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How you can reach 54,000 people with the Gospel

By Jeremy Myers
2 Comments

How you can reach 54,000 people with the Gospel

Did you know I recently started a membership area on my website?

Well, I did.

But it definitely wasn’t so that I could charge you for my teachings. Frankly, if I could give away for free everything I write and teach, I would.

No, the actual reason I started a membership area was so that I can hopefully continue to write and teach on this site. Recently I have been wondering if I should just shut it all down. The membership area is my attempt to say “Open.”

Let me explain …

I am a Missionary

global missionsThough you may not realize it, I am a “missionary” to hundreds of thousands of people around the world. Every month, about 250,000 people read articles from my website, and a large percentage of those people are from Africa and Asia. In North America and Europe, a large percentage of the people who read my site are High School and College students.

Many of these people are hearing for the very first time about God’s love, grace, and forgiveness for them. People around the world send me scores of personal emails every single week about sins they have committed and questions about whether not God can forgive them and still love them. My online “mission” work allows me to share the good news with them about God’s grace, love, and forgiveness as found in Jesus Christ.

But all of this work I do is not without expense. Everything I do online costs me about $500 each month.

My Missionary Expenses are $500 per Month

My hosting fees, email company, software licenses, and audio file storage fees average about $500 each month. I do not take a salary or pay myself for my time. This website is not my job. The 30 hours per week I devote to this website are my donation to the mission of the site. But I don’t make enough from my regular day job to also cover all the expenses of running this site.

In the past, I have tired to cover the costs of running this website through book sales and advertising, but my revenue from these only cover about 60%-80% of my expenses. Somehow, I need to make up that deficit of $100-$200 each month.

Last year, I put out a call for donations. Several people generously donated, allowing me to operate “in the black” for a few months.

But I hate asking people for money. I hate asking for people to give to me their hard-earned income. Asking people to donate money makes me feel queasy.

So this year, I decided to start a membership area on my site. This allows people like you to support the work I am doing around the world, while at the same time, it allows me to give something valuable and beneficial back to you. The membership area of my site allows me to say “Thank you” in a big way to those who choose to support my writing and teaching.

support a missionary

So would you please consider joining me in this way?

If you think about it, I am reaching 250,000 people per month for only $500. That’s five people per penny. If you join my “Hope” Membership level at $9 per month, you are helping reach 4,500 people per month with the truth about God’s love and grace. That’s 54,000 a year! I challenge you to find another mission or ministry which can do that.

And guess what? Right now, I only need 15-20 people to make up the deficit in my monthly budget. Would you consider being one of those 15-20 people? I would really, really appreciate it, and so will the millions of people of Africa and Asia and the high school and college students who will visit my website this coming year. Go here to join now.

Now, what happens if I get more than 20 people to help support my work? The answer is that I will start making scholarship memberships available to those who need it most.

Since I started the membership area on my site, I have received dozens of requests from people around the world for free memberships. People from Nigeria, Kenya, Uganda, Philippines, and Indonesia, as well as several people here in the United States have emailed asking if there are scholarships available to my site. They want to take the courses and learn about the Gospels, but they don’t make enough money to afford the $9 per month. I understand. In many places in Africa and Asia, $9 per month is A LOT of money.

If I end up getting more support than I need to cover my expenses, I will start giving away free membership scholarships to people who need and want them, but who cannot afford them. My long-term goals include a certification process so that we can train and send out local missionaries in Africa and Asia. But that is getting way ahead of ourselves…

So if you want to help me reach 54,000 people with the Gospel this coming year, would you become a “Hope” or “Love” member of RedeemingGod.com? The “Hope” Membership costs $9 per month, and the “Love” Membership is only $89 per year. Both get full access to all my online theology courses, as well as several free eBooks and other benefits. Most of all, those membership fees help this site stay up and running, and enable me to keep writing and teaching so that others around the world can hear about the grace and love of God in Jesus Christ.

Would you join my Membership area this year and in so doing, let me become one of the missionaries you support? Thank you so much.

God is Redeeming Church, Redeeming Life Bible & Theology Topics: gospel, missionaries, missions

[#60] Genesis 4 Overview โ€“ Sin and Civilization

By Jeremy Myers
4 Comments

[#60] Genesis 4 Overview โ€“ Sin and Civilization
http://media.blubrry.com/one_verse/feeds.soundcloud.com/stream/297917455-redeeminggod-60-genesis-4-overview-sin-and-civilization.mp3

This episode of the One Verse Podcast provides a short summary of Genesis 4. This helps you get up to speed in this Podcast if you have missed most of the studies of Genesis 4. There are similar summary episodes for Genesis 1, 2, and 3 as well.

Genesis 4 summary

Of course, in todayโ€™s episode, we donโ€™t look only at Genesis 4, but also look at the flood account in Genesis 6โ€“8, and a verse or two out of Genesis 50. Doing so shows us what Genesis is all about. This is important, since Genesis is the introduction to the Bible.

If you want to understand Genesis and the Bible as a whole, make sure you listen to todayโ€™s One Verse Podcast.

In this discussion of Genesis 4 we look at:

  • A summary of how sin and scapegoating leads to civilization
  • A look ahead to Genesis 6โ€“11 and the rest of Scripture
  • How the book of Genesis ends the way it begins, showing us the overall message of the book of Genesis
  • The alternative to violence which God reveals in Genesis, Scripture, and ultimately, in Jesus Christ

Resources:

  • Become a Member of RedeemingGod.com
  • Atonement of God, by J. D. Myers
  • Genesis 1 Summary
  • Genesis 2 Summary
  • Genesis 3 Summary
  • Subscribe and Leave a Review on iTunes

Downloadable Podcast Resources

Those who are part of my online discipleship group may download the MP3 audio file for this podcast and view the podcast transcript below.

You must join a discipleship group or login to download the MP3 and view the transcript.

Membership-become-a-member

Thanks for visiting this page ... but this page is for Discipleship Group members.

If you are already part of a Faith, Hope, or Love Discipleship Group,
Login here.

If you are part of the free "Grace" Discipleship group, you will need to
Upgrade your Membership to one of the paid groups.

If you are not part of any group, you may learn about the various groups and their benefits here:
Join Us Today.

Membership-become-a-member


Do you like learning about the Bible online?

Do you like learning about Scripture and theology through my podcast? If so, then you will also love my online courses. They all have MP3 audio downloads, PDF transcripts, quizzes, and a comment section for questions and interaction with other students.

If you want to deepen your relationship with God and better understand Scripture, take one (or all) of these courses. They are great for personal study or for a small group Bible study.

You can see the list of available courses here, and if you join the Discipleship group, you can take all the courses at no additional cost. Go here to learn more and join now.

God is Redeeming God, Redeeming Scripture Bible & Theology Topics: Cain and Abel, forgiveness, Genesis 4, One Verse Podcast, sacrifice, scapegoating, sin, violence

I’m Dreaming of a Politically-Correct Holiday

By Jeremy Myers
9 Comments

I’m Dreaming of a Politically-Correct Holiday

If you are tired of trying to be politically correct around Christmas, then listen to this song. You will laugh. (I wish they had made a music video out of this song, but this is only “video” of the song I could find.)

Click play on the following video, then sit back and laugh at the absurdity of it all. Sometimes, all you can do is laugh…

The song comes from Brad Paisley’s Christmas album.

Oh … and Merry Christmas!

God is Redeeming Life Bible & Theology Topics: Christmas, Discipleship, humor

[#59] Genesis 4:16-26 โ€“ How Civilization is Founded on Sin, Death, and Religion

By Jeremy Myers
1 Comment

[#59] Genesis 4:16-26 โ€“ How Civilization is Founded on Sin, Death, and Religion
http://media.blubrry.com/one_verse/feeds.soundcloud.com/stream/296784272-redeeminggod-59-genesis-416-26-how-civilization-is-founded-on-sin-death-and-religion.mp3

What event is at the foundation of all human society and civilization? We see what the answer is as we look at Genesis 4:16-26.

It is important to understand what forms the foundation of society and civilization because doing so helps us understand our own lives, and also what is going on all around us all the time in current events and culture.

Lamech Genesis 4:16-26

The Text of Genesis 4:16-26

Then Cain went out from the presence of the Lord and dwelt in the land of Nod on the east of Eden. And Cain knew his wife, and she conceived and bore Enoch. And he built a city, and called the name of the city after the name of his sonโ€”Enoch. To Enoch was born Irad; and Irad begot Mehujael, and Mehujael begot Methushael, and Methushael begot Lamech.

Then Lamech took for himself two wives: the name of one was Adah, and the name of the second was Zillah. And Adah bore Jabal. He was the father of those who dwell in tents and have livestock. His brotherโ€™s name was Jubal. He was the father of all those who play the harp and flute. And as for Zillah, she also bore Tubal-Cain, an instructor of every craftsman in bronze and iron. And the sister of Tubal-Cain was Naamah.

Then Lamech said to his wives:
โ€œAdah and Zillah, hear my voice;
Wives of Lamech, listen to my speech!
For I have killed a man for wounding me,
Even a young man for hurting me.
If Cain shall be avenged sevenfold,
Then Lamech seventy-sevenfold.โ€

And Adam knew his wife again, and she bore a son and named him Seth, โ€œFor God has appointed another seed for me instead of Abel, whom Cain killed.โ€ And as for Seth, to him also a son was born; and he named him Enosh. Then men began to call on the name of the Lord.

In this discussion of Genesis 4:16-26 we look at:

  • What Genesis 4 reveals about the human problem of sin
  • How rivalry and scapegoating form the foundation of human civilization and culture
  • How rivalry and violence escalate out of control
  • The fact that God is the ultimate scapegoat for human violence
  • The origin of religion

Resources:

  • Become a Member of RedeemingGod.com
  • Clint Jones, A Genealogy of Social Violence
  • Subscribe and Leave a Review on iTunes

Downloadable Podcast Resources

Those who are part of my online discipleship group may download the MP3 audio file for this podcast and view the podcast transcript below.

You must join a discipleship group or login to download the MP3 and view the transcript.

Membership-become-a-member

Thanks for visiting this page ... but this page is for Discipleship Group members.

If you are already part of a Faith, Hope, or Love Discipleship Group,
Login here.

If you are part of the free "Grace" Discipleship group, you will need to
Upgrade your Membership to one of the paid groups.

If you are not part of any group, you may learn about the various groups and their benefits here:
Join Us Today.

Membership-become-a-member


Do you like learning about the Bible online?

Do you like learning about Scripture and theology through my podcast? If so, then you will also love my online courses. They all have MP3 audio downloads, PDF transcripts, quizzes, and a comment section for questions and interaction with other students.

If you want to deepen your relationship with God and better understand Scripture, take one (or all) of these courses. They are great for personal study or for a small group Bible study.

You can see the list of available courses here, and if you join the Discipleship group, you can take all the courses at no additional cost. Go here to learn more and join now.

God is Redeeming God, Redeeming Scripture Bible & Theology Topics: cain, Genesis 4:16-26, mimetic rivalry, One Verse Podcast, scapegoating, violence

Why Christians should not Celebrate Christmas or Easter, Drive a Mazda, or Use a Calendar

By Jeremy Myers
51 Comments

Why Christians should not Celebrate Christmas or Easter, Drive a Mazda, or Use a Calendar

pagan ChristmasThis time of year I see article after article from Christians about why it is sinful to decorate Christmas trees, wrap presents, and sing โ€œDeck the Halls.โ€

Here is an example:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u1xqD9-9RA0

Whenever I see these blog posts, Facebook articles, and YouTube videos, I always want to ask if they celebrate Easter, drive a Mazda, or use a Calendar.

Why?

Because the exact same logic people use to say that Christians should not celebrate Christmas can also be used to say that Christians should not celebrate Easter, should not drive a Mazda, and should not use a Calendar.

Here is the logic some Christians use to teach that it is sinful to celebrate Christmas:

  1. Christmas has roots in the pagan holiday of Saturnalia. It was celebrated with decorating trees, baking cookies, putting up lights, passing out presents, and singing songs.
  2. If we do these things for Christmas, then we are participating in a sinful, pagan holiday.

This is the basic logic, and some Christians occasionally find passages like Jeremiah 10:1-5 to support this view.

But let us plug the same logic in to the holiday of Easter:

  1. Easter has roots in the pagan holiday that celebrated Ishtar, the sex goddess. Among other things, the spring celebration of Ishtar was observed with sunrise celebrations, decorating eggs, giving candy, and cute bunnies. It reminded people of new birth and new life.
  2. If we do these things for Easter, then we are participating in a sinful, pagan holiday.

Ishtar Easter

And how about driving a Mazda:

  1. The Mazda car is named after the chief Persian deity, Ahura Mazda. Even the early symbol of the Mazda line of cars (1936-1962) resembled the dual-winged image of Ahura Mazda ย  and can still be seen in the modern winged โ€œMโ€ logo of the Mazda (see the three images below).
  2. Therefore, driving a Mazda is a tribute to Ahura Mazda, the pagan Persian deity, and is sinful for Christians. The same thing can be said, by the way, about driving a Saturn or a Mercury.
Ahura Mazda
The early Mazda Logo
The modern Mazda Logo

Following the Christmas logic, we also cannot use a calendar:

  1. All the days of the week are named after pagan deities.
  • Sunday = Sunโ€™s Day
  • Monday = Moonโ€™s Day
  • Tuesday = Tyrโ€™s Day
  • Wednesday = Wodenโ€™s Day
  • Thursday = Thorโ€™s Day
  • Friday = Freyโ€™s Day
  • Saturday = Saturnโ€™s Day

And most of the months of the year are also named after various pagan deities.

  • January = Janusโ€™s month
  • February = month of Februa (pagan purification)
  • March = Marsโ€™ month
  • April = Aphroditeโ€™s month
  • May = Maiaโ€™s month
  • June = Junoโ€™s month
  • July = Julius Caesarโ€™s month
  • August = Augustus Caesarโ€™s month
  • September = the seventh month*
  • October = the eighth month*
  • November = the ninth month*
  • December = the tenth month*

*The Roman calendar originally only had 10 months, with the first 60 days of the calendar being โ€œmonthless.โ€ January and February were later added to the Calendar, but the final four months of the year retained their numbered names.

  1. Therefore, to talk about the days of the week or the months of the year is to give honor to the false gods and deities after which they are named.

As long as we are at it, we should also stop wearing Nike clothes and shoes, eating Mars bars, using Venus razors, buying Hermes handbags, or investing in Janus funds. And since all the planets are named after pagan Roman deities, we shouldnโ€™t talk about our study our solar system. We also shouldnโ€™t visit the Statue of Liberty. And no matter what, we should definitely stay away from the Washington monument and churches with steeples since they are symbols that come from pagan rituals that celebrated the male phallic.

Do you see where all this is going? As soon as Christians start to try to avoid and condemn anything and everything that has pagan roots or symbolism, we end up having to just sit at home twiddling our thumbs. Of course, even that is fraught with danger, because as Paul himself writes, every single human being has a background that is filled with paganism (cf. 1 Cor 6:9-11). So we cannot even be around ourselves!

Yes, this has now crossed over into the realm of the absurd.

But that is exactly the point.

All these condemnations of various aspects of life because those areas of life have pagan origins are nothing but absurd.

They also deny and reject the absolute fact that our God is a redeeming God. That Jesus Christ is a redeemer. That everything in heaven and on earth has been placed under the feet of Jesus so that He is all in all. That everything can be received with joy and thanksgiving in the name of Jesus. That everything is โ€œYesโ€ and โ€œAmenโ€ through Jesus Christ, the Lord of all.

So this Christmas season, go put up lights on your tree. Go bake cookies and pass out presents. Go drive your Mazda to your job on Monday while you wear your Nike shoes and snack on a Mars bar. And while do you do all these pagan things, give praise to Jesus because He has redeemed everything, including you and me.

Jesus is a redeemer

So go ahead! Cut down the tree, decorate it with silver tinsel and gold ornaments, bake the cookies, hand out presents, sing the carols, and do it all with praise to Jesus Christ, who is our Redeemer!

If you want to read more about this, I have written a short eBook on the subject, titled Christmas Redemption. Get your copy on Amazon today for $2.99.

Better yet, “Hope” and “Love” Members of RedeemingGod.com will get this book for free a few weeks after signing up. Join now.

God is Redeeming Life Bible & Theology Topics: Christmas, Christmas Redemption, Easter, pagan, redemption

[#58] Genesis 4:13-15 โ€“ Three Ways out of Violence

By Jeremy Myers
2 Comments

[#58] Genesis 4:13-15 โ€“ Three Ways out of Violence
http://media.blubrry.com/one_verse/feeds.soundcloud.com/stream/293373983-redeeminggod-58-genesis-413-15-three-ways-out-of-violence.mp3

Genesis 4:13-15 Cain punishmentThere is lots of turmoil in the United States right now because of the election results. The increasing turmoil makes me nervous because history, theology, and psychology show that there are typically only three ways out of such turmoil, and I am not yet sure which way our country will go.

In this episode, I briefly discuss these three ways out of violence and turmoil, and explain from Genesis 4:13-15 which of these three approaches humans usually choose.

The Text of Genesis 4:13-15

And Cain said to the Lord, โ€œMy punishment is greater than I can bear! Surely You have driven me out this day from the face of the ground; I shall be hidden from Your face; I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond on the earth, and it will happen that anyone who finds me will kill me.โ€

And the Lord said to him, โ€œTherefore, whoever kills Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold.โ€ And the Lord set a mark on Cain, lest anyone finding him should kill him.

In this discussion of Genesis 4:13-15 we look at:

  • The three main ways humans deal with rivalry and violence
  • The way that Adam, Eve, and Cain chose
  • Why Cain in not whining about his punishment in Genesis 4:13
  • Why Cain blames God in Genesis 4:13-14
  • Why God takes the blame and protects Cain
  • How god tries to stop the cycle of violence

Resources:

  • Become a Member of RedeemingGod.com
  • Myers,ย Christmas Redemption
  • Anderson, Sin: A History
  • Subscribe and Leave a Review on iTunes

Downloadable Podcast Resources

Those who are part of my online discipleship group may download the MP3 audio file for this podcast and view the podcast transcript below.

You must join a discipleship group or login to download the MP3 and view the transcript.

Membership-become-a-member

Thanks for visiting this page ... but this page is for Discipleship Group members.

If you are already part of a Faith, Hope, or Love Discipleship Group,
Login here.

If you are part of the free "Grace" Discipleship group, you will need to
Upgrade your Membership to one of the paid groups.

If you are not part of any group, you may learn about the various groups and their benefits here:
Join Us Today.

Membership-become-a-member


Do you like learning about the Bible online?

Do you like learning about Scripture and theology through my podcast? If so, then you will also love my online courses. They all have MP3 audio downloads, PDF transcripts, quizzes, and a comment section for questions and interaction with other students.

If you want to deepen your relationship with God and better understand Scripture, take one (or all) of these courses. They are great for personal study or for a small group Bible study.

You can see the list of available courses here, and if you join the Discipleship group, you can take all the courses at no additional cost. Go here to learn more and join now.

God is Redeeming God, Redeeming Scripture Bible & Theology Topics: blame, cain, Genesis 4:13-15, One Verse Podcast, scapegoat, violence

7 Gospel Truths that Help Prepare People to Believe in Jesus

By Jeremy Myers
14 Comments

7 Gospel Truths that Help Prepare People to Believe in Jesus

There are a myriad of gospel truths in the Bible. Yet only one gospel truth is presented as the truth that people must believe in order to receive eternal life.

This is the truth that God gives eternal life to anyone who believes in Jesus for it (John 3:16; 5;24; 6:47; etc.)

But realistically, if someone knowing absolutely nothing about God, or Jesus, or sin, or eternal life, then what are the chances that someone will believe in Jesus if you tell them “Hey, you can have eternal life if you believe in Jesus for it”?

I would say the chances are close to zero.

gospel preparation truths

This is one reason why there are so many other truths in the gospel. Many of the gospel truths are there, not so that people are required to believe them in order to receive eternal life, but because they help a person get to the point where they do believe in Jesus for eternal life.

I call these the Preparation Truths of the Gospel

7 Gospel Preparation Truths

There are potentially thousands of preparation truths in the gospel, but I have found that seven of these truths tend to be the most effective and necessary in helping a person come to the place where they believe in Jesus for eternal life.

Here are these seven preparation truths:

  1. There is a God (and He looks like Jesus)
  2. The Bible is God’s Word (so we can look to it for guidance)
  3. God Made Humans (so we are responsible to him in some way)
  4. God requires holiness (this is His standard)
  5. All have sinned (and fallen short of the standard)
  6. Sin results in separation from God (we separate from Him; not vice versa)
  7. Jesus delivered us from sin, death, and separation (due to grace and forgiveness)

IF a person believes all seven of these truths, it is nearly certain that they will also believe in Jesus for eternal life.

Now is it possible to take a person from knowing none of this to believing in Jesus in one 5-minute conversation? I highly doubt it.

This is why evangelism often takes place over the course of months and years, through relationship building and numerous conversations. Often, these seven truths are caught, not taught, as our friends observe us living out these truths in our own lives. And usually, despite how neat and tidy that seven-pointed list is above, the conversations are never that focused or that tidy.

But that’s okay, for that is what relationship-building is all about.

share the gospel

But what about the rest of the gospel?

Once a person believes, this does not mean that the gospel conversations are over. There are still lots of gospel truths left. What are we to do with these? It is this question that we will look at in next week’s post.

For now, what do you think about these seven “Preparation truths”? Are there others you have found helpful when you have conversations about Jesus with other people?

Also, if you want a better explanation of those seven truths, I delve into each one a little more deeply in my course, the Gospel According to Scripture.

The Gospel According to ScriptureWant to learn more about the gospel? Take my new course, "The Gospel According to Scripture."

The entire course is free for those who join my online Discipleship group here on RedeemingGod.com. I can't wait to see you inside the course!

God is Redeeming Theology Bible & Theology Topics: believe in Jesus, evangelism, gospel, gospel according to Scripture, truth, witnessing

[#57] Genesis 4:9-12 โ€“ From the Blood of Abel

By Jeremy Myers
Leave a Comment

[#57] Genesis 4:9-12 โ€“ From the Blood of Abel
http://media.blubrry.com/one_verse/feeds.soundcloud.com/stream/292330470-redeeminggod-57-genesis-49-12-from-the-blood-of-abel.mp3

In Genesis 4:10 we read that the blood of Abel cried out to God from the ground. Have you ever wondered what it said? Well, the book of Hebrews gives us a hint, and we look at these questions in this podcast episode.

Genesis 4:9-12

We will also be discussing how Cain implied that God was guilty for the death of Abel, and why God did not curse Cain for murdering his brother.

Learn how to deal with election fallout and difficult situations by seeing from Genesis 4:9-12 how God deals with Cain (and all of us).

The Text of Genesis 4:9-12

Then the Lord said to Cain, โ€œWhere is Abel your brother?โ€

He said, โ€œI do not know. Am I my brotherโ€™s keeper?โ€

And He said, โ€œWhat have you done? The voice of your brotherโ€™s blood cries out to Me from the ground. So now you are cursed from the earth, which has opened its mouth to receive your brotherโ€™s blood from your hand. When you till the ground, it shall no longer yield its strength to you. A fugitive and a vagabond you shall be on the earth.โ€

In this discussion of Genesis 4:9-12 we look at:

Cain and Abel

  • How Cain implies God is guilty for Abelโ€™s death.
  • Why the curse upon Cain is not a curse from God.
  • Why it is not always true that the evil get punished and the good get blessed.
  • What the blood of Abel cried out from the ground.
  • The better word spoken by the blood of Jesus.

Resources:

  • Become a Member of RedeemingGod.com
  • Myers, The Atonement of God
  • Subscribe on Google Play
  • Subscribe on Stitcher
  • Subscribe on TuneIn
  • Subscribe and Leave a Review on iTunes

Downloadable Podcast Resources

Those who are part of my online discipleship group may download the MP3 audio file for this podcast and view the podcast transcript below.

You must join a discipleship group or login to download the MP3 and view the transcript.

Membership-become-a-member

Thanks for visiting this page ... but this page is for Discipleship Group members.

If you are already part of a Faith, Hope, or Love Discipleship Group,
Login here.

If you are part of the free "Grace" Discipleship group, you will need to
Upgrade your Membership to one of the paid groups.

If you are not part of any group, you may learn about the various groups and their benefits here:
Join Us Today.

Membership-become-a-member


Do you like learning about the Bible online?

Do you like learning about Scripture and theology through my podcast? If so, then you will also love my online courses. They all have MP3 audio downloads, PDF transcripts, quizzes, and a comment section for questions and interaction with other students.

If you want to deepen your relationship with God and better understand Scripture, take one (or all) of these courses. They are great for personal study or for a small group Bible study.

You can see the list of available courses here, and if you join the Discipleship group, you can take all the courses at no additional cost. Go here to learn more and join now.

God is Redeeming God, Redeeming Scripture Bible & Theology Topics: abel, blood, cain, forgiveness, Genesis 4:9-12, Jesus

The Clear Gospel Invitation: Believe in Jesus for Eternal Life

By Jeremy Myers
33 Comments

The Clear Gospel Invitation: Believe in Jesus for Eternal Life

In some previous posts, I have written that while the gospel is huge and complex, the gospel invitation is clear and simple. I have received many comments, Tweets, and Facebook messages about this, so let me try to clarify even further.

There are thousands of gospel truths in the Bible. Clearly, one cannot believe all of them, nor must one understand and believe all of them in order to receive eternal life. Thankfully, Jesus Himself (as well as the Apostles) consistently show that there is one small set of gospel truths that must be believed to receive eternal life.

I call this “the gospel invitation.”

clear gospel invitation

The Gospel Invitation

The gospel invitation is one truth three parts. A person is invited to:

  1. Believe
  2. In Jesus
  3. For everlasting life.

Another way to think about this is that we are to (1) believe (2) in a person (3) for a promise.

Let us briefly consider each.

Believe

First, we invite people to believe.

Since the New Testament almost universally uses the verb โ€œbelieveโ€ or the noun โ€œfaithโ€ it is not wise to substitute other words such as trust, commit, submit, decide, repent or any other word that implies some sort of action or work on our behalf. Believing and faith are the words the Bible most often uses (which is only one word in the Greek with a verb and noun form), and so we garble the gospel when we choose to use other words.

Yes, it is important to understand what the words โ€œbelieveโ€ and โ€œfaithโ€ mean, which in itself is a huge study, but I will walk through this study with you in a future course I will offer.

Believe in a Person

believe in Jesus gospel invitationSecond, we invite people to believe in a person, namely, Jesus Christ.

We do not just invite people to just believe; they are invited to believe in Jesus.

Also, since Jesus has come and revealed God to us, it is not sufficient to invite people to believe in God. Someone can believe in God (or a god) and still not believe in Jesus.

But what exactly do they believe about Jesus? That He was human? That He was God incarnate? That He died on the cross and rose from the dead? That He was born of a virgin and lived a sinless life? When we believe in Jesus, what about Jesus must we believe? This leads to the third gospel invitation truth.

Believe in a Person for a Promise

We invite people to believe in Jesus for everlasting life.

There is a bit more flexibility with this term than with the other two. For example, instead of everlasting life, you could also use the words eternal life, the righteousness of God, or justification. Yet since some of these latter terms may require further explanation, it seems best to use the words Jesus Himself used, and stick with โ€œeverlasting lifeโ€ or โ€œeternal life.โ€

But whatever terminology you use, it is important to emphasize the promise Jesus makes to those who believe in Him. We are to believe in Jesus for His promise of eternal life.

It is not sufficient (or even the same thing) to believe that Jesus was God, or to believe that Jesus died on the cross for our sins and rose again from the dead, or to believe that Jesus really existed, or any of these other true facts about Jesus. If you take a look at each one of those facts, while all of them are true, none of them include a promise, and it is entirely possible for someone to believe that Jesus truly existed, that Jesus was God in the flesh, and to believe that Jesus died on the cross and rose again from the dead, while at the same time, failing to believe in Jesus for everlasting life.

Even the most legalistic, works-righteousness, religious Christians believe that Jesus was God and that He died on the cross and rose again. But they do not believe that Jesus gives eternal life to those who simply and only believe in Him. Instead, such people believe that we must somehow work for, earn, and keep our eternal life through a life of good works. Such people believe a lot of good things about Jesus, but they do not believe in Jesus for everlasting life. As such, the gospel invitation is not complete if it does not mention the promise of eternal life.

The Clear Gospel Invitation

So the central invitation of the gospel is that we can believe in Jesus for everlasting life. It is that simple and that clear.

Do you believe this?

Do you believe in Jesus for eternal life? If so, you have it. Jesus guarantees it.

Can you also share this with other people? Of course you can!

Just like Jesus did, you can invite people to believe in Jesus for eternal life.

You do not need to invite them to forsake their sin, repent, confess, commit, submit, or any of the other common words and terms that are found in modern gospel presentations but are not found on the lips of Jesus.

If you want to invite people to receive eternal life, you can do no better than use the words Jesus Himself used. Simply invite people to believe in Jesus for everlasting life.

The Gospel According to ScriptureWant to learn more about the gospel? Take my new course, "The Gospel According to Scripture."

The entire course is free for those who join my online Discipleship group here on RedeemingGod.com. I can't wait to see you inside the course!

God is Redeeming Theology Bible & Theology Topics: believe in Jesus, eternal life, evangelism, gospel, witnessing

[#56] Genesis 4:8 โ€“ The Founding Murder

By Jeremy Myers
1 Comment

[#56] Genesis 4:8 โ€“ The Founding Murder
http://media.blubrry.com/one_verse/feeds.soundcloud.com/stream/291074811-redeeminggod-56-genesis-48-the-founding-murder.mp3

Genesis 4:8 contains the account of Cain murdering his brother Abel. This is the first death in Scripture and reveals something significant about death and violence.

Genesis 4:8 Cain and Abel

If you have been listening to my podcast for the past year, you may recall that as we were working our way through Genesis 3, I kept mentioning the six foundational and revolutionary truths from Genesis 2, 3, and 4. We looked at the first 5 of these, and then I havenโ€™t really mentioned too much more about them. So maybe you were thinking, โ€œHey! What about the sixth?โ€

Well, that is what we are finally getting to today. Genesis 4:8 contains the sixth and final revolutionary and foundational truth. Understanding this will help you understand the Bible, God, yourself, your relationships, politics, economics, history, and pretty much everything else that goes on in the world.

The Text of Genesis 4:8

Now Cain talked with Abel his brother; and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him.

In this discussion of Genesis 4:8 we look at:

  • The murder of Abel by Cain
  • Why the first death in Scripture is a fratricide
  • The sixth foundational and revolutionary truth from Genesis 2โ€“4
  • What Genesis 4:8 teaches us about God, ourselves, Scripture, history, politics, economics, and pretty much everything else in life.

Resources:

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Downloadable Podcast Resources

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If you want to deepen your relationship with God and better understand Scripture, take one (or all) of these courses. They are great for personal study or for a small group Bible study.

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God is Redeeming God, Redeeming Scripture Bible & Theology Topics: abel, cain, death, Genesis 4:8, murder, One Verse Podcast, sin, violence

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