What it means to lead a life as Christian

1. To maximize the honor to the Father 

2. Become Christ-like over time 

3. To be increasingly dependent on the Holy Spirit

What can we learn from Saul ?

1 Samuel 15:23
For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and arrogance like the evil of idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, he has rejected you as king.

If there is a pecking order of what God detests most, it is arrogance, especially in case he has given high responsibility to a servant who turns out to be disobedient, grounded in arrogance. 

On Suffering and Temptation

Paul gives us a strong if not the strongest hint on temptations that we endure. 

It utterly shows the grace of God 

1 Corinthians 10.13 

No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.

Photos from Bongeunsa Temple in Seoul

Ontological Argument for the existence of God

Why do we sin ?

There are many passages of course. I found this one today

Exodus 20:20
 Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid. God has come to test you, so that the fear of God will be with you to keep you from sinning.”

We sin because we do not fear God.
We do not fear him because we rebel and do not acknowledge what he is: The almighty holy, righteous and just God

Joshua Wallpaintings

Divine sovereignty and human responsibility

One of the most difficult doctrines the Bible teaches is that both divine sovereignty and human responsibility are true.

God knows his children and predestined them - for salvation into his family.
And unless God draws men, they cannot come to God. (John 6:44). That is they are incapable of coming to God in an out of themselves. Therefore, he ordains whom he saves and whom he does not (Romans 9:13: "Jacob I loved Esau I have hated").

In our postmodern culture, even evangelicals struggle with this, because how can humans be made responsible when God ordains whom he saves or not? Does he even condemn people to hell? This concept is called double predestination and his taught nowhere in the Bible, although some conclude it is the logical conclusion of God's providence.
What we do know however is that God's grace encompasses those whom he predestined according to his how will and glory. J.I. Packer says that an antinomy holds true since God created humans as moral agents - that is: they are capable of making moral decisions. 
Therefore the natural man is culpable because he chooses to sin freely, to hate God according to his own free will and degree and to freely reject the Gospel. Telling a totally depraved sinner about God is crying out a warning that this person is running in pit of fire. But it is the sinner who keeps on going. And it is him that finally ignores the warning by refusing to listen! A sinner is not foreced into the pit by some other third party. We should never forget that as fallen sinners we deserve death as God is holy, righteous and good. So even if he chooses no one, he is just.

We need to keep in mind that God is sovereign, Man is not. If Man were, and God was not, God would not be almighty but just a spectator watching humans decisions and actully submitting to them. Even if we follow the Arminian argument that he grants to those the necessary saving grace who will choose him, having foreseen this, we still have to ask the question: If God is omniscient - that is: he is not subject to time, he would know who will choose him or not. Therefore, giving birth to those who would not choose him is the same as ordaining everything. Also, by foreseeing the future back in eternity time, by seeing the future is the same as allowing it, which equals to God's providence.

Let us not discount the grace of God, who saves and redeems men who genuinely believe in the atonement of Christ (Christ alone) and the benefits of justification. And that is by faith alone, by grace alone given to us by scripture alone so that we may glorify him alone (Soli deo gloria). 

And that free gift (Ephesians 2.8) is that saved and redeemed men are choosing God freely after they have been regenerated, but cannot choose God prior to being generated. Their will is in bondage unless God draws them. The baptism of the Holy Spirit is given at the moment of regeneration - or rebirth in Christ. Our job as christians is to go out and preach the Gospel as faith comes by hearing (Romans 10:17)

Schwaz in Austria

London in Black and White October 2012

London October on German Unification Day 2012 in colors

False prophets

Matthew 7:22-23
On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’

And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’

Hendrik Leendert Heijkoop on Peter the first pope

http://www.bibelkommentare.de/index.php?page=qa&answer_id=350




Great biblical comment on the weakness of the catholic church on its argument as Peter the first pope by Hendrik Leendert Heijkoop




Matthew 16:18:
"And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it."


From the greek (from bible.cc)

4074 Pétros (a masculine noun) – properly, a stone (pebble), such as a small rock found along a pathway. 4074 /Pétros ("small stone") then stands in contrast to 4073 /pétra ("cliff, boulder," Abbott-Smith).


"4074 (Pétros) is an isolated rock and 4073 (pétra) is a cliff" (TDNT, 3, 100). "4074 (Pétros) always means a stone . . . such as a man may throw, . . . versus 4073 (pétra), a projecting rock, cliff" (S. Zodhiates, Dict).


So Peter is meant to be a small stone.


4073 pétra (a feminine noun) – "a mass of connected rock," which is distinct from 4074 (Pétros) which is "a detached stone or boulder" (A-S). 4073 (pétra) is a "solid or native rock, rising up through the earth" (Souter) – a huge mass of rock (a boulder), such as a projecting cliff.

4073 (petra) is "a projecting rock, cliff (feminine noun) . . . 4074 (petros, the masculine form) however is a stone . . . such as a man might throw" (S. Zodhiates, Dict).


So Peter is a stone that is part of the rock as PETRA means ROCK.

which makes absolutely sense in light of Matthew18:18

"Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.


So this power is not only given to Peter !





Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.



The following is a view that both are meant to be Peter:
http://thirdmill.org/newfiles/kno_chamblin/NT.Chamblin.Matt.16.13-20.pdf

But the conclusion is the same. Binding (prohibiting) and loosing (allowing) is granted to the apostles, to the church

Jesus casts out demons... but why ?

By casting out demons he showed us who he is - the author of life, the Son of God, almighty, nothing has been created without him, the triune God.

Ultimately, the good news is, through him, we can already take part in the Kingdom of God. It already has begun.

Matthew 12:28
But if it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.

do people who commit suicide go to hell

the bible teaches that suicide is a sin. God gave you life , therefore you have no right to take it away.

But what happens with a Christian who committed suicide ? Paul clearly states that NOTHING can separates us from the love of Christ.



Romans 8:38-39
For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.


Personally i think that the blood of Christ is so precious that it even covers the most terrible sin any living creature could commit. God will forgive us, because of Christs atonement.

Paris Trips

I recently did a one day trip to Paris. Here it is:

1. it took us 5 hours to reach Paris
2. Park your car in the Rue de pyramides for 28 euros
3. Take the metro at station Pyramides to Trocadero
4. Wait 3 hours in the queue, and another 40 minutes up to reach the top :)
5. Take the Metro to Dupleix and eat at Dawa Restaurant (korean)
6. Take the Metro to Pont Neuf, take the boat trip 1hour to Ile de la Cite
7. Go back to Station Pyramides and enjoy one of the japanese restaurants

Sin and excuses

Genesis 3:12

The man said, “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate.”

What is Adam saying here ?

He is saying: God its your fault, because the one you gave me tempted me...

But who actually did sin ? It was Adam, sinning freely. Satan cannot force someone to sin, he can only tempt.

We are without excuse.

Does Jesus teach election ?

From Matthew 24
For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be. 22 And if those days had not been cut short, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short. 23  Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. 24 For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect.

31
And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

Biblical perspective on work

just some unstructured thoughts on this.

In the first chapter of Genesis it says: Be fruitful, multiply and fill the earth ....
As i understand this text it really means that we as creatures of God should:
1. create something new and be creative
2. and multiply it, grow it

need to continue on these thoughts

Ist Gott Mann oder Frau ?

Jesus selbst gebietet uns Gott in männlicher Form als Vater anzusprechen.
Matthäus 6:8-9 "Darum sollt ihr ihnen nicht gleichen! Denn euer Vater weiß, was ihr bedürft, ehe ihr ihn bittet.  So sollt ihr nun also beten: Unser Vater, der du bist in dem Himmel! Geheiligt werde dein Name"


Das Gleichnis vom verlorenen Sohn zeigt Gott eindeutig als Mann (Vater) Und dennoch ist der Charakter Gottes nicht auf das männliche Geschlecht zu reduzieren:

Gott selbst spricht zu uns über die Heilige Schrift. Im 1.Buch Mose steht hierzu: "Und Gott der HERR sprach: Es ist nicht gut, daß der Mensch allein sei; ich will ihm eine Gehilfin machen, die ihm entspricht!" (1.Mose 2:18)

Hieraus können wir entnehmen, dass die Geschlechtertrennung, wie wir sie als Menschen kennen, erst mit der Schöpfung selbst initiiert wurde. Da Gott der Ursprung aller Lebewesen ist, offenbart sich sein Wesen auch in den Geschlechtern: "Und Gott schuf den Menschen ihm zum Bilde, zum Bilde Gottes schuf er ihn; männlich und weiblich schuf er sie. (1.Mose 1:27). Hier steht eindeutig, dass das Männliche und Weibliche zum Ebenbilde Gottes gehören, also Teil Gottes Wesens selber sind.

 Wir sollen laut Jesus den allmächtigen Gott als Vater anbeten und verherrlichen. Somit wird die Gnade Gottes seinen eingeborenen Sohn geopfert zu haben deutlich und wir sind durch das Opfer des Vaters als seine Kinder wieder in die Familie aufgenommen. Dennoch vereint Gottes Wesen beide Geschlechter in sich.