“Forgiveness is the fragrance the violet sheds on the heel that has crushed it.” – Mark Twain
Peter asked Jesus, “Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times?” You may be surprised at the answer Jesus gave. Jesus said: “I say not unto thee, until seven times, but until seventy times seven.” And, no, this does not mean we must forgive 49 times but on time 50, we can forget about forgiveness. Jesus means, we must always forgive and forgive from the heart. Forgiving from the heart entails letting go of anger and resentment. We have to give up our rights to revenge and leave justice to God.
We grieved God by our sinful actions, but He forgave us. Seven times? Forty-nine times? No. He forgave each and every one of our sins. “As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.” (Psalm 103:12) And so he expects us to forgive others, even when they have terribly wronged us.
Forgiveness is often a difficult task to accomplish, but an absolute necessity for the prospering Christian. You may not understand the blessings that come with forgiveness. Not only for others, but for yourself as well. It frees you!
Forgiving someone who has hurt you takes some work. It may take time and lots of prayer. It also takes humility and courage. But, in the end, you will be the better for it. So, let the blessings flow. Let’s work on forgiving!
“Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven. Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king, which would take account of his servants. And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, which owed him ten thousand talents. But forasmuch as he had not to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife, and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made. The servant therefore fell down, and worshipped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt.” – Matthew 18:21-27
The church of God stands for each and every Holy Bible doctrine as set forth in the sacred scriptures and properly understood in the New Testament. True church of God doctrine is true Bible doctrine. The following list of doctrines is not exhaustive but provides an overview of our beliefs.
Eternal God
He is known as God the Father. God is eternal: He has neither beginning nor end. In Psalms 90:2, David proclaimed: “Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God.” God is omnipotent– He has all power. He is omniscient– He knows everything. God is omnipresent– He has the ability to be everywhere and anywhere at all times. God is the Eternal and Everlasting Father.
Divine Christ
Jesus Christ is known as God the Son in the triune Godhead. He is the son of God. “And the angel answered and said unto her, the Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.” (Luke 1:35) Though a miraculous conception, Jesus was born of a virgin woman. In that God is his Father, He is Divine; Mary His mother, He was human. For further reference: Philippians 2:6-9; Hebrews 4:15-16; Romans 1:4
Eternal Holy Ghost
The Holy Ghost is the third person in the Godhead. He is God’s agent of action. “And the earth was without form and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep, and the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.” (Genesis 1:2) The Holy Spirit is eternal; He was in the beginning, and He is here now. In the beginning, God worked through His Holy Spirit in creation. The first work wrought in the heart by the Holy Spirit is conviction. (St. John 16:8). It purifies the hearts of believers (Acts 15:7-9), and guides true Christians into all truth (St. John 16:13).
Infallible, Inspired Bible
The Bible, otherwise known as the Holy Bible, the sacred scriptures, and the word of life, is infallible. That means it is exempt from fallacy or error of judgement. We understand that man, in his finite wisdom and knowledge, is fallible at best, but God’s word is not. Though the Bible was recorded by man, it was divinely inspired by God. All books are recorded by man, except for some writings contained in the Bible that were originally written by God (Exodus 31:18). Therefore, the Bible does include the only writings unwritten by man. “All scripture is given by inspiration of God.” (2 Timothy 3:16) “Knowing this first that no prophecy of scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man, but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.” (2 Peter 1:20-21)
Salvation from Sin
“And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS, and he shall save his people from their sins.” (Matthew 1:21) All true Christians live a life that is free from sin by the power of God unto salvation. (Romans 1:16)
“But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered unto you, being then made free from sin ye became the servants of righteousness.” (Romans 6:17-18) The Apostle Paul said: I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. (Philippians 4:13) “All things” includes overcoming sin on a daily basis. (Romans 8:37)
The Savior of all sinners told two different people directly to “Go, and sin no more.” (St. John 5:14; St. John 8:11)
A New Birth
The first step to become a Christian is to experience a new birth. “Verily, verily I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” (John 3:3) People can see getting religion or joining church through their natural eyes. But you cannot see the kingdom of God or God’s true plan of salvation until you are born of the Spirit. (1 Corinthians 2:14) The new birth is also known as being “born again.” It is an instantaneous experience; an inward work wrought in the heart of man by faith in Jesus through prayer which produces an outward change. You are a new creature, old things are passed away, behold all things are become new. (2 Corinthians 5:17) It is NOT merely turning over a new leaf, kicking an old habit, or getting religion!
Entire Sanctification
Sanctify is defined as: “To cleanse, purify or make holy.” — Webster
This “most holy” experience makes one holy entirely, perfect in a moral sense. This results in purity in heart, temper, and disposition; free from sin, sinful affections, and self. “And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly, and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Thessalonians 5:23) “For this is the will of God, even your sanctification …” (1 Thessalonians 4:3)
Sanctification is an instantaneous 2nd work of grace done to the heart, purifying it from inward depravity or tendency toward sin. It is also known as Holy Ghost baptism (Matthew 3:11; Acts 2:4), and the removal of selfishness. In entire sanctification, the heart is cleansed. Therefore, motives, actions, and reactions are pure and holy. The carnal man is crucified with all of his lusts and selfish affections, and power is received to overcome all of the enemy, world, and self. (Acts 1:8)
A Holy Life
All true Christians must live a holy life. Holiness is not an option; it is mandatory. “Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord.” (Hebrews 12:14) A holy life comes naturally for all Christians possessing full salvation. “But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy, in all manner of conversation; because it is written; be ye holy, for I am holy.” (1 Peter 1:15-16) What is a holy life? It is a happy life, free from sin and the guilt and condemnation of sin! It is a conscience that is void of offense towards God and man. (Acts 24:16)
Unity of God’s People
“Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; that they all may be one…” (St. John 17:20-21)
Whenever Jesus prayed, He prayed in the Spirit, and He prayed for God’s will to be done. We can plainly see here that it is the express will of God (not man) that His people, His children, all truly saved Bible Christians be ONE. They are to be unified in the same body, under the same head (Christ), and led by the same spirit. “Endeavoring to keep the unity of the spirit, in the bond of peace. (Ephesians 4:3-6) Denominations, sects, and traditions of man have divided the body of Christ and destroyed the unity of the Spirit. They must be forsaken!
“Christians all should dwell together in the bond of peace, all the clashing of opinions, all the strife should cease, let divisions be forsaken, all the holy join in one, and the will of God in all be done”! – The Reformation Glory, C. W. Naylor
The Ordinances
The definition for ordinance is: an authoritative rule, order, or decree; a religious rite, or ceremony. “If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done unto you.” (St. John 13:14-15) “After the same manner he took the cup, when he had supped saying: this cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me.” (1 Corinthians 11:25). An ordinance is not something Christ suggested, but is something He instituted, observed, and commanded we do (John 13:14-17) An ordinance is an established rite by the authority of God. The three Christian ordinances are feet washing, water baptism, and the Lord’s supper.
1. Feet washing (St. John 13:1-17; 1 Timothy 5:10)
2. Water baptism (Matthew 3:13-17; St. John 4:1-2; Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 8:35-39)
3. The Lord’s supper (Luke 22:14-20; 1 Corinthians 11:17-34)
Divine Healing
Divine healing is physical healing obtained by no other means than relying on prayer to God. “Is there any sick among you? Let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord, and the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up, and if he have committed sins they shall be forgiven him.” (James 5:14-14)
Divine healing is for the saints of God. It is a promise by God to heal His children’s bodies. In order to stand on any of God’s promises, you should first have a clear life before God and man. (St. John 5:17; 1 John 3:21) Then, trust God’s word and call for the elders and believe that the prayer of faith works.
Eternal Life
“And this is the promise that he hath promised us, even eternal Life.” (1 John 2:25)
Of the 7,847 recorded promises in the Bible, this may be the most significant of them all! Not only has God promised us a more abundant life in salvation here and now (St. John 10:10), but also He has promised us life eternally, meaning we shall be with the Lord in Heaven forever (1 Thessalonians 4:17). God has never made a promise He couldn’t keep. As a matter of fact, He has already prepared a mansion for us in His wonderful heaven! (St. John 14:1-4).
St. John 3:16 provides us with a clear understanding.
Eternal Punishment
“Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels; and these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.” (Matt. 25:41-46)
We can see plainly that hell was not created for God’s beloved mankind, but for the devil and his angels. And no, God who is infinite in love, would not “send” anyone to hell! However, many have made their choices in this life where they will spend the rest of their eternal existence. “So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.” (Rom. 14:12) God is infinite in love … and justice!
“Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!” – Psalm 133:1
Ministerial work in Jamaica began in 1996 under the direction of Pastor Milton P. Browne. He preached the Word and a few honest folks took heed. They wanted to live a true Christian life — a life free from sin. And so began the work at Harbour View.
It is truly a pleasure to travel to Jamaica for worship services. We enjoy fellowship with the brethren as often as possible.
