It Comes Down to Faith

John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son. 19 This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 20 Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. 21 But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God."
If God were to judge each of us by His laws, we would all be condemned because every single person has broken His law.  But God has made a new way whereby anyone can escape: through faith in Jesus Christ.  In the end, this will be the great divide: Those who believe in Christ on one side and those who do not believe on the other.  One side will inherit eternal life and the other will perish.  It can not be any clearer than that.  Why would it be so easy to inherit eternal life?   So that those who refuse have no excuse.  God could  not make it any easier.  Even a young child can do it.  If God gave his only Son so that we could be saved and we refuse to believe that testimony, what hope is left?

The great truth of the bible is we are justified by faith alone.  God does not accept us because of our own goodness, but because we believe in the one who is good.  God declares us free of the penalty of sin through this faith.  With this faith, the greatest sinner will be declared righteous.  This is the good news.  God loves you and has given you His Son in your place to pay the price of your sin.  The response by which we receive these benefits is to believe it from the heart.  "For with your heart you believe and are justified" (Romans 10:10). 

On the other hand, no one who does not believe will be justified according to this word.  "Whover does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son".  There is no other way.   We all start out condemned and move into forgiveness through faith.  It is the good news.  God so loved he world including you and I.

Learning About Christianity from the Bible: The New Birth

John 3:1 Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a member of the Jewish ruling council. 2 He came to Jesus at night and said, "Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him." 3 In reply Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again. " 4 "How can a man be born when he is old?" Nicodemus asked. "Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb to be born!" 5 Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. 6 Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. 7 You should not be surprised at my saying, 'You must be born again.' 8 The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit."

If you are not familiar with the Christian faith, you may have thought the term 'born again' was something that some Christian movement or denomination made up. As you now see, the term comes from the Bible, spoken by Jesus Himself. But what does it mean and what is its importance?

Jesus makes it clear that it is not a physical principle as Nicodemus thought, but a spiritual one. To be born again is to be 'born of the Spirit'. It is the work of the Spirit and results in spiritual birth. The fact that this operation is termed as a birth means that it is something new; something that was not there before. Elsewhere in Scripture it is called being born of God, rebirth, regeneration, renewal. The truth of the matter is that it is a spiritual transformation of the spirit or the heart by God himself. It is the miracle of conversion where the mind and heart are changed, yielding to new affection for God, new faith in Jesus Christ, new hope and joy. In short, a new life! It is written that "if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new" (2 Corinthians 5:17).

What makes this a true transformation is the Holy Spirit himself indwells the believer:

"By this we know that we abide in Him, and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit. And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God." (1 John 4:13-15)

"Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?" (1 Corinthians 6:19)

And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, "Abba, Father!" (Galatians 4:6)

The significance of this new birth can not be understated! Jesus said it is necessary in order to enter the kingdom of God. Some imagine the 'born again Christian' as some sort of Christian sub-culture. But according to Jesus, all believers are born again and no one who is not will go to heaven! To help understand why this is so, lets take a look some more Scripture:

Titus 3:3 For we ourselves were also once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another. 4 But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, 5 not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, 6 whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

Without the Spirit of God, the Bible describes our state as 1) living for our selfish desire, 2) devoid of the godly love for others 3) unwilling to live in obedience to God, 4) failing to believe God's truth but rather that which is not truth. This is called being "in the flesh" or "living by the sinful nature":

Romans 8:5 Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. 6 The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace; 7 the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God's law, nor can it do so. 8 Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God. 9 You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ.

The reason the new birth is necessary to go to heaven is because without it we live estranged from God. At best we are indifferent to Him and live for ourselves. At worst, we are hostile to God. And in such a state, we have no faith in Christ and therefore remain in a state of guilt, unforgiven of our sins. Jesus describes this state as being a"slave to sin" and made it clear that He was the one who could set us free from this state (John 8:32-34).

The good news is that because of the atonement that Jesus made for our sins, God is reconciling the world to himself, turning enemies in friends and worshippers. As mentioned earlier, because of his kindness, love and mercy, God is pouring out His Spirit on people, changing their hearts and transforming them from unbelievers to believers having the hope of eternal life.

The Bible pleads with unbelievers, "be reconciled to God". Ask the Lord of heaven for the Holy Spirit to give a heart of faith:

Jesus said, "For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!" (Luke 11:10-13)

Learning About Christianity from the Bible: The Sacrifice

John 1:29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! 30 This is the one I meant when I said, 'A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.' 31 I myself did not know him, but the reason I came baptizing with water was that he might be revealed to Israel." 32 Then John gave this testimony: "I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him. 33 I would not have known him, except that the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, 'The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is he who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.' 34 I have seen and I testify that this is the Son of God."

The next name of Jesus that we come to in the first chapter of the book of John in the Bible is "Lamb of God". This is the title by which He was labeled by John the Baptist. John was the forerunner of Jesus, sent by God to prepare the way for his coming.

This name, "Lamb of God", had serious prophetic implications in biblical history before the time of Christ. When God delivered the Jewish nation out of slavery in Egypt through Moses centuries before Christ, He set up a sacrificial system whereby the sins of the people could be atoned for. Under this system, an animal such as a lamb without blemish, would be sacrificed as an offering. The lamb's life would be given as a substitute on behalf of those for whom it was offered.

In this way, God was demonstrating the great need to deal with sin. Sin is anything that is contrary to God's pure and loving character. God is so perfect and holy that anything selfish, unloving or unpure is abhorrent and offensive to him. Sin is an unjust crime against God's honor and rule. Atonement is the concept of performing an act that placates God's wrath against sin, makes up for it and satisfies the demands of justice against it.

The sacrificial lamb of could not truly atone for sin. Although the animal is innocent, there is no virtue in the animal itself to truly make up for our sin. For one, the animal does not voluntarily give its life. Secondly, the animal itself has no moral excellence that would allow it to make up for sin. Rather, God set up this sacrificial system as a foreshadowing of the true Lamb of God who would take away the sin of the world.

The prophet Isaiah foretold of the coming Messiah in the 8th century BC. In his prophecy, he speaks of One to be wounded for our transgressions and iniquites. He wrote that though he is innocent, our sins would be laid upon him. This punishment would bring us peace and by his wounds we would be healed. He would be like a "lamb led to the slaughter" (Isaiah 53).

Now the significance of John the Baptist's proclamation of Jesus as the Lamb of God comes into sharp focus. John is saying that Jesus was the one spoken of. He was the promised would who would truly make atonement of our sins.

The central tenet of Christianity is that Jesus made the perfect atonement for sin when he offered his life as a sacrificial offering for us. The apostle Paul writes, "Christ died for our sins according to the Scripture", "making peace through his blood, shed on the cross" (1 Corinthians 15:3, Colossians 1:20). Jesus voluntarily laid down his life in obedience to the Father and out of love for us. This was so pleasing to the Father that He takes aways our sins for Jesus' sake on behalf of His honor as we continue in our faith in Christ.

Learning About Christianity from the Bible: The Incarnation

John 1:14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. 15 John bore witness of Him and cried out, saying, "This was He of whom I said, 'He who comes after me is preferred before me, for He was before me.' " 16 And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace. 17 For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.

One of the central tenets of Christianity, the Incarnation, is supported by this passage. In short, the incarnation is the testimony that God the Son, the eternal Word, took on humanity in order to redeem mankind and reconcile us to Himself. Although God is transcendent spirit, he became man. How amazing! The eternal holy one became like us, for you and I!

The term "only begotten" Son conveys an important truth. When the Bible speaks of God's people as His children, it does so in terms of adoption:

But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. (Galatians 4:4-5)

And

For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, "Abba, Father." (Romans 8:15)

But of Jesus, the term "Only begotten" is used. The children of God are adopted children, but Jesus is the natural child, the one and only true "God" child. The ancient Nicene creed, recited in churches throughout the centuries says it this way:

We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one Being with the Father. Through him all things were made. For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven: by the power of the Holy Spirit he became incarnate from the Virgin Mary, and was made man. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered death and was buried. On the third day he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures; he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end.

The Son was eternally generated by the Father. He came from the Father in eternity past. He was not created because He has always existed. There never was a time when he was not. The Father-Son relationship has always been. He is true God from true God. Elsewhere in Scripture it is described this way:

For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross. -Colossians 1:19-20

The Christian faith has always held that in Jesus was fully diety and full humanity. He was both genuinely human and genuinely divine. He was eternal "in the Father's bossom" and in time as the creed says "For us and for our salvation came down from heaven: by the power of the Holy Spirit he became incarnate from the Virgin Mary, and was made man."

Jesus came on a love mission, a rescue mission to save the lost sheep!

Learning about Christianity from the Bible: Darkness and Light

John 1:4-13

4 In him was life, and that life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it. 6 There came a man who was sent from God; his name was John. 7 He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all men might believe. 8 He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. 9 The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. 11 He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. 12 Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God-- 13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God.


The Christian view taught in the Bible is that the world is broken. This state of disrepair spoken of is not so much physical as it is spiritual. When Jesus came into the world, it says he came to "the darkness", a spiritual term that refers to separation from spiritual light. Jesus, just referred to as God, the eternal Word in the previous verses, is now called "the light". He came to give light to all men that they may have eternal life. First, He came to the darkness. Then, it says He came to the world He created. Finally, we are told that He came to His own. Yet He was not understood, He was not recognize and He was rejected!


Why would the perfect source of goodness and life be rejected by the world except that something is terribly amiss? The Son of God is not accepted by the world because mankind is in a state of estrangement from God. The human race is separated from God and does not know or recognize Him. That is why it is referred to as "the darkness".

This poor condition was no more clearly demonstrated in Jesus' rejection by the Jewish nation of Israel. God chose the children of Israel as His special people. He delievered them from slavery in Egypt through miraculous signs and judgments upon their captors. He parted the red sea and gave them miraculous signs and wonders, even speaking to Moses on the mountain for all to see and hear. And he sent prophet after prophet to them foretelling of the coming Messiah. Yet when the promised Savior came, He was despised and rejected and crucified!

This being the case, God is not to be outdone. He sent His Son into the world to redeem the lost. It is written elsewhere that "God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself, not counting men's sins against them" (2 Corithinians 5:19). He came to call people out of darkness into his marvelous light (1 Peter 2:9). The apostle Paul, writing to other Christians, celebrated this truth:

"...giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins." Colossians 1:12-14

The good news is that God is shining His light into the hearts of people in darkness and those who receive the message of Christ by faith are brought out of darkness into the light of eternal life and his beloved children, born of His Spirit!

Learning about Christianity from the Bible

I'm starting the gospel of John in my daily Bible reading plan. I thought it would be a good idea to share my readings to help those who are not familiar with Christian faith understand more of what it is about. The gospel of John consists of 21 chapters. Each chapter is broken down into verses. So when you see John 1:1-4 that means the Book of John, chapter 1 verse 1 through verse 4. The book of John is written by the apostle John, one of the 3 closest people to Jesus while on earth. It is also called the gospel of John because it is a narrative of the life and sayings of Jesus. The three other narratives of Christ's life, Matthew, Mark and Luke are also referred to as gospels. They are called gospels because the coming of Jesus is said to be good news!

John 1:1-4

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.

The apostle John starts out his book talking about the "Word". The Word has always been with God, distinct from God, but also is God. We know that John is talking about Jesus because later in the chapter he tells us so. This eternal Word "became flesh" (verse 14) and is revealed to be Jesus Christ (verse 17), the only-begotten Son of God (verse 18).

The Christian Church has always taught that God is trinity. The word trinity is not in the Bible, but the concept behind the word is. This is what is being taught here. God (the Father) is distinguished from the Word (Jesus the Son of God) but both are called God. Other places in the Bible refer to the Holy Spirit as separate from the Father and Son but also called God.

Christianity holds as its most basic tenet that Jesus is in truth more than a man, the eternal Word and Son of God who was with God the Father from all eternity and who with the Father created all things and who became man in time.

The apostle John spent 3 years with Jesus. He saw his miracles. He saw him heal the blind, make the lame walk, raise the dead, walk on water, turn water into wine. He heard his words and his teaching which were unlike any other. He was with him on the mountain when He appeared with Moses and Elijah in glory and God descended in a cloud and with a loud voice said, "This is my beloved Son". He saw him crucified and rise from the dead on the third day. He saw him ascend into heaven. And later in life, he was caught up to heaven and saw Jesus glorified as Lord Almighty. No wonder he said in another writing:

1 John 1:1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life-- 2 the life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us-- 3 that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ.

We who are Christians believe this testimony and find joy given to our hearts!

John

Easter - Not Just a Story

Those who witnessed Christ's resurrection were adamant that it was not a story they made up, but that it was the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. Read what some of the witnesses said: "That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us." -John the Apostle

"For we did not follow cleverly devised stories when we told you about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ in power, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty." -Peter the Apostle

"Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, 8 and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born. " -Paul the Aposlte

He is Risen Indeed!

Easter - It Was Predicted!

"From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life" -Matthew 16:21

One point that is often overlooked in discussions about Easter is that Jesus himself spoke often about his impending death and subsequent resurrection from the dead. This he taught his disciples while the whole idea seemed ludicrious to them. It was only after it happened that they remembered his words. Listen to what Jesus said:

"When they came together in Galilee, he (Jesus) said to them, 'The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of men. They will kill him, and on the third day he will be raised to life.' And the disciples were filled with grief." (Matthew 17:22-23)

"Jesus took the Twelve aside and told them, 'We are going up to Jerusalem and everything that is written by the prophets about the Son of Man will be fulfilled. He will be handed over to the Gentiles. They will mock him, insult him, spit on him, flog him and kill him. On the third day he will rise again.' The disciples did not understand any of this. Its meaning was hidden from them, and they did not know what he was talking about." (Luke 18:31-35)

Jesus did not just say that he would rise from the dead, he foretold how he would die in great detail. He said how long it would be after he died that he would arise from the dead. All of which came to pass just as he foretold!

Easter - It Really Happened

I remind myself from time to time that my faith in Christ is not a blind leap nor is it grounded in irrationality. Unlike so many other world-views, religious or secular, that are based soley on philosophy and idealogy, the faith that that followers of Christ hold is rooted in events that really happened. Central to our faith is the belief Jesus Christ rose from the dead. And this belief was not just pulled out of a hat. The historic testimonies of that event have been recorded and preserved for us from antiquity! When Luke, a companion of the Apostle Paul, wrote the book of Acts, Here is how he prefaced his account:

"In my former book Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus begain to do and to teach until the day he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen. After his suffering, he showed himself to these men and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God." -Acts 1:1-3

As I prepare for Easter celebration, I've been visiting the resurrection accounts in the Bible during my devotions. In the days that followed the discovery of Jesus' empty tomb, He appeared to them physically, in the body, on a number of different occassions. They touched him. They felt the crucifixion nail wounds in his hands and the hole in his side where the Roman soldier pierced his side with a sword after he died. They ate and drank with him. He spoke with them. He proved to them that He had truly risen.

These accounts have been embraced and believed from that time 2000 years ago until today. If Jesus did not rise from the dead, then our faith is in vain in useless. It is because Jesus conquered death as he said he would that we are followers of Christ. If it is through Jesus that we too overcome death and enter into eternal life, then his words his words truly apply: "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."

The Easter Season is upon us

Although Christmas has always been my favorite holiday, as time goes by Easter is gaining ground on it. What was once bunnies and colored eggs for me as a child, is now an ever-growing significant celebration in my personal experience. Perhaps it is my age. Now 50, I am in my later half of life and my own mortality is more clear. As such, the Christian significance of the holiday continues grow in its application to my life. Easter's significance may also be attributed to the fact that milestones in my own spiritual journey are marked by it occurrences. It was at Easter time that I first had a life-changing encounter with the risen Lord--Jesus Christ. It was as if new spiritual life exploded into my heart; my own personal spiritual resurrection. And it was a year later at Easter that I was baptized, making a public declaration of my faith. Easter's true significance for me, however, if found in the meaning it represents--the message of Easter itself. Jesus Chirst, a real man in history, was born of a virgin, suffered a brutal death of crucifixion and on the third day rose from the dead being seen by many witnesses of whom history records their testimony. And we was raised not only as a testimony that He is the Son of God, but that all who belong to Him by faith will also be raised to glory and eternal life. I live in hope that because my Lord rose from the grave, the grave is not the end for me.

Romans 11 Questions

There are two main issues that Romans 11 addresses, Israel’s rejection of Christ and the believing Gentiles response to it. Paul asks the question of whether God has cast away the Jews now that Gentiles were responding to the gospel. His response is emphatically no.


1. In what ways was God not rejecting the Jews?

2. How was God using the Jews unbelief?

3. What do you think it means when it says that the great number of Jews were hardened?

4. How can God be involved in the hardening without being the author of sin?

5. What do you think it means when it says that there were a remnant of Jews that were chosen by grace?

6. Why do the believing Gentiles have no reason to boast over the unbelieving Jews?

7. What warning is giving to the believing Gentiles concerning the unbelieving Jews?

8. Speak of how the Jews rejection of Jesus is temporary?

9. What ultimate purpose does will the disobedience of both the Jews and Gentiles serve?

10. How does the fact that you were once disobedience and now have been shown mercy affect your walk as a Christian?