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What Is Atonement? Biblical Meaning and Definition
Atonement Definition In Christianity, atonement refers to the needed reconciliation between sinful mankind and the holy God. This reconciliation is possible through the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ, as expressed in Romans 3:25, Romans 5:11, and Romans 5:19. Atonement is the Bible’s central message. “Receiving the atonement is our actual reconciliation to God in justification, grounded upon Christ’s satisfaction,” according to Matthew Henry’s Commentary. “We Christians, we believers, have now, now in gospel times, or now in this life, received the atonement, which was typified by the sacrifices under the law, and is an earnest of our happiness in heaven.” Atonement in the Bible Atonement is an often-used Old Testament term representing a sacrifice for sin. Leviticus 16 desc...
What Is the Lord’s Prayer? What Does it Teach Us about God?
Of all the prayers prayed throughout the world, few are repeated as often as the Lord’s Prayer. We find it tucked within Jesus’s Sermon on the Mount, where he taught at length about living a life that brings glory to God. Yet despite the prayer’s popularity, it is often misunderstood and undervalued. What Is the Lord’s Prayer? Some believers have turned the Lord’s Prayer into something mystical, as if the words themselves hold special sway with God. For others, its statements are spoken out of habit or obligation, making it easy to daydream right through without attaching any meaning. Which, of course, is the exact opposite of his intention for Jesus said, “And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words” (Matt...
What Are Spiritual Gifts? Understanding the Types and Discovering Yours
Spiritual gifts are something every believer is given when they receive the gift of salvation. Just as the gift of salvation is by grace through faith, so are the spiritual gifts. Our God is so generous. He is constantly giving us things. “Christ has generously divided out his gifts to us.” (Ephesians 4:7 CEV) It’s His grace at work in our lives. 3 Kinds of Spiritual Gifts There are three kinds of spiritual gifts. These gifts are not something we possess; they are God’s supernatural ability showing up in our lives in various ways. The Bible calls it a manifestation. “There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is t...
Real Peace is Not the Absence of Conflict
I have never liked conflict Real peace Like many people, I would go to great lengths to avoid it, and I fear its approaching. Romans 12:16-18 (KJV)16 Be of the same mind one toward another. Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate. Be not wise in your own conceits.17 Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men.18 If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men. 20 You clash with the character of one person or another…. It has to be that way—you are not a dollar bill to be liked by everyone. Besides, without those clashes which arise in dealing with your neighbors, how could you ever lose the sharp corners, the edges—imperfections and defects of your character—and acquire the order, the smoothness, an...
US Launches Cyber-Attack Against Iran
Israel was hoping for a tougher response to Iranian aggression, but hacking their computers will have to do US launched a cyber-attack against Iranian military computer systems On Thursday evening, the US launched a cyber-attack against Iranian military computer systems. The attack first reported in Yahoo News comes in retaliation for recent assaults on vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz in the Persian Gulf. The Strait of Hormuz is a narrow passage through the Persian Gulf with Iran along the north coast. One-third of the world’s liquefied natural gas and almost 20 percent of total global oil consumption passes through the strait, making it a highly important strategic location for international trade. More than 17 million barrels of oil pass through the region every day. Iran’s ...
The Impact of a Godly Woman
www.insideoutwithcourtnaye.org Have you ever thought about how important you are to those around you as a Christian woman? Because you are! God chose you, adopted you into the faith, and created you to be His child – His precious daughter. He also created and called you to be a beacon of light to a dying world for Him and to be a godly influence and impact to those He has entrusted to you in your lifespan. In a nutshell, you were created on purpose and for a purpose. And God wants to use you, sis –NOW! Right now, with so much going on in our world today, people need a Savior. In the midst of all of this growing darkness, they need a flood of light. You and I are that light on the hilltop that cannot be hid...
Outside Time
If I could live outside of timeLike God does To know what was, what is,And most importantly,What is to come Perhaps I wouldWorry lessLaugh morePersevere effortlesslyHope absolutelyPray without ceasing And yet here I standBound by timeWatching minute by minuteNot knowing what’s nextUnsure of tomorrow or next year Jesus existed in timelessnessHe is the Alpha and the OmegaWho was, and is, and is to come Nevertheless, He stepped into timeSpent three decadesPlus three yearsAs the third Person of the TrinityMade flesh like us Here in this wastelandOf pain and sufferingHe walked and criedHealed and taught He trusted the FatherLaughed with His disciplesAnd prayed without ceasing Jesus knew why He cameBut didn’t know the whenOf what was to comeUntil it was time, His time And so perhapsWit...
translation
In our loneliness, we cry to God. Where are You? Can You hear me? And His language, His translation of our heart’s cry, helps us decipher our needs. But only after we recognize His voice first. You see, it is a battle to fight for our own hearts. It is a battle to fight for the heart of the beloved, the one whom He came for. How amazing this is. How worth it. So I ask myself, how can I deny him? How can I choose to ignore His choice to love me, fight for me, by refusing to participate in the dance of love around me and in me and for me as I work, as I sleep, as I love, as I disappoint, as I let Him pick me up, again and again and again? How are you crying out to Him this day? Are you letting Him help you know what your heart needs? What is it? ...
Ways God Grows Us Through Loneliness
“As I sit here in a room filled with hundreds of other Believers, I couldn’t feel more alone. I feel invisible a sea of faces. Somehow, I feel very unseen. How did I get here? What did I do to deserve this level of loneliness? How will I ever move forward? My life isn’t going as I planned and I don’t know if I’ll ever get it back.” These words were penned by a friend of mine several years ago. She had written that note to herself, while sitting a church filled with almost a thousand other people. It was during worship service and that sometimes awkward part of the service where the pastor encourages everyone to meet and greet their neighbors had just transpired. She looked around the room and seeming...
The Foolishness of God
Strolling through the Vincent van Gogh museum in Amsterdam, I stumbled on a disarmingly simple oil on canvas that has since hung prominently in the gallery of my mind. A Bible opened to Isaiah 53 lies next to a well-worn copy of Emile Zola’s La Joie de Vivre on a wooden table. An extinguished candlestick – a typical symbol of death in the 17th-century Dutch vanitas tradition – is in the background, suggesting the fleeting nature of human existence. The Bible is uniformly recognized by art historians to belong to van Gogh’s father, Theodorus, a minister whose love for the great prophet Isaiah was widely known. Zola’s La Joie de Vivre was an example of French naturalist literature. Together they speak to van Gogh’s lifelong attempt to reconcile his traditional Christian past to modern ...
How Are Failures in My Life Still a Part of God’s Will?
For more information about Michael Lawrence, visit: www.hinsonchurch.org For more information about Christianity, visit: www.christianity.com Michael Lawrence Originally published August 11, 2012.
Our Gifts for His Kingdom – In Touch – June 22/23
June 22/23 Our Gifts for His Kingdom 1 Corinthians 12:4-7 Many people hear the word “serve” and feel that they do not have the necessary qualities to make a difference in others’ lives. This is true – apart from God. But He has gifted each of us in unique ways with a purpose in mind. His plan for us involves using these talents to serve Him for the good of others. Satan would like us to believe otherwise. Our Enemy wants us to notice what others are doing and then to feel inferior. For instance, I have heard women say, “I am just a homemaker.” They see people preaching and singing in the choir and wish they could accomplish something so great for God. Friends, there could be nothing further from the truth. An enormous responsibility rests with ...
