A gracEmail reader asks, "Was the cross necessary in order for God to forgive our sins? Did Jesus have to die in order for God to love us sinners?" Part 1 Jesus considered it imperative that he be murdered (Matt. 16:21) by crucifixion (Luke 24:7) and that he be "counted with the transgressors" (Luke 22:37). These things were "necessary" because the Father's own love and holiness made it so, not because of something external to God himself which God was bound to obey. Nor were these things imposed on an unwilling Jesus by a determined Father, for Jesus "gave himself" (Gal. 2:20). Jesus' … [Read more...]
HE MADE THE CHOICE
For our sake Jesus "suffered" (Heb. 13:12) the "suffering of death" (Heb. 2:9). He experienced physical pain we cannot imagine. There is a reason the root of "excruciating" is the Latin word for "cross." It began with a bloody scourging followed by savage pummeling. A crown of thorns, pressed down, punctured his scalp. Metal spikes impaled his wrists, securing him to the wooden cross-beam. Then he hung suspended for hours while every muscle cramped and every nerve was set on edge, until finally, mercifully, death ended it all. Yet the Bible focuses more on the suffering of shame and … [Read more...]
ANIMAL SACRIFICES: WHY & WHY NOT?
A gracEmail subscriber asks, "Why did God command the Israelites to bring animal sacrifices as sin-offerings, and why did those sin-offerings stop after Jesus died and rose again?" * * * Those animal sacrifices reminded the Israelites of God’s greatest desire—that they love him with all their hearts, and show their love by keeping his commandments. The sacrifices also reminded them of their own failure ever to do that. And they pointed to a future Messiah who would give God what he had always wanted. To say it a different way, God asked from every Israelite the living sacrifice of a … [Read more...]
CONFESSING & BELIEVING
Romans 10:9-10 says that "if you confess with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." Since we can add nothing to Jesus' saving work, a gracEmail subscriber asks whether this is a formula for gaining access to heaven. * * * This gospel promise concludes a discussion concerning the uselessness of seeking right standing with God through our own efforts rather than by trusting in what God has done for sinners in Jesus Christ. The first approach pursues God's approval (righteousness) "by works"; the second pursues it "by … [Read more...]
INVITING JESUS IN
A gracEmail subscriber asks: "I often hear ministers speak of 'inviting Jesus into your heart' in order to receive God's forgiveness and grace. Others speak of 'praying the sinner's prayer.' Still other preachers say neither expression is taught in Scripture. Will you please comment?" * * * The metaphor of asking Jesus into one's heart comes directly from Revelation 3:20, where Jesus says to the unfaithful Laodicean church: "Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if any one hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him, and will dine with him, and he with Me." Today, most … [Read more...]
FOLLOW ME (2)
There is a time to analyze, to study, to reflect. There is also a time to respond, to move, to act. Mark's Gospel is intended for the second occasion. It is 65-67 A.D. Nero is Emperor in Rome. He has just beheaded Paul and crucified Peter upside down. Now he is unleashing a wave of lethal persecution against Jesus' followers in the imperial capital. Some he ties to stakes, drenches in oil and burns as human torches. Others he dresses in animal skins and exposes to killer beasts. Others he crucifies. Jesus' followers remember the master's challenge: "If anyone wishes to come after me, let him … [Read more...]
FOLLOW ME (1)
Most likely, the earliest Gospel was written by John Mark of Jerusalem, helper to both Peter and Paul. The time was probably A.D. 65-67 and the purpose was to inspire believers in Rome against whom Emperor Nero had unleashed a wave of horrific persecution after having executed the two apostles mentioned above (see Acts 12:12; 2 Tim. 4:11; 1 Pet. 5:13). Mark's is the only canonical Gospel with a title: "The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God" (Mark 1:1). Early church tradition says that Mark wrote what Peter preached. Peter himself hints at plans for something like that (2 … [Read more...]
THE JESUS AGENDA
It is Thursday night before Easter. Eight adults and teenagers from our Sunday night support group meet at the Grace Theater in Houston to see "John, His Story," by Jeannette Clift George. In this play, which has been performed Off-Broadway as well as in this A.D. Players home arena, the ensemble cast of four actors and actresses play twenty-five different characters who tell the stories of the supernatural signs reported in John's Gospel (as Jeannette describes it) "in terms of ordinary people confronting extra-ordinary miracles." It is powerful drama that elicits chill-bumps, chuckles and … [Read more...]
WE KNOW
In this shaken world so full of uncertainties and fears, our souls long to grasp something solid and secure. We do not know what tomorrow will bring, but we know the large picture that encompasses earthly history and beyond. If you are trusting in Jesus as Savior and Lord, let your heart feed on these eternal certainties and be comforted. * * * Looking to the past, in faith, we know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, who became poor that we might be made rich (2 Cor. 8:9). We know that we were redeemed by Christ's precious blood, not by destructible, earthly money (1 Pet. 1:18).We know that … [Read more...]
KNOWING JESUS
A gracEmail subscriber asks what I mean when I speak of a person who "knows Jesus as Savior and Lord." * * * I speak of the individual who throws himself or herself wholly on the mercy of God, based on God's love shown in Jesus' substitutionary death and on God's faithfulness and power shown in Jesus' resurrection from the dead. With confidence in such a God, this person commits to follow Jesus as leader and guide. Jesus himself spoke of such individuals as those who hear his words and act on them; who deny themselves, take up their cross and follow him; who believe on him and have eternal … [Read more...]
