Do you think there are varying degrees of sin? Isn’t all sin equal in God’s eyes? Lying is the same as stealing, it’s all sin to God, right? I was always under the assumption that all sin was created equal, having this drilled into my thought process for almost 40 years until I came to John 19:11. I have even argued that point in previous blog posts (see “Prop 8” article for one), but if that’s the case, what do we do with John 19:11?
Jesus answered him, “You would have no authority over me at all unless it had been given you from above. Therefore he who delivered me over to you has the greater sin.” John 19:11 (ESV)
On Wednesday and Friday I try to dive deeper into scripture, and it is amazing what is revealed to you from God’s Word when you read for knowledge and understanding. Today, after reading over John 19:11 it was revealed to me that clearly the answer to this question is yes, there are greater and lesser sins. But that led of course to the most natural question, why does it matter? Perhaps there are varying degrees of sin for those within Christ, and for those without Christ? If we are saved by grace, our sins are forgiven, and if we aren’t, well, they aren’t, so what difference does it make at all then?
The Greater Sin: Are There Degrees of Sin?
I would argue it matters simply because Jesus himself made the distinction, possibly as a warning to both parties. His words in John 19:11 clearly indicate if the sin of Caiaphas, the High Priest at the time (or possibly Judas Iscariot), was greater than Pilate’s sin, there must be lesser sins. The best essay I found on making the various distinctions between levels of sin came from the Reformed Theological Seminary blog titled “‘The Greater Sin’: Are There Degrees of Sin?” and it is well worth reading. It covers this topic far more in depth than I ever could here and to keep from just repeating all the text from that article I would ask the question here, why does this matter to us?
After an extensive search I found almost no sermons preached on John 19:11, so maybe it doesn’t matter, so I would not want to add emphasis to scripture where there is none. Simply put, if our salvation rests in Jesus Christ and he has called us to himself (John 15:16), our sins have been forgiven and the distinction in degree of sin makes no difference to the salvation of our souls. If we are living outside the grace and forgiveness of our sins, we are condemned already (John 3:17-18).
17 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.18 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. (emphasis mine)
Is it For Eternal Reward in Heaven or Punishment in Hell?
So, if we know it doesn’t make a difference to our salvation, does it make a difference to our judgement or call to bear fruit? If we examine John 3:17-18 above, we are either condemned (without eternal salvation) or not (with eternal salvation), so the difference in level or degree of sin could be associated with our eternal reward, punishment, or judgement.
This topic is sprinkled throughout scripture, and while both sides (the condemned and the saved) don’t really want to discuss it much, scripture says we are to be judged according the fruit we bear in this life. If we look at John 19:11, Jesus is referring to the punishment or judgement of Caiaphas (or Judas Iscariot) being greater than that of Pilate, because both Caiaphas and/or Judas both knew far more of the Gospel message (or light) than Pilate, but all men here were likely “condemned already”.
Scripture of course never specifically says what a greater or lesser reward looks like in heaven (and honestly, will we really care at that point), but it does specifically say there are those called greater (Matthew 5:19 and Luke 9:46) and points back to the fact that we are to live a life that produces fruit. [For other references to degree of reward or punishment see also Leviticus 4:2, 13; 5:17; Numbers 15:30; Ezekiel 8:6, 13; and Matthew 23:34.]
19 Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 5:19
For Believers, this is more a matter of bearing fruit, but it’s also a warning that God takes our sin much more seriously than those who have not received as much of the Gospel light as we have. The article by RBS puts it like this:
This is a warning to those of us who preach the gospel. Brothers, God takes our sin more seriously than the man who has received little biblical truth. We have been entrusted with much gospel light… And it is a sobering thought to know that the Lord views all of our sins in relation to the degree of light with which He has entrusted to us.
A Relavant Conclusion to Why it Matters
Studying this particular verse has actually left me with more questions than answers. Does the revelation that sin has differing levels or degrees matter? I think ultimately it does because, one, it leads to larger discussions throughout all of scripture about sin, judgement, and bearing fruit. Two, it reinforces many truths of Scripture about sin, and three, it puts more personal responsibility on those who have been given the knowledge of the Gospel message (not necessarily those who have received salvation), which should be important to all of us. Some other concluding points that come to mind are:
- It shows that God takes the sin of the condemned and saved very seriously
- John 19:11 is just one piece of an overall greater picture of grace and judgement
- It shows that God has entrusted some with more revelation than others
- There are differences of sin and judgement
- A lesser sin does not exonerate the guilty, they are still guilty
- Authority, even from the condemned comes from God alone
These are just some conclusions I came to, each could be expanded upon in greater detail. What does the truth of John 19:11 reveal to you?
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I’m not sure where we modern evangelicals get the idea that our personal testimony is a “private” thing. We may not actually say that out loud, but by not sharing our personal testimony with others that is in essence what we are saying. It’s my testimony, something between me and my God. No where in scripture does it say this, so in light of hoping to be a doer of the Word and not just a reader of the Word, I went ahead and posted my own personal testimony on my blog today.
The Story of the Woman and the Well
I don’t know how many times I have read through the story in John 4:39-42 about Jesus and this “despised and immoral” woman at the well, but today, as I contemplated the reaction of the woman I thought about my own personal testimony and how many times (or I should say how few times) I have done what this woman did in verse 4:28-29. She left her water jar (her purpose for being at the well), went into town and gave her testimony to anyone who would listen.
This story is contrasted by the story of Nicodemus in chapter 3 who was a “religious” person of faith in that day, compared to the woman who was a despised by society, an immoral Samaritan. But look at the end result from the BKC chart below (click pic to see full chart), the woman was converted, she gave her personal testimony to others, and then others came to believe in Jesus Christ.
The “Faithless” in our Culture Today
Putting it in post-modern terminology we can understand, it was recently presented to me like looking at a modern church-goer (the Jew) and the homosexual or atheist (the Samaritan) of our twenty-first century society. While we evangelicals are quick to point out the sins of homosexuals and argue with the atheists who possibly represent to us the antithesis of faith and religion, it was this person who received the call of Jesus, and then proclaimed it to the world, not the church-goer.
When you look at our culture today the two groups I mentioned above probably know more about Christianity than evangelicals do, and they give their testimony loud and clear to whoever will listen. Those two minority groups in particular have educated themselves well in the arguments for their way of life, and how to oppose Christianity. Evangelicals though often stumble and fumble with what to say when asked simple questions about their own faith. Many today will not respond to apologetical arguments because they know their talking points so well they can refute all those common points of contention, but it’s hard to argue with a truly changed and transformed life. That’s the point of your personal testimony.
During part of my time in seminary it was required for us to actually write down our personal testimony. That exercise alone was an eye opener to me. I had to take a real look at what actually is my testimony, and until then, I’m not sure I was prepared defend my faith or give a proper testimony when needed.
True Faith Moves to Confrontation with Jesus Christ
Look what happened when she shared her faith with the town. “Many Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony”, but the key to this verse is understanding the next set of verses in 40-41 where the “witness of the woman led to the Samaritans’ personal confrontation with Jesus”, giving them true and lasting faith in Jesus.[1] Jesus didn’t need the testimony of this woman (John 5:34) but because of the rejection of Israel in chapter 3 her testimony was more effective than the “religious” person.
As we move into verse 42 we see that ultimately the person coming to faith solely based on the testimony of an individual is secondary. These Samaritans proclaimed for themselves “for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this [Jesus] is indeed the Savior of the world.” Moving from the personal testimony of an individual, true faith then moves to it’s own experience and the “confrontation” with Jesus Himself.
If We Claim a Saving Faith We are Called to Share It
While this isn’t one of those traditional “share your faith” set of verses for the modern church-goer, it was a call to me to make sure we don’t just play “religion” and end up totally missing the point. This post could head in so many different directions from here but it really was meant to be a simple straight forward post. If we claim to be believers in Christ, we are called to share our faith with others.
[1] John F. Walvoord and Roy B. Zuck, , The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures by Dallas Seminary Faculty, ed. John F. Walvoord and Roy B. Zuck, Vol. 2, 2 vols. (Chicago, IL: David C Cook Publishers, 1983), 284-288.
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The God of Salvation surrounds us. Psalm 19:1 says even the heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky abovet proclaims his handiwork. (ESV) This photo just reminds me of what a great God we worship.
In our society today there are probably as many personal interpretations of the Doctrine of Salvation, or how one can be saved, as there are people, and presenting an accurate picture on Sunday morning to a host of different beliefs and understandings is important. You could dive into all the different aspects of salvation, comparing and contrasting the doctrine according to Predestinary views, Calvinism, Arminianism, the views of Karl Barth, Liberal or Reformed Theology, to salvation by works, but Sunday morning probably isn’t the place in 2011. With a largely reduced attention span, and a time constraint of 15-30 minutes, depending on your church, a simple and straight forward, biblical based message, might land and grow roots that last.
For one thing, if you actually have educated views on the theology above you probably have an understanding of “how we are saved” according to scripture. If you don’t and are coming at salvation as an unknown, hearing the history of Bonhoeffer’s view on God’s relation to the secular world may fall on deaf ears. That’s one thing I love about our church. The leaders (and today Rusty) don’t shy away from the most important teachings of Christianity. Perhaps during the time of Jonathan Edwards when sermons lasted a few hours, or all day, that might have worked well, but today is a different day.
Below is just a recap of how it was presented this morning.
1. How are we saved? In many ways salvation is a process. It starts with a process, is marked by a point in time, and continues on as a process of living out that confessed faith. Rusty presented Romans 10:9-13, which says it perfectly:
if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. 11 For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” 12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. 13 For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
For the most part, at least in the United States, we no longer have to confess Jesus with our mouths at the risk of death, but we still live by this confession, and we should take it as seriously as Paul did when he made these statements. Philipians 2:12-13 Paul says
not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, 13 for it is God who works in you
and for us today, that still means we are to “work out”, or put into practice in our daily lives what God has worked out in the Holy Spirit. We are not told to work FOR our salvation, but to work “out” the salvation God has already given us.
2. What are we being saved from? We are saved from death, from the anguish of Hell, and eternal separation from God, but also from the toil of life, a life of purposelessness (Ecclesiastes 1:9), spiritual deadness, and from a life of selfishness. In one of the most exacting and precise statements in scripture, Paul says, for by grace you have been saved through faith, it isn’t ever something we can earn. Only Jesus paid that price for us. Ephesians 2:1-3 explains it like this:
And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the bodyt and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. 4 Butt God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus
3. What are we saved to? We are saved to a spiritual life, a life that matters, and of course Heaven, with an eternity reconciled to God and Christ. As taught by Wesley (and briefly examined by Rusty today), we receive a prevenient grace, then a justifying grace, a sanctifying grace, and then finally a glorified grace in heaven. Once again Paul’s words can hardly be improved upon when he says
Colossians 1:19-22: For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross. 21 And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, 22 he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him
and again in Ephesians
Ephesians 2:8-10: For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
There are of course many other ways to present the Doctrine of Salvation on Sunday morning, but this just happen to be the way it was presented this morning, and I think it was quite effective for this church on this day.
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Truth is something that is a main theme around my blog and encompasses much of what I write about as well. Truth, or lack of it, can take many forms and many arguments, but there is an ultimate truth, or deception of the ultimate truth prevailing in our society today about salvation. This ultimately goes to answer the question, “is Jesus the only way of Salvation?” There are basically three options recognized by theologians today. Only one of them is found in the Bible, that of Exclusivism, the other two are heretical.
The two main heresies about salvation that run pervasively throughout our culture, are those terms referred to as Pluralism and Inclusivism. Below is a quick explanation of all three, then a brief reflection on the heresy called Pluralism (I will individually address the other two in posts at a later date).
Brief Explanation of Exclusivism
Exclusivism (when dealing with Salvation) is that eternal salvation of the soul found only through faith in Jesus Christ. Only those who are called and have trusted Christ are saved. They are declared to be right with God, and all their sins are forgiven through Jesus Christ’s death on the cross. No one, who does not trust in Jesus Christ has any hope of salvation, but may only expect to be judged and condemned to everlasting Hell.
Brief Explanation of Pluralism
Pluralism can be defined as saying “all religions lead to God”, at least all of the higher ones, for they are all in touch with the same spiritual realities. Each religion merely describes these realities differently. Thus, anyone who follows any of the “higher” religions may be assured that he really is in touch with God. This is the position of many Americans today. It is the unofficial position of most television networks and programs being produced, and is represented as the only morally sound position in many venues of public life.
Since this is so prevailing it needs no further explanation, but here are a couple of examples: “We [Muslims, Jews, and Christians] all worship the same God.” as said by Walter Abdur Ra’uf Declerck (quoted in The Fort Worth Star Telegram, Oct. 25, 2003). You can find quotes like this in hundreds of places all over local or national media, and the Internet is overrun with the same sentiment.
One of the leading voices in theological circles is from John Hick, a British Theologian who gives a very good example of this type of thought process.
The great religious traditions are to be regarded as alternative [salvational] “spaces” within which, or “ways” along which, men and women can find salvation/liberation/enlightenment/fulfillment.. . . The great world traditions have in fact all proved to be realms within which, or routes along which people are enabled to advance in the transition from self-centeredness to Reality-centeredness. . . . Accordingly, by attending to other traditions than one’s own, one may become aware of other aspects or dimensions of the Real, and of other possibilities of response to the Real. . .
Brief Explanation of Inclusivism
This, in some sense, is more damaging to the ultimate truth, giving someone a false sense of their eternal salvation when it just doesn’t follow what Christ teaches in scripture. Satan’s best work sometimes can be seen taking truth and falsity and mixing them together into a lethal combination of false doctrine and incorrect theology. The danger here is that this comes from so far inside “the church” that many people are led astray.
Inclusivism says that Jesus is the only Savior, but He will save some who have never trusted Him. We can affirm that Salvation is only in Christ, without affirming the need to tell others about Him as they need not have faith in Him anyway. This is the position of some Catholics, who believe that other religions are more or less able to save depending on how similar they are to Catholicism. Thus, other denominations, and religions which teach that there is one God, or those which teach a high view of ethics will lead their followers to salvation. This is the view of many mainline denominations, and most theologians today as well.
An example is seen in the Catholic Theologian Karl Rahner when he says:
It is. . . quite possible to suppose that there are supernatural, grace-filled elements in non-Christian religions.. . . A lawful religion. . . can be regarded on thye whole as a positive means of gaining the right relationship to God and thus for the attaining of salvation. . . The member of an extra-Christian religion. . . [is] an anonymous Christian.
Reflections on Religious Pluralism
Pluralism as described by John Hick, is now the mainstream of most media outlets and continues to invade our daily life, even in the church. My personal experience with a pluralistic worldview has been mostly limited to the current media forms of our culture like the Internet, satellite broadcasting, and social networking entities, but more and more you can see this view prevailing in our government as well. One can now see how easily a person can make the transition from the Truth of an exclusivist worldview, to being more inclusivistic, and then to pluralistic without perhaps knowing the transition has taken place.
Many who carry a pluralistic worldview today are not even aware that this is indeed the worldview that consumes their life, but it is the worldview that engulfs their life. Just the fact that we live in a society where this view prevails puts many, if not most, of us in some type of pluralistic camp. Author Ronald H. Nash wrote an excellent book on this topic titled Is Jesus the Only Savior? At the end of his section on pluralism Nash quotes John Hick from Jesus and the World Religions with the following propositions:
“If Jesus was literally God incarnate, and if it is by his death alone that men can be saved, and by their response to him alone that they can appropriate that salvation, then the only doorway to eternal life is Christian faith. It would follow from this that the large majority of the human race so far have not been saved.”[1]
And Nash concludes the section on pluralism by saying
If I am a Christian exclusivist and discover after death that Hick’s version of pluralism really is true, I will have lost nothing except Hick’s good will during the life. But if I am a pluralist and it turns out that Christian exclusivism is true, then the consequences for me will be very serious.
These two statements are fundamental to the pluralism argument today and the last statement shows how deficient pluralism can be. In the media, where I have my personal experience with pluralism, I contend, is where most people in our culture have such a problem with an exclusivistic worldview when Hick says, “it would follow… a majority of the human race have not been saved. “
The media views what is or is not fair in two ways. One, what is socially fair to all (they insist and desire that all roads lead to the same God), and two, how some said worldview of fair effects the profit margin of the product or service they are selling (if they don’t say all roads lead to the same God, or wide is the road to salvation, they will immediately exclude some potential sales to those who don’t agree, which we have said is most in the world today). Exclusivism in the media’s eyes is not fair to all; therefore they will always tend to push their efforts to the pluralistic worldview.
A pluralistic worldview can be discussed or defended when dealing with a person or group one on one, but when dealing with an entity as large as a new media outlet or a prime time network program where pluralism is so ingrained in the essence of the production, you can not simply converse about Matthew 7:13-14. In the case of the media, your only recourse in the end may be to refer to what drives the business, and that is profit (for the most part). The sometimes not-so-simple task of refusing to do business with the group or funding them in any way would be one way of removing yourself from their pluralistic worldview, although it may not make a substantial difference. Another way, as could be the case when dealing with the government, is to voice your argument to the appropriate person.
Unfortunately, Hick’s view that eventually all human beings will ultimately be saved from Hitler to Stalin and everyone in between is the prevailing view of our culture, even among Believers, and changing their mind will mean changing their hearts to see the saving grace of God Himself.
[1] Ronald H. Nash, Is Jesus the Only Savoir (Grand Rapids, MI: Zonervan Publishing, 1994), 69-92.
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Every week there is a home football game in Auburn huge crowds gather for the traditional Tiger Walk where the players walk down the street through the fans and on into the stadium. I saw this guy up in the tree waiting for the football players to pass by and thought of that great story Luke wrote about when Jesus was passing through Jericho and stopped to speak with Zacchaeus the tax collector.
Of course you do have to keep in mind, as you can see from the photos below, Elvis was also there, along with the guy from the Psych ward, so why not Zaccaeus?
Jesus Does Tiger Walk in Jericho
As the story goes in Luke 19 (see below), Jesus was walking from the Samaritan country side to Jerusalem (on His way to the cross), and was “passing through Jericho”, when Jesus comes upon Zacchaeus who has climbed a fig tree. Zacchaeus knew this location was on the route Jesus would follow into Jericho and he wanted to just get a glimpse of Jesus and the parade as He walked by. Since Zacchaeus was a man who was tall-challenged, climbing a sycamore tree was going to be his only way to see Jesus (and this is no easy tree to climb).
Luke 19:1 Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. 2 A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. 3 He wanted to see who Jesus was, but being a short man he could not, because of the crowd. 4 So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way. 5 When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” 6 So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.
To me, these photos have several parallels to the story presented here in Luke, and you can draw your own as well, but climbing the tree just to get a glimpse of the Auburn football players is our culture of today. The football players, perhaps athletes in general, are the Greek gods of today for many of us, and we pack stadiums (I included myself here and I love Auburn football) with city sized populations each week to watch these very talented, hard working athletes do what they do best.
We have raised these athletes to a mythical level, and pay a ton of money to see them at any chance we get. As I lined up with 10,000 other fans two hours before the start of the Auburn vs LSU game, I saw this guy who had climbed a tree (albeit an oak tree in Alabama) while all the others, me included, lined up along the street to watch the players walk by. The second photo is the center of the street where the players actually walk (now barricaded off on each side) just for a bit of perspective.
This is all part of the fun and excitement that is football in Auburn, and Bama football in Tuscaloosa, and is surely repeated in LSU, Florida, and all the other NCAA teams across the country, and then NFL stadiums on Sunday. You have to line up about an hour before they do their walk through to be able to see the players, so I did, and stood there in the blazing heat with everyone else.
Standing there, thinking of story in Luke 19, I wondered if we would line up like this for Jesus as he walked through Auburn? Would we still climb trees just to see His face? Line the streets with banners, flags, and take photos and videos as He walked by? Do we put these football players in His place in our mind?
Jesus Comes from Atlanta to Birmingham via Auburn
The really interesting part of the story told in Luke is in the very first verse. “Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through.” Looking a little deeper we see that Jesus was walking from Samaria to Jerusalem, passing through Jericho. Samaria was due north of Jerusalem and Jericho is just about due east of Jerusalem, just north of the Dead Sea. In our terms, that would be like someone driving from Atlanta to Birmingham and passing through Aburn on the way. Jesus went to Jericho on purpose, to speak to Zacchaeus, whom He knew by name.
The football players walk through the streets before each game because it is part of a great tradition that goes along with Auburn football. They get pumped up for the game, we all yell and scream chants of WAR EAGLE as they walk by, and then win or loose, next week we line up to do it again. I love the tradition and much of this is done in appreciation for all the hard work the football players do throughout the week in preparation for the game. Not once though did Tommy Tuberville ever pull me off to the side and ask to come over to my house for dinner. He did give me this really annoyed look when I probably got to close to him with my camera on this day (sorry coach), but that’s about it.
The story goes on in verse 9 to talk about the salvation that Zacchaeus received that day which began when he climbed a tree to see the parade go by. Tiger Walk is great, and it give us all a chance to see one of the great traditions that is Auburn, but I doubt it changes lives, but it changed Zacchaeus’ life forever.
9 Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.”
In light of Auburn’s 13-14 loss Saturday to Vanderbilt, the first time since the 1955 Gator Bowl, it makes me cringe to think about how much pressure we put on these kids today to perform. I can remember playing high school ball and being nervous when the minor league recruiters would show up at our games. I can’t imagine the pressure these 18-22 year old college kids feel with thousands upon thousands (87,451 to be precise) all expecting perfection for each game. In the end, they are not Greek gods, even if we treat them as such, and they are not perfect. We shouldn’t expect them to be perfect either, we already have One who is perfect, and His Tiger Walk took place in Jericho 2,000 years ago.
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This week I have been doing a job in our business I don’t normally do, packaging book orders. This is normally Deb’s job but she is still in Colorado so I took a stab at it to try not to get to far behind. Looking at each individual book title before it leaves is not something I am familiar with, and although I do know what books we have in our store, some of the titles really crack me up, like this one.
As I was looking for this book, How To Save Your Own Life in Eight Steps, I was truly amazed at how many book titles we have listed that are “how to” books. Are we now a society of “how to’s” as given by someone else, it appears so. I know many of these do have some value to people, but there is a “how to” for everything now.
Just for fun, I decided to pull our “how to” books and list them below. The vast selection of subjects was fascinating to me. Maybe to you as well. This is a partial (yes not total) list of our “how to” titles. I just love skimming the title below. Looking through the titles tells me I have a vast amount of knowledge just sitting on our shelves to help me, some of these are rather comical, if not all of them. But, I can see that there is always a how-to book on something, especially when it comes to improving your life in some form or fashion. I think I will stick with the one how-to book I know doesn’t have some kind of bias or ulterior motive of some kind (not that any of these below do that).
How To… Do Just About Anything
How Anyone Can Stop Paying Income Taxes [Hardcover] by…
How not to worry about the love life of spiders by Tucker, Earl
How They Chose the Dead: Stories by Summers, Hollis Spurgeon
How to Arrange Seasonal Florals If You Think You Can’t …
How to be Blessable by Pat Robertson DVD
How to Be Happily Retired by Waitley, Denis; Seyfer, Eudora
How to Be Sure You are a Christian Transferable Concept 1…
How to Build Walks, Walls & Patio Floors [Paperback] by…
How to Deal With Difficult People by Braunstein, B.
How to Defend Yourself Without Even Trying by Terry Chitwood
How to do Christmas Florals if You Think You Can’t [Hardcover]…
How to Draw and Paint Characters (Clowns & Characters 62)…
How To Earn $50,000+ A Year With Your Home Computer:…
How to get a job with the Post Office: Clerk-carrier, mail…
How to Get Angry Without Feeling Guilty by Bry, Adelaide
How to Get Lost and Found in Japan (How to Get Lost &…
How to Get Out of Debt (One Hour Guides) by Thomsett…
How to Handle Grief Tracks of a Fellow Struggler by Claypool…
How to Install Paneling, Valances, Cornices, Wall-To-Wall…
How to Install Protective Alarm Devices [Paperback] by…
How to Make Love to a Man [Mass Market Paperback] by…
How to Make Love to a Woman [Hardcover] by Morgenstern…
How to Make Money in Mail-Order by Wilbur, L. Perry
How to Make Someone’s Day: 365 Ways to Show You Care…
How to make your life work;: Or, Why aren’t you happy?…
How to Make Your Own Fishing Rods [Paperback] by…
How to negotiate the labor agreement;: An outline…
How to Outsmart Your Allergies [Hardcover] by Ulene…
How to Parent by Dodson, Fitzhugh
How to Play Better Baseball by Jackson, C. Paul
How to Play Winning Bridge [Mass Market Paperback...
How to pray for your children by Prange, Erwin E
How to Prepare for the National Teacher Examinations...
How to Prosper During the Hard Times Ahead: A Crash Course...
How to Read a Play [Paperback] by
How to Reconcile a Marriage/Audio Cassette by Dobson, James
How to run a meeting by Hegarty, Edward J
How to Run a School Newspaper by Goldberg, Enid A.
How To Stay Alive And Well In The Fast Food Lane…
How to stay union free by Jackson, Gordon E
How to Succeed as an Independent Consultant by Holtz…
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The Biggest and Best How To Book Ever
One of my favorites is How not to worry about the love life of spiders by Tucker, Earl, I had to actually take that one off the shelf and flip through it.
Anyone who knows this blog, knows where this is going. Most of us already have the biggest and best “how to” book, the Bible, but I do think their are books of interest other than just the Bible. The Bible is our book of authority, history, stories of life, instruction, and a how to of life, and it could even be called a book on “how someone else can save your own life“.
The book title caught my attention because it was a book on how to save your own life. I suddenly had a glimpse into the person who purchased this book, and wondered what they would learn or take out of the steps outlined in this title.
What is Your Favorite How To?
So, which one on the list above is your favorite? There is something for just about everyone.
What other “how to” books have you come across, which ones do you like? I am not a big “how to” person, even less of one that wants to read about it, but I am curious, so I flip (usually back to front) through many how to titles. What about you?
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There are not many times when you can look at a lost individual and see and feel the anguish they are going through than when a loved lost soul dies. This is what our faith comes down to and why we have a Savior. If you follow the teachings of the Christian faith, and even if you don’t, most know the basis of our faith. Jesus came to live among us, then He was crucified as a sacrifice for our sinful lives, so that we may have everlasting life. Life beyond our decaying bodies of this world, life with Him.
He didn’t just die for a select few, He died for all of us, but those who have not yet come to faith in Jesus are lost to the saving power of Jesus Christ and have no hope in death, only fear. I recently spent a lot of time in a large hospital ICU where over a period of several days, many Believers and lost alike, died. The different reactions that people had to their loses was astounding, and apparent.
The loss of a Believer within a Believing family was certainly one of sadness and grief that this person who blessed many lives that will no longer be around to enhance the lives of those still here. But for the most part, the family members knew and had confidence in the Lord that He would save this person as we are told throughout scripture. The families were sad for their personal loss, and happy for the person who was now in the presence of our Lord.
Then, within hours, to see someone in pure agony and anguish, inconsolable, screaming oh my god, oh my god, over and over from the loss they suffered. I know the fear and anguish is real, and you can feel it. This person has truly been lost to the presence of our Lord, and there is no way to pray the dead person to a belief in Christ. Most times we like to look at the positive in scripture and forget about why and how we got to this point, through sin. When we do this, we often times remove the reasons our Lord came to this earth in the first place. As it is stated in Matthew 7: 20-22, not all who cry out for God will be saved.
Matthew 7
20Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.
21“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ 23Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’
When a group came into the ICU close to where I had been sitting for days, literally screaming in anguish over a friend who was just shot and killed, I felt anguish and sorrow for them. Their screams ripped through me with the understanding of what had just happened and the faith they had come in with. This group of people came into the emergency room with a worldly hope of saving someone, and not long after, they left the ICU without hope, in an uncontrollable state of sorrow and torment.
As they walked out of the hospital without the person they arrived with a few hours earlier, I understood more clearly why Christ came to save us and what He did for us 2000 years ago. He did not die on the cross for our souls to be in torment and sorrow, but to spend eternity in the presence of the Lord. All we have to do is accept His gift to us.
I am glad to have the understanding that this world is not as good as it gets. Christ is the Great Comforter, if we let him.
