Dissertation On Salvation

What Scripture says about our standing before salvation: 
"For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people"  (Titus 2:11, ESV).

"Today, if you hear His voice, harden not your heart, as in the rebellion" (Heb. 3:15).  God has a plan of salvation:  "How shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation?"  (Heb. 2:3).  "Behold, now is the day of salvation" (2 Cor. 6:2).   God has a future for His people and offers them abundant life.  "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope"  (Jer. 29:11).  "...I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly"  (John 10:10).   God's kindness and goodness toward you is not leniency but meant to give you space to change.  "...Not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance"  (Rom. 2:4).

But we are in a predicament and cannot realize God's plan.  We are totally, but not utterly depraved, which means you are as bad off as you can be and that every part of you is corrupt, even though you are not as bad as you can be. "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?"  (Jer. 17:9).  We are a "sinner by birth, by nature, and by choice", according to  Chuck Swindoll.   "Indeed it is the straightedge of the law that shows us how crooked we are"  (Rom. 3:20, Phil.).  We are "free but not freed," says Augustine of Hippo.  We are free agents who are culpable and blameworthy and guilty, and all we can do is sin ("non-posse non-peccare," says Augustine [literally, "unable not to sin"]) period, case closed.

We cannot please God:  "We are like an unclean thing, and all our righteousness is like filthy rags"  (Isa. 64:6).  We are in a no-win situation and cannot gain the approbation or approval of God no matter what we do--we cannot clean up our act or prepare ourselves for salvation, except admit we are unqualified.   "For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God" (Rom. 3:23).  There is a great chasm, rift, or cleavage between us and God.  "But your iniquities have separated you from your God..."  (Isa. 64:6).  Jonathan Edwards preached back during the Great Awakening  in 1741 that we are" sinners in the hands of an angry God [referrring to Deut. 32:35 as his text]""  Furthermore, God doesn't hear our prayers as unbelievers:  "...Your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear" (Isa. 5:2).  We are even blind to the truth of the gospel:  "Whose minds the god of this age has blinded..."  (2 Cor. 4:4).

We cannot clean up our act or get it together--don't get me wrong; we can come as we are to Christ, we just can't stay that way.  We are "by nature a child of wrath" and cannot reform ourselves enough to please God.   "Can an Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots?  Then may you also do good who are accustomed to do evil?" (Jer. 13:23).   "Who can say, I have made my heart clean, I am pure from my sin?"  (Prov. 20:9).

 There is an exit strategy:  Jesus comes to the rescue and shows a way out of our dilemma.  This is no "do-it-yourself" proposition, but God taking the initiative and paying the price we couldn't pay on our behalf.  "But God demonstrates His love for us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Rom. 5:8).  "But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities, all we like sheep have gone astray, and the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all"  (Isa. 53:5-6).  "Having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us, and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross" (Col. 2:14). "For Christ suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God" (1 Pet. 3:18).  "For He made Him, who knew no sin, to be sin for us..."  (2 Cor. 5:21).   This is called the propitiation, atonement, or reconciliation and is what God did for us on the cross through His Son Jesus Christ, and what was needed for our forgiveness (sort of like paying the price with His blood).

Christ died for "whosoever will" and no one who wills to do His will be left out.  However, the offer is to all whom the Lord our God will call, cf. Acts 2:39).  God does the wooing and actually compels us to come to Him with irresistible grace and an effectual call and we refer to as efficacious in its result.  "No one can come to Him unless the Father who sent Me draws him ..."  (John 6:44).  This is called one of Christ's "hard sayings."  "No one can come to Me unless it has been granted to him by My Father"  (John 6:65).  I am not offering religion to you, but a relationship and way of life. It is not "do" but "done."  "The just shall live by faith"  (Hab. 2:4). It's a "done deal" and we cannot add to God's work, because Jesus said, "It is finished."

But the prerequisite to salvation is repentance by the grace of God or His unmerited and undeserved favor.  "... [God[ commands all men everywhere to repent" (Acts 17:30).  Repentance is an about-face, a 180-degree turn, a turnaround, a change of mind and heart and action, a turning from sin toward God.  "Repent, therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, and times of refreshing come from the presence of the Lord"  (Acts 3:19).  "For godly sorrow leads to repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted..."  (2 Cor. 7:10).  God gives space and time to repent and is patient:  "The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance" (2 Pet. 3:9).  God is being good for a reason--He wants repentance.  God grants repentance, so we should ask Him.  "Then God also granted to the Gentiles repentance to life" (Acts 11:18).  "...If perhaps, God will grant them repentance..." (2 Tim. 2:25).   True repentance always accompanies saving faith as the flip side. The combo is called believing repentance or penitent faith.  They are seen in juxtaposition in certain passages like Acts 20:21 and used interchangeably in others like Luke 24:47.    God puts a new man in the suit, not a new suit on the man!

We must be regenerated or born again, or born from above.  Irresistible grace makes us willing on the day of salvation (cf. Phil. 2:13).  "Salvation is of the Lord' (Jonah 2:9).  The Spirit regenerates like the wind blows where it wills (cf. John 3:8).  "Then I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within them, and take the stony heart out of their flesh, and give them a heart of flesh"  (Ezek. 11:19, cf. Jer. 24:8).

We are at the mercy of God:  "...so then, it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy" (Rom. 9:16).  Our destiny is ultimately in God's hands and we are not the masters of our fate or captain of our souls, God is in control.   We are born "...not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God" (John 1:13).

You must have faith to be saved, for only faith pleases God, and it is impossible to please Him without it.  Everyone has faith, they just have to exercise what they have; everyone has faith in something or someone.  We must have a  "heart belief" and not just a "head belief" or mere assent or agreement; it must involve the intellect, knowing the fact;, the will,  being obedient;  and the heart or emotions.    Real saving faith produces good works and if no fruit is present there is no faith, period. The Reformers' formula was "saved by faith alone, but not by a faith that is alone."  Faith is quickened within us and comes by the hearing and by the hearing of the Word of God (Rom. 10:17).  "For by grace are you saved through faith [the instrumental means], and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast" (cf. Eph. 2:8-9).  "God has dealt to each a measure of faith" (Rom. 12:3).  Peters epistle was directed "to those who have obtained like precious faith" (2 Pet. 1:1).  "This is the work of God, that you believe on Him whom He has sent" (John 6:29).  Doubt is an element of faith, not its opposite, and often resides with faith because no one knows all the answers or it would be knowledge.  "I believe, help thou mine unbelief" (cf. Mark 9:24).   If left to ourselves, none of us would believe, and we are no more virtuous because we do:  "There but for the grace of God, go I," (George Whitefield).  God has poured out grace on His chosen ones:  "...as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed' (Acts 13:48).  "He greatly helped those who believed through grace" (Acts 18:27).

The general call is to all but God gives His invitation to all whosoever will:  the poor, imprisoned, blind, and oppressed, according to Isa. 61:1.   The offer is not "swimming instructions for a drowning man, but a reprieve to a man on death row, who is guilt," ( Paul Little).  The invitation is as follows:  "Ho, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat.  Yes, come buy wine and milk, without price" (Isa. 55:1). "Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore with lovingkindness, I have drawn you" (Jer. 31:3).  "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life" (John 3:16).

We must respond (or reach a decision) to the good news about Christ.  That He died for sinners (they must know this), that He was buried, and that He rose again (for us personally--to know He died is history; to know for us is salvation).   There is no place for cheap grace or peace or easy-believism that thinks we can be saved without surrendering to His ownership of our lives and lordship over us and live in the flesh after its desires.  We must count the cost of following Him as Lord of our life.  "Multitudes, multitudes, in the valley of decision; for the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision" (Joel 3:14).

The search for God begins at salvation and we cannot find Him but that He found us:

 "Sow for yourselves in righteousness; reap in mercy, break up your fallow ground, for it is time to seek the Lord, till He comes and rains righteousness on you"  (Hos. 10:12).   "But you will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart" (Jer. 29:13).  "Seek the Lord while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near" (Isa. 55:6).

The three things (the ABCs) we must do are as follows:

(1)   Admit our need that we are a lost sinner in need of salvation and alienated, estranged, or separated from God.

(2)  Believe in the gospel message that Christ died for our sins, was buried, and rose again all on our behalf as a substitute.  This implies that He is God in the flesh or the incarnate God of the same essence as the Father--His Deity.

(3)  Confess Him openly before men as Lord, not being ashamed of Him, that He is the Lord and your personal Lord.  "That If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved"  (Rom. 10:9).

Man is incurably addicted to doing something for his salvation, but in a works religion, you can never be sure and have the assurance of heaven.  Here is a simple sinner's prayer you might want to echo:


Lord Jesus, I believe that you rose from the dead and died on my behalf as a lost and condemned sinner.  Come into my heart and reign as Lord of my life, as I commit to following You as a disciple in the fellowship of Your church.  I hereby repent of all known sin and desire to be changed by Your power and not to look back.  Amen [So be it!].    This is not some magic formula to say but the condition and sincerity of the heart are paramount.

Now, a transaction has taken place and we should not confuse fact and feeling or works and grace.  God says it in His Word, I believe it in my heart, that settles it in my mind.  There are several verses of comfort and assurance:  

"Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord, though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow, though they be red as crimson, they shall be as wool|" (Isa. 1:18).

"But as many as received Him to them gave He the right to become the children of God, to those who believe in His name"  (John 1:12).

If you have honestly (God doesn't ask for perfect, but unfeigned or sincere faith) trusted Christ for your salvation and have stopped trying to save yourself, you have accepted the gift of life eternal that begins now and goes on forever, forgiving your sins, past, present, and future.  Your salvation began in eternity, was realized in time, and is going to be consummated or fulfilled in heaven.  God erased the tape, as it were, gave you a clean slate, and doesn't recall your sins--they are deleted permanently. Look at the following verses:

Our position before Christ:
"As far as the East is from the West, so far has He removed our transgressions from us" (Psa. 103:12).  "I am He who blots out your transgressions, and will not remember your sins" (Isa. 43:25).   "I have blotted out like a thick cloud your transgressions, and like a cloud your sins"  (Isa. 44:22).  "....You have cast all my sins behind Your back" (Isa. 38:17). "If You, O Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand?  But there is forgiveness with You, that You may be feared (Psa. 130:3-4).  "For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more;'  (Heb. 8:12).

  Assurance is up to the Holy Spirit:

 "The Spirit bears witness with our spirit that we are the sons of God" (Rom. 8:16).   But reassurance is found in Scripture, and we should stand on the promises of God and take Him at His Word.  "He fills us with all joy and peace in believing, that we may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit" (Rom. 15:13).  Simply find a verse that means something to you and gives you what you need to hear and cling to it.  My favorite is John 6:37 saying, "The one who comes to Me I will in no way cast out [permanent salvation or eternal redemption]."  Some others are as follows:  "And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand..."  (John 10:27).  "And this is the testimony: That this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life... These things I have written to you that believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life:  (1 John 5:11,13).  My favorite is what Michael Faraday quoted when he died:  "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"  (2 Tim. 1:12).  Soli Deo Gloria!

Are You Doing The Lord's Work?

Bill Gates, the richest man in the world, was asked why he was doing the Lord's work (charitable causes as a philanthropist) since he is not a Christian:  "Well, the Lord isn't doing it!"  This is sarcasm and it is sad we have this state of affairs in our blessed nation deemed to be under God.  Nothing done in the Lord is done "in vain," according to Scripture; so we should never give up doing His will for our lives, no matter how mundane or humble the task (remember the poor widow who fed Elijah in Zarephath).  "Do your work heartily, as unto the Lord, and not unto men [as people-pleasers or brownnosers]  We must realize that our reward is in heaven and the unrighteous receive their portion in this life (Psa. 17:14).  Some leave their riches, while others go to theirs.   Let's keep our eyes on Jesus and not on men, even if they are so-called "princes".

Work has it's own reward  (knowing we are pleasing God:  "Work, for I am with you," says Hagga):   fulfillment, achievement, goal attainment, and of knowing we're "purpose-driven".  The Air Force motto is "Aim High!" and the Army says, "Be all you can be!" We must discourage a lukewarm and apathetic attitude:  attitude determines altitude and is everything!  Recall King Saul's halfhearted obedience compared with David being a man after God's own heart.  Joshua and Caleb "wholly followed the Lord."   Pete Rose was known as Charlie Hustle and displayed this kind of character.  Sports show that the key to getting something done is to be a team player and not worrying who gets the credit or the glory.

Jesus had a servants heart (cf. Mark 10:45 saying, "I came not to be served, but to serve..."). Yes, complacency is the enemy and we must work as if everything depends on us, though we pray like everything depends on God--we leave the results to God!   Solomon says that whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might--get a purpose and be a man or woman on a mission!   "For the people had a mind to work..." (Neh. 4:6).

The Lord's second coming should motivate us and stimulate us all the more, as we see the Day approaching (Heb. 10:25).   There is intrinsic motivation like knowing God is happy with us and we are doing His will, and there is extrinsic motivation like being rewarded with more pay as an incentive.  Feeling called to do something is intrinsic:  Zechariah was an expert at this:  "Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the LORD of Hosts."  Nehemiah felt inspired to work hard and finished his task in 52 days, which was a miracle.  We are inspired as lofty as our insight and dreams; so dream big and remember that God is big enough for our dreams.  A personal example:  I got a job filing and that was my bugaboo, as it were, and my fears and Angst had to be overcome!   God did indeed change me and gave me the patience to do it and not ever be overwhelmed (I thought of the promise in Isa. saying, "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you...").   A good anecdote you might want to remember:   There were three stonecutters who were asked what they were doing.  The first said he was laying bricks, the second that he was making 20 pounds an hour, the third said that he was building a cathedral for God.  Which one had a real vision ("Without vision the people perish,"  says Prov. 29:18)?

The Protestant work ethic has a long history.  You must have the vision of Nehemiah:  "Behold, I am doing a great work."  St. Francis of Assisi was asked if he died in 10 minutes what would he do:  He was the gardener at the monastery and he said he would finish "this row."  Work is part of our image and likeness of God and we are hard-wired for it--incomplete without it.  We are compelled to accomplish something and take pride in our achievement done in the Lord. God will someday balance the books and justice will be served as far as reaping what we sow--and I'm not talking about karma or fate, but if we are not rewarded in this life, we will in the afterlife. 

A bit of history:  During the time of Paul there were 60 million slaves in the world and work was considered a curse and only slaves should do it.  Martin Luther brought honor to work by saying that all work can be done to the glory of God.   Another exemplar was Brother Lawrence, a dishwasher/cook at a French Carmelite monastery in the seventeenth century.  In the formative and desperate years of the Jamestown settlement, started in 1607, Captain John Smith quoted 2 Thess. 3:10 saying, "He that is unwilling to work, shall not eat."  That got people motivated!  Now we hear of the "idle rich," but the Bible says that those who wear themselves out trying to get rich are just as wrong.   Theodore Roosevelt said, "There has never yet been a man who led a life of ease whose name is worth remembering."  Everyone needs a purpose in life and seeing something higher than himself to attain to.    Carl F. H. Henry, a 20th-century theologian,  said that we are made for work and not for idleness.  We are hard-wired that way, to be blunt.   Yes, there will be work, even in heaven.

God does not call us to success but to faithfulness, according to Mother Teresa of Calcutta.  Failure is not a sin!   Jeremiah 45:5 says,  "Do you seek great things for yourself?  Seek them not."  Selfish ambition is a fruit of the flesh and carnal according to Gal. 5:20.   Everyone has a niche and calling from God ("The gifts and calling of God are without repentance," per Rom. 11:22).  Some are homemakers, and some are kings or presidents; they are judged according to their faithfulness in the talents God gave them:   "To whom much is given, much is required" per Luke 12:48.  It is not so much what we accomplish and brag  (being a braggart is wrong) about, but our character that matters.   Only deeds done to the glory of God in the power of the Spirit will be rewarded.  God is not against good deeds; only ones done in the flesh (or without God's Spirit, cf. Rom. 8:8).

"Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might," says Solomon in Eccl. 9:10.  Believe me, I have paid my dues and know what hard work is. There is nothing beneath us, and if we are humble  and meek, being willing to do whatever God wants us to do,  and be what He wants us to be, we will be willing to do the order of the towel as Jesus did and do the role of a slave or servant:  Then God will say, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant."   We should be redeeming the time because the days are evil; making the most of the opportunities we are given--there are always lost opportunities that teach us a lesson.  Col 1:10 says we should be "bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God [they are correlated]"

We are not saved by good works, but not without them either:  "we are saved unto good works [Eph. 2:10]."  We need to find our labor of love, that we would do even if we were not compensated.  But there is a caveat:  Jer. 48:10 says that slackness in the LORD'S work will bring a curse!  Slothfulness is one of the seven deadly sins according to the Vatican and they could be right.  When we have completed the work that God has given us we "enter into His rest."

 Jesus prayed in His priestly prayer in John 17 that had completed the work that God had given Him to do (John 17:4).   The only question I want to leave you with is to consider what kingdom you are working for--is it God's kingdom or your own empire and circle of influence.  God wants us to leave our comfort zone and venture out to do brave and great things for God!  Nehemiah said it well:  "Behold, I am doing a great work, and I cannot come down."

In summation, let me quote Nehemiah, an expert on motivation in getting the walls of Jerusalem rebuilt, in Neh. 4:6 as follows:  "For the people had a mind to work...."  Note that it was all about attitude and frame of mind!  Soli Deo Gloria!

Indebted To Jesus!

Do you know that you owe
It all to the Lord Jesus!
When your goal loses your soul,
And you want a way out,
Remember He's near and saves ev'ry tear,
And your woes won't overflow His bowl. 

When the fight is lonely as the night,
And you wonder where He is,
Remember all the same to praise His name.
So thank Him anyway,
For you He'll win, so don't lose by sin.
And if you pray, claim His fame. 

The joy you'll share, knowing He's there,
Treading those paths ahead.
But let it glow, and you will grow,
To lighten the paths of sin;
But love is the way to make His day,
And loving the Lord will make them know. 

  Soli Deo Gloria!

Rationale For My Blog

This is an extended disclaimer or for the tone and subject matter of my blog.  My intention is simply soli Deo Gloria or to God alone be the glory, using me as a vessel of honor.  I don't want any bad blood or bad vibes between me and my friends, associates, family members, or readers, but to have as much harmony and unity of spirit as possible. I truly believe Augustine's dictum "In essentials, unity; in nonessentials, liberty; in all things, charity.

There are plenty of gray areas and we are not to judge our brother indisputable areas according to Romans 14:1, but leave room for disagreement (agreeing to disagree and disagreeing without being disagreeable) and freedom of conscience as Martin Luther would phrase it ("to go against conscience is neither right, nor safe")  But the Scriptures exhort us to strive "for the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace" (Eph. 4:3),  and Paul said to each "be fully convinced in his own mind."  Abraham said it well to Lot:  "Let there be no strife between us ... for we are brethren"  (Gen. 13:8).

Some Christians have come full circle, in that in Catholicism you cannot question the priest who alone has authority to interpret Scripture, but they frown upon believers who show discernment and discretion toward Bible teachers and pastors.  It is alright to have a biblical objection, but just don't get personal and attack his character, which would be casting a slur on our fellow man or taking up a reproach against another (cf. Psa. 15:3).  A man of God must not "strive."  We don't purposely cause divisions or separate brethren, but we must take our stand for the truth as we know it.  "If I die, I die," said Esther as she took her stand!   John 7:24 says it like this:   "Do not judge by appearances, but judge right judgment.

I do not have an axe to grind nor do I wish to pick a fight or have a bone to pick; and I'm certainly not out to get you to join my church or become my convert.  I'm not just interested in "doctrines that divide" like the so-called "Limited Atonement" that Calvinists are known for.  I am not desirous of controversy, but only in finding the truth (to go there you must be willing to admit you could be wrong, and be willing to go wherever it may lead).  My goal is to make issues in the church have a forum for discussion and to bring to light some of my opinions to the open marketplace of ideas.

I am not contentious, divisive, nor argumentative by nature in my estimate, but Christ was known as a controversialist and to avoid controversy is to avoid Christ according to R. C. Sproul.  Sometimes a diatribe can create more heat than light and cannot be settled in print or in writing, but end up getting personal and emotionally charged. We need to keep our cool and commit ourselves to what the Bible says and that it alone is the infallible source of truth.  No one has a monopoly on truth nor has cornered the market of knowledge or wisdom--even Solomon made mistakes!

The only stand that I take dogmatically is that I am a Protestant  (I disagree, I dissent, I protest), in that I believe I can question authority and that the Bible is the final word on any subject of doctrine over tradition or any papal edict or prophetic utterance.  As the reformers proclaimed:  "Sola Scriptura"  (Scripture alone as authority).  If there is a disagreement I hope the Bible and not personal hunches or insights from mystical teachers will settle the issue.   I submit to the authority of the Bible alone and do not revere any teacher or leader as holy or above criticism, but I believe I can reserve the right to show what I call discernment.

My blog and I have been criticized and blamed for being "judgmental" of other ministries or ministers.   I admit to being a Protestant and claim the right to "dissent, disagree, and protest" against the pope or Rome's dogma as I understand it.   First of all, I would like to refer to the heading of my blog not to promote any one denomination or a certain agenda.  I may have blogged about certain doctrines that have been of interest or even problematic, or open to debate and not easily settled or dismissed, but I have not made it my "mission" to attack anybody I know unless he just happens to come up in the topic in question.  My blog is not definitive (I do not claim to have the last word or to speak ex-cathedra or from the chair as the pope does, nor do I ever pontificate or speak for God, but am only expressing my personal educated and edified opinion, which comes from considerable study of all of the Scriptures and growth as a Christian.

 When one has a highly visible ministry like Billy Graham or Joel Osteen. or John MacArthur he is just asking for opinion and criticism.  I know we are not to judge or criticize our brothers (cf. James 4:11), but I'm  not getting personal and am showing what I regard as "discernment."  There are some areas that ministers compromise important truths, and I believe should be brought to the attention of students of the Word with an open mind, willing spirit, and needy heart.


Now, I claim to be a Calvinist or Reformed in doctrine, yet I do not harp or get preoccupied with the subject of predestination or the bondage of our will (as opposed to so-called free will), and if I did you could say I was just trying to convert you rather than edify you or whet your appetite for the truth and stimulate to be Bereans and search these things out for yourself.  Some people just need to be shocked out of their comfort zones and woken up out of their dogmatic slumber. 

Let's get specific, I was "saved" by Billy Graham preaching more than 40 years ago and revere him, yet I disagree with that organization saying that Mormonism is not a "cult".  I also think that John M. has taken upon himself to judge other ministries and I do not believe that is the job of the expositor of the Word.  I believe we should keep the main thing the main thing.    I disagree with Joel Osteen because I disagree with "prosperity theology" and am shocked that he won't mention "sin" because it is such a "killjoy word."  

I do not agree with  Jack Van Impe because it seems he is trying to scare people into the kingdom and has an agenda about the Lord's second coming.     I understand that genuine believers do follow these ministers and do not think they are going to hell,  but there is a difference between judging and show discernment.   In sum,  I do not argue ad hominem or "to the man" and make a personal attack as it were because I cannot refute what they say from Scripture.
   Soli Deo Gloria!