What Does It Mean to be Saved by Grace?

Receiving Something You Don’t Deserve

If you have accepted Jesus’ gift of salvation, you have been saved by grace! But what exactly does that mean?
Being saved by grace means that we have received a gift from God that we do not deserve. God gives us his favor, his love, his son…despite the fact that we have done nothing to earn it.
God sent his son to pay for our sins through his death on a cross…EVEN though we are sinners who have done nothing for God.  God freely gives GRACE to us out of His love for us.
“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8
And now that we have received His Grace – we are made right with God. We can have a relationship with him. And we can look forward to eternal life in heaven with him.
Sometimes people refer to this acronym for Grace:
God’s
Riches
At
Christ’s
Expense
We are the recipients of all the goodness of God through Christ’s death.
This Amazing Grace has been sung about for years by millions of people.
Amazing Grace how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost, but now am found, was blind, but now I see.

Why would God Give Us His Grace?

God knows we are sinners. He knows we mess up. He wants us to live obedient lives but knows that we will never be able to do that on our own. Even so, He still wants a relationship with us.
So Jesus came to earth, lived a perfect life, and died a sacrificial death on a cross. All we need to do is believe that is the truth and we will be “washed clean” by Jesus’ blood. When God, the Father, looks at anyone who believes in Jesus, His son, He sees them as forgiven and pure, and they can be in relationship with Him.

What does grace look like?

Picture this:  You are standing before a judge who has a huge list of all the crimes you have committed that are punishable by death. However, there is someone in the crowd who promises to take your punishment of death, and you will be given their clean slate. That results in getting something you don’t deserve. And that is what Jesus did for you. But just as you would need to ACCEPT the clean slate in court which you didn’t earn, you need to believe in and receive this same gift from Jesus.
Accepting God’s gift of grace is the best decision you can ever make!

Jesus! What a Beautiful Name!

One more song for you today.  It’s all about the beautiful name of Jesus because he made a way for us to be in relationship with God.  As the song says:
You didn’t want heaven without us
So Jesus, You brought heaven down
My sin was great, Your love was greater
What could separate us now.

Click here to donate as The Spirit leads you to support the vision of this mission and the orphange for God loves a cheerful giver - Ah Lord God! behold, thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard for thee: -Jeremiah 32:17 


To be saved by grace means to be delivered from the righteous judgment of God through no act of your own but by His unmerited favor. God gave us the law (Exodus 20:1-17). The law is comprised of what we should and should not do regarding loving God and loving man (Matthew 22:37-40). However, to break the law of God is to sin (1 John 3:4). Unfortunately, we have all sinned against God (Romans 3:23), so we all deserve to be judged by God according to the Law. The Bible tells us that the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23) and separation from him (Isaiah 59:2). So, we are all under the righteous judgment of God. Because we are sinners, we are by nature children of wrath (Ephesians 2:3).
Grace, on the other hand, is unmerited favor. Let me illustrate with three scenarios.

• First, let's say that I go over to your house and I steal your bike. You catch me and I go to jail. That is justice. I got what I deserved. 
• Second, I go to your house and steal your bike. You catch me but set me free. That is mercy. I did not get what I deserved.
• Third, I go to your house and steal your bike. You catch me, but you not only set me free, you give me the bike. I got what I did not deserve. So, in justice, we get what we deserve. In mercy, we don't get what we deserve. In grace, we get what we do not deserve.

Grace is getting what we do not deserve from God. We do not deserve forgiveness of our sins, but he gives it to us through Jesus. We do not deserve to go to heaven, but we are able to do that through Jesus.
So, to be saved by grace means that the judgment due to us because of our sin against God, i.e. lying, stealing, adultery, fornication, coveting, lust, etc., will not befall us; that is forgiveness. But in addition, we get what we do not deserve, being in the presence of God.
Finally, the only way to be saved by grace is by putting your trust in what Jesus did on the cross. He never sinned (1 Peter 2:22) and he bore our sin in his body (1 Peter 2:24). He paid the price. He satisfied the penalty of the law by dying on the cross (1 Corinthians 15:1-4). Because our righteous deeds are filthy rags before God (Isaiah 64:6), then we have nothing that is pure to offer God (Deuteronomy 17:1; Romans 3:10-12). Therefore, the only thing left for us to do is to trust what Christ has done on the cross, by faith. That is why the Bible tells us that we are made right before God by faith (Romans 5:1). Therefore, to be saved by grace means to be safe from the righteous judgment of God by the unmerited favor found only in the work of Jesus Christ on the cross.


 Amazing grace—how sweet the sound—
That saved a wretch like me!
I once was lost but now am found,
Was blind but now I see.

The words of this famous hymn by John Newton seem to resonate with people of all theological persuasions: it is performed in churches of all kinds, from evangelical Christian, to Roman Catholic, to mainline liberal, to Mormon. It has been recorded by countless artists from Johnny Cash and Elvis Presley, to the Three Tenors, to Rascal Flatts and Alan Jackson. The concept of (or at least the word) grace is firmly planted in our culture.

The concept of grace as found in the Bible is multifaceted, but it can be summed up in the definition “undeserved favor.” The Bible says that we are saved by grace. The grace of God is expressed by God’s forgiveness of our sins, and His blessings to us include peace and fulfillment in this life and, in the life to come, unencumbered fellowship with Him for all eternity. Just as the song “Amazing Grace” has gained almost universal acceptance, it is difficult to find any religious expression with roots in Christianity that does not extoll the virtues of grace. No one with even minimal exposure to Christianity would be so crass as to claim that he has lived a life of such sterling character that God owes him eternal life. The vast majority will admit that they have shortcomings and are in need of God’s grace in some form.

However, there is much misunderstanding about being saved by grace. A great many who call themselves Christians assume that the grace of God has established a system whereby the sinner can mitigate his deserved punishment by his own efforts. For some this may be a formal system of sacraments that infuse the soul with the grace of God. For others the system is less formal but still includes various religious activities, such as church attendance, baptism, contributing to the offering, and doing good deeds. While most agree that “nobody’s perfect,” many say that God in His “grace” will overlook our sins if He sees that we have made a genuine effort to do the right thing, mend our ways, and avail ourselves of the help He offers through the church—if He sees that the trajectory of our lives is headed in the right direction, then in His “grace” He will forgive our sins and grant us eternal life. In this view of “grace,” the sinner does not earn eternal life in an absolute sense, but his penitent response and genuine effort does trigger a gracious response from the Father. This belief, although widespread, contradicts the true meaning of grace (“unmerited favor”).

This example may help illustrate the above view of grace: a teenager works hard all summer to save money to buy a car. He works a regular job and does yard work and odd jobs on the side. He saves his money and does not spend it frivolously. Nevertheless, at the end of the summer, he simply does not have enough money to buy a car that will meet his needs. His father, seeing his diligence and frugality, graciously steps in and not only makes up the difference but also adds more money to the car fund so that his son can buy a car that is better than he thought he could ever afford. The son’s best effort was not good enough, but the father’s grace makes up the difference. No one would claim that the father was obligated to make up the difference, so, when he does, it is an act of grace. If the son had been fired from his job for showing up late, had lazed around at the pool every day instead of working, or had spent what money he had on fast food and video games, then the father would not have stepped in to make up the difference. It would be incorrect to say that the son “earned” the car, for he did not, but his effort did trigger a gracious response from his father.

According to the Bible, is this really grace? The answer is NO! Grace is undeserved favor; it is God’s blessing on the unworthy. In the example above, the father bestowed his favor because he felt his son’s efforts should be rewarded—the father’s gift was based on a genuine effort by the son and was therefore not true grace. Jesus illustrated true grace with the story of a father who received his runaway son with celebratory joy—a totally unworthy individual who brought nothing to his father except dishonor and shame was lavished with undeserved blessings (Luke 15:11–24).

We are saved by grace, not by a mixture of God’s grace and our meritorious works. According to Scripture, we can do nothing to earn salvation, nor are our best efforts good enough to elicit a gracious response from God so that He will make up the difference. All of our righteous deeds are as filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6). Even considering our best efforts, we have fallen short of God’s standard of righteousness (Romans 3:23), and we deserve death (Romans 6:23). We are not commanded to “do our best” for God but to love Him perfectly and completely (Matthew 22:37). We fail in that. The command is not to “try” to love our neighbors but to actually succeed in loving our neighbors as we love ourselves (Matthew 22:39). In spite of our “best efforts,” we fail—and who can honestly claim they gave it their “best effort” anyway?

People will often try to comfort those who realize their shortcomings by saying something like “Don’t be afraid—God knows your heart,” as if that should be a comfort. If God knows our hearts, we are doomed indeed—there is no place left to hide! Our only hope is to place our faith in Jesus Christ who lived a perfect life, died on the cross to pay for our sins, and rose again. Our sin is imputed to Him, and His righteousness is imputed to us when we trust Him (2 Corinthians 5:21). We are justified not by our works (Romans 3:20) but by Jesus’ resurrection (Romans 4:25). Faith itself is not a “good work” that causes God to take notice of us. Faith is repenting of our sin, admitting that we are hopelessly and helplessly lost and unable to do anything to gain God’s favor, then simply accepting the salvation that He offers freely.

We are saved by grace; the work is God’s, not ours. “Now to the one who works, wages are not credited as a gift but as an obligation. However, to the one who does not work but trusts God who justifies the ungodly, their faith is credited as righteousness” (Romans 4:4–5). Here we see two great truths. First, God justifies the ungodly—not people who have done their best and somehow elicited a gracious response from God. God justifies those who do not deserve it. Second, God justifies people who receive salvation by faith—not people who give it their best effort. If they are justified in any part based on what they do, they are receiving wages, not a gift. If grace is based on works to any degree, then it is not grace (Romans 11:6).

We are saved by grace from beginning to end. Once a person has come to faith in Christ, he will undoubtedly realize that the only reason he was able to have faith is that God was drawing him even before he knew it (see John 6:44). Left to himself, the sinner would have continued to rebel and flee from God. Even before we believe, the very desire to come to God is God’s grace at work to save us. “Salvation belongs to the LORD” (Psalm 3:8, ESV; cf. Revelation 7:10).

Salvation by grace means that, from first to last, it is undeserved. Jesus is the Author and Finisher of our faith (Hebrews 12:2). Grace is not God doing 95 or even 99.9 percent, with us making up the difference. Grace is God doing 100 percent and our humble acceptance of it, recognizing that we are unworthy and have nothing to contribute.

Could my tears forever flow,
Could my zeal no languor know,
These for sin could not atone—
Thou must save, and Thou alone:
In my hand no price I bring,
Simply to Thy cross I cling.
(Augustus Toplady)

How to create wealth in God's way

God has created a wealth-generating system that cannot fail! Are you operating in it? Find out with these 8 Keys to God’s System of Wealth.

Money answers everything. The first reaction to that statement by many Christians would be to claim that it is carnal, selfish and outside of biblical values. Yet, it is a direct quote of scripture from Ecclesiastes 10:19. Money is an essential thing in this life, so to desire money is not selfish—it’s necessary. Even if all you want to do is walk the streets evangelizing, which doesn’t take a lot of money, you still need provision for food, clothing and shelter. You still need money!
God wants you to have money for three fundamental reasons:

1. To fund Kingdom work. To “go into all the world and preach the gospel” takes money!
2. To provide well for your own household. That’s your job—not your family’s or the government’s. God has called you to work to provide for yourself.
3. To subdue the earth. To have dominion on the earth, we should be controlling most of the resources. For example, if you don’t like the immorality posted on the billboard outside your office, here is the answer: Own the billboard. If the magazines in the store are offensive: Own the magazines. That’s how you subdue the earth.

Some denominations that claim we should not discuss money are often those whose members also work 80 hours each week to earn every dollar they can. On the other hand, many people in the faith camp are waiting for Publisher’s Clearinghouse to show up on their doorstep rather than focusing on the spiritual role work plays in the manifestation of God’s blessings.
According to Buddy Pilgrim, strategic advisor to Kenneth Copeland Ministries, founder of Integrity Leadership, and former president of poultry giant Pilgrim’s Pride, we need to align our thinking about wealth with God’s so we operate within His system. If you’re ready for a change in your financial situation, here are eight keys to God’s system of wealth you can learn from today.

1. God Is Your Sole Source

“And my God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” –Philippians 4:19 (NKJV)

The idea is simple, yet it takes a lot of spiritual work to get to the place where you let God be your sole Source of supply. The Bible says, “If someone won’t work, he shouldn’t eat” (2 Thessalonians 3:10, CJB), and God is the Creator of work. However, He never intended for us to put our faith and hope in our labor alone. He also did not intend for you to turn anything else into your source—not your family, not your credit cards and not the government. He is your Source of supply. What does He supply?

1. Everything you need to thrive
2. Power to produce wealth
3. Abilities of any kind
4. THE BLESSING that produces wealth

Think about it. The Bible does not say God makes you wealthy; it says He will give you the power to produce wealth (Deuteronomy 8:18). That means, He will always give you something to put your hands to, anoint your ability, and bring THE BLESSING on the scene when you are obedient to His commands.
Buddy Pilgrim says the key to allowing God to be your Source is to first know your calling, then to stay focused on your calling, and finally to execute your calling with a faithful heart.

Click here to donate as The Spirit leads you to support the vision of this mission and the orphange for God loves a cheerful giver - Ah Lord God! behold, thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard for thee: -Jeremiah 32:17

2. Business Is the Only System That Creates Wealth

“Engage in business until I come.” –Luke 19:13 (ESV)

Christians tend to want the wealth transfer, spoken of in Proverbs 13:22, to be an event. But God’s system is an ongoing system—a continual flow of wealth into the hands of the righteous. Business is that system. That doesn’t mean that every person is called to own a business—but each of us will engage in business in one form or another, whether it be at our jobs, in our purchases or with our investments.
Business is the exchange of goods or services for profit or economic gain. When you are employed, you are selling your services. That makes you part of the system. However, don’t discount the idea that you may be called to own or manage a business in some way. As Christians, we are called to take dominion—and business is a powerful place of influence in this world that should be dominated by the righteous.
Another way we participate in God’s system of business is by acting as patrons. When you give your money to a business, you are transferring wealth from the Kingdom of light to whatever that business stands for. And if you own a business, you are bringing money from the sinner into the realm of righteousness.
Then, there is an interaction with a business that each of us has almost every day. The way in which we treat another man’s business (his system of wealth creation) will determine the success you see in your own wealth. Luke 16:12 says, “If you have not been faithful in what is another man’s, who will give you what is your own?” (NKJV).
For example, when you go to a fast-food restaurant, if you take a handful of sauce and then dump most of it in the trash, you are mistreating someone else’s system for creating wealth. When you rent a hotel room or a car, the way you treat what belongs to someone else and their ability to create wealth will impact your ability to receive God’s supernatural intervention in your own efforts to generate wealth.
The more we become faithful in these sorts of things, the more we will prove ourselves worthy of THE BLESSING of the Lord on the work of our hands.

3. All Business Requires Work

“All hard work brings a profit.” –Proverbs 14:23 (NIV)

Work is not a curse, and it isn’t toil. Yet, so often, we hear people complain about their jobs or how much they dread Mondays. That’s because they haven’t had a revelation that their work is more than a paycheck. Work was God’s idea, which means it’s a good idea!
God says He will bless the work of your hands. That means you can expect much more than a natural return on your work. Proverbs 14:23 says, “In all labor there is profit” (NKJV), and you know that He speaks of much more than a natural increase. He says whatever you put your hands to will prosper and succeed, and when your heart is right and you are in obedience, His blessing on your work will send you farther and faster than you could ever go on your own. You’ll find yourself promoted when you weren’t expecting it, given a raise when you might not deserve it, and afforded opportunities most people only dream of.

4. Business Is Our Promised Land and Proving Ground

“God tested Abraham….” –Genesis 22:1 (NKJV)

Abraham was a wealthy man, but it was only through a time of proving and the resulting BLESSING of the Lord that brought him into the Promised Land of prosperity.
Business is to us today what the land was to Abraham—it is our promised land and proving ground. Abraham first proved himself faithful; so also, must we prove faithful in work and business if we want the output (wealth) of work and business. We do this by being:

1. Faithful in the little things. Be faithful in how you handle your money, how you treat other businesses, how you live.
2. Faithful in where we are now. If you work for a school, focus your efforts on the success of that school. If you work at a restaurant, be dedicated to excellence and being a positive face of that establishment. For in its success, you will find yours.
3. Faithful even when working for unjust bosses. Determine to have faithful stewardship on the job, even when you work for someone who isn’t so nice, like Laban. Ten times he changed Jacob’s wages. Even so, Jacob went forward and was a faithful steward of Laban’s farm. Then, when he tried to leave, Laban said, “I’ll pay you whatever you want.” You see, when you do good work, you can name your worth.
4. Faithful with another person’s business. When you visit another business as a patron, you are visiting someone else’s wealth-creating system. The way you treat that system will determine your own reward.

When you are faithful in your work, you will enjoy the Bible definition of blessed, which, according to Psalm 1, says that a blessed man is like a tree planted by streams of water, whose leaf does not wither. Everything he does prospers. That’s God’s system—for His people to be planted by a continual flow of everything they need.
Buddy Pilgrim says, “Other than the Lord, I credit my wife for praying Psalm 1 over me every day with the great prosperity I’ve enjoyed.”

5. Wealth Transfers Are Always Work-Related

“A sinner’s wealth is stored up for the righteous.” –Proverbs 13:22 (NIV)

Some Christians are waiting around for a miracle event—for money to simply fall into their laps out of nowhere. But God-ordained wealth transfers are always work-related. Remember the widow in 2 Kings 4:1-7? She was backed in a financial corner with no way out. Her husband had died, leaving her alone with her two sons. She didn’t have money and creditors were banging at her door, threatening to seize her two children and take them as slaves. Her husband had “revered the Lord,” yet this debt was NOT miraculously canceled. Instead, the prophet Elisha provided her something she could put her hands to that would open the door for a supernatural wealth transfer—gathering and filling bottles with oil.
When you have a financial need in your life—don’t expect money to show up on your doorstep. The ability for God to bless you is connected to what you do—your work, whether it be employment or any other work. Expect to put your hands to something. Speak out loud, “Thank You, God, that You will provide me opportunities to put my hands to work so that You may prosper me.”

6. Christians Must Reclaim Their Territory

“The Lord will make you the head and not the tail.” –Deuteronomy 28:13 (NKJV)

Christians seem to have become complacent in the area of taking possession, but the Bible is clear—we are to take territory and have dominion on the earth! That’s why it’s high time we, as believers, start expecting to claim more and more territory. It’s time to repossess the land!
You might be thinking, Well, I’m a schoolteacher. I can’t take any ground beyond my classroom. Whatever your profession, don’t limit yourself! God never stays in the realm of the possible. Begin to pray that God will help you take possession of your land, then watch and see how He moves in miraculous ways in your life. No matter what your profession, there is territory to claim, but it begins with a spirit of expectation and a desire to obey God’s command to subdue the earth.

7. Wealth Transfers Are Everyday Events

“Their leaves never wither.” –Psalm 1:3

Maybe you’ve always thought of wealth transfers as one-time, miraculous events, but in God’s system, wealth transfers are everyday events. Every time money changes hands, there is a transfer of wealth. So, the more Christians position themselves to own and manage businesses, the more money we will see transferred into the Kingdom. Even when you buy stock, you’re getting involved in a business, and you should expect a wealth transfer to come to you! When you invest, declare it! Say, “I claim supernatural wealth transfers for every investment I’m a part of, and I ask You, Lord, to honor and prosper the work of my hands.”
If you’re sitting around waiting for a miracle event—you’re missing it! As Jerry Savelle says, “I would rather walk continuously in supernatural health than ever need miraculous healing.” The same is true of finances. If we walk continuously ina supernatural financial blessing, we will never need a financial miracle. That’s THE BLESSING!

8. Possession of the Land Is Not Optional

“Fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion….” –Genesis 1:28 (NKJV)

This is the first command in the Bible. Take dominion. Possession of the land is not optional, it is not selfish, and it is not a luxury—it’s a command. It’s time that we, as Christians, take our job assignment seriously and become a positive influence on the world, rather than being under the control of those who seek to do evil.
When you put these eight principles to work in your life and begin to see yourself operating in God’s system of wealth, you will move into levels of prosperity you never dreamed possible. It’s time to take possession of the land. Now get after it!

Are we just physical beings or is there more to us than that in this life?

In her new book, Am I Just My Brain?, published by The Good Book Company, Dr Sharon Dirckx looks to the body, mind and soul as she seeks to answer one of the enduring questions for mankind: what exactly is a human being?
As a scientist with a PhD in brain imaging from the University of Cambridge and a committed Christian working for the Oxford Centre for Christian Apologetics, she is well-versed not only in the scientific approaches to this question, but why they cannot give us the full answer we are looking for.
She talks to Christian Today about the limits of the popular idea that we are little more than a series of chemical reactions and why the evidence stacks up for a more meaningful explanation.  
CT: What inspired you to write this book?
Dr Dirckx: I really wanted to write Am I just my brain? because the question 'what does it mean to be a human being?' is fundamental to so many of the questions we are asking today in areas like artificial intelligence, how we care for an ageing population, or beginning and end of life issues.
The question of 'what is a human being?' is fundamental to how we deal with these other contemporary issues and at the heart of that can lie the question: 'what makes us us'?
Into that narrative, there are neuroscientists who say that you are your brain, you are merely a physical being. This view has implications for all of these areas I mention above. It's a question of identity.
In my book, I really wanted to get at the heart of this discussion about the mind, brain and consciousness but in a way that is accessible to the every-day reader. I also wanted it to be accessible to somebody who might not believe in God but who might read it and be taken on a journey.
CT: Your book is quite timely because one of the bestselling writers at the moment is Yuval Noah Harari [author of Sapiens and Homo Deus] and he takes a very different position from you, arguing that we can be reduced to biochemistry. Why do you think that perspective is limited?
Dr Dirckx: It's limited for many different reasons. First of all, at the heart of this question is what's known as the mind-brain problem.
There are two things at play - your physical brain with all of its neurons, chemicals and hormones and then your mind with all of its thoughts, feelings, emotions and decisions. And the million-dollar question at the heart of this is: what is the relationship between the brain and the mind?
To chalk it all down to a physical basis is by no means a foregone conclusion, despite the impression Harari likes to give. He's actually a historian but is making these sweeping statements about issues that have occupied philosophers for centuries and despite the brightest minds being thrown at the problem, there is no consensus on what the relationship between mind and brain is.
It's really a hard problem to solve because you're talking about two entirely different things. You might cut your finger chopping vegetables and note that there would be all kinds of neurons firing in your brain and between your nerve fibres and your skin receptors back to your brain, but at the same time you experience pain.

Dr Sharon Dirckx(Photo: The Good Book Company)

 

Or you might eat chocolate and know that reward networks are firing in your brain but at the same time you experience the taste of the chocolate.
How do you get from neurons and brain chemistry to what it is like to be you? The relationship between physical processes and your first person experience is disputed. And so for Harari to say that a firm conclusion has been reached is simply not the case.
This view says the forces of nature in your head drive and decide everything. In its strongest form it says there isn't something that it is like to be you.
In response we could ask three questions:
First, is this view internally coherent? In short, no, and there are big implications for meaning. If the forces of nature drive everything then how can we be sure everything we do, say or think is not simply a product of the forces of nature?
Second, does it have explanatory power? Does it explain and make sense of the world we live in? Not at all. It doesn't seem to explain the inner 'me'. When I think of who I am, simply chalking it all down to cell voltages, neurotransmitters and blood flow changes doesn't seem sufficient. A large part of who I am comes from the unseen inner world of thoughts, memories, emotions, decisions and feelings.
Third, can it be lived? According to theologian Francis Schaeffer, true beliefs can be lived out. Do we live as though we are our brains? No. We live as though we do the thinking - not our brains! We live as though we have a unique first-person perspective on the world.
Mindfulness, autobiographies, the urge to help in humanitarian crises all presume the first person perspective is genuine and unique.
Even the notion of post-truth defines truth by experience. We live as if there is far more to us than simply our brains.
CT: It does seem to be a bit of a fashion at the moment to minimise the spiritual dimension of human beings. Where does the spiritual dimension - or the soul - the part of us that cannot be explained by the physical - come into this debate about the brain-mind problem?
Dr Dirckx: Soul means 'life' and is essential to every human being. It is inherent in all of us, related to the breathing in of God into humanity, and is part of what it means to be made in the image of God. It is also not simply a non-physical entity that is disconnected to the body and will one day float off to be with God! That's an ancient Greek understanding of soul.
But the Hebrew understanding of soul predates the Greek and refers to the whole person. For example, in the Psalms, where it says "praise the Lord, my soul", the psalmist is talking about his whole self. There's something about the physical person and the inner person together praising the Lord.
 

The Hebrew notion of soul is much more integrated than the Greek notion. Everyone has a soul, and many would draw parallels between soul, mind and consciousness - that inner you, your inner life, which everyone has whether they believe in God or not.
Some would say that everyone has a spirit with a small 's', but to be a Christian is to receive the Holy Spirit. We could depict this as being like a deflated balloon that when you become a Christian, is inflated into something much bigger that has an impact on your mind, your body, your consciousness and everything.
You could argue that everyone has a spirit, but the full work of the Holy Spirit is something that happens when people turn to Christ and are filled with the Spirit of God.
CT: Does that then contradict the theory in the mind-brain debate that the brain comes first and influences the mind? Does Christianity reverse that?
Dr Dirckx: Well, in the book, I'm not really trying to argue from the Christian notion of the person primarily. I'm trying to build the argument based on neuroscience, clinical science, medicine and philosophy.
If it's true that we're not just biochemistry, that there's more to us, then we ought to see this in the scientific and clinical data, and there would be philosophical reasoning that would stack up as well.
What we see is that there is so much more to a person than simply their biochemistry. You only need to look at 'downward causation', where the mind is powerful in its effect on the body. We see this in things like the placebo effect where if you believe that a drug has a therapeutic benefit, it will have some effect on your pain relief.
The mind is powerful in its effect on the body and there are some incredible studies that have shown that, in some cases, the mind is working even though the brain is damaged. A small proportion of persistent vegetative state
(PVS) patients have demonstrated levels of consciousness. This was seen in a study conducted by Professor Adrian Owen and published in Science in 2006. He described such responsive PVS patients as those with "intact minds buried deep within deeply damaged bodies and brains".
If we were merely our brains and no more, we wouldn't see this kind of data.
We don't initially even need to adopt a theological argument to show that we are far more than our brains. Neuroscience and medicine already point in this direction.
CT: All of this has implications for the near future, with the advent of AI and robots. You have talked in the past about how robots are almost seen as an "upgradeable" version of humans. If we are just our minds does that devalue us in some way?
Dr Dirckx: Yes, if you are just your brain, then your brain networks can be replicated artificially and therefore conscious human robots are possible in theory.
But in my book, I talk about the Chinese Room Argument developed by John Searle. It describes a scenario where a person is outside a room passing Chinese symbols to someone inside a room. The person inside the room does not know Chinese but has a book enabling them to decode the Chinese symbols and construct a response and pass it back out of the room. To the person on the outside of the room, it appears that the person on the inside speaks Chinese. That is actually not the case, they just have the capacity to process the symbols.
There is no question that AI has greatly served humanity already with its capacity to process, to increase efficiency, to increase performance in all kinds of areas of life - and to much benefit.
But whether or not androids will eventually possess human levels of consciousness is an entirely different question and there is not necessarily a foregone conclusion. If indeed it is true that we are far more than our brains and we have a non-physical dimension, then robots will never possess human levels of consciousness.
CT: Going back to Harari, you commented that he is making very sweeping claims. In the world of science that you are such a part of, what's your perception? Are scientists receptive to these ideas that we are more than our brain and what we can see? Does that view get a fair hearing or is there a dominant interpretation at the moment?
Dr Dirckx: My experience was that big picture beliefs are not discussed all that much in the lab because scientists are predominantly interested - understandably - in the part of the natural world that they're studying.

(Photo: Unsplash/Louis Reed)

Nevertheless, the dominant worldview is a physicalist one and it's probably driven by the fact that if you're studying physical things day in day out, it's easy simply to adopt a physicalist framework and to presume that physical things must explain the rest of life as well.
But what you often find - and this is my own experience not having always been a Christian and having become one in my time as a biochemistry student - is that actually a lot of scientists are not taught philosophy and are not taught necessarily to think about where a scientific fact ends and where a philosophical belief begins and very often we see these areas being blurred.
If scientists could spend more time thinking about philosophy or combining the teaching of scientific practice with philosophy, I think that would help the cause of science and the discussion of these issues.
CT: There has been the suggestion that science is 'against' faith. Is this an accurate depiction of the scientific world or do you think this depiction of a 'one or the other' duel is overstated?
 Dr Dirckx: It depends on what area of science you are in and where you are. I did know other Christians in my working environment as a scientist, but we were definitely in the minority. But it really depends.
I think there are disciplines in which you're more likely to find Christians than in others. But it is clearly not the case that science and religious belief are pitted against each other because there are scientists who believe in God and there are scientists who don't. We see this through history and we see it today. So, it can't be that these two things are incompatible.
It really comes down to your view of the world and how you make sense of science and interpret the data you are generating and where you think it all comes from. That is actually driven by a person's beliefs or worldview. But you can make a case that if God exists then science makes more sense even as a discipline than if He doesn't, because how do we account for the very fact that we think rationally and logically and how do we account for the very fact that our world seems to be ordered such that we can repeat experiments and test things? There's an underlying order there.



A nontheist would chalk this down to unguided evolutionary processes.  But is this the best explanation for the incredible orderliness that we see?  Or does it make more sense to posit that a rational, ordered Being has overseen this process and has undergirded nature with all of its laws and regularities?
I was a scientist for 10 years and I love science but what is the inference to the best explanation as to why science is even possible? I think there is a strong case that the existence of God is the best explanation for why we even set foot in the lab.
CT: You did a PhD in brain imaging. How has your own hands-on time in the lab, doing the science, influenced your own faith and shaped your belief in God and humans as His creation?
 Dr Dirckx: It has shown me that God is the God of the detail as well as the big picture. My undergrad was in biochemistry and I was doing that in the 1990s when the field was expanding and growing.
For example, the human genome project was getting going.  Scientists were discovering that where they thought intricacy and detail had stopped, a whole new level of understanding opened up at the molecular level.
To see the beauty right down to the tiniest of molecules and to know that there are trillions of chemical reactions going on in any one cell in your body at any one time is just extraordinary.
This increased my sense of wonder and awe: that God has made things such that the sustaining of life hinges
on activity at the microscopic level that we are simply not conscious of.
On a bigger scale and slightly different note, I became a Christian while studying biochemistry and so I know what it is like to study a scientific discipline both without knowing God and later knowing Him - I changed my mind about God at the age of 20.
As I was studying for my PhD, I learned again that the Creator of the universe cares about the details of life and the stresses and pressures of trying to complete a research project. I learned in a new way that He was someone to whom I could pray and ask for help and strength to complete the work I had to do in the lab.
My life as a scientist was shaped by a sense of awe and wonder at nature, and also by gratitude that this God that created both DNA and the stars also cares about my life. Holding these two things together was very significant for me as a scientist - Colossians 1:17, "He is before all things, and in him all things hold together."

How Trainee pastor, 22, tragically drowns on honeymoon days after tying the knot

Dalton Cottrell and his wife Cheyenne were married on July 27, 2019, just three days before his heartbreaking death on their honeymoon(Photo: GoFundMe)

Just days after turning 22 and wedding his Bible college sweetheart, Dalton Cottrell, an Iowa pastor-in-training, drowned tragically while on his honeymoon in Florida on Tuesday.
The St. Johns County Sheriff's Office told the Florida Times-Union that Cottrell, who was a pastoral training major at Faith Baptist Bible College and Theological Seminary in Ankeny, Iowa, was pulled out of the surf at Crescent Beach, south of Jacksonville, about 1pm local time by a lifeguard and a beachgoer.
The beachgoer reported hearing someone yelling in the surf and then grabbing his paddleboard to head into the water. He, along with a St. Johns County lifeguard, placed Cottrell onto the paddleboard and returned to the beach. They tried to revive the pastor-in-training using CPR, but it wasn't enough to keep him alive.
His wife, Cheyenne Pernice-Hedrick, who is also 22, told deputies that it was her husband's first time in the ocean. They were both in the water when the current pulled them out deeper and he "started to freak out."
Cheyenne said she tried to help her husband who she wed on Saturday, but he was struggling and pulled her underwater.
In a Facebook post on Wednesday she shared how her short-lived "bliss" turned into a "nightmare."
"[Three] days of wedded bliss turned into a nightmare very quickly for the Cottrell family as well as mine own. Many of you know but more of you do not; so the family and I decided to put the awful news here on Facebook though this is not where I wish to place it or even have to say it," she began.
"Yesterday afternoon while at the beach the Lord decided to call my husband Dalton to come home to Him. There is so much fear and uncertainty coursing through myself. My parents came down early this morning to be with me as I begin the next journey. Never did I think at 22 would I be a wife and then a widow so quickly. Please pray for I and all families as we grief. Right now there is no details for a funeral, but we will know more in the next several days. Love you so much Dalton Cottrell," she ended.
Faith Baptist Bible College and Theological Seminary also shared how "devastated" they are by the news. In its statement the college said the late Cottrell and his wife had both just completed their junior year at the school.
"The Faith community was devastated by the news of the passing of one of our students, Dalton Cottrell, Tuesday evening, July 30, 2019. Dalton was on his honeymoon in Florida with his bride and fellow Faith student, Cheyenne (Pernice-Hedrick), when he passed away in a drowning accident," the school said. "Dalton and Cheyenne were just married this past Saturday, July 27, at Eagle Heights Baptist Church in Kansas City, Missouri."

Click here to donate as The Spirit leads you to support the vision of this mission and the orphange for God loves a cheerful giver - Ah Lord God! behold, thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard for thee: -Jeremiah 32:17

Jim Tillotson, the college's president, further noted: "Having just lost my mom a few weeks ago due to an accident, it was not advice that I needed but love, prayers, and support. I would like to encourage Eagle Nation to pray for, love, and support both Cheyenne and Dalton's family. Let's go heavy on love and light on advice. It is moments like this that Eagle Nation means the most. May we do all we can to support all of them through this difficult time."
A GoFundMe campaign started Wednesday to help cover Cottrell's funeral cost exceeded its $20,000 goal in 24 hours.
"On July 25, 2019 Dalton Cottrell turned 22 years old. He took his fiancée, Cheyenne, to his family home in Iowa to celebrate and prepare for the upcoming marriage. On July 27, 2019, we got to witness the beautiful celebration of what the Lord had done in their lives, both separately and together, at their marriage ceremony. Never were there two more beautiful, deserving people, and the future was bright," wrote the campaign's organizer, Robin Schneider, of Missouri.

How Church of England invests in sports outreach in major drive to attract newcomers to church

Funding is being awarded to churches running sporting activities like five-a-side football to attract people who may never have been to church before(Photo: Unsplash/Markus Spiske)

The Church of England is launching a major drive to attract new people to church through sporting activities.
In a major boost to churches across the country, parishes are benefitting from a £12m fund to help finance activities like five-a-side football, running groups, after-school sports and boxing clubs.
The Church has launched the scheme as part of its ambitious mission programme, Renewal and Reform, in the hopes of reaching people who may never have been to church before.
A grant of £1.98m has been allocated to fund a new church training hub in the Diocese of Norwich in partnership with St Thomas Church, Norwich, which already has an established sports ministry.
The church's 'Sports Factory' has dedicated 'sports ministers' who work alongside children and adults in the parish, and offers a programme of weekly sporting activities, including netball, football and a 'Couch to 5K' running group.
The ministry serves all ages, from a special summer holiday programme of sports for children during the school break, to a weekly Fab and Fit for the over 50s.
The new hub will train future leaders and church planters, as well as sports ministers and youth ministers, with an emphasis on reaching young people and families.
The successful sports ministry already up and running at St Thomas's will be replicated across the diocese in 10 different locations.
Tim Henery, who leads the sports ministry at St Thomas's, said: "A lot of young people see the church as just pews and hymns - not something that relates to them. Through playing sports they realise that there are people who come to church and are like them.
"Sports ministry is helping us to reach people who may never have heard the message of the Gospel, helping us to transform their view of the church. We are building relationships and changing lives."
Ruth Anderson, who founded the sports ministry work at St Thomas's, said: "Interest in sports and fitness is at an all-time high with huge audiences for the Cricket World Cup and England's women's football team in recent weeks.
"Our work presents an opportunity, through a shared love of sports, to talk about faith and the wider questions of life that we might not otherwise have had."
Other projects to receive grants from the Strategic Development Funding include the development of six new intercultural worshipping communities and church plants aimed at black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) people in the Diocese of Leicester.
The project is to receive £1.54m, with the aim of encouraging greater BAME participation across Anglican parish and diocesan life, including lay leadership and ordained ministry.  The hope is that, by 2024, there will be 900 more active BAME worshippers who are interested in exploring leadership and ministry opportunities in the Church of England.
In the Diocese of Truro, £1.7m is going towards church growth in St Austell, Camborne, Liskeard and Truro where new worshipping communities are to be established outside the traditional church building in venues like cafes, community centres and a former pub.
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, said: "From congregations in cafes and community centres to sports ministry and social action, these projects are moving the heart of our mission to where it should be, recognising Jesus beyond the borders of the institutional church.
"The Good News of Jesus Christ cannot be contained within existing worshipping communities. We want everyone to know how much they are loved by God."
Debbie Clinton, who heads the Church of England's programme of Renewal and Reform, said: "These inspirational and creative projects are further proof of the Church of England's drive and commitment to bringing the Good News of the Gospel to all communities and areas of the country."

Christian rights groups globally urge caution in response to reports of Leah Sharibu's death

Leah Sharibu

Christian human rights organisations are continuing to hope that a teenager being held by a faction of the Boko Haram terrorist group is still alive despite reports that she has been killed by her captors.
Reports have surfaced in recent weeks that the 16-year-old may have been killed after a disturbing video released by Boko Haram splinter group ISWAP showed a Christian aid worker pleading for her life and making reference to Sharibu and another Christian captive, Alice Ngaddah.
In the video, Grace Taku, an aid worker with Action Against Hunger who is being held by ISWAP, reportedly said: "I am begging on behalf of all of us. I don't want such to happen to us and it also happened again with Leah and Alice, because Nigeria could not do anything about them, they were not released, they were also killed."
Leah was one of 110 schoolgirls abducted from a school in Dapchi in February 2018.  While five of the girls died in captivity, the others were released the following month with the exception of Leah, who was kept back after refusing to convert to Islam.
Christian Solidarity Worldwide said its partners in the country were aware of the reports surrounding Leah but believe that she maybe being held by a different group from Taku and therefore continue to hope that she is still alive.
CSW said that until there was further evidence to suggest otherwise, it would continue to pray and advocate for her release.
Open Doors USA is exercising similar caution in light of the reports and has called on the Nigerian government to investigate the claims.
"We, along with other observers, find the claim highly incredulous," an Open Doors USA spokesperson said. "Grace is clearly traumatized and under immense pressure as she tries to relay a lot of information."
Open Doors USA President David Curry expressed his concern that the Nigerian government is failing to contain the threat from Boko Haram as well as Fulani militants, who have also killed many Christians.
"Without the resources to protect, and the will of duly elected civil government to fight the terrorist agendas of these groups, northern Nigeria and other surrounding areas may be lost to these Islamic extremist groups," he said.
Commenting on the reports surrounding Leah, he said: "Let us all take this story as reason to double down on our efforts to intervene and decisively move to protect Leah and others like her who have fallen into the clutches of Boko Haram."

Finally Christian Leaders Declared on Mass Shootings: ‘Enough Is Enough’

 

 

As the nation reels in the light of the mass shootings that killed 20 in El Paso, Texas and 9 in Dayton, Ohio over the weekend, Christian leaders called out white supremacy, offered encouragement, and begged for change.
Several of Christian leaders spoke against white supremacy after it was revealed the El Paso shooter was racially motivated against immigrants and Hispanics in his attack.
Shane Claiborne, an author and activist, according to Relevant, tweeted several thoughts on the need for reform. Claiborne wrote, “2 mass shootings in 24 hours. 20 dead & 26 injured in El Paso, TX. 9 dead & 16 injured in Dayton, OH. Let us pray for all those affected... and then let’s honor their lives by taking action to end gun violence. Another America is possible.”
He continued, “Saying that it's ‘not the right time’ to talk about gun control after a mass shooting... is like saying it's not right to talk about train safety after a deadly train wreck. #ElPasoThis is exactly when we need to talk about it.”
Claiborne then shared several statistics on gun violence-related deaths in developed countries, noting that America has the highest number of gun-related deaths. “Of all the civilians killed by guns in developed countries, 86% are in the US. Of all the children killed in 23 developed countries, 87% are in the US. We have more gun homicides in the US than all the other industrialized countries combined. 4 times more than the next country,” he wrote.

Singer Nichole Nordeman called on pastors to rise to the challenge in a tweet writing, “Sincerely praying for pastors across the country this morning. For the courage and conviction to name this, denounce it and lead. You didn’t answer a calling to be polite and popular. Find your fire,” she urged.

How Living Faith Pastor was Killed, Wife Abducted in Kaduna

By John Shiklam in Kaduna

A resident pastor of the Living Faith Church in Romi New Extension, a suburb of Kaduna metropolis, Jeremiah Omolara,

has been killed by gunmen while his wife was abducted.

It was gathered that the incident happened on Sunday along the dreaded Kaduna-Abuja road when the pastor, his wife and son were traveling to Abuja.

The gunmen were said to have opened fire on their vehicle, killing the pastor on the spot and took the wife to the bush.

However, the son was said to have escaped.

Sources said the abductors are demanding for a ransom of N50 million.

Confirming the incident in an interview with THISDAY on Monday, the Kaduna state chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Rev. Joseph Hayab, decried the increasing rate of kidnappings in Kaduna, especially, the abduction of clergy men.

Hayab said the killing of the pastor and the abduction of his wife was sad and devastating.

Decrying the spates of abduction in Kaduna and environs, Hayab said last Thursday the parish priest of Kasuwan Magani, Kajuru Local Government Area, was attacked by gunmen at his resident and a security guard was killed.

According to him, the parish priest narrowly escaped being killed or being abducted.

“In the same Kaduna LGA, a 13 year old daughter of a Baptist pastor was abducted, as I speak with you now, she is still with the kidnappers and they are demanding for a large sum of money.

”In Kudandan, in one of our churches called friendship international, gunmen broke into the pastor’s house and took him away

”As at Friday, the kidnappers were asking us to pay N4 million or we should not call them again.

”Now the Living Faith Church pastor was abducted along Kaduna-Abuja and was killed while his wife was abducted.

“That tells you that the new trend is to attack us in our homes or in our churches or on the roads.

”We are just not safe anywhere and we asked the same question we have been asking; where are our security agencies?

“Are we being told tactically that we should defend ourselves? If we start defending ourselves, it means that we no longer have security or we no longer have government. Or is this government only for those they love and they don’t care about others?

“We feel strongly that the federal government and the Inspector General of Police should do something about Kaduna, since we have a governor who does not listen and feels he knows everything but sadly, there is nothing to show about what he knows.

”Even after the killing of the security guards of the parish priest, we heard that he called the priest; is it calling the victims that we want or addressing the security challenges.

”If you speak to me as Rev. Hayab when criminals attack me, what help have you done to me? You are not helping to stop the attack.

”So we are really concerned and concerned that people, especially clergies in Kaduna are no longer safe.

“We don’t want a situation where we will be forced to think of how to protect ourselves, we believe that government is there to protect us…”

Spokesman of the Kaduna state police command, Yakubu Sabo, could not be reached as his mobile phone was switched off.

He did not respond to a message on the police/media WhatsApp platform at the time of filing this report.

How Saoirse Kennedy Hill, granddaughter of Robert F. Kennedy, dies at 22; no sign of trauma

Saoirse Kennedy Hill, the granddaughter of the late Robert F. Kennedy, died after being found unresponsive Thursday afternoon at the Kennedy Compound, officials said.

An autopsy performed Friday revealed "no trauma inconsistent with lifesaving measures" on Hill's body, the Cape and Islands District Attorney Michael O'Keefe said in a statement. The cause and manner of death are pending the toxicology report, O'Keefe said.

 

PHOTO: Saoirse Kennedy Hill is seen here in an undated photo posted on Facebook. (Saoirse Kennedy Hill/Facebook)

The Kennedy family confirmed the death in a statement.

"Our hearts are shattered by the loss of our beloved Saoirse. Her life was filled with hope, promise and love. She cared deeply about friends and family, especially her mother Courtney, her father Paul, her stepmother Stephanie, and her grandmother Ethel, who said, 'The world is a little less beautiful today,'" the Kennedy family said in the statement.

"She lit up our lives with her love, her peals of laughter and her generous spirit. Saoirse was passionately moved by the causes of human rights and women’s empowerment and found great joy in volunteer work, working alongside indigenous communities to build schools in Mexico. We will love her and miss her forever," the statement continued.

Hill, 22, was the daughter of Paul Hill and Courtney Kennedy Hill, the fifth of 11 children of Robert and Ethel Kennedy.

Further details about the death are unknown at this time.

Barnstable police were called to the Kennedy Compound in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts, on Thursday around 3 p.m. for a report of an "unattended death," O'Keefe said.

"The matter remains under investigation by Barnstable Police and State Police detectives assigned to the District Attorney's Office," the DA's statement read.

Hill was public about her struggles with depression. In 2016, while still a high school senior at Deerfield Academy, she wrote an op-ed for the school's newspaper mentioning that she left school during her junior year for "treatment for my depression and returned to the valley for my senior year."

PHOTO: A Barnstable Police cruiser sits at the top of Marchant Avenue as police investigate the death of Saoirse Kennedy Hill, the granddaughter of the late Robert F. Kennedy, at the Kennedy Compound in Hyannis Port, Mass., Aug. 1, 2019. (Faith Ninivaggi/Reuters)

"I didn’t care that students thought that I had left because of an eating disorder, or that I had been bullied, but it concerned me that my teachers and advisors didn’t know what I had been going through," Hill wrote. "Even though it was helpful for me to discuss my struggles with all of those important people in my life, it was still uncomfortable, and it was hard for me to take the initiative."

Hill went to Boston College, where she was a member of the College Democrats. She was part of the class of 2020 and was studying communication at the university's Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences, Boston College spokesman Jack Dunn said in a statement.

Dunn described Hill as a "gifted student" with many friends on campus, while faculty who taught her described her as "thoughtful and compassionate, and possessing a deep empathy for others."

"We extend our deepest condolences to her family in the wake of this tragic loss," Dunn said.

PHOTO: People walk down the dock at the Hyannis Port Yacht Club by the Kennedy Compound where police are investigating the death of Saoirse Kennedy Hill, the granddaughter of the late Robert F. Kennedy, in Hyannis Port, Mass., Aug. 1, 2019. (Faith Ninivaggi/Reuters)

Hill's grandmother, Ethel, who is 91, was married to Bobby Kennedy from 1950 until he was murdered in June 1968 while running for president. He served as attorney general under his brother, John F. Kennedy, and was a senator from New York when he was assassinated.

The Kennedy compound consists of 6 acres of land along the Nantucket Sound and has been in the family for decades, according to the National Park Service. Both Robert F. Kennedy and John F. Kennedy had homes there.

PHOTO: An aerial view of the Kennedy Compound, July 25, 2008, in Hyannisport, Mass. (Tim Gray/Getty Images)