Pour on the Salt

“Salt is good, but if the salt loses its flavor, how will you season it? Have salt in yourselves, and have peace with one another.” Mark 9:50

After Jesus predicted His death and resurrection a second time (9:30-32), He warned His disciples of three things that can hinder their effectiveness as His followers when they face suffering including a desire for greatness (9:33-37), a sectarian attitude that excludes other followers of Christ (9:38-41), and a lack of self-discipline about what we touch (“your hand”), where we go (“your foot”), and what we see (“your eye” – 9:42-48). 

Jesus then says that “everyone will be seasoned with fire, and every sacrifice will be seasoned with salt” (9:49). Both believers and unbelievers will be seasoned with the “fire” and the “salt” of trials in this life (cf. James 1:1-18). For believers, these fiery trials can refine their faith (I Pet. 1:6-7), but for unbelievers these trials can show them their need to believe in Christ for salvation before it is too late (Acts 26:13-14).  

Christ concludes, “Salt is good, but if the salt loses its flavor, how will you season it? Have salt in yourselves, and have peace with one another” (9:50). In the ancient Middle East, salt was used to preserve food and to make it tastier, so it would enhance one’s appetite for the food. When Jesus says to “have salt in yourselves,” He is talking about preserving His righteousness in the world and giving people an appetite for God by the way we live for Christ in the midst of suffering. We are to “have peace with one another” as we face difficulties instead of seeking our own greatness (9:33-34) or being sectarian (9:38-39).

Are we giving non-Christians an appetite for Jesus by the way we think, speak, and act? Instead of hardening our hearts when we face suffering (“if the salt loses its flavor”), we are to humble our hearts so God can use our difficulties to make us more like Jesus. In other words, pour on the salt by allowing Christ to be manifested in our daily lives.

A sweet aroma to the Lord

“You shall offer a burnt offering as a sweet aroma to the Lord: one young bull, one ram, and seven lambs in their first year, without blemish.” Numbers 29:2

To prepare the new generation of Israelites to enter the land of Canaan, God gave instructions concerning all the “offerings” or sacrifices that the priests were to make in a year for the whole nation (28:1-29:40). One of the main emphases found in these instructions is that the animals to be sacrificed must be “without blemish” (28:3, 9, 11, 19, 31; 29:2, 8, 13, 17, 20, 23, 26, 29, 32, 36) as “a sweet aroma to the Lord” (28:2, 6, 8, 13, 24, 27; 29:2, 6, 8, 13, 36).  

This is a beautiful foreshadowing of the perfect (“without blemish”) sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 5:21; Hebrews 4:15; 1 Peter 3:18) who was and is fully God and fully Man (cf. John 1:1, 14). His death on the cross was “a sweet aroma” to God the Father whose holy demand to punish sin was satisfied (I John 2:2) so that “whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). 

But you may say, “I’m religious…I go to church… I’m a good person…I help the poor… I don’t do anything that’s really bad.” These are all good, but good living, going to church, helping the poor, or any other good thing you might do, say, or think, cannot get you to Heaven. The Bible says, “All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags” (Isaiah 64:6). God looks at the good things we do, such as attending church, being baptized, confessing our sins, and persevering in good works and sees they are all stained with sin. None of these “good things” can take away our sins. We must believe or trust in Jesus alone, and God will forgive all of your sins (Acts 10:43) and give you everlasting life (John 3:15-16).

If up till now, you have been depending on your good works or on Christ plus your good works to get you to heaven, Jesus now invites you to depend on Him and His finished work on the cross alone to get you to heaven (John 3:15-16, 36; Ephesians 2:8-9). The moment you trust in Him alone, He gives you eternal life which can never be lost (John 10:28-29), He saves you from Hell forever (Acts 16:31), and He places you in God’s family forever (John 1:12; 6:37). Jesus will also come to live inside of you through His Holy Spirit (John 14:16-17; Galatians 2:20) to give you the power to live a life that pleases Him (Romans 8:11; 2 Corinthians 5:15). 

Why is being a Nice Person not enough to get you to Heaven?

I have met many nice people in my lifetime. In fact, they put me to shame with their kindness toward others. Instead of being selfish or judgmental, they are quick to help others regardless of their beliefs. Basically they live by the Golden Rule that Jesus taught – “Whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them” (Matt. 7:12). Many of the world’s religions advocate this teaching. But is being a nice person enough to get you to heaven?

God has told us in His Bible that all people have a fundamental problem that separates them from Him. It is called sin.

“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Romans 3:23

No human being is “nice” enough to get to heaven because we all have sinned against God and fall short of His standard for being “nice.” 

“For the wages of sin is death.” Romans 6:23a

“Death” in the Bible means separation from God. Sin separates us from God because He is holy, righteous, and perfect. He cannot be around sin. The only way to approach God is on His terms, not ours. 

God tells us that there is only one way to receive eternal life (access to heaven) and that is “in” Jesus Christ. 

“But the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 6:23b

Notice that eternal life is not in being nice or good. It is “in Christ Jesus our Lord.” God loved you and me so much that He was willing to come to earth in human flesh (John 1:1, 14-17) and die on the Cross for our sins and come back to life (I Corinthians 15:3-6) so we could have everlasting life simply by believing in Him (John 3:16).

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” John 3:16

No amount of being nice can take away our sins. 

“All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags.” Isaiah 64:6

God looks at the good things we do, such as being nice or good to others, and sees that it is like “filthy rags.” The good things we do are all stained with sin before a holy God. For example, we may be nice to someone with selfish motives such as wanting their approval or wanting something in return from them. God sees our sinful motives even though we or others may not be aware of them.

Being “nice” cannot take away our sins. Only Jesus Christ is qualified as the God-Man to take away our sins (John 1:1, 14-17, 29; 14:6; Acts 4:12; I Timothy 2:3-6). Only Jesus was “nice” or good enough to earn heaven. Believe in Him and God will credit Jesus’ righteousness to your life so He can welcome you into His heaven.

“But to him who does not work, but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness.” Romans 4:5

Then Jesus will come to live inside of you (Galatians 2:20) through His Holy Spirit (John14:16-17; Romans 8:9) to give you the power to be nice to others as you learn to trust and obey Him (John 15:5; Galatians 5:22-23). 

Reasons why Christians are not to Lose Heart

The apostle Paul gives Christians several reasons in 2 Corinthians 3-5 why they are not to lose heart in the ministry:

1. Because God has made them sufficient to be “ministers of the new covenant” ministry through His Spirit which “gives life” in contrast to “the letter” of the Law which “kills” (3:5-6). 

2. Because God has given them a ministry in which God’s Spirit transforms peoples’ lives from the inside out through His written word (3:15-18) and removes Satanic barriers that keep people from believing the gospel (4:1-6). 

3. Because God has placed “this treasure” of the gospel “in earthen vessels” (frail bodies of believers) in order to show the “power” of His “grace” working in and through their sufferings and service (4:7-12). 

4. Because God has given them the hope of sharing in Jesus’ resurrection (“He who raised up the Lord Jesus will also raise us up with Jesus”) in the future (4:13-15).

5. Because even though their physical bodies are deteriorating through the aging process and sufferings (“our outward man is perishing”), their inward spiritual lives are still developing (“the inward man is being renewed day by day”) by God’s grace (4:16). 

6. Because their sufferings (“our light affliction, which is but for a moment”) for Christ’s sake, result in “a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory” (eternal rewards) in the future (4:17).

7. Because their sufferings teach them to focus on what is “eternal” and “not seen,” rather than on what is “temporary” and “seen” (4:18).

8. Because all Christians who die will receive an immortal body (“we have a building from God…eternal in the heavens”) from the Lord (5:1).

9. Because all Christians possess “the Spirit as a guarantee” of their future immortal body in heaven (4:2-5).

10. Because death (“absent from the body”) begins a new existence for Christians in the presence of the Lord Jesus in heaven (“present with the Lord”) that is far superior to their present existence on earth (5:6-8).

11.  Because ministry is about being “well pleasing” to the Lord who is realistic in His expectations of His children, not people who tend to be unrealistic in their expectations of others (5:9).

12. Because “all” Christians will “appear before the judgment seat of Christ” to receive rewards from Christ on the basis of their works (“according to what he has done”) for Him in the ministry (5:10). 

Conditions for Discipleship

“When He had called the people to Himself, with His disciples also, He said to them, ‘Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.’ ” Mark 8:34

After Christ taught His disciples about His upcoming sufferings, death, and resurrection (8:31-33), He then explains to them that suffering would also be part of their destiny as well as His (8:34-38). These are conditions for discipleship, not salvation from hell. Salvation from hell is free and cannot be lost and is based solely on faith alone in Christ alone (Acts 16:31 Ephes. 2:8-9). Discipleship is costly and can be lost (Luke 14:25-33; John 8:31-32; 13:34-35; 15:1-8). 

What does discipleship include? Jesus says, “Let him…”

  • “deny himself” (8:34b). A disciple must replace his or her own preferences and plans with Christ’s. This also includes denying the lies we believe that keep us from doing this. 
  • “take up his cross” (8:34c). A disciple must be willing to publicly identify with Christ even if it means shame, suffering, and physical death. Taking up one’s cross also means submission. We are to submit to Christ’s control in our lives. 
  • “follow Me” (8:34d).  A disciple faithfully follows Christ’s leading and obeys His instructions. Jesus wants to teach us how to live a life that glorifies Him and then live that life for Him.

Why are believers to live like this? Jesus gives us motivation in Mark 8:35-38: Because believers will gain eternal rewards that are much more valuable than what “the world” has to offer (8:35-37; cf. I Cor. 3:11-15). To “save his life” in this context (8:35a), is to live selfishly by denying Christ for fear of suffering and shame (cf. 8:31-33). When we live selfishly in our Christian lives, we will “lose” our lives in a deeper more enduring way in eternity. Like a rich man who “gains the whole world” living selfishly, but “loses his own soul” from gaining eternal rewards before God (8:36-37). 

Instead of finding our lives and losing the eternal value of life, we are to “lose” life now for Christ and His gospel to “save” or preserve a richer life in the life to come (8:35b). To “lose his life” refers to self-sacrificing service for Christ. Every moment that believers lose some aspect of their physical lives for the sake of Christ – when they suffer pain and shame because of their commitment to Christ – they are going to find a richer life for themselves in eternity. The more of this life that they lose, the more of that life they will gain.

Instead of being “ashamed” of Christ at His coming, believers will have confidence before the Judgment Seat of Christ as they give an account to Him of what they did for Him (8:38; cf. Rom. 14:10-12; I John 2:28). 

Imagine standing before Jesus at the Judgment Seat of Christ and He asks you what you did for Him during your Christian life on earth (Rom. 14:12; 2 Cor. 5:10). If as a Christian, all you did was live for yourself and this world, think of the shame you will have as you stand there before the Lord with nothing to say (I John 2:28). Also, when you see other Christians receiving rewards from Christ and you receive nothing, imagine the regret you will have in terms of what could have been yours (Matt. 25:19-30; Luke 19:20-26; I Cor 3:15). 

Brothers and sisters in Christ, it is not too late for you if you are reading this. Today you can begin this discipleship journey with Jesus Christ. Make this decision today to follow Jesus no matter what the cost. You will not regret it especially when you stand before Him at the Judgment Seat of Christ. Jesus will make your commitment to Him eternally worthwhile!

How do I know the Bible is True? Part 8

8. The evidence of CHANGED lives supports that the Bible is true.

“For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12).

No book has impacted the lives of people and the course of world events more than the Bible. The Bible has been translated into more languages, has influenced more thought, inspired more art, and motivated more discoveries than any other book. The Bible has always been at the top of the all-time best-seller list. Its power is surpassed by none:

The Bible is able to transform the sinner into a saint; the guilty into the forgiven; the hateful into the helpful; the promiscuous into the pure; the greedy into the generous. God’s Word changes lives. However, we must be careful not to defend the Bible from personal experience. For example, a Muslim could argue that the Qur’an has changed his life or a Mormon could argue that the Book of Mormon changed his life. People have false experiences all the time – drugs can cause hallucinations, dreams can seem real, and mental illness can alter a person’s perception. Experiences can be deceiving. All experiences, no matter how real they may seem, must be measured by some other criteria. Hence, we must understand that personal experience does not validate the Bible; the Bible validates personal experience. This is why Christians should question their own experiences if they do not line up with God’s Word. 

In conclusion,when quoting what Moses wrote in the Old Testament, Jesus referred to it as what “God said”in Matthew 15:4. Peter refers to the apostle Paul’s writings and then to“the other Scriptures,”indicating that Paul’s writings were authoritative Scripture (2 Peter 3:16). The apostle Paul wrote to Timothy that “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God”(2 Timothy 3:16).  The word “inspiration” means “God-breathed.” The writers of the New Testament claimed that the Bible is the very Word of God. If we insist that the Bible is not true, then we are saying that we know more than Moses, David, Peter, Paul and the Lord Jesus Christ did. 

Since the Bible is true, we must take time to read and apply it to our lives if we are to grow spiritually. The Bible says, “31Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, ‘If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. 32And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free’ ” (John 8:31-32). In order to be Jesus’ disciple, those of us who believe in Him must “abide” or make our home in His Word. Christ promises that as we do that, we “shall know the truth” which “shall make” us free from the lies that enslave us to sin (8:32). Daily abide in Christ’s Word, the Bible, and you will grow spiritually and become more like Christ Who is “the truth” (John 14:6).

How do I know the Bible is True? Part 7

7. The evidence of SCIENCE supports that the Bible is true. 

A literal understanding of Genesis 1-11 is supported by science. For example:

a. ANTHROPOLOGY. The Bible teaches that God made the first man from dust, and that all people are descendants of one man—thus there is only one human race (Gen. 1:26-28; 2:7-25). The Bible tells us that the population that descended from Noah had one language and disobeyed God’s command to “fill the earth” (Gen. 9:1; 11:4). As a result, God confused their language, causing the population  to break up into smaller groups, which scattered over the earth (Gen. 11:8-9). Modern genetics show how, following such a break-up of a population, variations in physical appearance, such as skin color, can develop in only a few generations. Linguistic and biological evidence support the genetic closeness of all human ethnic groups, consistent with a recent origin from a small population source like that described in Genesis 1-11.  Evidence that all peoples on earth have come from Noah are found in the flood stories from many cultures around the world (see The Revised & Expanded Answers Book, 1990, pp. 28, 219-236). All of these findings are consistent with biblical creation.

b. ASTRONOMY. According to a literal understanding of Genesis 1 and the genealogies of the Bible (assuming there are no gaps), the week of creation took place over 6,000 years ago. Therefore, the earth, sun, moon and stars are just a few thousand years old. The media and evolutionists contest this age by pointing to the billions of years derived from rocks by radioisotope dating which is based upon questionable assumptions. What they do not tell the general public is that there are many other dating methods which indicate that the earth is much too young for evolution to occur (e.g. earth’s magnetic field, lack of helium in atmosphere, lack of salt or sediment in the ocean, lack of erosion of the continents; too much carbon 14 in deep geologic strata; high oil deposit pressure; tree rings; galaxies wind themselves up too fast;  the small number of super nova remnants; magnetic fields on “cold” planets; young short-period comets; the sun is too big; the moon is too close; recent civilizations; and population statistics all point to a young earth and universe (see Dr. Russell Humphrey’s “The Earth’s Magnetic Field Is Young”, 1994; John Morris’ The Young Earth, 1994, pp. 93-117 & The Revised & Expanded Answers Book, 1990, pp. 27, 86-88).  

c. BIOLOGY. The Bible teaches that God created distinct kinds of animals and plants to reproduce after their own kind (Gen. 1).  There are two laws of biology that support this. They state: like can only come from like, and life always gives rise to life (biogenesis). The first is obviously true – fruit flies always give rise to fruit flies and dogs always give birth to dogs and humans always have babies that are human. The Bible tells us that life always comes from pre-existing life …God is alive and from Him life was created. Each living thing reproduces after its kind, so we see that biology supports what the Bible teaches. (see The Revised & Expanded Answers Book, 1990, pp. 20, 25-26; see Dr. Jason Lisle’s “Don’t Creationists Deny the Laws of Nature?”, Aug. 2007 ).

d. GEOLOGY. The Bible informs us that death entered the world after sin (Gen. 3; Rom. 5:12). This has a bearing on geology and paleontology, as the Earth is covered with rocks full of fossils—dead things. Thus, the fossil-containing rocks could not have formed before sin. The Bible records the event of a global Flood (Gen. 6-8) —this has a great bearing on correctly interpreting the surface of the Earth and the massive quantity of sedimentary rocks, as well as explaining the formation of most fossils. Evidence for rapid deposition of geological strata as in the biblical global flood includes the lack of erosion between rock layers “supposedly” separated in layers by many millions of years; lack of disturbance of rock strata by biological activity (worms, roots, fish, plants, etc.); lack of soil layers; preservation of surface features (i.e. ripple marks, rain drop impressions, animal tracks); polystrate fossils (which traverse several rock layers vertically – these could not have stood vertically for thousands of years while they slowly got buried); soft sediment deformation whereby thick layers of “rock” are bent and folded into hairpin shapes without fracturing, indicating that the rock was all soft when bent. Evidence from Mount St. Helens tells us that canyons can be formed in a short period of time by catastrophic events (see John Morris’ The Young Earth, 1994, pp. 93-117). 

e. PALEONTOLOGY. The order and distribution of fossils in the geological record is best explained by the global flood of Noah’s day (Gen. 7-8; see The Revised & Expanded Answers Book, 1990, pg. 196; John Morris’ The Young Earth, 1994, Transparency Master). 

How do I know the Bible is True? Part 6

6. The evidence of SELF-TESTIMONY supports that the Bible is true. 

Self-testimony is valid evidence in a court of law. The Old Testament authors often made claims like, “And the Lord spoke to me, saying…”or “The word of the Lord came to me, saying…” Henry Morris in his book Many Infallible Proofs(San Diego: Creation Life, 1974, pp. 156-7) claims there are 2,600 such claims of divine inspiration in the Old Testament. The New Testament also claims to be inspired word-for-word by God. Jesus said, “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled” (Matthew 5:17-18). According to Matthew 5:17-18, Jesus says the Bible is accurate down to each letter of a word and each stroke of a pen. 

How do I know the Bible is True? Part 5

5. The evidence of INDESTRUCTIBILITY supports that the Bible is true.

“The words of the Lord are pure words, like silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times. You shall keep them, O Lord, You shall preserve them from this generation forever.”Psalm 12:6-7 

Jesus said,“Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.” Matthew 24:35 

Skeptics have tried for centuries to destroy the authority of the Bible. For example, in the 18thcentury, the noted French infidel Voltaire forecast that within a century there would be no Bibles left on earth. Ironically, 50 years after he died, the Geneva Bible Society used his old printing press and his house to produce stacks of Bibles (The Revised & Expanded Answers Book, 1990, pg. 17). The Bible has been banned, burned, and outlawed, yet it has outlasted all of its opponents. It remains the all-time best-seller in history. The Bible continues to be scrutinized today by archaeology, science, psychology, political movements, Hollywood, and computers, etc. Yet the Bible remains undaunted. It proves Itself to be true over and over again despite these many attacks. 

How do I know the Bible is True? Part 4

4. The evidence of MANUSCRIPT comparisons supports that the Bible is true.

The historical reliability of an ancient document is determined by the number of manuscripts and the time interval between the original and earliest copy. The more manuscripts and the shorter the time gap between the original and earliest copy, the greater the historical reliability of the document. When comparing the New Testament with other famous writings, the New Testament has far more manuscript authority than any other ancient literature (see above chart), showing that it is historically reliable.