WORDS OF GOD

Some of the Psalms are very specific as to who wrote them and why, but the words expressed are universal to the sinfulness, and hopefully, the repentance of humanity.

remorse

"To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David, when Nathan The Prophet came to him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba.

Have mercy on me, O God, according to Thy steadfast love; according to Thy abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin!
For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. Against Thee, Thee only, have I sinned, and done that which is evil in Thy sight, so that Thou art justified in Thy sentence and blameless in Thy judgment [see When Will You Be Judged?]. Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me. Behold, Thou desirest truth in the inward being; therefore teach me wisdom [see God's Wisdom] in my secret heart.

Purge me with Hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me [see Living Waters], and I shall be whiter than snow. Fill me with joy and gladness; let the bones which Thou hast broken rejoice. Hide Thy face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities.

Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me. Cast me not away from Thy presence, and take not Thy holy Spirit from me [see also The Holy Ghost and The Holy Spirit]. Restore to me the joy of Thy salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit.

Then I will teach transgressors Thy ways, and sinners will return to Thee. Deliver me from bloodguiltiness [see Why Blood?], O God, Thou God of my salvation, and my tongue will sing aloud of Thy deliverance. O Lord, open Thou my lips, and my mouth shall show forth Thy praise. For Thou hast no delight in sacrifice; were I to give a burnt offering, Thou wouldst not be pleased. The sacrifice acceptable to God is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, Thou wilt not despise.

Do good to Zion [see Zionism] in Thy good pleasure; rebuild the walls of Jerusalem, then wilt Thou delight in right sacrifices, in burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings; then bulls will be offered on Thy altar." (Psalm 51:1-19 RSV)

Psalm Chapter 52

The Psalms are also a historical record of specific events, such as David's experience with the treachery of Doeg the Edomite.

Jerusalem

"To the choirmaster. A Maskil of David, when Doeg, the Edomite, came and told Saul, "David has come to the house of Ahimelech." [see The Civil War]

Why do you boast, O mighty man, of mischief done against the godly? All the day you are plotting destruction. Your tongue is like a sharp razor, you worker of treachery. You love evil more than good, and lying more than speaking the truth. [Selah]

You love all words that devour, O deceitful tongue. But God will break you down for ever; He will snatch and tear you from your tent; He will uproot you from the land of the living. [Selah]

The righteous shall see, and fear, and shall laugh at him, saying, "See the man who would not make God his refuge, but trusted in the abundance of his riches, and sought refuge in his wealth!"

But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God. I trust in the steadfast love of God for ever and ever. I will thank Thee for ever, because Thou hast done it. I will proclaim Thy name, for it is good, in the presence of the godly." (Psalm 52:1-9 RSV)

Psalm Chapter 53

Although all humans, "good" and "bad," are sinners (ironically, it's a sin to claim to be without sin i.e. "If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just, and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us." 1 John 1:8-10 RSV), Christian Living is about living a life as a repentant sinner.

The Ten Commandments

"To the choirmaster: according to Mahalath. A Maskil of David.

The fool says in his heart, "There is no God." They are corrupt, doing abominable iniquity; there is none that does good.

God looks down from heaven upon the sons of men to see if there are any that are wise, that seek after God. They have all fallen away; they are all alike depraved; there is none that does good, no, not one.

Have those who work evil no understanding, who eat up my people as they eat bread, and do not call upon God? There they are, in great terror, in terror such as has not been! For God will scatter the bones of the ungodly; they will be put to shame, for God has rejected them.

O that deliverance for Israel would come from Zion! When God restores the fortunes of His people, Jacob will rejoice and Israel be glad." (Psalm 53:1-6 RSV)

God's Plan

[Christ speaking] "I came that they might have life, and might have it abundantly" [that it might be full and meaningful] (John 10:10).

God's Love

"God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life" (John 3:16 NIV).

Church Of God International

Just as there are physical laws that govern the physical universe, so are there spiritual laws which govern your relationship with God.

Jesus Christ is God Incarnate

"...they shall call his name EMMANUEL, which being interpreted is, GOD WITH US."
--MATTHEW 1:23

"...if ye believe not that I am he,
ye shall die in your sins."
--JESUS CHRIST, JOHN 8:24



Proofs from the word of God,
The Authorized King James Bible of 1611

NOT NIV, NKJV, NASB, TLB, RSV, et al--
they corrupt this precious truth.
They are part of a ghastly array of
hundreds of Satanic modern-day Bibles.


God@gmail.com

GODSWORD

"A person cannot live on bread alone but on every word that God speaks."
[Matthew 4:4]

Jesus Reveals God's Love

God's Love

God's love impelled him to take action to help his creatures gone astray so when the time had fully come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman (Gal 4:4) Jesus is the Son of God, the Second Person of the Trinity, who was sent for love of mankind:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God; all things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.... The true light that enlightens every man was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world knew him not. He came to his own home, and his own people received him not. But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God; who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth; we have beheld his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father. (Jn 1:1-5,9-14)

In the last three years of his life, Jesus taught the truth behind the Jewish law (cf. Mt 5:17): the fullness of the truth about man and his place in creation. The morality of Christ is not a set of arbitrary laws designed to keep people from enjoying life. Quite the contrary. Jesus' teachings reveal who man is, and by accepting the truth about oneself, one becomes truly free. This is why Jesus himself proclaimed, ``You will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.'' (Jn 8:32)

Jesus' teachings unleash life from endless pursuit of self, the cycle of violence of the law of vengeance (`An eye for an eye...') and the exacting observances of Jewish ritual. Christ's shows the purpose of the Jewish law to be service to the truth about man and his life. Jesus thus channels life back to its true and original direction: love of God and love of neighbor. That is why St. Paul says that he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law (Rom 13:8)

It is a great tragedy that many non-Christians see slavery, not freedom in the truth of Christ. Perhaps they see Christ presented as an angry, exacting judge and condemner of sinners. The contrary is true, for God sent the Son into the world, not to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him (Jn 3:17, cf. Jn 12:47). Jesus associated himself with sinners despite the reproach of the `good people' of the time (cf. Mt 9:10-13, 11:19, 21:31; Mk 2:15-17; Lk 5:30, 7:34). Among the most moving words of Jesus is the parable of the prodigal son, which portrays God as a loving father welcoming home the wayward son who squandered his share of the family fortune (cf. Lk 15). So while it is true that those who remain in their sin until death will suffer eternally after, Jesus extends his hand to help those who are in sin to repent. Jesus condemned sin, not the sinner. His call is an invitation to reconciliation and to God's love.

Jesus himself became a perfect sign of God's overwhelming mercy by taking on the punishment due to man because of sin and he became the perfect example of his own teaching of the truth about man by embracing the wood of the cross. He emptied himself, becoming weak, taking the form of a slave--abandoning for a little while his radiant, overwhelming majesty-- to win us (individually and collectively), to woo us, to take us to himself and become one with us, to abandon his life for us and to hand over his life to us.

Let's try to be impartial in out reasoning: Could God go further in His stooping down, in His drawing near to man, thereby expanding the possibilities of our knowing Him? In truth, it seems that He has gone as far as possible. He could not go further. In a certain sense God has gone too far! Didn't Christ perhaps become ``a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles'' (1 Cor 1:23)? Precisely because He called God His Father, because He revealed Him so openly in Himself, He could not but elicit the impression that it was too much.... Man was no longer able to tolerate such closeness, and thus the protests began.

This great protest has precise names--first it is called the Synagogue, and then Islam. Neither can accept a God who is so human. ``It is not suitable to speak of God in this way,'' they protest. ``He must remain pure Majesty. Majesty full of mercy, certainly, but not to the point of paying for the faults of His own creatures, for their sins.'' (Pope John Paul II, ``If God Exists, Why Is He Hiding?'' Crossing the Threshold of Hope, pp. 40-41.)

God has revealed himself to the world through the person of Jesus Christ, whose entire life, but especially his passion and death, stand as the archetype of complete self-gift.

In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the expiation for our sins. (1 Jn 4:9-10)

Jesus' sacrifice, his passion and death on Calvary, exemplify love. By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us (1 Jn 3:16). He gave his life for us freely: ``No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again; this charge I have received from my Father.'' (Jn 10:18) In following the example of Jesus' love we become truly human.

The truth is that only in the mystery of the incarnate Word does the mystery of man take on light. For Adam, the first man, was a figure of Him Who was to come, namely Christ the Lord. Christ, the final Adam, by the revelation of the mystery of the Father and His love, fully reveals man to man himself and makes his supreme calling clear. (Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World, Gaudium et Spes, 22)

...man, who is the only creature on earth which God willed for itself, cannot fully find himself except through a sincere gift of himself. (Gaudium et Spes, 24)

This is not an evanescent love the waxes and wanes with the whims of emotion. This is everlasting love that gives itself completely, that costs the lover everything, like a merchant in search of fine pearls, who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it. (Mt 16:45-46).

The promise of Christ is that if we die to ourselves, we will rise to live eternally with him: unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit (Jn 12:24). The sign of his veracity is his rising from the grave to a new and radically better life. The entire Christian faith hinges on this historical fact, because if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain (1 Cor 15:14). It is the assurance Jesus has overcome the world (Jn 16:33), that love is as strong as death (Song 8:6), that we will find the most profound peace and happiness in sacrifice, that we need not be afraid (cf. Mt 28:5,10).

House of Prayer

And entering into the temple, he began to cast out them that sold therein, and them that bought. Saying to them: It is written: My house is the house of prayer. But you have made it a den of thieves. And he was teaching daily in the temple. And the chief priests and the scribes and the rulers of the people sought to destroy him: And they found not what to do to him: for all the people were very attentive to hear him
Luke 19:45-48 (Douay-Rheims Bible)

LOVE GOD

God's Wonderful Love

Life

And there came to him some of the Sadducees, who deny that there is any resurrection, and they asked him, Saying: Master, Moses wrote unto us, If any man's brother die, having a wife, and he leave no children, that his brother should take her to wife, and raise up seed unto his brother. There were therefore seven brethren: and the first took a wife, and died without children. And the next took her to wife, and he also died childless. And the third took her. And in like manner all the seven, and they left no children, and died. Last of all the woman died also. In the resurrection therefore, whose wife of them shall she be? For all the seven had her to wife. And Jesus said to them: The children of this world marry, and are given in marriage: But they that shall be accounted worthy of that world, and of the resurrection from the dead, shall neither be married, nor take wives. Neither can they die any more: for they are equal to the angels, and are the children of God, being the children of the resurrection. Now that the dead rise again, Moses also shewed, at the bush, when he called the Lord, The God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob; For he is not the God of the dead, but of the living: for all live to him. And some of the scribes answering, said to him: Master, thou hast said well. And after that they durst not ask him any more questions.
Luke 20:27-40 (Douay-Rheims Bible)

Bible God Word

Is the Bible truly God's Word?

Answer: Our answer to this question will not only determine how we view the Bible and its importance to our lives, but also it will ultimately will have an eternal impact on us. If the Bible is truly God’s Word, then we should cherish it, study it, obey it, and ultimately trust it. If the Bible is the Word of God then to dismiss it is to dismiss God Himself.

The fact that God gave us the Bible is an evidence and illustration of His love for us. The term "revelation" simply means that God communicated to mankind what He is like and how we can have a right relationship with Him. These are things that we could not have known had not God divinely revealed them to us in the Bible. Although God’s revelation of Himself in the Bible was given progressively over approximately 1500 years, it has always contained everything that man needed to know about God in order to have a right relationship with Him. If the Bible is truly the Word of God, then it is the final authority for all matters of faith, religious practice, and morals.

The question we must ask ourselves is how can we know that the Bible is the Word of God and not just a good book? What is unique about the Bible that sets it apart from all other religious books ever written? Is there any evidence that the Bible is truly God’s Word? These are the type of questions that must be looked at if we are to seriously examine the biblical claim that the Bible is the very Word of God, divinely inspired, and totally sufficient for all matters of faith and practice.

There can be no doubt about the fact that the Bible does claim to be the very Word of God. This is clearly seen in verses like 2 Timothy 3:15-17, which say, “. . .from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. 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.”

In order to answer these questions we must look at both the internal and external evidences that the Bible is truly God’s Word. The internal evidences are those things internal to the Bible itself that testify of its divine origin. One of the first internal evidences that the Bible is truly God’s Word is seen in its unity. Even though it is really sixty-six individual books, written on three continents, in three different languages, over a period of approximately 1500 years, by more that 40 authors (who came from many walks of life), the Bible remains one unified book from beginning to end without contradiction. This unity is unique from all other books and is evidence of the divine origin of the words as God moved men in such a way that they recorded His very words.

Another of the internal evidences that indicate the Bible is truly God’s Word is seen in the detailed prophecies contained within its pages. The Bible contains hundreds of detailed prophecies relating to the future of individual nations including Israel, to the future of certain cities, to the future of mankind, and to the coming of one who would be the Messiah, the Savior of not only Israel, but all who would believe in Him. Unlike the prophecies found in other religious books or those done by Nostradamus, the biblical prophecies are extremely detailed and have never failed to come true. There are over three hundred prophecies concerning Jesus Christ in the Old Testament alone. Not only was it foretold where He would be born and what family He would come from, but also how He would die and that He would rise again on the third day. There simply is no logical way to explain the fulfilled prophecies in the Bible other than by divine origin. There is no other religious book with the extent or type of predictive prophecy that the Bible has.

A third internal evidence of the divine origin of the Bible is seen in its unique authority and power. While this evidence is more subjective than the first two internal evidences, it is no less a very powerful testimony of the divine origin of the Bible. The Bible has a unique authority that is unlike any other book ever written. This authority and power are best seen in the way countless lives have been transformed by reading the Bible. Drug addicts have been cured by it, homosexuals have been set free by it, derelicts and deadbeats have been transformed by it, hardened criminals reformed by it, sinners are rebuked by it, and hate has been turned to love by reading it. The Bible does possess a dynamic and transforming power that is only possible because it is truly God’s Word.

Besides the internal evidence that the Bible is truly God’s Word there are also external evidences that indicate the Bible is truly the Word of God. One of those evidences is the historicity of the Bible. Because the Bible details historical events its truthfulness and accuracy is subject to verification like any other historical documentation. Through both archaeological evidences and other written documents, the historical accounts of the Bible have been proven time and time again to be accurate and true. In fact all the archaeological and manuscript evidence supporting the Bible makes it the best documented book from the ancient world. The fact that the Bible accurately and truthfully records historically verifiable events is a great indication of its truthfulness when dealing with religious subjects and doctrines and helps substantiate its claim that it is the very Word of God.

Another external evidence that the Bible is truly God’s Word is the integrity of the human authors. As mentioned earlier, God used men from many walks of life to record His Words to us. In studying the lives of these men, there is no good reason to believe that they were not honest and sincere men. Examining their lives and the fact that they were willing to die (often excruciating deaths) for what they believed in, it quickly becomes clear that these ordinary yet honest men truly believed that God had spoken to them. The men who wrote the New Testament and many hundreds of other believers (1 Corinthians 15:6) knew the truth of their message because they had seen and spent time with Jesus Christ after He had risen from the dead. The transformation of seeing the Risen Christ had a tremendous impact on these men. They went from hiding in fear, to being willing to die for the message God had revealed to them. Their lives and deaths testify to the fact that the Bible truly is God’s Word.

A final external evidence that the Bible is truly God’s Word is the indestructibility of the Bible. Because of its importance and its claim to be the very word of God, the Bible has suffered more vicious attacks and attempts to destroy it than any other book in history. From early Roman Emperors like Diocletian, through communist dictators and on to modern day atheists and agnostics, the Bible has withstood and outlasted all of its attackers and is still the most widely published book in the world today.

Throughout time, skeptics have regarded the Bible as mythological, but archeology has established it as historical. Opponents have attacked its teaching as primitive and outdated, but its moral and legal concepts and teachings have had a positive influence on societies and cultures throughout the world. It continues to be attacked by science, psychology, and political movements and yet remains just as true and relevant today as it was when it was first written. It is a book that has transformed countless lives and cultures throughout the last 2000 years. No matter how its opponents try to attack, destroy, or discredit it, the Bible remains just as strong, just a true, and just as relevant after the attacks as it was before. The accuracy which has been preserved despite every attempt to corrupt, attack, or destroy it, is clear testimony to the fact that the Bible is truly God’s Word. It should not surprise us that no matter how the Bible is attacked, it always comes out unchanged and unscathed. After all, Jesus said, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away” (Mark 13:31). After looking at the evidence one can say without a doubt that “Yes the Bible is truly God’s Word.”

God is Love

How do we Define Love?

"God is Love", but how do we define it? The American Heritage Dictionary defines love as "an intense affection for another person based on familial or personal ties". Often this "intense affection" stems from a sexual attraction for that other person. We love other people, or we say we love other people, when we are attracted to them and when they make us feel good. Notice that a key phrase in the dictionary definition of love is the phrase "based on". This phrase implies that we love conditionally; in other words, we love someone because they fulfill a condition that we require before we can love them. How many times have you heard or said, "I love you because you are cute;" or "I love you because you take good care of me;" or "I love you because you are fun to be with"?

Our love is not only conditional, it is also mercurial. We love based on feelings and emotions that can change from one moment to the next. The divorce rate is extremely high in today's society because husbands and wives supposedly stop loving one another-or they "fall out of love". They may go through a rough patch in their marriage, and they no longer "feel" love for their spouse, so they call it quits. Evidently, their marriage vow of "till death do us part" means they can part at the death of their love for their spouse rather than at their physical death.

Can anyone really comprehend "unconditional" love? It seems the love that parents have for their children is as close to unconditional love as we can get without the help of God's love in our lives. We continue to love our children through good times and bad, and we don't stop loving them if they don't meet the expectations we may have for them. We make a choice to love our children even when we consider them unlovable; our love doesn't stop when we don't "feel" love for them. This is similar to God's love for us, but as we shall see, God's love transcends the human definition of love to a point that is hard for us to comprehend.

God is Love: How does God Define Love?
The Bible tells us that "God is Love" (1 John 4:8). But how can we even begin to understand that truth? There are many passages in the Bible that give us God's definition of love. The most well known verse is John 3:16, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." So one way God defines love is in the act of giving. However, what God gave (or should we say, "who" God gave) was not a mere gift-wrapped present; God sacrificed His only Son so that we, who put our faith in His Son, will not spend eternity separated from Him. This is an amazing love, because we are the ones who choose to be separated from God through our own sin, yet it's God who mends the separation through His intense personal sacrifice, and all we have to do is accept His gift.

Another great verse about God's love is found in Romans 5:8, "But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." In this verse and in John 3:16, we find no conditions placed on God's love for us. God doesn't say, "as soon as you clean up your act, I'll love you; " nor does He say, "I'll sacrifice my Son if you promise to love Me." In fact, in Romans 5:8, we find just the opposite. God wants us to know that His love is unconditional, so He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to die for us while we were still unlovable sinners. We didn't have to get clean, and we didn't have to make any promises to God before we could experience His love. His love for us has always existed, and because of that, He did all the giving and sacrificing long before we were even aware that we needed His love.

God in Early Christian Theology

The early Greek fathers made extensive use of reason and philosophy in their attempt to defend Christianity in the cultured world around them. Justin Martyr, influenced by Platonism, emphasized the ineffability, omnipotence and impassibility of God, while Athenagoras and Theophilus focused on God's simplicity, indivisibility and universal providence.

Irenaeus developed his doctrine of God in reaction against the Gnostics, and thus emphasized the self-sufficiency and perfection of the one God. By the time of the Council of Nicea, the chief divine attributes of eternity, immutability, omniscience and omnipotence were undisputed by all Christians.

God in the New Testament

The authors of the New Testament took for granted the existence of the God of the Old Testament. They believed in Yahweh, "the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob," whom the Jews worshipped as the one true God (Ac 13:32; Ro 3:29, 4:3).

Like the Old Testament, the New Testament teaches that there is only one God (Mk 12:29; Eph 4:6; Jas 2:19), who is pure spirit (Jn 4:24; 1 Jn 4:12), the creator of the world (1 Ti 4:4; Heb 3:4), holy and good (Ro 3:4; Eph 4:24; Rev 4:8), all-powerful (Mt 19:26; Mk 2:7, 10:18) and worthy of mankind's worship and love (Mt 6:24; Mk 11:22; Lk 2:14).

God expects ethical behavior (Jn 6:29; Ac 8:21, 24:16; 2 Co 9:7; 1 Th 4:9; Jas 1:27; 1 Jn 3:9) and will judge wrongdoers (Ro 2:16, 3:19).

The New Testament especially emphasizes God's love for the world and his desire to save all people (Jn 3:16; Ro 5:5,5:8; Php 4:191 Jn 4:7-9).

Where the New Testament differs from the Old Testament in its teachings about God is in its proclamation that God has chosen to reveal himself to mankind through Christ, the Incarnation of God. Especially in the Gospel of John, it is emphasized that Jesus alone knows the Father completely and he came to help humans know God ("the Father") better:

• John 3:35 - "The Father loves the Son and has placed everything in his hands." (John the Baptist)
• John 7:16: "My teaching is not my own. It comes from him who sent me."
• John 14:9-10: Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father?' Don't you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me?"
• Romans 1:17: "For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed."

Is the Bible Really God’s Word?

Why do we believe that the Bible is the Word of God?

This is a critical question, and one that we ought to seriously consider. After all, as Christians, we base not only our lives on the Bible, but our eternities. We believe it to be the very Word of God. But what are the reasons we do so?

Not everyone, of course, believes that the Bible is truly God’s Word. Andy Partridge (lead singer of XTC) would be one such example. “I don’t believe the Bible,” says Partridge. “I believe most of the Bible is not lies, but fantasy based on a tiny thread of something maybe not so fantastic after all.” Captain Sensible (guitarist and founding member of the punk band The Damned) concurs: “There’s also no mention of dinosaurs in the Bible either. Perhaps it’s not inspired by an all knowing being after all and is, after all, just a cracking good work of fiction?”

Actor Bruce Willis (from a July 1998 interview in George Magazine) also agrees:

Organized religions in general, in my opinion, are dying forms. They were all very important when we didn’t know why the sun moved, why weather changed, why hurricanes occurred, or volcanoes happened. Modern religion is the end trail of modern mythology. But there are people who interpret the Bible literally. Literally! I choose not to believe that’s the way.

In an increasingly skeptical world, we (as Christians) must be ready to give good reasons for our faith (1 Pet. 3:15), including why we believe the Bible really is what it claims to be. The Christian faith, more than any other belief system, is a reasonable faith; it makes claims that correspond to testable facts, gives compelling evidences for its own truthfulness, and presents a worldview that is consistent with reality. Thus, when we are confronted by detractors, we can give a reasonable defense, knowing that the truth will ultimately prevail.

R. A. Torrey took this very approach when confronted with his own personal doubts. Nearly a century ago, Torrey wrote this:

I was brought up to believe that the Bible was the Word of God. In early life I accepted it as such upon the authority of my parents, and never gave the question any serious thought. But later in life my faith in the Bible was utterly shattered through the influence of the writings of a very celebrated, scholarly and brilliant skeptic. I found myself face to face with the question, Why do you believe the Bible is the Word of God?

I had no satisfactory answer. I determined to go to the bottom of this question. If satisfactory proof could not be found that the Bible was God’s Word I would give the whole thing up, cost what it might. If satisfactory proof could be found that the Bible was God’s Word I would take my stand upon it, cost what it might. I doubtless had many friends who could have answered the question satisfactorily, but I was unwilling to confide to them the struggle that was going on in my own heart; so I sought help from God and from books, and after much painful study and thought came out of the darkness of skepticism into the broad daylight of faith and certainty that the Bible from beginning to end is God’s Word.

As a result of his scrutiny and study, Torrey produced “Ten Reasons I Believe the Bible Is the Word of God” — a helpful survey of the reasons that compelled Torrey to believe the Bible. Over the next few days, we are going to survey a similar list (in part based on Torrey’s work), in the hopes that you will be encouraged in your own reading and study of the Scriptures.

Word of God - word for word

As I began reading through the bible this year, I realized the importance of having the right tools available to help me understand what scripture is saying and the signifacance of each and every word. Unfortunately, I’m not much of a theologian so my skills and resources are kind of limited. No matter, all understanding comes from the Holy Spirit but luckily, God has provided several good tools to help me along the way.

PREACH THE WORD AND KEEP THE FAITH!

The apostle Paul encouraged his fellow believers to preach the word, in season and out of season, because he knew the destructive power of false doctrine would lead many astray. Tune in to this message as I expound on the scriptures from 2 Timothy 4:1-8. Be Blessed in Jesus Christ.

THE IMPORTANCE OF KNOWING GOD’S WORD!

The apostle Paul told us that the Spirit declared that in the latter days some shall “depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils” [1 Timothy 4:1]. This is a message for the believer in Jesus Christ and an encouragement to know the Word of God for themselves. We are living in a time of great apostasy and it is of utmost importance that we know the scriptures so that we are able to discern the false teachings when they come along. Be Blessed as you listen to this important message.

THE AUTHORITY OF GOD’S WORD

People such as the prophet Isaiah and the prophet Jeremiah, valued the Word of God. Jesus Christ Himself used the Word of God to rebuke the devil, preceding the scriptures with “It Is Written! Tune in to this podcast with speaker Bill White as he speaks on the authority of God’s Word.

GOD’S PURPOSE GUARANTEES THE MANIFESTATION OF HIS LOVE

God’s eternal purpose (Eph. 3:11) guarantees that eternal love will be manifested (Jer. 31:3). Eternal election is the first step of eternal love. God’s elective grace flows from eternal love. It provides eternal salvation through the eternal covenant (Heb. 13:20, 21). The eternal covenant is fulfilled in the Person and Work of the eternal Son. Thus, the eternality of Divine love is manifested not only in God’s love for the elect, which is without beginning, but through the reciprocal action of the redeemed and regenerated, whose love for God will be without ending.

A statement by religionists that is frequently repeated is “God is a gentleman, He lets you make your own choice.” Other statements are made by religionists: “By faith, you breathe Him (God) into your life, and He gives you spiritual life,” and “By faith you control your own destiny.” Three important questions are in order: (1) Is the way of man in himself? (2) Who first breathes in whom? (3) Is man the author of his own destiny? Solomon was inspired to write, “A man’s heart deviseth his way: but the LORD directeth his steps” (Prov. 16:9). Man may consider and purpose to himself what he will do, but God directs his steps by overruling and disposing all of man’s designs and actions according to His foreordained plan. Who will you believe, God or man? The purpose of God preceded the foundation of the world (Eph. 3:11). By providence, He executes the foreordained plan in time. In other words, the purpose of God draws an outlined picture of human history; and providence lays on the colors, thus completing the picture. Hence, what one designs, the other completes; what one ordains, the other executes:

In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will (Eph. 1:11).

And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and he doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou? (Dan. 4:35).

Whatsoever the LORD pleased, that did he in heaven, and in earth, in the seas, and all deep places (Ps. 135:6).

God’s purpose is executed irrespective of man’s will: “So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy” (Rom. 9:16). God is subject to no man; furthermore, He is influenced by none. Being absolutely independent, God does what He pleases, to whom He pleases, and as He pleases.

God’s eternal love may be described as follows:

Love for Enemies

You have heard that it was said, 'Love your friends, hate your enemies.' But now I tell you: love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may become the children of your Father in heaven. For he makes his sun to shine on bad and good people alike, and gives rain to those who do good and to those who do evil.

Why should God reward you if you love only the people who love you? Even the tax collectors do that! And if you speak only to your friends, have you done anything out of the ordinary? Even the pagans do that! You must be perfect - just as your Father in heaven is perfect.
(Luke 6.27, 28, 32-36)

God

Conceptions of God vary widely. Theologians and philosophers have studied countless conceptions of God since the dawn of civilization. The Abrahamic conceptions of God include the trinitarian view of Christians, the Kabbalistic definition of Jewish mysticism, and the Islamic concept of God. The dharmic religions differ in their view of the divine, ranging from the almost polytheistic view of God in Hinduism to the almost non-theist view of God in Buddhism. In modern times, some more abstract concepts have been developed, such as process theology and open theism. Conceptions of God held by individual believers vary so widely that there is no clear consensus on the nature of God.[13] The contemporaneous French philosopher Michel Henry has however proposed a phenomenological approach and definition of God as phenomenological essence of Life.

GODOFWAR

Godofwar : God of war

Goliath Challenges the Israelites

The Philistines gathered for battle in Socoh. a town in Judah; they camped at a place called Ephes Dammim, between Socoh and Azekah. Saul and the Israelites assembled and camped in Elah valley, where they got ready to fight the Philistines. The Philistines lined up on one hill and the Israelites on another, with a valley between them.

A man named Goliath. from the city of Gath, came out from the Philistime camp to challenge the Israelites. He was Over nine feet tall and wore bronze armor that weighed about 125 pounds and a bronze helmet. His legs were also protected by bronze armor, and he carried a bronze javelin slung over his shoulder. His spear was as thick as the bar on a weaver's loom, and its iron head weighed about fifteen pounds. A soldier walked in front of him carrying his shield. Goliath stood and shouted at the Israelites, "What are you doing there, lined up for battle? I am a Philistine, you slaves of Saul! Choose one of a nice, good-looking boy. He said to David, "What's that stick for? Do you think I'm a dog?" And he called down curses from his god on David. "Come on," he challenged David, "and I will give your body to the birds and animals to eat."

David answered, "You are coming agains me with sword, spear, and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the Israelite armies, which you have defied. This very day the Lord will put you in my power; I will defeat you and cut off your head. And I wil give the bodies of the Philistine soldiers to the birds and animals to eat. Then the whole world will know that Israel has a God, and everyone here will see that the Lord does not need swords or spears to save his people. He is victorious in battle, and he will put all of you in our power."

Goliath started walking toward David again, and David ran quickly toward the Philistine battle line to fight him. He reached into his bag and took out a stone, which he slung at Goliath. It hit him on the forehead and broke his skull, and Goliath fell face downward on the ground. And so, without a sword, David defeated and killed Goliath with a sling and a stone! He ran to him, stood over him, took Goliath's sword out of its sheath, and cut off his head and killed him.

When the Philistines saw that their hero was dead, they ran away. The men of Israel and Judah shouted and ran after them, pursuing them all the way to Gath and to the gates of Ekron. The Philistines fell wounded all alogn the road that leads to Shaaraim, as far as Gath and Ekron. When the Israelites came back from pursuing the Philistines, they looted their camp. David got Goliath's head and took it to Jerusalem, but he kept Goliath's weapons in his own tent.



David Is Presented to Saul

When Saul saw David going out to fight Goliath, he asked Abner, the commander of his army. "Abner, whose son is he?"

"I have no idea, Your Majesty," Abner answered.

"Then go and find out," Saul ordered.

So when David returned to camp after killing Goliath, Abner took him to Saul. David was still carrying Goliath's head. Saul asked him, "Young man, whose son are you?"

"I am the son of your servant Jesse from Bethlehem," David answered.



(1 Samuel 17:8)

GODOFWORD

WE ARE TO LIVE TO HIM
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. Rom 12:1

You were bought with a price [purchased with a preciousness and paid for, made His own]. So then, honor God and bring glory to Him in your body. 1Cor 6:20

Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. Titus 2:14. That he would grant unto us, that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies might serve him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before him, all the days of our life. Luke 1:74-75

So, Since Christ suffered in the flesh, for you, arm yourselves with the same thought and purpose [patiently to suffer rather than fail to please God]. For whoever has suffered in the flesh [having the mind of Christ] is done with [intentional] sin [has stopped pleasing himself and the world, and pleases God], So that he can no longer spend the rest of his natural life living by [his] human appetites and desires, but [he lives] for what God wills. 1Peter 4:1-2

god

Names of God

The noun God is the proper English name used for the deity of monotheistic faiths. Various English third-person pronouns are used for God, and the correctness of each is disputed.

God is not like people

God is not like people, who lie;
He is not a human who changes his mind.
Whatever he promises, he does;
He speaks, and it is done.
(Numbers 23:29)

We Must Receive Christ

'As many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name' (John 1:12).

ASSOCIATED AUTHORITIES

The clerical state (deacons and priests – known as elders or presbyters) is given only to those who have been specifically selected and have been affirmed (commonly signified by the laying on of hands) by those authorized to elevate them to the indicated office (always by one who was in at least legal unison with a successor of one appointed by Jesus).

They presented these men to the apostles who prayed and laid hands on them. [Acts 6:6] First deacons of the Church

Do not neglect the gift you have, which was conferred on you through the prophetic word with the imposition of hands of the presbyterate. [1 Tim. 4:14]

Do not lay hands too readily on anyone, and do not share in another's sins. Keep yourself pure. [1 Tim. 5:22] Paul's instructions to the presbyter Timothy

For this reason, I remind you to stir into flame the gift of God that you have through the imposition of my hands. [2 Tim. 1:6] Paul speaking of Timothy's ordination at his hands

For this reason I left you in Crete so that you might set right what remains to be done and appoint presbyters in every town, as I directed you, [Titus 1:5] Conditions have been established in regard to those who are to hold clerical office at the hands of duly authorized men validly holding office.

You can receive Christ right now.

Remember that Jesus says, "I'm standing at the door and I'm knocking. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in."15 Would you like to respond to his invitation? Here's how.

The precise words you use to commit yourself to God are not important. He knows the intentions of your heart. If you are unsure of what to pray, this might help you put it into words:

"Jesus, I want to know you. I want you to come into my life. Thank you for dying on the cross for my sin so that I could be fully accepted by you. Only you can give me the power to change and become the person you created me to be. Thank you for forgiving me and giving me eternal life with God. I give my life to you. Please do with it as you wish. Amen."

If you sincerely asked Jesus into your life just now, then he has come into your life as he promised. You have begun a personal relationship with God.

What follows is a lifelong journey of change and growth as you get to know God better through Bible reading, prayer and interaction with other Christians.

I just asked Jesus into my life (some helpful information follows)...

I may want to ask Jesus into my life, but I have a question
I would like answered first...

Principle Four

Principle Four: We must individually accept Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.

The Bible says, "Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God."10

We accept Jesus by faith. The Bible says, "God saved you by his special favour when you believed. And you can't take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it."11

Accepting Jesus means believing that Jesus is the Son of God, who he claimed to be, then inviting him to guide and direct our lives.12 Jesus said, "I came that you might have life, and have it more abundantly."13

And here is Jesus' invitation. He said, "I'm standing at the door and I'm knocking. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in."14

How will you respond to God's invitation?

Consider these two circles:


Self-Directed Life


Self is on the throne

Jesus is outside the life

Decisions and actions are solely directed by self, often resulting in frustration


Christ-Directed Life


Jesus is in the life and on the throne

Self is yielding to Jesus

The person sees Jesus' influence and direction in their life


Which circle best represents your life?

Which circle would you like to have represent your life?

Begin a relationship with Jesus...

Principle Three

Principle Three: Jesus Christ is God's only provision for our sin. Through him we can know and experience God's love and plan for our life.

We deserve to pay for our own sin. The problem is, the payment is death. So that we would not have to die separated from God, out of his love for us, Jesus Christ died in our place. On the cross, Jesus took all of our sin on himself and completely, fully paid for it. "For Christ also died for sins...the just for the unjust, so that he might bring us to God."4 "...he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy."5 Because of Jesus' death on the cross, our sin doesn't have to separate us from God any longer.

"For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life."6

Jesus not only died for our sin, he rose from the dead.7 When he did, he proved beyond doubt that he can rightfully promise eternal life--that he is the Son of God and the only means by which we can know God. That is why Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth and the life; no one can come to the Father except through me."8

Instead of trying harder to reach God, he tells us how we can begin a relationship with him right now. Jesus says, "Come to me." "If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me... out of his heart will flow rivers of living water."9 It was Jesus' love for us that caused him to endure the cross. And he now invites us to come to him, that we might begin a personal relationship with God.

Just knowing what Jesus has done for us and what he is offering us is not enough. To have a relationship with God, we need to welcome him into our life...

Principle Two: All of us sin and our sin has separated us from God.

We sense that separation, that distance from God because of our sin. The Bible tells us that "All of us like sheep have gone astray; each of us has turned to his own way."2

Deep down, our attitude may be one of active rebellion or passive indifference toward God and his ways, but it's all evidence of what the Bible calls sin.

The result of sin in our lives is death--spiritual separation from God.3 Although we may try to get close to God through our own effort, we inevitably fail.

This diagram shows the great gap that exists between us and God. The arrows illustrate how we might try to reach God through our own efforts. We may try to do good things in life, or earn God's acceptance through a good life or a moral philosophy. But our good efforts are insufficient to cover up our sin.

How can we bridge this gulf?...

Principle One

Principle One: God loves you and offers a wonderful plan for your life.

God created you. Not only that, he loves you so much that he wants you to know him now and spend eternity with him. Jesus said, "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life."1

Jesus came so that each of us could know and understand God in a personal way. Jesus alone can bring meaning and purpose to life.

What keeps us from knowing God? ..

Knowing God Personally

What does it take to begin a relationship with God? Wait for lightning to strike? Devote yourself to unselfish religious deeds? Become a better person so that God will accept you? NONE of these. God has made it very clear in the Bible how we can know Him. This will explain how you can personally begin a relationship with God, right now...

Why Jesus is the Way to Union with God

For therefore we both labour and suffer reproach,
because we trust in the living God,
who is the Saviour of all men,
specially of those that believe.
1 Timothy 4:9-10

Text in Light Blue or bold Light Blue can be "clicked" for backup in scripture or detail in writings.
When you have clicked to the on-line Bible, you can change and update to see any Bible version that you prefer.

Almost everyone has heard that Jesus said, 'I am the way, the truth, and the life, and no one comes to the Father except by me.' And no one can come to him in this life, unless the Father draws them; but they must come to the Father through the example, teachings, and help of Christ, including the mystical missing cross. But make no mistake, he is not a license for immorality; whatever label people claim, they must be holy to have any part of him. The sects of christendom claim in error that he came to set them free them from guilt of sin, rather than to set them free from sin by destruction of the sinful nature. (You tender hearted souls, who thought he was, but still wish him to be your Lord, will find encouragement below on how he can destroy the sinful nature; for Jesus said, I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. John 8:34. If you are a slave to sin, then sin is your master; and Jesus can't be your Lord, because you cannot serve two masters. Luke 16:13. Click here to jump to how to destroy the sinful nature.)

Christ's teachings are the ultimate in the way to become holy and become one with God; classic challenges to those who would be his followers are:

So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple. Luke 14:33
And whosoever does not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple. Luke 14:27
He that finds his life shall lose it, and he that loses his life for my sake shall find it. Matthew 10:39
For if we be dead with him, we shall also live with him: If we suffer, we shall also reign with him. 2 Tim 2:11-12

Of all the guides and teachers in history, Christ stands far above in holiness and perfection. His death on the cross is the physical example that we must follow with the inward cross of self-denial to find God, to have God dwell in us, to be with God, to have union with Christ and the Father, while on earth, and to live with Him now and forever.

He has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them
you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. 2 Peter 1:4

Scriptures regarding the divinity of Christ, and showing that before he came to earth in the flesh, Christ created the universe, in his heavenly glorious form:

* In the beginning was the Word, and the Word [Jesus] was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men. He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. John 1:1-14

* He [Jesus] is the sole expression of the glory of God , and He is the perfect imprint and very image of nature, upholding and maintaining and guiding and propelling the universe by His mighty word of power. Hebrews 1:3

* Who [Christ] is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature, Colossians 1:15

* For by him [Jesus] all things were created; things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together - so that in everything he might have the supremacy. For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself (God the Father) all things, whether things on earth or in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross. Col.1:16-20

* Who, [Christ] although being essentially one with God and in the form of God, did not think this equality with God was a thing to be eagerly grasped or retained, but stripped Himself, so as to assume the guise of a servant (slave), in that He became like men and was born a human being. And after He had appeared in human form, He abased and humbled Himself [still further] and carried His obedience to the extreme of death, even the death of the cross. Philippians 2:6-8

* Philip said to Him, Lord, show us the Father; then we shall be satisfied. Jesus replied, Have I been with all of you for so long a time, and do you not recognize and know Me yet, Philip? Anyone who has seen Me has seen the Father. How can you say then, Show us the Father? Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in Me? What I am telling you I do not say on My own authority and of My own accord; but the Father Who lives continually in Me does the (His) works (His own miracles, deeds of power). John 14:8-10

* In the last of these days He has spoken to us in Son, Whom He appointed Heir and lawful Owner of all things, also by and through Whom He created the worlds and the reaches of space and the ages of time. Heb 1:2

* As the Father raises up the dead, and quickens them, even so the Son quickens whom he will; for the Father judges no man; but has committed all judgment to the Son, that all men should honor the Son, even as they honor the Father. He that does not honor not the Son, does not honor the Father which has sent him. John 5:21-23.

* Speaking at the last supper, just before his crucifixion, Jesus said: And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was. John 17:5

God is light. God is a consuming fire. God is a spirit. In the beginning, the light, fire, and spirit called God, had a firstborn (Jesus) of every creature, for all his fullness to dwell in him, and then by him were all things created, that are in heaven and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together - so that in everything he might have the supremacy. He is essentially one with God and in the form of God. Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD.

And through him [Jesus] to reconcile to himself (God the Father) all things, whether things on earth or in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross. Col.1:5-20.

(See Is There Hope for All Men and Women for more on his reconciliation of all things back to God the Father).

There are many, many prophecies of scriptures regarding the details of Jesus' life, made hundreds of years before his birth, and fulfilled in his lifetime. Click Here to See Them. These fulfilled prophecies not only show Christ's Divinity and Him being the promised Messiah, but also demonstrate the validity of the Bible, (despite the gross misinterpretations so prevalent in Christendom today).

Jesus was not a man of war like Mohammed and Krishna; nor was Jesus just a man like Buddha, who became enlightened, though never acknowledging God. Christ walked the earth as a man, but before and after his earthly life, he reigned in the heavens, King of the Angels, creator of all things, including the heavens and earth and all in it. Although he ruled the heavens, he stripped himself of his glory and godhood to humble and abase himself, becoming human form to dwell in a tabernacle of flesh and die on the cross; so that he could reconcile man back to the Father through love; the ultimate gift, his life, for all the errant children of his creation. But in this life on earth he seeks to reconcile as first fruits, only those followers who wish to become like him, in union with him - because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.

John says: "In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The true light that gives light to every man coming into the world." John 1:1-9. So the Light of all men is Christ, the Light that many meditation-based religions seek.

So, since he created us, it stands to reason that he is the one to reconcile us back to himself and to the Father. But the Father is logical. He doesn't just make a rule unless it is necessary. I can accept the rule, but I always wondered why good people from other faiths were not able to find union with God in this life. Somehow it just didn't seem fair when some of the other faiths stressed peace, love, holiness, purity, enlightenment, and less materialism than 'christians,' who used Jesus as an excuse to live in sin without repentance to purity. My question was answered with the following understandings:

First, those who live in sin without the fruit of repentance to purity, calling themselves 'Christians,' do not find unity with God or true salvation. So, he doesn't discriminate on the basis of a technicality.

Second, remember Christ is the light that enlightens all men. Remember the Spirit of God has been poured out on all mankind. Anyone who totally follows the Light of their conscience can attain union with God. So, people from some other faiths can get very spiritual in meditation; like all men, they have the spirit within them chained down waiting for liberation from prison. They can become more enlightened and more spiritual than 'christians' of the various 'christian' deficit sects. Some of the other religions strive for the death of the ego, rejection of materialism, attaining inner peace, reaching enlightenment, and call for more holiness from their believers; all as necessary to please God. They find today's 'Christianity' unacceptable, because the 'christian' sects use the death of Jesus as an excuse to live in sin without guilt; the opposite of holiness and instead, an embrace of hypocrisy. As reported, when Gandhi was asked why he couldn't accept Jesus, he said, "I too will become a Christian, when I meet a Christian like Jesus."

Third, the Light in all men, which is the only teacher anyone needs, will eventually reveal its identity as Christ to some such individuals of other religions in their meditations. They then have the choice whether to accept him or not. Unfortunately they often decline, because of their loyalty to the teachings of their faith and because of the poor record of most 'christians' around them and throughout history. They may live a very peaceful life where they don't judge good vs. evil, they may reach the point of great peace, but their progress stops. They cannot get to total union with God to live in the Kingdom of Heaven, unless they accept Christ - the only way to enter the spiritual dimension in this life. Rejecting Christ, they have thrown the proverbial baby out with the dirty bath water. They have rejected Christ, because of 'churchianity.'

We know people who have gone into the Light by a variety of meditation methods; one person using TM had the Light tell her that He would heal her. It was revealed to her that the Light was Christ, but that person rejected the Light to be Christ, because she had rebelled from a condemning fundamental christian sect. Rejecting the Light to be Jesus, she missed the opportunity to be healed of her sickness and the opportunity to attain union with God in his Kingdom.

So if he reveals himself to you in your meditations, this is not the Jesus of the deficit sects, who claim him as an excuse for an unholy lifestyle while condemning others living similarly, but this is Christ, the life which is the light of men. He said, I am the light of the world: he that follows me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness. Believe in the light while you have it, so that you may become sons of light.

Christ said to, "pray that you will have the strength to stand before the Son of Man." It refers to conviction. While sitting quietly waiting on the Lord, (meditation), which is necessary to attain purity, the Light shows us the evil that is in our heart. Our tendency is to deny it and to run from the light which shows us our condition. Christ is our excuse for the unholy thing we are, and our lifeline to stay or "stand," (not flee). We can't do it without him; it is too humiliating to accept without knowing that he died to be our savior and helper; he says PEACE, don't worry. He is our pass for being the way we are as we seek peace and enlightenment. Without the knowledge of a friend and savior, our meditations only go so far, because we draw back in fear of ourselves compared to God.

So, if when meditating, and you are shown something ugly about yourself by the Light, don't draw back; recognize it is the Light showing you your condition, and it is doing this to help us be rid of it and become a better person; and that Christ has died for us, so that we need not panic and draw away, but remain to focus on the Light that shows us our condition; we can claim his help by just believing in his name. And then, just when you don't expect it, strength will come; and whatever we have been shown as a defect in our heart, we will have strength to be different from then on. By loving the Light and feeling regret for what it is showing you while standing and not fleeing, you are receiving Christ, the Light. This doesn't commit you to 'churchianity' or attending one of the deficit sects' services; to the contrary, he would keep you out of them.

His good news that he was sent to the world to announce was: Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is near; repentance being change in the light to purity; after purity, to enter paradise, the Kingdom of Heaven within and among us, our consciousness and sight translated to the spiritual dimension, living in union with Christ and God, but walking on earth by the light of God, as children of the light. For God is not far from each one of us and hopes that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him; for in him we live and move and have our being. Acts 17:27-28. These writings show the way out of darkness to light. (Click for more.)

He created you. You are on the earth in the midst of evil. You were born in it. You are part of it. He doesn't blame you. He forgives you. His beloved first born Son has paid the price of all your sin. He wants you back with him. He wants to be with you. He wants to love you, and he wants you to love him. He wants to give you riches beyond your imagination, but a different kind of riches than what you know on earth. Trust him. He is the rewarder of those who diligently seek him. He asks you to please listen to his Son in the Light and keep his commands. So he can give you his peace. Follow his commands; be free from worry, doubt, fear, agitation, uncontrolled emotion, habits - all of which disturb your peace. There is peace between God and you. Accept this peace and seek Him through the Light, Jesus. Who had the joy of creating you, and now has the joy of reuniting you with the Father. The Light awaits you. See Meditation for more.

If you've arrived at this site, still curious why Jesus is necessary, I have a challenge for you. Pick up a Bible (or click) and read the book of Matthew; it won't take long. If you've been seeking, it will ring beyond true. If you like it, read the book of John next. John identifies the beauty of the promises to us, particularly John 17. All of Jesus' commands only to all and his criticisms of religious leaders are on the side bar. I believe you will find Christ's teachings so superior to anything you have read, that you will want to learn more; this happened to me. Jesus said, If anyone chooses to do God's will, he will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own. John 7:17

The 'christians' of today are not examples of his teachings. The different deficit sects fight over the interpretation of the recorded words of the saints, (the interpretations of the Bible), without seeking the same Spirit that spoke the words; as He told me,"they fight over the husks, without ever discovering the corn."

Instead look through the rest of this site, including Coming out of the World, Meditation, and Christian Freedom; and read the main attraction on this site, the Letters and Journal of George Fox, the original Quaker, who in the 17th century England led tens of thousands to holiness and oneness with God; this people exhibited their moral ethnicity while they testified against all the "deficit sects" of christiandom as Godless. And they were reviled and persecuted for it; just as Jesus predicted would happen to his true followers! They also showed a remarkable love and their ministry exhibited power. Christ came so we could be one, with Him and the Father, on the earth in this life; so we could enjoy the Kingdom of Heaven here and now, after we go to him for his purification.

See Meditations for details on the lost way to union with God.

For those 'Christians' who want rid themselves of their sinful nature:

We must die to self on the missing cross before he can rule us as our true lord. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Gal 5:24. Without having mortified the deeds and habits of the flesh, you have no part of Him; for without holiness, none shall see God. Hebrews 12:14. You were sold the false grace which says do nothing, just continue to live in your sinful nature. You have been cheated of true peace and from knowing that you could live in the Kingdom of Heaven within you, while on earth, which does not come with outward signs and visible display; he has already returned to thousands of believers who produced the fruit of repentance, who purified themselves to get ready for him.

And unto them that look for him, shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation. Heb 9:28

When he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.
Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure. 1 John 3:2-3
For the pure in heart see God; the pure in heart experience the appearance of Christ, his return.

Jesus said: Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord' will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Many will say to me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!' Matthew 7:22-3. Obviously they called him Lord, and they had enough faith that he was the son of God to perform wonderful miracles in his name; but that was not enough - they were evildoers! Jesus is saying that they have not made them their Lord in practice, who controls their lives in their actions and words; he doesn't know them to be his subjects as their ruling Lord. They say Jesus is Lord with their lips, but keep him far removed from their hearts to really be their Lord and King. To make him Lord, he has to first cleanse us of our sinful nature that makes us unruly, incapable of being subject to a Lord or King. Until he cleanses us, we are a slave to sin, incapable of being subject to a Lord or King. Jesus himself said, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. John 8:34. So we have to seek him to purify us by destroying our selfish, unruly, sinful nature; we have to sit quietly so that he, the Light and the Word, can teach us about himself and search our heart to show us our conditions; lead us to repent, and then cleanse us to be governable so he can truly rule us as our King and Lord. My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. John 10:27

Jesus came so he could destroy the the works of the devil in us - if we go to him.
For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, [in us] that he might destroy the works [sin] of the devil. 1 John 3:8

Jesus said: If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me. John 13:8 (This is not the ritual water baptism.)

If any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. Rev 3:20. Sitting quietly while thinking on his name is how we learn from Him, get cleansed by Him, be led by Him, and come to know Him. Hearing his voice is not reading the Bible, it is hearing his voice. To hear someone, we have to listen; to listen we have to stop talking, reading, and racing our mind.

For everyone who comes to Me and listens to My words and does them, ...
He is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid a foundation upon the rock; securely.. Luke 6:47-48

He is extraordinarily patient toward you, not desiring that any should perish, but that all should turn to repentance. 2 Peter 3:9

Do not fear, you can experience the joy of real fellowship with Christ. I am not recruiting for any sect. I seek no followers; you have no need of any teacher but the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and you do not need that anyone teach you; but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things, 1 John 2:27; Christ in you, the hope of glory. I do not want your money. Everything on this site is free. Nothing is for sale. I only want you to know the freedom from the distress of sin. I want you to know that you can be so filled with love, that you go through the rest of you life obsessed with loving others and loving God. You can be full of everlasting joy and peace. You can know the Father. You can become pure in heart and see God. You can have the Kingdom of God and the glorious Christ established in your heart. But, you must pick up you cross daily and crucify your flesh's affections and lusts to be with God. Be of good courage and have faith, for compared to his cross, your burden is light and easy. The cross simply is to go to him. He said, " Take my yoke upon you and learn from me." This is how you learn from him, (you will be taught, shown your condition, and you will receive personalized commands from Him to you):

* seeking the Kingdom of God, as your first priority, is an act of repentance and a cross to your selfish will
* turning away from evil, as you understand it, is an act of repentance and a cross to your selfish will
* you don't want to sit quietly every day to listen and watch, but if you do - it is a cross to your selfish will
if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. Rev. 3:20
* you don't want to obey his commands that you hear, but if you repent- it is a cross to your selfish will
* you don't want to forgive injustices done to you, but you repent and forgive - a cross to your angry self
* you don't want to admit and regret what the Light shows your condition to be, but if you repent - it is a cross to your will
(this is the place where you get changed, where your peace increases; in the Light)
* you don't want to give to others from your excess, but if you repent from your selfishness and give- it is a cross to your will
* you don't want to defer (deny self) to others, rather than insist on your way, but if you repent and defer - it is a cross to your will

This is the Inward Cross of Self-Denial

If any will come after me, let him deny himself,
and take up his cross daily, and follow me. Luke 9:23

Jesus said: except you repent, you shall all likewise perish. Luke 13:3,5

Those who belong to Christ Jesus
have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Gal 5:24


See How to Benefit from the Changing Power of God for more detail.

He wants us to come to him so we can be taught and he can show us our condition; and by us repenting and obeying his commands, he purifies us until he and the Father come to establish their Kingdom in our hearts and translate us to paradise, all by grace; a grace that teaches us to live godly and righteously in this present world. Contrasted with the deficit sects' false, instant grace, Paul describes the true grace in letter to Titus stated below:

For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men,
teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts,
we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world,
looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing
of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ;
who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity,
and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. Titus 2:11-4

(This is not instant grace; this is a teaching grace, a purifying grace; in this world. This takes time. You must be quiet to listen to be taught by grace, resulting in the appearance of God and Christ and leading you to good works.)

See True Grace vs. False Grace for more.
If you think believing or baptism is all you need, see The Fallacy of John 3:16 Taken out of Context, and the The Missing Cross.
See How to Benefit from the Changing Power of God for how to get started listening.

You might be asking, how could this be true? Everyone believes that there is nothing I have to do but believe in Jesus, and maybe get baptized in water. The answer is in the Bible; countless examples in the history of Israel where they forgot the requirements of righteousness and became comfortable in their flesh. In cycles, a prophet would arise, point out their universal error and then get persecuted or killed; then they got punished, they repented and lived correctly until they drifted back into a false religion. The same thing happened in the early church; Jude wrote in 1:4, For certain men whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are godless men, who change the grace of our God into a license for immorality. All the deficit sects of today are simply variations on the doctrines established by the Roman emperor, and of course saint, Constantine in 325 AD regarding salvation and Christianity; the doctrines were further standardized by later Roman emperors, including the sainted despot, Justinian. Within sixty-five years the true church, with its correct doctrines, was stamped out by the deceptive lure of their doctrine of instant, ritualized salvation, coupled with the Roman Empire's crushing boot of persecution for any deviation from their authorized, state religion. As predicted in the Bible's Book of Revelation, the church had adulterated with the Kings of the earth. For 1260 years the true church was banished to the wilderness, to appear again in 1650 with the breakthrough of the early Quakers - only to die again by 1880 due to the deception of presumptive salvation. People are eager to embrace the broad, easy way.

Even Adolph Hitler said Jesus was his Lord and Savior; but you saying so, doesn't make him your Lord in control of your words and deeds.

Read George Fox's Journal, and you will know for sure; just as they were surrounded by godless deficit sects, so are we today in an age of universal apostasy: false prophets, wolves in sheep's clothing, blind guides, minster's asking for your money, countless thousands of blind ministers taught by colleges instead of Christ, millions of blind followers in the ditch, still subject to rage, lusts, anger, greed, envy, emotions; with no purity, no peace, false hope, false gospels, false salvation, the missing cross, and no one entering the Kingdom. In response to a question, would many be saved? Christ said, "Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leads to destruction, and many will go in there: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leads unto life, and few will find it." Paul said, "work out your own salvation with fear and trembling (quaking)." So salvation is not as easy as you have been led to believe. You have been misled. It is easy to go with the herd; but beware, for Paul said, They that are in the flesh cannot please God. See the Missing Cross for more.

Christ is eager to help you enter by the narrow gate and for you to receive his Kingdom; but you must go to him. To learn to live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world. You must go to Him for the purpose of loosing your fleshly life to gain your spiritual Life; to attain purity through his grace and your faith in the power of the true gospel, the power of the cross, and the power of his name, Jesus Christ; all the power of God. Remember, all things work together for good for those who love God, to them who are called according his purpose. You have nothing to worry about. Even the things you did wrong in your life, worked to bring you to God, to be reunited with Him, to learn to love, to learn of God's love for you, to love God, to be loved by God, to become a son of love, to become love too. If you love Him, you will seek Him by going to him and getting quiet to hear his very soft voice. "Be still and know that I am God." Psalm 46:10

To enter Heaven, you have to be purified. You can be purified on earth by grace through repentance, or you can be purified in the next life, through Hell to Heaven. Everyone will be purified eventually and receive right standing with God to live in Heaven; but purification in the next life is far harder and the subsequent life is far less. See Is There Hope for ALL Men and Women for more information. For therefore we both labour and suffer reproach because we trust in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, specially of those that believe. 1 Timothy 4:9-10

See the Home Page and How to Benefit from the Changing Power of God for more.

This web site's purpose is to show how to become
free from sin
by benefiting from the changing power of God through the cross,
which leads to union with God and his Kingdom.

God Loves You!

The Bible says, "God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life"

The problem is that . . .

Apostolic Constitution of Pope Paul IV,

"Cum ex Apostolatus Officio"

15th February 1559
(Roman Bullarium Vol. IV. Sec. I, pp. 354-357)

By virtue of the Apostolic office which, despite our unworthiness, has been entrusted to Us by God, We are responsible for the general care of the flock of the Lord. Because of this, in order that the flock may be faithfully guarded and beneficially directed, We are bound to be diligently watchful after the manner of a vigilant Shepherd and to ensure most carefully that certain people who consider the study of the truth beneath them should be driven out of the sheepfold of Christ and no longer continue to disseminate error from positions of authority. We refer in particular to those who in this age, impelled by their sinfulness and supported by their cunning, are attacking with unusual learning and malice the discipline of the orthodox Faith, and who, moreover, by perverting the import of Holy Scripture, are striving to rend the unity of the Catholic Church and the seamless tunic of the Lord.

1. In assessing Our duty and the situation now prevailing, We have been weighed upon by the thought that a matter of this kind [i.e. error in respect of the Faith] is so grave and so dangerous that the Roman Pontiff,who is the representative upon earth of God and our God and Lord Jesus Christ, who holds the fulness of power over peoples and kingdoms, who may judge all and be judged by none in this world, may nonetheless be contradicted if he be found to have deviated from the Faith. Remembering also that, where danger is greater, it must more fully and more diligently be counteracted, We have been concerned lest false prophets or others, even if they have only secular jurisdiction, should wretchedly ensnare the souls of the simple, and drag with them into perdition, destruction and damnation countless peoples committed to their care and rule, either in spiritual or in temporal matters; and We have been concerned also lest it may befall Us to see the abomination of desolation, which was spoken of by the prophet Daniel, in the holy place. In view of this, Our desire has been to fulfill our Pastoral duty, insofar as, with the help of God, We are able, so as to arrest the foxes who are occupying themselves in the destruction of the vineyard of the Lord and to keep the wolves from the sheepfolds, lest We seem to be dumb watchdogs that cannot bark and lest We perish with the wicked husbandman and be compared with the hireling.

2. Hence, concerning these matters, We have held mature deliberation with our venerable brothers the Cardinals of the Holy Roman Church; and, upon their advice and with their unanimous agreement, we now enact as follows:-

In respect of each and every sentence of excommunication, suspension, interdict and privation and any other sentences, censures and penalties against heretics or schismatics, enforced and promulgated in any way whatsoever by any of Our predecessors the Roman Pontiffs, or by any who were held to be such (even by their "litterae extravagantes" i.e. private letters), or by the sacred Councils received by the Church of God, or by decrees of the Holy Fathers and the statutes, or by the sacred Canons and the Constitutions and Apostolic Ordinations - all these measures, by Apostolic authority, We approve and renew, that they may and must be observed in perpetuity and, if perchance they be no longer in lively observance, that they be restored to it.

Thus We will and decree that the aforementioned sentences, censures and penalties be incurred without exception by all members of the following categories:

(i) Anysoever who, before this date, shall have been detected to have deviated from the Catholic Faith, or fallen into any heresy, or incurred schism, or provoked or committed either or both of these, or who have confessed to have done any of these things, or who have been convicted of having done any of these things.

(ii) Anysoever who (which may God, in His clemency and goodness to all, deign to avert) shall in the future so deviate or fall into heresy, or incur schism, or shall provoke or commit either or both of these.

(iii) Anysoever who shall be detected to have so deviated, fallen, incurred, provoked or committed, or who shall confess to have done any of these things, or who shall be convicted of having done any of these things.

These sanctions, moreover, shall be incurred by all members of these categories, of whatever status, grace, order, condition and pre-eminence they may be, even if they be endowed with the Episcopal, Archiepiscopal, Patriarchal, Primatial or some other greater Ecclesiastical dignity, or with the honour of the Cardinalate and of the Universal Apostolic See by the office of Legate, whether temporary or permanent, or if they be endowed with even worldly authority or excellence, as Count, Baron, Marquis, Duke, King or Emperor.

All this We will and decree.

3. Nonetheless, We also consider it proper that those who do not abandon evil deeds through love of virtue should be deterred therefrom by fear of punishment; and We are aware that Bishops, Archbishops, Patriarchs, Primates, Cardinals and Legates, Counts, Barons, Marquises, Dukes, Kings and Emperors (who ought to teach others and offer them a good example in order to preserve them in the Catholic Faith), by failing in their duty sin more gravely than others; since they not only damn themselves, but also drag with them into perdition and into the pit of death countless other people entrusted to their care or rule, or otherwise subject to them, by their like counsel and agreement.

Hence, by this Our Constitution which is to remain valid in perpetuity, in abomination of so great a crime (than which none in the Church of God can be greater or more pernicious) by the fulness of our Apostolic Power, We enact, determine, decree and define (since the aforesaid sentences, censures and penalties are to remain in efficacious force and strike all those whom they are intended to strike) that:-

(i) each and every member of the following categories - Bishops, Archbishops, Patriarchs, Primates, Cardinals, Legates, Counts, Barons, Marquises, Dukes, Kings and Emperors - who:

(a) hitherto (as We have already said) have been detected, or have confessed to have, or have been convicted of having, deviated [i.e. from the Catholic Faith], or fallen into heresy or incurred schism or provoked or committed either or both of these;

(b) in the future also shall [so] deviate, or fall into heresy, or incur schism, or provoke or commit either or both of these, or shall be detected or shall confess to have, or shall be convicted of having [so] deviated, or fallen into heresy, or incurred schism, or provoked or committed either or both of these;

(since in this they are rendered more inexcusable than the rest) in addition to the aforementioned sentences, censures and penalties, shall also automatically, without any exercise of law or application of fact, be thoroughly, entirely and perpetually deprived of:- their Orders and Cathedrals, even Metropolitan, Patriarchal and Primatial Churches, the honour of the Cardinalate and the office of any embassy whatsoever, not to mention both active and passive voting rights, all authority, Monasteries, benefices and Ecclesiastical offices, be they functional or sinecures, secular or religious of whatsoever Order, which they may have obtained by any concessions whatsoever, or by Apostolic Dispensations to title, charge and administration or otherwise howsoever, and in which or to which they may have any right whatsoever, likewise any whatsoever fruits, returns or annual revenues from like fruits, returns and revenues reserved for and assigned to them, as well as Countships, Baronies, Marquisates, Dukedoms, Kingships and Imperial Power;

(ii) that, moreover, they shall be unfit and incapable in respect of these things and that they shall be held to be backsliders and subverted in every way, just as if they had previously abjured heresy of this kind in public trial; that they shall never at any time be able to be restored, returned, reinstated or rehabilitated to their former status or Cathedral, Metropolitan, Patriarchal and Primatial Churches, or the Cardinalate, or other honour, any other dignity, greater or lesser, any right to vote, active or passive, or authority, or Monasteries and benefices, or Countships, Baronies, Marquisates, Dukedoms, Kingships and positions of Imperial power; but rather that they shall be abandoned to the judgement of the secular power to be punished after due consideration, unless there should appear in them signs of true penitence and the fruits of worthy repentance, and, by the kindness and clemency of the See itself, they shall have been sentenced to sequestration in any Monastery or other religious house in order to perform perpetual penance upon the bread of sorrow and the water of affliction;

(iii) that all such individuals also shall be held, treated and reputed as such by everyone, of whatsoever status, grade, order, condition or pre-eminence he may be and whatsoever excellence may be his, even Episcopal, Archiepiscopal, Patriarchal and Primatial or other greater Ecclesiastical dignity and even the honour of the Cardinalate, or secular, even the authority of Count, Baron, Marquis, Duke, King or Emperor, and as such must be avoided and must be deprived of the sympathy of all natural kindess.

4. [By this Our Constitution, which is to remain valid in perpetuity, We] further enact, determine, decree and define:-]

that those who shall have claimed to have the right of patronage or of nominating suitable persons to Cathedral, Metropolitan, Patriarchal and Primatial Churches, or to Monasteries or other Ecclesiastical benefices which may be vacant by privation of this kind (in order that those which shall have been vacant for a long time may not be exposed to the unfit, but, having been rescued from enslavement to heretics, may be granted to suitable persons who would faithfully direct their people in the paths of justice), shall be bound to present other persons suitable to Churches, Monasteries and benefices of this kind, to Us, or to the Roman Pontiff at that time existing, within the time determined by law, or by their concordats, or by compacts entered into with the said See; and that, if they shall not have done so when the said period shall have elapsed, the full and free disposition of the aforesaid Churches, Monasteries and benefices shall by the fulness of the law itself devolve upon Us or upon the aforesaid Roman Pontiff.

5. [By this Our Constitution,] moreover, [which is to remain valid in perpetuity, We] also [enact, determine, decree and define:-]

as follows concerning those who shall have presumed in any way knowingly to receive, defend, favour, believe or teach the teaching of those so apprehended, confessed or convicted:
(i) they shall automatically incur sentence of excommunication;
(ii) they shall be rendered infamous;
(iii) they shall be excluded on pain of invalidity from any public or private office, deliberation, Synod, general or provincial Council and any conclave of Cardinals or other congregation of the faithful, and from any election or function of witness, so that they cannot take part in any of these by vote, in person, by writings, representative or by any agent;
(iv) they shall be incapable of making a will;
(v) they shall not accede to the succession of heredity;
(vi) no one shall be forced to respond to them concerning any business;
(vii) if perchance they shall have been Judges, their judgements shall have no force, nor shall any cases be brought to their hearing.;
(viii) if they shall have been Advocates, their pleading shall nowise be received;
(ix) if they shall have been Notaries, documents drafted by them shall be entirely without strength or weight;
(x) clerics shall be automatically deprived of each and every Church, even Cathedral, Metropolitan, Patriarchal, Primatial, and likewise of dignities, Monasteries, benefices and Ecclesiastical offices, and even, as has been already mentioned, of qualifications, howsoever obtained by them;
(xi) laymen, moreover, in the same way - even if they be qualified, as already described, or endowed with the aforesaid dignities or anysoever Kingdoms, Duchies, Dominions, Fiefs and temporal goods possessed by them;
(xii) finally, all Kingdoms, Duchies, Dominions, Fiefs and goods of this kind shall be confiscated, made public and shall remain so, and shall be made the rightful property of those who shall first occupy them if these shall be sincere in faith, in the unity of the Holy Roman Church and under obedience to Us and to Our successors the Roman Pontiffs canonically entering office.

6. In addition, [by this Our Constitution, which is to remain valid in perpetuity We enact, determine, decree and define:-] that if ever at any time it shall appear that any Bishop, even if he be acting as an Archbishop, Patriarch or Primate; or any Cardinal of the aforesaid Roman Church, or, as has already been mentioned, any legate, or even the Roman Pontiff, prior to his promotion or his elevation as Cardinal or Roman Pontiff, has deviated from the Catholic Faith or fallen into some heresy:

(i) the promotion or elevation, even if it shall have been uncontested and by the unanimous assent of all the Cardinals, shall be null, void and worthless;
(ii) it shall not be possible for it to acquire validity (nor for it to be said that it has thus acquired validity) through the acceptance of the office, of consecration, of subsequent authority, nor through possession of administration, nor through the putative enthronement of a Roman Pontiff, or Veneration, or obedience accorded to such by all, nor through the lapse of any period of time in the foregoing situation;
(iii) it shall not be held as partially legitimate in any way;
(iv) to any so promoted to be Bishops, or Archbishops, or Patriarchs, or Primates or elevated as Cardinals, or as Roman Pontiff, no authority shall have been granted, nor shall it be considered to have been so granted either in the spiritual or the temporal domain;
(v) each and all of their words, deeds, actions and enactments, howsoever made, and anything whatsoever to which these may give rise, shall be without force and shall grant no stability whatsoever nor any right to anyone;
(vi) those thus promoted or elevated shall be deprived automatically, and without need for any further declaration, of all dignity, position, honour, title, authority, office and power.

7. Finally, [by this Our Constitution, which is to remain valid in perpetuity, We] also [enact, determine, define and decree]:- that any and all persons who would have been subject to those thus promoted or elevated if they had not previously deviated from the Faith, become heretics, incurred schism or provoked or committed any or all of these, be they members of anysoever of the following categories:
(i) the clergy, secular and religious;
(ii) the laity;
(iii) the Cardinals, even those who shall have taken part in the election of this very Pontiff previously deviating from the Faith or heretical or schismatical, or shall otherwise have consented and vouchsafed obedience to him and shall have venerated him;
(iv) Castellans, Prefects, Captains and Officials, even of Our Beloved City and of the entire Ecclesiastical State, even if they shall be obliged and beholden to those thus promoted or elevated by homage, oath or security; shall be permitted at any time to withdraw with impunity from obedience and devotion to those thus promoted or elevated and to avoid them as warlocks, heathens, publicans, and heresiarchs (the same subject persons, nevertheless, remaining bound by the duty of fidelity and obedience to any future Bishops, Archbishops, Patriarchs, Primates, Cardinals and Roman Pontiff canonically entering).

To the greater confusion, moreover, of those thus promoted or elevated, if these shall have wished to prolong their government and authority, they shall be permitted to request the assistance of the secular arm against these same individuals thus promoted or elevated; nor shall those who withdraw on this account, in the aforementioned circumstances, from fidelity and obedience to those thus promoted and elevated, be subject, as are those who tear the tunic of the Lord, to the retribution of any censures or penalties.

8. [The provisions of this Our Constitution, which is to remain valid in perpetuity are to take effect] notwithstanding any Constitutions, Apostolic Ordinations, privileges, indults or Apostolic Letters, whether they be to these same Bishops, Archbishops, Patriarchs, Primates and Cardinals or to any others, and whatsoever may be their import and form, and with whatsoever sub-clauses or decrees they may have been granted, even "motu proprio" and by certain knowledge, from the fulness of the Apostolic power or even consistorially or otherwise howsoever; and even if they have been repeatedly approved and renewed,have been included in the corpus of the Law or strengthened by any capital conclaves whatsoever (even by oath) or by Apostolic confirmation or by anysoever other endorsements or if they were legislated by ourself. By this present document instead of by express mention, We specially and expressly derogate the provisions of all these by appropriate deletion and word-for-word substitution, so that these may otherwise remain in force.

9. In order, however, that this document may be brought to the notice of all whom it concerns, We wish it or a transcription of it (to which, when made by the hand of the undersigned Public Notary and fortified by the seal of any person established in ecclesiastical dignity, We decree that complete trust must be accorded) to be published and affixed in the Basilica of the Prince of the Apostles in this City and on the doors of the Apostolic Chancery and in the pavilion of the Campus Florae by some of our couriers; [we] will [further] that a quantity of copies affixed in this place should be distributed, and that publication and affixing of this kind should suffice and be held as right, solemn and legitimate, and that no other publication should be required or awaited.

10. No one at all, therefore, may infringe this document of our approbation, re-introduction, sanction, statute and derogation of wills and decrees, or by rash presumption contradict it. If anyone, however, should presume to attempt this, let him know that he is destined to incur the wrath of Almighty God and of the blessed Apostles, Peter and Paul.

Given in Rome at Saint Peter's in the year of the Incarnation of the Lord 1559, 15th February, in the fourth year of our Pontificate.

+ I, Paul, Bishop of the Catholic Church…