Preachers With Visions

Some preachers unashamedly go on and on in great detail about visions, (Col 2:18 ESV warns against this) thinking this is some sort of credential or approbation of God to their testimony. We don't need visions to tell us what to believe, but should "rely on the Word."

I think of Thomas asking to see Jesus, and being told, "Blessed are those who have not seen, and yet believed." Seeing a vision is not something to be sought after. I know we live in the last days, and Joel prophesies that young men shall see visions, but I don't think that this is a promotion per se, and shouldn't necessarily be shared--what on earth is their motive, except to perhaps exalting themselves. This is not the norm, and to talk about visions can be very discouraging for those who have to rely on simple faith.

There is a great possibility of being led astray by false mysticism and the deceived. Visions are not edifying and the Bible never says to preach visions, but to preach the Word. Preachers should be expositors, exegetes (doing exegesis or explanation/analysis of the text), encouragers, or modern-day prophets (having a vital message for our day) who are in tune with the Word, and not only with their own spirit and personal experiences.

Let's not forget Sun Myung Moon of the Unification Church of South Korea who claims to have live conversations with Christ. This is dangerous territory and I think any preacher who feels led to share a vision should do it in a humble way so as not to seem to be exalting himself or making it seem normal. One has to wonder about the motive for sharing his vision. Paul was very humble and hesitated to share his vision. If one wants to boast, he should boast that he knows the Lord (Jer. 9:24). When the Scripture says in Prov. 29:18, "Where there is no vision, the people perish..." it does not mean we're supposed to have visions, but be visionaries.   Soli Deo Gloria!

I think Rick Warren's book The Purpose Driven Church expounds on this theme.

The Trinity's Value

A sure sign of a cult is that it denies the Trinity and hence the deity of Christ. Tertullian first used the term "Trinity" in the third century, but the doctrine was really defended by Athanasius in the fourth century, who was called the Father of Orthodoxy. The term is not found in Scripture, but neither is Providence, Incarnation, or Deity of Christ. There are two main heresies: modalism, which says that God merely expresses Himself in three ways, like a person being at once a husband, employee, and son simultaneously (the Oneness Pentecostals take this stand); and tritheism, which says the three together are God.

The orthodox position is that God is three persons (the tripersonality), each person is fully God, there is one God. This is not a contradiction, but a paradox beyond our comprehension. To say that God is three persons and God is one person is a contradiction. It is better to think of God not one person, but as being personal. Personalities cannot exist in isolation and neither can love, and God is love. "God in three persons blessed Trinity" goes the hymn. God is trinitarian, manifesting a "three-in-oneness" of personality.

We are uni-personal, but God is tri-personal. This is the "tri-unity" of God that we cannot fathom and must accept by faith. The Trinity is a unity--this should not be hard to understand because three Christians can be "one in the Spirit." There are many "trinities" in nature: water is known as a liquid, ice, and steam; yet it is still the same molecule and each is just as much water as the other.

When we say there is one God we are saying one essence. Each person is coexistent, coeternal, and coequal; however, the Father is exalted and the Son is subordinate. Subordination does not mean inferiority, just like a wife being subordinate to her husband does not mean inferiority. The members of the "Godhead" (a term found in Rom. 1) have definitive roles in salvation, for instance. The Father originated and purposed and planned it; the Son fulfilled and carried it out and implemented it; while the Holy Spirit applies it. It is said that things are "out of" the Father, "through" the Son, and "in" the Spirit. There is an economy of roles in the Godhead. Creation is assigned to the Father, redemption to the Son, and sanctification to the Spirit. God the Father is our Father, Christ is our intercessor, and the Spirit is our Paraclete and Dynamo. Jesus was the "Angel of the Lord" in the Old Testament and his appearances are known as Christophanies. Jesus is our go-between and we are empowered by the Spirit to have fellowship with the Trinity.

All of the divine attributes of God are attributed to the Son and to the Spirit and they are equally "persons" of one substance or essence. The varied roles of the Trinity stress their individual personalities. However, though the Spirit is different from the Son, there is no "unChristlikeness" in the Spirit's character.

Humans could not be known as a personality in isolation from other humans in much the same way God has to be known through three persons. Multiple persons are necessary for love and personality. The Son proceeds from the Father and is begotten of the Father, but not made or created. If the Son were created, as Arius suggested, then it would be idolatry to worship Him and He couldn't redeem us as the God-man. All analogies that illustrate the Trinity fall short, but they give us an idea of the possibility of trinitarian thought.

There are several Scriptures that mention the Trinity specifically, though you could prove it the roundabout way of proving that there is one God and that each member is also God. Isa. 48:16 mentions all members of the Trinity. The baptism of Jesus mentions all three members. The benediction of 2 Cor. 13:14 puts all members in juxtaposition. Think of the baptismal formula of the "name" (singular) of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit (Matt. 28:19). "I am the Lord, there is no other, besides Me, there is no God" (Isa. 45:5). Each member is fully God, not one-third God--but there is no disharmony or disunity in the Godhead. Note the "plural" name of God as Elohim and in the Shema (Deut. 6:4) "the Lord is one ("Echad" one as in a cluster).

Illustrations abound: In the church, we have many members, yet one body; husband and wife are one in body, mind, and spirit in God's eyes. There is one Being, yet three personalities; just like it is possible for a mentally ill person to have multiple personalities. Each person in the Godhead relates to the others as "Him," "Me," "You," or "Us." The example in Genesis One of creation is not the plural of majesty like a king would talk, and it is not God speaking to angels, but the members of the Trinity talking to each other and speaking for each other: "Let Us make man in Our image...."

The Son is called that because that is His relationship to the Father and shows a filial fellowship and understanding. A son is not inferior to his father (subordination is not inferiority), but equal in natural endowments in essence.  Actually, the Son is called "God" by the Father in Heb. 1. Jesus was 'calling God His own Father, making Himself equal with God"--and for that, they wanted to stone Him. Once you realize that Jesus is God in the flesh, it is not a very big leap to understand that the Holy Spirit is also God.

You cannot be a Christian unless you recognize the deity of Christ (2 John 9). Jehovah's Witnesses see Jesus as the first created being and not as the Creator of the universe. They see Him as "a god" not as "God." As "a son of God" not as "the Son of God." God cannot be anything else, truth is not always easy to understand. No one can fully comprehend the divine essence of the Trinity, because the finite cannot grasp the infinite. If anyone does not abide in the doctrine of Christ, he does not have the Father; it's just as simple as that (see 2 John 9).  Soli Deo Gloria!

Seeking God?

God's Word promises that all who do indeed seek God "earnestly" will find Him. "Ask, and it will be given to you, seek, and you will find, knock, and it will be opened to you" (Matt. 7:7). "And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart" (Jeremiah 29:13). However, it also says, "Seek the Lord while He may be found..." (Isaiah 55:6a). "He that comes to God must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who diligently seek Him" (Hebrews 11:6). So God does promise to reward the sincere seeker and not the mere trifler.

Some say that they are glad so many people are "seeking God" as they read the best-seller The Shack, but the Word says, "There is none who seeks God" ( Rom. 3:11b). Martin Luther says, "To say: man does not seek God is to say: man cannot seek God." They are seeking the benefits, not the Benefactor. They are in reality running away from God and hiding from Him like Adam in the garden. Isaiah 65:1b says, "I was found by those who didn't seek Me." "The search for God begins at salvation, it doesn't end at salvation," according to R. C. Sproul. Seeking God is the main business of the Christian's life, says Jonathan Edwards.

The reward is not money, fame, fortune, prosperity, or anything material, but God Himself--He is the reward. "I am thy great and precious reward," said God to Abraham (cf. Ps. 73:26). Some people think that sincerity impresses God and that He rewards all who are sincere in their religiosity. God is no man's debtor and seeks out those whom He wills and chose in eternity past. We get none of the glory or credit, not even the bragging rights to say we sought God-we cannot pat ourselves on the back at all. You have to be sincere, but that in itself does not obligate God. Many a Muslim is sincere and fanatical to boot. God owes no man and is obliged to save no man, but all is grace. Soli Deo Gloria!

Living Relationship With Christ

In regards to having a relationship with Christ, I would like to explain a few things. This is a cliche that isn't in the Bible. Walking with God is and fellowship with Christ is, though. When we are born again we have a positional relationship with Christ of course that doesn't change (We are "in Christ" as the Bible says, which means we are justified once and for all), but to maintain our "walk" we need to have no unconfessed or unjudged sin in our lives that God convicts us of. We need to trust and obey, doing nothing that we couldn't invite Him to do with us.

When we present the gospel we are not presenting a formula or a prefabricated prayer to say to become a Christian, but a person to respond to and to get to know. Christianity is the only religion that one can have personal knowledge (we can know Him, but not comprehend Him, since He is infinite and we are finite) of God, and God knows and loves us personally. Islam, of course, is impersonal and fatalistic. Islam means "submission" and Kismet is an impersonal fate. They think God is too great to know them individually, but au contraire! It's not that we know God, but that He knows us, that's vital though (Gal. 4:9). "But now after you have known God, or rather are known by God...."

I am asked, "How is your prayer life?" and it is something I pray that God will improve. I don't need more books to inspire me to pray, because I know the basic doctrines--I just need to discipline myself and take the time to "practice the presence of God" as Bro. Lawrence talked about (He can be with us in the most mundane, humdrum activities). Take time to be holy! Time spent in prayer is time well invested. It fortifies us spiritually. Someone wise has said, "Satan laughs at our toil, mocks at our wisdom, but trembles when he sees the weakest saint on his knees!" I don't know how, but there's power when we get on our knees, according to the song.

God's usual way of speaking to us is through His Word, but our communion with Him can be jeopardized by bad relationships with fellow Christians. No one can say he is an island and that it doesn't matter what kind of relationships he has with people. Even broken fellowship with one's spouse can hinder prayer. So let's strive to be in fellowship with God and our fellow believers. In seeking God we find that the reward is not material things, but God Himself ("I am thy exceeding great reward" Gen. 15:1).   Soli Deo Gloria!

What About Repentance?

First, let me define the term. It comes from the Greek metanoia which means to "think after," "after-thought," or to "change one's mind." Actually, it means to do a 180-degree turn or to do an about-face in military parlance. It is repudiating and renouncing sin; not doing it partway. It is not mere emotionalism but involves the mind or intellect, the will, and the emotions. It is the gift of God and is a fruit of saving faith, not a condition for salvation; Reformed theologians do not believe we can do anything to prepare ourselves for salvation, because we are depraved people who cannot do anything meritorious. A DEAD man can do nothing! This U-turn, aboutface, or turnaround is a radical change of heart, mind, and will. It is not a one-time event but is progressive and one is never through repenting as far as God sees it--it is progressive. It is not remorse, self-condemnation, regret, or feeling sorry, for Judas had these--it must be accompanied by saving faith. It is more than eating humble pie--it is coming clean with God and owning up to our sin.   Surrender to the lordship of Christ is implied and there can be no real repentance without it-- there must be submitted to the Lord's will and absolute surrender.

John the Baptist heralded Christ's coming with the message, "Repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand." This is also the first message Christ proclaimed. Repentance is a recurring motif in the Scriptures. "Unless you repent, you shall likewise perish," Christ warned. Ezek. 18:30 says, "Repent and turn from all your transgressions, so that iniquity will not be your ruin." "And the times of ignorance God winked at, but now commands all men everywhere to repent" (Acts 17:30). "Repent, and be baptized every one of you...for the remission of sins" (Acts 2:38). Many see repentance as the prerequisite of salvation and the starting point. We must see our sin, our need, and then Christ can fill that need. Faith and repentance are linked in Acts 20:21, which mentions "repentance toward God and faith in Jesus Christ."

 It is clear that repentance is a mandate. It is in the imperative case and everyone has to do it. Some say that the righteous have no need of repentance, but they are righteous because they have already repented or demonstrated saving faith. Spurious repentance or pseudo-repentance is like a child that just wants to be good enough not to be whipped (being sorry about the consequence not that he offended someone).

The Roman Catholic Bible (Vulgate) translates "repentance" as "doing penance." They view it as a meritorious work and externalize it, and not as the gracious work of God in a person's heart. We do works fit for repentance, but repentance is an attitude that God grants us. "If perchance God may grant them repentance..." (2 Tim. 2:25). Acts 5:31 and 11:18 talk of God "granting repentance." There is no genuine repentance without saving faith, and likewise, no saving faith without genuine repentance according to Billy Graham; for they are complementary and go hand in hand. Repentance is the flip side of the coin of faith.

One must either have believing repentance or penitent faith, so to speak, as John Piper and Wayne Grudem phrase it. True repentance manifests itself in works that are appropriate (bringing forth fruit worthy of repentance), and I don't mean doing so many "Hail Mary's" or "Our Father's."  Restitution or reconciliation is often called for, but to be sure we must see our sin as God sees it and that it is an offense against His holiness. (Confession means to "say the same thing as.")

Many preachers today do not preach repentance because it is such a killjoy word, and they want to tickle the ears of the church members. People listen to what their itching ears want to hear, and this is unpopular. Without repentance, there is no salvation, but God grants repentance in His grace. False repentance is attrition or simply regret. Contrition is when we are truly sorry and don't intend to do it again. Judas was sorry and Esau was sorry, but they found no repentance. Whereas Peter was truly sorry for having denied the Lord and did find repentance and a change of heart, and thus forgiveness and restoration. Peter sincerely believed in the Lord--that is the difference. He believed the Lord could forgive him and never despaired.   Soli Deo Gloria!

Is Faith A Gift Or A Meritorious Work?

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

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

Some pertinent verses are as follows:

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

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

Simple, But Not Ignorant Faith

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

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

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

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

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

Churchianity

Some Christians "play" church and go through the motions of worship and never go for the right reason--to worship God--they say, "I didn't get much out of worship today!" (maybe they should concentrate on what they put into it). God condemns us for having worship without our heart in it or hypocritical worship, this is just "memorizing the dance of the pious." A real hypocrite (hypocrite means wearing a mask, or acting in a play) is not one who falls short of his ideals, but one who uses religion as a cover-up and knows he is insincere.

The theme of Psalms is Psa. 29:2, "Ascribe the Lord the glory due to His name, worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness." Deut. 17 condemns insincere and dishonest worship or sacrifice. Amaziah was known for doing the will of the Lord, but not with a true heart. Someone has said that there are 4 persons that we show: The one God sees; the one you see; the one the world sees; and the one your intimate friends see. Let's be careful not to just have a "public persona" and parade our spirituality or piety.

Worship should be a delight and our feelings should be in it (or we are blaspheming God--like doing it as a "duty" not because we want to) as the command "Delight yourself in the Lord..." says. In summary: Psa. 84:1 says, "My soul longs, even faints, for the courts of the Lord" and Psa. 122:1 says, "I was glad when they said unto me, 'Let us go into the house of the Lord.'"

We can worship or be edified in a "crowd," but we need to function in a local body of believers with our spiritual gift. Rick Warren says that there is no "one-size-fits-all" for worship and there are many ways to worship. He says we believe, we belong, we become. We are to be committed to our church as a token of our commitment to Christ--they go hand in hand--and then we will grow and be accountable.

I can't stand the legalistic crowd that goes to church thinking that will make them a Christian, like going into a garage will make you a car, or eating a donut will make you a cop. They are called the "nod-to-God" crowd, which thinks it is fulfilling its obligation by a short visit to the local church, just out of guilt. The true Christian wants to worship God and wants to fellowship with other believers with whom he is a "fellow in the same ship." I think some mega-churches miss the boat in worship, you just don't hear people "amen" the preacher (where is the worship in the Spirit and in the truth?). But different people are at different stages and God has a purpose for their existence--mega-churches aren't where I'm at, because I want to know my pastor personally, not just from afar.

Some think their religious performance is enough to save them. To some, it's only a formality and not a relationship. John MacArthur says, "We can't enter through our religious emotion or our sanctified feelings....Lip service is no good--there must be obedience...You don't get into the kingdom by sincerity, by religiosity, by reformation, by kindness, by service to the church, not even by simply naming the name of Christ; you get there only by personal trust and faith in [the person and work of] Christ." We can have a form of godliness and be empty. The church at Sardis had a reputation that it was alive, yet it was dead (see Rev. 3:1). We can even have "sanctimonious emotions" and not know Christ. There is a difference between knowing the Word and knowing the Author of the Word.

We can have many experiences in church and everyone has a different one, but I believe we should test our experiences by the Word of God and not the Word of God by our experiences. That's an important concept--we are not to become either rationalists nor empiricists (going by reason or experience only), but belief in the Bible (revelation) and sound teaching. The more we learn the more we realize where the wiggle room is and what is not worth fighting about. We are to "maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace." Sectarianism is a sin according to 1 Cor. 1, and we shouldn't divide into factions if we can help it. Pascal said, "In essentials unity, in nonessentials liberty, in all things charity."   Soli Deo Gloria!

Are You An Arminian? Take This Test!

Most people know that Calvinists (or Reformed, if you will) believe in the five points of Reformed theology, unless they are a so-called four-pointer, of course, but here's a test that may surprise you. In case you aren't familiar with TULIP, the acrostic that stands for "total depravity," "unconditional election," "limited atonement," "irresistible grace," and "perseverance of the saints," I will review. T means we are inherently bad, not good--we are not as bad as we could be, but as bad off as we could be in God's estimation; U means God doesn't base His election of us on anything meritorious in us, not prescient election, which says God merely sees who will believe and elects them (that would be meritorious); L means God has a particular redemption or definite atonement in mind--it is the Arminians that actually limit the atonement, the Calvinists make it efficacious for the elect. P means God preserves us despite ourselves, otherwise known as eternal security.

Denying any of these doctrines makes you part Arminian. The Synod of Dort in 1618 condemned the Remonstrants who were Arminian and affirmed these five points. Calvinism is the biblical and orthodox position, not Arminianism, developed by Jacobus Arminius (his Latin name, who was Jacob Hermann in his own tongue) of The Netherlands, who was condemned as a heretic by an ecumenical council and lost his professorship (he was actually a Reformed theologian).

A: Salvation is synergistic, or man cooperates with God
C: Salvation is monergistic and grace is efficacious and irresistible & God's work
A: All have the ability to believe if they want to
C: No one can believe, or will to believe apart from grace
A: Faith is the reason we are saved, it is our righteousness, it is a work of man
C: Faith is a gift of God, it is the work of God, but our act
A: Faith is reckoned as righteousness
C: Faith is reckoned unto (the instrumentality or means of) righteousness
A: Salvation is a cooperation between man and God-man takes the first step of faith and meets God half-way
C: God initiates salvation and grants faith through grace--we cannot believe apart from grace's intervention
A: Man has a free will and can operate independently of God, even thwarting Him
C: The will is enslaved to sin, in bondage and not freed, though he is a free
moral agent
A: Faith is a meritorious work accomplished by man that leads to salvation
C: Faith is a gift of God that is unto salvation, the instrumentality
A: The atonement saves none for sure, but makes possible the salvation of all if
they believe
C: The atonement was accomplished when Christ said, "It is finished" and secures the elect's salvation.

Arminians above represented by A; Calvinists or Reformed by C

The Arminian believes he met God "half-way" and pats himself on the back for his salvation--not giving all the glory to God (a battle cry of the Reformation was sola Deo Gloria--to God alone be the glory.)

The Romanist believes grace is necessary, but not sufficient--one must do something meritorious. However, grace is the sin qua non of salvation--it is necessary and sufficient. Have you heard of the Geritol testimony where the person said Geritol really helped him but he also took his grandmother's secret recipe? Of course, that testimony could not be used because it could not be proved the Geritol was the answer.

R. C. Sproul quotes J. I. Packer as follows: "The difference between them [Arminians and Calvinists] is not primarily one of emphasis, but of content. One proclaims a God who saves; the other speaks of a God who enables man to save himself. One view presents the three great acts of the Holy Trinity for the recovering of lost mankind--election by the Father, redemption by the Son, calling by the Spirit--as directed towards the same persons, and as securing their salvation infallibly. The other view gives each act a different reference (the objects of redemption being all mankind, of calling, those who hear the gospel, and of election, those hearers who respond), and denies that any man's salvation is secured by any of them. The two theologies thus conceive the plan of salvation in quite different terms. One makes salvation depend on the work of God, the other on a work of man...."  The big question is whether Jesus saves us outright, or just enables us to save ourselves--does He make salvation possible, or assured?

Now, I do not believe Calvinists should show contempt for Arminians, because if they are evangelical they are probably Christians, too, and also there are very few Calvinists around who can say they were never Arminians at one time or at least convinced of one of their doctrines. I do not believe it is good to label our fellow believers, but this distinction is very clear and is like Protestant/Catholic. One can be an evangelical Arminian, of course. Arminian churches are Church of Christ, Church of the Nazarene, Pentecostal, Methodist, Wesleyan, Roman Catholic.    Soli Deo Gloria!

Is Christianity Different?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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