January 2015
A study of what the Bible actually says about salvation and the End Times.
During this year I will be looking at what the Bible has to say on these matters and discussing different interpretations that have arisen and are still current since the beginnings of Christianity. Unfortunately it will be necessary to introduce a little (I will try to keep it to a minimum) specialist terminology and to describe and analyse the thoughts and interpretations of various Theologians on these matters. As well I will be looking at positions, doctrines and dogmas of present day denominations.
I will endeavour to make everything as clear as I possibly can, with God’s help and guidance, without oversimplification or introducing inaccuracies that would affect understanding. Although I will explain things as I go, it might be wise to read these monthly offerings with a good English or English-Finnish dictionary to hand. Please do not be put off by what may appear to be a difficult challenge.
Although this essay will appear in the Church Newsletter in small instalments, I will be posting the entire article on my web site.
I believe that the Lord has put this into my heart and mind as something that I should do, otherwise I would not undertake such a task except for my own education and greater understanding.
Be blessed
Bruce
February 2015
Salvation
To begin, let us look at this topic by asking and answering a few questions.
1) What does the Old Testament say about Salvation?
2) What does the New Testament say about Salvation?
3) What did Jesus say about Salvation?
Later we will look at other sources views and teachings on Salvation.
The Old Testament view of salvation
The need for salvation goes back to the event of Adam and Eve’s disobedience of eating the forbidden fruit. This act of disobedience brought sin into the world and to the human race. After banishing them from Eden, He began to put into action His plan for the salvation of the people He had created.
The first step was to find a man who would be obedient. Both believing and trusting that the person who spoke to him and commissioned him to be the father of a nation which would in time produce the Saviour God would send as a person to live on earth and to die in full payment for the sins of all people. The person God chose to be the father of a nation, was Abraham. The person chosen to be the Saviour was His only Son, whom we know as Jesus.
Readings: Gen. 2:16 – 3:17; Gen. Chapters 11-17
Be blessed
Bruce
March 2015
Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee:
Gen. 12:2 And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:
In order for it to be possible for an act of disobedience to be of lessening impact on human life and history there needed to be acts of obedience by human beings. The first of these was provided by Abram and Sarai obeying God and leaving their home and walking into the unknown in terms of their future and physical living. To Abram and his family the idea of a single all powerful God was completely unkown in the culture in which they had lived for more than seventy years. So, for this already mature couple to leave every thing they had known, all security and culture, family and friends was an enormous risk, requiring a great leap of faith. They had no written guarantees, not even a description of the land they would ultimately dwell in.
Gen. 12: 3-4
Be blessed.
Bruce
April 2015
Redemption and salvation from the human point of view are impossible. It is impossible for a person or the whole of mankind to earn or deserve forgiveness for sins. The price is simply too high. Only God can do this. So God’s plan for salvation was to do this in ways that would be clearly understood as being impossible. Here’s a list of some of them. 1. God chose an ageing and childless couple to be the founders of His chosen people. (Sarai had been unable to conceive and was now beyond the normal human child bearing age.) 2. The Saviour, would be born into this nation. He would live a perfect life, a life without sin. 3. He would be both human and divine. In a word perfect. 4. Through the death of this one perfect man the price of sin for the world would be paid in full. 5. The Saviour would rise from the dead and be fully alive.
All of these are humanly impossible. In addition there are an incredibly large number of prophecies in the Old Testament all of which are fulfilled in the person of Jesus.
By doing the impossible, God made salvation possible for all human kind.
All that is necessary is for each one of us to believe that Jesus is the Son of God and that He died for our sins. That should not be impossible!
Be blessed
Bruce
July 2015
After years of slavery in Egypt, God freed the nation of Israel. They were led out of Egypt by Moses under the guidance and leadership of God. Unaccustomed to such freedom, they needed laws to guide them in living according to God’s will. God gave them the Ten Commandments to guide their way of living. Later these were expanded by men to cover every aspect of daily life. The first five books of the Old Testament are known as The Torah in Hebrew. Torah means law.
So obedience to The Law became a path to redemption. Having detailed instructions covering everyday life, both private, public, corporate and individual, might seem like a good recipe for success in achieving redemption. Alas, human nature being what it is, after the Fall and expulsion of Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden, people find it difficult to consistently obey the law. Indeed it became (and still is today) a subject for debate and searches for how to avoid and evade the strictest interpretations of each different law. Ex.24:12ff; Leviticus; Deuteronomy.
This search for ways to evade and avoid strict obedience to the law is still common today. As is the belief, often expressed, that salvation is obtained solely by one’s own efforts and goodness as a person. Unfortunately we all fall short of perfection and can not achieve redemption and salvation by our own efforts. Throughout His ministry, Jesus taught a different way to salvation. More about that next time.
Be blessed
Bruce
August 2015
Jesus taught that sin was not just in the act (that is, not just the things we do) but that in the thought that precedes each and every act and that could give rise to the act whether actually committed or not.
“But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.” Matt. 5:28 KJAV
In saying this, Jesus was not making it easier to obey the law, but He was pointing out how shallow and superficial was human understanding and interpretation of the law. Another example of how attitudes and ways of thinking are part and parcel of a sinful attitude is encapsulated in the parable Jesus told of the Pharisee and the Publican at prayer in a synagogue. Luke 18: 9-14. So even today, we are exhorted to control our thoughts as much, if not more, than our actions; because thoughts precede actions, always: even when we believe our actions are automatic.
Jesus also said that He came to fulfil the law not to destroy it. Matt. 5:17. By His willing death on the cross, His resurrection from death, He fulfilled the law and took our punishment for our sins. He was the perfect and innocent sacrifice needed to cleanse us of sin. We can not earn salvation through our own efforts.
Through believing in Him and Him alone we find the gateway to salvation.
John 5:24, 6:47, 11:25, 12:46, 3: 15-16. Acts 10:43.
Be blessed.
Bruce
September 2015
It is time now for me to move on and to consider the prophecies and descriptions of the end times and the destruction, renewal and Day of judgement.
The first mention of the destruction of life on Earth can be found in the very first book of the Old Testament following closely on the story of Creation in the first two chapters of Genesis. Genesis chapters 6 – 9 describe the thoughts of God on the state of mankind and His decision to cause a great flood to destroy His own creation. Compared with the immortality of God and with eternity, the time between the Creation and God’s decision to wipe out humanity is extremely short. However, God decides to save one human family and many of the pairs of the animals that He had created just a short time ago.
It is remarkable and I believe highly significant that the story of The Flood is related so close to the story of the Creation. It tells us that after the fall from grace and innocence in the Garden, the descent of mankind into sin and depravity is not permanent but that there will be a renewal; a second creation, a return to the perfection of His creation.
Be blessed.
Bruce
October 2015
The word apocalyptic has come into other languages from the Greek. Originally, the word meant to reveal, to unfold or to bring to light. It referred to prophecies concerning things that were hidden from human understanding. Most of these apocalyptic writings in the Bible are about the End Times and the re establishment of God’s Kingdom on Earth. These writings occur in both the Old and New Testaments. Let us look first at one or two in the Old Testament.
Be blessed.
Bruce
November 2015
There are several problems when trying to understand and interpret the visions the prophets wrote of in the Old and New Testaments. The first of these is that in describing the visions, the OT prophets were trying to describe events that were to take place in the far distant future. Their language had no words for many of the things they had seen in the vision and so they described what they had seen in terms of things that were familiar with them at that time.
The first problem facing modern day interpreters of Biblical prophecies is that our civilisation and cultures are very different from Old Testament and New Testament times. Today it is necessary first to understand the culture of the time when these prophecies and visions were written down. The second problem is that it is all too easy for the modern day reader to jump to conclusions based on our understanding of modern life, culture, politics and technology. Because the things described in the prophetic scriptures may not yet be in existence.
What was unusual and new when I was a child is commonplace today. Many things that were found only in fiction and fantasy are now becoming more common. Isaiah, Jeremiah, Amos and Micah are good books to read. Take your time and read slowly and carefully. You might even like to make notes.
Be blessed,
Bruce
December 2015
Every December Christians celebrate the Birth of Jesus, the Messiah, our Saviour, who came to Earth as a human child. Throughout His life on Earth Jesus spoke about the Kingdom of God and its establishment here on Earth. His constant and consistent message was that He was the Son of God, the Messiah prophesied in the Old Testament. He also said that He would return in glory to rule. The Book of Revelation in the New Testament is an account of John’s vision of the end times and of Jesus’ return in Glory and the events that will precede Christ’s return.
Jesus’ life on Earth was a living prophecy of the Love of God for the world and of The Father’s plan of salvation. As we read about Jesus’ life and His ministry on Earth we are in fact reading an apocalyptic (revealing to our knowledge) vision of the future 2nd coming of Christ and God’s kingdom on Earth.
Contemplate on John 3:16.
Be blessed
Bruce