Stephen Cox

If you died tonight, would you know without any doubt, that you would be in Heaven? You are not saved by going to church. You are not saved by being a part of a certain denomination. You are not saved because you hold an office in the church. You are not saved by works. You are saved by grace through faith in the finished works of Christ. The work of calvary settled it all! • Realize that ALL have sinned. Romans 3:23” For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” •Our sin debt must be paid. Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” • Jesus paid that debt with his death on the cross. What LOVE! Romans 5:8 “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” •If you will simply believe, by faith, that Jesus is the Son of God, who died, was buried and rose again, for the sins of the world, you can be saved today! Romans 10:9 “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Ask Christ to save you now! Feel free to message me if you have any questions about salvation. Feel free to share. The gospel is powerful! #TheGospel #Jesus #JesusSaves

Wow!

@DaveAbberger That is awesome bro!

How good was prime Larry Bird?? This good…..

Gentlemen, Preach the Word today! It’s the Lord’s Day!💪🏻

One thing that was evident in @bellevuepastor life and ministry was his love for sharing Christ with others. He was always kind to me on social media.. I hate I never got the chance to meet him on earth but one day we will..

It was great getting to preach at the college and fellowship with @PaulChappell. What an incredible ministry!

@mattgoins Your continued journey for Christ has encouraged many.. thank you.

Three years ago, on a Tuesday in March, I was preparing with my youngest son to watch USA vs Japan in the final of the World Baseball Classic. We never watched the game. I was in the kitchen making coffee when a flurry of calls started coming in -- with the news that my middle son had been struck by a vehicle while he was working. Tears and desperate prayers followed as we waited for an update. Then the call from my oldest son an agonizing 45 minutes later with the choked words "he's gone"; then Pastor Redlin's calming voice that took the phone and said: "Matt. I'm with Joash. Jadon is with Jesus." Suddenly, baseball didn't matter; coffee didn't matter; nor any of the other things I enjoy in this life. At that time (and now), the only thing that mattered is Jesus Christ -- His saving work on the cross and his resurrection defeating sin and death -- and that my son IS SAFE in Him.

Gentlemen, Preach the Word today! It’s the Lord’s Day! 💪🏻

Preach the Word!

My latest column: The Covenant Endures: Israel, Iran, and The Test of American Leadership. 🇺🇸 🇮🇱 Link in comments.

Gentlemen, Preach the Word today! It’s the Lord’s Day! 💪🏻

When it comes to unity we all need to learn that we can be brothers without being twins. ~ Adrian Rogers

@YouthLeaderLar1 @JoeShakour I have compromised, Larry. Pray for me. 😂

@JoeShakour @StephenCox_SC Miss the days when @StephenCox_SC used to stand for something... #jeep #beard #liberal

Thankful for the friendship and ministry of @StephenCox_SC today at Men’s United. Loved the description of Grace as God’s Resources Applied to the Christian Experience

@JoeShakour Really grateful for the opportunity. TY!

Preach the Word!

This story is now more than 25 years old and I have told it more times than I can count, but it hits very differently today. I was anchoring SportsCenter one afternoon and Lou Holtz was on the show. I was quite excited to talk with him, he had been an icon all of my life. He was very friendly, asking me all about myself as we walked toward the studio to record an interview. I told him: “Actually, Coach, it’s quite exciting, my wife and I are expecting our first child in the next few weeks.” He stopped dead in his tracks and put a finger up near my face. And I’ll never forget what he said. “Young man, the most important thing you can do for a child is make sure every day they know how much you love their mother.” And, just like that, he started walking again. Our daughter was born a month later, our son came two years after that. And I have thought about what Lou Holtz said to me that day about a million times since. RIP Coach, thanks for the best advice anyone ever gave me.

Social media has given a microphone to everyone with Wi-Fi and an opinion. And many who have never carefully walked through Genesis, Romans, or the prophets are now declaring that God is “finished” with Israel. That is not new theology. It is recycled confusion with better lighting and a podcast intro. Let’s deal with it plainly. 1. The Abrahamic Covenant Was Unconditional In Book of Genesis 12:1–3, God made promises to Abraham: • A land • A seed • A blessing In Genesis 15, God alone passed between the pieces of the sacrifice. Abraham did not. That matters. It means the covenant’s fulfillment rested on God’s faithfulness, not Abraham’s performance. If the covenant depended on Israel’s obedience, it would have collapsed long ago. But it does not rest on Israel’s perfection. It rests on God’s character. And God does not revoke unconditional promises. 2. The New Testament Explicitly Affirms Israel’s Future In Epistle to the Romans 11, Paul asks a direct question: “Hath God cast away his people?” (Rom. 11:1) His answer? “God forbid.” Romans 11:28–29 says: “For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.” That word “repentance” (amelēta) means irrevocable, not to be withdrawn. Paul distinguishes: • The Church • Israel He speaks of a future national turning: “And so all Israel shall be saved.” (Rom. 11:26) If Israel is permanently replaced, Paul’s entire argument collapses. 3. “They Aren’t Orthodox Enough” Is the Wrong Standard Here is where social media theology goes sideways. People argue: “Modern Jews aren’t orthodox enough.” “They reject Christ.” “Therefore God is done with them.” But ask this: Was Israel orthodox enough in the Old Testament? They worshiped Baal. They killed prophets. They broke covenant repeatedly. And yet God preserved a remnant and promised national restoration (see Book of Jeremiah 31; Book of Ezekiel 36–37). God’s covenant faithfulness has never depended on Israel’s spiritual consistency. If it did, none of us would have salvation either. 4. The Danger of Replacement Theology Replacement theology (supersessionism) teaches that the Church has permanently replaced Israel in God’s plan. It sounds spiritual. It sounds Christ-centered. But it ignores literal promises made to ethnic Israel regarding land and kingdom. If God can permanently cancel Israel’s promises because of disobedience, what assurance do Gentile believers have? The same God who keeps His word to Israel keeps His word to the Church. Undermine one, and you weaken both. 5. A Balanced Biblical Position Let’s be clear and careful: • Salvation is only through Jesus Christ. • No one is saved apart from the gospel. • National Israel today is largely in unbelief. • But Scripture teaches a future national turning. You can love Israel without idolizing the modern state. You can support biblical prophecy without confusing it with politics. You can reject anti-Semitism without compromising the gospel. That’s biblical balance. 🙏🏻A Word to Preachers Do not let TikTok shape your theology. Walk through the text. Read the covenants carefully. Let Scripture interpret Scripture. God made promises to Abraham. Paul says they are irrevocable. The prophets speak of restoration. God is not finished with Israel. And if He were, Romans 11 would read very differently. Stay with the Book. Preach the Word!