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Texas pastor reminds all that the cross is proof of God's love for humanity
“Hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out into our hearts, through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. For Christ, while we were still helpless, died at the appointed time for the ungodly … God proves his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:5-8).
This message is a reminder that the hope provided by Jesus Christ is an objective reality, Rev. Jeremiah Johnston told Fox News Digital.
Johnston is pastor of apologetics at Prestonwood Baptist Church in Dallas, Texas, and founder of the Christian Thinkers Society.
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“In Jesus we are blessed by God with an excruciating gift,” Johnston told Fox News Digital via email.
“The word excruciating is derived from the Latin at its root (excruciat based on crux, meaning ‘a cross’). That is, the Latin meaning had to do with suffering extreme torment, such as being crucified,” he said.
Rev. Jeremiah Johnston of Texas said that the hope of Jesus is an “objective reality.” (iStock/Bertuzzi Photography)
With Jesus, “God sent his Son to a filthy, bloody, squalid cross to demonstrate His love for us.”
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This means that Christians should “never have the attitude that God is somehow lucky to have us,” said Johnston.
Christians should “never have the attitude that God is somehow lucky to have us” — and should instead acknowledge that “long before we were born, God loved us.” (iStock)
With this passage, all people should be assured that “long before we were born, God loved us before we had done anything good or bad.”
The cross, said Johnston, is proof of the extent of how much God loves humanity.
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“Let’s focus in on the final phrase, ‘But God proves (Συνίστησιν in Greek) His love for us,’” he said, referencing Romans 5:8.
Christ’s death on the cross is how Christians “can know that God loves us now,” said Johnston. (iStock)
“This is the equivalent of saying God is still proving His love for us in the present by His completed action of sending Christ to die for us on the cross.”
Essentially, “we can know that God loves us now because of all Christ did for us on the cross,” he said.
“This is all God ever needed to do to show His love at the present time,” he said.
“The death of Christ [is of] biting significance as a permanent stamp of God’s full and joyful acceptance of those who trust in Jesus for forgiveness of sin and eternal life in heaven,” Johnston said.
Jesus, he said, “established hope for us that does not disappoint.”
“And the hope that is ours in Jesus is an objective reality — and the subjective feeling of hope will come as we allow Christ to be established in our hearts through communion with Him in his Word,” said Johnston.
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Jurors deliberating the fate of the man accused of starting the Palisades Fire, one of the most destructive wildfires in California’s history, failed to reach a verdict Thursday afternoon, telling the judge they were deadlocked.
A spokesperson from the United States Attorney’s Office told KTLA that jurors will continue to deliberate until they reach a verdict or give up.
Jonathan Rinderknecht, 30, a former Uber driver and one-time Pacific Palisades resident, is accused of starting the Lachman Fire on New Year’s Eve. The fire continued to smolder underground for about a week, even after Los Angeles firefighters believed it had been extinguished.
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A courtroom sketch of Jonathan Rinderknecht, 29, during his initial court appearance on Oct. 23, 2025. (Bill Robles) -
The U.S. Dept. of Justice booking photo of Jonathan Rinderknecht over the Palisades Fire devastation in Malibu, California in January 2025 (AP).
Prosecutors argued that Rinderknecht deliberately set the fire, claiming he had grown increasingly resentful of wealthy residents and viewed Pacific Palisades as a symbol of that frustration.
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The defense argued there is no direct physical evidence tying Rinderknecht to the fire and said the prosecution’s case relies entirely on circumstantial evidence. Rinderknecht did not testify during the trial.
Defense attorney Steve Haney spoke outside the courthouse Wednesday about why he believes it will be difficult for prosecutors to prove how the fire started.
“The lack of scene preservation. The fact that they got there after a lot of the evidence was missing. Not a lot of direct evidence. This is a circumstantial case, which is always difficult as a prosecutor to prove,” Haney said.
Rinderknecht, who was arrested and indicted last October, faces up to 45 years in prison if found guilty of three arson counts, including destruction of property by means of fire, arson affecting property used in interstate commerce and timber set afire.
Tony Kurzweil contributed to this report
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