Wow…. guys this a lot of intense discussion going on here. Firstly, I would like to say that I love that movie. It has the ability to influence people’s lives in the sense that many non-christians may watch it and as a result have that seed planted in their heart, watered or harvested! Secondly, as a kiwi I wanted to let you know that Keisha Castle-Hughes is an amazing young actress who has succeeded in her career despite her age and the fact that she comes from a country as small as Aotearoa. Her daughter is now coming up to two years of age and she is the cutest thing you could imagine. I believe that it is not our position to judge how God chose to bring that young child into the world… but the fact is that he created her in her mother’s womb at that point in time for a specific reason and that it is no accident that she is here today. I congratulate Keisha on her courage for bring a child into the world at her age despite the media attention on the situation. It would have been easy for her to abort the beautiful child and take the easy way out, but God had a purpose and it overcame. So, lets not judge her… lets support and encourage her, because she had the courage to be responsible for her actions.

So, this christmas maybe its time that you sit down with you family, flick on the telly and watch a good wholesome movie that depicts the struggles and triumphs that Mary went through all those years ago…. imagine what would have happened if she could have choosen to abort, or what if she had been stoned to death… lets be reminded that God has the ultimate plan for all of our lives, just like he did 2000 years ago.
Haere ra!!!

Lucy mentioned John 3:36. This verse reads: “He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides upon him.”

All right. Back to the Beginning. Directly after God created the universe He pronounced it “very good.” There was no sin, no evil; everything was perfect. Then Satan rebelled, along with a third of God’s angels, and he ended up in the Garden of Eden, where he tempted Eve and caused her to sin. Satan became the prince of this world, and evil reigned (until Christ’s resurrection, when He challenged death, fought it, and won a resounding victory)

Before the Fall, God loved Adam and Eve — they were His creation, designed to glorify Him! Then they disobeyed Him, rejected His authority, figured they knew better than God. So He caused them to become mortal, to experience pain.

But He loved them. God is perfect, He is Truth, He is righteousness, He is that which all Biblical standards are measured off of. He cannot endorse sin, live with it, be okay with it, or love it. But — He loves us. Incredible — but credible; we have God’s Word as testimony.

John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” Unbelievable — but as Christains we all have believed it, and have been SAVED! SAVED! Oh, what joy, what boundless, exhilirating, JOY! No longer are we slaves to sin — though our flesh may pull hard. Christ has knocked at the door of our hearts and we have let Him in — He is on the throne of our lives. Every temptation, every evil about us is still there, but we have God on our side; our flesh (in reality: principalities, powers, rulers of darkness of this age, spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places — see Eph. 6:12) doesn’t stand a chance. For if God is with us — who’s going to prevail against us? God loves us.

John 3:36. “He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides upon him.”

compared with

John 3:16. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”

After first glance (and second glance!), these verses flow together perfectly! Since when did being angry morph into being void of love? Have you ever been so mad at your younger sister or brother you desperately wished you could do something to help them? It is similar to the relationship between God and man. One thing, though — God does not get “mad.” “Mad” or “madness” stems from anger, but is mostly driven by emotions; it blinds people, often causing them to do terrible things. God does not get mad — but God is angry. He hates sin (remember God is the opposite of sin — God is Truth, while sin is rejection of The Truth) and He is angry at those men who do not repent.

Did you know you never get angry over something — or someone — you are not concerned about?? Think about it; it’s true. God is angry at sinners; they are His creation and are rejecting Him, the Creator. He is hurting for them, His heart is breaking for them, He is agonizing terrible pain as He sees them close their eyes and their ears to His Call. You see He LOVES them — loves them more than can be imagined, as He says in His Word. He beckens them to come to Him, but they will not. He is angry — but His heart is breaking.

Were we sinners before we allowed Christ Jesus to save us? Yes, we were — John 3:36 applied to us before we were saved. The wrath of God abided on us until we accepted his gift of salvation — we were not to see life before we were saved. Now, after we have accepted God’s salvation gift, we are to have everlasting life! But He loved us just as much before we were saved as He does now.

“…he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on Him.” (John 3:36b)

God has given all mankind a limited time - a lifetime - to accept His gracious mercy — but once this period is up and the filthy, unholy sinner faces God on the judgement seat, there is no going back. The wrath of God shall forever be upon him, he shall never see life; God will “disown” him: His love for this sinner will be ended.

Christians no longer are subject to the wrath of God; but we fear him — a kind of respect and awe as we realize His great power, that we are His creation, how He is is all-knowing, infinite, and a hater of sin. We fear Him — but not His wrath. Ideally, we obey Him and fear Him because of our LOVE for Him, not out of obligation or intimidation. You see? Since we are God’s children, he chastens us, nudges us, helps us along the Way. He is not only our Master, Lord, and Savior — He is our father. He is a much more loving, caring, and compassionate Father than any mortal father (this only goes one way, by the way: Love God more — don’t love your father less; God appointed him in that position!) Being God’s child is something I’d never trade for anything — it’s an awesome experience.

Remember this: God is angry at sinners; for they are His creation and are rejecting Him, the Creator. He is hurting for them, His heart is breaking for them, He is agonizing terrible pain as He sees them close their eyes and their ears to His Call. You see He LOVES them — loves them more than can be imagined, as He says in His Word. He beckens them to come to Him, but they will not. He is angry — but His heart is breaking.

I think this movie was very accurate (except for some small bits) and i thought it was beautifully shot, in a way that really makes the story real.