Death Interrupted by Life

You’ve heard it. I’ve heard it. I’ve probably even said it: “Death is just a part of life.”

I don’t believe that anymore, at least, not like it is usually meant.

The reason is simple: When God created the earth, He placed upon it living things. It is true that there were inanimate objects like rocks, but they were not the remains of living things. So, not only is God the creator of life, but He is also not the creator of death. For Adam and Eve, death was conditional. Regarding the fruit on the forbidden tree: God said, “In the day that you eat from it, you will surely die” (Genesis 2:18). Adam and Eve had a choice. Again, death was conditional.

We might think that because of Adam and Eve death is a certainty for the rest of us. Yet, before we begin playing the blame game, we all know that we have sinned and are therefore deserving of death. The Bible tells us that that “there is none righteous, not even one.” and “all have sinned” (Romans 3:10 & 6:23). Yet, even without these declarations, each of us knows our own sin because of guilt feelings sensed in the conscience at some point in time.

What does all this tell us? God created life and God intended life. That is to say that God did not create mankind with the intention for man to die. This thought ought to be as natural to us as breathing. The earth is full of evidence shouting, “Life!”

Just think about weeds as an example. Is there need for further explanation?

A man was old and nearing death. His hospital room was filled with relatives saying their final “farewells.” I was called in to offer comfort and prayer. After a couple of hours, I wondered if I should stay or leave and come back later. The attending nurse informed me that the man was minutes away from death, not hours. The old man was unconscious, long pauses between breaths as his body gasped for air. Although he had previously communicated his desire to pass on, his body struggled to live, breath after labored breath until it could struggle no longer. I have looked back on this occasion many times as I observed that as living things, your body and mine desire to live even if we have lost the will to live. That is how God created us.

Jesus Christ stands as a kind of exclamation point to God’s testimony for life. When man destroyed his own life through sin, God interrupted death with the offer of life. So, once again mankind faces a choice. In the Garden of Eden man was alive but chose death through sin. Now, God has given us the choice to live again through Jesus Christ. When we give our allegiance to Jesus, we then find that death is but an interruption on the way to eternal life.

Like most, even though I have the assurance of eternal life in Christ, I do not look forward to the day of my physical death. I think it is the nature of what God has created, the innate desire in every living thing to keep on living. Undoubtedly, that is why most of the writers of the New Testament epistles remind their readers of the hope we have in Christ, that is, the expectation of eternal life.

The promise of eternal life provides the motivation to live each day in God’s kingdom according to God’s way. Our hope of eternal life also refreshes our souls in our later years when it is evident that our bodies are wearing out and death is more visible than ever before. Our hope revises our view of death. Because of God’s promises death is but an interruption along a path to life.

When we died to our sins by being buried with Christ in baptism, God raised us up to walk in newness of life (Romans 6:4-5). That ‘newness of life’ is not a figure of speech, but rather, the beginning of eternal life. Being born again (John 3:5), we receive a new spirit. Death is but an interruption in which the old body is exchanged for a new body; the perishable for an imperishable (1 Corinthians 15:42).

God urges, “Get ready!” Prepare to leave; prepare to go; prepare for arrival.
Gaze heavenward always!

Mark Stinnett

October 4, 2026

Us vs Them: God's View

We live at a time when many people, religious people, are tired of the Bible and its message. They have grown weary of the ‘bloody’ message of the cross. They think doctrine promotes controversy. “Why can’t we all just get along and help others?”

That sounds nice...except there is a distinction, a kind of ‘Us’ and ‘Them.’ God views the two distinct groups in various ways in Scripture, such as those who are in the kingdom of God and those who are not. Also...

• The godly and the ungodly
• The righteous and the unrighteous
• The good and the evil/bad
• The saved and the lost
• The saints and the sinners

Perhaps the most important distinction is that of the living and the dead. The Apostle Paul wrote to Christians in Ephesus and informed them that they were formerly “dead in your trespasses and sins.” He went on to say that through God’s grace they had been saved. God “made us alive together with Christ….” (Ephesians 2)

It is easy to read passages of Scripture like that and think it is figurative. However, the distinction of the living and the dead goes back to the beginning of the Bible when everything that God had created was good. He had created mankind in His own image. Mankind enjoyed fellowship with God.

However, when Adam and Eve sinned, it was more than the breaking of a rule. They literally separated themselves from God demanding their own independence. They wanted to think for themselves and make their own choices. It was not that God was opposed to them thinking and choosing. Rather, it was a matter of trust. Adam and Eve decided to trust in themselves and in doing so, broke fellowship with God. In that, they died.

So, in God’s view there is an ‘Us and Them.’ It is rooted in the distinction between God and man. Yet, before sin entered, there was only ‘Us.’ God did not change. Adam and Eve separated themselves from God and in doing so created an ‘Us and Them’ relationship. And from the beginning, the distinction was between the living and the dead: The Living God and man.

So, ultimately, God does not wish for the distinction. He is not in favor of ‘Us and Them.’ For that reason, from the beginning, He has been working out a plan of redemption, a plan that would give life to those who have separated themselves by sin and its consequence: death.

It is sometimes overlooked that there are consequences for choices and actions. For most people, the consequence of sin does not seem frightening. After all, people are not falling down dead when they get drunk, have an affair, lie, or gossip. However, the lack of immediate consequences does not mean that consequences do not exist.

The Bible teaches that Jesus will return to take the saints home with Him. It will be a time of separation in which God will make the ultimate and final distinction between the living and the dead. Those who have been born again, that is, made alive through the Holy Spirit will enjoy life eternal. All others will be forever separated from God and all that is good.

The Apostle John wrote a short letter (1 John) to Christians so they could KNOW that they possess eternal life. There IS a clear distinction: Those who have the Son of God have life; those who do not, have no life.

Do you have the Son of God?

Mark Stinnett

May 31, 2026

Instruction for Life

Not long ago I took a break for lunch at a favorite fast food restaurant. Seated directly behind me was a grandmother-granddaughter pair. I was not aware of the music coming over the speakers until Grandma informed her granddaughter: “This is not real country music. Real country music was sung by Johnny Cash.” She went on to name others of that era and continued, “Real country music makes you feel something.” (Long pause.) “It makes you think.” The lesson continued.

I call it a ‘lesson’ because Grandma was teaching the little girl (no more than three years old) the definition of good music and its value. I cannot help but think that there will be similar lessons to follow, lessons to reinforce the important truth taught that day. Grandma will someday pass from this earth and whether that little girl embraces real country music or she marches to her own drumbeat, I cannot predict. However, this lesson will undoubtedly be remembered as being of great importance to Grandma.

I cannot help but think that the grandmother practiced what she preached and listened to real country music. That would be another vitally important component of teaching:

1. Model the values, attitudes and behavior that you wish pass on.
2. Verbally express your values, attitudes and behaviors. After all, people, and especially kids, do not always understand your example.

Paul’s instruction, “whatever a man sows, this he will also reap” (Galatians 6:7), may be applied to teaching. It applies to both verbal instruction and the lessons one models through example.

In my opening illustration, grandma thought it important to teach her granddaughter about country music. I reflected on the content of the lessons that I had taught my children.

Paul’s instruction to fathers about the content of parental instruction is compact: “bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.” (Ephesians 6:4) There are many valuable life lessons. Yet, many have value only in this life. They are not the specific content of “the discipline and instruction of the Lord.” They are more often based on one’s life experience and home-spun philosophy. That is not what Paul meant.

The entire Bible is filled with the discipline and instruction of the Lord. Instruction is the verbal/written aspect of teaching while discipline is the hand-on, practical application of God’s teaching. Throughout Scripture we receive instruction on honesty, integrity, faith, morality, self-control, godliness, generosity, service, love of God, love of others, and more.

The ‘stories’ in the Bible are also important. Noah teaches faithfulness, patience, and gratitude. David (and Goliath) teaches faith and courage. Ruth teaches faithfulness. Nebuchadnezzar teaches humility (in contrast to great pride). The stories teach us something about the character of man but also God’s expectation of good character. We need to tell the stories, but we must not forget the lessons taught by those important examples. At the same time, we must not forget how God’s interaction with people teaches valuable lessons about His divine character.

You might say that every person’s life declares, “This is how to live life.”

Eyes are watching; ears are listening.

So, what are you teaching by your example? What lessons will continue to ring in the ears of your children, grandchildren and those who knew you? Make sure that you are providing instruction of eternal value.

Mark Stinnett

August 10, 2025

You're Not Just a Clod

Have you ever thought about your value as a human being? 

We’re all just a bunch of clods...dirt clods.

Then the Lord God formed man of dust from the ground…. 

--Genesis 2:7

Even unbelieving evolutionists recognize that when a person dies their body decomposes and eventually becomes...dirt. Perhaps the difference is that the believer acknowledges that the body ‘returns’ to the dust of the ground from which it was 'created.'

Articles have been published in which the physical ingredients of an adult human body were catalogued and measured. They were then given an approximate value based on current prices for the separate components. The totals were always just a few dollars. 

Dirt clods.

So, what gives a person value?

There is one ingredient that scientists cannot measure; cannot calculate; cannot really comprehend scientifically. Science can tell us the various chemical components of our physical body, but they have never been able to come up with a recipe to mix all the dry ingredients together, add water, and then produce...life.

We can continue the cycle of reproduction that already exists, but we cannot create. The essence of life is not a dry ingredient that man can manipulate into life.

For that reason, life is valuable.

Long before the New Testament was recorded, before the Law of Moses was given, at the time of Noah, God commanded that man not eat anything with its blood in it. Why? 

Life is in the blood.

--Genesis 9:4; Leviticus 17:11

The penalty for killing another human was death. Why?

Whoever sheds man’s blood, By man his blood shall be shed,

For in the image of God He made man.

--Genesis 9:6

God did something quite wonderful when he formed man out of the dust of the ground:

Then the Lord God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.

--Genesis 2:7

It is easy to take life for granted. It is easy to forget that people are not assigned value based on human perception. Value is assigned by God.

We recognize how often violent men display their lack of regard for life when someone is killed. Most of us would never think of murdering someone. However, do we ever treat people as insignificant or practically invisible? Do we devalue people on the basis of their politics, their religion, their personality, their perceptions of life, their sin? Are there people that we simply ‘write off’ because they are not worth the effort?

We are more than ‘dirt clods’ because God made each of us valuable when he gave us life. And then he did something unthinkable, something beyond imagination, something marvelous: He gave His only Son as a sacrifice for our sins so we could live with Him forever.

Your true value is not found in human accomplishments, material possessions, or your glowing personality. Your value has little to do with you. You are valuable...

     ...because God has made you in His image...

          ...because he has given you life...

               ...because He has offered life everlasting to your soul. 

Value life!

Mark Stinnett

June 29, 2025

Would You Like to Talk about Hell?

“No!”
That’s my answer to the title question: “Would you like to talk about Hell?”

I don’t want to talk about the reality of Hell. 

I don’t want to talk about the doctrine of Hell. 

I really don’t want to talk about Hell. 

And yet, when you read and study the Bible, the subject is inescapable. Hell is the place of eternal destruction and its existence brings in the foreground of the reality of divine judgment.

When the Apostle Paul went to Athens, he preached the gospel and concluded with a statement calling for repentance. Then, he added a statement of explanation:

Because He [God] has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness, through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead. 

—Acts 17:31

The idea of judgment indicates that people will be evaluated and then placed into categories. Paul revealed the basis for judgment: righteousness. The one to do the judging is the man that God raised from the dead, that is, Jesus the righteous one.

There are several terms used in the Bible to describe the groups of separation in judgment:

• Righteous/Unrighteous
• Godly/Ungodly
• Holy/Unholy
• Good/Evil
• Forgiven/sinner

All of these can be reduced to the comparison: those who are like God and those who are not. Those who are righteous (godly, holy, good, forgiven) have been born again and are alive in Christ. Yet, those who are unrighteous (ungodly, unholy, evil, sinful) are dead. Life and death are not to be understood in a physical sense, but in light of one’s relationship with God. Those who are living are alive spiritually. Those who are not, are dead spiritually.

God’s judgement is the separation of the living and the dead, again, those who are like God and those who are not.

The fact that there will be a day of judgment is very clear in Scripture. 

   Jesus Himself spoke about the day of judgment (Matthew 11:22; 12:36). 

   Peter and John also warned their readers of the day of judgment (2 Peter 2:9; 1 John 4:17). 

   It was prophesied in the Psalms (9:8; 96:13; 98:9). 

Numerous other passages mirror the same.

To the surprise of some, Jesus will be the judge. That was not His role when He came to earth the first time.

For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.

—John 3:17

However, His return will be different…

...when the Lord Jesus will be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire dealing out retribution to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. These will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord…. 

 —2 Thessalonians 1:7-9

I don’t want to dwell on the day of judgment and hell. Yet, this negativity is true. It is placed in the Bible as a warning because God loves you and wants you to know Him. He wants you to obey the gospel, live righteously...and LIVE!

So, perhaps 'hell' is a relevant topic. The things God has revealed in Scripture will inform us so that we will learn how to respond in order to avoid hell.

God loves you and doesn't want you kept in the dark.

Mark Stinnett

February 4, 2024

Destiny and Fate

Do you believe you are destined for that one individual who is specifically meant for you…your soul mate? If so, how will you find them?
[Oops. Sorry…Silly question! If you are ‘destined’ to be together, it will all just work out: right time, right place, right person. You’ll just know. It’s all played out in the movies.]

Let’s go further...
Who or what is the source of destiny?

If you are destined for that one specific soul-mate are you also destined for just the right career? Just the right kids? Just the right city, house, friends?

Why stop there…? Are you destined to see the movies you will see? Read the books that you will read? Do that project around the house that you are destined to do? Get sick? Tell a lie?
Or does destiny only work with…LOVE?!

Destiny denies God, unless you believe that God destined all activities in life to play out a certain predetermined way. Either way, if destiny truly exists, choice is not a reality. And if we do not have the ability to choose, then we have been deceived. After all, God calls us to choose!

• “Choose life,” Joshua called to the Israelites.
• “Choose Jesus,” the apostles preached.
• “I am the way,” Jesus announced.

Destiny is the fool’s way of removing the guilt and responsibility of choosing to deny or reject God.

• Fate cries out, “It’s not my fault; I can’t help it.”
• Fate is arrogant, “That’s just the way I am.”
• Destiny is an excuse for pure selfishness.

What will happen if you awaken beside your destined soul-mate only to discover incompatibilities in your marriage? Did destiny make a mistake? Will destiny demand that you leave your first love behind and launch a search for a true soul-mate. [Oops again, no searching; fate just happens.]

And what if you discover some incompatible ugliness in your true soul-mate? Is there a truly true soul-mate?
What will you do when reality collides with destiny!?!

Belief in destiny will lead a person down a path of sin in a quest for a life that simply does not exist.

Young people! Wake up!
  Life is difficult.
  Life is not fair.
  Life does not always go YOUR way.

The wise Solomon tested life in order to find meaning. He tested wealth, work, wisdom, foolishness; and he even tested laziness and the party life, including getting drunk and having sex. He said it was all meaningless – empty.

The book of Ecclesiastes is Solomon’s final report of his research on ‘The Meaning of Life.’ His conclusion was that there was no meaning unless one looks beyond this life. It was only when he humbled himself before God that he found meaning. He wrote the book of Ecclesiastes so you would not have to do your own personal research.

An unknown remains: Are you are so infatuated with destiny that you cannot see reality? Does destiny make you so smart or clever or wise that you know more than your Creator knows?!

If your thinking collides with God’s Word, you are choosing self-centered arrogance over the God who made you and loves you, the God who pleads with you to choose Him.

“There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.” 

—Proverbs 14:12 (NIV)

Destiny is a lie. 

The Fates come from mythology.

In humility, CHOOSE Life!

Mark Stinnett

January 28, 2024

What is the Basis for God's Judgment?

How does God decide how to judge?

God told Moses, “I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show compassion on whom I will show compassion.” (Exodus 33:19)

At first glance, it might seem that God is arbitrary or judges according to a whim. It is as if, depending upon his mood, He might be merciful or wrathful; He might be gracious or choose to withhold His blessings.

In reality, moodiness is a human trait, not a part of God’s character. Rather, God’s character is consistent. He is at all times gracious and compassionate. He is slow in getting angry, but will not allow sin to go unpunished. (Exodus 34:6-7) That said, can we understand God’s judgment?

God created man and woman in His own image. That means that there are qualities or attributes in humans that are like our Creator. Beyond the simple fact of creation, we know that God made humans with the expectation of there being a relationship between Creator and created.

Think of your human relationships. Why do those relationships exist? Ultimately, relationships exist because of connections of commonness. The Bible calls that fellowship.

• Family members are in a relationship because of common relatives.
• Best friends share common likes and dislikes, share common experiences, and think similarly.
• You might have a relationship with people of a common interest such as a hobby or political ideology or religious belief.

In all relationships, if the point of commonality dissolves, the relationship also dissolves. The same is true about God and us. When a person stops being like God, the relationship ends. Sin is sin because it is not like God.

Judgment, whether God’s judgment or human judgment, is composed of two elements: discernment and separation. Discernment is about deciding the basis for separation. Then, there is the act of separation. A silly, but simple example is that of judging silverware. When setting the table, silverware is put out in sets for individual use. Yet, when stored, the silverware is categorized (judged) by grouping similar kinds of utensils. In each case discernment is used, and then a separation is made.

When God judges people, it is on the basis of relationship. God separates people into two groups:

• Those who have a fellowship relationship with Him and 
• Those who have nothing in common with Him, i.e., no fellowship.

Have you ever grown apart from a friend? 

You went your way and they went theirs. Common interests and experiences became more history than present. It is not a matter of dislike, but a lack of commonality. The relationship fades.

What happens when a person pulls away from God, no longer listens to God’s instruction, and no longer thinks the way God thinks. What happens when a person no longer has anything in common with God? The relationship dissolves.

We sometimes wonder why, in Scripture, God judged people in a way that seems harsh. The simple answer is that there was no relationship. God has done everything divinely possible to have a relationship with mankind. He is even willing to forgive sin. Yet, some people refuse God, turn from God, or even oppose God.

God’s judgment is based on His recognition of a person’s current relationship status with Him.
What is your status?
Are you in fellowship with God?

Mark Stinnett

December 17, 2023

Nothing is Better than Something??

Have you ever heard the expression, “It’ll feel better when it quits hurting”? It is a silly way of saying that the absence of pain is better than pain. I know, it’s a kind of an “Oh, duh” thing.

If you’ve kept up with this blog in recent weeks, you’ve noticed a common theme: odd statements from Ecclesiastes. If you’ve read the past four blog entries, you should have noticed something else: All of these strange statements are understandable when viewed from Solomon’s perspective.

Solomon intentionally, and wisely, limited his search for meaning to the material universe. After all, he too was a part of the material universe. So, he could not speak about anything or anyone beyond the physical universe. He could not speak for God unless he was given God’s words to speak.

Solomon’s search for meaning ended poorly; he found no meaning within the limitations of the material universe. He also observed the activities of mankind “under the sun,” that is, man’s activities carried out on this earth. That too had a rather negative outcome as expressed in another startling statement in Ecclesiastes in which he compared the living and the dead:

But better than both of them is the one who has never existed, who has never seen the evil activity that is done under the sun. 

—Ecclesiastes 4:3

The fourth chapter began with Solomon writing, “Then I looked again at all the acts of oppression which were being done under the sun.” This is one of many injustices that Solomon observed and reported. Yet, it sounds worse than simply saying that there are many injustices in life. It sounds as if life was full of injustices in Solomon’s day.

Solomon considered all the injustices, the acts of oppression of man, and then “congratulated the dead who are already dead more than the living who are still living.” (v. 2) Do you understand Solomon’s reasoning; his point of view?

Solomon was saying that death resolved the pain experienced by those who were being oppressed. Death felt better because the oppression of life quit hurting. If a person cannot look beyond the material universe, then Solomon’s reasoning makes logical sense.

Solomon reasoned a step further. The one who has never existed is better off still. His simple reasoning is that the non-existent one will have never had to endure any kind of oppression in life on the earth.

Even admitting that his reasoning makes sense, it sounds defeating. And yet, that is what we are supposed to think. We are supposed to be dissatisfied with Solomon’s observations even though they are reasonable. That is the whole point of the book. When man looks at life in the material universe and cannot find answers and cannot find meaning, he ought to despair of life...but not give up! Rather, he should ask, “Is there something beyond this universe?” Solomon explained that God “so worked,” that is, made the universe the way He did, SO THAT, man would come to this conclusion about his existence within the material universe. (3:14) Man would then be forced by his own reasoning to look beyond the universe to his Creator. In humble awe and reverence created man would then be ready to listen to the Creator’s revelation from beyond. All of the negative things written in Ecclesiastes are meant to drive man, not to despair, but in reverent awe to his God.


Mark Stinnett

August 13, 2023

Benefits of Discipline in the Home

Out of a skewed sense of love some parents cater to every whim of their child. They believe that answering “Yes” to every desire shows love. However, a skewed sense of love teaches the child a skewed sense of reality. The child is not the center of the universe. The child is not entitled. The child is not deserving.

God desires people to be selfless, not selfish. He wants us to look out for the interests of others, not just ourselves. He wants us to be like Christ. (Philippians 2:4)

Discipline is the tool parents use to teach sharing, thoughtfulness, kindness, and service. “No” is often a more loving answer than “Yes,” at least when teaching the ideals of God.

Some have thought that a person free from restraint will prove to be highly creative. However, history bears out the opposite. The greatest discoveries and inventions have been the products of persistence and determination in overcoming obstacles, nature’s way of saying, “No.”

Parents, discipline is a key element in the development of creativity in a child. It helps them to understand how do deal with obstacles and limitations in life and to form a disciplined lifestyle. That self-discipline will also help them to excel in doing good works and ministering to others as God desires. (Ephesians 2:10)

Undisciplined children tend to have a skewed sense of self-importance. They expect things to work out in their favor. They expect others to make sacrifices for them. They might have a sense of benevolence, but prefer to use the resources of others instead of their own.

Discipline is a key element in teaching a strong work ethic, patience while saving money, self-sacrifice, and generosity toward others. God teaches His children to work so that they will have something to share with those in need. (Ephesians 4:28)

There are often natural consequences, such as a blister on the finger when touching a hot surface. However, not all actions in life come with immediate consequences. For example, telling a lie might go unnoticed without consequences. Saving money has no immediate reward. One function of parental discipline is to teach a child about consequences when natural consequences are not immediate.

When, through discipline, consequences are learned, justice is taught, laying the groundwork for understanding mercy. Patience is taught, laying the groundwork for understanding hope.

To avoid conflict, many parents make sacrifices of time, money and effort. They buy what their child wants. They go where their child wants. They do what their child wants. Everything revolves around the child getting his/her way. The child becomes head of the house.

God wants children to obey their parents. Children are to honor their father and mother. (Ephesians 6:1-2) If parents do not insist on obedience and honor through proper discipline, their children will not learn to honor and obey any other authority including God himself. Discipline will save a child’s soul.

Discipline in the home teaches children how to walk in righteousness. It should not be viewed as a mere biblical command, but rather an essential key to life!

Cease listening to discipline, and you will stray from the words of knowledge.

—Proverbs 19:27

Mark Stinnett

February 12, 2023

First Things First

For the most part, people assume that since they are alive, they deserve to be alive. (Many assume that they deserve a lot of other good things.) However, that is backward thinking. It begins with man and his aliveness as a starting point. The signers of the U. S. Declaration of Independence held that life was a self-evident unalienable right. Yet, they asserted that such a right was endowed by the Creator.

Whenever man and his aliveness serve as the backdrop to interpret one’s existence, and life, God and the wrath of God are sure to be misunderstood. On the other hand, when a person begins with God, life and God’s wrath come into focus. So, every person chooses to interpret his/her world based on the answer to the question: Which came first: God or man?

For those whose answer is man, then it must be acknowledged that the idea of God came from the mind of man. Taking this idea to its natural conclusion, God, Scripture and religion are all products of human imagination.

Many people accept this view as true. In many cases, they are driven to this conclusion because of the presence of evil in the world. They wonder, “How could a good God create a world in which there is evil and suffering?” Not finding a suitable answer, they dismiss God.

For those who answer that God existed before man, things look very different. First, the Bible stands as the revelation of God providing understanding to mankind. That is God’s claim.

God is presented as a being that existed before the universe and all things in it. He is the one who conceived of man and the universe in which man lives. He commanded all things into existence by His authority. By God’s own evaluation, all that He created was good.

However, man tainted God’s glorious creation when he rebelled. When man sinned, you might say that, from man’s perspective, God was presented a dilemma. Should He destroy something that was created as good, yet that had engaged in evil? Or should God show mercy toward these beings that were created in His image?

In reality, there was no dilemma. God acted according to His divine nature: love. He took His time in becoming angry: patience.

Then the Lord passed by in front of him (Moses) and proclaimed, "The Lord, the Lord God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth.

--Exodus 34:6

And yet, while God was patient and merciful, He did not sweep the dirt of sin under the rug. Without ignoring or tolerating sin, He demanded that there be payment for sin. That reveals another attribute of God’s divine nature: justice.

The Apostle Paul described God as being just but also the one who is the justifier (Romans 3:26). In other words, God deals fairly with man when He holds us accountable for sin. (That's justice.) Yet at the same time, He is the one who justifies people, that is, makes things right.

How is God the Justifier? He brought justice by providing the sacrifice that would be satisfactory for all sin for all people: Jesus.

Jesus was better than any other sacrifice...

• Because He was God’s own Son;
• Because He was a willing sacrifice;
• Because He had never sinned.

So, in reality, no one who has sinned possesses the right to live. All sinners deserve death! Yet, God values life. With patience He extends mercy and has provided the way to eternal life.

So, the only question is which makes more sense: man before God?? Or, God before man??

The Apostle Paul wrote that the existence of God is self-evident.

For since the creation of the world His (God's) invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they (unbelievers) are without excuse.

--Romans 1:20

 

Just look outside; you can’t miss it!

Mark Stinnett

January 1, 2023

(Photo by Mark Stinnett)

'Caught Off Guard' Concerning Life

Kids...!

If you are at an age that you are no longer referred to as a kid, then you can look back with a sigh, “When we were kids….”

For most of us there are humorous stories of kidhood in which we tried to take life by the tail only to find out that life was a tiger. We tried things we should not have tried, thinking, “It won’t happen to me.” We trusted when we should not have and didn’t trust when we should have. We were sometimes gullible.

We thought we could conquer the world and were happy to share our brilliant ideas. Eventually, life intervened and disrupted our idealism.

As parents we want our kids to mature and to enter into adulthood prepared. We are responsible for giving them opportunities to learn and experience life. We also give sound advice in hopes that they will not have to experience some of the greater challenges of life.

I remember being told, “If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is”; and, “There’s no such thing as a free lunch.” You undoubtedly grew up with similar truisms.

We recognize that these sayings are not necessarily absolute, but they are good advice. They were intended to help kids as they journey into adulthood. Parents don’t want their kids to be caught off guard in life.

God must have put that in us as a part of human nature. I say that because he too offered sound advice to his children so they would not be caught off guard in life.

I’m thinking of the book of Proverbs.

Solomon was given an extra measure of wisdom from God and his advice for living can be a better teacher than experience. It can be IF we listen to the advice and follow it. That wisdom will help us to avoid learning by the expensive and painful trial-and-error method, i.e. experience.

The Bible is full of teachings that help us navigate through life. For example, I really do not know what to think about all the things written about climate change. But I remember reading this from God’s divine word:

While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease. 

—Genesis 8:22 (NASB95)

I am unable to use science to challenge whether there is a gene that makes a person homosexual. But I remember reading this in Scripture:

For their women exchanged natural relations for that which is contrary to nature, and likewise the men, too, abandoned natural relations with women and burned in their desire toward one another, males with males committing shameful acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error.

—Romans 1:26–27 (NASB 2020)

I’m not sure what we can do in our country about laws allowing same-sex marriage. But I remember reading this in the Bible:

A man shall leave his father and his mother; and be joined to his wife (woman).

—Genesis 2:24 & Matthew 19:5

The Apostle Peter wrote that God’s divine power has “granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness….” (2 Peter 1:3)

I think everything is rather inclusive.

The Bible is not just about afterlife stuff. That old book is still relevant for the questions and issues of our day. Are you listening?

Mark Stinnett

September 26, 2021

Why Is Sin Sinful?

Friends:
In general, friends have several points of intersection in their relationship.

Close friends have many points of commonality and, most likely, even think similarly. It is not just that they like many of the same things or have had numerous shared experiences; they usually also have the same or similar values.

In His Image:
God created mankind in His image. While we may not understand the full depth of that statement, one thing is certain: We were created with something in common with God and that point of commonality separates us from all other created things. So, there was an immediate relationship between Adam and Eve and God. They enjoyed fellowship.

In the Greek language the word for fellowship described community, participation in or sharing in something. Its root simply meant common. Unlike rocks and grass, birds and bass, God desires fellowship with every human.

Sin:
If we think about sin as a set of arbitrary rules assigned by a divine being who is always looking over our shoulder, we are thinking like a child. A child does not understand the rules assigned by his parents. A safety rule such as, “Don’t run with scissors,” a rule of etiquette such as, “Don’t talk with your mouth full,” and a moral rule such as, “Don’t tell lies,” all seem to be the same. They are rules that keep the child from doing what he wants. When we think of sin as mere rules, we are likely to overlook God’s desire for a meaningful relationship with us.

We must not look at sin in a clinical way as if a dictionary or Bible verse defines it. Sin is not merely an ethical or moral wrong. In reality, sin is a relationship destroyer. When Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden, their relationship with God changed. It died! They died!

They destroyed their fellowship with God. As a result God had to cast them out of the Garden “to cultivate the ground from which he was taken” (Genesis 3:23). God cursed man with hard labor “till you return to the ground, because from it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return” (Genesis 3:19). At that point it almost seemed as if Adam and Eve had more in common (fellowship) with the ground than with God.

It is important to see that they broke fellowship with God, not the other way around. How do we know this? After Adam and Eve sinned, they heard God in the Garden and they hid themselves from Him because they were afraid (Genesis 3:10). They knew that their relationship had changed and they knew why: sin.

Why is sin sinful?
Sin is sinful because it opposes the very essence of God. The fundamental difference between God and sinful man is life. God cast Adam and Eve from the Garden and guarded the way to the tree of life (Genesis 3:24) because they had chosen death. God is life.

In the final judgment God will forever separate:

• The righteous from sinners;
• The godly from the ungodly;
• Sons of light from sons of darkness;
• The living from the dead.

We are called into fellowship with Jesus, the Son of the living God. 

He is the way, the truth, and…THE LIFE!

Mark Stinnett

March 21, 2021

Four Times When You 'Should' Be Stubborn

In general, stubbornness is a negative trait. A stubborn person is unyielding; they simply will not change. “It’s my way or the highway,” seems to be their mindset. Yet, there are times when we really ought to be stubborn. Here are four times in which you ought to be stubborn.

Stubborn when Tempted:

James reminds us that we are tempted to sin when we are drawn away by our own desires. So, temptation is really not temptation if there is no desire. That is why temptation is so serious, it comes from a desire already within us. (James 1:13-15)

After telling about a number of ways that God had dealt with evil in the past, the Apostle Peter wrote:

The Lord knows how to rescue the godly from temptation, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment for the day of judgment. 
—2 Peter 2:9 (NASB95)

The Apostle Paul encouraged:

No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it. 
—1 Corinthians 10:13 (NASB95)

God wants us to overcome temptation and He will help! Be stubborn when tempted.

Stubborn Faith:

When Jesus appeared to the disciples after His resurrection, they thought He was a ‘spirit.’

And He said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? 
 —Luke 24:38 (NASB95)

Jesus had to show the scars on His hands and feet and eat some food because His disciples doubted what they saw standing in front of them.

Faith is about stubbornly holding on to the truth even when it seems unreal; even when we can’t prove the truth by experimentation; even when we cannot see it with our physical eyes. “We walk by faith, not by sight.” So, whether challenged by circumstances or society, be stubborn in your faith in Jesus.

Stubborn in Doing Good:

It is easy to start thinking, “When is it going to be my turn? When will I get a little attention? Where’s my reward for doing good?”

For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
—Ephesians 2:10 (NIV)

Let’s not get tired of doing what is good, for at the right time we will reap a harvest—if we do not give up. So then, whenever we have the opportunity, let’s practice doing good to everyone, especially to the family of faith. 
—Galatians 6:9–10 (ISV)

Stubborn throughout Life:

Have you ever thought about giving up on Jesus? Year after year after year you watch people who have no respect for God succeed in life. They seem to have a life of pleasure and ease while you, a Christian, struggling in different ways. It seems unfair. Yet, Paul wrote...

I have fought the good fight. I have completed the race. I have kept the faith. The victor’s crown of righteousness is now waiting for me, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on the day that he comes, and not only to me but also to all who eagerly wait for his appearing.
—2 Timothy 4:7–8 (ISV)

Generally, stubbornness is not good, but as it relates to temptation, faith, good works, and the Christian life...

Be Stubborn! 

Be Faithful!

Mark Stinnett

March 8, 2020  

Lost in the Hazy Holiday Maze

I have an idea I’d like to develop but I’ll need to ask you to use your imagination. So, hang with me; there is a point to this.

Imagine that there is life on other planets and that you are a human-type being that has traveled to earth unnoticed. You look like a normal, average human, easily blending in with the population. Of course, you are not from around here so you don’t really care. You observe.

When you look at the human race, what do you see? You observe the political maneuvering of nations. You see aggressive nations trying to gain a stronger footing among other nations. You see terrorism. You see conflicting definitions of freedom.

Remember, you are not from around here. So, you have no allegiance to the U.S. or to Spain or to Indonesia. What does it all mean/matter?

You continue on relatively unnoticed for a while...watching people as they scurry from one place to another, going to work, working after work, playing, being entertained, arguing, struggling, fighting, living, dying. Individuals are doing a lot of maneuvering too. To what end?

Let’s extend this imagination tour beyond days to years, even to centuries. What was happening in the place where you are ’right now’ one thousand years ago? (Trees???)

In your mind go to a population center. Imagine being able to observe people and nations for a millennium. You can see the struggles and triumphs. You observe the rise and fall of power, the shifting of wealth, enterprise and foolishness, the proud and the lowly.

You watch the seemingly unending cycle of life. The repetition was startling at first, but now you can identify patterns and can accurately anticipate the outcome of choices and actions.

A thousand years pass and you return to your home to report. What will you say about the people and the nations of the earth? 

---------------------

My purpose in this outlandish journey has been to challenge you to step away from your personal life and its desires and stresses and joys, and disconnect...to think about God.

Do you know why it makes sense that God identified Himself to Moses as, “I Am Who I Am”? He transcends place and time. God created place. God created time. He is the one who really can step back and comprehend all places in all time. For that reason we would do well to respond as Moses did when God revealed Himself: Moses bowed low and worshiped.

Yet, God can also look directly into your life at this place at this time. In fact, He does look, because He is interested in you. So, while He seems to be distant because of His divine nature, His love for you draws Him into your life.

God has seen it all. He has watched the endless parade of nations as well as the cyclical and tiresome ways of man. And at the right time God entered into His creation as a little baby. That little baby was Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of God. And He grew up, and He became the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. He rules the nations and ultimately every knee will bow to Him.

He did not come to earth so that we could hustle and bustle, and exchange gifts, and have lots of food and football and fun and fellowship with friends and family. It doesn’t really matter how you celebrate Christmas or whether you celebrate Christmas if you get lost in the maze of holiday haze and forget why He came. 

So...stop! 

Remember.

Read the words of Jesus slowly.

I    came    that    they    may    have    life…

Mark Stinnett

Grab Hold, For Dear Life!

Have you ever had someone take up for you when you were at a disadvantage?

For example, perhaps you were being bullied by someone bigger and stronger. Then, an older brother or friend stepped in and defended you.

Or, perhaps you were being cast aside by coworkers after having asserted yourself in a meeting. You had spent time and energy putting together a proposal only to have it attacked or casually dismissed. Then, a coworker or someone in a position above you stepped in to suggest that your idea had merit and should be considered.

Children depend upon their parents watch over them at all times; to defend them when wronged; to guard them from dangers of life they have not yet learned.

The Bible teaches that wisdom is a defender and guardian.

It is so easy to think of the wisdom of God as a kind of intellectual pursuit; as if it is all about knowing stuff and thinking and pondering. However, Solomon described wisdom as the older brother, stronger friend, valued coworker, loving parent--Wisdom is one who will guard you and watch over you.

Do not forsake her,
    and she will guard you;
Love her,
    and she will watch over you.
--Proverbs 4:6

The Hebrew terms for ‘guard’ and ‘watch over’ are synonyms, the second having, perhaps, a greater emphasis on an assertive defense.

The wise man instructed: Do not forsake her. That means, do not turn your back on wisdom.

I have been sorely disappointed by many studies and classes on the Book of Proverbs. A proverb would be presented followed by long explanations illustrating the proverb and perceived exceptions. They were nothing other than presumptuous evaluations of God’s word. So many times proverbs have been watered down in meaning so that the perceived ’exception’ won the day as truth and the proverb was virtually cast aside as something that was only sometimes true...maybe.

When we diminish the meaning of the Proverbs, we are forsaking wisdom. When we hurry to find exceptions we contradict what God has revealed; we forsake wisdom.

In contrast, when we embrace the wisdom that God has revealed and live by it, we demonstrate a ’love for wisdom.’

God’s wisdom is not revealed to make you into some sort of wise sage who offers advice. Rather, His wisdom is designed to guard you like an older brother, to watch over you like a loving parent, and defend you like a valued coworker. And to what end is this guarding and watching and defending?

God breathed life into man and, man became a living soul. God’s desire is to save your soul from death. Wisdom is for the purpose of life, now and forever.

Don’t turn away from wisdom, grab hold!!

Wisdom IS Life!

Mark Stinnett

A Shady Deal

   Ill-gotten gains do not profit, 
   But righteousness delivers from death.
   --Proverbs 10:2

Some translations read, “Treasures gained by wickedness,” or something similar. So, what exactly is Solomon talking about?

The term ‘gains’ or ‘treasures’ is not referring to a hidden treasure or a gold mine. It is literally, ‘that which you store up.’ So, you might think about your savings account, your retirement account, your Swiss bank account. (You get the point.) Your ‘gains’ might also be material possessions that you have collected and stored up.

The Hebrew term for ‘ill-gotten’ is rooted in the idea of ‘wickedness.’ So, the idea is that of possessing money or things which you have accumulated through dishonest means. Perhaps it was a white lie, fudging some numbers on your income taxes, taking supplies from your workplace, withholding information on the sale of a house or car (a shady deal); perhaps something more serious.

On the surface it would appear that you beat the system. You may have even eased your conscience by rationalizing that you were not caught; or it was so small it really did not matter; or other people do it all the time, or ________ (fill in the blank with your favorite rationalization).

It would appear that you have benefited from your gain, but consider the contrast found in the proverb: Profit is set in contrast with . . . death.

The brutal reality is that while there ‘appears’ to be a profit (benefit), there is death.

In stark contrast: Righteousness (doing what is right in God’s eyes) delivers from death.

We know the opposites: life and death. We would never choose death over life. However, Solomon sets things in a more practical language:
There is life and there is wealth gained through dishonesty.

Be wise.
Choose life.
Do right.

What Things In Life Have True Value?

What is it in life that has true value? Of course, you will expect an answer in this blog to be of a spiritual nature. If the same question were to be presented elsewhere, not in a biblical/spiritual context, what would you say?

Will the financial blog have the answer?
Will the real estate blog have the answer?
Will the sports blog have the answer?
Will the entertainment blog have the answer?
What about the health blog? Political blog? Science blog? Nature blog? Art blog?

Value. True value: Where will you expect to find the answer?

Solomon wrote:
   Riches do not profit in the day of wrath,
   But righteousness delivers from death.
   --Proverbs 11:4

The ‘day of wrath’ refers to the day in which God’s anger is displayed through His righteous judgment. Since God is pure and holy, He has every right to punish or destroy unholy mankind. He is not unfair; man is unholy and undeserving of God. So, God’s ‘day of wrath’ is truly just (fair).

Solomon says that riches do not profit in the day of wrath. Are riches limited to money? Of course not. We should consider all kinds of material wealth.

The simple point is that earthly wealth, regardless of its form or quality or quantity, has no benefit whatsoever when God displays his wrath against mankind because of sin.

However, in sharp contrast to ‘riches’ stands ‘righteousness.’ In simple terms, righteousness is doing what is right in God’s eyes. We should not think of righteousness as mere obedience to religious law code, but rather, following God’s instruction and example in scripture and striving to please him. (God’s instruction comes in many forms, not just commands).

When a person makes a proper response to God’s instruction in scripture through righteousness, he will be delivered from the ‘day of wrath.’

Wait!
Is that what the verse said?
Literally, it says that he will be delivered from ‘death.’ But death is set as a parallel concept to the ‘day of wrath.’

So, what in this life is of true value?
What should a person pursue?
How should we order our lives?

Chase after righteousness.
Righteousness is life, true life.

True Gems

How many times must we be told?
How many ways can it be said?
Will we ever get it?

     There is gold, and an abundance of jewels;
     But the lips of knowledge are a more precious thing.
     --Proverbs 20:15

Wealth is not wrong, but let’s not even begin to rationalize all the 'stuff' we own.

A person who has wealth knows quite a lot about material things; knows how to obtain material things; knows how to maintain material things; knows material things.
In the end... * poof * ...gone.
What a waste...of life.

A person who has knowledge, true knowledge, knowledge of God, knowledge of God's ways, knows God. And he knows how to truly live...
so he lives...
and he lives...
forever...
...

Life or Ruin?...You Choose!

Off the top of your head, how many words can you list that describe negative, hurtful, or sinful speech?

• Slander,
• Lies,
• False Witness,
• Gossip,
• Flattery,
• Deceit,
• Guile,
• Loose tongue/lips,
• False accusation,
• Babbler.

My list is not exhaustive and some of the words describe attitudes that may or may not come out in speech (i.e. Deceit). But you get the idea. Our language is full of words to describe a person who either cannot or does not control his/her tongue.

Even the last item on my list is bad. My dad had a rather unflattering way to describe the babbler. He said it was a person with ‘diarrhea of the mouth!’

The babbler may not actually be saying bad things or hurting others, but the babbler does not listen; cannot be taught; always has more to say. Babblers are selfish talkers.

Life or Ruin . . . You Choose!

   The one who guards his mouth preserves his life;
   The one who opens wide his lips comes to ruin.
   --Proverbs 13:3

The one who guards his mouth gives thought to his words before speaking. He uses his words to encourage, to speak truth, to honor God and men, to express love and appreciation. He uses his tongue for instruction; he uses his tongue for discipline when necessary.

The one who guards his mouth chooses his words wisely. He does not excuse himself, “That’s just the way I am.” He thinks first and is considerate of the feelings of others.

The one who guards his mouth is teachable, knowing that there is a time to talk, but also a time to listen. He knows that he is not all-knowing, not all-wise. Even when he ‘knows,’ he allows another to share an idea; after all, he may still need to be taught.

The one who guards his mouth is often silent. . .
. . .
. .
.

.


.



.