The Gospel Of Repentance

Why would the writer James utter the above statement? The statement actually reads, "Count it all joy when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience or endurance" (James 1:2). The word count means to consider. The writer James is not saying that tests are joy. They are not, they are painful. And truth be told, none of us want trials in our lives at all. James said to consider them joy because of what trials produce in us, patience or endurance which is a fruit of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22).  This type of attitude requires a laser focus on God and the truth of his word. If we are to discover that our faith is genuine, it has to be put to the test. The way God has decided to do that is through challenges in our lives. The archetype of the one who was righteous and suffered greatly in the Old Testament was Job. Job lost everything. He became so destitute and despaired of life that he cursed the day of his birth and wis...

The Bible tells us repeatedly that God is love, and that he is (1 John 4:8). That is why mankind is commanded to love one another. Jesus said to the disciples in John 13:35, "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another as I have loved you, that you love one another. By this, all men will know that you are my disciples if you have love for one another." Love is the supreme virtue of all God's attributes. From his love flows everything else. But what I would like to discuss is what God's love isn't.  The world's view of God's love is unbiblical. Why? Because it is viewed through a corrupt human lense. The world has replaced God's perfect love for an unholy tolerance of their sins. You have all heard the phrase, "Well God knows my heart." This phrase is used as an escape hatch to excuse one's guilt for the sin(s) they are committing. In their mind, it gets them off the hook with God - so they think.  Since the world...

Jesus said in the title verses above, "When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, and does not find it. Then it says, 'I will return to my house from which I came'; and when it comes, it finds it unoccupied, swept, and put in order. Then it goes and takes along with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there, and the last state of that man is worse than the first. That is the way it will also be with this evil generation." To understand what He meant, we have to understand the entire context. The religious leaders said that Jesus was casting out demons by the power of Beelzebub the prince of demons; in essence Satan (Matthew 12:24). Jesus exposed the foolishness of their logic. He said, "If Satan casts out himself how can his kingdom stand" (Matthew 12:26-27)? In other words, why would anyone fight against themselves? Why would anyone tear themselves down? That is lunacy...

Many of us have heard tales or read stories of those who supposedly sold their souls to the devil for a life of riches, indulgence, and luxury on earth only to want to renege on their deal with the devil when their life is over. Can one offer their soul to the devil for sale? Let's take a look at some Bible passages to gain some insight into this serious matter. To my knowledge, the only person the devil approached about selling his soul to him was the Lord Jesus Christ at the temptation described in the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. The gospel of John does not record the temptation of Christ. I want to look at the third temptation Satan presented to Jesus. In Matthew 4:8-11 we read, "Again, the devil takes Him up into an exceeding high mountain and shows Him all the kingdoms of the world, and their glory: And says unto Him (Jesus), all these things will I give You, if You will fall down and worship me. Then Jesus said unto him, "Get behind me Satan, for i...

There are many people in this world that deny the truth of God's word. There are many that believe none of it is true. There are others that choose that some accounts are true and that other accounts are not true.  So what does one believe? Just because many people believe the Bible is not true does not invalidate its truth. And just because someone believes something is true when it is not will never make it objectively true. We have many people today making the declaration that, "Truth is relative. There is no absolute truth!" Those that make that bold unwise claim have not taken the time to consider that that is a self-refuting statement - a strawman. Let me prove what I mean. For one to say that there is no absolute truth is to deny their own statement is absolutely true. Let me explain further: To say there is no absolute truth means that one cannot say there is no absolute truth. To do so is to contradict oneself.  Wait a minute! What?  Alright, l...

This is a very important question. It is also important the reader understand the entire question. If one is truly saved, they cannot lose their salvation. God is the one that grants salvation to all those who believe, and He is the one that secures salvation forever. The scripture says, "He that began a good work in you will complete until the day of Jesus Christ" (Philippians 1:6). God is and will always be faithful to His word and to us. From the divine side, God assures and insures our salvation. But, can we lose the assurance of our salvation? Yes. What does that mean? It means what it says. We lose confidence in the reality that we are saved. What causes this lack of assurance? I would say mainly two things: 1) doubt and 2) sin. Doubt arises as a result of our lack of knowledge on what the Bible teaches about salvation. When a person's ignorance of the truth of salvation is high, then doubt will also be at a high level. This lack of assurance also produces fea...

Come now, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit - yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, "If the Lord wills, we will live and do this and that."                                                                                                                                        -James 4:13-15 I believe it is a fair supposition that most people in the world do not heed the above admonition. Why? Because they presume on their lives - that they are...