To Whom Shall We Go?

Such a pertinent and crucial question from Peter. He rightly understands that apart from Christ we have no hope. Apart from Christ to whom shall we go to for salvation? Who will cleanse us from our sins? Who is able to make us right with God? Who can solve the desperate broken nature of the world? None but Christ. In this incredible moment, Peter understands. Christ has the words of eternal life. Christ alone.

"Then Simon Peter answered him, "Lord to whom shall we go? Thou has the words of eternal life" (John 6.68,KJV)

Free From Sin; Slaves to God

Paul describes the change in our lives when we come to faith in Christ in Rom. 6.22. Human nature bristles at the suggestion that we are slaves to anything (except our own passions, to which we seem to have no problem being enslaved). The reality, as Paul understands very well, is that, by nature, we are going to serve something or someone. This is how God created us. It might be false gods, it might be Satan, it might be ourselves (this is the typical state of modern man, we are usually serving ourselves); hopefully it is the Lord, but we ARE going to serve something. Of course we must not neglect the end result of being slaves to God, the fruit you get, says Paul, leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. Personally, I'll take that deal.

Christ: Death = Entering Life

Thinking about Mark 9.43-47, this morning. Christ calls dying entering life, or alternatively entering the kingdom of God. A couple of obvious things from this. First, for those who have been declared righteous by God death IS entering life, or entering the kingdom of God. Second, we glean this because the alternative that Christ pronounces here is entering hell. One enters hell at death, and so we conclude that death for the believer is entering life. Christ is more explicit in John 5.24, Truly, truly I say unto you. He who hears my voice and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment but has passed from death to life.

Which leaves the obvious question: When you die are you going to enter life or are you going to enter hell? Those are the two possibilities Christ leaves for us.