The Gospel is for Everyone not only Some​ ​ Paul said, "[...] for it [The Gospel] is the power of God to salvation to salvation for anyone who believes. For the Jew first and also for the Greek." Salvation is not a privilege for certain people only, such considered wise or for people of one nation only. Although God decided to bring this message through the Jews, the smallest nation on earth then; therefore, Paul said, "for the Jew first." However, the plan of God was and had always for all. Fourth, The Gospel is for Everyone not only Some Paul said, "[...] for it [The Gospel] is the power of God to salvation for anyone who believes. For the Jew first and also for the Greek." Salvation is not a privilege for certain people only, such considered wise or for people of one nation only. Although God decided to bring this message through the Jews, the smallest nation on earth then; therefore, Paul said, "for the Jew first." However, the plan of God was and had always been to bless all the nations of the earth; thus, Paul said, "also for the Greek" because the Greco-Roman empire in the time of Paul dominated and represented the whole world. Thus, "Jew first but also the Greek." God initiated His redemptive plan through the Jews; therefore, Jesus came in the flesh as a Jew but the plan was never to save the Jews only; rather to use the smallest nation to save every other nation. When God first appeared to Abram, who was to become the father of all Jews, He told him, “Get out of your country, from your family and from your father’s house, to a land that I will show you. I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” Genesis 12:1-3. Years after, God appeared to Abraham again and tested him by asking to offer his son as a sacrifice. In spite of the request, obeyed God and was about to sacrifice Isaac, but then God Himself intervene calling Abraham to stop, and God provided a ham as substitute for the sacrifice. After all of these things, God told Abraham, “By Myself I have sworn, says the Lord, because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only son— blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies. In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.” Genesis 22:16-18. In saying "in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed", God meant salvation to every person through Christ. Paul makes it clear to us in Galatians 3:15-16 when he says, "Brethren, I speak in the manner of men: Though it is only a man’s covenant, yet if it is confirmed, no one annuls or adds to it. Now to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made. He does not say, “And to seeds,” as of many, but as of one, “And to your Seed,” who is Christ." Do you see the wisdom?! The good news of the gospel is for every single human being, not only for some select group of people, with God there is no partiality. Hence, Jesus said, "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit," Matthew 28:19. As Peter, who was a Jew, went about obeying the words of Jesus, he then concluded, “In truth I perceive that God shows no partiality. But in every nation whoever fears Him and works righteousness is accepted by Him." Acts 10:34. Peter uttered these words when God tasked him to take salvation for the first time to a Greek centurion. Peter, a Jew who first believed, was sharing the gospel with a Greek person. Glories to God! The gospel is for anyone who is willing to repent and believe. All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, hence, all need a savior and salvation. Do you see the wisdom! Everyone has the opportunity to be saved! God intentionally decided to break the wisdom of the wise, the dispute of the disputers, and the rational of the rationalists like the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers of the time of Paul and certainly of our time also. God declared, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, And bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.” Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe." I Corinthians 1:19-21. God decided to destroy the wisdom of the wise of this age through the preaching of a simple message. After all salvation is not only for the "wise" or "learned" of this age but as it is written, "for anyone who believes". The gospel is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes. It's a simple message but certainly is not void of wisdom. The gospel if full of wisdom but not the wisdom of man but a more superior wisdom, the wisdom of God which is Christ. Paul said, "And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling. And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God. However, we speak wisdom among those who are mature, yet not the wisdom of this age, nor of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory, which none of the rulers of this age knew; for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory." I Corinthians 2:1-8. The gospel reveals a most superior wisdom, not the wisdom of man; therefore, it is simple yet logical and available to anyone who believes, not just to a select few who consider themselves wise. Most importantly, this superior wisdom of the gospel reveals the love of God for all His creation, not only human beings. oh what love! The bible says, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." John 3:16. God, who made the world and everything in it, did not give up on His creation but made a way for their restoration through the saving power of the gospel. "God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands. Nor is He worshiped with men’s hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives to all life, breath, and all things. And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings, so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; for in Him we live and move and have our being, as also some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are also His offspring.’ Therefore, since we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, something shaped by art and man’s devising. Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent, because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead.” Acts 17, 24-31. The gospel, which is the power of God for salvation of anyone who believes, so “believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.” Acts 16:31. Chapter 1 4 of 6 Chapter 2

The Gospel is to be Received by Faith​ ​ It is written, For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.” As we saw before, sinners can be forgiven by God because of the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. Such perfect sacrifice fulfilled the righteous requirements of the law of God. It means that Christ with His sacrifice provided all that is necessary for sinners to be saved, and God confirmed it by accepting Christ sacrifice. Knowing God reveals our origin, identity and purpose My friend you are not a product of a random, unguided, mindless process. Not at all! your life has not begun merely at your birth. Nope! Your life began in the mind of God. You have been wonderfully and carefully fashioned by your maker. It’s written, “For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb. I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well. My frame was not hidden from You, When I was made in secret, And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, The days fashioned for me, When as yet there were none of them. How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How great is the sum of them!'.” Psalms 139:13-17. You have been a marvelous work of God and your soul knows it very well. You are not an accident, even if you came to this world through incest, rape, or unplanned by your parents, as painful and difficult these situations are, and I sympathize with you; these are simply means and circumstances by which you came to this world; however, you had already been planned by God. God did not make a mistake. Paraphrasing the verse, it says, “He formed your inward parts, covered you in your mother’s womb, made you fearfully and wonderfully; you are one of His marvelous works and your soul knows very well. Your structure was not covered by him. His eyes saw your unformed body, your fetus, and wrote all your days, the days He appointed for you in His Book. Your Maker is mindful of you, He has precious thoughts about you, the sum of such thoughts are great, awesome.” Do you realize the magnitude of these truths?! You matter to God. You are not the product of evolution or simply a ball of cells. God fashioned you in the womb. He loved you before you knew Him and wrote good plans for you in His book. You have an eternal origin in your creator, you are more than American, African, European, or etc. You are more than White, Black, Yellow, Red, or else, you are God’s marvelous work. You are God’s creation, and yet He calls you to become more than it, God wants you to be a son or daughter of His, and He wants to be your Father, for this reason He sent Jesus, as the only begotten to become the firstborn of many brethren. It’s written, “For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.” Romans 8:29. In Christ, God wants to be your Father. Jesus came to make us children of God, and He becomes our big brother. John 1:12-13 says, “'But as many as received Him [Jesus], to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” What a privilege! You don’t have to be an orphan, neither be brotherless. Jesus is not ashamed to call you brother or sister. It’s written, “'saying: “I will declare Your name to My brethren; In the midst of the assembly I will sing praise to You.” For both He who sanctifies and those who are being sanctified are all of one, for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren, And again: “I will put My trust in Him.” And again: “Here am I and the children whom God has given Me.” Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil,” Hebrews 2:11-14 Moreover, God said, “'Therefore “Come out from among them And be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, And I will receive you.” “I will be a Father to you, And you shall be My sons and daughters, Says the Lord Almighty.” II Corinthians 6:17-18. Beside knowing your origins, that you have been planned and created by God, you can also have identity when you come to truly know Him. In Christ, you come son or daughter of the Most High God. However, it does not end there, remember what Psalm 139:16-17 said, “And in Your book they all were written, The days fashioned for me, When as yet there were none of them. How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How great is the sum of them!'.” Before you were born, God wrote the plans He had for you in His book, meaning He wrote your life story and future even before you were; thus, seeking to know what He wrote about you should be your purpose in life. Yet, it’s only possible through the knowledge of Him. By encountering God, you encounter yourself, meaning your purpose, your life assignment, and you have your identity cemented. It’s written in Jeremiah 1:4-10, “Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying: “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; Before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations.” Then said I: “Ah, Lord God ! Behold, I cannot speak, for I am a youth.” But the Lord said to me: “Do not say, ‘I am a youth,’ For you shall go to all to whom I send you, And whatever I command you, you shall speak. Do not be afraid of their faces, For I am with you to deliver you,” says the Lord . Then the Lord put forth His hand and touched my mouth, and the Lord said to me: “Behold, I have put My words in your mouth. See, I have this day set you over the nations and over the kingdoms, To root out and to pull down, To destroy and to throw down, To build and to plant.” Note the key phrase again, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you.” God’s plan for Jeremiah preceded His conception in the womb, and even before Jeremiah was born, God had already sanctified, meaning set him apart, and ordained him to be a prophet. The same happens to every man. Although the details might be different, God never improvises, our lives’ purpose is set before we are born like it was with David, Jeremiah, Jesus and others.. It takes knowing God for us to know our purpose. The more you approach God, the more He approaches you, and the more He reveals about you. This is what happened to Peter. It’s written, “'When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, “Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?” So they said, “Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” Matthew 16:13-19. You can know your origin, your identity, and your purpose. You can become a son or daughter of the Most High God in this life, and be much more in the life to come. In the new earth your relationship with God will be upgraded, you will enter in the fullness of that by which you have been created because you "shall know Him as you are known by Him” (1 Corinthians 13:12), remember your being is proportional to the knowledge you have of Him. The more you know Him, the more you become. Apostle John said, “Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.” I John 3:1-3. Chapter 1 5 of 6 Chapter 3

Knowing or not knowing God is what determines how people live their lives. It is written, “Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. He who says, “I know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in Him. He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.” 1 John 2:3-6. If someone doesn’t know God, he will leave his life anyway he wants. Knowing God is the basis for righteous living Knowing or not knowing God is what determines how people live their lives. It is written, “Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. He who says, “I know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in Him. He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.” 1 John 2:3-6. God is righteous and Holy and He calls on all of His creatures to be holy and righteous, not to pervert justice and walk blamelessly before Him. 1 Peter 1:16 says " 'but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.” And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear; '" I Peter 1:15-17. No one is entitle to do as he pleases, God will hold all accountable. However, if someone does not know God he may think he can do as he wishes. Psalm 10:11-13 says, "'He has said in his heart, “God has forgotten; He hides His face; He will never see.” Arise, O Lord ! O God, lift up Your hand! Do not forget the humble. Why do the wicked renounce God? He has said in his heart, “You will not require an account. ”' Notice this person says in his heart "God has forgotten, He Hides His face, He will never see, God will not repay me for my sins." It's obvious from these words that this person doesn't know God and he has been living his life lawlessly; hence, the Psalmist called him, "wicked". If someone doesn’t know God, he will leave his life anyway he wants; however, if someone knows God, he ought to obey God’s commandments, live as Christ lived. If someone doesn’t do it, yet claims to know God, he is a liar. Jesus said, “... by their fruits you will know them,” (Matthew 7:20). People’s lives are a reflection of what they know or what they believe. For instance, Psalm 53:1 says, “The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, and have done abominable iniquity; There is none who does good.” Psalms 53:1 NKJV. Because this person whom the bible calls a fool believes there is no God, he committed all sorts of abominable iniquity or sins. Likewise, Psalm 94, 7 describes the actions of a man that believes that God does not see; therefore, He also commits all kinds of sin. it is written, “They utter speech, and speak insolent things; All the workers of iniquity boast in themselves. They break in pieces Your people, O Lord , And afflict Your heritage. They slay the widow and the stranger, And murder the fatherless. Yet they say, “The Lord does not see, Nor does the God of Jacob understand.” Psalms 94:4-7. In addition, concerning people who ignore the knowledge of God, the bible says in the book of Romans, “because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man—and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things. Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due.” Romans 1:21-27. What people know about God matters. It determines their lifestyle. Again, someone who does not regard God is doomed to commit all sorts of iniquity and eat of the fruit of his sin because God will let them have the sinful lives they want, will give them to their desires. Look around you, how many things were prohibited before and the government thought by legalizing it would incentivize people to consume, use, or do less? Instead the opposite scenario became the norm, people sought for more and more. For God to let you do as you wish to believe, it’s not a good thing, neither for you nor for your neighbor. Know God and be changed. Having in mind that the lives of people affect the society they live in, thus, knowing or not knowing God is also what determines how a society will be. It’s written, “For a long time Israel has been without the true God, without a teaching priest, and without law; but when in their trouble they turned to the Lord God of Israel, and sought Him, He was found by them. And in those times there was no peace to the one who went out, nor to the one who came in, but great turmoil was on all the inhabitants of the lands. So nation was destroyed by nation, and city by city, for God troubled them with every adversity.” II Chronicles 15:3-6. Notice that Israel was without the The true God because they did not have a teaching priest to teach them the law, which they ended also being without. Hosea 4:6 says, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being priest for Me; Because you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children.” Again, Pay attention to the progression found in II Chronicles 15:3-6, the lack of someone to teach the law, led the people not to have the knowledge of The True God, and led them to be without Him, and to be without the law, therefore, everyone did as they pleased. As a consequence, they were troubled in everything, society was in turmoil, because God who was able to protect them, did not protect them since they did not seek Him; hence, adversity was their portion. However, in their affliction they sought the Lord, and He answered them. So, there is hope for any society provided they repent and go back to God and keep His laws. Any society will only rise to the degree of their knowledge of God, for good or bad. In Judges 2:8-12,14-15 it’s written, “Now Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the Lord , died when he was one hundred and ten years old. And they buried him within the border of his inheritance at Timnath Heres, in the mountains of Ephraim, on the north side of Mount Gaash. When all that generation had been gathered to their fathers, another generation arose after them who did not know the Lord nor the work which He had done for Israel. Then the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord , and served the Baals; and they forsook the Lord God of their fathers, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt; and they followed other gods from among the gods of the people who were all around them, and they bowed down to them; and they provoked the Lord to anger. And the anger of the Lord was hot against Israel. So He delivered them into the hands of plunderers who despoiled them; and He sold them into the hands of their enemies all around, so that they could no longer stand before their enemies. Wherever they went out, the hand of the Lord was against them for calamity, as the Lord had said, and as the Lord had sworn to them. And they were greatly distressed.” The reason the people of Israel did evil and caused the society to be in turmoil and have God as their enemy is because, the generation that came after the generation of Joshua did not know God, neither His works. Look at the society around you; the only reason it is full of hatred, murder, robbery, scandals, uncertainties, and etc., is because its inhabitants don’t know God. Every society who doesn’t know God pays the price for their ignorance, on the other hand, of a nation that fears God the bible says they are blessed. It’s written “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord , The people He has chosen as His own inheritance.” Psalms 33:12. Knowing God is important and crucial for societal advancement and wellbeing. It matters if God is known in a society or not. Chapter 1 4 of 6 Chapter 3

Welcome to Knowing-GOD, a practical teaching ministry aiming to serve the body of Christ in the advancement of the Kingdom of God by diffusing the knowledge of God to all people​​. Welcome again, may you know God, and grow in love, grace and intimacy with Him. God bless you! Jesus said, "'But let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ For whatever is more than these is from the evil one.'" Matthew 5:37 Welcome Welcome to Knowing-GOD, a practical teaching ministry and a growing hub for discipleship, aiming to serve the body of Christ in the advancement of the Kingdom of God by diffusing the fragrance of the knowledge of God to people in every nation, tribe, and tongues through the preaching of the Gospel and the making of disciples, in obedience to Christ, Our Lord, by the power of the Holy Spirit. For Jesus said, " 'And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.'" John 17:3 Welcome again. God bless you! Read More Anchor 1 August 24th, 2026 2 Years of Knowing-God, Ebenezer It's Written, 'Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen. He named it Ebenezer, saying, “Thus far the Lord has helped us.” ' 1 Samuel 7:12 . This month marks 2 years since knowing-God was launched for the glory of God to bless His people with encouragement from His word. Therefore, we say, "Ebenezer, thus far the Lord has helped us, " indeed, in every article, podcast episode, video, social media post, and with every single person The Lord has brough in contact with His word through us. We are deeply thankful the Lord has helped us indeed thus far, and we trust that He will continue to help in the great journey still ahead of us. Take a moment to thank God for His doing through knowing-God and Pray for us. Thank you, and we will see you around as always. God bless you. In Christ Helder & Rebeca | Knowing-God.com Read more... Devotional Anchor 2 Recent Articles 2 Years of Knowing-God, Ebenezer Knowing-God Aug 24 2 min read The Race of Faith, Part 1: Not Disqualified, Learning From Israel's Examples Christian Walk Knowing-God Feb 4 11 min read Time and Sessions: Setting The Lord Before You Christian Walk Knowing-God Jan 15 8 min read 1 2 3 4 5 Jesus, The Way, The Truth, and The Life... "'Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.” '" Acts 2:38-39 Read More Address United States Email info@knowing-god.com Connect

Answering your questions in the light of God's word. "So Philip ran to him, and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah, and said, “Do you understand what you are reading?” And he said, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he asked Philip to come up and sit with him." Acts 8:30-31 Knowing-God TV Watch Knowing-God Podcast, video episodes here or visit Youtube.com/@knowing-GodTV. Don't forget to subscribe, leave a comment and share the link with your circle of friends and brethren. God bless you. Knowing-God TV Play Video Share Whole Channel This Video Facebook Twitter Pinterest Tumblr Copy Link Link Copied Now Playing 30:38 Play Video PORQUÊ KNOWING-GOD, AMOR, GRAÇA e INTIMIDADE? Now Playing 28:18 Play Video ESPERANDO EM DEUS POR UM CÔNJUGE: o que fazer no tempo de espera Now Playing 41:39 Play Video CONHECENDO A DEUS | Ep. 4

When God desires men to know Him, it is a demonstration of His love and care for them, God is their maker and knows that without Him, men can do nothing (John 15, 5). It is not because God is in need of relationships or has a void that only men can fill, not at all, that was stated in plain human terms to set us free from seeing God wrongly; to claim otherwise is a heresy. God is perfect, needing nothing from man (Psalm 24:1), sufficient in Himself (Exodus 3:14). An expression of Love: God's Invitation Remains When God desires men to know Him, it is a demonstration of His love and care for them, God is their maker and knows that without Him, men can do nothing (John 15, 5). It is not because God is in need of relationships or has a void that only men can fill, not at all; it was only stated in plain human terms to set us free from seeing God wrongly; to claim otherwise is a heresy. God is perfect, needing nothing from man (Psalm 24:1), sufficient in Himself (Exodus 3:14), enjoying unity and fellowship with Himself (John 16:13-15, Hebrews 1:1-4) receiving constant worship from the angels around His throne (Isaiah 6:1-4). Undoubtedly, God does not need anything from men all things are His. God said, “Who has preceded Me, that I should pay him? Everything under heaven is Mine.” Job 41:11 and also “I will not take a bull from your house, Nor goats out of your folds. For every beast of the forest is Mine, And the cattle on a thousand hills. I know all the birds of the mountains, And the wild beasts of the field are Mine. “If I were hungry, I would not tell you; For the world is Mine, and all its fullness. Will I eat the flesh of bulls, Or drink the blood of goats?” Psalms 50:9:13. God enjoys fellowship in Himself, He is not alone, He is a triune being, John 1:1 says, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” Likewise in the beginning His Spirit hovered upon the waters, it says “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.” Genesis 1:1-2. God enjoys fellowship in Himself, different from us who need another of our kind to be complete. It’s written, “And the Lord God said, “ It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him.” Genesis 2:18. Although we have been made in the image of God (Genesis 1:26-27), we don’t enjoy fellowship by ourselves, God made women to complete men, and etc. Again, God doesn’t need anything from men, when God manifests His desire for man to know Him, He is definitely having men’s best interest in mind, not His. The bible says that “... God is love.” I John 4:8 and that “..., [Love] does not seek its own, ...” I Corinthians 13:5. God is love and love does not pursue its own interest without regarding the interest of others, therefore God cares for men, doesn’t give up on them, even when they act rebelliously. The bible says, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." John 3:16. It's only out of love that God desires man to know Him and be known by him (1 Corinthians 8:3). It's because of love that God made this possible by sending His Son Jesus Christ to die for our sins, so that if anyone believes in Him should not perish eternally in the lake fire, rather be reconciled with Him, begin the journey of knowing God, and have everlasting life. God said, For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord , thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.” Jeremiah 29:11. However, if men don't acknowledge God’s love as demonstrated by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross, it’s men who loose. Men's denial of God or refusal to pursue Him does not add or remove anything from God; however, it hinders men from being reconciled to God, know Him and receiving eternal life since God is the source of life. Moreover, God can give them up to their own desires, meaning let them do as they desire; this is a judgment not a blessing, it leads to hell and then to eternal damnation in hell. The time to know God is now. Isaiah the prophet said, “Seek the Lord while He may be found, Call upon Him while He is near.” Isaiah 55:6. God has been patient with men, calling all to repent for He desires all to be saved (1 Timothy 2, 1-6) and not that any should perish (II Peter 3:9). The bible says “For He says: “In an acceptable time I have heard you, And in the day of salvation I have helped you.” Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.” 2 Corinthians 6:2. God has set up a day in which He will judge all flesh, and by then it will be too late. It is written, “Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent, because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead.” Acts 17:30-31. Moreover, “Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.” Revelation 20:11-15. Today is the acceptable time to know God while the knowledge of Him is available to all. God has sent His Only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ to announce His ways and reconcile men to Him (John 3:16, II Corinthians 5:18-19), He has given us His Word, and pleads with every man through His ambassadors every day (II Corinthians 5:20). It is written, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.” John 3:16-19. God's invitation through Jeremiah remains. Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you (James 4:8). God loves you and is reaching out to you, but if you reject the knowledge of Him, He will also reject you. It’s written, “Because they hated knowledge, didn’t choose to fear the Lord, were not interested in my counsel, and rejected all my corrections, they will eat the fruit of their way and be glutted with their own schemes. For the apostasy of the inexperienced will kill them, and the complacency of fools will destroy them. But whoever listens to me will live securely and be undisturbed by the dread of danger.” Proverbs 1:29‭-‬33 CSB. May God be with you. Chapter 1 6 of 6 The Gospel

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The Gospel is of Christ​. Paul said, "I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ." Christ and only Christ was sent by God to save sinners. Apostle John testified saying, "... we have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God." I John 4:14-15. If the gospel is the power of God to salvation for anyone who believes, such power is wrapped up in Christ and Christ alone. Second, The Gospel is of Christ Paul said, "I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ." Christ and only Christ was sent by God to save sinners. Apostle John testified saying, "... we have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God." I John 4:14-15. If the gospel is the power of God to salvation for anyone who believes, such power is wrapped up in Christ and Christ alone. Acts 4:12 says "... there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” but the name of Christ. It is also written, "For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus." 1 Timothy 2 says. According to the dictionary, a mediator is a person who attempts to make people involved in a conflict come to an agreement. As stated before, since the fall of Adam and Eve, all fell with them; consequently, all became enemies of God. The bible says, "And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden." Genesis 3:8. Adam and Eve changed from friends to enemies, from seekers of God to hiders, from trusting God to being afraid of Him, all because of their sins. Likewise, all their descendants went their own way. Romans 5:12 says, "Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned— ". Every descendent of Adam became automatically an enemy of God. But God who is rich in mercy sent Jesus Christ as a mediator to reconcile us with Him; therefore, the gospel if of Christ. The bible says "Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation." II Corinthians 5:18-19. Reconciliation was made possible only because of the substitutionary sacrifice of Jesus Christ. If anyone does not have the Son, He cannot have the Father. In fact, Eternal life is not only believing in God but also in Jesus Christ whom He has sent. John 17, 3 says "And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent." Not all roads lead to salvation or to The Father, the way matters: Jesus is The way, not one of the ways. Jesus Himself emphatically declared, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." John 14:6. The preceding words came about in an occasion when Jesus was responding Thomas, a disciple of His, a Jewish man who was taught the ways of God since his youth, and worshipped the true God, yet he had to believe that Jesus was the savior that God promised to send in Isaiah 53; otherwise, he would not be saved because, again, eternal life is not only believing God but also in Jesus whom He sent. The conclusion then is simple and clear, "... God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life." I John 5:11-12. Moreover, it is written, "He who comes from above is above all; he who is of the earth is earthly and speaks of the earth. He who comes from heaven is above all. And what He has seen and heard, that He testifies; and no one receives His testimony. He who has received His testimony has certified that God is true. For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God does not give the Spirit by measure. The Father loves the Son, and has given all things into His hand. He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.” John 3:31-36. So, the gospel is the gospel of Christ and not one else. Jesus and Him alone satisfied all the legal demands for our justification. Romans 6:23 says "the wages [salary] of sin is death..." As it is naturally known, anyone that works deserve a wage, it is not a gift but a right. Romans 4:4 says "... to him who works, the wages are not counted as grace but as debt." It is a rightful wage, and God will owe no man but will instead give to each according to their own works. Therefore, every person that sins deserves their rightful wage: death (Ezekiel 18, 20); However, " … God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us," (Ephesians 2:4), decided to show mercy to humans and forgive their sins. However, for mercy to be extended, the legal demands had to be satisfied. Christ died in our place to satisfy the death penalty imposed by sin so we could be justified - considered no guilty by God. Thus, those who believe in Him can have eternal life instead of death. While the wage of sin is death, the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus (Romans 6, 23). Another demand of justification is shedding of blood for cleansing and forgiveness of the sins of the offenders. The bible says, "In fact, according to the law of Moses, nearly everything was purified with blood. For without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness." Hebrews 9:22. Based on this requirement of the law, the old testament priest would sacrifice animals on the altar and take their bloods to the holy of holies to make atonement for the sins of the people and his own sins. Leviticus 17, 11 says "For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul." The word translated atonement is the Hebrew word, kaphar, it means appease, to cover over, pacify, make propitiation. The blood of animals were enough to appease God temporarily only not permanently in regard of forgiveness of sin; hence, the bible says, "The old system under the law of Moses was only a shadow, a dim preview of the good things to come, not the good things themselves. The sacrifices under that system were repeated again and again, year after year, but they were never able to provide perfect cleansing for those who came to worship. If they could have provided perfect cleansing, the sacrifices would have stopped, for the worshipers would have been purified once for all time, and their feelings of guilt would have disappeared. But instead, those sacrifices actually reminded them of their sins year after year." Hebrews 10:1-3. But Christ offered a more excellent sacrifice. The bible says "But Christ came as High Priest of the good things to come, with the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is, not of this creation. Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption. For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies for the purifying of the flesh, how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?" Hebrews 9:11-14. The redemption of souls is expensive (Psalm 49, 8), but Jesus paid it all through His death and the shedding of His blood. Glories to God! It's written, "For by one offering He [Jesus] has perfected forever those who are being sanctified. […] Now where there is remission of these, there is no longer an offering for sin." Hebrews 10:14,18. This perfect sacrifice can be effective in your life, if you repent of your sins and believe Jesus (Acts 16, 29-31) because Jesus and Jesus alone paid for your justification, therefore no one can be saved by any other mean but through the gospel of Christ. Chapter 1 2 of 6 Chapter 2

The Gospel Reveals the Righteousness of God​. It is written, "in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith." According to Strong's concordance, the word translated righteousness in Romans 1:17 is the Greek word, "dikaiosuné" which means justice. It comes from the root word, "díkē, "a judicial verdict" – properly, judicial approval (the verdict of approval); in the NT, it indicates the approval of God ("divine approval"). Fifth, The Gospel Reveals the Righteousness of God It is written, "in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith." According to Strong's concordance, the word translated righteousness in Romans 1:17 is the Greek word, "dikaiosuné" which means justice. It comes from the root word, "díkē, "a judicial verdict" – properly, judicial approval (the verdict of approval); in the NT, it indicates the approval of God ("divine approval"). refers to what is deemed right by the Lord (after His examination), i.e. what is approved in His eyes. In the old testament, the Hebrew word for righteousness is "tsedeq", and according to strong's concordance, it means that what is right, just, normal; rightness or justness of weights and measures. It's important to know one thing about God. Being the One who examines people and determine whether they are guilty or innocent, righteous or unrighteous, just or unjust, blame or blameless, God Himself ought to be perfectly righteous, free of guilty, just; otherwise, how can He judge or examine others? Indeed, God is righteous, there is no injustice in Him. The bible says, "Psalm 11, 7 says "For the Lord is righteous, He loves righteousness; His countenance beholds the upright." As the passage says "The Lord is righteous, and He loves righteousness" meaning He loves that which has His nature. Therefore, The Lord beholds the upright, the righteous, the just. However, as far unrighteousness or injustice, God will naturally hate. Sin is unrighteousness (1 John 4, 3), disobedience to God's law, therefore it cannot be tolerated by a righteous God. The bible declares, "God is a just judge, And God is angry with the wicked every day." Psalm 7, 11. Moreover, Psalm 19, 9 says "The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; The judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether." God is righteous or just, therefore He judges everyone fairly, justly, or righteously, with Him there is no partiality; meaning, He does not show favoritism to one over another, neither deprives one of justice to grant to another (Proverbs 18, 5). God's judgements are righteous altogether. To put things in perspective, Let's look a story. In Daniel 5 the bible talks about a king called Belshazzar that when submitted to God's examination was found wanting, disapproved, guilty because he misused the holy utensils from God's temple in his pagan and carnal feast. The bible says "Belshazzar the king made a great feast for a thousand of his lords, and drank wine in the presence of the thousand. While he tasted the wine, Belshazzar gave the command to bring the gold and silver vessels which his father Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the temple which had been in Jerusalem, that the king and his lords, his wives, and his concubines might drink from them. Then they brought the gold vessels that had been taken from the temple of the house of God which had been in Jerusalem; and the king and his lords, his wives, and his concubines drank from them. They drank wine, and praised the gods of gold and silver, bronze and iron, wood and stone." Daniel 5:1-4. This king sinned against God and was found guilty after God's examination. The bible says "In the same hour the fingers of a man’s hand appeared and wrote opposite the lampstand on the plaster of the wall of the king’s palace; and the king saw the part of the hand that wrote." Daniel 5:5. The king was troubled to know what the hand had written, thus brought all the magicians, astrologers, Chaldeans, and etc., but none could read the had writing. Then, Daniel was called and he told the king, "And this is the inscription that was written: MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN. This is the interpretation of each word. MENE: God has numbered your kingdom, and finished it; TEKEL: You have been weighed in the balances, and found wanting; PERES: Your kingdom has been divided, and given to the Medes and Persians.” Daniel 5:25-28. The king was weighed in the balances, and found wanting, guilty, far from pleasing God. The question is, like God did with that king, if God was to weigh all our actions based on His standards, who would be innocent? Who can say, He never sinned or never did wrong in this life? Not only we will be judged according to our actions but Jesus says "But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.” Matthew 12:36-37. Moreover, the bible also says that God sees our hearts; thus. besides our words and actions, God also takes into account the motivations of our hearts, the reason behind our actions. We can certainly do the right thing with wrong motivations. Think of the people that help those in need to be praised by friends or to receive tax deductions, or even the person that prays to be seen and recognized by people. They did good things indeed but with wrong motivates, and it counts as wrong. God sees it all, even our hearts. Therefore, "[…] there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account." Hebrews 4:13. Again, having in mind that God sees our actions, our words, and the intentions of our hearts, if we are to be judged, examined by God according to His standards, would we be innocent or guilty? The honest answer is guilty. No one, not a single human being on this planet would be found innocent or blameless if examined according to God's standards. "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God," Romans 3:23. As it is written: “There is none righteous, no, not one; There is none who understands; There is none who seeks after God. They have all turned aside; They have together become unprofitable; There is none who does good, no, not one.” “Their throat is an open tomb; With their tongues they have practiced deceit”; “The poison of asps is under their lips”; “Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness.” “Their feet are swift to shed blood; Destruction and misery are in their ways; And the way of peace they have not known.” “There is no fear of God before their eyes.” Romans 3:10-18. If all have sinned, the wages of sin is death, and God does not overlook sin, therefore, all deserve to die indeed. Death is the fate of all human being who do not recognize his sins. Every person that does not recognize his state is already dead. Perhaps you might say, "I am a good person I do good things." Yes, it might be true, but it does not mean you have done enough goods to outweigh your bads when God weighs you in the balance. If you want to be right before God through your own actions, then you must obey everything God said and not fail in a single one. This is the condition to be justified by your actions. James 2:10 says "For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all." You can see that no one can be good or just by God's standard if they rely on their "good actions" because of their nature they will inevitably do something wrong. Thus, it's written, "Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin." Romans 3:20. No one can be justified by the law or through the keeping of all the commandments because the law. No one. If such is the fate of all human beings who then can be just before God? The answer is, “Blessed are they whose sins are forgiven, whose wrongs are pardoned. Blessed is the person whom the Lord does not consider guilty." Romans 4:7-8. The bible is saying that we can only be considered righteous if we are forgiven by God. If one is pardon by God of his wrongdoings then he can be considered righteous. However, forgiveness of sins is only possible on the basis of the sacrifice Jesus made. The bible says, "For He [God] made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him." II Corinthians 5:21. In another words, only those whose sins have been paid by Jesus sacrifice can be forgiven, made righteous or be found guilty free. Because God is a righteous judge, He must not overlook sin but give to each their rightful wage: death (Romans 6:23). But if God gives to each according to their deeds, we have already seen that no one will be exempted, all have sinned. Therefore, in order to save sinners and yet punish sin, Jesus offered Himself as a sacrifice: with the sacrifice of His blood, we received forgiveness of sin (Colossians 1:14) and with the sacrifice of His life by dying on the cross, we received His life: eternal and righteous. Therefore, we can be be forgiven and righteous through the sacrifice of Jesus. The full text of Romans 6:23 says "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." It was an exchange, Jesus took our death so we could be forgiven and take His life. Just it's more than what the old testament offered through the sacrifice of lambs, people only received forgiveness of sin but never a new life. Hebrews 10:1-2 says "For the law, having a shadow of the good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with these same sacrifices, which they offer continually year by year, make those who approach perfect. For then would they not have ceased to be offered? For the worshipers, once purified, would have had no more consciousness of sins." But, Jesus is the perfect Lamb. John the Baptist said, " [..] “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!" John 1:29. Paul said, "For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time," I Timothy 2:5-6. Jesus with His death on the cross and the sacrifice of His blood, paid for the sins of all humanity, He became the ransom for all. Like John the apostle said, "And He [Jesus] Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world." I John 2:2. Thus, the gospel reveals the righteousness of God because the gospel shows how God punished all unrighteousness with the death and sacrifice of His Son to satisfy the righteous requirement of His law. So, that those who believe in His Son are made righteous. "There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who[a] do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit." Romans 8:1-4. If God so did with His Son in order to forgive sinners, you can be assured that anyone who does not have the Son will be severely punished on that day. Chapter 1 5 of 6 Chapter 2

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