How long will you believe?

It may seem counter-intuitive to think of an old testament patriarch when considering the topic of faith, but Paul uses Abraham to demonstrate the power of faith in God (Rom 4:19-25). The promise God made to Abraham might seem incredible enough, but consider that the promise was given 20 years before it was kept. Abraham believed God for over 20 years, how long can you believe God?

Jump if you can

Christians often refer to "having faith in Jesus," or "salvation is by faith alone," but what does that really mean? Biblical faith includes not just knowing the story of Jesus, or even believing the stories to be true. Biblical faith goes one step further and actually trusts Christ and His sacrifice to be our righteousness, instead of trusting our good works as the key to God's heart. Rom 4.
NOTE: For a better summary of the 3 Components of Faith - see "3 Components of Faith – C.H. Spurgeon" on Hills Bible Church website.

Sin Tax - Rom 4

The crux of Christianity is that we are not able to pay the debt of sin that we incur against God. But God, in His love for us, paid the debt for us. We might want to ask why God needed payment, but that misses the point. By showing us our inadequacies, God reveals His greatness, His love and He focuses our attention on Him instead of ourselves. How could you benefit from focusing on God?

In the Same Pot

Christianity is based on the idea that no one is better than anyone else. In Romans 3, Paul declares both religious and non-religious people are in the same condition. Everyone does wrong and everyone needs the hope of salvation from the consequences of our sins. Are you able to let go of your pride and ask God to forgive your wrong-doing based on His sacrifice through Jesus Christ?

New and Improved...You

The Bible often refers to the "heart" as a metaphor for our innermost person, or core. So when God promises us a "new heart," He is offering a significant change in who we are as a person. (Rom 2) While that might not sound desirable to many of us, the truth is that we desperately need the overhaul that God is offering (Jer 17:9).

John 12 describes a group of outsiders who proclaimed "We want to see Jesus" (John 12:21).  Jesus has always been open to, and attractive to the disenfranchised and lonely. Do your words remind non-Christians of  that Jesus?

in the muck

The Bible condemns hypocrisy in famous passages like Rom 2:1-3, yet modern Christians seem to be known for committing this sin. Maybe the truth is, that we all stumble over seeing fault in others, without recognizing it in ourselves. Can you think of a time you learned that you weren't right, but had trouble believing it?