Total Depravity

Depravity is something most people will not talk about let alone total depravity. The dicctionary definition of this is the state of being depraved: moral corruption and degradation. In laymans terms, someone who's rights and wrongs are rotten; people who sin. As sinners, as the Bible says, we deserve death. Becasue we sin, we are dead- Colossians 2:13When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins. The Bible is saying(Gods word) is that if you are human(becasue of the corruption of the human race by Adam and Eve), then you are dead in your sins. We all sin, even if it was just lying some times and the like; we are all sinners and if you say you aren't, then you just lied. So overviewing that we are dead in our sins, how do we get alive again like it says in Collosians 2:13. Thats why Jesus Christ died, so we could be made clean and enter into heaven. Jesus humbled himself(he is God Philippians 2) and came to the earth, was perfect, died for our sins(for the glory of God), and rose again. If you don't believe in total depravity; then you are first off, going against what the Bible teaches, and secondly, saying that you don't need Christ who died for you. Total depravity leads into election(God chose us to be Christians) because dead people can't save ourselves and verses like Ephesians 1:4. What an amazing savior we have.

Heaven

Revelation 21 (NASB)
1Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea.
2And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband.
3And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, "Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them,
4and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away."
5And He who sits on the throne said, "Behold, I am making all things new " And He said, "Write, for these words are faithful and true."
6Then He said to me, "It is done I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end I will give to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life without cost.
7"He who overcomes will inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be My son.
8"But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death."
9Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues came and spoke with me, saying, "Come here, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb."
The New Jerusalem 10And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God,
11having the glory of God Her brilliance was like a very costly stone, as a stone of crystal-clear jasper.
12It had a great and high wall, with twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels; and names were written on them, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel.
13There were three gates on the east and three gates on the north and three gates on the south and three gates on the west.
14And the wall of the city had twelve foundation stones, and on them were the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
15The one who spoke with me had a gold measuring rod to measure the city, and its gates and its wall.
16The city is laid out as a square, and its length is as great as the width; and he measured the city with the rod, fifteen hundred miles; its length and width and height are equal.
17And he measured its wall, seventy-two yards, according to human measurements, which are also angelic measurements.
18The material of the wall was jasper; and the city was pure gold, like clear glass.
19The foundation stones of the city wall were adorned with every kind of precious stone The first foundation stone was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, chalcedony; the fourth, emerald;
20the fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolite; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, topaz; the tenth, chrysoprase; the eleventh, jacinth; the twelfth, amethyst.
21 And the twelve gates were twelve pearls; each one of the gates was a single pearl. And the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass.
22I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb are its temple.
23And the city has no need of the sun or of the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God has illumined it, and its lamp is the Lamb.
24The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it.
25In the daytime (for there will be no night there) its gates will never be closed;
26and they will bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it;
27and nothing unclean, and no one who practices abomination and lying, shall ever come into it, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life.





I was reading this passage and was in awe of what heaven is going to be like. All these things that God has planned for us is a great way to get reenergated for Christ. Thinking about what trials we will face and what we devote our lives to, the Christian life is not an easy one; but remember, Heaven is wha we look for. Eternity with God is the ultimate prize. Think about working out. It is painfull while you do it, but it gives you results for the better and in the end it is all worth it. In Matt. 19 it says it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle that for a rich man to get into heaven. Compared to the rest of the world we are rich. We have so much and because of that many people think they don't need God. They think they have everything they want. They think its too hard to become a Christian(or don't even believe at all) and think God won't punish the for the sins they are commiting and have commited. Look at this passage. it is definately worth it to live for Christ. We will live with God in heaven forever and ever in perfection: no sin, no death, and no suffering. But also remember that we don't choose God. Ephesians 1:4-6. God choose us before the world began. Gods mercy is sooo awesome.

Living In the World But Being Seperate From It

Romans 12:2 (New International Version)
"2 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will."

Living in the world but being seperate from it really means to live in the world but to not be of the world. Of is used to indicate derivation, origin, or source. If you were born in the world, then you are "of " the world. So how do we not be "of " the world; well, look at Romans 12:2: do not conform to the world. Conforming is to correspond in form or character; be similar. So God is telling us through Paul, that we shouldn't be corresponding in form or character of the world. This is a very tough thing to do though. The world is all around us, bilboards, work, school, and television. Most places we go Satan is tempting us to be of the world, to look like the world, to act like the world, to have the same desires of the world, but we are to be separate from the world. 1 "John 2:15 Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him."

"1 John 2:17 The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever." What is the man of God. It is someone who lives for God, and follows his commands because of his love for Him who made him; a true christian. You see, desires of the world like sin pass away, but God never passes away. True happiness is being with God for eternity. But how do you become a man who does the will of God, a christian. Well its a simple concept but a hard style of life. "Luke 9:24 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it." Loosing you life is putting God before everything. It is repenting(killing sin) from your sins day by day and putting faith in Christ. We don't deserve God sending Jesus(who is infact God: Phillipians 2:5-11) to die for our sins so we could enter into heaven."1 John 3:1 How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!" The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. If you are a christian you are a child of God. Wow, isn't God great that he provided us a way to be right with Him.

So now to the second part; living in the world." Mark 16:15 He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation." God calls us to tell other about him. Just because we are christians doesn't mean that we go find a Mountain and live there our whole lives to be "away" from the world; no, He wants us to be in the world so we can spread the good news that Christ died so people could be saved. The thing is though, it isn't that easy. Once again, an easy concept with a hard application. We will be hated by the world. "John 15:18 "If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first." ; and another one. "1 John 3:13Do not be surprised, my brothers, if the world hates you." The world hates us because we are telling them that their lifestyle is wrong, that they are in sin, and that they need God to save them. They still crave their sinful desires and will do anything to hold on to them. This means distorting what the Bible says(many religions including mormons, jehova witnesses, catholicism, and even "christians" like Joel Osteen and Benny Hinn who are really false profits) and making things up that go against what the Bible says(evolution, buddism, muslims ect.). So thats what it means by being in the world but not being of the world.