INSTRUMENTOS MECANICOS EN LA ADORACION A DIOS

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No More Sacrifice for Sin?

Can an Erring and Lost Christian be Restored to Christ?

One of your articles discussed that a person who leaves the church and rejects God has no more sacrifice for sin. Can these people be brought back into the fold?

Are those whose sin Christ's sacrifice will not cleanse?

Are those whose sin Christ’s sacrifice will not cleanse?

Yes, provided they sincerely desire to come back. The book of Hebrews deals more with this issue of falling away than does any other book in the New Testament because so many Jewish Christians were falling away from the church to go back to Judaism. In Hebrews 6:4-6 we read, “For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.” Please understand what this passage is saying. Here are people who were Christians. They were “once enlightened.” They had “tasted of the heavenly gift.” They partook of the Holy Spirit. They experienced the “good word of God.” They partook of the “powers of the world to come.” Yet, they made a conscious choice to refuse these things, forsake Christianity and go back into Judaism. The Hebrew writer says that it is “impossible to renew them again unto repentance.” I take this to mean that no outside force is going to be able to bring them back to faithfulness to the Lord.

Now, can they come back? There is no doubt that they can repent and turn back to God again. The story of the Prodigal Son in Luke 15:11-32 illustrates this very point. God is always willing to accept those who, in repentance, turn to Him and declare their love for Him. The Prodigal Son is an illustration of the very point that we need to make in this regard, so let’s look at that. Notice that the Prodigal Son left his father of his own will. He was in a good and blessed situation, but he decided that he knew what was best and left his father’s house. As a result, he squandered his inheritance living a sinful life. He eventually ran out of money and friends, and ended up in the lowest situation imaginable in that day–feeding pigs. When he himself realized the depravity of his situation, he decided to make a change. He came home and was restored to his father. His father forgave him and received him back into his house. The one thing that you don’t read about in the story of the prodigal son is people going out to check on him to make sure he was well. The father didn’t go looking for him; the servants didn’t go looking for him and the brother didn’t go looking for him. They didn’t look for him because in his situation there would be nothing that could be said to bring him back.

Now, there are situations where we should look for those who are lost. This is illustrated in the parable of the lost sheep and lost coin that are told immediately before the parable of the Prodigal Son. The lost sheep illustrates those who are lost through ignorance. The lost coin illustrates those who are lost through neglect. However, when one deliberately chooses to leave that which he knows is a place of rest and safety, then the only way that person can be restored is through their own personal decision. No amount of reasoning from us is going to persuade someone to come back who has purposefully chosen to be lost. So as the Hebrew writer said in Hebrews 6:4-6, it is impossible for us to renew them again to repentance. That is a choice that only that person can make. What must one do to come back? He needs to acknowledge his lost state. And since this question is addressing Christians, this means making a public confession of fault and recommitting oneself to the cause which was publicly abandoned.

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I Corinthians 13

1 Corinthians 13:1-3

If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to burned, but have not love, I gain nothing. 1 Corinthians 13 :1-3

What is real, true love?  Read 1 Corinthians 13:4-7.

What is real, true love? Read 1 Corinthians 13:4-7.

 

You know, loving Jesus is all about obeying his commandments (John 14:15, 21, 23-24).  Those of us who truly love God will do our best to obey all that he has commanded of us in his Word.  We will preach his gospel without changing it in any way.  We will worship him the way he told us to.  We will go to church, and be a part of the right church.  We will be evangelistic, benevolent, church-going, Bible-reading, praying people.  And that’s a good thing.

However, it is very possible for us to, without realizing it, start to do all of these things that God has told us to do…without love.  We might start sharing the gospel with people for no other reason than filling the pews and increasing the contribution, with the saving of their souls never even being a major factor in our minds.  We might start worshiping God ritualistically in the way he told us during the worship hour, and treat our brethren badly after the final “amen” (James 3:9-12).  We might be very faithful in our church attendance, be involved in a lot of charitable organizations and functions, read our Bibles every day and pray every night…and do it all without real, agape love for all of our fellow man.  And if that is the case, how long will it take before we lose our love for God?  Not long (Matt. 15:7-9).

What is real, true love?  Read 1 Corinthians 13:4-7.  It’s patience.  Kindness.  It’s not envy.  It’s not pride.  It’s not rude.  It’s not selfish.  It’s not irritable.  It’s not resentful.  It’s not happy when wrong is done.  It’s happy when truth occurs.  It is willing to bear all things.  It gives others the benefit of the doubt first.  It always hopes for the best.  It is willing to endure for a very, very long time.

Sounds like God’s love, doesn’t it?  That’s how God wants us to be…like him (2 Pet. 1:4).

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EL EVANGELISTA LOCAL

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The Inspiration of Every Word

Every Letter in Every Word in Every Verse

Understanding the nature of inspiration will open doors to deeper understanding as you study the Bible. Consider that when Moses brought the tablets of stone down from Mount Sanai there were no misspelled words on those stones. Every word was chosen by God. Every single letter of every word had been chosen and written by the hand of God.

Each word of scripture is by the inspiration of God.

Each word of scripture is by the inspiration of God.

Jesus believed in the importance of just one word. The Sadducees asked Jesus about the problem that the resurrection presented regarding the woman who had been married seven times. He answered them, “You are wrong, because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God” (Matt. 22:29, ESV). He emphasized one word spoken at the burning bush and said that because God said, “I am the God of Abraham,” instead of “I was the God of Abraham,” you could prove the resurrection. Just one word. Look at the following examples of the importance of just one word.

The importance of the word “your.” For years, many have struggled with Paul’s instruction that a woman was not to speak in the assembly, and that if she wanted to ask a question, she was to wait and ask her husband at home. Many asked, “What about all those women who do not have a husband. Who are they to ask?” Just one word settles it. Look at the context. Paul had been giving instructions regarding the behavior of the prophets (1 Cor. 14:29-33). He then said, “Let your women keep silent in the churches.” What women? Your women—the wives of the prophets. It was the prophet’s wife who was most likely to interrupt the prophet’s message in that assembly. He specifically addressed those wives of the prophets. Could other women speak in the assembly? Absolutely not. He addresses all women in the next verse saying, “It is a shame for women to speak in the church.”

The importance of the word “this.” Many have overlooked the word “this” in Matthew 24:14. One of the signs given about events before the destruction of Jerusalem was that “…this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world” as the final sign the city was about to be destroyed. Look carefully at what He said. It was not just that the gospel would be preached. It was that this gospel—the good news of the kingdom that God had overthrown Judaism and its temple, and the Gentiles could have common access to God. They preached far more than His death, His burial and His resurrection. They preached the fact that all men, Jews and Gentiles, could come to God. Now that is great news!

Read your Bible and look at every word in every verse. It will open many doors of deeper understanding. Every letter of every word has been chosen by God!

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