Justice - Why do we care so much about it?

 

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Why do we have a keen sense of justice?

We now live in a society where the general opinion about whether things are right or wrong can at times be vague.  

In the Bible, God has given us clear information about what is right and what is wrong. But there is also a reality about things being just or unjust. 

Here are some things to consider:

1. Why do children cry “that’s not fair” or “it’s not right”?
2. Why is there an inbuilt awareness of fairness in a child? 
3. Why is it common for people to have a really well-developed sense of justice? 

The Bible gives us the explanation. It teaches that God ‘has written His law in our hearts’. God gave us this inbuilt awareness of right and wrong. Holy scripture (the Bible) teaches that we have a conscience. It teaches that we have an inbuilt knowledge within ourselves and a knowledge about ourselves. We automatically can clarify the reality of the rightness or wrongness of the things that we say, feel and do. 

For example, most of us feel impulsively that telling blatant lies is wrong. We instinctively know that to remove property that belongs to someone else is wrong. The Bible teaches these principles, but somehow we know them to be true! Is that significant or coincidental?

The ‘ten commandments’ teach that you shouldn’t steal, you shouldn’t lie, you shouldn’t take somebody else’s wife and so on. The list defines prohibitions as well as teaching positive things that we should do. Things like loving God with all your heart and with all your soul and all your mind. Jesus summarized the rest by saying, ‘Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself,’ Matt. 22. 39. 

You may say to yourself, ‘I’m not really sure why we all know those things?’ Let me come back to what the Bible says - God has planted within us an awareness of right and wrong. Just look across society for a moment. People are very interested in equal rights and equal opportunities. We are very concerned that disabled people are cared for, that ethnic minorities aren’t disadvantaged, and that there is religious freedom, freedom of thought and freedom of belief. We campaign for the rights of the unborn child, plus we debate people’s rights to free speech. Public behaviour is monitored, ensuring that people do not overreach themselves and inflict damage on other people or their property. In all of this, we try to balance the rights of a society to be free and yet remain free of criminal activities. 

These things are right. I believe we are like this in society because God has implanted in us an awareness of things that are very important to Him - a consciousness of right and wrong and of the realities of living in a way that is fair and equitable. God describes Himself as a just, as well as righteous, doing right. He is a God of light; God is love, a God who is eternal and a God who is all-knowing! 

We wouldn’t know these things if God hadn’t revealed them to us in the Bible. This is why the Bible is such a key book for us to read. In fact, it is God’s message to humanity, and it’s an amazing thing that we have it so freely available despite some countries that still restrict access to the Word of God. 

Let me leave you with a statement from the Bible, the Bible says, ‘For Christ also has once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God,’ 1 Peter 3:18. This verse is saying that if God was being just, if God was being fair, He would punish us for our sin, He would penalize us, He would judge us for breaking His law because we are guilty. But the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, came into the world and suffered for sins to bring us to God. He personally suffered the penalty for sin by dying for us. Three days later, He was brought up back to life. His resurrection is sufficient evidence that the price for sin was fully paid. His resurrection establishes that you can take advantage of salvation. You do this by confessing your sin (to God, not a religious representative) and asking God to forgive you. You are effectively asking for God’s blessing upon your life. 

I wonder if you would take advantage of God’s offer of salvation today. Will you come to Him for forgiveness and rest upon Him for salvation? You can know what it is to be forgiven and saved. 

 

Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved – the Bible, Acts 16:31

 

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What is truth?

 

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The concept of truth has clearly fallen on hard times. 

Pilate posed one of the most profound and eternally significant questions in the Bible. He asked Jesus in His final hour, 'What is truth?' It was a cynical response to what Jesus had just revealed: 'I have come into the world to testify to the truth.' Two thousand years later, the whole world breathes Pilate’s cynicism with good cause.

So, what is truth?

Here’s a simple definition drawn from what the Bible teaches: Truth is that which is consistent with the mind, will, character, glory, and being of God. Even more to the point: Truth is the self-expression of God. That is the biblical meaning of truth. 

The Old Testament refers to the Almighty as the 'God of truth,' Deut. 32. 4; Ps. 31. 5; Isa. 65. 16. When Jesus said of Himself, 'I am . . . the truth,' John 14. 6, He was making a profound claim that He was God. He was also making it clear that all truth must ultimately be defined in terms of God and His eternal glory. After all, Jesus is 'the brightness of [God’s] glory and the express image of His person,' Heb. 1. 3. He is truth incarnate—the perfect expression of God and, therefore, the absolute embodiment of all that is true.

What is your direction in life!

 

Personal Photographs

Last week I was in Northern Ireland along with my wife. A friend and colleague was speaking to children each evening in a large marquee, and I was teaching adults from the Bible. It was a brilliant week and a great opportunity to tell hundreds of children about the Lord Jesus Christ and then to teach the children’s event leaders about things the word of God says will happen in the future.

As I journeyed home, I took some time to reflect and consider life. It was a beautiful day; the sun was shining, the sea was calm and glistening, and everything seemed to be going well. I knew where I was going (Liverpool, God willing) but I wondered if all my readers know where their destination will be when this life is over. Heavy stuff, but sometimes we need to stop and reflect!

During the past week, we have been considering what the Bible has to say about the future of this planet and its people. The Bible says that this world will not last forever; it is passing away - scary but true.

How would you define your life?

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How would you define your life?

From the earliest days, human beings have been fascinated and puzzled by the subject of life. The holy grail for different fields of knowledge all has to do with life. In biology, it is the creation of life from outside another life; in astronomy, it is the discovery of life from outside of planet earth; in medicine, it is the prolonging of life; in philosophy, it is the meaning of life. Whatever it may be, the subject of life is something that we cannot ignore.

Interestingly, the Bible, God’s Word, provides the answers to all these questions that are being asked by the scientific world. Only God is able to create life from nothing, which was what took place when He created this universe. God has placed mankind and all creatures on planet earth and on no other planet. The Bible clearly states that man will surely die despite the best efforts of doctors and medicine because of the problem of sin. God says that the true purpose of life is to serve and please God, Who first created it. If scientists of this world would just accept what the Bible says about life, our history books would be different; our society would be different, and some governments would not be spending billions of dollars on extraterrestrial programs trying to search for life on other planets.

But we come back to a very pertinent question on a personal level: What is your life?

The Bible says that your life is:

Short – just like a vapour from a boiling kettle that appears in a flash and then vanishes away, James 4.14. Peter echoes this truth: "For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away" 1Peter 1.24. Seventy or eighty years may seem like a long time, but compared to eternity, it is like a grain of sand on a vast ocean bed! After our physical life ends, eternity starts either in a blissful heaven or in a dreadful, horrific hell. If you accept the Lord Jesus as Saviour in this life, you are guaranteed a place in Heaven. However, if you reject Him, God will likewise guarantee you a place in hell. "Whosoever believeth in Him (the Lord Jesus) should not perish, but have everlasting life" John 3.16.

Sinful – Sin is an element in life that is present from the moment we are born until the moment we die, and it is because of sin that we die. Romans 5.12, "Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned." The question of sickness, suffering, and eventually death directly results from the presence of sin in our lives and in this world. The Lord Jesus Christ died for our sins, so we do not need to be eternally accountable for them. If you accept the Lord Jesus, you can have God’s forgiveness and a place in heaven. Let God’s Word speak to you: Romans 5.6,8 "For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly ... God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."

Special – because the God of Heaven values our lives so much, He gave His only Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross for our salvation. "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son" John 3.16, to die for us. God asks you to accept and believe that Jesus Christ died for a sinner such as yourself, and you will receive forgiveness of your sins and eternal life.

So, what is your life?

Written by a Guest Blogger - Assembly Testimony

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Your life will not end when you die!

Life is constantly changing; nothing lasts for ever! This is a sad reality but one that we all have to come to terms with. It is often hard to accept that we will grow old, that loved ones will pass on and that children grow up and leave home. It’s sad but true! 

Please read on as I have good news for you. Your life will not end when you die!  At first sight that sounds like a contradiction in terms but let me clarify what I mean.