"10 You, however, have followed my teaching, my conduct, my aim in life, my faith, my patience, my love, my steadfastness,
11 my persecutions and sufferings that happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium, and at Lystra-which persecutions I endured; yet from them all the Lord rescued me.
12 Indeed, ALL WHO DESIRE to live a godly life in CHRIST JESUS WILL BE PERSECUTED,
13 WHILE EVIL PEOPLE AND IMPOSTORS WILL GO ON FROM BAD TO WORSE, DECEIVING AND BEING DECEIVED.
14 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it
15 and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in CHRIST JESUS.
16 "ALL SCRIPTURE" is breathed out by GOD and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,
17 THAT THE MAN OF GOD MAY BE COMPLETE, equipped for every good work."
Let me begin by saying that I believe GOD is WHO HE claims to be, that JESUS CHRIST is HIS SON, and that the HOLY SPIRIT is an equal portion of the Holy Trinity AND the Holy Bible is HIS WORD! There is NO DOUBT about the authentication or validity of those statement in my book! But playing "devils advocate" can sometimes be a useful tool. With that in mind, there are some questions that we will address.
Let's just SUPPOSE that there is no God, nor any of the godhead, and that the holy bible is just a compilation of writings from zealots throughout history that were a little "off in the head"! There are some things that are just a little difficult to comprehend. How a god could part the Red Sea and allow his chosen people to cross it on dry ground? How a shepherd boy could slay a GIANT of a man with a rock from a slingshot! How Shadrach, Meshac, and Abednego could survive and furnace so hot that the people who through them in the fire died from the heat? How an entire city could be destroyed JUST by a group of people walking around their city walls? And HOW could a man fulfill hundreds of prophecies, be crucified, buried, and three days later overcome death, hell, and the grace??
Conversely, what IF all of this holy roller stuff IS true and we ARE Divinely Created and GOD is WHO HE says HE is, the GOD Head exists, and "ALL SCRIPTURE" is true? What IF GOD desired to have a Creation that exalts and praises HIS name while living in the Divinely Created (earth) existence ruled by one who IS a fraud and counterfeit (the devil)? And what IF HE gave HIS Creation where "ALL SCRIPTURE" was inspired by HIM and was "profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, THAT THE MAN OF GOD MAY BE COMPLETE, equipped for every good work." And what IF HE chose that those "who believed" would spend ETERNITY with HIM?
This same BOOK of "ALL SCRIPTURE" says in Hebrews 11:6 that "without FAITH it is IMPOSSIBLE" to please HIM! GOD desires a people who will believe "that HE exists" and that HE is in control. But when we fail to follow the instructions from "ALL SCRIPTURE" we are in general proclaiming that GOD isn't in control and we have no faith that HE can work out the difficulties we find ourselves faced with!
As I began this writing by saying, "GOD is WHO HE claims to be, that JESUS CHRIST is HIS SON, and that the HOLY SPIRIT is an equal portion of the Holy Trinity AND the Holy Bible is HIS WORD"! You can choose to BELIEVE in HIM, or you can choose to NOT BELIEVE in him? The choice is yours! Either "ALL SCRIPTURE" is true, or "ALL SCRIPTURE" isn't true?
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