Bend it Like Job

Julie Cosgrove

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“Show me my offense and my sin…You keep close watch on all my paths by putting marks on the soles of my feet.” (Job 13:23b, 27)

God agreed to let Satan take everything from Job – his family, friends, property, and health – in order to test Job’s faith. But there is one thing Satan could not take away: He could not snatch Job’s free will to choose faith in God.

It was a common belief in Job’s day that God’s wrath came upon us if we did something wrong. His friends figured Job must have committed a heinous sin to have so much misfortune befall him. In fact, Job began to think the same thing. But the One Job did not wonder about was God. Instead of being like Adam, who hid from God and then played the blame-game, Job stood firm, bent a knee, and asked God to forgive him for all his sins. His belief that God is all-knowing, all-powerful, and that we are by nature sinful and unworthy to approach His throne resonates throughout the whole book.

The Top 10 Most-Searched Bible Verses: What’s Missing?

After watching many National Football League games growing up, I finally grew curious enough to walk into my parents’ office and pick up the family Bible. It seemed every football broadcast included shots of someone standing in the end zone, behind and between the goal posts, holding up a simple sign: JOHN 3:16. I knew enough about the Bible to locate the Book of John in the New Testament.
When I read John 3:16, I wasn’t impressed. Turns out the verse was familiar, thanks to Sunday school. I guess I expected to read some sort of decoded message that would unlock a valuable secret. In some sense that’s exactly what I read, but I didn’t yet have the eyes of faith to behold the beauty of what God has done in Jesus Christ.

You probably won’t be surprised to learn that John 3:16 is the most-searched Bible verse, according to Bible Gateway’s statistical analysis. We reviewed the behavior of some of the 8 million visitors who stop by the site each month, many of them chasing results provided by Google. I was intrigued to review the top 10 results, which I’ve listed in reverse order.

Shaking The Earth Terribly

by Henry Morris, Ph.D.

“And they shall go into the holes of the rocks, and into the caves of the earth, for fear of the LORD, and for the glory of His majesty, when He ariseth to shake terribly the earth” (Isaiah 2:19).

Ever since the convulsions of the Flood, the earth’s crust has been in a state of instability, causing earthquakes from time to time all around the world.

But there are earthquakes yet to come which will exceed anything ever yet experienced. The earthquake prophesied in our text was also predicted in Revelation. “And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; . . . and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. And . . . (they) hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from . . . the wrath of the Lamb” (Revelation 6:12-16). 

The Crucifixion

by Tim Chaffey, AiG–U.S.

On the day often called Good Friday many Christians will commemorate the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ. The Creator put on human flesh and died a horrific death on the Cross. Rather than worshiping Him as their Creator and God, most people rejected Him and sentenced Him to death. How could the day associated with mankind’s heinous act possibly be called good?

The answer to this question is found in the purpose for Christ’s death. Jesus said that He “did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:28). Since we have all sinned against the infinitely holy God, we deserve to pay the price for our rebellion—death (Romans 3:23). But praise God for His mercy and grace! Rather than condemning us for our sin, the Bible tells us that God so loved the world that He sent His only begotten Son to take the punishment we deserve (John 3:16; 1 John 4:10; 2 Corinthians 5:21).

Consider this incredible truth. The omnipotent Creator loves us enough to humble Himself to the point of dying on the Cross for our sins (Philippians 2:8; Isaiah 53:5, 8). Jesus spoke about this type of love to His disciples on the night before He laid down His life for sinners. He stated, “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends” (John 15:13). Not only did Christ give them a lesson about the self-sacrificing nature of true love, but He likely alluded to His impending death on the Cross, which He had already explained to them on previous occasions (Matthew 20:17–19).

Jesus endured unimaginable torment for us. He was rejected by His own people, spat upon, beaten, mocked, and scourged. These sufferings led to His sacrificial death on the Cross and subsequent Resurrection, which paid the price for our sins, satisfied the justice and wrath of the Father, and gave us the certain hope of eternal life with Him.

How could we ever adequately respond to this immeasurable gift? Our words could never sufficiently express the gratitude owed to our Savior. Some of our greatest songwriters have attempted to capture the beautiful truth of Christ’s sacrifice, but even their exceptional words fall short. Perhaps Isaac Watts came the closest in his magnificent hymn, “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross.”

When I survey the wondrous cross
On which the Prince of glory died,
My richest gain I count but loss,
And pour contempt on all my pride.

Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast,
Save in the death of Christ, my God;
All the vain things that charm me most,
I sacrifice them to His blood.

See, from His head, His hands, His feet,
Sorrow and love flow mingled down;
Did e’er such love and sorrow meet,
Or thorns compose so rich a crown?

Were the whole realm of nature mine,
That were a present far too small;
Love so amazing, so divine,
Demands my soul, my life, my all.

We have no reason to boast in ourselves because Jesus paid our entire sin debt—we were unable to appease the wrath of a holy God on our own. Praise God that salvation is freely given to those who turn from their sins and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ! As Watts concluded, “Love so amazing, so divine, demands my soul, my life, my all.”

So as you reflect on what Christ did for you nearly 2,000 years ago, commit yourself to giving Him your soul, your life, and your all.

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ttp://www.answersingenesis.org/articles/2012/04/06/crucifixion

How Does the Death of Jesus Save?

Chuck Swindoll

One way to understand the meaning of the death of Jesus is to imagine a courtroom scene in which we are on trial for our sins and God is the judge. 


Our sins against God are capital crimes. God Himself is our judge, and according to divine law our crimes deserve the death penalty. Death, in a spiritual sense, means eternal separation from God in unending torment. That's a very serious judgment.


By shedding His blood on the cross, Jesus took the punishment we deserve and offered us His righteousness. When we trust Christ for our salvation, essentially we are making a trade. By faith, we trade our sin and its accompanying death penalty for His righteousness and life.


In theological terms, this is called "substitutionary atonement." Christ died on the cross as our substitute. Without Him, we would suffer the death penalty for our own sins....