Why Was I Born

THIS MATERIAL HAS NOT BEEN EDITED FOR

SCRIPTURAL ACCURACY, SPELLING, OR GRAMMAR

WHY WAS I BORN?

‘And unto this people thou shalt say, Thus saith the Lord; Behold, I set before you:

1. The way of life,

2. And the way of death.’

Jeremiah 21:8

I realize that this passage is taken from Zedekiah who is enquiring about the events of Nebuchadnezzar’s war and is told about a hard siege that is coming. But the truth of these two ways is found throughout the Scripture.

1. What do we mean by man or woman?

‘And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.’ 2 Thessalonians 5:23

NT: 4151 Pneuma spirit

2. Breath. A second sense of pneúma is breath, inhaled and exhaled in breathing, and ranging from snorting to the fading breath. Poetically pneúma denotes the sound that human breath produces by blowing on flutes etc.

3. Life. Breath is a sign of life, and by way of the idea of the breath of life, pneúma comes to be used for life or living creature.

4. Soul. As the principle of life, pneúma means much the same as psych¢¡. Bound to the body in life, it escapes it with the last breath and returns to the ethereal sphere.

Note: So we understand that we are made of the dust of the earth that returns back to the earth after we die. We also understand that the breath of life leaves our body and goes back to God who gave us that breath of life as Genesis 2:7 states and then man became a living soul. And as Jesus told us, ‘And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.’ Matthew 10:28

See what happens to the soul of the righteous man who dies?

The righteous [those who have been born again] ‘And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held: And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth? And White robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellow servants also and their brethren should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.’ Revelation 6:9-11

These people decided to travel on the narrow way ‘Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.’ Matthew 7:13, 14

WHY WAS I BORN CONTINUED?

The unrighteous [those who have rejected the salvation offered by God]. They go to Hell to await the judgment of the Great White Throne.

Rev 20:11-15

11 The Great White Throne Judgment

Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. 12 And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. 13 The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. 14 Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. 15 And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.

NKJV

NT: 1067 géenna [Gehenna] Hell.

1. Géenna is the Greek form of the Hebrew name for the Wadi er-Rababi. This acquired a bad reputation because of the sacrifices offered to Moloch there (2 Kings 16:3). Judgment was pronounced on it (Jer 7:32), and it thus came to be equated with the hell of the last judgment (Eth. En. 90:26). Later it was also used for the place where the wicked are punished in the intermediate state. The LXX, Philo, and Josephus do not have the term; Philo has tartaros instead.

2. The NT distinguishes between Hades and géenna:

(a). the former is temporary, the latter definitive (cf. Mark 9:43, 48);

(b). the former is for the soul alone, the latter for the reunited body and soul (Mark 9:43 ff.; Matt 10:28). Géenna is preexistent (Matt 25:41).

It is manifested as a fiery abyss (Mark 9:43) after the general resurrection. Those who fall victim to divine judgment (Matt 5:22; 23:33) will be destroyed there with eternal fire. The ungodly are sons of

Géenna (Matt 23:15). They go to it with Satan and the demons (Matt 25:41; cf. Rev 19:20; 20:10-11). The threat of géenna in the NT is used to show the seriousness of sin and to awaken the conscience to fear of the divine anger (Matt 10:28; 23:33). Even contemptuous words must be avoided (Matt 5:22); no sacrifice is too costly in the war against sin (Mt. 9:43 ff.). [J. JEREMIAS, I, 657-58]

Let’s talk to the builder of this place according to John 1:3; Colossians 1:16 and Hebrews 1:2

1. Hell has fire Matthew 5:22

2. Hell is to be avoided at all cost even if you have to pluck out you right eye Matthew 5:29

3. Hell is damnation Mathew 23:33

4. Hell is to be avoided even if it cost you your hand or foot and the fire is not quenched Mark 9:43, 45

5. Hell is a place of torments for water and the flame Luke 16:23-28

This does not sound to me like a grave but a place of torment. Job said ‘thou hast fenced me in with sinews and flesh and bones.’ The real you which is your soul can feel pain and thirst. Paul the Learner

WHY WAS I BORN CONTINUED?

Recap. We see that man is set on the earth to make one of two choices, I am sorry you do have to chouse one or the other. What we are talking about in not the body or the breath of life but that which is eternal in man his or her soul.

SALVATION

New Testament For convenience, salvation can be viewed from the two perspectives of Christ's saving work and the believer's experience of salvation.

Christ's saving work involves already completed, on-going, and future saving activity. Jesus' earthly ministry made salvation a present reality for His generation:

1. Jesus' healing ministry effected salvation from disease (Mark 5:34; 10:52; Luke 17:19).

2. Jesus offered God's forgiveness to hurting people (Mark 2:5; Luke 7:50). He assured a repentant Zacchaeus that "Today salvation has come to this house" (Luke 19:9).

3. Through such encounters Jesus fulfilled the goal of His ministry: "to seek and to save that which was lost" (Luke 19:10).

THE APEX.

The apex of Christ's completed work is His sacrificial death: Christ came to "give his life a ransom for many" (Mark 10:45); Christ "entered once for all into the Holy Place,... with his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption" (Heb 9:12 NRSV); "in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them" (2 Cor 5:19 NRSV). Here ransom, redemption, and reconciliation are synonyms for salvation. With reference to Christ's atoning work, the believer can confess, "I was saved when Jesus died for me."

CHRIST’S PRESENT WORK.

Christ's present saving work primarily concerns Christ's role as mediator (Rom 8:34; Heb 7:25; 1 John 2:1).

CHRIST’S FUTURE WORK.

Christ's future saving work chiefly concerns Christ's coming again "to bring salvation to those who eagerly await him" (Heb 9:28 REB) and salvation from the wrath of God's final judgment (Rom 5:9-10).

Though Christ's sacrificial death is central, Christ's saving activity extends to the whole of His life, including His birth (Gal 4:4-5), resurrection (Rom 4:25; 1 Cor 15:17), and ascension (Rom 8:34).

The believer's experience also offers a perspective for viewing salvation. The experience again embraces the past, present, and future. God's initial work in the believer's life breaks down into various scenes:

1. Conviction of sin (John 16:8);

2. Repentance (turning) from sin to God (Luke 15:7,10; 2 Cor 7:10);

3. Faith which involves commitment of one's whole life to Christ (John 3:16, 36);

4. Confession of Christ as Lord (Acts 2:21; Rom 10:9-10).

WHY WAS I BORN CONTINUED?

Scripture uses a wealth of images to describe this act:

1. New birth (John 3:3; Titus 3:5);

2. New creation (2 Cor 5:17);

3. Adoption (Rom 8:15; Gal 4:4-5; Eph 1:5);

4. Empowerment to be God's children (John 1:12);

5. The status of "saints" (1 Cor 1:2; 2 Cor 1:1).

This initial work in the believer's life is often termed justification. Justification, however, also embraces God's final judgment (Rom 2:13; 3:20, 30).

GOD’S ONGOING WORK.

God's ongoing work in the believer's life concerns the process of maturing in Christ (Heb 2:3; 1 Peter 2:2; 2 Peter 3:18):

A. Growing in Christ's service (1 Cor 7:20-22),

B. And experiencing victory over sin through the power of the Holy Spirit (Rom 7-8).

C. Here sin remains a reality in the believer's life (Rom 7; 1 John 1:8-2:1).

D. The believer is caught in between what God has begun and what God is yet to complete (Phil 1:6; 2:12).

E. God's yet to be finished work in the lives of all believers is sometimes called glorification (Rom 8:17; Heb 2:10).

Scripture, however, uses a wealth of terms for this future saving work: adoption (Rom 8:23); redemption (Luke 21:28; Rom 8:23; Eph 4:30); salvation (Rom 13:11; Heb 1:14; 9:28; 1 Peter 1:5; 2:2); and sanctification (1 Thess 5:23). God's future work involves more than the individual; God's future work extends to the renewal of heaven and earth.

Note: Now that we know what Salvation is all about, how do I get on this narrow road and be saved?

Acts 2:37-39

37 Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, "Men and brethren, what shall we do?"

38 Then Peter said to them,” Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

39 For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call."

NKJV

Your part is simple, just repent of all of your sins and ask Jesus to come into your heart and to forgive you and let the blood of the Lamb of God be applied to you. God will do the rest.

‘Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw night to God and he will draw night to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.’ James 4:7, 8 KJV

YOUR MOVE…DO IT AND LIVE…DON’T DO IT AND DIE. Paul the Learner

WHY WAS I BORN CONTINUED?

The secondary reason why I was born concerns predestination.

Rom 8:28-30

28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.

29 For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.

30 Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, and these He also glorified.

NKJV

NT: 4309 proorízœ. Predestined.

This rare and late word has in the NT the sense "to foreordain." It is parallel to "to foreknow" in Rom 8:29. God has ordained everything in salvation history with Christ as the goal. Hence Herod, Pilate, and the Gentiles can only do what God has predetermined (Acts 4:28). Herein lies the hidden wisdom of God (1 Cor 2:7). Divine sonship in Christ is the goal of God's ordaining (Eph 1:5). Our assurance of inheritance rests on it (1:11). [K. L. SCHMIDT, V, 452-56]

THE PROPHECY TO ABRAM.

‘And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not their’s, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years.’ Genesis 15:13

1. A child was born that would bring the children of Israel out of bondage. Exodus 2

2. When the time was fulfilled God sent Moses and Aaron back into Egypt Exodus 3

GOD SPEAKS OF THIS FOREKNOWLEDGE.

‘Thus saith the Lord to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have holden, to subdue nations before him; and I will loose the loins of kings, to open before him the two leaved gates; and the gates shall not be shut.’ Isaiah 45:1

1. This prophecy was around 712 B.C. And Cyrus came into the picture about 538 B.C. So after 174 years he appears according to the foreknowledge of God.