BibleVersity

Why Death? "For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you on the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood by reason of the life that makes atonement." - Lev. 17:11 (NASB )    Today we remember and celebrate (yes, celebrate) the betrayal, crucifixion, and death of Jesus Christ. Christianity is a unique company of people, for it is the only "religion" where its God died for His own. Most folks outside "the church," and some inside, do not understand why Jesus died on the cross. Was there not some other way to make the people right? In other religions mankind can carry out certain deeds or live in such a manner that their "god" will accept them, but not Christianity.     Christians are a distinctive group that believes the only way to be accepted by God is through the blood, according to the Bible. The blood theme is one that is found everywhere in the Bible from Genesis to Revelation. At the...

The Tragedy of Judas "Then when Judas, who had betrayed Him, saw that He had been condemned, he felt remorse and returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders..." - Matt. 27:3-5, (NASB)    There is always a danger when we begin to speculate about possible outcomes in history "if this or that" would have happened. The story of Judas is one that most people, even non-Christians, know well.  A few years ago I thought about how things could have turned out different for Judas, had the religious leaders responded differently to him. After betraying Jesus, Judas felt remorse and went to the temple, the "house of God," to return the silver. There he confessed to the priests, "I have sinned..." Precisely what Judas was looking for or expecting is still a mystery, but it occurred to me that the priests were given an opportunity to "restore" this sinner. I mean, Judas was at the temple, where sacrifices were offe...