GeoCreationism.com

  1This Melchizedek was king of Salem and priest of God Most High. He met Abraham returning from the defeat of the kings and blessed him, 2and Abraham gave him a tenth of everything. First, his name means “king of righteousness”; then also, “king of Salem” means “king of peace.” 3Without father or mother, without genealogy, without beginning of days or end of life, like the Son of God he remains a priest forever.
Whether literal or symbolic, the significance of Melchizedek is that Jesus had a priest older than the law to join.  There were things to believe and to obey, even without a law.  Abraham was the first one recorded to …

After blogging on righteousness for over a year now, I shouldn’t be surprised anymore when yet another scripture has a fresh insight for me that I never thought about.  In this case, I’m suprised learn that not everyone is ready to be taught about righteousness.  To me, this means they are not ready to be taught to believe God and obey Him.  Strange.  Isn’t even the youngest pup in Christ already believing Him? And when they get baptized, aren’t they already believing Him?  Well, if you think about, God has more for you to believe than Christ dying for your sins.  Don’t get me wrong, Christ’s sacrific is sufficient for salvation, but once you are saved there are more truths …

When Paul was writing to Timothy in 1 Timothy 6, I swear he had “faith movement” preachers in mind (name-it-and-claim-it).  I can think of a few previous Assemblies of God preachers (remember Jim and Tammie?) who are described by this as well:
 3If anyone teaches false doctrines and does not agree to the sound instruction of our Lord Jesus Christ and to godly teaching, 4he is conceited and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy interest in controversies and quarrels about words that result in envy, strife, malicious talk, evil suspicions 5and constant friction between men of corrupt mind, who have been robbed of the truth and who think that godliness is a means …

In Psalm 106 - Another ingredient of Righteousness, I described how righteousness is accounted to men for their zealousness for God and His name.  As such zealousness naturally leads one to live out God’s laws and commandments as well as possible, it is easy measure man and his salvation by his works.  After all, Jesus confirmed that you would know a follower of God their fruit.  But, wait.  Am I equating works and fruit?  Didn’t Jesus actually draw a distinction between them?  Yes, he did, and boy did He shake things up!

Basically, the first people who followed God and His Law did so for the sake of God and …

As we read in Ephesians 4 - Raised in the ways leading to Righteousness, how people are raised will effect how open they are to receiving the gospel, and in turn how close they might get to God.  Basically, people who are raised in the ways of God have a foundation for assessing what is happening when God tugs at their heart; those who are raised outside a God-fearing home will have less such foundation.  Though they have the same need for God as the churched, those who grow up unchurched consequently develop hearts that are hard, insensitive, and dark, when it comes to Jesus Christ. They still …

13For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, masquerading as apostles of Christ. 14And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. 15It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve.
Paul has just finished “boasting” of the purity of his message, and his delivery of it, compared to other preachers who have been coming around to preach “the gospel” to the Corinthians… but a false one.  Based on what Paul is boasting on, my guess is that these other preachers have been making their living off their traveling Jesus show.  But, they are not really concerned about the …

Sowing Generously
 6Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. 7Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 8And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. 9As it is written:
   ”He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor;
      his righteousness endures forever.” 10Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase …

My post 2 Corinthians 5 - Being Reconciled to God makes a point about Catholism that many protestants make through less direct means, and that is the intercessory nature of saints and priests in one’s walk with God.  Now, I was never Catholic, and mean no insult, especially to whatever degree I might unwittingly misrepresent what Catholics believe.

That said, it is my understanding that Catholics pray TO Mary to intercede for them with God.  They pray TO the saints as well.  Finally, they confess their sins and receive absolution from their priests.  If I have this right, then I would consider these to be unbiblical practices, because it places a …

 16So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. 17Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! 18All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. 20We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. …

Luke 1:
 73the oath he swore to our father Abraham:
 74to rescue us from the hand of our enemies,
      and to enable us to serve him without fear
 75in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.
 God swore an oathe to Abraham: to enbable his descendents to serve God in righteousness.  Righteousness is not a reflection of any innate quality within us, but is rather a measure of the righteousness of God, which he decides to bestow upon us.  Righteousness, frankly, is a fruit that people can see in our lives, but it is not in our person or psyche.  It is in how we live our life, when we do those things that only …