April 12, 2017

Today by Gary Rose

This picture is true; memorize it. Who knows what can happen this very day? It is quite possible that something will happen that will change your life forever. With God, anything is possible. In the late seventies, one of my instructors at The Northeast School of Biblical Studies used to say... God's will, God's way, God's results!!! And then there is this passage from the book of Philippians...
Philippians, Chapter 4 (World English Bible)
 4 Rejoice in the Lord always! Again I will say, “Rejoice!”  5 Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand.  6 In nothing be anxious, but in everything, by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.  7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your thoughts in Christ Jesus. 

  8 Finally, brothers, whatever things are true, whatever things are honorable, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report: if there is any virtue and if there is any praise, think about these things. (emp. added, vs. 8)  9 The things which you learned, received, heard, and saw in me: do these things, and the God of peace will be with you. 

  10 But I rejoice in the Lord greatly, that now at length you have revived your thought for me; in which you did indeed take thought, but you lacked opportunity.  11 Not that I speak because of lack, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content in it.  12 I know how to be humbled, and I also know how to abound. In everything and in all things I have learned the secret both to be filled and to be hungry, both to abound and to be in need.  13 I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me. (emp. added vs. 13)
God's will- read it in the Bible. God's way- as determined by our thinking, our attitude and our actions (are they what God would want?). God's results- ultimately can only be fully seen through the prism of eternity!

Remember, anything is possible! Moses led the Israelites through the Red Sea, Joshua conquered nations much mightier than the Israelites. Daniel survived a night in a den full of lions. And Jesus rose from the dead!!! Let go of the negative in your life; believe in God and be positive. TODAY WILL BE A GREAT DAY!!!

Bible Reading April 12 by Gary Rose

Bible Reading April 12 (World English Bible)

Apr. 12
Numbers 15, 16

Num 15:1 Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,
Num 15:2 Speak to the children of Israel, and tell them, When you have come into the land of your habitations, which I give to you,
Num 15:3 and will make an offering by fire to Yahweh, a burnt offering, or a sacrifice, to accomplish a vow, or as a freewill offering, or in your set feasts, to make a pleasant aroma to Yahweh, of the herd, or of the flock;
Num 15:4 then he who offers his offering shall offer to Yahweh a meal offering of a tenth part of an ephah of fine flour mixed with the fourth part of a hin of oil:
Num 15:5 and wine for the drink offering, the fourth part of a hin, you shall prepare with the burnt offering, or for the sacrifice, for each lamb.
Num 15:6 Or for a ram, you shall prepare for a meal offering two tenth parts of an ephah of fine flour mixed with the third part of a hin of oil:
Num 15:7 and for the drink offering you shall offer the third part of a hin of wine, of a pleasant aroma to Yahweh.
Num 15:8 When you prepare a bull for a burnt offering, or for a sacrifice, to accomplish a vow, or for peace offerings to Yahweh;
Num 15:9 then shall he offer with the bull a meal offering of three tenth parts of an ephah of fine flour mixed with half a hin of oil:
Num 15:10 and you shall offer for the drink offering half a hin of wine, for an offering made by fire, of a pleasant aroma to Yahweh.
Num 15:11 Thus shall it be done for each bull, or for each ram, or for each of the male lambs, or of the young goats.
Num 15:12 According to the number that you shall prepare, so you shall do to everyone according to their number.
Num 15:13 All who are native-born shall do these things after this manner, in offering an offering made by fire, of a pleasant aroma to Yahweh.
Num 15:14 If a stranger lives as a foreigner with you, or whoever may be among you throughout your generations, and will offer an offering made by fire, of a pleasant aroma to Yahweh; as you do, so he shall do.
Num 15:15 For the assembly, there shall be one statute for you, and for the stranger who lives as a foreigner with you, a statute forever throughout your generations: as you are, so shall the foreigner be before Yahweh.
Num 15:16 One law and one ordinance shall be for you, and for the stranger who lives as a foreigner with you.
Num 15:17 Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,
Num 15:18 Speak to the children of Israel, and tell them, When you come into the land where I bring you,
Num 15:19 then it shall be that when you eat of the bread of the land, you shall offer up a wave offering to Yahweh.
Num 15:20 Of the first of your dough you shall offer up a cake for a wave offering: as the wave offering of the threshing floor, so you shall heave it.
Num 15:21 Of the first of your dough you shall give to Yahweh a wave offering throughout your generations.
Num 15:22 When you shall err, and not observe all these commandments, which Yahweh has spoken to Moses,
Num 15:23 even all that Yahweh has commanded you by Moses, from the day that Yahweh gave commandment, and onward throughout your generations;
Num 15:24 then it shall be, if it be done unwittingly, without the knowledge of the congregation, that all the congregation shall offer one young bull for a burnt offering, for a pleasant aroma to Yahweh, with the meal offering of it, and the drink offering of it, according to the ordinance, and one male goat for a sin offering.
Num 15:25 The priest shall make atonement for all the congregation of the children of Israel, and they shall be forgiven; for it was an error, and they have brought their offering, an offering made by fire to Yahweh, and their sin offering before Yahweh, for their error:
Num 15:26 and all the congregation of the children of Israel shall be forgiven, and the stranger who lives as a foreigner among them; for in respect of all the people it was done unwittingly.
Num 15:27 If one person sins unwittingly, then he shall offer a female goat a year old for a sin offering.
Num 15:28 The priest shall make atonement for the soul who errs, when he sins unwittingly, before Yahweh, to make atonement for him; and he shall be forgiven.
Num 15:29 You shall have one law for him who does anything unwittingly, for him who is native-born among the children of Israel, and for the stranger who lives as a foreigner among them.
Num 15:30 But the soul who does anything with a high hand, whether he is native-born or a foreigner, the same blasphemes Yahweh; and that soul shall be cut off from among his people.
Num 15:31 Because he has despised the word of Yahweh, and has broken his commandment, that soul shall utterly be cut off; his iniquity shall be on him.
Num 15:32 While the children of Israel were in the wilderness, they found a man gathering sticks on the Sabbath day.
Num 15:33 Those who found him gathering sticks brought him to Moses and Aaron, and to all the congregation.
Num 15:34 They put him in custody, because it had not been declared what should be done to him.
Num 15:35 Yahweh said to Moses, The man shall surely be put to death: all the congregation shall stone him with stones outside of the camp.
Num 15:36 All the congregation brought him outside of the camp, and stoned him to death with stones; as Yahweh commanded Moses.
Num 15:37 Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,
Num 15:38 Speak to the children of Israel, and tell them that they should make them fringes in the borders of their garments throughout their generations, and that they put on the fringe of each border a cord of blue:
Num 15:39 and it shall be to you for a fringe, that you may look on it, and remember all the commandments of Yahweh, and do them; and that you not follow after your own heart and your own eyes, after which you use to play the prostitute;
Num 15:40 that you may remember and do all my commandments, and be holy to your God.
Num 15:41 I am Yahweh your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: I am Yahweh your God.

Num 16:1 Now Korah, the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, with Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, and On, the son of Peleth, sons of Reuben, took men:
Num 16:2 and they rose up before Moses, with certain of the children of Israel, two hundred fifty princes of the congregation, called to the assembly, men of renown;
Num 16:3 and they assembled themselves together against Moses and against Aaron, and said to them, You take too much on you, seeing all the congregation are holy, everyone of them, and Yahweh is among them: why then lift yourselves up above the assembly of Yahweh?
Num 16:4 When Moses heard it, he fell on his face:
Num 16:5 and he spoke to Korah and to all his company, saying, In the morning Yahweh will show who are his, and who is holy, and will cause him to come near to him: even him whom he shall choose he will cause to come near to him.
Num 16:6 Do this: take censers, Korah, and all his company;
Num 16:7 and put fire in them, and put incense on them before Yahweh tomorrow: and it shall be that the man whom Yahweh does choose, he shall be holy: you take too much on yourselves, you sons of Levi.
Num 16:8 Moses said to Korah, Hear now, you sons of Levi:
Num 16:9 seems it but a small thing to you, that the God of Israel has separated you from the congregation of Israel, to bring you near to himself, to do the service of the tabernacle of Yahweh, and to stand before the congregation to minister to them;
Num 16:10 and that he has brought you near, and all your brothers the sons of Levi with you? and do you seek the priesthood also?
Num 16:11 Therefore you and all your company are gathered together against Yahweh: and Aaron, what is he that you murmur against him?
Num 16:12 Moses sent to call Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab; and they said, We won't come up:
Num 16:13 is it a small thing that you have brought us up out of a land flowing with milk and honey, to kill us in the wilderness, but you must also make yourself a prince over us?
Num 16:14 Moreover you haven't brought us into a land flowing with milk and honey, nor given us inheritance of fields and vineyards: will you put out the eyes of these men? we won't come up.
Num 16:15 Moses was very angry, and said to Yahweh, "Don't respect their offering: I have not taken one donkey from them, neither have I hurt one of them."
Num 16:16 Moses said to Korah, You and all your company go before Yahweh, you, and they, and Aaron, tomorrow:
Num 16:17 and each man take his censer, and put incense on them, and each man bring before Yahweh his censer, two hundred fifty censers; you also, and Aaron, each his censer.
Num 16:18 They each took his censer, and put fire in them, and laid incense thereon, and stood at the door of the Tent of Meeting with Moses and Aaron.
Num 16:19 Korah assembled all the congregation against them to the door of the Tent of Meeting: and the glory of Yahweh appeared to all the congregation.
Num 16:20 Yahweh spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying,
Num 16:21 Separate yourselves from among this congregation, that I may consume them in a moment.
Num 16:22 They fell on their faces, and said, God, the God of the spirits of all flesh, shall one man sin, and will you be angry with all the congregation?
Num 16:23 Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,
Num 16:24 Speak to the congregation, saying, Get away from around the tent of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram.
Num 16:25 Moses rose up and went to Dathan and Abiram; and the elders of Israel followed him.
Num 16:26 He spoke to the congregation, saying, Depart, I pray you, from the tents of these wicked men, and touch nothing of theirs, lest you be consumed in all their sins.
Num 16:27 So they got them up from the tent of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, on every side: and Dathan and Abiram came out, and stood at the door of their tents, and their wives, and their sons, and their little ones.
Num 16:28 Moses said, Hereby you shall know that Yahweh has sent me to do all these works; for I have not done them of my own mind.
Num 16:29 If these men die the common death of all men, or if they be visited after the visitation of all men; then Yahweh hasn't sent me.
Num 16:30 But if Yahweh make a new thing, and the ground open its mouth, and swallow them up, with all that appertain to them, and they go down alive into Sheol; then you shall understand that these men have despised Yahweh.
Num 16:31 It happened, as he made an end of speaking all these words, that the ground split apart that was under them;
Num 16:32 and the earth opened its mouth, and swallowed them up, and their households, and all the men who appertained to Korah, and all their goods.
Num 16:33 So they, and all that appertained to them, went down alive into Sheol: and the earth closed on them, and they perished from among the assembly.
Num 16:34 All Israel that were around them fled at the cry of them; for they said, Lest the earth swallow us up.
Num 16:35 Fire came forth from Yahweh, and devoured the two hundred fifty men who offered the incense.
Num 16:36 Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,
Num 16:37 Speak to Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest, that he take up the censers out of the burning, and scatter the fire yonder; for they are holy,
Num 16:38 even the censers of these sinners against their own lives; and let them be made beaten plates for a covering of the altar: for they offered them before Yahweh; therefore they are holy; and they shall be a sign to the children of Israel.
Num 16:39 Eleazar the priest took the bronze censers, which those who were burnt had offered; and they beat them out for a covering of the altar,
Num 16:40 to be a memorial to the children of Israel, to the end that no stranger, who isn't of the seed of Aaron, comes near to burn incense before Yahweh; that he not be as Korah, and as his company: as Yahweh spoke to him by Moses.
Num 16:41 But on the next day all the congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron, saying, You have killed the people of Yahweh.
Num 16:42 It happened, when the congregation was assembled against Moses and against Aaron, that they looked toward the Tent of Meeting: and behold, the cloud covered it, and the glory of Yahweh appeared.
Num 16:43 Moses and Aaron came to the front of the Tent of Meeting.
Num 16:44 Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,
Num 16:45 Get away from among this congregation, that I may consume them in a moment. They fell on their faces.
Num 16:46 Moses said to Aaron, Take your censer, and put fire therein from off the altar, and lay incense thereon, and carry it quickly to the congregation, and make atonement for them: for there is wrath gone out from Yahweh; the plague is begun.
Num 16:47 Aaron took as Moses spoke, and ran into the midst of the assembly; and behold, the plague was begun among the people: and he put on the incense, and made atonement for the people.
Num 16:48 He stood between the dead and the living; and the plague was stayed.
Num 16:49 Now those who died by the plague were fourteen thousand and seven hundred, besides those who died about the matter of Korah.
Num 16:50 Aaron returned to Moses to the door of the Tent of Meeting: and the plague was stayed.



Apr. 12, 13
Luke 8

Luk 8:1 It happened soon afterwards, that he went about through cities and villages, preaching and bringing the good news of the Kingdom of God. With him were the twelve,
Luk 8:2 and certain women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary who was called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out;
Luk 8:3 and Joanna, the wife of Chuzas, Herod's steward; Susanna; and many others; who served them from their possessions.
Luk 8:4 When a great multitude came together, and people from every city were coming to him, he spoke by a parable.
Luk 8:5 "The farmer went out to sow his seed. As he sowed, some fell along the road, and it was trampled under foot, and the birds of the sky devoured it.
Luk 8:6 Other seed fell on the rock, and as soon as it grew, it withered away, because it had no moisture.
Luk 8:7 Other fell amid the thorns, and the thorns grew with it, and choked it.
Luk 8:8 Other fell into the good ground, and grew, and brought forth fruit one hundred times." As he said these things, he called out, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear!"
Luk 8:9 Then his disciples asked him, "What does this parable mean?"
Luk 8:10 He said, "To you it is given to know the mysteries of the Kingdom of God, but to the rest in parables; that 'seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.'
Luk 8:11 Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God.
Luk 8:12 Those along the road are those who hear, then the devil comes, and takes away the word from their heart, that they may not believe and be saved.
Luk 8:13 Those on the rock are they who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; but these have no root, who believe for a while, then fall away in time of temptation.
Luk 8:14 That which fell among the thorns, these are those who have heard, and as they go on their way they are choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to maturity.
Luk 8:15 That in the good ground, these are such as in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, hold it tightly, and bring forth fruit with patience.
Luk 8:16 "No one, when he has lit a lamp, covers it with a container, or puts it under a bed; but puts it on a stand, that those who enter in may see the light.
Luk 8:17 For nothing is hidden, that will not be revealed; nor anything secret, that will not be known and come to light.
Luk 8:18 Be careful therefore how you hear. For whoever has, to him will be given; and whoever doesn't have, from him will be taken away even that which he thinks he has."
Luk 8:19 His mother and brothers came to him, and they could not come near him for the crowd.
Luk 8:20 It was told him by some saying, "Your mother and your brothers stand outside, desiring to see you."
Luk 8:21 But he answered them, "My mother and my brothers are these who hear the word of God, and do it."
Luk 8:22 Now it happened on one of those days, that he entered into a boat, himself and his disciples, and he said to them, "Let's go over to the other side of the lake." So they launched out.
Luk 8:23 But as they sailed, he fell asleep. A wind storm came down on the lake, and they were taking on dangerous amounts of water.
Luk 8:24 They came to him, and awoke him, saying, "Master, master, we are dying!" He awoke, and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water, and they ceased, and it was calm.
Luk 8:25 He said to them, "Where is your faith?" Being afraid they marveled, saying one to another, "Who is this, then, that he commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him?"
Luk 8:26 They arrived at the country of the Gadarenes, which is opposite Galilee.
Luk 8:27 When Jesus stepped ashore, a certain man out of the city who had demons for a long time met him. He wore no clothes, and didn't live in a house, but in the tombs.
Luk 8:28 When he saw Jesus, he cried out, and fell down before him, and with a loud voice said, "What do I have to do with you, Jesus, you Son of the Most High God? I beg you, don't torment me!"
Luk 8:29 For Jesus was commanding the unclean spirit to come out of the man. For the unclean spirit had often seized the man. He was kept under guard, and bound with chains and fetters. Breaking the bands apart, he was driven by the demon into the desert.
Luk 8:30 Jesus asked him, "What is your name?" He said, "Legion," for many demons had entered into him.
Luk 8:31 They begged him that he would not command them to go into the abyss.
Luk 8:32 Now there was there a herd of many pigs feeding on the mountain, and they begged him that he would allow them to enter into those. He allowed them.
Luk 8:33 The demons came out from the man, and entered into the pigs, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake, and were drowned.
Luk 8:34 When those who fed them saw what had happened, they fled, and told it in the city and in the country.
Luk 8:35 People went out to see what had happened. They came to Jesus, and found the man from whom the demons had gone out, sitting at Jesus' feet, clothed and in his right mind; and they were afraid.
Luk 8:36 Those who saw it told them how he who had been possessed by demons was healed.
Luk 8:37 All the people of the surrounding country of the Gadarenes asked him to depart from them, for they were very much afraid. He entered into the boat, and returned.
Luk 8:38 But the man from whom the demons had gone out begged him that he might go with him, but Jesus sent him away, saying,
Luk 8:39 "Return to your house, and declare what great things God has done for you." He went his way, proclaiming throughout the whole city what great things Jesus had done for him.
Luk 8:40 It happened, when Jesus returned, that the multitude welcomed him, for they were all waiting for him.
Luk 8:41 Behold, there came a man named Jairus, and he was a ruler of the synagogue. He fell down at Jesus' feet, and begged him to come into his house,
Luk 8:42 for he had an only daughter, about twelve years of age, and she was dying. But as he went, the multitudes pressed against him.
Luk 8:43 A woman who had a flow of blood for twelve years, who had spent all her living on physicians, and could not be healed by any,
Luk 8:44 came behind him, and touched the fringe of his cloak, and immediately the flow of her blood stopped.
Luk 8:45 Jesus said, "Who touched me?" When all denied it, Peter and those with him said, "Master, the multitudes press and jostle you, and you say, 'Who touched me?' "
Luk 8:46 But Jesus said, "Someone did touch me, for I perceived that power has gone out of me."
Luk 8:47 When the woman saw that she was not hidden, she came trembling, and falling down before him declared to him in the presence of all the people the reason why she had touched him, and how she was healed immediately.
Luk 8:48 He said to her, "Daughter, cheer up. Your faith has made you well. Go in peace."
Luk 8:49 While he still spoke, one from the ruler of the synagogue's house came, saying to him, "Your daughter is dead. Don't trouble the Teacher."
Luk 8:50 But Jesus hearing it, answered him, "Don't be afraid. Only believe, and she will be healed."
Luk 8:51 When he came to the house, he didn't allow anyone to enter in, except Peter, John, James, the father of the child, and her mother.
Luk 8:52 All were weeping and mourning her, but he said, "Don't weep. She isn't dead, but sleeping."
Luk 8:53 They were ridiculing him, knowing that she was dead.
Luk 8:54 But he put them all outside, and taking her by the hand, he called, saying, "Child, arise!"
Luk 8:55 Her spirit returned, and she rose up immediately. He commanded that something be given to her to eat.
Luk 8:56 Her parents were amazed, but he commanded them to tell no one what had been done.

Can We Give an Answer? by Richard Mansel


http://www.oldpaths.com/Archive/Mansel/Richard/Dale/1964/answer.html

Can We Give an Answer?

In 1 Peter 3:15 we are told, "Always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason of the hope that is within you." This is a very sobering challenge to all of us as Christians. Do we know what we believe and why? Can we defend it from Scripture?
Frequently you will ask someone to tell you what they believe and they will say, "I don't know, I will have to go ask my..." Naturally, it is acceptable to seek answers from a knowledgeable person. Moreover, "I don't know" is a legitimate answer.
But, I am talking about very simple questions we should be able to answer. Can you imagine going to a mechanic with twenty years experience and asking him a simple question about how an exhaust system works and hearing him say, "Um, I'm going to have to ask my boss."
What if you were at the mall and saw a friend you had not seen in a year. In "catching up" you find out that she is engaged. You ask, "What is your fiancee like?" She says, "Um, I don't know, I'll have to go ask his Mother."
These examples are easy to understand. Yet, we sometimes fail to apply the same principle to Christians who have been attending Bible classes and hearing sermons for years and can't tell someone what they believe or answer questions about the Bible. They just say, "Well, I'm not a preacher." Instead, they ought to be hanging their heads in shame.
We all have the same Bible. Attending seminary or Bible college does not give someone a special understanding of Scripture. All it does is provide the student with the tools to study the Scriptures in greater depth. Yet, the basics are there for everyone. We can all understand Scripture. John 8:31-32 says, "If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed, and you shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free."
We all must be more diligent Bible students if we wish to know God. If all you know about God is what you hear in Bible classes and sermons you will not know Him well. You must spend time studying the Word to become well acquainted with the Father and the Son.
Start today.
Richard Mansel

Published in The Old Paths Archive
(http://www.oldpaths.com)

Do Children Inherit the Sin of Their Parents? by Kyle Butt, M.Div.


http://apologeticspress.org/AllegedDiscrepancies.aspx?article=1378&b=Exodus

Do Children Inherit the Sin of Their Parents?

by Kyle Butt, M.Div.

Understanding the nature of God’s interaction with man is no small task. The sincere Bible student often comes across things in the biblical text that are puzzling. Others, who are perhaps somewhat less sincere, twist these initially puzzling passages “to their own destruction” (as described in 2 Peter 3:16). One such idea that has been abused is the alleged contradiction between how Jehovah dealt (and still deals) with the children of sinful people. Steve Wells, author of the Skeptic’s Annotated Bible, insists that there is a discrepancy in the Bible regarding this subject. He lists Exodus 20:5, which states: “For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me.” Wells then presents Ezekiel 18:20 as a contradictory verse: “The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not bear the guilt of the father, nor the father bear the guilt of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself ” (Wells, 2003).
Is there a legitimate contradiction between these verses? Or, to pose the question differently, “Is there any possible way that both these statements can be true?” The fact of the matter is that both statements can be true, without a contradiction occurring. What Mr. Wells and others who twist these verses into an alleged contradiction do not recognize is that there is a difference between bearing the guilt of a parent, and suffering negative physical and emotional consequences due to that parent’s bad decisions.
It often is the case that the children of wicked people suffer terribly. Sometimes these children suffer because the parent physically or emotionally abuses them (in direct violation of Scripture; cf. Matthew 7:12; Colossians 3:21). At other times, the child suffers as a result of the parent’s irresponsible behavior. For instance, suppose a man addicted to gambling wastes his salary on gambling, instead of using it to feed his family. As a result, his children suffer hunger, shame, and poverty.
Yet, even though the children of sinful people often suffer physical consequences, they do not inherit the sin of those parents. The book of Jeremiah provides an interesting commentary on this subject. In Jeremiah 16:1-6, God told Jeremiah that the prophet should not take a wife and/or have children in the land of Israel. God explained His reasoning to Jeremiah as follows: “For thus says the Lord concerning the sons and daughters who are born in this place.... ‘They shall die gruesome deaths; they shall not be lamented, nor shall they be buried, but they shall be as refuse on the face of the earth’ ” (16:3-4). Why was this going to happen? Wells is quick to refer to this chapter, especially verses 10 and 11 where the children of Israel pose the question, “Why has the Lord pronounced all this great disaster against us” (vs. 10)? Wells then records Jeremiah’s answer: “ ‘Because your fathers have forsaken Me,’ says the Lord” (vs. 11). Wells, however, does not cite the very next verse (12), which states: “And you have done worse than your fathers....”
These Israelites were suffering due to the sins of their fathers—and due to their own sins. Their children were going to die gruesome deaths. The skeptic is quick to seize upon this fact, and demand that any time innocent children die, it is a travesty against justice that a loving God never would permit (a fallacious idea that I have refuted elsewhere; see Butt, 2004).
Do children sometimes die horrible deaths due to their parents’ wrong decisions? Absolutely. The Israelites had adopted the practice of sacrificing their own children to a false god named Baal (Jeremiah 19:5). The iniquity of the parents, then, can be visited upon the children in the form of physical suffering. But do those children bear the guilt of that sin? Absolutely not! Ezekiel wrote by inspiration of the Holy Spirit: “The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not bear the guilt of the father, nor the father bear the guilt of the son” (Ezekiel 18:20, emp. added).
Notice the words soul and guilt. Does the Bible ever insinuate, for example, that a child is guilty of idolatry because his parents were idolatrous? No (read Matthew 18:3-5; Luke 18:16-17). Bearing the guilt of sin is altogether different than bearing the physical consequences of the actions of others. As is often the case, the skeptic has confused the two, and has alleged a biblical contradiction where, in fact, none exists. This is yet another example in which the allegation against the Bible fails, but “the Word of the Lord endures forever” (1 Peter 1:25).

REFERENCES

Butt, Kyle (2004), “The Skeptic’s Faulty Assumption,” [On-line], URL: http://www.apologeticspress.org/articles/2230.
Wells, Steve (2001), Skeptic’s Annotated Bible [On-line], URL: http://www.skepticsannotatedbible.com/1cor/index.html.

The American Worldview: Christian or Pagan? by Dave Miller, Ph.D.


http://apologeticspress.org/APContent.aspx?category=7&article=1309

The American Worldview: Christian or Pagan?

by  Dave Miller, Ph.D.

All human beings live life with a worldview. “Worldview” is defined as “the overall perspective from which one sees and interprets the world; a collection of beliefs about life and the universe held by an individual or a group” (American Heritage, 2000, p. 1983). People live life and make their daily decisions based upon their worldview. America has historically been characterized as a nation in possession of the “Christian worldview.” America has, in fact, been viewed by the rest of the world as a “Christian nation.” The Founding Fathers spoke often of the “Creator” and “Divine Providence.” They were referring to the God of the Bible and the Christian religion—not the gods of Hinduism, Buddhism, Native American Religion, or even the Allah of Islam.
However, in the last fifty years, American culture has been undergoing a sweeping moral and spiritual transformation. Fewer and fewer Americans now live by the worldview advocated in the Bible. This observation has received recent verification from the independent marketing research company, the Barna Research Group, in the results of its nationwide random sampling of over 2,000 adults released in 2003 (“A Biblical Worldview…,” 2003). The survey found that only four percent of American adults employ a biblical worldview as the basis of their decision-making.
The most prominent alternative worldview, especially among the youngest generations (ages 18 to 38) is postmodernism—the belief system that rejects the notion of absolute truth and a binding objective moral framework. The postmodern worldview believes that one’s moral decisions are legitimately based on personal preference and individual choice. What is right or true for one person may not be right for another. The authority for decision-making resides within the individual—not in an external set of moral principles that are binding on all people. Not surprisingly, the Barna research found that adults with a biblical worldview possessed radically different views on morality, held different religious beliefs, and demonstrated vastly different lifestyle choices. For instance, those with a biblical worldview are:
(1) 31 times less likely to believe living together before marriage is morally acceptable;
(2) 18 times less likely to endorse drunkenness;
(3) 15 times less likely to believe homosexual sex is acceptable;
(4) 12 times less likely to accept profanity;
(5) 11 times less likely to say adultery is morally acceptable;
(6) 100 times less likely to endorse abortion;
(7) 80 times less likely to say exposure to pornography is morally acceptable;
(8) 8 times less likely to gamble by buying lottery tickets, and 17 times less likely to place bets.
While one out of every eight adults who lack a biblical worldview had sexual relations with someone other than their spouse during the prior month, less than one out of every 100 individuals who have a biblical worldview had done so.
Of further interest was the fact that married adults were more likely to have a biblical worldview than single adults. One of the largest gaps was between Republicans (10% had a biblical worldview), Independents (2%), and Democrats (1% had a biblical worldview). A biblical worldview was least common in the six New England states.
It is surely tragic and ironic, as one looks back over world history, to observe that those nations who followed the pathway to immorality, idolatry, and paganism ultimately disintegrated from the inside out—in a kind of “moral implosion.” America was born out of a keen awareness of this fact, and the Founders insisted that a biblical foundation was needed if the new nation was to survive indefinitely into the future. It appears that a sizeable percentage of our citizenry has abandoned the original intentions of the Founders. Indeed, the latest research shows that moral erosion among Americans is continuing (“Morality Continues…,” 2003). Bible history demonstrates repeatedly that when a nation alienates itself from the one true God, opting instead for moral and spiritual regression, it seals its doom and eventual downfall. The only hope for America is a return to the restraint embodied in the sane, sensible worldview presented within the pages of the Bible. As the proverbs writer put it: “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people” (14:34).

REFERENCES

“A Biblical Worldview has a Radical Effect on a Person’s Life” (2003), [On-line], URL: http://www.barna.org/cgi-bin/PagePressRelease.asp?PressReleaseID=154&Reference=F.
American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (2000), (Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin), fourth edition.
“Morality Continues to Decay,” [On-line], URL: http://www.barna.org/cgi-bin/PagePressRelease.asp?PressReleaseID=152&Reference=F.