Tag Archives: eternal life

Why Study the Bible?

Posted on by

Of all the countless books that have been written, is there any that reliably answers the most fundamental and important questions of life? Why do we exist? What is our nature? Is there a God, and if so, what is God like? What does God expect of us? Can we know the true God? Does God love us? Is there a path that can put an end to violence, unnecessary suffering and sorrow? What happens when we die? Is there a way to eternal life, and if so, what is it?

Believe it or not, there is such a book, a book that has the answers to these questions, and other questions vital to the life of every human. That book is called the Bible. The Bible is unlike any other, and has no equal, because it is God’s revelation to mankind of knowledge that can be found in no other source.

In this message you’re invited to consider specific reasons why you should study the Bible.

“Why Study the Bible?,” by Rod Reynolds, COGMessenger is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Firstborn From the Dead

Posted on by

Was Jesus the first to be “born from the dead”? If so, in what way, and what are we to learn about Jesus Christ and our own destiny in regard to what many may consider a surprising answer to this question?

Is This the Only Day of Salvation?

Posted on by

Is it true, as has often been taught within professing Christianity, that the question of eternal salvation is sealed at the time of one’s death? Are some of your loved ones, simply because they did not profess faith in Christ during their earthy pilgrimage, destined to suffer eternal torment forever?

Continue reading →

God Is the Giver of Every Blessing

Posted on by

Since Adam and Eve, in the Garden of Eden, chose the rulership of Satan in the Garden of Eden over that of God, their Creator, human beings have suffered many calamities and sorrows.

Yet, God has also greatly blessed humanity, as well, especially the descendants of Abraham in the latter days. The apostle James, a half-brother of Jesus Christ, wrote, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning” (James 1:17).

We may look around us and see all kinds of evils, and things to be concerned about, but we also need to be mindful of our blessings. And the Bible promises that in a future age, there are even greater blessings to come. In this article I want to explore the subject of God as the Giver of every blessing.

I’m going to show you from the Scriptures, that testify of God’s intervention in human affairs, how God is the source of specific blessings. Those discussed below are by no means an exhaustive list of God’s blessings, but they are fundamental to life and happiness, and too often we take them for granted.

Continue reading →

Firstborn From the Dead

Posted on by

“Firstborn from the dead” is how Jesus Christ is referred to in Revelation 1:5 and Colossians 1:18 (New King James and other translations, some translations into English phrase it somewhat differently, but with essentially the same meaning). In this article, I want to discuss the implications of the title “Firstborn from the Dead,” as it applies to Jesus Christ.

Is this term to be understood only as a title denoting preeminence, as some have suggested? Or does it also imply that Jesus Christ is the first, in time order, to be “born” from the dead, as a metaphor for the resurrection? We know that others were resurrected from the dead before Jesus Christ was. He himself had resurrected his friend Lazarus, who had died, and had also resurrected others from the dead during his ministry (Matthew 9:18-19, 23-25; 11:5; Luke 7:11-16, 22; 8:41-42, 49-56; John 11:11-45). So why is Jesus Christ called the “firstborn from the dead,” and what significance does that have?

Continue reading →