Tag Archives: they have not believed

JESUS DID NOT SAY…

Apologetics, , ,

JESUS DID NOT SAY THAT WE WOULD BE JUDGED BECAUSE OF THE SINS WE HAVE COMMITTED

How often we hear these words from the mouth of a preacher, “When you stand before God, He will condemn you because you murdered someone by your anger… you lied… you stole… you committed adultery…!

Not so, my friend, according to Jesus, there is only one standard by which you will be judged.

“Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.”

John 3:18 NIV

You see, both unbelief and faith produce fruit, the first of rejection of Jesus, the second belief in Him as Lord.

All the sins we commit are the fruit of unbelief in Jesus. All our good works are the fruit of lives transformed by the power of the gospel.

“Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.”

John 3:20-21 NIV

Paul confirmed the truth that God will judge the world by this one standard.

“God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels. He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might on the day he comes to be glorified in his holy people and to be marvelled at among all those who have believed. This includes you, because you believed our testimony to you.”

2 Thessalonians 1:6-10 NIV

There are only two kingdoms that people live in, the kingdom of God or the dominion of darkness. We are citizens of one or other of these two realms, depending on our allegiance and obedience to its ruler.

Everyone is born into the dominion of darkness and lives under the influence of Satan, its ruler. Everyone is born with a nature that is pulled towards sin. Everyone is an enemy of God, rebels against His instructions and is destined for the same punishment as its ruler, eternal separation from God in hell.

God’s grace, through faith in Jesus, rescues us from wrath and give us a place in His eternal kingdom.

SON OF GOD OR LIAR?

Bible Study, ,

SON OF GOD OR LIAR?

Whoever believes in the Son of God accepts this testimony. Whoever does not believe God has made Him out to be a liar because they have not believed the testimony God has given about His Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life (1 John 5:10-12).

John, you are either a bigot, or you are telling the truth! Why should we take John’s words seriously? On what grounds can he make such a statement? Why is he intolerant of other religions? Don’t all religions lead to God?

Many have accused those who believe the Bible of hate speech because they claim that the Bible alone has the truth to the exclusion of all other sacred books. It is impossible for me to write an apologetic on the Bible’s claim here. I want only to examine what John said about Jesus.

John spent three years with Jesus. He heard His words; he watched what He did and the way He treated people until he was thoroughly familiar with Him. If anyone should have been sceptical or disillusioned about Jesus, it should have been John or one of His other disciples. It is not possible to live in such close contact with a person and not get to know Him.

Jesus had made some startling claims about Himself, about His relationship with God and about the purpose of His presence on earth. He said, for example, that the Father had sent Him. That presupposed that He was alive before His birth. Unless a person believes in reincarnation – and there is no evidence that reincarnations happen – no one exists or remembers anything before he is born. However, Jesus told Nicodemus that He knew about life with God because He came from God.

Jesus persistently called God His Father and said He was His Son. This enraged the Pharisees and religious leaders because they knew He meant that He was God. They charged Him with blasphemy and crucified Him because of His claim. He even applied the Scriptures that spoke of God to Himself. He called Himself “I am” which the Jews knew was God’s name.

Jesus did many miracles in the Father’s name through the power of the Holy Spirit. Nicodemus knew that God was with Him because no one could do the miracles Jesus did on his own. God’s power had to be at work through Him. If God did miracles through Jesus, how could He be a liar and an imposter?

Jesus told the Pharisees that God had given Him the authority to judge and to give life to those who believed in Him. Once again, He was either a madman or He was telling the truth. Only God has the right to judge people and only God can give those who believe in Jesus eternal life. Therefore, Jesus must be God.

Jesus made the boldest and riskiest claim of all when He insisted that no one could take His life from Him. He would lay it down and He would take it up again.

The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life – only to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father (John 10: 17-18).

Anyone can make a claim like that, but no one can pull it off unless he were God. As far as everything Jesus said about Himself is concerned, this was His trump card. Many brilliant legally trained people have attempted to disprove the resurrection but to no avail. Not only is the Biblical and non-Biblical evidence overwhelming, but the existence of the church 2000 years after the resurrection, despite every effort to stamp it out, proof enough that Jesus is alive.

Until the world can prove that Jesus is a fake, those who believe in Him will shrug off the accusations of intolerance and hate speech. We are not proud; we are confident that what He said is true.

I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me (John 14:6).

My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand (John 10: 27-28).

If Jesus said it, I believe it and that settles it. I would much rather be safe than sorry.

Scripture is taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.