Category: God

Mysteries of the Bible

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The Gospel, sometimes called a mystery, contains the mysteries of the Kingdom of God. In this article we will survey some of the mysteries of the Bible. Each of these could take a full article of itself, or perhaps even a book, to thoroughly explain. But for the purpose of this article some of them are covered in a summary fashion, along with a discussion about why the Bible itself is a mystery to most people.

The gospel, God’s word, the Bible, is indeed a mystery. Though the most widely distributed book in history according to guinnessworldrecords.com, its teachings are properly understood by, relatively speaking, only a handful of people. Many specific truths are revealed in the Bible, that are themselves mysteries, even though, ironically, they are explained clearly in the Bible.

Why is the most widely published Book in the world a mystery? Why are its teachings mysteries? To help us understand, let’s look at the word mystery itself, as used in the Bible, and discuss its meaning.

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The Bible Hell

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In The Bible Hell by John Wesley Hanson, published in 1888, the author goes through a  word study of the four words translated “hell” in various English Bible versions. The author contrasts the manner in which these words in both the Old and New Testaments are used and understood by the authors who used the words in question, in contrast with subsequent interpreters who attached to the words meanings from heathen idolatry, meanings alien to the Bible’s true teachings.

The author’s preface summarizes his purpose and a summation of his conclusions as follows: “The brief excursus on the word ‘Hell’ contained in this volume, aims to treat the subject in a popular style, and at the same time to present all the important facts, so fully and comprehensively that any reader can obtain in a few pages a birds-eye-view of ‘The Bible Hell.’

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Do Faithful Christians Suffer?

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Some have been persuaded by false teachings or simply their own misunderstanding that by having “enough faith” and “claiming God’s promises” he or she will be blessed with good health, prosperity, and a life free of serious trials. But does God’s word in fact support the idea that a faithful Christian will experience such a physical lifetime in this age?

Despite the fact that some proponents of what has been called the “prosperity gospel” have garnered huge followings and massive amounts of money encouraging a distorted idea of what the Bible teaches in respect to how God works in our lives, one who takes a view such as described above is bound to be disappointed at some point in his or her life.

While God certainly does promise blessings for faithful obedience to his word, it’s also clear from the teachings and examples found in Scripture that the life of a genuine Christian in this age is challenging, and often calls for courage, sacrifice, and suffering. Why does God allow suffering, even for the faithful, and how may we profit from the trials we encounter as we strive to please and serve God?

Copyright © 2024 by Messenger Church of God

Unless otherwise noted Scripture taken from the New King James VersionTM
Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Messenger Church of God
PO Box 619
Wentzville, MO 63385
USA

cogmessenger.org

Christian Love, Part 1

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We are instructed in Scripture to examine ourselves, to see if we are in the faith (2 Corinthians 13:5). How can one know if “Jesus Christ is in” himself, or herself? Is there a measuring stick we can use for this purpose? Is it how often we attend church services, or church activities? Is it what church we belong to? Is it Bible knowledge? Or something else?

Jesus said, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: `You shall love your neighbor as yourself'” (Matthew 22:37-39). We are instructed to “walk in love” (Ephesians 5:2). John wrote, “He who does not love does not know God, for God is love” (I John 4:8). We are to strive to become like God (Leviticus 19:2; Matthew 5:45).

Scripture says, “God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him” (I John 4:16). But merely professing to love God or our neighbors is not enough. We are to love “in deed and truth” (1 John 3:18).

But what is love? How is love defined? Are there specific items we can examine to test how we measure up, and how we can improve? Find answers in this message, as these questions are addressed in some detail, so we may follow the admonitions we are given, and with God’s help, improve our standing before him in terms of love.

Copyright © 2024 by Messenger Church of God

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

cogmessenger.org

Messenger Church of God
PO Box 619
Wentzville, MO 63385
USA

Who is a Messenger of God?

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In the Bible we read of patriarchs, prophets, prophetesses, priests, even kings like David, apostles, evangelists, and others, people who were righteous, who obeyed God, who’s deeds and exploits are recorded in Scripture, and who were in many cases used to write down and preserve messages given them directly by God or through the inspiration of God’s Holy Spirit. These were used of God to deliver his word to us, and were hence messengers of God.

At the same time we read in Bible times of idolatrous priests, of false prophets who spoke in the name of God, of false ministers and false apostles, who were deceivers and only pretended to be God’s messengers.

Others have followed over the centuries, claiming offices such as priests, apostles, evangelists, ministers, pastors, claiming to speak in the name of God or Christ, and hence acting as his messengers. How can we tell the difference between genuine messengers of God and those who are false?

In “Who is a Messenger of God?” Rod Reynolds addresses the question on the basis of what the Scriptures reveal in answer to it. This is vital knowledge that every Christian, and everyone who would be a Christian, needs to have and understand, and be reminded of often.

Copyright © 2024 by Messenger Church of God

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

cogmessenger.org

Messenger Church of God
PO Box 619
Wentzville, MO 63385
USA