the basic message # E67
John 3:16
“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.”
Good old John 3:16, the Christian’s favorite memory verse. Good old John 3:16, the passage that many Christians herald as the foundation of their faith. Great, now what? Seriously, where do we go from here? For 3 years I have written this weekly message without any major variations along the way. This week I’ll depart from that path in the hopes of answering some of the questions I’ve posed here. Here’s the plan: Beginning Sunday night, I’ll send one message out each night of the coming week. I’ll focus on one of five subjects relating to salvation.
Monday- Condemnation, in which we realize we’re sinners (E68)
Tuesday- Justification, in which we realize Jesus Christ is the remedy (E69)
Wednesday- Sanctification, in which God begins a redemptive work in our life (E70)
Thursday- Glorification, in which we have reached the destination- Heaven (E71)
Why do I believe this information is so important?
Ephinthians 3:5
John the Baptist confronted Moses and said, “If the people keep only 7 of the 10 commandments, they will enter the kingdom of Heaven.”
What’s wrong with this passage? Just a couple of minor things like: there is no book of Ephinthians, I just made it up, Moses died nearly 1400 years before John the Baptist was born, and keeping even 9 of the 10 commandments still won’t get you into Heaven. I used some ridiculous information in this fake passage, but I could write a bogus piece of scripture that would fool 90% of my readers. What’s the point? Clearly, I’m showing how easy it would be to deceive most people, but how many people are deceived by honest pastors who just don’t know any better? How many pastors skirt the truth with their congregation for fear of losing their job? Believe me, if every pastor in America started telling their congregations the whole truth and nothing but the truth, most of them would be looking for a job within the first month. People are so used to being coddled and stroked that they’re shocked when a pastor tells them the facts.
You know what I like about writing the weekly message? You can’t fire me, since you don’t pay me anyway. You can’t throw me out of the parsonage or rectory, since I don’t live there. About all you can do is delete the message or send me hate mail. I’d rather get the hate mail, since I can at least answer your charges. If you delete the message without reading it, I’ll notice and after 4 consecutive strikes, I’ll drop your name from the mailing list. I don’t like to do it, but you’re making the call.
If you don’t want to receive the daily message for the coming week, please let me know, and I won’t send it. I do believe you will benefit, and I ask that you print each day’s message and stick in on the refrigerator in the lunch room, on the lockers, on the dash of the trash truck, or anywhere else people might see it. Thanks.