Words of the Bible

The Passover and the Truth of Salvation

Today, the world is suffering from spiritual thirst without hearing the words of God and from rampant disasters (Am 8:11; Jer 44:23). Nevertheless, some people deny God’s word and insist, “The Passover of the new covenant is not the truth of salvation. So we don’t need to celebrate it.” Jesus rebuked the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, who were religious leaders in those days, for their hypocrisy and said that the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven was not given to them. Even now, there are people like them who claim to believe in God but do not understand the will of God correctly. As the Bible says that God’s people are destroyed from lack…

It is known that Christianity believes in only one God. Actually, however, most Christians believe in Jesus and the Holy Spirit as well as the LORD God, Jehovah. Does it mean that God is three distinct Persons?

For the salvation of human beings, God divided 6,000 years into three ages—the age of the Father, the age of the Son, and the age of the Holy Spirit—and He carried out His salvation work with a different name in each age. In the age of the Father, God used the name Jehovah; and in the age of the Son, God came in the name of Jesus. In the age of the Holy Spirit, God is to have another name when He carries out His work of redemption on this earth. Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them…

We Reap What We Sow

In spring, farmers sow in their fields what they want to reap. If it is expected that red pepper farming will earn them lots of income this year, they will plant red pepper seeds; and if it is estimated that the price of garlic will soar, they will plant garlic seeds. So, when the harvest season comes, they will reap red peppers from the field where they planted red pepper seeds and will harvest garlic from the field where they planted garlic seeds It is the same with us who are walking the path of faith, looking forward to the eternal kingdom of heaven. Each and every day, we have to sow the valuable things that we want to reap…

If We Keep the Passover, Can We Be Protected by God?

These days, a lot of news about disasters is on TV. Probably because of that, I am often reminded of the Passover that enables us to escape disasters. The more frequently we hear the news of disasters, the more precious the message of salvation sounds. The Passover is, as the name explains itself, a feast that makes disasters pass over us. Were there actual cases where people were protected from disasters by keeping the Passover? Of course! About 3,500 years ago, such a case happened when the Passover was kept for the first time. “The animals you choose must be year-old males without defect, and you may take them from the sheep or the goats. Take care of them until…

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There are so many Christian denominations, and we often hear people insist that the denomination they belong to is authentic. What exactly is heresy?

From a religious point of view, “heresy” is an idea or doctrine that goes against the true faith. Discerning heresy is very important for our salvation. Even though we have believed in God fervently for a long time, if we belong to a heretical denomination, we cannot be saved. Then, which denomination is a heretic? Standard of heresy People have a tendency to think that the church which has a long history and many followers is authentic and that the church which has not is heretical. However, the length of a church history or the number of followers cannot be a standard for distinguishing the true Church from false churches. If these kinds of standards were right, it would mean…

The Seed of God

The Bible tells us that God regards the people, who are to be saved in the last days, as His seed, and that He will see His seed by giving Himself as a guilt offering. Among God’s creatures in nature, a seed has special characteristics. When the seed sprouts to life, it resembles the maternal form exactly. A seed also has the characteristic of bearing fruit. Every kind of seed bears much fruit as it sprouts and possesses its own distinct form and shape. The Bible says that God regards us as His seed. This implies that if we are born again in the truth and grow in faith, we must resemble God and bear fruit. Unless we learn God’s…

What Is the Difference Between Immersion Baptism and Sprinkling Baptism?

Baptism is a ritual act to put off the sinful body and to be born into a new life to become a Christian: To be baptized is to bury our sins in water. Different denominations teach and practice different methods of baptism: immersion and sprinkling. There seems to be no big difference between them, but when we understand the meaning of the Greek word for baptize, we can see that Biblical baptism is immersion, not sprinkling. The Greek word "(baptizô)" means ‘to dip, to immerse or to submerge.' The English word ‘baptize' is a direct transliteration from the Greek word. Therefore, if we consider the meaning of the original language, there is no doubt that the Biblical method of baptism…

Searching for Eternal, Unchanging Standards

One Sunday afternoon, Mrs. Kim went grocery shopping with her family. As the temperature was below 2℃, they brought winter jackets with them and got inside the car. The GPS indicated that it would take about 20 minutes to drive to the supermarket that was about 5 km [3.1 mi] away. First of all, she went to buy shoes for her husband. He tried on shoes (275 ㎜ and 280 ㎜) and chose ones in the larger size. In the grocery store, they bought beef (600 g) for dinner, and two bottles of milk (1 L) on discount, and a box of apples (5 ㎏) as well. Temperature, distance, weight, and all different sizes … We are surrounded by countless…

“I Have Already Come!”

Starting from the beginning of the new year after the 94th anniversary of the birth of Christ Ahnsahnghong, the shouting of the people of Zion proclaiming the voice of Christ—“I have already come!”—is being heard all over the world. As the good news of Christ’s coming has been reported through mass media such as newspapers, many people are showing much interest, wondering who on earth has come and where He has come from. We have to tell people that God, whom the world is waiting for, has already come. As those who have received God earlier, it is our duty to let them know when God came, where He came from, and why He came, so that they can receive…

Though They Try to Hide the Truth with a Lie

Two women went to the tomb of Jesus, where they met an angel. The angel told them that Jesus had risen, and they were filled with great joy and ran to tell this good news to Jesus’ disciples. Some of the guards also went into the city and reported to the chief priests everything that had happened. The chief priests met with the elders and devised a plan. Then they gave the solders a large sum of money, telling them, “You are to say, ‘His disciples came during the night and stole him away while we were asleep.’ If this report gets to the governor, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.” As instructed by the chief…

The Wicked Cannot Inherit the Kingdom of Heaven

As the gospel of the new covenant spreads to the whole world, the spiritual blind open their eyes, the spiritual deaf hear, and the souls in the shade of death revive. How amazing and marvelous is the power of the new covenant which has been established through the blood of God’s sacrifice! God has promised that He will surely give the forgiveness of sins and eternal life to those who believe in the new covenant and keep it, and He has become our God and made us His people through the new covenant (see Jer 31:31-34). We have been cast down to this earth and waiting for the sentence of death since we committed sin against God in heaven. So,…

Yearning and Waiting for Heaven, Our Dear Home

It seems like yesterday that we started 2011, but it has already come to an end and now another new year has begun. Day after day, year after year, our yearning for the kingdom of heaven and for our Heavenly Father grows bigger and bigger. I think it is around this time every year that the members of Zion feel a mixture of emotions in their hearts all at once, yearning for the eternal kingdom of heaven which they lost and waiting eagerly for Heavenly Father to come to this earth. I hope that all of you will live a worthwhile and valuable life every day, patiently waiting for our hopes to be fulfilled and eagerly looking forward to the…

“I” Who Belong to God and “I” Who Belong to Myself

On our journey of faith towards the everlasting kingdom of heaven, what kind of person am I—“I who belong to God” or “I who belong to myself”? As we reflect upon ourselves, we come to realize that we have often belonged to “myself” rather than “God.” Of course, we used to think to ourselves that we should become “I who belong to God.” However, there were many times when we didn’t have our life completely belonging to God. Now, let’s take some time to examine ourselves if we live as “I who belong to God” or as “I who belong to myself,” through the words of God. Stubbornness and arrogance of “I who belong to myself” The Bible teaches that…

Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven Is Near

“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.” This is what Jesus fi rst said when He began to preach the gospel after being bap-tized at the age of 30 about 2,000 years ago (Mt 4:17). By saying those words, Jesus expressed His desire for human beings to prepare for the kingdom of heaven by repenting from their hearts. Jesus wanted everyone to enter the kingdom of heaven by living a life of righteousness with a repentant heart as the kingdom of God was drawing near, and that was why He opened the door to preach the gospel by saying, “Repent!” Now we are almost at the end of 2011. The eternal kingdom of God is much closer this year…

Mirror Neuron That Reflects “Myself”

Why is it that we often draw when we do rock-paper-scissors? Why do we instantaneously and unconsciously decide to play the same shape? About this matter, the neuroscience research team at University College London in U.K. announced a result of a fun experiment. They asked the participants to do rock-paper-scissors for several rounds, and in every game, either one or both players were blindfolded. When both were blindfolded, the proportion of draws was 33%, which is in accord with the mathematical proportion. However, it went higher to 36% when only one of them was blindfolded; it was because the participant who could see imitated the other who was blindfolded. Such a thing happens in our daily lives, too. When someone…

The One Who Serves Shall Be the Greatest

The mother of James and John is bowing down to Jesus to ask a favor of Him. “What is it you want?” “Grant that one of these two sons of mine may sit at Your right and the other at Your left in Your kingdom.” Hearing this, the ten are indignant with the two brothers. Jesus calls them together and says, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over people and exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant. I too did not come to be served, but to serve, and to be sin on behalf of many.” Jesus told the disciples who wanted to…

Why Is It That Women of the Church of God Wear Veils During the Service?

When I see the pictures or videos about the Church of God, there’s something interesting. How can they all look the same during services? Every female member wears a veil, whereas every male member wears nothing. God set regulations for services. One of them is about the veil. Is wearing a veil God’s regulation? Sure! “A man ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God …” 1 Corinthians 11:7 The Bible teaches us that men should not wear anything while praying or during the service. If they do not follow this, even if they want to worship God, they will only dishonor God. I see. Shall we see a woman’s case? “And every…

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A Life With Goals

When we look back on our past lives, at night after finishing each day or at the end of the year, even though we were given the same period of time, some of us might live faithfully and some might not. The difference comes from whether we had a goal or not. When we set a goal and do our best to achieve the goal, a fruitful result is produced. That’s why an individual or a group sets a goal when starting their work. It is the same in our life of faith. While the same period of time flows, those who have a spiritual goal live a faithful life, looking forward to the blessings and glory that they will…

Those Who Please God

God has promised to give His children, who dwell in Zion, the eternal inheritance of the kingdom of heaven where there is no death or pain or sorrow. Giving thanks and glory to God for granting us the promise of the eternal heavenly kingdom which we will possess for ever and ever, we should follow God wherever He leads us, having faith. The Bible says that a wise son brings joy to his father, but a foolish son grief to his mother (Pr 10:1). As wise sons and daughters of God, we should live a gracious life without any regrets for the gospel, thinking about how we can please God and what kind of faith and determination we must have…

Do Not Be Arrogant

Now, our lost brothers and sisters scattered all around the world are coming to Zion like clouds. Our attitude of mind should be more mature than ever. As more and more people are being led into the truth, we need more leaders who can help and guide the new members. We are God's workers who have been called by God earlier and are participating in the holy work of the gospel. When we fear God, humble ourselves and serve our brothers and sisters, the gospel work will be accomplished more swiftly. Not only should we listen to the word of God, but also we should put the teachings of God into practice. If we act like Christians only in Zion…