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THE
BIBLE
Can we trust a book written 2000 years ago?
EYEWITNESS
Did the writers of the New Testament get their picture of Jesus right?
GOD
- MAN
Is Jesus really God?
RESURRECTION
Did Jesus really rise from the dead?
RELIGIONS
With so many religions, why Christianity?
SUFFERING
If there is a God, why is there so much suffering?
TRINITY
Understanding the Trinity.
SCIENCE
The complementary nature of Science & Christianity.
FORGIVENESS
What it is and why it matters?
GUIDANCE
How does God guide?
REPENTANCE
What it is and why you can't get to heaven without it.
BORN
AGAIN
What does it mean to be converted and born again?
SAVING
FAITH
The kind of faith that will get you to heaven
ASSURANCE
Can I know for sure that I am going to heaven?
TRUTH
What is truth and does it matter?
MORALITY
Does it matter how we live? A Christian view of morality.
THE
CHURCH
God's vision for his family, the Church. A call to the churches of the
new millennium.
PURPOSE
How
can I find a great purpose for living?
IDENTITY
Who am I; Finding my true identity as a human being and as a child of
God.
SELF-ESTEEM
How
can I feel good about my self? The Christian basis for proper sel-esteem.
LIFE AFTER DEATHChristianity's Hope & Challenge.
THE CROSS
Why did Jesus Die? What the Bible says about the Cross.
Grace
The importance of grace in the New Testament.
Christian certainty in the New Testament
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"If
this love, demonstrated by the sacrifice of Jesus on our behalf
and experienced by his indwelling Spirit, is the basis of our relationship
with him, would he not want us to know that we have it"
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The Bible constantly emphasises the point that God created us for friendship with himself, a friendship based on love. The reason we don't enjoy this relationship is that we choose to live our lives independently of God. We have broken his laws and gone our own way. God has, however, acted in Jesus to restore our relationship with himself. He bridged the gap by dying for our sins on the cross. When we turn to him in faith and accept Jesus as our Saviour and the Lord of our lives, then he comes to live within us in the person of the Holy Spirit. We experience his love and respond in love to him in return. Paul says, "God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us" (Romans 5:5).
If this love, demonstrated by the sacrifice of Jesus on our behalf and experienced by his indwelling Spirit, is the basis of our relationship with him, would he not want us to know that we have it? Indeed, could it be called a love relationship if we did not know we had it? And, if God is all powerful, would he allow us to enjoy his love for a few years here and then cast us aside? Would he not want us to enjoy this relationship with him forever? After all, he raised Jesus from the dead. Why not us, too?
There is an old hymn, written by the converted slave trader, John Newton, which contains the following verse:
'Tis a point I long to know,
Oft it causes anxious thought;
Do I love the Lord or no?
Am I his, or am I not?
Can you imagine a man travelling overseas, sending a message to his wife in which he said:
'Tis a point I long to know,
Oft it causes anxious thought;
Do I love you, dear, or no?
Am I yours, or am I not?
I expect he would get a telegram by return mail demanding, "Come home quickly!" What is the point of a love relationship if you don't know you have it?
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Can I know for sure that I am going to Heaven?
The nature of our relationship with God
Christian certainty in the New Testament
Truths on which we base our certainty of heaven
