Domesticating The Biblical Evangel

Many preachers today are into watering down or contextualizing the gospel message, even glossing over sin, while they preach to make it seem less strident and more palatable to the seeker.  Jesus made it appear well-nigh impossible and even discouraged the faint in heart and those who wouldn't count the cost of laying down their lives for Him. When the evangelist preaches that all we need to do is simply believe, or agreeing without obedience or lordship, he is guilty of disseminating a false gospel or what are termed by Dietrich Bonhoeffer as "cheap grace."  (NB:  Salvation is free but not cheap! This is also known as "easy-believism" because it denies the necessity of making a lordship commitment to enter into a permanent relationship with God in salvation and reconciliation.  Its logical conclusion is that there can be "carnal Christians" who haven't fully surrendered to Christ's lordship and ownership of their lives as a new type or class of Christian.

This is where we must distinguish but not separate law and gospel in our preaching and evangelizing.  Law is what we must do: gospel is what God has done (the done deal!).  We must get them lost first!  We must preach sin to get them convicted of sin--for they may not see any need for salvation or believe they're righteous already.  We must not dumb down the gospel to those would-be disciples who admire or respect Jesus but don't worship Him. Why?  Because false assurance that one is saved is more of a problem than lack of assurance among sincere believers with weak faith.  Those who see no need of Christ are worse off than those seeking Him and realize their sinfulness.   What does lordship entail but obedience to the gospel and following on to know the Lord and walk with Him in fellowship producing fruit? And so the bad news of condemnation due to sin is the first word.  Sin is not a killjoy word to be avoided, even though it seems like a thankless and unwelcome task to preach it.

Then we welcome the grace of God to set the sinner free and restore his relationship with God (reconciliation). The bad news is our condition as totally depraved and that we are not good enough to need to be saved, but bad enough to be saved (knowing that no one is too bad to be saved though).  However, there's a catch-22:  we must realize how bad we are to be saved, and to realize how bad we are, we must try to be good! It's like not realizing how addicted one is to cigarettes until one tries to stop.  The good news is what God has done for us: solving the sin question with the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ.  We must become grace-oriented to have any assurance because merit is the antithesis of grace and there is no place for merit in God's economy.

Faith is not seen as a work of man for then he'd be worthy but as a miracle work of kindling it as wrought in God ("This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent," cf. John 6:29).  When we are grace-oriented in our salvation it affects our whole outlook on our relationship or walk with God.

What Is Salvation?

Salvation is literally being rescued from a calamitous, dangerous, threatening condition; namely in our case, hell and the wrath of God.  If you ask the man on the street if he's saved, he might inquire:  Saved from what?  The term is loosely used and misused to even mean being "saved by the bell" in boxing matches.  This concept is important because that's the meat and potatoes of Christianity:  salvation from self, sin, Satan's power, and hell.  Our faith is one of salvation and the saviorhood of Jesus must be made manifest front and center as the focus of our faith.  The actual, literal interpretation of the name Jesus means "Jehovah is salvation."  He was named Jesus because He was ordained to save His people from their sins. 

Now we must not neglect such great salvation and realize its implications!   He saved us; He did.  He keeps us; He does.  He's coming for us; He will.  And so it's more than mere forgiveness!  We are set free from the power of Satan and sin over our lives; we don't have permission to live in the flesh, but the power to live in the Spirit.  Our past is indeed forgiven (in fact, all our sins, past, present, and future); our present is given meaning, and the future is secured and given hope. Only in Christianity are we given dignity and meaning in life that has objective as well as subjective foundations.

We must never contextualize, water down, or dumb down the gospel message but realize that the bad news of universal sin and total depravity must also be preached--not just the good news about Jesus rising from the dead.  Jesus came to seek and to save those who are lost and the sinner, not the righteous.  There is a danger of preaching easy-believism or cheap grace that justifies the sin, not the sinner too. Lordship issues must not be glossed over!   We don't add to grace either:  grace is not only necessary, as Catholics will acknowledge, but sufficient!  We are saved wholly by grace and not by our merit--we don't deserve it, cannot earn it, nor can we pay it back, nor can we add to it!

The essence of the gospel is that "salvation is of the LORD," according to Jonah 2:9.  This means that we don't have to cooperate or contribute our human do-goodery or good conduct as a presalvation work or merit.  Nothing we can do can make us fit for salvation!  The only way we can be assured of our salvation is that it wholly depends on God, not on us.  If we had to do anything, we'd fail!  Therefore, it's not Jesus plus (plus going to church, plus doing good deeds, plus charity, plus preaching, or even plus prophesying or doing any miracle).  Jesus alone saves, not faith--it's the object that saves (Jesus alone is the Savior)!

Much confusion arises in understanding this because of the tenses and times of salvation:  we are saved, are being saved, and shall be saved!  As for the timing:  It all began in eternity past, is realized in time, and looks forward to heaven.  The formula of the Reformers was that we are saved by faith alone, but not a faith that is alone (God's grace is the source, Christ the means, and faith the channel). If we have no works to validate our faith, it's suspect.  Therefore, we are not saved by good conduct nor by good works either, but unto them.  As they say, we're not saved by good works, but not without them either! 

In sum, we get saved by recognizing our sin, realizing Christ's death and resurrection on our behalf, and repenting of our sin and finally, receiving Christ as our Lord and Savior.  As a result, we get the power to live in the Spirit and conquer sin, a new purpose in life, pardon of all our sins (known and unknown), and even the peace of God which surpasses understanding.    Soli Deo Gloria!  

Just Be Yourself

In Shakespeare's play, Hamlet, Polonius says, "To thine own self be true."  This is one of the most famous quotes from Shakespeare and even misquoted and misinterpreted.  We don't want to try to be someone else, of course, unless we aspire to be like Jesus, like all Christians do, but we still retain our personal identity and should never forget who we are--our roots and calling. God hates hypocrites and duplicity!  It wasn't long ago that kids idolized Michael Jordan and chanted, "I want to be like Mike!"  It is never advisable to live as someone else, live a lie, nor to live in sin, but being true to thine own self implies being true and having integrity too. 

The prerequisite to being yourself is knowing yourself, one of the twin goals of the Greek philosophers of antiquity:  Know thyself; know God--they are correlated.  This is why Socrates' dictum from his trial articulated this well: "The unexamined life is not worth living."  We all need to take inventory and get a spiritual checkup to find out where we stand in Christ and be honest with God with no skeletons in the closet.  We must find out what we're made of and what we are in Christ to be of use to God's service.

Bruce Jenner took this advice and became Caitlyn; however, he didn't go far enough--once he found out what or who he was, he should've been convicted and repented of his sin and asked God to transform his nature.  If you have tendencies to be an arsonist or a thief, you don't live them out under the pretense of being true to yourself.  What is wrong for others is wrong for everyone and God is the moral center of the universe, not us.  Taking God out of the picture leads to being a sinner, no matter how true to yourself you are.  Shakespeare was a Christian and quoted the Bible hundreds of times in his plays and sonnets, and there is some truth to what he wrote in Hamlet.  

Does character count?  Paul said that nothing good dwells in him and the good that he would do, he doesn't do.  Ovid said that he knows the good and approves it, but doesn't do it.  The point is that we don't have the power to conquer sin without Christ in our metric.  I'm glad that the Holy Spirit is a restraining influence on the sinners of the world, to keep them from being as depraved as they possibly could be or would be if they could.

Being true to yourself necessitates honesty with yourself and being open about who you are, good or evil.  Jenner wasn't necessarily given bad advice, but his problem is not that he chose to be a transgender, but that he doesn't know Jesus.  Hypocrites are those who act a role they really aren't and put on a show for others to see as a deception--wearing a mask in a play.  "Why is it that I know what is right, but do what is wrong?" (Leo Tolstoy's character Pierre says in War and Peace). 

God is looking for honest people (even if they don't measure up to their own standards), and sometimes that honesty is costly and we cannot put a price on our integrity.  When they say, "What you see is what you get," they are being human, for God is not looking for ideal people but real people.  Jesus came to save sinners and to call them to repentance. Jenner needs to humble himself before God and realize his helplessness to be the man God intended him to be.

As Christians, we should think outside the box and put others first, and live for something bigger than ourselves--the community of believers, the body of Christ.  There is a point at which so-called tribalism becomes evil, like when we deify a political party and follow it right or wrong; we should never forget that we belong to Christ first as citizens of heaven, and He has primary authority over our lives.  Individualism is evil, though we are individuals.  When we exalt ourselves and think we don't need anyone, we mock God who designed us to need community as social beings.  As Christians, we have the mindset to give back to society and the church and want to contribute, not just be focused on what we can get out of the system.

No one is autonomous and self-sufficient but God!  He needs no one and nothing, but we are ones in need of Him and others.  The Victorian Englishman was known as a self-made man who worshiped his creator!  This is the epitome of individualism, and also believing that God helps those who help themselves, like Ben Franklin and John F. Kennedy said, is bad theology--for God helps the helpless and those who are in need, even destitute--this is quoted by politicians as an argument against a nanny-state, public assistance, entitlements, and even social safety nets.  Some people are not in a position to help themselves or to turn their lives around for the good.

If our nation believes everyone has the right to life, it would follow that they have a right not to starve to death and to be fed adequately--for even prisoners are granted three square meals a day.  Christian, transcendent law entails equal opportunity, and no bias towards the rich or big business either.  They talk about social engineering for the poor or redistribution of wealth to their advantage, but what about social engineering favoring the rich or corporations, and redistribution of wealth their way?

Many today follow the so-called Iron Rule, or that "might makes right" and the law of the jungle should prevail (from the Darwinian theory of the survival of the fittest).  People want to take care of themselves first and be as independent as possible--look out for Number One!   The Christian ought to be about something bigger than himself.  The first lesson one learns upon knowing Christ is that it's not all about them!  Christians learn to love others as members of the same body of believers. God doesn't approve of Lone Ranger Christians or lone wolves who think they can go it alone and be a one-man-band for Christ--the key to authority is that everyone is under authority and accountable from the top all the way to the bottom, and those who refuse to be under authority have no authority for Christ.

In other words, good leaders are first good followers and good teachers are first good students.  But we never reach a point of graduating from the School of Christ that we have enrolled in for the remainder of our lives, but must learn that we are always works-in-progress and others should be patient with us because God isn't finished with us yet--as He promised to bring our sanctification to completion (cf. Phil. 1:6).  The mature believer has taken himself out of the equation of life; for humility is not thinking less of himself, but thinking of himself less.

We need to be true to ourselves, but this is in light of being true to God and what His Word tells us, not listening to what the world says and its conventions, traditions, and customs--don't live a lie!  They say to be yourself, but most people haven't discovered who they are and are searching for some identity, known as an identity crisis to find themselves.  We must be found by God and changed by His grace, for our sin nature has no power over sin, since it's the slave to it.

In this day and age, many people are coming out of the closet and declaring their sins without shame, and our culture thinks it's the right thing to do to accept them the way they are, when they need to repent of their sin:  "Repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand!"  The message of sin, repentance, and faith has been lost and today it seems that anything goes and people are living to please themselves and doing what is right in their own eyes: (Isaiah 53:6, NKJV) "All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, everyone, to his own way."

The "what's-in-it-for-me" gospel has come into vogue and we need to realize that the Christian life is a surrendered, relinquished, obedient, exchanged, and a substituted life through Christ's power (cf Gal. 2:20).  God gave us ego and a will, and as soon as this is realized there is the peril of putting them first and before God-exalting or deifying them instead of God, i.e., not giving God His due.  Soli Deo Gloria!  

Anatomy Of Rejecting Christ

There is no such thing or category of Christian known as a disobedient believer, though Christians can disobey they are chastened of the Lord if they belong to Him.  John 3:36 in the ESV and NASB correlates unbelief with disobedience.  Hebrews 3:18-19 also equates the two--they were not allowed to enter the Promised Land because of their unbelief (disobedience).   Heb. 5:9 says God grants salvation to all who obey.  We must obey the gospel!  The Fourth Commandment to honor our parents is the first commandment to respect authority and show obedience to the Lord, so as not to harden our hearts.  "They were disobedient to the Word."  There is a curse on anyone who despises or rejects the Word of the LORD--we must always regard God's Word with respect and honor.

What the problem with most evangelists is that they fail to get the people lost before they try to save them.   Christ came to seek and to save that which is lost, and not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.  In order to be saved, one must realize how bad he is to God's standards; one doesn't really know just how bad he is till he has tried to be good--that's the paradox!  (i.e., the alcoholic doesn't realize his addiction and problem till he's tried to quit).  We need prepared soil to sow the seed of the Word of God.  Another problem in the church is that they don't present the gospel clear enough to be rejected!   We have become so seeker-sensitive that people feel right at home without even giving testimony or showing themselves disciples--there is to be a certain sense of acceptability, but privilege comes with membership, not mere attendance.  The order of faith is believing, belonging, and then becoming.

What takes place in the "hardened" heart (Rom. 11:7) of the unbeliever who rejects what light God has given him?  We are only responsible for the light given us; however, no one has an excuse and we are all culpable and held accountable before God's justice.  If we are sincere there is an expectation of more light that Christ, the light, will reflect on us.  The unbeliever walks in darkness and doesn't come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed (cf. John 3:19).  The problem with the blinded Pharisees is that they witnessed the miracles of Jesus, and "would not" not "could not" believe.  The didn't believe because they didn't want to believe.  No miracle can make a believer out of a skeptic, there has to be the will to believe.  It is not an intellectual thing (they feign intellectual problems), but a moral dilemma.

The heart of the matter is that it's a matter of the heart.  Sincerity is not everything, though God requires sincerity and looks for "sincere faith" (1 Tim. 1:5; 2 Tim. 1:5) and not perfect faith (unfeigned faith)--it isn't the amount but the direction and the object of the faith that is important.  You can have a lot of faith in the wrong direction and be sincerely wrong.  God opens the heart of the prepared heart like that of Lydia's in Acts 16:14.  Faith is granted according to Philippians 1:29 as well as repentance in Acts 11:18. Faith is our act but God's work.  We are incurably addicted to doing something for our salvation (they asked Jesus:  "What shall we do, to do the works of God? This is the work of God, to believe in Him..." in John 5:28.)

Salvation is not by works lest we are able to boast (Eph. 2:8-9); hence, faith cannot be a meritorious work as Rome believes!  It is the gift of God according to 2 Pet. 1:1 where it says we "received a faith."  Rom. 12:3 says that we are responsible for the faith we have "received."  We are no more virtuous nor meritorious that we can boast or brag before God; Soli Deo Gloria (to God alone be the glory in Latin).

The unbeliever doesn't believe the gospel because his heart is not right--the soil is not good and the seed cannot grow.  He doesn't understand the gospel and is really rejecting something he doesn't fathom--"Who has known the mind of the Lord?"  It is only by grace that we come to perceive the gospel message that God has once and for all settled the sin problem by the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ on our behalf as a substitute.  The natural man cannot accept the things of the Spirit, for they are foolishness unto him (cf. 1 Cor. 2:14).

The unbeliever starts out doubting and questioning, then he won't listen or pay attention ("To obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams," says 1 Sam. 15:22), and  becomes hardened and hostile and finally he sees Christ as the enemy of himself and society (the enemy of God is also the enemy of the state).  He closes his mind because to arrive at the truth you have to admit you could be wrong and be open to all possibilities--and they have made up their minds and don't want to be confused with the facts!  Christ doesn't ask an unreasonable faith, but only one going in the direction the preponderance of the evidence leads.  You can believe without having all your questions answered, because it takes faith and only faith pleases God--however, it takes more faith to deny Christ and the gospel than to accept it ("I don't have enough faith to be an atheist, says Norman Geisler), due to all the proof cited by former atheists and skeptics who have examined the evidence and have become believers against their own wills.

You need an open mind, a willing spirit, and a needy heart to arrive at the truth: Jesus said, "If any man wills to do His will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of Myself," says John 7:17.   God doesn't force anyone to believe and the system is rigged such that anyone can willingly reject Christ and find a reason to do so.  We don't believe despite the evidence, because there is adequate evidence for anyone who is looking for it.  There is more evidence in the affirmative and more questions for the skeptic to answer than the believer would have to answer.

The surprising thing is that it is forgivable to reject Christ, though our hearts do become hardened.  The average believer has heard the gospel 7.6 times before actually accepting it.  The unforgivable sin is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit and attributing the miracles of Jesus to the devil's doing.  It is deliberate and a state of impenitence is the result, and if you are afraid you have done it, it means you haven't. The good news is that the gospel is for as many as the Lord our God shall call (Acts 2:39) and all whom the Lord calls shall be justified, sanctified, and glorified!  [This is the inner call of God on the soul which is efficacious and not the outward or general call of the gospel message given by the Christian to the world at large.]     Soli Deo Gloria!

Dissertation On Salvation

"For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men"  (Titus 2:11, NKJV).

"Today, if you hear His voice, harden not your heart, as in the rebellion" (cf. Heb. 3:15).  God authored a plan of salvation:  "How shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation?"  (cf. Heb. 2:3).  "Behold now is the day of salvation" (cf. 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"  (cf. Jer. 29:11).  "...I have come that they may have life and that they may have it more abundantly"  (cf. 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"  (cf. 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?"  (cf. 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"  (cf. 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 --we're guilty as charged ("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"  (cf. 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..."  (cf. Isa. 64:6).  Jonathan Edwards preached back during the Great Awakening in 1741 that we are  "sinners in the hands of an angry God" (cf. Deut. 32:35).   Furthermore, God doesn't hear our prayers as unbelievers:  "...Your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear" (cf. Isa. 59:2).  We are even blind to the truth of the gospel:  "Whose minds the god of this age has blinded..."  (cf. 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?" (cf. Jer. 13:23).   "Who can say, I have made my heart clean, I am pure from my sin?"  (cf. 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" (cf. 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"  (cf. 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" (cf. 1 Pet. 3:18).  "For He made Him, who knew no sin, to be sin for us..."  (cf. 2 Cor. 5:21).   This is called the propitiation, atonement, and 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 per Lev. 17:11).

Christ died for "whosoever will" (cf. John 3:16) and no one who will do His will be left out (God calls everyone to hear the outward call of the gospel via preachers per Titus 2:11 noted above.  However, the offer of the inner call 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 ..."  (cf. 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"  (cf. 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"  (cf. 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" (cf. 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"  (cf. Acts 3:19).  "For godly sorrow leads to repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted..."  (cf. 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 long-suffering toward us, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance" (cf. 2 Pet. 3:9).  God is being good for a reason--He wants repentance.

God grants repentance, so we should ask Him (cf. 2 Tim. 2:25).  "Then God also granted to the Gentiles repentance to life" (cf. Acts 11:18; cf. 5:31).  "...If perhaps, God will grant them repentance..." (cf. 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're changed from the inside out!

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' (cf. 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"  (cf. 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" (cf. 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" (cf. John 1:13).

You must have faith to be saved, for only faith pleases God, (cf. Heb. 11:6) 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.  The Reformers taught that we are "saved by faith alone, but not by a faith that is alone."  Acts 26:20 says that we must bring forth the fruits of repentance (cf. Luke 3:8).

Faith is quickened within us and comes by the hearing and by the hearing of the Word of God (cf. 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."  "God has dealt to each a measure of faith" (cf. Rom. 12:3).  Peters epistle was directed "to those who have obtained like precious faith" (cf. 2 Pet. 1:1).  "This is the work of God, that you believe on Him whom He has sent" (cf. John 6:29; cf. Acts 14:27).

Doubt is a human problem, not just a Christian problem.  There is a doubt-faith continuum we all reside on.   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." Perfect faith is nonexistent.   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' (cf. Acts 13:48).  "He greatly helped those who believed through grace" (cf. Acts 18:27).

The general call is to all but God gives His invitation to 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" (cf. Isa. 55:1). "Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore with loving-kindness, I have drawn you" (cf. 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" (cf. John 3:16).

We must respond 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 trust in Christ as Savior and submit to Him as Lord.  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" (cf. 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"  (cf. Hos. 10:12).   "But you will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart" (cf. Jer. 29:13).  "Seek the Lord while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near" (cf. Isa. 55:6).

The three things 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"  (cf. Rom. 10:9).

Man is incurably addicted to doing something for his salvation, according to Charles Swindoll, 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! Let it be!].    This is not some magic formula to say but the condition and sincerity of the heart is paramount--only God sees this.

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|" (cf. 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"  (cf. 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" (cf. Psa. 103:12).  "I am He who blots out your transgressions and will not remember your sins" (cf. Isa. 43:25).   "I have blotted out like a thick cloud your transgressions, and like a cloud your sins"  (cf. Isa. 44:22).  "....You have cast all my sins behind Your back" (cf. 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 (cf.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" (cf. 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" (cf. Rom. 15:13).  Simply find a verse that means something to you and gives you what you need to hear and cling to it as a spiritual birth certificate.  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]."The Word of God coupled with the testimony of the Spirit is our assurance (cf. Rom. 8:16). 

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..."  (cf. 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:  (cf. 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"  (cf. 2 Tim. 1:12).   Soli Deo Gloria!

Answering God's Call

 "Those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified..."  (Rom. 8:30, ESV). [Note that no one is lost in the shuffle of salvation!] 
"This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent" (cf. John 6:29).
"... Everyone who is of the truth listens to My voice"  (cf. John 18:37). 
"... [A]s many as were appointed to eternal life believed"  (Acts 13:48, ESV).  

"I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision," (cf. Acts 26:19). 

Man gives the outward, general call  (cf. Titus 2:11) of the biblical evangel to the world, exhorting repentance and faith via the preaching of the Word's gospel message--to preach the Word.   Man's call is often rejected and ineffectual, and can fall on deaf ears!  They say that the convert hears the gospel and rejects it 7.6 times before coming to saving faith.  Even the demons believe and tremble (cf. James 2:19) and God requires a faith that is alive with worship and devotion, but also discipline and obedience.  No fruit--no faith (the instrumental means)--no salvation (no evidence)!  We may say in resignation, "Let the chips fall where they may!" but God is the sole primary cause of the universe--we're merely secondary causes used by God to accomplish His will and bring Him glory!  We exist, to bring glory to God (cf. Isa. 43:7):  "The chief end of man is to glorify God, and enjoy Him forever" (cf. The Westminster Shorter Catechism).

Some people merely produce foliage, not fruit, because they aren't abiding in the vine and they will be pruned.  It is important to note that the gospel in vogue isn't necessarily the one Paul preached--and he pronounced an anathema on those false teachers who watered down the gospel (a different gospel or dumb-downed version) or mixed it with works, and forsook the way of grace alone.  Grace and works don't mix!  We are indeed saved by grace alone, through the channel of faith alone, and this must be invested in Christ alone, all according to the authority of Scripture alone, so as to ensure the glory going to God alone.  There's no merit system in our salvation--God doesn't grade on a curve.

We must respond to the inner calling of the gospel to our souls (cf. Romans 8:30) that must respond to the so-called wooing or drawing of the Holy Spirit.  John 6:44 makes it clear that the Father must "draw" one, and John 6:65 makes it clear that God must "grant" the privilege of believing in Him.   God grants faith and salvation (cf. Phil. 1:29) and it is a gift and not a work (a meritorious one)!  If it were a work we would have reason to boast, but Titus 3:5 says we're not saved "by works of righteousness which we have done."

Paul says in Eph. 2:9 that we are not saved by works--the reason being to eliminate boasting or bragging before God.  Now, the wooing of God is necessary and sufficient to bring us to Christ: no one would come to  Him without it; if we came to Him alone, we will leave alone!   God's call is irrevocable and efficacious, meaning that it is a permanent call and God gets His desired effect."As many as were ordained to eternal life believed" (cf. Acts 13:48).  AND WE HAVE "BELIEVED THROUGH GRACE." (CF. ACTS 18:27).  We receive our faith, we don't achieve it  (cf. 2 Pet. 1:1). 

Some believe that God woos all men, this would make God out to be a failure; however, those whom He woos do come and without regret--no one who believes is ever disappointed in God. (cf. John 5:24).  If you are inclined to ascribe universality to wooing, then does He woo equally?  And why do only some respond?  There is no way to avoid this doctrine without assigning merit.  Our salvation is a pure act of grace and there is no room for works--we are not saved by works, but not without them!  This doctrine refers to the irresistible grace of God--God's grace is sovereign and reigns (cf. Rom. 5:21).  Christ is Master of our fate, and Captain of our soul.

Our destiny is ultimately in God's hands, not ours (cf. Psalm 31:15; Job 23:14)!  If we had to do anything for it, we'd fail, and so God does everything in our monergistic salvation--we do not take part in it nor contribute, nor cooperate with "pre-salvation" works either.   God must regenerate us by quickening faith and granting repentance  (cf. 2 Tim. 2:25) in order to save us--we don't save ourselves--if you put faith ahead of regeneration, you are effectually saving yourself.   If you can believe without being regenerated, what good is regeneration? If our salvation were in our hands and up to us, we'd blow it or botch it!   Salvation is grace from beginning to end as Jesus is the Author and Finisher of our faith.  It is not a human achievement, but divine accomplishment!  God makes us willing and able to believe and repent: Scripture says, "For God is at work with you, both to do and to will of His good pleasure" (cf. Phil. 2:13; cf. Col. 1:29; Heb. 13:21).

God calls and we answer, those who are of the truth hear the words of truth and hear God's voice and calling.   Jesus said that His sheep hear His voice and follow Him.  It is not the calling that saves on, nor faith in the calling, but faith in the One making the call:  "Many are called, but few are chosen" (cf. Matt. 22:14) refers to the general call of the gospel message to the world at large. "The elect attained unto it, the rest were hardened [blinded]" (cf. Rom. 11:7).   We must always remember that we didn't choose Him, but He chose us (cf. John 15:16).  We are the elected ones, and remember this point of doctrine:  We are elected unto faith (see the ordo salutis and the Golden Chain of Redemption), not because of faith, which is the false prescient view--Romans 8:29-30 militates against it.   For whom He calls, He regenerates unto faith and repentance (cf. 2 Thess. 2:13; 1 Thess. 2:13), and simultaneously justifies them.  We don't get any credit for believing, it is given or received, not achieved, and we cannot conjure it up--it comes by the hearing and the hearing of the Word of God (cf. Rom. 10:17).

Christians have answered the call and will be fit for being His vessels of honor, we all have to make sure of our calling and election (cf. 2 Pet. 10), though, because assurance is not an automatic fruit of salvation.  "Have mercy on some who doubt, [offer reassurance from the Word]" says Jude 22.  John writes to give assurance of salvation; obviously, it's not a sure thing (John 20:31; 1 John 5:13).  Paul said that if we are faithless, He remains faithful (2 Tim. 2:13).  In the final analysis, we must not divorce faith and works, they are distinguished but not separate--we are saved by faith alone, but no by a faith that is alone (from the Reformer's battle cry) as James 2:17 says, "Faith without works is dead"  (can that faith save?).

In sum, God reserves the right to call whom He will and to have mercy on whom He will and harden whom He will (cf. Rom. 9:15).   Some sinners receive mercy, some receive justice, but God is unjust to no one.   God predestined us according to His good pleasure and the purpose of His will, not according to anything we did (cf. Eph. 1:5; Titus 3:5).

Finally, let me sum up citing three verses:  "[W]ho saved us and called us to a holy calling not because of our works but according to his purpose and grace..." (2 Tim. 1:9, ESV); "God in heaven appoints each man's work"  (John 3:27, NLT).

"... 'A person cannot receive even one thing unless it is given him from heaven'"  (John 3:27, ESV).   Soli Deo Gloria! 

To Advance The Gospel

 "Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh, I am filling up what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of his body, that is the church"  (Col. 1:24, ESV)
"For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake"  (Phil. 1:29, ESV). 
"[T]hat I may know him and the power of his resurrection and may share his sufferings..." (Phil. 3:10, ESV).

Paul rejoiced "that what has happened to [him] has really served to advance the gospel" (Phil. 1:12, ESV).  If we have a meaning behind why we're suffering, we can endure it for Christ's sake.  It serves a larger purpose than ourselves, God is turning evil into good and all of our trials, tribulations, tests, and sufferings are but to bring glory to God as we are vessels of honor in His sight.  We must cling to the promise of Romans 8:28 that all things will work together for our good and God is too kind to be cruel, too wise to make a mistake, and too deep to explain Himself; even Job got no reason or explanation for his trial, only a revelation! Even when evil befalls us, God means it for good (cf. Gen. 50:20).  It's not a matter of "Why?" but "Who?"  It is a proven psychological fact that when people are given a "why" for their suffering, they can endure nearly any "how."  This is focused on our attitude, to rejoice in the Lord always! When we see the big picture of God's providence, we can have the right attitude.  Only we can choose our attitudes. 

If we know God, we will trust Him through thick and thin, and when the chips are down our faith will be all the stronger.  There is no kismet or blind fate of Islam, but we have a personal God who gives us a destiny.  We aren't called to be stoics of depressing fatalism though and sing "Que sera, sera," "What will be, will be..." as Doris Day sang, nor to gladly let the chips fall where they may, but seek God's preceptive will through Scripture, knowing that His decreed, hidden will is none of our business (cf. Deut. 29:29 says, "The secret things belong to the LORD our God...").  Stoics are called the philosophers of the "stiff upper lip," because they just believe we have to grin and bear it, no matter what and just accept our fate--resignation or accepting the status quo is not faith.  But Christianity is not determinism!

We have a destiny to participate in and God has plans for our good and to bless us in doing His work. (Jer. 29:11, ESV, says, "For I know the plans that I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for wholeness and not for evil, plans to give you a future and a hope." God will fulfill His purpose for us (cf. Psalm 57:2; 138:8).  "He carries out his decree against me, and many such plans he still has in store," (cf. Job 23:14).   God doesn't have to explain Himself to us and we aren't His judge, but we have to explain ourselves to Him and He is our judge.  We are suffering to bear witness to the world, but we aren't saved through suffering; it's only an honor to suffer for His sake as we fill up the sufferings of Christ in the body. Actually, the blood of the saints was the seed of the church according to church father Tertullian, and martyr means witness--it was the suffering of the church that gave it such growth.

The problem of suffering is not answered definitively in Scripture; we must take God's Word that He means no harm, but our good and is wise enough to work it out.  But then again, no religion adequately answers this question, of why there's evil in the world.  Concerning Paul, who boasted of more suffering than any of the other apostles, and still thought himself unworthy, Jesus said, "For I will show him [Paul] how much he must suffer for the sake of my name" (Acts 9:16, ESV). We must not strive against God's will (kick against the goads) per Acts 26:14.   Paul reluctantly mentioned what he had endured for the sake of the gospel in 2 Cor. 11 and the suffering was really a feather in his cap, to his credit.  Even so, Paul was given a thorn in the flesh to keep him humble, because he had suffered so much for the sake of the Name.

Affliction is inevitable:  David says in Psalm 34:19, NLT, "The righteous person faces many troubles, but the LORD comes to the rescue each time."  "Through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God," (cf. Acts 14:22).  In summation, it is to be noted that only in our faith is there meaning behind suffering--Eastern thought of karma just says you get what you deserve in life or the next time around, but doesn't offer a higher understanding. Karma is negated by the undeserved sufferings of our Lord, of Joseph, and of Job; note also Psalm 103:10, "He does not punish us for all our sins; he does not deal harshly with us, as we deserve."  Mercy is not getting what you deserve, and grace is getting what you don't deserve--only Christianity fully embraces in these doctrines.

In sum, "adversity, discipline, suffering, and trials inevitably happen to all Christians," but Christ was honest enough to warn us and doesn't expect anything of us that He didn't experience and didn't exempt Himself from suffering (He learned obedience through suffering, cf. Heb. 5:8)--in fact, our crosses pale in comparison!  Remember: no cross, no crown!  Soli Deo Gloria!  

Universal Gospel Message

"Many are called, but few are chosen"  (cf. Matt. 22:14).

The wise men or magi did seek Jesus, and wise men still do; this was to show us that Jesus' gospel is for the world at large and not just specifically for the Jews.  Paul proclaimed a universal gospel for all, Jew and Greek, or Gentile, alike.  It was unheard of for Jews at that time to even believe Gentiles could be saved, but Jesus said in John 10:16 that He had sheep of another fold, and they must come to Him too.

One hard saying of Jesus and many refused to walk with Him upon hearing this (cf. John 6:66), was that a person could not come to Jesus unless the Father granted it (cf. John 6:44). Jesus said, "Apart from Me you can do nothing" (cf. John 15:5); that includes believing in Him.  The Holy Spirit must woo or we won't come; if we come to Christ alone, we leave alone too.  The disciples refused to leave Jesus because He had the words of eternal life.  Our job is still to present the gospel message to all who will listen and to proclaim it, defend it, and demonstrate it, but not to debate it.  Caveat:  We cannot argue people into the kingdom; infidels are seldom convinced by debate.

Now Peter realized the gospel was for everyone in essence when he said in Acts 2:39 (ESV):  "For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself [reference to the inward call]."  This makes reference in passing to the doctrine of election, whereby God elects some to believe and passes over (the doctrine of preterition) others, and lets them go their own way without Him into eternity to receive justice, not mercy.  God is unjust to no one; some receive mercy and grace, and others receive justice--if God were obligated to be merciful or gracious, it wouldn't be grace but justice. God need not save anyone!  Some receive mercy, some justice, but God is unjust to no one; mercy is a form of non-justice.   We must bear in mind the primacy of grace:  It is written in John 15:16 (NKJV) that Jesus said, "You did not choose Me, but I chose you...."

Why do some people respond and others don't (Arminians cannot answer this without contradiction), but from the work of grace in their hearts to quicken them to faith, that makes them repent and believe by conviction and regeneration?  As Paul says in Romans 11:7 (ESV):  "... The elect obtained it, and the rest were hardened."  One must realize "Salvation is of the LORD,"(cf. Jonah 2:), and not of us and the Lord--it's solely the work of grace in our hearts.  Theologians call this salvation "monergistic" (one-sided), as opposed to synergistic, which means working in cooperation with God or contributing to it--it is the work of God alone. Who are those who believe but the elect?  Note Acts 13:48 (ESV):  "... as many as were appointed to eternal life believed."  We have indeed "believed through grace,"(as the gift of God) as Acts 18:27 stipulates.

The whole point of election is that we cannot prepare ourselves for salvation, no pre-salvation work, or do any work that is worthy to deserve it: Our destiny is ultimately in God's hands; we are not elected because we believe (called the prescient view), as Arminians suggest, but we are elected unto faith because of grace, for "grace reigns through faith," as Romans 5:21 suggests (J. B. Phillips says, "grace is the ruling factor."  This saying that God's call is efficacious and we cannot resist it. (note Romans 9:19 (J. B. Phillips):  "...' If this is so, and God's will is irresistible, why does God blame men for what they do?'" God, is, therefore, in the business of making the unwilling willing--or turns hearts of stone into hearts of flesh metaphorically speaking (cf. Ezek. 36:26; Jer. 24:7).

Note:  There are two kinds of calls:  the outward one of the gospel (cf. Titus 2:11); the inward call of the Holy Spirit, which is irresistible and effectual (cf. Acts 5:32).  Many are indeed called, but few are chosen, as Matt. 22:14 claims.  We are to "... be even more diligent to make our call and election sure..." (2 Pet. 1:10, NKJV.  And cannot do it apart from grace.

Now, even though the gospel message is for everyone, and no one who calls upon the name of the Lord will be lost or disappointed, God is the one who chooses whom will be saved and on whom He will have mercy as His divine prerogative (cf. Romans 9:15).  God even hardens whom He will (cf. Romans 9:18).   Our destiny is in God's hands, not ours. 

The final proof of the efficacy of God's call is in Romans 8:29-30 (ESV, italics mine) [called the Golden Chain of Redemption by theologians], which militates against prescience and guarantees eternal security:  "For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son ... And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified..." This is interpreted to mean by exegesis that God loses none in the shuffle between predestination and justification.  All who are called are justified, not just some; this is a reference to God's call, not man's call, and there is no exception of believers being called who lose their salvation or justification in God's eyes.--no one is "un-justified" nor "un-born."  Note that there isn't one legitimate example of anyone in Scripture losing his salvation.    Soli Deo Gloria!

The Ultimate Yoke

"Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light"   (Matt. 11:28, ESV). 
"When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you"  (Isaiah 43:2, ESV, italics added).

Jesus invited all to pick up His yoke, which would not become overbearing and burdensome, like the yoke of the Pharisees had been (adding hundreds of laws to the Law of Moses and even making a fetish out of the Sabbath).  Jesus did indeed announce His yoke would be easy and His burden light in Matt. 11:30.  No one could bear the yoke of the Law, which was not meant as a way of salvation in the first place, but only to prove us sinners and make us realize our need for grace, (cf. Ex. 24:7: "...All that the LORD has spoken we will do, and we will be obedient." ) though Israel had promised to obey it despite this.  The rule-obsessed Pharisees had become legalistic and lost track of the concept of grace (for the Law came through Moses and grace and truth came through Jesus, per John 1:17).  People who make up rules always decide on ones they think they can keep!

We don't need a Law to obey but grace and mercy because we cannot keep any law!   God gave us the Law to show us we cannot keep it!  When we have a law we are always wondering if we measure up and we end up comparing ourselves to others, as to how they keep the Law.  We can be too hard on ourselves and not be merciful to others by the same token.  The whole purpose of salvation is that we need a whole new heart, and this was no new concept to Israel (cf. Ezek. 36:26), not a code to keep or credo to believe.  We need the heart to know and love the Lord, not to bind us and keep us from enjoying our freedom in Christ.  Paul warned the Galatians that they were trying to finish with the Law what Christ had begun by grace, and they had insulted the Spirit of grace in the process.

So what is our yoke?  Do we have any law to abide by ourselves, or are we antinomians (i.e., against the Law)?  No, we are not under the Law, and it has no power to condemn us nor to enslave us, yet we are free to be under the yoke of God's will as believers, which is a far easier task and can only be accomplished because we have the resident Spirit to testify His will to us.  We have a heart to delight in God's will as David did in Psalm 40:8, ESV, which says, "I desire [delight] to do your will, O my God..." In fact, if you don't have an inner supernatural yearning to do God's will, you have reason to doubt the reality of your profession, as to whether it's genuine or bogus.

God's "commands are not burdensome" (cf. 1 John 5:3) and our love for God is measured in obedience, not ecstasy, for some people can get overly emotional and sentimental, or even maudlin and all over the spectrum going overboard. We can be sure that when we go "through the fire" God will be with us (cf. Isaiah 43:2) and that He accompanies us along the way, even lifting and carrying us through the difficult trials, and we are never alone in our fight for His will in our lives:  God's best plan is not overwhelming but can be accomplished when God is with us, as He promised.

The yoke of His will is perfectly custom designed, adjusted, and fitted to our needs and abilities and God will certainly use us to His glory as instruments of grace.  In sum, it isn't some code of honor, creed, or ethic to learn, but a relationship to gain in Christ as we matriculate in the school of Christ and become learners, or students, that is, of Christ via the Word of God--His disciples at heart.  Soli Deo Gloria!

Are We All To Witness?

Witnessing primarily denotes telling of what has happened to you and your personalized side of the story--usually, there is no way to refute or deny it either, such as the blind man saying, "I was blind, but now I see."  When Christ has changed your life, you should bear witness of the miracle that only He can do ("Let the redeemed of the Lord say so..," says Psalm 107:2)--a changed life in Christ is one of the greatest of all miracles.  The glory should go to Christ and you shouldn't glamorize your sins or former manner of life.  Soli Deo Gloria!

On the other hand, some Christians don't have a "testimony" in the sense of a dramatic story of conversion (I'm saying this is all right!), primarily because they were saved at a very young age and grew up in a Christian home. Should they "witness?"  Note that Jesus said in Acts 1:8 that we "shall be witnesses" not might be when power shall come upon us (i.e., all of us).  Paul said, "that God had called us to preach the gospel to them"  (Acts 16:10, NASB).  Therefore, a non-witnessing Christian is a contradiction in terms.  But what do we mean by this? Preaching the gospel IS witnessing. Standing up for Jesus IS witnessing!  Sharing your testimony IS witnessing. Standing up for Jesus to be counting and showing your Christian colors IS witnessing!

Now, Jesus said that we are witnesses ("You shall [not might be] witnesses..."), and that means if we don't "witness" we are not saved, but a vessel of dishonor; we are all witnesses (sometimes even bad), testifying of the gospel in shoe leather or according to us.  Jesus was saying that we shall receive power and then witness.

By definition, a witness witnesses.  We are not witnesses of the resurrection, for instance, as the apostles were.  The issue:  Is there a difference between witnessing and preaching the gospel, of which we are all commanded to do as ministers of reconciliation (he gave us the "ministry of reconciliation" according to 2 Cor. 5:18).  (They are not mutually exclusive, but one can do both or either one, you can witness without preaching the gospel, unfortunately, depending on your definition of "witnessing.")

Witnessing and preaching the gospel is something any believer can do, and he must know the gospel, first of all, to be effective and know Scripture as the seed to sow and trust God for the increase and timing, as well as open doors.  We just have to be ready "in season and out" to plant seeds.  Some sow, some water, and some reap, but God gives the increase.  Note:  Just saving souls is not all that is entailed in the Great Commission, as some infer; there is the subsequent making of disciples (not just converts) through baptism, teaching and preaching in edifying onto maturity so that they are ready to go out and start the cycle over again.

Many believers today say they witness, when in reality only a very small percentage (less than two percent by some polls) are engaged in any regular kind of active witnessing, and it has usually been a long time since they have shared their faith.  We must be willing to speak up for Christ and to stand up for Jesus, as it were. We must pray for opportunities to open doors (as even Paul had to do), and for God to make it known to us where we fit in and our role in the body.  The church body at large is to fulfill the Great Commission together and each one exercising their gift is a common way to do this--if they don't know their gifts they will be mainly ineffective or neutralized.

Just telling your own story without mentioning the way of salvation or the gospel (you must make a beeline for the gospel message as soon as the door opens) and this kind of witnessing can be duplicated by a another religious convert who testifies of how Buddha or TM changed his life, or that Allah lives in his heart for a Muslim.  The point is not your personal story, but the power of the gospel to change lives ("... [F]or it is the power of God unto salvation..," according to Romans 1:16).

In conclusion, to say that you don't witness, in that you don't believe in telling your personal testimony, but do share the gospel and your faith in Christ unabashed, is not unbiblical, because the Great Commission refers to sharing the good news of Jesus as the way of salvation basically in any manner necessary or that works--find your niche in the mission!  Soli Deo Gloria!

Do You Qualify?

Have you ever wondered if you were good enough for heaven?  Did you ever think you were on probation or on your scout's honor to do your best till Jesus comes or you die?  The fact is is that we are never good enough to be saved, but must realize we are bad enough to need salvation.  We cannot compare notes at our judgment as if we would be graded on a curve and think that we have a advantage over someone less fortunate.  "Who makes you to differ?  What do you have that you didn't receive?" (1 Cor. 4:7).  God doesn't grade on a curve and if He were to mete out justice to all, none of us would be able to escape hell; salvation is not because we deserve it, that would be justice, not mercy. 

The requirements for heaven are to have the righteousness of Christ, and the only way to get it is by imputation or God just reckoning it to our account.  We are not just forgiven of our wrongdoings and brought to a place of neutrality, but given the righteousness of Christ to boot--actually we are declared righteous or reckoned as righteous, but we are not made righteous, which would be different. We tend to think that God is looking for our achievements, or even cares about them, but God is looking for our obedience. 

Religion is about man's achievement; Christianity is about God's accomplishment.  Religion tries to reach out to God, while, in Christianity, God reaches out to man.  God doesn't even call us to success but to faithfulness.  What the world regards as success, I am saying, is not how God sees it.   You cannot be a man of the world and a man of God, they are mutually exclusive.  John exhorts us not to love the world (cf. 1 John 2:15) are not to be of the world (John 15:19).

People shouldn't come to their judgment and tell God about all the works they did, even if they were miracles, (Matt. 7:22) because Christ may say He never knew them.  We are not to put our faith in our works--works are no substitute for faith and works don't save--only faith in Christ saves. It is the object not the faith that saves.  Let me repeat:  Faith doesn't save; Christ saves.  

We live in an era when people applaud faith, even blind faith and most don't care what your faith is as long as you have it.  When someone says, "Keep the faith," it is meaningless and has no spiritual value. The reason the people are rejected who did great works in God's name is because they put their faith in their works and not in Christ.  They had a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge as it says in Rom. 10:2. You can have a lot of faith, but if it is misdirected, it does zilch and is worthless. 

Who gets saved, but the lowest bidder!  It is not the person who says he meant well, and was sincere, and did his best and believed the right creed, but the person who comes to God with nothing to offer and knows his wretchedness and knows he is at God's mercy, saying:  "God be merciful to me, the sinner." The way up is down in God's economy!   Don't think so highly of yourself!  You cannot think too lowly of yourself in God's eyes (actually humility is not thinking of self at all!), because you are just that:  Your righteousness is as filthy rages (cf. Is. 64:6).  You must despise yourself, hate your life, and realize you have nothing to offer God.

It cost a lot to be saved, and Jesus never made it seem easy, but it cost more not to be saved or to ignore His gospel message of being saved solely by grace, through the instrumental means of faith, in the object of Christ as Lord and Savior--God gets all the glory and the authority is the based on the Word of God.  Anything less is heresy, and corruption of the gospel and not evangelical in emphasis, but influenced by false teachings [the three heretical twists of the gospel's purity].   

"Salvation is of the Lord," (Jonah 2:9) and of the Lord alone (we contribute naught)--that is its essence. God has done it all--"It is finished!" Reckon it as a done deal.  There are religions galore that emphasize our achievements; however, Christianity stresses divine accomplishment, not human achievement!   Soli Deo Gloria!

How Low Can You Go?

Salvation is not offered to the highest bidder, or the most qualified, or the most eager, most intelligent, wisest, or moral person; au contraire. Christ doesn't offer to save, He saves!  It goes to the lowest bidder, as it were, the one who realizes he is unqualified, (we can do nothing to qualify or cooperate for our salvation).  We are bad, but not too bad to be saved.  We are as bad off as we can be, but God's grace is as great as can be.  Instead of saying, "God, I'm not that bad after all!" we need to say, "Lord, I have done nothing to deserve salvation, and You would be just to sentence me to hell, but I appeal to your mercy and grace at Christ's expense on my behalf."

Catholics believe we cooperate with God and somehow merit our salvation of which we are qualified by our faith.  Having faith doesn't qualify us to be saved, but means we are saved and regenerated.  God doesn't elect us because we have faith (that would be merit and a conditional election), but unto faith or to grant us faith.  We can do naught to please God or gain His approbation.  Someone has said, "God must have chosen me before I was born because He sure wouldn't have afterward."  If God chooses us because we have faith or in some way are better than others, then it is not a gift, but a reward.  That would be the institution of merit for salvation.  According to His purpose and grace, He saved us, and not because of anything in us that was good, for there is none good.  No one earns it, deserves it, nor can pay it back!

A person must see himself as a vile sinner who is unworthy of grace and in God's hands, at His mercy, to be saved, he must literally throw himself on the mercy of God, realizing he cannot save himself.  His life has gotten out of control because of his sin and he is convicted by the Holy Spirit of his depraved state.  When I say, "How low can you go?" I mean that you must be humbled to get saved and stop thinking so highly of yourself, that you're an alright guy or good man.  Romans 3:12 says there is none good.

We are enslaved to sin and cannot please God, because our righteousness is as filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6).  When we get saved, we are set free spiritually and have a restored fellowship with God that had been severed at the fall of Adam.  Regeneration makes possible a living faith and repentance and we are completely passive in the process:  Our part is to act upon the faith that God gives us and prove it is genuine.  God's gift, our act!  The worse off you see yourself and the least qualified you think you are, the closer you are to the kingdom of God and it is within your grasp.  Ego can get in the way, but we need to swallow our pride and realize that He must increase, as we decrease.

When we realize it is not about "us" then we have made a spiritual breakthrough and know that it is all about Jesus.  Paul strove to preach Christ, and Christ crucified, not himself.  The more one's thoughts are aimed at Christ to glorify Him the more glory God gets and the more involved the Spirit gets.  It grieves Him to dwell on ourselves and be egocentric or self-centered.

By going low I mean your opinion and judgment of yourself in comparison to others in respect of your sins.  The sinner who prayed, "God be merciful to me, the sinner" in Luke 18:13 was on target when he realized his depravity in God's sight.   Paul thought he was the chief of sinners and John Bunyan wrote, Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners. That's what grace orientation does to you--it makes you feel unworthy and forever grateful.  Jesus said, "He that is forgiven much [realizes it the most], loves much!   Soli Deo Gloria!

Preaching Law And Gospel

"But, if in our endeavor to be justified in Christ, we too are found to be sinners, is Christ then a servant of sin?  Certainly not!"  (Gal. 2:17, ESV). Though we are referred to as saints, we never cease to be sinners.

"...[Repent] and believe in the gospel" (Mark 1:15).  This is Jesus preaching the Law and the Gospel.

"[A]nd that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations..." (Luke 24:47).  This is the Great Commission with Law and Gospel.

"For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ:  (John 1:17).  A proper dichotomy of the Word between Law and Gospel.

"Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling [dividing] the word of truth"  (2 Tim. 2:15).  The Bible is mostly divided between Law and gospel or promises and we need to differentiate them in view of grace.

Luther said, "He who masters the art of distinction between the Law and the Gospel should be called a real theologian." Get them lost first and tell the bad news before the good news.

An anticipatory synopsis:  The purpose of the Law is to point out sin, restrain evil in the world, and to reveal God's will and how to live.  Note well:  "[Through] the law comes the knowledge of sin" (Rom. 3:20). The Gospel is to provide forgiveness and grace and to re-orient our lives ("Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?" cf. Gal. 3:3).  By way of definition: The OT contains the Gospel (promises and pertaining to Christ), and the NT contains the Law (what God demands to convict and a code of conduct).  The whole of Scripture is one or the other in general. When the Law is preached people are "cut to the heart" (the accusations of the Law leads to repentance) like in Acts, and when the gospel is preached their hearts are turned from stone to flesh and renewed (it is the power of the Gospel that saves).  Caveat:  It is ill-advised to preach Gospel minus Law, as it leads to spurious faith, easy-believism, shallow faith, pseudo conversion, and worst of all: False assurance.

It is imperative that we distinguish these concepts and know when to apply them.  "[Preach] the Word; be ready in season and out of season" (2 Tim. 4:2).  Preachers need to preach the Law and the Gospel well enough to be rejected as well (the average convert has rejected the Gospel 7.8 times before acceptance).  We are not under the Law, but we are not lawless!  The "Law is good," according to Paul, "if one uses it lawfully" (1 Tim. 1:8).  Too many preachers preach what the congregants want to hear or what is popular and gathers a crowd. This is a sign, though not proof, of a false teacher.  Some preach to scare people into the kingdom and some to make an emotional appeal that leads to an altar call--faith pleases God, not emotions according to Heb. 11:6. Preachers should preach both the Law (what God requires of us and shows us how far we fall short), and the Gospel (the good news about how God solved the sin issue through the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ).

But the problem is that some don't preach in the proper sequence, perspective or balance--some people are already convicted and know they are unsaved and need to be comforted with the gospel; others are secure in their sins and may be self-righteous and need the Law preached to make them realize they do indeed fall short and need the gospel.  God says in Isaiah 40, "Comfort ye my people..." and this is because they have suffered double for their sins and are ready for it. Martin Luther called the Law the hammer of the Bible that shatters our self-righteousness, a mirror that shows us what we are, and a whip that drives us to God--he that is forgiven much loves much.

But we all need some Law and some Gospel because we need to keep on our spiritual toes and have spiritual checkups.  The power is in the Gospel to change our lives and the power is in the Law to show us our need.  To some, it may seem that the Gospel is too good to be true, but goodness is not the criteria for truth--it is either true or false.  We cannot be convicted too much (we are at the same time saint and sinner) by the Law; in fact, the worse off a sinner realizes he is, the more ready he welcomes the Gospel.  Paul thought of himself as the "chief of sinners" in 1 Tim. 1:15 and the author John Bunyan penned Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners!  This is resultant of preaching the Word, and the whole counsel of God and the Gospel in the power of the Holy Spirit.  When the Law was given, Israel promised to keep it, rather than sue for mercy ("...We will do everything the Lord has said; we will obey" in Exodus 24:8)--they were clueless!

One reason preachers don't preach this sequence is that they are not aware of it (God doesn't sanction nor place any premium on willful ignorance as an excuse),  and think the only way to save people is to scare them into the kingdom, talking about hell or the rapture. There is always a mix of terrified, convicted sinners and secure sinners in a church and that is why both must always be preached and the preacher must never assume his parishioners are all saved.  The Gospel washes, cleanses, heals and sanctifies, not the Law.  Most people, apart from the Law, think they are not quite so bad after all ("Woe to those who are at ease in Zion," says Amos 6:1).  The Law is our "guardian until Christ came" (Gal. 3:24) and after we are saved and have faith we are no longer "under the Law" and it has no power over us, to claim nor condemn us.

Many preachers get too bogged down with the Law and are not "grace-oriented" and have had no "grace awakening" to distinguish the two and if people think they are justified or even sanctified by the Law, they have "fallen from grace" or have become legalists and aren't being saved by grace, but by their own efforts.  We are saved by grace from beginning to ending and we don't need to become somewhat Jewish to be saved.   We use it unjustly to see it as a means of salvation or sanctification. Paul said in Gal. 3:10 that if we rely on the Law we are under a curse! We must realize what Jesus said ("Apart from Me you can do nothing..," in John 15:5) and not rely on the energy or power of the flesh to be saved ("Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit" says Zech. 4:6), but recognize that it is from "faith to faith" that we are saved (Rom. 1:17).

Now, "the law is holy, righteous, and good" (Rom. 7:12) and it must be used correctly--is meant for the sinner to convict him (2 Tim. 1:9 says:  "for the lawless and disobedient, for  the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane."  We never can say we don't need the Law to show us right living, God's will, morality, and ethics (I am not speaking of the ceremonial Law of Moses, but of the moral Law that God requires of us).

You cannot dichotomize the Bible so simplistically and say that the OT is Law and the NT is gospel because if that were so the Old Testament saints couldn't be saved, and the New Testament saints couldn't be convicted and know right from wrong.   There is Law everywhere (if I say this is a free park and it has no laws or rules, how free is it? It's chaos).  John Clare said that "in a madhouse, there exists no law."   We do need the Law and cannot lose track of it or become disoriented--but we must always learn to distinguish the two.  Rom. 10:4 says, "Christ is the end of the Law," and this means He fulfilled it and we are not under its authority to condemn anymore.  "There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus," according to Rom. 8:1.

The curse was in Deut. 27:26 (ESV) et alia:  "Cursed be anyone who does not confirm the words of this law by doing them...."  We come to the realization that "the letter [the Law] kills, but the Spirit [the Gospel] gives life, when we get saved and realize that we have a lighter yoke than the yoke of the Law to fulfill, and that is the yoke of the Spirit and being led by the Spirit.  "...For the letter [the Law] kills, but the Spirit [Gospel] gives life"  (2 Cor. 3:6 showing Law and Gospel again).  The Law has the power to kill according to Romans 7:11 because it can seize the opportunity and overcome us. We need to learn to live in the power of the Spirit and be free form the burden (we obey because we want to, not because we have to) of the Law:  "You shall, therefore, keep my statutes and my rules; if a person does them, he shall live by them: I am the LORD" (Lev. 18:5, ESV).

The whole point in preaching is to make everyone, even the saved, realize their need for the Law and the gospel and not to lose track of these, but keep oriented and make regular spiritual checkups.  We don't want to get too comfortable or complacent and we don't want to despair. If people think they need to hear it that is good but if they think it was just interesting or "worth a few moments of their time," as if being entertained,  then they failed--preaching is meant to change lives.  Preaching is the methodology or M.O. of saving souls and it is "by hearing, and by hearing" that a person receives faith (Rom. 10:17).

Ovid was right about human nature:  "We strive after the forbidden things and always lust after the things that are denied us."  When the Law came, it aroused desire just like Eve desired of the forbidden fruit--this is the essence of sin. We wouldn't want to step on the wet paint if no sign said, "Do not step on wet paint." The nitty-gritty of the Law and the gospel is that it is the power of God unto salvation and it is a mystery, i.e., not self-evident.

The answer to the inquiry "What must I do to be saved?" is our fixation.  Man is incurably addicted to doing something for his salvation.  Jesus answered this question in John  6:29:  "This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent."  We can do nothing--that is the point!  It is God's work in us and we receive salvation as a free gift we didn't deserve, cannot earn, and can never repay."   This is welcome news to those wholly convicted of their sins and having spirits prepared by God to receive His grace message.   If we had to do something most people could accept that, but they cannot understand how salvation can be free.  God just wants us to believe in Him ("...he greatly helped those who through grace had believed" in Acts 18:27).  The statement "Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved" is nonsensical apart from the conviction of the Law.  Christ came to save sinners, and if you do not regard yourself as a real sinner, then Christ may not seem like a real Savior!  As for me, I am a great sinner, but I have a great Savior.   Soli Deo Gloria!

The Power Of The Gospel

As Paul said, "I am not ashamed of the gospel, it is the power of God unto salvation for everyone who believes..."  (Rom. 1:16).  Our faith does not rest in the wisdom of man nor of the energy of the flesh, but in God's power; [we] "... were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God"  (John 1:13, ESV).   I am appalled at the present-day presentations of the gospel message of giving a heaven without a hell, a salvation without repentance, an abundant life without lordship, and a joy without sin.  If a minister's outreach is fading or not as effectual, possibly it is because there is no passion for the gospel--the power is there unto salvation and also as the message never gets old to believers, it gives power in preaching to deliver the goods.

There is the flip side to every coin.  They only preach half the gospel who preach only the good news of Christ without telling the bad news first (get them lost first!):  they are lost in sin and headed toward hell and eternal damnation apart from Christ.  We are depraved and cannot save ourselves or get our act together; we need a work of grace or unmerited favor on our behalf.  There are some preachers who refuse to "go there" when it comes to the "killjoy" word of "sin." They preach what can be termed "gospel light" (a truly dumbed-down version of the evangel).  Why raise eyebrows and make the donors feel uncomfortable and uneasy they say? We don't want to be "people-pleasers" or "crowd-gatherers," but gospel preachers.  Don't "domesticate" the gospel, but preach it in all its power and authority!

When we preach the simple gospel message it has power and we must just leave the results to God--it is a win-win situation. The gospel doesn't just inspire or motivate, it radically alters our life from top to bottom and does an overhaul on our system to make us new creatures in Christ (cf. 2 Cor. 5:17).   God's Word "will not come back void" according to Isaiah 55:11.  (No one has our story and can tell it like we can; we are all one in Christ and individually members of His body, each for a particular function.)  Proclaim the gospel, don't debate it!  Let the world know you are a satisfied customer and a happy camper! "Let the redeemed of the LORD say so" (Psalm 107:2).

We are saved by grace: Christ paid the debt He didn't owe for a people who couldn't pay their debts they did owe.  Some people stress that grace is sufficient, and indeed it is--but it is also necessary!   No one can say that they are good enough to get saved or can prepare themselves for it; it is work of grace all the way from beginning to end.  We wouldn't have come to Christ apart from grace and we are saved by the grace of God--it's all grace from beginning to end (the Father has to draw them or woo them per John 6:44,65).  Apart from His sovereign grace (cf. Rom. 5:21): and  "...grace reigns through righteousness," none of us would've believed!  We are no more qualified nor wiser, but can only say as we see another sinner lost in sin:  "There, but for the grace of God, go I."

Grace is necessary because we cannot merit God's mercy nor can we demand it--it would be justice and not mercy then. We have no claims on God--He didn't have to save anyone!  We don't deserve it, we cannot earn it, and we can never repay it!  They say in theological terms that grace is the sine qua non of salvation or that it is the thing without which we cannot have.  It is necessary and sufficient. This is important because Romanists will admit grace is necessary, but that you have to had merit to it or that it isn't sufficient. They add works to faith, and merit to grace; thus confusing the work of salvation on our behalf.

Jesus is in the business of changing lives from the inside out and the gospel has the power and authority to do it. Shakespeare may inspire but the gospel transforms!  (As Paul said:  "I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection" in Phil. 3:10.)  He's still in the resurrection business! All religion says, "Do."  Christianity says, "Done." Religion has good works as an "in order to." Christianity has them as a "therefore."  Viva la difference between a "have to" and a "want to."   Religion is a do-it-yourself proposition, but Christianity is a done deal or fait accompli.  Christ said on the cross: "Teltelestai" or "It is finished." Religion is man reaching out to find and gain the approbation of God, while in Christianity God reached down to find man; we didn't find God--He found us!

The one concept that distinguishes Christianity is the idea of grace or unmerited and undeserved favor (that we aren't saved by our works or good deeds being weighed against our bad ones).   Because of this only Christianity gives us the assurance of salvation (if salvation depends on works you can never know for sure how much is enough) and that no other religion can offer in the here and now assurance to live the Christian life--sure the radical Muslim believes that, if he dies in a Holy War or Jihad, he will go to paradise; however, he doesn't live his whole life in that hope--you won't find a Muslim who is sure he will go there beyond a doubt.

When we add to the work of Christ, it is as asinine as putting a mustache on the Mona Lisa and thinking you improved it, or have the gall to think you can improve the Sistine Chapel art by Michelangelo!   It insults God to the max!   What if you invited someone over to dinner and afterward they said, "What do I owe you?"  Wouldn't you be offended?   God wants us to accept His grace salvation by faith and just be thankful and live our lives accordingly.

We don't want to be accused of watering down, domesticating, dumbing down, or toning down the gospel by our sensibilities by making it too easy to get saved: what is known as easy-believism, libertinism, or Antinomianism. Whereas, one doesn't have to be an obedient Christian to have faith--faith and obedience are eternally equated and linked (Rom. 1:5; 16:26; Acts 6:7).  "They were obedient to the faith."  There is a cost to discipleship--Christ tended to discourage half-hearted seekers and not encourage them.  We must take up our cross and go where ever He leads and bloom where he plants us.  We don't have to be so apologetic about the gospel because it has intrinsic value to change hearts and lives and open eyes. Would you defend a caged lion?  Well, the gospel can take care of itself too!

The power of preaching is in the presentation of the gospel message and in the cross of Christ, as Paul proclaimed in 1 Cor. 2:2:  "I strive to know nothing but Christ, and Christ crucified."   The devil doesn't like to hear about the passion and Via Dolorosa of Christ and how he shed His blood on our behalf.  The devil will do everything in his bag of tricks to keep this from transpiring.

I'm not saying that the only job of the preacher is to preach the gospel, but that he comes to the realization that God honors only the power of the gospel message to change lives. Believers never get tired of hearing the gospel message in a different light or text.  If no one's heart was stirred in an eternal manner during a sermon and it was just "interesting" or "thought-provoking," and not utterly challenging and even offensive or upsetting, the preacher has missed the mark and preached in vain. Christ was not merely interesting; He upset the applecart; He was divisive, invading the turf of the Pharisees, challenging, and even offensive to some--no one was unaffected or remained neutral after an encounter--their true colors showed.   But note well:  It should be Christ and the gospel that should offend and not us as just obnoxious Christians--He is the Rock of Offence and Stone of Stumbling.    Soli Deo Gloria!

Faith Is Of The Lord

Faith is a gift of God that is His work in us--we don't conjure it up of our own initiative.  Christ is the Author and Finisher of our faith.   God gets all the glory and credit from beginning to end, and by the grace of God He opens our hearts to believe ("He opened the door of faith..," according to Acts 14:27, KJV), just like He opened Lydia's heart to believe and pay attention to what Paul was saying.  Faith is nothing to boast about since it is a gift and not a work--otherwise, we would be saved by merit and have something to brag about in God's presence. "He saved us not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy..." (Tit. 3:5, NIV).

Before the Reformation, the predominant viewpoint of the "Church" was the teaching of  Roman Catholicism that faith is a work and a meritorious one at that and deny it's a gift.  We don't merit our salvation but our chosen in the Beloved "according to His good pleasure." The light of the Reformation was that we are saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. Faith is the instrumental means of salvation, not salvation or righteousness itself.  Our righteousness is God's gift to us, not our gift to God.  "Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him as righteousness" (Rom. 4:3, ESV).  Faith cannot be the means of righteousness and righteousness itself at the same time.  It is the instrumental means of salvation and faith is counted "unto" righteousness.

This means righteousness is imputed or put to our personal account and we are reckoned as righteous (we are not righteous personally). Our righteousness is God's gift to us, not our gift to God (cf. Isaiah 4524).   We cannot believe apart from the work of God:  "...this is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he has sent"  (John 6:29, KJV).  We believe--God doesn't do it for us!  Also, in the same vein, Peter wrote: "To those who have obtained a faith of equal standing..." (2 Pet. 1:1, ESV).  We got this faith from God--we received it freely and exercise it in a "leap of faith!"

We are each responsible for the "measure of faith that God has given you" according to Rom. 12:3 (NIV). Note that we will not be judged according to our faith, but our deeds are done in faith:  What counts then?  Only faith working through love (cf. Gal. 5:6, ESV).  "He will render to every man according to his deeds" (Rom. 2:6, KJV).  "...he greatly helped those who through grace had believed," (Acts 18:27, ESV). We would not have ever believed had not God intervened on our behalf--we were not wiser, better, more meritorious than anyone else, but just "chosen."  As Jesus said in John 15:16 (ESV):  "You did not choose me but I chose you...."

Jonah cried out in faith:  "Salvation is of the Lord" in Jonah 2:9 (KJV).  That's the only way it can be, if it were of us and God we could never know if we were saved, because of all the variables involved. But God is a constant and someone we can count on besides our unreliable own selves. God alone accomplishes our salvation and He gets all the credit for it from start to finish.  "I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able..." (2 Tim. 1:12, KJV).

How does faith come to us then?  "Faith comes from hearing the message..." according to Rom. 10:17 (NIV).  If we don't believe we just need the right attitude:  "If any man will to do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God..." (John 7:17, KJV).  If we receive the light we have we will get more or God will harden us for rejecting that light given us:  "...The elect obtained it, but the rest were hardened..."  (Rom. 11:7, ESV).  1 John 5:1 (ESV) says that "Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God [this implies regeneration takes place beforehand].  This is right because the quickening grace of God opens our eyes as it were and we see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ.  He regenerates us unto faith.

We are not elected because we believe (that would be merit and this is called the prescient view of election and the golden chain of redemption in Romans 8:29-39 militates against this viewpoint), but we are elected unto faith.  Paul says that it has been "granted unto us to believe" in Phil. 1:29. Finally, Eph. 2:8-9 (KJV) says,  "For by grace ye are saved through faith; and that [the antecedent is faith] not of yourselves: it is the gift of God, not of works, [proving that faith is not a work], lest any man should boast [not meritorious]."  The whole act of salvation is of God and the gift of God so that we can say with the Reformers:  Soli Deo Gloria! (Or to God alone be the glory!)

We don't have faith in "faith," but faith in Christ.  It is not faith that saves us, but Christ (the object) that saves us! We are not saved because of faith, in other words, but because of Christ!  It is the object of faith, not the zeal or amount that counts.  A little faith in Christ is better than a lot of faith in yourself, which will not save--we must give up trying to save ourselves and let God save us on His terms. "...For not all have [saving] faith" (2 Thess. 3:2).  Everyone has faith in something or someone, but saving faith is in Christ, and is what matters--this is the gift of God.  And so we conclude that faith is not achieved, it is given!   Soli Deo Gloria!