How Many Galaxies are there?

 1. How many stars in our Galaxy?

The Milky Way galaxy is estimated to contain anywhere from 100 billion to 400 billion stars. However, it is difficult to determine an exact number as many stars are too faint to be detected with current technology, and the exact size and structure of the galaxy is still not fully known.

2. What Galaxy has the most stars?

The galaxy with the most number of stars currently known is the IC 1101 galaxy, which is located about 1.04 billion light-years away from Earth in the constellation Virgo. IC 1101 is a supergiant elliptical galaxy, and it is estimated to contain around 100 trillion stars, which is several times more than the number of stars in our Milky Way galaxy. However, it is important to note that our knowledge of the universe is constantly evolving, and new discoveries may reveal even more star-rich galaxies in the future.

3. How many Galaxies are there?

The exact number of galaxies in the observable universe is not known, but it is estimated to be in the range of 100 billion to 2 trillion galaxies. This wide range of estimates is due to the fact that we can only observe a small fraction of the universe, and our methods for detecting galaxies are limited by factors such as distance and the amount of light emitted by the galaxy. Additionally, the definition of what constitutes a "galaxy" can vary depending on the context and the specific criteria used for classification. Nevertheless, current observations and theoretical models suggest that there are likely many more galaxies in the universe than we can currently observe.

Total Depravity, Boettner

 "Man is a free agent but he cannot originate the love of God in his heart. His will is free in the sense that it is not controlled by any force outside of himself. As the “bird” with a broken wing is “free” to fly but not able, so the natural man is free to come to God but not able. How can he repent of his sin when he loves it? How can he come to God when he hates him? This is the inability of the will under which man labors.”

~ Lorraine Boettner 1901-1990, "Total Depravity"

Buildings and Websites

 


The best Christian websites are like the best Christian buildings. You can build it, but it doesn't mean the unbeliever is going to visit. And perhaps an unbeliever will visit, but without the Holy Spirit they will leave as bored as they came. God has provided great Christian websites and great buildings for the benefit of His people, but until the Holy Spirit gives the new birth they are powerless to change minds and hearts.

Institutes 3.4.3 Repentance

 

Monergism Article on Repentance

 Do you think repentance means we simply stop sinning?

Repentance does not mean to simply stop sinning. Instead, it involves the grace-enabled act of turning to the sole Person with the capacity to empower an individual to overcome sin—namely, Christ. Being a Christian is not a self-salvation project, but rather an appeal to the divine grace of God in Jesus Christ as the sole hope for redemption. Bereft of this divine intervention, human beings would remain perpetually incapable of change, irrespective of therapeutic interventions or the exertion of willpower. Prior to Christ's opening of the heart to the gospel, every individual remains ensnared in inescapable bondage. The necessity of Christ's intervention underscores the futility of attempting self-salvation. Part of the problem is that people are still stuck on trying, at least partly, to save themselves. As articulated in Luke 18:27, what is impossible for humanity—faith and repentance—is possible with God.

Here is an analogy that helps us further understand the nature of repentance:

Jesus said to them, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners."

Just as you don't need a doctor unless you are sick, similarly, you don't need a Savior unless you are a sinner. Christ's mission is to save those who recognize themselves as sinners in need of redemption. By nature, humans are inclined toward pride, resisting the admission of their status as rebellious sinners who require rescue. In the context of the aforementioned quotation, the Pharisees interrogate Jesus about his association with tax collectors and sinners, believing themselves to be more righteous. However, this self-righteousness ultimately exposes them as individuals who fail to recognize their own sinfulness and need for grace. Instead, they remain trapped in a cycle of pride, erroneously believing that they merit God's favor.

Thus, the call to repentance commences with the acknowledgment of one's entrapment in sin, the recognition of one's incapacity to escape its grasp, and the appeal to Christ as the sole means of deliverance from both the guilt and power of sin. In this way, repentance transcends the mere cessation of sinful actions (an impossible supposition) and encompasses a profound, grace-facilitated transformation in the individual's relationship with God, enabled by Jesus Christ.