Questions for Evolutionists

Author: Various
The test of any theory is whether or not it provides answers to basic questions. Some well-meaning, but misguided, people think evolution is a reasonable theory to explain man’s questions about the universe. Evolution is not a good theory—it is just a pagan religion masquerading as science. The following questions were distributed to the 750-plus people who attended my debate at Winona State University in Winona, Minnesota, on January 9, 1993. (The videotaped debate is #6, $9.95.) Questions added since the debate remarked with an asterisk (*).


1. Where did the space for the universe come from?
2. Where did matter come from?
3. Where did the laws of the universe come from (gravity, inertia, etc.)?
4. How did matter get so perfectly organized?
5. Where did the energy come from to do all the organizing?
6. When, where, why, and how did life come from non-living matter?
7. When, where, why, and how did life learn to reproduce itself?
8. With what did the first cell capable of sexual reproduction reproduce?
9. Why would any plant or animal want to reproduce more of its kind since this would only make more mouths to feed and decrease the chances of survival? (Does the individual have a drive to surviv e, or the species? How do you explain this?)
10. How can mutations (recombining of the genetic code) create any new, improved varieties? (Recombining English letters will never produce Chinese books.)
11. Is it possible that similarities in design between different animals prove a common Creator instead of a common ancestor?
12. Natural selection only works with the genetic information available and tends only to keep a species stable. How would you explain the increasing complexity in the genetic code that must have occ urred if evolution were true?
13. When, where, why, and how did:
a) Single-celled plants become multi-celled? (Where are the two and three-celled intermediates?)
b) Single-celled animals evolve?
c) Fish change to amphibians?
d) Amphibians change to reptiles?
e) Reptiles change to birds? (The lungs, bones, eyes, reproductive organs, heart, method of locomotion, body covering, etc., are all very different!)
f) How did the intermediate forms live?
14. When, where, why, how, and from what did:
a) Whales evolve?
b) Sea horses evolve?
c) Bats evolve?
d) Eyes evolve?
e) Ears evolve?
f) Hair, skin, feathers, scales, nails, claws, etc., evolve?
15. Which evolved first (how, and how long; did it work without the others)?
a) The digestive system, the food to be digested, the appetite, the ability to find and eat the food, the digestive juices, or the body’s resistance to its own digestive juice (stomach, intestines, etc.)?
b) The drive to reproduce or the ability to reproduce?
c) The lungs, the mucus lining to protect them, the throat, or the perfect mixture of gases to be breathed into the lungs?
d) DNA or RNA to carry the DNA message to cell parts?
e) The termite or the flagella in its intestines that actually digest the cellulose?
f) The plants or the insects that live on and pollinate the plants?
g) The bones, ligaments, tendons, blood supply, or muscles to move the bones?
h) The nervous system, repair system, or hormone system?
i) The immune system or the need for it?
16. There are many thousands of examples of symbiosis that defy an evolutionary explanation. Why must we teach students that evolution is the only explanation for these relationships?
17. How would evolution explain mimicry? Did the plants and animals develop mimicry by chance, by their intelligent choice, or by design?
18. When, where, why, and how did man evolve feelings? Love, mercy, guilt, etc. would never evolve in the theory of evolution.
19. *How did photosynthesis evolve?
20. *How did thought evolve?
21. *How did flowering plants evolve, and from that?
22. *What kind of evolutionist are you? Why are you not one of the other eight or ten kinds?
23. What would you have said fifty years ago if I told you I had a living coelacanth in my aquarium?
24. *Is there one clear prediction of macroevolution that has proved true?
25. *What is so scientific about the idea of hydrogen as becoming human?
26. *Do you honestly believe that everything came from nothing?


After you have answered the preceding questions, please look carefully at your answers and thoughtfully consider the following questions.

1. Are you sure your answers are reasonable, right, and scientifically provable, or do you just believe that it may have happened the way you have answered? (Do these answers reflect your religion or your science?)
2. Do your answers show more or less faith than the person who says, "God must have designed it"?
3. Is it possible that an unseen Creator designed this universe? If God is excluded at the beginning of the discussion by your definition of science, how could it be shown that He did create the universe if He did?
4. Is it wise and fair to present the theory of evolution to students as fact?
5. What is the end result of a belief in evolution (lifestyle, society, attitude about others, eternal destiny, etc.)?
6. Do people accept evolution because of the following factors?
a) It is all they have been taught.
b) They like the freedom from God (no moral absolutes, etc.).
c) They are bound to support the theory for fear of losing their job or status or grade point average.
d) They are too proud to admit they are wrong.
e) Evolution is the only philosophy that can be used to justify their political agenda.
7. Should we continue to use outdated, disproved, questionable, or inconclusive evidences to support the theory of evolution because we don’t have a suitable substitute (Piltdown man, recapitulation, archaeopteryx, Lucy, Java man, Neanderthal man, horse evolution, vestigial organs, etc.)?
8. Should parents be allowed to require that evolution not be taught as fact in their school system unless equal time is given to other theories of origins (like divine creation)?
9. What are you risking if you are wrong? As one of my debate opponents said, "Either there is a God or there is not. Both possibilities are frightening."
10. Why are many evolutionists afraid of the idea of creationism being presented in public schools? If we are not supposed to teach religion in schools, then why not get evolution out of the textbooks? It is just a religious worldview.
11. Aren’t you tired of faith in a system that cannot be true? Wouldn’t it be great to know the God who made you, and to accept His love and forgiveness?
12. Would you be interested, if I showed you from the Bible, how to have your sins forgiven and how to know for sure that you are going to Heaven? If so, call me.

See www.creationscience.com for more tough questions for evolutionists.

The Tale Of The Magic Rock Apes

Author: Kent Hovind

Okay, now sit down now, boys and girls - it's story time! Shhhh.... Once upon a time, billions of years ago, there was nothing. Suddenly, magically, the nothing exploded into something. That something is called hydrogen. Can you say "hydrogen?" I knew you could. This hydrogen eventually cooled down enough to condense into solid rock. It was magic rock. Inert and lifeless, but still magical. And then, magically, water formed in the sky above the rock. The waters rained on the rock for, oh, let's say billions of years. Some of the rock broke down into minerals, and these minerals washed into a pool of water.
Then one day some of these minerals magically formed into a kind of goo in the pool of water. Can you say "goo?" I knew you could. Well do you know what happened then? That's right! The goo magically became ALIVE. So anyway, this bit of magic goo magically found something to eat. Then, magically, it found another bit of magic goo to marry, and they had a whole bunch of magical little goos. Eventually - millions of years later - some of this goo grew up into all the plants and animals in the world around us. If it's alive, it came from that first bit of magic goo! Well, more time went on. Finally some of this goo magically evolved - can you say "evolved?" I knew you could - some of this goo magically evolved upwards and upwards, growing ever more advanced, bigger, stronger, smarter, until it became a kind of magical hairless ape with thumbs.
And do you know who those apes are? That's right! They're YOU and ME! We are the magic rock apes! And you know what else? Someday we'll evolve enough that we'll become the God we all know doesn't exist. Now take a nap.

Spirit, Soul & Body

This is a brand new teaching on spirit, soul and body. You should know who you are in chirst to live a victorious life.
I Thessalonians 5:23
Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Many of us know that we have a physical body and that is what we see in a mirror, we are also aware of the soul part wherein our emotions, thoughts and free will resides. In other words I can touch you physically and that would be your physical body, I can also touch you without touching you by my words. If I speak something sweet to you, you will feel good and if I speak something bad to you, you will fell bad or hurt. Now that is your emotional or soul part of you. If I were to ask you how you are today, you can check your emotional part, physical part, relationships which covers both body and soul and tell me so.

Do you know that you have a third part which is the spirit. As you see in the verse above in I thessalonians, we are triune - made of spirit, soul and body. spirit is the part which is for God and it is the means of communication to God. Many of you do not know the existance of the spirit part, because we cannot see or feel it. If I were to ask you how you are feeling in your spirit, you cannot answer it by looking into the mirror or by how you feel inside your soul or emotions. You have to look into the word of God which is like a mirror reflecting the state of your spirit. Let us see what bible has to tell about your spirit.

2 corinthians 5:17-18 says

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new; Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation.

After being born again the scripture says we are a new creation, total new being, all the things of old are passed away. We have heard some testimonies of being instantaneously delivered from smoking and driking and demons when you are born again and thus see a change. But most of us do not find any natural change in us. If we are stupid before being born again, we will remain stupid. If we fail in school before we are born again our grades will not automatically increase, If we are fat before born again we will remain fat. So we see that the change said here is not physical. Let us consider our soul, after being born again, we still are feeling angry, we are still bitter, we are still passing through the desires of lust, so the change here is not in the soul also. People might say the change will come slowly when you start renewing your mind. No, because the scripture says "he is a new creation" it does not say, he will be a new creation. The change is already happened. But where is the change, it happened in our spirit. To know about our spirit let us go back to Genesis chapter 2 verse 7
And the Lord formed man of dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.

The life in the "breath of life" is mentioned "chay" which is plural (it has given birth to both soulical and spiritual being). The breath of life is defined as the Spirit of God / Word of God and when it entered into the lifeless body made of earth/dust, man became a living soul. Soul is the unique personality of the man, body is his outer cover and spirit is the breath of God and is the prime source of his communication to us. When God made Adam he wanted the spirit of adam to control his soul and body. soul has the free will of man given by God. Until the fall of man the spirit was controlling the soul and body and in union they were having a perfect relationship with God. When Adam sinned there was spiritual death (".....you shall surely die..." the die is translated as dying you will die, meaning spiritual death leading to physical death. When Adam sinned there was immediate spiritual death). This spiritual death resulted in the loss of perfect relationship with God. The purpose of the spirit is to control the soul and body to be in perfect relationship to God. The free will in the soul given to man was used to sin against God's commandment and resulted in soul gaining control over the body.

When we are born again, this relationship of the spirit was restored back to us. We are reconciled back to God through Jesus Christ. We are also sealed by the Holy Spirit. Ephesians 4:30 says "And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption." Also Ephesians 1:13-14 says" In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.

our born again spirit is sealed with the Holy Spirit from God until the redemption. Scriptures say we are a purchased people. Our body is purchased and will be redeemed when we received the glorified bodies.
1 Corinthians 6:17 says
But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him.

The word joined means having a communion with God, not getting attached to God as in other religion. As a sexual relationship unites the bodies of both the persons involved, in the same way after we are born again, our spiritual relationship is restored or in other words our spirit is united with the spirt of God in communication. The enstrangement from God ends here.

Let us see the confirmation of the above scripture through the below verse which says that we are the temple of the Holy Spirit.
I corinthians 3:16-17 says
"Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are."

Here is the key. The scripture reveal that we are the temple and that we are holy. We know the blue print of the temple of God which contains three partitions - the outer court, the inner court and the inner most holy of holies. We know God dwells in the Holy of Holies which is most holy. We know that the Holy Spirit is given by God to us and it will remain only in the holy place. Because Holy Spirit resides in our spirit, we know that we are made holy/perfect in our spirit. Having made this point, now we will be able to relate ourselves to the many scriptures pointing to the condition of our spirit.

I corinthians 2:16 says that we have the mind of chirst.
Phillipians 4:13 I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me.
I John 2:20 We know all the things in spirit - "But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you know all things."

wait a minute, but you will say that you dont know all things. The scripture says you know all the things in the spirit and you can draw out the knowledge which is within your spirit by speaking in tongues.

I corinthians 4:14 - when you are speaking in tongues the spirit prays.
I corinthians 4:13 - let him who speaks interpret, when interpretation comes, we come to know of the wisdom of God.
I corinthians 4:2 says - in the spirit he speaks mystries.
I corinthians 2:4-7 we speak the wisdom of God in a mystrey.

This is a radical truth. We identify our Lord Jesus Christ in our spirits. We have the raising of Jesus from the dead power within our spirits. Yet we see ourselves in the carnal word and keep grapping and complaining about the things happenings to us. We are to relate ourselves in the spirit. The spirit is nothing but the word of God. Jesus said in John 6:63 - The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.

If you want to know how your spirit is feeling today, go back to your Bible, the Word of God and see the change in yourselves.

James chapter 1:22-25 says
But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was.But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.

Praise the Lord.

Archeological Evidence - II

Some more evidences to prove the historical accuracy of the Bible. While archaeology can not prove that the Bible is inspired and revealed by God, it can prove the historical accuracy and trustworthiness of that which is recorded in its pages. As many false religions support their beliefs by pointing to a Bible full of errors and mistranslations, there is plenty of archaeological evidence to support the historical accuracy of the Bible we read today. For those who are unwilling to believe God's words when he promised to preserve His Word (Matthew 24:35), and for those interested in contending for their faith, we will examine here some of the Archaeological evidence for the Bible.*
(Source:http://www.contenderministries.org/biblestudy/archeology.php#blackstele)

The Black Stele
David's Conquest of Jerusalem
The Ebla Tablets


The Black Stele

For many years, "higher critics" of the Bible postulated that the first five books of the Bible, known as the Pentateuch, could not have been written by Moses - despite the fact that the books themselves say that they were authored by him. This idea came to be know as the "Documentary Hypothesis," and was commonly taught in most religion courses in Western universities.

The proponents of this idea held that writing was not even in existence at the time of Moses, therefore it had to have been of later authorship. The minds of these critics went to work, and they devised a great structure of Old Testament criticism based on this premise - concluding that the books were written by several different authors.

Then, a simple archeological discovery interrupted their progress. The "black stele" - a sculpted stone containing the detailed laws of Hammurabi in large, wedge-shaped characters - was found in the Middle East. Was it post- Moses? No! It was pre-Mosaic by at least three centuries; not only that, but it was pre-Abraham (2,000 B.C.). Amazingly enough, it antedated Moses, who was supposed to have been a primitive man without an alphabet.

Even more amazing is the fact that, in light of this discovery, the "Documentary Hypothesis" is still being taught in universities today.

Another archaeological find that confirms the existence of writing centuries before the time of Moses is the discovery of the Ebla Tablets in northern Syria in the 1960's. The Ebla kingdom was actually in existence approximately 1000 years before Moses (reaching its height around 2300 B.C.). Ebla shows that a thousand years before Moses, laws, customs and events were recorded in writing in the same area of the world in which Moses and the patriarchs lived.

David's Conquest of Jerusalem

S.H. Horn, an archaeologist, gives an excellent example of how archaeological evidence helps in biblical study:

Archaeological explorations have shed some interesting light on the capture of Jerusalem by David . The biblical accounts of that capture (2 Samuel 5:6-8 and I Chronicles 11:6) are rather obscure without the help obtained from archaeological evidence. Take for example 2 Samuel 5:8, which in the King James Version reads: "And David said on that day, Whosoever getteth up to the gutter, and smiteth the Jebusites, and the lame and the blind, that are hated of David's soul, so shall be chief and captain." Add to this statement I Chronicles 11:6 --"So Joab the son of Zeruiah went first up and was chief."

Some years ago I saw a painting of the conquest of Jerusalem in which the artist showed a man climbing up a metal downspout, running on the outside face of the city wall. This picture was absurd, because ancient city walls had neither gutters nor downspouts, although they had weeping holes in the walls to drain water off. The Revised Standard Version, produced after the situation had become clear though archaeological discoveries made on the spot, translates the pertinent passages: "And David said on that day, 'Whoever would smite the Jebusites, let him get up the water shaft to attack the lame and the blind, who are hated by David's soul.'" "And Joab the Son of Aeruiah went up first, so he became chief." What was this water shaft that Joab climbed?

Jerusalem in those days was a small city lying on a single spur of the hills on which the large city eventually stood. Its position was one of great natural strength, because it was surrounded on three sides by deep valleys. This was why the Jebusites boastfully declared that even blind and lame could hold their city against a powerful attacking army. But the water supply of the city was poor; the population was entirely dependent on a spring that lay outside the city on the eastern slope of the hill.

So that they could obtain water without having to go down to where the spring was located, the Jebusites had constructed an elaborate system of tunnels through the rock. First they had dug a horizontal tunnel, beginning at the spring and proceeding toward the center of the city. After digging for ninety feet they hit a natural cave. From the cave they dug a vertical shaft forty-five feet high, and from the end of the shaft a sloping tunnel 135 feet long and a staircase that ended at the surface of their city, 110 feet above the water level of the spring. The spring was then concealed from the outside so that no enemy could detect it. To get water the Jebusite women went down through the upper tunnel and let their water skins down the shaft to draw water from the cave, to which it was brought by natural flow through the horizontal tunnel that connected the cave with the spring.

However, one question remained unanswered. The excavations of R. A. S. Macalister and J. G. Duncan some forty years ago had uncovered a wall and a tower that were thought to be of Jebusite and Davidic origin respectively. This tract of wall ran along the rim of the hill of Ophel, west of the tunnel entrance. Thus the entrance was left outside the protective city wall, exposed to the attacks and interference of enemies. Why hadn't the tunnel been built to end inside the city? This puzzle has now been solved by the recent excavations of Kathleen Kenyon on Ophel. She found that Macalister and Duncan had given the wall and tower they discovered wrong dates; these things actually originated in the Hellenistic period. She uncovered the real Jebusite wall a little farther down the slope of the hill, east of the tunnel entrance, which now put the entrance safely in the old city area.

David, a native of Bethlehem, four miles south of Jerusalem, may have found out about the spring and its tunnel system in the days when as a youth he roamed through the countryside. Later, as king, he based his surprise attack on this knowledge and made the promise that the first man who entered the city through the water shaft would become his commander-in-chief. Joab, who was already general of the army, did not want to lose that position and therefore led the attack himself. The Israelites apparently went through the tunnel, climbed up the shaft, and were in the city before any of the besieged citizens had any idea that so bold a plan had been conceived.

This water system, constructed more than three thousand years ago, is still in existence and can be examined by any tourist. Some good climbers have even climbed the shaft in modern times.

The Ebla Tablets

The Ebla Tablets were discovered in northern Syria by two professors from the University of Rome, Dr. Paolo Matthiae, an archaeologist; and Dr. Giovanni Petinato, an epigrapher. The excavation of Tell Mardikh began in 1964 and in 1968 they uncovered a statue of King Ibbit-Lim. Since 1974, 17,000 tablets have been unearthed from the era of the Ebla Kingdom. These tablets have already made valuable contributions to biblical criticism.

One contribution is in relation to Genesis 14. Critics have have described the victory of Abraham over Chedorlaomer and the Mesopotamian kings as fictitious and the five Cities of the Plain (Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, Zeboiim and Zoar) as legendary.

The Ebla archives, however, refer to all five Cities of the Plain and on one tablet the cities are listed in the exact same sequence as Genesis 14. The tablets further reflect that the region was prosperous and successful with a patriarchal culture consistent with that recorded in Genesis prior to the catastrophe recorded in Genesis 14.



* Information for this page is taken largely from: Josh McDowell, The Best Of Josh McDowell: A Ready Defense, (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1993), pp. 94-96, 98.

Archeological Evidence

There is very little doubt in anyone's mind about the reality of the so many of the Old and New Testament cities mentioned in the Bible. Therefore it is hardly necessary to document their existence. Nevertheless, following is a partial list of some of the cities mentioned in the Bible that have been found and excavated by archaeologists. This is simply more evidence that the Bible describes actual locations that can be verified. This means that at the very least, the Bible accurately reflects the locations and cities of ancient times.
(Source:http://www.carm.org/questions/evidence_archaeological.htm)

Arad
Mentioned in Numbers. 21:1 and Numbers 33:40
Excavations: "Arad 30 km NE of Beersheba, excavated from 1962 to 1974 by Y. Aharoni and R. B. K. Amiran." (The New Bible Dictionary, (Wheaton, Illinois: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.; 1962.)
"The site consists of an upper mound or acropolis, where excavation has revealed an Iron Age (post thirteenth century b.c." (Achtemeier, Paul J., Th.D., Harper’s Bible Dictionary, (San Francisco: Harper and Row, Publishers, Inc.) 1985.
The remains of a Hebrew temple were uncovered at Arad, (Horn, Siegfried H., Biblical Archaeology: a Generation of Discovery; Andrews University, Berrien Springs, Michigan; 1985. p.45-46.)

Bethel
Mentioned in Amos 7:12-13
Excavations: "W. F. Albright made a trial excavation at Bethel in 1927. Albright then mounted a full excavation in 1934. His assistant that year, J. L. Kelso, continued the excavation in 1954, 1957, and 1960." (Achtemeier, Paul J., Th.D., Harper’s Bible Dictionary, (San Francisco: Harper and Row, Publishers, Inc.; 1985.)

Capernaum
Mentioned in Matt. 17:24
Excavations: "Identified since 1856 with Tell Hum, Capernaum has been sporadically excavated for the past 130 years." (Achtemeier, Paul J., Th.D., Harper’s Bible Dictionary, (San Francisco: Harper and Row, Publishers, Inc.; 1985.)

Chorazin
Mentioned in Matthew 11:21
Excavations: "Excavations of the now deserted town indicate that it once covered an area of twelve acres and was built on a series of terraces with the basalt stone local to this mountainous region." (Achtemeier, Paul J., Th.D., Harper’s Bible Dictionary, (San Francisco: Harper and Row, Publishers, Inc.; 1985.)

Dan
Mentioned in Judges 18:29
Excavations: "The excavation of Dan began in 1966 under the direction fo Avraham Biran." (Horn, Siegfried H., Biblical Archaeology: a Generation of Discovery; Andrews University, Berrien Springs, Michigan; 1985. p. 42)
"Formerly called Laish, it is mentioned in the execration texts, the eighteenth-century b.c. Mari tablets, and the records of the Egyptian pharaoh Thutmose III. It is identified with Tel Dan (modern Tell el-Qadi) covering about 50 acres in the center of a fertile valley near one of the principal springs feeding the Jordan River...Tel Dan has been excavated by A. Biran since 1966. The earliest occupation, probably the full extent of the tell, goes back to about the middle of the third millennium b.c." (Achtemeier, Paul J., Th.D., Harper’s Bible Dictionary; San Francisco: Harper and Row, Publishers, Inc.; 1985.)

Ephesus
Mentioned in Ephesians 1:1
Excavations: "Austrian archaeologists in this century [2oth] have excavated the 24,000-seat theater and the commercial agora, as well as many other public buildings and streets of the first and second centuries a.d., so that the modern visitor can gain some impression of the city as known by Paul. (Achtemeier, Paul J., Th.D., Harper’s Bible Dictionary, (San Francisco: Harper and Row, Publishers, Inc.; 1985.)

Gaza
Mentioned in Acts 8:26
Excavations: Gaza was was excavated by W. J. Phythian-Adams in 1922. (Achtemeier, Paul J., Th.D., Harper’s Bible Dictionary, (San Francisco: Harper and Row, Publishers, Inc.; 1985.)

Gezer
Mentioned in Joshua 16:10
Excavations: R.A.S. MacAlister "directed the Palestine Exploration Fund for many years and conducted extensive excavations at Gezer (1902–1909). (Douglas, J. D., Comfort, Philip W. & Mitchell, Donald, Editors, Who’s Who in Christian History, (Wheaton, Illinois: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.; 1992.)

Hazor
Mentioned in Joshua 11:1 and Jer. 49:48
Excavations: "This large Canaanite and Israelite city in upper Galilee was excavated under Yigael Yadin's direction from 1955 to 1958 and from 1968 to 1970." (Horn, Siegfried H., Biblical Archaeology: a Generation of Discovery; Andrews University, Berrien Springs, Michigan; 1985. p. 40.)

Hesbon
Mentioned in Joshua 12:2
Excavations: Excavations were undertaken by Andrews University from 1968 to 1976. (Achtemeier, Paul J., Th.D., Harper’s Bible Dictionary, (San Francisco: Harper and Row, Publishers, Inc.; 1985.)

Jericho
Mentioned in Numbers 22:1
Excavations: "Jericho was the oldest inhabited and fortified city ever excavated." (Horn, Siegfried H., Biblical Archaeology: a Generation of Discovery; Andrews University, Berrien Springs, Michigan; 1985. p. 37)
"The city of OT times is represented today by a mound 70 feet high and 10 acres in area...The ancient city was excavated by C. Warren (1867), E. Sellin and C. Watzinger (1907-09), J. Garstang (1930-36), and K. Kenyon (1952-58)." (Achtemeier, Paul J., Th.D., Harper’s Bible Dictionary; San Francisco: Harper and Row, Publishers, Inc.; 1985.)
"The first scientific excavation there (1907-9) was by Sellin and Watzinger (Jericho, 1913)." (The New Bible Dictionary; Wheaton, Illinois: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.; 1962.).

Joppa
Mentioned in Acts 9:38
Excavations: "During excavations of the site of ancient Joppa a thirteenth-century b.c. citadel gate was uncovered..." (Achtemeier, Paul J., Th.D., Harper’s Bible Dictionary, (San Francisco: Harper and Row, Publishers, Inc.; 1985.)

Nineveh
Mentioned in 2 Kings 19:36 and Jonah 1:1-2
Excavations: Excavated in from 1845 to 1857 by Austen H. Layard. (Douglas, J. D., Comfort, Philip W. & Mitchell, Donald, Editors, Who’s Who in Christian History, (Wheaton, Illinois: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.; 1992.)

Shechem
Mentioned in Gen. 12:6 and Gen. 33:18
Excavations: "Excavations were carried out at Shechem, first by Austrian-German expeditions in 1913 and 1914, and again from 1926 to 1934, under several directors, and then by an American expedition from 1956 to 1972....Excavation of the sacred area revealed a courtyard sanctuary and a later fortress temple dedicated to El-berith "the god of the covenant." This temple, which was destroyed by Abimelech, the son of the judge Gideon (Judges 9) has provided us with a date of the judges period." (Horn, Siegfried H., Biblical Archaeology: a Generation of Discovery; Andrews University, Berrien Springs, Michigan; 1985. p. 40)
Most recently a structure identified as an Israelite altar has been excavated on the northeastern slope of Mt. Ebal. Dating to the 13th to 12th centuries B.C., considered to be the time of Joshua, the altar suggest the possibility that it may be the altar built by Joshua and described in Deuteronomy 27, 28." (Horn, Siegfried H., Biblical Archaeology: a Generation of Discovery; Andrews University, Berrien Springs, Michigan; 1985. p. 40)

Susa
Mentioned in Neh. 1:1 and Esther 1:2
Excavations: Excavations were conducted by Marcel Dieulafoy from 1884 to 1886 (Douglas, J. D., Comfort, Philip W. & Mitchell, Donald, Editors, Who’s Who in Christian History, (Wheaton, Illinois: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.; 1992.)

Miracles of Jesus Christ

Jesus the only Way for Salvation

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.

Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son.

This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.

Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.

But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God."

- John 3:16 -21

Following is a partial list of some of the miracles of Jesus. It is these miracles that attest to who Jesus is because His remarkable deeds confirm His incredible claim to be God in flesh, the only way to salvation

List of Miracles	Scripture Reference
Born of a virgin	Matt 1:25
Water Changed into Wine	John 2:1-11
The first catch of fishes	Luke 5:1-11
The Royal official's son healed	Mark 1:23-28; Luke 4:33-37
Calms the strom	Matt 8:23-27; Mark 4:35-41 Luke 8:22-25
Feeding of 5000	Matt 14:13-21; Mark 6:32-44 Luke 9:10-17; John 6:1-13
Walking on Water	Matt 14:22-33; Mark 6:45-51 John 6:15-21
Feeding of 4000	Matt 15:32-39; Mark 8:1-10
Money in a fish	Matt 17:24-27
Withered Tree	Matt 21:18-22; Mark 11:12-24
The second catch of fishes	John 21:1-14
The healing of Demon possesed man	Mark 1:21-27; Luke 4:33-37
Peter's Mother in law healed of fever	Matt 8:14-15; Mark 1:29-31 Luke 4:38-39
Many demon possessed and sick healed	Matt 8:16-17; Mark 1:32-39 Luke 4:40-41
The man with leprosy healed	Matt 8:1-4; Mark 1:40-45 Luke 5:12-15
Paralytic healed	Matt 9:1-8; Mark 2:1-12 Luke 5:18-26
Invalid healed at Bethesda	John 5:1-17
Withered hand healed	Matt 12:9-13; Mark 3:1-6 Luke 6:6-11
Many healed in Galilee	Matt 4:23-25
The Centurion's son healed	Matt 8:5-13' Luke 7:1-10
Widow's son raised from dead	Luke 7:11-17
Healing of Two demon possessed men	Matt 8:28-34; Mark 5:1-20 Luke 8:26-39
Jairus daughter raised from dead	Matt 9:18-26; Mark 5:22-43 Luke 8:41-56
Healing of the bleeding woman	Matt 9:20-22; Mark 5:24-34 Luke 8:43-48
Two blind men healed	Matt 9:27-31
Demon possessed mute man healed	Matt 9:32-34
Touching Jesus cloak	Matt 14:34-36; Mark 6:53-56
Healing in all towns and villages	Matt 9:35
Few in Nazareth	Mark 6:1-6
Caananite woman's daughter healed	Matt 15:21-28; Mark 7:24-30
Deaf and mute man healed	Mark 7:31-37
Multitude healed on mountain side	Matt 15:29-31
Boy with seizures healed	Matt 17:14-21;Mark 9:14-29 Luke 9:37-42
Blind man healed	John 9:1-41
Blind and mute demon possessed healed	Matt 12:22-24; Luke 11:14-15
Blind man at bethsaida	Mark 8:22-26
Crippled woman healed	Luke 13:10-17
The Royal official's son healed	John 4:48-54.
Man with Dropsy healed	Luke 14:1-16
Lazarus raised from dead	John 11:1-45
Ten healed of Leprosy	Luke 17:11-19
Crowds in Judea healed	Matt 19:1-2
Two blind men healed	Matt 20:29-34;Mark 10:46-52; Luke 18:35-43
Jesus forgave sins	Mark 2:5
Blind and lame healed at temple	Matt 21:14
Malchus ear healed	Luke 22:47-53; John 18:10-11
The Transfiguration	Matt 17:1-8
The Resurrection	Matt 28:1-10; Mark 16:1-20 Luke 24:1-53; John 20:1-31
Appeared to disciples after resurrection	John 20:19
Jesus ascended into heaven	Acts 1:9

We must pay more careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away.

For if the message spoken by angels was binding, and every violation and disobedience received its just punishment,

how shall we escape if we ignore such a great salvation? This salvation, which was first announced by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard him.

God also testified to it by signs, wonders and various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will. - Hebrews 2:1-4

God's Answers to Negativism

For all the negative things we have to say to ourselves, God has a
positive answer for it.

You say: "It's impossible"
God says: All things are possible (Luke 18:27)

You say: "I'm too tired"
God says: I will give you rest (Matthew 11:28-30)

You say: "Nobody really loves me"
God says: I love you (John 3:16 & John 13:34)



You say: "I can't go on"
God says: My grace is sufficient (II Corinthians 12:9 & Psalm 91:15)

You say: "I can't figure things out"
God says: I will direct your steps(Proverbs 3:5-6)

You say: "I can't do it"
God says: You can do all things(Philippians 4:13)

You say: "I'm not able"
God says: I am able (II Corinthians 9:8)

You say: "It's not worth it"
God says: It will be worth it (Roman 8:28)

You say: "I can't forgive myself"
God says: I FORGIVE YOU(I John 1:9 & Romans 8:1)

You say: "I can't manage"
God says: I will supply all your needs (Philippians 4:19)

You say: "I'm afraid"
God says: I have not given you a spirit of fear (II Timothy 1:7)

You say: "I'm always worried and frustrated"
God says: Cast all your cares on ME. (I Peter 5:7)

You say: "I don't have enough faith"
God says: I've given everyone a measure of faith (Romans 12:3)

You say: "I'm not smart enough"
God says: I give you wisdom (I Corinthians 1:30)

You say: "I feel all alone"
God says: I will never leave you or forsake you (Hebrews 13:5)

Share these with others, you never know whose life maybe in need of this today!

Abortion

Psalm 139:15-17

My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place.
When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,

your eyes saw my unformed body.
All the days ordained for me
were written in your book
before one of them came to be.


What a horrible thing to do!!

Many do not understand the meaning of abortion. IT MEANS KILLING LIFE. You can call it a murder, a planned murder. Hold on, people just push off the concept saying it is just the fetus. No! It is not. The moment the sperm enters an ovum, life is generated. It grows in stages. The first few stages are in the mother’s womb.

A woman is responsible for the abortion done to her. Just because everyone does abortion or even if the government allows for abortion, it does not become a right act. People hold different suppositions of when the actual life begins in the womb. Consider a basic living thing – bacteria, all it has is just a cell. It is still LIVING!! How much more will the fetus start to live the moment the fusion happens?

If you do not want the baby do not go for it. Use proper preventive measures for it. You have no right to kill a life.


Psalm 139:12-14

Indeed, the darkness shall not hide from You,
But the night shines as the day;
The darkness and the light are both alike to You.

For You formed my inward parts;
You covered me in my mother’s womb.

I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
Marvelous are Your works,
And that my soul knows very well.

Nevers of Marriage

So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate.” - Matthew 19:6

1. Never speak rashly.

Proverbs 15:1 tells us "A harsh word stirs up anger".

2.Never Confront your mate publicly.

Mathew 18:15. Jesus taught, "If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone". If you have a n issue to bring up with your spouse, do so in the privacy of your home.

3. Never confront your spouse in your childrens presence.

Your children in no way benefit from watching the two of you quarrel. They will inavriably respond more to the tone of your disagreement than to what is being said. they will feel defensive for themselves and defensive for the spouce they feel is getting a verbal lashing. they are likely to disrespect both parents for engagging in this behavior, either at the time or in later years. As a parent, you have the job of modeling good communication before your children, Proverbs 17:1 affirms, "better is a dry morsel with quietness, than a house full of feasting with strife". A tense home will make a boy long for his drivers licence so he can escape. A young girl will long for some man to remove her from such a home -all too often, the wrong man.

4. Never use your children in your conflict.

sometime parents ask one of their children to side with them their argument, to help them in their defense, or even to lie for them. Again, this is not modeling good communication skills or good conflict resolution. A child needs the assurance that both parents love each other and are able to resolve their diffrences by themselves. to ask a child to side withone parent is to put the child in an extremely awkward and undesirable position.

5.Never Say "NEVER" OR "ALWAYS"

The tendency in a conflict is to take an issue to the extreme "You always do this " or You never do that". Very few things in life hapen in never or always terms. It's far more productive tosay, "I dont appreciate it when..." or "I feel bad when you....." and then state the specific behavior. Dont generalize or user broad terms. Be specific in citing behavior. Never and always are terms that polarize. Stay neutral and dont push your argument, or your spouse, to an extreme position.

6. Never resort to Name-Calling.

Name-calling is always negative in tone and negative in effect. A name-caller cites a weakness or flaw in the other person and exaggerates it. The way to resolution inconflict is tobecome specific and totake the heat and hurt out of one's spoken words. Name-calling is a sure-fire way to turn up both the heat and the hurt in an argument.

7.Never Get historical.

Dont dredge up the past. In recalling past sins and applying them to the most recent bad behavior or error., you are sending a strong signal to your spouse that you are not a forgiving person. A truly forgiving person endeavors not only to forgive, but alos to forget. Although you may not ever truly be abel to forget an incident, you can forget to bring it up.

8.Never stomp out of the room or leave.

This is a form of domination, a form of gaining victory, and it will produce nothing but unresolved and heightened anger.

9.Never raise your voice in rage.

Uncontrolled anger turns any statement into a sin and any discussion into an unresolved debate. it is a primitive form of winning an argument. If anger creeps into a conversation or discussion, the anger must first be addressed and defused before any other issue can be dealt. Proverbs 16:21 asserts, "Sweetness of the lips increase learning," Proverbs 16:24 adds, "Pleasant words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the bones". A quiet, sweet tone of voice makes a person much more persuasive and brings about a much better attitude in the person who is listening.

10.Never bring family members into the dicussion unless they are a direct part of the problem being addressed.

In other words, never say to a person, "You are just like your father" or "Your mother does this and it drives me nets, and now you're doing it too". Regardless of the accuracy of your statment, your spouce is going to be defensive about his or her parents. Very little can be accomplished in a discussion if parents or in-laws are brought into the discussion, because they will then become the focal points of the argument.

11.Never use reasoning or logic as weapons.

Arguments are fueled by a competitive spirit that insists upon winning. conflicts are resolved when one person chooses willfully to "lose" or to abondon a position and yield to the other person. Nothing is more disrespectful than to disregard the feelings of your mate with cold logic as if your mate's pain is foolish and imagined.

Is this a doormat position? No To the contrary, it is agodly position. Repeatedy thruogh the new Testament we find admonitions that we are to submit to other believrs. Rather than to defend a position of personal "right", we areto submit our personal rights to a greater position of seeking unity and harmony within the body of christ.

this is not to say that we are to compromise with evil. If a spouse is intent on engaging in evil behavior that involves both spouses or the family as a whole, there is not way that the other spouse should contribute to or accommodate that behavior.

Seek every means of possible of convincing your spouse that wheat he is about to do si unrighteous before God and dangerous to the integerity ofyour marriage and family. Make every appeal you can make to the person to turn away from evil and toward the things to God. Pray diligently and fervently that God will drop the scales of deceit from your spouse's eyes so that he might see clearly the full ramifications of what is being done and come to himself, and in the process , repent of his ungodly behavior.

12. Never be Condenscending.

Arguments are rarely resolved if one person adopts a "Know it all" or "better than thou" attitude. If condesecending behavior is manifested in a public setting, the spouse who is being talked down to is likely to be angry and embarrassed. Whether you are husband or wife, your role in marriage is to build up, to edify, to strengthen and to genuinely praise the goodness of God in your spouce. A condesending attitude does just the opposite.

13. Never Demean.

Some people dont condescend in tone; they demean in actual content of their communication. One man said :My wife isn't well educated andd doesn't know about these things". He had no idea that he was hurting his wife in making a statement like that. He could hardly fathom the fact that she was embarressed and upset by his remark, which he perceived to be a simple fact. He even said to me, "I am telling the truth , and if the truth hurts a little, so be it. you have got to face the truth".

Much truth in our world never needs to be said. And there is no greater truth that this: we are to love one another at all times. If telling the truth to a person clashes with expressing love to that person, err on the side of expressing love. Ther is no excuse at any time for demeaning a person. Rather, focus on all of the good qualities and traits that God has put into your spouse. build up these attributes. Praise the good. You may be amazed to see how the bad pales into the background of your relationship.

14. Never accuse your spouse with "YOU" statements.

Arguments escalate when you continually point to the other person and say such things as , "You did this, ", "You said that", "You caused this" or "you are a rotten person.". you have taken on the roles of both judge and jury. Instead ,couch your statements in "I" terms; "I heard this and i need to know if i heard you correctly", "I dont understand what you mean when you say ..." or " I felt this way when i heard what you said.".

15.Never allow an argument to begin if both of you are overly tired, if one of you is under the influence of chemicals or if one of you isphysically ill.

Abigail, the wife of a foolish man named Nabal, had the good sense notto tell her husband what a grevous error he had made untill he was sober enough to hear her fully (1 samuel 25). A person who is physically ill; isunder the influence of alcohol, drugs or heavy duty prescription medications; or is exhausted physically or emotionally cannot engage in a reasonable, logical, rational conversation. if your spouse lashes out at you while he or she is in one ofthese condtions, wait until the context changes before you respond or bring up an issue for discussion.

16. Never touch your spouce in a harmful manner.
No grabbling, no slapping, no shaking , no pushing, no strong-arming. Rough physical treatment is never justifiable.

Dont be discouraged or fearful when conflicts arise. use them as a building stones toward an even more wornderful marriage relationship. On the heels of conflict and resolution, we see marriage at its most intimate.

Divorce

"God hates divorce" - Malachi 2:16

Foundation of Marriage

Genesis 2:18

And the LORD God said, “It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him.”

Genesis 2:21-24

And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept; and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place. Then the rib which the LORD God had taken from man He made into a woman, and He brought her to the man. And Adam said: “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; She shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh

Marriage is to be one man for one woman for life-not a man and a man or a woman and a woman. God made a man and a woman-not a man and a man!

After understanding the basics for marriage, now arises the question of divorce. What would be God's answer to it. Let us analyse.

Divorce

Mathew 19:4-6

And He answered and said to them, “Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning ‘made them male and female,’ and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate.”





Malachi 2:15-16

But did He not make them one, having a remnant of the Spirit? And why one? He seeks godly offspring. Therefore take heed to your spirit, and let none deal treacherously with the wife of his youth. “ For the LORD God of Israel says That He hates divorce, for it covers one’s garment with violence,”Says the LORD of hosts. “ Therefore take heed to your spirit,That you do not deal treacherously.”

Essentials in a Marriage.

1. Christ should be the head of the home

2. Commitment and Understanding

3. Building of trust and Confidence

4. Openness of heart and emotions

5. Everlasting and unconditional Love

Ephesians 5:22-33

Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body. Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything. Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish. So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church. For we are members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones. “For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church. Nevertheless let each one of you in particular so love his own wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.

The word love mentioned in these verses are the unconditional or God kind of love. The Greek word for this love is mentioned as "agape" which means unconditional love, a love which is no way earned or deserved. Husband and wife are considered a single body by God and the only force binding them is this Love.

HOW TO AVOID DIVORCE IN MARRIAGE

Consider the following views and try one at a time.

1.It’s true that we have an innate need to be loved for who we are and not for how we look or what we do. We crave being loved without earning it in any way. But it’s also true that shallow standards of beauty imposed by our world are ridiculous and unfair, leading some to do foolish things to their bodies or psyches. What do we do now?

If you feel that you no longer love your spouse because of his/her physical appearance then,

a) Be honest about all your emotions and speak them to your spouse. It’s not your heart that holds you back; it’s your physical senses.
b) The attributes that used to trigger your passion are gone. Do not rely on emotions as they change with time and situation. Take a decision to love a person irrespective of how they are.
c)If you would have seen the same person and loved them when they are overweight, dark and so on, the feelings now arising in you would not diminish your love rather increase them. Feelings are momentary, but they are real. Feelings cannot be stopped but can be converted to positive nature.

If you work on this together, with honesty and openness, you will bring passion back into your marriage.

Some of the most common reason for frustration in marriage are:

1. Breakdown in communication
2. Spending less time with each other
3. Diverting attention to other things to forget tension at home

1.It is very essential to let the communication go through to your spouse. The real emotions and feelings are to be let out in love. There would be a large scope of preventing a disaster in this kind of an environment rather than prescribing medicines for the emotions to heal later. Let your spouse know your likes, dislikes, love, hate after all they are a part of you. You cannot/should not hide yourself from you.

2. Set aside time for your spouse. They need to be in your presence to feel your love and warmth. The more you spend time together the less will be the feelings of fear, misunderstanding, disrespect and neglect. Do not bring office work to home. Some case it might compel you, explain it to your wife and seek co-operation without bossing over. Go for outing to open places, lonely places and long visited places. Revive the love and intimacy very often.

3.Face the problems immediately. Do not run away. The more you delay, the more complex they become. Time does not heal problems. Courage and sound mind does. Remove all misunderstanding and fear out of your spouse as soon as you can. Assure your spouse of your unconditional love.

2 Timothy 1:7
For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.

50 Promises for Marriage

Every Married person, or persons planning to marry should consider reading and practicing the below mentioned actions. Extend Unconditional Love to your spouse as they are a part of you. Nobody can hate themselves.

Mark 10:8

and the two shall become one flesh’; so then they are no longer two, but one flesh.

1corinthians 7:4

The wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does. And likewise the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does.


1. Start each day with a kiss.
2. Wear your wedding ring at all times.
3. Date once a week.
4. Accept differences.
5. Be polite.
6. Be gentle.
7. Give gifts.
8. Smile often.

















9. Touch.
10. Talk about dreams.
11. Select a song that can be "our song".
12. Give back rubs.
13. Laugh together.
14. Send a card for no reason.
15. do what the other person wants before he or she asks.
16. Listen.
17. Encourage.
18. Do it his or her way.
19. Know his or her needs.
20. Fix the other person's breakfast.
21. Compliment twice a day.
22. Call during the day.
23. Slow down.
24. Hold hands.
25. Cuddle.
26. Ask for each other's opinion.
27. Show respect.
28. Welcome the other person home.
29. Look your best.
30. Wink at each other.
31. Celebrate birthdays in a big way.
32. Apologize.
33. Forgive.
34. Set up a romantic getaway.
35. Ask, "What can I do to make you happier?".
36. Be positive.
37. Be kind.
38. Be vulnerable.
39. Respond quickly to the other person's request.
40. Talk about your love.
41. Reminisce about your favorite times together.
42. Treat each other's friends and relatives with courtesy.
43. Send flowers every Valentine's day and anniversary.
44. Admit when wrong.
45. Be sensitive to each other's sexual desires.
46. Pray for each other daily.
47. Watch sunsets together.
48. Say "I love you" frequently.
49. End the day with a hug.
50. Seek outside help when needed.

But most importantly, put the LORD in the center of your lives. Pray together!

Marriage - God's Expectation

The Creation of Marriage

Genesis 2:24
Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they sahll become one flesh.

Purpose of Marriage

Marriage is not intended to be a self-centered means of meeting our own needs. When we think this way, divorce becomes an option and all too often a reality.

God created marriage to
a) reflect His glory
b) meet the needs of our mate

Six Principles

1. Husbands, be the head.
2. Wives, be the helper.
3. Leave all other loyalties behind.
4. Be absolutely loyal to yur mate.
5. Be companion to your mate.
6. Work together for the glory of God.

There is a role defined distinctly for husband and wife and they cannot be interchanged. Adam and Eve werer created equal in value, dignity, worth and significance.

Responsibility

1. Husband bears the responsibility before God to lead Women, in a God-honoring manner, to sacrificially love her by protecting and providing for her well-being.

Supporting Scriptures

Ephesians 5:28-29

So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church.

Responsibility

2.Wife bears the responsibility to voluntarily submit to her husband's leadership, to support his authority, and to work alongside him in their common purpose of bringing glory to God.

Supporting Scriptures

I Peter 3:1-2

Wives, likewise, be submissive to your own husbands, that even if some do not obey the word, they, without a word, may be won by the conduct of their wives, when they observe your chaste conduct accompanied by fear.

3. Leave all other loyalities behind.

"Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother........." This is a very strong idea and contradicts with the 5th Cmmandment of God's law which says "Honor your father and your mother".

This does not speak about sons to turn their back on parents rather he is to leave the authority of his parents in order to establish a new authority of his own (along with his wife). Parents cannot function as a surrogate head for him. The parent-child relationship is temporary, but the husband-wife relationship is permanent - "till death do us part."

4. Be absolute loyal to your mate.

"..............and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.

This verse rules out polygamy ".. be joined to his wife.." not to his wives
GOD'S DESIGN FOR MARRIAGE AT THE VERY CREATION OF THE HUMAN RACE, WAS ONE MAN AND ONE WOMAN.

Rules out homosexuality, Genesis 2:22-23 "Then the LORD God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man.The man said, "This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called 'woman, ' for she was taken out of man." It was man and woman who was made husband and wife.

Rules out adultery, "....be joined to his wife..." not to some other woman.

If there's any lack of satisfying intimacy in your marriage, the answerr isnot going to be found outside of your marriage; the problem is inside of your marriage - that's what needs to be fixed.

5. Be companion to your mate.

"... and they shall become one flesh."

The sexual union between husband and wife only symbolizes their greater union. A preceeding union of spirits, of emotions, of intellects, of common interests, goals, plans and hopes will enhance the sexual union.

Genesis 2:18 "The LORD God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him."

The basic obligation of marriage is to be the answer to the mate's need for genuine companionship

6. Work together for the glory of God

"... and they shall become one flesh".

One flesh refers to the entire life-union of the couple, of which sexual intercourse is the unique realization and expression. The essential moral problem with non marital sexual intercourse is that it performs a life-uniting acts without a life-united intent, thus violating its intrinsic meaning.

Between man and his wife in their perfect union there should be no guilt, hiding, blaming, alienation and conflict.

Marriages are to be a reflection, not of our own self-centeredness, but of the divine plan of redemption in which sinners, who were once lost and alienated from God by their sin, are reunited as one flesh, one body with Him. This brings God great glory and pleasure.

Who am I ?

That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

The below promises come alive in each and every individual who is saved.

That the sharing of your faith may become effective by the acknowledgment of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus. - Philemon 1:6

I am complete in Him Who is the Head of all principality and power (Colossians 2:10).

I am alive with Christ (Ephesians 2:5).

I am free from the law of sin and death (Romans 8:2).

I am far from oppression, and fear does not come near me (Isaiah 54:14).

I am born of God, and the evil one does not touch me (I John 5:18).

I am holy and without blame before Him in love (I Peter 1:16; Ephesians 1:4).

I have the mind of Christ (Philippians 2:5; I Corinthians 2:16).

I have the peace of God that passes all understanding (Philippians 4:7).

I have the Greater One living in me; greater is He Who is in me than he who is in the world (I John 4:4).

I have received the gift of righteousness and reign as a king in life by Jesus Christ (Romans 5:17).

I have received the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Jesus, the eyes of my understanding being enlightened (Ephesians 1:17,18).

I have received the power of the Holy Spirit to lay hands on the sick and see them recover, to cast out demons, to speak with new tongues. I have power over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means harm me (Mark 16:17,18; Luke 10:17,19).

I have put off the old man and have put on the new man, which is renewed in the knowledge after the image of Him Who created me (Colossians 3:9,10).

I have given, and it is given to me; good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over, men give into my bosom (Luke 6:38).

I have no lack for my God supplies all of my need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:19).

I can quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one with my shield of faith (Ephesians 6:16).

I can do all things through Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:13).

I shall do even greater works than Christ Jesus (John 14:12).

I show forth the praises of God Who has called me out of darkness into His marvelous light (I Peter 2:9).

I am God’s child─for I am born again of the incorruptible seed of the Word of God, which lives and abides forever (I Peter 1:23).

I am God’s workmanship, created in Christ unto good works (Ephesians 2:10).

I am a new creature in Christ (II Corinthians 5:17).

I am a spirit being─alive to God (I Thessalonians 5:23; Romans 6:11).
I am a believer, and the light of the Gospel shines in my mind (II Corinthians 4:4).

I am a doer of the Word and blessed in my actions (James 1:22,25).

I am a joint-heir with Christ (Romans 8:17).

I am more than a conqueror through Him Who loves me (Romans 8:37).

I am an overcomer by the blood of the Lamb and the word of my testimony (Revelation 12:11).

I am a partaker of His divine nature (II Peter 1:3,4).

I am an ambassador for Christ (II Corinthians 5:20).

I am part of a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a purchased people (I Peter 2:9).

I am the righteousness of God in Jesus Christ (II Corinthians 5:21).

I am the temple of the Holy Spirit; I am not my own (I Corinthians 6:19).

I am the head and not the tail; I am above only and not beneath (Deuteronomy 28:13).

I am the light of the world (Matthew 5:14).

I am His elect, full of mercy, kindness, humility, and longsuffering (Romans 8:33; Colossians 3:12).

I am forgiven of all my sins and washed in the Blood (Ephesians 1:7).

I am delivered from the power of darkness and translated into God’s kingdom (Colossians 1:13).

I am redeemed from the curse of sin, sickness, and poverty (Galatians 3:13; Deuteronomy 28:15-68).

I am firmly rooted, built up, established in my faith and overflowing with gratitude (Colossians 2:7).

I am called of God to be the voice of His praise (II Timothy 1:9; Psalm 66:8).

I am healed by the stripes of Jesus (I Peter 2:24; Isaiah 53:5).

I am raised up with Christ and seated in heavenly places (Colossians 2:12; Ephesians 2:6).

I am greatly loved by God (Colossians 3:12; Romans 1:7; I Thessalonians 1:4; Ephesians 2:4).

I am strengthened with all might according to His glorious power (Colossians 1:11).

I am submitted to God, and the devil flees from me because I resist him in the Name of Jesus (James 4:7).

I press on toward the goal to win the prize to which God in Christ Jesus is calling us upward. (Philippians 3:14).


For God has not given us a spirit of fear; but of power, love, and a sound mind (II Timothy 1:7).

It is not I who live, but Christ lives in me (Galatians 2:20).

Evolution - A Myth

"Who is this that darkens my counsel with words without knowledge?" - Job 38:2

"The most miraculour thing is happening. The physicists are getting down to the nitty gritty... and the last thing they ever expected to be happening is happening. God is showing through." - John Updike.

Universe

Form the outer regions of space to the microscopic world of atoms and molecules our universe displays complex design, purpose, order and arrangement.

Points agreed by eminents

Life on earth would not be possible ...

a) If our universe had not expanded at just the right speed at the moment of origin.
Stephen Hawking has calculated that if the rate of the universe's expansion one second after the Big Band had been smaller by even one part in a hundred thousand million million, the universe would have collapsed into a fireball.

b) If the precise amount of matter were not produced at the moment of origin

c) If our universe expanded at any other speed

d) If elecrical, gravitational, electromagnetic or nuclear forces in our world were any stronger or weaker

e) If our planet were not tilted exactly the way it is (at an angle of 23.5 degrees on its axis of rotation)

f) If planet earth were any closer to the sun it would be too hot for life to exist on earth. If it were any farther away it would be too cold for life to exist on earth. The distance happens to be just right!

g) If the size, composition, location and orbit of the sun, earth or moon were not just what they are - life on earth would not be possible. (In fact, the size of the moon "just happens" to be 400 times smaller than the sun and the moon "just happens" to be precisely 400 times closer to the earth than the sun is. This "just happens" to make a total solar eclipse possible from an earthbound point of view whenever their orbital travels bring them in line with one another. "One can't help but feel a nagging sense of suspicion that there is probably more going on here than just a mindless series of happy accidents").

h) If the surface temperature of the sun was slightly higher or lower

i) If the eart rotated around the sun at any other speed or diameter

j) If the cosmological constant (the energy density of empty space) were any different.
In fact, "all the seemingly arbitrary and unrelated onstants in physics have one strange thing in common - these are precisely the values you need if you want to have a universe capable of producing life.

k) If delicate ozone layer did not exist to filter out the sun's harmful ultraviolet rays.

l) If the moon were any closer to earth, ocean tides would cover the ighest mountains. It it were any bigger and in the same place, the tides would be too strong.

m) If the thickness of the earth's crust were slightly different

n) If our planet did not have an abundant supply of carbon, oxygen, nitrogen, hydrogen, phosphorus and calcium.
No other planet has been found to have all these crucial elements to sustain life.

o) If our planet were not covered with 4/5ths water which evaporates, gives us rain and regulates temperature.

p) If water did not have such a high boiling point and if its solid form (ice) were not less dense than its liquid form

q) If the process of atmospheric evaporation werre not finely and precisely balanced

r) If the range of temperature, humidity, pressure or acidity in our atmosphere were any different

s) If the speed of light constant or the gravitational constant were slightly different.
"The fundamental laws and constants of nature did not gradually evolve into their present life-supporting character through a process of natural selection, as is widely believed. Instead, they spontaneously came into existence with the origin of the universe itself, perfectly calibrated and ready for action... Despite the infinity of possible errors, the universe repeatedly chose the 'correct' value each time it had to do so as far as our own existence is concerned. Mathematicians tell us that the probability of this happening is zero. Yet we are here"

t)If the ration between the mass of a proton and electron and neutron were any smaller or greater

u) If the severity of volcanic or seismic activity on earth were slightly greater or lesser

v) If the oxygen to nitrogen ration or the carbon dioxide to water vapor ration were slightly differrent

w)If jupiter had a more elliptical orbit and did not act as our "meteor and comet shield"

x) "The Earth is just large enough so that its gravity retains the atmosphere and just small enough not to keep too many harmful gases".

Sir Fred Hoyle once commented...
"A commensense interpretation of the facts suggests that a superintellect has monkeyed with physics, as well as chemistry and biology, and that there are no blind forces worth speaking about in the nature."

Modern science has no explanation for the billions of independent cosmic factors that happen to be "just right" for humans to exist apart from the deliberate workings of an Intelligent Designer.

The Bible Says:

Psalm 19:1

"The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament shows His handiwork."

Isaiah 40:26

"Lift up your eyes on high, and see who has created these things,
Who brings out their host by number; He calls them all by name,
By the greatness of His might and the strength of His power;
Not one is missing."

Psalm 8:3-4

"When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have ordained, what is man that You are mindful of him, and the son of man that You visit him?"

Romans 1:18-20

"For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, 19 because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. 20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse."

The Bible and Science

The Bible is literary source of Christian religion. It is the inspired and inerrant word of God, a collection of 66 books (39 in the Old Testament and 27 in the New Testament), written by over 40 different authors, from 1500 B.C to about 100 A.D on three continents, in three languages: Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek. These men wrote as they were moved by the Holy Spirit (2 Peter 1:21). They wrote not in words of human wisdom but in words taught by the Holy Spirit (I Corinthians 2:13).

As we can see that the Bible was written centuries ago, it has many verses in it that relate to science. One would expect that the lack of modern scientific knowledge of the writers would show through on this ancient document. But instead, there is an amazing treatment of science in the Bible that transcends human invention and the knowledge of the period in which it was produced.

Let us have a look about what Bible has to say and the scientific discoveries made by mankind.


Date: 1500 B.C
1. God gave the Israelites many teachings about the washing of hands and clothing. (Numbers 19:11-16)
Date: 1865 A.D
The importance of washing to prevent the spread of germs was not recognized until 1865 by Joseph Lister.

Date: 1500 B.C
2. God told the Israelites to let the land rest every seventh year. (Leviticus 25:4)
Date: 200 B.C
Today, the practice of “letting the land rest” is known to be very important for the soil. This was not practiced, however, (except for the Israelites) until about 200 B.C by the Romans.

Date: 1500 B.C
3. God told the Israelites in Genesis 17:12 “every male among you who is eight days old must be circumcised…..”
Date 1935 A.D
Doctors discovered that the best day for a surgical procedure on a new born baby is on the eight day because the blood is at the height of clotting on this day.

Date: 700 B.C
4. Isaiah 40:22 “It is He who sits above the circle of the earth………….” Tells us that the earth is round.
Date: 1600 A.D
Most cultures before the 16th century believed that the earth was flat.

Date : 2000 B.C
5. Job 26:7 tells us that “God hung the earth on nothing.”
Date: Recent
Most ancient cultures believed that the world was held up by something

Date: 700 B.C and 1000 B.C
6. Isaiah 43:16 and psalms 8:6-8 talks about “paths of the seas”
Date: 1855 A.D
Matthew Fouantaine Maur, the “father of oceanography” discovered that there were natural currents and paths in the ocean.

Date: 1500 B.C
7. God told Noah exactly how to design the ark in genesis 6:15.
Date: Recent
Naval engineers now know that this design is perfect for the rough seas.

Date: 2000 B.C
8. Job 38:20 speaks about light moving from one place to another.
Date: 1600 A.D
The fact that a light move was not known until Newton discovered the motion of the light in 1600.

Date: 600 B.C
9. The prophet Jeremiah said that “no person could count all the stars”. Jeremiah 33:22
Date: Recent
At one time in history some people believed that we could count and even name all the stars. Astronomers now understand that the stars are uncountable.

Date: 950 B.C
10. Ecclesiastes 1:6 describes global wind patterns.
Date: 1960 A.D
Global wind patterns were not understood until the 1960’s with the help of the satellites.

Date: 2000 B.C, 950 B.C
11. Job 36:27-28 and Ecclesiastes 1:7 describe the water cycle.
Date: 1700 A.D
This process was not understood by scientist until Perrault and Mariotte in the 1700’s.

Other Scriptures that Science Validates.

1. 2 peter 3:10 speaks about the atomic fission.
But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up

2. Psalm 8:8 and Isaiah 43:16 talks about ocean currents.
Psalm 8:8 - The birds of the air, and the fish of the sea. That passes through the paths of the seas.
Isaiah 43:16 - Thus says the LORD, who makes a way in the sea. And a path through the mighty waters.

3. Job 36:27 and Amos 9:6 talks about Hydrologic Cycle
Job 36:27 - For He draws up drops of water, which distill as rain from the mist.
Amos 9:6 - He who builds His layers in the sky, And has founded His strata in the earth; Who calls for the waters of the sea, And pours them out on the face of the earth — The LORD is His name.

4. Job 40-41 and Psalm 74:14 talks about dinosaur.
Job 40:15 - “Look now at the behemoth, which I made along with you; He eats grass like an ox.
Psalm 74:14 - You broke the heads of Leviathan in pieces, and gave him as food to the people inhabiting the wilderness

5. Jonah 2:5, 6 tells about mountains inside the ocean.
The waters surrounded me, even to my soul; the deep closed around me; Weeds were wrapped around my head. I went down to the moorings of the mountains; the earth with its bars closed behind me forever; yet You have brought up my life from the pit, O LORD, my God.

6. Hebrew 11:3 everything present in the earth is made up of subatomic particles, which are invisible.
By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.

FAQ about God

1. God is infinite, Matter is finite, and how could God become man?

This is a common question that every one will ask whenever I talk about Jesus Christ. People ask how God, who is dependent on nothing, can then become dependent as a man. Another will ask if God became a man, he could not then become a god again because a man cannot become a god. I can answer this question with bible scriptures but there are possibilities that many readers might not be aware of bible or some of them may not believe bible, so me explaining through bible will not impact either of them, so I would prefer to explain you logically. It is sad to see people trust on their intellectual human logic and reasoning rather than God’s word. I have answered these questions in three premises in detail.

Premise 1

All the religion who believes in existence of God accepts that God can do anything.

If this so, then it necessarily follows that if God can do anything, then he can become a man since that possibility falls under the scope of "God can do anything."

1. This would mean that God stopped being God

a) Not if a "part" of God entered into a human form. The totality of God could still exist, yet a localized "part" could take the form of a man.

b) Is not the Qur’an the word of Allah? Is not the Bhagavad-Gita a word of Krishna? is not his word a reflection of his character since it proceeds from Him? Is not the infinite word of Allah become knowable, readable in a physical form for us to understand? Is not the infinite word of Krishna become knowable, readable in a physical form for us to understand? Since this is so, why cannot the Word of God become flesh-as the Bible says? Why cannot a representation of God (His word) take a physical form (Qur’an, Bhagavad-Gita) or even a human form (Jesus) – since God can do anything?

2. This would mean that the infinite God became finite.

a) Not if a "part" of God entered into a human form. The totality of God could still exist, yet a localized "part" could take the form of a man.

b) Is not the Qur’an the word of Allah? Is not the Bhagavad-Gita a word of Krishna? is not his word a reflection of his character since it proceeds from Him? Is not the infinite word of Allah become knowable, readable in a physical form for us to understand? Is not the infinite word of Krishna become knowable, readable in a physical form for us to understand? Since this is so, why cannot the Word of God become flesh-as the Bible says? Why cannot a representation of God (His word) take a physical form (Qur’an, Bhagavad-Gita) or even a human form (Jesus) – since God can do anything?

3. This would mean that the independent became dependent.

a) It would not necessitate that the totality of God became dependent, per point “b” above: a part of God could become man.
b) God can choose to become dependent, in part, as a man. He can make that choice, can he not?

4. This would mean that the eternal became temporal.

a) Again, by premise one; God could do it since He can do all things.
b) If God, in some way, became a man by adding human nature to Him, it would not necessitate that God stop being eternal since His divine nature would be, by nature, eternal as it is retained within the human form.

5. If God became man, then he could not become God again.

a) If only “part” of God became man, then God would never have ceased being God and the objection is moot.
b) If God can do all things, then a part of Him can become a man and retain His divine nature and never have stopped being God at all.

6. Why would God need to become a man? Showing He has a need means he is dependent.

a) It is not a need. It is a choice. God is not compelled to do anything – except be Himself. If He chose to become a man, It would be by His desire, not by His need. This answers the second question.
b) If God can do anything, then He can choose to share in the dependency of a human and not deny his own nature of being God

Premise 2

God cannot do anything, because He cannot do anything that conflict with His nature. Becoming a man conflicts with His nature.

God’s nature has to do with essential character and essence of His being like holiness, love, compassion, goodness, patience, etc.

There is nothing In holiness, love, compassion, goodness, patience, etc., that would mean God could not become a man.
The essential nature of God is not changed if a part of it adds humanity.

Premise 3

God’s nature can be partially seen in His creation.

As a painter reveals part of himself, his style, what he is, etc, in his painting, so too, God has revealed part of Himself, His style, and what He is in His creation.
a) The universe is ordered; therefore, God is God of order
b) The universe operates on laws; therefore, God is a God of law
c) The universe has a beginning; therefore, God is the creator
d) The universe is immense (functionally infinite); therefore, God is infinite.

If this is possible, then why cannot part of God become man and add human nature to it. There is no logical reason to declare the impossibility of God that He, in some way, could become a man.

2. Jesus' Two Natures

Jesus is God in human flesh. He is not half God and half man. He is fully divine and fully man. That is, Jesus has two distinct natures: divine and human. Jesus is the Word who was God and was with God and was made flesh, (John 1:1,14) this means that in the single person of Jesus is both a human and divine nature. The divine nature was not changed. It was not altered. He is not merely a man who "had God within Him" nor is he a man who "manifested the God principle." He is God, second person of the Trinity. "The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word," (Heb, 1:3). Jesus' two natures are not "mixed together," nor are they combined into a new God-man nature. They are separate yet act as a unit in the one person of Jesus. This is called the Hypostatic Union.
The following points should help you see the two natures of Jesus "in action":

God
He is worshiped (Matt2: 2,11; 14:33)
He was called God (John 20:28; Heb 1:8)
He was called Son of God (Mark 1:1)
He is prayed to (Acts 7:59)
He is sinless (1 Pet. 2:22; Heb. 4:15)
He knows all things (John 21:17)
He gives eternal life (John 10:28).
All the fullness of deity dwells in Him (Col. 2:9).


Man
He worshiped the Father (John 17)
He was called man (Mark 15:39; John 19:5)
He was called Son of Man (John 9:35 –37)
He prayed to the Father (John 17)
He was tempted (Matt. 4:1)
He grew in wisdom (Luke 2:52).
He died (Rom. 5:8).
He has a body of flesh and bones (Luke 24:39)

The Communication Idiomatum

A doctrine that is related to the Hypostatic Union is the communication idiomatum (Latin for "communication of properties"). It is the teaching that the attributes of both the divine and human natures are ascribed to the one person of Jesus. This means that the man Jesus could lay claim to the glory He had with the Father before the world was made (John 17:5)., claim that He descended from heaven, (John 3:13). and also claim omnipresence, (Matt. 28:20). All of these are divine qualities that are laid claim to by Jesus; therefore, the attributes of the divine properties were claimed by the person of Jesus.

Mistakes non – christians make

One of the most common errors that non-Christian make is not understanding the two natures of Christ. For example, the Jehovah's Witnesses focus on Jesus' humanity and ignore His divinity. The repeatedly quote verses dealing with Jesus as a man and try and set them against scripture showing that Jesus is also divine. On the other hand, the Christian Scientists do the reverse. They focus on the scriptures showing Jesus' divinity to the extent of denying His true humanity.
For a proper understanding of Jesus and, therefore, all other doctrines that relate to Him, His two natures must be properly understood and defined. Jesus is one person with two natures. This is why He would grow in wisdom and stature (Luke 2:52) yet knows all things (John 21:17) He is the Devine Word that became flesh (john 1:1,14).

The Bible is about Jesus (John 5:39). The prophets prophesied about Him (Acts 10:43). The Father bore witness of Him (John 5:37; 8:18) The Holy Spirit bore witness of Him (John 15:26).The works Jesus did bore witness of Him (John 5:36; 10:25) The multitudes bore witness of Him (John 12:17). And, Jesus bore witness of Himself (John 14:6; 18:6)Other verses to consider when examining His deity are (John 10:30-33; 20:28; Col. 2:9Phil 2:5-8; Heb 1:6-8; and 2 Pet 1:1).

1 Tim. 2:5 says, "For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus." Right now, there is a man in heaven on the throne of God. He is our advocate with the Father (1 John 2:1) He is our Savior (Titus 2:13). He is our Lord (Rom. 10:9-10). He is Jesus.

3. Is God's nature changed by Jesus being divine and human?

The Christian doctrine concerning Jesus' two natures is called the hypostatic union. It is the teaching that the Divine Word of God (John 1:1) "became flesh and dwelt among us," (John 1:14). Therefore, Jesus is both divine and human in one person (Col. 2:9); He has two natures: human and divine. But some who oppose the Trinity and Jesus' incarnation (the Divine Word becoming a man), say that if Jesus is God in flesh this must mean that God's nature changed because God added a human nature to His divine nature. This would violate Malachi 3:6 which says that God does not change. But, the union of the two natures of Jesus in one person does not constitute a change in the nature of God.

Since the hypostatic union teaches that in the one person of Jesus there are two natures, the divine nature of Jesus is not affected by union with the human nature because there is no fusion of the two natures. That is, the divine nature is not combined with the human nature to make a third thing. This would be the error known, as monophysitism Jesus is not a new third thing with a fused-together new nature. Instead, it is a union. An example of a union is marriage between a man and a woman. Each is separate, but in marriage "...they shall become one flesh," (Gen. 2:24), yet they remain two distinct individuals. They are not blended into a new third thing. Fusion, on the other hand, can be illustrated by the combining copper and Zinc that can be fused together to form a new third thing called brass. In this case, the two elements loose their identity and are merged together into something new. But in a union, the elements do not loose their identity or nature. The hypostatic union is not a hypostatic fusion and the two natures of Jesus do
not lose their distinction and they are not altered.

Furthermore, within the union of the two natures in the one person of Christ, the divine nature is still divine and the human nature is still human. One is not altered by the presence of the other anymore than my spirit in me is altered in nature by its indwelling a physical body. Likewise, the divine Word is not altered by indwelling human flesh.

Finally, the doctrine of the Trinity is that God is three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This does not mean three gods. There is only one God. The Trinitarian nature of God is not altered by the union of the Word with humanity since it was the divine Word that humbled Himself to become a man (John 1:1,14; Phil. 2:5-8) not the Father or the Holy Spirit. Therefore, by definition the Trinity is unaffected by the union of the Word with humanity in the incarnation of Jesus.

4. God cannot have a son.

Are there really people who think that Jesus is the Son of God because God had intercourse with Mary and fathered a child? The mere thought of it should make anyone sick! Unfortunately many people implies that this is what Christians believe, so many people think this is what we believe. This is a most unfortunate misrepresentation of Christian faith by non-Christians.

Let me clear what Christians believe with the term son of God. God created the body of Jesus in the womb of Mary. Jesus born from a Virgin Mary. Jesus was not born by any sexual intercourse between God and Mary or any Man and Mary. Jesus birth was a great miracle;

The word "son" has more than one meaning:

· Biological: I have already pointed out that we do not imply anything biological with the term!

· Relational/Social: The term "son" implies a certain relationship between two people, the son and the father. This social relationship is not dependent on the biological relationship: Many people who are not biologically related are in father-son relationships. The term "Son of God" implies this relationship between Jesus and the Father.

· Legal: A son can act in many cultures as the legal representative of his father, and when the father dies he inherits the fathers title and estate. Usually the prince sat on the right hand of his father, the king. This implied that he was not a subject, but shared in the authority of the throne. Jesus told a parable in which he portrayed himself as the Son, and therefore the legal representative of the Father: (He also prophesied his own death in this parable)