Dare to Die

 
For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

–Romans 5:7-8

In this life, it is not common for a man to die for another. In this chapter of the Bible we see the amazing gift of God’s grace unto salvation. It starts with the words: “Therefore being justified by faith…”, and then lists the many gifts that come with being a child of God. But, scarcely would one die for a righteous man. There are not many people who would die for a righteous man; of course, during the era in which this was written, a righteous man would’ve been a Pharisee or religious leader. They were the only ones considered truly righteous because of their pride and distance from the world.

But, it is not often that someone would die to save a righteous man. However, for a good man, some might even dare to die. Not even a righteous man, just a good man; a man who by the worlds standards was good, likely both morally and ethically. A man like this, who has money but doesn’t hoard it, who helps the poor and the sick, a man who is not too busy to stop and help a man who is beaten and lying by the side of the road: for a man like this some might dare to die.

But God… Commendeth His love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Let’s put this in perspective. We were not righteous by any means, we did not know what rughteousness was. We were not good, we were willfully bad; we knew the difference between right and wrong and yet we chose wrong every time. We were not good. We were sinners, the bottom of the barrel. 

God loved us so inhumanely that He died for us when we willfully rejected Him. We were not worth saving, you and me, we should not have been saved. And, if our deeds dictated God’s actions, we would not have been saved. Therefore, having done nothing to earn this salvation, we must accept it as a free gift of God.

For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

–Romans 5:7-8

My question this Sunday: are you a good man? Would someone dare to die for you? All our righteousness is as filthy rags before God, but to be good, for the world to see you as good and actually be willing to die for you. Would someone dare to die for you…? Would someone dare to die for me? We should live our lives in such a way that because of who we are in Christ and how we live out the hope within us, let it be said: “That is a good man”. What legacy will you leave, but deeper, would you dare to die? 

If others would say if you, “He would dare to die for others”, you know that you’ve lived a fruitful life. For if Christ could die for his enemies, we could dare to die for our friends, could we not? Will you dare to die?

As always, thanks for reading.

—the anonymous novelist

The Bloody Cross

A crucifix sits on the mantle, above the hearth that stood for the warmth and security of the home in which he lived. That solitary crucifix represented his faith and his master’s sacrifice, but he never looked at it: it hurt too much think about all that Christ had done for him… and what he had done in for Christ. The cross of conviction was too much to bear. The cross of commitment was upon the mantle ever always, but what can a shelved symbol profit? How can a caged crucifix convict the heart of a lost soul?
A candle under a basket will either be stifled, or will grow too strong to be contained and burn the basket.
The cross of Christ is a cruel symbol of pain and suffering, the final sacrifice to snatch sinners from the jaws of a fiery Hell.

What price is then too great for us to pay to save just one more from everlasting death? What excuse then can we proffer to justify not taking action in a radical way? Can we keep silent in good conscience while dying men and woman, crying for mercy and peace scream to hear the truth of God’s love?
Who are we to be satisfied with our salvation alone? Are we thus content with our own security of eternity to condemn countless others to a wretched torment? Can we live with ourselves while others die with their selves?
The bloody cross rides on the back of an innocent man. His beatings horrific. His skin: a bloody pulp of human flesh. His completion like death streaked in scarlet from the thorny crown piercing His brow.
The bloody cross lays itself down at the place of the scull as the man who bore it’s shame is forced to lay upon it. A spike, a mallet, a cry of pain as metal pierces flesh, pinning His hand to the bloody cross.

The bloody cross is raised up for all to see the innocent man being slain in cruel agony. His forgiveness emanating in exothermic explosions of grace. For His righteousness was absolute, His love was infinite, His heart was broken, His life was given, death’s keys were taken, and eternity can be received.

The bloody cross is not something we should shun or turn away from because of its gruesome history. The cross of Christ is a burden we must bear. Its horror should inspire us, should drive us, should comfort us. His death brought life, His cross and sacrifice are symbols of mercy, of a God that loved us to death. If Christ be lifted up, He will draw all men unto Himself. The bloody cross should be displayed upon our highest steeples, on our largest walls, on our necks, and in our conversations. A constant reminder that the price of redemption is everything He had, and that God asks nothing less of us.

Love so amazing, so divine, demands my soul, my life, my all. Here’s is a song that puts into words the calling of the bloody cross like no other: “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross”.

As always, thanks for reading.

–the anonymous novelist

Politics Without Penalties

Do we want a president who doesn’t believe in punishment?

Presidential candidate Dr. Ben Carson has recently come out and stated that he does not believe in Hell. This was no major surprise coming from Carson, who is Seventh-Day-Adventist; we already know their doctrines on this point. I’m not here to talk about religions, denominations, or politics, I’m here to talk about people: the people of the United States of America.

Among other statements on this point, Dr. Ben Carson said this: “God wouldn’t send people to Hell”. What Dr. Carson fails to see is that God is not a human, therefore He does not suffer the weakness of compassion in the face a justice, and mercy to the resilient enemies of His existence and Love. God will never stop loving the haters of the Cross, even unto eternal death. It’s not an act of hatred, condemning people to eternal torment, it is an act of justice on an eternal and infinite level.

The big question is: If Dr. Ben Carson doesn’t believe in the ultimate punishment, from the ultimate authority, for the ultimate crime, how can we expect him to punish lesser crimes? What Dr. Carson has said that he believes is that God would not condemn a person to everlasting torment after having only done evil for 80 years or so.

Obviously, we see that this man, who is well versed in scripture is turning a blind eye to the fact that the wages of sin is death. In that passage, it does not mean a physical death, but a spiritual and everlasting death. Whereas Dr. Carson says that people who die without Christ will simply be annihilated, God says otherwise.

And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

-Revelation 20:15 

Then shall he say unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels.

-Matthew 25:41

Those are great illustrations, but this next one blows Dr. Carson’s whole argument to worthless shreds.

And it came to pass, that the beggar died and was carried by angels into Abraham’s bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; and in Hell he lifted up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried and said Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented. And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would from thence. Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father’s house: for I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment.

-Luke 16:22-29

This is one of the saddest passages in the entire Bible, in my opinion. Notice how many times the word, “torment”, is used to describe Hell. Even the word “Hell”, itself is used in this passage as a literal place. You’ve heard of “Heaven is For Real”, I would like to submit that Hell is for real also, maybe even more importantly. Christ does not save people to Heaven, He saves them from their sins and the penalty for their sins: Hell.

In the passage above, we see a rich man and a beggar. The rich man did not believe in Christ and had no love in his heart for the poor, the least of these. Inasmuch as he did not regard or care for the beggar Lazarus, he did not regard or care for Christ Himself. Both the rich and the poor die, death is no respecter of persons, and the poor man gets taken up by angels to Heaven, whereas the rich man is condemned to Hell for what he did not do in his life on earth.

The rich man is not annihilated, he is able to see, (…and seeth Abraham afar off…), he is able to speak, (…And he cried, Father Abraham, have mercy on me…), and he is able to feel, (…for I am tormented in this flame…). What are the five senses that are necessary to recognize existence? Taste, touch, smell, hear, see, right? Well, you cannot taste a place, and you cannot smell location: what is left is touch, hear, and see. It is made absolutely certain that this rich man can see, hear, and feel from Hell, proving that it does exist.

Not only that, he is conscious of his former life and the fact that he has five brothers still living. Death without Christ is not annihilation, it is eternal separation in an everlasting, living torment. If death without Christ was simply annihilation, we would see less people coming to Christ than we do already. If life without Christ equals death without Him in everlasting nothingness, why would anyone who hates Christ agree to follow Him? If it’s a choice between death into nothingness, and an afterlife with a God you didn’t like anyway, why would they choose Christ?

Bottom line, humans began perfect, then broke God’s one rule and are now condemned to everlasting Hell, regardless of what we do in life whether good or evil. However, and thank God for it, Jesus Christ died for our sins. If we accept His free gift of salvation, He saves us from the penalty of our sins: death. If a person goes to Hell, it is not God who sent them there, it is their own doing.

Hell is real, and even though Dr. Ben Carson doesn’t believe that, I don’t think it will hurt our nation should he become president. But, I do think that it is Hypocritical at best to say that you don’t believe in Hell, and that you do believe in Justice and in the truth of God’s Holy, inerrant Word.

As always, thanks for reading. I want to encourage you to think for yourselves when it comes to politics and government affairs. Compare candidates opinions with the truth of Scripture because God cannot lie. Let God be true, and every man a liar. Until next time.

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–the anonymous novelist