BIOGRAPHY: THE FAMOUS 19TH CENTURY "PRINCE OF PREACHERS" CHARLES HADDON SPURGEON - A MAN OF GOD
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Charles Haddon Spurgeon (6-19-1834 to 1-31-1892) was a British Baptist preacher who remains highly influential among Christians of different denominations & he is still known as the "Prince of Preachers". He was strong in the Reformed Baptist tradition, defending the Church in agreement with the "1689 London Baptist Confession of Faith", and opposing the liberal and pragmatic theological tendencies in the Church in his day. In his lifetime, Spurgeon preached to around 10 million people, often up to 10 times each week at different places. His sermons have been translated into many languages. Spurgeon was the pastor of the congregation of the New Park Street Chapel (later the Metropolitan Tabernacle) in London for 38 years. Spurgeon was a prolific author of many types of works including sermons, an autobiography, a commentary, books on prayer, a devotional, a magazine, poetry, hymnist & more. Many sermons were transcribed as he spoke and were translated into many languages during his lifetime. Born in Kelvedon, Essex, Spurgeon's conversion to Christianity came on January 6, 1850, at age fifteen where "God opened his heart to the salvation message." The text that moved him was Isaiah 45:22 - "Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth, for I am God, and there is none else." ln 1854, after preaching three months on probation and just four years after his conversion, Spurgeon, then only 19, was called to the pastorate of London's famed New Park Street Chapel, Southwark (formerly pastored by the Particular Baptists Benjamin Keach, theologian John Gill, and John Rippon). This was the largest Baptist congregation in London at the time. Within a few months of Spurgeon's arrival at Park Street, his ability as a preacher made him famous. The following year the first of his sermons in the "New Park Street Pulpit" was published. Spurgeon's sermons were published in printed form every week and had a high circulation. By the time of his death in 1892, he had preached nearly 3,600 sermons and published forty-nine volumes of commentaries, sayings, anecdotes, illustrations, and devotions (some of the best selling writings in history). Spurgeon frequently preached to audiences numbering more than 10,000. At twenty-two, Spurgeon was the most popular preacher of the day. Still the work went on. A Pastors' College was founded in 1857 by Spurgeon and was renamed Spurgeon's College in 1923, when it moved to its present building in South Norwood Hill, London;[1]. At the Fast Day, October 7, 1857, he preached to the largest crowd ever -- 23,654 people -- at The Crystal Palace in London. On March 18, 1861, the congregation moved permanently to the newly constructed purpose-built Metropolitan Tabernacle at Elephant and Castle, Southwark, seating five thousand people with standing room for another one thousand. The Metropolitan Tabernacle was the largest church edifice of its day. Spurgeon continued to preach there several times per week until his death 31 years later. Spurgeon taught across denominational lines as well. It was during this period at the new Tabernacle that Spurgeon found a friend in James Hudson Taylor, the founder of the inter-denominational China Inland Mission. Spurgeon supported the work of the mission financially and directed many missionary candidates to apply for service with Taylor. He also aided in the work of cross-cultural evangelism by promoting "The Wordless Book", a teaching tool that has been and is still used to teach uncounted thousands of illiterate people around the globe about the Gospel message. Following the example of George Müller, Spurgeon founded the Stockwell Orphanage, which opened for boys in 1867 and for girls in 1879, and which continued in London until it was bombed in the Second World War. This orphanage became Spurgeon's Child Care which still exists today. On the death of missionary David Livingstone in 1873, a discolored and much-used copy of one of Spurgeon's printed sermons, "Accidents, Not Punishments," was found among his few possessions much later, along with the handwritten comment at the top of the first page: "Very good, D.L." He had carried it with him throughout his travels in Africa. It was returned to Spurgeon and treasured by him. Larry Wessels, director of Christian Answers of Austin, Texas (YouTube channel: CANSWERSTV, see our playlist "Charles H. Spurgeon, Jonathan Edwards, Our Spanish Videos" at http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLE91032ED05E42487&feature=plcp; websites: http://www.BIBLEQUERY.ORG, http://www.HISTORYCART.COM & http://www.MUSLIMHOPE.COM) interviews Bob L. Ross, author, speaker & director of Pilgrim Publications (website: http://www.PILGRIMPUBLICATIONS.COM), a leading publisher of the works of Charles Haddon Spurgeon, the most famous Christian preacher in the world during the nineteenth century. Bob Ross, author of the book "Pictorial Biography of C.H. Spurgeon," presents a sketch of Spurgeon's extraordinary life.
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“Then said one unto him, Lord, are there few that be saved? And he said unto them, Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able.” —Luke 13:23-24 Do you understand the question in the above Scripture? “Lord, are there few that be saved?” Someone came to Jesus and wanted to know if “few” people were saved. It's interesting that the person didn't ask if “many” people were saved. Evidently the person had been listening to Jesus' preaching and became convinced that few people were really saved. When the Bible speaks of being “saved,” it means saved from God's wrath upon Christ-rejecting sinners in Hell (for more on hell see our playlist "Dealing with Hell, Lake of Fire, Unpopular Bible Doctrines" with 30 videos at https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLE04A1D0DFE95B95E & "Eternal Punishment, Part 1" at http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=12607145320 & "Eternal Punishment, Part 2" at http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=12607143539). Romans 5:9, “Much more then, being now justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.” All Christ-rejecters go to Hell if they die in their sins. If a person is “saved,” then they are going to Heaven when they die. Romans 10:13, “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” We are saved from the eternal consequences of sin, which is punishment in hellfire. To be saved is synonymous with being “born again.” When a person becomes a born-again child of God, they are saved eternally. EVERY human being MUST to be saved (i.e., born again) to enter into Heaven. John 3:3, “Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” If a person dies in their sins without believing on Jesus as the Savior, the Son of God, they will burn in Hell forever (Revelation 20:11-15).Just as the disciple who asked Jesus the question in Luke 13:23, I myself often wonder how few are truly born again believers. I dare say not many. Let's consider the question again...“Lord, are there few that be saved?” There are over one billion Catholics in the world who errantly believe that the Catholic Church is going to save them. Roman Catholics do not trust Jesus Christ alone; but rather, rely upon manmade traditions and self-righteous works to save them. According to the Word of God, genuine Catholics are hellbound in their sins because they are trusting in self-righteousness (Romans 3:20; 10:3-4; Ephesians 2:8-9; Titus 3:5, see our playlist "Dealing with Roman Catholicism, Idolatry & the Virgin Mary" with 129 videos & counting at https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLFFA8D69D1B914715). There are over one billion Islamic Muslims in the world who deny that Jesus Christ ever died upon a cross for our sins (see our playlist "Dealing with Islam, Muslims: Sunni, Shi'ite, Alawites, Sufis" with 67 videos at https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1C7F68B548009FDD). According to the Bible, they are antichrists and liars on their way to Hell (1st John 2:22-23). There are over 183,000 cults in Japan alone that deny Jesus Christ as the only Savior of the world. Other false religions include Scientology, Hinduism, Wicca, Buddhism, Seventh Day Adventism, Zoroastrianism, Greek Orthodox, Judaism, Jehovah Witness, Mormonism, Freemasonry, and many more (see our YouTube channel CAnswersTV at https://www.youtube.com/user/CAnswersTV with over 615 videos covering most of these anti Christian religions in detail). Why do I call them “false religions”? It's simply because they all corrupt the Biblical teaching of salvation, i.e., the gospel (see our playlist "Dealing with Anti Trinitarians (UPC) & Early Church History" with 48 videos at https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL9931642C7C8FFEAB). Most false religions ADD works to faith. Mormons and Jehovah Witnesses DENY the deity of Jesus Christ (i.e., that He is Almighty God) - see our playlists "Dealing with Mormonism, the Religion of Mitt Romney & Utah" with 20 videos at https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL11CD0EE613306BB5 & "Dealing with Jehovah's Witnesses, Watchtower Society" with 22 videos at https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLCF0ADB29C0EB8C40. Seventh Day Adventists falsely and deceitfully redefine faith to mean works (see our playlist, "Dealing with Seventh-day Adventism & Their "Prophetess" with 23 videos at https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL5316CC6F66F24283). There are hundreds of millions of followers of Hinduism who deny Jesus as the Savior, the Son of God (see our playlist "Dealing with Anti Christ Cults, "New Age" & World Religions" with 42 videos at https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL69A3047B3497590A). Judaism denies that Jesus is the Messiah. The same Pharisaical Jews who crucified Jesus 2,000 years ago are crucifying Him today. The Campbellite Church of Christ deceitfully speaks of faith in Christ, but also requires water baptism and living the Christian life to be saved. That is works salvation, which is a lie of the Devil (Romans 3:20; Romans 4:5-6, see our playlist "Dealing with "Saved by Works & Baptism", "Church of Christ" with 72 videos at https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLBD55090718DA6D3D). Every Catholic claims not to worship Mary, but the second commandment (Exodus 20:3-5) forbids even bowing to Mary (which every Catholic does, for more on the Roman Catholic installation of the worship of saints, images, & polytheism in church history hear "Perseverance of the Saints & the Worship of Saints (Historical Theology Vol. 1, #17)" at http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=14101149112 & "The Worship of Images & Civil Authorities (Historical Theology Vol. 1, #18)" at http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=15101057200). There are hundreds of millions of so-called Charismatic & Pentecostal "Christians" who trade the Word of God for their own wild emotional experiences & replace the Biblical gospel for a gospel of "heath & wealth" despite 1 Timothy 6:10 saying, "For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows" - see our two video series on this: "Blasphemous Charismatic & Pentecostal Mayhem #1: Mad Delusional Experiences Replace Scripture Alone" at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kbv7YsyMf0I begins one series while "AGONY OF THE PHONY WORD-FAITH TV PREACHERS #1: MIND SCIENCE ORIGINS OF KENNETH HAGIN & HIS DISCIPLES" at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VwQ5BLrYD_U&list=PL2CDA855486B09128&index=4 begins another series. Even secular humanism, atheism & agnosticism can be considered faith based religions due to the fact that atheists & humanists have a faith that God does not exist while agnostics are willingly ignorant concerning God (see our playlist "Dealing with "God Hating" Atheists, Agnostics, Know-It-Alls" with 20 videos at https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL640E505B96CD6B39). Many animistic religions exist throughout the world as well which are described in Romans 1:18-32, see our video "FOREIGN MISSIONS FOR CHRIST: PREACHING TO CANNIBALS, WITCH DOCTORS & TRIBAL NATIVES" at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ACnDLyXa9H0. All of the religions I have just mentioned account for well over seven eighths of the earth's population or more. Keep in mind, besides all of this, Jesus said, "And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God" (Matthew 19:24). Who are considered "rich people"? It's not just millionaires & world leaders but many lesser wealthy persons who exceed the vast majority of mankind in money & possessions (Luke16:19-31 is a good example of this in the parable of the rich man & Lazarus). See the video "It is Difficult for Americans to Enter Heaven - Tim Conway" at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDwNGXciNCQ. Statistics provided in this video show that even the poorest Americans living in the United States have a better net income than most of the world. For instance, according to Forbes magazine, June 1, 2013, the bottom 5% of United States citizens are richer than 68% of people living throughout the rest of the world; U.S. citizens who make $50,000 a year are richer than 99.69% of the people in the rest of the world; U.S. citizens who make $20,000 a year are richer than 96% of the people in the rest of the world, U.S. citizens who make $10,000 a year are richer than 84% of the people in the rest of the world; U.S. citizens who make $100,000 a year are in a category that only 8 out of every 10,000 people achieve in the entire world. Will it be difficult for rich Americans who don't think they're rich to enter into the kingdom of heaven? Jesus already gave the answer. For more on this hear "Those Whom God Hates He Is Often Pleased To Give Plenty Of Earthly Things To, Edwards" at http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=427121150346 by the well known theologian Jonathan Edwards who also preached the most famous sermon on North American soil called, "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" at http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=770213541. If you don't like what I am telling you then get mad at God because He wrote the Bible. If you take the Bible at FACE VALUE, you can only interpret it one way. The best way to interpret the Bible is with the Bible. God said what He meant and meant what He said. Let the Bible speak for itself. Jesus answered the question in Luke 13:24 with the following words...“...for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able.” Most of the people in this world are going straight to Hell when they die because they have not been born again (hear "Few Saved From A Burning Hell" at http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=3514145121). Lies and deception are everywhere! Catholics and Jehovah Witnesses claim to be born-again but they are NOT. You can't get born-again by doing good works, confessing your sins to a priest, getting water baptized, joining a church or keeping the Sabbath Day. Salvation is NOT found in any religion; but rather, in a Person—The Lord Jesus Christ! Most people today have churchianity without Christianity, and they are all going to Hell if they don't repent toward God of their unbelief (for more on this see our video "TRUE BELIEVERS & NON BELIEVERS ACCORDING TO THE GOSPEL OF THE REFORMATION: WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE?" at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3_dN0oC57Rk). The vast majority of so-called "Evangelical Christians" in the world today do not know what the Biblical gospel is or what "justification by faith alone" is (see our video "SAD STATE OF THE CHURCH: 87% OF EVANGELICAL "CHRISTIANS" DON'T KNOW WHAT GOSPEL JUSTIFICATION IS" at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=im4ozy_EiR4. There are only two types of religions in the world: DO and DONE. Either you believe that you have to DO something to go to Heaven; or else you believe that it is DONE, paid for by Jesus' precious blood. Jesus said in Luke 13:24 that “many” will seek to enter into Heaven but will not be able. That is quite startling. Jesus said the same thing in Matthew 7:21-23 . . . “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.” The reason why these religious people were not allowed into Heaven was because they attempted to enter Heaven through their own self-righteousness. In Matthew 5:20 Jesus spake concerning the religious leaders of His time . . . “For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.” Most of the religious churchgoers in the world today are as lost as can be, still hellbound in their wickedness. They have not done the will of God concerning salvation, which is to BELIEVE ON THE LORD JESUS CHRIST (John 6:40; Acts 16:30-31). Jesus provides two contrasts in Luke 13:24, the contrast between seeking to enter and striving to enter and the contrast between seeking to enter through the narrow door and seeking to enter by any other means. Let’s now focus on the second contrast. Look at verses 25-27:"Once the head of the house gets up and shuts the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock on the door, saying, 'Lord, open up to us!' then He will answer and say to you, 'I do not know where you are from.' 26 "Then you will begin to say, 'We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our streets'; 27 and He will say, 'I tell you, I do not know where you are from; DEPART FROM ME, ALL YOU EVILDOERS.' (Luke 13:25 NAU) Jesus’ statement at the end of 25 and the middle of 27 is translated well in the NIV: “I don't know you or where you come from.” In effect, He is saying, “I don’t know you at all! You may think that you are mine, but I have nothing to do with you – I don’t even know your family, your village” So what does Jesus mean by the narrow door? What is His intended contrast with other methods of entering? Again, let’s begin by considering what the narrow door is not: The narrow door is NOT being in a church, reading the Bible, listening to sermons, looking to others like a Christian. This is clear from verse 26: these evildoers looked just like believers who had been with Jesus. They had listened to His preaching. But He does not know them, and they stand condemned.The narrow door is NOT being prominent in this life. Jesus says in verse 30 that some who are presently first will be last. Prominence now is no guarantee of one’s entering through the narrow door.The narrow door is NOT being a descendant of a great believer. See verse 28. Remember, Jesus is speaking to descendants of Abraham and Jacob. I sometimes like to use the expression, “God has no grandchildren.” Each of us must come to Jesus on our own, not through our parents, our grandparents, or other ancestors. Then what does Jesus mean by the narrow door? Elsewhere, Jesus says He Himself is the door: I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. (John 10:9) In what sense is this door narrow? In two ways. First, the door is narrow in the sense that no one comes to the Father any other way (John 14:6). No religious activities – Christian or non-Christian – bring us into the Kingdom. Sincere beliefs do not bring us in. Good works do not bring us in. Good feelings about our relationship with Christ do not bring us in. Though in our pluralistic society this message is despised, we must preach, teach, and live out this truth: There is only one door, and that narrow door is Jesus. The Lake of Fire is waiting for "many" when they die. Jesus' disciple asked Him if few people are going to Heaven. Jesus replied that many people will attempt, but fail. When the floods came in Noah's day, many people tried to get on the ark, but it was too late once the door was closed. When the bridegroom came in Matthew 25:1-13, the five foolish virgins were left behind because they were gone buying oil at the last moment. Do not likewise make the mistake of delaying salvation, for you will be sorry when it is too late. Few souls are going to Heaven. Jesus said, "Only those who find that strait gate and narrow way that leadeth unto life (Matthew 7:13-15), which is the righteousness of Jesus Christ will make it to heaven. So many churchgoers have religion, but they have never truly been born of the spirit of God, which is the Spirit of Christ (Romans 8:9, hear "Why Are So Few People Saved?" at http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=111710103558). Salvation happens when a person acknowledges their guilt of sin unto God in repentance; believing on Jesus as the Christ, the Son of God, to be forgiven (this is a supernatural action caused by God in the heart of a repentant sinner in 2 Timothy 2:24-26; see also "SUPERNATURAL BIBLE PROPHECY CONCERNING JESUS THE JEWISH MESSIAH (PART #1)" at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DVByqkjwChs). We are SINNERS and Jesus is the wonderful SAVIOR! Acts 10:43, “To Him give all the prophets witness, that through His name whosoever believeth in Him shall receive remission of sins.” Salvation is given to those "few" who have been ordained to eternal life by God Himself (Acts 13:48). And who are those "few"? Jesus answers that question in John chapter 6:37,39,44,63 & 65: "All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out." "And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day." "No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day." " It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life." "And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father." For more on this see our video "The Sovereignty of God Versus Man-Made Religions, Hollywood Movies & Petty Emotionalism" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1UQABR_9gGI. Keep in mind that God works with relatively few numbers throughout world history (remember how Elijah thought he was the last prophet of God left in Israel in 1 Kings 19:13-18 & the Lord had to correct Elijah about the number but still the number God told Elijah was small). The God of the Bible has always had His way of operating His plan in this world & it has always been consistently with small numbers (1 Corinthians 1:26-29, "For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: 27 But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; 28 And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are:29 That no flesh should glory in his presence." For an excellent message concerning the small numbers God has historically employed please hear the outstanding theologian Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones in his sermon "Sermon 113 - Three-score and Fifteen Souls" at http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=99217141430450. We also have a video along these lines called " Biblical Predestination #6: God Only Chooses a FEW for Salvation (Many Called/Few Chosen)" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=veCdGzYsc70. See also our video "Strive To Enter - But Many Will Not Be Able To - Greg Van Court - Dayspring Fellowship, Austin, TX" at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qr2Rn-7o4RA. 2 Timothy 2:15, "Study to show yourself approved unto God, a workman that needs not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth."
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"Evangelical" Christianity (see our video "ECUMENICAL CHAOS: Going to Bed With Roman Catholic False Prophets & Idolaters" at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S76Nvi6p0lw) is awash in bad theology (via Wesley & Finney), bad leadership (like Billy Graham & TBN), & Biblical ignorance (87% don't know the Gospel or what justificaton is) thus it seems to accept anyone who claims to be a Christian (like Romanists, Mormons, Seventh-day Adventists or whoever). For proof of this see the following: "Methodist Founder & Self Proclaimed Heathen John Wesley Said He Never Believed In or Loved God" (short version) at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L_bz2RyShFI & "JOHN WESLEY, FOUNDER OF METHODISM & AN ARMINIAN, SAID HE DID NOT LOVE GOD & WAS "AN HONEST HEATHEN" (long version) at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Vo3ljr7ccs; BEWARE OF FALSE PROPHETS: CHARLES GRANDISON FINNEY - PHONY REVIVALIST & ARCH-HERETIC at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0rUbi8AJRw4, "Exclusive Interview with Dave Hunt about the Gospel-less Mother Teresa & Compromiser Billy Graham" at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8YtX1DirDI4&list=UUQ_EDvOtDAAWfCvGUhd6y3A, Our playlist "Dealing with Phony TV Preachers (TBN) & King James Onlyites" at https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL2CDA855486B09128 & "SAD STATE OF THE CHURCH: 87% OF EVANGELICAL "CHRISTIANS" DON'T KNOW WHAT GOSPEL JUSTIFICATION IS" at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=im4ozy_EiR4. See our playlist "Dealing with Roman Catholicism, Idolatry & the Virgin Mary" with 119 videos at https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLFFA8D69D1B914715, our playlist "Dealing with Mormonism, the Religion of Mitt Romney & Utah" with 20 videos at https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL11CD0EE613306BB5 & our playlist "Dealing with Seventh-day Adventism & Their "Prophetess" at https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL5316CC6F66F24283 with 23 videos. Billy Graham's false views on universal salvation & hell distort the Gospel message & is another reason he is so popular with the world (Galatians 1:6-10, see our playlist "Dealing with Hell, Lake of Fire, Unpopular Bible Doctrines" with 30 videos at https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLE04A1D0DFE95B95E). Please reference the websites: www.BereanBeacon.org & www.CWRC-RZ.org. The simple Biblical fact is that few are going to be saved from the wrath of God & hell (Luke 13:23-30, Matthew 7:13-29, etc.); see our video on this: "Unpopular Bible Doctrines #2: Many "Christians" Are Not Real; God Loves Judgment; No Forgiveness" at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iJIlReP9SFw. All the ecumenical "love" & "harmony" in the world is not going to change the fact that God still hates false religions (Deuteronomy 28:64, 32:17, 21, Leviticus 17:7, Psalm 106:37, Jeremiah 44:3, 1 Corinthians 10:20, see also http://biblehub.com/deuteronomy/32-17.htm) & false doctrine (Revelation 2:6,14-15, 2 Peter 2:15, etc.). Thus following the Bible alone is the only safe path to travel (2 Timothy 3:15-17, 4:2-5, 1 Timothy 1:3-11, 6:3-5, etc.; see our video "WITHOUT "SOLA SCRIPTURA" (THE BIBLE ALONE), WHO IS TELLING THE TRUTH?" at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dcMnF6tgya0). 2 Timothy 2:15
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The Only True Church - Hear the following: "Is the Pope in the True Church?" at http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=820752920, "The One True Church" at http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=81212170178, "Papacy's Claim to have the Authority of the Apostle Peter, Roman Catholicism, Pope" at http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=121312161512, "Institutes of the Christian Religion #42 The Ancient Form of Goverment Utterly Corrupted by the Tyranny of the Papacy/Antichrist" at http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=21308121690 & see our playlist "Dealing with Roman Catholicism, Idolatry & the Virgin Mary" at https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLFFA8D69D1B914715.
Just about everyone who has started a movement has declared themselves the only true church on earth. In this they claim one must join their exclusive group or organization to be saved and to be a Christian. Many believe there has been a complete apostasy already, so there is need of a full restoration. While God does have a true Church on earth, he has already stated how one enters to be part of this Church. First lets go through the many familiar and some not so familiar groups that claim to be the ONE TRUE CHURCH. Then we will look at how one enters the true church.
Mormonism LDS- 13th LDS President Ezra Taft Benson, “This is not just another Church. This is not just one of a family of Christian churches. This is the Church and kingdom of God, the only true Church upon the face of the earth...” (Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson, p.164-165). This church is the only true and living church on the face of the whole earth (D and C 1:30) “There is no salvation outside the church of Jesus Christ of Latter -day Saints (Mormon Doctrine, p.670)
“Behold there are save two churches only; the one is the Church of the Lamb of God and the other is the church of the devil; wherefore who so belongeth not to the church of the lamb of God belongeth to that great church; which is the mother of abominations; and she is the whore of all the earth.” (The Book of Mormon, 1 Nephi 14:10)
on April 8, 1973, LDS Apostle Mark E. Petersen proclaimed that salvation “comes only through the Church itself as the Lord established it... Therefore it was made clearly manifest that salvation is in the Church, and of the Church, and is obtained only through the Church.”
“The Roman Catholic, Greek, and Protestant church, is the great corrupt, ecclesiastical power, represented by great Babylon....” (Orson Pratt, Writings of an Apostle, “Divine Authenticity,” no.6, p.84).
the LDS church is, “the only true and living church upon the face of the whole earth, with which I, the Lord, am well pleased ...” Brigham Young (Mormonism's Second President)
“Our message is so imperative, when you stop to think that the salvation, the eternal salvation of the world, rests upon the shoulders of this Church. When all is said and done, if the world is going to be saved, we have to do it “ (“Church Is Really Doing Well,” Church News (a bi-weekly publication by the Mormon church), July 3 1999, 3)
Jehovah’s Witnesses- The Gospel of the Kingdom ceased to be proclaimed shortly after the death of the apostles. It was not preached again until after 1918.(WT, 12/1/1928, pp. 363-64)
We acknowledge as the visible organization of Jehovah on earth the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society, and recognize the Society as the Channel or instrument through which Jehovah and Christ Jesus give instruction and meat in due season to the household of faith. (Watchtower, April 15, 1939 p. 125)
“ The Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society the one and only channel which the Lord has used in dispensing his truth continually since the beginning of the harvest period?” (WT 4/1/1919, p. 6414)
“The world is full of Bibles…why then do the people not know which was to go? Because, they do not also have the teaching or law of the mother, which is light.”(WT 5/1/1957, p.274)
“Outside the true Christian congregation what alternative organization is there? Only Satan’s organization…”(Watchtower 3/1/1979 p.24)
“Consider too, the fact that Jehovah's organization alone in all the earth is directed by God's holy spirit or active force.” (Watchtower, July 1, 1973, page 402)
Iglesia ni Cristo- “the complete disappearance of the first-century Church of Christ and the emergence of the Catholic Church” (Pasugo, July-Aug. 1979, p. 8).
Thus, outside the Church of Christ no one can be considered a true believer.'' (PASUGO, September/October 1981, p.9)
“Each member ... should submit himself to the Administration of the Church in order to be saved.”(PASUGO, January 1976, p. 9)
''People who embraced the true church will be saved not because of the good deeds they have done, but through God's merciful act of commissioning messengers entrusted with words of reconciliation.'' (PASUGO September/October 1986, p. 20)
International Church of Christ - “There is one church! There is one God. There is one kingdom of God and this is it! (The Great Commission, audio tape, Weger/Rock, Hodge/Hamann/Fulcher/Fields)
“you are in the only family that exists on the face of the earth.”( Phil Lamb, We Are Family, audio tape 1990 West Coast Conf.)
“We're the last hope the world has. Nobody else is going to do what we're doing. Nobody else has the right message. Nobody else has the right commitment.”( Gordon Ferguson, Radical Men, Radical Times Hosea Radical Love of God, Manila World Leadership Conf., Aug. 1994 )
“your salvation is hanging in the balance. .... When you walk away from the movement of God, there is no where to walk. Walking out of the light into the darkness. There is nobody else There is nobody else in this country that That has the true gospel -- that is, trying to make disciples of Jesus. There is nobody else in this entire world. This is the movement of God! There is no place to go.” (Nick Young. Tulsa Reconstruction meeting, August, 1992, audio one, side two)
“When you preached who is really saved: that you gotta have faith, you gotta repent, you gotta become a true disciple of Jesus, and then you gotta be water immersed for the forgiveness of sins received through the Holy Spirit, that excludes all other denominations…everybody else out there.”( Kip McKean. “Preach the Word.” Johannesburg World Missions Leadership Conference. Aug. 1995, audiotape #10091, side 2)
True Jesus Church- On 5. on the web they emphatically state “The True Jesus Church is the true church restored by God through the Holy Spirit of the latter rain. She is the revival of the apostolic church in the end times.” on the web “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but by Me” (John 14:6). Therefore, one can receive eternal life only through the true church.”
The Philadelphia church- Mr. Flurry “The “household” is God's Family or true church. It's the family that God rules. This is God's inner circle--His very elect. One servant, one leader or one man is made ruler over God's church. Only this church (The PCG) gives meat in due season. Only this church is doing God's work!” (The Philadelphia Trumpet, p.1 May 1995)
“Some in the world try to label the PCG a cult. Actually, we are God's only true representative on this earth!...”( The Philadelphia Trumpet, p. 19 March, 1994)
“...that truth is in only one church today, God's church. Only God's Philadelphia Church has retained God's Law in this end time” (The Philadelphia Trumpet , p.5 March 1994).
Roman Catholic Church-”But by divine institution it is the exclusive task of these pastors alone, the successors of Peter and the other Apostles, to teach the faithful authentically, that is with the authority of Christ ....” (Vatican Council II Vol. 2, p. 430, 1984)
“If anyone says that in the Roman Church, which is the mother and mistress of all churches, there is not the true doctrine concerning the sacrament of baptism, let him be anathema.” (The Canons And Decrees Of The Council Of Trent, p. 53 -- Seventh Session, Sacrament Of Baptism, Canon 3)
“This loyal submission of the will and intellect must be given, in a special way, to the authentic teaching authority of the Roman Pontiff, even when he does not speak ex cathedra in such wise, indeed, that his supreme teaching authority be acknowledged with respect, and that one sincerely adhere to decisions made by him, conformably with his manifest mind and intention ....” (Vatican Council II ,Vol. 1, p. 379)
The Second Vatican Council’s Decree on Ecumenism explains: “For it is through Christ’s Catholic Church ALONE, which is the universal help toward salvation, that the fullness of the means of salvation can be obtained.”
Pope Boniface VIII declared: “There is one holy Catholic and apostolic church, outside of which there Is NO SALVATION ... it is altogether NECESSARY FOR SALVATION for every creature to be subject to the Roman Pontiff.' (“infallible papal bull, Unam Sanctam) Vatican II declared: ... this holy Council teaches ... that the church .. Is NECESSARY FOR SALVATION.” (VATICAN COUNCIL II, Costello Publishing, Austin Flannery, O.P., General Editor, Vol 1, pp. 364-365)
All Christians will be gathered in a common celebration of the Eucharist, into the unity of the one and only Church, ... The unity, we believe subsists in the Catholic Church as something she can never lose. (Vatican II, Decree on Ecumenism, chap. 1, 4, p. 416).
The local Church (Witness Lee)- When we were in the denominations, we were blind. I do not believe that any dear Christians who have really received sight from the Lord could still remain in the denominations. Everyone who sees must leave the fold and enter the pasture, under the sunshine, in the fresh air, in liberty. Where are you now? Are you in the fold, or are you now in the pasture? Allow me to say this: if anyone is still in the fold, he is blind. Of course, a blind person requires the fold to keep him. But when he receives his sight, he will swiftly leave the fold for the pasture, for the sunshine, for the fresh air.” (Witness Lee, Christ Versus Religion LSM, 197,1 p.109-110)
The only way to follow the Lord absolutely is to go the way of the local church. (Witness Lee, The Practical Expression...p.94)
If you leave the church (the Local Church), you miss the mark of the Lord's testimony. You must be in the testimony of Jesus. Only the golden lampstands, the local churches, are the testimony of Jesus....if you are not in the local churches you are not the testimony of Jesus.”( Witness Lee, The Stream magazine Nov. 1976, p.7)
House of Yahweh-”With all the Churches and Religious Organizations in these Last Days preaching what they call Salvation, why would Yahweh need to establish another organization in order to get his way--the True Way of Salvation--taught?
“The One Body of Messiah IS The House of Yahweh! “...IF we 'separate' from the One Body of Messiah: The House of Yahweh, then we succumb to Satan, then at that very moment we become worshipers of Satan...of if one LEAVES The Body - The only Prophesied, Established Work that Yahweh Himself has chosen, then that one does NOT partake, or is NO LONGER a partaker, with the rest of The body of Messiah - The House of Yahweh” (What Yahweh's Feasts Mean to You, pp. 78, 87).
“ The churches in the world today do not even pretend to keep Yahweh’s Laws. How could they pretend such a thing anyway, they all blatantly rebel against every one of them.... It should be very obvious why Yahweh had to establish His House in these Last Days--the Christian Churches are not The House of Yahweh. They do not stand in Yahweh’s counsel. They are not the Pillar and Ground of the Truth. They do not teach Yahweh’s Laws, therefore, they do not turn the people away from sin--breaking Yahweh’s Laws.”
“I urge you to obtain the books … and start learning the true way to Salvation. This way is not taught in the world by any organization, other than the one established by Yahweh--The House of Yahweh.”
Hawaii fellowship of the Universal World Church “a voice thundered and uttered these words “This is my daughter in whom I am well pleased. As Jesus, my son, paid the price through his faithfulness upon the cross.. my anointed daughter, Miss Velma, has paid the price through her faithfulness at the golden altar. Therefore, all who will believe in her, will receive my gift of eternal youth which is new revelation Mamre.” (The mighty Miracle of the new Revelation of Mamre p.49-50) The new Revelation of Mamre is the greatest gift ever given to a people by almighty God. “(The mighty Miracle of the new Revelation of Mamre p.7)
“Miss Velma has paid the price! She has become the sacrificial offering required by God that all of mankind may reap one of god's greatest rewards, new revelation Mamre”( ibid.p.51)
7th day Adventists-”I saw that God has honest children among the nominal Adventists and the fallen churches, and before the plagues shall be poured out, MINISTERS AND PEOPLE WILL BE CALLED OUT FROM THESE CHURCHES and will gladly receive the truth....But the light will shine, and ALL WHO ARE HONEST WILL LEAVE THE FALLEN CHURCHES, and take their stand with the remnant” (Early Writings, p. 261 )
We can see the common thread of these churches. They are separatists and deny anyone else can have the right message. That one must come to their CHURCH to be saved. That is the common deviation from Scripture and what makes them a cult. 1 Jn.2:19 “they went out from us but they were not of us, if they had been of us , they would have continued with us, but they went out that they might be made known that none of them were of us.” This was already occurring in the early church.
Now that we have read through just a few churches that claim exclusivity to being the only representatives of Christ and God on earth. We need to go to the Bible to see what it states on this matter. It is possible that one of these groups that claim this can be right. But it is impossible for all of them to be right since they all claim exclusivity. Who would know? Jesus who is the head of the Church would know, and the Apostles he appointed to write down his teachings are the ones we need to go to, to find the truth.
What is the Church?
The first time we find the word Church is in Mt.16:18 where Jesus said he will build his church upon the revelation the Father gave Peter when he openly confessed that Christ is “ the Son of the living God.” “Upon this rock I will build my church.” So this must be the Churches confession of faith, if not, then it is not the Church. What this meant in the Judaic culture is that Christ is equal to God, having the same nature as his Father.
The Scripture is clear only God is to be worshipped Ex.34:14: “For thou shall worship no other God for the Lord (Yahweh), whose name is jealous, is a jealous God.” The Church worships God and also worships Christ. The Father in Heb.1:6 tells all the angels to worship the Son. Both the Father and the Son are worshipped in heaven (Rev.4-5) and on earth. The Bible teaches that Jesus is not only worshipped, but also called God by Thomas in Jn.20:28 “My Lord, my God.” (Greek- The Lord of me, the God of me). We find the wise men worshipped Jesus as a child. Mt.2:11.The leper worshipped Jesus Mt.8. The ruler bowed and worshipped Mt.9:18 .The believer who was blind worshipped him Jn.9:38. The women worshipped him Mt. 15:25, Mary Magdalene worshipped him Mt.28:9, the disciples worshipped him Mt.28:17.Jesus was worshipped just as the Father was worshipped.
It is called the Church of God which he had purchased with his own blood (Acts 20:28). After Christ raised from the dead and ascended he sent the Holy Spirit to birth a new entity, the church. The Greek word is ekklesia (which is used 114 times in the New Testament) which means a called out assembly (Ek = out of, Kaleo= to call). It is never used of a building or of the kingdom of God. The Church is not the kingdom, but included in it. The Church is a invisible living spiritual organism, composed of all the believers world wide, from the time of its inception on Pentecost, until the taking away of the Church at the rapture. Its origin is found in God as the Holy Spirit gave it its birth in Acts 2:1-4 with the disciples and the Jews at Pentecost in v.33. And we become part of this same Church today the same way they did, by spirit baptism, being born again of the Spirit. No one joins the Church unless they are first joined to Christ. This is why Jesus said you must be born again, (by the Spirit Jn.3:5) not join the Church! The Church began in Jerusalem, not Rome. Any Church that does not trace its start to Jerusalem on Pentecost is not His church. Those who claim the Church needed to be restored from an apostasy are not part of the original Church. Jesus said the gates of hell would not prevail against the Church, she would never be overcome, no matter how many were killed, it would never result in a complete apostasy. So any church claiming theirs as a restoration can't be traced back to the original.
Jesus told Peter: “And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it.” (Matt. 16:18). Meaning it would not remove it nor hinder it's growth, work or people. If his Church had apostatized then the gates of hell would have prevailed against it, which makes Christ a liar, that is uncomfortable even for the cult's to say. Christ will not abandon his bride, he said he would always be with. How could Christ be with his Church always if his Church ceased to exist for over 1800 years? The Church is already made and continues to grow through history. No devil or man can stop or hinder it because Jesus is the architect, not man. While it is valid to claim that there needs to be repentance or reformation throughout the church's history, to get back to the bible when we drift. To restore a church from apostasy has quite a different meaning.
The true Church is built upon what Peter said Christ is- The Son of the living God- the eternal one. We can only have this by revelation the same way Peter did, from heaven. It is not man revealing this truth but God himself.
Christ teaches In Matthew 28:20 he said, “I am with you always even until the end of the world.” And in John 14:16, 18 he said, “And I will pray to the Father, and he will give you another Counselor, to be with you forever. . . . I will not leave you desolate.” Christ promised that nothing would prevail against his Church, that he would be with it always, that the Holy Spirit, the Comforter, the third person of the Holy Trinity would be with her always. Christ will not abandon his bride. How could Christ be with his Church always if his Church ceased to exist for 1800 years?
We are the Church
We (the people) are the Church, which is likened to the temple 1 Pet. 2:5 “you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” We are bricks cemented together our spiritual sacrifice is ourselves, our lives. As Rom.12:2 tells to present ourselves as living sacrifices. We no longer sacrifice animals for a sin offering but present ourselves, our lives to God continually each day to be used by Him.
1 Cor.3:16 teaches that each of us as individuals are the temple of God because “the Spirit of God dwells in you.” You are not Christ's possession or part of his Church unless you have the proof by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. (by the way this does not mean one must speak in tongues or have another spiritual manifestation).
We are called Col. 1:24: “His body, which is the church” 2 Cor. 6:16 that “we are the temple of the living God.” As God has said: “I will dwell in them and walk among them. I will be their God, and they shall be My people.”
2 Cor.3:7 The church will be God's dwelling place. together we are the temple (the church) the dwelling of God. Christ “In You” is the hope of glory.
Eph. 2:20-22: “Having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief corner stone, in whom the whole building, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.” Jesus is the cornerstone and the apostles the foundation stones. Paul explains further in Eph. 4:15-16: “but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head-- Christ-- from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.” The Church is a living temple made up of bricks whom are the people. We are all interdependent on one another. Just as a house is not made with one brick but all are cemented together.
Each brick has a different gifting and talents and all are to be used so that the body can be healthy. Just as Paul's example of the outside of the body we are all different and the least is to be honored as much as the greatest. Certainly the pancreas adrenal glands on the inside of the body if they were not functioning would affect the rest of its health.
Heb 3:1-6: “For every house is built by someone, but He who built all things is God. And Moses indeed was faithful in all His house as a servant, for a testimony of those things which would be spoken afterward, but Christ as a Son over His own house, whose house we are if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm to the end.”
How Does one Join the Church?
1 Cor. 12:27: “Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually.” Notice collectively and individually. This means one does not have to belong to a certain denomination or group but to Christ.
No one is told to join the Church by the apostles because it is an automatic placing of one in the body of which Christ is the head. 2 Cor.5:17 “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” We are put in Christ to become a new creature, not in a Church. Becoming part of a Church is the natural outcome of the new birth.
Jn.1:12-13 “ But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name. Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” To be born of God is to have the Holy Spirit regenerate the dead spirit in man back to a relationship with God. This comes through Christ alone, no Church or minister can give you this.
1 Cor.12:12-13 “For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ. For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body-- whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free-- and have all been made to drink into one Spirit.” This is how one enters the Church by the Spirit who comes inside us and unites us with the rest of the body which is invisible and visible. Paul writes in Rom.3:24: “Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.” This is one of Paul's favorite technical terms. Paul points to our spiritual life coming from being connected to the Son. It is Christ that uses examples to show us that He is the gate, the door, the way. We enter the Church (become part of the church) by a person and his work for us. As we come to Christ He puts each one in his spiritual body the Church. You don’t join a church but are born into a family that is the Church. And it is not limited to a local body but a worldwide family of faith.
When Paul was persecuting the church, Jesus said he was persecuting him, because he was the owner of it, we are his body and his Spirit indwells those who he killed. By killing Christians he was fighting against Christ himself. The Church is Christ's invisible body on earth. The Church is called “the Church of God” Eph.5:23-24: “also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body.” 24... “the Church is subject to Christ.” The Church is ruled by God, just as our body takes instructions from its head. Col.1:18: “And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence.” If we want to obey the truth we receive our sustenance and instructions from Christ alone, collectively and individually!
Jesus referred to those who were part of his body/ Church as “my sheep”. In John 10:16, Jesus spoke of other sheep which were not of this fold, them also I must bring and they will hear my voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd. What he meant is that the Gentiles outside the nation of Israel were to be grafted into the covenant and have him as their shepherd. You are the branches “I am the vine.” All these relate to our connection to the Son who brings us to the Father, and is the source of our eternal life. We cannot produce fruit apart from him Jn.17. Mark 6:34 “So He began to teach them many things.” Listening to Christ is the first step to having him be your shepherd, you then become a disciple by following his teachings. The leaders or shepherds are to train the sheep to hear the chief shepherds voice.
The word “Church of Christ” is not singular but plural in the Scriptures, which is a problem for those that call themselves the exclusive Church of Christ.1 Cor.1:2, 1 Cor.10:32, also Rom.16:16 calls them the Churches of Christ. Rev.1:20 says Christ holds the seven golden lamp stand's, the seven stars and the messengers (angels) of the seven churches in his hand showing his control. This becomes a problem for numerous groups that claim the name “Church of Christ”, since it is plural not single. Likewise for the Jehovah’s Witnesses, since they are Jehovah’s “organization” and not a Church nor Christ’s. Not because of name only, but because they do not look to Christ as the head. Actually if one asks the question to these groups who is the head of your Church? You can various answers from a prophet, apostle, a revelator, to a Pope. Even those who claim Christ can have a different Jesus from the Scriptures. (2 Cor.11:4) So we must examine who Jesus is to them and their relationship to him.
Rev 2:23 “and all the churches shall know that I am He who searches the minds and hearts. And I will give to each one of you according to your works.” Only God is able to search the heart and give rewards.
The Church's Purpose
The true Church teaches the bible alone, and promotes evangelism to fulfill the commission Christ gave in Mt.28:18-19. Our purpose Eph. 3:9-10: “... to make all men see what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God, who created all things; that through the Church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places.” This is done by teaching the Scriptures equipping the body for our growth first then for the work of ministry Eph.4. So the message can go out to there communities. We are to gather to be taught, equipped for ministry so we can evangelize to bring others to the Lord. The church is a spiritual hospital for sinners so they can be healed from sin. The church is not a building to meet in to come to the Church, instead we should be going out being the church. We have a mission. To make disciples and grow in their relationship with God. We have them join in the body, whether its our particular local body or another that is part of the church universal. Everyone needs to be involved in a local body of believers, an assembly to help bring health to themselves and the body.
Different churches have different focuses and different ways of doing ministry. Within the main framework of evangelism there is other ministries, this does not mean any one way is the only way as a long as it is all biblical. Each church may have a specific way to minister to its own communities needs and essentially have different focuses. It is from this variety God is able to meet the needs of individuals and their personalities.
The One TRUE Church
The true Church holds to the core beliefs of Christianity without subtracting or adding to them. Christ is the eternal God come in the flesh, there is one God and 3 distinct identities (persons) who exist simultaneously as the One God. The virgin conception, the sinfulness of man and the need of a savior, the new birth, the Gospel which is the death burial and physical resurrection, the 2nd coming, baptism, eternal mediator and priesthood of Christ, the priesthood of all believers, the infallibility and inerrancy of Scripture, judgment and rewards to the believers. These are the essentials that are clarified in the Scriptures.
If the Church one attends does not hold to these essential beliefs, they are not Christ's Church no matter what name they have on their outside or on paper. This is not my opinion, but the Bibles explanation what the apostles taught through the Gospels, the book of Acts, and in the Epistles.
In conclusion there is one true Church, but it is not found in a certain denomination or group by itself. Those who claim you must join their group or Church to be right with God, only prove they do not understand what the word Church or body of Christ means. It is not exclusive but inclusive, as it is found in the heart of all those who have accepted the true Jesus, and have come to God the way He has provided (through His son on the cross), and hold to the essentials of the faith. Whether one is Lutheran, Anglican, Baptist, Presbyterian, Episcopalian, Charismatic, or Pentecostal, etc. The Church transcends denominational barriers, it exists within denominations, as well as outside of them. This is the Universal Church that has continued from the beginning of Pentecost. While denominations may have differences on peripheral issues, they do hold to the core beliefs that make them all part of the body of Christ, the Church.
Two items that come in handy in knowing about when Romanists argue that anything said against the Roman "church" is not the truth is to tell them about the following two items: 1. The following website is by self proclaimed Roman Catholics following the so-called "true church" (in other words their Roman church is their true savior not the Biblical Jesus Christ) at http://www.mostholyfamilymonastery.com/. These Romanists destroy the new Romanists since the invention of Vatican 2 in 1965. They present great information proving modern Romanism & their popes (they call them anti-popes) to be a false & apostate religion. It doesn't get much better than this when one group of apostate Romanists attack another brand of apostate Romanists in order to prove to the world they are false! 2. Our video "The Homosexual Pope, Priests, Universalists, Evolutionists & Disunited Roman Catholic Apologists" at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hThonwrX6QU&list=PLFFA8D69D1B914715 proves from Roman Catholic sources themselves that one of their popes was a practicing homosexual, that almost 50% of Roman Catholic priests are homosexuals (for more on this see our video "FORMER ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST SAYS CHURCH OF ROME HAS A FALSE GOSPEL & WIDESPREAD HOMOSEXUALITY" at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0y4C-nBQ3mE), that the Roman church buys the theory of evolution which denies the first eleven chapters of Genesis in the Bible, that Pope John Paul II kissed the Muslim Qur'an & said Islam has the same god as Roman Catholics have (see the videos "Top Ten Reasons Muhammad Is Not a Prophet" at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MO8sZ1JyP1A, "Ten MORE Reasons Muhammad Is Not a Prophet" at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4p7HuuhF8k, "50 Reasons Muhammad Was Not a Prophet (in Under Five Minutes)" at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Q3f15NXrLI, "David Wood: Five Reasons the Quran Is Not the Word of God" at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvlzlBov9zc, "Who Killed Muhammad?" at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6st_tFj6ouM, "Why Did Muhammad Wear Women's Clothing?" at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-50CraaniT0; also see www.AnsweringMuslims.com & www.MuslimHope.com) & how Roman Catholic apologists are at each others' throats because of the vast differences within Romanism itself. Besides all that see the following websites for detailed information on Romanism & how it is a counterfeit religion at http://www.BereanBeacon.org, http://www.CWRC-RZ.org & http://www.mtc.org/.
Remember Titus 1:9-16,
"9 Holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers.
10 For there are many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers, specially they of the circumcision:
11 Whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole houses, teaching things which they ought not, for filthy lucre's sake.
12 One of themselves, even a prophet of their own, said, the Cretians are alway liars, evil beasts, slow bellies.
13 This witness is true. Wherefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith;
14 Not giving heed to Jewish fables, and commandments of men, that turn from the truth.
15 Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled.
16 They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate."
http://www.BibleQuery.org http://www.historycart.com/ http://www.muslimhope.com/
John 14:6 -
Death can come suddenly & unexpectedly. Hear deathbed testimonies of the damned during their last days, hours & moments before going into eternity: "Horrifying & Terrifying Death Bed Scenes Of Atheists, Apostates & Reprobates (1/3)" at http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?sid=731131047310, "Horrifying & Terrifying Death Bed Scenes Of Atheists, Apostates & Reprobates (2/3)" at http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?sid=731131111372, "Horrifying & Terrifying Death Bed Scenes Of Atheists, Apostates & Reprobates (3/3)" at http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?sid=731131132150, "Death-Bed of a Free-Thinker, Exemplified in the Last Hours of Hon. Francis Newport" at http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?sid=72913130359, "Death-Bed Scenes, Death-Bed Repentance Rarely Occurs, As Men Live, So Do Men Die #1" at
http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?sid=927131122460, "Death-Bed Scenes, Death-Bed Repentance Rarely Occurs, As Men Live, So Do Men Die #2" at http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?sid=927131158132;
"Dying Testimonies Of The Unsaved, The Awful Death Of An Infidel Son Who Hated Jesus" at http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?sid=104131120148, & although this next recording is not an actual deathbed testimonial it is highly informative concerning Judas & other reprobates, "The Repentance of Judas, or, the Lamentable Effects of a Startled Conscience" at http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?sid=310141542316. Listeners will notice numerous similar patterns among the final words & actions of the damned. Many seem to sense the flames of hell & the presence of demonic entities before death overtakes them. An excellent Biblical analysis of eternal punishment in hell & the lake of fire is given by the outstanding theologian A.W. Pink - "Eternal Punishment, part 1" at http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=12607145320 & "Eternal Punishment, part 2" at http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?sid=12607143539 where he at the same time refutes the arguments of universalists, annihilationists & heretics who say God is "all loving" & would not torment the wicked forever while they ignore the fact that God hates the wicked (Psalm 5:4-6, 11:5, Hosea 9:15, etc.; see our video "The God of the Bible Does Not Love Everybody But Actually Hates Many Instead (Romans 9:22)" at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0zHEJCHgQVg). Hear also Charles Haddon Spurgeon on this subject in his sermon "The Sinner's End, Hell Opens Wide Her Jaws, the Sinner Falls To Destruction" at http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=1014131452290 & Jonathan Edward's famous sermon "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" at http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=113003134610. Besides all this readers can click on our playlist "Dealing with Hell, Lake of Fire, Unpopular Bible Doctrines" with 30 videos & 31 hours of teaching material at https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLE04A1D0DFE95B95E. Don't depend on a last second deathbed conversion to save you from the wrath of a holy God. Come to the Biblical Jesus Christ today for salvation in repentance & faith (2 Corinthians 6:2, "behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation; Acts 16:31, "And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved;" Mark 1:15, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel;" 1 Corinthians 15:1-4, "Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, 2 by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. 3 For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures," Revelation 1:8, Jesus is the "Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.", Revelation 1:18, Jesus says "I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death." Becoming a true Christian is not easy therefore count the cost. Becoming a true Christian is not saying a quick prayer & thinking you're okay. Becoming a true Christian is not getting water baptized as a baby or as an adult (see our video "IS WATER BAPTISM NECESSARY TO ESCAPE HELL & BE SAVED & ARE YOU "BORN AGAIN" (JOHN 3:3-8) BY IT?" at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wYJtMV9qrWg. You must be supernaturally "born again" by a sovereign act of God through the power of the Holy Spirit (John 1:12-13, 3:3-8; Titus 3:5-7; John 6:37, 39, 44, 63, 65; Ephesians 3:16-21; Romans 8:1-17; 1 Corinthians 2:10-16; Luke 14:26-35, “If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple. 27 And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. 28 For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it— 29 lest, after he has laid the foundation, and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, 30 saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish’? 31 Or what king, going to make war against another king, does not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? 32 Or else, while the other is still a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks conditions of peace. 33 So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple.34 “Salt is good; but if the salt has lost its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? 35 It is neither fit for the land nor for the dunghill, but men throw it out. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!” Luke 6:46, Jesus said, "And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?" Becoming a true Christian will change your life forever in this life & the next (2 Corinthians 5:17, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new."). Beg God to save you since you cannot get into heaven by your own righteousness & good works (Ephesians 2:8-10, "8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them."). Keep begging God for salvation through Jesus Christ until the day comes that He grants your request (Acts 13:48, "Now when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and glorified the word of the Lord. And as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed." & 2 Timothy 2:25-26, "24 And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient, 25 in humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth, 26 and that they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will."). When you are supernaturally regenerated by the Holy Spirit you will know it & suddenly have the power to repent of your evil ways & for the first time you will actually love God more than your own life knowing that nothing in creation is more important than God alone. You will then spend the rest of eternity loving, serving & praising God for He is worthy. John 14:6, "Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." See our video "IS JESUS GOD ALMIGHTY IN THE FLESH MEANING THE SECOND PERSON OF THE TRINITY OR IS HE SOMETHING ELSE?" at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_BlPm7M7uv8&list=PL9931642C7C8FFEAB. -
Hear "Why You Can Believe The Bible" by Voddie Baucham at http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=91314616480 & Dr. James White concerning "Can I Trust My Bible?" at http://www.sermonaudio.com/search.asp?seriesOnly=true&currSection=sermonstopic&sourceid=immanuelbc&keyword=Can+I+Trust+My+Bible%3F&keyworddesc=Can+I+Trust+My+Bible%3F which includes "Textual Criticism: Reliability, Answering Critics, Bible Versions & Sufficiency of Scripture."
How Do We Know the Bible is True? Is it Really the Word of God? Many critics of Christianity attack the Bible’s truthfulness. Many don’t believe it because they say it was written by man. Is the Bible really God speaking to man? Is the Bible of human origin or a direct revelation from God? The Bible The word Bible is from the root word “biblios” which is Greek for “little books.“ The Bible contains 66 books and was written by 40 authors. The books you see in most Bibles have been tried and tested and were generally accepted by the early church. For centuries the Bible was not available to the general public due to their being only hand-copied ones available. The Bible has been banned from many nations, it has been burned by others, it has been declared out of date by moderns, but it has brought salvation to untold millions. It is the unbridled truth and the unchangeable Word of God that changes those who read it. When people read it, it reads them too! It comforts the afflicted and afflicts the comfortable. What follows is conclusive evidence that we can believe that the Bible is God speaking to us and not just the words of men. Thus Says the Lord or Thus Says Man?
If the Bible were indeed a work of man, then we would expect some of the words to say, “thus says the prophet Jeremiah” or “thus says Peter an Apostle of God” but it doesn’t. From what I could count, “Thus says the Lord” is recorded 418 times. If it were of human origin, then we would read somewhere that the Bible or the message came from a certain author but we never see that anywhere. On the contrary, we read over 1,000 times where “Jesus said” and “Thus says the Lord” were written down. In fact, even the Book of Revelation is not called John’s Book of Revelation at all. In Revelation 1:1-2 we see where the words of this book came from: “The revelation from Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John.” So John was just the recipient of the book as he just wrote down what he was told. Paul said, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness” (2 Tim 3:16). Paul clearly said that all Scripture is God-breathed…not just the New Testament or the Old Testament, but all Scripture. Peter reiterates it by writing, “For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit” (2 Pet 1:21). Peter would tell you that “you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation” (2 Pet 1:20).
God gives a very serious warning to anyone who takes away or adds to any of the words in the Bible, indicating that only He gives the words of this book and no human had better tamper with it. In Revelation 22:19 God warns that if anyone adds to or takes away any of the words of the Bible, He “…shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city (heaven or the new Jerusalem)”. This same warning is given in the Old Testament in Deuteronomy 4:2.
Alleged Errors in Transcribing
When the Word of God was reproduced to make another copy, well before the printing press was invented, there were 70 scribes that worked on it with expert precision second to none. Imagine that each of the scribes had the other sixty-nine scribes check their writings for error. Each of these seventy scribes reviewed each other’s work and every written copy, letter by letter, line by line, book by book were examined meticulously. If any errors were found, the started all over again on that particular book or page. Imagine you’re one of the scribes and you have just finished a section. Now the other sixty-nine scribes check your work and compare it to the original. The amazing fact is that their methods resulted in such an accurate reproduction of scripture that only one error for every fifteen hundred words occurred and these errors were so slight that they never affected the content. This copying left absolutely no room for any private interpretation or mistranslation at all. By modern standards, the accuracy rate is superior to that of Microsoft’s Spelling and Grammar Check, which by the way is not perfect. When you consider the stringent guidelines and conditions, no one can dispute that the translation differences had any negative effect on the message of the Bible or its general context.
Manuscript Evidence
New Testament manuscripts have been preserved by the thousands and the fact is that no other ancient works in human history have such enormous documented and recorded histories as does the Bible. There are about 6,000 complete or fragmented Greek manuscripts, 10,000 Latin manuscripts and over 9,000 manuscripts in various other ancient languages. The dates of these manuscripts range from the 2nd century up to the invention of the printing press in the 15th century. Nearly ever year there are more New Testament manuscripts discovered that were handwritten in the original Greek format which continues to add to the enormous collection already on hand. In 2008, 47 new Greek manuscripts were discovered in Albania. Of these, 17 of them were unknown to Western scholars.
The fact is that the amount of manuscript evidence is astounding. There are over 25,000 New Testament manuscripts of which 5,000 of these date from the first century. What that translates into for Historians is what is called a primary source. A primary source is a source that comes from eye witnesses. The nearly 6,000 Dead Sea Scrolls are so close in agreement, contextually, that there is only 0.01% in differences and the main differences are only in the differentiation of vowels. In no way do these miniscule differences affect the text or the context.
One of the greatest supportive facts is that the evidence verifies the dating of Matthew’s Gospel as far back as A.D. 60. Scholars argue that Mark wrote the first Gospel. This places the composition of Mark to within 20 years of the events that took place and were recorded in his Gospel. With the evidence that the synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) and Luke’s second volume, Acts, were written so close to the time of the crucifixion, the record of the events of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection makes these facts indisputable. Luke and Acts was originally one book but was later separated into two books for the reader’s convenience but the content never changed. The fact that they were written within the lifetimes of those who were eyewitnesses is evidence strong enough to hold up in a court of law. Since the Old and New Testament manuscripts have been preserved by the thousands and there are no other ancient works in human history to compare to it, what we have today in the Bible is as a reliable source as any current historical account or newspaper printed today. The Bible is the Word of God, as men were moved by the Holy Spirit to write it. It is God speaking to us and it is without error and full of truth.
If God has revealed Himself in propositional form, that revelation would have certain properties due to His infinite knowledge and moral perfection:
It would be entirely true - His infinite knowledge would prevent errors and His truthfulness would keep Him from deception.
It would be a coherent unity, therefore not self- contradictory.
It would contain God's will for man, and provide the motivation to live according to that will (1).
God has revealed Himself in the Bible without error. The Bible itself claims this inerrancy (2 Timothy 3:16-17 (2); Matthew 5:18 (3); etc.). Let's look at some of the proofs for the Bible's claim to be the infallible word of God.
Archaeological evidence
The first proof we have testifying to the reliability of the Bible is the archaeological evidence. Nelson Glueck, a respected Jewish archaeologist claims: "It may be stated categorically that no archaeological discovery has ever contradicted a biblical reference." (4) The liberals made wild claims against the Bible a hundred years ago but now they are silent. This is not true of other religions. The Mormon claim for inspiration of the Book of Mormon has been categorically condemned by the Smithsonian Institute because of the fallacies shown by archaeology; this is not so with the Bible. A.N. Sherwin-White, a respected classical historian at Oxford says, "For Acts the confirmation of historicity is overwhelming...", although, not being a Christian, he still regarded it as being "propaganda."(5)
Historicity of Jesus
A case in point is the historicity of Jesus. Although many atheists state that Jesus never lived, He is mentioned by many contemporary, non-Christian historians. Let us look at the evidence.
Flavius Josephus, a first century Jewish historian wrote of Jesus and the Christians:
"so he [Ananus, son of Ananus the high priest] assembled the sanhedrin of judges, and brought before him the brother of Jesus, who was called Christ, whose name was James, and some others (or some of his companions) and when he had formed an accusation against them, he delivered them to be stoned." (6)
Other Jewish rabbinical writings, including Rabbi Eliezer and writers of the Talmud, talk about Jesus and his miracles. Surprisingly to many atheists, they never denied that miracles took place, but attempted to explain them as a result of evil (7). More information about Jesus in the Talmud can be found at Jesus Christ In The Talmud.
Cornelius Tacitus wrote about Jesus and the first century Christians in his Annals (a history of the Roman empire):
"Christus, from whom the name had its origin, suffered the extreme penalty during the reign of Tiberius at the hands of one of our procurators, Pontius Pilatus." (8)
Thallus, a Samaritan historian, wrote ca. 52 A.D. attempting to give a natural explanation for the earthquake and darkness which occurred at the crucifixion of Jesus. Mara Bar-Seraphon wrote a letter to his son in 73 A.D. which tells of the deaths of Socrates, Pythagoras, and of Jesus, "What advantage did the Jews gain from executing their wise king?...Nor did the wise king die for good; he lived on in the teaching which he had given." Jesus is also mentioned by Phlegon, a first-century historian, Lucian of Samosata (in The Passing Peregrinus), and Plinius Secundus, (Pliny the Younger).
Scholars have made statements such as, "no serious scholar has ventured to postulate the non-historicity of Jesus ." (9) The latest version of Encyclopedia Britannica says in its discussion of the multiple extra-biblical witnesses:
"These independent accounts prove that in ancient times even the opponents of Christianity never doubted the historicity of Jesus, which was disputed for the first time and on inadequate grounds by several authors at the end of the 18th, during the 19th, and at the beginning of the 20th centuries." (10)
Even the atheist H. G. Wells spoke of Jesus, "...one is obliged to say, "Here was a man. This part of the tale could not have been invented." (11)
Scientific evidence
Recent scientific evidence is adding to the evidence supporting the reliability of biblical chronology from the scriptures. This study demonstrated the reliability of the Biblical record regarding the Egyptian plagues and demise of Jericho.
Drs. Hendrik J. Bruins and Johannes van der Plicht reported in the prestigious British journal, Nature (12), that the destruction of Jericho was dated to 1580 (+/- 13 years) B.C. (using 14C dating). This date is significant, since several archeologists have insisted that Jericho was destroyed by the Egyptians between 1550 and 1300 B.C. The recent study discredits the Egyptian theory, since the date is much too old.
What is even more exciting is that scientists, using 14C dating and tree rings, have found evidence of a volcanic eruption from the Aegean island of Thera, which recently has been dated to 1628 B.C. (13). This would place the eruption at 45 years prior to the destruction of Jericho, at a time which coincidentally corresponds to the time of the plagues the Lord unleashed upon Egypt. Check out Exodus 10:
Then the Lord said to Moses, "Stretch out your hand toward the sky, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, even a darkness which may be felt." So Moses stretched out his hand toward the sky, and there was thick darkness in all the land of Egypt for three days. (Exodus 10:21-22)
Even the researchers commented that the 45 years difference in events was "rather striking."
The Bible's Uniqueness and Unity
The next proof is the Bible's uniqueness and unity. The Bible was written by over 40 authors who came from just about every walk of life conceivable, including fisherman, kings, a butler, priests, and a tax collector. The 66 books of the Bible were written over a 1,500 year span in three languages on three continents with one theme and no contradictions. C.J. Sharp captures this miracle well:
"If a fragment of stone were found in Italy, another in Asia Minor, another in Greece, another in Egypt, and on and on until sixty-six fragments had been found, and if when put together they fitted perfectly together, making a perfect statue of Venus de Milo, there is not an artist or scientist but would arrive immediately at the conclusion that there was originally a sculptor who conceived and carved the statue. The very lines and perfections would probably determine which of the great ancient artists carved the statue. Not only the unity of the Scriptures, but their lines of perfection, suggest One far above any human as the real author. That could be no one but God (14)."
Prophetic evidence
Yet another reason Christians believe God is the ultimate author of the Bible is the predictive prophecies in the Bible. This aspect is unique to the world's religions because if one predicts something will happen and it does not, they are proven to be phony. The Bible is literally filled with detailed prophecies that have been fulfilled with 100% accuracy. Here is a list of 85 Messianic prophecies along with their fulfillment through the life, ministry, death and resurrection of Jesus:
Prophecies of Jesus of Nazareth as Messiah
#Prophetic ScriptureSubjectFulfilled
1
Genesis 3:15
seed of a woman
Galatians 4:4
2
Genesis 12:3, Genesis 22:18
descendant of Abraham
Matthew 1:1, Acts 3:25
3
Genesis 17:19, Genesis 21:12
descendant of Isaac
Luke 3:34, Luke 3:23-24
4
Genesis 28:14, Numbers 24:17
descendant of Jacob
Matthew 1:2, Luke 3:23-24
5
Genesis 49:10
from the tribe of Judah
Luke 3:23-24, Luke 3:33
6
Isaiah 9:6, 11:1-5, Jeremiah 23:5-6
descendant of David
Matthew 1:1, Luke 3:23-24
7
Isaiah 11:1
descendant of Jesse
Luke 3:23-24
8
Ezekiel 37:24
will shepherd His people
Matthew 2:6
9
Isaiah 9:7
heir to the throne of David
Luke 1:32-33
10
Micah 5:2
His pre-existence
Colossians 1:17
11
Isaiah 9:6, Micah 5:1
eternal existence
John 8:58, 11, 14, Ephesians 1:3-14, Colossians 1:15-19
12
Psalm 45:6-7, Psalm 102:25-27
anointed and eternal
Hebrews 1:8-12
13
Psalm 110:1
called Lord
Matthew 22:43-45
14
Isaiah 33:22
judge
John 5:30
15
Psalm 2:6
king
Matthew 27:37
16
Micah 5:2
born in Bethlehem
Matthew 2:1, Luke 2:4-5, 7
17
Daniel 9:25
time for His birth
Matthew 2:1, 16, 19, Luke 2:1-2
18
Isaiah 7:14
to be born of a virgin
Matthew 1:18, 24, 25, Luke 1:26-27, 30-31
19
Psalm 72:9
worshipped by shepherds
Luke 2:8-15
20
Psalm 72:10
honored by great kings
Matthew 2:1-11
21
Jeremiah 31:15
slaughter of children
Matthew 2:16-18
22
Hosea 11:1
flight to Egypt
Matthew 2:14-15
23
Isaiah 40:3-5
the way prepared
Matthew 3:1,2, Luke 3:3-6
24
Malachi 3:1
preceded by a forerunner
Luke 7:24, 27
25
Malachi 4:5-6
preceded by Elijah
Matthew 11:13-14
26
Psalm 2:7, Proverbs 30:4
declared the Son of God
Matthew 3:17, Luke 1:32
27
Isaiah 9:5-6, Jeremiah 23:5-6
God's name applied to Him
Romans 10:9, Philippians 2:9-11
28
Isaiah 11:2, 61:1, Psalm 45:8
anointment of Holy Spirit
Matthew 3:16, 17, John 3:34, Acts 10:38
29
Isaiah 9:1-2
Galilean ministry
Matthew 4:13-16
30
Psalm 78:2-4
speaks in parables
Matthew 13:34-35
31
Isaiah 56:7, Jeremiah 7:11
temple becomes a house of merchandise instead of prayer
Matthew 21:13
32
Psalm 69:9
zeal of Jews for the temple instead of God
John 2:17
33
Deuteronomy 18:15, 18
a prophet
Matthew 21:11, Acts 3:20, 22
34
Isaiah 29:18, Isaiah 35:5-6
blind, deaf, and lame are healed by the Messiah
Luke 7:22, Matthew 9:35, 11:3-5
35
Isaiah 40:11, 42:2-3, Isaiah 53:7
Messiah will be meek and mild
Matthew 12:18-20, Matthew 11:29, Hebrews 4:15
36
Isaiah 53:9
Be sinless and without guile
1 Peter 2:22
37
Isaiah 42:1, Isaiah 49:1
will minister to Gentiles
Matthew 12:18-21Luke 2:32
38
Isaiah 61:1-2
to bind up the brokenhearted
Luke 4:18-19
39
Isaiah 53:12, Isaiah 59:16
to intercede for the people
Romans 8:34, Hebrews 7:25
40
Isaiah 53:3, 8:14, 28:16, 63:3, Psalms 69:6, 118:22
rejected by His own people, the Jews
John 1:11, 7:5,48, Luke 23:18, Acts 4:11, 1 Peter 2:6-8
41
Psalm 118:22
Be rejected by the Jewish leadership
Matthew 21:42, John 7:48
42
Psalm 2:1-2
plotted against by Jews and Gentiles alike
Acts 4:27
43
Psalm 110:4
priest after the order of Melchizedek
Hebrews 5:5-6
44
Zechariah 9:9
enter Jerusalem on donkey
Mark 11:7, 9, 11, Luke 19:35-37
45
Haggai 2:7-9, Malachi 3:1
entered the temple with authority
Matthew 21:12, Luke 2:27-38
46
Psalm 8:2
adored by infants
Matthew 21:15-16
47
Isaiah 53:1
not believed
John 12:37-38
48
Zechariah 13:7
sheep of the Shepherd scattered
Matthew 26:31, Mark 14:50
49
Psalm 41:9, 55:13-15
betrayed by a close friend
Matthew 10:4, Luke 22:47-48
50
Zechariah 11:12
betrayed for thirty pieces of silver
Matthew 26:14-15
51
Zechariah 11:13
betrayal money used to buy Potter's field
Matthew 27:6-7
52
Psalm 35:11
accused by false witnesses
Mark 14:57-58
53
Isaiah 53:7
silent to accusations
Matthew 27:12, Mark 15:4-5
54
Isaiah 50:6
spat on
Matthew 26:67, 27:30
55
Isaiah 50:6
beaten
Matthew 26:67, 27:26, 30
56
Micah 4:14
struck on cheek
Matthew 27:30
57
Isaiah 49:7, Psalm 35:19, Psalm 69:4
hated without reason
John 7:48, 15:24-25
58
Isaiah 53:5
wounded and bruised
Matthew 27:26
59
Isaiah 53:5
vicarious sacrifice
John 1:29, , 3:16, Romans 5:6, 8
60
Daniel 9:24-26
cut off, but not for Himself
Matthew 2:1, Luke 3:1, 23
61
Isaiah 53:12
crucified with malefactors
Matthew 27:38, Mark 15:27-28
62
Zechariah 12:10, Psalm 22:16
pierced through hands and feet
Luke 23:33, John 20:25-27
63
Psalm 22:7-8
sneered and mocked
Matthew 27:31, Luke 23:35
64
Psalm 109:24, 25
fell under the cross
Luke 23:26
65
Psalm 69:9
was reproached
Romans 15:3
66
Psalm 38:11
friends stood afar off
Luke 23:49
67
Psalm 109:25
people shook their heads
Matthew 27:39
68
Psalm 22:17
stared upon
Luke 23:35
69
Psalm 22:16, 69:21
given vinegar for His thirst
Matthew 27:34, John 19:28-29
70
Psalm 109:4, Isaiah 53:12
prayer for His enemies
Luke 23:34
71
Psalm 22:17-18
soldiers gambled for His clothing
Matthew 27:35-36, John 19:23, 24
72
Psalm 22:1
forsaken by God
Matthew 27:46
73
Psalm 31:5
committed Himself to God
Luke 23:46
74
Exodus 12:46, Psalm 34:20
no bones broken
John 19:32, 33, 36
75
Psalm 22:14
heart broken
John 19:34
76
Zechariah 12:10
His side pierced
John 19:34
77
Amos 8:9
darkness over the land
Matthew 27:45
78
Isaiah 53:9
buried with the rich
Matthew 27:57-60
79
Psalm 3:5, 16:10, 49:15
to be resurrected
Mark 16:6-7, Acts 2:31
80
Isaiah 44:3, Joel 2:28
sent the Holy Spirit
John 20:22, Acts 2:16-17
81
Isaiah 55:3-4, Jeremiah 31:31
establishes a new covenant
Matthew 26:28, Luke 22:20, Hebrews 8:6-10
82
Psalm 68:18, Psalm 110:1
His ascension to God's right hand
Mark 16:19, Acts 1:9, 1 Corinthians 15:4, Ephesians 4:8, Hebrews 1:3
83
Psalm 29:11, Micah 4:3
peace proclaimed by disciples
Luke 2:14, John 14:27, Acts 10:36
84
Isaiah 60:3
"Light" to Gentiles
Acts 13:47,48
85
Isaiah 11:10, 42:1, 49:1-12
the Gentiles will seek the Messiah
Romans 11:25, 15:10
Although some of these prophecies are vague and could have been deliberately fulfilled, many are very specific: 16. Place of birth (Micah 5:2). 17. Date of birth (Daniel 9:25). 18. Manner of birth (Isaiah 7:14). 62. Manner of death (Zechariah 12:10; Psalm 22:16 prophesied before the invention of crucifixion). 76. Piercing in side (Zechariah 12:10). 78. Burial (Isaiah 53:9).
The Bible made several prophecies of the complete destruction of cities. Many of the cities it said would be rebuilt and several it claimed would never be rebuilt - The Bible is 100% accurate in both categories as archeology shows. One amazing example is the city of Tyre. Ezekiel 26:3-5,7,12,14 and (15) predict:
Nebuchadnezzar will take the city.
Other nations will participate in the fulfillment.
The city is to be made flat like the top of a rock.
It is to become a place for spreading nets.
Its stones and timber are to be laid in the sea.
The old city of Tyre will never be rebuilt.
History records that Nebuchadnezzar took the adjacent mainland settlement of Ushu ("Old Tyre"), but the people escaped out to the island city. Later, Alexander the Great took the island off the coast by taking the old city's rubble and throwing it into the sea making a land-bridge (this caused the old city to look flat like a rock due to the scraping of the material). The old city is now a place for fisherman but no city has been planted there even though there is an excellent water supply to support a major city.
Shelly, Rubel. 1990. Prepare To Answer. Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, p 92.
All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:16)
"For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass away from the Law, until all is accomplished." (Matthew 5:18)
Nelson Glueck, Rivers in the Desert, Farrar, Strauss and Cudahy, New York, 1959, p. 31.
"For Acts the confirmation of historicity is overwhelming. Yet Acts is, in simple terms and judged externally, no less a propaganda document than the Gospels, liable to similar distortion. But any attempt to reject its basic historicity even in matters of detail must now appear absurd." A. N. Sherwin-White. 1978. Roman Society and Roman Law in the New Testament. Baker, Grand Rapids, p. 189.
Flavius Josephus The Antiquities of the Jews 20.9.1
Matthew 12:24, Mark 3:22, Luke 11:15, Flavius Josephus The Antiquities of the Jews 18:63, Talmud P. Ta'an. 65b, and the Sanhedrin 3a
Cornelius Tacitus Annals 15.44 from The Tech Classics Archive translated by Alfred John Church and William Jackson Brodribb
Otto Betz. 1968. What do We Know about Jesus?, SCM Press, page 9.
Encyclopedia Britannica (Article on "Jesus")
H. G. Wells, Outline Of History.
Bruins, H.J. and J. van der Plicht. 1996. The Exodus enigma. Nature 382: 213-214.
Friedrich, W.L., P. Wagner, and H. Tauber. 1990. Thera and the Aegean World III Thera Foundation, London, UK.
Kuniholm, P.I., B. Kromer, S.W. Manning, M. Newton, C.E. Latini, and M.J. Bruce. 1996. Anatolian tree rings and the absolute chronology of the eastern Mediterranean, 2220-718 BC. Nature 381: 780-783.
Renfrew, C. 1996. Kings, tree rings and the old world. Nature 381: 733-734.
Shelly, Rubel. 1990. Prepare To Answer. Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, p 114.
therefore, thus says the Lord God,` Behold, I am against you, O Tyre, and I will bring up many nations against you, as the sea brings up its waves. And they will destroy the walls of Tyre and break down her towers; and I will scrape her debris from her and make her a bare rock. She will be a place for the spreading of nets in the midst of the sea, for I have spoken,' declares the Lord God, `and she will become spoil for the nations.'... For thus says the Lord God, "Behold, I will bring upon Tyre from the north Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, king of kings, with horses, chariots, cavalry, and a great army.... Also they will make a spoil of your riches and a prey of your merchandise, break down your walls and destroy your pleasant houses, and throw your stones and your timbers and your debris into the water.... And I will make you a bare rock; you will be a place for the spreading of nets. You will be built no more, for I the Lord have spoken," declares the Lord God.... "Then all the princes of the sea will go down from their thrones, remove their robes, and strip off their embroidered garments. They will clothe themselves with trembling; they will sit on the ground, tremble every moment, and be appalled at you." (Ezekiel 26:3-5,7,12,14,16)
Is the Bible inspired?
The doctrine of the inspiration of the Bible means that the Bible in the original documents is God-breathed, and that it is a divine product; and because it is divine, the original documents are inerrant. The copies of those documents are not inspired. We have copies of inspired documents.
2 Tim. 3:16-17 says, "All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; 17 that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work." Paul who wrote this epistle was obviously referring to the entirety of the Old Testament as being inspired. The word "inspired" is literally "God-breathed." This is an interesting phrase since it implies that the Scriptures are from the mouth of God. Likewise, Peter says in 2 Pet. 1:21, "for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God." Notice that Peter is stating that prophecy is not the product of human will. Instead, prophecy occurs by those moved by the Holy Spirit.
Furthermore, we can easily see that the Old Testament Scriptures are full of statements and phrases claiming to be the Word of God.
"Thus says the Lord" occurs 418 times in the NASB, 413 in the KJV
Exodus 4:22, "Then you shall say to Pharaoh, Thus says the Lord, 'Israel is My son, My first-born.'"
1 Kings 11:31, "And he said to Jeroboam, 'Take for yourself ten pieces; for thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, Behold, I will tear the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon and give you ten tribes.'"
Isaiah 7:7, "thus says the Lord God, 'It shall not stand nor shall it come to pass.'"
"God said" occurs 46 times in both the NASB and the KJV
Genesis 1:3, "Then God said, 'Let there be light'; and there was light."
Exodus 3:14, "And God said to Moses, 'I AM WHO I AM'; and He said, "Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, I AM has sent me to you."
Exodus 6:2-3, "God spoke further to Moses and said to him, 'I am the Lord; and I appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, as God Almighty, but by My name, Lord, I did not make Myself known to them.'"
God spoke through prophets
1 Kings 14:18, "And all Israel buried him and mourned for him, according to the word of the Lord which He spoke through His servant Ahijah the prophet."
2 Sam. 24:11-12, "When David arose in the morning, the word of the Lord came to the prophet Gad, David's seer, saying, 12 'Go and speak to David, Thus the Lord says, "I am offering you three things; choose for yourself one of them, which I may do to you."'"
Zech. 7:7, "Are not these the words which the Lord proclaimed by the former prophets, when Jerusalem was inhabited and prosperous with its cities around it, and the Negev and the foothills were inhabited?"
The Spirit of the Lord spoke through people
2 Sam. 23:2, "The Spirit of the Lord spoke by me, and His word was on my tongue."
1 Kings 22:24, "Then Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah came near and struck Micaiah on the cheek and said, 'How did the Spirit of the Lord pass from me to speak to you?'"
2 Chron. 20:14-15, "Then in the midst of the assembly the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jahaziel the son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, the Levite of the sons of Asaph; 15 and he said, 'Listen, all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem and King Jehoshaphat: thus says the Lord to you, Do not fear or be dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours but God's.'"
As you can see, the Old Testament Scriptures are clearly full of statements showing the inspiration of God through the writers. The Old Testament assumes and speaks from the perspective of divine inspiration. Should we do any less?
What about the New Testament?
We see that the Old Testament is repeatedly spoken of as being inspired via the numerous references cited above but what about the New Testament? Are the New Testament books inspired as well?
The Christian church has always considered the New Testament documents to be inspired. Though in the early church there were some debates on which New Testament books to include in the Bible, God worked through the Christian church to recognize those inspired works. Therefore we now have 27 inspired books for the New Testament.
In 1 Cor. 14:37 Paul said, "If anyone thinks he is a prophet or spiritual, let him recognize that the things which I write to you are the Lord's commandment." In 2 Pet. 3:16 Peter said, "as also in all [Paul's] letters, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which the untaught and unstable distort, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures, to their own destruction." Also, Jesus said in John 14:26, "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you." This means that the Lord has commissioned the apostles to accurately record what Jesus had said because the Holy Spirit would be working in them.
So, we can see that Jesus promised direction from the Holy Spirit, that Paul considered what he wrote to be the commands of God, and that Peter recognized Paul's writings as Scripture. In addition, since the Christian Church recognizes the 27 books of the New Testament are inspired and since we see internal claims of inspiration in the New Testament, we conclude that inspiration applies to the New Testament documents as well.
Objections
Inspiration violates free will.
A. Inspiration does not violate free will. What if the person through whom God is working has been regenerated by the Holy Spirit and desires to have the Lord speak through him? Would this negate the ability of God to inerrantly speak through such a person? Would it also mean that the person has no free will if he has voluntarily subjected his will to the will of God?
B. Certainly, God has the ability to work through individuals to bring them to a place where they can record inerrant statements. Cannot God manifest himself to someone, deliver to him a verbal message, and have that person record it? Would that statement not be inspired of God?
C. Proverbs. 21:1,"The king's heart is like channels of water in the hand of the Lord; he turns it wherever He wishes." This verse clearly states that God is able to work through an individual's "free will" to bring about what God desires.
2. What about the numerous contradictions in the Bible?
A. It is true that there are difficulties with in the Word of God. But these are due to copying errors through the centuries. As more and more historical, archaeological, and manuscript evidence is uncovered, the fewer Bible difficulties there are. Nevertheless, for an examination of answers to the alleged Bible contradictions, please see www.BibleQuery.org.
3. The manuscript evidence doesn't support inerrancy of the originals.
A. This is a subjective conclusion. The more I have studied about the ancient manuscripts, the more I have concluded that the original documents were indeed inspired and inerrant.
B. The logical implication of the statements within the Bible is that they are inerrant since they claim to be offered from God. They either are or are not inspired of God. If they are not, then their claims of speaking for God are lies.
4. Inspiration applies to scripture--not people.
A. God works sovereignly through people to inspire his documents. It is the people whom God indwells with his spirit and the people who are inspired by God to write his word. If inspiration only refers to Scripture, and somehow means that people are not themselves inspired, the Scriptures are still God-breathed and necessarily inerrant.
For more see our website www.BibleQuery.org. -
For those wishing to get an in-depth study of the Biblical Doctrine of Hell besides our video series presented on our playlist "Dealing with Hell, Lake of Fire, Unpopular Bible Doctrines" at https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLE04A1D0DFE95B95E can go to "Eternal Punishment, Part 1" at http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=12607145320 & "Eternal Punishment, Part 2" at http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=12607143539. Great preaching on this subject can be found at "Heaven & Hell" by Charles Haddon Spurgeon at http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=8702112616; "A Few Sighs From Hell" by John Bunyan at http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=112903233617; "God's Hell" by John Wagner at http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=6501212239; other great Biblical messages about the doctrine of Hell can be found at http://www.sermonaudio.com/search.asp?currSection=sermonstopic&keyworddesc=Hell&keyword=hell. 2 Timothy 2:15
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The mailing address for Pilgrim Publications is P.O. Box 66, Pasadena, TX 77501. Their phone number is 713-477-4261 or 713-477-2329. Their website is PILGRIMPUBLICATIONS COM. They are one of the leading publishers of the works of Charles Haddon Spurgeon in the world.
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Thank you too for your comment . I tried to find Pilgrim Publishers who prints all of Spurgeons material and wish I could obtain some of the fine Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit volumes...I own 3...1884, 1891 & 1892, used copies. I had some few more than that but loaned them out...glad that they are being read but wish I had more of them, hoping that somehow I can get a kind of deal or offer to get a volume a month or be able to have these precious volumes. Sources out there for Spurgeon lovers?
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It is fine indeed to find any who love these truly great men of God. They actually reach more persons now than when they were here with us. I read someplace of the languages their sermons and other books are in now and that millions of copies go forth and who can know of how many are helped and blessed so much by what I consider the greatest preachers of the 19th & 20th centuries. Last, this internet and technology never dreamed of before are making them known to new generations. Thank you.
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Thanks for the great comments! I agree with you about Charles Haddon Spurgeon & Dr Martyn Lloyd-Jones. Blessings in Christ to you!
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Oh my! What a wonderful message by Bob Ross and the related material he gives us of and re Charles Spurgeon...CHS (and Martyn Lloyd-Jones) two of my all time favorite preachers to read...you can hear Lloyd-Jones sermons on internet for free downloads. CHS is read on CD'S now too on internet. I envy the ones who have Spurgeons large set of sermons from his preaching (the MTP series.) This is great what Bob Ross does here on Youtube.
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I like it a lot, as a devote christian I am.
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Blessings to all. 2 Timothy 2:15, "Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth."