The Gospel Of Repentance

It is important I ask the question because there are many in the Church if not most that are convinced that everyone sins have been forgiven by Christ. Is that indeed true? Has Jesus forgiven every last person's sins? If I could see the faces of everyone that will read this article, I could imagine you looking back at me perplexed saying, "Del are you kidding me? Of course, everyone's sins have been forgiven by Christ!"  Okay then, we need to test that reasoning against scripture. To me, it is quite simple. If one dies in sin and perishes in hell were their sins forgiven? If one says yes then you believe in a sort of double jeopardy. Meaning that you have Christ paying for sins of the hell-bound, and the lost paying for their own sins. Does that seem logical and fair? Of course, it is not. It does not make sense nor is it fair for Christ to die for the sins of those who will eternally perish in hell and pay the penalty for their  own sins. Some of yo...

My foundation passage for writing this article: Isaiah 46:10, "Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not yet done, saying, 'My counsel shall stand, and I do all my pleasure”  (italics added for emphasis). I often wonder why God created the universe in the light of the fall. What do I mean by this?  In other words, God created the earth knowing at the same time he would allow the fall of man into sin to happen and ruin his perfect creation. If you have ever pondered this reality like I do, then admittedly it brings tension to the mind. However, this does not make me question God in an accusative way, but rather it makes me desire to get to know the mind of God more so I can love and appreciate his uniqueness and explain to those in my sphere of influence the wonders of our God who also ponder this difficult matter. Let me say first off that I do not fully understand why God ordained the fall, but I do know that ordaining ...

The above mentioned phrase is usually used in our society as a kind way of saying you wish someone well in whatever it is they are doing; whether it is a new job, their education, or perhaps a new business venture. But, what is luck? What does it mean to be lucky or unlucky? Is there actually a thing in our world called luck? And if so, where does it come from? Permit me to be technical in this article. To some, I may even be annoying. I will accept that. I am going to attempt to break this idea down so we can see if luck really exists.  A definition of luck: Success or failure brought by chance rather than through one's own actions. Definition of chance: a force that causes good or bad things to happen. When we say things happen by chance, we are saying things happen for no reason at all. That is impossible. Absolutely everything that happens in our lives is for a reason even when we do not understand why they happen good or bad. If we are depending on "the l...

In the book of Leviticus chapters 18:22 and 20:13 God through Moses condemns homosexuality. Also in Leviticus 19:19b the word tells Israel that they were not to wear two different types of material sewn together. The command regarding the clothing is an ambiguous one. The reasoning behind that one is some believe that pagan nations may have worn different clothing sewn together when performing some type of occultic ritual and thus Israel who were/are God's chosen people, and had to be separate in every way from all other nations were forbidden from this practice. We do not know for sure. The reason I bring the matter up is that so many people who lack Biblical discernment have this notion that since homosexuality was condemned in the Mosaic law and is of course condemned in the new testament (Read Romans 1 and 1 Corinthians 6), then it is also sinful to wear two different types of clothing (i.e. Denim and cotton), and to eat shellfish or shrimp since they were also supposedly...

In Isaiah chapter 38 we read that King Hezekiah became very ill to the point of death. He is in the prime of his life so he humbles and prays to the Lord how he has been faithful to God, and how he has served him with his whole heart.  God hears his prayer and sends him word through the prophet Isaiah that he will add fifteen years to his life (vs 5). Hezekiah was suffering from a painful boil. A cake of figs was made which apparently had the medicinal properties to heal Hezekiah once it was rubbed on the boil to heal him (vs 21). Question, how did Hezekiah's life change so dramatically when it was told to him by the prophet to "put your house in order because you are going to die and not live" (vs 1)? Simply, due to Hezekiah's prayer. It moved the hand and heart of God to act on his behalf. The text said the Lord heard Hezekiah's prayer and saw his tears (vs 5).  I am bringing this point up because of the fact that some reading this account may get...

Paul is discussing marriage in this chapter. The reason I wanted to discuss the matter is because I'm sure there is confusion regarding the fact that Paul says in verse 12 that, "To the rest I say (I, not the Lord) that if any brother has a wife who is an unbeliever, and she consents to live with him, he should not divorce her. If any woman has a husband who is an unbeliever, and he consents to live with her, she should not divorce him. For the unbelieving husband is made holy because of his wife, and the unbelieving wife is made holy because of her husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy. But if the unbelieving partner separates, let it be so. In such cases the brother or sister is not enslaved. God has called us to peace. For how do you know, wife whether you will save your husband? Or how do you know husband if you will save your wife? When Paul states in verse 12 to the rest I say and not the Lord, he is by no means giving his...

This is one of those apparent contradictory statements by Jesus again. I love these type of statements by the Lord. And why? Because it forces me to carefully examine the text to see what he meant by this controversial phrase.  Once again to understand what Jesus meant, we must understand the context in which he said it. Matthew 10:34-37 says, "Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth, but a sword . For I came to set a man against Father, and a Daughter against her Mother, and a Daughter-In-Law against her Mother-In-Law; and a man's enemies will be those of his own household. He who loves Father and Mother more than me is not worthy of me. And he who does not take up his cross and follow after me is not worthy of me. He who has found his life will lose it, and he who will lose his life for my sake will find it." The prior verses tell us that Jesus had commissioned his disciples to preach the gospel, heal the sick, raise the dead, and cast of demons (...