How did I end up in hell? Can’t see what difference it makes, but I’ll tell you, if you really want to know… One day, I received a summons out of the blue, with a Notice To Appear on a certain date and time. I was not expecting that. The timing wasn’t convenient for me, so I set it aside, figuring I’d deal with it later. It may have ended up in the garbage. I’m not sure. When I didn’t show on the appointed day,…
The Smiths were entertaining friends one evening when the front doorbell rang about 10 PM. Mrs. Smith, an attentive hostess, showed no sign of having heard. Her husband wondered briefly if perhaps he’d imagined the sound. He shrugged and went back to shuffling the cards for the next round of play. The bell resumed its ringing—louder, longer, and more insistent than before. The button was pushed and released again and again, at shorter and shorter intervals. Whoever this nocturnal visitor was, he or she was clearly…
There was Adam and then there was Eve. Created in the moral image of God. Righteous. Pure. Consciences clean and clear. So totally innocent they did not even notice their physical and spiritual nakedness. In this pristine state, they were possessed of the ultimate humility: utter unselfconsciousness. They could not be described as blameless, as no wrong had been done to which blame might attach. To call them sinless would be inaccurate, as sin had not entered their minds. Their character was uncorrupted, but it had never been put…
Sin is a word with which few are or ever have been comfortable. Sinners, being sinners, do not like to think of themselves as wrongdoers (especially after expending a lot of energy on moral relativism, rationalizing, excusing, and explaining away their guilt). Want proof? Bring up sin sometime and watch the speed with which conversation dies and the formerly chatty scatter. For some, the problem is not clarity but confusion. ‘If I admit that I’m a sinner, is that like saying I’m a bad…
There is no doubt whatever that we live in perilous times. Many confess to a palpable sense that humanity is daily drifting deeper into uncharted waters. Some say that ominous signs of an impending apocalypse are all around us. But stay tuned—I’m not planning on discussing or even listing these signs today. Nor will I cite the latest opinion polls gauging public sentiment on where this world is headed. Neither will I enumerate the challenges confronting crisis managers around the globe or ask how many…
Live long enough on this lovely chunk of rock hurtling through space and you will find yourself in a jam. Get into enough jams and sooner or later, you’ll stumble into one you can’t get out of—at least, not on your own. In that moment, what you rely on and who you call on for help can mean the difference between survival and a really bad day for your life insurer. If you could choose a guard dog to defend you in…
“Confess” is an interesting and versatile word, which permeates the culture, especially in the western world. It was used in the Roman empire and even earlier, by ancient Greece. For those with an open mind, this word may enable and empower you to change both your life, and your destiny. But before we delve too deeply, we had best define our terms. The root word means to admit, acknowledge, concede, or reveal. When used in a negative context, it carries the idea of reluctance…
This is my 36thcolumn for this blog (Correspondent for Christ). For some time now, I have ended most of them with a simple list called, “Some Key Truths.” It’s intended to reinforce the themes that I write about and as a reference for those looking for more information from the Bible on God’s plan for saving people. It can also serve as a memory aid for those who want to share their newfound faith, but don’t yet know God’s word well enough to…
Not to bore you with a lot of history (heaven forbid), but humanity split with its Creator a long time ago. The breakup came over the issue of sin. The Creator called for its avoidance by the total abstinence method. The created disagreed, preferring to explore the wonders of depravity, plumb the depths of misery and experience the thrills & chills of death and disaster. There you have it—irreconcilable differences. For those of you playing the home version of the game, sin is lawlessness. It’s…
Most people like a good story, if it is not too long, and entertains, educates or inspires. For this column, I have chosen one such story from the Bible. The tale unfolds in only six verses (Numbers 21:4-9), but is full of meaning and drama. I selected it because of its relevance to your life and its importance to your future. Here it is: And they journeyed from mount Hor by the way of the Red sea, to compass the land of Edom: and the soul…