My name is Dionysis Theodorou. I was born in Cyprus, but lived in England for 8 years and in New York for 8 years.
In April 1998 while living in New York, I came to faith in Jesus and was born again in. I went on to study Biblical Criticism, Jewish History and Hebrew Linguistics.
I moved to Israel in October 2002 where I have been living since.
I am a music producer and instructor and I perform around Israel with my band Bouzouki Groove.
I recently started producing worship music.
Does anyone really believe that the Arab world will be satisfied with the pre-1967 borders?
Will they lay down their arms and finally give us peace? This is extremely dangerous for Israel.
How will Israel defend itself without the Golan Heights and the Jordan Valley?
Our enemies will be able to launch rockets from a border that is 18KM from Tel Aviv.
Israel's Critical Security Needs MUST WATCH
Look at what is going on in the Middle East. The revolutions are bringing to the surface elements which are encouraging Jihad and a third intifada and the masses are screaming 'Death to Israel, Death to the Jews '
It feels as if the walls are closing in, like we are being strangled, suffocated.
Abba Eban: the June 1967 map represented Israel's "Auschwitz" borders David Bedein
"When Abba Eban, appeared at the United Nations following the Six Day war, Israel's foreign minister, he described the fragility of Israel's 1949-1967 map as Israel's "Auschwitz" lines.
Abba Eban, who died on November 17, 2002, will forever be remembered as Israel's most articulate foreign minister
The following statement by Abba Eban was cited in the Jerusalem Post of August 18, 1995 by Jerusalem Post columnist Moshe Kohn:
'We have openly said that the map will never again be the same as on June 4, 1967. For us, this is a matter of security and of principles. The June map is for us equivalent to insecurity and danger. I do not exaggerate when I say that it has for us something of a memory of Auschwitz. We shudder when we think of what would have awaited us in the circumstances of June, 1967, if we had been defeated; with Syrians on the mountain and we in the valley, with the Jordanian army in sight of the sea, with the Egyptians who hold our throat in their hands in Gaza. This is a situation which will never be repeated in history.'
- Abba Eban, Israeli Statesman, in Der Spiegel, November 5, 1969 (with thanks to Dr. Aaron Lerner and to Clarence Wagner for locating this item)
On July 26, 1978, Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin, whose parents and older brother were murdered by the Nazis, commented on Israeli Televsion about Abba Eban 's use of the term 'Auschwitz lines', when he described the June 4, 1967 map, saying that 'you have never heard such an extreme term from me . . . because there will be no Auschwitz here'.
Yet Abba Eban had a way of presenting Israel's case in the context of the traumas of Jewish history."
Does it look as if the Arabs want peace? Look around you.Why do some people so naively support going back to the pre-1967 borders? Have concessions ever produced peace? This is dangerous. Will there be peace?
Please. I genuinely want to know how you think this can be good for Israel. This compromises our security and jeopardises our very existence.
You can respond in Hebrew, English or Greek Please watch this show so that you can better understand what is at stake. We need to also understand Arab intentions so that we can determine if we indeed have a partner for peace. Look into it. Judge for yourself. The truth is, people are not really interested and don't care about Israel and whether it is at risk. People should start caring though because Islamic violence and conquest doesn't end with Israel: They swear that they are coming your way. They are also screaming "Death to America, Death to the Infidels"
Please listen to what President Obama's Special Assistant is saying in this video.
MAMMOTH PROTECTION FORCE AGAINST ISRAEL.
She is saying that the US should stop giving financial aid to Israel, even if it means alienating American Jews.
She is saying that billions of dollars should be given to a new Palestinian state to build up a MAMMOTH PROTECTION FORCE AGAINST ISRAEL.
She is also saying that in the event that Israel would defend itself against the Palestinians, there should be an International Military Intervention.
Listen to her.
This is the Responsibility to Protect Act that was used in Libya. This has been adopted by the United Nations, and the current US administration. LISTEN.
My writing is mostly a reaction to anti-Semetism, Islamic terrorism in the world and the mainstream media's passive reaction to these two evils.
Instead of strongly condemning Islamic terror which is responsible for death and fear on most of the planet today, the media, the United Nations, the European Union, and in general, the International Community, condemns Israel for defensive operations, building in Jerusalem and struggling to survive. The world has always been anti-Semetic and would just have Israel put down its weapons and surrender and stop making a fuss about the 300 million Arabs surrounding them, that are bent on their total destruction. This does not include the additional one billion Muslims worldwide who are openly anti-Semetic.
What the world fails to realise--preferring to be in denial and constantly assuming a position of appeasement--is that these same Islamists are blowing themselves up and killing innocents all over the world, including in European cities in what, to them, is a holy war--Jihad--to destroy Israel, America and western Judeao-Christian culture, with the declared goal of establishing, instead, an Islamic State under Shariah law.
The blindness, hypocrisy and total denial frustrates me, saddens me and angers me.
I realise that many Muslims are not radical in their actions and maybe not even in their ideas. I have had Muslim friends in Cyprus and in the US who where very western in their ways and in their lifestyle. This is not what stands out though. These moderates are hardly seen or heard. Where are the Muslim rallies against terror? Where are those who speak out against Jihad?
Instead, what you see in the streets of London and other UK cities, in the streets of Washington and other US cities, are rallies praising Hamas and Hizbollah, supporting Ahmadinejad of Iran and his nuclear weapons pursuits, calling for the destruction of Israel and of the Jews and encouraging the bombing of the UK and the USA--these protests take place ON AMERICAN, BRITISH AND EUROPEAN LAND--The audacity. And the stupidity of the European and American authorities which allow these gatherings to take place; however, these values and rights--the rights of free speech and freedom of assembly--are an integral part of our democratic way of life and the cornerstone of western civilization.
I don't mean to go on and on. Many of my friends and family just wish that I would join the ranks of the indifferent and SHUT UP ALREADY.
I identify with those who want peace on earth. I have two girls and another one on the way. I love my family and I just want to live in peace. Only the Messiah can bring real peace and the end to conflict, war and human suffering. We all long for his return. Jesus said:
Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.
Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.
Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.
Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.
Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.
Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.
Today, as we remember the more than six million Jews that were helplessly murdered during the Second World War, let us also remember that the perpetrators of this heinous crime had been declaring their purpose long before it transpired.
Mein Kampf was first published in 1925, long before its author came to power and years before any concentration camps and gas chambers had been built. In Mein Kampf, or My Struggle, Adolf Hitler expressed his hatred for the Jewish nation and outlined plans for the total extermination of the Jews from Europe and from the world.
His warnings were all but ignored by world leaders. The tragedy that followed could have been minimised had Hitler been taken at his word and had strict and united measures been taken against him by world leaders. Instead, indifference and denial reigned supreme.
It is interesting that Winston Churchill called Mein Kampf "the new Koran of faith and war: turgid, verbose, shapeless, but pregnant with its message." Today, Islamist followers of the Koran promise a much greater holocaust aimed first at America and Israel and then at all unbelievers, or infidels, as we are called.
The word Jihad means struggle. In the introduction to the Koran it is stated that "Islam is the willing submission to Allah and the active attainment of peace through conflict." The conflict is global terrorism and the infiltration of our society by Islamists with the declared goal of destroying America and Israel and establishing a global Islamic State under Islamic Shariah law. President Ahmadinejad of Iran is quickly moving forward in his pursuit of nuclear weapons and he proudly claims that he will use them against America, Israel and the unbelievers.
Islamic culture is different than our western Judeo-Christian culture. Children in Islamic nations are taught to love and glorify death as much as we love life. Mutual Assured Destruction, which was a deterrent against the use of nuclear weapons during the cold war, is actually an incentive for Islamists. They want to create chaos and wash the world in blood, because according to their writings, to which they faithfully adhere, the Islamic messiah will only come during a time of unprecedented destruction, chaos and bloodshed. Ahmadinejad starts every speech by asking Allah to hasten the return of the twelfth Imam, the Islamic messiah. He believes that he and the Islamic Republic of Iran have a prophetic duty to create the necessary circumstances for the ushering in of the twelfth imam and a time of world peace under Islam.
The world is in denial. People are not paying attention. People are indifferent, not interested.
Can we do anything to stop the unfolding of events predicted thousands of years ago in the Bible? We cannot. We can, nevertheless, be informed so that we can have an educated opinion to express when we are asked about the state of the world.
We should remember who the violent ones are. We should know who is on the offensive. We should stand against terror. We should speak out against cold blooded fanatical Islamists who explode bombs attached to their bodies in public places destroying innocent lives and ruining families. We should express our disgust for those who slaughter children while they sleep in their beds displaying their love of death and pure hate for life. We should know the difference between good and evil.
Israel is on the frontlines of this war defending her existence, protecting our freedoms, suffering persecution, defamation, death at the hands of Islamic extremists and teaching the world how to do the same.
We should stand for the love of life, liberty and freedom. We should stand for the Judeo-Christian values on which our society and culture is built. We should stand with the families of over six million Jews murdered in the Holocaust while the world stood idly by. We should stand with Israel. We should say NEVER AGAIN.
The same people that threaten to destroy Israel and the Jews today are the same people that deny that the Holocaust ever happened--even though they contributed to the Holocaust.
Richard Goldstone stated for the record that Israel did not intentionally target civilians in the defensive operation in Gaza in 2009. “If I had known then what I know now,” he wrote, “the Goldstone Report would have been a different document.”
Judge Goldstone, don't you think that you should have done proper research FIRST before writing your report and condemning Israel before the international community? Your report created a political storm for Israel and now you are apologising? What a farce.
Better late than never I guess. Let's hope that in the future the UN and their pundits will have a less biased approach when handling issues concerning Israel. Although, there's a fat chance of that happening.
Many have an opinion regarding the Israeli-Arab conflict and this opinion is formed by the international media which generally paints Israel as the aggressor. Opinions are not formed based on knowledge or even on an interest in the conflict. A genuine and unbiased interest in the conflict would provide the incentive for research which would form a more accurate, educated opinion.
Presenting Israel as the aggressor is not a new strategy. I have seen news reports from the early 1950s in which the reports fail to mention the murder of Jewish women and children by local Arabs instead preferring to focus on the Arab casualties following the Israeli response. The impression was given that Israel attacked without provocation.
Casualties from Israeli defense operations are also exagerated and distorted to further incriminate Israel and to enrage the Arab population against Israel. Today, these tactics are used to turn international public opinion against Israel. By the time research has revealed the true facts it is too late: the damage has been done.
In an early example of this, from 1947, just before the war of Independence, Israeli retaliation to Arab infiltrators who murdered innocent Israeli civilians, was purposely exagerated by the Arab leadership of the time to quicken the response of the regular Arab armies of Egypt, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and Iraq.
The false reports on the radio of rape and massacre by the Israelis caused the flight of hundreds of thousands of terrified Arabs from their homes. Arab survivors of the village where the attack took place who testified against the reports were silenced. The Arab leaders later admitted that the false report tactic had been a tragic mistake.
The armies of Egypt, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and Iraq attacked Israel on May 15th 1948, the day after David Ben Gurion declared the establishment of the Jewish State.
The Arab nations have never come to terms with Israel's presense in the Middle East. Israel has had a continuous presense in the land for almost 3500 years and a connection to the land going back 4000 years.
There was no violent invasion and conquest of the land by the Jewish people in the late 1800s when they began returning to their land.
The people of Israel started moving back to the land from which they were exiled by the Romans almost 2000 years ago. In exile, anti-semitism, pogroms and fierce persecution, crusades and inquisitions culminated in the Holocaust which claimed over 6 million Jewish lives. Anti-semitism and persecution of Jewish people still continues the world over.
The constant prayer of the Jewish people throughout 2000 years of exile has been: Next year in Jerusalem--The return to the homeland.
Nation building started in the late 1800s with agricultural communities sprouting up, draining marshes and swamps and developing modern irrigation techniques that would make the deserts bloom. The standard of living for the local Arabs improved, infant mortality rates dropped and life expectancy increased.
The local Arabs supported by the surrounding Arab nations did not want the Jewish people to live in the land and they instigated violence in the most horrific ways. The killings were indiscriminate: without warning they would murder families in agricultural communities and in the newly built cities in an attempt to scare the Jews away.
The Jews had nowhere to go. Europe was on the brink of war. Those who could, fled to the land of Israel for refuge. Those who remained in Europe would be almost completely annihilated. The world Jewish population before the war was around 18 million. Six million were murdered. The world Jewish population today is around 14 million.
The Arab world has not really changed its policy towards Israel since 1948 when the state was established and immediately attacked by five Arab armies. The Arabs have planned and executed war after war after war with the expressed and desired goal of wiping Israel off the map and throwing the Jews into the sea.
Read up on the War of Independence, 1948, The Sinai War of 1956, The Six Day War of 1967, The War of Attrition of 1968-1970 and The Yom Kippur War of 1973. Investigate the reasons behind the war in Lebanon in 1982, the reasons behind the Gulf War in 1991 and the non-stop violence in between the wars that continues to this day.
If it weren't for courageous leaders like Anwar Sadat of Egypt and King Hussein of Jordan there would be no peace between Israel and those two countries. Anwar Saddat was assassinated for making peace with Israel.
Egypt today is on the verge of a revolution that could overthrow president Mubarak and bring Islamic radicals into power. Hizbollah finally has a grip on the government of Lebanon. Tunisia has overthrown their leader and Jordan may follow suit. Iran is developing a nuclear bomb and threatens to destroy Israel, promising to finish the job the Arabs started in 1948.
The pot is boiling and is about to overflow. The protests alone have caused many deaths and we can only expect an escalation in violence and more deaths and instability. The Arab governments cannot control their own people. They murder each other for pride, honour, power and religion.
Israel has peace within its borders. The Jewish people want secure borders. Israel has no religious agenda related to the land. Israel does not want more territory; however, the more you distance your enemy from your borders, the safer your population is.
As Golda Meir wisely said: "When the Arabs love their children more than they hate us, there will be peace."
And as Benjamin Netanyahu, the current prime minister, said a few years ago: "If the Arabs put down their weapons there will be no war; If the Jews put down their weapons there will be no Israel."
On my recent trip to Israel, I decided that I would make a point of taking as many pictures of as much of Israel as I possibly could. I didn't manage to take as much as I would like to have taken but I am quite satisfied with what I have for the moment.
We stayed in Rehovot and travelled as much as we could to visit interesting places and to see our friends and family.
Rehovot is celebrating 120 years since its founding and there were some great activities and public participation concerts and performances that we all enjoyed attending.
(Click on Images to Enlarge and then Click on 'Back' to Return to Blog Post)
We visited the Sea of Galillee for a couple of days and had an afternoon in Tiberias.
It was 38 degrees, but something about being on the shores of the Sea of Galillee made it incredible enjoyable and we were hardly bothered by the heat.
We took a stroll on the boardwalk in the city of Tiberias which is located on the shores of the Sea of Galilee.
Israel successfully combines the modern with the traditional and the natural with the man-made in a very small space so that at certain times of the year you could go skiing on Mount Hermon in the morning after which you could enjoy a breakfast of Druze Pitta and goats cheese and delicious coffee in an authentic druze hut.
You could then drive down the wonderful scenic route of waterfalls and rolling, green mountains of Galilee to the Sea of Galilee, or Kinneret in Hebrew, where you could Kayak on the River Jordan.
As you desend, you could stop over at the port city of Haifa to enjoy the views and take some pictures.
We visited the Madatech science museum in Haifa where there was a Robot Zoo exhibition which was very interesting, informative and fun.
On the way home we took some pictures of the Bahai international headquarters.
On your way south you would pass through central Israel, which is the commercial hub of the country. Cities in central Israel include Tel Aviv, Hertzelia, Ra'anana and others.
Tel Aviv is the centre of the centre of Israel and is a modern miracle of engineering and construction, of commerce, technology, culture, fashion and much more.
Central Israel is built up and densely populated as this is were the bulk of the work is.
Moving south east of the centre will lead you up to Jerusalem where you could pray at the Western Wall, walk the ancient streets and stroll through markets where time seems to have stood still for the last two thousand years.
To reach Eilat, which is the southern most point of Israel, you pass through the Judean and the Negev deserts were you will find Bedouins in their tents and signs warning that camels may be crossing the road.
One of the most amazing experiences I have had is that of floating on the Dead Sea. The Dead Sea, also known as the Salt Sea, is the lowest point on earth, its surface and its shores being 422 metres below sea level.
It is also surprisingly deep at 378 metres, making it the deepest hypersaline lake in the world and the area it covers is quite impressive bordering Jordan on the east and Israel on the west and spanning from the north of Jerusalem to the south of the Negev city of Dimona.
Continuing our journey south-west of the Dead Sea through the Arava, the Uvda and the Timna valleys will bring us to the southern most point of Israel, Eilat, the tourist resort on the shores of the Red Sea. The distance from the southern Dead Sea to Eilat is about 220km.
The Red Sea is famous for its part in the Biblical story of the exodus from Egypt.
Pharaoh's chariots and his army he has hurled into the sea. The best of Pharaoh's officers are drowned in the Red Sea. Exodus 15:4
When Pharaoh's horses, chariots and horsemen went into the sea, the LORD brought the waters of the sea back over them, but the Israelites walked through the sea on dry ground. Exodus 15:19
The journey from the snowy Mount Hermon, at the northern most point of Israel, to the hot and dry tourist resort of Eilat at the southern most point of Israel could probably be completed in about ten hours if you are determined.
At the right time of year you could probably catch the snow, the lake, the bustling city, the desert, the Dead Sea and the Red Sea in a single day.
Rehovot: City of Science and Culture
When we lived in Israel we lived in Rehovot and that's where we stay when we visit.
Rehovot is a modern city with two world class universities that produce some of the world's most highly acclaimed scientists and Nobel Prize winners: The Weizmann Institute of Science and The University of Jerusalem's Faculty of Agriculture and is also home to a one thousand dunam science park which hosts some of the most higly productive and influential hi-tech companies in the world such as HP, Applied Materials, Nova, IBM, Sapiens, and many more.
The Open University of Israel also has a branch in Rehovot and there are many institutes and colleges.
Rehovot is about 25km from Tel Aviv and about 40km from Jerusalem, making it a convenient and central location.
As I have already mentioned, it would take much more than a blog entry to capture the essence of Israel.
People who were born there and have lived there for many years are always discovering new places to visit and the landscape and the population are constantly in motion and tirelessly progressing and growing.
Israel is no doubt one of the most exciting places in the world.
Last month I had a meeting with a client and we ended up discussing Israel, salvation and eternal life. I always enjoy these conversations very much; nevertheless, I am always surprised with people's convictions concerning their knowledge with regards to these issues while having never really studied the Bible.
Most people's opinions on faith are formed by the culture they grow up in and by people they talk to who have usually grown up in the same culture and have been influenced by the same teachings and ideas.
Unfortunately, these opinions are deeply rooted from years and years of exposure and are hardly ever in line with what the Bible teaches.
The client that I ended up having a two hour conversation with admitted to never having read the Bible. My client was convinced that one could never be sure of their salvation and that believing in Jesus and putting your faith in him was definitely not enough. I was advised to consult a Greek Orthodox priest who would advise me on the issue and set things straight for me. Refer to "Emmanuel: God With Us", October 2009
He readily negated what I said and argued that Biblical verses I was using to back up my position were up for individual interpretation.
Obviously, there has to be some standard of approach to Biblical study and understanding which has to be couple with the indwelling of the Holy Spirit who ultimately interprets scripture for us and teaches us about Jesus.
But the Comforter, which is the HolyGhost,whom the Father will sendinmyname,he shall teachyou all things,andbring all thingstoyourremembrance , whatsoever I have said unto you. John 14:26
Butwhen the Comforter is come , whomI will send unto youfrom the Father, even the Spirit of truth,whichproceedethfrom the Father,he shall testifyofme. John 15:26
But as it is written: "Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for those who love Him."
But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God.
For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God.
Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.
These things we also speak, not in words which man's wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one.
For "who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct Him?" But we have the mind of Christ. 1 Corinthians 2:9-16
The Price and Promise of Eternal Life
The promise of eternal life has been given to those who have been born again by the spirit of God. Refer to "You Must be Born Again" July 2009.
The price of eternal life was paid in full when our Lord Jesus the Messiah and Lamb of God offered himself up for our sins, dying and spilling his blood on the cross. John the baptist said "Behold the Lamb of God who taketh away the sins of the world." John 1:29Refer to"He Came To Die For Our Sins"April 2009
The concept of blood atoning for sins is not exclusive to the New Testament. On the contrary, it is almost exclusive to the Tanach, the Hebrew Bible or the Old Testament: It finds its fulfillment or completion in the sacrificial, atoning death of our Lord Jesus.
Speak to all the congregation of Israel, saying: 'On the tenth day of this month every man shall take for himself a lamb, according to the house of his father, a lamb for a household.
Now you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of the same month. Then the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it at twilight.
And they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and on the lintel of the houses where they eat it.
Now the blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you; and the plague shall not be on you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt. Exodus 12:3, 6, 7, 13
For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul. Leviticus 17:11
The blood in the Old Testament is symbolic of the blood of Jesus the Lamb of God whose blood was spilt on the cross.
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.John 3:16
This atonement is a complete atonement or a complete forgiveness of sins past, present and future.
"Come now, and let us reason together," Says the Lord, "Though your sins are like scarlet, They shall be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They shall be as wool." Isaiah 1: 18-19
It could not be anything else otherwise the Lamb of God would have to be sacrificed over and over to perpetually atone for our sins. However, he died once and then sat at the right hand of our father in heaven to make intercession for us.
For Christ has not entered the holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us; not that He should offer Himself often, as the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood of another--He then would have had to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now, once at the end of the ages, He has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself.
And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation. Hebrews 9:24-28
Take heart, rid yourself of unnecessary and ungodly guilt and be encouraged: If you are saved, you cannot lose your salvation!
If your salvation could be lost then there would arise the question of gaining it back.
How great would the sin need to be that you could lose your salvation and how great a repentance would be needed to gain it back? How many times over could you lose and regain your salvation?
The Son of God was born into a sinful world from a glorious kingdom of holiness so that he could teach, heal, love, suffer, die and be raised up from the dead so that we could have eternal life. Our salvation is a gift. If we had to earn it, it wouldn't be a gift, it would be payment. Romans 4:4
The price of eternal life has been paid in full. We cannot do anything towards our salvation.
The remorse you feel when you sin can very easily be transformed into guilt and fear: Turn to God and do not doubt your salvation. The fact that you feel remorse is the conviction of the Holy Spirit who dwells in you. Ask God for forgiveness and move on forward.
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9
Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:12-14
This is how you will grow.
Is salvation a licence to sin? Absolutely not! When one is born again of the spirit of God a new creation is born.
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!
All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them.
And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. 2 Corinthians 5:17-19
This new creation is born to do God's will.
Instincts are changed, and new heart is given and a new spirit is put into you. God removes the heart of stone and gives you a heart of flesh Ezekiel 36:26;Ezekiel 11:19and the individual falls in love with Jesus.
When you are in love you no longer do things out of duty: You are no longer under the law but under grace and liberty. The Lord said, 'if you love me you will do my commandments.' The Lord is not saying, if you love me prove it to me by doing my commandments. He is saying, if you love me it follows that you will do my commandments. The Psalmist said: I obey your statutes, for I love them greatly. Psalm 119-167
Sacrifice and offering You did not desire; My ears You have opened. Burnt offering and sin offering You did not require. Then I said, "Behold, I come; In the scroll of the book it is written of me. I delight to do Your will, O my God, And Your law is within my heart." Psalm 40:6-8
The Lord is merciful and gracious, Slow to anger, and abounding in mercy. He will not always strive with us, Nor will He keep His anger forever.
He has not dealt with us according to our sins, Nor punished us according to our iniquities. For as the heavens are high above the earth, So great is His mercy toward those who fear Him;
As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us.
As a father pities his children, So the Lord pities those who fear Him. For He knows our frame;
He remembers that we are dust. Psalm 103:8-14
When you slip up ask the Lord for forgiveness.1 John 1:9
When I met the Lord back in 1998 I was so convicted of sin that I wanted to completely banish it from my life.
I couldn't understand the concept of sinning as a believer and I was in constant fear of being ensnared by sin.
I focused so much on "Be perfect as your father in heaven is perfect" that I lost "the truth shall set you free".
King David was a man after God's own heart. David committed adultery with Batsheva and committed murder by conspiring against Batsheva's husband having him killed. Consider how much David loved God and how great his repentance was.
To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David when Nathan the prophet went to him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba.
Have mercy upon me, O God, According to Your lovingkindness; According to the multitude of Your tender mercies, Blot out my transgressions.
Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, And cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions, And my sin is always before me.
Against You, You only, have I sinned, And done this evil in Your sight-- That You may be found just when You speak, And blameless when You judge.
Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, And in sin my mother conceived me.
Behold, You desire truth in the inward parts, And in the hidden part You will make me to know wisdom.
Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
Make me hear joy and gladness, That the bones You have broken may rejoice. Hide Your face from my sins, And blot out all my iniquities.
Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me away from Your presence, And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, And uphold me by Your generous Spirit. Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, And sinners shall be converted to You.
Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God, The God of my salvation, And my tongue shall sing aloud of Your righteousness.
O Lord, open my lips, And my mouth shall show forth Your praise.
For You do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it; You do not delight in burnt offering.
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, A broken and a contrite heart-- These, O God, You will not despise.
Do good in Your good pleasure to Zion; Build the walls of Jerusalem. Then You shall be pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness, With burnt offering and whole burnt offering; Then they shall offer bulls on Your altar. Psalm 51
As I continued to walk with the Lord, read the scriptures and spend time with other believers I learned and understood that we are in fact still sinners: We are forgiven sinners. Perfection will arrive when the Lord takes us to be with him in his eternal kingdom. There will be no sin, no death, no sickness and all tears will be wiped away.
In Jesus' Kingdom our instincts will be perfect and we will be naturally inclined to to good.
In our current state we are naturally inclined to do bad. The spirit of God helps us to live in the spirit (supernatural) and not in our flesh (natural) and there is no condemnation for those who live in the spirit. Romans 8:1 (Read all of Romans 8)
We have to let go and love the Lord with all our hearts, with all our minds and with all our strength. Let's do this. Let us let go of the guilt and live as free children of God constrained only by the love of Jesus.
Consider how much frustration Paul must have felt trying to fight against the sinful nature of his flesh in the knowledge of the holiness of God.
We know what is right but we do wrong.
We agree with the law of God but we break it. How blessed are we that Jesus paid the heavy price for us to enter the holy presence of God.
For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am carnal, sold under sin.
For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do
But now, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me.
For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find.
For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice.
Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me.
I find then a law, that evil is present with me, the one who wills to do good.
For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man.
But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.
O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?
I thank God--through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin. Romans 7:14-25
Our sinful flesh could never enter his holy kingdom.
We are sealed with the promise of eternity Ephesians 1:13-14 and when the Lord returns--notice this: death will be clothed with life, corruption with incorruption, mortality with immortality. 1 Corinthians 15:47-58
We are still corrupt sinners and we will still sin. Let's not deceive ourselves and burden ourselves with expectations that our Lord does not require from us for his yoke is easy and his burden is light. Matthew 11:30
Paul called himself the chief of sinners 1 Timothy 1:15 and cried out"O wretched man am I." Romans 7:24.
Paul had a thorn in his side, something that bothered him tremendously. 2 Corinthians 12:7
He called this thorn a messenger of satan which prevented him from being exalted. It kept him humble. Paul begged the Lord to remove it.
The Lord said "My grace is sufficient to you for in your weakness my strength is made perfect."2 Corinthians 12:9
Do you have a thorn in your flesh? Could this thorn be sin? Sin makes us feel weak. We feel ashamed. Listen to God's voice. He is calling you to repentance: "My grace is sufficient: In your weakness my strength is made perfect."
Sin is here to remind us of God's grace for in much sin there is an abundance of grace.
When we were dead in our sins, death reigned; Now that we are alive to God, grace reigns. Romans 5:20
Our Lord's love goes beyond anything we as sinful humans could ever grasp. He never actually intended for us to have to sacrifice anything.
In the beginning, he created man to be master over his creation. Imagine all the goodness that Adam and Eve received as a gift. Did the Lord ask them for anything in return? For their own good, he asked them not to touch the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Evil was present and God wanted to protect them from it.
When Adam and Eve sinned the Lord himself acted as high priest and sacrificed an animal, spilling blood to atone for their sins. Genesis 3:21 He then dressed them in the animal's skin to hide there unrighteousness.
We are washed by the blood of the Lamb of God and dressed with Jesus' robe of righteousness Isaiah 61:10; Ephesians 4:24
God never intended for us to sacrifice anything. What does God need from us? The heavens are his and the fullness thereof. Psalm 50:8-14 ;Psalm 40:6
He was to make the ultimate sacrifice by offering up his son and since Adam's sin he has been preparing us to comprehend the price of his sacrifice. Humanity could never begin to comprehend the sacrifice of the Lamb of God had the system of sacrifice atoning for sin not been instituted in Israel. The law, the rituals and the ceremonies served as a teacher for us all.
The only thing that could save us was the sacrifice of the Lamb of God.
The sacrifices in the Old Testament could not cleanse us and save us from our sinful nature.
Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor. For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. Galatians 3:24-26
The blood of bulls and goats could not really take away sin. Hebrews 9 Only the lamb which was slain before the foundation of the earth could atone for our sins absolutely and completely.
Israel was blessed with a personal relationship with God but was also burdened with all the laws and the punishment for breaking these laws to serve as an example for all of us.
Has God forsaken his ancient people because of their sin? Absolutely not. For the promises of God are irrevokable and all of Israel will be saved.
There are doctrines that teach that Israel has somehow been replaced because of their sins and because they rejected the Messiah. It is no wonder that the doctrine exists that salvation can be lost. If all the promises that God made to Israel are nullified because of sin then it follows that our salvation can also be nullified because of sin.
Notice that once we are saved nothing can separate us from the love of Jesus.
My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. John 10:27-28
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written: "For Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter."
Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.
For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:35-39
To entertain the notion that Israel has been castaway after more than two thousand years (Abraham to Jesus, without mentioning the last two thousand years of suffering, persecution and death) of covenants, prophets, judges, kings, conquests, sufferings, chastisements, blessings, gifts of law and grace and the great hope and promise of a deliverer who will end all the pain, places us--as gentile believers, with, in comparison, no history with God--in the most inconvenient and insecure of predicaments: One could say: If after all this Israel has been castaway, what sort of a chance do we stand?
Israel has not been castaway and neither can we be cast away.
And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: "The Deliverer will come out of Zion, And He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob; For this is My covenant with them, When I take away their sins."Concerning the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but concerning the election they are beloved for the sake of the fathers. For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. Romans 11:26-28 Refer to "God's Plan of Salvation",June 2009
The message all through the Bible is clear: Once you repent, are washed of your sins by the blood of the Lamb and the Holy Spirit indwells you, you are a child of God forever. The notion of being in love with Jesus and being afraid of losing your salvation does not go hand in hand for "We have not been given a spirit of fear but of power and of love and of a sound mind" 2 Timothy 1:7 and "Love casts out all fear." 1 John 4:18
Fear God and You Have Nothing Else To Fear
When Paul says: I subject my body so that I myself would not be disqualified, is he teaching that we may lose our salvation or is putting the fear of God in us for the Lord takes pleasure in those who fear him. Psalm 147:11 Paul is urging us to keep watch; to be alert to stay awake just as our Lord Jesus told us to stay awake for we know neither the day nor the hour of his return.
These promises should by no means encourage complacency and boasting for if we are saved we shall also bear the fruit of salvation and righteousness for faith without works is dead like the body without the spirit is dead. James 2:26
Although there is a Sabbath, or rest, for the people of God Hebrews 4:9-10, we are never really at rest. This is the paradox of a spirit filled believer's life: we are dead, yet alive; we are hungry, yet filled; we are naked yet clothed; beaten, persecuted and scorned yet well, bold and rejoicing. 2 Corinthians 4:8-9
I try to explain this to my friends and family who do not know the Lord and they simply cannot grasp this peace that passes all understanding. Philippians 4:7
Don't take my word for it for everyone has to work out his own salvation in fear and trembling. Philippians 2:12
Seek The Lord with All Your Heart
The Lord knows your heart and he cannot be fooled. If you know the Lord personally and intimately you know that you are saved. If you do not feel sure then you must seek the Lord with all your heart and persist. Jeremiah 29:13
Seek the Lord with all you heart and ask him to forgive you of your sins and to make your salvation sure.
Ask the Lord Jesus to give you security in your salvation and to reveal himself to you in an intimate way.
Seek him. Love him. Seek to know him.
His mercies are new every morning and he always has something more to give.
Rest in him while you strive against sin. Trust him with all your being. Ask him to help you every step of the way. Be still and know that he is God.
Other verses of interest which are related to our discussion
The Bible talks so much about liberty in knowing God. In the Old Testament this liberty was promised but not yet granted; The New Testament is a covenant of liberty based in the supernatural intervention of God in our lives through Jesus' sacrifice and the presence of the Holy Spirit who dwells in our hearts.
"Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah--not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, though I was a husband to them, says the Lord.
But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.
No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, 'Know the Lord,' for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the Lord.
For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more." Jeremiah 31:31-34
But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe.
For there is no difference; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.
Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? Of works? No, but by the law of faith.
Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law.
Or is He the God of the Jews only? Is He not also the God of the Gentiles?
Yes, of the Gentiles also, since there is one God who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith.
Do we then make void the law through faith?
Certainly not!
On the contrary, we establish the law. Romans 3:23-31
I would recommend reading the whole of Paul's epistle to the Galatians.
Here are some verses from Galatians: (Click on the link for the whole chapter)
