Marbaniang, Domenic

The doctrine of atonement is a stumbling block for some who feel that it not only exemplifies cruelty but also does away with human responsibility. The issue abounds with various questions and attempts to solution. Questions: 1. If God knew that man would sin and fall, why did He create man? 2. Why doesn't God, if He exists, intervene and stop evil; why just be Judge but not be Governor with proper police security system that minimises the possibility of transgression? 3. How can the death of one particular man atone for the sins of many particular men? 4. Isn't it not cruel to punish an innocent man for the sins of others so that they go free? Answers that challenge the Christian doctrine: 1. God does not require sacrifice in order to forgive, He can forgive by sovereign authority. 2. Every man must bear his own guilt so that he has a sense of responsibility and possess a genuine reason to pursue good and turn from evil. Biblical Responses: 1. God's knowledge of human Fall...

And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins (Eph 2:1 NKJ) In Christ we die to sin . How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? (Rom 6:2 NKJ) Christ also did not die in sins; for He is the sinless One. But, He died to sin, i.e. to the condemning power of sin that held over the old creation. knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him. For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. (Rom 6:9-10 NKJ) Therefore, we are called to reckon ourselves "to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Rom 6:11 NKJ) For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection (Rom 6:5 NKJ) Thus, in Christ, by faith in Him, those who are dead in sins become dead to sin so that they can live to God. To be dead in sins means...

Sinful humanity, fallen short of the glory of God , finds remedy in justification freely by the grace of God in Christ (Rom.3:23). However, if one falls short of the grace of God , there remains no more room for repentance (Heb.12:15-17). We know that His grace is sufficient. This is all we need. So, we remain close to His Throne of Grace that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need (Heb.4:16). We are sensitive to the Spirit of Grace who lives in us and yearns within (Heb.10:29, Jas.4:5). We stand in grace by faith (Rom.5:2). And, His grace is sufficient for us (2Cor.12:9).

The answer is “No”. But, this is not the doctrine of eternal security as taught by Calvinism. According to Calvinism, God predestines certain individuals to damnation and certain others to salvation. Those whom God has predestined to be saved will endure to the end. Thus, it is not “those who endure to the end will be saved” but “those who are saved will endure to the end.” In other words, the elect will endure; it is not those who will endure that are the elect. We reject the Calvinist explanation of the security of the elect for several biblical reasons stated elsewhere; but, primary, is that it paints a very wrong image of God. In this post, we will try to explain why we believe that the “elect” of God will not fall. Election is not unconditional, but conditional. The elect of God are those whom God eternally knows as the ones who are His, i.e. those who have endured to the end in faith (2Tim.2:19). These who are foreknown by God as His are the elect of God according to His forekno...

Jesus gives the answer to this question in His Parable of the Unforgiving Servant (Matt.18:23-35). The man was forgiven but his forgiveness became invalid and was withdrawn the moment he showed unforgiveness to someone else who was indebted to him. This man failed to walk according to the grace he received and soon turned to the law when it came to someone else. Jesus told that with the measure we measure out to others, it will be measured back to us (Matt.7:1-2). We are told not to judge. We must be forgiving not just in deed but also in disposition. Forgiveness doesn't mean that we restore people to the same circle of relationship; it means to harbor absolutely no hatred or desire to hurt or of they being hurt. Forgiveness flows out of mercy and "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy" (Matt.5:7). The entire service of the Temple was founded upon the concept of mercy; the Law only functioned to show people their state of sin. It was at the Temple, at the ...

Two of the biggest offenses that Christianity poses to the world are: The Claim to Uniqueness of Christ as the Son of God The Claim to Uniqueness of Christ as the Only Savior The chief problem is not the moral teaching of Christ. Jesus is regarded by the majority as one of the greatest moral teachers that the world has ever had. In fact, His teachings have made a greater impact on civilization than the ideas of any other man. In his autobiography, Gandhi confesssed Christ's teachings to have had very strong impact on his life. "But the New Testament produced a different impression," he wrote, "especially the Sermon on the Mount which went straight to my heart." However, when it came to the doctrine of the uniqueness of Christ as the Son of God and the only Savior, he disagreed. He confessed: My difficulties lay deeper. It was more than I could believe that Jesus was the only incarnate son of God, and that only he who believed in Him, would have everlasting life....

The Gospel or Good news proclaims that all humans can be saved from their sins by faith in Jesus Christ. God sent Jesus Christ His Son into this world to be the sacrificial Lamb of God that would atone for the sins of the world (Jn. 1:29). The body of Jesus Christ was a sacrificial body anointed and separated by the Holy Spirit (Lk. 1:35; Heb. 10:5). The Holy Spirit revealed the sufferings of Jesus Christ, which He was to suffer for our sins, to the prophets of old (1Pet.1:10,11). Christ became the Mediator between man and God through His incarnation and atoning death; thus, through the sacrifice of His body by the Eternal Spirit (Heb. 9:14) He opened a way for us into God’s presence (Heb. 10:19,20).  Through His atoning death and resurrection Jesus Christ has become the path of reconciliation between God and man (Rom. 5:10; Heb. 1:3). Those who reject this offer of salvation will remain in their condemnation and will ”be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the L...

Adoption means "placing as son" and is an important theme in the story of man's redemption. The word "teknon" means "child" and the word "huios" means "son". A son is one who is mature and is considered able to take over responsibility in the household. There are at least five aspects of adoption: 1. Right to be called the children (teknon) of God (John 1:12). Those who receive Jesus into their life are granted the right to be called the children of God. In other words, all legal indictments against them are cancelled and they have a legal position as God's children. This is what Jesus procured for us on the cross. 2. Spirit of adoption sent into hearts of believers (Romans 8:14, 15,16). The Spirit bears witness with our spirit that we are the children (teknon) of God.  Those who obey the leading of the Spirit are the sons (huios) of God. 3. We are being conformed to the image of the Son (Romans 8:29). Through the Spirit we a...

1. IT IS UNRIVALED, UNIQUE, & EXCLUSIVE - There is nothing like it. It is divine. "In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. (Joh 1:4 NKJ) "And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. (Joh 17:3 NKJ) 2. IT IS SUPERNATURAL - Not this-worldly. It is heavenly. "The first man was of the earth, made of dust; the second Man is the Lord from heaven. As was the man of dust, so also are those who are made of dust; and as is the heavenly Man, so also are those who are heavenly." (1Co 15:47-48 NKJ) 3. IT IS IMPERISHABLE & INCORRUPTIBLE "Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed-- in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed." (1Co 15:51-52 NKJ) 4. IT IS INVALUABLE & PRECIOUS "knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible ...

The question is usually approached through an analysis of the three major views regarding other faiths. We can't accommodate that discussion here, but let me point some of my earlier writings that deal with the views, viz pluralism, inclusivism, and exclusivism or particularism as preferably known. Theology and Philosophy of Religion Three Divisions of Philosophical Theology Poll Results: Are all Mission Fields "Harvest Fields"? There is also an extension of this discussion around the debate between Calvinism and Arminianism; the Calvinist stance usually maintaining that salvation is the sovereign act of God that involves divine predestination, unconditional election, and irresistible salvific grace. Some may see that such a view can render the preaching of the gospel meaningless, as in the voice of the man who countered Carey's proposal to evangelize the heathen: "Sit down, young man, if God wants to save the heathen, he will do it without your help or mine!...

" The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved." (Jer 8:20) He who lives in sin doesn't fall in sin; he who falls in sin doesn't live in sin. The slip and the fall were momentary. He who is born of God doesn't desire to sin; he who desires to sin is not born of God. The slip and the fall were involuntary. No lover of Christ ever desires to displease Him; no displeaser loves Christ. The slip and the fall were a hateful lapsing. Nothing hurts and damages as the deceitfulness of sin; nothing heals and builds up as the truth of God. What man of God desires wickedness? He desires to avoid evil, but desire to avoid is powerless before the desire to fulfill. He who focuses on avoiding sin rather than on fulfilling righteousness is overpowered by sin. Where there is no light, there is darkness all the time. Sow Your righteousness in this soul of Your purchase, Lord!

Four dimensions in which salvation can be seen: 1. Transcendent Dimension – the eternal purpose of God and the slaying of the Lamb before the foundation of the world, predestination, justification, adoption. 2. Historical Dimension – the Fall, the Covenants, Israel, Incarnation, Death, and Atonement. 3. Empirical Dimension – conversion, regeneration, sanctification. 4. Eschatological Dimension – glorification, consummation, eternal life. Our Focus: Empirical Dimension – Conversion, Regeneration, Sanctification. © Domenic Marbaniang, February 14, 2006

Then said Jesus unto him, Put up again thy sword into his place: for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword. Matt. 26: 52 Introduction 1. The Sword is not The Answer. It is only a Temporal Answer . It has no Eternal Effect. Destruction of the wicked is not the answer to the problem of evil. Such procedure requires a cyclical repetition (Also e.g. avatars). The answer is still earth-bound and has no eternal cosmological benefit. If sword were the answer, Christ had legions to assist Him towards that end. Christ came to deal a permanent and final blow to the problem of sin. 1Jn 3:8. 2. The Sword is an Incomplete Answer. The sword serves the political and judicial purpose in this life but does not deal with the spiritual dimension of evil in the world. As such it is unfulfilled and incomplete. Violence is indispensable in judgment. However, violence doesn’t serve the eternal divine goal for man to be in loving fellowship with God. The rule of sword was not God’s actual ...

Text: Luke 15:12-32 I. What Sin Is A. Sin is Selfish Desire (Luke 15:12) - "My" "mine" - "I" elongated - A desire for independence from the authority and rule of God - A desire to enjoy life in one's own way B. Sin is Going Far Away From God (Luke 15:13) - You become separated from Him - You are away from His protection, love, counsel, provision - You are away from His discipline and control C. Sin is Wastage and Wrong Use of God's Gifts  (Luke 15:13) - It is using God's gifts to displease Him /or in a way that displeases Him - It is using God's gifts in a way that doesn't glorify Him - It is using God's gifts in a way that would defame Him - It is using God's gifts for impermanent goals/pleasures II. What Sin Does Famine Reveals Your Condition; Hope, Severity A. Sin Sucks Out the Sap of Your Life (Like Madagascar Tree, Octopus) - It robs you of your physical health - It confuses your intellect and debases your reasoning ability...