Tag Archives: Faith

God’s Path to Salvation – Step One — HEAR

Posted on by under Doctrine

John 1717 [widescreen]It is important for us to realize that God has a path to salvation for mankind.  It is not my path to salvation.  It is not some board or council’s path to salvation.  It is not the path to salvation of some college of titled officials.  It is not the entrance requirements for some church or religious institution.  It is God’s path, and as such He calls all men to come out of the world and be a part of His ekklesia, His church, those who have been ‘called out’ of the world, His own special people (1 Peter 2:9).

For the first step in God’s Path, Hearing God’s Word, click here to go to the lesson.

Great Discoveries

Posted on by under Christian Evidences

Christopher_Columbus_on_Santa_Maria_in_1492     In 1492 Christopher Columbus sailed the ocean blue with three ships from Spain.  It was his plan to prove that the earth was round, and to find a better trade route to the East Indies than traveling overland through Asia.  We all know what happened. Columbus landed in the Americas, discovered the New World, and the rest, as they say, is history.

   While this was an important discovery, and one that has had a profound effect on modern history, there was another discovery made almost 500 years later that is even more profound.  In 1947 a young shepherd boy stumbled into a cave in Qumran on the NW shores of the Dead Sea and discovered jars full of ancient manuscripts.  Among these manuscripts there were found to be copies of the Hebrew Old Testament.

      What makes the discovery of such importance?  Prior to this time, the oldest manuscripts of the Hebrew Old Testament were dated from the 10th century A.D.  These manuscripts found in the caves of Qumran were dated from the 2nd century B.C. to the 1st century A.D.  That makes them about 1,000 years older than any known Old Testament manuscripts at the time.  Many of those who do not believe in the inspiration of the scriptures had made the argument that the Bible was corrupted by man over time and could not be relied upon to be accurate in our modern age.  However, the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls showed just the opposite.  The modern Hebrew text was shown to be extremely accurate in comparison with these much older manuscripts.

      This discovery in Qumran is important because it shows that God’s word has been preserved and has not been contaminated by man.  Therefore, we can trust that the Bible today is still the word of God that He intended for man to have and obey.

Facing Our Giants

Posted on by under Uncategorized

          ImageJust imagine that you had to face a giant on the field of battle in hand to hand combat until one of you was dead.  Your opponent would be a man who had been taught to fight with his hands and weapons of war since his youth.  Then add to this the pressure that the fate of your whole nation would depend upon your success or failure in this task.  How confident would you be in facing a giant warrior?

            In 1 Samuel 17 we come across the battle between the Philistines and the Israelites and just such a giant warrior named Goliath.  In the narrative Goliath is described as a giant of a man standing over 9 feet tall!  When the armies of Philistia and Israel lined up for battle, Goliath came out and challenged the Israelites to select a champion to face him one on one.  The Bible tells us that this went on for 40 days, and no one was found among all the warriors of Israel including King Saul who was willing to face Goliath.  Then the youngest son of Jesse, who was still a youth, approached the camp of the Israelites. 

When he saw what was taking place, he was astonished and he exclaimed, “who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God” (1 Samuel 17:26b).  David, the son of Jesse, the most unlikely of candidates to face the mighty Goliath, was the only one with the faith to go out to battle with the mighty Goliath.  Of course we all know the end of the story and how David triumphed against Goliath using a sling and 5 smooth stones.  However, it was not the stones that defeated Goliath.  It was David’s great faith in God that won the day.  As David said before the battle, “The Lord, who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine” (1 Samuel 17:37).

            No wonder David is described as a man after God’s own heart.  David’s great response and his great faith in God are also a great example for us today.  How are we doing in facing our giants on the battlefield of life?  Do we have faith that God will see us through and that we can overcome all odds by relying on Him?  The example of the shepherd boy who killed a giant has been preserved in God’s word for our admonition and learning.  Let us go forward into our battle this day confident in God’s ability to see us through.