Whether in the operation of his intellect, emotions, or will, Abraham’s point of departure was always this: what has God said? And he continues to be the spiritual forefather of those who take sacrificial steps based on their trust in God's promises.

The gospel does not deal in superficial solutions. According to Jesus, the problem is not just our dysfunctional behavior -- it is us. It is in the deepest depths of our hearts that we need to change. We must die and become new people altogether.

It is simply not true to the Scriptures to say that a prayer like the "Sinner's Prayer" is sufficient. We don't find in any of the conversions to Christ in the Scriptures anyone being instructed to pray such a prayer, as if there was nothing else.

For eternal salvation, where else can we go but to Jesus Christ? As Peter said when Jesus asked him if he and the other disciples were going to turn away from Him, 'Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life'" (John 6:68).

When, at judgment, we hear the Lord say the worst words imaginable, "Depart from me," fellowship with God will then be out of our reach. But for the time being, that horror is still an "if." We will hear those words "if" we say no to our Savior.

If we're not willing to see (1) what God teaches us in the Scriptures, (2) the true status of our relationship with God, and (3) the true motives behind the our decisions, then no amount of "external" honesty with other people will amount to much.

"While we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8). And lest I think of "sinners" as the whole human race, I need to understand this: if I were the only person God ever created, my sins would have been serious enough to crucify Christ.

The gap between the events in Jesus' life and the books recording those events was not two or three centuries; it was only a few years. The last of the New Testament writings were completed while eyewitnesses to the reported events were still living.

What sense would it make for evangelists of the faith in the first century to hang their whole case on the fulfillment of the Old Testament in the events in Jesus' life, if it could be shown that no such things ever really happened?

The Bereans in Acts 17 had the right idea. They listened eagerly as Paul argued that Jesus was the Messiah, but as they listened they were "examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so." The Scriptures were their final arbiter.

What distinguished Zacchaeus from so many others who crowded around Jesus was not that he was lost, for every person Jesus ever met fell into that category. But Zacchaeus recognized that he was lost -- he knew he needed the forgiveness of his sins.