What Does "Judge Not" Really Mean? One of the most misunderstood and misquoted verses in the Bible is “Judge not, that you be not judged” (Matthew 7:1). Ripped out of its context and most often used by people who don’t believe anything else that the Bible says, it is often used as a club to beat Christians who say anything about sin. Any time that sin is identified for what it is, you are almost guaranteed that someone will retort with: “Jesus said “don’t judge”, so you shouldn’t be judging me.” When we read the verse in context, we find out that Jesus goes on to tell us how one ought to judge. If you are going to judge someone else, first check that you are doing so with the right motive and without harbouring sin in your own heart. “Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.” (Matthew 7:5). We will understand what Jesus is talking about here even better when we deal with the next verse. “Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces.” (Matthew 7:6). The ‘dogs’ and ‘swine’ (pigs) were easy enough to identify for the Jewish disciples whom Jesus was addressing at the time. These terms referred to Gentiles — those who were not among the people of God. After Jesus rose from the dead, Gentiles could become people of God without becoming Jewish, but the verse still applies similarly. Anyone who has not yet submitted to Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Saviour is not one of God’s people. Here, I use the term ‘unbelievers’ to identify them. What Are the 'Pearls' in Matthew 7:6? The real question we need to address in verse 6 is: What are our ‘pearls’? We know that Jesus is telling His disciples not to give something holy and precious to unbelievers. Some say that He is warning Christians to be careful about who we preach the gospel to — if people are hostile and unreceptive, they could “turn and tear you in pieces”. The gospel is indeed holy and precious, but is it really the ‘pearls’ that we should not give away? It seems to me that such a warning runs contrary to His explicit command: “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:19). We are told many times in the New Testament that the gospel will not always be well-received by those who hear it. Besides Jesus’ own warnings to this effect (e.g., Matthew 10: 16–26), we see examples of people being tortured and killed because they preached the gospel throughout the Book of Acts. Were they “casting their pearls before swine”? If so, we are saying that people like Stephen and Paul were foolish to preach the gospel to hostile crowds. Yet they are quite clearly presented in Acts as doing God’s will. Similarly, missionaries throughout the last 2,000 years have preached the gospel to hostile people and have paid with their lives for it. I believe that they were doing what Jesus told them to do; they were not casting pearls before swine. If that is so, what does this verse mean? The answer lies in the previous verses. The kind of ‘judging’ that Jesus is talking about here is between ‘brothers’: “And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye’; and look, a plank is in your own eye?” (Matthew 7:3, emphasis mine). The term ‘brothers’ is used throughout the New Testament to refer to other believers (this includes sisters, of course). The ‘judging’ in verses 1–5 is therefore about fellow believers helping each other to identify sin in their lives and remove it. Provided it is done correctly and without hypocrisy, this is a good thing. I believe that Jesus uses the jarring terms ‘dogs’ and ‘swine’ in verse 6 to make a clear switch from talking about relationships between believers to relationships between believers and unbelievers. The overall topic nonetheless remains ‘judging’ in the sense of pointing out sinful behaviours that ought to change. What then are the holy pearls that believers should not give to unbelievers? Given the context, the pearls are pieces of advice about removing sin and living a holy life. This may come as a shock to believers who give such advice to unbelievers, while the unbelievers who like to misquote “Judge not” may feel vindicated. Perhaps you think I am saying that Christians should just shut up about sin and let unbelievers remain as they are. It’s a bit more complicated than that, so please hear me out. Preaching the Gospel vs. Casting Pearls Before Swine Identifying sin is an integral part of the gospel message — if you don’t think that you’re a sinner, then you don’t need a Saviour. It is therefore critically important for the unbeliever to recognise their sin before they are willing to reach out for the Saviour. One way to do this is by going through Jesus’ version of the Ten Commandments, as He did earlier in this passage of Matthew (read Chapters 5–7 for the whole message). When you do that, you realise that every one of us is a sinner. Ever called someone a bad name in anger? Murderer (5:21–22). Ever lusted for someone who is not your spouse? Adulterer (5:27–28). Ever made a promise that you didn’t intend to keep? Liar (5:33–34). Jesus is pointing out that we are all sinners in God’s sight. We therefore desperately need a Saviour — Him. Clearly, when He gets to the “Judge not” part of His message, He isn’t telling people to ignore sin or fail to identify it. He has just given us a very clear blueprint for revealing sin in our own hearts, which is the necessary precursor to the Good News that He paid for it on the cross. When saying “do not cast your pearls before swine”, I think that Jesus is telling us how not to talk about sin and holiness to unbelievers. If we see someone committing sin or ‘living in sin’, we may be quick to say: “Jesus says you shouldn’t be doing that” or “that’s not right, God will judge you” or “all sinners are going to hell”. If that is all that we are telling people, then we are not preaching the gospel. We are just criticising their non-Christian lifestyle from a Christian perspective. Jesus warns that when we do this, the unbelievers will simply turn on the Christian and tear them to pieces. If we dish out unsolicited critique of sinful lifestyles and suffer for it, we are not ‘suffering for doing good’ (1 Peter 3:17), we are suffering for foolishly ignoring Jesus’ warning. By making such a critique, we could (perhaps unintentionally) be sending the message that people have to “clean up their act” before coming to Jesus. This is exactly what Jesus did not preach. He welcomed sinners and freely forgave all who repented. They stopped living in sin after they came to Jesus, not before. They were no longer ‘swine’; they became God’s people. How to Apply 'Judge Not' Without Casting Pearls Before Swine How then do we deliver the gospel message to all people — no matter how hostile or unreceptive — without casting our pearls before swine? First, we maintain Jesus’ definition of sin and His standard of righteousness as described in Matthew 5–7. This standard doesn’t just condemn particular kinds of sinners; it condemns us all. I am a sinner by Jesus’ standard, and so are you. Following Jesus’ example, we can describe sin clearly without telling sinners that they must “clean up their act or go to hell”. Those who hear the Biblical definition of sin and realise that it applies to them are feeling the Holy Spirit at work. He convicts people of their sin, not the human messenger. Second, we introduce people to the Saviour. Jesus will receive and change anyone who comes to Him in repentance. At that moment, He washes them clean by His blood, gives them a new spiritual nature, and brings them into the family of God. From now on, their lives will be distinctly different. This includes becoming sensitive to the Spirit working through their conscience to identify sin whenever it crops up. No spiritual policemen needed. Third, we help each other to deal with sin as fellow Christians. After you have met the Lord, He starts to clean up your act. He may do this directly through the Spirit, or indirectly through His church. The latter operates through the kind of ‘judging’ that Jesus described in Matthew 7:5. This happens only within a loving Christian community, where each ‘judge’ examines their own life very carefully before helping others, and is willing to be ‘judged’ in turn (in today’s language, we call this “accountability”). The Ultimate Judge remains on His throne — we all account to Him in the end. When we follow these steps in order — particularly by not putting step 3 before step 2 — we will use the pearls of wisdom that God gives us at the right time and for the right purpose. All of us who were once ‘swine’ will be changed into brothers and sisters by the power of the Holy Spirit. Together, we will draw closer to our Lord and glorify Him before all the earth. © 2026 Gail Thomson. Want more content like this? Explore more articles in Exploring Scripture. If you want to see this played out in real life: The Healing Power of Grace in Mother-Daughter Relationships Tessa Lind shares an honest, personal look at choosing grace over criticism in one of the hardest relationships to get right, and what happens when we let go of the urge to correct and lean into love instead. The Art of Responding with Grace, Not Reacting in Anger A practical look at what it means to pause before we speak — trading a quick, wounded reaction for a response shaped by patience and grace. Press Ctrl + P (Windows) or Cmd + P (Mac) to print this article or save it as a PDF.

A developer and father of two, writing from South Korea. Faith-raised, I write the prayers I offer for my children—hoping to comfort other parents. His prayers are first written in Korean and posted on a Korean blog, then translated to English. Medium 아이를 위한 아빠의 기도

A little about how I got into writing. This should be hilarious. I can write, but an "about me" or a "bio," naw.......my brain goes right out the window in spectacular form. 😅 (I'm autistic, so honestly, that tracks.) I am the creator of Faithful Writers, and I'll explain in a minute or two how that happened. But if I jumped straight into that, I'd miss a lot of important parts of my journey that got me here. My background actually starts in art, web design, and computers. For many years, art was my exclusive focus. I spent all that time writing artist statements, but I didn't realize I loved writing itself until later. The realization came while I was taking bookkeeping and accounting classes… and God said, "Nope, not today." I started those classes because I wanted to do something beyond my full-time role as a caregiver for a family member. I'm on call 24/7, never knowing what the day will bring. And art had long been my outlet for stress, and loneliness during the tougher years. That's when writing started to really take hold, just didn't realize it. One night, in a moment of frustration and banging my head on a wall when studying accounting terms, I took it to God. I asked Him what He wanted me to do because I felt so lost. Two things happened at once "Write for me" was whispered to me, just as my husband yells from the other room something along the lines of maybe you should start focusing on your writing because you really love it.💡 And there it was, just like that. The perfect moment; clarity, excitement, peace, joy, hope, acceptance, happiness, you name it, I felt it and it's felt right ever since and I've never looked back, doubted or regretted pursuing this full-ish time. Now how I came to create this publication. I write in a very wide variety of styles and cover multiple topics related to my faith, the Bible, and my life experiences, which means I never fit a specific "niche," the same can be said for my art though too. Honestly, that's a very autistic-brain way of moving through the world. I love to rabbit hole, I need to chase a thought from start to finish. That's just how my mind works, and it's how I write. After one email too many after submitting my work, I finally just got tired of having to constantly alter my work for other publications or watch an editor strip away my voice and natural wack-a-do flair. I wanted freedom to write authentically, in whatever style I chose, to keep my pieces as short as I wanted, and not have a publisher tell me I needed to change a whole bunch of stuff to ultimately be what they wanted me to write about. That kinda sucks the thunder out of a person, you know what I mean? So here I am, creating my own niche in this world and offering that to other Christian writers who want to share their inspired writings in a publication that holds to Biblical teachings. I adhere to a strict rule: I will not change a writer's voice. While there are guidelines, I do my best to make publishing easy, fun, and as uncomplicated as possible. I'm based in Wisconsin, and I personally review every submission that comes through Faithful Writers to make sure each writer's voice stays true to who they are. If you're autistic or neurodivergent and have wondered whether your voice fits here too, it does. I built this place partly because I needed it to exist too. Have fun reading, and learning, and bookmark this site, articles are regularly uploaded. If you're looking for something specific, click here to do some searching, we have every topic under the sun here. Medium Email Want to read more from Me? Here are a few places to start: Why Were Some Animals Unclean in the Bible? A Look From Genesis to Acts The Truth About Christianity and America’s Founding: Separating Faith from National Myth “Lucifer” Actually Came From a Translation Error Hidden in Plain Sight: Recognizing Demonic Influence Today Tartarus, Greek mythology mingling with the Bible.

Can we force God's hand? Jerusalem has a way of forcing hard questions to the surface, and few are harder than the Dome of the Rock prophecy debate: how far is too far when believers grow impatient waiting on God? That question isn't hypothetical. It's being asked right now, out loud, by pastors with large platforms and even larger audiences. Sacred Ground, Modern Controversy The Temple Mount has drawn the eyes of three faiths for millennia, each carrying its own weight of longing and memory. Solomon's Temple once rose from that ground. Centuries later, the Second Temple stood there too, standing during the years Jesus walked and taught in Jerusalem, until Roman legions leveled it in A.D. 70, fulfilling exactly what Jesus had warned would happen. Now a different structure occupies that same hilltop. The golden Dome of the Rock is one of the most photographed landmarks in Jerusalem, instantly recognized far beyond the Muslim world. For Jews, it marks the spot their Holy Temple once occupied. For Muslims, it commemorates Muhammad's ascension. For a segment of Christians, it has taken on a very different meaning: an obstacle standing in the way of the Messiah's return. That conviction has grown so extreme in some circles that pastor Greg Locke declared that Israel should "get a great big missile and blow that wicked Dome of the Rock plum off the spot where it's standing right now, so we can get that Third Temple rebuilt and usher in the coming of Jesus." It's a jarring statement. But underneath it sits a far older and more important question than what happens to a building in Jerusalem: can people force God's hand? Or, put differently, has He ever asked us to try? That question doesn't stay confined to the Temple Mount. It follows every generation of believers who grow tired of waiting on God's own schedule. The Babel Syndrome: Building Heaven on Our Own Terms The first organized attempt to ‘bring heaven down’ wasn’t in Jerusalem. It was in Babel. Humanity gathered together and said, ‘Come, let us build…’ (Genesis 11)They wanted to reach heaven on their own terms. They wanted to create God’s future through human effort. God’s response: He scattered them. Thousands of years later, we still suffer from the same temptation. We simply baptize it with religious language. We convince ourselves that if we can just elect the right leader, win the right war, rebuild the right building, or even destroy the right building, then God’s Kingdom will finally arrive. And the Messiah will take His place on a throne of peace. Scripture says exactly the opposite. The Kingdom does not come because mankind climbs higher. The Kingdom comes because the King descends. Faith never tries to drag tomorrow into today. Faith trusts that tomorrow will arrive precisely when God intends. Throughout Biblical history, every attempt to force God’s timetable reveals the same hidden assumption: that God needs our help more than He desires our obedience. The Kingdom of God has never advanced because men forced God’s hand. It has always advanced because God kept His promises. Key takeaway: The Kingdom doesn't come because mankind climbs higher. It comes because the King descends. Good Intentions, Wrong Timing The temptation to “help God” is as old as the Bible itself. Think about the biblical examples. God promised Abraham that he would become the father of a great nation. But when the promise seemed delayed, Abraham and Sarah took matters into their own hands through Hagar. The result was not the fulfillment of God’s promise but generations of heartache and conflict. God’s promise arrived exactly as He had spoken. But only when God determined the time was right. King Saul made the same mistake. As Samuel delayed, Saul assumed he needed to act. Rather than waiting for God’s appointed prophet, he offered sacrifices himself. From a human perspective, it seemed practical. From God’s perspective, it was rebellion disguised as urgency. Then there was Uzzah. When the Ark of the Covenant appeared to be falling, he reached out to steady it. His action looked noble. Surely he was protecting God’s holy presence. Yet Scripture reveals something deeper. Uzzah assumed God’s purposes depended upon human intervention. And it cost him his life. Even Peter fell into this trap. When soldiers came to arrest Jesus, Peter drew his sword to defend the Messiah. In his mind, he was fighting for God’s kingdom. Jesus immediately rebuked him. And fixed his mistake. Each story asks the same question: Do we trust God’s timing enough to keep our hands off what belongs to Him? There are sincere Christians and Jews who believe rebuilding a Third Temple is part of biblical prophecy. Others disagree. But almost every orthodox Christian and Jew would agree on one point: If God intends for a Third Temple to exist, He is fully capable of accomplishing it without human violence, terrorism, or political coercion. To my Christian friends, I remind you Jesus repeatedly taught His followers to watch, not manipulate history. “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by His own authority.” (Acts 1:7) Even more striking is Jesus’ own statement: “But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only.” (Mat 24:36) If Jesus willingly submitted to God’s timetable during His earthly ministry, what arrogance is it for us to imagine we can accelerate it? To my Jewish friends, I remind you that throughout Scripture, every major act of redemption begins with God moving first. He called Abraham. He sent Moses. He raised up the judges. He anointed David. And He sent the prophets. Moses did not set the bush on fire to inspire Him to show up; God did. At no point did human beings successfully force God to act by creating the right political conditions. The prophets never instructed Israel to manufacture the Messianic age. They called people to repentance, faithfulness, justice, and obedience. The Church has not been commissioned to build the Kingdom through violence. The irony is sobering. Some Christian pastors are so eager to welcome the Prince of Peace that they are willing to endorse an act that would almost certainly ignite a catastrophic global war. That should give every follower of Jesus pause. Do we trust God’s timing enough to let Him accomplish His purposes His way? Waiting is not the absence of faith. It is often its purest expression. A Word to Christians and Jews Today That brings us back to Jerusalem. Whether one believes a Third Temple must be rebuilt before the Messiah returns is beside the point. If God intends such a Temple to exist, does anyone seriously believe He requires terrorism or political violence to accomplish His will? The God who spoke the universe into existence is not dependent upon human schemes. The prophets never instructed Israel to create the Messianic age. They called God’s people to repentance, justice, mercy, and covenant obedience. Faith waits. Their message was always the same: prepare your hearts, not your weapons. Prophecy is meant to produce faithfulness, not fanaticism. It should inspire hope, not violence. It should encourage holiness, not manipulation. The irony is difficult to ignore. This is where discussions about the Dome of the Rock become spiritually dangerous. When believers begin thinking that God’s kingdom depends upon our ability to manipulate world events, we have quietly exchanged trust for control. No president, prime minister, pastor, rabbi, or world leader has ever possessed the authority to accelerate God’s prophetic timetable. History is filled with examples of sincere people trying to hurry God’s promises. It never ends well. God has never needed our impatience or “deal making ability” to accomplish His purposes. His promises are fulfilled by His faithfulness, not by our frustration. Whether or not a future Temple plays a role in God’s plan, our hope is never found in a building. Our hope is found in the Messiah whom God will send at the appointed time. Kings are never summoned by their subjects. They arrive at the appointed hour, according to their own authority. Until then, our assignment is not to prepare His throne by violence, but to prepare our hearts through faithful obedience. Faith Waits for Jerusalem No, Christians should not blow up the Dome of the Rock. Not because God’s promises are in doubt, but because they never have been. The God who makes promises has never needed human impatience to keep them. Impatience builds Babel. Faith waits for Jerusalem. © 2026 I.M. Koen. Want more content like this? Explore more articles in End Times. You might also like: Christian Nationalism and the Defining of Christianity in the End Times When does defending the faith cross into forcing it? A look at how political power gets tangled up with the Kingdom of God. A Pre-Tribulation Conversation Timing sits at the heart of end-times faith. This piece unpacks what it means to trust God's schedule instead of our own. Press Ctrl + P (Windows) or Cmd + P (Mac) to print this article or save it as a PDF.

There’s an old Gospel song that goes, “Standing on the promises of Christ my King…” You are doing just that: Taking your stand on what Scriptures promise. BUT… Progress crawls. Circumstances resist. Patience wears thin. You start to wonder: “Did I mishear God? Misread the signs? Misjudge what was possible for someone like me?” You have hope, but it feels distant. The road stretches longer than your legs ever asked for. And you wonder how long you can still wait. So how do you keep hope alive when you feel stuck in the long middle? Let’s talk about it. Maybe the following points may help. 1. No Need To Pretend Hope doesn’t require pretending the journey is short. Scripture keeps it painfully honest. Abraham waited decades for a promised child. Israel waited centuries for a Messiah. The disciples waited in a locked room while hope lay in a tomb. Waiting is a spiritual discipline rarely taught from pulpits. Sometimes we try to numb the discomfort with spiritual clichés. “God’s timing!” “All things work together!” “Everything happens for a reason!” A better starting point. Name your ache. Tell God, “This is taking longer than I’d like. Longer than I feel I can handle.” That honesty doesn’t kill hope. It protects it from dishonesty. Lament is not a lack of faith. Lament is faith refusing to be silenced. 2. Fall in love with small steps Sometimes, big dreams have very tiny feet. Everyone wants to leap into their calling like an Olympic gymnast. Rarely do we celebrate the unglamorous slog of showing up. Sometimes hope survives not because we sprint, but because we refuse to sit down. A writer opens a blank page again. A recovering addict marks another day of sobriety. A parent whispers a prayer over a child who still won’t talk to them. Small steps don’t feel holy. They feel mundane. Yet heaven calls them worship. God often hides miracles inside these routines: Daily bread Daily mercy Daily grace to try again. Your progress might look embarrassingly small to you or others. Celebrate it anyway. Tiny movements change entire trajectories. 3. Look back more often Hope doesn’t only look forward. It looks over its shoulder and remembers. Remember the prayers you once begged for that are now part of your ordinary days. Remember the heartbreak that didn’t destroy you. Remember the nights you thought were endless that now feel like someone else’s story. God has a track record. So do you. That’s why I recommend writing (or typing) answers that have come. Keep a record to review. Your personal history with God. Those can be powerful. Hope grows best in the soil of memory: “I will remember the deeds of the Lord… I will meditate on all your mighty works. ”Psalm 77:11–12 Your history holds evidence that the God who carried you then can carry you now. Tell those old miracles to speak up. You still need their testimony. 4. Loosen your grip on the destination It takes humility and faith to admit that we don’t always know exactly what the end should look like. Hope can become brittle when it demands a specific outcome on a specific timeline. God doesn’t hand out Google Maps. Faith rarely downloads turn-by-turn directions. Jesus says something better: “Follow me.” Which implies movement. Not clairvoyance. Think of your dream like a sailboat. You set your direction, catch the wind of God’s Spirit, and adjust the sails as shifts come. You don’t control the ocean. You trust the One who does. Sometimes the destination changes on the way. Sometimes it deepens. Sometimes the healing you thought would look like success ends up looking like peace. Let hope breathe. Let it grow. Give it permission to surprise you. 5. Weave joy into the waiting Hope shrivels in environments of constant seriousness. Waiting doesn’t have to be miserable. Joy does not deny longing. Joy interrupts despair long enough to give faith another inhale. Find seeds of joy that are all around you. Jesus said he came so we would have abundant life, not eventual life. We do not have to postpone delight until God finishes everything he started. Dance a little on the slow days. Celebrate nothing-in-particular. Defy hopelessness with a grin that says, “I know this story isn’t done.” Joy becomes rebellion against despair. 6. Borrow someone else’s hope Some seasons drain your hope faster than you can refill it. Everything feels heavy. Everything takes effort. You don’t need to be a lone ranger of optimism. Find the people who see the goodness of God even when you struggle to spot it. Let them speak courage into your tired bones. Let their faith lean against your doubt until you can stand again. The early church didn’t gather because they were bored. They gathered because hope is a communal sport. Hope breathes better in shared air. 7. Let God be God This may sound like a bumper sticker, yet it cuts right into the core of hope. Your story is not saved by your strength to keep going. Your story is saved by God’s commitment to finish what He started. Hope isn’t positive thinking. Hope is confidence in the character of God. And don’t forget… Jesus didn’t rise from the dead because the disciples hoped hard enough. Resurrection is God’s specialty. When your hope feels thin and frayed, hang it on something sturdy: Jesus. “He who calls you is faithful, and He will do it.”1 Thessalonians 5:24 Faith isn’t pretending we know the ending. Faith is trusting the Author who does. When hope flickers… Sometimes hope is just a flickering flame that survives anyway. Don’t underestimate what that flicker means. Remember the power of faith that’s only the size of a mustard seed. Even when the finish line hides around another bend, hope keeps whispering: “Keep walking. Something beautiful is still ahead.” God walks with you in the long middle. The road is holy. Your tired feet are holy. Every step is seen. The last word Hope is not naïve. Hope is stubborn. It refuses to surrender to the lie that the way things are is the way things will always be. The destination might still feel far away, but distance is no match for a God who builds roads where none exist. So keep going. Keep breathing. Keep choosing joy. Keep telling God the truth about how this hurts and what you’re longing for. Hold onto hope. Even the scrappy kind. Especially the scrappy kind. Because one day you will stand in the place you prayed to reach, and wonder how you almost gave up when you were already halfway home. Let this song fan the flame of your flickering hope. © Gary L Ellis (1944–2026)

God Isn’t Trapped Within Old Testament Walls Have you ever heard someone say that they don’t believe in my God, because He’s judgmental and cruel? I’m sure most people have. I have for sure. Many times. Thing is, I didn’t know how to effectively respond. How do you square the God of plagues and punishments with the God who tells us to love our enemies? But the older I get, the more I realize I was missing the bigger picture. I was caught up in soundbites and skipping the story. Here’s the truth I’ve come to believe without flinching: God is not trapped in the Old Testament. He’s not stuck in the past. The God I read about in Genesis is the same God who walked the earth in Jesus. And that changed how I saw everything. Looking Back With Clearer Eyes When I was younger, I skimmed past a lot of the Old Testament. You know what I’m talking about, don’t you? I wanted the “Jesus parts, "grace, kindness, healing, forgiveness. But eventually I went back and started reading with fresh eyes. Not hunting for verses to defend my faith. Just reading to understand. And what I saw surprised me. Yes, there’s judgment. God deals seriously with sin. But I also saw a God who is incredibly patient. Who keeps giving second chances, and third, and fourth. Who rescues people over and over again, even when they keep running away. God defends the poor, the foreigner, the outcast. And I realized I’d bought into a cartoon or Hollywood version of the Old Testament, a version that skipped the compassion, the faithfulness, and the love. When God introduces Himself to Moses, He doesn’t start with threats. He says: “The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.” (Exodus 34:6) That’s not the God of a horror story. That’s a God who sticks with people when they don’t deserve it. Judgment Is Not Hatred One thing I’ve had to unlearn is the idea that judgment equals hatred. That it’s always punitive rather than redemptive. That’s not what I see anymore. When God brings judgment in the Old Testament, on Egypt, on Canaan, even on Israel, it’s never random. It’s always about justice. We’re talking about child sacrifice, slavery, rampant injustice. God doesn’t look the other way, and I’m glad He doesn’t. I wouldn’t want to follow a God who lets the powerful crush the weak and just shrugs. God’s judgment is hard, but it’s not heartless. Over and over, He warns people. He sends prophets, not armies. He pleads before He punishes. And when judgment comes, it’s not out of spite. It’s because love without justice isn’t love at all. God Has Not Changed For a long time, I treated the Old and New Testaments like two seasons of a show with a total reboot halfway through. Season One: fire and laws. Season Two: grace and sandals. But that’s not what the Bible actually shows. Jesus didn’t show up to reinvent God. He came to reveal Him. When I read the Gospels, I see Jesus calling out religious hypocrisy with the same fire I saw in the prophets. I see Him flipping tables, warning about judgment, talking about sin. But I also see Him eating with outcasts, healing the broken, forgiving the guilty. He isn’t less intense than the Old Testament God, He’s just as fierce, but His fierceness is full of purpose. He fights for people, not against them. Jesus didn’t tone God down. He showed us what God looks like in skin and bone. “I and the Father are one,” He said (John 10:30). That’s not metaphor. That’s a mirror. The Whole Story Matters Once I stopped splitting the Bible in two, it started to make more sense. The Old Testament isn’t some outdated mess we have to explain away. It’s the foundation. It’s the setup for the rescue mission. It shows the promises, the failures, the long wait for a Savior. And it shows just how much people need grace. It’s not just history, it’s a mirror. I see myself in those pages. I see my stubbornness in Israel’s rebellion. I see my selfishness in their idols. And I see God’s mercy right in the middle of it all. What This Means for Me Now Now when someone brings up the “Old Testament God,” I don’t dodge the question. I tell them what I’ve come to know: God is just as holy now as He was then. Just as full of love. Just as serious about sin. And just as committed to redemption. We don’t need to edit the Bible to make God more appealing. He’s not a brand. He’s not up for re-election. He’s the same God today as He was in Eden, in Egypt, in exile, and on the cross. I want a God I can trust. That means a God who doesn’t change with the wind. The God who thundered from Sinai is the same God who whispered forgiveness to the woman at the well. The same God who judged injustice then still sees every injustice now. And the same God who promised a Savior followed through. That’s not a contradiction. That’s consistency. I’ve Stopped Apologizing for God I’m not embarrassed by the Old Testament anymore. I used to try to explain it away, or soften it. Now I let it speak. I see the full story, creation, fall, covenant, rescue. A God who refuses to give up on people, even when they deserve it. A God who moves through history, not trapped in the past. So no, God isn’t stuck in some ancient book. He’s not locked in judgment mode, waiting to upgrade to grace. He’s always been both just and merciful. Always holy. Always loving. Always pursuing His people. The Old Testament doesn’t show a different God, it shows how far He’s willing to go to make things right. And that’s the kind of God I can follow, Old Testament, New Testament, today, and forever. © Gary L Ellis (1944-2026) Liked this? You'll probably enjoy these too: The Attributes of God in the Bible — Why you can't pick and choose which parts of God's character you like. Biblical Illiteracy: A Warning We Can't Ignore — What happens when we stop studying the Scriptures that reveal who God really is.

When Aliens and the Bible Collide In May I read an article written by William F. Holland, Jr. that explored whether the existence of aliens would affect the Christian faith. The issue is not that someone raised the question. My issue is the way the argument was framed and the assumptions behind it. His piece reflects a growing trend within the church where spiritually charged topics are approached without a firm biblical foundation. When that happens, believers begin interpreting complex issues through cultural imagination rather than through Scripture. The real crisis is not what may or may not exist beyond Earth. The true crisis is what is no longer happening inside the church. Biblical literacy has eroded to the point where many Christians cannot engage with these conversations in a grounded or discerning way. Before anyone can meaningfully discuss aliens, unexplained phenomena, or anything else in that category, we must acknowledge that most believers today do not possess the Scriptural understanding required to navigate these questions at all. The Problem Begins With Definitions The word alien itself is not the problem. The problem is the definition people are using. When modern Christians hear the word, they picture the Hollywood version: small grey beings, abductions, bright lights, and flying saucers. That entire image was created by entertainment, not by God. So when someone insists that the Bible never mentions aliens, they are reacting to a cultural construct rather than to Scripture. They are interpreting the Bible through a pop culture lens instead of allowing Scripture to define the terms. This is precisely why the conversation becomes confused before it even begins. If alien means the Hollywood image, then no, the Bible does not address that. If alien means a being not of this world, a spiritual entity operating beyond human limitations, then Scripture speaks clearly. God did not forget to mention something this significant. He included books like Esther, Song of Solomon, and Revelation, which have been debated for centuries, because He wanted them there. The idea that He would leave His people uninformed about a entire category of beings that would one day dominate global conversation does not match His character. The Bible is not silent. It simply uses different language. Scripture Has Already Spoken Ephesians 6:12 describes rulers, authorities, powers of this dark world, and spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. These are real entities with real influence. 2 Thessalonians 2 warns that the lawless one will use signs, wonders, and displays of power that serve the lie. These passages describe deception, spiritual manipulation, and displays of power that are meant to mislead. They speak directly to the kind of phenomena people now label as extraterrestrial or as "aliens." The Church Is Unprepared for This Moment My deeper concern is that most Christians are not prepared to interpret any of this. Research consistently shows that only 6% of self‑identified Christians hold a biblical worldview. That means 94% of people who call themselves Christian are walking into this with almost no Scriptural foundation. We have already watched churches surrender on basic questions about gender, life, and God’s design. It is unrealistic to expect those same churches to suddenly stand firm when the conversation shifts to aliens, signs, wonders, and unexplained phenomena. Many leaders are already struggling to answer questions biblically because they themselves are not grounded in Scripture. Congregations are fascinated instead of discerning. People who cannot find a book in the Bible are trying to interpret declassified UFO files. That is the real disaster. Before you can meaningfully engage with any of this, you need to understand who these beings actually are. Old Testament Elohim and New Testament Demons is exactly where to start. Entertainment Has Shaped Us More Than Scripture Entertainment has conditioned people to be curious instead of cautious. For decades, movies and television have trained viewers to see these topics as exciting, mysterious, or adventurous. Meanwhile, churches treated biblical literacy as optional. Leaders avoided difficult conversations. Parents assumed their children would figure things out on their own. Congregations stopped asking for clarification. Now we have a generation that is spiritually unarmed, emotionally driven, and culturally conditioned to trust whatever looks impressive. If extraterrestrials in the Hollywood sense revealed themselves tomorrow, the faithful among Christianity would not collapse. The believers who are grounded in Scripture would not be shaken. The ones who would be vulnerable are the 94% who have no foundation. They would be swept away by deception, not because God failed to prepare them, but because discipleship failed to form them. Why Christians Must Test the Spirits Those who truly know Scripture will not be fooled. They will interpret any nonhuman encounter through the lens of God’s Word rather than through entertainment. They will obey the instruction in 1 John 4:1 and be testing the spirits. They will not be impressed by signs or wonders. They will not be seduced by claims of advanced knowledge. They will not be confused by displays of power. They will recognize deception because they know the voice of their Shepherd. The Real Question Is Not About Aliens The urgent question right now is not whether "aliens" exist. The urgent question is whether people actually know the God they claim to believe in. As for me and my house, I am not losing sleep over sightings, files, or headlines. I know who wins. What keeps me awake is the staggering number of people who will be deceived because no one built them even a basic foundation to stand on. I see leaders already struggling to explain these issues to the public, and that is the true warning sign. Before we debate conclusions, we must define what we are talking about. I have learned that before we chase any new idea or unexplained phenomenon, we must slow down long enough to test the spirits and see what aligns with Scripture. The conversation about aliens and the Bible is not going away, and neither is the responsibility every believer has to know God's Word well enough to not be moved by what they cannot explain. © 2026 Jane Isley (A version of this article was originally published in Wisconsin Christian News) If you want to keep going: Are Aliens Demons? A Biblical Look at What's Really Affecting Us brings in what respected Christian scholars have documented about these encounters. Does the Bible Talk About Aliens? tackles the definition problem that is confusing Christians and church leaders alike. Press Ctrl + P (Windows) or Cmd + P (Mac) to print this article or save it as a PDF.

Why I Wanted to Share This When I.M. Koen published this piece, it really stuck with me and I wanted to share it. Biblical illiteracy isn't just a modern problem, it's the same warning God gave Israel through the prophets, centuries ago. It's not the easiest thing to hear, but I think it's something believers have to sit with. That's why I wanted to bring it here and share it with you. When You Get Crickets The day I decided to devote the rest of my life to teaching Torah to Christians happened because of a life-changing incident. It wasn’t a burning bush, a shofar blast, or an angelic visitation. It was a conversation with the Associate Pastor of a beautiful North Dallas church. He told me there is never a reason for a Christian to read the “Old Testament”. I asked, “Not the beauty of the Psalms, the Wisdom of Proverbs, David and Goliath, none of it?” He replied that it was “old” and “done away with." If a Christian simply reads the red-letter words of Jesus, he will “be just fine." I replied, “Done away with? You realize the ten commandments are in the Torah, right?” Crickets.......... That’s the day I realized this belief was not only spiritually lazy but also dangerous. And far more pervasive than one shepherd in a church. It was the beginning of a cycle that repeated throughout the Hebrew scriptures with dire consequences. “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge; because you have rejected knowledge, I reject you from being a priest to me. And since you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children.” Hosea 4:6 The greatest threat to God’s people has never been the nations around them. It has been forgetting the Word that was given to them. That theme runs throughout the entire Tanakh. Israel forgot and then slowly drifted away. Israel suffered. Then they remembered, were restored to sanity, and returned. That lesson has never changed. Whether Jew or Christian, the danger is not merely rejecting Scripture. The greater danger is assuming we know it when we no longer read it. Many Christians have neglected the Hebrew Scriptures in favor of the New Testament. Many Jews are culturally Jewish but have never seriously studied Torah, the Prophets, or the Poetic Books. Different communities. Same danger. Biblical illiteracy. “Therefore, My people are in captivity for lack of knowledge. Their honorable men are famished, and their multitudes parched with thirst.” Isaiah 5:13 Neither prophet’s warning is aimed at outsiders. They are aimed at God’s own people. Whenever God’s people neglect His Word, captivity follows. That was true for ancient Israel. It can be true for both modern Jews and Christians. In fact, Hosea and Isaiah were speaking to covenant people who already possessed the Scriptures. Their problem wasn’t access. Their problem was neglect. Knowledge is not presented as a luxury. It is presented as a matter of survival. The captivity came before the chains. The people first became captive in their minds, their values, their actions, and their understanding of God. The physical captivity merely followed. That spiritual truth is highly relevant today. Neither prophet says: “My people are destroyed for lack of passion, worship, programs, or good intentions.” They say, “for lack of knowledge.” We can be sincere and still be ignorant. We can be religious and still be oblivious. We can even believe we know God while becoming increasingly unfamiliar with His Word. 📖 Worth Reading: Is the God of the Old Testament really different from the God we see in Jesus? God Isn't Trapped Within Old Testament Walls explores why Jesus came to reveal God, not reinvent Him. A False Sense Of Security There is a false sense of security in simply “showing up” at church or synagogue. Many Jews have a menorah, yet can’t tell you the Parasha for that week. Many Christians have a fish on their car. But can’t find the Book of Ruth unless they go to the Table of Contents. The lack of Biblical literacy in the faith world today is astonishing. In the days of King Josiah, the Book of the Law was rediscovered in the Temple (2 Kings 22). God’s Word had become so neglected that finding it was a national event. When it was finally read aloud, Josiah tore his clothes because he realized how far the nation had drifted. That story feels surprisingly modern. Many homes contain multiple Bibles. Most phones have Bible Apps. Many believers can quote their favorite verses. Yet relatively few have read the entire Torah, the Prophets, or even the whole Bible from beginning to end. The result is often a faith built on fragments rather than the full counsel of God. We can possess a Bible, attend services, celebrate holy days, keep kosher, and still be starving spiritually. That is precisely the tragedy Hosea and Isaiah confronted, and it may be one of the greatest challenges facing both Jews and Christians today. People can even believe they know God while becoming increasingly unfamiliar with His Word. The Torah Is So Much More: It Is Spiritual Life Or Death. The Torah was never intended simply to be read. It was meant to be meditated upon, discussed, taught to children, spoken of at home, and carried into daily life (Deuteronomy 6). Knowledge of Scripture is relational. To “know” God means more than knowing facts about Him. It means walking with Him, understanding His expectations, and realizing that “covenant” is more than just a Biblical word. It is our lifeblood, our reason for being. And when Torah becomes unfamiliar, God often becomes distant. How did God’s chosen people get to this point: “For My people are foolish. They do not know Me. They are senseless children, and they have no understanding. They are wise to do evil, but to do good they do not know.” Jer 4:22 Here are those two words again: “My people." Rust grows over time. Weeds take over a field slowly. And the spiritual decline of a person, a household, or even a nation happens “here a little and there a little” (Isaiah 28:10) Lack of knowledge leads to destruction (Hosea) and captivity (Isaiah). Ignorance is never neutral, it’s serious business. What we do not know about God eventually affects how we live before Him. Every generation is only one generation away from biblical illiteracy. And every generation that forgets God’s Word eventually pays a price for that forgetfulness. My message for you emerges directly from the Hebrew Scriptures and invites every reader to ask: “When was the last time I opened the Scriptures and truly sought to know the God who gave them?” “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” Psalm 119:105 Somehow, the spiritual journey feels safer when we have a guide, and that map is God’s word. © 2026 I.M. Koen. A Note From The Editor: I.M. Koen and I have always felt strongly about this: the Old Testament is not outdated or optional, it's every bit as alive and necessary today as it was when God first gave it. I've written on this myself, if you want to keep exploring it, take a look at God of Love vs the God of Wrath, where I dig into why the God of the Old Testament and the God we meet in Jesus have never been two different Gods at all. Want more content like this? Check out more articles in Digging into Scripture. Press Ctrl + P (Windows) or Cmd + P (Mac) to print this article or save it as a PDF.

Faith and Strength in Three Women of the Bible From the editor ~ Women of the Bible carry stories of faith and strength that quietly dismantle the idea that Scripture overlooks them. This piece looks at three such women, Ruth's unwavering loyalty to Naomi, Deborah's bold leadership during one of Israel's darkest seasons, and a woman who needed nothing more than a single desperate touch of Jesus' cloak to be made well. Each one is proof that God has always seen, valued, and used women in extraordinary ways. There is a common stereotype that the Bible does not represent women enough, and it barely has any women in it to start with. I once believed this before I followed Jesus, and as I began to read Scripture, I realized it was a complete lie. There are so many powerful stories of women in the Bible, and all of them bring me joy as I read them. Knowing that these women endured in faithfulness during the toughest parts of their lives is a wake-up call to all women that God loves and cherishes us as His own daughters. We are important and worthy to Him. Below, I will share a couple of women from the Bible and the lessons we can learn from them. There are many more that can be covered, so look out for a part 2! Ruth Ruth is one of the two women in the Bible who has a book named after her. I know that number can seem disappointing to many, but let us not be discouraged by that. In the discourse of things, we know that women are still represented in the Bible, no matter what. If you haven’t read the book, I encourage you to read it. Ruth, a recent widow, leaves everything behind and follows her mother-in-law, Naomi, to Bethlehem after her husband dies. Initially, Naomi refuses to let Ruth follow her, but Ruth responds with the following words: “Wherever you go, I will go; wherever you live, I will live. Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God” (Ruth 1:16–17). How moving is that? After suffering a terrible loss, Ruth refuses to leave her mother-in-law behind, showing her complete loyalty. As Ruth and Naomi settle into Bethlehem, Ruth works in a field to provide for herself and her mother-in-law. Through this loyalty, she earns the respect of a man named Boaz, who turns out to be a distant relative of Naomi. Boaz recognizes her incredible devotion and says, “May the Lord reward you for what you have done. May you have a full reward from the Lord God of Israel, to whom you have come for protection” (Ruth 2:12). Despite her circumstances, Ruth puts her best foot forward. Through this, she captures the attention of a godly man and receives God’s blessings. Eventually, Ruth and Boaz get married, and they have a child named Obed. Obed becomes the Grandfather of David, who is an ancestor to Jesus Himself. Through Ruth’s devotion to the Lord, she was blessed with an equally devoted husband and, many years later, an even more devoted relative. Ruth shows us how pure devotion to the Lord leads to new doors being opened, allowing us to bask in His light. You never know what might happen if you stop following the world and start following Jesus. Deborah During the chaotic times of the Judges, a prophetess named Deborah served as a judge for the Israelites (Judges 4:4). Deborah would sit under a palm tree, and the people of Israel would listen to her decision. One day, a military leader named Barak was sent by her, and she told him that he would have victory if he defeated their oppressors. Barak responded with, “I will go if you go with me, but if you don’t go with me, I won’t go either” (Judges 4:8). The amount of faith he had in God was clear, as he completely trusted Deborah’s prophecy. Deborah agreed to his inquiry and fiercely responded with, “All right, I will go with you, but you won’t get any credit for the victory, because the Lord will hand Sisera (Canaanite military commander) over to a woman” (Judges 4:9). (She wasn’t talking about herself; Sisera was killed by another woman named Jael). Afterward, Barak agreed to her command with no hesitation and defeated Sisera’s army. In a time of struggle, Deborah was like a mother to Israel, consulting with and leading its people. She was a beacon of light in the dark time of Judges, sent by God to rescue Israel from oppression. Even though the Israelites had sinned, God still loved His children and welcomed them back to Him through Deborah. Deborah sets an example for women to follow their gifts that the Lord has blessed them with. Deborah was gifted with prophecy, and each of us also has a spiritual gift. It is our job to use it with authority, complete loyalty, and gentleness as she did. The Woman Who Touched Jesus’ Cloak While unnamed in the Bible, this woman has a powerful impact on Jesus and His ministry. This woman had suffered from severe bleeding for twelve years, which made her ritually unclean and seen as a burden. Can you imagine that? How terrible and painful would that be, along with the judgmental stares of passersby as you deal with your condition? I can’t even imagine the pain that she went through for twelve years! However, through all her pain, this woman still had faith. She had heard about Jesus beforehand and all of the miracles he was performing. Because of this, she believed that He could also heal her. When Jesus was passing nearby to heal a Jewish official’s daughter, she reached out and touched his cloak. “If only I touch his cloak, I will get well” (Matthew 9:21). This woman had such great faith that she believed a single touch of his clothing would heal her. She didn’t even need to speak to Him or see His face; all she needed to do was grab a piece of his cloak. Jesus turned around to her and said, “Courage, my daughter! Your faith has made you well” (Matthew 9:22). At that moment, she was healed of her condition. Her immense faith in Jesus allowed her to be healed, and it also set an example for the citizens surrounding the scene. It can also set an example for sisters in Christ that we must hold firm in our faith and endure. If you enjoyed this, you may also like The First Sexual Revolution: How How Jesus Changed the World for Women, a look at how Jesus radically redefined dignity and worth for women in a culture that saw them as disposable. We are His daughters He has made a place for each of us in Heaven. Therefore, we must trust in Him. Although I only wrote about three of the women in the Bible, there are many more honorable mentions. Esther, the woman at the well, Joanna, Leah, Rachel, Sarah, Jael, Mary Magdalene, Mary, mother of Jesus, Mary, sister of Lazarus (many Marys!), Martha, Rhoda, etc. I could keep going, but I hope you learned something from this article and that it changed your stereotypes about women in the Bible. The enemy loves to make up lies that women aren’t important in Christianity, but they certainly are. Simply reading Scripture itself proves him to be dead wrong. © Sienna Krieg Want more content like this? Explore more articles in Exploring Scripture. Press Ctrl + P (Windows) or Cmd + P (Mac) to print this article or save it as a PDF.

Donkeys are mentioned approximately 140 times in the Bible, appearing primarily in the Old Testament (about 133 times) as symbols of service, peace, and humility. Notable mentions include Abraham’s journey, Balaam’s talking donkey, Samson’s weapon, and Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem. (AI overview) Over grilled cheese sandwiches accompanied by season-salted French fries with my Buddhist friend, she asked , “Why do you believe in a God who created an imperfect world with imperfect people?” I’m actually paraphrasing her question, but that was the gist of it, as she expressed concerns about all the things going wrong with human bodies, including the suffering her precious young daughter is currently enduring from an unknown (TBD) autoimmune disorder. Truth be told, I’ve had a few “by-the-grace-of-God” and “come-to-Jesus” moments in my life. As a result, I now know down deep in the marrow of my bones that Jesus “double-imputed” in my heart and soul, taking all of my past, present, and future sins onto the cross, simultaneously in exchange for His presence abiding in my heart forever. I am never alone. Grateful for each miraculous breath of life I get in my lungs. I do my very best not to roll my eyes or outwardly cringe when I hear fellow Christians answer questions like my friend’s inquiry about why our good God would allow bad things to happen to “good” people, with “It’s a fallen world, so the Earth and everyone on it is flawed since the fall of man, with Adam’s original sin” or something along those lines. But the only other explanation I can offer you is that pain is the touchstone to all spiritual growth. This has certainly been the truth for my life. More suffering equals more growth, which brings us to my wilderness story. Shortly after divorce, on the heels of a 27.5 year long marriage filled with love, laughter, joy, infidelity, addiction, pain, and suffering, WE (planet Earth) entered The Pandemic era. Everything shut down. In the year prior to the unexpected global lockdown, I had been living in a small rental downtown after moving out from what had previously been my marital residence for almost the same number of years as the marriage. After making the non-confrontational decision to leave it ALL behind, I chose to let go of any expectations of a financially equitable division. I accepted the consequences for my sins. Naming serenity and sobriety among my highest priorities, I embraced the solitude and simplicity of being single for the first time since the tender age of fifteen. Once the year-long lease was up, I faced the next important life decision. After much prayer (*Philippians 4:6–7), seeking wise counsel (Proverbs 11:14) and careful consideration, I made the decision to move in with my aging mother (Dad had recently passed in 2018). The hope was to assist her and save up enough money to hopefully purchase my own home again someday. So I moved back home with my Mom, back into my childhood home out in the country. Then it happened. COVID happened. The world shut down. My heart was still broken. (And maybe still is to this day… I honestly don’t know if one ever gets over divorce completely.) Living with my Mom and working remotely as required during the worldwide pandemic, I took daily nature walks around her neighborhood. Why I Believe In all the prayer and meditation walks, I was reminded each day that I was never alone (Hebrews 13:5). Jesus walked with me, redeemed me, and healed me. My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise. Psalm 51:17 NIV The peace that passes understanding enveloped me during that **Shalom season of healing. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. *Philippians 4:7 NIV **Shalom (שלום) is a rich Hebrew word meaning far more than just “peace”; it signifies wholeness, completeness, harmony, well-being, and flourishing, encompassing health, prosperity, and tranquility in all aspects of life, used as a greeting (hello/goodbye) and a deep blessing for holistic flourishing (AI overview). Since my 40+ days wandering the wilderness with Jesus in 2020, part of my redemption story includes the gift of a new marriage, as a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17) forgiven and FREE indeed! As mentioned earlier in this piece, this was not my only “born again” (John 3:3) moment. God has saved my life repeatedly. By the grace-of-God, I have come-to-Jesus each time I have humbly come to the end of myself, my ego, and my pride, and fallen on my knees at his feet, to Be Still and Know (Psalm 46:10). O Come to the Altar lyrics by Elevation Worship 2016 Are you hurting and broken within? Overwhelmed by the weight of your sin? Jesus is calling Have you come to the end of yourself?Do you thirst for a drink from the well? Jesus is calling O come to the altar The Father’s arms are open wide Forgiveness was bought with The precious blood of Jesus Christ Leave behind your regrets and mistakes Come today there’s no reason to wait Jesus is calling Bring your sorrows and trade them for joy From the ashes a new life is born Jesus is calling, oh O come to the altar The Father’s arms are open wide Forgiveness was bought with The precious blood of Jesus Christ O come to the altar The Father’s arms are open wide Forgiveness was bought with The precious blood of Jesus Christ Oh what a savior Isn’t He wonderful? Sing Hallelujah, Christ is risen Bow down before Him For He is Lord of all Sing Hallelujah, Christ is risen Rather than go into the details of those other eternal life-altering moments, I will simply leave you with this worship song linked above. Perhaps I will share my “testimony” story with you another time. Until next time, happy reading and sweet story time dreams. © 2026 Nora Gwen. Want more content like this? Explore more articles in the Why We Believe series.