A More Accurate Way

"Brethren, do not be children in understanding; however, in malice be babes, but in understanding be mature: (1 Cor. 14:20). 

Some people are merely content to be correct theologically, not availing themselves of the abundant life and relationship with Christ.  But we also come across sincere believers who are wrong and need to be shown the light, as it were.  I  believe we should tactfully edify them and explain the Word more accurately in a gentle way, so as to be offensive.  I contend that it is not sufficient to be sincere, one must also be right to please God.  Should we straighten out our brothers or let them go on in error?

Priscilla and Aquilla took Apollos aside and explained the Word of God to him more accurately, though he was mighty in the Scriptures, he knew only of the baptism of John. There is more than just knowing the Scriptures, though that is vital:  "Press on, press on to know the Lord," says Hosea 6:3.  Jesus said to the woman at the Samaritan well that those who worship God must worship in spirit and in truth.  It is not enough to just be sincere if you are sincerely wrong.  Paul told the Corinthians that he would rather not have them ignorant (the word ignoramus comes from this root).  God places no premium on ignorance and ignorance is not bliss because God holds us responsible for the light we have the opportunity to know, whether we care to learn it or not.  It is ignorance that binds us, not the truth!  "You shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free"  (John 8:32).

Faith is not blind and ignorant and doesn't ignore our intellect, but respects the mind.  We are not anti-intellectual or anti-scholastic.  Learning has its place and some even have the gift of knowledge (for the edification of the body--the building up of the body of Christ).  Proverbs says that the wise store up knowledge. There is a certain joy in just knowing the Word and in being in awe!  The fool feeds on trash, Proverbs says, but the wise yearn for the truth.   The old principle of GIGO applies (garbage in equals garbage out).  "For as a man thinks in his heart, so is he" (Prov. 23:7). We are to "grow in the grace and in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ" (2 Pet. 3:18).   It is the "knowledge of the truth (doctrine, that is) that leads to godliness," according to Titus 1:2.

Paul exhorts us in Eph. 4:3 to "keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace." How can you have unity if you don't have an agreement?  We are to be in agreement and harmony as much as possible:  Augustine's dictum that we are to maintain agreement:  "In essentials, unity; in nonessentials [negotiables] liberty; in all things, charity."  There are some doctrines that we are to be dogmatic and intolerant of error on such as the deity of Christ and the infallibility of the Word of God.

There are also doctrines or dogma (church doctrine recognized officially) that are negotiable or room for disagreements (we agree to disagree without being disagreeable) such as interpretations of the Rapture or church government.  However, the more we agree and find commonality or common ground, the more the Spirit can bless and unify us. Unity is not uniformity--we aren't all to be clones or imitations of each other, but individuals and different parts of the dependent and needing the rest of the body.

How do you think God tells you the more accurate way, but through the body of Christ and the Word itself?  If we don't want to grow up in Christ and mature we balk at learning the meat of the Word or the things of God in depth we have the wrong attitude and may have not accepted the Lordship of Christ, even if we believe.  God frowns upon willful ignorance and expects us to increase in our maturity and knowledge of the Word.  Paul met this obstacle when he felt that they rejected him because he was dogmatic:  "Have I become your enemy because I tell you the truth?"  It may cost to stand up for Jesus, or the truth--remember Jesus before Pilate saying, "For this cause I have come into the world, to bear witness of the truth."  Jesus is the truth incarnate and knowing Him is the way of knowing the truth--the better we know Him, the more we know the truth and the freer we become.

The more enslaved we are in our submission to the Lordship of Christ, the freer we are paradoxically speaking.   Don't resent someone telling you the truth and realize that it is for your own good and you will grow and benefit from it--God doesn't want you to remain an infant in Christ, but to mature and grow in your comprehension of doctrine or teaching.  "All Scripture is profitable for doctrine..." (2 Tim. 3:16).  We are to build each other up, edify each other, and admonish each other and this is done through the Word and our interaction in the body:  We cannot grow by ourselves and need the body--it is a body-building program of truth, so have the right mental attitude!

The more we apply the truth, the truth God gives us, and the more we know, the more accountable we become.  Knowledge in itself, the wrong kind (about God, instead of God), merely puffs up, but love (exercising the fruit of the Spirit, for instance) edifies or builds up,  says 1 Cor. 8:1, and he who thinks he knows does not yet know as he ought to know--we should never think that we have arrived:  "I do not consider myself to have laid hold of it yet" (Phil 3:13) or don't need to learn anymore.

Knowledge is not to be an end in itself and a little knowledge can be a dangerous thing.   Some people know enough to be dangerous! We are not to get an exclusive mindset and think we have cornered the market on truth!  We are never to be intolerant of those who disagree with us and become contentious, argumentative, or divisive.  No one person has all the truth (sorry Catholics who have faith in the Pope!) and we all must learn from each other as we discover our niche or job in the body.

In summation,  we are our brother's keeper in the sense of being responsible to show him his error and restore him to the light.  We are responsible for the light we have, but that doesn't excuse us and give us the right to be ignorant (God frowns upon ignorance).  "You shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free" (John 8:32).  A little knowledge is a dangerous thing and we are never to think we have all the truth or have cornered the market, being exclusive or arrogant.   Soli Deo Gloria!

The Concept Of Biblical Fairness

"I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten...You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied"  (Joel 2:25,26).  [E.g., God making it up to Israel and attempting to even the score.]

"... No one can stay His hand or say to Him, 'What hast thou done?'" (Dan. 4:35).  

There are three possibilities for defining fairness:  the people's subjective opinion, the dictionary, or God Himself.  Who or what defines it becomes the highest standard and is in effect deified. There are no laboratory conditions to test the concept: all things being equal is a hard test and there are multiple variables and givens that can't be measured, but may be relative--only God sees and knows the whole story.

There is no doctrine of fairness in the Bible, but corresponding and related words might be goodness, righteousness, and justice.  The Doctrine of Fairness was a network TV policy for political ads in the 70s.  Actually the word "fair" is not biblical  (it should be pointed out that our very concept of fair play came from God Himself and is often cited as one proof that He exists!) and we all have our own idea of what it means (usually a concept we picked up at age 7) and often the first complaint in life we have is that something isn't fair.

God defines what fairness is (He defines what everything is because He is autonomous or a law unto Himself subject to no higher laws), not us. The word is highly subjective and everyone has their own idea of what it means like the concept of beauty being in the eye of the beholder.  The Bible doesn't mention the word but comes close in referring to being right, just, and good. Note that God is not righteous, good, nor just because He obeys some outside law, but He is intrinsically that way by nature.  We must be careful not to call good evil, or evil good (Isa. 5:20).

If God is required to be gracious, it is no longer grace--a form of nonjustice (passing by of justice for whatever reason and offering grace or mercy), which is not injustice (doing something evil or wrong).  Case in point:  If a parent disciplines a more mature son, and withholds discipline or punishment from the younger one (having a reason and not being arbitrary), is the parent unfair?  Or does he have the right to reserve to punish or not to punish?  "I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and harden whom I will harden."

 God cannot be accused of evil, though He can use vessels of dishonor to accomplish His ultimate will.   God can be accused of no wrongdoing (N.B. recall that "in all these things Job did not accuse God of wrongdoing").  God is holy and never does what is wrong, but always what is right.  Abraham said, "Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?"  He is our judge and not we his.  Looking the word up in the dictionary, it says that fair means showing no favoritism or prejudice and also playing according to the rules.

God is certainly "no respecter of persons."  By virtue of these definitions, God is not unfair in saving us, nor in making Jesus our Substitute or Vicar, who did it voluntarily and joyfully.  We have no claim on His favor, mercy, or grace.  God didn't save the angels who sinned and didn't have to save us to maintain His deity.  When we say that God is unfair we are holding Him up to our standards of right and wrong and making ourselves the moral center of the universe.  If God does something, it is fair; it is not that he does something because it is fair.  God always acts according to His nature and cannot be God in contradiction to Himself.  "Who can say to God, 'What hast thou done?'" (Dan. 4:35).

One important concept we all misinterpret is that we believe fairness equals being equitable--parents are accused of not treating their children the same.  Is the parent unfair because he wasn't equal?  They would always feel under condemnation because that is an impossible goal. God decides what fairness is, not us.  What can be construed as unfairness is being arbitrary, whimsical, or capricious?  God always has a reason for what He does, and His ultimate glory is the end result--"Man's chief end is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever," says The Westminster Shorter Catechism.  God thought this was more important than going according to our rules and subjecting Himself to our standards.

God is our judge and we cannot judge Him.  No one has a case against God or "can say unto Him, 'What hast thou done?'" This is the mystery of salvation:  God is both just, and the justifier of the ungodly.  God found a way to preserve His divine nature and to forgive and justify us.  God knows what He is doing with His universe and His thoughts are higher than ours, "as the heavens are higher than the earth" (Isa. 55:9).  Life seems unfair but basically, we reap what we sow-- there is no karma as many believe, because we often get what we don't deserve, and don't get what we do deserve.

Don't envy the wicked who "receive their portion in this life" (Psalm 17:14) Some people die and leave their reward behind, others die to go to their reward in heaven! God is good to all: to the elect unto salvation (special grace), to some in all ways, to some in some ways, but to all in some way (common grace).  But God's goodness is an attribute we can be assured of:  "God is good to all, and He has compassion over all that He has made" (Psalm 145:9).  As they say, "God is good all the time; all the time God is good!  Learn this and find out for yourself!   Even if we pay the ultimate price in martyrdom, God will reward it to us and make it up in all eternity--He sees the Big Picture!  When the psalmist saw their "latter end" he was assured of God's justice.

God is just and that is a legitimate doctrine. He is unjust to no one and only withholds justice from His elect--that is not a form of injustice, but of nonjustice.  Jesus willingly paid the price of His own volition and wasn't forced to go to the cross to die on our behalf.  One cannot say it was unfair that he suffered for us: He said, "Weep not for Me, but for yourselves."  We don't have a claim against God and God owes us nothing.  We have no case against God and that very thought is near blasphemy.  Jesus said that Satan "has nothing against [Him]."  John Milton wrote Paradise Lost, his epic and classical poem, to "justify the ways of God to man."  We stand trial and not God--just think about how God didn't answer any of Job's questions, but only revealed Himself to Him.

When we open the door to questioning God's attributes or character it ultimately leads to heresy and then can lead to apostasy and a falling away. When we say that it is unfair that Jesus went to the cross we are saying that God was arbitrary, or showed favoritism and/or prejudice, not karma. Jesus went of His own volition and volunteered for the mission--He did it the joy set before Him!

To say that it is unfair that we get saved when we deserve to go to hell is to malign the justice of God and impugn on His nature--there is no injustice with the Almighty.  Grace is a form of non-justice, or of withholding justice, but it is not injustice per se.  We were not elected unto salvation and faith because of our virtue or merit, but because "of His own purpose and grace" (not according to our works of righteousness which we have done" i.e., He did not save us out of favoritism nor whim, but His own glory.)  We do indeed deserve to go to hell and God is withholding justice from us, but that is not a definition of being unfair.

God tempers His justice with mercy (cf. Hab. 3:2) and  Aristotle said that justice itself is strictly just giving one what is his due dessert (reward or punishment) for what he has done and is culpable or responsible for.  God "has mercy on whom He will have mercy" (Rom. 9:16) and it is God's prerogative to decide whom will get mercy, not us. He reserves the right to demonstrate grace, or it wouldn't be grace it would be justice.  God is not obligated to be merciful or gracious just because He is to someone else or not anyone! God doesn't owe us anything and we have no right to demand justice or mercy.

According to Wayne Grudem, famous Reformed theologian,  "God's righteousness means that God always acts in accordance with what is right and is himself the final standard of what is right." (If there is a standard higher than God then He is not God.) We all have an inner sense of "oughtness" and being unfair is one of those.  Moses says, "All his ways are justice. A God of faithfulness and without iniquity, just and right is he" (Deut. 32:4).  God Himself says, "I the LORD speak the truth, I declare what is right" (Isa. 45:19).

"Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right? (cf. Gen. 18:25).  God is the final standard of what conforms to His nature, which is what is right.  In Job, it says, "Shall a faultfinder contend with the Almighty?...Will you even put me in the wrong?  Will you condemn me that you may be justified?"  (Job 40:20,8).  We, as creatures, cannot judge our Creator:  the clay cannot say to the Potter, "Why have you made me thus?" God isn't accountable to us and is too deep to explain Himself to our finite minds. We are on the hot seat, as it were, not God.  There can be no standard higher than God, or that standard would be God.   Soli Deo Gloria!

Being Heavenly Minded

 "...seek those things which are above..." (Col. 3:1).

First of all, there is no such animal--this is pure fiction and reveals more about the person accusing the so-called spiritual believer out of jealousy or rivalry--what is his motive for even saying this?  Secondly, by earthly I mean doing the world some good, like running for mayor or protesting for your rights in some way, not earning a living--bearing his burden.   We are to become as less involved in world affairs as possible and the married person simply is more involved in civilian problems.

D. L. Moody said that you can be so heavenly minded that you are no earthly good!  Let me qualify this assertion:  Religiosity and going through the motions of faith are not being heavenly minded (i.e., saying the Rosary or the Lord's prayer repeatedly).  God commands us to pray without ceasing--that means to always be in an attitude of prayer and be in tune or fellowship with Him, listening as well as talking.  An example in the Bible of someone who was heavenly minded and accused of being no earthly good was Mary by her sister Martha.  Jesus said that she had chosen the better part and it shall not be taken away from her.  She was willing to pay the price to sit at Jesus' feet and listen to the Master teacher even if it cost something.

We don't want to relegate spiritual interests behind the temporal or mundane--but keep priorities and make time (you may not find the time) for Jesus in your hectic schedule (if Satan cannot make you bad, he'll make you busy).  When we are heavenly minded we are also spiritually productive, for example, we can stand in the gap for others and notice when they are in need.  Walking in the flesh is really being earthly minded, and whenever we are in the Spirit, we are heavenly minded and able to produce the fruit of the Spirit.

All parts of the body need each other and no member can say the other is unnecessary or should be like them to be acceptable.  Christ is the standard and the head or leader of the body.  There is a place for practical as well as so-called spiritual believers.  We are not to contend or quarrel with our Maker but realize our full potential in Christ as His servants.  We are rewarded according to our works and the faithfulness of our service regardless of the gift.  Soli Deo Gloria!

Anatomy Of Rejecting Christ

There is no such thing or category of Christian known as a disobedient believer, though Christians can disobey they are chastened of the Lord if they belong to Him.  John 3:36 in the ESV and NASB correlates unbelief with disobedience.  Hebrews 3:18-19 also equates the two--they were not allowed to enter the Promised Land because of their unbelief (disobedience).   Heb. 5:9 says God grants salvation to all who obey.  We must obey the gospel!  The Fourth Commandment to honor our parents is the first commandment to respect authority and show obedience in the Lord, so as not to harden our hearts.  "They were disobedient to the Word."  There is a curse on anyone who despises or rejects the Word of the LORD--we must always regard God's Word with respect and honor.

What the problem with most evangelists is that they fail to get the people lost before they try to save them.   Christ came to seek and to save that which is lost, and not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.  In order to be saved, one must realize how bad he is to God's standards; one doesn't really know just how bad he is till he has tried to be good--that's the paradox!  (i.e., the alcoholic doesn't realize his addiction and problem till he's tried to quit).  We need prepared soil to sow the seed of the Word of God.  Another problem in the church is that they don't present the gospel clear enough to be rejected!   We have become so seeker-sensitive that people feel right at home without even giving testimony or showing themselves disciples--there is to be a certain sense of acceptability, but privilege comes with membership, not mere attendance.  The order of faith is believing, belonging, and then becoming.

What takes place in the "hardened" heart (Rom. 11:7) of the unbeliever who rejects what light God has given him?  We are only responsible for the light given to us; however, no one has an excuse and we are all culpable and held accountable before God's justice.  If we are sincere there is an expectation of more light that Christ, the light, will reflect on us.  The unbeliever walks in darkness and doesn't come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed (cf. John 3:19).  The problem with the blinded Pharisees is that they witnessed the miracles of Jesus, and "would not" not "could not" believe.  The didn't believe it because they didn't want to believe.  No miracle can make a believer out of a skeptic, there has to be the will to believe.  It is not an intellectual thing (they feign intellectual problems), but a moral dilemma.

The heart of the matter is that it's a matter of the heart.  Sincerity is not everything, though God requires sincerity and looks for "sincere faith" (1 Tim. 1:5) and not perfect faith (unfeigned faith)--it isn't the amount but the direction and the object of the faith that is important.  You can have a lot of faith in the wrong direction and be sincerely wrong.  God opens the heart of the prepared heart like that of Lydia's in Acts 16:14.  Faith is granted according to Philippians 1:29 as well as repentance in Acts 11:18. Faith is our act but God's work.  We are incurably addicted to doing something for our salvation (they asked Jesus:  "What shall we do, to do the works of God? This is the work of God, to believe in Him..." in John 5:28.)

Salvation is not by works lest we are able to boast (Eph. 2:8-9); hence, faith cannot be a meritorious work as Rome believes!  It is the gift of God according to 2 Pet. 1:1 where it says we "received a faith."  Rom. 12:3 says that we are responsible for the faith we have "received."  We are no more virtuous nor meritorious that we can boast or brag before God; Soli Deo Gloria (to God alone be the glory in Latin).

The unbeliever doesn't believe the gospel because his heart is not right--the soil is not good and the seed cannot grow.  He doesn't understand the gospel and is really rejecting something he doesn't fathom--"Who has known the mind of the Lord?"  It is only by grace that we come to perceive the gospel message that God has once and for all settled the sin problem by the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ on our behalf as a substitute.  The natural man cannot accept the things of the Spirit, for they are foolishness unto him (cf. 1 Cor. 2:14).

The unbeliever starts out doubting and questioning, then he won't listen or pay attention ("To obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams," says 1 Sam. 15:22), and becomes hardened and hostile and finally he sees Christ as the enemy of himself and society (the enemy of God is also the enemy of the state).  He closes his mind because to arrive at the truth you have to admit you could be wrong and be open to all possibilities--and they have made up their minds and don't want to be confused with the facts!  Christ doesn't ask an unreasonable faith, but only one going in the direction of the preponderance of the evidence leads.  You can believe without having all your questions answered because it takes faith and only faith pleases God--however, it takes more faith to deny Christ and the gospel than to accept it ("I don't have enough faith to be an atheist," says Norman Geisler, renowned theologian), due to all the proof cited by former atheists and skeptics who have examined the evidence and have become believers against their own wills.

You need an open mind, a willing spirit, and a needy heart to arrive at the truth: Jesus said, "If any man wills to do His will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of Myself," says John 7:17.   God doesn't force anyone to believe and the system is rigged such that anyone can willingly reject Christ and find a reason to do so.  We don't believe despite the evidence, because there is adequate evidence for anyone who is looking for it.  There is more evidence in the affirmative and more questions for the skeptic to answer than the believer would have to answer.

The surprising thing is that it is forgivable to reject Christ, through our hearts become hardened.  The average believer has heard the gospel 7.6 times before actually accepting it.  The unforgivable sin is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit and attributing the miracles of Jesus to the devil's doing.  It is deliberate and a state of impenitence is the result, and if you are afraid you have done it, it means you haven't. The good news is that the gospel is for as many as the Lord our God shall call (Acts 2:39) and all whom the Lord calls shall be justified, sanctified, and glorified!  [This is the inner call of God on the soul which is efficacious and not the outward or general call of the gospel message given by the Christian to the world at large.]  Soli Deo Gloria!

Behold! All Things Are New!

The greatest work of grace and sign or the miracle of God in man is the conversion of the sinner to a new life in Christ.  It is not just a matter of turning over a new leaf, but a transformation of the soul.  Without a change in the person's life, his conversion is suspect. Life forms, sin deforms, education informs, prison reforms, but Christ transforms!

Without God life has no meaning and purpose:  "Unless you assume a God, the question of life's purpose is meaningless"  (Bertrand Russell).  If we are considered without reference to God we become a "useless passion" according to Jean-Paul Sartre. Blaise Pascal said that there is a vacuum in the soul that only God can fill.  Enter God into the equation or put him into the Big Picture changes everything and gives us a whole new belief system or worldview.  Our past is forgiven, our present is given meaning, and our future is guaranteed and secured forever!

When we are saved we are renewed from the inside out--God puts a new man in the suit, not just a new suit on the man!   "Behold, all things are become new" (2 Cor. 5:17).  What is new?  Here's what:

Regeneration means a new nature; repentance means a new direction; faith means a new relationship; justification means a new standing or status quo in Christ; sanctification is a new state of being considered holy unto the Lord or being set apart for God's usage; perseverance means a new trust; and finally, glorification means new values and rewards and purpose in living (Isa. 49:7--which says we are created for God's glory--The Westminster Confession Shorter Catechism says the "chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.")  We go "from glory to glory" according to 2 Cor. 3:18 and ultimate glorification will be achieved upon our final transformation into glorified bodies and ushering into the very presence of God.    Soli Deo Gloria!

Problem Of Depression

Depression, according to Dr. Gene A. Getz, is when we dwell on the past, misinterpret the present, or anticipate the future all in a bad light.  It is caused by unhealthy thoughts in most cases, though it is possible not to know the reason:  Refer to Psalm 42 and 43 where the psalmist wonders just why he is so "downcast."   It is popularly defined as impression without expression equals depression.  Sometimes the blues are called the doldrums or being in the pits or in a funk.

The problem we have today is not that we have a new problem labeled "depression" which was somehow invented by the psychiatrists in this modern age to define a new phenomenon, but that we don't want to admit our problem or weakness and keep it all to ourselves until it is too late and we are victims.  Many veterans are committing suicide and they have learned to cope in the most trying of circumstances, but find civilian life unwelcome and unsettling and can't readjust or acclimatize back into the common society, which is another culture shock.  Job, Jonah, and Elijah all had death wishes and we have their records in Scripture to warn us or show us that it is not unusual or something God can't deal with or heal.

The problem with depression, is not that we get it, because most will at one time or another ("Song sung blue, everyone knows one"), but how we cope with it (we all have coping mechanisms that "work" for us, some are just self-destructive like binge eating)--what is the therapeutic thing to do and is this a helpful solution, or part of the problem?  If we go shopping, eat, sleep, gamble, drink, withdraw, or get into trouble every time we get depressed, it may become an ingrained habit and become part of our nature.  "Sow a thought, and reap an act; sow an act and reap a habit; sow a habit, and reap a character; sow a character, and reap a destiny.'  We are what our thoughts make us up to be:  "For as a man thinks in his heart, so is he" (Prov. 23:7).  It is important what we make out reality to be and our viewpoint, regarding reality and how we adjust to it.  We cannot live in a fantasy world but must be realistic.

Depression, to some, is a choice:  they choose to have a pity party and wallow in their self-pity, just not able to cope.  But in some cases, it is more of an inherited trait or personality trait, and not a flaw to be ashamed of, but something that can be helped.  We may not choose to be depressed, but we do choose how we react to it and how to cope.  Psychiatry today is focusing more on the positive thing to do and depending less on trying to figure out the reason for the depression.  Living a healthy lifestyle is the cure, not understanding ourselves.  The Greek axiom of Socrates, "Know thyself" may be valid for success, but we need to interact with others and get help if we are to overcome our depression--by the way, knowing the Lord is even more vital.  People who need people are the happiest people!  "I get by with a little help from my friends," sing The Beatles.  You'd be surprised at how much a good friend can get you out of your depression simply by talk therapy.  Things tend to work them out if we give them a chance.

Some people are known to have "bipolar disorder" and abnormally have highs and lows due to some inborn. inherited trait, but this per se is not wrong or a "sin" but how they deal with it and what happens when they are in their periods of depression or euphoria.  They may even frown upon someone feeling "too good" for their own good.   Creative people would often rather stay that way because they find creativity has a lot to do with their feelings. It is not good to rely on feelings but some people are more maudlin and sentimental; others are more stoical and less demonstrative in their feelings and don't even relate to their feminine side--they want to "be a man" or act like a man and be "tough."

We don't want to get out of touch with our emotions and harden our hearts, but God desires a tender heart that is in tune with Him and his feelings.  Great men in the Bible also were in touch with their feelings and were not ashamed. Sometimes all we need to do is to get it out in the open and express ourselves in the interaction with others by having and making friends--we don't want to end up loners who live in their own little world without any fellowship or interaction with people they are in touch within their circle of friends or sphere of influence.

Ted Turner says that "Christianity is for losers."  They say that it's a crutch!  Everyone has a crutch of some kind--no one is an island that needs no one.  We all need each other--only God is a rock.  The Buddhists say that we to face up to our own karma and we only get what we deserve--what goes around, comes around.

We all are meant to be a religious people that can only find fulfillment in God--a vacuum that only God can fulfill. Augustine said only God can meet our needs for this longing of the soul.  Men are said to be Homo religiosus or a religious being.  We will worship something, whether it is God or not doesn't matter, it will be something (fame, fortune, power) or someone (heroes, family, friends, lovers), but letting anything take God's place is idolatry and breaking the first commandment not to have any gods before our God in His rightful place.  When we learn to depend on Christ in our daily walk we have certainly matured and we all must learn that we are all part of the body of Christ and are in this together.   Soli Deo Gloria!

Praying Like A Son

"Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, "Abba, Father" (Gal. 4:6). We are to avail ourselves of the whole Trinity in our prayers, utilizing the power of the Spirit, the authority of the Son, to approach the Father.  We often accept the lordship of Christ (which is usually exercised through the body, the church), but often fail to realize our potential and privilege to step into the Father's presence and accept His Fatherhood.

When we pray we should pray as if it all depends on God and we should live as if it all depends on us.  But how many of us pray like Jesus meant us to incorporate our sonship rights and privileges to claim what is ours in Christ?  Some pray to unknown deities or generic titles, not really knowing to whom they are praying ("O God..."); this sounds like they hardly know their Savior--which member of the Godhead do they mean?  Any god would suffice in such a case and it is not specific enough to show our familiarity with the Godhead as we employ the proper formula for prayer:  to the Father, in the name of the Son, in the power of the Holy Spirit.  Why not go to the top?  The Father is the Most High and He has an open-door policy with us so that we can gain access or entree in His Son's name.

The true son of God is acquainted with the Father in prayer and utilizes the filling of the Holy Spirit to pray with power.  "Pray in the Spirit," says Jude.  Some believers are indeed servants of the Lord, but Jesus commanded us to pray to the Father (He doesn't give recommendations or suggestions).  In the church body or assembly of believers, it is only appropriate to pray as taught and any violation is disobeying God, not just some doctrine.   "...' You shall call Me, My Father.." (Jer. 3:19 NASB).  I once went to a Bible camp where Pentecostals prayed to Jesus;  I objected and insisted on praying to my Father in heaven.  It is absolutely to pray for the salvation or sinner's prayer to the Lord Jesus, though.  Remember that God is not the author of confusion, but a God of order, organization, and authority! "Let everything be done decently and in order," says Paul to the Corinthians.

 Satan knows we are children of the King and tries to confuse us and derail our victory in prayer.  We are "Children of the Heavenly Father," as the hymn goes.  Putting on Christ means to assume our sonship and pray like a son with boldness:  "Let us boldly approach the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need" (Heb. 4:16).  We don't have to beg God; He is more than pleased to hear our requests and petitions.  This is faith, not a presumption on our part.

Note that God hears and answers all the prayers of the saints and our prayers demonstrate our relationship and familiarity with our God.  A disputed verse that some "Jesus only" believers use is John 14:14 that says, "If you ask Me anything in My name I will do it."  The word "Me" is not in all manuscripts and is in question, and even if it is there, it is not wrong to pray to Jesus, per se, but we should also pray to our Heavenly Father as taught on the Sermon on the Mount in obedience.

Finally, we must have the attitude that we don't need a study on prayer or a course, but just need to pray!  "I don't have a theology on prayer, I just pray!"  You already know enough to be a prayer warrior and this study is only how we get started in addressing God in a biblical manner. Now, in conclusion, avail yourself of your God-given rights to pray as a son and take advantage of the opportunities it affords in everyday prayer!   Soli Deo Gloria!

Resurrection Perspectives

This is either the biggest hoax in history or the most sensational event--either way its history, but history, by its very nature, is unrepeatable, and it takes faith because it cannot be proved without laboratory conditions or controls and variables to repeat and measure scientifically. It has been well said, "Christian faith goes beyond reason, but not against it."  Our experience in Christ is real, though subjective because it is verifiable by the objective, external, historical fact of the resurrection that would meet the standards of any honest jury deciding the case according to Professor Simon Greenleaf, professor of Royal Law at Harvard University.

The resurrection doctrine is most vital and it is what establishes the deity of Christ and positive proof according to Paul in Romans 1:4 where He declared Himself the Son of God by His resurrection from the dead.  The other declaration that it makes is that the Father was satisfied with the atonement and that we can live in victory believing in Christ.

If you could disprove the resurrection, the Gibraltar of our faith, it would be dismissed as myth, legend, wishful thinking, or pie in the sky. "If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins" (1 Cor. 15:17).  This is the linchpin of Christianity--it is like taking Christ out of Christianity--there is nothing left to believe; however, on the contrary, you can take Buddha out of Buddhism, or Mohammad out of Islam, and you can have the essential religion still intact.  The risen Christ shows us that He conquered death and this is vital because then we can know that we will live eternally.

It is not enough to believe He died for a good cause, or set a good example; and not just a martyr, one must realize He died for you (not just died) and rose again on your behalf.   Dead martyrs don't change lives though they inspire or teach us religious beliefs or convictions--one must also acknowledge that He was victorious over death itself, the final enemy.  Believing not only that He died for you, but He is alive for you all on your behalf.  Accepting the historical fact that He died (and many extra-biblical sources even confirm this) does not save--that's history, but knowing He died and rose for you will save you, that is more than just history--it's a revelation!

If you want to disprove Christianity, attack the resurrection evidence and come up with an alternate explanation, other than that He rose from the dead.  Where is the body, for example?  It was never reproduced and doing so would have nipped the new so-called sect called "the Way" in the bud and nix its influence and outreach.   There were over 500 eyewitnesses to His post-resurrection appearances and this constitutes historical evidence, which much relies on the veracity (these were not your liar types who had the motive to make up stories or myths or lies).  Veracity is the test of a witness--you don't put much credence in a consummate liar, do you?  Satan is the father of liars--don't believe anything he tells you.  The apostles were all (with the exception of John) subjected to a martyr's death and a person will usually tell the truth at death--so this is another test of their credibility. It has been said that one doesn't knowingly die for a lie.  Indeed, He is risen, just like He said at least 5 times.  And the Pharisees knew this in addition and posted guards to make it as secure a tomb as they knew how.

One famous lawyer, Frank Morrison, resolved to disprove the resurrection.  He wrote a book Who Moved the Stone? and the first chapter was entitled, "The Book that Refused to be Written."  He had unwillingly, against his better intentions, become a believer after objectively examining the evidence.  Simon Greenleaf, Royal Professor of Law at Harvard University, was told to "examine the evidence" before commenting on the resurrection:  He became a believer and wrote a book, The Testimony of the Apostles.  Gen. Lew Wallace (encouraged by Robert Ingersoll, the Great Agnostic) wrote Ben-Hur:  A Tale of The Christ, originally intending to disprove Christianity!

Not everyone who heard of the resurrection believed; we aren't forced to believe!   Of course, Judas never lived to see it and who knows if he would have, but some people only hardened their hearts and became more set in their evil ways.  The idea is that if you meet Jesus and have an encounter with Him, you will never be the same--it is life-changing!  The real proof of the resurrection is how the lives of the apostles were changed--from moping cowards who had lost all hope to daring, brave, positive witnesses for Christ.  The changed lives were immediate and dramatic and not explainable by anything else but a supernatural occurrence of some kind.  What made them into such roaring lions of the faith? These timid, clueless men were transformed suddenly, upon seeing the risen Lord,  into bold preachers and proclaimers of the gospel of Jesus!  Who turned the known world upside-down?  A group of deluded madmen?  No collusion could possibly have been sustained to explain such a revelation that took place in society spiritually and morally. How do we account for the sudden authorship of the New Testament and its acceptance by the new Church all in a relatively short time span? The answer is a dramatic encounter that we all can have when we come to know Christ personally and make the leap of saving faith to trust Him as Savior and submit to Him as the Lord of our lives.

There are other circumstantial pieces of evidence that cannot be explained otherwise:  the switching to the day of worship from the Sabbath Day to the Lord's Day on the first day of the week was an early sign or tribute to the first believers' faith and testimony to Jewry; the growth of the church to eventually take over the Roman Empire; and the changes effected upon the morals and standards of society, such as the ending of gladiator fights.  There are serious issues or questions to raise: To look at the relevancy, why is it that today millions would die for Him, and conquer not with fear nor bloodshed, but with love.  He is the emperor of love and His kingdom is in the love in our hearts.  Why do we remember and still worship Him as God and no one respects or names their children after Tiberius, Pilate, nor Herod to this day?  His kingdom has outlasted Rome's and Christianity is the predominant religion of the world?       Soli Deo Gloria!

Going By Your Conscience?

Are you justified in obeying your conscience?  Can it be wrong?  Is it innate and inborn or developed and nurtured?   Do we inherit it or is it God-given because we are in the image of God?  I posit that we do not instantly know right and wrong from birth ("Even from birth the wicked go astray; from the womb they are wayward, spreading lies" [Ps. 58:3]).  The conscience is different in each individual and may be destroyed or muffled by ignoring it or highly fine-tuned by obeying it when we say we have a sensitive conscience.  The criminal in jail for stealing may condemn someone for "stealing" his cigarettes.

Jiminy Cricket said to always obey your conscience.  This only is safe if our conscience is edified by the Word of God as Martin Luther testified to the Pope and Charles V at the Diet of Worms:  "...my conscience is held captive to the Word of God, and to go against conscience is neither right nor safe."  It is no excuse to claim your conscience approves, because it can be wrong or if you have a clear conscience it means God is pleased with you--the Word of God is the standard, not you nor your conscience.

R.. C. Sproul defines conscience: The inner awareness or consciousness of right and wrong and the ability to apply sets of standards or norms to concrete situations.  This may be right and may be wrong.  Do all people know the same sense of right and wrong?  Does it happen at once or do we reach an age of reckoning or accountability that God demands we choose Him or the ways of the world?   Some people let their religious beliefs or convictions interfere with their conscience and violate it and become fanatics for a cause.  Conscience does convict us and God speaks through it:  "I speak the truth in Christ ...  my conscience confirms it in the Holy Spirit" (Rom 9:1).

The very essence of sin is to do what you know is wrong: "..to him who knows to do right and wrong, to him it is sin" (Rom. 14:23).  Isaiah 7:15  says that the child will one day be able to distinguish good from evil.  I deduce this means that it is developed over time and can be seared, scarred, hardened, or ignored because he reaches that time of the decision to go one way or the other.

What I see the conscience as is not a set of standards, but the ability to develop them and it is part of being in the image of God. Good advice from Paul:  "I strive to keep my conscience clear before God and before man" (Acts 24:16).   An analogy is that we are born with the ability to speak, but must develop and nurture or train and practice to perfect it.  God simply doesn't expect much from a young conscience as the well-refined one.  Soli Deo Gloria! 

How Can Grace Be Irresistible?

Some believers sincerely deny irresistible grace, wrongly assuming it makes God look like a despot and we are merely robots.  If it wasn't for the grace of God, none of us would believe!  It's grace all the way; God saw no merit in us to warrant salvation, neither presalvation work nor preparation to qualify us, and nothing that merits it, which would be the beginning of salvation by works, as the Catholic adds works to faith and merit to grace, distorting the way of salvation, by grace alone, through Christ alone, in Christ alone and only God getting the glory--"Salvation is of the Lord" (Jonah 2:9).

Rome erroneously sees faith as a work (the Council of Trent declared in 1546 that sola fide or through faith alone, was anathema), but we are not saved by works!  Man is incurably addicted to doing something for his salvation (cf. John 6:28-29,  "...What can we do, to do the works of God?  This is the work of God, to believe in Him whom He has sent").  Faith is God's work in us, but our act, God doesn't believe for us.

Now if you object to God being overwhelming or irresistible, think of a young lad who vows never to like girls or a monk who vows not to marry and suddenly God has other intentions or plans!   The change their tune pretty quickly: They cannot deny acting willingly even though it wasn't their plan; it was like getting an offer they couldn't refuse.  Celibacy is a gift of God and not everyone can make it without a mate to help them ("The LORD will create a new thing on earth--the woman will protect the man," says Jeremiah 31:22).

The Scriptural support is given in Romans 5:21 that says, "grace reigns through righteousness."  Grace is sovereign and God will save whom He desires to save according to Romans 9:16 saying, "Not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy."  Zechariah 4:6 also says, "Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the LORD."   If salvation is a monergistic or one-way, unilateral endeavor or work, and not a cooperation or synergistic work, then it has to be irresistible in effect. God gives us an offer we can't refuse!  Rome claims man merely "cooperates" with God to get saved (making room for some merit that we deserve to be saved in effect), or what is ultimately making man able to save himself!   [Our calls can be effective or noneffective but when God calls it never falls on deaf ears--do you think Lazarus had a choice in being raised from the dead?]  It can be called the efficacious calling of God that quickens or kindles faith in us as we are regenerated in the Spirit.

Arminians believe that faith precedes regeneration and is the cause of it. The Reformed position is that we are elected "unto faith" and not because of it.  They believe that God elects us because He merely foresees who will believe.  Romans 8:29-30 militates against this view and clearly demonstrates that this so-called "prescient" view is erroneous.  1 John 5:1 in the ESV says that those who believe have been born of God (past tense) and this verifies the doctrine.  2 Thess. 2:13 also militates against Arminianism:  "...He has chosen you unto salvation through sanctification of the Spirit [N.B. coming first!] and belief in the truth." John 6:44 says, "No man can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws [woos] him."  If you came to Christ on your own, you probably left on your own too!  The word to woo (Elko in Greek) in the verse means to drag and not just to entice or lead. God can make even make the unwilling willing!

 God doesn't offer to save us--He saves us!  Anything less would be limiting the plenipotence (omnipotence) of God. "Who makes you to differ? What do you have that you didn't receive?" (1 Cor. 4:7).  We were no more worthy, sincere, nor moral to merit salvation, but were chosen "according to His purpose and grace." Jesus declared our helplessness to believe in our own strength, "Apart from Me you can do nothing" (cf. John 15:5).  

In conclusion, we should, therefore, affirm the primacy of grace, which is the sine qua non of faith (without which it doesn't exist or necessary and sufficient).  Rome believes grace is necessary, but not sufficient to work regeneration--we merely cooperate and are made able to save ourselves by merit added to grace.  God is no respecter of persons (Rom. 2:11) and we have no claim on God--He didn't have to save anyone and our destiny is ultimately in His hands (Eph. 1:4). "You did not choose Me, but I chose you..." (John 15:16). "Many are called, but few are chosen" (Matt. 22:14). Soli Deo Gloria!