Many attribute the success of America and Western Europe to democracy. Always remember this, it was Athenian democracy that put Socrates to death. So why did European democracy succeed where Athenian democracy failed? Why did science, and all the benefits of modern civilisation, come from Europe, and not the other ancient civilizations of China and India? Mr S Rajaratnam, the former foreign minister of Singapore attempted to answer this question but he gave the wrong answer. He attributed the failure of China and India to hubris, always looking to a past golden age, instead of looking forward. He attributed the success of Europe to the fact that they are looking forward to a future golden age.
The truth is it is not democracy that make Europe great. It is Christianity and its emphasis on truth that make Europe great. Democracy just provides the political infrastructure to propagate truth. So even a dictator who allows truth in his domain will prosper. In fact, during the millennium, Christ will rule the nations as a dictator with an iron rod (Revelation 19:15, Revelation 2:26-27).
Who is Christ? He said that He is "the Truth (John 14:6)". And truth is a dictator. You cannot disagree with truth. Truth always win. Even democracy loses to truth. If everybody in the world were to vote that cows have two heads, cows will still have one head.
Dictatorship and democracy are just political infrastructures. Success is dependant on recognising truth and allowing truth to has its way.
And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. (John 8:32 KJV)
Saturday, September 7, 2019
Friday, September 6, 2019
Paradise Lost And Found
And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day. (Genesis 1:31 ESV)
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth and it was very good.
And the Lord God commanded the man, "You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die." (Genesis 2:16-17 NIV)
Everything was perfect and there was no sin and no death. God created man and gave him only one commandment to follow. Life was good and easy. Man has everything in the world, except for one tree.
The serpent was the shrewdest of all the wild animals the LORD God had made. One day he asked the woman, "Did God really say you must not eat the fruit from any of the trees in the garden?" "Of course we may eat fruit from the trees in the garden,” the woman replied. "It’s only the fruit from the tree in the middle of the garden that we are not allowed to eat. God said, 'You must not eat it or even touch it; if you do, you will die.'" "You won't die!" the serpent replied to the woman. "God knows that your eyes will be opened as soon as you eat it, and you will be like God, knowing both good and evil." (Genesis 3:1-5 NLT)
One day, man had to make a choice. He had to choose whether to believe in the word of God or not. He had to choose between obedience and disobedience, between life and death.
Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves. (Genesis 3:7 NIV)
Man has everything in the world, except for one tree. Man had only one commandment to follow. Man chose to break that commandment to get the tree. He wanted his eyes to be opened. His eyes were opened and he did not like what he saw.
Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, in this way death spread to all people, because all sinned. (Romans 5:12 CSB)
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:23 NIV)
So with man's disobedience came sin. With sin came death and death spread to all descendants of man. But the good news is that God offered us another choice, to believe His Word and accept His gift of eternal life in Jesus. We now face the same choice as our first ancestor. We have to choose whether to believe in the word of God or not. We have to choose between obedience and disobedience, between life and death.
For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead also comes through a man. (1 Corinthians 15:21 CSB)
The simple logic of salvation is this: if death had came through one man, life also come through one man. But how do we know which man to follow?
We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. (Romans 6:9 ESV)
The man who has life must be the man who conquered death. This man is Jesus Christ because Jesus was resurrected from the dead historically (not mythologically) and He has conquered death. The question is, do you believe? Or are you like Adam, who chose not to believe and die?
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth and it was very good.
And the Lord God commanded the man, "You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die." (Genesis 2:16-17 NIV)
Everything was perfect and there was no sin and no death. God created man and gave him only one commandment to follow. Life was good and easy. Man has everything in the world, except for one tree.
The serpent was the shrewdest of all the wild animals the LORD God had made. One day he asked the woman, "Did God really say you must not eat the fruit from any of the trees in the garden?" "Of course we may eat fruit from the trees in the garden,” the woman replied. "It’s only the fruit from the tree in the middle of the garden that we are not allowed to eat. God said, 'You must not eat it or even touch it; if you do, you will die.'" "You won't die!" the serpent replied to the woman. "God knows that your eyes will be opened as soon as you eat it, and you will be like God, knowing both good and evil." (Genesis 3:1-5 NLT)
One day, man had to make a choice. He had to choose whether to believe in the word of God or not. He had to choose between obedience and disobedience, between life and death.
Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves. (Genesis 3:7 NIV)
Man has everything in the world, except for one tree. Man had only one commandment to follow. Man chose to break that commandment to get the tree. He wanted his eyes to be opened. His eyes were opened and he did not like what he saw.
Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, in this way death spread to all people, because all sinned. (Romans 5:12 CSB)
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:23 NIV)
So with man's disobedience came sin. With sin came death and death spread to all descendants of man. But the good news is that God offered us another choice, to believe His Word and accept His gift of eternal life in Jesus. We now face the same choice as our first ancestor. We have to choose whether to believe in the word of God or not. We have to choose between obedience and disobedience, between life and death.
For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead also comes through a man. (1 Corinthians 15:21 CSB)
The simple logic of salvation is this: if death had came through one man, life also come through one man. But how do we know which man to follow?
We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. (Romans 6:9 ESV)
The man who has life must be the man who conquered death. This man is Jesus Christ because Jesus was resurrected from the dead historically (not mythologically) and He has conquered death. The question is, do you believe? Or are you like Adam, who chose not to believe and die?
Thursday, September 5, 2019
Karma - Real And False (真假因果報應)
This is the real karma.
Every action that a man does (cause 因) will generate a reaction (effect 果) from the time the action was done.
This is the false karma.
Every action that a man does (cause 因) will generate a reaction (effect 果) back to himself.
Every action that a man does (cause 因) will generate a reaction (effect 果) from the time the action was done.
This is the false karma.
Every action that a man does (cause 因) will generate a reaction (effect 果) back to himself.
Wednesday, September 4, 2019
God Offered Us A Choice
God offered us a choice of belief and unbelief, life and death.
It was like that from the beginning.
And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, "You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die." (Genesis 2:16-17 ESV)
In the beginning, creation was good and perfect and there was no death. Adam chose unbelief, and sin and death entered the world.
It is the same today.
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:16 KJV)
Today, through the choice of Adam, the world is sinful and imperfect and there is death. But God has made us an offer through His word, the Bible. He offered us eternal life if we believe in Him. If we do not belief, we will die.
It was like that from the beginning.
And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, "You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die." (Genesis 2:16-17 ESV)
In the beginning, creation was good and perfect and there was no death. Adam chose unbelief, and sin and death entered the world.
It is the same today.
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:16 KJV)
Today, through the choice of Adam, the world is sinful and imperfect and there is death. But God has made us an offer through His word, the Bible. He offered us eternal life if we believe in Him. If we do not belief, we will die.
Tuesday, September 3, 2019
Mercy Is Injustice
Has it ever occur to you that it is so unfair that you, as a Christian, are saved, but not the other guy, who may be a better person than you are?
Mercy is injustice. Grace is unfair. When all have sinned and some are punished by death in an eternal hell and others obtained mercy by the grace of God and are not punished, God becomes unjust.
But God is just. How does God reconcile mercy and justice?
God sent His only begotten Son, Jesus, to die for the sins of the world. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus had died for their sin. Mercy is now freely available to the sinner because God had paid the price for justice.
God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood - to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished - he did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus. (Romans 3:25-26 NIV)
He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world. (1 John 2:2 ESV)
For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit. (1 Peter 3:18 NIV)
He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities. (Psalm 103:10 ESV)
If you, O LORD, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness, that you may be feared. (Psalm 130:3-4 ESV)
For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9 KJV)
Mercy is injustice. Grace is unfair. When all have sinned and some are punished by death in an eternal hell and others obtained mercy by the grace of God and are not punished, God becomes unjust.
But God is just. How does God reconcile mercy and justice?
God sent His only begotten Son, Jesus, to die for the sins of the world. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus had died for their sin. Mercy is now freely available to the sinner because God had paid the price for justice.
God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood - to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished - he did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus. (Romans 3:25-26 NIV)
He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world. (1 John 2:2 ESV)
For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit. (1 Peter 3:18 NIV)
He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities. (Psalm 103:10 ESV)
If you, O LORD, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness, that you may be feared. (Psalm 130:3-4 ESV)
For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9 KJV)
Monday, September 2, 2019
Loving God
If you love me, you will keep my commandments. (John 14:15 ESV)
Jesus answered him, "If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. (John 14:23 ESV)
Loving God means keeping his commandments, and his commandments are not burdensome. (1 John 5:3 NLT)
Another example of love:
So Jacob served seven years to get Rachel, but they seemed like only a few days to him because of his love for her. (Genesis 29:20 NIV)
Jesus answered him, "If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. (John 14:23 ESV)
Loving God means keeping his commandments, and his commandments are not burdensome. (1 John 5:3 NLT)
Another example of love:
So Jacob served seven years to get Rachel, but they seemed like only a few days to him because of his love for her. (Genesis 29:20 NIV)
Sunday, September 1, 2019
New Year Resolutions 2019 - To Resume Again
A sad reminder of my sinful nature as a fallen sinner, I had once again not fulfil my 2019 resolution made at the beginning of the year to pray the following (as advised by Rev Stephen Schaefer, revised and revived by me on 30-June-2019) daily:
This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. (Galatians 5:16 KJV)
Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person. (Colossians 4:6 ESV)
So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. (1 Corinthians 10:31 ESV)
Additionally I would also like to bring to my remembrance the three requests I made in 1979, for the perseverance of Jacob, the heart of David and the power of Elijah.
And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed. (Genesis 32:28 KJV)
And when he had removed him, he raised up unto them David to be their king; to whom also he gave testimony, and said, I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after mine own heart, which shall fulfil all my will. (Acts 13:22 KJV)
Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months. (James 5:17 KJV)
- Be filled with the Spirit and have room for nothing else (Ephesians 5:18);
- Walk in the Spirit and not fulfil the lust of the flesh (Galatians 5:16);
- Speak gracious words to glorify God (Colossians 4:6);
- Glorify God in all I do (1 Corinthians 10:31).
This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. (Galatians 5:16 KJV)
Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person. (Colossians 4:6 ESV)
So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. (1 Corinthians 10:31 ESV)
Additionally I would also like to bring to my remembrance the three requests I made in 1979, for the perseverance of Jacob, the heart of David and the power of Elijah.
And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed. (Genesis 32:28 KJV)
And when he had removed him, he raised up unto them David to be their king; to whom also he gave testimony, and said, I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after mine own heart, which shall fulfil all my will. (Acts 13:22 KJV)
Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months. (James 5:17 KJV)
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