Steve’s Books
Author Archives: Steve Husting
Cultural Christianity
When I was having a discussion with an atheist the other day, he voiced the usual objection about Christianity being the only way to Heaven while other religions were unfairly left out. Over time, I had come across several different … Continue reading
You can tell you are a Pharisee when …
… you are told an uncomfortable truth about yourself and you get angry. Sometimes when I tell the truth about someone’s sinful condition, people get mad and say hurtful words in response. (These are people who go to church.) This … Continue reading
Posted in Encouragement
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Hope and the Christian
Hope is not merely a religious word for a theological concept, but an internalized, deep conviction developed over time, just like many other convictions that have grown on us. For example, we may develop a deep appreciation for someone when … Continue reading
Dealing with a Deceitful Heart
God spoke to us through Jeremiah 17:9 that the heart is deceitful above all else, and desperately wicked. How is this seen in our lives? Here is one example. When I am overwhelmed by worries and fears, then my heart … Continue reading
Grace and Works Go Together
I fear we are limiting God’s grace in our lives. I’ve seen two different aspects of God’s grace testified to. We often emphasize salvation is by grace, not works (Ephesians 2:8-9). In this passage, grace is God being merciful and … Continue reading
Called to Forgive
How important is it to forgive those who have wronged us? Jesus spelled it out for us by first telling us the horrible fate of those who offend us: Then He said to the disciples, “It is impossible that no … Continue reading
What character traits does Jesus want to see in His church when He comes again?
Or, are you ready for a reward? When I wrote my book, Ready for a Reward, I examined verses that were related to the end times which also mentioned a character value. That is, the verses had two aspects: 1. … Continue reading
Posted in Book Reviews, Jesus on Judgment
Tagged Christ's Return, end times, good works, growth, judgment, prophecy, reward
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Reflections on salvation from John R. Stott’s book, The Cross of Christ
I am currently enjoying John R. Stott’s book, The Cross of Christ, as an eBook on my Nexus 7. I’m going slowly, savoring Christ on every page, even going back a few chapters to re-read them before moving on. In … Continue reading
Posted in Encouragement
Tagged justification, propitiation, reconciliation, redemption
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What did Jesus mean when He said that unless we renounce all things, we can’t be His disciples?
The Gospels record the instances when Jesus approached someone and invited him to come. One by one the people left their livelihood to travel with Him. To fishermen Simon, Peter, and Andrew He said, “Follow Me, and I will make … Continue reading
Posted in Encouragement
Tagged cross, disciples, discipleship, forsake all, growth, Jesus Christ, obedience
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We’re Kidding Ourselves
There’s something about us that just refuses to take correction from others. Whether they tell us our fault timidly or strongly, we just don’t get it. The Bible tells us why, though: “The heart is deceitful above all things, and … Continue reading
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Top 10 Posts of Doubt Busters
These are the all-time top 10 posts for Doubt Busters by page count. 10 Don’t reason and faith contradict each other? People ask this question because they have an erroneous definition of faith. They think that faith means to believe … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
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A Sure Thing
Hebrews chapters 3 and 4 remind us that God rescued the Israelites from their slavery among the Egyptians, bringing them through the Red Sea miraculously, then through the desert for training in trust. God promised them a land filled with … Continue reading
Posted in Encouragement
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Let us give thanks to the Lord!
Thanksgiving message I gave in 2015 1 One phrase repeated in Psalm after Psalm after Psalm is, “Give thanks unto the Lord, for He is good” (Psalms 136:1). Maybe it’s repeated so often because we forget. When we give thanks, … Continue reading
What is Faith?
First we start with faith’s source, which is God: Romans 10:9 Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God Faith comes as a the result of knowing that God has spoken to you. In the context of … Continue reading
How do we harmonize the nativity accounts of Matthew 2 and Luke 2?
Some Bible scholars have tried to harmonize the birth stories of Jesus in the gospels of Matthew and Luke. When they have been unable to do so, they have concluded that the stories are fictional, myths, merely figurative. Most of … Continue reading
If we are saved by grace, then why would God judge us afterward?
“Why would God judged us if we are saved?” Throughout all the statements of judgment in the Scripture, especially in the gospels and epistles, God is stating that we are responsible for our actions after we are saved. All of … Continue reading
Posted in Jesus on Judgment
Tagged accountability, Christ's Return, growth, judgment, reward, sin
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Is there a difference between children of God and sons of God in the New Testament?
Is there a difference between children of God and sons of God in the New Testament? Yes. Galatians lays a good foundation for the meaning of these two terms, and from those verses we can see echoes throughout the NT. … Continue reading
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Morning Affirmation
Reviewing God’s truths for me. I am a new creation in Christ. God is my heavenly Father and has abundantly proven His love for me by the willing sacrifice of Jesus Christ for my sins. (So there is no need … Continue reading
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Why is there suffering in the world?
Someone asked this question on suffering at Christianity Stack Exchange, a site where I answer questions now and then. One of the answers to this question (given by a resident of Cape Town, South Africa) was so comprehensive regarding suffering … Continue reading
Book Review: Switch On Your Brain
God has designed our brains to work with his program of changing lives. God not only tells us what to do, but has given us everything we need to follow along with his program. An obvious example would be giving … Continue reading
Posted in Book Reviews
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Would God punish his people in the next life?
The general idea among Christians is that since Jesus was punished for our sins, then the people of God will not face any punishment. The Bible clearly says, “Christ died for our sins.” And on the cross, Jesus said, “It … Continue reading
Posted in Jesus on Judgment
Tagged accountability, death, judgment, obedience, suffering, unbelief
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Leaving the Faith? Watch out for this logical fallacy
Many young people who leave home for college life end up abandoning their religion and moral constraints. (This is what the college professors and staff want them to do.) They are convinced by their professors that their religion was something … Continue reading
Why does God tell us to love our enemies?
In Matthew 5:43-44, Jesus tells His hearers to love their enemies: “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who … Continue reading
Promises and Warnings
What is the purpose of the promises and warnings in the Bible? They serve the same purpose as promises and warnings in regular life. If we examine the promise to see if it had merit and follow through, we’ll get … Continue reading
The Deceitful Heart
I consider myself a good person, not from any genuinely good works that I am doing, but because I’m not doing bad things, or I’m not as bad as “those people.” That’s deceitful thinking, because Jesus said that no one … Continue reading
Our “silly little sins”
I recently answered a question sent to me from gotquestions.org. This person, who is quoted below, thought her sins were silly little sins and she wondered why she was unable to get over them and stop repeating them. My reply … Continue reading
Is a “personal relationship” with Christ necessary for salvation?
A “personal relationship with Christ” is a phrase used among born-again believers to contrast an impersonal relationship with God. (Another popular phrase among born-again Christians is, “Relationship, not religion,” which says the same thing.) But is this idea actually taught in … Continue reading
What part of life is religious?
How much of life is religious, and how much is not? How much has to do with God, and how much does not? Is “church time” the religious part, and outside church, life is not? A response of Jesus addressed … Continue reading
The Pharisee in Church
The frequent run-ins between Jesus and the Pharisees were a clash between the Pharisee’s preoccupation with external things and Jesus’ emphasis on the spiritual kingdom. The Pharisees were interested in keeping their status quo, the rigid forms of religious law, … Continue reading
Faith without proof is alive and well among the religious and secular
Many religious people trust in their spiritual authority for their religious beliefs. They don’t study the religious text for themselves. They don’t understand how their authorities came by their tenets, so theirs is a personal faith without proof. “All I … Continue reading
Posted in Science and Evolution, Society and Culture
Tagged atheists, faith, proof, reason
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