Erick, I agree that Christianity is not about earning our salvation, and I understand your desire to emphasize God’s grace. However, the faith that receives Christ is never passive - we are not called to do nothing. Scripture is full of commands: love your neighbor (and your enemy), feed the poor, care for the widow and orphan, give, forgive, pray. We do these things not to earn salvation but to show our “faith working through love.” As Christ said, “If you love me, keep my commandments.”
Thanks. And those words are the main reason I subscribe to you. Because of the truth in them and the desperate need that we all have, believers and unbelievers alike, to hear it. "If He is alive, nothing else matters. If He is not alive, nothing at all matters." Praise the Lord. He loves us even though we turn to so many other sources for our security and hope. Keep up the good work.
Six days before Passover Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead.
They gave a dinner for him there, and Martha served, while Lazarus was one of those reclining at table with him.
Mary took a liter of costly perfumed oil made from genuine aromatic nard and anointed the feet of Jesus and dried them with her hair; the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil.
Then Judas the Iscariot, one of his disciples, and the one who would betray him, said, “Why was this oil not sold for three hundred days' wages and given to the poor?"
He said this not because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief and held the money bag and used to steal the contributions.
So Jesus said, "Leave her alone. Let her keep this for the day of my burial.
You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me."
The large crowd of the Jews found out that he was there and came, not only because of him, but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead.
And the chief priests plotted to kill Lazarus too, because many of the Jews were turning away and believing in Jesus because of him.
I heard a man on the radio speaking about Christ; I gathered in relation to the celebration of Easter. He is some kind of teacher/preacher type I think. He had the basics ok, but then he started talking about Jesus being God, which as Erick said is absolutely true. So they went into if He was a man, and He is, then was he capable of sining? God cannot sin, so His son, Jesus, could not sin, but at the same time he tried to say that Jesus chose to live by His divine nature and not by His human nature. That is also true! But, there was the mixture with it like the parable of the leaven. Just a little leaven ruins the whole lump(the fine flour). They were talking about some biblical study philosophy or something. But, the mixture is not only dangerous, but causes one to lose faith. God, Christ, The Spirit, the Word (rhema, the instant word) are in another realm, the divine realm. Just as our senses of sight, hearing, smell, and touch are for us to communicate in the physical world, man was created with a spirit to communicate with the divine realm. We will never reason God, analyze God or humanly understand God without our human spirit. Our spirit witnesses with His Spirit (capital S) that we are His so sons. Without touching the divine realm, the Bible is just another philosophical book that creates questioning and discussion instead of life and fellowship. If Jesus wasn’t capable of sin, what’s the point of Him being here? If He had no choice to sin or not how does that manifest anything to us? He came to be Life to us. Then just have faith and enjoy that life!
Thank You!
Amen.
Erick, I agree that Christianity is not about earning our salvation, and I understand your desire to emphasize God’s grace. However, the faith that receives Christ is never passive - we are not called to do nothing. Scripture is full of commands: love your neighbor (and your enemy), feed the poor, care for the widow and orphan, give, forgive, pray. We do these things not to earn salvation but to show our “faith working through love.” As Christ said, “If you love me, keep my commandments.”
Salvation - is by GRACE... Gift Received At Christ's Expense
Love that you write about Christmas and Easter, and in a way that anyone can understand. Thank you, Erick.
Thanks. And those words are the main reason I subscribe to you. Because of the truth in them and the desperate need that we all have, believers and unbelievers alike, to hear it. "If He is alive, nothing else matters. If He is not alive, nothing at all matters." Praise the Lord. He loves us even though we turn to so many other sources for our security and hope. Keep up the good work.
Gospel John 12:1-11
Six days before Passover Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead.
They gave a dinner for him there, and Martha served, while Lazarus was one of those reclining at table with him.
Mary took a liter of costly perfumed oil made from genuine aromatic nard and anointed the feet of Jesus and dried them with her hair; the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil.
Then Judas the Iscariot, one of his disciples, and the one who would betray him, said, “Why was this oil not sold for three hundred days' wages and given to the poor?"
He said this not because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief and held the money bag and used to steal the contributions.
So Jesus said, "Leave her alone. Let her keep this for the day of my burial.
You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me."
The large crowd of the Jews found out that he was there and came, not only because of him, but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead.
And the chief priests plotted to kill Lazarus too, because many of the Jews were turning away and believing in Jesus because of him.
Thanks, Erick. Looking forward to following along this week, always enjoy reading and listening to your insights and perspectives regarding Holy Week.
I heard a man on the radio speaking about Christ; I gathered in relation to the celebration of Easter. He is some kind of teacher/preacher type I think. He had the basics ok, but then he started talking about Jesus being God, which as Erick said is absolutely true. So they went into if He was a man, and He is, then was he capable of sining? God cannot sin, so His son, Jesus, could not sin, but at the same time he tried to say that Jesus chose to live by His divine nature and not by His human nature. That is also true! But, there was the mixture with it like the parable of the leaven. Just a little leaven ruins the whole lump(the fine flour). They were talking about some biblical study philosophy or something. But, the mixture is not only dangerous, but causes one to lose faith. God, Christ, The Spirit, the Word (rhema, the instant word) are in another realm, the divine realm. Just as our senses of sight, hearing, smell, and touch are for us to communicate in the physical world, man was created with a spirit to communicate with the divine realm. We will never reason God, analyze God or humanly understand God without our human spirit. Our spirit witnesses with His Spirit (capital S) that we are His so sons. Without touching the divine realm, the Bible is just another philosophical book that creates questioning and discussion instead of life and fellowship. If Jesus wasn’t capable of sin, what’s the point of Him being here? If He had no choice to sin or not how does that manifest anything to us? He came to be Life to us. Then just have faith and enjoy that life!
Amen 🙏🏼
"Easter is coming." -- Ned Stark from the REAL Game of Thrones.
Good Morning People Thank You Erick I look forward to reading and listening to your comments on Holy Week God Bless You and God Bless America
Thank you, Erick, for your witness.
Love that simple, but sometimes hard, message, Erick. It is all about Him.
Thank you for sharing
It’s Monday, but Sunday is coming! 🙏❤️
Amen.