John 13:36–38
The Bible4Jesus.com Podcast
About this episode
In the Christian life, we are constantly confronted with the difference between two kinds of loyalty. The first is the loyalty we manufacture ourselves, forged in the heat of our own sincere, but ultimately flimsy, emotions. It is a loyalty built on good intentions, heartfelt promises, and a profound ignorance of our own weakness. The second kind of loyalty is the kind that God gives, a loyalty that is forged in the furnace of humiliation, tested by failure, and established entirely by His grace. The first is the loyalty of a boast; the second is the loyalty of a gift. We live in an age that idolizes the first kind. Our culture celebrates self-confidence as the highest virtue. We are told to believe in ourselves, to trust our hearts, to declare our own truth. And this sentiment has crept into the church, creating a kind of therapeutic Christianity where sincere intentions are often mistaken for genuine faith.