Napoleon once promoted a young soldier from the ranks to Captain. The old war horse had lost control of his steed and the young man had risked his own life to stop it. Napoleon was so impressed that he immediately promoted young soldier to Captain of the guard on the spot. When the young soldier went to head of the ranks the unknowing leader ordered him back to his duties, but the new Captain refused and told him he’d been promoted to Captain. When asked by whose authority he replied “by order of the emperor” and that was that. Nothing more could be nor needed to be said. So powerful was the word of the famous emperor that upon hearing it all questions ceased. Solomon, penman and secondary author of the great book of Ecclesiastes wrote in Chapter 8 vs 4 “Where the word of the King is, there is power: and who may say unto him, What doest thou? Old king Nebuchadnezzar back in Daniel Chapter 4 wrote two particularly interesting things that God permitted to be recorded in His bible – verse 34 “…I blessed the most High, and I praised and honored him that liveth for ever, whose dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom is from generation to generation. 35 And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and he doeth according to his will in the army of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou?  Job, oldest book in the bible, permits to hear these ominous words God said to Job in Chapter 38:2 “Who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge”? And in verse 4 there “Where was thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? Declare, if thou hast understanding?”  I am sure that I am not alone in being thankful that the “great and terrible God” [Neh 1:5] gave me enough sense to regard the words of the “Living God” for what they are! Absolutely inerrant, completely and unquestionably powerful far beyond my ability to comprehend and totally worthy of my devout belief, obedience, submission and fear. I trust in them, have my confidence in them, live by them and count it quite an honor that my precious King of King and Lord of Lords even allowed them to be given to me in my own language over 400 years ago. I don’t know about you friend, but I am one of those old fashioned bible believers who thinks God said what He meant and meant what He said in John 14:23 Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. What does that mean? It means exactly that ‘if any one really is a Christian and really does love the Lord Jesus Christ, he or she WILL keep God’s words’. How can someone who doesn’t even believe they exist perfectly in the bible do so?

One of the common misconceptions promoted by the ‘all inclusive’ religion of today is the notion that ALL people are the “Children of God”. From internet forums to the erosive ‘community church’ movement self-styled ‘pastors’ are promoting this unbiblical precept in an effort to change who God is and thereby to change the definition of “Christian”.

Nonetheless let’s ask the question: Is this true? Is this really Biblical? Not hardly. In this brief article let me encourage you to “Trust the Bible”! Turn with me to the “Gospel of John” Chapter 8 verse 24-59 (In the REAL Bible…by which of course I mean of course the Authorized Bible…The King James Bible). Read those verses carefully and pay close attention to verses 36-47. There we find the Jewish Pharisees (the religious cream of the crop) getting more and more disgusted with Jesus’ narrow view of who is and who is not a follower of God nor the children of God. In verse 39 this religious crowd said “we are the children of Abraham” (by which they were referring to their genealogical descent from Abraham and which to them meant they were physically “holy” and beloved of God).

Jesus answered saying “If ye were Abraham’s Children ye would do the works of Abraham”. [The reference is allegorical – a son who loves his father obeys his father and follows his father’s leading in life – Proverbs is filled with references to good vs bad sons. Jesus is in effect saying if you really were good sons of your father you’d do as your father did. Abraham followed God and it is a forgone conclusion that if these Pharisees were going to claim to be Abrahams children then it follows that they’d do what their father did…but since they were not doing that, it is concluded that they are NOT his true children]. To drive his point home he adds “Ye do the deeds of your father” Vs 41 and they said ‘God is our Father’. What follows is an outrage to liberals, atheist, agnostics, evolutionist, and particularly to the ‘religious liberal’. vs 42-44 IF GOD WERE YOUR FATHER YE WOULD LOVE ME…YE ARE OF YOUR FATHER THE DEVIL, and the lusts of your father ye will do”.

THERE IT IS! If you want to know WHY America and the rest of the world is at the point it is at…there is your answer. There are two peoples of the earth. They who love and follow God and they who do not. All divisions of people pale in comparison to this. “He that is of God heareth God’s words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God”. It is not complicated – it is in fact very simple. Either you love God and follow God (by the way it is of course a matter of fact that there is just ONE GOD) or you don’t.

Is everyone on the planet, regardless of doctrinal view or religious label, a child of God? Jesus answered that question point blank in our text: NO! Only they who “love and obey God” (all who deny Christ Jesus do so in denial of God’s word and of God himself – herein is the damning danger of denying the Trinity 1^st John 5:7 and all of John 17). The Pharisees believed sincerely and completely that their “physical birth and blood line” was their ticket to heaven. The Jews practicing the keeping of the law of Moses believed like the Pharisees that salvation was to be had only in obeying the law and being a Jew (either by birth or by becoming a proselyte). {Paul wrote Galatians by inspiration of the Holy Ghost to explain that it is NOT the physical birth but the spiritual birth that counts when it comes to the matter of salvation}. Still today many believe that physical birth makes us all the children of God and as such that all people are simply traveling various ‘roads to heaven’ and that all religious roads lead to God. The Biblical reality is that some are the children of God and some are not. Those that are became the children of God by the New Birth{John 1:12, 3:3-5, 16-18, 36, Ephesians 2:8} without which one is a child of the devil {John 3:36}. Over the years many have asked me “how could a good and loving God throw his own children into hell”? Excellent question! The answer is that God will not throw his own children into hell but He certainly WILL throw all the children of the Devil into Hell [Rev 20]. The King James Bible says * You either come to God by Christ Jesus or you don’t come at all. All ‘religions’ not revolving around the Lord Jesus Christ and the new birth by Grace through Faith are hopeless roads to Hell. All people regardless of standing or state, Nationality or religious view, race or creed are either the children of God by the New Birth or they are the children of the Devil, PERIOD. The Pharisees hated Jesus for this saying. The Jews hated Jesus for this saying and crucified him for it. The Muslims hated this truth so they propped up their own Dagon [1^st Samuel Ch 5] whom they named Allah and assigned him a false prophet named Muhammad. All over the world Christ Jesus is hated for the truth [John 8:45]. No wonder then that He said “He that is of God heareth God’s words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are NOT of God” [John 8:47]. To deny the Holy Bible is to deny God AND reveal that one is OF THE DEVIL. We hope you’ll bring your family to visit with us soon at Calvary Baptist Church across from Pizza Hut on the Loop in Palestine, Texas this week! Church – 903-729-5924