God, His will and other misc. thoughts

Trying to find what Gods will for us can be very confusing sometimes. But the question remains what have you done with His will that He has already revealed to us in His word? It is the will of God that you believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. It is also His will that you serve Him faithfully in all that He has commanded us to do in His Word. It is one thing to say that it is Gods will this and Gods will that and a totally different thing to actually keep what He has already revealed to us, by His grace of course. In the end, words will prove to be cheap if they are not backed by some sort of action. Keep the will of God already revealed in His word and Gods will will be done in your life. 

The best way to change people is to preach them the gospel. You change the people, you automatically change the country and world for good. This is also the best way of spreading Gods love to others. Something that will have an everlasting impact. 

Cant understand how some 'christians' want to have the best of both worlds. With one hand they hold the world which they love enough not to give it up and with the other they hold onto anything of semblance to God and religion. The idea being that because we have God in one hand at-least we have His favor. But the bible is clear that God absolutely detests such kind of hypocrisy. And most of them are so content with such lives, which basically happens to be a lie, that they wont even find out how blinded they were until it is too late. Love not the world or the things of the world, if you love the things of the world the love of the Father is not in you. Meaning, unless you are prepared/ready to give up everything in this world for Christs sake you are NOT a christian, well at-least according to the biblical definition of the word. He who loses his life for Christs sake will find it. God always has a wonderful way of working things out for good for those who really love Him and are ready to give up everything for Him. So make your choice today, either serve God or the world. You cannot serve more than one master. On this the bible is clear. 

Next year, this weary/faint pilgrim is going on a 'sabbatical'. Do not know when he will return or why. But hope he will be back soon.

Quotes from J.C. Ryle

"It is thoroughly Scriptural and right to say 'faith alone justifies.' But it is not equally Scriptural and right to say 'faith alone sanctifies.'" ~ J.C. Ryle

Protein folding problem

A sequence of 20 amino acids determines the 3d structure of a protein which in turn determines its function. The goal is to solve the 3d structure of the protein from the sequence. Seems that researchers have been working on it for the past 30 years with moderate success. Some have applied machine learning, which happens to be my area of specialization, for the prediction of secondary structure with about 80% success rate. The variables influencing the structure havent been full discovered yet, which is what makes the problem hard to solve and at the same time interesting. Accurately predicting the secondary structure seems to be first step before we go on to predicting the tertiary structure. One of the things I would like to know is the purpose of a helix? Why a helix? What functional role does it serve? It seems to be a stable structure but what it its function? Anyway lots of reading to do, in my spare time, if i have any. Another question is why no symmetry? Nature usually exhibits symmtery in most things. Why not here? Is it a symmetric equation that its trying to follow? A fractal? Things I need to find out.

Christ - the reason for the season

Now that christmas is just a day away tis time to remember the reason for the season. Christ Jesus, the King of kings gave up his throne to be born in a manger, born to die for our sins and to save us from the wrath of God to come. This was preordained even before the begining of time that God would send his only begotten Son to die for our sins that whosoever believeth in Christ Jesus as Lord and savior will not perish but have eternal life(John 3:16).

The bible says that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (romans 3) and we are therefore called the children of wrath. The wrath of God in all its fullness abides on every sinner. And the wages of sin is death. But God in his grace, though we are completely undeserving of it, decides to provide a way for the atonement of our sins through a sacrifice. He sends his Son, the spotless lamb of God, Jesus Christ, into this world that he may pay the penalty of our sins. Jesus Christ, all God and all man, the sinless son of Adam, keeps the law of God while here on this earth and thereby is declared righteous by Gods holy standard. When Christ died on the cross he bore the penalty of our sins, he drank fully from the cup of Gods wrath that we might be spared the same. And because our sins were paid for and Gods justice satisfied everyone who believes on the Lord Jesus Christ as the one who paid for their sins (past, present and future) are considered sinless in the sight of God. And we are now covered by the righteousness that Christ earned by keeping the law. God sees the righteousness of Christ that now clothes us (because we believed on Him) and declares us righteous. Not only does He declare us righteous, He also adopts us to be his children forever more. The gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus. This is the gospel.

[The bible never says that there is something of worth in us that caused God to save us. No, in fact God saves us while we were yet sinners (Romans 5). He saves us inspite of the fact that we rebelled against Him and justly deserve to go to hell. There is no room for boasting and pride when you come to the foot of the cross and receive the gospel.]

John Duncan once said that you would have to wade through the blood of Christ and walk over the bowels of his mercy to go hell. God is love (1John4) and this is how He displayed it most magnificiently, in that He spared not his only Son to die for our sins. Is it not then obvious that there is no greater love than the love of God towards us, undeserving sinners. All we did and do is sin against him, raise up our fists against him, the God of all the universe, in rebellion and He decides to break our stubborn hearts with his love. And keep in mind we dont deserve any of this.

Everything that hinders us from coming to God has been removed by God himself. All that is required of us is to 'believe on the Lord Jesus Christ' and you will be saved. Not baptism, not going to church, not living a religous and moral life. In fact the bible is clear that all our works are as filthy rags (Isaiah 64:4) and that there is nothing we can do to earn his favor. There is nothing we can do to save ourselves. If you think you can earn his favor do it by his standard not yours. The holy standard that God has set up is his ten commandments. No lying, no murdering, no stealing, no covetting etc. But the reason it is so hard to keep his law is that God judges the motives as well as the outward actions. He judges the heart. If you can keep his law completely and perfectly, without any fault, without failing at any point, then you can earn your righteousness before God. But if you fail once you have failed it all. And if you do fail, which is absolutely the case, the only place for you is Hell, where the fire always burn and there is great darkness and anguish and pain and sufferring for all eternity. (A hundred years here on earth would not even compare to all of eternity). God is love but He is holy too. A holy God demands justice for the wrongs you have comitted against him. You would do the same if someone wronged you too. Every sin committed is committed against an eternal God and therefore deserves eternal punishment.

The way to God is either through complete obedience to his law, every jot and tittle. Or, through a much simpler and better alternative provided by God himself. God provides a sacrifice, Jesus Christ, who pays for your sins that by believing on the Lord Jesus Christ you might be made right with God. If there was any other way God would have chosen it. But the only way for sinners to be reconciled with God was to send his perfect Son, the spotless lamb of God, to die for our sins. And by believing on his name we shall be saved.

God could NOT have made it any simpler and any more easier on our part. What are you going to do with his wonderful gift today? Remember that one day we all have to die and stand before God. And He is not going to ask you
a) what good things have you done
b) how wealthy are you
c) what are you educational qualifications/status
d) how moral/religious are you etc;
that you may enter into heaven? He is going to ask what have you done with my precious Son whom I gave up for you? Does the blood of Christ cleanse you and cover you from your sins? Have you made your decision? If not, why dont you do so today.

Merry christmas to all!

PS. In case you call yourself a christian and know all of this, good. But do you exhibit the fruit of the Holy Spirit (galatians 5) in your life? No fruit, no christian. Do you love the world or the things of the Spirit? You cannot have it both ways. You can serve only one master. The bible asks us to test ourselves to see if we are in the faith. The true test of faith is an increasing likeness to Christ, marked by a love for God (He saved us), and man (made in Gods image), hatred for sin (because it goes against Him who loved you), humility (because we dont deserve any of this and we did nothing to earn it), prayer and reading his word (because we are completely dependent on Him), thanksgiving etc. All proceeding from the heart, which has been regenerated and renewed by the Holy Spirit the moment we believe, and a result of being grounded in the gospel. The reason we now love spiritual things is because God gives us a new heart to every born again christian. And the inclinations of this new nature is to please God in everything. TEST YOURSELVES! DONT BE DECEIVED. If the things you love are worldly, how can you call yourselves a christian? You can deceive yourselves and others but NOT God. TEST YOURSELVES!

PPS. In case you dont believe me, read the bible, start with the New Testament, with Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, and then read Romans. Ask God to open your heart so that you will be able to understand.

The Distinctive Qualities of the True Christian--Part 3 by John MacArthur

...Now would you please note just by way of brief review, the Apostle Paul was preaching the gospel of salvation by grace through faith, plus or minus nothing. He was preaching Christ crucified and faith in Christ as the means by which the gift of grace was received. He was preaching the gospel of grace, no works at all whatsoever involved....We have been spiritually made clean. And how do we know the true circumcision? Three things characterize them. Three things...they worship in the Spirit of God, they glory in Christ Jesus and they put no confidence in the flesh. ...Here are the tests, the distinctive tests of true Christianity. And you will notice that they do not speak of what you do, they do not speak of function, they speak of attitude. Worship by the Spirit of God, glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh. Those are the things that are the distinctive qualities of true Christianity.

...I want to give to you some characteristics that do not verify your salvation. All right? Some characteristics that do not verify the reality of your salvation. You can't look at these. These are not appropriate tests. And I think you will be surprised.

Number one...I'll give you five of them...number one, the first inappropriate non-proof of salvation is a past conversion or...I'll say it this way...a past supposed conversion event...a past supposed conversion event. You say, "What do you mean by that?" I mean that some people think they're Christians because of some event in the past. They prayed with the Sunday-school teacher. They prayed with their mother. They prayed with their father. They went forward in a church service. They signed a card. They were at a youth meeting and a guy spoke at camp and they went down and they prayed a prayer. Or they knelt by their bed. Some point in the past...well, you know, I was over there, I was in northern California one time in a church in so-and-so and I prayed the prayer. Okay?

...And if there was a real change, then you don't need to look at the event because you can see the change. And what do you look for? Do they worship God? Do they glory in Christ Jesus? Do they reject the flesh? See. You don't look at the event. A moment of believing whatever kind of believing it was didn't save Simon.

Let me give you a second non-proof. Living by a moral code, living by a moral code. People, say, "Ah, So-and-so must be a good Christian, very very moral person." Listen, many people are moral...many people. Many people live by high standards of honesty, charity, kindness, morality, ethics...many people. Look at the Mormons. Very ethical on the surface...very moral, very charitable, very kind, very honest ostensibly. That's what they propagate. A lot of people like that. There are a lot of unsaved people in liberal churches who are very compassionate, very ethical. They are set to live according to the Ten Commandments. Many of them trying to live according to the Sermon on the Mount. Live out the quote/unquote "golden rule." Many ethical people living by a moral code. That in itself does not verify salvation because you can subscribe yourself to a moral code for a multiplicity of reasons. Right? Fear, some people live by a moral code because they're afraid of God. They're afraid of God. Some people live by a moral code because they want to please their parents. And it's very important that their parents be pleased because they're under their parents. In other words, mentally they feel the bondage of parental pressure to live by a certain code. There are some people who live by a moral code because they believe that if they do, that will get them to heaven. Or they believe if they do God will reward them somehow in this life by making them rich...or famous or successful. There are some people who live by a moral code just to avoid a dirty conscience and guilt. I mean, there could be a lot of reasons for that.

Thirdly, another, I think, misconception, another element of this negative approach, what does not verify salvation, is knowledge of the truth...knowledge of the truth. We used to call it head knowledge. Have you ever heard that phrase? Head knowledge instead of heart knowledge. There are a lot of people who know the facts about Christ. They know the facts about God. They know God is God. They know God is three in one. They know Christ is the Son of God. They know Christ is deity. They know Christ came into the world and did miracles. They know Christ died on a cross. They know that He died a substitutionary death. They know He rose again the third day, that He offers salvation by grace. And they know all of that in their head, but that's not synonymous with salvation. It's not what you know. In fact, the Pharisees and the scribes like the other Jews that I've just mentioned, like Simon who was looking at an event, like the rich young ruler who was looking at a moral ethical standard, other Jews knew all about Christ from His birth on. They knew everything about Him. That's why He says in Matthew 12, "You can't be saved, you've committed an unpardonable sin." Why? "You've seen it all, you've heard it all, you've experienced it all, and you won't believe. You have it all in your mind."

It's the same thing in Hebrews 6. You've been enlightened, you've tasted the heavenly gift, you've tasted the powers of the age to come, but you won't believe, you won't receive. It is not enough to have a head knowledge. Faith without works is...what? Dead. And James 2:19, "The devils believe but they tremble." They're not saved. You can believe it's all true.

Fourthly, this is another non-proof of salvation, let's call it religious activity...religious activity, going to church, being baptized, taking communion, or whatever, lighting candles, praying beads, doing religious pilgrimages, doing certain prayers, staying on your knees, marching here, marching there, whatever it is. Many many people go through complex religious motions thinking that all of that religious activity equates to salvation. I think the perfect parallel to this is in Matthew 25....

Many people today, religious but shut out. There are some churches where there is reality and some churches where there's form and no reality. There are a lot of people who have a very religious life, very religious. It's a form of religion without reality. So religious activity isn't the issue.

Fifthly, and finally, service in the name of Christ isn't a proof of salvation...service in the name of Christ isn't a proof of salvation. Matthew chapter 7, "Many will say to Me, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, have we not done many wonderful works? Have we not cast out demons in Your name? And I will say, Depart from Me, you workers of iniquity, I never knew you." Saying you represent Christ is not enough. Just because you preach Christ doesn't mean you really know Christ. There have been a lot of people, false people, preaching a true message, right? A lot. Many many people doing things for God. I hear about it all the time. Another expose this week of some guy with a big time preacher, well known to everybody with a 20-year- adulterous affair ongoing, horrible kind of stuff, on and on the expose went, page after page after page after page of the dissolute life. And you say, "But he preached Christ...he preached Christ." Yeah, well that does not in itself verify his spiritual condition.

...You say, "Well, what marks a true Christian?" Look at it. Three things...the true circumcision worship in the Spirit of God. Listen, the first thing is an overflowing heart of worship. So if you want to look at your life, don't look...do I attend a service? Have I been baptized? Ask yourself, does my heart long to glorify the Lord? Do I love to praise Him and worship Him? Is it my heart's desire to serve Him? The question you want to ask is what is my attitude toward God? Because if I'm a Christian the Spirit is in me and if the Spirit is in me, then He is prompting me to worship. And so I'll have a heart of adoration and a heart of praise and a heart that longs to serve God from the inside out. So I have to look at my heart. And so when the Scripture says "examine yourselves," it starts there in the heart. Oh yes, there will be a moral code by which you live. And there may have been a real event, there was for all of us a time when we were saved, even though we don't know it. And we do have to know the facts. And service will be a part of our life but all of that will flow from the inside because we worship God prompted by the Spirit. It's worship on a supernatural level, it's not human, it's spiritual, it's energized by the Holy Spirit.

So, you ask yourself then, "Do I love to praise God? Do I love to talk with Him? Do I love to learn about Him in His Word? Do I want to serve Him? Oh sure, sin gets in the way and interrupts that and confuses my mind sometimes but isn't there something deep within me that longs to praise and worship and love God, to read His Word, to know more about Him, to serve Him with all my heart?" You see, that's the evidence coming from the inside.

And the second thing he says, "And glory in Christ Jesus." That verb in the Greek, "to glory," kauchaomai basically means to boast but it has the idea of a rejoicing exultant, almost a hilarious kind of boasting. And what it's saying here is that if you're a true Christian all your boasting, all your rejoicing is going to be in Christ because all the credit belongs to Him. So you haven't done anything to earn it.

So how do you tell a true Christian? A true Christian gives all the credit to Christ, they rejoice in Christ. They're so thankful for Christ. Christ has done it all. Whereas the false religionists wants you and God and everybody else to appreciate what he has done. The true Christian wants everyone else to appreciate what Christ has done.

Then finally, not only is the true believer characterized by worship, by rejoicing in Christ, but thirdly by humility...humility. That is the basic attitude of a genuine believer..."He puts no confidence in the flesh." Very humble by the fallen condition of his human flesh. He doesn't trust it. He doesn't trust in it. He began in the Spirit and he will continue in the Spirit. He knows that all the good that comes to him and through him is by the power of God, he has no confidence in his flesh to please God. He knows it can't. So there's a humility there. There is not a pushing of one's merit, of one's achievement, but there's humility.

How do you identify a true Christian? Look for one who worships from the heart that's prompted by the Spirit. Look for one whose glory and joy and boast is all Christ. Look for one who when viewing himself is humble. Therein are the distinctive qualities of a true Christian. 

http://www.biblebb.com/files/mac/50-29.htm

True Christianity vs. Cultural Christianity

Biblical Christianity means being joined to Jesus Christ through faith in what He did for us at the cross, then allowing Him to live His life through us, so that others might know Him and see His love. (That love may include sharing His warnings as well as His promises with those in need.) The established Church, like Old Testament Israel, has always tended to drift away from its devotion to God and become just other institutions, subject to the same human impulses and painful consequences as the rest of the world. Please don’t blame human evils on a "straw-man" or a convenient cultural distortion of Christianity. Consider some of the differences between Biblical faith and today's cultural deviations.

	Biblical Christianity Only understood by those who are joined to Christ through the cross (read Romans chapters 1-5, especially 3:20-5:5, to know why & how to be saved)	Cultural Christianity Believed by the masses to represent genuine Christianity
It is...	A personal relationship with our Lord, Jesus Christ, based on faith. John 17:20-26; Rom. 8:37-39 (involves a personal decision. you are a christian because you made a personal decision to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. and because you believe you now have a new nature in tune with Gods. and this is manifested through good works to the glory of the Father.)	A religion based on humanist logic, "feel good" experiences,  and popular interpretations of Scriptures. (doesnt involve any personal decision. one is a christian simply because the culture dictates it.  IOW, they are 'christian' because they were born into a christian family/society. they go through the normal motions of christianity such as attending church/being baptized etc. but do not show the fruit of the Holy Spirit which is promised to everyone who believes on the Lord Jesus Christ. The bible asks everyone to test themselves to see if they are in the faith/saved or not.)
Come to God through…	Faith in Jesus Christ Who has revealed Himself in His Word and by His Spirit. John 14:6 (believing themselves to be sinners in need of a savior, look to the finished works of Christ as an atonement for their sins in order to be saved from the wrath of God to come. nothing in my hands i bring, simply to the cross i cling. we can do nothing to earn the favor of God. the bible says that all our righteousness is as filthy rags. all God requires of us is to believe on Jesus whom he has sent, that through his shed blood on the cross we have forgiveness of sins.  1Jn 4: 8-11 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins)	Faith that our own good works and intentions are good enough. (usually involves a combination of faith and works. they think they have Gods approval because they have done some good works whereas the bible says that it is not of works lest we should boast. all we have to do is believe on the Lord Jesus Christ to be saved. works include baptism, taking communion/mass, going to church, tithing etc)
View the Bible as:	The absolute, unchanging, Word of God. The Bible is inspired and guarded by God --- including its honest reports about evil acts among God's people. 2 Tim. 3:16; 1 Pet 1:25	A collection of guidelines, allegories, myths, and stories useful for good living. Offensive verses must be ignored.
Our goal is...	God's approval. To know Him, do His will, follow His way, and live each moment in fellowship with Him -- by His wonderful grace! Gal.1:10	People's approval. To please, not offend, the world and its communities. Fun, feel-good fellowship.
Source of Strength	God's unlimited grace and power. Gal. 2:20; Phil. 4:19	Our human abilities -- plus God’s help when "needed."
See our human self as…	Weak and inadequate apart from Christ. 2 Cor. 12:9-10	Strong and capable if we have confidence in Self.
See sin as...	Leading to spiritual bondage and death. Rom. 6:23	A normal part of life. Ignore it, or you might offend someone. Or enjoy it, for "God understands" you needs and inclinations.
Deal with sin through...	Confession and faith: trusting Jesus as the "Lamb," our Savior who bore our sins on cross. Rom. 6:1-6	Try to do better next time, or just tolerate it. Don't offend anyone by making them feel guilty.
Caring for people...	Bring people to Christ. Demonstrate God's love. Trust God to meet needs by His Spirit working through our surrendered lives. Rom. 12:9-18	Bring people to the church or group. Don’t tolerate uncompromising Christians who might offend people. Do to others as you would have others do to you.
Response to suffering:	Trust God to use suffering to deepen our faith and endurance, prepare us for ministry, and demonstrate His love and power. 2 Cor. 1:3-11	Pray, endure, and trust that God will help. It's okay to challenge God’s love, power, and purpose -- and to seek quick relief through whatever means available -- no matter how it conflicts with His Word.
Commitment:	Trust and follow God. No compromise. Rather die than betray our Lord. Rom. 12:1-2	Trust and follow feelings and human logic. Compromise essential to avoid offending the world.
Expect to...	Face rejection and persecution. John 15:20-21	Get along and influence the world.
Outreach:	Bring God's love and good news to the needy, then bring the needy to Jesus.	Adapt the church to the "community" so that everyone will feel at home.
Daily hope:	Eternity with Jesus, our Shepherd and King. 1 Peter 1:3-9	Success, acceptance of all people, fun and fellowship in this life.

http://www.crossroad.to/charts/cultural-Christianity.html

Quote

The difference between the non-Christian and the Christian is the difference between a Christmas tree on which people hang presents, and a living tree that bears fruit. They have to put them on the Christmas tree; it does not and cannot produce anything. But in the case of the growing tree it produces fruit. The fruit is no longer imposed from outside; it is something produced from the life, the sap and the power that are in the living tree.

Martyn Lloyd-Jones ( The Sons of God )

The true gospel of Jesus Christ vs. the corrupt 'gospel' of mormonism

Striving for perfection and the true gospel

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints teaches that its members are to strive to be perfect.  This perfection, hopefully, results in exaltation, in becoming a god.  Very often Mormons will quote the Bible to support their position: "Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect," (Matt. 5:48). Note it says to be perfect, not becomeperfect.  Mormons teach that to be perfect means to become a god, which is a future occurrence, yet the verse says to be perfect in the present tense, not the future.

In addition, the book of Mormon says:

"For we labor diligently to write, to persuade our children, and also our brethren, to believe in Christ, and to be reconciled to God; for we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do," (2 Nephi 25:23).

Note that it says they are saved by grace after all they can do.  This confirms the Mormon teaching of working very hard to be good, to do good works, and to attain to the highest level of exaltation.

The inclination to be perfect in Mormonism is repeatedly taught to its members.  This perfection is not merely trying, it means to triumph over sin:

Spencer W. Kimball 1 said: "Being perfect means to triumph over sin. This is a mandate from the Lord. He is just and wise and kind. He would never require anything from his children which was not for their benefit and which was not attainable. Perfection therefore is an achievable goal."2

As you can see, the Mormon is taught that he must triumph over sin, that he is saved by grace after all he can do, and that he must be perfect.  In fact, many Mormons have told me that the gospel is the Law and Ordinances of the Mormon Church, further verifying that forgiveness of sins in the LDS church is dependent upon the persistent and necessary effort of the Mormon to keep the Laws of God.

My sympathy to the Mormon

I sincerely sympathize with the Mormon who is seeking to please God, honor Him, and bring glory to Him by trying to obey His commandments.  However, when all is said and done and in the quite of his own heart, when he faces the reality of God and his lack of holiness and perfection, can anyone say he has done all he can do, has triumphed over sin, and is perfect? Of course not.

Mormonism teaches that salvation/exaltation is based upon keeping the Law.  But, isn't this a great burden upon the Mormon?  Isn't keeping the Law of God and seeking to be perfect (in order to become a god) a great strain?  How do Mormons deal with their persistent sins and failures that reveal that they are not being perfect, that they are not triumphing over sin?  If they are not triumphing, and not doing all they can do, then will they not be cast into outer darkness?

Please understand that I am not in any way mocking the situation of the Mormons or their sincerity to do what they feel is right.  But, we must ask whether or not anyone can achieve perfection through his own efforts of keeping the Law or any part of it.

• "For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all," (James 2:10).
• "For as many as are of the works of the Law are under a curse; for it is written, 'Cursed is everyone who does not abide by all things written in the book of the law, to perform them, (Gal. 3:10).

The Bible teaches us that if you want to be made right before God based on your efforts, then you better not make any mistakes.  If you do, then you are guilty of all of the Law!  This is not good news.  If anything, this is what condemns us since the Bible says "through the Law comes the knowledge of sin," (Rom. 3:20).  The Law, the commandments, are those things that when we break them, and we all do, condemns us by revealing our sinfulness.  And since anyone who keeps the Law must keep all of the Law, and since he cannot, he is only fit to be cast out into outer darkness for not being perfect!

What is the Gospel?

Does the gospel of the Bible really teach that forgiveness of sins is based, even in part, upon our obedience to the Law's and Ordinances of any church and that we are to be perfect?  I'm happy to say, no it doesn't.

• Rom. 3:28-30, "For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law. ²⁹Or is God the God of Jews only? Is He not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also, ³⁰since indeed God who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith is one."
• Rom. 4:5, "But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is reckoned as righteousness,"
• Rom. 5:1, "therefore having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,"
• Gal. 2:16, "nevertheless knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we may be justified by faith in Christ, and not by the works of the Law; since by the works of the Law shall no flesh be justified."

Justification is the legal declaration by God where God declares the sinner righteous in His sight.  Notice that this justification is by faith, not by keeping the Law in any way; that is, not by doing all you can do, not by triumphing over sin, and not by being perfect.  The reason for this is because no one (except Jesus) can keep the whole Law, triumph over sin, and be perfect.  Anyone who breaks the Law is condemned.  Therefore, unless you are absolutely perfect in all things pertaining to the Law, you will be cast into outer darkness.  But, praise be to God that "...while we were sinners, Christ died for us," (Rom. 5:8).  You see, Jesus became sin on our behalf so that we, by faith, might become the righteousness of God, (2 Cor. 5:21).  This leads us to precisely what the gospel is.

The real gospel is the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus, not the Laws and Ordinances of the Mormon Church:

"Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, ²by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain. ³For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, ⁴and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures," (1 Cor. 15:1-4).

I would like to add here, that if anyone says that the gospel is anything other than what it is stated in 1 Cor. 15:1-4, they are blinded by the devil:

"and even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, ⁴in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving, that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God," (2 Cor. 4:3-4).

Real Christians know what the real gospel is and they know that they cannot keep the Law, can't do all they can do, can't be perfect, and can't triumph over sin.  They can only trust in the righteousness of Jesus and receive Him by faith (John 1:12).

It is truly good news to know that we do not have to keep the Law, don't have to do all we can do, etc.  All we need to do is accept that Jesus alone is our only hope and that we must, by faith, accept His work on the cross for the complete forgiveness of our sins.  We must receive the righteousness of Jesus and not seek to achieve our own because we simply can't do it:  "What shall we say then? That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, attained righteousness, even the righteousness which is by faith," (Rom. 9:30).  This is the true gospel, that righteousness is received by faith in Christ and that we are not obligated to keep the law in order to be saved...(or exalted, if you are a Mormon).

Then what?

But, lest anyone say that such forgiveness is "too easy," let me remind them that it is not easy; at least, not for Jesus.  It was He who suffered and died for our sins.  This was very costly.  But, for us, it is easy to become Christians because we are justified by faith:

"nevertheless knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we may be justified by faith in Christ, and not by the works of the Law; since by the works of the Law shall no flesh be justified," (Gal. 2:16).

After we are then made right before God, we are changed in our hearts and then desire to do that which is right before God from within because we are new creatures in Christ (2 Cor. 5:17).  We then are able to freely serve God, love Him, and keep His commandments out of appreciation and gratitude to God, not to please God so we can be saved.

After salvation/justification, God works in us to bring us more into the image of His Son Jesus.  This is called sanctification and this process of sanctification is very difficult because it involves our repentance and submission to God's will.  But, whether or not we do well or not in sanctification, it does not affect our justification.  We are made right in God's eyes by faith in Christ (justification) and made more like Jesus in our lives afterwards (sanctification).

So, the good news is that we do not have to keep the Law in any way to be right with God.  The good news is that Jesus has done all that needs to be done and we can, by faith, trust in Him and be made righteous in His sight.

Lord Jesus, I trust you and you alone for the forgiveness of my sins.  I put all my faith and hope in what you did on the cross and not in any way in my own efforts of being perfect, of triumphing over sin, or of keep the Laws and Ordinances of any church.  I am made righteous by faith and in you alone I trust.

Why Mormons are NOT christians

Mormon Beliefs, are they Christian?

There's a lot of discussion about Mormon beliefs. So, in order to make this easy, I will list out what Mormonism actually teaches. These are not sensationalized, and inaccurate statements.

Following documentation from Mormon authors.  Finally, please understand that the Mormon Church uses Christian terms but has radically changed the meanings of those terms.  So, when it says that Mormons belief in the father the son and the Holy Spirit, they are really saying they believe in a God from another planet, with a goddess wife, who literally is the father of Jesus, and that there is a spirit being, the Holy Ghost, who is another God.

These are Mormon beliefs

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, known as the Mormons, teaches that God the father used to be a man on another planet, that he became a God by following the laws and ordinances of that God on that planet and came to this world with his wife (she became a goddess), and that they produce a spirit offspring in heaven.  These spirit offspring, which includes Jesus, the devil, and you and me,  are all brothers and sisters born in the preexistence.  The preexistence spirits come down and inhabit babies at the time of birth and their memories of the preexistence are lost at the time.  Furthermore, faithful Mormons, who pay a full 10% tithe of their income to the Mormon church through Mormon temples, have the potential of becoming gods of their own planets and are then able to start the procedure over again.

Is it Christian?  No.

If you were to go to any Christian bookstore and look in the non-Christian cult section you will see numerous books on Mormonism that document Mormon beliefs as aberrant and un-Biblical. The Mormon Church is not considered a Christian church.

This is not simply an opinion that they are false; it is a fact that they teach abberant and unchristian theology.  In fact, Jesus warned us about such groups when he said in Matthew 24:24 that in the last days many false Christs and false prophets will arise and deceive many. Mormonism is exactly that, a manifestation of a false prophet: Joseph Smith, who taught all these things.

The Bible does not teach that God came from another planet, or that he has a goddess wife, or that we can become gods. In fact, the Bible clearly and definitely contradicts those teachings. But, the Mormon Church responds by saying that the Bible is not really trustworthy, that the true faith was lost, and that its leader, Joseph Smith, restored the so-called "true" Christian faith:  god from another world, becoming gods, goddess mother, etc. Of course, the Mormon Church's claim is not true.

One question to ask the Mormon Church as a whole is why is it that it does not appoint a representative to publicly debate and answer the challenges of competent Christians who know not only the Bible, but what Mormonism teaches?  Why is it that the Mormon Church refuses to have open dialogue and appoint a representative who would attempt to defend the LDS teachings from the Bible? Why does it refuse to do this?  I believe it is because it doesn't want to be made to look bad.

Mormon Beliefs documented

Please note that these teachings are documented from Mormon writers, not anti-Mormon writers:

1. Book of Mormon
   1. The book of Mormon is more correct than the Bible, (History of the Church, vol. 4, p. 461.)
2. Devil, the
   1. The Devil was born as a spirit after Jesus "in the morning of pre-existence," (Mormon Doctrine, p. 192.)
   2. Jesus and Satan are spirit brothers and we were all born as siblings in heaven to them both, (Mormon Doctrine, p. 163.)
3. God
   1. God used to be a man on another planet (Mormon Doctrine, p. 321; Joseph Smith, Times and Seasons, vol. 5, p. 613-614; Orson Pratt, Journal of Discourses, vol. 2, p. 345; Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses, vol. 7, p. 333).
   2. "The Father has a body of flesh and bones as tangible as mans..." (D&C 130:22).
4. God, becoming a god
   1. After you become a good Mormon, you have the potential of becoming a god (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 345-347, 354).
   2. "Then shall they be gods, because they have no end; therefore shall they be from everlasting to everlasting, because they continue; then shall they be above all, because all things are subject unto them. Then shall they be gods, because they have all power, and the angels are subject unto them," (DC 132:20).
5. God, many gods
   1. There are many gods (Mormon Doctrine, p. 163).
   2. "And they (the Gods) said: Let there be light: and there was light," (Book of Abraham 4:3).
6. God, mother goddess
   1. There is a mother god (Articles of Faith, by James Talmage, p. 443).
   2. God is married to his goddess wife and has spirit children (Mormon Doctrine, p. 516).
7. God, Trinity
   1. The trinity is three separate Gods: The Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. "That these three are separate individuals, physically distinct from each other, is demonstrated by the accepted records of divine dealings with man," (Articles of Faith, by James Talmage, p. 35).
8. Heaven
   1. There are three levels of heaven: telestial, terrestrial, and celestial (Mormon Doctrine, p. 348).
9. Holy Ghost, the
   1. The Holy Ghost is a male personage (A Marvelous Work and a Wonder, Le Grand Richards, Salt Lake City, 1956, p. 118; Journal of Discources, vol. 5, p. 179).
10. Jesus
    1. "Therefore we know that both the Father and the Son are in form and stature perfect men; each of them possesses a tangible body . . . of flesh and bones," (Articles of Faith, by James Talmage, p. 38).
    2. "The birth of the Saviour was as natural as are the births of our children; it was the result of natural action. He partook of flesh and blood - was begotten of his Father, as we were of our fathers," (Journal of Discourses, vol. 8, p. 115).
    3. "Elohim is literally the Father of the spirit of Jesus Christ and also of the body in which Jesus Christ performed His mission in the flesh ..." (First Presidency and Council of the Twelve, 1916, God the Father, compiled by Gordon Allred, p. 150).
11. Joseph Smith
    1. If it had not been for Joseph Smith and the restoration, there would be no salvation.  There is no salvation [the context is the full gospel including exaltation to Godhood] outside the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon Doctrine, p. 670).
12. Pre-existence
    1. We were first begotten as spirit children in heaven and then born naturally on earth (Journal of Discourse, vol. 4, p. 218).
    2. The first spirit to be born in heaven was Jesus (Mormon Doctrine, p. 129).
    3. The Devil was born as a spirit after Jesus "in the morning of pre-existence," (Mormon Doctrine, p. 192).
13. Salvation
    1. "One of the most fallacious doctrines originated by Satan and propounded by man is that man is saved alone by the grace of God; that belief in Jesus Christ alone is all that is needed for salvation," (Miracle of Forgiveness, by Spencer W. Kimball, p. 206).
    2. A plan of salvation was needed for the people of earth so Jesus offered a plan to the Father and Satan offered a plan to the father but Jesus' plan was accepted. In effect the Devil wanted to be the Savior of all Mankind and to "deny men their agency and to dethrone god," (Mormon Doctrine, p. 193; Journal of Discourses, vol. 6, p. 8).
    3. Jesus' sacrifice was not able to cleanse us from all our sins, (murder and repeated adultery are exceptions), (Journal of Discourses, vol. 3, 1856, p. 247).
    4. Good works are necessary for salvation (Articles of Faith, p. 92).
    5. There is no salvation without accepting Joseph Smith as a prophet of God (Doctrines of Salvation, vol. 1, p. 188).
    6. "The first effect [of the atonement] is to secure to all mankind alike, exemption from the penalty of the fall, thus providing a plan of General Salvation. The second effect is to open a way for Individual Salvation whereby mankind may secure remission of personal sins (Articles of Faith, by James Talmage, p. 78-79).
    7. "As these sins are the result of individual acts it is just that forgiveness for them should be conditioned on individual compliance with prescribed requirements -- 'obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel,'" (Articles of Faith, p. 79).
    8. "This grace is an enabling power that allows men and women to lay hold on eternal life and exaltation after they have expended their own best efforts," (LDS Bible Dictionary, p. 697).
    9. "We know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do," (2 Nephi 25:23).
14. Trinity, the
    1. The trinity is three separate Gods: The Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. "That these three are separate individuals, physically distinct from each other, is demonstrated by the accepted records of divine dealings with man," (Articles of Faith, by James Talmage, p. 35).

The false gospel of Mormonism

The Gospel According to Mormonism

The word “Gospel” comes from the Greek  eujaggevlion and means “good news."  The good news is that Jesus died for our sins, was buried, and rose from the dead (1 Cor. 15:3-4).  By this gospel we can be saved from the righteous judgment of God the Father by faith in Christ (Eph. 2:8-9; Rom. 5:1).  This salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone.  We can't add to what Christ has done, nor do we maintain our salvation by our good effort.  But what do we find when we look at the gospel according to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints?  How are the Mormons saved from their sins, and what must they do to be forgiven?  Let’s take a look their scriptures, prophets, and teachers.

First of all, the Book of Mormons says,

“And I say unto you again that he cannot save them in their sins; for I cannot deny his word, and he hath said that no unclean thing can inherit the kingdom of heaven; therefore, how can ye be saved, except ye inherit the kingdom of heaven? Therefore, ye cannot be saved in your sins” (The Book of Mormon, Alma 11:37). (All underlines in these quotes have been added for emphasis.)

This is reasonable, since God does not want us to sin against him and we cannot ignore God’s warnings against sin.

Second, the Book of Mormon says, “For we labor diligently to write, to persuade our children, and also our brethren, to believe in Christ, and to be reconciled to God; for we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do,” (2 Nephi 25:23).

Now this is where we run into a problem.  We have to ask what it means to be “saved after all we can do?”  How much must we do in order to become saved?  The representatives of the Mormon Church give us the answer.

“On the same basis men cannot be saved in their sins (Alma 11:37); the Lord has ordained the laws by which salvation and all good things come, and until obedience prepares the way, the promised blessings are withheld (D&C 88:21-24; 130:20-21; 132:5.). Men can no more be saved without obedience than they can be healed without faith. All things operate by law; blessings result from obedience to law and are withheld when there is no obedience” (BYU Professor Daniel H. Ludlow, A Companion to Your Study of the New Testament, p.222).

The 13th President of the Mormon Church, Ezra Taft Benson, said, “What is meant by ‘after all we can do’? ‘After all we can do’ includes extending our best effort. ‘After all we can do’ includes living His commandments. ‘After all we can do’ includes loving our fellowmen and praying for those who regard us as their adversary. ‘After all we can do’ means clothing the naked, feeding the hungry, visiting the sick and giving ‘succor [to] those who stand in need of [our] succor’ (Mosiah 4:15)-remembering that what we do unto one of the least of God's children, we do unto Him (see Matthew 25:34-40; D&C 42:38). ‘After all we can do’ means leading chaste, clean, pure lives, being scrupulously honest in all our dealings and treating others the way we would want to be treated” (The Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson, p.354. Brackets in original).

“But all of these blessings are ours on one condition, and this is spoken of by Nephi, when he said: For we labor diligently to write, to persuade our children and also our brethren, to believe in Christ, and to be reconciled to God; for we know that it is by grace that we are saved, [but mark you this condition,] after all we can do” (Harold B. Lee, Conference Reports, April 1956, p.111. Brackets and italics in original).

So, according to Mormonism to be “saved after all we can do” means to extend your best effort, live his commandments, love fellow men, pray for adversaries, cloth the naked, feed the hungry, visit the sick, lead chaste, clean lives, and be honest.

This is a tall order, but does it really mean that you have to do all these things and others to be saved in Mormonism?  Sure it does.  But, is it possible for Mormons to do all of this?  According to the Book of Mormon it is.

“And it came to pass that I, Nephi, said unto my father: I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them” (The Book of Mormon, 1 Nephi 3:7).

Okay, so the Mormon has to keep the commandments to be saved and has no excuse for not doing them.  In other words, Mormonism teaches that the Mormon must keep all the commandments all the time to be saved.  But that isn’t all.  The Mormon must also deny himself of all ungodliness in order for God’s grace to be sufficient.

“Yea, come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness; and if ye shalldeny yourselves of all ungodliness, and love God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ; and if by the grace of God ye are perfect in Christ, ye can in nowise deny the power of God” (The Book of Mormon, Moroni 10:32).

Notice that God’s grace is sufficient for you after you deny yourself of all ungodliness.  That is a tremendously tall order -- that is impossible.  Who do you know, including yourself, who has denied himself of all ungodliness?  Not most ungodliness, not some ungodliness, ALL!  Remember, you must “deny yourselves of all ungodliness; and if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and love God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you.”  This is a hopelessly impossible command.  No one can deny himself of allungodliness.  But, just in case you believe you can deny yourself of all ungodliness then that means you aren’t sinning any more.  But, according to the Bible, if you say you aren’t sinning anymore, then you are self-deceived.  1 John 1:8 says, “If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us.”

Obviously, this is a difficult teaching.  But, there’s more.  In Mormonism, repentance from sin must be complete and permanent.  The Fourth President of the Mormon Church, Wilford Woodruff, said...

“And what is repentance? The forsaking of sin. The man who repents, if he be a swearer, swears no more; or a thief, steal no more; he turns away from all former sins and commits them no more. It is not repentance to say, I repent today, and then steal tomorrow; that is the repentance of the world, which is displeasing in the sight of God” (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Wilford Woodruff, pp.71-72).

Okay, so true repentance means that you don't commit any of the sins that you have repented of.  What would happen if you did commit one of the sins from which you repented?  What does Mormonism have to say about that?

“The miracle of forgiveness is available to all of those who turn from their evil doings and return no more, because the Lord has said in a revelation to us in our day: ‘Go your ways and sin no more; but unto that soul who sinneth [meaning again] shall the former sins return, saith the Lord your God’ (D&C 82:7). Have that in mind, all of you who may be troubled with a burden of sin” (The Teachings of Harold B. Lee, p.120.  Harold B. Lee was the 11th President of the LDS Church.  Brackets in original.)

“Those who receive forgiveness and then repeat the sin are held accountable for their former sins” (Gospel Principles, 1997, p.253).

“20. In order to remain forgiven we must never commit the sin again” (Mormon Missionary Discussion F, Uniform System for Teaching Families. 1981, p.36).

So in the Mormon view of repentance, once you have repented of the sin, if you commit it again, all of your former sins return to you.  In other words, you have to be perfect.  Is this a gospel of good news or of impossible expectations?

Synopsis of Mormon Salvation

1. You cannot be saved in your sins, (The Book of Mormon, Alma 11:37).
2. By grace you are saved, after all you can do, (2 Nephi 25:23).
3. You must give your best, (The Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson, p.354.)
4. You must deny yourselves of all ungodliness, (Moroni 10:32).
5. Turn from all former sins and commit them no more, (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Wilford Woodruff, pp.71-72).
6. If you commit any past sin again, the former sins return, (D&C 82:7).
7. Therefore, in order to remain forgiven you must never commit the sin again, (Mormon Missionary Discussion F, Uniform System for Teaching Families. 1981, p.36).

Response to the Mormon Gospel

Is this good news?  Is this even doable?  How can such a teaching you have to keep the law, repent of every sin, and never commit them again in order to be saved, be good news?  It isn’t!  What a heavy yoke the Mormon must carry in order to have his sins forgiven.  Jesus said, “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. 29 “Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart; and you shall find rest for your souls,” (Matt. 11:28-29).  If you come to Jesus, you’re supposed to have rest.  Is "rest" trying to keep all the law in order to be forgiven?  No, it isn’t.  Again, this doesn’t mean it is okay to sin (Rom. 6:1-2), but it does mean that we rest, we trust completely in what Jesus did on the cross (1 Pet. 2:24), how he fulfilled all the Law (1 Pet. 2:22), and we trust by faith in what he did (Rom. 5:1).  That is the only way to obey Christ’s command to rest in him.

Paul has a warning to those who think that they can combine works with grace.

"For as many as are of the works of the Law are under a curse; for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who does not abide by all things written in the book of the law, to perform them,” (Gal. 3:10).

James tells us the same thing

“For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all,” (James 2:10).

Jesus condemns those who combine faith and works.

"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?’ 23 “And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness,’" (Matt. 7:22-23).

Why would Jesus condemn people who believed in him and did good works in his name?  Jesus called them sinners and told them to get away from him.  Why?  Simple, because those people were appealing to their salvation based on their faith and their works.  To do that is to say that Jesus didn’t finish everything that was necessary for our salvation.  It means that we have to do something.  It means we add our works to Christ’s work.  This is an insult to God!  Our works are filthy rags before God (Isaiah 64:6).  This is why salvation is by faith, not by faith and works.

• John 3:16, "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.”
• Rom. 3:28, "For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law.”
• Rom. 4:5, "But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is reckoned as righteousness,"
• Rom. 9:30, "What shall we say then? That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, attained righteousness, even the righteousness which is by faith."
• Rom. 11:6, "But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works, otherwise grace is no longer grace."

The Mormons have an impossible gospel that they cannot live up to, that will lead them to be accursed of Jesus, and which violates justification by faith.  Can the Mormon be saved following the Mormon gospel?  No, he cannot.  He needs to find rest in Jesus by being justified by faith, not faith and works.