Dennis Swick

Punishment and Reward, by Dennis Swick

2008-11-24T22:13:00.000-08:00

Sometimes parents can tell their child, “do this and you'll get that.” This is a way of rewarding a child for good behavior. If the child behaves they might get ice cream as their reward. My son-in-law some times says to his 6 year old son, “if you eat the entire green broccoli on your plate, you’ll get some ice cream for dessert”. This is a way of rewarding my grandson for eating something he dislikes.

On the other hand, years ago a child could be punished by being beaten with a whip. The phrase used in this case was “spare the rod and spoil the child” taken from Proverbs 13:24. It says, “He who spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is careful to discipline him”. When I was younger a whip wasn’t used but rather a ping-pong paddle. And when I did something wrong and got punished boy that ping pong paddle would hurt a lot on my rear end! So I thought about doing what I did over again a second time!

Today in 2008, they don’t punish children the same way they did 30 years ago. Now punishment is carried out by rewarding or not rewarding children. This is because of what is considered as “child abuse” today. Child abuse today can be defined as suffering neglect, physical abuse, psychological/emotional abuse or even sexual maltreatment. In many cases it is found that children are sometimes beaten or bruised badly by their parents. (1)

Discipline and Punishment

The word “discipline” and the word “punishment” seem to have two different meanings.

Discipline is defined as “training that corrects, molds, or perfects the mental faculties or moral character”. (2) It involves the “training or correction” of one’s moral character:

Job 5:17; Psalm 94:12 – Blessed are those God corrects.
Proverbs 22:6 – “Train up a child in the way he should go…”
Proverbs 3:12; Hebrews 12:5-11; Revelation 3:19 – God disciplines those he loves.
Job 33:19 – God can use sickness and pain to discipline.

The word “punishment” means “suffering, pain, or loss that serves as retribution: a penalty inflicted on an offender through judicial procedure.” (3) It involves suffering loss as a judicial retribution according to ones deeds.

Jeremiah 17:10; Ezekiel 16:59 – God gives to those their just deserved rewards. Punishment is one.
Job 34:11; Psalm 62:12; Matthew 16:27 – God repays according to the deed done.
Matthew 25:46 – Eternal punishment is separation from God forever. It includes torment (Revelation 20:10).

A reward on the other hand is different from “discipline” and “punishment:” The word “reward” is defined as “something given or received in recompense for worthy behavior or in retribution for evil acts” (4)

Hebrews 10:35 - Confidence is a reward.
Matthew 6:1-6- What is done well in secret, God will reward.
Matthew 5:12 – Heaven and all that is there is a reward.
Colossians 3:24 – Inheritance is a reward.
Exodus 20:12; Deuteronomy 4:40 – Long life is a reward.
Psalm 58:11 – The righteous are rewarded.

There are consequences for everything we do. Galatians 6:7-8 states, “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that naturewill reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.” What we sow (what we decide to do willfully) is what we reap (the consequences of the decision made). Here is a list of the consequences of sin. Sin can be defined by what James 4:17 says, “Whoever knows what is right to do, and fails to do it sins.”

It is an enslavement to a sinful nature (1 Corinthians 3:3)
There is no peace (Isaiah 57:21)
One is separated from God (Ephesians 4:17-19)
The suffering of shame and disgrace (Genesis 3:7; Proverbs 3:35; 13:5).
The consequences of sin leads to death both physically and spiritually (Romans 5:12; 6:23; Galatians 6:8)
The ultimate punishment is being separated from God forever (Revelation 21:8)

Now the issue of fair punishment and rewards has to be carried out justly. The word “just” is defined as “being honorable and fair in one’s dealings and actions; being consistent with what is morally right or what is properly due or merited”. (5) God being just (Deuteronomy 32:4) is at the same time moral (Deuteronomy 32:4; Psalm 145:17).

There are some examples of good and fair men who tried to be just. Abraham Lincoln is one. In the Proclamation of the Thirteenth Amendment, Abraham Lincoln has come to personify a human rights model of justice as he was against slavery. But the greatest example we have of justice is God. He by his very nature is just (Isaiah 30:18). He loves justice (Psalm 99:4; Isaiah 61:8). He shows no partiality in His justice (Deuteronomy 16:19). He cannot change (Malachi 3:6). He is the same past, present and future (Hebrews 13:8; 1 Kings 8:27; 2 Chronicles 2:6). He is “I am” (Ex. 3:14; John 8:58) so his justice is always the same.

But there is another side to suffering

Job 13:15 says, “Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him”. Job was not reaping for what he sowed in the loss of his children, the loss of his livestock, or the loss of his health. He had sowed nothing wrong! Yet he suffered pain from the loss of his children (Job 1:18), the loss of his sheep and shepherds (Job 1:16), the loss of his camels and servants (Job 1:17), his boils (Job 2:7) and other losses yet it wasn’t because he had done anything wrong. He was suffering because God made a deal with Satan. God said to Satan, after Satan had complained that Job was upright because God had put a hedge around him, that Satan could do anything he wanted to Job “except lay a finger on him”.(Job 1:12).

When something happens to us that we believe we are being penalized for we call it “punishment” because we didn’t do anything to deserve this retribution. We usually say, “It is not fair?” But do we say as Job said, “though He slay me, yet will I trust Him?” Is God unjust in what He does to us or could there be another reason for the pain we experience?

A list of unjust things might be:

Getting cancer and not doing anything wrong to deserve it.
Being in constant, terrible pain and not doing anything to deserve it.
Having a child of yours die and doing nothing to deserve this.
Going deaf or blind and doing nothing to deserve this.

But in each of these cases and more, God refines us like gold that has impurities in it.

Christ is our example in suffering (1 Peter 2:21). He did nothing wrong but rather was sinless (2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 Peter 2:22-23). But we see him being whipped and bleeding (John 19:1). The roman solders mocked him and put a crown of thorns on his head (Matthew 27:29). They spit on him and beat him in the face (Matthew 27:30). They made him carry his own cross to die but Cyrene named Simon carried it for him (Matthew 27:32). They hung him on a wooden cross by nails in his hands and feet and there he was to die on a hill named Calvary which was where robbers and thieves died (Matthew 27:33). In his thirst they gave him vinegar mixed with gall to drink (Matthew 27:33). And he died all alone – not even His father God would look at him (Matthew 27:45). He suffered more physical, emotional and spiritual pain than we can even imagine (1 Peter 3:18; 4:1) and he did nothing to deserve it! (1 John 3:4-5). He died for our sin not for his own (John 10:11, 15; Luke 24:46).

There are reasons why Jesus suffered and died unjustly. It is because there was something even more important going on. It wasn’t the fact that he was dying unjustly. It was rather that he paid the price for our sin with his own blood (Revelation 5:9). He was the “lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). He bought back humanity with his sinless blood (Galatians 3:13; 1 Peter 1:18-19). Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sin (Hebrews 9:22). But Jesus shed his blood for our sin. He paid our price to be able to have communion again with God (Hebrews 10:19, 22; Colossians 1:14, 20). That is the true reason why he died on the cross. God demonstrated His own love for us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us (1 Peter 2:24; John 3:16; Romans 5:8; Ephesians 2:4, 5).

And we as Christians can suffer unjustly. We are Disciples of Christ and we will suffered what he suffered (1 Peter 2:21). We must share in the sufferings of Christ (Romans 8:17). He suffered and died and we must be willing to do the same (Luke 24:46), knowing that our reward will be heaven (Philippians 1:21; Romans 14:8; Psalm 39:4; Hebrews 13:14).

And these we as Christ’s disciples can look forward to:

If we suffer we shall also reign with Christ (2 Timothy 2:12).
Suffering for Christ will not separate us from the love of God (Romans 8:35)
Rejoice in fiery trials and suffering for your faith (Romans 5:3; 1 Peter 4:12-13).
Our faith will be tried (1 Peter 1:7). Without faith it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6).
We walk by faith and not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7). Faith is like a small mustard seed will grow when it is tested and tried (Psalm 81:7; 1 Peter 1:7; James 1:3, 12).

Conclusion

So try to remember that there is punishment and rewards because God is just (Deuteronomy 32:4), and what we sow we do reap (Galatians 6:7-8). But that does not mean that there does not exist another side to suffering. Jesus suffered death so that we could have eternal life (John 6:47, 50; Titus 1:2; 1 John 5:11).

And we being Jesus’ disciples will suffer just like he did (1 Peter 2:21). But our suffering will purify us (Acts 15:9), give us stronger endurance (Romans 5:3, 4; 2 Timothy 2:3), and we will reign with Christ (2 Timothy 2:12).

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Sources

(1) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Child_abuse

(2) http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/discipline

(3) http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/punishment

(4) http://www.thefreedictionary.com/reward

(5) http://www.thefreedictionary.com/just

Is God Free? by Dennis Swick

2008-11-23T22:33:00.001-08:00

This topic has been discussed by many and the conclusions have been either one way or the other. Some believe that God is no freer than a robot could be free. Vexen Crabtree on December 31, 2001 states that God “automatically carries out precise action of doing perfectly good” (1) so that means that God has no free will. This is because God is perfect and perfect in everything He does (Deuteronomy 32:4; Matthew 5:48; and James 1:17). So if He is perfect and cannot change or be immutable (Mal. 3:6), then obviously He would be limited by His own nature in what He could do. He has no choice. He cannot choose.

The other factor to consider here is God’s Omniscience meaning “He knows everything”. Bible verses that can be used are: Hebrews 4:13; Psalm 139:1-4; I John 3:20. He knows everything. No one can teach Him (Isaiah 40:13, 14). He knows the future before it happens (Matthew 6:8).

It is like the interesting question, “Can God make a rock bigger than Himself since He is all powerful (Matthew 19:26; Job 42:2)?” to which the answer would be, no! He can’t do something that goes against His very nature and being. He is over everything (Daniel 4:34-35; Deuteronomy 10:14; Job 42:2)!

On the other side it is stated that God is free and sovereign and can choose anyway He wants to go. But all that He chooses has to be in agreement with His nature and character. So considering that God is three different and separate persons but one God (Deut. 6:4) He must act in one accord (Genesis 1:26; John 14:10). Then looking at these two opposing positions, I would like to know what the Bible has to say about it. So I am going to present the following topics of change and choosing, will, and finally freedom.

The first topic is change and choosing

The Bible teaches that God cannot change. This is taught in the following verses.

Malachi 3:6 - "I the LORD do not change. So you, O descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed”.
Numbers 23:19 – “God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?”
Isaiah 31:2- “Yet he also is wise, and will bring evil, and will not call back his words: but will arise against the house of the evildoers, and against the help of them that work iniquity.”
Psalm 33:11 – “The counsel of the LORD standeth for ever, the thoughts of his heart to all generations”.
Isaiah 46:10 – “Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:”
Hebrews 6:17 – “Wherein God, willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath:”
James 1:17 – “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.”
Hebrews 13:8 - “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.” Jesus is God (Rev. 1:8, 17; Isaiah 9:6; John 8:58 with Exodus 3:14; Col, 1:5; 2:9; 2 Peter 1:1; John 1:1). (2)

The Bible also teaches that God doesn’t change his mind:

Numbers 23:19 – “God is not a man that he should lie; neither the son of man that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? Or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?”
Isaiah 31:2 – “Yet he also is wise, and will bring evil, and will not call back his words: but will arise against the house of the evildoers, and against the help of them that work iniquity.” (3)

But in these following verses it seems that God did change His mind:

Genesis 6:6 – “And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.” Genesis 18:13 – “And Abraham drew near, and said, Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked?” (2) Ibid. In this passage it appears that God is going to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah for the homosexuality. Genesis 18:20 says, “And the LORD said, “Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous…” Now Abraham responded to God and said in Genesis 18:26-33, if I find in Sodom 50 righteous, then you God will not destroy the city. And God said “yes”. Then Abraham changed the number to 45, then 40, then 30, then 20, and finally 10 hoping that God would not destroy the city. And God told Abraham in Genesis 18:32 that if he found 10 “just” people, He would not destroy the city. So it appears that God changed His mind. But in Genesis 19:24 we learn that God destroyed the city. God knows everything (1 John 3:20), and new there were even 10 righteous people in Sodom, but He allowed Abraham to ask, showing Abraham his patience with Abraham (2 Peter 2:9) and mercy with Sodom (Deuteronomy 4:31; Ephesians 2:4, 5).

But God did not change His mind. Homosexuality is still wrong as is seen in 1 Corinthians 6:9

Jonah 3:10 – “And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did it not.” In Jonah 1:2 we see that God is going to destroy the city of Nineveh and says, “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me.” So Jonah took a ship that went to Nineveh but he decided he wanted to go in a different direction because he was afraid of the Ninevites and what he had heard about them (Jonah 1:12-17). But when he was thrown over ship and spent 3 days in the stomach of the great fish, he changed his mind and finally went to Nineveh to prophesy against them. In hearing this message from God, the Ninevites repented (Jonah 3:5) and God did not destroy them. But it is interesting to note that later on in 612 B.C. the city was destroyed by the Medes and Babylonians as described in Nahum 1:14; 2:6-11; 3:19; y Zephaniah 2:13-15. So in this instance it appears that God changed His mind, but He really didn’t. He was only going to destroy the city if they didn’t repent. But they did.
Genesis 2:2-3 – “And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made”. The seventh day is considered a day of rest. It was a Saturday. The word in Greek σάϐϐατον means “rest, peace, tranquility refreshment.” The word can be seen in Psalm 95:10-11 and Hebrews 4:9-11 of “enter into rest”. We see in Exodus 20:8-12 that it was part of the commandments to keep the Seventh day holy as a day of rest. Now when Jesus arose from the dead and appeared to many it was on the first day of the week Sunday (John 20:1). And in the Council of Laodicea (364 A.C.) it was decided that Saturday would be changed to Sunday. Bible verses that talk about Sunday are John 20:19; Acts 20:7; 1 Corinthians 16:2; Colossians 2:16-17; and Romans 14:5. So again it could appear that God changed his mind.

Now concerning the Sabbath day of rest and the meaning of the word in Greek meant that – “rest”. In the New Testament appear all the Commandments that are in Exodus 20 minus Exodus 20:8-10 regarding the seventh day. There is Matthew 14:33 regarding worship and Matthew 15:4 which reproduces Exodus 20:12 which says “honor your father and mother”. And there is the command against committing adultery (Exodus 20:14) that is found in Matthew 5:32. Plus 1 John 3:15 states that murderers do not have eternal life which Exodus 20:13 commands not to murder.

In Matthew 12:1-8 Jesus deals with the Pharisees who are accusing his disciples of picking wheat stalks on the Sabbath. But according to Deuteronomy 23:25 it was legal to pick grains and eat them to satisfy hunger on the Sabbath. At the end of this passage Jesus says “For the Son of man is Lord even of the Sabbath day.” (Matthew 12:8).

So we see that God did not change His mind about the day of rest and that the first day of the week is still a day of rest as Jesus arose from the grave and was resurrected on that day.

Exodus 32:14 – “So the LORD changed His mind about the harm which He said He would do to His people.”(4) In Exodus 32:1-10 we see that Moses was late in coming down from the Mount Mariah for 40 days while the Israelites were waiting for him. So they decided to go to Aaron and asked him the make them two calves of gold and they would worship them claiming that they had brought them out of Egypt. With this news, God told Moses to descend immediately. God in the meantime had seen what Israel had done and in his anger and hurt said in verse 10 that He would consume them and make a great nation from Moses line. But Moses repented for the people of Israel (vs.11-13) and Exodus 32:14 was stated. So we see here again that God did not change His mind. Repentance was made (Acts 17:30; 2 Corinthians 7:10; Acts 3:19) and grace followed (Hebrews 4:16; 12:15; Ephesians 4:7; Romans 4:16; 5:20-21).

The next part would be regarding choosing.

Man has a free will to choose with:

John 3:36 – “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.”
Hebrews 11:24-25 – “By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter; Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season;”
Amos 5:15 – “Hate the evil, and love the good, and establish judgment in the gate: it may be that the LORD God of hosts will be gracious unto the remnant of Joseph.”
1 Kings 3:9 – “Give therefore your servant an understanding heart to judge your people, that I may discern between good and bad: for who is able to judge this your so great a people?”
Joshua 24:15 – “And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.” (5)

God has a free will to choose with also. Even though Vexen Crabtree tried to argue that God has no free will to choose with, we can see some examples of his choosing. The word “elect” means to “select or choose out”. This particular example will appear at the end of the list below.

Numbers 16:5, 7; 17:5 – God chose Moses to be the leader of the nation of Israel.
1 Samuel 10:24 – God chose Saul to be king.
2 Samuel 6:21; 1 Kings 11:3 – God chose David to be king.
1 Chronicles 28:53 – God chose Salomon to be king.
Deuteronomy 7:6-8 – God chose the nation of Israel.
Luke 16:13; John 13:8 Acts 1:2, 24 – Jesus chose the disciples.
Matthew 20:16; 22:14 – Many are called but few are chosen.
Mark 13:20; Romans 8:28-39; Ephesians 1:3-14; 2 Thessalonians 2:13-14; 2 Timothy 1:9-10 – the “elect” or “chosen ones”.

The second topic is regarding Will.

The Bible teaches that God has a will.

Numbers 16:5, 7; 17:5 – He chose Moses to be the leader of Israel.
I Samuel 10:24 – He chose Saul to be the King of the Jews.
2 Samuel 6:21 – He chose David to be the King of Israel.
Deuteronomy 7:6-8; Acts 13:17; Romans 9:11 – God chose Israel.
Luke 6:13 – Jesus chose his 12 disciples.
Mark 13:20; John 15:16; 2 Thessalonians 2:13; Rev. 17:14 – the “elect” are chosen.
2 Peter 3:9 – “The Lord is not slow about his promise, as some people understand slowness, but is being patient with you. He does not want anyone to perish, but wants everyone to repent.” (6)

It is interesting regarding what 2 Peter 3:9 says that God is not willing that anyone “perish”. It states in 1 John 4:8 and 2 Corinthians 13:11 that God’s nature is love. He loves mankind and demonstrates his love by sending Jesus to pay the penalty for sin (John 3:16; Romans 5:8). Obviously not everyone is going to become saved. Some have stated that John 3:16 really is focused on the “elect” and that Jesus only died for them. They translate “the world” meaning only the elect. But looking at 2 Peter 3:9 it should be obvious that God does not want anyone to perish, not even the elect. And if He chose the elect it makes no sense why He would state “He does not want anyone to perish”. Why would the “elect” who He chose perish?

Determinism comes into play here. Determinism is the notion that all propositions, whether about the past, present or future, are either true or false. It is the thesis that God determines all that humans will do, either by knowing their actions in advance. This is achieved by His Omniscience. The problem of free will of man, in this context, is the problem of how ones actions can be free, if God has determined them for man ahead of time. So those who hold to the theory of Predestination would be Determinists. (7)

Another way of defining free will is this: it emerges from the interaction of finite rules and deterministic parameters that generate infinite and unpredictable behavior. For example, God could determine what man will do given God’s Omniscience but His Free will and man’s free will could generate infinite and unpredictable behaviors. That doesn’t mean that God wouldn’t know what would happen, but it does mean that having a free will would generate decisions made that might not be so predictable for man.

Continuing on with the topic regarding the Will.

The Bible teaches that Angels have a free will.

Jude 6 – “And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day.” (8)

The Bible teaches that man has a will.

John 3:36 – “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.”
Hebrews 11:24-25 – “By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season;”
Joshua 24:15 - “And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.”
1 Kings 3:9 – “Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad: for who is able to judge this thy so great a people?” (9)

Now it is interesting think about man’s “will” in regards to him making a choice that will affect him or having a choice made that he doesn’t make that will affect him. Examples:

Man making a choice:

He can choose to believe that Jesus is the Christ, that Jesus paid the price for his sin with perfect blood, that he can repent for his sin and that by believing he can be saved from his punishment. (John 1:12; 3:36; 1 John 5:10-12).
He can choose the person who to marry (Proverbs 5:18).
He can choose to do good and not evil (Amos 5:15; 1 Kings 3:9).
He can choose who he will follow (Joshua 24:15).

A choice that he has no control over:

Where he was born?
Who his parents are?
What his DNA was like when he was born?
Being born with AIDS or some other disease.

The last topic is regarding Freedom

Is it possible for God to be free if He is perfect in everything he does (Genesis 1:21) and He wants us to be perfect as He is perfect (1 Peter 1:16). Thomas Aquinas, an Italian Catholic Philosopher of 1225 to 1274 A.D., argued that the mind of God is immutable (it doesn’t change). If He is perfect and He does what is perfect and He is Omnipotent (all powerful: Ephesians 1:19, 20), Omnipresent (everywhere: Psalm 139:2-12), and Omniscient (knows everything: 1 John 3:20), so then why would he be free?

Defining the word “free” it means: “unobstructed, not restrained, not controlled by obligation or will of another, not bound or attached.” (10) So using this definition we see that God is unobstructed, He is not restrained, He is not controlled by obligation or will of another (like the angels or man, even though the roles of the three persons of the Trinity are clearly defined in what they do), He is not bound except by what He is (His nature) but what He does has no boundaries, and He is not attached to anything. “He is” --past, present and future (Psalm 90:2; Isaiah 43:13; Deuteronomy 33:27; Isaiah 44:24; Acts 17:25; Exodus 3:14; John 5:26; 8:58).

The freedom of man

John 8:32 – “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”
John 14:6 – “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”
John 8:36 – “If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.”
Romans 6:22 – “But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life.”
Romans 8:2 – “For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.”
Galatians 5:1 – “Stand fast therefore in the liberty with which Christ has made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.”
Romans 6:7 – “For he that is dead is freed from sin.” (11)

Jesus, who is God (John 8:58), said that he can make man free (John 8:32, 36). And by making man free, man is free from the law of sin and death (Romans 8:32). Sin and death control man. He will sin as he was born in sin (Psalm 51:5), he inherited sin (Genesis 3:1-19), he serves sin (John 8:34) and he will die in his sin (Romans 5:12; 6:23; Galatians 6:8). So if God is free, then man can be free as well if he chooses to believe in Christ.

We have seen that God cannot change but He can choose. He chose already outside of what we in our limit minds could comprehend (Job 12:13; James 3:17; Romans 11:33). He does whatever pleases Him (Psalm 135:6). There is no way to resist God’s will (Romans 9:19). He is perfect in all His ways (Matthew 5:48; 2 Samuel 22:31). He chooses according to His pleasure and His nature (Numbers 16:5; Acts 13:17). Since He has a “will” and that “will” is to be followed just as we see in the Garden of Gethsemane that Jesus had his own will but did the will of the Father (Matthew 26:39; Mark 14:36). So with that will, God chose and in having a choice God is free in making choices. But He does all these things outside of what we can fully understand with our limited minds and our limited understanding (i.e. He knows everything about me -Job 31:4; He can measure the heavens and knows the earth - Jeremiah 31:37; He knows everything that is secret -Matthew 6:4, 18; He knows everything about everything - 1 John 3:20; Who can resist God’s will?- Romans 9:19).

Pastor John Crandall writes, “Constraint of nature does not equal the lack of freedom. It is, indeed, the ultimate freedom to do as one is.”

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Notes

(1) http://www.vexen.co.uk/religion/god_has_no_free_will.html

(2) http://scripturetext.com/, http://www.biblegateway.com/

(3) Ibid.

(4) Ibi

(5) Ibid.

(6) Ibid.

(7) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Determinism

(8) http://scripturetext.com/, http://www.biblegateway.com/

(9) Ibid.

(10) http://www.thefreedictionary.com/free

(11) http://scripturetext.com/, http://www.biblegateway.com/

God is Just, by Dennis Swick

2008-11-15T13:12:00.001-08:00

I have the impression looking at some information that I see, read in newspapers, or hear on the radio that people in general do not take seriously the fact that God is furious, shows indignation, and is angry about sin. And it is interesting to me that people in general do not like the word “sin”. To some it must seems like a word used back in the Dark Ages or Medieval Times.

The human race seems to be more tolerant today of things that are bad. Things like Prostitution, Abortion, Partial Birth Abortion, Homosexuality, or even Divorce have become more acceptable. Everyone seems to be involved in these things, even Christians. And the truth is that they have been around for a long time. Many think just because they were frowned on centuries ago doesn’t mean that they can’t be accepted today. And the argument used is: “man has evolved. He has gotten better and is more tolerant of things.”

Yet when we delve into some of these things, instead of finding a man happier in living and a better person for it, we find a man with even more problems than he had before and his life sometimes seems “on the skids”. Sure he can handle the issues, but his life isn’t better but rather worse. And what does this all have to do with? Hasn’t he “evolved” and gotten better?

God set up the requirements for man in the first place. And God himself doesn’t need laws, borders, margins, or limits. God is limitless (Psalm 139:2-12). God is (Ex. 3:14; John 8:58). He has no past, present, or future (1 Kings 8:27; 2 Chronicles 2:6). He is sovereign over all (Psalm 103:19). He controls everything (Isaiah 46:10). In Him everything holds together (Col. 1:17). In Him we live, move and have our being (Acts 17:28).

And despite the fact that God is long suffering with our sin (Psalm 86:15; Joel 2:13; Isaiah 48:9; Exodus 34:6; and Psalm 103:8) and does not want anyone to perish (1 Peter 3:20; 2 Peter 3:9, 15), God is Just (Deuteronomy 32:4; Psalm 89:14). It says in the Bible these things about God:

God pays us back for what we deserve (Ezekial 16:59)
God pays us justly (Job 34:11; Psalms 62:12).
God is angry with sin (Gen. 39:19; Numbers 11:33; 1 Thess. 1:10; 5:9; Rev. 6:17).
God hates divorce (Malachi 2:16)
God hates lying (Psalm 119:104, 128, 163).
God hates evil (Psalm 45:7; 97:10)
We are saved from God’s wrath because Jesus paid our debt for sinning with his own blood and by dying for us on the cross. It is by God’s mercy and grace that we are not consumed (Ephesians 2:8-9; 1 John 1:7; Hebrews 10:19, 22; Deut. 4:24; Hebrews 12:29).

We have been saved from God’s wrath because of what Jesus did for us (Romans 5:9).

The Bible says that we in the beginning, before accepting what Jesus did for us, were “children of wrath” (Ephesians 2:15).

And as Hebrews 10:31 says, "It is a horrendous thing to fall into the hands of living God.” So with this thought, I still don’t understand how people can take God so lightly!

God is not the same as His Laws, by Dennis Swick

2008-10-30T16:36:00.000-07:00

A blog on the internet states,

"The laws that govern the Universe must exist before the Universe, therefore..."

But who said the laws that govern the universe must exist before the universe? If there was no universe, why would there need to be laws to govern it? To state this, one would have to say that laws and God must be the same thing. But this is not true! The laws were created when the universe was created. The laws were created to control or put boundaries on that which was created.

God created out of nothing, i.e. Ex-nihlo.
God existed before the universe was created – Col. 1:16, John 1:3.
God is perfect – 1 Peter 1:15.
God is orderly – James 1:17, 1 Cor. 14:40.
God cannot change – Mal. 3:6

But to assume that God and his laws are one in the same is not true. Example, the law of gravity does not mean that God dealt with gravity before creation occurred. Gravity was part of creation. It had no reason to exist before. There was nothing except God and God is not laws! God is past, present, future (Ex. 3:14; John 8:58 Deut. 4:35, 39). There is nothing like Him (1 Kings 8:27; Psalm 145:3; Isaiah 44:24; 55:8, 9; John 4:24; 1 Tim. 1:17; Deut. 4:35, 39).

Should you forgive even though no confession is made? by Dennis Swick

2008-10-21T10:50:00.000-07:00

Some say yes, that you should forgive those who do not ask forgiveness. Others say no, that the person shouldn’t be forgiven until they repent and then you can forgive them.

Those that say you should forgive an unrepentant person use verses like Colossians 3:13 that say, “Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.” Or Luke 23:34 when Jesus was dying on the cross and he said, "Father, forgive them for they know not what they do...” Or Acts 7:60 where Steven was being stoned by the Jews and he cried out “Lord, do not hold this sin against them” and as he had said this, he fell asleep (died). (Acts 7:60)

On April 18, 2007 there were three Christian Protestants that were cruelly assassinated in the city of Malatya, Turkey by young men who were members of the Islamic Foundation Ihlas of Malatya. One of those assassinated was German. In this terrible crime, the wife of one of those assassinated named Susanna Geske said, “as a Christian, I forgive the assassins.” (1)

On the other hand, there are those that don’t believe the person that doesn’t ask for forgiveness should be forgiven. But, after they do confess the sin, and have a change of heart and show a true repentance, then they are to be forgiven. According to them a Christian should forgive when a confession is made: Matthew 6:12, 14; Ephesians 4:32; Colossians 3:13, and Acts 17:30.

Forgive

The word “forgive” en the Greek is άφεσς meaning “release, forgiveness, pardon of sins of letting them go as if they hadn’t been committed”. It also implies “to omit or let go a debt, i.e. to remit or forgive”. The Greek word χαριζόμενοι means “to show one’s self gracious, grant forgiveness, bestow”. Forgiveness presupposes guilt and with guilt comes moral consequences and responsibility.

There are instances of forgiveness in the Bible:

Esau forgives Jacob – Gen. 33:1-17.
Joseph forgives his brothers – Gen. 45:1-15.
Moses forgives the people of Israel – Exodus 32:11-14, 30-33.
Moses forgives his sister Miriam – Numbers 12:11-13.
David forgives Absalom – 2 Samuel 14:21, 33.
David forgives Shimei – 2 Samuel 19:18-23.
Salomon forgives Adonijah – 1 Kings 1:52.
Paul and the church in Corinth forgive a brother who sins – 2 Corinthians 2:5-11. (2)

In Genesis 33:1-17 we see Esau’s forgiveness of Jacob prompted by Jacob’s recognition of guilt and his humility and good will.

One of the verses used is Matthew 18:15-17. Here it states, “If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over. But if he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses’. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, treat him as you would a pagan or a tax collector.”

Now looking at these verses, several things come into view:

This is a sin that the brother has committed. As Christians we could say, well this is a sin but it really isn’t that big – like making one sin “mortal” while the other sin is “venial”. But here we see the word “sin” and it doesn’t say if it is big or little. But it obviously must be big to have it affect the brother so much. In Exodus 20:1-17 we see some major sins that God hates. In this list we find things like worshipping idols, murder, adultery, stealing, lying, and coveting. And then in Mark 12:30-31 it says, “’Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength’. And the second (commandment) is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” So sinning would be not loving God with all your heart, soul, and strength, and not loving your neighbor as yourself. This would be sin!
Now forgiving sin is a judicious matter. It involves a situation where one person does something wrong and has a debt to be paid. The relationship is broken and it needs to be restored. Restoration means fixing something broken. Matthew 18:15-17 gives the steps in fixing a relationship broken by sin. By following what Matthew 18:15-17 says the debt owed should be taken care of.

In the Old Testament when a crime was committed a price had to be paid. For different crimes there were different fines.

For committing adultery the fine was death (Leviticus 20:10).
For committing a homosexual sin of one man having sex with another man, the fine was death (Leviticus 20:13).
You were not to steal (Exodus 20:15; Leviticus 19:11; Deuteronomy 5:19) and if you did the fine would be what is found in Exodus 22:1 that states, “If a man steals an ox or a sheep, and kills it or sells it, he shall repay five oxen for an ox, and four sheep for a sheep.”

When we sinned against God, as non-believers, there was a debt to be paid. This doctrine is called Soteriology and states the following:

God being Just (Deuteronomy 32:4) demands that blood be paid for the sin (Hebrews 9:22).
Sin can be defined as something that is contrary to God’s nature and character. It is his opposite.

Sin is disobeying God – Romans 5:19; Joshua 23:6; Psalms 119:45; Ephesians 6:6; John 4:34; 1 Peter 1:14; John 8:51; 1 John 2:17; 1 Samuel 15:22.
Sin is knowing the right thing to do and not doing it – James 4:17.
Sin is seen in the following infractions: injustice, fornication, being perverse, full of envy, homicidal activity, being argumentative, deceitful, detractor, gossip, haters of God, perverse, proud, inventors of evil, disloyal, without natural affection, without mercy, and ruthless – Romans 1:29- 31.
Sin is disobeying God – Exodus 10:28.
Sin is not obeying God’s law – Romanos 7:7; Exodus 20.
Everything that does not come from faith is sin – Romans 14:23.
Sin comes from our evil desires - James 1:14.
All wrongdoing is sin – 1 John 5:17.

The blood to pay for the sin debt has to be perfect because God is perfect and has no sin (1 Peter 1:15; Hebrews 4:15; 2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 Peter 1:18-19, 2:22-23).
Jesus paid for the sin and paid the debt with his own blood (Matthew 1:21; Hebrews 9:28, 10:10, 19; Acts 10:39-43; Ephesians1:7; 2:8-9; 1 John 1:7).
Because of Jesus paying the price, the debt has been canceled. A debt in the Old Testament and New Testament was a very important issue that it had to be paid (Deuteronomy 24:15-15, Matthew 18:27-32; Romans 13:8). The debt had to be cancelled (Deuteronomy 15:2, Matthew 18:23-27).
Those believing by faith in Jesus Christ and what he did for them by paying the price for their sins are declared “righteous” (Romans 3:21-24; Philippians 3:8 – 9).
Jesus paid the debt and his blood covers the sins of the past, present and future (Acts 10:43; Romans 6:1-10; 1 John 1:7-9; 2:2; 2 Peter 2:1; 2 Corinthians 5: 18 - 19; 1 John 2:2; Hebrews 10:11 – 14. Ephesians 4:32 says that Christ forgave, which in the Greek is “echaristo” (“forgave” is in the aorist and means “once for all time, not needing to be repeated”).

In Matthew 12:31-32, Mark 3:28- 30, and Luke 12:10 list one sin that will not be forgiven by God. It says in verse 31, “And so I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven.” Now then if that is true, Acts 7:60 and Luke 23:34 where Jesus hanging on the cross said, "Father, forgive them for they know not what they do" the sin of blasphemy was not committed.
And in Matthew 18:15-17 we see the sin is committed by a “brother”. In Acts 7:60 and Luke 23:34 obviously those sins were not committed by a “brother”, but rather “enemies”. The same is true with Susanna Geske. The assassin wasn’t her “brother”(or a Christian).
We as Christians are commanded to love (John 13:34 - 35). We are to even love our enemies and pray for them (John 15:12 - 13; Luke 6:27). The word “love” in the Greek is “agape" which means "to do what is justly right".

Now there is a belief that the blood that Jesus shed does not cover for present and future sins and these verses are used to support this belief:

Matthew 6:14 – 15 which says, “For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins”.
Matthew 18:23 – 35 which Jesus said at the close of the parable, “This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart.”
Mark 11: 25 – 26 which says, “And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive your sins.”
Luke 6: 37 which say, “Do not judge and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.”

Now with these four passages one can conclude that they imply forgiveness to the one who never repents or confesses anything is wrong. But this is not the case! Repentance is a condition to be forgiven.

Let us consider Matthew 18:23- 35 where above the whole parable is not given. It briefly states that a King wanted to settle his accounts with his servants. And one of the servants owed him 10 thousand talents which were about several million dollars in 1978 (according to the New International Version footnote). This servant fell on his knees (repentance) and asked the King to be patient with him and he would pay back everything he owed. Then this servant found another of his servants who owed him a hundred dinarrii (a few dollars) and he grabbed him and chocked him and this servant repented and said on his knees “Be patient with me, and I will pay you back”. But instead of being gracious, he refused and had this man thrown into prison until he could pay back the debt. And when the King found out about this, he was very angry and that is why Jesus concludes stating in verse 26, “if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive your sins.” So we see that confession and repentance came first, and forgiveness comes after. “A person who seeks forgiveness but does not forgive others hardly knows what he is asking for and is not worthy of it”. (3)

And this being the interpretation, these 4 verses do not conclude that sin is not forgiven in the present nor the future. As Ephesians 4:32 states, Jesus forgave “once for all time”.

So we see now that we have been forgiven for our sins in the past, in the present and the future. But then we must by faith believe that Jesus paid for our sin and receive Him as our Savior (John 3:14 – 17; 5:24; 6:29, 47: 11:25 – 26; 20:31; Acts 16:31; Ephesians 2:8 – 9; John 1:12; 14:16; Acts 4:12; and 1 Timothy 2: 5 – 6). Then this debt that we have is paid for. Once this takes place we are declared “righteous” (Romans 3:21-24; Philippians 3:8 – 9). And we must forgive others in the same way we were forgiven (Matthew 6:12, 14; Ephesians 4:32; Colossians 3:13; Acts 17:30). In the case of Colossians 3:13 it says, “Bear with each other (Christian brothers not non-Christians) and forgive whatever grievances you may have against each other. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.” The word “forgive” en the Greek is χαριζόμενοι and can be found in Ephesians 4: 31 - 32 as well which states,” Get rid of all bitterness, rage, and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving the other just as in Christ God forgave you”. We are to forgive the same way we were forgiven. We first had to repent of our sin which Luke 24:47 states clearly that there is repentance followed by forgiveness. We were forgiven by confessing our sin first and repenting of it and then receiving forgiveness by being declared righteous (Romans 10:9; Exodus 10:127 – 19; Proverbs 28:13; Mark 1:5; and Luke 5:8; 15:18).

Repentance and Forgiveness

Now there are passages of Scripture that fail to specify repentance as a ground for forgiveness. These are the following examples: Psalms 65:3; 85:2; 86:5; 103:3, 10; Isaiah 46:12; Jeremiah 31:31-34; 33:1-18; Ezekiel 36:16-38; Micah 7:18-20; Acts 13:38; Ephesians 1:7; Colossians 1:14; 2:13; 1 John 2:2. (4)

But in other passages it is clearly presented the repentance precedes forgiveness: Leviticus 26:14-45; 1 Kings 8:46-50; 2 Chronicles 7:14; 30:18; Psalms 32:3-5; 51; Isaiah 1:27; 55:6; 59-61; Jeremiah 18:7-11; 26:3; Lamentations 3:42; Ezekiel 18:31; Zechariah 1:3; Malachi 3:7; Matthew 4:17; Luke 13:3, 5; Acts 5:31; 8:22; 1 John 1:9. (5) The omission found in the first section maybe due to the fact that it was understood that repentance took place before forgiveness was granted.

The other verses regarding repentance are 2 Chronicles 7:14; Proverbs 28:13; Acts 17:30; 2 Peter 3:9; Matthew 3:1 -2; and Acts 3:19. Repentance comes before forgiveness. Confession of sin and repentance is necessary to be forgiven and declared righteous or “fixed”. In Acts 17:30 God commands repentance and in 2 Peter 3:6 He desires that all repent. So the argument that no repentance is necessary does not make sense according to the Bible. But once the repentance transpires, the Christian should forgive! He should not let the “debt owed” cause him “bitterness, rage, and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice” which could happen!

Emil Brunner also emphasized the need of repentance as a condition of forgiveness in his book, The Divine-Human Encounter, on pages 98 and 149. Those that were in agreement with his position were Rudolf Bultmann, Frederick C. Grant, H.R. Mackintosh, Ernest F. Scott, Vincent Taylor, and Benjamin B. Warfield as well as the Westminster Confession of Faith (ch. XV). (6)

Now as to being free from the clutches of anger and resentment and hostility when someone hurts you, I think that it can be dealt with by "loving" the person and "heaping coals" upon their head (Rom. 12:20). And you could call it "forgiving a person" in that you hold no debt against that person. But there still is a debt, and it still has to be paid, and it still needs to be confessed in order to be "forgiven". So you should love the person (agape) but you should not let what they did control you. You should be "free" from its control over you. And just follow through with Matthew 18:15-20. But he must forgive without measure (Matthew 18:21- 22).

And as a Christian, with a repentant heart and attitude, they would want to make restitution for what they did wrong. Numbers 5:7 talks about what full-restitution is. Zacchaeus’s made full restitution in Luke 19:8 when as a tax collector he said that he would give half of his possession to the poor “and if I cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.” That is true repentance! But in any case, Christians are commanded to forgive those who repent.

Conclusion

So in conclusion we could say that “forgiving sin without requiring repentance would be like condoning sin or being indifferent to it”. (7) If a Christian Brother will not repent and have a change of heart regarding the sin that has broken the relationship, then forgiving him for it is not Biblical. We have seen in Luke 23:34 and Acts 7:60 that a non-Christian was forgiven, but for a Christian we do not see that in Scripture. So what a Christian should do in the case of his brother sinning against him but not confessing it or even repenting of it would be to love the one who has caused him pain (John 13:34-35) and try to "heap coals" upon their head, i.e. “’If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head’. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good”. (Rom. 12:20-21).

Sources:

(1)http://www.protestantedigital.com/new/leernoticiaUH.php?5661

(2) The Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible, Vol. 2, Zondervan Pub., 1975.

(3) Ibid.

(4) Ibid.

(5) Ibid.

(6) Ibid.

(7) Ibid.

Unspeakable Joy, by Dennis Swick

2008-09-27T19:57:00.000-07:00

One of the main things that Pastor John McArthur said that describes being in heaven is JOY. The word "joy" has a much deeper meaning than just happiness. To be happy can change so quickly. It can come and go in a moment. But joy is different. It is a deep seated contentment. Everything is right! No sorrow or grief. No pain or suffering. There is only joy. Heaven is a joyful place. That is hard for me to imagine... Everywhere I look around me, I see so many problems, issues and unresolved conflicts. But in heaven, they won't exist anymore. There will only be joy because my sins have been paid for by the blood of Jesus Christ, and God the Father has forgiven me because I have repented of my sins and accepted Jesus blood as the payment for them (Gal. 3:13). Because of what Jesus has done for me I now have joy that is unspeakable (1 Peter 1:8). When a sinner repents, there is great joy (Luke 15:22-24, 32). When I go to heaven I will enter into the joy of the Lord (Mt. 25:23). There is joy in the presence of the Lord (Luke 15:10). He is in heaven. My sorrow will be turned into joy (John 16:20). And no man will take my joy from me (John 16:22). My joy is in the Lord now on this earth (John 16:20) and in heaven (Philemon. 1:20).

And another thought is regarding the fact that God takes no joy in the judgment of sinners (Deuteronomy 30:9-10). God in his character is Agape or love (1 John 4:8). He is not joyful when man disobeys what He has told man to do. He is just in what he says and does (Psalm 89:14) as He is perfect in everyway (Matthew 5:48, 1 Peter 1:16). It hurts God when man disobeys Him (1 Kings 13:21) and He is not joyful but rather His anger with sin is set into motion (Joshua 23:16, i Sam. 28:18, Rom. 1:18, 2:8, Psalms 7:11, Isaiah 13:9, Rev. 6:17). When man chooses to disobey God, because man has been given a will to choose either good or bad, right or wrong (1 Kings 3:9, Amos 5:15), God is offended and hurt and His wrath has been kindled (Rom. 1:18, 9:22, Eph.2:3). Man can choose to obey God or not, choose for or against Jesus in believing Him and trusting Him for his salvation (John 3:36). But because Jesus paid for our sin with His blood (Heb. 9:22, 28, 10:19), if we choose with our will to accept Jesus blood in payment for our sin, the wrath of God is not against us (Rom. 5:9, 1 Thes. 5:9).

The joy of the Lord is now present (Zeph. 3:17-18). And heaven will be filled with this joy. God is not angry with us anymore. We have obeyed Him and repented of our sin (Luke 15:7, 10, 2 Chron. 7:14, Acts 17:30, Rom. 2:4, Mark 1:15, Acts 3:19, Luke 24:47, Luke 13:3) and received Jesus as our only Savior (Titus 2:13, 2 Peter 2:20, Acts 5:3, 13:23, 1 Tim. 2:5). God's wrath has been taken care of by the blood of Jesus Christ (1 Tim. 4:10, Rev. 5:9, Gal. 3:13, 1 Peter 1:18-19). We see that God in his character is love (1 John 4:8), and that Jesus came to this world to save sinners (1 Tim. 1:15). He is the Savior of all men who believe in Him and what He did for them on the cross (Acts 2:23, Phil. 2:8, 1 Tim. 4:10, Matthew 1:21, 1 Peter 2:24), and of the whole world who believe and receive Him (John 3:16, 4:42, 1 John 4:14).

by Dennis Swick

Life Isn't Fair? by Dennis Swick

2008-02-13T01:12:00.001-08:00

One day you can be out in the snow, enjoying the warm sunshine and watching the white billowy clouds overhead as they move against the majestic blue sky. And in this moment, seeing with your eyes all beauty around you, breathing the fresh air, and feeling an inner peace inside, the contentment that overcomes you is hard to explain with words.

Now there is another side to how life unravels itself. Here is the sad story about Midi and Nathan, the wife and young son of Mark Mikasa. Read Mark’s story: It turns out that Mark took his sons Lucas and Nathan to school everyday in his van and his wife rode with him. An accident happened involving the van on the evening of January 1, 2008 while the family was driving home from Marks family’s house for a New Years Day family gathering. It was around 9pm. This is Mark’s account later after the accident occurred:

“I had scheduled to go with a Deputy to see the van. I wanted to retrieve some personal items: Lucas & Nathan's backpacks with their names embroidered on them, their jackets, some toys, and the garage door opener. I expected to have a hard time and to break down. My friend/brother Clayton went with me. The van was being kept in a warehouse/lot that was full of wrecked cars in downtown L.A. As we parked and started walking to the lot, I started to feel very uneasy. I was scared of seeing the van. After the deputy signed some papers, the man at the lot escorted us to the van. When I first saw the van, I couldn't believe how mangled it was. Though I was conscious after the accident, I recall very little. At some point I think I went into shock. Visually, I only remember seeing Lucas sitting in his car seat behind me, conscious. I also remember crying to an officer, "Please tell me this is a nightmare." Beyond that, my next memory is being in the hospital.) ***Note: The following is a detailed account of what I saw. The images may be painful to read about. Please skip to the last paragraph if you do not want to know details of what I saw.*** The passenger side of the van was completely caved in. The passenger seat in the front had been pushed all the way into the driver seat. The top of the passenger seat was collapsed like an accordion. About a week ago, I discovered that when the emergency help arrived on scene, Midi was laying across my lap. When I saw how the passenger seat was crushed up against the driver's seat, I could visualize Midi lying across my lap. I wept. I am weeping even now as I am remembering. My wife, partner, and best friend died in my lap.”

“Then I looked in the back. The seat behind the passenger seat, where Nathan sat in his car seat, was also pushed through the middle and into the seat behind the driver's seat, where Lucas was sitting. Though the entire seat was pressed in at an angle, the car seat was remarkably intact. But I saw a large bloodstain on the seat. My sweet son Nathan must have been bleeding from the left side of his head. I sobbed. I am sobbing now. Nathan suffered a fatal injury. At around 7AM the morning after the crash, I held him as he died in my lap.”
( http://mmmikasa.blogspot.com/)

Thinking about this situation, I am sure that countless of other stories come to mind. I for one can give examples of where I got sugar diabetes type 1 at age 5 and had to deal with difficult situations for 50 years, not to mention my family. Or another example is me having brain cancer at age 47 and dealing with that whole scenario. I never remember doing anything wrong enough to deserve it. And I could have complained that “life was not fair!”

Now thinking about examples from the Bible, there are many examples given where life seems to be unfair. For example, there was the life of Moses who floated down the Nile River in a basket as a baby boy because his mother feared that he would be drowned by order of Pharaoh (Exodus 1:22). Was it Moses’ fault that Pharaoh wanted to kill all the baby boys?

Or King David who had committed adultery with Bathsheba (2 Samuel 11) and they had a son from their sexual union. From 2 Samuel 12:18 it says the baby son died the seventh day after being born. So what did the baby do to deserve death? Anything?

People use the argument all the time: “I don’t deserve to go to hell. I am not a bad person. How could a loving God make such a place as hell and have people suffer there for eternity? If that is true…God can’t be love!”

You reap what you sow

It says in Galatians 6:7, “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.”

There are consequences for everything we do. The court room exists just for this very reason! There is a judge, lawyers and jury because of the fact that what is sown is also reaped and it is difficult to define who sowed it? All that man does functions because of boundaries, limits, and rules. If we lived in a world of anarchy, nothing would work. All the atoms of every particle function on the very fact that they are controlled by boundaries, limits, and rules.

Here is a list of consequences for actions that we may have originated:

Staying in the sun too long could cause skin cancer.
Smoking cigarettes or breathing bad air could cause lung cancer.
Not stopping at a stop sign could cause you to have an accident.
Drinking too much alcohol and driving under its influence could cause an accident or someone could die.

(Different kinds of Insurance policies exit just because of these consequences).

Now let us consider just two of God’s laws. The first one is concerning lying. It says in Colossians 3:9, “Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices.” (Proverbs 24:28; Exodus 20:16; Deuteronomy 5:20). Lying itself comes from the heart (Matthew 15:19). God cannot lie (Numbers 23:19; Titus 1:2). The consequences of lying are:

People don’t trust what you tell them.
You loose your credibility when you speak.
The Lord hates liars. Proverbs 12:22.
Liars die young. Psalm 55:23.
Liars are headed for hell. Revelation 21:8.

The second example is of stealing. It says not to steal in these passages: Exodus 20:15; Leviticus 19:11; Deuteronomy 5:19. Stealing is considered a form of robbery. It is taking what belongs to someone else and making it your own. It says in Leviticus 19:13, “Do not defraud your neighbor or rob him…” An example of stealing would be committing adultery (Exodus 20:14; Leviticus 18:20; 20:10). You are married legally but you decide to have a sexual affair with someone with whom you are not married. This would be stealing and would be considered adultery. For committing adultery in the Old Testament, death was the punishment (Leviticus 20:10). The persons caught would be stoned to death (John 8:3).

But stealing could be applied to other subjects. Some of the items that could involve stealing are:

Not declaring properly all the money you made on your Income Taxes.
Taking credit for something that you really didn’t do.
Keeping or taking something that really doesn’t belong to you.
Copying something and acting like it was yours from the start.

Now there are consequences for everything we do as Galatians 6:7 teaches. What we “sow” is exactly what we “reap”. Exodus 34:7 teaches, ““… [God] He punishes the children and their children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation”. So there are not only consequences for what we do, but there are also consequences for what others do way before us. In fact, we are dealing now with the sin of Adam, which was the first man created. His sin was passed onto us (Romans 5:12). Because he sinned, the whole human race is considered sinful except for Jesus (Romans 3:23; 5:13; Psalm 51:5; (2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 Peter 2:22, 23; Hebrews 7:26-28; 1 John 3:4, 5; 1 Peter 1:18, 19; Hebrews 4:15; and 9:14).

Moderation

It is also important to mention “moderation”. In Philippines 4:5 it says, “Let your moderation be known to all men”. Now the word “moderation” is used in the King James Version, but the word “gentleness” is used in the New International Version. So let us consider some other passages that teach “moderation”. In 1 Corinthians 9:27 it states in the NIV, “No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize”. Here Paul is talking about having “self-control” of his body. In Galatians 5:23 we see the word used of “self-control” which is a fruit of the Holy Spirit that indwells us (Ephesians 1:13). And in 1 Corinthians 7:5 the word “self-control” is also used. So we see that it is important to use self-control and to do things in moderation because, as 1 Corinthians 3:16-17 teaches, “…you yourselves are God’s temple, and that God’s Spirit lives in you? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him; for God’s temple is sacred, and you are that temple.”

The word “self-control” implies you are in control of yourself. You have control over the amount of food you eat, where you go, or even what you do. There are many people who have “self-control” but that doesn’t mean they all are believers in Christ and are His disciples. Matthew 13:24-30 talks about tares being sown among the wheat. In verse 30 He says, “Let both [tares and wheat] grow together until the harvest…” So there are some that can be observed as controlling themselves, but that doesn’t mean they are true Christians. They may seem to be able to control their weight, control their bank accounts and even control their wives….but that doesn’t mean they are spiritually in control.

According to Ephesians 1:13, after we confess that we are sinners (Mark 1:5; Luke 5:8; 15:18) and receive Christ as Savior (2 Corinthians 5:17; John 1:12) we are sealed with the Holy Spirit. We are dead in sin (Mark 7:21; Romans 6:2), but we are made alive to God (Romans 6:11). The human spirit that dwells with in us is dead to God (1 Corinthians 2:11) but the Holy Spirit that comes and dwells in us is alive because it is God’s Spirit (Ephesians 1:13). So we end up having two natures, an old nature and a new spiritual nature (Romans 8:1-27; Galatians 5:13-26; 6:7-10). These two fight with each other (Romans 7:7-25). But as we are transformed by the renewing of our minds (Romans 12:2) with the Word of God and His Holy Spirit living in us (1 Corinthian 6:9) we abide in Christ (John 15:1-8) and we bear much fruit as branches from a vine should (John 15:5). We need to die to ourselves daily (crucify the sinful nature with its passions and desires - Galatians 5:24) and do the will of God (1 Corinthian 15:31; Romans 12:1; Luke 22:42; Matthew 6:9-13). So self-control is actually giving control to the Holy Spirit, who dwells in us, to do the will of God (Galatians 5:22-25). We are not to quench the Holy Spirit (1 Thessalonians 5:19) or grieve Him (Ephesians 4:30).

Now there are those that are involved in eating too much, overdosing on drugs, gambling, sexual acts, and drinking too much alcohol just to name a few things. Most of these are considered to be addictive behaviors, going from something very mild to ending up in tragedy (Romans 1:21-32). And it is obvious that all these issues end up in having serious consequences. Let us just consider the issue of drinking alcoholic beverages. It is interesting to note that one of Jesus’ first miracles was at a wedding where he turned water into wine (John 2:1-12). It also states in 1 Timothy 5:23 that the Apostle Paul told Timothy to take a little wine for his stomach and for frequent illnesses. But these two verses don’t advocate that moderation or self-control doesn’t apply! Some of the consequences of drinking too much alcohol could be:

Hangovers
Distorted vision, hearing, and coordination
Impaired judgment
Altered perceptions and emotions
Heart disease
Liver disease
Cancer of the esophagus and larynx.Pancreatitis

God is just

The justice of God can be seen in the following verses:

Deals with earth justly – Genesis 18:25
Justice is the foundation of His throne – Psalm 89:14
There is no injustice in God – Deuteronomy 32:4; Isaiah 30:18
God will not pervert justice – Job 34:12
God is the Almighty Judge – Job 34:17
God will judge in righteousness – Psalm 7:11
God judges all the earth – Genesis 18:25; Acts 17:31
God judges with equality – Psalm 96:10
God will judge men’s secrets – Romans 2:16
God does not show partiality – Deuteronomy 16:19
God loves justice – Psalm 99:4; Isaiah 61:8.

We can see from these verses that God is just. He cannot change the way He is (Malachi 3:6; Hebrews 13:8). He does not change His mind (Numbers 23:19; 1 Samuel 15:29; Isaiah 31:2). When He gave His laws to man, they could not be broken. His laws are Holy (Romans 7:12) and they reveal the Holiness of God (Romans 7:12). The laws reveal to man what sin is (Romans 7:7). When Hebrews 9:22 says, “…without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness” (1Peter 1:19; Hebrews 10:19), that’s what it means. Someone had to pay with blood for the breaking of God’s laws in order to be forgiven. But not just any blood would do. It had to be perfect and holy blood (Hebrews 9). Jesus offered Himself and His blood to pay the price for sin (Hebrews 7:27; 9:28). But Jesus was sinless (2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 Peter 2:22, 23; Hebrews 7:26-28; 1 John 3:4, 5; 1 Peter 1:18, 19; Hebrews 4:15; and 9:14). Yet He was the “lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). With His spotless blood (Hebrews 4:15; 7:26) He became a ransom for our sin (Hebrews 8:15). And with His blood, God accepted the sacrifice He made for sin (Hebrews 10:19; 9:22; 1 Peter 1:19). God’s justice is now satisfied and those who believe and are in Christ Jesus are not condemned for their sins (Romans 8:1). They are declared free from the law of sin and death (Romans 8:2).

It is interesting when we look at the life of Jesus. We learn several things about Him:

He was God. Isaiah 9:6; John 1:1; Revelation 1:8; 22:13, 16; John 8:58.
He was the Creator of the Universe. John 1:3, 10; Colossians 1:16; 1 Corinthians 8:6; Hebrews 1:2.
He became a man. John 1:14.
But He not only became a man, He became a servant which was the lowliest form of a man (Phil. 2:7).
He was born in a cattle trough in Bethlehem (Luke 2:7; Micah 5:2) which of itself is despicable for the Creator of the Universe (Colossians 1:16).
Born of a virgin (Isaiah 7:14) who had no sexual relations with her husband to be.
He lived his younger years as a carpenter’s son (Matthew 13:55).
He faced temptation just like humans (Hebrews 4:15).
Then later Jesus went through all kinds of experiences that we can read about in the four Gospels.
He was sinless. Hebrews 4:15; 7:26-28; 2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 Peter 2:22, 23; Luke 23:15, 47; Matthew 26:60; 27:54.
But He paid the price that God the Father demanded for sin (Hebrews 9:22) with his own blood (1 John 1:7; Hebrews 10:19, 22; Revelation 5:9; Matthew 26:28; Mark 14:24). He was accused of being the “Son of God” (Messiah - in Matthew 26:63; Mark 14:64; Luke 22:70; 23:2-3) which He never denied! In fact, He had proven He was “Messiah” by the different things He did like changing water into wine (John 2:1-11); healings (John 4:46-54; Matthew 12:22; Matthew 9:27-31; John 9:1-7); casting out demons (Mark 1:34); resurrecting the dead back to life (John 11:17-44); feeding of the five thousand (Matthew 14:14-21; Mark 6:34-44); miraculous signs (John 2:23; 3:2); walking on water (Matthew 14:24-33; Mark 6:45-52; John 6:16-21); and even forgiving sin (Matthew 9:2-6; Luke 5:24).And He went through the following things in order to pay for our sins:

They blindfolded Him and hit Him. Luke 27:64; Matthew 27:30.
They insulted Him. Luke 22:65; Mark 15:32.
They spit on Him. Matthew 27:38.
They flogged Him with 39 lashes on His back causing Him to bleed severely. John 19:1.
They accused him of being the Messiah. Matthew 26:63.
They crowned Him with thorns. John 19:2; Matthew 27:29.
They made Him carry His roman cross part of the way. John 19:17.
They stripped Him of His clothes, humiliating Him. John 19:23; Matthew 27:28.
They crucified Him on a roman cross along with 2 other criminals. He died considered a criminal. Luke 23:32-34.
They mocked Him. Luke 23:36.
People sneered at Him. Luke 23:35.
They nailed His hands to a roman cross. John 20:25.
He hung on the cross for 6 hours, from the third hour to the ninth hour. Mark 9:33.
They gave Him vinegar and water on a sponge for His thirst after 6 hours. John 19:29.
He died painfully. His heart was literally broken (John 19:34; Matthew 27:46-50).

Conclusion

So how could Jesus who is God, perfect and without fault, pay the price for my sin, the sin that I had committed? I ask, “Is that fair? Is that just?” And my answer would be: “of course not!” All that He suffered and died for was because He met God’s demands for justice. God is a just God. He cannot change. His justice about sin and the price for committing it had to be met and Jesus met it by paying the price with His own blood.

Galatians 6:7 says that what we reap was what was sown and we are reaping what was sown. But it was not part of God’s justice that He also displayed His mercy on us. Justice will be paid out at the Great White Thorn Judgment in Revelation 20:11-15. And many will be thrown into the Lake of Fire (Hell) for all of eternity because they will be “judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books” (Revelation 20:12). There we read that God will judge fairly and justly.

But His mercy was poured out on those who believe in Jesus, confess their sinfulness, and accept Jesus’ blood as the payment for their sin. To them there is no condemnation (Romans 8:1; Proverbs 28:13). May this be true of you and me!

Christian Answers Regarding Islam, by Dennis Swick

2008-01-30T00:51:00.000-08:00

1. The Koran does not contradict the Bible but supports it.

The Koran declares that it was written to confirm the previous revelations and not to replace the Bible according to Sura 5:48 which says,

“And We have sent down to you the Scripture with truth, authenticating what is present of the Scripture and superseding it. So judge between them by what God has sent down, and do not follow their desires from what has come to you of the truth. For each of you We have made laws, and a structure; and had God willed, He would have made you all one nation, but He tests you with what He has given you; so strive to do good. To God you will return all of you, and He will inform you regarding that in which you dispute.” (1)

2. The Koran references the Torah and the Injeel (Gospel).

The Injeel is one is one of the four Islamic Holy Books as revealed by Allah. It is sometimes is translated as “Gospel”. (2)

Sura 5:46, “And We sent in their footsteps Jesus the son of Mary, authenticating what was present with him of the Torah. And We gave him the Injeel, in it is guidance and light, and to authenticate what is present with him of the Torah, and a guidance and lesson for the righteous.” Sura 5:46 says that Christ confirmed that the Torah was the truth and that the Evangelicals have the light. (3)

3. According to the Koran, all sacred books are equal or the same.

Sura 2:285, “The messenger believes in what was sent down to him from his Lord. And the believer all who believe in God, and His angels, and His Scriptures, and His messengers: "We do not differentiate between any of His messengers"; and they said: "We hear and obey, forgive us O Lord, and to you is our destiny." (4) His Scriptures means that there are many.

Sura 2:136, Say: "We believe in God and in what was sent down to us and what was sent down to Abraham, and Ishmael, and Isaac, and Jacob, and the Patriarchs, and what was given to Moses and Jesus, and what was given to the prophets from their Lord; we do not make a distinction between any of them and to Him we surrender." (5) The Muslims don’t make any difference between one and the other.

Sura 4:136, Say: "We believe in God and in what was sent down to us and what was sent down to Abraham, and Ishmael, and Isaac, and Jacob, and the Patriarchs, and what was given to Moses and Jesus, and what was given to the prophets from their Lord; we do not make a distinction between any of them and to Him we surrender." (6) Any Muslim that ignores or does not appreciate any part of God's (Allah's) revelation in the Torah or the Gospels has greatly strayed.

4. The Koran considers the Bible to be preeminent.

Sura 10:94, “If you have any doubt regarding what is revealed to you from your Lord, then ask those who read the previous scripture. Indeed, the truth has come to you from your Lord. Do not be with the doubters.” (7) Give Mohammed one commandment and any Muslim must treat the Bible like a primary source of illumination.

5. The Koran recognizes that the Jews have the Word of God (Allah).

Sura 5:43, “And how can they make you their judge when they have the Torah, in which is God's judgment; then they turn away after that. Those are not believers.” (8) Mohammed says that the Jews have the law in front of them.

6. The Koran recognized that Christians have the Word of God (Allah).

Sura 5:47, “And let the people of the Injeel judge with what God has sent down in it. And whoever does not judge by what God has sent down, then these are the vile ones.” (9) Let the Evangelical people judge according to what Allah has revealed.

7. The Koran never accuses the Jews or Christians of changing the Original text of the manuscripts of the Bible.

8. The Learned Muslims maintain the integrity of the Bible.

The Caliph Mutawakkil (847-861A.D) did not accuse the Jews or Christians of ruining their scriptures. He admitted that the authenticity of the Torah and the Gospel was left in the hands of the Jews and Christians.

9. The Trinity: Islam does not accept the doctrine of the Trinity. (10)

The Muslims believe that the Holy Spirit is a force that emanated from God. They see Jesus as a prophet that came after John the Baptist. Sura 4:171 says,

“O people of the Scripture, do not overstep in your system, nor say about God except the truth. Jesus the son of Mary was no more than God's messenger and the fulfillment of His word to Mary, and a spirit from Him. So believe in God and His messengers, and do not Say: "Trinity." Cease, for it is better for you. God is only One god, be He glorified that He should have a son! To Him is all that is in the heavens and what is in the Earth. God is enough as a caretaker.” (11) The three Gods of Christianity are identified in the Koran as God, Jesus and Mary. (12)

But, the Bible teaches that God is One- Deuteronomy 6:4. It also teaches that the Father is God (Matthew 6:9), the Son is God (John 1:1, 8:58), and the Holy Spirit is God (Acts 5:4). It also alludes to the doctrine of the Trinity in Matthew 28: 18-20; Mark 1:9-11; John 1:1; 2 Corinthians 13:14. Christians do not believe in three Gods. Instead they believe that God is one in three persons. (13)

10. The Scriptures: Muslims believe that the Hebrews and Christian Scriptures have been corrupted and adulterated. Some Muslims believe that the Scriptures have been corrupted over time through the many translations made throughout the centuries. But the Koran teaches that the Bible is a true revelation of God. Sura 2:40-42,126,136,285; 3:3,71,93; 4:47,136; 5:47-51, 69,71-72; 6:91; 10:37,94; 21:7; 29:45,46; 35:31; 46:11. (14)

The Koran also teaches that no one can change the Word of God. Sura 6:34; 10:34. (15) The Bible and the Koran are divine. (16)

Christians believe that the Bible was inspired by God and therefore contains no errors (Hebrew 1:1-2; Matthew 5:18-19; 2 Timothy 3:16; Revelation 22:18-19; 2 Peter 1:19-21). (17) Here are is a reply to the argument that the Bible has been corrupted: Bible corrupted

11. Jesus Christ is God but Muslims deny that he displayed all the attributes of God.

The Koran teaches:

“The Messiah, Jesus the son of Mary, he was no more than God’s apostle . . . Say not “Trinity”: desist: it will be better for you: for God is but one God. God forbid that she should have a son!” (Sura 4:171) (18)
“Those who say: ‘The Lord of Mercy has begotten a son,’ preach a monstrous falsehood, at which the very heavens might crack…” (Sura 19:88-89)(19)
“They say: ‘God forbid that He Himself should beget a son!’ ” (Sura 19:29-) (20)
“They say: ‘Praise be to God who has never begotten a son; who has no partner in His Kingdom . . .’ ” (Sura 17:111) (21)
“They say: “(Allah) hath begotten a son!” - Glory be to Him! He is self- sufficient! His are all things in the heavens and on earth! No warrant have ye for this! say ye about Allah what ye know not? Say: “Those who invent a lie against Allah will never prosper.” (Sura 10:68-69) (22 )

I It is a mortal sin for Muslims to associate something with God that is co-equal with God. But Jesus was God according to Philippians 2:6.Jesus is also God according to John 1:1, John 8:58, John 10:30, John 14:9, John 28:20, Matthew 17:5, Colossians 1:15-17, Colossians 2:9. Titus 2:13, Isaiah 9:6, 2 Peter 1:1, and many more. (23)

112. Jesus was crucified on the cross but they claim it was someone else.

The Koran states in Sura 4:156-157 (in Arberry’s translation): "We (the Jews) slew the Messiah, Jesus son of Mary, the Messenger of God" - yet they did not slay him, neither crucified him, only a likeness of that was shown to them. ... and they slew him not of certainty - no indeed; God raised him up to Him; God is All-mighty, All-wise.” (24)

They believe that Judas was crucified in Jesus place, disguised also as Jesus, that even Mary and His disciples were tricked. There are other commentaries that exist which say that Simon of Cirene was the one who was crucified. At any rate, they are convinced that it was not Jesus.

The Bible teaches that Judas was a traitor to Jesus (Mark 14:10, 11, 43-45). Judas hung himself and died at a later time (Matthew 27:5). A detailed description of Jesus' crucifixion can be found in Matthew 27:32-66. His resurrection can be found in Matthew 28:1-15 and John 20: 1-23. (25)

13. Mankind is sinful according to the Bible but Islam disclaims original sin.

Muslims believe that man is born without original sin (Sura 2:255). There is no need of a savior to redeem man who is supposedly a sinner by nature. According to Sura 95:4, humans are created in the spiritual form and then are lowered to the material form. Sura 2:255 teaches that man is not the product of original sin. And Sura 31:33 teaches nobody is responsible for another’s sin. We are capable of redeeming ourselves by making amends for our failures.(26)

The Bible teaches that man is a sinner and that we were born with sin: Psalms 51:5; Romans 3:23; Romans 5:12, 19; Genesis 8:21. (27)

The Bible teaches that man cannot be saved by good works but in the faith and belief in the works and person of Jesus: Ephesians 2:8-9; Titus 3:5; Matthew 7:21; Acts 4:12; John 1:12; and many more. (28)

RESOURCES

(1) http://19.org/km/RK/5/48

(2) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Injil

(3) http://19.org/km/RK/5/46

(4) http://19.org/km/RK/2/285

(5) http://19.org/km/RK/2/136

(6) http://19.org/km/RK/2/136

(7) http://www.submission.org/suras/sura10.html

(8) http://19.org/km/RK/5/43

(9) http://19.org/km/RK/5/437

(10) J. Cabral, Religiones, Sectas y Herejias, ed. VIDA, 1980; Philip H. Lochhass, Cómo Responder al Islam, Ed. Concordia, 1977; Jerry Hill, "Islam", Frontiers; Dennis Swick; Philip H. Lochhass, Cómo Responder al Islam, Ed. Concordia, 1977.

(11) http://19.org/km/RK/4/171

(12) J. Cabral, Religiones, Sectas y Herejias, ed. VIDA, 1980; Philip H. Lochhass, Cómo Responder al Islam, Ed. Concordia, 1977; Jerry Hill, "Islam", Frontiers.

(13) Dennis Swick; Philip H. Lochhass, Cómo Responder al Islam, Ed. Concordia, 1977.

(14) http://www.bible.ca/islam/islam-bible-not-corrupted-early-muslims.htm

(15) http://www.bible.ca/islam/islam-bible-not-corrupted-early-muslims.htm

(16) J. Cabral, Religiones, Sectas y Herejias, ed. VIDA, 1980; Philip H. Lochhass, Cómo Responder al Islam, Ed. Concordia, 1977; Jerry Hill, "Islam", Frontiers.

(17) Dennis Swick; Philip H. Lochhass, Cómo Responder al Islam, Ed. Concordia, 1977.

(18) http://livingjourney.wordpress.com/2006/09/04/confessions-of-a-terrorist/

(19) Ibid

(20) Ibid

(21) Ibid

(22) Ibid

(23) Dennis Swick; Philip H. Lochhass, Cómo Responder al Islam, Ed. Concordia, 1977.

(24) http://answering-islam.org.uk/Green/test.htm

(25) Dennis Swick; Philip H. Lochhass, Cómo Responder al Islam, Ed. Concordia, 1977

(26) http://home.att.net/~a.f.aly/sin.htm

(27) Dennis Swick; Philip H. Lochhass, Cómo Responder al Islam, Ed. Concordia, 1977.

(28) Ibid.

God Suffers, by Dennis Swick

2008-01-25T22:18:00.000-08:00

The interesting thing about God is His love. But love sometimes involves suffering. Now God shows a person He really loves them by His actions. It says in 1 John 4:10, “This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins” (NIV). It also says in 1 John 4:8, “Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love” (niv). Love here is the Greek word “agape” and means “to choose to seek the best for others.” It is used as a reference to the self-sacrificing love of God for humanity. It is divine, volitional, unconditional, active, self-sacrificing, and thoughtful. In Matthew 22: 37 Jesus replied: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind ”(NIV). So we are to love God the same way He loves us. And God loves us because He cannot change. He is always the same! (Malachi 3:6)

An example of the love of God can be seen in the life of Moses. God loved Moses from the day he was born (Exodus 2:1) in Egypt till the day he died at 120 years of age in the wilderness, never entering into the Promised Land (Deuteronomy 34:5-7). The name Moses could mean “son of water” or “to pull out of water”. It is interesting that when he was a baby, he was set in a basket by his mother and drifted in the Nile River so that he would not be killed. His mother hoped that someone would find him and take care of him. The other interesting thing about Moses is that he is pivotal in the beliefs of Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Baha’i faith, Mormonism, Rastafarism, Raelism, and Chrislam.

God chose Moses to lead His people out of Egypt into the Promised Land (Hebrews 11:24-29; Exodus 2 – Deut. 34). Moses at first stated to God that he was not an eloquent speaker but God loved him and replied, “Who gave man his mouth? Who makes him deaf or dumb? Who gives him sight or makes him blind? Is it not I, the Lord? Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say” (Exodus 4:11). But Moses said to God, “O Lord, please send someone else to do it” (Ex. 4:13). Then God’s anger burned against Moses for saying this and not trusting God. And God chose his brother Aaron to speak. But God still loved Moses and He said to him, “…take this staff in your hand so you can perform miraculous signs with it” (Exodus 4:17). Some of the events that Moses was involved in were:

Moses and the bush that did not burn up. (Exodus 3).
Moses staff becomes a snake. (Exodus 7).
The 10 plagues that God sent on Pharaoh so that he would release the Israelites from Egypt.(Exodus 7-12).
God parting the Red Sea. The Israelites crossed on dry land while the Egyptian army drowned coming behind them. (Exodus 13–14).
God provided manna, quail, and water for the Israelites in the desert. (Exodus 15-17).
Moses received the 10 Commandments in oral form, Exodus 20-23, and in written form on two stone tablets in Exodus 34:1.
Moses and the elders of Israel got to see God (Exodus 24:9-11) but not His face (Genesis 43:3, 5: 44:23 Exodus 33:20).
Moses actually got to see the back parts of God (Exodus 33:23). God passed in front of Moses in Exodus 34:6-7 and said, “The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin.”
Moses and the brass serpent. (Numbers 21:4-9).

It is obvious that God performed many miracles for Moses because God loved him so much.

God suffers

But now let us turn our focus on suffering. Does God suffer? As it was said in the beginning, love sometime involves suffering. When one suffers, pain is usually felt. Pain itself is usually not considered a desired outcome of love. Here is an example of what suffering can be like with a woman that we will call Emily. She was a caring woman who experienced human emotions and loved very much the people around her. But one day she suffered severe pain due to a car accident she had. The accident caused so much damage to her car that it is was considered totaled. A large truck had hit the left side of her vehicle leaving the driver’s door not able to open. Emily staid in her seat not being able to move and was practically plastered to the steering wheel. Everything seemed to her like a night-mare. Some of the car windows were broken in pieces and she was experiencing severe pain due to the impact of the accident. Her muscles were screaming from the pain and her nerves ached with every move she made. The pain she continues to suffer is because of this accident which is impossible to describe in words. After the accident, she was taken by paramedics to a hospital where she was seen by a doctor. The doctor prescribed some pain medication. Emily took the medication for a while, but with no results. The medication did not take the pain away. The medication was very expensive but she kept on taking it hoping it would work. She hoped for some relief from the pain but there was no relief. The truth is that the pain was so strong, nothing helped. There was no remedy. Emily felt like she was living in a trap and the only way to escape was death. The best way to describe the sensation is like stating that she was living in a prison with no way of escape. In the meantime she had to work because she had to pay her food bills, medical bills and mortgage bill. But in the meantime, while she worked the pain increased. It was in effect, a vicious cycle. She had to deal with the excruciating pain but at the same time she had to work which caused the pain level to increase. In effect, she had to keep going no matter what life brought her way. From this story, we can see that Emily is human. She has emotions and feelings. She knows what it is like to feel anger towards the person that caused her so much pain and she would be very capable of explaining in her own words the meaning of pain and suffering.

In a way, God has also dealt with a situation similar to Emily’s. He has emotions just like Emily. He knows exactly what pain is like and He has suffered a lot over the generations dealing with pain but carrying on. We can see His emotions in these chapters of the Bible:

1. Deep pain - Genesis 6:5-6; Jeremiah 8:18-19; Ephesians 4:30.
2. Anger - Deuteronomy 29:19; 1 Samuel 16:14-23; Psalms 78:49.
3. Jealousy – James 4:5; Exodus 20:5; Deut. 4:24.
4. Love - 1 John 4:8.
5. Joy - Psalms 16:9, 11.
6. Compassion- Luke 15:20; Psalms 86:5, 15.
7. Friendliness- Jeremiah 9:24; Psalms 89:33; 107:8.
8. Rejoicing- Zephaniah 3:17.
9. Grace - Exodus 34:6; Psalms 86:5, 15.
10. Patience- Exodus 34:6; 2 Peter 3:9.
11. Laughter- Psalms 2:4, 37.
12. Gentleness- Psalms 86: 5, 15.
13. Mercy - Isaiah 60:10; 2 Chronicles 5:13; Psalms 100:5; 118:29; 135:3.

We also know that Jesus is 100% God and is 100% man. He too had feelings. These are some of the emotions He showed in the Bible:

Jesus experienced pain and bled: 1 Peter 3:18, John 18:1-34.
Jesus was tempted but did not sin: Hebrews 4:15.
Jesus cried tears of tenderness and pain: John 11:35, Isaiah 53:3.
Jesus was full of compassion: Matthew 9:36.
Jesus had a sense of humor: Luke 12:32; Mark 3:17.
Jesus could become angry: John 2:13-17; Matthew 21:12-13; Mark 11:15-18, Luke 19:45-46.
Jesus loved the people: 1 John 3:16.

The conclusion then is that these Biblical passages show that God has emotions.

The All Knowing God

Now the next point that we want to discuss is the Omniscience of God. Omniscience means, “There is nothing that God does not know”. We can see this in Jeremiah 17:10, "I the Lord search the heart and examine the mind, to reward a man according to his conduct, according to what his deeds deserve." James 1:5 says, "If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him." And John 18:4 shows us that Jesus knew everything that would happen to Him before it took place.

Now, if God knew that Adam and Lucifer (Satan) would become rebellious and fall, why did he create them? To me, this situation does not make sense. Why would I want to go on with my plans if I knew that the end would be terrible? If it was me, I would have changed my plans. I think it would have been better for God to put an end to the plans he started and make a new set of plans. If I were in God's place and I knew that I could feel anger or feel pain about my creation sinning (doing what I didn’t want them to do), it would be better for me to do what God almost did in Genesis 6 and terminate mankind. In Genesis 6:6-8 we read, “The Lord was grieved that he had made man on the earth, and his heart was filled with pain. So the Lord said, ‘I will wipe mankind, whom I have created, from the face of the earth…for I am grieved that I have made them.’ But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord.” (NIV) In other words, if I had regretted creating man, I could have destroyed mankind and all creation. But that was not what God did. Even though God knows everything, He kept on going with His plans. It is obvious that God could have done whatever He pleased, but He did not. Even with the pain and suffering, God used Noah and allowed Satan to keep on going with his demons (as we see in Ephesians 6:12). God allowed man to follow his own course (as we see in 1 Timothy 5:24 and Revelation 3:20). By allowing this, He was able to demonstrate his patience plus we could see that God does suffer ---“The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance”- 2 Peter 3:9. (NIV)

Satan’s plan

Satan is very intelligent according to Ezequiel 28:12. In fact, he is the most superior of all the angelic creatures (Ezekiel 28:12). Ezekiel 28:11-15 says of Satan, “You were the model of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty…. You were anointed as a guardian cherub….
You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created” (NIV). But then in Ezekiel 28:16-19 we see of Satan, “Through your widespread trade you were filled with violence, and you sinned…Your heart became proud on account of your beauty, and you corrupted your wisdom because of your splendor” (NIV). But Satan’s downfall is found in Isaiah 14:13-14 where he says, “I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my thrown above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of the sacred mountain. I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High” (NIV). Satan wanted to be God!

These are some of the things we see in Scripture about Satan:

He knows Scripture (Matthew 4:6, Luke 43)
He knows God's plans from the beginning as he was there in the Garden of Eden (Gen. 3:4).
He knows Genesis 3:15, Isaiah 52, and 53. In Isaiah 53:7 it talks about a lamb and in John 1:29 it says that Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. So Satan knows that Jesus had to shed his blood.
Satan knows all the prophecies regarding the Messiah like Psalm 16:10; Zechariah 12:10; Psalms 132:11; Isaiah 7:14; Micah 5:2; or Zachariah 9:9; 11:12,13; 13:7.
He deceives everyone (Revelation 12:9).
He is a slanderer (Job 1:6-11; Revelation 12:10).
He is an accuser (Job 1:6-11; Revelation 12:10).
He is full of pride (1 Timothy 3:6).
He hinders answers to prayer (Daniel 10:12-20).
He instigates jealousy (James 3:13-16).
He tempts one to sin (Matthew 4:1-11, 1 Corinthians 5:7).
He is a liar and murderer (John 8:44, Gen. 3:4).
He masquerades as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14).
He plants doubts in the minds of believers (Gen. 3:1-5).
He prowls around like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour (1 Peter 5:8).
But obviously Satan can’t know everything (Job 1:12). He isn’t God (1 John 3:20).

Now given that Satan was God’s highest created being (Ezekiel 28:12) and given that he decided he wanted to be like God (Isaiah 14:14), then it is to be concluded that we are dealing with a creation that far supersedes anything else in its class. In fact, Satan is so at the top of everything that even a third of God’s created angels decided to follow him. (Revelation 12:4).

But we should also take into account that God gave Satan a will to choose with and with this will he choose to be like God (Isaiah 14:14) instead of being a cherubim (Ezekiel 28:14). And with this will, Satan could only choose once. He could never go back and choose to be what he was before. So knowing he can’t go back, Satan can’t change. He will always be a liar, a murderer, an accuser, a tempter, etcetera, and etcetera. Given this then, it makes sense why God suffers. Here are the reasons:

We see that Satan's plan from the beginning was to kill the Son of God from the time he was born in Bethlehem (Matthew 2: 13-16). Satan must have thought that by doing this, God would loose the prize of reigning over all mankind and Satan would become the winner. But instead of being the winner in the end, Satan was the loser.

Some of the Scriptures that show Satan’s schemes during the time of Christ on this earth were:

Satan used King Herod to kill all the male children that were under two years old (Matthew 2:13-16).
Satan tempted Jesus in the wilderness hoping that He would fall into his trap (Matthew 4:1-11; Isaiah 14:12).
Satan used the Pharisees to kill Jesus (Matthew 12:14).
Satan used Jesus' own disciples to cause Him pain (Matthew 16:23).
Satan used religious people in order to put Jesus (and His authority) on trial (Matthew 21:23).
Satan wanted Jesus to disappear. We see this by Judas's acts with his kiss when he betrayed Jesus (Matthew 26:14-16, 49-50; John 18:1-9).
Satan was behind Jesus' arrest and crucifixion, but he wasn’t unaware of God's great plan for salvation (Matthew 17:50; 26:57; John 18:212; 19:17-37).

Satan’s plan was to win and he took a risk. He believed that by killing Jesus that he would ruin God's plans. The only thing is, the opposite result happened! Instead of Satan winning, he was actually helping God with His plans for our eternal salvation. We know that Jesus came to earth to pay the price of our sins with His blood (Hebrews 9:22-28). He paid for our sins and died on the cross (Matthew 26:2). Jesus was our living sacrifice all because he paid for our sins with his blood.

Romans 8:28 proves this to be true. And now there are just three things that Scripture teaches that are left for Satan:

He will be tied up for 1,000 years in a bottomless pit (Revelation 20:2-3).
He will be let loose from that prison for a little while (Revelation 20:10).
After all this he will be thrown in the lake of fire forever (Revelation 20:10; Romans 17:12).

So we see that according to Scripture, Satan wanted to be like God (Isaiah 14:14). He took a chance and believed that by killing the Son of God he could be "King over everything”, i.e. he could be like “God” which is exactly what he wanted (Isaiah 14:14). But that is not what happened. Satan was well aware that he lost the battle. He knew what Scripture said but he took a chance anyways. And the only thing Satan has left before going to the bottomless pit is to make God suffer. Why? Because Satan lost the battle for man’s salvation so the only thing left for him is to do is to make God suffer and cause God grief before he has to go to that lake of fire.

Satan knows that God has emotions and there are many ways to make God suffer and feel pain. As it was stated, Satan can’t change. The only thing he has left is to make God suffer (Revelation 20:3 and John 8:44). These are a few passages that prove this:

Not walking by the Holy Spirit makes God suffer: Ephesians 5: 13-15; 1 John 1:6.
Not accepting Christ as your personal savior makes God suffer: 1 John 5:11-16.
Associating ourselves with people that call themselves Christian, but aren't because they are involved in promiscuous sex or are idolaters, drunks and stealers makes God suffer: 1 Corinthians 5:11.
To live worldly lives. Not dying to ourselves and earthly possessions makes God suffer: 1 John 2:16; Romans 6:11-14; Romans 12:1.
Conforming to the things of this world, not transforming our minds with the word of God to do His will makes God suffer: Romans 12:2.
To have a proud atitude acting like I am the most important thing in this world makes God suffer: Romans 6:11; 12:3.
Sinning without giving it a second thought makes God suffer: 1 John 3:6.
Not loving anyone, not even our enemies makes God suffer: 1 John 3:10.
Following false prophets makes God suffer: 2 Peter 2:1-22.
Causing divisions and creating conflict. Not being united with other believers makes God suffer: Romans 16:17; John 17:11.

Conclusion

From the very beginning of time with the creation of God being so perfect (Gen. 1:31), we have clearly seen that despite God knowing everything (Jer. 17:10), He can still suffer (Gen. 6:6). Satan, with every scheme that he could devise, tried his best to stop the plans of God and be just like God (Isaiah 14:13-14). He was determined to stop Jesus Christ and whatever plans God had for sending Him here to earth (John 1:10-12) to pay the price for our sins (1 Peter 1:19-20). But after failing miserably (Romans 8:37 ), and knowing his reward would be going to hell forever (Rev. 20:10), the only thing left for him while he still has time is to make God suffer. That is why, without us really thinking about it, God suffers. May we not cause Him to suffer more pain but instead love and obey Him! (Mark 12:29-33; 2 John 1:6).

My dad's testimony

2007-11-10T20:51:00.000-08:00

My Brain Cancer Testimony

By Dennis Swick

Sometimes life is like a roller coaster with lots of ups and downs. I sometimes ask myself, "If there is a God that loves and is powerful, why are there so many people in the world that have to suffer?" My answer would still be that with everything that has happened to me, God exists and He does love and is powerful. Please keep reading.

I was born in Los Angeles, California on December 9, 1952. My wife and I lived in Spain starting in May of 1982. My wife Nanette was born in Jamaica and lived in Mexico and later in the Philippines (being a missionary kid). She was the youngest daughter of missionaries Burton and Glenna Clark who are with Wycliffe Bible Translators. We were married June14, 1975 and it was the same day that I had graduated from the University of California at Irvine with my B.A. in History. I came to Spain with Type 1 or “child” diabetes and I had to give myself a shot of insulin every time I ate. I have had the disease for 50 years as of August of 2007. I was grateful when I got a medal from Jostlins for having it so long. Now I am using a Medtronic insulin pump and it is great! But the years of having low blood sugars and those particular moments with low blood sugars will still be with me for a long time. One example of this, that I will leave you, is that a normal person has a blood sugar in the range of 80 to 120. At one time I had a blood sugar of 22. I know that because I had a car accident and some paramedics came, took my blood sugar, and told me that is what I had. While in Spain, I had to check my blood with a glucose monitor 4 times a day. And even then, one time in Spain my A1C (a blood sugar measurement used for three months) was at 8.2 which it is suppose to be around 6.5. But this whole subject by itself is another story!

When we first arrived in Barcelona, we had to go to language school and learn Spanish. I also went to the University of Barcelona for one year taking 4 classes in Spanish. Our daughter Megan was only 4 years old when we arrived and she began school there in Barcelona.

I also remember that in 1984 my parents flew over to Barcelona and my family and I went to the Clinica Barrequer (an eye clinic) in Barcelona because they were going to do laser treatment on my two eye surgeries on my retinas due to my diabetes. In the clinic we waited until the doctor called me into a room. There he put a metal object in my eye to keep it open and then he began to shoot the laser beam at the veins growing inside my eye. As he shot the laser, I could see green branches of trees lighting up. Then he did the same thing to my other eye. He actually told me he was making small burns on the veins in my eyes and he was cutting off the small growths so that the veins would be stronger with the blood flow. After he was done, he covered both eyes with bandages and told me I needed to lie still for about 16 hours while my eyes healed. So we went to a hotel and I laid down there while my family took a visit of the city. The next day, they took the bandages off my eyes and I could see like through a fog, but none-the-less I could see. Then they drove me home which was also in Barcelona. But if you’ve never been to Barcelona, it is a very big city. It is so very compact and yet is full of history. It is very European and yet so cosmopolitan in style. From my experience, it has a different feel from living in Madrid!

My second daughter April was born the same day as my wife’s 29 birthday in a hospital in Gerona, the capital of the province of Gerona, which is about a hour and a half north of Barcelona. We lived in Barcelona for 2 years and we attended a Brethren Church there called La Bisbal. We lived near my boss, Daniel Gonzalez of Bible Correspondence Courses. After 1982 we moved to the province of Gerona in 1984 to a town called Salt. But the reason my daughter April was born in Gerona before 1984 was because we had driven up to Gerona to attend a camp and while there, Nanette broke her water and April was born in the Clinica Gerona.

Now in 1984, we had a DECISION campaign in Salt where several evangelical Spaniards came to help get an evangelical church started. You see, I was a church planter and in Salt there was no Evangelical Protestant Church. The city had about 15,000 people. John Blake was heading up DECISION, which was connected to the Billy Graham organization. My team members were Ray and Xenia Rendon, David and Debbie Frank and George and Alice Huggins and later Andy and Claude Lopez, all members of G.E.M. (Greater Europe Mission) the first mission agency we went with.

During our time in Salt we learned their language of “Catalan”, which is quite different from Spanish. In 1985 and 1989, I was also able to do two art expositions of my paintings in the cultural center of Salt called ‘LES BERNARDES’ and I even got into a newspaper. I also started a ministry to people involved in cult groups like the Jehovah’s Witnesses. Also while in Salt, my wife and I sang a lot wherever we were invited. We recorded two cassettes called ‘Paso a Paso’ (Step by Step) and ‘A Tu Lado’ (Next to you) with Alex Blanco in his studio in Barcelona and we became very close to Jim and Joyce Phillips. It was just amazing to me the times we got to hear our voices on the radio, sing in the Palace in Montjuic in the city of Barcelona, or do concerts up in Gerona.

Aside from all these memories, something very tragic happened to us in Gerona that I’ll never be able to forget. In the month of September of 1985 we had a bad car accident between Gerona and Figueras on the National Highway (which had two lanes of traffic). Figueras is about 45 minutes north of Gerona. I was driving a white Renault 14 up a hill with Nanette sitting next to me in the passenger seat and Ray and Xenia Rendon sitting behind me. We were all heading for a team meeting in Figueres to the apartment of the Huggins. As I was driving up this hill, a Mercedes van turned right in front of me. He didn’t have his turning signal on. He was going down the hill fast and I had no idea that he was going to turn his van right in front of me. When I finally saw that he was going to turn, I tried to miss him. I knew that if I went to the right I would go into a ditch so I turned to the left where I knew that traffic was coming. But unfortunately I hit him instead. The side of his van was right in front of me. The front of my Renault smashed into him like an accordion. Ray and Xenia went flying forward, as seatbelts weren’t required back then. And Nanette had both the impact of the engine coming through the glove compartment and the thrust of Xenia pushing Nanette’s seat forward. And it happened so quickly we were all in a daze. Those that had stopped their cars had to take Nanette out of the seat and lay her on the ground in hopes that an ambulance would come and help her. She was in terrible pain! I was fine, amazing as that may be, and was trying to direct traffic as there were no State police to be seen and the traffic had built up on both sides of the road. Finally about 30 minutes later an ambulance came and took Nanette and Xenia, who was also hurt, to a hospital in Gerona. Later when I asked the driver of the van why he turned in front of me, he replied: “I didn’t see you. The sun was in my eyes”.

Since that accident, Nanette has had three major operations. In two of them they had to cut bone out of her hip and then place the bone between her 6^th and 7^th vertebrae in her spine. And in both operations she was in bed for three months each so the total was six months in bed. And when she got out of the bed to go the bathroom, she had to wear a hard plastic brace on her neck. Then later after the three months had passed, she had to wear the hard collar brace again. We were hoping with the first operation that the pain would get better. But it didn’t. And with the second operation that was done later, we had hoped the same thing, that the surgery would help the pain. But it didn’t. The pain with time became more intense. She has tried everything imaginable to deal with the pain from swimming pool exercises, electric shock treatments, cortisone injections, electric nerve conductions, acupuncture, chiropractic measures, massages, and using magnets but nothing has worked. She does not sleep soundly at night because the pain keeps her awake and some times she is in tears because it hurts so much. At one point I believe she was taking several pain medicines a day, the strongest being “vicodin” (which is addictive I am told). She said that it only took the “edge off” the pain. One night, when we were living in Madrid in 1988, she wrote this poem:

You burn; you stab

You throb, you jab

You’re sharp or dull

But never a lull

Constant companion

Insistent instructor

Stealing my sleep

Poisoning my plans

Reaching down deeper

Than remedies can

Acquired identity

Now you’re an entity

Living in body and soul

Sometimes I defy you

Sometimes I just try to

Who will be stronger today?

Defeat what I would do

Complete what I could be

‘Till death comes to take you away

Madrid

We left the church in Salt, Gerona in 1991 with the hopes that the new Spanish pastor there would be great and so we moved to Móstoles, Madrid where we worked with the FIEIDE (The Federation of Evangelical Churches of Spain). As time passed, we found out later that the church in Salt doesn’t exist anymore. But in Móstoles our new Spanish pastor was Francisco Portillo. His wife was Jeanette Van Deist, who was a missionary kid of the Van Deists, also missionaries of our home church in California. And part of the reason why we moved to Madrid was because my daughter Megan had to go to the hospital in Gerona very often because of her asthma. But in Madrid she was better. In Móstoles my boss was John Bernard (now the president of United World Missions) and we did all kinds of things together. My main objective was to plant a church in Navalcarnero near by Móstoles which had no evangelical church in it. It had about 13,000 people. Some members of the Móstoles church and I covered the town of Navalcarnero using Bible study tracts and going door to door covering the town about 3 different times. But nothing happened. Then we started a Bible study in the town but with time that fizzled out. It was during that time that I was also doing some research work for the FIEIDE, some work amongst cult groups, teaching Apologetics at a Bible School called SEFOVAN, and Nanette and I were singing in different churches. With the situation as it was with Navalcarnero, I decided to change roles and began working with John Blake and the DECISION team doing more research along with my other activities. During this time Nanette and I joined the huge choir that came from different parts of Spain that was evangelical. It was led by Daniel Hollingsworth who was a music director of a church in the state of Washington in North America. Under his direction we sang Handel’s “Messiah” in Spanish in various churches and Major National Auditoriums in Northern Spain. We even sang in the National Auditorium in Madrid that appeared on TV2, which is the second largest television station in Spain. Nanette and I also sang in the Gospel Choir of Madrid with Nancy Rodeman who was director and we were filmed in a video at the LLAMADA ’93 conference held for Spaniards by the Pocket Testament League run by Esther Rodriguez. In 1998, we took a trip to the Canary Islands with SEFOVAN and we sang and I later went there to teach Apologetics. Dennis Murphy was the pastor of the church in Jinámar and we had such a good time together. He was from Northern Ireland and we stayed in his apartment. But during this time, my upper left arm had tendonitis and it was hurting me a lot. And I remember waking up in the morning with pain. I would just pray but then as the day went on the pain would subside.

But it all really came to a head when Nanette, April and I drove town to Seville (about a 10 hour drive south of Madrid) to sing for DECISION. At that point I was beginning to have double vision, seeing two things instead of just one. I thought to myself, “It will just go away with time”. We sang in a church there and had a great time with the people but afterwards when we drove back to Madrid at night time, I could hardly see the white stripe in the middle of the road. I was seeing four and there were only two. And the lights coming my way were driving me nuts. So I pulled the car over at a restaurant half way to Madrid and asked Nanette to drive April and I back. I was afraid that I was going to have an accident. And it was at that point that Nanette said to me --- I needed to see a doctor.

The Brain Tumor

The following day I went to see an Ophthalmologist in Madrid and he told me that I needed to wear an eye patch over the right eye. I wore the patch but I looked like a pirate. And Nanette was afraid that I was going to have an accident driving the car with a patch on. But Praise God, nothing ever happened! I wore the patch for about two weeks and then went back to see the Ophthalmologist. He removed the patch but I still saw double. So he said I needed to go see another Ophthalmologist. When I went to see her, she did all kinds of tests on my eyes and then gave me a prescription to have an MRI (Magnetic Resonance Image) done at Hospital Clínico in Madrid. I had never had an MRI before so I had no idea what that was all about. I remember going there, getting on a metal table, then they put me through this metal tube, and I felt very closterphobic (as there is about 6 inches to a foot of room between your nose and the roof of the tube). The sound itself was incredible! I thought I was in a spaceship. It sounded like a mixture of machine guns firing with jack hammers drilling. But later I found out why it was so bad. I didn’t have on ear plugs! When I got home that night, I was so relieved. I really didn’t want to go through that again. But to my surprise, the nurse called me up on the telephone and said, “By the way. We forgot to give you the dye injection. Can you please come in tomorrow?” Oh well, so much for hoping I was all finished, ha-ha!

After seeing the surgeon (Dr. Matas was his name) on May 3, 1999, I was told that my MRI showed I had a cancerous brain tumor and he wanted to operate on me in three days or I would die. I called up Nanette later and told her the report and said I was coming home. She thought I was just kidding telling her I had a brain tumor, as I told her lots of jokes. But this time I was serious! I found out later that I had an ependymoma which was in one of my four ventricles where the fluid in my spine is made and it was 4.4 x 2.5 x 3.5 centimeters. Well, after seeing the photos it was obvious that I had a brain tumor. It was growing and had to be operated on. Nanette and I were in shock! So we took the photos to another Doctor to get a second opinion and he told us I had 10 days instead of 3 to be operated on or I would die. So we had to leave Spain as quickly as we could as I didn’t want to be operated on in Madrid. I called my parents on the telephone in California about my situation and they started looking for a surgeon. We hoped that our daughter April could finish up the 10^th grade as she had only one month left of school. But the doctor said I didn’t have a month. I only had 10 days. So we pulled her out of school. There wasn’t any time to say our goodbyes to friends and that was difficult! It also was at that time that Nanette was working on a CD called “Pilgrim” with Rodolfo Loyola of http://www.advero.com and she had 10 songs nearly done but only lacked 3. But with this situation, she wasn’t able to finish the CD. Yet God in his mercy used Rodolfo in this situation as Rodolfo worked for Delta airlines in Madrid. He told us it might be possible for us to fly out on “standby”. The day we went to the airport, Rodolfo had hoped that we could get on a Delta airline. We waited till everyone boarded but then found out the plane was full. They were not allowing anymore passengers on board. At that point I was so distraught. I was not doing well and this news was like “over the edge” for me. But then at that same moment, we received a new notice that they would take me, so two close friends carried me through customs and got me on the plane. Once there I found out that the pilot wouldn’t fly me unless I had a letter from a Doctor explaining my situation. Well, I had no such letter. Then Adolfo talked with him by phone. He said something to the pilot and then the pilot let me stay. And Nanette and April boarded and sat by my side, as two people next to me moved for them. I was so happy! I was finally going to California to be operated on.

The Cancer

When we finally arrived at the Los Angeles airport, my parents and Nanette’s parents were there to pick us up. I found out later that I looked terrible and I had lost a lot of weight. The neurosurgeon was Dr. Dennis Malkasian who operated on me at St. Joseph’s Hospital and the operation took place on the 10^th day, just like it was to be. That in itself was a miracle of God considering all that could have happened in the meantime! The cancer operation was supposed to be about 15 hours but it only took 10. During the operation I was in a metal apparatus where my head could not move. I had tubes coming out of my head and a piece of my scull had to be sawn away to remove the tumor. But during the surgery many were there in the waiting room praying for the doctors operating on me. I thought I was going to die but I guess God had another plan in mind. After the operation I was in the ICU (Intensive Care Unit) for 16 days as the nurses had to watch me around the clock. Then they moved me to another room. Many came to see me and that wasn’t easy as they had to wear a mask, a plastic robe, and gloves in order to just see me. While I was in the hospital, they had to take a lot of x-rays and ultrasounds. And at one point they found a blood clot near my lungs. In another surgery they went up my leg vein into the heart area with a small plastic tube that included a TV Monitor. Fortunately for me, the blood clot had disappeared so they removed the tube from my leg and told me not to move for 16 hours while it healed shut. Believe me, I didn’t move at all for the 16 hours because I didn’t want to go through that whole procedure again!

During the time I was in the hospital it was hard going to the bathroom and having to ask for help. I vomited on several occasions and they had to put IV’s with insulin in it to keep me on track with my sugars. It got tiring as well when they had to come at night and take my blood to see if my glucose was high or low. And Hospital food, that’s another story! I remember one day when my family came to visit me and my cousins came. They had just brought me my hospital food and I was staring at it. The meat was round and looked like press board in the shape of a Frisbee. My cousin dared my daughter April one dollar if she would eat it. That made me laugh so hard!!!

Another memory I’ll never forget. One day my uncle Ron Swick came to the hospital to see me and he was carrying a metal lunch box. And I thought to myself, “What’s inside of it?” Well, believe it or not, it contained bread and a few cups with drink for serving communion. I remember Nanette, my parents, my uncles and the person from the other bed and his family all being together in our hospital room. My uncle explained the gospel and said that we were all sinners but Christ died and paid for our sins with his blood. If we believed in Jesus and what He had done for us on the cross, we could be saved and go to live with God for all of eternity. The bread represented His body being broken for us on the cross and the drink represented his blood that paid for our sins. Then we ate the communion together. It was such a special moment to me!

Later on, when I was ready to leave the hospital after being there for several weeks, I remember them getting me a wheel chair and taking me down the elevator where a car would be waiting to pick me up. Well, I got downstairs before the car came and as I went outside I noticed the sky. It was so blue to me. And the weeds on the ground had little yellow flowers and I remember just staring at them and thinking, “I am alive and I haven’t even noticed how beautiful things are. Why didn’t I notice these things before?” And in this moment I gave God thanks for just being alive and seeing how precious He had made everything that I had taken for granted.

Then much later, they had to give me 27 sessions of radiation therapy. At times I vomited and it wasn’t fun at all. At times it really tired me out. I felt like someone “unplugged” me being so tired. In the beginning they wanted to do chemotherapy on me, but they decided against that because it would mix with the insulin I had to inject and would mess up everything. So I went through radiation treatment. Going through radiation therapy, they first made me a hardened basketball net soaked in plaster that fit over my skull. When they put it on, it was snug. I went in every morning for the sessions for about 6 weeks except for Saturday and Sunday. After I arrived in the room, I would lie down on a metal table and they would snap the head piece/net down on the table so it couldn’t move. Then they would adjust the radiation machine and then leave. They would turn out the lights and then begin the radiation sessions on my skull. The sessions really didn’t last but for more than a few minutes. It took more time for the preparation then the actual session. But I remember one time the girl got everything all set up and in place and was going to leave and then asked me if everything was okay. I said to her, in a joking manner, “Oh, can’t you stay here with me? You really don’t have to leave (---I knowing full well that radiation is supposed to cause cancer)!” Throughout the radiation sessions I did lose some hair, but not a lot. But it did make me vomit later on. My family was concerned as this could affect my diabetes as well and Nanette and April had to rescue me out of a few diabetic commas! Nanette at that point called the doctor and he changed my medication and this helped a lot. And with time I got better.

After everything was completed, I saw the surgeon again and he told me my tumor was very rare. He had treated over the course of years just two people with my kind of cancer and both of them died quickly. He also told us that because I had this kind of cancer, I couldn’t go back to live in Spain again. And during this time all kinds of friends from Spain called and asked about how I was doing. I recall clearly telling Nanette one time when they called that I could not talk to them. It made me depressed so much just remembering them and the times we had spent together. But praise God! I did better over the next few months and on my third time to see him, I had an MRI done that showed no growth of the tumor and he asked me, “What would you like to do?” And I told him, “I know you told me I couldn’t return to Spain, but I want to go back!” At that point, I was doing so well that he said, “Okay, but only for a year.” And I can’t tell you how happy I was to hear that. Nanette was so happy to hear that. Shouts of joy came out of our mouths!

Four phases we go through

On my fourth visit to the surgeon, before I went to Spain, I remember sitting in the waiting room to see Dr. Malkasian. And as I was waiting, there was another patient before my turn. We got talking and he said something I will never forgot. He explained to me that many people that are operated on go through depression periods and many ask themselves the question, “Why do I have this cancer?” “What did I do to deserve this?” As he said this to me, I was reflecting on myself asking the same questions. After investigating this a little further, I realized there are four phases that cancer patients go through. They are: First, denial of the truth; Second, angry over the truth; Third, go through depression asking themselves, “Why me?” “What have I done to deserve this?”; and Fourth, accepting the situation and moving on with life. All of us without exception go through these four stages with cancer. In my situation, in the beginning, I thought it was just a bad joke. Then I was mad about it but that didn’t last long. Then later I was depressed about it and thought to myself, “What have I done to deserve this?” But after thinking about this, and trying to think if there was something I did that I shouldn’t have done, I couldn’t come up with a reason. And in Matthew 5:45 it says, “…and [He] sends rain on the righteous and unrighteous”. So in other words, I just got rained on…that’s all! And lastly, I just accepted my condition. I realized “it’s just spilt milk”. And it’s not really “what you get but rather, what do you do once you get it?”

Clips from life

Joni Eareckson Tada, who is cuadrapeligic, wrote a book with her testimony and also has a movie that DECISION has called “Joni”. In one of her books she states this Bible verse, “Because the love of Christ constrains us…” (2 Corinthians 5:14). An Evangelical pastor went to pick her up at an airport that was near a swamp. This swamp had barricades built on both sides so that the stagnant water would flow through. She said, as she saw this swamp that the word “constrain” means just what she saw. That the love of Christ would flow more and more because of the barricades (the sufferings) would allow the love of God to flow freely without being stopped up. I liked this explication of the verse very much!

Another story that helped me very much was from the book A Sacred Romance by Brent Curtis and John Elderidge. I remember writing a comment about the book and it was published in a newspaper shortly there after. One of the illustrations of the book that helped me a lot came from John Elderidge who said that God was like an author and director of a play. We as actors have an important role to play in the production of life and when it is our turn, we come in and play our part. And when the part is done, we leave. And it is all according to how God directs the play. From this explanation, it was clear to me that my role was very important.

A third book I read which helped me very much was by the Japanese Tomihiro Hoshino. Two missionaries, Yutaka and Yayoi Ikeda, sent me two of his books from Japan. Tomihiro was in the hospital for 9 years looking at the ceiling because it was impossible for him to move. He was cuadrapeligic. His accident happened from a gymnastics exercise in Japan. Through his 9 years of pure boredom he learned to paint flowers with his mouth. He would take a paint brush and paint beautiful flowers with his mouth. Looking at his art work, they were so incredible. The flowers he painted were so delicate and yet so real. But one of his books really called my attention. It was called, The Road that Little Bells Ring. In the story, he tells of how he would travel around in a wheel chair from place to place. But he said he didn’t like the bumpy roads at all. One day he received a gift of some little bells but he didn’t know where to put them. Then he said, “I am going to put them on my wheelchair”. And as any traveler in a wheelchair knows, there are many bumpy roads you have to travel and he was accustomed to them, but didn’t like them one bit! But after attaching these little bells to his wheelchair, they began to ring with each jerk the wheelchair made. And their sound was music to his ears! He liked the sound so much that he ended up liking the jerks and terrible jolts that he endured in the wheelchair. And I thought to myself, “I should be grateful and content for the problems I have to endure because like little bells, the grace of God rings clear for me!”

In closing this section, Ted Blake, the son of John Blake, wrote an article on March 3, 2001 in a bulletin of Decisions, number 3. It stated, “God spoke directly to Jacob on seven occasions. All of them occurred at important moments of his life. The message was told him that he was chosen by God and God was with him (Genesis 28:13-15). He was not to worry (Genesis 31:3, 11-13). And ultimately, they confirmed what his sons had told him that Joseph was still alive (Genesis 46:2). When his sons came home one day, with Joseph’s tunic covered in blood, they said that Joseph had died. But God knew the truth. God loved Jacob. God saw his affliction but he said nothing to Jacob. And I imagine Jacob was crying out to God saying, ‘Why? These dreams that I had, did they not come from you?’ I could imagine Jacob hurt with God for the loss of his favorite son. He could have asked God, ‘What have I done wrong?’ Jeremiah 33:3 says, ‘Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.’ But God did not respond to him with, ‘Jacob, do not worry. Your son is fine. I am taking care of him. I have a marvelous plan for him that you can’t know yet.’ Instead, Jacob was left in the dark and thought his son was dead. The pain he must have felt, sending Joseph to watch over his brothers and then the brothers returning with Joseph’s tunic all covered in blood. It’s easy to fall into the temptation and think: ‘God has abandoned me. If God wanted, He wouldn’t have allowed this to happen.’ But this is a lie! God does not leave us nor abandon us (Hebrews 13:5). It was because of God’s love that He permitted this to happen. God was preparing things to help protect Jacob and his family in the future. If Jacob had of known that his son was still alive, he would have gone out and searched for him and rescued him and brought him back home. But this would have destroyed God’s plan. And it is interesting to see that the silence of God about this particular situation lasted for 20 years. But the silence was broken when Jacob’s sons told him that Joseph was still alive and Jacob went to Egypt to see him (Genesis 46:2). Joseph’s testimony confirms that God devised everything in order that Jacob’s family and the lives of many, perhaps millions of people in Egypt and all around him, could be saved. [It also preserved the Messianic genealogical line, the tribe of Judah, which was the other brother of Joseph]. ‘And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you. For two years now there has been famine in the land, and for the next five years there will not be plowing and reaping. But God sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance. So then, it was not you who sent me here but God. He made me father to Pharaoh, lord of his entire household and ruler of all Egypt.’ (Gen. 45:5-8) Jacob lived with his pain and silence for 20 years but in the end he found out why. We don’t always know the reason why things happen. But God being silent at times is a sample of His love for us and not the opposite.”

My Identity

All these different thoughts helped me a lot. But I don’t want to say that everything was “roses and violins”, like an expression they use in Catalan. I also had moments of heartaches and disappointments, not only in California but also in Spain. I knew that I would have to face disagreeable moments, like not being able to play anymore my Martin Guitar, Taylor 12 string, Fender bass, Givens F-5 mandolin, or my violin. All this was difficult for me to accept. My right hand and arm were almost paralyzed from the surgery on my brain and you need two hands to play these instruments. And I couldn’t even paint anymore. Everything I had done was done with my right hand. It made me appreciate right handed people more! I also couldn’t sing. In fact people had a hard time understanding me because the operation had affected my mouth on the right side. My whole right side was basically paralyzed and as my wife once told me, “I looked like a tree with a broken branch.” She said this in love and I knew she was right. People treated me like I was a delicate ceramic china doll, so easily broken. I hated this feeling. I did not want people to treat me this way. And as much as I tried to convince them that I wasn’t so fragile, I still couldn’t convince them. I only saw that I had convinced myself so I accepted it this way.

After I had the operation, I was thinking one day that normally men put too much emphasis on their work. Some guys are “workaholics”. And in many respects this becomes their “identity”. We had left the mission agency of United World Mission, with whom we were missionaries, because of my cancer and not being sure how long I would live for. So I realized I was no longer with a mission agency. And I realized that I couldn’t play my instruments any more like my guitars or the mandolin or even the violin. And I couldn’t paint like I use too because my right hand didn’t work. And just trying to paint, I couldn’t. My right hand wouldn’t cooperate and seemed so wobbly. And I couldn’t sing like before as when I tried I sounded horrible with the right side of my mouth being paralyzed. I was paralyzed on my right side from my head to my toes. And this just made me feel like they say in Spain, “un cero a la izquierda” (a zero to the left)… a nothing, worthless, having no value at all. Thinking about all this day after day led me into a depression. So I decided to see a Christian Counselor. After being in his office for awhile and explaining to him things, I realized ---wait a minute! I am a husband and have a wife who loves me! I am a father and have two daughters that love me! And I am a Christian and have a Savior who died for me! Being a Christian was my real identity! And it was realizing all these things that made my depression disappear. I felt a new freedom. I was Christ’s Disciple. He bought me. I was His!

It was later in May of 2000 that I saw the doctor once again. In his office he asked me, as he had seen my recent MRI which looked good and the cancer had not grown, “What would you like to do?” I told him that I knew he had said that I would never go back to Spain but I told him I wanted to return if that was God’s will. And he told me, that he did say that, but because I was doing so well he would let us return to Spain for a year. I can’t tell you how happy Nanette and I were. It is hard to explain in words! So after the graduation of my daughter Megan from BIOLA, and me officiating in their marriage of her and her husband, we returned to Madrid with my other daughter April for one year. Nanette was able to finish her studies in the BIOLA program with a “suma cum laude” in Organizational Leadership. And returning to Spain several things happened. First, Nanette was able to finish up the CD (compact disk) called “Pilgrim/Peregrina”. Second, April was able to graduate from High School at the ECA (Evangelical Christian Academy in Madrid). Third, I was able to see the people again at SEFOVAN and DECISION. Fourth, Nanette and I were able to sing in some events with the Gospel Choir of Madrid. And fifth, we were all able to say our heartfelt “goodbyes” to those in our church in Móstoles, Madrid. All of this was a “gift” to me. It was in a word, “priceless”!

The Conclusion

But the story doesn’t end here. When God closes one door, He opens another. In Revelation 17:8 it says that names are written in the book of life before the foundation of the world and I believe my name is there. I recognize that I am a sinner (Romans 3:23) and that I have done things that I knew were wrong (James 4:17). I was born in sin (Psalms 51:5) and my father was Satan (John 8:44). But Jesus Christ paid with his blood the debt for my sin (Hebrews 9:22). And believing in Him, trusting in his blood that He paid for my sin (John 3:16-18). I am now saved (Romans 5:8; I John 5:10-12). Jesus rose from the dead the third day and he now lives in me through His Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:13; Romans 8:9). Praise God! He has given me eternal life (Romans 8:1; 1 John 5:10-12; John 3:16).

Since God is love (1 John 4:8), there is no evil in Him. He is 100% love. He gives and gives and gives more. In Romans 8:28 it says, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” And Proverbs 3:5-6 says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct your path.”

Since 2001, I have been able to find out where the Swick name originated that you can see on the Internet at http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Flats/3312/DAS.HTM and then next I am now working for Instituto InterGlobal with Keith Swift at TEO110: Pensando Sanamente. Biblioteca de Recursos (Library of Resources) – Dennis Swick at http://www.institutointerglobal.org/. During this time we were also able to help with the ministries started at Calvary Church in the Hispanic Church. Plus I am calling weekly people on the phone with cancer and helping out Adam Paff and Pastor Fred Morse with them. During this time I was also able to play my Fender bass (one string and just one finger) for the Hispanic Worship team plus I did some pen and ink drawings with my left hand, though the lines were a bit swiggly. But I was so happy I could do that! Then my wife and I with my daughter Megan, her husband and our two grandchildren bought my parent’s home and now we live there together. My youngest daughter April also got married to Joshua, who is in the Navy. During the following year, my daughter April lived separated from her husband for about a year as he was in the service overseas. But now they are together with my other granddaughter. Then in June 2006, they did another MRI of my brain and found a new tumor in my brain plus some tumors growing in my spine. So I went through two months of stereotactics and normal radiation at UCLA (University of California at Los Angeles). For the first several weeks, I was driven there by some friends in our Adult Bible Study Fellowship at Calvary Church. Later my daughter April, who was pregnant at the time, stayed with me in a nearby motel and we went everyday for the sessions. Then finally my wife Nanette went with me. In January and June of 2007, I had further MRI’s done that showed the tumors were still growing in my spine. So now I am just waiting. No more radiation can be given and chemotherapy is out. Yet aside from it all, I know who I have believed. I am a disciple of Jesus. I have peace in my heart because He loves me. As He promised me, “…I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5).

http://www.institutointerglobal.org/Equipo_IG/Swick_testimonio-SWICK-06.htm

The History of Islam

2007-09-15T19:46:00.003-07:00

Please forgive me as this is my first "real" translation of a document. I hope I didn't butcher it to badly. Enjoy!

The Muslims in general, and that Arabic in particular, consider themselves to be sons of Abraham and descendents of Ishmael.

Abram, who later was called Abraham, took Agar, an Egyptian slave, by Sarah’s (Abram’s wife) recommendation, to give birth to a son because Sarah did not believe she would be capable of giving birth due to her age (she was 90). Sarah knew that God had promised Abram a son (Gen. 15:4). Since she was so old she gave Agar to Abram to have his child. God’s promise to Agar was: “I will so increase your descendants that they will be too numerous to count” (Gen. 16:10). Also, an angel of the Lord told her “…and you will have a son. You shall name him Ishmael, for the Lord has heard your misery”. Genesis 21:13 says, “I will make the son of the maidservant (Agar) into a nation also, because he is your offspring.” Ishmael “…will be a wild donkey of a man; his hand will be against everyone and everyone’s hand against him, and he will live in hostility toward all his brothers.” (Gen. 16:12).

In the seventh century A.D., the armies of the descendants of Ishmael, inspired by the life and words of a religious and political leader named Mohamed, conquered a big part of Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East - Palestine included. Many “Christian” governments would fall under the Islamic rule (1).

Islam, the same as the Hebrew and the Christian religion, is said to be a revealed religion. Everything about Islam can be found in the Koran. The Koran has a revelation expressed by the spoken work. According to Islam, only Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and Mohammed received this type of revelations. But, according to Mohamed there have been 124,000 prophets throughout history. Each of them had a national character but Mohamed was the universal prophet which is why he was the last one (2).

This religion was started by Mohamed, who was born in 570 A.D. in Mecca, Saudi Arabia to a poor family (3). His father, Abadia, died before Mohamed was born and his mother Amina died when Mohamed was 6 years old. This is why he was such a young orphan and was raised by his uncle, who in his youth rode the camels on the caravans for the Christian and Jewish merchants (4). When he was 25 he married a rich widow whose name was Khadija (5).

Mohamed was called to be a prophet when he was 40 years old (6). He tried to unite the different factions and dispersed cities by having only one belief in one god. His message was loud and clear: “there is only one god and he is Allah” (7). According to Harris Lee Goodwin, the city where Mohamed was born worshipped a pagan god which they called Allah. The difference between the Allah of his people and the Allah in the Koran is that the Allah of the Koran is one (he is not the Trinity of three persons but one entity), one in attributes (no other being possesses his attributes) and one of his works ( no one can do what he does or will do) (8).

Even though Mohamed had contact and was influenced by Christian Monks, his concept of God was different than that of the Christians. According to the Bible, “there is only one God, but in the unity of His divine essence there are three coeternal personas and equal in all things. They have the same essence but they are distinct in substance” (9). In the Bible we see this in passages where they use the name for God Elohim in plural and plural pronouns to refer to God (Gen. 1:1, 26; Is. 6:8). And in regards to the works and attributes of God, we see that the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit have the same attributes (I.e. holiness: Lv. 19:2; Dn. 9:24; Is. 63:10) and do similar things (I.e. create: Neh. 9:6; Col. 1:16; Job 26:13). The Bible also states that this is only “one way, one truth, one life” and that is through Jesus (Jn. 14:6). On the contrary, Kernel Gadaffi of Libya said, “Islam has the only valid, divine plan, and it covers all religions. Jesus was also Muslim and had more things in common with us then with Christianity” (10).

Mohamed died June 8, 632 A.D. in Medina, Saudi Arabia (11). When he died, Mohamed had established the 5 principle pillars to a new religion: Shahada - “there is no other god but Allah and Mohamed is his prophet”; Saum-Ramadam, fasting; Zakat, Alms; Salat, prayers; and Hajj, the pilgrimage to Mecca (12). Mohamed also taught that a good Muslim should not have more then 4 wives at a time, but yet he had 10 wives and a lot of concubines. Despite all the women, he was not able to see any of his sons grow up to replace him (13). So, his death caused a crises in which he left no successor to govern the Muslims or interpret their laws. The first three leaders (califas) were chosen almost unanimously. They were Abu Bakr (father-in-law of Mohamed, he conquered Syria, Palestine and Egypt), Omar (the prophet’s advisor) and Otman (the prophet’s son-in-law). But after Otman was assassinated, Ali took over the throne (one of the victims relatives who was married to Fatima, Mohamed’s only daughter). The Syrian governor, Muawiyah, refused to recognize Ali’s authority and there was a battle in Sifflin in 657 A.D.. The battle led to a split within Islam, the two groups became known as the Shiites and the Sunnis (14).

References:

(1) http://www.pminternacional.org/doc_02.asp by Marcos Amado, President of PM International October 2, 2001.
(2) Bashir Ahmadminto, “Islamismo”, Nueva Enciclopedia del Mundo (NEDM), VOL. II, Director general: Luis Rodriguez Martinez, Ed. Durvan, 1990.
(3) Salvador Hernandez y Rafael Lavilla, “Dossier-Islam”, MUY ESPECIAL, N. 4, winter, 1991. Ed. .
(4) Harris Lee Goodwin, “Una Comprension del Islam”, , Vol. 29, N. 3, June 1991.

(5) “El Islam”, Estandarte de la Verdad, N. 12, March 1991.
(6) “Dossier-Islam”, MUY ESPECIAL, pg. 50; Ramon Valles Casamayor, El Cancer del Ano 2000: Las Sectas, Ed. CLIE, 1989, pg. 106.
(7) Harris Lee Goodwin, Pg. 4.
(8) “Islamismo”, NEDM, Vol. II, Pg. 5406-5407.
(9) Biblia Estudio Ryrie, Moody Press, 1991, Pg. 1821-1822.
(10) “El Islam”, Estandarte de la Verdad, N. 12, March 1991, Pg. 7.
(11) Ramon Valles Casamayor, Pg. 103.
(12) “Dossier-Islam”, Pg. 51; Jerry Hill, “Islam”, Frontiers, Pasadena, Ca. Pg. 1-8.
(13) Ramon Valles Casamayor, Pg. 106. Jose Grau, “Todas las Religiones Iguales?”, Ed. Evangelicas Europeas, 1974, Pg. 61.
(14) “Sunnis o Sunnitas”, NEDM, Vol. XVIII, Pg. 9083, “El Islam”, PALABRA VIVA, N. 23, July - September 1992.

Dennis Swick

2007-09-15T13:37:00.000-07:00

My father is known and loved by many in the world. He is a researcher, a writer, a thinker, a husband, a father and most importantly a Christian. My dad does not take researching things lightly and that is why I believe he has accomplished so much in his life. He has been working with a Spanish online college for a while now and I am amazed at the success he has had. When he finds a topic to teach about, he buys (or borrows, depending on the $$ situation) all of the books regarding this issue. He then reads the 50 books, highlights them and writes everything down in one of his Costco notebooks. After finishing this research he moves onto the really difficult task - translation. Please feel free to check out "the wonder that is Dennis Swick" at http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Flats/3312/DAS.htm

He's been very interested in Epicenter lately, saying it's his favorite book. He recently wrote an article about it that I will transfer into English in the next blog. Please stay posted if you want to learn a whole lot about Christianity.