To Ignore Minor Doctrine

Martin Luther said, "I dissent, I disagree, I protest." He saw the doctrine of soteriology (this is perhaps the most significant doctrine and yet most misunderstood) seriously distorted and sought to reform the teachings regarding salvation because he was shocked at the condition of the church in his day (i.e., Tetzel selling indulgences et al.). He saw this as vitally important: to challenge the authority of Rome and the Papists. He was brave and faced the king and the pope at the Diet of Worms (1521).  He is known for saying: "To go against conscience is neither right nor safe."

Likewise, Jesus chose not the path of popularity, but called His followers a "little flock." It takes the character to stand alone and not to a conformist. There are two ways to get ahead in the church: playing church politics and taking a stand. Usually, God will bless you for taking a stand, especially if you are right. These seem to be mutually exclusive just like we have few politicians who are willing to do what is right and take a moral stand: that's why we have politicians and statesmen. I would not want to be known as one who compromised the truth or watered it down to gain followers. If I get promoted spiritually, I want it to be of God and not man. It is also wrong to brown-nose your way up in your company as well as in church: i.e., not do it as unto the Lord, but unto men.

We are to teach to the whole counsel of God: Paul said, "All Scripture is profitable for doctrine [teaching]...." To distinguish between major and minor doctrines is not biblical since there is no mention of this nomenclature. You could say that creation, judgment, and rapture are minor doctrines, too. I have been in a group that doesn't want to mention the wonderful doctrine of the eternal security of the believer because it might offend some who are Arminian. R. C. Sproul says to avoid controversy is to avoid Christ. (John Stott wrote a book, Christ the Controversialist and showed that He was not afraid of it.)

I have no personal agenda nor ax to grind and have made it clear that I am Reformed in my doctrinal viewpoint. If you attend a church they have the right to their doctrinal understanding and don't have to be interdenominational or nondenominational. Personally, I believe in the autonomy of the local church and it alone has the authority to decide its doctrines. But some would say ecclesiology is a "minor" doctrine. There are doctrines that sincere believers disagree on and one shouldn't be dogmatic on them, but that doesn't mean we can't mention them in passing when they come up; we just don't make them our agenda.

No matter what doctrines we teach, we are bound to offend some--that's the very nature of truth. The measure of truth is not what doesn't offend or the lowest common denominator. I am not afraid to ruffle some feathers or to give my opinion on a disputable topic, even if it only serves to stimulate interest, debate, or study.

Parachurch organizations (churches are organisms, on the other hand, and Christ is the head of the body), those not associated with any particular church and usually nondenominational, tend to outreach and not devoted to certain doctrines. I was involved with the Navigators, for instance, in the Army and they had a mission to the military personnel; they didn't see themselves as in competition with the local church, but supplemental. If we are not in a position of authority we cannot change doctrine or policy but must comply (to rules and bylaws, for example) if we want to be part of the ministry (this doesn't mean we have to always be conformists and can't be an influence). But Christ established the local church and gave it the Great Commission--"and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it."

Augustine said it well: "In essentials (NONNEGOTIABLES), unity; in non-essentials [NEGOTIABLES], liberty; in all things, charity." We are not to be dissentious or disagreeable, but to agree to disagree. Cut some slack! There are doctrines that are not necessary to salvation; they should not be ignored either. For sure, to ignore doctrine just because one thinks it is minor is spiritually detrimental. We are not to major on the minors and get sidetracked. Let's not be petty and quibble over non-issues respecting salvation. Some Christians like to split hairs or get trivial about the details, but this defeats the purpose of teaching to stimulate thinking and growth. To sum it up, we are to keep the main thing the main thing, and not forget our focus on the gospel message and plan of salvation and how they relate.
Soli Deo Gloria!

Take Your Stand!...

NB:  Satan plays mind games and uses psychological warfare and mind-bending drugs are his favorite way to entice the innocent even through legitimate means of psychiatrists. But according to Eph. 6: "We do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the world powers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavens."

Sometimes we may think the pastor has gone off the deep end, gone nuts, or seem crazy to use inflammatory words. This is a judgment call and, if he is, he may be under divine discipline if he is depressed (this is just a deduction)--just like what happened to Nebuchadnezzar when he went mad.

The Spirit of Truth resides in all believers but no one has a monopoly on the truth and anyone can make an error of judgment, especially if he is spiritually in authority. The fear of God is to hate evil and heresy is evil. I have found out from experience that God even loves crazy people, so we are not to be judgmental and think they are beyond hope.

"The fear of man brings a snare," declares Prov. 29:25. We should not be too timid to challenge the teaching in question. We don't want to choose the path of popularity or be a people-pleaser but seek God's approbation. This is not necessarily a bad thing but may be an opportunity: Seize the day! Luther referred to an "Anfectung" which is German for "attack" and, if we don't end up fighting Satan on his turf, it is because we are on the same side. His chief tactic is to divide and conquer and he uses brethren who sow discord (God hates this according to Prov. 6). If we have on our weapons gave us for angelic warfare, then we can take our stand ("take your stand" and "stand your ground" are from Eph. 6:13).

What if the pastor is teaching heresy or evil such as astrology and he has such power of his flock that they swallow it hook, line, and sinker? Do not compromise with evil and guard your teachings according to the Bible taking your stand. This is not just a matter of disagreeing, but whether you will tolerate evil in the church--the fear of the Lord is to hate evil. Do you want to please God or men? I know that sounds like a lot to ask but I believe there is a price to pay in standing for the truth. I would not want to share a pulpit with someone who is teaching evil. What does evil have in common with good? It seems like this is a way of being unequally yoked. Sometimes we have to let the chips fall where they may.

"If God is for us, who can be against us?" Remember, that the pastor is not your enemy because you disagree with him, but Satan is just using him and because you are invading his turf--the battle has just begun, but "the battle is the Lord's." I have been known to confront visiting preachers in my church and to let my pastor know where I stand but we agree to disagree. In the end, the truth will win out and sometimes the truth hurts; however, trust in it despite this. Where are the teachers of moral fiber who take their stands? In sum, sometimes we are our own worst enemy and we must heed the counsel of Scripture.  Soli Deo Gloria!

Why the Consternation About Election?

Americans like to think like William Ernest Henley in Invictus that we are the "captain of our souls and the master of our fates."  To think that God is ultimately in control of our destiny is like making God a despot. The Bible teaches that God chooses some to salvation, and not because of anything in them, (merit) or of anything they have done, but "according to His good pleasure." I have heard it said that God gives everyone an equal chance; that He is equal opportunity, as it were. (Did God give Pharaoh the same opportunity as Moses, or Esau as He did to Jacob?) Then some are better qualified to be saved than others; however, the chief qualification to be saved is to realize you don't deserve to be.

If God did give everyone an equal chance and woos everyone the same, then why do some respond positively? Are they better than others? Do they have more inherent virtue? Faith is not a work and therefore non-meritorious. The Bible teaches that faith is a gift and not something we conjure up ("Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God," according to Rom. 10:17).
We are elected unto faith, not because of faith.

This is the so-called prescient view that God just sees ahead who will believe and chooses them. However, the election is unconditional, and not because we deserve it--we are in no superior or more virtuous than others who don't happen to believe because it is grace all the way. If mercy is deserved, it is no longer mercy, but justice. Jesus said that we are unable to come to Him and only when the Father "draws" us ("No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him...") can we respond to the gospel message (cf. John 6:44; 65).

Sometimes the gospel falls on deaf ears because God hasn't worked in their hearts to prepare them. We do naught to prepare ourselves unto salvation. There is an inward call of God and a general call that we do by preaching. Then who believe? "The elect attained unto it, and the rest were hardened," says Rom. 11:7. Acts 13:48 declares, "As many as were appointed unto eternal life believed." According to Rom. 8:30, everyone whom God calls gets saved. Left alone, none of us would've chosen Christ. We love Him because He first loved us. "No one seeks for God," says Romans 3:11.   Soli Deo Gloria!

Is There A Social Gospel? Or Is This A Misnomer?

N.B. the Bible addresses this issue directly in Amos, who decries the lack of social justice (5:24).

"Where there is no vision the people perish..." (Prov. 29:18 KJV).

N.B. a church has a mission to the un-churched and a ministry to its congregation. We are all ministers and should all be on a mission. Many believers confuse works and faith not realizing that works are not a replacement of faith, but the fruit of it. Faith without works is dead according to James 2:17 and dead faith saves no one. We need people of social concern, but this is not the primary function of the church--discipleship is.

However, the faith you have is the faith you show, they say. We are not saved by works and we are not saved without works either. We are not saved by service but unto service. If we have no good works, our faith is suspect or spurious. Eph. 2:10 asserts that "we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them." We don't want to be like the Cretans: "They profess to know God, but by their works they deny Him." True faith yields fruit: no fruit, no faith. John 15:16 says, "But I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide...." Again: "And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works" (Heb. 10:24). The danger is that there will be some who are converted to the program but not to Christ. To sum it up, the Reformation formula was that we are "saved by faith alone, but not by a faith that is alone."

This terminology became popular in the era of social change in the 20th century from so-called fundamentalists. There really is no "social gospel," but one gospel message: the preaching of Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection on our behalf. Papists (Romanists) are very earnest and sincere in doing good deeds for the less fortunate, like opening soup kitchens, hospitals, schools, and orphanages, et al. However, they are misguided as to the plan of salvation. Evangelicals are very good at preaching the gospel, but of neglecting the application and further responsibilities of the church (like caring for the widow and orphan which are commanded).

We are all light and salt; the church is the vehicle or instrument of grace in the world. We are to keep the main thing the main thing, and not major on the minors (the Great Commission is where it's at and is to be our focus).

God isn't looking for a church of do-gooders or works-oriented believers. But we need to be people on a mission to be sure. We need not be remiss in our duty to our fellow man and offer a cup of water in the name of the Lord, as it were, with our gospel message. Taking care of the needs of the poor is an open door to preach and gives us the opportunity to spread the Word (our goal). It is not the mandate of Christ to convert us to one philosophy or political persuasion or viewpoint: God loves us despite this. Jesus is not going to inquire of our political aspirations or beliefs at the Bema ( the Judgment Seat of Christ). "He pled the cause of the afflicted and needy; Then it was well, Is not that what it means to know Me? says the LORD" (Jer. 22:16). Do we indeed know Him, whom to know is eternal life (cf. John 17:3)?

I do not believe He is even going to ask us if we are Arminian or Reformed in our interpretation of Scripture. However, He is going to say," I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was naked and you clothed me, and I was in prison and you visited me." Christianity is not a philosophy, but a relationship with a living Lord (and this has become a cliché) but, nevertheless, it is vital that our faith doesn't vanish into a religion of do's and don'ts, or a duty done out of obligation, rather than love as a high calling and not as duty (God sees our motives).

In Mal. 3:5 God is "against those who oppress the wage earner in his wages" and who "thrust aside the sojourner". God is indeed concerned about social issues (there are many social injustices that one could get concerned about privately) and it may be the calling of individual Christians to go on a crusade (e.g., against child labor or slavery), but this is not the calling of the church at large.

Great Christians like William Wilberforce have influenced the end of slavery as we know it in the free world. The job of the church is to make disciples of all nations and teach them to observe all that Christ commanded (cf. Matt. 28:19-20).  n sum, there is a social commission, not a social gospel,  that has not been rescinded but we are to keep the main thing the main thing and not get sidetracked by turning loaves into bread.  Soli Deo Gloria!

Happy Thanksgiving/Hanukkah!

The scholars say that the convergence of these two holidays won't happen again for 70,000 years--what a special day! I recall that Lincoln proclaimed the feast of Thanksgiving in October of 1863 and it was fixed as the fourth Thursday in November by FDR. The Last Supper or Holy Communion, also known as the Eucharist (which means thanksgiving, by the way, in Greek) is a unique Christian tradition. Thanksgiving is our heritage (not to celebrate seems un-American). One of the first lessons we learn as children is to be thankful and say thanks, especially saying grace at dinner time (a family ritual, if you will). It is ingrained in us to think of the holiday as Turkey Day, with an afternoon of football and family get-togethers. One of the two real family holidays with Christmas.

Jesus healed ten lepers and only one came back to give thanks: He said, "Where are the nine?" Romans 1:21 talks about people knowing God (though not in a saving way, of course) and neither being thankful nor giving Him the glory--"so their foolish hearts were darkened" and consequently "God gave them up." Truly sober words and a word to the wise is sufficient. About giving thanks, what if you have a meal for a guest and he was to say afterward, "How much do I owe you?" Wouldn't you be insulted? We can't pay God back even for all eternity to do it. The psalmist says in Ps. 116:12, "What shall I render to the Lord for all His goodness to me?"

Lincoln said the greatest gift God has given a man is the Bible and he said it was the greatest cure for depression. The Great Hallel (Ps. 136) exhorts us to give thanks unto the Lord several times as does Ps. 107 ("Give thanks unto the Lord, for He is good, His mercy endures forever"). Whey gives thank you might venture to ask. Just as there are benefits to being a veteran like health care and the G.I. Bill and there are fringe benefits to a job, there are benefits to being joint-heirs with Christ and heirs of God. "And do not forget all His benefits," says Ps. 103:2. We thank God for who He is and for what He has done (as recounted the history of Israel in Psalms 78 and 105, and the praises of the Great Hallel. "The Lord has done great things for us; whereof we are glad" (Ps. 126:3). Most importantly, we thank God to gain entrée into His presence per Ps.100:4, which says, "Enter His gates with thanksgiving, enter His courts with praise."

I cannot help but be reminded of the following hymn: "Count your blessings, name them one by one, and you will see what the Lord has done." We are to thank God in all things (1 Thess. 5:18), for all things (Eph. 5:20), and with thanksgiving let our requests be made known unto God (Phil. 4:6). A friend of mine has a daughter that complained about the pain in her foot and he told her to thank God for blessing her foot! What faith! God turns curses into blessings and makes the wrath of God to praise Him (Ps. 76:10). The key to a Spirit-filled walk is to be "abounding in thanksgiving" (Col. 2:7). Finally, the offering of sacrifice makes us acceptable to God (Lev. 22:29), and is considered a thank-offering or a sacrifice of thanksgiving. Jonah offered sacrifice with a "voice of thanksgiving." "The one who offers thanksgiving as his sacrifice glorifies Me," says Ps. 50:23. In heaven, the elders and angels will offer thanksgiving to God: "Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen" (Rev. 7:12).

The best biblical example of contentment and thankfulness for God's provision despite matters is in Habakkuk 3:17-18: "Though the fig tree, not blossom...yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation." We must learn to be content in all circumstances just like Paul in Philippians 4:13. Ever hear of the man without shoes that became thankful when he saw a man without feet? How about the father who took his son to a third world country to show them how they live to teach him gratitude, and the son was impressed that they didn't have fences! I'm sure you can think of examples galore for this blessed day.   Soli Deo Gloria!

Nixing So-Called Easy-Believism

A. W. Tozer said that God will not save those whom He cannot command--what a deathblow to those who deny lordship salvation! [Lordship salvation means you must accept Christ as Lord as well as Savior to be saved.]  Some refer to this as antinomianism (against the law, we are not under the law, but we are not lawless--the sinner knows no law and the saint needs no law!) and think that they have permission to live as they please, simply because they are secure in their salvation.   It all has to do with the sovereignty of God and His divine prerogative to rule us and all His creation as He sees fit to His glory. Every knee shall bow according to Phil. 2:10 (either in this life or in the hereafter at  Judgment Day). In surrendering,   I recall the song "All hail the power of Jesus' Name! Let angels prostrate fall; Bring forth the royal diadem, And crown Him Lord of all."

Many people have lordship issues with life per se: e.g., some say, "I don't like to take orders." Some fear a taste of authoritarianism and lack of individuality and infringement on their free will. We have authority figures in our culture from the time we are children when parents are in loco Dei (in the place of God). Even the king is accountable to God! Actually, the 5th commandment to honor our parents really can be applied to respect all authority and to give honor to whom honor is due even to the emperor. Some people say they believe in God and do lip service but are practical atheists (believing in God, but denying Him by their witness and testimony), because they live like there is no accountability and authority above their own person. I got news: Everyone is under the authority and no one is above the law--we all reap what we sow, according to the law of the harvest.

Christ is "Lord of all" regardless of our decision and even Satan has to take orders from above and get permission for his mischief.     We don't make Him Lord--He is already Lord. We acknowledge His sovereignty and control and ownership of our lives--to do less is to reject Him. Do you own Him as your personal Lord--can you freely (if you don't know, you will at the judgment) confess Him as your Lord, as Thomas did: "My Lord and my God." Jesus is either Lord of all--or not Lord at all. "There is not one maverick molecule in the universe," says  renowned theologian and pastor R. C. Sproul, "which is out of His control." The toss of the die is in His control as well (c.f. Prov. 16:33)--yes, He micromanages  (even the minutiae) the cosmos and superintends all to His glory and purpose---nothing escapes His attentiveness.    Soli Deo Gloria (to God alone be the glory).

The question we must ask ourselves is whether we are holding out on God and if we are gung ho or not to the Great Commission. We cannot escape authority figures who teach us to respect and obey, but we must not kowtow or pay homage to any human as to God. We don't want to get lax, lethargic or blasé about serving God, but getting with the program and having a vision. ("Without a vision, the people perish," Prov. 29:18.) In our daily lives we are not to leave God out of the reckoning and out of the equation, as it were, but to seek His revealed will and be committed to it. The greatest prayer we can pray is this: "Into Thy hands, I commit my spirit, and not my will, but thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. This means there is no secular versus sacred areas of our lives but we can worship God in all that we do and bring glory to Him in everything ("Whatsoever you do, do to the glory of God," says 1 Cor. 10:31).  Our lives are to be in harmony with God and then we will have His blessing and smooth sailing, so to speak. The easiest way to put is to "Trust and obey, for there is no other way to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey."

"Father knows best," (everything is "Father-filtered, as it were) we should say, as we sell out lock, stock, and barrel to the Lord. If we are not in God's will, and this is the safest place to be, trusting Him, we are what we call "wandering in the wilderness" like Israel  (i.e., in a trial period), and we must learn to submit to Christ as Lord just as we have trusted Him as Savior--by faith! "The just shall live by faith" (Rom. 1:17). 

Let's summarize:  it all has to do with respect for authority and honoring all people because we are all in the image of God.  1 Pet. 2:17 says to "honor all people," and Rom. 13:7 says to give "respect to whom respect is due."  With all due respect, we disagree, but we don't slander or libel one's reputation, or cast a slur on our fellow man.   Soli Deo Gloria!

A Failure To Communicate?

I have learned through experience that even the closest of brothers can misunderstand each other and ruffle each other's feathers, despite loving each other and get upset or angry and then "bite and devour each other." "Cease from anger, and forsake wrath" (cf. Ps. 37:8). Jesus warned in Matt. 5:22 that we shouldn't be angry at a brother or even insult him. There is a fine line drawn between "speak[ing] the truth in love" and being judgmental. In my definition, judging (I do not mean rebuking, admonishing or correcting) is not something we have the prerogative to do (I mean reading minds, determining motives, or deciding someone isn't a Christian who claims to be). 1 Cor. 5:12 says, "Do you not judge those who are in the church?" (He was talking about known sin in the church body). God judges those outsides--we are to save them not condemn them. Yes, the Bible says that judgment must begin at the house of God. If believers are scarcely saved, what about the infidel?

All Christians should be willing to swallow their pride and apologize when wrong or convicted of sin and want fellowship more than a win so-to-speak. The truth often hurts and it takes bravery to tell someone the truth and to rebuke or admonish a believer, but sometimes it must be done. Let love be the rule: "Love bears all, believes all, hopes all, endures all, love never fails." It is unfortunate when we carry our feelings on our sleeves, are hypersensitive, or have vulnerable areas--we all live in glass houses with skeletons in our closet, as it were, and shouldn't judge harshly or rashly. Our motive must not be to cause hurt nor damage egos but to edify or correct.

When we know someone we know how to press their buttons and manipulate them if we want to and sometimes we inadvertently push the wrong buttons and get a rise out of them--let's learn from our mistakes. In my opinion, it is an unfortunate event to judge someone in a judgmental spirit intentionally, but we should not return the favor and do likewise if you know what I mean. We don't return evil for evil or insult for insult--it just retaliates, escalates, and estranges.

As they say, familiarity breeds contempt, which is probably a maxim, with the exception being Christ himself. In the final analysis, we all have "feet of clay" or have vulnerabilities and weaknesses not readily apparent, and must be sensitive to each other's feelings as well as accept believers the way they are--God did! (Because we are "accepted in the beloved.")   Soli Deo Gloria!

Are We Called To Preach?

Preachers often have favorite doctrines or agendas that they enjoy, but Paul said he was not remiss to proclaim the whole counsel of God. Just because we preach--and we are all called to preach in some vein--doesn't mean we are perfect, experts on the subject, or deserve the right to preach on it. What is important is that we key into our listeners and know where they are at and where they are coming from, and tailor the message to them specifically and clearly. God has chosen us to preach the Word regardless; however, it is hoped we will not become hypocrites, and we will practice what we preach. Jesus was the prototype preacher par excellence in that He practiced what He preached and preached what He practiced--but we all fall short of this ideal. By the way, Paul said he preached not himself, "but Christ and Christ crucified" (1 Cor. 2:2).

Someone has said of Jonathan Edwards that "his doctrine was all application and his application was all doctrine"; we are not to just make our preaching an intellectual thing that has no relevance. Our preaching should challenge us as well as our hearers and we should humbly thank God for the honor and privilege of preaching and for the high calling that it is. Sometimes it is even ironic that we can preach on a subject because of our background. For example, many ex-drug addicts or ex-convicts have dramatic testimonies, and sometimes the experts on home life actually come from broken homes or less than ideal situations. Sometimes it is very interesting to hear what they have to say and what their point of view is because of their experiences.

Let's not second-guess God as to why we are preaching and accept the authority of the pulpit as being from God and has His anointing. The focus should be to preach the Word according to our faith and gifting. In the final analysis, we really want to know what the Bible says more than some one's experiences which can be biased. (We test our experiences by the Word of God, not the Word of God by our experiences.)   Soli Deo Gloria!

The Chief Of Sinners...

"But let him who boasts boast that he understands and knows me" (Jer. 9:24).

Our knowledge about God is no measure or gauge of our knowledge of God or personal acquaintance with him as Lord and Savior. It is tempting to be just content to be theologically correct and not apply what we know; still, thirst and desire for the truth is a good thing and a positive sign of spiritual life and of its fruit. The Bible says this about unbelievers and the reason for their condemnation: "Because they refused to love the truth and so be saved" (cf. 2 Thess. 2:10). Orthopraxy (right ethics) is important just as orthodoxy (right doctrine) is, and that is why the epistle of James was written: the faith you have is the faith you show!  However, one can be wrong in nonessential doctrine and still be a good Christian.    

John Bunyan wrote a masterpiece, Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners!  Could Paul be the chief of sinners and still know God? Actually, yes! Jesus said in his great intercessory prayer that eternal life is to "know [God]." Being a Christian is not about being religious, memorizing the dance of the pious, or playing along with the game or the rules. There are indeed hypocrites who talk the talk but don't walk the walk and pretend to be Christians and are ones in name only (nominal Christians) in order to gain something (by ulterior motive).  

 NB:  Someone has wisely said that Christ didn't come to make bad people good, even though Christ changes lives and many who are born again have wonderful testimonies of being such vile sinners and have had their lives turned around. Someone then added that Christ came to make dead people live (spiritually, that is). All Christians are sinners--but justified sinners, though,(if one has a relationship with God through Jesus).

All of our righteousness is as "filthy rags" (Is 64:6), and our "fruitfulness" comes from God (Hosea 14:8). And all that we have done is through Christ's power (Isa 26:12 says He has actually has accomplished it through us!). What is paramount is knowing God (Hos 6:6 says: "I delight in loyalty rather than sacrifice, and the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings." We have then only done our duty and what is required of us as a servant of God (vessels of honor). "Since You have performed for us all our works" (Isa. 26:12). "For I will not presume to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me" (Rom. 15:18). In other words, our goodness and virtue is God's gift to us, not our gift to God.   

God isn't looking for religious people who keep all the so-called "rules of engagement". He's looking for thirsty souls who want to seek his face and have a desire to have fellowship with him and worship him in spirit and in truth (John 4:24). Amos 6:13 mentions believers who boasted of what they had accomplished as if God didn't just use them to do his own will--it wasn't by their strength at all.  Paul said that he "would not venture to speak, but of what Christ had accomplished through [him]"  (Rom. 15:18).   "Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the LORD," says Zechariah 4:6.

God's chief controversy, or peeve, against Israel, as Hos. 4:1 says that "there is no faithfulness or kindness or knowledge of God in the land." So, who is the better Christian? One who is moral and ethical and has a successful life, achieving the American dream, for instance, or the sinner, saved by grace, who knows he's a work in progress-- but truly knows the Lord? Prosperity, therefore, is not necessarily a sign of God's good favor or approval. Ps. 17:14 says the wicked have their reward or portion in this life.   Soli Deo Gloria!

What About the Queen Of Sciences?

You cannot avoid theology as a believer; it is a "given" that you must know the basics; R. C. Sproul has said that to "avoid theology is to avoid Christ," and is "spiritual suicide."
NB:   one can be well-versed and familiar with theology and be a good student of it, be talented or excel at it in seminary, and still hardly know the Lord, because one doesn't apply what one learns. We are all theologians, it just is a matter of what kind of one we are.

Theology is often called the queen of sciences because it is a search for truth that predates the scientific method (or scientific empiricism) laid down by Sir Francis Bacon. In short, you must be willing to go where the truth leads you and keep an open mind ("If any man wills to do His will, he shall know of the doctrine..."), and be as unbiased as possible (total objectivity is impossible to achieve). Theology has been called "God-talk" because it is literally the study or "ology" (Greek) of God or "theos" (Greek). Spurgeon says that the proper study of the Christian is the Godhead. He adds that nothing will so expand the intellect or humble the mind that the study of the Deity.

An ancient Greek philosopher was asked to describe God: He couldn't come up with one, needless to say.  In the Bible we get no adequate description of God, they help us know Him--other so-called holy scriptures do not do the job. It is really an exercise in futility to make speculations about God--we must rely on special revelation as the Bible claims it has. What is God like becomes the million-dollar question? We engage in mental gymnastics to ponder the depths of God: There is no higher science, loftier speculation, or mightier philosophy. J. I. Packer adds that in the 17th-century theology was the hot topic and every gentleman had this as a hobby. People used to be well informed of what the Bible taught.

Is theology just theoretical? No, it has practical applications too. We study the holiness of God to see how to be holy and what God expects: to always do the right thing (Mother Teresa of Calcutta says that "holiness consists in doing the will of God with a smile." We must study God to learn to be godly and knowing God keeps us in touch with reality (we often need a reality check). "What you think about God is the most important thing about you," according to A.W. Tozer.  The most important thing about us is our character and I believe the most important aspect of that is our integrity--God isn't necessarily trying to change our personality, but our character. God's character or the sum total of His attributes shows us how to have godly character. We are to imitate God and emulate Jesus: "What would Jesus do?"(WWJD?)

So who needs theology? It is paramount to our getting to know God. However, knowledge about God is no substitute for knowledge of God and it can remain purely theoretical if we don't apply what we know. We must learn to contemplate the Deity and meditate on His attributes as we interact personally with Him to get to know our personal God.   Soli Deo Gloria!

What Is The Will Of God?

Many look at the appalling circumstances in the world and wonder if God cares or is doing anything--where is God? We may not know where God is, but we can conjecture the whereabouts of the devil who is acting within the permissive will of God, getting His divine approval on everything as God's servant (and vessel of dishonor). John Wesley used to read the daily paper to find out what God was doing in the world. One must distinguish the different aspects of the will of God. The decreed or secret will of God is unknown until it happens and is none of our business. "The secret things belong to the LORD our God..." (Deut 29:29). The so-called preceptive will of God is what we seek according to God's Word and we can know it. The first English Bible translator John Wycliffe had a tenet: "All things come to pass of necessity." The Westminster divines in 1646 said that everything that happens is decreed to take place: "God ... doth uphold, direct, dispose and govern all creatures, actions, and things, from the greatest even to the least, by his most wise and holy providence..." All is going according to divine plan; there is no plan B.

God is in absolute full control of His universe (there is not one stray, maverick molecule even) and is not limited by our so-called free wills. The will of God is different from the blind kismet of Muslims who just resign themselves to their fate and say: "It is the will of Allah." God has a reason for everything that happens and He "makes everything beautiful in His time." (Cf. Eccl. 3:11)   "No one can stay His hand or say to Him: 'What have You done?'" (Dan 4:35). There is the permissive will of God that Satan got to do to Job and God allowed him to do his will with divine permission and under God's superintendence and oversight.

We are to seek the good, perfect and pleasing will of God (per Rom. 12:2) as believers and not presume on God or test Him. Some say like Doris Day sang: "Que Sera, Sera" (what will be, will be). Some say they will do what they want and "Let the chips fall where they may." It is a fact of Scripture that God works through the most diabolical actions like the crucifixion (Acts 2:23 says, "Jesus,[was] delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God." Acts 4:28 says, "[this was] to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place [the crucifixion]").

It is personified or called Providence because God orchestrates history (which is His story). We have the power but not the right to thwart God's preceptive will but God sovereignly controls the outcome as He wills for His glory in His decreed or secret will.   Soli Deo Gloria!

Are There Disobedient Christians?

To answer the question ahead of myself for your benefit, it depends on what you mean by disobedient. The Navigators call the obedient Christian one who prays, witnesses, reads the Word, and fellowships or worships regularly, regardless of where else he may fall short: smoking, drinking, Sabbath-breaking, or what have you. Read on to draw your own conclusions.

The big question: "For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God?" (1 Pet. 4:17).

"But as for Israel, He says, "ALL DAY LONG I HAVE STRETCHED OUT MY HANDS TO A DISOBEDIENT AND OBSTINATE PEOPLE" (Rom. 10:21). "The wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience" (Eph. 5:6). '...the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience" (Eph. 2:2). For God has consigned all to disobedience, that he may have mercy on all" (Rom. 11:32).
Unbelievers are called disobedient but disobeying God after salvation doesn't make you a son of disobedience, but persistence in disobedience proves one isn't a child of God. "For I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision" (Acts 26:19). "Just as you were at one time disobedient to God but now have received mercy because of their disobedience" (Rom. 11:30). We are talking about being obedient to the faith and to the gospel.

A caveat in Scripture: "They stumble because they were disobedient to the Word, as they were destined to do" [This is called reprobation: cf. Jude 4 and 1 Thess. 5:9] (1 Pet. 2:7).
A pertinent promise: "If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land" (Isa. 1:19).
A word to the wise: "For your obedience has become known to all..." (Rom. 16:19).
A challenge to those who stumble: "Who hindered you from obeying the truth?" (Gal. 5:7). The right attitude: "The LORD our God we will serve, and his voice we will obey" (Josh. 24:24). Priorities: "Obey those who rule over you..." (Heb. 13:17). "...For we must obey God rather than man" (Acts 5:29).

Intrinsic motivation: "But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed" (Rom. 6:17).
Warning: "If anyone does not obey what we say in this letter, take note of that person, and have nothing to do with him, that he may be ashamed' (2 Thess. 3:14).

Dietrich Bonhoeffer said, "Only he who is obedient believes, and only he who believes is obedient." These two are linked together as in Hebrews 3:17-18: "And to whom did he swear that would not enter into his rest, but to those who were disobedient? And so we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief." John 3:36 says, "Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him." These two are distinguished but not separated--they go hand in hand and are complementary or two sides of the same coin. Did not Abraham believe God and obey to leave Ur, and Noah obey to build the ark? "Faith without works is dead," and one must obey the gospel to be saved; to obey the gospel ("in flaming fire inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus," according to 2 Thess. 1:8). is to repent and accept Christ as your personal Lord and Savior or trust in him for salvation (believing in the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ) and submit to His Lordship or ownership of your life.

You can disobey God and not lose your salvation. Salvation is not contingent or probational, but permanent and once for all ("He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey him", says Heb. 5:9 "He who comes to Me I will in no wise cast out," says John 6:37). Contrary to what Romanists teach, there is a continuity in the state of grace after salvation and the permanency of our relationship and position in Christ doesn't change, though our experiential life in Christ does fluctuate. We cannot be unborn as a child of God. Jonah disobeyed God by going in the opposite direction. Moses disobeyed God and struck the rock twice instead of speaking to it (and consequently was not allowed to enter the Promised Land). The Bible doesn't gloss over King David's faults and mistakes and gross sins but shows us that even the best of us can fail on occasion--look at Solomon! As they say, "To err is human," and "Nobody is perfect." There is no such thing as sinless perfection or "entire sanctification." We are all works in progress and even Paul said he did not claim to have been there yet (at perfection referred to in Phil. 3:13, "...I do not claim to have laid claim of it yet...").


The Christian doesn't obey God out of some fear that he will lose his salvation but from gratitude. He does it because he wants to not because he has to. When you feel you have to, it is legalism. God says he will give us the heart to obey him. "And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules" (Ezek. 36:27).

Many priests became obedient to the faith and got saved in Acts 6:7, and Paul talks about the obedience of faith. We obey God in the Spirit and not according to the Law. The Law kills but the Spirit gives life (2 Cor. 3:6). We become obedient from the heart because the true circumcision is in the heart (Rom. 2:29). "...so that we serve not under the old written code but in the new life of the Spirit" (Rom. 7:6). As Christians we learn to walk in the Spirit: "But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law" (Gal. 5:18). "And we are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom he has given to those who obey him," says Acts 5:32).

There is a great reward and there are many perks to being obedient: answered prayer, prosperity, success, family blessings, abundant life and the bearing of fruit. In Job they questioned whether it was profitable to obey God, but found out it was--God restored him twice his former worth. Psalm 19:11 says that "in keeping them [the law] there is great reward." 1 Sam. 15:22 sums it up as an exhortation: "To obey is better than sacrifice...." Jesus also said, "It is more blessed to give than to receive" (Acts 20:35). In God's economy, there are paradoxes: poverty comes before riches and trial before success. Even Jesus learned obedience through what he suffered (Heb. 5:8). "Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget none of His benefits" (Psa. 103:2). God was angry at the people in Malachi who said that it was "vain to serve God" (Mal. 3:14). Isaiah 48:10 announces, "I am the LORD your God, who teaches you to profit, who leads you in the way you should go." Other passages that are food for thought are Psalm 1:3 and Joshua 1:8.

Israel had good intentions, but poor follow-through as they promised to obey the Law in Exodus 24:7 instead of asking for mercy, and ended up in disobedience. Jesus saw the disciples sleeping in the garden and said "the spirit is indeed willing but the flesh is weak"--recognizing human weakness, and not necessarily sin itself--in all its ugly colors. We all fall short of our ideals and standards, but that doesn't make us hypocrites (they pretend or make a show to impress their faith). Jesus talked in a parable of two brothers and asked which one obeyed. The one that finally decided to obey not the one who had good intentions. As they say, "The road to hell is carved with good intentions." sincerity counts but it is not everything: there are many sincere people who are lost. God is looking for "sincere," and "unfeigned faith" and not necessarily perfect faith (1 Tim. 1:5). "Lord, I believe, help my unbelief.," (cf. Mark 9:24).    Soli Deo Gloria!

What Are Your Speculations Now?

Michael Faraday (pioneer of electromagnetism, the farad is named after him) was on his deathbed when his associates asked him this question. Faraday responded that he had no speculations, only certainties. "For I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I have committed unto Him..." (2 Tim. 1:12). When our faith and hope is in the Word of God it is rock solid and on a firm foundation. It isn't what you know but who you know that matters and we can know God. It isn't the amount of faith that saves but the direction of the faith that matters. God is not looking for perfect faith but unfeigned and sincere faith. Sincerity does count, though we are not saved by sincerity alone.

True saving faith results in obedience and fruitful life, but not necessarily automatic, instantaneous, permanent assurance (it is sometimes intermittent or off and on). We grow in our faith and go from faith to faith.

God does want us to "know" that we are saved according to 1 John 5:13 and that is precisely why John wrote the epistle. Our faith is to be based on the Word of God coupled with the testimony of the Holy Spirit. (Cf. Rom. 8:16 says, "The Spirit bears witness with our spirit that we are the sons of God.") We must examine our own fruit and search our own hearts to see if Christ dwells there--be fruit inspectors. Knowing that we are saved is not only commanded in 2 Pet. 1:10 but a boon to our well being and it enhances our sanctification so that we can go on to maturity.

Let us not waver in our faith or vacillate in our assurance, but be faithful to the light God has given us according to the faith He has bestowed on us. Our assurance is in accordance to our righteousness per Isa. 32:17, and if we are living in sin God does take away assurance, and we are in a sort of limbo or denial while we undergo divine discipline.   Soli Deo Gloria!

O Ye Of Little Faith!

NB:  He said "little faith" not "no faith."

Why did you doubt? This was the question Jesus asked Peter. Faith is a gift from God and we are to measure ourselves according to the faith God has given us (Rom 12:3). We are not to boast of our strong faith. It is not how much faith we have that gets us saved, but in the object of the faith, God has given us--our faith is given, not achieved. Faith comes by the Word of God (Rom. 10:17). If faith were knowledge, we would be saved by knowledge. For salvation, we don't "think so" or "know so" but "believe so." God wants us to "know" in a biblical sense, basing our faith on the Word of God and not experience. John writes in 1 John that he wants his readers to "know" they are saved. "I write these things to you who believe in the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life" (1 John 5:13). God doesn't require perfect faith but sincere and unfeigned faith  (cf. 1 Tim. 1:5; 2 Tim. 1:5).

The "believers" who Christ disowns in Mat 7:21 are those who placed their faith in their deeds, not in Christ. "Did we not prophesy in your name?" People that say they know, that they know, that they know, are basing their "knowledge" on experience and their walk with Christ. Let us not confuse our walk and our salvation or our justification with our sanctification. Faith is indeed having assurance, but doubt is an element of faith not the opposite of it. "I believe, help thou mine unbelief," (cf. Mark 9:24)."

I have doubted my salvation in the past but I never doubted the person and work of Christ or the conviction of my sins and the truth of the gospel message itself, and I would not say I have become a Christian only recently because of my renewed faith. Assurance comes from righteousness according to Isa. 32:17. The closer we walk with Christ, the more assured we become and our faith grows. We go from faith to faith per Rom. 1:17.   Soli Deo Gloria!

Joining the Club of Those That Are Sure

I get asked quite often how sure I am of my salvation. Usually, the Inquirer says he is 110 percent sure (how can you be more than sure?) and has even heard God speak to him that enhances his certitude. Roman Catholics don't believe you have a right to be sure of your salvation, which is the sin of presumption unless you have received a divine revelation to that effect. Most Catholics are unsure and think they are headed for purgatory. God wants us to be sure and admonishes us in 2 Pet 1:10 to make sure of our election. It is a boon to our walk to be sure of a state of grace. Many believers go by feelings and as soon as they feel unsaved they doubt their salvation. This is because they are failing to take God at His Word or are ignorant of the Scriptures. According to theologian R. C. Sproul, assurance is not an automatic fruit of salvation: many true brethren doubt their salvation or lack credible biblical confirmation.

We are to base our assurance on the Word of God, not our experiences or feelings. We should take a verse like John 6:37 which says, "He that comes to Me I will in no wise cast out" and use it as our "spiritual birth certificate." Another good verse is John 1:12: ": As many as received Him, gave He the right to become the children of God, even to those who believe in His name." This is an impartial assurance that puts the ball in God's court. He has something to lose (His integrity) if we don't get saved. I like what Paul said to Timothy (cf. 2 Tim. 1:12): "For I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I have committed unto Him against that day."

You can't be 110 percent sure because by definition 100 percent is being as sure as you can get. You don't want to just say I think I'm a Christian, but I know I am a Christian. Not "I hope so," but "I know so." As far as assurance goes, there are plenty of people who have a false assurance that they're going to heaven and they won't go there. There are many Christians who need to be reassured, and the way to do it is to enlighten them to the Word of God.

True assurance is based on the Word of God coupled with the testimony of the Holy Spirit (Rom. 1:16 says, "For the Spirit bears witness with our spirit that we are the children of God"). We must individually examine our own fruit and the condition of our own heart to see if it is consistent with the Word of God. It takes the work of the Holy Spirit to produce a genuine love for Jesus, and this is a prime example of fruit. In summary, it is unbiblical to ask someone how sure they are of their salvation, but do they have assurance period. Faith grows and doubt is an element of faith, not the opposite of it.   Soli Deo Gloria!

Unproductive Christians?

Jesus said in John 15:16 that he has appointed us to bear fruit and that our fruit would endure. We are destined for fruit, but what kind of fruit? I agree that some Christians won't get any reward in heaven because their works will be burned up like wood, hay, and stubble (cf. 1 Cor. 3:15). Likewise, some Christians remain baby believers and never mature or grow up spiritually. Many believers never win souls for Christ and reproduce fruit in this sense also. But Hosea 14:8 says our fruitfulness comes from God. Our patience is not our gift to God, but his gift to us.

The fruit of the Spirit is from God and God gets the glory. A branch that doesn't bear fruit is taken away and burned and so a Christian that isn't producing isn't abiding in the vine (Jesus). Jesus cursed the fig tree that bore no fruit--that's what he thinks of a fruitless or dead tree. Not bearing fruit means one is dead and not abiding. All believers bear fruit such as love, joy, and peace, if not at salvation, afterward. I would put no stock in a believer that isn't bearing fruit--and we are to be fruit inspectors. In conclusion, we will know them by their fruits.   Soli Deo Gloria!

Examples Of Flaky Brethren

Let us refer to communication from God rather than hearing from God because God treats us all as individuals and in a unique way, but the primary means is the Word of God. ("He revealed Himself to Samuel through the Word..," says 1 Sam. 3:21).

It is my observation that the believer who depends on external means, circumstances, or signs to get a word from God has not yet learned to attend to the Word of God, which is paramount. Who would call Augustine weird because he said that he heard God through the voice of a child--we know what he means. However, there are ways God speaks to everyone including the conscience and getting convictions; but the conscience is not always right--we should, nevertheless, heed its voice [Remember Jiminy Cricket telling us to always let our conscience be our guide. This is good advice if we are like Martin Luther saying, "My conscience is captive to the Word of God, to go against conscience is neither right nor safe.]

When God is speaking: We can quote Him verbatim--it is only in using a broad definition of the phrase (i.e., loosely speaking) that God speaks to us circumstantially and by means other than the Scriptures as a rule of thumb. The key is confirmation or verification. "For whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, to him it is sin" (cf. James 4:17). ("He carries out the words of his servants and fulfills the predictions of his messengers," says Isa. 44:26--Cf. Jer. 1:12 and Isa. 55:11).

I know of a sincere believer who tells me he is a prophet, yet I've never heard him prophesy so I can judge his spirit, to see if it is of God--we must test the spirits. I heard the story of a believer that was thinking of doing missions in Mexico and he claimed God was calling him there. God always verifies and confirms His Word. For instance, what if his friend had approached him and asserted: "Friend, I think God wants you to do missions in Mexico!" There are no coincidences with God and one would have to strongly believe God is calling him. Some believers go by hunches or premonitions (even nonbelievers get these) and they can become so mystical that they get many private messages from God that no one else seems to get. Remember that God does speak through His Word and expects us to make that our number one source of information and direction or leading. I do not believe that just because we have the written Word that God has retired dreams, visions or audible transmissions, but this is the exception to the rule and we are to be skeptical. I am purely going by personal experience in this manner from my encounters with Pentecostal brethren. Remember, there is a difference between what God can do and what He does do.

God plays no favorites and someone is not God's buddy that God should treat him special. "God is no respecter of persons." In my experience, due to a number of memorized verses, God speaks to me by the recollection of passage and this is legitimate. Sometimes it seems that God speaks through me when I preach or teach or write, but I would not be dogmatic on this, but God can do this. Believers today have become spiritually hard-of-hearing and need to open up to what God is saying: "Let him that has an ear, hear what the Spirit says to the churches...." I have heard of people claiming an existential experience form secular writing ("Oh, I got goosebumps or the chills!") and claim it is God--what it does prove is that you are human.

Indeed, the Mormons claim they get a burning in the bosom from their Scriptures and this is proof it is from God. They are elevating experience above teaching. God couldn't be speaking to them something contrary to the Word, which they claim their books supersede. Some Christians have indeed gone off the deep end and believe in things contravened by sound doctrine unbeknownst to them, just because of their experience. Satan is able to counterfeit almost any spiritual experience and can lead one astray if he is not anchored in the Word and in fellowship with other believers.

Because God has promised to speak through His Word primarily, doesn't preclude the fact that He still does speak audibly on occasion--we are just not to expect is as normative.  
   Soli Deo Gloria!

Issues Concerning Hearing God

"In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams" (Joel 2, Acts 2).
We cannot be dogmatic about a lot of issues concerning someone who says he hears God. First, was it with his ear as an audible voice, or an inner voice? The Bible gives no examples of someone hearing an inner voice and the still, small voice that Elijah heard was audible, though quiet. When one hears from God he can quote God verbatim and has no doubt it is God--there is no mistake. Sometimes we tend to say that we think God is telling us something. Does it contradict Scripture or is it in line with sound thinking?

To be sure, we must realize that God has chosen to speak through His Word and we are to learn to depend on this medium. However, there are exceptions to the rule and we cannot preclude God doing whatever He chooses to and breaking the mold, so to speak. Heb. says that God has in these last days spoken to us by His Son. I believe we live in the latter days, though I do not necessarily believe the rapture is imminent because of the revived state of Israel, among other fulfillments of prophecy. John says, "...it is the last hour" (cf. 1 John 2:18).

I believe that the prophecy of Joel 2 was fulfilled at Pentecost as Peter asserted. However, the closer we get to the 2nd coming of Christ, the more we may see these phenomena again. I do not believe God has retired dreams or visions and have had personal experience of brothers having these. We must remain skeptical, however, and be Bereans and not base any doctrine on them. I refuse to call some brother a liar, but still, take it with a grain of salt. The tendency is to jump to the conclusion that brothers who have so-called experiences in the Spirit are spiritual giants or have special favor from God--this is not so as they may be baby Christians even. God is God and can do as He pleases and what He wants and we must humbly accept this.

A Christian who has a vision or hears a voice may also be mentally unstable (mentally ill), may be deceived by Satan, a liar, or just honestly mistaken. Some people who hear voices are cured by medication and some are set free by prayer or intervention by Christians. If someone has a message from God, it cannot be a new revelation, as the canon of Scripture is closed and everything we need to know is the Bible. The people I have heard do not claim any of this but simple messages like "I want your cigarettes," "I love you this much...." If they said, "I have a new interpretation or revelation about the dinosaurs," I would be incredulous.

There are some Christian leaders today, a la John MacArthur and Charles Colson who have been called modern-day prophets; however, they are just redefining the term and these men are not the equals of biblical prophets. These men are not receiving messages from God, but are just gifted in spiritual insight. Being a member of a charismatic, Pentecostal church I recognize all the gifts of the Spirit except someone who says he's an apostle (the Bible says apostles are to demonstrate miracles and signs as verification). I have seen brethren prophesy or speak in tongues (glossolalia). My doctrinal interpretation is strictly experiential and not because I can prove or disprove it from Scripture--I am aware of the position of cessationists (who say this has ceased), like John MacArthur and their positions. I would simply invite him to visit a Pentecostal church and see if he can judge them.

To hear God, we must learn to listen to Him and realize that God doesn't make cookie-cutter Christians and treats us all as individuals and we must see how God speaks to us. The most obvious way with me is to have an existential encounter or "Aha!" moment with Scripture and the impression it makes on me is not in doubt. God speaks through preaching by convicting the sinner, et alia. I have many times said, "Boy, God sure spoke to me in that sermon!" Rom. 10:17 says, "Faith comes by hearing and by hearing of the Word of God." To be sure, no matter how clever the sermon or articulate the speaker, God honors His Word and we are to depend on that and not our own wording. I've heard it said that God can speak through the air conditioning vent if He wants to but count on Him speaking through the Word itself. The more we pay attention to the Spirit "speaking" to us the more sensitive we get and our spiritual ears are tuned in to God. Jesus said, "Let him that has an ear, hear what the Spirit says to the churches."

In conclusion, don't let someone bully you are spiritually one-up you by claiming so-called spiritual credentials of experience (though we all can experience God in a manner of speaking). I can fully understand why God treats me the way He does: He has given me a sound minc and expects me to use it. Would I rather me otherwise just to hear a voice? Jesus said to Thomas that they are blessed who have not seen and yet believe; it can be deduced that they are blessed who believe despite not hearing a voice.   Soli Deo Gloria!

Can We Tell a Crackpot?

The real McCoy is out there, so beware!

God says, "Call to Me and I will answer you.." (Jer. 33:3). There will come a time when the people of God will no longer hear the word of the Lord (a famine of the Word as in Amos 8:11). God says, "When I called you did not answer, so when you call I will not answer [this is a warning]" (Zec 7:13). You, yourself have heard from God when you had that "Aha!" moment in the Scriptures and God made His divine impression on you.


I have much experience in the mental institutions and have heard it all. Heard about the shrink who told his patient that he was cured? "Well, what do you mean? When I cam here I was Abraham Lincoln, and now I'm nobody!" There are many crackpots who make all sorts of claims but it is easy to spot a phony--he doesn't have the credentials or credibility to back his claim, sort of like Elvis impersonators who are fooling no one. Many people claim to hear voices and some say others are just jealous because they don't hear them. Isn't it odd that certain drugs will cure them of this phenomenon? God is not the author of confusion and they are very confused individuals apparently. The mind is capable of playing tricks on you and make you think you hear something and sometimes it is a case of demon possession or oppression. Christians can be harassed by demons, though not possessed.

When you hear from God you are sure of it and have no doubt and can quote Him verbatim. You don't just say, "I think God is telling me to move to California, for instance." God speaks primarily through the Word. 1 Sam. 3:21 says, "The Lord revealed himself to Samuel in Shiloh by the word of the Lord." Ezra committed himself to study the Word of God (cf. Ezra 7:10). David, himself heard from the Lord on occasion, but that didn't keep him from relying on the Word and studying it and meditating on it. My pastor and others in my church have heard from God personally, but it is not new revelation per se, but something like 'I want you to put all your money in the offering as an act of faith" and so forth. God has not retired visions, dreams and directly speaking to us in this dispensation.

But before you accept someone's authority as having heard from the Lord make sure you test it according to Scripture and make sure it is in the Spirit. I do not blame skeptics that may call themselves cessationists, but they generally stay away from the Pentecostal and charismatic churches and are unfamiliar with the gifts of the Spirit--let them directly confront these Spirit-filled believers themselves before they judge. The gist is that God wants you to learn to depend on the Word and only after you do that can you expect to hear from God personally; he doesn't do it just to increase your faith or to make you better than someone else.

Are We Hearing From God?

N.B. Reformed theologians do not believe God is revealing new revelation in our age, but I am not talking about a new doctrine or message per se, but something that can be confirmed by other believers and the Scripture and does not conflict with any known doctrine, et cetera Also note well that having an experience with God in the Word or hearing a voice doesn't make one a better Christian and he can brag about it. Blessed are those who have not [heard] and have believed (cf. John 20:29).

I don't want to dishearten any soul that believes God is speaking to their heart in a sermon. "Faith comes by hearing and by hearing of the Word of God" (Rom 10:17). God honors His Word and it will bear fruit.

One of the leading theologians of the twentieth century, Karl Barth, said that the Bible becomes the Word of God when one has an existential experience with it. Mormons believe they get a burning in the bosom to verify that the Book of Mormon is inspired. I have had experiences reading John Grisham novels and this doesn't prove anything divine per se. I also recall that Aurelius Augustine, Bishop of Hippo, heard the voice of God through a child--or what he thought so to be.

Many a believer claims to have heard a word from the Lord in some notion.  The Quakers listened to their "inner light" and got quite mystical.  If you get a hunch or premonition or thought from somewhere outside your head be sure to test it by Scripture--the devil put evil thoughts into Peter's mind and Jesus said, "Get behind me Satan!"  Francis Schaeffer wrote on the subject,  "He is there and He is not silent."  God is alive and well in His communication to us and hasn't retired dreams or visions speaking of which will be more numerous in the latter days.  We don't want to become mystics who rely on feelings or secretive thoughts that others aren't confirming.

God speaks to us sometimes audibly but there will be no doubt it is Him!   God can speak through the air vent if He desires but His primary methodology is through the Word; so learn to seek God's word to you in the Holy Writ itself because this is better than relying on sporadic or infrequent messages from heaven.   God never contradicts Himself and all words from the Lord must be tested by the standard of Scripture.

Normally God isn't going to tell you something that He isn't telling others because by the same token "no Scripture is of any private interpretation" and this goes for instructions from God that involve others.  To sum it up, we may be hearing from God--I don't want to discourage the seeker of God's will--but it also may be the pizza, if you know what I mean. I believe Christians may hear from God, but it is not normative and God's SOP (standard operating procedure) is to illuminate the Word and confirm it.   Soli Deo Gloria!

Friends Closer Than Brothers?

The Bible assures us there is a friend closer than a brother and that is the biblical standard of affection and we call it brotherly affection or philia in Greek. Christians are capable of agape love for each other and for God and this is shed abroad in our hearts per Rom. 5: 5. Jesus is the closest possible friend we can have and is the ideal friend. But look at David and Jonathan whose souls were knit together and the tie surpassed that of women. They were called "bosom friends." Sometimes our brother is called to admonish us gently and to remind us that we are still human and do err! The Holy Writ also tells us that the wounds of a friend are better ("faithful") than the kisses (flattery) of an enemy.

Brothers must learn that they are brothers first and buddies second or they will lose their credibility. It is fine to be best buds or pals and hang out together but a big brother has responsibilities and after they are grown the roles don't always stay the same--sometimes a younger sibling assumes the role of big bro. Nowadays "big bro" is derogatory and people call the government by that name, but some of us were glad to have a big bro growing up whether we want to admit it or not now. 

There is a responsibility, to be honest first and to speak the truth in love, as Paul says. Jesus said in Matt. 5:22 that one who is angry at his brother or insults him "(the psalmist says that "the insults of those who insult [God] have fallen on [him])"  is in danger of judgment! You don't say, "You are arrogant" (that is judging). You say, "That seemed an arrogant thing to say, but I will give you the benefit of the doubt anyway." I am very sensitive about being labeled "crazy," "unbalanced," "off my rocker," "gone off the deep end," "gotten carried away," "taken leave of my senses," "beside myself," etc. and any connotation thereof gets my goat. I overreact and go on the defensive and am oversensitive because of my personal background, but it takes a brave friend to point out the error of one's way. Sometimes our best friends are blind to our faults and perhaps that is why they are so close to us; our brothers really know the true self we portray and we can't fool them because they really know us and also when we need intervention or help or counsel.

"He who does not love his brother abides in death," according to John. This caveat to heed from John: If we don't love our brother whom we have seen how can we love Christ who we haven't seen; these are sobering thoughts.    Soli Deo Gloria!

Is God Equal Opportunity?

In America we are obsessed with the Jeffersonian ideals of equality and that God created all men equal--this is our American way of thinking. This works fine for the government to give liberty, justice and equal rights to all, but God doesn't work that way--sorry to say. Do you think that the aborigine in Australia has the same opportunity as an American to hear the gospel? "How can they believe if they haven't heard?" says Paul in Romans 8. The clearly says in Rom. 1:20 that they are without excuse whoever they are-they have enough light in creation itself to condemn them and they also knowingly go against their own conscience, being self-condemned.

Did Sodom have the same chance as Capernaum which saw many signs and miracles? No. Did everyone at the time of Abraham in Ur have equal opportunity to respond to God's call, or did God single out him and call him in a special way as his chosen one? Evangelicals who believe in a chosen people (Israel) have a hard time admitting that God can choose individuals as well and that we are elect or chosen even before we are born. Did Esau have the same opportunity as Jacob whom God loved before he was born, while He hated Esau?

Revelation 3:20 is often quoted to say that God is standing at the door (i.e., of everyone's heart) and knocking for permission unto salvation. Let's look at the other verses in the letter to Laodicea while we quote this verse as it is often quoted out of context. Actually, Jesus says, "As many as I love I rebuke and chasten, be zealous therefore, and repent." Doesn't this mean Jesus discriminates? He is standing at the door of the church to read it in context and is addressed to the lukewarm believer who is out of fellowship--just being saved doesn't mean fellowship!  Jesus has no fellowship with unbelievers either, so the "cold" person may not refer to an unbeliever, but to a believer distancing himself from Christ. Do Christ and Belial have anything in common that they should fellowship? The believer that offends Christ is the lukewarm, complacent one. Jesus said to one inquirer, "You are not far from the Kingdom of God." Psalm 119:155 says, "Salvation is far from the wicked...." If salvation is far then how can they have equal opportunity with those to whom it is near? [A paradox!]

The "whosoever" of John 3:16 is often cited out of context as evidence that anyone can get saved. Actually, Christ said that "No one can come to the Father unless it has been granted him of the Father" (John 6:65). And "the Father draws [the wooing of the Holy Spirit] him" in John 6:44. You see, if God does woo all people the same, then the only way to get saved is by being better than someone else (But Scripture says in 1 Cor. 4:7, "Who makes you to differ? What do you have that you didn't receive?" Jonah says, "Salvation is of the Lord." This means it is not a cooperative venture where we do our best and God helps us. It's all grace and God gets all the glory. Soli Deo Gloria. This implies no merit system.

 Does anyone still not believe that the Holy Spirit doesn't take many times to sink in? The "whosoever" implies that anyone who believes will be saved but it doesn't say all can believe. "If anyone wills to do His will he shall know of the doctrine..." (John 7:17). Ultimately, our salvation is in God's hands and He chose us--we didn't choose him. ("I chose you and you didn't choose me..." as Jesus says in John 15:16.) (Cf. Eph. 1:5,11 [predestination] and Rom. 8:29-30.)   Soli Deo Gloria!

Test of Orthodoxy?

We all tend to have our favorite Bibles and maybe even translations, but it shouldn't be a test of one's orthodoxy to the faith to be partial to one translation, e.g., the Authorized King James Version. You are really only reading the true Word of God when you read the Greek, Hebrew, or Aramaic because all translations fall short. You need to realize that the Word is verbally inspired and the exact word in the original is inspired for a purpose. Settle all doctrinal issues with exegesis, or returning to the original text.

I realized the problem we have when at Bible study yesterday that someone said, "I like that translation!" just because of the choice of wording that hit his funny-bone. It is not what words impress us in the translations that are paramount, but the original text. The best translations are more difficult to read because they don't do all the work for you and call a spade a spade and don't use idioms that become obsolete and are only fashionable and current for a while. I'm not saying a young believer shouldn't read the NLT (New Living Translation), the CEV (Contemporary English Version), or other modern-day translation for example, but he must realize what he is doing and compare versions. Don't get stuck in only one version, which will take away much perspective and insight: by resorting to this one can get Bible fatigue, where it seems like you are bored with an all-to-familiar text. Variation brings challenge and new input or inspiration and illumination.

I find that my doctrines don't depend on any one translation and I can read without hesitation almost any translation; however, I know hundreds of verses by memory and I am able to compare these verses, and I already know what I believe through good Bible-teaching exposure.  I feel free to use any translation and to quote Mother Teresa of Calcutta, though I am not a Catholic. Notes of explanation should be given to the reason for a specific translation being favored: Is it more literal or easier to understand, for instance? (Not that it sounds good or catchy!)

Once you have studied what the original language or wording says you will be somewhat disillusioned about the quality of a translation and lose faith in a so-called "King-James-only" faith. In conclusion, God can speak through any translation, but we are to exercise common sense and not be ignorant about what we are doing, but not skeptical either.   Soli Deo Gloria!

Universal Love

Modern-day evangelicals like to stress the fact the God "loves" everyone. The only verse they can use and I mean misuse is John 3:16: "For God so loved the world that...." Don't they know that there are seven meanings to the world or cosmos in the New Testament? In the very next verse, it is obvious that God isn't planning on saving everyone: "For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved."

There are several verses that indicate that God "hates" individuals: Ps. 5:5 and Ps. 11:5 say that God "hates the wicked." In Romans and Malachi, it says that God hated Esau. Now they say that "hate" just means "reject" but if this is so why does God reject those he loves. On the judgment day, Christ will say, "I never knew you, depart from me...." Note that it is not that he used to know them, but that he never knew them. "For whom the Lord foreknew he predestined..." (Rom. 8:29). This word for foreknow means to know in a loving way.

I don't go around telling people that Jesus loves them as if that is the key message because I only believe it confirms them in their sin and they lose respect for God as their judge. "For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him" (Psa. 103:11). "I love those who love me..." (Prov. 8:17). If God does indeed love everyone it is only in a very narrow way of "caring" for his creatures as Psa. 145:9 says that God "[is] good to everyone, and takes care of his creation." This is called "common grace" and God does make the rain to fall on the unjust as well as the just as we well know.  Soli Deo Gloria!

Polarizing Political Hay

I was watching the History channel presentation "The Bible" the other day and a fellow "Christian" persecuted me for watching a "politically correct" version of the Bible (it had a black Samson). When he found out from listening to Fox News that the man who portrayed the devil had an uncanny resemblance to President Obama, he said he "owed me an apology" because he obviously liked that part.

The biggest problem we have in Congress is gridlock and dysfunction. Everyone seems to think that being pragmatic is evil and that compromising politically is like compromising your morals. Many politicians are beholden to the NRA for instance because of intimidation and financial ties even though the silent majority of Americans disagree with this organization. (For instance, 91 percent of Americans favor background checks for all gun purchases, while the NRA is against this.) What we need is the great compromise of 2013 just like there was a Great Compromise of 1850. Both parties are adamant and intransigent and unwilling to see the others' viewpoint.

We owe respect to our elected officials no matter what their personal religious beliefs or economic theories are. God has placed these rulers in their place of power over us for a reason and we are to "obey the rulers who have authority over [us]." When we call someone a devil or demonize we are judging and I hope I don't have to remind fellow Christians that it is unwise to judge. Even if we see the president as our "enemy" we are to "love [our] enemies." I have seen what appears to be nothing but hate and intolerance for Obama, and the Word says that "If we hate others we are walking in darkness." Paul said in Acts after making this mistake: "Do not speak evil of a ruler of your people." We are to pray for those in authority and I wonder if all these critics actually do pray like commanded.

To render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's is to show due respect, honor, and obedience. I'm not saying we can't disagree but we can do it in a civil manner. Paul says to fear God and honor the emperor and I think that would be the president in our application. Yes, there are several reasons to respect the president. Soldiers are sworn to obey him and they learn to salute the office of an individual whether they personally like him or not.  Soli Deo Gloria!