Steven Garofalo
Spirituality/Belief • Education • News
IS GOD’S GRACE LIMITED?
By Steven Garofalo, July 19, 2024 (Copyright 2024)
July 19, 2024

Human beings tend to see God’s grace, patients and forgiveness as either being limitless, or having some arbitrary pre-set limit that we tend to assign or define personally.Today, I am going to show you that when it comes to God’s desire for all to come to repent of their sin and authentically follow Jesus as Lord and Savior-that even the worst of the worst sinners find NO limit to God’s forgiveness and acceptance. Let’s jump right in.

I was recently asked by an old friend, "Do you still keep in touch with that serial killer David Berkowitz (Son of Sam)?" I replied, yes, of course I do. He is authentically saved by the blood of Jesus Christ. My friend’s response was to push back in that it’s a psychosocial issue and that David is mentally crazy and dangerous. I explained to him that David personally wrote to me in the past that it’s frustrating that the prison system wants to categorize his past sinful behavior as a past-Satanic follower as psychological and not spiritual. My old friend has not surrendered his life and eternal salvation to Christ so his response was not surprising to me.

My friend went onto say that David is crazy and dangerous-so why would you keep in touch with him? I explained that David was saved by the blood of Jesus Christ decades ago and has been a baffling example of one of the best behaved prisoners in the country for many decades now. Furthermore, David has a wonderful ministry behind bars in prison. This gentleman could not accept that answer.  Again, my friend has not accepted God's grace as sufficient means for his own salvation in his own life so it makes sense that he cannot accept God’s grace and forgivenesses for a man who was once a serial killer, turned “Son of Sam” to “Son of God” decades ago.

In order to make sense of this, I turned to the Bible for wisdom and an answer, and quickly thought of the Parable of the Lost Sheep in Luke 15 which addresses this exact thing. Let’s read the parable found in Luke 15, verses one through seven.

 THE PARABLE OF THE LOST SHEEP: (Luke 15:1-7)

“15 Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him. 2 And the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, “This man receives sinners and eats with them.” 3 So he told them this parable: 4 “What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it? 5 And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. 6 And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.’ 7 Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.

The parable speaks to God’s answer to our question as it was given by Jesus himself. That being said, I want to point out FIVE simple observational truths found within these seven verses that will answer the question as to the limitless forgiveness of God’s grace. Let’s start by looking at verse one:

FIRST: Notice that Jesus came to hang out with sinners who "were all drawing near to him" (v.1). Jesus has a way about Him that draws sinners (which includes all of us by the way). The greater the sinner the greater the draw. Jesus came to save the lost not entertain the self-righteous.

SECOND: The MORE one is forgiven, the more appreciation they have for the forgiveness and grace God has given them through Jesus Christ. Rewinding to Luke chapter 7, Jesus said this:

“Two people owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred Denali, and the other fifty. Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he forgave the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more? Simon replied, “”I suppose the one who had the bigger debt forgiven””. (Jesus replied) “You have judged correctly, “ Jesus said” (Luke 7:41-43 NIV). The bottom line is that the more one is forgiven, the more appreciation that person has for the new person they become in Christ through God’s forgivenesses.

THIRD: Many people today, including many Christians cannot believe that God could or would save a serial killer. But He does and always has. Remember verse four whereby Jesus literally states that God goes after the "THE ONE THAT IS LOST, UNTIL HE FINDS IT" (v.4). God doesn’t arbitrarily choose to cast anyone into hell-but allows those who reject Him to choose their own eternal road to hell should they choose. We often think of God casting sinners into hell. This is not true in that God simply gives people what they want and what they asked for. If they reject God, they choose hell on their own and not against their will.

FOURTH: When God finally connects with the lost, just as He did with you and I, He picks us up and puts us on His shoulders, burdening Himself with our sin as we are forgiven and covered by God’s forgiveness through the blood of Christ. After walking with the Lord for many decades, I can tell you that God’s forgiveness is literal in that the days that I don’t go before God and ask His forgiveness are heavy while the days that I spend time with him and ask His daily forgiveness-while challenging, are filled with God’s grace and favor. God put’s the sinner on His shoulders and literally “shoulders his or her sin”.  VERSE GIVE says, “5 And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing.”

FIFTH AND LASTLY: In heaven, I think that we will be surprised by some of the people that made it into the kingdom of God and those who didn’t. IN HEAVEN, "There will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no reptence" (v.7). In truth the 99 who need no repentance are those of us who THINK we need no repentance. We ALL need repentence and to repent daily.

IN CONCLUSION: In Heaven, there is a massive celebration with each and every person who authentically comes to trust in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. VERSE SIX SAYS: “AND WHEN HE COMES HOME, HE CALLS TOGETHER HIS FRIENDS AND HIS NEIGHBORS, SAYING TO THEM, ‘REJOICE WITH ME, FOR I HAVE FOUND MY SHEEP THAT WAS LOST” (v.6). And this includes my friend David Berkowitz, AKA “Son of Sam Serial Killer before being saved by God’s grace through the blood of Jesus Christ.

David Berkowitz, AKA Son of Sam or now "Son of God" authentically reptended and is a new creation in Christ-just as you and I are in Christ. The truth about God's grace is that it shatters our idea of how much grace and forgiveness that God would and does extend to human beings. If we are honest with ourselves, we will admit that we demand justice upon others but God’s limitless grace and forgiveness upon our own lives from God. Before I close, I want to note that actions have consequences and David Berkowitz is in prison for the rest of his life without any chance of parole. In many cases, the death penalty is given to serial killers. In both cases, God’s grace and forgiveness are no less prevalent-but so are the real CONSEQUENCES of our sin. In the end, God’s grace and forgiveness are real. And the great news is that God’s grace, and forgiveness are dispensed at God's pleasure to those who would receive it; even to a serial killer.

community logo
Join the Steven Garofalo Community
To read more articles like this, sign up and join my community today
0
What else you may like…
Videos
Podcasts
Posts
Articles
PREPARING TO SPEAK IN PORTUGAL

Zach and I had a great long day one meeting with the pastor and a fellow believer…I got up this morning to go over my talk for the men’s conference which starts tonight into tomorrow and will go over my sermon for Sunday…I preach both services. The men’s conference far exceeded expectations so the even is looking to be packed with me. Seeking God’s will and calling for their life! Please keep us in your prayers. Much love and appreciation.-Steven

00:00:20
Live Chat
Let's Take Church & Faith Seriously

When we go to church, let us not take that for granted. Let's keep our eye's, heart and MIND focussed on God, His word and the sermon. Let's be careful to make promises to God we are not willing to keep. And let's enjoy being in God's presence. Let's take our faith and church seriously.

00:04:38
Back From Vacation…this is what we saw
00:00:13
Live Chat
WHEN GOD REWARDS OUR GIVING

Jesus addresses when God rewards us for our good deeds. To be more specific, Christ discusses three pharisaic practices of piety. They include: 1) GIVING 2) PRAYER and 3) FASTING. Today, we are going to look at the first of these, which is when God rewards or does not reward our “GIVING”.

WHEN GOD REWARDS OUR GIVING
Live Chat
RADIO INTERVIEW-LOOKING BACK-Religious Freedom in 04-09-15

With the United States and world at a moral cross roads, today, we are looking back to an interview from 2015 whereby Steven was interviewed regarding "Religious Freedom". This is not a critique of any specific issues-but is a look back almost ten years (a full decade) to see where we came from. WHY? Becuase heading into 2026 we can look back to see where we are going. Again, the issue is not a critique on sexual orientation, but about religious freedom. People are people-and all people are sinners. Let's make sure to be compassionate with non-Christians in an effort to reach them for Christ while standing without compromise on the orthodox Word of God. Is that difficult. Yes it is.

GOD BLESS YOU!

RADIO INTERVIEW-LOOKING BACK-Religious Freedom in 04-09-15
Live Chat
CHRISTMAS=Equals=LOVE

Christmas IS or EQUALS LOVE. Merry Christmas to our COMMUNITY. May God continue to bless you, protect you, provide for you and give you great joy beyond understanding....Merry Christmas Eve-Steven

CHRISTMAS=Equals=LOVE
I FIGURED OUT OUT WHATS’S GOING IN WITH FRIENDSHIPS!

I have a couple of friends from old that have gone radio silent over the past years. This has baffled me because I cherish history and friendship like family. On the flip side, I have a couple of other friends that I didn’t spend nearly as much time with back from the 80’s- and we speak weekly. WHY?

I figured it out in that the two friends who call me weekly are growing daily in their biblical faith while the other two are growing away from Christ in their daily life. It’s as simple as that. It’s not an issue of friendship as much as it is about faith. I love my two distant friends and miss them dearly, but God always provides and I’m really cherishing my newer friends of old. THANK YOU GOD FOR YOUR PROVISION OF FRIENDSHIPS. I am greatly blessed in riches of authentic faith in Christ and friends of faith…remember what Jesus said about who are-Jesus’ Mother and Brothers

“46 While Jesus was still talking to the crowd, his mother and brothers stood outside, wanting to speak to...

GREAT TO SEE OLD FRIENDS!

There is nothing like old friends! My daughter Arabel is blessed with godly Christian roommate Alyssa who is the daughter of my friend from Bible study circa 1991! P.J. Holland and his wife Laura (a godly couple). I know both is them from church back in the day. We were all at Virginia Tech last weekend helping our girls settle into their dorm room and college. My wife Heather and I enjoyed two meals, hanging out and a wonderful time of fellowship with them. P.J. And I first met through my life long friend Michael Keating who hosted a Bible study back in the day. The girls are becoming fast friends and it’s beyond words to express my gratitude to God and Michael Keating fie making such a wonderful thing happen.

OUR STEWARDSHIP

"God's assessment of our stewardship will not be based on how much we have but on how well we manage what we have. As a steward investor, I am to take great care in how I use resources-not just money, but time and talents as well." Dois Rosser, Author The God who Hung on the Cross

Not Serpents of Skin, but From The Falsehood Of Sin: Uncoiling The Ending of Mark’s Gospel
By Del Potter, M.A.A. (Copyright 2025)

Not Serpents of Skin, but From The Falsehood Of Sin: Uncoiling The Ending of Mark’s Gospel

By Del Potter, M.A.A. August 27, 2025

Opening Remarks

From the outset, this article is NOT contending whether or not the ending of Mark 16 should be included. Although, it is in my humble opinion that some of the strange language in the ending of Mark actually affirms the truthfulness of the events inserted into the ending of Mark. There are several striking words in Mark's longer ending (Mark 16:17–18):

“These signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them...”

As a first impression, the imagery suggests a miraculous ability to resist snakes and poison. It is nevertheless important to note that serpents and poison consistently function within Jewish, Biblical, and early Christian thought as symbols of false teaching and spiritual corruption, not simply physical danger.


Serpents in Scripture: Symbols of Deception

From the beginning of Genesis through Revelation, the serpent is never merely zoological—it is the archetype of deceit. In Genesis 3, the serpent slithers into the Garden not to bite with fangs, but to inject Eve with poisonous doubt about God’s word. Later Jewish wisdom literature follows this thread:

  • Ecclesiasticus (Sirach) 21:2: “Flee from sin as from the face of a serpent: for if thou comest too near it, it will bite thee.”
  • Psalm 140:3: “They make their tongue sharp as a serpent’s, and under their lips is the venom of vipers.”

This same imagery flows into the New Testament:

  • Matthew 23:33: Jesus calls the Pharisees a “brood of vipers,” not because of biology, but because of false teaching.
  • 2 Corinthians 11:3: Paul warns that, just as the serpent deceived Eve, so false teachers corrupt the simplicity of Christ.
  • Revelation 12:9: John describes Satan as a serpent “And the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.”

Therefore, when Mark refers to "serpents" and "deadly poison," his Jewish-Christian readers would have recognized the metaphor: heresy slithering into the church among the people with its false doctrine poisoning the entire church (2 Peter 2:1).


The Poison Of Heresy: A Dangerous Drink

The early Church frequently described heretical teaching as venom or poison. Ignatius of Antioch warned the Trallians:

“I therefore, yet not I, but the love of Jesus Christ, entreat you that ye use Christian nourishment only, and abstain from herbage of a different kind; I mean heresy. For those [that are given to this] mix up Jesus Christ with their own poison, speaking things which are unworthy of credit, like those who administer a deadly drug in sweet wine, which he who is ignorant of does greedily take, with a fatal pleasure leading to his own death.” (Letter to the Trallians 107 A.D.).

This language reflects the very pattern of Mark 16—poisonous teaching disguised as nourishment. The faithful, however, are promised preservation: “it will not harm them.” The believer, rooted in Christ, can discern and resist corruption.

No early Christian expressed this more vividly than Tertullian of Carthage (c. 200 AD). In his treatise Scorpiace, he likens heresy to venomous creatures:

  • Heresy “creeps into the church like a scorpion,” injecting spiritual poison.
  • The faithful must resist with the antidote of Scripture, wielded like the staff of Moses against the serpents of Egypt.

Tertullian believed that the danger was not from reptiles in the marketplace, but rather from false teachers within the church. Similarly, heresy pierces the souls of believers in a quiet and lethal manner, just as the scorpion stings unseen. As a result, he viewed Christ's promise in Mark not as a test of reckless physical stunts, but as a promise that the faithful will not suffer from the venom of falsehood if armed with the truth. As Paul rightly reminds his audience:

 "Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil (i.e. snakes & poisons)." - Ephesians 6:11


Mark’s Ending and the beginning of the Early Church

NT writers wrote within a culture steeped in metaphor. The early church never staged snake-handling rituals to “prove” faith. Instead, they testified by enduring persecution, refuting heresy, and preserving sound doctrine.

The apologetic force of Mark 16 is not spectacle—it is survival. The church would face vipers in pulpits, scorpions in councils, and poison in doctrine. Yet Christ promises: “These things will not harm you.”

Just as in the first century, serpents and scorpions creep into the church today—not in the form of reptiles, but in the form of false witnesses, compromised truth, and distorted gospels. The call of Mark 16 is not to chase miracles, but to guard against lies.

In a world full of theological poison, the believer’s protection is not daredevil faith, but faithful discernment: Scripture, the Spirit, and the witness of the saints.

“But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will also be false teachers [i.e. snakes] among you, who will secretly introduce destructive [i.e. poison] heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves.” - 2 Peter 2:1


Closing Remarks

The ending of Mark’s Gospel, far from a literal dare, is a prophetic warning and promise:

  • Serpents = false teachers.
  • Poison = heretical doctrines.
  • The promise = Christ’s people, if grounded in truth, will not be overcome.

Tertullian’s scorpions, Ignatius’ poison, Paul’s vipers, and Jesus’ own words unite: the greatest danger to the church is not fangs and venom in the field, but lies and venom in the pulpit.

In Christ, the Church endures—immune not to biology, but to blasphemy.

Read full Article
MAN'S PROBLEM-"HIDDENESS"
By Del Potter, M.A.A., August 16, 2025

The Problem Is With Man's Hiddenness Toward God, Not Vice-Versa

Why Doesn’t God Make His Existence Unmistakably Clear to Everyone?

One of the most common objections to faith is: “If God is real, why doesn’t He just show Himself beyond all doubt?” Skeptics ask why God doesn’t write His name in the sky or make His presence undeniable. But Scripture, reason, and the earliest witnesses of the Church tell us a different story: God has already made Himself known, yet it is humanity that hides.

God’s Self-Revelation in Creation

Scripture consistently teaches that God’s fingerprints are everywhere. The Apostle Paul writes:

“For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—His eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.” (Romans 1:20)

Psalm 19:1 echoes this truth: “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands.”

Job reminds us that creation itself—beasts, birds, earth, and sea—all testify to the Creator:

“But ask the beasts, and they will teach you; the birds of the heavens, and they will tell you; or the bushes of the earth, and they will teach you; and the fish of the sea will declare to you. Who among all these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this? In His hand is the life of every living thing and the breath of all mankind.” (Job 12:7–10)

God’s existence, then, is not hidden. It is written into the very structure of reality. As St. Athanasius later argued, creation itself acts as a universal witness, speaking of God’s power to every culture and language without need for words.

Why Does God Seem Hidden?

The real issue is not divine silence but human resistance. Moses records God saying:

“I will surely hide My face in that day, because of all the evil which they shall have wrought, in that they are turned unto other gods.” (Deuteronomy 31:18)

This is not a statement about God being unknowable but about mankind turning its back to Him. God’s “hiddenness” is a moral and relational reality, not an intellectual one. As Isaiah wrote:

“Your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God.” (Isa. 59:2)

Early Christians echoed this. Justin Martyr argued that those who live according to reason (logos) recognize the true God through creation and conscience. Clement of Alexandria explained that ignorance of God is not due to His absence, but due to the blindness of the soul enslaved to passions.

The Attributes of God are Revealed According To His Nature.

If God were to force belief by overwhelming proof, He would violate the very nature of faith and love. Love cannot be compelled; it requires freedom. Blaise Pascal later captured this well: “There is enough light for those who desire to see, and enough darkness for those who do not.”

The early Church understood that God provides evidence sufficient for faith, but not coercion. Origen taught that God “gives signs to those who are willing to see, but hides from those who shut their eyes.” This allows space for genuine seeking, humility, and love—rather than forced acknowledgment.

God Is Not Hidden—We Are

When people ask, “Why doesn’t God make Himself clear?” the biblical answer is: He already has. The problem is not with God’s silence but with our ears. The witness of creation, conscience, Scripture, and Christ Himself leaves us without excuse.

It is not God who hides, but man who hides from God—just as Adam and Eve once hid in the Garden. And yet, even then, God sought them, calling out: “Where are you?” (Gen. 3:9).

The same God still calls today through the beauty of creation, the testimony of Scripture, and the living Christ. The question is not whether God is clear enough but whether we are willing to see Him more clearly!

"For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully, just as I also have been fully known." - 1 Corinthians 13:12

Read full Article
INFALLIBILITY IS GREATER THAN INERRANCY
By Del Potter M.A.A.
 
God's truth (Infallibility) is greater than man's inability to write down or transmit His word (Inerrancy) perfectly. God's truth remains true regardless if man regards or disregards it to be true.
 
Allow me to explain more in-depth. Inerrancy, is defined as the belief that Scripture contains no errors in its original manuscripts, so obviously inerrancy struggles with textual variants like John 8:1–11. The story is missing from the oldest Greek manuscripts (e.g., Codex Sinaiticus, Vaticanus) and its stylistic differences raise red flags for many textual critics. But if our faith rests solely on inerrant transmission, what happens when that transmission wavers? Are such passages now less inspired? We are warned from scripture itself that errant transmission could and can occur. God through Moses warns the Israelites that "You shall not add to the word which I am commanding you, nor take away from it, so that you may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I am commanding you" (Deuteronomy 4:2).
 
Jesus seems to place an exclamation point on this line of thinking and says “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments" (John 14:15) clarifying further that if you love God you will not tamper with His word. God places a capstone on this discussion by warning His readers at the close of Revelation "and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his part from the tree of life and from the holy city, which are written in this book" (22:19). My point? We are warned through scripture itself there is and would be a problem with those that would add or even take away from God's infallible word thus making it errant and not inerrant. This is where the strength of infallibility steps in.
 
Infallible simply means “incapable of error.” The difference is God is incapable of error and is against His nature to error. "As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the Lord is flawless" (Psalm 18:30:). Inerrancy is like a flawless earthly mirror. Crack it, and it’s compromised. However, Infallibility is like the sun: Even if seen through a foggy lens, it still gives light and heat because its origin is not of the earth.
 
Psalm 119:89 reminds us that truth originates not in human manuscripts, but in the eternal counsel of God. Combined with John 21:25 - "Jesus did many other things... if all of them had been written down, the world itself would be unable to contain the volumes" We are confronted with a key theological insight: not all truth has been written, but all truth is known. In Scripture, it is clarified that omission from man's history does not imply absence from God's history. So, even when the earthly record is incomplete, the heavenly record has been completed.
 
Again, it is true that manuscripts such as Codex Sinaiticus omit stories like the Pericope Adulterae (John 7:53–8:11), leading some to question its authenticity. Yet, early Christians like Didymus the Blind (pre-Nicene era) affirmed the passage’s existence in "certain Gospels." Augustine later wrote that some scribes intentionally excluded the story out of fear it could be misused to justify sin using the story of the Pericope Adulterae.
 
“Certain persons of little faith... removed from their manuscripts the Lord's act of forgiveness toward the adulteress.” (Augustine 'De Adulterinis Coniugiis' - 419 A.D.)
 
This demonstrates that the story may have been removed due to fear, politics, or human discretion, but not by divine silence. In light of Psalm 119:89, we must remember that God's word is "SETTLED" [Greek: Natsab = stationed/established] in heaven before it’s written on earth.
 
This challenges an empirical view of truth. If divine revelation is only accepted when it aligns with surviving manuscripts, the church’s oral tradition, apostolic memory, and lived theology are undermined. The early church did not rely solely on manuscripts, but on witnesses, oral, and Spirit-led preservation. As Tertullian wrote in the 2nd century:
 
“We do not need curiosity after Christ Jesus, nor inquiry after the gospel. When we believe, we desire to believe nothing more. For this we believe, that there is nothing else which we ought to believe.” - Prescription Against Heretics, Ch. 7–8.
 
Scripture acknowledges its own incompleteness—yet affirms the completeness of God's eternal counsel.
 
The failure to accept any truth that has not been recorded in early papyri amounts to ignoring the 'heavenly library' where truth is established. There is a consensus among Scripture, tradition, and theology that the absence of paper does not imply the absence of preservation. Despite the fact that earth has not penned it, that does not mean heaven has not done so. As Christians, we believe that the eternal Word, who is Jesus Christ, the Logos (John 1:1-14), has embodied and preserved all truth, some written, some spoken, and some remembered in the heart of the Church. The Word of God cannot fail - even if manuscripts do. That is the beauty and greatness of infallibility over inerrancy.
 
"And there are also many other things which Jesus did, which if they were written in detail, I suppose that even the world itself would not contain the books that would be written." (John 21:25).
Read full Article
Available on mobile and TV devices
google store google store app store app store
google store google store app tv store app tv store amazon store amazon store roku store roku store
Powered by Locals