Nieto Bible Page

  You have to work to get something. That is what this world hammered into our heads since childhood. You want high grades? Study. You want a job? Apply for it. You want promotion? Work hard.  We're told there is no free lunch.  And honestly this philosophy is not all wrong. But when it comes to the spiritual, this doesn't work.  Eternal life is by grace through faith , Eph 2:8-9 . You cannot work for it. No works are sufficient to secure eternal life.  The works and diligence that bring you good grades, employment and promotion are not enough to bring eternal life.  Eternal life is a gift and it is given by God to those who believe in Jesus for it.   It isn't given for being a good person. It isn't given for membership to a particular religion. It isn't given for faithfulness.  It is given to those who believe.  Why is it given freely?  It's because all the work was done by Christ Himself. He purchased our salvation at the Cros...

  "Why are you happy kahit sa gitna ng mga pagsubok na iyong pinagdaraanan?" Probably this is the greatest complement a Christian can get from a hardened unbeliever. I long to hear this question.  This question means that the unbelievers can see something in you that he didn't see in other people. If you're smart, this is an opportunity to share Christ. At the most fundamental level, the difference between a Christian and a non-Christian is the presence of Christ . I mean the label CHRISTian is a give away.  When a person believes in Jesus Christ , he receives eternal life . The Holy Spirit also places him in Christ. This is our new positional reality. No matter how it looks on the outside, we share Christ's life, His holiness and His destiny.  So when people asked why we're different, that's the answer- we have Christ. We experienced the same adversities but we experienced it in Christ. We are not alone. We have the resources of Christ at our disposal. ...

  Romans 2:1 [1]Therefore you have no excuse, everyone of you who passes judgment, for in that which you judge another, you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things. Romans 7:15-16 [15]For what I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate. [16]But if I do the very thing I do not want to do, I agree with the Law, confessing that the Law is good. Gusto ko sanang sabihing perpekto ang aking Cristianong pamumuhay . Na lagi akong sumusunod sa Diyos, hindi nagkakasala at laging handang maglingkod. Ngunit ang katotohanan ay isa akong makasalanan. Ang pagkakaiba lang ay isa akong makasalanang may kasiguruhan ng buhay na walang hanggan . May kasiguruhan ako dahil nanampalataya ako kay Cristo. Siya ang nangako sa Juan 3:16 : ang sinumang sumampalataya ay hindi mapapahamak kundi mayroong buhay na walang hanggan.  Just because I post about God doesn't mean that I have everything in order. I don't...

  May isang lalaking nagmamaneho ng sasakyan. Nadaanan niya ang dalawang lalaking may dalang karatula, "Malapit na ang katapusan." Nagsisigaw sila at pinipilit na parahin ang lalaki. Hindi sila pinansin ng lalaki at dirediretso siyang nagmaneho hanggang mahulog sa bangin. Nagsalita ang isa sa mga may karatula, "Sa tingin mo dapat sinulat natin ay 'Putol ang tulay?'" This is a joke of course. But it is a spiritual reality for many people spiritually. Sa isang banda may mga taong ini-ignore ang pagmamalasakit ng mga Cristianong ang tanginv hangad ay makaligtas sila mula sa kapahamakan ng impiyerno. Kahit ilang beses silang balikan at katukin ng mga Cristianong nagbabahagi ng evangelio , tinatakwil niya ang mga ito. Para sa sa kaniya hindi sapat ang manampalataya kay Jesus para magkaroon ng buhay na walang hanggan . Mas nais niyang magtiwala sa kaniyang magagawa, sa kaniyang relihiyon kaysa sa Kaniyang namatay sa krus sa pagbayad ng kaniyang mga kasalanan.  An...

  I still remember nang nagsimula kaming mag-asawa. Isang talong ay hinahati namin sa dalawa. Isa ay para gawing ensalada na pananghalian; ang kalahati ay hombura (eggplant and onion soup) para sa hapunan. Those were difficult days. Those were the days na ang tanging nasa isip lang namin ay magsurvive. I am thankful for those days. They made me appreciate whatever little we have now. Malayo na rin ang aming pinagdaanan since those days. Malayo pa sa aming goal na financial independence . But by God’s grace , alam kong malayo pa ang maaabot. Kahit paano nakakabili na kami ng higit sa isang talong. Nakapag-aaral ang mga bata. Nakababayad ng mga bills. Nakapag-iimpok sa bangko kahit kaunti. Nakapag-aabuloy sa simbahan at nakatutulong sa ibang kapamilya. Nakakain sa labas paminsan-minsan. Wala pa ring ekstra para sa travels. Walang pambili ng lahat nang gusto. But I believe darating din tayo diyan. Just trust that God will provide. The little that we have? Ang mga ito ay minsan...

  2 Timothy 3:5 [5]holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power… Men have always been attracted to the formality of religion. They wanted the externals without the internals. It was true or men before. It is true of men today. We think that we can earn God’s approval by submitting ourselves to an external list. If we act right, speak right, dress right and associate with the right people, we’ll be accepted by God. Men taught that we need to join a religion, obey its precepts and rules, be faithful until the end and avoid sinning. All of these may be helpful and even desirable. But without the internal, all these externals cannot help man gain God’s approval. It might help you reform yourself, make yourself acceptable to like-minded people and in general make you a better man. But you will just be as lost as when you begin. Reformation is not regeneration. A religion deprived of Christ is just as unsaving as having no religion at all. Jesus Christ died ...

  What are you living for?  For Christians the highest priority is God's glory and enjoying Him forever. That means developing an intimate relationship with God.  That relationship cannot be earned by works. You cannot establish a relationship with God by working for it. You established relationship with Him by believing in Jesus. John 1:12-13 [12]But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name,  [13]who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.  The only way to become child of God is by believing in Jesus Christ.  It is not joining a religion or doing hood works until you die.  Once that relationship is established, it is forever. Once a son by faith in Christ, always a son. This is eternal security .  You need to develop the intimacy in that relationship. You grow by studying doctrine and applying them to your life through the ...

  Everyone wants to go to Heaven (or whatever their notion of eternal bliss). But do you know the Way?  Many religions teach that membership into their religion is the key to going to Heaven. If you join their religion, listen and observe all their teachings, undergo all their rituals, give generously to their religion and be faithful until death, you might earn enough points to go to Heaven. It is all works. If you do enough good works, that might earn you the right to eternal life.  They don't know how much good works or for how long you'll work but they do know that if you didn't join their religion, you have no chance at all.  That's what religion is all about- doing and doing until you die. Without assurance and security.  Christianity is different. For Christians salvation (eternal life, going to Heaven, etc) comes not through religion but through a Person- Jesus Christ .  Acts 4:12 [12]And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name...

  Rest in peace.  Madalas natin itong sabihin sa mga namatayan upang ipatungkol sa kapahingahan ng namatay. Marahil bedridden for years and namatay at ang kamatayan ay kapahingahan sa kaniya. Marahil may sakit, may kapansanan o kaya ay hirap sa buhay ang namatay, and supposedly death is an escape from all of these.  Gusto nating aluhin ang namatayan. Gusto natin silang i-comfort. So we say condolences to them and rest in peace to the departed.  But. I don't want to burst your bubbles. I don't want to remove any comfort. But the truth is, if you die without believing in Jesus Christ , you won't have peace on the other side of life. You'll be in eternal torment, day and night.  Sin separated man from God and unfortunately all are sinners. The penalty for unpaid sin is the Lake of Fire . But in God's love, He sends His only begotten Son Jesus to die at the Cross for our sins. He removed sins as a barrier before God and man. All a person need to do to benefit from C...

  I am very thankful that I have a strong wife. Alam kong hindi madaling maging asawa ko.  I have so many flaws that I wonder kung anong nagustuhan sa akin ng aking misis (other than my extremely good looks ✌️🤣). But seriously, I am thankful that despite of the fact that "too many billion people running around the planet" she find her way to me.  I firmly believe in the doctrine of right man and right woman . If you don't believe, that's okay. I just hope your marriage is happier than mine.  I am thankful that my wife is submissive, respectful and supportive of my leadership and headship. I am not a perfect husband. I don't think I am even good, but she manages to make me look good.  It takes a lot of skill to make my mediocre headship looks passable.  I am thankful that she is strong enough and trusting enough to point out my flaws. She will tell me respectfully my errors. Most of the time I agree with her and change. On the few moments I disagree and put...

  Luke 16:26 [26]And besides all this, between us and you there is a great chasm fixed, so that those who wish to come over from here to you will not be able, and that none may cross over from there to us.' Hebrews 9:27 [27]And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment, YOLO . You only live once. This is the motto of this generation. Usually they use it to mean getting the maximum happiness in this life because when you die, you lose opportunities to enjoy life.  This is a very hedonistic view of life.  But there is truth in this. You do live only once. Then after that is the judgment. There is no second chance to undo or redo whatever decisions you made while you're alive.  What this means is while you're still alive, use this to secure your eternal destiny . Wise businessmen plan years ahead. They deny themselves immediate gratification in favor of future success. Wiser people plan not only years ahead but eternity ahead. When y...

  Jesus prayed for unity:  John 17:22-23 [22]The glory which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one, just as We are one; [23]I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me. Paul did too: Ephesians 4:1-3 [1]Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, [2]with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love, [3]being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. Unfortunately most of our churches do not have this Biblical unity. Many churches are like the Corinthians who have hero-worship and personality-driven. Or unwise like the audience of James.  Others misunderstood unity as uniformity. They looked alike, they talk alike, they dressed alike and they only associate with people who looked, talked and dressed lik...

  It doesn't matter how rich or famous you are, sooner or later you will die. And when you die, you'll face judgment . If you believe in Jesus you go straight to Him. If you didn't, you go straight to judgement.  Even unbelievers instinctively know this. That is why they don't like to die.  They try to prolong life using technology and medicine. They tried to immortalized themselves by being the best in what they do.  But none of these give comfort. Because no matter how many people surrounded you at deathbed, you'll be alone when you walk the shadows of the valley of death.  For unbelievers, death is a frightening experience. Having rejected Christ, they don't have assurance of what happens after death. They may wished they have been annihilated to their last atoms.  But for believers, death is a doorway to eternity. Believers in Jesus, whether rich or famous, will enter into eternity with God. And that will be an eternity of happiness and holiness. ...

  "Life doesn't make sense. It is just one darned thing after another." Marahil maraming beses ninyo na itong (or variations of this) narinig. People are complaining about the meaninglessness of life .  This isn't new. Solomon raised the same issue in Ecclesiastes .  For unbelievers (and unfortunately for many believers out of fellowship with God), life has no meaning. They only breath, eat, work, sleep, then repeat. Maybe go to church on Sundays and then wait until you die.  But for believers, life is meaningful. It is our opportunity to grow into Christ-likeness and become overcomers  in this life and servant -rulers in the future. Having been born again through faith in Christ, life gives us the opportunity to bring to maturity that which was given to us. This life enables us to participate in maturing into the likeness of Christ.  When you view life like this, things fall into place. You understand why you undergo prosperity and adversity. Both are t...

  We will all die except for a certain generation that will undergo Rapture . It is a matter of who dies first.  For many that is tragic. For believers, it is a promotion to glory. It means passing through the gates of time towards an eternity with Jesus.  Yes those left behind will grieve. But never as without hope. Believers have the hope of grand reunion one day when all the dead in Christ will rise first, the living ones translated and both raptured to be with Christ forever.  The real tragedy is dying without believing in Jesus. That will result to an eternity without Him. That is an eternity in the Lake of Fire.  Jesus became a Man for one main purpose - to remove sin as a barrier between God and men. His Incarnation accomplished many purposes - fulfillment of prophecies, revelation of God to men, inauguration of the new covenant, etc- but His death at the Cross as propitiation for our sins is one of the primary, if not the primary purpose. He died so sin...