Verse of the day:  “If you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”  (Romans 10:9)

                Key thought:  Words are essential to any true confession.  Salvation requires a verbal declaration that Jesus is Lord and we belong to him.

                Prayer:  Jesus, you are Lord of my life.  May I never be ashamed to confess you with my mouth.  And help me to remember that even when they are risky or difficult, words are necessary for love and faithfulness  .  Amen. Read more »

                Verse of the day:  “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart.”  (Romans 10:8)

                Key thought:  The message is the same in Deuteronomy and Romans.  When you overthink God to the point that he becomes inaccessible, remember that the bottom line is what comes out of your mouth and what lies in your heart.

                Prayer:  Father in heaven, life sometimes confuses me.  The Bible sometimes perplexes me.  When I’m honest, I don’t get you sometimes.  Help me let go what I don’t understand, and simply confess out loud what is true and hold on to what my gut tells me is my only hope – your goodness, wisdom, and power.  Through Jesus Christ your Son I pray,  Amen. Read more »

Romans #62 – Predestination vs. Free Will

                Verse of the day:  “My heart’s desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved.”  (Romans 9:1)

                Key thought:  “It’s easier to go to a consistent extreme than to remain at the center of biblical tension.”  (Robertson McQuilkin)

                Prayer:  In my attempts to understand and explain great mysteries, Father, guard me from the most dangerous presumptions and extreme errors.  Amen. Read more »

“It does not depend on human desire or effort, but on God’s mercy.”  (Romans 9:16)

Romans 9:14-26

May 12, 2013

Our questions

From time to time, I am asked a number of interrelated questions.  If I believe Jesus is the only way to a relationship with God and eternal salvation, and I do, then….

• What about those who have never heard of Jesus?
• What about sincere followers of other religions?
• What about babies who are miscarried or aborted?
• What about the mentally challenged?
• What about those who lived before the time of Jesus?
• What about people who say they believe but persist in known sins?
• What about those who believe and are baptized, but turn away from their faith?

These are all variations of one question: “In the end, who will be saved?” Read more »

                Verse of the day:  “What if God, although choosing to show his wrath and make his power known, bore with great patience the objects of his wrath—prepared for destruction?”  (Romans 9:22)

                Key thought:  Because God is God, whatever he does is fair and loving.

                Prayer:  Father, because I am created in your image, I can think for myself, I can make moral decisions and judgments, and I can choose right and wrong.  But help me to remember that my reflection of your image will always be distorted and inadequate, so during and after my musings, help me never forget that you are the original of justice and love, and I defer to you.  Amen. Read more »