"For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings" (Hos. 6:6, NIV). "You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God you will not despise" (Psalm 51:16-17, NIV). "... 'Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the LORD? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams'" (1 Samuel 15:22, NIV).
"... All I had to offer Him was brokenness and strife..." (hymn by Bill Gaither--Maranatha Music: "Something Good").
Christians offer multiple sacrifices: of thanksgiving, of praise, of doing good and sharing, of a broken heart, and even of offering themselves as living sacrifices; however, "to obey is better than sacrifice" (cf. 1 Sam. 15:22). Jesus came to be the fulfillment of all sacrifices; i.e., the law's demands. He did this by fulfilling the law and doing everything it required on our behalf--He not only died for us but lived for us as well! Jesus learned obedience by what He suffered (cf. Heb. 5:8) and feels our pain because He's been there; however, we are completing the suffering of Christ and living out His life in our adversities (cf. Col. 1:26). Could you trust in a God who didn't understand suffering and couldn't identify with us and know what we are going through?
We must bear in mind that there is always light at the end of the tunnel and "this too shall pass!" We experience brokenness so that we can be patient with others in the same boat and witness or minister to them in their pain. We can thus comfort others with the same comfort we have known in Christ. God knows everything about us and always did! He is not surprised by our failings and shortcomings. He knew of them before our salvation. There is a reason for suffering, but God isn't obliged to explain Himself: He's too deep to understand, too wise to make a mistake, and too kind to be cruel. We are not to think like Job's friends that we are only getting punished for our sins and aren't even getting what we deserve. Jesus paid the full penalty for our sins, and we are not punished for our sins, but by them! By and large, we don't break God's laws; they break us! What we do is break God's heart and that's why He knows what hurt is and wants to heal us of our suffering.
Christ's legacy to be gained is a peace that passes all understanding and cannot be taken away. We can experience this legacy in the midst of suffering and find out it works by experience--the proof of the pudding is in the eating! We can become seasoned believers having been trained in the trenches of the warfare of life and having had O.J.T. in battling the enemy. Thank God, His mercies are new every morning and they never come to an end for us--He never gives upon us and we are just "works in progress" no matter how mature we are and should not assume we are always good soil or that we've arrived--even Paul didn't claim to have laid hold of it yet. There are no hopeless believers, only those who've given up hope!
This is precisely why we must localize or tailor the gospel to the recipients. Paul was the evangelist to the Gentiles while Peter was to the Jews, but Paul strived to be all things to all men so he could, by all means, save some! Not everyone is on the same page and God must use different strokes for different folks. Some water, some plant, some reap! But God gives the increase! God is only using us as honorable vessels or servants to do His will, we can only venture to boast of what He does through us, not what we do for Him, but what God does through us is what counts.
We need to know about the prowling of Satan to devour us in our weak spots because he knows our vulnerabilities. The danger we must beware of is Satan using us for his schemes or giving us temptations and thoughts that we carry out, like when Peter was rebuked by the Lord to get behind Him. Satan can put thoughts into our minds and can distract us from the Word. Winning entails knowing our enemy as well as knowing ourselves. Shakespeare (Polonius in Hamlet) said, "To thine own self be true"! The Greeks of antiquity said, "Know thyself!" and Sun Tzu, the Chinese author of The Art of War, said, "Know your enemy!" But the Bible says "Know God!" All three are necessary to mature in Christ and to engage in the angelic conflict with all the onslaught of Satan known as the Anfectung (attack in German) by Martin Luther in order that we do not succumb to the schemes of the devil.
Only when we realize our sinfulness and realize that we are no better than sinners are we grace-oriented. George Whitefield was asked what he thought of a man going to the gallows: "There but for the grace of God, go I." We must come to Paul's awakening when he said, "I am what I am by the grace of God." William Jay of Bath said, "I am a great sinner, and I have a great Savior." We are in essence just beggars tellers other beggars where to get a meal, it's been put. Peter realized his unworthiness and said, "Depart from me O Lord, for I am a sinner." It's a fact that the closer we get to God, the more we become sensitized to sin and aware of our failures. Samuel Rutherford said we should pray for a lively sense of sin, "the greater sense of sin, the less sin!"
We must realize our sinfulness in toto and not cling to any self-righteousness, fully repentant and willing to change our ways exhibiting it by a change in behavior to be saved--believing repentance or penitent faith is necessary for salvation. A person who feels he is righteous or has no sin cannot be saved, and Christ and His gospel have nothing to say to those unwilling to confess and repent of their sins. If we feel no brokenness for our own sin (contrition), how can we feel brokenness for the lost and feel their pain knowing and feeling their despair?
In sum, we must be reassured and comforted in knowing that Jesus was indeed a "man of sorrows and acquainted with grief" and was "tempted in all ways like we are, yet without sin." Soli Deo Gloria!
To bridge the gap between so-called theologians and regular "students" of the Word and make polemics palatable. Contact me @ bloggerbro@outlook.com To search title keywords: title:example or label as label:example; or enter a keyword in search engine ATTN: SITE USING COOKIES!
About Me
- Karl Broberg
- I am a born-again Christian, who is Reformed, but also charismatic, spiritually speaking. (I do not speak in tongues, but I believe glossalalia is a bona fide gift not given to all, and not as great as prophecy, for example.) I have several years of college education but only completed a two-year degree. I was raised Lutheran and confirmed, but I didn't "find Christ" until I was in the Army and responded to a Billy Graham crusade in 1973. I was mentored or discipled by the Navigators in the army and upon discharge joined several evangelical, Bible-teaching churches. I was baptized as an infant, but believe in believer baptism, of which I was a partaker after my conversion experience. I believe in the "5 Onlys" of the reformation: sola fide (faith alone); sola Scriptura (Scripture alone); soli Christo (Christ alone), sola gratia (grace alone), and soli Deo gloria (to God alone be the glory). I affirm TULIP as defended in the Reformation.. I affirm most of The Westminster Confession of Faith, especially pertaining to Providence.
Sunday, March 3, 2019
Tuesday, February 26, 2019
What Is Unpardonable?
Jesus prayed for those who blasphemed Him in ignorance, but those who were enlightened and maintained their blasphemous spirit were unforgiven. Christians, because of the restraining grace of God working in them cannot commit this sin. By definition, blasphemy involves words, not thoughts, and is like making a smear campaign against the Lord. Even in the occult they may curse Jesus out of ignorance and be forgiven--this is a deliberate and known, unrepentant sin. This sin is clearly an assault on the very nature and good character of God and brings it into question.
Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is said to be unforgivable in Matt. 12:32, but what does it entail? Is there a point of no return? Today evangelicals all say that Jesus died for all our sins except rejecting Christ, which would make him consigned to hell as a consequence. If this is true, how can pagans go to hell that has never heard of Jesus? It is a proven fact that the average convert doesn't accept Christ until he "rejects" Him seven or eight times (even making a "no decision" is reckoned as rejection). If rejecting Christ was so serious, why did God continue to convict and work in the person and woo them to Christ repeatedly? Why are people with hardened hearts given a second chance to repent? God is able to make people with hearts of stone become ones with hearts of flesh (cf. Ezekiel 36:26).
Jesus was addressing and referring to the Pharisees, who regarded His deeds as done by the power of Satan, and attributed His works to be in cahoots with the prince of demons himself--they blasphemed the Holy Spirit's ministry through Him. The Pharisees actually said, "He has an evil spirit." This is an extremely hard (and is very rare) sin to commit in today's age; nevertheless, it is possible to be so hardened to absolutely and finally to see Christ as a demon or in league with them, and to use the tongue (to speak or write using words) to spread this doctrine perniciously and viciously to do harm to the kingdom of God (false teachers are specifically vulnerable to this type of sin since they are in a position of influence). You can find people of all faiths saying things about Jesus, but they don't go so far as to say he was evil. Even the Muslims admit He was without sin in the Qua'ran and don't attribute His miracles to the devil. Few infidels ever regard Jesus as "evil" but as a good man in their way of thinking, of course.
There are people who have worried about whether they've committed this sin, but if they are concerned they aren't guilty of it, because it implies a certain unrepentant hardness of heart that seeks to harm the cause of Christ (determinedly, willingly, and knowingly and not flippantly or casually), and not just misunderstand it. There is no sin that cannot be forgiven or sinner too bad to be saved if they repent. No one will be able to tell God they wanted to believe and repent but couldn't. There is no lack of evidence, so no one has an excuse! If you think you've committed this sin and are concerned, you haven't and God is still working in you. However, if someone hardens his heart, God is able to confirm that hardening in judgment (cf. Isaiah 6:10; 63:17). God hardened Pharaoh's heart after he rejected God's offer and request to let His people go.
We all have to realize that we are at the mercy of God and must sue God for mercy and throw in the towel, humbling ourselves before Him knowing that He is in control of our destiny, not us. The unpardonable sin is more of a character (it is not just loosely saying something that one might regret or change his mind about) and it is of the Antichrist and not a specific one-time sin or act. The person knowingly and willingly does it without repentance, and has no desire for the things of God or seeking His kingdom. Soli Deo Gloria!
Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is said to be unforgivable in Matt. 12:32, but what does it entail? Is there a point of no return? Today evangelicals all say that Jesus died for all our sins except rejecting Christ, which would make him consigned to hell as a consequence. If this is true, how can pagans go to hell that has never heard of Jesus? It is a proven fact that the average convert doesn't accept Christ until he "rejects" Him seven or eight times (even making a "no decision" is reckoned as rejection). If rejecting Christ was so serious, why did God continue to convict and work in the person and woo them to Christ repeatedly? Why are people with hardened hearts given a second chance to repent? God is able to make people with hearts of stone become ones with hearts of flesh (cf. Ezekiel 36:26).
Jesus was addressing and referring to the Pharisees, who regarded His deeds as done by the power of Satan, and attributed His works to be in cahoots with the prince of demons himself--they blasphemed the Holy Spirit's ministry through Him. The Pharisees actually said, "He has an evil spirit." This is an extremely hard (and is very rare) sin to commit in today's age; nevertheless, it is possible to be so hardened to absolutely and finally to see Christ as a demon or in league with them, and to use the tongue (to speak or write using words) to spread this doctrine perniciously and viciously to do harm to the kingdom of God (false teachers are specifically vulnerable to this type of sin since they are in a position of influence). You can find people of all faiths saying things about Jesus, but they don't go so far as to say he was evil. Even the Muslims admit He was without sin in the Qua'ran and don't attribute His miracles to the devil. Few infidels ever regard Jesus as "evil" but as a good man in their way of thinking, of course.
There are people who have worried about whether they've committed this sin, but if they are concerned they aren't guilty of it, because it implies a certain unrepentant hardness of heart that seeks to harm the cause of Christ (determinedly, willingly, and knowingly and not flippantly or casually), and not just misunderstand it. There is no sin that cannot be forgiven or sinner too bad to be saved if they repent. No one will be able to tell God they wanted to believe and repent but couldn't. There is no lack of evidence, so no one has an excuse! If you think you've committed this sin and are concerned, you haven't and God is still working in you. However, if someone hardens his heart, God is able to confirm that hardening in judgment (cf. Isaiah 6:10; 63:17). God hardened Pharaoh's heart after he rejected God's offer and request to let His people go.
We all have to realize that we are at the mercy of God and must sue God for mercy and throw in the towel, humbling ourselves before Him knowing that He is in control of our destiny, not us. The unpardonable sin is more of a character (it is not just loosely saying something that one might regret or change his mind about) and it is of the Antichrist and not a specific one-time sin or act. The person knowingly and willingly does it without repentance, and has no desire for the things of God or seeking His kingdom. Soli Deo Gloria!
Can Believers Commit Blasphemy Against The Holy Spirit?
This is highly debatable and largely depends upon whether one adheres to the doctrine of eternal security, (the perseverance of the saints) or the security of the believer's position in Christ; i.e., what position one assumes determines his outlook. If you believe you have free will as a believer even to "change your mind" and reject Christ after having been born again and receiving Him, you obviously will believe one thing, and if not, the other side of the coin. Only those with a sham, a facade, and spurious faith fall away--their departure manifests their true state (cf. 1 John 2:19). Our salvation is in God's hands (cf. John 10:28), not ours, as was our election, which was an act of divine sovereignty as it was God's election of us, not our election of God. Our destiny, in toto, is in God's hands (cf. Job 23:14)! In summation, He saved us (cf. Matt. 1:21; Tit. 3:5); He did. He keeps us (Jude v. 1); He does! He is coming for us (cf. Rev. 22:20; 1 Thess. 4:14-17); He will!
Our destiny is solely in God's hands because salvation is of the Lord (cf. Jonah 2:9; Psa. 3:8, 37:39; Heb. 10:38). There are only three possible scenarios: We contribute naught! It is not of man alone (cf. John 6:28-29)! NB: If we had to do anything, we'd foul it up and fall short! Neither is salvation of man cooperating with God or of God and man. But only on the merits of the Lord or of the Lord! That's the only way there can be security and assurance. Therefore, it doesn't depend upon human performance, behavior, or conduct. Salvation is not by our work (cf. John 6:28-29). We are not saved by good behavior but unto good behavior! We realize this to be grace-oriented; therefore, we are not under probation as Christians! Scripture vouches for the permanency of salvation (cf. Heb. 5:9; 9:12; John 6:37), and the continuity in the state of grace regardless of fellowship (cf. Rom. 5:20; 6:1). We can be pruned and disciplined, but not separated from the state of grace in God (cf. John 10:37-38; Heb. 12:5-6; Psa. 94:12).
Now concerning the issue in question: Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. Some scholars interpret this as the final and complete rejection of Christ; some as attributing the work of God to that of Satan; and some as insulting the Spirit of grace by disparaging and degrading Christ publicly. One thing we do know is that this sin is done verbally, whether orally or written, and on purpose with the intent to do it knowingly. The magazine Christianity Today, in surveys, determined that even believers have rejected Christ an average of 7.6 times before accepting Him! The "Hound of Heaven" keeps pursuing and wooing us! The reason is that saying it's the rejection of Christ is that it adds nothing to the formula, equation, or doctrine--we already know those who reject Christ are not saved! One thing for certain: if someone is worried they have committed this sin, they haven't! It is a sign of an unrepentant heart! But God can take any stubborn heart of stone and make it of flesh--and He makes the unwilling willing, causing us to do His will willingly (cf. Phil. 2:13)!
You can search any faith on earth and they all say nice things concerning Jesus and don't blaspheme Him. Even heretics are reluctant to ascribe sin. But even thinking Christ was a moral leader, religious martyr, a wise teacher, or what-have-you, is not enough to get a person saved. Infidels will acknowledge this too, even more, but even calling Him Jesus the Great doesn't do Him justice and is an understatement! One must accept Him for who He is (i.e., Lord and Savior)--anything less is inadequate and insufficient. Even secular historians will acknowledge that He changed the course of history and atheists realize His morality and good example. He didn't come to live a moral life, but to die for our sins and fulfill the law so we could be free. He didn't come to make bad men good, but dead men alive--to save them and quicken their spirits!
I propose that blasphemy against the Holy Spirit (cf. Matt. 12:32) is something we cannot commit due to our union with Christ. If we could, then we could lose our salvation! But we know this is an impossibility. Jesus was speaking about the possibility of someone doing this. The Pharisees proclaimed the works of Jesus in His miracles as the works of the devil as if He were a sorcerer or warlock. Early Jews maintained that Jesus learned this art in Egypt as a child, and some even still maintain this. It has nothing to do with the profane, abusive language that seems to take the name of the Lord in vain, and Christians are often shocked at what the infidel gets away with, but God is patient and excuses their ignorance. They need to repent of all their sin and believe in the gospel, not just clean up their gutter mouth. Romans 8:37-39 says that nothing shall be able to separate us from the love of God--this implies even our own will! To the believer, no sin is unforgivable--God forgave all our sins (cf. Psa. 103:3).
The lesson we are to learn is not to beware that we commit this sin, but that the Pharisees had gone too far and wouldn't believe no matter what. They had witnessed first-hand the miracles of Jesus and still wouldn't believe (not couldn't believe; i.e., John 12:37). The hardness of their hearts was profound and only an example. Note that what Judas did was forgivable, he just didn't believe Christ could forgive him, though he had remorse. He had attrition, not contrition, and one must have faith to accompany it, which he didn't have.
We must take the Holy Spirit seriously because He can be offended (cf. Eph. 4:30)! Believers can quench the Spirit by putting out the fire, and they can grieve the Spirit by continual sin and make Him sad concerning our state in Christ. Our status or position as justified never changes, but our state of fellowship and sanctification depends upon our walk in Christ, obedience, and confession of sin. Finally, it's comforting to know that whatever we've done, He will gladly receive us (cf. Lev. 26:44; Psa. 130:3-4; 1 John 1:9ff). Soli Deo Gloria!
Our destiny is solely in God's hands because salvation is of the Lord (cf. Jonah 2:9; Psa. 3:8, 37:39; Heb. 10:38). There are only three possible scenarios: We contribute naught! It is not of man alone (cf. John 6:28-29)! NB: If we had to do anything, we'd foul it up and fall short! Neither is salvation of man cooperating with God or of God and man. But only on the merits of the Lord or of the Lord! That's the only way there can be security and assurance. Therefore, it doesn't depend upon human performance, behavior, or conduct. Salvation is not by our work (cf. John 6:28-29). We are not saved by good behavior but unto good behavior! We realize this to be grace-oriented; therefore, we are not under probation as Christians! Scripture vouches for the permanency of salvation (cf. Heb. 5:9; 9:12; John 6:37), and the continuity in the state of grace regardless of fellowship (cf. Rom. 5:20; 6:1). We can be pruned and disciplined, but not separated from the state of grace in God (cf. John 10:37-38; Heb. 12:5-6; Psa. 94:12).
Now concerning the issue in question: Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. Some scholars interpret this as the final and complete rejection of Christ; some as attributing the work of God to that of Satan; and some as insulting the Spirit of grace by disparaging and degrading Christ publicly. One thing we do know is that this sin is done verbally, whether orally or written, and on purpose with the intent to do it knowingly. The magazine Christianity Today, in surveys, determined that even believers have rejected Christ an average of 7.6 times before accepting Him! The "Hound of Heaven" keeps pursuing and wooing us! The reason is that saying it's the rejection of Christ is that it adds nothing to the formula, equation, or doctrine--we already know those who reject Christ are not saved! One thing for certain: if someone is worried they have committed this sin, they haven't! It is a sign of an unrepentant heart! But God can take any stubborn heart of stone and make it of flesh--and He makes the unwilling willing, causing us to do His will willingly (cf. Phil. 2:13)!
You can search any faith on earth and they all say nice things concerning Jesus and don't blaspheme Him. Even heretics are reluctant to ascribe sin. But even thinking Christ was a moral leader, religious martyr, a wise teacher, or what-have-you, is not enough to get a person saved. Infidels will acknowledge this too, even more, but even calling Him Jesus the Great doesn't do Him justice and is an understatement! One must accept Him for who He is (i.e., Lord and Savior)--anything less is inadequate and insufficient. Even secular historians will acknowledge that He changed the course of history and atheists realize His morality and good example. He didn't come to live a moral life, but to die for our sins and fulfill the law so we could be free. He didn't come to make bad men good, but dead men alive--to save them and quicken their spirits!
I propose that blasphemy against the Holy Spirit (cf. Matt. 12:32) is something we cannot commit due to our union with Christ. If we could, then we could lose our salvation! But we know this is an impossibility. Jesus was speaking about the possibility of someone doing this. The Pharisees proclaimed the works of Jesus in His miracles as the works of the devil as if He were a sorcerer or warlock. Early Jews maintained that Jesus learned this art in Egypt as a child, and some even still maintain this. It has nothing to do with the profane, abusive language that seems to take the name of the Lord in vain, and Christians are often shocked at what the infidel gets away with, but God is patient and excuses their ignorance. They need to repent of all their sin and believe in the gospel, not just clean up their gutter mouth. Romans 8:37-39 says that nothing shall be able to separate us from the love of God--this implies even our own will! To the believer, no sin is unforgivable--God forgave all our sins (cf. Psa. 103:3).
The lesson we are to learn is not to beware that we commit this sin, but that the Pharisees had gone too far and wouldn't believe no matter what. They had witnessed first-hand the miracles of Jesus and still wouldn't believe (not couldn't believe; i.e., John 12:37). The hardness of their hearts was profound and only an example. Note that what Judas did was forgivable, he just didn't believe Christ could forgive him, though he had remorse. He had attrition, not contrition, and one must have faith to accompany it, which he didn't have.
We must take the Holy Spirit seriously because He can be offended (cf. Eph. 4:30)! Believers can quench the Spirit by putting out the fire, and they can grieve the Spirit by continual sin and make Him sad concerning our state in Christ. Our status or position as justified never changes, but our state of fellowship and sanctification depends upon our walk in Christ, obedience, and confession of sin. Finally, it's comforting to know that whatever we've done, He will gladly receive us (cf. Lev. 26:44; Psa. 130:3-4; 1 John 1:9ff). Soli Deo Gloria!
Wednesday, February 20, 2019
What Is Truth?
"Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth" (2 Tim. 2:15, ESV).
"For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ" (John 1:17, ESV).
"Truth does not change according to my ability to stomach it." --Flannery O'Connor"
Pilate asked Jesus what truth was (as the title says) since this was not the reality of Rome--might makes right in their judgment! Jesus had told him that he who is the truth listens to Him! Obviously, Pilate wasn't of the truth! But the essence of truth isn't just a philosophical question to pose, it's a matter of salvation. Jesus came "to bear witness of the truth (cf. John 5:33)." He is the very personification of it and claimed to be "the Truth" embodied, in the flesh. Knowing truth is so vital to salvation that it's equated with being set free from the bondage of lies and the father of lies, Satan. We shall know the truth and the truth shall set us free! (Cf. John 8:32.) John 2:21 says no lie is of the truth! We must divorce truth from falsehood and error. Searching for truth is linked to searching for God, for Augustine said (reiterated by Aquinas) that all truth is God's truth (and all truth meets at the top at that!). Salvation is "through belief of the truth" to be saved (cf. 2 Thess. 2:13).
If we know the truth we are equipped to detect the lie, just like knowing the real thing (money) protects us from being fooled by counterfeits. Plato said that to live in reality, one must know what God is really like (for Jesus was "full of grace and truth," (cf. John 1:14) "God is truth" and is also called "the Spirit of truth" in John 16:13 ). The Dalai Lama is quoted as saying that "truth is the ultimate phenomenon." The classic definition (the correspondence theory of truth) is that truth is what reflects or corresponds to reality. That is to say, that if we have a disconnect with reality, we don't know the truth, and if we don't know the truth we have a skewed orientation to reality. The paradox is that if you're not aware of the truth and of reality, you don't know it! Biblically speaking though, truth agrees with God and whatever He decrees!
As Christians knowing the truth, we are focused on truth and have our antennae sensitized. We should be able to smell a lie or false doctrine a mile away, so to speak. Doctrine is the sure foundation upon which our truth is based, and we must be anchored in the basics so as not to be led astray by every wind of doctrine and the lies of Satan. I'm not just admonishing people about telling the truth to one's fellow believer, but to stand up for the truth: "... They are not valiant [stand up] for the truth on the earth." (Cf. Jer. 9:3, NKJV.) Today, we have the same phenomenon: Christians think it's unloving and old-fashioned to stand up for sound doctrine and the truth, and only want preachers that steer clear of all controversy and preach to the lowest common denominator. Congregants go the path of least resistance and refuse to detect an error, mostly because they have become immune to it by the digestion of so much spiritual junk food as vaccination to the real thing and eat little solid food to sustain spiritual maturity and discernment.
Concerning morality, truth is knowable, absolute, and it's universal! The teaching that it's relative (relativism) is bogus and a false premise, because that statement is self-defeating and contradicts itself, having no truth value. The old catchphrase that something may be true for you but not for me is a copout and cannot be held philosophically without contradiction. Something may work for you but not for me but that is not the measure of truth. Pragmatists are not concerned with truth but only results--the ends justify the means! The extreme worldview on truth is New Age or New Spirituality: if it feels like the truth to you it is and you are in no position to judge someone else's truth!
There is no Truth with a capital T according to the prevalent, common worldview--it's true that there is no universal belief or Belief with a capital B, but there is absolute, universal truth for everyone for all time and everywhere for every situation. The American mind is becoming a narrow, ignorant and closed mind immune concerning truth. The only person who has the right and prerogative to proclaim absolute truth is God, who has incarnated Himself in the person of Jesus Christ. All knowledge except God's is contingent-- we must accept His truth to know anything (cf. Prov. 1:7 says knowledge begins in the fear of the LORD). The suspicious hermeneutic of Postmodernism denies that you can know anything at all for certain--and they're sure! Postmodern thought dodges the no-truth premise and says it's merely a "short-term contract!" What they claim is that it's unknowable, personal, and cultural! And if someone did know it, he couldn't communicate it adequately.
But the fact is that truth is knowable according to Jesus very words and we have rebelled against it, needing to be reoriented to reality and the truth. Finally, we must give our regards to the very assessment of truth itself in his priestly, intercessory prayer of John 17: "Sanctify them by the truth; your Word is truth." (Cf. John 17:17, NIV.) That is to say, truth doesn't just inform but transforms! We have a right to our own beliefs and opinions, but not our own facts and truth! Believing anything without evidence or a valid reason is blind faith, whether secular or spiritual.; it's sad that most people just believe what they agree with or fits their prejudices and opinions; note that you hold opinions, but convictions hold you! Billy Graham tells us to beware lest we mistake our prejudices for our convictions.
Siddhartha Gautama pondered his Four Noble Truths under the bo-tree, but there is no alternative truth that compares with the truth of Christ. You cannot save yourself no matter how many noble truths you conjure up. Buddha was called the "Enlightened One" and saw salvation was merely a rescue or deliverance from ignorance and one must become enlightened. He didn't believe God could help one achieve this state of bliss but must find it on one's own. Christ opens our eyes and shows us the light of day by grace and we see Him with the eyes of our hearts to behold truth in Him.
Harvard University has the slogan The Truth Shall Set You Free, not differentiating spiritual and academic knowledge and spiritual and mental freedom. Today we see skeptics again (actually this philosophy of sophism originated in Greek antiquity) such as the Postmodernists who say you know nothing for certain. They say, "I don't know anything!' How do they know that? Who told them? Notice what nonsensical worldviews result from atheism and skepticism! Scripture says that which is hidden belongs to God and what is revealed (by Him) belongs to us (cf. Deut. 29:29)! We know something only because of the presupposition of an Ultimate Mind or God behind the cosmos known as the Logos or consciousness, logic, or expressed thought of God.
Those who rebel against the truth are condemned. The lost hold the truth in unrighteousness, have exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and do not obey the truth (cf. Rom. 1:18,25; Gal. 3:1). As for heretics and those who believe the lie, "perhaps God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth" (cf. 2 Tim. 2:25, NIV). God will send strong delusion to the lost to make them believe the lie because they had pleasure in unrighteousness and refused to love the truth.
In the final analysis, no one will ever find the truth unless they admit they could be wrong and are ignorant; they must also be willing to go wherever the facts lead,--exploring all possibilities, even of the supernatural and miraculous! (After eliminating the impossible, what's left is quite possible, no matter how implausible or unlikely.) In sum, this means we need to love the truth without preconceived notions to ever find it and to be saved. Soli Deo Gloria!
"For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ" (John 1:17, ESV).
"Truth does not change according to my ability to stomach it." --Flannery O'Connor"
Pilate asked Jesus what truth was (as the title says) since this was not the reality of Rome--might makes right in their judgment! Jesus had told him that he who is the truth listens to Him! Obviously, Pilate wasn't of the truth! But the essence of truth isn't just a philosophical question to pose, it's a matter of salvation. Jesus came "to bear witness of the truth (cf. John 5:33)." He is the very personification of it and claimed to be "the Truth" embodied, in the flesh. Knowing truth is so vital to salvation that it's equated with being set free from the bondage of lies and the father of lies, Satan. We shall know the truth and the truth shall set us free! (Cf. John 8:32.) John 2:21 says no lie is of the truth! We must divorce truth from falsehood and error. Searching for truth is linked to searching for God, for Augustine said (reiterated by Aquinas) that all truth is God's truth (and all truth meets at the top at that!). Salvation is "through belief of the truth" to be saved (cf. 2 Thess. 2:13).
If we know the truth we are equipped to detect the lie, just like knowing the real thing (money) protects us from being fooled by counterfeits. Plato said that to live in reality, one must know what God is really like (for Jesus was "full of grace and truth," (cf. John 1:14) "God is truth" and is also called "the Spirit of truth" in John 16:13 ). The Dalai Lama is quoted as saying that "truth is the ultimate phenomenon." The classic definition (the correspondence theory of truth) is that truth is what reflects or corresponds to reality. That is to say, that if we have a disconnect with reality, we don't know the truth, and if we don't know the truth we have a skewed orientation to reality. The paradox is that if you're not aware of the truth and of reality, you don't know it! Biblically speaking though, truth agrees with God and whatever He decrees!
As Christians knowing the truth, we are focused on truth and have our antennae sensitized. We should be able to smell a lie or false doctrine a mile away, so to speak. Doctrine is the sure foundation upon which our truth is based, and we must be anchored in the basics so as not to be led astray by every wind of doctrine and the lies of Satan. I'm not just admonishing people about telling the truth to one's fellow believer, but to stand up for the truth: "... They are not valiant [stand up] for the truth on the earth." (Cf. Jer. 9:3, NKJV.) Today, we have the same phenomenon: Christians think it's unloving and old-fashioned to stand up for sound doctrine and the truth, and only want preachers that steer clear of all controversy and preach to the lowest common denominator. Congregants go the path of least resistance and refuse to detect an error, mostly because they have become immune to it by the digestion of so much spiritual junk food as vaccination to the real thing and eat little solid food to sustain spiritual maturity and discernment.
Concerning morality, truth is knowable, absolute, and it's universal! The teaching that it's relative (relativism) is bogus and a false premise, because that statement is self-defeating and contradicts itself, having no truth value. The old catchphrase that something may be true for you but not for me is a copout and cannot be held philosophically without contradiction. Something may work for you but not for me but that is not the measure of truth. Pragmatists are not concerned with truth but only results--the ends justify the means! The extreme worldview on truth is New Age or New Spirituality: if it feels like the truth to you it is and you are in no position to judge someone else's truth!
There is no Truth with a capital T according to the prevalent, common worldview--it's true that there is no universal belief or Belief with a capital B, but there is absolute, universal truth for everyone for all time and everywhere for every situation. The American mind is becoming a narrow, ignorant and closed mind immune concerning truth. The only person who has the right and prerogative to proclaim absolute truth is God, who has incarnated Himself in the person of Jesus Christ. All knowledge except God's is contingent-- we must accept His truth to know anything (cf. Prov. 1:7 says knowledge begins in the fear of the LORD). The suspicious hermeneutic of Postmodernism denies that you can know anything at all for certain--and they're sure! Postmodern thought dodges the no-truth premise and says it's merely a "short-term contract!" What they claim is that it's unknowable, personal, and cultural! And if someone did know it, he couldn't communicate it adequately.
But the fact is that truth is knowable according to Jesus very words and we have rebelled against it, needing to be reoriented to reality and the truth. Finally, we must give our regards to the very assessment of truth itself in his priestly, intercessory prayer of John 17: "Sanctify them by the truth; your Word is truth." (Cf. John 17:17, NIV.) That is to say, truth doesn't just inform but transforms! We have a right to our own beliefs and opinions, but not our own facts and truth! Believing anything without evidence or a valid reason is blind faith, whether secular or spiritual.; it's sad that most people just believe what they agree with or fits their prejudices and opinions; note that you hold opinions, but convictions hold you! Billy Graham tells us to beware lest we mistake our prejudices for our convictions.
Siddhartha Gautama pondered his Four Noble Truths under the bo-tree, but there is no alternative truth that compares with the truth of Christ. You cannot save yourself no matter how many noble truths you conjure up. Buddha was called the "Enlightened One" and saw salvation was merely a rescue or deliverance from ignorance and one must become enlightened. He didn't believe God could help one achieve this state of bliss but must find it on one's own. Christ opens our eyes and shows us the light of day by grace and we see Him with the eyes of our hearts to behold truth in Him.
Harvard University has the slogan The Truth Shall Set You Free, not differentiating spiritual and academic knowledge and spiritual and mental freedom. Today we see skeptics again (actually this philosophy of sophism originated in Greek antiquity) such as the Postmodernists who say you know nothing for certain. They say, "I don't know anything!' How do they know that? Who told them? Notice what nonsensical worldviews result from atheism and skepticism! Scripture says that which is hidden belongs to God and what is revealed (by Him) belongs to us (cf. Deut. 29:29)! We know something only because of the presupposition of an Ultimate Mind or God behind the cosmos known as the Logos or consciousness, logic, or expressed thought of God.
Those who rebel against the truth are condemned. The lost hold the truth in unrighteousness, have exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and do not obey the truth (cf. Rom. 1:18,25; Gal. 3:1). As for heretics and those who believe the lie, "perhaps God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth" (cf. 2 Tim. 2:25, NIV). God will send strong delusion to the lost to make them believe the lie because they had pleasure in unrighteousness and refused to love the truth.
In the final analysis, no one will ever find the truth unless they admit they could be wrong and are ignorant; they must also be willing to go wherever the facts lead,--exploring all possibilities, even of the supernatural and miraculous! (After eliminating the impossible, what's left is quite possible, no matter how implausible or unlikely.) In sum, this means we need to love the truth without preconceived notions to ever find it and to be saved. Soli Deo Gloria!
Sunday, February 17, 2019
Are Christians Sabbatarians?
"If you want to kill Christianity, you must abolish Sunday." --Voltaire
"The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath" (Mark 2:27, HCSB).
There are Christian Sabbatarians--that's not an oxymoron! Once, I was almost fooled by the Seventh-day Adventists as a teen but studied Luther to be set free from their legalism. Now I consider myself free from any form of legalistic interpretation. Point in fact: No place in the New Testament are we admonished to keep the Sabbath--search for yourself! It is the only one of the Ten Commandments not reinstated in the New Testament. Do not live in the Old Testament! To some believers, Paul says, every day is holy and for the others, we are not to judge them.
It is wrong to assume that Christians changed the Sabbath to Sunday, for they observed it early on by tradition and custom, and eventually dropped the practice. The Lord's Day was strictly in tribute to the Resurrection. Note that John said in the Book of Revelation: "I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day." There is ample evidence of Christians meeting on the Lord's day early on; they even observed the Sabbath in addition at first--old traditions die hard!
Though I agree with the moral equivalent of having a day set aside for rest as observing the Sabbath, these are not the same. There is simple morality, and then there is spirituality and religion or Sabbath observance. Sabbath observance by no means is to be a litmus test of spiritual orthodoxy. We have no right to judge our brother in regards to a Sabbath (cf. Col. 2:16i). But experiments with this day have proven unsuccessful: The USSR tried to alter the seven-day week for eleven years and it ended in failure. We are just hard-wired for this cycle of work and rest and need to lay aside a day for R & R spiritually, mentally, and emotionally, as well as physically.
Jesus did say that the Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath (c. Mark 2:27) and that means not to let someone tell us what our day of rest should be used for. The principle is so important to God that if we don't take due rest, He will give it to us anyway. In principle, there is no hard-and-fast rule for what a Sabbath should require, or prohibits. If you want to get technical, you shouldn't even go out to eat or buy fuel on the Sabbath because that requires others to work on your behalf. The Spirit of the law prohibited the doing of business on this day of so-called rest--the Pharisees had redefined it with thirty-nine additional definitions of "work activities."
God promised that He would give us a permanent (spiritual) rest--we will work in heaven physically. Israel kept the outward sign of the Sabbath but failed to enter into His rest, as noted in Hebrews 4:3, HCSB, as "... 'So I swore in My anger, they will never enter into My rest.'" The important thing is that we rest for our labors as we rest in the Lord's and become empowered by the Spirit so as not to be working in the flesh or our own strength.
God condemns any work done in the energy of the flesh, no matter how good we deem it. God said to Israel (if they would keep the covenant): "My presence will go with you and I will give you rest." Christians enter into this rest from their labors upon salvation and living by the power of the Spirit, not in the energy of the flesh.
The Sabbath command was a sign for Israel in Nehemiah 9:14, HCSB: "You revealed Your holy Sabbath to them, and gave them commands, statutes, and instruction through Your servant Moses." God blessed the Sabbath and made it a special day for us too! Note that it was given as a sign of His covenant forever. Exodus 31: 13 says, "'Tell the Israelites: You must observe My Sabbaths for it is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations so that you will know that I am Yahweh who sets you apart." Also, note Ezek. 20:12, 20, HCSB: "I also gave them My Sabbaths to serve as a sign between Me and them so they will know that I am Yahweh who sets them apart as holy." "Keep My Sabbaths holy, and they will be a sign between Me and you, so you may know that I am Yahweh your God."
What I am trying to point out, is that although there are applications to the general principle of rest required for us and the way we are designed for it; however, its main intention was to be a sign for Israel to be a special nation, and it was so serious that there was a death penalty of stoning for violating the Sabbath. As believers, we are not under the law (cf. Rom. 6:14) but under grace and are liberated from all demands of ceremonial custom and tradition and observe the Lord's day by the assembling together of ourselves (cf. Heb. 10:25).
We have liberty as Christian to hallow the Sabbath as stated in Romans 14:5-6, HCSB: "One person considers one day to be above another day. Someone else considers every day to be the same. each one must be fully convinced in his own mind. Whoever observes the day, observes it for the honor of the Lord...." Above all, according to Col. 2:16, HCSB: "...[D]on't let anyone judge ... in the matter of a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day. "
In other words, don't get legalistic about it and the faith you have, is to be kept to yourself (cf. Rom. 14:22), not to be used to spiritually bully others believers into your convictions, if you are free in the Lord, don't flaunt it, and if you are bound in the Lord, don't condemn. There are always exceptions to the rule: Necessity knows no law, as David exhibited by taking the shewbread in the temple to violate temple rules, and priests were allowed to "work" on the Sabbath. Jesus asked the ultimate question: Can we not do good [works] on the Sabbath? Christians are to be known by their love, not known by their Sabbaths like Jews: Viva la difference!
NB: In 1929 the USSR exchanged the traditional seven-day week with a five-day one. This experiment with a Sabbath lasted only eleven years before returning to normalcy! In 1795, during the French Revolution, a new calendar was decreed with three ten-day weeks per month, eliminating Sundays and holidays, but after ten years it was terminated. God's way is the best way! Old traditions die hard! Soli Deo Gloria!
"The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath" (Mark 2:27, HCSB).
There are Christian Sabbatarians--that's not an oxymoron! Once, I was almost fooled by the Seventh-day Adventists as a teen but studied Luther to be set free from their legalism. Now I consider myself free from any form of legalistic interpretation. Point in fact: No place in the New Testament are we admonished to keep the Sabbath--search for yourself! It is the only one of the Ten Commandments not reinstated in the New Testament. Do not live in the Old Testament! To some believers, Paul says, every day is holy and for the others, we are not to judge them.
It is wrong to assume that Christians changed the Sabbath to Sunday, for they observed it early on by tradition and custom, and eventually dropped the practice. The Lord's Day was strictly in tribute to the Resurrection. Note that John said in the Book of Revelation: "I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day." There is ample evidence of Christians meeting on the Lord's day early on; they even observed the Sabbath in addition at first--old traditions die hard!
Though I agree with the moral equivalent of having a day set aside for rest as observing the Sabbath, these are not the same. There is simple morality, and then there is spirituality and religion or Sabbath observance. Sabbath observance by no means is to be a litmus test of spiritual orthodoxy. We have no right to judge our brother in regards to a Sabbath (cf. Col. 2:16i). But experiments with this day have proven unsuccessful: The USSR tried to alter the seven-day week for eleven years and it ended in failure. We are just hard-wired for this cycle of work and rest and need to lay aside a day for R & R spiritually, mentally, and emotionally, as well as physically.
Jesus did say that the Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath (c. Mark 2:27) and that means not to let someone tell us what our day of rest should be used for. The principle is so important to God that if we don't take due rest, He will give it to us anyway. In principle, there is no hard-and-fast rule for what a Sabbath should require, or prohibits. If you want to get technical, you shouldn't even go out to eat or buy fuel on the Sabbath because that requires others to work on your behalf. The Spirit of the law prohibited the doing of business on this day of so-called rest--the Pharisees had redefined it with thirty-nine additional definitions of "work activities."
God promised that He would give us a permanent (spiritual) rest--we will work in heaven physically. Israel kept the outward sign of the Sabbath but failed to enter into His rest, as noted in Hebrews 4:3, HCSB, as "... 'So I swore in My anger, they will never enter into My rest.'" The important thing is that we rest for our labors as we rest in the Lord's and become empowered by the Spirit so as not to be working in the flesh or our own strength.
God condemns any work done in the energy of the flesh, no matter how good we deem it. God said to Israel (if they would keep the covenant): "My presence will go with you and I will give you rest." Christians enter into this rest from their labors upon salvation and living by the power of the Spirit, not in the energy of the flesh.
The Sabbath command was a sign for Israel in Nehemiah 9:14, HCSB: "You revealed Your holy Sabbath to them, and gave them commands, statutes, and instruction through Your servant Moses." God blessed the Sabbath and made it a special day for us too! Note that it was given as a sign of His covenant forever. Exodus 31: 13 says, "'Tell the Israelites: You must observe My Sabbaths for it is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations so that you will know that I am Yahweh who sets you apart." Also, note Ezek. 20:12, 20, HCSB: "I also gave them My Sabbaths to serve as a sign between Me and them so they will know that I am Yahweh who sets them apart as holy." "Keep My Sabbaths holy, and they will be a sign between Me and you, so you may know that I am Yahweh your God."
What I am trying to point out, is that although there are applications to the general principle of rest required for us and the way we are designed for it; however, its main intention was to be a sign for Israel to be a special nation, and it was so serious that there was a death penalty of stoning for violating the Sabbath. As believers, we are not under the law (cf. Rom. 6:14) but under grace and are liberated from all demands of ceremonial custom and tradition and observe the Lord's day by the assembling together of ourselves (cf. Heb. 10:25).
We have liberty as Christian to hallow the Sabbath as stated in Romans 14:5-6, HCSB: "One person considers one day to be above another day. Someone else considers every day to be the same. each one must be fully convinced in his own mind. Whoever observes the day, observes it for the honor of the Lord...." Above all, according to Col. 2:16, HCSB: "...[D]on't let anyone judge ... in the matter of a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day. "
In other words, don't get legalistic about it and the faith you have, is to be kept to yourself (cf. Rom. 14:22), not to be used to spiritually bully others believers into your convictions, if you are free in the Lord, don't flaunt it, and if you are bound in the Lord, don't condemn. There are always exceptions to the rule: Necessity knows no law, as David exhibited by taking the shewbread in the temple to violate temple rules, and priests were allowed to "work" on the Sabbath. Jesus asked the ultimate question: Can we not do good [works] on the Sabbath? Christians are to be known by their love, not known by their Sabbaths like Jews: Viva la difference!
NB: In 1929 the USSR exchanged the traditional seven-day week with a five-day one. This experiment with a Sabbath lasted only eleven years before returning to normalcy! In 1795, during the French Revolution, a new calendar was decreed with three ten-day weeks per month, eliminating Sundays and holidays, but after ten years it was terminated. God's way is the best way! Old traditions die hard! Soli Deo Gloria!
Thursday, February 14, 2019
Trouble In Paradise
Paradise (as it's called in the Septuagint) means "pleasure," and the word is from the Persian for Eden. There is lots of trouble in Hawaii, also called Paradise, but this was indeed a perfect environment with no pitfalls, drawbacks, or downside. Everything a man could want was there--even the perfect job--horticulture at the time the first profession. Even his marriage was made in heaven and Eve was designed to be a perfect helpmate and partner.
But things didn't go as planned, even as it seemed God had planned. Adam was meant to live forever and to eat of the tree of life, but he ate of the wrong tree, the one that was off-limits. Why he hadn't yet eaten of the tree of life is a mystery. Evil and trouble had already made their debut in heaven as Satan was kicked out and cast down to earth for his sin of pride and rebellion with his legions of demons or minions. God had made one simple test to see whether Adam would want to obey Him or Satan. Adam had no inclination to evil, and wasn't prone to disobey--he had the ultimate free will--(he was free to sin and free not to sin; he had both capabilities) and there was nothing internal or external compelling him to sin--he simply chose to, uninfluenced by an outside force. Actually, it seems he took of the forbidden fruit because his wife had and he was on her side! But by his one simple act of rebellion, the human race was all reckoned to be in sin (called original sin). Eve had listened to Satan unwittingly and ignorantly, even innocently, but Adam listened to his wife and knew what he was doing in a better light. He chose willingly to be a partner in crime!
Eve was the one to watch! She was obviously naive enough not to know that serpents don't have the power of speech and also that she had power and authority over all creatures. But she was curious enough to talk to a serpent. Curiosity can lead to sin! The first act of defiance against God was a prototype sin in manifold ways--we all confirm and verify this sin in ourselves to show we would've done likewise. We all display solidarity in Adam. It is said that Adam and Eve spurned God's grace, contradicted His truth, violated His law, rejected His authority, disputed His wisdom, repudiated His justice, and resisted His grace--that just about covers a rebellion against the complete nature of God--the prototype sin. The proverbial apple or forbidden fruit was the entree into the ways of the world and to find one's own wisdom, discernment, pleasure, truth, and will.
Satan had said that they would be "as gods" (knowing good and evil) and this was a way to be independent of Him--she might have doubted God's goodness or suspected He was holding out on her. Not that this knowledge was necessarily bad, but it wasn't in God's timing for them to know it yet--perhaps later. It is true that eating of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil gave them cognizance of what evil was--they already had experienced God's goodness but now they questioned it--doubt entered the equation. Now they knew evil first hand! Eve also displayed "bad purpose" to know good and evil, legally showing corrupt intention and desiring to be equal with God and independent.
We also see good in comparison to evil. Evil is the distortion of good and they knew good but now they knew evil and its consequences--shame and guilt, resulting in embarrassment and sinful self-consciousness. In other words, good must first exist for there to be evil--it's not independent of the good and couldn't exist on its own without there being a good to pervert or imitate. We only see evil in light of good. Now they reasoned they could be good without God and make a name for themselves, I suspect. Adam followed suit and decided to take his chances with his helpmate and partner and partner in crime in partaking of the "forbidden fruit."
But what happened after the fact is the rest of the story. Adam and Eve displayed "consciousness or cognizance of guilt" (legally showing culpability). They were indeed responsible for what they had done but they immediately pointed their fingers at someone else and played the old blame game. This culminated in Operation Fig Leaf, the first religion of good works to try to gain the approbation of God and make oneself righteous and acceptable apart from grace and mercy. They didn't realize that God only made one simple command or rule, not a suggestion! It wasn't just good advice! They couldn't keep one simple rule!
Noteworthy is the fact that they didn't even ask for forgiveness, showing more guilt! Maybe they felt too guilty to seek forgiveness like Judas, not thinking it was forgivable. An insult to God's nature of goodness! They must not have known God very well not to know He is one of grace and mercy; however, God was merciful and delayed his death sentence by nearly 1000 years. But they had experienced the death of being separated from God's fellowship and communion. But note that they didn't even apologize or say they were sorry! But they apparently did have a guilt complex though and tried to hide their shame by putting on aprons made of fig leaves, noticing their nakedness made them feel vulnerable and exposed their feelings of inadequacy and insecurity.
And it's a wonder that they had only one simple rule to obey and blew it! And yet they did it in a perfect environment to prove to us we cannot blame our sin on our upbringing or background. We must trust God's wisdom in knowing what we are capable of knowing for our own good, perhaps God would've revealed the difference between good and evil after Adam and Eve had matured in their evening walks with the Lord. Sin is universal: we are born into it, we choose it, and it's our nature known as the old man Adam. But worst of all is that we all confirm Adam's sin by duplicating its acts in other manifestations and following suit showing solidarity and the universality of sin. Thank goodness, God made for them coverings of skin to hide their shame and show forgiveness and reconciliation. Soli Deo Gloria!
But things didn't go as planned, even as it seemed God had planned. Adam was meant to live forever and to eat of the tree of life, but he ate of the wrong tree, the one that was off-limits. Why he hadn't yet eaten of the tree of life is a mystery. Evil and trouble had already made their debut in heaven as Satan was kicked out and cast down to earth for his sin of pride and rebellion with his legions of demons or minions. God had made one simple test to see whether Adam would want to obey Him or Satan. Adam had no inclination to evil, and wasn't prone to disobey--he had the ultimate free will--(he was free to sin and free not to sin; he had both capabilities) and there was nothing internal or external compelling him to sin--he simply chose to, uninfluenced by an outside force. Actually, it seems he took of the forbidden fruit because his wife had and he was on her side! But by his one simple act of rebellion, the human race was all reckoned to be in sin (called original sin). Eve had listened to Satan unwittingly and ignorantly, even innocently, but Adam listened to his wife and knew what he was doing in a better light. He chose willingly to be a partner in crime!
Eve was the one to watch! She was obviously naive enough not to know that serpents don't have the power of speech and also that she had power and authority over all creatures. But she was curious enough to talk to a serpent. Curiosity can lead to sin! The first act of defiance against God was a prototype sin in manifold ways--we all confirm and verify this sin in ourselves to show we would've done likewise. We all display solidarity in Adam. It is said that Adam and Eve spurned God's grace, contradicted His truth, violated His law, rejected His authority, disputed His wisdom, repudiated His justice, and resisted His grace--that just about covers a rebellion against the complete nature of God--the prototype sin. The proverbial apple or forbidden fruit was the entree into the ways of the world and to find one's own wisdom, discernment, pleasure, truth, and will.
Satan had said that they would be "as gods" (knowing good and evil) and this was a way to be independent of Him--she might have doubted God's goodness or suspected He was holding out on her. Not that this knowledge was necessarily bad, but it wasn't in God's timing for them to know it yet--perhaps later. It is true that eating of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil gave them cognizance of what evil was--they already had experienced God's goodness but now they questioned it--doubt entered the equation. Now they knew evil first hand! Eve also displayed "bad purpose" to know good and evil, legally showing corrupt intention and desiring to be equal with God and independent.
We also see good in comparison to evil. Evil is the distortion of good and they knew good but now they knew evil and its consequences--shame and guilt, resulting in embarrassment and sinful self-consciousness. In other words, good must first exist for there to be evil--it's not independent of the good and couldn't exist on its own without there being a good to pervert or imitate. We only see evil in light of good. Now they reasoned they could be good without God and make a name for themselves, I suspect. Adam followed suit and decided to take his chances with his helpmate and partner and partner in crime in partaking of the "forbidden fruit."
But what happened after the fact is the rest of the story. Adam and Eve displayed "consciousness or cognizance of guilt" (legally showing culpability). They were indeed responsible for what they had done but they immediately pointed their fingers at someone else and played the old blame game. This culminated in Operation Fig Leaf, the first religion of good works to try to gain the approbation of God and make oneself righteous and acceptable apart from grace and mercy. They didn't realize that God only made one simple command or rule, not a suggestion! It wasn't just good advice! They couldn't keep one simple rule!
Noteworthy is the fact that they didn't even ask for forgiveness, showing more guilt! Maybe they felt too guilty to seek forgiveness like Judas, not thinking it was forgivable. An insult to God's nature of goodness! They must not have known God very well not to know He is one of grace and mercy; however, God was merciful and delayed his death sentence by nearly 1000 years. But they had experienced the death of being separated from God's fellowship and communion. But note that they didn't even apologize or say they were sorry! But they apparently did have a guilt complex though and tried to hide their shame by putting on aprons made of fig leaves, noticing their nakedness made them feel vulnerable and exposed their feelings of inadequacy and insecurity.
And it's a wonder that they had only one simple rule to obey and blew it! And yet they did it in a perfect environment to prove to us we cannot blame our sin on our upbringing or background. We must trust God's wisdom in knowing what we are capable of knowing for our own good, perhaps God would've revealed the difference between good and evil after Adam and Eve had matured in their evening walks with the Lord. Sin is universal: we are born into it, we choose it, and it's our nature known as the old man Adam. But worst of all is that we all confirm Adam's sin by duplicating its acts in other manifestations and following suit showing solidarity and the universality of sin. Thank goodness, God made for them coverings of skin to hide their shame and show forgiveness and reconciliation. Soli Deo Gloria!
Sunday, February 10, 2019
Upsetting The Religious Applecart
"Nothing outside a person can defile them by going into them. Rather, it is what comes out of a person that defiles them" ( Mark 7:15, NIV).
"You can identify them by their fruit, that is, by the way they act..." (Matt. 7:16, NLT).
Jesus was clearly antiestablishment and countercultural and was determined to overturn the tables on the Pharisees' religious turf. He managed a revolution of topsy-turvy spirituality. They had no notion of true spirituality, but only of externalism: circumcision, tithing, offerings, sacrifices, festivals, Sabbath observance, fasting, handwashing, ceremonial duties, and whatever agreed with the outward show of religious piety but having no inward vitality or reality. Jesus succeeded in internalizing religion and making it a matter of the heart and sin was on the inside that God could see. The Pharisees were highly jealous of Jesus and protecting their turf was Job One. Everyone wants job security, but this was too much for Jesus. They sensed a threat to their authority and teachings, which Jesus referred to as the leaven of the Pharisees.
The people were burdened by 613 additional (248) commands and (365) prohibitions or laws of their legal system that made the Law of Moses a burden too heavy a yoke to carry. Even the Sabbath with 39 additional activities regarded as "work" was nothing to look forward to anymore nor enjoy as a day of rest and spiritual renewal. What really got them uptight and ill at ease was His popularity among the common people who heard him gladly and the miracles He was doing were both undeniable, and they had to come up with some explanation. Jesus repeatedly made them out to be as fools and an embarrassment to their own cause. Jesus seemed like a hero and authority the way He threw the moneylenders out of the temple. They had every reason to fear His authority because He spoke like no man, not by authority, as one of the teachers of the law, (cf. Matt. 7:29), but with authority and they could not resist the Spirit by which He spoke nor answered His questions.
Jesus was against religion as they knew it. The Pharisees were frauds at worship--just going through the motions with lip service and their hearts being far removed. He saw the Jewish faith as one of knowing God, not of performance or a list of dos and don'ts. The Pharisees were white on the outside but inside were as sepulchers. They would strain a gnat and swallow a camel because they were so worried about the minor details of the Law but missed the main points of justice, mercy, and faithfulness. Religion for them was mere show and Jesus despised it.
One thing that He wouldn't tolerate was duplicity and He saw this in the Pharisees they way they didn't practice what they preached. The religious authorities were never the same after Jesus was through with them and He changed the culture by changing people. He was the light that shown on every man to see. No one was unchanged nor the same after an encounter with the Lord. The religious applecart had become an organization, not an organism, or living community of believers.
The major realignment in religion came as Jesus saw through legalism and hypocrisy and instituted undefiled and pure religion as coming from a sincere heart and motive. Jesus saw through the veneer and facade! The people needed to be set free from the burden and yoke of the Pharisees and their take on religion, in fact, most people didn't want to emulate them nor were they jealous, though the Pharisees were respected, Jesus saw their veneer and masquerade that they hid behind.
One sad commentary on the Pharisees was their tendency to exalt themselves and of having an air of superiority. Jesus countered that the way up is down in God's economy and one must humble oneself first to be exalted in God's eyes. He warned them that one must become as a child to enter the kingdom of God (cf. Mark 10:15; Matt. 18:3).
The normal Christian life was in contradistinction to the one of the Pharisees. The Pharisees flaunted their faith and Jesus taught that people should not practice their righteousness before people (cf. Matt. 6:1) but keep their religious duties between them and God and to pray in their closet, inner sanctum, comfort zone, or private space. The Pharisees were the ultimate goody-goodies who were working for God and kept up all appearance of propriety, but they knew not the Lord in reality. Christ will say unto them that He never knew them at the Judgment. But we all have feet of clay (flaws not readily apparent) and must repent of the Pharisee in us. All our works are worth zilch if we don't love the Lord and do His will--"if I have not love, I am nothing." Soli Deo Gloria!
"You can identify them by their fruit, that is, by the way they act..." (Matt. 7:16, NLT).
Jesus was clearly antiestablishment and countercultural and was determined to overturn the tables on the Pharisees' religious turf. He managed a revolution of topsy-turvy spirituality. They had no notion of true spirituality, but only of externalism: circumcision, tithing, offerings, sacrifices, festivals, Sabbath observance, fasting, handwashing, ceremonial duties, and whatever agreed with the outward show of religious piety but having no inward vitality or reality. Jesus succeeded in internalizing religion and making it a matter of the heart and sin was on the inside that God could see. The Pharisees were highly jealous of Jesus and protecting their turf was Job One. Everyone wants job security, but this was too much for Jesus. They sensed a threat to their authority and teachings, which Jesus referred to as the leaven of the Pharisees.
The people were burdened by 613 additional (248) commands and (365) prohibitions or laws of their legal system that made the Law of Moses a burden too heavy a yoke to carry. Even the Sabbath with 39 additional activities regarded as "work" was nothing to look forward to anymore nor enjoy as a day of rest and spiritual renewal. What really got them uptight and ill at ease was His popularity among the common people who heard him gladly and the miracles He was doing were both undeniable, and they had to come up with some explanation. Jesus repeatedly made them out to be as fools and an embarrassment to their own cause. Jesus seemed like a hero and authority the way He threw the moneylenders out of the temple. They had every reason to fear His authority because He spoke like no man, not by authority, as one of the teachers of the law, (cf. Matt. 7:29), but with authority and they could not resist the Spirit by which He spoke nor answered His questions.
Jesus was against religion as they knew it. The Pharisees were frauds at worship--just going through the motions with lip service and their hearts being far removed. He saw the Jewish faith as one of knowing God, not of performance or a list of dos and don'ts. The Pharisees were white on the outside but inside were as sepulchers. They would strain a gnat and swallow a camel because they were so worried about the minor details of the Law but missed the main points of justice, mercy, and faithfulness. Religion for them was mere show and Jesus despised it.
One thing that He wouldn't tolerate was duplicity and He saw this in the Pharisees they way they didn't practice what they preached. The religious authorities were never the same after Jesus was through with them and He changed the culture by changing people. He was the light that shown on every man to see. No one was unchanged nor the same after an encounter with the Lord. The religious applecart had become an organization, not an organism, or living community of believers.
The major realignment in religion came as Jesus saw through legalism and hypocrisy and instituted undefiled and pure religion as coming from a sincere heart and motive. Jesus saw through the veneer and facade! The people needed to be set free from the burden and yoke of the Pharisees and their take on religion, in fact, most people didn't want to emulate them nor were they jealous, though the Pharisees were respected, Jesus saw their veneer and masquerade that they hid behind.
One sad commentary on the Pharisees was their tendency to exalt themselves and of having an air of superiority. Jesus countered that the way up is down in God's economy and one must humble oneself first to be exalted in God's eyes. He warned them that one must become as a child to enter the kingdom of God (cf. Mark 10:15; Matt. 18:3).
The normal Christian life was in contradistinction to the one of the Pharisees. The Pharisees flaunted their faith and Jesus taught that people should not practice their righteousness before people (cf. Matt. 6:1) but keep their religious duties between them and God and to pray in their closet, inner sanctum, comfort zone, or private space. The Pharisees were the ultimate goody-goodies who were working for God and kept up all appearance of propriety, but they knew not the Lord in reality. Christ will say unto them that He never knew them at the Judgment. But we all have feet of clay (flaws not readily apparent) and must repent of the Pharisee in us. All our works are worth zilch if we don't love the Lord and do His will--"if I have not love, I am nothing." Soli Deo Gloria!
Man, The Religious Creature
"I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance" (Luke 5:32, HCSB).
"... God have mercy on me, the sinner!" (Luke 18:13, NASB--the sinner's prayer).
"...But I am not ashamed, because I know the One I have believed in ..." (2 Tim. 1:12, HCSB).
"... My goal is to know Him and the power of His resurrection..." (Phil. 3:10, HCSB).
"If only I knew how to find Him..." (Job 23:2, HCSB).
"Yes, You are a God who hides Himself..." (Isa. 45:15, HCSB).
Kids are taught in the schools they are animals, and is it any wonder they act like them? But we are not animals! Have you ever observed an ape building a chapel? Man is incurably religious in his core being and nature and if he doesn't worship God, he'll worship something in its place: himself, fame, fortune, power, celebrities, heroes, an engrossing hobby, a sport or sports team, you name it! Mankind is hard-wired for worship and religion--it's his nature! Religion dates back to the Garden of Eden when Adam and Even made themselves aprons of fig leaves--Operation Fig Leaf! Mankind has been termed Homo religiosus or the religious being. He's also been called Homo divinus, or the divine being. It is really obvious that man has a spiritual dimension and inclination, which in itself is a sort of proof of God's existence, as when one feels the tug of a kite, knowing it's there. We feel pulled toward God as if gravitating in His direction. Man has always been on the quest to find Him but God hides Himself (cf. Isa. 45:15) only to be found by the diligent (cf. Heb. 11:6) and not triflers. He will authenticate Himself if searched for!
The answer though is that we cannot find Him unless He reveals Himself and He has in Christ. But a poll was once taken in the UK and they found out that a certain percentage of people actually believe in "the Force," of Star Wars fame, though it's fictional! People grasp at each passing straw hoping for hope and light at the end of the tunnel. And George Lucas, the producer of the Star Wars saga, said that he's come to the conclusion that all religions are right! This is impossible due to the inherent contradictions of beliefs, but it is logically possible they all could be wrong!
As Pascal said, "There is a God-shaped vacuum in the heart of every man which only God can fill through His Son, Jesus Christ." Augustine said that our hearts are restless until they find their rest in God. We are empty, unfulfilled beings without God in the picture. We need God to find meaning, purpose, and fulfillment in our life. Without God, life makes no sense--it's a useless passion. The ontological proof of God is that He is worshiped in some manner in every culture around the globe. All culture, it's been claimed, is shaped by religion. The stability of society depends upon religion as the guiding light and principle of moral principle. In fact, George Bernard Shaw, quoted by William Barclay, said that "no nation has survived the loss of its gods."
As a matter of fact, we are all inclined to think we can gain the approbation of God in many ways: religion, morality, good deeds, philosophy, or ritual! We aren't called to become do-gooders or goody-goodies or even Goody-Two-shoes! Our good deeds or do-goodery amount to naught in God's eyes, even as filthy rage according to Isa. 64:6! We must do all to the glory of God (cf. Col. 3:17, 23) and in the Spirit of God, not by might nor by power (cf. Zech. 4:6). Religiosity accounts for zilch in God's economy and the way up is down, it's a matter of how low we can go, not how high we can attain on our own merit. We all like to compare ourselves with others (cf. 2 Cor. 10:12) and think we are more "religious," righteous, or holy (cf. Isa. 65:5) than others, but God doesn't grade on a curve and we are all in the same boat--God has leveled the playing field. We are all justly condemned apart from grace and fall short of God's glorious ideal and standard of holiness (cf. Rom. 3:23).
But God has not called us to a to-do list; He's called us to a to-know list instead. The bottom line is that man is incurably addicted to doing something for his salvation and wants to give himself some credit. We don't need a to-do list and Christianity is not a catalog of rules or list of dos and don'ts, but it's a list of to-knows! We need to know God, know we are saved, know the will of God, know Jesus as personal Lord and Savior, know the Word, know the gospel, know our enemy, know our calling, know Christian ethics, know sound doctrine, and to know the Lord first-hand not second-hand, and even to know ourselves for who we are, etc. But don't forget, in knowing, we must apply what we know! Christianity is a religion of knowledge and we know that we know--we don't conjecture or surmise, but know by the testimony of the Word itself with certitude. There are basically three ways of knowing something: experience (the empirical), revelation, and rational thought processes and reasoning faculties--we have the revealed Word of God.
Christianity is a revealed religion, not one of religious imagination or concoction. It's the only faith that is based on facts, history, and evidence and we can know for sure of what we are talking about or believing. Many religions are referred to as "faiths," but only Christianity stresses this as the instrumental means of salvation--faith is stressed as the goal and primary virtue! But note that it's the object of the faith that saves, not faith per se--we don't have faith in faith, but faith in Jesus! Jesus is the only Savior! We don't just acquiesce or agree to a creed or recitations, we know a person! Christianity isn't selling some good work or philosophy of life, but freely offering the gift of salvation to all! But note that Christianity has nothing to say to those who don't realize they are lost and in sin. The prerequisite is being lost before being found!
But fortunately, Christ doesn't call us to religion! The Bible even frowns upon the term itself and prefers to call our religion a "faith" or the Way. We know the way to eternal life! What we are called to specifically is a life of holiness, righteousness, good works, and fellowship with God. We are called to walk in the light and be lights. To be the salt and light of the world at large. Our righteousness is as filthy rags and all our good deeds don't benefit God--He just turns everything to His glory, even making the wrath of men to praise Him (cf. Psa. 76:10). Our righteousness, then, is God's gift to us--not our gift to God! We have nothing to boast of, and nothing that we didn't receive (cf. 1 Cor. 4:7).
Man naturally wants to do something for his salvation and must receive it by grace as the free gift of God, unearned, and unmerited. Salvation is much more than the offer of forgiveness for our past, but the power to live in the present, and hope for the future. Only Christianity promises and delivers on that promise from the power of sin and also the freedom from its bondage. We cannot pay it back nor do we deserve it--or it wouldn't be grace. God owes no one salvation and didn't have to save anyone (or it would be justice), but freely chose to save those whom He foreknew according to His favor and will or purposes (cf. Eph. 1:5). As a result, we are all called to a life of walking with Christ in fellowship and getting to know Him personally and spreading this message--to know Him and make Him known as the marching orders.
Salvation is open to all and offered freely to all (cf. Titus 2:11) who realize their sinfulness and deem themselves unqualified and sinners by nature, birth, and choice, i.e., born in sin and a slave to it. In fact, the only qualification is to recognize one's not being qualified! We all need grace and no one is any more righteous than another--we cannot claim holier than thou type (cf. Isa. 65:5) attitudes. The fact is, that we are never good enough to be saved and cannot do any so-called presalvation work to qualify--but we are bad enough to need salvation. God has judged all under sin, that the gift of grace may be offered to all. God doesn't grade on a curve and no one gets in automatically, we all go through the turnstile of salvation one at a time via the same formula: by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, and God alone getting the glory, while the Scriptures alone are the rule of faith and authority.
Christianity is more than a religion or philosophy--it's a more abundant way of life with Christ, knowing Him personally and putting this faith into action. It was originally called the Way! The phenomenon of Christianity is "changed lives" that cannot be attributed to anything but the work of God's transforming power. And subsequently to translate creeds into deeds. It would be an insult to tell a Christian that he has "found religion," when he has found the Lord! In principle, religion is based on human achievement, not a divine accomplishment; what we do, not what God has done! Religion is man reaching out to God, not God reaching out to man. Religion is basically a do-it-yourself proposition and a lift-yourself-up-by-your-own-bootstraps undertaking. Viva la difference!
Finally, there is no caste system, no elite, neither are there any spiritual classes to be conscious of (there's no class warfare!)--we are all saints and children of the King and members of the royal family of God as brethren of Christ. We're all one in Christ (cf. Gal. 3:28; Col. 3:11). We are all family in Christ! (A word to the wise: pure religion, as described in James 1:27, won't save; only Christ saves through faith by the grace of God.) Soli Deo Gloria!
"... God have mercy on me, the sinner!" (Luke 18:13, NASB--the sinner's prayer).
"...But I am not ashamed, because I know the One I have believed in ..." (2 Tim. 1:12, HCSB).
"... My goal is to know Him and the power of His resurrection..." (Phil. 3:10, HCSB).
"If only I knew how to find Him..." (Job 23:2, HCSB).
"Yes, You are a God who hides Himself..." (Isa. 45:15, HCSB).
Kids are taught in the schools they are animals, and is it any wonder they act like them? But we are not animals! Have you ever observed an ape building a chapel? Man is incurably religious in his core being and nature and if he doesn't worship God, he'll worship something in its place: himself, fame, fortune, power, celebrities, heroes, an engrossing hobby, a sport or sports team, you name it! Mankind is hard-wired for worship and religion--it's his nature! Religion dates back to the Garden of Eden when Adam and Even made themselves aprons of fig leaves--Operation Fig Leaf! Mankind has been termed Homo religiosus or the religious being. He's also been called Homo divinus, or the divine being. It is really obvious that man has a spiritual dimension and inclination, which in itself is a sort of proof of God's existence, as when one feels the tug of a kite, knowing it's there. We feel pulled toward God as if gravitating in His direction. Man has always been on the quest to find Him but God hides Himself (cf. Isa. 45:15) only to be found by the diligent (cf. Heb. 11:6) and not triflers. He will authenticate Himself if searched for!
The answer though is that we cannot find Him unless He reveals Himself and He has in Christ. But a poll was once taken in the UK and they found out that a certain percentage of people actually believe in "the Force," of Star Wars fame, though it's fictional! People grasp at each passing straw hoping for hope and light at the end of the tunnel. And George Lucas, the producer of the Star Wars saga, said that he's come to the conclusion that all religions are right! This is impossible due to the inherent contradictions of beliefs, but it is logically possible they all could be wrong!
As Pascal said, "There is a God-shaped vacuum in the heart of every man which only God can fill through His Son, Jesus Christ." Augustine said that our hearts are restless until they find their rest in God. We are empty, unfulfilled beings without God in the picture. We need God to find meaning, purpose, and fulfillment in our life. Without God, life makes no sense--it's a useless passion. The ontological proof of God is that He is worshiped in some manner in every culture around the globe. All culture, it's been claimed, is shaped by religion. The stability of society depends upon religion as the guiding light and principle of moral principle. In fact, George Bernard Shaw, quoted by William Barclay, said that "no nation has survived the loss of its gods."
As a matter of fact, we are all inclined to think we can gain the approbation of God in many ways: religion, morality, good deeds, philosophy, or ritual! We aren't called to become do-gooders or goody-goodies or even Goody-Two-shoes! Our good deeds or do-goodery amount to naught in God's eyes, even as filthy rage according to Isa. 64:6! We must do all to the glory of God (cf. Col. 3:17, 23) and in the Spirit of God, not by might nor by power (cf. Zech. 4:6). Religiosity accounts for zilch in God's economy and the way up is down, it's a matter of how low we can go, not how high we can attain on our own merit. We all like to compare ourselves with others (cf. 2 Cor. 10:12) and think we are more "religious," righteous, or holy (cf. Isa. 65:5) than others, but God doesn't grade on a curve and we are all in the same boat--God has leveled the playing field. We are all justly condemned apart from grace and fall short of God's glorious ideal and standard of holiness (cf. Rom. 3:23).
But God has not called us to a to-do list; He's called us to a to-know list instead. The bottom line is that man is incurably addicted to doing something for his salvation and wants to give himself some credit. We don't need a to-do list and Christianity is not a catalog of rules or list of dos and don'ts, but it's a list of to-knows! We need to know God, know we are saved, know the will of God, know Jesus as personal Lord and Savior, know the Word, know the gospel, know our enemy, know our calling, know Christian ethics, know sound doctrine, and to know the Lord first-hand not second-hand, and even to know ourselves for who we are, etc. But don't forget, in knowing, we must apply what we know! Christianity is a religion of knowledge and we know that we know--we don't conjecture or surmise, but know by the testimony of the Word itself with certitude. There are basically three ways of knowing something: experience (the empirical), revelation, and rational thought processes and reasoning faculties--we have the revealed Word of God.
Christianity is a revealed religion, not one of religious imagination or concoction. It's the only faith that is based on facts, history, and evidence and we can know for sure of what we are talking about or believing. Many religions are referred to as "faiths," but only Christianity stresses this as the instrumental means of salvation--faith is stressed as the goal and primary virtue! But note that it's the object of the faith that saves, not faith per se--we don't have faith in faith, but faith in Jesus! Jesus is the only Savior! We don't just acquiesce or agree to a creed or recitations, we know a person! Christianity isn't selling some good work or philosophy of life, but freely offering the gift of salvation to all! But note that Christianity has nothing to say to those who don't realize they are lost and in sin. The prerequisite is being lost before being found!
But fortunately, Christ doesn't call us to religion! The Bible even frowns upon the term itself and prefers to call our religion a "faith" or the Way. We know the way to eternal life! What we are called to specifically is a life of holiness, righteousness, good works, and fellowship with God. We are called to walk in the light and be lights. To be the salt and light of the world at large. Our righteousness is as filthy rags and all our good deeds don't benefit God--He just turns everything to His glory, even making the wrath of men to praise Him (cf. Psa. 76:10). Our righteousness, then, is God's gift to us--not our gift to God! We have nothing to boast of, and nothing that we didn't receive (cf. 1 Cor. 4:7).
Man naturally wants to do something for his salvation and must receive it by grace as the free gift of God, unearned, and unmerited. Salvation is much more than the offer of forgiveness for our past, but the power to live in the present, and hope for the future. Only Christianity promises and delivers on that promise from the power of sin and also the freedom from its bondage. We cannot pay it back nor do we deserve it--or it wouldn't be grace. God owes no one salvation and didn't have to save anyone (or it would be justice), but freely chose to save those whom He foreknew according to His favor and will or purposes (cf. Eph. 1:5). As a result, we are all called to a life of walking with Christ in fellowship and getting to know Him personally and spreading this message--to know Him and make Him known as the marching orders.
Salvation is open to all and offered freely to all (cf. Titus 2:11) who realize their sinfulness and deem themselves unqualified and sinners by nature, birth, and choice, i.e., born in sin and a slave to it. In fact, the only qualification is to recognize one's not being qualified! We all need grace and no one is any more righteous than another--we cannot claim holier than thou type (cf. Isa. 65:5) attitudes. The fact is, that we are never good enough to be saved and cannot do any so-called presalvation work to qualify--but we are bad enough to need salvation. God has judged all under sin, that the gift of grace may be offered to all. God doesn't grade on a curve and no one gets in automatically, we all go through the turnstile of salvation one at a time via the same formula: by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, and God alone getting the glory, while the Scriptures alone are the rule of faith and authority.
Christianity is more than a religion or philosophy--it's a more abundant way of life with Christ, knowing Him personally and putting this faith into action. It was originally called the Way! The phenomenon of Christianity is "changed lives" that cannot be attributed to anything but the work of God's transforming power. And subsequently to translate creeds into deeds. It would be an insult to tell a Christian that he has "found religion," when he has found the Lord! In principle, religion is based on human achievement, not a divine accomplishment; what we do, not what God has done! Religion is man reaching out to God, not God reaching out to man. Religion is basically a do-it-yourself proposition and a lift-yourself-up-by-your-own-bootstraps undertaking. Viva la difference!
Finally, there is no caste system, no elite, neither are there any spiritual classes to be conscious of (there's no class warfare!)--we are all saints and children of the King and members of the royal family of God as brethren of Christ. We're all one in Christ (cf. Gal. 3:28; Col. 3:11). We are all family in Christ! (A word to the wise: pure religion, as described in James 1:27, won't save; only Christ saves through faith by the grace of God.) Soli Deo Gloria!
Sunday, February 3, 2019
The Unconventional Jesus
Jesus was not consumer-driven or market-oriented, but marched to the beat of a different drummer than the crowds, not keeping pace with His companions and set apart from His enemies and accusers--i.e., the Pharisees who saw Him as a threat to their job security and domain of authority and as the up and coming challenger to the status quo who could really upset the applecart. Jesus didn't claim to know the truth, to tell the truth, or to teach about truth in theory, but to be the very personification of truth itself. The focal point of His ministry always put truth first and with no compromise. Indeed, Jesus did change the course of history (as secular historians will acknowledge) and turned the world upside down. He paid no attention to public opinion or what you would say the polls today, or He only followed the Father's will and agenda to do the work given Him.
Because of this, we must accept Jesus for who He is or we are rejecting Him and compromising His person. The culture in His day was religious and even pagan or to some degree still barbarian! The people expected a liberator and warrior to set them free from Rome but got a pacifist and one who taught about freedom from sin and another "kingdom, not of this world." He defied all human convention in His ministry, picking disciples who were ordinary men and concentrating on these men rather than go for numbers and be concerned about popularity--He changed the course of history with a band of twelve men! He chose to ignore public opinion and to preach the truth! He wasn't afraid of the authorities and the religious establishment and to call them hypocrites. Jesus saw His mission as from above and not of this world, with eternal consequences and results. He wasn't focused on the immediate and short term as much as the long-term effects of His agenda and ministry.
What shocked the authorities so much as how he knocked them out of the comfort zones and never played it safe with His preaching, but spoke like no man had ever done--not by authority, but with authority. He wasn't afraid to rock the boat and upset the religious applecart! Christ never foot-noted His sermons, claiming the authority of the respected rabbis or Pharisees, but claimed His own authority and pronouncement as God's Word. Other religious leaders have played themselves down and were self-effacing, but Jesus made Himself the focal point of His ministry, being self-promoting and self-advancing, making Himself the central issue and the great question of the day: Basically, the question, "Who am I?" People don't tend to remember Him for His deeds, words, or ministry, but His identity as the Son of God--who He clearly claimed to be.
His credentials were unequaled and unmatched; His claims unheard of and unparalleled; His character and conduct perfectly blameless and unprecedented and very unique and consistent with His claims and credentials; and His effect on history undeniable and permanent, not to mention irreversible and into every manner of discipline. He will never be excelled, equaled, or surpassed in any way--He is unlike any predecessor and no disciple has matched His holiness and perfect nature, and no one can accuse Him of sin but only sense their own unworthiness and sinfulness in view His perfect holiness and balance of character--He cannot be pegged or put into a box; no one can label Him, describe Him, or define Him, but only know Him.
Jesus was a threat to the Pharisees' turf and upset their religious applecart. In fact, Jesus was antiestablishmentarian and fought the system, bucking the traditions of the elders and Pharisees, which knocked them out of the comfort zone and on the defensive, but they could not trap Him in His words or find fault with Him. The only charge that stuck was political, that He claimed to be the king of the Jews; however, He won over all those who dream of changing the system and becoming anti-establishment.
The biggest challenge to the traditions of the Pharisees which had made void the Word of God was His definition of sin. The traditions had externalized the Law of Moses and only made men clean in appearance and on the outside, but Jesus internalized the Law and made sins a matter of the heart and something from within--a matter of the condition of the heart of man. The Pharisees despised Him as the so-called friend of sinners and thought He was contaminated and a Sabbath breaker--their fetish or favorite command. The Pharisees were attentive to minor points of the Law but missed the larger ones of justice, mercy, and faithfulness--Jesus saw through their duplicity and veneer.
As far as being considered clean by the traditions, for example, He was Mr. Unclean! But what really got the Pharisees angry and out to kill Him was their jaundiced eye and naked jealousy of His popularity with the common people who heard Him gladly. He made them all feel condemned by His His standards of conduct--He hated duplicity but no sin was found in Him, and the closer one got to Him the more sin one became conscious of.
Jesus had a plan and an agenda--He was par excellence a man on a mission--and what the public thought didn't faze Him nor concern Him---He took no cues from the so-called polls of the day. We would do well to follow His example and not pay attention to public pressure and be concerned with the truth. It has been said wisely that He demanded the highest ethical standard, but is also the highest inspiration and motivation to do it. In sum, we must also put our faith in God's plan that defies human reason and convention and realize that God's will is not to be thwarted or frustrated and He has no other plans--there's no Plan B--He completes it with or without our cooperation and help! Soli Deo Gloria!
Because of this, we must accept Jesus for who He is or we are rejecting Him and compromising His person. The culture in His day was religious and even pagan or to some degree still barbarian! The people expected a liberator and warrior to set them free from Rome but got a pacifist and one who taught about freedom from sin and another "kingdom, not of this world." He defied all human convention in His ministry, picking disciples who were ordinary men and concentrating on these men rather than go for numbers and be concerned about popularity--He changed the course of history with a band of twelve men! He chose to ignore public opinion and to preach the truth! He wasn't afraid of the authorities and the religious establishment and to call them hypocrites. Jesus saw His mission as from above and not of this world, with eternal consequences and results. He wasn't focused on the immediate and short term as much as the long-term effects of His agenda and ministry.
What shocked the authorities so much as how he knocked them out of the comfort zones and never played it safe with His preaching, but spoke like no man had ever done--not by authority, but with authority. He wasn't afraid to rock the boat and upset the religious applecart! Christ never foot-noted His sermons, claiming the authority of the respected rabbis or Pharisees, but claimed His own authority and pronouncement as God's Word. Other religious leaders have played themselves down and were self-effacing, but Jesus made Himself the focal point of His ministry, being self-promoting and self-advancing, making Himself the central issue and the great question of the day: Basically, the question, "Who am I?" People don't tend to remember Him for His deeds, words, or ministry, but His identity as the Son of God--who He clearly claimed to be.
His credentials were unequaled and unmatched; His claims unheard of and unparalleled; His character and conduct perfectly blameless and unprecedented and very unique and consistent with His claims and credentials; and His effect on history undeniable and permanent, not to mention irreversible and into every manner of discipline. He will never be excelled, equaled, or surpassed in any way--He is unlike any predecessor and no disciple has matched His holiness and perfect nature, and no one can accuse Him of sin but only sense their own unworthiness and sinfulness in view His perfect holiness and balance of character--He cannot be pegged or put into a box; no one can label Him, describe Him, or define Him, but only know Him.
Jesus was a threat to the Pharisees' turf and upset their religious applecart. In fact, Jesus was antiestablishmentarian and fought the system, bucking the traditions of the elders and Pharisees, which knocked them out of the comfort zone and on the defensive, but they could not trap Him in His words or find fault with Him. The only charge that stuck was political, that He claimed to be the king of the Jews; however, He won over all those who dream of changing the system and becoming anti-establishment.
The biggest challenge to the traditions of the Pharisees which had made void the Word of God was His definition of sin. The traditions had externalized the Law of Moses and only made men clean in appearance and on the outside, but Jesus internalized the Law and made sins a matter of the heart and something from within--a matter of the condition of the heart of man. The Pharisees despised Him as the so-called friend of sinners and thought He was contaminated and a Sabbath breaker--their fetish or favorite command. The Pharisees were attentive to minor points of the Law but missed the larger ones of justice, mercy, and faithfulness--Jesus saw through their duplicity and veneer.
As far as being considered clean by the traditions, for example, He was Mr. Unclean! But what really got the Pharisees angry and out to kill Him was their jaundiced eye and naked jealousy of His popularity with the common people who heard Him gladly. He made them all feel condemned by His His standards of conduct--He hated duplicity but no sin was found in Him, and the closer one got to Him the more sin one became conscious of.
Jesus had a plan and an agenda--He was par excellence a man on a mission--and what the public thought didn't faze Him nor concern Him---He took no cues from the so-called polls of the day. We would do well to follow His example and not pay attention to public pressure and be concerned with the truth. It has been said wisely that He demanded the highest ethical standard, but is also the highest inspiration and motivation to do it. In sum, we must also put our faith in God's plan that defies human reason and convention and realize that God's will is not to be thwarted or frustrated and He has no other plans--there's no Plan B--He completes it with or without our cooperation and help! Soli Deo Gloria!
Saturday, February 2, 2019
The Seeker-sensitive Church
The church is "the pillar and ground of truth," not a safe haven for the lost and happy place for the sinner, who must become convicted and find the truth. The church is not to be consumer-driven or aim to please everyone and become all things to all people. It can be sound in its doctrine and still miss the boat (it's necessary but not sufficient), for the most important goal is to have the heart in the right place, not to have one's doctrine impeccably correct, which can become a source of pride and faction. Seekers are not to become comfortable in their sin, but not feel singled out and judged by the members. The church is always in a state of renewal and reform; hence, the slogan of the Reformers: semper reformanda or always reforming. Martin Luther said he had only begun his reforms when dying.
The marching orders of the church should always be front and center and the biblical evangel is never to be neglected, keeping the main thing the main thing--the fulfilling of the Great Commission. The church has a duty to preach the Word and to disciple the family that gathers for spiritual renewal and checkups and to exercise their gifts. The church should throw out the welcome mat to sinners and be ready to accept people for who they are, after all, it's a hospital for sinners, not a hotel for saints, and no perfect people need to apply. Remembering that Christ loved us while we were yet sinners and enemies of the cross! We learn to love by showing it to those in need of it and the most difficult recipients. Christ is the friend of sinners and those who realize their sin are on the road to recovery and salvation. But this doesn't mean the preaching ought to be watered down, dumbed down, nor its gospel domesticated and contextualized to suit the fancy of the listeners. Let God do the convicting and He will!
The church is more than an organization; it's an organism of a body that functions in a synergistic manner as a family to fulfill the Great Commission. The body together can accomplish more than the individuals can solo. The evangelical church has become The Church of What's Happening Now doing its own thing, trying to be popular and see how big a crowd it can amass. What the latest thing is and seems to be the focus is being all things to all people, and not the gospel message. We don't go to church for socializing, but fellowshipping, worshiping, edification, discipling, and ministering--basically getting our spiritual batteries charged and our growth assessed and appraised as we examine ourselves and take a spiritual inventory. We are there to prepare for the Lord's battle and get equipped for our mission to the lost.
The truly seeker-sensitive church is one where the truth is preached and defended, not where it's watered down and avoided. The sinner needs to hear the gospel which should be the consummation and finale of every sermon. The church is to be the hospital for saints and those who realize their sin. Outreach starts with the truth being preached as the expository Word of God. Preachers ought to be biblicists of the first order--men of the Book--who rely on the Word and the Spirit, not their own acumen, scholarship, talents, academic training, for many preachers have been effective without seminary training, e.g., Spurgeon, Moody. God always honors the preaching of the Word which will not come back void and be used to God's glory to convict and edify (cf. Jer. 1:12; Isaiah 55:11). Doctrine is important for vitality, but the church shouldn't be content just to be doctrinally correct and pure--orthopraxy (right actions) are just as important as orthodoxy (right belief).
Sinners ought not to be comfortable in their sin and realize they need salvation and came to the right place! Remember, the church is a functioning family and builds relationships, missions, and ministries. Whenever the body gathers in the name of Jesus, each member should feel free to exercise their gift and feel like themselves in their comfort zone. The seeker is the one who is out of his element and should be convicted of this. Megachurches often miss the point not seeing the church as a living, functioning body, and become some sort of a personality cult focusing on the preacher, who is more of an entrepreneur, and not the mission and gathering crowds, not families. If there is no opportunity for the member to serve, then he's in a crowd, not a ministering body that meets members needs and exercises the gifts. In a healthy church, there is a place for everyone and everyone feels welcome and part of the family! Soli Deo Gloria!
The marching orders of the church should always be front and center and the biblical evangel is never to be neglected, keeping the main thing the main thing--the fulfilling of the Great Commission. The church has a duty to preach the Word and to disciple the family that gathers for spiritual renewal and checkups and to exercise their gifts. The church should throw out the welcome mat to sinners and be ready to accept people for who they are, after all, it's a hospital for sinners, not a hotel for saints, and no perfect people need to apply. Remembering that Christ loved us while we were yet sinners and enemies of the cross! We learn to love by showing it to those in need of it and the most difficult recipients. Christ is the friend of sinners and those who realize their sin are on the road to recovery and salvation. But this doesn't mean the preaching ought to be watered down, dumbed down, nor its gospel domesticated and contextualized to suit the fancy of the listeners. Let God do the convicting and He will!
The church is more than an organization; it's an organism of a body that functions in a synergistic manner as a family to fulfill the Great Commission. The body together can accomplish more than the individuals can solo. The evangelical church has become The Church of What's Happening Now doing its own thing, trying to be popular and see how big a crowd it can amass. What the latest thing is and seems to be the focus is being all things to all people, and not the gospel message. We don't go to church for socializing, but fellowshipping, worshiping, edification, discipling, and ministering--basically getting our spiritual batteries charged and our growth assessed and appraised as we examine ourselves and take a spiritual inventory. We are there to prepare for the Lord's battle and get equipped for our mission to the lost.
The truly seeker-sensitive church is one where the truth is preached and defended, not where it's watered down and avoided. The sinner needs to hear the gospel which should be the consummation and finale of every sermon. The church is to be the hospital for saints and those who realize their sin. Outreach starts with the truth being preached as the expository Word of God. Preachers ought to be biblicists of the first order--men of the Book--who rely on the Word and the Spirit, not their own acumen, scholarship, talents, academic training, for many preachers have been effective without seminary training, e.g., Spurgeon, Moody. God always honors the preaching of the Word which will not come back void and be used to God's glory to convict and edify (cf. Jer. 1:12; Isaiah 55:11). Doctrine is important for vitality, but the church shouldn't be content just to be doctrinally correct and pure--orthopraxy (right actions) are just as important as orthodoxy (right belief).
Sinners ought not to be comfortable in their sin and realize they need salvation and came to the right place! Remember, the church is a functioning family and builds relationships, missions, and ministries. Whenever the body gathers in the name of Jesus, each member should feel free to exercise their gift and feel like themselves in their comfort zone. The seeker is the one who is out of his element and should be convicted of this. Megachurches often miss the point not seeing the church as a living, functioning body, and become some sort of a personality cult focusing on the preacher, who is more of an entrepreneur, and not the mission and gathering crowds, not families. If there is no opportunity for the member to serve, then he's in a crowd, not a ministering body that meets members needs and exercises the gifts. In a healthy church, there is a place for everyone and everyone feels welcome and part of the family! Soli Deo Gloria!
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