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Tag: John

  • What is the Chief End of Man? – Our #1 question

    What is the Chief End of Man? – Our #1 question

    Perhaps you know this first QUESTION (What is the chief end of man?) of the Westminster Divines, actually a shortened version of the original.

    1. What is the chief and highest end of man?

    I could ask the first question of the Westminster Catechism (teaching) a different way.

    What is the Highest Goal of Mankind?

    Mankind, of course, includes womankind, just as Scripture frequently includes women while referring to or instructing men.

    What is YOUR big GOAL?

    OR may I ask the chief question of every man or woman:

    WHY am I here?

    (You do have a purpose to your mortal life, don’t you?)

    If you don't know the ANSWER or have never considered the #1 Question of life, NOW might be the best time to carefully create your own answer to man's compelling question of purpose.

    Who do you live your life for?

    IF our chief end in life relates to a person, then we must ask:

    WHO is this VIP for whom WE live our lives, the one who truly deserves to be the principle person receiving the chief end of our goals of this brief mortal life?

    • Our Husband or Wife?
    • Our Father or Mother?
    • A Son or a Daughter (perhaps all of our Children)?
    • A beloved Friend or possibly a Mentor and Teacher worthy of our highest regard?
    • Someone from the past or an idol of these present times?

    WHO is the MOST important Person worthy of the chief end of your time?

    Answer to question #1

    Before I reveal the answer (if you don’t already know it) let me ask you this:

    Are YOU the ONLY important person in your life OR is someone else the MOST important person in your life?

    Didn’t God create you to relate to someone other than yourself?

    So then shouldn’t your goals in life — especially your ‘chief end’ — relate to the PERSON of highest importance to the most important outcome or final end of your mortal life?

    Consider one additional Person, an overlooked highest One most deserving to become the chief end of our earthly attention, love, praise — and yes, even worship.

    It is written from the Gospel:

    Now before the Feast of the Passover, Jesus knowing that His hour had come that He would depart out of this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end.

    Gospel of John 13:1 Legacy Standard Bible

    Almost everyone knows the gospel of the One worthy of the chief end of mankind’s earthly purpose?

    “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.

    Gospel of John 3:16 Legacy Standard Bible

    Jesus answered, “If I glorify Myself, My glory is nothing; it is My Father who glorifies Me, of whom you say, ‘He is our God’

    Gospel of John 8:54 LSB

    10:30 ἐγὼ καὶ ὁ πατὴρ ἕν ἐσμεν

    “I and the Father are one.”

    Good News of John 10:30 – testimony of JESUS that he the Son is of one essence with the One God our Father

    Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father but through Me.

    Gospel of John 14:6 LSB

    .. He showed them both His hands and His side. The disciples then rejoiced when they saw the Lord. – John 20:20b

    .. He breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. – John 20:22b

    Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy Him forever.

    Answer: Question #1 of The Westminster Shorter Catechism
    ANSWER to Westminster Catechism QUESTION #1Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy Him forever.
    Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy Him forever.

    Does GOD deserve to be #1 on your VIP list?

    Whoever else you named as #1 on your personal VIP list, this most beloved person you view as your chief end of a purposeful life – they are NOT worthy of your worship.

    HOWEVER:

    IF you recognize the Eternal Person of God the Father —

    IF you recognize the Eternal Person of God the Son —

    IF you recognize the Eternal mysterious third Person of the TRINITY, God the Holy Spirit —

    THEN you have chosen the right PERSONS of GOD to glorify.

    Congratulations! You have won ETERNAL LIFE.

    Recognize that the Lord God is a PERSONAL God to those He has chosen.

    IF we will choose to place Him at the TOP of our VIP list, we secure His loving RELATIONSHIP for an ETERNAL LIFETIME!

    God is not a man like us, yet the Lord God IS One God of THREE PERSONS, a true teaching of the Bible called Trinity.

    I cannot address the deeper doctrine of the Trinity as part of this #1 answer to the teaching of a Biblical Christian Church, however you may read more about it here:

    What Is the Doctrine of the Trinity?

    .. only one God exists; there are three distinct Persons in the New Testament – the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit; each of these three distinct Persons is called God. Therefore the three distinct Persons must be the one God.

    Don Stewart :: What Is the Doctrine of the Trinity?

    What IF you have the wrong ANSWER to Question #1?

    This may be a time to rethink the #1 priorities and goals of your daily and mortal life.

    Maybe God has NOT chosen you for eternal life

    and regrettably you accept the END of your mortal life

    — you are dust and to dust you will return — .. AND then the judgment!

    This is all supported by God’s written word of the Bible; but in addition to Scripture you could RETHINK your chief end through further study in the link provided earlier or by reading more about the DOCTRINES of God.

    • SELF is ALWAYS the wrong answer (as frequently WE see in others)
    • THINGS (like money or work or entertainment or vacations or clothes or cars or houses or politics or social clubs or sports or.. ANY other IDOL) will eventually prove to be WRONG ANSWERS.
    • Your mom or your dad (present in your life, but not far distant or long passed from this mortal life), MAY be your #1 living person worthy of #1 on your human list; BUT not in the place of God.
      • Most of us know the Biblical Commandment of God concerning the HONOR of Parents, yet honor of our father or mother is less than our chief end of giving glory to the God who created us all.
    • Your husband is not worthy of glory above God, though wives are commanded to RESPECT your husband.
      • And husbands, your wife is not worthy of glory above God since He commands you to LOVE her as Christ loves the Church.
      • These are God-ordained personal relationships between one man and one woman like no other, which God glorifies uniquely as ‘two become one,’ not unrelated to the Oneness of God and Christ with the Church.
    • Should ANY child, infant to adult, become the chief end of purpose in the life of a parent (especially a mom)?
      • ALL biological fathers and biological mothers ought to cherish the special bond of the conception and birth of their child which God has given into your care, nurture and instruction, but NO CHILD should receive your #1 glory above God. (There are no ‘single moms,’ or at least their wouldn’t be if in the lives of both lovers God we chief end of their relationship.)
      • Adopted children with parents having chosen them by a new relationship are also equal to our biological children in our love. Like the children of our birth parents, chosen children inherit God’s love through parents who have chosen them but not in the place of glorifying God first.
    • How about a FRIEND?
      • Do you value one friend above another? Are both of you not dependent on the God who knitted together the strong cord of all of your heart-held friendships? Glorify God with your friends and thank Him for each.
      • As for relationships of our past: have some become idols weighing our heart down to the darkness of the dust? You know God’s Commandment about idols, not all which are chiseled from wood or stone.

    Perhaps YOU CHOSE more than one of the PERSONS you glorify for the top of your list. (None deserve #1)

    ERASE your former WRONG answer[s] & REPENT.

    Glorify God

    Man’s chief and highest end is to glorify God, and fully to enjoy Him forever.

    Answer: Question #1 of The Westminster Larger Catechism

    Go ahead — repent and erase your former wrong answer.

    Glorify the Lord God – the only One who deserves our highest worship.

    The chief end of YOUR mortal life is to finish God’s work for His Glory.

    The chief end for those who love God, mere morals made in God’s image — men, women and children who’s chief relationship is the with Jesus Christ, Son of God — by His grace is eternal life.

    By the mercy of God the Father, foreordaining His Only Son to die for our sins — the end of a mortal Son of man, Jesus sacrificed for our sin on the Cross ERASES our mortal end.

    Christ’s resurrection of the body to eternal life assures us of God’s mercy, grace and love of those who love Him — those of us for whom He died.

    YOU and I have a #1 chief end:

    In heart and in deed WE must Glorify the One Person who has saved us to eternal life;

    consequently through Christ, our highest end will be with GOD to enjoy Him forever.

    Glorify the Lord God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, forever and ever. Amen.

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  • OMG! – What ‘god’ are they talking about?

    OMG! – What ‘god’ are they talking about?

    omg!

    What do you mean when you say God? Why do you say ‘oh my god?’ (OMG?)

    NOTE: OMG! This series has ended..

    BUT — YOU can ask ANY question in a COMMENT at the end of any post on Doctrine

    OR any other post on TalkofJESUS.com

    52 Topics for One-Sentence Questions"OMG" I don't know that answer.

    JANUARY 27, 2023 AD

    Today’s 1-Sentence

    QUESTION

    comes from Twitter

    My problem is, what is God? Define.

    posted Twitter: Jan 16 #questions

    Define God – that’s the challenge. 

    Make certain to CLICK LINK ABOVE for the ANSWER to Today's One-Sentence Question.

    Answer from Scriptures

    For they speak against thee wickedly,

    and thine enemies take thy name in vain.

    Psalm 139:20 KJV

    Hebrews 1, Genesis 1, Matthew 7

    Gospel of John

    Jesus said, “I and the Father are one.”

    “.. No one comes to the Father except through me.

    John 10:30, John 14:6b

    Answer [below] from Original talkofJESUS.com post

    Define God
    from September 22, 2014 – Topic: God or god?
    Summer Reruns! with picture of sun wearing sunglasses
    Summer 2021 AD {Scriptural} Reruns
    • CLICK “…Continue reading ” above,
    • THEN Ask a question or comment at the end of this post
    • OR email Roger@talkofJesus.com with your reaction, questions & comments.

    Stay tuned from more Summer of 2021 Reruns from talkofJESUS.com

    (ditto: Summer 2022 – more to come)

  • The Christ Child bound in the womb of eternity

    The Christ Child bound in the womb of eternity

    A human life is bound in the womb of eternity. In one sense a child is not fully born by its mother into the fullness of life — but only into a helpless and limited mortal life — where babe may become child, child may become man or woman — this quick-passing human life bound in the confines of mortal time followed inevitably by death and judgment.

    Born once in a human womb

    And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.

    Gospel of John 1:14

    adam bore both sin and death conceived in a womb of measured time, incomplete and nourished in the blood of our mother — growing to burst forth into a glory beyond the bounds of this place to which we have clung for such a brief time — measured time ended beyond the bounds of our dark inner existence.

    What once was death separated from our mortal time within these bounds inevitably becomes life beyond humanity’s brief prison lifted into a glory of the everlasting Light beyond.

    And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment,

    Hebrews 9:27

    So Christ was born a son of man

    to bear the sins of many, AND JESUS the SON of GOD, who IS and was God,

    will appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin, to those who eagerly await Him. 

    See Hebrews 9:

    Ἐμμανουήλ

    Lexicon :: Strong's G1694  [click for pronunciation of the Greek word above- emmanouēl ]

    “BEHOLD, THE VIRGIN SHALL BE WITH CHILD AND SHALL BEAR A SON, AND THEY SHALL CALL HIS NAME IMMANUEL G1694,” which translated means, “GOD WITH US.”

    Christians (and even many unbelievers who have witnessed an annual Christmas pageant) know the Scripture well. But think of its implication as well as the impact of Almighty God entering measured time and mortal flesh.

    An anointed Virgin of the Eternal God will have a son by the Holy Spirit of God!

    This Son of the Everlasting One IS actually GOD [theos] WITH US [in mortal flesh and blood], BORN — as are all mankind AND who must suffer DEATH as is appointed to EVERY son of man.

    Emanu–el – Hebrew Gospel announced in Matthew’s manger

    Matthew addresses the genealogy of JESUS EMMANUEL as he would any line of adam.

    The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham:

    Gospel of Matthew 1:1

    I will not detail this linage of the promise of God through Abraham (who was childless) and David (whose Kingdom ended in defeat by Babylon) or that in his Gospel lineage Matthew designates Joseph as the husband of Mary. Matthew then adds that before she conceived JESUS, that is GOD WITH US, by the HOLY SPIRIT [v.18], however note that by these important names Matthew introduces of the LORD GOD in a fragile frame of a HUMAN CHILD.

    1:1 βίβλος γενέσεως Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ υἱοῦ Δαυὶδ υἱοῦ Ἀβραάμ

    Ἰησοῦ – iēsous –

    JESUS, in the now common language of the Roman Empire – JESUS, in Greek.

    [pronounced]

    JESUS Of Hebrew origin יְהוֹשׁוּעַ (H3091)

    You should recognize the name of an earlier savior who the LORD sent into the land promised to Abraham after the death of Moses.

    Joshua or Jehoshua = “Jehovah is salvation”

    From יְהֹוָה (H3068) and יָשַׁע (H3467)

    Joshua, almost literally Jesus IS Salvation from the Hebrew of Jacob [Israel], descendants of the promise of Yᵊhōvâ to save.

    [yeh-ho-shoo’-ah] יְהוֹשׁוּעַ

    יָשַׁע

    Χριστός

    Lexicon :: Strong’s G5547 – christos

    Christ (from the Greek) or Messiah (Hebrew)

    • The KJV translates Strong’s G5547 in the following manner: Christ (569x).
    • Outline of Biblical Usage [?]
      • Christ = “anointed”
        • Christ was [and is]1 the Messiah, the Son of God
        • anointed from χρίω
          • to anoint
          • consecrating Jesus to the Messianic office, and furnishing him with the necessary powers for its administration
          • enduing Christians with the gifts of the Holy Spirit

    And Jacob was the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, by whom Jesus was born, who is called [Messiah] Christ G5547.

    Gospel of Matthew 1:16 LSB

    Jesus’ Apostles witness Jesus as the Christ – Matthew 16 times in his Gospel and John 19 times in his Gospel plus 11 times in two brief letters and 7 times in Revelation.

    Χριστός Christós, khris-tos’;
    from G5548; anointed, i.e. the Messiah, an epithet of Jesus:—Christ. – BLUELETTERBIBLE.ORG

    The Christ child

    NO other term in the New Testament is used more than CHRIST [500+x] to characterize JESUS. ‘Christians‘ should not take lightly any replacement of CHRIST in Scripture with some less characteristic human title.

    Roger@TalkofJesus.com

    The Good News of Matthew:

    Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows:

    when His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit.

    And Joseph her husband, being a righteous man and not wanting to disgrace her, planned to send her away secretly [divorcing his betrothed {with whom they ‘had not come together’}]. But when he had considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying,

    “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for the One who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. And she will bear a Son; and you shall call His name

    Jesus,

    for He will save His people from their sins.”

    • Did you catch that?

    The angel of the Lord appears to Joseph in a dream as commands his to call the child, JESUS.

    JESUS, unlike Joshua of the same name before, “Jehovah is salvation,” not only is not born of an earthly father but is NOT sent to SAVE the sons of Abraham from earthly enemies or lay claim to an earthly land as a king.

    NO, Jesus, a son of man ONLY by the virgin Mary, “will save His people from their sins,” a mercy ONLY God can grant to a condemned son of adam.

    The Good News of John

    We began consideration of the Apostle’s Christian logic behind the birth of Jesus into time and human flesh. Today I end with his explanation of what also seems convincingly logical from the Savior who John calls ‘The Word‘ (λόγος – logos).

    Thirty years later -- from the Gospel of John 3:

    “Rabbi, we know that You have come from God as a teacher; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.”

    “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born [from above] he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

    “How can a man be born when he is old? ..

    Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?”

    Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.

    “That which has been born of the flesh is flesh, and that which has been born of the Spirit is spirit.

    “He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

    Will you be born again (though we are old)?

    “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words [logos] will not pass away.

    A word of Jesus Christ from the Gospel of Matthew 24:25

    Here is the significance of the Christ child in a manger and the Son of Man Jesus on the cross who was born to save His people from their sins.

    manger with shadow of cross falling across

    Pilate said to them,

    “Then, what shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?”

    Gospel of Matthew 27:22a LSB