Jesus. The Way, the Truth, and the Life.
Here’s a recent question.
I’ve heard that you cannot earn God’s favor through actions, but that it is by faith alone. I have heard people say, “it’s impossible to live the Christian life” or “you can’t keep the law.” That’s why we need Jesus to live this new life through us. Yet, we are also commanded to repent, which is an action, a choice I must make. If my actions are ultimately futile and don’t earn favor, then how am I supposed to repent?
Check out Tim’s answer.
Will Christians have to experience the tribulation? This is a topic that’s been discussed quite a bit on the site. Use the search function and do a search for the word “tribulation” and you’ll find a lot. But just tonight I found this article in my archives. Tim wrote it back in February of 2012 and I thought it would be a worthy addition to the site.
Sometimes the weight of our sin can weigh us down to the point that we question our salvation.
All of us have things in our past that are now fully repulsive to us. We wish so much that we could have a redo and blot that thing out of our lives. And, of course, this is precisely what Jesus offers us. He takes our ugliness and our sin from us and nails it to His cross, then He offers us a new life in Him.
It’s easy to get sucked into an argument and try to convince the other side that you’re right. Believe me, it happens to me more than I’d like. But like Tim said, we do not find Jesus or the apostles getting into extended debates about theological matters.
Someone asked us what it takes to become a prayer warrior — to become spiritually strong.
Desiring to be effective in prayer and to be spiritually strong is the starting point. But desire without action is like a dream. It can inspire but it does not bring results.
A while back (a long while back) a site reader asked Tim about the importance of believing in the deity of Jesus. As usual, Tim didn’t mince words in his response. Jesus made a strong statement when He said, “. . . for unless you believe that I am he you will die in your sins.” Jesus claimed to be God and told his disciples that they better believe it or they would die in their sins. That doesn’t sound very pleasant to me.
In Victoria’s words —
Shamans and “healers” alike can help solve one’s problems but they can never cure a soul. I remain with a strong conviction that only God can do it. He has redeemed me from three major burdens of my life — anger, resentment and solitude -– and filled in the emptiness in my heart. He has opened a new perspective in life for me and showed me its purpose.
Sometimes we head down the wrong path. But we still hear God calling. Sometimes we try to do the right thing. But the pleasures of the world draw us away from our Savior. No matter how far we stray though, God continues to call us to Himself. And it’s up to us, ultimately, to heed His call and return to righteousness.
My buddy Mike has graciously decided to send us another of his amazing poems. And why are they amazing? Because they point people toward the author and perfecter of our faith — Jesus!
A poem by Mark Tinjum. Now Mark may not realize it, or maybe he doesn’t believe it, but he’s one of the most influential friends I’ve ever had. I thank God for him and hope that we can spend more time together someday! Be sure to check out his website — AllHis.org.