Believe in the Son

Believe in the Son
The apostle John states,

“Anyone who believes in the Son of God has this testimony in his heart. 

Anyone who does not believe God has made him out to be a liar,

 because he has not believed the testimony God has given about his Son.  

And this is the testimony: 

God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.  

He who has the Son has life; 

he who does not have the Son of God 

does not have life.” 

1John5:10-12

The apostle John throughout his gospel and his letters makes some very clear statements about Jesus and a persons relationship with Jesus.
Here he makes it clear,
1/ God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.
2/ He who has the Son has life;
3/ he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.”
In his gospel John quotes Jesus as saying,
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.  
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.  
Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son”. John 3:16-18.
These are if you think about it radical statements. That if right, as I as a Christian believe they are, they have eternal implications for all who here about Jesus.
Jesus is the one and only Son of God the Saviour of mankind.
C. S. Lewis states,
“Christianity, if false, is of no importance, and if true, of infinite importance. The only thing it cannot be is moderately important.” C. S. Lewis.
To those who read this and are not a Christian I would ask that you take time to read the New Testament. What have you to loose.
Blaise Pascal wrote of God,
“Belief is a wise wager. Granted that faith cannot be proved, what harm will come to you if you gamble on its truth and it proves false? If you gain, you gain all; if you lose, you lose nothing. Wager, then, without hesitation, that He exists.” Blaise Pascal.
The same is true of Jesus. If he is the Son of God as we Christians think then you gain eternity with God and all that goes with it. If what Christians believe is false then you loose nothing.
Please think about it.
Post Script.
If you want a free copy of the Bible there is free download called You Version that is available to all who would want to read about God, Jesus and what the apostles of Christ taught.
It cost nothing to download and nothing to read it for yourself.  

Of God

Of God
The apostle John writes,
“Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves the father loves his child as well.  
This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands.  
This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome,  
for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith.  
Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.” 1John 5:1-5.
John makes a definite statement here “Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God....”
You cannot get a more clear statement than that. If you believe that Jesus is the Christ you are born of God.
John goes on to state,
“This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome,  
for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith.”
If we truly love God we will obey God’s commands. Commandments that are not burdensome.
Someone once told me that becoming a Christian means following a lot of do’s and don’t’s. That is not entirely right.
Christians are given a moral code to live by, by Jesus, principle of which is to love. However the rules set down by the scriptures are no more burdensome than following the rules at a football match.
In a football match one has a set of rules that one follows so that the game can be played fairly and pleasurably for all in the game. This is true when one becomes a Christian. The rules for living a Christian life are no different.
By following God’s moral code and loving those around us the Christian life is very fulfilling and rewarding.  
John also tells us,
“Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.”
We overcome the problems and trials of this world by believing in Jesus.
In believing in Christ we understand that the problems of this world are but temporary and nothing when compared to the eternal reward we will receive when the Father calls us home.
John referring to Jesus said in his gospel,
“Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—  children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.” John 1:12,13.
If we truly believe in Jesus, then according to John we are children of God. We have a personal relationship with God. A bond that can overcome anything this life throws at us.
Please think about it. 

A Key Element

A Key Element
The apostle John states,
“Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.  
Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.  
This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.  
This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.  
Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.  
No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us. 
We know that we live in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit.  
And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world.  
If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him and he in God.  
And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him.”  1 John 4:7-16.
As professing Christians we can do no less than love. Jesus when asked,
“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” 
Jesus replied: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’  
This is the first and greatest commandment.  
And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’  
All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” Matthew 22:36-40
Jesus also went as far as saying,
“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,...” Matthew 5:43,44.
I do not believe you can truly be committed to Christ and not show love for everyone around you irrespective of who they are.
John in his gospel quotes Jesus as saying,
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.  
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” John 3:16,17.
Before Jesus left this earth he told his disciples,
“Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.  
Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,  and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:18-20.
We cannot complete this commandment from Jesus if we do not love.
God set the example by, in love sending His One and Only Son into the world that we might be saved. If God loved us so much that he would do it for us. We must love in the same way.
The apostle Paul defines Christian love when he wrote,

“Love is patient, love is kind. 

It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  

It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, 

it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 

Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.  

It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 

Love never fails....

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. 

But the greatest of these is love.”  

1 Corinthians 13:4-8a,13.

If you claim to be a Christian is your love the same as described by Paul or do you put conditions on your love, selecting carefully who you will love?
Would those around you say you love unconditionally?
John states,
“If anyone says, “I love God,” yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen.  And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother.”1John 4:20-21
Please think about it.

Jesus is Divine

Jesus is Divine
The apostle John states,
“Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.  
This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God,  but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world. 
You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.  
They are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them.  
We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we recognize the Spirit of truth and the spirit of falsehood.” 1John 4:1-6.
Here John gives us a simple test how to determine who is of God and who is not. He states,
 “Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God,  but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God.”
This is the core belief of Christianity. Jesus is from God. He is God incarnate, the Saviour of mankind.
Henry Ward Beecher stated,
“If Christ is not divine, every impulse of the Christian world falls to a lower octave, and light and love and hope decline.” Henry Ward Beecher.
Believing in the divinity of Jesus is important. It is the corner stone of Christian belief. There are many of other faiths who would disagree with this and that is their right.
There are however many out in the world who say they are Christians but deny the divinity of Jesus. You cannot be a Christian and deny the divinity of Jesus. Jesus himself at the risk of his life said he was one with God. John’s gospel records,
“The Jews gathered around him, saying, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.” 
Jesus answered, “I did tell you, but you do not believe. The miracles I do in my Father’s name speak for me, but you do not believe because you are not my sheep.  
My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.  
I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand.  
My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand.  
I and the Father are one.
Again the Jews picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus said to them, “I have shown you many great miracles from the Father. For which of these do you stone me?
“We are not stoning you for any of these,” replied the Jews, “but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God.”  John 10:24-33
C. S. Lewis made a very important statement when he said,
“I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept his claim to be God. That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic — on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg — or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse. You can shut him up for a fool, you can spit at him and kill him as a demon or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God, but let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about his being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.” C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity.
Please think about it. 

Love and Deeds

Love and Deeds
The apostle John states,
“This is the message you heard from the beginning: We should love one another.  
Do not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own actions were evil and his brother’s were righteous.  
Do not be surprised, my brothers, if the world hates you.  
We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love our brothers. Anyone who does not love remains in death.  
Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life in him. 
This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.  
If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him?  
Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.” 1John 3:11-18.
In a nutshell John is telling believers in Christ to love.
He almost as an aside states that do not be surprised if the world hates you. The world around us may not agree with what we say and thus will at times not like us. Throughout the centuries there have been many governments, countries and other groups that have hated Christians simply because of what we believe.
This however should not stop us from loving especially our brothers and sisters in Christ. We should be willing to help a brother in need.
James the half brother of Jesus said,
“What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him?  
Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food.  
I f one of you says to him, “Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it?  
In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. 
But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.” Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do.  
You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder. 
You foolish man, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless?” James 2:14-20.
Our faith in Christ should spur us on to good deeds and to love all whom we come in contact with Christian or not.
Francis of Assisi gave us a Prayer that we as Christians need to take to heart. He said,

“Lord, make me an instrument of thy peace.

Where there is hatred, let me sow love,

Where there is injury, pardon;

Where there is doubt, faith;

Where there is despair, hope;

Where there is darkness, light;

And where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek

to be consoled as to console,

to be understood as to understand,

to be loved, as to love.

For it is in giving that we receive,

It is in pardoning that we are pardoned,

and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.” 

Francis of Assisi

Please think about it. 

"Born of God"

Born of God
The Apostle John writes,
“But you know that he appeared so that he might take away our sins. And in him is no sin.  
No one who lives in him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him. 
Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. He who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous.  
He who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work.  
No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God.  
This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God; nor is anyone who does not love his brother.” 1 John 3:5-10.
Here John points out the “No one who lives in him keeps on sinning...”
As believers in Christ we do our best not to sin. To live a life acceptable to Christ, acceptable to God. A believer in Christ does not deliberately sin.
John warns believers in Jesus not to be let astray. John states,
“He who does what is sinful is of the devil...”
John states,
“This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God; nor is anyone who does not love his brother.”
If we are truly followers of God, children of God we will desire to do what is right at all times. The apostle Paul states,

“But the fruit of the Spirit is 

love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, 

faithfulness,  gentleness and self-control. 

Against such things there is no law.”  

Galatians 5:22,23. 

This is what a true follower of Jesus will exhibit.
Please think about it.

Children of God

Children of God

The apostle John makes this statement to Christians,
“How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him” 1 John 3:1
John makes the significant statement here, he calls believers in Jesus “children of God”
This is a statement John makes in his Gospel talking about Jesus he states,
“Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—  children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.” John 1:12,13. 
John also makes it clear in his gospel who he believes Jesus to be stating,
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  
He was with God in the beginning. 
Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.  
In him was life, and that life was the light of men.... 
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:1-4,14
John believed Jesus to be God incarnate, the creator of the world. He also makes it clear that all who believe in Jesus
“...he gave the right to become children of God—  children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.”
I know non-Christians do not believe this. They do not understand how we as mere mortals can be called children of God. That however is I believe, because they do not know or understand the true nature of Jesus. That Jesus is indeed God and with God all things are possible.
Please think about it.

Antichrists

Antichrists
The apostle John warns,
“Dear children, this is the last hour; and as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come. This is how we know it is the last hour.  
They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us. 
But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth.  
I do not write to you because you do not know the truth, but because you do know it and because no lie comes from the truth.  
Who is the liar? It is the man who denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a man is the antichrist—he denies the Father and the Son.”1John 2:18-22.
Here John seems to use extremely strong language. He states that anyone who claims Jesus is not the Christ the Messiah is an antichirst.
Note however he is referring to those who at one time claimed to be Christians and are now denying that Jesus is the Christ the saviour of mankind.
It is these people Christians need to be careful with.
It’s understandable that those of other faiths may not believe as we do. For a myriad of reasons they do not agree with Christian teaching. I do not believe John is talking about these people.
John’s comments are directed at those who claimed to be Christian he states,
“They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us.”
These are men and women who have taken the scriptures and teaching of Jesus and the apostles and pervert them to their own ways.
The apostle Peter warns of such people saying,
“But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves.  
Many will follow their shameful ways and will bring the way of truth into disrepute.  
In their greed these teachers will exploit you with stories they have made up. Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping.” 2 Peter 2:1-3.
The apostle Paul also echoes this saying,
“For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.  
They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.” 2Timothy 4:3,4.
We as Christians need to be careful as to who we listen to, especially in this multimedia age.
There are many men and women in the media that seem like they are Christians. They seem as if they are teaching about Jesus and God correctly but are not.
In order to ensure that we are not deceived we need to study the scriptures for ourselves and know for certain what is right and what is wrong. The words of the apostle Paul when he said,
“Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.” 2Timothy 2:15 are as true today as they were when he wrote them. They are words we need to take to heart and follow.
Please think about it.  

The Christian, The World, and God

The Christian, The world, and God
John the apostle wrote,
“Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.  
For everything in the world—the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does—comes not from the Father but from the world.  
The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.” 1John 2:15-17.
Here John echoes the words of Jesus who said,
“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.  
But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.  
For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. 
“The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light.  
But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness! 
“No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money. Matthew 6:19-24.
We as believers in Jesus need to decide where our first love is. There is nothing wrong with having money and riches. It is when that money and riches become gods in our life that the problem starts. When they become more important that God.
We cannot stand with our feet in both worlds.
Matthews gospel records this incident between Jesus and a rich man,
“Now a man came up to Jesus and asked, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?” 
“Why do you ask me about what is good?” Jesus replied. “There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, obey the commandments.” 
“Which ones?” the man inquired. Jesus replied, “ ‘Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony,  honor your father and mother,’ and ‘love your neighbor as yourself.’’” 
“All these I have kept,” the young man said. “What do I still lack?” 
Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” 
When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth.”Matthew 19:16-22.
In order to be true followers of Jesus we need to be willing to give up everything we have of material value in this world if necessary.
God may never require us to give up our material possessions. Never the less we must be willing to do so if God asks.
 Are you willing to do so?
        Where is your true riches?
         Please think about it.

Live as Jesus did

Live as Jesus did
The apostle John writes,
“We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands.  
The man who says, “I know him,” but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him.  
But if anyone obeys his word, God’s love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him:  
Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did.” 1John 2:3-6.
As I read this the statement “Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did.” jumped out at me. The question that arose in my mind is,
Are you living as Jesus did?
Jesus not only lived a pure life. Jesus associated with everyone irrespective of what they believed or their status in society. Jesus associated with prostitutes, Roman soldiers, tax collectors and sinners. Yes and even religious leaders.
Jesus never protested against anything. He never spoke against anyone outside his own faith. While he spoke to correct the religious leaders of his day he never spoke against secular Roman law or the governing secular authorities.
Jesus showed love to all. Thus the question becomes,
Are you loving as Jesus loved?
Jesus when asked,
“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” 
Jesus replied: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’  
This is the first and greatest commandment.  
And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’  
All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” Matthew 22:36-40
Jesus told his believers,

“So in everything, do to others 

what you would have them do to you,

 for this sums up the Law and the Prophets” 

Matthew 7:12

If you claim to be a Christian are you obeying the words of Jesus?
Are walking as Jesus walked?
Would someone of another faith or lifestyle or from another culture see the true Jesus in your life?
Would they truly see the unconditional love of Jesus reflected in your life.
Or would they say as Mahatma Gandhi said,

“Jesus is ideal and wonderful,

 but you Christians - 

you are not like him.”

                                                                    Mahatma Gandhi
Please think about it. 

A Clear Statement

A Clear Statement
“This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.  
If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth.  
But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. 
If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.  
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.  
If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives. 
My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.  
He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.”  1John 1:5-2:2.
Here is a very definite statement made by someone who knew Jesus personally. Who stat under his teaching and thus knew who Jesus really was and his purpose in coming to earth.
John states,
1/ “God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.”  
Our God is a God of truth and light. It is God who shows us the way to heaven and gives us every opportunity to get to heaven.
2/ “If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth.”
I believe here that walking in darkness is doing what God does not want us to do. I believe there are many calling themselves Christians who think they are walking in light but are not. They are mixing their faith with other things that are not of God and thus making their faith worthless.
I believe to walk in the light we must consider the words of Jesus who when asked,
   “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” 
Jesus replied: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’  
This is the first and greatest commandment.  
And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’  
All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” Matthew 22:36-40
Jesus who said,
“So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets” Matthew 7:12.
I believe if we are doing these things we are walking in the light.
John then notes,
3/ “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. 
If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.  
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.  
If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.”
We as individuals must remember the words of the apostle Paul who said,
“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.”  Romans 3:23,24.
We as individuals sin. Sin is falling short of what God wants for our lives. It is our obligation before God to confess our sins directly to God, as soon as we realize we have sinned. In doing so God will forgive us our sins.
John here also makes a very powerful statement here. He states,
“If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.”
By claiming we have no sin we make God out to be a liar. Think about it John is saying if we as individuals claim to have no sin we are calling the creator of the universe a liar.
God however is indeed a God of love who understands each individual and makes it possible for every individual to get to heaven, even if we at times sin. John states,
“But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.
He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.”
Jesus is the atoning sacrifice for the sins of all men who would believe in him. It is because of Jesus we can get to heaven. The apostle Paul writing,
“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8.
Thus the question becomes, do you believe this?
Please think about it.

My job is to Love

My job is to Love
Billy Graham the American evangelist said,

It is the Holy Spirits job to Convict, 

God’s job to judge 

and my job to love, 

Billy Graham

Jesus when asked

“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” 

Jesus replied: 

“ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart 

and with all your soul and with all your mind.’  

This is the first and greatest commandment.  

And the second is like it: 

‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’  

All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” 

Matthew 22:36-40

Jesus also said,

“You have heard that it was said, 

‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’  

But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,...” 

Matthew 5:43,44

The apostle Paul defined love as,

“Love is patient, love is kind. 

It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  

It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, 

it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 

Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.  

It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 

Love never fails....

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. 

But the greatest of these is love.”  

1 Corinthians 13:4-8a,13

The writer of Hebrews states,

“Make every effort to live in peace with all men 

and to be holy; 

without holiness no one will see the Lord.” 

Hebrews 12:14

Jesus said,

“So in everything, 

do to others what you would have them do to you, 

for this sums up the Law and the Prophets” 

Matthew 7:12.

Francis of Assisi wrote a prayer all Christians need to take to heart. He wrote,

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace, 

Where there is hatred, let me sow love;

where there is injury, pardon;

where there is doubt, faith;

where there is despair, hope;

where there is darkness, light;

where there is sadness, joy;

O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console; 

to be understood as to understand; 

to be loved as to love.

For it is in giving that we receive; 

it is in pardoning that we are pardoned; 

and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

                                                                         The Prayer of St Francis of Assisi.
If you claim to be a Christian, are you truly loving unconditionally, those around you?
Please think about it.