Jesus saith unto him, …no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. —John 14:6
It appears the last milestone had part of its information chiseled out. Fortunately, the next marker was not vandalized. The third milestone said, “the wages of sin is death.” While the information that sign gave is accurate (and got us to the next milestone), by itself it was incomplete. What further direction should have been given? Continue reading
Jesus saith unto him, …no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
—John 14:6
We made our way in record time. But the directions on this milestone are no better, it appears to be even worse. We didn’t make a wrong turn, did we? The first milestone pointed to a principle. We are not our own but indebted to our Creator. The second milestone revealed a problem. Without exception everyone, all of humanity, desires and choses to act contrary to our Creator’s will. The Bible calls this “sin.” The time to trust our guide is when we are unsure, otherwise we could wander from the path and possibly never find the right way again. What does this milestone say?
Milestone Three – Romans 6:23a
“For the wages of sin is death…”
The third milestone points to a fatal Penalty: Death. What is death? Death is the result of sin. Death is a consequence of possessing a sin nature and having actually disobeyed God. Death is physical. Physical death is a separation of the soul from the body resulting in the termination of physical life. Death is also spiritual. Spiritual death does not mean an end of existence. The soul, our spirit, lives forever. Spiritual death is far worse than physical death. Spiritual death is a separation of the soul from God and His presence. It is an eternal consequence of sin.
In physical life everyone enjoys a measure of God’s presence. For example, He sends rain without discrimination. Do you acknowledge Jesus Christ as God? He sends rain on your crops to sustain physical life. Are you unsure who really is the Creator of all that exists? He doesn’t wait for you to figure it all out, He waters your crops, too. Maybe you are one who denies the reality of any deity. Whether you believe He is there or not, you also receive rain and therefore are a recipient of His presence. But, after this life, spiritual death will result in being separated from even the measure of God’s presence that everyone currently benefits from—forever. That’s harsh! Despite this danger…,
Some demand answers, “Why am I responsible?” Others try to use persuasive arguments in hopes of changing God’s mind. “I didn’t ask to be born.” “It’s not my fault that someone else disobeyed God first.” “God is not being fair!” “Everyone should stand or fall on their own merit.”
Romans 6:23, teaches us about the consequences of sin. Because God is himself perfect, he demands absolute perfection from His creation. The Bible talks about God’s perfection as “righteous,” “just,” and “holy.” When His will is disobeyed, God acts justly (in a fair way) toward every offender. Many people refuse to accept the truth that “I deserve (physical and spiritual) death because of my sin.” The punishment that we have earned for our sins is death. Not only physical death, but eternal death as well!
Those on the only road to God know because of their offenses against the Creator they are already as good as dead and unable to do anything about their condition or their destination.
We are “the walking dead” and it is a long, uphill hike to the next milestone.
Jesus saith unto him, …no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. —John 14:6
These milestones are very helpful in guiding our walk on the right road and keep us headed to our final destination. A wrong turn here would be disastrous.
Milestone Two – Romans 3:10-11, 23
“As it has been written, ‘There is none righteous, no not one! There is none that understands, there is not one that seeks after God.’ … For all have sinned, and come short of the glory [what pleases or makes God happy] of God.” Continue reading
Jesus saith unto him, …no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. —John 14:6
When the Roman Empire controlled the known world, they built extensively. One of their ingenious contributions was a network of roads throughout the empire which made traveling accessible and relatively safe. Some of the ancient paved roads still exist today. In that region of the world, many modern roads follow alongside the old roads because the Romans had usually chosen the most logical geographical route. Continue reading
Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep. —John 10:7
I’m not talking about the 1965 American rock band from Los Angeles that took their name from Aldous Huxley’s book The Doors of Perception. While I do want to quote a song, it is not from one of their recordings.
Warner Sallman’s famous painting titled Christ at Heart’s Door presents his interpretation of Revelation 3:20 where Jesus says, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock….” While I do want to explore the imagery of a door, it is not the door of Sallman’s painting or that particular verse. Continue reading
“If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him” (James 1:5).
It is one task to be able to explain what the Scriptures originally meant. It is quite another to show the contemporary significance. Both are necessary for good application. Take, for example, that unusual phrase in James 1:5 “upbraideth not.” Honestly, when was the last time you used that word in a sentence of your own? If you are like me, “never” is the answer. Continue reading
“Give unto the LORD, O ye mighty,
give unto the LORD glory and strength.
Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name;
worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness.” (Psalm 29:1-2)
It is just now a violent stormy season. Storms can be spoken of literally and figuratively. Our storms are simultaneously meteorological and theological, both in the sky and on the ground. Our gaze is more often fixed on the physical evidence of the latter and we conclude, “it’s a bad day at Black Rock.” Continue reading