Why we can’t stay in our sin

If you look at what it means to be saved it should give you the answer your looking for. Salvation comes from repentance and repentance means to have a contrite heart because of your sin. Which means if you come to Jesus admit your sin, ask for forgiveness He is faithful to forgive. But repentance also means to turn away form that sin. Thats why a person isn’t covered by His blood if they remain in their sin. If you think you have repented and just keep doing the same things over and over again then maybe you need to examine if it was sincere.

That doesn’t mean that people won’t make mistakes and ‘slip’. Because God is always willing to forgive us. But we must be willing to commit and do our absolute best to be faithful to Him. Remember sin is anything that separates us from God.

The world would like the church to remain silent but remember that God is the same yesterday, today and forever. People are found of saying that God hates the sin but loves the sinner. But remember He also said Jacob I have loved, but Esau I have hated. The Lord tells us to take up His cross and follow Him. It isn’t an easy thing to deny ourselves but that is exactly what we must do sometimes.

Please go to my page and look at the article on Salvation. God bless

http://danbel.webspawner.com/

Do the Resurrection Accounts in the Four Gospels Contradict Each Other?

Do the Resurrection Accounts in the Four Gospels Contradict Each Other?

A cursory reading of the resurrection in Matthew, Mark, Luke and John reveals a few differences in the recorded facts. While these supposed discrepancies sometimes alarm modern readers, they tend not to concern historians because any differences are merely relegated to secondary details.

In each Gospel account the core story is the same: Joseph of Arimathea takes the body of Jesus and puts it in a tomb, one or more of Jesus’ female followers visit the tomb early on the Sunday morning following his crucifixion, and they find that the tomb is empty. They see a vision of either one or two angels who say that Jesus is risen. Despite the differences concerning the women’s number and names, the exact time of the morning and the number of angels, we can have great confidence in the shared core story that would be agreed upon by the majority of New Testament scholars today….

The differences between the empty tomb narratives are indicative of multiple, independent affirmations of the story. Sometimes people say, “Matthew and Luke just plagiarized from Mark,” but when one examines the narratives closely, the divergences suggest that even if Matthew and Luke did know Mark’s account, they also had separate, independent sources….

While that may be enough to satisfy historians, also consider that many of the alleged contradictions in the Gospel accounts are rather easily reconciled. For example, the accounts vary in the reported time of the visit to the tomb. One writer describes it as “still dark” (John 20:1), another says it was “very early in the morning” (Luke 24:1), and another says it was “just after sunrise” (Mark 16:2). But if the visit was “at dawn,” (Matthew 28:1), they were likely describing the same thing with different words.

As for the number and names of the women, none of the Gospels pretends to give a complete list. They all include Mary Magdalene, and Matthew, Mark, and Luke also cite other women, so there was probably a group of these early disciples that included those who were named and probably a couple of others. Perhaps when the women came, Mary Magdalene arrived first and that’s why only John mentions her. That’s hardly a contradiction. In terms of whether there were/was one angel (Matthew) or two (John) at Jesus’ tomb, have you ever noticed that whenever you have two of anything, you also have one? It never fails. Matthew didn’t say there was only one. John was providing more detail by saying there were two.

— Adapted from interview with Dr. William Lane Craig and Dr. Norman Geisler
taken from jesus.org

Could Jesus Have Survived the Crucifixion?

by Greg Laurie

The swoon theory is one of Satan’s oldest lies concerning the Resurrection. This theory proposes that Jesus did not rise from the dead, because He never really died. Instead, Jesus went into a deep coma or “swoon” from the severe pain and trauma of the Crucifixion. Then, in the cool atmosphere of the tomb, Christ revived, somehow escaped the strips of cloths that were wrapped tightly upon Him, and then appeared to His disciples.

The swoon theory flies in the face of the facts. You see, the Roman guards were experts at execution and would be put to death if they allowed a condemned man, like Christ, to escape death. The guards were certain Jesus was dead, because when they thrust a spear into His side, it brought forth blood and water. This was their final proof of His death because this occurs when the heart stops beating.

Some time ago I read a local advice column that featured a reader’s question about the Resurrection. The reader asked, “Dear Uticus, Our preacher said that Jesus swooned on the cross and then His disciples nursed Him to health. What do you think? Signed, Bewildered.” Uticus responded, “Dear Bewildered, Beat your preacher with a cat-o’-nine-tails thirty-nine times. Nail him to a cross. Hang him in the sun for six hours. Run a spear through his side, embalm him, and put him in an airless tomb for thirty-six hours and see what happens. Sincerely, Uticus.”

Uticus’ response points to the ridiculousness of the swoon theory. Amazingly enough, people still subscribe to this theory. Not because it’s plausible. Not because it’s logical, but because it’s something to hang their doubt on. The truth of the matter is that Jesus Christ has risen!

Taken from “A Case for the Resurrection (Part 2)” by Harvest Ministries (used by permission).

My response to this article is… AMEN! Dan