The Shadow of Salvation—Blood and Promise, Unrelated to Our Own Deeds The Bible shows us many characteristics of salvation, but one of the most important is this: Salvation has nothing to do with what kind of person we are or how great our sins may be. Two vivid examples that show this truth are the Passover  in Exodus 12 and the scarlet cord  of Rahab in Joshua 2. When the Israelites had lived in Egypt for 430 years, God brought plagues upon Egypt to deliver His people from

The Gospel That Solves the Fundamental Problem For a Christian, the starting point of faith and the most fundamental issue to be resolved is the forgiveness of sins .Have all your sins been forgiven?Is your name written in the Book of Life  in heaven?Have you received citizenship in heaven ?The gospel contained in the Bible is what resolves these questions. Many people know that Jesus forgave our sins on the cross, but the gospel actually runs through the entire Bible—from Ge

Preaching the gospel is truly joyful because lives are changed.When people accept the gospel, those who once lived in sorrow, despair, or sin are transformed. In Genesis 1 , the earth was formless and void, and darkness covered the deep.Many Bible scholars study how long this condition lasted, but the key point is this:the earth could not come out of darkness by itself.When God said, “Let there be light,”  there was light—and the darkness fled.This change did not come from th

“Blessed Are Those Who Are Persecuted for Righteousness’ Sake” Today, we will look at the words of Jesus: “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:10) Jesus also said, “Unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.” The scribes and Pharisees sought to become righteous by keeping the law, but Jesus made it clear that such a path coul