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The Gospel is the Power of God to Salvation​. Paul said, " [...] for it [The Gospel] is the power of God to salvation to salvation [...] " The word translated power is the Greek word, dunamis, and means: (a) physical power, force, might, ability, efficacy, energy, meaning, (b) plur: powerful deeds, deeds showing (physical) power, marvelous works. This word dunamis is the root of the word dynamite. Third, The Gospel is the Power of God to Salvation Paul said, " [...] for it [The Gospel] is the power of God to salvation to salvation [...] " The word translated power is the Greek word, dunamis, and means: (a) physical power, force, might, ability, efficacy, energy, meaning, (b) plur: powerful deeds, deeds showing (physical) power, marvelous works. This word dunamis is the root of the word dynamite. The word translated salvation is the is the Greek word, sōtēría (from 4982 /sṓzō, "to save, rescue") – salvation, i.e. God's rescue which delivers believers out of destruction and into His safety. This word sōtēría in the "technical" biblical sense means the Messianic salvation or rescue from eternal death [condemnation] to eternal life that God offers through Christ sacrifice. Thus, connecting the two words, the bottom line is that takes strength, might, power, energy, marvelous work to get someone saved, and such power only comes from God. The bible says, "Salvation belongs to the Lord . Your blessing is upon Your people." Psalms 3:8. Note that Paul doesn't says the gospel is one of the aspects of the power of God, and neither says the gospel is how the power of God is released; instead, he says "It is the power of God". We ought to understand that the gospel itself is the power of God, with a specific goal in mind: salvation of anyone who believes. Thus, we can clearly see that if anyone doesn't believe the gospel he cannot be saved because God has already committed Himself in eternity past to allocate the power to save in a message - the gospel, committed to save sinners only through the preaching of the gospel and nothing else. The bible says, "For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written: “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. For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men." I Corinthians 1:18-25. The gospel message may seem too simple - we are sinners, Christ died for us, so if we repent and believe Him we can be saved - yet it is the only way sinners can be saved for it is the truth. Therefore, the bible says. "But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ." 2 Corinthians 11:3. The gospel message is simple and may seem seems foolish, but those who believed can testify that it is the power of God, the only message that got them saved. Some people like the Jews preferred that the gospel was based on sings, something miraculous, mystic, and etc. However, this is not how God in His wisdom decided to save sinners. God decided to save sinners by the preaching of a simple message. As far signs are concern, God already gave the Jews and everyone else the sign they would need, so the gospel would be so simple and accessible to all. The bible tells us, "Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered, saying, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from You.” But He answered and said to them, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth." Matthew 12:38-40. This is the sign, that Christ died for sinners and stayed three days and three nights in the grave and God raised Him up from the dead by His great power defeating death and showing man He has authority over it and can likewise save anyone who is dead in his sins if he believes. This is the sign and only sign that anyone needs to believe to be saved. Romans 10, 9-11 says "that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.”. God has already given us a sign, raising Christ from the dead, the question is: do you believe? As far other signs, wonders and miracles like healings, raising the dead, and etc., God did through Christ, did through the apostles, and still does through His servants today, but they are meant to bear witness of Jesus' resurrections and point people to the gospel, which is the power of God for their salvation. Because the truth is that someone can experience miracles, be healed, contemplate wonders from God and yet not be saved because salvation is only through the gospel. For instance, in Matthew 11, 21-24 Jesus said “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the day of judgment than for you. And you, Capernaum, who are exalted to heaven, will be brought down to Hades; for if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. But I say to you that it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment than for you.” These people saw might works Jesus did yet they did not believe Him as the son of God who came down to save them from their sins, therefore they would be subject of the stricter judgment because the might works Jesus did testified the truthfulness of the gospel yet they did not believe. Thus, one can experience the power of God in other ways - healing, provision, and etc., yet if they don't believe the gospel they will not experience the saving power of God. However, maybe you are not like the Jews but more like the Greeks who sought for wisdom, you don't care about signs, you dwell more in the helm of the abstract, for you things have to make logical sense and be presented in a philosophical manner. This was the case of the Greeks that Paul found in Athens, the bible says "Then certain Epicurean and Stoic philosophers encountered him. And some said, “What does this babbler want to say?” Others said, “He seems to be a proclaimer of foreign gods,” because he preached to them Jesus and the resurrection. For you are bringing some strange things to our ears. Therefore we want to know what these things mean.” For all the Athenians and the foreigners who were there spent their time in nothing else but either to tell or to hear some new thing." Acts 17:18,20-21. These people were philosophers, liked to reason and occupied themselves in hearing new things, but when heard the gospel the greatest news of all, they didn't respond accordingly because hearing that God ressurected Jesus from the dead seamed too absurd from them, irrational, unreasonable, unsophisticated, overall unwise. However, God in His wisdom decided to save sinners through the preaching of a simple message yet with the power to save. Chapter 1 3 of 6 Chapter 2

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 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

knowing God is what differentiates those who will dwell eternally in the presence of God in the New Earth from those who will dwell eternally absent from God in the Lake of Fire. 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. The word translated “know” in John 17, 3 is the greek “ginṓskō” – properly means “to know, especially through personal experience (first-hand acquaintance).” ginṓskō = "experientially know". Knowing God is eternal life Knowing God is what differentiates those who will dwell eternally in the presence of God in the New Earth from those who will dwell eternally absent from God in the Lake of Fire. 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. The word translated “know” in John 17, 3 is the greek word “ginṓskō” – properly means “to know, especially through personal experience (first-hand acquaintance).” ginṓskō = "experientially know". It is used for example in Lk 1:34, "And Mary [a virgin] said to the angel, 'How will this be since I do not know (1097 /ginṓskō = sexual intimacy) a man?’”. To eternally live with God is to eternally come to know Him, the bible says, “When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.” I Corinthians 13:11-12. One day we will get to know God as He knows us, this is very exciting! No more distractions, not more shadows, no more limitations, we will be able to know Him fully, like He knows us fully. Of course, it takes eternity to know God, He is infinite, but we will have all the "time" then to do it, provided will still have some sort of notion of time. However, knowing God is a process that can start now. You can begin knowing God now and walking in your eternal calling. 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.” This is the essence of eternal life Knowing God, but John 17:3 doesn't stop there, it also let us know that eternal life is knowing Jesus Christ whom God sent because we cannot know God except through Jesus Christ. Jesus said, “I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them to babes. Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight. All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father. Nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him.” Matthew 11:25-27. No one can know God unless Jesus reveals God to him. Think about this, God dwells in heaven, in a place of unapproachable light, and no man has seen or can see Him (I Timothy 6:16), therefore no man can reveal him to us, except Him that is Jesus who came down from heaven. Jesus said, "'No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven.'" Moreover, in John 3:11-13, Jesus said “Most assuredly, I say to you, We speak what We know and testify what We have seen, and you do not receive Our witness. If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things? No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven.” As mentioned before the word know is the greek “ginṓskō” – properly means “to know, especially through personal experience (first-hand acquaintance), thus, only someone who dwells with God from eternity past can be His first-hand acquaintance or know Him intimately to the point of being able to reveal Him fully to others. The angels don’t qualify because they have come to know God only the moment they have been created, not to talk about human beings who have been created far after the angels. There is only one person who can reveal God to us, Jesus Christ, who dwells with God from the beginning. The bible says, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. [...] And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. [...] No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.” John 1:1-2,14,18. To say that eternal life is to know God is not wrong since Jesus who in the beginning was The Word is God (John 1:1-2); however, per John 17:3 it is incomplete because God is one in essence but three in subsistences or persons. God became flesh, men in the person of Jesus Christ and dwelt among us so we could know see His glory, so we could see Him. The glory of God we saw was the glory of the only begotten of the Father; thus, we cannot know God except through Jesus Christ, He is the way to God. It's written, "'Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.'" John 14:6. Paul got a glimpse of the surpassing blessing and wonder of knowing God, in the person of Jesus that he said, “Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:12-14. Jesus was with the Father from the beginning, John 1:1 says "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." Jesus knows God in the true sense of the word because He was with Him and He is Him, therefore His testimony about God is faithful and we can trust; Jesus knows Him from first-hand experience, that is “ginṓskō”. No one else has come down from heaven to reveal God to us, but Jesus, He is the faithful witness, Revelation 3:14 says “And to the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write, ‘These things says the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God:” John 10:7-10 says “Then Jesus said to them again, “Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who ever came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.”. Jesus is the foundation, the chief cornerstone in which every building, person who wants to know God must be settled on (Ephesians 2:20-23). Thus, knowing God shall always be understood as knowing Jesus also whom He has sent, for we cannot know God except through Jesus Christ. It takes knowing Jesus and then The Father, to receive eternal life; the order matters. This is life eternal knowing God and you can begin this journey here from the earth. Chapter 1 3 of 6 Chapter 3

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Knowing God is a privilege. Have you ever thought about it, God can be known by men! This is an astounding truth. The almighty, omnipresent, omnipotent, omniscient God can be known by us, His creatures. It’s written, “because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them.” Romans 1:19. In other words, the writer is clearly saying that whatever it is that we can know about God is only possible and available because God Himself has chosen to reveal it. The importance and the Benefits of Knowing God Although already addressed briefly on the aforementioned points, let's examine more thoroughly the importance and some of the benefits of knowing God. The list below is by no means exhaustive but it serves to introduce us to the depths and riches of knowing God. Knowing God is a privilege Have you ever thought about it, God can be known by men! This is an astounding truth. The almighty, omnipresent, omnipotent, omniscient God can be known by us, His creatures. It’s written, “because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them.” Romans 1:19. In other words, the writer is clearly saying that whatever it is that we can know about God is only possible and available because God Himself has chosen to reveal it. This is true because if God is God no one can pressure Him to make Himself known, neither can someone go to His dwelling and bring Him out to the opening, no; God lives in a place of, "unapproachable light," (1 Timothy 6:16). The truth is that whatever we can know about God is only possible to the degree He reveals to us; otherwise, we cannot know Him. Fortunately, God has revealed Himself to us. Praise God. From the very beginning God made man to know and understand him. King David expressed his admiration to such an idea by saying, “When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, The moon and the stars, which You have ordained, What is man that You are mindful of him, And the son of man that You visit him? For You have made him a little lower than the angels, And You have crowned him with glory and honor. You have made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet, All sheep and oxen— Even the beasts of the field, The birds of the air, And the fish of the sea That pass through the paths of the seas. O Lord, our Lord, How excellent is Your name in all the earth!” Psalms 8:3-9. Out of all creatures, God has given us the privilege of being made in His image and being capable of knowing and fellowshipping with Him. God used to visit, converse, and instruct Adam daily in the garden of Eden. It’s written, “Out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the air, and brought them to Adam to see what he would call them. And whatever Adam called each living creature, that was its name.” Genesis 2:19. Adam knew God because God wanted him to know Him as He wants each and everyone of us to know Him. Adam was intimate to God to the degree that he knew the “sound” of God. However, one day Adam sinned against the Lord, and when He visited him, Adam received not the Lord as usual. 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. Then the Lord God called to Adam and said to him, “Where are you?” So he said, “I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself.” And He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you that you should not eat?” Genesis 3:8-11.God’s question to Adam is still the same for each one of us, “where are you?.” Notice that although God knew what Adam had done, He did not ask Him, what have you done, instead He asked Him, “where are you?”. Meaning that the primary consequence of Adam’s action was to get him far away from God. Where are you? But even if you are far from God, know that He set things up for you to know Him already. Acts 17, 26-27 says "And He [God] 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;". According to this passage we see that God scattered the descendents of Adam across the earth, determining the places where they should live and their preappointed years on earth, with one goal in mind: that they would seek Him, that is verify, investigate, search for, get to the bottom of the matter about Him; in another words, that they would come to know Him. This is the reason we are here and the reason we have been created: to know and understand God. However, God did not only set things up so everybody can find and know Him by determining where and how long each person lives but also by being close to everybody; the passage says, "though He is not far from each one of us," meaning He is near to you, just reach out, He can be found. Our location with respect to God matters, God doesn't want us far from Him because He is not far from us. However, it doesn’t matter how far we are, we can still come closer and know Him, not because we will seek Him first, but because just as He first sought Adam even after his disobedience, God still seeks each one of us to be reconciled with Him, so we can know Him. God made a way in Christ. It's written, “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” John 14:6. In spite of the fall, we can still know God, He wants us to have this privilege. He is mindful of us. Knowing God is far beyond simply mental awareness but it is intimately knowing, passionately relating, spiritually and truthfully worshipping, and loving Him with all your heart, soul, and strength (Mt 22:37-40). It's learning to interact with Him on the basis of the knowledge you acquire of Him. For instance, there was a men called Enoque who walked with God and God took him for Himself. It’s written, “So all the days of Enoch were three hundred and sixty-five years. And Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him. ” Genesis 5:23-24. Moreover, on the basis of the knowledge of God we can be heard by Him both for us and others. The bible narrates the following about a man called Joshua, “'Then Joshua spoke to the Lord in the day when the Lord delivered up the Amorites before the children of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel: “Sun, stand still over Gibeon; And Moon, in the Valley of Aijalon.” So the sun stood still, And the moon stopped, Till the people had revenge Upon their enemies. Is this not written in the Book of Jasher? So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and did not hasten to go down for about a whole day. And there has been no day like that, before it or after it, that the Lord heeded the voice of a man; for the Lord fought for Israel.” Joshua 10:12-14. Consider this, if you know God you can be heard by Him! Almighty God can hear your voice just like He heard Joshua’s. So, these are just snapshots. Knowing God is a privilege, and a journey that can also bring many tribulations because not all have the knowledge of Him, yet it's joy and wonders-filled, and as se go through it our characters begin to be like God's (Ephesians 5:1), for can two walk together unless they are agreed (Amos 3:3)? Certainty not. Chapter 1 2 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. Lastly, 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; therefore, Christ said "it's finished" and God on the third day ressurected Him. However, since Christ died for all, does it mean that all are automatically saved and made righteous? The answer is: No! Jesus died for all, He wants to save all, but only those who believe in Him will be saved. Paul puts this way, "For to this end we both labor and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of those who believe." 1 Timothy 4:10. Christ is the Savior of all because He died to save everybody, God so loved the world and desires all men to come to the knowledge of the truth (John 3:16; 1 Timothy 2:1-4); however, only those who repent of their sins, believe in Christ or acknowledge His sacrifice will be saved. Therefore, Paul said, "... especially of those who believe.". The point is that what Jesus did for every human being is not immediately applied on people's lives, but only if they receive The Gospel message by Faith. What is faith then? According to Strong's concordance, the word translated faith in Romans 1:17 is the Greek word, "Pistis (from the root word peithô , "persuade, be persuaded") which is properly defined as persuasion (be persuaded, come to trust); In another word, pistis ("faith") for the believer is "God's divine persuasion" – and therefore distinct from human belief (confidence), yet involving it. The Lord continuously births faith in the yielded believer so they can know what He prefers, i.e. the persuasion of His will (1 Jn 5:4). Strong's continues saying, Pitis is God's warranty that guarantees the fulfillment of the revelation He births within the receptive believer (cf. 1 Jn 5:4 with Heb 11:1)." God already desires you as well any human being on earth to be saved, remember, "[Jesus] is the Savior of all men," (1 Timothy 4:10) and, "God desires all men to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth" (1 Timothy 2:3) for this reason He sent His Son Jesus Christ as we have seen in the paragraphs above to pay for the wages of your sins so you could be saved, or as John 3:16 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." What is the point? The point is that since God desires for you to be saved, He doesn't simply stops by making His will known, rather He is constantly and actively working in the heart of every men, including yours, to persuade them into believe, or to convict them of the truth, their need for salvation, and the efficacy of the sacrifice of Jesus to get them saved. This is Pistis, this is faith, and all begins with God. Because He loves you, He cared to send His Son, and cares to send His servants to preach this gospel message so you can be set free by the truth (John 8:32), believe on it and receive the power to be saved. As you were reading this article, God was working in you to open your eyes so you can see your nakedness, and once you see that all is true choose to be saved - taken from the kingdom of darkness and be translated to the kingdom of light (Colossians 1:13), loosed from the power of sin, flesh and the world, and delivered from the judgment to come. Do not ignore the conviction of God, do not delay in taking this step, "Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says: “Today, if you will hear His voice, Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, In the day of trial in the wilderness," Hebrews 3:7-8. Do not harden your heart. "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." II Corinthians 6:2. The Lord has been working in you as you heard His word, Romans 10:17 says, "So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." You can see how broken the world is, how the gospel makes sense, and How God in His love sent the solution for humanity in Jesus. Upon this conviction, act, believe the gospel and be saved, because the gospel "is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek." Romans 1:16. Act upon the word of God and be assured that God is able to make you a new creature. "that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith which we preach): For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." Romans 10:8-13. The day of salvation is today, in the light of all that was said call upon His name while there is time, because there is a day that God will judge all men according to His righteous commandments. Paul put this ways, "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. 6 of 6 Articles Chapter 1

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

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