Conscience, Keeping a Good

Word Topics

1998-01-01

Definition: Conscience is the knowledge of right and wrong, and a feeling that one should do what is right.

1. Conscience is the guiding voice of God in man.

• Proverbs 20:27 — The spirit of man is the candle of the Lord, searching all the inward parts of the belly. [See also Job 32:8.]
• Isaiah 30:21 — And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left.
• John 1:9 — [Jesus’ Spirit touches every man:] That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. [See also John 14:6.]
• Romans 2:14,15 — [Even those who don’t personally know Jesus have a godly conscience, which the Lord has given to every man.] For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves: ¹⁵ Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another.

2. We must choosewhether or not to obey our conscience.

• Job 27:6b — My heart shall not reproach me so long as I live.
• Acts 24:16 — And herein do I exercise myself, to have always a conscience void of offence toward God, and toward men.
• 2 Corinthians 1:12 — For our rejoicing is this, the testimony of our conscience, that in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom, but by the grace of God, we have had our conversation in the world, and more abundantly to you-ward.
• 1 Timothy 3:9 — Holding the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience.

3. A guilty conscience convicts us of sin.

• Job 15:20a,21a,24a — The wicked man travaileth with pain all his days, ^21a A dreadful sound is in his ears: ^24a Trouble and anguish shall make him afraid; they shall prevail against him.
• Psalm 40:12b — [King David prayed:] Mine iniquities have taken hold upon me, so that I am not able to look up; they are more than the hairs of mine head: therefore my heart faileth me.
• Psalm 73:21 — Thus my heart was grieved, and I was pricked in my reins.
• Isaiah 59:12 — For our transgressions are multiplied before Thee, and our sins testify against us: for our transgressions are with us; and as for our iniquities, we know them.
• Romans 1:18,19 — [God convicts all men about wrongdoing.] For the wrath of God is revealed from Heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; ¹⁹ Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.

4. Truth resisted loses its power over the mind. If we refuse to heed our conscience, we eventually become dull to it.

• Jeremiah 6:15a — Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination? Nay, they were not at all ashamed, neither could they blush.
• Matthew 6:22,23 — The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. ²³ But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness! [See also Luke 11:34,35.]
• Romans 1:21 — Because that, when they knew God, they glorified Him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.
• Ephesians 4:17-19 — This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind, ¹⁸ Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart: ¹⁹ Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.
• 2 Thessalonians 2:10-12 — And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. ¹¹ And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: ¹² That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
• 1 Timothy 4:2 — Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron.
• Titus 1:15 — Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled.
• 2 Thessalonians 2:7 — [In the Last Days, the convicting Holy Spirit will no longer restrain man’s lawlessness and rebellion, and all Hell will break loose on earth:] For the mystery of iniquity [the spirit of the Antichrist] doth already work: only He [the Holy Spirit] Who now letteth will let, until He be taken out of the way.

5. Biblical examples of guilty consciences:

• Genesis 3:6b-11 — [After partaking of the forbidden fruit, Adam and Eve had a guilty conscience:] She took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. ⁷ And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons. ⁸ And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden. ⁹ And the Lord God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou? ¹⁰ And he said, I heard Thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself. ¹¹ And He said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat?
• Genesis 42:21 — [Joseph’s brothers:] And they said one to another, We are verily guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the anguish of his soul, when he besought us, and we would not hear; therefore is this distress come upon us.
• Exodus 9:27 — [Pharaoh of Egypt:] And Pharaoh sent, and called for Moses and Aaron, and said unto them, I have sinned this time: the Lord is righteous, and I and my people are wicked.
• 1 Samuel 24:5-6 — [King David was convicted for secretly cutting King Saul’s robe:] And it came to pass afterward, that David’s heart smote him, because he had cut off Saul’s skirt. ⁶ And he said unto his men, The Lord forbid that I should do this thing unto my master, the Lord’s anointed, to stretch forth mine hand against him, seeing he is the anointed of the Lord.
• 2 Samuel 24:10 — [King David:] And David’s heart smote him after that he had numbered the people. And David said unto the Lord, I have sinned greatly in that I have done: and now, I beseech Thee, O Lord, take away the iniquity of Thy servant; for I have done very foolishly.
• Ezra 9:6 — [Ezra, the priest and scribe said:] O my God, I am ashamed and blush to lift up my face to Thee, my God: for our iniquities are increased over our head, and our trespass is grown up unto the Heavens.
• Daniel 5:6 — [King Belshazzar of Babylon:] Then the king’s countenance was changed, and his thoughts troubled him [when he saw God’s judgement message, the “handwriting on the wall”], so that the joints of his loins were loosed, and his knees smote one against another.
• Matthew 26:75 — [Peter the Apostle:] And Peter remembered the Word of Jesus, which said unto him, Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny Me thrice. And he went out, and wept bitterly. [See also Mark 14:72 and Luke 22:61,62.]
• Matthew 27:3-5 — [Judas Iscariot:] Then Judas, which had betrayed Him, when he saw that He was condemned, repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, ⁴ Saying, I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood. And they said, What is that to us? See thou to that. ⁵ And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed, and went and hanged himself.
• John 8:9 — [The scribes and Pharisees, who had accused the harlot and were about to stone her to death:] And they which heard it [Jesus’ defense of the woman], being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.
• Acts 2:37 — [The crowd to whom Peter witnessed about Jesus:] Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?
• Acts 9:5 — [Saul of Tarsus, who had persecuted the Christians, and who later became Paul, the Apostle:] And he said, Who art Thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus Whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks [of his convicted conscience]. (See also 26:14.)

6. Salvation through grace clears the conscience of condemnation over past sins.

• Romans 8:1 — There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
• Hebrews 9:14 — How much more shall the blood of Christ, Who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?
• Hebrews 10:22 — Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.
• 1 John 3:19-21 — And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before Him. ²⁰ For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things. ²¹ Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God.
• [See also Condemnation and Remorse, #3 and #4, page 154.]

7. To go against our conscience is a violation of our faith, which is a sin.

• Romans 14:22a,23b — Hast thou faith? Have it to thyself before God. ^23b For whatsoever is not of faith is sin.
• Romans 7:22,23 — For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: ²³ But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.
• 1 Corinthians 8:7b — [Paul spoke of those coming from pagan religions who had eaten food sacrificed to idols, during their worship of those idols, who after becoming Christians were at times tempted to continue in such practices.] For some with conscience of the idol unto this hour eat it as a thing offered unto an idol; and their conscience being weak is defiled.
• 1 Timothy 1:19 — Holding [onto] faith, and a good conscience; which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck.

8. A clear conscience towards God gives us conviction, enabling us to rise above circumstances and the opinions of man.

• Proverbs 28:1 — The wicked flee when no man pursueth: but the righteous are bold as a lion.
• Acts 4:19,20 — [Peter and John were faithful to obey their conscience and convictions.] But Peter and John answered and said unto them, Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye. ²⁰ For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard. [See also 5:29.]
• Acts 23:1 — And Paul, earnestly beholding the council, said, Men and brethren, I have lived in all good conscience before God until this day.
• Romans 9:1 — I say the truth in Christ, I lie not, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost.
• Romans 14:22b — Happy is he that condemneth not himself in that thing which he alloweth.
• 1 Timothy 1:5 — Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned [sincere].
• Hebrews 13:18 — Pray for us: for we trust we have a good conscience, in all things willing to live honestly.

9. However, even if our conscience permits us something, we should nevertheless be mindful of others‘ faith.

• Romans 14:1-7 — Him that is weak in the faith receive ye, but not to doubtful disputations. ² For one believeth that he may eat all things: another, who is weak, eateth herbs. ³ Let not him that eateth despise him that eateth not; and let not him which eateth not judge him that eateth: for God hath received him. ⁴ Who art thou that judgest another man’s servant? To his own master he standeth or falleth. Yea, he shall be holden up: for God is able to make him stand. ⁵ One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind. ⁶ He that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the Lord; and he that regardeth not the day, to the Lord he doth not regard it. He that eateth, eateth to the Lord, for he giveth God thanks; and he that eateth not, to the Lord he eateth not, and giveth God thanks. ⁷ For none of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself.
• Romans 14:14-20 — I know, and am persuaded by the Lord Jesus, that there is nothing unclean of itself: but to him that esteemeth any thing to be unclean, to him it is unclean. ¹⁵ But if thy brother be grieved with thy meat, now walkest thou not charitably. Destroy not him with thy meat, for whom Christ died. ¹⁶ Let not then your good be evil spoken of: ¹⁷ For the Kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. ¹⁸ For he that in these things serveth Christ is acceptable to God, and approved of men. ¹⁹ Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another. ²⁰ For meat destroy not the work of God. All things indeed are pure; but it is evil for that man who eateth with offence.
• 1 Corinthians 8:9-13 — But take heed lest by any means this liberty of yours become a stumblingblock to them that are weak. ¹⁰ For if any man see thee which hast knowledge sit at meat in the idol’s temple, shall not the conscience of him which is weak be emboldened to eat those things which are offered to idols; ¹¹ And through thy knowledge shall the weak brother perish, for whom Christ died? ¹² But when ye sin so against the brethren, and wound their weak conscience, ye sin against Christ. ¹³ Wherefore, if meat make my brother to offend, I will eat no flesh while the world standeth, lest I make my brother to offend. [See also 10:28-32.]

10. Keeping a good conscience is also an important part of our Christian example.

• Romans 13:5 — [We need to obey the laws of the land, not just to avoid punishment, but to obey what we know is right.] Wherefore ye must needs be subject, not only for wrath, but also for conscience sake.
• 2 Corinthians 4:2 — But have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the Word of God deceitfully; but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God.
• Hebrews 13:18 — Pray for us: for we trust we have a good conscience, in all things willing to live honestly.
• 1 Peter 3:16 — Having a good conscience; that, whereas they speak evil of you, as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ.

Copyright (c) 1998 by Aurora Productions

When God Allows a Dream to Die

October 9, 2026

By Alex Kendrick

Alex Kendrick, the filmmaker behind War Room and Fireproof, reveals the counterintuitive path God had for him. Kendrick shares his testimony of how he had to watch his cinematic dreams die before God could resurrect them into a global ministry.

Run time for this video is 58:35 minutes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1bvi69A4dhI

Copyright © 2026 The Family International

God Is Not in a Hurry

October 8, 2026

A compilation

Audio length: 13:03

Download Audio (11.9MB)

“Love is patient, love is kind.”—1 Corinthians 13:4

Patience and everyday life can feel as mismatched as oil and water. Whether I’m waiting in a slow checkout line, stuck in traffic, or asking one of my children for the umpteenth time to do something they forgot, impatience seems to bubble up easily.

Impatience often reveals more about my heart than about my circumstances. When things don’t go my way, plans take longer than I’d hoped, or life interrupts my carefully laid schedule, frustration spills out. At its core, impatience is usually about me—my comfort, my timeline, my expectations.

But God calls me to something different. With God’s Spirit alive in me, He cultivates the fruit of patience (Galatians 5:22). He gives me the ability to slow down, wait, and trust His timing. …

The Bible describes God as “patient with [people], not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9). God was patient to lead me to come to Him, and He continues to be patient with me as I grow in Him.

That’s what true love looks like. As the Apostle Paul wrote, “Love is patient” (1 Corinthians 13:4). God’s love takes its time. It waits. It doesn’t rush the process. His love isn’t pushy; it’s patient and persistent.

If God is not in a hurry with me, then I don’t have to live in constant hurry either. I can rest in knowing He is at work, even when life feels slow or messy. His patience gives me space to grow and also gives me a model for how to extend patience to the people around me.

So today when impatience rises, I want to remember: God isn’t rushing me. He delights in me. And He promises that the work He began in me will be brought to completion (Philippians 1:6). That truth frees me to extend His love and patience to others—and even to myself. Lord, remind me that You are not in a hurry with me and that I can trust Your timing in all things.—Ruth Schwenk¹

God is always right on time

God is never in a hurry, and he’s never late. He’s always on time.

God’s timing is perfect, even when we can’t understand it. We’ll never fully understand God’s timing because God exists on a different wavelength. Because he is timeless, he has a different view of time.

The Bible talks about God’s understanding of time in 2 Peter 3:8. It says, “Do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.”  … God’s timelessness has big implications for your life. …

What vision has God given you? Over the years I’ve discovered that while everybody tends to start off early in life with a vision, as time goes on, more and more people give up on their dream before it’s accomplished. The reason is often because it doesn’t happen fast enough.

Maybe you have had your dream battered. Maybe you have had your dream broken. Or maybe, out of discouragement and disappointment, you have buried your dream. You’ve given up on it.

God doesn’t want you to do that. If God gave you a dream for your life, it will happen. It just has to happen on his timetable, not yours.

God says this about your dream: “The vision will still happen at the appointed time. It hurries toward its goal. It won’t be a lie. If it’s delayed, wait for it. It will certainly happen. It won’t be late” (Habakkuk 2:3).

When I started Saddleback Church when I was 25 years old, I was in a hurry to get everything done fast. But God said to me the same thing he will say to you with your dream: “No, it’s not all going to happen right now. But slowly, steadily, the vision will be fulfilled.”

I want you to remember this powerful truth: God is never early in your life. He is never late in your life.

God is always right on time.—Rick Warren²

Playing ketchup

I recently saw a ketchup ad for a famous brand that showed ketchup pouring out of a bottle very slowly, accompanied by the song “At Last.” It reminded me of being a child and waiting for ketchup to pour out on my hamburger agonizingly slowly.

Some brands are watered down, and pouring isn’t a problem anymore—except for the lack of flavor. Some brands now come in plastic squeeze bottles for impatient folks like me or in small plastic packs that you tear open and squeeze out. But I’m talking about the narrow-necked glass bottles which gave you no alternative except to wait.

I remember getting so impatient for my ketchup. I’d try shaking the bottle. Then I’d pound on the bottom. Sometimes, I even resorted to pushing a knife up into the bottle to get my ketchup. But most often, I’d just have to wait until the ketchup gradually began to pour out in its own time.

I overslept the other morning and woke up feeling like I had to pound on that proverbial ketchup bottle. I kept pushing for things to hurry up, so I wouldn’t be late for an appointment. I even tried shortcuts and raced through yellow traffic lights just to get through. I felt like I was literally playing catch-up.

Then I realized that life is like that ketchup bottle. Things move in their own time and, in our impatience, we can shake and pound, but events will pour out as they’re meant to. Some of the best things in life are slow—slow songs, slow sunsets, slow kisses, and even slow ketchup.—Joyce Suttin

*

Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.—Romans 12:12

I waited patiently for the Lord to help me, and he turned to me and heard my cry.—Psalm 40:1

The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him. It is good that one should hope and wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.—Lamentations 3:25–26

Be patient like those farmers and don’t give up. The Lord will soon be here!—James 5:8

God isn’t in a hurry—why are we?

Have you met people who wear their busy lives as badges of honor? God has given us different capacities and callings, so I can’t judge someone else’s schedule, but I do know something about assigning a misplaced sense of value and worth to busyness, which in my life produced a sense of hurry.

Growing up, I subconsciously took to heart the phrase “Idle hands are the devil’s workshop.” As an adult, I heard, BUSY stands for “Burdened Under Satan’s Yoke” and “If the devil can’t make you bad, he’ll make you busy.”

All these sayings contain some truth—depending on how we apply them. But busyness has robbed me of more than stillness. And the misplaced value I assigned to busyness has sabotaged times of stillness with a nagging sense that I should be doing something. …

My desire to be responsible pushed me into an out-of-balance life. One day my husband said, “When you’re overcommitted, we all suffer.” I’d asked his thoughts on a new ministry opportunity, but his words stung—because I knew he was right. …

The Gospels challenged my view of productivity. I never saw Jesus rushing during His three-year ministry. He stunned me by saying “no” to great ministry opportunities. He walked away from eager crowds to keep step with His Father (Mark 1:35–38). He applauded Mary, who sat at His feet listening to Him, while her sister Martha complained that Mary wasn’t doing enough.

“But the Lord said to her, ‘My dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all these details! There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her’” (Luke 10:41–42). …

Perhaps the problem lies not in busyness or idleness, but in a distracted heart that makes us restless. Life has rhythms. People have different capacities. But we all need to practice staying in tune with our Lord so that we don’t lose the ability to enjoy Him, the important people in our lives, and life itself.

Signs of Putting a Misplaced Value on Busyness:

• Feeling guilty when we’re not productive
• Attaching our sense of self-worth to how much we accomplish
• Judging others by how busy they are compared to ourselves
• Impatience with others who we think slow us down
• Being in a hurry

If we’re used to lots of activity and we have to slow our pace, we may feel like we’ve been put on a shelf. Not true. God values our fellowship, just as He did Mary’s. He delights in the pleasure of our company. …

Isn’t that the life we all long for? To fully engage in the work God has called us to—without rushing or comparing ourselves or others to our own unrealistic standards. To appreciate those with different inclinations and gifts. To enjoy our Lord, our loved ones, and even ourselves.—Debbie W. Wilson³

Published on Anchor October 2026. Read by Lenore Welsh. Music by John Listen.

¹ Ruth Schwenk, “God Is Not in a Hurry With You,” proverbs31.org, December 29, 2025, https://proverbs31.org/read/devotions/full-post/2025/12/29/god-is-not-in-a-hurry-with-you.

² Rick Warren, “God Is Always Right on Time,” www.pastorrick.com, September 7, 2023, https://www.pastorrick.com/current-teaching/devotional/god-is-always-right-on-time.

³ Debbie W. Wilson, “God Isn’t in a Hurry—Why Are We?” debbiewwilson.com, July 28, 2025, https://debbiewwilson.com/god-isnt-in-a-hurry.

Copyright © 2026 The Family International

Impossible! Say What?!

October 7, 2026

By Nina Kole

I watched a movie called “The Pursuit of Happyness,”¹ starring Will Smith and his son Jaden. I knew it was a feel-good movie and that it was based on a true story. I knew it involved something about a guy hitting rough times and sleeping in the bathroom of a train station while pretending with his son that it was a cave with dinosaurs outside. But I found that there was a lot more to the movie than that.

The protagonist, Chris Gardner, was smart. Very smart. He’d been at the top of his class in school with a high comprehension of math. He made some unfortunate business decisions, however. Such as choosing to be a salesman for an expensive piece of hospital equipment that was “going out of style,” making it extremely difficult to sell. He had invested a lot of money into purchasing it as stock.

We might read about get-rich-quick schemes that worked and then wonder, “If I could just get the right idea or opportunity at the right time, maybe I could be on my way to easy street.” It’s true that some people get it right the first time, but it seems that’s the exception, not the rule. Most successful businessmen and women had to first try and fail at quite a few things before they found success.

Back to the story. Chris Gardner asks a stockbroker what it took to become a stockbroker, and he learned that he could fill out a form and apply for an internship. After the allotted time (in this case, six months), the company would give the 20 interns an exam on all they had been taught. But only one of them would be hired to be a stockbroker with the company.

The competition was tough, and the story would have been remarkable just based on this guy’s persistence to get into the program, never having completed his higher education. He chases CEOs and directors down and uses his people-handling skills to help them notice his application. His car gets impounded due to unpaid parking tickets, so he runs to his meetings. I don’t know how many of us would have the guts or the motivation to do that!

Of course, what makes this story even more remarkable is that he and his five-year-old son end up being evicted from their house. They slept in homeless shelters. He would drop his son off at a daycare each morning, while he kept trying to sell the hospital equipment so they’d have money for food. Then he’d study like crazy through the night for his final exam. All the while, he’d show up at work every day looking presentable and cheerful.

That’s just part of the story in the movie, but the point is that sometimes we forget what amazing things people are capable of overcoming, and reading or watching stories like this helps us put our daily trials into perspective. Our circumstances might not be perfect—we might have to struggle to get everything done—but if people like that can make it under such rough and trying circumstances, so can we.

I’ve kept a blog for a few years now. I can see where visitors to my blog are from, and also what they were searching for, or what led them to that particular post. There’s one search that stands out far above the rest as there are several Google searches each day from all over the world that led to a post I wrote on a particular subject. What is that subject? Quotes on not giving up!

I often wonder what these people are going through that made them look for words of encouragement on that topic. Sure, some of them could have been writing a school paper on the subject, but they (or others close to them) are probably facing some challenge where they’re tempted to give up. Just the fact that they’re looking for something to give them that boost to hang on a little longer makes me think they’re going to get through it and make it out all right.

Here are some quotes about having hope and overcoming life’s obstacles, all from the same author:

“Although the world is full of suffering, it is also full of the overcoming of it.”

“Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved.”

“Everything has its wonders, even darkness and silence, and I learn, whatever state I may be in, therein to be content.”

Now this lady knew what she was talking about. She had a lot of successes to her name: She was a world-famous speaker and author, she traveled to over 40 countries, and she was the first person to obtain a Bachelor of Arts degree while being blind and deaf! Helen Keller was one tough cookie!

If anyone felt they had a legitimate reason to give up, you’d think it would have been her! But she didn’t see it that way. She saw challenges as a means of making people better, and she chose to focus on the good things in her life. She enjoyed beating the odds.

It wasn’t easy for her. It took another incredible lady named Anne Sullivan, who also overcame huge odds to teach Helen to communicate when she was a child. Can you imagine teaching someone anything without them being able to see or hear you? It took a lot of patience, an iron will, and a huge amount of determination. And she succeeded.

If there was ever a Bible character who didn’t listen to “it can’t be done,” it was Gideon. It was tough on him when an angel appeared and called him a “mighty warrior.” Gideon complained that the Lord had abandoned the Israelites, because the Midianites were attacking them, and were winning.

The Lord replied, “I didn’t abandon you. Look, I’m sending you to fight them!”

Gideon figured that the Lord hadn’t done His research, so he reminded Him that his clan was the weakest in the city, and he was the weakest of his family. The Lord, patient as always, reminded him that they would be fighting together, and that’s how he would strike down all the Midianites.

Gideon then said that he needed proof that the Lord was really with him, and so God did some cool things, such as having the angel consume with fire the lunch Gideon brought him, and show off with some fleece and water.

When Gideon’s faith was renewed, God had him call together an army. He got 32,000 men to sign up to fight the Midianites, but God told him that the army he gathered was too strong. That’s not usually what you worry about when fighting a battle, but I think God wanted to prove that it was Him performing a miracle, and that the victory wasn’t going to come by brute force. He designed a series of tests for Gideon to put his men through, and by the time he was done, only 300 men were left!

I think most of us would have given up by then. Not this guy. He was determined to do whatever God asked. This was good, because God let him in on a crazy idea to hide some torches in jars and bring along a bunch of trumpets. They were to surround the enemy’s camp, wait for a signal from Gideon, then smash the jars, hold up the torches, and blow the trumpets.

I don’t know about you, but I’ve seen enough war movies to know that’s not how it usually works. But, hey, God is God for a reason! This freaked out the Midianites and their cohorts so much that they ended up fighting and killing each other. As God promised, the Israelites were saved, all because Gideon decided to be that man who didn’t look at the impossibilities. (See Judges 6:11–22, 36–40; Judges 7:2–8, 15–22.)

Michelangelo was ordered by Pope Julius II to paint the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. He refused because he was a sculptor, not a painter, and he didn’t want his possible failure on permanent display. The pope was a pretty persistent guy and didn’t accept his refusal, so Michelangelo finally buckled down and learned what he needed to know in order to do what the pope requested. This included learning how to paint on a curved surface so that the painting would look proportionate when viewed from the ground, which is insanely difficult. But he didn’t give up, and he ended up creating one of the world’s greatest works of art.

There are few who realize what possibilities are locked up within them until some necessity compels them to attempt something they have always considered impossible. It is the people who don’t give up, who don’t accept others telling them it can’t be done, who go on to accomplish great things.

If you have a dream or a passion you know is worth fighting for, with God’s help you can do it if you don’t give up. Even if, like Gideon, your plan seems crazy, or like Chris Gardner, you face incredible challenges, just start with baby steps, and then take it one day at a time.

Chris Gardner said this inspiring comment in the movie: “Baby steps count, as long as you are going forward. You add them all up, and one day you look back and you’ll be surprised at where you have gotten to.”

Adapted from a Just1Thing podcast, a Christian character-building resource for young people.

¹ The Pursuit of Happyness is based on a true story. The movie follows the real-life struggles of Chris Gardner, a single father who went from being homeless in San Francisco to becoming a highly successful stockbroker and entrepreneur.

Copyright © 2026 The Family International

Encouragement for Running Our Race

October 6, 2026

A compilation

Audio length: 14:31

Download Audio (13.2MB)

Imagine that you are a runner at the Olympic Games. Your coach is on the sidelines to watch you. The stands are full of friends and relatives cheering you on. You have trained, practiced, and are now ready to run the race. The Bible uses this picture to illustrate the life of a Christian.

“Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us” (Hebrews 12:1). Training for and running races are not easy. They are hard work. There is a great deal of effort in building up one’s strength in preparation, and the actual race is draining.

It is so easy to become discouraged and quit. The life of a Christian is also like that, with lots of hardships and difficulties along the way. … [Our] source of encouragement is our Savior. “Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls” (Hebrews 12:2–3).

Jesus is like our coach. Yes, He was and is the divine Son of God, but He did not come to earth as a superhuman being who walked a few feet above the ground on a cloud, or lived as a king in a palace with special privileges, but He came as one of us, “taking the form of a servant, and coming in the likeness of men” (Philippians 2:7). … Thus, we need to consider what Jesus endured lest we become weary and discouraged. …

All of us are in a race from here to eternity. Either we are running down the broad way that leads to everlasting destruction or we are running the strait and narrow way that leads to everlasting life (Matthew 7:13–14). The strait and narrow way can be difficult at times with various hardships that discourage us; but God offers us encouragement through the great cloud of witnesses, the example of Jesus His Son, the comfort of the Scriptures, and the knowledge of His love. …

With this kind of encouragement, “let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.”—Wayne S. Walker¹

Running with endurance

The writer of Hebrews says that … we need to “run with endurance the race set before us.” Endurance implies that the Christian life is better compared to a marathon than a sprint. It is something that takes work, commitment, and fortitude. It can’t be completed without preparation or practice—otherwise we will burn out in no time at all. Think about it: you would not run a marathon without any preparation. You don’t just show up the day of the race and expect to do well. Rather, you sign up months ahead, sometimes a year ahead. You learn what kind of course it is, if it will be hilly or flat, hot or cold, and so on.

So too in the Christian life we must prepare ourselves for what lies ahead. This is what it means to “count the cost” of following Christ. There’s a price to be paid. It won’t be easy. Discipleship requires endurance. Following Jesus will mean trial and tribulations, but we can’t allow those hindrances to cause us to give up. And indeed, if we are expecting them and are prepared for them, by the Spirit’s power we won’t give up. Thus, Peter and John both exhort us: “do not be surprised” or “do not be caught off guard” at the race we must run (1 Peter 4:12, 1 John 3:13). When we see the course that is set before us, we will not be surprised. We will be ready to run, come what may.

In Luke 9, one eager would-be disciple approaches Jesus and proclaims, “I will follow you wherever you go” (Luke 9:57). But then Jesus explained to him the nature of the course before him: “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head” (Luke 9:58). Jesus was telling him this is the kind of life he would be signing up for if he wanted to follow the Son of Man. In other words, Jesus was explaining it wasn’t an easy stroll, nor a quick sprint. It was a grueling marathon that would take endurance. The implication in the passage is that, upon hearing this, the man gives up on Christ. He wasn’t ready to run with endurance.

Are you prepared for the race set before you? It will be a long one—indeed, a lifelong one. It will take endurance. But the good news is that the endurance comes from God himself. God strengthens us for whatever he calls us to do. Paul reminds us of this in Colossians. He says that we as Christians are “being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy” (Colossians 1:11).—Jonathan Landry Cruse²

We don’t run alone

We often hear our life of faith compared to running a race or being on a journey. Countless songs, books, and sermons are based on those concepts. As a runner, I find inspiration in the verse “run with endurance the race that is set before us, … looking unto Jesus” (Hebrews 12:1–2). But recently it came alive to me from a whole new perspective.

I heard a story about a young boy who was paralyzed and unable to move, except for his head. Clearly, it was hopeless for him to try to do anything “sporty.” But he didn’t resign himself. When he heard of a 5 km run being hosted as a fundraiser for a friend who also had become paralyzed through a tragic accident, he had a bold idea. With the assistance of technology that enables him to type messages using his eyes and head, he told his father, “I want to run in that race.”

Instead of pointing out the impossibility of the plan, his father made a cart that his son could lie in and pulled it the entire 5 km. At the end of the race, his son typed another message: “This is the first time I don’t feel handicapped.” And so they did it again. And again. And again!

To date, this father has competed with his son in over 300 races—including marathons and triathlons. He runs, swims, and cycles, pulling, pushing, and carrying his son every single step of the way. Why? Simply because he loves his son and wants him to be happy. The son didn’t do anything particular to deserve such love. He’s the son, and that’s all that matters.

We’re the sons and daughters of our heavenly Father, which means we don’t have to push on alone when we’re weary. We can fall into His arms, and He will carry us. That’s what “I will never leave you nor forsake you”means (Hebrews 13:5).

No matter the mess we’re in, or the troubles we face, His love towards us never wavers. He is always there, ready to help us reach each goal, and one day, we’ll cross the ultimate finish line together.—Chris Mizrany

Going the distance

The Bible compares the Christian life to running in a long-distance race. At tough times, we may feel that we’ve been running a marathon. We feel tired, thirsty, and doubtful whether we can make it to the finish line.

But we are never alone in this struggle. Today I want to encourage you that we have “a great cloud of witnesses” cheering us on from the heavenly stadium—the great men and women who have already run their races and finished in triumph. These are our older brothers and sisters in Christ and they are very numerous!

Let’s consider the first two verses of Hebrews 12: “Since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.”

When I first read this verse, it conjured up an image of saints walking on fluffy clouds up in the heavens, but then I read an interesting commentary by the Bible teacher Rick Renner. He is a Greek scholar and explained the true meaning of the reference to clouds in the original Greek language.

“The clouds” referred to the highest seats at the top of a sporting stadium. So the verse is referring to the grandstands of heaven. The saints who went before us are surrounding us on every side as we go into the arena and cheering us on. They are people just like us, who held on to their faith and are now glorified in Heaven! …

The saints of old were people just like us, who made it through their trials and did what God had called them to do. They faced tasks that seemed impossible; they stood firm and made it through fire and water, arriving at their heavenly destination with their mission accomplished. They received resounding praise from God himself. …

The great cloud of witnesses is made up of both men and women who succeeded against all of the odds and finished their earthly assignments because they trusted in God’s power to carry them through. They fixed their eyes on Jesus rather than on the obstacles they encountered.

So, if you know that God has given you an assignment or a gifting to use for the building of his Kingdom here on earth, you can be inspired by these dazzling examples of faith. These great men and women traveled the same spiritual road that we walk today; they were pilgrims just like us. They faced attacks of fear and discouragement—even persecution—but pressed on to victory, drawing their strength from the Holy Spirit. …

So, press on, royal sons and daughters of the Most-High God. Fix your eyes on Jesus and run towards the finish line. Use all of your talents for his glory. All of Heaven is cheering you on!—Lyn Alderson³

Published on Anchor October 2026. Read by Reuben Ruchevsky. Music by Michael Dooley.

¹ Wayne S. Walker, “Encouragement in Running the Race,” www.bible.ca, November 2011, https://www.bible.ca/ef/expository-%20hebrews-12-1-11.htm

² Jonathan Landry Cruse, “4 Good Ways to Run the Christian Race Well,” beautifulchristianlife.com, April 29, 2024, https://beautifulchristianlife.com/blog/4-good-ways-to-run-the-christian-race-well

³ Lyn Alderson, “Heaven Is Cheering You On—So Run the Race of Your Life!” maryschildinchrist.org.uk, October 28, 2019, https://www.maryschildinchrist.org.uk/heaven-is-cheering-you-on42a8fdb0

Copyright © 2026 The Family International

Victory Over Temptation                                                                     

October 5, 2026

By Virginia Brandt Berg

Audio length: 13:09

Download Audio (12MB)

To him that o’ercometh, God giveth a crown,
Through faith we shall conquer, though often cast down;
He who is our Savior, our strength will renew.
Look ever to Jesus, He will carry you through.

Ask the Savior to help you,
Comfort, strengthen, and keep you;
He’s willing to aid you,
And He will carry you through.¹

I want to call your attention to Matthew 6:6, which says: “But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thine inner chamber, and having shut the door, pray to thy Father which is in secret, and thy Father which seeth in secret shall recompense thee.”

Prayer is a place of solace, a source of strength. Today I want to highlight that it is also a source of victory over temptation. When Jesus called His disciples to Him and gave them their first public teaching in the Sermon on the Mount, He led them to understand that prayer was a vital part of the new kingdom that He came to set up, and that we must have a solitary place where we can be alone with God, some fixed spot where we can meet Him daily. There He promises to meet us.

This secret place alone with God that is called the inner chamber in Matthew 6:6 can be anywhere, but it must be a quiet place that encourages time alone with God. There’s a little poem on this topic.

I know an old house on a hill,
A mountain road, a grove, a rill,
And billowed hilltops, stretching far
To sunset and evening star.

I take a path through glade and wood,
Deep drinking of its solitude,
And find a spot o’erarched and still
Where peace and poise the spirit fill.

The Master’s presence there is near,
The Master’s plan again is clear;
And far removed from work or strife,
I reappraise the worth of life.

Yet hill and outlook, glade and wood,
The time, the place, the solitude,
Hold not the secret of the prayer;
The secret place is anywhere.²

1 Corinthians 10:13 says: “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.” It is foolish to think that we can stand against the temptations of today without seeking God’s help in prayer.

The lust of the flesh and the pride of life come against us, and the only way we can overcome is with God’s help through the victory of faith and the shed blood of Calvary. There Jesus Christ overcame the enemy, and all power in heaven and earth was there given into His hands. And only through that power can we overcome the temptations of Satan.

It is by the sanctifying Spirit of God that we seek in the secret place of prayer that we can, as God’s Word says, “Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy” (Luke 10:19). It is there that the Lord becomes a wall around us and we are able to resist sin and temptation. We cannot confront our fierce adversary alone, but the Lord tells us, “When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him” (Isaiah 59:19).

But we need to be in touch with the Spirit of God before we can confront such an adversary. And we can get in touch in the secret place, where His Spirit will empower you. Someone wrote recently, “The temptations of life are just too great today.” Well, the question is, too great for whom? Of course they’re too great for you, but not for the God who waits in the secret place to strengthen you.

It’s only by God’s help that anyone can resist temptation. We were never supposed to resist it alone; that’s why we need God so much, because we can’t have victory in ourselves. God gave His Son not only to die in our stead for our sins, but also to give us victory over sin.

“Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord of hosts” (Zechariah 4:6). True, the Tempter has power, but God has divine power, and He invites us to seek His divine power, which gives us power and strength to resist the Devil.

Of course, we can’t stand against the Tempter alone. There has never been anyone who could resist temptation continuously without the Lord’s help, and this help is sought and found in the secret place, this inner chamber of prayer. If you misjudge the strength of the enemy of your soul, and you think to go out into the world and stand against the pressures and satanic powers of this age in your own human strength, you’re going to be tragically disappointed and defeated.

I wonder why we continue so ill-equipped when God offers us just what we need. Why choose the human when we can have the divine? Why struggle in the natural when we can have the supernatural?

Jesus said, “Without me, ye can do nothing,” but He also said, “With God all things are possible!” (John 15:5; Matthew 19:26). And oh, my friend, God will go with you through every trial and temptation and not tempt you above what you are able to bear.

In Matthew, chapter 8, beginning at the 23rd verse, we have this wonderful story which encourages faith. Perhaps we can see a picture of ourselves in this story:

“And when he was entered into a ship, his disciples followed him. And, behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves: but he was asleep. And his disciples came to him, and awoke him, saying, ‘Lord, save us: we perish.’ And he saith unto them, ‘Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith?’ Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm. But the men marveled, saying, ‘What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him!’” (Matthew 8:23–27).

If Jesus can do that, don’t you think that He can rebuke the enemy that’s tempting and testing you? If you will just put your hand in His and utterly trust Him, and there in the secret place commit everything to Him—just turn your life completely over and tell Him all about it—then faith will be the victory!

There’s a wonderful little poem:

Faith is a grasping of almighty power,
The hand of man laid on the arm of God,
The grand and blessed hour in which the things impossible to me
Become possible, O Lord, through Thee.³

Wonderful! And how true! When you put your hand in His and trust Him utterly, taking Him with you into every walk of life, He’s going to help you. There’s victory ahead!

Someone wrote me, saying, “Things are so dark right now.” Well, praise God, the light of His Word can shine in your heart, and there’s light when God’s Word breaks in. Go to the Word of God when you’re tempted and tested. And let’s remember the wonderful poem:

To him that overcometh God giveth a crown.
Through faith we will conquer, though often cast down.
He who is our Savior, our strength will renew.
Look ever to Jesus, He will carry you through.⁴

Ask the Savior to help, comfort, strengthen, and keep you. He will carry you through. I think this poem is precious:

Faith is believing when all seems past hoping,
Although receiving no glimmer of light,
Leaving the grieving and doubting and groping,
To those who are living only by sight.

Faith is still trusting completely God’s promise,
When it would almost seem God has forgot,
Scorning to be a weak doubter like Thomas,
Seeking no sign nor bemoaning our lot.

Faith is believing in God, holding securely
To that bright substance of things yet to be,
While living as purely, trusting as surely,
As though our faith were a thing we could see.⁵

The Lord loves you! I was talking to someone who was very ill, and I asked, “Do you feel the love of God? Do you comprehend His love? Are you conscious of it?” And this person said, “No, I’m not. I see Him love other people, and I feel like He loves others, but I just don’t feel His love for me.”

His love is a matter of faith. You’ve got to take God’s word for it. “He careth for you” (1 Peter 5:7), and He’s willing to help you through any temptation, if you will live in His Word and meet His conditions to abide in Him and let His Word abide in you. (See John 15:7.)

“But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint” (Isaiah 40:31). You’ll have strength for the battle, as you renew your strength at His feet there in the secret place alone with Him. It’s wonderful to begin the day that way, to begin in the early morning to look to the Lord. First thing, take your Bible and go to Him and get in touch with the place of power. God is waiting for you, and He is still on the throne, and prayer will certainly change things for you, as in the wonderful words of the song:

God is still on the throne,
He never forsaketh His own;
He will still care for you,
God is still on the throne.

From a transcript of a Meditation Moments broadcast, adapted. Published on Anchor October 2026. Read by Debra Lee.

¹ From “Yield Not to Temptation” by H. R. Palmer, 1868.

² “The Secret Place” by C. K. Ober.

³ Anna Elizabeth Hamilton (1843–1875).

⁴ From “Yield Not to Temptation” by H. R. Palmer, 1868.

01 – The Heart of It All: The Trinity (part 1)

The Heart of It All

Peter Amsterdam

2011-05-17

(For an introduction and explanation regarding this series overall, please see The Heart of It All: Introduction.)

In the first two articles of The Heart of It All series we saw that the New Testament reveals the deity of Jesus, that Jesus is God.

In reading the verses quoted in those sections, it’s clear that besides Jesus—God the Son—there is also the Father who is God, as Jesus prays to the Father, does the Father’s will, etc. The Bible also speaks of the Holy Spirit, who is God as well.

One God, three Persons

For the uninitiated, the impression could be that Christianity believes in three Gods—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. But that’s not the case. Christians believe that there is only one God. The doctrine that explains the concept of how the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are one God is called the doctrine of the Trinity.

This doctrine explains that God has always existed as three persons in one being. This is very different from humans, as we exist as one person in one being—we are uni-personal. God exists as a tri-personal being—three persons, each distinct from the other, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit—and yet is one being. While God is tri-personal, each of the persons is fully God, having all of the attributes and the complete essence of God. (For more on the attributes of God, see The Heart of It All series “The Nature and Character of God.”)

Theologian Louis Berkhof wrote that the word “person” is an imperfect expression of the idea, because today it denotes a separate rational and moral individual. Christian philosopher Kenneth Samples concurs. “The three persons of the Trinity should not be understood as three ‘parts’ or ‘fractions’ of God. Each person is fully divine and equally possesses all of God’s being … the term ‘person’ in reference to the Trinity is used in a unique sense and should not be understood to refer to a separate entity or being, for this would divide the divine essence.”^[1]

Our experience as human beings is that where you have a person, you also have a distinct individual essence. Every person we know is a distinct and separate entity, in whom human nature is individualized. But in God there aren’t three individuals alongside of, and separate from, one another. Rather, there is one divine being, one essence, with three personal self-distinctions.

Another way to put it is that in the being of God, the three distinct Persons have an interpersonal relationship. They communicate and have interaction with one another. In Scripture you have the Father addressing the Son as You:

You are My beloved Son; with You I am well pleased.^[2]

You also have the Son referring to the Father as He, and showing communication between them:

For the Father loves the Son and shows Him all that He Himself is doing.^[3]

You have an example of the Son calling Himself I, and differentiating Himself from both the Father and the Holy Spirit:

But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, He will bear witness about Me.^[4]

Thus God, who is tri-personal, has interaction and a personal relationship between the different Persons within the being of God.

I particularly like how Christian philosopher and author William Lane Craig describes the Trinity in one of his lectures:

Just like I, as a being, support one center of self-consciousness, which I call I or me, God is a being that supports three centers of self-consciousness. God is a being with three centers of self-consciousness, three I’s or selves. Thus God’s being supports three persons.^[5]

The concept of three persons in one God was not something that was explicitly expressed in the Old Testament, though there are Old Testament verses which infer that there is more than one person in God. The understanding of the three persons in one God became clearer in the New Testament because of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the believers. The followers of Jesus came to understand that He was God, but was distinct from the Father, and that the Holy Spirit was also God, but was distinct from the Father and the Son. So it was in New Testament times that the truth of the Trinity unfolded and was revealed.

Developing and articulating the understanding of this doctrine was done progressively in early church history, and that will be more thoroughly explained in the next article on this topic. Although the word Trinity doesn’t appear within the biblical text, Scripture reveals the doctrine, and the word Trinity conveys the concept.

Concept of the Trinity in the Old Testament

While the Old Testament does not reveal that God is a triune being, some Old Testament passages do speak in a manner that suggests that God is more than one Person.

Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.”^[6]

Then the Lord God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of us in knowing good and evil.”^[7]

“Come, let us go down and there confuse their language, so that they may not understand one another’s speech.”^[8]

And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?”^[9]

In these next verses, also from the Old Testament, the speaker is either God the Father or God the Son, and they make reference to each other or to the Spirit, again inferring different persons in the Godhead.

Who has ascended to heaven and come down? Who has gathered the wind in His fists? Who has wrapped up the waters in a garment? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is His name, and what is His Son’s name? Surely you know!^[10]

Do homage to the Son, that He not become angry, and you perish in the way, For His wrath may soon be kindled. How blessed are all who take refuge in Him!^[11]

“Draw near to Me, hear this: from the beginning I have not spoken in secret, from the time it came to be I have been there.” And now the Lord God has sent Me, and His Spirit.^[12]

The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, because the Lord has anointed Me to bring good news to the poor.^[13]

One of the great scriptures from Torah—the five books of Moses, corresponding to the first five books of the Christian Old Testament—which is fundamental to Judaism is:

Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord.^[14]

Judaism is a monotheistic religion which believes there is only one God. This belief was by and large unique to Israel in the time of the Old Testament, as virtually all cultures in the region were polytheistic, including all of Israel’s neighbors throughout history until the time of Christ.

Christianity is monotheistic as well. Christians believe there is only one God, and affirm this same Bible verse, “the Lord our God is one Lord.” However, unlike Judaism, Christians believe in the tri-personal God, three persons in one Being. (To be continued)

01 – The Heart of It All: The God-Man (part 1)

The Heart of It All

Peter Amsterdam

2011-04-19

You’ll want to read “The Heart of It All: Introduction” before reading this article or the rest of this series.

The heart of our faith as Christians rests on the answer to one simple but extremely crucial question: Who is Jesus? In order to understand our faith, to understand the story of Jesus and what His life was about—His teachings, the reason for His coming—it’s necessary to understand who He is.

Jesus is God. He is the second person of the Trinity, which includes God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. (For more on the Trinity, see the Heart of It All series on the Trinity.)

The beauty of this truth is that His being God means that every person from every age who has invited Jesus into their life has received forgiveness for their sins as well as everlasting life. Because we as humans sin, and those sins are an offense against God, there is a need for us to be forgiven by God and reconciled to Him; and the only way for that to happen was for Jesus, who is God, to become human, to live a life without sin, to die for our sins, and to rise from the dead. And this is exactly what happened.

The whys and wherefores of how Jesus’ death brings God’s forgiveness will be the topic of a future article in this series. Suffice it to say for now that Scripture teaches that Christ’s death for the sins of the world is the basis and plan of salvation for humankind. Jesus fulfilled all the necessary requirements in order for humans to be forgiven for their sins by God.

The Logos

Jesus, being a member of the Trinity, along with God the Father and God the Holy Spirit, is God the Son. As such, He has all the attributes of God. (For more on the attributes of God, see The Heart of It All series “The Nature and Character of God.”)

God is the creator of all things. God is eternal and existed before anything else was in existence. This being the case, for Jesus to be God, then He must be eternal and He must have also existed before anything else existed. He must have had a part in creating all that is created. According to Scripture, all of those things are true of Jesus.

The first three verses of the Gospel of John make the point well:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him was not any thing made that was made.

When John was speaking of God the Son before He was born on earth, he referred to Him as the Word, not as Jesus. These verses show that the Word/Jesus had a hand in creation, as “all things were made by Him.” The word John used, translated into English as Word, was Logos in the original Greek. The term Logos was first used in the 6th century BC by a Greek philosopher named Heraclitus to designate the divine reason or plan which coordinates a changing universe. As such, to a Greek speaker at the time, Logos meant reason, so they would have understood the verses as “in the beginning was the reason or mind of God.” They would understand that before creation the Logos existed with God eternally. Therefore the Logos, the Word, God the Son, was in existence before any created thing—including time, space, or energy—existed.

As one of the early church fathers, Athanasius, wrote, “There was never a time when He (the Logos) was not.”^[1] He is eternal. The Logos, God the Son, was with God the Father, and was God.

John 1:14 goes on to say:

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

John states clearly that the Logos, the Word, God the Son, became flesh and lived on earth. This means no less than that God the Son lived on earth for a time as a human being. It means that He, an eternal immaterial being, entered into His creation in time and space. This could only happen if God became incarnate, if He became man, which is exactly what happened when Jesus of Nazareth was born. He became the God-man, God in human flesh who dwelt amongst us.

Since this is fundamental to our Christian faith, I thought it good to review what Jesus said about Himself regarding being God.

Jesus’ Claims to Deity

It’s important to note that according to the Laws of Moses, anyone who claims to be God commits blasphemy, and the punishment for blasphemy is death. On more than one occasion the Jews took up stones to kill Jesus, and at His trial before the Jewish religious leaders, they condemned Him to death for His claims to be God. Clearly the Jews of His day understood He was making claims of deity.

One of His direct claims is recorded in John chapter 8, which says:

“Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing My day; he saw it and was glad.” “You are not yet fifty years old,” the Jews said to Him, “and You have seen Abraham!” “I tell you the truth,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was born, I am!” At this, they picked up stones to stone Him, but Jesus hid Himself, slipping away from the temple grounds.^[2]

What Jesus said in this passage is significant in two ways. First, though He wasn’t even fifty years old, He was claiming that He was alive before Abraham—who had lived and died two thousand years earlier. Only God has eternal existence, which is what Jesus was claiming. Second, in saying “before Abraham was born, I am,” Jesus was assigning Himself the name of God.

In Exodus 3:14, God reveals to Moses that He is “I am who I am,” and then tells Moses to tell the people of Israel that I AM has sent me to you. God’s name, I AM, is the name YHWH, or Yahweh, from the Old Testament. It is so sacred that from before the time of Jesus until today, devout Jews have avoided saying it. (Since religious Jews don’t say the name YHWH, they instead use the word Adonai, which is translated as “Lord.”) But Jesus used this name of God in reference to Himself. The Jews He was speaking to clearly understood His claim and picked up stones to kill Him for it.

Another occasion on which the Jews understood Jesus to be claiming deity was described in John chapter 10:

At that time the Feast of Dedication took place at Jerusalem. It was winter, and Jesus was walking in the temple, in the colonnade of Solomon. So the Jews gathered around Him and said to Him, “How long will You keep us in suspense? If You are the Christ, tell us plainly.” Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in My Father’s name bear witness about Me, but you do not believe because you are not part of My flock. My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.”

The Jews picked up stones again to stone Him. Jesus answered them, “I have shown you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you going to stone Me?” The Jews answered Him, “It is not for a good work that we are going to stone You but for blasphemy, because You, being a man, make Yourself God.”

“If I am not doing the works of My Father, then do not believe Me; but if I do them, even though you do not believe Me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in Me and I am in the Father.” Again they sought to arrest Him, but He escaped from their hands.^[3]

In these passages Jesus refers to the miracles He has performed, saying the Jews should believe the works He’s done because they show that “the Father is in Me, and I am in the Father.”

Jesus made a number of I am statements which are indirect claims to His deity. He performed miracles which substantiated the statements He made. For example, the day after feeding 5,000 people with fish and bread multiplied from two fish and five barley loaves, Jesus said:

“I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst.”^[4]

“I am the living bread that came down out of heaven; if anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread also which I will give for the life of the world is My flesh.”^[5]

Therefore the Jews were grumbling about Him, because He said, “I am the bread that came down out of heaven.” They were saying, “Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How does He now say, ‘I have come down out of heaven’?”^[6]

In John chapter 9 Jesus makes another I am statement followed by a corresponding miracle. As Jesus was leaving the temple, He saw a man who had been blind from birth and said:

“While I am in the world, I am the Light of the world.” When He had said this, He spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and applied the clay to his eyes, and said to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which is translated, Sent). So he went away and washed, and came back seeing.^[7]

When the Pharisees interrogated this man and asked how he was healed from his blindness, he explained that Jesus had healed him. The man was then put out of the temple. The chapter continues with:

Jesus heard that they had put him out, and finding him, He said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” He answered, “Who is He, Lord, that I may believe in Him?” Jesus said to him, “You have both seen Him, and He is the one who is talking with you.” And he said, “Lord, I believe.” And he worshiped Him.^[8]

Another I am statement followed by an affirming miracle is related in John chapter 11, when Jesus’ friend Lazarus died. Four days later Jesus traveled to Bethany, where Lazarus was buried. His sister Martha said that if Jesus had been there, her brother wouldn’t have died.

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?” She said to Him, “Yes, Lord; I have believed that You are the Christ, the Son of God, even He who comes into the world.”^[9]

Jesus then raised Lazarus from the dead, which caused many to believe on Him. The response from the chief priests and the Pharisees was to convene a council, and “from that day on they planned together to kill Him.”^[10]

Other I am statements made by Jesus include:

“I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.”^[11]

“I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me. If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; from now on you know Him, and have seen Him.”^[12]

Again the high priest asked Him, “Are You the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?” And Jesus said, “I am, and you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven.” And the high priest tore his garments and said, “What further witnesses do we need? You have heard His blasphemy. What is your decision?” And they all condemned Him as deserving death.^[13]

His use of both I am and Son of Man was understood by the Pharisees as Jesus claiming deity, and they deemed it blasphemy and said He deserved death as punishment. (To be continued)

Keep Praying for a Breakthrough

October 2, 2026

By Scott Hubbard

Once, long ago, you prayed for a loved one’s salvation earnestly and often. Now, you still pray sometimes, but you can barely bring yourself to hope for the answer.

Or maybe you once pleaded for grace against a stubborn character flaw or besetting sin. Now, you’ve succumbed to a sort of fatalism about yourself. Some things just don’t change.

Or perhaps you once sought God for a relational breakthrough. Now, though the sorrow stays deep, reconciliation seems all but impossible.

Most of us can think of some desire we once brought before God almost without ceasing. …

(Read or listen to the article here.)

https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/keep-praying-for-a-breakthrough

Copyright © 2026 The Family International