Have at it.

I'm interested to see how you could possibly argue against several of my points, but I like having my beliefs challenged because I think it is important to know why you believe what you believe and, if wrong, to correct that belief.

At this point in my life and studies, because I have spent so much time in studying the Bible,  it isn't often that my beliefs change significantly (although they are not infrequently tweaked.).


Last night I couldn't sleep because my  mind was going nonstop based on our discussion yesterday. (I like being challenged, but not when it makes me unable to sleep)  I have found the best way to shut up my mind is to organize and write down my thoughts.  I wrote down a defense of the deity of Jesus that is much more coherent than what I threw together yesterday.  It has many more evidences (and better ones) than I gave yesterday and where I address verses from yesterday, I believe I explained my logic better.  I hope you will take a look at it.

I'm not sure how to link to a nostr post, so I'll try to tag you on the longform post.

It will also be available on my Substack on Sunday.  https://trustjesus.substack.com/


I’ve recently had discussions with several people about the deity of Jesus Christ.  They did not believe Jesus was God.  I believe that the Bible claims Jesus is God and is part of the trinity (3 persons in one God).  I know the 3-in-1 nature of God is confusing and hard to understand, but who wants to worship a God that is totally understandable by our human and mortal minds?  I want to worship a God who is so awesome that we, the creatures, cannot fully comprehend Him because He is so much more than we have ever seen or imagined.

Now let’s go through multiple Scriptural evidences that Jesus is God.  I don't want you to take my word that Jesus is God.  I want you to believe it because the Bible says it and therefore God says it.

## The Basic Claims of Jesus

Let’s start with the basics.

In John 10:30 Jesus says "*I and the Father are one*.”\
\
This sure sounds like Jesus is claiming to be God.  I know some people claim that this is just Jesus saying that He is one with God or that they have the same goals.  I find this interpretation to be hard to believe because I think Jesus speaks clearly and the most obvious interpretation is usually the intended meaning especially when you are speaking of God’s word.  He created man and created the ability to communicate.  I don’t believe He would ever speak unclearly or in a way that would lead people to blasphemy.  The most obvious interpretation of what Jesus meant is that He is one with God.

> "**If you had known Me, you would have known My Father** also; from now on you know Him, and have seen Him.”\
> Philip \*said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” Jesus said to him, “Have I been so long with you, and yet you have not come to know Me, Philip? **He who has seen Me has seen the Father**; how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?" (John 14:7-9) {Emphasis Mine}

Jesus says knowing Him is knowing the Father and if you have seen Him you have seen the Father. This can only be true if they are one.  Some may say that Jesus is just saying that seeing Him is like seeing God the Father because they are acting in agreement, but this once again is not the most obvious interpretation and I do not believe that God the Father or Jesus would speak in a misleading or unclear manner that could lead people astray.\
\
Even back in Genesis there is reference to the trinitarian nature of God. Genesis 1:26a says, "*Then God said, ‘Let **Us** make man in Our image, according to **Our** likeness’*" God refers to Himself in the plural. There are lots of other similar references in the Old Testament.  This is early evidence of the trinitarian nature of God that was not clearly revealed until the New Testament (just as His plan for salvation was not revealed until the New Testament).

> "Jesus answered them, “I showed you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you stoning Me?” The Jews answered Him, “For a good work we do not stone You, but **for blasphemy; and because You, being a man, make Yourself out to be God**.” Jesus answered them, “Has it not been written in your Law, ‘I said, you are gods’? If he called them gods, to whom the word of God came (and the Scripture cannot be broken), do you say of Him, whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because I said, ‘**I am the Son of God**’? If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; but if I do them, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, so that you may know and understand that **the Father is in Me, and I in the Father.**” (John 10:32-38) {Emphasis Mine}

In this passage the Jews accuse Jesus of "*blasphemy; and because You, being a man, make Yourself out to be God*.”  Jesus is being accused of claiming to be God, but Jesus does not deny being God. He says He does His miracles "*so that you may know and understand that the Father is in Me, and I in the Father.*” Jesus continues to claim to be God.  Even if it is possible to explain Jesus’s claim “*that the Father is in Me, and I in the Father*” could mean that they have the same goals, it would be incomprehensible for Jesus to make an unclear statement that sounds like a claim to be God if He wasn’t while being accused of claiming to be God. If He isn't God, then He is guilty of blasphemy and can't save anyone. He doesn't allow people to think He is a good man, a prophet, or a teacher, but not God.[1](#footnote-1)

Jesus’s biggest claim to be God is probably:

> Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am.” (John 8:58)

Jesus started His statement with “*Truly, Truly*” (literally Amen, Amen).  This repetition is used in Hebrew literature as an emphasis to mean pay attention to this statement.  Then He claims “*before Abraham was born, I am*.”  This is a doubly stunning statement because Abraham had died more than a thousand years before Jesus was physically born and because “*I am*” is what God told Moses to call Him at the burning bush.

> Then Moses said to God, “Behold, I am going to the sons of Israel, and I will say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you.’ Now they may say to me, ‘What is His name?’ What shall I say to them?”  God said to Moses, “**I AM WHO I AM**”; and He said, “Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, ‘**I AM** has sent me to you.’ ” (Exodus 3:13-14)

Jesus claimed the exalted name of God for Himself while claiming to exist since before Abraham.  If Jesus is good, then Jesus must be God.

## The Example of Godly Men and Angels

Let’s look at how angels and godly people react when accused of being or believed to be God.

When Paul & Silas were preaching in Lystra, the people thought they were gods because of the miracles they were performing through God’s power.  Their response made it crystal clear that they were not to be worshipped.

> But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard of it, **they tore their robes and rushed out** into the crowd, crying out and saying, “Men, why are you doing these things? **We are also men of the same nature as you**, and preach the gospel to you that you should turn from these vain things to a living God, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and all that is in them. (Acts 14:14-15) {Emphasis Mine}

They didn’t reply that they were God’s messengers or working through God’s power and will. They said, “*why are you doing these things? We are also men of the same nature as you*.”  There was no lack of clarity and they cleared up the misunderstanding as fast as possible.

When Peter was sent to Cornelius in answer to Cornelius’s prayer, Cornelius fell down to worship Peter, but Peter instantly made it clear that this was wrong.

> When Peter entered, Cornelius met him, and fell at his feet and worshiped him.  But Peter raised him up, saying, “Stand up; **I too am just a man**.”  (Acts 10:25-26) {Emphasis Mine}

There was no mistake in his response that would allow anyone to think he was god.  Peter gave God alone the glory.

We can even look at the example of an angel sent by God when John mistakenly fell at the angel’s feet to worship him:

> Then he said to me, “Write, ‘Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.’ ” And he said to me, “These are true words of God.”  Then I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, “**Do not do that; I am a fellow servant of yours and your brethren who hold the testimony of Jesus; worship God**. For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”  (Revelation 19:9-10) {Emphasis Mine}

The angel would not allow anyone to worship him even though he was a great messenger of God.

## Jesus’s Response to Worship

Let’s contrast these responses to Jesus’s responses.

> One of the synagogue officials named Jairus came up, and on seeing Him, **fell at His feet** and implored Him earnestly, saying, “My little daughter is at the point of death; please come and lay Your hands on her, so that she will get well and live.” **And He went off with him**; and a large crowd was following Him and pressing in on Him. (Mark 5:22-24) {Emphasis Mine}

Notice that Jesus did not rebuke Jairus for falling at His feet.  He went to help him with the ultimate miracle, healing his servant.

> But after hearing of Him, a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit immediately came and **fell at His feet**.  Now the woman was a Gentile, of the Syrophoenician race. And she kept asking Him to cast the demon out of her daughter.  And He was saying to her, “Let the children be satisfied first, for it is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.”  But she answered and \*said to Him, “Yes, **Lord**, *but* even the dogs under the table feed on the children’s crumbs.”  And He said to her, “Because of this answer go; the demon has gone out of your daughter.”  (Mark 7:25-29) {Emphasis Mine}

This woman fell at Jesus’s feet and called Him Lord (Adonai), but Jesus did not correct her.  He gave to her her request because she believed in Him.

In the same way:

>  Therefore, when Mary came where Jesus was, she saw Him, and **fell at His feet**, saying to Him, “**Lord**, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.” (John 11:32) {Emphasis Mine}

Mary also fell at Jesus’s feet and called Him Lord without being corrected.  Jesus accept this worship because He rightly deserved the worship and being called Lord because He is God.  He confirmed His right to have people fall at His feet because He followed it up with raising Lazarus from the dead.

In this next passage, a man didn’t just fall at Jesus’s feet or call Him Lord, this man worshipped Jesus.

> Jesus heard that they had put him out, and finding him, He said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?”  He answered, “**Who is He, Lord, that I may believe in Him**?”  Jesus said to him, “You have both seen Him, and He is the one who is talking with you.”  And he said, “**Lord, I believe**.” And **he worshiped Him**.  And Jesus said, “For judgment I came into this world, so that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may become blind.” (John 9:35-39) {Emphasis Mine}

This man believed that Jesus was Lord and God and worshipped Him as such.  Jesus did not reprimand this man for worshipping him instead of God.  He accepted the worship and rebuked the hard hearted Pharisees that were in attendance.

When Jesus was walking on water past the boat holding his disciples, and Peter called out to Him.  Jesus called Peter out to join Him.  When Peter began to sink in unbelief, Jesus rescued him and calmed the sea.  Then:

> When they got into the boat, the wind stopped. And **those who were in the boat worshiped Him, saying, “You are certainly God’s Son**!” (Matthew 14:32-33) {Emphasis Mine}

This is yet another example of Jesus being worshipped and accepting the worship rather than rebuking them for worshipping a false god.  If Jesus was just a man.  This would be sin, but 2 Corinthians 5:21 says of Jesus, “*He made **Him who knew no sin** to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him*.”  If Jesus is sinless, He has to be God because He accepted the worship of people.

In the Ten Commandments:

> “You shall have **no other gods before Me**.\
> “You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth.  **You shall not worship them or serve them**; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me,  (Exodus 20:3-5) {Emphasis Mine}

God makes it perfectly clear that nobody can be worshipped other than Himself.  The fact that Jesus repeatedly allows people to fall at His feet and worship Him means He is either God, a blasphemer and the worst of sinners, or a madman.  He has not left us any other options.

There are multiple additional examples of Jesus being worshipped and accepting worship.

Right after being raised from the dead:

> And behold, Jesus met them and greeted them. And they came up and **took hold of His feet and worshiped Him**.  Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and take word to My brethren to leave for Galilee, and there they will see Me.” (Matthew 28:9-10) {Emphasis Mine}

When His disciples “*took hold of His feet and worshiped Him*,” His response was “*Do not be afraid*” instead of “Do not worship me.”

>  **When they saw Him, they worshiped Him**; but some were doubtful.  And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.  Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,  teaching them to **observe all that I commanded you**; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:17-20) {Emphasis Mine}

Jesus’s response to being worshipped is to say that He has “*All authority … in heaven and on earth*” and to tell them to “*observe all that I commanded you*.”  If He was only a godly man, he would have rebuked the worshippers not talked about His authority and commands.

> While He was blessing them, He parted from them and was carried up into heaven.  And they, after **worshiping Him**, returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and were continually in the temple praising God. (Luke 24:51-53) {Emphasis Mine}

I think I’ve have given plenty of examples to show that Jesus accepted worship and therefore is either God or a blaspheming sinner.  No good man or Godly teacher would ever allow another to worship him without rebuking them.

## The Word Made Flesh

> **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 came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being**. In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men.... And **the Word became flesh**, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. John testified about Him and cried out, saying, “This was He of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me has a **higher rank** than I, for **He existed before me**.’ ” For of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace. For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through **Jesus Christ**. " (John 1:1-4, 14-17)  {Emphasis Mine}

“**In the beginning was the Word**” refers to before time and space began.  This refers to God, the first cause of all things that exist.

The Word "*was with God*" and "*was God*" and "*All things came into being through Him*" (aka He is creator). These verses are explicitly saying that the Word is God and implying He is God since He is the creator.

At the end of the verse it is made clear who “*The Word*” is.  John is referring to Jesus Christ as “*The Word*.”   John the Baptist also refers to Jesus as God when he talks of His higher rank and that Jesus existed before John (Other gospels say John was physically born first, so this refers to Jesus existing well before His physical birth).

The Bible clearly teaches that Jesus is God and I am seriously concerned that anyone who denies Jesus’s deity will be one of those referred to in this passage:

> Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’  And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’ (Matthew 7:22-23)

If you are one of those who believes that Jesus is only a good man, a good teacher, a prophet, or a righteous man created for God’s purpose, I beg you to do like these Christians who were praised for their actions:

> Now these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so. (Acts 17:11)

Trust Jesus.\
\
your sister in Christ,

Christy

Bible verses are NASB (New American Standard Bible) 1995 edition unless otherwise stated

FYI, I’ve included this extended passage without commentary because it is an excellent passage describing the trinity and including God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.

> 8Philip \*said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” 9Jesus \*said to him, “Have I been so long with you, and yet you have not come to know Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 10Do you not believe that **I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me**? The words that I say to you I do not speak on My own initiative, but the Father abiding in Me does His works. 11Believe Me that **I am in the Father and the Father is in Me**; otherwise believe because of the works themselves. 12Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father. 13Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it.
>
> 15 “If you love Me, you will **keep My commandments**.
>
> 16 I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; 17that is the **Spirit of truth**, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but **you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you**.
>
> 18 “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. 19After a little while the world will no longer see Me, but you will see Me; because I live, you will live also. 20In that day you will know that **I am in My Father, and you in Me**, and I in you. 21**He who has My commandments and keeps them** is the one who loves Me; and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will disclose Myself to him.”  (John 14:8-21) {Emphasis Mine}

This post is scheduled to publish on Sunday, September 15th on my [Trust Jesus Substack](https://trustjesus.substack.com/), but is being published early on nostr due to a discussion that occurred here.

Scriptural Evidence that Jesus really is God


Is that one of yours?


There isn't a gap anywhere between Adam and Abraham.  There is a complete list of people saying when one person was born, the previous person was a certain age.  Even if there were one or more skipped generations, that doesn't change the fact that the Father was  the specified age when the son (or grandson) was born.  The genealogies lead to a period when dates are known and can be continued.  It isn't that it was 6,000 years between Adam and Noah.  It has been about 6,000 years since Adam.  The Bible is very specific.

It is very interesting to take the genealogies in a spreadsheet and see how they overlap and how the years match up.  It helps you see how much time has gone by.


All of that is well argued, but looking at most of them, you have to take a less obvious interpretation to come to your conclusions.

You didn't address the clearest claim and the explicit accusation and interpretation made by His opponents.

John 10:32-38 "Jesus answered them, “I showed you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you stoning Me?” The Jews answered Him, “For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy; and because You, being a man, make Yourself out to be God.” Jesus answered them, “Has it not been written in your Law, ‘I said, you are gods’? 35If he called them gods, to whom the word of God came (and the Scripture cannot be broken), do you say of Him, whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son of God’? If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; but if I do them, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, so that you may know and understand that the Father is in Me, and I in the Father.”

In this passage the Jewish leaders clearly interpret Jesus's claims as claiming He is God.  Jesus does not deny this accusation.  He makes additional claims of being the Son of God, the Father in Me, and I in the Father.  If He was not claiming to be God, He would've denied the accusation instead of making other claims that sound like a claim to God (even if you could argue in some way that He could mean something else).  In this context, it would make zero sense to make these statements when He is accused of blasphemy and claiming to be God.  If He is not God, He should immediately make that clear, otherwise He is misleading the Jewish leaders which He would not do.


I can't know for sure.  Only God knows for sure, but since Jesus is God and you deny His deity it doesn't seem that could be saving faith.  I will say, that decision is up to God, not me, so I could always be wrong.

In John 10:30 Jesus says "I and the Father are one.”

Sounds like Jesus is saying He is God.

John 14:7-9  "If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; from now on you know Him, and have seen Him.”
Philip *said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.”  Jesus *said to him, “Have I been so long with you, and yet you have not come to know Me, Philip?  He who has seen Me has seen the Father; how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? "

Jesus says knowing Him is knowing  the Father and if you have seen Him you have seen the Father.  This can only be true if they are one.

Even back in Genesis there is reference to the trinitarian nature of God.  Genesis 1:26a says, "Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness"  God refers to Himself in the plural.  There are lots of other similar references.

John 10:32-38  "Jesus answered them, “I showed you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you stoning Me?”  The Jews answered Him, “For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy; and because You, being a man, make Yourself out to be God.”  Jesus answered them, “Has it not been written in your Law, ‘I said, you are gods’? 35If he called them gods, to whom the word of God came (and the Scripture cannot be broken),  do you say of Him, whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son of God’?  If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me;  but if I do them, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, so that you may know and understand that the Father is in Me, and I in the Father.”

In this passage the Jews accuse Jesus of "blasphemy; and because You, being a man, make Yourself out to be God.”  Jesus does not deny being God.  He says He does His miracles "so that you may know and understand that the Father is in Me, and I in the Father.”  Jesus claimed to be God.  If He isn't God, then He is guilty of blasphemy and can't save anyone.  He doesn't allow people to think He is a good man, a prophet, or a teacher, but not God.

(John 1:1-4, 14-17)  says "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 came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men....  And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.  John testified about Him and cried out, saying, “This was He of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me has a higher rank than I, for He existed before me.’ ”  For of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace.  For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ. "

Do you disagree that these verses are a description of Jesus?  It says that He "was with God" and "was God" and that "All things came into being through Him." (aka He is creator)  John the Baptist also refers to Jesus as God when he talks of His higher rank and that Jesus existed before John (Other gospels say John was physically born first).

I'm not trying to make you feel bad or win an argument for the sake of winning.  I just think the Bible doesn't allow us to believe Jesus is anything less than our God and creator.


I do agree that some people do get very hateful with people who disagree.  I definitely don't hate anyone that disagrees with me.  I care about the truth and want to help others.

I don't think you can have a saving faith in God if you don't believe God is creator, but there are lots of people who believe God created using the big bang and directed evolution to create or believe in the gap theory or the day age theory.  I believe all of those are totally contrary to God's word, but that doesn't make their proponents unbelievers.  That is not a salvation issue.  (If you want my scriptural and scientific arguments, I can give them later).

In the same way, there are lots of different beliefs regarding the end times with some believing in a literal millennial reign (like I do) and some believing we are living in the millennial period now.  Some believe in pre-trib, mid-trib, and post-trib.  Only one can be right (I believe scripture clearly supports the pre-trib view), but these are not salvation issues and there are plenty of good Christians who disagree with me.

I do think that a right view helps you to live the life God intends for you and a wrong view hurts your witness and leads you to bad choices, which is why I am so vocal, but I hope my disagreements are not taken as disrespectful.  I am passionate about God.  I am passionate about truth.  I am passionate about faith.  Sometimes my passion may come across badly.  I try to speak the truth in love as commanded by the Bible, but like everyone, I'm fallible and make mistakes.


The funniest was one year when we had a grasshopper infestation.  We had fun catching grasshoppers and releasing them to the chickens.  They went bonkers trying to eat the grasshoppers.


I'd argue that some doctrinal differences may be worthy of debate (because we always want to seek the truth not our personal preference), but some doctrinal differences make such a difference in what we believe that they are worth division.

Sadly, the deity of Christ is one of my "no compromise" doctrines.  If you don't believe that Jesus is God, then you don't believe in the same God.  If you don't believe He is God, you are denying your savior and creator and I believe you will be one of the people described in Matthew 7:21-23
"Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter.  Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’  And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’"

Some doctrines are critical to salvation and I believe the deity of Christ is one of them.  Some doctrinal differences can have positive or negative influence based on whether they are truth or not, but do not influence whether we are a true, born-again Christian or not.

I want the best for you and am willing to spend time defending, using the Bible, the deity of Jesus and why it is so critical.  I hope my disagreement will not cause you to withdraw and avoid contact.  An honest debate can help us all to come to a greater understanding of the truth if we are all honestly seeking it.

I will pray that Jesus will reveal Himself to you.


My biggest problem with all of that is it doesn't line up with the age indicated in the Bible.  If you use the genealogies that say what age the father was when each son was born, the Earth is only about 6,000 years old and the flood was approximately 4,500 years ago.  None of the dates in that book agree with Biblical ages.

FYI, we can't know exact years because we don't know if someone was born on the first day of after a birthday or one day before they turned the next age.  Also the Jews used to use a 360 vs 365 day year.  I've also heard that they used to name ages solely based on the year of birth, so that causes weird rounding errors.  Still, we should be able to get within 100 years of the right year.  That doesn't allow tens of thousands of years, not if you believe the Bible is true.


I really miss my chickens.


I used to have chickens.  I loved having chickens.  I developed a lung allergy and had to chose between breathing and chickens, so I got rid of the chickens.


I've seen all of the loved ones who were destroyed by those who committed suicide and it breaks my heart what it does to those who loved that person: parents, kids, friends, spouses.  There isn't anything more hateful that you can do to a loved one than commit suicide because it fills the loved one with guilt and remorse.  I guess I care more about those left behind, that were destroyed by the suicider's actions.

I've also seen one suicide lead to another and lead to another.  If the first suicide hadn't happened, neither would the others, so it causes great harm.  I'm sorry if it hurts your feelings, but this is a problem that needs to stop and holding those who commit suicide up as saints makes those that are hurting more likely to commit suicide.


The Bible is clear about who was on the Ark:  Noah & his wife, their 3 sons & their wives.  I am not 100% certain on whether the human race had corruption (if so, probably Ham's wife) or if the human race was corrupted again after the flood.

After Ham looked at and mocked Noah's drunken nakedness, Noah cursed Ham:

"So he said,
“Cursed be Canaan;
A servant of servants
He shall be to his brothers.”  (Genesis 9:25)

I always thought it strange that Canaan was cursed instead of Ham.  One theory I heard was that Canaan was cursed because He had nephilim blood.  That would explain why the Israelites were told to wipe out the Canaanite people later.  It makes sense, but isn't explicit enough to be dogmatic about.  Also, God doesn't make mistakes, so it makes me wonder why God allowed the corrupt blood on the Ark, so the corruption might have happened later.


The Book of Enoch (at least the early parts of it) seem to be real history and mostly accurate, but not inspired, so nothing in it can be taken as definitive.


The argument I gave, you can argue with the premise, but you didn't do that.  It is not collective guilt.  It is non-humans or part humans which changes things.


I used to believe that the destruction of the nations by Israel was God destroying a people for being so evil.  I was a little uncomfortable with that, but our creator has a right to do as He pleases.  I have since come to believe it is more complicated than that.  It is a purifying of the human race.

Genesis 6:4 states, "The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men, and they bore children to them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown."  These men were giants and were Satan trying to corrupt the human race to prevent Jesus from coming to Earth as savior.  The nations in Canaan were also full of giants.  I believe these giants were also nephilim (demon/human hybrids) and that is why God had the Israelites destroy them, man, woman, and child.

The global flood, as well, wasn't just about destroying the people whose "every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.," but was also to destroy the corruption of the human race.

This also matches many of the ancient myths and religions that talk about "gods" coming down and fathering children with women.  Since every person on Earth descended from Noah, they would all descend from people who had knowledge of these events.


This title came from a statement from R.C. Sproul in his sermon entitled “How Does Truth Command Me?” that was the inspiration of this post.

We have all been taught to blindly follow either the crowd or the so-called authority figures. We are not taught to seek the truth. We are not taught to seek what is right. We are taught to follow the crowd.

### All Like Sheep Have Gone Astray

Unfortunately, following the crowd almost always leads us astray.

> **All of us like sheep have gone astray**,\
> Each of us has turned to his own way;\
> But the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all\
> To fall on Him. (Isaiah 53:6) {emphasis mine}

If you are a student, have you been trained to blindly follow the teacher or your peers rather than actively seeking the truth? If you are working in a career, have you been trained to fit in with your peers or do whatever management says even if those actions are foolish or immoral? Does your church follow the culture or the word of God as explicitly stated in the Bible?

Who or what are you following? Are you following the media? the culture? authority figures? your heart? or are you following the word of God? Do you even know the Bible to know if you are following the word of God or not?

> “**My people have become lost sheep;\
> Their shepherds have led them astray**.\
> They have made them turn aside on the mountains;\
> They have gone along from mountain to hill\
> And have forgotten their resting place.\
> All who came upon them have devoured them;\
> And their adversaries have said, ‘We are not guilty,\
> Inasmuch as they have sinned against the Lord\
> who is the habitation of righteousness,\
> Even the Lord, the hope of their fathers.’ (Jeremiah 50:6-7) {emphasis mine}

There is a reason that people are frequently referred to as sheep in the Bible. Sheep aren’t very smart. They don’t think things through. They tend to blindly follow the flock or the shepherd without thinking about where that may lead them.

### Follow the Good Shepherd

> For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, **leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps**, who committed no sin, nor was any deceit found in His mouth; and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously; and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed. For **you were continually straying like sheep, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls**. (1 Peter 2:21-25) {emphasis mine}

Following the herd or flock will lead us astray. Following the many self-proclaimed shepherds will lead us astray. Following the true “*Shepherd and Guardian of your souls*” will lead you in the path of righteousness and lead you to obedience to God.

One sign that we truly are Christians is that we can recognize what is from Jesus and what is from the Devil. Reading, studying, and memorizing the Bible will help us determine truth, but the Holy Spirit, who indwells all believers, also guides us.

> “I am the good shepherd, and **I know My own and My own know Me**, even as the Father knows Me and I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. I have other sheep, which are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will hear My voice; and they will become one flock with one shepherd.” (John 10:14-16) {emphasis mine}

Those who have truly trusted in Jesus as Savior should recognize the voice of the “*Good Shepherd*” and follow Him.

> But you do not believe because you are not of My sheep. **My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me**; and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. (John 10:26-29) {emphasis mine}

Are you following the Good Shepherd (Jesus) or are you following false shepherds or lost flocks?

### Standing Alone

When we surround ourselves with a group of godly believers (friends, family, or church), standing firm on the word of God tends to not feel too burdensome. We have others to lean on and to help us stay on the path.

When we feel like we are standing alone, it is really hard to stay faithful. It is easy to follow the herd instead of standing firm on the foundation set for us by the Creator, Jesus. There are many people in the Bible who felt the same way, and yet they stayed faithful till the end.

> God has not rejected His people whom He foreknew. Or do you not know what the Scripture says in the passage about Elijah, how he pleads with God against Israel? “Lord, they have killed Your prophets, they have torn down Your altars, and **I alone am left, and they are seeking my life**.” But what is the divine response to him? “I have kept for Myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal.” In the same way then, there has also come to be at the present time a remnant according to God’s gracious choice. (Romans 11:2-5) {emphasis mine}

In reality, you are never alone. God is with all believers, but there are also other believers around. Some believers are good at standing firm in the face of adversity. Sadly, most are not and will try to hide in the crowd to keep from standing out or being attacked. We are called to obey God even if nobody else will. We are called to obey God even if it costs us our life.

Being that faithful believer who stands up even when he feels all alone can make an amazing difference. One stands up against the godless culture. Another, with less courage, sees the faithful stand and grows in courage and decides to stand alongside the first. Others, seeing the faith of the two, gain courage and decide to join in for what is right. Pretty soon even unbelievers start to notice and become interested in what makes them different and courageous.

### Jesus died for you. What would you do for Him?

On the other hand, when none choose to stand for what is right, things can get pretty bad fast. This poem written during the reign of Adolf Hitler is a sad reminder of what happens when nobody speaks up against evil.

> First they came for the socialists,\
> and I did not speak out—because I was not a socialist.
>
> Then they came for the trade unionists,\
> and I did not speak out—because I was not a trade unionist.
>
> Then they came for the Jews,\
> and I did not speak out—because I was not a Jew.
>
> Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.
>
> —Martin Niemöller

There were many Christians and churches in Germany at this time, but they chose to keep silent in order to not inconvenience their lives. The result was great evil and the loss of many lives and souls. This quote, often wrongly attributed to Edmund Burke, succinctly states a great truth:

> The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.

Although Burke did have a much longer similar quote, it is unknown who gave this exact quote. Still it is true. So often we worry so much about “Thou shalt not …” that we miss the “Thou Shalt …” Sometimes what we fail to do is as bad or worse than the bad thing we do. When evil (as defined in the Bible) prevails, we are called to stand up for the truth and for God’s standard. We are called to battle evil, even when it is inconvenient, and even when it is dangerous to our very lives.

These are not necessarily Christians standing up for their faith, but they are people standing up for what is right despite the fact that everyone else is cowering in fear and going along to get along.

![](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0f7207ee-2ce2-46db-9f3c-a39b1bce7434_500x334.jpeg)This picture is a solitary college student standing up to tanks in Tiananmen Square in China to protest tyranny and silencing of speech. This young man lost his life, but he made a difference in China and beyond and has been a hero and an encouragement to many.

Look closely to this one man in the crowd at a rally for Hitler.

![](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9d3fd42e-31ff-4d6b-9a92-b360ec324a14_800x533.jpeg)The whole crowd is enthusiastically giving the Nazi salute to Hitler. I’m sure some don’t like Hitler, the Nazis, or the salute, but they are going along to get along. One brave soul out of hundreds is taking a stand. He refuses to give the salute.

We all know what the Nazis represented. They murdered disfavored groups like the Jews. They silenced opponents. They did medical experimentation on undesirables. When the modern world thinks of evil, this is what they think of, but most of the people went along with the crowd. This was herd morality. Even most churches went along with the Nazi regime.

Only a few brave souls stood up and said, “No, this is wrong.” Only a few risked their lives to either speak up or to try to rescue those who were being destroyed. Is your faith strong enough that you would be the one man in the crowd refusing to give the salute? Would you be like Dietrich Bonhoeffer, and risk your life to sneak Jewish children out of Germany to rescue their lives? He did the right thing, but ultimately lost his life.

Are you willing to stand up against the evil in our culture today and say, “That is wrong!”? What Biblical truths are dear enough that you would risk your livelihood or your life to defend? If your life was threatened, but you would be left alone if you denied Jesus, would you deny Him?

### Will You Follow the Herd or the Shepherd?

We learned that following herd morals is a bad idea and that we should follow the commands of the Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ. Whom will you follow? Will you stand firm? What will you endure for the one who died for you?

> **By this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments**. The one who says, “I have come to know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him; but whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected. By this we know that we are in Him: **the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked**. (1 John 2:3-6) {emphasis mine}

The God and Creator of the universe came down to Earth as a man and lived the perfect life that we couldn’t, died on the cross to be a sacrifice for our sins, and was raised on the third day proving He had conquered sin and death. Jesus is our example, and “*the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked*.”

In addition to living sinless life as an example, God gave us His word so we would know His commandments.

> **All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable** for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:16-17) {emphasis mine}

God gave us everything we needed to live the life He has set before us. He gave us access to the truth. He gave us access to who He is. He gave us access to what He requires of us. We need to follow Him and not the herd.

> And **do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed** **by the renewing of your mind**, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. (Romans 12:2) {emphasis mine}

We are commanded to “*not be conformed to this world*.” We are not to have herd morals. We are called to be “*transformed by the renewing of your mind*.” How will our mind be renewed? Our minds are renewed by faith in Jesus, the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, and the studying of the inspired word of God.

Do not be conformed, but trust Jesus.\
\
your sister in Christ,

Christy

Bible verses are NASB (New American Standard Bible) 1995 edition unless otherwise stated


I'm so sorry for your loss.

Instead of people saying good things about those who commit suicide, we all need to speak the truth.  They are selfish people who hurt everyone around them.  Suicide is not only foolish, it is hateful and harmful to everyone who cares about them.


Yes, a gun can help even the playing field, but it is better if the cops don't have to shoot someone.  A strong looking cop is much less likely to get in a physical altercation.  A woman is likely to shoot first and ask questions after.


Agree on the likeable characters (don't have to be perfect) and the generally good triumphs over evil (but not necessarily a fairy tale ending where the hero gets everything they wanted and the villain is absolutely destroyed)


Agree on character development.


I like those who truly create a whole new world, culture, lifestyle like J.R.R. Tolkein or Isaac Asimov.  They aren't just the same thing in a sci fi  background or a fantasy background.  They aren't just a bad copy of somebody else's world.  Both created something that had never really existed before.  I know that is a hard act to follow.


We typically learn and grow the most in hard times.  We get lazy and even digress in good times.


I applaud you move in the right direction in respect to Jesus Christ.  I would give you these passages relating (I think) to the Book of Mormon

"8But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed! 9As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, he is to be accursed!" (Galatians 1:8-9)

"I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues which are written in this book; and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his part from the tree of life and from the holy city, which are written in this book." (Revelation 22:18-19)

I would argue that the Book of Mormon is not from God, but from man and that you need to use only the Bible in your search for truth and faith in God.

God bless you and enlighten you with truth and faith and the love of God and His son Jesus through the power of His Holy Spirit.


Anyone who says, "This is right for me." instead of "This is what God says." is guilty of putting themselves as god before the God and Creator.  They are guilty of idolatry.


Sadly, I think there will be a bunch of people who consider themselves to be Christians, but they are solely cultural Christians and they will hear these sad words.

"21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. 22Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ 23And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’" (Matthew 7:21-23)

There are tons of people who take the parts of Christianity that they like and dump the rest.  They don't treat God as sovereign Lord.  They decide what is right for themselves instead of trusting what God says is right.  Anyone who choses right and wrong for themselves instead of trusting God's commands, is not a true Christian and won't receive forgiveness, God's presence, nor heaven.


When you can view the world through all three processes, you can really find the truth.


GM.

Love the ASL.  I used it with both of my kids when they were little, especially my son with Down Syndrome.  He had issues speaking and sign language allowed him to share his needs and prevent a lot of melt downs.

My eldest took ASL as his "foreign language".  When he was having his braces put on, we had a conversation even though he couldn't move his mouth.  It was slow going because when I didn't remember the actual sign, he would spell it, but I am slow, translating letter signs to letters, then picturing it in my mind, so I can read it and know what he signed.


We've got some friends who are missionaries.  The wife councils sex trafficking victims and the husband mentors men trying to escape pornography.  They did a conference at our church and I was shocked to know how prevalent they both are including the use of pornography in church going men.


So often we hear the Disney mantra “Follow your heart.”  We hear people say, “I believe this” or “this is my truth.”  God doesn’t give us this choice.  We don’t get to decide what is true or not.  Truth is truth even if not one person believes it.

Just believing that God exists is not enough.

> You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder. (James 2:19)

The kind of faith in God that makes a difference in our eternity has to be done God’s way.  The God of the Bible is the creator who spoke into existence all that is, including time & space and matter & energy.  He fashioned man from the clay into His own imaged and breathed into him the breathe of life.  As creator, He gets to say what is true and what isn’t, since He made everything.  He gets to say what is right and what is wrong because He made us.  He knows better than we do what is best for us and His ability to see and act outside of time allows Him to know what will be for our eternal good.

Unfortunately, since time began we have wanted to define what we want right and wrong to be.  We have wanted to define who God is and how we should relate to Him.  We want to say to God, “No!  Do it my way!”

### The First Sin

We don’t like being limited by rules and laws (this is probably extra true of Americans who believe in personal liberty).  We want to be free to do whatever we want, however we want, whenever we want.

> Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Indeed, has God said, ‘You shall not eat from any tree of the garden’?”  The woman said to the serpent, “From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat; but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die.’ ”  The serpent said to the woman, “You surely will not die!  For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”  When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate.  Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loin coverings. (Genesis 3:1-7)

The very first temptation was the temptation to do as we please and be like God.  This first temptation not only came from misleading statements from the serpent (Satan), but also came from the resentment Eve felt from the one and only “*Thou shalt not* …” given to them in the beginning.  The only limitation God gave Adam and Eve was that they couldn’t eat the fruit from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.  Eve resented this limitation and added “*or touch it*.”  The limitation to not touch it was not given by God (although maybe it could be considered a wise way to avoid temptation).  It was man changing God’s very good commands.  It was man changing the relationship between God and His creation.  It was man trying to be in charge.

### Obey Whose Commands?

All too often we don’t like God’s commands to “Do this!” or “Don’t do that!” so we change the rules to accommodate our desires and what is comfortable to us.  Sometimes we add to God’s commands and sometimes we remove/ignore His commands, but any change we make is essentially us trying to take the place of God.

> “Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill.  For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished.  Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 5:17-19)

Read that again.  *“Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven*.”  God does not allow us to change His commands.

### How Do We Worship?

He also doesn’t allow us to decide how we will worship Him.  During the exodus from Egypt, God commanded the nation of Israel with very specific rules for how He should be worshipped and who should have what position.

> Now Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took their respective firepans, and after putting fire in them, placed incense on it and offered strange fire before the Lord, which He had not commanded them.  And fire came out from the presence of the Lord and consumed them, and they died before the Lord.  Then Moses said to Aaron, “It is what the Lord spoke, saying,

‘By those who come near Me I will be treated as holy,And before all the people I will be honored.’ ” (Leviticus 10:1-3)

God commanded how He should be worshipped.  Nadab and Abihu decided they would worship how they wanted to worship and they paid with their lives for their affront to His holiness and power.

There was another event where some Levites protested Aaron’s and Moses’s God given positions.  The Levites had been commanded by God to not approach the holy things of the tabernacle.  In this instance 250 of them burned incense contrary to the command of God.  God did not appreciate them trying to give themselves honor by disobeying His command.

> Moses said, “By this you shall know that the Lord has sent me to do all these deeds; for this is not my doing.  If these men die the death of all men or if they suffer the fate of all men, then the Lord has not sent me.  But if the Lord brings about an entirely new thing and the ground opens its mouth and swallows them up with all that is theirs, and they descend alive into Sheol, then you will understand that these men have spurned the Lord.”

As he finished speaking all these words, the ground that was under them split open; and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up, and their households, and all the men who belonged to Korah with their possessions.  So they and all that belonged to them went down alive to Sheol; and the earth closed over them, and they perished from the midst of the assembly. (Numbers 16:28-31)

God never accepts us when we chose to do our own thing and even worship in our own way.  Sometimes, like in these two examples, He acts miraculously to punish the offenders instantly.  Sometimes He is patient and allows time for learning and repentance.  Sometimes we are not punished until eternity.  We serve a might and holy God and need to treat Him appropriately.

Although Christians today don’t have a strict formula of worship, our call to honor Him and treat Him as holy is just as strong.  We don’t get to pick how we will worship Him and we definitely don’t get to call any or all “gods” the true God.  Not all paths lead to the one true God.  The only way to be right with God is through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and believing He is God; He lived a perfect life; He died on a cross to take away our sins; and He rose from the dead on the third day.  That is the only way.  All other paths, no matter how heart felt, lead straight to hell.

### Judgment is the Lord’s

We need to be very careful not only judging ourselves, but also judging others.  Are we judging by God’s law and His measure or we judging by our own fallible judgment?

> Do not speak against one another, brethren. He who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks against the law and judges the law; but if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge of it.  There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the One who is able to save and to destroy; but who are you who judge your neighbor? (James 4:11-12)

We are called to teach God’s written word and to lead people to follow it as written, but we are not to be judge and jury.  We are not the ones punishing sins.  That is God’s prerogative.

>  Anyone who has set aside the Law of Moses dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses.  How much severer punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled under foot the Son of God, and has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit of grace?  For we know Him who said, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay.” And again, “The Lord will judge His people.”  It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God. (Hebrews 10:28-31)

When we say there is another way to God, our way, we are “* trampl(ing) under foot the Son of God*.” (tense change mine)  When we say we can be good enough or we can put something or someone else first, we will be judged.  “*It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God*.”

So many of our wrong decisions come because we do not have a high enough view of God.  We do not have a fear of the God who can snuff us out if He chooses to stop upholding our lives.  The God of the Bible is a loving and merciful God, but there is a limit to that mercy.  We must honor and trust Him before our time on earth is ended, otherwise we receive His righteous judgment.

### Continue in the Things You Have Learned

The Bible tells us to to “*continue in the things you have learned*.”  We can’t continue in the things we have learned if we haven’t learned God’s word.  Reading and deep study of God’s word, the Bible, is critical if we want to serve God and grow in wisdom and service towards Him.  We need to put in time.  We need to read the Bible daily.  We need to find time to study the Bible and to figure out what is true.

> You, however, continue in the things you have learned and become convinced of, knowing from whom you have learned them, and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.  All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:14-17)

Scripture is essential for everything in the Christian life.  It helps us to grow in faith and unity with God.  It helps us minister to and train others.  It equips us “*for every good work*.”

> and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. (2 Timothy 3:15)

The Bible should be the foundation of everything we learn and everything we accept as true.  Nothing should be believed as true that contradicts the Bible in any way.

It is useful, however, to find wise teachers to help us understand the Bible.  This may be a person who will disciple us face-to-face.  This may be a pastor at our church.  This may be a Christian writer.  When we use any of these other sources, we always need to double check what we learn and verify that it matches the Bible.

> Now these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so.  (Acts 17:11)

We need to examine “*the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so*.”  During the Reformation, this was called Sola Scriptura, Scripture alone.  Our reference of truth and righteousness comes from the Bible alone because it is the word of God.

### Deceivers:  Don’t Be Deceived And Don’t Be a Deceiver

There have been deceivers since the beginning of time, but the Bible says that we will see more and more deceivers as the end of time approaches.

> For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh. This is the deceiver and the antichrist.  Watch yourselves, that you do not lose what we have accomplished, but that you may receive a full reward.  Anyone who goes too far and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God; the one who abides in the teaching, he has both the Father and the Son.  If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house, and do not give him a greeting; for the one who gives him a greeting participates in his evil deeds. (2 John 1:7-11)

If we don’t know the word of God well, we can be easily misled.  There are many who quote the Bible out of context to mislead.  If a tiny piece of scripture is taken out of context, it can be made to say almost anything.  Any time there is any question on what the Bible is saying, we need to take the Bible as a whole in order to understand the truth.  The Bible never contradicts itself.  It may come at a truth from different angles regarding different situations, but it never contradicts itself.

> But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ.  For if one comes and preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted, you bear this beautifully.  For I consider myself not in the least inferior to the most eminent apostles.  But even if I am unskilled in speech, yet I am not so in knowledge; in fact, in every way we have made this evident to you in all things. (2 Corinthians 11:3-5)

Only by knowing the whole Bible can we keep ourselves from being misled.  Be like Paul and know the Bible so you can not only avoid being misled, but have the knowledge of the Bible necessary to defend God’s word and prevent others from being misled.

> For certain persons have crept in unnoticed, those who were long beforehand marked out for this condemnation, ungodly persons who turn the grace of our God into licentiousness and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ. (Jude 1:4)

It isn’t just those openly hostile to God that are misleading people.  Sadly, there are many in the church, including pastors and others in positions of power who claim to be Christians and claim to be speaking the word of God, but who “*deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ*” and are “*marked out for this condemnation*.”

We are to daily study God’s word and to daily pray for wisdom and to daily be led by the Holy Spirit.  God doesn’t want us to spend our lives sitting in the pews taking in information.  He wants us to share His word and be a light unto the world.  He wants us to chose Him over anything or anyone else.

> I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom:  preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction.  For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths. (2 Timothy 4:1-4)

We need to be the person who is “*ready in season and out of season*” and not the person “*wanting to have their ears tickled …  in accordance to their own desires*.”  Those that seek their own way will be spending eternity suffering in hell.

As the end times approach, we will see more and more of this falling away from God’s word.  We will see this in culture, but we will also see it in the church (and are seeing it today).

> Know this first of all, that in the last days mockers will come with their mocking, following after their own lusts, and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all continues just as it was from the beginning of creation.”  For when they maintain this, it escapes their notice that by the word of God the heavens existed long ago and the earth was formed out of water and by water, through which the world at that time was destroyed, being flooded with water.  But by His word the present heavens and earth are being reserved for fire, kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men. (2 Peter 3:3:7)

Don’t choose to do things your way.  Don’t choose teachers who tickle your ears with what you want to hear.  Don’t say in your heart, “*Where is the promise of His coming*?”  All those who reject Jesus and the only way to God as described in the Bible are being “*reserved for fire, kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men*.”

Don’t regret your choices.  Choose Jesus today.

Trust Jesus.

your sister in Christ,

Christy

Bible verses are NASB (New American Standard Bible) 1995 edition unless otherwise stated

For more posts check out my [Trust Jesus Substack](https://trustjesus.substack.com/)

I am also testing out a couple of different nostr editors, so this article might be posted more than once, so I can test how they come out.  This post was composed in habla.news .

Are you choosing your faith and means of worship by your feelings and what is comfortable or are you following the word of God and using it to define right and wrong, who God is, how you relate to God, and how you worship God?

This is a long form article, you can read it in https://habla.news/a/naddr1qvzqqqr4gupzprf5h5jryfqv2cm3wj3akxgc0za2rsfn4mrnndj2yep9naq5hcetqqxnzdejx5mnxvfkxc6nydfsa25m8m


Make sure you keep ingesting some fiber and prebiotics.  I think that would help a lot.

On the other hand, I lost ~50 lbs that I really needed to lose and it wasn't difficult, so I understand the love of eating that way.


That is true.  The whole world is messed up.

 I think being the world reserve currency and having the whole world messed up has saved the US so far, but I do think the US being the world's sole super power is coming to an end.  I just hope it doesn't come by our foolish leaders deciding to go to war against nations like China and Russia, starting to lose, and then going nuclear.


As a small business owner of an S Corp, when we have a good year I owe more in taxes than my entire salary, so yes, I very much pay taxes.


Personally, dealing with hair dye is way too much work.  It doesn't seem too bad when you have just a little gray, but once you start really going gray, you have to keep up with it or you have terrible looking roots.  Then if you decide to stop after you are near full gray, you look horrible for a year or more.

I've never used hair dye and never will.  I'll admit I'm probably going gray slower than many, but I have better things to do with my time and money.

The bad things for people like you that have black hair, is the grays really show.  The good thing is they almost always go a beautiful silver.  Those of us with lighter hair don't show those few scattered grays when they first appear, but tend to have dull, dingy gray/off-white hair once it goes full gray.

I'd say embrace it.  Claim your wisdom gained through a few years.


Looks like a nice setup.  Do you move it regularly to keep them on grass?


Formatting looks good, but scheduling didn't work.  It was supposed to publish Sunday morning.  Oh well.


I loved keto/carnivore  for years, but having almost no carbs messed up my gut biome and now I am fighting digestive issues and food sensitivities, so be careful.


So often we hear the Disney mantra “Follow your heart.”  We hear people say, “I believe this” or “this is my truth.”  God doesn’t give us this choice.  We don’t get to decide what is true or not.  Truth is truth even if not one person believes it.

Just believing that God exists is not enough.

> You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder. (James 2:19)

The kind of faith in God that makes a difference in our eternity has to be done God’s way.  The God of the Bible is the creator who spoke into existence all that is, including time & space and matter & energy.  He fashioned man from the clay into His own imaged and breathed into him the breathe of life.  As creator, He gets to say what is true and what isn’t, since He made everything.  He gets to say what is right and what is wrong because He made us.  He knows better than we do what is best for us and His ability to see and act outside of time allows Him to know what will be for our eternal good.

Unfortunately, since time began we have wanted to define what we want right and wrong to be.  We have wanted to define who God is and how we should relate to Him.  We want to say to God, “No!  Do it my way!”

### The First Sin

We don’t like being limited by rules and laws (this is probably extra true of Americans who believe in personal liberty).  We want to be free to do whatever we want, however we want, whenever we want.

> Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Indeed, has God said, ‘You shall not eat from any tree of the garden’?”  The woman said to the serpent, “From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat; but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat from it **or touch it**, or you will die.’ ”  The serpent said to the woman, “You surely will not die!  For God knows that in the day you eat from it **your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God**, knowing good and evil.”  When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate.  Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loin coverings. (Genesis 3:1-7)  {emphasis mine}

The very first temptation was the temptation to do as we please and be like God.  This first temptation not only came from misleading statements from the serpent (Satan), but also came from the resentment Eve felt from the one and only “Thou shalt not …” given to them in the beginning.  The only limitation God gave Adam and Eve was that they couldn’t eat the fruit from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.  Eve resented this limitation and added “*or touch it*.”  The limitation to not touch it was not given by God (although maybe it could be considered a wise way to avoid temptation).  It was man changing God’s very good commands.  It was man changing the relationship between God and His creation.  It was man trying to be in charge.

### Obey Whose Commands?

All too often we don’t like God’s commands to “Do this!” or “Don’t do that!” so we change the rules to accommodate our desires and what is comfortable to us.  Sometimes we add to God’s commands and sometimes we remove/ignore His commands, but any change we make is essentially us trying to take the place of God.

> “Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill.  For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished.  **Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven**; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 5:17-19)  {emphasis mine}

Read that again.  “*Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven*.”  God does not allow us to change His commands.

### How Do We Worship?

He also doesn’t allow us to decide how we will worship Him.  During the exodus from Egypt, God commanded the nation of Israel with very specific rules for how He should be worshipped and who should have what position.

> Now Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took their respective firepans, and after putting fire in them, placed incense on it and offered strange fire before the Lord, which He had not commanded them.  And fire came out from the presence of the Lord and consumed them, and they died before the Lord.  Then Moses said to Aaron, “It is what the Lord spoke, saying,
>
> ‘By those who come near Me I will be treated as holy,\
> And before all the people I will be honored.’ ” (Leviticus 10:1-3)

God commanded how He should be worshipped.  Nadab and Abihu decided they would worship how they wanted to worship and they paid with their lives for their affront to His holiness and power.

There was another event where some Levites protested Aaron’s and Moses’s God given positions.  The Levites had been commanded by God to not approach the holy things of the tabernacle.  In this instance 250 of them burned incense contrary to the command of God.  God did not appreciate them trying to give themselves honor by disobeying His command.

> Moses said, “By this you shall know that the Lord has sent me to do all these deeds; for this is not my doing.  If these men die the death of all men or if they suffer the fate of all men, then the Lord has not sent me.  But if the Lord brings about an entirely new thing and the ground opens its mouth and swallows them up with all that is theirs, and they descend alive into Sheol, then you will understand that these men have spurned the Lord.”
>
> As he finished speaking all these words, the ground that was under them split open; and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up, and their households, and all the men who belonged to Korah with their possessions.  So they and all that belonged to them went down alive to Sheol; and the earth closed over them, and they perished from the midst of the assembly. (Numbers 16:28-31)

God never accepts us when we chose to do our own thing and even worship in our own way.  Sometimes, like in these two examples, He acts miraculously to punish the offenders instantly.  Sometimes He is patient and allows time for learning and repentance.  Sometimes we are not punished until eternity.  We serve a might and holy God and need to treat Him appropriately.

Although Christians today don’t have a strict formula of worship, our call to honor Him and treat Him as holy is just as strong.  We don’t get to pick how we will worship Him and we definitely don’t get to call any or all “gods” the true God.  Not all paths lead to the one true God.  The only way to be right with God is through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and believing He is God; He lived a perfect life; He died on a cross to take away our sins; and He rose from the dead on the third day.  That is the only way.  All other paths, no matter how heart felt, lead straight to hell.

### Judgment is the Lord’s

We need to be very careful not only judging ourselves, but also judging others.  Are we judging by God’s law and His measure or we judging by our own fallible judgment?

> Do not speak against one another, brethren. He who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks against the law and judges the law; but if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge of it.  There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the One who is able to save and to destroy; but who are you who judge your neighbor? (James 4:11-12)

We are called to teach God’s written word and to lead people to follow it as written, but we are not to be judge and jury.  We are not the ones punishing sins.  That is God’s prerogative.

>  Anyone who has set aside the Law of Moses dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses.  **How much severer punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled under foot the Son of God**, and has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit of grace?  For we know Him who said, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay.” And again, “The Lord will judge His people.”  **It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God**. (Hebrews 10:28-31) {emphasis mine}

When we say there is another way to God, our way, we are “ *trampl(ing) under foot the Son of God*.” (tense change mine)  When we say we can be good enough or we can put something or someone else first, we will be judged.  “*It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God*.”

So many of our wrong decisions come because we do not have a high enough view of God.  We do not have a fear of the God who can snuff us out if He chooses to stop upholding our lives.  The God of the Bible is a loving and merciful God, but there is a limit to that mercy.  We must honor and trust Him before our time on earth is ended, otherwise we receive His righteous judgment.

### Continue in the Things You Have Learned

The Bible tells us to to “*continue in the things you have learned*.”  We can’t continue in the things we have learned if we haven’t learned God’s word.  Reading and deep study of God’s word, the Bible, is critical if we want to serve God and grow in wisdom and service towards Him.  We need to put in time.  We need to read the Bible daily.  We need to find time to study the Bible and to figure out what is true.

> You, however, **continue in the things you have learned** and become convinced of, knowing from whom you have learned them, and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.  **All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness**; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:14-17)  {emphasis mine}

Scripture is essential for everything in the Christian life.  It helps us to grow in faith and unity with God.  It helps us minister to and train others.  It equips us “*for every good work*.”

> and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. (2 Timothy 3:15)

The Bible should be the foundation of everything we learn and everything we accept as true.  Nothing should be believed as true that contradicts the Bible in any way.

It is useful, however, to find wise teachers to help us understand the Bible.  This may be a person who will disciple us face-to-face.  This may be a pastor at our church.  This may be a Christian writer.  When we use any of these other sources, we always need to double check what we learn and verify that it matches the Bible.

> Now these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, **examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so**.  (Acts 17:11)  {emphasis mine}

We need to examine “*the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so*.”  During the Reformation, this was called *Sola Scriptura*, Scripture alone.  Our reference of truth and righteousness comes from the Bible alone because it is the word of God.

### Deceivers:  Don’t Be Deceived And Don’t Be a Deceiver

There have been deceivers since the beginning of time, but the Bible says that we will see more and more deceivers as the end of time approaches.

> For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh. This is the deceiver and the antichrist.  Watch yourselves, that you do not lose what we have accomplished, but that you may receive a full reward.  Anyone who goes too far and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God; the one who abides in the teaching, he has both the Father and the Son.  If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house, and do not give him a greeting; for the one who gives him a greeting participates in his evil deeds. (2 John 1:7-11)

If we don’t know the word of God well, we can be easily misled.  There are many who quote the Bible out of context to mislead.  If a tiny piece of scripture is taken out of context, it can be made to say almost anything.  Any time there is any question on what the Bible is saying, we need to take the Bible as a whole in order to understand the truth.  The Bible never contradicts itself.  It may come at a truth from different angles regarding different situations, but it never contradicts itself.

> But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ.  For if one comes and preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted, you bear this beautifully.  For I consider myself not in the least inferior to the most eminent apostles.  But even if I am unskilled in speech, yet I am not so in knowledge; in fact, in every way we have made this evident to you in all things. (2 Corinthians 11:3-5)

Only by knowing the whole Bible can we keep ourselves from being misled.  Be like Paul and know the Bible so you can not only avoid being misled, but have the knowledge of the Bible necessary to defend God’s word and prevent others from being misled.

> For certain persons have crept in unnoticed, those who were long beforehand **marked out for this condemnation**, ungodly persons who turn the grace of our God into licentiousness and **deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ**. (Jude 1:4)  {emphasis mine}

It isn’t just those openly hostile to God that are misleading people.  Sadly, there are many in the church, including pastors and others in positions of power who claim to be Christians and claim to be speaking the word of God, but who “*deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ*” and are “*marked out for this condemnation*.”

We are to daily study God’s word and to daily pray for wisdom and to daily be led by the Holy Spirit.  God doesn’t want us to spend our lives sitting in the pews taking in information.  He wants us to share His word and be a light unto the world.  He wants us to chose Him over anything or anyone else.

> I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom:  **preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction**.  For the time will come when **they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires**, and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths. (2 Timothy 4:1-4)  {emphasis mine}

We need to be the person who is “*ready in season and out of season*” and not the person “*wanting to have their ears tickled …  in accordance to their own desires*.”  Those that seek their own way will be spending eternity suffering in hell.

As the end times approach, we will see more and more of this falling away from God’s word.  We will see this in culture, but we will also see it in the church (and are seeing it today).

> Know this first of all, that in the last days mockers will come with their mocking, following after their own lusts, and saying, “**Where is the promise of His coming?** For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all continues just as it was from the beginning of creation.”  For when they maintain this, it escapes their notice that by the word of God the heavens existed long ago and the earth was formed out of water and by water, through which the world at that time was destroyed, being flooded with water.  But by His word the present heavens and earth are being **reserved for fire, kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men**. (2 Peter 3:3:7)  {emphasis mine}

Don’t choose to do things your way.  Don’t choose teachers who tickle your ears with what you want to hear.  Don’t say in your heart, “*Where is the promise of His coming*?”  All those who reject Jesus and the only way to God as described in the Bible are being “*reserved for fire, kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men*.”

Don’t regret your choices.  Choose Jesus today.

Trust Jesus.\
\
your sister in Christ,

Christy

Bible verses are NASB (New American Standard Bible) 1995 edition unless otherwise stated

For more posts check out my \[Trust Jesus Substack\](<https://trustjesus.substack.com/>)

I am also testing out a couple of different nostr editors, so this article might be posted more than once, so I can test how they come out.  This post was composed in [highlighter.com](http://habla.news) .


The IRS is horrible.  It's a long story, but I have a business and was paying payroll taxes to the state and the IRS.  I hate licking envelopes, so I used a glue stick.  The state envelope seems to have stuck to the federal envelope and gotten mailed to the IRS.  They opened the envelope not addressed to them (mail fraud) and stamped "Department of the Treasury" over "Wyoming Department of Employment" and cashed the check (check fraud).  Then I spent 2 years and over 100 hours trying to get things fixed and being treated as a criminal trying to get my money back because they misapplied the credit, so it looked like I hadn't paid my taxes even though I'd overpaid because they stole my money.

One of my goals in life is to abolish the IRS.  They are criminals and incompetents.  There is nothing good about the organization.


I've given up air travel except to see my son or my parents/sister.  Air travel today is torture.


wss://creatr.nostr.wine

wss://creatr.nostr.wine

#nostr #relay #grownostr


Sadly there are hates on all sides.

I was reading today about Maher badmouthing Democrats who were attacking RFK, Jr's wife for not stopping him from endorsing Trump (even though she has made clear she disagrees with the endorsement).  It is true these attacks are horribly hateful and unacceptable behavior, but then a bunch of Republicans chime in bashing Maher for things in his past and not being a full Republican.  When someone starts to see the truth or come over to your side, the worst thing you can do is bash them for not seeing it sooner or not seeing it fast enough.  That just drives them away.  Why does everyone have to hate anyone who disagrees with them at all?


Those look like grape tomatoes.  My son loves grape tomatoes.  It would be really bad if you left those out when my son was around.


We don't want to pay for more of what's not working.  If you don't fix the problem, more money makes things worse every time.


There seem to be so many problems that sometimes it is hard to understand how the US can still be a super power.  I'm worried that when we fall, we will fall hard and fast.


I think the nostr people encourage better behavior.  If you have high expectations, you get better behavior.

Rage baiters are either ignored or made fun of, so they stop or leave.  Those who honestly debate get engagement, so it encourages honest, respectful discussions.  If someone normally engages respectfully, but is having a bad day, we take previous behavior into account and are forgiving.


I just can't see a CIA plant pushing Bitcoin anywhere on the globe.


So, are they saying it is better to have all kids dumb and disadvantaged than to only have a few?  Wouldn't it be better to try to help the kids falling behind than force everyone into utter stupidity?  Of course that would be harder to convert people to Democrats and useful idiots.  Since they kill all of their own kids, they have to have other people's kids to convert and uninformed kids are easier to convert.


There is a small risk of AI causing harm on its own through reckless use, but all of the really bad stuff would come from the misuse of AI.  There are a lot of people who want to use AI for tracking and controlling and it is a very useful technology for those two things.


It can take a little bit to get your feed setup.  You have to setup several relays and then either look through the global feed or look through tags (start with #).  Also tag your own posts, to bring people in.

If you don't interact with others, they likely won't interact with you and ou won't have a very good experience.


peek, not peak.  ugg.


Sadly many "smart" people are indoctrinated while thinking they are "educated".  This leads them to blindly follow rather than to think for themselves.  Because they have degrees, they think they know and understand more and won't listen to people they think are beneath them even when those unindoctrinated people can teach them a thing or two.


There may be times to take a peak, but I agree whole-heartedly that if you regularly read/watch the indoctrination, it will have a detrimental effect on you.  Fill your mind with truth.


One thing I like about winter is it is the perfect time for a crockpot meal.  Sometimes those crockpot meals are a little hot and heavy in the heat of summer, but I do crockpot meals multiple days/week in the winter because they are easy and work well to start before going to work and have dinner ready when I get home.


welcome.

Choose some relays.  Peruse the global feed to find people that are interesting.  Search for subjects that interest you using the # symbol.  #grownostr  is used by some to mark non-bitcoin, non-programming posts, although I don't think it is used as much as it was a year ago.  Once you are following people that interest you, respond to people's posts with comments or zaps.  Many people will follow back.  You get much less interaction if you only like posts.

It can also be handy to put something about you in your profile, so people know that you what you are interested in and what you are likely to post about.

I notice that you aren't following anyone.  You want to follow people.  That is how your curate your feed.


Yes, you can't work for salvation, but if you are saved there should be works evidence.