Thought for 27 October 2022

John 8:32

Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.’

Disturbing trends mentioned in an article in the October 11, 2002 “Pastor’s Weekly Briefing”

provided by Focus on the Family:

Six out of ten Americans (59%) reject the existence of Satan, calling him merely a symbol of evil…

Forty-two percent believe that, when Jesus was on earth, he committed sins.

Half of all adults argue that anyone who "is generally good or does enough good things for others during their life will earn a place in Heaven."

Forty-four percent contend that "the Bible, the Koran and the Book of Mormon are all different expressions of the same spiritual truths.

Well, I don’t know what bible version they have been reading but the ones I read have vastly different teachings.

Nowhere does my bible say that Satan is only a symbol of evil. Satan does exist in reality and to relegate him to the position of a symbol we are putting our souls at risk of eternal damnation. Satan, if not taken seriously, can corrupt our thoughts enough to turn us away from the salvation so cruelly won on a tree.

Nor does my bible say that Jesus Christ was a sinner. If this was true then our salvation is a myth because it was only the sinless nature of Christ that made Him suitable to be The Sacrificial Lamb who shed His blood to cleanse us of the guilt of our sins. By the same token, if people who are just generally ‘good’ or who ‘does enough good things’ will earn a place in heaven, by which standard of good should it be measured? If this is indeed true why did Jesus need to be beaten and crucified? In Matthew 19:16,17 it says

Just then a man came up to Jesus and asked, ‘Teacher, what good thing   must I do to get eternal life?’

     ‘Why do you ask me about what is good?’ Jesus replied. ‘There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, keep the commandments.’

The bible clearly states the only way to heaven is by Jesus Christ who died on the cross, descended into hell and was resurrected to give us righteousness in the sight of God.

If the Koran and the Book of Mormon are truth then Jesus died for nothing because we didn’t need His precious blood to wash us clean of our sins. We only would have needed to be ‘good’. These books do not tell us that Jesus is the only way, truth and life.

I’ll set my standard by The Holy Bible. What about you?

 

Prayer

Loving Saviour, please be with us as we make our way through this life where so many people believe so many lies about the word of God. You were the word who spoke the universe into existence, You were the sacrificial Lamb who died for our sins. You are the one who gave up Your throne in heaven to spend time with us in an earthly body so that You could teach the disciples about our Father’s Kingdom that they could spread the good news throughout the world.

Help us now to take on that mantle to continue spreading the Kingdom word to teach those who believe false prophets. We ask in Your own precious name, amen