George Harrison: "If Not For You"

What a lovely love song this is. There's no selfishness in true love and neither is there pomposity. Listen to the song here.

If not for Christ, we would have no hope of eternal life. As Paul wisely observed in 1 Corinthians 15:19 (Bible in Basic English), "If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most unhappy."

Because our Lord rose from the dead, we know that God has accepted his sacrifice for our sins. As we read in 1 John 2:1 and 2 (BBE), "My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may be without sin. And if any man is a sinner, we have a friend and helper with the Father, Jesus Christ, the upright one: He is the offering for our sins; and not for ours only, but for all the world."

Though atheists try to disprove Christ's resurrection, he did rise and many witnesses saw him. As Peter testified in Acts 10:40 and 41 (BBE), "On the third day God gave him back to life, and let him be seen, Not by all the people, but by witnesses marked out before by God, even by us, who took food and drink with him after he came back from the dead."

Jesus is all things to us. He's our Lord for one thing. As he said in Matthew 24:44 (BBE), "Be ready then; for at a time which you have no thought of the Son of man will come."

We also follow his example of humility. As Christ said in John 13:13 and 14 (BBE), "You give me the name of Master and Lord: and you are right; that is what I am. If then I, the Lord and the Master, have made your feet clean, it is right for you to make one another's feet clean."

We await his coming like a bride awaits her groom. As Jesus said in Luke 12:35 and 36 (BBE), "Be ready, dressed as for a journey, with your lights burning. And be like men who are looking for their lord, when he comes back from the bride-feast; so that when he comes to the door, it will be open to him quickly."

If this hasn't happened by Thursday, I hope to feature a reggae song which reflects the world's attitude to life.

What About Religions Which Teach Good Deeds?

To those folks who don't know the gospel, this sounds like a wise question. I can't think of a single world religion which forbids doing good deeds. But doing good works just to better one's chances for a higher place in the next life isn't what gets people into heaven.

Jesus himself gave the answer of how we may receive eternal life. Nicodemus, a ruler of the temple, came by night to ask Jesus this question. John 3:3 (BBE) is his answer to him and all humanity. "Jesus said to him, 'Truly, I say to you, Without a new birth no man is able to see the kingdom of God.'"

And as with our physical birth, we contributed nothing to it. That's why Ephesians 2:8 and 9 (BBE) states without equivocation, "Because by grace you have salvation through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is given by God: Not by works, so that no man may take glory to himself."

This is what makes Christianity radically different from all other belief systems. We can't improve ourselves enough to even begin to reach God's sinlessness. Isaiah 64:6 (BBE) shows us this in no uncertain terms. "For we have all become like an unclean person, and all our good acts are like a dirty robe: and we have all become old like a dead leaf, and our sins, like the wind, take us away."

What people find hard to accept is that we are all sinful. Our basic tendency is to ward wickedness and selfishness. But Christ is lord, meaning the boss, and he must be obeyed. As John 13:13 and 14 (BBE) says, "You give me the name of Master and Lord: and you are right; that is what I am. If then I, the Lord and the Master, have made your feet clean, it is right for you to make one another's feet clean."

Christ couldn't have said it plainer in John 14:6 (BBE) when he told Thomas, "Jesus said to him, 'I am the true and living way: no one comes to the Father but by me."

This is one doctrine which worldly people find offensive. Even so, I'll keep proclaiming it in my book, You Think You're Going to Heaven? Just because we don't like it, doesn't mean it isn't true.

On Saturday, I'll post about what the meaning of love is and I'll feature one of my favourite techno bands' tunes.