In a previous ‘Link’, I have typed extracts from the epistle that the apostle Paul wrote to the Christians in Rome, I do so for I always think of people, that may read these ‘Links’ and have not got a Bible. I have written what I have because people read various books about subjects in the Bible, as they proceed they find in them many references to the Bible on a subject found in it, but do not bother to find and read them, because they either do not know how to, have not got a Bible or just skip it instead of finding it to read it, I have done it often myself, I know how tedious it can be, and yet, to have the full meaning on the subject treated in the book, that they might be reading, they should follow, and find those references, thus to know really what God says about the subject treated in the book. To have the true value of what one reads one cannot get it unless the Word of God supports it; it is a fact that all we can read is not ‘Kosher’. I have found that what men write about, are often their thoughts, and misuse the Bible, they use verses out of context! As I heard it said: ‘To use a text out of context is a pretext’! which, in the end, will not profit anyone. I have also discovered that people have heard something from a man that they like or liked a lot, and because he said it, they believed it! It happened to me, so I speak of experience, the preacher I loved and honoured, and still do! was wrong on certain points! There are also men that never speak about certain subjects in the Bible because of prejudice, in the end they do not mention them at all, because they do not believe in what is written. Thus, they deprive their congregation of some wonderful truths that Jesus and His disciples taught and died for! And that is a tragedy!

As I said, God has chosen to reveal Himself in the Bible, in it He reveals also His plan of redemption! there is not another source where we can find a way to God, what He is like and what He tells us! The Bible alone reveals how the world was created and how it will end. Many people want to see miracles, proofs that Jesus exists, but millions of people have seen miracles and only few have believed. Man, of his own will cannot believe, he is a born sceptic; Satan has blinded the eyes of his soul and he continues to keep him in the dark. Man, mainly wants God to be his servant and do everything he wishes Him to do, even uses prayer when in need! In his sin-condition, he cannot ask anything from God anyway, nor can he pray to Him, not until he is born again by faith in Jesus Christ, for he must be reconciled with God, of whom, by nature or culture, he is a strong enemy, dead in trespasses and sin. Through Christ alone has the believer access to God, for He said: ‘I am the way, the truth and the life, no man comes to God but by ME.’ (John 14:6) It is a small gate that opens a narrow way to God, but I found that it works!

Man will not, man cannot believe God, because he is a rebel at heart, and will not submit to His rule! All these extracts of the first chapter of the Epistle to the Romans started with this phrase: ‘The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the ungodliness and wickedness of men.’ God has shown in the Bible, that after a long time, there is an end to His patience. There was a time, when men woke up in the morning and they wondered what bad things they could do during the day; this happened in the days of Noah, it is written: ‘The Lord saw how great man’s wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of His heart was evil all the time.’ (Genesis 6: 5) God used Noah, who was a righteous man, he found grace in the eye of the Almighty, who told him what He decided to do with the ungodly people! So, Noah, a preacher of righteousness, pleaded with the people to repent; He did it during a hundred and twenty years, while he was building an ark as God commanded him to, under His directions he made it !! but the people mocked him, and would not repent and change their ways. It is believed that until then it never rained, for it is written that: ‘the earth was watered by streams that watered the whole surface of the land!’ (Genesis 2: 6) So when it actually started raining it was a new thing!