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“So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. God blessed them and said to them, ‘Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground’.”

Genesis 1:27-28

“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” (Genesis 1:1). This is the opening declarative statement from the Bible about who actually created the world we live in. And while scientists try to find an alternate explanation for how everything came into existence, their efforts to this date have produced nothing to contradict this statement except wild theories, unsubstantiated claims, and complete fabrications – all designed to deny God and His handiwork.

At the core of God’s design is the human being whom God created in His own image (Genesis 1:27), making man and woman unique in all of God’s creation. God created the world for man and woman to inhabit, manage, and to walk with God forever. Unfortunately, the first two humans God created, Adam and Eve, disobeyed God and brought sin into the world. And our world has been corrupted ever since by man’s desire to “be like God” (Genesis 3:5) rather than submit to the God who created us.

And yet God’s design for our world has not changed. He created man and woman to join together as one flesh (Genesis 2:24), to be fruitful and have children, and to maintain our world and live in harmony with it. His plan from the beginning was for man and woman to form families that over time would be the foundation for the world He created.

But the core of God’s design – the family of a man, a wife and their children – has been in decline for decades. In America, U.S. Census Bureau statistics show that since 1975, married couple families have fallen to 47% today from 66% in 1975 and families with children have fallen to 39% today from 54% in 1975. During this time single-parent households have also risen to 24% today from 12% in 1970. Additionally, the average age of first marriage has risen to 30 years old today from 22 years old in 1975 and the average number of children per family has fallen from 3.62 in 1960 to 1.63 in 2024. And while other family types such as same-sex couples and cohabitating couples are relatively small in percentage, they do represent a movement away from God’s design of the family.

The family structure of a man, a woman as his wife, and their children has been the bedrock of western civilization since the beginning of Christianity. Prior to Christianity, men often had numerous wives and concubines. These practices are all well documented in the Old Testament.  These practices are also still present today in many non-Christian societies, such as in Islamic nations. But the family unit as designed by God and a key component of the Christian faith has produced greater prosperity, stronger cultures, and a better world.

And yet today, Christianity is under attack in many western nations as people today are claiming their own truth based on science and human reason and are distancing themselves from God’s Word, His design, and His sovereignty. This is being done on 3 fronts – advocating communism, instituting secularism, and seeking more government control.

Recent surveys have shown that in America most young people under age 30 now favor communism over capitalism and individual freedom (Cato/YouGov survey, March 2025). In every communist country, those in power must eradicate Christianity. Communist countries by their nature are atheistic. They cannot allow their citizens to have the freedom to believe in, or give their allegiance to, anything but the state. We see this clearly in North Korea, Cuba, and China today. These nations do not value the family structure as designed by God and instead seek to make the family a servant of the state. Some, like China, have tried to limit the number of children or even which gender is allowed to be born to suit their communist agenda.

Christianity is also under attack from secularism which seeks to disallow religious thought, ideas, and principles from their culture. This is taking place most clearly in European nations where Christians are arrested for street prayers (England 2024), convicted for posting Biblical passages on social media (Finland 2026), or having their speech restricted and faith mocked during the Olympics (France 2024). These countries seek to reduce or eliminate Christian principles, including the God-designed family, from their societies. We are also seeing this happening in America today in schools, in sports, and even in many so-called “Christian” churches where secularism is destroying churches from within.

The third way Christianity is under attack is through government control where leaders and politicians work to pass laws designed to deny Christians their constitutional rights. They also attempt to forbid or criminalize speech regarding Christian principles and values, including Biblical family structures. Their goal is to use the government to suppress views and values they do not agree with while being unwilling to even debate them in the public arena. In America, this is a blatant attempt to remove our founding principles, values, and morals that were based on Biblical teaching.

The one thing that all three of these frontal attacks have in common is their opposition to God and their belief that man knows what is best for himself and everyone else in society. This is nothing new. It has been happening throughout history. But it somehow seems to be gaining strength again today in our nation and the world.  We should not be surprised at this. Instead, we must confront this evil with good and the gospel.

What can we as Christians do to confront these attacks? There are three things that Scripture calls us to do.

First, we should know and trust in God’s Word alone. We must always look to the Bible and not the wisdom of man or this world.  “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.” (Proverbs 3:5-6)

Second, we should not remain silent but speak the truth in love. We are called to “Set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.” (1 Peter 3:15)

Third, we must persevere in our call to live out our faith. As the Apostle Paul wrote, “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” (Galatians 6:9) We must also have the courage to “fight the good fight, holding on to faith and a good conscience.” (1 Timothy 1:18-19)

Lord, help us to be your voice in this generation for the sake of the family and the world that You created for us to inhabit, populate and manage for Your glory!

“For, as I have told you before and now say again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ.” Philippians 3:18-20

The World Cup being held in the United States this month has not only brought many foreign visitors to our nation for the first time, but it has kindled an interest among Americans for the most popular sport in the world. While we Americans cherish baseball (our national pastime), American football and basketball as our national sports, the rest of the world are devoted football (soccer) fans – and by a big margin as well! Many people I have talked to watched every game they could as they were all televised here in the USA, and they got caught up in the drama and the excitement of this major global tournament held every 4 years.

I recently read an article regarding the large number of soccer players playing in the World Cup that have dual citizenship. According to one estimate, around 25% of all the players in this year’s World Cup have dual citizenship. With 48 teams in the tournament each having about 25 players, that’s 300 players with dual citizenship! More than half of the US team players have dual citizenship, and their star player, Folarin Balogun, was born in the USA but has never lived here. France is the country with the most nationals (citizens) playing in the World Cup – 23 on their team and 73 for other teams! And Cape Verde, the smallest nation that qualified for the world Cup, recruited almost all of its players from other countries. FIFA, the governing body of the World Cup, allows players with dual citizenship to choose which team they will play for. But FIFA only allows them to switch from one national team to another one time.

As an American, it bothers me a little to have a national team that represents our nation having players who have never lived in our country or who only lived here for a few years. Do these players truly want to represent our nation or are they just playing wherever they see the best opportunity for their careers? Would they wave the American flag or their other country’s flag? Where is their true allegiance? I don’t know and I don’t wish to judge those who take advantage of their dual citizenship.

But I do think dual citizenship can be a problem when a person’s real allegiance comes into question. In the World Cup for example, what happens when a player plays for one team, but his true heart is for the nation he is playing against? Will he play harder or perhaps with less zeal than he would otherwise? It’s a question we may never know the answer to but has the potential to affect the outcome of a match.

Outside of sports, what about other people who have dual citizenship? Is their allegiance to one nation greater than the other? Many people who have dual citizenship use it mostly for convenience and the ability to live and work where they choose, regardless of where they were born and raised. I recently learned that while naturalized Americans must take an oath of allegiance to our nation when they become a citizen, that allegiance cannot be enforced legally. They can also remain a citizen of their former nation. So, where does their true allegiance lie? This could result in some citizens choosing to support their other nation in the event of war. This actually happened in World War II when American citizens who were also citizens of Germany chose to go back to Germany and fight against our nation. The US also put Japanese Americans in internment camps to prevent them from fighting against us while remaining in our nation even though they never made that choice.

The problem of dual citizenship also applies to Christians. We are both citizens of our earthly world but also citizens of heaven. Where is our true allegiance? Is it to our world or is it to Jesus? Although we live in this world, we are primarily citizens of heaven according to the God’s Word (see Philippians 3:18-20 above). And John writes in John 15:18 that the world hates Jesus and those who follow Him. So, why would we want to be citizens of a world that hates us? Furthermore, in 1 John 2:15, John says, “Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” And James 4:4 says, “Don’t you know that friendship with the world is hatred towards God?”

As Christians we should not try to live as dual citizens. We must choose between our world or God and declare our allegiance to God. In the Old Testament, Joshua told the Hebrew people they had to choose between God and the other idols they worshipped. He declared to Israel in Joshua 24:15 to “Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve… But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” In the New Testament, Jesus said that we must choose either God or money (the world), but we can’t serve both (Matthew 6:24). Jesus also said in Matthew 12:25 that “Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand.”

God wants our total allegiance. In His first commandment to Moses in Exodus 20:3, He declares that “You shall have no other gods before me.” This also applies to us today. And how many times did Jesus call out the Pharisees for their divided allegiance to God and themselves and their own traditions and power? Jesus also warns all His followers to watch out for false prophets and that only those who “do the will of my Father” will enter the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 7:21). He further says that to many who call him Lord “he will tell them plainly, I never knew you. Away from me you evildoers.” (Matthew 7:23)

As Christians, when we allow our hearts to be torn between our world and God, we risk drifting away from Him and towards a life of evil and hopelessness, a life that does not do good or bear fruit for God’s kingdom here on earth. If we desire eternal life with God and to be blessed in this life, Christians must declare that their sole allegiance is to God and His son Jesus Christ. Anything less will only lead to our destruction (Romans 6:23). There will be no dual citizenship in heaven!

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come.”

2 Corinthians 5:17

In today’s culture, there seems to be a myriad of beliefs about the Christian faith. Some pastors preach prosperity theology that God wants us to be rich or wealthy. Some churches engage in activities that are not the function of the church, like politics or secular events.  Some denominations accept the practice of homosexuality and gay marriage which are clearly sinful behaviors according to the Bible. Some denominations are even calling for the outright revision or updating of Scripture as if God needed man’s advice.

This is actually nothing new. Throughout history the Christian Church has undergone many challenges to its core doctrine and beliefs. It began with the establishment of the basic Christian theology at the Council of Nicaea in 325 AD. So, in the beginning, there was one Christian Church that was based on Jesus’ ministry, the Old Testament, and the writings of the early apostles.

The unity of the Church was challenged first with the split of the Catholic and Orthodox Church in 1054 over divisions in theology. That was followed by the Reformation in 1517, and the challenge of the practices of the Catholic Church by Martin Luther as being outside of Scripture. That spawned the creation of the Protestant Churches, such as Lutherans, Reformed Churches, Anabaptists, and the Anglican Church. Continued differences over the Church’s role in the State resulted in more division and the growth of denominations. But there was still a unity of belief in the centrality of the Bible, just different practices and expressions of it.

But in the last 300 years there has been the growth of a liberal theology that seeks to replace the truth of God’s Word with the reason of man. This movement began in Europe with the cult of reason and the renaissance, which referred to a “rebirth” of humanism and secularism. It came about because of modern science and the discoveries that man was now making that to some negated the need for God and faith. It found its “voice” in the form of Protestant Liberalism, a belief that faith has to pass the test of reason to be accepted and that the Bible was no longer the source of Truth. It was further challenged by Charles Darwin in 1871 in his book, the Descent of Man, which theorized that man descended from apes, which directly contradicted Scripture (see Genesis chapter 1).

Today, this liberal theology continues to undermine Christian unity by arguing that the Bible is not accurate, authoritative, nor inerrant in its declarations. Consequently, many Christians are turning away from the Bible as their truth source and instead basing their faith on an “enlightened” view of Scripture based upon the reason of man. This is exactly what Paul said to Timothy in 2 Timothy 4:3. He said “For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.” That day has most certainly come and is causing many people who would call themselves Christians to believe a false gospel and a false teaching.

The Bible must be central to the Christian faith. The Bible declares that “in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (John 1:1) John was speaking about Jesus so that God’s Word and Jesus cannot be separated. They are one and the same. So, to dispute the authenticity of the Bible as God’s Word is to also dispute Jesus as God’s Son. And if a person disputes Jesus as God’s Son, then they are not a follower of Christ and therefore not truly Christian.

In today’s world some people think that every person can self-identify themselves. In other words, if they think they are a woman, although genetically they are a man, then they can choose to be a woman because that is how they identify themself. This is absurd because it denies the facts and the reality of their actual genetic makeup.  Similarly, anyone who says they self-identify as a Christian (meaning I am a Christian because that’s how I see myself) even though they do not obey Scripture nor follow Jesus commands is, in reality, not a Christian.

As Christians we do not have the choice to self-identify. The Bible is clear in its teaching that we become Christian when we identify with Christ! Paul says it this way in Galatians 2:20 that “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.” If Christ is not living in us, or if we do not submit our lives to God and obey His commands, then we are merely deceiving ourselves in who we think we are. Going to church or saying that we are a Christian does not make us a Christian. We are only truly a Christian when we take on Christ’s identity, obey his commands, and are examples of His love and truth to others. As James 1:22 says, “Do not merely listen to the Word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” 

While our outward expressions of our faith in Jesus may indicate to others that we are Christian, only God knows our hearts (Luke 16:15) and knows the truth about us. We can fool ourselves and fool others that we are followers of Christ, but we cannot fool God that we are (Galatians 6:7). When we make God in our image instead of acknowledging that we are made in His image (Genesis 1:27), we deceive ourselves and deny God and His truth.

As Christians, then, we should have no identity crisis because we have put our full faith and trust in Christ alone and willingly submit to His authority and teaching in our lives! Anything less than that only jeopardizes our salvation (Matthew 7:21-23) and draws us further away from God.

“The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it.”

Psalm 24:1

Whose world is it? Some Christians say that it is God’s world because He created it and is therefore sovereign over all of it. Other Christians say that the world belongs to Satan because he was cast out of heaven to the earth and “prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” (1 Peter 5:8) So, whose world is it, God’s or Satan’s? Let’s examine the evidence from Scripture.

Who God Is and What He Did

Genesis 1:1 tells us that “God created the heavens and the earth.” He also created man in His image (Genesis 1:27). God is the creator of all we know and see. Through His Son Jesus Christ all things were made, “for without Him nothing was made that has been made.” (John 1:3) God created the world for human beings, his most valued creation, and put us in charge of all of it (Genesis 1:28). But when Adam and Eve sinned, they corrupted the perfect world God had given to them. In order to restore His creation, God sent His son into the world to save the world from the sins of its inhabitants that He created (John 3:17). Who did He save? Every human being that is willing to repent of their sins and put their faith and trust in Jesus!

Who Satan Is and What He Did

Revelation 12:9 tells us that “The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.” Satan created nothing and he opposes God and what is good. Why? Because he craved to be like God and have power over the world and everything in it. It was not his world to begin with, but he still wanted to control it. He is the source of evil, a deceiver, and the one Jesus calls a liar and the father of lies (John 8:44). Satan works tirelessly to draw us away from God and lead us into a life of evil against God and against one another. He offers us the world at the expense of our very souls (Matthew 16:26). Satan is clearly not on our side.

What God Can Do and Does in Our World

God is not only our Creator, but He is also Love (1 John 4:16) and He is Good (Psalm 34:8). God loves us immeasurably (1 John 4:9-10) and He is always working for our good (Romans 8:28). How does God demonstrate that He loves us and is good to us? First of all, only God forgives us through His Son Jesus. It is God who has restored our relationship with Him through the sacrifice of His only Son, Jesus, for our sins. Second, only God heals us and is able to take away our infirmities and illnesses (Psalm 103:2-3). His Word encourages us to pray for one another so that we may be healed (James 5:16). Third, only God carries us through our difficult times in this life. God is always present for us (Psalm 139:7) and will always respond to our prayers and needs (1 John 5:14). Fourth, only God blesses us out of the goodness of His love for us (James 1:12). And lastly, only God saves us from our sins and give us eternal life with Him through Jesus’ death and resurrection (John 3:16). God is truly the one on our side!

What Satan Can and Can’t Do in Our World

First of all, it’s important to mention that Satan is not all-powerful. Only God is all-powerful. Only God gives life and takes it away. Therefore, Satan cannot kill us. He can only do what God allows him to do. And he cannot heal us, does not love us, will not forgive us and he will never save us. As matter of fact, Satan wants us to all die and to go to hell to be where he is and where he rules. However, while he roams the earth until he is finally vanquished (Revelation 20:7-10), he has the ability to tempt us to sin, deceive us, exert his influence over us, and lead us away from God! The only way Satan can hurt us or lead us away from our loving God is if we let him! We get to decide who we will follow, listen to, or worship because God gave us free will to choose. So, we must choose wisely and not fall prey to Satan’s negative influence in our lives.

Who Really Controls the World

The evidence is clear. God created our world and only He has the power to forgive, heal, carry, bless and save us. Satan can only try to tempt us, deceive us, influence us and lead us away from God. But he has no true power over us. He only has power over us if we reject God and allow Satan into our lives. God alone is sovereign over our world, and He will bless us if we let Him!

Whose world is it? As the words of the famous Christian hymn declare, “This is my Father’s world / Oh, let me ne’er forget / That though the wrong seems oft so strong / God is the ruler yet / This is my Father’s world / The battle is not done / Jesus who died shall be satisfied / And earth and Heav’n be one.”

Amen!

“For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.” – John 3:17

Our America culture seems to be obsessed these days with naming who they think is the Greatest of All Time (G.O.A.T.). It is usually in reference to sports figures, but also includes actors, singers, scientists, authors, historical figures and others as well. It is an evaluation as to which person has accomplished the greatest achievements in their chosen field of endeavor.

Stacy Wentworth, an MD, said, “To be the greatest at something requires dedication to the point of obsession, a singular focus that most of us don’t have.” In other words, to become the best at anything requires complete dedication and sacrifice. Greatness is earned, not bestowed!

There are 4 criteria that are used to determine which person should be awarded this title of being the G.O.A.T. They include achievements, impact, influence, and legacy. Let’s look at these criteria and see why there is really only one G.O.A.T. – and his name is Jesus!!

Achievements

In our world, human achievements are typically measured by accomplishments, results, and awards. This is usually the first criterion for determining who might be the greatest. Here are a few examples: Michael Jordan (basketball), Serena Williams (tennis), Whitney Houston (singer), Dustin Hoffman (acting), Abraham Lincoln (U.S. president), Isaac Newton (science), and William Shakespeare (writer). All these people accomplished great things during their lifetimes and might be considered the best in their fields. However, it is difficult to compare people from one era to another due to differences in culture and the equipment and the technology of its time. To say that they were the greatest of all time is still very subjective.

When we consider Jesus, however, His accomplishment dwarfs all of theirs put together! His accomplishments were not just in our world; they were for the entire world! This past Easter the world once again celebrated Jesus overcoming death and the grave! His achievement was victory over sin and Satan when He declared from the cross that “It is finished!” (John 19:30) He died, was buried, and rose to life again. He is the only person ever to do so. His accomplishment also gives eternal life to every person who is willing to put their faith and trust in Him for what He did for them. Every one of these other famous people has died or will die, but only those who put their faith and trust in Jesus will live forever. As the Bible says, “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12)

Impact

The second criterion we can look at is the impact a person has on the culture and the world. All the famous people I list above are well known around the world today. In our age of technology and the internet, people can watch their performances, read about their accomplishments, and follow them no matter where they live or when they lived. These people have also had a significant impact on the culture and the world we live in. Some of them achieved something so important that it changed the world or the way things are viewed today. And quite often these individuals take on a huge cultural following due to their uniqueness and personalities in addition to their accomplishments.

But there is no question that Jesus Christ has had the biggest impact on the world and its culture. He brought hope to the world when there was none. He also changed the way people thought about marriage, justice, government, and care for the poor. Christianity formed the basis of our Western culture of democracy and freedom that still dominates the nations of the world today. As Christians, we know that we “Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover up for evil.” (1 Peter 2:16) Without Christianity, there would likely be no freedom and no United States of America. We could be living in a world controlled by the evils of atheism, Marxism, and terrorism!

Influence

The third criterion is to look at the influence these famous people have had on people’s behavior and beliefs. For example, how many kids wear Michael Jordan Nike shoes? How many young girls sacrifice their childhood to be the next Serena Williams or Whitney Houston? How many young people aspire to become scientists like Isaac Newton? Ordinary people often “worship” those who are famous and successful. They will sometimes dress like them, copy their mannerisms, or emulate their abilities if they can. They are also often influenced by their personal political or religious views. Yet, their influence is generally limited to only those people who admire and follow them.

Jesus influenced the world as well. But His influence extends to every human being, both positively and negatively! Famous people often display their wealth, their pride, and their status while Jesus displayed His poverty, His humility, and His servanthood. Jesus taught the world about forgiveness, loving our enemies, serving others, and sacrificing our wants for the needs of others. As Philippians 2:6-7 says, “Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant.” His example has led His followers to live as He lived – serving others. Those who reject Him and His sacrifice for them live godless, self-focused lives.  Either way, Jesus has had the greatest influence in our world!

Legacy

The final criterion is the number of followers and lasting memory an individual has. In today’s world of social media, many of today’s athletes, singers, and actors have millions of followers on Facebook, X, Instagram, and other platforms. They have devotees who attend every performance to show their support. They buy clothing with their idol’s name, accomplishments, and endorsements to show they are a true fan. And they memorize and can quote any statistic from their career.

But no matter how many millions of followers they have, they don’t come close to the number of followers that Jesus has – now estimated to be about 2.6 billion globally! Additionally, the calendar the world uses today is based on the life of Jesus. Now that’s a legacy!

Over time, people often forget the accomplishments and names of famous people that took place several centuries in the past. But Christians (followers of Jesus Christ) are the largest body of believers in the world still today! Jesus is celebrated every week through worship, especially when Christians partake in Holy Communion and remember His words, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.” (Luke 22:19) His sacrifice on the cross is well known and acknowledged to this day, and His legacy continues to positively impact our world.

Conclusion

Even though two thirds of the world do not believe in Jesus, He is still the Greatest of All Time for what he did on the cross for all humanity over 2,000 years ago. Jesus sacrificed His life for the sins of mankind so that all people could be saved from their sin and have the hope of eternal life with God our Father and Creator. As Jesus told His disciples, “Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.” (John 15:13) He laid down His life for us so that we can lay down our lives for Him!

In time, what people have accomplished in our world will eventually be surpassed or forgotten. But what Jesus did will be remembered and celebrated forever! As 1 Peter 1:24-25 says, “All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord stands forever.”

Help us, Lord, to lead all people to worship Jesus – the Greatest of All Time (G.O.A.T.)!

“If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin. Now, however, they have no excuse for their sin.” – John 15:22

Every Christian is someone who recognizes their sin and their need for forgiveness and grace. And they also know that forgiveness only comes through Jesus and His death on the cross as payment for that sin. When Christians put their faith and trust in Jesus, they become a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17) that has been cleansed by the blood of Christ.

But old habits are also hard to overcome. Because of our sinful nature from the beginning, our sins don’t automatically end once we accept Christ as our Savior. The only way that we can stop ourselves from sinning is through a daily submission to Christ and the Holy Spirit. As Jesus said, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5)

But the reality is that no matter how hard we try to submit ourselves to the Holy Spirit, we still fail and need to repent of our sin and receive the Lord’s forgiveness. Yet it seems that some Christians think that once they are born again of the Spirit they don’t sin anymore. But that’s not true. We are not sinless! As Paul says in Romans 3:23, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” The best that we can do is minimize our sins by letting the Holy Spirit help us not to sin.

And yet some Christians still won’t recognize their sins and try to make excuses for them when they commit them. Here are what I consider the 4 major excuses that Christians make for their sins.

1. It wasn’t my fault (blaming others)

As humans we are often unable to see our own failings and instead blame someone else for things we did wrong. It all goes back to the garden of Eden where Adam blamed Eve for his sin of eating fruit from the tree that God had told him not to eat from. Eve also knew what God had commanded and instead chose to blame the serpent rather than her own decision to do something that God had forbidden (Genesis 3:12-13). This is the original sin committed by mankind through Adam & Eve that still lives in all of us to this day! If we are Christians and followers of Christ, we should only listen to God’s voice. If we choose to listen to the voice of others, we are at fault for our sin by choosing to ignore God’s commands.

2. I didn’t know it was a sin (ignorance)

Every Christian should know the 10 Commandments (Exodus 20:1-17). These are God’s moral law intended for our benefit. Sadly, a 2023 Pew Research Study shows that 52% of American Christians don’t read their Bible or read it only seldomly. Knowledge of God’s Word, especially about sin, is essential for every follower of Christ. As Paul says in Romans 3:20, even though we can’t keep the 10 Commandments, they reveal how sinful we are. Every Christian should read and meditate on God’s Word so that we will know His voice and what He desires for us. This is the only way that we can live Godly lives.

3. I knew it was a sin, but I won’t do it again (rationalization)

In our lives, Christians are often faced with difficult choices. While we may seek to follow Jesus and do God’s will, we sometimes choose to follow secular or worldly wisdom instead of God’s wisdom. We rationalize our choices by saying that it was a one-time decision and likely won’t happen again. We buckle under the pressure of earthly expectations and often choose the sinful choice rather than suffer the consequences of the Godly choice. One example is abortion where young pregnant girls (and often their parents) see a baby as infringing on their life plans instead of as the murder (ending the life) of an innocent child (Psalm 139:13-16).

4. I didn’t sin (denial)

There are voices in our American culture that continue to want to redefine Biblical values and principles. They argue that God’s Word must keep up with the times and reflect our modern society. This does not just come from the secular culture, but also from the pulpits of many Christian churches in our nation. Consequently, these voices keep trying to claim that what was once considered sin in our culture is no longer sinful because they and our society say so. But God’s Word has not changed and will never change (Malachi 3:6). As Proverbs 30:5 says, “Every word of God is flawless.” It contains no errors. It does not need to be updated based on changing times or the will of man. God’s Word is Truth and stands forever!

It saddens me to see how far our American society has fallen away from Biblical principles and God’s Truth. But it disturbs me even more that much of it is coming from Christians and not just the secular society. When Christians make excuses for their sins, they are essentially telling God that they know better how to live their own lives. That demonstrates a lack of faith and trust in God and what Jesus did on the cross.

All Christians need to take responsibility for their choices and their sins and stop blaming others, claiming ignorance, rationalizing them, or denying them altogether. God sees everything and knows our sins. Our only hope is to acknowledge them, repent of them, and be “cleansed from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” – Acts 1:8

Every Christian is called to be a witness for Christ. Jesus said the words above from Acts 1:8 as His last instruction to His disciples before he left the earth and ascended into heaven. For all those who would follow Christ as His disciple, they are never to be silent about their faith and what Jesus has done for them. Instead, every Christian is commanded to share the gospel of what Jesus has done for all people. We are also called to stand for God’s Truth in our world (Zechariah 8:16). Unfortunately, there are many Americans today who call themselves Christians but rarely utter a word about Him or witness to their faith in Him and the truth of His Word.

Here in America, Christians have recently come under attack for expressing their Biblical views in the workplace, in schools, on social media, and in the public arena. Christians have been bullied, harassed, ridiculed, suspended, sued, fired, and even killed (e.g.- Charlie Kirk) for speaking publicly about their religious beliefs. I suspect many American Christians are afraid to speak out because of the potential ramifications of doing so.

Yet Jesus proclaims in John 16:33 that “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” In other words, followers of Christ are not promised a life of ease but a life of suffering! The Apostle Paul tells us in Romans 8:17 that we must share in His sufferings if we are to share in His glory (resurrection). When we put our faith and trust in Christ, we must accept all that goes with it – the suffering as well as the peace and joy that the gift of eternal life gives us.

However, I really don’t think that fear of suffering is the main reason many Christians do not speak out about their faith or witness for Christ.  Instead, I think it is because they don’t really trust Him or love Him enough to be a witness for Him. Their relationship with Jesus is most likely weak and based only on the promise of salvation they’ll receive by claiming to be His follower. To them it’s like a life insurance policy that pays off when they die but doesn’t impact how they live. Consequently, they are more afraid of losing what they have in this life rather than what they will gain in the next life. As Jesus said, “For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it.” (Mark 8:35)

I know many Christians today, both inside my church and outside of my church, who rarely share their faith in public. I know that they go to church but then rarely talk about their faith in conversation or post anything about their faith on social media. They are often able to share their secular (worldly) beliefs and activities but not their faith or their church activities. If Christians won’t share their faith or witness for Jesus, are they truly worshipping Him and obeying Him (John 14:15)? Is their faith alive or dead (James 2:17)? If Christians can talk about worldly things and not about Jesus, does that not indicate where their true treasure is (Matthew 6:21)?

I used to be a Christian who kept my faith to myself. I would only talk about Jesus or my faith inside the church or with other Christians. Although my parents took me to church from an early age, during that time I don’t recall that they ever talked about their faith explicitly at home while I was growing up. I attended a Lutheran Church where many people like my parents believed that faith was a personal and private belief. As a result, sharing one’s faith was not emphasized. Lutherans were good at Bible study, singing, and fellowship, but not necessarily in that order!

When I began my business career in the late 1970’s people in general did not talk about their faith or church activities in the workplace. It wasn’t forbidden; it just wasn’t something most people did. I also thought it might hurt my chances for advancement in the company. But as my faith grew in the 1980’s it began to bother me that I never talked about my faith in the office or with my coworkers. One day I decided to say something and see what would happen.

On a Monday morning when people returned to work after the weekend, the most common question I got was, “So, how was your weekend?” Instead of just saying it was good, I responded that it was great because I played guitar for the children’s choir at our church yesterday and also sang in our church choir. If they were Christian, they would respond with “what church do you go to?”, and we would then discuss our respective churches and talk about our faith and church involvement. I discovered that most of my coworkers were Christians, but we had never talked about it in the workplace.

If they were not Christian, it opened up a dialog about what we each believed. It was so natural and comfortable. I wasn’t trying to evangelize or convert anyone to my faith; I was simply sharing what I did and why. In other words, I witnessed my faith! After that discovery, I felt comfortable about witnessing for Jesus (sharing my faith) around the office when I had the opportunity and it was natural.

A few years later, one of my coworkers left the company for a new job elsewhere. But before he left, he pulled me aside and told me how witnessing my faith in our office conversations impacted his life. He said it caused him to reflect on his own faith. As a result, it led him to return to his church that he had stopped attending years earlier. This really helped me understand the importance of witnessing our faith to others so that we “encourage one another and build each other up” as the Apostle Paul wrote in 1 Thessalonians 5:11.

As Christians we need to be Christ’s witnesses and to share our faith so that others can hear the Good News and have the chance to respond to His invitation. We must not remain silent when we have the chance to share Jesus with others. The Apostle Peter says we should “Always be prepared to give an answer to anyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect” (1 Peter 3:15). Our job is simply to witness our faith and share the Good News of Jesus with others. God will do the rest!

So, will we be true followers of Christ and witness our faith? Will we be prepared to give an answer to someone who asks us about our faith? I earnestly pray that we will!

Can I get a witness?

“For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.”

Romans 15:4

Another Christmas is upon us when we as Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus. Christmas is also often portrayed as when the Light of Christ entered our darkened world and when Jesus came to bring love and peace to the world. The emphasis seems to be about Jesus’ coming down to earth to bring us a better earthly life.

While that is true, I also think it sometimes masks the most important reason why Jesus came and what His most important purpose was for becoming a man and entering our world. And that purpose was to resolve our sin problem!

Since the fall of Adam and Eve, every human being was created with a sinful nature. The Bible declares in Romans 3:23 that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” God gave mankind the 10 Commandments to show us how to live a righteous and God-pleasing life. But no matter how hard we try, we are unable to overcome our sinful nature on our own (Romans 3:20). The Bible further declares in Romans 6:23 that “the wages of sin is death”! In other words, left unresolved, our sinful nature would eventually condemn us to death and eternal separation from God our Creator.

But the truth is that God loved us so much that He was unwilling to leave us in our sinful state that could only end in our own demise. To resolve our sin problem, God sent His own son Jesus into our world as a baby to become a man, and to eventually take the punishment for our sins that we deserve. Why did Jesus come as a baby? He came the same way that all humans come into this world and to fulfill the prophecies spoken about Him. He also came to live the perfect life we humans could not live and to teach and show us how to live for Him instead of ourselves. His primary purpose all along was to save us from our sin. God made a way and Jesus Himself accomplished what we could not! The Bible tells us that “God demonstrated his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:6).

So, why did Jesus come into our world? In a word, to give us – HOPE! Instead of facing eternal separation from God, we received forgiveness of our sins and the promise of eternal life with God! We did not deserve it nor did we earn it ourselves. Our salvation was given to us as a free gift from God (Ephesians 2:8).

Hal Lyndsey, an American evangelical writer, once said that “Man can live about forty days without food, about three days without water, about eight minutes without air…but only for one second without hope.” He was stating the importance for human existence that we need hope to survive and thrive. Without hope, humans fall into despair and often lose the will to live, which then hastens our death. But when we have hope, we have the Holy Spirit and the ability to persevere and endure. As a result, we can live victoriously in Christ and in grateful response to His grace and mercy given to us at the cross until He calls us home to our eternal rest!

Here are several Bible passages that confirm the importance of hope in our lives and in our Christian faith:

“Such is the destiny of all who forget God; so perishes the hope of the godless.” – Job 8:13

“But the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love” – Psalm 33:18

“The hope of the righteous brings joy, but the expectation of the wicked will perish.”

– Proverbs 10:28

“For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.”

– Romans 8:24-25

“That is why we labor and strive, because we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all people, and especially of those who believe.” – 1 Timothy 4:10

“Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.” – Hebrews 10:23

Can you see why hope is so important to our life and eternal destiny?  With hope we can persevere amid the struggles of this world (John 16:33) and receive the promise of eternal life. Without hope, we are lost and destined to be forever separated from the God who created and loves us. Because we are sinful by nature, our only hope in this life is to put our faith in Christ!

So, this Christmas, let us look upon the Christ child in the manger as not just our light, love and peace, but also that He came to this world to save us from our sin so that we might have hope!

“And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out His love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us.” (Romans 5:5)

“If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand.” – Mark 3:25

The Church in America has become divided between those churches who maintain Biblical authority and those who don’t. It is the result of the acceptance of secular beliefs by many Christian churches in America. Four of the major Protestant denominations have split over this issue in the past 15 years (Lutheran, Presbyterian, Methodist, and Episcopalian). The one thing that once united all Christians denominations was the adherence to Biblical teaching. But that is no longer true. Instead, there are many progressive and liberal churches today that are actually advocating and affirming sins that are part of our secular culture. This is what I would call Secular Christianity!

So, why have some Christian Churches in America removed Scriptural authority from their theology and doctrine? Why do they now more closely align with our secular culture than the Word of God? I believe that it is due to 4 major reasons which are science, reason, technology, and complacency. I will discuss them in turn.

Science

Belief in the Bible and its truth began to erode with the advent of scientific discovery in the 1500-1600’s. It began with Copernicus discovering that the sun was the center of the universe (1515). Then Johann Kepler discovered that the sun emitted a magnetic force that moved the planets in their courses (1609). Next, Galileo discovered the telescope and proved the acceleration of the planets is constant (1609). These discoveries led to Isaac Newton’s discovery of gravity and the laws of motion in the heavens and the earth (1687). These all resulted in the recognition by man that our world was an orderly system that sustained life. The physical laws of nature made more sense than their previous belief in the supernatural and spiritual creation of our world by God.

Reason

The Age of Reason (1648-1789) followed scientific discovery and that was when mankind began to believe that they could attain knowledge about the earth and the heavens through science and reason. Instead of relying on the Word of God to guide them on this earth, they saw it the other way around, where man could determine by his own reason how to better live life in our world. This was the birth of secularism. This is the belief that humans are better able to determine truth and what is right and wrong by our own reason, not revelation from an unseen God.

Technology

Technology began with the Industrial age (1900’s) and the movement from an agricultural to a manufacturing-based economy and workforce. The mechanization of producing goods enabled rapid economic growth. Man saw that they could develop machines to do what man had to do by hand before on their own. Then the development of the personal computer, internet, and cell phone technologies over the past 50 years enabled people to have quick access to information at their fingertips. It also brought about instant global communication and the ability to see the news as it happens anywhere in the world. Unfortunately, many people thought that technology was from man’s own knowledge and not from God, further eroding the need for God.

Complacency

While this was all taking place in the world around us, the Christian Church became complacent and did not recognize the danger inherent in these developments. While some Christians may have recognized that these advancements were guided by the Hand of God, others attributed them to science and man’s own reason and intellect. Additionally, we began to see many churches adopt a “seeker sensitive” approach to evangelism, using secular motives to draw people to church instead of the truth of the Word of God. As a result, today most Americans (64%) do not believe the Bible is true and accurate in its teachings, and most Christians (58%) do not even read their Bibles anymore, according to a 2025 American Bible Society study. Consequently, with the Church divided on the authority of Scripture, it is effectively unable to speak out with God’s Word against what is happening around us in our culture and nation.

What we’ve seen happen is what many refer to as a “Slippery Slope”, the expression used to describe a slow decline in something over many years that has gone unaddressed until it’s too late. It’s the boiling frog example. If you put a frog into a pot of boiling water, they will jump out right away. But if you put a frog into a pot of tepid water and gradually turn up the heat they will eventually boil to death. I believe that is what is happening within the Christian Church today with the rise of Secular Christianity. We have not stayed true to our faith and Biblical teaching. As a result, Christian influence in our culture and nation has declined and deteriorated.

And while Christians were essentially “asleep at the wheel”, Satan has been “prowling around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8). He has succeeded in reducing the influence of the Church in our culture, turning our nation against God and turning many American Christians against God’s Word.

So, what does the Christian Church in America need to do to reclaim its influence in our culture and nation? I believe that there are 3 things the Christian Church must do.

First, the Christian Church needs to call out and rebuke publicly those who are false teachers from within our ranks (1 Timothy 1:3-4). If they will not repent and embrace Biblical teaching, the Church needs to remove them from their pulpits and leadership positions so that the Christian Church is once again only teaching and preaching God’s Word and His Truth. This will set it apart from the culture and enable it to influence our nation towards Godly values and Biblical truth.

Second, the Christian Church must put a greater emphasis on discipleship and Bible reading. This is necessary to prevent Christians from succumbing to “what their itching ears want to hear” (2 Timothy 4:3). This will teach them how to discern true Biblical teaching from false teaching so as not to be led away from the Truth.

Third, the Christian Church needs to find new ways to connect with the current generation and become more effective in evangelizing them (1 Corinthians 9:19-22). The world is different today and the old methods of evangelizing aren’t working. If we desire to grow God’s Kingdom in America and reinstate Godly values and principles, it must be done through all true followers of Christ who will share God’s Word through God’s truth, God’s power, and God’s Spirit!