LinkExchange Member
If Hercules is your favorite Bible character...or if you think
Abraham, Isaac & Jacob was a hit song in the 1960s...or if you
think Jesus was the son of Joseph Christ--this is the place for you.
Hi! Perhaps you’ve come here because you are a new Christian believer.
Perhaps you’ve come here because you aren’t a Christian but you
have some questions. Or, maybe you don’t even know why you’ve come
to this site. What matters is that you’re welcome here, whatever the
case.
Para leer este sitio en Español, click
aquí!
Hey--the first offering from the new site, A New
Christian's Handbook is up! Stop by to see a timeline of church history,
learn what you never knew about the Pharisees and Spiritual Gifts, plus more!
A word about me
I’m more fortunate than most Christians because in the late 1960s and
early 1970s I was heavily involved in Spiritualism, Demonology, and the Occult.
Through those practices I experienced firsthand the supernatural power of
the demonic, and I came to “know”, in a way most people never do,
the reality of the Devil. From there, it was simple to understand that there
had to be a flip side of the coin--that the power of God must be real as
well. In the decades since, I’ve soared pretty high and sunk pretty
low during my walk with Christ. But He has kept me going through it all.
And so, as you look over what follows, you read the words of someone who
isn’t just writing what he thinks...who isn’t just offering an
opinion based on what he’s read in the Bible or what his church
teaches--these are the writings of one who has experienced firsthand the
reality of God and Satan and either paid the price or reaped the blessing.
Not everyone will agree with every point I make, and that's fine. When you
come down to it, all that matters is where you spend Eternity, and how you
get there. Beyond that I do offer views on all sorts of topics. Most of them,
whether I'm right or wrong, have nothing to do with your salvation. My concern
is that you make certain you understand what the basis of your salvation
is, and if you do disagree with my views on that--then know why
you do, and think through the full repercussions of whatever belief system
you're relying on.
.
The purpose of this site
This site is here to help people come to embrace Jesus Christ as savior,
and to help them gain a more complete knowledge of Him. While I’ve tried
to write in such a way that even someone who has never had exposure to the
Gospel can gain an understanding of salvation through this site, most of
what 's presented is written with the intent of helping to guide established
Christians into a closer relationship with God. I've been around long enough
to understand that different people need different sorts of presentation
in order to respond to the message of the Gospel, so this site can't work
for everyone, and that's OK. You see, some need to hear the Gospel wrapped
in a message of "Repent or go to Hell"; some people will respond when they
hear of the love of God; while others need the Gospels presented to them
in an ordered, analytical manner that reaches them through their intellect
rather than their emotions. But I hope everyone can find something useful
here. Because guests may not visit each separate page, I may sometimes reiterate
some important points in more than one place, so please bear with me.
I have listed some categories below that might be helpful. Click on the one
that seems right for you today.
For non-Christians, or those who just
aren’t sure
Misunderstanding the book of James
.
For Christians, old or
new
If you have any other questions, or if this site has helped you, feel
free to email me.
(Note: some people have told me that emails to me have
been bouncing. If that happens to you, try again or use the email address
newbible@earthlink.net)
If you have been blessed by this site and feel moved to donate something
to help this ministry, you may do so by going to
paypal and sending your gift to
vggarcia@ix.netcom.com Give to your own church first,
though! Please note: since Jesus paid taxes, we declare and
pay taxes on any donations.
Menu from A New Christian's
Handbook
What you never knew about the Pharisees
On Baptism and bad teaching about the "Gifts of the
Spirit"
Demonology--the forbidden subject
What you never knew about the New Testament’s view
of the Law
What you never knew about doubt & unbelief
Should Jews be "targeted" for conversion? or Sharing
one's faith with a Jewish person.
A new, three-part series on justification and the Law
I recommend, as additional food for thought, an
online
message by Messianic David Hocking on the Sabbath. While I would have
some different opinions and conclusions than he presents, David cleaves to
the essentials of the historic Christian faith, and is one of only a few
Messianic Jews whose teachings I can wholeheartedly recommend.
.
BIBLE COLLEGE
101
Or...
The Resurrection Life Study
BibleTM
.
I thank God for Bible colleges, but the sad truth is, many of them do nothing
more than turn out cookie cutter clones of the generation that came before
the present one, regurgitating the same doctrinal ideas that arose to explain
why the power of God left their denominations generations earlier in the
first place. The so-called "scholars" that come out of these higher institutes
of learning half the time don't even believe the Bible really means what
it says, or that it can be trusted to infallibly convey universal truth to
all generations! Worst of all, are these men with a bunch of letters after
their names, who master examining the Scriptures with a microscope, so that
they never see the true picture of what the entire panoply of Scripture reveals,
even though they can see the individual molecules of the pigments. They know
the legion of textual variants from the various papyri, but they make little
or no positive impact on any Believer's life, while demeaning the less educated
Believers who are out in the highways and byways proclaiming the Gospel and
doing the real work.
With this in mind, those who wish for a more in-depth understanding of the
Bible will find below a series of New Testament commentaries. If you'll study
them, you'll receive a better education in the New Testament than you can
get at most any Bible college--and all for free! Now so far as things like
learning how to compose engrossing, three-point sermons and the like, I can't
help you there. Nor will you ever earn yourself man's title of "Doctor" by
studying what's offered. But here, what you can do is glean explanations
of what the New Testament actually teaches, in an easy-to-understand format
that goes beyond denominational doctrinal straight jackets as it attempts
to present as comprehensive an exposition of the New Testament as it can.
As of 2005, I will be adding paraphrases to the New Testament books to assist
even more in making the traditional King James version of the Scriptures
a bit easier to comprehend to a modern audience. The Paraphrase will also
expand some verses to help convey their full meanings more clearly, which
will be especially notable when we reach the epistles of Paul. (When it does
this, the expanded text will be bracketed as this text is.) If you know a
person who needs a simpler version of the Bible to read than some that are
out there, it may be helpful to print out the pages for him, or to refer
him to this site. The King James, of course, is side-by-side with the paraphrase,
allowing the reader to compare the paraphrase against the actual Scripture
as food for thought. The reader may then agree or disagree with the way the
paraphrase renders the verse as seems best to him.
.
The theologian may also benefit from looking over the paraphrase since it
explains some of the more difficult verses of Scripture.
.
Keep in mind, a paraphrase always reflects the writer's own views, so it
will always have error here and there due to the writer's fallible understanding
of the Bible. Thus, a paraphrase is never to be considered an inerrant exposition
of the Scriptures on par with a true Bible like the KJV, NASB, etc. Paraphrases
are only study tools, and you should never look at them
as true Scripture nor quote them as such.
NEWS!
7/1/07 Special note: This work is finally done, and a new paperback edition
for the mass market is currently under production at Xulon books. The actual
copies will not be available for a few weeks yet, but the price of the books
through the web site here will be $25, which will include shipping. For buyers
outside the US, the total cost will be $30.
Note that the Bible does not include the Epistle
to the Laodiceans. It will also have updated articles on the Pharisees, the
way the Law worked in the 1st century with regard to Gentiles, a section
on Demons and what the Bible says they can do, and the Unforgivable
Sin.
The price will be $25 per copy, which includes shipping.
To order your copy, you may send check or MO
to:
Vince Garcia
Box 4284
Fresno, Cal. 93744
You can also use Paypal to my email address:
vggarcia@ix.netcom.com
Thanks for all your interest and support!
* If you live outside the US, the price will be
$30 which will include shipping by Air
Special offer
.
Some copies of the original hard cover test printing from 2006 are still
available. If you would like one as a collector's item, you can order them
for $25 each (includes shipping) while the supply lasts.
Note: The files here always present the most up-to-date version of the work,
while the files at newbible.biz present the files in the most recent
printed edition. There is very little difference between the two but
for some minor revisions here and there.
The Gospel of Matthew--with commentary and paraphrase
The Gospel of Mark--with commentary and paraphrase
The Gospel of Luke--with commentary and paraphrase
The Gospel of John--with commentary and paraphrase
The Book of Acts--with commentary and paraphrase
The Epistles--in correct chronological order
The Epistle to the Galatians--with commentary and paraphrase
(47-48 AD)
The Epistle of James--with commentary and paraphrase
(47-48 AD)
The Epistles of 1st & 2nd Thessalonians--with commentary
and paraphrase (51-52 AD)
The Epistle of 1st Corinthians--with commentary &
paraphrase (52-54 AD)
The Epistle of 2nd Corinthians--with commentary &
paraphrase(52-54 AD)
The Epistle to the Romans--with commentary & paraphrase
(52-57 AD)
The Epistle to the Colossians--with commentary &
paraphrase (61-63 AD)
The Epistle to Philemon--with commentary& paraphrase
(63 AD)
Bonus: the lost Eptistle to the
Laodiceans (61-62 AD)
The Epistle to the Ephesians--with commentary & paraphrase
(61-63 AD)
The Epistle to the Philippians--with commentary &
paraphrase (61-63 AD)
The Epistle of 1st Timothy--with commentary &
paraphrase (65 AD)
The Epistle of 1st Peter--with commentary & paraphrase
(65-66 AD)
The Epistle to Titus--with commentary & paraphrase
(66 AD)
The Epistle of Jude--with commentary & paraphrase
(65-75 AD)
The Epistle of 2nd Peter--with commentary & paraphrase
(65-67 AD)
The Book of Hebrews-with commentary & paraphrase
(65-67 AD)
The Epistle of 2nd Timothy--with commentary & paraphrase
(67 AD)
The Epistles of John-with commentary & paraphrase
(90-95 AD)
The Book of Revelation with commentary& paraphrase
(96 AD)
What? You don't want to be bogged down with the
King James version and a bunch of commentary notes getting in the way of
easy reading? Well, then click here for...
The Resurrection Life New Testament
ParaphraseTM
This features only the paraphrase, with the notes and King James text
removed.
.
A New Christian's Guidebook, A New Christian's Handbook, The
Resurrection Life Study Bible, and The Resurrection
Life New Testament Paraphrase are trademarks of Vince Garcia.
This site stands in support of these fine ministries:
Excerpts are from both the KJV and THE NEW JERUSALEM
BIBLE (c) 1985 by Darton, Longman & Todd Ltd, a division of Random House,
Inc. Reprinted by permission.
Can I be
(Catholic/Mormon/Gay, etc) and be Saved?
Why don’t
all these denominations agree, and how do I know which is right?
I think I’ve
committed the Unforgivable sin --what can I do?
Why are Christians
I’ve met such jerks?!
I’ve accepted
Christ--now what ?
How much sin
can I commit and still be Saved?
How do I live
a Christian life?
Why Christians
have no victory or The path of true Christian living
How to overcome
being mad at God
What about
this "Tongues" stuff?
Is Jesus really
coming back, and what is the "Rapture"?
Just who and what is the Devil?
"Can I lose
my salvation?" & other questions Christians might ask (This
section covers quite a bit, including the psychics like james Van Praagh,
the Occult and New Age)
Abraham--our
paradigm for justification--who never kept the Sabbath or Law
.Where no Law is, there is
no transgression.
It's been years, but here is a new
offering--THE KIDS'
GOSPEL OF MARK. A Gospel paraphrase just for young
people!
