I'm Not Who I Was....

I was riding in my car today when this song by Brandon Heath came on KLOVE. As I listened to this slow melody, I began to realize that this song almost describes how I feel since the past year. Since my breakup I have had a rollercoaster of a ride, but the Lord was with me every step of the way. Ive had my ups and downs and times of darkness and of light. But I have grown stronger in my faith and have grown closer to the Lord. But as Job said, "The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away" and that he did, but he has given again. He has given me new purpose and new passion. Ive changed my direction in life. Ive changed my major, my goals, and my passions. Although I remain single, I am not alone. The Lord is and has been with me every step of the way. Through the fiery furnace and in the promise land, he has been there. I have learned not only to praise him in the good times, but to also praise him in the bad times as well. I may not know at times why I am going through certain things, but in the midst of them I have learned to rely on and trust in Him to bring about His will in the situation. I know that all things work together for the good of those who love Him.

As I was saying, I have changed. I have been through the fire and have been refined and sharpened and have come out as a new and changed man. And for that, I am forever grateful!


I wish you could see me now 
I wish I could show you how 
I'm not who I was 
I used to be mad at you 
A little on the hurt side too 
But I'm not who I was 

I found my way around 
To forgiving you 
Some time ago 
But I never got to tell you so 

I found us in a photograph 
I saw me and I had to laugh 
You know, I'm not who I was 
You were there, you were right above me 
And I wonder if you ever loved me 
Just for who I was 

When the pain came back again 
Like a bitter friend 
It was all that I could do 
To keep myself from blaming you 

I reckon it's a funny thing 
I figured out I can sing 
Now I'm not who I was 
I write about love and such 
Maybe 'cause I want it so much 
I'm not who I was 

I was thinking maybe I 
I should let you know 
I am not the same 
But I never did forget your name 
Hello 

Well the thing I find most amazing 
In amazing grace 
Is the chance to give it out 
Maybe that's what love is all about 

I wish you could see me now 
I wish I could show you how 
I'm not who I was

An analytical response to a Pro-Choice Progressive

I recently posted a status on Facebook criticizing some of the Pro-Choice claims. It lead to a rather lengthy discussion between 4 of my friends. Two were very strong Pro-Life Advocates and two were very strong Pro-Choice advocates. This response is to the most vocal of the two Pro-Choice advocates. I broke down his claims and arguments and wrote a response to each of them. Amazingly, by the grace of God, I was able to stay calm and gently respond to his claims and arguments without getting upset or mad. This youngster is, from what I've gathered, a logical and intelligent student, and I pray that some of what I have said has some effect on him.

Note: *I use some arguments & examples in an edited form from Scott Klusendorf and Dr. Mike S. Adams, both have encouraged and taught me many things on this area. I wouldn't have been able to make this defense without them. *
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My friend, you make some great points and raise some important questions. Allow me to break each down and address and/or answer them for you. Before I answer and address what you said, I want to first lay on the table what science says on the issue, and the reasoning behind most of, if not all of my points. 

Scientifically, we know that from the earliest stages of development, the unborn are distinct, living, and whole human beings. Leading doctors in thee field and Embryology Text books confirm this. The science of embryology is clear. From the earliest stages of development, the unborn are distinct , living, and whole human beings. Therefore, every "successful" abortion ends the life of a living human being. Nothing is added to the unborn to make them “more human”. They are fully human, just as much as human as you and I are.  They just aren't as fully developed as you and I are. They are just as much human as you and I are, just at a different stage of development. In comparison: a 4 year old girl is not as fully developed as a 14 year old girl is, yet both are fully human. That is not simply my opinion, that is documented scientific truth.

Now on to your questions and points.

*”You make it seem like people who are pro-choice are pro-abortion and that's entirely false.”

Being pro-choice means that you want women to have an option, a choice, on whether they want to get an abortion (unjustly end an innocent human life) or not. Being Pro-life means that we value all human life and wish for the equal right to life for all human beings. Because if you take away that one right, all other rights are automatically taken away. So, when it all boils down, Pro-life advocates are against abortion (unjustly ending an innocent human life). Pro-Choice advocates are for the right of a mother to get an abortion (unjustly ending an innocent human life), therefore, by advocating for it, you are on the “pro” side of it. On a side note: the majority of Pro-choice advocates that I’ve met or talked with are very much Pro-abortion. They view it as no different than using a condom or taking the pill. 

*”The honest reason why people have the same process as me are simply one to keep it safe.” 

I assume you mean “safe” for the mother. But abortion, itself, is never a safe procedure. In every procedure, sans failed abortions, an innocent human life is unjustly ended. I do’t know about you, but to me, killing an innocent human being would never fall under the category of “safe”. 

  

*”Before abortions were legal people still had things like back alley abortions where a shifty guy would use a hanger or some instrument like that. This lead to the woman most often dying or being incredibly hurt....really gruesome stuff. This is why most people who are pro-choice believe that way, we need to keep something like this safe, and avoid a disaster like that from happening ever again.”

Sadly, yes, that did happen before abortion was made legal in the US in 1973. But in saying this, the assumption is made that the unborn are not human. A more understandable analogy of your argument would be: (I’m going to drive down the road to kill someone, but there is ice all over the road, I’m afraid that I might have a wreck on the way there and get hurt. Could you call the city workers to have them come put salt on the road so that I wont get hurt on my way to of from the person’s house? Im still going to kill the person, but at least I will be safe in the process.) In your argument/statement, you are saying that we should keep it legal to unjustly end the life of an innocent human being in a safe and sterile environment to avoid harming the person killing them, as would happen in a dirty filthy place such as a back alley. Where’s the logic in that?

*”Let the expected mother know what she is going through”

I completely agree with you. A mother should know what is going to happen in the procedure before she agrees to do it. Sadly, in the majority of abortion clinics, especially Planed Parenthood, they do not explain to the mother what the procedure is. Ive talked with several women that have either had abortions or had been to get an abortion and then decided not to. They said that they were not shown an ultrasound, or told what the procedure would do. In one person I talked to, she said that although the abortion doctor did an ultrasound, he purposely stood in front of the screen so that she could not see it, and he told her that there was nothing but a glob of tissue. He also talked loud during the ultrasound so that she wouldn't hear the heartbeat. She went to the hospital the same day and saw her child through an ultrasound and listened to the heartbeat. She decided to not go through with the procedure after seeing and hearing these things. This is not an isolated incident, I've heard dozens upon dozens of accounts almost identical to this one from all across the country. Why, you might ask, do the abortion doctors lie and deceive the women like this? Money. The approximate cost for an abortion is between $400-500. The doctors make a profit from this. If they actually told what the procedure would do and actually showed the women the ultrasound, most women, after seeing the child and hearing the heartbeat, would change their minds about the abortion. And thus the abortion doctors would not make any money, save for the small visit fee.   


“Other reasons are obvious, like in the horrific event of rape or incest. How can we as human beings tell a woman who was raped that they now have to carry that burden, and that reminder of the most likely single most horrific event that has ever happened to her in her life. We can't! That would be appalling to even suggest that the woman has to keep it.”

Good point. Rape is terrible. I consider it to be the worst crime, after murder, that is. I advocate for the male to be castrated in punishment for the crime, as well as a long jail sentence.  It is an absolutely horrible crime and nobody should ever have to experience it. You're saying that if a woman becomes pregnant as the result of rape, she should get an abortion. So, you're suggesting that because an evil man commits an extremely terrible act of violence on an innocent woman, then the woman should in turn  commit an extremely terrible act of violence on another innocent human being that results in that human being’s life being ended. If anyone should have their life ended over rape, it should be the rapist, not the innocent child.
As for the child reminding her of the horrific incident, let me ask you something: should we be allowed to kill other human beings simply because they remind of us of a horrible event that happened to us? Lets say that a woman is raped and doesn't get pregnant, and it just so happens that her boss looks similar to the rapist, and everyday at work she is reminded of that horrible incident because her boss resembles the rapist. Should she be allowed to kill her boss, n innocent human being, simply because he reminds her of that horrible attack? 
Luckily, less than 1% of abortions are done on women who became pregnant as the result of rape, so that is a very small issue.
I propose to you an offer:  If I agree to write in the exception for rape , will you lobby with me for the law banning all other abortions (99% of the ones performed) ?

*”Another pretty valid point are the legislators that claim themselves as pro-life consistently vote down child welfare services. So, how can they say we need to protect that child as much as we can while in womb, but when it comes out, if the parents can't afford it, that's on them, maybe the shouldn't have had the kid in the first place. The pro-life concepts don't make a lot of sense in that regard.”

An EXCELLENT point my friend! And that, I agree with you 100%. It makes no sense whatsoever! We should make every effort to protect the children at all stages of development, not just in the womb. Thats why I cannot stand politicians, they dont make sense and they! HA! As the late Whitney Houston so eloquently put it, I believe the children are our future. We should protect them at all costs at all stages of their life . 

*”The MOST obvious [reason], mother endangerment”

This too is something I agree with you on. But I believe you are mistaken about. Yes, I believe that if the mother’s life is at risk and if continuing to carry the child or giving birth would kill her, then I believe that her life should be saved. I haven't met any Pro-life advocates that would disagree. The child will die either way, so you are saving the only life you can. I use the analogy that if 2 kids are going down stream towards a waterfall, and you go in to save them, but because of the current, you only have time to save one, you save the one that easiest to save and that is closest to you. You aren't going in with the intention of taking a life, you are going in with the intention of saving a life. The other life that is lost is an unintentional and unavoidable consequence.
Also, even if abortion were made illegal, this would in no way affect this life saving procedure. These procedures are done in hospitals or women’s clinics by medical doctors who are trying to save the woman’s life. Ive never heard of an abortion doctor doing one of these life saving procedures. I have a friend who is an OBGYN here in Starkville and the Medical Director of the Starkville Pregnancy Care Center, and I've talked to him about this issue and how he handles it. He agrees and says that it is a last resort procedure they do to save the mother’s life and that those cases are rare. So the legalization or ilegalization of abortion would have no affect whatsoever on this procedure. 

*”...people who have the ability to have the keep and could afford it or giving it up for adoption, and they have an abortion, that's pretty twisted.”

Yes, that is pretty twisted. But sadly, that is the case with the majority of people who get abortions in the US. They use abortion as a form of birth control. I believe that adoption is the best choice in the situations where the parents cannot provide for the children. 
In their annual report released in 2010, Planned Parenthood, the nation’s largest abortion provider, did 392 abortions per every 1 adoption referral. 

*”You and I probably shouldn't have too much input on a subject like this because after all, we can never get pregnant. This is women's rights issue, and men trying to legislate it just doesn't make sense!”

I see your point, and I would agree with you IF this really were a women’s rights issue. The claim that abortion (unjustly ending an innocent human life) is a women’s rights issue couldn't be farther from the truth. It is, in fact, a human rights issue. Since abortion was made legal in the US in 1973, over 55 Million innocent human beings have been killed. Half of those innocent human beings (approximately 27.5 Million) have been male. This doesn't just concern women, it concerns men as well. Regardless of the gender, nobody should have the right to unjustly take the life of an innocent human being.   

*”We can not for a single second compare abortions to the holocaust.”

Why can’t we? Approximately 6 million innocent human beings were killed in the Holocaust. Around 55 Million innocent human beings were/are being killed through abortion. The death toll of abortion is approximately 9 times higher than that of the Holocaust.
Now, I will grant that the torture and brutality of the Jews before they were killed is horrific, and in comparison, abortion seems like a more merciful way to kill someone. Although it has been proven that in surgical abortions past 8 weeks, the child can actually feel pain and can feel the pain of its arms and legs being ripped from their bodies. That sounds horrific too.
So, when comparing just the death tolls, abortion would be considered 9 times worse than the holocaust.
Not to mention that the US’s largest abortion provider started out as a machine for eugenics, ridding the nation of the undesirable people, most notably, blacks. Their early founders had numerous links to the KKK and the Nazi Party, and even Hitler and Himmler. They still do, in some forms, still function today with a racist agenda. But that is a whole other can of worms that can be saved for a later discussion. (If you are interested, I suggest you watch “Maafa 21: Black Genocide in 21st Century America”. 

Thanks for your input in this discussion, and I apologize for the delayed response. I hope you have a blessed summer! =)  
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As you can see, every response comes back to the question, are the unborn human? If they are not human, than abortion isnt wrong at all and should be legal, but if the unborn are human, then abortion is Very wrong and should be made illegal and the unborn should be protected at all cost! 



*Update: I received a response to this from the guy it was written to. He was telling g someone about it and tagged me in it.:
 "Nick Bell and I were In a debate about abortion recently in a status he published. Nick and I threw some good points at each other in a non-offensive way, some things we actually agreed on. There were people in the thread obviously offended but, in his argument he opened my mind to think about my stance on the issue, I am still pro-choice, but he brought up valid points. Opening people to think works in many ways."

I praise God that his mind was opened to think about and consider some of his ideas!

A short, but long defense against Abortion. (From a recent convo I had)

This is a response that I wrote towards a young sophmore high school girl who told me that I had no right to say that abortion is wrong, and that I was hateful towards women for saying that they shouldn't get abortions.

I'm quite proud of this comeback, but I know that it wouldn't have been possible if not for the privilege God blessed me with of attending and graduating Summit Ministries. A place where I not only grew to understand God's word better, but where I learned more about the anti-Christian issues in today's society, including abortion. So without further ado, here is the thoroughly thought out and researched response.


I cared about it way before the proposition came up, and that, frankly, has nothing to do with this issue. But I didn't start being vocal about it until I felt God calling me to stand up for his children and the atrocities being committed. (If you don't believe in God and/or the Holy Spirit working in people's lives, that's cool, but that's what led me to be more vocal about it

I don't set out to offend people. People have mistaken my tone as a hostile tone before, but it never has been such. I have friends in those situations. And I don't condemn them or treat them badly. They have come to realize that they were lied to by the doctors who tried to give them the abortions. The doctors talk over the heartbeat and refuse to show them ultra sounds.... I'm not trying to make people feel bad, because like my friends, most people who have undergone abortions were tricked and lied to. Ever since Roe v Wade, (Roe has since become a pro life advocate after realizing what the procedure actually does) the numbers of innocent lives lost have been way higher than that of those caused by Hitler or Stalin. 

I agree with you completely, I as a male, have no right to tell a woman what she can and can't do, and if she should or shouldn't get an abortion. That makes perfect sense and I agree with you completely, if the unborn are Not Human.

 I base what i say on scientific evidence. I  know from scientific research that abortion doctors will not perform a surgical abortion until at least 7 weeks. The child's heartbeat can be heard at 4 weeks. They are undergoing human development, just as we all do until we are fully grown, they are just at a different stage of development. Which factor makes them "terminate-able"? Size? Level of development? Environment? Or Degree of Dependency?  

Scientifically, we know that from the earliest stages of development, the unborn are distinct, living, and whole human beings. Leading Embryology Text books confirm this (TW Sadler's "Langman's Embryology", Keith L. Moore's "The Developing Human: Clinically Oriented Embryology", and O'Rahilly,Ronand,and Muller, Pabiola, Human Embryology and Teratology. Just to name a few) 

I'm all for women's rights. Women should be allowed to have all the same rights as men. It's the woman's right to have sex with whomever she wants. But by making that choice, she is risking getting pregnant. 98% of Abortions are performed on women who accidentally get pregnant and simply don't want to have a baby. This meaning that these 98% willingly chose to have sex and risk getting  pregnant. Just because they made a mistake of getting pregnant does t mean that they have the Right to kill their child. Murder is never the answer.

The point of the matter is: is the unborn human? (or, at what point does it become human?) If it is human, then my point and the comparison I originally stated are valid, but, if the Unborn is NOT human, then all your points are valid. But if it's not a human, what is it???

Final point: there isn't reason to bicker and insult each other over a scientific issue. The point that we debate over is simply: is the unborn human?/at what point does it become human? 

   
Done

A True Love...... Lost

A year ago tonight the love of my life came to watch my last Summer Scholars On Stage performance. I've never felt better while acting on stage than I did that night, knowing that she traveled that far to watch me. Being here brings back memories of her. I do miss you love, living in a world without you is the hardest thing I've ever done. I live everyday one step at a time, trusting only in the Lord to guide me through. Not a day goes by that I don't miss you. I knew that You were the one, you were perfect in every aspect. You exceeded my highest Biblical standards of a Godly wife. I adored you and loved you, and I still do. We had planned a future, marriage, a family, raising the family in God's word, and growing old together. I would be always at your side protecting you and comforting you, and you would always be there to support me. Our kids would be raised to learn God's word. One of the greatest honors a parent should have is knowing that they raised their kids in the faith and that their child is living their life to serve the Lord. I knew that with you teaching them on  a daily basis, that would be true. You're the only one I'll ever trust enough to do that. Nobody can ever compare to you. You were the highest of Biblical standards for a wife, a true Proverbs 31 woman. I would do absolutely anything to have you back! The world isn't the same without you. You were the only girl I ever loved, and you will forever be that! I pray that God will continue to help me through life and learn to move on without you. It's been 4 mouths since it happened, and my feelings are still the same. Before it happened, I promised you I'd climb a mountain for you, and even though you were gone, I kept my promise. It was one of the most strenuous things I've ever done and took me twice as long as most, but that promise I made to you was the only thing that kept me going.  I will always love you freckles, always....

Life is Short, Good Samaritans, & State Farm

Yesterday I was reminded of 3 things.
1. Life is short and can be taken from us at any moment unexpectedly. 
2. There are still good people in the world
3. Some State Farm agents are still true to their slogan.

Around 4 pm our house phone rang and my mom answered it in the kitchen. I was 2 rooms away, but could still hear her. "What?! Where?! Are y'all okay?!" I ran in the kitchen and she was still on the phone. I asked her what happened and she said that my grandparents had been in a bad wreck in Macon, MS (about 45 minutes from my house). They were both okay but the car was torn up. We jumped in our SUV and quickly drove to pick them up. It was the year anniversary of my great aunt Bobbie's death. My grandparents had gone down to my grandfather's hometown to put flowers on her grave. They were driving home on a 4 lane highway. There was an intersection in the highway, but only the crossing road had a stop sign. My grandparents were on the highway, when all of a sudden, from the crossing road, come a car flying past the stop sign. Not only did the car run the stop sign, he sped across 3 lanes of traffic, hit my grandparents car, and finally hit & knocked over the stop sign on the opposite side of the highway!

Luckily, my grandfather was able to swerve to avoid any further damage. He and my grandmother were both okay, save for a bruise on my grandmother's arm. While they were standing outside their car after the wreck, a nice lady drove up and let my grandmother sit in her car with her and then drove her to the hotel (the wreck was right in front of a hotel), got her some water, and stayed with her until my grandfather had finished business with the insurance and police. The lady did not know them, yet stopped and helped out of the kindness of her heart. A genuine "good Samaritan"! When my grandfather and the State Farm Insurance agent got to the hotel, the lady left. The State Farm agent stayed with my grandparents until my mom and I arrived. The agent was the nicest and most helpful old insurance agent that I've ever met! He treated them like he knew them, which he didn't. I guess their motto is correct: "Like a Good Neighbor, State Farm Is There" =)

Even though nobody was seriously injured, it was a shocking jolt of reality that made me realize that no matter what we do or how safe we think we are, our lives can be unpredictably taken. It makes me think about the important things in life, and what I want to accomplish before I die. When I die, I want my life to have meant something. I want to have made a difference in people's lives. I know that if I continue to live my life for my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, then I can accomplish those goals. We needn't worry about the little things, for we need to focus on God.

Matthew 6:19-34 talks about where our focus should be and what we shouldn't worry about. 

• 6:19-21 says:

  “Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be."

• 6:30-33 says:

  "And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith?So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need." 

In conclusion, I was reminded of 3 things: life is short and can be taken from us at anytime, there are still good people in the world that do good things to help others, and some State Farm agents really o stick to the motto! 

The World's Greatest Lie: You get to Heaven by being Good

I want to address something that has on my mind lately regarding heaven. I have heard this subject called "The World's biggest lie" and even though it sounds over the top, it really is one of, if not the biggest lie ever invented. The sad part about the lie is 1. Most of the world has fallen for it, and 2. It is a matter of life or death.
You may be asking yourself, what is this big lie? Well, the lie exist in many different variations, but the most common two are that "You go to Heaven if you're good" and that "you get to heaven based on your good works". Sure, your grandparents and parents may have fed you that lie as a child, and almost every Hollywood film uses that lie to comfort people. But the fact of the matter is: Going to Heaven has absolutely nothing to do with how good or how bad you are! Sure, Heaven is associated with "good" and Hell with "bad", but truth be told, many "good" people will go to Hell, and many "bad" people will go to Heaven.
First off, nowhere in the Bible is it said that being good gets you to Heaven. What does God say is the requirement to enter into Heaven?
In Psalms 15 David asks God:
"Lord, who may dwell in your sanctuary? Who may live on your holy hill?"
And God answers:
"He whose walk is blameless and who does what is righteous, who speaks the truth from his heart and has no slander on his tongue, who does his neighbor no wrong and casts no slur on his fellowman, who despises a vile man but honors those who fear the Lord, who keeps his oath even when it hurts, who lends his money without usury and does not accept a bribe against the innocent. He who does these things will never be shaken."

Wow! So to get to heaven, I have to obey the Ten Commandments? I have to be perfect and sinless? I'm pretty sure that I've broken a lot of the commandments! I guess I'm going to spend an eternity in Hell.
BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE!

It is said in Romans 3:23 that "ALL have sinned and fall short of the glory of God". That means that everyone has sinned, and thus do not meet God's requirement to enter into heaven. In Ecclesiastes 7:20 it says: "There is not one truly righteous person on the earth who continually does good and is sinless" So in reality, it is fair that we ALL deserve to go to Hell! But, because God is a merciful and loving god, he gave us a second chance. God sent his only son, Jesus Christ, to Earth to live a sinless life, to die for ALL sin, and to raised from the dead to further prove that He was God. Though he was fully human, Jesus was also fully God, God in the flesh, his miracles were done as a way of showing people who he really was.

*Side note: (He had a mass following of believers and because he claimed to be God, the Roman Empire was threatened by that. They wanted him dead, so they, along with the Pharisees and Sadducees (Jewish political & religious leaders) tried to find fault with him. They wanted to find something they could charge him with, so that they could arrest and kill him. But because he was God, thus making him sinless, they couldn't find anything to use against him. )*

In John 14, Jesus is meeting with his disciples about going to heaven to prepare a place for believers, when Thomas (often called doubting Thomas) asked Jesus: "How will we know the way [to heaven]?" Jesus answers: "I am the way, the truth, and the life. Nobody come to the father except through me!"
In John 3, Jesus tells Nicodemus, a Pharisee: "Good loved the world so much, that he gave his one and only Son, and that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him."
When Jesus died on the cross, he shed his blood and died for ALL sin! He paid the price of death so that we could spend eternity with him in Heaven, if we believed in him! Before he died, hanging on the cross beside Jesus was a thief. The thief realized who Jesus was and admitted that he believed in him, Jesus pardoned him of his sins and assured him that he would be with him in Heaven that day (Luke 23:39-43). Now, this thief, who was clearly a criminal, did not have time to be baptized, do good works, or anything. He simply BELIEVED and put his faith in Christ, and he was admitted into heaven.

In Acts, Paul and Silas were imprisoned because of teaching the gospel. Their prison guard asked: "What must I do to be saved?" Paul and Silas answered: "Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved"

In Ephesians, Paul writes to the Church in Ephesus: "For it is by God's grace that you have been saved through FAITH. It is not the result of your own efforts, but God's gift, so that no one can boast about it." So, in other words, because of God's grace (sending Christ to save us), we have been been made righteous (made right) in the sight of God. This has nothing to do with any work you have done, but is a gift of God, so we can't brag about doing anything to have earned it.

I urge you to read the book of Galatians, it is a letter Paul wrote to the Church in Galatia reprimanding them because they have fallen under the assumption that they must obey the law (do works) to earn their way into heaven. They were already saved, but had been deceived by false teachers into believing the "Great Lie". Paul sets them straight. At the end of chapter 2, Paul makes a very powerful statement: "If keeping the law (doing good works) could make us right with God, then Christ died in vain!" WOW! That's intense! It's true, if we could get to heaven based on doing good things, what was the point of Christ dying? There isn't! We can only get to heaven by believing in Jesus Christ.

One of the big passages that is used out of context to back up the "Great Lie" is in James 2. James is talking to a group of Believers about what they need to do after being saved. He tells them that they need to do good works to bring non-believers to Christ. He tells them that "Faith without Works is dead!" If read out of context, this looks as though James is saying that your faith is useless without doing works, but that is not at all what he is saying! Since he is talking to believers, and their salvation cannot be lost (John 10:28-30), he is telling them that in the eyes of man, their faith without works is useless, because they have not shown the attitudes of Christ and have not lead anyone to Christ. Thus meaning their faith is useless to others. It is very important that when reading the Bible, you read it in context and in its entirety

One illustration that I often use is that the world is a sinking ship. We are all on our way to death by drowning. God saw that nobody would survive, so he threw us a giant Lifeboat (Jesus) to save us. He proved that it is really a Lifeboat, and many people climbed aboard. But many people refused to believe it was a lifeboat, so they didn't grab on. God gives us free will, meaning we have the choice to choose him or not. But he only saves those who chose to believe the facts. The rest of the people who refused Christ will spend eternity in Hell. You can do all the good works you want, but as long as you dont have faith in Christ, you will surely burn for eternity. The wages of Sin is death, so this is completely fair.

We are supposed to do good works as a way of showing our love for God, not as a way of earning salvation. As you can see, "The World's Biggest Lie" has been around ever since Jesus was living. It is clear that you can only get to heaven by believing in Christ. The statements that "You go to Heaven if you're good" and that "you get to heaven based on your good works" are lies straight from the pit of Hell