Jesus Wasn't A Great Moral Teacher

"I and the Father are one"  (John 10:30, NIV).  

Many skeptics refuse to think of Jesus as anything but a moral teacher and even an example or model for man, denying His deity in the process.  But Jesus didn't want to be known as just a great moral teacher or example, but as our Lord and Savior--He didn't leave us that option!  If He were not who He claimed to be, He wouldn't be great at all, but evil and an impostor. When I say that He was not a great teacher, I'm saying He wasn't particularly that, limiting Him--He was that and more!  And so the title is not contradictory according to the law of noncontradiction:  nothing can be something and not be something at the same time, in the same sense!

Jesus could have been a demon who had powers to deceive, but could a demon say the things He did and can a demon open the eyes of the blind  (cf. John 10:21), as they murmured?  His wise reflections and teachings are not the rantings and ravings of a madman, but the Words of God. George Gordon, Lord Byron said that "if ever man were God or God-man, Jesus was both."   His personality is as normal and balanced as anyone who ever lived, and the moral precedent He set has never been equaled, excelled, nor surpassed, neither by predecessor nor by follower and worshiper.

C. S. Lewis has said that He was either a liar, lunatic or Lord; there is ample proof He wasn't legend and no one in their right mind would call Him the devil!  If He were a liar, wouldn't the disciples have had him pegged and figured out after three years?   Lunatics and imposters, like Elvis impersonators, are easy to spot and can be ruled out because their lives belie their claims and they don't have the credentials.

Jesus didn't just say He was the Son of God, but proved it by His life and good works, especially miracles.   Even famed atheist Bertrand Russell didn't begrudge Him the highest of morality and principle!  John Stuart Mill, considered by some scholars to be the most intelligent man who ever lived, called Jesus the guide of humanity, though he was no Christian.

If a psychologist were to analyze Him, and he is beyond our ability to analyze or peg, he would find a perfectly balanced person who is well adjusted and with no inner conflict, issues or baggage.  He has all the traits of a normal person and besides that, the ideal man's personality with no flaws whatsoever--He's the ideal standard to judge by, the most well-adjusted personage known!  There's absolutely nothing abnormal about Him and certainly no evidence of mental illness or tendency at all.

You can tell something about a person by their followers, and Christ not only laid down the highest ethics in the Golden Rule but also served as the highest incentive to practice it!  The disciples were of high moral fiber and laid down their lives for their testimony; it is a known fact that people will die for what they believe is true, but not for a known lie!  The disciples were in a position to verify and know whether He rose from the dead or not, and died as martyrs to test the veracity of their claim.

We don't refer to Jesus in any human category:  Not just Jesus the Great, which sounds quite insulting and doesn't behoove Him,  nor just the Exemplar of mankind to live by or martyr to inspire us to a good cause.  He is not just our example or leader, which He is, but also our Savior (that was His mission!).  If you don't accept Him for who He is (God come in the flesh), you are rejecting Him; you cannot declare you are willing to accept Him as your teacher or guide only without reference to His offices as prophet, priest, and king and His authority as Lord and Savior.  We come to Him on His terms, not vice versa!  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!

Muhammad Versus Jesus

Muhammad was only a 25-year-old camel driver when he married a rich woman 15 yrs. his senior and went on to marry other women afterward.   Muhammad was a man of many flaws, and by no means the ideal guide for mankind to emulate or worship.   Muslims emulate Muhammad as the superlative man, even though he had many flaws:  he had a "vision" to plunder the passing caravans, and latter amassed an army of 10,000 to conquer with the sword (therefore the faith is known as the religion of the sword).  Thus he was a thief and a murderer, but he justified himself by claiming divine revelation and visions.

Jesus remained celibate and faithful to His calling.  Jesus even challenged His accusers to find fault with Him and to point out some sin--they were speechless and at a loss for words.  While Jesus performed some 40 recorded miracles, Muhammad did none, and, when asked why, said that Allah could if he willed it. Jesus conquered hearts with love and laying down His life of His own initiative, while Muhammad used the sword to force conversion.  Muhammad was known as an apostle and prophet, but Jesus was known as a King, and Messiah, Christ, or Anointed One.

You could remove Muhammad from Islam and the religion would remain intact; however, removing Christ totally disembowels Christianity, because Christianity is Christ, all else is the circumference.  Jesus was a miracle worker and teacher as well, but Muhammad wasn't neither.  A point in fact:  Blaise Pascal said that any man can do what Muhammad did; while no man can do what Christ did!  People who compare the two don't realize that there is no comparison at all--no contest, Muhammad is out of his league!

We don't even say "Jesus the Great" because that's a huge understatement and is really insulting to His glory; Muhammad used armies and conquered people, but he was not on the scale of Napoleon, Julius Caesar, nor Alexander the Great; today the legacy of Jesus surpasses that of any mortal or founder of other religions.  With all due respect, Muhammad never claimed to be God, but only His final prophet for all mankind; Jesus claimed deity and proved it with many infallible proofs for anyone with an open, objective, and a willing mind. The most important fact of all:  Muhammad remains in his grave while they never could find Jesus' body (the grave remained empty), and He had witnesses to His resurrection from the dead.

In the final analysis, Jesus stands alone, not to be compared, but contrasted.  He's not merely Jesus the Great, that's an insult, but God in the flesh, as He claimed to be.  Anyone can claim to be God, but do they have the credentials?  If someone lived His life, he would not belie his claim;  however, Jesus has never bee, and never will be, surpassed--He's unlike and superior to all his precursors and predecessors, likewise no follower nor disciple has ever, but worshiped Him, much less equaled Him.  He laid down the highest ethics, no one can dispute, and is also the highest motivation to do it!

Even His enemies were unable to charge Him with sin (cf. John 8:46), and He basically died because of the truth:  He said He was the Son of God. the only hypothesis that fits the facts and claims without contradiction--if someone lived like Him, he should be believed on and worshiped, not crucified!   Soli Deo Gloria! 

Age Of Innocence

 "Moreover your little ones and your children, who you say will be victims, who today have no knowledge of good and evil, they shall go in there, to them I will give it, and they shall possess it"  (Deut. 1:39, NKJV).  
 "For before the Child shall know to refuse the evil and choose the good..." (Isaiah 7:16, NKJV). 
"... 'Yes. Have you never read 'Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You have perfected praise?'...." (Matt. 21:16, NKJV).

John Locke, father of modern empiricism, said that children are born tabula rasa, or with a blank heart or slate, that is impressionable and innocent!--thus all knowledge is learned by experience and we don't inherit any.   The Bible clearly says that we are conceived in sin and that we err from birth, telling lies (Psalm 58:3, NKJV, says, "The wicked are estranged from the womb; They go astray as soon as they are born, speaking lies").  This native tendency is called original sin and is the effect of Adam's sin.  We aren't sinners because we sin, rather we sin because we are sinners, theologians say.  We sin, precisely because it's our very nature and we act according to our God-given nature.  God chose our nature, whether sanguine, choleric, melancholy, impetuous, or happy-go-lucky!

We are not born free, but in bondage to sin, and must be set free (As John 8:36, NKJV, says, "Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed").   We don't need free wills, but wills made free.  The will is depraved to and is not in a state of neutrality able to weigh the pros and cons of following Christ--we need to be wooed into the kingdom (cf. John 6:44, 65) and convicted of our sin and brought to faith by regeneration (cf. 2 Thess. 2:13, which implies that regeneration precedes faith!).

Our nature is determined by God, just like a dove's nature is to eat seed and a vulture to eat carrion, we act according to the nature God gave us, and we are true to nature and to the character that God didn't even ask us our permission before giving it to us.  What if you had been born in India, do you think you'd be a Baptist?  What if you had been born in abject poverty in the Horn of Africa, what would've been your chances of surviving, or what if you had been born in a Muslim nation and had virtually no freedom or opportunity to be anything except Muslim?

God recognizes that children don't know good and evil, though they are still sinners.  Jonah was told that there were 120,000 in Nineveh that didn't know their right hand from their left!  After the spies had come back from Canaan, Joshua was told that the nation would suffer for forty years in the wilderness due to cowardice and a whole generation would be punished--except those who were "innocent" as Deut. 1:39 says.  Basically, God had mercy on all those under twenty years old, even though Jews consider the right of passage into adulthood at about 13 for boys and 12 for girls.

Some teach that God sends children to hell if they're not baptized, but there is no place in hell for children.  Isaiah 7:16 says that there is a time when children don't know to choose the good and reject the evil before adulthood, and God has mercy on them accordingly.   Jesus, Himself, said that the kingdom of God belongs to the children of the world, and we are to receive them, even someone who accepts them in His name accepts Him.  Woe to those who cause a child to stumble in the faith, because their angels constantly behold the face of the Father in heaven.

We have a lot to learn from children, who have not reached the age of accountability yet, because Jesus said that God has ordained praise from their lips (as Matt. 21:16, says, "... 'Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You have perfected praise?"),  and we can see the love of God in their hearts  (cf. Psalm 8:2).  Saint Augustine said that it was the voice of a child saying, "Take and read, take and read," that was his spiritual wake-up call and motivated him to repent of his lascivious and debauched lifestyle.

Yes, God does speak through children and they can utter wise statements that are timely.  Yes, forbid them not, as Mark 10:14 says to suffer them not, for such is the kingdom of God.   Soli Deo Gloria!     

But I Have Called You Friends

"Act as free men, and do not use your freedom as a covering for evil, but use it as bondslaves of God" (1 Peter 2:16, NASB).  

NOTE:  WE ARE SIMULTANEOUSLY SERVANTS AND FRIENDS, WITH AN EASY YOKE AND LIGHT BURDEN, BUT THE MORE ENSLAVED WE ARE TO CHRIST, THE FREER WE ARE IN THE SPIRIT.  

Abraham was called the friend of God, according to Scripture (cf. James 2:23), and Jesus said in the Upper Room that He did not call the disciples servants anymore, but friends (cf. John 15:15).  We are a very privileged group.  However, we are not called to be sidekicks or buddies of the Lord in the same vein as our fellow equals and peers in this world.  As believers, in reality, we are still servants of the Lord and at the Bema of Christ He will say, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant."  However, what fulfillment to finally enter into the joy of the Lord.  We are merely the stewards of God's blessings:  time, resources, money, gifts, talents, opportunities, relationships, skills, and any other blessings He bestows.  But Jesus invites us to be His friends and if we do what He commands: loving the brethren, (the yoke and cross of following His will for our lives), then we will receive a full reward (per 2 John 8) and not lose out on His divine favor.  God is partial to no one and doesn't play favorites (cf. Acts 10:34, Rom. 2:11), and some believers will be saved by the skin of their teeth and lose reward, due to be disqualified (cf. 1 Cor. 9:27), or their works being burned up in the fire that tests their purity (cf. 1 Cor. 3:10ff).

The Koine (biblical or common Greek) word doulos (bondservant) should be "slave."  But it shouldn't have the connotations it does today with cruelty.  Slaves were owned by their master, not just in their service. Christ has bought us (cf. 1 Cor. 6:20).  Jesus made it clear that we are only His friends if we obey Him (cf. John 15:14).  Obedience and faith are correlated and can be distinguished, but not separated.  We show our faith by our obedience; likewise, we obey by walking in faith (cf. 2 Cor. 5:7).  Jesus said no one can be owned by two masters, we must decide whom we will dedicate our life's service to --mammon or Christ.

Slaves are Christ's freemen, while freemen are Christ's slaves:  "He who was called while free, is Christ's slave.  You were bought with a price"  (1 Cor. 7:22-23, NASB). We can be each other's servants, but they don't own us--Christ owns us and deserves the title Kurios or Lord, as we defer in obedience, allegiance, and loyalty.  Becoming a Christian entails giving up the ownership of our lives, being willing to do His will in our calling.

Paul and other disciples referred to themselves commonly as bondservants in their epistles, and those are they who could be set free and decide to stay in slavery or service voluntarily, out of love for their master or the job itself.  The whole beauty of it is that it is a voluntary initiative like Paul not getting married when he had the right to money for preaching;  we don't have to give up our so-called rights or privileges to serve a lowly or humble role.

But in the end, after the rewards are given out at the Judgment Seat of Christ, it will be worth the effort and sacrifice to have served the Lord and done only what was required, no matter how much effort we made, it was only what ought to have done and we will not even deserve a reward, but one will be given by grace anyway.  For that is what grace is:  you don't earn it, cannot pay it back, and you didn't deserve it in the first place; on the other hand, mercy is not getting what we do deserve!

When the apostles called themselves bondservants of Christ, they were taking a special calling to serve Him in exchange for the privilege of the greater reward; they didn't have to make themselves bondservants, (by definition, this is voluntary), and they enjoyed the service of the Lord's work in the kingdom of God. Paul, Peter, James, and John the Elder all referred to themselves this way and they knew what they were getting into, and followed the calling despite the downside and pitfalls.  Paul even said that while he was poor the church could be made rich.

In God's economy, greatness is correlated with how many you serve, not how many servants you have, for even Jesus came serving (cf. Mark 10:45), and much more are we called to serve, walking in His steps.  It is indeed a promotion to be called into the ministry, despite the fact that it means a life of service, not glory or riches in this world, because the reward is in the next life to be handed out according to what we have done in the flesh (cf. Rom. 2:6) in service to God by the power of the Spirit, who is our divine enabler! 

The whole concept of service is that Christians live an exchanged life of Christ living through them as His hands to serve, feet to go, voice to preach, and heart to love  (for Jesus has no hands, etc., to change the world other than ours)  for Him in missions and ministry.  As Paul said in Galatians 2:20 that he no longer lives, but Christ lives through him.  Christianity isn't so much about copying or mimicking Christ as having Him live through us and in us as He takes ownership and control of our lives.  

As far as our service goes, we are still servants and stewards who will be rewarded accordingly, but as far as our relationship goes, we are the friends of God too, for God is no respecter of persons and shows no partiality--what He's done for others He can and will do for you!  Don't forget that Jesus is not ashamed to call us brethren and we are now family with God as our Father, to whom we address prayer in Jesus name.  In fact, anyone who does the will of God is His brother, sister, or even mother (cf. Matt. 12:50)!

In God's economy and in the service of the Lord, the more you humble yourself, and the more sacrifices you make, the more reward in heaven--humility comes before exaltation and promotion--unlike the apostles who wanted to be first in the kingdom, but didn't know what they were getting into, and would have to drink of the same cup as the Lord to prove their worthiness to sit with Him in the kingdom of God.  Case in point:  Take the example of John the Baptist, who said in John 3:30 that Jesus must increase and he must decrease!

Therefore, the way up is down, apparently, because John was the greatest mortal ever born and he lived the life in the wilderness deprived of any luxury and gave his life as his final witness, while he lived such a life of deprivation and asceticism.  Indeed, it is a promotion to become a martyr and die for the Lord, not a disgrace, but an honor to be considered worthy of suffering for Christ's sake in kingdom work.  Soli Deo Gloria! 

Man's Accountability

"...Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?"  (Gen. 18:25, NKJV).
"So then each of us shall give account of himself to God"  (Rom. 14:12, NKJV).
"For none of us lives to himself, and no one dies to himself"  (Romans 14:7, NKJV).
"... 'There is no accountability, since God does not exist'"  (Psalm 10:4, HCSB).

If there is no God, man is not accountable--there's no Judge, no Lawgiver, no Executioner of final retribution and justice. The government would be the highest law, and standards would differ from state to state, subject to local opinion or custom.   In short, man would be a law unto himself.  Is responsibility a delusion then?  If there is no God, all things are permissible, according to Dostoevsky!   If there is no Judge, why worry about justice or answering to anyone.  However, the whole system of Western government is based on the premise of natural or transcendent law from God given to man in his conscience, and, since we are in His image, we are mere stewards of God and accountable for His blessings and will be held to account at Judgment Day.

"Man has forgotten God," according to Solzhenitsyn, and the chief question and issue of our day, according to William Durant, is whether man "can live without God."  Nietzsche said that God was dead, that we had killed Him, or that He was irrelevant if He does exist!  To the unbeliever, God is in none of His thoughts, and even if there is a God, he lives as a practical atheist, or as though there is no God--this is the dilemma:  Are Christians going to see the light and be the light, or let society rot and fall apart at the very foundations?  The beauty of the church is the sense and reality of belonging to a family where we are concerned for each other and can share with each other our burdens, blessings, gifts, and talents. Man is not a law unto himself, however, so he can live with the morals of a beast if he chooses, even if he sees himself as one.  (The purpose of government is to put a lid on and restrain evil in society, securing and maintaining our freedoms and rights--note that God confers our rights, and the government derives its power from the consent of the governed, and its main purpose is to keep evil at bay.)

However, God is not dead, He's more alive than ever before and will not die; He is the one who is there and we must reckon with Him, whether we want to or not. If there is no God, there are no absolutes either, and no standard of right and wrong beyond our subjective feelings. Many great atheists have tried to kill God or make Him irrelevant, but God lives on in men's hearts, for Christ founded a kingdom of hearts, not armies or wealth.

Man is too proud, however, to seek God and justifies himself and his sin.  What does this worldview entail and what is the logical conclusion?  We always invent a system of ethics that we feel or believe we can keep, and that doesn't condemn ourselves.  If there is no God, man has no hell to shun, nor fear of a Day of Judgment, and there is no Lawgiver to tell us right from wrong--man is the highest being and we have no one to give an account of ourselves to.

In short, man is an animal and has the right to live like an animal morally.  (Man then cannot be in the image of God, since there is no God, and therefore has no unique, intrinsic nor extrinsic dignity, the image of God implies a lot:  not only dignity but meaning and purpose; we're wired spiritually and rationally; we are also emotional, communicative, and moral beings that are fulfilled and made complete in Christ (cf. Col. 2:10); however, we are not replicas of God--Jesus is the only express image or icon of God.)

Having no Lawgiver implies we can make up our own rules as we go along and there are no absolutes--no God means no absolutes, but all is relevant (principle, morals, truth, and values)!  Having no Judge means we can get away with murder without fearing retribution!   Caveat:  Christianity doesn't endorse "going rogue" or philosophy of "each man for himself" in a "law of the jungle," where it's "survival of the fittest"--we are all family in Christ and ought to have vested interest in each other.   Soli Deo Gloria!

Minding Your Own Business

As concerned believers we are to look out for each other, not just Number One, and that includes being interested in each other's affairs and business and/or family dealings.  We are to mind our own business, though, when appropriate and not to become busybodies, snooping into affairs where we are not welcome.  It is tempting to become aloof and not care about the everyday, mundane lives of our circle of friends and sphere of influence.  Peter says that no believer should suffer as a busybody in other's matters, where we are intruding and unwelcome--the key is to show interest, not being "nosey," or prying!  Some people are encouraged just to be assured that we care and this is a methodology to preach the gospel.  We walk the straight and narrow path to balance the two extremes of ignoring them and meddling.

Paul warns about people who don't work, but expect others to support them while they become busybodies (cf. 2 Thess. 3:11).  We are told expressly to mind our own business in 1 Thess. 4:11, NKJV, boldface mine, and I quote:  "... [A]spire to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you." We must seek an open door and seize the day (carpe diem, in Latin) when we see opportunity knocking where we can lend a helping hand--for Christ has no hands to help with but ours!

Some believers are naturally charismatic and gifted to handle private matters and to extend mercy and help to those in need in the body.  The primary cause of intrusion into the matters of other believers is lack of productive lives, where one has too much free time or downtime; the saying goes:  "An idle hand is the devil's workshop."  Note that Ecclesiastes 9:10 says that whatever we "find to do," do it with "all our might," and we are not made for idleness, but for work to suit our image of God and find fulfillment and meaning.

In matters of others, we are to demonstrate the love of the brethren and how we can extend it to all in need within the body of believers. Some folks believe religion is a personal matter and one should privatize it and not interfere.  One reminder:  don't get personal, without permission, the go-ahead, or the green light you cannot guarantee the outcome or final result--the Holy Spirit has the job of wooing and prompting the person's interest to open the door.   As a final caveat:  Never pry into uncharted territory where you aren't welcome--build a relationship first and earn the right to get personal!  Soli Deo Gloria!  

Obedience As Faith In Action

"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"  (Rom. 6:16, NLT). 
"If they listen and obey God, they will be blessed with prosperity throughout their lives.  All their years will be pleasant"  (Job 36:11, NLT)
"This is what I told them:  'Obey me, and I will be your God, and you will be my people. Do everything as I say, and all will be well"  (Jer. 7:23, NLT).
"Pay close attention to him, and obey his instructions.  Do not rebel against him, for he is my representative, and he will not forgive your rebellion"  (Ex. 23:21, NLT).
"... All this will happen if you carefully obey what the LORD your God says" (Zech. 6:15).
"It was by faith that Abraham obeyed when God called him to leave home..." (Heb. 11:8, NLT).
"The people said to Joshua, 'We will serve the LORD our God.  We will obey him alone'"  (Josh. 24:24, NLT).  

NOTE:  OBEDIENCE IS PARAMOUNT IN PLEASING GOD AND IS EQUATED WITH FAITH IN ACTION AS PROOF THAT THE FAITH IS GENUINE AND ALIVE.

The Holy Spirit is reserved uniquely and solely for the obedient believer (Acts 5:32, HCSB,   "...and so is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey Him") , and who has obeyed the gospel (2 Thess. 1:8 says expressly:  "in flaming fire bringing judgment on those who do not know God and on those who refuse to obey the Good News of our Lord Jesus").   Peter said that he must "obey God rather than any human authority"  (Acts 5:29, NLT).  He elaborated that "the Holy Spirit, who is given by God to those who obey him" is manifested for all to see by their witness.  Samuel the prophet, scolded Saul, saying, "To obey is better than sacrifice" (cf. 1 Sam. 15:22).  Jesus calls us friends if we do what He commands (are obedient); i.e., love the brethren and believe in Him!  His yoke is easy, to follow on to know the Lord by seeking His will and living accordingly (Hosea 6:3, NLT, says:  "Oh, that we might know the LORD!  Let us press on to know him...").   Paul says in Romans 2:8 that the unbeliever is one who doesn't "obey the truth!"

Obedience and faith are correlated and juxtaposed in Hebrews as follows:  "And to whom was God speaking when he took an oath that they would never enter his rest?  Wasn't it the people who disobeyed him?  So we see that because of their unbelief they were not able to enter his rest [there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God]"  (Heb. 3:18-19; John 3:36 NLT).  There is no such thing as cheap grace (also known as easy-believism) that justifies the sin, not the sinner (we all tend to justify our pet sins and easily besetting ones).  The only test of faith is obedience as Dietrich Bonhoeffer famously said, "Only he who believes is obedient; only he who is obedient believes!"

Some people measure their faith by their ecstasies or existential encounters or any kind of subjective feeling or experience; while the true measure of faith is obedience not feeling--many have feelings and don't follow through, or are just emotive or demonstrative, uninhibited types!   Remember that our salvation is only for the obedient, and this means submission to the lordship of Christ.  We must not only trust Him as our Savior but submit to Him as our personal Lord!  Hebrews 5:9 (NLT) says, "...[H]e became the source of eternal salvation for all those who obey him."

There is no such thing as a carnal Christian who is getting away with a life of sin or even living in it, a true believer cannot continue in sin, but is chastised of the Lord when discipline is called for (cf. Rev. 3:19).  Some believers learn by the school of hard knocks, the wise ones learn through the ministry of the Word, where they learn to attend to God's voice and hear the Spirit's message to them.  Not obeying is a sign of rebellion, and God despises rebels! Rejecting the lordship and ownership of Christ over your life is rebellion and God will not countenance it, but judge it.   Soli Deo Gloria!  

Natural Theology

"Dear brothers and sisters, don't be childish in your understanding of these things.  Be innocent as babies when it comes to evil, but be mature in understanding matters of this kind"  (1 Cor. 14:20, NLT).

Theology is called the queen of sciences and is not an abstract study nor a so-called "fool's errand of speculation", but down to earth, systematic, and relevant;  it is in the application that the power is apparent.  All Scripture has theological undertones and significance (Note 2 Tim. 3:16, KJV, emphasis added,  "All Scripture is given inspiration of God, and profitable for doctrine...").  Childish faith balks at in-depth study, and thrives on the milk, without ever maturing to solid food! 

Charles Darwin attempted to become a preacher, before becoming embittered by the death of his father and was quite impressed with a book by William Paley, called Natural Theology.  In it, there is proof of God's existence, including the "argument from design."  For example, if you found a watch in the middle of a forest, you'd assume someone put it there, and even that someone made it and designed it, due to a design--voila--a Designer!  Now we've proved God's existence indirectly.  Men have no excuse for disbelieving in Him, there is ample evidence for anyone willing to do His will. Even Bertrand Russell, the most famous atheist of the UK and of the twentieth century probably, was asked if he found out there was a God, what he'd tell Him:  "Why didn't you give us more evidence?"  There is never enough evidence for the skeptic; note that Russell admitted that there was indeed evidence!

There is great inherent value in doctrine because it essentially means teaching; we are to disseminate sound doctrine according to Titus 2:1.  You can have a sound theology, though, and not a sound spiritual life; however, without sound theology, in its essential and non-negotiable aspects, you cannot have a sound Christian life.  It's not a matter of being good at theology or thinking that if you know some theology, you are better, and others are poor specimens of the faith.  We are all theologians by any definition of the term; it's not a matter of semantics--all Christendom should be on the same page here!

We need to know the scoop or the lowdown in order to live right.  Our actions and beliefs are interrelated and correlated.  Scripture says that in the latter days, some will bail out theologically, and no longer listen to sound teaching (cf. 2 Tim. 4:3).  Nonbelievers are defined as those who reject the truth in Romans 2:8, but God is able to open their eyes and show them the light when the day dawns and the morning star arises in their hearts (cf. 2 Pet. 1:19).  There is no "secret knowledge" like the Gnostics (those in the "know") taught, but everything God wants us to know and all we need is written in the Word. The things hidden are not in the Apocrypha ("hidden"), but they don't belong to us at all (cf. Deut. 29:29).

Theologians, or those who make theology their pursuit, are an unpopular breed.  They get a bad rap and this is with all due respect because there are so many false teachers out there.  We cannot reject theology, for that would be spiritual suicide in rejecting the knowledge of God--it's no option!  One of the signs of the last days is the rise of false prophets and/or teachers saying what the people want to hear with their itching ears.

There is also natural law (sometimes called transcendent law from God) that all men are aware of in their God-given conscience, and they have no excuse for not knowing basic right and wrong--it's not social custom nor inherited by genes, but granted by God's common grace to all men.  Paul says to look to creation and you will see that man has no excuse (Romans 1:20, NLT, says, "... So they have no excuse for not knowing God").  However, though there are many "proofs" for God, it cannot be done scientifically, for those who will only believe what science posits:  God is outside the domain of science, because He is unseen, immeasurable, and infinite, meaning you cannot define nor confine Him for experimental research with laboratory conditions.  God demands faith, and so the only absolute proof of God is by experience, knowing Him personally by invitation.  You cannot know without any reservation that there is a God, except that He came to earth and revealed Himself to us--Jesus is all the theology we need (i.e., knowing Him is where it's at).

Just because there is bad theology, doesn't mean we can avoid it or reject it.  There is also good theology and you don't throw the baby out with the bathwater!  Bad theology needs to be answered.  We do have the option to reject biblical knowledge as believers, for this is ultimately rejecting God.  The wise are hungry for the truth  (cf. Prov. 15:14), and knowledge is found on their lips since they store it up.  We are commanded to "study to show yourself approved unto God," and this implies we are to become students of the Word and ready apologists for the Lord.  The elders and deacons are to have the ability to refute false doctrine and defend the faith (cf. Titus 1:9, NKJV, which says, "[Holding] fast the faithful word as he has been taught, that he may be able, by sound doctrine, both to exhort and convict those who contradict").  

And so, it's not "those theologians!" It's "what kind of theologian are you?"  Just like we are all preachers and Good Samaritans, even if it's not our gift, we are to study the Word systematically, if possible, and to learn to discern truth from error and discern the solid food of the Word, not surviving solely on the milk of the Word.  All theology was designed to be understood with the mind (we have the mind of Christ and illuminating ministry of the Spirit), and theology is said to enter the heart via the mind, not vice versa.

And in conclusion, doctrine or theology is necessary for healthy spiritual growth, but not sufficient:  the fact that our hearts be right is more important than what school of theology we subscribe to.  Our doctrine doesn't need to be impeccably correct, but our heart needs to be in the right place!  Scripture, however, does teach both the primacy of the heart and of the mind--God wants us to understand the Word!   The mere presentation of doctrine can leave a person cold and seem farfetched to the spiritually naive because it must be enlightened by the Spirit and done in the right way, not just as an intellectual exercise!   We are not called to make converts to our school of theology, and God won't even ask us what we held so dear doctrine-wise, but to be held accountable for our works, when the final audit of our life's work is done.  Soli Deo Gloria!

How Normal Are Miracles?

"The genuine realist, if he is an unbeliever, will always find strength and ability to disbelieve in the miraculous, and if he is confronted with a miracle as an irrefutable fact he would rather disbelieve his own senses than admit the fact.  Faith does not ... spring from miracle, but the miracle from faith."  (Fyodor Dostoevsky)
"For nothing is impossible with God"  (Luke 1:37, NLT, italics added). 
"Is anything too hard for the LORD?"  (Genesis 18:14, NLT).
"O Sovereign LORD!  You made the heavens and the earth by your strong hand and powerful arm.  Nothing is too hard for you!"  (Jer. 32:17, NLT).
"Jesus looked at them intently and said, 'Humanly speaking, it is impossible.  But with God everything is possible'"  (Matt. 19:26, NLT).  "He replied, 'What is impossible for people is possible with God'"  (Luke 18:27, NLT). 
"I did tell you, but you do not believe.  The miracles I do in my Father's name speak for me"   (John 10:25, NIV). 
"Even though you do not believe me, believe the miracles, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me, and I in the Father"  (John 10:38, NIV).

If miracles happened on a regular basis ("God found me a parking spot, what a miracle!"  "I passed the test!"), we would call them "regulars" or "ordinaries!" By definition, God is over, above, and beyond natural law, of which He is the Author and Governor.  Part of the problematic issue is the definition of miracles per se.  Miracles are not the suspension of natural law, but the overruling of it by the One who made the "laws of the universe" (cf. Job 38:33) as we perceive them. When you catch an apple fallen from a tree, you do not suspend gravity, but overrule it by catching it!

All events are governed and caused by God, who is the Causa prima, or First Cause (Uncaused cause), known by the Greek philosophers.  We call unusual events caused by God miracles.  Note:  God, is the only Legislator, and made the laws of nature, and is able to suspend them or overrule them to His preference and will--Jesus wasn't bound nor limited by them.

But miracles are more common than you think:  Just looking in the mirror can reveal one!  The transformation of a convert's life is the biggest and most dynamic testimony to miracles ever!  Life is a walking miracle, since, by the law of biogenesis, life only comes from life, because the metabolic motor, DNA, only is replicated by existing DNA; this begs the question of where the original DNA came from (God!).  DNA couldn't have arisen by chance or luck, (it's far too complex with many proteins, the most complicated substance known to man) no matter how much time you think there was for anything to happen (according to scientists the Big Bang took place some 13.7 billion years ago--not enough time!).  Furthermore, when you consider the miracle of Jesus turning water into wine, ponder that He does it all the time when water nourishes a vine, and the grapes are made into wine!  Doesn't the cow turn water into milk?  All of nature turns food and water into excrement and waste matter.

Jesus never did miracles for show or on-demand, nor did He ever do a "biggie" miracle, and He did them before skeptics as well with only his inner circle and friends present--they were not helter-skelter, without rhyme, reason, or justification,  but had a purpose or need to deal with.   His enemies didn't deny that He did them, but became jealous of His influence.   His miracles vouched for His claims and bore witness of the truth; His life not belying His testimony and witness either, which were substantiated in manifold manners.

None of the miracles were fantastic or for personal prestige, selfish gain, or even monetary gain.  They all served to glorify God and to be signs of His deity--most were done out of sympathy.  He proved He had all authority over disease, nature, death, demons, maladies, and disabilities.  He performed such a variety of miracles to demonstrate His powers that you must rule out deceit, and we are exhorted to believe "on the evidence of the miracles themselves" (cf. John 14:11, NIV).

The trouble with miracles is that it evokes skepticism and antagonism in some--faith in others is increased.  They are meant to nourish the weak in faith, but not to convince the skeptic or one who doesn't want to believe:  John 12:37 says that, though He had performed many miracles, they would not believe in Him (not could not).  It's sure interesting that His enemies and the Pharisees, in particular, didn't doubt that He performed signs or miracles, but said that, if they left Him alone, the whole world would follow and go after Him, according to John 11:48 (and leave them--their real fear!).

This is the thing with miracles:  If you remove them like Thomas Jefferson did in his personal Bible, The Life and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth, you disembowel Christianity and neutralize the faith; other faiths can delete their miracles and their religion remains intact. If we were to remove them, Christ would've been merely a footnote in history and of only passing interest as an itinerant teacher.  His miracles were not for show, nor to impress, but to make a point.  The gospels record some 37 miracles (tally depends on what you call a miracle), but He did countless miracles in reality, not just the ones recorded, and the world couldn't contain the books that would be written.

Modern Science cannot forbid miracles, they are outside its turf and domain (history is nonrepeatable nor observable). David Hume described miracles as violations of natural law:  This is is a deification of the laws of nature, and the laws are merely descriptions of the ordinary course of events.  If there were no laws of nature, nothing would be predictable and we couldn't study nature.   We shouldn't seek miracles (unusual events caused by God), because they only give the appetite for more miracles!  We should praise the Lord for the ones we do witness on a daily basis!

People claim to have a problem with a certain miracle, such as the virgin birth, but their problem is with the whole concept of the supernatural and miracles in general; the issue is settled by philosophy and history and theology, not science--it ultimately rests on the veracity of the witnesses, and the reliability and credibility of the historical records.  Secularists, who premise their faith denying the supernatural, are ruling God out of the equation, upon denial of miracles, which happen by virtue of their being a supernatural God--a fact they willingly and knowingly suppress.

In the final analysis, as Dostoevsky said above, miracles come from faith, not faith from miracles!  Life is a miracle and the sunrise is one too, except that you experience it so often you don't consider the complexity and wonder involved.  Believers see miracles everywhere, skeptics see none due to the hardness of their hearts.  Everyday wonders are no fewer miracles and we ought not to take them for granted and lose our sense of awe with the miracles of nature; even the firmament shows His handiwork per Psalm 19.   Let me sum it up with a quote from songwriter William Cowper:  "God moves in a mysterious way, His wonders to perform!"  (Therefore, Matt. 9:29, NIV, says:  "...According to your faith let it be done to you.")   Soli Deo Gloria!