1 John 4:8
God is LOVE
8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.
Colossians 1:15-23
The Supremacy of the Son of God
15 The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. 17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. 19 For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.
21 Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. 22 But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation— 23 if you continue in your faith, established and firm, and do not move from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant.
Romans 1:8-32
God Reveals the Gospel Through Jesus
8 First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is being reported all over the world.9 God, whom I serve in my spirit in preaching the gospel of his Son, is my witness how constantly I remember you 10 in my prayers at all times; and I pray that now at last by God’s will the way may be opened for me to come to you.
11 I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong— 12 that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith. 13 I do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, that I planned many times to come to you (but have been prevented from doing so until now) in order that I might have a harvest among you, just as I have had among the other Gentiles.
14 I am obligated both to Greeks and non-Greeks, both to the wise and the foolish. 15 That is why I am so eager to preach the gospel also to you who are in Rome.
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes:first to the Jew, then to the Gentile. 17 For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.”
God’s Wrath Against Sinful Humanity
18 The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, 19 since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. 20 For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.
21 For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles.
24 Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. 25 They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.
26 Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones. 27 In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed shameful acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their error.
28 Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done. 29 They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, 30 slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; 31 they have no understanding, no fidelity, no love, no mercy. 32 Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.
2 Peter 1:16
Peter was an Eyewitness to His Majesty
16 For we did not follow cleverly devised stories when we told you about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ in power, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty.
Acts 4:8-22
Salvation is Found in No One Else
8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them: “Rulers and elders of the people! 9 If we are being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a man who was lame and are being asked how he was healed, 10 then know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed. 11 Jesus is
“‘the stone you builders rejected,
which has become the cornerstone.’
12 Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.”
13 When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus. 14 But since they could see the man who had been healed standing there with them, there was nothing they could say. 15 So they ordered them to withdraw from the Sanhedrin and then conferred together. 16 “What are we going to do with these men?” they asked. “Everyone living in Jerusalem knows they have performed a notable sign, and we cannot deny it. 17 But to stop this thing from spreading any further among the people, we must warn them to speak no longer to anyone in this name.”
18 Then they called them in again and commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. 19 But Peter and John replied, “Which is right in God’s eyes: to listen to you, or to him? You be the judges! 20 As for us, we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.”
21 After further threats they let them go. They could not decide how to punish them, because all the people were praising God for what had happened. 22 For the man who was miraculously healed was over forty years old.
St. Paul starts his letter to the Romans upbeat and about Jesus...He thanks God for Jesus and through Jesus for faith...For God has revealed through Jesus the gospel and the Truth...He has revealed the Truth to both the Greek and the non-Greek, to both Jew and Gentile...God is the One who graciously gives us salvation, and He does this by His Son and through His Son...God brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile...For in the gospel of Jesus, the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.”...Salvation is found in no one else...
Then St. Paul gets a bit more somber, as his writing continues to the Romans...He tells us that the wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them...For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—His eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse to believe...We can look all around us a see God and what He created...God created man and nature and the entire universe...
St. Augustine said "You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it rests in You."...Our hearts want to search...Our hearts are looking for Something or Someone...Our hearts are curious...Our hearts are indeed restless...Our hearts seek Truth and LOVE...
For most of the history of mankind, we lived in fear...Many men, more or less were uneducated, unschooled, common, and we led fairly simple lives...Life could be tough, and life spans were short...Especially, over the last century man has become more fascinated with science...Man has been seeking to make life spans longer, and also studied the earth and universe trying to fill a curiosity about his life and about the universe...As science has advanced, man does live longer and man has discovered many things about nature and the universe...Science is always seeking the Truth...I no doubt think science will discover more about the human body as it is continually studied...We will discover cures for more ailments and more diseases...I also believe we will gather more knowledge about the universe, as it is studied more, as new minds and different men look at creation and nature in different ways...And as scientists look back at their past they see a period when things were dark and not so scientific, but the more they have studied, the more they have shed the Light on many subjects and different areas...Scientists over the past century, and especially the past one hundred years have found many more truths...
The restless heart is searching for Something...It seems man has spent much time studying how to live longer and emphasized finding out more and more about the universe...This scientific search for more truths, is very close to the restless heart search...In some ways the search that St. Augustine talks about has some similarities to the searches of the scientific world...It is searching for Truth...But let us not call God nature, or compare Him to being nature...Let us not believe in the majesty of man, but in the Majesty of God...God was before nature and created nature...And God is invisible, but He had a Son, who came to earth to teach us about Him and to show us that He does exist...And St. Peter was an eyewitness to His Majesty...
Always seeking the Truth is a very good thing...Followers of Jesus are always searching for that one more thing about Him...Scientists are also seeking to find more truths...As these two studies continue, they might just get closer and closer...