💡 THOUGHTS FROM ME
I. It’s common to hear today that all religions are just different paths up the same mountain, all leading to God.
The problem is, Jesus himself disagreed with that idea.
In Acts 4:12, Peter, one of Jesus’ closest disciples, says, “There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to people by which we must be saved.” He clearly got that idea from Jesus.
Jesus himself said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). He does not say he is a way, but the way.
Now, you can disagree with Jesus. You can say you think he was wrong and that he was not the (or the only) path to God. You don’t even have to believe in him.
But what you can’t say is that Jesus thought there were many paths to God. According to Jesus, he alone provides redemption for us where otherwise there would be none.
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II. All of us are already condemned without Jesus.
Many will claim Christianity is too exclusive, with the idea being that Jesus being the only way we can be in right relationship with God is too narrow or harsh.
But this assumes God already accepts us as we are, and that Jesus has created a barrier (trust in Him) that is unnecessary.
But that is not what Jesus says is going on. In John 3:17–18, Jesus says this:
17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Anyone who believes in him is not condemned, but anyone who does not believe is already condemned, because he has not believed in the name of the one and only Son of God.
In other words, our sin is what condemns us. Our sin separates us from God. On our own, we are already condemned.
But Jesus has come to grant access where otherwise there would not be any. Jesus has come to rescue us from sin and death through his perfect life, death, burial, and resurrection.
Without Jesus, we are condemned. With Him, we are given grace, freedom, and love.
📖 UNDERSTANDING THE BIBLE
In the Old Testament, when it says God “remembered” something, it doesn’t mean He suddenly remembered something he had forgotten. Instead, it signals that God is about to take action on His promises.
Here are some key places this pattern shows up:
Genesis 8:1 — God remembered Noah (and all the animals), and He sent a wind so the floodwaters began to recede.
Genesis 9:15–16 — God said He would remember His covenant with the earth, and the rainbow is the sign of His promise never again to destroy the earth with a flood.
Genesis 19:29 — God remembered Abraham, and He brought Lot out of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah.
Genesis 30:22 — God remembered Rachel, listened to her, and opened her womb so she conceived Joseph.
Exodus 2:24–25 — God remembered His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and He looked on the Israelites in slavery, leading to their deliverance.
Exodus 6:5–6 — God said He remembered His covenant, and He raised up Moses to bring Israel out of Egypt.
Leviticus 26:42, 45 — God promised that even if Israel was unfaithful, He would remember His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and act to preserve His people.
Numbers 10:9 — Israel is told to sound the trumpets in battle so that they will be “remembered before the Lord” and He will save them from their enemies.
1 Samuel 1:19 — God remembered Hannah, and she conceived Samuel.
2 Kings 20:3–6 — Hezekiah prayed “Remember me,” and God acted by extending his life 15 years.
Nehemiah 13:22, 29, 31 — Nehemiah prays multiple times “Remember me,” and God responds by strengthening his reforms.
Psalm 105:8 — God remembers His covenant forever, and the psalm recounts His mighty acts of deliverance as proof.
Psalm 106:45 — God remembered His covenant and relented according to His great love, sparing Israel from destruction.
When Scripture says God remembers, it means he is faithful to act. His promises are sure and his word never fails.
💬 1 HELPFUL QUOTE
I. Gregory the Great on the Bible:
The Bible is shallow enough for a child to wade in, and deep enough for an elephant to swim in. God has given it so all may know Him.”
📚 1 BRIEF BOOK REVIEW
A book about the life of President James A. Garfield and his assassination a few months into his presidency.
This is a well-written, attention-holding account of Garfield’s life, how he died, and the man who assassinated him. As sometimes happens in biographical or historical books, there can be parts where it feels like unnecessary details and stories are added; in this book, I don’t think that happened even once.
What’s more, while the book was primarily about Garfield, his death, and his assassin, it even tied up loose ends for the other people who were an important part of the story.
Garfield comes across as a truly good man, and he never even wanted to be president. Those two things being true, it is tragic that he was assassinated only a few months into his term. It’s hard not to wonder what could have been. Instead, he is a mostly forgotten president. This is unfortunate.
A captivating read.
8.5/10
P.S. It’s all about efficiency…
