Nature Versus Nurture

"What have you that you did not receive.  If then you received it, why do you boast as if it were not a gift" (1 Cor. 4:7, RSV).
"God made man upright, but they have sought out many devices" (Eccl. 7:29, RSV).
"[B]ut who are you, a man, to answer to God?  Will what is molded say to its molder, 'Why have you made me thus'" (Rom. 9:19-20, RSV). 
"But the one who did not know; and did what deserved a beating, will receive a light beating.  Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required, and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the more" (Luke 12:48, ESV).
"The mass of men lead live lives of quiet desperation."--Henry David Thoreau


What makes us individuals is not merely the interplay of genes in action in an uncontrollable, impersonal fate, but the byproduct of the destiny of God who planned out every detail of our lives and all the contingencies.  Sir Francis Crick, co-discoverer of DNA, declared that we are not "pawns of our genes."  We are individuals and responsible for our behavior despite our genes, and cannot blame God for our wrongdoing nor think our DNA is fixed and we were born this way.  We may inherit music talent, but no God-given passion for it; just like we can have all the food we need, but no appetite; or everything to live on and nothing to live for--there are certain blessings that only God provides.

Many factors went into making us the people we are: environment; education; culture; family; friends; vocation; experience, etc.  If you had been born in Russia, you would not be the same person, only Russian, you'd be a different makeup and personality.  Isaiah 45:9 says, "Woe to him who strives with his Maker." However, no one can say he is a thief because God made him one!  We all have input into our nature and there's no iron-clad karma or law of cause and effect that forces us into some role or part in life.   A person may become a math instructor because of natural intelligence inherited from parents in the genes, but God makes him what he is and the passion and opportunity--there are manifold contingencies.   Siblings can be so different and even without natural affection for each other.  How do you explain a family where everyone is a lawyer or doctor?  I would attribute it largely to natural intelligence and family background and experience.  What is admired in that family is the legal profession and no wonder they lean that way rather than be the black sheep of the family.  God is able to work all the events and circumstances out for our good and destiny, foreseeing every possible outcome and exigency.

The point is that we have a destiny in which we participate and cooperate with God, not a fate that we have no control over and is the impersonal blind fate of kismet in Islam.  God wants to personally involve us and desires our input.  God's sovereignty is in no way, shape, or form, influenced nor interrupted, restrained, hindered, or even frustrated by man's so-called free will.  When I say free will, I mean we are never coerced into anything to do something we don't want to do, which would be determinism--we make the decision of accepting or rejecting Christ's plan for our life.  It is wonderful news that God has a plan for our lives and we can achieve a fulfilling life in Christ if we are willing and obedient.

The Christian life is a relationship of knowing God personally and growing in a living love-life.  We really fall in love with Jesus, but some have left their first love found at salvation and their hearts have grown cold.  The theory that we are pawns of our genes is because secularists believe in monism or that the only thing that exists in the natural world is matter/energy but there is something they must reckon with: intelligence and where it came from--the Ultimate, Supreme Mind behind it all; this view is called dualism and is the Christian worldview that there is a spirit world that doesn't take up form as matter/energy.  This must be pointed out because of the laws of thermodynamics;  the amount of energy in the universe remains constant, and it cannot be destroyed nor created, but only decreased in usefulness.  This is how we know that the universe had a beginning and that the energy clock began ticking at some point in the past.

How is it that two siblings can be so different and contrary?  They not only have different natural talents, abilities, and gifts, but so many variables are at play that they are still individuals and not clones of their parents nor of each other.  It is rare that a son is a real chip off the old block or in the image and likeness of the parent.  There are so many combinations of genes and DNA that there is a nil chance of there being anyone exactly like you in the whole world.  Sometimes you can look in the mirror and start seeing your parents and thinking you've become like them, but sometimes we do bear physical resemblance without any personality profile likeness too.  It is thought that we inherit our sin nature from our fathers because Jesus was born of the Virgin Mary by the Holy Spirit.  It is also true that the consequences of the sins of the fathers are passed down to the children.

But the point is that we are totally responsible for our own sins and will die for our own sins, not our fathers'.  No one can say he was on the wrong list and think God couldn't save him--he had his chances and no one is treated unjustly by God.  The people saved are those who were shown grace, not justice, while the damned were rendered justice, but no one suffers injustice from God, the perfectly Just One.  "Shall not the judge of all the earth do right?" Abraham declares in Gen. 18:25.  We must be assured that God always does the right thing and destines no one to hell, they went there of their own choice and volition, and God never made them do or think anything they didn't want to.  That is to say, that the Christian cannot give himself any credit for his salvation, while the damned can only blame themselves, for they were never without witness (cf. Acts 14:17).

It is said, as an excuse for bad conduct and to avoid the responsibility, that we can blame our genes for our sexual desires, and the sexual deviant or pervert is only captive to his nature and that he "was born this way."  They have found that drunkards seem to have less of the dopamine receptor gene, but he is still responsible for his behavior in God's sight and no drunks will inherit the kingdom of God, regardless of genes.  By this line of reasoning, you could say that you inherited a desire to commit adultery or fornication and lust more than the average Joe, so you can't help it--poppycock!  Everyone has an old sin nature and is still responsible and culpable for his sins and will be judged accordingly if he doesn't repent.   The reason is that God can transform the individual from the inside out and it's not a matter of an AA pledge or turning over a new leaf, but of regeneration by God and having a born-again experience that is life-changing and altering.  We cannot shift the blame to God for our sins!

We are indeed "fearfully and wonderfully made" and the formulae that made us is nothing short of a miracle to behold, we are surely unique, and when God made us He broke the mold!  We are all interconnected and need each other--"No man is an island" (John Donne).  Man has always gone on record as pointing the finger (which is forbidden in Isa. 58:9) and playing the blame game, trying to shift the fault to God for his own failures, misdeeds, shortcomings, weaknesses, and sins (this goes back to Adam blaming God for giving him Eve), but with God there's no excuse and man will be judged and held culpable by Him who is coming to judge the living and the dead.

We must all look inward to give ourselves a spiritual checkup and take inventory:  "The unexamined life is not worth living" (Socrates).  Remember:  Adam and Eve sinned and rebelled in the perfect environment and wouldn't take personal responsibility for their wrongdoing--they sinned because they chose self over God, they didn't choose evil for they didn't know what it was, but wanted to rule themselves and be independent; therefore, sin is the declaration of independence from God.

Even though scientists do believe we can inherit a vulnerability towards certain sins or mental illnesses, we are still responsible and cannot point the finger at God. In the final analysis, we're all hard-wired for purpose, dignity, and meaning in life and this can only be found in knowing, trusting, and obeying God, not blaming Him.  Soli Deo Gloria! 


Amen!

Our Impending Entrance Into The Promised Land

"Expect Great Things from God, Attempt Great Things for God."-- a sermon by William Carey, "the Father of Modern Missions"

Our Christian experience is a journey to the Celestial City, as John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress describes, and we must aim toward heaven to get there. But it's a solitary journey we must endure alone with only Christ as our Beacon and heavenly GPS.  Aiming nowhere gets you nowhere!  Israel's entrance into the promised land is analogous to the Christian's experience of the abundant life in Christ mentioned in John 10:10, and when Christ said in Matt. 6:33, "all these things shall be added unto you."  

In another sense, it also foreshadows our crossing of the bar into eternity to meet our Pilot face-to-face as we go one-on-one with the Lord at the Bema or Judgment Seat of Christ (cf. 2 Cor. 5:10) in glory to determine our final, eternal reward.  But God wants to bless us in the here and now (in time as well as in eternity) and to make our way prosperous according to The Will that glorifies Him.  Indeed, our future is in God's hands (cf. Psalm 31:15, ESV).

However, some believers never experience life to the full known as the more abundant life, even though they will be ushered into eternity with Jesus upon death.  We are meant to eat the fat of the land in the here and now and to live in a land flowing with milk and honey as it were, but if we don't attain this, or sacrifice it for the kingdom's sake, there's a greater reward to go above and beyond the call of duty, such as martyrdom or missionary work.  We are all poised to enter our promised land and be blessed by God in all our endeavors as we find His will for our lives and how he has gifted us--we can be like David who fulfilled all God's purpose for him.  We can also conquer our personal demons and the archenemy, the devil, and take control of his territory with the armor of Christ, and we are more than conquerors (cf. Rom. 8:37) with Jesus and cannot lose--we are in a win-win situation.  Don't waste your life wandering in the wilderness--claim the promised land!

What it takes is to take God at His word and at face value, and to claim His promises, none of which have failed (cf. Josh 23:14).  We may seem like grasshoppers compared to the bullies of the world, but God is on our side and will fight for us.  Just like Canaan was a land filled with giants, life is full of difficulties and obstacles, but we must keep our eyes on Jesus and He will see us through the flame and it won't overwhelm us (cf. Is. 43:2; 1 Pet. 1:7).  We all have our personal giants and bullies to overcome.  We can do all things through Christ, who strengthens us (cf. Phil. 4:13).  With God, nothing is impossible (cf. Luke 1:37; Matt. 19:26) and nothing is too difficult for God (cf. Gen. 18:14; Jer. 32:17, 27)!

We honor God by observing His Word and claiming His promises by faith, living out His precepts, and following His will--this is the essence of worship.  We need have no fears with God because everything is small to Him--everything is small--neither is anything too trivial for His loving attention.  If we don't want to learn things the easy way of focusing on the Word of God, we may have to learn our lessons via the school of hard knocks and find out what it's like to be without the hedge of protection, knowing it's a frame of mind and state of grace, not a geographical place.

We must never forget who God is nor who we are in Christ.  God is no respecter of persons and there are no bullies nor giants to Him, so we are safe in His loving care.  Yes, His grace is sufficient for us (cf. 2 Cor. 12:9)!  The issue is whether we see blessings in difficulties or difficulties in blessings.  In other words, do you tend to see the evil and say "Why?" or the good and say "Why not?"  Don't question God's wisdom in trouble, as Job found out:  God is too kind to be cruel, too wise to make a mistake, and too deep to explain Himself!  

We don't have to enjoy trials, but they do bring wonderful opportunities to glorifying God in our deliverance.  Problems provide wonderful chances--they're tests.  We must never forget that God is bigger than any problem we may encounter and with God nothing is impossible.  When we connect and resonate with God's will our life will be in harmony and blessed to the full in doing God's will (cf. 2 Cor. 9:8).

The challenging question is whether we are getting what we want out of life and are we being used by God as vessels of honor? The divine order is emptying before filling, before using. Caveat:  Christians must never forget it is God who blesses them and whatever they achieve is to His glory by His power (cf. Deut. 8:18):  "Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the LORD" (cf. Zech. 4:6).  God gets all the credit and glory, but He desires to share it with us (cf. Ps. 84:11; 1 Pet. 5:10), and to give us a taste of His glory, even on this side of eternity. Indeed, we have seen the coming of the glory of the Lord.  Paul ventured to boast of nothing but of what Christ had accomplished through him (cf. Rom. 15:18).  Isaiah said that all he had done was through Him (cf. Isa. 26:12).

Never forget God is in control and His sovereignty is not limited by our freedom, while He freely orchestrates history to His glory, as He does all events and circumstances (cf. Eph. 1:11).  Our job is to spread the Word of God's glory revealed in Christ and that He has won the ancient war with the devil and our victory is sure with Him on our side. We are not fighting for victory, but from victory--Christ won and is sharing the booty with us!

We all must be tested and pass the trials for "through many tribulations, we enter the kingdom of God" (cf. Acts 14:22).  "Experience is not so much what happens to you, but in you--i.e., what you do with what happens to you," according to Aldous Huxley--you either become bitter or better.  The same sun melts the butter but hardens the clay!  It really matters what you do with your experience and whether you learn by it, even if it's the school of hard knocks--however, blessed is he who is taught by the wisdom of God's Word (cf. Ps. 94:12).  In short, God owes no one an explanation; He's not accountable to us, but we to Him.

But we demonstrate our faith by our works which is the evidence of its reality. Bogus faith without works doesn't save but is dead faith (cf. James 2:26).  As the Reformers' formula said, "We are saved by faith alone, but not a faith that is alone."  Works validate our faith! But, before we can take what's ours in the promised land, we must believe God's promise and that faith must be tested by fire, for it's more precious than gold or silver.  Faith is abstract and must be seen to be real, we show our faith by our works (cf. James 2:18), and are rewarded according to our works (cf. Rom. 2:6).  When God sees Himself in us we are purified, because the goal of our life in Christ is Christlikeness as the icons of God. In the meantime, we're all works in progress and God isn't finished with us yet!   Soli Deo Gloria!

Is Theology Relevant?

VERSES AND QUOTES TO REFLECT ON. 

"All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine..." (2 Tim. 3:16, NKJV).
"But as for you speak the things which are proper for sound doctrine" (Titus 2:1, NKJV).
"There will come a time when people will not tolerate sound teaching.  They will collect teachers who say what they want to hear because they are self-centered" (2 Tim. 4:3, CEB). 
"The lips of the wise broadcast knowledge" (Prov. 15:7, HCSB). 
"The Spirit clearly says that in latter times some people will turn away from the faith [bail out theologically].  They will pay attention to spirits that deceive and to the teaching [doctrines] of demons" (1 Tim. 4:1, CEB). 
"There will come a time when people will not tolerate sound teaching [doctrine]" (2 Tim. 4:3, CEB). 
"A wise person is hungry for knowledge, while the fool feeds on trash" (Prov. 15:14, NLT). 
"I can vouch for them:  they are enthusiastic about God.  However, it isn't informed by knowledge" (Romans 10:2, CEB).  "A wise man is full of strength, and a man of knowledge enhances his might" (Prov. 24:5, ESV). 
"Knowledge is power."--Sir Francis Bacon
"[T]hat we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine..." (Eph. 4:14, NKJV).


To the average run-of-the-mill churchgoer, doctrine and theology should be the business of clergy (theologians, pastors, teachers, serious Bible students, missionaries, and evangelists) but not them.  My contention is that it's relevant to everyone and not intended to be too arcane for the typical believer, no matter his spiritual growth or maturity level.  The communicator ought to know how to make it interesting and make applications. Doctrine merely means "teaching" and theology means the study of God, but both have become organized and systematized into volumes that have become cumbersome to many and even blase.  How can the normal churchgoer gain an interest in the deeper truths then?  It is the newborn or the immature believer who balks at the deep things of God and tends to thrive on the milk of the Word, being remiss of the solid food or meat of the Word.


To label some Christians as theologians simply because they are good at theology is to miss the boat because all believers are theologians--we are all studying God, as it were.  We cannot avoid theology, without committing spiritual suicide, and we owe a debt of gratitude to the great theologians of the past who have combated church heresy, including the Church Fathers, or those who made it their profession.  By analogy:  We don't neglect the appreciation of music because we're not musicians, do we?  We all have a latent ability yet to be discovered in the Word, as we develop our spiritual gift.  As far as I know, being a theologian is not a spiritual gift, but some people are just more studious, academic, and attentive to the Word--in short, they're better students of the Word.


In Scripture, if anyone was a theologian, it was Paul, whose compendium is laid out in Romans comprising all his basic teachings.  We would not understand the doctrines of grace apart from his inspired, studious, scholarly, and authoritative work here.  But give Paul himself some credit--he was most likely a highly gifted intellectual, well trained in Scripture, and even highly educated, and stood head and shoulders above his peers, like Peter, in this department--who admits some of Paul's writings were hard to understand (cf. 2 Pet. 3:16).


There is a command in Scripture to study the Bible, so as to be "approved unto God" and "to rightly divide the Word of Truth" in 2 Tim. 2:15.  Note that in the seventeenth century it was every gentleman's hobby to be conversant in theology and to discuss it at will and on-demand with anyone who would listen or inquire (there's sin of omission too).  This is not a passe skill but every believer ought to take an interest in biblical themes, and not so much their favorite sports teams as topics of conversation with their friends and family--knowing how to disagree without being disagreeable and to agree to disagree on occasion.


Bear in mind that if there is a God, theology is significant and paramount, but if there is no God, we are merely wasting our time on this endeavor and no one should indulge in it.  It's not just meant to be mental gymnastics or an intellectual or spiritual workout or exercise, but to aid in our maturity and understanding of God and where He's coming from in relation to us and our duty and response to Him. We must pursue this discipline because we adhere to the belief that absolute, universal truth is knowable--we are not to privatize it any more than flaunt it, but by no means are we to be ashamed of our position and relationship with God.

Reckon this:  Every other academic discipline is useless and incomplete without taking theology into account and starting from it as the pivot point.  We start with God and then proceed to explain everything else; we don't start with man or the cosmos, and then go on to explain God!  Modern worldviews such as Postmodernism want to reckon God as dead and irrelevant to man and our situation, but we must not let them remove God from the overall equation and make Him pertinent to all of life and to every discipline.


If theology seems dry and distant to some, blame the theologians who have made it the privilege of the literate, schooled, and informed, while forgetting where the average believers are, spiritually speaking.  Yes, theologians are at fault for making it dull, without application, and even blase--for this reason, many distrust theologians and have relegated their studies as inappropriate and irrelevant to their personal lives.  We all need to make it interesting and stimulate enthusiasm and gusto for the discipline, remembering that everyone is at a different level and good teachers know where their students are and don't wow them with their expertise or scholarship--and certainly don't want to appear pedantic. It is childish faith that has an aversion to theology, not the man of God.


The proper study of mankind is not man but the Godhead or theology, and how it relates to everything as the "queen of sciences."  To enjoy or appreciate the Christian or biblical worldview, doctrine must first permeate our minds, actions, decisions, and thoughts.  In sum, we owe theology more than a passing interest but a studious attempt at mastery.   Soli Deo Gloria!   

Knowing The Bible Is Authentic...

Pertinent quotes:

"Both the authenticity and the general integrity of the books of the New Testament may be regarded as finally established."--Frederic G. Kenyon, archaeologist   
"There can be no doubt that archaeology has confirmed the substantial historicity of the Old Testament tradition."--Dr. William Albright, archaeologist 
"It may be stated categorically that no archaeological discovery has ever controverted a biblical reference."--Nelson Glueck, the renowned Jewish archaeologist 
"There are more marks of authenticity in the Bible than any profane history."--Sir Isaac Newton
"The existence of the Bible, as a book for people, is the greatest benefit which the human race has ever experienced.  Every attempt to belittle it is a crime against humanity."--Immanuel Kant
"I believe the Bible is the best gift God has ever given to man.  all the good from the Savior of the world is communicated to us through this Book."--Abraham Lincoln
"In all my perplexities and distresses, the Bible has never failed to give me light and strength."--Robert E. Lee
 "I know the Bible is inspired because it inspires me."--Dwight L. Moody
"The studious perusal of the Sacred Volume will make better citizens, better fathers, and better husbands."--Thomas Jefferson
"The New Testament is the best book the world has ever known or ever will know." Charles Dickens, author of The Life of Our Lord


NB:  IN A COURT OF LAW, A DOCUMENT IS ASSUMED GENUINE AND THE BURDEN OF PROOF FOR ITS FALSITY LIES WITH THE SKEPTIC  (SOCRATES' DICTUM).  

We don't just have blind faith that the Bible is for real and accept it with no more credence than we would a fairy tale, legend, or myth--we have sound reasons and evidence for our acceptance of its authenticity.  The Bible is based on history and is the foundation of a faith founded in fact not fiction.  The historicity of the Bible has been established by archeology with over 25,000 digs; many have attempted in vain to disprove it but have ended up believers.  

For instance, Luke is a first-rate historian and his many facts referring to events, places, and persons have been fully accredited and not disproved in any detail.  Christianity is the only historical faith, and believers have nothing to fear from any so-called new discoveries or so-called scientific facts.  It is a sad commentary on our education system that when a secular historian says one thing and the Bible another, the Bible is held suspect, not the so-called authority.

The Bible's veracity, integrity, credibility, and fidelity have been vouched for by the facts despite centuries of attack by skeptics.  The very fact of its existence is a miracle in itself due to the many attacks on it, such as being banned and rulers, like Diocletian, attempting to wipe out all extant manuscripts.  

The Bible is known for its simplicity (for even a child can comprehend its basic theme); its clarity or perspicuity (there is no double meaning or secret truths known only to the chosen or an elite, but it's plainspoken for all); its infallibility (its inerrancy is assured in its original documents when the authors were inspired by God and kept from error);  its reliability; its sufficiency (the Bible is all we need to know about our abundant life and way of salvation--all God requires us to know); its necessity (the Bible as the vehicle of Truth is required for knowing the Way to salvation and how to live appropriately to please God in His will); its corroboration by secular sources and historians of the main facts; the Bible is not obtuse nor abstruse--it's easy to understand with the aid of the Holy Spirit as the Illuminator and Holy Guide or Beacon making the Bible our Owner's Manual and Holy GPS or Celestial Guide--there are no hidden meanings or secrets; and finally, by experience, anyone that has put it to the test has found it true and proven, because it speaks to every heart in time of need.

It is a sheer myth that science has undermined the Bible.  In fact, science wouldn't be possible without the biblical worldview, and Christianity is the mother of modern science, with most early scientists being Christian.  The Bible does make scientific statements but isn't a science document either.  There are no scientific absurdities in Scripture, and many times the Bible has been proven right where it did make a scientific statement.  For example, the Bible told of the ocean currents (cf. Ps. 8:8), the water cycle (cf.  Ezek. 47:8), the laws of nature (cf. Job 38:33) before modern science conceived of them.

What is the miracle of the Bible?  First, it was inspired by the Holy Spirit and given to man as the writers, but God is the true Author.  Second, its canonization or selection by the Church Fathers deciding which books were authentically inspired and worthy of inclusion, and afterward, closure of the canon.  Third, the transmission or copying of Scripture has been to the utmost fidelity and its reliability has been confirmed.  For instance, when the Dead Sea Scrolls were found of the 166 words in Isaiah 53, only 17 letters are in question (ten for spelling, four for style, and three remains), and they are from someone adding an implied word; and so we can be assured of at least 99.5 percent accuracy of the text (freedom from discrepancy)--since the autographs are no longer extant and we only have explainable copyist error.  Many so-called inconsistencies or variants are merely changes in style or spelling such as honor and honor, both of which are correct--but no doctrine is in question or up to debate due to text variance.  With over 5,000 Greek manuscripts, scriptural integrity and fidelity have been firmly documented.

Two authoritative and scholarly books have been written to dispel any notion of contradiction in Scripture:  Gleason Archer's Encylopedia of Bible Difficulties, and John W. Haley's Alleged Discrepancies of the Bible.  It may be categorically affirmed that no alleged discrepancy has not been clarified and addressed, and no one is going to come up with some new challenge or question after twenty centuries of scholarship by Church Fathers and theologians.  It can also be stated unequivocally that no archeological discovery has ever controverted a biblical reference and also that any unbiased jury would confirm the historicity of the resurrection and New Testament record of the early church being founded upon this fact.   According to D. James Kennedy, the resurrection is "arguably the best-attested fact of antiquity," and Luke, in Acts 1:3, says it's vouched for by many "infallible proofs."  One cannot deny the Bible's credentials when examining the evidence!

One glaring difference between Holy Scripture and the writings of other faiths (note that of twenty-six writings in the world claim to be "scripture" none but the Bible have prophecy!) and note this is the fact of the presence of the unique abundance of prophecy in the Bible; Islam's Koran only contains one prophecy--the self-fulfilling one of Muhammad returning to Mecca!  There are over 2,000 specific, predictive, fulfilled OT prophecies, and 333 concerning Christ, that meet completion in his first advent, mentioning and delineating 456 details of His life.  These are not just a few lucky guesses, but very exact in nature, detailed and explicit.  If the Bible can be relied on to fulfill prophecy and to be accurate historically, why not trust it on its spiritual truths concerning eternal life?

The most compelling reason for the Bible's authenticity is its ability to change lives and transform character to those who choose to live by its precepts.  Many stories have been told of how someone has been inspired by the Word.  We know it's inspired because it inspires us.  But not in the way that Shakespeare is inspired--you could read him all day and your life wouldn't change, but the Bible has power inherent to change your life.

The Bible claims to be inspired in the sense of being God-breathed and directly-given by the Holy Spirit with men as the writers.  Many people, who are skeptics about the power of the Bible, have never read it nor are aware of its inner and main message or point for man.  The point is that you don't have to become a believer in the Bible first to become a Christian, but God will make a believer out of you and use it to transform your life; the end result being a profound love for the Word.

Indeed, the reasonable evidence is there to be discovered, one must just have an open mind and a willing spirit!  You don't prove the Bible, it proves itself; when asked to prove it, ask them to prove it by reading it themselves!  Remember, if the Bible can be dehistoricized, it is fully discredited, and many have attempted and failed, becoming believers in the process.  In short, the Bible is historical and given by God or it's nothing.

Caveat:  As you read the Bible, it reads you; as it feeds you, it makes you hungry; its promises have been tried and found proven and fulfilled--none have failed!  Though Muslims claim the Bible's fidelity has been corrupted or compromised, there's no evidence to that premise; au contraire, God has indeed preserved His Word with ultimate integrity through the ages.  Any honest man, examining the compelling evidence (which is not easily dismissed as bogus, but must be reckoned with or explained), would concede that the Bible is based on incontrovertible facts.

Let me mention in passing that the Bible's ultimate integrity was ultimately proven by the veracity of its writers, who were in many cases called to lay down their lives as martyrs as the test of their veracity--people will die for a lie if they believe it, but not a known lie. The evidence is abundant and sometimes compelling; one cannot disbelieve due to lack of evidence, that would even stand up in a court of law--even of the Resurrection.

In review, we verify Scripture in manifold ways:  inspiration; canonization; transmission; internal consistency; historicity; corroboration; its inerrancy--it doesn't contradict any known fact; verification by witnesses; its miraculous preservation despite attempts to eradicate it by authorities; and even personal experience and testimony of the readers including martyrs.  "We did not follow cleverly invented stories when we told you about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty" (2 Peter 1:16, NIV).

The most compelling evidence for the authority of Scripture is that it's its own authority--its self-attestation, for if it appealed to science or some so-called authority figure, you would be placing your faith in something other than God's Word--the comforting thing though, is that you don't have to believe the Bible to be saved (belief in the gospel precedes it), but God will make a believer out of you by regenerating your heart and its convicting power to change your life.  Acknowledging that the sense of Scripture is Scripture and it can meet all our needs, like giving a balm for every sore, an answer to every problem, because it comes from the Answerer Himself.   In response to skeptics:  have you considered the evidence with an open mind?  The believer has nothing to fear from the facts because Christianity is a religion based on fact.

In conclusion, the man of integrity must acknowledge the Bible's impeccable credentials and yet the necessity for finding the truth known in Jesus, the incarnate Word of God; we must "cater to his intellectual integrity," but not "pander to his intellectual arrogance," according to the famous remark of John Stott.    Soli Deo Gloria!

Glorify God In Your Body

"My dear friends, since we have these promises, let's cleanse ourselves from anything that contaminates our body or spirit so that we make our holiness complete in the fear of God" (2 Cor. 7:1, CEB).
"For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with gratitude; for it is sanctified by means of the word of God and prayer" (1 Tim. 4:4-5, NASB).

Our bodies are not our own as believers but have been purchased by Christ and we are His--He owns us!  (cf. 1 Cor. 6:20).  We must glorify God bodily as living sacrifices and offer ourselves up to Him daily; God doesn't call us to martyrdom, but to live for Christ as witnesses.  Glorifying God in our body doesn't mean we exalt it nor worship it, but that we show all due respect and not neglect or demean it.  We show no respect when we don't watch our diets and eat virtually anything, including thriving on comfort foods or fast food when we know they are not good for us and have access to good food.

I'm not addressing attitudes toward the opposite sexual persuasion, but toward our own body--remember, no man hates his own flesh, but nourishes it and cherishes it, according to Scripture though.  There is profit in exercise for this life (cf. 1 Tim. 4:8), but we must not overemphasize it and forget the more important exercise of the spirit in godly matters such as prayer, witnessing, and Bible reading--spiritual exercise.  The person with the best body doesn't win!

We all have a cross to bear and different responsibilities and we cannot and must not compare ourselves with others (cf. 2 Cor. 10:12)--we will be judged individually and held accountable for what God allotted us (2 Cor. 5:10; Rom. 14:10,12).  One way to show respect for the body is to keep it clean, especially when in public or in the company of others.  Cleanliness is still a biblical principle, and though it was a ritual according to the Law, and Jesus wasn't serious about washing His hands, which offended the Pharisees, we show respect for others by bathing and not being unnecessarily offensive, thus creating stumbling blocks to our testimony.  We aim to offend no one!  Christ is offensive to some but that doesn't mean we are to be.

Being a good Christian doesn't mean we necessarily are spiritually measured by our weight as if we can't be a spiritual or good believer if we are overweight, but Christians shouldn't be addicted to food nor have food disorders such as binge eating.  Some people's sins are more visible, while those of others are not that apparent.  But we can be sure our sin will find us out (cf. Num. 32:23).  We are to reject no food on religious grounds that it's contaminated or unclean, for God has cleansed all food--all food is blessed or consecrated "by the Word of God and prayer" (cf. 1 Tim. 4:5).  But that doesn't give us free rein to eat foolishly on junk food with a devil-may-care attitude.  Gluttony is a real sin and was considered one of the so-called Seven Deadly Sins.

Then again, spiritual discipline and care far outweigh the physical, but we must never forget the offering of our bodies to Christ and realizing they belong to Him as our reasonable service and worship (cf. Romans 12:1). We are mere stewards of our bodies, on loan from God, and respecting them and treating them with dignity goes along with being pro-life in general.  Note that in Christ's servile act of foot-washing of his disciples, He showed that cleanliness is not merely physical, though we are "clean" physically if we have bathed--grooming and hygiene are equally of concern.  Christ also chided the Pharisees for declaring that nothing that enters the mouth defiles him, but only what comes out! Food isn't unclean nor evil of itself (cf. 1 Tim. 4:3).  Glorifying God in your body entails much more than respect for the body per se, but using it in good works, like lending a helping hand, having heart, sharing your strength and talents to help the weaker brother, walking the extra mile, putting your best foot forward, hearing, seeing, and speaking no evil, and so forth.

Also, it's a no-brainer that respected bodies entail clean clothes (cf. Zech 3:3-4), for there is much truth in the proverb:  "Cleanliness is next to godliness."  Ben Franklin had some noteworthy words of wisdom:  Dress to please others [especially pleasing to Christ if you're saved]; eat to please yourself [with self-control, a fruit of the Spirit]; and speak to please God [Paul strove to be offensive to no one--Acts 24:16!].  In the final analysis, Scripture lists one sin specifically against the body, namely, sexual immorality or adultery (adultery means impurity, uncleanness, making weak, mixing impurities with, or corruption by the way).

Paul bore in his body the marks of Jesus and it goes without saying that suffering in the body brings glory to God, as we bear our cross and follow Him. Paul had suffered the thirty-nine lashes minus one five times!  He who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin.  This is the real stigmata, not necessarily what Saint Francis of Assisi supposedly had.  Note that loving God with all our strength implies we use all the strength God has endowed and blessed us with faithfully and not fainting in the Lord's work, to become lackadaisical or slack.  Soli Deo Gloria!

The Search For Happiness

"...[F]or the joy of the LORD is your strength" (Neh. 8:10, ESV).

"Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart" (Ps. 37:4, ESV).

NB:  Hedonism is the maximization of pleasure but more specifically the optimization of it, though it is physical, sensual, spiritual, or even intellectual.  

"If a man is not made for God, why is he happy only in  God?  If man is made for God, why is he opposed to God?"--Blaise Pascal, French scientist, mathematician, philosopher

"People mix up faith and feelings, for example, some people equate faith with a perpetual religious high.  When that high wears off, as it inevitably does, they start to doubt whether they have any faith at all."--Lynn Anderson, DMn


Happiness depends upon happenings and is volatile like a seesaw or as divergent as a weathervane in a whirlwind.  It's not a given, but a variable in the equation of life!  No one can say he's always happy and never sad or sorrowful.  We don't walk around on so-called Cloud Nine as believers or exhibit the Pollyanna Christianity of pretending all is wonderful and only seeing the bright side, nor even exist on the memory of some divine existential experience or encounter forever.  The point of Christianity is to be ever joyful and not to have it ever taken away from us no matter the circumstances.  

Joy is an inner event that comes from God and can even be experienced in prison-like Paul and Silas did. Case in point:  let's say you delight in going to the beach to get a tan; if this makes you happy, what will you pursue when you reach your senior years or will you fail to find the source of true happiness?

Christian hedonism is the enjoyment of God and taking one's pleasure in Him, not the hedonistic philosophy of pleasure-seeking, like eating, drinking, and making merry or mirth till death.  Some say the goal of their lives is to be happy; God wants you to glorify Him no matter your feelings.  We are meant to have fulfilling lives (i.e., intellectual, spiritual, emotional, and even sensual fulfillment)  all with purpose and meaning.  Paul said that he had learned to be content, not happy (cf. Phil. 4:13)! 

There is a difference: are you getting what you want out of life, and I don't mean the American dream or any pie-in-the-sky scheme or wish (e.g., chasing for pots of gold at the end of mythical rainbows).  Have you found your calling from God, for He exhorts us to make our calling and election sure in 2 Pet. 1:10. Too often we aim at nothing and end up nowhere!  We must expect great things from God, as William Carey said in a sermon, as we attempt great things for God!

We all want to leave a legacy and make an impact with our lives--to make a statement--and when we die we want to have had more than a good time--this is shallow.  We all need to feel important and that we make a difference, knowing why we're here and who we are in the Lord. Most Christians don't even know what their spiritual gift is nor know the inner joy and fulfillment of being used by God in doing His work, much less find happiness, meaning, fulfillment, purpose, and joy in life.   

We all have to choose our attitude and no one can take that away, it's our choice to be on the side of righteousness, and to stand up for justice, even social justice.  Yes, girls just want to have fun, but that is immaturity and we must grow up to see that there is meaning even in our suffering; this makes our faith so unique.  Yes, you could say that you would be happy if you made an impact and lasting impression on the world, and this is a higher consciousness than saying you want to go play golf as long as you can because that's your life.

Many men put too much stock in their jobs or careers and define themselves from them, and upon retirement find themselves bored and unfulfilled, because they've never achieved real purpose in living, though they may have accomplished goals--these are not equal incentives.   Hannah Whitall-Smith, the commonsensical Quaker, writes in The Christian's Secret of a Happy Life that we can find joy and thrill in everyday experience with Jesus.  Indeed, also in the writings of Bro. Lawrence, notably The Practice of the Presence of God, we see the inner joy in constant communion or companionship with God no matter the task--even washing dishes.  Note that the scriptural formula for happiness is given in the Beatitudes and this really delineates inner joy found only in God, not the happiness the world experiences or knows.

God does call us to be happy campers but this doesn't mean we make having fun or seeking happiness our goal--if we put God's kingdom first and seek the Lord, we will be rewarded with true happiness.  We are to seek God, not happiness, which is the byproduct of a good relationship and fellowship with Him through faith in Jesus.  One of the secrets to happiness is to be busy making others happy, and loving and focusing on them, even loving their lives more than yours in sacrificial love to the point of laying down your life for them--this is the real pro-life stance.

In general, kids have the job of playing and having fun, but when they grow up they must set goals, find purpose in life, with and deeper meaning and orientation as an incentive to live; to joy and delight in the Lord's will is the highest form of happiness (cf. Psalm 40:8).  We ought to be like Paul, who learned the secret of being content in every situation or circumstance (cf. Phil. 4:11-12)  Soli Deo Gloria!

The Guilt Complex

"[B]y means of the hypocrisy of liars seared in their own conscience as with a branding iron" (1 Tim. 4:2, NASB).
"God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks to us in our consciences, but shouts to us in our pains; it's His megaphone to rouse a deaf world."--C. S. Lewis

Dr. Sigmund Freud relegated all guilt to suffering some form of "guilt complex" to be healed when he came into vogue.  He denied its reality.  People do suffer for doing wrong and condemn themselves, even if society doesn't.  You cannot convince a person who feels guilty that it is okay and he just has a complex.  It is good to have feelings of guilt and to feel bad because we become cognizant of wrongdoing--it is even therapeutic. Yes, guilt can be good for you and the development of your conscience.    Guilt is not a psychological disorder, but a real phenomenon and there is only one cure for it:  confession and restitution or reconciliation.  Wrongs must be made right and one must believe he is forgiven justly

Jesus does this by having the authority to cleanse us from all unrighteousness and to forgive us of all our sins.  A man may forgive you for what you trespassed against him, but Jesus can forgive all sins against everyone.  Guilt is no disorder to be cured nor a psychological phenomenon to be explained away but must be dealt with for a person to live in the real world of right and wrong.  It is entirely possible to feel guilty because they are guilty!  Just like we act human because there's such a thing as human nature.  Animals are not conscious nor responsible for wrong and will not be judged, but man will face Judgment Day (cf. Heb. 9:27) and having guilt only shows him he's got something to deal with before eternity.

The only way to live guilt-free is to have a relationship with Jesus and to have all your sins forgiven past, present, and future.  Moral relativism denies any absolute standards of right and wrong or universal truth, and people should make up their own values as they go along, basically according to whim.  Everyone has a conscience, and it can become muffled or ignored, but it's still there.  Even in prison, there's a prison code and convicts have a warped sense of right and wrong.  When we violate our own standards or even those we aspire to, we feel guilty and sense something wrong, no matter what terminology we use.  There is psychological guilt that is mean and cruel, but also God-given guilt that we must deal with.  It is not maladjustment, and no matter how you try to convince someone it's unreal, he knows it is and suffers as a result.  You cannot just explain away guilt psychologically!

Some guilt is unnecessary, of course, but that doesn't preclude the existence of genuine guilt.  Christianity is the only faith that deals decisively with this issue and solves it; for nothing but the blood of Jesus can wash away our stain and flaw of guilt.  We must not only be forgiven but have some cognizance of why and how it's accomplished righteously.  Only God can ultimately forgive one's sins.  We instinctively know that justice must be done, and God didn't sacrifice or compromise his justice in justifying us by His mercy and grace through the blood of His own Son.

The reason people deny guilt as real and only a psychological problem, or even illness, is that they deny absolute standards of right and wrong and our responsibility to live up to the universal moral order, and more specifically they adhere to the belief that nothing is our fault, but the blame should be placed on the evils of society--for we are all innocent and even victims. Our salvation is threefold according to the offices of Christ:  as our Prophet, Christ frees us from the ignorance of sin; as our Priest, from the guilt of sin; as our King, from the dominion of sin.

In the final analysis, a man can say he has forgiven you for the trespasses against him, but only God can forgive all trespasses and can solve the guilt problem and issue definitively and set a person free from it, mainly because God is both just and the justifier in the cross of Christ.  Remember:  there's nothing wrong with our nature or personality if we feel guilty as if it's a complex or flaw, but it's God-given to awaken our conscience and has therapeutic value to warn us and keep us on track and in line with God's will.     Soli Deo Gloria!

Can We Know God's Will?

"All the Law has been fulfilled in a single statement:  Love your neighbor as yourself" (Gal. 5:14, CEB).
"Because of this, don't be ignorant, but understand the Lord's will" (Eph. 5:17, CEB).
"[B]ut act like slaves of Christ carrying out God's will from the heart" (Eph. 6:6, CEB).
"[He will] equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight..." (Heb. 13:21, ESV).

God promises to make His will known in Scripture as the privilege of children of God; it's our responsibility to inquire and to search it out.  No one can claim a lack of revelation!  We have no excuses because we have both the resident Spirit and the complete will of God in the living Word (cf. Acts 20:27), as well as spiritual overseers who have a word of wisdom or knowledge to discern.  Wisdom is merely knowing the best means to the best ends, and God's will is always the wise choice.  We never sacrifice anything for God's will but are always in a win-win situation. Therefore, in exchange for the awesome privilege of knowing God's will as individual priests, comes the duty to carry it out.

We must no longer insist on being in charge of our lives, but must surrender once and for all time, (cf. Rom. 12:1-2) and be constantly or daily renewed to a willingness to do His will once known.  Jesus did say that anyone willing to do His will would know it (cf. John 7:17).  This surrender to God's will is what is meant by accepting His lordship as an unconditional surrender, and another way of saying it is to follow Jesus through thick and thin, come whatever may, and let the chips fall where they may.  Our motto ought to be to do God's will, as indeed was Jesus' own philosophy of life, as He always interposed the Father's will on His own.

The Lord directs our steps and delights in us doing His will.  We exchange our life for His and substitute His will for ours, as we don't so much as an imitation, as an inhabitation.  This is also known as relinquishment.  We are not called to be stoics though, and to grin and bear it, no matter what, and just accept our "fate."  Ours is not a philosophy of the "stiff upper lip."  We make voluntary choices and are responsible for them--life is about making choices.  The biggest problem we have is stubbornness and God is able to give us a change of heart and make us willing to do His will (cf. Ezek. 36:26; Phil. 2:13).  This is when we die to ourselves and put Jesus in charge of our life as our autopilot.

The problem with Christians, though, is not finding God's will, but doing it; we are blessed by doing it, not just knowing it.  As they say:  "Good intentions, poor follow-through."  There is a constant struggle to say "Yes" to Jesus' will, but we must first say "No" to ourselves.  The more surrendered we become, the freer we are the less enslaved to sin.  We must always subordinate our wills to God's and forget about Number One as being the chief care in our life.  We will find that it is hard to kick against the goads, as Paul found out, and this means fighting God's will.  Because the essence of doing God's will is a life of obedience, sacrifice, discipline, and commitment.

We don't try to fit God into our plans, but make no plans without His guidance.  Christians have a lighter yoke to bear than the Jews (cf. Matt. 11:29), who were under the Mosaic Law; the yoke of following God's will is light when Jesus is in control and guides us, never forsaking us.  Some Christians ignore God's will, and these believers are actually practical atheists because their lives show no difference from those of the world. We don't want God to consign us to our way and say to us:  "Okay, have it according to your will!"  As is the case with everyone, our problem is not in knowing God's will, but in doing it--we don't have guidance issues, but submission ones.  Christianity, according to Mother Teresa of Calcutta, Nobel Peace Prize winner in 1979 and now canonized, is doing the will of God with a smile--[all else is commentary]. 

We must know God and His will if we want to know how to live, the infidel doesn't know these things.  We don't want God to say to us that we can have our own will, because God is wiser and His plan for us is best.  So get on board with God and get with the program!  David was a man after God's own heart because he fulfilled all God's will.  In the final analysis, we must ask ourselves if we are the master of our fate and the captain of our soul, or does the Lord own us?  "He will do unto me whatever he has planned, he controls my destiny" (Job 23:14, NLT).      Soli Deo Gloria!

The Sanctity Of Life

"In nonnegotiables, unity; in negotiables liberty; in all things, charity."--Saint Augustine of Hippo
"I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you today that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse.  Choose life so that you and your descendants may live" (Deut. 30:19, HCSB).  
"So then, each of us will give account of ourselves to God" (Rom. 14:12, NIV).  
'The Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life"  (Job 33:4, ESV).
"You have been my God from the moment I was born" (Ps. 22:10, NLT).
"... [B]ut You prepared a body for Me" (Heb. 10:5, HCSB).

Christians profess a doctrine of the sacredness of life, basically because we are in the image of God (imago Dei in Latin).  That entails: we enjoy interpersonal relationships in communion;  we have the capacity to enjoy ourselves; we have the unique power to reflect on ourselves critically; we have a desire to praise, thank, and worship God; we also have a conscience (knowing right and wrong), are responsible for our behavior and actions because of this.  This image is tarnished by sin, but it's still there because we are social, moral, intellectual, spiritual, rational, communicative, and emotional beings, who have a purpose, meaning, and dignity from God, i.e., they're extrinsic.  We have many attributes in common with God, in other words, and are capable of fellowship with Him, knowing Him, and even loving Him, and with this comes a concept of eternity with God.  Like God, we have imagination and are creative, able to express it.

The theory of evolution teaches that we are merely grown-up germs or the result of some cosmic accident, that we came from nothing but blue-green pond scum or algae, have no purpose in living, and are going nowhere, except to be food for worms.  If we are animals, it follows that we can act and live like them too.  People just don't want to admit there's a Judge, Ruler, and Creator, and don't want to be accountable to anyone but themselves.  The Bible's Decalogue is, therefore, obsolete and no longer relevant to today's modern world, and it's too binding to their personal mores.

Humanism is when we deify man and dethrone God.  Man is the measure of all things (Homo mensura).  It's up to man to decide what's good and evil!  We start with man and explain the cosmos, not as the Bible says, "In the beginning God...."  Where you start determines where you end up!  We must start with God in the picture and explain everything from His viewpoint.  We have a divine revelation to do this, and it does take faith to accept it.  But I posit that it takes more faith to bet the farm on science as the only reliable means of knowledge. 

Humanists are very religious too; theirs is a religion without God.  They seek to explain away reality without God in the equation, which until recently was the default position, even among scholars and intellectuals.  Humanists version of our dignity is that we are just at the top of the food chain and the principle of the survival of the fittest applies.  Shakespeare summed it up through the musing of Macbeth: that life is an idle tale, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing--what a bleak outlook without God in the equation!

Christians believe our rights are conferred by God, not the government, which exists to secure them, and if it fails, the government is illegitimate and in the wrong.  What the government gives, it can take away, therefore rights come from God who doesn't take them away and we must fight for our rights in our freedom battles. Since humans have God-given rights, their lives are sacred and of utmost value to God, and an assault on them is seen as an insult to God's nature.  Murder of mankind is made a capital offense in Scripture(cf. Gen. 9:6).  Human rights matter, because we are in the image of God, animals are not.  To do anything that destroys, maims, debilitates, or harms human life (and indeed all life) is an insult to the gift of life, much more the Giver of life. 

It is an exercise in futility to be dogmatic concerning the point in time when the soul enters the fetus, or even if it's after birth upon breathing the breath of life from the Spirit who gives it.  The Bible does say that life is in the blood (cf. Lev. 17:11), but it also says that God breathed into Adam's body (presumably having blood) the breath of life.  NB:  animals don't have souls and God was referring to them in this verse (cf. Lev. 17:11) concerning giving sacrifices.  Man is unique in having the breath of life and is a living being.  It's impossible for life to exist without blood (cf. Lev. 17:11, NIV, "the life of a creature is in the blood"), though, but there can be blood without viable, self-sustaining life. 

The power of life may be in the blood, but that doesn't necessitate the soul being in the blood.  Pointing to one Scripture as a proof text only invites undue controversy in the body, we don't pit verse against verse and believe only the ones that fit our dogma.  The point is that you can make a biblical case both ways.  There are areas of gray and some doctrines are disputable and up to the person to govern his own conscience (cf. Rom. 14:22-23).  It's a fact that people only believe the facts that fit their worldview or opinions anyway.

Job talks about dying in the womb and being as if he never existed (cf. Job 10:19, NLT), and David talks about God being his God from birth, not conception (cf. Psalm 22:10).  Jesus talked about God preparing Him a body, not a soul (cf. Heb. 10:5).  Souls have self-consciousness and a will, bodies don't.   Pro-lifers like to point to Jeremiah 1:5, Psalm 139:13, and Psalm 51:5, where God knew them in the womb or created them in the womb, conceived at conception, but God knew us before creation and did create our bodies in the womb (all that we were at that time), but the Bible doesn't say exactly when human life is given a human soul, people can be brain dead with bodies fully functioning and as far as medicine is concerned they are deceased.  NB:  Jesus spilled His precious, efficacious blood, but He gave up the Spirit and breathed His last.  Soli Deo Gloria!

Law And Gospel In Their Proper Domain

"And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws"  (Ezek. 36:27, NIV).
"Whoever has my commands and obeys them he is the one who loves me" (John 14:21).
"The law is given to convince us we don't keep it."--Dr. D. James Kennedy
"No man can justify himself before God by a perfect performance of the Law's demands--indeed it is the straight-edge of the Law that shows us how crooked we are" (Romans 3:20, Phillips).
"... [T]hrough the law we become conscious of our sin" (Rom. 3:20, NIV).  
"[F]or by the law is the knowledge of sin" (Rom. 3:20, NKJV).  

Real theologians can distinguish law and gospel, works and faith, law and grace like the Judaizers didn't, faith and repentance (cf. Acts 20:21; 26:20; there is no genuine repentance without saving faith: we are saved by believing repentance or penitent faith), merit and grace (like the Romanists don't, cf. Eph. 2:8-9; the Reformers taught sola gratia or grace alone), fact and feeling (the divine order should be "fact, faith, feeling"), faith and faithfulness (the same Hebrew word, ethics or practice of faith must be fruit).  They know that you cannot divorce certain doctrines:  faith and works, faith and faithfulness, assurance of salvation from the eternal security of the believer, or perseverance with the preservation power of God.  Law lays down what man must do; gospel proclaims what Christ has done.

It is by the law that we have a consciousness and knowledge of sin--it condemns but does not exculpate--it adjudicates and brings guilt (points the finger), but no freedom of conscience.  The evangelist must learn to get the person lost before getting him saved, and making him aware of his own sin, not sins (for that is the problem when people get hung up on some certain sin that offends them and doesn't realize the problem is the whole sin nature itself). The Law has a purpose: "So then the law is holy, and the commandment is holy, righteous and good" (Romans 7:12, NIV; cf. 2 Tim. 3:16).

We must also realize how bad we are to be made fit for salvation, Jesus didn't come to seek nor save the righteous, we come as sinners!  The sinner is enslaved to his old sin nature and has no power over it, and what is separating him from God is the fact that he doesn't believe in Christ, and for this reason he is in sin and God can have no dealings with sin in His presence.  We find out how depraved we are by trying to be good on our own and end up in failure.  We are not born free as free spirits, but into slavery and servitude to sin and our sin nature and must be set free by the regenerating work of the Spirit.

We must distinguish law and gospel ("For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came [were realized] through Jesus Christ," John 1:17, NIV), but not separate them unduly, we must never divide asunder what God has joined together (cf. Mark 10:9; Matt. 19:6).  In similar fashion, you can have no assurance of salvation without joining it to the security of that salvation (if one can lose it, how can he be assured?), and you cannot divide faith and faithfulness, nor faith and works, for we are saved by faith alone, but not by a faith that is alone--that kind of faith doesn't save.   Saving faith is not achieved, it's received; it's not conjured up but a gift (cf. 2 Pet. 1:1; Acts 18:27)!

Likewise, the abundant life isn't something we achieve or merit, but receive as a gift with our salvation and it begins instantly.  Grace is antithetical to merit, for salvation is by grace alone and we have no merit to boast of in God's presence--we cannot earn it, don't deserve it, and cannot pay it back, but are forever indebted to God.   Whenever the Bible tells you to repent or commands you to act, it is law, and whenever it tells you what God does on your behalf and to save you, it's gospel.  Obeying the Law out of gratitude, not necessity nor obligation, is law, but having faith that we will be rewarded by God is gospel.  The Christian doesn't "have to" but "wants to" do good deeds, for you can never reduce the faith to do's and don'ts or a to-do list.

We speak of what we do for God, but actually, we do nothing for God, He just uses us as His vessels of honor and we are honored and privileged to be in His service for glorifying Him. Paul did not venture to speak of anything but what Christ did through him (cf. Rom. 15:18).  All that we have done, He has accomplished through us (cf. Isa. 26:12; Amos 6:13; Hos. 14:8).  God isn't looking for our achievements, but our obedience and faith, for faith alone pleases Him and is demonstrated through obedience alone (cf. Heb. 3:18-19).  We don't impress God with our good works because no one can boast in His presence.

Some churches emphasize what God can do for them as if they are cashing in on God and getting something in return for worshiping Him; but we must see ourselves as His servants who are willing to do His will and obey Him in faithfulness--the Christian life costs, in this sense, but our reward is meant to be in glory; we are not meant to always have our portion, reward or comfort in this life like the wicked do

"Law and gospel go together hand in hand and complement each other and can not be divorced, but must be distinguished--not separated;  we are not under the law but under grace and the day we are set free from the law is one of heaven on earth!  Christ is the end of the law for them that believe (cf. Rom. 10:4; Eph. 2:15).   We are not under some performance standard as if we have to measure up or we will fail God, we have a relationship with HIm and learn to depend on Him and walk in the Spirit by faith.  That's why we can not compare ourselves with each other (cf. 2 Cor. 10:12), for only God knows where the goal is for us and our measure of so-called success.  God doesn't call us to success, though, but to faithfulness (cf. Mother Teresa of Calcutta, Nobel Peace Prize winner in 1979 and now canonized).  

The spirit of the law is good and we follow that, but the letter of the law kills and we cannot obtain the standards nor become perfect, but we must obey the law better than the Pharisees, who were hypocrites.  Perfection is still the standard, but the direction is the test!   We are constantly being shaped into Christ's image as icons of Him on earth.  The old nature knows no law, the new nature needs no law!  We will do by nature what is required because we have the Spirit, for one who doesn't have the Spirit of Christ is none of His.  We are not under the law, but we are not lawless, we must rebuke the so-called antinomians who think that they can presume on God's patience and goodness and live unrighteous lives with impunity--God disciplines His own and holds them accountable.

We are never to become legalists and major on the minors nor overemphasize some minor sin while ignoring major flaws in our character,.  Remember, the legalist sees sins (plural), not sin (singular or the sin nature).  The problem we have is our sin nature which can be changed as we are made into Christ's likeness and grow in grace.  Regeneration, as God's work of grace, changes us from the inside out; we don't just sign an AA pledge or turn over a new leaf of trying to be a better person.  The miracle is that God changes us and makes us new creatures in Christ.

The only way to avoid the two errors of Antinomianism and legalism is by studying the Bible and growing in Christ--being illumined by the Spirit.  Two other errors are emphasizing what God can do for you like He's a genie or good-luck charm versus thinking we can do something for God independently of just surrendering to His will and being used by God for His glory--we are to enjoy God in this life as well as in glory.  To obey is better than sacrifice or following the letter of the Law.  We can do nothing apart from Christ's power working in us "both to will and to do of His good pleasure" (cf. 1 Sam. 15:22; Phil. 2:13).

God just wants us to know Him, for this is the essence of faith and eternal life (cf. John 17:3; John 5:24). "I desired ... the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings" (Hos. 6:6, NIV).  We are to avoid both extremes:  exalting law above grace, with adherence to the letter of the Law while excluding its Spirit; and moral liberty run amok or thinking our works don't count for anything.

We are not to become somewhat Jewish before or after salvation, and not to despise the Law either, for it serves its purpose.  For as many as are seeking justification by the Law or who rely on it are cursed! (Cf. Gal. 3:10)  The Jews had the so-called yoke or burden of the Law to submit to, but Jesus promised an easy yoke (cf. Matt. 11:29), which is knowing His will and following it, and we are privileged to know because all believers are priests and we don't need the Urim and Thummim to enlighten us for we have the Spirit as our Counselor! "Whoever does God's will is my brother and sister and mother" (Mark 3:35, NIV).

Christ didn't give us the Law to keep, but to break, it was never meant to be the way of salvation but to show us our need for it.  We don't break God's law when we sin--it breaks us--we break God's heart!  In the final analysis, we realize that other religions say, "Do!" and Christianity says, "Done!" There is no limit to God's grace, for "where sin abounded, grace abounded all the more" (cf. Rom. 5:20). As John Bunyan pertinently wrote:  Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners.  No one is too sinful to be saved and shouldn't be written off as untouchable by grace!  We are bad, but not too bad to be saved.  The law is good if used righteously and is not sin, though it foments what it prohibits or forbids, instilling in us all the more desire to disobey, but sin could not be reckoned without the law and not fulfilled in Christ either, who lived for us as well as died for us. In sharing the gospel or witnessing, we must be sure to present the bad news of their sin along with the good news of salvation through faith in Christ all by grace alone!

The Christian actually lives under a higher standard than the Law of Moses, the law of love, and realizes that love is the fulfillment of the Law, for the greatest commandment is to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength (i.e., all that we have!), and likewise the second is to love our neighbor as ourselves.  Jesus added another commandment to love one another even as He loved us! He who loves has fulfilled the Law (cf. Eph. 2:15).  Christ by no means abolished or abrogated the Law of Moses, but kept them perfect for us, and the law we are obliged to be the mere law of love.  Caveat:  Rome adds works to faith, merit to grace, the authority of the tradition to Scripture, and the church to Christ's glory and power.   It is indeed our privilege to know His will and with this comes responsibility as the flipside (cf. Acts 22:14).    Soli Deo Gloria!