Faith

Faith

“A voice says, “Cry out.” And I said, “What shall I cry?” 

“All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field. 

The grass withers and the flowers fall, 

because the breath of the LORD blows on them. 

Surely the people are grass. 

The grass withers and the flowers fall, 

but the word of our God stands forever.” 

                                                                    Isaiah 40:6-8.

There is one thing we all know. We will not get out of this life alive. I however do not believe life ends in death. I believe human beings are eternal beings. Beings created by God to have fellowship with Him.
For me if there is no life after death. If this life is all we have it’s a waste of time. The writer of Ecclesiastes states,
“I denied myself nothing my eyes desired; I refused my heart no pleasure. My heart took delight in all my work, and this was the reward for all my labor. 
Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun.” Ecclesiastes 2:10,11.
Someone one once said to me,

“life’s a game and he who has all the toys in the end wins”

Nothing could be further from the truth for at the end of this life you can take nothing with you. All you have accumulated in this life will be divided up and given to others.
The only thing you take with you to the next life is your faith in God.
The writer of Ecclesiastes tells us,
“Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole  duty  of man. 
For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.”Ecclesiastes 12:13,14.
The writer of Hebrews tells us,

“And without faith it is impossible to please God, 

because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists 

and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” 

                                                         Hebrews 11:6.

The apostle Paul writes,
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—  not by works, so that no one can boast.” Ephesians 2:8,9.
I as a Christian believe God has made things as simple as possible for individuals to get to heaven. God has even gone as far as to enter into the world he created in the form of His one and Only Son Jesus Christ.
The apostle John referring to Jesus as “the Word” said,
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  
He was with God in the beginning. 
Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.  
In him was life, and that life was the light of men....
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” John 1:1-4,14.
John also making it clear,
“Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—  children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.” John 1:12,13 
As I said the key to eternal life with God is faith. The writer of Hebrews telling us,

“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for 

and 

certain of what we do not see.” 

                                       Hebrews 11:1.

Do you believe in God?
Please think carefully about it.

Faith in God

Faith in God
Abba Hillel Silver wrote,
“Faith in God is the strongest bulwark of a free society.  Human freedom began when men became conscious that over and above society and nature there is a God who created them...who fashioned them in His likeness, and that they are, therefore, possessed of intrinsic and independent significance and are endowed, as individuals, with original and irrevocable rights and authority.”
                                                                                                                                     Abba Hillel Silver
I know some say there is no God but to my mind there has to be a God a God who has sent in the hearts and minds of man absolute values.
Without a belief in common moral values society would slip into anarchy or worse go extinct.
We only have to look around the world today to see this is true. Terrorist such as Islamic State and other groups think it acceptable to murder people because they disagree with them.
They bomb airports, transportation systems and other public places and consider it acceptable behaviour.
World war two is the most dramatic example of men setting their own moral code. Hitler and his henchmen ordering the death of millions in death camps. Causing ultimately the deaths of nearly sixty million due to the war they caused.
Examples of people not following God’s moral code happens daily on a small scale in every city in the world. People steal, murder, and commit other crimes all the time, without thought of the consequences.
When men think they will not be punished for their actions, or do not fear that punishment they will continue to set their own moral standards.
It is I believe only when men realize consciously or subconsciously  that they will one day have to answer to God that they will change their ways.
The writer of Ecclesiastes states,
“Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole  duty  of man. 
For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.” 
Ecclesiastes12:13,14.
Where do you stand on God.
Please think about it.

Are you Sure?

Are you sure?
C. S. Lewis said two things I think each person needs to think about.
“A man can no more diminish God's glory by refusing to worship Him than a lunatic can put out the sun by scribbling the word 'darkness' on the walls of his cell.” 
                                                                                 C.S. Lewis, The Problem of Pain.
“Christianity, if false, is of no importance, and if true, of infinite importance. The only thing it cannot be is moderately important.”
                                                        C. S. Lewis.
The Bible does not debate the existence of God. It simply states,
“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” 
                                                                                        Genesis 1:1.
The Bible leaves it up to man to make his own decision as to whether he believe in God or not.
I as a Christian take things one step further. I believe the apostle John who said,
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  
He was with God in the beginning. 
Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.  
In him was life, and that life was the light of men.... 
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”
                                                                                                    John 1:1-4,14.
I believe what John refers to as the word is Jesus. That Jesus is God. That God entered the world He created in the form of His one and Only Son Jesus to point the mankind to Himself.
I believe Jesus had to come into the world in order that God could be just when He come to judging us.
Think about it. When a man stands before God he cannot say “You don’t know what it is like to be human with all the frailties and temptations that a man has to face.”
We can’t say that because Jesus walked the face of this earth. He understood what it was like to a man.
 Jesus would have experienced everything from the mundane things like feeling the sun and rain against his face to the pain of a savage beating to the agony of death on a  cross.
He would have known the love of his parents, and friends and felt the hatred of those who were his enemies.
The question is do you believe all of this? There is no middle ground with God you either believe Jesus is the One and Only Son of God, the Saviour of mankind or not.
Please think about it.

You and God

You and God

“No one can read the Gospels without feeling the actual presence of Jesus. His personality pulsates in every word. No myth is filled with such life.… No man can deny the fact that Jesus existed, nor that his sayings are beautiful.”
                                                               Albert Einstein 
There are many people out there who would deny Christ existed. I disagree and frankly feel they are misguided. The overwhelming evidence is that Jesus existed.
The eternal question people have to ask themselves is who is Jesus.
The gospel of John records this conversation between Jesus and Martha
“Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies;  and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” 
“Yes, Lord,” she told him, “I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who was to come into the world.” 
        John 11:25-27.
While Martha believed Jesus is the Christ the Son of God, many today as then did not believe.
Jesus made many statements about himself. He said,
“I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” 
                                                                                                                                             John 14:6b.
He made the following statement about himself saying,
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.  
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.  Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son”. 
                                                                                                               John 3:16-18.
These are important statements that you must believe or reject there is no middle ground. C. S. Lewis noted,
“I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept his claim to be God. That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic — on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg — or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse. You can shut him up for a fool, you can spit at him and kill him as a demon or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God, but let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about his being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.” 
                                                                                      C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity.
The choice is up to you.
Most people think they know who Jesus is and have never read the New Testament for themselves. I would ask you the reader to read the New Testament for yourself. For it is only reading it for yourself that you can make a truly informed decision as to who Jesus is.
Please think about it.

A Principle

A principle

“Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.  
Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates.”  
                                                                                                        Exodus 20:8-10.
Here is a principle Muslims, Christians and Jews agree on. Taking one day to honour God. One day off from our labours.
As I look around the world today, particularly here in North America where I live I see men and women who are stressed out.
Statistics show that many don’t take all their allotted vacation time. Many take work on vacation with them and home during the week.
Over the years our world has moved away from the principles of God. Something as simple as stopping once a week to rest.
I can remember a time in Canada when I first arrived that stores had to be closed on Sunday’s. The law went as far as saying even transport trucks could not travel on Sunday’s. The exception was vehicles carrying perishable goods.
This was a break that allowed for family time. However secular forces mostly from retailers won the day and Sunday closings became a thing of the past.
The result is it can be hard to have family time.
On top of all of this we are bombarded by the media telling us we need the latest gadget.
When I was young I didn’t know I needed a smart cell phone, or a handy dandy tablet that can keep in touch with people 24/7. They simply were not around and we got by just fine. Now we can’t it seems get by without them.
Now while there is nothing wrong with the latest technology or wanting the best things in life. There is something wrong if you have to work ridiculously long hours to earn the money to get the best things in life at the expense of time with family and friends.
Sadly too many people today are doing just that. They are working long hours just to pay the bills so they can keep their nice house and gadgets.
Sadly over the years I’ve heard of many people who have simply committed suicide because they can’t take the strain of living in modern society.
God’s call through Jesus is clear. Jesus said,
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  
Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  
For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” 
                                                    Matthew 11:28-30.
I firmly believe that if we return to the basic principles of living a life God wants us to live, one of honouring God, loving one’s neighbours and even our enemies. Taking at least one day a week to relax without the thought of work, our society and we as individuals will be all the better for it.
Please think about it.

No God?

No God?
“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” 
                                                                                 Genesis 1:1
The Bible does not debate the existence of God. It simply states from the outset that God created the heavens and the earth.
How God made the universe be it using the big bang or other means is immaterial to the fact that God exists and that he created the heavens and the earth.
The atheist says there is no God yet he has no definite proof of that.
Peter John Kreeft states, 
“Atheism is cheap on people through, because it snobbishly says nine out of ten people through history have been wrong about God and have had a lie at the core of their hearts.”
                                                                                                                   Peter John Kreeft.
For those who would believe in God the evidence is all around. The psalmist writes,
“The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. 
There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard.” 
                                                                                                 Psalm 19:1-3
Scientist tell us that Earth lies in the so called “Goldilocks zone” the perfect place around our sun for life to exist.
If we look all around us we can see the universe is in perfect balance. Some one once told me the Universe from the smallest subatomic particle to the largest galaxy is mathematically perfect. The mathematicians and scientist may not have all the formulas that show how perfect the universe is but given time and good science they will one day find all of them.
I personally cannot believe that the universe in which we live just came about by chance. There must be a creator.
Further more if this life is all there is and we simply pass on to oblivion what a waste of a soul.
For me and the majority of people that have ever lived, knowing there is a God and a life beyond this one makes life worthwhile.
Christians in particular look forward to going to heaven for we know beyond doubt where we will spend eternity.
I agree with Kreeft when he says,
“Atheism treats people cheaply. Also, it robs death of meaning, and if death has no meaning, how can life ultimately have meaning?”
                                                Peter John Kreeft ph.d 
For me what the psalmist says is true,
“The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” 
                                                                        Psalm 14:1.
I say that because all the evidence in nature and in science and in the bible points the way to there being a God who loves each and every individual on earth.
Ultimately even though the facts are out there proving the existence of God. There is required an element of faith.
The writer of Hebrews saying,
“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”
                                                                                                  Hebrews 11:6
God gave man a free will that free will includes the right to believe in Him or not. The choice is yours.
Please thing about it.

A Proclamation

A Proclamation

“Then I saw another angel flying in midair, and he had the eternal gospel to proclaim to those who live on the earth—to every nation, tribe, language and people.  
He said in a loud voice, “Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgement has come. Worship him who made the heavens, the earth, the sea and the springs of water.” 
                                                                                                     Revelations 14:6,7.
I firmly believe what is said here in Revelations 14:6,7. God will one day judge the world.
Peter is recorded in the book of Acts as saying,
“He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead.  
All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.” 
                 Acts 10:42,43.
This is the reason I write these Blogs. I firmly believe everyone, everywhere needs to know of the love of God.
They need to know that God is a God of mercy and love and that he has reached down to mankind in the form of Jesus Christ to offer salvation and eternal life to all who believe in Him.
Jesus said,
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.  
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.  
John 3:16,17.
God couldn’t have made salvation and the eternal life it brings any easier Paul writing,
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—  not by works, so that no one can boast.” 
                                                                Ephesians 2:8,9.
It all comes down to faith. What you believe. Do you believe Jesus is the one and Only Son of God, the Saviour of the world or not.
Faith is a very personal thing between the individual and God. Only you know your relationship to God.
The writer of Hebrews states,
“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” 
                                                                                                           Hebrews 11:1
“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”
                                                                                          Hebrews 11:6.
The choice is yours.
Think about it.

Ticket

“Ticket”

“Where am I?

What, am...

I doing here?”

“You are her.”

Says the Conductor.

“Your ticket please.”

“I bought no ticket.

I took no ride.

Where am I?”

“Your ride is over, You are here. All take the ride.

Your ticket’s paid for, Says the Conductor You are here.

Your ticket please, Please your ticket. Your ticket.

please.”

“I took no ride!

Where am I?

I demand to know!

I took no...

ride...

Am I...”

“You are here.

All take the ride.

The ticket paid for,

With My blood.

“I am here...

I have no ticket...

And you are...”

“Jesus.”

When you come to the end of the ride that is this life will have your ticket?
Are you certain that you will spend and eternity with God in heaven?
The following is what I believe is the way to heaven. I believe it is simple and open to anyone, and I mean anyone to follow.
Ultimately salvation is an act of faith, Hebrews stating,
“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him”
Hebrews 11:6
Faith defined as,
“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” 
                                                                                                              Hebrews 11:1
Next it come down to who you think Jesus is and what his purpose on this earth was for, The gospel of John states,
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.  
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” 
   John 3:16,17.
Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” 
            John 14:6
   Paul writing to the Romans said,
“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.” 
                                        Romans 3:23,24.
Sinning is falling short of what God wants for you life. Sin separates us from God and everyone no matter who they are sins,
John noting,
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.  
If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.” 
       1 John 1:9,10.
Paul make it clear salvation is not something we can work for. Paul writing to the Ephesians stating, 
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—  not by works, so that no one can boast.” 
                                                                  Ephesians 2:8,9
Ultimately however like I said, salvation is an act of faith, and who you think Jesus. Either he is the Son of God, the Saviour of the world who died for you sins or he is not.
If you believe he is the Son of God and Saviour of the world then accepting him into your life is as simple as a prayer like this.
Will you accept Christ into your life today. If you are willing you can pray this prayer,
Dear Heavenly Father,
I believe in You. I believe that Jesus is your one and only Son. That he came to earth to die for my sins.
Please forgive my sins this day and come into my life. That I may spend eternity with you.
In Jesus name I pray amen.
Please think about where you stand with God.

The way to Heaven

The Way to Heaven
The way to heaven is I believe simple and open to anyone, and I mean anyone to follow.
It come down to who you think Jesus is and what his purpose on this earth was for.
For me the following is what I believe is the way to heaven. I do not wish to force my beliefs on anyone, I simply put them here for you to decide.
First of all it is an act of faith. Faith defined by the writer of Hebrews as,
“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” 
                                                                                                              Hebrews 11:1
The writer going on to say,
“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him”
                                                                                                           Hebrews 11:6
The Apostle Paul make it clear salvation and the eternal life it brings is not something we can work for. Paul writing to the Ephesians stating,
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—  not by works, so that no one can boast.” 
                                                                  Ephesians 2:8,9
Salvation come from God to man. It is God in love reaching down to mankind. The apostle John writing,
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.  
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” 
   John 3:16,17.
When asked the way to heaven,
Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” 
                John 14:6
 The apostle Paul writing to the Romans said,
“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.” 
                                                    Romans 3:23,24.
Sinning is falling short of what God wants for you life. Sin separates us from God.
Isaiah telling us,
“All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away.” 
                                                                                                            Isaiah 64:6
The Apostle John noting,
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.  
If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.” 
       1 John 1:9,10.
Simply put salvation and eternal life with God comes through accepting Jesus as God’s one and only Son. Believing that he came to die for our sins. Confessing in prayer our sins directly to God. Accepting that forgiveness. And letting Christ into our hearts and mind.
Please think about it.

Victory

Victory

“Victory at all costs, victory in spite of all terror, victory however long and hard the road may be; for without victory, there is no survival.”
                                                 Winston Churchill.
As I look at the world today I see there is a need for a Churchill. Churchill stood up to what was perhaps the most evil person ever in the history of the world, Hitler. The war he was allowed to cause by the politicians of his day who tried to appease him, cost close to sixty million lives.
Today we have a very different kind of world war. It is however a world war. On all fronts. No country can attack it alone, not even the United States with all its power.
There need to be an international alliance of free nations that are willing to take the fight to the enemy in the same way the allies of World war two did.
For me war of any kind doesn’t really bother me. I look at what my mother and father went through. My father was in the army in many conflicts throughout world war two.
My mother was under the bombs of Hitler’s air force. From 1939 to 1945 she watched the bombs fall. She survived and so did the majority of people in Britain. Thousands did die but millions lived.
Bombs whether from an aircraft or delivered by suicide bombers cannot kill the majority of people. Each bomb however should stiffen the resolve of we the free people of the world to destroy those evil people who would attempt to destroy our way of life.
I as a Christian consider myself a man of peace but even Jesus said in the latter days there would be wars.
As a Christian I truly believe that a life turned over to Jesus can change not only that person but if enough lives are changed can change the world.
Unfortunately my Bible also tells me that people will turn away from God and there will be another major war.
I don’t know when it will be I hope we are not in the opening scenes of this war. For if the Bible is to be believed and I believe it should be. The war it talks about will be worse than world war two ushering a great evil into the world.
For me I know God is in charge. Even if it may not seem like it at times. I know ultimately where I will spend eternity. Do you?
Think about it.

A Foolish Claim

A foolish Claim???

“The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” 
                                                                Psalm 14:1

“For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.  
For it is written: “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.” 
Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?  
For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe.  
Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom,  but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles,  but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.  
For the foolishness of God is wiser than man’s wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man’s strength.” 
1 Corinthians1:18-25
As I write this Christmas is within sight here in North America. A time Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ.
We know it’s not his actual birth but it’s a time the early church decided to celebrate it, and it has stuck through the centuries.
Most historians be they secular, or Christian agree that Jesus did in fact exist. That the evidence both inside and outside the Bible points to the fact that Jesus did live. What secular historians and Atheist disagree with Christians on is who he is.
Christians believe Jesus is indeed the Son of God. God incarnate. That he died, rose from the grave and ascended to heaven. To the none believer foolishness. As the apostle Paul notes,
“For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.”
A lot of what the New Testament speaks of regarding Jesus if not true, would if you think about it be foolishness and counter productive to the cause of the Church.
It is universally accepted that most if not all of the New Testament, and most definitely the Gospels were written within living memory of the death of Jesus.
Thus too make claims such as are made in the gospels if not true would most certainly be counter productive.
But the Bible aside, records of Jesus and some of the claims of the early church abound in other writings not controlled by Christians.
Some of those who speak about Jesus and the early Christians, their beliefs and practices were even enemies and thus can’t be accused of lying for the Christian cause.
These were men like Pliny the Younger, the Roman governor of Bithynia-Pontus. Flavius Josephus, a Jewish historian, born 34AD  became a Pharisee at 19, later commander, of the Jewish forces in Galilee. Captured by Romans and attached to their headquarters.
Julian the Apostate, Roman Emperor from 361-363 A.D. and one of the most gifted ancient adversaries to Christianity. Said In his work against Christianity:
“Jesus…has now been celebrated about three hundred years having done nothing in his lifetime worthy of fame, unless anyone thinks it is a very great work to heal lame and blind people and exorcise demoniacs in the villages of Bethsaida and Bethany.”
But at the end of his life was forced to say: “Thou has conquered, O Galilean!”
                                                                                                              Julian the Apostate
The truth is Jesus existed and he did all that the Bible says he did.
If the historians and the men I’ve quoted above are wrong then I as a Christian have nothing to fear. I have simply lived a good life.
If I and they and every Christian in the world is right as we believe we are, then those who think the Gospel foolish, or God does not exist and Jesus is not who he claimed to be then those people have a lot to fear.
Jesus made it clear when he said,
.. “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
                                                                                                                      John 14:6
This in a time when making such a statement could have got him the death penalty. Which makes Jesus either at least a little crazy. After all what sane man would say a thing that could possibly get him killed if it were not completely true?
Think about it.