Salvation

When the King Came to Tell Stories: Part 3

This is the third and final post in my short series on three well-known parable of Jesus. If you missed them, you can check out Part 1 and Part 2.

The Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32)
Everything had to be lost to be found - a sheep, a coin, and a son. In that order we find three parables in Luke 15 all with one purpose - to demonstrate the glory and joy of God in salvation.

The first parable tells about a shepherd with one hundred sheep who, upon losing only one, goes and hunts down that sheep. Finding the lost sheep, he is overjoyed and gathers all of his neighbours and friends to celebrate.

The second parable tells about a woman with ten silver coins who, upon losing one, frantically sweeps and cleans and searches her house until she finds it. And when she does find it, she gathers all of her neighbours and friends to celebrate.

This brings us to the third parable, and if you've thought that the last two seemed alike, this one follows their pattern. But it's a little bit different.

Our cast of characters finds the Father, the Prodigal Son, and the Older Son, though we'll just focus mostly on the first two characters. And from the moment our story begins, we're thrust into a drama of sin and restoration. We begin with discontentment:

"There was a man who had two sons. And the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of property that is coming to me.’ And he divided his property between them. Not many days later, the younger son gathered all he had and took a journey into a far country, and there he squandered his property in reckless living." (Luke 15:11-13)

This father was obviously wealthy, and though it was not customary for a son to have his inheritance before his father's death, this father (as we shall soon see more clearly) is not your average dad. He is deeply gracious and wise, and he gives his younger son the money. So off the young man goes, with stars in his eyes, adventure on the horizon, and his pockets lined with cash.

Such begins the "reckless living." Two words that attempt to convey such a hedonistic, selfish, sinful state wherein pleasure was the son's first priority. There was folly instead of wisdom, discontentment instead of gratitude, surface instead of substance, money and materialism, and a never-ending search for the next big thing.

And then the fun lurched to a rather abrupt stop.

And when he had spent everything, a severe famine arose in that country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed pigs. And he was longing to be fed with the pods that the pigs ate, and no one gave him anything.

What a quick, desperate turn of events! What happened to the wealthy young adventurer? What happened to the money? What happened to the fun? Gone. All of it is gone (thanks to the reckless living), and in a great twist of events, the rich son of a rich father now feeds pigs for a living. And he can't even get someone to allow him to eat the pig slop! But once he gets a clear mind, he realizes there may be hope for him beyond starving with the pigs.

But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father's hired servants have more than enough bread, but I perish here with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, "'Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me as one of your hired servants."' And he arose and came to his father.

This does not seem in any way like a false repentance, like he thought it would be a good scheme to charm some more money from his dad's wallet. It's not like he was writing his repentance speech on his hand, memorizing it, and working on a convincing delivery. Overcome with his sinfulness, he realizes that he must come to his father with full and authentic humility and repentance. So he goes back home.

But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate. For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.’ And they began to celebrate.

The imagery here is spectacular. Before the repentance was even out of the son's mouth, there was compassion from the father.  When most other fathers would turn away in disgust, this good, gracious father welcomes his wayward son with open arms, even running to him to embrace him. But the son still demonstrates true repentance. Then you have forgiveness. And finally you have joy. This is the imagery of salvation. The sinner who humbly, honestly, mournfully repents of his sin, abandons the old life, and comes to God, throwing himself at the mercy of the Father, will find forgiveness, compassion, and then joy. At the end of the first parable in Luke 15, Jesus said,

Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance. (Luke 15:7)

The parable of the prodigal son shows the love of God for His children. It shows the necessity of true repentance, and also demonstrates the sin of pride. At the end of the parable, the Older Son (who never left home, never asked for his inheritance, and just worked for his dad all these years) grew proud and angry at the father for making such a big deal about the prodigal. The father replied,

"Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. It was fitting to celebrate and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found."

There is joy and celebration to be found in humility and repentance, for in salvation God makes alive those dead. At the end of his lyrical poem, "The Prodigal's Sister," John Piper gave just a taste of this joy:

The weeping son said, “Father, can
Perhaps, you make a slave of me,
For I have sinned and cannot be
Your son?” To which the great old man
Replied, “I have a different plan.”
And then, to servants gathered by,
He said, “Bring me the ring, and my
Best robe, and leather shoes. And take
The fire and fatted calf, and make
For us the finest feast that we
Have ever made. For this, you see,
My dead son is alive and sound;
He once was lost, but now is found.”
And so the common labor ceased,
And ev'ry hand prepared the feast.
The colors flew at ev'ry gate!
And they began to celebrate.

Image Credit: http://www.creationswap.com/artwork/4/5/27/4527/4527_4527_5.jpg 

The Christianity in Every Religion

Let me begin by being clear: every religion in the world does not lead to salvation. Every religion in the world is not Christian. But most in some way resemble it.

World religions are on the brain lately. I'm taking an online course about them and as the layers of Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, Sikhism, Jainism, Shintoism, Native American religions, Confucianism, and others begin to overlap, one thing has stuck out to me: the myriads of false religions in the world steal from Christianity. There are themes, prophecies, saviours, heavens, hells, scriptures, and salvations that seem to borrow specifically from orthodox Christianity. Let me give some examples:

First, Taoism believes in a god called the Three Purities. This god manifests itself in three ways: 1) as the deified Tao, 2) as a spirit that transmits the essence of Tao, called the Heavenly Worthy of Numinous Treasure, and 3) in the person of Lao Tzu. Sounds an awful lot like a trinity.

Or, did you know that Confucius was said to be born of a virgin?

Furthermore, the branch of Buddhism called Mahayana Buddhism believes that a manifestation of the Buddha (Maitreya) will come back to earth one day to bring in "a golden age" of peace and prosperity.

Do these sound familiar? Echoes of a trinity, a virgin birth, and a second coming all dance through three very different religions. These religions attempt to make cheap counterfeits of both historical and spiritual reality. Of course you'll hear today that it was Christianity that really stole a little bit from each of those "much older" religions, mashing up legends to create a grand story. But the Bible, the final authority for every Christian, says something much different.

The Bible claims that there is one God who existed eternally, and who created one path and wrote one glorious Story - set in place before the foundations of the world, long before Confucius, Muhammad, Lao Tzu, Nanak, and Siddhartha Gautama. The Story tells of one Way, one Truth, and one Life, but of many false saviours who will come claiming to know different ways, truths, and lives. They will adjust, add to, take away from, finagle, fit, slice, borrow, paraphrase, and change the Story to make people feel good.

We have these mangled remnants of the Story left today within each of these false world religions. They all hold broken, bruised pieces of the truth, laced with legends and lies. And in losing part of the Story, they've lost it all. Their path is wide and easy but it leads to destruction. Every religion may have a bit of the truths of Christianity within it, but only orthodox Christianity itself leads to God.

Image Credit: http://www.creationswap.com/artwork/6/9/75/6975/6975_6975_5.jpg

Easter and the Risk of Sentimentalism

Via Twitter, Kevin DeYoung wrote,

We must be careful: with Holy Week there is the risk of sentimentalism swallowing up substance.

This week is what has been called Holy Week - the week leading up to the formal recognition and celebration of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ on Good Friday and Easter. But there is a danger in this week, one that too many of us face. DeYoung knows this - it is the risk of sentimentalism.

Easter makes us feel really nice, doesn't it? We're wrapped in warm and fuzzies, singing all the cheeriest hymns, hearing that uplifting message, usually seeing a full sanctuary, and meeting babies in Easter bonnets. And we can't forget the joy of family breakfasts, brunches, and/or dinners, the Easter greeting cards, and all those trending pictures of bunnies and kittens in spring fields. Easter is such a happy time, isn't it?

It's true; we love Easter. It's a nice holiday, and our perceptions and beliefs about it have been shaped by our traditions. Unfortunately, traditions breed sentimentality.

"We must be careful," warns DeYoung. He's right. This is not the week of good feelings and Kinder Surprises; it is a week for a celebration of the solemn and the theological. Our theology of the Cross and the resurrection should pour out into this week, just another week of magnifying the gospel - an occurrence that shouldn't be unusual but can still be special. But make no mistake, Easter should be about the gospel, not feelings, no matter how fun and familiar those feelings are.

Easter is about substance, the theological framework of the person and work of Jesus Christ - the incarnation (God the Son becoming man), the crucifixion (God the Son suffering the wrath of the Father), and the resurrection (God the Son raising from the dead by the power of the Father). Easter is also about joy, but it is an informed, biblical, Christcentric, God-glorifying joy in the atoning sacrifice of Jesus. Not joy in tradition.

So celebrate Easter! Rejoice in the sacrifice and the glory of Christ on the cross and through the absent tomb. Gather with family and friends and enjoy those traditions as you magnify the gospel together, but remember the risk of sentimentalism. Combat it with the substance of truth.

The Hopes and Fears of All the Years

Tony Reinke on the second Sunday of Advent:

Bethlehem was, is, and likely always will be, just a small town — a small town steeped in ancient history. In the first century, the historical marker at the center of town — if they posted such historical markers — would have commemorated it as the birthplace of the mighty giant killer, King David. The cherished son of Bethlehem put the town on the map 1,000 years earlier, and perhaps, perhaps, one day the village on top of the quiet hill will pull off the feat again. Dusty scrolls left by ancient prophets told of such a thing (Micah 5:2). But tonight, silence. The prophecies are distant memories. All is now hushed and quiet, the hope of a king only a memory muffled by the pressing priorities of life: raising grain, raising sheep, raising children, and paying taxes. But this night the town finally sleeps, though crowded. The hustle and bustle of census travelers, returned home to be counted, now has dissipated.

O little town of Bethlehem, how still we see thee lie.

Read the rest here ... 

My God Is Not Everyman's God

Right now, for my English class, I'm reading "Everyman," an allegorical play written in 1485. It follows the story of happy, worldly Everyman who has wasted his life away, giving no thought to spiritual matters. But God has decreed that Everyman's time on earth is done, so he sends Death to take Everyman on a journey to the judgement seat of God. The main character represents, just as his name implies, every man. Every man will be summoned by death to have a reckoning with God and all must examine their life and what they spent it on.

But this is not a post about Everyman. It's a post about Everyman's God. Near the beginning of the play, God speaks from heaven, but I was a little surprised by what he said. See for yourself (remember the speech is 15th century lingo).

"I perceive, here in my majesty, how that all creatures be to me unkind, living without dread in worldly prosperity, of ghostly [spiritual] sight the people be so blind, drowned in sin, they know me not for their God. In worldly riches is all their mind, they fear not my rightwiseness, the sharp rod; my love that I showed when I for them died. They forgot clean, and shedding of my blood red ... To get them life I suffered to be dead; I healed their feet, with thorns hurt was my head. I could do no more than I did, truly; and now I see the people do clean forsake me. ... Every man liveth so after his own pleasure ... Charity they do all clean forget. I hoped well every man in my glory should make his mansion, and thereto I had them all elect. But now I see like traitors deject [abject], they thank me not for the pleasure that I do them meant." (italics mine)

At a first glance, it's beautiful, isn't it? Whether you like poetry or not, it's easy to see the rich language, the poetic lilt, the dramatic, merciful tone of God's love. But at a second glance, there seem to be a few problems with this representation of God - namely, He appears, well, a little weak to me. Let me explain what I mean:

It starts with God reflecting on mankind in a somewhat depressed tone; you feel the thread of melancholy weaving its way through the monologue. God seems to be at a bit of a loss. He's almost throwing a little pity party since "all creatures be to [him] unkind" and "in worldly riches is all their mind." Instead of fearing God, they're focused on the world. God just doesn't get it. He made them, created them, yet they reject him. Now sin does grieve God, make no mistake. But it also angers Him, incites His wrath and righteous jealousy. He doesn't gaze on this world piteously, hopelessly, lost in depression because people reject Him. He acts in His strength.

But then this representation of God seems to mourn the ineffectiveness (yes, the ineffectiveness!) of Jesus' atoning death. In his words, "I could no more than I did, truly." He makes it sound like it's up to sinful man to make Jesus' death effective by seeking God! But they don't. "Now I see in the people, they do clean forsake me." God's talk here has a bit of a "too bad" feel to it. He did what he could; He tried to save us, honest. But it's up to us now.

And it continues. Here this representation of the Most High seems again disappointed that His plans and desires are not coming about. You see, it says that he "hoped well that every man in my glory should make his mansion, and thereto I had them all elect." This says God really wanted every single person to be saved, but He didn't have the power to do it. They've rejected him, so ... too bad for God. Once again, the power is ultimately in man's hands.

At a first glance, this monologue of God seems poetic, sweet and loving, even. But when you've taken a look at this a little more closely, Everyman's god was weak. And my God is not weak.

Everyman's god tried to save all people and failed. My God has the power to save those whom He elected to save and chose those He would adopt before the foundations of the world. (Ephesians 1:4-6; Romans 8:29-30; Romans 9:14-24; 1 Peter 2:9-10)

Everyman's god died on the cross ineffectively. My God died on the cross effectively and atoned for the sins of His children through His power alone, not based on anything anyone would do then or later. (Ephesians 1:7; Hebrews 9:12; Romans 5:9)

Everyman's god hoped that people would be good and reach out to him. My God reached out to us, choosing to extend mercy to a sinful people, not because of our good deeds, but because of His great grace. (Colossians 2:13-14; Titus 2:11; Ephesians 2:8)

Everyman's god watched the world with pity and disappointment, wishing there was something else he could do. My God is sovereign and in control of everything. (1 Timothy 6:15; Psalm 22:28; Psalm 115:3)

Everyman's god was weak. My God is not weak. My God is not Everyman's god. My God is the Lion of Judah, the Mighty Warrior, the King of kings and Lord of lords.

Am I Really a Christian? - Part 3

In Part 1 of this series, we looked at how the promises of God in His Word give us confident assurance of our salvation. Then in Part 2, we looked at how the witness of the Holy Spirit in us also assures us that we're Christians. Today we'll look at the third and final part of this series - the work of the Spirit. Hear these insightful words from Jerry Bridges in his book, The Gospel for Real Life:

The Work of the Spirit
"In the beginning of this chapter, I referred to 1 John 5:13, where John said, "I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life." Obviously John had given some indicators earlier in his letter for that purpose. In 1 John 5:10-12, John alludes to the first two means of assurance God has given us: belief in His testimony regarding His Son and the internal witness of the Spirit in our hearts.

However, John also adds two additional indicators that can be grouped under the category of the work of the Spirit in us. The first is found in 1 John 2:29: "If you know that he is righteous, you know that everyone who does what is right has been born of him." This test can be a tricky one because we may understand John to say that only those who always do what is right are born of God. Though that is certainly God's standard for us, it is obvious that none of us measures up to it. And even John himself says, "If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us." (1 John 1:8)

The New King James Version and the New American Standard Bible can help us understand what John means. Both translations say, "Everyone who practices righteousness is born of God." John, then, is not writing of sinlessness, of always doing what is right, but of our normal practice, of the dominant direction of our lives.

Sometimes our obedience is marked more by desire than by performance. So we have to ask ourselves: "Is my life characterized by an earnest desire and a sincere effort to bey God in all that He commands? What is my attitude toward God's Law? Do I find it to be holy, just, and good? And do I delight in it in my inner being even though I find my sinful nature struggling against it?" (Romans 7:12,22-23)

Accompanying our sincere desire to obey God will be a heightened sensitivity to our indwelling sin. Often it is our increased awareness of sin that causes us to doubt our salvation or to give Satan an inroad into our minds to suggest that "a Christian wouldn't sin like you do." But think about that accusation for a moment. Satan would certainly not suggest such a thought to an unbeliever. Rather, he wants unbelievers to be complacent about their sin. So turn the tables on Satan and your own internal doubts. Ask yourself if those accusations or doubts are not really a sign that you do trust Christ."

So, after all of that I hope that you truly have confident assurance in your salvation.

Am I Really a Christian? - Part 2

Yesterday we looked at a quote from Jerry Bridges' book, The Gospel for Real Life, on having confident assurance in our salvation and conquering the doubts that force us to ask ourselves "Am I really a Christian?" by looking at the promises of God in His Word. Today we'll look at how the witness of the Spirit helps us to conquer these doubts:

The Witness of the Spirit
"Although the promises of God are the primary means by which He assures us of our salvation, they are not the only means. God knows our weaknesses, and He knows our tendencies to sometimes doubt whether those promises are true for us. Therefore, He has given us a second strong means of assurance, the witness of His Spirit. Romans 8:15-16 is the key Scripture that assures us of this truth: "For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, 'Abba, Father.' The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children."

Here we get into an area that we cannot analyze or describe. How the Holy Spirit interacts with our human spirit is mysterious. It goes beyond the boundaries of our investigative abilities. However, though I cannot explain how the Spirit interacts with our spirits to give assurance, I have certainly experienced it.

I still remember the night, now more than fifty years ago, when I asked Jesus to be my Savior. I was a teenage church member, but had no peace about my relationship with God. But the moment I asked Jesus Christ to me my Savior, my heart was flooded with peace. I had peace with God as a result of Jesus' work on the cross. And I had the peace of God, that is, the inner witness of His Spirit that I now had eternal life.

This inner witness of the Spirit is highly personal. That is, the Spirit tailors His witness to our particular temperament and circumstances. Each of us comes to the point of trusting in Christ from different experiences - some from a flagrantly sinful life, others from a highly moral and even religious background. For the former, there may be a deep, penetrating assurance that his sins are forgiven, that he has been washed clean and has a new life in Christ. For the moral or religious person there may be a sense of relief that she no longer has to try to earn God's favor. ... In every case, though, it is the Spirit's application of the gospel to our lives that produces this inner witness.

We need this inner witness of the Spirit, not only at the time we come to Christ, but throughout our Christian lives, especially in times of severe temptation and failure."

Am I Really a Christian? - Part 1

I'd place a pretty safe bet that at one time or another every Christian has doubted their salvation. Am I really saved? We think of our sin and feel that someone who sins this much or struggles with that kind of sin couldn't possibly be saved. But these are just lies of the enemy. So how do I know if I'm really a Christian?

Well, in a great book Mom and I just finished called The Gospel for Real Life, the author, Jerry Bridges, talks about how to have confident assurance in our salvation. "The Scriptures show us three means by which God assures that we do have eternal life," he says, "1) the promises of His Word, 2) the witness of the Spirit in our hearts, and 3) the transforming work of the Spirit in our lives." Over the next few days, I want to share some quotes from the book about each of these extremely relevant things.

The Promises of His Word
In The Gospel for Real Life, Bridges offers four promises of God from Scripture and then takes a look at how they give us confident assurance in our salvation.
  • "Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost" (Isaiah 55:1).
  • "The Spirit and the bride say, 'Come!' And let him who hears say, 'Come!' Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life" (Revelation 22:17).
  • "All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away" (John 6:37)
  • "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved" (Romans 10:13)
"Have you ever responded to the gracious invitations of Isaiah 55:1 and Revelation 22:17? One who is thirsty and one who has no money are simply metaphorical expressions for a person who realizes his or her need for a Savior. They are pictures of one who renounces any confidence at all in his own good works as the way to a right relationship with God. Does this describe you? Have you come to the place where you realize that you have no spiritual "money" with which to "buy" eternal life? Have you come as one who is spiritually thirsty, longing for that right relationship with God? Then God has promised you that you will drink freely of the gift of the water of life. Consider the promise of Romans 10:13. Have you called on the name of the Lord? Have you, in recognition of your own sinfulness, called on Jesus alone to be your Savior? Look at the gracious words of Jesus in John 6:37: "Whoever comes to me, I will never drive away." If you have truly come to Him, sincerely asking Him to be your Savior, He will not drive you away."

What Colossians Says About Salvation: Part 1

Today we'll be looking at the theme of salvation in Colossians by way of answering three important questions.

Who Worked Salvation Out?
To answer this, we'll start with Colossians 1:21-22:
"Once you were alienated and hostile in your minds because of your evil actions. But now He has reconciled you by His physical body, through His death to present you holy, faultless, and blameless before Him."
The first thing I noticed in this passage is how it focuses on Christ working our salvation out. It starts with us being alienated and hostile in our minds because of our evil actions, our sin, and then He reconciled us by His physical body, through His death so that we may be presented before Him. He did everything. We learn that later in Colossians 2:13-14: "And when you were dead ... He made you alive with Him and forgave us ... He erased the certificate of death ... and has taken it out of the way by nailing it to the cross." We were dead people; we could do nothing. It was He who was able to work our salvation out and raise us from our old, lifeless selves to new creations. It starts with sin, our evil desires which separate us from God. But then Jesus' atoning death saves us. We're new creatures. Now we have a responsibility ...

What Must We Do Once We're Saved?
"Therefore put to death what belongs to your worldly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desire, and greed, which is idolatry ... But now you must also put away all the following: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and filthy language from your mouth. Do not lie to one another since you have put off the old self with its practices." (Colossians 3:5, 8-9)
My dad got a sweatshirt for Christmas with a famous John Owen quote: "Be killing sin or sin will be killing you." Profound and true. Once we've been saved, we have a responsibility. What we once served, we must now slay. We must daily be putting sin to death. Romans 6:8, 10-11 sheds a little more light on this - "Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. ... For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus." (emphasis mine) Our duty as Christians is to put sin to death. But what does that really mean? It means to literally remove each sin from our lives permanently. This isn't a temporary thing; it's for good. We need to get rid of sin, or, you see, sin will get rid of us.

We have one more question to answer, but we'll save that for the next post. What is that question? you wonder. I'll leave it for you to ponder on - How must we live once we're saved?

My Testimony: Revised and Updated Edition 2011

Almost two years have passed since I wrote out my testimony for this blog, and my testimony needs some revisions and updates. So that's why I've rewritten my testimony so that others can be blessed by reading it, and it can, ultimately, bring glory to God!

I was born in a Christian home and raised by two very strong Christian parents. I said a prayer of faith at the age of four, but only began to truly understand Christ's sacrifice and atoning death when I was nine, though even then, I was a long way from understanding it all (as I am now!). I was baptized at nine years old by my dad, who was the associate pastor of the First Baptist Church in a small town in northern B.C. where we lived at the time. From there, I began my trek down the path that leads to a maturity in faith. When I think about where I was at age nine, and now, five years later, where the Lord has brought me, it's incredible! I understand that through situations and circumstances, the Lord has been working in it all to draw me closer to Himself. I praise Him for that!

I praise Him for moving us to Texas when I was nine and a half, where I got the opportunity to be a part of a strong, Christian pre-teen group, where I was surrounded with believers my own age. I praise God for moving us to Halifax, Nova Scotia, when I was 12, where my dad became the pastor of a small baptist church! I praise God that He doesn't give up on me, even when I feel like I'm a failure and that I can never be used by Him. I praise Him that He never stops teaching me how to be more faithful to Him. I thank Him for saving me from "the domain of darkness" and transferring me into "the kingdom of the son He loves." (Colossians 1:13) And I praise Him that "we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins, in Him." (Colossians 1:14)

I'm excited for the future, for what God has in store for me! I know that He's not finished with me yet, and I look forward to being used as His ambassador for the gospel (Ephesians 6:17-20). I gladly say with Hannah Farver,  
"I take encouragement from John 16:33. It promises a story complete with tears and the occasional burning down of dreams, but also a happy ending forever: "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." He has overcome. It's happened. It's happening. We have hope for a happy ending (...or is it really a glorious new beginning?)"

How to Win the Big Jackpot ...

Did you hear about the Newfoundlander that lost out on $30,000,000? Yup, it's true. A person went into a corner store to buy a lottery ticket. They asked for a $10 one, but the clerk gave them a $27 one by mistake. The $27 one was the big winner, but nobody knew that. The person pointed out the mistake, and the clerk voided the ticket. It was later that the clerk found out about the winning ticket. So, somebody had a hold on a $30,000,000 jackpot, but they let it slip from their grasp. That got me thinking ...

That's like God for so many people. In the situation with the jackpot, let's say heaven is the jackpot (not that we could ever compare a lottery jackpot to heaven, but just for the exercise, we're going to pretend). Jesus is the Clerk in this situation. He made it possible for us to win the jackpot. When Jesus died, He offered us the lottery ticket of a life time (it's an always win guarantee): salvation. With salvation, we can win the jackpot - heaven. Eternal paradise with God. Anybody can win that. Jesus is holding out the winning ticket that guarantees the jackpot, but so many people let it slip from their grasp. Or worse: they don't even attempt to grab it. God wants us to win the big jackpot because He loves us.

But how do I win the big jackpot, you ask? It's easy:

1. A- Admit to God you are a sinner. (Romans 3:23)
2. B- Believe that Jesus is the Son of God. (Romans 10:9)
3. C- Confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord. (Romans 10:9)

Romans Road Review, Or Not-Part 3: Romans 10:9; Romans 10:13

Welcome to my final post of our Romans Road reviewing (or learning). Today we are going to finish off our 6 steps to salvation. For a quick review over what we learned so far, let's look at our first 4 verses: John 3:16; Romans 3:23; Romans 6:23; Romans 5:8. We learned that God loved the world, but we sin and can't enter God's presence. We deserve death, but God sends us a gift. The gift is Jesus, God's son, who died on the cross in place of us. Today we will look at the final verses (Romans 10:9 and Romans 10:13) of this series.

'If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.' -Romans 10:9

'All who call on the name of Jesus will be saved.' -Romans 10:13


So by reading the other 4 verses we learn what God did for us, but these verses tell us what we need to do. We need to confess with our mouth that Jesus is Lord. That means that we need to say that Jesus is Lord, but that's not all. We need to believe in our heart, not just in our head, that God raised Jesus from the dead. If we do this we will be saved. The most important thing though, is to call on Jesus. If we call on Jesus we will be saved. It says right there in Romans 10:13. That means that our 6 steps to salvation are:
  1. God loved the world. (John 3:16)
  2. We sin though, and can not enter God's presence. (Romans 3:23)
  3. We deserve to die, but God sent us a gift. (Romans 6:23)
  4. God sent us Jesus to die in our place. (Romans 5:8)
  5. We need to say that Jesus is Lord and believe in our hearts that He is raised from the dead. (Romans 10:9)
  6. We need to call on the name of Jesus and then we will be saved. (Romans 10:13)


Romans Road Review, Or Not-Part 2: Romans 6:23; Romans 5:8


Welcome back to reviewing, or learning, the Romans Road verses. Yesterday we looked at John 3:16 and Romans 3:23. We learned of the first two steps to salvation.
  1. God loved the world (John 3:16)
  2. We sin though, and can not enter God's presence (Romans 3:23)
Today we are looking at Romans 6:23 and Romans 5:8 to get some help for our problem.

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord. -Romans 6:23

But God demonstrates His love for in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us. -Romans 5:8

This means step three to salvation is that we deserve to die, but God gave us a gift through His son, Jesus Christ. God showed us His love by sending us the gift of Jesus Christ to die in our place. Wow! Is that amazing or what? Jesus took our punishment. The only perfect being to walk the earth took the punishment for millions of worthless sinners. Now this is great, but we can't stop here. But, we are for now. Don't fret. We'll finish off the last Romans Road verses tomorrow. So the first 4 steps to salvation are:
  1. God loved the world (John 3:16)
  2. We sin though, and can not enter God's presence (Romans 3:23)
  3. We deserve to die, but God sent us a gift (Romans 6:23)
  4. God sent us Jesus to die in our place on the cross (Romans 5:8)

Romans Road Review, Or Not-Part 1: John 3:16; Romans 3:23

Hello, readers. At my church, Gospel Light Baptist Church, in Sunday School, we are memorizing the Romans Road verses. We memorized John 3:16; Romans 3:23; Romans 6:23; Romans 5:8; Romans 10:9; Romans 10:13. I wanted to share them with you, two at a time. This may be review to you, and it may not. Today we are looking at John 3:16 and Romans 3:23.

"For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only son, that whoever believes in Him will not die, but have eternal life." John 3:16

"For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." Romans 3:23

In these two verses we learn of the first two steps to salvation:
  1. God loved the world
  2. We sin though, and so can not enter God's presence
God is perfect and holy and sin can not be in the presence of Him. So now we have a problem. But what can we do about this problem? Tune in tomorrow as we discover how God solved our problem. Or if you just can't wait you can email me anytime or you can look it up yourself with the scriptures above.

These verses may be new to you and they may be review. If you haven't memorized these I would encourage you to because the Romans Road verses will help you lead a person to Christ. They sum up the gospel in a few verses. So, the gist of it: God loved. We sinned. Tune in tomorrow to find what's next.

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