Author Archives: Dave

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August 15, 2023

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Christianity, Salvation

Are Good Works Needed for Salvation?

What is the most widely believed dogma in the world? Christians, Muslims, Buddhists and the majority of other worlds religions affirm the need to do good works of some variety, whether it be participating in a specific ritual or a life of goodness, for the person to reach that religion’s definition of salvation. One can safely estimate billions of people around the world believe the performance of good works is necessary to achieve a positive outcome in the afterlife. Does the Bible teach this?

The Bible says the following about salvation by works:
Ephesians 2:8-9
For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.

Titus 3:4-5
But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, 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,

Romans 4:2-5
For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” Now to him who works, the wages are not counted as grace but as debt. But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness,

Galatians 2:16
Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ,

Galatians 5:4
You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace.

2 Timothy 1:9
God has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus.

The Bible is plain. No one is saved by works. No one can be saved by works. The person who relies in any way on their works to get them to Heaven will not be saved. Many in the broad family of Christian religions affirm that good works are vital to salvation, but the Bible teaches something different. No one needs to do any good works at any time in their life in order to be saved. Galatians 5:4 says that those who attempt to be saved by some good deed have actually fallen short of Gods’ grace. The attempt to earn Heaven cuts a person off from Heaven. The only way to receive God’s saving grace is through faith which never attempts to do anything to earn salvation.

According to the Bible no work brings salvation. Obeying the ten commandments, being circumcised, being baptized, taking the Lord’s Supper, making confession to others, attending church, giving to the needy, maintaining religious devotion and living a life of self denial will never bring anyone salvation. No religious ritual or virtuous deed will bring any one the tiniest step closer to heaven.

The only way to get to Heaven is through faith in Jesus. (John 14:6) Admit you are a sinner who is guilty before God and deserving of His eternal punishment. Believe Jesus is God who became human, died on the cross to pay the penalty of your sin and rose to life again. Believe Jesus will forgive your sin and give you eternal life. Place all your trust in Jesus for salvation. Rely only on Him to get you to Heaven. Ask Jesus to take away all your guilt and make you His child. He will. “Whoever calls upon the Lord shall be saved.” (Romans 10:13)

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August 8, 2023

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Crucifixion, God, Jesus, Salvation

How is Jesus’ death on the cross loving and just?

The death of Jesus on the cross was unfair. Many view the Christian teaching that Jesus died for our sins as a barbaric relic of an ancient world awash in oppression, cruelty and blood. How could a loving God demand His Son suffer a death as terrible as crucifixion?

Death by crucifixion was a horrific torment designed to be as cruel and slow as possible. Before being nailed to the cross Jesus suffered a vicious scourging. His final hours were filled with intense pain and anguish beyond description. Few Americans can truly comprehend the brutality of Jesus’ death. The savagery of crucifixion is shocking.

The Bible says, “The Father sent the Son to be the Savior of the world” (1 John 4:14), “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son” (John 3:16) and “But God demonstrates His own love toward us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8) How could such a brutal death be an act of love?

The problem is not the violence of the cross, the problem is the failure to understand the true severity of sin. We cannot truly comprehend the wickedness of man’s treason against his Creator and Sovereign. The savagery of the cross reveals the heinousness of sin. One sin, seemingly no more severe than a child swiping a cookie from the cookie jar, plunged the entire world into the misery it now experiences. All the war, abuse, rape, assault, murder, suffering, poverty, starvation, disease and every other horror that fills this world is the direct result of Adam and Eve’s single act of disobedience in the Garden of Eden. When God cursed them He cursed all the world. Now all things groan in agony under the curse of sin.

The consequences of sin are severe because God is holy. God’s holiness involves absolute separation from all sin. God is also the only source of all good. When man’s sin separated him from God all creation drew back from the source of good. When even a little of God’s good favor is removed from His creation terrible things come upon the world. Sin removed creation from God’s blessing thereby bringing on all the terrors of being allowed to attempt life without Him.

Holiness also involves the proper response to all sin. The book of Habakkuk declares that God is too pure to overlook any evil. Isaiah 59:18 says, “According to their deeds, accordingly He will repay.” Job 34:11 says, “He repays man according to his work.” In Jeremiah 17:10 God says, “I the Lord search the heart. I test the mind, even to give every man according to his ways and according to the fruit of his doings.” Because God is the Holy Judge of all the earth (Genesis 18:25) He will always punish all sin with a judgment equal to its severity.

On the cross Jesus suffered God’s punishment for the sin of humanity. The cross must be horrible and the punishment of sin must be terrible because sin is an appalling rebellion against God. Romans 3:26 says that the cross shows how God can remain just and still justify sinners. God’s justice permits an innocent party to take the place of the guilty. The sinless Jesus willingly took the place of sinful men and was punished for all our sin. He bore the wrath of God as if He were guilty of all our iniquities. The cross shows God’s love because God the Son willingly suffered our punishment (2 Corinthians 5:21), God the Spirit willingly enabled Jesus to endure the cross (Hebrews 9:14) and God the Father willingly accepted the sacrifice of Jesus for the sin of mankind.

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August 2, 2023

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Sexuality, Sin

Is the Bible silent about sexual orientation?

Some who profess Christianity and affirm homosexuality have argued that when the Bible was written the idea of sexual orientation was unknown, therefore any condemnations of homosexuality in the Bible cannot be a condemnation of homosexual orientation. Is this true? Is the Bible silent on orientation and consequently unable to address the questions of sexual orientation raised today?

Sexual orientation is defined by GLAAD as, “an person’s enduring physical, romantic and/ or emotional attraction to another person.” A key component in this orientation is the persistence of desire. Orientation is not defined by a momentary attraction, by a sexual experience or even by repeated homosexual experiences. Orientation is understood to be a continued attraction regardless of sexual experience or activity. The ancient world does not seem to have had a particular category of people who were known to be persistently homosexual.

Homosexual behavior was common in the Greek and Roman cultures but it was not viewed a defining feature of someone’s life. The ancient Jewish culture knew and practiced homosexuality within the context of idol worship, but nothing suggests that homosexuality was widely practiced by individuals in Israel outside of pagan worship. None of the major cultural influences on the Biblical authors viewed homosexual activity, even persistent homosexual practice, in the modern sense of orientation. Thus, the claim is likely true that the Biblical authors did not consciously address the concept of sexual orientation. Though ancient cultures may not have viewed homosexuality as an orientation and the Biblical authors were not intending to address modern understandings of sexual orientation, this does not necessarily mean the Bible’s teachings about sexuality have no application today to those who have a homosexual orientation.

The Bible is the Word of God inspired by Him in His infinite knowledge, wisdom, holiness and justice. The human authors may not have known of homosexual orientation, but everyone can be certain the Divine Author was fully aware of 21st century views about homosexuality when He directed the prophets and apostles to write as they did. To assume God’s Word does not apply to modern views of homosexuality assumes either the Bible is not truly God’s Word or God failed to address an incredibly significant area of modern life.

The Bible consistently condemns sin even if it is a persistent desire or orientation. In fact, the Bible presents the sin nature as an inborn, enduring desire for that which is contrary to God’s glory and commands. Sin is not jut something a person does, but the expression of a natural orientation of heart. All people possess an inherent, intense desire for that which dishonors God. Orientation toward sin does not justify sin, but proves its severity.

The Bible does not need to specifically condemn homosexual orientation because it condemns all desire for behavior that is contrary to God’s Word, regardless of the intensity or longevity of that desire. Homosexual orientation is condemned in the same way that Scripture condemns all sinful orientations.

Such condemnation does not abandon a person to an unfulfilled life of disappointment and defeat. A proper understanding of the Biblical condemnation of the sin nature points all to the Savior. Jesus forgives all sin and transforms the forgiven person from the inside out. Thus, the Bible’s message is a hopeful one of victory over sin. “Where sin abounds, grace abounds much more.” (Romans 5:2)

Even if a person never gains complete freedom from unwanted sinful desires the Bible promises eternal reward to those who are faithful to the Lord. A lifelong struggle against all sinful desires will be seen in Heaven to be worth all the pain and heartache suffered in this life. The affliction of sinful desire in this life is producing in the faithful Christian a far greater, eternal glory in the life to come. (2 Corinthians 4:17)

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July 11, 2023

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God, Life Questions

Why do the wicked prosper while the righteous suffer?

The world often seems unfair. Good people suffer while evil people often appear to have an easy life. Most people instinctively know that evil should be punished and good rewarded. If God is just why do the righteous suffer and the wicked prosper?

This question is one that has troubled God’s people for thousands of years. Psalm 73 describes the problem well, “I saw the prosperity of the wicked. For there are no pangs in their death, but their strength is firm. They are not in trouble as other men, nor are they plagued like other men. Therefore pride serves as their necklace; violence covers them like a garment. Their eyes bulge with abundance; they have more than heart could wish. They scoff and speak wickedly concerning oppression; they speak loftily. Behold, these are the ungodly, Who are always at ease; They increase in riches.” (Psalm 73:3-8, 12)

The prophet Habakkuk saw unrestrained wickedness increasing and the ungodly threatening to overwhelm the righteous. He cried out to God, “You are of purer eyes than to behold evil, and cannot look on wickedness. Why do You look on those who deal treacherously, and hold Your tongue when the wicked devours a person more righteous than he?” (Habakkuk 1:13) The prophet’s words echo the cry of many hearts. However, Scripture does not just raise the question. God gives troubled men an answer to this perplexing problem.

The answer revealed in Psalm 73 and in the book of Habakkuk still applies today. The prosperity of the wicked is temporary while the blessing of the righteous will be eternal. God also assures all men that the wicked will not escape judgment. “Surely You set them in slippery places; You cast them down to destruction. Oh, how they are brought to desolation, as in a moment! They are utterly consumed with terrors.” (Psalm 73:18-19) Habakkuk 2 pronounces five woes on the ungodly and Habakkuk 3 promises that God will deliver the righteous. The do prosper for a little while, but their prosperity will expire. The wicked will be cut off. God will establish the righteous in joy that will never cease.

Judgment will certainly fall on the wicked. Reward will certainly be given to the righteous. However, judgment and reward are never fully doled out in this life. As a result, many people feel as if the wicked are never judged and the righteous are never rewarded. The problem is that most people do not think beyond this life. Most people act as if this life is everything. That perspective is wrong.

The Bible reveals this life is not all there is. Existence, suffering and joy do not end at death. Every person continues to exist in a conscious state and is able to experience sorrow and joy. What a person is given after this life they will never lose. All the good things gained in this life are kept for only a short time. All the good things received in Heaven are kept forever. All the horrors suffered in this life will be endured for only a short time. The judgment after death will have no end. The wicked may prosper right now, but the righteous will be comforted forever. (Luke 16:25) The righteous may suffer now, but the wicked will be punished forever.

When a person can learn to view life through the eyes of faith he will see that God may not be bring full judgment on to the wicked right now, but He will not fail to judge everyone in eternity. A life of ease and prosperity now is a poor substitute for an eternity of joy. “What will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his own soul?” (Matthew 16:26)

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June 21, 2023

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God, Prayer

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Why Doesn’t God Answer Prayer?

The problem of unanswered prayer is one that perplexes many religious people. If God promises to answer prayer, and He does, then why does it seem that God often refuses to answer the earnest prayer of sincere people? Why does God seem to be unwilling to intervene in the circumstances of this world?

Everyone who prays must remember God is not a genie who promises to grant every wish. God places restrictions on the kinds of prayers He will answer and on the kind of people whose prayers He will answer. God answers the prayers of His children. God never promises to answer the prayer of every person in the world. The Bible does not contain one single promise that God will answer the prayers of the unsaved. God promises to answer the prayers of only those who have by faith received Jesus as their Savior. Those who have not received Jesus cannot expect God to hear their prayers because they are not members of the family and kingdom of God. Americans have no right to expect the Chinese government to protect them or provide for the stability of the United States. Likewise, those who are not the children of God and citizens of the Kingdom of God have no right to expect Him to give them what He has promised to His people.

The Bible also warns that Christians living in sin will not have their prayers answered. (Psalm 66:18) Christians who are refusing to repent of known sin cannot claim God’s promise of answered prayer. Instead, the promise of answered prayer is dependent on the Christian being in a right relationship with God.

God promises to answer the prayers of His children if those prayers are not selfish and are seeking His will. God does not always answer in expected ways, but He does answer the proper prayers of His people. Consider the following Biblical accounts of answered prayer. When King Hezekiah prayed for protection from the armies of Assyria, God wiped out the Assyrian army in one night. (2 Kings 19:15-20, 35-37) When Solomon prayed for wisdom, God gave it to him in great abundance. (2 Chronicles 1:7-12; 1 Kings 3:16-28) When the Corinthian church prayed for Paul, God delivered him. (2 Corinthians 1:10-11) Other examples of answered prayer could be given from the lives of Abraham, Isaac, the Israelites, Moses, Job, David, Isaiah, Elisha, Elijah, Daniel, Nehemiah, Paul and Peter. The Bible shows that God hears and answers the prayer of His people. The personal testimony of thousands of Christians shows that God still answers prayer. Specific examples can be found in the life stories of George Mueller, Charles Spurgeon, Hudson Taylor, Adoniram Judson, William Carey and Elizabeth Elliott. Faithful Christians living today can give personal testimony of God answering their prayers.

The problem of unanswered prayer is not a problem with God or with His faithfulness. Unanswered prayer is the problem of sinful people. Prayer for wrong things, prayer from wrong motives and prayer from those who are not right with God will not be answered. The children of God who truly delight in the Lord will have the desires of their heart. (Psalm 37:4)