How could God forgive him?

One question new Christians sometimes have is related to fairness. Why does God forgive both good people and bad people? It doesn’t seem fair that both good and bad people get a reward of eternal life. Usually the person who asks the questions thinks that they are a “good” person and they have earned more reward than a “bad” person. There are several ideas that we must consider in this question.
First, the difference between the good person and bad person is not as great as one first thinks. When a person believes they are good they usually mean that they are “better”than the average person. Usually this person has just begun the Christian journey journey and haven’t matured in the faith. The common experience in the Christian walk is that over time we know more and more about our creator, God. As we know more and more about our creator, we know more and more about ourselves. This is not completely obvious at first but over time we discover more about ourselves. Remember the self is the easiest person to fool. As we know more and more about ourselves, we realize that we are not as good as we thought before. We realize that we have much room to grow in goodness.
Secondly, when we see a “bad” person behaving badly, we sometimes miss the circumstances surrounding the situation. Once we more deeply understand that person’s background, their environment, their mental capability, their environment they are living in now, then we see them more closely and our judgements are not so clear. Yes, they may have done bad things but they are not completely bad and given different circumstances, a different results was possible. This is not to excuse but merely to add perspective.
Thirdly, although a person who has done something bad can receive forgiveness from God through repentance, this does not mean that the person will escape the consequences of his actions. A person who has done a crime will still have to do time in jail.
In conclusion, while there are differences between good and bad, the difference is not as large as it first appears. If we are to receive forgiveness for our bad actions, then we should not complain when other find that same path. That path is the path of faith leading to repentance.

What is the Gospel?

Many people ask what is the gospel. Another important question is 'why should I care?'. The word gospel comes from the old English language and it means "good news". What is this good news? Before we can understand and welcome the good news we must first understand the bad news. For the unbeliever, the bad news is that there is a God who is perfectly good and just. Why is this bad news? This is bad news because we are not perfectly good and we are not perfectly just. Furthermore, this good God will some day judge all things including every hidden thing. Therefore we are guilty and are unable to pay our debt. If the story ends here, this would be bad news indeed. But the good news is that the story does not end here. God has not left us without hope. The good news is that in God's goodness he has provided a way for us to pay our debt. For God has sent his only son Jesus into this world to pay the debt that we cannot pay. Jesus lived a perfectly righteous life. Then by the evil deeds of man, Jesus was put to death on a cross. On that cross, all the sins of all men and women were paid for by the death of Jesus. Indeed, your sins were paid for by the blood of Jesus. There is only one condition. That is, if you desire to have the death of Jesus pay for your sins, then you must first believe in God and then you must ask for forgiveness of your sins. This forgiveness is available to all men and women. It is not to difficult. You do not need money; you do not need a PhD; you do not need to go to the mountain top to pray. Just believe in God and ask for forgiveness and you will be saved. Saved from what? You will be saved from God's judgment and punishment for your sins. This is very good news. You do not have to worry about not being good enough; you do not have to worry about being perfect. This is great news! Not only will you not be punished for your sins but you will have eternal life. This is very great news!! Why refuse this very loving offer of forgiveness and eternal life? How long will you resist this love of God? Humble your pride and believe in God. Ask God forgiveness. Ask God to come into your life and give you the peace that passes understanding. The Bible says "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." This is the good news. This is the Gospel and this Gospel is waiting for you.

Who is Jesus?

Who is Jesus?

The question for today's blog is 'Who is Jesus'? Some believe that he was a great religious leader. Some believe that Jesus was a good man with some good ideas but he was just like many other good teachers. In our last blog, we gave proof that the Bible is an accurate record of the life of Jesus. From this record, what did Jesus say about himself? Who did Jesus say that he is? The Bible is very clear on this matter. Jesus statements are many and their meaning in clear. Jesus said that he was equal with God. Jesus claimed to be able to forgive sins that only God can forgive. Jesus claimed that he was eternal. Jesus said that someday he would come in power and glory. For those who heard the words of Jesus there was no doubt. Why was Jesus killed? The religious leaders of that day sentenced Jesus to death because of one reason - Jesus claimed to be God. So then, if Jesus claimed to God, who do you say Jesus is? The first choice is that Jesus is really God. The second choice is that Jesus was a just a deceiver that claimed to be God. If this is so, then he is also a hypocrite and an evil man since he led many people to follow him. However choice two cannot be true because of the record of his life. The record of his life is perfectly consistent and perfectly pure with no trace of a lie. It would have have been impossible to deceive those who followed him and sacrificed their lives for the truth of Jesus. The third choice is that Jesus was a crazy man who really believed that he was God. This third choice also cannot be true. The skill and depth of his teachings show that he could not be crazy. His teaching were deep and penetrating.

So these are the only three choices a person can have about Jesus. You cannot call Jesus just a good teacher. Jesus claim that he was God will not allow that choice. Was he God or deceiver or crazy man? You decide. Who do you say Jesus is? In the next blog, we will prove that Jesus was raised from the dead and therefore proving that he was God. It is very difficult for the human mind to understand how God can enter into the world as a human. We cannot completely understand this mystery but we will have more to say about this in a future blog. Jesus is both God and man in one person. It says in the Bible that Jesus "is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word." Who do you say Jesus is? Decide quickly for the time of his return is getting closer.