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)