What Must I Believe To Be Saved? 

What Must I Believe To Be Saved? 

Many who claim Jesus Christ as their savior believe they are saved by faith alone.  They feel that by simply believing in Jesus as the Son of God and that He died for our sins will get them into heaven.   Believing in the original Greek can and often does mean more than a simple mental acknowledgment of facts.  God’s Word is written to others for us to read.  What it meant to them is what it must mean to us today.

Lesson Text:  John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” “He who believes in Me has everlasting life” (John 6:47).  “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved” (Acts 16:31).Believe in God

Theme:  The purpose of this lesson is to examine what the NT writers wrote to their readership concerning believing in Jesus with the goal of determining what they needed to believe to be saved and then make the necessary applications to our own faith.

The Hebrew Word for Believe:

We must keep in mind that many of the inspired recorders of God’s Word were Hebrews.   They spoke Greek because it was the most common language of the day across the Roman Empire.   While the language they used was Greek, the meaning of the word in their minds reflected traditional Hebrew meanings.  The word for “believe” in the mind of a Hebrew is a word of action and not just an abstract belief that something is true, and it dictated how they lived their lives.  In other words, if someone did not live according to it, they did not believe it.  This Hebrew word is where we get the word “Amen” from.  Today, when we end our prayers with the word “Amen,” we declare that what was said is true and trustworthy and must be acted upon in practice.

Conversely, the opposite of the Hebrew word for “believe” means to disobey willfully.  The contrast between belief and disobedience is clearly seen in passages such as John 3:36, “He that believeth on the Son hath eternal life; but he that obeyeth not the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him.” (ASV).   The Apostle Peter made a direct connection between belief and obedience in 1 Peter 2:7-8, “Therefore, to you who believe, He is precious; but to those who are disobedient, “The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone,” 8 and “A stone of stumbling And a rock of offense.”  They stumble, being disobedient to the word, to which they also were appointed.”   The Hebrew writer wrote in Hebrews 3:18-19, “And to whom did He swear that they would not enter His rest, but to those who did not obey? 19 So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.”  In the Jewish mind, belief and obedience were interchangeable.  Only those who believe are obedient, and only those who are obedient believe.  Obedience, and not merely a mental acknowledgment of the fact, is the indicator of faith.   When we apply the truths of God’s Word to our lives today, our understanding of scripture must align with what the first readers understood.  What God’s Word meant to them is what it must mean to us, and to them, obedience was a necessary element of believing.

The Greek Word for Believe: 

The Greek word for believe also carries the element of obedience.  Stong’s defines it in its verb form as: NT:4100, to have faith (in, upon, or with respect to, a person or thing), i.e., credit; by implication, to entrust (especially one’s spiritual well-being to Christ):  Used in the KJV  – believe (-r), commit (to trust), put in trust with.  The Theological Dictionary of the New Testament defines it thus:

Pistós , which is attested first, means a. “trusting” (also with the nuance of “obedient”) and b. “trustworthy,” i.e., faithful, reliable.

Pisteúœ means “to trust” (also “to obey”), “to believe” (words), and in the passive, “to enjoy confidence” (cf. the later sense “to confide in”).

In Greek, the word for believe or “faith” implies obedience to the words.  In other words, believing in Jesus implies believing what He said and taught.  This is very similar to the Hebrew meaning of the word.

The English Word for Believe:

In all three languages, Hebrew, Greek, and English, the word “believe” means to accept something as the truth.   Words often have more than one sense in which they are meant to be understood.  The English word, “Believe” also carries the meaning of inferred obedience.  This is when one accepts something someone says as the truth.   To illustrate this, let’s consider a politician campaigning for votes by making promises.  We either believe him or not.  A vote for that candidate may indicate that you believe him.  After outlining his or her promises of what they will do if elected, they may say, “If you believe me, you will be better off.”    The appeal for your vote is inferred in the request for belief or faith.

If he loses the election, he could infer that the voters did not believe him.  In this case, what the voters did was an indicator of their faith.  It could be rightly stated that the voters’ decisions demonstrated whether they believed or had faith in what he said.   The election’s winner could rightly say the voters had faith in him.  The election’s loser could say, “I guess they didn’t believe me.”   So, the word “believe” is used in the English language to mean belief, or faith in someone based on what they say with the inference of action.   In this case, the need to vote or obey is understood in the appeal for faith.

So, with all this in mind, let us apply this to the words of Jesus.  Before we do, let’s read something Jesus said that demonstrates the need to believe everything He said:  In John 12:44-49, we read, “Then Jesus cried out and said, “He who believes in Me, believes not in Me but in Him who sent Me.  45 And he who sees Me sees Him who sent Me.  46 I have come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in Me should not abide in darkness.  47 And if anyone hears My words and does not believe, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world.  48 He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words, has that which judges him — the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day.”

While on earth, Jesus spoke words that He says we must believe.  The words of Jesus contain things we must do, actions we must take, and requirements for good behavior.    In verse 44, Jesus said, ““He who believes in Me, believes not in Me but in Him who sent Me” and in verse 48, “He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words, has that which judges him — the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day.”   Just like the politician that appeals for faith that infers action from the voter, Our Lord and Savior, the creator of the universe, king of Kings and Lord of Lords, the author of eternal salvation and our judge on the last day has done the same thing.

While on earth, Jesus did not judge.  Jesus has now ascended to heaven and is presently reigning from heaven.  What is left behind for now is His Words.  Do we believe them or not?   There is a last day coming in our future.  This is a day when we will all learn whether or not we believe in Jesus.   And we get an image of this day in John 5:28-29, “Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice  29 and come forth — those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation.”   Jesus says we must believe His Words, and on that final day, when we all stand before Him with eternity in balance, Jesus says how we lived in obedience to His words, which determine our fate.   Those who do well believe in Him and will live forever.  Those who do not do well reject Him and shall die forever.

The title of this lesson is:

What Must I Believe To Be Saved?

Jesus says we must hear and believe in Him. 

John 5:24, “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.”  Jesus declares the need to hear and to believe.  “Hearing” Jesus’ words means listening to, understanding, and paying heed to.  We must believe and obey His Words.

Jesus says we must repent or perish:

Luke 13:3, “I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish.”  So here is something Jesus says we must do to be saved.  Those who perish are not saved.  Repenting means to stop practicing a sinful life and turn to live a godly life.  This is a life-changing, life-long decision that requires a permanent behavior change.  This means murderers stop killing, thieves stop stealing, adulterers stop living in sin, liars stop lying, and idolaters stop putting things ahead of God.  Jesus says we must give up, forsake our old lives, and live right.  Jesus says we cannot continue to live in sin and be saved.

Do we believe Him?

Confessing faith before men:

Jesus says in Matthew 10:32-33, “Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven.  33 But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven.”  Jesus says we must declare our faith to unbelievers if we want Him to declare us before God.

Do we believe in Him?  Do we believe Jesus meant this?

Baptism:

Jesus says in Mark 16:16, “He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.”  Keep in mind here that believing in Jesus means believing His words.  Refusing or failing to be baptized means you don’t believe Him.   And we know this is in water because of what Jesus said in John 3:5, “Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.”  Water is part of it.  Baptism is how one is buried with Jesus in death and raised with him to walk in newness (born again) of life.  Romans 6:4.  Baptism/immersion is a burial and a resurrection from water.

Do we believe in Him?  Do we believe Jesus meant this?

Living Faithfully:

Jesus said in John 15:4-10 “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. 5 “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.  6 If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned.  7 If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.  8 By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples. 9 “As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love.  10 If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love. “

Jesus says living faithfully means keeping his commandments as a pattern for life.  We are to make a lifelong practice of living by His words.

Do we believe Jesus or not?  Jesus certainly wasn’t lying when He said these things.  He wasn’t commanding anything that is unnecessary or false.  Is Jesus our King or Not?  Is Jesus our Lord or Not?  Are we faithful to Him or not?  Faith in Jesus requires faith in His Word.  This means believing everything He said.  And failure to live as Jesus directs in His Word is failure to believe Him.

Do we believe in Him?  Do we believe Jesus meant this?

Works?

But wait preacher!!!   Listening, repenting, proclaiming our faith in Jesus and living by Jesus Words require works..  These are all works..    Didn’t Paul say we’re not saved by works?

Paul taught that we are not saved by the works of the law of Moses.   Galatians 2:16

Paul taught that works cannot compel God to offer us His grace.    Ephesians 2:8-9

Paul never said that God’s grace covers a sinful lifestyle.  In fact, he taught the exact opposite in Romans 6:1-3, “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? 2 Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?”

Paul gave an entire list of behaviors that, if not repented of and continued to be practiced, would keep us out of heaven in Galatians 5:19-21, “Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, 21 envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.”  Paul wrote this to believers. He wrote this to Christians.

Works cannot earn or merit the Grace of God, which made salvation possible.  Works cannot get us around the cross of Christ.  Works cannot repay the cost of salvation.  Works cannot earn salvation.  Paul made this fact crystal clear, but He never ever wrote that it was unnecessary to obey God’s Word.  He wrote the opposite in Romans 2:5-13, “But in accordance with your hardness and your impenitent heart you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, 6 who “will render to each one according to his deeds”:  7 eternal life to those who by patient continuance in doing good seek for glory, honor, and immortality; 8 but to those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness — indignation and wrath, 9 tribulation and anguish, on every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek; 10 but glory, honor, and peace to everyone who works what is good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 11 For there is no partiality with God.  12 For as many as have sinned without law will also perish without law, and as many as have sinned in the law will be judged by the law 13 (for not the hearers of the law are just in the sight of God, but the doers of the law will be justified”

See also: 1 Corinthians 9:23-25, Philippians 2:12; 3:13, Galatians 6:7-9

No matter what we do, or how much we do in obedience to Jesus, we are still saved by grace through faith.  Grace freely makes salvation possible.  Our faith is our expression of belief in Jesus Christ and what He said and taught.

Summary/Invitation

What Must I Believe To Be Saved? 

Answer:

Jesus answered this question to Satan’s face in Matthew 4:4, “But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.”

Do We Believe Jesus?

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Free Food

Free Food!

My wife and I have a date every Tuesday for lunch. We usually grab a bite to eat at one of our local establishments. As we left one restaurant, we noticed that if we filled out a survey, we could get a free sandwich. I started wondering whether a person could survive just by filling out surveys. My wife said, “Try it!” I said, “No.” I have filled out a survey on occasion to get free food, but I don’t want to fill out surveys every day. Also, the value of this free food is relatively low. Usually, what you get is one of the cheaper menu options. Someone else, however, might want to do that! After all, it’s for free food!

I couldn’t help but think about how many religious folks today claim that if a person must do anything to be saved, then he has earned his salvation. Does filling out a survey “earn” a sandwich? No. That’s why they say it is “free.” Yet, what Jesus offers us in salvation is so much more valuable than a cheap menu item. It is priceless! How could a person so earn His salvation through obeying God’s commands? He could not. It is not an equal exchange. There is no comparable value in obedience to the price that God paid.

Do we earn our salvation when we do what Jesus tells us to do to be saved? No! But we do meet the conditions that God has set. It is why Jesus said, “He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.” (Mark 16:16). The notion that there is absolutely nothing one must do to be saved is a false doctrine that Jesus did not teach.

God Bless you!

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Open Marriages

Open Marriages

Think parents and the church don’t need to teach on marriage, divorce, and remarriage? Well consider this: last month Pew Research Group reported a little over half of young adults say open marriages are “acceptable.” An open marriage is defined as a marriage where both spouses agree that they can date or have sex with other people.
Some of those who hold this view are sitting in our church buildings on Sunday mornings. The concept of one man and one woman for life is foreign in the world they are growing up in.Open Marriage
Folks, that is messed up! Satan has convinced young people that adultery and fornication are “acceptable.” Forget keeping the marriage bed pure–and don’t worry about your wedding vows. Just go out and have a good time.
Of course what Satan isn’t telling the young people is that this “open marriage” behavior leads to heartache, distrust, and eventually divorce.
Rather than backing away from this topic we should be leading the charge! Christians should be demonstrating by example and by our teaching that this is sinful behavior–and that God does not approve.
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God’s Grace Made Simple

God’s Grace Made Simple

God’s Grace is the single most misunderstood concept in Christendom. This lesson explains exactly what God’s Grace is and what it does for the Christian in simple, understandable terms.

God is indeed gracious. 1 Peter 2:3 reads, ” If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious.”  Grace is defined in Webster’s dictionary as ‘disposition to or an act or instance of kindness, courtesy, or clemency’.   God’s gracious nature compelled Him to act on behalf of mankind. This concept is not at all difficult when we apply it to ourselves. We have a disposition toward our families that compels us to favor them and to go out of our way to act on their behalf. God’s Grace is the exact same thing. It is His beneficial disposition toward us that compelled Him to go out of His way and act on our behalf.   It is much easier to grasp the concept of Grace when one thinks of it as a characteristic of God. grace

God, indeed, has a gracious characteristic. But His gracious nature, which compelled Him to act on our behalf, will not compel Him to act in contradiction with any of His other qualities:

God is Trustworthy:  Also reliable and faithful, He is the same yesterday and today and forever (Hebrews 13:8). The Lord will never leave or forsake you (Deuteronomy 31:6-8; Psalm 9:10; Hebrews 13:5). He alone is “is trustworthy in all he promises and faithful in all he does” (Psalm 145:13). We can absolutely trust in God’s Grace.   However, under no circumstances could His Grace cause Him to be untrustworthy or unreliable.

God is impartial: Romans 2:11  “For there is no respect of persons with God.”  In James chapter 2, verses 1-13, the inspired writer makes it clear that Christians must act impartially toward others.   The gospel is equally and impartially applicable to all people (Galatians 3:26-29; Acts 15:9; Romans 10:11-13; Revelation 22:17). Favoritism is not in God’s nature, and it is likewise forbidden in a Christian’s behavior. God’s Grace will never compel Him to act with partiality toward anyone. To do so would cause God to be a respecter of one person over another, thus causing Him to be untrustworthy.

God is Just:  God is perfectly and equally fair in His treatment of mankind. God shows no partiality (Acts 10:34). He perfectly executes vengeance against oppressors (2 Thessalonians 1:6; Romans 12:19). God is just in dealing out rewards: “God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them” (Hebrews 6:10). He is equally just in dealing out punishments: “Anyone who does wrong will be repaid for their wrongs, and there is no favoritism” (Colossians 3:25). Every sin of man will receive a just recompense of reward (Hebrews 2:2-3). Justice and righteousness, which always work hand in hand, are the foundation of God’s throne (Psalm 89:14). God’s Grace can never be understood to cause Him to act in contradiction of His Just nature. To do so in any way would make Him unjust and, therefore, unreliable and untrustworthy.

God is Honest:  He cannot lie. This characteristic of God is directly stated in Titus 1:2, “In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began…”  Absolute honesty is the characteristic of God upon which we all must be able to have faith in.    We can trust God’s Word to be true, in its totality, without reservation and die for the sake of the gospel, if need be, with full confidence that God will take care of us as He has stated. God’s honest nature also helps us to understand His gracious characteristics correctly.   As wonderful as God’s Grace is, we can know with certainty that it can never compel Him to act in contradiction with His honest nature.   Put simply, God’s Grace will never make Him a liar.   We must be able to trust God, and if His Grace caused him to act in a manner inconsistent with His honest nature, He would be dishonest and, therefore, untrustworthy.

God has more characteristics that define who He is and how He operates, but the four listed above are sufficient to provide us with the parameters under which His Grace MUST operate. While God is indeed gracious, at the same time, He is absolutely trustworthy in that everything He said is reliable, and He will accomplish everything He said He would do. God is also incapable of telling a lie. Therefore, everything He said in His Word must be the truth. None of it can be left out or disregarded. God is absolutely fair and impartial in His dealings with humankind. And He is Just in all His expectations and actions with respect to no one. God is all these things at the same time, and none of them, irrespective of His other characteristics.

Many people in the religious world believe and teach that God’s Grace is unconditional and will usher them into eternal life on the merits of faith alone, without the need for obedience to His commands. If this is true, then Jesus lied in Matthew 7:21, where He was quoted as saying, “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.”  This would mean that not only did Jesus make a false statement, there is a statement in God’s Word that is not true. God’s Grace cannot save without obedience to God and without causing Him to act in contradiction to His nature. God cannot be the God He claims to be if Grace can put one in the kingdom of heaven without obedience. God and His Word cannot be trusted if Grace can save without obedience. God is untrustworthy if Grace can save without obedience to His will. God’s Word, therefore God lied if Grace can save without obedience to God’s will. This one statement by Jesus alone in Matthew 7:21 is enough, in and of itself to utterly render the idea of salvation by Grace apart from obedience false.

The quote by Jesus in Matthew 7:21 is by no means the only statement within God’s Word that connects obedience with salvation. In Luke 13:3-5 Jesus directly made a connection between repentance and eternal life when He stated that “unless you repent, you will all likewise perish”. Grace cannot save apart from repentance without making Jesus a liar.   Jesus said in John 3:5, “Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.” God’s Grace, therefore, cannot put anyone in the kingdom of God apart from being born again of water and the Spirit without making Jesus a liar. God’s Grace cannot make His Son a liar.

Paul instructed saved Christians in the body of Christ to “Work out their own salvation” by obeying God in Philippians 2:12. Paul instructed saved Christians in the church in Rome to seek eternal life through “patient continuance in well doing” in Romans 2:7. Paul then went on to write in verses 8-10 ” But unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath, Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile; But glory, honour, and peace, to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile.” Concerning God’s Grace, Paul went on to write in Romans 6:15, “What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under Grace? God forbid. Rom 6:16  Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? Rom 6:17  But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. Rom 6:18  Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.”  Paul made a direct connection between God’s Grace and obedience. Grace, therefore, cannot operate independently of one’s obedience. The two are inseparable in God’s Word.

Another way of looking at the connection in God’s Word between Grace and Obedience is by considering what Paul said to the Christians in 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 “Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, 10  Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.” and again in Galatians 5:19-21 “Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, 20  Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, 21  Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.”  If God’s Grace operated apart from obedience to God, then the works of disobedience would not keep one out of the kingdom of God, yet Paul said they would.

Advocates of salvation by God’s Grace apart from obedience frequently use Ephesians 2:8-9 to make the case for their belief. Paul there writes, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9  Not of works, lest any man should boast.”  Paul goes on to make a direct connection between works and Grace in verse 10 when he writes, “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.”

When we look at God’s Grace as a benevolent disposition He has toward us and take into consideration everything written in God’s Word concerning obedience, it is evident that being saved by Grace through faith and not of works does not mean being saved apart from obedience. God’s gracious disposition toward us compelled Him to act on our behalf.   By Grace, God gave us free will, gave us His law so that we could know His expectations, gave us every opportunity throughout history to be obedient, and finally sent Jesus to die on the cross to pay the penalty for our sin, and then agreed to accept His Son’s torture and death at the hands of those He came to save, to serve as the death penalty for the sins of all humankind.   There is no way humankind can pay for or deserve that gift by anything we could ever do. God graciously accomplished all these things for our benefit, irrespective of anything we could do. The things He did for us are manifestations of His gracious nature. We don’t deserve that. We cannot pay for that. We certainly cannot boast that our works had anything to do with that. “…While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us…” (Romans 5:8). The gift of God in Ephesians 2:8-9 that works could not earn was not salvation. Rather, the gift was God’s gracious disposition toward us that compelled Him to do everything He did to make salvation possible.

Paul did not teach salvation through Grace apart from obedience. Rather, he taught salvation by Grace through faith that is manifested through our obedience to God. And He said as much in Romans 1:5: “By whom we have received grace and apostleship, for obedience to the faith among all nations, for his name.”  and again in Romans 16:26, “But now is made manifest, and by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith.”

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Flawed Humans

Flawed Humans

When we assemble together as the church, we are forced to come into proximity to human beings that are woefully flawed. The great challenge of assembling is to see one another as God would have us to be, not as sin distorts us. There will be times when our neighbor has not been able to comb his or her hair. Some may not have such a pleasant odor about them. Others will have blunt speech that grates on our ears. If these are the things that we notice, then we are in danger, for we are not looking at things the way that God looks at them, but from our own selfish desires for how we think others should be. “My brethren, do not hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with partiality” (James 2:1).flawed

What we should see are people who have been redeemed by the blood of Christ with whom we want to have a full and complete relationship. That is what God sees through Christ Jesus, and it is only looking at one another from this perspective that we can be the body of believers that God wants us to be. This was John’s perspective in 1 John 1:3-4, “that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. And these things we write to you that your joy may be full.” Our joy can only be full when we look at one another in this way. Who do we see in the pew around us? Let’s adjust our perspectives.

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