Apologies to everyone from the Ridge Online Devotional Team.
Because of vacation and sickness we have allowed the online devotional to lapse. We will get it back online soon. Thank you for your patience.
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
Friday, March 28, 2008
Ticket to Ride
For some people their belief that they can get to heaven is based on the belief that they can attain heaven by their own goodness.
Many major religions and too many Christ-followers hold the belief that goodness earns you a ticket to the best ride of all: heaven. But Christians who draw their understanding of salvation and heaven disagree strongly with this idea. So what does the Bible say about this all-important question?
1. Sin is universal in the human race. “For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God” Romans 3:23 From Genesis to Revelation sin is an overwhelming theme. Humanity’s inability to be good expresses itself time and time again. Sin ultimately is the rebellion and failure of man to be good. Sin began in the garden of Eden (Genesis 3) and that sinful nature has been passed down through countless generations since our very auspicious beginnings.
A human being is a fallen creature with a mind corrupted by sin (Romans 1: 28) blinded by Satan (2 Corinthians 4:4) and gripped by a seared conscience (1 Timothy 4:2). Based on this, every member of the human race is born into sin. This includes even those people who think of themselves as good enough to get to heaven. No one is excluded from this problem.
2. Sin resulted in universal spiritual death. “Therefore, just as through one man sin entered, the world, and death
Through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned” (Romans 5:12) Universal sin resulted in spiritual death—a condition scripture refers to as “in trespasses and sin”(Ephesians 2:1) Just as physical death separates the soul from God.
Jesus knew that humans, in their natural state, were spiritually dead. So He drove home the necessity of new birth to Nicodemus, the inquiring Pharisee. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16) This is the only cure for our condition of spiritual rigor mortise.
3. Salvation is not by goodness but by grace In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accord with the riches of God” In essence, grace is God’s Riches at Christ’s Expense. Without Christ and his propitiatory death on the cross we have no standing before God. Our right-ness is seen as filthy rags before God.
Sadly, anyone devoted to man-made religions, cults, or any of the various isms that teach reliance on human goodness as ticket to the ultimate ride of heaven, are deceived. We are all sinners unable to save ourselves. Unless we trust in Jesus Christ alone for our salvation, we no hope of life eternal with God.
Goodness and service pleasing to God flows naturally from a regenerated and forever grateful Christian life. Goodness is not a means of salvation, but the result of it, showing up in the conduct of anyone who has accepted the gift of eternal life. The assurance of heaven by faith in Christ changes us into different people who manifest the fruit of the indwelling Holy Spirit, including goodness.
Your ticket to heaven, was already signed, sealed, and delivered long before your birth by the loving, gracious sacrifice of the Son of God. All you have to do is accept the ticket.
Why is goodness the result of salvation but not the means to achieve it?
Thank you for joining us on this journey. A new adventure starts Sunday, Finding the Kingdom of God with Indiana Jones.
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Irreconcilable DifferencesSome
Some people believe that regardless of what people believe the way they practice their religion, we will all wind up in the same place and find their way to God. Each group would find God in their own way,the Muslim in his way, the Hindu in his and the Christian in his own way. Let’s kind of run with that view point for a while.
One day I’m walking and I meet another walker. We exchange greetings, and he mentions he’s on a religious pilgrimage to the The Little Chapel of the West. Now, I know the chapel is on the east of us and he’s headed west, but I’m not going to rain on his religious parade. He’s entitled to his opinion. And really, it’s the journey that matters, not the destination.
This scenario is rather ludicrous. In the name of tolerance, I’m doing this man a great disservice. Isn’t this same as the view of the tolerant God? According to a recent poll by George Barna, 40 percent of American adults believe when Christians, Jews, Buddists, and others pray to their god, they’re praying to the same god, but still using different names for that diety.
Magatma Gandhi of
- Hinduism says that everything is God. You’re God . I’m God. This blog is God.
- Islam believes Allah and his prophet Mohammed. It denies that Jesus is God and He died for our sins.
- Buddism is atheistic, believing there is no objective god or gods
- Christianity says there is one eternal God who created the universe and exists as three persons; God the Father, and God the Holy Spirit who came to earth as Jesus Christ, fully God and fully man.
Of the world’s major religions, Jesus is the only leader who claimed to be God in the flesh. Not Moses or Mohammed or Budda or any other leader of a religious group claimed to be God. C.S. Lewis wrote, “There is no parallel in other religions. If you had gone to Budda and asked “Are you the son of Bramah” he would said, ‘My son, you are still in the vale of illusion.” If you had gone to Socrates and asked, “Are you Zeus?” he would have laughed at you. If you asked Mohammed, “Are you Allah?” he would first tear his clothes in anger and then cut off you head.
Dr. Michael Green is an internationally respected author, speaker, scholar, and is currently Senior Research Fellow at Wycliffe Hall,
With the exception of Christianity, all religions have an established set of religious rites, commands, and ethical principles that, if followed, lead to salvation. Their human origins are evidenced in that salvation is humanly attainable.
In contrast, the Bible sets its moral and ethical standard as the very holiness and perfection of God Himself, demanding nothing less for salvation. No man would invent a standard so utterly impossible for man to achieve. Christ alone offers salvation by grace, received only through faith in Him. True Christianity is not a religion, but a person—Jesus Christ. He is the world’s Creator and its only true Redeemer. “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved”(Acts 4:12)
Every other religion is based on trying to win favor with God. Jesus taught the opposite of what other religions teach. He said we can’t get to heaven of our own account. We’re all guilty of wrongdoing and it is what separates us from our holy and perfect God. Because God is a righteous judge, oour wrongdoing has to be paid for. So our of His love, Jesus voluntarily offered himself as our substitute to pay the penalty that we owed for our sin. When we receive His sacrifice, we are reunited with God for eternity.
Other religious leaders offer wise and helpful insights, but none of them ever offered themselves as payment for our wrongdoing. Only Jesus Christ, the perfect Son of God, was qualified to sacrificially offer Himself as our substitute, paying the penalty for our sin and guaranteeing salvation to all who come to Him. Now does that sound like an intolerant God?
Not all religious are the same. In fact, Christianity is distinct from as the rest. Every religion advocates a system or rules or principles for man to earn God’s approval. The Christian gospels proclaim God’s love and favor for all who believe.
Read John 3
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
The Resurrection Power
Many compassionate people have a difficult time accepting that believers of other religions will find themselves separated from God. Why shouldn’t Hindus, Confucianists, Shintos, Muslims, and adherents of all religions cults and isms have a place in heaven? Who’s to say that Christianity alone provides the exclusive key to eternal bliss?
The issue of Christ being the one and only way to heaven must be settled on fact, not wishful thinking or even empathy for others. One historical event distinguishes Christian faith from all religions. That fact is the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Aside from Christ, the bones of every founder of all religions throughout history are to this day in an earthly grave or tomb.
But the body of Jesus, confirmed dead by Roman crucifixion and placed in a well-guarded and heavily sealed rock tomb, is nowhere to be found. Three days after his burial, his tomb is found to be empty; at first, even His followers were dumbfounded. Then they began to recall Jesus’ earlier predictions of both His death and resurrection (Matt. 16:21, Mark 9:31; Luke 18:33; John 10: 17-18)
Evidence that Jesus Christ rose from the dead is beyond rational dispute. Dr. Simon Greenleaf is widely acclaimed as the greatest authority on legal evidence in the nineteenth century and has studied the eyewitness accounts of the resurrection of Christ. Why did he focus on the eyewitness accounts? Because eyewitness accounts are the most admissible evidence in any court of law ascertaining truth. In the end, he concluded the eyewitnesses in this case were notable for their integrity, ability and truth. At least seventeen appearances of Christ after His resurrection are part of the historical record. Take a look at some of the eyewitnesses Greenleaf studied.
ü Mary Magdelene (John 20: 11-17)
ü The women (Matthew 28:9-10)
ü Simon Peter (Luke 24:34)
ü The disciples on the road to Emmaus (Mark 16:12-13
ü Eleven of the disciples (Mark 16:14
ü Eleven disciples a week after His resurrection (John 20:26-29)
ü Seven disciples by the
ü More than five hundred people at one time (I Corinthians 15:6)
ü James, the Lord’s brother (I Corinthians 15:7)
ü All the disciples (I Corinthians 15:7)
ü Eleven apostles on a mountain in
ü His disciples when He ascended from the
ü Stephen, prior to his martyrdom (Acts 7: 55-56)
ü Paul on the road to
ü Paul in the temple (Acts 22: 17-21)
ü Paul in a
ü The Apostle John on the Isle of
The resurrection of Jesus is one of the best documented historical events in all of history. The profound reality is this, the disciples in realizing that Jesus was alive, were willing to risk everything, including death, to spread His message. Their story is well documented not only in scripture but by Roman and Egyptian historians. Does all of that prove He is the only way to heaven? Let’s consider the following.
1. The resurrection of Christ validates not only His person, but his teachings as well.
2. The resurrection of Christ proves He is not an imposter but exactly who he claims to be-the divine Son of the Living God.
3. The resurrection of Christ authenticates the value of His redemptive work for lost people who place their faith in Him.
4. The resurrection of Christ guarantees the resurrection of those who trust in Him.
5. The resurrection of Christ means He is our own source of power for Christian living, testimony, and service.
6. The resurrection of Christ means He is now above all principality, power, and dominion-the living leader of the universal body of believers known as the church-the body of Christ.
7. The resurrection of Christ means God the Father has given us an inheritance in heaven.
The question is this…either Jesus was a lunatic and the greatest liar that has ever lived or he is exactly what he says he is..the Son of God.
How does the resurrection of Jesus validate his claims?
Read I Corinthians 15
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Isn’t Sincerity Sufficient for Salvation?
If you believe something deep down in your soul without question or hesitation, does that make it true? I think most people would say no. We have all had some belief or two that have been shattered by the facts. My mom used to always say to me, “don’t confuse the situation with the facts!”. She was funny that way. Santa Claus, Easter Bunny, or the tooth fairy are examples of things that have been perpetuated as truth.
I have met some seriously sincere people throughout the years. Some believed just being a good person was good enough for salvation, or going to church on Christmas and Easter, going to confession once a year or praying the rosary. Some people believe that it really doesn’t matter what you believe but as long as you are sincere you will spend eternity with God. Here are a few examples of sincere beliefs. See what you think.
· Mormon prophet Joseph Smith found a unique stone and sincerely believed that it was a seer stone. Staring at it intently, he believed he received a revelation that people of medium stature and a life span of nearly a thousand years inhabit the moon.
· Hindus sincerely believe that both human and animal spirits will reincarnate and return to earth many times in various life forms.
· After his death, follower of Confucious built a temple to honor him. They sincerely believed his spirit resided there, so they worshiped and offered sacrifices to it.
· Taoists sincerely believe that there are seven gods, and Yu-huang is the god of gods to whom all other gods must report.
· Buddhists sincerely believe that a desire for existence perpetuates a cycle of successive reincarnations.
· Certain Muslim makes sincerely believe that by sacrificing themselves to kill others, they’ll gain possession of seventy-two sexually anxious, virgin females in paradise.
· If I stare at my putter long enough, I am Tiger Woods!
Sincere belief of a lie has tragic consequences.
What does God think of sincere believers who worship other gods? Let’s look at one example recorded in 1 Kings 18.
A succession of ill-fated kings had brought
Ahab arranged a show down of sorts between the prophets of Baal and Elijah. Picture this! A huge crowd (super bowl sized) gathers to watch these prophets and Elijah go at it in the very first “Sincerity Bowl”. “If the Lord is God, follow Him; but is Baal (pronounced bah-all) is God follow him” Elijah says. The test is each side would put a bonfire together and wait for their god to light the fire. The prophets of Baal prayed, they danced, they implored their god to light the fire. They even cut themselves to show how sincere they were but nothing happened. Elijah, tired of all the theatrics, goes to God in prayer after poring water on his stack of wood. Not only did God light that fire but also lit the wood of the prophets of Baal until all of it was consumed totally. Wow! This story can be read in its entirety in I Kings 18 in the Old Testament.
Belief in a lie has tragic consequences. A false religion is a lie conjured up by human imagination.
Sincere belief in truth results in salvation and the certainty of heaven.
We began by looking at sincerity. Now let’s take a look at truth. Webster defines truth as “that which accords with reality.”
Belief that a god whittled from wood decides you destiny, arsenic is health food, or that a coral snake is a dove simply doesn’t accord with reality. The greater the sincerity of such beliefs, the greater the peril. God puts a high premium on truth and reality. Jesus identifies Himself as the personification of truth, “I am the way, the truth, and the life”, He affirms. “No one comes to the Father except through Me”. (John 14:6)
In contrast to false beliefs in man-made religions is Christ—who appeared among us, taught as no man could teach, perform miracle no man could perform, died for our sins and validated his redemptive work on our behalf by His widely attested resurrection. Jesus Christ accords with reality. He is a real person. Not something made up from someone’s imagination. He expects us to believe nothing without proof. His message and His mission which was to suffer the penalty for human sin and save for eternity all those who trust in Him alone for salvation. Do you?
Sincerity does not make something true. A person can be sincerely wrong. Sincerity must align with truth to affective. Trust sincerely in what is true and reject sincerely what is false. Never rely on sincerity alone to lead the way.
What do you sincerely believe? Is it true? How do you know?
Read I Kings 18
Monday, March 24, 2008
The Religious Elephant
Most of us wonder if religious leaders aren’t a bit like the three blind men asked to describe an elephant. One approached the beast, grabbed its trunk, and exclaimed confidently, “An elephant is long and tubular, capable of great contortions of shape.” The second encountered the elephant, and after placing his hands on the animal’s side said, “No, no, an elephant is very broad and leathery, hardly capable of bending at all.”
The third man grasped the elephant’s tail and remarked with disgust, “You’re both wrong. An elephant is quite thin and smooth with a wiry brush on the end.”
These three men encountered the same elephant, and each came away with very different, even contradictory, views. Most people believe the same to be true of the relationship between different religions. These people say all religions have partial truths, but no one religion has the whole truth. At most, each religion grasps only a piece of the truth about the vastness of God.
Believing all religions are partially true and that none capture the whole truth can lead to viewing truth as relative. Without the standard of absolute truth, then what is true for you can be different than what is true for me. Truth becomes based not on fact but on whether or not you believe it – therefore leading to a belief in many pathways to God.
In John 14:6 Jesus says, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father but by Me.” With this one statement, Jesus boldly puts Christianity in a class by itself. Think about it. If the path to God is through Jesus, then Christianity cannot be reconciled with any other religion. Jesus was unique among the founders of world religions. Religions promote their teachings as the only way to God, but Jesus promoted Himself as the only way to God. This uniqueness of Christianity is rooted in the uniqueness of Jesus Himself. Simply and clearly, Jesus says to focus your life on Him.
How do we know Jesus is who He says He is?
We know this by the way Jesus backs up His claim. Lee Strobel writes in his book, “The Case for Christ”, that Jesus validated His declaration of being God by fulfilling dozens of centuries-old prophecies that defy every mathematical odd. These prophecies were as unique as a fingerprint; one that only the Messiah could match, and in all of history, only Jesus has proven a perfect match.
Jesus didn’t just say He was the one and only Son of God; He validated His claim like nobody else in history. He came to earth in human form to find you and lead you back to God. No other religion can point to a moment in history and say, “This is what God has done for you!” Remember, religion is our attempt to find God, but Christianity is God’s attempt to find us. Think about it; God sent Jesus to lead us back to Himself.
This takes some pressure off of me. I don’t have to perform in the right way, earn God’s favor, or find a pathway to God. No, He makes it unmistakably clear that this pathway is based solely on what He already did for me. Jesus’ life is the pathway to God, and God makes Jesus available to me. That’s a big weight off my shoulders!
Jesus is unique! You know, it really does matter which path you follow in your spiritual journey. Jesus’ own words and life dispel the myth that all paths lead to God.
So which path are you on, man’s or God’s?
Question to Consider: What fulfilled prophecies validate the claim of Jesus to the way, the truth, and the life?
Sunday, March 23, 2008
The Radical Claims of Jesus
A widow sat with family and friends after her husband’s funeral. With the painful knowledge that her husband had never accepted Christ, she said through her tears, “He was such a good and generous man. How could God refuse him entry into heaven?”
A bright, young student once asked his professor, “What about Gandhi? He was a good man. Doesn’t God take that into account when granting admission into heaven?”
An intense cocktail party conversation revolves around a hotly debated question, “How can a loving God reject people who’ve never heard of Jesus?”
Have you ever pondered those kind of questions? I’ve wrestled with them myself and at times I have even delved deeper with questions like these:
- How do we know Jesus is who He says He is?
- Doesn’t sincerity count for something?
- Did Jesus really rise from the dead?
- Do all religions lead to God?
- Isn’t being a good person what God is looking for?
There’s a bigger question behind all of these, and this is, “Is Jesus really the only way to God?” For many, there’s no such thing as absolute truth. Truth to them is whether or note anyone believe something. They say, “There’s truth for you, and truth for me,” which leads to the belief that there are multiple pathways to God.
Is Jesus really the only way to God?
Jesus often made radical statements that contradicted the norm and caused people to stop in their tracks. He said things like, “The first will be last; rejoice in persecution; pray for your enemies; it’s better to give than receive; and turn the other cheek.”
But by far the most shocking statement that Jesus ever made was when He declared, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father, but by Me.” (John 14:6) Today this statement still infuriates people like no other. Many consider it arrogant and narrow-minded. If you’re seeking spiritual truths there may be something about this statement that bothers you deep down inside.
The Apostles recognized Jesus as God and the only pathway to God. John made this clear when he described Christ as “the Word. (John 1:1) Paul spoke of Jesus as the one who created all things and who holds all things together with His divine power. (Colossians 1:16-17) He also addressed Jesus was “our great God and Savior.” (Titus 2:13)
The Bible is clear. Jesus not only claims to be God; but also that He is the only way to God. Take some time during your day and let this claim resonate in your heart and mind.
Question to Consider: Why is it so difficult for people to believe that Jesus is the only way?
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