Jesus' followers as salt.

“Let me tell you why you are here. You're here to be salt-seasoning that brings out the God-flavors of this earth. If you lose your saltiness, how will people taste godliness? You've lost your usefulness and will end up in the garbage.”¹

“What could they do in so large a province as the whole earth? Nothing, if they were to work by force of arms and dint of sword; but, being to work silent as salt, one handful of that salt would diffuse its savour far and wide...” The teaching of the Gospel is salt.²

Could it be that the Church is despised in the western world because, to a large extent we have lost our saltiness?

In Scripture, salt is used for, seasoning food³ seasoning sacrifices⁴ ratifying covenants⁵ and strengthening new-born infants⁶.⁷ Elisha used salt to purify the water in a well at Jericho.⁸

“Salt sôlt (מלח, melaḥ; ἄλας, hálas, ἄλς, háls): Common salt is considered by most authorities as an essential ingredient of our food. Most people intentionally season their cooking with more or less salt for the sake of palatability. Others depend upon the small quantities which naturally exist in water and many foods to furnish the necessary amount of salt for the body. Men and animals alike instinctively seek for this substance to supplement or improve their regular diet. The ancients appreciated the value of salt for seasoning food. So necessary was it that they dignified it by making it a requisite part of sacrifices. A 'covenant of salt' is mentioned.⁹ This custom of pledging friendship or confirming a compact by eating food containing salt is still retained among Arabic-speaking people. The Arabic word for 'salt' and for a 'compact' or 'treaty' is the same. Doughty in his travels in Arabia appealed more than once to the superstitious belief of the Arabs in the 'salt covenant,' to save his life. Once an Arab has received in his tent even his worst enemy and has eaten salt (food) with him, he is bound to protect his guest as long as he remains.

Salt was used not only as a food, but as an antiseptic in medicine. Newborn babes were bathed and salted, a custom still prevailing. The Arabs of the desert consider it so necessary, that in the absence of salt they bathe infants in camels' urine.”¹⁰

“Do not conform yourselves to the standards of this world, but let God transform you inwardly by a complete change of your mind. Then you will be able to know the will of God---what is good and is pleasing to him and is perfect.”^{11 12}

I have referred to several English translations of the Bible in writing this which is made easy by e-sword, a free downloadable program. For further information I recommend reading the Bible.

© Ken Glasgow 2010 Last edited 14 March 2021

This page was written using Open Office 3.2.1, open source software from the www.openoffice.org this software is available to download for free.

1Matthew 5:13, “The Message” paraphrase of the Bible.

2Matthew Henery's commentary on the Whole Bible.

3Job 6:6.

4Leviticus 2:13 & Ezekiel 43:24.

5Numbers 18:19 & 2 Chronicles 13:5.

6Ezekiel 16:4.

7R. A. Torrey's New Topical Text Book.

82 Kings 2:18-21.

9Numbers 18:19 & 2 Chronicles 13:5.

10See also: Leviticus 2:13, Ezra 6:9 & 7:21-22, Job 6:6, Ezekiel 16:4 & 43:24,

11Romans 12:2, the Good News Bible.

12International Standard Bible Encyclopedia.

The basics of Christianity.

In the beginning, God created all things.¹

The first humans, Adam an Eve though God had said not to, they ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, at that point sin entered the world.²

Every person has sinned³. There is a price for sin, death. “Sin pays off with death. But God's gift is eternal life given by Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 6:23 Contemporary English Version of the Bible) Sin can not remain in the presence of God.

At the right time God sent His Son,⁴ Jesus Christ born to a virgin named Mary.⁵ Jesus lived without sin⁶, was crucified and died⁷ to pay the price for the sins of all.

On the third day Jesus was raised⁸ and seen by many witnesses⁹ before being taken up¹⁰ into Heaven (Jesus also appeared to Saul of Tarsus on the road to Damascus¹¹ after His ascension to Heaven), giving us an assurance that those of us who believe in Him as the Scriptures say will be raised and go to Heaven for ever.

“You see, God loved all the people in the world. He loved everyone so much that he sent them his only son, his special son. God sent him to die instead of them, so that if anyone trusts him God will not finish them up, but they will live with him for ever.” John 3:16 Plain English Version

In the “Sermon on the mount” Jesus made several points:

• We need to be dependent on God.

• There's a place for mourning.

• Humility is a virtue.

• Commitment to God is important.

• The merciful are blessed.

• Our thoughts are important to God.

• God values peace makers.

• Go blesses those who are persecuted for following His way.

 

For those who would like to get right with God I suggest a simple prayer:

• God I admit that I have sinned and fallen short of your standards.

• Thank you that you sent your only begotten Son, Jesus Christ to die for me, paying the price for my salvation from sin, to be raised on the third day and to later ascend to Heaven. as an assurance

• I choose to place my faith in your Son, Jesus Christ.

• Thank you that Jesus' ascension to Heaven is my assurance that you will take me to live with you there forever after my life on Earth is over.

You should now develop a habit of reading the Bible and talking to God every day. You should also join a Bible believing church (that does not add any other books to it) and fellowship there regularly¹².

1Genesis 1-2

2Genesis 3

3Romans 3:23

4Galatians 4:4

5Luke 1:26-38

6Hebrews 4:15

7John 19:16-30

8John 20-21

91Corinthians 15:6-7

10Acts 1:6-9

11Acts 9:3-6

12Hebrews 10:25

For further information I recommend reading the Bible.  I have refered to several English translations of the Bible in writing this which is made easy by e-sword, a free downloadable program. For further information I recommend reading the Bible.

© Ken Glasgow 2010 Last edited 11 March 2021

This page was written using Open Office 3, open source software from the www.openoffice.org this software is available to download for free.

Godly commitment provokes persecution.

“You're blessed when your commitment to God provokes persecution.”ⁱ

“God blesses those people who are treated badly for doing right. They belong to the Kingdom of Heaven. God will bless you when people insult you, mistreat you, and tell all kinds of evil lies about you because of me. Be happy and excited! You will have a great reward in heaven. People did these same things to the prophets who lived long ago.”ⁱⁱ

“PERSECU'TION, n. The act or practice of persecuting; the infliction of pain, punishment or death upon others unjustly, particularly for adhering to a religious creed or mode of worship, either by way of penalty or for compelling them to renounce their principles.”ⁱⁱⁱ

“In all ages, in one form or another, the people of God have had to suffer persecution. In its earliest history the Christian church passed through many bloody persecutions. Of subsequent centuries in our own and in other lands the same sad record may be made.”^iv

“Happy are you, when men have hate for you, and put you away from among them and say angry words to you, turning away in disgust at your name, because of the Son of man. Be glad in that day, and be lifted up for joy, for your reward in heaven will be great: for their fathers did these same things to the prophets.”^v

“Be exceeding glad - Αγαλλιασθε, leap for joy. There are several cases on record, where this was literally done by the martyrs, in Queen Mary’s days.”^vi

“Theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven - They have evidence that they are Christians, and that they will be brought to heaven.”^vii

The ultimate persecution of the righteous was suffered by Jesus Himself. The great reward is that some of us have chosen to give our lives to Him.

There's a lot more on the subject of persecution of the righteous, some of it will be included in other posts.

I have referred to several English translations of the Bible in writing this which is made easy by e-sword, a free downloadable program. For further information I recommend reading the Bible.

© Ken Glasgow 2010

This post was written using Open Office 3.2.1, open source software from the www.openoffice.org this software is available to download for free.

iMark 5:10a "The Message" paraphrase of the Bible.

iiMark 5:10-12 Contemporary English Version of the Bible.

iiiWebster's 1828 Dictionary.

ivEaston's Dictionary of the Bible.

vLuke 6:22-23 The Bible in Basic English.

viAdam Clarke's commentary on the Bible.

viiAlbert Barnes' notes on the Bible.

Christianity in brief.

In the beginning, God created all things.¹

The first humans, Adam an Eve though God had said not to, they ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, at that point sin entered the world.²

Every person has sinned³. There is a price for sin, death. “Sin pays off with death. But God's gift is eternal life given by Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 6:23 Contemporary English Version of the Bible) Sin can not remain in the presence of God.

At the right time God sent His Son,⁴ Jesus Christ born to a virgin named Mary.⁵ Jesus lived without sin⁶, was crucified and died⁷ to pay the price for the sins of all.

On the third day Jesus was raised⁸ and seen by many witnesses⁹ before being taken up¹⁰ into Heaven (Jesus also appeared to Saul of Tarsus on the road to Damascus¹¹ after His ascension to Heaven), giving us an assurance that those of us who believe in Him as the Scriptures say will be raised and go to Heaven for ever.

“You see, God loved all the people in the world. He loved everyone so much that he sent them his only son, his special son. God sent him to die instead of them, so that if anyone trusts him God will not finish them up, but they will live with him for ever.” John 3:16 Plain English Version

For those who would like to get right with God I suggest a simple prayer:

• God I admit that I have sinned and fallen short of your standards.

• Thank you that you sent your only begotten Son, Jesus Christ to die for me, paying the price for my salvation from sin, to be raised on the third day and to later ascend to Heaven. as an assurance

• I choose to place my faith in your Son, Jesus Christ.

• Thank you that Jesus' ascension to Heaven is my assurance that you will take me to live with you there forever after my life on Earth is over.

You should now develop a habit of reading the Bible and talking to God every day. You should also join a Bible believing church (that does not add any other books to it) and fellowship there regularly¹².

I have refered to several English translations of the Bible in writing this which is made easy by e-sword, a free downloadable program. For further information I recommend reading the Bible.

© Ken Glasgow 2009 Last edited 11 March 2021

This page was written using Open Office 3, open source software from the www.openoffice.org this software is available to download for free.

1Genesis 1-2

2Genesis 3

3Romans 3:23

4Galatians 4:4

5Luke 1:26-38

6Hebrews 4:15

7John 19:16-30

8John 20-21

91Corinthians 15:6-7

10Acts 1:6-9

11Acts 9:3-6

12Hebrews 10:25

© Ken Glasgow 2009

This page was written using Open Office 3, open source software from the www.openoffice.org this software is available to download for free.

How sin, death and destruction entered the world.

One teaching that is important to Christianity is that all people have sinned and fallen short of God's standards.¹

God created Adam (the first man)² and Eve (the first woman). Both husband and wife were naked but they felt no shame.³ God told Adam that he was allowed to eat from any tree except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, because when you eat from it you will die.⁴

Adam and Eve already knew good, because all that God had created was good.⁵

There was a snake, it came to Eve and tricked her into believing that she would not die if she ate the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil. Eve ate the fruit, gave some to Adam and he ate it also. When they ate the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil Adam and Eve realised they were naked and made themselves clothes from fig leaves.⁶ At this time they died spiritually⁷ and were in need of a saviour to put them back in a right relationship with God. Until this time there is no record of death, disease or destruction in the Bible.

That evening God came strolling in the garden. Adam and Eve heard him coming, and hid themselves. God called out to Adam: “Where are you?” Adam replied that he was hiding. God asked who told him that he was naked and whether he had eaten the forbidden fruit. Adam said the woman God had made had given him the fruit (this is the first recorded instance of passing the buck), Eve blamed the snake and the snake didn't have a leg to stand on.⁸

God cursed the snake and put enmity between it and the woman. He also said that the woman's offspring would crush the snake's head and the snake would wound His heal (this is the first prediction of Jesus' death on the cross). He said to Eve that her trouble in pregnancy and child birth would be increased but that she would still desire her husband and that he would rule over her. To Adam He said that the ground would be cursed and that he would have to work hard for it to produce enough food for him. You were formed from the soil and you will return to the soil. God made clothes from animal skins for Adam and Eve then sent them out of the Garden to prevent them eating the fruit of the tree of life and living forever.⁹

I have referred to several English translations of the Bible in writing this which is made easy by e-sword, a free downloadable program. For further information I recommend reading the Bible.

© Ken Glasgow 2009 last edited 9 May 2021

This page was written using Open Office, open source software from the www.openoffice.org this software is available to download for free.

1Romans 3:23

2Genesis 2:7-8

3Genesis 2:21-25

4Genesis 2:16-17

5Genesis 1:12, 18, 21 31

6Genesis 3:1-7

7Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible & John Wesley's Explanatory Notes

8Genesis 3:8-13

9Genesis-3:14-24

God created all things.

One teaching that is important to Christianity is that in the beginning, God created all things.

On the first day God created light, by His Word. He seperated light from darkness, called the light “day” and the darkness “night”.

On the second day God spoke the earth's atmosphere (sky) into existence, seperating the waters bellow from the waters above (clouds).

God spoke again on the third day, He told the waters bellow to gather into one place and land to appear. He called the waters “ocean” and the land, “earth”. God also told the earth to produce all kinds of plants, those that bear grain and fruit, and it was done.

On the fourth day God created the sun, the (other) stars and the moon. He ordered the sun to dominate the day and the moon to dominate the night. He create them to separate day from night and to show the days and seasons. According to other information I have come across God knew at this time the day and the hour that Jesus Christ would die on the cross.

On the fifth day, God created the sea creatures and the birds of the air. God blessed them, told the sea creatures to fill the waters and the birds to multiply on land.

On the sixth day God created terrestrial animals and people.

God told the earth to produce all kinds of creatures, and the result was all terrestrial animals including reptiles and insects.

God said let us make man in our image to rule over the creatures of the sea, the land and the birds.

God formed man from dirt and breathed life giving breath into his nostrils, causing the man to become a living soul. God planted a garden in Eden with the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in the middle and put the man in the garden. God told the man (Adam) that he was allowed to eat from any tree except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, because when you eat from it you will die.

God brought all the land animals and the birds of the air to Adam to see what he would name them. No companion suitable for Adam was found.

God said it is not good for man to be alone, I will make a helper and companion for him. God put Adam into a deep sleep, took a rib out of him and closed the flesh. God used the rib to make a woman and presented her to him. Adam said “This is bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh she will be called woman because she was taken out of me.” This is why a man leaves his father and mother to embrace his wife and they become one flesh.

He told them to have many children and to fill the earth, to rule the other creatures on the land, in the water and in the air.

Both husband and wife were naked but they felt no shame

God looked at what He had made and saw that it was very good. So God created the Heavens and the Earth in six days. On the seventh day God rested.

But as we all know it didn't stay that way, see also: How sin, death and destruction entered the world. This is why Jesus Christ was born, to die for the sins of the world and His resurrection demonstrates how those of us who put our faith in Him will be raised to be with Him in Heaven after our mortal bodies die.

I have refered to several English translations of the Bible in writing this which is made easy by e-sword, a free downloadable program. For further information I recommend reading the Bible. For further information see Genesis 1-2

© Ken Glasgow 2009 Last edited 14 March 2021

This page was written using Open Office 3, open source software from the www.openoffice.org this software is available to download for free.

The basics of Christianity.

In the beginning, God created all things.¹

The first humans, Adam an Eve though God had said not to, they ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, at that point sin entered the world.²

Every person has sinned³. There is a price for sin, death. “Sin pays off with death. But God's gift is eternal life given by Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 6:23 Contemporary English Version of the Bible) Sin can not remain in the presence of God.

At the right time God sent His Son,⁴ Jesus Christ born to a virgin named Mary.⁵ Jesus lived without sin⁶, was crucified and died⁷ to pay the price for the sins of all.

On the third day Jesus was raised⁸ and seen by many witnesses⁹ before being taken up¹⁰ into Heaven (Jesus also appeared to Saul of Tarsus on the road to Damascus¹¹ after His ascension to Heaven), giving us an assurance that those of us who believe in Him as the Scriptures say will be raised and go to Heaven for ever.

“You see, God loved all the people in the world. He loved everyone so much that he sent them his only son, his special son. God sent him to die instead of them, so that if anyone trusts him God will not finish them up, but they will live with him for ever.” John 3:16 Plain English Version

For those who would like to get right with God I suggest a simple prayer:

• God I admit that I have sinned and fallen short of your standards.

• Thank you that you sent your only begotten Son, Jesus Christ to die for me, paying the price for my salvation from sin, to be raised on the third day and to later ascend to Heaven. as an assurance

• I choose to place my faith in your Son, Jesus Christ.

• Thank you that Jesus' ascension to Heaven is my assurance that you will take me to live with you there forever after my life on Earth is over.

You should now develop a habit of reading the Bible and talking to God every day. You should also join a Bible believing church (that does not add any other books to it) and fellowship there regularly¹².

I have refered to several English translations of the Bible in writing this which is made easy by e-sword, a free downloadable program. For further information I recommend reading the Bible.

© Ken Glasgow 2009 Last edited 11 April 2021

This page was written using Open Office 3, open source software from the www.openoffice.org this software is available to download for free.

1Genesis 1-2

2Genesis 3

3Romans 3:23

4Galatians 4:4

5Luke 1:26-38

6Hebrews 4:15

7John 19:16-30

8John 20-21

91Corinthians 15:6-7

10Acts 1:6-9

11Acts 9:3-6

12Hebrews 10:25