Truth really can be stranger than fiction.
First Page - Now launched! All the stories are true, or based on real events. Unlimited reading for $4.99 / month. No downloads. Read on your phone, tablet or computer.
La verdad puede ser más extraña que la ficción.
First Page - ¡Ya está en marcha! Todas las historias son verídicas, o están basadas en hechos reales. Lectura ilimitada por $4.99 / mes. No hay que descargar nada. Lea en su teléfono, tableta u ordenador.
Manna Minutes Podcast: Eye-opening Bible study in less than five minutes! Access all episodes here.
Manna Minutes en español:
Estudio bíblico que nos hace abrir los ojos en menos de cinco minutos! Acceda a todos los episodios aquí.
Manna Minutes Podcast auf Deutsch:
Augenöffnendes Bibelstudium in weniger als fünf Minuten! Alle Episoden finden Sie hier.
Was There A Curse On Helen's Romantic Life?
The Third Man by Angela Sheffield is based on a true story. Read chapter one now!
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¿Qué tiene que ver conmigo? por Teófila Gottfried
Lo que leemos en la Biblia tiene que ver con todos los seres humanos, sean cristianos o judíos, ateos o agnósticos, budistas, musulmanes o adherentes a alguna de las filosofías o nuevas religiones que surgen en el mundo. ¿Por qué? Ver mayor información sobre este interesante libro.
Scripture of The Day - St. John 14:6
Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
Escritura del día - San Juan 14,6
Jesús le dijo: Yo soy el camino, y la verdad, y la vida; nadie viene al Padre, sino por mí.
Bibelstelle des Tages - Johannes 14,6
Jesus spricht zu ihm: Ich bin der Weg und die Wahrheit und das Leben; niemand kommt zum Vater, denn durch mich!
Forgiveness in the Christian Bible: What It Is Not
The Christian Bible on Forgiveness
Part of the what is known as the Lord's Prayer reads, "And forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors" (KJV, Matthew 6:12). Verses 14 and 15 in the same passage teach, "For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses." Christ clarified the commandment to forgive when Peter asked him a question. "Then came Peter to him and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? till seven times? Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times; but, Until seventy times seven" (Matthew 18:21-22).
Scripture cannot make it any plainer that Christian believers are to forgive those who have wronged them. Unfortunately, some believers have focused so strongly on forgiving others that they have not considered the warnings of other scripture when dealing with enemies and potentially dangerous or malicious people.
To Forgive Is Not Always to Forget
Just as forgiveness in the Bible is made clear through scripture, other truths for the protection of the one forgiving another are also made clear. These truths act as warnings. The fact that someone asks in sincerity to be forgiven does not automatically mean that he has been cleansed from what caused him to commit the offense in the first place. As long as he harbors the root of the problem, he can, and almost always does, offend again, because he has not been delivered. This does not mean that he is not to be forgiven. However, people who are forgiven might have to be kept at a distance for the protection of the people they might harm. To forgive is not to automatically trust, because to forgive is not necessarily to forget, at least not until the offender's full deliverance has taken place.
Consider the real-life application of forgiveness in the Bible. The apostle Paul, formerly known as Saul of Tarsus, had been a persecutor of the Christian church. When Saul accepted the Lord Jesus, he had already gained a most awful and deserved reputation as a terrorist to the believers of Jerusalem of his day. This is why Ananias, a servant of Jesus, was concerned when the Lord told him that Paul would be sent to him and that he was to lay his hand on him. It's written, "Then Ananias answered, Lord, I have heard by many of this man, how much evil he hath done to thy saints at Jerusalem. And here he hath authority from the chief priests to bind all that call on thy name. But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way for he is a chosen vessel unto me...." (Acts 9:13-15)
Scripture does not say that Ananias was unforgiving. Scripture does not say that God scolded Ananias for being suspicious of coming into contact with a man who had been involved with the torture and death of Christians. Ananias was using common sense, which is a God-given "tool" that should be used for the protection of self. And, the Lord is seen assuring Ananias that there was no more danger associated with the man who had been known as Saul. Forgiveness in the Bible does not promote a person putting himself at risk simply because he has forgiven someone, because that someone might still be dangerous--forgiven, but dangerous. When the harm that someone could do is life-threatening, trust only in the Lord's reassurance that all danger has passed. If the Lord has not given reassurance, employ God-given common sense to stay safe!
Based on true events, The Third Man by Angela Sheffield, brings the Bible up close and personal as the characters face real issues of life: Betrayal, deceit, romance, bitterness, anger against God, hopelessness, will power, perplexity, triumph, unforgiveness, mental illness, and the "Alcohol made me do it" excuse. Read chapter one FREE now.
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