Jesus The Only Way - 2

Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. (John 14:6 NIV, BSB)

The Bible tells me that those who do not believe in Jesus as their saviour will go to hell when they die.

But some objected to this. They said that God is love and He will not do that.

I said that God sends everybody to death. So the same God also sends them to hell.

Those who objected says that death is a natural process. The loving God takes over after death and sends everybody to heaven.

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:23 NIV, BSB, CSB)

But from what I read from the Bible, death is not a natural process. Death is the result of sin. Those who sin go to hell after death.

The love of the loving God is manifested not by sending everyone to heaven, but by sending His Son to die for the sin of the world.

And whosoever who believes that He had died for our sin will not be punished but have everlasting life. And those who do not believe is condemned already.

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. (John 3:16-18 KJV)

What Had Adam Done?

The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, "You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die." (Genesis 2:15-17 ESV)

Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, "Did God actually say, 'You shall not eat of any tree in the garden'?" And the woman said to the serpent, "We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, but God said, 'You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.'" But the serpent said to the woman, "You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths. (Genesis 3:1-7 ESV)

Adam sinned and sin and death entered the world because of him. But what did Adam do? Did he break any of the ten commandments? He cannot. They did not exist then. So, what did Adam do that caused sin and death to enter the world?

He ate something.

Dietary issues are so important that it cause sin and death to enter the world?

No. Action and performance do not count. It is his belief, or unbelief, that caused sin and death to enter the world.

Adam did not believe. Adam did not believe the Truth, the Word of God. He chose to believe in the lie, the word of the serpent. Because of his unbelief, sin and death entered the world. So, God made provision for the salvation of men by making His Son Jesus the propitiation for our sins that whosoever believe in Him shall have everlasting life.

For as by the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man's obedience the many will be made righteous. (Romans 5:19 ESV)

He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world. (1 John 2:2 ESV)

Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?" (John 11:25-26 ESV)

The Unjust Shall Die By Faith

Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith. (Habakkuk 2:4 KJV)

It is written, "The just shall live by faith (Habakkuk 2:4, Romans 1:7, Galatians 3:11, Hebrews 10:38)". This is repeated four times in the Bible, once by Habakkuk in Old Testament, and quoted three times by Paul in the New Testament.

In reality, everyone lives by faith. We all have faith in the usual. We just take for granted that everything will just happen as per normal. Nothing extraordinary will happen and nature will take its course. When we take our next step, we never fear that the ground will give way and swallow us up. When we sleep, we assume we will wake up. When we sit on a chair, we do not expect the chair to give way.

We cannot live without faith because we are not all powerful (omnipotent), all knowing (omniscience) and all-present (omnipresent). We have no time and no means to prove everything. We just have to trust that the information we have is true.

The Bible never teaches that doing good will save you. The Bible teaches that you are saved by believing in the truth, the saving truth, the historical event that Christ had died for our sin.

What you do will not save you. What you put your faith in will determine whether you have eternal life or eternal death.

The just shall live by faith. The wicked shall die by faith.

And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. (Hebrews 11:6 NIV)

Two Types of Religions

More than that, I count all things as loss compared to the surpassing excellence of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God on the basis of faith. (Philippians 3:8-9 BSB)

But more than that, I count everything as loss compared to the priceless privilege and supreme advantage of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord [and of growing more deeply and thoroughly acquainted with Him - a joy unequaled]. For His sake I have lost everything, and I consider it all garbage, so that I may gain Christ, and may be found in Him [believing and relying on Him], not having any righteousness of my own derived from [my obedience to] the Law and its rituals, but [possessing] that [genuine righteousness] which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith. (Philippians 3:8-9 Amplified Bible)

There are only two types of religions in the world.  One type believed we are saved by our own righteousness derived from our obedience of the law. The other type believed that we saved by the righteousness from God through faith in the faithfulness of Christ. If you want to believe in the first type of religion, you have many choices. If you want the second type, it is only found in the Bible.

He made the one who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. (2 Corinthians 5:21 CSB)

I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain. (Galatians 2:21 KJV)

Is Believing Work?

And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house. (Acts 16:31 KJV)

For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9 KJV)

We are saved by believing that Jesus died for our sins and not by good works. But is believing work? According to Jesus, believing is work and the only work required by God. This is God's only KPI.

They replied, "We want to perform God's works, too. What should we do?"
Jesus told them, "This is the only work God wants from you: Believe in the one he has sent." (John 6:28-29 NLT)

To The Jews First

Then Paul and Barnabas answered them boldly: "It was necessary to speak the word of God to you first. But since you reject it and do not consider yourselves worthy of eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles. (Acts 13:46 BSB)

Before resurrection
Jesus sent out these twelve after giving them instructions: "Don't take the road that leads to the Gentiles, and don't enter any Samaritan town. Instead, go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. As you go, proclaim, 'The kingdom of heaven has come near.' (Matthew 10:5-7 CSB)

After resurrection
And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age." (Matthew 28:18-20 ESV)

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile. (Romans 1:16 NIV)

God is Faithful

Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. (Hebrews 10:23 ESV)

He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it. (1 Thessalonians 5:24 ESV)

But the Lord is faithful; he will strengthen you and guard you from the evil one. (2 Thessalonians 3:3 NLT)

We are not saved by our faith. We are saved by God. We believed that He is faithful and true to His promise that He will save us to the uttermost.

It is because of the LORD'S lovingkindnesses that we are not consumed, Because His [tender] compassions never fail. They are new every morning; Great and beyond measure is Your faithfulness.(Lamentations 3:22-23 Amplified Bible)

For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed. (Malachi 3:6 KJV)

But you are the same, and your years will never end. (Psalm 102:27 CSB)

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. (Hebrews 13:8 NLT)

If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself. (2 Timothy 2:13 NASB)

For this reason, even though I suffer as I do, I am not ashamed; for I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him for that day. (2 Timothy 1:12 BSB)

Saved By Grace Through Faith

For by grace are ye saved through faith; (Ephesians 2:8a KJV)
God saved you by his grace when you believed. (Ephesians 2:8a NLT)
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith (Ephesians 2:8a NIV)
For by grace you have been saved through faith. (Ephesians 2:8a ESV)
For it is by grace you have been saved through faith, (Ephesians 2:8a BSB)
For by grace you have been saved through faith; (Ephesians 2:8a NASB95)
For you are saved by grace through faith, (Ephesians 2:8a CSB)

We are saved by grace through faith. What does that mean?

We are saved by God's grace. We are saved by God because of His grace. The grace of God puts you in a position to hear God's message of salvation. Either we are born in the right time at the right place, or we travel to the right place at the right time with our hearts are ready to receive the message. We are saved because of God's sovereign will, predestined before the foundation of the world. We are saved because God provided the means of salvation. And we are saved when Christ died for our sins.

We are not saved by our faith. We are saved through our faith. Our faith is the response to God's grace. We accept the fact of our salvation by faith. There is no other way. We are already saved by God and now we have to believe that we are saved and act accordingly. We have to trust that God is faithful, and that He is able to save us to the uttermost. It is our part to believe and to have faith in God's faithfulness.

For those who have never heard of the good news of God's salvation or have rejected it, they are not saved. God has not extended His grace to them.

So Abraham called that place The LORD Will Provide. And to this day it is said, "On the mountain of the LORD it will be provided." (Genesis 22:14 NIV)

He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it. (1 Thessalonians 5:24 ESV)

If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself. (2 Timothy 2:13 NASB95)

And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him. (Hebrews 11:6 NLT)

For he chose us in him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and blameless in love before him. (Ephesians 1:4 CSB)

They went out from us, but they did not belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us. But their departure made it clear that none of them belonged to us. (1 John 2:19 BSB)

Putting God On Probation

When Jacob's parents bade him to go to Haran to get a wife, he had a dream of a ladder leading to heaven. He was thoroughly awed by this dream but did Jacob accept God straightaway? No. Instead, he set God a KPI.

Then Jacob made a vow, saying, "If God will be with me and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat and clothing to wear, so that I come again to my father’s house in peace, then the Lord shall be my God, and this stone, which I have set up for a pillar, shall be God’s house. And of all that you give me I will give a full tenth to you." (Genesis 28:20-22 ESV)

Did God respect Jacob's KPI? 

The God of Jacob

Esau replied, "Is he not rightly named Jacob (the supplanter)? For he has supplanted me these two times: he took away my birthright, and now he has taken away my blessing. Have you not reserved a blessing for me?" (Genesis 27:36 Amplified Bible)

I was glad that I am not a righteous man with a strong sense of justice. When I read how God allowed Jacob to steal Esau's blessings, I did not say, "What kind of God is this, accepting the cheater and rejecting the cheated!" Instead, I said, "If God can accept Jacob, He can surely accept me!"

And the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them. (Luke 15:2 KJV)

In Death All Are Equal

One man dies full of vigor, completely secure and at ease. His body is well nourished, and his bones are rich with marrow. Yet another man dies in the bitterness of his soul, having never tasted prosperity. But together they lie down in the dust, and worms cover them both. (Job 21:23-26 BSB)

All men are equal at death. He might have been a rich man, a powerful dictator, a beggar, a murderer or claim to be a god, a buddha, a prophet or whatever, at death, they are all equal. They do not come back again. Almost nobody came back to prove that he is more equal than others. But there is one exception, only one who came back from death.

Today is Resurrection Sunday. We commemorate a unique event in history - the resurrection of Christ. All men are born of two parents and died. Jesus was uniquely born of a virgin, crucified to death, and then resurrected on the third day. This event serves as evidence of Jesus' divine nature, setting Him apart from others who simply made claims that they are gods or buddhas or some other supermen, without any proof to support them.

Why do we listen to men, born of one man and one woman, fusion of sperm and egg, who after speaking great things, claiming to be somebody great, die and return to dust, like all men before and after him? He who cannot conquer death is like me, and no better than me. Why should I listen to him?

Why not believe in the only one in the world, who was born of a virgin, died and was resurrected, and will be returning again? Believe in Him who had conquered death, proving Himself to be different from all men.

He was buried, and he was raised from the dead on the third day, just as the Scriptures said. (1 Corinthians 15:4 NLT)

God's Choice

And not only this, but there was Rebekah also, when she had conceived twins by one man, our father Isaac; for though the twins were not yet born and had not done anything good or bad, so that God's purpose according to His choice would stand, not because of works but because of Him who calls, it was said to her, "The older will serve the younger." Just as it is written, "Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated." (Romans 9:10-13 NASB95)

Consider this, why does God choose Jacob over Esau, Judah over Joseph and David over Saul? Using our normal human common sense, morality, karma and justice, we would do it the other way.

Jacob and Esau
Why does God choose the one who cheat over the one who was cheated to be the ancestor of His chosen people Israel?

Judah and Joseph
Why does God choose the one who enslaved over the slave to be the ancestor of the tribe where the kings of Israel would come from? Wasn't Joseph exemplary his in conduct when he forgave his brothers who sold him into slavery? Why wasn't he chosen?

David and Saul
Why does God choose the one who committed adultery and murder over the one who did not to become the ancestor of the Messiah?

Me and many others better than me
While I was pondering over this, I remembered that God also choose me over many people who are probably a better person than me.

Meritocracy is not in the dictionary of God. Rather, God is merciful. In His mercy, He sent His only begotten Son Jesus to die for our sins so that we can be saved, even though we do not have many good works or worse, none at all. Theologians called this salvation by grace.

For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9 KJV)

And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified. (Romans 8:30 ESV)

Salvation Belongeth Unto The LORD

Do not gloat over me, my enemy! Though I have fallen, I will arise; though I sit in darkness, the LORD will be my light. (Micah 7:8 BSB)

The God who forgave Christians will also forgive the Jews.

He will again have compassion on us; He will vanquish our iniquities. You will cast out all our sins into the depths of the sea. You will show faithfulness to Jacob and loving devotion to Abraham, as You swore to our fathers from the days of old. (Micah 7:19-20 BSB)

Salvation belongs to the LORD; may Your blessing be on Your people. (Psalm 3:8 BSB)

God Passes Over Sin

God publicly displayed him at his death as the mercy seat accessible through faith. This was to demonstrate his righteousness, because God in his forbearance had passed over the sins previously committed. (Romans 3:25 NET)

"Therefore, having overlooked the times of ignorance, God now commands all people everywhere to repent, because he has set a day when he is going to judge the world in righteousness by the man he has appointed. He has provided proof of this to everyone by raising him from the dead." (Acts 17:30-31CSB)

He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world. (1 John 2:2 ESV)

God does not condone sin. But God can overlook all sin legally and allow sinners to live without being unjust because He had sent His Son Jesus to die for the sins of the world, past, present and future. Thus when Adam sinned, the world was not destroyed straightaway. God can now be justified when He allow us to live while we are yet sinners, giving us an opportunity to be saved. Mercy and justice are reconciled in Christ Jesus.

Since they thought it foolish to acknowledge God, he abandoned them to their foolish thinking and let them do things that should never be done. Their lives became full of every kind of wickedness, sin, greed, hate, envy, murder, quarreling, deception, malicious behavior, and gossip. They are backstabbers, haters of God, insolent, proud, and boastful. They invent new ways of sinning, and they disobey their parents. They refuse to understand, break their promises, are heartless, and have no mercy. They know God's justice requires that those who do these things deserve to die, yet they do them anyway. Worse yet, they encourage others to do them, too. You may think you can condemn such people, but you are just as bad, and you have no excuse! When you say they are wicked and should be punished, you are condemning yourself, for you who judge others do these very same things. And we know that God, in his justice, will punish anyone who does such things. Since you judge others for doing these things, why do you think you can avoid God's judgment when you do the same things? Don't you see how wonderfully kind, tolerant, and patient God is with you? Does this mean nothing to you? Can't you see that his kindness is intended to turn you from your sin? (Romans 1:28-2:4 NLT)

Your eyes are too pure to look on evil; you cannot tolerate wrongdoing. Why then do you tolerate the treacherous? Why are you silent while the wicked swallow up those more righteous than themselves? (Habakkuk 1:13 NIV)

Many people are confused by God's mercy. When they see the wicked who sinned terribly live without suffering any consequences, they demand that God punishes them. But they overlooked that they themselves are also sinners who commit small sins. They forgot that God is just and punishes all sin, big and small. Because their own sins are small, they did not see them as sin and thought they are righteous.

For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God's glorious standard. Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. This sacrifice shows that God was being fair when he held back and did not punish those who sinned in times past, for he was looking ahead and including them in what he would do in this present time. God did this to demonstrate his righteousness, for he himself is fair and just, and he makes sinners right in his sight when they believe in Jesus. (Romans 3:23-26 NLT)

If We Are Saved By Christ Why Read the Bible And Go To Church

But now God has shown us a way to be made right with him without keeping the requirements of the law, as was promised in the writings of Moses and the prophets long ago. We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are. (Romans 3:21-22 NLT)

If we can be saved by believing that Christ had died for our sin and without keeping the requirements of the law, why do we need to read the Bible and go to church?

Let say a man believed in Christ at the age of 16 and then for 80 years he did not read the Bible and go to church. At his death bed at 96, what will happen?

He may remember that he is a Christian but and he does not know what to do. All his friends and relatives are non-Christians, and none can advise. Some of his friends and relatives may think that Christianity is like all other religions. So they called a Roman Catholic priest to perform last rites for him. But he said, "I am not a Catholic. I remember that it is not like that. Does anyone have a Bible for me to check?" Then when offered a Bible, he will flip the pages and hope to find the answer, but will he find it? Then they may get a pastor, but will he end up with a pastor who know the gospel or just some liberal pastor who is equally clueless about salvation? Of course, by the skin of his teeth, he may remember that eternal life is to trust in Jesus and once again cried out to the Lord for mercy before he passes on.

When we do our daily work, whether we are bosses who run big companies or clerks who do daily operation, don't we plan our work to ensure success? If we put so much effort into work and do not count for eternity, why are we neglecting the work that is needed to assure our eternal life?

While we do not need to read the Bible and go to church to be saved, we need to build our faith and assurance. If we have no knowledge of our Saviour, how can we have the faith that He will save us on that day? We will not even know that salvation is as easy as believing in Christ. Let say we have a friend whom we did not meet for 80 years. Will we be able to recognise each other when we meet? If we did not read the Bible and go to church for a long time, will we believe that Jesus is still willing to save us? And we will not know that it is written in the Bible that whoever believes in Him may have eternal life (John 3:15).

And what about the family and children? We spent money on the children's education to ensure that they will slog hard in the world in work that do not last for eternity. But what about their eternal salvation? Without us leading the way to go to church and read the Bible, the children will not know Jesus. They will be on their way to eternal damnation while having a good education and slogging hard in the world to make money that they cannot bring with them.

Christians who do not go to church and read the Bible are reducing the probability of their own salvation and cutting off the knowledge of eternal life from their loved ones around them. 

But you, dear friends, must build each other up in your most holy faith, pray in the power of the Holy Spirit, and await the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will bring you eternal life. In this way, you will keep yourselves safe in God's love. And you must show mercy to those whose faith is wavering. Rescue others by snatching them from the flames of judgment. Show mercy to still others, but do so with great caution, hating the sins that contaminate their lives. (Jude 20-23 NLT)

Salvation Without Keeping the Law

But now God has shown us a way to be made right with him without keeping the requirements of the law, as was promised in the writings of Moses and the prophets long ago. We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are. (Romans 3:21-22 NLT)

For the law always brings punishment on those who try to obey it. (The only way to avoid breaking the law is to have no law to break!) (Romans 4:15 NLT)

God told us that if we believe in Him, we will be saved. We are saved by what we believe, not what we do.

Why Is Salvation Through Faith?

For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9 KJV)

Why are we saved through faith? Why do we not earn our salvation through good deeds like the other religions of the world?

Because faith pleases God (Hebrews 11:6). Faith sees God even though He cannot be seen.

Because faith glorifies God (Romans 4:20). When we have the faith that God was able to do what He had promised (Romans 4:21), God is glorified. God deserves all glory and honour because He have created all things, and by His will they exist and were created (Revelation 4:11).

And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. (Hebrews 11:6 NIV)

Abraham never wavered in believing God's promise. In fact, his faith grew stronger, and in this he brought glory to God. He was fully convinced that God is able to do whatever he promises. (Romans 4:20-21 NLT)

Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created. (Revelation 4:11 KJV)

Jesus Saves

Since, then, we are God's offspring, we shouldn't think that the divine nature is like gold or silver or stone, an image fashioned by human art and imagination. (Acts 17:29 CSB)

The Bible contains truth, but not all truth is in the Bible. We are told by the Bible that "The just shall live by faith (Habakkuk 2:4,Romans 1:17,Galatians 3:11,Hebrews 10:38)". But the evil also live by faith. Just about everyone live by faith.

When we see a young man declaring, "I am a free thinker. I don't believe in any gods. I believe in myself", this is a statement of faith by a young person with a healthy body and mind. When this healthy young man grows old and fat, starts having heart problem, kidney trouble, glaucoma and dementia, he will start losing faith in himself. He will even forget that he ever said, "I believe in myself."

A person worshipping some clay idol is also living by faith.

Faith does not save. It is the object of faith that saves. Jesus saves. All others don't. Believe in Jesus. Live by faith in Jesus.

And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house. (Acts 16:31 KJV)

Look And Be Saved - 3

Then the LORD said to Moses, "Make a fiery serpent and mount it on a pole. When anyone who is bitten looks at it, he will live." So Moses made a bronze snake and mounted it on a pole. If anyone who was bitten looked at the bronze snake, he would live. (Numbers 21:8-9 BSB)

Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else. (Isaiah 45:22 KJV)

Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in Him may have eternal life. (John 3:14-15 BSB)

Just stumbled on this "Uncovering The Mystery of The Nehustan: The Bible WARNED Us - YouTube". Then I realized that I had so many references to the bronze thing (Nehushtan) in my blog.

Look and be saved! Salvation is that simple. But do not let what is good become an idol. Neither should we add to the method of salvation. Just look. That is all.

But if you want to choose a method of salvation that require that you do more than just look, you have many choices. Every false religion in the world requires some effort from you to be saved.

He removed the pagan shrines, smashed the sacred pillars, and cut down the Asherah poles. He broke up the bronze serpent that Moses had made, because the people of Israel had been offering sacrifices to it. The bronze serpent was called Nehushtan. (2 Kings 18:4 NLT)

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 KJV)

Grace means No Equal Opportunity - 2

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God's own possession, to proclaim the virtues of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. (1 Peter 2:9 BSB)

For you are a holy people belonging to the LORD your God. The LORD your God has chosen you to be his own possession out of all the peoples on the face of the earth. (Deuteronomy 7:6 CSB)

For you are a people holy to the LORD your God, and the LORD has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth. (Deuteronomy 14:2 ESV)

When I was still a new Christian, I read from the Bible that God had chosen Israel. Then I thought to myself, "God is so unfair. What about the other nations?" As I grew older, I came to realize that equal opportunities are not always given to everyone for everything in life, not just in matters of salvation. Everything depends on your time and place in history.

For example, when I was young, I used slide rules to perform calculations in school, but my children used calculators. Similarly, while I had to visit a library and manually copy notes from reference books to do my homework, my children simply Google for information. And now, we even have the convenience of ChatGPT to help me rewrite some of these.

Many founders of false religions feared the charges of unfairness and tried to tell us that their gods or buddhas or supermen had given equal opportunity to all to believe. Only the God of the Bible told us the plain truth - salvation is by grace. There is no equal opportunity.

Why did God choose the nation of Israel? Because any man can write a book and claim that it is from God, but only God can create a nation.

Has any other god dared to take a nation for himself out of another nation by means of trials, miraculous signs, wonders, war, a strong hand, a powerful arm, and terrifying acts? Yet that is what the LORD your God did for you in Egypt, right before your eyes. (Deuteronomy 4:34 NLT)