Category: What do you think?

Understanding the Walls and Gates of Heaven

Published on by Texas GospelLeave a comment

JEFF TURNER

When people imagine heaven, they often think of calm, beauty, and safety. These are true ideas. But it may be surprising to hear that the Bible describes the New Jerusalem—a city in heaven—with walls and gates. In Revelation 21, the Apostle John shares a vision of this holy city. It is large and magnificent, surrounded by strong walls and 12 gates. This makes us wonder: why would heaven need such features?

There is no evil or sin in the New Jerusalem, nor anywhere in the new heaven and new earth. Everything is pure and righteous. So, the walls are not for protection from danger, because danger simply doesn’t exist there. Instead, the walls and gates mark the city as something special. They show that this is the central place of God’s glory.

The New Jerusalem is more than just a city—it is where God’s throne is. From there, His glory shines out, lighting the city’s golden streets and sparkling through its jewels and pearl gates. This beauty spreads across the eternal creation. Revelation 21:23 tells us, “The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light.” This city is the heart of heaven, and from it, God’s glory fills all eternity.

The Final Warning of Hebrews: Embracing Faith in Christ

Published on by Texas GospelLeave a comment

JEFF TURNER

Many Christians wrestle with sin throughout their lives. At times, this fight leads to moments of deep sorrow, and even painful failure. Some passages in the Bible can feel especially heavy during these times—Hebrews 10:26 is one of them. It warns that if someone continues to sin willfully after knowing the truth, there is no longer a sacrifice that can take away those sins. Instead, what remains is the dreadful certainty of judgment and a consuming fire for those who stand against God.

This warning in Hebrews is not aimed at Christians who struggle and repent, but at a specific group: Jews who had heard the gospel, understood its message, and may have even agreed with it intellectually—but never truly committed to Christ. They were still holding on to their old religious practices, unwilling to let go and trust in Jesus fully.

The entire book of Hebrews urges these individuals to take that final step. The message is clear: once you know the truth about Jesus and still choose to walk away, there is no other path to forgiveness. There is no backup plan. Rejecting Christ means rejecting the only hope of salvation.

Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” – John 14:6

Understanding Justification: Faith vs. Works

Published on by Texas GospelLeave a comment

JEFF TURNER

Almost 500 years ago, Martin Luther emphasized the core message of the gospel: justification is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. If this is true, how should we understand a passage like James 2:24, which says, “You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone”? It might seem like this verse is saying that works do play a role in our salvation.

However, works do not provide our salvation. Instead, they have a very important role in showing that our salvation is real. Isn’t James saying that to other people who observe our lives, we are seen as justified by our actions, not just by our faith, which is invisible. We know that before God, we are justified by grace through faith. But to the world, both believers and non-believers, they cannot see our faith. Therefore, our good deeds demonstrate that we have been justified.

This is similar to what Paul said in Ephesians: “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. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them” [Ephesians 2:8-10. Salvation is decided by faith alone, but it is shown by our obedience to God’s will.

Understanding 1 Peter 3:21: Baptism and Salvation

Published on by Texas GospelLeave a comment

JEFF TURNER

1 Peter 3:21 says, “Baptism now saves you, not the removal of dirt from the flesh, but an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.” Some people might read the part that says, “Baptism now saves you,” and think that water baptism is necessary for salvation. However, the very next phrase clarifies this by saying, “not the removal of dirt from the flesh.” Clearly, Peter is saying that water itself cannot save anyone.

Peter goes on to explain in the same verse that salvation comes through faith in the work of Christ, which was made possible by his resurrection. Salvation is not achieved by any action or ritual, including baptism. Instead, it is about an “appeal to God for a good conscience,” which means asking God to cleanse and purify your heart and conscience. This cleansing happens not through a ritual like baptism, but through faith in Jesus Christ, who is the only way to safety and salvation through his death and resurrection. The only way to appeal to God for a good conscience is to ask for the salvation provided in Jesus Christ.

Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit

Published on by Texas GospelLeave a comment

JEFF TURNER

In Matthew 12, Jesus gave a strong warning against the Pharisees, saying that any blasphemy can be forgiven except blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. Jesus even stated that the person who commits this sin cannot be forgiven in this life or in the life to come. This is a very serious statement, so what exactly does it mean to blaspheme the Holy Spirit?

This is related to a specific time in history, during the ministry of Jesus Christ. When Jesus came to earth, he submitted to the will of God the Father and worked through the power of the Holy Spirit. Everything he did was by this power. When the leaders of Israel said about Jesus that he did his miracles by the power of Satan, or Beelzebub, Jesus said, “You have blasphemed the Holy Spirit by attributing my works to Satan. That’s unforgivable”. It was unforgivable because they had seen all that Jesus did and heard all that he said, and yet they chose to believe the exact opposite of the truth, concluding that he was from Satan rather than God. This complete rejection of Christ, knowing the truth and still denying it, cannot be forgiven. Any rejection of Christ in this manner is also unforgivable.