“I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.” (1 John 5:13)
With Christmas just a couple weeks away, I’ve been contemplating eternal matters. I’d like to share two different true stories that I experienced a few years ago. They are similar stories but have different endings. Both accounts involve funerals. One involved someone I’d never met, the other a dear friend.
I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. 21 I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose. — Galatians 2:20-21
When asked what the greatest (or most important) commandment was, Jesus said it was to love God and love your neighbor. “Jesus answered … ‘And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.’” — Mark 12:29a – 31
“But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, 5 he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, 6 whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. 8 The saying is trustworthy, and I want you to insist on these things, so that those who have believed in God may be careful to devote themselves to good works. These things are excellent and profitable for people.” – Titus 3:4-8
Many factors contribute to messing up a person’s life. Lack of self-control is a significant one. You might be on top of your finances and then wreck them by buying things you don’t need. Not to mention, you could excel at controlling your temper until something gets under your skin and you snap. Without a doubt, self-control is an essential and crucial characteristic of a Christian.
Put very simply, having self-control is sort of like driving a car. If you let go of the wheel, there’s a good chance you will run into another vehicle (or possibly off a bridge). But holding onto the wheel gives you the ability to drive defensively. Along with that, holding the wheel allows you to reach your destination. Paul certainly drove this point home (pardon the pun) when he wrote to Titus; he told him to teach everyone self-control. In fact, his instruction wasn’t just for pastors. It was for everyone who calls themselves a Christian. Indeed, he wrote about it five times in both chapters one and two.
We live in a polarized age. We all know it. And election years make it worse. “You have to vote, this is the most important election in the history of our country!”, “You can’t vote for him, he’ll ruin our country!” Sound familiar?
“Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.” — John 20:30-31
What is a miracle? One dictionary defines a miracle as an event that is an addition to the established laws of nature and attributed to God.
“Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” — John 1:45-46
Jesus’ first disciples joined Him at the beginning of His earthly ministry. Philip invited Nathaniel to “come and see” Jesus. However, Nathanael was famously skeptical of the prophetic significance of Jesus’ hometown. But I love Philip’s response, “Come and see.” It wasn’t “Believe or else.” In other words, Philip invited Nathaniel to investigate Jesus’ claims for himself.
Now, fast forward to the end of Jesus’ earthly ministry. Imagine the Sunday morning after the Resurrection. In due time, Mary and Mary went to the tomb. And what did the angel say to them?
“But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay.” — Matthew 28:5-6
The angel invited Mary to investigate for herself if Jesus had risen from the dead! So again, it wasn’t “Just take my word for it.” It was come and see for yourself! What an example of the Christian faith. True Christianity is never afraid of investigation.
Start Investigating
While in high school and college, I had many questions about the truthfulness of Christianity. Naturally, there were questions about to Jesus, the Bible, science, evolution, creation, and more. I spent several years researching those questions. And time and time again, I found solid answers.
If you have questions about Jesus, the Bible, or Christianity, I certainly encourage you to investigate them. Some people are good at a “lazy skepticism.” They have questions that keep them from engaging, but they are too lazy to examine their doubts. Never let that be you! The Bible doesn’t mock doubt. Instead, it encourages personal investigation. Come and see!
I have a directly related announcement for you. This spring, I will continue to teach God’s Grand Design class. Join us. It just might help your own investigation. Here are some schedule details and the previously covered topics.
Over the last few weeks, I’ve been learning about the historical use of a long sword. It takes great precision to design them. The long edge faces away from you, while the short edge is toward you. Additionally, the blade has three sections. First, there is the “Strong” — the section from the crossbar to the “Middle” section. After the “Middle” comes the “Weak” or the top half. Each part has advantages for combat. Swords are both defensive and offensive weapons. All of the parts work together to make it formidable.
The comparison of God’s Word being like a sword (found in Hebrews) certainly came to life for me.
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.” Romans 1:16-17
We absolutely live in an age when everyone is right in their own eyes. Most people don’t even consider that their decisions could be wrong or their actions harmful. At the same time, everybody is on their own path, trying to figure out how to navigate life. Also, endless resources and influences are waiting to tell them exactly what they want to hear.
