And The WORD IS GOD.

IN the beginning GOD created the heavens and the earth. (Genesis 1:1)

IN the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with GOD, and the Word was GOD. (John 1:1)

He was in the beginning with GOD. (John 1:2)

All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. (John 1:3)

In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. (John 1:4)

And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. (John 1:5)

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. (John 1:14)

No one has ever seen GOD. But His only Son, who is Himself GOD, is near to the Father's heart; He has told us about Him. (John 1:18)

CHRIST is the One through whom GOD created everything in heaven and earth. He made the things we can see and the things we can't see--kings, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities. Everything has been created through Him and for Him. (Colossians 1:16)

He existed before everything else began, and He holds all creation together. (Colossians 1:17)

For GOD in all His fullness was pleased to live in CHRIST, and by Him GOD reconciled everything to Himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of His blood on the cross. This includes you who were once so far away from GOD. You were His enemies, separated from Him by your evil thoughts and actions,

...yet now He has brought you back as His friends. He has done this through His death on the cross in His own human body. As a result, He has brought you into the very presence of GOD, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before Him without a single fault. (Colossians 1:19-22)

The One who existed from the beginning is the One we have heard and seen. We saw Him with our own eyes and touched Him with our own hands. He is JESUS CHRIST, the Word of life. (1 John 1:1)

This One who is life from GOD was shown to us, and we have seen Him. And now we testify and announce to you that He is the One who is eternal life. He was with the Father, and then He was shown to us. (1 John 1:2)

The heavens tell of the glory of GOD. The skies display His marvelous craftsmanship. (Psalm 19:1)

Day after day they continue to speak; night after night they make Him known. (Psalm 19:2)

They speak without a sound or a word; their voice is silent in the skies;

yet their message has gone out to all the earth, and their words to all the world. (Psalm 19:3-4a)

Reverence for the LORD is pure, lasting forever. The laws of the LORD are true; each one is fair. (Psalm 19:9)

For i am not ashamed of this Good News about CHRIST. It is the power of GOD at work, saving everyone who believes--Jews first and also Gentiles. (Romans 1:16)

This Good News tells us how GOD makes us right in His sight. This is accomplished from start to finish by faith. As the Scriptures say, "It is through faith that a righteous person has life."

But GOD shows His anger from heaven against all sinful, wicked people who push the truth away from themselves. For the truth about GOD is known to them instinctively. GOD has put this knowledge in their hearts.

From the time the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky and all that GOD made. They can clearly see His invisible qualities--His eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse whatsoever for not knowing GOD.

Yes, they knew GOD, but they wouldn't worship him as GOD or even give Him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what GOD was like. The result was that their minds became dark and confused.

Claiming to be wise, they became utter fools instead.

And instead of worshiping the glorious, ever-living GOD, they worshiped idols... Instead of believing what they knew was the truth about GOD, they deliberately chose to believe lies. So they worshiped the things GOD made but not the Creator Himself, who is to be praised forever. Amen. (Romans 1:17-25)

When a pair of Jehovah Witnesses come a-knocking on my door and we debate over JESUS' deity, knowing that their New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures has blinded them in how they perceive CHRIST's preeminence -- for the NWT translates John 1:1, "and the Word was a god" -- i find it a challenge not to be rude by flatly saying that their founder (Charles Taze Russell) had arrogantly changed what has been accepted for centuries by the CHRISTian fathers as GOD's inerrant, infallible Word: CHRIST JESUS is GOD.

The "altar calls" -- invitations -- of today are not Biblical. Nowhere in the Bible was any sinner "invited" with the methodologies used today. JESUS commanded, Repent and believe in the Gospel... follow Me.

It grieves me when i hear formulaic invitations to receive our most precious JESUS as Savior, without first proclaiming the full Gospel truth -- not just about His atoning sacrifice on the cross and resurrection, but how He received the full unabated wrath of the Father as propitiation (appeasement) for all of mankind's sin. All the sinner has to do is repeat a sample prayer -- no exhortation to repent (to turn from his sin and turn to GOD), no mention of the grossness of his sin against a most holy GOD -- that everyone else has to close their eyes so that the sinner can just raise his/her hand without being seen -- without being embarrassed...

JESUS died an excruciating bloody death on the cross and was abandoned by the Father, and we have the audacity to "invite" the sinner ever so gently so as not to embarrass him? GOD has commanded that we repent and believe in the Gospel. (Mark 1:15) He is Creator. He is Sovereign. He controls our very breath... and yet we hem and haw at obeying His Word -- His Son.

JESUS is LORD over all Creation -- of every created creature, whether or not that created being acknowledges Him as LORD, whether or not he accepts GOD's gift: JESUS' finished work of redemption. CHRIST is LORD... He is GOD.

Everyone wants to go to heaven, to paradise... but not everyone wants JESUS to be the Way to get there. Everyone wants to go to heaven to live in bliss forever, but many do not want GOD there... for He is holy, holy, holy -- and in Him is no darkness at all. And without holiness, no one can see GOD. (Isaiah 6:3, 1 John 1:5, Hebrews 12:14)

After seeing the few amazing photos of GOD's creation (courtesy of the Hubble telescope) -- how can one remain the unbelieving fool? How can man kowtow to an earthly king or president -- yet remain unmoved by the exhibited glories of GOD? How can one not reverence the One who created the all that we see and the all that we can't see?

How can one get a glimpse of JESUS and not see the face of GOD? How can one remain untouched by the Truth? How can one not fall in love with the Person of CHRIST?

JESUS is LOVE manifest. He died for you. He paid in full your sin-debts. When you know CHRIST, you know the Father. When you know CHRIST, you are illumined by the Holy SPIRIT. When you humbly acknowledge JESUS as Adonai -- your LORD and Master -- GOD Himself will raise you from the valley of dry bones and quicken your spirit to live forever. (Ezekiel 37)

JESUS is the Way to eternal peace with the Father... not Buddha... not Muhammad. For it was JESUS to whom the Father declared, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!" (Matthew 17:5)

Kiss the Son, lest He be angry, and you perish in the way, when His wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all those who put their trust in Him. (Psalm 2:12)