Herod Antipas, (born 21 bce-died after 39 ce ), son of Herod I the Great who became tetrarch (ruler of a minor principality in the Roman Empire) of Galilee, in northern Palestine, and Peraea, east of the Jordan River and Dead Sea, and ruled throughout Jesus of Nazareth's ministry.
Thank you GiGi for responding to my question and providing your insight. I will reflect on your answer and continue to pray for God's guidance. There have been others who have generously offered similar opinions and Bible references, I will review all responses and details and I know I will be guided by the Holy Spirit. What a blessing to have a community of Christians willing to spend time to help and support each other. Bless you ... Ani
Thankyou Chris for taking the time to reply to my question and providing so much detail and references, I will spend some time reviewing the information you have sent me. God bless you ... Ani
Fourthly, the Ten Commandments were given to Israel & were binding upon them. Some of their objectives were:
a. to reveal the Holiness of the Eternal God to His people, Israel: Leviticus 19:2; Leviticus 20:7-8.
b. to set Israel apart as distinct from all the other nations: Exodus 19:5.
c. to reveal man's sinfulness: Galatians 3:19. Although the Law is "holy, just & good ( Romans 7:12), it did not provide salvation for the nation of Israel; and it cannot provide salvation to anyone who wants to or tries to keep the Law. No one will be declared righteous in God's sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin ( Romans 3:20; Acts 13:38-39).
d. to show to humanity that not one person can fully keep the Law but everyone falls short of God's Standard of Holiness. Realizing that, should cause us to cast ourselves upon a Merciful God for His Forgiveness. When Jesus came, He fulfilled the requirements of the Law completely and by His death fully paid the penalty for their breaking it ( Galatians 3:24; Romans 10:4). Therefore, by His Obedience, He was qualified to be the accepted Sacrifice for all mankind, for all of our sins ( Hebrews 10:10-12). If Jesus failed in fully keeping the Law, He would have been disqualified as a Savior - all mankind would be forever stuck in the quagmire of their sins & hell would be the destiny. But He was raised from the dead to show His Father's acceptance, our justification & deliverance ( Romans 4:23-25).
I hope you can see Ani, that even though there was nothing wrong with the Law, even keeping the Sabbath by Israel, anyone who puts themselves under the Law (i.e. to find forgiveness or acceptance by God by it), is doomed to fail. Our Rest - continual rest (Sabbath) is now found in Jesus & not in Law-keeping & we can only be subject now to the Holy Spirit who enables us to fulfil both the spirit of the Law & finding the true rest in Christ Jesus ( 2 Corinthians 3:6-9; Romans 8:1-4).
Hi Ani. GiGi has shared accurately with you and I would like to add some more thoughts for your study & consideration.
I'm unsure where you obtained this particular Bible study book from, as it's clearly slanted towards 'keeping of the Law'. Does your Church support this teaching or are you doing this study by personal choice?
Firstly, the Jewish Sabbath has always been the Saturday (from sundown Friday to sundown Saturday) & was given to Israel as part of the other commandments for them to observe ( Exodus 20:8-11). Why was this particular Command given? It was the seventh day when the LORD ceased from His Work of creating & it was for a remembrance when God brought out His people "with a mighty hand & a stretched out arm": i.e. from the perennial state of bondage & hard labor in Egypt to a time of liberty & rest. Even when Israel collected their food (Manna) while in the desert, they were not allowed to gather it on the seventh day ( Exodus 16:19-30), indicating the sanctity of the Sabbath Day.
Secondly, the Christian observance of Sunday, is not a redefining of the Jewish Sabbath - it is what is termed, the Lord's Day ( Revelation 1:10), or the First Day of the Week ( Acts 20:7, 1 Corinthians 16:2) - never the Sabbath.
Thirdly, the Church is not required to observe the Jewish Sabbath as we were never in bondage in Egypt & brought into Canaan. We were however, once in bondage to sin & the flesh & now given a glorious forgiveness & release into the Lord's Rest. See Matthew 11:28-30 and Hebrews 4:1-11. Not only is the Christian given Christ's Peace in his heart, but also a resulting rest that comes only from Him. And yet, there is also a coming rest ( Hebrews 4:9), where the word here is 'sabbatismos', or Sabbath Rest: a rest in God's Presence that will be one continual Sabbath Rest, when our earthly toils & hardships are finally over.
Dear Ani, I think that we are to obey all of the Commands that Jesus and the apostles affirmed as binding on the Christian believer. But Jesus and Paul both have removed the obligation to keep a Saturday Sabbath, because we have entered into the 'rest" promised of God through salvation by faith. The other commandments, Jesus spoke extensively about in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5-7 are binding because they are how we are to love God and others. The Sabbath was made for man, not for God, with the intention that we have rest from our labors.
I am doing a Bible study and a whole chapter is dedicated to The Sabbath day, the study says the Sabbath is Saturday (not Sunday as I have always believed) and that as its one of Gods Ten Commandments, I am sinning if I dont keep Saturday holy. The study provided various references both Old and New Testaments. People I talk to and listen to have said this died with the coming of Jesus, but dont we still have to follow the Ten Commandments today? I am uncertain, I am praying about this and seeking Gods guidance. Can you help?
Alex1939...Michael Lim...The very reason Jesus died was to destroy the works of the Devil, all sin is of the Devil....ALL SIN
.....1 st John 3:8...He that comittieth sin is of the Devil;...For the Devil sinneth from the beginning...For this cause was the Son of God was made manifested that he might destroy the works of the Devil.
..... 1st JOHN 3:9...Whosoever is born of God doeth not commit sin...For his seed ( the living word ) remains in him...Gods seed remains in him and he cannot sin....Not the written word but the living word which is the H.G...That Child of Promise....The letter is a killer but the living word is spirit and life...She brought forth a man child that is gonna rule all nations...The spirit of truth that is gonna be born in us...The H.G. The kingdom...No Eternal life in the scripture per se....Search the scriptures in them you think you have eternal but it is them that testify of me...The New Covenant that book that he wrote with his own blood,...The words of LIFE....But God told Daniel go thy way Daniel these words are sealed till the last days...Then the woman
will travail in birth pains...For that spirit of truth the man child..Gbu...Our new hearts and new spirits
Does someone who chooses to sin assume that satan is responsible and not themselves?
My understanding is that satan only tempts us with evil and doesn't cause us to do anything- people choose that themselves, so why would blame fall on him and not on us?
Could I ask a question that I am really confused? God told us to be forgiving. But can we forgive Satan? You may say Satan did something really bad. But people did it too. We need forgive people, why don't we forgive Satan? I know Satan is Ghost created by God, have a free will. (I am a protestant who is already been baptized.)
Just a quick point , three times in the Gospel of John , Jesus Himself refers to the Holy Ghost as the Spirit of Truth . That's very powerful to me and it how I always perceive the Holy Spirit , God is the Everlasting source of all Truth .
Hello Ellyn, you can read my response to Jacqui for some ideas that may help you understand Who the Father, Son, and Holy spirit are within the One Godhead. Jesus tells us in Matthew 28:29 that Christian baptism is to be done in the name of the Godhead: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. He was speaking this revelation to His apostles before He ascended back up to heaven to sit at the right hand of God, the Father. These apostles were Jewish and Judaism and Israelites in the O.T. believed in One God, as God states in the "Shema" in Deuteronomy 6:4-5. These apostles would need Jesus' teaching and the that of the Holy Spirit to come to understand and believe that this One God of their Scriptures (O.T.) consists of Three Persons in One Being, with all three possess this One Divine Essence, yet are distinct from One Another. In this verse ( Matthew 28:19) Jesus reveals that this One LORD of the Shema is a reality of Three Persons in One God. So, when the apostles were taught this by Jesus and given understanding and faith to believe it by the Holy Spirit, they understood the Shema more truthfully than they had been taught about it from the rabbis. Hear, O Israel, the LORD (YHWH) our God, the LORD (duet. 6:4-5) YHWH) is one God here in Deuteronomy was teaching the Israelites that there is only one God, not many, like the pagans believed in the world with them. Jesus, in Matthew 20:19 teaches the Apostles and all believers that this ONE God is not many Gods (as the Shema teaches) but then three Persons in One Godhead.
Let us know if you have more questions, Ellyn. This topic comes up often on here. You can look under the Bible Questions tab and click on "Is God a Trinity?" link to read more. You can go to sites like Got Questions, Compelling Truth and Test All Things asking "How is God One Being, yet Three Persons?" for more good information.
Hello Jacqui, I just noticed a possible misunderstanding. I'm reading Giannis's quote:
"God is one but there are 3 distinct persons which are called The Father, The Son(who became the man Jesus Christ) and The Holly Spirit."
And now I'm reading your quote:
"I believe something slightly different to Gianni's . I do not believe that the Holy Spirit is a separate being from God . This is not a common belief amongst Christians but I can assure you it's not exactly unheard of either . "
He didn't use the word separate and didn't say anything was separate from God, either, but distinct within God. Deuteronomy 6:4 says God is one. There's only one God. And within the one God 1 John 5:7 says there are 3 parts. The 3 are still one. This is what most Christians believe because this is what the Bible says.
All 3 components of one God are already spirits. God the Father is a spirit, God the Son (Jesus) is a spirit, and the Holy Spirit is a spirit.
By your comment, within one God do you only believe in only 2 parts within one God instead of 3 parts within one God like 1 John 5:7 says? God bless.
Hello . I believe something slightly different to Gianni's . I do not believe that the Holy Spirit is a separate being from God . This is not a common belief amongst Christians but I can assure you it's not exactly unheard of either . The Spirit of the Lord or the Spirit of God is a very common phrase in the Old Testament and even pops up in the New . There are very many references that I could give but I will just give a few . If you have a concordance you can look these things up for yourself . Genesis 1 : 2 , Genesis 6 : 3 , Genesis 41 : 38 , Exodus 32 : 3 , Exodus 35 : 31 , Numbers 11 : 29 , Numbers 24 : 2 , Judges 3 : 10 , Judges 6 : 35 , Judges 11 : 29 , Judges 13 : 25 , Judges 14 : 6 , 1st Samuel 16 : 13 , 2nd Samuel 23 : 2 . Matthew 10 : 20 , Matthew 12 : 28 , Luke 4 : 18 , John 15 : 26 . Acts 8 : 39 , Romans 8 : 9 , Romans 8 : 14 , Romans 15 : 19 , 1st Corinthians 3 : 16 , 1st John 4 : 2 . There are a lot more . I hope my reply hasn't confused you , best thing to do is to read everything through for yourself , God wants you to know and understand His Truth and He will help you to do so . Enjoy your voyage of discovery .
God is one but there are 3 distinct persons which are called The Father, The Son(who became the man Jesus Christ) and The Holly Spirit. But still God is one, not 3 Gods, not a God with somehow 3 heads. One God, but 3 persons (of the same nature). It is difficult for us people to understand this since there is nothing respective to that in our world but we have to believe it and accept it simply as we hear it. Many things will only be revealed to us in the future, in Heaven. So The Holly Spirit is a person, not a thing. Every person of the Godhead or Trinity (other names of the triune God) has a distinctive work that performs in the church and in the world. GBU
What is the Holy Ghost? I have never been clear on this. In church when I was a child we would say "I believe in the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost". What is the Holy Ghost?
I don't believe he did, Albert. John probably knew of his Divine mission & the zeal & spirit of Elijah would have spurred him on in his endeavours, but when he saw Jesus coming to him at the Jordan, he expressed great surprise (maybe some consternation) that Jesus wanted to be water baptized by him ( Matthew 3:11-15). He knew that Jesus would baptize others with the Holy Spirit, just as John was baptizing in water those indicating contrition & repentance of their sins, but for John to baptize Jesus in water would have seemed unfathomable to him.
I could not finish. "NEVER MIND THE KJV?" If you feel and believe what you are, than you are in the wrong place! All have sinned and come short of the Glory of God. There is none righteous, no not one! Except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.
The word of God is this word you see! This is the word that said let there be light! This is the word that said this is my beloved Son, hear ye Him!
Without faith it is impossible to please Him. We are saved according to his righteousness found in those who believe his words . NOT OUR WORDS!
Child, get off that backslide and come on over to the frontslide. Get yourself a new routine, like working out, self discipline. You can do it with God in your heart, you'll be OK.
The testing of our faith is done by seeing if there are "fruits meet for repentance." Never mind the KJV word; basically the things which come out of our inner being should demonstrate that the Spirit is at work with love; joy; peace; patience; longsuffering etal. These are in contrast to the BAD fruits of our old nature (adulteries; fornications; anger; strife; dissentions; greed; etc). The test first of all is whether we have truly been saved. That is evidenced largely by whether we have genuine remorse for our sins because we love God and have offended Him; or if we simply wish to be as Judas Iscariot and avoid the consequences. He even went so far as to realize that Christ was a "righteous man"; but never acknowledge Him as God in the flesh and worship Him. If we love God; and truly have that Agape supernatural all encompassing type affection for Him; then we realize that the Spirit of God inside us grieves at our sin (as the Spirit lives within us). Romans already indicates the "done deal" for the regenerate; those who are justified are sanctified then glorified (I'll let you find the verse). For the elect; the corridors of time are already seen with the end from the beginning; as these good works have been predestined for us since before the beginning of time (another verse to find in scripture). Another KEY concept and command is that we love one another (the brethren) and others will know we are Christians that way. What we do; whether sins of commission or omission probably have far more collateral effect on others than in our own lives. As part of His Body; we should esteem others above ourselves; and see ourselves as "unworthy servants" merely doing our duty and working to help fulfill the Great Commission ( Matthew 28 I believe). It does help to confess our sins to one another to have accountability; and also as a believer the Lord has those He wishes us to disciple and to build us up in the faith. If we are His; we "hear His voice".
Please know that Jesus will always receive one who returns to Him in faith and repentance. he will not cast anyone away no matter how many times we backslide and return to Him.
I will pray for you today.
Dear Lord Jesus, thank you for sister Lisa and the move of Your Holy Spirit within her to change her ways and return to You from a backslidden condition that has not honored You or helped her one bit. We ask that You will restore to Lisa assurance of salvation, strengthen her when she is tempted to return to her sin, fill her with the joy of knowing You receive her when she calls on You, build her up in faith and knowledge of You and Your Word. We ask these things from You Lord Jesus, in Your name. Amen.
Hi Lisa. You've probably read the whole of Matthew chapter 3, where the view there is of John the Baptist baptizing in the Jordan River & many folk coming to him in response to his message to repent. Amongst those coming to him, were some of the religious leaders (the Pharisees & Sadducees). Did they come with the same understanding as the others, stating that they were sinners in need of such declaration? But John looked at them sternly & stated those words of condemnation in Matthew 3:7-10 to them.
Those religious leaders came physically to be baptized but their hearts did not align with John's message of baptism with repentance. They came in pride of their heritage in Abraham, that their salvation lay in being God's elect & not because of a personal heart examination. They came with their own interpretation of the Scriptures & adding more rules & regulations that bound a heavy yoke on the people & so made themselves superior by giving those extra requirements. They came pretending to show piety whereas their hearts were full of themselves & not full of self examination. They should have been exercised in heart in how far they had strayed from God's pure Word & ought to be lovingly teaching & guiding the people by it.
So John was questioning the motives of these leaders, that they ought to bring forth fruits (evidences, demonstrations) that come with a penitent heart, & not dead decaying evidence to which God's Axe would one day come to that tree of death, to destroy it.
From your testimony of a backslidden life, the first step forward is recognition of your sad state, the weight of unforgiven sin you feel, & the grief that brings to a Holy God Who has given His all to secure you into His family. When you humbly come to Him, & not as those religious leaders, He will forgive you, accept you without reserve, fill you with His Spirit, & give you joy for this life & hope for the life to come. Luke 15:10; 1 John 1:9; John 1:11-13. Bring all this to God in prayer.
Out on the red page where you came into this site, is a Link: BECOME A BELIEVER.
It will walk you through sound doctrine on how to become a Christian, or to renew your commitment.
You have to make a stronger commitment to read the Bible (Gospels through to the End). Visiting Proverbs and Psalms also ( Psalm 51).
It's helpful to attend church, listen to church programs on the car FM radio in gridlock. You'll like Greg Laurie on YouTube. I do.
It's easier to come back if you'll draw close to the Lord. Begin to say no to the world and that voice that makes us despair. Come away from it for a while. We all deal with it; so we are here For You. Someone's here day or night.
Explore the other links or the boxes. You'll like Testimonies.
I love John too. He and Jesus were cousins (Mary and Elizabeth). Imagine his surprise when he saw Jesus walking toward him, and the Holy Spirit said, "Behold the Lamb of God".
This event was a prophesy fulfilled. Jesus fulfilled over 100 prophesies just on the day He was crucified; and when he was entombed.
A good Reference Bible lists them as you read along. It enriches your whole study experience.
What's amazing is that the Rabbi's knew of those Old Testament prophesies, but few put it together then.
Lists of the Old Testament and New Testament prophesies can be viewed on Google. Also with the scriptures that show Jesus's life fulfilled all of them. Thinking of the odds of that happening will make you say WOW!!
Herod Antipas, (born 21 bce-died after 39 ce ), son of Herod I the Great who became tetrarch (ruler of a minor principality in the Roman Empire) of Galilee, in northern Palestine, and Peraea, east of the Jordan River and Dead Sea, and ruled throughout Jesus of Nazareth's ministry.
This is from Encyclopedia Brittanica
Fourthly, the Ten Commandments were given to Israel & were binding upon them. Some of their objectives were:
a. to reveal the Holiness of the Eternal God to His people, Israel: Leviticus 19:2; Leviticus 20:7-8.
b. to set Israel apart as distinct from all the other nations: Exodus 19:5.
c. to reveal man's sinfulness: Galatians 3:19. Although the Law is "holy, just & good ( Romans 7:12), it did not provide salvation for the nation of Israel; and it cannot provide salvation to anyone who wants to or tries to keep the Law. No one will be declared righteous in God's sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin ( Romans 3:20; Acts 13:38-39).
d. to show to humanity that not one person can fully keep the Law but everyone falls short of God's Standard of Holiness. Realizing that, should cause us to cast ourselves upon a Merciful God for His Forgiveness. When Jesus came, He fulfilled the requirements of the Law completely and by His death fully paid the penalty for their breaking it ( Galatians 3:24; Romans 10:4). Therefore, by His Obedience, He was qualified to be the accepted Sacrifice for all mankind, for all of our sins ( Hebrews 10:10-12). If Jesus failed in fully keeping the Law, He would have been disqualified as a Savior - all mankind would be forever stuck in the quagmire of their sins & hell would be the destiny. But He was raised from the dead to show His Father's acceptance, our justification & deliverance ( Romans 4:23-25).
I hope you can see Ani, that even though there was nothing wrong with the Law, even keeping the Sabbath by Israel, anyone who puts themselves under the Law (i.e. to find forgiveness or acceptance by God by it), is doomed to fail. Our Rest - continual rest (Sabbath) is now found in Jesus & not in Law-keeping & we can only be subject now to the Holy Spirit who enables us to fulfil both the spirit of the Law & finding the true rest in Christ Jesus ( 2 Corinthians 3:6-9; Romans 8:1-4).
Hi Ani. GiGi has shared accurately with you and I would like to add some more thoughts for your study & consideration.
I'm unsure where you obtained this particular Bible study book from, as it's clearly slanted towards 'keeping of the Law'. Does your Church support this teaching or are you doing this study by personal choice?
Firstly, the Jewish Sabbath has always been the Saturday (from sundown Friday to sundown Saturday) & was given to Israel as part of the other commandments for them to observe ( Exodus 20:8-11). Why was this particular Command given? It was the seventh day when the LORD ceased from His Work of creating & it was for a remembrance when God brought out His people "with a mighty hand & a stretched out arm": i.e. from the perennial state of bondage & hard labor in Egypt to a time of liberty & rest. Even when Israel collected their food (Manna) while in the desert, they were not allowed to gather it on the seventh day ( Exodus 16:19-30), indicating the sanctity of the Sabbath Day.
Secondly, the Christian observance of Sunday, is not a redefining of the Jewish Sabbath - it is what is termed, the Lord's Day ( Revelation 1:10), or the First Day of the Week ( Acts 20:7, 1 Corinthians 16:2) - never the Sabbath.
Thirdly, the Church is not required to observe the Jewish Sabbath as we were never in bondage in Egypt & brought into Canaan. We were however, once in bondage to sin & the flesh & now given a glorious forgiveness & release into the Lord's Rest. See Matthew 11:28-30 and Hebrews 4:1-11. Not only is the Christian given Christ's Peace in his heart, but also a resulting rest that comes only from Him. And yet, there is also a coming rest ( Hebrews 4:9), where the word here is 'sabbatismos', or Sabbath Rest: a rest in God's Presence that will be one continual Sabbath Rest, when our earthly toils & hardships are finally over.
Thank you
Ani
.....1 st John 3:8...He that comittieth sin is of the Devil;...For the Devil sinneth from the beginning...For this cause was the Son of God was made manifested that he might destroy the works of the Devil.
..... 1st JOHN 3:9...Whosoever is born of God doeth not commit sin...For his seed ( the living word ) remains in him...Gods seed remains in him and he cannot sin....Not the written word but the living word which is the H.G...That Child of Promise....The letter is a killer but the living word is spirit and life...She brought forth a man child that is gonna rule all nations...The spirit of truth that is gonna be born in us...The H.G. The kingdom...No Eternal life in the scripture per se....Search the scriptures in them you think you have eternal but it is them that testify of me...The New Covenant that book that he wrote with his own blood,...The words of LIFE....But God told Daniel go thy way Daniel these words are sealed till the last days...Then the woman
will travail in birth pains...For that spirit of truth the man child..Gbu...Our new hearts and new spirits
I would ask the question: forgive for what?
Does someone who chooses to sin assume that satan is responsible and not themselves?
My understanding is that satan only tempts us with evil and doesn't cause us to do anything- people choose that themselves, so why would blame fall on him and not on us?
Let us know if you have more questions, Ellyn. This topic comes up often on here. You can look under the Bible Questions tab and click on "Is God a Trinity?" link to read more. You can go to sites like Got Questions, Compelling Truth and Test All Things asking "How is God One Being, yet Three Persons?" for more good information.
"God is one but there are 3 distinct persons which are called The Father, The Son(who became the man Jesus Christ) and The Holly Spirit."
And now I'm reading your quote:
"I believe something slightly different to Gianni's . I do not believe that the Holy Spirit is a separate being from God . This is not a common belief amongst Christians but I can assure you it's not exactly unheard of either . "
He didn't use the word separate and didn't say anything was separate from God, either, but distinct within God. Deuteronomy 6:4 says God is one. There's only one God. And within the one God 1 John 5:7 says there are 3 parts. The 3 are still one. This is what most Christians believe because this is what the Bible says.
All 3 components of one God are already spirits. God the Father is a spirit, God the Son (Jesus) is a spirit, and the Holy Spirit is a spirit.
By your comment, within one God do you only believe in only 2 parts within one God instead of 3 parts within one God like 1 John 5:7 says? God bless.
God is one but there are 3 distinct persons which are called The Father, The Son(who became the man Jesus Christ) and The Holly Spirit. But still God is one, not 3 Gods, not a God with somehow 3 heads. One God, but 3 persons (of the same nature). It is difficult for us people to understand this since there is nothing respective to that in our world but we have to believe it and accept it simply as we hear it. Many things will only be revealed to us in the future, in Heaven. So The Holly Spirit is a person, not a thing. Every person of the Godhead or Trinity (other names of the triune God) has a distinctive work that performs in the church and in the world. GBU
Thank you
Hopefully these are helpful.
The word of God is this word you see! This is the word that said let there be light! This is the word that said this is my beloved Son, hear ye Him!
Without faith it is impossible to please Him. We are saved according to his righteousness found in those who believe his words . NOT OUR WORDS!
Please know that Jesus will always receive one who returns to Him in faith and repentance. he will not cast anyone away no matter how many times we backslide and return to Him.
I will pray for you today.
Dear Lord Jesus, thank you for sister Lisa and the move of Your Holy Spirit within her to change her ways and return to You from a backslidden condition that has not honored You or helped her one bit. We ask that You will restore to Lisa assurance of salvation, strengthen her when she is tempted to return to her sin, fill her with the joy of knowing You receive her when she calls on You, build her up in faith and knowledge of You and Your Word. We ask these things from You Lord Jesus, in Your name. Amen.
Those religious leaders came physically to be baptized but their hearts did not align with John's message of baptism with repentance. They came in pride of their heritage in Abraham, that their salvation lay in being God's elect & not because of a personal heart examination. They came with their own interpretation of the Scriptures & adding more rules & regulations that bound a heavy yoke on the people & so made themselves superior by giving those extra requirements. They came pretending to show piety whereas their hearts were full of themselves & not full of self examination. They should have been exercised in heart in how far they had strayed from God's pure Word & ought to be lovingly teaching & guiding the people by it.
So John was questioning the motives of these leaders, that they ought to bring forth fruits (evidences, demonstrations) that come with a penitent heart, & not dead decaying evidence to which God's Axe would one day come to that tree of death, to destroy it.
From your testimony of a backslidden life, the first step forward is recognition of your sad state, the weight of unforgiven sin you feel, & the grief that brings to a Holy God Who has given His all to secure you into His family. When you humbly come to Him, & not as those religious leaders, He will forgive you, accept you without reserve, fill you with His Spirit, & give you joy for this life & hope for the life to come. Luke 15:10; 1 John 1:9; John 1:11-13. Bring all this to God in prayer.
It will walk you through sound doctrine on how to become a Christian, or to renew your commitment.
You have to make a stronger commitment to read the Bible (Gospels through to the End). Visiting Proverbs and Psalms also ( Psalm 51).
It's helpful to attend church, listen to church programs on the car FM radio in gridlock. You'll like Greg Laurie on YouTube. I do.
It's easier to come back if you'll draw close to the Lord. Begin to say no to the world and that voice that makes us despair. Come away from it for a while. We all deal with it; so we are here For You. Someone's here day or night.
Explore the other links or the boxes. You'll like Testimonies.
Mishael
I am asking for a clearer understanding. I am backslider who wants to return to Christ through Repentance.
This event was a prophesy fulfilled. Jesus fulfilled over 100 prophesies just on the day He was crucified; and when he was entombed.
A good Reference Bible lists them as you read along. It enriches your whole study experience.
What's amazing is that the Rabbi's knew of those Old Testament prophesies, but few put it together then.
Lists of the Old Testament and New Testament prophesies can be viewed on Google. Also with the scriptures that show Jesus's life fulfilled all of them. Thinking of the odds of that happening will make you say WOW!!
Jesus knew that Judas was the betrayer.