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By: Gary L. Hutchens An old saying goes something like, “What you don’t know won’t hurt you.” There may be some truth to that, but it’s certainly not true in every case. Many people have eaten contaminated food, not knowing it was contaminated, and got sick as a result. In some cases people have died. Not knowing it was tainted did not keep them from being hurt.
By: Gary L. Hutchens In a previous article, “The Lost Summer,” having considered the massively life altering effects of the corona virus pandemic on our culture, a follow up question is in order, especially for us as Christians: Are we getting carelessly comfortable with those effects?
By: Gary L. Hutchens How will you remember the year 2020? I’ve come to refer to it as The Lost Summer. Actually, it’s been a lost Spring and Summer, and it appears that some of that reality could extend through the Fall and into Winter. The corona virus pandemic began to hit our nation in full force in early March, and within a couple of weeks most everything changed.
By: Gary L. Hutchens The Apostle Paul learned a fundamental lesson through his Christian life experiences: “Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” (Phlp. 4:11-13).
By: Gary L. Hutchens For how long will God be merciful? How far does God’s mercy go? How can finite man answer such a question about an infinite God? The depth of God’s love is expressed in the statement “God is love” (1 Jn. 4:8, 16). God is the most succinct, the most comprehensive definition of “love.” It is beyond us, as finite beings, to fully understand God’s capacity to love? He is infinite.
By: Gary L. Hutchens After the first man and woman sinned and brought upon humanity the curse of sin, God prophesied that He would send His Son into the world to pay the price for the guilt of our sins (Gen. 3:15). The rest of the Old Testament points to the coming Savior. The four gospel accounts tell about the ministry of Jesus Christ while He was on this earth. The rest of the New Testament refers to His having brought the gospel message of salvation, His dying on the cross as the perfect sacrifice, and then points forward to the day He will come again to judge all mankind.
By: Gary L. Hutchens It’s probably fair to say that most people have a poor, or at least a very limited, understanding of God’s grace. It seems that most people equate grace almost exclusively with salvation. The connection is definite and profound, but that’s not all there is to God’s grace. Peter admonishes, “But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Pet. 3:18). How does a person grow in grace, and is it important to grow in grace?
By: Gary L. Hutchens Once saved, always saved! A whole lot of people in the denominational world believe that. Their belief is connected to a flawed understanding of God’s grace. Without question, we are saved “…by grace…through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.” (Eph. 2:8-9). We cannot save ourselves, nor can we earn our salvation. We are totally dependent upon God’s grace.
By: Gary L. Hutchens The apostle Paul wrote, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.” (Eph. 2:8-9). We cannot save ourselves. It is totally, and only, by God’s grace that we can be saved. But, does God expect any response on our part to His offer to save us by His grace, and does our response have anything to do with our salvation?
By: Gary L. Hutchens God is good! One day, I received an email that included the statement, “God is good, all of the time.” That statement was more significant in that the email gave a report of a family member of the sender who had been diagnosed with cancer. The truth is, God is good all of the time! Even when things seem to be going badly for us, God is still good. Even when we pray to God for deliverance from a difficult situation, and His answer is “No” or “Wait awhile,” God is still good.
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October 2020
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