The Focus Of Our Life

 

"I  wanted to write to you concerning our common salvation..." Jude 3 

Ask Christians if we should have a Christ-centered theology and church. A church without theology is a dead church and theology. Theology is always relevant and necessary but not sufficient. You could know all the theology in the world and fail in the point of Christian love which is the aim and be worthless.   We all have a theology we must realize that but how good our theology is is the point.

A Christ-centered gospel means that the gospel was about Jesus Christ's good news is about him. He solved the sin question by his death burial and resurrection. He conquered death itself and showed that there is life after death with infallible proofs according to Luke. Our whole lives should be gospel-centered because we are grace-oriented and focused on the gospel as we strive to know nothing but Christ and Christ crucified in our message. That means keeping the main thing the main thing and not majoring on minors but realizing that the Great Commission is our aim and goal as Christians someday it shall be called the great completion and we need a great commitment to it. 

We must realize that our salvation began in eternity past, is realized in time, and will be completed in eternity, and looks forward to heaven. Our Father purposed and authored our salvation, and the Son actually secured, accomplished, and achieved it but the Holy Spirit applies it to our lives.  All three members of the Godhead are necessary!  We must also realize that the whole person gets saved and we get rescued from the dominion of sin and that salvation is more than forgiveness. 

The whole point in justification is that God realized that we are reckoned as saints, not sinners anymore and that reconciliation ensures we are restored to our relationship with God and propitiation or that the actual sacrifice was made in the temple of God on our behalf by the blood of Christ itself. Salvation not only forgives us, but it also delivers us from the power of sin and regenerates us so that our spirit is alive and can know and Love and serve God in a relationship. 

Finally, we must realize that we are saved by grace alone not by any combination of grace and good deeds or good works or pre-salvation attempts to please God. Christ as a sacrifice and crucified saved us from the penalty of sin; his coming saves us from the power of sin and in heaven he saves us from the judgment of sin.

The foundation of all our lives is in Christ the solid Rock, not any one person or church or theology. What matters in faith is the object of the faith, not how strong the faith is.  You can move mountains with mirror mustard-seed faith and we can all walk on water by walking by faith.  You can be fanatical in your faith and have blind faith for no reason or not know why you believe or have a zeal but not according to knowledge but it matters what you believe in God and what kind of a god you believe in how big your God is not how big your faith is.

As Christians walking with the Lord we have the courage to face tomorrow, to live one day at a time, and to realize that we can live everything in the light of eternity and not be discouraged for we know that God is in control of our lives and that he holds our future and our destiny is in his hands. We know that we may have bad times but we must accept them for God gives the good times also and he has a purpose for them we see everything as related to the gospel that God will work everything for our good because of Christ what he has done and proven his love for us by redeeming us from the slave market of sin so we no longer servants of sin but servants of righteousness.

When we are Christ-oriented we have peace with one another ("My peace I leave with you...")  and we bare the image of Christ and have a natural love for one another as Jesus said we shall know we are disciples if we love one another. Christ said that the legacy he leaves is his peace and peace is the hallmark or calling card of the Christian life for there is no peace for the wicked. Jesus said peace to you and only Christianity can offer this. We can have peace with God, peace with our neighbors, and peace in our future. 

We must not doubt the saviorhood of Christ, that was His mission!   For in the Gospel of Christ, our past is forgiven, our present is given meaning, and our future is secured. It also means that we have been saved that our sins have been forgiven both past, present, and future and then we are being forgiven and being saved right now continually and ongoing basis as we have victory in power over sin and we shall be saved ultimately from the presence of sin itself in the final judgment and wrath of God.

That's what Christianity is about... salvation!   It is a religion of salvation and the saviourhood of Jesus should not be questioned for there is no name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved, he is the only Savior of the world and there is no other one who came to save us for He was surely a man on a mission to seek and to save those who are lost.

We must recognize that the gospel is not new, it was given to Adam and Eve called the Protoevangelium and it was revealed more and more throughout the Old Testament until finally explained in Jesus Christ. We have always been saved by grace through faith in the Lord!  Looking ahead or behind.  Paul elaborated on the gospel message and the book of Romans is the highlight of the Bible's theology you could say that all roads lead to Romans. And Romans has highlighted in Romans chapter 8. This is the quintessence of the gospel.

Therefore, the foundation of our life is in the finished work of Christ it is a done deal we do not need to do this or do that we do not have a to-do list. Christianity is about having what Christ has done for us it is done and done already we just accept that fact. And rest in faith knowing that Christ did the work for us on our behalf and we can do nothing to save ourselves not even any pre-salvation work. Our present Christian life is based on faith as we walk in faith in the Spirit of God by his power we do not have permission to live in the flesh anymore or to sin because we have forgiven but we have the power to live in the Spirit. And our hope is not diminished as we hope for heaven with Christ in which we are like him and reign with him eternally our future is secure knowing that Christ is in us right now he has given us the earnest of our inheritance the Holy Spirit taking up residence with our spirit.

Therefore, we must realize that we are complete in Christ and that Christ fulfills us and gives us meaning and purpose in life as we are called to serve him and glorify him in our lives and to do his will. Without Christ, we are nothing Paul said he counted rubbish at all things he had compared to what he knows in Christ. Our past is not worth holding on to compared to the value of knowing Christ. What eternal life is about, not about improving our lives but having a transformation of our lives and knowing God is real and wants a relationship with us personally because he loves us.

The Great Benediction that closes Second Corinthians mentions Jesus first and specifically the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Hours with the love of God in the Fellowship of the Holy Spirit is the triune formula that they all work in harmony and unity with each other for one objective our salvation.  If these three things are what is so unique about the Christian experience when we encounter God in our lives. 

Christianity is grace-oriented and stressed and is salvation by grace, not by work or merit which has no place in our salvation. And we experienced the love of God shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit as proof of our salvation since we love because he first loved us and the love of God constrains us as we love another. And the fellowship is unique in the Christian life because we all have fellowship centered in Jesus Christ in the love of God through the power of the Holy Spirit in his name.  Whenever we walk in the Spirit we have fellowship with one another.   Soli Deo Gloria! 

Why Believe In Eternal Security?

Why I Affirm Eternal Security

Dated May 1999 @ Discovery Church, Hastings, MN 55033

In spite of the fact that I believe in the assurance of one's salvation, I do not want to give either false assurance or a sense of insecurity. The apostolic injunction to make one's calling and election sure is to be noted (cf. 2 Pet. 1:10) and only after one is confident of his salvation and has made his decision for Christ to accept Him personally and believes in his heart does he have a right to speculate about whether he can lose his salvation. The question is raised by those who base their assurance on subjective experience rather than on the Word of God.

Some people claim to have been saved over and over again and have made countless dedications and re-dedications or commitments. At a recent "Arise with the Guys" evangelical outreach featuring Tony Dungee et al., a few hundred were "first-time: decisions. God makes it clear that He wants us to know for sure that we are saved(2 Pet. 1:10) and John says in 1 John 5:13 that He wants those who believe in the name of the Son of God may know that they have eternal life.

We must distinguish between conjecture and certainty. I am not an expert in epistemology, but we cannot know in an absolute sense anything that requires faith, but here is a faith-knowledge that is "the assurance of things hoped for." There is no certainty in religion and in a works religion, you can never know for sure. Charles Swindoll says that one can never say how much works is enough or how little is enough to lose it. Ignorance is not bliss! God wants us to be in the know. Swindoll says we should know the "value of knowing the scoop!" If we can lose our salvation then we really cannot know for sure but only hope. God doesn't want us to say: "Well, I hope I go to heaven!"

Our salvation cannot be forfeited, to put it bluntly. To state the doctrine in plain terminology: "Once saved, always saved!" A cute way of affirming that apostasy is never the lot of the believer is to say that "if you have it, you never lose it; if you lose it, you never had it!" The Calvinists referred to the doctrine as "perseverance." This is more correctly termed "preservation" because God really preserves us more than we keep ourselves. Note that God doesn't give us permission to give up and go back into sin (cf. Romans 6:1).

The doctrine is commonly called "eternal security." I do not have this as my hidden agenda, but I see this as vitally important to the understanding of soteriology. One will never really grow until he has ascertained his salvation and rests in the faith and accepts Christ's work on his behalf as "finished" and a done deal. If our salvation was not a continuity, we could not be certain whether we were saved. By definition of the term "eternal life," we must assume that one's life cannot be terminated and is not "temporary salvation" but "everlasting salvation (cf. Heb. 5:9; 9:12).

There are extremes in the spectrum. For instance, the antinomians believe that you can do anything you want to as long as you simply believe. The legalists believe that you have to do this or do that plus believe and they are adding to the work of Christ and not believing in grace alone, faith alone, and Christ alone. The Quietists believe we should "let go" and "let God" and deny any cooperation in our sanctification, the Pietists like the Amish believe in the exertion of human willpower and effort to sanctify and do not become grace-oriented.

I deem this doctrine important because I first started to understand the Scriptures after I comprehended God's grace. I had been confirmed a Lutheran and had rededicated myself at a Billy Graham Crusade, but I never had assurance. In the Army, I met up with some Navigators (a parachurch organization) and God led in the right direction.

Catholics, I found out, deny assurance, as well as security and call it the sin of presumption. They say you cannot know for sure unless you have a special divine revelation to that effect. I am told that this is the born-again experience, if you will, and would agree with that. Catholics believe in sacramental theology and divide sins into mortal and venial categories. Some sins are egregious enough to kill the grace of justification and one must do penance to be restored. "Penance is the second plank of salvation for those who have made shipwreck of the faith," according to R.C. Sproul. Man is "incurably addicted to doing something to get saved"; however, Christianity is about receiving a gift not earning merit. We are saved by faith alone, but not by a faith that is alone, the Reformers affirmed. We receive salvation, we don't earn or deserve it.

Assurance is necessary for our "well-being" but one doesn't necessarily have assurance as a fruit of conversion or of the Holy Spirit. It is not of the essence of faith since sometimes doubt and faith coexist and assurance is intermittent, not frozen in concrete, so to speak. God doesn't require perfect faith, but sincere and unfeigned faith. Assurance is not a sin but a duty and it is the link to our sanctification. Growth results from this awareness. But let's not be subjective and base our assurance on some past experience, such as raising our hands or walking to an altar. Let's base our assurance on the Word of God, which is objective and reliable and performs its work in us who believe. True assurance is based on the Word of God coupled with the testimony of the Holy Spirit--that's why we must search our hearts and examine our fruit.

This doctrine wasn't really articulated by Augustine but really developed in the Reformation. It was developed at the Synod of Dort (ca. 1618-1619) and Calvinists and Arminians took issue with it against each other immediately. Even though Jacob Arminius wouldn't go so far as to say that one could lose his salvation the Arminians objected. The Wesleyans and Lutherans followed suit. The Lutherans made salvation contingent upon continued faith. The doctrine was articulated in The Westminster Confession, ca 1646, which is very eloquent. It must be noted that assurance and security go hand in hand and if you deny one, you must deny the other to be consistent.

Now the question arises about those who apostatize: First John 2:19 makes it clear that some commit apostasy or fall away, but those were "not of us." Some so-called people profess faith but later repudiate it and do not endure. They are like seed that doesn't take root. Some people do lip service to Christ and honor him with their lips, but their hearts are far away. The believer can fall but not absolutely. His fall is only temporary. Jesus prays that our faith will not fail. Some are saved "as if by fire" or by the skin of their teeth, but they do make it, even if they get no reward or lose the reward. There is a sin unto death as punishment, but no sin unto hell. To sum it up: their departure manifested their true state, but we shall be kept in the Father's hands. Jesus said, "He that comes to me I will in no wise cast out."

There are many inferential proofs that make it clear that salvation is eternal and permanent. King David never lost his salvation but only prayed for the joy to return. We can grieve the Holy Spirit and lose our joy, but not the Holy Spirit, which will never be taken away from us. The Holy Spirit is the "earnest of our inheritance and is given a "pledge' and "seal." God is the ultimate Promise Keeper. Salvation is a covenant and God will not renege. We are adopted as children and cannot be un-born. We are His sheep and Christ will not lose any of His sheep. We are born of "imperishable seed" and "salvation is of the Lord" (not of our efforts). Our salvation doesn't depend upon our free will but on God's immutable decrees. "We are born, not of the will of the flesh, nor the will of man [cf. John 1:13]." "It is not of him that runneth, nor of him that willeth, but of God, who shows mercy [cf. Rom. 9:16]."

The objections to this doctrine are that it leads to indolence, smugness, complacency, and false assurance or license to sin. But only when one realizes the grace of God and has experienced the peace of God can he have the good works." "For we are created unto good works." We are His handiwork and He is the Potter, while we are the clay. Some think the doctrine violates Scripture. They usually point to Judas or Saul and make false conclusions. The Bible never says Saul lost his salvation, and never says Judas was saved. "He that endures to the end shall be saved is not a proviso, but a veiled promise of endurance.

I agree with Martin Luther that we should base our doctrine on the Bible and not on some experts or scholars. The Reformation cry was "Sola Scriptura" or Scripture alone. If one doesn't realize salvation he can lose orientation, therefore we need the helmet of salvation for battle. Moreover, we are to "work out our salvation with fear and trembling" and this implies a spiritual workout to prove it and make it real. Some of us really need a spiritual workout. Soli Deo Gloria!

What About The Hard Sayings Of Jesus? ...

And after some disciples heard these sayings, they no longer followed Him..... Jesus never made it easy to be a follower of His and stipulated strict guidelines and requisites like denial of self, and having first priority in our hearts so much that we "hate" our parents. He also said that we "cannot come to the Father unless it has been granted.." We cannot believe in Jesus apart from grace ("Apart from Me, you can do nothing...." "This is the work of God... that you believe in Him whom He has sent."). St. Augustine of Hippo said it well: “God command what you will, but grant what you command…” If we can turn over a new leaf, make a New Year’s resolution, Boy Scout pledge, or AA pledge to change our lives, what good is regeneration? God must change us from the inside out!

What good is regeneration if we can accomplish this of our own strength and without grace working in our hearts? God opens the door of faith and kindles it within us as He quickens our dead spirit. This is called "lordship salvation" as opposed to "easy-believism" or that commitment to Christ as Lord is not required for salvation. We must receive Him for who He is! Jesus never watered down His message, contextualized it, nor dumbed it down, but told it as it is in straight talk and calling a spade a spade. He never minced words or made it easy to follow Him but discouraged half-hearted disciples who may have admired Jesus but were not ready to lay down their lives for Him.

For instance, no fornicator, murderer, liar, drunkard, homosexual, thief, or swindler will get into the kingdom. But with all these requirements, we cannot change ourselves but we must be willing to let God change us: we come as we are, but do not remain that way due to the grace of God working in our hearts. What good is regeneration if we can believe apart from it or conversion if we had the power to transform our lives ourselves? The whole point of the gospel is that God changes us and we become new creatures in Christ: a changed life as a testimony!

Salvation must be grace from beginning to end: "Salvation is of the LORD," (Jonah 2:9) and that means we do not contribute anything to our regeneration and conversion. Therefore, it is not of us and God nor of us alone but of God alone! It is the work of God on our behalf who gets the glory. Soli Deo Gloria!

How Can We Tell A Christian?

 Jesus clearly said that we would known them by their fruits. (Matt. 7:16).   Jesus also said they will know that you are My disciples, that you love one another!   (John 13:35)   That means we love our neighbors, practice the Golden Rule, and are good Samaritans.  This is manifest in charity, alms, rescue missions, food shelves, mission work, disaster relief, humanitarian crises and more where Christians can outshine the world and show what Christian love is all about. 

There are many Christians in name only or nominal believers but their faith doesn't stand the test of fire. All faith must be tested and proven. If faith were easy, it wouldn't  be worth much. Anyone can claim to be a Christian; for instance, they can sincerely believe they were born one because their parents are, but no one gets in automatically because salvation is a turnstile--one at a time! We all must personally make our decision to follow Christ at all costs and deny ourselves, pick up our cross and follow Him.  

It is commonly believed that belonging to a church makes one a believer or should I say disciple, but many in the church are just attendees and not worshipers--they are consumers and not producers!  We are not just customers of God but followers, nor fans or admirers but worshipers and followers. Some erroneously believe they were born Christians because the live in a Christian nation! Christ in only interested in wholehearted disciples who have counted the cost and willing to lay down their lives for the sake of the Name. 

What kind of fruit should we look for? A Christian proves his faith by good works. James said that he would show his faith by his works!  (James 2:18) We are to become a people zealous of good works!  (Titus 1:16) Faith without works is dead (James 2:22) and that kind of faith cannot save. We are indeed saved by faith alone, but not by a faith that is alone. Without works, our faith is suspect. We are not saved by them, but not without them either!  We have a faith not as one we can live with but one we would die for!  We must live out our faith and prove it to others; it is not a given and we cannot expect people to believe our confession if we have no fruits!  Our lifestyles tell a lot and reveal what we really believe and speak louder than our words and our testimony speaks volumes.  

The true Christian ought to be engaged in spiritual disciplines such as prayer, Bible reading, witnessing, worshipping, fellowship, and good deeds. This all are taught in the local church of which he is obliged to join and not forsake.  Note: there can be no solitary saints or spiritual hermits or Lone Rangers!  For God has foreordained certain good works we are meant to do.  We should walk in them faithfully. Christians walk by faith and not by sight, they see things from God's perspective and not as the world sees them. Christians also are people of the book and love love the spoken and written Word of God preached and in the Bible.  We also walk in the Spirit and have overcome the power of the flesh. 

We do sin but Jesus always disciplines us or brings us to confession and back on track when we go astray. Christians overflow with thanksgiving and have the right attitude in serving and being servants; a non-serving Christian is a contradiction in terms. Christians find their spiritual gift by serving and are given a ministry to fulfill as stewards of God's blessings. 

"...Set an example of good works yourself..." (Tit. 2:7).

SO, ARE WORKS NECESSARY FOR SALVATION THEN?

There is a grand distinction between religion and Christianity: works out of a pure motive and not for applause versus to ingratiate oneself, or to get brownie points with a deity. Religion says, "Do!" while Christ says, "Done!" Christians are not "do-gooders" per se but do good deeds because they want to, not because they have to. The key is not "in order to," but "therefore." Good works logically follow a changed life, through which Christ lives. Changing lives is Jesus' business and the point of salvation. In a works religion, you never know how much is enough!

Since salvation is a gift only in Christianity, the person is free to do good out of gratitude. We don't have to, but want to! Many Americans have fallen prey to the misconception that achieving the "American dream" or "living the good life" is all that is necessary to accomplish salvation; that they have "made it." God requires perfection and any effort to earn one's way is in vain. We are saved by grace alone, through faith alone (a living one), in the person and work of Christ alone according to the Reformers.

Some misguided souls subscribe to the credo that since salvation is by grace alone, works aren't necessary or don't follow (but we say grace is necessary and sufficient). The Reformed doctrine is that salvation is "by faith alone, but not by a faith that is alone." Works equaling salvation is the essence of religion; combining works and faith for salvation is legalism. Faith that produces no works is antinomians, being against the law or lawless. The prevalent view that faith alone without any evidence (some will say gifts of the Spirit like speaking in tongues) will suffice is erroneous, being initial evidence validates salvation or the filling of the Spirit. This is known as antinomianism or "no-lordship salvation."

Note: if you don't have good works to "work out" (cf. Phil. 2:12) your salvation is suspect. The kind of works I am referring to is good deeds not works of the law. We are not saved by works; but not without them either--but unto works! Works (or righteousness) prove faith to self others and God, as well as yourself (cf. Isa. 32:17); but are not the substitute for it. We must put our faith into action--as James would say, "The faith you have is the faith you show" (cf. James 2:18).

There is no irreconcilable difference between Paul and James; they come from two vantage points: Paul was dealing with those who couldn't do enough and thought the Law of Moses was necessary; James was dealing with "do-nothing" libertines. Paul would say, "I'll show you my works." James would counter, "I'll show you my faith." Paul talked about being "rich in faith" (1 Tim. 6:18). James talked about being "rich in deeds" (James 2:5). James says, "But someone will say, 'You have faith, I have deeds,' Show me your faith without deeds and I will show you my faith by what I do" (James 2:18).

Faith doesn't have a dormant or inert stage; it can't be left in mothballs! It goes places! Faith and works are distinguished, but cannot be separated. Faith without works is dead (James 2:17, 26).

Our works will be judged (for reward) not our faith per Romans 2:6; Psalm 62:12; Prov. 24:1 (our faith is a gift according to Rom. 12:3, Acts 14:27; 2 Pet. 1:1, et al.)! "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ" (1 Cor. 3:15; 2 Cor. 5:10). "God will repay each person according to what he has done'" (Rom. 2:6). Our works have to do with our testimony (Matt. 5:16; Tit. 1:16, 2:14)--"By their works they deny Him." We are to be a people "zealous of good works" (Tit. 1:16). We are to be "thoroughly furnished unto all good works" and "are created unto good works" (2 Tim. 3:17; Eph. 2:10). The faith we have is the faith we have is the faith we show! Faith must be authenticated by works or it's suspect.

It is important that we give the glory to God (Soli Deo Gloria). "I venture not to boast of anything but what Christ has accomplished through me" (cf. Rom. 15:18; Amos 6:13). Jesus said, "Apart from me you can do nothing." Isa. 26:12 reads, "All that we have accomplished you have done for us." The reason God blesses us is so that we can bear fruit (cf. 2 Cor. 9:8). We are commanded to do good works (Gal. 6:10; Phil. 2:12). Most of all the importance of it all is summed up: "Bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God" (Col. 2:10)--note how they are correlated. Soli Deo Gloria! 

Does God Woo Us All Into His Kingdom?

“Salvation is of the LORD.”. Jonah 2:9

NOTE: I USE THE TERM ARMINIAN TO REFER TO THOSE WHO DENY THE TULIP FORMULA OF CALVINISM (OR REFORMED THEOLOGY) BUT SOME THEOLOGIANS CLAIM TO BE FOUR-POINTERS, DENYING THE LIMITE OR DEFINITE ATONEMENT SCHEMA. THERE ARE ONLY TWO INTERPATIONS OF THE GOSPELS OF GRACE: ARMINIAN AND CALVINIST AND MOST FALL SOMEWHERE INBETWEEN, LIKE ARMINIANS WHO AFFIRM ETERNAL SECURITY.

There is no question that we cannot come to Christ apart from the working of the Holy Spirit in our lives to make us able and willing to believe ("This is the work of God, that you believe..." according to John 6:29). Some theologians of the Arminian persuasion do admit to the wooing of the Holy Spirit and even have a name for the pre-salvation work of Christ in our hearts, known as prevenient grace, whereby God makes you able to respond to the gospel. Calvinists or Reformed theologians subscribe to an efficacious grace or as it is called irresistible grace (cf. Rom. 5:21).

God doesn't try to save sinners, He saves them. He doesn't offer to save us but saves us. The word for wooing in Koine (Greek )is elko, which means to compel or drag. You can picture drawing water from a well. God has the power to make the most unwilling willing, and to turn hearts of stone into hearts of flesh! God literally drags us into the kingdom and makes believers out of us!

The big issue is whether God draws all and if He does, does He draw them equally? And if all are wooed, why do some not respond? The golden chain of redemption in Romans 8:29-30 says that whom He foreknew He called. There is a general gospel call given to all the world (cf. Titus 2:11), but the inner calling of the Holy Spirit is only given to the elect. (cf. Acts 2:32). "The elect obtained unto it, and the rest were hardened," (cf. Rom. 11:7). "As many as were elected believed..." (Acts 13:48). We are commanded to call all because we do not know whom the elect are, but God looks on the heart and knows those who are His. God doesn't draw all equally, because some need more work than others and are given more grace ("Where sin abounded, grace abounded all the more," according to Rom. 5:20).

The Arminian will not admit that God doesn't draw some at all, but leaves them in their sin. (Passing them by is called preterition). God reserves the right to have mercy on whom He will have mercy according to Romans 9:15. No one can resist God's will according to Romans 9:19 and if God decides to save someone, they will get saved--He is determined to bring about the salvation of the elect at the appointed time. This brings up the issue or doctrine of preterition, which is when God passes over the non-elect so that they will receive the justice of God and not the mercy of God. He doesn't work fresh evil in their hearts but simply lets them go their way of sin and follow their hearts in the flesh, enslaved to sin.

"No man can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them," (cf. John 6:44). We cannot respond to the gospel apart from the wooing, and this wooing guarantees that we will respond to the gospel message--the Greek word elko means "to compel by irresistible superiority." Arminians like the word "woo" because it doesn't sound authoritarian, but that is downgrading God's omnipotence and sovereignty. Arminians believe God may only draw those He sees will respond, but cannot say why God doesn't woo the others who fail to come to Christ. Perhaps it is the intensity of the wooing! We cannot attribute some merit to ourselves for responding to the wooing ministry, for salvation is by grace alone.

The big question is why some people respond and others don't. According to Scripture, we are called according to His purpose and grace and to the pleasure of His good will, nothing inherent in us to boast of. "What do you have that you didn't receive?" (1 Cor. 4:7). We have no inherent virtue or wisdom to qualify us for the kingdom. The only explanation is that faith is a gift from God and the result of regeneration not the cause of it--we don't conjure it up, but faith is not achieved but given. We believer through grace. (Acts 18:27).

However, the Arminian believes some respond favorably because of something in them such as being less biased or smarter, which makes salvation is ultimately based on their merit and works and not grace and faith. If you can come to God in faith without being regenerated, what good is it? There is a tug on the heart as the elect hears the gospel message ("Faith comes by hearing and by hearing of the Word of God" according to Rom. 10:17).

You must choose: is salvation in God's hands or not? Soli Deo Gloria!

What Is The Main Point Of Christianity?

 The answer to this question is not so obvious and may seen contraindicative. The average Joe would think that the purpose of Christianity is to live by the Golden Rule or to love one's neighbor or be a good Samaritan or in some way just be a good person. Yes, God is love and he who loves another fulfills the Law of Christ who told us to love each other as He loved us.

But the point is that people of all faiths think they are "good," and that the purpose of all religions is to be good. Yes, if that is all you choose or want or aspire to be is good (in whose eyes though?) then ANY religion will do. There are good Jews, Mormons, JWs, Muslims, Hindus, and Buddhists, and you could even argue for good Secular Humanists or even in some cases, good atheists, which only proves you don't need religion to be good. This sense of good and evil comes from God who gave everyone a moral compass or conscience to judge right and wrong and holds us accountable.

Don't people realize that our righteousness and good deeds are as filthy rags in God's sight and count for nothing by way of salvation? When we say we are good, we contradict the Lord who said only God is good--we are then evil in comparison because God doesn't grade on a curve; however, people play, "Let's compare," and don't realize God is the standard, not our neighbor; in comparison to Adolf Hitler, I am a saint! People all commend themselves!

But God has leveled the playing field and labeled, reckoned, and judged us all sinners who fall short of God's glorious ideal and measure of perfection. Paul called himself the "chief of sinners" yet he is numbered among the saints!

Jesus made an important point to Peter when He asked the disciples: "Who do men say that I AM?" This is what Christ was trying to point out! Jesus also said, "Unless you believe that I AM, you shall die in your sins..." John 8:24 Jesus is God in the flesh! This means that we must correctly understand who Jesus is.

We must realize Christ as our Lord and Savior not just some moral guide, Exemplar, martyr for a noble or good cause, victim of an evil society, but as one who voluntarily laid down His divine life and even chose the moment to expire for us.

The whole point of Christianity is to know God and Jesus His Son. This is eternal life in essence and consists of a vital, growing, living, saving faith and relationship with the triune Godhead. John's Prologue says that the Word became flesh and dwelt among us! John 1:14 Yes, this is the point we must grasp to be saved. The point then is as the question goes, Do you know God? Not are you a good person. Jesus didn't come to make bad people good but to make dead people live!

All religions teach us to be good and people even know that much by their own conscience. Don’t forget true faith expresses itself and has fruit for we are to be a redeemed people zealous of good works, thus validating our faith in the eyes of men. Soli Deo Gloria!

What Is Saving Faith?

"... [A]nd a large number of priest became obedient to the faith" (Acts 6:7, NIV).

"Through him we have received grace and apostleship to call all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from or his Name's sake" (Romans 1:5, NKV).
"... [S]o that all the Gentiles might come to the obedience that comes from faith" (Rom. 16:26,NIV).

You gotta have faith! How big is your God, not how big is your faith? It depends on the strength of our God, not our faith. Without faith, you cannot please God! (Cf. Heb. 11:6). A real, genuine faith is one that grows and is not static or going nowhere. True faith consists of right knowledge (you cannot subscribe to heresy), assent or agreement, and trust or reliance on it. We don't have blind faith, for we have sound reasons to believe and don't believe in spite of the evidence. We don't believe something we know isn't true--there is ample and compelling circumstantial evidence for the open-minded and willing person--no one can say there is lack of evidence.


We don't have faith in faith, but in the object of Christ (the object saves not the faith). Faith is a verb and entails action: "By faith Abraham obeyed ..." and so forth. It is a matter of the will--it is volitional. We choose to believe of our own ("If anyone's will is to do God's will, he will know..." (cf. John 7:17, ESV), but God quickens faith in us and makes us alive--dead people cannot believe!

We must take the leap of faith from the seed planted. Faith is not a work (if it were we would have merit before God, but we are not saved by works). If it were a work, we would foul it up somehow! The faith you have is the faith you show: Paul says, "I'll show you my works by my faith," while James says, "I'll show you my faith by my works." We are saved by faith alone, according to the Reformation doctrine, but not by a faith that is alone. Works are no substitute for faith, but only evidence of it, as we are saved unto works, not by works.

The theological axiom applies: "Only he who is obedient believes, only he who believes is obedient." Obedience is the only true test of faith and they are correlated in Hebrews 3:18 and John 3:36. The obedience of faith separates the bogus profession of faith and the reality of faith as seen in Acts 6:7 ("... [M]any of the priests became obedient to the faith") and Romans 1:5. You must trust and obey! (Mark 10:9 says, "What God has joined together let not man put asunder.")

Faith is given, not achieved--it is the gift of God and we do not conjure it up. It is the work of God as His gift, but we must use it and take the leap. "... [H]e greatly helped those who through grace had believed" (Acts 18:27, ESV). But there is a difference between head belief and heart belief: the demons also believe and tremble! The first step to faith is a positive attitude expressed in listening, then understanding with the mind, then believing with the heart, and finally trusting and relying on will or volition. The result: "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope" (Romans 15:13, ESV).

What is the progression of faith? Openness to the truth (unbelievers reject the truth), acceptance of the gospel message, willingness to obey God's will in relinquishment, surrender to the Lordship of Christ, and self-denial and willingness to follow Jesus. We must give up, surrender, and commit to what we know is true. The elements of faith in progression are: Knowing, reckoning, yielding, obeying, trusting, delighting, committing, waiting, and anticipating.

Its logical conclusion is a relationship with Jesus with a love for Him--"Though you have not seen him, you love him (cf. 1 Pet. 1:8, ESV). Faith begets fruit and works, no fruit, no faith! "If you love me, you will keep my commandments" (John 14:15, ESV). Note that no one has perfect faith: God requires only sincere, unfeigned faith according to 1 Tim. 1:5 says: "The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith" (ESV). Final Caveat: Beware of easy-believism whereby one thinks he is saved by merely believing without submitting to His lordship.


Everyone has faith; in what is the question. We are a religious creature made to worship and will worship someone or something if not God, which is idolatry. Dostoevsky said that "man cannot live without worshiping something." We are made for God and can only find our fulfillment in living for Him. But why is man opposed to God when He offers Himself to them? Man is a slave to sin and doesn't want to change his way of life, doing his own thing his way. He doesn't want to submit to authority and grant the ownership of his life to the One who made it. A person of no organized religion may have their faith in the scientific method, that science can solve all our problems--but he is nevertheless a person of faith. And so everyone is a person of faith! We have sound reasons to believe and need not commit intellectual suicide.

Real faith in God is when we go a step beyond so-called story-book faith or head belief and it registers in the heart and we desire to live it out in trust and commitment. We must be obedient to the gospel and to the faith. Saving faith is always accompanied by genuine repentance--they go hand in hand! And we must never divorce faith and faithfulness, for we live by faith and it must grow, not being dead. Dead faith produces no works and that kind of faith cannot save. Good soil produces fruit and saving faith produces the fruit of good works. As the Reformers said, "We are saved by faith alone, but not by a faith that is alone." If we have no works, our faith is suspect. James says that faith without works is dead! James 2:18 also says, "I'll show you my faith by my works!" But we are not saved by works, but not without them either. We don't have faith in ourselves or our ability in trying to save ourselves, because it's the object that matters. We must realize that genuine faith expresses itself!

God opens our eyes to have faith, for we are blinded by Satan. He quickens or kindles faith within us by grace and it's not a meritorious work as Rome would have you believe--for then we would be saved by merit or works. We will have nothing to boast of in God's presence. Faith is the work of God but our act. We must put our faith in the right object to be saved, for we don't have faith in faith, but faith in Christ--faith doesn't save, Christ does! But this faith must be penitent as we turn from sin to God and believe in Christ. That's why it may be termed penitent faith or believing repentance that saves. We have believed through grace, a supernatural act of God regenerating us. God grants both repentance and faith as a privilege of being the elect (cf. Acts 5:31; 11:18). He opens the door to faith and repentance (cf. Acts 14:27).

There is a profession of faith and reality of faith, whereas bogus faith is misplaced and insincere. God doesn't ask for perfect faith, only sincere, unfeigned faith (cf. 1 Tim. 1:5; 2 Tim. 1:5). Without faith, we cannot please God (cf. Heb. 11:6). There are people of great faith but it's misplaced (cf. Romans 10:2; Proverbs 19:2)--sincerity matters but it's not everything (you can be sincerely wrong). There are believers in name only or nominal Christians who go through the motions and have memorized the Dance of the Pious. Saving faith is obedient as Bonhoeffer says, "Only he who believes is obedient; only he who is obedient believes." (cf. Romans 16:26; Romans 1:5, Acts 6:7). They shall know we are Christians by our love--the ultimate obedience. That is the litmus test! Faith and obedience are correlated in Heb. 3:17-18, HCSB, as follows: "And who did He swear to that they would not enter His rest, if not those who disobeyed? So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief." We desire to obey, even if we fall short of perfection (cf. Matt 5:48).

The faith you have is the faith you show! The rallying cry of the Reformation was that we are saved by faith alone and Rome pronounced anyone anathema that adhered to this doctrine at the Council of Trent (the Counter-Reformation). We are not saved by good works, and faith is not a work, but we are saved unto good works, that we may accomplish the will of God. Works are no substitute for faith, but only evidence of it. In fact, God foreordains good works for us to do for His purposes. We must be saved by grace, for this is the only way to have assurance. And "salvation is of the LORD," as Jonah found out (cf. Jonah 2:9) which means it's God's accomplishment, not man's achievement. We receive faith, we don't achieve it, i.e., we don't conjure it up by ourselves, but it's totally a gift of grace (cf. Acts 18:27; John 6:29; 2 Pet. 1:1). But we must put our faith to work and turn our creed into deeds, for faith is knowledge in action. Keeping the faith only works if it's in Christ!

Rome reduces faith to assent or acquiescence or acknowledgment with the church dogma. Just realizing Christ is God and rose from the dead, if one doesn't put the faith into action, will not save. Believing Christ rose from the dead is history; believing He died for you and rose for you and personalizing this is salvation. By faith Abraham obeyed! True saving faith is a surrendered, substituted, inhabited, relinquished, and even yielded life to the will of God, whereas Christ lives in us through the Holy Spirit's residence--in other words, He owns us because He bought us and redeemed us! We must take a spiritual checkup or spiritual inventory to find out whether we have the Spirit or not and if Christ is living in us--if anyone has not the Spirit of Christ he is none of His and he is reprobate (cf. Romans 8:9). In sum, if we love Jesus we will obey Him (cf. John 14:15) and there is a curse on anyone who doesn't love the Lord (cf. Rom. 16:22)--true faith trusts in Christ as Savior and submits to Him as Lord, as Jesus said, "If you love Me, you will obey My commands." Soli Deo Gloria!

Are We Saved By Faith Alone?

"So we see that a person is justified  by works and not by faith alone."  James 2:24

First, faith is knowledge in action and must take root and grow to be a living, saving faith.  We are not saved by living a good life or achieving human success, in fact, works of the flesh or done apart from the Spirit count as filthy rags in God's sight (Isaiah 64:6), au contraire, we are saved on account of our faith.  Righteousness then is imputed from Christ as we are reckoned as just forensically in God's court but not made just or righteous till we reach glory in heaven and are wholly sanctified and separated from sin forever. 

And we are not saved by works, any Protestant would agree with that and that we are saved by faith.  It is also true that  we are "saved" by faith and works!  What is meant by "saved" is in question though.  We are justified in men's eyes by our fruits. The battle cry of the Reformation was that we are "saved by faith alone!" 

But Catholics say that the Bible never says that but that we are not saved by faith alone in James.  "We are not saved by faith alone, but not by a faith that is alone" is the formula of the Reformers. That kind of faith, that stands without works, is dead faith and cannot save.  True faith manifests itself in works and proves itself.  Do you have anything to show for your faith?  Put it into practice! 

We are known by our fruits or works, not our faith; anyone can claim to have faith but we show it by our works as evidence.  James 2:18 says, "I will show you my faith by my works." Or "I will show you my faith by putting it into action."  God has therefore redeemed for Himself a people "zealous of good works," for which we are "foreordained" to do (cf. Eph. 2:10).  God has prepared certain works for us to do as obedience to His will. 

It appears to men that the faith we have is the faith we show! Remember, our eternal reward is not for our faith but in accordance with our works or deeds (Rom. 2:6; Matt. 16:27; Psalm 62:12; 2 Cor. 5:10). 

We are not therefore saved by works, but not without them either!  If we have no works to validate our faith, it is suspect and dubious or in question.  We must turn our creeds into deeds! Or our faith is spurious!   We must be examples of good works which "adorn" our doctrine. 

To be authentic, we must have a faith that is growing and living in good works.  "Bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God." (Col. 1:10). Our faith is not a "to-do list" either, we do not do them because we must or have to but because we want to (our nature has been transformed into new creatures).  True faith expresses itself! 

There are only four possibilities of salvation to consider: works equals justification (religion); faith plus works equals justification (legalism); faith without works as a byproduct equals justification  (antinomianism or libertinism leading to easy-believism ,cheap grace, or "no-lordship" salvation); and finally the correct one of the Reformers is that faith equals justification producing works as a byproduct or fruit. Thus the relationship between faith and works can be distinguished but not separated or divorced.  They go together hand in hand!  

Thus, in conclusion, works do play a role in our salvation, they prove it and make it complete and are not its substitute, and he who thinks he can live as he pleases simply because he has faith is in error and may not be saved at all. Soli Deo Gloria! 

An Impossible Debt

 To get saved, we need to be forgiven of an impossible debt to God that only He can pay (Christ's sacrifice, being God, was perfect and infinite value); we must declare spiritual bankruptcy in God's court.  We do not have a chance to meet God's demands and it's good that Jesus paid it in full by declaring: "It is finished [Tetelestai]." Which in interpretation, means and implies "Paid in Full." Once you have remitted a bill, you forget it! Same with God, once we are forgiven at salvation, God keeps no record of wrong and doesn't count our sins against us. (cf. 2 Cor. 5:19; Psalm 32:2).  We no longer are debtors to God after our salvation because God no longer can count our sins against us or there would be double jeopardy and God is just and cannot allow His justice to  be perverted. 

We owe an outstanding debt to God and man to love and this the summation of our ethic: loving God and our neighbor. We even owe a moral debt or obligation to society in general!  We forgive others then as Christ has forgiven us! We return the favor and be examples of forgiveness without any malice or vengeance for trespasses against us. Our forgiveness is not conditional because that would not be grace. 

Just like Jesus said in the Lord's Prayer that we should forgive others their debts or sins as God forgives us. This is not legalism or adding to the grace of God: Jesus plus this or that. The statement is highly troubling and some think that if they haven't forgiven someone, they are lost.  But we want to forgive out of gratitude and the operative word is "as" meaning we will do it. That is not the same as saying "if we forgive others."  All our sins are forgiven upon salvation and we need only confess them to regain fellowship, not salvation.  The woman forgiven of adultery loved Jesus so much that Jesus was prompted to say that he who is forgiven much, loves much!  

God's grace is not only necessary for  salvation, but sufficient. We forgive others out of love and a change of heart  because God has transformed us from the inside out to be new creatures in Christ eager to do good and love others. Whenever we partake of the Lord's Supper, we are to examine ourselves to see if anyone holds something against us or we have sinned against a brother, even offending them or making them to fall. 

God's mercy means that God doesn't treat us as we deserve and punish us, and His grace means He give us what we do not deserve as a blessing. We must never come to God seeking "justice," for if we got that, we would certainly be condemned. Some wish God were only "fair" to them and don't realize that would not be living by grace and we would forfeit the grace of God. If we deserved salvation, it would be justice, not mercy. The cost of unforgiveness is damnation!  It does cost to be saved, but more not to be!   Soli Deo Gloria!

What Think You Of Christ? ...

 The title is probably the most important question you'll ever answer regarding your eternal destiny. "Whose Son is He?"  Jesus is claiming deity!   Jesus asked the disciples: "Who do you say that I am?"  This is pivotal and your salvation depends upon it. If you don't get your Christology correct, you are lost: "Unless you  believe that I AM (with no predicate in the Greek).. you shall die in your sins." John 8:24. That means that Jesus is God Almighty, not a god or made or created God, but eternally God and equal to the Father in essence and being. 2 John 9 says that if anyone does not abide in the doctrine of Christ, he does not have God.... Remember when Peter confessed Christ as the Messiah and Son of the Living God? It is this confession that defines the church of Christ and distinguishes it from cults which twist the passage and make Christ less than He is: fully God in the flesh. The Word became flesh. John 1:14 

I am not going to cite all the proof texts of the deity of Christ (e.g., Romans 9:5; Titus 2:13; 1 John 5:20) but it is known that Jesus claimed to be one with the Father (John 10:30) and that the Pharisees understood He was claiming equality with God even if the disciples were dense or clueless for He called God His own Father. (John 5:18).   His most famous declaration was John 8:58 where Jesus says, "Before Abraham was, I AM... That is the name of God!   

A. W. Tozer said that "the most important thing about is what you think of God!"  This shapes our worldview forms our convictions and decides our fate. Do you put God in a box: the doting Grandpa, the Father Time, the Great Spirit in the sky, the Cosmic Killjoy, the Man Upstairs, the Mean Judge, Mother Nature?  Note that there are basically four perceptions of God: the benevolent life coach or the one who is immanent and involved favorably, or the critical judge or critic or one distantly involved unfavorably, the authoritative father figure or involved indirectly, or a distant force or impersonal and uninvolved. God is a person we can know, not some force or object or thing we can use. We relate to persons, but use things. 

The important thing is that God is not dead and is alive because Jesus rose from the dead "with many infallible proofs." Henry Wadsworth Longfellow said, "God is not dead, nor doth He sleep."  The Bible says that the lost are blind and cannot reason themselves to God: "The world by wisdom did not know God." 1 Cor. 1:21  We cannot find God out or fathom Him fully or exhaustively, but we can know Him personally and truly. We come to know God via faith and then we experience or encounter God.  All believers have a personal relationship with God; God desires to get personal. We know God by walking in faith and not by sight and learning to walk in the Spirit, cultivating its fruits. Faith is not meant to be a cakewalk, but a challenge and learning experience of a pilgrimage with God. If faith is easy, it isn't worth much, it must be tested!  We grow in our faith and in our knowledge of the Lord.  

It is not so easy to dismiss Jesus; He is either the Lord, a liar, a lunatic, or a devil. He has not left any other options open according to C. S. Lewis.  No one successfully accused Him of sin, much less prove Him a liar; wouldn't His disciples had figured that out? He was so holy that people felt like sinners in His presence like His apostle Peter.  His personality has been studied to see if He fits any abnormal profiles and He is the epitome of humanity as our exemplar. The claims He made t be God either make Him a deceiver or devil and liar but you can not say he was just a good teacher for that option isn't open because  He plainly claimed to be the Son of God, equal to the Father. 

In sum, at the Judgment, all that will matter is what we did with Jesus:  salvation is all about knowing Jesus personally (not knowing about Jesus) as one's personal Lord and Savior as Jesus said in His priestly prayer of John 17 in verse 3 that eternal life is know God and His Son!    Soli Deo Gloria!

Why Don't They Believe? ...

 There is "no excuse," says Paul in Romans 1:20 and "God has made it plain to them" in Romans 1:19 that God exists. The "heavens declare the glory of God and the firmament shows forth His handiwork." Indeed, we can learn the laws of nature by studying the atmosphere and outer space. Job 38:33 is where God challenges Job to make us of the laws of the universe (presumably the laws of nature or some 50 universal constants that make reality as we know it possible and the Anthropic Principle or that God has designed or made a fine-tuned earth specifically for the sustaining of life per Isaiah 45:18. (He formed it to be inhabited!) 

All those laws of nature imply a divine Lawgiver.   Einstein in his humble and simple faith saw God as a great Mathematician and the Designer of the laws of nature that are in such harmony that it makes us seem feeble; the universe seems to him as "one vast mathematical equation."  If you see design or purpose as demonstrated in nature, you can assume a Designer or Purposer. Design doesn't happen by itself; it's planned that way or fixed. 

No amount of evidence can force, coerce, or make someone who doesn't want to become a believer, and God will not change your mind it it's dead set against His will: "If any man is willing  to do His will, he shall know...." John 7:17  We see this premise established in the history of Israel which saw many miracles from Moses and still disbelieved and rejected God. Psalm 78:32 says that they refused to believe despite the many signs of Moses.  

We do not commit intellectual suicide to become believers nor does God expect us to kiss our brains goodbye.  As believers we are to cater to a person's intellectual integrity but not pander to their intellectual arrogance, according to theologian John Stott.  Most intelligent or educated don't believe for the same reasons others don't: they don't want to believe (it may mess up their lifestyle or they might think they may not have any "fun").  What people do is feign intellectual problems or issues to mask      emotional, moral, or heart-felt problems.  People give pseudo reasons for disbelief and there are many (these are known as smoke screens that hide the real issues): thinking science has undermined the Bible; thinking faith is irrational; thinking the Bible is not historical and even unscientific; thinking its ideals or moral expectations are too high; thinking that religion is all "pie in the sky;" and especially when a person loves his sin too much so they won't repent.

Jesus was in the same predicament with the hardened Pharisees who refused to believe at least in the miracles themselves as from God (they believed they were from Satan) John 12:37 says that even though Jesus did many miracles, they would [not could not] believe. "I did tell you but you don't believe.  The miracles I do in my Father's name speak for me."  John 10:25  We are to believe on the evidence of the miracle themselves.  John 14:11  Remember, miracles do not make faith, but only a thirst for more miracles and often evoke skepticism and unbelief, but faith makes miracles. 

Note that they might have believed if they had not already decided against it. Jesus told them to "believe for His works' sake."   But nothing could convince them, even the mighty works, signs, wonders, and good works, and miracles of Jesus who "was a prophet mighty in word and deed."  That means He practiced what He preached and preached what He practiced for an undeniable witness. 

Jesus called them to Him but they would not because their heart was not right before God. "You are slow of heart to believe..." Luke 24:25  Is your heart in the right place? The fact of the matter is that the heart of the matter is a matter of the heart. Jesus calls us in love but will not force us to come to Him. God "is at work within us to do and to work of His good pleasure."  Phil. 2:13 

The fact of the matter is that people are blinded by Satan and don't see the wonderful news of the gospel and that their problem is sin, not being unenlightened or uneducated. "Satan has blinded the minds of the that believe not...." 2 Cor. 4:4  But God can open the heart as He did to Lydia (Acts 16:14) and do a work of grace.  

People are ignorant all right, but God can open the eyes of the blind and the eyes of our hearts and set us free from the power of the devil.  The whole world is in his influence unless they are saved, then he cannot touch them. 1 John 5:18  Point in fact: It is that people will not believe, not that they cannot.  God doesn't owe them any more proof than is in nature, His natural revelation, and the Bible, His supernatural or special revelation.  Jesus would do no miracles on demand or a biggie miracle to dispel doubt and unbelief, but expected us to be believing.  Soli Deo Gloria!

Suffer The Little Children....

Jesus welcomed the little ones, wanted them to come to Him, and blessed them, while the disciples had no time for them and thought Jesus was too busy to be bothered. He said, "Suffer the little children to come unto me, [in NIV: "do not hinder them"] for such is the kingdom of heaven" (Matt. 19:14). Jesus rebuked them and told them that to such belong the kingdom of God. He also said that he who humbles himself like a little child shall be greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

Are children the enemies of God? Yes and No. James 4:4 says that he who is a friend of the world is the enemy of God. Children are born in sin, of course. "In sin did my mother conceive me," says Psalm 51:5. The Minnesota Crime Commission issued a report saying that little children are born to be criminals and if they are not civilized by the parents will grow up delinquent. The grace of God covers all children till the age of accountability (I don't want to get into an extensive proof of this doctrine here because most believers accept this) and children are to be welcomed into the church body and its fellowship, and not to be treated as outsiders. There will be no children in hell, and God loves all children and wants to bless them. If you make one of them stumble you will be better off with a millstone around your neck and cast into the sea. They have angels that always behold the face of God and take care of them.

Yes, children sin but they have not learned to discern good and evil and are innocent to a certain extent. Technically all unbelievers are children of Satan but children can be converted to Christ--the way of salvation is so simple even they can comprehend it. God can and sometimes does speak to us through the children, just like St. Augustine claimed happened to him. We were all enemies of God before salvation and the miracle is that God loved us in that while we were His enemies He sent Son to die for us. 

It is true that infants are completely self-centered and their world revolves around them, and it is the job of the parent to civilize them and bring them up in the training and nurture of the Lord ("Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it," says Proverbs 22:6, ESV). Responsible parents stand in loco Dei or in the place of God to teach concepts of authority, respect, and obedience.

Though children may have not accepted Christ yet, God is working on them and it is the job of the parents to teach them the truth and way of salvation. We should never treat them as if they are enemies of God--that is the logical outcome of believing they are. Only God knows and sees who His elect are and we are not to judge people prematurely or before the time. The wheat and chaff look similar when growing together and it is not the task of believers to separate them because they could be wrong.

"But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me; for of such is the kingdom of heaven" (Matt. 19:14, KJV). Jesus welcomed children with open arms and blessed them when his disciples thought to rebuke them that He had no time in a day when children were of little worth in a man's world. The kingdom of God belongs to them in the sense of being grandfathered in to be included in God's blessings until they reach the age of accountability and know good from evil (per Isaiah 7:16). We are to consider them in and treat them that way. Children have the faith of their parents and haven't really developed a personal relationship with Christ--they are just beginning to know Him through those who teach and their family members. You must have faith in Christ alone and that means not in Christ plus your parents or plus family ties--where would that faith be if the family fails. Children can even be confirmed in the faith and not be saved, just having gone through the motions and memorized the Dance of the Pious.

Children can comprehend a great deal of spiritual truth and be enlightened, and even taste of the heavenly gift, and share in the Holy Spirit per Hebrews 6 (but these matters do not prove salvation), and love of Bible stories or preaching without coming to a complete spiritual apprehension--which is pending their decision to follow Christ and deny themselves. Even having the ability to discuss Bible doctrine or knowing one's way around Scripture is no proof of salvation. They are incapable of making a decision to take up a cross at such an early age and their faith isn't confirmed until it is tested by God as if by fire, because it is more valuable than silver or gold. The gospel message must be presented clearly enough to be rejected, but not an easy-believism, which undermines it. You aren't saved until you get convicted, realize you are lost and are converted through saving faith and genuine repentance, and most children cannot adequately articulate how they met Jesus and it transformed their life--for giving public testimony of Jesus is part of salvation ("For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved," says Romans 10:10, ESV).

Just liking church, doing church, or loving Jesus (you aren't saved by loving Jesus or your idea of Him) and so forth are not salvation--they are responding to their own world as they know it, and would love Buddha or Confucius if they were Asian--our emotional experiences can be duplicated in other religions. Children are very impressionable and can be influenced even to be suicide bombers at that age of innocence. The point is that we should bring them up in the training and nurture of the Lord and in the fear of God and God promises that our efforts of teaching them will bear fruit some day. "Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it," (cf. Prov. 22:6). This refers to exposure to the admonition of the Lord.

Don't be so quick to believe a superficial testimony of a child who is incapable of discerning true spiritual truth. What happens is that they have their parents faith and haven't developed their own until they get out on their own and in the real world and get tested. Just because Parents stand in loco Dei or in the place of God and represent His authority as authority figures don't mean they can lord it over them without biblical sanction. Children owe their parents due respect and affection just the same. In my estimation, it is next to impossible to "save" your children, however, you can lead them in the way of truth--and commend them to God and the Word of truth. They are just the first lesson of relationship that the children are exposed to and must pass this test to go on to know the Lord.

All you can hope is that your labor was not in vain and God will take care of them, as you submit to His nurture and providence. We instill truth in them as seeds that God will cause to grow and germinate someday unto salvation. We are to treat all children as if they belong to the kingdom, and woe unto him that causes one of these to stumble in whatever faith he has. But I believe that there comes a time to leave the bosom of the family, and they call it that because it's a sheltered environment, and then you must prove your faith is genuine and not just second-hand. Jesus said we must be willing to renounce our family ties and allegiance to all other loyalties, and even love Him more than father or mother. Remember, Christianity is not a way of life, but a vital, vibrant, and growing first-hand and personal relationship with the living God and Savior. And it is no easy step to leave the hearth and cut the umbilical cord to find one's true identity in God without the aid of the familiar domicile. Soli Deo Gloria!

Musings On Faith

 What are some meditations regarding the common faith?

It began at salvation, flourishes in time, and is completed and fulfilled in glory! Only in a world where faith is difficult can it be possible; there can be no easy-believism or easy faith; it might be easy to believe but hardly worth it. Faith comes by the gift of God: “It is the work of God that you believe….” (cf. John 6:29). It comes by virtue of hearing and by hearing of the Word of God—preaching per Romans 10:17 (and we are to grow in our faith and go from faith to faith ever increasing in glory per 2 Cor. 3:18 and Romans 1:16–17). Remember the servant who said to Jesus: “I believe, help thou mine unbelief.” Meager faith in a big God is better than big faith in a small or limited God.

Some people think they have faith without a doubt, but that would be knowledge, not faith. We all live in a doubt-certitude continuum. There are degrees of certitude but God requires us all to take a leap of faith, not into the dark but into the light. Faith is trusting in what you have good reason to believe and knowledge isn’t always certain. It isn’t then a matter of how much you believe but how thorough your repentance that may be the issue! Faith and repentance go hand in hand and there can be no genuine repentance without saving faith! (Acts 20:21).

Faith is only measured by obedience, not ecstasies or experiences. Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Nazi martyr, said, “Only he who believes is obedient; only he who is obedient believes.” You cannot walk in the glow of some epiphany or glorious experience or encounter with God. “If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all.” Isaiah 7:9. We do not walk into some perpetual religious high or remain on Cloud Nine as believers but our faith must be tested as if by fire. Thus, you should say that faith isn’t now much we believe but how well we obey; God doesn’t want our achievements but our obedience! In sum, you might say, “It’s not how big your faith, but how big your God.” (Don’t put Him in a box and limit Him.)  Soli Deo Gloria!

Are You A Do-Gooder?

NOTE: THE TERM AS NEGATIVE CONNOTATIONS BUT CHRISTIANS ARE THE ONES WHO REALLY DO ANYTHING GOOD.

We are all known by our fruits, our deeds, whether good or evil. We are even supposed to judge according to the fruits. Only God sees the heart. If we claim to believe in God and even repent and don't have the fruits to prove it, we are hypocrites and pseudo-believers or false brethren. (cf. Acts 26:20; Matt. 3:8). Beware the wolf in sheep's clothing! We are to be wise as serpents and as gentle as doves and to "be wise to good but innocent to evil." (cf. 1 Cor. 14:20).

There are some people who engage their activities in the service of their fellow man such as giving blood, serving in food shelves, giving alms to the poor, visiting the sick, feeding the starving, and opening up their homes to strangers and even entertaining angels unawares. But some people forget that deeds themselves do not earn us brownie points with God nor ingratiate us with the Deity. We are to be zealous of good deeds (cf. Titus 2:14) and to do those that are foreordained (cf. Eph. 2:10) for us but just doing them for their own sake is do-goodery or to to gain the approbation of our fellow man and not as unto the Lord is in vain; viz., Ted Turner granting $1 billion to the UN to become the Humanist of the Year. Whatever we do, ought to be in the name of the Lord and for His glory, not ours. (cf. 1 Cor. 10:31: Col. 3:17, 23).

Jesus said that many will say, "Lord, Lord, did we not... in Your name?" and Christ will say that He never knew them! This may seem shocking but some people put their faith in their deeds or even in themselves and not in Jesus, the one worthy of our faith.

We are not saved by doing good, but unto doing good. We are not saved by good works, but not without them either! We need them to authenticate and validate our faith. The faith we have is the faith we show, for faith expresses itself. If we have no deeds to back up our faith, it is suspect. As the Reformers said, "We are saved by faith alone, but not a faith that is alone."

Now to whom much is given, much is required (cf. Luke 12:48); we are to serve according to the measure of faith and grace given us. We are to serve and find our gifting so we can find God's will for our life and be fulfilled with purpose and meaning in life serving God the best we can. The whole aim is so that people will see our good works and glorify our Father who is in heaven (cf. Matt. 5:16).

People may even speak highly of us in the Lord but we must realize that it is God working in us as Paul said, "I will not venture to speak of nothing but what Christ has accomplished through me." (cf. Rom. 15:18). God works His will in us who are yielded to Him. "He has done for us all our works," (cf. Isaiah 26:12). Our fruits are from Him (cf. Hosea 14:8).

We ought to do good especially to those of the household of God and as the opportunity arises with others, have any gift envy of what God has gifted others, nor are we to project our gifts to others expecting them to do what we do or can do. We are all unique in Christ and have individual callings and God will fulfill His purpose for us. When we have done all God's will, we will be taken home and to our reward. We must hope for the words of Christ: Well done, thou good and faithful servant.

We are not to do good deeds to be seen of others as to publicize them but not to privatize them either for some deeds cannot be hidden. Remember, we are the salt of the earth (to preserve!) and are saved to become a blessing (cf. Zech. 8:13). There is no social gospel but there is a social commission to be a light on a hill and to bless the city ("to seek the peace and prosperity of our city,") we live in to make it better for our neighbors (cf. Jer. 29:7).

And we all know that we are to be good neighbors regardless of whom they are and look for chances to be good Samaritans and thus fulfil the Law of love. Soli Deo Gloria!

What Is Blind Faith?

"... This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent" (John 6:29, ESV).

"... [He] greatly helped those who through grace had believed" (Acts 18:27, ESV).

Infidels, who deny the existence of God, don't have a leg to stand on, and cannot defend their faith with any evidence whatsoever: neither circumstantial; logical; scientific; philosophical; nor historical. However, Christianity is a historical faith and there is plenty of evidence for anyone willing to believe and obey the truth; unbelievers are defined as those who "reject the truth," according to Romans 2:8. Claiming Christians have blind faith is offensive and insulting to God, and demeaning to believers!

There is no universal belief, but there is universal truth (objective, transcendent, and eternal) that applies whether believed or not: Because someone denies the truth, doesn't mean it's not true. People often confuse belief and truth, saying that they don't believe the Bible, for instance, when you don't have to believe it to be saved; however, most who say they don't believe the Bible, don't know what its message is or have never read it! The Bible is a caged lion, in that it defends itself, and need not appeal to any higher authority than itself for attestation.

The proof for Christ and His resurrection is mostly circumstantial and historical, and any one piece of evidence isn't conclusive, but the totality of the evidence is most compelling and one must go in the direction of the preponderance of the evidence if one is reasonable or in a court of law. It has been stated by Dr. Simon Greenleaf, Royal Professor of Law at Harvard University (considered the world's foremost expert on law and evidence) that any unbiased jury would declare the biblical account a fact of history. (He wrote a book, though a skeptic at first, declaring his conversion after examining the evidence, The Testimony of the Evangelists.)

No event in history has been so widely and variously proved than this; in fact, Luke says, "there are many infallible proofs" in Acts 1:3.  It is arguably the best attested fact in antiquity.  God won't force anyone to believe against his will, but he must want to believe and then God will work on his heart and will to make a believer out of him. (Note that faith is given, not achieved! It's demonstrated, not possessed because we see it in action, we don't talk about it!)

Now Christians are accused of having blind faith, whereas they have sound reasons for what they believe and God never asks anyone to believe despite the evidence--you cannot believe and trust in something you are not intellectually convinced of. But atheists seldom know why they are atheists and certainly cannot defend their position (logicians know you cannot prove a universal negative). Not knowing why you believe is a kind of blind faith. The problem today is not a willingness to believe, but people not knowing what they believe, which is a sort of unbelief and blind faith.

We don't have faith in faith, for faith doesn't save, Christ does! We don't have faith for faith sake, but it is directed in a person, not a creed or ritual. Religion is knowing a creed or the rules, Christianity is knowing a person! The Bible says, "Taste and see that the LORD is good" (cf. Psalm 34:8)--God confirms our faith and the Christian experience is valid and verifiable. He invites scrutiny!  Our basis of feeling and of forgiveness is not purely rational but based on historical evidence of the objective fact of the resurrection. We are not being fooled by some colossal propaganda program! Many of the first-century believers died for their faith, and the "blood of the martyrs was the seed of the church," according to church father Tertullian.

We haven't kissed our brains goodbye but have used them. Faith doesn't reject the mind, it respects the mind. We don't go against reason, but beyond it. We must all take the step of faith into the light, but once there, our eyes are opened and we become enlightened by the Holy Spirit. Note that apart from the Holy Spirit, no one would believe. "We must cater to anyone's intellectual integrity, but not pander to their arrogance," according to John Stott. The problem is not intellectual, but moral; people don't want to believe, because their will is hardened: John 7:17 says that anyone willing to do His will, will know of the doctrine.

"...' You foolish people! You find it so hard to believe all that the prophets wrote in the Scriptures" (Luke 24:25, NLT).
"...' O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken!'" (Ibid., NKJV).
"Therefore my people go into exile for lack of knowledge..." (Isaiah 5:13, ESV).
"...and a people without understanding shall come to ruin" (Hosea 4:14, ESV).
"...There is no faithfulness or steadfast love, and no knowledge of God in the land" (Hos. 4:1, ESV).
"For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings" (Hosea 6:6, ESV).
"Let us know; let us press on to know the LORD..." (Hosea 6:3, ESV).
"I don't have enough faith to be an atheist."--Norman L. Geisler, noted biblical scholar
Note: Not knowing what you believe is a kind of unbelief or blind faith.

Christians have sound, rational reasons to have faith in Christ: circumstantial evidence that is most compelling and unexplainable otherwise; the convicting work of the Holy Spirit, especially through the Word of God (its inspiration, transmission, and canonicity); the objective, cumulative, historical evidence of the resurrection; plus the subjective experience ("Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good..." cf. Psalm 34:8, NKJV) and value of knowing Christ personally ("[N]ow that you have had a taste of the Lord's kindness" cf. 1 Peter 2:3, NLT).

Christianity is the only faith that is based on fact, not a fable, fiction, myth, old wives' tales, legend, or tall tale--if it's not a historical religion, it's nothing at all. "For we did not follow cleverly devised myths..." (cf. 2 Pet. 1:16).  The historical evidence is further validated by the veracity of the witnesses, who were willing to go to their deaths for their faith. One usually tells the truth on one's deathbed. It's not a matter of whether you believe the resurrection was possible, but are the historical records reliable, credible, dependable, and accurate?  If there's a God, then resurrection is possible by deduction. 

The difference between them dying for their faith and other martyrs of different faiths is that they were in the position to know whether it was true. Any faith not based on evidence is blind faith--even an atheist who doesn't know why he's one or has no evidence has blind faith. It's not a battle or challenge between faith and reason but faith versus faith!.  It depends on which set of presuppositions one begins with and is willing to accept as true--secularists bet the farm on science being the only reliable source of truth. Secularists are people of faith too!   If you say that you only believe what can be proved by the scientific method or empiricism, you must first begin by proving the validity of that premise.

Epistemological humility comes in to play where one admits he doesn't have a monopoly on the truth or know everything and is therefore teachable. In the final analysis, no preacher nor scientist has cornered the market on truth and can speak ex-cathedra or pontificate. Socrates said that to begin learning you must admit your ignorance! Uncertainty is the prerequisite to learning and often its byproduct!  Education is merely going from an unconscious to a conscious awareness of your ignorance. Everyone must admit that they could be wrong--no one is infallible.

Christians today are inclined to believe that their faith is indefensible in the open marketplace of ideas, and don't know how to defend their faith or even know what they believe and should defend. We must not let secularists win by default or by concession--we must stand our ground and declare our colors! What is negotiable and what isn't? We have sound reasons to believe; God doesn't expect us to believe despite the evidence. God will reveal the truth to anyone who is willing to do His will (cf. John 7:17) and has an open mind, willing spirit, and needy heart. God doesn't expect us to believe contrary to reason, but will manifest Himself to us if we search for Him--He is no man's debtor.

Faith is a gift and choice but we must exercise it. The problem is when we become lax in the faith or our faith is dead, we can do nothing (John 15:5 says, "For apart from Me you can do nothing"), that faith doesn't save; only a living and growing faith that produces fruit can save--no fruit, no faith, no salvation. Saving faith is not a leap in the dark, but a step into the light--God asks no one to commit intellectual suicide and believe for the sake of believing alone (faith doesn't save, nor faith in faith, but only faith in Christ as the object saves). Faith feeds on facts and experience, while Paul said in Romans 10:17, NKJV, concerning that precious faith: "So then faith comes by hearing, and by hearing [i.e., preaching] by the word of God." We must mature in the faith and have childlike, not childish faith; simple, but not simplistic!  

Christians can have strong faith, but if they aren't able to defend it or have a reason for their faith, it's blind faith and may succumb to the devil's Anfectung or attack. It's not how much faith, but the object of the faith that's vital-you can be sincerely wrong, though sincerity is a requisite. We are always to be ready to have a reason for our hope (cf. 1 Peter 3:15). In the study of apologetics, one will realize that Christians haven't kissed their brains goodbye, and that faith is rational, though Christianity isn't rationalism. God had a rationale for sending His Son and the gospel is about realizing that work of grace is done on our behalf.

In sum, the heart of the matter is that it's a matter of the heart; there's never enough evidence to convince the hardened skeptic, but there's ample evidence for the willing  People are "slow of heart to believe."   Christians cannot argue someone into the kingdom! But they should be able to have an answer as to why they believe (cf. 2 Tim. 2:15). The problem is that some people catch their beliefs like one catches a cold: hanging around the right people and letting osmosis do its work. Also, you don't have to be able to defend your faith to have it! However, you cannot rationalize God or put Him in a test tube or under laboratory conditions, because the existence of God is not in the scientific domain-- it takes faith and faith is what pleases God; skeptics are rarely convinced by debate--a work of grace must woo their hearts toward God. "This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent." (cf. John 6:29).    Soli Deo Gloria!