Against The Antinomians

That's from the title of a book by Martin Luther in 1539 to combat the heresy of his student Johann Agricola (who denied a place for the Law in the believer's life) that you can actually take advantage of your salvation and live according to your own rules, making them up as you go along. This issue wasn't resolved about the purpose of the Law until the Formula of Concord in 1577.  Antinomianism means "against the law" or "anti-lawism (also called libertinism)." Their "distaste for the law" was proclaimed in the slogan:  "Freed from the law, O blessed condition: I can sin all I want and still have remission."  They believed that since we are not "under the Law" that we have the "right" to be a law unto ourselves and live according to whim or our own standards.  Scripture says in Rom. 6:1: "Do we then make the law void through faith?  Certainly not!  On the contrary, we establish the law." This is what God accused Israel of during the theocratic days of the judges when "every man did what he saw fit" (Judges 17:6, NIV)  or "what was right in his own eyes" (Judges 21:25, NIV).

The Bible never sanctions believers to do what is wrong or what is right in their own eyes or to do what is wrong, and right and wrong are absolutes that never change since we believe in absolute and not relative values and standards.  Our conscience is curtailed by that of our brother's.  And we are to do what is right in the eyes of all people, and just like Paul said, "I strive to have a conscience void of offense toward God and man." Christ is to be the "Stumbling Block and Rock of Offense," not us--we don't want to be "offensive" Christians.  Our freedom is indeed limited freedom and not absolute in that we make up our own rules and are "lawless."  We are given freedom in Christ according to Galatians 5:13 but we are not to take advantage of it as an opportunity for the flesh, but to be able to serve the Lord.  We are free from sin, not free to sin, you could say!

If we are walking according to the Spirit we will not bear the "fruits of the flesh."  Real freedom is given in three modes in our common salvation:  we are free from the penalty of sin at the moment of salvation; we are free from the power of sin during our Christian life; and finally, we are free from the presence of sin in eternity.  We never do have an absolute free will in the sense that we can do what we want--in heaven, for example, we will not be free to sin and we cannot say, "From now on I will be good."  However, we don't want to and that is freedom in the ultimate degree.  God is not free to sin, but it is not His nature and He doesn't want to.  We are only free to act according to our nature as God's creatures (He is the Potter; we are the clay--"woe to him who quarrels with his Maker" says Scripture in Isa. 45:9).  We did not choose our nature no more than a dove chose to eat seed and vulture carrion (i.e., we may be born choleric, phlegmatic, sanguine, melancholic, bipolar, extroverted, etc.).  We have to play the deck of cards we're dealt!

And so, we are free to overcome sin, not to sin; this means that when we sin we are proving our slavery, not demonstrating our freedom.  If we do approve of something that is doubtful or questionable and the Bible is not clear on the subject, we are to keep it to ourselves and as private as possible--not to flaunt our freedom and make a show of it so as to offend a weaker brother, who thinks we are sinning.  We don't eat meat offered to idols, as it were, in front of a vegetarian.  The weaker brother does indeed need to grow in knowledge, but the stronger one in love!

In summation, Christianity is not a system of ethics or praxeology, but a living relationship with the living God through Jesus Christ and not involving a given set of dos and don'ts or list of rules to keep--therefore we do not have the right to judge our brother in what he approves or to make him comply with our standards, and if God has convicted us of something, that is between us and God and let the Holy Spirit do the convicting--it's His job. "Who shall bring any charge against those whom God has chosen?  It is God who justifies"  (Rom. 8: 33).  But we live by a higher law:  The law of love; we do not want to displease God, but to obey His commandments willingly, not because we have to, but because we want to.  We are not afraid God will hurt us in some form of punishment because He never does (He disciplines and prunes us instead), but the motive is that we don't want to hurt Him!    Soli Deo Gloria!

Does God Apologize?

Sometimes when we go through trials and tribulations we tend to wonder "why?"  We are hardwired to think that there is a reason for everything that we can comprehend (for indeed God does have a reason for every purpose under heaven--"The LORD works out everything to its proper end--even the wicked for the day of disaster" (Prov. 16:4, NIV).  "I know that you can do all things; no plan of yours can be thwarted"  (Job 42:2, NIV).  We will never be able to figure out God or put Him in a box:  "Canst thou by searching find out God," (cf. Job 11:7).  Nebuchadnezzar said in Daniel that "no one can stay His hand, or say unto Him, 'What hast thou done?'" "Can anything happen without the Lord's permission?" (Lam. 3:37, NIV).  We cannot second-guess God as if He were accountable to us!  The Bible does make it clear that when we get to heaven all our questions will be answered and there will be no more tears.  See John 16:23 that says, "In that day you will ask me nothing" (ESV). Rev. 7:17 says that He will wipe away all our tears.

The man in Scripture known for his longsuffering was Job and God never gave him an explanation even though he practically demanded his day in court and the opportunity to present his case before God. Job kept asking, "Why?" but God just said, "Who?"  He said, "Who do you think you are O man, to question God?"  We don't get our way with God, He gets His way with us--God's will be done with or without our cooperation.  He maintained his personal righteousness to the very end, and this was his fault in that this degenerated into self-righteousness and personal pride and stubbornness, not willing to admit that he could be in the wrong.

This is because he compared himself to others and not to God's standards.  We all fall short in God's eyes and no one measures up--God could throw the book at any one of us, and, in fact, He didn't have to save anyone to maintain His divine holiness, righteousness, or justice.  If He had to save anyone it wouldn't be grace, but justice.

God simply does not owe anyone an explanation because He is too deep to do so and it is a waste of time for the infinite to penetrate the finite.  It would be like explaining the Internet to an ant!  If God explained Himself and set a precedent it would be a bad one because there would be an end to it and faith would not be required to please God.  God wants us to accept the whole package on the basis of faith despite our doubts, uncertainties, and questions--we have just enough knowledge to make a leap of faith and keep walking in faith.  No one has all the answers and everyone has to have their faith tested because it is more precious than silver or gold.

Now consider Job:  God was honoring him by this test; remember what he said to Satan:  "Have you considered my servant Job?"  The more we know, the more responsible we become and it is best we don't know too much!   Sometimes we really would rather not know and it is for our own good--we may not be ready for it.  Soli Deo Gloria!

HISTORY OF ISRAEL

GEN. ELECTION OF NATION, EX. REDEMPTION, LEV. SANCTIFICATION, NUMBERS DIRECTION, DEUT. INSTRUCTION, JOSH. POSSESSION, JUDGES, AND RUTH, OPPRESSION, 1 SAM STABILIZATION, 2 SAM. EXPANSION, 1 KINGS GLORIFICATION, AND DIVISION, 2 KINGS DETERIORATION AND DEPORTATION, 1 CHRON, PREPARATION OF TEMPLE, 2 CHRON. DESTRUCTION OF TEMPLE, EZRA RESTORATION OF TEMPLE, NEHEMIAH RECONSTRUCTION OF THE CITY, ESTHER PROTECTION OF NATION

FROM NORMAN L. GEISLER,  A POPULAR SURVEY OF THE OLD TESTAMENT,  (GRAND RAPIDS, MI: BAKER BOOKS, 1977) 84-85
VITAL VERSES TO STUDY ISRAEL'S HISTORY RELATING TO TODAY:  HOSEA 8:10; 3:4-5; 9:17; AMOS 9:15;  EZEKIEL 11:14FF

Deflected Anger

"God is a righteous judge, and a God who feels indignation every day" (Psalm 7:11, ESV).
"The LORD is slow to anger..." (Num. 14:18, ESV).
"...Let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger" (James 1:19, ESV).
"But now you must put them all away:  anger, malice, wrath, slander..." (Col. 3:8, ESV).
"Now the works of the flesh are evident:  ...fits of anger..." (Gal. 5:19-20, ESV).  ITALICS AND BOLDFACE MINE!

Anger per se is not sinning, but that is called righteous indignation; Jesus even expressed anger at the money changers in the temple.  God was very angry about Adam's disobedience, and when he expected to be cursed like the serpent was, it was deflected to the ground--what a relief!  God is not angry at us when we sin but angry about us--he never gets angry at people but about ideas, events, and fruits of the flesh.  If God ever got angry at anyone that person would perish (cf. Psalm 2:12).

The Word says, "A fool gives full vent to his anger."  Having temper tantrums is childish and shows lack of self-control which is a fruit of the Spirit.  The unbeliever cannot control himself as well as the believer. When a person gets angry he usually says something that will be regretted.  You cannot take back a word said in haste, it has done its damage.  We are to use words to heal and not to hurt.  We are to be sensitive to our brother's feelings and use tact and good judgment in restraining our anger.

We can get angry at the Obamacare law, but not at President Obama.  King David would not speak a harsh word of criticism against the Lord's anointed (King Saul).  Paul was caught pronouncing judgments and he said that the Law says "not to speak evil of a ruler of your people."  You can be angry and not sin, as Scripture says, and God can reign it in and keep you under control, so as not make a fool of yourself.   "Be angry, but do not sin," says the Word.  Jesus had a lot to say about anger:  He equated it with murder itself--we murder one another in spirit when we lose control of our temper and don't have patience in dealing with one another (cf. Matt. 5:22f).  Some people clearly have anger issues and must learn that the solution is repentance and living the Spirit-filled life, and not medication or anger management classes.   Soli Deo Gloria!

Taking Our Stand And Making Judgments

We must realize when we became Christians that it might cost us something; salvation is free but not cheap.  We will have to take stands when the truth or testimony of Jesus is at stake; it is the coward who stands by and stays neutral. Remember, Christians are on Satan's hit list and can even use believers for evil by inspiration or enticement.  Christ calls us to be advocates and come to the aid of each other. God can deal with someone willing to take a stand, even if wrong, but not cowards who are really weak-willed and wishy-washy.  ("Stand up, stand up for Jesus!")  Recall Pontius Pilate washing his hands of the affair.   Jesus rebukes the Laodiceans in Rev. 3:19 because He doesn't know where they stand.  We cannot be on both sides of an issue. Christians must defend each other and come to their aid when an adversary comes in aggressive attack mode.

What Satan specializes in is mind-games and psychological warfare--he likes to mess with our minds! He accuses but doesn't convict--the Holy Spirit will perform an open-and-shut case without a doubt of a sin, not just try to make you feel bad or guilty.  Does Scripture have a basis in the judgment or not?  Our judgments are not to get personal and not related to the Word by way of criticism.

Sometimes we can be right but say it in the wrong way.  Methodology is important to God ("Quench not the Spirit"), and He looks at the heart and not at the appearance as man sees--is the heart in the right place, not whether he made a mistake or did something in error.  One of the worst sins is betrayal or squealing on someone or to get personal revenge or get even--fight your own battles and if you hold something against someone, keep it between you and the person in question.  If someone is not part of the problem or of the solution it can become gossip.  If we don't stand up and defend the truth, our friends, and even what we believe in, what makes us think we will stand up for Jesus.

When we do judge we are to make sure we are right and do it in the Spirit of love ("Speak the truth in love" according to Ephesians 4:15--what is our motive?).  Remember also that Jesus also said, "When you judge, judge righteous judgment" (John 7:24). When we are called to show a brother his fault or the error of his way we should avoid labeling ("You theologian!") or any insults and name calling--we must resort to Scripture and how it applies.

God will judge those who are outside the church,  but judging per se is impossible to avoid because then we would show no discernment and fall prey to the devil and be under his condemnation. If a man claims to be a Christian and is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness (cf. Gal. 6:1).   If we are too strict or harsh in our judgment (in the measure we use it shall return to us), God may hold us accountable.  Above all, we must practice what we preach and not condemn ourselves by judging someone and doing the same thing in turn as hypocrites.  If you tell someone to repent, for example, you are required to make sure you need no repentance and are righteous in God's eyes (righteousness consists in having a right relationship with God and being at peace with man as far as it is possible with you).

We must not justify our own sin (one psalmist said that the people loved their sin too much to detect it). "For he flatters himself in his own eyes that his iniquity cannot be found out and hated" (Psalm 36:2, ESV).   We all have a sin which easily besets us (cf Heb. 12:1), but when we sin we show our slavery and don't demonstrate our freedom.  If you are a slave to sin, how can Jesus be Lord--"For sin shall have no dominion over you, for you are not under the Law but under grace."  "His name shall be called Jesus because He shall save His people from their sins."  Christ has set us free from the law of sin and death (cf. Romans 8:2).  Christ sets us free from our old sin nature at salvation (the old man) and restores us with a new nature in His likeness.

We are all works in progress (cut some slack!) and must realize that God isn't finished with us yet. The goal is to win him over not to alienate him or sever the relationship.  Scripture exhorts us to make allowance for each other's faults and to accept one another even as Christ has accepted us. Most believers should be willing to take any admonishment if done in the Spirit and not resent it or do unto them as they have done unto you (the "iron rule").  We conquer evil with good and refrain from reviling or insulting in return.    Soli Deo Gloria!

To Be Seen By Men

Some believers actively and openly practice their piety, even praying in public to demonstrate that they are so close to God (cf. Matt. 6:1).  Personal prayer is meant to be private and in your prayer closet, wherever that is.  Religiosity is one reason to be rejected from military service--you can't have overly religious or superstitious soldiers on the battlefront.

If a brother is caught in the error of his way, you who are spiritual restore such a one, so that he may come to the knowledge of the truth (Gal. 6:1; 2 Tim. 2:24).  We cannot be independent spiritual Lone Rangers who only listen to their inner voice and not to the what the body of Christ is saying. It is a matter of humility to submit to the authority of your brother and take advice and counsel.  If you don't listen to anyone what makes you think you'd listen to Jesus--He will not save those He cannot command (through His body the church).  We are not to be mystics either, just listening to what we feel God is telling us and ignoring others.

Our conscience is held captive to our brother's and we cannot just do what is right in our own eyes like Israel did ("In those days Israel did not have a king and everyone did what was right in his own eyes," says Judges 21:25).   We must not be accused of doing our own thing or doing things our way. "All we like sheep have gone astray, and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all" (Isaiah 53:6a, ESV).  Things are not always they look to us.

It is not unusual to have an intense hunger for the Word as a baby believer, but to make it look like all Christians do is sit around and read the Bible is a bad witness.  If you do that, do it alone and not to be seen in public.  The aim is not to fall into the condemnation of the devil and to have a witness that doesn't offend, not be an offensive Christian (Christ should be the offense--not you).  We don't say public prayers either, just to be seen by men and demonstrate our piety or religiosity.

Corporate and private prayer are different and we need to put them in their place.  Let's not be ashamed of Christ in public, but witnessing for Him has a greater impact than just being religious., like crossing yourself as Catholics do.  Many people are completely turned off by religion and its religiosity and we don't want to create barriers, but build bridges and not make pseudo-issues.  Soli Deo Gloria!

Why The Consternation Over Reformed Theology?

There have been many Christians writers who have made it their mission to undermine Reformed thinking and to destroy whatever vestige of the truth they feel bitter about and want to avenge themselves, as it were, by convincing Calvinists they are wrong, and enjoying their argumentative writings.  Sectarianism is sin according to Paul in 1 Corinthians and we are not to look down on our brother just because we disagree with him. We are all in Christ!  Most Calvinists were Arminians at one time and understand their "ignorance."   They aim their guns at doctrines such as eternal security and predestination, denying their having biblical basis.

But there is much outcry in some churches over Calvinistic excess and the consequent prejudice and stereotype of them as having an ax to grind and having a one-track mind and being expert on minor points like splitting hairs or nitpicking doctrine that is just a doctrine that divides (the correct nomenclature should be doctrines of grace, not the five points of Calvinism known from the acrostic TULIP).  They seem to major on the minors according to Arminians, but they are wrong.

It is alright to be on a mission, but not to divide and conquer like the strategy of the devil.  Seek the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace according to Ephesians 4:3. Most Calvinists are not divisive, contentious, argumentative, nor judgmental as people think and John Calvin never made these points himself but wrote on hundreds of topics.  People don't know that Martin Luther agreed with the doctrines of grace even though today's Lutherans have strayed from his teachings.

But the time does arise when one must take a stand and say his piece and let people know his position so that there is no confusion or prejudice. In the meantime, Calvinists need to be wise not to push it and try to "convert" people to the truth.  Their motivation should be to enlighten people to grace-orientation and to set them free from legalism and self-sovereignty and trust in the Lord's providence--let God be God.

What amazes me is that there really are no Arminians in fact, only in theory, because they live, talk, and pray just like Calvinists most of the time!  ("O God, make this person see!)  They acknowledge God's sovereignty and control over all in their prayer and just don't know it!  The really insecure ones are the ones on a mission to prove they are right no matter what and to have a one-track mind majoring in one doctrine, for instance. We should never be preoccupied with a doctrine that we become unbalanced and think it is our mission to straighten everybody out.  God wants us to learn the whole counsel of Scripture not just our favorite doctrines.  We can readily diffuse a quarrel by admitting we could be wrong and not seeming like we know it all--no matter what our position. This is only a matter of personal humility and realizing that we are all part of the story and need each other as fellow body parts.

No one has a monopoly on the truth or has cornered the market and knowledge in itself as an end and not a means to an end leads to arrogance and spiritual pride--that one side is a cut above others or the others are poor specimens.  There are some Arminians who are great men of God and live holy lives and are faithful and some Calvinists who are carnal and worldly.  In conclusion:  At the Bema Seat, Jesus isn't ever going to ask us what school of thought we subscribed to but did we know Him and learn to love and obey Him.  Soli Deo Gloria!

Selfishness And Its Consequences...

"Now the way we live is based on the Spirit, not based on selfishness. People whose lives are based on selfishness think about selfish things, but people whose lives are based on the Spirit think about things that are related to the Spirit.  The attitude that comes from selfishness leads to death, but the attitude that comes from the Spirit leads to life and peace.  So the attitude that comes from selfishness is hostile to God.  It doesn't submit to God's Law, because it can't. People who are self-centered aren't able to please God"  (Romans 8:5-8, CEB).

One of the worst insults you can assign someone is that he is selfish.  Albert Schweitzer said that the only people that are happy are those who have learned to serve.  Jesus said that the greatest in the Kingdom of God is the one who humbles himself the most (like a child).  To be great in God's kingdom you must be willing to be the servant of all;  for didn't Christ come "not to be served, but to serve..." (Mark 10:45)  Where would civilization be without selfless people who dedicated their lives to something that will outlast it, something greater than themselves--a legacy indeed!  The secret of happiness is to think of Jesus first, others second and yourself last (J.O.Y.).  If Christ hadn't arrived on the scene and taught selfless love for our fellow man, it is doubtless we would have orphanages, hospitals, universities, and charities as we know them.  Christ changed the course of history, thinking outside the box, and turned the world upside down (even seeing women as equal to men).  We could not have a civilization if everyone thought only of themselves and looked out only for good old "Number One." The old Darwinian idea of the "survival of the fittest" is non-Christian and we are not to live "each man for himself," and not be "altruistic" (a characteristic unknown to animals and sets us apart as human and in God's image).

They say that the capitalistic system works and it is based on greed; well this is an imperfect society and that is not ideal and is certainly not part of "God's economy."  In heaven, we will not be primarily concerned with bottom lines, but effort and faithfulness and the blessing of God in what we do--not giving ourselves the glory.  But of course, when people come up with ideas like the proposition that we need to learn to be "selfish" to get ahead and be a "success" they don't realize that this is nothing new:  "There's nothing new under the sun."  What amazes me is that most people don't recognize evil when confronted with it, but have itching ears that hear what they want to hear without any discernment.

Only the mature in Christ according to Hebrews 5:14 are able to discern good from evil.   When we see evil we have the opportunity to take our stand and stand up for Jesus and truth and not let the devil have his wicked way in the world.  Just thank God for all the sacrifices people have made before us to give us the culture and civilization we have and their selfless love and commitment to the welfare of others.  In conclusion:   Don't let evil be unchallenged and unanswered and remember to conquer evil with good (cf. Rom. 12:21).   Soli Deo Gloria!

How Free Is Free Will?

NB:  There are two kinds of will:  mundane and spiritual.  My premise is that we cannot choose Jesus apart from the grace of God completely on our own--it is a divine work in us to change our nature.

Martin Luther wrote one of the most influential books of the Reformation, The Bondage of the Will, to refute the Catholic scholar Desiderius Erasmus of Rotterdam (In Praise of Folly). The Roman Catholic Church, in the Council of Trent (the Counter-Reformation), 1545-63, pronounced this doctrine anathema and aimed their guns at it.  However, the debate has its origin with the bishop Aurelius Augustine of Hippo and the British monk Pelagius during the fifth century.  Much of the controversy lies in a problem of semantics, nevertheless, the debate rages on and is considered by some a doctrine that divides, since there are sincere believers (Arminians) who believe otherwise.

Verses to ponder by way of introduction:  Isaiah 63:17 says, "O LORD, why do you make us wander from your ways and harden our heart so that we fear you not?" (where is the free will [a term, by the way, not in Scripture except freewill offerings to mean voluntary and not compulsive] in that?).  The anticipatory question of Paul:  "...Why does he still find fault, for who can resist his will?" (Rom. 9:19b, ESV).  We are born into slavery in a hopeless situation [it couldn't be worse!]:  "Wretched man that I am.  Who will deliver me from the body of this death?" (Rom. 7:24, ESV).

Augustine is famous for saying that we are "free but not freed."  Martin Luther said that to call it "free will" is too "grandiose" a term.  Actually, granted we have so-called "free will," the Bible makes it clear that we are "in Adam" before our salvation, and he, therefore, represented the race of mankind and chose evil when he was given this free will.  Our wills are also depraved and spoiled by the sin nature in us.  We are enslaved to sin prior to salvation and must be set free as prisoners of ourselves, sin, and Satan.  We are not born free, as some think, but must be set free.  "For you shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free"  (John 8:32).  Adam chose the devil's way and ever since we do the same "in Adam" and are no different.  God granted us free will, as it were, but we chose Satan. Yes, we certainly make our choices willingly, they are not made for us--we only have ourselves to blame for our failures, not God.

What is God to do, but elect and choose to save some unconditionally and not by any merit of their own "according to the good pleasure of His will."  Remember that Jesus said, "You did not choose me, but I chose you" in John 15:16.  If there were any reason in ourselves such as a tendency or bias toward good (we are inclined toward evil and sin), then the choice would not be by grace but by merit. We do not deserve salvation and nothing makes us worthy: Some people don't just desire to be saved and others don't--it's not that simple (that would be a basis of merit).  God didn't choose us because He foresaw that we would believe (the prescient view, would be according to our works --cf. Titus 3:4-5)--that would be the beginning of merit and we'd have something to brag about in God's presence.  God made believers out of us and quickened faith within us, even making the unwilling willing and turning hearts of stone into hearts of flesh.

We are still responsible for our decisions and the road we take, and can't claim to "be on the wrong" list" because we all have adequate light to be culpable and make a decision for or against God--I do not believe in coercion or determinism, where we have our decisions made for us, like robots, or are made to do something we don't want to do.  The limit of our will is the ability to make decisions of the one available to us:  If I throw a ball, you have the choice to catch it or let it pass by.  But I decided which ball and when to throw it, etc.  We are free to "choose our own poison" in other words. The freedom of the will is a curse in other words because it has worked against us.  The problem with most theologians is that they jump to the conclusion that just because we can make decisions and are not robots, therefore we are free in the absolute sense and have "free will."  For example, this line of reasoning is like an animal acting according to its will, if you will,  and not doing anything it doesn't want to do; therefore, this means it has "free will."

Our Freedom is like a felon in prison believing he didn't act according to his free will and his rights are being violated in prison--he has the free will to make life decisions they give him (like what to eat, what TV channel to watch, what God to worship, etc.), but not the freedom to get out of prison.  Or it is like a man with a ticket on a train that thinks he has free will but doesn't even know where the train is going--that's up to God, as it were (our destiny is ultimately in God's hands).  Our freedom cannot say, for instance, "Henceforth, I will only do good."  Paul says, "I do not understand what I do.  For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate to do"  (Rom 7:15).  We are natural slaves to sin before salvation, and afterward, we are slaves to righteousness! The locus of our default inability is our nature we are born with (old nature vs. nurture debate).

But God thought it "worth the risk" as Paul Little says, decided we would be in the image and likeness of Him. Is God "free" because He cannot sin?  Are we free in heaven where we cannot sin? We are "voluntary slaves" and enjoy our slavery to sin. Some say that if we cannot choose of our own volition for God then we don't have free will--Jonah 2:9 says, "Salvation is of the Lord."  It is not a joint venture, but God gets all the credit.  (Soli Deo Gloria! or to God alone be the glory!)   We don't cooperate in our salvation, to merit it in any way--we don't add merit to grace as Catholics do.  Now, sanctification is another matter, whereby we cooperate with God to increase in godliness and holiness and in our personal fellowship and walk with the Lord.

"Know that the LORD, he is God!  It is he who made us, and we are his..."  (Psalm 100:3, ESV). "But now, O LORD, you are our Father, we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand" (Isaiah 64:8, ESV).  We are not self-made men but should look to the rock from which we were hewn and the quarry from which we were dug (cf. Isaiah 51:1).  We act according to our nature, (e.g, temperamental, impetuous, impulsive, sanguine, choleric, phlegmatic, garrulous, introverted, demonstrative, reserved, melancholy, etc.) and God decides our nature (like the difference between a dove and a vulture desiring different food by nature); we are hot-wired to divine spec!  God is our maker and we cannot ask Him why He made us the way we are.

So little of our decisions is because of the will that God can manipulate circumstances and use Providence to get His will done through anyone He chooses. Some people are vessels of honor, some of the dishonor.   We didn't decide where we were born, who our parents were, what schools we went to, what our heritage is, et alia. (There are many variables and control factors to take into account in the equation.)   God is free to act according to His divine nature and we are free to act according to our God-given tainted and fallen human nature.

Our wills have limits according to Scripture ("No man can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws them..." according to John 6:44) and no man can do nothing apart from Christ's grace ("Apart from Me you can do nothing" according to John 15:5).  We have a will, but not the ability to choose or will Christ apart from the grace of God.  The condition for coming to Christ is recognizing our inability and of being unqualified.

The sum total of our circumstances and resultant life decisions are laid out before we are born and written in God's book (the eternal decree) as certain to happen (Psalm 139:16).  "My times [future] are in your hands" (Psalm 31:15).  "I know, O LORD, that the way of man is not in himself, that it is not in man who walks to direct his steps" (Jer. 10:23, ESV). "The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps"  (Prov. 16:9, ESV).  "A man's steps are from the LORD; how then can man understand his way?" (Prov. 20:24, ESV).  To sum up:  We have a destiny, but not a fate, which is impersonal and needs no input from us to achieve--in a destiny, we cooperate with God, fate leaves us no choice at all and will happen regardless.

The bottom line is that we don't need free will to get saved, we need wills made free, as you will see if you are grace-oriented.  We don't come to Christ of our own free will--He draws us (It says, compelle intrare or force them in.)  Furthermore, Romans  9:16 says it is "not of him who wills...." We can't reform ourselves or prepare ourselves for salvation.  John 1:11 says that we are "born not of the will of man, nor of the will of the flesh" We cannot change our nature or in any way prepare ourselves for salvation: "Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots?  Then neither can you do good who are accustomed to evil" (Jer. 13:23).

However, we are, nevertheless, "free moral agents" and this means we are culpable and God gives us a choice to make.  Plato was wrong when he thought man would only choose the good because man is depraved and willingly chooses evil.   We are not "basically good" but inherently evil through and through. Martin Luther says, "We have not ceased to be man, but ceased to be good!"

 [Appropriate history lesson:  The Roman Catholic Council of Trent (1545-63) declared that anyone who doesn't affirm that we cooperate with God by our own free will is anathema (cursed)!  This Arminian position was condemned at the Synod of Dort in 1618.]

Jesus said, "You will not come to Me ..." (John 5:40).  God is "no man's debtor"(He will authenticate Himself!) and God "no respecter of persons" and makes us willing and able to respond to the gospel; however, He gets all the glory. We do not have the inherent ability to equally choose between good and evil--we are biased toward evil (not inclined to good anymore after Adam's sin) and need grace! This is one of the so-called  5 Onlys:  Soli Deo Gloria!  We simply would never have believed apart from grace:  We are those "...who through grace [have] believed" (cf. Acts 18:27, ESV).  Soli Deo Gloria!

Time To Weep...

As Ecclesiastes 3:4 says:  "A time to weep, a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance."
"...to comfort all who mourn; to grant to those who mourn in Zion--to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit [a spirit of heaviness]..." (Isaiah 61:2-3, ESV).  PLEASE  READ ON!

God works everything according to His timetable, "...for he hath made everything beautiful in its time" (Eccles. 3:11); also, "There is a time for everything, a season for every activity under heaven" (Eccles. 3:1, NLT).  We must not question Him:  Job 12:13 (ESV) says, "With God are wisdom and might; he has counsel and understanding [His wisdom is profound, His power is great]."  And  King Nebuchadnezzar says:  "...none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What hast thou done?" (Daniel 4:35).   We wouldn't do any better of a job running the cosmos as God, who is still at work micromanaging the time-space continuum with all its matter and energy--there is not even one maverick molecule that escapes His sovereignty, and nothing surprises Him that He has to revert to Plan B. 

One reason we have trials, tribulations, suffering, and adversity or calamity is to show what we are made of--Christ didn't even exempt Himself because it's part of the required curriculum of life (Reality 101) and everyone should experience it.  It doesn't show what they were made of but what you are made of.  The same sun hardens the clay melts the butter.  Experience is not always just what happens to you, but what you do with it--what happens in you.   God is determined to make us in Christ's image.  When does a silversmith know when he is done polishing;  when he can see himself in the silver!  When asked a sculptor how he could make a horse out of a rock, he said he simply takes away everything that doesn't look like a horse!  Michelangelo found a rock of granite that had been rejected by other artists as useless and formed the statue of David out of it.

Therefore, God can make something out of nobodies and uses common people to accomplish His purposes just as readily as anybody else.  It follows that we are works in progress and must keep in mind that He will not give up till He is finished with us:  "He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion..." (Phil. 1:6).  Remember that God isn't finished with us yet and no one has arrived:  "I have seen a limit to all perfection" (Psalm 119:96); "Let him who thinks he stands, take heed lest he fall" (1 Cor. 10:12); also, "Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended..." (Phil. 3:13).

I postulate that God is the"...Father of all mercies and the God of comfort..." (2 Cor. 1:3).  God's in the "comfort business" so be comforters!  That's why Paul says, "Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep" (Rom. 12:15, ESV). He wants us to have empathy and that means putting ourselves in their shoes.  We find out what we are made of and not what kind of people they are by our experience.  He comforts us so we can return the gesture to others in their bereavement in kind.

Mourning is a therapeutic thing to do for coping with tragedy and death (it is not escapism or a sign of weakness) and all of must get the closure sufficient to readjust and carry on.  For instance, in the military, they practically force you to go on emergency leave when your next-of-kin passes on, because they don't want you to be maladjusted and have emotional problems later coming on.  You cannot predict a moment of breakdown into tears and sorrow.  When Jesus wept I'm sure He was taken aback Himself and didn't anticipate it.  A person may go to a funeral and seem unmoved, but it will sooner or later hit him and he will pay the piper as it were.

Rest in faith and be assured that God has a purpose for everything He does:  "The LORD has made everything for his own purposes, even the wicked for punishment"  (Prov. 16:4, NLT).   Jesus had to get "acquainted with grief" and weep for Lazarus to be in the position to identify with our sorrows. "He was a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief" according to Isaiah 53:3.

It is not appropriate to have a spirit of levity, or jest at funerals for the sake of humor (we don't want a comedian there to change the mood, for instance) but to feel their loss and comfort them in their bereavement.  We console them and not make light of it if we can relate to them at all.  Humor should be appropriate:  I have seen much laughing going on at funerals, which isn't wrong per se; there is a place for holy humor, but we shouldn't get carried away and put it into its place (if something funny happened in his life, that's different) and not let it disturb the spirit--that's why we attend funerals with our condolences:  Solomon says that "it is better to go to the house of mourning than the house of feasting [mirth]" ( Ecclesiastes 7:2).

Somehow it seems that we are closer to God in our tears than in our laughter for Jesus said, "Woe to you who laugh [inappropriately] now, for you shall weep" (Luke 6:35).  "Even in laughter the heart may ache, and the end of joy may be grief" (Prov. 14:13).   It is harder and better to make someone cry than to laugh;  anyone can tell a joke:  "Sorrow is better than laughter, for by sadness of face the heart is made glad"  (Eccles. 7:3).

Funerals are a necessary ingredient to the healing process whereby we get closure and reach a conclusion about the matter and can go on living, having learned something from it--they are to console the survivors and not to judge the deceased.  Like God said of Abel's blood, that it spoke, though he was dead ("And through his faith, though he died, he still speaks," from Heb.11:4b, ESV), every person that dies has a story to tell and we have something to glean and relate to--our chance to get to know them from people that did.  The concept of putting ourselves in their shoes and empathizing, and trying to say their message as they would tell it if they were with us, is quite a gift and part of the grace we can give others from our learning experiences or wisdom.  We may experience the gamut of emotion and show transition from tears to joy and even laughter!  We must all say our goodbye's and go on living and know that we have done all we could have done and have no regrets,  (we must acknowledge that it's over and we must go on)--not blaming ourselves and develop guilt that could scar us, for instance.

We don't want to be inappropriate but supportive in our fellowship with the mourners, and reassure them that Christ came to "comfort those who mourn in Zion" (cf. Isa. 61:1).  When we grow strong from our afflictions, we can testify with Paul:  "But none of these things move me..." (Acts 20:24, KJV).  Soli Deo Gloria!