Posts tagged salvation

Breaking News (A Guest Post).

Guest Posts The Christian Faith 6 Comments

Hiiii guys.
A friend of mine is doing the writing today. I’ve known Bukunwa for quite a while and today he’s writing on both a bad and good news.
Keep reading. ?

Name’s Bukunwa.
I’m a student. An engineering student ? although I’m not too techyy like that but I like solving problems.
I love nature. I enjoy walking in beautiful gardens or by the river line.. all these serene places. I look forward to having more of those experiences. Not alone only… but with someone special hopefully.
I love theology and history and biographies that are somehow connected with Israel and the church. I actually enjoy reading stuff like that.
I also like having deep discussions with people and I like games kinda… though people say I’m serious too…

Hello.
This is a breaking news because it’s worth your attention a million times over. It has to do with eternal life. I mean, you shouldn’t sleep every night and wake up in peace if you don’t have peace with God, are not in a relationship with Him, or have no concrete hope of eternal life.
So I want to briefly share the gospel. What is the gospel?
The gospel is good news. It is not some good news that doesn’t affect anybody like ‘the eagle at the top of the inhabitable Mt. Everest has given birth to three chicks. Awwwn! So cute!’ It’s not that kind of good news. It’s good news that tremendously and eternally affects you. It’s amazing news!
What makes it so amazing is that there was only BAD NEWS and looming disaster before the GOOD NEWS majestically walked in. That’s really why this good news is so beautiful, amazing, destiny-affecting and therefore very critical and important.
The Bad News: Mankind (including you, obviously) is fallen. This means that man was initially created in the image of God. (Genesis 1.27). Man sinned against God. (This is very true and factual. Every account narrated in the bible has withstood the most intense scrutiny throughout all the centuries and has proved authentic and factual). Since God is the Author of life and His breath and presence sustains all things, man’s sin or offence against God meant man stepped out or turned in opposition to God.
When the fish turns in opposition to the water where the source of its life is, what happens? Death happens gradually and inevitably. So also, man experienced a spiritual death or corruption. Man only retains the image of God in a very very residual and remote sense.
Now, the principle God set for procreation is that everything procreates after its kind (Genesis 1.11-12). Tigers reproduce after their kind. Same with spiders, banana trees and other living things. Therefore, man began procreating after his spiritually corrupted kind. This kept on going generation after generation. Consequently, we are all sinners and have a sinful nature. This fact is only proven by our natural impulses and drives for sinful habits, however they might be masked. You are sinful deep down within. And this is because you were born with a sin nature. No one can fulfil the righteous requirements of God. Absolutely no one!
The Really Bad News: God is all-powerful and completely holy. He is also perfectly just. Therefore, he will punish all sin. His punishment for sin is also everlasting. Sin always leads to eternal death and condemnation. This death will be such that the immortal soul of the sinner will experience everlasting, conscious torment, banished from the peaceful, joyful and gladsome presence of God and all good things. This is really a horrible thing.
The Good News: God is abundantly merciful and gracious. He knows about the helplessness of man in His sin and provided a way of escape. God sent His only Son (His Word which became flesh), born of a virgin (and not of the seed of man which would have rendered Him like every other child who inherits the sin nature). His Son is Jesus. He lived a perfectly righteous life because He has the nature of His Father. He should be rewarded or at least applauded right? No! He was then punished for the sins of us all (Isaiah 53.6). God’s plan of saving us was perfect.
It works like an exchange. Jesus grants us the credit for His perfectly righteous life and takes the punishment for our sins. Therefore, we are counted righteous before God’s judgement throne, our sins are punished and completely catered for in Jesus and we have eternal life! Wow!!! How beautiful.
All you need to do is to actually believe this good news. Accept it by fully trusting in it. Bank on Jesus and His righteous provision for your eternal safety. In doing that you must repent of your sins, acknowledging that they are abominable before God.
Then, you would’ve maximized the really really good news that’s been made available to you.

In Memorial of the Nigerians who have been carelessly lost.

The Christian Faith 7 Comments

I have so much in my heart but I cannot write them down.
But I know that my blog has this space of memorial service for those that have fallen in recent times. This is a part of my prayer on Thursday, 28th of June, 2018:

I’m grieving. Grieving. Today, Lord, marks something serious in our lives as Nigerians.
We’re still mourning the Jos killings and Bodija Ibadan killings came upon us, then the Lagos tragedy.
Too much blood shed. Too much. Lord, we’re bleeding. Lord, we’re begging. Lord, we’re saying have your way. Our hearts are heavy. This is not the nation you created, not the Nigeria you spoke into existence. A lot has gone wrong. Terribly wrong.
Lord, in this time let many not lose their faith in you. Let them not mourn and doubt you. Let orphans not think you wicked. Let teenagers not turn to alcoholism and prostitution. Let widows and widowers not despair. Help pastors to comfort and exhort. Help the average man volunteer. Lord teach us to give, teach us to open our homes and purses and hearts to those ones in need.
Lord, teach us to give our prayers, time, money and effort to making Nigeria better. Please, guide us with your eyes. Instruct us in the way to go about taking deliberate and purposive actions in Jesus name I pray.
As always,
Debby

The religion with the best argument

The Christian Faith 4 Comments

Often times I feel uneasy when a person tells me that followers of a certain religion have not reasoned it out, that’s why they are still followers of that religion. There could be some truth in that statement, but it’s not all true.
I wrote this post after a friend of mine faulted a certain religious sect by saying “they don’t really know what they are doing”. I understand that statement and I could have said that a number of times. It however got me thinking.
But it’s not really in the thinking, is it?
Of course, there is a part of reasoning in religion which I do not underscore. I, in fact, choose to highlight this a great deal. You’d find out as a christian, that God wants you to think, a lot. A man I respect said:
” you can never intimidate God with your knowledge and brilliantly reasoned questions. Don’t be afraid to think”. 
You must think. But it’s not all in the thinking. It’s Faith. It transcends the physical, that’s why its regarded as spiritual.
I don’t know about other Christians but I’m a leader in my fellowship and that hasn’t stopped me from having questions. A friend of mine, having said over that there are many questions in her heart, concluded there are probably some questions she would only get a suitable answer to, when she meets with Jesus.
In the same vein, I have had questions which I got answers to already and I’ve also had questions which I haven’t had (satisfactory) answers to. Some people fault the moslems by quoting certain things in the Qur’an that are inconsistent. It may be true to some degree but I want to tell you that skeptics have dug out parts of the scriptures that are also seemingly inconsistent. Some say why did Jesus claim he did not come to bring peace but a sword? And others.
On this count, I appreciate Christian apologetics who have given admirable time to understanding the scriptures. They’re able to give sound answers to the questions about the seeming inconsistencies in the bible. Sound, I say. Not vague answers that do not address the question but like those people that hurriedly wave away doubt from the young believers mind. 1peter3:15 always pokes at me:

” But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear”

I long to be able to live that out. Other versions say ” be ready to give an answer…”.
So while we don’t readily have apologetics everywhere, what happens in those circles where really really tough questions about Christianity are asked? That’s why I say its not all about logic. The fact that you can’t give a satisfactory answer, does it make your faith any less real? Following logic, everything in the scripture doesn’t add up.

1 Corinthians 2:14 ” the natural man does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God. For they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.”

It’s beyond logic.
I’m not a Christian because I found everything in the scriptures to be verifiable. In fact, I never did such a diligent research.
For this reason I absolutely admire authors like Lee Strobell author of The case for Christ who went in deep quest to know if the gospel accounts are correct. Now it’s said that it’s scientifically proven outside of Christian beliefs that the gospels are genuine.
Once again, I’m not a Christian because I’ve found everything to be verifiable through astounding researches.
Rather, I’m a Christian by Faith. I’m a Christian who has had an experience beyond the normal, which has propelled me to surrender to Jesus.
If then I find a Moslem who isn’t averse to reasoning out some facts in the Qur’an and Sunna (objectively), and who inspite of his/her reasoning, admits that reasoning alone will not expose the true way, I believe they’re probably on a quest for the true God. I do not endorse their believes but I believe they are on a path outside of fanatism.
If ever, a person would be genuinely converted, it’s not because the religion they’ve chosen seemingly has no flaws in It’s followers guide. It could be a safe bet, but faith is much more than making a safe bet.
As an adherent to a religion, unless you can explain every fact in your religion away, don’t ‘jump’ at critizing another religious woshipper who can’t explain. Even when reasoning obviously exposes the wrong in a religion, not everyone can step out of that religion on that basis. Something outside the ordinary is at work. Thats why I say it’s all beyond condemnation, it’s all beyond logic. Christian, let that power you encountered which moved you to follow Christ, let it work in their lives too; that’s the prayer you should adopt as yours.
Logic matters but can’t be the basis of everything spiritual.

What do you suppose? This is quite a delicate subject matter. Do you agree or air a different view? I’ll love to know your thought.