Blog – Page 2 – The Reason Why

9 : All Have Sinned

July 30, 2024August 26, 2024by The Reason Why

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Sin is simply rebellion against God

My conscience and my common sense compelled me to admit that I had fallen short of God’s standard of absolute holiness and, therefore, I was a sinner in His sight.

On my admission of having sinned came God’s condemnation in Ezekiel 18:4: “The soul that sinneth, it shall die.”

It appealed to me like this: the law in Great Britain says that all drivers must keep to the left side of the street. In New York the rule of the road demands that a driver keeps to the right side. Now, suppose I go driving in London and keep to the right side. On being brought before the judge, I say, “This is ridiculous, in the United States, we are allowed to drive on the right side.”

“You are not being judged by the laws of America,” he replies. “It does not matter what the laws of other lands may be, you should have concerned yourself only with the laws which judge you here, where you are.”

In the same way, as far as God’s standard was concerned, I was lost, because God’s standard was the only one by which I was to be judged in eternity. I was hopelessly lost. I began to see that it didn’t matter at all what I thought or what my friends told me. The judgement would be based on what God has said, not what my friends say. Moreover, because in God’s judgement we have all sinned, there was no use in looking to other men for help, for they were under the same condemnation as I.

Thank God for revealing to us His holy law and its just demands. The law shows me my true condition, “for by the law is the knowledge of sin” (Romans 3:20). The law awakens us to our need and points us to the Saviour who alone has redeemed us from the curse of the law (Galatians 3:13,24).

Thought: “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him” (2 Corinthians 5:21)
Prayer: I have sinned against You, O God. Be merciful to me.

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This audio CD is approximately 59 minutes, divided into 34 chapters.

Edited by Dr SH Tow

Please note that the last paragraph of some chapter texts may not be present in the audio tracks.

10 : Jesus Christ: Son of God?

July 30, 2024August 26, 2024by The Reason Why

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Jesus Christ – the express image of God

The same Bible, which told me of my sin, told me also of Jesus Christ, who claimed to be the Son of God. If Jesus Christ is the Son of God, then we may indeed be sure of salvation; but the difficulty faces us: Is Jesus Christ really the Son of God?

He could only be one of three – the Son of God, or a deceiver, or an honest man Himself under a hallucination.

But we find Him meeting some of the cleverest men of His day, who were purposely sent to catch Him in His words, and He so silenced them that they did not dare ask Him any more questions (Matthew 22:46). And when we ourselves consider the wisdom of His statements from an intellectual standpoint, we see plainly that He was under no hallucination as to Himself. Was His wisdom so great that He was using it to deceive the people?

Have you ever heard of a young man associating with swindlers and rogues and because of that association, becoming ennobled, pure and honest? No! You admit you have not heard of such a case; but I know a young man who by the reception of Christ into his life has been lifted from the basest desires to the noblest manhood. I simply cannot believe that the reception of a deceiver into one’s life could transform it for the good.

The other day I heard a man say, “I owe it to Jesus Christ that I can walk down the street with my head held erect and my shoulders squared to the world. I owe it to Him that I can look a pure woman in the face and grip an honest man by the hand.”

Words not backed with works are empty. Jesus claimed to be the Son of God. He backed that claim by working the miraculous works of God. To the unbelieving Jews, He appealed: “…though ye believe not me, believe the works: that ye may know, and believe, that the Father is in me and I in him” (John 10:38).

Thought: The greatest of all of Jesus’ miracles is His own resurrection.
Prayer: Thank You, Lord, for sending your Son Jesus Christ to die for me.

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This audio CD is approximately 59 minutes, divided into 34 chapters.

Edited by Dr SH Tow

Please note that the last paragraph of some chapter texts may not be present in the audio tracks.

11 : In Christ A New Creation

July 30, 2024August 26, 2024by The Reason Why

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“Behold, I make all things new”

I call to witness the opinion of the whole civilised world that Jesus Christ was at least a good man. If so, then an honest man, and if honest, He must have been what He claimed to be, the Son of God, sent to lay down His sinless life in place of your sinful life and mine.

Leaders from several professions have this to say about Jesus Christ:

United States Senator Mark O Hatfield testified, “I saw that for 31 years I had lived for self and decided I wanted to live the rest of my life only for Jesus Christ. I asked God to forgive my self-centred life and to make my life His own. Following Jesus Christ has been an experience of increasing challenge, adventure and happiness. Living a committed Christian life is truly satisfying because it has given me true purpose and direction by my serving not myself but Jesus Christ.”

Robert E. (Bob) Richards, former Olympic track star, said, “My only reason for being in sports is to give my testimony to the youth of all the world that Jesus Christ can save from sin, and that one can be a Christian and still excel in good, creative things. Young people need to realize that God unleashed a tremendous spiritual power when Jesus Christ died on Calvary.”

Lt Gen (Ret) William K. Harrison (Ret.), former Senior Delegate of the United Nations Command Truce Team in Korea, and later Commander-in-Chief of the Caribbean Command, wrote, “It is wonderful to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and I am exceedingly thankful that God has graciously led me to saving faith in Christ. God gives us who believe in Christ a daily, personal experience which is convincing evidence of the reality of the new life in Christ.”

Thought: If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature. It is not just “turning over a new leaf, but a new man.”
Prayer: Thank You, Lord, for giving me a new life.

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This audio CD is approximately 59 minutes, divided into 34 chapters.

Edited by Dr SH Tow

Please note that the last paragraph of some chapter texts may not be present in the audio tracks.

12 : Sincerity Is Not Enough

July 30, 2024August 26, 2024by The Reason Why

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We are not saved by sincerity, but we may be lost without it

I do not ask you to accept Him as yours, for you may have an objection: although it is plausible that the Bible is true, are not alternative views also plausible? Why not be reasonable and submit them to a fair test as well?

On telling my conviction to a friend, he replied, “You are all right, but so am I, although I don’t see things as you do. It seems to me that it doesn’t matter so much what a man believes, so long as he is sincere in his belief.”

Let us test that statement. One fine Sunday morning a neighbour of mine said to his wife and family, “Let us take the car and go for a picnic.” Travelling north, he came to a railway crossing and, sincerely believing that there would be no trains on a Sunday morning, attempted to drive across. He was killed on the spot, one son had an arm broken and his little daughter was in a cast for months. Did his sincere belief save him?

No, it did not. I know a nurse who, on night duty, sincerely believed she held the right medicine in her hand, but she was wrong, and in 20 minutes her patient was dead in spite of frantic efforts to save him.

Of course we need sincerity, but we must sincerely believe truth, not error. In fact, having sincere belief in error can be the very means of deceiving and finally destroying us.

The words of the wise king have a pertinent message for us: “There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.” (Proverbs 14:12) His conviction, though sincere, nevertheless led to his downfall.

Thought: “Jesus says, and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free… I am the way, the truth, and the life” (John 8:32; 14:6)
Prayer: Open my eyes that I may see Your truth, O God.

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This audio CD is approximately 59 minutes, divided into 34 chapters.

Edited by Dr SH Tow

Please note that the last paragraph of some chapter texts may not be present in the audio tracks.

13 : Many Ways to God?

July 30, 2024August 26, 2024by The Reason Why

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Only one God, only one Son, only one Way

The Bible leaves no room for doubt. In John 14:6 Christ says, “I am the way, the truth and the life: no man cometh unto the Father but by Me.” Acts 4:12 states: “There is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” If you can get to heaven any other way you will be witness throughout eternity to the fact that Jesus Christ spoke falsely when he said there was no other way. But since He gives full evidence of being the Son of God, is it not folly to attempt coming to God by any other way than through Christ Himself, who claims to be God’s appointed way?

The real reason we want some other way is because the way of the cross is a humbling way, and we are proud at heart. But let us remember the way of the cross was a humbling way for Christ also, as we read in Philippians 2:5-8:

“Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, He humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.”

All the arguments over the ‘many ways to God’ will not be necessary if it is accepted that Jesus is God, which Scripture affirms over and over. Jesus said, “He that hath seen me hath seen the Father… I am in the Father, and the Father in me….” (John 14:0-10)

“For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus” (1 Timothy 2:5)

Thought: Coming to Jesus is coming to God the Father.
Prayer: Thank You, Father, that I can come to You through Jesus Christ, Your Son.

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This audio CD is approximately 59 minutes, divided into 34 chapters.

Edited by Dr SH Tow

Please note that the last paragraph of some chapter texts may not be present in the audio tracks.

14 : We Have a Debt to Pay

July 30, 2024August 26, 2024by The Reason Why

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We cannot pay with what we do not have

Some people have suggested that all a person needs to do is sincerely reform, do better in the future, and thus live down past shortcomings. This is supposed to make one fit for heaven. Will this work?

Let us assume that the manager of a business goes to his accountant and finds that his company owed $50,000 to the manufacturers and other merchants. He says, “Write letters to all those people and tell them that we are not going to worry about the past, that we have turned a new page in our ledger, but we promise to pay 100 cents on the dollar in all future business, and from now on to live up to the highest standard of business integrity.”

The accountant would think his employer had gone mad, and would refuse to put such a proposition to the creditors. Yet thousands of otherwise sensible people are trying to get to heaven by just such a proposal, offering to meet their obligations towards God for the future, but refusing to worry about the past at all. Yet in Ecclesiastes 3:15, we read, “God requireth that which is past”. Even if we assume that we can somehow begin to live an absolutely perfect life – which is certainly impossible – we are still sinners.

It is said that Jesus came to pay a debt He did not owe for us who owed a debt we could not pay. God’s Word declares, “The soul that sinneth, it shall die.” “But God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). In His death, He laid down His divine, sinless life in our stead, settling once and for all, the debt we owe.

Thought: Jesus calls – “Look unto me and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is none else.”
Prayer: Thank You, Jesus, for dying for me, that my sins may be forgiven.

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This audio CD is approximately 59 minutes, divided into 34 chapters.

Edited by Dr SH Tow

Please note that the last paragraph of some chapter texts may not be present in the audio tracks.

15 : Jesus Paid It All

July 30, 2024August 26, 2024by The Reason Why

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We have redemption through His blood

God’s righteousness demands that no past account be considered settled till it has been paid to the last penny and every claim of justice met. The murderer may cover his sin and live the life of a model citizen for 10 years after his crime, but when he is discovered, man’s law condemns him to death. Though he has murdered no one for 10 long years – it judges him still a murderer.

To hide past sin, either thoughts, words or deeds, by what seems to be an absolutely perfect life, still leaves us sinners in the sight of Him to whom the past and the future are as open as the present. According to God’s standard of holiness, we all have sinned, and we must bring that sin out in the open and have it dealt with righteously.

We each need someone who can clear the books. The Bible declares that Jesus Christ is the only one who could pay this penalty. “We were reconciled to God by the death of His Son” (Romans 5:10). Yes, the Lord Jesus Christ gave up His life in place of ours that we might go free. Our past sins are paid for, and God, against whom we have sinned, has given us His receipt showing His satisfaction with the completed work of Christ on the cross in that He raised Him from the dead. Christ once crucified is now our living Saviour. He died to save us from the penalty of sin and now He lives to deliver us from the power of sin.

HYMN:

I hear the Saviour say, “Thy strength indeed is small
Child of weakness look to me; Find in in me thine all in all.”
Jesus paid it all; All to Him I owe;
Sin has left a crimson stain; He washed it white as snow.

-Evina M Hall

Thought: “As in Adam all die…in Christ shall all be made alive.”
Prayer: Thank You, Jesus, for conquering death that I might have everlasting life.

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This audio CD is approximately 59 minutes, divided into 34 chapters.

Edited by Dr SH Tow

Please note that the last paragraph of some chapter texts may not be present in the audio tracks.

16 : A Perfect Sacrifice

July 30, 2024August 26, 2024by The Reason Why

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Perfect because God was in Christ

Why did Christ have to die? Could He not have saved us without dying? Man had broken God’s law and the penalty was death. How could Christ righteously deliver us without meeting our full penalty? Do you not see that if He paid anything less than the full price there would still be judgement for us to meet? But it is evident that because He died, the law we had broken can judge us no more.

The Bible says in Romans 8:1, “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus.”

On one occasion an unfinished court case extended to a second day. And, as is the usual practice, so that no outside influence could be brought to bear on the jurymen, they were kept in custody overnight. On entering the court the next morning, the judge, addressing the jury, said, “Gentlemen, the case is dismissed: the prisoner has been called to a higher court.” The accused had died in his cell during the night and there was no use going on with the case, since the law cannot judge a dead man.

Again, if a man should murder one person he is put to death, but if he should murder 6 people he is still just put to death, because this is the utmost penalty of the law. No matter what a man’s sins may be, the law knows no greater penalty than to take his life.

Therefore it matters not that there are sins in my life I have long since forgotten. I fear none of them, for I have this confidence that the Lord Jesus Christ, my Substitute, suffered the utmost penalty of the law on my account, freeing me absolutely from all its claims against me, both great and small.

Thought: Jesus paid it all.
Prayer: Lord, Thou hast died that I might live. Is any sacrifice too great to make for Thee?

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This audio CD is approximately 59 minutes, divided into 34 chapters.

Edited by Dr SH Tow

Please note that the last paragraph of some chapter texts may not be present in the audio tracks.

17 : But Not All Are Saved

July 30, 2024August 26, 2024by The Reason Why

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All are invited but not all come

On the basis of the greatness of Jesus Christ’s sacrifice, some have suggested that if Christ died for all, we must all be saved. But God does not say so. He says there is salvation for all, not that all are saved.

Here is an illustration. It is a bitterly cold winter and unemployment is rife in one of our great cities, with many in dire need. The municipal authorities provide free meals. You meet a poor fellow on the street who says he is starving. Naturally you ask if he does not believe the notices that are up all over the city, that there is enough food for all provided free of charge.

“Yes,” he replies. “I believe that is true in a general sort of way, but I am still hungry.”

You tell him that he is likely to remain hungry in spite of the provisions unless he eats and drinks personally of what is provided for all.

In the same way, although the death of Christ provides salvation for whosoever will, only those who personally accept Christ and believe that He died in their place are saved. I must take Christ as my Saviour, or His death will avail me nothing – just as a man could die of thirst beside a spring of water if he refused to make its life-giving stream his own by drinking of it himself.

The Saviour’s salvation offer is given to all: every one that thirsteth can come! “Come unto me all ye that labour…” Salvation is free, but not forced on any. But, the invitation having been given, you must respond! Accept or reject, the decision is yours! Come to the Saviour, make no delay!

Thought: Behold, now is the accepted time; behold now is the day of salvation!
Prayer: I accept You, Jesus, as my Lord and Saviour.

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This audio CD is approximately 59 minutes, divided into 34 chapters.

Edited by Dr SH Tow

Please note that the last paragraph of some chapter texts may not be present in the audio tracks.

18 : The Mystery of Cancelled Sin

July 30, 2024August 26, 2024by The Reason Why

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Spiritual arithmetic is a mystery to the world

There are some people who still pose the question: How could the Lord Jesus Christ’s one life be considered the substitute for the lives of so many, so that God offers salvation to whosoever places their faith in Christ?

That seems a fair question – a problem in arithmetic that can be demonstrated on paper. Christ was God manifest in the flesh – Divinity in humanity – so that the life He gave was an infinite life, which can meet the needs of any number of finite lives.

Get a sheet of paper and write down all the big figures you can think of – millions or more – and add them up. Now that you have a big number, multiply it by 10 or 100 – by a million if you like. Fill up sheets of paper with repeated multiplication, and after that you still have a finite number – a number that has bounds set about it – a beginning and an end, however far it may extend.

No, by adding finite things together no man has ever been able to make that which is infinite. The infinite life of Christ given for sinners is more than sufficient to save all who accept Him as the One who died for them.

But how could Christ suffer for my sins when they were not committed till almost 2000 years after He died?

At first this seems a problem to a thoughtful person, but the more thoughtful you are, the more readily you will see the solution. God is omniscient (that is, He knows all things), and God is eternal. In Exodus 3:14, God calls Himself “I AM” (present tense), and Christ says in John 8:58 “Before Abraham was, I AM” (present tense). In other words, to one who knows all things and is eternal, there is, as it were, neither past nor future, but one eternal present. Events to take place 2000 years ahead must be as clear to Him as events which happened 2000 years ago, and both must of necessity be as clear to God as events happening now.

Thought: “For God hath chosen us in Christ before the foundation of the world” (Ephesians 1:4)
Prayer: I praise Thee, O God. For You are the omniscient and eternal God.

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This audio CD is approximately 59 minutes, divided into 34 chapters.

Edited by Dr SH Tow

Please note that the last paragraph of some chapter texts may not be present in the audio tracks.