THE AGE OF ACCOUNTABILITY

By NiteOwlDave
niteowldave@gmail.com

There are three schools of thought about the age of accountability regarding one’s salvation.

The age is not clearly identified in Scripture. The Bible says we are born with a sinful nature, that we all choose to sin, and that our sin is forgiven if we repent and believe in our heart that the Lord Jesus Christ paid our sin debt in full with his blood when He died and rose again.
 
Perhaps the reason the Bible does not state an age is because children mature at different paces. That would be true from culture to culture, and from age to age in history.
 
1. Some say the age when a child is on the hook for his own sin is when he begins to know right from wrong and hears about Jesus. Author-Bible teacher John MacArthur's says, “When a young child says, ‘I want to invite Christ into my life,’ then you need to encourage him to do that. At what point that becomes saving faith -- only God knows for certain.”
 
2. The Jews teach the age of accountability is 12 as that was when Jesus was taken by His parents to Jerusalem for the Passover and the Feast, and He went absent to the temple and asked profound questions of his elders. This age seems to be when those kinds of questions begin to be personal in the heart of a child.
 
Luke 2:46 says, “They (Mary and Joseph) returned to Jerusalem, searching for him. After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions.”                       

3. Some say the age is 20. In the book of Numbers, 20 years old was the age when males were considered mature enough to serve in the army and be counted independently in the census. 

Numbers 14:29; 32:11 says, “In the wilderness your bodies will fall…every one  of you 20  years old or more…surely none  of the men that came up out of Egypt, from twenty years old and upward, shall see the land which I swore to Abraham. Isaac and..Jacob because they have not wholly followed me.”

Those aged 20 or above did not enter Canaan after fleeing Egypt. They all died in the wilderness for their sin of unbelief. Those below the age of 20 were, apparently, considered too immature to be held accountable for not believing the account of Joshua and Caleb concerning the Promised Land.

Why we left the Mormon Church

By Rauni Higley
 
Question to Rauni: Why did you choose to walk away from the Church of The Latter-Day Saints (The Mormons) after many years as a loyal adherent?
 
What prompted my husband and I to leave the Mormon Church was our discovery of contradictions, changed doctrines, cover-ups, lies and deceit from Joseph Smith to the current leaders.

The final decision to leave came when we learned more about the Bible, and discovered that Mormon teaching does not square with its teaching. There are major differences between the LDS Church and the Bible.

For example:

(1) Mormonism teaches that God was once a mortal man, who had a father, who had a father ...and so on. The Bible teaches that God has never been less than God and there are no Gods before Him nor after Him. (Isaiah  43:10; 44:6, 8 etc.)

(2) Mormonism teaches that Jesus is a brother of Lucifer (Satan) and also a brother of all humans and angels. The Bible teaches that Jesus IS God and that He created everything, including angels. (John 1:1-3, 14; Colossians. 1:16.)
 
(3) Mormonism teaches that Jesus came “to work out His own salvation”, and that He is only one of the billions of spirit-sons of God and His wives, even if the eldest, and that He was physically conceived by an exalted, resurrected god-man, (God the Father of Mormonism) in Mary. (Mormon Doctrine under Only Begotten Son, 1966 ed., pp. 546-547.)

The Bible says that Jesus is Immanuel, meaning GOD with us, born of a Virgin, begotten by Holy Ghost. (Isaiah 7:14, Matthew 1:23, John 1:1, and 14: 20-28.)

(4) Mormonism's gospel consists of "laws and ordinances" of the LDS Church. They teach that man can be truly saved only through obedience to them.

The Bible says that the gospel is THE message, good news of the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus for us. (1 Corinthians 15:1-4) The Bible says that we receive salvation by faith and that it is the gift of God so no one can boast of earning it. (Romans 10:9; Ephesians 2:8-9.)

The Bible says that if anyone preaches any other gospel than the one preached by apostles (1 Corinthians 15:1-4), it will bring God's curse on him, even if it came from an angel. (Galations 1:6-9.) THE MORMONS PREACH ANOTHER CHRIST.

Paul warned about those who change the identity of Jesus into "another Jesus," and His gospel into "another gospel," and listen to and have "another spirit."(2 Corinthians 11:4, 13-15; 1 John 4:1.)

The Bible tells us that we must study to prove ourselves to God. (2 Timothy 2:15.) The Bible says that we must test all things and prove all things by the Word of God, the Bible. (1 Thessalonians 5:21; Acts 17:11; 2 Timothy 2:15.) We must even test the spirits that give “feelings" and “testimonies." (1 John 4:1; 1 Timothy 4:1.)
 
When we saw all that, we did not have any other choice but to leave the false doctrines of Joseph Smith and the Mormon Church. We accepted Jesus of the Bible, who alone can save. (John 14:6; Acts 4:12.)
   

WE ARE SAVED BY THE BLOOD OF CHRIST

If I ask God to forgive my sins each day and try to live a good life will I not be saved? The answer is no.

We are not saved by works. Romans 6: 23 says, “The wages of sin is death…” Our sin debt was paid in full by Jesus Christ at Calvary. He shed His blood and died to provide forgiveness for us. Our good works contribute nothing toward our salvation.

We must come to Him with our sins and depend on His sacrifice alone to saves us. The Bible says in Hebrews 9:22, "...without the shedding of blood there is no remission (forgiveness) of sins.”

God forgives us if we are depending on the only sacrifice that takes away sin. He is said in John 1:29 to be "...the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world." We must ask the Lord Jesus to forgive us of our sin and trust God that we are forgiven by Christ alone.

The Bible warns us not to lean on what we think but what the Bible says. Proverbs 14:12 says, "There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.”

Our way often seems to us to be the right way, but God says Isaiah 55:8, "My ways are not your ways and my thoughts are not your thoughts.” Our good living will not take away past sins.
 
The Bible says in Hebrew 9:22, "...without the shedding of blood there is no remission (forgiveness) of sin.”

We must come to Him as a sinner, hopeless, helpless and unworthy and cast ourself upon the mercy of God where it can only be found, at the cross of Christ.

BOO! GOD HERE.

     
By NiteOwlDave
niteowldave@gmal.com                                                      

Many years ago when I lived in Nassau, Bahamas, I recall a long-serving out-island missionary standing on our porch and staring quietly at the star-filled sky and reflecting,

"Ever think about the invisible things?" I followed his eyes upward and frowned.

"We are staring at thousands of stars, but it is the things we don't see with our eyes that are most intriguing." “What on earth?” I muttered.

He explained, "What we are able to see with our eyes is very limited compared to what remains invisible to us. Let me list some of the things which are totally invisible to our eyes but they are surely there because we use them or witness their power every day."

1.  Electricity. It flows through those wires and lights our houses. Can't see it but it's there.
2.  Radio waves
3. TV signals
4. Citizen Band radio signals
5. Medical radiation signals 
6. Telegraph signals
7. There's radar
8. Sonar
9. Fish finder signals
l0. There's invisible oxygen and carbon dioxide in the air.
11.There are germs and viruses everywhere, all invisible to the naked eye
12. Metal detection signals
13. Infrared signals
14. Magnetic signals
15. Gamma rays16. Ultraviolet rays from the sun
17. X-ray beams
18. "Lastly," he clucked, "we sure could use a cool breeze which we couldn't see coming but could certainly feel its affect."

That was 40 years ago. Since then, we have tacked on a few additional invisible things we have uncovered or built upon pre-established science.
   
1. Cell phone signals
2. Pager signals
3. TV remote control signals
4. Microwave oven wonders
5. Remote garage door openers
6. Remote car door openers
7. TV remote channel changers
8. Fax machine signals
9. Internet signals
10. Satellite to TV set signals
11. Global positioning signals
12. Invisible animal "zap" fencing signals
13. High-pitched animal whistles
14. Laser beams
...the list goes on. 

Given the reality of the above invisible things, it is confusing that many today give no consideration to the idea of an invisible but equally-real spirit world.

Is it because we see God, angelic and satanic forces as being the stuff of science fiction? A real God? A real Devil? A real after life? 

Another missionary friend recently wrote,

"There was a time when God was invisible. But one night He came to Earth in Bethlehem as the baby Jesus. He later revealed His love for us at the cross where He died. Three days later, He rose again in fulfillment of l,000-year-old Old Testament prophecy.
 
"That invisible Man who became visible was the Lord Jesus Christ who is alive today at the right hand of Father God.  The Bible points out that He will return soon and take all true believers home to Heaven. That sounds Starwarian, but that is the promise."

The Bible says there is eternal life to those who will believe in Christ for salvation simply by faith.
   
The apostle John, in the company of the disciples, quotes Christ as saying, "Because you have seen Me, you have believed.  But blessed are those who have not seen me but still believed." (John 20:29)

The apostle Paul refers to invisible things several times.
"For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen." (Romans l:20)
                                                     
"For by him were all things created, in heaven and in earth, visible and invisible." (Colossians 1:16)

"For the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal." (2 Corinthians 4:18)
       
The apostle Matthew said our spirit is totally invisible yet is everlasting.
"Man can kill the body, but not the spirit." (Matthew 10:28)
           
Christ's resurrected body is now invisible.
"Christ is now in the spiritual presence of God." (Hebrews 1:13)
                                       
Our resurrected bodies will be invisible.
"Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God." (1 Corinthians 15: 50-51)
   
The conclusion is that because God may not choose to reveal himself at half time during the Super Bowl in no way allows us to say, "That's unacceptable, that's not good science."

No, we are born with a bothersome conscience which every so often whispers, "God here, check Me out."
       
Perhaps the most valid reason to believe in the "invisible God" is what we can see in the lives of those who have opened their hearts to Christ and have been visibly changed.

There are many once-bound people out there who were once ravaged by visible sin who are now gloriously changed by God who they thought was invisible, or did not care.

God invisible? Perhaps we need to open our eyes.
                 
The Bible says eternal life is available to anyone who repents of his or her sin and calls out to Christ for His completed salvation. (Mark l: 15) Have you done that?

Who is this Jesus? Is He God?

By NiteOwlDave

niteowldave@gmail.com
 
(Great video: http://www.whoisjesusdvd.com/)

The Bible says that Jesus Christ, the central figure of Christianity, is equal with God Almighty.

Like God, Messiah Jesus and the Holy Spirit each have equal power and authority, and are everlasting. They make up the Trinity. Jesus is the Word who became flesh and dwelt among us.

*God says in the Bible that He predates Moses. Exodus 3:14 says, "And God said to Moses, “I am who I am.”

*Jesus made the same claim in John 8:58 where He said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am.

*Jesus said in John 14:6 that He was the only Way to the Father: "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me.”

The disciples testified of Christ’s divinity.

*John 20:28 says, "Thomas answered and said to Him, 'My Lord and my God’!”

*Colossians 2:9 says, "For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form."

*Hebrews 1:8 says, "But of the Son He says, “Thy throne, O God, is forever and ever. You rule with a scepter of justice."

*John 1:1 and 14 say, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God...And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth."

Because the Word was with God and the Word is God and became flesh, we understand that Jesus has two natures, divine and human. This is the bedrock for Christian thought that Jesus is both God and man at the same time.

The Bible says the reason God became flesh is because only God can atone for our sins. We can't do it on our own because we are finite, sinful beings and we cannot please an infinitely holy God.

If we place our trust in what Christ has done for us, we will be saved and go to Heaven. We qualify for Heaven if we belief in what Jesus did - not what we do - when He paid our sin debt in full on the cross and rose again from the dead. We contribute zero to our salvation.

We access God in prayer through Jesus, and no one else. There is no biblical support for the idea that so-called saints, the blessed mother Mary, or any earthly persons plays a mediating or call-center role between Father God and us.

1 Timothy 2:5 says, "For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus."

He retained the wounds of His crucifixion when He rose from the dead. He told a doubting apostle, Thomas, “Reach here your finger, and see My hands; and reach here your hand, and put it into My side; and be not unbelieving, but believing.”

Forty days after His resurrection from the dead, Jesus ascended into Heaven, bodily.

“And after He had said these things, He was lifted up while they were looking on, and a cloud received Him out of their sight."

The Bible says He will return again from the Heavens, and will judge the world and all people.

"This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven,"

The Bible says Jesus never sinned. He performed many miracles such as healing, casting out demons, walking on water, calming a storm with a command, raising people from the dead, and rising from the dead Himself.

Though there have been many great teachers throughout history, none of them have performed such miracles and claimed to be divine as Jesus claimed.

Is there just one judgment in Heaven?

How many judgments are there in Heaven? There are two judgments.

JUDGEMENT ONE: Those who accept in this life the sacrifice of Jesus Christ as total payment for all their sins and therefore are “saved” will, upon death, in Heaven, stand in judgment before God.

Re judgment one, 2 Corinthians 5:10 says, “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.”
                        
They will be judged for how they lived as
Christians after they were saved. Eternal rewards will be at stake.

JUDGEMENT TWO: Those who have rejected Christ or chose to believe it took the sacrificial blood of Jesus plus their good works to gain Heaven will stand before God in a gut-wrenching second judgment where all will be sent to eternal Hell.

Those who stand before God in judgment two will be separated from God eternally, but the degrees of their suffering in Hell will be based on how good or bad a life they lived.

Judgment two is spelled out in Revelation 20: 11-15 which says: Those who have not trusted Christ as Savior will stand before the great white throne and be judged "according to their works."

Everyone there is Hell-bound. This judgment will be to determine the degree of their punishment in Hell.

We should get saved NOW. The Bible states repeatedly that the way to Heaven is by accepting what Jesus completed on the cross. There is no other way.

Jesus said in John 14:6, "I am THE WAY, the TRUTH and the LIFE, NO MAN cometh to the Father but by me.”