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"There's nothing we can do to earn God's forgiveness. But..."

A thought by Steven Furtick from his book, Seven-Mile Miracle: Journey into the Presence of God Through the Last Words of Jesus (p. 29). The Crown Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) I know that so many don’t understand that to be true.  Steven earlier said, “Don’t even think about trying to make yourself spiritually pure. It’s nonsensical to imagine you could do so, yet that’s the way a lot of people think. If I go to church every week, read my Bible every day, put money in the offering, stop swearing, avoid gluten, and have more patience with my kids, God will like me. Nothing we could do will ever be enough to get rid of our sin. We just have to receive the forgiveness Jesus offers. We repent, confess, and ask to have our sins washed away. He does the work of purifying us.” Steven then says, “There’s nothing we can do to earn God’s forgiveness. But when we have received his forgiveness, we do have a responsi

"You can't say Jesus didn't practice what he preached."

A thought by Steven Furtick from his book, Seven-Mile Miracle: Journey into the Presence of God Through the Last Words of Jesus (p. 17). The Crown Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) Have you ever thought about that?   Those around him did everything they could to trip Jesus up, but they couldn’t. Steven in this book is highlighting the last seven statements that Jesus made while on the cross getting ready to die.   Steven says, “Jesus seems to have made his first statement almost immediately after being lifted up on the cross, and it couldn’t have been what anyone was expecting. “Starting the evening before, he had been… • betrayed by one of his own disciples for money • arrested by temple soldiers • interrogated by the high priest Annas • tried with falsified evidence by the Jewish ruling council • denied by his most vocal supporter, Peter • beaten by some temple soldiers • questioned by the Rom

"And it's not just the original disciples who are Jesus's followers."

A thought by Steven Furtick from his book, Seven-Mile Miracle: Journey into the Presence of God Through the Last Words of Jesus (p. 8). The Crown Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) There are a lot of different terms used for those who identify with Jesus. Steven says, “It seems that following was the basic condition for being one of Jesus’s people. And it’s not just the original disciples who are Jesus’s followers. “When Jesus gave his Great Commission with the word go, he turned us all into people who are to navigate the surface of the planet in obedience to his calling. We’re never alone in doing this. He’s right there by our side. We’ve got Jesus with us ‘to the very end of the age.’ (Matthew 28:19-20)” Steven goes on, “So we’re not just to be believers —people who have put our faith in Jesus. We’re not just to be disciples —pupils who learn from him. We’re not just to be Christians —those who are kn