Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
John 14:6, ESV
All truth must be filtered through Christ. This especially means the spiritual. We are only granted eternal life through believing in, obeying, and trusting Christ.
What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?
Romans 8:31, ESV
God has redeemed our lives, therefore no one should be able to intimidate or threaten us with fear of persecution or death. We know they will get what they deserve or join us in eternity with Christ.
looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.
Hebrews 12:2, ESV
Our God showed us that a cursed person was hung on a tree, facing ultimate shame. Yet He came to us, knowing He would take our shame, and knowing He would see us in Eternity.
But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life.
Jude 1:20-21, ESV
We have no fear of this world or death as we seek the love of God through faith, growing more into the Christ-likeness we are called to as we await our full redemption in eternity.
Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.
Romans 5:3-5, ESV
We need not fear what this life does to us, for we know that as we pursue Him, God uses our circumstances to make us more like Jesus, living inside us by the Holy Spirit who gives us the hope of eternal life free from sin and pain.
Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.
1 Timothy 6:12, ESV
The Christian faith is not merely a personal thing. It is a community and declaration to the world of Christ’s sovereignty and goodness, and the Holy Spirit empowers us to be in community and share that faith.
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.“
John 3:16-18, ESV
At Advent, we look back at why Jesus had to come, that He came, and then that He will come again.
Jesus came to live amongst us, teaching the truths of God and proving them with miracles, signs, and wonders.
Whether we grow up surrounded by religious teachings or nothing spiritual, it can be difficult to comprehend salvation.
Jesus explained to Nicodemus, and thus to us, that it is pretty simple how to be saved, but we make it oh so difficult.
Yet, God came to us, showing us we saved only by believing in Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection.
If we don’t choose to believe that Jesus is the Son of God, fully God and fully man, who is the God we have all sinned against, that He died for our forgiveness and restoration to Himself, and that He bodily rose back to life, we remain condemned to the wrath of God for our sin.
If we don’t believe all of that, we are in danger of not being saved.
Jesus is full of grace, and He is our only source of hope and forgiveness.
God came to us as a man to save us by taking our punishment on Himself, and we must believe this to be saved.
It is not difficult to understand, but we don’t want to admit our faults or that it can be so easy to be saved yet difficult to live by God’s standard.
May we seek the Lord who has saved us from wrath and given us the path to eternal life.
Do we truly love the Lord our God with all our hearts, souls, minds, and strengths? Maybe I can help with the mind part, at least! This is Daniel M. Klem, apparent poet, reluctant yet passionate Disciple (Peter?), and foolish man attempting to understand theology!