The Veritas Fellowship is all about discovering and proclaiming the true truth of Christ in an age of postmodernity, irrationality and individualism. It's a fellowship to seek for truth and light in a world of brokenness and darkness. I love to emphasize the truth and light, the redemption, forgiveness, reconciliation and peace with God. This is almost heaven in the here and now. To know God, even to a small extent, is the best experience I've ever discovered.
But against the joy of heaven that can be discovered in a relationship with Christ is the pain and suffering that can be known in the world. Possibly one of the greatest apologetics for the truth of Christ in Scripture is the brokenness of sin and death in the here and now. As I love to look at the heavens, the universe in its vast splendor of order, beauty, design and wonder, I also can see the pain and heartache and destruction in the world.
Many will say, 'look at the evidence of all this suffering, how can anyone believe in God?' Often that discourages me as well, I can easily be overcome by the worry and fear that the world portrays. But, what does the evil of the world really describe? Does it describe the world as God created it? Or does it describe the world as God said it would become if man turned away from him? The brokenness and sin describes the world without Christ and not with him.
It is essential to see life therefore through the eyes of Christ in Scripture for he teaches us there really is sin in this world, and there is both a heaven and a hell in the world to come. It has also been said that the most difficult teachings of hell in the New Testament were reserved for Jesus himself as no one else had such authority. It is clear that Jesus believed in hell and he warns everyone against its peril.
In the sermon on the mount we see many spiritual truths that describe the nature of sin. Jesus teaches us that sin is a matter of the heart and not just an issue of our external behavior. In Mt. 5:22 we read, "But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, 'You fool' will be liable to the hell of fire." And also in Luke 12:5, "But I will warn you whom to fear: fear him who, after he has killed, has authority to cast into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him!" These are grave warnings that must not be dismissed as the teachings of an ancient Rabbi. Jesus has been raised from the grave and these are just some teachings of the truth of hell and its horrors.
Regarding the final judgment of all men Jesus teaches us in Mt. 13:41-42, "The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness, and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." This teaching clarifies the judgment of all mankind and the agony of hell. Humanity needs salvation from lawlessness and no amount of good works will ever redeem us from our sin.
The good news is in this same section in the following verse. For Jesus clarifies in Mt. 13:43, "Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!" The other option to hell is heaven where those who trust in Christ alone will find eternal life and will 'shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father'. This is what we were created for, and Jesus came to live a perfect life so that he would give this gift to all who call upon his name.
Hell is a reality that can be seen with glimpses in the sin and brokenness of this world. It can only be truly understood as we know from Scripture, and it is horrific in every aspect. Let us all who believe in heaven and hell run to Christ and live in his truth so that we too will "shine forth as the sun in the kingdom" of God.
But against the joy of heaven that can be discovered in a relationship with Christ is the pain and suffering that can be known in the world. Possibly one of the greatest apologetics for the truth of Christ in Scripture is the brokenness of sin and death in the here and now. As I love to look at the heavens, the universe in its vast splendor of order, beauty, design and wonder, I also can see the pain and heartache and destruction in the world.
Many will say, 'look at the evidence of all this suffering, how can anyone believe in God?' Often that discourages me as well, I can easily be overcome by the worry and fear that the world portrays. But, what does the evil of the world really describe? Does it describe the world as God created it? Or does it describe the world as God said it would become if man turned away from him? The brokenness and sin describes the world without Christ and not with him.
It is essential to see life therefore through the eyes of Christ in Scripture for he teaches us there really is sin in this world, and there is both a heaven and a hell in the world to come. It has also been said that the most difficult teachings of hell in the New Testament were reserved for Jesus himself as no one else had such authority. It is clear that Jesus believed in hell and he warns everyone against its peril.
In the sermon on the mount we see many spiritual truths that describe the nature of sin. Jesus teaches us that sin is a matter of the heart and not just an issue of our external behavior. In Mt. 5:22 we read, "But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, 'You fool' will be liable to the hell of fire." And also in Luke 12:5, "But I will warn you whom to fear: fear him who, after he has killed, has authority to cast into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him!" These are grave warnings that must not be dismissed as the teachings of an ancient Rabbi. Jesus has been raised from the grave and these are just some teachings of the truth of hell and its horrors.
Regarding the final judgment of all men Jesus teaches us in Mt. 13:41-42, "The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness, and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." This teaching clarifies the judgment of all mankind and the agony of hell. Humanity needs salvation from lawlessness and no amount of good works will ever redeem us from our sin.
The good news is in this same section in the following verse. For Jesus clarifies in Mt. 13:43, "Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!" The other option to hell is heaven where those who trust in Christ alone will find eternal life and will 'shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father'. This is what we were created for, and Jesus came to live a perfect life so that he would give this gift to all who call upon his name.
Hell is a reality that can be seen with glimpses in the sin and brokenness of this world. It can only be truly understood as we know from Scripture, and it is horrific in every aspect. Let us all who believe in heaven and hell run to Christ and live in his truth so that we too will "shine forth as the sun in the kingdom" of God.
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