My website   www.spmint.com
                                                             GOD THE CREATOR


I want to share with you today from the Bible, a teaching, which I believe very much God has
given us in His word. The Bible gives to us words of instruction and words of understanding.  
We as human kind have the ability to relate to God, our creator, in a very unique and special
way. God did not create us and leave us without information, but He has given us
understanding through His word, the Bible.

In the Book Genesis Chapter I, it says, “God created the heavens and the earth”.  This is the
first   day of creation.  On the first day, God created the heavens and the earth. On the fourth
day         (Gen. 1:14 -19), He created the sun, moon and the stars. All those heavenly bodies that
we see in the sky at night God created on the fourth day.

So on the first day God created the heavens and the earth. How can we understand that?  To
understand that, we can realize that as God created the heavens He created that which we see
in the sky, that is, all the materials. I might say raw materials that are in the heavens. The rocks,
dust and all the things we can see from the telescopes of NASA.  We can see those raw
materials, a space full of raw materials that God created on the first day, and then He created
the earth also on the first day.   As He created the earth He made that place where He was going
to create the plants, all the animals, mankind and all that we see as living things on earth.
God created the rest of creation in relation to the earth.  I say that because as we look in the sky
at night, we see the big dipper, little dipper, the North Star and constellations.  All those stars
being many millions or even billions of miles from earth have been there in space in the same
place throughout history, from the beginning of mankind.  They have always been in the same
place.  That makes me to understand that God created the stars in the sky and the
constellations in relationship to earth. Why? -- Because; they are always in the same place in
relationship to the earth.  The North Star is and has always been true North (more exact than any
compass) from any place in the northern hemisphere.   The Bible says they mark the seasons.
They also make it so that that those who navigate the seas can measure the stars and pinpoint
the place on earth where they are.  So to me, this is evidence that God created the heavens and
the earth on the first day, and then later, on the fourth day He created the sun, moon and stars
in the heavens.  This is just as the Bible says and I believe this to be so.
So -- God is the creator, the almighty, a creator of great intelligence and great engineering
ability.   God created the heavens and the earth, so that the stars, sun, planets and the universe
function as units held together by God.  God also created all living things on earth, the plants,
the trees, the grass, flowers and last of all He created mankind.  Mankind is His highest form of
creation.
We are the highest form of creation because God placed in us as human beings a living spirit.  
This is what makes us different from the animals.  As human beings, we have two eyes, two ears,
two nostrils, a mouth, and two lungs just as the animals do. All the organs that animals have, we
as human beings have the same.  But we are different; we are humans, not animals.  We are
given different mental abilities than animals and yet we are much the same. We, as human kind,
reproduce just as the animals do.  A male and a female come together, produce a sperm and an
egg and from that embryo young are formed.  In that process we have a unique opportunity in
our relationship with God.

My wife and I have four children.  We, as man and wife came together through acts of love, and
the egg and the sperm produced an embryo.  But I did not create a spirit, nor did my wife and I
together create a spirit. Only God can create a spirit. The spirit that is in us and in our children
makes us to be human beings, which are different from the animals.  We came together, the egg
and the sperm came together and God placed a spirit into that physical union.
In the book of Zechariah, in Chapter 12:1 the Bible says “Thus saith the Lord,
Who stretches out the heavens, Who lays the foundation for the earth, and forms the spirit of
man within him”.

That says in a nutshell that which I’m trying to explain, that God created the heavens and all that
is in them.  God created the earth and every living thing that is on it, and God created the spirit
that is in each and every human being, so - God is our Heavenly Father. He is our spiritual
Father. He is our creator.
That spirit which is my life began in the womb of my mother.  I had a beginning somewhere
about February of 1940 and after that my spirit will live forever.  This body will grow old as it has
already. It will die and the spirit will leave this body and it will enter into the spiritual realm.  In
that spiritual realm my spirit will live forever.  This makes us different from the animals.
That difference, God gives to us as human beings.  Also He gives to us a right of choice.  I have
as a human being the right to believe in God or not to believe in God.  That is, a complete
freedom of choice which God has given us which makes us different from the animals.  The
animals have no understanding of choice or freedom to choose to believe in God or not. But
each of us as human beings has not only the freedom and the right to choose to believe in God,
but also the responsibility of our choice.  I must bare a responsibility for the choice that I make.  
As a human being I have the ability to make that freedom of choice and must bear the
responsibility myself, as does each human being. It would be easier if God had not given me a
choice, because I have made many mistakes, but God has chosen to give me a choice. I accept
that responsibility gladly, because I would rather be a man than an animal.

I accept the fact that God gave me freedom of choice.  He gave me understanding as a human
being, He put a spiritual breath of life in me and I accept that and the responsibility that goes
along with it. He created me as a human being and He gave me the right to believe in Him,
understand Him and to communicate with Him.

God, since He was able to create all those things in the sky, which I absolutely believe, then He
is able to create me.  There is no other explanation except that a God and creator of great
intelligence and ability created the stars, sun, the moon and the earth and all that is on it. I
believe He is the God who created me and gave me life and I accept the responsibility for my
choice.
I thank God because He gave me freedom of choice. I can communicate with Him who has such
great intelligence and He has the ability to understand me. He understands all languages.  He
understands anyone who reaches out to Him. He gave me freedom of choice, this   means that
He does not take away my choice nor allow anyone to manipulate my choice.
I must choose to communicate with him. If I choose to reject Him and not believe in God, He
leaves me there, where I am.  If I choose to believe in Him and I speak to Him, He hears.  I may
speak to God by saying “Dear Heavenly Father” or “Dear God”; however I choose to speak to
Him. I have the ability to speak and when I speak to my Heavenly Father, He knows I’m speaking
to Him, because He knows me. He placed my spirit in the womb of my mother when I was
conceived.

As we continue this study, having begun with “God the Creator” and the fact that we as human
beings, have the right to believe in God or not.  Let me continue with that thought of belief for
we must if we believe in God, believe that God created and that He had a plan for His creation.  
From the very beginning God not only created mankind, but he had a plan for the expanse of
history and even for the end of mankind and for the end of His creation.  In that plan, God
determined that He, Himself, would come into this world, would teach us and guide us to
Himself.  We, as humankind, are physical with a spiritual life, but we cannot easily understand
spiritual things.  We live in a physical world that is affected by the spiritual realm.  There is a
spirit living within us, that I spoke
about earlier, that God placed in us that makes us different from the animals.  He created us
spiritual beings and to that spirit which is in us, which is our life, God desires to communicate.
Through and out of that desire, God sent Jesus Christ.  He prophesied through the prophets of
the Old Testament that He, God, would send a Messiah, a teacher, one who would show us the
way, - a way of understanding Him -- a teacher who understood spiritual things.  In this we
understand and believe that God, Himself, came into the physical world in a physical body –
Jesus Christ.

In Isaiah, Chapter 7:14, the Bible says, “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign behold a
virgin shall conceive and bear a Son and shall call His name Emanuel.”

God’s plans, though many, varied and extensive, was that through Jesus Christ, whom He calls
‘Emanuel’, God would come into this world to teach us, to show us, to help us as human beings
to understand Him.  Emanuel means ‘God with us’. How can we understand that?  Emanuel, ‘God
with us’, God in the flesh, how can we as human beings understand.  Only with much difficulty,
can we understand.

In the book of first Corinthians, chapter 15, the Word of God says, “And so it is written the first
Adam became a human being and the last Adam a life giving spirit, however, the spiritual was
not first but the natural and afterward the spiritual.  The first man was of the earth made of the
dust.  The second man was the Lord from heaven.”
There He says in just a few words the concept that I am trying to explain that Jesus Christ was
God, God in the flesh, Emanuel, God with us, God came down.  To understand that we must
realize that with the power and the awesomeness of – who God is, only God could do such a
thing. God is in His spiritual realm in heaven and God came down to earth, placed His own spirit
within the womb of Mary. Mary did not have a son as you and I have a son. Jesus Christ was in
the beginning the Word of God.  As it says in John 1: 1, “In the beginning was the Word, and the
Word was with God and the Word was God”.

So, as God through the Holy Spirit came to Mary, He places His own Spirit in an embryo in Mary.  
How can we understand that?, -- because the scripture says that the first man Adam, Adam and
Eve in the Garden of Eden, was made from the dust, made by God.  He had no father or mother
but God created him, made him of the dust and He breathed into him the breath of life, the spirit
that was the man, Adam.

Then it said that the second man Adam was, in verse 45, ‘a life giving spirit’. In other words that
says that Jesus was the last Adam and that Jesus was a ‘life giving spirit’. Only God gives life,
so, -- He (Jesus) must be God as God would be the only one who could have given life – the
creator.
In verse 47, he says “The first man was of the earth made from the dust, the second man is the
Lord from heaven.”

In other words the scripture says clearly that Jesus Christ was God in the flesh, not some
strange thing but God placing His own spirit in the embryo in the womb of Mary and God came
into this world. He came to teach us, to guide us, to direct us and to show us God our Father
and Creator.
We can further understand that in the Book of Hebrews. Chapter 7 is speaking about Jesus
Christ, although this scripture is difficult to understand because of a reference to Melchizedek,
King of Salem.

In the time of the Old Testament when Abraham had defeated the five Kings, he returned
bringing with him the spoils of war, the families and the goods of the peoples who were
defeated. Melchizedek recognized the great miracle which God had performed through
Abraham and his men and Melchizedek blesses Abraham. Then also Abraham gives to
Melchizedek a tithe. We are often confused by who is the subject.  Who is it speaking about
here? -- Hebrews is speaking about Jesus Christ. The subject is Jesus Christ. The author gives
a short illustration about a man, a King named Melchizedek, and this Melchizedek brings us
confusion in understanding. But as he concludes the matter here about Melchizedek, He says in
Hebrews Chapter 3: 7, “Without father, without mother, without genealogy having neither
beginning of days nor end of life, but made like the Son of God, He remains a priest continually.
We could easily suppose that Melchizedec could be a topology of Jesus which was similar to
Jesus Christ as a high priest, not of the Levitical lineage, but a high priest called by God and
this is the illustration that is given to us.  But here if we take Melchizedec as the subject, then
Melchizedec was without father, without mother and without genealogy. Who can that be, -- not
a man, -- a human being as we know a human being. But if we understand and interpret it
correctly, I believe that, the subject is Jesus Christ and the illustration of Melchizedec is that
Melchizedec was a priest of the most high God, yet not of the Levitical order.
Jesus became our high priest, but not of the Levitical order and that is the only illustration
given here in Hebrews -- it is speaking of Jesus Christ. The subject is Jesus Christ and it says
that Jesus Christ is, “without father, without mother, without genealogy, without beginning of
days, nor end of life, but made like a Son of God, a high priest forever.”

I would say then that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, but not a son as you and I have a son. I
have a son. He was born to my wife and I.  We came together, the egg and the sperm, and God
placed in that union a spirit and our son was born into this world.  He had a beginning in 1983.
He came into this world.  His spirit began as God created a new spirit and from that point
forward he was our son and he lives -- a living human being.

Jesus did not begin in the womb of Mary.  Jesus was in the beginning, as in John Chapter 1.  “In
the beginning was the Word and --- the Word was God”.  The Bible says that, -- teaches that,
Jesus Christ did not begin in the womb of Mary but, Jesus Christ was God, even before the
beginning. Jesus Christ was the Spirit of God and God placed His Own Spirit, as only God can
do, in the womb of Mary in an embryo which was Jesus Christ, born in the flesh, come into this
world.  
He makes that clear when he calls Jesus Christ the second Adam. He said the first Adam was a
man of the dust and the second Adam was the Lord from heaven. In other words, God created a
man, Adam, placed a spirit of breath in him, -- God created an embryo and placed His own spirit
in that embryo in the womb of Mary and God came into this world, -- Jesus Christ – Emanuel --
God with us.
It is necessary then, hearing who Jesus Christ is, that we should know and understand that, we
must believe who Jesus Christ is.  It is something that is of a necessity.  If I believe in God then
I must believe that Jesus Christ was sent by God as God in the flesh, who came to earth.

For what reason?  He came to teach us, to give us understanding, to show us the way to God,
our Creator. Jesus came, He lived and taught us, He was crucified, put in the tomb and then He
was resurrected. The final and ultimate belief is that Jesus Christ came in the flesh, died, and
was resurrected on the third day.  If I believe that, then I understand who Jesus Christ was. I
believe that Jesus Christ was the Son of God.  The evidence says that He had on other father.  
Then certainly He was the Son of God, because no one else has been born into this world as
Jesus came into this world. He lived, died and was resurrected.  

I understand that no man can do that. Only God can do that.  Only God can perform such great
and mighty miracles. Only God can return life to a dead body. Jesus Christ was resurrected, not
a physical body as we have, but He was resurrected as a spiritual body and that spiritual body
returned to heaven to be with God in the spiritual realm.

So it is necessary for us who are human beings to make a decision.  Do I believe in God? -
Myself, yes I believe in God, the Creator of the heavens and the earth.  Do I believe that Jesus
Christ is the Son of God, who came in the flesh? - Yes I do.  I believe that Jesus came as a
miracle of God into this world.  He lived, He died, and He was resurrected and has returned to
the spiritual realm and that I, also, having believed and called upon His name, may be born
again and enter into the kingdom of heaven.  
In the book of John, he gives us very clear instructions. God gave us His Word as written by the
apostle John, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with
God and the Word was God”.

The meaning of “Word” is, -- Jesus Christ. That “Word” of God coming from spiritual realm into
physical world to tell us, to speak to us the “Word” of God.  That is literally what it means.  Jesus
Christ became the Word of God to speak to us instructions.  
John 1: 4-9 continues and speaks about the “light” coming into the world. Then in Chapter 1: 12
- l3 the book of John says that those who,” received Him”, -- those who understand that Light,
which is Jesus Christ, the Word of God Who has come into the world -- “ to them that believe on
His name”, that is Jesus Christ, “To them He gave the right to become the children of God, who
were born not of blood, nor the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.”

So, what he is saying here is that those who believe, first point, -- believe -- in God that He is
the creator, believe that Jesus Christ is who He says He is -- Jesus Christ, who came into this
world as the Word of God – the Light -- to teach us and to those who believe He gives the right
to become children of God; not born of the flesh, but of the Spirit.  We were born physically to
mom and dad and a spirit was placed in us from God. He is not talking about that physical birth
he is talking about being born of God.  So, there are two births, all mankind are born physically
and then, there are those who are born spiritually.  He is saying that if we believe in His name
(Jesus Christ) and we come to Jesus (the Light) in a true spiritual relationship through Jesus
Christ, we become the children of God.

So, he gave that as a kind of introduction and then as good literary writing would be, he
continues on and he tells about John the Baptist and then Jesus Christ.  Then when we come to
Chapter 3, He gives us an illustration of a Pharisee coming to Jesus. It’s a true story that
happened as an explanation to us.

John 3:1, “There was a man of the Pharisee named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews.”
First of all a Pharisee was a religious man.  He was well educated in the Holy Scriptures.  He was
also a ruler of the Jews, which means he would have been a mature man and a man of
education and a man of statue or position in his society.  This man came to Jesus by night and
said to him, “Rabi we know that you are a teacher, come from God, for no one could do these
things that you do -- unless God is with you”.

So, the man came to Jesus at night as he did not want to show himself in public coming to
Jesus, because he was an important person. He came to Jesus at night and simply says to Him,
“We know you have come from God or else you could not do these miracles,” that we have seen
performed.  

Nicodemus simply makes that statement, but Jesus knew the question in his heart. The
statement from his mouth was -- we know you come from God or you could not do this, but
Jesus answers the question that was in his heart.  In Verse 3, “Jesus answered and said to him,
most assuredly I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the Kingdom God”.  
Nicodemus said to him, “How can any man be born when he is old, can he enter a second time
to his mother’s womb and be born”, Jesus answered Nicademus, most assuredly , (absolutely), I
say to you, unless one is born of water and the spirit, he cannot see the Kingdom of God. That
which is born of the flesh is flesh and that which is born of the spirit is spirit”.

So Jesus gives him this explanation, you must be born again and he explains it as being born
once physically and then again spiritually.  He refers to the physical birth as being of water.
Certainly we know that, those of us who have had children that a little baby comes from a sack
of water. It is probably much more than that, but it is simply saying that, referring to the physical
birth into this world. All mankind are physically born into this world, but not all are born
spiritually while in this world.

So, -- Jesus is saying to Nicodemus, “You must be born again”, second birth, born again
spiritually or, -- you will not see the Kingdom of Heaven. In other words, according to God’s plan
the way to God is through Jesus Christ and that you must be born again -- spiritually.
Then Jesus continues speaking, He says, “Do not marvel that I said to you that you must be born
again, the wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but you cannot tell where it
comes from or where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the spirit”.

So Jesus continues His explanation by saying the spirit is like the wind. You do not see the wind
blowing, but you see the leaves of the tree being blown. You see the effects of the wind, but
you cannot see the wind itself. He says the spirit moves this way.  The spirit is invisible, you
cannot see it, but you can see the effect.  You cannot see the Spirit enter the heart of a person,
an individual, but when you observe that persons life you see that there was a change that
happened when the Spirit of God came into the heart.  He changes the heart from inside out, so
-- as He says “born again” He is saying born spiritually.  
Then Nicodemus, being an educated man, a ruler of the Jews said to Him in Verse 9, “How can
these things be”?  
Nicodemus at that point, having heard the explanation from Jesus, still did not understand.  
That should make us as human beings realize it’s not a simple matter to understand.  It is not
easy to understand spiritual things. He, being educated, being a ruler of the Jews, being a
person that should have understood, yet he did not.  That gives us comfort in realizing that it is
hard for us to understand what this really means, -- to be born again.  How do you do that, what
happens to us?
Jesus answers and says to him “Are you a master of Israel and do not know these things”?  He
kind of accuses him a bit. I can say to myself that there are things I should know, but I don’t, so
-- certainly the Lord would say the same thing to me.

In Verse 11 He says “Most assuredly, I say to you, we speak of what we know and testify to what
we have seen, and you do not receive Our witness.  If I have told you of earthly things and you
do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you of heavenly things?”
So Jesus reprimands him a little, but at the same time He says to him, I explained to you earthly
things and that is hard to understand, so how can I explain spiritual things. He is comparing
physical things with spiritual things. We are physical beings and it is difficult for us to
understand spiritual things.  
This was in fact the necessity that Jesus would come to earth, God in the flesh bringing us God’
s Word that He might explain to us the way to the Father. This is in a nut shell what Jesus came
to do.  He came to teach us.

He continues there in Verse 14, He says “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness,
even so the Son of Man must be lifted up”.

Son of man is referring to Jesus, -- Jesus Christ, Son of Man, -- meaning a spiritual being, the
Spirit of God in the body of a man”.  He refers to Himself as the Son of Man from the view point
of a spiritual being in the body of a man.

Then He says in Verse 15, “Whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting
life.  For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believes in
him should not perish, but have everlasting life”.

In other words in the beginning God created mankind and God loves mankind, His creation. God
wants mankind to be restored to Him, or brought back to Him after that we have sinned and
have fallen away from Him. God loved us and He sent Jesus Christ, not to condemn us, not to
destroy us, but that we might be saved.  He sent Jesus as a way of salvation, a way for the lost
to be restored to God.  Jesus Christ came for that purpose, not to condemn me, but that I might
be saved.  
“God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world but that the world through Him
might be saved.  He who believes in Him is not condemned but he who does not believe in Him
is condemned already because he has not believed in the only begotten Son of God.” v 17&18.
Now here is the key, beginning with Verse 19, “And this is the condemnation that light has come
into the world and men loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil”.

We as human beings have all – sinned -- done things of which we are ashamed.  We have all
done things as though it were in the dark, that we do not want anyone else to see. He is telling
us that those sins, that were done in the dark, are that which separates us from God. Our sins
done in the darkness, done secretly, those things which we are ashamed of, separates us from
God.  That is the condemnation that is borne by every human being.

I was condemned, because of the sin in my life.  I was condemned and yet Jesus came to save
me from that condemnation.  For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to
the light lest his deeds should be exposed. When we are living in sin we do not want to come
face to face with Jesus Christ.  When we are living in sin, it is difficult to pray. When we are
living in sin and we are not willing to give up our sin, we don’t want to hear about God.  When
we are living in sin we will not pick up the Bible and read it.  When we are living in sin we are
separated from God.  Jesus Christ came that we might be restored to Him.  When we are
practicing evil we hate the light and we do not come to the light lest our deeds be exposed.
“But he, who does the truth, comes to the light that his deeds may be clearly seen that they
have done them in God.”

What is He explaining here? Jesus very clearly and very briefly is explaining to us that in our
sinful state we do not want to see God. In our sinful state we are ashamed and we are living in
darkness.  If we determine to come to truth, that is, come to the “light”, openly and
transparently and we seek salvation through Jesus Christ we will be “born again”.  If we will
come to the light, to Jesus Christ, we will be saved.  If we come to the light He will restore our
relationship to God our Creator.

That is Jesus’ explanation that you must be “born again”. We must come to Him, -- come to the
light -- and confess our sins before him.  

Jesus instructed us that we must be born again and He taught many other things given to us in
Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.  Afterward, He was crucified, resurrected and returned to
Heaven. He instructed His disciples to go and teach to all mankind these things which He has
taught them.

On the day of Pentecost, Peter and the other disciples went to the Temple to pray and the Holy
Sprit came upon them. Then, Peter stood among the people in the Temple and began to speak.   
Peter explained to them that Jesus Christ, whom they knew, whom they had seen, whom they
had crucified was resurrected and that He had returned to life and gone to Heaven. The people
knew that these things were true, because it was only a few weeks after the crucifixion when
these things had happened. The people who were there at the Temple knew very well what he
was talking about.  They, having heard the explanation that Peter gave of the life and the death
and the resurrection of Jesus Christ, were cut in the heart.  This means they felt guilt because
of the fact that they had participated in the death of Jesus Christ.  Because of this guilt, they ask
Peter and the others, what can we do?

Peter replies in Acts 2: 37, “Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has
made this Jesus whom you crucified both Lord and Christ.  When they heard this, they were cut
in the heart and said to Peter and the rest of the disciples, “men and brethren, what shall we
do?  Peter said to them “repent and let everyone of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ
for the remission of sin and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit “.

This is very specific instructions.  The people heard the accusations that were put before them
by Peter, that they had killed Jesus Christ. They had condemned Him, He was crucified, He came
back to life, was resurrected and they new these things to be true.  Because they knew it and
because they were guilty of this it says -- they were cut in the heart. In other words their guilt
slew them. They were cut in the heart because of their guilt.  The people said to Peter, we are
guilty, what can we do?  
All mankind is in this same place, I am guilty, I have sinned, I have broken the laws of God and I
have broken the spirit of the law which God gave us. I have sinned and I am condemned,
because of my sins, I am guilty -- what do I do.
In that state of guilt Peter says to them, “repent and be baptized, every one of you in the name
of Jesus Christ.  This is our instructions to all mankind who realizes the sins of this flesh, -- the
sin in our live.
We must repent of our sins and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ and then He says that
you will receive the Holy Spirit.  
This bares a necessity of sincerity, the necessity of knowing -- yes I have sinned and I have
done those things that were wrong. I am separated from God because of my sin. I am guilty and
there is nothing I can do to change that fact.  I can not change what I did.  There is nothing I can
do to repay my sin; there is nothing I can do to take away the guilt of my sin. I am guilty.
I must come to Jesus Christ and say to Him, Lord, forgive me, for I am a sinner. Please come into
my heart and save me.  Jesus came that we may be saved. He came and He died on the cross to
take away our sins. He paid the penalty for our sins, so -- when we come to Him in confession,
repenting of our sins, He takes away our sins.

The scripture says very clearly that He will give the Holy Spirit to those who repent and are
baptized. It’s not a maybe so, or if you do everything just right. If you repent out of sincerity and
are baptized in obedience, He will give you the Holy Spirit.
There is a process -- a process of understanding guilt, then, the next step is repenting of my
sins.
Lord Jesus I am sorry.  I have sinned, I have failed, then, -- He does the rest.  He comes into my
heart, takes away my sins, takes away my guilt and gives me life eternal -- then I am instructed to
be baptized.

Being baptized means to be obedient, -- do that which He told us to do.  Water does not wash
away sin, water does not make me clean.  Baptism is a physical symbol that illustrates that my
sins were washed away through repentance to Jesus, Who died to pay for my sins. We are
instructed to do it that way, to repent, be baptized and you will receive the Holy Spirit.

The Word of God also gives explanations for salvation in the Book of Romans. Romans begins
by explaining to us that all mankind sins, and because of their sins they are separated from God.
There are illustrations of that in Romans 3:10. Here it refers to the explanation from the Book of
Psalms given by the writer that says, “As it is written, there is none righteous, no not one.  
There is none who understand.  There is none who seeks after God, they have all turned aside.
They have altogether become unprofitable”.  There is none who does good, no not one.”  
As we live in this world, meet people and relate to people, we can understand that this is the
truth.  It has always been, that we as mankind, although being created in the image of God, with
a spirit within us giving to us spiritual freedom of choice, that through our freedom of choice we
made wrong choices.  We became sinners separated from God because of our sin.

Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden were given only one command. They were instructed -- not
to eat from that one tree. Of all the other trees, they could eat. They disobeyed and became
sinners just from eating from that one tree, breaking God’s law -- Gods’ instructions to them.
We also are sinners separated from God because of our sin. It has always been so since the
beginning and it will be until the end.  We are sinners and we are separated from God, because
of our sins.     
Because of the guilt of our personal sins, we must choose. We must choose to believe -- we
must believe and confess or else we have no salvation.  God made it that way so that we as
human beings might realize, understand and come to Him for salvation. God’s plan for the
salvation of mankind was in such a manner by which, He would choose those who choose to be
with Him.
In my understanding I believe God has made such a plan -- so that -- in the final analysis, those
who believe are part of the family of God. Those, who believe understand their sin and confess
their sin and come through Christ unto the Lord -- will be saved.  And thus, God’s family is those
who have chosen Him, those who want to be with Him.

Those who do not believe, who do not repent, reject God’s plan of salvation are separated from
God, thus --- they receive their choice.  They chose not to believe, they chose not to come to
Christ for forgiveness of sin, thus --- they are separated from God.
In this plan, as I see it, God, -- by making His creation so that we are all sinners caused us to
face the necessity of choosing Him.  Those who choose Him and repent to Him are saved.  
We are all sinners.  In Chapter 6 it says, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God it is
eternal life through our Christ Jesus our Lord”.

Certainly I have sinned. Certainly I rejected God’s way and choose my way.  I was a sinner from a
child.  I have knowingly and purposely chosen wrong rather than right.  
Every human being, who is honest with themselves agree -- I did what was wrong even when I
knew it was wrong.  We are all sinners before God.  This is just a simple fact of life.  The Book of
Romans tells us so.

Then in Chapter 10: 9, he begins to explain to us how we come to God through Jesus Christ, and
overcome that sin which is dominant or prevalent in our life.
It says in Verse 8, “But what does it say, the word is near you, in your mouth, and in your heart
that is the word of faith which we preach. That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus
and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved”.

What does this say?  It says that the word of faith is near us, near to each one of us and that if I
believing in God, confess with my mouth, that Jesus Christ is Lord, -- I will be saved.
We, then, have the necessity to believe.  First I must believe that God exists, He is the Creator.  
Second, I must believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, God in the flesh, Emanuel, God with
us who came to earth to give us the Word of God and to provide for us salvation. Jesus is the
way the truth and the life.  No man comes to the Father except through Jesus Christ.  This is the
instructions from the Bible.  

Then the scripture continues that if we confess with our mouth, Jesus Christ is Lord and
believe in our heart that God raised Him from the dead -- we will be saved.  So the necessity is,
both to believe in God and to believe what God has done through His plan. It was Gods’ plan
from the beginning that Jesus would come, that He would be crucified , condemned to death
and hanged upon the cross and die, be buried and be resurrected.  This was Gods’ plan from
the beginning.  It is necessary for us to believe that this is true, and that this is the plan of God
for the salvation (redemption) of His creation.

It continues, “For with the heart one believes into righteousness and with the mouth
confession is made into salvation”.  In this verse “heart” is speaking about the spirit that is
within us, that God placed in us in the womb of our mother. If we believe in our spirit that Jesus
Christ is Lord, and we confess with our mouth, we will be saved.  In other words, the way of
salvation is, believing and confessing, thus -- coming to Him for salvation.

In Verse 10, he says “For with the heart, one believes into righteousness”.  That means that I, in
my heart, in that spirit that God placed in me, I believe unto righteousness.  Only believing is
not the end of it, that’s only the first step.

The scripture also says that the devil believes also, and trembles, yet the devil is disobedient to
God. So, it is -- not only belief in God but, we believe in our heart, in our spirit, unto
righteousness and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.  There is a necessity for
each of us to recognize our sin, believing in our heart and – knowingly -- we confess that Jesus
Christ is Lord. That is the plan of God.  

It is necessary not only to believe, but to confess, to speak publicly, to the Lord, -- I am a
sinner   Please come into my heart and take away my sins. There is the necessity of confessing
belief, confessing sin and asking salvation through Jesus Christ.  

For with the heart, one believes unto righteousness, with the mouth, confession is made unto
salvation.  For the scripture says “Whosoever believes on Him will not be put to shame, “---
“For, whosoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved”.

In a nutshell, Romans says to us that we must believe in our hearts, knowing and understanding
that God exists, but we must also confess with our mouth.  Speaking the fact of my belief,
speaking the fact of my sin and speaking the fact that I ask Jesus Christ to come into my heart
and then -- as he says in the Book of Acts, you will receive the Holy Spirit.  In other words, when
I     
believe and confess, the Holy Spirit comes into my heart and He takes away my sin, -- He gives
me salvation and He writes my name in the Book of Life in Heaven.

The Word of God tells us many things about God.  How He created, how He made a plan for His
creation and how He worked out that plan down through history.  It instructs us in how we have
separated ourselves from God through the life which we have lived and how we can come back
to Him, -- in which we must be born again.


Jesus tells us in the Book of John, you must be born again, or you will never see the Kingdom
of Heaven.  It is necessary not only that we are born of this body physically, but we must be born
spiritually, born of God and that through Jesus Christ.  
In the book of Acts He tells us the necessity that we, having sinned and having been convicted
of our sins, must repent of our sins.  Repent, -- saying to God, I am sorry I have broken your law
- I am guilty. I must repent, be baptized and then I will receive the Holy Spirit.  

This is possible for us as human beings, not only to repent, but to receive – actually -- the Holy
Spirit of God, within our spirit.  We as human beings can receive the Spirit of God in union with
our spirit.  As we, recognizing our sin, condemned by God because of our sin, and yet when we
come to Him confessing our sin, the Spirit of God and our spirit come together.  God comes
together with our spirit and He seals us. This is the seal of God that He places upon our heart
when He comes to us, cleanses us from our sins, and removes them as far as the east is from
the west.  He gives us salvation through Jesus Christ.  We must confess with our mouth -- not
that we just believe in our heart, but we must also speak of that which we believe, confessing
Jesus Christ as Lord of our life.

THE ABOVE STATEMENTSARE REPEATED SEVERAL WAYS BECAUSE OF THE GREAT IMPORTANCE
OF:     BELIEF IN GOD – KNOWLEDGE OF SIN – REPENTANCE OF SIN -- AND SPEAKING THAT
BELIEF AND REPENTANCE IN PRAYER TO JESUS CHRIST !!!!!!


In the conclusion of the whole matter, the scripture tells us in the Book of Revelation, that there
are books. There is a book which is kept in Heaven that is called the “Lambs Book of Life”. It is a
book where Jesus Christ keeps the record of those who come to Him in repentance of their
sins.  In the final conclusion when the earth and all creation has been completed and all
mankind has lived and died, physically, then there will be the “Great White Throne” judgment
.
In the Book of  Revelation 20: 11 - 15 it says, “Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat
on it, from whose face the earth and heaven fled away; and there was no place for them.  And I
saw the dead small and great, standing before God; and the books were opened. And another
book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their
works, by the things which were written in the books. And the sea gave up the dead that were in
it: death in Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one
according to his works.  Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire which is the
second death. And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire”.

That brings a very solemn and fearful conclusion to Gods creation.  God created us all, He loves
us all, He made a plan for us all. But all those who reject Jesus and did not repent, but who
turned away from Him and did not come to Him for salvation through forgiveness of sins will be
judged guilty. He has a record of all those sins. In the end the books will be opened and those
sins have been clearly written.  

There is also another book He calls it the book of life, kept by Jesus Christ. When we confess
our sins to Him and ask Him to take away our sins, forgive us our sins, -- He takes them away.  
He comes into our hearts and He writes our name in the Book of life.  

It says in conclusion of all -- that those whose names were not in the Book of Life will be cast
out, separated from God their creator. They are separated from every spiritual provision of
God;   separated into a place created by God for them, a place called Hell.  
All those who have confessed their sins and have come to Jesus Christ and received Christ in
their hearts, their names are written in the Book of Life.
They will go into heaven and live forever and ever with God their Creator.

It is a beautiful, awesome and terrible story.  It is a story that tells us that from the beginning
God created and in the end God finishes His creation.  
He put it together and --- He will take it apart. ---- He did it all on His time table and in His way.
God loves you -- He created you and gave you your spirit as a gift of life.  He wants you to be
His. He wants you to come confessing your sins and asking for salvation through Jesus Christ.
“To all who call upon His name He gives them the right to become children of God.”

As we have given this Bible Study, we discovered and searched through it for Gods’ plan for
salvation of His creation.  That plan is very simple.  It is designed that every human being will
have the opportunity to come to Him.  Come to Him out of -- how they understand.  Come to Him
for salvation -- simply asking for salvation.

This is made so very clear at the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. At the time Jesus Christ was
crucified there were two criminals crucified with Him.  Three men hanging on crosses to be
dead before the sun goes down.  One man says to Jesus Christ, “If you are the Christ, come
down and take us down also”.  The other criminal on the other side of Jesus turned to that man
and said to him “do you not fear God.”  “We are criminals dying because of our crimes, but this
man has done nothing.”  
Then he turns to Jesus and says “Lord, remember me when You come into Your paradise,” and
Jesus’ reply to this criminal was, “today you will be with me in Paradise”.

Notice what is said there.  One man said if you are the Christ, get down and take me down, also.  
The other man recognized his sin.  He said -- we are being crucified justly.  He says to Jesus
Christ, ‘Lord’, meaning that he understood who Jesus was, meaning that he believed. Then he
said remember me when you come into your paradise. Notice what this man did. He confessed
his sin.  He recognized Jesus as Lord – believing -- and he just asked to be remembered.  Jesus
reply was “today you will be with me in paradise”.

We can understand from this how simple and how easy is God’s plan of salvation.  How easy it is
to say, yes I believe that there is a God who created the heavens and the earth, -- that Jesus is
His Son and confess that I am a sinner. That is the way of salvation.  That is the plan of
salvation.  It is very simple for any person and it is available to everyone of mankind.

If you would like today to pray and receive Jesus Christ in your heart, I would suggest that you
pray a prayer of confession.  I will lead you in a prayer of confession -- if you choose.  I want you
to understand before we pray, what I will pray.  Then, if you are in agreement we will pray
together.  I will pray like this.  I believe in God.  I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God who
came and died for my sins and was resurrected.  I am a sinner.  Lord Jesus come into my heart
and save me, and then - thank Him.

If you agree with that prayer and would like to pray with me today, I ask you to repeat after me
the words that I pray, remembering and understanding that: -- you must be sincere -- this must
be your prayer, not my prayer.  This must be your words -- your prayer to our heavenly Father.  
He will hear your prayer -- if you pray to Him.

This is our prayer.

Dear Heavenly Father, I believe that you are God the creator.  I believe that Jesus Christ came
into this world, God in the flesh, died on the cross for my sins and was resurrected from the
dead.  Dear Lord Jesus, I am a sinner.  Please come into my heart and take away my sins and
save me.  Thank you, Lord, for hearing my prayer.  In Jesus name I pray.    Amen.  

I believe that any person who prays, believing and confessing, -- simply praying a prayer similar
to this will have salvation with God and live in heaven forever.  Amen.     
-- 'GOD THE CREATOR' --

Is a sermon / a teaching to help / to guide a
person --  to know God our Creator / Jesus
Christ as Savior and Lord -- to be obedient
and prepared for eternity in Heaven with God.