The Religious Creature...

"He [the Antichrist] shall seduce with flattery those who violate the covenant, but the people who know their God shall stand firm and take action ["will firmly resist him," NIV; "shall be strong, and do exploits," KJV]"  (Daniel 11:32, ESV). 

Man is the only religious creature; i.e., monkeys don't build chapels!  He has been called Homo religiosus (man the religious) or Homo divinus (man the divine) by scholars because of this tendency.  Only man has the will to obey God, the heart to love God, and the mind to know God--as creatures in His image.  Dostoevsky said, "Man cannot live without worshiping something."  It's our nature and what makes us uniquely human.  We are hard-wired or designed for God and can only be happy and fulfilled in God.  Bertrand Russell said, "Unless you assume a God, the question of life's purpose is meaningless."  Without God, we have no dignity or purpose and we can only find meaning in Him.  There's a void or "God-shaped vacuum" in man's heart that "only God can fill," according to Blaise Pascal, philosopher-mathematician.  And St. Augustine said, "You have made us for Yourself, and our hearts find no peace until they rest in You."

Conventional wisdom would tell you that the more gods you have the better off you are, and this was the assumption of ancient man, who worshiped a pantheon of gods and goddesses. The Israelites had resorted to henotheism, or that there are many so-called gods, but the LORD is the Most High.  They believed, for instance, that Baal was the fertility God, (flocks, field, and family) but the LORD was the God of their army and of victory in war (the Lord of Hosts).   But the Bible tells us that if we have God we have all we need and are complete in Him.

Man is empty without God and cannot live abundantly apart from His plan for our lives.  Jesus came to give us this complete and abundant life of fulfillment.  Man has always believed in a higher power and archeology proves this as fact, the belief in God is not mere superstition but universal--even to the point of having some sort of Creator-God or unknown God--and that man's concept of God has devolved, not evolved through the ages.  But we are to have no other gods before Him and acknowledge no other Savior (cf. Hos. 13:4).

Psychologists have tried to rationalize our faith in God as fear of the unknown, a throwback to our need for a father-figure, a method of evolutionary advantage, a mental virus, or as a system of contentment in hard times.  They think we invented God, as Voltaire said, "Man created God in his own image."  God is, by definition, the highest Being that can be (imagined or real). There can be no other so-called "necessary being," uncaused cause, or unmoved mover--someone began the chain link of cause and effect ad infinitum, since eternal regression is mathematically and philosophically inconceivable and impossible.  It has been proved now that man's earliest worship of God was of a monotheistic tradition, and not polytheistic, as first thought.  Man originally entertained the idea of the one true God, as Scripture unequivocally posits and depicts.

It should be noted that man is the only creature capable of being bored with himself and unable to entertain himself when he is down in spirits.  Boredom is meant for a reason, to show us we need God and to find purpose in life-- with purpose you seldom get bored!  This is only to show us that we need God in our lives for completion.

It is a fact that you can be religious without subscribing to a religion; Secular Humanism is a kind of religion without God, trying to be good without God's help or for the glory of God.  It is a proven fact psychologically that religious people tend to be happier than those who are not, and when we're not grounded in the truth we become highly superstitious and make up our own religion!  We all need to be set free by the truth and only the Son can do this (cf. John 8:32, 36).

It is a proven fact that society needs religion to maintain law and order and a precept of morality:  George Bernard Shaw said that no nation has survived the loss of its gods. Cicero saw religion's value in keeping public morals.  John Adams said, "... Our constitution was made only for a moral and religious people...."  G. K Chesterton said our nation has the "soul of a church!"  Eisenhower recognized the need of religion to maintain our way of life, and any religion would do--the point is that man needs religious and moral guidance to keep evil at bay.  The Pax Romana (200-year peace of Rome) worked for this purpose until Christianity changed its moral roots.

Real worship is the offering of ourselves to God; however, when we surrender our resources and ourselves to anything or anyone else in devotion, it's a form of idolatry, taking from God what is His due, for He alone is worthy.  True worship of our Lord is defined as being Christ-centered, God-focused, Spirit-controlled-and-led when we get our eyes off ourselves and onto Jesus who alone is the worthy Lamb of God, our Savior--we must draw the line at homage like Daniel!

In the final analysis, the only cure for the sin of idolatry is to have an adequate concept of God, not putting Him in a box or making Him one-dimensional, and knowing your God personally and not just second-hand.  Soli Deo Gloria!

Works Religion

"They profess to know God, but they deny him by their works..."  (Titus 1:16, HCSB).
"Now someone may argue, 'Some people have faith; others have good deeds.'  But I say, 'How can you show me your faith if you don't have good deeds?  I will show you my faith by my good deeds' ... You see, his faith and his actions worked together.  His actions made his faith complete"  (James 2: 18, 22, NLT).  

There are four contradistinctions:  Works equal salvation (religion); works plus faith equals salvation (legalism); faith equals salvation minus works (antinomianism), and faith equals salvation plus works (Reformed and evangelical theology).  

It is our natural inclination to believe that our works must count for something to gain the approbation of God; however, you never know in a works religion--God doesn't grade on a curve and the only way to be saved is by grace, not merit, which works imply.   The Bible is not against works, just those done in the flesh, for man cannot please God in the flesh (cf. Rom. 8:8).  All our righteous deeds are as filthy rags or useful for nothing (cf. Isa. 64:6).

All of the works of a believer are done by letting Christ live through him and He gets the credit, as we are just vessels of honor (Isa. 26:12).  Paul, himself, would venture to boast of nothing, except what Christ had accomplished through him (cf. Rom. 15:18).  We are not saved by works, but unto works, as Eph. 2:10 says "unto good works."  We are not saved by works, but we are also not saved without them:  Paul would say that he'll show you his works by his faith; while James would tell you that he'll show you his faith by his works.  The two, are distinguished and inseparable, and they cannot be divorced.

All coins have a flip side and can be seen in a twofold manner.  Antinomians believe we are saved by faith, but that works do not necessarily follow, so they say that faith equals salvation minus works.  On the other hand, the Reformers taught that we are indeed saved by faith alone, but not by a faith that is alone--true faith always generates good works as validation.  Having no works is equal to no faith, just like a branch without fruit--YOU SHALL KNOW THEM BY THEIR FRUITS (cf. Matt. 7:16).  Faith must have fruit, for this is the reason we are saved, and no fruit means no faith.

Many think that works are a substitute for faith, but they are the evidence of it!   The problem with some sincere people is that they are "incurably addicted to doing something for their salvation," (according to Charles Swindoll), but the work of God is to believe in Christ (cf. John 6:29).  Works are indeed important in their own right because we are judged and rewarded for them, not our faith (cf. Rom.  2:6).  There are two issues concerning do-gooders, or those enamored with good works:  some cannot do enough because they put their faith in their works, not in Christ; while others are too confident in their faith that they think they don't need good works.

The Reformed formula for salvation is that we are saved by faith alone, but not by a faith that is alone; nonproductive or dead faith doesn't save.  James says, "Can that faith save?"  It should be noted that we can only do God's work by God's power, for Christ said, "Apart from me you can do nothing"  (cf. John 15:5).  Our good deeds are meant to show our faith and to win over others as Jesus said in Matt. 5:16, ESV: "In the same way, let your light shine before men, so that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven."

The problems encountered with some who do good works are that you can have works without faith--but not faith without works--each must examine himself.  We all need to put our faith into action because the faith you have is the faith you show!   We turn our faith into deeds or translate creeds into deeds, you might say--seeing we are not saved by knowing a creed, but knowing a person.  We are all called into the service of our Lord, and we are not saved by our service, but unto service!  The only true measure of faith is obedience as Dietrich Bonhoeffer said, "Only he who believes is obedient; only he who is obedient believes."

Living the good life really amounts to abundant life in Christ, doing His will for your life, and serving in whatever capacity you are equipped to do by talent, gift, resources, opportunities, relationships, time, and circumstances.  The whole purpose of good works is that they give proof of our salvation, for without them our faith is suspect.  Theologically, faith and works are distinguished, but not separated--juxtaposed.  But works are the result, and outcome of faith, not the cause of it or part of it; we are not saved by faith and works, which is legalism, but by faith alone, but only a faith that is productive.  We do good works because we want to--not because we have to.

In summation, it boils down to the two viewpoints (Paul's and James's):  Paul teaches that works must spring from faith; James teaches that faith must be proved by works!

THEREFORE, YOU ARE NOT SAVED BY (BECAUSE OF) YOUR GOOD BEHAVIOR, BUT UNTO (FOR THE PURPOSE OF) GOOD BEHAVIOR!  TO BE BLUNT:  TRUE FAITH EXPRESSES ITSELF.  Soli Deo Gloria!  

What Is Religion?

Christianity has been referred to as a religion, but to be accurate, it's a faith, because faith is essential to its schema of salvation and redemption; while Muslims don't put faith in Allah in the same respect but rely on their good deeds to earn merit; likewise for all so-called religions, which are really works-based salvation (all religions refer to salvation in some vein or aspect).  Works are vital to our faith, but spring from it, and do not substitute for it.  True faith will produce good fruit or good deeds as proof of its reality and that it isn't a mere profession or bogus, but saving and genuine, sincere faith.  

If you compare the world's so-called great faiths, you will realize Christianity stands out as unique and it wouldn't fit the standard definition of religion at all. The concept of grace is unique to Christianity! It's a real insult to the Christian to say that he "got religion" to explain his conversion experience, which is a miracle of transformation and a change from the inside out, not a mere turning over a new leaf or making a resolution to change habits or vices!  Any religion will do if all you want to do is mend your ways and some methodology of doing it; but Christianity alone gives the power to change and the motivation to do it; however, the change doesn't all come at once, the believer is a work in progress and God is working in him to perfect him into the image of Christ.  

To compare:  Religions are works based, and merit-oriented, and don't give any assurance or security to its adherents; Christianity, on the other hand, has both the assurance of salvation and the security in that state of grace;  religion is, in general, knowledge of a creed, based on human achievement, and done in the energy of the flesh, giving man the glory; but Christianity is grace-oriented, and merit has no place in it, it is done by the power of God in us and is based on divine accomplishment; religion is a big to-do list and tells you what you must do, basically in a fear of disobedience (Islam is called the religion of the sword and Islam means submission);  Christianity is about it all being done on our behalf by Christ on His finished work on the cross--it's a done deal or fait accompli!

It is no wonder that religion is characterized by doing good works because man is "incurably addicted to doing something for his salvation [Charles Swindoll quote]."  But if we had to do a work, we'd mess it up, so it's a good deal that it's by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone!  When Jesus was asked what work to do in John 6:29 He said that the work of God is to believe in the One whom He has sent.  Anyone from the feeble-minded to the intellectual can have simple faith and get saved, because it's all by grace and the gift of God (cf. Acts 18:27; 2 Pet. 1:1; Rom. 12:3; Eph. 2:8-9; Phil. 1:29). 

We Christians don't boast in ourselves or in our flesh, as if we did something, but boast in the Lord because of what He has done. We don't attempt to gain the approbation of God or to ingratiate ourselves with Him.  We don't attempt to reach out to God and to strive to get in touch with Him reaching upwards;  in contrast, God reached down to us and condescended to our level.  It may be a surprise to know that only Christianity is based on history and facts  (archaeology, history, and even science) that have yet to be disproved, though many have tried.   Christianity is based on FACT, that no reasonable jury would object to if given the evidence for its case!  Search for yourself:  No so-called religion is based in historical fact--without the fact of the resurrection, there would be no Christianity! The Bible doesn't start out:  "Once upon a time."  Neither is it based in myth or unfounded, unsubstantiated stories without any evidence to corroborate them. 

Religion is the best man can do and Christianity is the best God can do--it's too wonderful for words and it's not something we would've dreamed up or imagined. In a nutshell, religion is a do-it-yourself proposition and lifting yourself up by your own bootstraps; Christianity is about a transformed life and new beginning of an exchanged life, not just a reformation or change, and all this is accomplished by God, not in our own power of the energy of the flesh.

In sum, even in Christianity works play a role; we are not saved by them, nor without them, we are not saved by good behavior, but unto good behavior.  We are saved unto good works according to Ephesians 2:10.  In religion, though, you must do works legalistically, or do them out of necessity, for your salvation--i.e., in order to win God's favor; in Christianity, you are already saved--you are demonstrating your salvation by your deeds and you want to do them out of gratitude; therefore you please God, having gained His favor, not to gain God's graces--the motive and attitude changes; viva la difference!  Religion can sanitize the soul; however, Christianity salvages it! Do you want to know a creed or a Person?    Soli Deo Gloria!  

Pure Religion

Scripture speaks of "pure religion" in James 1:27 and also in Acts 26:5 Paul mentions being from the so-called strictest sect of his religion, in Galatians Paul mentions the Jew's religion.  James says that if you cannot control your tongue, your religion is vain.  It has been said that Christianity is not a religion:  Is this a contradiction?  A contradiction violates the law of noncontradiction, which states something cannot be something and no be something at the same time and in the same manner of speaking. If two people say the same thing that seems contradictory but use different dictionaries, they are not violating the law of noncontradiction!

We say that Christianity is not a religion, in the sense of contrasting it with all other religions; they all involve reaching up to God and trying to gain His approbation by good deeds or works done in the flesh.  Christianity alone deals in grace without merit and salvation by faith without works alone for salvation!  There is such a departure from works religion that Christianity should be called a "faith," for we walk by faith and not by sight; our faith is given and not achieved, for then it would be meritorious--and we believe that salvation is by grace alone without meriting it (cf. Eph. 2:8-9).  James mentions "pure religion" and even if one had pure religion and didn't have faith it would be vain; for without faith, it's impossible to please Him (cf. Hebrews 11:6).

It is an insult to say that we "got religion" when trying to explain away our transformation of character and conversion experience.  Being born again is a miracle in itself and is evidence of the truth of the gospel message.  But note that our experiential knowledge is also based on the objective, historical fact of the resurrection of Jesus, which has "many infallible proofs" according to Luke 1:3.  It is not "pie in the sky," nor wishful thinking, but based in reality.  What He's done for you, He can do for others!  It is our job and calling to spread the Word and win souls (Proverbs 11:30 says that whoever wins souls is wise).  Our marching orders are to fulfill the Great Commission, as well as live by the Great Commandment, and to practice the Golden Rule as our ethic.

Religion says "do" while Christianity says "done."  It's that simple, and you can never know whether you've done enough in religion and therefore, you can never know for sure if you are saved or will enter Paradise, Nirvana, or Heaven, or wherever you aim to go.   It's not religion that saved us, but Christ.  The Bible doesn't save--even believing it or admitting it's the Word of God--and faith doesn't save, for it can be misdirected and the object of the faith is what's important.  It's Christ alone who saves and He accomplishes it by grace through faith.  Religion is largely a man's achievement, while Christianity is God's accomplishment.  It also isn't the amount of faith that saves, but merely the object that saves us, when it's placed in Christ alone.

And so Christianity shouldn't be referred to as a religion, but a relationship with God via a walk of faith with God in fellowship.  According to the dictionary, it's a religion, but Christians use a different dictionary for spiritual words, and it is to make a point that this contrast of the use of the word is made.  You can have all the religion in the world, and you won't please God unless you have faith in Christ!  The good works you do in religion are in order to please God, gain His approbation or good graces; while in Christianity you perform good works out of gratitude because of God's salvation of your soul and works are a "therefore," not an "in-order-to," like religion, strictly speaking in my definition.  Note that Christianity is the only "religion" with a knowable God that wants to have a relationship with us and we can personally know, trust and believe in.

If you don't worship the Lord, you will find something to worship, your job, your possessions, yourself, your lover, fame, fortune, power, success, careers, relationships, celebrities, heroes, entertainment, material goods in general, what have you.  John Stott has called man Homo religiosus, or a religious being--we were made for the worship of God and can only become fulfilled doing that.  Dostoevsky has said, "We cannot live without worshiping something." Worshiping anything or anyone besides God is idolatry! 

But our souls are restless, according to Augustine, until they find their peace in God.  Pascal said we all have a God-shaped blank only He can fill.  Secular Humanists claim they aren't a religion; however, the courts have ruled otherwise: they are a religion without God, and they are, by definition, very religious too.  Freud has called religion a neurosis, or even psychosis, but this doesn't explain the power of a changed life that testifies to its reality.  By the way:  Even atheism has been declared a religion by the Seventh Court of Appeals!

We were made for God and will only find happiness and fulfillment in doing His will and in knowing Him! And so all believers ought to strive to have "pure religion" as our standard (perfection is the standard, while the direction is the test per Matt. 5:48), though we'll never achieve it (cf. Psalm 119:9:96) it's an ideal because the Christian life itself is not hard, it's impossible! In sum, Christianity is so unique that it shouldn't be classified as a religion, but in contrast to it as faith or relationship with the living God! The reason religion is so popular and widespread is that people are incurably addicted to achieving something to get saved!  We tend to be "works-oriented" and put pride in ourselves and our achievements.    Soli Deo Gloria!

Out Of The Slave Market Of Sin

Please reflect on and ponder the following verses relating to our freedom in Christ! 

"Being made free from sin, ye become the servants of righteousness"  (Rom. 6:18, KJV).

"Let it be known to you therefore, brothers, that through this man forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, and by him everyone who believes is freed from everything [namely, sin]"  (Acts 13:38, ESV).

"For freedom [liberty] Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke [bondage to] of slavery [to the Law or legalism]"  (Gal. 5:1, ESV).   

"Anyone who continues to live in him will not sin.  But anyone who keeps on sinning does not know him or understand who he is" (1 John 3:6, NLT).  [Carnality is temporary.]

"Those who have been born into God's family do not make a practice of sinning, because God's life is in them.  So they can't keep on sinning, because they are children of God"  (1 John 3:9, NLT).

"So if the Son [only Christ can liberate us from sin's power] sets you free, you will be free indeed [from sin's bondage]"  (John 8:36, ESV).

"Let it be known to you therefore, brothers, that through this man forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, and by him everyone who believes is freed from everything"  (Acts 13:38, ESV). 

INTRO IN ITALICS:
Note that it's the prerogative of the Holy Spirit to convict of sin, performing an open-and-shut case, while the adversary, the devil, merely accuses us of sin.  We are only responsible for what God reveals to us and convicts us of, not any vague sense of guilt or having a guilt-complex.  Jesus challenged the authorities and Pharisees to convict Him of sin (cf. John 8:46), and He knew no sin, did no sin, and had no sin, yet Christ became sin on our behalf and suffered its full penalty.   But He had to live for us also a life of obedience to the Law of Moses, in order for God to impute His righteousness to us.


Theologians define our situation of depravity as follows:  "We are not sinners because we sin; we sin because we are sinners [we can't help but sin and only do what's natural to our nature]."  We are not basically good but evil: inherently and thoroughly tainted from the image of God:  "Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the leopard his spots  Then also you can do good who are accustomed to do evil"  (Jer. 13:23, ESV).   Paul says in Romans 3 that there is none that does good, no not one! Saint Aurelius Augustine, Bishop of Hippo, proclaimed our predicament:  non posse non peccare or that we are unable not to sin--we can only sin as natural men, even our good deeds are tainted and have wrong motives, our righteousness is as filthy rags per Isaiah 64:6 and our righteousness is not our gift to God, but His gift to us (cf. Isa. 45:24).  Our fruit is from Him (cf. Hos. 14:8) and "... [He] has done for us all our works" (Isaiah 26:12, ESV).  Paul said in Romans 15:8 (ESV):  For I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me...." 

At salvation, we are redeemed from the slave market of sin and set free, no longer in bondage to our old sin nature as its slave, but given the power to overcome.  Indeed if we remain in our sins or continue in them we are not free. There is no category of believer who is in perpetual sin or carnality if he is unrepentant, he is lost--the believer may fail his Lord, but he yearns to obey.  Obedience is the only true test of saving faith, as a Lutheran pastor and theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who was martyred by the Nazis, said, "Only he who believes is obedient; only he who is obedient believes." However, we see the result of salvation:   "For sin shall have no dominion over you, for you are not under law, but under grace"  (cf. Rom. 6:14).

As believers, we are saved from the penalty of sin at salvation, the power of sin in time, and the presence of sin in eternity.  We are born to become overcomers and be masters of our own domain, and comfort zone, not like fish out of water.  Who is it that overcomes the world, but he who believes in the Son of God? (Cf. 1 John 5:5).  We also know that the whole world lies in the power of the evil one (cf. 1 John 5:20).  We ought to consider ourselves dead to sin, no longer obeying that cruel taskmaster.

Romans 6:16 (NLT) says, "Don't you realize that you become the slave of whatever you choose to obey?  You can be a slave to sin, which leads to death, or you can choose to obey God, which leads to righteous living."   And 2 Pet. 2:19 (NLT) says, "They promise freedom, but they themselves are slaves of sin and corruption.  For you are a slave to whatever controls you."    Jesus said that unless you believe He is who He says He is, you will die in your sins (cf. John 8:24).  

We are to examine our fruit regularly (cf. 2 Cor. 13:5) to see if we are walking in the Spirit and following on to know the Lord in fellowship and obedience.  We have been rescued from Satan's power and the power of our own selves because we are our own worst enemy.  The same power that raised Jesus from the dead is available to us to overcome sin and set us free:  "[That] I may know him and the power of his resurrection..." (Phil. 3:10, ESV).

However,  the adversary knows our weaknesses and vulnerabilities and exploits them to catch us at an opportune time after a victory or on a spiritual high.  Epictetus appropriately said that we are never free till we have mastered ourselves.    Everyone has some easily besetting sin (cf. Heb. 12:1) or even pet sin that they find difficult to stop committing and keeps tripping them up.  But the good news is that there is always an escape clause and way to defeat it because no sin is a temptation Christ didn't face and overcome--He is able to sympathize with our weakness and even intercede for us when we do sin.

The whole purpose of repentance is not to change your opinions about your sins, but to come to a change of heart, which means mind, feelings, and will.  It will result in the fruit of a changed life and conduct (cf. Acts 26:20; Luke 3:8).  We "must prove [our] repentance by [our] deeds" (cf. Acts 26:20).  We must also bring forth fruit worthy of our repentance.  No fruit, no repentance.  The key to overcoming sin is genuine repentance, and confession, which implies saying the same thing about as God says and being willing to stop it;  we must be sorry enough to quit!  Our commission:  "... [That] repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem"  (Luke 24:47, ESV).

The trouble with the sinner is that he doesn't see his own sin, according to Martin Luther,  and even flatters himself too much to hate it (cf. Psalm 36:2).  We don't have the power in ourselves to overcome sin, but must learn to walk in the Spirit--the secret to that is to keep short accounts of your sin with regular and frequent confession.  Walking with God is only possible with progressive and continued repentance--it's a way of life, not something we go to confession to do and be absolved by a priest.

We can fall from grace, but not the state of grace, and not absolutely; however, we can and do backslide, but God can heal us of it and restore us (cf. Hos. 14:4).  Paul told the Galatians just that and to stand fast in the liberty they had in Christ.  The whole point of salvation is to be saved from the tyranny of sin and live a transformed life in Christ:  "... [And ] you shall call his name Jesus, for he shall save his people from their sins"  (Matt. 1:21, ESV).

Religion is an exercise in futility as one lifts himself up by his bootstraps and reforms himself and engages in a do-it-yourself proposition, while Christ gives us the power for change by grace [a foreign word to world religion]. Conversion is not an acceptable way to have a nervous breakdown, but a transformed life, not done by self-help, an AA-like pledge, nor self-reform, but God changing one from the inside out.  When sin abounded, grace abounded all the more (cf. Romans 5:20).

Victorious living is then learning to put off the old man, and put on the new man, made in the image of Christ. "Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom"  (2 Cor. 3:17, ESV).    In sum, when we sin we are not showing our freedom, but demonstrating our slavery!
Soli Deo Gloria! 

The Catholic Question

"My hope is built on nothing less,
Than Jesus' blood and righteousness;
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
But wholly lean on Jesus' name"
--EDWARD MOTE

Many Catholics don't even know why they are that denomination, often because they were born into it or married into it.  Protestants stand united in the gospel message, which Martin Luther had revived, that it was by faith that a man is accepted by God.  Faith alone or sola fide became the rallying cry or the battle cry and the Counter-Reformation at the Council of Trent, 1545-1563 pronounced anathema on anyone who adhered to such "heresy" that wasn't "biblical."

Catholics had distorted the gospel to the max: by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, with Scripture alone as the authority, so that all the glory goes to God alone!  What they did was add merit to grace, works to faith, and the church and clergy to Christ, and even tradition to Scripture. Jesus condemned the tradition of man in Matt. 15 and Mark 7, and tradition is only appropriate when concordant with Scripture.  We are saved by grace through faith, and not by works per Eph. 2:8-9. Christians do works as a "therefore," not an "in order to."  In sum, I say:  "Look for Scriptural warrant or precedent, not for tradition."  Contention arose from the so-called "Counter-Reformation" that gave tradition equal authority as Scripture--Protestants affirm the Bible as the guide and rule of faith.

Religion says "do," while Christianity says "done."  We are not to become rules-obsessed like the Pharisees and know a code or a creed, we are to know a person!  Paul pronounced anathema anyone who preaches another gospel in Gal. 1:6-9 and this is the danger, not in praying the Rosary, or invoking saints, but in spreading a false gospel which is damnable; however, be at ease, Catholics can be saved, if they call upon the name of the Lord in faith in repentance; so put aside all apprehension that I'm trying to condemn them all; at worst, they are ignorant of the Word and are living defeated lives because of it. 

Caveat:  In determining truth, it's paramount to realize that Christianity isn't true because it works (yoga and TM work!), but Christianity works because it's true the converse!  You cannot say, "It works for me," without defeating the purpose of Christ, who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life and that these are absolute, not relative to your experiences or situations.

I don't care if you believe in the Fairy Godmother, Easter bunny, Santa Claus, Prince Charming, mermaids, dragons, the abominable snowman (Sasquatch), leprechauns, aliens, ghosts, haunted houses, Halloween, unicorns, knights in shining armor, the Loch Ness monster, cavemen, Cinderella, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Mother Nature, or the Tooth Fairy; those are not damnable though implausible beliefs.  Many of Catholic traditions, such as believing in the Apocrypha are not damnable per se, but just "extra-biblical," rather than "anti-biblical."  You must get this right to become a Christian (cf. Matt. 16:15; 2 John 9):  Who is Jesus Christ?  He is God in the flesh, or you're not a believer and unsaved. Technically, Catholics are Christians, because they know Jesus, but there is so much baggage that it is hard to get to the meat of the Word in that church, and many who find the Lord do leave it for more evangelical churches.

Praying the Rosary, invoking saints, and other religiosity may not be prohibited in the Word, but there are sins of omission as well and these are often mutually exclusive and when you know the Lord, you pray intimately with him and not by rote or in a perfunctory manner, or even to show religiosity as the Pharisees did.  Our prayer life is to be kept in our prayer closet and not "advertised" or promoted, for then we will have our reward--the approbation of man and his praise.

Unfortunately, many Protestants today have come full circle, in that they no longer read the Bible, but rely on their church to tell them what to believe rather than be like the believing Jews in Berea, who searched the Scriptures out in order to see if the things Paul said were so.  This is what Protestants were objecting to:  the authority of the Pope and clergy.  Martin Luther proclaimed:  I dissent, I disagree, I protest!  Hence we are known as Protestants.  

Here's an example of Protestants coming full circle:  "I don't read the Bible or believe in its authority anymore for the ultimate authority and arbiter of truth!"  Q: "How do you know what God's will is and learn about God?"  "I listen to the preacher!"  Q: "How do you know what to believe?"  "He agrees with me!"  Q: "And whom do you agree with?"  "I agree with him--we both believe the same thing!"  Soli Deo Gloria!

Flaunting Your Religion

We are not to wear our religion on our sleeves, as an advertisement so to speak, hoping to arouse witness or opportunity to share our testimony; however, God is the only one to open doors and when He does, no one can close it.  Don't force the door open; He opens the door no one can close, too (cf. Isa. 22:22).   It is not a good idea to see oneself as the representative of Christendom, self-appointed, so-to-speak, and forcing your opinions on others unwilling to hear them.  Daniel neither flaunted his religion--it was no secret either--neither did he privatize it to the point that he was ashamed, but was always ready to be a witness when God makes all things beautiful in His time.

Paul felt three things:  He was indebted to preach; he was eager to preach; and he was unashamed to preach (cf. Romans 1:14-16).  Why? Because he realized the power of the gospel message and that if you can get your message around to that subject and make a beeline for the gospel itself (how God solved the sin problem through the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ), then the Holy Spirit can convict (cf. John 16:8-11) a person of their sins and of the truth of the Word and testimony of Christ--this is where the power is!

We are not to parade our spirituality as the Pharisees did, who loved to stand in the streets and have their long prayers heard and wear clothes that looked "spiritual."  Our religiosity should be a private manner and when we pray it should be in our prayer closet.  However, Jesus said to let your good works be seen by men, that they may glorify your Father in heaven. Jesus said (Matt. 6:1) not to practice our righteousness before men, to be seen by men (then we've had our reward).

Personally, I have discovered that, once unbelievers find out you are a Christian, they dog your every step, hold you up to intense scrutiny, judge you, gossip about you, and you are always living in a glass house, as it were, exposed and under their radar.  Be ready to follow Jesus and bear your cross once your testimony is known--you don't know where it'll lead, even having dire results (faith is not despite the evidence, but ins spite of the consequences).  

We must all be willing to confess Jesus before men (cf. Matt. 10:32) and make our faith known publicly--there is no secret service in the Christianity, nor spiritual lone rangers who have no ties to the body--we must be willing to show our Christian colors and prove ourselves worthy to suffer for His sake, and this means taking stands and even risking a political stance and standing up for Jesus, not standing on the sidelines, losing by default or neglect--conceding everything away on the open marketplace of ideas!

The Bible exhorts us to "Be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear" (1 Pet. 3:15, KJV).  Depend on the power of the Holy Spirit and the Word of God to do it's convicting (cf. John 16:8ff)--we cannot do this, but only God can.  If we can't defend our faith we merely confirm unbelievers in their unbelief and miss an opportunity, of which we will give account for.   Jude 3 exhorts all believers to "earnestly contend for the faith," and this implies studying "to present oneself approved unto God, a workman who does not need to be ashamed... (cf. 2 Tim. 2:15, NASB)."

Sometimes a celebrity or public personage announces that he or she is a Christian and even that they are proud of it.  Jesus may get a bad rap if the person seems hypocritical and doesn't live up to his talk and there is no discrepancy.  He simply hasn't yet earned the right to speak up and should not make himself the spotlight or an issue.  One dubious politico recently said, "I'm proud to be a Christian" in the press; this came as a shock to many evangelical, conservative, and fundamental believers.  Too premature of a witness may jeopardize a testimony when one's character belies or contradicts what one says.  

No one deserves to be the incarnation of Christendom and the universal witness for Him as the representative of Christ on earth, or Head of the Church; we are mere ambassadors of Christ!    Finally, a word to the wise should be sufficient with this caveat:  We will be judged by our witness--the faith you have is the faith you show!   Soli Deo Gloria!

I Found It!

I recall the Evangelistic Explosion campaign in the '70s from D. James Kennedy, whereas people had bumper stickers proclaiming that said, "I found it!"   Found what? would be the rejoinder they were hoping for. They would claim that they found Jesus (I didn't know He was lost)! They wanted people to look for Jesus, I guess!  (Where was He?  They were lost, not Him.)  This is so unbiblical that I shudder to decry and debunk it. 

God was found by those who were not looking according to Isa. 65:1, ESV, ("I was ready to be sought by those who did not ask for me; I was ready to be found by those who did not seek me...."), but actually God found us and we didn't find Him--He was looking for the lost sheep and sheep cannot find their way home or to the shepherd, they have no sense of direction at all.  Blaise Pascal said that he would not have searched for Christ, had He not first found him!  The song "Amazing Grace" goes:  "I was lost, but now am found!" This means we have been found by God.  "For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost"  (Luke 19:10, ESV).

You tend to find what you are looking for and if you are looking for a good deal you may get one. Gold-diggers are looking for a wealthy mate to support them so they don't have to work or can come into some money the easy way.  If we want to find God we must seek Him with all our heart and soul and as our first priority.  "Seek and you shall find." (a principle of life).   It is much more valuable to have found the Lord than to have found riches or a trophy wife as some nowadays seem to be hung up on.  If you seek riches, honor, power, fame, influence, respect, or status you may get it, but you may lose your soul in the process.

Be content with what you have and let God supply all your needs and you will know Him.  If you have too much you may get comfortable and forget your God and a relationship with Him.  Job confessed that he did not put trust in gold or silver but in the Lord.  Today many put their hopes and dreams in their portfolios and 401(k)s and forget that real security is simply knowing the Lord.

Being friends with God is like friends with benefits. God is a benevolent God and there are fringe benefits to knowing Him.  "What shall I render to the LORD for all His benefits to me?"  Romans 11:35 (ESV) says, "Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid?"  Job 41:11 (ESV) says, "Who has first given to me, that I should repay him?"  There are perks to knowing God and He is always looking out for our needs, but when He showers gifts, it is mainly as a test of our faithfulness, not to waste the opportunity to bring glory to God.

I once found a $20 bill on the sidewalk as I was walking home, and it just happened to be what I needed--this was a boost to my faith!  But I certainly was not looking for money even though I superstitiously pick up pennies I find (once I had found the one penny I needed for exact change at a store!).  I can remember God answering me a prayer for one single penny that I needed, and God came through because I kept on looking and didn't lose heart or give up.  God provides our needs in mysterious ways and we should never doubt His generosity, but we are all at different levels of faithfulness and responsibility. Proverbs 18:22 (ESV) says, "He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the LORD." As the Bible says, "The LORD shall provide," hence His name Jehovah Jireh (The LORD our Provider). 

Be careful what you are looking for--you may find it!  Some people are just looking for a good time and end up finding trouble all right! It has been wisely said by Jonathan Edwards "that seeking God is the main business of the Christian life."  According to R. C. Sproul, the search for God is initiated at salvation not consummated at salvation--"we do not find God as a result of our search for Him.  We are found by him."  The search is inaugurated at salvation then. Remember, God's pet peeve so to speak (Rom. 3:11) is that man is not searching for Him. Only if we search with our whole heart will we find Him (Deut. 4:29; Jer. 29:13; Isaiah 55:6; Heb. 11:6). 

In sum, it is a sad thing to gain the whole world and lose your own soul (cf. Mark 8:36), and this happens by having the wrong priority of not seeking first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, so that all these things are added unto him (cf. Matt. 6:33).    Soli Deo Gloria!

Dual Citizenship

We are not only citizens of our country or nation, but of heaven itself, which should be even more real to us as we live day to day in the light of eternity. We have responsibilities to both but heaven takes priority. Paul said he was the citizen of no obscure city in Acts 21:39 and claimed to have been born a citizen of Rome.  He also says we are all "fellow citizens with the saints" and that "our citizenship is in heaven. " (cf. Phil. 3:20). 

It was said of a great missionary that when he arrived home the same time as Pres. Teddy Roosevelt returning from Africa, who got a ticker-tape parade down Broadway in New York City, that he was depressed that no one welcomed him home.  God told him, "You aren't home yet!"  Don't get so comfortable in this world that you aren't ready to meet the Lord in the air at the rapture--Matthew Henry said we ought to live each day as if it's our last, but we really ought to always "love His appearing," and look for His coming per Heb. 9:28 instead.

Why are we dual citizens?  So that we can represent Christ on earth and do His bidding and divine will according to Plan A of the Father (God has no Plan B!).  God has nor needs no other plan.  Paul called us ambassadors in 2 Cor. 5:20 and ambassadors are the spokesmen for a state and have the legal authority to speak on its behalf. We speak for Christ and are commissioned to bring the gospel to the whole world and be His representatives in this evil age. God has interests that we are to look out for and we are responsible according to our time, talent, money, relationships, blessings, resources, and opportunity to serve Him the best we can.  

But it is Christ who lives and works through us, it is not of our own power ("'Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit,' says the LORD," --Zech. 4:6), for we can do nothing apart from Christ (cf. John 15:5).  Paul said in Romans 15:18, ESV, "I venture not to speak of anything, but of what Christ has accomplished through Me."  Isa. 26:12 (ESV) says, "[You] have done for us all our works." This means all we have accomplished God has done through us and used us as vessels of honor to accomplish His will.

The territory that ambassadors reside in is considered sovereign to the nation they represent, and in analogy, our property belongs to God and He considers any infringement on it as an attack on Him from Satan.  Churches are like oases where Satan has no authority!  Like Christ said, "Where two or three are gathered together in My name, there I am" (cf. Matt. 18:20). In sum, don't get too comfortable--we're not home yet!   Soli Deo Gloria!

To Be Seen By Men

Jesus mentioned how the Pharisees loved to be noticed praying on the street corners to be seen by men and said they have lost their reward (cf. Matt. 6:1).  We need to keep our righteousness between us and God as much as is our control.  I remember the first time I witnessed of my faith after being saved in the Army and found out that being a braggadocio is a no-no. God is not impressed with our filthy rags and we shouldn't be impressed by them either.  Caveat:  "For it is not he who commends himself that is approved, but he whom the Lord commends"  (2 Cor. 10:18, NASB).

Ironically, the way up is down like John the Baptist said:  "He must increase, and I must decrease." The person who humbles himself shall be exalted, not the person who presumes to be someone when he isn't.  We are not to have low self-esteem or to think less of ourselves, but to think of ourselves less!  Like the actor who gets one role and thinks he is a star or the person who writes one poem and thinks he is a poet or the person who preaches one sermon and thinks he is a preacher, so we all tend to think we've arrived, even though Paul never assumed this:  "I do not claim to have laid hold of it yet..." (Phil. 3:12).

When you've preached a hundred sermons dare call yourself a preacher, though others can and may--don't toot your own horn; or if you've witnessed hundreds of times call yourself a faithful witness--let others praise you and not yourself, or if you have done whatever God has called you to and been faithful in it--success doesn't come overnight.  It is paramount that the Lord give His blessing to your endeavor and you be called to it, because you must have an anointing to do it in the Spirit--there are even preachers who do it in the energy of the flesh and are just great speakers or very scholarly, but not called by God or filled with the Holy Spirit.  I do not think preaching is a production or a show but a calling that must be blessed by God.  I know of storytellers, great public speakers, or even comedians who parade as charismatic preachers but are wolves in sheep's clothing and should get out of the ministry, despite their following--preaching is not just academics but spiritual.

Some people serve for the applause of man as people-pleasers (cf. Eph. 6:6, KJV), and some seek the glory of God and give it back to Him.  Praise is merely the test of a man's spirit to see what he is made of.  I make it clear when my Bible class claps for me that it is of God and He is the one to praise, but they still insist because they really believe it's a good Bible study; but I have learned not to trust the opinions of man and I seek only to please God and not man--I certainly don't want praise to go to my head. Watch out for those who want the approbation of man, and not God's favor and smile on their endeavors.   We don't do favors for one another as if they might owe us one in return, but we are servants of Christ doing it out of the pure motive of love for Him.  Soli Deo Gloria!

Being Down On Religion

"Now to the one who works, his wage is not reckoned as a favor, but as what is due.  But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is reckoned as righteousness" (Romans 4:4-5).

"For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law" (Romans 3:28).

Many people mistakenly think that the Golden Rule is the essence of Christianity, au contraire, that would make it a performance-based religion.  You can take Buddha out of Buddhism, and Mohammad out of Islam, and you basically have the religions still intact, but you cannot do so with Christianity--Christianity IS Christ! (You must know Him!)  You must, first of all, be right about Him and His work:  i.e., He is the incarnation of God or God in the flesh and He paid the price for our redemption from sin, by dying on the cross to do this and show His love for us, and rose from the dead as ultimate proof of the Father's acceptance to give us hope and reason for believing in life after death--a resurrection.  Believing Christ lived and died is history, believing He did it for you is salvation!

It is a proven fact of psychology that religious people are happier than those who profess none. Paul complimented the philosophers of Athens on Mars Hill for being "very religious" meaning they were open to speculation and accepting of religious ideas, giving him the open door to preach.  But Julian Huxley wrote Religion Without Revelation, in which he said you don't need God to know right from wrong--this is where Secular Humanism leads us.  John Dewey wrote A Common Faith to say that you can be religious without a religion (Secular Humanism is a religion without God!).  True religion is to walk in the Spirit of God and be led by Him as you live in faith and are faithful to your calling in life--in other words knowing Jesus and having a relationship with Him.

To say someone got religion is an insult to a Christian: " I tried religion," the pastor said, "and it didn't work."  His friend asked him, "What then, you're a pastor?"  He replied:  "Then I tried Christ and a relationship with Him and it worked!"" As they say:  The proof of the pudding is in the eating! I've heard of people saying that if that's what Christ can do for someone they want Him too--this is the power of one's testimony and witness for Christ to make Him known.   Many people today don't really hold anything against Christ, but against religion, especially organized religion and the church, as an institution.  Jesus plainly said that eternal life is "knowing" Him, and this means more than knowing about Him.  It is some kind of fellowship of the heart and love affair that no religion can match.

Religion has historically believed in making "sacrifices" to appease" or mollify and humor the gods who may be angry and cause bad luck, as it were, but in religion it is always the individual or society making the sacrifice (such as their children or a lamb), and in Christianity it is God Himself who makes the sacrifice because He is capable of paying a debt we couldn't pay and we owed to Him for offending Him in our sin and rebellion, and His sacrifice is infinite and cannot be measured, and therefore capable of saving mankind if they accept His work on their behalf--that is precisely what Christ did by paying the price of His blood shed for us so we wouldn't have to pay it in hell, and this is a free gift of salvation offered to all if they only exercise faith in Him.

Religion is defined as doing something "religious" or of displaying "religiosity."  Secular Humanists believe you can be religious without having religion and they are gaining ascendancy with their ethical religion without God. It's a faith to live by and has a creed to believe.  That is precisely what evil is:  Being good without God or getting along without Him in the equation.  Man's problem today is whether he can get along without the God he has left out of the picture, according to Will Durant.  You can be a Christian without being religious, in fact, this is the normal Christian way of life--a walk of faith. The righteous shall live by faith according to Romans 1:17. "[W]e walk by faith, and not by sight"  (2 Cor. 5:7, ESV).

Knowing about God will not satisfy the needs of the heart of man, but having a relationship with the personal God and knowing His will. Blaise Pascal, a French philosopher, said there is a "God-shaped vacuum" in our heart that only God can fill.  St. Augustine said that our hearts are restless until they find their rest in God.  We are made to worship God and if we don't we will worship something or someone else.  Christ promised a more abundant and fulfilling life in knowing Him, which is rewarding and worth it.  "... [I] came that they may have life and have it abundantly"  (John 10:10b, ESV).

Man strives to please God by his merits and works of the flesh (morality, philosophy, good deeds, ritual, etc.). Religion is also man's attempt to reach out to God, while God has taken the initiative and reached down in condescending to man--we are incapable of finding God through the doorway of religion!  Man is incurably addicted to doing something for his salvation and the Jews asked Jesus what they could do:  He replied that the "work of God" is believing on Him whom God sent.  Salvation is a free gift of grace that cannot be earned, paid back, and is not deserved or merited. Christianity is not a list of dos and don'ts, but following Christ in fellowship and love.

Christ paid the price on a debt we couldn't pay and owed for our sins to the Holy Father.  It was an infinite price that only God could pay with His blood--He suffered to the max on our behalf. The crucifixion is the measure of His love because He didn't have to die, He volunteered and willingly went to the cross. Religion lays down what man is obliged to do, while the gospel reveals to us what God has done for us.  There are a plethora of religions based on human achievement; however, Christianity is based on divine accomplishment, not human achievement or work.

Religion is a do-it-yourself proposition of lifting yourself up by your own bootstraps and trying to earn your way in, hoping your good deeds outweigh your bad ones at the Judgment.  Christians don't do good because they have to, but because they want to.  Works are a "therefore" not an "in order to" you might say. We don't have to, we get to!  Viva la difference!  Religion is performance-based and doesn't solve the problem of guilt that we all incur by our sin.  In Christianity salvation is a done deal and complete, while in religion the key word is "do" and is never done--all you can do is hope and you will never be assured of heaven or salvation. You just can't ever know in a works religion.  When you say that works bring salvation, that is pure religion, and when you mix works and faith that is legalism.  "[H]e saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit"  (Titus 3:5, ESV).

Christianity says that faith alone saves and works just naturally follow out of gratitude and a changed life (the Reformers said we are saved by faith alone, but not by a faith that is alone--no fruit means no faith).  You don't come to God with a changed life or a resolution to improve but come to God for a changed life.  He doesn't put a new suit on the man, but a new man in the suit.  Millions of lives have been transformed and renewed by Christ, and this is not the case with other religions, because the problem we have is sin, not ignorance and Jesus came to save us from our sins.  There is no other Savior in the world and no one else by whom we are commanded to call upon for salvation by a leap of faith to believe in our regenerated and renewed hearts.

Good works do have a place in Christianity, but they give us no merit before God.  We are saved "unto good works," which means that we are not saved by them, but so we can do them--only believers have the power to do good works in God's eyes.  Good deeds give us purpose and meaning in life as we cheerfully serve our Savior out of gratitude.  The works we do are actually ordained or predetermined for us to "walk in them"  (cf. Eph. 2:10).  Note that Christ didn't die to make bad men good, but to make dead people alive!  He came to bring life and life more abundantly (cf. John 10:10).

If we have no good works our faith is dead and dead faith cannot save!  Without the evidence of good works, our faith is suspect because the true believer wants to do them.  Sin doesn't show our freedom, but our slavery and Christ came to save us from our sins, which are the issue and problem we have. Religion is the best man can do, it has been said, but Christianity is the best God can do.  This means we don't earn salvation, we receive it!  Purpose of good deeds in perspective is vital to know:  James says, "I'll show you my faith by my good works;" and Paul would say, "I'll show you my good works by my faith." They go hand in hand and you can only distinguish them, but not separate them--they are no substitute for faith, but only evidence that it is real.

RELIGION EQUAL KNOWING OR CONFESSING A CODE OR CREED; CHRISTIANITY MEANS KNOWING A PERSON AND HAVING LIFE WITH HIM, PERIOD.  SOLI DEO GLORIA!

The Difference Jesus Makes

All religions are not basically the same ideals under different wraps, as the Baha'i religion would have you believe.  Even many Americans believe they all pray to the same God under different names!  Some faiths say that all are equally valid beliefs and what matters is what works for you.  But two contradictory views cannot both be equally valid, logically speaking.  The funny thing about religion is that most people are misinformed or uninformed and even have disinformation from propaganda sources that spread their faith by name familiarity or blitzing the public.

For instance, did you know that Buddha (Enlightened One) never claimed to be God or even a god, but was an agnostic who only sought enlightenment;  saying that if there was a God, He couldn't help you with finding enlightenment, you must find it on your own--by the way, Siddhartha Gautama (Buddha) only sought to reform Hinduism and not start a new faith that is the predominant worldview of the Orient religion-wise.  In contrast:  Jesus said, "[And] you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free"  (John 8:32, ESV). He is the embodiment and epitome of truth to be known in Him.

Every faith has its own idea of who Christ is:  Mormons believe He achieved godhood or became a god and is our elder brother; Buddhists just believe He was another enlightened teacher; Jews believe He was a gifted, miracle-working, misunderstood, but deceiving rabbi; Muslims believe he was a great prophet and even the Messiah, but lower in rank than Muhammad himself, who is the greatest and final prophet. Jehovah's Witnesses see Him as the first created being and a lesser God, worthy of worship though; even Scholars believe He is someone special, even if a great moral example or ethical person who died a martyr for a good cause. The point is that if you don't figure out who Jesus is, you are in heresy.  "Everyone who goes on ahead and does not abide in the teaching of Christ does not have God..." (2 John 9).  So who is He?   He is the one and only Son of God, co-equal, co-eternal, and co-existent with God the Father.

Buddhists believe in going ultimately to nirvana or being snuffed out like a match in the ocean or candle on a birthday cake when they die. Achieving nirvana is likened to total nothingness:  They refer to the extinction of all desire which leads to the cessation of pain and suffering caused by it, via many reincarnations.  The Hindus, on the other hand, see nirvana as a reunion with Brahma, after numerous reincarnations or transmigrations.  Hindus are pantheistic (all is God) and have many gods (thousands--no one knows for sure!) and for this reason, are also polytheistic. Jesus was real in saying He was going to prepare a "place for us" and heaven is a real place in Christianity, not of man's imagination, such as the paradise of Islam, where they get 72 virgins and live a life of wine, women, and song for eternity because they abstained from this on earth.  Only heaven is beyond that which we could imagine or conceive and is divinely revealed.  "But, as it is written, 'What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him'" (1 Cor. 2:9, ESV).

The whole point of Christ calling us is to spread the Word of the gospel and increase the kingdom of God, because He said His kingdom is not of this world--however, Muslims believe in world hegemony and have geopolitical considerations in their faith and believe Christ is coming to force everyone into Islam, hence "submission." Jesus said, "My kingdom is not of this world."  You must be born again to "see" the kingdom of God, and it is like the wind that we don't see, but can see it effects on earth and what it is doing.  God opens our spiritual eyes to His truth in the Word and we are made alive spiritually, restoring our relationship with God--this is true salvation! Because of Jesus' resurrection, we have evidence and proof of our final resurrection, and it is not just pie in the sky without any objective, historical fact to back it up like the competing faiths.

It was Judaism that introduced the world to monotheism and Christianity is the fulfillment (not replacement) of this faith.  Islam believes that their faith supersedes and replaces Christianity and Judaism, not just fulfills them.  Muslims have no assurance of salvation unless they die in a Holy War or Jihad (this is a great recruitment tool and why they are so fanatical and have geopolitical considerations).  The religion, known as the "religion of the sword," is based on total submission, in fact, Islam means "submission." They even circumcise about 75 percent of the girls to make them obedient and docile and do not believe they should be treated equally on a par with men in a man's world shaped by seventh-century ethics and customs.  Girls are not traditionally allowed to even get an education.  Jesus changed all this and saw women as men's equals and partners in life and having the same aptitudes and abilities as men.  They may have a different role, but they are equal.  The woman is the counterpart of the man and his helpmate in Christ--we are all one in Christ!

When you look at all the religions, they all say "do" and are based on works to get salvation.  But you never know in a works religion how much is enough to get saved.  Christ made it possible to know for sure that one is saved and to have this assurance of salvation, which sets Christianity apart from all other faiths.  Christianity is a love affair with Jesus, not a system of ethics, or philosophy, or creed.  It's not a religion, they say, but a relationship with the living God Himself.  Muslims don't acknowledge a personal God that we can know and have a relationship with, and they certainly don't believe God is love, because they see Him as totally arbitrary, capricious, whimsical, and unpredictable, even changing His standards.  They sincerely believe that one angel records their good deeds, and another their bad deeds, and at Judgment Day they will see which balances out the most. One of the biggest mistakes well-meaning and sincere people (but sincerity alone doesn't save--you can be sincerely wrong) is the idea that the essence of Christianity is the Sermon on the Mount or the Golden Rule itself and they only have to sincerely live by a code--Christ didn't come to make bad people good, but dead people alive!

Religion says "in order to" get salvation (works), while Christianity says "therefore (we are already saved and desire to do good deeds to prove it)."  We don't have to do good works but want to, in other words.  Religion is basically a do-it-yourself proposition and a way to "lift yourself up by your own bootstraps." Religion believes you are basically good, capable of reforming yourself, and denies the problem is sin per se.  Only in Christ do we solve the sin problem by the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ from the dead.  Religion is the best man can do and is basically man reaching up to God; Christianity, however, is God reaching down to man in grace (love that stoops is called grace).  Christ introduced a new concept called grace that means we can never earn, don't deserve, and cannot repay our salvation.  It is totally a gift of God to be received by faith and there is nothing we can do but believe in Him!  Religion says "do" (respecting good deeds to earn salvation); however, Christ says, "done," because He said on the cross tetelestai or "It is finished [paid in full--finis]."  It is a done deal in Christ--there's nothing to do but accept it.  There's nothing we can do to add to Christ's work on the cross and it would be an insult to God if we tried!  "The work of God is this: to believe in the one whom he has sent"  (John 6:29).

All the major faiths deal with miracles, but you can take the miracles out of them and you still have the religions intact.  Islam doesn't need miracles (recorded only in the Hadith or the traditions dated much later after Muhammad died) and the faith survives without them.  But Christianity is different: Without the miracles of Christ, He would have only remained a footnote in history and the movement would never have gotten off the ground.  If you remove the miracles from Christianity you disembowel it and there is nothing left but a philosophy such as living by the Golden Rule (some actually do have this as their religious dogma or credo).  The miracles of Christ are different from other faiths:  They were never staged, done on-demand, for personal gain or profit, for a show, or done without skeptics present, unlike the other faiths.  Jesus had a reason to do each miracle (really a sign as John called them because they taught a lesson about Him).  They are not helter-skelter or done without rhyme or reason, but methodical and orderly as if prearranged and planned from eternity from the Father.

The whole point of Christ's teachings was that He claimed deity and did so convincingly so that the Pharisees made no mistake in what He was claiming and plotted His crucifixion accordingly.  No other religion's founder claimed deity:  Muhammad just claimed to be the last prophet of mankind, as heard from the angel Gabriel.  Buddha never claimed deity.  Hinduism was founded about the time of Abraham, but it is polytheistic (many gods) and also pantheistic (everything is God), which is almost like saying there is no God in effect.  In all the Scriptures of these faiths, only the Bible claims to be the Word of God propositionally.  Many times it says, "Thus says the LORD"' and so forth--not so in these other "holy" writings. However, there is a distinction in that Christ never prefaced himself in such a way, but audaciously and boldly proclaimed His own edicts and spoke as no man ever spoke with such authority and made claims no man ever made, backed them up with such character never seen and proved them by such signs and miracles never been done, that to doubt Jesus, one can never say there is a lack of evidence to believe, but one must not want to believe out of moral reasons and not because of intellectual reservations. The anti-establishment and nonconformist figure that Jesus was, truly upset the applecart and invaded the turf of the Pharisees and threatened their job security!

Both Hindus and Buddhists also believe in Maya or that reality is an illusion and you cannot bet on it (science never would've developed under such an outlook!). Jesus claimed to be "The Truth," which means we can know reality and count on it and have a personal relationship with the epitome of reality itself--Jesus Christ.   This means there is absolute truth or Truth with a capital "T."  Christ is totally objective (we cannot be), and is true regardless of our belief or doubt and what He said is true regardless of what someone says expert or not. With man there is no such thing as total objectivity and we must rely upon revelation from God to know the truth.

It is primarily a way of life and traditions such as bathing in the Ganges River of India and the caste system are kept religiously by ignorant people. Both Buddhists and Hindus believe in karma or that you are your own island and suffer what you deserve:  If you are suffering, that is your karma and one shouldn't interfere--how different is Christianity that teaches love for our brother, neighbor, and even enemy! Mother Teresa of Calcutta is an example of how Christian love as shown in Hindu India where she ministered to the outcasts and pariahs that no one cared about. Even Bertrand Russell, the renowned British atheist, and mathematician, said that what the world needs "is more Christian love."  Most religions really believe in "looking out for number one" while Christianity shows the world what charity or real godly love is all about (the example of the Good Samaritan, for instance).

The whole purpose of Scripture is not to increase our knowledge or enlighten us (we are not saved by knowledge, secret or otherwise), but the purpose is to change our lives.  We aren't saved by being enlightened or by knowledge per se, but in knowing Jesus.  Jesus makes a person new from the inside out and is in the resurrection business of changing the lives of those who realize their need.  ("I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners unto repentance,"  "... [Those] who are sick need a physician.") Religion is only about reforming yourself and turning over a new leaf, as it were, but they don't give you the supernatural power to do it--you must muster all your own strength. In Christ, we not only have changed lives (even some religion can do that much) but exchanged lives, which is the miracle.

Jesus didn't come to be a wise teacher of morals, or a religious martyr for a movement, but a Savior from the sin virus that affects us all.  In Christianity, we have Jesus living in us to will and to act according to His good purpose (cf. Phil. 2:13).  It is not about imitation, but about inhabitation.  "Christ in you, the hope of glory" (Col. 1:27). You can say with Paul in Galatians 2:20 that it is no longer you that lives, but Christ that lives in or through you.

With Jesus in the equation, you have a whole new outlook on life and see life with the lens of His truth so you can see the Big Picture of how to interpret world events--life makes sense! Jesus does make a difference! You can too if you know Him!  Viva la difference!  In contrast to other faiths, you can take Buddha out of Buddhism, or Muhammad out of Islam, and you still have the basics of the religion; however, you cannot do this with Christianity--taking Christ out of it leaves nothing left:It would be an empty philosophy without any power to implement it and have promised without any fulfillment. When you factor in Jesus, you find that life is worth living and there is meaning a purpose in living for Him.   Soli Deo Gloria!

Problem Of Depression

Depression, according to Dr. Gene A. Getz, is when we dwell on the past, misinterpret the present, or anticipate the future all in a bad light.  It is caused by unhealthy thoughts in most cases, though it is possible not to know the reason:  Refer to Psalm 42 and 43 where the psalmist wonders just why he is so "downcast."   It is popularly defined as impression without expression equals depression.  Sometimes the blues are called the doldrums or being in the pits or in a funk.

The problem we have today is not that we have a new problem labeled "depression" which was somehow invented by the psychiatrists in this modern age to define a new phenomenon, but that we don't want to admit our problem or weakness and keep it all to ourselves until it is too late and we are victims.  Many veterans are committing suicide and they have learned to cope in the most trying of circumstances, but find civilian life unwelcome and unsettling and can't readjust or acclimatize back into the common society, which is another culture shock.  Job, Jonah, and Elijah all had death wishes and we have their records in Scripture to warn us or show us that it is not unusual or something God can't deal with or heal.

The problem with depression, is not that we get it, because most will at one time or another ("Song sung blue, everyone knows one"), but how we cope with it (we all have coping mechanisms that "work" for us, some are just self-destructive like binge eating)--what is the therapeutic thing to do and is this a helpful solution, or part of the problem?  If we go shopping, eat, sleep, gamble, drink, withdraw, or get into trouble every time we get depressed, it may become an ingrained habit and become part of our nature.  "Sow a thought, and reap an act; sow an act and reap a habit; sow a habit, and reap a character; sow a character, and reap a destiny.'  We are what our thoughts make us up to be:  "For as a man thinks in his heart, so is he" (Prov. 23:7).  It is important what we make out reality to be and our viewpoint, regarding reality and how we adjust to it.  We cannot live in a fantasy world but must be realistic.

Depression, to some, is a choice:  they choose to have a pity party and wallow in their self-pity, just not able to cope.  But in some cases, it is more of an inherited trait or personality trait, and not a flaw to be ashamed of, but something that can be helped.  We may not choose to be depressed, but we do choose how we react to it and how to cope.  Psychiatry today is focusing more on the positive thing to do and depending less on trying to figure out the reason for the depression.  Living a healthy lifestyle is the cure, not understanding ourselves.  The Greek axiom of Socrates, "Know thyself" may be valid for success, but we need to interact with others and get help if we are to overcome our depression--by the way, knowing the Lord is even more vital.  People who need people are the happiest people!  "I get by with a little help from my friends," sing The Beatles.  You'd be surprised at how much a good friend can get you out of your depression simply by talk therapy.  Things tend to work them out if we give them a chance.

Some people are known to have "bipolar disorder" and abnormally have highs and lows due to some inborn. inherited trait, but this per se is not wrong or a "sin" but how they deal with it and what happens when they are in their periods of depression or euphoria.  They may even frown upon someone feeling "too good" for their own good.   Creative people would often rather stay that way because they find creativity has a lot to do with their feelings. It is not good to rely on feelings but some people are more maudlin and sentimental; others are more stoical and less demonstrative in their feelings and don't even relate to their feminine side--they want to "be a man" or act like a man and be "tough."

We don't want to get out of touch with our emotions and harden our hearts, but God desires a tender heart that is in tune with Him and his feelings.  Great men in the Bible also were in touch with their feelings and were not ashamed. Sometimes all we need to do is to get it out in the open and express ourselves in the interaction with others by having and making friends--we don't want to end up loners who live in their own little world without any fellowship or interaction with people they are in touch within their circle of friends or sphere of influence.

Ted Turner says that "Christianity is for losers."  They say that it's a crutch!  Everyone has a crutch of some kind--no one is an island that needs no one.  We all need each other--only God is a rock.  The Buddhists say that we to face up to our own karma and we only get what we deserve--what goes around, comes around.

We all are meant to be a religious people that can only find fulfillment in God--a vacuum that only God can fulfill. Augustine said only God can meet our needs for this longing of the soul.  Men are said to be Homo religiosus or a religious being.  We will worship something, whether it is God or not doesn't matter, it will be something (fame, fortune, power) or someone (heroes, family, friends, lovers), but letting anything take God's place is idolatry and breaking the first commandment not to have any gods before our God in His rightful place.  When we learn to depend on Christ in our daily walk we have certainly matured and we all must learn that we are all part of the body of Christ and are in this together.   Soli Deo Gloria!

Christian Faith Or Religion?

R. C. Sproul says that Christianity is not a religion but a faith because of the body of knowledge affirmed by its adherents and the virtue of faith exercised by the same in its understanding of redemption. A good definition of faith is cited as follows: Not belief without truth, but trust without reservation. It is said that true faith is not believing despite the evidence, but obeying in spite of the consequences.  The biblical definition, of course, is Heb. 11:11 as follows: "The substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things unseen." You don't have to have all the answers to believe, even a child can accept Christ!

Sproul decries the so-called "blind faith" terminology that some say Christians have. Not knowing why you believe or don't believe is blind faith too.   Actually, salvation is a step into the light, not a leap into the dark. "Faith is the antidote to blindness, not the cause of it" (Sproul). He goes on to say that using that term is an "outrage to God and demeaning to Christians." We don't have faith in faith per se, that is fideism, it's the object of Christ that saves.

I shall begin by affirming what faith is not: It is not head belief (the belief must move 18 inches from the head to the heart), storybook faith or mere assent or acquiescence; it is not lip service; true saving faith is given, not achieved (it is not human accomplishment, but divine achievement); it is not easy- believism or faith without commitment; It is not simplistic, though it is simple enough for a child; it is not childish, though it is childlike; it is not gullibility, superstition (believing something for no reason), or being credulous; it is not believing something you know isn't true (we have sound reasons to believe and God doesn't expect us to believe despite the evidence; it is not solely sincerity, though this is required; it is not faith for its own sake or faith in faith. Expressions like "Keep the faith" are useless if not in the correct object or person. 
  
Faith has many definitions: it is the opposite of sin; it is a choice and an action word that has legs; it is obedience (Bonhoeffer said, "Only he who believes is obedient, and only he who is obedient believes."); Faith is one way of looking at repentance; there is not saving faith without genuine repentance (the flip side of the coin, as it were, cf. Acts 20:31); other names for faith are reliance, confidence, trust; we "walk by faith, not by sight."

  We don't need all the answers to believe (and believing doesn't mean you know all the answers-you know the Answerer), just a preponderance of the evidence. There is a surfeit of knowledge available as historical and logical evidence that the honest enquirer can search out. We don't believe despite the evidence; the historical proofs of eyewitnesses and circumstantial evidence is compelling and would be admissible in a court of law.

Faith is something only humans are capable of since we have the Imago Dei or image of God. We have the intelligence to know God, the emotions to love God, and the volition to obey God; We have this equipment; animals don't and cannot have a relationship with God as we can. They are oblivious to His presence.

Philosophers refer to a "properly basic belief" in that you can experience the love of Christ; as Psalm 34:8, NKJV, says: "Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good...." The proof of the pudding is in the eating!

 Billy Graham cites a classic example of faith: A daredevil walked across the Niagara River on a tightrope, then with a wheelbarrow. He asked the on-lookers if they believed he could walk a man in the wheelbarrow across; they said, "Affirmative!" But when he asked for volunteers no one stepped forward (no one had real faith). To put it succinctly, faith is born when we give up (deny ourselves), surrender (to his lordship and will) and commit (to take up our cross to follow him). Many want to be leaders, but we need to be followers first.

Finally, there is a difference between believing in God (even the demons do this) and believing God.  We long for more than a knowledge about God, but a knowledge of Him--to know Him, not just know He's there.  We must believe in the God who is there, and believe in Him as He is.   The latter takes a relationship to fulfill.  Soli Deo Gloria!

Is Faith A Gift Or A Meritorious Work?

This is an issue that separates Arminian and Reformed theologians. If you believe faith is a work, then you are saved by works.  But we are saved by grace:  "Not by works of righteousness which we have done," (cf. Titus 3:5).   If you believe faith is a gift, then you are saved by the grace of God. Titus 3:7 says we are "justified by grace." Faith is not something we conjure up, but it is bestowed on us through the preaching of the Word. "Faith comes by hearing and by hearing of the Word of God" (Rom. 10:17).
Regeneration actually precedes faith according to John Piper and John Orr.  NB:  If we could believe prior to or without regeneration, what good is regeneration?  The fact is that God quickens faith in us.  The Spirit is like the wind that blows where it wills. "For by grace are you saved by faith, and that (the complete deal) not of yourselves, it is the gift of God..." (Eph. 2:8-9).

We don't psyche ourselves up for faith, and we don't catch it like an illness from others, we don't conjure it up--it comes directly from the Holy Spirit who quickens faith within us. He overcomes our hardened heart and reluctance to believe. God has the ability to cause us to do something willingly in His omnipotence. Rome, on the other hand, has made faith into a meritorious work and denies that there is any such "gift."

Some pertinent verses are as follows:

"For you have believed through grace..." (Acts 18:27). "...To those who have obtained like precious faith..." (2 Pet. 1:1). "For it has been granted unto you ... to believe in Him..." (Phil. 1:29). "Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ HAS BEEN born of God..." (1 John 5:1 ESV, emphasis mine; (2 Thess 2:13) says "sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth.'   Nota bene  HAS BEEN means this is the past tense indicating that regeneration precedes faith. "This is the work of God, that you believe in Him..." (John 6:29). "God ... opened the door of faith to the Gentiles..." (Acts 14:27). "God opened Lydia's heart to pay attention to Paul..." (Acts 16:14). "What do you have that you didn't receive?"  (1 Cor. 4:7).

Faith is our act (God doesn't have faith--He doesn't believe for us!), but it is God's work in us. Soli Deo Gloria. God gets all the glory, and we have nothing to boast of. It isn't our virtue nor our wisdom, but God's. God is no man's debtor and isn't obligated to save anyone, or salvation would be justice, not grace.  It is grace that He saves anyone. God works all things "according to the pleasure of His will." "We are the clay, He is the potter" (See Isaiah 64:8).  Soli Deo Gloria!

Simple, But Not Ignorant Faith

God wants us to have simple faith, but not simplistic, childlike, but not childish.

Some say we should keep our walk as simple as possible. But the mature Christian has developed a taste for the Word and doesn't balk at the deep things of God's Word. Augustine has said, we believe in order to understand, and our faith is enhanced as we gain a better understanding. Our faith is growing and living like Peter says, "Grow in the grace and the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." Being negative to knowledge per se is not an option, the reason the Jews went into captivity was lack of knowledge ("For this reason, My people go into exile, because they have no knowledge," says Isa. 5:13.) We can have a simple walk with the Lord and know him in a deeper communion. Ignorance is not bliss, as they say, but knowledge and confidence are like Siamese twins that are linked together, says Charles Swindoll. "You shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free," says John 8:32.

Eccles. 12 says "Much study is weary to the flesh." Well, it's not weary to the spirit, especially if God is in it according to Phil. 4:13, which says, "I can do all things through Him who strengthens me." Make sure were just not slothful with our minds--love God with all your mind. "Of making many books there is no end." We need scholars, though everyone is not cut out to be one so that we don't have to start out at square one and rediscover the Trinity, the rapture, the deity of Christ, or Providence.

Everyone isn't intellectual, but some are and they shouldn't be treated with contempt and become "anti-intellectual."  We are commanded to study to show ourselves approved. The commandment to love God with all our "heart, soul, and mind" is appropriate, and we should not have lazy minds. "Let us know, let us pursue the knowledge of the Lord" (Hos. 6:3).  "For I desire the knowledge of God more than burnt offering" (Hos. 6:6).

Paul says he'd rather have us not ignorant in Rom. 1:13. When it says, "Taste and see that the Lord is good," it means that learning about God makes us thirsty for more and makes us want to turn it into a knowledge of God. "Now that you have tasted that the Lord is good...." God equates ignorance with foolish men and knowledge with wise men. (Ignorance in the Bible comes from the same Latin root word as an ignoramus and agnostic, from the Greek, means the same thing.)   Soli Deo Gloria!

Is Christianity Different?

There is a vast difference between "religion" and Christianity. Religion is the best that man can do, while Christianity is the best that God can do. All religions have their emphasis on human achievement, while Christianity stresses God's accomplishment. Religion is based on man's merit, while Christianity is based on Christ's merit on our behalf. Religion is secured through works, not grace, which is unique to Christianity.  Religion is about men trying to find God or reaching out to God, but Christianity is God reaching down to men and finding them where they are.   In a works system, you never know how much is enough--so you never have assurance. Only Christianity gives assurance of salvation.

Religion is essentially a do-it-yourself proposition, whereby you lift yourself up by your own bootstraps (in the Hindu religion, for instance, one must suffer his karma ( an iron-clad system of cause and effect), and be his own island, there is no hope for the outcast or failure). Religion has nothing to say to the failures, losers, and outcasts.

On the other hand, only if you realize you are a sinner and a failure does Christianity have any message for you. Truth, not just Christianity, is exclusive.   Christianity claims to be the only way to Heaven, but not because Christians are egotistical (if something is true because I say so, that is egotism), but because Christ himself made this truth claim: "I am the way, the truth, and the life, no one comes to the Father, except through Me [Jesus]." Truth, by its very nature, is intolerant of error. Christianity is not a system of ethics, but a relationship with Christ.  It's not about knowing or reciting a creed but knowing a Person.  If you take Mohammad out of Islam, or Buddha out of Buddhism,  you still have the religion intact, but if you take Christ out of Christianity, you disembowel it.

Christianity is a religion of paradoxes: The way up is down, the meek shall inherit the earth, etc. The way to be filled is only to be emptied.  There are miracles in other religions, but they are believed because the religion is already believed, you take the miracles out of Christianity and you destroy the faith because the miracles give testimony to the truth. Only in Christianity can you know for sure that you are saved; no Muslim knows for sure he is going to Paradise, or Hindu or Buddhist that he is going to Nirvana. Yes, Christianity is so unique that it couldn't be a religion of man's invention, but of divine origin. Christianity seems too good to be true to some, a fairy tale comes true, but only a Jesus could invent a Jesus! 

Jesus, never toned down his requirements to get followers, but made stringent terms and even tried to discourage followers, because He knew the cross that had to be borne. The invitation is to all to come to Christ: "Ho, everyone who thirsts..." "Taste and see that the Lord is good."   Jesus invites scrutiny!  Yes, salvation is free, but it costs everything. It costs more to miss out!  Other religions are popular because of geopolitical or cultural concerns, but Christianity requires you to die to yourself and deny yourself. Hardly something one would make up. Works have a place in both systems, but they are an "in order to" in religion, while they are a "therefore" in Christianity. Religion boils down to being a system of "doing" while Christianity is "done."  It's a done deal, a fait accompli! 

In short, religion is a list of "dos" and "don'ts," while Christianity is a relationship with a personal, living, growing, vital fellowship with Christ. How many people claim that Allah loves them, or that they have a relationship with Mohammad or Allah, or Buddha? How many sings, "Allah loves me ..." What if Obi-Wan Kenobi told Luke Skywalker that the force loved him?   We can only be satisfied with the love of a person equal or superior to us. The truth is, is that they don't know their "gods" and don't believe they can know them. Christianity believes in a personal God that we can know and have fellowship with. It is not a system of ethics or rules to live by, but a relationship. Religion always says, "do" and Christianity says, "done."  We don't boast in our achievements, but glory in God's accomplishment on the cross on our behalf. Works have a part in both, but in religion, they are a "have to" not a "want to."

Christ's work on the cross has been accomplished, it is finished, and we can add nothing to it, we cannot improve upon it, all we need is faith in that work on our behalf. Christianity is the only faith that stresses grace. God did for us what we couldn't do and reached down to us, taking the initiative. Salvation is a free gift and we cannot earn it or deserve it, or pay it back, but we can know security in it. Christianity is the only "positive" faith system that offers hope to failures, outcasts, and sinners. Buddhism and Hinduism are negative and pessimistic religions that view life as evil and view Nirvana essentially as the cessation of consciousness. Heaven of the Bible is clearly not of human imagination, as it seems Paradise of Islam or the Third Heaven of Mormonism is.

The problem is that people get enough religion to make them immune to the real thing, just like getting vaccinated. Man is an imitator, but God wants to regenerate us--viva la difference!   Soli Deo Gloria!