blbolin
| Forum role | Member since | Last activity | Topics created | Replies created |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Member | Dec 30, 2010 (15 years) |
- | 7 | 12 |
- Forum role
- Member
- Member since
Dec 30, 2010 (15 years)
- Last activity
- -
- Topics created
- 7
- Replies created
- 12
Bio
I am blessed to be retired, and working more than ever in the ministry of Jesus the Christ; my Saviour, and God. I last worked as a lead chaplain for a large regional hospital in Texas for 13 years, an MHMR preacher, and online Bible teacher. I am a licensed and registered LCDC (Licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor), a CCJP (Certified Criminal Justice Addiction Professional), and QCC (Qualified Credentialed Counselor) supervisor. I have spent 20 years in ministry and counseling, and 20 years in law enforcement, criminal justice, executive protection, and civil and criminal investigations.
I am saved solely and entirely by God's amazing grace. I have made every (not to be repeated, thankfully) sinful and self-centered wrong choice possible. However, all of this has led to the point of surrender and absolute gratitude for God's mercy (not getting what I deserve), grace (the gift Jesus paid for, that I do not deserve), love (His choice), and salvation (free to me, yet it cost Jesus everything during His incarnation), and a love that He has inspired. With all the praise and glory to Him alone, amen.
It has taken a lifetime to START TO LIVE and love (the choice and action of sacrificially putting others before myself, even though by nature I am very self-centered - this is the power of the Holy Spirit), as my LORD, SAVIOUR, and GOD desires. Made only possible by God, the Father's Sovereign Will and power, the leading and equipping of the Holy Spirit, and death, burial, and resurrection of Christ Jesus.
Enough of me, more about Him (Romans 11:33-36). Jesus Christ is preeminent (John 5:39) in the "Word of God" (Luke 11:28), which is a single volume, recorded by over forty writers, from three continents, in three languages, more than 1700 years in the making; yet authored, singularly by the God of this universe (Hebrews 1:1-3).
It is in understanding that God not only orchestrated and chose the human languages (Old Testament language, Hebrew; a resilient and fluid language displaying God as from behind a sheer curtain - yet later to be seen in the revelation of Jesus Christ as noted in the New Testament language of Koiné Greek, where the specific minutia and exhaustive exactness of the person of Jesus Christ displays the Godhead.), to convey Himself, and His Will thereby, wherein such a manner that every grammar point (jot), and even the smallest letter (tittle) of His word was and is being fulfilled (Matthew 5:18). And that the very Scripture of the Holy Spirit, penned by men would deliver His specific meaning.
The Hebrew Old Testament and the koine Greek New Testament are dead languages, which means that they can never be changed, they are permanent, set in concrete (Satan loves to change the meaning of words as seen in Genesis 3:1-5; & Matthew: 4:3-10), mandating that God’s Word presents a complete consistency, which enables faith due to His Divine Immutability (Malachi 3:6; Hebrews 13:8). He is never changing, never sinning, always the same in holiness and righteousness. Wherein, it is this written, inspired, and inerrant record, which is to be the springboard of faith.
According to the gospel of Jesus Christ (Romans 15:19) as recorded by Paul, wherein he said as a conclusion to this excellent book, "so then" (meaning that this verse is a conclusion of the combination of all the ten prior chapters), "faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God" (Hebrews 10:17).
Therefore, it is in understanding and profoundly studying the literal and exact words of God that we come to the place of conceiving His will, not only in our lives but also throughout all of humanity.
Biblical Faith
Faith is found in God's word because of the consistency of witnessing miracle after miracle (unexplained occurrences which go far beyond mere suggestion due to the exactness of details given) exhibited in God's word, with the end result is an understanding that truly this book could not have been authored by man, but must have been authored by HIM who has seen, or better stated: "declared the ending from the beginning" (Isaiah 46:10) - God Himself, wherein this book, the Bible deserves our greatest attention as God's revelation to man. Biblical faith is to be primarily based upon an interaction with God's word, as is declared in Romans 10:17, which states:
"Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God."
The Source of Biblical Faith
Biblical faith is created and grown wherein as a person reads the Bible, and the Holy Spirit opens their spiritual eyes to perceive that which is laid out, it is a logical reasonable process of coming to the conclusion that this book could not have been written by mortal man (2 Timothy 3:16), because:
1) There are prophecies given in the Old Testament, which are fulfilled in the New Testament.
2) There are prophecies given within the Bible as a whole, which are fulfilled since its closing.
3) There are scientific and natural insights presented in the Bible, which were once considered completely false; in time, science has caught up with the Bible proving that it was correct in the first place and that it is beyond human insight.
4) There is deep wisdom that is written between its pages, which are far beyond the capacity of a human being to create.
5) There are internal evidences found in the Bible when it is crossed-referenced within itself in such a way that it is obvious that 40 different men could not have utilized the exact same type of "Figures of Speech," including: typology, such as seen in metaphor, similes, models; along with prophetic symbols as seen in even the use of numbers, colors, events, material and substances, dates, mathematics, names, roles, and even people's personality and lives; all done to portray "shadows" of things to come (Colo. 2:16-17; Heb. 8:2-5; Heb. 10:1-7) rather in heaven, or in the particular case of Jesus, the fulfillment of the Messiah; as witnessed in His First and Second coming - as well as Last Days events - all done in such a way that the only explanation is that God orchestrated the creation of this Book - The Holy Bible - as it is "The Word of God."
All leading to the conclusion that this book was not written by man, but by a God that is outside of our time domain, who can see the ending from the beginning (Isaiah 46:9-10); who is all-powerful, and in total control of His creation (Isaiah 45:5-7), and therefore this Book is worthy of our complete trust and faith in what it says, as God declared concerning what He has done, and will do still yet (Isaiah 46; Jeremiah 29:11).