Post your guesses in the comments!QUESTION:
Jesus died to save us. So, what else do we need to do? He took the sacrifice, we're good, right?
Yes, if you believe that Jesus died to save you and sacrificed Himself on the cross for us, then you are good.
John 14:6 tells us, "Jesus answered, 'I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.'"
Is faith in Jesus as Lord and Savior your one-way ticket to heaven? Yes.
Does that mean we go one living a life in sin, doing whatever we want because we know that Jesus has already paid our ransom for sin?
No.
James 2: 14-24,
What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. But someone will say, "You have faith; I have deeds." Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do. You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder. You foolish man, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? Was not our ancestor Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. And the scripture was fulfilled that says, "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness," and he was called God's friend. You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone.
2 Corinthians 5:17 explains how when we accept Christ, we become changed,"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new."
Galatians 2:20 elaborates that we essentially “die” and we now LIVE in Christ,"I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.”
Conclusion:
Only God truly knows the condition of your heart and the sincerity of your belief in Christ. Following Biblical truth, Faith without a transformed life/deeds is dead faith.
1 Timothy 2:1-3It speaks for itself.
"The first thing I want you to do is pray. Pray every way you know how, for everyone you know. Pray especially for rulers and their governments to rule well so we can be quietly about our business of living simply, in humble contemplation. This is the way our Savior God wants us to live."
"Prime Minister, you cannot carry on for ever squeezing the productive bit of the economy in order to fund an unprecedented engorgement of the unproductive bit. You cannot spend your way out of recession or borrow your way out of debt. And when you repeat, in that wooden and perfunctory way, that our situation is better than others, that we’re ‘well-placed to weather the storm’, I have to tell you that you sound like a Brezhnev-era apparatchik giving the party line. You know, and we know, and you know that we know that it’s nonsense! Everyone knows that Britain is worse off than any other country as we go into these hard times. The IMF has said so; the European Commission has said so; the markets have said so – which is why our currency has devalued by thirty percent. And soon the voters too will get their chance to say so. They can see what the markets have already seen: that you are the devalued Prime Minister of a devalued government."
"Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God."
"Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.'"Piper goes on to emphasize that God feeds His people from an everlasting table, turn to Deuteronomy 8: 2-3,
"Remember how the LORD your God led you all the way in the desert these forty years, to humble you and to test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands. He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your fathers had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD. "I pray that you will feast at the Lord's Table! :)
"You stand before my failure/Carried the Cross for my shame/My sin weighed upon Your shoulders/My soul now to stand.So what can I say/What can I do/But offer this heart O God/Completely to You."
"So I'll stand/With arms high and heart abandoned/In awe of the One who gave it all.So I'll stand/My soul Lord to You surrendered/All I am is Yours."
“The ideology of conservatism has failed. The Republican Party is in tatters and will never rise again. Conservatives should just shut up and get out of the way for the new “progressive” regime. Any questioning of any liberal policy is racist.”
This is the story being spewed by the Democrat Party machine and their allies in the liberal media. It is, of course, nonsense. The Democrat Party was shut out of the presidency from 1981-1993 but no one said that the party was dead. The Democrat Party lost seats in Congress in 2002 and 2004, only to come roaring back in 2006 and 2008. Liberal ideology was a stigma through the 1980’s only to come back to haunt us now.
Here is the principle problem with these attacks from the left: there is no one to counter them. The American people, while still remaining center-right, have abandoned hope in the Republican Party and embraced the false prophet. Most of the prominent conservatives from the 1970’s and 1980’s are dying off, literally and figuratively. The only real conservative leaders in the 1990’s were Newt Gingrich and Rush Limbaugh. Gingrich has more baggage than an international airport and Rush is more interested in ratings than policy. The Bush administration is widely, though incorrectly, blamed for all of the problems that plague this country, making anyone connected to that administration toxic. Other conservatives are only interested in their TV presence. As we look for conservative leadership for the 21st century one thing is clear: the silence is deafening.
There are many who want to take up the mantle of conservative leader but few who are capable. The Republican congressional leadership, save for Eric Cantor, is weak and uncharismatic. Cantor is one to watch. As House Minority Whip, the position Gingrich had before being elected Speaker, he has potential to craft legislative strategy and attract news media. However, since he is new and the minority so small he needs a few years of seasoning before becoming the spokesman for the party. Michael Steele, the new party chairman, wants the party to appeal to nontraditional Republicans, such as minorities, women, and youths. His initial stumbles show how difficult this will be. The calls for his resignation or impeachment show how embedded the problem is. Without attracting new voters the Republicans can never hope to regain power. The only other conservative on the national stage is Mitt Romney. His problems are twofold: religion and experience. Many are unwilling to accept him because he is a Mormon. His extensive and successful experience in business is both a blessing and a curse. While it shows he can manage economics I doubt the American people are willing to trust a venture capitalist CEO at a time when CEO’s are being portrayed as greedy, untrusting and corrupt by the Democrat Party (which is also all of those things).
There are two conservatives who stand out. They are Mike Huckabee and Sarah Palin. Huckabee had a successful career as a Baptist minister, lieutenant governor, and spent ten years as governor of Arkansas (the same position held by Bill Clinton, of course). Palin is a successful state governor and managed to excite the right-wing during the last election. They both have one thing in common: they were skewered by the liberal media. Huckabee, because of his religious past, was portrayed as some kind of religious extremist. Palin was portrayed as being stupid because she did not read a major newspaper and had an accent. This shows the biggest problem for the modern conservative movement: avoiding media characterization. I cannot remember the last time a conservative was positively portrayed in the national media. Thus, to start our new beginning, conservatives MUST learn to master media strategy. Without an effective media strategy 2008 will be but a mere taste of what is to come in the future.
In my next post I will further discuss the media woes of conservatives, as well as how conservatives need to win the next generation through education reform and the need for a populist conservative if we ever hope to win the White House again.
{Jastor}
For a couple weeks, Jastor has waited patiently on the sidelines of my blog. But today, I bring you, Jastor!
Periodically, I will feature his thoughts, opinions and ideas. His area of coverage: politics and other cultural observations. Since Jastor is not paid, he has some liberties in his writing J
So who is this Jastor?
He hails from the northern part of the United States, raised in a middle-class American family. In the early 2000’s, Jastor packed up and headed south to attend college in Arlington, Virginia. After finishing his undergraduate studies, he went on to law school and will finish his degree this spring.
In 2004, Jastor supported John Kerry for president. After Bush won his re-election, Jastor stayed in his dorm room for 3 days in mourning for the Democratic Party. In the 2008 elections, Jastor supported Hillary Clinton and then John McCain once it became clear that B. Hussein Obama was to be the Democratic presidential candidate.
So where does he stand politically today? After a few influences and further reading on Nixon, Jastor has converted to become a conservative. His knowledge on American politics surpasses most, even giving “experts” and political pundits a run for their money.
Juggling a busy law school schedule, he will only be able to appear about twice a month. I am excited that Jastor has agreed to join as a guest voice on this blog—he truly represents an Anomaly in Generation Y!
Tomorrow, I will feature his first post, “The Deafening Silence: Conservative Leadership for the 21st Century.”
"Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."
As God's children-- we are to concern ourselves with the Purse that will not wear out and that none can destroy. We are building up our treasures-- not here on earth-- but in heaven.
Unlike Bernie Madoff, God will keep that treasure safe, Ephesians 1: 13-14,
"And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession—to the praise of his glory."
(actual view from my bedroom!)
