The Gospel, Good News:
God is Just.
Only perfect people can get into Heaven.
We all have done bad things. None of us are perfect.
How can we get into Heaven???
We can't do it by our own works. It is by Grace.
God is Love.
God sent Jesus to Earth.
Jesus lived a sinless life.
Jesus died a horrific gruesome criminal's death on the cross for us.
Jesus came back to life on the third day.
Jesus’ death was the sacrifice for the bad things we have done.
We have been made perfect from God's perspective because instead of seeing our sin He sees Jesus’ Holiness.
To gain Salvation we need to Repent and Believe in Jesus.
Confess and turn from the bad things you do.
Believe in this Good News.
Have a Life-Altering Friendship with the Creator of the Universe as His sons and daughters.
Paul wrote 48% of the New Testament. I believe I was led down this rabbit trail to bring a different dynamic in Paul's story.
I Believe that Paul was Divorced. As a head Pharisee in the Sanhedrin he would be heavily pressured culturally and religiously based on the Torah to get Married. That was the standard custom. See down below for more information.
Jesus met Paul on the road to Damascus in a Bright Light. Paul was blinded for 3 days. Ananias was told to go to Paul and heal his eyes. After Paul could see, He was Baptized and received the Holy Spirit.
(Acts 9:1–19)
After he converted to Christianity. The pharisees in the Sanhedrin would label him a Traitor
What would happen to his wife? Her life would be destroyed. She would have to Divorce him. Which was not possible back then. But the special circumstances like this the religious leaders would probably allow it.
It makes a lot more sense how First Corinthians 7 was written. From that Chapter, you can see the writer had some sort of inside knowledge of marriage.
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Yes, as a Pharisee (and potentially a member of the Sanhedrin, based on implications in Acts 26:10 where he mentions casting votes against early Christians), Paul would have faced significant cultural and religious pressure to marry. This was indeed a strong custom in first-century Judaism, particularly among Pharisees, who were known for their strict adherence to the law and traditions. Marriage was the norm for Jewish men in leadership roles like rabbis or Sanhedrin members, often expected by age 18-20, as it was seen as essential for fulfilling religious duties, maintaining moral purity, and ensuring lineage. Unmarried men in such positions were rare and could face scrutiny or disqualification from certain roles.
Regarding the Torah: Yes, the custom stems directly from it. The foundational commandment is in Genesis 1:28, where God instructs humanity to "be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth." This is interpreted in Jewish law (halakha) as a positive mitzvah (commandment) obligating men to marry and procreate, with exemptions only in exceptional cases like dedicated study or physical inability. Additional Torah passages, such as Genesis 2:18 ("It is not good for man to be alone") and Deuteronomy 24:5 (protections for newlyweds), reinforce the emphasis on marriage as a divine ideal. Pharisees, as interpreters and enforcers of the Torah, would have upheld this rigorously, viewing celibacy as unusual or even contrary to the law unless temporary.
Pride - Considered as the Worst sin. Excessive belief in one's own abilities or importance. Places self above God and others. The reason why I see it as the Worst is you are not able to see the other sins going on in your life. Your Pride says I'm not this way, I'm not that way. By thinking you are perfect the way you are, you don't grow. Do you know what created Satan? He was an Angel in Heaven. But because he wanted to exalt himself above God he rebelled against God. Pride.
Wrath (anger) — Uncontrolled hatred, rage, or vengeful feelings that seek harm.
I was surprised the opposing virtue is Patience
Psalms 139:4-5, 8, 13-14, 23-24
[4] You know what I am going to say even before I say it, Lord.
[5] You go before me and follow me. You place your hand of blessing on my head.
[8] If I go up to Heaven, you are there; if I go down to the grave, you are there.
[13] You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb.
[14] Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.
[23] Search me, O God, and know my Heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.
[24] Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.
I left my private notes at the bottom of this devotional to show how bad things can get but how mightily God can work to redeem the worse situations. This was back in January of 2014. We were going through the divorce and I ended up at Research Medical Center on the psychiatric floor for Depression. I was there for 2 Months.
John 16:33
“I have told you all this so that you may have Peace in Me. Here on Earth you will have many Trials and Sorrows. But take Heart, because I have overcome the World.”
Buy the devotional Jesus Calling.
Romans 7 is a very hard Chapter to understand. Romans 8 is my favorite Chapter in the Whole Bible.
Romans 7:18-25
[18] And I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. I want to do what is right, but I can’t.
[19] I want to do what is good, but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway.
[20] But if I do what I don’t want to do, I am not really the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it.
[21] I have discovered this principle of life—that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong.
[22] I love God’s law with all my heart.
[23] But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me.
[24] Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death?
[25] Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. So you see how it is: In my mind I really want to obey God’s law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin.