Jesus said, "Come to Me, all who are weary and
heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and
My burden is light,” Matthew 11:28-30
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For the unsure
Thank you for continuing to this section. Saying that prayer without meaning it would have been pointless. I am glad that you didn’t do that. But keep thinking seriously and urgently about taking your step of faith. It is important. And as you think about doing it, keep this in perspective ... no finite person can know everything about an infinite God. You can never know 100% about Him. If you could, then He wouldn’t be God. To take your step of faith, you need only to be sure enough intellectually to make a true commitment from your heart.
You came to this page because you weren’t quite ready to believe in Jesus. Do you know what is standing in your way? Is something real preventing you from taking that step … or are you just resisting it? Unanswered questions may be obstacles to faith. Brief responses to some common questions are given below. And if you need more detailed answers to these or other questions, contact the author of this site at John@JohnDMorris.org. Your correspondence will be treated with complete confidentially.
Be persistent in your search ... it is important. And when you are ready, go back to the beginning of this site … carefully and prayerfully read through it again … and then take your step of faith.
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Questions and answers
The following answers are intentionally brief.
More detailed answers are available at www.eSeeker.org
What about the hypocrites? True Christians should be credible examples of what they believe. Obviously, new believers shouldn’t be expected to act grown-up ... they are works-in-progress. But sadly, there are Christians who are poor examples of the faith. And some who falsely claim to be Christian do awful things in the name of Jesus. These latter two types are the ones who turn some people away from God. Jesus strongly disapproved of such hypocrites. He said, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like white-washed tombs which on the outside appear beautiful, but inside they are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness,” Matthew 23:27. You and Jesus agree ... you both disapprove of hypocrisy. Don’t let the hypocrites keep you from Him.
Can I trust the Bible? The Bible claims to be God’s Word, directly and indirectly, more than 2,500 times. It is the most significant book in the world. Compared to other books, more copies of the Bible have been printed ... it’s been translated into more languages ... it’s been more widely distributed ... it’s been accepted in more cultures ... and it’s positively changed more lives. The Bible comes from many more old manuscripts than other books do ... the New Testament from more than 14,000 whole or fragmented ones. Modern archeology has authenticated thousands of the Bible’s historical and geographical references. In addition, a vast number of Bible prophecies have been fulfilled. Over 300 Old Testament predictions about the Messiah were fulfilled in the life and death of Jesus. You can trust the Bible. “The words of the Lord are pure words,” Psalm 12:6.
Is Jesus the only way to God? Exclusivity in important situations is necessary and expected. We wouldn’t want an anything-is-okay surgeon, pharmacist, airline mechanic, or pilot. Narrowness isn’t the issue. Truth is the issue. Popular opinion, comfort, and desire don’t create truth. Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me,” John 14:6. Was He telling the truth ... or was He lying? He was telling the truth. If all religious roads lead to God, then He would be unfair in applying different standards to different people. The only fair way is one equal way for everyone. And other religions are unfair because they ignore the problem of sin. They offer their own good works standard in hopes that God will overlook sin ... but He won’t. Other religions offer no solution ... no payment for sin ... no forgiveness. They are unfair because they don’t work.
Isn’t being good enough? Good works are important to God. “We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works,” Ephesians 2:10. It is important to be good. But just one sin infects us ... making us guilty, James 2:10. And that separates us from God. Improving our behavior by being good doesn’t take away the guilt of our past sins. We have all sinned and fall short of His standard of perfection, Romans 3:23. We need the forgiveness that comes from Christ’s death paying for our sins. “Everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins,” Acts 10:43. That forgiveness comes only through believing in Him. “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast,” Ephesians 2:8-9.
Is Jesus God or was He just a good man? Jesus obviously was a good man. However, He claimed equality with God in saying, “I and the Father are one,” John 10:30. He also claimed to do things that only God can do ... to forgive sins, give life, and judge man, Mark 2:1-12, John 6:35, 11:25-26, and 5:22-27. He couldn’t have been just a good man. He was either God or a lying megalomaniac. Jesus used miracles to authenticate His claims. He miraculously fed the 5,000 and then claimed to be the bread of life ... claimed to be the light of the world and then healed a blind man ... and claimed to be the resurrection and the life and then raised Lazarus from the dead, John 6:1-35, 9:1-7, and 11:25-45. An important name for God in the Bible is “I AM”, Exodus 3:14. Jesus used that name for Himself, John 8:28, 58. He said, “Unless you believe that I AM, you will die in your sins,” John 8:24.
How can miracles be possible? By definition, miracles are events that are humanly impossible ... possible only by divine intervention. It is logical to conclude that if God exists, miracles are possible ... and if miracles exist, then God is possible. But it is illogical to reject the possibility of miracles because one rejects the possibility of God. One miracle stands out in history ... the miraculous Resurrection of Jesus that transformed the world. He couldn’t have simply recovered after His brutal execution. He returned from the dead and appeared to many people, 1 Corinthians 15:3-8. That fact changed the cowardly disciples into bold witnesses and martyrs ... and it has changed men and women throughout history. That miracle proved that Jesus was God.
What about people who haven’t heard? Some people seem to have had no chance to hear about Jesus. Concern about their destiny is good ... compelling many to the mission field. Will heathen people get to heaven some other way? No... there is no salvation without Jesus, Acts 4:12. The heathen are judged fairly by God’s law written in their hearts ... they are not judged by what they haven’t heard, Romans 2:11-16. They fail to live up to that inner standard. Their behavior isn’t good ... often including immorality, cruelty, idolatry, sorcery, witchcraft, demonism, and human sacrifice. Many inexcusably never seek the true God. Even without knowing His name, they know that He exists, Romans 1:19-20. They know enough to seek Him. And God reveals Himself to true seekers, Jeremiah 29:13. He usually does that through human means, Romans 10:14-15 ... but He may do so miraculously. Concern for the heathen is good. However, we should also be concerned about ourselves ... after all, we have heard about Jesus. “How will we escape if we neglect so great a salvation?”, Hebrews 2:3.
Why is there so much suffering? God gave free choice to man. We are not robots. The world is poisoned by man’s choice of sin. It is permeated by disease, death, and depravity. Original sin brought consequential judgment. Therefore, the world is winding down ... riddled by natural disasters and deprivation. And man’s continuing bad choices bring suffering to many ... even to following generations. However, with free choice comes the ability to choose life with God. He said, “I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. So choose life in order that you may live,” Deuteronomy 30:19. Isn’t it time to choose Jesus?