HE HAS OUR BACKS

“Repent of your wickedness and pray to the Lord. Perhaps he will forgive your evil thoughts,” (Acts 8:22)

There is much said on guilt by psychoanalysts, psychiatrists, ministers, hairdressers, and even bartenders.  They have all heard their share of guilt stories and most of the time guilt is looked upon as a bad thing.  A quick google search will reveal a lot more information about the destructiveness of guilt than its value.  Guilt is almost always looked at as a negative, but if we look at guilt as a negative, it is easy to miss positives that true guilt can play in our lives.

The dictionary calls guilt “the act or state of having done a wrong or committed an offense.”  This is pretty straight forward.  Guilt is an indicator something going wrong. It is the negative feeling that accompanies a negative behavior.  Guilt in itself is not wrong.  It is the warning light on the dash board of our car.  In society today, we are basically told to cover up that light.  We are told it is wrong to feel guilty and so we are told, in essence, to deal with the symptoms of guilt rather than the causes the guilt.

Guilt originated in the garden.  Adam and Eve ate of the one thing that was forbidden and they hid.  They were not experiencing some sort of false guilt planted by Satan.  They were facing the real feelings of guilt after the real trespass of God’s commands.  After they presented themselves to God, God did not tell them to wipe out those evil guilt feelings from their mind.  He was not angry for their guilty feelings, but for their rebellious actions.  Guilt was not the wrong.  It was an indicator of wrong.  Because of the trespasses in the garden we know that “all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23)  So sin is with us always, regardless of the message the world tries to give.

Later in the New Testament, Jesus used the hypocrisy of men to save an adulterous woman from stoning.  After all the would-be “stoners” walked away, Jesus did not tell the woman to go and not feel guilty any longer because she had a reason to feel guilty.  He asked her who was there to condemn her.  “She replied, ‘No one, Lord.’ And Jesus said, ‘I do not condemn you either. Go, and from now on do not sin any more.'” (John 8:31)   He told her to go and sin no more. He did not deal with the symptom of sin, but the act of sin.  He told her to stop the action that led to guilt.  To often today we stir real guilt and false guilt in the same pot and make the feelings the same.  The consequence of this is a lot of people not dealing with root causes of their sinfulness.  John tells us in 1 John 2:1 “My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.”  We need to deal with the sin, not just the feelings of sin.

I have told the story many times about the man who would just walk up and hit people for no reason.  He felt terribly guilty about it and went to therapy.  After months of therapy, he finally felt cured and shared his relief with a friend.  “I still  hit people for no reason, but I don’t I don’t feel guilty any more.”  A humorous story, but all too true today.  We are told not to feel guilty about acts that we should feel guilty about. If we remove the guilt, we will not deal with the acts.  Guilt is often the vehicle that transports us to a place of healing so we should not ignore it.

Down deep we know when we are guilty, and we don’t want to face reality, so dealing with the surface feelings becomes much easier than dealing with the deeper truths.  Two men were on trial for armed robbery. An eyewitness took the stand, and the prosecutor slowly moved to what would be his climatic conclusion of questioning. “So, you say you were at the scene when the robbery took place?”

“Yes,” the witness answered.

“And you saw a vehicle leave at a high rate of speed?”

“Yes,” the witness answered again.

“And did you observe the occupants?”

“Yes, two men.”

“And,” the prosecutor boomed, “are those two men present in court today?” He turned and faced the defendants.  At this point the two defendants sealed their fate. They raised their hands.  We know when we are guilty, we often just need to come clean.

If we would just test our guilt feelings, we would realize that many of them have a legitimate basis.  There was an NFL player back in the day who had terrible pain in his knees.  He would just have them shot up with pain killers and play the games anyway.  After years of doing this, he retired and his knees were beyond repair.  He was virtually a cripple.  The pain in his knees was an indicator that there was something wrong that needed to be dealt with.  Covering up the pain was like us covering up our guilt; it keeps us from dealing with the root problem and it will just continue to get worse.  Soon it will cripple us.  Guilt is often a warning sign, flashing away, letting us know there is a malfunction and we must take the time to look at problem and deal with it.

As is the way of the world, everything is topsy-turvy.  Legitimate guilt is made to seem false, and false guilt is made to seem legitimate.  We are told we shouldn’t feel guilty about acts of sin, but we should feel guilty about acts of righteousness.  We are told that any guilt we might carry inside our hearts by being separated from our savior is illegitimate.  But we are also told that if we shake the forbidden fruit from the tree and eat, we should shake off the guilty feelings that will follow.  There is only one way to shake off the guilt and Dr. Luke tells us how in Acts, “Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord.” (Acts 3:19)  You notice he doesn’t say, “just don’t feel bad anymore.”  That just doesn’t work.

There is a lot more authentic and necessary guilt out there that are signposts pointing to disaster than there are bouts of false guilt.  We must not fear guilt any more than we fear the burglar alarm going off on the back porch.  We should not fear the alarm, but the burglar. We should not fear the guilty feelings but the actions that set them off.  Of course, there is such a thing as false guilt and the key is how do we distinguish between good guilt and bad guilt.  Next week I will get into how we tell the difference. Until then have a great week…

In lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than themselves. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.” Philippians 2:3-4

What mindset invariably leads to treating others correctly? Humility. When we see ourselves as undeserving of the least of God’s goodness, then we see other’s weaknesses in a different light. Nothing brings our perspective of others more in line with how God sees them than looking at ourselves first. When God looks at us, he loves us even though He is perfect and we are not. When we look at ourselves first then others, we will realize that they are not perfect, but neither are we.

When Christ rode into Jerusalem the people put garments and palm leaves on the ground before Him.  They were not honoring the donkey, but the rider.  When people throw accolades at us, it is easy to be caught up in the adulation, but we must remember that their adoration is probably not for us, but for Him who sits on the throne of our life.  Remembering that can keep pride from enveloping us. Teddy Roosevelt, who had his struggles with arrogance, would ocassionally step outside on a clear night and locate the Spiral Galaxy in Andromeda in the lower left-hand corner of the Great Square of Pegasus.  The Spiral Galaxy is as large as our Milky Way, is just one of millions of galaxies. and consists of one hundred billion suns, all larger than our own.  After a few minutes Roosevelt would say that he felt small enough and would go back inside, his pride set aside for the time being.  The universe can quickly put all things into perspective.  It’s bigness belies any notion that we are much bigger than anyone else in comparison.

When we, in genuine and personal humility, esteem others as we ought, we will cease to look for ways to please ourselves and begin to look for ways to help others. Rather than using others to better ourselves, we will use ourselves to better others. Our concern becomes not how can we fulfill our own desires, but how can help others fulfill their needs. In Ephesians we read, “Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.  (Ephesians 4:2)  The Apostle Paul also gave similar instruction to the church at Philippi.  “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves.”  (Philippians 2:3)  Paul was incredibly confident about his message, but he understood he was just an earthen vessel patched together by God.  Of  himself, he said, “I am the least of the apostles.” (1 Corinthians 15:9), “I am the very least of all the saints.” (Ephesians 3:8), and  “I am the foremost of sinners.” 1 ( Timothy 1:15)  On one hand,  Paul told the Corinthians they could model their lives after him and yet here he is confessing his lowliness.  Paul knew that anything great in him was because of God, so to take credit for it would be robbery from God.

How we plan our day, how we use our time, how we spend our money – are all barometers of true humility. We can find great joy and satisfaction in giving up our own pleasures for the sake of others. If Christ would not have been able to do that for us, no one would be saved.  M.R. DeHaan, a great Christian writer, said,  “Humility is something that we should constantly pray for, yet never thank God that we have.”   I heard of a pastor who wanted to do a sermon on humility, but was waiting for a bigger crowd.  I think he missed the point of his own sermon.

I told a story  a few years back at Camas’s Academic Awards night about hearing one of the seniors praying before a football game, asking God to make him humble.  “Unfortunately,” I said, “God thought he said make me fumble…and he did…four times…which, indeed, made him humble.” As soon as we think we have humility, we have lost it.  Pride has a way of bringing us back down to earth, so it is probably best to not elevate ourselves- it makes the trip back down a lot harder.

“‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.”  Matthew 15:8

One of the things that we are instructed to do in the Word is to honor God.  In these fast-paced times when honoring almost everything but God is rampant, it can be easy for believers to forget their obligation to honor the creator.  Honor has several different meanings all of which can be applied to our relationship with God.  First of all, it can mean to greatly esteem, secondly it can mean to fulfill, and thirdly it can mean privilege.  In one way or another all three of those meanings should come into play in our worship of God.

First of all, we should esteem God above all else.  We can do that in many ways, but most importantly we must believe in His Word.  It is hard to say that we are honoring God if we don’t read the Word and obey its instruction.  If we want show respect to the boss at work, we do what he says.  That is a form of honor. When my brother and I used to work for our dad, he always said let the boss know he is the boss.  He was right and if we always let God know He is the boss, that is honoring to Him. The Word says that the greatest commandments are to “Love the Lord God with all our heart and mind and soul, and to Love our neighbors as ourselves.”  If we fulfill the instructions in the Word with those two things in mind we will be esteeming God as we should.

There are hundreds of ways outlined in the Word that we can honor God.  If we read what He says, take it to heart, and follow through with His commands, our actions will be honoring.  We are told that we should use the Bible as our textbook for behavior, and when we do, we honor Him,  “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.”  (2 Timothy 3:16-17)  We are told to pray and when we do, we honor Him, “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.”   (Philippians 4:6)  We are told to put others first and when we do, we honor Him, “Do nothing out of rivalry or conceit, but in humility consider others as more important than yourselves” (Philippians 2:3)  We are told to study the Bible and when we do, we honor Him, “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth”  (2 Timothy 2:15) We are told to we need to accept the sacrifice of the Son and when we do, we honor God.  “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)

When we esteem the Word, do what it says, we honor Him. When we ignore the Word, we dishonor Him.  It is pretty clear.  But we should understand something: We are not following God’s instruction so that we can earn His love.  We are following God’s instruction because we love Him and want to show our love.  We earn nothing by our actions; we show something by our actions.  We show honor.   We can get so caught up in our own lives that we forget that honoring God should be our top priority.  I wrote a few weeks ago about “top-button” theology.  If we get our top button right on our shirts, all the other buttons will align.  That top button is honoring God.  If we get that right, the rest of life will align.  If not, all other things will be askew.

Honor also means to fulfill our responsibilities.  If we honor our obligations, that in itself is honoring.  We no longer walk this earth on our own accord.  We represent  Christ.  Along with that representation are certain kinds of behaviors that glorify Him.  God has told us that he has paid a debt for us in full.  “He was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.” (Romans 4:25)  He will honor that.  We, in turn, can show our love by honoring the obligations we have to Him.  It is clear what He asks of us, “He has told you what is good and what it is the LORD requires of you: to act justly, to love faithfulness, and to walk humbly with your God.”  (Micah 6:8)  We will honor Him, by honoring what we are called to do. Many Christians spend six days a week sowing wild oats and then come to church and pray because of crop failure.  That does not honor God.

Honor also means privilege.  It is an honor to serve God.  “But be sure to fear the LORD and serve him faithfully with all your heart; consider what great things he has done for you.”  (1 Samuel 12:24)  If we consider our service to Him an honor, that is honoring to Him. Paul tells us that, “Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for God’s glory.” (1 Corinthians 10:31)  If we are doing things for God, it honors God.  If we honor God all other things will be taken care of.

Our honor thanks Him for His grace and mercy.  Our love for Him recognizes His love for us.  “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.”  (Deuteronomy 6:5)  So, it is an honor to honor Him, and we should honor the command to honor by honoring Him whenever and wherever honor is possible.  Phew, that is a mouthful, but with God’s help we can do more than say it- we can do it.

“For our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power, in the Holy Spirit, and with much assurance. You know what kind of men we were among you for your benefit,”  1 Thessalonians 1:5

The ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle captured the essence of persuasion in a book called Art of Rhetoric.  He presented a very cogent description of the three foundational pillars necessary in persuading others.  Each of these pillars appeals to a different part of our “humanness.”  If we are going to persuade others, we will usually appeal to the ethos, pathos, and logos receptors of the person we are trying to persuade.  Advertisers, philosphers, coaches, conmen, salesmen, and politicians, in fact, anyone in the persuasion business, taps into the power of these three aspects of human nature.

 Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address has been  broken down regarding ethos, pathos, and logos ever since he scratched it on a napkin and delivered it over a hundred years ago.   Although his speech was very short it is one of the most powerful speeches in history. It touched on all three principles of Aristotle’s philosophy of persuasion- thus it touched us. 

Many of us unknowingly make appeals using these principles in our everyday lives.  Anytime we try to sell a product, idea, or service we will use techniques that will tap into ethos, pathos, and logos.  I believe that we should always keep these things in mind when we are presenting the gospel message to those around us.

Essentially, ethos means character.  It has the same root as ethics.  It appeals to others not so much through the message, but through the person presenting it.  We often judge a message first by the credibility of the person delivering it.  If we have qualms about the deliverer, we will have qualms about the message.  Our first impression of the message will always be the messenger. How many times have we heard the comment, “You can’t believe that.  Look at the source.”  No matter how fine the message, it can be negated by an unreliable giver.  Conversely, some are persuaded by a good messenger with a lousy message.  The optimal situtation, of course, is a good communiqué delivered by an honest communicator.

Paul was one of the greatest evangelists of all times.  He had that critical credibility through his consistent Christlikeness.  His message was accepted by many because people saw an honesty in him that made his word honest. We know that two people could say the same words, but one set of words could carry more weight because the person giving them has more character. When Paul spoke to King Agrippa in Acts 26, he was able to get an audience because of his integrity, courage, and character.  In other words, his ethics. His life pointed to something more than what others have and that made people want to listen to him.  It made a powerful king want to listen to him. Do we have that part of the persuasion formula?  Do people look at us in positive way that will make a message of God’s love seem logical coming from our lips?  If they don’t, we are fighting a uphill battle trying to give the gospel to others.  Our lives should point people to Jesus before our words or few will even listen to the words.

Pathos means feelings and emotion.  It is the passion that we express and it is passion that others feel.  We appeal to others emotions with our own emotions.  That well-known saying “people don’t care how much you know, until they know how much you care,” is true.  That is the Pathos portion of our message.  If we don’t love those to whom we are presenting love, they will have little love for what we are presenting.  If we live our Christian lives looking like we are sucking on lemons, we will have a hard time persuading others that our life is the life they want to experience.  One way of showing we care is by being excited about who and what we care about.

Agrippa was moved by the emotion and enthusiasm with which Paul spoke. He was passionate about Jesus and everyone he met knew it.  The old camp song, “If you’re happy and you know it… clap your hands…stomp your feet…etc.” is sending a message.  If we are happy in Jesus, it should show.  Paul did what we should do- he told Agrippa what Jesus meant to him personally and that special relationship showed in his words and actions.  He told what kind of impact Jesus had on his life.  He told Agrippa the same things that we can tell others about our own lives.  It is not wrong to appeal to that emotional part of people.  It is a hole that they want to fill.  Emotion is not wrong.  Passion about Jesus is not wrong.  In fact, without passion for Jesus, we will have a hard time persuading anyone to step into a relationship with Him.

Logos means word of reason or logic.  Some believe that believing in God is illogical.  I find that it is just the opposite.  If I believe believing in God is logical,  I should be ready to express that. 1 Peter 4:14 says, “But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.” Paul did not just make an emotional appeal to King Agrippa.  He appealed to the reasoning part of the king as well.  Some of the most intelligent men in history have accepted the reasonableness of the scriptures.  Yes, there are intelligent men on the other side, too, but the case for God is not one without support in the creation around us.  We must, with confidence, be ready to point out the trueness of the Word whenever the opportunity arises.

The gospel is emotional, but it is not all about emotion.  The gospel is reasonable, but it is not all about reason.  The gospel is the perfect blend between feelings and logic.  Neither rules, but neither is lost.  A faith built on just one will be lacking and will not hold up when under attack.  And of course, the gospel is built upon the character of Christ.  We cannot allow our lack of character to come in the way of sharing the great character of Christ.  We need to live holy lives (ethos) so that we can take the Holy One to others.  When others see our passion for the message (pathos), they will listen to the message.  When we then give them the reasons for believing (logos), they will begin to think. For many that is the first step in the acceptance of the God of this universe.

We are all called to be lights and share Christ with those around us.  If we think about all that God has done for us, why would we not share?  We should think about ethos, pathos, and logos and ask ourselves if our message reflects all three.  In 1 Thessalonians  1:15 Paul puts it well, “For our gospel did not come to you in word only (Logos), but also in power, in the Holy Spirit, and with much assurance (pathos). You know what kind of men we were among you for your benefit (ethos).”   People use persuasive principles every day for nefarious reasons; we have the greatest truths about life to share, and certainly, we should do all we can to make the message clear to everyone we can.

There was once a preacher who was upset because a mere actor drew bigger crowds than he did.  He asked the actor why that was so.  The actor responded, “because I present fiction as truth and you present truth as fiction.”   That is the key for us as well.  We have the truth.  The way we present that truth is key to its receptiveness by others.   No other message we can give is more important than, “(He is) the Way, the Truth, and the Life, and no one comes to the Father but by Him.”  Like the fearless Paul in front of a powerful king, let us stand boldly in front of a skeptical world and give “the reason for the hope that lies within us.”

This is part two of a devotion on Assurance.  If you have not done so, you should read Part 1 first…

So why do we doubt?

First of all, I think it is a misunderstanding of the gospel of salvation.

The Gospel is the Good News that Christ died for me and if I believe that I have eternal life.

There are about 40 things that happen at that moment in time when we believe on the Lord Jesus Christ,  none of which are visible on the outside.

These things are automatic.  But there are many things that can happen because of our new power and standing… but those are not automatic.  When things that may hopefully be a result of the gospel are made a part of salvation, that is when we begin to lack assurance.

Listen to these verses.  They are simply stated.

Acts 16:31 says, “believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved.”

Romans 10:13 says, “Everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

John 3:36 says, “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him.

Romans 8:1- “there is no condemnation  for those who are in Christ Jesus.”

This is relationship.  This is justification.  This is instaneous.  It is fully realized.

There are other verses that are fellowship.  It is called sanctification.  They are progressive.  They will be realized in different degrees in different lives.

So feelings and experiences come and go, but the Word is forever.  Don’t rely on the world around you for your assurance, but the promise that is within you.

Romans 8:9 tells us, “You, however, are not in the flesh but in the spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you.  Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to Him.”

but if we do have the Spirit,  it tells us in Romans 8:16 that “The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.”  That means saved to eternal life.

In 1 John the words “we know” are used 14 times.  John tends to stress what he is trying to get across in numerical ways.

In gospel of John he uses the verb Pis-te-oh or to believe 99 times.  That is why it is called the belief book.   

In John 1:12 says “to all who received Him, who believed in His name, he gave the power to become children of God.”  To conclude the book of John in chapter 20 and verses 30-31 John records, “And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.”

So why do we doubt?  First of all, the fact is that that many do not understand the gospel, and add subjective things to it that cannot be quantified.

They try to use subjective means to evaluate an objective truth.

Believing on Christ is a yes or no proposition, but when we add other things to it, it brings up hundreds of different questions.

One of the salvation tests that people use comes from James- loving the brethren.  Now I have questions…. How much, what ways, how long, and at what point is it not enough and I lose my salvation or prove that I never had it.  Loving people is so subjective and God did not give us a formula to follow.   

So the first place to look for the lack of assurance is adding good works to the salvation mix.

The other night I awoke at about 4 in the morning thinking about this devotion.

I watch a lot of old western shows.  (you know the ones. when guys are shot and it makes a red blotch but doesn’t make a hole in the shirt) and I got this picture of a train waiting at the station.  It was called Salvation Station and there was a sign that said destination Heaven.

And the steam engine was called grace.  The cars behind the engine carried our works.  My Sunday school class was in there.  Dave Smith had a few jalopies he had fixed up for some poor families, John Miller had some homeless guys he had shared the gospel with, and John Oltman and Pete had a toolbox the size of a railroad car.

But what I noticed was that none of those cars contributed anything to the trip.  They had no engine, no power, some had lots of cars, some had few, some were loaded, some were almost empty.

The key was the engine.  Without it nothing left the station.  We are like that.  Without the Grace of God through our Lord Jesus Christ, all of our works are fruitless. We would look like those sad railroad yards with loaded or empty cars just sitting. Our works go to heaven for rewards, but they do not contribute in any way to the journey.  That is all in Christ.

Another reason we doubt is because of feelings.  We just don’t feel saved.  Maybe we saw someone’s conversion and they had emotion we never experienced.

They sob or scream or dance a jig or maybe do all three and we didn’t feel that way when we were saved.  Maybe ours was not real.  But even though it looks like those converts got a dose of old-time religion, it really doesn’t mean a thing.  As an old pastor once said, “You can’t tell by the honk of the horn how much gas is in the tank.”

Your conversion experience was your own; don’t measure it against any others. So, our feelings will fluctuate.  Our emotions are unreliable.“Doubt my feelings what they will… Jesus is my savior still.”  We are just as saved when we feel bad as when we feel good.  We not saved because we feel good, we feel good because we are saved.  Why do I know I am saved, because the Bible tells me so.

Another reason we doubt is because we don’t have an incredible testimony like some others.

Some people have a theatrical testimony.  A book or movie just waiting to happen.   They came from a life that we have never experienced.  Maybe we didn’t go from bad boy to good boy, we went from good boy to forgiven boy.  So maybe outwardly we haven’t changed that much.

Believe me, we were every bit as bad as that bad boy in God’s eyes.  We shouldn’t sell ourselves short.  We are professional sinners and the changes that took place in us were just as drastic as the ones that took place in the motorcycle gang leader that came to Christ in a lonely backwoods bar.

Finally, a big part of doubt is not remembering a certain place or time. My assurance does not rest on my ability to remember, it is based on God remembering me.  My memory of what happened does not affect what did happen.

A man goes into the doctor.  “There is something wrong with me.  I can’t remember anything.”  

“Sit down, let’s talk about it.”  

“Talk about what?”

DL Moody once said, “It is not necessary that we should be able to tell where or how we have been converted, but it is important that we should be able to say that we are converted.”

Old Scottish lady who was admonished by her minister for being too certain of her salvation.  She said,  “If I am not saved Christ has more to lose than me.”  Before the indignant preacher could voice his dismay she said, “All I have to lose is my salvation, but Christ will lose His integrity.” She is right, that would make God a liar.  And He cannot lie.

Hebrews 6:18 says  “So that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us.”

Titus 1:2  “In the hope of eternal life, which God who never lies, promised before time began.

Romans 3:3-4 “What if some were unfaithful? Does their faithlessness nullify the faithfulness of God? By no means, Let God be true though everyone be a liar, as it is written, “That you may be justified in your words, and prevail when you are judged.”

John 14:6  “I am the way, the truth, and the life.  No one comes to Father but by me.”

You know there is an old saying that says, “God said it, I believe it, and that settles it.”  But that is not true.  It should be “God said it and that settles it, whether I believe it or not.”

When Jesus went to the tomb of the late Lazarus,  Martha says to Jesus, “If you would have been here, my brother would not have died, but even now I know that God will give you whatever you wish.”  Jesus said Lazarus will rise again, but Martha thought he was talking about the final resurrection and said she knew that.

Jesus then said, “I am the resurrection and the life.  The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whosoever lives by believing in me will never die.”

Then He asked Martha the question that he asks all of us…. “Do you believe this?”

Martha said yes.  “I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, who is come into this world.”

So can we believe Jesus when He says, “ I am the way the truth and the life no one comes to the father but by me, “ And then asks, “Do you believe this?” If we say yes, even though we die we will never die.  Be assured.