Jesus said (Lk. 14:28-31): "For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it? Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him, Saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish. Or what king, going to make war against another king, sitteth not down first, and consulteth whether he be able with ten thousand to meet him that cometh against him with twenty thousand?"

Rhetorical questions assume that the answer is so easy and trivial that it does not have to be answered. Given that only the most foolish among us embark on a venture without counting the cost, Jesus message was (Lk. 14:33): "So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple." We cannot become half Christians. Either we are a living sacrifice for Christ (Rom. 12:1-2) or else we have lost our saving ability. What then? Lk. 14:34-35: "Salt is good: but if the salt have lost his savior, wherewith shall it be seasoned? It is neither fit for the land, nor yet for the dunghill; but men cast it out. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear."

From April, 1998 Think on These Things:

Another vicious attack. The children who did the shooting in Jonesboro are certainly sorry for their actions. Given the chance, they would take them back. But they can’t. The parents of the shooters appear still in denial. They cannot believe that their children could do such a thing. One problem is that these children failed to see any consequences of their actions. Most of their movie and TV heroes use violence to solve their problems. In almost all such cases the children’s families are not structured as God ordained it. Parents, ask your children how they would feel behind bars knowing that they had ruined so many lives. Lead them to sympathize with the survivors and the loved ones of the guilty. Make sure that they understand the grief. Pray and meditate over these passages: Proverbs 22:6; 22:15; 23:13; 29:15; Ephesians 6:4. Then give them the love that Jesus commands — one that requires a consistent, measured degree of discipline (Heb 12:6f). These horrible events are not caused by children who think through their actions before they cause such pain. End of excerpt.

The recent carnage in Littleton is close enough to that of Jonesboro to surface some questions about the "solutions" being proposed:

• Have you heard anything proposed like the advice above?
• Have you heard many solutions that do not promote some preconceived political or social agenda?
• Have any of these "solutions" worked in the past?
• Did the young killers have any regard for God’s law?
• Did those who disenfranchised the killers do so out of love?
• Can any real solution exclude God?

Mark 10:28-30: "Then Peter began to say unto him, Lo, we have left all, and have followed thee. And Jesus answered and said, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospel's, But he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life."

These are profound words and, at first glance, appear to contradict the statements of Jesus about counting the cost. But the difference is in the simple statement of Paul (Rom. 6:23): "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." What we are expected to give up are the wages of sin. What we obtain is the freedom from death and the gift of eternal life. It is a free gift because there is nothing that we did (or can do) to justify our sinful selves or to merit it.

The statement of Jesus above elaborates on a definition of faith given by the writer of the book of Hebrews (11:1): "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." We hope for eternal life, but we cannot see it as a reality at this time. If we could spend just one minute in heaven and one minute in hell we would have no problem committing ourselves to Christ. But this would also remove our free will from us, and our religion would no longer require faith.

In Mark 10:28f, Jesus says that even in this world we can get a taste of heaven. We can see the love most Christians have for one another, and that they cherish each other even closer than their own families, who may have long forsaken them. Then there are the houses and lands — God will not forsake his people, as David said in Psalms 37:25.

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"There is nothing that we can do to obtain salvation."

but on the day of Pentecost Peter said (Acts 2:40):

Read the entire context of Acts 2 and it will tell you what God did for us and what God expects of us. The writer sums it up in Acts 2:41-42: "Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls. And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers."

How then can this be a free gift? Our part of salvation is merely to act in our own self interest. It is not a cost that we pay but a benefit that we receive. No one was ever sorry for spending time doing good, nor did they ever regret abstaining from evil. Invariably, however, when we sin we pay the price, both in terms of the shame and problems that we cause here on this earth, and the fear of eternal damnation.