
After evil / sin entered the Creation, the reason God is allowing this corrupted creation to continue, is so that when it reaches its conclusion, we will be left with no doubt about sin’s true destructive power.
This way, those of us who repent, will have a strong enough understanding and motivation to avoid sin forever.
If God put a stop to this corrupted creation too early, there would remain some doubts about just how damaging sin could become.
It is not just an education for humans, it is an education for the angels too, and a further reason for judgment upon the fallen angels and unrepentant corrupt humans.
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The book of Revelation reveals some alarming prophecies. It is worth considering that for all the credible evidence we have built up, we have NEVER proven any Bible prophecy to be false. This means, so far, the Bible prophecies have a 100% record of accuracy. This gives us fair reason to trust the remaining prophecies will be fulfilled accurately too.
Please bear in mind no other religion or spiritual belief comes close to providing the large number of detailed prophecies the Bible records.
Also, where other religions claim we are granted eternal life based upon ‘our good deeds’, only Judeo-Christianity claims we require a Saviour.
When we look more closely at religions, Judeo-Christianity is unique. It also explains how to deal with evil far more clearly than other religions. Plus, no religion can rival Judeo-Christianity’s recording of accurate history, reliable prophecies, wisdom, or explanations of the human heart condition.
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The reason many people struggle with sin, even when they try to overcome it, is because when our bodies have already experienced the enjoyable feelings of lust, alcohol, drugs, wealth, power etc. it can be hard to reject these feelings. This is why certain temptations can be so tempting.
Also, this is why even loyal Christians must pass from this life, so that we can receive new purified bodies fit for eternity. When we receive new purified bodies that have never experienced any sin, we will have far more self-control and so upholding God’s standards will be far more natural.
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For eternity to be eternal peace, life must flourish without corruptions / impurities. Judeo-Christianity educates us about what purity means, why God has such high standards, and just how powerful love really is.
The only way to overcome evil is to care enough to be rid of it.
This is why Love is the greatest force known to humans, and why resisting corruptions are so worthwhile.
God’s standards focus on resisting evil. They are not given to annoy us, instead they are there to protect society’s long-term understanding of true wisdom, peace and prosperity.
Page 14 of 24 Clarifying the 2 key parts about Christianity (This page is equal to about 1 and ¼ A4 pages long)
Allow me to further clarify something about Christianity. It is meant to be available to all humans: young and old, simple and intelligent, poor and rich. We are all sinners so salvation is available to all sinners who repent. This is why it is meant to be simple to receive, and logical to understand.
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Through repentance of our sins, we acknowledge that sin is wrong. Acknowledging sin is wrong displays that our logic is intact / reliable. The act of repentance displays we are willing to be morally improved.
In the New Testament book of 1 John, chapter 1, verse 8 it says this:
If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
Through us accepting Christ’s atonement, we display trust in the witnesses who claimed to have seen the risen Christ.
In the New Testament book of Romans, chapter 10, verse 9 it says this:
If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
Please bear in mind that in this verse, God refers to God the Father. Christ is also God but in the form of God the Son. The God of the Bible is still One God, and I explain the Biblical support for the trinity / the triune God on Page 16.
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Some key reasons to believe in eternal life are:
- Witnesses during the 1st Century AD claimed a man came back from the dead.
This is why Christianity took off so quick so soon after Christ’s crucifixion, and why many believers were willing to give their lives to stand by their testimony so soon after the crucifixion.
- We have accounts recorded during the 1st century that support the eye-witnesses claims, including letters from early churches from 95 AD.
- Christ’s resurrection is further supported, because in the Bible there are various prophesies regarding the sufferings the coming Christ would experience, plus there are prophetic details about his burial – the book of Isaiah, chapter 53 is one example.
We currently have copies of fragments of the book of Isaiah that date back to at least 150 years before Christ was crucified.
There are reasons to believe the book of Isaiah was first recorded during the 8th Century BC, before the Assyrian invasion, some 700 years before Christ’s crucifixion.
Again, this is what separates Judeo-Christianity’s claim for eternal life from all other religions. What other religion can claim eye-witnesses and ancient prophecies that support a person coming back to life?
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Page 15 of 24 Why our spiritual birth is crucial for eternal life (This page is equal to about ¾ of an A4 page long)
For our willingness to believe in those whom God chose to be faithful recorders of the events surrounding Christ (many of us get our knowledge from the Gospel writers Matthew, Mark, Luke and John), we display we are willing to listen to God. This displays we are humble enough to trust God. He then rewards our willingness, by blessing us with the Holy Spirit.
(Again, the reasons we should try to trust God are the amount of reliable prophecies the Bible records, and the accuracy of history it records.)
The Holy Spirit then facilitates our ‘spiritual birth’. On Earth we experienced a physical birth, but for eternity we require a spiritual birth.
Our ‘spiritual birth’ is important once we consider how we can each become purified, so that we are morally fit for eternal life with God. Without our purification, we cannot dwell with God – who is holy / pure.
This is why religions and spiritual beliefs that reject Christ are insufficient.
- The Holy Spirit works within us to re-guide our conscience.
- Many of us have hardened our heart / distorted our conscience, so that we have grown to be far more comfortable with sin. This includes accepting false beliefs, and corrupt ideologies.
- The Holy Spirit helps us to re-understand the seriousness of sin, and the huge benefits of living with less corruptions.
The more we listen to our conscience, the more we will grow.
- The Holy Spirit also guides us in the truth, including studying the Bible and accepting it as truth. Plus, The Holy Spirit helps guide our prayers.
- Given that I have personally experienced improved intuition and improved moments of awareness since my awakening, I feel that The Holy Spirit guides us in many other ways too.
Page 16 of 24 Biblical support for the Trinity (Father, Son, Spirit) (This page is equal to about ¾ of an A4 page long)
For any person who wonders about the idea of the trinity (God the Father, God the Son, and God The Holy Spirit), this is actually supported in the Hebrew texts of the Torah, in the book of Genesis, chapter 1, verse 26.
When the Hebrew text says ‘let us make man in our image’, the us and our are plurals. In Hebrew, a plural is made by a minimum of 3 parts, not a minimum of 2 parts like English plurals require. This is one clue to the trinity – although the Bible never uses the actual word trinity.
As we go through the Old Testament, many references are made to each individual character of God. God can still be ONE even though there are 3 characters, this is because all 3 characters are in PERFECT UNITY.
How else can love exist if there is not another person / persons to love, and get love back from? The reason we can even feel any love – even when we are alone, is because we have a link to God, so please try to nurture this, as this is the path to true enlightenment and consistent more stable happiness.
I guess a loose but somewhat similar comparison to the trinity can be how a sports team can be one team, but are made up of multiple individuals, who all work together in the same direction / to achieve the same goals.
Many other references to the Father, Son and Spirit can be found throughout the Bible. For example, in the New Testament, the book of Matthew, chapter 28, verse 19 says:
‘Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.’
This YouTube video gives further examples of Bible texts supporting the trinity:
Page 17 of 24 Why a loving God must judge all sinners (This page is equal to about 1 and ½ A4 pages long)
Friendships are so valuable because they are not programmed. They can only come about through a level of respectful effort between 2 or more individuals.
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True love and true respect are highest when corruptions are at their lowest.
The highest level of love is purity = zero corruptions.
God is truly a God of Love because He has zero corruptions.
But in order to uphold such a pure level of love, this also means His moral standards must be of the highest level, which is why God must oppose all corruptions / sins.
- The more we understand purity, the more we understand why God classes certain actions and attitudes as corruptions / sins.
God uses law to judge sin, this way He can judge fairly, without any bias.
- We either break His laws, or do not break His laws – our personal status in society is not taken into consideration; we are all dealt with as equals. This is why all who sincerely repent can be saved.
It is no coincidence humans have the capacity to understand morality, law and justice, whereas animals do not have the same capacity. Wild animals often steal each others food, have various sexual partners, and cannot process or abide by justice like humans can. This is a clue humans were made separate, in God’s image – just as the Bible teaches.
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For salvation to be offered to those of us who have sinned, it must comply with God’s law. Various references are made to this law throughout the Bible, for example in the book of Ezekiel, chapter 18, verse 8 it says:
The soul that sins, it shall die.
And why in the book of Romans, chapter 6, verse 23 it says:
For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
This means that even though we repent, our sins must still be punished in accordance with God’s law.
In order to uphold law, justice must be shown to be served.
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But if the wages of sin is death, this means we must die for our sins. So, how can we ever be brought back to life? This is why an atonement for our sins had to be offered.
An atonement is a way to make amends for any wrong doing.
Jesus Christ’s atonement for our sins is The Key to eternal life, as He paid the legal price for our personal sins – a price that if we paid this ourselves we could never live again. But because Jesus never sinned, He was able to be brought back to life / have His life restored.
According to the Bible, Jesus’s physical death meant His soul could go to Sheol, so that He could preach victory to the captives. This is why for the 3 days Jesus had physically died, His soul was in the heart of the Earth. After this, He returned to Earth, was made whole again, revealed Himself to numerous witnesses, and then ascended into heaven.
Page 18 of 24 Logical reasons to trust Christ rose from the dead (This page is equal to about 1 and ¼ A4 pages long)
If you doubt Christ’s death and resurrection ever took place, you will have a difficult time trying to explain the following:
A) How Christianity took off so fast, so soon after Christ’s claimed resurrection, from such a small and seemingly inferior group of Jewish believers.
B) How early Christians were able to endure such extreme persecutions, and how Christianity grew stronger, not weaker, in the face of such formidable opposition.
C) How, from a seemingly inferior group of believers, their impact became so influential that some 300 years after Christ’s claimed resurrection, the Roman Empire abandoned their pagan beliefs and embraced Christianity.
D) How, due to the Jews who rejected Christ, Israel was expelled from their homeland for around 1900 years. This time period fits with the prophesied exile as recorded in the book of Ezekiel. See this link for more clarification: Ezekiel’s 430 Days (Koinonia House’s website).
https://www.khouse.org/personal_update/articles/2000/ezekiels-430-days
E) How Jesus’s prophecy about the destruction of the Second Temple came true, and why the Second Temple (that was used for atonement sacrifices to God) was not replaced with another temple.
- Due to Christ’s atonement, there is no need for another temple, because Christ fulfilled the ultimate atonement sacrifice.
- The prophesied Third Temple is not a requirement for atonements, but it will signify the end times are very near.
F) Jesus’s prophecy from the book of Matthew, chapter 24, verse 14: ‘And this Gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a testimony to all nations, and then will the end come.’
- When this was recorded, Christianity only had a relatively small and local following. It hadn’t got anywhere near to being globally accepted. And yet today, Christianity is truly global. Parts of the Bible have been translated in over 3500 languages.
G) The cohesive and consistent message of the Bible accounts, across over 1500 years of written recordings, (including the numerous prophecies regarding the Christ – the Saviour of the world), all help support the Bible’s authenticity.
- Please bear in mind across this time period, the nation of Israel experienced much political and social instability, including exiles to Assyria and Babylon. So, the way the Bible accounts remained so consistent, and the way they also share embarrassing moments about key figures, suggest these writings were not propaganda, but instead were recordings of actual history and were divinely inspired.
- Again, the accuracy of the numerous prophecies are very hard to ignore.
History is often written by the victors. This is why many events get covered, and why much evidence of the past gets destroyed or lost. The fact we can still confirm so much of the Bible is a testament to its integrity.
Page 19 of 24 Explaining atonement using modern courts of law (This page is equal to about 1 and ½ A4 pages long)
I mentioned on Page 17 how God uses law to judge sin. I also mentioned how an atonement can allow sinners to be legally forgiven. The reason salvation must be in accordance with God’s moral law is so that all sin is legally punished.
Let me use an example from our modern western legal system about how justice must be served, but also how an atonement can still be legally accepted in order to redeem a convicted criminal:
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When a person is in court, charged with a crime, the judge must give a legal punishment. It is not enough for the criminal to simply apologise to the judge. Nor is it enough for them to prove they have done lots of charity work.
The legality of law requires law breakers to be punished – justice must be shown to have been served. One example of a punishment is a court fine.
Now, if a court fine is issued, but the criminal has no way to pay this fine, it is still legally acceptable for an innocent third party to pay the court fine; but only provided the criminal accepts the kind offer.
This innocent third party’s payment is a legally accepted atonement that can free the convicted criminal from having to pay the court fine them self.
However, if the criminal rejects this ‘third party’ offer, they must pay the fine themselves. And if the criminal cannot pay the court fine, the punishment may be legally upgraded to imprisonment.
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With salvation, Jesus (Yeshua) is this innocent third party. He paid for our sins, but we must accept His offer in order to benefit. If we reject Jesus, we are left to pay for our sins ourself – which God teaches is the second death. It is the second death because we will all be resurrected to face God on the Day of Judgment. Those who did not repent will not be granted eternal life – hence the term the second death.
For us to receive eternal life, this is only possible through our purification.
The reason why is because, for eternal life to be of the highest level of peace, no sin or corruption may be acceptable. God is teaching us about the highest level of love.
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The problem with humans is, no matter how hard we try, we cannot purify ourselves 100%. We still have corrupt thoughts, and can still be provoked to doing some sin – even if it is to tell a small lie.
The level God designed for his creation was a perfect level. We struggle to understand this, simply because we are not perfect. But when we are purified, the lack of impurities within us will enable this level to be maintained naturally.
If we try to do good now (and we are surrounded by corruptions), just think how much easier it will be when we are not surrounded by corrupt influences.
Also, a lot of corruptions stem from a lack of satisfaction, which can causes us to seek joy in sometimes not so pure ways. The book of James, chapter 4, verse 1 says this: What causes quarrels and causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war with you?
Verse 3 then says: You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly to spend it on your passions.
A key part of becoming a mature Christian is recognising God’s will, and asking / praying for things in accordance with His will.
EDIT in progress feel free to jump to Writing #1 Part Three (below)
Please recognise that not everyone who claims they are Christian are a true Christian in the eyes of God. Many people are self-deceived. The Bible reminds us in 2 Corinthians, chapter 13, verse 5:
Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith
The Bible gives many warnings about people being self-deceived. Just because someone claims to be a Christian – even if they hold high places in church office, this does not guarantee they are regarded as a Christian by God. I will cover being self-deceived on page – – , but will for now just share these verses from the book of James, chapter 1, verse 26 and 27:
26) If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless.
27) Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.
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Writing #1 (Part Three of Three)
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Writing #1 (Part Three of Three)
Page 20 Why we can have confidence the Bible is accurate
Page 21 The oldest Bible manuscripts we currently have
Page 22 Brief answers about claimed Bible contradictions
Page 23 A quick way to sum up sin
Page 24 Summary
Page 20 of 24 Why we can have confidence the Bible is accurate (This page is equal to about one A4 page long)
The Bible accounts were written across a period of approximately 1500 years, using 40 different writers; the final book (called Revelation) was completed around the end of the 1st Century AD.
We no longer have any original copies of any Bible accounts, but that should be expected. This is because papyrus (which is one of the materials they used to write on) does not last long when being handled regularly, or when stored in humid environments. (The Dead Sea Scrolls were found in an area that was very dry, this is what helped preserve them).
Today, all we have are copies of the original Bible accounts. But this is not a problem if the text has been copied accurately, and there is very strong evidence that this has been the case, as explained in Point B) on Page 21.
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Many people who doubt Christianity make the assumption that the Bible was just written by people – without any special divine guidance. However, over 25% of the Bible relates to prophecy; this translates to over 8000 verses, and these include fulfilled and unfulfilled prophecies.
Prophecy is not a common human ability, and even fortune tellers and other claimed prophets have a history of getting some predictions wrong.
And yet so far, for all the evidence we have found, we have never proven any Bible prophecy to be false. This is of huge significance, and is why Christians have confidence the remaining prophecies will also be fulfilled.
What gives the Bible further credibility is that three major prophecies were only truly fulfilled in the last 300 years, and two of these prophecies predicted exact years of when they would be fulfilled, see Page 18 Point D as well as Writing #2 More Evidence. This goes well beyond the realm of coincidence. MAYBE ADD EXPLANATION HERE OF THE “ DTAES EDIT EDIT EDIT
So when Christians try to encourage people to repent of personal sins to God, and accept the legal atonement provided through Jesus Christ, there are very solid reasons why.
This website www.helpsavemany.com is designed to bring a whole range of evidence, plus provide simplified explanations, all into one place.
We don’t need to be super-religious in order to be saved. We simply are called to repent of our personal sins (sincerely), trust in Christ, and take the issue of sin more seriously so that we try to improve.
Page 21 of 24 The oldest Bible manuscripts we currently have (This page is equal to about one A4 page long)
A) The oldest Old Testament fragments in current known existence are the Silver Ketef Hinnom Scrolls. They were found by Prof. Gabriel Barkay in 1979-1980 during excavations in a series of burial caves in Ketef Hinnom.
They have been dated to around 700BC and share the priestly blessing that match those from the book of Deuteronomy chapter 7 verse 9:
…who keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love Him and keep His commandments…
and the book of Numbers chapter 6 verses 24-26:
The LORD bless you and keep you;
the LORD make his face shine on you and be gracious to you;
the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.
B) In 1947 the Dead Sea Scrolls were found in Qumran. These contained a significant amount of the Old Testament, plus the New Testament. Some parts of the Old Testament accounts have been dated to the 3rd Century BC.
Before these were found, the earliest known complete Old Testament manuscript was the Leningrad Codex, dating to 1008 AD.
The discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls allowed scholars to see how much the biblical text had changed in over 1000 years of transmission. They discovered that very little had changed, and that the Hebrew Bible had been transmitted with incredible accuracy over a millennium.
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C) The oldest New Testament fragments we currently know of, date to the 2nd Century AD.
D) However, we also have many letters by the ‘early church fathers’; one dates from around 95 AD. In these letters they quoted large parts of the New Testament. In fact, so much was quoted, that even if we never had a copy of the Bible, we could still restore most of the New Testament just from these letters.
E) The oldest almost complete copies of the Bible date back to the 4th Century AD. These are the Codex Sinaiticus (found at Mount Sinai in Israel) and the Codex Vaticanus (held in the Vatican library).
There are also numerous Bible codes found in the Hebrew and Greek manuscripts. These are so complicated to design that modern super-computers cannot currently replicate them, see the first 3 videos – found in the Videos section on the Main Page, under the title: Chuck Missler Videos for examples. Plus see Writing #2.
Page 22 of 24 Brief answers about claimed Bible contradictions (This page is equal to about 1 and ½ A4 pages long)
Many people have been taught there are contradictions in the Bible.
However, this is not actually the case. Instead, there are details that appear to be contradictions at first glance, but once we do some closer analysis these become far easier to reconcile.
The Bible does this for a reason. The Bible repeatedly teaches us to trust God – by being loyal and obedient to His guidance, even when we are not entirely sure of the path He asks us to walk.
Trust is not trust if we know all the details of the journey, so how can God show He is trustworthy if we reject trusting Him?
EDIT IN PROGRESS – jump to Point A below while this section is being edited…
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God knows those who truly seek will find, which is why we are encouraged to take God seriously and do our research. But God also knows that there are many people who will keep trying to find excuses to reject the Bible – even if this means rejecting sound evidence, logic, and ultimate truth.
It is a way of separating those who are prideful from those who are willing to be humble.
Those who are more humble are more willing to try to have an open mind. However, those who have a harder heart are more prideful, and this causes them to assume they don’t need to seek God even when there is so much compelling evidence for Judeo-Christianity – much more than any other religion or spiritual belief!
, as He has a long term vison that can create far more beneficial paths than our short term ideologies. Many of us, given the choice, prefer our lives to be comfortable before we help others. But God teaches that even while we are on our journeys to improved comforts, we still have the capacity and opportunity to help others.
even when we don’t know all the details.
God knows those who truly seek will find, which is why we are encouraged to take God seriously and do our research. But God also knows that there are many people who will keep trying to find excuses to reject the Bible – even if this means rejecting sound evidence, logic, and ultimate truth.
It is a way of separating those who are prideful from those who are willing to be humble.
Those who are more humble are more willing to try to have an open mind. However, those who have a harder heart are more prideful, and this causes them to assume they don’t need to seek God even when there is so much compelling evidence for Judeo-Christianity – much more than any other religion or spiritual belief!
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In the book of Proverbs, chapter 25, verse 2 it says:
It is the glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honour of kings is to search out a matter.
Various methods to reconcile apparent contradictions include:
A) Looking at the Hebrew manuscripts for most of the Old Testament, and looking at the Koine Greek manuscripts for the New Testament.
- This is because these older languages are far more complicated than English, and so, based upon their grammar alone, they can reveal details the English translations struggle to clarify.
B) Understanding the cultural traditions of the times, such as:
- How a young king can be a co-regent with their father, and then later become a full king when their father dies.
- This explains why in the book 2 Chronicles chapter 36 verse 9 it says Jehoiachin was 8 years old when he began to reign, and yet in the book 2 Kings chapter 24 verse 8 it says he was 18 years old when he began to reign.
C) Understanding the various ways royal reigns were recorded, such as:
- How a king’s reign can at times refer to that specific king’s reign, or, at other times it may refer to their family’s dynasty up to that point.
- This explains why in 2 Kings chapter 8 verse 26 Ahaziah was said to be 22 years old when he began to reign. Yet in 2 Chronicles chapter 22 verse 2 it says he was 42 years old. The 42 years refers to the total length of reign of previous family members up to that point.
- D) Understanding how genealogies used to be constructed, such as:
- Cultural traditions of the time allowed female members to be omitted and replaced with their house (father’s) name.
It is worth explaining that in the Bible, when it comes to recording Jesus’s lineage, there are two genealogies mentioned:
- One for Jesus’s legal lineage through his legal father (Joseph), found in the book of Matthew.
- And one for Jesus’s royal lineage through (Mary) found in the book of Luke. Because the details provided for Mary go all the way back to Adam, this also links Jesus to God, who is Jesus’s true Father.
Due to the ancient Jewish laws as well as the ancient prophecies, the Messiah had to be part of the Royal lineage of King David – this way the Messiah had a legal claim to the throne of Israel.
Also, to satisfy the Jewish laws, the Messiah (Jesus / Yeshua) could not have been born outside of wedlock.
This is why he had to have a legal (human) father – Joseph (who married Mary before Christ was conceived).
But Jesus could not be born of a man’s seed because this is where the fallen sin nature is passed on from human to human – starting with Adam after Adam fell into sin.
This is why the seed for Christ came from God through the Holy Spirit. Mary was in effect a virgin as she conceived a child not by human seed.
So, because Christ had not inherited the sin nature that is passed through to humans through the male seed, He was able to resist temptations that humans normally stumble with. This is why He was able to remain pure / holy, and is why He alone was able to provide the perfect atonement for sin.
All other humans (male and female) such as you and me, are born of the seed of a human man. Because this seed goes all the way back to Adam and Adam was corrupted by sin by the time he had his first child, all humans inherit a sin nature – this is why even young children steal, bully, lie – even when they have never seen such behaviour before.
The only way for us to be made pure is through being ‘Born Again’ in the Spirit – through Christ. This is why Christ is The Key to eternal life. Hence why we are called to repent and trust in Christ.
Page 23 of 24 A quick way to sum up sin (This page is equal to about 1 and ½ A4 pages long)
EDIT in Progress – currently repeats some of what was on page 12
God examines our heart condition to see who uses freewill responsibly, and how consistent we are.
The heart condition is what influences our thoughts, words, and deeds.
This is why the Bible teaches that guarding our lives from corrupt influences is so critical.
Proverbs, chapter 4, verse 23 says this:
Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.
It is often when we are most weak / tired / frustrated that our true heart condition is exposed. And because the heart condition directly affects our ‘critical thinking abilities’, a purer heart will naturally produce far more wise choices than a corrupted heart.
It is no coincidence people stumble back into addictions when they experiences moments of weakness / are more stressed. Protecting the heart is especially important for those with a weaker disposition. This is why the best way to overcome addictions / sins, is to surround yourself with more pure influences.
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Plus, for those of us who claim to value peace and respect, how consistent we support such values are easily examined by our choices over long periods of time.
Life is in the details; over long periods of time, small corruptions can mount up; they can also lead on to more damaging corruptions.
Because such desensitisations occur bit by bit, we don’t personally notice so much. And yet, the more desensitised we become to evil, the more comfortable we can become with corrupt ways. This is how young children grow from being humble, polite and innocent, to being more rebellious teenagers.
Young children are often shocked at swear words, or violent entertainment, whereas many teenagers have become conditioned to be far more tolerant. Media (books, television, music etc.) plays a huge part, so yes violent games and films do have a huge impact on society – especially for those with weaker minds.
If we want to examine our heart condition, we can simply examine our choices of entertainment, and then consider are they appropriate for a young child to view / or can we confidently share such entertainment with God.
The book of Matthew, chapter 18, verse 3 says this:
And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.
God knows we all grow to tolerate various corruptions, this is why He offers us the opportunity to be re-guided by Him. This guidance takes place through a Spiritual Birth (see Page 15), which effectively helps restore our moral conscience to less corrupt levels.
This is how God reaches people – through their heart. Those who are more humble are willing to be corrected and guided. Those with a harder heart condition feel they have no need for such guidance and so by rejecting such wisdom, they also reject God.
There is actually scientific evidence of how water molecules change their structure when respectful and disrespectful words are used, so please consider how repeated actions can affect our physical and spiritual health. It is also worth pointing out that some people have a higher baseline of good health, so negative affects may take longer to manifest when compared to others of a lower baseline of good health.
When society neglects to protect its members from corrupt choices (such as swear words, lust, violent entertainment etc.) this will be reflected in how easily people feel they can justify their immoral choices.
When large numbers of people feel they can justify their corrupt ways, this opens the door to passing laws that protect their new levels of freedom. When laws are passed, it becomes very hard to undo them, even when these laws support corruptions.
This is why wise leadership and logical boundaries are fundamental to protecting the long term health of a society.
Also, God doesn’t simply focus on our deeds, He also examines our intentions. For example, many people try to do better, but still stumble to make a big difference; whereas wealthy people can donate large amounts of wealth without it really being much effort, or much of a compromise to their comfort levels.
This is why we are called to be willing to improve, because while we cannot be held accountable for other people’s frustrating choices, we can still be held accountable for our intentions, and this includes our lack of willingness to support peace and respect.
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Modern western civilisation can trace its foundation of laws and the belief that humans have rights to the Bible, and the idea of monotheism. So even if you do not believe in God, you are still directly influenced by the teachings of God.
EDIT_IN_PROGRESS__feel free to jump to Page 24 while this section is being edited.
_Sin has a way of numbing our spirituality so that we don’t realise the damage we are doing. As our sins multiply over time, we numb our spirituality and distort our human conscience. This is how can grow from innocent children, to rebellious teenagers who are more comfortable with aggressive music, films, books;
It directly affects our moral standards, which affects our heart condition. Because our heart condition controls our thoughts, words and actions, how we react when provoked reveals our true heart condition.
Our critical thinking abilities are best exposed when we are at our weakest and most tested.
So if we suffer from stress, or aggressive flare ups, purifying our lives is a great way to making us be a more calm person.
It is like a veil of distortion that gradually covers our ‘minds eye’. This is how we gradually grow to accept corruptions such as swearing, lust, violent entertainment, lies etc. as tolerable, normal, and even justifiable.
We see this pattern often in modern society, with how innocent young children often grow up to enjoy corruptions. It is very common that by the time they are teenagers, many seek to test the boundaries with alcohol, lust, misbehaviour etc.
We start off as innocent children, but the world often moulds us to be more corrupt. This is world system is what God calls the system of Babylon – a system God will ultimately overthrow and destroy. But not until the education has been made clear beyond all reasonable doubt as to how damaging sin can be.
Currently there are millions of people who think the pursuit of greed, lust, power, and fame is normal and worthwhile. God is teaching those who are willing to listen that love, peace and respect are nurtured through being humble, compassionate, loyal and truly loving.
We see this pattern often in modern society, with how innocent young children often grow up to enjoy corruptions. It is very common that by the time they are teenagers, many seek to test the boundaries with alcohol, lust, misbehaviour etc.
Page 24 of 24 Summary (This page is equal to about one A4 page long)
The Bible teaches that God promises He will create a new Heaven and Earth, free from corruptions. All unrepentant sinners will be separated from repentant believers, so that unrepentant sinners cannot corrupt the new creation. This is why we are being examined in this life.
After we pass from this life, God will provide those who are willing to place our trust in Christ’s legal atonement, with new purified bodies that are free from corruption.
This will enable us to uphold God’s moral standards far far easier, so that we can comfortably avoid sin for eternity. If life can be very enjoyable now with all the issues in the world, we can only imagine how amazing it will be when the creation is purified.
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My message to those who doubt Christianity is this: please strongly consider Christianity – start by asking God for salvation:
- Please do some research: examine the evidence; study the Bible.
- Offer regular prayers to God. Ask Him for salvation, guidance, wisdom, protection from confusion. Offer thanks, and apologies too.
- Listen to your heart and conscience more often, and ask God to guide you further. But be mindful of corrupt religious doctrines!!!
- Try to purify your life and try to regularly resist corrupt temptations.
- If you try and still stumble, DO NOT PANIC. God is super merciful, so just keep trying.
Please grow in appreciation, as this is the fastest way to feel truly blessed. The food that sustains you, the shower that cleans you, the shoes that protect your feet…the beneficial parts to life are found in many of the details. When we walk around with high levels of appreciation, feelings such as depression, or moments of feeling ‘hard done by’ quickly fade away.
Also, many people get so caught up with seeking better quality that they overlook the quality they already have – especially when something looks a bit worn or outdated. A good way to view respectful things is ‘if you cannot make them yourself, then they should be regarded as being of high value, and so are worth looking after’. The idea of being able to ‘just buy another’ can be so wasteful, not just with making more rubbish, but also by wasting our personal resources on unnecessary expenses, for only marginal gains.
And finally, the reason we can even feel any love – even when we are alone, is because we have a link to God, so please try to nurture this, as this is the path to true enlightenment and consistent more stable happiness.
Remember, it is us who choose to walk away from God, His standards and His guidance. We really understand this when we choose to draw closer to God by trying to honour His standards, and by being more obedient to His guidance (see Page 8 Writing #1 Part One). We don’t need to be perfect or super-religious, however, more blessings and understandings come our way when we are more dedicated.
Until we try, we may never truly understand. And yet when we try, this is the path to true enlightenment.
Please share this website with friends, colleagues, and even strangers.
Here is a useful Bible passage: Romans chapter 10, verses 13-15
13) For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
14) 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!
The Good News is salvation and eternal life through Christ. Please share…
These writings are still being edited. They are mostly complete, but some adjustments and additions will occur when I get around to this. I also intend to make the writings more user friendly with direct links to the pages. But for now I apologise that you have to do a lot of scrolling to reach the next pages.
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FOR QUALITY SERMONS TRY THIS LINK: https://www.youtube.com/live/NXAEiqF3rXA?feature=shared
This runs 24 hours a day, and is by Pastor John Macarthur. He goes through the New Testament verse by verse using really helpful historical details.
He comes across rather direct at times, but this is because he recognises how a mature Christian should view our level of respect and loyalty to God. It took me a bit of getting used to, but I feel he is on point a lot of the time.
Finally, this 3 minute video is quite a nice explanation of the Creation and who God is:
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My YouTube Channel help save many has 3 playlists with loads of useful videos.
Type into the YouTube search bar using the ” “
“help save many”
Then select the purple h icon
Then select playlists.
Playlist A1 shares a range of evidence and informational videos
Playlists B1 and C1 are quality sermons