Call on the Name of the Lord -- Jared Anderson

Here are the lyrics to the song.

Call on the name of the Lord
Call on the name of the Lord
Call on the name of the Lord
And be saved and be saved

Come to the water and be purified
Though your sin be a scarlet
He will wash it white as snow

Call on the name of the Lord
Call on the name of the Lord
Call on the name of the Lord
And be saved and be saved

All those who seek Him surely find
All those who know Him
Drink from the well of everlasting life

Call on the name of the Lord
Call on the name of the Lord
Call on the name of the Lord
And be saved and be saved

Yes, everything this song speaks about it true.  Call on the Lord and he will save you.  You will be purified and will have eternal life.

Romans 10:13 For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.

 John 6:47 “I assure you: Anyone who believes has eternal life.

1 John 1:7 But if we walk in the light as He Himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.

To me, this is one of those feel good, all inclusive songs, that say anyone can come to Christ and it will be easy.  Just say his name and you are saved. What this song fails to mention is (as was written in a previous post)

Matthew 7:21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord!’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of My Father in heaven.

2 Timothy 2:19 Nevertheless, God’s solid foundation stands firm, having this inscription: The Lord knows those who are His, and Everyone who names the name of the Lord must turn away from unrighteousness.

Yes, calling on the name of the Lord will save you, but you must also do the will of God and turn away from unrighteousness and sin.  I know that no person will ever completely turn away from sin in this life, but it is what we are striving to do in our sanctification.  No, your works will not save you.  If you are saved, then you will want to do the good works, which are the will of God.

The song  fails to mention that we must be in the Father's will and turn from those scarlet sins and remain white as snow, as best we can.  It is not easy to be a Christian.  Simply saying, "Lord, Lord" and doing nothing to further the kingdom of our Lord is not going to get you into heaven.  You must give up sin.  You must endure persecution. (Granted I have never felt true persecution like our sister and brothers in other countries, but if it were to happen here, we would have to endure).

Overall, while this song is not unbiblical, it does seems to portray an easy Christianity where all you have to do is "call on the name of the Lord" to be able to experience the richness and joy of being a child of God.  To me, the song is shallow and does not go deep into scripture.  For someone who, as Hebrew says, still needs milk, this song would work well, but if you are now eating solid food, you need songs which have a bit of meat to them.

Call on the Name of the Lord

In our service one day, we heard a story from a group of people who had witnessed, what they called, a spiritual moment.  I was not there.  I did not experience it, but something was not quite right with the story.  In the story, a man came into a church service and attempted to strangle a woman.  The pastor, who was a woman, came to stop the man.  She told the congregation to "call on the name of Jesus" while she was trying to defuse the situation.  According to the group, what happened was the congregation literally repeated "Jesus, Jesus, Jesus" over and over.  Eventually the man stopped choking the woman and left.  The group felt that just by saying Jesus over and over was the reason the man eventually left and the woman was out of harms way.  

I have a hard time accepting this.  Just saying Jesus over and over has very little value or meaning.  Now, if it were a situation where someone was so scared or distraught that all they could utter was Jesus, then I know that their prayer will be interceded for and be heard, but it seems, from the way the story was told, that no one, but perhaps the woman being hurt, was in such an emotional state where they could not actually pray. 

Here is an illustration on how it would seem if you only said Jesus over and over. 

Person:  Jesus, Jesus, Jesus!
Jesus:  Yes, I am here.
Person:  Jesus, Jesus, Jesus!
Jesus:  I'm here.
Person:  Jesus, Jesus, Jesus!
Jesus:  Yes?

How should we expect an answer to our prayers if all we say is Jesus.  Yes, the Lord knows our thoughts and our prayers even before we say them, but it is through our prayers that the Lord chooses to work.  Simply saying Jesus is not a prayer.  It is just a name.  The name, Jesus, was a very common name in ancient Israel.  It was not a name unique to Christ.  Just saying Jesus could mean you are talking to almost anyone.

The group brought out this verse to back up their story:

Philippians 2:10 at the name of Jesus every knee will bow.

While I agree this is true, I do feel that it was taken out of context, they did not even use the whole verse.  For one thing, the man did not 'bow' or humble himself in front of this congregation.  He just left, probably still hot and mad.  The full section of this scripture is:

Philippians 2:5 Make your own attitude that of Christ Jesus,
6 who, existing in the form of God,
did not consider equality with God
as something to be used for His own advantage.
7 Instead He emptied Himself
by assuming the form of a slave,
taking on the likeness of men.
And when He had come as a man
in His external form,
8 He humbled Himself by becoming obedient
to the point of death—
even to death on a cross.
9 For this reason God highly exalted Him
and gave Him the name
that is above every name,
10 so that at the name of Jesus
every knee will bow—
of those who are in heaven and on earth
and under the earth—
11 and every tongue should confess
that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.

We know that not every knee has bowed to Christ, but they will.  When he returns.  This section of scripture is showing us how we should be humble and obedient like Christ.  It was for this reason that God exalted Christ so that every knee would bow and every tongue confess in Him.  All this for the Father's glory. 

Notice, that Jesus was given a name that is above every name.  His name is holy and special.  Not just the name Jesus, but who Jesus is.  Like I said earlier, Jesus was a common name in His time, so many people had that name, but none of the others were the Christ.  In Israel, many times, the name of a person reflected who he was or what he did.  So, by making Jesus Christ's name unique and above other names, speaks about his character and actions, not about what his actual name was.

Another disappointing thing about this particular service was the closing song.  We sang "Call on the name of the Lord."  Not the whole song, just the chorus.  Just "call on the name of the Lord and be saved."

Yes, the Bible does say this:

Romans 10:13 For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.

However, the Bible also says:

Matthew 7:21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord!’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of My Father in heaven.

2 Timothy 2:19 Nevertheless, God’s solid foundation stands firm, having this inscription: The Lord knows those who are His, and Everyone who names the name of the Lord must turn away from unrighteousness.

Yes, calling on the name of the Lord will save you, but you must also do the will of God and turn away from unrighteousness and sin.  I know that no person will ever completely turn away from sin in this life, but it is what we are striving to do in our sanctification.  No, your works will not save you.  If you are saved, then you will want to do the good works, which are the will of God. 

What Many Christians Need to Know

So, yesterday I was reading an article about a women who had a miscarriage at 19 weeks and the article talked a lot about the family's experience as well as detailing how a 19 week fetus, and those of similar gestational age look human and are not just a "clump of cells."  Well this post is not about that article, but about the comments to that article.

Why arguing is pointless
As with most articles, whether talking about abortion, global warming or even the color of sheets that people most prefer, it seems that in the comment section there seems to always be a battle between Christians and Non-Christians.  It seems to always turn into an argument that both sides think they can win, but in reality neither side will gain any ground.  I cannot answer for the non-believers, but I can say this to those who believe:  Why bother arguing?  The Bible is clear:

1 Corinthians 2:14 But the unbeliever does not welcome what comes from God’s Spirit, because it is foolishness to him; he is not able to understand it since it is evaluated spiritually.

The unbeliever will always view God and anything about Him as foolish.  We cannot, in ourselves, do anything about that.  So, as a believer this is what we should do.  Arguing is futile.

Titus 3:6 But avoid foolish debates, genealogies, quarrels, and disputes about the law, for they are unprofitable and worthless.

It is God alone who can change the heart of the unbeliever.  He alone can call the sinner to Himself.  He may use us in that process, but in reality, arguing on a message board will not win anyone for Christ.

The Devil causes sin
This comment was on the message board SO much!  Saying this like "the devil causes sin in the world" or "the devil made me do it" is giving the devil way to much credit.  The devil cannot make us sin, he can only tempt us to sin.  The sin comes from our own heart.  We are all born with a sinful nature and it is by the grace of God we are brought out of that nature into a new nature in Christ.

The baby will be in heaven
Many Christians tried to give comfort for the family telling them their baby is in heaven and in God's arms.  Where does the Bible tell us this?  No where.  Each and everyone of us were conceived in sin and each and everyone of us must deal with the consequences of sin.  That goes for those who are in the womb as well as those who are living in the world.  If as a Christian we believe that the fetus inside the mother is a human with a soul, we must also believe that the child is sinful, even though he/she is not yet born.  As Christians, we also believe that God will justly judge all humans and give them the consequences they deserve.  I am sure that the unborn who have passed away will be judged in a just way just as us who live today.  I am not saying unborn children our young children who pass away before they themselves are conscience of such a decision as to follow Christ will not be in heaven, but I cannot say with certainty that they will be. 

Why would a loving God cause a baby to die?
This question was asked multiple times.  The answer, while partly given was never fully explained.  Yes, our God is loving, but he is also wrathful and jealous.  The nature of God is more than love.  The real reason, however, that a baby dies is because of sin.  Yes, this was pointed out by many people.  Sin causes death. 

Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Death entered the world when Adam and Eve ate the fruit.  It was not completely Eve's fault.  She was tempted to sin, Adam was not.  Eve would not have eaten if the devil hadn't tempted her.   Adam was there the whole time the devil was speaking to Eve and did not even try to stop her.  The command had been given to Adam, and not to Eve.  Well, anywho, I am getting a little off topic here, let me get back to my point.  Sin entered the world through sin.  Before sin, there was no death.

Going back to the question, yes, the death of the child was the will of God, or it would not have happen.  This does not make God evil for allowing the child to die.  Death and sin was necessary for Christ to come.  If there was no death or sin, then Christ would not have come and we would still be living in the Garden of Eden without sin and with a perfect relationship with God.  This, however, would not have served God's purpose of man.  Man is here to glorify God.  God wants the greatest glory for Himself.  If everything had remained perfect, and there was no sin, how much would we appreciate what God had done for us?  We would not know despair or sadness to know what joy and happiness would feel like.  The greatest glory for God is having His son come and give Himself for us.  Remember, Christ was the plan from the beginning.  All of creation and everything that has happened was for Christ and the glory of God.  Sin and death was necessary for Christ to come.  One day, everything will return to paradise.  We will again live in perfect harmony with our God and creator.  It isn't here yet, but it is coming.

You can't judge me!
Um, if you are a Christian I can.  The Bible tells me to do that.  What we are not to judge is whether or not someone is a believer.  We cannot tell by looking at someone if they are or are not a Christian.  We should reserve this type of judging to God, and God alone. (I believe this is what James is talking about).    We are to judge the actions of our fellow believers.  If we see our brothers and sisters straying away from God, we are to point that out to them, lovingly, and bring them back to Christ. (This is talked about in Matthew).

One of the commenters stated how he hated Christians because they were hypocritical and did not approve (or allow) him to live in a sinful situation.  We are hypocrites.  We are not perfect.  Even though we are Christians, we are still sinners.  It is by the grace of God we can claim a relationship with Him and believe we can go to heaven, when what we deserve is Hell.  It is not a Christians place to tell him not to live in sin because he is not a Christian.  I do think this commenter is giving Christians too much credit in the equal marriage debate.  How much influence do we Christians have in politics?  How many of the politicians today are truly Christian?  If Christians had their way in all things, abortion would be illegal as would any sin that could be committed, but a vast majority of sins (according to the Bible) are legal and even protected under the law. 

Conclusion
So, I really should not read the comment sections on articles.  The get me so riled up, but I know it is pointless to argue with those who think I'm crazy no matter what I say.  I do believe we should share our faith, but I see no need to argue my believes with other people.  I do not need to prove my believes to anyone.  Just like the old argument, "Prove to me that God exist!"  I want to ask them to prove that He doesn't, but that to is just pointless. 

Exodus 20:7 -- Do Not Misuse the Name of the Lord

Exodus 20:7 Do not misuse the name of the Lord your God, because the Lord will not leave anyone unpunished who misuses His name.

We should not use the name of the Lord in a way that would bring dishonor to him.  We should not use his name unless we are addressing Him or telling someone about Him.  Passages in the Old Testament tells us to take our oaths in Him name.  

The Bible is filled with references telling the people to not misuse God's name, here are a few.

Leviticus 18:21 “You are not to make any of your children pass through the fire to Molech. Do not profane the name of your God; I am Yahweh."

Leviticus 19:12 You must not swear falsely by My name, profaning the name of your God; I am Yahweh.

These two verses are straight forward.  Do not profane the name of God.

Deuteronomy 18:19 I will hold accountable whoever does not listen to My words that he speaks in My name.20 But the prophet who dares to speak a message in My name that I have not commanded him to speak, or who speaks in the name of other gods—that prophet must die.’

Here, a punishment is given for those who profane or misuse the name of God, he must die.

Psalm 74:10 God, how long will the enemy mock?
Will the foe insult Your name forever?
11 Why do You hold back Your hand?
Stretch out Your right hand and destroy them!

The Psalmist is pleading with God to destroy those who insult the name of the Lord.

Proverbs 30:8 Keep falsehood and deceitful words far from me.
Give me neither poverty nor wealth;
feed me with the food I need.
9 Otherwise, I might have too much
and deny You, saying, “Who is the Lord?”
or I might have nothing and steal,
profaning the name of my God.

Here in Proverbs it suggest that having plenty or too little could cause someone to profane the name of God.  Having just what one needs can help keep one from doing so.

Ezekiel 20:39 “As for you, house of Israel, this is what the Lord God says: Go and serve your idols, each of you. But afterward you will surely listen to Me, and you will no longer defile My holy name with your gifts and idols.

Ezekiel is telling Israel that they are defiling the name of God by serving idols.  By rejecting God and raising our lives to another god profanes God's name because we are not seeing Him for being the Holy God he truly is.

Ezekiel 36:21 Then I had concern for My holy name, which the house of Israel profaned among the nations where they went.
22 “Therefore, say to the house of Israel: This is what the Lord God says: It is not for your sake that I will act, house of Israel, but for My holy name, which you profaned among the nations where you went. 23 I will honor the holiness of My great name, which has been profaned among the nations—the name you have profaned among them. The nations will know that I am Yahweh”—the declaration of the Lord God—“when I demonstrate My holiness through you in their sight. 

Romans 2:23 You who boast in the law, do you dishonor God by breaking the law? 24 For, as it is written: The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.

These two verses show that the name of God is defiled when those who proclaim His name do not act as though they follow God.  They confess with their lips but their actions are completely different.  Thus, those who see them out in the world get the wrong view of God, this His name is profaned.

1 Timothy 6:1 All who are under the yoke as slaves must regard their own masters to be worthy of all respect, so that God’s name and His teaching will not be blasphemed.

If you are subjected to following the rules or under the authority of another individual, no matter who they are, or how they act, you must show them respect so that your witness in Christ may be protected and that you will blaspheme the name of God.

Revelation 16:8 The fourth poured out his bowl on the sun. He was given the power to burn people with fire, 9 and people were burned by the intense heat. So they blasphemed the name of God, who had the power over these plagues, and they did not repent and give Him glory.

The people here experienced something horrible.  Instead of turning to God and repenting or even acknowledging the power of God to remove these horrible plagues, the people grumbled and complained that they were being burned.  Grumbling and complaining against God is another way to blaspheme His name.

There are many ways we can defile the name of our God.  It is more than spewing out a profanity.  It is a way of life.  If we have idols, if we grumble and complain against Him, if our actions do not match our speech concerning Him, if we deliberately sin, we are guilty of profaning the name of God.  God is all about His glory.  His name must be praised and exalted.  We must strive to do this every day by praising him and turning from our sins.

Exodus 20:1-17 -- The Ten Commandments

Exodus 20:1 Then God spoke all these words:
2 I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the place of slavery.
3 Do not have other gods besides Me.
4 Do not make an idol for yourself, whether in the shape of anything in the heavens above or on the earth below or in the waters under the earth. 5 You must not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the fathers’ sin, to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, 6 but showing faithful love to a thousand generations of those who love Me and keep My commands.
7 Do not misuse the name of the Lord your God, because the Lord will not leave anyone unpunished who misuses His name.
8 Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy: 9 You are to labor six days and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. You must not do any work—you, your son or daughter, your male or female slave, your livestock, or the foreigner who is within your gates. 11 For the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and everything in them in six days; then He rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and declared it holy.
12 Honor your father and your mother so that you may have a long life in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.
13 Do not murder.
14 Do not commit adultery.
15 Do not steal.
16 Do not give false testimony against your neighbor.
17 Do not covet your neighbor’s house. Do not covet your neighbor’s wife, his male or female slave, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.

These are the ten commandments given to Moses by God while he was up on the mountain.  Every Jew was to follow these laws, all of these laws, with no exception.  Over the next few posts, I will explore the commandments on by one, but for this post, we will focus on the law and what that means for us today.

We today, are not held under these laws.  We are not under the law of the Old Testament.  We are under Christ.

Matthew 22:34 When the Pharisees heard that He had silenced the Sadducees, they came together.35 And one of them, an expert in the law, asked a question to test Him: 36 “Teacher, which command in the law is the greatest?”
37 He said to him, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. 38 This is the greatest and most important command. 39 The second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. 40 All the Law and the Prophets depend on these two commands.”

Christ commands us to love God with all that we are and to love our neighbors as ourselves.  If we do these things, we will follow the commands from the 10 commandments.  If we love God with all we are, we will keep him first in our lives and not create idols to take his place.  We will observe His holy days and keep them holy.  We will not misuse the name of God if we love him with all we are.  If we love our neighbor, we will not steal from him, commit adultery with the spouse we coveted against the spouse we may have, we will not lie to or about our neighbor, we will not kill him in our thoughts or deeds.  We will keep the commandments.

Our hope and salvation is not placed on keeping the law.  If it were, we would all be damned to hell.  There is no person alive today, or ever, apart from Christ who ever kept the law perfectly.

Romans 4:14 If those who are of the law are heirs, faith is made empty and the promise is canceled.15 For the law produces wrath. And where there is no law, there is no transgression.
16 This is why the promise is by faith, so that it may be according to grace, to guarantee it to all the descendants—not only to those who are of the law but also to those who are of Abraham’s faith. He is the father of us all.

Galatians 2:15 We who are Jews by birth and not “Gentile sinners” 16 know that no one is justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ. And we have believed in Christ Jesus so that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no human being will be justified. 17 But if we ourselves are also found to be “sinners” while seeking to be justified by Christ, is Christ then a promoter of sin? Absolutely not! 18 If I rebuild the system I tore down, I show myself to be a lawbreaker. 19 For through the law I have died to the law, so that I might live for God. I have been crucified with Christ 20 and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. 21 I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died for nothing.

Galatians 5:1 Christ has liberated us to be free. Stand firm then and don’t submit again to a yoke of slavery. 2 Take note! I, Paul, tell you that if you get yourselves circumcised, Christ will not benefit you at all. 3 Again I testify to every man who gets himself circumcised that he is obligated to keep the entire law. 4 You who are trying to be justified by the law are alienated from Christ; you have fallen from grace. 5 For through the Spirit, by faith, we eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness. 6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision accomplishes anything; what matters is faith working through love.

Scripture is clear in so many more places than this that the law is not what saves us, Christ is.  In the last set of scriptures, Paul says that if you argue that one part of the law must be kept, then you must keep it all.  By doing this, you are alienated from Christ.  Christ came and freed us from the law.

James goes on to say:

James 2:10 For whoever keeps the entire law, yet fails in one point, is guilty of breaking it all. 11 For He who said, Do not commit adultery, also said, Do not murder. So if you do not commit adultery, but you do murder, you are a lawbreaker.

If we even break one part of the law, we are guilty of breaking them all.  God made all of the laws, from the simple to the difficult, from the not so bad to the really bad (in human eyes of course).  Killing is just as bad as adultery, which is just as bad as lying.

Our law under Christ is to love God with all we are and to love our neighbors as ourselves.  If we do these two things, we can obey all that God would want from us.  Christ came to crush the law.  He came to offer salvation apart from following the law.  Christ's salvation is a gift from God to us.  We receive this gift so we can live as Christ, outside the Old Testament laws and in a life that is rich and overflowing with Christ's love.

Do all good people go to heaven?

The simple answer, NO.  There is a lot in the Bible that supports this answer.   This post is in response to what the Pope said a few days ago.

This is what the Pope said:

"The Lord created us in His image and likeness, and we are the image of the Lord, and He does good and all of us have this commandment at heart: do good and do not do evil. All of us. ‘But, Father, this is not Catholic! He cannot do good.’ Yes, he can... "The Lord has redeemed all of us, all of us, with the Blood of Christ: all of us, not just Catholics. Everyone! ‘Father, the atheists?’ Even the atheists. Everyone!".. We must meet one another doing good. ‘But I don’t believe, Father, I am an atheist!’ But do good: we will meet one another there.”

Yes, we are created in the image and likeness of God.  God reveals this from the beginning when he told the angels "let us make man in our image."  We may have the commandment to do good and not evil, but that does not mean we do it.  We will never choose good because it is good.  There is always a selfish reasons, unless Christ is in it, we cannot do good.  Not pure good in the eyes of God.  We can do good in the eyes of man, but God's definition of good is different from ours.  God's definition of good is that which is perfect and complete.  When God created, he called his creation very good.  When it was created, it was perfect and complete.  When God calls something good, it means it is perfect.  There is no sinful desire or motive what so ever.  When we say something is good, we mean it is pleasing or beneficial to us somehow.  Someones actions may be good, but their motives behind those actions may not.

Romans 3:12 All have turned away;
all alike have become useless.
There is no one who does what is good,
not even one.

The Bible is clear, no one is good.  Not even one.  Not one single person, apart from Christ was ever good.

Responding to the leader of the Roman Catholic church's homily, Father James Martin, S.J. wrote in an email to The Huffington Post:
"Pope Francis is saying, more clearly than ever before, that Christ offered himself as a sacrifice for everyone. That's always been a Christian belief. You can find St. Paul saying in the First Letter to Timothy that Jesus gave himself as a "ransom for all." But rarely do you hear it said by Catholics so forcefully, and with such evident joy. And in this era of religious controversies, it's a timely reminder that God cannot be confined to our narrow categories."

My response to this:

Romans 3:23 For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. 24 They are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. 25 God presented Him as a propitiation through faith in His blood, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His restraint God passed over the sins previously committed. 26 God presented Him to demonstrate His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be righteous and declare righteous the one who has faith in Jesus.

We are justified by His grace.  Jesus will declare righteous the one who has faith in Him.  Only those who have faith will be justified.  This verse is clear!  The atheist has no faith in God.  He is sinning by denying the one true God.  He is not justified through faith in Christ.  Yes, Christ's blood is enough for all, but not all are allowed to partake.  Only those who receive the grace of God and have faith in Christ will receive the redemptive blood of Christ.

1 Timothy 2:1 First of all, then, I urge that petitions, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for everyone, 2 for kings and all those who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. 3 This is good, and it pleases God our Savior, 4 who wants everyone to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
5 For there is one God
and one mediator between God and humanity,
Christ Jesus, Himself human,
6 who gave Himself—a ransom for all,
a testimony at the proper time.
7 For this I was appointed a herald, an apostle (I am telling the truth; I am not lying), and a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.

I do agree with the statement that Christ's blood can redeem all people.  His blood was enough, but again, scripture is very clear.  Only those who believe in Christ will be redeemed. There is one God.  One mediator between God and man.  That is Christ.  Only Christ.  Only through Christ can we get to God.  Apart from Christ we cannot get to God.

"But do good: we will meet one another there."  There is so much wrong with this statement and it is really, probably, what is most controversial about what he said.  Even more so than saying a good atheist can get into heaven.  A good atheist is still a sinner because he still denies God and sin cannot be in the presence of God.  He abhors sin.  However, this notion that any good person can get to heaven or even be part of the earthly church is ridiculous.

James 1:25 But the one who looks intently into the perfect law of freedom and perseveres in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but one who does good works—this person will be blessed in what he does.

You might say, but wait a minute.  James here says we must do good works to be blessed.  Look closer.  Look intently in to the perfect law of freedom.  That is Christ.  Look at his laws and preserve them!  Out of this will flow good works.  A true believer and follower of Christ will not only hear the words of God and believe, but they will also preform good works out of their love for the Father.

Galatians 2:15 We who are Jews by birth and not “Gentile sinners” 16 know that no one is justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ. And we have believed in Christ Jesus so that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no human being will be justified. 17 But if we ourselves are also found to be “sinners” while seeking to be justified by Christ, is Christ then a promoter of sin? Absolutely not! 18 If I rebuild the system I tore down, I show myself to be a lawbreaker. 19 For through the law I have died to the law, so that I might live for God. I have been crucified with Christ 20 and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. 21 I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died for nothing.

Well, looky here.  Good works do not save.  Doing good will not get you into heaven.  Obeying the law will not get you into heaven.  Only a faith and love in Christ will do!  If we say that someone can do good and get into heaven, then Christ's death was meaningless.  We would not need to send anyone to tell of Christ.  Christ would not mean a thing.  All we would have to do is say "Just do good and God will let you in."  Never mind the fact that you spit in his face daily and deny or even hate the very existence of God.  If  you do what is good in MAN'S eyes then you can get there, no problem.  The Bible preaches something totally different!  Man's opinion does not matter.  What matters is God's opinion.  If God sees you as you are, then you are wretched and wicked.  It does not matter what "good" in man's sight that you do.  It is still evil in the site of God.

"The heart is more deceitful than anything else" (Jeremiah 17:9) and "how can you speak good things when you are evil? For the mouth speaks from the overflow of the heart" (Matthew 12:34). "A good man produces good out of the good storeroom of his heart. An evil man produces evil out of the evil storeroom, for his mouth speaks from the overflow of the heart" (Luke 6:45).  Our hearts are deceitful.  Out of our hearts flows what is our inherent nature.  This is always evil, unless Christ has redeemed us.  We cannot save ourselves by doing good.  Our hearts will not allow it.

Ezekiel 11:19 And I will give them one heart and put a new spirit within them; I will remove their heart of stone from their bodies and give them a heart of flesh, 20 so they may follow My statutes, keep My ordinances, and practice them. Then they will be My people, and I will be their God. 21 But as for those whose hearts pursue their desire for detestable things and practices, I will bring their actions down on their own heads.” This is the declaration of the Lord God.

When we are born, we have a heart of stone.  It will remain a heart of stone until God turns it into a heart of flesh.  From this passage, man does nothing except in response to what God does.  We will follow his statutes, keep his ordinances and practice them ONLY because GOD has changed our hearts.  He changes our hearts so we can obey him.  Otherwise, we would remain wicked and evil.

Our own good works will not get us into heaven.  God makes it clear that we must follow Christ and believe and have faith in him in order to receive blessings through good works which will flow out of the new desires of our heart that are given to us by God when he turns our heart of stone into a heart of flesh.  We can do nothing on our own but wickedness.  Christ can save us.  But only Christ.  He is our hope.  He is our future. His death mattered because we can do nothing to improve our own wicked condition.  His death provided a way for us to be with God.  All people can be redeemed through his blood, but you must believe and have faith.  A faith that only comes from God and only bestowed by his grace and his mercy towards us.

Source:

The quotes were taking from the article:  Pope Francis Says Atheists Who Do Good Are Redeemed, Not Just Catholics

Why should we go to church?

So, this question has been posed twice in the last week and has been nagging at me every day for the last several days.  I am going to try and answer this question in a way that shows we SHOULD be going to church and why some of the reasons and excuses that are given are invalid even when the argument is compelling.

First off, I think many people (Christian and not) have an incorrect definition of what the church is.  The church is not a building.  It is not a place we go.  It is the gathering of believers.  It does not matter if we are in a building that is called a "church" or in a park or wherever.  Wherever the body of believers are gathered in the name of Christ, where they are worshiping and fellowshipping together is the church.  Also, the church can refer to a small gathering of believers or it can refer to the church as a whole (every Christian on the planet).  For this post, I will mostly be referring to a small gathering of believers.

The people who attend church are a bunch of hypocrites.
One of the most common reasons I hear of people not wanting to attend church is that the church if full of hypocrites.  Aren't we all hypocrites one way or another.  Haven't we all said things then turned around and did something completely different?  One BIG example of that is all the people who say murder is wrong, but then say a woman should be given a free choice about having an abortion.  I heard it summed up like this "The church is a hospital for the sinner, not a museum for the saints."  The ONLY place where no one sins and is not a hypocrite is in heaven.  And we only get there by the grace of God!

Matthew 9:9 As Jesus went on from there, He saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax office, and He said to him, “Follow Me!” So he got up and followed Him.
10 While He was reclining at the table in the house, many tax collectors and sinners came as guests to eat with Jesus and His disciples. 11 When the Pharisees saw this, they asked His disciples, “Why does your Teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”
12 But when He heard this, He said, “Those who are well don’t need a doctor, but the sick do. 13 Go and learn what this means: I desire mercy and not sacrifice. For I didn’t come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

Here, Jesus calls Matthew, a tax collection (tax collections were hated and were often greedy and money hungry and often took more than they were required to line their own pockets).  When people see Jesus associating with a sinner, they immediately question, and get this response:  For I didn’t come to call the righteous, but sinners.  If you do not sin, you do not need a savior.  Jesus did not come for you if you are already perfect.  Jesus came to make you perfect.  (Though we will not see that until heaven!)

Romans 3:23 For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

Every man is a sinner.  Every man who has ever lived (except Christ) has sinned.  So, is the church full of hypocrites?  Yes, absolutely.  However, the difference between a true Christian and a true hypocrite is that the Christian is trying to do something about it.  They are trying to live according to the will of God.  A true hypocrite does not.  In a true Christian, you will see changes and improvements over time, in a true hypocrite you will not.

I can have church at my own home, by myself.
Well, no, you can't.  You can worship at home, you are not a church by yourself.  The Bible is clear that you should be gathering with your fellow believers regularly.  The "church" makes this very convenient in that they have specific times where the body of believers gather so you can come together with fellow believers without having to plan it all yourself!

Hebrews 10:23 Let us hold on to the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. 24 And let us be concerned about one another in order to promote love and good works, 25 not staying away from our worship meetings, as some habitually do, but encouraging each other, and all the more as you see the day drawing near.

The purpose of coming together as a body of believers is to encourage one another, to promote love and good works.  How can you encourage your brothers and sisters while never visiting with them?  How can you promote love and good works if you are never there to help your fellow brothers and sisters in ministry? Christians need accountability.  God does not want us to do this alone.  He gave us brothers and sisters who care for us to help us on our journey and if we fail to meet with then regularly, then how are we to help them or how are they to help us when we have a time of need?

Another reason it is difficult to do church at home by ones self is that coming together with many different Christians can help you grow and mature in your understanding of scriptures.  If you are reading your Bible alone, you only have your thoughts.  By fellowshipping with other believers, you can learn more about different passages and learn of new connections and concepts.

I do not need to go to church to get to heaven.
This is the statement that really prompted all this.  While it is true, going to church does not save you, I feel that if you are a Christian, then you should WANT to go to church.  If you are a true believer, then the Lord should be your main focus in life.  You live for Him.  As Paul says in Philippians:

1:21 For me, living is Christ and dying is gain.

Where the church is gathered is where you should want to be.  If you have no desire to attend church, then I fear you may not be a Christian.  If you hate to go to church or it is too much of a hassle, then where are your priorities?  You are not focused on Christ, so what are you focused on?

I fear that many people do not know what it really means to be a Christian.  They feel that since they "said a prayer" or  believe they "are a good person" then they will get to heaven.  Well, being a Christian is more than saying a prayer and being a good person.  Having fire insurance does not mean you will not get burned!  Being a Christian is about having a personal relationship with God.  The church is God dwelling with man.  Yes, his spirit dwells with in each of us, but it is when we are all gathered together as one body of Christ that we can really see the love and power of God.  While you do not need church to get to heaven, you do need Christ.

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Now closing this post I want to add that this post is written to Christians.  If you are not a believer, then there is no reason for you to attend church.  Going to church does not save you or get you any brownie points with God.  Many "churches" get this wrong.  They plan services to bring in the sinners and save them, but what they should be doing is making disciples and sending them out to sinners.  God saves people where they are and brings them to the church to grow and change.

Genesis 17:1-14 - Circumcision

Genesis 17:1 When Abram was 99 years old, the Lord appeared to him, saying, “I am God Almighty.Live in My presence and be blameless. 2 I will establish My covenant between Me and you, and I will multiply you greatly.”
3 Then Abram fell facedown and God spoke with him: 4 “As for Me, My covenant is with you: you will become the father of many nations. 5 Your name will no longer be Abram, but your name will be Abraham, for I will make you the father of many nations. 6 I will make you extremely fruitful and will make nations and kings come from you. 7 I will keep My covenant between Me and you, and your future offspring throughout their generations, as an everlasting covenant to be your God and the God of your offspring after you. 8 And to you and your future offspring I will give the land where you are residing—all the land of Canaan—as an eternal possession, and I will be their God.”

Here God is reiterating the promises he has previously given to Abram.  He will have many offspring, who will be a great nation and his offspring will possess the land of Canaan.

Genesis 17:9 God also said to Abraham, “As for you, you and your offspring after you throughout their generations are to keep My covenant. 10 This is My covenant, which you are to keep, between Me and you and your offspring after you: Every one of your males must be circumcised. 11 You must circumcise the flesh of your foreskin to serve as a sign of the covenant between Me and you. 12 Throughout your generations, every male among you at eight days old is to be circumcised. This includes a slave born in your house and one purchased with money from any foreigner. The one who is not your offspring, 13 a slave born in your house, as well as one purchased with money, must be circumcised. My covenant will be marked in your flesh as an everlasting covenant. 14 If any male is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, that man will be cut off from his people; he has broken My covenant.”

Circumcision of an outwardly sign of the covenant of God with Israel.  Every Israelite male was to be circumcised   This was an issue in the early church, as Paul addresses in some of his letters.  

Many people in the early church began to argue that one had to be circumcised in order to be saved.  This is not so.  As Romans states below:

Romans 4:9 Is this blessing only for the circumcised, then? Or is it also for the uncircumcised? For we say, Faith was credited to Abraham for righteousness. 10 In what way then was it credited—while he was circumcised, or uncircumcised? Not while he was circumcised, but uncircumcised. 11 And he received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while still uncircumcised. This was to make him the father of all who believe but are not circumcised, so that righteousness may be credited to them also. 12 And he became the father of the circumcised, who are not only circumcised but who also follow in the footsteps of the faith our father Abraham had while he was still uncircumcised.

Abraham was not circumcised until he was 99 years old.  Does that mean he was not righteous or not favored by God because he was uncircumcised?  No!  He was called righteous before God called him and his people to be circumcised.  Likewise, Noah was seen as righteous, but he was not commanded to be circumcised.

Galatians 5:1 Christ has liberated us to be free. Stand firm then and don’t submit again to a yoke of slavery. 2 Take note! I, Paul, tell you that if you get yourselves circumcised, Christ will not benefit you at all. 3 Again I testify to every man who gets himself circumcised that he is obligated to keep the entire law. 4 You who are trying to be justified by the law are alienated from Christ; you have fallen from grace. 5 For through the Spirit, by faith, we eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness. 6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision accomplishes anything; what matters is faith working through love.

Here Paul clearly states that it doesn't matter if you are or are not circumcised.  What matters is faith.  Now, Paul is not saying you should not get circumcised.  He is saying do not get circumcised if the reason you are doing it is to be right with God.  If that is the reason they choose to get circumcised, then they are subjecting  themselves to the Law, which Jesus already fulfilled   Why go back seeking a sacrifice for righteousness when our Lord has already sacrificed himself!  Our salvation is not based on what we do, but on the mercy and grace of God through Christ.

I'm going to end today's post with this verse

Colossians 2:8 Be careful that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deceit based on human tradition, based on the elemental forces of the world, and not based on Christ. 9 For the entire fullness of God’s nature dwells bodily in Christ, 10 and you have been filled by Him, who is the head over every ruler and authority. 11 You were also circumcised in Him with a circumcision not done with hands, by putting off the body of flesh, in the circumcision of the Messiah. 12 Having been buried with Him in baptism, you were also raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead. 13 And when you were dead in trespasses and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive with Him and forgave us all our trespasses. 14 He erased the certificate of debt, with its obligations, that was against us and opposed to us, and has taken it out of the way by nailing it to the cross. 15 He disarmed the rulers and authorities and disgraced them publicly; He triumphed over them by Him.

Amen.

Genesis 12:1-9 -- Calling on the name of the Lord

Ok, so you may have noticed that I did not post anything yesterday.  I did not do my reading, I must admit.  I spent the whole morning at church though, doing a 5K run/walk to help support missions.  I walked.  I could not run the whole course!  Especially those hills!  Anywho, we had a blast!  Now on to chapter 12.

Genesis 12:1 The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.
2 “I will make you into a great nation,
and I will bless you;
I will make your name great,
and you will be a blessing.
3 I will bless those who bless you,
and whoever curses you I will curse;
and all peoples on earth
will be blessed through you.”

God gave Abram a promise.  I will bless you and make you a great nation.  That great nation was to be Israel.  This passage also points to Christ.  "and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you."  Through Abram would come the Christ.  Jesus was Abram's descendant.

Genesis 12:4 So Abram went, as the Lord had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he set out from Harran. 5 He took his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, all the possessions they had accumulated and the people they had acquired in Harran, and they set out for the land of Canaan, and they arrived there.

Abram, like Noah, did as the Lord told him.

Genesis 12:6 Abram traveled through the land as far as the site of the great tree of Moreh at Shechem. At that time the Canaanites were in the land. 7 The Lord appeared to Abram and said, “To your offspring I will give this land.” So he built an altar there to the Lord, who had appeared to him.

God gave Abram another promise here.  His descendants would get control of the Land of Canaan.  This promise is fulfilled upon Moses's death when Joshua takes the people into the "Promised Land" of Canaan.

Genesis 12:8 From there he went on toward the hills east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. There he built an altar to the Lord and called on the name of the Lord.
9 Then Abram set out and continued toward the Negev.

Abram called on the name of the Lord.  What did this mean for Abram?  I've gotten curious about digging into this section and knowing what it really means.  I understand the meaning in the New Testament but in the Old Testament  I've always thought of it as worship.

In the New Testament, we read:

Romans 10:13 “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

Now, most of the time this verse is taken out of context and people want to say all I have to do is say a prayer and call on his name and I will go to heaven.  Well, it isn't that easy.

This verse must be put in context:

Romans 10:12 For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, 13 for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
14 How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?

The "Everyone" here seems to indicate that Paul was stating that any person can be saved, no matter is he is Jew or Gentile.  However he goes on to say you cannot just merely pray and be saved.  This verse says you must also hear the gospel and BELIEVE it.   If you do not believe it, then you are not saved.

1 Corinthians 1:2 To the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be his holy people, together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ

Here in Corinthians, we see that those who call on the name of the Lord are members of the church, those who are sanctified in Jesus.   You must be saved in order to call on his name.  But you may think, but Paul said in Romans you must call to be saved.  Not so.  You are called by God.  No one is saved on their own.  God must call them first and then they will call on him.  You will not call on God of your own accord.  God much choose you first.  Now God can choose anyone he wants.  That means anyone can "call on the name of the Lord" as long and God calls him first:

Romans 9:14 What then shall we say? Is God unjust? Not at all! 15 For he says to Moses,
“I will have mercy on whom I have mercy,
and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.”
16 It does not, therefore, depend on human desire or effort, but on God’s mercy.

So, simply saying a prayer cannot save you.  God must first call you and then you can call on God.

Now all this does not address how "calling on the name of the Lord" is used in the Old Testament.  So far we've seen Noah and Abram both call on the name of the Lord.  What does this mean?  I mentioned before that I have always seen this as an act of worship.  Merely praising God.  My husband led me to this passage in Psalms to help me further understand the meaning.

Psalms 145:13 Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
and your dominion endures through all generations.
The Lord is trustworthy in all he promises
and faithful in all he does.
14 The Lord upholds all who fall
and lifts up all who are bowed down.
15 The eyes of all look to you,
and you give them their food at the proper time.
16 You open your hand
and satisfy the desires of every living thing.
17 The Lord is righteous in all his ways
and faithful in all he does.
18 The Lord is near to all who call on him,
to all who call on him in truth.
19 He fulfills the desires of those who fear him;
he hears their cry and saves them.
20 The Lord watches over all who love him,
but all the wicked he will destroy.
21 My mouth will speak in praise of the Lord.
Let every creature praise his holy name
for ever and ever.

Here David called on the name of the Lord in praise.  He also shows how calling on the name of the Lord seeking the Lord to provide nourishment and protection.

Well, my time is up for the little one is up from her nap and is calling on my name for her nourishment!

Genesis 1:28-31 -- Mmmm, Meat!

Genesis 1:28 God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth, and subdue it. Rule the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, and every creature that crawls on the earth.” 

God gave us the world to subdue it and allowed us the rule the creatures. He set us above the rest of creation.

Genesis 1:29 God also said, “Look, I have given you every seed-bearing plant on the surface of the entire earth and every tree whose fruit contains seed. This food will be for you, 30 for all the wildlife of the earth, for every bird of the sky, and for every creature that crawls on the earth—everything having the breath of life in it. I have given every green plant for food.”And it was so. 31 God saw all that He had made, and it was very good. Evening came and then morning: the sixth day.

In the beginning, everyone and all creatures were vegetarian. Does that mean we should only eat plants today since in the perfect world that God created only plants were eaten?

Genesis 9:1 God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth. 2 The fear and terror of you will be in every living creature on the earth, every bird of the sky, every creature that crawls on the ground, and all the fish of the sea. They are placed under your authority. 3 Every living creature will be food for you; as I gave the green plants, I have given you everything.

See how this passage mirrors what God said to Adam? Both were given the command to "be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth." To Adam he gives all plants and to Noah he gives everything, plants and animals, to be food. So, it is fine to eat meat. God gave us permission long ago to do so.

The Lord did give Noah some restrictions on the meat.  We will continue to read from Genesis 9:

Genesis 9:4 However, you must not eat meat with its lifeblood in it.

There are MANY more examples of the food restrictions in the Old Testament   Leviticus 11 goes through all the clean and unclean animals. (Go here to read)  But why does God put all these restrictions on the foods that his people eat?  It is to keep them holy, set apart for God.  God did not want his people to get caught up in what the Gentiles were doing.  He did not want them to become idol worshipers and forget their God.  By giving strict food guidelines, they were unable to share a meal with Gentiles.  How do you know what they are serving isn't unclean.  You do not know where it came from, how it was killed or cooked.  Ever tried to prepare a meal for a Jewish friend?  It can be difficult knowing what you can and cannot serve.  

Since God gave his people restrictions on the foods to eat, should we too abide by those rules?  Let us see what the New Testament says.

1 Corinthians 10:25 Eat everything that is sold in the meat market, asking no questions for conscience’ sake, 26 for the earth is the Lord’s, and all that is in it. 27 If one of the unbelievers invites you over and you want to go, eat everything that is set before you, without raising questions of conscience. 28 But if someone says to you, “This is food offered to an idol,” do not eat it,out of consideration for the one who told you, and for conscience’ sake. 29 I do not mean your own conscience, but the other person’s. For why is my freedom judged by another person’s conscience? 30 If I partake with thanks, why am I slandered because of something I give thanks for?

1 Corinthians 8:8 Food will not make us acceptable to God. We are not inferior if we don’t eat, and we are not better if we do eat. 9 But be careful that this right of yours in no way becomes a stumbling block to the weak. 10 For if someone sees you, the one who has this knowledge, dining in an idol’s temple, won’t his weak conscience be encouraged to eat food offered to idols? 11 Then the weak person, the brother for whom Christ died, is ruined by your knowledge. 12 Now when you sin like this against the brothers and wound their weak conscience, you are sinning against Christ. 13 Therefore, if food causes my brother to fall, I will never again eat meat, so that I won’t cause my brother to fall.

Romans 14:13 Therefore, let us no longer criticize one another. Instead decide never to put a stumbling block or pitfall in your brother’s way. 14 (I know and am persuaded by the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself. Still, to someone who considers a thing to be unclean, to that one it is unclean.) 15 For if your brother is hurt by what you eat, you are no longer walking according to love. Do not destroy that one Christ died for by what you eat. 16 Therefore, do not let your good be slandered, 17 for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. 18 Whoever serves Christ in this way is acceptable to God and approved by men.
19 So then, we must pursue what promotes peace and what builds up one another. 20 Do not tear down God’s work because of food. Everything is clean, but it is wrong for a man to cause stumbling by what he eats. 21 It is a noble thing not to eat meat, or drink wine, or do anything that makes your brother stumble. 22 Do you have a conviction? Keep it to yourself before God. The man who does not condemn himself by what he approves is blessed. 23 But whoever doubts stands condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from a conviction, and everything that is not from a conviction is sin.

So, the New Testament is clear.  You can eat meat if it does not cause your brother to stumble.   You do not have to abide by the Old Testament food laws if you know they are not necessary.  If you think it is wrong to eat a certain type of food or food prepared a certain way, then do not eat it.  It is a sin to eat that which you think is wrong.


What about animals? Did they eat meat before the flood? The Bible never shows that God gives animals permission to eat meat. In the perfect world, no animal ate meat. We live in a fallen world. Not a perfect world. When man sinned, all of creation was punished. Not just man. The ground was no longer has bountiful as it was before. Animals suffered just as much as man. Did some animals turn to meat out of desperation for food? Maybe. We do not know.

Genesis 1:26-27 -- In HIS image

God made man!  He made me.  He made you.  He made everyone.

Genesis 1:26 Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness. They will rule the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, the livestock, all the earth, and the creatures that crawl on the earth.”
27 So God created man in His own image;
He created him in the image of God;
He created them male and female.

God made us in HIS image.  What does it mean to be made in his image?  Being made in the image of God sets us apart from the rest of creation.  He made us different than all the other plants and animals.  The plants and animals are not in his image.

He does not describe how he made the plants and animals, but he takes his time to tell how he made us.  He formed us with his hands and breathed life into us.

Genesis 2:7 Then the Lord God formed the man out of the dust from the ground and breathed the breath of life into his nostrils, and the man became a living being.

My husband has taught me to look for themes through out scripture. One of the themes is creation. Very evident in Genesis and spread throughout scripture. As I was trying to answer the question posted above, "what does it mean to be made in his image?" I found the following verses that ties in so well with this part of the creation story.

Romans 8:28 We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God: those who are called according to His purpose. 29 For those He foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brothers. 30 And those He predestined, He also called; and those He called, He also justified; and those He justified, He also glorified.

In the beginning when God created man, he created us in HIS image. After the fall, when man sinned, we separated from God, though still made in his image, we lost something. A closeness with God that we will not experience again until we are reigning with God in the new heavens and the new earth. When God drew us to himself to be saved, we again became His image, in the image of his son, Jesus. We gained some of the closeness we lost. It is a new birth for the believer.