Last Wednesday morning was like every other Wednesday morning: I dressed for work and packed everything the baby would need for a day at my in-law’s. Before I pulled out of our driveway, I said our usual prayer for safety on the roads. Then I began to sing some hymns and…
On April 16th, a movie hit select theaters in the United States and, surprising many, it took the number 2 slot, earning $22.5 million over the Easter weekend. Marketed as a Christian and Biblical film, Heaven is for Real is based off the book of the same name, by Todd…
Droughts, wildfires, dust storms, hurricanes, floods, derechos, earthquakes, tsunamis; frightening outbreaks of West Nile virus and Hantavirus put large sections of the country on edge; the economic and political arenas are filled with uncertainty and conflicting messages. Today’s world would be alien to those who lived even a few decades…
So many times, we hear about this amazing stories of people who lived horrible lives “finding Jesus” and being changed. But many youth who are raised in a community of faith never have a dramatic experience. They grow conscious of spiritual matters gradually and their decisions on what to believe happen over a span of a few years. This is like Nicodemus. He had a spiritual journey, not a single life-changing moment.
This question has been floating around my mind for the last week, and though there are many answers (and the majority of them would be correct), I would like to briefly share with you what being a Christian means to me.
The concept of the Triune God is often the most difficult for Christians and non-Christians to grasp. There has been much confusion on this topic for centuries, leading to all sorts of questions. Here is one such puzzling question: If all three members of the Godhead are truly equal, why was it Jesus Christ (God the Son) who died for our sins and not God the Father or God the Holy Spirit?
The Bible is clear that the only way to receive everlasting life is through believing in Christ Jesus. The passage of John 3:16 reads: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” Christ Himself says: “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” (John 14:6)
Unfortunately, death is one of the greatest penalties for sin. We take comfort in knowing that, though death will still occur until the day on which the Lord will return, death no longer needs to be feared by believers. Christ defeated sin, defeated death, when He died in our place and rose again.
Hell. The mere mention of this word conjures up various images in our minds, most very unpleasant. It is often difficult to think of Christianity without remembering an instance where a zealous Christian has approached us with the ultimatum: Repent now or you will burn forever in Hell! But what exactly is Hell? We must allow the Bible, and only the Bible, to be our guide as we search for an explanation.
First, 2 Peter 2:9 tells us that the wicked will not be punished until the day of judgment; “The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished.” The Bible tells us, in both John 12:48 and Matthew 13:40-42, that the Judgment Day has not already happened… it will be “in the last day” and “in the end of this world”. This means that, according the the words of Jesus Christ Himself, no one is being punished in Hell right now.
