Preguntas teológicas para el Reverendo Armando García ULCM

Llegó a la redacción de nuestro blog de ALPHA & OMEGA una pregunta muy interesante de un lector y Testigo de Jehovah. Aunque la Biblia nos dice que no debemos entrar en contiendas, como Pastor y Ministro le di mi punto de vista. El nombre de nuestro lector es ALAN.

Armando García ULCM

ALAN: Tengo una pregunta espero puedas responderme. ¿Por qué se prefiere el texto masorético para traducir versiones de la Biblia y no la Septuaginta que es la que usaron los cristianos del siglo primero y la cual difiere con el texto masorético?

ULCM: Recuerde que la Biblia del Antiguo Testamento fue escrito en arameo y hebreo, por lo tanto, la masora, que es una doctrina crítica de los rabinos acerca del texto hebreo de la Biblia, y se prefirió para conservar su genuina lectura e inteligencia. Recuerde que Martin Lutero tuvo que traducir al Alemán la Biblia y sacarla de su idioma al que fue traducido por el Vaticano.

ULCM: Además, cada uno de los gramáticos hebreos que, recogiendo las seculares tradiciones precristianas, se ocuparon asiduamente, durante los siglos VI a X, en fijar, por medio de vocales que añadieron, la verdadera lectura de la Biblia, y en dividir y estudiar los libros, partes, secciones, versículos, palabras, letras y mociones del texto sagrado hebreo, determinando los caracteres gramaticales de cada una de las materias clasificadas, su número, su posición y sus concordancias y diferencias.

ALAN: Pero Pablo citaba de la LXX donde hay textos muy diferentes del texto masorético.

ULCM: Ahora la Biblia LXX o Septuaginta, es la versión bíblica utilizada por los judíos fuera de Judea y luego por la iglesia primitiva a la que usted se refiere, que hablaba griego.  La Biblia LXX está escrita en griego, como lo fue el Nuevo Testamento. Y para su gusto, déjeme decirle que de la Septuaginta se tomaron el orden de los 66 libros de la Biblia que todos, excepto católicos, utilizamos. Recuerde que Pablo es el Apóstol de los Gentiles, en la Biblia, todos los que no eran judíos, y en esos tiempos ellos hablaban griego. Tuvo que tomar citas de la Septuaginta por estar escrita en griego. Con respecto a los textos diferentes, Los agnósticos y ateos utilizan las diferentes versiones de la Biblia para atacar la Sagradas Escrituras. Para su formación, la mayoría de los escritos sagrados judíos debieron ser vertidos de sus originales hebreos y arameos al griego. Su traducción se inició en el Siglo III y concluyó hacia finales del Siglo II a.c.  Ahora los escritos y textos hebreos y arameos, que sirvieron de base para la formación de la Biblia Septuaginta, carecían de lo que en gramática se llama grafemas, que son unidades mínimas de la escritura de una lengua.

Recuerde que la Biblia fue escrita sin versículos, y hasta veces sin regla gramatical, es decir, donde van puntos, donde van comas, y la Septuaginta tiene esas características. Espero que con esa información se disipe sus dudas.

ALAN: Bueno no hablo de las carencias de puntuación. Sino de palabras completamente diferentes entre la LXX y el texto masorético.  Por ejemplo:  Para calcular la edad de Adán ¿por qué usar el texto masorético si la LXX discrepa por cientos de años por ejemplo en génesis 5? O la Biblia LXX no habla del hijo unigénito de Abraham sino su hijo amado

ULCM: Le repito, que más tarde, se agregaron al idioma hebreo algunos signos con valores fonéticos vocálicos, surgiendo así el llamado texto masorético con el cual que surgió todo lo que usted tiene dudas. Tiene usted razón en lo que me dice. Pero en lo que en drama se llama el "subtexto" la esencia de la Palabra de Dios no se pierde. Para eso están los que la interpretan, los que la predican, los que siguen el mandado de la Gran Comisión que Jesús dio instantes antes de ascender a los cielos. Con respecto a Abraham, ahí tiene el problema entre judíos y árabes: ¿Quién es el Hijo de la Promesa: Ismael o Issac? Y por esa confusión, yo digo, ese es la raíz del problema entre judíos y árabes, es milenario y bíblico.

ALAN: Si estuviera tan incorrecta la LXX no la hubiera usado Pablo bajo inspiración.

ULCM: Pablo tuvo que hacerlo por la llamada diáspora, para poder llegar a los judíos fuera de Israel. Esos, judíos no hablaban ni hebrero o arameo, solamente griego Y la LXX estaba escrito en ese idioma. Con Pablo no había Nuevo Testamento, apenas se estaba escribiendo, apenas los acontecimientos estaban sucediendo. La Biblia no está incorrecta, porque Dios no puede errar. Somos nosotros los que erramos. La Biblia tiene para nosotros, dificultades de entendimiento. Y puede ser que esa sea la razón de que existan diferentes versiones y traducciones. Lo ideal es estudiarla como la Palabra de Dios y punto. Estudiarla, teniendo a la mano su versión en Hebreo y Griego y las traducciones de la Reina Valera y La Nueva Versión Internacional, la primera para un estudio profundo consultando las que están en hebreo y en griego y la segunda para la predicación, por su lenguaje fácil de entendimiento. Sus preguntas teológicas son muy buenas. Me hizo recordar mis estudios al respecto.

Quizá en el Siglo XXI, tengamos un problema similar: Si usted tuviera iglesia, con cual Biblia predicaría: La de los Mormones, La de los Testigos, La de los Protestantes, La Católica? Cada una tiene diferentes orden en sus libros, y hasta hay textos borrados y versículos cambiados. Hay diferencias entre cada denominación. Y lo que se ha intentado es llegar a tener una Biblia común, y en castellano han optado por la Reyna Valera de 1960 o 1995. que en cuyo orden difiere de la Católica y en textos y versículos con la de los testigos. Pero el denominador común es: JESUS. Amén

ALAN: Bueno entonces porqué la diferencia se supone que los traductores de la LXX tenían textos muchísimo más antiguos que los masoretas. Para ti es cosa pequeña que la cronología bíblica discrepe x cientos de años entre la LXX y masorético además que la cronología de Jesús se tomó de la LXX que discrepa del masorético

ULCM: No es cosa pequeña. Es más, es un problema muy grande. Para volver a que se considere el texto masorético, habría que crear un movimiento masorético que trabaje en eso, y utilizar ese texto como la Biblia de estudio y de predicación. ¿Quiere usted ser el primero? Se nota que está muy entusiasmado. Así como hay Testigos, Mormones, Masones, Ortodoxos; etc., podría ser usted el líder del masoretismo. y dejar un legado de regresar al origen de las escrituras. ¿Quiere ser el Martin Lutero del Siglo XXI, que reforme la iglesia y el estudio de las escrituras? Tarea muy encomendable. Póngalo en oración Mateo 7:7.

Does God Hate Immigrants? Religious Leaders Split Over Travel Ban

Critics have vigorously opposed President Trump's travel restriction policy, characterizing it as a de facto "Muslim ban."

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by Universal Life Church Ministries

In a 5-4 decision on Tuesday, the Supreme Court upheld President Trump’s controversial travel ban which prohibits travel to America from seven countries: Iran, Yemen, Libya, Syria, Somalia, Venezuela and North Korea.

After being announced back in January 2017, the travel ban sparked immediate national outrage and led to raucous protests at airports across the country. Opponents of the policy denounced it as a de facto “Muslim ban” and accused the president of intentionally discriminating against Islamic peoples. Although there were several non-Muslim countries on Trump’s list, critics insisted the policy was motivated by a clear hostility toward Muslims. As evidence, they pointed to his harsh anti-Muslim rhetoric during the presidential campaign.

After numerous states mounted legal challenges, a lower court eventually ruled the travel ban was unconstitutional. However, this latest Supreme Court ruling overturns that decision, and the White House is now free to prevent people traveling to the U.S. from the countries in question.

When the travel ban was first announced, thousands of protesters gathered at airports to voice their opposition.

Religious Leaders Ask: “Is This Justice?”

Reactions to the Supreme Court decision were predictably split along partisan lines. But one contingent was especially vocal in the wake of the ruling: evangelical leaders. The president of World Relief, an evangelical-run refugee organization, issued a strong statement following the news:

"While we respect the authority of the Supreme Court on these matters, we also believe it is vital that we, as a nation, affirm our core commitment to religious liberty for all people. Though the court may have found these restrictions to be lawful, that does not necessarily mean they are right or just… A person's religious tradition should not disqualify them, explicitly or implicitly, from being considered for a visa to enter the United States."

Evangelical activist Lisa Sharon Harper also weighed in against the policy, saying:

"Law and policy serve as sacred documents for the secular world; reflecting back to society what it believes are good and just ways to live together in the world. What message does it send to our Muslim neighbors, many of whom are fleeing persecution, when U.S. law declares that it is fine to break families and purge people groups and let them die based on fear of the other?"

“Matter of National Security”

However, some evangelical leaders backed the decision, arguing that the Bible’s message of “love thy neighbor” is not a mandate to let whoever wants to enter America do so. Barring people from coming to the U.S – especially potential Islamic extremists – is simply a matter of public safety, they point out.

Among the groups that voiced support for President Trump was the Faith & Freedom Coalition, which released a public statement on the matter:

"The over 1.8 million members and supporters of the Faith & Freedom Coalition support the Trump administration's policy of strictly vetting foreign nationals from countries plagued by civil war, terrorism and radical Islamic extremism that pose a danger to our national security."

Evangelicals Unfriendly Toward Immigration

Amid the heated immigration debate of recent years, an interesting phenomenon has been observed: despite espousing common Christian values such as compassion for others and helping the less fortunate, studies show that evangelicals are among the groups most opposed to immigration.

A recent poll from Pew Research Center found that over 2/3 of white evangelicals believe the U.S. has no responsibility to accept refugees. A similar poll conducted in February 2017 showed that 76% of white evangelicals approved of Trump’s travel ban.

These results beg the question: what’s driving the hostility toward immigrants? Is it simply a matter of economic and job issues? Safety concerns? Or perhaps there’s something deeper at play: an underlying fear of “the other” – whether that be people of a different religion, a different language, or a different nationality.

Are religious groups right to oppose immigration, or does this stance conflict with the moral foundations on which their faith is built?

GANEMOS A LOS DÉBILES

1 Corintios 9:22
"Me he hecho débil a los débiles, para ganar a los débiles; a todos me he hecho de todo, para que de todos modos salve a algunos."

El gran objetivo de Pablo no era solo instruir y enseñar, sino también llevar a Cristo a las personas, salvar. Cualquier cosa menos de esto lo habría decepcionado; Él seguro que logró que muchas pesonas fueran renovadas de corazón, perdonadas, santificadas, de hecho, salvadas. ¿Nuestros trabajos cristianos han sido dirigidos a algo por debajo de este gran punto? Si no ha sido así, corrijamos nuestros caminos, ¿de qué servirán en el último gran día haber enseñado y moralizado a los hombres si se presentan ante Dios no salvos? Pablo sabía la ruina del estado natural del hombre, y no trató de educarlos, sino de salvarlos; vio a los hombres hundirse en el infierno, y no habló de refinarlos, sino de salvar la ira venidera. 

Para acercarse a su salvación, se entregó con incansable celo a contar en el extranjero el evangelio, advirtiendo y suplicando a los hombres que se reconciliaran con Dios. Sus oraciones fueron importunas y sus labores incesantes. Salvar almas era su pasión consumidora, su ambición, su vocación. Se convirtió en un servidor para todos los hombres, trabajando duro para su raza, sintiendo un dolor en su interior si no predicaba el evangelio. Dejó de lado sus preferencias para evitar el prejuicio; sometió su voluntad en cosas indiferentes, y si los hombres recibían el evangelio, no hizo preguntas sobre formas o ceremonias: el evangelio era el único negocio importante para él. 

Esta fue la corona por la que luchó, la única y suficiente recompensa de todos sus trabajos y abnegaciones. Estimado lector, ¿usted y yo hemos vivido para ganar almas a este noble ritmo? ¿Estamos poseídos con el mismo deseo absorbente? ¿Si no, por qué no? Jesús murió por los pecadores, ¿no podemos vivir por ellos? ¿Dónde está nuestra ternura? ¿Dónde nuestro amor a Cristo, si no buscamos su honor en la salvación de los hombres? 

Oh, que el Señor nos sature de todas las maneras con un celo eterno por las almas de los hombres. Así sea.

Reaching out to those in need

 REACH OUT

"Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me" Matthew 25:40

The way to tell how mature you are is by the way you treat people who can’t do anything for you. We can all be kind to the boss. He may give us a promotion. We can all be friendly to the popular person at school. If they like us, everybody will be our friend. That’s easy. But if we’re going to live the way God intends, we’ve got to learn to be good to everyone. Jesus said, “When you do good to the least of these, you’re doing it unto Me.” When you go out of your way to befriend the person that everyone shuns, Jesus said, “It’s like you’re doing it unto Me.”

Instead of rushing by the parking lot attendant you see at work each day, why don’t you take time to see how they’re doing? That person at the office that others ignore, why don’t you reach out to them and share the love of Jesus? We build the kingdom of God one life at a time. Show love, show His goodness, and tell people about salvation through Christ. As you reach out and help others, just like a boomerang, that help will come right back to you, and you’ll move forward into the blessing and destiny He has prepared for you..

Shocking Video: Catholic Priest Slaps Baby During Baptism

by Universal Life Church Ministries A baptism ceremony took a dark turn when a Catholic priest appeared to lose his temper with a crying baby. The priest, holding the baby as its parents look on, attempts to perform the rites of baptism. When the child won't stop crying, the frustrated priest hits the child across the face hard enough for the sound to be heard on video: A shocking incident in a French church as a frustrated priest slaps baby who won't stop crying during baptism ceremony.pic.twitter.com/z8LUfslwVH — Universal Life Church (@ulcmonastery) June 21, 2018 The baby's horrified parents shake off their initial shock and quickly step in to pull their child away from the aggressive clergyman. The video cuts out before showing what happens next. What Made Him Snap?  It's still unclear why the priest chose to strike the baby. The ceremony appears to be going well at first, as the priest prepares to wash the baby's forehead with water from a baptismal font. However, something then upsets the child, who begins to cry loudly. The priest says in French: "Calm down, calm down, you must calm down," but the baby won't stop. Now visibly angry, the priest then proceeds to forcefully hold the baby's face in his hands, look it directly in the eyes, and issue a hard slap on the cheek. The unexpectedly violent act prompts an immediate reaction as the baby cries out even louder than before. A woman comes over to try to calm the clergyman by holding him back. The priest then repeats: "There, you have to calm yourself, you have to calm yourself, there, there." Meanwhile, a man - likely the child's father - forcefully steps in and takes the baby out of the priest's grasp. The clergyman does release the child, though reluctantly. He doesn't appear to express any regret for his actions. Clergy Violence Some saw the shocking incident as part of a pattern of violence: further evidence that members of the clergy - particularly in the Catholic faith - cannot be trusted around children. It certainly seems strange that a trained priest, someone who ought to embody virtuous traits such as patience, empathy, and compassion, was so quick to lash out against an innocent child. Surely that type of behavior cannot be tolerated by any member of society, but it's especially disturbing coming from an individual trusted to

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“No Gays Allowed”: Tennessee Store Owner Defends Discriminatory Policy in Wake of Supreme Court Ruling

“Christianity is under attack,” says Jeff Amyx. “This is a great win, don’t get me wrong, but this is not the end, this is just the beginning.”

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The Supreme Court’s recent Masterpiece Cakeshop ruling brought cheers from religious freedom groups and groans from LGBT rights organizations. But in an unlikely turn of events, the majority of public attention following the decision was not concentrated on Washington D.C., where the court ruling was handed down, or on Colorado, where the baker originally took his stand against gay marriage.

Instead, of all places, the world turned its eyes to a small town in Eastern Tennessee.

There, on the door of a local hardware store, is a handwritten sign that reads “No Gays Allowed.” After a photo of the sign was posted online, it quickly became the top trending topic on Twitter, and was seen by millions around the globe. The sign generated widespread outrage and was bemoaned as an indication that bigotry and intolerance are being normalized in America.

Store Owner Remains Defiant

The store in question, Amyx Hardware, belongs to Grainger County resident Jeff Amyx. As it turns out, he initially posted the controversial sign back in 2015 after the Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage nationwide. Amyx, a devout Baptist, felt that gay and lesbian couples – whose very existence ran counter to his religious beliefs – needed to know where he stood:

Following backlash from the LGBT community, he temporarily posted a vague message that read “We reserve the right to refuse service to anyone who would violate our rights of freedom of speech & freedom of religion.” However, the original sign never came down, and remains prominently displayed to this day.

Encouraged by the Court

Despite numerous court rulings expanding LGBT rights in recent years, Jeff Amyx has held onto his rigid views and remains undeterred – as a quick visit to his Twitter page will tell you:

Although (in his mind) God has always been on his side, it was gratifying to get some affirmation from the nation’s highest court. But in an interview with a local news outlet after the Masterpiece Ruling, Amyx acknowledged the fight won’t be an easy one:

image: https://www.themonastery.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Jeff-Amyx.jpg

“Christianity is under attack,” he said. “This is a great win, don’t get me wrong, but this is not the end, this is just the beginning. Right now, we’re seeing a ray of sunshine. This is ‘happy days’ for Christians all over America, but dark days will come.”

Uncertainty Ahead

If Jeff Amyx’s reaction is at all indicative of homophobes at large, we may see even more instances of discrimination in the near future. However, while the recent verdict may have given a boost to those who practice intolerance under the guise of religion, legally speaking not much has changed – yet.

By issuing a narrow ruling, the Supreme Court sidestepped the central question of whether opponents of same-sex marriage (such as florists and photographers) should be allowed to refuse commercial wedding services to gay couples.

Given the contentious nature of this issue – and the fact that similar cases are currently making their way through the court system – it seems inevitable that the Court will be forced to confront the question eventually.

Indiana Teacher Forced to Resign After Refusing to Use Transgender Pronouns

“I’m being compelled to encourage students in what I believe is something that’s a dangerous lifestyle,” Kluge told reporters.

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An Indiana high school teacher was forced to resign amid growing pressure from school officials after he refused to address transgender students by their preferred names and pronouns. The ensuing controversy has shown that heated debates over free speech, religious freedom, and transgender rights aren’t going away any time soon.

28-year-old orchestra teacher John Kluge first made headlines back in May when he publicly opposed a new school district policy mandating that teachers call trans students by their preferred names, instead of their given names. Kluge insisted that the policy violated his religious beliefs and argued he shouldn’t be forced to use speech he doesn’t agree with.

“I’m being compelled to encourage students in what I believe is something that’s a dangerous lifestyle,” Kluge told reporters. “I’m fine to teach students with other beliefs, but the fact that teachers are being compelled to speak a certain way is the scary thing.”

image: https://www.themonastery.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Transgender-Bathroom.jpg

Not everyone supports the move towards gender-inclusive restrooms.

Transgender Rights in Flux

Transgender people, who make up roughly 0.3 percent of the American population, claim gender identities different than those associated with their assigned sex at birth. The world has become increasingly accepting of transgender identities, and trans rights have expanded markedly in recent years.

However, that doesn’t mean there hasn’t been controversy along the way. From high-profile disputes regarding transgender bathroom policy, to the ongoing debate over gender pronouns, society still fails to see eye-to-eye on some important issues.

LGBTQ advocates insist that using a person’s preferred name rather than the one they are given at birth is about respect, and not a political or religious statement. “This is not a request for advocacy,” explains Sam Brinton of the Trevor Project, a non-profit working to prevent suicide among LGBTQ youth.

But the conservative Indiana Family Institute is urging residents to write to school board officials in support of Kluge. “Brownsburg School Corporation is sending a message to their best teachers that they must violate their conscience and encourage students down a dangerous path or accept termination. What a terrible way to treat teachers!” they wrote in a statement.

Role of Government

This story raises crucial questions not only about what kinds of policies we should enact, but also how they should be enforced. For example, should the government play a role in ensuring the rules are being followed? Should citizens be mandated to use whatever pronouns transgender people identify with?

That’s precisely the debate currently underway in Canada, where issues of transgender rights and free speech have come to the fore after the passage of Bill C-16, a law meant to curb discrimination and hate speech. Although many people supported the legislation, others warned it could have unintended consequences.

Those concerns were realized in a now-infamous incident at Wilfrid Laurier University in Ontario. A graduate teaching assistant was accused of violating trans students’ rights after she showed a video to her class that included a debate over the proper use of transgender pronouns. School officials compared her actions to “neutrally playing a speech by Hitler” and insisted that holding a classroom discussion about transgender pronouns was a potential violation of human rights.

The school was later forced to apologize and admit that it overstepped its bounds. However, the incident has been held up as proof that enforcing the use of transgender pronouns by law creates a slippery slope.

Finding a Balance

While it would certainly be nice if everyone could be compassionate and use whatever name/pronoun others wish to be called, that seems unrealistic. There will always be those who question the status quo and refuse to abide by rules they don’t agree with.

The question then becomes: how do we handle the naysayers? Say we pass laws mandating everyone respect these new norms – what if people refuse? Do we write tickets? Throw them in jail? You don’t need a wild imagination to predict how that could quickly get ugly.

Is there a better solution?

Read more at https://www.themonastery.org/blog/2018/06/indiana-teacher-forced-to-resign-after-refusing-to-use-transgender-pronouns/#d5t7Lz2XL3lAt5JP.99

Is God in Favor of the President's Executive Order Against Immigrant Families?

God said unto them, "Separate those children from their parents and lock them in cages" Attorney General Jeff Sessions sparked outrage when he cited the Bible while defending the Trump administration's highly-controversial new policy of taking migrant children away from their parents. The Bible can be interpreted in many ways, but is such a practice really in line with Christian values? SEND YOUR OPINIONS TO: alphayomega.wwjd@gmail.com

EL ÚNICO LUGAR SEGURO

EL UNICO LUGAR SEGURO

“Tu eres mi refugio; me guardaras de la angustia; con canticos de liberacion me rodearas.”  

Salmo 32:7

Una de las historias preferidas de mis hijos cuando estaban pequeños, era la de los tres cerditos. Les encantaba que les repitiera una y otra vez como uno de ellos habia construido una casita tan resistente y poderosa que el lobo, por mas que soplo con todas sus fuerzas, no la pudo derribar. Aunque tomo mas tiempo construirla pues tuvo que fabricar sus propios ladrillos y mezclar el cemento, quedo tan solida que sirvio para protegerlo a el y a sus dos hermanos, quienes por ahorrar tiempo y esfuerzo, construyeron unas casitas con lo primero que encontraron en el campo: paja, palos de madera, cartones, etc. Asi que las casas que construyeron fueron endebles y fragiles, y con gran facilidad el lobo las echo abajo.

La moraleja se aplica perfectamente a nuestro diario vivir. La vida esta llena de situaciones de las que debemos aprender a sacar el mejor provecho posible, circunstancias que a diario ponen a prueba nuestro caracter y dificultades que nos desafian no a ser mejores, sino excelentes. Muchos buscan ayuda infructuosa y refugios que los dejan totalmente vulnerables: el esoterismo, un amigo, un prestamo, el amor de alguien. Pronto este refugio cae, quedando nuestra vida totalmente expuesta y en peligro.

Por el contrario, Dios nos promete permanente y poderosa proteccion. Por mas fuertes que creamos ser, nunca nuestras fuerzas seran superiores a la fortaleza que nos da el Señor. Por eso debemos apropiarnos de esta promesa y creer que solo el Señor puede ser nuestro refugio, nuestro lugar seguro, donde ningun enemigo nos puede alcanzar, donde nada ni nadie nos puede dañar; donde toda necesidad tiene respuesta y ninguna preocupacion llega a convertirse en angustia.

Que clase de refugio buscas tu?

PIDE Y SE TE DARÁ

Mateo 7:7
"Pedid, y se os dará; buscad, y hallaréis; llamad, y se os abrirá."

Sabemos de un lugar en Inglaterra que aún existe, donde se sirve un paquete de pan a cada transeúnte que decida pedirlo. Cualquiera que sea el viajero, no tiene más que llamar a la puerta del Hospital St. Cross, y allí está el pan para él. Jesucristo ama tanto a los pecadores que ha construido algo similar, de modo que cada vez que un pecador tenga hambre, no tenga más remedio que llamar y satisfacer sus necesidades. 

Pero Él lo ha hecho mejor: ha atado a este Hospital de la Cruz un baño; y cada vez que un alma es negra y sucia, tiene que ir allí y ser lavada. La fuente siempre está llena, siempre es eficaz. Ningún pecador alguna vez entró y descubrió que no podía lavar sus manchas. Los pecados que fueron escarlata y carmesí han desaparecido, y el pecador ha sido más blanco que la nieve. Como si esto no fuera suficiente, se adjunta a este Hospital de la Cruz un guardarropa, y un pecador que reconoce qu eno es más que un pecador, puede vestirse de pies a cabeza; y si desea ser un soldado, no puede simplemente tener una prenda de vestir ordinaria, sino una armadura que lo cubra desde la planta del pie hasta la coronilla de la cabeza. Si él pide una espada, tendrá que darle eso, y un escudo también. Nada que sea bueno para él se le negará. Tendrá dinero para gastar mientras viva, y tendrá una herencia eterna de glorioso tesoro cuando entre al gozo de su Señor.

Si todas estas cosas se logran simplemente tocando a la puerta de la misericordia, oh alma mía, golpea con fuerza esta mañana y pide grandes cosas a tu generoso Señor. No dejes el trono de la gracia hasta que todos tus deseos se hayan extendido ante el Señor, y hasta que por la fe tengas una perspectiva cómoda de que serán todos suplidos. 

Ninguna vergüenza necesita aparecer cuando Jesús invita. Ninguna incredulidad debería obstaculizar cuando Jesús promete. Ninguna frialdad debe restringirse cuando tales bendiciones deben ser obtenidas.

A Saving Faith

    Pr. Charles Stanley 

Matthew 7:13-29

The greatest tragedy that can befall someone is to think he’s saved, only to discover after death that he isn’t.. We’d all like to believe the claims of those who say they’re Christians, but Jesus gives a harsh warning because He knows many will be deceived. They will sit in churches week after week, professing that Jesus is the Son of God, but won’t ever really enter into a personal relationship with Him.

Intellectual faith isn’t the same as saving faith. It’s not enough to know facts about Jesus or to believe He died and rose again. Even demons believe that (James 2:19).  Salvation involves more than mere knowing. It requires trusting that Jesus Christ paid the penalty for your sin, receiving His forgiveness, turning away from old sinful ways, and entering into a relationship with Him. What matters is not what we say with our mouth, but what we believe in our heart.

Although you probably won’t understand all that happens at the moment of salvation, when Christ becomes your Savior, He also becomes your Lord. As the Master of your life, He then has a right to govern what you do. His Holy Spirit takes up residence within you when you are saved, and that means you will change—God’s Spirit continually works to remove sinful attitudes and behaviors, replacing them with His spiritual fruit (Galatians 5:22-23).

We recognize a person’s salvation not by his profession but by fruit. If you are truly saved, your character will become more Christlike over time, and your desire will be to obey the Lord. This does not mean you’ll never sin or stumble, but overall, your life will be characterized by obedience.