13Thou shalt fear the Lord thy God, and serve him, and shalt swear by his name.14Ye shall not go after other gods, of the gods of the people which are round about you; 15 (For the Lord thy God is a jealous God among you) lest the anger of the Lord thy God be kindled against thee, and destroy thee from off the face of the earth.
A dramatic warning from the Old Testament! Fear God and do not pursue the gods (idols) of the world. If you do, he will wipe you off the face of the earth!
The best-known verse in the Bible . . .
16For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
loved the world . . . this was a shocking statement to the Jews. “God so loved the Jews” is what they would expect to hear, but that is not what he said. God loves the world . . . all of us.
he gave his only begotten Son . . . God gave what was most dear to him, his beloved Son, as the ultimate atonement for sin, as a gift and not something deserved. His love for the sinning world was not sentimentality but a love that had tremendous cost.
whosoever believeth in him . . . not the whole world benefits from the gift. It is those who believe, trust and obey; who put their complete faith in; who give their lives to; who rely entirely upon his Son Jesus that will reap the benefit of the grace (unmerited favor) given by God to the unrighteous world.
should not perish, but have everlasting life . . . this speaks to the quality of our eternal existence. To “perish” does not mean annihilation, but ruin, failure to realize God’s purpose, and exclusion from his fellowship. To perish is to endure the wrath of God, which is an eternity in the fire of hell. “Everlasting life” is to avoid God’s wrath because Jesus paid for your sin by his sacrifice on the cross. Through faith in Jesus, you traded hell for heaven and will experience an eternity of joy being in right standing with God.
17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
Jesus did not come to judge, instead, he provided the opportunity for us to accept the gift of salvation. The judgment of the world comes later.
The positive perspective in these verses of salvation by faith in Christ should be joined with the consequence of unbelief that is presented in John 3:36!
36 . . . and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.
Since the apple incident, humanity has believed the lie that it is preferable to live for their desires instead of for God. The instinct has been self-enrichment, self-preservation, self-satisfaction, and self-glorification. But life in Christ is dramatically contrary to those attitudes and objectives. By divine assistance, the Christian understands and submits to these undercurrents of the faith, manifesting a transformed life.
Continue readingNot true. God made us individually, and not one person is the same as another. Besides common foundational biological attributes, every person is dramatically unique, superior in some ways and inferior in others.
I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well. Psalm 139:14
Continue readingAnd we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified. Romans 8:28-30
Continue readingThat if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. Romans 10:9-10
Continue readingThere is a God. Though he is not physically with us or speaks audibly to us, there are undeniable, tangible markers in the world that testify to his presence.
The first is that we are here. There is no dispute that the probability of the simplest life forms appearing on a planet, let alone the existence of complex humans, is effectively zero. Yet, despite the logic of science and mathematical probability, here we are. The likelihood that you exist is 100% (because you are reading this), but the probability of you existing is zero. Is it reasonable to believe that the incredibly slim odds were beaten by chance alone?
Also, consider the astounding diversity of living things here on Earth. There are so many different species that no one can count them. The latest educated, authoritative guess is over 8.5 million, give or take a million. Present in these millions of species is a vast spectrum of configuration that seems to speak of influence well beyond the pressure of the environment or adaptation needed to survive over time. For example, the blue whale weighs 400,000 pounds, and the tiny bumblebee bat only 7/100 of an ounce. One lives underwater, and the other flies through the air using the echo of his screams to find and catch bugs. It seems improbable that evolution could account for the dramatic diversity of the animals on the Earth. Instead, I would suggest that the massive inventory of diverse and distinct flora and fauna is credible evidence of God’s work.
Then there is morality, the knowledge of good and evil, and the principles concerning the distinction between right and wrong. In nature, it is correct and acceptable for the strong to prey on the weak and for the cunning to deceive the naive. There is no wrong in nature; there is only the way things are. But in human society, even though the definition and perception of morality may change somewhat over time, we recognize that some actions and behaviors are good, righteous, and noble, while others are immoral, wrong, and unacceptable.
I doubt there would be disagreement that genocide is immoral or that sacrifice for others would be deemed righteous. It is easy to recognize the evil in our world, such as the depraved wretch that murdered his mother and then massacred 20 precious children at Sandy Hook elementary. It is also just as apparent that one who would volunteer his life to save another, or to save everyone, is the pinnacle of virtue. If there is only nature, with no distinction of morality, then what accounts for our fundamental recognition of wrong or right and good or evil? Did we become aware of the difference by upbringing, intellect, and experience? Or do we live in a world created by a God who intends for us to live above the instinct of nature?
The evidence is compelling that there is an architect and creator, but drawing that conclusion, or rejecting it, are both acts of faith. Some will believe that the existence of God is obvious and that to conclude otherwise defies reason. Others will put their trust in the infinitesimal odds that this all has occurred by chance.
If God’s existence is evident, then why the aversion by so many to believe in him?
One reason is that many don’t feel that they need God. Adequate prosperity, accomplishment, acceptance, and self-sufficiency often negate the conscious need for God. Another reason is the apprehension of God’s requirements. We fear that if we acknowledge him, he might ask, or worse, demand, something from us. There is trepidation that the acceptance of God means required abstinence from the pleasures of life (particularly for the young); a demand to sacrifice time, energy, and money to him or organized religion; or the pressure to assume weird, socially unacceptable behavior in judging and forcing religion on others. Who would want to sign up for that? No one! But understand that these things are not true. The reality is that we all need a savior, and the burden of obedience is insignificant compared to the astounding magnitude of his blessings – both in this life and the next.
Though our instinct is to live under our own direction and to do as we please, if the conclusion stands that there must be a God, then it seems imperative to understand what that means for us individually. It could be that our instincts are wrong and that it is to our dramatic benefit to understand and to our tragic detriment to dismiss.
On the other hand, if we conclude there is no God of consequence, then what? If all this is a fluke of nature, then we are free to spend our lives chasing pleasure, comfort, and security. We should follow our hearts’ desires, achieve what we can, accumulate more stuff, love our families, crush our enemies, and maybe try to live a good life (though I am not sure why). Then comes death. You are gone, forgotten, and forever perished. What was the point? Maybe there isn’t one.
Do you buy that?
Why is Christianity the correct pursuit of God?
Consider that Christianity sprang from the most obscure beginning and blossomed into the predominant religion on Earth over the last two thousand years. Billions of souls believe that Jesus Christ is God. How could it be that the words of a man born in a primitive town 2,000 years ago, who delivered his message for only 36 months and gathered a handful of followers before his brutal murder at the age of 32, were not lost to the ages? How can it be that the message of this guy has persisted?
Two thousand years later, Jesus is everywhere in our society – either worshiped, ignored, mocked, or despised. It seems absurd that a young Jewish carpenter’s words and actions from so long ago would be the most impactful and influential on humanity ever in history. Unless, of course, Jesus Christ is who he claimed to be – God incarnate.
So, what sets Christianity apart from any other set of beliefs or concepts of God? Here are three primary reasons why Christianity, which is faith in Jesus Christ, is superior to everything else:
So, what is the message of Christianity? What is in the Bible that makes it so compelling? What did Jesus do that dramatically changed the hope of mankind over the past 20 centuries?
The answer is salvation.
“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. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.” John 3:16-17
The good news of Jesus Christ is that he has provided us the means to be reconciled with God and the opportunity to come to know him as our loving father. Because of his sacrifice on the cross, we can enjoy peace with God and reap the benefits of being one of his beloved children. Benefits that we enjoy both in this life and the life to come.
Fallen Man
“for all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” Romans 3:23
Born spiritually separated from God, we spend our lives pursuing our desires. Things that come to us naturally attest to our adversarial standing with him. Our natural inclination is to sin, transgress against God’s law, and rebel against him. We see this clearly and dramatically in the immorality and depravity in the world. We also see it in our daily lives as we live for our own pleasure and comfort. We prioritize our interests, desires, and love of things in this world ahead of God. Jesus tells us that the most important commandment is: “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.” Read Matthew 22:37-38 Who of us does that or is even capable of doing that?
God’s Judgement
“For the wages of sin is death; . . . “ The first half of Romans 6:23
God’s holy nature demands justice; he cannot condone sin. He is the essence of righteousness, the foundation and source of right and good. He is the stark contrast to what is wrong and evil in the world. Being a just God, he cannot allow sin to go unpunished or forgive without proper atonement. If God were to let any transgression stand, he would be no better than us. The bad news is that the penalty for sin is death, and we all deserve the wrath of God that is coming when we stand before him and face his judgment.
Man’s Attempt to Reconcile
Some don’t see the need to reconcile anything at all with God. They go through their lives without giving this any serious consideration. Many others, who have a notion of God, feel they are in good standing with him if they try to live a good life and be a good person. The presumption is that if you generally treat others well, think good thoughts, and rely on the good things you have done in life, that should be sufficient. Surely a person who has tried to live a good life does not deserve an eternity in the hell of the Bible, right?
The religious man’s instinct has been to do something to make things right with God. In man’s consistent overestimation of the good in himself, he tries to win God’s favor by doing what he believes, or has been told, pleases him. He tries to appease through self-righteous attempts to follow the rules and rituals of religion, living a pious life, or doing good works. But to God, it is futile nonsense.
The truth is, there is nothing anyone can do to earn God’s forgiveness. We are incapable of measuring up to his standard of righteousness. No matter how good you try to be, how good you think you are, you are not good enough. In the Old Testament, the prophet Isaiah tells us that our very best is no better than filthy rags to God. Read Isaiah 64:6
God’s Incomparable Gift
“ . . . but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” The second half of Romans 6:23
If we are incapable of attaining a righteous standing with God, is our fate then sealed to experience God’s judgment and wrath and suffer eternity in hell? Thankfully No! God so loves the people in the world that he provided the means to become righteous in his eyes, be forgiven of our sins, and be reconciled to him. He accomplished this for us by sending his Son, the person Jesus Christ, to live a perfectly obedient, sinless life and then be nailed to the cross to die for our sins. Jesus bore our sin and paid our debt, redeeming (purchasing) us from the penalty and power of sin with his blood on the cross.
“But God demonstrates his own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having been justified by his blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through him.” Romans 5:8-9
Faith in Jesus saves us from God’s wrath and provides us the means to become what we were meant to be, his beloved sons and daughters. The depth of God’s love for us, paying such a costly price for those who are by nature his adversaries, is hard to grasp. But the clearer you understand the essence of your sin, the more you realize how profound and precious this gift is. This understanding, magnified as you come to know the Lord and understand what he did for you, produces deep, humble thankfulness for an underserved pardon. By his grace, unmerited and undeserved favor, God offers this gift to deliver us all from the condemnation we deserve and instead provide redemption, the forgiveness of sins, and an eternity in heaven with him.
Acceptance
“That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.” Romans 10:9
God’s gift of salvation is available to all who choose to receive it. To accept this gift is easy, but the decision must be rooted in what you believe in your heart. This is to understand you live in sin and ask God to forgive you. Believe that Jesus Christ is his Son, who died on the cross for your sin and was raised from the dead three days later. Change the direction of your life (this is to repent) and trust, follow and obey Jesus Christ for the rest of your days on Earth. Accept his gift of salvation to save your soul and live forever with all the benefits of a beloved child of the God of all creation. Ask him to fill your heart with his presence and guide you, direct you, and sanctify you. Do this in prayer, from conviction in your heart, and you will be saved.
Know that this is not a magic chant or an act of religious emotion; instead, it is an act of faith, believing God’s word. The result of that faith is justification, being made righteous in God’s sight. This is the beginning of a new life for you. God gives you a clean slate, everything is forgiven, and you are now reconciled to God forever. Now seek him in his word, in congregations of true believers, in prayer, and you will find him. Read Matthew 7:7-8
“Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Jesus Christ. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.” Romans 8:1-2
John 3:36 