by Jesse Jost

“Welcome to our Discover the Word Bible study. Today we are going to look at this whole critical issue of Hell. This doctrine, which is of the utmost importance to the Christian life, has come under fire in recent years, as more and more Christians are letting their likes and dislikes determine their theology rather than submitting their minds to the authority of Christ and His Word.”

So began Robert Peterson, pastor of the Community Church. He and five other men from the leadership of other churches had been meeting regularly to discuss what God’s Word revealed about reality. All six men agreed on the infallibility of the Bible, and all six were willing to submit their minds to the final authority of the Scriptures.

Charles, the youngest member of the group, spoke next. “I am really glad we are looking into this whole issue of eternal damnation. I don’t know why, but for most of my life I have ignored this whole topic. Sure, I believed it, but I never really stopped to think about what it actually meant. Recently, I heard some pretty compelling teaching on how a believer can lose their salvation. This really sobered me. I also read a novel about what Judgment Day will be like. In this book, it was scary how many people lived this life thinking they were going to Heaven only to have Jesus say to them, ‘Depart from me, I never knew you.’ I was terrified by the thought.

“So I looked in the Bible and read all of the parables that ended in someone being banished to Hell. What stuck out was that in each of the parables the cause of being sent to hell was not wrong beliefs – like I had believed all my life – but rather disobedience. This seemed to fly in the face of all I have been taught about the importance of being careful to insist that works not become part of our salvation message. I thought the important thing was to confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord. If you did that you had eternal security. But then I read that Jesus says that not everyone who says ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but only those who do the will of God. There it is: Obedience is critical to salvation. I then began to worry if I had done enough obedience to qualify for Christ’s salvation. I wondered where the line is.”

Charles paused and looked around the group. “Seeing all this clear teaching on obedience being necessary for admittance into Heaven, has made me question what I believe about God’s love. I have always been taught that nothing I can do will make God love me any more, and nothing I can do will make him love me any less. I thought that God loves us not because of what we do, but because of who He is. Well, I am having a hard time reconciling this picture of God as a Father with this picture of Judgment Day where God callously sends billions of people to an eternal hell.”
He spit out that last phrase again for emphasis – “an eternal hell!”

“That doesn’t sound like Father-love to me,” he continued. “I am a sinful man, but I couldn’t banish one of my sons to eternal, never-ending damnation, just because he doesn’t do what I want! If God sends some to Hell and saves others, I can’t see how He loves us for who He is; it looks more like He loves us because of what we do, and that is a terrible burden!”

Realizing that he was raising his voice, Charles stopped. There was silence in the room.
Robert, the group leader, spoke seriously, “I think God is showing you a hard truth that the church has lost sight of – that God doesn’t love everyone. In fact, there are many Old Testament references stating that not only does God not love everyone, but He hates workers of iniquity, and is angry with the wicked every day. Charles, we do not deserve God’s love; we are sinners and enemies of God. The wonder is not that God does not love everyone, but that He loves any of us. And He does love the elect! On the basis of His good pleasure only, He has chosen a few to sovereignly save and love with an everlasting love. Rather than getting angry with God for not loving everyone, we should fall on our knees and thank him that he loves us! We do not deserve it. God doesn’t owe salvation to anyone. He is God and we are not. God is just – the wicked deserve hell for ignoring God in this life and not being thankful for the good gifts he has lavished upon them.”

It was evident that Charles was not buying this. “Robert, do the wicked really deserve eternal Hell?”
“Yes. In our fallen minds, we can’t grasp how horrible even one sin against a holy God really is. God gave them a chance and they chose to rebel. He gave them free choice and they chose to rebel.”

“But really, the wicked as you put it, do not choose to come into existence. And as you taught last time, we are born into sin; we are depraved human beings, enslaved to the bondage of sin. No one can choose God unless God first chooses to draw him! Where is the justice in that? We don’t choose our existence; we don’t choose where we are born, or what influences we will have in life. We are born with an inability to choose God, yet He commands us to choose Him without giving us the sovereign grace that we need in order to make that decision to come to Him. And yet we are still supposed to make the right choice!

“You say God lets the wicked have their free will, therefore He is just in punishing them. Well, Satan is not such a gentleman when it comes to respecting free will! He shoves lie after lie down people’s throats. He prevents people from hearing the truth that could save them, and he distracts them all the way into hell. It seems like the deck is stacked against the non-elect. And yet you say that God is just in creating these people against their will; doesn’t give the grace they desperately need; lets Satan deceive and torment them in this life, making their before-death experience hell; and then, despite not enabling them to obey, punishes them with conscious, never-ending hell for all eternity because they didn’t obey!! I don’t see ANY justice in that. In fact, what I have just described makes Hitler look like Mother Teresa!”

“Be careful,” Robert warned. “You are infringing on blasphemy. The thing to remember is that God loves you with great tenderness even though you don’t deserve it. And as you watch the wicked receive their just deserts by roasting in hell for all eternity, it will make you abundantly grateful that God chose to love you, even though you deserved the fate of the wicked. Rest in God’s love for you, Charles, and let God be God.”

But Charles wasn’t finished yet. “I don’t see how I can love a God like that. Suppose you walked into your room and saw your dad beating the living daylights out of your younger brother – beating him to a pulp and then throwing him down a well and locking him in there forever. How would you feel if your dad washed the blood off his hands and tried to give you an affectionate hug and tell you how much he loves you? How would you feel? Aren’t you still upset about what you saw? Don’t you bristle at the touch of one who just beat your sibling? But your dad explains, ‘Son, your brother broke my rules. Since I am completely holy and can’t tolerate one sin, I had to beat your brother and banish him from my presence. I cannot look upon evil.’

“Can you love a father like that? Yet that is what you are asking me to believe about God! Personally, I don’t see how some sins in this short life, merit never-ending torture.”
Robert, somewhat exasperated, replied, “We are not asked to LIKE the doctrine of hell, but we are asked to proclaim it. Jesus spoke more about Hell than He did about heaven, and He said that Hell is eternal. I am just proclaiming what He says. If you don’t like it, argue with Jesus, not me.”

At this point, Clark spoke up. “I think there is something both of you are missing. You understand Hell to mean never-ending, conscious torture, but I think that Scripture paints a different picture. The idea that the soul is eternal by default is a pagan idea not found in Scripture. God said that the wages of sinning is death but the gift of God is eternal life. God said that Adam and Eve would die when they ate the fruit. Ever since Eden, our souls have been mortal. It is only when Christ gives us life that we gain an immortal soul. I think that the language Scripture uses bears this out. Jesus repeatedly says that only if we believe will we be given eternal life. He did not say that we have eternal life already and that the only matter at hand is whether our after-death destination is heaven or hell.”

Robert objected, “But Jesus said that wicked would be sent to eternal punishment.”
“Yes,” Clark said, “The punishment is eternal, but the punishing is not eternal. In other words the sentence is eternal but the consciousness of it isn’t. Jesus said that some will be beaten with few stripes and some will be beaten with many stripes and that some judgments will be more tolerable for some than others. Tell me, how is this possible if Hell is automatic, eternal punishment? How does it get any worse than that? Jesus also says that we are to fear God, who can kill the body and the soul in hell. Over and over, Scripture says that the end of the wicked is destruction and that they will perish.”

Robert opened his Bible and read from Revelation 20. “Look, Clark, it says that the devil is thrown into the lake of fire, where he and the beast and the false prophet will be tormented day and night forever and ever.”

“I don’t know if the devil and the beast are demons. In Revelation, sometimes we can’t know for sure whether something is to be taken literally or figuratively. Here it says that the lake of fire was created for the demons, so maybe they will survive. But notice at the end of the chapter when the rest of the unsaved are thrown into the lake of fire, it is called the second death. I believe that refers to their final destruction; God finally annihilates them after they have been duly punished. Perhaps their remains endure and the fire endures forever, but I don’t think the souls themselves do.
“I also have another reason I think annihilationism is consistent with Scripture. In 1 Corinthians 15, we read that Christ will reign till He has defeated every enemy and then He hands the Kingdom over to the Father so that ‘God will be all in all.’ How can God be all in all if there are still millions raging against Him in Hell? And the Bible says that all people will praise Him, but how can those in conscious torment praise Him?”

Robert ignored the question. “Why would God resurrect the wicked if He were just going to annihilate them a little later?”
“I’m not sure…perhaps so that they can be punished for their sins. I know it wouldn’t be just for Hitler to die peacefully in the arms of his mistress and then slip into oblivion. No, God’s justice demands that he be punished. But God is merciful; He will not punish forever.”
Robert was clearly upset, “Clark, you are taking Scriptures out of context and twisting them to meet your human desires. The Bible cannot be more clear that Hell is eternal, conscious torment! You need to surrender your mind to the Bible! Hell is eternal!”

There was a long, awkward silence. Finally, George broke the tension. He was the eldest member of the study group. George had been a pastor for many years, but lately had been spending all his time writing or being out on the streets trying to reach people for Christ. He was clearly respected as the evangelist in the group. Opening his Bible to 1 Timothy 4:10, he handed it to Robert. “Read this and tell me what it means.”

“For to this end we labor and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially those who believe.” Robert shrugged. “I guess this means that if you believe, God will save you.”
“Is that what it says, Robert?”
“No.”
George gave each man an intense look, “On this grave doctrine of Hell we must let the Scriptures be our guide, not the traditions of men. Many Christians have wrestled with this doctrine of eternal damnation because it just does not seem consistent with God’s unconditional love or his justice. Yet they continue to believe in it because of how our Bibles have been translated. They see that Jesus talks about eternal damnation so they believe it, and through this framework, they interpret the other passages that talk about the eventual salvation of all men.

“Many people have wrestled with the same questions you have raised, Charles. Some have chose to ignore them, some have chosen to reject the infallibility of the Bible, while others have walked away from the faith altogether. They were simply unable to reconcile the two pictures painted in the Bible: a God who loves everyone, and a cruel God who sends most of his creation to an eternal hell.

“But there is another way to view this. Most people miss it entirely because they don’t know the original language that the Bible was written in. The word that is translated ‘forever’ or ‘eternal’ is aionias, which simply means ‘age-abiding,’ referring to an indefinite period of time. But it doesn’t necessarily mean ‘eternal.’ In fact, when Paul talks about a ‘mystery that was hidden from ages past,’ he uses the word aionias. If there can be ‘aionias past,’ then aionias doesn’t always mean ‘eternal.’ Satan is referred to as ‘the ruler of this age’ or, ‘this aionias,’ and we all agree that Satan will not rule forever! We read that Jesus will reign ‘forever and ever,’ or ‘aionias and aionias.’ This cannot mean ‘forever and ever’ as we understand it, because Paul speaks of an end to Jesus’ reign, when he hands it over to the Father.

“There is a Greek word, aidos, that truly means ‘forever.’ Paul uses it in reference to the eternal Godhead in Romans 1. So we see that the New Testament writers had a word that meant ‘eternal,’ but they used a word that just meant ‘age-abiding.’ We don’t know how long hell will be. We will have to look at the rest of Scripture to understand the doctrine of hell.”

The men sat in rapt attention. George was the guy who spoke more of God’s wrath than anyone else. He was the one who most diligently warned others about the dangers of sin and false doctrine. They were shocked to hear him question the endlessness of hell.

Robert was the first to speak. “George, Jesus said in the parable of the sheep and the goats that the wicked go to ‘everlasting – or aionias – punishment, but the righteous to aionias life.’ Thus Jesus said that hell would last as long as heaven, so by making hell temporal, aren’t you also making heaven temporal?”

“Not necessarily. Jesus literally said the wicked would face age-abiding punishment while the righteous would receive age-abiding life. Only God knows how long that age is. There is the possibility that one use of the word could mean a temporary state and the other forever. But aionias is a time word, so it is possible that time only lasts till all has been reconciled. Then when Jesus hands the Kingdom over to the Father, time ends and we enter an eternal state where God is all in all. Only God knows. Such knowledge is so far removed from our realm of experience. Your question is a good one, though.

George turned from Robert to Charles. “You asked earlier how God could judge us for not choosing Him when He clearly tells us that we cannot even come to Him unless the Father draws, or literally, drags us. It is true that we cannot save ourselves. We are dead in our trespasses, if we are saved, it must be all of God. Thankfully, Jesus said that if He was lifted up, in other words, crucified, He would draw, or drag, ALL men to Himself! Jesus said that the Father had given Him power over all flesh and that He would give eternal life to as many as the Father had given Him. How many did the Father give Him? John 3:35 says the Father has given ALL to the Son.
“Listen, guys. Peter says that God is not willing that ANY should perish, and Paul says that God wants ALL men to be saved! Let me ask you, can God’s will be thwarted? God says clearly that it can’t! God loves every single person that He has created. John says He loves the whole world! He has no pleasure in the death of the wicked. God is love, and He says that His mercy endures…how long?”
Several answered, “Forever.”
“Yes! Here’s more: Jesus said that He came to do the will of the Father, and if, as we see, God wants all to be saved, then isn’t that what Jesus set out to do? It is not God who wants to kill and destroy; it is Satan who wants to do those things. Jesus came to destroy the work of the devil! God is full of power, love, and wisdom. Do you think that God would create men whom He knew He would not be able to save? Paul said in Ephesians that God made known to him the mystery of His will that He purposed in Himself, and that will is that in the fullness of times, God will gather ALL things into Christ. Now rebellious souls in hell do not sound like they are in Christ!

“Paul also says that every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus is LORD, to the glory of God the Father. Now no man can say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit. These men have surrendered to His Lordship! Are you getting the picture? No wonder the angel told the shepherds that he was bringing good tidings of great joy that would be to ALL men!
“Hey, I’m just getting started here. The writer of Hebrews says that Jesus tasted death for everyone! Study Romans 5. What Paul says there is that we were reconciled to God, not when we believed, but when Christ died. Therefore, God can reconcile us to Himself apart from our belief. He also says in the same chapter that ‘just as by one man’s offense condemnation came to everyone, so also by one man’s righteous act, the free gift, justification, came to ALL men.’

“Paul also says in 2 Corinthians, that all is of God and that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, and now we been given have the ministry of reconciliation. Men, the Scripture is full of the promise that eventually all men will be saved; it is stated explicitly and implicitly. Yet because our Bibles have been translated incorrectly, we reject the obvious interpretation so that we can squeeze the doctrine of eternal damnation into the text. If you need convincing, correctly interpret eternal punishment to mean age-abiding punishment and then see how many times God says he wants all men to be reconciled to Him. Jesus painted a picture of how He feels about humanity in the Shepherd who isn’t content to have only a few sheep in the fold, but will not rest until every sheep is safely in the fold. God is unlimited in power, unlimited in love; He will not rest until He has reconciled every soul to Himself. He has promised; He will not fail. I say ‘amen’ to Paul’s word, ‘rejoice always, and again I say, rejoice!’” The old man’s passion left him spent. He leaned back in his chair to rest.

But Robert was not persuaded. “George, if all men are eventually saved, what is the use of preaching the gospel?”
“Robert, why do you preach the gospel, when you also teach that all the elect will be saved regardless of what we do, and that there is nothing we can do to save the non-elect?”
“I don’t know who the elect are.”
“That is not a good enough reason. The reason we should reach the lost is because we are commanded to, and because right now these people are still lost, still under the bondage of sin. Jesus wants us to liberate them and help this hurting world find reconciliation with its Creator.”
Charles was intrigued, “George, are you saying there is no hell?”
“No, Jesus is too clear that those who reject Him in this life – those who take the broad road of selfishness, who refuse their Savior – will die and face the judgment of a holy God. But if God says He will eventually save all, then He will continue to seek such people even after they have been sentenced to hell.”

“But in the story of the rich man and Lazarus, Lazarus says that the gulf between heaven and hell was fixed and no one could cross it,” objected Robert.
“That was not a story of heaven and hell. It was a picture of the temporary state. It was also a picture of the afterlife before Christ died on the cross and made a way for us to be reconciled with God. God’s punishing in hell is consistent with His love in that the purpose of the punishment is to soften the sinner and burn away the disease of self-centeredness.”
“Now you’re sounding like a Roman Catholic,” said Robert.
“No – what the Catholics believe is that those who have already trusted Jesus for salvation still need purgatory to be sanctified. But those who trust Jesus have every sin already forgiven; they don’t need purgatory. What I am talking about is punishment that draws the rebellious to God.”

“Well, if all were going to be saved we just needed a little time in hell to burn away our sins, then why did Jesus need to die? Aren’t you diminishing the work that Christ did on the cross?”
“No. There was no other way for man to be reconciled to God, no other way for men to escape the hell they find themselves in, in this life or the life to come. No one can find life except in Christ; there is no other way to be saved except through Jesus Christ. I am not diminishing the work on the cross. Those who say that Christ’s blood is only effective for a few do the diminishing. I believe that Christ’s blood atoned for – or took away – not just our sins, but also the sins of the whole world, just like John says.”
“But, George, God’s justice demands that there be a hell, otherwise sin will go unpunished!”
“Every sin was already punished at Calvary.”
“Look,” Robert continued, still very perturbed, “If God let everyone into heaven, the place would become corrupted.”
George smiled and gently replied, “If God let you and me into heaven right now we would corrupt heaven. We first need to be recreated.”
“It’s not fair that God lets everyone be saved! What about the martyrs who spilled their blood, and those who have been persecuted for Christ? Contrast them with those who live their life in the pleasures of sin their whole life…is it fair that God save them equally?”

“Robert, the martyrs and those persecuted will be richly rewarded, but as for those who live in sin…just remember that a self-centered, sinful life is not fun, but bondage! Sin enslaves; it is a cruel task master. Those trapped in sin are those that Jesus came to rescue. Look at the Pharisees. They were upset that Jesus extended His grace to sinners. However, keep in mind that those who continue to reject Christ will face the fires of a Holy God. There is a broad way which leads to this destruction of judgment. But out of the ruins of these punished sinners will come a humbled soul that will magnify God’s grace for all eternity. They will be saved, ‘but as by fire.’ Pray that we do not waste our lives in this way.”

George looked earnestly at each man in the room. “There is not one argument against universal salvation that isn’t also an argument against our own salvation. We wanted nothing to do with God; we were His enemies, dead in our trespasses! Yet God, in His mercy, chose to sovereignly save us and overwhelm us with His grace. God can save whoever He chooses; He does not need the cooperation of our free will. He clearly says that He wants all men to be saved, therefore, all will be saved.”

Jack, who had been quiet the whole time, finally spoke up. “George, I respect your wisdom and Bible knowledge immensely, and I have wrestled with this subject for many years. I love your ideas and I find them very compelling. If these things are true, then my soul would rejoice and be exceedingly glad, yet I don’t feel quite ready to accept these ideas. It still strikes me as a possibility that hell is eternal. Not because God does not want all to be saved but because He has granted us free will. God is all-powerful, but He will never use that power to contradict himself. He cannot lie, for example. Only an all-powerful Being could create beings that are free to reject Him. I see that forced love is not love. We have the freedom to reject God in this life and it is possible that we will continue to reject God in the next life, and as long as we remain in rebellion, our disease of self-will must be quarantined. Hell is locked from the inside, so to speak, and will last as long as there are rebellious creatures, which might be forever, only God knows.”

Charles cut in, “But is it really fair to send people who have had a miserable life down here and have been deceived, to a place of such horrible torture?! I mean, now that they are being tormented like that, is that really going to make them repent and want God?”

“Charles, Hell is an appropriate punishment for the crime, because the punishment is the crime! Let me explain. The crime that sends us to hell is our rejection of God. We shut him out of our life, ignore him, and basically banish him from our lives. Hell, the punishment, is just the completion of what we started on earth.”
“But why make it a place of torture?”

Jack replied, “I don’t think hell is torture…a place where God or Satan stands over you with a whip. Don’t get me wrong, hell is miserable, hell is torment, but only because it is the absence of God. Everything that is good, pleasurable, or beautiful, is that way because it comes from God. If God steps out of the picture, so does everything good and pleasurable. A person in hell finally receives what he wanted – to be the sole master in his little kingdom. But man is nothing apart from God. Perhaps in the total removal of all that is good, man might finally see his depravity and how desperately he needs God. If the person in Hell calls upon the name of the Lord, he will be saved. Paul says that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved.
“I agree with George that God has done everything in His power to save every human and that He loves each of us with an everlasting love. While I desperately want all men to be saved, I have come to the realization that, ultimately, the knowledge of who will be saved belongs to God alone. His warnings of hell and long-lasting punishment are serious. They need to be faithfully proclaimed. Their purpose is to refine us, not just to satisfy our casual curiosity about who will be saved. Our God is a consuming fire and the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. So rather than judge God for who will be saved and who will be punished – which are questions we don’t have an answer to – we should leave this topic in the hands of One who is all-good, all-just, all-powerful, and all-loving. God will do justly.

In the middle of the night, I have often had surreal experiences of reality. It seems that during the day I have an ability to block out awareness of certain things. Some of these things include what happens after I die. Sure I think about it, but it is often in a detached, academic way. But there are nights when the reality hits me hard. What would it be like to stand in the presence of the almighty God? My first thought is a review of my life. Have I been good enough? Nope. Will God send me to hell…for forever? This thought used to terrify me. I would have dreams of being before the judgment seat and then sentenced to hell, and would wake up shaken but so grateful to be alive!

I am sure each of you has had such a moment where you faced the realty of standing before God. Certain questions increase your anxiety. Am I one of the elect? Have I lived a good enough life? Was it really enough to simply recite the sinner’s prayer? Can I lose my salvation? Will any unconfessed sin send me to hell? Have I committed the unpardonable sin?

Most of the time you can block out these questions by getting caught up in the mundane. But when you block out the outside noises and really think about it, certain things come into focus. God is Holy; terrifyingly holy. Your conscience finally gets its say and you know that to enter God’s presence in your current state would result in being consumed by His holy fire. Your guilt is obvious, every man admits to having sinned. The predicament you are in is very clear at times like this.

How do you cope with this situation? Do you try extra hard to be good, hoping that your good deeds will outweigh your bad ones? Maybe convince yourself that God’s love will overlook your sins? Do you try to earn God’s favor by being religious? Common sense will hopefully make it clear that your goal should not merely be an appeased conscience. How you feel will not change the reality of what the Judge will say when your trial comes. Your guilt is not merely a bad feeling that an aspirin will take away. Your guilt is real. Your verdict is guilty!

What should you do then? Get in touch with the court; desperately search for a way out of your deserved sentence of hell. Ask if there is any way to lighten your sentence? Maybe God can simply cancel your sentence? One thing should be clear. The only opinion that counts on this subject is the Judge’s. The opinions of the bystanders don’t matter; they are not the ones who will sentence you.

What does the Judge have to say? He has spoken, clearly and forcefully. You are not left to speculate on this critical issue. God, the judge loves you, but His justice will not allow Him to arbitrarily erase sins. He cannot deny Himself. No amount of good deeds can wipe away a single sin. Being religious will not help. There is no magic incantation that will remove your sins; your sins must be punished. There is no way around it.

Is this clear? Do you grasp the implications of this? Has the full effect of the bad news hit you? Hell is your destination and you completely deserve it. Your sins are indelible, being a “pretty good guy,” will not change the fact that you have done wrong. You have committed a moral crime against a holy God. You are not bound for hell because of a technicality – because you didn’t say the right thing, or you picked the wrong denomination. No, hell is your destiny because you sinned and sin must be punished. It is your choices that have condemned you, not God’s.

But wait. God loved you so much that He did something that is simply unthinkable. He became one of us, and took all of the punishment of sin. He took your place. He has satisfied the justice of God. He now gives you a choice. Do you want to accept His pardon?

I’m sure you do. Who wouldn’t? Your eternal destiny is at stake, so you pay very close attention to this supposed pardon. This is not an area where you can afford to be wrong or be duped into a scam. You need to know the facts. What exactly do I have to do to receive this pardon? How much will it cost me? Is this pardon conditional? Can I buy it? With hells flames reflected in your eyes, you know how critical this information is. You need to hear the answers from the One who holds the gavel.

God has made things clear. The pardon is free, yet will cost you everything. There is not a single thing you can do to buy it. It is available to whoever wants it. As long as you are alive, there is nothing you can do to disqualify you from receiving this pardon.

The pardon is a Person -Jesus Christ. He paid the penalty of sin – death – for every person. To accept this pardon you must make Christ Lord of your life. It is critical to understand this issue. It is not the act of making Christ your Lord that saves you. The surrender to Christ simply makes His finished work applicable to you. You cannot add anything to the finished work of Christ! He offers complete and total forgiveness for every sin you have ever committed or will commit. This forgiveness is not based on a kind, arbitrary gesture, but on the basis that the sin has already been punished at Calvary.

All that is left to do is admit that there is nothing you can do to make things right with God. If you try to earn your salvation in any way, you are revealing your ignorance of your crime and sentence. I understand the mindset of penance. When I sin, I want to take responsibility. I want to make things right, by doing something to punish my self. But this is worthless. Sin is a stain that cannot be erased except by the blood of Christ. Sin is not forgiven simply because we confess it, or make restitution (although both of these things are important, even necessary in most cases). Sin can only be forgiven because it was already dealt with at the cross. Any other means of dealing with your failures will not solve your problem!

As horrible as the bad news was, the good news is fantastic beyond what we can comprehend! Jesus Christ has paid in full the fine for every single one of your crimes! He offers you a clean slate. Did you hear that?! He can make it as if you have never sinned! Trusting Jesus to save you is the only way to be right with God. This is not because God is trying to make things difficult. Jesus is the only One who paid the fine; He is the only One who can offer the needed pardon.

You have two choices. You can choose to remain in control of your life. If you do you will find no pardon for your crimes. You will stand before the Master of the universe with no attorney to defend you. You will pay the fine…an eternity in hell, forever alone with your guilt and anger. Or you can admit your helplessness, your total inability to make amends for your crimes. Surrender the control of your life to Christ and live in obedience to His commands, in other words, putting your trust in what you know to be true and acting in accordance with it. On judgment day, when you stand before the throne, Jesus will stand in your defense. He will declare, “This one’s debts have been paid in full, I give him my perfection. He was helpless; I reached out and saved him. He belongs to me, and no one will ever be able to snatch him from my hands.” What will you choose?

Luke 11:25“And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses. 26. But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses.”

There is a view floating around Christendom that we should not forgive until the offender confesses and repents. Proponents of this view argue that Eph. 4:32 commands us to forgive one another just as God in Christ forgave us. Thus, they say, since God forgives us only after confession and repentance, we also should only forgive after confession and repentance. They claim that God does not hold us to a higher standard than He holds Himself. They also claim that forgiveness is a two way street and forgiveness can not take place until the offender seeks it. We should stand willing and ready to forgive, but not forgive until it is asked for. Is this view biblical? I would like to present some reasons why I don’t think it is.

The command in Ephesians is for us to emulate God’s forgiveness of us, not His withholding of forgiveness from unrepentant sinners. How does God forgive us? When we place our faith in Christ’s righteousness and make Him Lord of our life, God forgives all of our sins, past, present, and future, on the basis of the cross. His entire wrath towards these sins was poured out on His Son. So how does God forgive those who are His own? Unconditionally. Some may object to this by pointing to 1 John 1:9 which states that “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins.” Yes, but it does not say “If we do not confess our sins, He will not forgive us.” There is no way any person could confess ALL their sins. Thankfully, on the basis of the cross, God can forgive the unconfessed sins of a believer. We can cling to the promise in Romans that Christ’s righteousness is imputed to us.

It is misleading to say that God does not hold us to a higher standard than Himself. While this is true, this ignores that fact that there are some things that only God has the right to do. Revenge is one of those. I believe withholding forgiveness is another. I can’t find in Scripture, any justification for not forgiving someone, regardless of whether that person has confessed or repented.

I also can’t find a biblical basis for the view that forgiveness is of necessity a two-way street. Yes, it involves two or more people, the offender and the offended, but this does not mean you can not forgive until your forgiveness is requested.

What is forgiveness? Some Biblical concepts would include: release, pardon, canceling of a debt, not holding an offence against someone. In short, choosing to harbor no ill will toward some one, and no longer seek revenge. I believe forgiveness is different than reconciliation. While forgiveness is a necessary step of reconciliation, I think it is possible to forgive someone when that person has not repented and wants no part of reconciliation. Once you forgive an offender you will want to seek reconciliation.

I believe this view, that there is ever a time when we should not forgive, contains peril. There are several passages that command us to forgive and give no exceptions. Here are a couple examples:

Mark 11:25 “And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses.

Luke 11:4b
4”And forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us.”

Christ gave us a sober warning: if we don’t forgive those who offend us, God won’t forgive us. This warning has nothing to say about a condition of repentance. Since I know I am in major need of forgiveness, I am going to take Christ’s warning seriously. Until I see a clear statement in Scripture that it is wrong to forgive, or even permissible to not forgive until the offender repents and asks for forgiveness, I am going to seek to forgive unconditionally. I have way too many sins that need forgiving to risk God choosing not to forgive me.

Another reason we need to forgive, is so we do not continue to give the offender power over us. When we choose not to forgive, bitterness quickly takes root. When we are bitter, the offence becomes magnified in our minds. It is replayed time and time again. Each time the offence becomes more heinous. We grow more and more resentful. Bitterness is so deceitful, that merely claiming that you are willing to forgive, but not until he repents, will keep you in bondage. Lack of forgiveness is bondage. We can choose to find the grace to forgive at any moment and walk free. We do not have to remain in captivity until the offender decides to repent.

In conclusion, I think Scripture is clear: because God has forgiven us more than we can imagine, we must forgive those who offend us. There are no exceptions to this rule.

Dearest Heidi,

I want you to know how much I truly love you. Yes, I have loved you, with an everlasting love; with loving kindness I have drawn you. I have searched you and known you. I know your sitting down and your rising up, I understand your thought afar off. I comprehend your path and your lying down, I am acquainted with all your ways. I have hedged you behind and before, I have laid My hand on you. I know, such knowledge is too wonderful for you, it is so high you can not attain it.

But where can you go from My Spirit, or where can you flee from My presence? If you ascend into heaven, I am there. If you make your bed in the depths, I am there as well. If you take the wings of the morning, or dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there My hand shall lead you, and My right hand shall hold you. The darkness shall not hide you, the darkness and the light are both alike to Me.

Heidi, I created every part of you; I tenderly covered you in your mother’s womb. You were not hidden from Me while I skillfully knit your skeleton. I saw you even before you were formed.
You are truly precious in My sight, Heidi! How often I think of you!! If you could count the times, they would number more than the sands of the sea. The thoughts I have of you are plans of peace and not of evil, to give you a future with hope!

Fear not, I am with you. Don’t be dismayed, I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes I will help you. I hold you in My hand.
All the days I have fashioned for you are written in My book. I set the number of days you have on this earth before you even existed, and nothing can shorten them. You are Mine, little Heidi, and no one can snatch you from My hands.
O how I love you!! Abide in My love. I will quiet you with My love, I will rejoice over you with singing.

Precious Heidi, do not despise My chastening, for I chasten those I love. I do this for your profit, that you may partake of My holiness. Behold, eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor has it even entered in to the heart of man, the things that I have prepared for those who love Me.
You love Me because I first love you. You know, there is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for his friend. This is even how you know love, because I laid down My life for you.

O that you could comprehend the width and length and depth and height of My love which surpasses knowledge. For what shall separate you from My love? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or peril, or sword? There is nothing, not death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor any other created thing, that shall ever be able to separate you from My love.

Heidi, not even your sins can separate you from my love. Dear one, I wish you could see the depth of my grace! Reason with me, Heidi. Though your sins are as scarlet, I can make you so that you are as white as snow. Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past! I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions, for My own sake, and remembers your sins no more!
Think about these things, my dear daughter: If I am for you, who can be against you?! Who can bring a charge against you? I am the One who justifies you! Who is the one condemning you? I died in your stead, rose from the dead, and I am at the right hand of my Father, pleading for you! Who does that leave, Heidi?! Who is making you feel guilty?

Do you have any idea how much I paid so that you could walk away from your sins and be free from them? Why do you ignore My finished work! I said, “It is finished!” There is nothing more you can do to atone for your sin. If you will agree with me and admit that what you did was wrong, I promise you I will forgive your sins and cleanse you from all unrighteousness. Heidi, listen to me, your sins are forgiven you for My name’s sake! Your sins are forgiven you, go and sin no more! Even if your heart condemns you, I am greater then your heart, and know all things.

If I set you free, you will be free indeed. It is for freedom that I have set you free. Stand firm then! Don’t let yourself be burdened again by a yoke of slavery! My mercies are new every morning! Accept what I have done. It is by nothing you have done that you can be justified in My sight. I became sin for you. I give you My righteousness. When My Father looks at you, He doesn’t see your sins. They were all wiped away at the cross for those who put their faith in Me. You stand clean before Me, Heidi. Because of the cross, you are blameless. Believe Me when I tell you that your sins are forgiven you! Go and sin no more. Without me, you can do nothing. But through Me, you can do whatever I ask of you!

I love you dearly, Heidi.

Love from your God and Savior,

Jesus Christ

References used: Jer. 31:3; Ps. 139; Isa. 43:4; Jer. 29:11; Isa. 41:10; John 10:28, 15:9; Zeph. 3:17; Heb. 4:5-6, 10; 1 Cor. 2:9; 1 John 4:19; John 15:13; 1 John 3:16; Eph. 3:18-19; Rom. 8:35, 38-39; Isa. 1:18, 43:18, 25; Rom. 8:31-34; John 19:13; 1 John 1:9, 2:12; John 8:11; 1 John 3:20; John 8:36; Gal. 5:1; Rom. 3:20; 2 Cor. 5:21; John 15:1; Phil. 4:13.

A Peanuts cartoon shows Sally writing an essay entitled “Church History.” Charlie looks over her shoulder to see what she has written so far, “To understand church history, you must go back to the very beginning…our pastor was born in 1930.” Charlie Brown can only roll his eyes.

Sadly, there seems to be an epidemic of historical amnesia in the modern church. To many, it’s as if true Christianity disappeared for 1900 years and has suddenly resurfaced with their denomination. This ignorance of history is dangerous; an old Russian proverb states, “Dwell on the past and you will lose an eye; forget the past and you will lose both eyes.” Is history nothing more than by-gone eras, dusty facts, and long-since-departed souls? Emphatically, no! History is a fascinating study of our ancestors, but it is also a treasure chest full of wisdom, with many lessons to teach all who take heed. Here are a few significant reasons to study church history.

1. Church history is His-story.
History is not, as Shakespeare put it, “a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.” It doesn’t unfold by random chance, nor is it a dialectic struggle. It is the profound story being written by the greatest Author of all time. God sits as Lord of the Universe; He laughs at empires and dynasties, but loves to change the world through the weak and simple. A trip through the colorful history of the Church reveals a God who is holy and awesome, His purposes and plans beyond comprehension; His reality shatters the small-minded notions of Him that men hold. God will be glorified. History is the story of God and His magnificent master plan to glorify Himself and to “gather together in one all things in Christ.” (Eph. 1:10 NKJV) When you study history, you get a glimpse of that plan, buried and concealed by our foolish choices, but there for those who will choose to see.

2. A knowledge of history illuminates the present.
Each age has its own blind spots – unquestioned presuppositions that are dangerously misguided or outright false. This aspect of human fallibility has led to some horrifying consequences. Here are a few examples: The South’s acceptance of slavery, the Reformation’s attempts to change people’s hearts through violent force, the brutality of the Inquisition, the worship of the Pope, etc. But before you rise up in condemnation, recognize that, more than likely, there are false assumptions that you also make. Do you really believe that you are more spiritual than Robert E. Lee, or John Calvin, or St. Francis of Assisi? These men were sincere, but each fell captive to the errors of their age.
Thankfully, while each age makes false assumptions, they do not make the same assumptions. As Lewis said, “Two heads are better than one, not because either is infallible, but because they are unlikely to go wrong in the same direction.”

C.S. Lewis, God in the Dock: Essays on theology and Ethics, ed. Walter Hooper, (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1972) p. 202. Just as, in hindsight, we can see the errors of the past, so too each age can reveal our modern-day errors to us. If you want to be relevant and have a proper perspective on current trends, then become familiar with the times of yore. Analyze historical movements and trends. Learn to grasp past philosophical concepts. But most importantly, become familiar with the most essential historical text…The Word of God.

3. History humbles the proud dogmatic.
It is sobering to realize the wide variety of opinions and beliefs that have been held through the ages. The great intellects who believed in the infallibility of scripture immersed themselves in years of study, yet came to vastly different conclusions on many topics. This causes you to realize that there is more to an issue than you might think at first glance and that things should be viewed from different angles. The ancient proverb is proven true, “The first one to plead his case seems right, until his neighbor come along and examines him” (Prov. 18:17 NKJV)

Familiarity with history will help you be more charitable toward those whose “churchianity” doesn’t look exactly like yours. You will be slower to judge and condemn and at the same time more discerning about what you swallow. History reveals the creativity of God and how He loves variety. He does not force us into identical molds. Knowledge of history will help you appreciate these differences. Your way is not the only way. God uses people where they are. He is far more concerned about the matters of the heart than He is about method and style!

While you encounter wide variety on secondary issues, you will also discover great unity on the essentials. These truths are clear to those who seek them out. These truths, as many have found, are worth dying for. Church history gives us perspective on the issues that truly matter and the issues that are hardly worth spilling blood over!

4. History provides you with beneficial company.
In strolling through the corridors of history, you will encounter a plethora of fascinating characters. You’ll meet men who inspire you, women who baffle you, and men who are completely repulsive. You’ll get to know men like the golden-mouthed John Chrysostom, whose ancient eloquence still inspires; Athanasius, the dark dwarf who stood against the world and stemmed the swelling tide of heresy; Jerome, who translated the first complete Latin Bible (the Vulgate), yet was so sensitive he had to live in a convent; the former playboy, Augustine, who, next to Paul, has influenced Christendom like no other. This is just a sample of the men you meet in the fourth and fifth century, not to mention the intriguing people who kept the candle burning in the dark ages, or the men who brought the church back to Christ during the reformation. When you are looking for good company, don’t discriminate against dead people; their ideas and influence are very much alive.

5. History reveals how magnificent the Church Universal is!
It is easy to fall prey to small-minded ideas about what the church is: Our denomination is the true church. We are the most important generation in the world and all of history will culminate with us. We are on the cutting edge of where God is moving.
The Church did not begin with your denomination! True Christianity can’t be stuffed inside a suit jacket or restricted to the stuffy confines of a building! It is a living, breathing Body that is powerful and vibrant! It is infused with the power of God and the gates of hell will not prevail against it! It is far greater and grander than your little segment of it could ever portray on its own. Catch a glimpse of how God sees His church.

6. In Christ Alone…
Church history vividly illustrates the necessity of having a faith that is built on Christ alone, not on a denomination, or movement, or a man. The further you move away from the simplicity there is in Christ and replace it with man-made institutions, the farther you move away from Body life as God intends it. Your faith must be placed solely in Christ – not your creeds, not your standards, not your rituals – but Christ. In Him alone are found life, joy, and hope. Many charismatic men have risen up and led many astray. Many institutions have flourished only to die and become lifeless shells. There simply is no substitute for Christ!

I have just touched upon the many benefits of studying church history, yet the advantages are far greater than could be counted in this small article. As its Author, history is important to God; His Bible is a book of history. Jesus and the apostles repeatedly used history to teach valuable lessons. History is moving toward a thrilling conclusion in which every enemy of God will be soundly defeated. In the meantime, we would be wise to glean from the past and learn what we can of God’s story. It is a life-changing journey to go back in time to the first century – the pivotal years – and follow the halting progress that the church, with all it warts and wildness, has made through the centuries. It is an enthralling journey with rich rewards…you will find it’s downright enjoyable! If these thoughts have piqued your interest in Church history and you would like to embark on this captivating voyage, I would recommend a couple of tremendous books: Church History in Plain Language, by Bruce L. Shelly (Word) and 131 Christians Everyone Should Know from the editors of Christian History Magazine (Holman Reference). Bon Voyage!

Many skeptics ask, “How do you know Christianity and its cornerstone, the resurrection, are true?” Many Christians answer, “Because the Bible says so.”

But they stutter when asked how they know the Bible is true. At this point, quoting a Scripture verse defending the Bible’s inspiration won’t convince a skeptic. Even an ignoramus will quickly see the circular reasoning in that. If blind faith is required for believing a sacred text, how do we know which holy book deserves our faith? The Book of Mormon, the Koran, and the Torah all claim to be the voice of God. Blind faith alone is too risky to stake on books that give conflicting messages. How do we discern the truth? Is the New Testament worthy of our adherence – is it a book that truly speaks for God?

The New Testament (hereafter referred to as NT) claims not only to be a sacred, inspired text, but also a book of history. Before we put our faith in the NT as a sacred text, we need to evaluate it first as a historical document. Through philosophical reasoning, we know that God, as the Moral Law Giver, (a conclusion that can be reached independent of any scripture) cannot lie. If this collection of books has historical errors, contradictions, or makes assertions that are blatantly false, we can know for certain that this book is not of God. The logic is simple: God cannot err. So if a book has major, blatant errors, it cannot be of God. How does the NT fare when subjected to the tests of historical reliability? Let’s look at the facts apart from the bias of blind faith and find out.

When looking at an ancient text we need to examine the answers to three questions that will confirm the truth and accuracy of the document. 1. Do we have accurate copies of the original, or has extensive copying distorted the text? 2. Was the original writer qualified to write on the topic? In other words, was the writer an eyewitness? Did the writer have good source material? Did he write close enough to the events he describes? 3. Can the writer be trusted to be telling the truth? For example, has the author been sloppy with verifiable details? Did he contradict himself or known facts? If you can answer an emphatic yes to all three of these questions, then you have no reason to doubt the truth of document.

How does the evidence answer all three questions in regard to the NT? Remarkably well. In fact, as I will demonstrate, it stands up to scrutiny better than any other ancient text. If you doubt the veracity of the NT, then if you are going to be consistent, you must be skeptical about all of our knowledge of ancient history!

Do we have accurate copies?

Historians can determine how accurately a document has been transmitted to us through the centuries by comparing the handwritten manuscripts we have available. The older the manuscripts, and the more manuscripts we have, the more certain we can be as to what the original said. Here is an example. Your great-great-great-great grandma wrote a fabulous lemon scone recipe in the 1820s. The recipe has been hand-copied throughout the years and passed on to each generation. At each copying, slight errors have crept in. Words have been misspelled, baking times vary, and amounts have been modified. You decide to get the recipe straight. The stories you heard about all the county fair ribbons your ancient granny won have you curious to know exactly what the original tasted like. You contact as many extended family members as you can. You get 40 recipe cards back (the oldest is from 1895). You have ten different copies from the first twenty years of the 1900s. The rest are from the 1940s on. You figure out that the older copies are probably more accurate. You also notice that on 35 cards the recipe calls for salt, while only two call for brown sugar, and one calls for Splenda. You also notice that the card from 1895 and nine of the ten from the early part of the century call for salt and make no mention of brown sugar. The manuscript evidence makes it clear that original recipe had salt but not brown sugar, and because Splenda was not in use till around the turn of the millennium, you know that Splenda was not in the original.

Using the same principles employed in your recipe hunt, historians use the number and age of manuscripts (hereafter, MSS) to determine how the copies compare to the original. Before I tell you how much evidence we have for the NT, look at the amount of evidence historians usually find sufficient to verify other ancient writings. Caesar’s Gallic Wars has 9 manuscripts, and the earliest copy we have was made 1000 years after Caesar wrote it. With the writings of Aristotle, we have 49 MSS, but the earliest dates 1400 years after the original was written. After the NT, the next most attested ancient document is Homer’s Iliad; there are 643 MSS and the earliest is 500 years after the blind poet composed his masterpiece. It is easy to see why these handfuls of MSS are considered a sufficient standard; over time, many copies disappear, are burned, or lost.

The NT, however, is another story. Look at the evidence. We have over 24,000 MSS, and the earliest fragments can be dated within 10 years of the original! The NT has better attestation than all of the ancient books combined! From this massive body of evidence we can determine that less than 1 % of the NT is in dispute and none of the major doctrines rest on the questionable passages.
Therefore, we know with complete certainty that we have very accurate copies of the original. You may ask why God didn’t preserve the originals. It may be because His Word is actually better preserved this way. Now, no one can take the originals and tamper with them. Due to the enormous collection of manuscripts, the Bible is forever preserved.
So – we have accurate copies, but can we trust the original writers?

Was the original writer qualified to write on the topic?

The best scholarship available has verified that the NT was written by eyewitnesses or came from eyewitness sources and that all 27 books were written between 40 A.D. and 70 A.D. Critics have tried to attach later dates to these books, putting them in the second century, but their attempts were groundless. In fact, there is good evidence that none of the NT books were written after A.D. 70. Why? Nowhere in any of these 27 books is the destruction of Jerusalem mentioned, a fact that is significant since Jesus predicted this event 40 years before. The writers had every reason to mention but didn’t. There can only be one reason to explain this: these books were written before Jerusalem fell.

Though an early date is certain, can we be sure that these books written by eyewitnesses? The writers claim to be eyewitnesses and correctly give several verifiable facts. In the book of Acts alone, Luke records 84 details about first century officials, geographical information, and local customs that have all been verified by archaeology and non-Christian historical texts. If Luke has been proven trustworthy in every area he can be tested, shouldn’t we believe him in the areas we can’t disprove?

John’s gospel also contains the same track record of being verified at every provable point. In daily situations, we assume that someone is telling the truth unless that person disqualifies himself by lying or being inaccurate. If someone tells you their name, you don’t normally demand to see their birth certificate or driver’s license. Historians treat ancient texts in the same way; they believe them until the documents disqualify themselves. Despite vehement attacks on the NT, these gospels and epistles continue to shine and receive corroboration from each new discovery of archaeology and history. The NT writers have proved to be meticulous historians, men who were extremely careful of detail. These books are historically reliable beyond a shadow of a doubt, yet one question remains: were these writers telling the truth or were they the fabricators of the
biggest fraud the world has ever known?

Can the writers be trusted to be telling the truth?

I’ll present to you five compelling reasons Christian apologists

1. The writers record embarrassing facts about themselves.
There is an inferiority complex attached with lying. When telling a lie, there follows a need to make oneself look as good as possible to make that lie credible. If the disciples had been fabricating this story, they would have made themselves appear bold, intelligent, and faithful to the end. Instead, the gospels portray them as dim-witted cowards who abandoned and betrayed their master in His time of need. The writers included these incriminating details only because they really happened. The disciple-writers were following their Master’s high code of morality; truthfulness was very important to the One who claimed to be the Truth.

2. The writers record uncomfortable and difficult-to-understand things about Christ.
The gospels record that at times Jesus could not do miracles, that He didn’t know the time of His return, that the Father was greater than He was, and that He was baptized by a sinner. These are not details you include if you are trying to make up a character who is supposedly the God-Man. In fact, Jesus is unlike any man-made hero ever concocted. The sacrificial lamb that is willingly led to the slaughter is the complete antithesis of a man-made hero. The disciples showed great attention to accuracy and were unwilling to record anything but the truth about their leader, even if doing so led to possible confusion.

3. The writers record demanding and challenging teachings of Jesus.
Jesus taught that to look at a woman lustfully was to commit adultery, that divorce was not permitted, and that we must love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us, and serve those who spitefully use us. Jesus’ teachings are among the most demanding ever taught. If the disciples were willing to play fast and loose with the truth, these demanding sayings would have been the first to go. There was no personal gain prompting the writers to accurately record these demanding teachings.

4. The writers are careful to make a distinction between Jesus’ words and their own.
Some critics claim that the church put words in Jesus’ mouth years after he died – that His claims to deity were later additions. Yet the evidence shows that the church was very careful to remain faithful to what Jesus actually said, even when it would have been easier to make up teachings of Christ to resolve controversy among His followers. For example, the first century church wrestled with the issues of tongues, women teaching in the church, and circumcision, yet nowhere in the recorded gospels did Jesus address these issues! If the critics’ accusations were true, it would have been easy to put words in Christ’s mouth that would have swiftly resolved those issues. But because they were so committed to the truth, the writers refused to do so.

5. Many of the writers died for their beliefs.
The deathbed is the place where confessions are made. At the point of death, one realizes there is no more earthly gain to be earned by a lie. Now is the time for the truth. However, the disciples faced torture and brutal deaths for their beliefs, but not one of them ever recanted. They had every thing to lose in this life by sticking to their story, and much to gain by abandoning their beliefs, yet they refused to back down from adhering to the powerful truths that Christ was God, that He rose from the dead, and that they would stand before Him on Judgment Day.

There is much more evidence that the writers were telling the truth. They include historical facts, point to eyewitnesses to verify their story, and include divergent secondary details that add further evidence that these are independent eyewitness accounts of an actual historic event and not merely collaborated fiction.

In conclusion, the New Testament has remarkable evidence supporting its reliability. Time and time again the critics and skeptics have assaulted this compilation of books, yet their efforts have only served to strengthen our case that this is the inspired Word of God. God’s Word shall endure forever.

Picture in your mind two things: First imagine yourself in a dark and grimy dungeon. Your hands and feet are shackled, and your body aches because of lack of movement. Your eyes long for color and beauty. You have a very small world. Now picture stepping out of that cell into a world ablaze with color. You notice the smells of the fresh air and flowers; the cool breeze feels so good on your cheeks. Your eyes soak up the beauty of the trees and mountains. As your heart starts pumping fresh blood through your veins, you have a sudden urge to run and leap with all your strength!

What a contrast! Every day we have the ability to choose things that will lead to either freedom or bondage. Self-focus and self-will leads to bondage. Outward focus, God-ward focus leads to freedom and adventure. We were created to be spectators – the audience of God – to observe and discover. We were given five ways of observing, through sight, smell, sound, touch, and taste. We were designed to look outward, to be attentive to what is happening around us.

God is an awesome and magnificent being. He is so truly wonderful that the greatest gift He can give is the ability to discover and observe His beauty and character. We were not created because God had an emotional need for companionship. (He is completely satisfied in the relationship of the Trinity). I believe we were created so that God’s attributes could be on display for all eternity. In order for something to be on display, there must be viewers. We are the viewers. When we fulfill the role for which we were designed – to revel in God’s glory and magnify it to those around us – we will find a world of adventure, dazzling beauty, and breath-taking experiences. Life is beautiful whenever it is lived according to His design.

But long before we or our world was created, something happened that has temporarily spoiled God’s plan. Satan didn’t like his role of observing and worshipping God. He wanted the attention; he wanted to be on display, to be in control. This desire spawned the curse of self-centeredness. God created this beautiful planet, and put us here to discover Him and His works. Adam and Eve, I’m sure, were enjoying their role as observers and discovers, until Satan brought the plague of self-focus. He turned Adam and Eve’s focus on themselves and on what they were missing. His deception brought self-will into the equation. After the original couple fell, they stepped from the world of beauty into the dungeon of self-consciousness. Their focus turned inward. With this new inward gaze came several new emotions: shame, guilt, fear, and emptiness.

Since that time, there has been constant tension between the pull of self-absorption – focusing on our needs, our fears, our wishes – and our call to be worshippers. We can’t find true enjoyment and wonder until we “lose ourselves” in the exquisiteness of something beyond us. Jesus revealed this truth, saying that “whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and the gospel will find it.” (Mark 8:35 NIV)

Clinging to this self-will, self-focus, self-centeredness, self-whatever, will keep us chained to a very small and colorless world. Turning our eyes outward and upward will lead to the ultimate in true self-fulfillment. It can be a most satisfying experience. Every gift of God, enjoyed in His way and His time, provides an opportunity to fulfill our God-given purpose and design. Humility, choosing to make much of God and thereby causing us to shrink to our proper size, allows us to discover the joy, wonder, and adventure we were created for.

We can’t find this bliss if we are stuck on ourselves. The enemy uses many things to keep our world revolving around the ever-present ME. Pride: desiring to be better that others, to impress others with who we are, and being obsessed with what others think of us. Covetousness: focusing on our wants and wrongly desiring the things we think will bring self-gratification. Worry: focusing on our needs and fearing how we will be affected by the unknown and how God’s will might conflict with our will and desires. Guilt: realizing we have sinned, but not accepting Christ’s righteousness and forgiveness. Self-pity: keeping our eyes wide open to how the world has wronged us and how we have been neglected, instead of finding true joy and freedom in looking outside to see the needs of those around us and seeking to meet them. All these things keep us locked in the prison of self-focus and introspection.

Sin itself brings only captivity. Satan makes sin look so desirable, so inviting. It enchants and entices us until we reach out take it. Once we have tasted the delightful object, it turns into something hideous. The hand that reached for the succulent prize is now shackled.

Obedience to God has the opposite effect. It appears to be bleak and colorless. It looks very undesirable. But when we make the choice to obey and do things God’s way, our eyes are opened and we see the beauty of life lived God’s way. Obedience is genuine freedom!

I think it is for these reasons that we are commanded to always give thanks. Giving thanks turns our eyes away from us toward God. Once our eyes really catch sight of our Creator, we are captivated by His beauty. We marvel at His goodness and appreciate His abundant gifts!

Things were going wonderfully. I had a good job, a comfortable amount in the bank account, a beautiful wife who was seven and a half months pregnant, a library full of delicious books to devour, and a wish/needs list the length of my thumbnail. Did I trust God? Absolutely! I mean, I could lose my job, break a leg, buy a hundred books and still have enough to live on for months. In this position, I was what you call a man of great faith. I had unshakable confidence in God to provide. Right.

But with an ill-timed left turn, a totaled vehicle, a traffic ticket, an insurance mess, and a new van (that didn’t know that the antifreeze isn’t supposed to go in the piston cylinder) later, suddenly this “Man of great faith” felt like a “lost boy of great nerves.” I felt like my protection had been ripped away and I was standing in the harsh winds of an uncertain future. I was finding out firsthand the Houdini act that riches can pull. Anxious and afraid were now the top two on my list of emotional ingredients.

During this time I was asked to teach in our church on the great commission (Matt. 28). I decided to focus on the “all that I have commanded” portion of the text. What were all these things God had commanded? In searching through Matthew, one command stood out and was repeated most often: “Do not worry…Do not be afraid.” Wow. How did I miss it?! When the God of the universe stepped into our world, the message that He spoke most clearly and frequently was that we must trust Him. All through Scripture, God is making it clear we have to trust Him. Men who trust Him are praised and held up as examples; those who doubt are sternly rebuked. The Bible is serious about this issue. Nowhere is worry or anxiety tolerated or condoned. Faith and belief are repeatedly stressed as critical to our walk with God and trust is the key element in both of these. In His Word, God’s message could not be clearer: “Trust Me and live like it!”

Why do we not get this? In our self-examination how often does fear and worry grab our attention as sins that need to be repented of? Instead, fear and anxiety are our pet sins, expected and accepted without a second thought. Why is this? It seems to me that because this issue of trust is so important to God and dear to His heart, our enemy works overtime to keep us blinded to it. Satan’s first lie was an assault on this truth – that God was not trustworthy.

But does God, like us, wink at fear and worry? When Jesus’ disciples where in the midst of a violent storm out at sea, they were scared. It was understandable, right? Growing up in a fishing community, they knew the danger of the Sea of Galilee; they had probably all lost family members to it at one time or another. The sea was their symbol for terror. But when He saw them, Jesus didn’t say “I understand. Your feelings are to be expected.” No, He sternly rebuked them. God does not justify or overlook anxiety and fear. These are insults to His character and often symptoms of deeper problems.

When God calls us to trust, He is not saying, “Don’t worry – nothing bad will happen. Everything will go just like you want it to.” No, He is demanding that in the midst of our disappointments we trust Him to know what is best and that He is sovereign enough to execute His will. If you have a genie concept of God (i.e. if you rub Him with the right prayer, you’ll get what you want), then you won’t find release from your anxieties. But when you realize that God is the supreme potentate who bends His knee to no one, and that He loves you enough that He will use difficult things to accomplish good in your life, then you will find a release from earthly fears and gain the courage you need to face life’s trials.

I haven’t learned my lessons well. I have worried about many things these last few months, and have found myself scratching my head and asking God why. Each time God repeats that command that He gives to each of us, “Trust Me!” One night on the way home from work, I was especially feeling the weight of financial pressures and sensing that everything was going wrong. I felt like God was at odds with me. Then a song on the radio caught my attention. It was about the little footprints of a father’s son and how they changed his perspective on life. The melody calmed my frayed emotions and I began to think about my own child that was still nestled in the safety of Heidi’s womb. As I thought about this little life, every other earthly possession faded into the background. I got a taste of father love. This child truly meant more to me than any thing in the world. While I was realizing this, God reminded me, “This father love that you feel for a little baby is only a tiny taste of my love for you. You know how you would do anything to help this little one. Just think how much more I, the sovereign Lord, of the universe am willing and able to help you!” The thought was a warm blanket against a harsh wind. I broke down and cried.

God is worthy to be trusted. He loves us enough to have the strong desire to do what is best for us. He is wise enough to know what is truly best for us and those around us. And He is powerful enough to accomplish that which He sets out to do. He has promised to never leave us nor forsake us. He will always be there giving you strength and carefully monitoring every trial that comes your way. You will not be given more than you are able to bear. Don’t let worry and fear be the overlooked vices that come between you and God. In whatever you are going through, listen to and obey the stern and gentle words of your all-powerful Creator.

“DO NOT WORRY! DO NOT BE AFRAID! BE STRONG AND COURAGEOUS! TRUST ME! I KNOW BETTER THAN YOU, AND I WILL BE WITH YOU ALWAYS! I AM THE LORD YOUR GOD!”

“You are not your own, for you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.” (1 Cor.6:19b-20 NKJV)

What do you own? Do you own anything? If you answered yes, than you have been deceived. God’s word declares that “The earth is the LORD’S, and everything in it. The world and all its people belong to Him.”(Ps. 24: 1 NLT) We are not our own. We do not “own” anything. Everything ultimately belongs to God, including our time, bodies, and earthly goods. God loaned all these things to us for His purposes and for His glory.

We small minded humans somehow get the false idea that we have certain rights and that our time and possessions belong to us and we can do with them whatever we choose. These thoughts are ridiculous. C.S. Lewis confirmed this brilliantly in his fabulous “Screwtape Letters”. This book is a collection of letters written by Screwtape, a senior devil who is giving advice to an apprentice demon, Wormwood on strategic ways to tempt us. In one of the letters Screwtape is telling Wormwood how valuable it is to their cause for us humans to regard our time as our own, for us to start each day thinking that we are the rightful owners of 24 hours. This way we are easily angered when “our” time is “stolen” from us.

But he warns “you have a delicate task. The assumption you want him to make is so absurd that, once it is questioned, even we [demons] can not find a shred of argument in its defense. The man can neither make, nor retain one moment of time; it all comes to him by pure gift.” Thanks to the likes of Screwtape and Wormwood, we gullibly believe the illogical idea that we are owed 80+ happy and healthy years, anything less than this and we get bitter and pout “why?” God does not owe us anything! In fact, there is not one thing we have that we do not owe to Him. We do not “relinquish our rights” as much as simply realize that God alone truly has any rights. He can do whatever he wants; He does not need our permission.

Everything we have and every moment that we live belongs to God. It is critical that we grasp this and learn to think like a steward, to have an awareness that all our possessions have only temporarily been entrusted to our care. God has the right to give and to take away. This is by no means being “Ultra-spiritual”. This is simply a realization of the facts. On Judgment Day, each one of us will stand before our Creator and give an account of what we did with the time, talents, and gifts that have been loaned to us. This is a sobering thought! Thankfully, we believers are not saved on the basis of our works but on the finished work of Christ. Our rewards are, however, given to us based on what we did with what we were given, and to whom much was given, much will be required!
God created you for His purposes! Your life and talents are for His glory! This should be our goal as a steward of our Lord, to glorify Him with all that we have and with all that we do. Keep in mind that whatever brings the most glory to God is what will ultimately bring the most pleasure and fulfillment to us. One of the key ways we glorify God is to do things the way God intended them to be done when He created them. We know how to accomplish this because He has given us an “Owners manual”. It contains His instructions on how to work, eat, and play.

God has a claim on your life. He has power and authority beyond your understanding. We can either rebel or submit. Rebellion or “self-will” is stupid because we never get to do things “my way”. “My will be done” really means “Satan’s will be done”. If we do not obey and submit to God’s authority, than we are enslaved to the will of one who wants to destroy us! Lay down your arms and surrender to your kind and loving Master’s ways. Answer His call.
God is good and loving! You may think I am stating the obvious, but there is not a truth that is so under attack by our enemy. There is no depth that he will not stoop to prevent us from realizing how good God is! We must cling to this truth through the hard times. Since we are His precious work project, there will be times he takes us through the refining fire. But we must remember what Puritan William Jenkin said “There is nothing destroyed by sanctification but that which would destroy us.” God will not ask us to relinquish something unless He has something better to replace it with, and it is always better!

God loves you more than you can fathom! But He has purposes for your life far greater than your immediate gratification. You are not your own! Don’t waste your life! And especially don’t waste your youth! Don’t squander the best years of your life chasing an empty illusion. Your enemy will all he can to distract you from fulfilling your central mission in life. Don’t get too relaxed here on earth. Your brief stay on this plant is an assignment from God. Seek to fulfill the purpose that God created you for. You can do this by being obedient to whatever God asks of you, no matter how small or inconsequential it may seem. If you are in the center of God’s will, there is nothing more meaningful or significant you could be doing. Cry out to God for grace because you can’t do this alone. God will use your obedience to impact eternity in ways you can’t grasp here on earth.

In the very near future, you will forget about this article. But the facts will remain. Some day you will stand trembling before your Almighty Master and you will have to give an account of what you did with what He gave you. Will you bemoan with regret your selfish choices? Or will your heart soar with humility and gratitude as you feel His tender embrace and hear His deep commanding voice saying to you “Well done! You have served me well. You have been faithful in handling this small amount. Now I will put you in charge of much more. Come in and share in your Master’s pleasure!” The choice is yours.

I hated it when I started crying! My eyes would get all red and my cheeks would get puffy, or I should say puffier. At twelve, I had yet to have my growth spurt, and was a chubby, white blob with black hair. This was before I blossomed into a tall, muscular, and extremely good-looking adult. Actually, I am 22 and still waiting for these changes to take place. While I have grown a little since then, I still have a “reader’s build”; but, I can honestly say I did it without steroids!

That day I had more justification than usual for my eyes tearing up. Mrs. O had come over to our place to unload one of her patented tirades. Mrs. O was an elderly widow who lived a couple blocks from our place. My Dad was chairman of a community program that included senior assistance. This program would hire teenagers, ages fourteen and older, to help those who were “in the sunset years” with whatever yard work they needed done. Mrs. O was an especially tough case. Several boys had tried to help, but because she was so peculiar about how everything had to be done, it wouldn’t be long before she complained and the boys were reassigned.

When the list of available boys had been scorched by Mrs. O’s “less than pleasant” demeanor, Dad took drastic measures. He sent his chubby little lamb to this lioness! I was too young to qualify for the program (and make the astonishing wage of $7.50 an hour!), so Dad asked Mrs. O if it would be okay for me to work for her for $3 an hour. She complied and I timidly went over there to help her. After hearing how terrible and irresponsible the other boys were, I carefully mowed her lawn.

I don’t remember, but I must have done something she didn’t approve of. The next week she came storming over to our house and began to seethe venom. She went on about how Dad had lied about my age just to get me some work. (My Dad was an Evangelical Pastor at the time; I can assure you he did not lie!). Dad explained the situation again, but this time more slowly. He asked if she wanted to give me another chance. (He didn’t ask me if I wanted to venture back into the dragon’s lair and expose my self to more emotional trauma!).

I dried my eyes, swallowed my ego, and waddled back over there. I paid close attention and very meticulously followed her every instruction. The cord for the lawn mower had to be wrapped a certain way and the finished coil had to be a certain diameter. The lawn had to be mowed in a particular pattern and things had to be done in just the right order. I had to side-step across the lawn so the only footprints were in the track left by the lawn mower wheels. The wheelbarrow also was confined to following the path of the mower. Leaving a wheelbarrow track to disfigure the pattern in the yard was one of the more odious offences!

Over time, a friendship formed. I grew less afraid of her and she found less to complain about. I began to look forward to working for her. She would give me extra pocket change on top of my $3 an hour wage and would leave a greatly appreciated cold pop on the back yard steps. One sweltering summer day, I was especially parched and eagerly awaited the sight of the red and white can as I zigzagged back and forth with the mower. Finally she put a can out and left. To my consternation, she did leave a red and white can, but it wasn’t Coke. I’d like to say I wasn’t the first PK with a hang-over, but I can’t. I left the unopened beer there and quickly finished the job.

As I learned more about Mrs. O, I began to see her through different eyes. As a daughter of the pioneers, she had weathered some difficult storms and had some fascinating stories to tell. I realized beneath her gruff outer surface, was a beautiful lady with a generous soul. We became close friends. She began to treat me better than I deserved and I treasured every compliment she gave me. Before I left one afternoon, she told me how much she appreciated my work and said, “I will never forget you.”

A couple of years later, Mrs. O developed Alzheimer’s disease. She was moved to a nursing home in another small town. To our great joy and excitement, Mrs. O received Christ as her Lord and Savior shortly before she finally tasted complete delight as she joined her Creator. Her family asked me to play my violin at her funeral and told me how much our friendship meant to Mrs. Ondrik.

It is with fond memories that I look back on the years that I was given with Mrs. O. God used her to shape my formative years and to me teach valuable life lessons about diligence, about respecting other’s quirks, and that underneath a person’s tough exterior is a precious soul made in God’s image that is desperate for love.