Real Bible Study

Daily Bible Nugget #541, 2 Corinthians 3:17

Posted on September 19, 2019 by Jerry

9-19-19 Daily Bible Nugget 541 2 Corinthians 3v17

The Nugget:

2Co 3:17 Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. (KJV)

2Co 3:17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is present, there is freedom. (NET Bible)

My Comment:

As far as I know, the only kind of society that enjoys true religious freedom is a society based upon Christian principles, upon principles grounded in the Bible.

If the Bible is true (and it most certainly is), those who believe and know the Bible need not be afraid of the claims of other faiths and religions. The Bible contains absolute truth. No lie can be ultimately successful against the truth. The Bible does not need to be defended as if it were in any real danger of being disproved. The Bible needs to be read daily, studied carefully, and shared prayerfully with others who do not know the important truth they are missing if they are not reading and believing the Bible.

There is, however, considerable danger in the United States of America as well as other places in the world that freedom of religion may be lost.

A little more than a week ago in Michigan, a church was prevented from having a special service in remembrance of “9-11” because another world religion strenuously objected.

I received the following email on Tuesday, September 17, 2019 from David Kupelian titled “Muslims Shut Down Church’s 911 Memorial Service” that tells about what happened, and what is reported should be alarming to Bible-believing Christians and all Americans:

Far from being a “peaceful and tolerant” civil rights organization that seeks only to coexist with other faiths in the public square, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) is a radical Islamic front group founded by leaders of the terror group Hamas – the Palestinian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood.

Recently, CAIR made it their mission to STOP a Christian church in Michigan from holding a 9/11 Memorial Event.

Why?

Because CAIR believed the event – to commemorate the 18th anniversary of the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, that claimed the lives of 2,997 innocent people – posed a challenge to the Muslim Brotherhood’s stated goal of “Islamic Supremacy.”

It seems the Bloomfield Hills Baptist Church angered CAIR when it announced its intention to feature Shahram Hadian, a former Muslim who planned to deliver a speech titled “How the Interfaith Movement is Sabotaging America and the Church”…

… A speech designed to “expose the growing deception of interfaith dialogue” and “explain how interfaith ‘dialogue’ is compromising the Gospel & our national security.”

The church event also planned to have James Simpson, a former Office of Management and Budget economist and investigative reporter, to speak about “How Islam is Destroying America from Within.”

CAIR insisted that the event had to be called off for giving “anti-Muslim bigotry” a platform. According to Dawud Walid, executive director of CAIR‘s Michigan chapter:

“Though we believe that houses of worship have the right to preach their doctrine, we find it incredibly irresponsible for a church to invite someone who has the objective of spewing clear anti-Muslim bigotry.”

What Walid chose to ignore is the fact that CAIR was named an unindicted co-conspirator in the largest terror-financing trial in American history, that of the Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development.

In fact, in 2009, a federal judge found that the U.S. government had “produced ample evidence to establish” that CAIR has ties to the terror organization Hamas.

But a few days ago, Democratic Reps. Andy Levin and Debbie Dingell ignored all this and instead sided with CAIR, saying the 9/11 Remembrance Event exposing jihadism had to be shut down because there is “no place for hate” in the United States.

Before canceling the event, Bloomfield Hills Baptist Church Pastor Donald McKay told the news media “Islam is a growing threat in the United States of America.”

So, CAIR – aided by Democrats in Congress – successfully forced a Christian church to cancel its 9/11 Remembrance Event in violation of the First Amendment Free Speech and Religious rights of Christian Americans all across the county.

Threatening a church if it didn’t cancel an event designed to expose radical Islam on the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks is an outrageous instance of anti-Christian bigotry.

Remember, CAIR is a group that gives aid and comfort to our nation’s enemies, has financially supported designated terrorist groups like Hamas and uses its power to silence Christians who are doing everything they can to speak the truth about radical Islam in America.

I believe the Bible teaches us to “Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord” (Hebrews 12:14).

I believe that Christians need to reach out to others and share their Bible-based faith and the message of salvation.

I posted the previous two Daily Bible Nuggets here showing just how to do that. I encourage you to read those two posts to learn how to answer some Muslim objections to the Bible and in particular, the Apostle Paul.

For at least some readers here, it ought to be obvious that these things are happening rather close to home.

Posted in Apologetics Issues--Other Faiths, Daily Bible Nuggets, Politics and the Bible | Tagged Daily Bible Nugget #541 2 Corinthians 3:17, Failure to share your faith may cost you your religious liberty!, Wake-up call for all Bible-believing Christians | Leave a comment

Daily Bible Nugget #540, 1 Corinthians 7:25

Posted on September 15, 2019 by Jerry

The Nugget:

1Co 7:25 Now concerning virgins I have no commandment of the Lord: yet I give my judgment, as one that hath obtained mercy of the Lord to be faithful. (KJV)

1Co 7:25 But concerning virgins, I have no commandment of the Lord; but I give my opinion, as having received mercy of the Lord to be faithful. (Darby)

1Co 7:25 Now about virgins I have no orders from the Lord: but I give my opinion as one to whom the Lord has given mercy to be true to him. (Basic English)

1Co 7:25 About unmarried women I have no command from the Lord, but I will give you my opinion as of one who is trustworthy, since I have had mercy shown me by the Lord. (Williams)

1Co 7:25 I don’t know of anything that the Lord said about people who have never been married. But I will tell you what I think. And you can trust me, because the Lord has treated me with kindness. (CEV, Contemporary English Version)

My Comment:

1 Corinthians 7:25 was mistakenly applied and surely misunderstood by a Muslim who objects to the validity of the Apostle Paul. He is responding to the answers I posted here yesterday as Daily Bible Nugget #539. You can learn much more than you bargained for if you read the discussion below!

The Muslim Challenge:

Jerome Smith our first objection: two verses from the letters of Paul proved that not all biblical passages are revealed by God. Paul says:

“Concerning virgin, I HAVE NO COMMANDMENT OF THE LORD, BUT I GIVE MY OWN OPINION as one who by the Lord’s mercy is trustworthy” 1st Corinthians 7:25

“What I am saying with regard to this boastful confidence, I am saying NOT WITH THE LORD’S AUTHORITY, but as a fool” 2nd Corinthians 11:17.

Our second objection: Mark 16:9-20 was not present in the RSV. The NIV wrote in its footnote that “the ancient and most reliable Manuscripts did not have Mark 16:9-20. So, According to your scholars Mark 16:15 is a fabrication.

Our third objection: In the American standard version, the phrase used in Mathew 28:19 is “all the nations”. This refers to the twelve tribes of Israel (each tribe is a nation). However, if we are to accept Mathew 28:19 the way you relate it; then we have no any other option than to say Jesus Christ contradicts himself (something I will never believe). This is because, when Jesus sent out his disciples to preach, he commanded them saying; “Go not unto the way of the gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans, but go rather unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel” Mathew 10:5, 6.

My Response:

Hayatuddeen Ameen You have misunderstood what Paul means in 1 Corinthians 7:25. Paul means that our Lord Jesus Christ in His earthly ministry did not address the question asked by the Corinthians that Paul then proceeds to answer.

Further in his answer, Paul states that on that aspect of the question he has the direct word of our Lord Jesus Christ:

1 Corinthians 7:10 And unto the married I command, yet not I, but the Lord, Let not the wife depart from her husband: (King James Version)

Consider 1 Corinthians 7:12,

1 Corinthians 7:12 But to the rest speak I, not the Lord: If any brother hath a wife that believeth not, and she be pleased to dwell with him, let him not put her away. King James Version

Paul again distinguishes between what he, writing by divine inspiration, states in answer to the question raised by the Corinthians, compared with what Jesus had discussed while He was upon earth. Paul could not cite Jesus as his authority on this point regarding marriage relations because Jesus did not discuss this precise topic. Notice, therefore, how carefully Paul identifies the source of his authority when answering the questions addressed to him.

Contrast what Paul declares in 1 Corinthians 14:37,

1 Corinthians 14:37 If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord. King James Version

So the issue is not whether Paul writes what is revealed by God. He most certainly does, according to 1 Corinthians 14:37. The issue in context is whether what Paul asserts under divine inspiration was directly addressed by our Lord Jesus Christ during His earthly ministry.

As for your reference to 2 Corinthians 11:17, in objecting to these words, you are missing the ironic language Paul is using in that context which he uses to emphasize the validity of his apostleship.

This is seen when Paul reaches the climax of his defense of his apostleship against his detractors when he writes:

2Co 13:5 Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?

2 Corinthians 13:5 involves a number of figures of speech for emphasis, including Hyperbaton and Irony.

The Hyperbaton by which the pronoun heautous, yourselves, is placed in the Greek text at the beginning of the sentence (the object before the subject), shows the emphasis which is to be placed upon it, and tells us that this is the serious irony of a grieved heart, and not a general command.

These Corinthian saints, having been beguiled by the Jewish enemies of the apostle to question his apostleship, actually sought a proof of Christ speaking in him! So he meets their questionings with another question: Since ye seek a proof of Christ speaking in me…YOURSELVES examine ye, if ye are in the faith; YOURSELVES prove ye. Know ye not that Jesus Christ is in you except ye be reprobates?”

The answer to this question, thus ironically put, would prove them to be the seals of his ministry, and the real proof of his apostleship.

In answer to your SECOND OBJECTION regarding the so-called long ending of the Gospel of Mark, that ending is unquestionably the original ending of Mark’s Gospel.

The genuineness of Mark 16:9-20 is established by the fact that they are:

(1) contained in the majority of even ancient manuscripts, and in the famous few that omit these verses space was left in some of them sufficient to be included;

(2) the verses are included in ancient versions including the various forms of the Syriac, the Latin, Gothic, Egyptian and Coptic, Armenian, Ethiopic, and Georgian, several of these predating the oldest extant Greek manuscripts for this passage;

(3) the passage has been cited from the time of the earliest Christian writers, including Papias (AD 100) who refers to Mark 16:18 (as stated by Eusebius, Hist. Ecc. iii. 39); Justin Martyr (AD 151), who quotes Mark 16:20 (Apol. I. c. 45); Irenæus (AD 180), who quotes and remarks on Mark 16:19 (Adv. Hær. lib. iii. c. x.); Hippolytus (AD 190-227) quotes Mark 16:17-19 (Lagarde’s ed., 1858, p. 74); Ambrose (AD 374-397) quotes Mark 16:15 four times, Mark 16:16-18 three times, and Mark 16:20 once; Chrysostom (AD 400) refers to Mark 16:9; and states that Mark 16:19-20 are “the end of the Gospel.” Jerome (AD 331-420) includes these twelve verses in his Latin translation, besides quoting Mark 16:9; Mark 16:14 in his other writings; Augustine (AD 395-430) more than quotes them. He discusses them as being the work of the Evangelist Mark, and says that they were publicly read in the churches.

I place no confidence in the Revised Standard Version because it is an English translation produced by theologically liberal scholarship which does not believe in the divine inspiration of the Bible and often rejects the supernatural. The RSV was widely rejected by Bible-believing Christians when it was first published.

The NIV has made some quite notable errors in its comments and decisions regarding matters of textual criticism, so on those issues I find it necessary to reject their mistaken claims.

The ANSWER TO YOUR THIRD OBJECTION is seen by comparing Scripture with Scripture. You claim “all the nations” has reference to only the twelve tribes of Israel. That is not correct. See the parallel construction at Matthew 24:14,

Matthew 24:14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.

Clearly, the expression “all nations” or “all the nations” (same wording in the underlying Greek text) has reference to every nation “in all the world,” a mission most certainly not to be limited to the twelve tribes of Israel!

Jesus Himself said in Acts 1:8,

Act 1:8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

This world-wide outreach of the true Gospel of Christ was prophesied repeatedly, as anyone can learn by consulting the cross references given for such a verse as Isaiah 49:6,

Isaiah 49:6 And he said, It is a light thing that thou shouldest be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel: I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth.

Posted in Apologetics Issues--Other Faiths, Daily Bible Nuggets | Tagged Answer to Muslim challenge to Apostle Paul, Daily Bible Nugget #540 1 Corinthians 7:25, Gospel of Jesus Christ is for whole world, Long ending of Mark's Gospel defended | Leave a comment

Daily Bible Nugget #539, Matthew 15:24

Posted on September 14, 2019 by Jerry

The Nugget:

Mat 15:24 But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

The Muslim Challenge:

Posted by Hayatuddeen Ameen today (September 14, 2019):

JESUS CHRIST IS THE ONLY SAVIOUR:
Our Christian brothers were programmed to be vicarious. They say all your lengthy treatise and literary masterpiece will never satiate me; I believe in Christ as my personal lord and saviour. That is what a Christian lady told me during a one on one dialogue. When I enquire of a biblical reference vindicating her claim, she quoted the Gospel of John 14:6 which says,

I am the truth, the way and life; no one goes to the father but by me.

I replied, the verse you have quoted is incompatible with the reference I have requested, but however, lets analyze it before we proceed with the normal argument. I re enquired if she is familiar with the context of the passage; after a lengthy irrational explanation, she admitted that she didn’t know the context. I said, the context of the passage is in verse one (John 14:1). Jesus said to his disciples,

Believe in God; believe also in me

The above aphorism is applicable not to Jesus, but to all Messengers of God. All the prophets sent by God will say the same thing to the people to which they are sent (Believe in God; believe also in me). What it means is that you can only reach God through believe in his prophets. In this way, during the reign of Moses, Moses is the truth, the way and life, and no one will go to the father but through Moses (pbuh). Likewise, in the reign of Prophet Noah; without you getting into the boat; you will definitely perish. So, in the time of Noah, Noah is the truth, the way and life, and no one will go to the father but through Noah (pbuh). Similarly, during this time of Prophet Muhammad; Muhammad is the truth, the way and life; no one will go to the father but through Muhammad (pbuh). This is the context of the passage which you have quoted. However, what I have requested is the biblical reference that infers Jesus Christ as the only saviour. Is there any such reference in your Bible? She exclaimed, NO! However, being a savant in the realm of comparative religion, I insisted, there is, while at the same time quoting the following biblical verse.

She (Mary) will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins. Matthew 1:21

I asked the lady if this is the reference I have requested from her Bible. The helpless lady is evasive; if not embarrassed. She answered reluctantly, YE! YES. I proceed; cant you see that Jesus is only a saviour to his people? The lady asked emphatically: then tell me, who are his people? The lady thinks she has a point. The Bible has already answered your question, I insisted, reading the Gospel of Matthew 15:24.

He (Jesus) answered, I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

I enquired, are you an Israelite? The lady becomes pathetic in a deep silence. Having experienced that the lady is pessimistic, I continued; haven’t you read in the Gospel of John 17:9 where Jesus is saying,

I am praying for them; I am not praying for the world but for those whom you have given me for they are yours.

So, even your Bible testifies that Jesus Christ will only intercede for his people. Those are Israelites who believe in God and his teachings as discussed earlier. With this Christian lady, I won the debate.

My Response:

You can only claim to win such a debate because the lady was not really knowledgeable about the Bible.

Can I produce from the Bible even one verse that states our Lord Jesus Christ is the only Savior?

Yes.

Acts 4:12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.

Is Jesus the savior for the whole world?

Yes.

1Jn 2:2 and he himself is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for our sins but also for the whole world.

The Bible emphasizes that our Lord Jesus Christ died to save all people everywhere as the following cross references for 1 John 2:2 demonstrate:

1 Timothy 2:4 Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.

2 Corinthians 5:15 And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again.

2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

As for your citation of Matthew 15:24, Jesus did not always limit or restrict his ministry to none but the Jews. He also ministered to Gentiles as here in context to the Canaanite woman. He previously healed the centurion’s servant (Mat 8:13); He declared his Messiahship to the Samaritan woman at the well (John 4:25, 26), and as a result of her vibrant testimony Jesus was asked by the townspeople of the Samaritan city of Sychar to stay two more days with them, which he did, and many of them believed (John 4:42).

Note the testimony of the Samaritans of Sychar after hearing Jesus for themselves:

John 4:42 And said unto the woman, Now we believe, not because of thy saying: for we have heard him ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world.

They testified that they believed and knew that Jesus (1) is the Messiah, the Christ; (2) that Jesus IS INDEED THE SAVIOR OF THE WORLD.

When Jesus healed the ten lepers, one of them was a Samaritan, the only one who returned to give thanks (Luke 17:11, 12; Luke 17:15, 16).

Christ’s directive (Matthew 10:5, 6) that his disciples minister only to the lost sheep of Israel and not enter into any city of the Samaritans nor go in the way of the Gentiles was clearly a directive for that immediate mission, and does not mark a permanent policy of the ministry of Christ that limited His work only to the Jews.

It is most clear that Christ came to save the world, not merely the lost sheep of the house of Israel, for He commanded that His Gospel be proclaimed to every creature (Matthew 28:19; Mark 16:15; Luke 24:27; John 1:29; John 3:16; John 4:42; Acts 1:8; 1 John 2:2). This accords precisely with what was prophesied of the Messiah (Isaiah 49:6; Acts 13:47; Acts 26:23).

Posted in Apologetics Issues--Other Faiths, Daily Bible Nuggets, False Religions | Tagged Bible proof that Jesus is the Savior to the whole world, Daily Bible Nugget #539 Matthew 15:24, Is Jesus only a savior to his people the Jews?, Is Jesus the "only Savior"? | Leave a comment

Daily Bible Nugget #538, Acts 9:7

Posted on September 13, 2019 by Jerry

The Nugget:

Acts 9:7 And the men which journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice, but seeing no man.

My Comment:

I have encountered individuals from the Hebrew Roots movement as well as Muslims who find a contradiction between what is stated in Acts 9:7 compared to the parallel account found in Acts 22:9. They use this alleged contradiction to deny the validity of the conversion and ministry of the Apostle Paul. In so doing, they reveal they have not read carefully the rest of the chapter, where the record is given of our Lord Jesus Christ himself directly commissioning the Apostle Paul (see Acts 9:15 and context).

Acts 9:7 And the men which journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice, but seeing no man.

Acts 22:9 And they that were with me saw indeed the light, and were afraid; but they heard not the voice of him that spake to me.

The Muslim Challenge:

Contradiction 1:
When Paul experienced the vision of Jesus Christ; did the companions with him also saw the light and hear the voice?

And the men which journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice, but seeing no man. Acts 9:7

And they that were with me (Paul) saw indeed the light, and were afraid; but they heard not the voice. Acts 22:9

Did the men with Paul hear the voice or not?

I ANSWER:

In English translation Acts 9:7 appears to contradict Acts 22:9, as you carefully state.

The New Testament was originally written in Greek. There are distinctions evident in the Greek text that are often not translated into English.

In Acts 9:4 the word “voice” is in the accusative case, which in Greek is an idiom which means to hear and understand the particular words spoken, said of Saul (later called Paul).

In Acts 9:7 the word “voice” is in the genitive case, showing that Paul’s companions heard the sound but did not hear the words clearly enough to understand them. All they heard was a noise.

In Acts 22:9, “but they heard not the voice of him that spoke to me” is in the genitive case, an idiom which means to understand, to receive, to believe what is said, having regard not to the speaker but the subject matter.

Paul’s companions heard the voice, but not clearly enough to understand what was said, expressed by the genitive case in Greek.

Paul (or Saul) heard the voice and understood what was said, expressed by the accusative case in Greek.

The presence of these idioms in the Greek text removes the apparent contradiction seen in our English translations.

Posted in Apologetics Issues--Other Faiths, Apologetics--Christian, Bible 'Contradictions' Answered, Daily Bible Nuggets | Tagged Daily Bible Nugget #538 Acts 9:7, Did the men with Paul hear the voice or not?, Does Acts 9:7 contradict Acts 22:9?, The grammar of Acts 9:7 and Acts 22:9 explained | Leave a comment

Daily Bible Nugget #537, Mark 8:36

Posted on September 6, 2019 by Jerry

The Nugget:

Mark 8:36 For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?

My Comment:

A few days ago I found a clear plastic bag neatly tied to the post beneath my mailbox. In the bag were two Gospel tracts and a business card from a church in a small town not far from here. One of the booklets, titled “God’s Way of Forgiveness for Your Sins” had the text of Mark 8:36 on its cover.

The other tract is titled “God’s Simple Plan of Salvation” by Ford Porter, which also contains many helpful Bible verses.

The question Jesus asked is as important today as it was when He first asked it: “For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?” Jesus emphasized that spiritual priorities are important and matter for all eternity to come.

Ford Porter’s little tract contains a most important message. He emphasizes that the most important question of life is “Are you saved?” Your joy or sorrow for all eternity depends upon your answer. It is not a question of how good you are. It has nothing to do with whether you are a church member. I remember a Gospel tract I read years ago that was titled “Which Church Saves?” The answer is, of course, that no church saves. Only personal faith in what our Lord Jesus Christ has done for us by His sacrificial death on the Cross of Calvary counts for salvation. Let me explain the plan of salvation using some of the Bible verses found in Ford Porter’s original tract combined with some additional verses I have selected from the Bible to make the message even clearer and more accurate.

God’s plan of salvation is simple.

First, you must realize that you are a sinner.

Romans 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

Because you are a sinner, you are condemned to death:

Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

The death spoken of in Romans 6:23 is not physical death but spiritual death. If we remain spiritually dead we will suffer eternal separation from God in Hell.

Hebrews 9:27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:

Matthew 25:46 And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.

God Himself loved us so much that He gave His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, to offer Himself as a priestly sacrificial death for us as the atonement for our sins.

John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Galatians 1:4 Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father:

Romans 5:8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

God has commanded everyone to repent. Repentance means to change our mind and change our ways or behavior as a result of genuinely changing our mind by believing that Jesus Christ died for our sins and that He truly offers us the free gift of a changed life now and eternal life now and forever.

Mark 1:15 And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.

Luke 13:5 I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.

Acts 17:30 And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:
Acts 17:31 Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.

Just how this all works out to our benefit is simply illustrated by what is reported in the Bible about how the Philippian Jailer became a genuine Christian:

Acts 16:25 And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them.
Act 16:26 And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one’s bands were loosed.
Act 16:27 And the keeper of the prison awaking out of his sleep, and seeing the prison doors open, he drew out his sword, and would have killed himself, supposing that the prisoners had been fled.
Act 16:28 But Paul cried with a loud voice, saying, Do thyself no harm: for we are all here.
Act 16:29 Then he called for a light, and sprang in, and came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas,
Act 16:30 And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved?
Act 16:31 And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.
Act 16:32 And they spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house.
Act 16:33 And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes; and was baptized, he and all his, straightway.
Act 16:34 And when he had brought them into his house, he set meat before them, and rejoiced, believing in God with all his house.

Notice the simple message: “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ” (Acts 16:30).

John 1:12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:

Romans 10:13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

If you are not absolutely sure that you are saved, call on the Lord in prayer and ask Him to forgive your sins and give you assurance of eternal life today.

Posted in Daily Bible Nuggets, Doctrinal Discussions | Tagged Daily Bible Nugget #537 Mark 8:36, God's Simple Plan of Salvation, How to become a Christian, What must I do to be saved? | Leave a comment