The Greatest Consequence: Death
Every one of us is where we are today because of choices made yesterday. We are successful in business because of decisions made previously. We are, likewise impoverished because of choices made in the past. No one stands where he is solely because of another. We have made choices which produce amazing blessings or profound […]
John 3:16
John 3:16 is the best known Bible verse. Even most atheists know the verse. It’s posted on signs at sporting events, it appears on bumper stickers, is emblazoned on t-shirts and is often quoted from the pulpit. This Golden Text of the Bible is known and quoted by people even if they do not know […]
Vine, Branches and Denominations
During his final days on earth, Jesus declared, “I am the vine, you are the branches” (John 15:5). What does he mean? Some take this verse as an endorsement of denominationalism. They say that Jesus was describing himself as the vine and the various religious denominations as branches from him. If that is true then […]
True Miracles
To hear some people tell it, miracles are everywhere today. Any strange event, any unexpected healing and even an odd shaped cloud or spectacular sunset is called a miracle. I beg to differ. God works in our lives in amazing ways. But let us understand that any modern day miracle must be judged against the […]
John 3:16 – Massive Love
We have previously spoken about John 3:16 in an effort to remind our readers of some overlooked aspects of the verse. But to better complete the study I will consider the great love evident in this short verse: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should […]
John 3:16 – More Than Simple Agreement
Belief that Jesus is the Son of God is essential for salvation. Would anyone question that? How can you be saved by something or someone that you do not believe in? Unquestionably we must believe in Jesus (1 John 3:23). But as we have said before on John 3:16, belief is more than a simple […]
John 3:16 and the Depth of Believing
Following a recent sermon I was questioned about John 3:16 by a very kind lady. She held that baptism was not necessary for salvation. Her reasoning was that John 3:16 said all who believed would be saved. Our discussion seemed to turn on the meaning of “believes” in the Golden Text. “For God so loved […]
Compassion
Compassion is so needed today. It is one of the important characteristics of the Christian life. Compassion has the power to change lives by altering the relationship between people and even whole communities. Our Lord is a fine example of compassion that we should emulate as his followers. Jesus’ encounter with the sinful woman in […]
One Way – Only One Way to God
Sometimes people say, “There are many paths to God.” Sometimes people worship without regard to Jesus the Son of God. Jews honor Jehovah God and Muslims honor Allah through the teachings of Mohammad. Some pay homage to Buddha, some practice Hindu while others look to Shinto for their faith. Still more practice a form of […]
John 4:24 – “in spirit and in truth”
A recent comment made here asked some important questions about worship. He mentioned John 4:24 and Jesus’ comment that true worshipers must worship God “in spirit and in truth.” I think it would be helpful for us to spend some time thinking about what it means to worship in spirit and to worship in truth. […]
