God Does Not Hate People - He Hates Sin

Unfortunately, people mistake God's hate in regards to the sins people commit with His actually feeling toward them. The Westboro Baptist Church in Kansas has advocated in protests and even their website address that "God Hates Fags". It amazes me that people would claim to be Christian but have such an unbelievably anti-Christian attitude. John 3:16 states the God loved the world so much that He gave His only begotten Son to die and bring salvation to mankind. The "world" in John 3:16 is in reference to all those who are not in fellowship with God. In addition, Paul tells us in Romans 5:8 that while were sinners, Christ died for us. Therefore, God loves sinners because Jesus stated that there was no greater love than for one to lay down his life for his friends. So we can see that since Christ died for us while we were sinners and that is the manifestation of great love (1 John 4:9), God loves sinners, all sinners. Jesus came to seek and to save sinners (Luke 19:10). The Westboro church may "hate fags", but God does not. Such an attitude though, makes those that propagate such hate no better spiritually than homosexuals.

We must understand though that love will NEVER ignore sin. Just because God loves sinners does not mean that He will save them. His love as we just mentioned is manifested (shown or made known) in the sending of Jesus Christ to die upon this earth. God's love for the sinner is best seen in the fact that He provided an alternative to being lost. This alternative requires that we obey God's Word (Matthew 7:21). In so doing, we will receive the salvation that only God can provide.

Having said all that, God does not hate the individuals who have chosen (it is a choice - no proof has ever been presented to the contrary) to practice homosexuality. He does hate the sin itself and will not save those who continue to practice such sin (Romans 1:26-32; 1 Corinthians 6:9-11). As a result of the teachings in God's Word, I believe that those who continue to practice homosexuality are wrong and cannot be right in the eyes of God. I do love them though. I know several that have choosen this sinful way of that I love very much. They are no different than the liar, fornicator, adulterer, atheist, or any other sins that individuals can choose to exhibit in their lives. Paul stated in 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 about homosexuals that "such WERE some of you". See, they changed and chose to follow Christ instead of the sinful life they had lived before.

It is my prayer and my hope that all those who have given themselves to this destructive and immoral kind of life will see the love of God and change. God has given you an alternative to being lost. Take it, you will not regret it.

PRAY FOR OUR SOLDIERS

I received this email and found it both funny and heart-touching. I hope you will be as moved to prayer as I was:

These are some great photos of our troops over seas.
This comes to me from a former army guy and good friend.?
The things we don't see and hear about on the news are remarkable..........and we think we live in a free country, where news is not censored.
Take a minute to look.
Proof of abuse by our Troops....things the media missed....!

Armed American Troops Force Iraqis to Seesaw Until They Talk!

Iraqi Child Bites GI in Self Defense after Obvious Torture!

GI Falls Asleep On Duty While Using Iraqi Child As Body Armor!

GI Overheard to say "Talk or I'll tickle you till you pee!" More Evidence of Failed US Intelligence Policy.

Soldier Attempts to Eat Iraqi Child!

Clear Evidence of Forced Labor by Troops!

Iraqis Grateful That American Forces Did Not Open Fire during Soccer Game!

Soldier Caught At "Tickle-Torture" To Extract Intelligence!

GI Forces Iraqi Child to Hang By Fingertips!

No comment here. There's nothing funny about this one.

MAY THE GOOD LORD BLESS OUR WONDERFUL SOLDIERS ALL OVER THE WORLD AND THE INNOCENT CHILDREN THAT SUFFER BECAUSE OF THE GREAT EVIL IN OUR WORLD.

PRAY FOR OUR LEADERS, OUR TROOPS, AND INDEED ALL MEN. (1 Timothy 2:1-4)

This is a little different than normal for the blog. I just felt that it was something worth sharing.

Do Not Be Fooled by an Illusion

My family and I went on a trip that required several hours of driving. On our way home we saw this one little cloud that was in the shape of a pig. A few moments passed and it looked like a car and then it was a crab. This small cloud continued to change into different shapes that we identified.

When the Viking spacecrafts went to Mars in the 1970s there was a picture taken of a mountain that many began to say was a face which was proof of possible life on Mars. One of our latest orbiters photographed this mountain and showed that what had looked like a face was simply shadows on a hillside.

I read about a lady who was looking at the ultrasound of her unborn child and believed that she saw the image of Christ on a cross. She believed that it was a sign of the child being blessed in some way.

So often we see exactly what we want to see. Whether it is a cloud, mountain, or an ultrasound, people look for illusion and shadow more than they do truth. The want to feel something that is not there or find something that they do not have. All the while, they fail to see the truth of God's word.

The lady with the ultrasound could truly have a blessed child if she lets go of illusions and dedicates herself to raising the child in the "discipline and instruction of the Lord" (Ephesians 6:4).

Seek what is real in life. Seek God's truth which is found in the Bible. There is no illusion about salvation in Jesus Christ.

John the Baptist Meets the Messiah

So often when we are dealing with familiar stories of the Bible, we do not take the time to look at the Bible text concerning those stories. Mostly we simply rely on all the times we heard those stories as young people. I heard a preacher say one time, "Read the unfamiliar scriptures and read the familiar scriptures more closely." I often find as I study those familiar stories in the Bible how much of the stories I don't know or was simply wrong about.

For example, I was studying John 1:19-34 concerning John the Baptist and Jesus. I was always taught that John said that he should be baptized by Jesus because he knew that Jesus was the Messiah. This is not accurate according John 1:19-34. John states in the text that he did not know who the Christ was (v 31). However, John was told that whomever he saw the Spirit descend and remain upon was the Christ (v 33). This was a sign for John to be able to identify the Christ, for whom he was preparing the way (v 23).

What lesson can we draw from this better understanding? I believe the most interesting fact is that even though John the Baptist did not know that Jesus was the Christ, he still recognized Him to be a more righteous man than he was. This is why John would make the statement in Matthew 3:14 when Jesus came to be baptized, "I have need to be baptized by You, and do You come to me?" The righteous and sinless life of Christ was obvious to those around Him. Jesus set that example for us that we might live our lives as He did.

Therefore the next time you think about the story of the baptism of Christ, remember what the book of John records concerning this great Bible story.

Welcome to the Study of God's Word

I am very excited to begin this great journey to know God and His will for each of us better. The Bible is the inerrant and inspired word of God Himself. It contains all that we must know to be saved. Therefore, the Bible will be the ultimate reference on this blog. Personal feelings, claims to current revelation, and any other source will not be viewed as authoritative. If you are interested in discussing the Bible, I welcome you and consider myself blessed to study God's will with you.

I would also encourage you to view our website at www.seeksalvation.org. SeekSalvation.org has also produced video Bible lessons on YouTube.com. You can access these videos below.

I hope that these resources will aid you in your search to know God better.