My faith is based on the Holy Bible, from which our Christian religious beliefs come. Hebrews Chapter 11 is called the ěfaith chapter.î Hebrews 11:3 reads: ěBy faith we understand that the universe was formed at Godís command (Genesis) so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.î This chapter goes on to show how the Old Testament believersí (and writersí) lives were based on faith.
Now you must decide if you are a ěcreation believer,î one who believes in the ěBig Bang Theoryî or an ěevolution believer.î If you are either of the last two, then the rest of what I say here will go in one ear and out the other. I wrote this for a doubter but by the time I finished, I knew God had given me a story to share with others as well.
Just as God inspires his followers like me today, he enabled the original writers of the Bible to record the history from those days. These writers were chosen by God, and ěall scripture is given by inspiration of Godî (2 Timothy). On a smaller scale, there are times when I feel the Holy Spirit tell me what to write. When I wrote my first simple stories, I never dreamed the day would come when God would lead me to writing more stories from scripture.
The following paragraph is quoted from a lesson ěHow to Read the Bible Through.î
ěThe Bible is not just great literature; it is the inspired word of God. Just as the Holy Spirit was present in the writing of scripture, so must He be present in our reading of the Word. We can read the Bible without the leadership of the Holy Spirit and still learn Bible facts. But we will never gain insight into the truth and application of Godís Word until we ask the Holy Spirit to open our minds and reveal His truth to us.î
Any time we study Godís word, we should pray that the Holy Spirit will help us understand what we read and how to apply the truth in our own lives. Christianity is the belief in Jesus Christ as one member of the Holy Trinity, God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. One should never use the word ěChristianî if one does not believe in Jesus Christ as the son of God and lord and savior.
There is so much in the Bible that we may never understand. We may wonder why God did something the way he did just as we often question why our lives are the way they are today. Any time we study Godís word, we should first pray that the Holy Spirit will help us understand what we read and how to apply the truth in our own lives.
Until 1993 when my brother gave me a study Bible, I did not realize how little I knew about the Bible, even though I had gone to church on a regular basis as a child. Failure to read and study the Bible will keep one from growing spiritually or accepting Godís way as the light of our world or the path for our feet to follow. Physical pain and loss of our healthy bodies or our loved ones is used by Satan to try to turn us away from God. And sometimes God uses these things to test our faith (read the Book of Job). At other times, he uses our circumstances and attitudes to share with others, as I try to do through my columns.
I know from my own experiences that one cannot really understand Christians or our beliefs unless they study Godís word. Each person has to make a personal decision. Are you an agnostic, atheist or Christian? Have you ever invited Jesus into your heart? Do you understand and believe in the holy trinity? If you were to die today, do you know for sure whether you would go to heaven? If not, there is a plan of salvation (certain scriptures) and prayer to think about. There was a time when I was not comfortable discussing religion, but I know now that I am an evangelist for Christ and that is it my Christian duty to share my beliefs in God the father, the son and the holy spirit.
As always, I was reminded at the holidays that so many people only see Christmas as receiving or giving gifts. They do not recognize Christmas as coming from the word Christ and being a celebration of the greatest gift of all, Jesus Christ. Emmanuel means ěGod with usî and he is still with us today if we believe, ask forgiveness, and invite him into our lives.
We have ěall sinned and fallen short of the glory of God,î but our lord and savior is a forgiving and loving God. Are you ready to ask for forgiveness for past sins and invite Jesus Christ into your heart? God is good. He can turn our lives around and help us to turn our losses into gains. Pray without ceasing!
Plan of Salvation: Romans 3:23, 6:23; 10:9-10 and 10:13.
Linda Beck lives in Woodleaf.