Sequence of Salvation - Preach, Hear, Believe, Call

How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? (Romans 10:14 ESV)

First, the Gospel has to be preached. Then we can hear. Having heard, we can believe. Having believed, we can call upon Him to save us.

For "everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." (Romans 10:13 ESV)
And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.' (Acts 2:21 NIV)
But everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved, for some on Mount Zion in Jerusalem will escape, just as the LORD has said. These will be among the survivors whom the LORD has called. (Joel 2:32 NLT)

So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. (Romans 10:17 KJV)

The Nature Of Truth

Every word of God proves true. He is a shield to all who come to him for protection. (Proverbs 30:5 NLT)

Truth must correspond to reality. This is the simplest definition of truth that even a three year old child can understand. But philosophers came up with many more theories. We have this "The Nature of Truth - Epistemology | WIRELESS PHILOSOPHY - YouTube" and "Three Different Theories of Truth" and many others in the internet.

The Bible also has many verses on truth. And the Bible is true.

The sum of Your word is truth, And every one of Your righteous ordinances is everlasting. (Psalm 119:160 NASB)

Buddhists Are Brave People

Buddhism is the solution Buddha taught to liberate humans from samsara (reincarnation), the endless cycle of rebirth and dukkha (suffering). If samsara is not true, then the endless cycle of rebirth and suffering does not exist and Buddhism become a solution for a non-existence problem.

Samsara is not provable. The problem with samsara is twofold:

1. Presently there is no way to verify it in an objective manner;
2. There is no mechanism to explain how reincarnation might occur.

Just because samsara is not provable does not mean it is not true. But it is unwise to make it the problem to be solved. In fact, samsara is actually a process to make karma true.

Karma is the Indian cause and effect. Karma states that everything that happens to a person is caused by something the person has done in the past.

Cause and effect is true. A simple example of cause and effect is birth. Every human born is the effect caused by a man and woman having sex. However, since birth is caused by the parents' action and not the baby's own action, karma is false.

To make karma true, samsara, an unprovable process, was added. Now the baby's birth is caused not only by the parent's action, but also the baby's action in the past life. Now why a baby is born rich or poor can be explained. And now when we see good people not getting their good rewards or bad people not getting their just desserts even by the time they die, we know that they will get it in their future reincarnation! So karma and samsara together provides a complete system to explain our imperfect and suffering world. We are trapped in this endless cycle of rebirth because of our karmic debt. And Buddha came up with the solution to escape from the cycle.

The goal of Buddhism is nirvana. When one escapes from samsara, one will enter into the state of nirvana. The commonly agreed definition of nirvana is cessation of dukkha (suffering) and liberation from samsara (reincarnation). But what will happen if suffering cease? There are two possibilities, eternal life with pure happiness or cessation from existence. But Buddha did not give an answer to that question. Since the word nirvana literally means "quenching" or "blowing out" in the way that the flame of a candle is blown out, is nirvana the cessation of existence? We really do not know. And if it is eternal life with pure happiness, where would you be since there is no more samsara (rebirth)?

We have to remember that Buddha is from below, unlike Jesus, who is from above (John 8:23, John 3:13). Buddha did not attain nirvana and come back after death to tell what nirvana really is. Jesus died and was resurrected. He himself is the proof that we will be resurrected like Him (Romans 6:5, 1 Corinthians 15:14-20).

All I can say is Buddhists are brave people. They have faith to practice the solution of a problem caused by an unproven process, to attain a final state which is not clearly defined. I am not brave like them. I prefer to have my faith based on provable events.

For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. (1 Corinthians 15:3-8 ESV)

Benefits of Bible Study

Your commandment makes me wiser than my enemies, for it is ever with me.
I have more understanding than all my teachers, for your testimonies are my meditation.
I understand more than the aged, for I keep your precepts. (Psalm 119:98-100 ESV)

Reading the Bible makes us wise.

Karma Is False

And his disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" Jesus answered, "It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him. (John 9:2-3 ESV)

Karma is the Indian cause and effect. Karma states that everything that happened to oneself is caused by one's earlier action, or one's action now decides one's fate in the future.

We know that karma is not true. A simple proof is the birth of a baby. Every baby born is the effect caused by a man and woman having sex and not the baby's own action. So to make karma true, an unprovable process call samsara (reincarnation) was added. So karma and samsara now make a complete system. This system is a fundamental concept in all Indian religions, like Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism.

The Bible agree with the observable fact that karma is false. The Bible also use the birth of twins as a proof.

And not only so, but also when Rebekah had conceived children by one man, our forefather Isaac, though they were not yet born and had done nothing either good or bad - in order that God's purpose of election might continue, not because of works but because of him who calls - she was told, "The older will serve the younger." (Romans 9:10-12 ESV)

The Three As of Worship

Action - giving
Attitude - right perspective of God, who God is, who we are, humility
Affection - adoration and Love

Languages

From creation till Babel, the world spoke one language.
And the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech. (Genesis 11:1 KJV)

Then they disobeyed God's instruction to spread abroad and decided to stay together and build a city.
So the Lord scattered them from there over all the earth, and they stopped building the city. That is why it was called Babel - because there the Lord confused the language of the whole world. From there the Lord scattered them over the face of the whole earth. (Genesis 11:8-9 NIV)

During the Pentecost, God performed a miracle to allow everyone to understand the language of the Apostles.
Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken. Utterly amazed, they asked: "Aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans? Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language? Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs - we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!" (Acts 2:5-11 NIV)

At the beginning of the millennium, everybody will want to learn Hebrew.
This is what the LORD Almighty says: "In those days ten people from all languages and nations will take firm hold of one Jew by the hem of his robe and say, 'Let us go with you, because we have heard that God is with you.'" (Zechariah 8:23 NIV)

In that day there will be five cities in the land of Egypt that speak the language of Canaan and swear allegiance to the LORD of hosts. One of these will be called the City of Destruction. (Isaiah 19:18 ESV)

Finally God will restore one language to the people during the millennium.
For I will then restore pure speech to the peoples so that all of them may call on the name of the LORD and serve him with a single purpose. (Zephaniah 3:9 CSB)

Jewish Return Prophesied

Who are these who fly like a cloud, like doves to their shelters? Yes, the coasts and islands will wait for me with the ships of Tarshish in the lead, to bring your children from far away, their silver and gold with them, for the honor of the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, who has glorified you. (Isaiah 60:8-9 CSB)

Jews came back to Israel by air and by sea.

Sun And Moon Unemployed

The sun will no more be your light by day, nor will the brightness of the moon shine on you, for the LORD will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your glory. (Isaiah 60:9 NIV)

The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. (Revelation 21:23 NIV)

There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever. (Revelation 22:5 NIV)