Preface to the Ten Commandments
Many people are unaware of the rules that God requires all human beings to live by. This moral code, or set of commandments, was given by God to Moses after they had been led out of over 400 years of slavery in Egypt. They serve to give a clear indication of how human beings should regulate their lives. The first four govern our relationship with God, the second set of six tell us how to behave towards our fellow human beings. It is very important that we know these because God holds us individually accountable for breaking them. Paul, in the New Testament tells us that these laws serve as a 'school master', or 'teacher' (Galatians 3:24) to show us that we all (Romans 3:23, 5:12) do sin and break God's laws and, most importantly, to 'bring us' or point us to Christ as the only way of escape from the just punishment for breaking them. He then explains to us, what is obvious to each of us once we are disposed to be honest with ourselves and with God, that we have all broken these laws and deserve the just punishment for sin which, the Bible warns us (Romans 6:23), is death, or eternal separation from God forever and ever in a place the Bible speaks of as the Lake of Fire (Revelation 20:14). That this is not something to joke about or take lightly is made very clear by various passages in the Bible that all teach us that it is a place of pain, suffering and intense anguish, (Matthew 5:22, 18:9, 22:8-13, 24:51, 25:30, Mark 9:43,45,47, Luke 13:23-28 ) from which there is no reprieve.
The Good News concerning God’s wonderful plan of salvation from this awful prospect is clearly stated for us in what is perhaps the most well known verse in the Bible, John 3:16 which states so clearly, ‘For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.’ Emphasis mine. The next verses, in light of what we are talking about here also need to be considered as they add, ‘For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.’ John 3:17-21, KJV.
The invitation is clear; come to The Light, He who is The LIght of the World. His name is Jesus, and ensure you receive the free gift of forgiveness. Do not continue under the just penalty of eternal separation from God forever and ever but instead receive the absolute assurance of eternal life on the basis of the clear promises of God’s eternal and unchanging Word. You see, that is why Jesus died on the Cross at Calvary. He took your place and was punished instead of you. He took the rap. He paid the price and was put to death in your place and mine. By that act God made a way to forgive you and me for our sins. Jesus was punished in my place, in your place. Now, if you will accept it, you can go free. It’s a totally free gift. You cannot deserve it. You cannot earn it. But, you can refuse it. If you do, then you face the awful prospect of entering eternity with the sentence of death already upon you. There is no escape. The Bible puts it this way, ‘How much more severely do you think a man deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God under foot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified him, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace?’ Hebrews 10:29, NIV.
This requires Repentance -a decision on your part to turn away from everything God and the Bible call sin. Make no mistake about it, you cannot enjoy assurance of eternal life unless and until you choose to repent -turn away from sin, sinful acts and choose to live your life with one purpose and one goa -to please the Lord in everything you do, words, actions and lifestyle.
Further, this cannot be done in your own strength, but only with his Help and His enabling. There are many places in the Bible that state this very clearly. Here are two:
'God... now commands all men everywhere to repent...' Acts 17:30 KJV. Please read the entire passage to underline the seriousness and necessity of this act of repentance.
'In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth;' 2 Timothy 3:25 KJV.
Note carefully the two important things these two passages state so clearly. 1. Repentance is a command and, 2. It is 'given' by the Lord. The reality is that we must both choose to repent and if we do, this inclination of our heart towards Him (which is also 'given' by the Lord -see John 6:44, 65) will be enabled by the grace and loving kindness of God Himself.
The very fact you are reading these words now implies that the Lord is 'drawing' you to Himself. So, please, I urge you, turn your heart towards Him and ask Him to give you repentance from everything that you know in your heart to be against His perfect will for your life and start now to live, with His help, to please Him in all you do. A good place to start is by getting hold of a Bible, I recommend the New King James version, and start reading it immediately. A good place to start is John's Gospel.
The Bible says of itself, 'They Word is a lamp unto my feet and alight unto my path' Psalm 119:105. In other words, as you read this book it will guide you and show you how to live to please Him in everything you do and say from now on.
Now read on so that you know exactly why God holds, and will hold, all men and women accountable.
From Exodus 20: 1-8
And God spake all these words, saying,
I am the LORD thy God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt,and out of the house of bondage.
The Most Important Thing in the World is to know that YOU have eternal life.
Life is uncertain, our lives are fragile and our hold on this physical life is tenuous at best. Only one man spoke with absolute authority about life after death. His name is Jesus. Finding out what He said, believing and trusting in His words is the only way you can be sure of eternal life. For example, He said these words,
'Whoever hears my words and believes on Him who sent me has eternal life, will not come into condemnation but is passed from death into life.' John 5:24.
He also said, 'I am the way the truth and the life. No one comes to the father except by me'. John 14:6.
Jesus is, himself, the living incarnation of the truth. He spoke the truth. He did not, He will not, He cannot lie. As a result you can 'bet your life on Him'. He is utterly reliable and trustworthy.
I urge you to place your faith and trust and confidence in the Lord Jesus. Make a decision to do that now as you read this. Don't put it off for one minute longer. Take Him at His word, "Everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die -ever." John 11:26 HCS (Holman Christian Standard Bible). I.e. they will have eternal life. You may die physically, but you have his promise that physical death will simply be the doorway into eternal life. You, the real you, will live forever and enjoy a new physical body that is not subject to death, sickness or decay. You can read all about it in the Bible. A good place to start to learn about eternal life is 1 Corinthians 15. Read the entire chapter and then I recommend reading 1 John, particularly chapter 5 and verses 11-13, 'And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.' 1 John 5:11-13 KJV. These passages will give you full assurance of eternal life and the provision God has made for those who love and trust Him. To read more go to the Advancing in Life page on this site and/or click the links below. Why not bookmark this site and come back often as we constantly add to it information to encourage and build faith in Christ and His wonderful Word?
Find out more about His life and how you can be sure of eternal life by watching this wonderful film taken from the Gospel of Luke and made available by The Jesus Project and provided in just about every language on earth by Jesusforallpeoples.org. To view the film click the 'More' button on the links bar above to go to the 'Media' page on this site.
To visit the home of the Jesus Film, The Jesus Film Project, click this link: The Jesus Film Project.. Another link to the film in various languages: JesusFilmMedia.org from whom the copy on this site is gratefully sourced.
To find out more or just make contact with us here at CIF -Christians in Fellowship, just click the 'Contact Christians Gathering' link either here or at the top of this page. We look forward to hearing from you. Every blessing in Christ.
Be Sure To Click these Links for more information about: |what we believe|, to watch some great |movies and video clips|, to access |Advancing in Life| articles and read more about |Simple Church|
Dropbox: There are many useful articles Posted on Dropbox. To visit click: Articles on Dropbox
For a quick look/review of these articles click this link: http://christiansgathering.weebly.com/dropbox-articles.html
CIF Blog: Also check out our CIF Blog for inspirational and teaching articles published approximately every two weeks on this site. An older blogsite, you might also like to visit may be found here: The Most Important Thing in the World Blog
Hell's Best Kept Secret with Ray Comfort and Kirk Cameron
Many people are unaware of the rules that God requires all human beings to live by. This moral code, or set of commandments, was given by God to Moses after they had been led out of over 400 years of slavery in Egypt. They serve to give a clear indication of how human beings should regulate their lives. The first four govern our relationship with God, the second set of six tell us how to behave towards our fellow human beings. It is very important that we know these because God holds us individually accountable for breaking them. Paul, in the New Testament tells us that these laws serve as a 'school master', or 'teacher' (Galatians 3:24) to show us that we all (Romans 3:23, 5:12) do sin and break God's laws and, most importantly, to 'bring us' or point us to Christ as the only way of escape from the just punishment for breaking them. He then explains to us, what is obvious to each of us once we are disposed to be honest with ourselves and with God, that we have all broken these laws and deserve the just punishment for sin which, the Bible warns us (Romans 6:23), is death, or eternal separation from God forever and ever in a place the Bible speaks of as the Lake of Fire (Revelation 20:14). That this is not something to joke about or take lightly is made very clear by various passages in the Bible that all teach us that it is a place of pain, suffering and intense anguish, (Matthew 5:22, 18:9, 22:8-13, 24:51, 25:30, Mark 9:43,45,47, Luke 13:23-28 ) from which there is no reprieve.
The Good News concerning God’s wonderful plan of salvation from this awful prospect is clearly stated for us in what is perhaps the most well known verse in the Bible, John 3:16 which states so clearly, ‘For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.’ Emphasis mine. The next verses, in light of what we are talking about here also need to be considered as they add, ‘For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.’ John 3:17-21, KJV.
The invitation is clear; come to The Light, He who is The LIght of the World. His name is Jesus, and ensure you receive the free gift of forgiveness. Do not continue under the just penalty of eternal separation from God forever and ever but instead receive the absolute assurance of eternal life on the basis of the clear promises of God’s eternal and unchanging Word. You see, that is why Jesus died on the Cross at Calvary. He took your place and was punished instead of you. He took the rap. He paid the price and was put to death in your place and mine. By that act God made a way to forgive you and me for our sins. Jesus was punished in my place, in your place. Now, if you will accept it, you can go free. It’s a totally free gift. You cannot deserve it. You cannot earn it. But, you can refuse it. If you do, then you face the awful prospect of entering eternity with the sentence of death already upon you. There is no escape. The Bible puts it this way, ‘How much more severely do you think a man deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God under foot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified him, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace?’ Hebrews 10:29, NIV.
This requires Repentance -a decision on your part to turn away from everything God and the Bible call sin. Make no mistake about it, you cannot enjoy assurance of eternal life unless and until you choose to repent -turn away from sin, sinful acts and choose to live your life with one purpose and one goa -to please the Lord in everything you do, words, actions and lifestyle.
Further, this cannot be done in your own strength, but only with his Help and His enabling. There are many places in the Bible that state this very clearly. Here are two:
'God... now commands all men everywhere to repent...' Acts 17:30 KJV. Please read the entire passage to underline the seriousness and necessity of this act of repentance.
'In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth;' 2 Timothy 3:25 KJV.
Note carefully the two important things these two passages state so clearly. 1. Repentance is a command and, 2. It is 'given' by the Lord. The reality is that we must both choose to repent and if we do, this inclination of our heart towards Him (which is also 'given' by the Lord -see John 6:44, 65) will be enabled by the grace and loving kindness of God Himself.
The very fact you are reading these words now implies that the Lord is 'drawing' you to Himself. So, please, I urge you, turn your heart towards Him and ask Him to give you repentance from everything that you know in your heart to be against His perfect will for your life and start now to live, with His help, to please Him in all you do. A good place to start is by getting hold of a Bible, I recommend the New King James version, and start reading it immediately. A good place to start is John's Gospel.
The Bible says of itself, 'They Word is a lamp unto my feet and alight unto my path' Psalm 119:105. In other words, as you read this book it will guide you and show you how to live to please Him in everything you do and say from now on.
Now read on so that you know exactly why God holds, and will hold, all men and women accountable.
From Exodus 20: 1-8
And God spake all these words, saying,
I am the LORD thy God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt,and out of the house of bondage.
- Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
- Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image,or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above,or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God,visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.
- Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain;for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.
- Remember the sabbath day,to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour,and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work,thou, nor thy son,nor thy daughter,thy man servant,nor thy maid servant,nor thy cattle,nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth,the sea,and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day,and hallowed it.
- Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.
- Thou shalt not kill.
- Thou shalt not commit adultery.
- Thou shalt not steal.
- Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.
- Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour’s.
The Most Important Thing in the World is to know that YOU have eternal life.
Life is uncertain, our lives are fragile and our hold on this physical life is tenuous at best. Only one man spoke with absolute authority about life after death. His name is Jesus. Finding out what He said, believing and trusting in His words is the only way you can be sure of eternal life. For example, He said these words,
'Whoever hears my words and believes on Him who sent me has eternal life, will not come into condemnation but is passed from death into life.' John 5:24.
He also said, 'I am the way the truth and the life. No one comes to the father except by me'. John 14:6.
Jesus is, himself, the living incarnation of the truth. He spoke the truth. He did not, He will not, He cannot lie. As a result you can 'bet your life on Him'. He is utterly reliable and trustworthy.
I urge you to place your faith and trust and confidence in the Lord Jesus. Make a decision to do that now as you read this. Don't put it off for one minute longer. Take Him at His word, "Everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die -ever." John 11:26 HCS (Holman Christian Standard Bible). I.e. they will have eternal life. You may die physically, but you have his promise that physical death will simply be the doorway into eternal life. You, the real you, will live forever and enjoy a new physical body that is not subject to death, sickness or decay. You can read all about it in the Bible. A good place to start to learn about eternal life is 1 Corinthians 15. Read the entire chapter and then I recommend reading 1 John, particularly chapter 5 and verses 11-13, 'And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.' 1 John 5:11-13 KJV. These passages will give you full assurance of eternal life and the provision God has made for those who love and trust Him. To read more go to the Advancing in Life page on this site and/or click the links below. Why not bookmark this site and come back often as we constantly add to it information to encourage and build faith in Christ and His wonderful Word?
Find out more about His life and how you can be sure of eternal life by watching this wonderful film taken from the Gospel of Luke and made available by The Jesus Project and provided in just about every language on earth by Jesusforallpeoples.org. To view the film click the 'More' button on the links bar above to go to the 'Media' page on this site.
To visit the home of the Jesus Film, The Jesus Film Project, click this link: The Jesus Film Project.. Another link to the film in various languages: JesusFilmMedia.org from whom the copy on this site is gratefully sourced.
To find out more or just make contact with us here at CIF -Christians in Fellowship, just click the 'Contact Christians Gathering' link either here or at the top of this page. We look forward to hearing from you. Every blessing in Christ.
Be Sure To Click these Links for more information about: |what we believe|, to watch some great |movies and video clips|, to access |Advancing in Life| articles and read more about |Simple Church|
Dropbox: There are many useful articles Posted on Dropbox. To visit click: Articles on Dropbox
For a quick look/review of these articles click this link: http://christiansgathering.weebly.com/dropbox-articles.html
CIF Blog: Also check out our CIF Blog for inspirational and teaching articles published approximately every two weeks on this site. An older blogsite, you might also like to visit may be found here: The Most Important Thing in the World Blog
Hell's Best Kept Secret with Ray Comfort and Kirk Cameron