What The Bible Says

As a Christian (born again, saved by grace through faith in Jesus), I believe the Word of God, the Bible. The Bible is my reference for everything in life because 

"All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work." (2 Timothy 3:16‭-‬17, NKJV)

I am going to state what the Bible says on some selected topics:

• Creation:

"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." (Genesis 1:1)

"Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” (Genesis 1:26-28)

"For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him." (Colossians 1:16)

• The Duty of Mankind:

“Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.” (Ecclesiastes‬ ‭12:13‬, ‭KJV‬)

"But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you." (Matthew 6:33)

• Love:

"Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love." (1 John 4:7-8)

"Love never fails." (1 Corinthians 13:8)

"You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust." (Matthew 5:43-45)

"By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:35)

• Sin:

"for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God," (Romans 3:23)

"For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 6:23)

"I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish.” (Luke 13:5)

• Salvation:

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." (John 3:16)

"But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith which we preach): that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." (Romans 10:8-10)

"For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9not of works, lest anyone should boast." (Ephesians 2:8-9)

"Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12)

"Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." (John 14:6)

• Sexual Immorality:

"Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God." (1 Corinthians 6:9-10)

"You shall not lie with a male as with a woman. It is an abomination." (Leviticus 18:22)

"But as for the cowards and unbelieving and abominable [who are devoid of character and personal integrity and practice or tolerate immorality], and murderers, and sorcerers [with intoxicating drugs], and idolaters and occultists [who practice and teach false religions], and all the liars [who knowingly deceive and twist truth], their part will be in the lake that blazes with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.” (Revelation 21:8, AMP)

"You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery’; but I say to you that everyone who [so much as] looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. " (Matthew 5:27-28, AMP)

• Marriage:

"So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam; and while he slept, He took one of his ribs and closed up the flesh at that place. And the rib which the Lord God had taken from the man He made (fashioned, formed) into a woman, and He brought her and presented her to the man. Then Adam said,
“This is now bone of my bones,
And flesh of my flesh;
She shall be called Woman,
Because she was taken out of Man.”
For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and shall be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh." (Genesis 2:21-24, AMP)

"...It is good for a man not to touch a woman. Nevertheless, because of sexual immorality, let each man have his own wife, and let each woman have her own husband. Let the husband render to his wife the affection due her, and likewise also the wife to her husband." (1 Corinthians 7:1-3)

• The Christian Walk:

"Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other. Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically. Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying. When God’s people are in need, be ready to help them. Always be eager to practice hospitality. Bless those who persecute you. Don’t curse them; pray that God will bless them. Be happy with those who are happy, and weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with each other. Don’t be too proud to enjoy the company of ordinary people. And don’t think you know it all! Never pay back evil with more evil. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable. Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone. Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say,

“I will take revenge;
I will pay them back,”
says the Lord.

Instead,
“If your enemies are hungry, feed them.
If they are thirsty, give them something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap
burning coals of shame on their heads.”

Don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good." (Romans 12:9-21)

The Bible is God's Word and the moral compass for those who believe in Jesus and who have surrendered their lives to Him. Jesus brings meaning to life, for in Him we live, move and have our being (Acts 17:28). We acknowledge that without Jesus we can do nothing (John 15:5). Our identity and purpose are in Him and we live to glorify Him. He is alive, having died (after crucifixion), buried and risen from the dead. The resurrection of Jesus is both a historical fact and a spiritual truth. He is alive forevermore. We hate no one but by the grace of God love everyone (even our enemies) with the agape love of God. That is made possible by the power of the Holy Spirit. We are not an accident because we are fearfully and wonderfully made.

"I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well." (Psalm 139:14)

As a Christian, I am not an accident or an aberration. There is purpose to my life. I am in the hands of God and since He is for me, no one can be against me. God is on my side. Is He on your side? He says, "Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Hebrews 13:5)

Do you have that promise or are you groping in the dark, so to speak? This world is full of ups and downs, disappointments, tragedy, hatred, jealousy, diabolical acts that defy reason, murder, etc. We face pain, sickness, tribulation, sorrow but in the midst of all of these, you can have peace and joy. 

Jesus said

"Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." (Matthew 11:28)

"Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." (John 14:27)

The peace of God cannot be negotiated as the nations do at United Nations; it is incomparable. It fills your heart and soul and gives you rest in the midst of turmoil, heartache, great difficulty, etc. I am reminded of a question Jesus asked

"For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?" (Mark 8:36)

I pray that you will not lose your soul. No matter where you are and what you have done, Jesus will forgive, even right now if you call upon Him in repentance (Romans 10:9-10). He is waiting for you because He loves you so much. You may be caught in some sort of web. Let me state, without any fear of contradiction, that Jesus can and will set you free if you allow Him. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9). Do not harden your heart; come as you are to Jesus and He will set you free today. 

Please let the Holy Spirit minister to you today. You may be a backslider. God is calling you today to return to Him. His arms are wide open to receive you, so to speak. God bless you as you heed this message today.

All Scripture passages are taken from the New King James Version unless otherwise stated.

The Ten Commandments in the New Testament

Is the Old Testament done away with? In the Old Testament days, there were three types of laws - moral, civil and ceremonial laws. Today the civil and ceremonial laws are no longer applicable. The moral law in the Old Testament is repeated in the New Testament. That is why Jesus said that “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill." (Matthew 5:17, NKJV)

"The Westminster Confession of Faith (1646) divides the Mosaic laws into three categories: moral, civil, and ceremonial. In the view of the Westminster Divines, only the moral laws of the Mosaic Law, which include the Ten Commandments and the commands repeated in the New Testament, directly apply to Christians today." (Christian Views on the Old Covenant, Wikipedia)

Jesus also said, "Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away." (Matthew 24:35)

Compromised living or carnal existence is not acceptable for anyone who claims to be a Christian. God has not changed and He will never change. His words can never be obliterated or annulled. Fortunately in God's mercy, we have the Holy Spirit to help us, strengthen us and guide us all the way.

Here are the Ten Commandments and where they are found in the New Testament:

1. Do not worship any other gods (1 Corinthians 8:6; 1 Timothy 2:5)
2. Do not make idols (1 John 5:21)
3. Do not misuse the name of the LORD (1 Timothy 6:1)
4. Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy. (There are many references to the Sabbath day in the New Testament, including the assumption that Jews under the law in the time of Christ would be observing the Sabbath. But there is no direct or indirect command for believers in the church age to observe the Sabbath as a day of rest or of worship. In fact, Colossians 2:16 releases the believer from the Sabbath rule. Jesus, the Lord of the Sabbath, has become for us our Sabbath rest, according to Hebrews 4:1–11.)
5. Honor your father and your mother (Ephesians 6:1–2)
6. Do not murder (Romans 13:9; 1 Peter 4:15)
7. Do not commit adultery (1 Corinthians 6:9–10)
8. Do not steal (Ephesians 4:28)
9. Do not give false testimony (Revelation 21:8)
10. Do not covet (Colossians 3:5)                                                             (culled from GotQuestions)

In Romans 12:9-21, we read

"Love must be genuine. Hate what is evil; hold on tightly to what is good. Be completely dedicated to each other in your love as family; value others more than yourselves. Don't be unwilling to work hard; serve the Lord with an enthusiastic spirit. Remain cheerful in the hope you have, put up with the troubles that come, keep on praying. Share in providing for the needs of God's people, and welcome strangers with hospitality. Bless those who persecute you—bless them, and don't curse them. Be happy with those who are happy; cry with those who are crying. Think about one another. Don't consider yourself more important than others; live humbly. Don't be conceited. Don't pay back anyone evil for evil. Make sure you show everybody that what you're doing is good, and as far as it's up to you, live at peace with everyone. My dear friends, don't seek revenge, but leave it to God to execute judgment—as Scripture points out, “‘It's for me to dispense justice, I will repay,’ says the Lord.” If those who hate you are hungry, give them food; if they're thirsty, give them a drink; for by doing so you pile fiery coals on their heads. Don't be defeated by evil—conquer evil with good." (FBV)

It is self-explanatory and this should be written on our hearts as we step into each new day. We should walk in love (not worldly love but agape love), blessing people and not cursing them, working hard, serving the Lord with an enthusiastic spirit, being generous with what God has given us, walking in humility and feeding the poor and hungry. No matter where you are you have a ministry. It is called the ministry of reconciliation and the message that goes with it has been given to you (2 Corinthians 5:18-19). we are also ordained to be ambassadors for Christ. So refer to yourself as Ambassador So and So and you will be spot-on in Jesus' Name. 

The ten commandments of God that were handed to Moses thousands of years ago are still operative and effective today. It clearly establishes a link between us and the children of Israel who were alive thousands of years ago. We are both held to the same standards and for us the great news is that we have the Holy Spirit to guide us every step of the way. We have some very interesting history. Glory be to God.

In the light of the above, I implore you to press on, keep your hand on the plough. Don't give up or give in and though the going may be tough, we are tough in Christ Jesus. Run the Christian race to the end and put the devil to shame. The Bible says

"Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us." (Romans 8:37, NKJV)

My dear brothers and sisters in the Lord, friends and acquaintances, there is no doubt that God loves you immensely and unconditionally. Let go and let Him have His way today and in the days, weeks and months ahead. Have a blessed day.