March 5, 2010

A Leap of Faith

Leap of Faith

It is not uncommon to hear one talk about taking a leap of faith. Often this phrase is used to refer to some aspect of our response to God – believing in His existence, acknowledging His work in Creation, accepting the Bible, meeting His terms of salvation, or trusting that His way is best.

What is a leap of faith? While it may be true that people use this phrase in different ways, it seems that there is one way in which it is generally used. For many, a “leap of faith” is a willingness to believe something even if they have their doubts about it. If something cannot be proven, a “leap of faith” is required to accept it. Again, not everyone will use this phrase in this way, but this is generally the way in which it is used. Therefore, this is the definition we will consider in this article.
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February 11, 2010

Four Contributors to Our Salvation

1 Peter 1:2

Peter wrote his first epistle to Christians that were scattered throughout Asia Minor. He addressed them as ones who were “chosen” (1 Peter 1:1). For what were they chosen? Salvation. They were “born again to a living hope” in order to “obtain an inheritance […] reserved in heaven” (1 Peter 1:3-4). They were waiting “for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time” (1 Peter 1:5).

How had these individuals been chosen? Peter said it was “according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with His blood” (1 Peter 1:2). Here the apostle mentioned four contributors that make salvation possible for us:
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January 20, 2010

Is Jesus the Only Way to Salvation?

One Way

A recent report has found that a minority of Presbyterians believe that “only followers of Jesus Christ can be saved.” Only 39% of members agree or strongly agree with that statement along with just 35% of pastors and 45% of elders.

Before you might jump to conclusions, understand that this was not a report done by a group that is biased against the Presbyterian church, making their findings unreliable. The article linked above cites the latest “Religious and Demographic Profile of Presbyterians” report and was released by the Presbyterian church itself.
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January 14, 2010

All Continues Just as it Was

When Jesus ascended into heaven, the apostles were there to witness the event. Afterward, two angels appeared to them and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven” (Acts 1:11). Christians today “eagerly wait” for the Lord to return, as the angels said He would, and bring the faithful home to heaven (Philippians 3:20-21; 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17).

That was about two thousand years ago. Yet we remain watchful, knowing that “the day of the Lord will come like a thief” (2 Peter 3:10). But there are many today who will ridicule this idea. They say we should live as we please here because this is the only life we will have. We should not be surprised that there are such people. After all, Peter wrote about them in the first century. As the apostle began discussing the day of the Lord, he wrote, “Knowing this first of all, that in the last days mockers will come with their mocking, following after their own lusts, and saying, ‘Where is the promise of His coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all continues just as it was from the beginning of creation’” (2 Peter 3:3-4).
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December 28, 2009

Taking Stock

Meditation

As another year is quickly drawing to a close, we often use this time to take stock of our lives. We look back at where we have been and evaluate where we are now. We also tend to look forward to the new year and what might lie ahead, thinking about what we ought to do in order to get to where we want to be.

It is certainly a good exercise for us to consider where we are in contrast to where we have been and where we are going. While we are doing this, let us not forget our spiritual lives. It would be good for us to be taking stock of where we have been, where we are, and where we are headed.
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December 18, 2009

Harvest Is Past

Countryside

In Jeremiah 8, the prophet condemned the people of Jerusalem for their sins. The condemnation was not for an occasional misstep, but for the persistent practice of sin and their stubborn refusal to repudiate it: “Why then has this people, Jerusalem, turned away in apostasy? They hold fast to deceit, they refuse to return” (Jeremiah 8:5).

The deceit to which they held fast consisted of the lies of the scribes (Jeremiah 8:8) and of the priests who would say “‘Peace, peace,’ but there is no peace” (Jeremiah 8:11). They had become so accustomed to their sin that they were no longer “ashamed of the abomination they had done…and they did not know how to blush” (Jeremiah 8:12). They had replaced the Lord with “graven images” and “foreign idols” (Jeremiah 8:19).

After outlining this miserable state of the people, the prophet said, “Harvest is past, summer is ended, and we are not saved” (Jeremiah 8:20).
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December 15, 2009

What Was Said About Jesus on the Cross

Crucifixion of Christ

Jesus’ death on the cross is the central event of the Bible. It is the sacrifice that made forgiveness, redemption, and salvation possible for all mankind. Jesus foretold of His death (Matthew 16:21). The Scriptures prophesied of this event (Psalm 22; Isaiah 53; et al.). Sufficient evidence has been provided to produce belief.

In addition to all the divinely given evidence, the gospel writers also recorded comments from some uninspired men as they spoke about Jesus and His crucifixion. It is interesting to see what others understood about Him, even some without the benefit of Old Testament teaching.
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