The Beacon
July, 2026
“Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy.” (Proverbs 28:13)
Jesus taught about Himself as the Way, and the Truth, and the Life. No one can come to the Father except through Him! Jesus said, “If you had known me, you would have known my Father also.” (John 14:7)
Jesus continued His teaching by telling how the Helper, the Holy Spirit, would be sent to provide further instruction. And although His people were to be known by their love, the world would not be so favorable to those who would follow Jesus. Speaking of the world Jesus said, “If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you.” (John 15:20)
Jesus was the supreme revelation of God. Do you believe that? Does everyone believe that Jesus is God and that He came to earth, died for the sins of mankind, was buried, and then resurrected from the dead?
Jesus ascended into heaven with a promise to someday return. But was He really the supreme revelation of God? Not everyone that Jesus spoke to believed that He was. After telling how those who followed Him would be persecuted, Jesus continued with, “But all these things they will do to you on account of my name, because they do not know him who sent me. If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have been guilty of sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin.” (John 14:21-22)
Jesus did not mean that if He had not come the people would have been sinless. Jesus had done many miracles and spoken many powerful words to prove that He was the Messiah, the Son of God, but many rejected Jesus and rebelled against His teaching. They were belligerent in their love of sin and their rejection of the Savior. They had no excuse for their sin!
Do you? Have you tried to sidestep, or explain away, or rationalize, or deflect, or pass along, when you knew where “the buck stopped”?
A TV weather reporter lost her job because her forecasts were never accurate. In an interview for another position, she was asked why she left her last job. “The climate didn’t agree with me,” she replied. She was probably correct… but she may have tried to sidestep her responsibility.
The Apostle Paul said, “For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.” (Romans 1:20)
Is there anyone with a good excuse for not believing in God and coming to faith in Jesus Christ?