Q: Who is God, really?
A: God is the Divine Maker of all things. (Psalm Chapter 146 verses 6 to 10). We would not exist apart from Him. (St. John 1:3 and also Hebrews 2:10). He controls all things in a just and loving way (Psalm 89: 14 & 15). He is personally interested in the life of each individual that He ever created. (Jeremiah 29: 11 to 13 and also Psalm 139: 13 to 18). His ways and thoughts are higher than our own, (Isaiah 55:8-9). In other words, only God knows everything (1 John 3:19-21, Romans 11:33-36 , Hebrews 4:11-13). Also, God exists in what is commonly called a "Trinity", meaning that He is 3 persons in one. (St. John 1:1) This is difficult to grasp, but the simplest example I can give you is the substance called H2O. This substance exists in three forms on earth: water, (which is it's liquid form), steam, (which is it's gaseous form), and ice, (which is it's solid form). Very similarly God exists in the persons of God the Father, (Divine Creator who made everything we know and don't know of John 1: 3&4), God the Son, ( who came in the human form of Jesus to identify with our fleshly existence), and God the Holy Spirit, (the Devine Presence of God Himself, who is everywhere at all times Psalm 139: 7 to 10). God also always existed as the Trinity, (Colossians 1:15-20). Time was something He created for us, but He himself has no need for time, nor will we when we pass from this life into the next (1 Corinthians 2:7, Titus 1:2). He is above all, in all, and through all, (John 3:31-36, Ephesians 1:18-23)
Q: How does the Bible define God?
Q: Can I get to know God personally? If so, how do I begin?
A: God is Almighty, all powerful, (1 Chronicles 29:11 and also 2 Chronicles 20:6); He is all knowing and present eternally at all times. (Deuteronomy 33:27). Our human minds cannot fully comprehend or understand everything about His being, but we can still know Him in our hearts through faith. (1 John 5:20) And how do you truly get to know God? Well, to know someone you must have a relationship with them. When you begin a relationship with another human being, you communicate with them; but before you can start communicating, you have to break down any barriers that might exist between you and the other person. The same is true with God. In order to know Him we have to communicate with Him. But you have to get rid of all the barriers before He will hear your prayers. (Proverbs 15:29) The Bible calls communication with God "prayer". (Psalm 17:1) Prayer is simply talking to God; telling Him your concerns, troubles, fears, joys, hopes and dreams, and then listening for His answer, even if it is not an answer you may want to hear. You can talk to Him just as simply as you would to a friend, but with special honor towards Him, as Jesus teaches us in "The Lord's Prayer", found in Luke 11:1-10, when he begins with "Our Father, who art in Heaven, hallowed (or HOLY) be thy name". For although He is the very BEST Friend you could ever have, He is also the One who knit you together in your mother's womb, (Psalm 139: 13 to 16) and as your Creator, He deserves to be talked to with respect. What kind of prayer is respectful? Talking to God in simple honesty; you can even tell Him when you are angry because He knows anyway...just keep pride and selfishness out of it. The more you talk to God and get to know Him, the more loving and honorable your prayers will become because you will understand that He loves you and has your best interest at heart. (Jeremiah 29:11 , Romans 8:28) While He will forgive you if you speak disrespectfully to Him, that is not something we should continue to do if we claim to love Him, (Psalm 19:14, 1 John 2:3-6), instead, the closer we get to Him, the more we should realize how He deserves far more honor than we could ever possibly give to Him, (1 Chronicles 29:10-13, 1 John 4:9-10), and always give Him the best of ourselves. (Psalm 111). Now, what are the "barriers" to our prayers or communication with God? Simply put, there is only ONE barrier...and it is called "SIN". (1 John 1:5-7) God will not consider your prayers until you get rid of the sin in your life. (Psalm 34:15-17) This is because simply being a "good person" does not get rid of sin, and will not get you into Heaven (Romans 3:23). In fact, no one is "good enough" (Psalm 14:2-3, Isaiah 64:6), BUT THERE'S GOOD NEWS! The Good News is that God's sinless and perfect Son, Jesus Christ, is able to get rid of your sin because He died on a cross over 2000 years ago, then rose again victorious over death and sin (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). He is the ONLY person who ever lived a sinless and perfect life (2 Corinthians 5:21, Hebrews 4:14-16). When you believe in Him, He not only takes away your sin, He also gives you eternal life. (Click Here now to see more about who Jesus is, why He had to die for your sins and mine, and how you can live eternally through His death and resurrection.) You get rid of the sin in your life by recognizing it (Psalm 32:5), acknowleding or confessing it (1 John 1:9), being sorry for it (Acts 3:19), and then repenting or turning away from it (1 John 3:5-10). You simply tell God that you are a sinner and that you are sorry for sinning. Aknowledge that you believe that you have faith in Him and His Son, Jesus Christ. Ask Him to forgive your from those sins, and to help you to live a victorious life over deliberate wrong doing. (Read this prayer of repentance written by King David in Psalm 51:1-17) Once you do that, God will "save" your soul from sin and eternal death (Romans 6:22-23), which simply means He will forgive you (1 John 1:9), send His Holy Spirit to come and be with you in your heart (John 16:7-15, Romans 8:16, Galatians 4:6, 2 Corinthians 1:22) and will help you to live a life of goodness....I call it "living your very best life". If you want help in praying this prayer for Salvation, and need more information regarding the Christian life, read The Four Spiritual Laws by clicking here for the flash English version, or here for the non-flash English version. If you need to read them in another language, please click here. (Note: The Four Spiritual Laws was written by Dr. Bill Bright, founder of Campus Crusade for Christ. Dr. Bright recently went to his eternal home with God in Heaven...Click here to see his memorial service. It is very long, but worth it!) Once you have repented of your sins and have an open communication with God, you need to also need to listen to God's answers to your prayers by reading the Bible, (Psalm 119:9-12, Psalm 119:105, 2 Timothy 2:15) and attending a Bible believing Church (Hebrews 10:25). He uses these two methods to speak to your heart and spirit about things you should do and will reveal a lot about the purposes He has for your life through these. Also, choose Christian friends (Proverbs 12:26, Romans 12:1-2), and listen to Christian music and television (Psalm 101:3, Psalm 89:1, Ephesians 5:19-20), several times a week for encouragement.
Q: Does God care about me personally? Why?
A: You are so valuable to God, that He sent His ONLY begotten Son, Jesus, to die for your sins. (John 3:16) God loves everyone (Romans 5:7-8, 1 John 4:9-10) and wants to give everyone eternal life (2 Peter 3:9), BUT He does hold each person accountable for their wrong behavior or sins (Galatians 6:7-8, Romans 2:6) and honors the decesions that individuals make regarding whether they will be obedient to Him or not (Joshua 24:15). He will not force you to believe in and serve Him, and the choice to go to Heaven or not ultimately rests with what you decide in THIS life (Romans 2:6-8). So, God loves you so much that He gave you freewill and intends to honor how you choose to use it! There is an old saying that goes like this, "God loves you as you are, but He loves you too much to leave you like that." I don't know who wrote that, but it sure is Biblically accurate! He had you in mind, the body He would design for you, your personality, your talents, yes, your very essence...before He even created the universe! (Ephesians 1:3-5, Psalm 139:13-17) That makes you PRICELESS! (Luke 12:4-7)
Q: Why is believing in God important?
A: Believing in God is so important for many reasons. But first let us look at what it actually means to believe "in" God. There is a difference between believing "about" something or someone, and believing "in" them. When you believe "about" something, you simply acknowledge that you believe the existance and information regarding it. When you believe "IN" something, or someone, you don't just acknowledge it, you TRUST to the point of action and/or change. For example, I believe in the existance of and information "about" the sport of skydiving. I've seen people jump out of airplanes on television and even seen a few parachutes floating towards the earth when I'm out driving, but I don't believe "IN" or trust the safety of the sport enough to try it myself. So, believing "about" the existance of or information concerning God, is NOT the same as believing "IN" Him enough to trust Him with your life. Do you see the difference here? To take this to the spiritual realm, let's look at satan, who is the arch enemy of God: Now, we all know that the satan, who starts and perpetuates all the evil in this world, will NOT go to Heaven at the end of time. (Matthew 25:41) And yet the Bible is clear when it says that the same devil believes about God, so much so that he trembles at what he knows to be true about God. (James 2:19) Why does the devil tremble? Because he knows that his selfish refusal NOT to trust in God's plan for the world has now destined him to eternal torment. (2 Peter 2:4) He had been the highest ranking of all the angels in Heaven, (Isaiah 14:12-15, Revelation 12:7-9) but he threw it all away because He thought his own ideas were better than God's. He became arogant and forgot that God created him, and in doing so satan and his demons chose eternal death instead of the eternal life that they were already living in prior to their rebellion. He had his opportunity to chose to remain faithful to God and trust in his Creator, but allowed greed and pride to overcome him instead. So, believing "about" God is not as important as believing "IN" Him. The first reason it is important to believe IN or trust God with our complete self is because that is the only way we can be forgiven of our sin and go to Heaven when we die. If we don't trust fully in God and His Son Jesus, then our fate will be the same as that of the devil and his demons. Secondly, it is important to believe or trust IN God because He actually created us. He shaped us by hand in our mother's womb (Psalm 139:13-16), He knew us before we were ever born. He knows ALL there is to know about us (Psalm 139:1-4, Matthew 10:30-32), and since these things are true, then ONLY GOD can help us to reach our full potential and fulfill our designed purposes. Without faith and trust in Him, we will never know our true destiny for our human existance. Third, it is important to believe and trust in God because He deserves it! (Psalm 111) He made us to love Him (Ephesians 2:10, Colossians 1:15-20), and He wants to have fellowship with us (1 Corinthians 1:8-9)! Since He gave His ALL for us (Philippians 2:5-11), and gives us life and breath everyday (Acts 17:24-28), then the LEAST we can do for Him, is TRUST Him with our souls and life, each and everyday! (Read about how to live the Spirit-Filled, victorious life by clicking here to read it in English or click here to read it in another language.)
Q: How does God say I should live?
A: When you want to know and understand what God thinks about something, you must go to the Bible. The Bible, or Scriptures as they are often called, is the very Word of God. They are "God breathed", and the men who God chose to write His words, inspired them Himself. (2 Timothy 3:16-17, 2 Peter 1:20-21) Those men did not write things from their own thoughts, but from God. Also, the Bible is without mistake, or infallible, and any seeming contridictions within the Bible disappear when they are studied and understood within their historical, cultural, and scriptural contexts. This is why the Bible should not be interpreted at just a "personal" level (2 Peter 1:20-21), but should be examined in the light of numerous scholars of the Christian faith. While the Bible certainly will speak to you personally, the verse here is meaning that you just can't come up with your own belief and try to make the Bible fit into that. The Bible MUST be viewed as a whole. You can't believe one part of it and throw away the parts you don't agree with. You must study it as a complete document in order to fully understand what God is trying to communicate to us. The ten commandments are a great example (Exodus 20:1-17). A person might find it comfortable and easy to not kill (Exodus 20:13), but they might really enjoy shoplifting (Exodus 20:15). That person can't claim to be a good person by obeying the commandment not to kill, but then go right out and do what God said NOT to do by stealing something. You have to believe it all and live by it as a whole document. And God is very clear about how you should live all the way through the scriptures. The first place to start would be the 10 commandments of the Old Testament (Exodus 20:1-17). Then in the New Testament there are directions on living throughout, but to start with the basics, see what Jesus had to say in the passage known as "The Sermon on the Mount" which included that Beattitudes (Matthew Chapter 5, Matthew Chapter 6, Matthew Chapter 7 ).
Q: Do we have to give up having fun in order to live the way God wants us to?
A: First we must define what you mean by "fun". There is real fun and then there is conterfit fun. Sin is the counterfit sort of fun. Which means, even though sin is wrong, it still seems "fun". There is undeniable pleasure in doing certain wrong things. Being rebellious and deliberately doing what you know is wrong, in spite of dangers or consequences involved, can give a person a real adrehelin rush. And yet, there's always a payday for those wrong actions and behaviors. It may take awhile, but they always catch up to us in some way. (Galatians 6:6-8 Jeremiah 17:10) When the consequences come, those moments of "fun" we had beforehand suddenly don't seem so wonderful in light of what it costs us. In order to live the way God wants us to live, we have to give up those bad things that we have enjoyed deliberately doing. The good news is that there is a MUCH BETTER TYPE OF "FUN"! Choosing to live a life that is good and right is much more enjoyable than deliberately choosing to live wrong. Why? Because practicing good deeds brings a sense of accomplishment and peace of mind. They are a reward in and of themselves (Matthew 16:26-27, Ephesians 6:7-8, Ecclesiastes 2:23-25). Doing right makes you feel content and happy, even in the hard times (1 Timothy 6:7-8, Philippians 4:11-13). You sleep better at night, too (Proverbs 3:21-24). So, when you live the way God requires and expects you to live, not only do you have a deep relationship with Him, you actually discover what real "fun" is! (1 Peter 1:3-9, Galatians 5:22-23, Romans 14:17, 1 Timothy 6:17-18, James 1:2-4, Jude 1:17-24)
Q: What are God's rules, and why does God He have them anyway?
A: Before Christ came to die for our sins on the cross, human kind was under what is known as the "old covenant". A covenant is simply a promise. The old covenant was the supreme law, which is the foundation of the Old Testament. When Christ came, He did not do away with that Law, but He fulfilled the law. (Matthew 5:16-18) In other words, since Jesus took the penalty or punishment for human kind's breaking of the law (John 3:16), He fulfilled the law's requirement and became the Judge of all creation (2 Timothy 4:1 2 Corinthians 5:9-11 Acts 10:42-43 Acts 17:30-31). So, under the new covenant, or promise, as found in the New Testament and fulfilled through His Son Jesus Christ, God's "rules" are now simple for you and I to follow. If you love God and claim to know Him, you will atomatically want to keep His commandments because His law, or "rules", are now written in your hearts (Romans 2:1-15, 2 Corinthians 3:2-4). It will be a joy for you to do what's right. And what are God's rules? They are basic guidelines that promote respect and value of Him, other people, His creation, and yourself. To learn about His rules, simply read His Word, the Bible, everyday and He will teach you what He expects of your life through that (2 Timothy 2:15, Ecclesiastes 12:13). A good place to start learning what God's rules are is by applying the Ten Commandments and Jesus' Sermon on the Mount, which includes the Beattitudes. The reason God has "rules", is to help protect us physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. You see, God wants the BEST for us, so He instructs through the Bible on what to do and what not to do in order to live that best life...a life free from guilt, shame, and pointlessness. (Galatians 5:1 2 Corinthians 7:1 2 Corinthians 5:17-21) With His help, you can live according to His written Word.
Q: Has anyone ever seen God?
A: The Bible states that NO ONE has ever seen God the Father's Supernatural form except Jesus Himself, (John 6:45-47, 1 John 4:11-13 ). However, Moses and the children of Isreal saw what is referred to in the Old Testament as God's "Shakina Glory", or the Supernatural essence of God's Spirit. (Exodus 20:18-20). This happened when God was giving Moses the 10 Commandments on Mt. Sinai. Isn't it interesting that God chose to reveale His Supreme Glory to Moses and the Jewish people at the very time He was giving instrutcion on how mankind should be living? I'd say that means that God places great importance on our purposed efforts to live the way He says we should! During the time Moses was on the mountain receiving the 10 Commandments, the people could see God's glory from a distance but Moses saw His Glory, though not His physical form, face to face. God also appeared symbolically to the children of Isreal, or the Jews, prior to this when Moses led them out of Egypt towards the Promised Land, or what is now the state of Isreal. When God appeared to them, it was as a cloud of smoke by day, and a pillar of fire by night, in an effort to help guide them on their journey. (Exodus 13:21). Note here that they did not see His actual face or true Supernatural form. Of course, when Jesus came in physical form, people saw Him, but He came as God the Son in a human body (John 1:1-4 ) and Jesus because Jesus was God the Son, of course HE had seen the Father (John 1:18). Consequently Jesus said that if you had seen Him, you had seen the Father as well (John 14:5-11). Many people also saw Jesus after His ressurection (Acts 1:1-10). In modern times, some people claim to have visions of Christ or God, but the Bible is clear that you MUST test the spirits to see if what people are claiming is from Him (1 John 4:1). Unfortunately, some people claim to be hearing from God and seeing visions, when in fact they are lying in an effort to manipulate the people who are listening to them. ( 2 Timothy 4:3-4, 2 Peter 2:1-3) Also a note here about "visions" in general: the Scriptures teach that God WILL bless His people, especially in the last days, with visions that will help others come to know Him (Acts 2:16-18). But this applies only to those who are truly following Him as according to the Bible, and you still must be careful of "false teachers" who claim to be something they are not, or who claim to have "heard from God" (Galatians 1:8-11). Always prayerfully search out the scriptures after anyone, even ministers, tell you that something is from God (James 1:5, John 14:23-25).
Q: Will I ever see God myself? If so, when?
A: According to the Bible, which I believe is completely accurate and true, individuals who acknowledge God's Son Jesus as the Savior of their souls, ask forgiveness of their sins, and deliberately commit to turning away from wrong doing, will not only see God someday face to face, but they will live with Him forever. (Matthew 5:8, 1 John 3:1-3, 1 Corinthians 13:12, John 17:1-3) This happens when they die and go on to Heaven. (1 John 5:19-21, Hebrews 9:26-28) Those who don't believe in Jesus and live for Him during this life will only get to see God at the judgement before spending eternity in a place called hell. (Revelation 21:7-8, Revelation 20:14-16, 1 Corinthians 6:9-11) It is important to understand that God does not send anyone to hell; rather He honors an individual's choice to go there (2 Thessalonians 1:8-9, Joshua 24:15, Deuteronomy 30:18-20, Revelation 14:9-13 ). Everyday people choose whether they will serve God or themselves, and in making that choice they determine their own destiny (Galatians 5:19-21).
Q: Can a person "hear God's voice"?
A: Usually when a person says that they have "heard" something from God, they are referring to how He speaks to them through His Word, the Bible, or the sensation they feel when they pray intensenly about any given situation. Since God's Holy Spirit comes to live in a person's heart when they become a Christian, they can feel Him prompting them about what direction they should take in any given situation, as well as convicts them of wrong doing. (John 16:7-8, Hebrews 4:11-13) The God the Holy Spirit also comforts Christians (2 Corinthians 1:3-5). The Bible contains many verses about hearing God's voice. While a few people in the Old Testatment heard God speak in an audible voice, those were rare and very special circumstances, and it is unlikely that God would speak in an audible voice today. In fact, those people in the Old Testament were surprised that hearing the actual voice of God did not kill them! (Deuteronomy 4:32-34, Deuteronomy 5:22-29). The people of the Old Testament were under the law (2 Corinthians 3:7-18, Hebrews 8-9) and as such did not have God's Holy Spirit actually living inside their hearts all the time, so it was necessary upon occassion for God to speak in a verbal fashion to humans. In fact, the Bible says in the Old Testament that the Spirit rested "on" people (Numbers 11:16-17) instead of "in" them. The Holy Spirit can be both "on" a person today, in order to lead them to God's will (Acts 10:43-45, Acts 11:14-16), but today the Holy Spirit also resides "in" people who accept Christ as Lord (John 14:16-18 , Romans 8:1-17, 1 Corinthians 3:16 , 2 Timothy 1:14, 1 John 3:23-25 ). When Christ came, He fulfilled the law of the Old Testament by His obedience to His Heavenly Father, His death on the cross, and His resurrection on the third day (Matthew 5:16-18). God the Father is now able to have a personal relationship with us through His Son (Romans 5:9-11, John 3:16-18) so there is no need for Him to speak to us audibly for He bears whitness with our spirits (Romans 8:15-17, Romans 5:5-6, 2 Corinthians 1:21-22). Additionally, since the Bible tells us plainly that God is a Spirit (John 4:24), it would be less efficient for Him to speak verbally, because His Spirit is with us already, where ever we go. Speaking directly to our spirits is more effective since He can do it constantly, no matter where we are or what we are doing. (Romans 8:26-28)
Q: What is God's plan for mankind?
A: God's main plan for mankind is to have man love and obey Him, the Creator of all things. (Ephesians 2:10). You see, God created man in His own image, (Genesis 1:26-28, Genesis 5:1-2), which means we resemble God. And the reason He created us was because He wanted to have beings who decided of their own free will to love Him back. He already had the angels, but they were made to worship God naturally. The only one who had any type of free thought in the matter was Lucifer, who we now know as satan. When Lucifer was given that freedom of thought, he suddenly forgot that he was only a creation of God and decided that He could do things better than God could. He rebelled against God, and there was a war in Heaven. God gave the angels a choice between Him and Lucifer. Those angels that chose Lucifer were kicked out by God, and became satan's demons. ( ) So, God created beings who would have freewill from the beginning of their existance, so that He could show His mercy on those individuals who voluntarily make the choice to follow Him ( ). He predestined everyone to go to Heaven to spend forever with Him ( ), but when men stubbornly choose their own way over what God wants to give them, He honors their choice. ( ) He will not force anyone to spend eternity with Him if they don't want to, and they are making their choice as they live their lives from day to day. And since the only place that God will not be present in is hell, then that is where men who choose to live with out God will go when they die. By the way, God never intended any person to go to hell. He actually created hell to be the place of punishment for the devil and his demons ( ), but when individuals decide they do not want God in their lives, He will honor that decesion...He will not force them to choose His love and blessing. ( ) People choose to honor and love God when they accept Jesus as Savior, and turn away from doing wrong things in their lives ( ). On a final note, God has decided a specific way in which to accomplish His plan. You see, we are not good in and of ourselves, ( ), we must have God in our life for good to come from us ( ). He gives us all a "measure of faith" ( ), and it is what we do with that faith that determines our ultimate destiny ( ). He knew before He even created us that we would need to be rescued from ourselves ( ), and He determined that He would offer His only begotten and perfect Son, Jesus, to be a sacrafice for our sins ( ), so that we may be forgiven and go to Heaven when we die. The way He has set about accomplishing His plan was to select the Jewish nation to be the special culture through which salvation would come to all the races of mankind ( ), and the land of Isreal to be the spot chosen for His kingdom rule ( ). This is important because by understanding HOW He would implement His plan, we can back up our faith with facts. For instance, we know that Jesus was born of the virgin Mary, who was also a Jew ( ). This was predicted thousands of years before it happened as God told us His plan from the beginning ( ), so that we would recognize the Messiah or Savior when He came.
Q: What is the purpose or plan God has for my life as an individual?
A: Well, there is no doubt that God DOES have a plan for each person ever born ( ). We know that God has revealed His ultimate will for you and the rest of mankind in His Word, the Bible, by providing instruction on how to live the Christian life( ). But how do you find out what He wants you to do personally? Which dream He wants you to follow? What path He wants you to take? Well, after determining to live the way He wants you to as revealed in the Bible, then the next step is to explore your talents, personality, skills, motivational tendencies, and natural abilities, and then determine what types of carreers or volunteer outreach opportunities best suit you. We can help you explore these. Just visit our free web resource at www.PositivePurpose.org/mainpage.html to get started!
Q: Does God have a Son?
A: Some world religions claim that all people are children of God. While this is true in the broad sense that God created all of us ( ), there is only ONE Son that God actually fathered ( ). God did not father Jesus in a sexual sense, but rather, because He is a supernatural being, He fathered Jesus by sending His Holy Spirit to place Jesus in the virgin Mary's womb ( ). This is a great mirical, but we know that God can do anything ( ). And no mirical is too big for Him. So, Jesus was unique. He was fully human and fully God (Romans 1:3-5), which means he felt like us and was tempted in all the ways we are ( ), BUT because He was fully God, He remained perfect and overcame every temptation. It is important to know that Jesus never sinned because since He was victiorious in right living, we can be too through Him ( ). It is this perfection thatt is the reason why He and only He was good enough pay the price for all the wrong we have done. He did that by dying on the cross for our sins and rise from the dead victorious on the third day, (Easter celebrates this event.)
Q: Why is God's Son, Jesus, important?
A: Simply put, without Jesus, no one would ever be able to go to Heaven. God required payment for all the sin ever committed. The problem was that no one was good enough to pay that price, which is why God had to send His only Son, Jesus, to do that for us. ( ). Now we have the opportunity to be forgiven from our wrong deeds ( ), have the power to live a victorious life on this earth ( ), and go to Heaven when we die ( ). All this is because Jesus decided to stay true to God's will, even though His human side struggled to obey ( ).
Q: Where can I find more information out about God and His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ?
A: The best thing you can do is get into a Bible believing church. It can be any denomination that holds to the BIBLE as the ultimate authority on right living, rather than a church that bases its teaching on the opinions of men. Evangelical denominations like Baptists, Wesleyans, Nazarenes, Church of God, Assemblies of God, and non-denominational churches are usually Bible focused instead of man focused. There are other great churches as well, but you must really pray about where God wants you to go, and study the Bible to make sure that the church you choose lines up with scripture ( ). You may also use the free search tool below to look up different topics in the Bible. If you have any questions or would like some help in finding a good church in your area, please email us at positivepurpose@yahoo.com for more information.
Statement of Faith
Positive Purpose International, LLC and The Positive Purpose Foundation hold to the following, simple statement of faith. We have deliberately avoided "spiritualized" language and worded the statement in a way that all individuals might be able to understand it, no matter their spiritual background.
-1- We believe in One holy, triune God, present in 3 persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
-2- We believe that the only good in mankind is that measure of faith given to Him by His Creator, and that it is each individual's decesion to either increase in that goodness, or turn away from it and act within their dark nature. This goodness originates with God the Creator of all things, and NOT with man the created being.
-3- We believe that every person ever born, except for Jesus Himself, has sinned or done wrong things. But we also believe that God can change a person who is truly repentant of their wrong doing, or in other words, who willingly turns away from the wrong things (s)he has done. This comes in two steps. The first one is known as, (in typical Christian terminology), as being "saved", meaning that you have realized your sinfulness, or bent to do wrong, and have asked God to forgive you for that. At that time He grants you not only forgiveness, but also the free gift of eternal life with Him after you die. At this point you are a brand new person. The slate is wiped clean on a spiritual level, and you have a new life in Christ. This does not mean that you will never face temptation, because you will as long as you remain in human form, HOWEVER, it DOES mean that you now have the ability to defeat temptation and overcome deliberate, willful wrong-doing by depending on God's Holy Spirit to help you succeed. Total trust and dependence on God is the second part of the process in truly being tranformed or changed from the former type of person you were. This second step is a DAILY necessity. Although God will forgive and restore you should you stumble after you become a Christian, once you are "saved", you should not make a practice of purposefully doing wrong because God has made a way of escape from tempation by offering you reliance on His supernatural and unbeatable power to help you overcome in EVERY situation.
-4- We believe that the Holy Spirit, which is God's Spirit present in our hearts, is with us where ever we go, and that He will help us to always do the right things if we submit to Him. We also believe that if we do not acknowledge Him in everything and act out of our selfishness, we will end up doing the wrong things. That is why being obedient to what He wants is so important.
-5- We believe that each individual can know what God wants them to do by reading the Bible and applying it in practical ways to their everyday lives.
-6- We believe that Jesus Christ was the one and only Son of God. While every person is considered in a broad sense to be God's "child", Jesus was the only true Son that God Fathered through the power of the Holy Spirit. This makes Jesus both fully human, and fully devine. He is completely and utterly unique. He is the only individual who NEVER did anything wrong. He was humanly tempted in all ways, just like we are, but He is the only person who had the ability within Himself to NEVER give in to sin, because He was God in the flesh and is the ACTUAL and ONLY source of overcoming and victorious power. He is our Supreme example and we are to try to immitate His nature in all we do.
-7- We believe that after a person dies they will go to either Heaven or hell. Heaven is simply an indescribably beautiful place where our spirits will reside forever with God and is where God wants everyone to go. Hell was actually prepared for the eternal and irrevocable punishment of Satan, (who is the devil and is a very real force/entity), and also for Satan's demons. It was never meant for the eternal punishment human souls. Instead, God prepared Heaven especially for each of us, as a reward for loving and obeying Him in this life. However, some people won't go Heaven because they would rather have a temporary heaven down here on earth. Unless a person acknowledges God and His Son as Savior, turns away from their wrong doing, and starts living for the greater good, they will not go to Heaven. This is their choice. They are choosing instead to spend forever in hell. Now hell is a tormenting place, full of people who chose not to follow God and His ways. The biggest torment in hell is not the eternal flames and worms that never die, it is the utter separation from God, the Creator, and the inability to ever be with Him. Hell is total isolation from other people as well, and all who go their will have a completely private agony of total aloneness forever and ever. Some people think that a loving God would never send anyone to hell. That's true, He doesn't. Individuals DECIDE THEMSELVES that they want to go there while they are living lives of selfishness and wrong. God simply honors a person's free-will decesion to reject Him and His free gift of eternal life. He does not force Himself, or His offer of salvation, on anyone. You have to understand, when you reject God, you make yourself more important than Him or His plans for your life. You make yourself into a "little god". The first commandment in the ten commandments is the one where God says, "You shall have NO OTHER GODS before ME." When you focus strictly on your own selfish desires, you ignore the fact that God is the one who knit you together in your mother's womb; He made you special and unique. All the blessings, and all the challenges you have had, or will have in your life, are all intended for your ultimate good. But you will be unable to recognize that if you live the way YOU think is best, rather than the way God KNOWS is best for you. He doesn't want to take away your fun, or make you more miserable in life; He wants to give you LIFE more ABUNDANT than you have ever had. But if you continue to go around blaming Him, rather than trusting Him, you will never have the Life that He wants to give to you. And the saddest thing is that if you continue that way, you will not experience that Life in Heaven either, because you will have decided alternate destination of hell based on your own desires in this life.
-8- We believe that God is both completely Just, and completely Merciful. While His Justice requires full accountability and payment for wrong doing, His Mercy compels Him to forgive that same wrong. These two attributes seem to be contridictory, but they really aren't because they are both made possible by His LOVE. The Bible says that God is Love. In other words, the substance of God, His very essence, is LOVE. And Love both holds accountable and offers compassion. So, when does God hold accountable, and when does He forgive? Well,...
We believe that Jesus died on a cross, even though He was innocent of all wrong. As God's Son, He could have chosen to stop His execution, but He died in our place so that we might be able to know God's forgiveness. The Bible says that He did not know any "sin" and because of that He became "sin" for us. In other words, we do not deserve to go to....(more to come...still under construction)
