Christian Author, Philosopher, and Apologist
A valid question that is frequently asked by many people is, “Why Christianity is the only way and the Bible, only the true words of God?” In order to understand these things, we must fill-in a little background information. Continue reading “What Jesus Can Do For You That No Religion Can”
The title of this post presents a strange proposition
We might ask why anyone would ask such a question. After all, isn’t there only one Savior who is called Jesus? No, there are actually others who are called “Jesus,” and are not the Jesus of the New Testament. Continue reading “Is The Jesus You Believe In, The True Jesus?”
There is something resident within us that wants perfection. We see it in our mind as we observe things around us that are not perfect. We feel uncomfortable when entering a hotel room that is old, dirty, and unkempt. We feel displeasure when lied to. There is a righteous anger that mounts upon our heart when we see or hear about a child or elderly person that has been abused.
Perfection is an ideal that we all want, yet accept that we can never apprehend. Why is it that we earnestly desire perfection and feel disappointed, angry, or perplexed when every human being we meet is incapable of this perfection?
Most of us have a long list of regrets for the things we have done in our past. In fact, we waste an extraordinary amount of time thinking about things that we have no power to change. It is important to remember that we are not defined by the person we were in our past. We are defined by who we are today. It is through the choices that we are making right now that people understand who we are. Oh, I know that people remember the mistakes that you have made. Your relatives will think back to those foolish things that you said and did when you were younger and define you in those terms. The incredible thing about today is that you can begin a whole new life for yourself, if you want to. In no time at all, people will begin to think of you in a new way and define the person you are by the things you have been doing from this moment when you decide to change your life. Continue reading “It’s The Little Things That Add Up To A Big Life”
There is a curious paradox that is presented in the pages of the Bible that a great majority of people have not understood. Jesus described a physical birth that every person will experience; and a second spiritual birth that is necessary in order to obtain eternal life. Jesus said that because of our sin and sin nature, we are all already under the condemnation of God and dead in our sins.[1] Once we understand who Jesus is and the reason that He came into the world, we have the opportunity to be born again a second time. At that moment, our spirit within that was formerly dead, comes alive. Continue reading “Born Once; Die Twice. Born Twice; Die Once”
It is interesting that a person will search out Christian web sites where evidence for God is put forth, in order to dispute His existence. A person who genuinely does not believe something, does not need to convince others. When a matter is settled in our mind, we are finished with the struggle to understand it.
The fact that a person is vigorously active in visiting the web sites of those who disagree with them, is a sign that this person is really not that convinced that their position is correct. I have been a follower of Jesus for over 40 years. In times past, when I was still developing my thoughts, I would often visit the sites of atheists and seek a dialogue with those who frequent these places. As I realized that what I believed about God, was the truth, I no longer needed to seek affirmation from those who do not believe.
It is a fact that the people who are often the most vocal against God, are individuals who are the closest to surrendering their lives to Him. As a person becomes more and more convinced by the evidence for God, they will often become quite militant in their opposition of those who do believe. I have observed this phenomenon quite often in the types of comments that are made on this web site, in response to articles that I have written. Continue reading “People Who Display the Greatest Resistance to God, Are Often the Closest to Salvation”
What we eat, determines how well we can see. Our eyes depend upon us to take in the proper nutrients in order to allow our optic nerve, retina, and other parts of the eye, to function properly.
In the same way, our ability to see what is true and wise in life, will depend upon what we eat, spiritually.
Jesus said that He is “The Bread of Life.”
And Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst. —John 6:35
The hunger and thirst that a human being feels, can never be truly satisfied by anything that is in this world. We were made to be loved. We were made to know God, who loves us so intensely that He was willing to die for us, in order to rescue us.
Jesus said that unless we eat His flesh and drink His blood, we do not have eternal life. Continue reading “Your Ability to See, Depends Upon Your Diet”
Those Who Deny God, Cannot Understand Him
A human being is made up of three components; body, soul, and Spirit. When a person is born, the body is preeminent, it rules the life of the person. Whatever the body wants, it expresses through the desires of the flesh. The soul is the inhabitation of the emotions, where a person expresses their thoughts, feelings and emotions. The spirit, which is the only part of man that can know and understand God, is dead because of sin.[1]
When Jesus told Nicodemus, in John chapter 3, that “you must be “born again,” He was describing the spirit. In order for any person to understand God, or to comprehend His word, first his spirit must be born again, into a new relationship with God. Until our sins are dealt with and removed by God, it is impossible for us to have a relationship with God.[2]
Jesus death on the cross, paid for the sins of all people, for all time. All those who are willing to repent from their sins and come to Jesus for the forgiveness of their sins, are born again—into this new spiritual life.[3]
This is one of the preeminent differences between Biblical Christianity and religion. The religions of man ignore the spiritual side of man, regarding sin, repentance and the need to experience a new life in the spirit. Man’s religion requires conformance into a set of rules or conduct. The Bible reveals that there are no rules that any person can keep that will make them acceptable to God. It is by a reliance upon what Jesus has accomplish that God will accept any person.[4]
To those who do not know God, who have yet to experience this new birth of the spirit, these things are difficult to comprehend. Some even scoff at this possibility and find it impossible to believe. Nevertheless, this is what the text of the New Testament reveals. Continue reading “The Atheist’s Inability To Comprehend God”
According to many Theologians, Churches, and individual Christians, a person cannot be saved apart from Baptism, or membership in their particular church. The final authority on all matters of doctrine resides with the Bible, not what men say, nor the tradition of the church. According to Jesus, the requirements for salvation are extremely simple and even the worst sinner may find forgiveness and eternal life–even during the final moments of their life.
As a person goes through each one of the individual parts of the Old Testament prophecies that Jesus fulfilled, we are struck with the details that are included in these many faceted predictions.
In the prophecies of Isaiah chapter 53, we see the specific detail that the Messiah will be condemned and put to death along with other criminals. Although this may be seen as a very common occurrence in the carrying out of a sentence for crimes committed, in the case of a prophecy written over 700 years in advance of its fulfillment, this detail is a stunning inclusion.
Isaiah 53:12c Therefore I will divide Him a portion with the great, And He shall divide the spoil with the strong, Because He poured out His soul unto death, And He was numbered with the transgressors, And He bore the sin of many, And made intercession for the transgressors.
Luke 23:32-33 There were also two others, criminals, led with Him to be put to death. And when they had come to the place called Calvary, there they crucified Him, and the criminals, one on the right hand and the other on the left.
When we examine the New Testament, we discover that there were two thieves who were also condemned to die by crucifixion along with Jesus. They are placed on either side of the Lord. At first, it seems that both condemned men ridicule Jesus for also being crucified along with them. After one of these men witnesses the grace and the love with which Jesus endures His suffering, praying for those who placed Him on the Cross, this dying criminal has a change of heart. He cries out to Jesus: Lord, Remember me when you come into Your kingdom. A subtle statement of salvation from a man doomed to die, during the final moments of his life. Though his confession is short and simple, yet it is sufficient to move Jesus to pronounce him: forgiven and worthy of eternal life.
Continue reading “Salvation Without Baptism, Altar Call, or Church Membership”
It is a paradox of the Bible that the One who spoke the universe into existence would be willing to come to earth and lay down His life for us.
This character of Jesus as a servant sets Him apart from every other religious or spiritual leader. In Greek mythology, it is inconceivable that Zeus, Apollo, or any other Greek god would lower himself to be a servant of the beings they created. Jesus is described by the Bible as the Creator of all things; yet He came to earth and took the body of a man so that He could offer up His life as a sacrifice for the sins of all men. The humiliation, the mental and physical torture and unimaginable horrors that Jesus experienced while completing the process of our salvation, is beyond comprehension. Continue reading “That God Would Die For Us”
