Samara’s Reviews > Encounters with Jesus: Unexpected Answers to Life's Biggest Questions > Status Update
Samara
is on page 18 of 213
…if you’re a skeptical about Christianity, I would like you to realize you have a balance to strike. First, to remain skeptical forever is intellectually and morally self-defeating. On the other hand, surrendering to the first idea that you hope will solve your deep emotional needs will not answer any questions for you in the end…Christianity is not a consumer good. You should turn to it only if it is true.
— Jun 23, 2026 12:51PM
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Samara’s Previous Updates
Samara
is on page 46 of 213
You could denounce him for being evil, or you may flee from him because he's a lunatic, or you can fall down and worship him for being God. All of those reactions make sense; they are consistent with the reality of his words. But what you can't do is respond moderately.
— 12 hours, 24 min ago
Samara
is on page 39 of 213
Ch2’s Q: What is wrong with the world the way it is?
Keller’s answer (summarized): We’re all looking for answers, for fulfillment, for things to build our lives on. However, we all struggle with looking for these answers in places that give us none and end up making us feel worse about ourselves and the world around us.
“Jesus is the only savior who will satisfy you, and if you fail him will forgive you.”
— Jun 28, 2026 02:45PM
Keller’s answer (summarized): We’re all looking for answers, for fulfillment, for things to build our lives on. However, we all struggle with looking for these answers in places that give us none and end up making us feel worse about ourselves and the world around us.
“Jesus is the only savior who will satisfy you, and if you fail him will forgive you.”
Samara
is on page 39 of 213
Seeing what he did and why he did it will turn our hearts away from the things that enslave us and toward him in worship. That is the gospel, and it is the same for skeptics, believers, insiders, outcasts, and everyone in between.
— Jun 28, 2026 02:38PM
Samara
is on page 39 of 213
It is because Jesus Christ experienced cosmic thirst on the cross that you and I can have our spiritual thirst satisfied. It is because he died that we can be born again. And he did it gladly.
— Jun 28, 2026 02:38PM
Samara
is on page 38 of 213
She found the living water because Jesus Christ said, “I thirst.”
— Jun 28, 2026 02:37PM
Samara
is on page 38 of 213
If you build your life on your career, or your spouse, or your money, or your morality, and it fails, there is no hope for you. Do you know why? Because every other savior but Jesus Christ is not really a savior.
If your career fails, it won't forgive you. It can only punish you with self-loathing and shame. Jesus is the only savior who if you gain him will satisfy you, and if you fail him will forgive you.
— Jun 28, 2026 02:36PM
If your career fails, it won't forgive you. It can only punish you with self-loathing and shame. Jesus is the only savior who if you gain him will satisfy you, and if you fail him will forgive you.
Samara
is on page 37 of 213
And if there is a God, you owe him literally everything. If there is a God, you owe him far more than a morally decent life. He deserves to be at the center of your life.
— Jun 28, 2026 02:35PM
Samara
is on page 35 of 213
Sin is looking to something else besides God for your salvation.
— Jun 28, 2026 02:34PM
Samara
is on page 34 of 213
You don't earn or contribute anything to being born. It is a free gift of life. And so it is with the new birth. Salvation is by grace-there are no moral efforts that can carn or merit it. You must be born again.
— Jun 28, 2026 02:30PM
Samara
is on page 29 of 213
“Everybody worships. The only choice we get is what to worship. And the compelling reason for maybe choosing some sort of god... to worship... is that pretty much anything else you worship will eat you alive.” -David Foster Wallace
— Jun 28, 2026 02:24PM
