Zane Hodges Library

The experience of Simon of Cyrenia presents us with one of the most remarkable examples and striking illustrations of the real significance and meaning of Christian living.   Simon becomes a part of the Calvary experience of Jesus Christ our Savior and Lord.  The Christian life is a process of cross bearing. It is taking up the burden and carrying that burden in fidelity to Jesus Christ. There is...

One of the hardest things we have to do in life sometimes is to stand alone and to stand up by ourselves when the opposition is coming at us at every side.  Every Christian will sooner or later confront a crowd that doesn't want to do the right thing.  If you are a believer in Christ, sooner or later the will of the crowd will clash with the will of God, and you will have to make the decision.  Th...

In Herod we find one of the most superficial people in the Bible. Herod is an example of a person who is more concerned with looking good in front of other people than in doing what is right. There are probably many people in church whose experience with God is shallow and superficial.  Sometimes when Christians do not get what they want from God, they end up turning their backs to God or walking...

Have we been avoiding a necessary examination?  There are times in our lives when we are unprepared for an examination. That is what happened to the Roman governor, Pontus Pilate.  Pilate faced one of the most basic issues of human life, that is the authority of Jesus Christ.  Do you accept the authority of Jesus Christ? After you are saved, the major issue in your life is the authority of Jesus C...

One of the most lovely statements in the Bible is that "the Lord is my shepherd", but we quickly forget that the shepherd has a rod and a staff, which he disciplines and chastens his sheep.  If we forget the longsuffering of God and we go on our own way and pretend that He is not there, sooner or later, we pay.  If you are a disobedient parent, you cannot protect yourself or your children from the...

When you and I are treated unfairly and unjustly, usually silence is not our strong point on occasions like that. However, the Lord Jesus Christ did not respond with even a single harsh word when being reviled and treated unjustly. When you confront injustice, unfairness and cruelty, the very wisest thing you can do is to commit your case to God, who is the righteous Judge. When you confront the c...

When one is a Christian, they are a Christian forever. However, it is possible for a Christian to be separated from the fellowship of the Lord Jesus Christ by the troubles, disturbances and earthquakes in our lives. In the crisis of life, we are tempted to give up on Jesus, but instead that is the time to walk closer with Him. When you walk away from God, you are walking in dangerous territory, be...

In this passage we see three signs that the powers of darkness are at work.  One of the frequent signs, that the powers of darkness are at work, is treachery and betrayal.   Another sign, that Satan is involved in his characteristic activity, is when in disregard to the counsel of God, we act recklessly, rashly and foolishly. Insulting and demeaning behavior towards others is also a mark of the wo...

Even though rejection is never a pleasant experience, for a Christian (a person who has believed in the Lord Jesus Christ for the free gift of eternal life) rejection can be a badge of honor.  We have opportunities in this day and time to share in the rejection of Jesus Christ and to identify ourselves with Him and with the rejection that men give to Him. We are called to bear the reproach of Jesu...

Satan cannot upset the lives of believers unless he has God's permission. Before God allows us to fail, we can be sure that our Lord Jesus Christ has already prayed for us.  God's purpose in allowing us to fail is that we might return to Him and be useful to Him like we could not have been useful before. Christian, the next time you are in the devil's den, remember you can't do it on your own, the...

One of the most powerful themes in human experience is that of separation and reunion.  Do you realize that whenever we pass through suffering that is caused by separation, no matter what that separation may be, Jesus knows what that is all about, has experienced it, and prays for us in that kind of suffering. The purpose of the Lord's Supper is not just to remember what the Lord Jesus Christ did...

A problem that has haunted the Christian church from almost the very beginning, is the problem of confusing religious reality with religious fantasy.  One of the ways we can fall into a fantasy, is through our own sense of pride and our own sense of self-importance.  Sometimes we are tempted to feel so important and so special and that we have such a special faith, that we believe that God is goin...

In our modern day and society, one of the things that people try to avoid the most is responsibility.  If something goes wrong in their life, they don't like to accept responsibility for themselves.  It is crucial that we accept our God given responsibilities.  Salvation is absolutely free, but the minute you get saved, you are a vineyard keeper and have a responsibility to God.  Accept the respon...

One of the reasons that we are often blind to the significance of the cross of Christ for our daily life and experience, is because we never ask Jesus for eyesight. One reason is that we don't open the Bible and we don't ask God to give us insight, to give us vision and to take away any blindness in our hearts. If your eyes are really open to the significance of the cross of Christ, it will inspir...

There are many ways that parents can lose their children.  The very best way to lose a child is to lose a child to God.   We are not talking about abandoning our families once and for all, but we are talking about people who are committed to Jesus Christ and their commitment sometimes takes them away from home.  A life committed to Jesus is the most rewarding and satisfying life that anyone can li...

Lordship salvation theology views Jesus' interview with the rich young ruler as the very best example of personal evangelism by Jesus recorded in the New Testament.  Lordship salvation fails to understand the story of the rich young ruler on two levels: (1) What is really happening in this story (the historical level)? (2) What is the role of this story in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke whi...

Can God still hear you saying, "I'm here."?  Prayer is more important than our food and our sleep.  Never give up on prayer.  When it comes to prayer, it is always too soon to quit.

Do you realize that whenever an unsaved sinner believes on the Lord Jesus Christ for the free gift of everlasting life, that in that very moment of faith in Christ, that he is not only born into the family of God forever, but that he also becomes a citizen of the kingdom of God.  The kingdom of God is in the midst of the world, composed of every single individual who has believed in Jesus for the...

In this message given at Jansen Bible Church shortly after the publication  Absolutely Free! (1989), Zane Hodges answers the following questions: What is faith?  What is saving faith?  What is the message that must be believed in order to be saved? What is a disciple? How is being a Christian different from being a disciple?  What is repentance?  What are the basic views of repentance and its conn...

In this message given at Jansen Bible Church shortly after the publication Absolutely Free! (1989), Zane Hodges answers the following questions: What is Lordship Salvation? Is there any substantive difference between Lordship Salvation and the Free Grace position? Is the difference between Lordship Salvation and Free Grace, just a difference in semantics? What is saving faith? Why does Lordship Sa...

Is the Christian life just a matter of resolve and determination to live a holy life? The Christian life is not a do it yourself experience. The Christian life is partnership with the Holy Spirit. We need to turn our attention and turn our interests to the things of God and to the things of His Word. We need to go to the Word to see the Lord Jesus Christ and to see the nature of our relationship t...

Out of the ten men that were healed of their leprosy, only one man had good spiritual transportation.  The one leper who returned to give thanks to Jesus had the very best spiritual transportation that the world knows anything about, a GTG (Gratitude to God). There is a Creator who gives us all things richly to enjoy and it is serious when we fail to give thanks appropriately to Him. Are we drivin...

Tragically, there are born again Christians, that think of God as Someone Who will give them instant gratification. They think if they play the game right, then God will reward them lavishly here and now.  Is there such thing as a big faith compared to a small faith? The issue in faith is not the size of faith. The issue in faith is whether it is there. Faith is having confidence in what God says....

What is the most potent, the most addictive, the most intoxicating, and the most dangerous drug known to man? Pleasure.  The purpose of the story of the rich man and Lazarus is not to explain why Lazarus and the rich man are where they are, but to show that these two men have traded places. Those who never believe in Jesus Christ for the free gift of eternal life will one day find that their days...

What is the tallest tale that a man can tell?  I am a good person.  It doesn't matter how good we look to men, what counts is what God sees on the inside.  Jesus Christ was the only truly good person that ever walked the face of this earth.  If you have convinced someone that you are a good person, you have convinced a dummy. This message was given two weeks after the Dallas Cowboys football team...