A God of Absolutes

Throughout my writings, whether they be online or as papers, I have made it clear that I am a Biblical literalist.  My hermenuetical view is that the Bible should be taken in a literal fashion.  I have only disdain for those interpreters who take Scripture in either a contemporary fashion or worse still, as an analogous living Bible.  I firmly believe that the Bible should be taken first in a grammatical-historical context; how it reached those living at that time period.  It is only then that Scripture should be reexamined as to how it relates to humanity today.  Nevertheless, they are both of equal importance.

With this in mind you may understand as to why I get so irritated with people who declare that God will punish us based off of the degree of sin.  For example let us look at the following verse:

Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor print any marks upon you: I am the LORD.  Leviticus 19:28

This is the principle piece of Scripture that speaks out against tattoos   I believe the verse is very clear in stating that tattoos are wrong and a sin.  In the historical context this verse spoke out against the death and fertility cults that demanded tattoos back during the Exodus.  Yet, as I said earlier, we must also look to how this passage effects us today.

So the question is are tattoos more or less of a sin then murder or adultery.  Can we put the sin tattoos on a degree level?  I cannot begin to speak of all the times I was asked if tattoos are a sin.  The answer is yes, they are.

Now that we established tattoos being a sin the question still remains; will God view tattoos as He views murder or adultery? The answer is straightforward.  The sins are equal in God's eyes.  We must each remember that God only sees things as a sin or not a sin.  As God is holy and cannot be around sin then it is clear that you really cannot rate a sin, for iniquity is iniquity and God cannot be near any unsaved sinner.

This view of either/or can be seen in the most basic of doctrines of Systematic Theology.  God views the human race in two categories; saved or cursed.  Matthew 12:30 says it best reading,

He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad.  Matthew 12:30

There is simply no third option.  Romans 1:20 states,

For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:  Romans 1:20

The basic interpretation states that human beings have no excuse, we either accept Yeshua and be saved with eternal life or cursed by not accepting Yeshua.

Precious Lord, I give you thanks and praise for every blessing within our lives.  I thank you for the understanding that your sinful children must choose your Son, Yeshua.  I thank you for filling me with your Ruach haKodesh (the Holy Spirit) that I may continue to study and teach your Word.  In the name of Yeshua I pray.  Amen

Husbands and Wives, Part 2

\

I do admit my love at being married.  For 12 years I have been married to my best friend.  It truly is a wonderful feeling.  Don't misunderstand me, we have our trying moments, any good relationship does.  But what makes our relationship special?  Is our marriage sanctioned by God?


I believe it is.  Let me explain.  Kolleen is a Gentile, raised in a Protestant home.  She did not grow up religious, but she was a Believer in Jesus Christ.  On the other end, I am a Jew and it was not until the mid-90's that I convinced myself of the truth of Yeshua haMashiach.  Kolleen and I were baptized (immersion) back at August 12, 2000 by my former Messianic Rabbi.  It was a wonderful surface as he baptized us both at the same time.  That brought an equality and joining to our spiritual relationship.  It did not matter that I called the Messiah Yeshua and she did Jesus.  We were both believers.


Now, Kolleen did know all about my years of religious and Biblical study.  She knew everything about me, good and bad.  We simply accepted the lives of each other.  As the years passed, my education grew.  Since the baptism I have been a minister to God.  I have received a bachelors in Ministry and I am close to my masters in Ministry.  Yet, this growth in my formal Christian education has only brought us closer spiritually.  Kolleen depends on me to teach doctrine.


The greatest spiritual event for us was the birth of our daughter Sarahfay.  We were told prior to Kolleen being pregnant that kids were not possible for us.  Yet, God had granted us a living and true miracle, Sarahfay.  The question that plagued us was how Sarahfay was to be raised; as a Jew or a Gentile.  According to Rabbinical Jewish law Sarahfay is only Jewish if her mother was Jewish.  But according to Biblical law Sarahfay was Jewish because I was Jewish.  So what do we do?  Sarahfay is being raised as a Christian, a Jewish Christian.  In an Olive Tree marriage, we try to raise our daughter without any spiritual confusion; and I believe we have succeeded.  


Many people question whether a Jew should marry a Gentile.  But the truth is if we put Yeshua first in our lives, it does not matter.

Husbands and Wives, Part 1

Throughout my Biblical studies one fact remains paramount; that the family, husband, wife and children, is the first ministry given to us by Adonai.  Biblical literalists like myself cannot ignore the fact that we are all indebted to our families.  It is inescapable that in marriage there must be a man and a woman to hold the state of matrimony.  Any other view, and I am referring to same-sex marriages are a facade of what we see in Scripture.  The Word states that there should be one man for each woman.


We can also find throughout the Bible the mitzvot that parents have a strong responsibility to teach our children everything we can about God, Yeshua and the Ruach haKodesh (Holy Spirit).  In fact, one of the more devout Jewish verses in Deuteronomy tells us what parents should be accomplishing,

4 Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD: 5 And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. 6 And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: 7 And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. 8 And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes. 9 And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates. 10 And it shall be, when the LORD thy God shall have brought thee into the land which he sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give thee great and goodly cities, which thou buildedst not,

Deut 6:4-10 (KJV)

Unfortunately I see too many uneducated children today.  Even kids who attend church every Sunday tend to hold what I call "spiritual illiteracy."  Outside of Fundamentalist churches it often becomes obvious that the Bible is not being taken literally.  Pastors and preachers are interpreting the Bible in a "lets make it fit" fashion.  Chuurch teachings are being watered down for the congregants.  This my friends is not just wrong, but an abomination to God.


As a preacher, husband and father I take the words of Deuteronomy chapter six very seriously.  Every chance I get I talk to my daughter obout God.  That is a task we all need to do.


This ends part 1.

Mormonism is a Cult and No More Christian Than Islam

The LDS Temple in Utah.

Keller is a bit fanatical, but then so am I.

Mormonism is a Cult and No More Christian Than Islam:

Romney’s Mormon Faith Is Thrust Back Into Campaign Spotlight

Is Mormonism a false doctrine? Yes, yes yes!

What do you think?

Romney’s Mormon Faith Is Thrust Back Into Campaign Spotlight | Fox News: