Proverbs 18:22 “Whoever finds a wife finds a good thing, and obtains favor of the LORD.”
This means that the Kingdom of Heavens provides “family capital”, blessing a couple when it’s married just like as some countiries on the Earth pay money to a mother when she gives birth to a child.
Some theological thoughts. Not sure if I am quite right about this.
Bible demonstrates the following two similar concepts:
How can we be both on the Earth and on the heaven? My proposed answer is the following: There is some one-to-one correspondence (a mathematician would say “bijection”) between us on the Earth and heavenly creatures. That is every detail of our human body corresponds to some part of a heavenly creature and vice versa.
I think, this “correspondence” appeared as a result of the following: Heavenly createtures seeking a way to save us from sin (see also this my sermon), think how to do it. The one who thinks about a human is a giant smart heavenly creature. I think Bible calls such a creature “spirit of a man”. Spirit is much more smart than our brain. But the behaviour of such a heaveny spirit is fully determined by behaviour of its man. That is the spirit of a man is the human body “translated” to the heaven.
The same applies to Christ. Christ in the heaven is an image of His human body, as said in (Col. 2:9) “For in him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily”. Everything of God is an image of his human body.
(1Cor. 6:9) “Know you not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither … nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind”. So at first, it may seem that homosexuals go to the hell. But we know more important principle that salvation is by faith, not by deeds. I suppose that people with broken hormones are to be considered rather “people of third sex” rather as these who are called “unrighteous” here by the Bible. It seems to go to the hell a regular man who decides to experiment and have sex partners of same sex because it is his conscious decision. It seems that Paul writing this did not know about hormones (but this does not make God’s word false.)
Homosexuals are an error of the nature (but the way, see my views about evolution).
I was going to write “I do not approve same sex marriage, but…”, but unexpectedly for myself I thought: It may be better if they as they say “marry” and have a persistent partners than to change partners and distribute HIV.
It is not about selecting the best alternative, but about selecting one of the bad alternatives.
Also, for example, I was a maniacal killer before conversion to Christ. I am sure God can heal a homosexual, too. Probably, no more wonder of healing a homosexual than of healing a maniacal killer.
(Matthew 5:20) “For I say to you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.”
I am a “scribe”. This mean that I write (Christian and other) books. The modern word for “scribe” may be “book author”.
The words of Christ mean that if one writes correct theological books (even speaking correctly on the topic of salvation), this does not warrant his salvation. The faith needs to be manifested by the life.
It is confirmed by
(James 2) “19 You believe that there is one God; you do well: the devils also believe, and tremble. 20 But will you know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead? 21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son on the altar? 22 See you how faith worked with his works, and by works was faith made perfect? 23 And the scripture was fulfilled which said, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed to him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God. 24 You see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.”
The salvation depends on faith only not on deeds (and who say otherwise has no right to be called a Protestant), but the faith is true only when it is manifested by deeds. In the example of Abraham, he was justified by the fact that he did a certain deed (agreeing to sacrifice his son) accordingly the faith he had that God may resurrect him even if he got killed.
It is little known about the origin of the word “Mammon” met in the New Testament. Doesn’t God tell through it that Mammon is an obscure, hard to understand thing?
You know: “You can’t serve God and mammon” (Matthew 6:24)
What is mammon? It is the spontaneously organizing spirit of money having material and spiritual components. It is the spiritual component of money.
The nearest word to “mammon” in modern language is probably “luck”.
In the past I was led to frustration and despair by the fact that money behaved “magically” (not in the natural manner). I said: I’d only wish about money that they would follow natural laws, not behave magically.
Any honest reader of the Bible however can notice that God blesses believers. You cannot serve God and mammon. This means you cannot follow both Christ and that supernatural luck. These two are distinct and cannot be followed together. Reject luck and seek blessing of God.
And these words of Christ also mean the widely accepted thing: Don’t be greedy. You can be rich but don’t be greedy, use your money to help others.
What is being wise? It is ability to take correct decisions.
Because of global warming, a correct decision would be not to learn how to use oil, not to build cars, etc.
So the wise thing would be what is stupid, that is inablity to make the current civilization (which could however progress later with more green energy, if the authorities were submit to God).
That’s what the Bible says:
(1Cor 3) 18 Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you seems to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise. 19 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He takes the wise in their own craftiness. 20 And again, The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain.
The really wise man is actually one what is more stupid.
The same happens in our religion: The more we analyze it, the more possibilities we have to go astray from the true religion.
However the true wisdom, understanding of Christ, is good.
Prosperity theology in six words is “God wants you to be rich”.
Because of this, many Christians become businessmen.
But does God want us to be businessmen?
Yes, God wants us to be rich. And it is usually better to have your own business than to work for somebody other.
So, you could ask: Does God want me to be a businessman?
You probably won’t believe me: God wants you to become a mathematician.
Why? Very simple:
(Prov. 8:10-11) “10 Receive my instruction, and not silver; and knowledge rather than choice gold. 11 For wisdom is better than rubies; and all the things that may be desired are not to be compared to it.”
Thus God wants that you spend more time in learning and researching than in earning money. God wants you to be a scientist or even a mathematician.
In this article I attempt to answer the question: Is water baptism necessary for salvation?
(Mark 16:16) “He that believes and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believes not shall be damned.”
I think, most people misread it: “He that believes and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believes not or baptizes not shall be damned.”
Baptism gives salvation but is not a necessary condition for salvation. (It is not said “who baptizes not shall be damned.”) The example of the repented bandit on the cross co-crucified with Jesus without doubt tells that he was saved without water baptism:
(Luk. 23:41-43) “41 And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man has done nothing amiss. 42 And he said to Jesus, Lord, remember me when you come into your kingdom. 43 And Jesus said to him, Truly I say to you, To day shall you be with me in paradise.”
I remind that the faith does not work without deeds:
(Jam. 2:19-26) “19 You believe that there is one God; you do well: the devils also believe, and tremble. 20 But will you know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead? 21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son on the altar? 22 See you how faith worked with his works, and by works was faith made perfect? 23 And the scripture was fulfilled which said, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed to him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God. 24 You see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only. 25 Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent them out another way? 26 For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.”
Baptism is a deed of faith what here means that if one believes then he is going to be baptized. If anyone would say that he believes but refuses to baptize, he in my opinion still goes to the hell.
But that bandit was not able to baptize with water, despite he got the faith. So he is not damned.
The other argument of these who insist that baptism is necessary for salvation:
(John 3:5-7) “5 Jesus answered, Truly, truly, I say to you, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Marvel not that I said to you, You must be born again.”
This looks very similar to a reference to water baptism. But it cannot be (see the case of the bandit). So it may probably signify that borning again happens when the spirit enters human body and interacts with water inside (remember that human body consist 60% of water).
I will tell you two stories about two girls with some magic power.
Once I saw a girl exactly like one I saw in the dream that night. I told her that I saw her in a night dream. She attempted to kiss me and I needed to tell her to stop and to tell that she is not beautiful in my sight and do not want to deal with her.
Once I talked with a girl and she decided that we are in love. She possessed a magic power (not only we Christians have the power to make miracles) and she caused us two to fly into the air, like as in animation movies a guy and a girl raise to the air in love. I asked she what is her religion (sadly I cannot remember the exact answer) and said her that she is not beautiful in my sight and requested to stop and to release me.
Why I told these two weird stories? It is to show examples of how spirits try to control our love.
It is to bring down the imagination that Christians should marry only following a certain God’s revelation. To have a revelation from God is good, but it does not happen always. I rather say that these “spirits of love” are not of Christian nature.
But what the Bible tells about this? (1Cor. 7:39) “but if her husband be dead, she is at liberty to be married to whom she will; only in the Lord”. Who she will not who was revealed in a supernatural revelation to her.
So in love seek God’s just will like as in any endevour of our life, but it is subject of our will not necessarily of some supernatural kind of love. It is about our feelings and wills.