Strange Teachings

"So do not be attracted by strange, new ideas..." (Heb. 13:9, NLT).
"[But] test everything that is said.  Hold on to what is good"  (1 Thess. 5:21, NLT).
"Many false prophets will rise up and deceive many"  (Matt. 24:11, NKJV).

It is often tempting to let curiosity get the best of us and to read for the sake of satisfying our quest for the unknown--to go where no man has gone before, as it were--and not with a purpose of edification and to discover the truth.  We will not find truth on the lips of deceivers, "wolves in sheep's clothing," or any who know not Lord.   Quoting Scripture doesn't prove they know the Lord, and we are to be skeptical as to the trustworthiness of any source except the Bible--which alone is inerrant and infallible.  An example in point:  Do not read some book about the Bible that cannot be recommended by someone you know or has internal evidence you are willing to accept.

Do not take their word for it that they know the Lord if there is no evidence and you will know them by their fruits.  One can never be too precautious or safe in filtering his reading and must not read just for the sake of curiosity, for curiosity killed the cat! "The fool feeds on trash; the wise are hungry for the truth" (cf. Prov. 15:14).  "For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching.  They will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear"  (2 Tim. 4:3, NLT).

We read for a purpose (entertainment, passing the time, etc.), but curiosity is dubious.  It is better to read to be informed, gaining information and learning something new.  By all means, listen to your conscience and heed its warnings--dubious sources, mysticism, gnostic sources.  These three make up red flags that should stop you from going into uncharted territory.  Martin Luther said that to go against conscience is neither right nor safe and that is valid especially if it's enlightened by Scripture.  For example, if no one recommends it and you can't find any endorsement from known men of God, you are taking a leap of faith in reading it, because more damage may be done than good and you may be fooled by the so-called element of truth that is disguised with the abundance of deception--there is some truth in every faith, and you can be inoculated against the real thing by being immunized by error mixed with truth.

Don't be fooled because of the following:  strange teachings that you've never heard or had no one's endorsement that you trust; don't be led astray by mysticism or trusting in spiritual experiences for revelation instead of Scripture; and don't be led astray by Gnosticism or those who think they are "in the know." "For no prophecy is of any private interpretation" (cf. 2 Pet. 1:20). No one's cornered the market on truth!  Above all, obey your conscience and if you have doubts, err on the side of safety--don't try out something to see if it works, for we don't try Jesus and see if He works for us, we make a commitment to Him and there's no turning back or experimentation!

No one enters the realm of error without giving the devil an opportunity to spread his lies and we must not become partners in crime, as it were--the naive believe anything (cf. Prov. 14:15). We are guilty of opening the door that gives the devil the chance or opportunity (cf. Eph. 4:27) to poison our minds with lies--look at Eve falling for Satan's lies, that God was holding out!  There are no secrets to discover:  Freemasonry is bogus and full of lies! The "secrets things" don't belong to us, but to God (cf. Deut. 29:29).

Remember, that flirting with Satan is dangerous and once the door is opened it is hard to close because the lure of Satan's lies become all the more to beware of.   How do cults get started?  People believe the teacher who has charisma, and loses faith in Scripture as the final arbiter of truth--look at "The People's Temple" or the "cult of death" in Jonestown, Guyana, where they didn't find one Bible, because they trusted the Rev. Jim Jones as the voice of God! Jehovah's Witnesses trust in the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society organization to interpret the Bible for them and rely on its private translation and interpretation!

"Beware of empty philosophies and high-sounding ideas" (cf. Col. 2:8), but how can this be if we are not aware of the truth and what good philosophy is?  The only way to combat a secular worldview is to have a biblical worldview!  The only way to interpret the Bible correctly is to hold to principles of biblical hermeneutics.  The only way to become immune to heresy and error is to know the truth which sets us free from it and sensitizes our antennae. "You will know the truth and the truth will set you free" (cf. John 8:32).

Don't flirt with danger into uncharted waters where your conscience gives red flags.  Everything we read doesn't have to be recommended, referenced, or footnoted (it should be sound sources), but we must use sound principles in deciding what to give credence to and what to take with a grain of salt and be careful of, and not necessarily at face value.  We don't have to become scholars either to be believable, but we are still to write with credible principles based on the Word and not resort to dubious methods, e.g., mysticism, Gnosticism, misquoting Scripture, private or strange teachings.  "So where does this leave the philosophers, the scholars, and the world's brilliant debaters?  God has made the wisdom of this world look foolish..." (1 Cor. 1:20, NLT).  But "I know whom I have believed..."  (cf. 2 Tim. 1:12).  Therefore, interpret experience by the Word of God, not vice versa!   Soli Deo Gloria!  

Wolves In Sheep's Clothing

"Enter by the narrow gate.  For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many.  For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few"  (Matt. 7:13-14, ESV).  

Jesus initiated His ministry the right way, by being baptized by John in order to identify Himself with the common Jews and to fulfill all righteousness, though John demurred--He did things the right way and didn't go against the order of the day.  If Jesus could humble Himself, how much ought we?  There likewise comes a day of reckoning and decision for believers, where they express solidarity with the body publicly in order to be accepted publicly.  

We are to beware of pseudo-believers or false brethren (for even the devils may seek to become accepted, if possible!) and those that sneak into the fellowship disapproved, who may "creep in unnoticed," as Jude writes, and are "marked out for condemnation" as "wolves in sheep's clothing," masquerading as angles of light (cf. 2'Cor. 11:4), as it were, and fooling even the elect, if possible (they come to "steal, to kill, and to destroy").  Who is he but one who doesn't enter by the door of the shepherd, but seeks his own way, door, or rules, for he seeks to "climb up some other way" (cf. John 10:1), and "he is a thief [proselytizer or even an apostate] and a robber."

If there's some initiation ceremony (e.g., baptism, testimony, classroom training, et al.) that the church has established, and a seeker or false brother rejects it, then he is going rogue and following his own whims or "inner voice", and not that of Christ. For in God's economy, the way up is down, and we must all humble ourselves in the sight of God first if we expect to be exalted in His eyes--you don't carry rank and privilege with you as you transfer from church to church, but must start at the bottom and work your way up all over again, respecting all in authority and seniority.

In order to get the "right hand of fellowship," and to be accepted as a member of the family of God one must show some fruit!  First we believe and works result and this comes by hearing of the Word of God, then we belong to the family in fellowship, and finally, we become what God intends by participation with the family and recognition of our charisma or gift and sharing it with others. Rick Warren describes our spiritual journey:  "believing (through worship), belonging (through fellowship), and becoming (through discipleship)."  We are always to be congenial and extend our good faith and love to all, regardless of where they are in the Lord, but there comes a day of reckoning when one must decide for or against the fellowship one is associated with and whether or not to endorse it and become a full-fledged member.  They are to "choose this day whom they will serve" per Joshua 24:15.

Our mission is to be "eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace" per Ephesians 4:3, ESV.  Remember the slogan:  "No perfect people need to apply!"  God wants real people, not ideal people and unity, not uniformity.  We don't find shortcuts to the top of the spiritual chain of command, or pecking order, as it were, but must admit our spiritual frailty!  We never "assume" someone is a believer or earnest in his motives, by mere virtue of regular attendance--some people are just "playing church" or are guilty of "Churchianity," not Christianity.

Pseudo-Christian cults and churches do not seek out souls to save, but to steal, they go where Christ is already named and say they have something to add to the truth or have a new and improved Christianity to offer.  These wolves spare not the flock and have no qualms to lead to false doctrine and are thirsty for power (David Koresh, and Jim Jones, et al.).  They are really not members of the church, but mock it and set out to go by their own tradition or belief, that is antithetical to the churches.  They are pushing something secret and claim to be in the know and privileged to be privy to this so-called false knowledge.

In contradistinction to a true shepherd, one ordained and called by God, one who enters by the door--not some secret way (i.e., by way of secret pledge, friendship, reference, handshake, vow, ordination service, et al.), the false teacher, who isn't always a teacher, but just seeks a following and to make a name for himself!

The sheep do not listen to the "voice of a stranger" and know their shepherd, according to John 10:5, and they follow the Lord through His shepherds and they listen to the truth because they are of the truth.  The danger is that factions in the church and party spirit can cause church splits, and nothing ruins a church more than sectarian spirit or a conflict over leadership and loyalty issues--"I am of Apollos!"  The reason we have heresy is so that the teachers approved by God can be made manifest, the church and body of Christ can be cleansed of evil, and it can be renewed in the image of Christ as its head and cornerstone.  Soli Deo Gloria!

Your Best Life Now?

"He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf doesn't not whither.  In all that he does, he prospers"  (Psalm 1:3, ESV).  

This is the title of a best-selling book by a well-known televangelist, Joel Osteen, touting the benefits of being a believer, who only has to cash in on his spiritual lottery ticket to find prosperity, as he sees it--to suit his whims.  God is indeed good to some in all ways, and good to all in some ways, but not good to all in all ways, including believers (cf. Psalm 145:9).  We are to be faithful to what God has called us to and put God in charge of the so-called success.

With God, little, with His blessing, is much.  The spirit that we offer our lives to Him is what matters--as Mother Teresa of Calcutta said, "True holiness consists in doing the will of God with a smile."  She also said that it is not what we do, but how much love we put into it that matters! Prosperity theology is a heresy that the modern church has fallen for, and the test of this is that if you cannot preach that gospel to everyone, it is a false gospel.  There are martyrs in China who are not leading prosperous lives, yet they wouldn't give up their crowns for worldly success any day--how does this teaching apply to them?  God will prosper us as we do His will, and this means being in His will (which is always the safest place to be).

Do you really want your best life now, as some have their reward or portion in this life, according to Psalm 17:14, or would you want to make an eternal investment that will outlast the consequences of this world? Every day we strike a chord that will vibrate for eternity, and the most important thing we can do is make an impact that will outlast us, by investing in something bigger than ourselves.


The telltale sign of believers is not income, real estate, 401(k)s, vehicles, nor profession, but the love of the brethren, per John 13:35: Mother Teresa of Calcutta (recipient of the 1979 Nobel Peace Prize) said that God has called us to faithfulness, not success. We can be assured that if we are faithful in little, we will be faithful in much, according to Jesus--as this life is but a trial run, dress rehearsal, or tryout for eternity. Jesus said that you shall know them by their love, not their possessions, or success by any standards.

Joshua 1:8 promises to make our way prosperous and to give success, if we are faithful to the Word; however, people misconstrue what success and prosperity are.  God will ensure that we will succeed in doing His will, that He has called us to do and He will bless us with all spiritual blessings in Christ, even partaking of the divine nature.  Don't be fooled by the world's standards of success and prosperity, like he who dies with the most toys wins or achieving the so-called American dream!  The Bible warns against materialism and that we cannot serve God and Mammon.  Jesus said not to store up treasures on earth.  We are to make eternal investments in heaven by giving according to, and in proportion with, the blessings we share from are granted by God.

Some seekers are searching for the benefits, but not the Benefactor, and only want God in their lives for what they can get out of Him.  God will take care of all our needs, though some confuse needs with felt needs or wants.  David prayed, "The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want [be in want]." God's chief aim is to fashion us after the image of Christ, not to make us balanced, well-adjusted, happy, and secure individuals.  We need to live in light of eternity and not be so focused on the temporal!

If we have God, we have all we need, even if the crops fail:  It happened in Habakkuk 3:18 (ESV), which says, "Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will take joy in the God of my salvation."  3 John 2 (ESV, emphasis added) says, "Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, as it goes well with your soul."  God seeks to use us as vessels of honor and that is what we are here to do:  Being His feet, hands, voice, and ears to a needy world.  The really successful believer is one who bears the image of Christ and God can use for His glory like Paul said in Romans 15:18 (NIV): "I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me...."  This is reiterated by Isaiah, saying that all that we have accomplished, He has done through us (cf. Is. 26:12).

Newsflash:  God isn't out to guarantee anyone's happiness or financial benefit, but to sanctify us after the image of His Son and to use us for His glory:  "The chief end of man is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever"  (The Westminster Shorter Catechism, cf. Isaiah 43:7).  Some believers just want to be happy, which depends on happenings, while we are commanded to rejoice in the Lord and cultivate the fruit of the Spirit, which includes joy.

We all have a cross to bear and when we finish the work God has given us, we will be checking out into our heavenly destination:  "For David, after he had served the purpose of God in his own generation, fell asleep and was laid with his fathers and saw corruption"  (Acts 13:36, ESV).  Our crosses pale in comparison to His, but God saves no one without sanctifying them.  Jesus said that we must take up our cross and follow Him, and to "count the cost," as this is what we signed up for and it comes with the territory--there's no guarantee of a bed of roses or an easy life, but "through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God"  (cf. Acts 14:22).

God promises to meet all our needs in doing His will, according to 2 Cor. 9:8, that makes a promise to claim concerning God's provision.   Again:  "But my God shall supply all your need..." (cf. Philippians 4:19).  In the final analysis, it is said, "Adversity, discipline, suffering, and trials inevitably come to all Christians, but Christ didn't exempt Himself from them."  It is the bumps in the road that shape character:  The same sun hardens the clay, melts the butter!  Soli Deo Gloria!

A Time For Polemics...

The church is "the pillar and ground of the truth"  (1 Timothy 3:15, NKJV).

"... Everyone who is of the truth hears my voice"  (John 18:37, NKJV).

"When the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all the truth..." (John 16:13, HCSB).

"Let a man so consider us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God"  (1 Cor. 4:1, NKJV).

"... Whenever you come together, each of you has a psalm, has a teaching [doctrine], has a tongue, has a revelation, has an interpretation.  Let all things be done for edification:"  (1 Cor. 14:26, NKJV).
EMPHASIS MINE! 

Polemics is defined as denouncing heresy, or of refuting it and standing up for sound doctrine.  "For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine [teaching]"  (2 Timothy 4:3, NKJV). There is a growing postmodern camp in the church that denies that we have gotten orthodoxy right yet and that we can be dogmatic about anything in the Bible, that truth per se is up for grabs, including the gospel message. Postmodernism teaches that truth is a "short-term contract" and that what's true for you, may not be for someone else (aka relativism).  The church got the idea that truth is negotiable and up for grabs and the notion that it's only relative to the postmodern worldview that is prevalent in academia.

In the name of ecumenicity, the truth is compromised and watered down and even deemed unknowable. Are we just trying to be "inclusive" as politicians strive to be?  Another explanation for this contempt and cavalier attitude for the truth is the "seeker sensitive" atmosphere permeating evangelical churches.  Should we domesticate or tone down the truth to make it more appealing to the unchurched?  This is known as "contextualizing" Christianity. Is there a paradigmatic shift against dogma?  Are they reinventing or revamping the church?  This issue is whether sound doctrine is too arcane and abstruse for the typical churchgoer, or necessary for maturity.  It all reverts to what Satan said to Eve: "Hath God indeed said...?" (cf. Gen. 3:1).  The question has plagued mankind since Pilate asked Jesus, "What is truth?"  (Cf. John 18:38).

Jude exhorts us to "contend for the faith" in an age when it is unpopular to teach doctrine and to stick to the application of the Bible, like the social gospel, which is a misnomer, and an excuse to turn stones into bread.  Paul boasted in his swan song of 2 Tim. 4:7 the following:  "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith."   Satan opposes sound doctrine and we confront his Anfectung (German for "attack," as Luther termed it), when we stand up for the truth. The problem with most believers today is that they don't think the truth is worth studying, and they certainly wouldn't die for it.  We must never compromise what we believe to maintain a conscience:  "So I always take pains to have a clear conscience toward both God and man"  (Acts 24:16, ESV).

Why do you think Paul said they are "always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth"(2 Tim. 3:7, ESV).    A Christian is one who loves the truth and seeks the truth, as incarnate in Christ, the Truth itself.  Truth is knowable and we are to ascertain it to best of our ability because "truth matters" and as Augustine said, "All truth is God's truth," and Thomas Aquinas said, "All truth meets at the top."  If a heretic is found in the church we are to take action:  "This testimony is true. Therefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith."  An example of heresy to be denounced is easy-believism, also known as cheap grace.  Pastors are exhorted above all:  "But as for you, speak the things which are proper for sound doctrine"  (Titus 2:1, NKJV).

Remember:  Doctrine is teaching and usually refers to the church's stand on issues or their dogma. We have received sound doctrine from centuries of scholarship and no one today, no matter how gifted, can defy and refute all the learning available to us via commentaries and other sources.  We don't have to start from scratch every generation!    Why do we need doctrine?  "... [T]hat he may be able, by sound doctrine, both to exhort and convict those who contradict [error]"  (Titus 1:9, NKJV).

Now we are not to be nitpicky or to split hairs, because there are gray areas, and room for disagreement indisputable or questionable doctrines--church fellowships and families should strive for unity in the Spirit in the bond of peace (cf. Eph. 4:3 which says, "["bearing with one another in love] endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace"), i.e., unity, not necessarily uniformity, and not be judgmental towards those who beg to differ:  After all, a Protestant is defined as one who dares to remonstrate, "I dissent, I disagree, I protest"  (just like the famous words of Martin Luther at the Diet of Worms).

Doctrine does come up all the time in our preaching because Paul says in 2 Tim. 3:16 that "all Scripture is profitable for doctrine."   We are to avoid foolish disputes and arguments and "disputes over words" (cf. 1 Tim. 6:4, NKJV) which cause division, but to take stands on issues that matter: "In essentials, unity; in nonessentials, liberty; in all things, charity," as Augustine's dictum said.  We are to avoid foolish arguments, but not godly ones--there is a time and place to stand up for what you believe in.  Paul writes in 1 Timothy 4:6 (NKJV):  "If you instruct the brethren in these things, you will be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished in the words of faith and of the good doctrine which you have carefully followed."  This is emphasized in 1 Tim. 1:10 to teach sinners whatever else is contrary to sound doctrine.

It is infant believers who are "carried about by every wind of doctrine" (cf. Eph. 4:14).  When sound doctrine is taught there will be those who oppose it:  "Now I urge you, brethren, note those who cause divisions and offenses, contrary to the doctrine which you learned and avoid them"  (Romans 16:17, NKJV).    The early disciples were known by four signs in Acts 2:42 and one of them was that they continued in the apostles' doctrine.

Paul urges Timothy to "charge some that they teach no other doctrine" (1 Tim. 1:3, NKJV).  He also exhorts him:  "Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine...." (1 Tim. 4:16, NKJV).  Note that he teaches in 1 Tim. 5:17 (NKJV):  "Let the elders who rule well be counted worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in the word and doctrine."  We do not want God's doctrine to be blasphemed (cf. 1 Tim. 6:1) and to teach "the doctrine which accords with godliness"  (1 Tim. 6:3, NKJV).  Elders are to hold "the mystery of the faith [deeper doctrine] with a pure conscience (cf. 1 Tim. 3:9, NKJV).  We are to be so sound and pure that we "adorn the doctrine of God" (cf. Titus 2:10, NKJV).

Originally, when believers assembled for worship, they had a doctrine to share (cf. 1 Cor. 14:26).  It is important to "go on to maturity" by leaving the "elementary doctrines" (cf. Heb. 6:1) and the goal is given in Ephesians 4:13 (NKJV):  "[T]ill we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, in the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ." The faith is referred to as the sum total of the teachings or doctrines of Christianity.

The danger of the last days is the doctrines of demons (cf. 1 Tim. 4:1), and the only way to inoculate the church body from this is to have a firm foundation in the truth and basic sound doctrine.  Paul urges Timothy:  "Till I come, give attention to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine" (1 Tim. 4:13, NKJV).  Hebrews 13:9 (NKJV) admonishes us:  "Do not be carried about with various and strange doctrines...."  The only way to recognize a counterfeit is not to study counterfeits, but originals! Isaiah 28:24 says:  "... And those who complained will learn doctrine." This is the panacea for the church falling for the heresy that truth doesn't matter and sincerity is what validates faith.

The unrighteous perish "because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved" (2 Thess. 2:10, NKJV).   But God will teach the sheep:  "Whom will he teach knowledge?  And whom will he make to understand the message [doctrine in KJV]"  (Isaiah 28:24, NKJV).  Who would believe that sound doctrine would be an issue in today's church?  But there is a movement known as the 'Emerging Church" that challenges truth per se and denies we have systematic truth or "orthodoxy nailed down, shrink-wrapped and freeze-dried forever."  This is an anti-dogmatic attitude that has permeated some churches, proclaiming that we "haven't arrived yet."

Truth is under attack and we are not to "tolerate false teachers" like Jesus rebuking the churches in Revelation.  Remember Demetrius in 3 John 12 who  "has a good testimony from all, and from the truth itself." False teachers had crept into the church that Jude was writing to--this is our wake-up call.     Soli Deo Gloria!

What's Behind Karma?

The demonic doctrine of karma (from Hinduism and Buddhism) must be exposed because, in this so-called Age of Aquarius, modern man is fooled and taken in by Eastern philosophy and thinking, letting it influence the Christian faith.  Both Eastern faiths adhere to this and believe that actions in this life automatically determine your fate.  Many Christians flippantly, or even seriously, say, "What goes around, comes around," and think that everyone gets precisely what they deserve in life like God has a ledger-book mentality, just keeping score of our deeds and dealing with us accordingly. Case in point:  Job's friends accused him of evil-doing and told him to repent.

The beauty of our faith is that it is the opposite of karma:  We don't get what we do deserve (mercy) and we do get what we don't deserve (grace)--both contrary to the doctrine of karma and its exact-reward concept.  God doesn't just weigh out our good deeds versus our bad ones and deal with us as the result in the afterlife.  Eastern thinking believes you cannot escape karma because it is the system of justice in the universe--people get precisely what they deserve, whether good or bad, and what's more, you should not interfere with someone else's karma--everyone is an island or a rock to himself and has to deal with his own reality and fate in life because he deserves it.  This erroneous thinking also says that you can overcome bad karma with good karma, and this would make one believe it's alright to do evil if one balances it out or neutralizes it with a good deed--sort of like wasting fuel on a solo flight but planting a tree in remorse to make up for it.

How do we know karma is wrong?  The Bible teaches that suffering is not something we can comprehend and that there's an easy answer to--one only need consult Job.  If karma were true, why did Jesus suffer more than any man--did he deserve his sufferings?  There is not a man alive that God is not good too and doesn't deserve to die a thousand deaths--even believers.  George Whitefield was asked what he thought of the poor souls going to the gallows:  "There, but for the grace of God, go I."  It is said that if God were to actually wipe out evil from the earth, none of us would be left.  The question is not why is there evil, but why is there good.    The psalmist in Psalm 103:10 (ESV) delineates our thinking:  "He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities."

Case in point:  If you remember the massacre of refugees by the Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge in Thailand (known as the "killing fields") in the mid-'70s, you should be informed that this happened on Buddhist turf, and they refused to help their own Buddhist brothers (some 300,000 stranded in no-mans-land on the Cambodian border), because they felt they shouldn't interfere with their karma--Buddha taught that you are to be an island to yourself.  It was Christian goodwill and relief organizations that stepped into the save the day and be the example of Christ's love for the outcast and rescued those in need.  This is an example of that what the world needs is more Christian love, according to Lord Bertrand Russell, British philosopher, and mathematician, who happened to be atheist.  There is no basis for the love and compassion of one's fellow man in a world of karma.

There is a certain manner in which we get what we deserve, reaping what we sow, but this basically refers to our eternal destiny whether in the flesh or the spirit and if we are in the habit of judging we shall be judged accordingly.  Spiritually speaking, we are to sow to the Spirit, not the flesh.  But Christians do indeed suffer the consequences of their acts but are forgiven and there is no eternal aftermath.  The doctrine of karma has to do with the exact-reward concept that you cannot escape it and it is the final judge of your destiny.

One must not say that he has blown it and will suffer for it the rest of his life, because God doesn't punish us for our sins--He only prunes or disciplines us (according to Romans 8:28 all things will work out for the good) that we may grow and learn a lesson and be sanctified.  God isn't finished with us yet and is still working on us--we are a work in progress! The immediate response when something disastrous happens, is that God is out to get us, or we may ask, "What did I do to deserve this?"  We are not capable of understanding the motives of God and must accept by faith that He intends it for good just like Joseph said, "You meant it for evil, but God intended it for good" (cf. Gen. 50:20).

And so why is karma evil?  It denies grace and mercy and means that there is an impersonal force in the universe meting out justice mechanically like fate.  God is personal and deals with us accordingly, and knows us and has a plan of good and not of evil toward us and as Psalm 145:9 (ESV) says, "The LORD is good to all, and his mercy is over all that he has made."  There is no one that will be able to claim that God is not good and that they got more than they deserved in life because of His blessings. The uniqueness of Christian thinking is the introduction of the concepts of grace and mercy as seen in the atonement of Christ.

People that believe in karma don't help out their fellow man, because they believe everyone must suffer his own personal karma.  Karma denies the reality of a substitutionary death (no one should interfere with someone's karma), as done by Christ on our behalf.  We get what we don't deserve and are delivered from what we do deserve!  Eastern salvation or "nirvana" is released from this impersonal law of karma.

God is not only "great" like Islam proclaims, but He is also "good," and this is what they deny, seeing God as capricious, arbitrary, or whimsical and able to treat man unpredictably, according to any rational basis.  This doctrine leads to pride in thinking because people think they are "self-made" and don't owe God anything for their prosperity (it is God who makes one have the power to get rich per Deuteronomy 8:17-18). This reminds me of the definition of an Englishman:  A self-made man who worships his creator.

There is justice (meting out punishment as deserved and giving one his due).  But God metes out justice with mercy and there is not always justice in this life--in which case they will meet it in eternity, so no one ultimately escapes it, except by the mercy of God in Christ.  "Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?" (Cf. Gen 18:25).  Governments are God's ordained means to monitor evil and punish wrongdoers, but God's justice is never escaped.  No one will be punished beyond that which strict justice requires, but believers escape justice by virtue of their faith in the atoning work of Christ on the cross, where He suffered for us.

We must acknowledge God's ultimate control of our destiny and that it is in His hands--He is sovereign over all.  Remember what Jesus said to those who inquired why a person was born blind, whether he had sinned or his parents:  "Neither, it was so the glory of God should be manifest."  It is good news that there is no karma (I'm not saying we don't sometimes get what we deserve, but there is no iron-clad law that cannot be escaped and our destiny isn't controlled by it), and one should rejoice in the fact that we can say regarding our salvation: "What did I ever do, to deserve this?" This answer is nothing, it was all grace--God gets all the glory from start to finish.   Soli Deo Gloria!

Defender Of Faith

We are called to contend for the faith that was once and for all delivered to us, according to Jude 3. Christianity is rightly called a faith, rather than a religion, because of two things:  The common body of knowledge adhered to; and the virtue of faith that is essential for its doctrine of redemption.  Religion is not a faith in the same sense--our faith is in a person that we know ("I know whom I have believed..," says 2 Tim. 1:12), and our faith is not in a system or code of ethics or rules and ritual.

Saving faith is a living faith that grows--where is it going?  It is not being credulous or believing for no sound reason--we have ample reasons to believe and don't believe despite the evidence.  We take God at His Word and accept His authority over ours as self-attesting (which means that if you appeal to any higher authority than Him, then you are saying He is not God, but the authority is). We are not inclined to believe due to our depravity and must be regenerated unto faith by an act of grace of the Holy Spirit. The only manifestation of faith and the test of faith is obedience--you cannot believe in the Lord without submission, it's a contradiction in terms.

These two are equated in Hebrews 3:18-19; 4:6).  Faith commences with receptivity and an open mind, and you don't need all the answers to believe; you are required to take a leap of faith because faith is what pleases God (cf. Heb. 11:6). Some think of it as going with the preponderance of the evidence as a jury making a decision and going in the direction of the evidence, though you don't have all the evidence that is possible and there may be gaps in it to fill by faith.

It takes more faith to be an atheist than a believer and there is sufficient evidence for anyone with an open mind (can have your own opinions, but not your own facts; some say, "I already have my mind made up, don't confuse me with the facts"), a willing (i.e., to do God's will) spirit, and a needy (poor in spirit, or recognizing need for God and depravity and sinfulness of self) heart.  Not believing in God is not evidence and one must always inquire, "What evidence is there that there is no God, etc?" You cannot prove that God doesn't exist, or that Jesus didn't rise from the dead; the opposite of Christ rising from the dead is not that people don't normally do this, but that He didn't--and there's much circumstantial, historical, and empirical evidence that suggests He did!

There is historical or story-book faith that's all in the head, and then there's heart belief that saves. We must not only believe that Christ lived but that He lives.  And that He died for you personally.  Christ wasn't just born, but must be born in you!  We may come to Christ, which is believing in Him and say, "I believe, help thou mine unbelief" (Mark 9:24).  You need to be sincere, but can be sincerely wrong--you have to believe the right thing about Christ and be orthodox--sincerity is necessary, but not sufficient.  Finally, saving faith is childlike, but not childish, and simple, but not simplistic.

We do not believe it is the amount of faith that saves, but the direction or object that counts.  You can have great faith in the church and its program and be lost (that's why some will say to the Lord, "Lord, Lord, did we not [do this or do that]?").  There are some whose faith is weak, but at least it is in the right direction.  It's like having only a little faith to step out on the frozen lake that has 2-foot-thick ice--it doesn't take much faith!  Our God is so great, it isn't our faith that saves--it's Jesus, who is the only Savior who saves.  The problem most people have is not that their faith is too small, but their God is too small and their thoughts of God are too human! We boast of a big God who can do anything, and with whom everything (except going against His nature) is possible.  That's why Jesus said that faith the size of a mustard seed can move mountains (which means attempting great tasks that seem impossible without God).  With God on our side, little is much and we can do a lot with our small ability--we all have the small ability and need to depend on God.  It isn't how much self-esteem we have, but God-esteem!

The crown prince of Great Britain wants to change his motto of the monarchy, "Fidei Defensor" or defender of the faith (FD), to defender of faith. Faith is a virtue but it is the gift of God and we are to use it to His glory.  Peter wrote "to those who have obtained a faith of equal standing with [their]..." (2 Peter 2:1, ESV).  Paul says in Romans 12:3 (ESV) that we serve "each according to the measure of faith God has assigned [us]." Jesus said, that to whom much is given, much is required.  And also of a woman that she has done what she could.   Being the defender of faith per se is not biblical, because it must be the faith that saves, not just faith for faith's sake or faith in faith.

The Bible says, "... For not, all have faith"  (2 Thess. 3:2, ESV).  This is referring to saving faith because everyone has faith in something, even if it's oneself and he thinks he's a self-made man. Some have faith in the system or in religion, and some have faith in nothing (nihilism), which takes more than to believe in God because there is more evidence for God than against Him.   It isn't for lack of evidence that a person rejects God, but with the heart, he doesn't believe out of his stubbornness and unwillingness to do God's will--for Jesus said, that if any man is willing to do His will he shall know of the doctrine. Man simply doesn't want to believe, it's not an intellectual problem--these are just smokescreens designed to change the subject and stump the Christian with side issues--the real issue is repenting of sin and following Jesus as Lord and Savior for a new and more abundant, eternal life.

There is no such thing as easy-believism whereby your faith involves no commitment nor surrender of the ownership of your life--salvation is free but it's not cheap!  The only kind of faith that saves is productive faith that yields good fruit, for you shall know them by their fruits. We are indeed saved by faith alone, but the formula of the Reformation says, it is not by a faith that is alone.  James 2:20 says that faith without works is dead--that kind of faith cannot save.  No fruit--no faith--no salvation! Faith comes by the hearing [or preaching] of the Word (cf. Rom. 10:17), and isn't conjured up, caught like one catches a cold by going somewhere, imagined, gained by osmosis, or even hanging around the right people.  We don't work ourselves into the mood to believe!  It is the gift of God and comes through the power of the Word of God.

The first step to believing is a willingness to listen and receptivity, you must understand next and then put your trust and reliance on Christ and stop trying to save yourself or get your act together--you can never do this; cleaning up your act comes after salvation as a fruit and sign of a changed life.  Faith must be put to work and it consists of knowledge but knowledge put to use and acted on:  By faith, Abraham obeyed, etc.  We must realize and act on our faith to make it real saving faith by taking the leap of faith.  Works are the byproduct of saving faith and not the substitute for it because we are ordained unto good works according to Ephesians 2:10.  We don't do them because we have to (legalism) but because we want to out of a grateful and changed the heart.  We are not saved by works and we are not saved without them either!  They can be distinguished, but not separated.

There is not saving faith without genuine repentance either! They go together as one package and are the flip side of each other.  In Scripture, they are often mentioned in juxtaposition.  They can be distinguished, but not separated.  Repentance is turning from sin and faith is turning to God--in other words, you do an about-face or U-turn (cf. Acts 20:21).  We exchange our life of sin for a life in Christ as we choose to follow Him. If a person is impenitent, he cannot be a believer; likewise if one doesn't believe, he is also impenitent, because they go hand-in-hand. If you have a problem with believing, it's probably some sin you are cleaving to and refusing to surrender to the Lordship of Christ.

The formula of the Reformers was that we are saved:  By grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, and by the authority of Scripture alone, and to God alone be the glory!  Soli Deo Gloria!

The Spirit Speaketh Expressly

"[S[o that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes"  (Eph. 4:14, ESV).
"Do not be led astray by divers and strange teachings [far-fetched ideas]" (Heb. 13:9, ESV).
Note that a believer needs a frame of reference of sound doctrine in order to interpret the Bible and discern good teaching when he hears it.

In the last days there shall be an apostasy or great falling away:  "Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings [doctrines] of demons"  (1 Tim. 4:1, ESV).  This not only a warning to heed but a sign to acknowledge that we are in the last days, and can see the day approaching and Christ knocking at the door.  What characterizes these teachers?  They may have impressive degrees that give them so-called authority, but they are not called by God to speak in His name because they only want to create disciples of their way of thinking and school of thought, rather than discipling believers to equip them for spiritual conflict with Satan and to complete the Great Commission, our marching orders.

Another sign you might look for is the sign today of the megachurch or a preacher that is a celebrity and has learned to preach what people want to hear as if itching their ears.  The size of a church has zilch to do with the blessing of God on the ministry--the maturity of members is more indicative.   Actually, megachurches are usually just a gathering of crowds that are fans of a popular preacher, and when he passes, the church might even be in transition spiritually.  Churches are supposed to be families and fellowships and we are supposed to be involved in it, not just attending it.

Discern good and evil as mature believers (cf. Heb. 5:14) and heed teachers devoted to sound doctrine.  Remember, Jesus wasn't educated and the only three men of substantial learning in the Scriptures were likely Moses, Daniel, Luke, and Paul.  God usually calls those that are not the mighty or noble of society.  You don't have to be a scholar to speak for God and degrees (no matter how many or how prestigious) don't guarantee a teacher is qualified to teach or preach in God's name.  However, you must be called of God and anointed to preach and you can even be a layman like Amos, who was not a prophet nor the son of a prophet (he didn't go to prophet school, as it were cf. Amos 7:14).

Something is not true because the teacher pontificates and speaks ex-cathedra like a Pope--even Popes are fallible and have been wrong and contradictory--nothing is true because someone says so. Be careful to hold only the Word of God as infallible (as Augustine told Jerome). The verification must come from the Word, which cannot be broken (cf. John 10:35), and not on the basis of any other authority!  The cry of the Reformation was Sola Scriptura, which is Latin for "by Scripture alone." The Roman Church recognizes other authorities such as tradition, which was held in equal esteem, credibility, and/or authority as the Bible (per the Counter-Reformation at the Council of Trent, 1546-48), and the right to interpret Scripture was in the hands of the clerics, meeting at the top with the Pope as Head of the Church.

One present-day phenomenon is the emergence of charismatic preachers who may be known in the media quite readily by blitzing the media with name ministry familiarity, and because of financial resources are able to saturate the public with their agenda and campaign.  We should never be impressed with personalities or anything the world can offer such as that may seem prestigious.  We should be impressed that the preacher is devoted to and teaches sound doctrine.

How do we challenge these heretics?  We must know basic sound doctrine and also know what is major doctrine and what is disputable, questionable, a gray area, a matter of opinion, or nonessential. Some doctrines are wrong, but some are damnable heresy, able to condemn the soul.  (Denying the deity of Christ is so basic as to be fundamental and a litmus test for true Christians to affirm.) They may quote the authorities as the Pharisees did, but we must quote the Bible to debunk their doctrine. Just ask them, "Do you have a verse for that?" We have the right to speak in God's name if we speak the Word of God and are true to sound doctrine as believers.

Don't be impressed with the teacher's credentials, except that he is filled with the Spirit and has an anointing to preach and teach--be spiritually discerned!  Nothing is true because a great teacher says so--we are supposed to be like the Bereans, who search the Scriptures to see if things are so as taught. They may have clever, specious arguments, but you must steer them back to the Word and ask again the question: "Do you have a verse for that?" As Romans 4:3 says, "For what does Scripture say?"| I cannot emphasize this enough.   In other words, it may seem so true and even ring true, but can you cite a Scripture for it?

Beware of high-sounding nonsense (cf. Col. 2:8), philosophy and know this for sure:  "No Scripture is of any private interpretation" according to 2 Pet. 1:21.  This is interpreted commonly as meaning that God doesn't reveal secrets or interpretations to some teacher in isolation that He doesn't to others. You cannot say that God reveals a mystery to you and not to others!  Soli Deo Gloria!

Watch Your Doctrine!...

Verses to ponder and reflect on:

"Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching [i.e., doctrine]"  (1 Tim. 4: 13, ESV).

"Therefore, let us leave the elementary doctrines of Christ and go on to maturity ..." (Heb. 6:1, ESV).

The body of Christ is one no matter where you go and you can have fellowship with a believer no matter what church he attends (fellowship actually could mean two fellows in the same ship).  We truly are "one in the Spirit."  But there must be commonality and unity (not necessarily uniformity) to have fellowship and you can fellowship with someone of a different denomination or doctrinal persuasion, but never think this implies doctrine is not important and that God doesn't expect us to learn the truth and be dedicated to its dissemination.  You don't have to see eye to eye to walk hand in hand--you can agree to disagree and find common ground to fellowship on--All Christians have Jesus in common and should not get so sectarian that they don't love the brethren, regardless of affiliation.

The Bible refutes the notion that it doesn't matter what you believe as long as you are sincere--the common fallacy of today's worldview. Paul exhorted Timothy to "Keep a close watch on [himself] and on the teaching [literally, doctrine].  Persist in this, for by so doing [he] will save both [himself] and [his] hearers"  (1 Tim. 4:16, ESV).  You can be sincerely wrong, though sincerity is important. We can be singing kumbaya around a campfire and learn to get along because we're all Christians (members of one church should have no internal dispute--yes--but cross-town rivals might!).

Timothy was told not to neglect the gift he had--he reportedly was a church troubleshooter, and I believe this is a sort of theologian.  Mainstream denominations are highly ecumenical in that they believe in interdenominational cooperation despite differences of doctrine.  Sure, there are major doctrines we should not compromise, but we should never major on the minors and divide Christ. This was the mistake of Corinth that had become highly sectarian. There is a place for forgetting our differences and let love be the rule of the day, like when we translate Bibles and don't want to have a sectarian bias, or charitable and outreach programs that they can concur on.  But nowhere does the Bible authorize that we neglect doctrine or its value to make us grow up in the Lord.  "All Scripture is profitable for doctrine ..." (cf. 2 Tim. 3:16).

Ignorance is not bliss and God puts no premium on it and expects believers to responsibly study according to their abilities and become genuine students of the Word:  "... If you abide in my Word, you are truly my disciples" (John 8:12, ESV).  What is implied is this:  "You shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free [Jesus called God's Word Truth and said we are sanctified by it in John 17:17]."  We are not born free as humans, but in bondage to sin and must be set free by Christ ("If the Son shall set you free, you shall be free indeed," cf. John 8:36).

Paul exhorts Titus:  "But as for you, teach what accords with sound doctrine" (Titus 2:1, ESV). Notice that Paul says in v. 1 that the knowledge of the truth accords with godliness--there's a correlation!  It is by the acquisition of truth that we become sanctified as I quoted in John 17:17.  He also says, "... give instruction in sound doctrine ..." (Titus 1:9, ESV).   We need to know doctrine, according to Paul in Ephesians 4:14 so that we will not "be tossed to and fro ... by every wind of doctrine ...."

I don't know if there is a gift of being a theologian or if some people just have the knack for it and seem to excel in organized, systematic thinking and analysis of Bible teaching or doctrine.  But no one in the body is superfluous and unnecessary--the body needs theologians too, no matter what the gift may be.  A good theologian can identify a false doctrine a mile away and organizes his teaching and be thinking so as to be able to categorize it and disseminate it in an orderly way--let everything be done decently and in order according to 1 Cor. 14:40. Theologians have a viewpoint because they usually belong to a certain school of thought and tend to interpret things partially--remember, there is no such thing as perfect objectivity, except with God.

It has its limits:  For instance, you aren't going to convince a devoted Arminian that he can't lose his salvation--he has interpreted the whole Bible while denying that premise.  I remember that when God opened my eyes to the truth of eternal security it seemed like scales came off my eyes and the whole of Scripture was opened in meaning to me with a viewpoint (I previously had no opinions or didn't know what to believe or even who to believe).   Soli Deo Gloria!