Divide And Conquer

"But avoid foolish disputes ... for they are unprofitable and useless"  (Titus 3:9, NKJV).
"And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all..." (2 Tim. 2:24, NKJV).


The devil's chief strategy is to divide (or sever from Christ) and conquer (or overcome), while one of the most detestable sins, according to Proverbs 6:19, is to "sow discord among brethren."  Note that Satan doesn't conquer first, but attacks us when we are alone and vulnerable, knowing our weaknesses.  We are not called to build walls within the church (they may not be necessarily wrong, but they may just be unnecessary), or even in the community, but to make bridges that people may be invited and feel welcome to come to Christ through His body the church--being seeker-sensitive has its merits, as long as sound doctrine isn't compromised.

It is so easy and tempting sometimes to be judgmental, contentious, argumentative, and divisive and use our so-called knowledge as "ammunition" to go on the offense against our brethren, attacking their inner convictions.  Arguments often generate more heat than light and must be restrained.  We are called to be one in the Spirit in the church body (Eph. 4:3, NIV, says, "Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace"), and we are exhorted to find commonality, not give place to the devil, as we give him an opportunity to divide us by opening the door.

Opinions are what you hold, while convictions hold you!  We must realize that we can "quench the Spirit," by being too opinionated and insisting on talking politics in mixed company because most Americans hold to their political views just as firmly as their faith--discretion is the key, as well as common sense and sensitivity.  The American axiom "Don't discuss religion or politics" is sometimes good advice. as we realize there are a time and manner for every purpose under heaven (cf. Eccl. 3:1). We are called to avoid "ungodly controversies," but there are some godly controversies that are worth showing our Christian colors for, and standing up for what we believe in: these are the nonnegotiable or nonessential doctrines of our faith and we must never give the devil an opportunity to take any ground here.

We must never compromise with the devil, but make sure we know what we believe and can be dogmatic about.   As an example, never compromise about the deity of Christ!  But many times some insensitive person may decide that a party is the time and place to vent his feelings on the president and unknowingly causes division and kills the party spirit by his callous remarks--we are to be sensitive and be led by the Spirit.

It is a sad commentary on our society that we have a political atmosphere that is polarizing and has even succeeded in separating families and brothers, like no time since the Civil War, when brother often fought against brother in some border states.  As Christians, we must be tolerant of others and not because we deem all faiths and political persuasions to be equally valid and that no one can be right as a consequence, but we must learn to get along and to keep the peace as much as possible, remembering that "blessed are the peacemakers," if there is discord that we get drawn into as either part of the solution or part of the problem.

The key to patience with others and keeping the peace as much as possible in order to understand where they are coming from (to walk a mile in their moccasins) before judging them, which we should not do according to political stance--we have to agree to disagree sometimes and realize that there are gray areas and we cannot be dogmatic on all politics!  Showing a lack of patience is a sign of insecurity and of not knowing that knowledge can make one arrogant, while love is what edifies one (cf. 1 Cor. 8:1).  Finally, we are to note the divisive brother who brings the church into disharmony and disunity, and warn him and then avoid or shun him, that he may learn his lesson--for instance, a church is not the place to have a political showdown or debate!     Soli Deo Gloria! 

A Genuine Abundant Life In Christ

Christ promised a "more abundant life" or "life to the full [the max]" in John 10:10, but few believers achieve it or find this new life in Christ; they live defeated lives battling Satan and enslaved to sin and self, even their pet sin (cf. Psalm 18:23; 19:12-13), and haven't had victory over the sin which easily entangles them (cf. Heb. 12:1), so as to move on to inner fulfillment and meaning as a believer doing God's will--as we're wired to do.  Being set free is the most rewarding experience as a believer and we gain power over our sin.

The abundant life is not about having more material goods, or even achieving the so-called American dream, or necessarily anything money could buy--Paul had it all (this life) and look at how he suffered!  Jesus made the promise that if we "seek first his kingdom and righteousness," that "all these things shall be added unto [us]" (cf. Matt. 6:33).  But what did he mean?  Jesus never promised to meet our so-called felt-needs or wants, but only our needs (cf. Phil. 4:19) as God sees them to do His bidding and will--for we shall never lack God's resources to do God's will (cf. 2 Cor. 9:8)!

Dismiss the materialistic Christian who believes that the man who dies with the most toys wins! Jesus advised against storing up "treasures in this world" (cf. Matt. 6:19)!  Material blessings are not evil per se, if they are God's will, though; however, A. W. Tozer wrote a book about the "blessedness of possessing nothing."  Actually, Corrie ten Boom also found out we are richer when we hang on to things "loosely" and realize God is the owner, and we are only stewards of everything as a gift on loan from God (we are actually on borrowed time too!)--Psalm 31:15 (NIV)  says, "My times are in your hands...."

There is a greater gratitude in the fewness of possessions (whereof we are now content to have little or much per Phil. 4:13; cf. Psalm 84:11), and a joy in giving, for it's "more blessed to give than to receive" (cf. Acts 20:35).  God just wants us to cultivate a debt of gratitude and to be thankful in all circumstances, though not for evil itself, the opportunities it brings and that God trusts us with the trial to overcome it--for all faith must be tested as if by fire.

Now, what is the abundant life?  It is the appreciation of life and the little things as the gift from God, and all it entails.  You find new fondness and excitement in the mundane, and also the fortitude to endure trials and the endurance and ambition to work hard and not be lazy because you have a purpose in what you're doing.  When you look at the sunset, or the wonder of the stars at night, or the beauty of a rose, will you scorn their Creator?  Creation is filled with things to put us in awe and have to reverence God for His wonders and mysteries.

The believer who has an abundant life will find joy in the little things, like a portrait of a dear one, a piece of art on a canvas, or even in nature, such as the beauty of a tree, that only God can make.  Everything seems to have meaning and gives the opportunity for serving God and finding joy and delight.  Remember how Paul rejoiced even while in prison (cf. Phil. 4:4, says to "rejoice in the Lord always")--the fruit is that you want to share it!

This joy is an inner sense that no one can take away, and doesn't depend upon happenings, like happiness does, but is Christ-centered and has purpose.  Christians who have a purpose and know-how God uses them and offer themselves to God are the most joyful ones--for a believer that isn't a servant is a contradiction in terms--even Christ came to serve (cf. Mark 10:45). We ought always to be abounding in the work of the Lord and to aim to please Him, our Master. If we are willing to do His will, He will show us what it is and give us the opportunity to do it and we will find purpose.  Second Peter 1:10 (NIV) says that we ought to "make [our] calling and election sure" and this is the first step to finding purpose as a believer (everything to live on--nothing to live for!).  NB:  Christians are spiritually alive as well!

The key is that we are meant to find joy worshiping, and even in the little things--that money can't buy, especially relationships, i.e.,  fellowship (we use things and relate to and love people, not vice versa).  We see God at work in the world and what man can to do with God's will and a purpose, so he's a man on a mission!  Beware: "prosperity theology," or false teachers who tell you to cash in on Christ now, and if you don't have the so-called American dream or material prosperity and success, that you are missing out and are sub-par--who have missed the boat and the cut spiritually, and fall short.  Many things, such as appreciation of fine art; music; peace of mind; knowing forgiveness; having purpose, drive, fulfillment, and meaning in life--these cannot have a price tag on them and are priceless!

The conclusion of the matter is that to be a "vessel of honor" and be used by God for His glory is the greatest joy one can experience, and this is not something experienced apart from the abundant life in Christ.  There is comfort and joy knowing that Christ will never leave us nor forsake us (cf. Matt. 28:20; Heb. 13:5) and anoints us for His work.  Let us have this simple prayer:  Lord, melt me; mold me; fill me, and use me! There's a caveat to all believers:  Do you appreciate the things God does give you, before asking for more, and are you a good steward of God's resources--relationships, time, talents, spiritual gifts, opportunities, energy, and money?

Here's the ultimate question:  Are you hard to please?  And so, in short, the abundant life to be experienced is the exchanged, surrendered, and yielded life (cf. Gal. 2:20) with Christ living through us as we yield to His promptings and will--the more enslaved to Christ, the more joy and freedom in Christ!  The platitude is still valid: It's not how much of the Spirit you have, but how much of you He has!   Soli Deo Gloria! 

A Profile Of Jesus

"If God were a man, we would expect His personality to be true humanity.  Only God could tell us what true man should be like. Certainly there are forerunners of piety in the Old Testament models.  Foremost must be a complete consciousness, coupled with complete dedication and consecration of life to God.  Then, ranked below this, are the other virtues, graces and attributes that characterize perfect humanity.  Intelligence must not stifle piety, and prayer must not be a substitute for work, and zeal must not be irrational fanaticism, and reserve must not become stolidity."--Bernard Ramm   


"In Christ we have the perfect blend of personality traits, because as God incarnate, he is perfect humanity." --Paul Little, Know Why You Believe, John Schaff describes Him as follows:


"Jesus' zeal never degenerated into passion, nor his constancy into obstinacy, or his benevolence into weakness, nor his tenderness into sentimentality.  His unworldliness was free from indifference and unsociability or undue familiarity; His self-denial from moroseness; His temperance form austerity.  Hie combined childlike innocence with manly strength, absorbing devotion to God with untiring interest in the welfare of man, tender love to the sinner with uncompromising severity against sin, commanding dignity with winning humility, fearless courage with wise caution, unyielding firmness with sweet gentleness!" 


He washed the disciples' feet, yet claimed to be the Judge of the world.  Though He claimed deity, He never showed aloofness or arrogance, but was humble and came to serve, not to be served (cf. Mark 10:45).    Scholar John Schaff again portrays Christ:


"This Jesus of Nazareth without money and arms, conquered more millions than Alexander, Caesar, Muhammad and Napoleon; without science and learning, he shed more light on matters human and divine than all philosophers and scholars combined; without the eloquence of schools, he spoke such words of life as were never spoken before or since and produced effects which lie beyond the reach of orator or poet; without writing a single line, he set more pens in motion and furnished themes for more sermons, orations, discussions, learned volumes, works of art and songs of praise than the whole army of great men of ancient and modern times."


His personality shows no sign of mental aberration, chemical imbalance, or illness, according to Dr. Gary R. Collins, a clinical psychologist and chair of the psychology division at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, who says there are a "variety of proofs.  Among them are these: His teaching was impeccably moral and consistent with His claims; He demonstrated the gamut of human emotions;  He was "never paranoid"; "He understood human nature"; "He never demonstrated inappropriate emotions"; He had meaningful, "healthy," multiple, "close personal relationships"; No one could accuse Him or convince Him of sin! He was the Exemplar without a flaw;  "He spoke clearly, powerfully, and eloquently;" His fame and claims didn't go to His head and give Him a "bloated ego;" His sermons were not the rantings and ravings of a madman; He was a mystery--if He were a deceiver, liar, lunatic, or deceived Himself, the disciples would've figured it out by living with Him three years in close contact; and finally, He challenged His enemies to convince Him of sin (cf. John 8:46).


He was the most outstanding personality of all time:  not to be surpassed or improved upon by either predecessor nor disciple; the greatest leader in history; He did the most good for mankind; He was the greatest teacher; He lived the holiest life; He was the best example for mankind; He was the greatest moral teacher, guide, and incentive to morality; He had the biggest impact on history.  And His cruel death was not the end of Him.  Calling Him the greatest man who ever lived doesn't do Him justice or saying Jesus the Great!   You don't compare Him, you contrast Him!  He is simply God's last word to man and all we need to know of God!


C. S. Lewis, in Mere Christianity, writes:  "A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher.  He would either be a lunatic--on a level with the man who says he is a poached egg--or else he would be the Devil of Hell.  You must make your choice.  Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse."  He goes on:  "The discrepancy between the depth and sanity of His moral teaching and a diagnosis of rampant megalomania" are patently incompatible.    


No one can peg Jesus, put Him in a box, nor adequately describe Him nor figure Him out (cf. 2 Cor. 9:15), but whatever is perfect is what He demonstrated, and what He lived out was perfection personified.  He cannot be improved upon!  He demands worship, not admiration, discipleship, not study!   Soli Deo Gloria! 

Faith Is A Gift From The Benefactor

"No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him..." (John 6:44, ESV).
"And he said, 'This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father'" (John 6:65, ESV). "For who sees anything different in you?  What do you have that you didn't receive..." (1 Cor. 4:7, ESV).

One of the most overlooked and misunderstood heresies of the church, as embraced by the Papists, is that faith is a work--some Catholics realize it's a gift, but's it's generally not accepted and are downplayed.  The Romanists officially teach faith as a meritorious work, not a gift at all; for they don't believe grace is sufficient to save us, but merit must be added (they teach that grace is necessary, but not sufficient!).  The Bible makes it clear, by any careful perusal of the pertinent verses, that faith is a gift we have no right to boast of (cf. Eph. 2:9), as if it were, meritorious, but Catholics add merit to grace and works to faith, and we're not saved by works (cf. Tit. 3:5; Eph. 2:9).

Examples of it being a gift in Scripture are manifold: God "opened" Lydia's heart to believe in Acts 16:14; Paul saw "those who had come to believe through grace" (Acts 18:27, CEV), by which we can infer it's a gift and we are "enabled;"  "... everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name" (Acts 10:43, CEV). That means it's something we receive, which Peter reiterates in as this:  "... To those who received a faith equal to ours..." (2 Pet. 1:1, ESV);   Acts 11:18, CEV, says that "God has enabled Gentiles to change their hearts and lives so that they might have new life"; finally, it is written, "For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but suffer for his sake"  (Phil. 1:29, ESV). Without God's work, no one would believe!  But we must take the leap!

Faith must be seen as the flip-side of repentance (cf. Acts 20:21; 26:20; Luke 24:47), but not its equivalent--both are necessary (either believing repentance or penitent faith, if you will).  It makes sense that faith is a gift as the famous verse of Eph. 2:8 says if you realize the antecedent of "gift" is faith, so both salvation and faith are a gift!  It's a gift, which means God decides who receives it by election, according to His good pleasure (cf. Eph. 1:5) and will:  "... Everyone who was appointed [or elected] for eternal life believed" (Acts 13:48, CEV).

Faith is the instrumental means of righteousness, not righteousness itself--it cannot be both!  Abraham believed God and it was reckoned unto (not as) righteousness (cf. Rom. 4:3).  Faith is not the destination, but the door to eternal life--a hurdle to get through and pass with flying colors as we receive the gift of eternal life, that cannot be forfeited, but our state of grace is permanent.  Note: "... how God had opened a door of faith for the Gentiles" in Acts 14:27, CEV.  Jesus is the enabler, and opens our hearts by melting them and turning them from stubborn "hearts of stone into hearts of flesh" (cf. Ezek. 36:26) that can respond to the gospel message: "God has exalted Jesus to his right side as our Leader and Savior so that he could enable Israel to change its heart and life and to find forgiveness for sins," (Acts 5:31, CEV).

The point is that we cannot believe on our own: "For without Me you can do nothing" (cf. John 15:5)--not even believe!  No one can come to the Father without being drawn or wooed (cf. John 6:44, 65 quoted above).  We do not have the so-called willpower (cf. Rom. 9:16) to come to God on our own, but must be enabled or empowered.  What God does by grace is quicken faith within us or kindle faith so that we can come to the Father through the Son. God opens our eyes to see!   Romans 12:3 says we all (as Christians) have received a measure of saving faith!  We don't believe because we are wiser, smarter, more educated, or more sophisticated--we're all in the same boat as God has leveled the playing field and made us all incapable of faith apart from a work of grace in our hearts.

We must also realize what faith isn't:  It's not acquiescence or agreement to a dogma, like the Papists  teach; it's not temporal faith, like believing God for a healing or material blessing; it's not gullibility either; and it's not faith in the church or any other misdirected zeal and fanaticism--because it's the object that's crucial and it must be "Christ alone" or as the Reformers taught: soli Christo!  God owes no one salvation and has mercy on whom He will; if we believed of our own initiative (and God always takes the initiative and makes the overture), we have reason to believe we deserve salvation, and it wouldn't be grace but justice to save us!

Who's saved then?  The elect whom He chose from the beginning:  "... The elect obtained it, but the rest were hardened" (Rom. 11:7, ESV); We didn't choose Him, He chose us (cf. Jn. 15:16); Scripture says, "For many are called, but few are chosen" (Matt. 22:14, ESV).

In summation, we don't achieve faith (conjuring it up or working ourselves into it by convincing ourselves), but we receive our faith as a gift of regeneration--any other interpretation leads to denial of the doctrine of total depravity which tells us that our wills are also wicked and stubborn and need conversion; God does a work of grace sufficient to transform our lives.   Soli Deo Gloria!

Commonality And Contrast In Religion

All religions teach basically the same thing in application, though their philosophies or worldviews may differ; however, Christianity is by definition, not a religion. Christianity is strictly a faith, seeing that is the virtue central to its plan of salvation, and that it holds to a body of faith.  Religions all instruct man to ingratiate himself with God or some deity or higher power and to gain this approbation by a system of good works, thus meriting salvation--they all stress salvation in their own way.  One must realize that all religions have an element of truth to them and just enough to inoculate a sincere person to the real thing!  Sincerity isn't everything though a requisite; however, there are many who are sincerely wrong.

We don't need to delineate all religions to see how they are all mutually contradictory and don't teach the same concept of God, salvation, or even make the same diagnosis of man's problem and the ultimate cure.  Dr. Karl Menninger, the psychiatrist who wrote Whatever Became of Sin?--yes, I read it and it's a good read and even a must-read for theologians and/or scholars--and this book shows Christianity's diagnosis of our dilemma as rooted in sin or rebellion against God, it's our Declaration of Independence from God, doing our own thing and going our own way--defined as "refusing the love of another [i.e., God]." This is a word psychiatrists are starting to use again in their quest for us being responsible and accountable for our choices--no sin means no ultimate accountability.

All religions have some noble goal to accomplish but they are optimistic about man's nature (i.e., he is basically or inherently good), and don't realize we cannot please God--all our good deeds are as filthy rags!  For instance, in Islam, they deny the Fall of man.  The point to note in a works religion, and all religion seeks to do some work for salvation, as man is incurably addicted to gaining God's approbation by good behavior, is that you can never know for sure whether you are "in" or not, in other words, of being saved and secure in it.  In contrast, only Christianity offers a full and complete assurance of one's destiny to heave, and even power over sin in the here and now. The only way you can be sure of your salvation or place in heaven is for it to be a gift, not something to be earned or deserved--not by merit, but grace alone.  If we had to do anything, we'd fail!  In the Bible, people would ask the question, "What must I do to be saved?" (Cf. Acts 16:30; John 6:28).  This shows his orientation towards works and that he doesn't realize it's a gift to be received.

Creeds don't save!  Faith doesn't save!  Christ alone saves and it's the object of the faith that matters, not the amount of faith.  Meager faith in Christ saves, while a lot of faith in the Pope or the Church will not!  We must turn our creeds into deeds though!  Christianity is not only concerned with orthodoxy or right belief, but orthopraxy or right behavior, and we are not saved by good behavior, but unto good behavior (cf. Eph. 2:10).  Not by works, nor without them!  The Reformers formula was "by faith alone, but not by a faith that is alone."  We will not be rewarded according to the amount of faith we have (cf. Rom. 2:6; Psa. 62:12), but the quality of our works and whether they stand the test of fire--some will be saved as if by fire (cf. 1 Cor. 3:10).

All religions teach the same applications in principle (Christianity is superior though, for instance, of all 52 known virtues, they are all depicted in Scripture, but no other religion comes close to covering all these bases).  Christianity must be admired even on the basis of its superior morals and virtues.  When they say that all religions teach the same thing--and George Lucas has come to the conclusion that all religions are true--they are basically referring to the application, not the philosophy or worldview.  For instance, they all teach the betterment of mankind, the value of virtue, and the necessity of good works, though Christianity raises the bar!  The Golden Rule, as an example, is the highest code of honor and ethics one can attain, compared to the Brazen, Silver, and Iron Rules are known in this rat-race and the dog-eat-dog world of the law of the jungle.

People are more interested in what the religion does for you, not it's doctrines, though they are also important--teaching without application leaves one cold.  They said of Jonathan Edwards, probably the clearest-thinking of all American theologians, that his doctrine was all application, and his application was all doctrine.  The end result of the validity of a religion is its effect on the convert and what it can do for him.  We stress what Christ has done for us, not what we do for God!  The conversion experience is a miracle of transformation of the soul and only is apparent in the Christian faith, whereby the person becomes a new creature in Christ (cf. 2 Cor. 5:17) and gets a new lease on life and a new start.

The contrasts are manifold:  religion says "do"--Christianity says "done"; Religion reaches out to God--Christianity is God reaching out to us; religion is all works based; Christianity is all grace-based and its a gift that cannot be earned, deserved, or paid back; Religion gives no assurance; Christianity gives full assurance; Religion teaches you to lift yourself up by your own bootstraps; Christianity says that God can transform your life in His control; Religion says works are in order to gain the approbation of God; Christianity says we work out of gratitude to please God and are therefore a "therefore," not an "in-order-to." Man tends to ingratiate himself fourfold:  morality, good works, philosophy, and ritual or religion!  Religion itself is all a "do-it-yourself" proposition! You can distinguish the person of religion simply by asking him if he's saved!  The religious person doesn't know!  You can be very religious and not be saved, or even have a formal religion!

God is not so concerned that we get all our doctrines straightened out or nitpick and split hairs on them, as He is that we love and serve Him.  What matters most is whether our hearts are in the right place.  Don't be content just to be doctrinally correct!  We cannot avoid doctrine and must not reject it, but it's not everything--God wants us to learn to love, serve, obey, and know Him as the ultimate goal.  Most important thing about knowing God is just knowing Jesus--what a concept--everything we need to know about Him is expressed in Jesus for us to see--if you've seen Jesus, you've seen the Father! In the final analysis, a person's eternal fate or destiny will be decided at Judgment Day by his view of Jesus and what he did with Him at the final audit of his life and work.  How did he treat Jesus?

Instead of learning all the minutiae of the different religions we need to see the Big Picture and how unique our faith is so that we can readily tell the counterfeit--the Secret Service studies the real thing so they can recognize counterfeit bills!   We believe uniquely in a personal God we can know, and that especially loves is and even is love and that's His essence and defining trait.  We believe sin is the problem but God has solved the sin question by the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ.  We believe our salvation is complete, sure, knowable, and eternal in Christ and available to all who will believe.  We believe God's final word to man is in Christ and God became a man in the incarnation of Jesus to make Himself known.  We believe in the infallibility, inerrancy, perspicuity or clarity, sufficiency, reliability, accuracy, simplicity, authenticity, necessity, fidelity, integrity, inspiration, and authority of the Word--the battle cry of the Reformation was sola Scriptura, or by Scripture alone (as the sole rule of faith and authority).

Christianity alone postulates that God is a person we can know and is personal, has personality, and wants to get personal and go one-on-one with us as individuals He loves.  Our faith alone satisfies the deepest desire of man to have a meaningful relationship with our Creator, that just believing He exists or knowing about Him doesn't fulfill.  Contrary to popular opinion, the Golden Rule is not the essence of Christianity, but it's a faith that must be lived out and practiced by demonstrating it to the world by good works (as Paul would say, "I'll show you my works by my faith," and James would say the flip side, "I'll show you my faith by my good works").

The faith you have is the faith you show--is it any wonder that Mahatma Gandhi said that he'd become a Christian if he ever met one!  Even he admired the high ethics of Christianity, but Christians are not perfect, just forgiven works in progress, with perfection as the standard, but direction as the test!  In our faith alone, eternal life is equated with knowing God in Jesus' high priestly intercession in John 17:3!  Thus we can have a growing and living relationship with God as our Father, who loves us personally.

One must note the foundations of Christianity are based on fact and history, not fable, tradition, myth, or legend, no other religion can uniquely claim this; and as proof of Scripture's authority and of God's approval, Scripture alone has thousands of fulfilled prophecies--not just a few lucky guesses or self-fulfilling prophecies either.  Finally, with all due respect to world religions, Jesus alone claimed deity and no other founder did--not Buddha, not Confucius, not Muhammad, no one!  This is what turns people off to our faith: its exclusiveness and positing absolute truth that can be known through Christ as the personification of Truth with a capital T--i.e., truth is not relative, but knowable and fixed for eternity; we are accountable for it--willful ignorance is no excuse!  At Judgment Day one's fate will be determined by his answer to Christ's query to his disciples in Matt. 16:15, saying:  "Who do you say that I am?"  and He answered it in John 8:24 as, "Unless you believe that I Am ["He" is not in Greek manuscripts, stating His deity as the Great I Am], you will die in your sins." It doesn't matter what you think of these other false prophets, gurus, false teachers, the Pope, and even angels of light like Moroni, but it does matter what you make of Christ--whose Son is He?

One doesn't even have to believe in the Bible to get saved (as Paul found out on his missionary journeys to the Greeks), despite the fact that it's the only Holy Scriptures that claim God as the Author, saying over 2,000 times, "Thus saith the LORD," in the Old Testament alone!  The very existence and continuity of the Bible is a miracle in itself due to all the systematic attempts to destroy it throughout history, and it's fidelity and integrity are firmly established and plain to see.

To make things clear by contrast:  Religion lays down what man must do; Christianity lays down what God has done; religion is the best man can do; Christianity is the best God can do; religion is knowing a creed or the rules; Christianity is knowing a person; religion is a code of conduct, self-reformation,  a philosophy, or a catalog of rules; Christianity is a relationship, a renewal, and more abundant life!  Jesus said, "It is finished!" "Paid in full!" "Tetelestai!" This was stating that He had completed the work of our salvation on the cross and it's a "done deal" that only needs to be applied to believers who will receive it by faith as a gift in grace, undeserved, unmerited, and unearned.  You can be very religious without being a Christian and vice versa: you can be a Christian without being very religious! The ultimate question to ponder is whether one knows God, not has an opinion about some concept of God.

In sum, let me cite an old anecdote:  One preacher was interrupted by a man who said that he "tried religion for five years and it didn't work for [him]!"  The preacher countered that he "tried it for fifteen years and it didn't work, either!"  The man asked him to explain why he was a preacher then:  Then he "tried Jesus," was his telltale confession!   Soli Deo Gloria!

The Limits Of Our Freedom

"So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy"  (Rom. 9:16, ESV).
"So, if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed"  (John 8:36, ESV).
"The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually"  (Gen. 6:5, ESV).
"The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?  ["who can know it?" KJV]"  (Jer. 17:9, ESV).


We don't need free will to be saved--we need our wills made or set free!   Actually, our freedom is a curse because we are only capable of sinning apart from being saved (as Augustine phrase puts it, "Non posse non peccare," or, in English, the double negative, "unable not to sin"), whereby we gain the power not to sin by grace--but when we do sin, it's because we choose to do so without compulsion or impulsion--all lost people can do is sin and cannot please God and they sin because they want to sin!  We are not automatons though, nor dumb beasts who have no understanding!  Job 18:3, NLT, says, "Do you think we are mere animals? Do you think we are stupid?"

Our freedom of the will is very limited and actually has very little to do with our salvation (genes, lineage, parentage, upbringing, experience, national origin, not to mention friends, all influence and affect our wills to make them limited in total freedom and not unmoved or uncaused like God's will, which is what makes Him totally free and the one and only Great I AM).  Actually, Martin Luther wrote an entire book on this subject, The Bondage of the Will, or, De Servo Arbitrio, as written in Latin.   Remember Paul's words to the Philippians in verse 2:13, ESV, italics added, saying, "For it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure."

Our wills are part of our heart and soul and are depraved just like our minds and emotions--totally, though not utterly as much as possible. However, after the Fall, man has not lost the faculty of choice completely, just the ability to choose God and please God--his motives are wrong and basically selfish and for the applause of others. To be specific:  Have you ever convinced a girl to go out with you or convinced your wife to do something that she was ill-disposed to do?  God can likewise work on our minds, wills, and emotions to change us and give us a new heart after His will.  She maintained her freedom of choice and didn't do anything she didn't want to, but just had a change of heart caused by you. Note that God is the initiator and sole primary cause of our salvation: "Salvation is of the LORD," per Jonah 2:9; Heb. 10:38; Rom. 1:17; Gal. 3:11.  That's what repentance is:  a totally and radicalized change of heart from the inside out.  We make a complete turnaround after God works repentance in our hearts by grace and transforms us (repentance is granted according to Acts 5:31; 11:18; and 2 Tim. 2:25).

Only man has been given a choice to obey or disobey God, animals do not have this liberty of will.  Augustine said in a maxim that we are "free, but not freed"; meaning we have an independent will, but no liberty to exercise it-we do have a will of our own.  Why then is our will in bondage and the slave of sin and must be set free just like the rest of our soul?  We are not born free, but slaves to sin, and our whole heart is desperately wicked and deceitful according to Jer. 17:9!  God is the only Being that is totally free and can do His will without intervention or interference.  He is the unmoved mover and uncaused cause, meaning no one or nothing can influence Him or change Him and He alone is the sole primary cause of the cosmos and is the initiator of all events per Eph. 1:11---all things that perspire are orchestrated by Him through Providence.

We cannot come to the Father unless we are called and drawn or wooed by the Holy Spirit (cf. John 6:44, 65).  Matt. 22:14, ESV, says, "For many are called, but few are chosen." This doesn't mean permission to come, but ability--in a state of sin and rebellion and even stubbornness of heart we don't want to come on our own, but must be enticed; what it does mean is that don't have the ability to come to the Father in our state of sin!  We are not unmoved movers (even if we are movers and shakers!), nor uncaused causes, like our God and our faith must be quickened within us by an act of grace (cf. Acts 18:27).

Since our freedom can be changed and is changeable, in a state of flux, it is limited and influenced by God, therefore, not totally free--we don't negotiate our salvation from a point of neutrality but are biased and all our inclinations to good and to love God have left us in the Fall of Adam, with whom we are in solidarity with at birth. God desires all the glory for our salvation and doesn't' want us to have reason to boast as if we willed ourselves into the kingdom (cf. Rom. 9:16).

We must realize that our complete heart (intellect, volition, emotion) is depraved and in need of salvation.  God transforms each of them and gives us the heart to love God (will to obey and mind to know) at salvation.  The Bible speaks quite often about the stubbornness of man's heart and that he is in a state of rebellion--and condemns it in 1 Sam. 15:23, NLT:  "Rebellion is as sinful as witchcraft, and stubbornness as bad as worshiping idols...." Those who claim to have come to God of their own free will probably leave Him of their own free will and all alone too.

None of our freedoms are unlimited; no government allows absolute free speech or right to bear arms--only in restrictions of liberty is their freedom for all protected from the tyranny of the majority. Even God is not free to sin and we won't be either in glory!  In the final analysis, you must decide if you want your will to be saved (which is part of your heart), or you want to remain independent of God (for sin is merely man's declaration of independence from God) and be a spiritual lone ranger or lone wolf.

Salvation is a miracle of transformation of the heart to a new person, and the will is included; God metaphorically takes our "heat of stone" or stubbornness and gives us a "heart of flesh" (cf. Ezek. 36:26) or one inclined to do His will--a litmus test for believers is that we yearn for God's will, for we have denied, relinquished, surrendered, and substituted themselves for Christ, as He lives through us (cf. Gal. 2:20)!   We become "new creations" in Christ (cf. 2 Cor. 5:17)!

We are empowered to live life by the Spirit as our enabler.  God indeed makes the unwilling willing and has the omnipotence to change us from the inside out, not by force though, which would be coercion or determinism or the use of outside forces as though we're puppets on a string or programmed to respond a certain way by an impersonal fate--we never do anything we don't want to do, but God makes us willing--what a concept!

A few words to the wise concerning God's providence over all should suffice:  Our destiny is ultimately in God's hands (Psalm 31:15, HCSB, says, "The course of my life ["of my future" or "of my times" in other versions] is in your power...").  Note that the only will that is free is one that is uncaused and unmoved like God's!  We cannot thwart God's will! As it is written in Job 42:2, ESV, "'I know that you can do all things and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted."

God's sovereignty is not limited by man's freedom either; it's absolute and total, including every spin of the dice (cf. Prov. 16:33), every ruler (cf. Prov. 21:1), and every molecule being micromanaged and ruled with no room for, and nothing to, chance or happenstance ("... [W]ho works all things according to the counsel of his will" Eph. 1:11, ESV, italics mine).

I do like to ascribe full and complete, absolute sovereignty to God, for what kind of God isn't in control of everything?  This is God's prerogative and right; he's no ruler like the "do-nothing" sovereign of GB--he rules and doesn't just reign (cf. Psalm 22:28)!  Let me close with this caveat from Paul in Romans 9:16, ESV,  "You will say to me then, 'Why does he still find fault?  For who can resist his will?'"  Soli Deo Gloria!

Deferring To Tradition

"... So for the sake of your tradition you have made void the word of God"  (Matt. 15:6, ESV). 
"So don't let anyone condemn you for what you eat or drink, or for not celebrating certain holy days or new moon ceremonies or Sabbaths"  (Col. 2:16, NLT).

The Pharisees were bound by traditions which were merely the rules of men and they manipulated them to avoid doing God's will and obeying His commands.  Even today Catholics defer to tradition and break with Protestants on this issue.  Ever since the Counter-Reformation, at the Council of Trent (1545-63), the Romanists have deemed and valued tradition of equal status and authority with Scripture as the rule of faith--Protestants take issue with this and "dissent, disagree, protest," as they would say.  Traditions are not wrong or evil per se, but only when they controvert or invalidate Scripture.  There's nothing wrong with celebrating Christmas as a tradition, for instance!  We only defer to tradition when it's concordant with Scripture and/or not against sound doctrine.  We need to beware of adding to the Word or subtracting from it!

People basically have four reasons why they act when they don't have faith:  culture (everyone's doing it!); tradition (we've always done it!); reason (it sounds logical and right!); and emotion (it feels right and appropriate!).  Old traditions die hard and it's difficult to even start new ones.  But remember this lesson:  traditions must bow to conviction!  Protestants adhere to the conviction that Scripture alone is the rule of faith, and have made this their rallying cry since the Reformation (sola Scriptura).

We don't give any man authority if it isn't in harmony with the Word--we're all subject to God's Word:  ".... [For] you have exalted above all things your name and your word" (Psalm 138:2, ESV).  It is wrong to base far-fetched teaching on some obscure passage with some private interpretation though, for "no Scripture is of any private interpretation" (cf. 2 Pet. 1:20).  Hebrews 13:9, ESV, says, "Do not be led away by diverse and strange teachings...." We must interpret Scripture with Scripture and with the whole analogy of the Word.  The Bible is its own Supreme Court!  We also must observe all inferential and sound reading interpretation rules:  narratives in light of didactive or teaching passages; obscure in light of the clear.  We must interpret it as written:  poetry as poetry; proverbs as proverbs; and narrative or history as such.

And we are not bound to observe all the traditions or commands of Scripture ("We are not under the law, but under grace" according to Romans 6:14; for instance, the Sabbath day observance laws have been rescinded and not applicable for Christians, but were meant for Israel (cf. Ezek. 20:12, 20).  Don't let anyone judge you by your own tradition of a holy day:  Col. 2:16 says this quite plainly.  Each believer should be convinced in his own mind (cf. Rom. 14: 5).  Family traditions are not necessarily forbidden--all tradition doesn't have to be religious!   Soli Deo Gloria!

Faith Has Legs

"For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith God has assigned"  (Romans 12:3, ESV). 
"... [Measuring] yourselves by the faith God has given you..." (Rom. 12:3, NLT, italics mine). 
"And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him ... by faith Abraham obeyed..." (Hebrews 11:6, 8, ESV).  
"I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race [course], I have kept the faith" (2 Tim. 4:7, NKJV, italics mine). 
"... I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints" (Jude 3, ESV).
"[F]or we walk by faith, and not by sight"  (2 Cor. 5:7, ESV).

You've probably heard of the cliche that you don't have a leg to stand on; faith is like that as a contrast, it has legs to stand on! We have sound reasons to believe and haven't kissed our brains goodbye or committed intellectual suicide to become Christians!   Having legs implies you intend to go somewhere and are equipped for it, and even ready.  You are either going forward, backward or standing still!  In the walk of faith, you are supposed to be going forward, and not standing or going backward.

Faith is an abstract concept and must be seen to be understood.  It's something you do--, not something you have.  By faith the heroes did this and that in the hall of faith chapter of Hebrews.  Faith is not static or inert,  but active, living, growing and involved--bearing fruit.  Everyone has some kind of faith in something because we are hard-wired that way.  Secularists have faith in science or man's ability to solve his dilemmas and issues.  But it's not the amount of faith that's the vital link, but the object. Small but sincere faith in the right thing will bring results, but even much faith misdirected will be vain and fruitless.  The Israelites had a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge (cf. Rom. 10:2).  People in the North know there are two kinds of ice, and you can have a lot of faith crossing thin ice and you'll still fall through, but small faith in thick ice will get you from point A to point B.

The whole point of the Christian life is that you must grow in your relationship and mature in Christ, in other words, that you are going somewhere!  A walk with Christ implies you cannot tread water or stand in one place.  Ever heard of the "Nowhere Man" song of The Beatles?  He doesn't know where he's going to and doesn't have a point of view! We are not to wander aimlessly through the Christian life without purpose and meaning, because Christ gives us a reason to live and for our existence to find fulfillment--a more abundant life--some Christians never achieve this because of the so-called rat-race they get tied up with and are never set free spiritually to live victorious Christian lives in the power of the Spirit, not the energy of the flesh.

Faith must be illustrated to be conceived:  suppose I reach into my pocket and pull out something and ask you to tell me what's in my hand.  If you can't guess, let's say for the sake of argument, that I give you a hint that I had coins in my pocket.  Now you say that you believe I have a coin in my hand--that's faith, if I tell you that you're right, you take my word for it and have greater faith, but it's still faith!  Now, let me destroy your faith!  I'll open my hand and show you the coin.  Now you don't have faith anymore, but knowledge--see the difference--faith isn't absolute but has room for doubt and cannot be perfect, but God requires sincere, unfeigned faith, not perfect faith--it's evidence of the unseen (cf. Heb. 11:1)!

Now another illustration:  we must act on, or out, our faith.  If a tightrope walker tells you he can carry you across the rope and you tell him you believe him, that 's not faith unless you are willing to be carried across--you can say you believe, but your decisions may belie your so-called profession; there's a profession of faith or bogus faith, and a reality of faith or saving faith.

We are not rewarded according to our faith (cf. Rom. 2:6)!  We are rewarded according to our deeds and the good works we accomplished through God's Spirit with the faith given by God (cf. Romans 12:3 above). Note that faith is a gift: "For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake" (Phil. 1:29, ESV); Peter writes:  "... [To] those who have obtained a faith of equal standing..." (2 Pet. 1:1, ESV).  We cannot boast of what God accomplishes through us (cf. Rom. 15:18; Isaiah 26:12).  God is simply using us as "vessels of honor" to accomplish His divine will and to bring glory to Him (cf. Isaiah 43:7).

Living faith grows and goes somewhere!  If your faith hasn't improved or accomplished something you can doubt it's being genuine and saving faith.  It must be validated by good works. We aren't saved by good works, neither are we saved without them, but saved unto them (cf. Eph. 2:10).   Paul would say, "I'll show you my good deeds by my faith!'  James would counter a complimentary statement:  "I'll show you my faith by my good deeds!"  These two can be distinguished, but not separated.  We are not saved by faith that stands alone.  We are saved by faith alone, but not be a faith that is alone, according to the Reformers' formula!


Antinomians insist that works don't have to accompany saving faith, or they believe we are saved by faith minus works!  No fruit means no faith!  Dead faith doesn't save and the only faith that saves is productive faith doing God's will!  Dead faith isn't profitable for anything and cannot go anywhere.  A person can be sincerely wrong, though sincerity matters, it's not the most vital link to salvation--it's not everything.  We are saved by grace through faith, and our faith is solely a gift of God, not something we conjure up or work up in our own efforts of the flesh. God quickens faith within us!  "So faith comes from hearing, and through hearing, of the word of Christ," (Romans 10:17, ESV), and God opens the heart (cf. Acts 16:14) to respond positively to the gospel, "who through grace had believed" (cf. Acts 18:27, ESV).

Saving faith is obedient and the only authentic test of faith is its obedience and it's always manifest through it, not by experience or emotions, feelings, or ecstasies.  Dietrich Bonhoeffer famously said, "Only he who believes is obedient; only he who is obedient believes."  Jesus also said that if we love Him we will keep and obey His commands (cf. John 14:21). Faith, it is said, is not believing despite the evidence, but obeying in spite of the consequences!   All faith must be tested for obedience, not emotions!  Some people are just hard-wired differently and are stoical and not demonstrative, even at concerts and sports events, not just worship!

Note that faith is not an end in itself; faith doesn't save, the object of the faith is what matters--Christ saves!  We don't have faith in faith!  When you say, "To defend the faith," you must be talking about the orthodox body of dogma of the Christian religion, not just your own personal faith, we are all called to be defenders of the truth and contenders of the faith (cf. Jude 3), and to be able to have an answer for why we believe, not just know what we believe (cf. 1 Pet. 3:15).  In the end result, it matters more how big your God is than how big your faith is!

The same word is used for faith and faithfulness in the Old Testament Hebrew (e.g., Hab. 2:4, "The just shall walk by faith [faithfulness]").  We must not divorce these two but realize they are juxtaposed and together like a coin with a flip side--they are complimentary! Good works is no substitute for faith, but proof it exists!  True faith always expresses itself!  We show our faith by being faithful to whatever gifts, talents, abilities, opportunities, time, resources, money, relationships, and so forth that are bestowed on us by grace!

Remember the words of Heb. 11:6 that faith is what "pleases" God, we can become emotional, wear our religion on our sleeves, or flaunt our religion, but that doesn't please God, if there is no genuine faith and obedience--even if there is no sentiment, for they don't save, but they will come from a life of faith in the order: fact, faith, then feeling--we must not be feeling-driven or emotionally crippled and dependent!  Jesus didn't say that if you love Him, you'll be on Cloud Nine, but that you'd obey Him!  Faith is a door to eternal life, not the destination:  we "believe in order to understand," for "faith precedes reason," according to Saint Augustine.

In the final analysis, the only happy believer is the serving one and a non-serving believer is a contradiction in terms, for we are saved to serve; even Christ came not to be served, but to serve (cf. Mark 10:45).  At the final audit of our life at the Bema or tribunal (called the Judgment Seat of Christ by some), we will have to give an account of what we did with the faith God gave us, and each is given a portion of faith (cf. Rom. 12:3).

To whom much is given, much is required (cf. Luke 12:48)!  With great faith, comes great responsibility and God will say that His grace is sufficient for us as He did to Paul about His thorn in the flesh (cf. 2 Cor. 12:9).  We must sow to reap, and he who sows sparingly will reap likewise!  We must sow and leave the results to God and focus on faithfulness, not success!

 As Mother Teresa of Calcutta, now canonized and recipient of the 1979 Nobel Peace Prize, said that God "calls us to faithfulness, not success!" It is said that if you've never made a mistake [failed], you've never made [tried] anything [challenging!]"  Failure doesn't always mean lack of faith or faithfulness.  We must remain faithful to the calling God gave us.  As Peter said, "... [Make] your calling and election sure..." in 2 Pet. 1:10, ESV.  Soli Deo Gloria!  

Forbidden Fruit

"But sin took advantage of this law and aroused all kinds of forbidden desires within me!  If there were no law, sin would not have that power"  (Rom. 8:8, NLT).

God had warned Adam of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, as being off-limits, and not to partake of its fruit--i.e., the so-called forbidden fruit.  The very fact of it's being forbidden lured Adam all the more and made it even more desirable to Eve, who was deceived by Satan's deception and lie in the perfect environment of the Garden of Eden. Don't you also wonder why he never ate of the Tree of Life?   Augustine, in his Confessions, tells of eating forbidden (i.e., a stolen pear) fruit as a child and how it became all the more desirable because of that--the Law is likewise something that foments what it forbids.

We are all equally to blame for Adam's sin and cannot pin it on him alone--we would've done the same thing if we had been in his shoes. Adam's sin represented all sin and showed utter contempt for God's wisdom, sovereignty, grace, law, and justice, while Adam sought his own wisdom, goodness, and delight, he spurned God's best for getting his own way.  You cannot say that Adam knew what good and evil were, but they were completely innocent and were not choosing evil, but self over God.  That's the essence of sin--putting yourself in God's place and declaring your independence from Him.

Sin is now a virus that affects us all and is our legacy from Adam, as we are all born with solidarity with Adam, whether we want it or not.  We do have a choice to become free in Christ as we acknowledge the truth and lose sin's grip on our lives.  Sin doesn't demonstrate our freedom but shows our slavery.  And that's what sin is: it both alienates and estranges us from God, offends Him, and enslaves us.  We are not born free, but in bondage to sin, and must be set free by the Son (cf. John 8:36). Eve sought the here and now and to doubt God's Word ("Has God indeed said?" cf. Gen. 3:1), and then she doubted disbelieved it; then Satan told a lie and she believed him!  Finally, in an act of her willpower, she disobeyed God's Word and became a sinner--note that doubt is not sin per se, and may only be an element of faith, for no one's faith is perfect or it wouldn't be faith, but knowledge.

Adam got no second chance and dragged all mankind with him down the never-ending spiral of sin and rebellion.  For sin is ultimately a rebellion against God and His Word.  The biggest temptation Eve faced was that she wanted to be "as God."  She wanted to be a god, so to speak, and not godly--a sin that even Christians are guilty of to this day.  The theological axiom of Mormonism is that we can become gods, and this heresy traces itself to the garden and the original sin of Adam and Eve.

Adam's sin had to be atoned for in a multifaceted way:  He had to be redeemed from the slave market of sin with the penalty paid by the blood of Christ; the wrath of God had to be averted in God's temple by the propitiation of Christ on the cross; the righteousness of Christ had to be exchanged in God's court of justice and justice or giving sin its due had to be rendered; the relationship and fellowship with God had to be restored in Christ's act of reconciliation with His family.  Salvation can be seen as the sum total of all these events taking place in God's throne room and Jesus being the Savior of mankind securing the Father's plan and purpose and being applied by the Holy Spirit on our behalf.

As a consequence of Adam's sin, we are all born in a state of sin and inherit Adam's guilt and have lost all inclination to good, though we remain human with the ability to make choices; however, we make the wrong choices!   Our freedom is a curse since we choose evil and God must work grace in our hearts to bring us to repentance and faith (cf. 2 Tim. 2:25; Acts 18:27).  We don't need free will to be saved, but wills made free!  Adam had the ability not to sin and chose sin.  As humans before salvation, we have the inability not to sin, or all we can do is sin!

Upon salvation, we are being saved from the power of sin and have the ability not to sin and the ability to sin by our own choices.  Salvation is threefold:  we are saved from the penalty of sin by the crucified Christ; from the power of sin by the living Christ; and the presence of sin by the coming Christ.  Our salvation is past, present, and pending!  We are saved, being saved, and to be saved!   Our past is forgiven, our present given meaning and our future secured by salvation began in eternity past, completed in time, and looking forward to eternity.

Some think it's unfair to be charged with Adam's sin (by the disobedience of one person but we are in Adam who gets a bad rap).  We would've done the very same thing if we'd been in the Garden of Eden too! The point of all this is that "we are not ignorant of his [Satan's] devices"(2 Cor. 2:11) and know his trickery and schemes:  mind games; lies; deception; propaganda; sensual pleasure; lust or inordinate desire for anything, including power, riches, or fame; psychological warfare--indeed the devil fights dirty and will resort to any means to get our attention away from God, God's work, and Word, and unto ourselves, and he knows our weaknesses!  His tactics are not original, but he's basically an imitator and can only distort and debase the truth, and mask a little truth with a lot of error--for no heresy or false religion is completely void of truth; they all have an element of truth and just enough to inoculate you to the truth.

Adam turned his back on God's light and sought his own, we second that motion as we seek our own way and refuse to see the light. Erich Fromm, the famed psychologist, wrote a book, You Shall Be As Gods," in which he denied the existence of evil (and that sin is all in your head) and that you can make yourself out to be your own god; however, we either trust in God, or we make ourselves gods--it's that plain.

Adam was tricked into thinking he'd become free by his independent act of defiance, but he became a slave without any control over sin--he lost all inclination towards good and God.  He didn't break God's law, but God's law broke him!  He didn't become more human, but less of a man, for when we lose godliness, we lose true manhood too. The measure of a man is in fulfilling his relationship with God, not in human standards and opinions.  We must be what we are meant to be and not "quarrel with [our] Maker" (cf. Isaiah 45:9).

A lot of people assume that Adam chose to do evil, but he was innocent, not cognizant of evil and his eyes were only opened after his sin when he became self-conscious.  The epitome of sin is selfishness, or putting yourself first and becoming self-centered, believing that it's all about you.  They really made the choice between self and God, and in the process loss consciousness of God and became self-conscious in return and aware of their own shame and guilt.  Guilt is cognizance of wrongdoing and is the sign that we know we've done something evil or sinful.  Only in Christ can we become free from guilt by the atoning work of Christ on the cross, shedding His blood on our behalf. Just like Eve bought into Satan's rationalization, people today buy into today's secular worldview because of their ignorance of the Bible, as Eve doubted and didn't know the Word of God.

As we are born, we are sinners by birth, by nature, and by choice--we confirm ourselves in sin and the theologians say we are not sinners because we sin, but we sin because we are sinners (it's our very nature!).  We duplicate Adam's sin and verify that we would've done the same thing, having been there ourselves--we would've joined hands with Eve in rebellion too.

Adam was given just one simple rule to obey; and if he had been given no rules, it would not be possible to know if he was obedient to God willingly--he would be but a pawn of God.  Given the gift of choice, there had to be a test of his will to see where his loyalties would be.  Adam failed the test and we would've too, even in a perfect environment of the Garden of Eden.  Israel was given the Decalogue and promised to obey it, yet they fell short; however, the Law was not given to obey but to convict and show that they fall short of God's ideal and must be saved by grace, not obedience to the Law.  The Law was merely given to show we can't keep it and need to plead for mercy, not attempt obedience in the efforts of the flesh.

Adam committed every sin in the book by partaking of the proverbial apple in what is known as "Edengate," and it was the prototype sin extraordinaire:  "he rejected God authority; he doubted God's goodness; he disputed God's wisdom; he repudiated God's justice; he contradicted God's trustworthiness; he spurned God's grace" [source unknown, but well-known]. Adam's cover-up was also what we do when we run away from God and can't admit our sin and call a spade a spade in confession.  Our guilt can only be expiated by God's grace and sacrifice on our behalf as God clothed Adam and Eve to cover their shame.

A word to the wise is sufficient:  Eve didn't sin by doubting God's Word, nor by believing Satan, but only in disobeying God--doubt is only an element of faith, and God doesn't expect perfect faith without any doubt whatsoever, but sincere, unfeigned faith--for it isn't the amount of faith that saves or keeps, it's the object of it that saves and keeps! 

In sum, we can rejoice that we are not "under the Law, but under grace [cf. Rom. 6:14]," and that nowhere in the New Testament are believers told to obey the Law--we are under a higher law, the law of love, and we serve out of gratitude, not an obligation, as a "therefore," not an "in order to," that is we want to, we don't have to anymore!   Soli Deo Gloria!

The Religious Creature...

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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