I Went To See The Son of God Movie... When All of a Sudden...

did you paint that picture?

it's awesome

Remember this when the "awakening" happens.

The Fathers of the Church, some of them personally knew the
Apostles. They ALL agreed "born again" is Water Baptism. At Baptism, Original Sin is removed, you receive God's presence in your soul for the first time. Amen!

The Protestant meaning of "born again" is not very old.
I ask you, where is the water in the Protestant new definition of Our Lord's term "born again?"

If you read further in John 3, Our Lord went out with the
Apostles and "baptized (John 3:22).


God bless you,


John 3:5
Jesus answered: Amen, amen I say to thee, unless a man be born again of water and the Holy Ghost, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God

No. Just no.

Protest...

Consider, men who knew the Apostles all believed/believe "born again" is water Baptism. So, the Apostles got it wrong? This is the reason you are saying "no" in the 21st century?

Again, further on in John 3, John 3:22 states Our Lord went out with the Apostles and baptized.

Those who speak of division "protest" are yet carnal.

For the one whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God gives the Spirit without limit.

Likewise, when Christ speaks of giving a "cup of water", surely He is not speaking of a carnal drink.

This is a very positive and uplifting thread on GLP.

A pleasant surprise to the normal doom and gloom.

Thanks for that. I'm a new Christian, so to speak, and I was trying very hard to make sense out of his death. I got it but to put it into words to explain to someone is where I was struggling...I sounded like a blathering idiot.

Thanks for that, truly.

And if you believe this...

I prayed to get that straight in my heart and blam this thread, so God just worked through you.

God bless you!!

I hope it helps others..

Your welcome....See my testimony too....Maybe that will help you also.

Oh and here is a fav book. You can read it free online, since it has been out of print for many yrs.

[link to archive.org (secure)]




Last Edited by rod777 on 03/04/2014 04:18 PM

Here is my testimony...

Thread: How I Was Saved. And 4 Supernatural Dreams.

Thanks for your post. Love when the Lord reveals new things to me. Awesome, isn't it?

Very moving post! It's always nice to see someone have such a powerful revelation.

Glad you got it, it ws given to me, so I give it away too.

God the Father needed a spiritual body through which He could link Himself to man and man could link himself to Him.

This is the only way He could transfer life eternal from Himself to us.

There's only one problem, this spiritual body can only be acquired by Him first being born and living in a natural body, just like any other man.

"There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body...the spiritual is NOT first, but the natural, and AFTERWARD the spiritual." [1 Cor.15:44,46]

This was why God sent Himself into the the world as a Divine Seed and clothed Himself in a natural body from the Virgin Mary.

God in a natural body is who we call the Son of God.

The reason why He's referred to as the ONLY begotten of the Father is because His very Soul IS the Father Himself!

He literally was the Everlasting Father in a natural body.

That's why when Philip asked:

“Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us.”
"Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip?
"He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?
"Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me?
The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority;
but the Father who DWELLS IN ME does the works. Believe Me that I am IN the Father and the Father IN Me..." [John 14:8-11]

The Father and the Son are One in the Lord Jesus Christ just like the soul and body are one in man!

For unto us a Child is born,
Unto us a Son is given;
And the government will be upon His shoulder.
And His name will be called
Wonderful, Counselor, MIGHTY GOD,
Everlasting FATHER, Prince of Peace [Isa.9:6]

Because He then had a natural body, like any other man, in appearance ONLY, it looked like the Lord and the Father were separate Persons.

This is why He addressed God the Father as someone separate to Himself, when in reality it wasn't the case.

GOD IS ONE PERSON!

Now the Lord could begin the process of changing His natural body into a spiritual one.

How did He go about doing this?

A spiritual body can ONLY be acquired by living each day according to the Father's commandments!

This is what the Lord did on earth for 33 Years!

"...I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love." [John 15:9]

The Lord Himself reveals to us what these two commandments are.

They're a summary of the ten commandments.

"And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. This is the first commandment. And the second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these.” [Mark 12:30,31]

After spending 33 Years keeping the Fathers commandments He had acquired the spiritual body He needed to link Himself to Mankind and enable Mankind to link themselves to Him.

He was now ready to allow lawless men to destroy His natural body. For by so doing He could receive His spiritual body from the Father dwelling in Him!

Now we can understand, just before He was arrested and crucified, why He prayed:

"I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work which You have given Me to do. And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself..." [John 17:4,5]

The Lord was crucified on Friday the 3rd of April 33 AD and rose from the dead in a spiritual body before Sunrise on Sunday the 5th of April 33 AD.

The Lord's new body has flesh and bones, that are solid enough to be handled or touched by humans in natural bodies.

"...Jesus Himself stood in the midst of them, and said to them, “Peace to you.” But they were terrified and frightened, and supposed they had seen a spirit. And He said to them, “Why are you troubled? And why do doubts arise in your hearts? Behold My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself. Handle Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have.”
"When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His feet. But while they still did not believe for joy, and marveled, He said to them, “Have you any food here?” So they gave Him a piece of a broiled fish and some honeycomb. And He took it and ate in their presence." [Luke 24:36-43]

After the Lord's resurrection, in His new spiritual or glorified body, he acquired the authority to give His own Spirit [that is, the Holy Spirit] to all those who acknowledge Him and keep His commandments.

This is why He told the Disciples:

“All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth" [Matt.28:18]

And why He:

"...breathed on them, and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit."[John 20:21]

The Holy Spirit proceeds or radiates from the very Person of Jesus Christ.

He's the one that links us to the Lord and the Lord to us.

The Lord Jesus Christ couldn't do this before He received His glorified body!

After His resurrection He could!

"...he [Jesus] said this about the Spirit, whom those who trusted in him were to receive later — the Spirit had not yet been given, because Yeshua had not yet been glorified." [John 7:39][CJB]

From Sunday the 5th of April 33 AD, the Disciples received the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit.

The Disciples now had the power to keep the Lord's commandments and acquire a spiritual body the way the Lord did!

"If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love." [John 15:10]

The Disciples,Paul and all true followers of Christ, down through the Ages are waiting to receive their glorified bodies!

This is why Paul wrote:

"For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself." [Phil.3:20,21]

The Lord clothed Himself in a natural body and conquered sin and death in order to do the same thing, by His Holy Spirit dwelling in the hearts of all those who acknowledge that He is the Everlasting Father in the flesh. In others words that He is the Son of God.

It's apparent that billions in the Christian World today do not believe this.

They view Jesus Christ as a man like themselves, no different to Buddha or Muhammad. And they regard the Bible as a history book which they can pick and choose what to accept and what to reject. For this reason billions of so called Christians do not acknowledge the Divinity of Christ, therefore they do not have His Holy Spirit dwelling in them.

Their day to day lives reflects this.

For all though they may call themselves Christians, they exhibit hatred, revenge and cruelty to others. They practise fornication, adultery and homosexuality even though they know these are soul destroying activities. They also lie, steal and covet things that belong to others.

This is how far Christianity has fallen in the World today.

When the Lord comes only those who love Him enough to keep His commandments will be taken up into heaven in their glorified bodies.

"For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord." [1Thess.4:16,17]

This event will happen!

It will be the one event ,in the History of the World that will separate the true Christians from the false ones.

One that Day all arguments will cease. God Himself will choose His own. The rest will be rejected!

Do remain blessed.

Thread: The Lord Jesus Christ is God Himself in the Flesh!

Good insight.

The Ransom—God’s Greatest Gift

What is the ransom?

How was it provided?

What can it mean for you?

How can you show that you appreciate it?
WHAT is the greatest gift you have ever received? A gift does not have to be expensive to be important. After all, the true value of a gift is not necessarily measured in terms of money. Rather, when a gift brings you happiness or fills a real need in your life, it has great value to you personally.

Of the many gifts you could ever hope to receive, there is one that stands out above all others. It is a gift from God to mankind. Jehovah has given us many things, but his greatest gift to us is the ransom sacrifice of his Son, Jesus Christ. (Matthew 20:28) As we will see in this chapter, the ransom is the most valuable gift you could possibly receive, for it can bring you untold happiness and can fill your most important needs. The ransom is really the greatest expression of Jehovah’s love for you.

WHAT IS THE RANSOM?
Put simply, the ransom is Jehovah’s means to deliver, or save, humankind from sin and death. (Ephesians 1:7) To grasp the meaning of this Bible teaching, we need to think back to what happened in the garden of Eden. Only if we understand what Adam lost when he sinned can we appreciate why the ransom is such a valuable gift to us.

When he created Adam, Jehovah gave him something truly precious—perfect human life. Consider what that meant for Adam. Made with a perfect body and mind, he would never get sick, grow old, or die. As a perfect human, he had a special relationship with Jehovah. The Bible says that Adam was a “son of God.” (Luke 3:38) So Adam enjoyed a close relationship with Jehovah God, like that of a son with a loving father. Jehovah communicated with his earthly son, giving Adam satisfying assignments of work and letting him know what was expected of him.—Genesis 1:28-30; 2:16, 17.

Adam was made “in God’s image.” (Genesis 1:27) That did not mean that Adam resembled God in appearance. As we learned in Chapter 1 of this book, Jehovah is an invisible spirit. (John 4:24) So Jehovah does not have a body of flesh and blood. Being made in God’s image meant that Adam was created with qualities like those of God, including love, wisdom, justice, and power. Adam was like his Father in another important way in that he possessed free will. Hence, Adam was not like a machine that can perform only what it is designed or programmed to do. Instead, he could make personal decisions, choosing between right and wrong. If he had chosen to obey God, he would have lived forever in Paradise on earth.

Clearly, then, when Adam disobeyed God and was condemned to death, he paid a very high price. His sin cost him his perfect human life with all its blessings. (Genesis 3:17-19) Sadly, Adam lost this precious life not only for himself but also for his future offspring. God’s Word says: “Through one man [Adam] sin entered into the world and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men because they had all sinned.” (Romans 5:12) Yes, all of us have inherited sin from Adam. Hence, the Bible says that he “sold” himself and his offspring into slavery to sin and death. (Romans 7:14) There was no hope for Adam or Eve because they willfully chose to disobey God. But what about their offspring, including us?

Jehovah came to mankind’s rescue by means of the ransom. What is a ransom? The idea of a ransom basically involves two things. First, a ransom is the price paid to bring about a release or to buy something back. It might be compared to the price paid for the release of a prisoner of war. Second, a ransom is the price that covers, or pays, the cost of something. It is similar to the price paid to cover the damages caused by an injury. For example, if a person causes an accident, he would have to pay an amount that fully corresponds to, or equals, the value of what was damaged.

How would it be possible to cover the enormous loss that Adam inflicted on all of us and to release us from slavery to sin and death? Let us consider the ransom that Jehovah provided and what this can mean for you.

HOW JEHOVAH PROVIDED THE RANSOM
Since a perfect human life was lost, no imperfect human life could ever buy it back. (Psalm 49:7, 8) What was needed was a ransom equal in value to what was lost. This is in harmony with the principle of perfect justice found in God’s Word, which says: “Soul will be for soul.” (Deuteronomy 19:21) So, what would cover the value of the perfect human soul, or life, that Adam lost? Another perfect human life was the “corresponding ransom” that was required.—1 Timothy 2:6.

How did Jehovah provide the ransom? He sent one of his perfect spirit sons to the earth. But Jehovah did not send just any spirit creature. He sent the one most precious to him, his only-begotten Son. (1 John 4:9, 10) Willingly, this Son left his heavenly home. (Philippians 2:7) As we learned in the preceding chapter of this book, Jehovah performed a miracle when he transferred the life of this Son to the womb of Mary. By means of God’s holy spirit, Jesus was born as a perfect human and was not under the penalty of sin.—Luke 1:35.

How could one man serve as a ransom for many, in fact, millions of humans? Well, how did humans numbering into the millions come to be sinners in the first place? Recall that by sinning, Adam lost the precious possession of perfect human life. Hence, he could not pass it on to his offspring. Instead, he could pass on only sin and death. Jesus, whom the Bible calls “the last Adam,” had a perfect human life, and he never sinned. (1 Corinthians 15:45) In a sense, Jesus stepped into Adam’s place in order to save us. By sacrificing, or giving up, his perfect life in flawless obedience to God, Jesus paid the price for Adam’s sin. Jesus thus brought hope to Adam’s offspring.—Romans 5:19; 1 Corinthians 15:21, 22.

The Bible describes in detail the suffering that Jesus endured before his death. He experienced harsh whipping, cruel impalement, and an agonizing death on a torture stake. (John 19:1, 16-18, 30; Appendix, pages 204-6) Why was it necessary for Jesus to suffer so much? In a later chapter of this book, we will see that Satan has questioned whether Jehovah has any human servants who would remain faithful under trial. By enduring faithfully in spite of great suffering, Jesus gave the best possible answer to Satan’s challenge. Jesus proved that a perfect man possessing free will could keep perfect integrity to God no matter what the Devil did. Jehovah must have rejoiced greatly over the faithfulness of his dear Son!—Proverbs 27:11.

How was the ransom paid? On the 14th day of the Jewish month Nisan in 33 C.E., God allowed his perfect and sinless Son to be executed. Jesus thus sacrificed his perfect human life “once for all time.” (Hebrews 10:10) On the third day after Jesus died, Jehovah raised him back to spirit life. In heaven, Jesus presented to God the value of his perfect human life sacrificed as a ransom in exchange for Adam’s offspring. (Hebrews 9:24) Jehovah accepted the value of Jesus’ sacrifice as the ransom needed to deliver mankind from slavery to sin and death.—Romans 3:23, 24.

WHAT THE RANSOM CAN MEAN FOR YOU
Despite our sinful condition, we can enjoy priceless blessings because of the ransom. Let us consider some of the present and future benefits of this greatest gift from God.

The forgiveness of sins. Because of inherited imperfection, we have a real struggle to do what is right. All of us sin either in word or in deed. But by means of Jesus’ ransom sacrifice, we can receive “the forgiveness of our sins.” (Colossians 1:13, 14) To gain that forgiveness, however, we must be truly repentant. We must also humbly appeal to Jehovah, asking his forgiveness on the basis of our faith in the ransom sacrifice of his Son.—1 John 1:8, 9.

A clean conscience before God. A guilty conscience can easily lead to hopelessness and make us feel worthless. Through the forgiveness made possible by the ransom, though, Jehovah kindly enables us to worship him with a clean conscience despite our imperfection. (Hebrews 9:13, 14) This makes it possible for us to have freeness of speech with Jehovah. Therefore, we can freely approach him in prayer. (Hebrews 4:14-16) Maintaining a clean conscience gives peace of mind, promotes self-respect, and contributes to happiness.

The hope of everlasting life on a paradise earth. “The wages sin pays is death,” says Romans 6:23. The same verse adds: “But the gift God gives is everlasting life by Christ Jesus our Lord.” In Chapter 3 of this book, we discussed the blessings of the coming earthly Paradise. (Revelation 21:3, 4) All those future blessings, including life everlasting in perfect health, are made possible because Jesus died for us. To receive those blessings, we need to show that we appreciate the gift of the ransom.

HOW CAN YOU SHOW YOUR APPRECIATION?
Why should we be deeply grateful to Jehovah for the ransom? Well, a gift is especially precious when it involves a sacrifice of time, effort, or expense on the part of the giver. Our heart is touched when we see that a gift is an expression of the giver’s genuine love for us. The ransom is the most precious of all gifts, for God made the greatest sacrifice ever in providing it. “God loved the world so much that he gave his only-begotten Son,” says John 3:16. The ransom is the most outstanding evidence of Jehovah’s love for us. It is also proof of Jesus’ love, for he willingly gave his life in our behalf. (John 15:13) The gift of the ransom should therefore convince us that Jehovah and his Son love us as individuals.—Galatians 2:20.

How, then, can you demonstrate that you appreciate God’s gift of the ransom? To begin with, get to know more about the Great Giver, Jehovah. (John 17:3) A study of the Bible with the aid of this publication will help you to do that. As you grow in knowledge of Jehovah, your love for him will deepen. In turn, that love will make you want to please him.—1 John 5:3.

Exercise faith in Jesus’ ransom sacrifice. Regarding Jesus, it is said: “He that exercises faith in the Son has everlasting life.” (John 3:36) How can we exercise faith in Jesus? Such faith is not shown by words alone. “Faith without works is dead,” says James 2:26. Yes, true faith is proved by “works,” that is, by our actions. One way to show that we have faith in Jesus is by doing our best to imitate him not just in what we say but also in what we do.—John 13:15.

Attend the annual observance of the Lord’s Evening Meal (see Note at end). On the evening of Nisan 14, 33 C.E., Jesus introduced a special observance that the Bible calls “the Lord’s evening meal.” (1 Corinthians 11:20; Matthew 26:26-28) This observance is also called the Memorial of Christ’s death. Jesus instituted it to help his apostles and all true Christians after them to bear in mind that by means of his death as a perfect human, he gave his soul, or life, as a ransom. Regarding this observance, Jesus commanded: “Keep doing this in remembrance of me.” (Luke 22:19) Observing the Memorial reminds us of the great love shown by both Jehovah and Jesus in connection with the ransom. We can show our appreciation for the ransom by being present at the yearly observance of the Memorial of Jesus’ death.

Jehovah’s provision of the ransom is indeed an invaluable gift. (2 Corinthians 9:14, 15) This priceless gift can benefit even those who have died. Chapters 6 and 7 will explain how.

For more information about the meaning of the Lord’s Evening Meal, see the Appendix, pages 206-8.
WHAT THE BIBLE TEACHES
- The ransom is Jehovah’s means to deliver humankind from sin and death.—Ephesians 1:7.
- Jehovah provided the ransom by sending his only-begotten Son to earth to die for us.—1 John 4:9, 10.
- By means of the ransom, we gain the forgiveness of sins, a clean conscience, and the hope of everlasting life.—1 John 1:8, 9.
- We show that we appreciate the ransom by getting to know more about Jehovah, by exercising faith in Jesus’ ransom sacrifice, and by attending the Lord’s Evening Meal.—John 3:16.

NOTE: This year the Memorial will be observed on April 14th (which is what corresponds to Nisan 14) all around the world. You can check the jw.org site for information on where it will be held in your neighborhood.

*** What Does The Bible REALLY Teach? chap. 5 pp. 47-56 The Ransom—God’s Greatest Gift ***

I would like to address something from above, written by one of you. Here is a partial quote from your post:

"only those who love Him...Keep His commandments"

I believe in keeping his commandments!

But I see the commandments themselves a little different than most Christians...

I also see "dying daily" "The death like His" a little differently than most Christians.


You see from where I stand, only one person can live the Christian life, and that is Jesus...


His desire is to live through you.

You are the empty vessel.

Normally the vessel is full of "SELF"...Self was in the garden.

Self includes desires, thoughts, motives, and impulses, and these things all live "MOMENT by MOMENT" in us...

God to has desires that livee moment by moment, and He wants those to be expressed thru us, as we take every thought captive, and allow him to rule and reign in us..."And let the peace of God rule in your hearts"...

So his commandments happen moment by moment in each circumstance and situation...

THAT is REAL Christianity.

Last Edited by rod777 on 03/06/2014 06:51 PM

your ideology with reference to the above would negate the entire purpose of The Lords Day...

the thousand years of teaching prior to the Great White Throne Judgment

argh, and boy will it be necessary in spades

you've made the perfectly clear as have the many

time and again...

Not trying to be contentious, just curious: if sin works through the flesh, what about Lucifer, a spirit, who sinned?

If sin is not a spiritual matter, why the need for a new Spirit?

If God did away with the flesh why did the Lord have a physical body after His ressurection? And why does it say that God wishes for all flesh to be saved?

The Lord Himself had flesh, (has flesh - the Man Upon the Throne in Rev.???), and was without sin, even though He was tempted by satan.

Paul, in telling of his experience of the 3rd heaven, says that he may have been there with his body.

How does this fit with God giving up on the flesh and moving on to the spirit?

Paul was a Demon, not an apostle.

you must be joking

if not you are a fool

I imagine if you have thrown Paul aside, who fulfilled a threefold ministry for Christ herein, then you have also done so with and to Peter, as Peter has given Paul the highest credentials possible within Gods Word...

no ifs, no ands, no maybes...

The 2013 movie was intentionally dull and the actor playing Jesus made him look like a has-been preacher with no soul or inspiration. It was slightly embarrassing to watch such a puerile portrayal of the one character the forces of darkness remain fearful of.

As for Paul, the purported steward of the New Testament, he also will be judged according to his real works.

god created the spirit realm first and it was a great success then god created the physical realm and everyone wanted to stay in the spiritual realm because it was perfect bliss, god created the physical dimensions for a reason, and you are all wrong about everything you believe.