The Greatest Messianic Prophecy/...

If you've ever heard Handel's Messiah, you know that it is based on this verse (Isaiah 9:6):

"For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government shall be upon his shoulder,
and his name shall be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."

This says it all and is no understatement of the job description, as it were, of our Lord and Savior. There is utmost significance to each title rendered (actually Jesus has 118 titles mentioned in the Word).  Indeed, His name is Wonderful and in one sense He has no name, but only descriptions to make Him known, for God cannot be labeled, defined, or analyzed by man to fit in a box for our convenience--this is only to condescend to us and it is like God lisping or speaking baby talk to us, as it were. He is born a child in the flesh in His incarnation but is a son given in His deity, which was preexistent.

He was the eternal Son of God before His incarnation and quite ironically He is also called the Everlasting Father because He is the eternal Father who created time and is the Alpha and Omega. Jesus is a Father to us:  "... Behold, I and the children God has given me"  (Heb. 2:13 ESV), quoting Isaiah 8:18. This title is often cited by those who deny the Trinity.

He is a Counselor because He identifies with our plight as mankind, can explain God's ways to man, and has been touched with our infirmities and weaknesses as a compassionate human being personally on earth in all its suffering and joy.  He is the mediator or middleman or daysman betwixt us and God the Father and knows both sides of the story so that we can relate to him as the icon of God Himself.

He is not just called Mighty God, but is God in the flesh, as "the Word became flesh and dwelt among us." His deity is attested to by signs, miracles, the Holy Spirit Himself, and Scripture.

Why is He the Prince of Peace?  Because they were expecting a liberator from Rome, but only true and lasting peace can be found in Him (to know Him is to know peace, and having no Jesus, there is no peace).  "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on thee, because he trusteth in thee"  (Isaiah 26;3).  Only the infinite sacrifice of God Almighty could be an adequate sacrifice on our behalf.

One of the significant points of His wonderful name is that we can aspire to emulate Him:  We can be counselors with the power of the Spirit; we can be peacemakers in Christ; we can be father-figures with Christ in our hearts and submit to His authority as a subordinate, even as He was to the Father. We are not God, but God lives in us and will make His glory manifest in us and through us as His vessels of honor to bring Him glory, which is why we are here (cf. Isaiah 43:7).

Why were the Pharisees so upset when He claimed equality with the Father, because the prophecy said He'd be called the "Mighty God" (not just in the power or Spirit of God)--they should've known this and most likely some did.  They despised the fact that He assumed the divine prerogatives of God Almighty, such as the authority to forgive sins and to usher in the kingdom of God with his Messianic Manifesto.

They also despised Him for profaning the Sabbath Day, which was a fetish with them and their favorite commandment and center of their legalism and control of the people. Even more, they despised His charisma and that the people flocked to Him and listened to Him, thus invading their turf and job security and threatening the future of the nation of Israel as a people. They complained about Him because "[He is] a mere man that makes Himself out to be God."

The problem was that they didn't quite visualize the Messiah as being God Himself, but only a martial hero to liberate them from the yoke of Rome and grant international utopia for the Jewish state, and when this dream didn't materialize their hopes were shattered:  They got a pacifist instead who was to reign over hearts not nations.

Jesus will indeed reign over the entire world in His Millennial Kingdom and bring world peace, but that will be another age. Before He could come to reign He must come to suffer, but they couldn't visualize two advents. The cross had to precede the crown and it is the same with us!  Soli Deo Gloria!

The Appearance Of Wisdom

It would seem that "holy" men like Mahatma (Mohandas) Gandhi or the Dali Lama of Tibet have reached a level unattainable by the average person.  But religiosity is not what God seeks.  Asceticism is condemned by Paul in Col. 2:23 and its show of holiness because the person thinks he is giving up something for God and doing Him a favor by impressing Him of his holiness--these types have a "holier-than-thou" attitude condemned in Isaiah 65:5.  Severe denial of pleasures or the good things in life is not the answer--God has given us richly all things to enjoy (cf. 1 Tim. 6:17) and we are not to refuse anything if received with thanksgiving--God is the source of all good things and blessings.

We are not any better because we give up something.  But fasting is a temporary abstinence of something for the sole purpose of humbling oneself to God and seeking His guidance or deliverance in a trial or difficult time or decision time--not to be practiced for its own sake as a measure of spirituality.  The purpose is to learn and practice self-control in all things, not just our eating habits as some allege.  Martin Luther practiced extreme self-flagellation, and if anyone could've benefited by such a lifestyle it would have been him--he took it to its logical conclusion and found out it didn't work nor impress God.

Faith is what pleases God, not religiosity--He tests our faith as if by fire and brings trials our way to force action.  There are plenty of athletes who have a lot of bodily self-discipline but aren't even saved.  Jesus didn't come to make us good people who have good habits, but to make dead people alive who enjoy the more abundant life He promised.  Abstinence of pleasure or the good things in life is not taught (I'm not talking of sin); for instance, there is no case for teetotalism.  Soli Deo Gloria!

When You Fast

Matt. 6:16 says that our fasting should be in secret to be rewarded.  We are not to be as the hypocrites who make a show of it and try to impress others with our self-flagellation, or self-discipline.  True fasting is self-control in all things in Spirit, not just skipping a meal and thinking that pleases God. The goal is to maintain discipline in every facet of life according to 1 Cor. 9:25.  Isaiah 58 says that only spiritually motivated fasting pleases the Lord and we shouldn't think we can force God to favor us on account of it, but it is done to humble ourselves as we see a need.

Isaiah 65:5 says that we should never think like we have a holier-than-thou attitude, especially that we have a spiritual strength and others have a weakness (cf. Heb. 12:1-2).  We all have our easily besetting sin and Satan knows us well enough to attack us at our area of weakness.  True fasting sets the prisoner free and puts the person in a more spiritual mood, if the person already has that he doesn't fast for the sake of fasting, thinking that it is the means of sanctification.  Self-control is a fruit of the Spirit, and like all fruits, they must be cultivated and grown;  everyone is at a different level of growth and maturity and we are not to look down on our brother or even condescend to him, but see him as our equal in Christ--we are all one in Christ.

The Pharisees were especially guilty of drawing attention to themselves and practicing their piety before men, to be seen by them and this is forbidden in Matt. 6:1.  We shouldn't brag about our spirituality either or toot our own horn as to our piety, but let another praise us.  Religiosity is no sign of spirituality and if an unbeliever can duplicate it or fake it, it isn't of God.  There is a time to fast and a time to celebrate, but never to indulge.

There is always a danger of going overboard, but Christians should know that moderation in all things is a principle and never to go the extreme.  The Bible neither teaches nor endorses asceticism, abstinence, nor indulgence as lifestyles.  Fasting isn't just giving up food but can be many things the person "enjoys" and has the discipline to carry it out faithfully, such as skipping needed rest or entertainment. Soli Deo Gloria!

What Is Unpardonable?

Jesus prayed for those who blasphemed Him in ignorance, but those who were enlightened and maintained their blasphemous spirit were unforgivable. Christians, because of the restraining grace of God working in them cannot commit this sin.  By definition, blasphemy involves words, not thoughts, and is like making a smear campaign against the Lord.  Even in the occult they may curse Jesus out of ignorance and be forgiven--this is a deliberate and known, unrepentant sin.  This sin is clearly an assault on the very nature and good character of God and brings it into question.

Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is said to be unforgivable in Matt. 12:32, but what does it entail? Is there a point of no return?  Today evangelicals all say that Jesus died for all our sins except rejecting Christ, which would make him consigned to hell as a consequence.  If this is true, how can pagans go to hell that has never heard of Jesus?  It is a proven fact that the average convert doesn't accept Christ until he "rejects" Him seven or eight times (even making a "no decision" is reckoned as rejection).  If rejecting Christ was so serious, why did God continue to convict and work in the person and woo them to Christ repeatedly? Why are people with hardened hearts given a second chance to repent?  God is able to make people with hearts of stone become ones with hearts of flesh (cf. Ezekiel 36:26).

Jesus was addressing and referring to the Pharisees, who regarded His deeds as done by the power of Satan, and attributed His works to be in cahoots with the prince of demons himself--they blasphemed the Holy Spirit's ministry through Him.  The Pharisees actually said, "He has an evil spirit." This is an extremely hard (and is very rare) sin to commit in today's age; nevertheless, it is possible to be so hardened to absolutely and finally to see Christ as a demon or in league with them, and to use the tongue (to speak or write using words) to spread this doctrine perniciously and viciously to do harm to the kingdom of God (false teachers are specifically vulnerable to this type of sin since they are in a position of influence). You can find people of all faiths saying things about Jesus, but they don't go so far as to say he was evil. Even the Muslims admit He was without sin in the Qua'ran and don't attribute His miracles to the devil. Few infidels ever regard Jesus as "evil" but as a good man in their way of thinking, of course.

There are people who have worried about whether they've committed this sin, but if they are concerned they  aren't guilty of it, because it implies a certain unrepentant hardness of heart that seeks to harm the cause of Christ (determinedly, willingly, and knowingly and not flippantly or casually), and not just misunderstand it. There is no sin that cannot be forgiven or sinner too bad to be saved if they repent. No one will be able to tell God they wanted to believe and repent but couldn't.  There is no lack of evidence, so no one has an excuse!  If you think you've committed this sin and are concerned, you haven't and God is still working in you.  However, if someone hardens his heart, God is able to confirm that hardening in judgment (cf. Isaiah 6:10; 63:17).  God hardened Pharaoh's heart after he rejected God's offer and request to let His people go.

We all have to realize that we are at the mercy of God and must sue God for mercy and throw in the towel, humbling ourselves before Him knowing that He is in control of our destiny, not us.  The unpardonable sin is more of a character (it is not just loosely saying something that one might regret or change his mind about) and it is of the Antichrist and not a specific one-time sin or act. The person knowingly and willingly does it without repentance, and has no desire for the things of God or seeking His kingdom.  Soli Deo Gloria!

The Bema Of Christ

"Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death unto life"  (John 5:24, ESV, emphasis added).

Paul said, "For each of us shall give account of himself to God" in Rom. 14:12.   Before that in the context, he says, "For we all shall stand before the judgment seat of God [Christ]."  For the Father has given all judgment to the Son.  Note that there are two judgments:  One for the believer and one for the unbeliever. 1 Cor. 3:13ff describes how a believer's works are judged as to their due reward--they must remain after being tested by fire!  He has appointed a day to judge the world (this is the Great White Throne Judgment mentioned in Revelation 20:11). That refers to the lost and the "books" will be opened to judge their works.  By their own words, they will be condemned--they are all hypocrites. Christians have nothing to fear of a judgment day because there is no condemnation for the believer (cf. Rom. 8:1). Our words will justify us and not condemn us!

"I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words, you will be condemned"  (Matt. 12:36-37).
The so-called "day of judgment" is the one appointed by God at the last day and is called the Great White Throne Judgment.  Christians will not be present here but at the Bema.  Note that Christians will be justified by their own words (testimony and witness) and unbelievers will be condemned by their own words and testimony.

Bema is the same as tribunal or judgment seat in Greek and Christ will judge our works and test them by fire whether they are silver and gold, or wood, hay, and stubble which will burn up (NB: There is no double jeopardy).  Our sins have been forgiven past, [present, and future, and we fear no future embarrassment of reprimand, but God is able to present us blameless before His throne with great joy (cf. Jude 24).  Many Christians try to put the fear of God in their brothers by telling them they will be judged, but God has already judged our sins and they are deleted from His memory bank, never to be brought up again.  The judgment we face as believers is to how much reward we are worthy of and how much we glorified Christ with the opportunities, resources, talents, gifts, and time that God conferred on us by grace.     Soli Deo Gloria!

Biblical Theory Of Relativity

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, the German author of Faust:  "Tell me your certainties, I have enough doubts of my own." 

Albert Einstein, who got the Nobel Prize in physics in 1921, was noted for his special theory of relativity, in which he claimed there was a time-space continuum:  They are not absolute then but depend upon the motion of the person measuring it or the observer. He also formulated the general theory of relativity claiming gravity can bend and influence both time and space, which is like a continuous fabric.

In Postmodern thought, in which they despise Truth with a capital T, they say all truth is relative: One prof said, "You can know nothing for certain!"  A student quipped, "Are you sure?"  "Yes," he replied, "I am certain." Dr. Allan Bloom of the University of Chicago, in his book The Closing of the American Mind, said that saying all truth is relative is a nonsense statement and has no truth value. This is ultimately irrational; however, it is the governing epistemology of academia.  Wouldn't this statement also be relative?  The dual problem of believing truth is relative is that of absolutism in which you are claiming this as an absolute and thus contradicting yourself, and of relativism, in which you must admit this statement is only relative, too.  Without God, all truth is indeed relative but knowing truth would be impossible to determine or ascertain.  We would live in a world of "I don't know!"  George Lucas has concluded that all religions are "true."  To say everyone is right is equal to saying no one is right--logically, they can all be wrong, but not all right without violating the law of noncontradiction.  Religious Pluralism is the belief that no faith is completely true, thus they should all; be regarded equally. Postmodernism likes to say:  "That may be  true for you."  But there is an objective truth that is true, whether one believes it or not!

In Postmodernism and other contemporary worldviews, they really only believe the truths relating to the Christian worldview are relative and their metanarrative or grand narrative (or outlook) is absolutely correct.  They have made many presuppositions, including that there is no God or Higher Mind and that matter precedes mind and has the power to create it and has some life-force within inherent to it like a cosmic energy.  In their methodology of reasoning, they call "inference to the best explanation," they formulate all possibilities of solutions or hypotheses to their problem or question. And it should be noted that they have a preconceived notion that there is no God or supernatural and have ruled out Him of the equation.  In one extreme they say in New Age thinking:  "If it feels right to you, it is."  They have no place for God in their worldview--He isn't even considered a possibility because they do not want to let a divine foot in the door, so to speak.

A Greek sage of antiquity said, "To begin learning you must admit your ignorance." In science, we have to be willing to admit we could be wrong to be able to arrive at the truth.  There are only four kinds of minds according to Jesus: There is the shallow mind that doesn't think things through and is apathetic; there is the distracted mind that has too much on its mind, and the closed mind that has its mind made up and doesn't want to be confused with the facts, and finally an open and receptive mind.

There is an element of truth in every religion; it is that margin of error that makes it evil because evil is not the opposite of truth but its distortion.  People today like to say, "That may be true for you, but it isn't for me!"  Or they say, "It works for me!"  If something is true it is true and not relative. Someone has called this phenomenon true truth.  Truth is not relative or it wouldn't be truth it would be a subjective opinion and not objective fact.  Objective truth doesn't exist from our point of view--we are all biased.  But God is objective and has revealed truth to us:  Jesus came to bear witness of the truth and claimed to be the personification or embodiment of it. If one says truth is relative, then he has to admit he could be wrong:  Then he must admit the possibility of God's existence and ergo the existence of absolute truth based on His divine nature.

Opinions are relative to a person's worldview--one sees reality not as it is, but as he is. And some things are workable for some and not for others, but this doesn't lead to the erroneous conclusion that truth is relative.  If they insist truth is relative, then ask them, "Relative to what?" That statement must only be relatively true!" "In the absence of God everything becomes relative [there is nothing to measure it by as a standard]," according to William Lane Craig; however, there is absolute truth and morality, ergo a God!  Without God, we cannot even account for truth or knowledge, but all truth "claims" become mere nonsense and relative to the thinker in a subjective manner.

John Dewey, along with Jonathan Edwards (Christian influence) and Horace Mann (Unitarian influence) was one of the fathers of American education and was a founder of the Secular Humanist movement co-writing the so-called  Humanist Manifesto,  and A Common Faith, said that the test of an idea is not whether it's true, but whether it works--just consider the consequences--results matter!  Today students are taught an ethic that just considers giving well-thought-out and valid reasons for one's behavior (responsible decision making), without regard to an absolute value system of right and wrong (be true to yourself)--for without God there is no such system and all is permissible.  In the New Morality, also referred to as "situational ethics," the only thing that matters is motive which should be love, or in the utilitarian view the one that does the least harm and/or most good. Without absolute truth (this implies there is no God and without God, all is permissible accordingly, as a corollary) our society loses its mores and standards and will disintegrate and self-destruct socially.

We must posit that there is truth because it has been revealed in Christ and we can know it if we have an open mind, willing spirit,  needy heart, be teachable, receptive and ready for the truth, and willing to obey it if known or obedient in spirit.  Jesus said in John 7:17 (ESV) that "If if anyone's will is to do God's will, he shall know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own authority." The problem mentioned in John 12:37 is that although they saw miracles they would not (not could not) believe.

Note this:  Only the Bible is called "truth" and only Jesus claimed to be the incarnation or personification of truth ("I am the ... truth," says John 14:6).  There is a difference between being true and truth.  Truth alone changes your life and transforms your soul.  You can read science manuals that are true, but they won't change your life.  Truth is that which is unchanging or immutable, while something considered true may change over time, and is in a state of flux--the opinions of science, for example, have changed throughout history.

Being accepted as true, then, doesn't make something true.  One witness in court said, "If I knew the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, I'd be God!" And so no one has all the truth or a monopoly on it and in that sense all of our revelations and illuminations or intuitions are relative--we can only be sure of what God has revealed to us supernaturally and propositionally in Scripture.  Thus the only way to separate the wheat from the chaff, or truth from fiction is the canon, measuring rod, and standard of Scripture as absolute revealed and divine truth--you have to start somewhere.

We can rely on the Word of truth and Jesus even said, "And you will know the truth, and the truth shall set you free" (cf. John 8:32).  The Bible is the only source that tells it like it is and gives us the truth about ourselves.  Our natural response is to worship Him in spirit and in truth (cf. John 4:24).  In His priestly prayer in John 17 Jesus called His Father "the only true God"--other gods have elements of truth but just enough error to be deceptive and evil (evil is not the opposite of truth, but the perversion, distortion, and twisting of truth).  Paul says unbelievers have "exchanged the truth of God for a lie" (cf. Romans 1:25).

In summation:  Thomas Aquinas was right that all truth is God's truth and all truth meets at the top." All truth is only truth if it corresponds with God and His nature who is the measure and standard of reality, and is relevant to Scripture as that which is revealed to us from the Almighty (not per the correspondence theory of truth that something is true when conforming with reality--whose reality then, because this is highly subjective?). Ipso facto, the Bible is the standard by which we judge all truth claims then.  Man's problem is not knowing the truth, but not obeying the truth he does know.
Soli Deo Gloria!

Faith In Faith

"I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge" (Rom. 10:2,     ESV).  
"Desire without knowledge is not good..." (Prov. 19:2, ESV).


You can have a lot of faith and have misdirected zeal ("They have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge" was Paul's wording in Romans 10), or you can have faith the grain of a mustard seed and be saved and serving God. Who has faith? One boldly steps on the thin ice and another timorous step on the thick ice.  God doesn't countenance halfhearted, lackadaisical, or lukewarm discipleship, but only when one serves God with gusto.  You don't have to have perfect faith, but sincere faith!  Don't be "out on a limb" but have substantive faith that is based on sound doctrine and applied to your life.

But it isn't the faith that saves, it is only the instrumental means of salvation given as a gift of God to exercise and take the leap of faith.  It is the object of the faith that saves, not the faith.  Likewise, you must be sincere, but sincerity alone doesn't qualify for salvation, because you can be sincerely wrong and misguided as a fanatic who doesn't know what he is doing.  As an example, Catholics have a lot of faith in their priest, nuns, Church, and Pope but it is misdirected.

Parenthetically, I must mention the kind of faith that saves:  It is manifest in obedience only just like Dietrich Bonhoeffer said, "Only he who is obedient believes, and only he who believes is obedient." We are indeed saved by faith alone, but not a faith that is alone (or dead faith without works). Without fruit our faith is suspect, but works are no substitute for faith, but only its fruit--we are fruit inspectors!  Viva la difference between professing faith and exercising faith!

It is only faith "in Christ alone" that saves (soli Christo in Latin). You can have a lot of faith in your pastor but if it doesn't get personal to a relationship with Christ Himself, you are lost.  Faith isn't the reason we are saved, though people say we should be defenders of the faith, or worse yet, defenders of faith per se.  We should be apologists where necessarily and gifted, but God is looking for the simple, not simplistic, and childlike, not childish faith to be saved.

We don't achieve faith, we receive it (2 Peter 1:1 says that they have received a faith).  Faith is "granted" according to Philippians 1:29 and we "believe through grace" per Acts 18:27.  We don't just believe, we believe in someone and put it into action and practice our belief--turning or converting creeds into deeds!   We don't just have a faith, but a growing and living faith that is not static, but founded in the truth (truth does matter--you can't be a heretic, no matter how sincere, and the vital doctrine is the person and work of Christ on our behalf and methodology of salvation to appropriate it.

The righteousness we have is not our gift to God, but His gift to us. Faith is God's work in us, but we make use of it and exercise it in a leap of faith.  He kindles or quickens faith within us and makes believers out of the most stubborn and unbelieving.  It is not the condition of salvation, but the means of it, because regeneration precedes faith ("through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth [in that order, the order of salvation, or ordo salutis in Latin]" according to 2 Thess. 2:13, ESV).  If we have to do something for our salvation we are bound to fail!  If left to ourselves, none of us would believe ("Apart from Me you can do nothing" according to John 15:5).   We don't have a righteousness of our own, but our righteousness is as filthy rags per Isaiah 64:6 in the well-known verse.

We don't just have faith in a crucified Christ, but a living Christ.  We believe not only that He died for our sins but rose again to proclaim His victory and our assured glorification and resurrection. There is no saving faith without genuine repentance, known as believing repentance or penitent faith (they are the flip side of each other).  Having faith is being fully assured and certain, not just making a guess or a bet that you might be right--you are willing to bet your life and risk or bet your life that He is alive and victorious.  "Measure yourself by the amount of faith God has given you" (Rom. 12:3).  Note that faith, not feelings or experiences please God and we must earnestly seek Him to find Him.  He will authenticate Himself to you because God is no man's debtor!

In conclusion, faith is a gift of God, however, we make a choice of the will--we decide to have faith. The Jews saw many miracles yet they "would no believe [not could not]"  (John 12:37).  We don't just have faith for its own sake, it must have an object or we'd be saved by sincerity.  The only valid object is the person and work of Christ on our behalf.  Faith also has legs, it must be put into action because dead faith doesn't save.  Faith without works is suspect and we show our faith by our works or deeds. We are not saved by our works but unto works.  If we had the complete revelation about God we wouldn't call it faith, but knowledge and it is faith that pleases God, not knowledge.  We must all take that leap of faith with incomplete knowledge or evidence. Some of us may indeed say:  "... I believe, help thou mine unbelief"  (cf. Mark 9:24).   Soli Deo Gloria!

Blinded By The Light

God is light and those who deny Him live in darkness or chaos without His guidance.  The Word exhorts us to "walk in the light, even as He is in the light."  The Word itself is a "light to our path and a lamp to our feet." Isaiah 9 talks of those who dwell in darkness seeing a great light (Matt. 4:16a, ESV).  The blind man testified: "This one thing I know, I was blind, but now I see."


You may not recall the precise moment your eyes were opened, but cannot deny that they are opened now and that you see: "Unless you are born again, you cannot see the kingdom of God."  If you reject the light you have you will suffer darkness, not more light.  If you are responsive to the light given you will be given more light--this is God's economy.  Saying, "I see the light" is a great testimony.

People have wondered why they can't see God, who is invisible but dwells in great light that we cannot behold.  Try looking into the sun;  if you say it would blind you, then realize that you would be destroyed by looking into the source of all light, God Himself is light and no darkness dwells with Him--neither does He cast a shadow.  Do you see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ?  We are to be lights in the world and let our lights shine so that men will see them and give glory to God: "Let your light so shine before men..." (cf. Matt. 5:16). Jesus said in Matt. 5:14 that we are the light of the world--don't put your light under a basket where no one can behold its glory!

Isaiah 60:1 (ESV) says: "Arise, shine, for your light has come...."  God saves us to be a blessing (cf. Zech. 8:13) and to bring Him glory by reflecting Jesus or being the icons of God (cf. Isaiah 43:7). We are created for God's glory according to The Westminster Shorter Catechism:  "The chief end of man  is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever."  We must be faithful to the light we have and bring forth fruit worthy of our calling to enjoy more light--when you pass along insights from God, you are given more insight.  Jesus came to open the eyes of the blind so they can see the light (he's not necessarily talking about healing blind men), but the one in the worst state is he who thinks he sees the light but is blind.  The song "Blinded By The Light" is relevant because we cannot behold God until we are in a glorified and holy state and if we saw Him now we would be rendered blind--to close for comfort!

God said in the beginning, "Let there be light" and the light and darkness were severed permanently. God is the source of light and created it so we can see and it was good;  we are to do likewise and shed light on the subject so others can see the light through our works that speak for themselves and bear witness of the light.  Soli Deo Gloria!

What Christianity Is Not

It may be more conducive to comprehending our faith by delineating what it is not.  Religion is a do-it-yourself proposition, a lifting up of yourself by your own bootstraps (i.e., God helps those who help themselves), a believing in yourself, and having self-esteem and self-actualization (achieving the good life or finding fulfillment, meaning, or purpose in life), a search for God, a reaching out to God (in our faith God reached down to man--this stooping or condescension is called grace).  We are not saved by good works, philosophy, and ritual, legalism, morality, or good behavior--we aren't on probation! (God didn't come to make bad people good, but dead people alive!)

In religion, you don't know God but are just demonstrating religiosity and going through the motions, and memorizing the Dance of the Piousa s it were. However, Christianity is a matter of knowing a personal God through a living and growing relationship and fellowship. In religion, you have to do it to please God, in Christianity you want to do it because you are grateful and want to bless God.  In religion, since it is always based on good works, not grace, you never have assurance and can never be sure how much is enough.  Religion is essentially probation and being on your best behavior, never sure of your status; however, Christianity is knowing for sure your position in Christ and your future status. In Christianity your past is forgiven (solves the problem of guilt via the cross of Christ), your present is given meaning, and your future is secured in heaven--so salvation in Christ is past, present, and pending--Christianity is not living for the here and now nor living for yourself, it is living in light of eternity and dying to self.  It is not just a changed life but an exchanged life! Religion does works in your own strength;  but we are led by the Spirit and empowered by God--"Apart from Me you can do nothing." You will see that it is not a list of don'ts or taboos (we're not afraid God will hurt us, but that we'll hurt Him), but our faith is a list of dos that you want to do--you yearn to know and obey God because of your new nature. Religion is the best man can achieve; Christianity is the best God can accomplish,  Note that religion is based on wise sayings, traditions, myth, supposed, assumed, or claimed Scripture, but Christianity is based on first-hand evidence, verifiable historical and circumstantial evidence and genuine accounts of miracles (in fact it is based on the miracle of the resurrection). Christianity is based on the person and work of Christ (He is known for who He is, rather than what He said), it is not a system of ethics or behavioral expectations. Take Christ out of Christianity and you disembowel it; however, you can remove other key religious figures from their faith and it remains essentially intact.   Christianity is not religion by any of these definitions then.

We are not saved by what we know (this is intellectualism or Gnosticism thinking there is some secret knowledge or enlightenment to attain to like in Buddhism). We are not saved by what we feel either: this would be emotionalism or sentimentality--some people are stoical and others demonstrative. We are not saved by what we do:  this would be legalism. morality, or ritual. We are not saved by good works, neither without good works--faith must result in good works!  We are not saved by faith in faith either because it is the object of faith that saves, not the faith (which is the instrumental means and a gift of God to be exercised in a leap of faith).  We don't believe despite the evidence, God respects our minds and reasoning faculties and gives us a sound reason to believe.  We are not saved by our innocence or ignorance, for God puts no premium on ignorance, and ignorance is not bliss--we are accountable to God for all that we could have known.  We are not saved by mysticism, which is having religious experiences or revelations that others don't have either.  We are not saved by asceticism or abstention either since we don't punish our bodies, Christ took the punishment on our behalf and died for us.  We are not saved by any effort, it isn't how hard we try, but whether we trust! Sincerity doesn't save either (you can be sincerely wrong!); it is a requisite but not everything--you must be serious in your quest for God and seek Him with your whole heart to find Him.

What is the formula then?  We know God through Jesus our Lord (must accept Him as Lord of your life in a moment of surrender); by virtue of His cross or passion; on the basis of His Word and promise; and by the power or renewal of the Holy Spirit; via a personal exercise of faith or leap of faith that God has given us (faith is not a work or something we conjure up or catch by being around the right crowd).  It is faith, not emotionalism, knowledge, wisdom, works, that pleases God and we are rewarded for the works He has ordained and predestined beforehand for us to follow in His steps.

The formula of the Reformation was that we are saved by grace alone (sola gratia), through faith alone (sola fide), in Christ alone (soli Christo), by the authority of Scripture alone (sola Scriptura), and giving God alone the glory (Soli Deo Gloria!).   These are known as the five only's and formed the foundation of all Protestant thought and dogma as opposed to Romanism or Roman Catholicism. You must realize salvation as the gift of God by grace and that means you didn't earn it, cannot repay it, and don't deserve it--we all deserve hell if God were only just and not merciful. We don't mix works and faith, grace and merit, or assurance and conjecture.  These are all mutually exclusive in God's economy!  Where is the place of works then?  We are indeed saved by faith alone, they said, but not by a faith that is alone.  We are not saved by good works, but unto good works--they are the logical consequence of love in action.  It is not mere belief, but belief lived out; not merely faith, but faith acted upon and bringing forth fruit.

The new life (putting on the new man being renewed in the image and glory of Christ) was described by Thomas a Kempis:  "Without the way there is no going, without the life, there is no living, and without the truth, there is no knowing (cf. John 14:6)  Jesus promised an abundant life to be found in a relationship with Him and knowing true joy compared to temporal happiness (depends on happenings) that religion offers.  Christianity offers the only worldview that gives dignity to man and solves all man's problems and dilemmas, having a perspective on every academic discipline that is consistent and fulfilling.

To sum up: Christianity is not "pie-in-the-sky" thinking, but about "the God who is there" according to apologist Francis Schaeffer. Christianity is not self-esteem, but God-esteem; not self-help but God-helped. Only Christianity deals with the sin and guilt questions and issues--and offers salvation. But the qualification to be saved is that you stop trying to save yourself and realize you aren't qualified to be saved! What is so unique about Christianity then?  It is based on grace (a foreign word to religion) and on God achieving the divine atonement to bridge the gap between the holiness of God and the sinfulness of man. Religion says do, do, do!  Christianity says done,  finis, fait accompli, tetelestai! That is to say, it is the ultimate done deal.  In the final analysis, we are not just forgiven for what we've done, but delivered from who we are!    Soli Deo Gloria! 

An Apologetics Cakewalk...

"If I am interested in reality, I must know what God is really like"  (Plato).

This is apologetics for dummies or made easy for those who admit they don't know all the answers. No one has a monopoly on wisdom or knowledge (per Job 15:8).   Even though Sir Francis Bacon said, "Knowledge is power," per Prove. 24:5: A little knowledge is a dangerous thing! Education is actually going from an unconscious to a conscious awareness of your ignorance.  Knowledge can be dangerous--some know just enough to lead astray and cause harm or create more heat than light. We don't have to know all the answers, but know the Answerer!  All of us became believers apart from knowing all the answers--we simply took the leap of faith going in the way the evidence was leading like in a jury that goes with the preponderance of the evidence and makes an educated, informed decision based on that and goes with it.

God demands faith no matter what level we are.  It takes faith to be an atheist too, and God doesn't believe in atheists for certain!  It isn't a matter of faith vs. reason, but faith versus faith; it matters about which set of assumptions you accept. It takes more faith to deny the obvious than to accept it by simple faith. God makes no apologies for Himself and the Bible assumes God and never tries to prove Him to the reader:  "In the beginning God...."  The best apologetic is no apologetic or excuse for God, but to boldly proclaim, not defend the gospel.  Apologetics is more about attitude and approach than intellect and learning--don't ever think that you know something apart from God's revelation, for only that which is "revealed belongs to us" according to Deut. 29:29.

Our mission is the Great Commission, not to start arguments or be contentious. As soon as you see the door open to witness, use your testimony and make a beeline for the gospel truth.  We must rely on the Word of God and quote Scripture as we are planting seeds and trusting God to make the increase and cause growth.  Faith only comes by hearing and by hearing of the Word of God according to Romans 10:17 and the Word never comes back void according to Isaiah 55:11 and it will accomplish God's pleasure and will. 

You cannot argue someone into the kingdom. One cannot dispute someone's testimony:  "This one thing I know, that I was blind, but now I see!"  This may seem subjective like one saying an egg on his head gives him euphoria, but our experience is based on objective, historical fact--the resurrection of Christ, which is arguably the most attested fact in antiquity.

The uneducated, but welll-versed believer can get further with the skeptic than the one who relies on his power of persuasion.  We don't want someone's faith to rest on the power of persuasion but on the rock-solid Word of God (per 1 Cor. 2:5).  Witnessing in the power of the Holy Spirit is a more powerful testimony and witness than sheer brilliance and scholarly arguments.  We must learn to be led by the Spirit and when we know God we can be a better witness for Him.  The best defense is a good offense and our only offensive weapon is the Sword of the Spirit or the Word of God;  the Bible can defend itself just like a caged lion can defend itself.  

If they say, "Prove the Bible!"  You should reply, "No, you prove it!  All you have to do is read it and witness its convicting and illuminating powers."  That's why we say Scripture is self-attesting. it authenticates itself by changing lives not educating us. It's not meant to increase our knowledge but to renew our lives. If the Bible appealed to science, for instance, then science would be the final arbiter of truth; the God of truth must have the final say on truth. 

Now 1 Peter 3:15 says to have an answer and what this means is that we can defend our faith and show that we haven't kissed our brains goodbye in accepting Christ and have sound and valid reasons to believe.  We must do it in a spirit of love speaking the truth in love (cf. Eph. 4:15) and patience. We should have a natural desire to know why we believe as well as what we believe and a thirst for the truth, but witnessing isn't a battle of wits to put Christ on trial and test God.  Man is on trial, not God! We answer to God, He doesn't answer to us.

This is a command, and not a suggestion, to be prepared to give a reason for the hope (have your testimony prepared and know what you want to say) so that we may know as many answers to their inquiries as possible--it seems like they all ask the same basic questions, so this turns out to be a cakewalk of answering objections if we are put in this position. No one is going to come up with some evidence that will make Christianity falter after two millennia of success and growth.   Soli Deo Gloria!  

Christ's Karma

Believing in karma (also called "What goes around, comes around") is one of the oldest traditions, in fact, Job's friends accused him of wrongdoing and asserted he was only getting what he deserved, maybe even less.  In antiquity, people assumed that God rewarded good and punished evil in an immediate payback or recompense.  Rabbi Harold Kushner wrote When Bad Things Happen to Good People and questioned God's goodness whether He was unjust in allowing evil to happen to good people.

His premise, of course, was that there are good people; the Bible says there is none good, no not one. Jesus said only God is good!  It turned out that God is too deep to explain Himself, too kind to be cruel, and to knowledgeable and wise to be wrong or make a mistake. God knows what He's doing and works all things together for our good.  These are coterminous events and not fortuitous at all, God's providence is able to superintend all events to His glory, which is His ultimate goal in all of history.

Why did Jesus suffer then?  He was suffering in our stead and on our behalf; He didn't deserve it and completely volunteered for it:  He said not to weep for Him but for ourselves (we are the sinners that need forgiveness!).  Mercy is not getting what we deserve and Christ paid the price so we wouldn't have to on a debt we couldn't pay.  Grace is when we get what we don't deserve, can't earn, and can never repay in all eternity.  The cross makes possible both mercy and grace as the ultimate expression of Christ's love and compassion for mankind.

If karma were true, why did Christ have to suffer?  He was innocent and certainly suffered more than anyone in history.  It wasn't the nails that kept Him on the cross--He could've come down at will or called 12 legions of angels--but the love in His heart that kept Him to the cross.  The weeping women on the Via Dolorosa (on the way to Calvary) were puzzled as to why Jesus told them to weep for themselves and not Him--He knew what He was getting into.

When Jesus was teaching they asked Him who sinned:  Was it the man born blind or his parents? Jesus had to explain that it was unto the glory of God.  God knows what He is doing and will turn evil into good.  He was able to turn and predestine the most diabolical act in history (cf. Acts 2:23; 4:28) into the crux of history or the most wonderful thing ever done on man's behalf--our salvation!  Joseph said in Gen. 50:20 that even though his brothers meant evil, God meant it for good.  We are all God's vessels, it's just that some of us are vessels of honor and some of dishonor.

In the Eastern traditions they also believe in karma and cannot reconcile the suffering in the world--they think that if someone is suffering, that is their karma and leave him alone to suffer what he deserves.  When the Khmer Rouge and the Pol Pot regime stranded 300,000 refugees in a no-man's--land (known as the "killing fields"), it was Christians who came to the rescue, not Buddhists or Hindus.  This is known as the exact-reward concept and that everyone gets what he deserves in life as payback. Buddha taught man to be an island unto himself. He said you are not to interfere with another person's karma.

But the Bible says, "he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities" in Psalm 103:10.  We too readily say to God when something happens:  "What did I do to deserve this?" But adversity, discipline, suffering, and trials will always come to believers and Christ was honest enough to warn us of the rough road ahead--it will be no bed of roses.

But adversity is meant to build character and Christlikeness:  In a proclamation of faith, Job said, "But he knows the way that I take; when he has tried me, I shall come forth as gold" (Job 23:10, ESV).  We don't build character through an easy life but through challenges and experience.  It is not what happens to us but in us. The same trial affects different people in different ways: "The same sun melts the butter, hardens the clay."  We are not to question God and judge Him, but He us--we answer to Him!  Christ's passion debunks karma.   Soli Deo Gloria!