Theology N' Such

For the Sake of Argument.

2012-01-26T10:15:00.000-08:00

First off, I want to say that I'm back & I apologize for not keeping up with things here on my blog. But, anyway, I want to get back to my topic.

Many of my readers may be aware of the "The Elephant Room" conference at Harvest Bible Chapel here in Chicagoland yesterday. There has been a lot of talk about the invitation of T.D. Jakes, a well known minister involved in the Word-Faith movement & has an affiliation, or at least HAD an affiliation, with the Oneness Pentecostal Movement which rejects the doctrine of the Trinity.

The invitation of T.D. Jakes by James MacDonald has been controversial, along with the interview of T.D. Jakes by Mars Hill pastor Mark Driscoll at the conference. There also has been talk about the handling of the meeting from Mark Driscoll and James MacDonald's end.

It's worth posting the discussion here.

Jakes: "My struggle is that sometimes oneness fit but sometimes it didn’t. I didn’t want to force the Scriptures to fit my theology.

Such as Jesus baptism. Or creation 'Let us.' 'I am in the Father, and the Father is in me.” That helped me rethink some of the things I was taught. I began to realize there are things that could be said about the Father that couldn’t be said about the Son. There are distinctives in the work of the Holy Spirit.

Here is where I find the problem. I don’t think that anything any of us believes cannot fully describe God."

Driscoll: "We would agree there is mystery. But within that, the issue between Trinitarianism and modalism is one God three persons, or one God manifesting in three ways."

Jakes: "I stand today on one God, three Persons. You describe manifestations as modalism, I call it Pauline. 'For God was manifest in the flesh.' The semantics can be this way or that way, but before the controversy started, Paul used the word manifested.

There are distinctives. Father didn’t bleed and die. The person of Jesus did that. We are baptized into the body by the Holy Spirit. That is consistent with my belief system.

I’m with you. I have been with you.

When we get to know people by their labels. Then comes all the baggage of how we define those labels.

We are taught in our society that if we disagree in a movement, we leave. I still have relationships and leadership with in oneness because I believe that we need to humble and say we are attempting to describe a God we have not seen fully, seen in a glass darkly.

Why should I throw rocks at you when what I understand through a glass darkly?

None of our books on the Godhead will be published in heaven.

Because people’s descriptions differ, it doesn’t make it demonic."

For those who want to read the whole thing, they may read it here

Interestingly, in a February 2000 article, Jakes gave a similarly vague statement.

"My association with Oneness people does not constitute assimilation into their ranks any more than my association with the homeless in our city makes me one of them.....While I mix with Christians from a broad range of theological perspectives, I speak only for my personal faith and convictions. I am not a theologian, and I avoid quoting even theologians who agree with me. To defend my beliefs, I go directly to the Bible.

My views on the Godhead are from 1 John 5:7-8, 'For there are three that bear witness in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one.' (NKJV)

I believe in one God who is the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. I believe these three have distinct and separate functions—so separate that each has individual attributes, yet are one. I do not believe in three Gods.....In spite of all the distinctives, God is one in His essence. Though no human illustration perfectly fits the Divine, it is similar to ice, water and steam: three separate forms, yet all H²O. Each element can co-exist, each has distinguishing characteristics and functions, but all have sameness....The language in the doctrinal statement of our ministry that refers to the Trinity of the Godhead as 'manifestations' does not derive from modalism. The Apostle Paul himself used this term referring to the Godhead in 1 Timothy 3:15, 1 Corinthians 12:7, and 1 John 3:5-8. Peter also used the term in 1 Peter 1:20. Can this word now be heresy when it is a direct quote from the Pauline epistles and used elsewhere in the New Testament?....I deeply appreciate the chance to respond to any misunderstandings that may have resulted in part from my silence on these subjects. Little if any attention is given to any of them in my books or sermons. My silence has not been some veiled attempt to disguise my faith, which is demonstrated daily in the works I have been called to do. My voice may have seemed muted on these subjects, but I have made a distinct sound regarding the matters that I have been assigned to discuss with my generation. I have spoken boldly against domestic violence—and against physical, sexual and emotional abuse of women in this nation. I have thundered as an advocate of reconciliation between races and denominations, and for restoration of hurting souls to the healing properties of Christ's love.

I confess that I have remained aloof from the theological controversies. And I confess I have been universal in my associations, purposely ignoring opportunities to be divisive. But it was not lack of conviction, or absence of proper Christian ideals, that had taken my attention—I love the great principles and tenets of our faith, and I am not ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Yet it is not the oneness of God for which I cry, it is for the oneness of His people.

Here's my thought on this. Driscoll & MacDonald have shown gross disrespect to those who disagree with them. In fact, it must be noted that Christian (Lutheran) apologist Chris Rosebrough was threatened with arrest yesterday at the Elephant Room after having his press pass revoked.

Yet, here's my OTHER issue. T.D. Jakes has acted like this matter is just a minor quibble, as if this is a debate on eschatology. This has been an essential issue in church history. There have been various heresies in the history of the church regarding this issue.

These heresies include:

Tritheism, which teaches that there are 3 Gods in the Trinity

Arianism, which teaches that Christ, while the first of God's created beings (a point which is heretical right there), was not fully divine. In fact, this is the heresy embraced by the Jehovah's Witnesses.

Partialism, which teaches that the Father, Son & Holy Spirit are part of one God & that they only become God when they work together.

Macedonianism, which teaches that the Holy Spirit is a created being

Adoptionism, which teaches that Christ was born completely human, but was only adopted by the Father

Finally, the heresy that Jakes has been accused of adhering to is Sabellianism or Modalism, which teaches that the Father, Son & Spirit are simply "modes" or "manifestations" of the God.

Jakes, if, for the sake of argument, is not a Modalist, he would do well to strongly repudiate modalism & condemn it as heresy. He also would do well to study to the Athanasian Creed which firmly defines the doctrine of the Trinity. I also think that he would do well to apologize to those who he so cavalierly dismissed & saying that this was just a matter of semantics.

Furthermore, I also think that MacDonald needs to repent for inviting Jakes. While the particular context is different, the Apostle John is clear: "If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house or give him any greeting, for whoever greets him takes part in his wicked works." (2 John 1:10-11)

I close with a quote from Dutch Reformed theologian Herman Bavinck. He writes: "The doctrine of the Trinity is of incalculable importance for the Christian religion. The entire Christian belief system, all of special revelation, stands or falls with the confession of Gods Trinity....Re-creation is one divine work from beginning to end, yet it can be described in terms of three agents: it is fully accomplished by the love of the Father, the grace of the Son, and the communion of the Holy Spirit. A Christian’s faith life, accordingly, points back to three generative principles… We know ourselves to be children of the Father, redeemed by the Son, and in communion with both through the Holy Spirit. Every blessing, both spiritual and material, comes to us from the triune God. In that name we are baptized; that name sums up our confession; that name is the source of all the blessings that come down to us; to that name we will forever bring thanksgiving and honor; in that name we find rest for our souls and peace for our conscience. Christians have a God above them, before them, and within them. Our salvation, both in this life and in the life to come, is bound up with the doctrine of the Trinity."

Quotes (#19)

2011-06-27T12:29:00.000-07:00

“The righteousness of God, or a righteousness of God's completing, a righteousness of God's bestowing, a righteousness that God also gives unto, and puts upon all them that believe (Rom 3:22), a righteousness that stands in the works of Christ, and that is imputed both by the grace and justice of God (v 24-26). Where, now, is room for man's righteousness, either in the whole, or as to any part thereof? I say, where, as to justification with God?”-John Bunyan

A Debate on King James Onlyism

2011-02-04T08:47:00.001-08:00

This debate on exclusive King James Onlyism, in London a few days ago between Dr. James White, who has authored a book entitled The King James Only Controversy and Dr. Jack Moorman, a KJV-onlyist, who is a missionary to Great Britain and author of Forever Settled Although I'm not sure if this was intended, this year is the 400th anniversary of the publication of the King James Version of the Bible (released in 1611).

It is worth noting that James White is right that the KJV, although I find it to be a good translation, King James I of England, successor of Elizabeth I (r. 1603-1625) who, as son of Mary, Queen of Scots, also reigned as James VI of Scotland between 1567-1625 did indeed have some say in the translation.

Quotes (#18)

2011-01-08T07:35:00.000-08:00

A quote from Clement of Rome (1st Century AD to circa 99-101

“This is the way, beloved, in which we find our Saviour, even Jesus Christ, the High Priest of all our offerings, the defender and helper of our infirmity. By Him we look up to the heights of heaven. By Him we behold, as in a glass, His immaculate and most excellent visage. By Him are the eyes of our hearts opened. By Him our foolish and darkened understanding blossoms up anew towards His marvellous light. By Him the Lord has willed that we should taste of immortal knowledge, ‘who, being the brightness of His majesty, is by so much greater than the angels, as He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.’ For it is thus written, ‘Who makes His angels spirits, and His ministers a flame of fire.’"-Clement of Rome

Taken from Clement's Letter to the Philippians (1st Clement)

A Good Question

2011-01-03T19:34:00.000-08:00

With all these flamboyant prosperity preachers running around, on channels like TBN, including Kenneth & Gloria Copeland, Benny Hinn, Creflo Dollar, Paul & Jan Crouch, etc., Ray Stevens asks a good question: "Would He wear a pinky ring, would He drive a fancy car would His wife wear furs and diamonds, would His dressing room have a star? If He came back tomorrow there's something I'd like to know: would Jesus wear a rolex on His television show?"

Quotes (#17)

2010-12-05T09:30:00.000-08:00

"Only as the Holy Spirit takes the place of the human father in Jesus’ conception can it be true that the one conceived is both fully God and fully man. Christ must be both God and man to atone for sin, but for this to occur, He must be conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of a human virgin. No one else in the history of the world is conceived by the Spirit and born of a virgin mother. Therefore, Jesus alone qualifies to be Savior."-Bruce Ware

A Look at the Root of the Difference Between Catholics & Protestants

2010-10-31T13:27:00.000-07:00

With today being Reformation Day, I thought this to be worth posting.

As Martin Luther has said:“Now the article of justification, which is our sole defense, not only against all the force and craft of man, but also against the gates of hell, is this: that by faith only in Christ, and without works, we are pronounced righteous and saved.”

Quotes (#16)

2010-10-27T07:13:00.000-07:00

“For when man can find no power in himself to do that which is commanded, and does perfectly understand and believe that the curse of God is pronounced against all those that abide not in everything that is commanded in God's law to do them the man, I say, that understands and knows his own corrupt nature and God's severe judgment, most gladly will receive the free redemption offered by Christ Jesus, which is the only victory that overthrows Satan and his power.” -John Knox (c. 1510-1572)

Quotes (#15)

2010-10-23T07:22:00.000-07:00

"You must understand that there is only one door to salvation, and that is Christ; there is one way, and that is Christ; one truth, and that is Christ; one life, and that is Christ. Salvation lies in Jesus only; it does not lie in you, in your doings, or your feelings, or your knowings, or your resolutions. In Him all life and light for the sons of men are stored up by the mercy of God the Father. This may be one reason why you have not found the light; because you have sought it in the wrong place. Though the Lord has placed it on record in His Word, in the plainest language, that 'it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that showeth mercy' (Rom. 9:16) yet most men in their hearts imagine that everlasting life is tied to duties and earned by service. You must abandon such vainglorious notions; you must come before God as a humble petitioner, pleading the promises of mercy, abhorring all idea of merit, confessing that if the Lord condemns you He has a right to do it, and if He saves you, it will be an act of pure gratuitous mercy, a deed of sovereign grace. Oh, too many of you hold your heads too high; to enter the lowly gate of light you must stoop. On the bended knee is the penitent’s true place. 'God be merciful to me, a sinner’, is the penitent’s true place. If God should condemn you, you could never complain of injustice, for you could not accuse the Lord, for you have no right to be heard. He could righteously withhold an answer of peace if He so willed.

Confess that you are an undeserving, ill-deserving, hell-deserving sinner and begin to pray as you have never prayed before. Cry out of the depth of self-abasement if you want to be heard. Come as a beggar, not as a creditor. Come to crave, not to demand. Use only this argument, 'Lord, hear me, for you are gracious, and Jesus died; I cry to you as a condemned criminal. who seeks pardon. Deliver me from going down into the pit, that I may praise your name.' This harboring of a proud spirit, I fear, has been a great source of mischief with many, and if it has been so with you, amend it and go now with humble and contrite hearts, in lowliness and brokenness of spirit, to your Father whom you have offended, for he will surely accept you as his children. Your salvation does not depend upon what you do, but upon what Christ did when he offered Himself as a sacrifice for sin. All your salvation takes root in the death throes of Calvary; the great Substitute bore your sin and suffered its penalty. Your sin shall never destroy you if upon that bloody tree the Lord’s chosen High Priest made a full expiation for your sins; they shall not be laid against you any more forever. What you have to do is simply accept what Jesus has finished. I know your idea is that you are to bring something to him; but that vainglorious idea has ruined many, and will ruin many more. When you are brought empty-handed, made willing to accept a free and full salvation from the hand of the Crucified, then, and then only, will you will be saved." -C.H. Spurgeon

1834-1892

HT to the folks over at Defending Contending

Chris Rosebrough's Analysis of Rick Warren's Message

2010-10-23T07:04:00.000-07:00

Many of you probably know that, a few weeks ago, Rick Warren, at the invitation of John Piper, spoke at the Desiring God conference. Furthermore, the next conference is to be at Saddleback Church (Rick Warren's church) out in southern California. To quote Chris Rosebrough: "Rick Warren's Lecture at the Desiring God Conference was a circus of Blatant Bible Twisting and Pelagianism. John Piper owes us an apology and must publicly rebuke Warren for his false teaching."

I also agree with Chris 100% that folks like John MacArthur, R.C. Sproul, Mike Horton, etc., REALLY NEED to call Rick Warren out on this.

A Little Satire

2010-09-13T22:37:00.000-07:00

I think that the creators of this piece did a good parody of the Progessive Insurance commercials and applied it to a lot of professing churches these days.

Quotes (#14)

2010-09-08T08:46:00.000-07:00

"The elect are gathered into Christ's flock by a call not immediately at birth, and not all at the same time, but according as it pleases God to dispense His grace to them. But before they are gathered unto that Supreme Shepherd, they wander scattered in the wilderness common to all; and they do not differ at all from others except that they are protected by God's especial mercy from rushing headlong into the final ruin of death."-John Calvin

A Documentary Regarding Mormonism & Polygamy.

2010-09-02T05:09:00.000-07:00

Although, officially, the mainline Mormon church condemns the modern practice of polygamy and has, moreorless excommunicated polygamists, Fundamentalist Latter-Day Saints, who largely live along the Utah/Arizona border (as well as the YFZ Ranch in Texas), insist that they're the true Mormons, and I would say that the FLDS and other polygamous Mormon groups have become the proverbial thorn in the flesh for the LDS leadership in Salt Lake City. This documentary, about 80 minutes long, traces the Mormon practice of polygamy, established by Joseph Smith in 1843 to modern day polygamous practices in the FLDS.

*Note: although Gordon B. Hinckley is identified as the "current" president of the Mormon Church, Hinckley (b. 1910) died in 2008, aged 97 & as of Sept. 2nd 2010, Thomas Manton is the current president.

Quotes (#13)

2010-09-01T07:26:00.000-07:00

“The change which our Lord here declares needful to salvation is evidently no slight or superficial one. It is not merely reformation, or amendment, or moral change, or outward alteration of life. It is a thorough change of heart, will, and character. It is a resurrection. It is a new creation. It is a passing from death to life. It is the implanting in our dead hearts of a new principle from above. It is the calling into existence of a new creature, with a new nature, new habits of life, new tastes, new desires, new appetites, new judgments, new opinions, new hopes, and new fears. All this, and nothing less than this is implied, when our Lord declares that we all need a ‘new birth.’” -J.C. Ryle (1816-1900)

HT: J.C. Ryle Quotes

Calvinism & John 3:16

2010-07-11T12:09:00.001-07:00

Many people, to be honest, argue against Calvinism against perhaps the most popular passage of Scripture: "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16)

The first video is of James White dealing with the common Arminian argument against Calvinism, using John 3:16.

The below 3 videos is from Mark Kielar of Cross TV.

sin

2010-07-11T09:21:00.001-07:00

SIN

what is sin, were did it come from, what is the punishment for it? Well before I answer the question at hand I need to say this. The evangelic church today has let sin leave the church and the poet, this is a thing that beings worry and concerned to me. Why might you ask well because the sheep still need to hear about sin and what God does to these who sin. With the state of the church on sin as it is many sheep have not worried about there sin, and what it could do to them. Many pastes today don't want to heart someones felling for make them fell like there a bad person, when in fact that is what they are. The bible says that there is no not one that is good, we see in Rom 3:10 it says “as it is written: "None is righteous, no, not one;” so sin is on all man, 1Co 15:22 “For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.” so what did Adam do to have all die? What is the word die meaning ? Well this is answered In the first book of the bible, Genesis. Gen 3:1-7 “Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, "Did God actually say, 'You shall not eat of any tree in the garden'?" And the woman said to the serpent, "We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, but God said, 'You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.'" But the serpent said to the woman, "You will not surely die. But the serpent said to the woman, "You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths.” we see the first sin of man here the fall, and this is were all man died In Adam, when Adam ate of the tree, he had broken the law of God and he had bright sin in to the world. So now ever man after this is born of sin not born in sin. When someone is born in sin that is saying that they are born in to a world that has sin but they are not a sinner, but we see this is not true. In fact that view of being born in to sin is called Pelagianisam, were they believe that we are without sin until we have sinned for the first time, but we know it is not true. When Adam ate of the fruit, he had fallen from the grace and purer state he was in, before he fell from the fruit he had ate. Well this has answered part of one and most of two, but lets keep with what is sin. ( http://dictionary.reference.com/ transgression of divine law: the sin of Adam. any act regarded as such a transgression, esp. a willful or deliberate violation of some religious or moral principle. any reprehensible or regrettable action, behavior, lapse, etc.; great fault or offense: It's a sin to waste time.) so this is from a dictionary, what does the wcf or the lbc or 1689? the lbc says this “ They being the root, and by God's appointment, standing in the room and stead of all mankind, the guilt of the sin was imputed, and corrupted nature conveyed, to all their posterity descending from them by ordinary generation, being now conceived in sin, and by nature children of wrath, the servants of sin, the subjects of death, and all other miseries, spiritual, temporal, and eternal, unless the Lord Jesus set them free.” so we see that sin is not something that we chosse to do but something that we are bron of. a.w. Pink has this to say about sin "Sin is more than an act or a series of acts; it is a man’s make-up." the prince of preachers had this to say “Sin is a deliberate treason against the majesty of God, an assault upon His crown, an insult offered to His throne. Charles h. spurgeon” pink also had this to say about sin “What is sin? Sin is a species of rebellion against God. It is self-pleasing: it is the utter ignoring of God’s claims: being completely indifferent whether my conduct pleases or displeases Him.” Augustine had this to say “Sin comes when we take a perfectly natural desire or longing or ambition and try desperately to fulfill it without God. Not only is it sin, it is a perverse distortion of the image of the Creator in us. All these good things, and all our security, are rightly found only and completely in Him.” so we see throw out the church age sin was in the popet and not cased out. So that is what sin is, but were does man get it well like we saw in genisens “Gen 3:1-3 Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, "Did God actually say, 'You shall not eat of any tree in the garden'?" And the woman said to the serpent, "We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, but God said, 'You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.'" so adam now has taken the heart that we had, wich was peur and not sinful, to a state of sin that was not a state of God but a state that no matter what it was going to sin. This is called total depravity by the reformed Christians, now I must say that not all think that we are totally depraved in are state with God before regeneration form God. What is total depravity? We total depravity is this that man in the state that they are In are utterly and totally sinful. They have no good in them. Some will say that we are not as bad as we could be, but I find this to be against what is in the word of God. Man has been sinful from the start of time we see in the fall (genesis chapter 3, the fall of man) with this fall we have now be put in to a world of sin, and amity with God, that has no right standing with him. We see with the fall that we have now become dead in are sins and trespassers, that man can not get out of with out the help of God, so the big thing is how is sin going to affect us with God and what has to be done to change it.

So what is sin going to do to us with God? Well the fall is the starting point of this whole thing, ( Gen 3:1-24 Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, "Did God actually say, 'You shall not eat of any tree in the garden'?" And the woman said to the serpent, "We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, but God said, 'You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.'"But the serpent said to the woman, "You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths. And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden. But the LORD God called to the man and said to him, "Where are you?" And he said, "I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself." He said, "Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?" The man said, "The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate." then the LORD God said to the woman, "What is this that you have done?" The woman said, "The serpent deceived me, and I ate." The LORD God said to the serpent, "Because you have done this, cursed are you above all livestock and above all beasts of the field; on your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life. I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel." To the woman he said, "I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing; in pain you shall bring forth children. Your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you." And to Adam he said, "Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, 'You shall not eat of it,' cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life; thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return." The man called his wife's name Eve, because she was the mother of all living. And the LORD God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them. Then the LORD God said, "Behold, the man has become like one of us in knowing good and evil. Now, lest he reach out his hand and take also of the tree of life and eat, and live forever--" therefore the LORD God sent him out from the garden of Eden to work the ground from which he was taken. He drove out the man, and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim and a flaming sword that turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life.) what do we see here, we see how and not only how but why we are like what we are now (a life of sin) but is there a point were we have to say that sin is not something we are born with but that we must do? Well I say this to that what does the word say? Does it say that we are born sinless ( without any sin what so ever) or does it say we are born of sin (the word of that I use there is one that is used because when many say in sin they would be saying that we are born with out sin but in a sinful world) we see in (Psa 51:5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me.) so are not born in a sinful mother that was of the same nature was in Adam after the fall? Well what else can we find to back the thinking that we are born with sin in are heart, well lets stay in the old testament for now ( Jer 17:9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?) now this is showing us that we wont know are heart is like this, we see it asks us who can understand it, God does but what about man can man know there own heart? Well if God can and we are all siners with out the help of christ, then what are we? Well the bible say that we are a fool (Psa 14:1 The fool says in his heart, "There is no God." They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds, there is none who does good.) so if we say there is no God and we are a fool then can we know what are hearts are? Well I would hold to say no. the man out of regeneration can not know that his heart is wicked. But that is the old testament what does the new testament say about are hearts, and the sin that we have? (Mat 15:18-20 But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. These are what defile a person. But to eat with unwashed hands does not defile anyone." ) so what is Christ saying well just look at it, he is saying that what every comes from the mouth is from the heart. When someone says I hate you that is not just them saying it but there heart. There heart is were the sin lies it comes from the heart. The heart is with out a doubt the thing that leads us in to sin. But I think there is yet more to being seen here, what does the sinful act do were is it in the relationship to the cross? Well that can be answered with the verse as well lets look first at were does it come from the sinful act that is. It all goes back to the fall. So then what has happened? Well man is bead in there sins. (Eph 2:1 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins ) but with that does it come to all are dead in there sins well yes (1Co 15:22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.) now we are just going to look at the first part, the part that has to do with Adam, as we see that the fall after all is the key to sin, so in Adam all die, meaning what well meaning this, after the fall Adam was now a sinner, but wait I thought we were a sinner from birth, well we are but with Adam he was in the right standing with God with out a atonement for sin because there was no sin to atone for. But after the fall there was. So we all died in Adams fall or sin of eating the fruit. So how can one be in sin because of one man, well that is something that is called when he had kids they were of the same heart and so on and so forth. Now does sin do to us is there a punishment for it? Well again I will go to the bible and see what it says, lets go to the heart of the problem what is the punishment of sin? Well what does the bible say, it says that the punishment for sin is hell, we see this all over the place, the bible gives us a clear pitcher of what will happen if we do not repent of the sins, so the sin that we hold is what kills us? For is it the way of life that we have death? Well lets go to the bible, first I want to say that when we see the word dead in the bible when it is in context to sin like in (1Co 15:22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive) this is in the right standing we have with God not that we are dead in the flesh, now we have a dead spirit of God that makes the flesh sin. The heart is what will bring on to hell the state of the heart with God is what kills, not the dissection that man makes “the chose for God is one that cant be made with out regeneration” that is free will and with that we have the chose to sin or do good but I have showed you that we don't have a say if we sin your not. With sin we are in total bondage to the sin we live in. so what I have showed here to day? Well I have showed that we are in sin all the time and that we have no way out but through Christ and his death on the cross. Now before I end this I would like to say this.

What I have said here in this writing is not one that has come from my own accord but from the heart of the word of God, I put the writings here for you all to get to know the heart of the man before he has the grace of God in him and I wish that we take this as a, reminder of what we are in Christ and what others are on the outside of Christ, I did not bring the writings to you for any other means then to help you know and understand what the sin that he hold is and what it cant do to us. I pray that all have the writings I put out there in this that they do not think I am putting them to shame but only, to bring the light of what man is in everyday of his life to light for all of us the unsaved and the saved. May the gory go to God and God only with the writings I have done.

Soli deo Gloria

may God bring the grace that I have gotten to your hearts today and for ever more, amen.

Gal 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

A Case for "Lordship Salvation"

2010-07-03T12:36:00.000-07:00

First off, I would like to define what I mean by “lordship salvation.” Lordship salvation teaches that when a person is saved, this person will show fruit of their repentance, and that these works show that this person is a true Christian. It calls for holiness and the progressive sanctification of the believer, by the work of the Holy Spirit in a man or woman’s life.

In fact, the late A.W. Pink once remarked that: “Yes, there are tens of thousands who have been deluded into thinking that they have ‘accepted Christ as their Saviour,’ whose lives show plainly that they reject Him as their Lord."

Today, there’s been a sharp dispute between a view known as “Lordship Salvation” and “Free Grace theology.” One person laid down 8 points of free-grace theology, which is worth passing along.

1.) The only condition of eternal life is simple faith in Jesus
2.) Simple faith in Christ is intellectual assent
3.) The specific object of saving faith is Jesus and results in the promise of eternal life to all who simply believe in Him.
4.) Turning from one’s sins is not faith & isn’t a condition of eternal life
--At this point, the author notes: “Free grace advocates admit that turning from sin is not faithand is not a condition of eternal life. Please not that turning from sins is part of a Christian requirement, not a requirement to become a Christian. Repentence is not a condition of eternal life according to basic free grace theology”
5.) Perseverence in faith and good works is not a condition of eternal life
6.) Good works are not indispensible for assurance
7.) Eternal life is not based on future judgment of works
8.) Eternal life and eternal rewards must be distinguished by noting that the former is a gift and the latter is earned.

Furthermore, even more concerning is the remark by this Free-Grace proponent are the statements: “No matter what a believer does, he is eternally secure,” and “perseverence is a rewards issue, not an eternal life issue.” (I’ll deal with those later)

Now, to be fair, I can recognize that it’s a reaction against the Roman Catholicism, in which the salvation is by faith and works. Yet, as I pointed out in one of my previous notes, “Fruit,” John the Baptist told the people coming to the Jordan River to be baptized: “Bear fruit in keeping with repentance… Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.” (Matthew 3:8 & 10)

First off, I would like to establish the authority of Christ as Lord. There are over 100 references to Christ as “Lord” in Scripture. In the gospels alone, Matthew 14:30, Matthew 17:4, Matthew 18:21, Matthew 20:30, Luke 2:11, Luke 5:8 & 12, Luke 7:6, Luke 10:1, Luke 11:1, Luke 24:3, John 11:3, 12, 21, 27, 32-33 & 39, John 14:5, John 21:7 & 15-17, refer to Christ as Lord.

Furthermore, Jesus Himself states in Matthew 28:18 that: "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.”

And, in a similar vein, Paul writes: “Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2:9-11)

I see this harkening back to what Daniel wrote: “I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away,
and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.” (Daniel 7:13-14)

As John MacArthur summed it up: “The question in salvation is not whether Jesus is Lord, but whether we are submissive to His lordship.”

With that, I would like to get into a defense of Lordship salvation. But, I'd like to clarify that we're not saved by the law.

Ephesians 2:8-9 clearly states: “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”

Furthermore, Paul notes: “…if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose.” (Galatians 2:21)

He also goes on to write: “For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, ‘Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them.’ Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law, for 'The righteous shall live by faith.'" (Galatians 3:10-11)

“You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law; you have fallen away from grace.” (Galatians 5:4)

“It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. Then what becomes of our boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? By a law of works? No, but by the law of faith. For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law.” (Romans 3:26-28)

Yet, with all that being said, obedience to Christ and His commandments are not optional for Christians.

First off, we get a picture of regeneration in Ezekiel, as I’ve noted before: “ And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.” (Ezekiel 36:26-27)

Furthermore, in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus states: "Why do you call me 'Lord, Lord,' and not do what I tell you? Everyone who comes to me and hears my words and does them, I will show you what he is like: he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when a flood arose, the stream broke against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built. But the one who hears and does not do them is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. When the stream broke against it, immediately it fell, and the ruin of that house was great." (Luke 6:46-49)

He also says: “I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing… Abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love.” (John 15:5 & 9-10)

Similarly, Paul states in Romans 8:10-14 that: "if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you. So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.”

We also see this theme of obedience as a fruit of belief in the Book of 1st John.
“And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. Whoever says ‘I know him’ but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.” (1st John 2:3-6)

“And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us. Whoever keeps his commandments abides in God, and God in him. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit whom he has given us.” (1st John 3:23-24)

“By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome. For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world— our faith.” (1st John 5:2-4)

Again, I must stress that our obedience doesn’t save us, but it shows that we are indeed saved. We certainly won’t obey perfectly, but, we’ll continue in sanctification, which entails obedience.

To again quote John MacArthur, who, along with the likes of Paul Washer and Tim Conway, promotes Lordship salvation: “We do not ‘make’ Christ Lord; He is Lord! Those who will not receive Him as Lord are guilty of rejecting Him. ‘Faith’ that rejects His sovereign authority is really unbelief. Conversely, acknowledging His lordship is no more a human work than repentance (cf. 2 Timothy 2:26) or faith itself (cf. Ephesians 2:8-9). In fact, it is an important element of divinely produced saving faith, not something added to faith.”

The 1646 Westminster Confession of Faith states in Chapter 16, point 2, that: “These good works, done in obedience to God's commandments, are the fruits and evidences of a true and lively faith: and by them believers manifest their thankfulness, strengthen their assurance, edify their brethren, adorn the profession of the Gospel, stop the mouths of the adversaries, and glorify God, whose workmanship they are, created in Christ Jesus thereunto, that, having their fruit unto holiness, they may have the end, eternal life.” The 1689 London Baptist Confession of Faith almost mirrors this statement.

I must also say that, as I mentioned before, the statements posed by the Free-Grace proponent that all it takes is mental assent to become a Christian and that “No matter what a believer does, he is eternally secure,” as well as “perseverance is a rewards issue, not an eternal life issue,” are troubling.

In fact, I would go as far as to say that these statements, in many cases can be outright damning, given the passages of Scripture that I listed. The problem is that, given these statements, forces one into the borderline antinomian view of eternal security, often summed up in the popular phrase “once-saved, always saved.” And, unfortunately, this view of eternal security, when taken to it’s logical end results in “carnal Christianity.” By the term “carnal Christianity” or the doctrine of the “carnal Christian,” I’m referring to those who are “Christians” yet show no sign of regeneration and continue on in their worldly living, with no evidence of change.

That, my friends, proves to result also in an almost blasphemously low view of regeneration and sanctification, as well as the person of Christ.

I close with a quote from the Puritan Bible commentator Matthew Henry: “All the grace contained in [the Bible] is owing to Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior; and, unless we consent to Him as our Lord we cannot expect any benefit by Him as our Savior.”

R.C. Sproul on Election

2010-06-11T11:18:00.000-07:00

This message from R.C. Sproul deals with election & the sovereignty of God in salvation.

Prepare!!!

2010-06-06T10:32:00.000-07:00

One of the things that, has sadly been on my mind recently, is, of all things, death. Within a matter of about 3 weeks, at least 4 people that I know of have passed away. I myself have lost my own father to cancer about 10 years ago, when I was only 11 years old.

According to King David: “As for man, his days are like grass; he flourishes like a flower of the field; for the wind passes over it, and it is gone,
and its place knows it no more.” (Psalm 103:15-16)

One of the verses that I can’t get out of my mind, a passage that’s convicting for me, myself is: “Come now, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit’—yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, ‘If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.’" (James 4:13-15)

I struggle with this, myself, but, it seems that a lot of us, and as I said, myself included, don’t live in light of an impending death. We read a parable that Jesus tells in Luke 12, to a person who insisted that He tell his brother to divide his inheritance: "The land of a rich man produced plentifully, and he thought to himself, 'What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?' And he said, 'I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.' But God said to him, 'Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?' So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God." (Luke 12:16-21)

In fact, Peter writes, to Christians, no less: “But by the same word the heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly…But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed. Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn! But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.” (2nd Peter 3:7 & 10-13)

Along the same lines, the author of Hebrews writes: “it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment…” (Hebrews 9:27)

In the New Testament, we have three main pictures of judgment.

"When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.' Then the righteous will answer him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?' And the King will answer them, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.' "Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.' Then they also will answer, saying, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?' Then he will answer them, saying, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.' And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life." (Matthew 25:31-46)

“So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.” (2nd Cor. 5:9-10)

“Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done. And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done. Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.” (Rev. 20:11-15)

Now, in light of this, we, as Christians must realize that there is an impending day of death and judgment. Although we certainly aren’t saved by our works, we will be held accountable for our works before a Holy and righteous God.

However, it must be stressed, our hope is in heaven, and a joyful eternity with Christ. To sum it up, I’ll use the words of Paul: “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain…My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better.” (Philippians 1:21 & 23) Furthermore, we read: “Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord.” (2nd Cor. 5:8)

And, we also get this brief description of heaven in Hebrews 12: “But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.” (Hebrews 12:22-24)

On the other hand, if there are non-Christians reading this blog piece, REPENT AND BELIEVE THE GOSPEL!!! Seven times (Matthew 8:12, 13:42, 13:50, 22:13, 24:51, 25:30 & Luke 13:28) hell is referred to as a place of “weeping and gnashing of teeth.” Furthermore, in Matthew 8:12, 22:13 & 25:30 hell is described as darkness & in Matt. 13:42 & 13:50, hell is referred to as a furnace.

It’s also worth noting: "If anyone worships the beast and its image and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, he also will drink the wine of God’s wrath, poured full strength into the cup of his anger, and he will be tormented with fire and sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever, and they have no rest, day or night, these worshipers of the beast and its image, and whoever receives the mark of its name." (Revelation 14:9-11)

Furthermore, we read the words of Christ: “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.” (John 3:36)

I apologize for the rambling nature of this blog piece. But, that being said, my point is, life is short. According to King David: “As for man, his days are like grass; he flourishes like a flower of the field; for the wind passes over it, and it is gone, and its place knows it no more.” (Psalm 103:15-16)

And, although, in context this was in reference to God’s judgment on wayward Israel, I think these words should ring true for all of us: “…prepare to meet your God..” (Amos 4:12)

Mongerism vs. Synergism

2010-05-09T07:45:00.001-07:00

These two videos deal with the heart of the difference between Reformed people and Arminians. This issue had initially been settled at the Council of Orange in 529 AD, as a result of the Pelagian heresy.

Adoption

2010-04-19T09:37:00.000-07:00

One of the things that sticks out in my childhood is the day of March 9th, 1998, the day of my adoption. On that day, because of an unexpected blizzard, my mom, my dad and I wound up taking the train into the Cook County courthouse in downtown Chicago. On a normal day, the ride on Metra into downtown Chicago from my hometown of Wheaton would have taken about 45 minutes. However, because of the blizzard, which resulted in the switches along the tracks freezing up, the train trip took nearly 2 and ½ hours. Anyway, to make a long story short, after an interview with a judge, permission was granted for my parents to finally adopt me after many years of waiting.

Although I had been raised in the Phillips family since I was taken in as a foster child when I was 7 months old, and was considered their child, I wasn’t officially made their child until that day. With that, came a change in name, from Donielle (“Donnie”) Dean Ecford, to Caleb Donnell Phillips, my parents officially became my parents and my brother, Aaron, officially became my brother.

And, this is just a picture of what God does to the unregenerate person whom He saves through Christ. In fact, just on Friday, Al Mohler, the President of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, wrote on his blog: “The adoption of any child is a portrait of God’s grace. Just as every earthly marriage points in some way to the marriage supper of the Lamb, every adopted child is a pointer to the Gospel.”

It’s first worth noting that in response to the claims of the Pharisees that God was their Father: “Jesus said to them, ‘If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and I am here. I came not of my own accord, but he sent me…You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires.’” (John 8:42 & 44)

That being said, Paul writes to the Christians in Galatia: “when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, ‘Abba! Father!’ So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.” (Galatians 4:4-7)

Similarly, Paul wrote in Romans: “For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, ‘Abba! Father!’ The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.” (Romans 8:14-17)

And, in Epehsians: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love He predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.” (Ephesians 1:3-7)

Now, this adoption has implications for the believer.

As Paul noted in Galatians 4:7 and Romans 8:17, we enjoy an inheritance. According to Titus 3:7, we are “heirs according to the hope of eternal life.” Plus, according to James 2:5, we are heirs to the Kingdom of God. Peter describes our inheritance as “imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you…” (1st Peter 1:4)

Furthermore, we also read the words of Jesus: “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.’” (Matthew 25:31-34)

Now, with all this being said, there is a another aspect to our adoption as sons (and daughters) of God: discipline. Yet, interestingly enough, God’s discipline is actually seen as a sign of love.

Throughout the Old Testament, we read of God’s judgments on Israel, including the invasions of the Babylonians and Assyrians. We see a picture of this in Ezekiel 20:33-49

“Blessed is the man whom you discipline, O LORD, and whom you teach out of your law, to give him rest from days of trouble, until a pit is dug for the wicked.” (Psalm 94:12)

In John 15:1-2, we read Christ’s words: “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.”

Furthermore, we read: “In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons? ‘My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him. For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.’ It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live? For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.” (Hebrews 12:4-11)

And, in His rebuke to the Church at Laodicea, which Jesus Himself describes as “lukewarm” (Rev. 3:16) as well as “wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked” (Rev. 3:17) says: “Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent.” (Rev. 3:19)

The last thing I wish to touch on is, as we’re adopted by God, those who are Christians are our brothers and sisters in Christ, whom we love.

To quote John Newton, the author of the hymn “Amazing Grace,” regarding the love that transcends even family and denominational lines: “The children of God, who therefore stand in the relation of brethren to each other, though they have too many unhappy differences in points of smaller importance, agree in supreme love they bear to their heavenly Father, and Jesus Christ their Saviour; of course they agree in disliking and avoiding sin, which is contrary to the will and command of the God whom they love and worship. Upon these accounts they love one another, they are like-minded; and they live in a world where the bulk of mankind are against them, have no regard to their Beloved, and live in the sinful practices which his grace taught them to hate. Their situation, therefore, increases their affection to each other. They are washed by the same blood, supplied by the same grace, opposed by the same enemies, and have the same heaven in view: therefore they love one another with a pure heart fervently….It extends to all who love the Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity, cannot be confined within the pale of a denomination, nor restrained to those with whom it is more immediately connected.”

Therefore:“Whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in darkness. Whoever loves his brother abides in the light, and in him there is no cause for stumbling. But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.” (1st John 2:9-11)

“By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother….We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death. Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.” (1st John 3:10-11 & 14-16)

With this, I’d like to close with a quote from Al Mohler: “The wonder of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is this — not one of us is worthy of adoption. In our sinfulness, not one of us has any claim on the Father’s love, much less a right to adoption. But, the infinitely rich mercy of God is shown us in Christ, in whom believers are adopted by the Father. And this adoption, thanks be to God, is eternal and irreversible.”

Quotes (#12)

2010-04-14T08:44:00.000-07:00

"Any of the teaching that is good is in the Word of God, and any that is not in the Word of God is not good. I am a Bible Christian and if an archangel with a wingspread as broad as a constellation shining like the sun were to come and offer me some new truth, I’d ask him for a reference. If he could not show me where it is found in the Bible, I would bow him out and say, 'I’m awfully sorry, you don’t bring any references with you.'”-A.W. Tozer (1897-1963)
HT: DefendingContending

A Sermon on Hope & Hoplessness

2010-04-11T09:10:00.000-07:00

In this sermon, Tim Conway preaches on both the hope of the Christian, as well as the hoplessness that non-Christians have until they repent and trust in Christ.

The Scandal and Tragedy of the Roman Catholic Church

2010-04-07T10:38:00.000-07:00

The Scandal and Tragedy of the Roman Catholic Church
If you’ve been keeping up with the news, chances are you’ve been hearing about the new sex abuse scandal rocking the Vatican. On April 4th, “the Times” reported that the late Pope John Paul II ignored the abuse of 2,000 boys by a friend of his, the Austrian Cardinal Hans Hermann Groer, without any sanction from the Vatican.(1) It has come out that the former Cardinal William Levada of Portland, Oregon, reassigned a pedophile priest, albeit after the priest underwent therapy, without informing parishioners, and in Italy, the Catholic Church is also undergoing a mounting scandal.(2)

Plus, in light of the sex scandals in Ireland and in the U.S., there are the allegations against the current pontiff, Pope Benedict XVI. Accusations have arisen that the then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (now Pope Benedict), as head of the “Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith,” before becoming pope in 2005, swept many cases of sex abuse in Germany and in other countries, under the rug.

But, what’s the most troubling is the Vatican’s response to the issue. On Palm Sunday, amdist calls of some for the pope to resign, it seems that he made, apparently, at the very least, reference to accusations, saying that God helps lead people: "towards the courage of not allowing oneself to be intimidated by the petty gossip of dominant opinion.” (3)

The following week, on Easter Sunday, we read this: "’Holy Father, on your side are the people of God,’ Cardinal Angelo Sodano told the pontiff, whom victims of clergy sexual abuse accuse of helping to shape and perpetuate a climate of cover-up. Sodano, dean of the College of Cardinals, dismissed those claims as ‘petty gossip.’…Dressed in gold robes and shielded from a cool drizzle by a canopy, Benedict looked weary during much of the Mass, the highlight of a heavy Holy Week schedule. But as he listened intently to Sodano's paean, a smile broke across the pope's face, and when the cardinal finished speaking, Benedict rose from his chair in front of the altar to embrace him….Sodano's praise for Benedict as well as the church's 400,000 priests worldwide cranked up a vigorous campaign by the Holy See to counter what it calls a ‘vile’ smear operation orchestrated by anti-Vatican media aimed at weakening the papacy.”(4) There was also a case in which Vatican priest Raniero Cantalamessa likened the backlash against the Vatican and the pope in particular, to anti-Semitism, angering many Jewish groups.(5)

Now, some of you may be wondering why I’m doing a post on this issue. But, I see this actually as the indication of a spiritual problem in the Roman Catholic Church, and I also see this physical corruption as the sign of long-existing spiritual corruption.

As a result of the Protestant Reformation, the Catholic Church convened the Council of Trent (1545-1563), and by its pronouncement, it disconnected itself from Biblical Christianity, and made it clear that it is no longer a Christian organization, but a false religion. (Although, I do believe that there are professing Catholics, who by the grace of God have come to trust in Christ alone for their Salvations, and therefore are born-again Christians)

Let’s take a look at a few examples: “CANON IX.-If any one saith, that by faith alone the impious is justified; in such wise as to mean, that nothing else is required to co-operate in order to the obtaining the grace of Justification, and that it is not in any way necessary, that he be prepared and disposed by the movement of his own will; let him be anathema. CANON XII.-If any one saith, that justifying faith is nothing else but confidence in the divine mercy which remits sins for Christ's sake; or, that this confidence alone is that whereby we are justified; let him be anathema. CANON XIII.-If any one saith, that it is necessary for every one, for the obtaining the remission of sins, that he believe for certain, and without any wavering arising from his own infirmity and disposition, that his sins are forgiven him; let him be anathema. CANON XV.-If any one saith, that a man, who is born again and justified, is bound of faith to believe that he is assuredly in the number of the predestinate; let him be anathema. CANON XXX.-If any one saith, that, after the grace of Justification has been received, to every penitent sinner the guilt is remitted, and the debt of eternal punishment is blotted out in such wise that there remains not any debt of temporal punishment to be discharged either in this world, or in the next in Purgatory, before the entrance to the kingdom of heaven can be opened (to him);let him be anathema.” (6)

In short, the Roman Catholic Church, at the Council of Trent, pronounced anathemas on the Gospel itself!!! For, in Scripture, we read, it is: “by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9) Now, are works necessary, ABSOLUTELY!!! But, they are a sign of regeneration. As James says: "But someone will say, 'You have faith and I have works.' Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works."(James 2:18)

Furthermore, at the First Vatican Council (1869-1870), the Catholic Church confession read in part: “I embrace and accept the whole and every part of what was defined and declared by the holy Council of Trent concerning original sin and justification…. I firmly hold that purgatory exists, and that the souls detained there are helped by the suffrages of the faithful. Likewise, that the saints reigning with Christ are to be honored and prayed to, and that they offer prayers to God on our behalf, and that their relics should be venerated…I resolutely assert that images of 1. Christ and 2. the ever Virgin Mother of God, and likewise those of 3. the other saints, are to be kept and retained, and that due honor and reverence is to be shown them….. Then there is the definition of the Council of Florence: ‘The Roman Pontiff is the true vicar of Christ, the head of the whole Church and the father and teacher of all Christians; and to him was committed in blessed Peter, by our lord Jesus Christ, the full power of tending, ruling and governing the whole Church.’”(7)

Because of the fact that the Catholic Church teaches a false gospel, it’s no surprise that these sexual abuse scandals are going on, as well as the Catholic Church responding this way. Why? Because, in teaching a false system, they’ve cut themselves off from the regenerating work of Christ. I’m going to concede that there are no perfect churches, and the church is a congregation of sinners saved by grace. But, when people are saved, despite the fact that they don’t become sinless, they are made new creatures (2nd Corinthians 5:17).

Furthermore, according to Scripture, we are to expel those who are in immorality until they repent!!! Paul writes: “I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people— not at all meaning the sexually immoral of this world, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world. But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler—not even to eat with such a one.” (1st Corinthians 5:9-11)

But, the most damning indictment of the Vatican is found in Paul’s letter to the Galatian Church: “I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel—not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed.” (Galatians 1:6-9)

So, this begs the question of how we should respond. First off, we should reach out with the Truth of the Gospel, as well as compassion towards Catholics, or at the very least, pray that God uses these series of scandals, as well as inevitable disillusionment from some to bring many people out of the Roman Catholic Church and into true Christianity.

In fact, according to one news story: “As the faithful filled churches this Holy Week, many Roman Catholics around the world are finding their relationship to the church tested by new revelations of clerical abuse and suggestions Benedict himself may have helped cover up cases in Germany and the U.S. There are fears that for those whose commitment is already wavering, the scandal could be the final blow, and a growing chorus is clamoring for the church to embrace full transparency, take a hard line against pedophiles, and reconsider the rule of priestly celibacy….’People are outraged really, they're furious with the complete failure of the church's leadership and their view would be that we are led by incompetent people,’ [Paul] Collins said.” (8)

This may just be me, but part of me can't help shaking the notion that possibly, God's allowing this to happen to the Catholic Church as a means to draw people to Himself.

Endnotes:
1.)http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/faith/article7086738.ece

2.)http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100406/wl_afp/italyreligionchildabuse_20100406170242

3.)http://uk.news.yahoo.com/5/20100328/twl-pope-leads-palm-sunday-amid-calls-to-3fd0ae9.html

4.)http://www.dailyworld.com/article/20100405/NEWS01/4050312/1002/news01

5.)http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/03/world/europe/03church.html

6.)http://history.hanover.edu/texts/trent/ct06.html

7.)http://www.ewtn.com/library/COUNCILS/V1.htm#4

8.)http://www.dailyworld.com/article/201004020235/NEWS01/4020326

The Importance of the Ressurection of Christ

2010-04-02T08:58:00.000-07:00

With Easter, or "Ressurection Sunday" coming up, one of the things that has obviously been on my mind is the death & ressurection of Christ, as told in the Scriptures, as well as the implications of it.

I think Isaiah 53 is the passage that most thoroughly describes the death and ressurection of Christ in Old Testament prophecy.

"Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all...Yet it was the will of the LORD to crush him; he has put him to grief;
when his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied;by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities." (Isaiah 53:4-6, 10-11)

Plus, Jesus Himself predicted His death & ressurection.

In His rebuke of the scribes and Pharisees, who demanded a sign of His being Messiah, Jesus stated: "An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth." (Matthew 12:39-40)

Also, we read: "See, we are going up to Jerusalem. And the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn him to death and deliver him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified, and he will be raised on the third day." (Matthew 20:18-19)

Now, we must get to the implications of Christ's ressurection.

First off, we see it as having spiritual ramifications.
"He who was delivered over because of our transgressions, and was raised because of our justification." (Romans 4:25)

"Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life." (Romans 6:3-5)

"But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you." (Romans 8:10-12)

But, I think that 1st Corinthians 15 gives us the clearest picture of the spiritual ramifications: "For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me. Whether then it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed. Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified about God that he raised Christ, whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied." (1st Corinthians 15:1-19)

But, there are also physical implications to Christ's ressurection.

In 1st Corinthians 15, we read: "But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ." (1st Corinthians 15:20-23)

In Daniel 12 in talking of the end times, we read: "And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt."(Daniel 12:2)

We get a picture of this in Matthew 27, upon Jesus' death: "The tombs also were opened. And many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised, and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many." (Matthew 27:52-53)

We see this mentioned in 1st Corinthians 15:51-54, in which we read: "Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: 'Death is swallowed up in victory.'"

We also read, in a passage that dispensationalists argue is referring to the pre-tribulation rapture and non-dispensationalists argue that which will happen at the time that Christ comes to destroy evil: "For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord." (1st Thessalonians 4:15-17)

Now, as Daniel 12:2 pointed out, there's also a ressurection of the non-believers as well, and there also seems to be a distinction between the ressurection of those who believed in Christ, as Revelation 20 points out: "Also I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection!" (Revelation 20:4-6)

Finally, we read of this second ressurection, the ressurection of damnation, later on in Revelation 20, after the final rebellion: "Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done. And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done. Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire." (Revelation 20:11-14)

In fact, as the late Leonard Ravenhill put it: "The unholy dead are going to stand, great and small, before God. Sometimes I look at my Encyclopedia Britannica and I think of all the history that is going to pass before me in the flesh. I'll be interested to see Julius Caesar and Tiberius Caesar. I'll be fascinated when Pontius Pilate stands before Jesus. I think he'll be more uncomfortable than Jesus felt standing before him! It will be awesome when we see the founders of these cults stand before God. When, in God's name, is the Church going to open their heart and mind and see that every man will stand accountable to God? I don't care if he flies his own private jet or how many cities or millions of people he rules. It doesn't matter. The great of the earth and the lowest of the earth are all going to spend their time in eternity. They are going to live there forever and ever, "where their worm does not die" (Mark 9:48). Hell won't be the same for everybody. Some will be beaten with a few stripes, some with many stripes (Luke 12:47-48). But I tell you what -- I'd rather be the least in the Kingdom of God than the greatest in the kingdom of the devil, both in time and in eternity…..Think of Pharaoh and Herod the Great standing before Jesus and having to account for their deeds."

To conclude, I'd like to finish off with 2 quotes that I think sum up the matter well, regarding the implication of the ressurection of Christ from the dead: "In the New Testament the standard miracle, the standard of God's power, is the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. Then, because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, there is of course the resurrection of the individual from the dead."-Leonard Ravenhill

“Regeneration is the spiritual resurrection of the Christian…. This Divine quickening is spoken of as a passing “from death unto life” (John 5:24). It is a miracle: a miracle of Divine grace and power…. Only the living God can speak the word which will call forth a Lazarus from the tomb and He alone can regenerate… At his spiritual resurrection or regeneration the Christian is made partaker of the Divine nature (2 Peter 1:4) so that new desires and affections are awakened within him.”-A.W. Pink

Fruit

2010-03-24T09:57:00.000-07:00

In March of 2006, my mother & I made a visit out to my Uncle Chris and Aunt Audrey’s old farm in western Illinois. At that time they had a place on 80 acres, where they raised corn, soybeans, a handful of cattle & some chickens. One thing I remember helping them with is tearing down some dead branches & taking them to a burn pile behind one of the barns to be burned. The following year, we did a similar thing, helping them cut down dead branches from trees bordering the pasture. Now, it goes without saying that the reason that we were doing these things was because these trees & branches were serving no use and bearing no fruit.

In Matthew 3:8-11, we read John the Baptist’s words to the religious leaders: “Bear fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not presume to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father,' for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham. Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”

Now, I’d like the briefly touch on the notion of regeneration, which I believe I already touched on before. In fact, this is the cause of our fruit. In 2nd Corinthians 2:17, we read: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” And, we get a picture of regeneration in Ezekiel 36:26-27, which states: “And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.”

I’m sure that we know the “fruits of the spirit,” found in the Book of Galatians: “Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.” (Galatians 5:19-230

Now, I want to be clear about what I'm not talking about.

I’m not advocating works-righteousness. But, what I am saying is that if you are a true Christian, YOU WILL BEAR FRUIT!!! To be completely honest, often being “born again” has been simply reduced to praying the sinner’s prayer, or coming forward at an altar call. Then, the supposed convert can go on living in a continuous state of worldliness, but God bless them, they’re saved because they prayed that prayer.

To quote Paul Washer: “The doctrine of a Christian living in a continuous state of carnality is ABSOLUTE HERESY!!! Do Christians sin? Yes. Can Christians fall into carnality? Yes. Can Christians walk in immaturity for a while? Yes. But, can Christians live a godless, worldly life, all the days of their life? Absolutely not!!! Why? Because Salvation is a supernatural work of God wherby if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature, and new creatures live a different way!!!”

That being said, we read in 1st John: “And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. Whoever says ‘I know him’ but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.” (1st John 2:3-5)

He also writes: “By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit…. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him… We love because he first loved us. If anyone says, ‘I love God,’ and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother.” (1st John 4:13, 15 & 19-21)

“Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of him. By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome.” (1st John 5:1-4)

Hear the words of Jesus: “I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned… As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love…. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you.” (John 15:5, 9-10 & 16)

James writes: “What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace, be warmed and filled,’ without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. But someone will say, ‘You have faith and I have works.’ Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.” (James 2:14-18)

Now, it’s possible for a false convert to temporarily bear fruit. "Hear then the parable of the sower: When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is what was sown along the path. As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy, yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away. As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. As for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty." (Matt. 13:18-23)

And, as I once told a friend, I would connect Matthew 13:18-23, particularly with the person who is described as “rocky ground” to this passage in Hebrews: “For it is impossible, in the case of those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have shared in the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, to restore them again to repentance, since they are crucifying once again the Son of God to their own harm and holding him up to contempt.” (Hebrews 6:4-6)

I want to be clear that I believe in the doctrine of eternal security> I also want to stress that I believe each Christian will have different strengths, weaknesses & struggles. In fact, I remember once making, what I believe to be, the mistake of trying to gain assurence of my salvation by measuring my fruit against his & felt bad because I wasn't struggling with the same things that he was.

However, we also have this commandment: “Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test!” (2nd Corinthians 13:5) Also: “Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to make your calling and election sure, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall. For in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” (2nd Peter 1:10-11)

What I’m talking about is not sinless perfection. The Protestant Reformer Martin Luther (1483-1546) referred to Christians as being "simultaneously saint and sinner"

In fact, the Apostle Paul admitted: “For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh, sold under sin… For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate… So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.” (Romans 7:14-15, 17-25)

In the same breath, I’m not trying to whitewash sin. It’s a heinous offense against God!!! Furthermore, “we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.” (2nd Corinthians 5:10)

But, as John wrote: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1st John 1:9) He also noted: “My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.” (1st John 2:1)

In conclusion, I must agree with the Puritan George Swinnock (1627-1673), who commented: “It is not one or two good actions, but a consistent conduct, that tells whether a man is a true Christian. . . . Sheep may fall into the mire, but swine love day and night to wallow in it. A Christian may stumble, he may even fall, but he gets up and walks on in the way of God’s commandments; the bent of his heart is right, and the scope of his life is straight, and thus he is considered sincere.”

Jim McClarty's Response to Dave Hunt on Calvinism

2010-03-22T03:47:00.000-07:00

I thought this to be rather interesting. Although this is briefly mentioned, Dave Hunt is co-author of the "Berean Call." Now, I commend Mr. Hunt for his counter-cult work. However, that being said, he's twisting the truth regarding Calvinism, which Jim McClarty points out.

Quotes (#11)

2010-03-09T13:58:00.000-08:00

"Jesus makes it clear who men are to fear. It is not the government, the religious leaders of the day, the employer, or the influential people of the community they Jesus tells us to fear, but rather we are to fear God. It is God and God alone who should cause mankind to tremble...A healthy fear of God is what is greatly needed in our churches today and it is the very thing that will bring lost men to repentance...Jesus says, 'Fear him!' Jesus says he will tell us who to fear and then he specifically shows that we had better fear the one who holds man’s eternal destiny in his hand. Eternity! Eternity! The word is filled with fear and it is filled with hope. Mankind will have to stand before this God some day. Man will stand before the One who utters his voice and causes the earth to melt, who judges in righteousness and truth and who will not allow anything unclean to enter into his presence." J. Randall Easter

Voddie Baucham on Why God Allows Bad Things to Happen

2010-03-04T05:43:00.000-08:00

When a friend posted this on his wall on Facebook, all I can say is "wow." I was floored when I heard this.

"Five Illegal Uses of the Law"

2010-02-28T18:48:00.000-08:00

Now, I'm not a Lutheran, but would find myself closest, theologically, to the Reformed Baptists. But, that being said, I think that Lutheran minister Bryan Wolfmueller makes a really good point.

Five Illegal Uses of the Law by Rev. Bryan Wolfmueller

"There are three good and legitimate uses of the Lord's law, the curb, mirror and guide. As a curb the Lord's law orders the things of creation and keeps society from chaos. As a mirror the law shows us our sin and our need for Jesus and His mercy and salvation. As a guide the law gives shape to our Christian love for our neighbor. These uses or functions of the law are good and right, they are the reasons that the Lord gave His law to humanity.

But more often than not the law of God is misused. Instead of the Lord using the law on us, we take up the law and use it ourselves, on God or on our neighbor. We could call this the 'illegal use of the law.' Here are five examples to consider."

Read the rest here.

Quotes (#10)

2010-02-28T11:12:00.000-08:00

"The fundamental fault of the modern Church is that she is busily engaged in an absolutely impossible task--she is busily engaged in calling the righteous to repentance. Modern preachers are trying to bring men into the Church without requiring them to relinquish their pride; they are trying to help men avoid the conviction of sin. The preacher gets up into the pulpit, opens the Bible, and addresses the congregation somewhat as follows: 'You people are very good,' he says; 'you respond to every appeal that looks toward the welfare of the community. Now we have in the Bible--especially in the life of Jesus--something so good that we believe it is good enough even for you good people.' Such is modern preaching. It is heard every Sunday in thousands of pulpits. But it is entirely futile. Even our Lord did not call the righteous to repentance, and probably we shall be no more successful than He."- J. Gresham Machen (1881-1937)

Tim Conway on the Power & Offense of the Cross

2010-02-22T06:36:00.000-08:00

In Psalm 32:1-2, we read: "Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven,whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man against whom the LORD counts no iniquity,and in whose spirit there is no deceit."

In this sermon, Tim Conway explains the brutality, power, and indeed, the offense of of the cross, upon which Jesus died, for the sins of those who believe. As Paul put it: "For the word of the cross is folly 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, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.'" (1st Corinthians 1:18-19). Furthermore: "...Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, 23but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, 24but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God." (1st Cor. 1:22-24)

Quotes (#10)

2010-02-19T09:46:00.000-08:00

"Without any of their choosing, millions will be branded for the Antichrist one day. Shall we shrink to bear in our spirits, our souls, and our bodies our Owner’s marks -- the marks of Jesus? Branded means pain. Do we want that? Branded means carrying the slur of the servant. Will we choose to be branded -- for Christ?"-Leonard Ravenhill (1907-1994)

The Public Rebuke of a False Prophet

2010-02-16T20:40:00.000-08:00

Some of my readers may or may not be aware of the past shenanigans of Todd Bentley at his 2008 "Outpouring" in Lakeland, Florida. For those interested, I would strongly advice watching this video in which Ingrid Schlueter discusses the matter with pastors John Sharpe and Ken Silva. They also discuss the occultic influence in 2008 in the "Revival"

Anyway, to give a brief background of the issue raised, was the fact that Bentley had divorced his wife, and married his mistress, his childrens' nanny. Despite the scandal, and his brief embarassment, he was restored.

Now, this second part are interviews with the people who publicly rebuked him, after these people were hustled out. In it, they discuss their concerns regarding Bentley, as well as their motives.

Eternal Security

2010-02-14T15:48:00.000-08:00

One dispute that has been going on for a considerable amount of time is on whether a believer can lose their salvation, or, once someone is saved, do they remain saved. One argument that some who argue that one can lose their salvation, is based off the notion that it gives license to sin. Admittedly, there are people who use eternal security, or the notion of being “once-saved, always saved,” to justify their carnality.

But, I firmly believe that when one is truly born-again, they will remain saved. Now, this isn’t an exhaustive study on the subject. However, we read two verses quoting Christ Himself.

“All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day." (John 6:37-40)

“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. I and the Father are one." (John 10:27-30)

The Apostle Paul writes: “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?...For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:35 & 38-39)

Now, with that being said, I believe we need to address two things. First of all, we need to address God’s role in salvation, as well as the doctrines of election and predestination. Jesus Himself said that true Christians are given to Him by the Father (John 6:37 and John 10:29)

Furthermore, in regards to predestination, we read: “For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.” (Romans 8:29-30)

In Ephesians, we read: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved….In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.” (Ephesians 1:3-7 & 11-14)

Initially, I said that there are two issues we need to work through, one being the God’s sovereignty in salvation. The second issue I wish to bring up is the necessity of fruit, brought by regeneration and sanctification.

We get a picture of regeneration in the Book of Ezekiel: “I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.” (Ezekiel 36:25-27)

Famously, Paul wrote: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” (2nd Corinthians 5:17)

We also read, “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.” (Galatians 5:16-25)

In Matthew 3, John the Baptist rebuked the Pharisees and the Sadducees, famously calling them a “brood of vipers” (Matt. 3:7) and he admonished them: “Bear fruit in keeping with repentance….Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”(Matthew 3:8 & 10) In similar language, Jesus Himself states:“ every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit.Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.” (Matthew 7:17-19)

I’m also going to note the writing in 1st John: “Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of him. By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome. For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world— our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?”(1st John 5:1-6)

James writes: “What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him?... So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead….But someone will say, ‘You have faith and I have works.’ Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder!” (James 2:18-19)

You may ask: why am I bringing this up? Because, true Christians will show continuous fruit. I base this off of the Jesus’ explanation of the sower and the seed: "Hear then the parable of the sower: When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is what was sown along the path. As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy, yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away. As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. As for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty." (Matthew 13:18-23)

John writes: "They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us. But you have been anointed by the Holy One, and you all have knowledge.” (1st John 2:19-20)

So, when someone makes a profession of faith, shows some fruit at first, but then goes back to the world, the question shouldn’t be: “can this person lose their salvation,” but rather, “were they truly saved to begin with.?”

I conclude with a quote from the Puritan Thomas Watson (1620-1686): "When God calls a man, He does not repent of it. God does not, as many friends do, love one day, and hate another; or as princes, who make their subjects favourites, and afterwards throw them into prison. This is the blessedness of a saint; his condition admits of no alteration. God's call is founded on His decree, and His decree is immutable. Acts of grace cannot be reversed. God blots out his people's sins, but not their names."

John MacArthur on False Converts

2010-02-12T21:46:00.000-08:00

I think that John MacArthur makes some good points in this message. Perhaps it's almost unecessary to quote this passage: "On that day many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?' And then will I declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.'" (Matthew 7:22-23)

A Post on Pastors

2010-02-12T09:48:00.000-08:00

It seems that increasingly we have pastors who aren’t doing their duties as pastors. Just this week, it was revealed on a news network that a certain pastor in Texas was living high on the hog. He has a 7,800 square foot house, a $240,0000 a year parsonage allowance, a million dollar a year pastor’s salary, and, unbeknownst to his congregation, he was leasing an private jet. Then of course, we have folks like Rob Bell, who are leading people into Emergent, liberal, post-modernism, post-modernism arguing that we can’t know absolute truth. Then there are folks like Joel Osteen and Robert Schuller who make almost NO mention of sin, nor the necessity to repent and receive the forgiveness of sins won by Jesus Christ on the cross.

I think that the late Leonard Ravenhill (1907-1994) summed up the problem well: “It is because so many untaught men, unregenerate men, now occupy the pulpits that ‘another gospel’ (Gal. 1:6) is being so widely and generally disseminated. Multitudes who have neither ‘tasted that the Lord is gracious’ nor have ‘the fear of the Lord’ in them, have from various motives and considerations invaded the sacred calling of the ministry and out of the abundance of their corrupt hearts they speak. Being blind themselves, they lead the blind into the ditch. Having no love for the Shepherd they have none for the sheep, being but ‘hirelings.’ They are themselves ‘of the world’ and therefore ‘the world heareth them’ (1 John 4:5), for they preach that which is acceptable unto fallen human nature and as like attracts like, they gather around themselves a company of admirers who flatter and support them. They will bring in just enough of God’s Truth to deceive the unwary and give an appearance of orthodoxy to their message, but not sufficient of the Truth, especially the searching portions thereof, to render their hearers uncomfortable by destroying their false peace. They will name Christ but not preach Him, mention the Gospel but not expound it.”

Similarly, Charles Spurgeon (1834-1892) observed: “Many preachers are very superior persons; and so, when they get God's message, they correct it, and interpolate their own ideas; they dream that the old gospel cannot be quite suitable to these enlightened days, when ‘everything is done by steam, and men are killed by powder.’ They not only interpolate, but they omit, because they judge that certain truths have become obsolete by the lapse of time. In this way, what with additions and subtractions, little is left of the pure Word of God.”

Yet, the approach taken in Scripture towards pastors, referred to as “overseer” in Scripture, is starkly different than what’s becoming increasingly popular, and I say this as a young layman.

Now, first off, we must look at the qualifications for being a pastor, as laid out by the Apostle Paul in Scripture.
“The saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task. Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive, for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God’s church? He must not be a recent convert, or he may become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil. Moreover, he must be well thought of by outsiders, so that he may not fall into disgrace, into a snare of the devil.” (1st Timothy 3:1-7)

“For an overseer, as God’s steward, must be above reproach. He must not be arrogant or quick-tempered or a drunkard or violent or greedy for gain, but hospitable, a lover of good, self-controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined.” (Titus 1:7-8)

Peter writes
“So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.” (1st Peter 5:1-4)

Now, let us look at the duties of a pastor.
Paul writes to Timothy: “As I urged you when I was going to Macedonia, remain at Ephesus so that you may charge certain persons not to teach any different doctrine, nor to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies, which promote speculations rather than the stewardship from God that is by faith. The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. Certain persons, by swerving from these, have wandered away into vain discussion, desiring to be teachers of the law, without understanding either what they are saying or the things about which they make confident assertions.” (1st Timothy 1:3-7)

“Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity. Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching. Do not neglect the gift you have, which was given you by prophecy when the council of elders laid their hands on you. Practice these things, immerse yourself in them, so that all may see your progress. Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers.” (1st Timothy 4:12-16)

“I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.” (2nd Timothy 4:1-5)

“He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it.” (Titus 1:9)

“But as for you, teach what accords with sound doctrine. Older men are to be sober-minded, dignified, self-controlled, sound in faith, in love, and in steadfastness. Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled. Likewise, urge the younger men to be self-controlled. Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity, dignity, and sound speech that cannot be condemned, so that an opponent may be put to shame, having nothing evil to say about us. Slaves are to be submissive to their own masters in everything; they are to be well-pleasing, not argumentative, not pilfering, but showing all good faith, so that in everything they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior….Declare these things; exhort and rebuke with all authority. Let no one disregard you.” (Titus 2:1-10 & 15)

Now, I would also like to add this:“Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching. For the Scripture says, ‘You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain,’ and, ‘The laborer deserves his wages.’ Do not admit a charge against an elder except on the evidence of two or three witnesses. As for those who persist in sin, rebuke them in the presence of all, so that the rest may stand in fear.” (1st Timothy 5:17-20)

Now, of course, that being said, we as Christians, are to be therefore, respectful to our pastors (Titus 2:15), as they have authority (also in Titus 2:15)

To finish off this post, I would like to quote parts of Charles Spurgeon’s admonition to preachers: “We must, I say, first, make great efforts to acquire information, especially of a Biblical kind. We must not confine ourselves to one topic of study, or we shall not exercise our whole mental manhood…. Study the Bible, dear brethren, through and through, with all helps that you can possibly obtain…. Be well instructed in theology, and do not regard the sneers of those who rail at it because they are ignorant of it. Many preachers are not theologians, and hence the mistakes which they make. It cannot do any hurt to the most lively evangelist to be also a sound theologian, and it may often be the means of saving him from gross blunders… Brethren, we shall not adjust our Bible to the age; but before we have done with it, by God's grace, we shall adjust the age to the Bible….I shall not attempt to teach a tiger the virtues of vegetarianism; but I shall as hopefully attempt that task as I would try to convince an unregenerate man of the truths revealed by God concerning sin, and righteousness, and judgment to come. These spiritual truths are repugnant to carnal men, and the carnal mind cannot receive the things of God. Gospel truth is diametrically opposed to fallen nature; and if I have not a power much stronger than that which lies in moral suasion, or in my own explanations and arguments, I have undertaken a task in which I am sure of defeat…. Except the Lord endow us with power from on high, our labour must be in vain, and our hopes must end in disappointment…. If there is to be a Divine result from God's Word, the Holy Ghost must go forth with it…. In order to have the Holy Spirit with us, there must be a very close adhesion to the truth of God, with clearness, boldness, and fidelity in the utterance of it.”

Quotes (#9)

2010-02-10T11:35:00.000-08:00

"As a matter of fact, however, in the modern vituperation of 'doctrine,' it is not merely the great theologians or the great creeds that are being attacked, but the New Testament and our Lord Himself. In rejecting doctrine, the liberal preacher is rejecting the simple words of Paul' 'Who loved me and gave Himself for me,' just as much as the homoousion of the Nicene Creed. For the word 'doctrine' is really used not in its narrowest, but in its broadest sense. The liberal preacher is really rejecting the whole basis of Christianity, which is a religion founded not on aspirations, but on facts. Here is found the most fundamental difference between liberalism and Christianity--liberalism is altogether in the imperative mood, while Christianity begins with a triumphant indicative; liberalism appeals to man's will, while Christianity announces, first, a gracious act of God."- J. Gresham Machen (1881-1937)

Tim Conway on the Will of God

2010-02-08T10:00:00.000-08:00

In this Bible study, Tim Conway speaks on how we, as Christians, can know & discern the Will of God.

Who Is Jesus?

2010-02-06T11:05:00.000-08:00

In Matthew 24, we have Jesus Himself, in His Mount Olivet Discourse, regarding the end times, telling His disciples: "See that no one leads you astray. For many will come in my name, saying, 'I am the Christ,' and they will lead many astray...Then if anyone says to you, 'Look, here is the Christ!' or 'There he is!' do not believe it. For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect. See, I have told you beforehand. So, if they say to you, 'Look, he is in the wilderness,' do not go out. If they say, 'Look, he is in the inner rooms,' do not believe it." (Matthew 24:4 & 23-26)

And, it seems that we have a whole bunch of false Christs running around today, namely in the cults & in other world religions. The "Jesus" of Islam, "Isa", is only a prophet. To the Mormons, "Jesus" is the son of God by a sexual relationship between God the Father (an exalted man) and the Virgin Mary, He was the spirit brother of Lucifer, and during his time on earth, Jesus was married to three women: Mary, Martha and Mary Magdeline. The Jehovah's Witnesses deny the divinity of Christ, the physical ressurection, teach that Christ was the Archangel Michael and that Christ returned spiritually in 1914. To the Christian Scientists, Jesus is only "divine principle." Many, like a lot of the New Agers, will say that Christ was only a good teacher, and deny that He's the only way to Salvation.

Yet, in our study of the Christian doctrines of Christ, I hope to lay down at least some of the doctrines regarding our Lord and Savior. Technically, this study is known as "Christology," and admittedly, I'm not going to nail down every doctrine regarding Christ.

First off we read of His Diety

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this.” (Isaiah 9:6-7)

"But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel His goings forth are from long ago, from the days of eternity." (Micah 5:2)

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made….And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth." (John 1:1-4 & 14)

“’My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.’ The Jews picked up stones again to stone him. Jesus answered them, ‘I have shown you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you going to stone me?’ The Jews answered him, ‘It is not for a good work that we are going to stone you but for blasphemy, because you, being a man, make yourself God.’" (John 10:29-34)

“He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent.” (Colossians 1:15-18)

We Read of His Humanity

Now, in the Gospels, we read that He wept (John 11:35), He was tempted (Matthew 4:1, Mark 1:13 & Luke 4:2), He grew tired (John 4:6) & He slept (Matthew 8:42).

As mentioned before, John stated: “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14)

“Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.” (Philippians 2:5-7)

“But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.” (Galatians 4:4-5)

In response to the Gnostic heresy, John wrote: “For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not confess the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh. Such a one is the deceiver and the antichrist.” (2nd John 1:7)

He Took Upon our Sin to Propitiate God’s Wrath & Was a Sacrifice for Sins

“Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all…. Yet it was the will of the LORD to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities. Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors." (Isaiah 53:4-6 & 10-12)

“…It [faith] will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.” (Romans 4:24-25)

“For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” (2nd Corinthians 5:21)

“He has no need, like those high priests, to offer sacrifices daily, first for his own sins and then for those of the people, since he did this once for all when he offered up himself.” (Hebrews 7:27)

“And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified." (Hebrews 10:11-14)

The Importance of His Raising from the Dead

“For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles…. Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified about God that he raised Christ, whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied." (1st Corinthians 5:3-9 & 12-19)

He’s the ONLY Way to Salvation and the ONLY Way to God the Father

“Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.’" (John 14:6-7)

“And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved." (Acts 4:11-13)

“Who is the liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, he who denies the Father and the Son. No one who denies the Son has the Father. Whoever confesses the Son has the Father also.” (1st John 2:22-23)

He’s our High Priest and Intercessor

“For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus…” (1st Timothy 2:5)

“Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.” (Hebrews 4:14)

“Now the point in what we are saying is this: we have such a high priest, one who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven, a minister in the holy places, in the true tent that the Lord set up, not man.” (Hebrews 8:1-2)

“My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.” (1st John 2:1)

He Will Return Bodily and in Glory

“Then the LORD will go out and fight against those nations as when he fights on a day of battle. On that day his feet shall stand on the Mount of Olives that lies before Jerusalem on the east, and the Mount of Olives shall be split in two from east to west by a very wide valley, so that one half of the Mount shall move northward, and the other half southward…. Then the LORD my God will come, and all the holy ones with him.” (Zechariah 14:3-5)

"Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.” (Matthew 24:29-31)

“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.” (John 14:1-3)

“For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.” (1st Thessalonians 4:16-17)

john 3:16

2010-02-05T20:50:00.000-08:00

Martin Luther on Roman Catholicism

2010-02-05T07:56:00.000-08:00

When Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses on the door of the Castle Church of Wittenburg in 1517, admittedly, corruption was running rampant. However, that being said, the Roman Catholic Church today still preaches doctrines contrary to orthodox Christianity.

The Reformation View of Roman Catholicism
From the works of Martin Luther (1483-1546)

"What is the whole papacy but a beautiful false front and a deceptively glittering holiness under which the wretched devil lies in hiding? The devil always desires to imitate God in this way. He cannot bear to observe God speaking. If he cannot prevent it or hinder God’s Word by force, he opposes it with a semblance of piety, takes the very words God had spoken and so twist them as to peddle his lies and poison under their name." (What Luther Says, II: 10007)

"Since the papal church not only neglects the command of Christ but even compels the people to ignore it and to act against it, it is certain that it is not Christ’s church but the synagogue of Satan which prescribes sin and prohibits righteousness. It clearly and indisputably follows that it must be the abomination of Antichrist and the furious harlot of the devil." (What Luther Says, II: 1019)

"The negotiation about doctrinal agreement displeases me altogether, for this is utterly impossible unless the pope has his papacy abolished. Therefore avoid and flee those who seek the middle of the road. Think of me after I am dead and such middle-of-the-road men arise, for nothing good will come of it. There can be no compromise." (What Luther Says, II: 1019)

Read the rest here

John MacArthur on Bad Heremeneutics

2010-02-03T11:33:00.000-08:00

Increasingly this is become a big problem these days. It seems like we have people ripping passages out of context, twisting God's Word, or just outright making stuff up about God, via Scripture. I forget who said it, but I remember hearing a quote, which goes along the lines of: "A verse without context is a pretext."

Kim Riddlebarger on Sanctification

2010-02-03T10:05:00.000-08:00

I think that Dr. Riddlebarger makes some really good points in this article on sanctification

The Cause and the Effect
by Kim Riddlebarger

"Q. What is sanctification?

A. Sanctification is the work of God’s free grace, whereby we are renewed in the whole man after the image of God, and are enabled more and more to die unto sin, and live unto righteousness.
(Westminster Shorter Catechism, Q&A 35)

Several times I have heard Christians recite the following formula: “Christians are saved by grace, justified by faith, and sanctified by works.” On first hearing, this sounds right as the slogan attempts to capture three important biblical emphases. Yes, we are saved by grace and not by our works (Rom. 6:14; Eph. 2:8). Yes, the ground of our justification is the merit of Christ, which becomes ours through faith alone (Rom. 3:28; Gal. 2:16). And yes, good works will be found in the lives of those who are saved by grace and justified by faith (Eph. 2:10). But — and here is where the slogan takes us in the wrong direction — we are not sanctified by our good works.

This is a very important point and is often misunderstood by many. The reason why the last part of the above formula is incorrect (“sanctified by works”) is because when discussing sanctification, the formula confuses the cause (God’s grace) with the effect (good works). To put it another way, while the process of sanctification inevitably leads to the production of good works, good works do not produce our sanctification."

Read the rest here

The Roman Catholic View on Mary

2010-02-01T10:07:00.000-08:00

If anything, perhaps the Roman Catholic Church is best known for their devotion to Mary. The Council of Ephesus in 431 AD established Mary as Θεοτόκος,translated as Theotókos, or basically, the "Mother of God."

In this series of lectures, Pastor John MacArthur exposes the idolatry of the worship of Mary in the Roman Catholic Church, and the Roman Catholic views on Mary. Now, you can either listen to the lectures, or read the transcripts of the lecture. But, anyway, part one provides an overview. Part two and part three deal with Roman Catholic dogma on Mary. Lastly, part four deals with a Biblical repsonse to cult of Mary in the Roman Catholic Church.

Now, I think that Charles Spurgeon accurately sums up whom we are to serve, trust and worship: "It is most glorifying to our Lord Jesus Christ that we should hope for every good thing from Him alone. This is to treat Him as He deserves to be treated; for as He is and beside him there is none else we are bound to look unto Him and be saved....The reason why we may hope for forgiveness of sin, and life eternal, by faith in the Lord Jesus, is that God has so appointed. He has pledged himself in the gospel to save all who truly trust in the Lord Jesus, and he will never run back from his promise. He is so well pleased with his only-begotten Son, that he takes pleasure in all who lay hold upon him as their one and only hope."

Furthermore, the late Dr. Walter Martin debated Father Mitchell Pacwa on the John Ankerberg Show back in the 1980's on the Roman Catholic teachings of Mary.

Quotes (#8)

2010-02-01T09:59:00.000-08:00

"The reason why we may hope for forgiveness of sin, and life eternal, by faith in the Lord Jesus, is that God has so appointed. He has pledged himself in the gospel to save all who truly trust in the Lord Jesus, and he will never run back from his promise. He is so well pleased with his only-begotten Son, that he takes pleasure in all who lay hold upon him as their one and only hope. The great God himself has taken hold on him who has taken hold on his Son. He works salvation for all who look for that salvation to the once-slain Redeemer. For the honor of his Son, he will not suffer the man who trusts in him to be ashamed. 'He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life;' for the ever-living God has taken him unto himself, and has given to him to be a partaker of his life. If Jesus only be your trust, you need not fear but what you shall effectually be saved, both now and in the day of his appearing."-Charles Spurgeon (1834-1892)

The Eastern Orthodox Church

2010-01-31T09:21:00.000-08:00

When I was in Israel and Jordan a few weeks ago on a tour, I wound up visiting several Eastern Orthodox Churches. While the Eastern Orthodox Church doesn’t get as much scrutiny, in regards to doctrine, as the Roman Catholic Church, it is rather interesting that they seem to have similar doctrines.

Today, the Eastern Orthodox Churches are dominant in Eastern Europe in countries like the Ukraine, Russia, Belarus, Greece, Serbia, Romania, and Bulgaria. There are also communities of Eastern Orthodox followers in the Middle East, namely under the Syriac Orthodox Church, including Syria, Palestine, Jordan, Iran, Iraq and Lebanon. I also remember hearing that, at least in Belarus, the Eastern Orthodox Church has considerable political clout.

Here, at the Defending Contending Blog, we see a contrast & comparison between Eastern Orthodoxy & Protestantism. And, over at Apprising Ministries,a reader tells of his experience in the Eastern Orthodox Church.

And, below, Richard Bennet, a former Roman Catholic priest discusses Eastern Orthodoxy, and it's similarities to Roman Catholicism.

Quotes (#7)

2010-01-30T11:32:00.000-08:00

"The negotiation about doctrinal agreement displeases me altogether, for this is utterly impossible unless the pope has his papacy abolished. Therefore avoid and flee those who seek the middle of the road. Think of me after I am dead and such middle-of-the-road men arise, for nothing good will come of it. There can be no compromise."-Martin Luther (HT: Apprising Ministries)

Quotes (#6)

2010-01-25T06:59:00.000-08:00

"Dismissing the stupid opinion of their own strength they [the elect] come to realize that they stand and are upheld by God's hand alone; that naked, and empty-handed, they flee to his mercy, repose entirely in it, hide deep within it, and seize upon it alone for righteousness and merit"- John Calvin (1509-1564)

Warren Smith on "A Lover's Quarrel With the Evangelical Church"

2010-01-25T06:39:00.000-08:00

Although I haven't read Warren Smith's book, A Lover's Quarrel With the Evangelical Church, I think based off of what I've heard him talk about, I think he makes some really good points.
Back in August of 2009, Mike Horton interviewed Smith on the "White Horse Inn," in regards to his book, which you can listen to here. In fact, Horton stated: "This is an important book for a crucial moment in our history as Christians in the United States. Besides being richly biblical in its analysis of contemporary evangelicalism, this book is written by a veteran journalist with hard-hitting and inescapable data to support his conclusions. I highly recommend this book."

This month (Jan. of 2010), Smith also gave a lecture, in a similar tone to the interview with Horton, regarding what he percieved as problems with Evangelicalism in America. And, I think he also was wise to stress that he wanted to make the emphasis not on the quarrel, but on the lover.

A.W. Pink on Christian Love

2010-01-02T14:30:00.000-08:00

The folks over at Defending Contending had this quote, which I thought I would pass along.

"Love is the Queen of the Christian graces. It is a holy disposition given to us when we are born again by God. It is the love of God shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit. True spiritual love is characterized by meekness and gentleness, yet it is vastly superior to the courtesies and kindnesses of the flesh.

We must be careful not to confuse human sentimentality, carnal pleasantries, human amiability and affability with true spiritual love. The love God commands, first to Himself and then to others, is not human love. It is not the indulgent, self-seeking love which is in us by nature. If we indulgently allow our children to grow up with little or, no Scriptural discipline, Proverbs plainly says we do not love them, regardless of the human sentimentality and affection we may feel for them. Love is not a sentimental pampering of one another with a loose indifference as to our walk and obedience before the Lord. Glossing over one another’s faults to ingratiate ourselves in their esteem is not spiritual love.

The true nature of Christian love is a righteous principle which seeks the highest good of others. It is a powerful desire to promote their welfare. The exercise of love is to be in strict conformity to the revealed will of God. We must love in the truth. Love among the brethren is far more than an agreeable society where views are the same. It is loving them for what we see of Christ in them, loving them for Christ’s sake.

The Lord Jesus Himself is our example. He was not only thoughtful, gentle, self-sacrificing and patient, but He also corrected His mother, used a whip in the Temple, Severely scolded His doubting disciples, and denounced hypocrites. True spiritual love is above all faithful to God and uncompromising towards all that is evil. We cannot declare, ‘Peace and Safety’ when in reality there is spiritual decay and ruin!

True spiritual love is very difficult to exercise because it is not our natural love. By nature we would rather love sentimentally and engender good feelings. Also many times true spiritual love is not received in love, but is hated as the Pharisees hated it. We must pray that God will fill us with His love and enable us to exercise it without dissimulation toward all." A.W. Pink: 1886-1952

The Connection Between the Emergent Church and Roman Catholic Mysticism

2010-01-02T12:18:00.000-08:00

Now, it seems that there's an obsession with Roman Catholicism by the Emergent Church. Examples would the appealing to people like Ignatius of Loyola (1491-1556), John of the Cross (1542-1591), Henri Nouwen (1932-1996), and Thomas Merton (1915-1968)

A while back, Richard Bennett, a former Roman Catholic priest of the Dominican order, who served in Trinidad, gave this lecture on the Emergent fascination with Roman Catholic mysticism. He goes into detail about the definition of mysticism. I will add though, that although Bennett identifies Richard Foster as an Evangelical, Foster is actually a Quaker mystic, with Quaker theology being based off mystical, subjective experiences.

Now, apparnetly, Mr. Bennett did another lecture on the same topic, and it was updated. In this one he touches on people like Phyllis Tickle, Tony Jones and Brian McLaren. Just as an interesting note: where Bennett is speaking at, the Metropolitan Tabernacle, is where Charles Spuregon was pastor in the 19th century.

A New Years Challenge for the Brethren.

2009-12-31T20:10:00.000-08:00

In the Book of Revalation we read two scenes from heaven that I find absolutely fascinating. In Revelation 5:7-14 it states: "And he went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who was seated on the throne. And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. And they sang a new song, saying, 'Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth.' Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice, 'Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!' And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying, 'To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!' And the four living creatures said, 'Amen!' and the elders fell down and worshiped."

We also read: "After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, 'Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!' And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying, 'Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.'" (Rev. 7:9-12) We also get a description of these people standing before the throne of Christ: "These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple; and he who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence. They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes." (Rev. 7:14-17)

Now, I hope you notice something here, something that I've noticed. Who are the saints in heaven focused on? Christ, their redeeemer!!!!

Believe me, I know firsthand how hard it is to be focused on Jesus Christ. I struggle with worry quite a bit, to be perfectly honest. So, I say this not as someone who's conquered this, but as a person also struggling with being completely focused on Christ.

But, I still find it amazing, and a valuable lesson for us (those of you who read this who are saved through Christ alone by God's grace alone): that we should be focused on Christ. Now, as I said, I struggle with this myself. But, this coming year, I challenge not only myself, but my readers who are fellow siblings in Christ to do as the author of Hebrews urges us to do: "Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God." (Hebrews 12:1-2)

Believe me, I also know how tempting it is to try & look unto my OWN righteousness & not to CHRIST'S. And, it's also tempting to fall prey to theology that's more about MY glorification rather than God's. I mean, we have SO many popular preachers these days like Robert Schuller, or Joel Osteen, or the whole other list of prosperity preachers like Benny Hinn, TD Jakes or Creflo Dollar, who basically teach a theology that's not CHRIST centered, but MAN centered (little wonder they're so, popular, huh? And believe me, I could write a whole other thing about 2nd Timothy 4:3)

But, anyway, I'm challenging myself and my readers to be focused on the crucified and risen Savior, Jesus the Christ, God in Human Flesh!!!!! May God richly bless my dear brothers & sisters in Christ in this new year!!!

The Story of 48 Church Splits

2009-12-30T07:58:00.000-08:00

Tim Conway shares the story of 48 church splits between 1911 & today. I think he makes a very good point in regards to how churches need to be focused on the glory of God. I would also add that we need to be focused on sound doctrine, as well.

Jonathan Edwards on Holiness

2009-12-15T15:34:00.000-08:00

"Holiness is a most beautiful and lovely thing. We drink in strange notions of holiness from our childhood, as if it were a melancholy, morose, sour and unpleasant thing; but there is nothing in it but what is sweet and ravishingly lovely. 'Tis the highest beauty and amiableness, vastly above all other beauties. 'Tis a divine beauty, makes the soul heavenly and far purer than anything here on earth; this world is like mire and filth and defilement to that soul which is sanctified. 'Tis of a sweet, pleasant, charming, lovely, amiable, delightful, serene, calm and still nature. 'Tis almost too high a beauty for any creatures to be adorned with; it makes the soul a little, sweet and delightful image of the blessed Jehovah.

"Oh, how may angels stand, with pleased, delighted and charmed eyes, and look and look, with smiles of pleasure upon their lips, upon that soul that is holy; how may they hover over such a soul, to delight to behold such loveliness! How is it above all the heathen virtues, of a more light, bright and pure nature, more serene and calm, more peaceful and delightsome! What a sweet calmness, what a calm ecstasy, doth it bring to the soul! How doth it make the soul love itself; how doth it make the pure invisible world love it; yea, how doth God love it and delight in it; how do even the whole creation, the sun, the fields and trees love a humble holiness; how doth all the world congratulate, embrace, and sing to a sanctified soul!

"Oh, of what a sweet, humble nature is holiness! How peaceful and, loving all things but sin, of how refined and exalted a nature is it! How doth it clear change the soul and make it more excellent than other beings! How is it possible that such a divine thing should be on earth? It makes the soul like a delightful field or garden planted by God, with all manner of pleasant flowers growing in the order in which nature has planted them, that is all pleasant and delightful, undisturbed, free from all the noise of man and beast, enjoying a sweet calm and the bright, calm, and gently vivifying beams of the sun forevermore: where the sun is Jesus Christ; the blessed beams and calm breeze, the Holy Spirit; the sweet and delightful flowers, and the pleasant shrill music of the little birds, are the Christian graces. Or like the little white flower: pure, unspotted and undefined, low and humble, pleasing and harmless; receiving the beams, the pleasant beams of the serene sun, gently moved and a little shaken by a sweet breeze, rejoicing as it were in a calm rapture, diffusing around most delightful fragrancy, standing most peacefully and lovingly in the midst of the other like flowers round about. How calm and serene is the heaven overhead! How free is the world from noise and disturbance! How, if one were but holy enough, would they of themselves [and] as it were naturally ascend from the earth in delight, to enjoy God as Enoch did!"-Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758)

Tim Conway on Submitting to the Government

2009-12-12T17:28:00.001-08:00

Tim Conway preaches on submission to the government. The text he preaches from is from Romans 13:1-7, which reads: "Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, for he is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer. Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God’s wrath but also for the sake of conscience. For because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing. Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed."

John MacArthur on the "Unholy Trinity"

2009-12-12T17:18:00.000-08:00

In this piece, John MacArthur addresses the false teaching of the so-called "Word of Faith" teachings that are prevalent amongst the televangelists like T.D. Jakes, Benny Hinn, Creflo Dollar, Kenneth & Gloria Copeland, and Kenneth Hagin.

Friday, December 11, 2009
John MacArthur

"I don't watch much television, and when I do I generally avoid the Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN). For many years TBN has been dominated by faith-healers, full-time fund-raisers, and self-proclaimed prophets spewing heresy. I wrote about the false gospel they proclaim and the phony miracles they pretend to do almost two decades ago in Charismatic Chaos (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1992. See especially chapter 12). I had my fill of charismatic televangelism while researching that book, and I can hardly bear to watch it any more.

Recently, however, while recovering from knee-replacement surgery, I decided to sample some of the current fare on TBN. From a therapeutic point of view it seemed a good choice: something more excruciating than the pain in my leg might distract me from the physical suffering of post-surgical trauma. And I suppose on that basis the strategy was effective.

But it left me outraged and frustrated—and eager to challenge the misperceptions in the minds of millions of unbelievers who see these false teachers masquerading as ministers of Christ on TBN.

I'm outraged at the brazen way so many false teachers twist the message of Scripture in Jesus' name. And I'm frustrated because I'm certain that if these charlatans were not receiving a large proportion of their financial support from sincere believers (and silent acquiescence from Christian leaders who surely know better), they would have no platform for their shenanigans. They would soon lose their core constituency and fade from the scene."

Read more here at John MacArthur's blog.

Paul Washer on Total Depravity

2009-12-12T13:44:00.000-08:00

Paul Washer shares on the doctrine of man's "Total Depravity."

John Calvin once wrote: “Every one of us is, even from his mother's womb, a master craftsman of idols” He's also commented: "Man's mind is like a store of idolatry and superstition; so much so that if a man believes his own mind it is certain that he will forsake God and forge some idol in his own brain."

We read in Psalm 14:2-3: "The LORD looks down from heaven on the children of man, to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God. They have all turned aside; together they have become corrupt; there is none who does good, not even one."

And, we read in Ecclesiastes 9:3, which states: "This is an evil in all that is done under the sun, that the same event happens to all. Also, the hearts of the children of man are full of evil, and madness is in their hearts while they live, and after that they go to the dead."

Quotes (#5)

2009-12-12T11:16:00.000-08:00

"Hell will be highly populated with those who were 'raised right.' The citizens of heaven will be those who, by the sheer grace and mercy of God, are there solely because of the imputed righteousness of Jesus Christ."-R. Albert Mohler

(Read the article "Why Moralism is Not the Gospel-and Why So Many Christians Think It Is" here)

Pelagianism: Then & Now

2009-12-12T08:40:00.000-08:00

It seems that today a lot of people don't like to believe that they're sinners. There's been an argument that Pelagian theology is becoming prevalent in American "Christianity"

The first video from the White Horse Inn deals with the historical heresy of the British monk Pelagius (circa 354-420/440). Although it's addressed in greater detail in this video, Pelagius denied the doctrine of original sin and believed that one can make a choice to be either good or evil. This brought him into conflicts with Augustine of Hippo, as noted.

The second program from the White Horse Inn tracks the Pelagian and semi-Pelagian entrances into modern American Christianity. It particularly deals with the Pelagian tendencies of nineteenth century revivalist Charles G. Finney (1792-1875).

The Return of Christ: Hope and Judgment

2009-12-11T20:07:00.000-08:00

It seems that there’s been an obsession with the end times these days. The History Channel has been airing documentaries on Nostradamus and the Mayan 2012“prophecies,” as if they were true. According to them, or at least how it’s represented on the History Channel things will get worse until the apocalypse dawns and the end of the world occurs. A rather hopeless turn of events, isn’t it?

Yet, as Christians, we have a greater hope: the return of Christ. In fact, Paul refers to it as “…our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:13) Throughout the New Testament, we see and can almost feel the anticipation of the return of Christ. In fact, the angels told the disciples after Jesus ascended to heaven: “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven." (Acts 1:11)

Jesus Himself promised his return. John 14 was one of the favorite passages of Scripture of my late grandmother, part of which states: “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.” (John 14:1-3) We also read the so-called “Mount Olivet discourse” recorded in Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21:7-28. Clearly, there will be signs such as apostasy, famines, earthquakes, and wickedness. Yet, as Jesus said: “Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man….and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.” (Matthew 24:31)

As I said, as Christians, we have clear hope in Christ’s return. I’m not sure if you’ve had someone who trusted in Christ alone for salvation die. For me, I’ve lost my father and beloved grandfather, both of whom were saved. Now, Paul writes in a letter to the Church in Corinth, and states that: “we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord.” (2nd Corinthians 5:8)

The point I’m trying to get at is that another hope that we have is, not only the resurrection of the bodies of the dead believers and their reuniting with their souls, btu also the reunion of those believers on earth at Christ’s return, with those who died in Christ. As Paul writes: “But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore encourage one another with these words.” (2nd Thessalonians 4:13-18)

Even, this hope was seen in the Old Testament, such as what was written in the prophet Zechariah: “On that day his feet shall stand on the Mount of Olives that lies before Jerusalem on the east, and the Mount of Olives shall be split in two from east to west by a very wide valley, so that one half of the Mount shall move northward, and the other half southward. And you shall flee to the valley of my mountains, for the valley of the mountains shall reach to Azal. And you shall flee as you fled from the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Then the LORD my God will come, and all the holy ones with him.” (Zechariah 14:4-5)

And, of course, after Jesus returns, believers will enjoy an eternal paradise. I personally believe that there will be a literal Millenial Kingdom prior to the creation of the new heavens and new earth, something that I would differ with most Reformed Christians on. But, that being said, it will be a wonderful state, where Christ will reign physically on earth, both during the Millenial Kingdom, and on the new earth.

Isaiah notes: “And the ransomed of the LORD shall return and come to Zion with singing; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.” (Isaiah 51:11) He writes: "For as the new heavens and the new earth that I make shall remain before me, says the LORD, so shall your offspring and your name remain. From new moon to new moon, and from Sabbath to Sabbath, all flesh shall come to worship before me, declares the LORD.” (Isaiah 66:22-23) Peter refers to the new earth as a place “in which righteousness dwells.” (2nd Peter 3:13) And, of course, chapters 21 and 22 from the Book of Revelation regarding the new creation that God will unfold for His people probably don’t even need mentioning.

Now, that being said, there are some of the Emergent “Christians,” who claim that God will just “restore” creation to it’s original, pre-fall state. In a sense, that’s true. However, that being said, a lot of the Emergents try to downplay, or outright ignore Christ’s judgment of the non-believers. Emergent guru Brian McLaren even referred to the Jesus who will come back & destroy the wicked, as a “jihadist Jesus.”

Yet, John notes in Revelation that: “Then the kings of the earth and the great ones and the generals and the rich and the powerful, and everyone, slave and free, hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains, calling to the mountains and rocks, ‘Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who is seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb, for the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?’” (Rev. 6:15-17)

John goes on to say, and I think that this is particularly where people like Brian McLaren run into trouble: “Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself. He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God. And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses. From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords. Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, and with a loud voice he called to all the birds that fly directly overhead, ‘Come, gather for the great supper of God, to eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and their riders, and the flesh of all men, both free and slave, both small and great.’ And I saw the beast and the kings of the earth with their armies gathered to make war against him who was sitting on the horse and against his army. And the beast was captured, and with it the false prophet who in its presence had done the signs by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped its image. These two were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur. And the rest were slain by the sword that came from the mouth of him who was sitting on the horse, and all the birds were gorged with their flesh.” (Rev. 19:11-21)

Similarly, Zechariah prophesied: “For I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem to battle, and the city shall be taken and the houses plundered and the women raped. Half of the city shall go out into exile, but the rest of the people shall not be cut off from the city….And this shall be the plague with which the LORD will strike all the peoples that wage war against Jerusalem: their flesh will rot while they are still standing on their feet, their eyes will rot in their sockets, and their tongues will rot in their mouths. And on that day a great panic from the LORD shall fall on them, so that each will seize the hand of another, and the hand of the one will be raised against the hand of the other.” (Zechariah 14:2-4 & 12-13)

So, while those who are redeemed by Christ’s atoning sacrifice on the cross, will enjoy an eternal joy focused around Him, those who are unbelievers will be judged, as indicated in Revelation 20:11-15, and will be cast into the lake of fire. Plus, prior to God’s creation of a new heaven and new earth, God will destroy the old ones. Peter writes of scoffers: “they deliberately overlook this fact, that the heavens existed long ago, and the earth was formed out of water and through water by the word of God, and that by means of these the world that then existed was deluged with water and perished. But by the same word the heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly….But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed." (2nd Peter 3:5 & 6, 10)

As beautiful as the new heavens and new earth will be, only those whose names are written in the “Book of Life” will be allowed to partake in it. It is only when we call upon the name of Christ are we made righteous and Holy in God’s sight, when Christ’s righteousness is transferred to us. NONE of us deserve the promises God has made for His people, as we are at eminity with Him until we trust in His Son, who took upon the wrath the Father on behalf of those who will be saved.

Paul Washer on the Presence of God.

2009-12-10T10:46:00.000-08:00

I think this to be an interesting point from Paul Washer & one that I'm inclined to agree with. I would also add a couple passages that he didn't mention in this clip. After Job questions God, and "the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind," (Job 38:1 & 40:6), Job had two responses: "Behold, I am of small account; what shall I answer you? I lay my hand on my mouth. I have spoken once, and I will not answer; twice, but I will proceed no further." (Job 40:4-5) He also says, after God questions Job again: "Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand,things too wonderful for me, which I did not know...I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you; therefore I despise myself, and repent in dust and ashes." (Job 42:3 & 5-6)

We also read of John's experience with Christ: "Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands, and in the midst of the lampstands one like a son of man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash around his chest. The hairs of his head were white, like white wool, like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire, his feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar of many waters. In his right hand he held seven stars, from his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining in full strength. When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand on me, saying, 'Fear not, I am the first and the last, and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades.'" (Rev. 1:12-17)

A Sermon on Regeneration

2009-12-09T18:10:00.000-08:00

This sermon was preached by Paul Washer at Emmanuel Baptist Church in Manhattan, Kansas, on September 29th, 2007.

The text he preached on was Ezekiel 36:22-28, which reads: "Therefore say to the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord GOD: It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am about to act, but for the sake of my holy name, which you have profaned among the nations to which you came. And I will vindicate the holiness of my great name, which has been profaned among the nations, and which you have profaned among them. And the nations will know that I am the LORD, declares the Lord GOD, when through you I vindicate my holiness before their eyes. I will take you from the nations and gather you from all the countries and bring you into your own land. I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules. You shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers, and you shall be my people, and I will be your God."

Old Testament Prophecy Regarding the First Coming of Christ

2009-12-09T09:24:00.001-08:00

With Christmas season underway, I thought it would be fitting to go through some Old Testament prophecy regarding the First Coming, and indeed, the ministry, death and ressurection of Jesus.

The first prophecy comes from Genesis 3, right after the fall, when God tells Satan: "I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head,
and you shall bruise his heel." (Gen. 3:15)

We also read of God's covenant with King David.

"When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever... And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever...And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever.'" (2nd Samuel 7:12-14 & 16)

But, clearly, the greatest number of references regarding the first coming of Christ, come from the prophets.

"But there will be no gloom for her who was in anguish. In the former time he brought into contempt the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the latter time he has made glorious the way of the sea, the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations. The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shined. You have multiplied the nation; you have increased its joy; they rejoice before you as with joy at the harvest, as they are glad when they divide the spoil. For the yoke of his burden, and the staff for his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor, you have broken as on the day of Midian. For every boot of the tramping warrior in battle tumult and every garment rolled in blood will be burned as fuel for the fire. For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this." (Isaiah 9:1-7)

"There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit. And the Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD. And his delight shall be in the fear of the LORD. He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide disputes by what his ears hear, but with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; and he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked. Righteousness shall be the belt of his waist,
and faithfulness the belt of his loins." (Isaiah 11:1-5)

"'And a Redeemer will come to Zion, to those in Jacob who turn from transgression,' declares the LORD. 'And as for me, this is my covenant with them,' says the LORD: 'My Spirit that is upon you, and my words that I have put in your mouth, shall not depart out of your mouth, or out of the mouth of your offspring, or out of the mouth of your children’s offspring,' says the LORD, 'from this time forth and forevermore.'" (Isaiah 59:20-21)

"Now muster your troops, O daughter of troops; siege is laid against us; with a rod they strike the judge of Israel on the cheek. But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days." (Micah 5:1-2)

"And say to him, 'Thus says the LORD of hosts, "Behold, the man whose name is the Branch: for he shall branch out from his place, and he shall build the temple of the LORD.'" (Zechariah 6:12)

May you be blessed this Christmas season, as we remember the Lord's merciful & humbling descent to us to bring Salvation, which is referenced in Isaiah 53: "Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all...Yet it was the will of the LORD to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied;by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities. Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors." (Isaiah 53:4-6 & 10-12)

A Sermon on the Living in the Light of the Return of Christ

2009-12-09T08:46:00.000-08:00

Pastor Steve Lawson of Christ Fellowship Baptist Church in Mobile, Alabama, preaches on living in light of the return of Christ.

The primary text that he's preaching on is from the so-called Mount Olivet Discourse. It reads: "From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near. So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that he is near, at the very gates. Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. But concerning that day or that hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Be on guard, keep awake. For you do not know when the time will come. It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his servants in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to stay awake. Therefore stay awake—for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or in the morning—lest he come suddenly and find you asleep. And what I say to you I say to all: Stay awake." (Mark 13:28-37)

We also have similar warnings regarding "being awake" in other passages.

"Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers, you have no need to have anything written to you. For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, 'There is peace and security,' then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. But you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief." (1st Thessalonians 1:1-5)

We also read, in Revelation 16:15, Jesus' words: "Behold, I am coming like a thief! Blessed is the one who stays awake, keeping his garments on, that he may not go about naked and be seen exposed!"

I'm reminded of one of the duties at Windsor Castle in England, that I saw in a documentary. One of the duties is for a man to watch out for the queen, so he can raise the flag over the "Round Tower" once the she enters the wall of the castle. So, similarly, we have a duty to watch for the return of Christ.

I would also add, that, along the same lines, should the Lord tarry, we won't know when death will come upon us. An example of this is seen in Jesus' parable of the rich fool. Sometimes, such as in my father's case (he died of cancer), we will have a general idea when it will be time for us to die. But, on the other hand, there are other cases, even within my family, of those who died suddenly.

The Four Pastors

2009-12-09T05:38:00.000-08:00

A Blog that I follow posted this and I thought it to be rather interesting.

The following fictional scenarios depict four types of today’s pastors. But the question is, how much is fiction, how much is fact?

The emerging pastor
The emerging pastor felt a little insulted that only 4 people showed up for the Saturday night coffee and conversation church service. Because of the small turn out they went to Starbucks and discussed suffering while listening to U2. They hung out on couches and read a popular new coffee table book, and talked about how Jesus identified with our pain as He hung on the cross, feeling what we feel, the god who screamed with us, so we could have solidarity in suffering. Some expressed their doubts about hell and heaven, and the sacrificial atonement. They went home without answers, empty, but having engaged the culture.

The market driven pastor
The market driven pastor was disappointed that only 4 people showed up for the highly promoted Recover Up 101 and dessert night. The church was dying, and he had hoped the sign on the road would bring in more people from the community. Because of the small turnout he decided to skip the worship time. While they ate dessert they read through steps 1 -12 in the manual, and talked about how a #1 best selling book had changed their lives. Then they were led in a discussion about finding their purpose, sharing their hurts and hangups, and joining God’s family for community and happiness. Some quietly wondered why they didn’t feel happy, but went home feeling glad about having found a positive church with a smoking area and a coffee bar.

The contemplative pastor
The contemplative pastor was pleased that 4 people showed up for Lectio Divina night. She started by slowly leading them in a sacred reading of Psalm 23 in the candle lit room. They were encouraged to find a quiet place at different tables to concentrate on being still. After practicing their breathing exercise as instructed, they repeated the passage slowly until one word popped out at them. Then they were to quietly repeat this over again until an inner silence was reached. They waited to hear God speaking to them like this for a few minutes before regrouping to share what they thought they heard. They went home euphoric about their experiences, with various handouts of Thomas Merton and St. Teresa of Avila quotes to read over until next week.

The faithful pastor
The faithful pastor didn’t take note that only 4 people showed up for Bible study and communion on the night of November 11th. In spite of the small turnout he played all ten songs on the music sheet with his guitar, and led the small group in worship in remembrance of what the Lord had done to save them. They sat in a circle and read through the whole chapter of John 19, every verse, and prayed and thanked the Lord for His substitutionary sacrifice for their sins, and that while they were sinners, Christ had died for them in their place. Some quietly wept in between prayers of thanksgiving and partaking of the bread and the cup. They went home spiritually nourished and refreshed, having fixed their eyes on Jesus that evening.

HT:Defending Contending

Paul Washer on Repentence

2009-12-09T05:29:00.000-08:00

I found this short video dealing with repentence to be rather encouraging. I, myself, got rather burned out with anxiety over "am I repenting perfectly?"

A Follow-Up on a Previous Blog Post

2009-12-08T13:14:00.000-08:00

A few days ago, I made a comment in a blog post about the behavior of NewSpring Church, and linked my readers to the story of Dr. James Duncan. Well, yesterday, Chris Rosebrough, on "Fighting for the Faith," interviewed Dr. James Duncan and he told his story, as well as reviewed a message that Perry Noble gave to pastors.

At Rosebrough's other site, he also notes Perry Noble's remarks regarding those who want to go deeper into Bible study during sermons.

Quotes (#4)

2009-12-07T20:31:00.000-08:00

"God preordained, for his own glory and the display of His attributes of mercy and justice, a part of the human race, without any merit of their own, to eternal salvation, and another part, in just punishment of their sin, to eternal damnation."-John Calvin

A Shameful Act

2009-12-07T15:10:00.000-08:00

I was shocked, horrified, and OUTRAGED to read this story from Professor James Duncan regarding his experience with the leadership at NewSpring Church in Anderson, South Carolina. This is TRULY DISGUSTING and NewSpring Church needs to come clean and repent of their sin!!!

The church is pastored by Perry Noble, seen here, SCOLDING his congregation for them expecting him to be a pastor.

May God grant them repentence!!!

We read in 2nd Timothy about the duties of pastors: "I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching...As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry." (2nd Timothy 4:1-3 & 5)

We also read, in Paul's letter to Titus: "This is why I left you in Crete, so that you might put what remained into order, and appoint elders in every town as I directed you—if anyone is above reproach, the husband of one wife, and his children are believers and not open to the charge of debauchery or insubordination. For an overseer, as God’s steward, must be above reproach. He must not be arrogant or quick-tempered or a drunkard or violent or greedy for gain, but hospitable, a lover of good, self-controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined. 9He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it." (Titus 1:5-9)

My prayers go out to the Duncan family.

Biblical & Doctrinal Ignorance & the Need to Study Scripture

2009-12-07T08:53:00.000-08:00

It seems that there’s been a growing ignorance these days about the great truths of Scripture. What’s worse is that this is coming from professing Christians. Back in August, Shane Rosenthal, producer of “the White Horse Inn,” surveyed a little fewer than 100 professing Christians at an Evangelistic crusade led by Billy Graham’s son in St. Louis. The results were rather disturbing.

96% agreed with the statement: “God is like a helpful coach who’s there to help us when we need Him; He wants us to be happy.”

Rosenthal also asked the question: “Which of the following do you think is the best summary of the Christian gospel,” with multiple choice answers.
14% answered: “God changing me”
12% answered: “Making a decision for Jesus”
36% answered: “Living for God”
3% didn’t know
Only 35% regarded “Christ’s life death and resurrection,” as the best summary of the Christian gospel.

66% felt that “Christianity is primarily about my personal transformation”
39% have never heard of the doctrine of Justification
And perhaps, the most startling was that 67% DISAGREED with Romans 3:10-12, which states: “as it is written: ‘None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good,
not even one.’"

(To read more of the results, click on the link)

There was also a Pew Research forum survey which revealed that 37% of white Evangelicals believed that there was more than one religion that leads to Eternal Life, which flies in the face of Jesus’ words in John 14:6 and the proclamation of Peter before the Sanhedrin in Acts 4:12.

Now, a lot of this, I would say, is a reflection of the shallowness of a considerable amount of American Evangelicalism. In fact, Mike Horton, in his 2008 book Christless Christianity: the Alternative Gospel of the American Church, noted: “my argument in this book is not that evangelicalism is becoming theologically liberal, but that it is becoming theologically vacuous.” (Horton, pg. 23)

Now, we read that Paul wrote to Timothy that: “I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching.” (2nd Timothy 4:1-2)

That being said, however, those of us who aren’t pastors have a duty, too. We have a duty to study Scripture.

After the death of Moses, we read that God told Joshua: “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.” (Joshua 1:8)

In Psalm 1:2, in the description of a blessed man, we read: “his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night.”

Now, clearly, we have something of a distinction between JUST the Old Testament Law, and the Gospel as well. However, there is a precedent set down for us on the importance of studying Scripture.

When confronted by the Sadducees regarding the marital state of a woman who was married 7 times and was resurrected, part of Jesus’ response was: "You are wrong, because you know neither the Scripturesnor the power of God.” (Matthew 22:29)

Acts 17:11 commends the Jews at Berea, “...for they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.”

We read in Paul’s letter to Timothy: “But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.” (2nd Timothy 3:14-17)

Paul notes that one sign of spiritual maturity is that “…we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.” (Ephesians 4:14) And, clearly, one main way is through the studying of Scripture.

Paul also notes in his letter to the Romans that “I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them. For such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites, and by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naive.” (Romans 16:17-18)

Charles Spurgeon once had this to say about Bible study, which I find to be AWESOME: “We must not rest content with having given a superficial reading to a chapter or two, but with the candle of the Spirit we must deliberately seek out the hidden meaning of the word. Holy Scripture requires searching — much of it can only be learned by careful study. There is milk for babes, but also meat for strong men…. No man who merely skims the book of God can profit thereby; we must dig and mine until we obtain the hid treasure…They are the writings of God, bearing the divine stamp and imprimatur — who shall dare to treat them with levity? He who despises them despises the God who wrote them….Scripture grows upon the student. It is full of surprises. Under the teaching of the Holy Spirit, to the searching eye it glows with splendor of revelation, like a vast temple paved with wrought gold, and roofed with rubies, emeralds, and all manner of gems…Happy he who, searching his Bible, discovers his Saviour.”

Scientology

2009-12-07T08:41:00.000-08:00

I don't know if you've noticed the commercials for Scientology recently. Surely, many people are aware of the celebrity followers of Scientology, such as Tom Cruse and John Travolta. Over my fall break in October, I went back to my hometown of Wheaton, Illinois, with one of my best friends. Over that weekend, the two of us took the 45 minute train ride into downtown Chicago, and the two of us saw a group, dressed in costumes, picketing Scientology in Millenium Park. In this lecture,the late Dr. Walter Martin discusses this bizzarre group, which he has described as "cultic, occultic, pseudoscientific, and theologically aberrant."

Charles Spurgeon on One's Salvation

2009-12-06T22:15:00.000-08:00

This quote comes from Charles Spurgeon's book Morning by Morning: Daily Readings for the Family or the Closet, which was published in 1867. I think he was dead on.

"IN the resurrection of Christ, as in our salvation, there was put forth nothing short of a divine power. What shall we say of those who think that conversion is wrought by the free will of man, and is due to his own betterness of disposition? When we shall see the dead rise from the grave by their own power, then may we expect to see ungodly sinners of their own free will turning to Christ. It is not the word preached, nor the word read in itself; all quickening power proceeds from the Holy Ghost. This power was irresistible. All the soldiers and the high priests could not keep the body of Christ in the tomb; Death himself could not hold Jesus in his bonds : even thus irresistible is the power put forth in the believer when he is raised to newness of life. No sin, no corruption, no devils in hell, nor sinners upon earth, can stay the hand of God's grace when it intends to convert a man. If God omnipotently says, 'Thou shalt,' man shall not say, 'I will not.' Observe that the power which raised Christ from the dead was glorious. It reflected honor upon God, and wrought dismay in the hosts of evil. So there is great glory to God in the conversion of every sinner. It was everlasting power. 'Christ, being raised from the dead, dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over Him.' So we, being raised from the dead, go not back to our dead works, nor to our old corruptions, but we live unto God. 'Because He lives we live also.' 'For we are dead, and our life is hid with Christ in God.' 'Like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.' Lastly, in the text mark the union of the new life to Jesus. The same power which raised the Head works life in the members. What a blessing to be quickened together with Christ!”-Charles Spurgeon (1834-1892)

"When you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions, having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross." (Colossians 2:13-14)

Jim McClarty's Sermon on the Sovereignty of God

2009-12-05T13:10:00.000-08:00

In this sermon, preached in 2005, Pastor Jim McClarty preaches on the sovereignty of God. Although, I rarely use the NIV, and prefer either the ESV and the NASB, I found it interesting that 283 times in the NIV translation of the Old Testament, God is referred to as "O Sovereign LORD." In the NASB version, we read: "The LORD has established His throne in the heavens,and His sovereignty rules over all." (Psalm 103:19)

We also read in Ephesians, perhaps the greatest passage of Scripture regarding the sovereignty of God in salvation: "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved."(Ephesians 1:3-6)

A Note From my Friend Regarding Limited Atonement

2009-12-03T21:27:00.001-08:00

Yet again, my best friend & beloved brother, Charlie Brennan, wrote a WONDERFUL note, and the false notion regarding the old evangelistic cliche that Jesus stands at the door of your heart, knocking, awaiting for you to open the door. I would add that the verse, from Revelation 3:20, is actually taken out of context. Christ was actually speaking to the wayward CHURCH in Laodicea.

the picture of Christ knocking on the door

"so let me start here many say that we can choose God. they will use the picture of Christ knocking on the door of someones heart, with the handle on the other said that he is not. now i say to this we cant choose God. "John 15:16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you." so we see that by this verse in john that we cant pick to follow God. but the thing that they will say is well you can the handle is only were only you can open it. but i say to this who's to say he goes to all doors. lets go back to the verse, i spoke of before john 15:16 we see that in this verse.

"Joh 15:16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you."

i have heard that this is for the disciples, that Christ pick them and that they had nothing to do with it. now this is true but Christ is talking to all that his father gave him. in fact Christ does not pray for the world but the ones given to him by the father. we see this in John 17:9 I am praying for them. I am not praying for the world but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours. that Christ does not pray for the world. now i go back to the picture of Christ knocking on the door. if Christ would not pray for the world why would he not go to every door then, so we see in many verse in the bible that we cant pick but only be picked. Christ did not and i say did not die for everyone. we see this in John 3:16, 15:16 , and john 17:9.

so one might say that i am taking john 3:16 out of context but i will refer you to my past note on this excite verse. and you will see that i take you back to the Greek and go from there.

this picture that we have is in fact taken out of what it means by all who say we can pick. i see this pitcher as him picking the door in which to go to and to save that person not the whole world but the would of the believers only. so we see that the Atonement of Christ on Calvary was, Limited Atonement not universal.

Soli Deo Gloria and God bless"

The Misconceptions of God & False Gospels

2009-12-03T21:18:00.000-08:00

I think that Paul Washer waxes elloquent regarding the false notions of who God is, as well as how that has infected modern Christian theology. AMEN!!!!

An Explaination of John 3:16 from my Friend

2009-12-02T19:18:00.000-08:00

Now, before, I post this, I'm going to say that my best friend and beloved brother and co-laborer in Christ, Charlie Brennan, wrote this. I didn't.

John 3:16 'For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.' Now many people think that this verse talks about the WHOLE word. Now if we take the word 'world' back to the Greek (κόσμος,n {kos'-mos}) it means 'of the believers only.' Many people when they hear this, they will say. If it means 'of the believers only' they will say that then there is no reason for us to witness to someone. But that is not true we must witness to them. The other thing they will say is that we don’t know who will believe in Christ, and I say this we don’t know who God has picked before the start of time. To be saved and who he has not that is why we must witness. Ok so let me put it this way, Timmy form [sic] the start of time was not picked to be saved so then john 3:16 would not be valid for him. But now we find Timmy and he was picked before the start of time to be saved at the age of 22. So now john 3:16 is valid for him. Now Timmy is only 19 right now so this means that when someone says 'of the believers only' does not mean that it is for the sheep of this time but the sheep of the coming days, weeks, months, and years to come. Many people think that it means of the sheep this day right now. But as I said Timmy is 19 now and will be saved at the age of 22 so if this is true then 'of the believers only' means for all sheep now and to come. So the Greek says for this verse that the word WORLD means 'of the believers only,' not the whole world."

Do We Have Free Will?

2009-12-02T13:02:00.000-08:00

This has been a hot-button issue between Calvinists and Arminians. Now, as you can guess, I am what people would call Calvinists, although, I prefer the term "Reformed." I would say that the matter of free will hinges on whether one believes in the total depravity of man and that they are dead in their tresspasses and sins. I think these two sets of videos will kinda clarify my point.

This first set is Mark Keilar explaining the problems with the free-will doctrine.

The second set is a sermon preached by Charles Spurgeon in 1855.

I find these to be great explaination of the faulty beliefs regarding free-will.

Quotes (#3)

2009-12-02T08:32:00.000-08:00

“I’m here to tell you tonight that the Gospel is not Christianity 101. The Gospel is EVERYTHING in Christianity. It is not some beginning truth, it is not a tract, it is not four spiritual laws, it’s EVERYTHING. It’s the greatest revelation of God.”-Paul Washer

The Theology of William P. Young

2009-12-02T06:55:00.000-08:00

It seems like there's an obsession with William P. Young's book The Shack. However, I thought this to be a rather insightful look into William Young's theology.

Quotes (#2)

2009-12-01T21:40:00.000-08:00

"Nothing gives the believer so much joy as fellowship with Christ. He has enjoyment as others have in the common mercies of life, he can be glad both in God's gifts and God's works ; but in all these separately, yea, and in all of them added together, he doth not find such substantial delight as in the matchless person of his Lord Jesus...Where can such sweetness be found as we have tasted in communion with our Beloved? In our esteem, the joys of earth are little better than husks for swine compared with Jesus, the heavenly manna. We would rather have one mouthful of Christ's love, and a sip of His fellowship, than a whole world full of carnal delights... All earthly bliss is of the earth earthy, but the comforts of Christ's presence are like Himself, heavenly. We can review our communion with Jesus, and find no regrets of emptiness therein; there are no dregs in this wine, no dead flies in this ointment. The joy of the Lord is solid and enduring. Vanity hath not looked upon it, but discretion and prudence testify that it abideth the test of years, and is in time and in eternity worthy to be called 'the only true delight.' For nourishment, consolation, exhilaration, and refreshment, no wine can rival the love of Jesus."- Charles Haddon Spurgeon (1834-1892)

Jim McClarty's Sermon: "The Best News You Ever Heard"

2009-12-01T20:36:00.000-08:00

Although this sermon was preached in 2007, I just came across it today. I find it a prime example of the proper use of both law and gospel.

John MacArthur on the "Rich Man and Lazarus"

2009-12-01T09:16:00.000-08:00

I thought this to be a fascinating expository sermon on this famous story told by Jesus from Luke.

"There was a rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. And at his gate was laid a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man’s table. Moreover, even the dogs came and licked his sores. The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried, and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side. And he called out, 'Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.' But Abraham said, 'Child, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish. And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us.' And he said, 'Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father’s house— for I have five brothers—so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment.' But Abraham said, 'They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.' And he said, 'No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.' 31He said to him, 'If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.'" (Luke 16:19-31)

Now, John makes a comment at 36:57 regarding the fact that the redeemed won't be able to see into hell. However, I would disagree with him on that point, on the basis of Isaiah 66:22-24: "For as the new heavens and the new earth that I make
shall remain before me, says the LORD, so shall your offspring and your name remain. From new moon to new moon, and from Sabbath to Sabbath, all flesh shall come to worship before me,declares the LORD. And they shall go out and look on the dead bodies of the men who have rebelled against me. For their worm shall not die, their fire shall not be quenched, and they shall be an abhorrence to all flesh."

Quotes (#1)

2009-11-30T07:11:00.000-08:00

"Apart from Christ, the Bible is a closed book. Read with him at the center, it is the greatest story ever told...What is the point of the historical books, the Psalms, the wisdom literature, and the Prophets? According to the apostles-and Jesus himself, the Bible is an unfolding drama with Jesus Christ as its central character."-Michael Horton

(Christless Christianity, pg. 14)

A Bit of Satire

2009-11-23T15:48:00.000-08:00

Occasionally, there comes along a piece of satire that I find worthy of passing along. Such as in this case. Enjoy. :)

A Sermon on the Day of Judgment.

2009-11-16T17:41:00.000-08:00

In this sermon, Paul Washer preaches on the day of judgment, also known as the "Great White Throne Judgment" The text that he is preaching on is Revelation 20:11-15.

"Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done. And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done. Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire." (Rev. 20:11-15)

Now, personally, I do believe that there will be a varying degree of punishment in hell, on the basis of whether they heard the Gospel or not. I base this off of Luke 12:47-48, which states: "And that servant who knew his master’s will but did not get ready or act according to his will, will receive a severe beating. But the one who did not know, and did what deserved a beating, will receive a light beating."

That being said, the unbelievers who stand before the "great white throne and him who was seated on it," will stand ashamed and terrified before almighty God, in the full knowledge that they are standing before King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Now, believers will have been justified by the blood of Christ. However, unbelievers will stand exposed before a Holy and Righteous God.

An Interesting Video on the Bible vs. the Book of Mormon

2009-11-14T18:16:00.000-08:00

While this video doesn't really explicitly deal with Mormon theology, I found this movie extremely interesting. As I've probably mentioned, I have an aunt & uncle who raise beef cattle, hay and corn on a 200 acre farm in western New York, about halfway between Rochester and Syracuse. Incidentally, this farm is only about 10 miles from the town of Palmyra, New York, where the Book of Mormon was first published, and one evening over the summer, we were at a parade in Palmyra, and were across the street from the place where the Book of Mormon was first published. I've also been right past Hill Cummorah, where Joseph Smith allegedly found the golden plates.

I'm also, right now, taking a course in Biblical Archeology, so I'm kinda famalliar of the Biblical sites mentioned that are being excavated in Israel.

Another Look at the Jehovah's Witnesses

2009-11-14T17:59:00.000-08:00

Chances are, the vast majority of us know about the mission's efforts of the Jehovah's Witnesses. Some of us may have even had Jehovah's Witnesses come by, trying to convert us to their beliefs. I remember a couple summers ago, we had a couple Jehovah's Witnesses come by my home, and I actually didn't realize that they were Jehovah's Witnesses until I recognized the Watchtower logo on one of the magazines they had in their bag. But, I don't think that a lot of us are fully aware of what they believe, and the autocracy that the Watchtower Bible & Tract Society holds over the lives of the members. I encourage you to watch this series of videos if interested.

"Now, actually, concerning false prophecy, we read "And if you say in your heart, 'How may we know the word that the LORD has not spoken?'—when a prophet speaks in the name of the LORD, if the word does not come to pass or come true, that is a word that the LORD has not spoken; the prophet has spoken it presumptuously. You need not be afraid of him." (Deuteronomy 18:21-22)

What Is the Gospel?

2009-11-14T14:16:00.000-08:00

It seems like there’s an increasing ignorance on what the gospel is. Recently, the “White Horse Inn” released the results of a survey done in St. Louis, Missouri, at an event held by Franklin Graham. One of the questions was: “Which of the following do you think is the best summary of the Christian Gospel?” 14% felt that it was “God changing me,” 12% answered that it was “Making a decision for Jesus,” and 36% said that it was “Living for God.” This past summer, Emergent guru, and teaching pastor at Mars Hill Bible Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan, said that we are the gospel.

But, like I said, is this true? The Apostle Paul writes: “I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.” (Romans 1:16)

Now, we also read from Romans: “What then? Are we Jews any better off? No, not at all. For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin, as it is written: ‘None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.’" (Romans 3:9-12) Furthermore, because of our sin, we deserve hell.

We all deserve God’s wrath, and our good works certainly won’t save us. But, this is where the good news, the gospel, comes in.

We clearly have references of the coming good news in the Old Testament.

“Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man against whom the LORD counts no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit.” (Psalm 32:1-2)

God states: “I, I am he who blots out your transgressions for my own sake, and I will not remember your sins.” (Isaiah 43:25)

“Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the LORD. But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, 'Know the LORD,' for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more." (Jeremiah 31:31-34)

Now, taken in light of the fact that our sin deserves our eternal damnation in hell, this is no small thing that God will blot out our sins. Now, how was this accomplished? Through Christ and His substitutionary atonement for our sins on the cross at Calvary.

This is pointed out in Isaiah 53.

“But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way;
and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all…. Yet it was the will of the LORD to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities. Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors.” (Isaiah 53:5-6 & 10-12)

In the New Testament, we read.

In the context of talking about Abraham, Paul writes: “But the words ‘it was counted to him’ were not written for his sake alone, but for ours also. It will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.” (Romans 4:23-25)

“For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified…. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised— who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.” (Romans 8:29-30 & 34)

“Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.” (1st Corinthians 6:9-11)

So, what we can clearly read by Scripture, is that the Gospel is Christ’s atonement on the behalf of those who believe (the elect), to pay for their sins. Now, I say the elect, in full knowledge that we are to preach the gospel to everyone, and in fact, we won’t know the full number of believers until His return.

A Sermon on the Cost of Following Christ

2009-11-12T08:00:00.000-08:00

In this sermon, Mark Keilar preaches on Matthew 10. The context of Matthew 10 is Jesus sending out the 12 disciples to "go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And proclaim as you go, saying, 'The kingdom of heaven is at hand.' Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons." Yet, the sermon is on the cost of following Christ that Jesus warned His 12 apsotles in Matthew 10:16-24.

Persecution for Christians has been part of church history for nearly 2,000 years, from the martyrdom of the first Christians under the Roman Empire, to those suffering & being martyred for Christ in places like Saudi Arabia, China and North Korea.

Paul Washer Shares on the "Shocking Youth Message"

2009-11-08T18:11:00.000-08:00

Paul Washer shares his heart about the "Shocking Youth Message" that he preached in Alabama in 2002, including the rather surprising background that led him to preach that message. He also shares his opinions on the state of the church today in America. I'm gonna be honest and say that his "Shocking Youth Message" led me to do a lot of soul searching.

Now, generally, I don't repost stuff that I've already posted before. However, this time, I think I'm gonna make an exception and repost the "Shocking Youth Message," even though I posted it on my blog once before.

I praise God that He has raised up people like Paul Washer, Jim McClarty, John MacArthur and Mark Keilar for these troublesome days when many sections of American Christianity are sliding into apostasy!!!!

John Piper on the Prosperity Gospel

2009-11-04T08:13:00.000-08:00

In this video, John Piper shares his thoughts on the prosperity "gospel." I'm reminded of Jesus' words in Matthew 16:26: "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?"

Double Predestination

2009-11-02T07:37:00.000-08:00

Scripture clearly teaches the predestination of the elect for salvation.

"And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified." (Romans 8:28-30)

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved...In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory." (Ephesians 1:3-7 & 11)

But, in this video, Mark Keilar discusses the predestination of the non-elect for damnation.

The Legacy of the Reformation

2009-10-31T13:45:00.000-07:00

This video, although about 2 hours, talks in length about the theological legacy of the Protestant Reformation. After Luther initiated the Protestant Reformation in Germany, people like the French theologian Jean Cauvin (John Calvin: 1509-1564)and Scottish reformer John Knox (b. ca. 1510-1524 & d. 1572), the founder of the Presbyterians.

This particularly goes into the "5 Solas:" Sola Scriptura (Scripture Alone), Sola Fide (Faith Alone), Sola Gratia (Grace Alone), Solus Christus (Christ Alone) and Sola Deo Gloria (Glory to God Alone), as well as the 5 points of Calvinism: Total Depravity, Unconditional Election, Limited Atonement, Irresistable Grace & Perseverence of the Saints.

Happy Reformation Day: A Lesson for the 21st Century

2009-10-31T12:04:00.001-07:00

Today is "Reformation Day," the anniversary of Martin Luther nailing his 95 Theses to the door of the castle church at Wittenburg Cathedral in Germany, which occured on October 31st, 1517.

Martin Luther (1483-1546) was originally a law student at the University of Erfurt to become a lawyer, in accordance to his father's wishes. However, in 1505, he entered an Augustinian monastery. It was in 1517 that he came to blows with the Roman Catholic Church, after Johann Tetzel, a Dominican friar, came to Germany to sell indulgences in order to raise funds for the building of St. Peter's Basillica in Rome. In protest, he nailed his 95 Theses to the door of Wittenburg Cathedral, and in 1520, he was excommunicated via a papal bull from Pope Leo X.

He also realized that we, as Christians, are justified by faith alone in Christ alone. This contradicted Roman Catholic teachings on justification, which taught the we are justified by faith plus works.

It was in 1521, that Luther was called before the Holy Roman Emperor, Charles V at the Diet of Worms, and upon being urged to recant, he made this famous speech, recreated here in this classic film.

After the Diet of Worms, Luther was protected by Duke Frederick the Wise, by being held at Wartburg Castle until 1522, during which time he translated the New Testament into German. In 1525, he married Katharina ("Katie") von Bora and the couple had six children: Johannes (John), Elisabeth, Magdalena, Martin, Paul and Margarete. He penned the Augsburg Confession at the request of Charles V in 1530, in the wake of the seige of Vienna. Luther died in the early mornng hours of February 18th, 1546.

This "Reformation Polka" celebrates the life of Luther.

Looking back, I praise God for His raising up people like Luther who called us to return to the Scriptures. In about a decade it'll the the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation, and this summer was the 500th anniversary of the birthday of French theologian Jean Cauvin (John Calvin).

The Roman Catholic Church was an apostate church which had held people in bondage to false hopes and works-righteousness. Luther himself wrote of Catholic Church: "Since the papal church not only neglects the command of Christ but even compels the people to ignore it and to act against it, it is certain that it is not Christ’s church but the synagogue of Satan which prescribes sin and prohibits righteousness. It clearly and indisputably follows that it must be the abomination of Antichrist and the furious harlot of the devil." (What Luther Says, II: 1019)

"What kind of a church is the pope’s church? It is an uncertain, vacillating and tottering church. Indeed, it is a deceitful, lying church, doubting and unbelieving, without God’s Word. For the pope with his wrong keys teaches his church to doubt and to be uncertain. If it is a vacillating church, then it is not the church of faith, for the latter is founded upon a rock, and the gates of hell cannot prevail against it (Matt.16:18). If it is not the church of faith, then it is not the Christian church, but it must be an unchristian, anti-Christian, and faithless church which destroys and ruins the real, holy, Christian church." (Luther’s Works, vol. 40, Church and Ministry II, The Keys, p.348)

Now, I say this not to bash Roman Catholics. However, like I said, I praise God for people like Luther who stood up to false teachings in the Roman Catholic Church. Today, I say that we also must confront false teachings that are running rampant. I find Luther's boldness to confront the heresies almost a call for us today, in the 21st century to stand up to false doctrine.

We have a lot of people such as the Emergents, liberal denominations like the United Methodists, the United Church of Christ and the Episcopalians who have clearly denied sound doctrine. Our duty, as Christians, are to procliam the truth found in Scripture and to urge them to repent of their sins. I remember hearing a quote from Charles Spurgeon who basically said that beleiving wrongly is just as sinful as doing wrongly.

We read this in 2 Peter: "But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves. Many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of the truth will be maligned; and in their greed they will exploit you with false words; their judgment from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep." (2nd Peter 2:1-3)

Now, in American Christianity today, it seems like the most popular "pastors" are the false teachers, be they prosperity preachers like Joel Osteen or T.D. Jakes, Emergent gurus like Brian McLaren Shane Hipps and Rob Bell, or those who don't properly preach God's word, let alone mention sin, like, again, Joel Osteen, and folks like Robert Schuller, Rick Warren, and others.

Our duty, therefore, is to preach the true Gospel, which not only proclaims the wrath of God upon unrepentant sinners, and the fact that we're sinners who cannot be saved by our own works, but also the forgiveness of sins found in Jesus Christ. In fact, we read "Do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but instead even expose them; for it is disgraceful even to speak of the things which are done by them in secret." (Ephesians 5:11-12)

I leave you with this video.

Evangelicalism

2009-10-29T06:46:00.000-07:00

In this video, Lane Chaplin interviews Phil Johnson about Evangelicalism, including the historical meaning of the term "Evangelical," and the push to redefine Evangelicalism. Johnson points out something interesting about modern Evangelicalism, especially in light of people like Rob Bell trying to redefine the term: “I see it as one more sign of a widespread meltdown in the Evangelical movement itself where people who call themselves Evangelicals these days have so moved away from their Evangelical moorings. They don’t really understand what the word means anymore, they don’t remember what their heritage is, they don’t believe what their spiritual forefathers taught, so there’s this great movement to redefine Evangelical….I see it as a significant sign that the Evangelical movement is melting down severely, if not completely dead.” Mike Horton, in his book Christless Christianity: the Alternative Gospel of the American Church, a book which I intend to review at a later date, asks this question: "judging by its commercial, political and media success, the evangelical movement seems to be booming. But is it still Christian?" (Horton, pg. 19)

John MacArthur on Roman Catholicism

2009-10-27T08:07:00.000-07:00

J.C. Ryle (1816-1900), the first Anglican Bishop of Liverpool once stated: "Romanism in perfection is a gigantic system of Church-worship, Sacrament-worship, Mary-worship…image-worship…in one word, a huge organised idolatry…idolatry has decidedly manifested itself in the visible Church of Christ and nowhere so decidedly as in the Church of Rome…"

In a similar tone, Charles Spurgeon (1834-1892), the great Baptist preacher once stated of Roman Catholicism that "the church of Rome and her teachings are a vast mountain of rubbish covering the truth," and "worse hindrance to the gospel than all the errors which had preceded it."

Along these same lines, Dr. John MacArthur works to expose the false system of Rome for what it is.

In the first series of lectures, MacArthur explains the Roman Catholic Mass.
"Explaining the Heresy of the Catholic Mass
http://www.gty.org/Resources/Sermons/90-318

http://www.gty.org/Resources/Sermons/90-319

In this series of lectures, John MacArthur deals with the unbiblical, and sometimes outright bizzarre, and clearly idolatrous Roman Catholic doctrines on Mary.
"Exposing the Idolatry of Mary Worship"
http://www.gty.org/Resources/Sermons/90-314

http://www.gty.org/Resources/Sermons/90-315

http://www.gty.org/Resources/Sermons/90-316

http://www.gty.org/Resources/Sermons/90-317

I urge anyone who is Catholic who reads this blog to repent, and to trust in Christ ALONE for the forgiveness of sins.

What Happened to Christ on the Cross

2009-10-24T17:42:00.001-07:00

In this video, from just a couple days ago, Paul Washer speaks on what happened to Christ on the cross. The text that he bases it off of is 2nd Corinthians 5:21, which states: "He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him." About halfway through the sermon, Paul Washer makes a very interesting statement: "The pain of the cross is not what puny men did to the mighty Christ. The pain of the cross is what God the Father did to His only begotten Son."

The Pharisees & Sadducees

2009-10-13T08:40:00.000-07:00

In the New Testament, we read quite a bit of Jesus' confrontation with the Pharisees & the Sadduccees. In Matthew 3:7, John the Baptist refers to the Pharisees & Sadducees as a "brood of vipers." Paul himself also comments in Phillipians 3:5 that he himself was a Pharisee. However, I think that a lot of people don't really know the beliefs of the Pharisees and the Sadducees, and I was delighted to see that my Bible had a chart highlighting the beliefs of the Pharisees and Sadducees, along with the Zealots and Essenes. So, I'm using this chart to list the beliefs of the Pharisees and Sadduccees.

The Pharisees
They apparently were rooted in the Hasidim in the 2nd Century BC
The Pharisees accepted the inspiration of the Oral Tradition, as well as the TOrah.

They held a mediating view that didn't allow for God's sovereignty or free will to cancel each other out

They held to a developed hierarchy of angels & demons

They believed in a future for the dead, the immortality of the soul and reward & punishment for a soul after death

They championed human equality

Their teachings moreso focused on ethics as opposed to theology

The Sadducees
They apparenlty probably begun during the Hasmonean Period (166-63 BC) & their demise occured with the fall of Jerusalem in 70 AD
They denied the authoritative and binding nature of the oral law

They were more literalistic in interpreting the Mosaic Law

They were exacting in Levitcal puirty

They believed into free-will & attributed all to it

They didn't believe in an afterlife, a ressurection of the dead, or an afterlife (hence their question to Jesus in Matthew 22:23-28)

They didn't believe in angels & demons, nor a spiritual world

They believed that only the books of Moses were canonical Scripture

"Lordship Salvation"

2009-10-12T18:46:00.000-07:00

This past summer, I was having a discussion with a friend of mine. Apparently, the father of one of my friend's friends implied that Paul Washer was a false teacher, or, at least, had some wacky theology because he believed in what's termed "Lordship Salvation." In this video, Pastor Jim McClarty explains what Lordship Salvation is.

According to Todd Friel, in the video below, a lot of the controversy came about 20 years ago, from those who were not only light on repentence, but who also believed that a person could be a "carnal Christian."

Now, I don't remember who said it, but apparently, the doctrine of carnal Christianity came from a rather liberal theological seminary. But, as Paul Washer once, quite right pointed out, "the doctrine of a Christian living in a continuous state of carnality is absolute heresy."