The Only Way to the One True God

The Jack Van Impe ministries’ Intelligence Briefing, (Volume 31, No. 11, November 2025, p.1) reports that a recent survey (State of Theology) by Ligonier ministries found that about half of the 637 evangelicals surveyed believe that God accepts all religions. It would seem that some of our brethren may not be clear about what the Holy Bible says about the way to God. 

We must believe in Jesus unto salvation. James tells us that it is not enough just to believe that God exists: 

“You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.” (James 2:19 NIV) [1] 

Peter declared to the Sanhedrin: 

“Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name (Jesus) under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12 NIV) (parenthesis added) [2]

Jesus said: 

“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me.  In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.  And you know the way to where I am going.”  Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?”  Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.  If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.” 

Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.”  Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?  Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works.  Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in
me, or else believe on account of the works themselves.”
(John14:1-11 ESV) (emphasis added) [3] 

The world calls it bigotry.  Believers call it the truth.  Jesus said: 

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.  For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.  Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.  And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil.  For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed.  But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.” (John 3:16-21 ESV) (emphasis added) [4]

 

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[1] https://biblehub.com/niv/james/2.htm

[2] https://biblehub.com/niv/acts/4.htm

[3] https://biblehub.com/esv/john/14.htm 

[4] https://biblehub.com/esv/john/3.htm

 

Thanksgiving 2025

Psalm 150

Praise the Lord! Praise God in his sanctuary;

praise him in his mighty heavens!

Praise him for his mighty deeds;

praise him according to his excellent greatness!

Praise him with trumpet sound;

praise him with lute and harp!

Praise him with tambourine and dance;

praise him with strings and pipe!

Praise him with sounding cymbals;

praise him with loud clashing cymbals!

Let everything that has breath praise the Lord!

Praise the Lord!

(Psalm 150 ESV) [1]

As I was thinking about writing this post, news reports began coming in about the two National Guardsmen who were shot in Washington DC earlier today.  I was doubly heartsick.  I was filled with sorrow for our soldiers and their families, and I was also sorrowed because it happened the day before Thanksgiving.  Then I got angry.

I thought, why on Thanksgiving?  Citizens, we cannot allow these lawless criminal/terrorists to ruin our Holidays.  Don’t give those who are evil any kind of victory. 

We are heartsick about today’s events in Washington, and we must pray for our brave soldier's recovery.  Rightly so.  Let’s strengthen our resolve as well, and go forward in the confidence that the Lord will help us if we humble ourselves and pray for His deliverance: 

“… if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” (2Chronicles 7: 14 ESV) [2] 

It is Thanksgiving.  We must remember the many blessings the Lord has bestowed upon us and be grateful for them. In America, our blessings far outweigh our problems. In times of trouble, it may seem difficult to praise the Lord for his goodness to us, but it is at these times we must offer our praise as a sacrifice to God; in spite of how we may feel in the moment. 

“… be content with what you have, for he has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’  So we can confidently say, 

‘The Lord is my helper;

I will not fear;

what can man do to me?”

(Hebrews 13:5-6 ESV) [3]

Jesus said:

“I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”
(John 16:33 ESV) [4]

Praise the Lord!

[1] https://biblehub.com/esv/psalms/150.htm
[2] https://biblehub.com/esv/2_chronicles/7.htm
[3] https://biblehub.com/esv/hebrews/13.htm
[4] https://biblehub.com/esv/john/16.htm

Following Orders

 

“In a video posted on X Tuesday, Democratic lawmakers Sen. Elissa Slotkin, Sen. Mark Kelly, Rep. Jason Crow, Rep. Maggie Goodlander, Rep. Chris Deluzio and Rep. Chrissy Houlahan said the ‘threats to our Constitution’ are coming ‘from right here at home,’ and repeatedly urged the military and intelligence community to ‘refuse illegal orders.” https://www.wral.com/story/democratic-lawmakers-urge-troops-to-disobey-illegal-orders/22253445/ 

We respectfully urge their constituents to begin recall proceedings or vote them out of office. 

Let's be clear about one thing. What these elected officials did is wrong. That is our unambiguous and irrevocable response.  Anything that follows, should be understood in the context of that statement. 

If elected officials object to the actions of the President, they have the option to challenge those actions in court.  It is flagrantly irresponsible for them to publicly, and by visual media, urge military personnel who are engaged in combat to refuse orders Make no mistake, those Democrats’ remarks were directed at our service people who are obeying orders to use lethal force to stop narco-terrorists from smuggling illegal drugs into the United States. 

Those who have read some of our previous posts know that I'm a veteran. I served during the Vietnam war, but I did not serve in Vietnam. Nevertheless, the issue of obeying orders, legal or illegal, was ingrained in my memory and value system.  Please understand, you must live it in order to understand it fully.

On March 16, 1968, American soldiers led by Lt. William Calley killed a large number (300-500) of South Vietnamese civilians at a village named My Lai. During his court martial, Lt. Calley claimed that he was acting on the orders of his company commander, Captain Edwin Medina.  The court martial found that to be no excuse for his actions. https://armyhistory.org/my-lai/  

Subsequently, in ROTC, and later during my Infantry Officers Basic Course (IOBC) at Ft. Benning, I received training about refusing to obey illegal orders.  At Benning, an entire block of instruction was devoted to “The Law of Land Warfare.”  While I was at Ft. Benning, Lt. Calley was under house arrest there, during the due process of his case.  It got our attention. 

Our military servicepeople do not need partisan politicians, whose motive appears to be their hatred of President Trump, telling them about their “duty to refuse illegal orders.”  They are trained about that.  However, it may create a subtle misgiving in the soldier’s mind that our military men and women might be prosecuted in the future.  If they obey what liberals regard as “illegal orders,” what might happen when the Democrats get back in power?  Do you see the double-bind that puts them in? 

Furthermore, the resulting confusion might cause them to hesitate at a crucial moment.  In armed conflict hesitation can get you killed.  It can get your buddies killed.  It can cause the mission to fail. 

Military personnel do not have the luxury of evaluating whether each and every order they get is legal or illegal.  If it is obviously illegal*, they have the ability to refuse the illegal order, although it may be reviewed by military authorities and result in the legality of the order being determined by a court martial.  To put it plainly, if a service person refuses to obey an order that they think is illegal, they may be court martialed, and the court will then decide whether it was legal or not. Military personnel do not have the right to become armchair lawyers and to refuse any order they don’t like. 

If military people are allowed to arbitrarily refuse orders, the result would be chaos.  Unit cohesion would be disrupted.  There would be divisions among the rank and file of our operational units – ‘to obey or not to obey, that is the question.’  It’s madness to let that happen.  Our ability to defend the American people would get flushed down the toilet. 

 

* In Ukraine, the Russians are doing things that are obviously illegal.  Their war crimes include: purposely killing civilians and destroying civilian infrastructure, committing rape, kidnapping children, and mistreating prisoners of war.

Mercy

Paul must have been “reading my mail” when the Holy Spirit prompted him to say: 

“So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves.  The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions.  But when you are directed by the Spirit, you are not under obligation to the law of Moses. 

When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God. 

But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,  gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things! 

Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there.  Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives.” (Galatians 5:16-25 NLT) 

I keep committing the same sins over and over.  It is a wonder that God hasn’t thrown me into Hell a long time ago: 

“Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death?  Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 7:24-25 NLT) 

We cannot continue in a sinful style of living, willfully doing wrong, and treading underfoot God’s love and mercy.  To break the power of sin, we need to walk in the strength of the Holy Spirit and in vital union with Christ.  If we break fellowship with God by sinning, He will restore it if we sincerely turn away from our sinful lifestyle, confess our sins to Him, and accept His forgiveness. (Romans 8:1-2) 

“This is the message we heard from Jesus and now declare to you: God is light, and there is no darkness in him at all.  So we are lying if we say we have fellowship with God but go on living in spiritual darkness; we are not practicing the truth.  But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin. 

If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth.  But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.  If we claim we have not sinned, we are calling God a liar and showing that his word has no place in our hearts.” (1John 1:5-10 NLT)

 

“Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good!

His faithful love endures forever.

 

Let all Israel repeat:

“His faithful love endures forever.”

Let Aaron’s descendants, the priests, repeat:

“His faithful love endures forever.”

Let all who fear the LORD repeat:

“His faithful love endures forever.”

 

In my distress I prayed to the LORD,

and the LORD answered me and set me free.

(Psalm 118:1-5 NLT) * 

 

*  Acknowledgement: All Bible verses quoted were copied from: https://biblehub.com/

 

Persecuted for Jesus

According to the “World Watch List” maintained by Open Doors International, worldwide in 2025, “more than 380 million Christians suffer high levels of persecution and discrimination for their faith.”  They report that “1 in 7 Christians are persecuted worldwide, including: 4,476 murdered, and 4,744 imprisoned, while 7,679 churches and other Christian properties were attacked.” 

Open Doors International has a map that shows the countries where Christians are persecuted, and they rank the five countries where persecution is the worst.  These countries are: #1 North Korea, #2 Somalia, #3 Yemen, #4 Libya, and #5 Sudan.  According to Open Doors, Nigeria ranks #7.  https://www.opendoors.org/en-US/

The Voice of the Martyrs has a similar map that shows the countries where Christians are being persecuted all around the world. https://www.persecution.com/globalprayerguide/?gad_source=5&gad_campaignid=21514348932&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIzZbmptf1kAMVQRqtBh1SYQCVEAAYBSACEgJiN_D_BwE

Radical Islamists and communists are the primary persecutors. However, radical Hindu fundamentalists in India, guerilla groups and drug cartels in South America, and traditional religions in Mexico are also a major problem.

Here in the United States Christians have been increasingly persecuted for their faith in Jesus, and their desire to follow His teachings.  Hundreds of churches have been vandalized and burned, and leaders have been forced out of their positions in business and local government. The educational system has repeatedly disciplined Christian students and undermined their parents.  Government regulators and lawsuits have nearly, (and in some cases completely), driven Christian small business owners out of business.  National leaders have been mocked in the press. Violent demonstrators have tried to prevent access to Christian rallies and worship services; most recently at UC Berkley.  This anti-Christian hatred has even resulted in the assassination of the prominent Christian Evangelist, Charlie Kirk.

We thank God that President Trump has called attention to this problem, and that several members of the US Congress have taken notice as a result.  We also are grateful that there has been some reporting in the national broadcast media.  All freedom loving Americans should support freedom of religion. 

We are called to contend for our faith in Jesus Christ, but the Holy Bible is clear that Christians will be persecuted for it.  We need to pray, read the Bible, and draw on the power of the Holy Spirit, so that we will not falter when we are put to the test. 

Jesus said: 

If the world hates you, remember that it hated me first.  The world would love you as one of its own if you belonged to it, but you are no longer part of the world. I chose you to come out of the world, so it hates you.  Do you remember what I told you? ‘A slave is not greater than the master.’ Since they persecuted me, naturally they will persecute you. And if they had listened to me, they would listen to you.  They will do all this to you because of me, for they have rejected the one who sent me.  They would not be guilty if I had not come and spoken to them. But now they have no excuse for their sin.  Anyone who hates me also hates my Father.  If I hadn’t done such miraculous signs among them that no one else could do, they would not be guilty. But as it is, they have seen everything I did, yet they still hate me and my Father.  This fulfills what is written in their Scriptures: ‘They hated me without cause.’

But I will send you the Advocate—the Spirit of truth. He will come to you from the Father and will testify all about me.  And you must also testify about me because you have been with me from the beginning of my ministry. (John 15:18-27 NLT)

On his missionary journeys, the apostle Paul traveled from city to city preaching the gospel and planting churches. He always went to the synagogues first to give the good news to the Jews. He was favorably received at first. However, the religious establishment always stirred up opposition to him. When that happened, he carried the message to the gentiles. At first, the message was received favorably once more. However, the religious leaders stirred up opposition again. Paul was beaten, jailed, stoned and left for dead, and run out of town.  Yet, the churches he planted continued.  We are beginning to experience same thing now. Currently, the persecution is not so severe. It will get worse. 

Paul said: 

I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again.  Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one.  Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was pelted with stones, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea,  I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my fellow Jews, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false believers.  I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. (2Corinthians 11:23-27 NIV)

 You, however, know all about my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance,  persecutions, sufferings—what kinds of things happened to me in Antioch, Iconium and Lystra, the persecutions I endured. Yet the Lord rescued me from all of them.  In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evildoers and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. (2Timothy 3:10-13 NIV) (emphasis added) 

Peter wrote: 

Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good?  But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. “Do not fear their threats; do not be frightened.”  But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect,  keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.  For it is better, if it is God’s will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.  For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit. (1Peter 3:13-18 NIV)

The Apostles set an example for us:

And when they had brought them, they set them before the council. And the high priest questioned them, saying, “We strictly charged you not to teach in this name, yet here you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching, and you intend to bring this man’s blood upon us.”  But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men.  The God of our fathers raised Jesus, whom you killed by hanging him on a tree.  God exalted him at his right hand as Leader and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins.  And we are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.” 

When they heard this, they were enraged and wanted to kill them.  But a Pharisee in the council named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law held in honor by all the people, stood up and gave orders to put the men outside for a little while.  And he said to them, “Men of Israel, take care what you are about to do with these men.  For before these days Theudas rose up, claiming to be somebody, and a number of men, about four hundred, joined him. He was killed, and all who followed him were dispersed and came to nothing.  After him Judas the Galilean rose up in the days of the census and drew away some of the people after him. He too perished, and all who followed him were scattered.  So in the present case I tell you, keep away from these men and let them alone, for if this plan or this undertaking is of man, it will fail;  but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them. You might even be found opposing God!” So they took his advice,  and when they had called in the apostles, they beat them and charged them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go.  Then they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name.  And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they did not cease teaching and preaching that the Christ is Jesus. (Acts 5:27-42 ESV) (emphasis added) *

 

 

* All Bible verses quoted were copied from: https://biblehub.com/

 

 

Veteran's Day 2025

To All Veterans:

 

Thank you for your service.

Where do you Stand?

Once, there was a young couple that was engaged to be married, and they asked me whether I was a Republican or a Democrat. I said I was neither – I was a Christian. 

Of course, I did not mean that a Christian could not also be a Republican or a Democrat. Many Christians affiliate with one party or another. It is not mutually exclusive for a person to be a Christian and also to be a Democrat or a Republican. 

What I meant was that I examine how a candidate or a party stands with regard to the issues and compare it with the truth of God's Word. If a party or a candidate is advocating for something that is contrary to God's Word, then I do not vote for them.

When I vote for a candidate or contribute to a political party I try to find the candidate or party whose positions are closest to the principles and values taught in the Holy Bible. In doing so, I feel that I am taking a stand for what is right. There are those who say that Christians should not impose their religion on other people. I believe that Christians have as much right to advocate for their point of view as others have.  We must not allow others to shut us out of the public discourse. 

Democrats have sought to change society to fit their vision of how things should and ought to be. Republicans do the same thing. There are many Muslims in Europe and the United States who want to be governed by Suria law. Atheists want to remove all reference to God from the public square. Capitalists advocate for private property and a market driven economy. Communists want to abolish private property and have a centrally managed economy. 

In a free society, everyone should have the opportunity to advocate for their point of view in the marketplace of ideas. Then, the strongest argument should be allowed to prevail in free and fair elections, and in the deliberations of a representative government. 

Therefore, I have no problem with advocating for the Christian point of view in the marketplace of ideas, and I hope that those ideas will prevail ... in public opinion and at the polls. Like the country song says, “You've got to stand for something, or you'll fall for anything.” 

This calls for people to use patience and tolerance. If the ungodly prevail, temporarily, those of us who disagree must continue to advocate for Christian values. We must use the legal, nonviolent alternatives available to us to influence society and public policy. We must trust that God will to win out in the end. No one, Christian, atheist, Republican, Democrat, capitalist, or socialist should resort to violence. That is not God's way, and it is not the way of a free people. 

Listen - if you will - to the Prophet Isaiah.  God's truth rings out through the prophet's words. Please take heed. If our country does not listen to God, we will end up on the trash heap of history. 

“I and the children the LORD has given me serve as signs and warnings to Israel from the LORD of Heaven’s Armies who dwells in his Temple on Mount Zion. 

Someone may say to you, “Let’s ask the mediums and those who consult the spirits of the dead. With their whisperings and mutterings, they will tell us what to do.” But shouldn’t people ask God for guidance? Should the living seek guidance from the dead? 

Look to God’s instructions and teachings! People who contradict his word are completely in the dark.  They will go from one place to another, weary and hungry. And because they are hungry, they will rage and curse their king and their God. They will look up to heaven and down at the earth, but wherever they look, there will be trouble and anguish and dark despair. They will be thrown out into the darkness.”  (Isiah 8:18-22 NLT) (emphasis added) [1]

 

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[1] https://biblehub.com/nlt/isaiah/8.htm