Thursday, March 12, 2020

The Origin of Man

Content:

  • The Creation of Man according to the Bible
  • Differences between Humans and Animals
  • Differences between Humans and Other Primates
  • Origin of the Language
  • Lucy
  • Neanderthals
  • Human Apes and Humans
  • Mitochondria
  • Y-Chromosome

The Creation of Man according to the Bible

Naturalistic Worldview

Life always arises from existing life
. According to the Big Bang model, life must at some point spontaneously arisen from non-life (spontaneous generation). This first organism must have been equipped with a reproductive system, which means it must have had a high level of complexity right from the start. We have then had the following development according to the evolutionist timeline: This first original life would have arisen about 3.8 billion years ago. The first single-celled organism 
evolved into multicellular organisms (and even simple plants) which then evolved into invertebrates, which in turn evolved into vertebrates. Fish with backbones evolved into amphibians, which became reptiles, which gave rise to dinosaurs and mammals. The dinosaurs evolved into birds and the mammals evolved into primates. The genus Homo, which belongs to the group of primates, arose about 2–3 million years ago and has since evolved into humans. However, there is no evidence whatsoever for this development, it's conjecture based on s
ecular humanism.

The basic idea of that kind of evolution, called macroevolution, is that after life arose spontaneously from non-life, the first single-celled organism gradually evolved into today's life forms. Macroevolution means that there has not only been a biological change within basic animal types (cats, dogs, horses, etc.), which is called microevolution, but that there has also been a gradually development from one type of animal to another type, which means that single-celled organism gradually evolved into the rich fauna we have today. 

If so, macroevolution requires a mechanism that generates new genetic information over time. No such mechanism has ever been discovered. Experience shows, on the contrary, that meaningful information is always the product of a sender, which means that information isn't generated spontaneously by chance. Genetic research clearly shows that mutations don't create new information. On the contrary, mutations
eventually lead to a deterioration of the quality of our DNA because random changes (mutations) destroy existing information instead of improving it.

If macroevolution is correct, the sedimentary rocks should contain millions of transitional species showing how individual species descended from a common
single-celled organism. That's not the case. Every alleged transitional fossil that has been used as evidence that humans evolved from an ape-like creature has been shown to be either fraudulent or incomplete. Instead, the fossil record is characterized by the species appearing fully developed. It's usually called the Cambrian explosion. This means that in the Cambrian rock layer, which lies far down in the geological column, fully developed species with complex designs appear
(for example the trilobite), and with no evidence of having evolved from earlier life forms. In the rock layers above the 
Cambrian, the fossil record is characterized by so-called stasis, that is, the absence of development from one species to another.

Macroevolution has been shown to be wishful thinking by naturalistically oriented scientists, rather than a conclusion justified by scientific evidence. The evidence for macroevolution has been shown to be either wrong or irrelevant.

Examples of faulty evidence:
Examples of irrelevant evidence:

Biblical Worldview

All animals were formed by God from the ground (Gen (1 Mos) 2:19a). God formed man (Adam) from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life (Gen (1 Mos) 2:7), see this explained at time 19:36–26:19 in
DAVID GUZIK SERMON ON GENESIS 2:1-17 ADAM IN THE GARDEN OF EDEN
.
God created the first woman (Eve) through a rib from Adam (Gen (1 Mos) 2:2122), see time 15:59–23:14 in DAVID GUZIK  SERMON ON GENESIS 2:18-25 . . .
Adam and Eve should be seen as real, literal, historical individuals, not mythology
For more information, see The Biblical Creation and the Fall of Man

How we can bring out the diversity of the gene pool by going from just two people is explained at time 4:10–13:37 in What can DNA tell us about the truth of the Bible?
 
Jesus was referring to the creation described in Gen (1 Mos) 1:27, when he said that God created male and female in the beginning of creation (
Mark 10:6, Mat 19:4).
Jesus said that God's Word is the truth (John 17:17), which means that the Biblical creation is correct according to him.

Apostle Paul said that Adam was created first and then Eve (1 Tim 2:1314). He also said that God created every nation of mankind from one man (Adam) (Acts 17:26), and that sin came into the world through one man (Adam) (Rom 5:12).

From a purely chemical-biological perspective, we would expect great similarities between humans and animals, since they are created similarly according to the Bible. Especially since we live in the same ecological system and are shaped by the same Creator, see Jesus is the Creator in Jesus is God.

Differences between Humans and Animals

Humans are the only species that has a spoken language. Animals can communicate with sounds, but can't speak grammatical phrases or sentences.

Man has the opportunity to learn to read and write. God has chosen to communicate with us through the Bible.

Music is important to man. Animal sounds are regular, predictable, repetitive rather than individually creative.

Only God and man can use and understand mathematics. It allows us to understand a lot of God's creation, because it works according to mathematical laws that God has established, see Math in the Bible and What is Information? 

When animals build things, they constantly repeat a stereotyped pattern, rather than exhibiting creative abilities. Man has the ability to recognize both the beauty and complexity of God's creation.

God has given us sovereignty over all other creatures on Earth 
(Gen (1 Mos) 1:28b). God has given us confidence to rule over our environment.
We are accountable to him about how we handle it. 

Differences between Humans and Other Primates

In order to speak, the use of approximately 100 different muscles is required.
This includes not only the facial muscles but also the muscles connected to the lip, tongue, teeth, mouth and the voice box inside the throat. These muscles are one of the reasons humans can speak, which no other
primate comes close to.

Out of 193 living primates, 192 are covered in fur. The only exception is man.

Most fossil mammals are known by their teeth. Tooth enamel resists destruction much better than normal bone. What is totally missing are fossil finds of a chain with clear intermediate forms caused by, for example, mutations. There are no traces whatsoever of such transitional forms between chimpanzee teeth and modern human teeth.

Recent research has shown a greater difference between human and chimpanzee DNA than previously thought. They show that the whole
genome (genetic material) has an average similarity of only 84%. This corresponds to a difference of 480 million different base pairs. In addition,
humans have several thousand genes that are unique and completely absent in chimpanzees, while conversely chimpanzees have many genes that are unique to them and completely absent in humans.

Origin of the Language

Human children are born with the ability to learn language,
something that animals lack. 


If languages had evolved by a gradual Darwinian process, we would expect some of them to be "primitive" and others "advanced". But there are no primitive languages.

All known languages can be grouped into seventeen language families. Linguists have completely dismissed the idea of a hierarchical classification above the family level. There is no reliable tree that unites all modern languages. Not all languages
have a common origin. The logical conclusion that can be drawn from this is that
there is no evolutionary explanation for the origin of languages.


The biblical explanation is that God confused the language of the people in Babel when the people tried to build the Tower of Babel, and spread them over the whole Earth (Gen (1 Mos) 11:19), see The Tower of Babel. It gave us the language families, and also explains why these families don't have a common language that all these families come from. 

Lucy

Respected anatomists have made the following statements about Lucy's genus 
(Australopithecus):
  • It didn't go upright in a human way.
  • It wasn't an intermediate form between ape and man in its anatomical sense.
Lucy had the locking mechanism in the wrists that knuckles have, as well as the long arms (with bent fingers and toes) that characterize animals that swing between trees. All examples in the group to which Lucy belongs moved in an ape-like manner, neither human nor in any way between human and ape. 

The footprints found in volcanic ash at Laetoli are indistinguishable from barefoot living Homo Sapiens (Humans). The most logical conclusion is therefore that these footprints were made by humans. 

The most common view among creationist scientists is that Australopithecus
(
Lucy's genuswas a fourth now extinct family of human apes, along with chimpanzees, gorillas, and orangutans. Australopithecus is not the predecessor of 
Homo Sapiens (Humans).

Neanderthals

The classic Neanderthal man differs very little from the typical contemporary man. The skull is a little flatter and more elongated, the chin is rounder and the skeleton more robust, see time 26:47–33:32 in What can DNA tell us about the truth of the Bible?

They were full-fledged people who lived in Europe and Western Asia during a period after The Flood at the Time of Noah and during the following ice age, see
The Ice Age in a Biblical Perspective. They should have been as intelligent as other people. 
Europeans have 14% Neanderthal DNA in their genome.

Human Apes and Humans

If the Bible's account is correct, we shouldn't expect to find any transitional variation between human apes and humans. Instead, we should only expect signs of internal variation among the two groups. This is also what we see. It seems that human apes have always been human apes, and humans have always been humans. 

Humans are creatures of the genus Homo: Homo Sapiens (Humans), Homo erectus, Homo neanderthalensis (Neanderthals), and Homo denisova (Denisovan). Both Neanderthals and Denisovan are human variants that in Paleoanthropology have begun to be included in our own species (Humans). The reason is that Europeans have 14% Neanderthal DNA in their genome, and people from, for example, New Guinea carry similar amounts of Denisovan DNANote that it's the way the brain is arranged that determines the intelligence of the different species, not its mass or volume.

All these primitive variants of Homo that have been discovered are Humans in the light of the Bible, not in development but in dissolution. What happens when a few individuals of a species (humans or animals) are isolated and form a new population in a new geographical location, is that a strong inbreeding effect occurs. This effect is amplified if the population remains small for a longer period of time. Since each new generation of individuals has about 100 new mutations relative to the generation before, this means that such a small population rapidly accumulates harmful mutations, leading to rapid degeneration. It can appear in the form of 
genetic disorder. These effects explain why many isolated tribes of natives can show similarities in anatomy to these early variants of the genus Homo, such as pygmy peoples. When the isolation and inbreeding has gone on for many generations, fertility is affected and the strains die out. There are no racial boundaries in true Christianity (Col 3:11), see Origins: Races and Human Populations.

The number of new mutations at each new generation also means that the human population can't last for millions of years, and therefore can't have existed for millions of years before. Allowing natural selection isn't a savior. Mutations 
change individual molecules in the genome, while natural selection selects entire individuals. More than 90 % of bad mutations accumulate. Rarely useful mutations
have almost no effect. This means that mutations are driving humanity towards extinction. Simulations show extinction after 268 generations, see:
These early variants of the genus Homo may have evolved over time after God
confused the language of the people at Babel when the people tried to build 
The Tower of Babel and scatter them over the whole Earth (Gen (1 Mos) 11:19).

Mitochondria

Mitochondria are found in our cells and are similar to the power plant of the cell. There, the energy molecule (ATP) is used for almost all energy-requiring reactions that take place in our cells. Mitochondria have a small piece of DNA (mtDNA).
All other DNA is found in the cell nucleusmtDNA is inherited by both sons and daughters but only from the mother. 
There is a particular gene in the mtDNA that
differs in an average of 18 places among the women of the Earth.

Comparisons of mtDNA from humans from different geographical areas indicate that all of these human DNA sequences derive from a single common precursor. Since mitochondria are inherited solely from the mother, it suggests that we all descend through an unbroken line of women from a common ancestor that scientists have named mitochondrial Eve.

If one knows the mutation rate of this particular gene in the mtDNA, it's possible to calculate when mitochondrial Eve lived. One report gave a mutation rate of one 
mutation in 33 generations, with 20 years per generation. This means that after 33 generations, two women will differ in two places. To differentiate in 18 places, one must have 9 mutations, that gives the time 6000 (33x9x20=5940) years. The reports differ depending on the calculated mutation rate. Some gives 70008000 years, another 6500 years, and another 6000 years. But these results are according to the time of the biblical Eve.  


Y-Chromosome

Since all men but no women have a Y-chromosome in their cells, this means that all men must have copies of the Y-chromosome from a precursorComparisons of
human Y-chromosome indicate that all of these 
Y-chromosomes are derived from
a single common male precursor called Y-chromosomal Adam.

It should be possible to calculate how long time it was since the ancestors of all modern men lived, if one knows the variation of Y-chromosome DNA among men 
and the rate of mutation of Y-chromosome DNA

According to the Bible, there was a global flood about 4500 years ago, see
The Flood at the Time of Noah. Eight persons survived: Noah, his wife, their three sons, and their wives. This means that all men must have copies of
Y-chromosome of Noah. This should therefore give a shorter time compared to
the mitochondrial Eve time, which should give a time to the common female ancestor of all four woman on the boat. There are reports that indicate a time of 4500 years for the 
Y-chromosome Adam, that's Noah according to the Bible.

Going from six people at Noah's time (Noah's three sons and their wives) to 
the number of people that we have today in 4500 years, requires a growth rate of only 0.46% (a doubling every 156 years), see:

Tuesday, March 10, 2020

Math in the Bible

Galileo said: "The book of nature is written in the language of mathematics". 
God designed and created the universe based on mathematical laws and numbers, principles that continue to govern all creation. Scientists believe that mathematical relationships reflect real aspects of the physical world. Science relies on the assumption that we live in an ordered universe subject to precise mathematical laws. Watch the video 
God and Mathematics.

See also the video GEMATRIA EXPLAINED: The Secrets of Gematria Revealed 
and the meaning of Gematria. But also Does the Bible Have Secret Messages?

The Jews had no numerals, they used letters in Hebrew to express numbers
Every letter of the Hebrew alphabet has a number value:




Note that five of the letters correspond to two different Hebrew characters.






The number value 1 stands for one God (see one explained in Jesus – I AM): 
  • "Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one." (Deu (5 Mos) 6:4). 
  • "For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus." (1 Tim 2:5).
The number value 3 stands for the three persons in God: 
See how this is possible in question 8 in The Trinity.

The number value 7 is the basis of God's Word. It stands for completion and perfection. It also symbolizes God's openness and his authority over all creatures in the world. Gen (1 Mos) 1:1 is permeated by the prime number 7:

"In the beginning God created the heaven and the Earth." (Gen (1 Mos) 1:1).

Hebrew is read from right to left. (A text
is in Swedish.)

  • The entire verse has 28 (4x7) letters.
  • The first three words have a total of 14 (2x7) letters.
    The last four words have a total of 14 (2x7) letters.
  • The word in the middle together with the word on the left have 7 letters. 
    The word in the middle has, together with the word on the right, 7 letters.
  • The three main words (God, heaven, Earth) have 14 (2x7) letters.
    The remaining words have 14 (2x7) letters.
  • The three main words (God, heaven, Earth) have the number value 777
    (111x7).
  • The first and last letter of each word together have the number value
    1393 (199x7).
  • The first and last letter of the first and last word together have the number value 497 (71x7).
  • The first letter in the first and last word together have the number value 7 (1x7).
  • The last letter of the first and last word together have the number value 133 (19x7).
Also the prime number 37 has a specific meaning in this verse:
  • The entire verse has the number value 2701 (73x37).
  • The first five words have the number value 1998 (54x37).
    The remaining words have the number value 703 (19x37).
  • The three main words (God, heaven, Earth) have the number value 777
    (21x37). The remaining four words have the number value 1924 (52x37).
  • The words with the highest and lowest number value have the number value 999 (27x37).
    The remaining five words have the number value 1702 (46x37).
But these aren't messages that add new secret information to the Bible.

Even Greek uses letters as digits. The word Jesus has the number value 888, and the word Christ has the number value 1480. Both words are evenly divisible with 37. 

See also what the number values 6, 7, and 8 stand for in the short video: 
PROOF The BIBLE is Inspired by GOD! | Chemistry & Numerical EVIDENCE for GOD!

Written numerals aren't numbers. They are representations of numbers. It appears that God uses numerical digits in the decimal system that requires ten digits (0 to 9). Perhaps that is the reason why God gave man ten toes and ten fingers.


Also see the following videos showing Pi in Gen (1 Mos) 1:1 and e in John 1:1:

Why do we find this in the Bible (and in nature)? An explanation can be to give
a text authenticate, to prove the authenticity of the Bible.

137 has a very central place in nature. It's in the fine-structure constant
which has several physical interpretations and is approximately 1/137. If it were to be different
by just 4 % we would have no carbon, which means no life, see time
8:03–14:24 in Why Is 1/137 One of the Greatest Unsolved Problems In Physics? 

See also the fine-structure constant explained at:
See the number values 13, and 7 in 1/137 given Biblical explanations above.

God has wonderfully revealed himself through his creation. Just as God used 
mathematical laws to create everything, he used numbers in the design of his world. See 
Does God Exist?

See also Why 153 fish? A message for the last days (John 21:11b). Also note
that the number 153 in Hebrew Gematria can mean: "I am the Lord thy God",
see time 1:16–2:05 in DISCOVER THE MEANING OF THE 153 FISH IN JOHN 21.

Also note that their is a secret code in the numbers, which means that the 
numbers have an Inventor
, a very intelligent one. T
he complexity and
beauty of 
fractals appear in The Mandelbrot Set: Atheists’ WORST Nightmare.
This complexity is "built in" to mathematics. Mathematics is the study of the relationship between 
numbers that are a concept of quantity, abstract in nature, not physical. They exist in the mind. Mathematical laws are conceptual, universal, exceptionless entities, originating from the mind of God and therefore reflect his natureGod's thoughts are conceptual. Mathematics is how God thinks about numbers

God is omnipresent (present everywhere), simplistic (doesn't change with time), sovereign (with complete control), see God's Attributes.

Perfect fractals repeat ad infinitum and exist only in the conceptual world of mathematics. The physical world contains many things that are approximate fractals. Examples are snowflakes, fernsbroccoli, clouds, how lightning branches, spiral galaxies. See the following videos that describe this:
Why we find the same forms in nature which is physical as we find
in mathematics which is conceptual is answered 
from time 33:25 in 


Fractals occur both in mathematics and in the physical world, because
the physical world obeys mathematical laws. The reason for this is that 
mathematics reflects the way God thinks and that God created
the physical world
. The universe is sustained by the mind of God.
Christ upholds all things (Heb 1:3). In him all things consist (Col 1:17).

Also see how the Fibonacci numbers and Golden ratio appear throughout nature
in the video: This AMAZING Math Formula Will Teach You About God!

The Schrödinger equation governing the wave function of a quantum-mechanical
system contains the "square root of -1" (=i), something that doesn't exist in itself.
This means that an imaginary number appears in fundamental physics, 
see How do Complex Numbers relate to Real Signals? 
It turns out that the 
Schrödinger equation correctly describes everything we know about the
behavior 
of atoms. It's the basis of all of chemistry and most of physics.
The 
"square root of -1" in the equation means that nature works with
complex numbers that extend the real numbers. See this explained at
time 17:39–22:15 in 
How Imaginary Numbers Were Invented (Detected).
This means that God used complex numbers for the design of the universe.
(See also Why is the speed of light what it is? Maxwell equations visualized.)

The Bible is right when it speaks of the glory of God revealed in the universe,
see time 15:47–29:54 in "Astronomy Reveals Creation" with Dr. Jason Lisle.
See also time 18:35–21:06 in Bible Q&A ∙ Episode 13, and the articles:

Tuesday, March 3, 2020

The Woman's Place in the Congregation

Content:

  • Must a woman cover her head at a service?
  • Must a woman be silent in a congregation?
  • Can a woman be a leader in a congregation?
  • The order of leadership in a marriage.
  • How should a woman dress?
  • Must we lift up our hands when we pray?
  • Should Christians pray out loud when praying by ourselves?
  • How should we worship God?
  • What is the meaning of spiritual warfare?
  • What does the Bible say about Tattoos?
  • What does God think about Christians drinking alcohol?
  • Is smoking a sin?
  • What about gray areas?

Must a woman cover her head at a service?

1 Corinthians is a problem-solving letter. The Corinthians had written to 
Apostle Paul about various things that were going on in their congregation. 
1 Corinthians is a letter of response to that letter.


One  question that came up was whether it was appropriate for a woman to participate in a service with the head uncovered.

The following was the practice in Paul's day:
  • All respectable women wore head coverings at all times.
    The disrespectful women, who were mostly prostitutes, didn't.
    It was considered shameful for a woman to be in public with her head uncovered. It was also shameful for a woman to have short hair or to have all her hair removed. (1 Cor 11:5–6).
  • A wife should have a symbol of authority on her head (1 Cor 11:10). That authority was her husband (1 Cor 11:3). The prostitutes who rejected it rejected the authorities that had been established in their lives.
A covered head on a woman in our culture today doesn't mean that she is under an authority, or that she isn't a disrespectful woman. It doesn't signal that to the surroundings. A woman in our culture today communicates respect for the Lord and for her husband in the way she speaks to and about her husband to others, how she treats her husband in public, how she dresses, how she interacts with other men, and how she responds to his leadership ideas and suggestions.
Therefore, it's no longer necessary for a woman to cover her head. However, we should respect women who still want to cover their heads at services, see chapter Disputable Matters in The Book of Romans.

See also the article: Are women required to wear head coverings today?

Must a woman be silent in a congregation?

1 Cor 14:33b35 says that the women should be silent in in the congregation. 
But these verses must be read in context. 1 Cor 14:2640 talks about 
order in a service. God is a God of order and the service should reflect that (1 Cor 14:33a, 40).
It's quite possible that men and women were separated in the church because that was the Jewish tradition in the synagogue. If a woman wanted to tell his husband something, she should do it at home and not disturb the church service
(1 Cor 14:35). See this explained at time 19:40–22:38 in 
Bible Q&A With Pastor Paul │ April 2023.

Probably there was much disorder at the services in Corinth. Most likely, the women interrupted the services and asked questions of their husbands during the ongoing services, which was disruptive to the meetings. Especially if men and women were divided to sit separately, as they were in the synagogues. Apostle Paul therefore gave instructions to create order during the services, by telling how the women in a congregation should behave during the ongoing services. Paul's intention in
1 Cor 14:33b35 
wasn't to say that a woman can't serve in a church by, for example, preaching or teaching. He basically tries to create order in the services.

Can a woman be a leader or teach in a congregation?

What does it mean when Apostle Paul doesn't allow a woman to teach or exercise authority over a man (1 Tim 2:1113)? Or to teach only women (Tit 2:25)?

Timothy was serving in the congregation of Ephesus when he received the letter from Paul1 Tim 2:1113 probably only applies to those women who have the same background and conditions as the women in EphesusThere were Gnostic thoughts, see The Danger with Gnosticism. An example is that they taught that woman was created first and was the bearer of a deeper insight. Foreign Gnostic thought was spread mainly through women in the congregation in Ephesus, who promised a path of salvation based on good works (1 Tim 1:34, 7).

Tit 2:25 doesn't speak specifically about teaching but how men and women should behave.

Examples of women women teaching or exercising leadership:
  • Priscilla and Aquila are mentioned six times in four different books of the New Testament, always named as a couple and never individually.
    This indicates that they always did their work for the Lord together as a couple. Paul is generous in his recognition and acknowledgment of his indebtedness to them (Rom 16:3–4). The woman Priscilla taught Apollos in 
    Ephesus 
    with Aquila (Acts 18:2426), and there was a church that met in their house (1 Cor 16:19). This indicates that both were leaders in that church and that they both practiced teaching. 
  • Timothy himself was taught during his childhood by his mother and grandmother (2 Tim 1:5, 3:1415, Proverbs 22:6).
  • Jesus himself sent Mary Magdalene to the disciples to tell about them 
    The Resurrection of Jesus (John 20:1718). It's a form of teaching. Mary had previously been freed from seven demons (Mark 16:9, Luk 8:2). 
  • There are examples in the New Testament of daughters with the gift of prophecy (Acts 2:17, 21:8–9). God wouldn't give prophetic gift to women, if they weren't allowed to speak them also to men, see Spiritual Gifts.
  • Deborah was a prophetess, judge, and leader in Israel in the
    Old Testament 
    (Judges 4:4, 5:7), see 4. Deborah in The Book of Judges
  • Huldah was a prophetess in the Old Testament 
    (2 Kings 22:14, 
    2 Chronicles 34:22), see Josiah of Judah 
    and the beginning of Prophet Jeremiah.
This means that 1 Tim 2:1113 and Tit 2:25 don't prevent a woman from being a leader or teaching. However, we should respect women who don't want to be leaders or teach because of those verses, see chapter Disputable Matters in 
The Book of Romans.

The order of leadership in a marriage.

There is no difference between male and female in Christ, we are all one in Christ (Gal 3:28). Both man and woman are created in the image of God (Gen 1:27). 

But man and woman have different roles in a marriage. Man and woman are subject to each other (Eph 5:21), even though the male has a special authority in the family. He is the head of the household (1 Cor 11:3, Col 3:18). The word head denotes leadership, not supremacy or dominance. This is God's plan for marriage. But she must accept that willingness as a result of obedience to Jesus (Eph 5:2224)
The husband is obliged to love (agape love) his wife and not be hard on her
(Col 3:19, Eph 5:25). He therefore can't demand that she submit to him.  

Submission does NOT mean:
  • Agree with everything.
  • Leave your brain or your will at the wedding altar.
  • Avoid all efforts to influence your spouse.
  • Putting your spouse's will before God's Word.
  • Responding out of fear.
The husband should love (agape love) his wife as himself, and the wife should respect her husband (Eph 5:33, 1 Pet 3:12, 7). This isn't based on emotion.
It's something we choose to do and that we need to show each other in our daily lives, see time 17:04–19:45 in Ephesians 5 • (Part 3) The Role of the Wife :22-33.

Of course, the wife isn't to submit to her husband if he asks her to do things that
are illegal, immoral, or unbiblical. 
See also Agape Love in Spiritual Gifts.

Four reminders to men (1 Pet 3:7):
  1. Live with your wife in an understanding way.
  2. Honor your wife.
  3. Recognize her as a weaker vessel and heir with you.
  4. The way you respond to your wife can hinder your prayers.
See time 28:2438:53 in 1 Peter 3 (Part 1) :1-7 • Harmony In Marriage

How should a woman dress?

A woman shouldn't dress improperly (1 Tim 2:910, 1 Pet 3:35a). This applies
all the time. It's OK for a woman to make her attractive, but not to overdo it.
The clothing should match the recognition of the walk of faith in Jesus Christ.
It's OK to dress up nicely, do your hair, wear jewelry, but at the same time,
God must be prioritized. Character is more important in the long run. 

The message is also meant to appeal to the heart. God is primarily concerned with our hearts, not our appearance. Man cares about the outside but God considers the heart (1 Sam 16:7). It's possible to never wear jewelry, make-up, or fine clothes and still have a heart that is boastful and proud. The world believes that beauty is always external, but real beauty to God is internal, beauty comes from within.

See more of this in the articles: 

Must we lift up our hands when we pray?

The most common prayer position in Bible times was praying with raised hands (Nehemiah 8:6, Psalm 63:4 (5 in some translations), 134:2, 141:2). It shows the biblical idea of surrendering to the Lord. It's a symbol of welcoming the Lord, of opening my heart to him, of having communion with the Lord. However, this does not mean that it is wrong to pray in a different way. It's not about the posture or the appearance. It doesn't make us more available to God to pray with raised hands if it doesn't come from the heart. Worship begins with the heart. 

Apostle Paul wanted them to pray, lifting up holy hands without anger or quarreling (1 Tim 2:8). Paul doesn't emphasize the position of the intercessor.
What he is essential saying is that when we meet in prayer it shouldn't involve
drama in people that is unresolved. It doesn't match what we do when we go
before the Lord and ask for his blessing, mercy and grace to be poured out.
U
nresolved issues creates obstacle to pray, see Ask, and it will be given to you 
in The Sermon on the Mount. Before entering God's presence, it's important to
try to reconcile (if possible) with such people if unresolved situations arise
(Mat 5:23
24, 1 Pet 3:7), see Unity.

Should Christians pray out loud when praying by ourselves? 


How should we worship God?

Worship is a spiritual act. Jesus said: "God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth." (John 4:24). Apostle Paul wrote to the Romans:
"I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship." (Rom 12:1). Here 
Paul says that our "spiritual act of worship" is to present our lives to God as a "living sacrifice". Under the Old Covenant, the people of God would sacrifice animals for various reasons, and one of those reasons was to show a person's complete devotion to God. Under the New Covenant we don't sacrifice animals, instead we sacrifice ourselves. But it's a "living sacrifice" which means we don't die physically. A living sacrifice is one where we come to God and offer our lives to him; to live for him and to serve him with all our hearts. Worship is the act of offering oneself to the Lord in submission to his lordship. See Heb 13:15 explained
at time 17:06–20:37 in DAVID GUZIK SERMON ON Hebrews 13:8-25 . . .

Expression of worship isn't worship itself, but how we express our worship.
Some expressions of worship include: 
  • Singing. 
  • Raise hands (see above). 
  • Kneeling. 
  • Shout to the Lord in praise. 
  • Some groups even include dancing to express their worship.
See it described in the article: Can you give me some tips on how to worship?

We can express our worship in many ways, but we must not let those expressions become worship, see time 9:15–15:36 in Mark 11:1-26 – Image and Reality.
True worship comes from the heart, not from the hands, mouth, or feet.
Anyone can make the above expressions and still not worship God from their heart. 
God wants a personal relationship with us.

What is the meaning of spiritual warfare?

See the meaning of spiritual warfare (Mat 12:29, Mark 3:27, Luke 11:22) at time:
See also Exorcism in Miracles of Jesus.

What does the Bible say about Tattoos?


What does God think about Christians drinking alcohol?

The bottom line is that the Bible doesn't denounce drinking alcohol, but it does condemn passionate, drunkenness (Eph 5:18). The warnings given in the Bible about "strong drink" are many, and there are also some stories in the Bible about
unfortunate results as a result of unbridled drinking. A good example of one of
the biblical warnings about drinking say: "Wine is a mocker, strong drink a brawler, and whoever is led astray by it is not wise." (Proverbs 20:1). See also time 38:5540:34 in 1 Timothy 5 • Instructions concerning widows and Elders/Pastors.

Alcohol's potentially devastating effects have created untold suffering and
heartache in people's lives for countless centuries, see time 14:37–16:52 in
Luke 4 (Part 2) :16-30 • Jesus, the fulfillment of Prophecy. Drinking alcohol is therefore potentially unwise for the vast majority of people. The chances of being "led astray" by alcohol (or other drugs) are quite high in light of the Bible's many warnings. The Bible says: "The prudent sees danger and hides himself,
but the simple go on and suffer for it.
" (Proverbs 22:3, 23:29–33). 

If you are a Christian who feels the freedom to drink alcohol, you don't have the freedom to cause your brother in Christ to stumble. Apostle Paul said: "It is good not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything that causes your brother to stumble."
(Rom 14:21), see Disputable Matters in The Book of Romans.
 Caring for others should come before the exercise of my freedom. It's especially important for a Christian leader to avoid alcohol in public as an example to other people,
see time 25:30–29:43 in John 2:1-12 – Revealed at Cana.

See also the article: Questions about Alcohol, the Bible and Christians Drinking,
and these videos:

Is smoking a sin?

See it explained at time 24:06–27:09 in Bible Q & A with Pastor Paul │ April 2023.

What about gray areas?

See it explained at time 44:14–49:28 in May 2024 Bible Q&A.
See also time 50:14–54:42 on the same link.


Monday, March 2, 2020

The Predestination Theory

Predestination is about the divine predetermination of everything that will happen, especially regarding the salvation of some and not others. It has been particularly associated with the teaching of Augustine of Hippo and Calvin.

Biblical predestination doesn't mean that something has been put in place by God and is fixed, see time 17:1019:36 in Luke 22 (Part 4) :31-46 • Standing in the Hour of Temptation. This means that the condition of lost people aren't settled. 

God doesn't want anyone to perish, but for all to reach repentance, see the Bible verses below. God has given all people a free will to either choose or reject
Jesus. But it means that God knows in advance which decision man will choose.

God sees all of human history directly, because the concept of time in Heaven isn't the same as time on Earth, see time 1:305:14 in Atheist Asks TOUGH Questions: EPIC Responses! (Q&A). God sees time in the perspective of eternity. In the person of Jesus Christ, God entered into time, see time 12:4113:40 in 1 john 1. See also Deu (5 Mos) 4:19 explained at time 39:58–45:04 in February 2025 Bible Q&A.

See also the concept of time in A New Heaven and a New Earth, which means
that time will always be there. See also Jesus is the Creator in Jesus is God
During the Tribulation period there will be a silence in Heaven for about half an hour (Rev 8:1). John must have estimated this time in his revelation from an earthly perspective because such delays are of little consequence in an eternal Heaven.

When God talks about our salvation, he sometime talks about it from his perspective, outside our time view (Rom 8:2930). God knows everything about us before we are born, and whether we will give our lives to him or not. God knew all this before the creation of the universe (Eph 1:45, 1 Pet 1:2). This is based on God's foreknowledge. God is all knowingsee God is omniscient in God's Attributes.
See also 
Eph 1:45 explained at time 26:3837:30 in Ephesians 1 (Part1) :1-10.

God is sovereign (Rom 9:1021). He has the right to choose who he wants to choose, and do what he wants to do. Jeremiah was chosen as a prophet before he was born (Jer 1:5). God separated Apostle Paul before he was born and called him by his grace to preach the gospel among the Gentiles (Gal 1:1516a). God is always righteous, just, and fair, and he never acts against his nature (Gen 18:25, 
Eze 18:23, 33:11, 
2 Pet 3:9), see God is sovereign in God's Attributes.

The balance of this truth is that we don't see this from God's perspective, but from man's perspective. Some people can say a specific date when they become believers in Christ and others don't, because we live according to time on Earth. We are creatures of time. We are time-centric. In our view of time, we must use our free will to choose Christ (John 1:12). We exercise faith in Jesus. 
The reason a person is chosen in advance is because God knows in advance whether this person will come to him or not. We choose Christ, and God chose us before the world was,
see 1 Pet 1:1–2
 explained at time 16:5330:54 in 1 Peter 1 (Part 1) :1-2 . . ..

Both things go together. Both views are found in the Bible: 
  • Predestination is found in the Bible (Rom 8:2930, Eph 1:45, 1 Pet 1:2)
  • The exercise of our free will is also described in several places in the Bible, see the article Is it implied or specifically addressed in the Bible that God will respect our free will choices? We have Adam and Eve who used their free will to disobey God and ate of the forbidden fruit (Gen 3:2, 6). Another example of our free will is when Joshua asked the people of Israel who they wanted to follow (Joshua 24:15). This freedom to choose runs throughout the Bible. All people have the opportunity to use their free will to choose whether they want Jesus in their life or not (John 3:1416).
    All people have the opportunity to choose Salvation 
    (Mat 7:78, John 7:37, Rev 3:20)
God does not predestine people to hell:
  • "This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who
    desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
    " (1 Tim 2:3–4 (ESV)). See time 8:54–9:49 in the video 1 Timothy 2.
  • "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16 (ESV)).
  • "The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance." (2 Pet 3:9 (ESV)).
  • "He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world." (1 John 2:2 (NIV)).
    This verse says that Jesus made Salvation available to everyone.
  • "And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price." (Rev 22:17b (ESV)).
The idea is clearly presented that there is a choice we face when we accept Jesus
as Lord
However, God who is outside our view of time knows all things before they happen (foreknowledge) and therefore knows who will choose Jesus Christ,
see the following explanations:
See also Some stories close related to the gospels at the end of