Can God Change Your Mind?

"The elect among them did [obtained unto it], but the rest were hardened"  (Rom. 11:7).
"...I say, 'My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please'" (Isaiah 46:10).

Though there is much consternation over the doctrine of election, our destiny is ultimately in God's hands--we are not the master of our fate, nor the captain of our soul ("My future is in Your hands," says Psalm 31:15, and "Salvation is of the LORD," according to Jonah 2:9).  If we have never realized our helplessness and depravity in God's eyes and cried out, "God be merciful to me, the sinner," we are not saved.

We are born semi-Pelagians who insist that we have absolute "free will" (I put it in quotes because it is too grandiose a term for our power of choice and right to self-determination); however, we made the decision to believe ourselves and God doesn't believe for us, though faith is a gift it is our act. We do not need free will to be saved, but wills made free.

We are not born free, but enslaved (to sin) and need to be set free, and that includes our wills (in the doctrine of total depravity, in which we are wholly infected with sin in our passions or emotions, minds or intellects, and wills or volition).   The gospel doesn't sound reasonable, doesn't feel right, and we simply don't want to do it.  We are unable to come to Christ (this is without the wooing of the Spirit) and wooing is contingent upon grace per John 6:44, 65.

God is in charge of our destiny:  God can and does interfere with our wills by His sovereignty (can't He do anything He wants?): "Why, LORD, do you make us wander from your ways and harden our hearts so that we do not revere you?"  (Isaiah 63;17);  "He does as he pleases with the powers of heaven and the peoples of he earth," says Daniel 4:35c);  He interferes at will "according to His purpose and grace"--"The LORD does whatever pleases him" (Psalm 135:6).  Note also Jeremiah 10:23:  "LORD, I know that people's lives are not their own; it is not for them to direct their steps;" and Prov. 20:24: "A person's steps are directed by the LORD.  How then can anyone understand their own way?"  This is the issue of the sovereignty of God plain and simple:  He leaves nothing to chance and there is no "maverick molecule" as He never plays dice with the universe, according to Einstein.

The problem is not that some desire to get saved (what makes them desire?) and some don't (a merit that Romanists claim), but that, in reality, no one chooses Christ, and God reserved the right to choose some (the elect) according to His the good pleasure of His will and to demand justice for the reprobate or nonelect.  "Therefore God has mercy on whom he wants to have mercy, and he hardens whom he wants to harden [like He did Pharaoh]" (Rom. 9:18).

It is a good thing that God made us willing because we were unwilling and He turned our hearts of stone into hearts of flesh (cf. Ezekiel 36:26), just like David prayed in Psalm 51:12:  "...grant me a willing spirit to sustain me."  God is working on us as "works in progress" and we are not our own, but God is our Maker and we are simply clay in the hands of the Potter.  "For it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose"  (Phil. 2:13).  God can make the king's heart turn anyway He desires according to Prov. 21:1 as we see:  "In the LORD'S hand the king's heart is a stream of water that he channels toward all who please him."  We never do anything we don't want to, but who decided our nature?  It was our Maker who made us choleric, melancholy, sanguine, bipolar, schizoid, impulsive, impetuous, or happy-go-lucky, et al. Why does the dove prefer seed and the vulture carrion? Because they are acting according to their God-given nature!

Our righteousness is not our gift to God, but His gift to us!  I do not believe in determinism or coercion, because there is no outside force making us do something we don't want to do (the will is the mind choosing according to Jonathan Edwards), but all factors are not always equal:  isn't it easy to say you will go on a diet after a big meal?  If I point a gun at you and demand your money, will you not change your mind?   If I throw you a ball, do you not have to decide whether to catch it? God is in charge of all circumstances that affect our decisions and very little of our decisions are wholly based upon our wills, which is only one of the variables of the equation.

It is not a question of man's freedom, but of God's omnipotence and His power to accomplish His will--we don't frustrate His plans because He has no Plan B and all is working out according to intention and we are nobody to question His wisdom.   We strive to do God's will but it is only by grace:  "To this end I strenuously contend with all the energy Christ so powerfully works in me" (Col. 1:29).  God will make sure you can do His will too:  "...[who will] equip you with everything good for doing his will..." (Heb. 13:21).

There is a divine directive, marching orders to the church at large and to the believer that can only be done with God's aid (I am not against works but only those done in the flesh):  "Your troops will be willing on your day of battle" (Psalm 110:3).   Remember, even our salvation is owed to God's power and intervention into our willpower:  "It does not, therefore, depend on human desire or effort, but on God's mercy" (Rom. 9:16).   Also, John says it so well in John 1:13: "Children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God."

God saw that no one wanted to come to Him (even Adam chose against him), though He invited them (a general call to salvation is given to all, but God only calls the elect according to Acts 2:39 and Rom. 8:29-30), and He decided to save some (the elect) by grace, not according to any merit, wisdom, work, intelligence, charisma, or in any way "better or deserving," but "according to His purpose and grace" and the "good pleasure of His will," or it wouldn't be grace, but justice.  He didn't owe any man salvation and is no man's debtor nor respecter of persons.  Soli Deo Gloria!

What Is Witnessing?

It's time to define our terminology and make it clear what we are talking about. Is merely saying, "Thank God!" witnessing? Authentic witnessing is done in the power of the Holy Spirit and is a presentation of the gospel in whole or part, depending on where the person is spiritual. The basic message and facts are, according to 1 Cor. 15:1-3, the death, burial and resurrection of Christ. To "obey the gospel" is to repent and accept Christ as Lord and Savior. Jesus said, "repent and believe the gospel."

We all try to make people "God-conscious" by mentioning such phrases as "Thank God!", "God-willing" or "Praise the Lord (Hallelujah), "God knows best!, "God bless you!" or "Amen." Saying grace can open doors as well as be a silent witness. These kinds of remarks make a person aware of our position and stand. We may say political opinions (one way to open a door), and be accused of being too conservative, for example. We may ultimately be accused of being "holier-than-thou," or a holy-roller. If we mention Jesus, or object to someone blaspheming His name (and this is a barrier to break when we go from God to Jesus), we may be accused of being a Jesus freak. Many people are offended by Jesus, but not by God, since they don't equate the two.

Remember, it is the Holy Spirit that convicts of sin, not we ourselves. Don't try to make them feel guilty or that we are out to reform their lives like giving up cigarettes or beer. Jesus is out to give a new life not just a changed life. Transformed and exchanged life (a more abundant life) in Christ not turning over a new leaf or making a New Year's resolution. Paul said that he was not "ashamed of the gospel" because that is where the power is.

Giving our testimony is something that cannot be argued. "I was blind, but now I see! [said the blind man]." First, we tell about how we were before we meant Christ (I felt separated from God, my life was dominated by sin and pleasing myself, there was a void in my life nothing could fill); how we met Christ (I realized I was a sinner and repented and invited Christ to be my Lord and Savior--if I may add in passing, one must believe Christ to be the one and only Son of God and that He died for your sins and rose again as the facts); and what our life is like after we got saved (now I have peace with God and others and myself, I have purpose in living, and I have assurance I am going to heaven). We should all have our testimony ready because we never know when we will need it. "Having our feet shod with the gospel of peace."

We must be on the alert for opportunities or open doors (and only God can open a door-cf. Matt. 7:7 "knocking") to witness because God prepares hearts to be ready for His grace and love. The hardest thing to do is to break the ice and start a conversation. We can open by saying, "Are you absolutely, 100 percent sure that you would go to heaven if you died today?" Or, "Why should God let you into heaven?" For the timid, I suggest passing out tracts and saying something like, "Did you get one of these?" or "This is what helped me."   Soli Deo Gloria!

Do We Earn Our Testimony?

If I told you that you had to earn the right to witness you might never witness, just like if I told you that you couldn't do it until you get your act together. All Christians are called to witness regardless of spiritual growth (don't ever be ashamed of Jesus). The witness or testimony that we have is God's gift to us; our "niceness" is God's gift to us not our gift to God. He is the potter, we are the clay. "...All that we have accomplished you have done for us..." (cf. Isa. 26:12). "Who makes you to differ? What do you have that you didn't receive" (1 Cor. 4:7)?

I realize that God expects us to bear witness to the world and let our light so shine before men that they may see our good works, but God the Holy Spirit does the convicting. It is the Father who draws us to the cross of Christ and we are only vessels of honor. If we were in the military we may have a "witness" to ex-service people but that is not because we earned that witness; it is because God opened the door (an open door is an opportunity). We must see it in a grace orientation. Soli Deo Gloria! (To God alone be the glory!)

There is an example in Acts 16 that tells of Paul witnessing to "anyone who will listen." Even Paul had to ask for prayer to have God open doors and make him a bold witness; much more we! Let us never discourage someone from witnessing just because we know better or are more mature--they will learn. Someone has said that the world wants to see the gospel in shoe leather--that means our life is a witness. We must be like Paul who spoke to anyone who would listen while praying for the open door.  In sum, we are witnesses for Christ whether we want to or not; it just depends on what kind of witness, good or bad.  Soli Deo Gloria!

Reformed Theology On The Defensive!...

Most Arminians (those of the opposite persuasion) are not aware of the fact that their patron saint (Jacob Hermann or Jacobus Arminius in Latin) was once a Reformed theologian at a Dutch university who was expelled from his post in disgrace. Reformed theology is the orthodox position, (going back to Aurelius Augustine, Bishop of Hippo's, debate with the British monk Pelagius in the 5th century), though we are all born semi-Pelagians or Arminians (they are actually in the majority, even among Evangelical churches)  and Martin Luther, formerly an Augustinian monk, wrote a book, The Babylonian Captivity of the Church.  Luther claimed we are all natural-born semi-Pelagians and we should consequently understand their viewpoint.

Many are in a fog about what Reformed theology is, it is sometimes referred to as Covenant theology, (people call it this to avoid the derogatory term "Calvinist" with its negative connotations).   J. I. Packer says that is is more than a set of doctrines to subscribe to, but a "hermeneutic"--a way of seeing and interpreting Scripture in the light of grace, and having a viewpoint from above.  I see it as a "mindset" and even a "worldview" because we can see everything in the light of God's grace.  Let the Holy Spirit's illuminating ministry open your eyes and I hope you "get it"--a new orientation.

The pill that's hard for some to swallow is that our ultimate destiny is in God's hands and we are not in control (Yes, we are at the complete mercy of God who will have mercy on whom He will have mercy) and so they make erroneous conclusions based on their bias. "It is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy" (Rom. 9:16).   It is written in John 15:16:  "I chose you, and you didn't choose me."  Ephesians 1:5 says "according to the good pleasure of His will...."   Being the elect refers to God's election, not ours! The common belief of prescience is that God conditioned our election on our contingent faith on our belief and thus we merited it and are better than the lost.

The golden chain of redemption in Rom. 8:29-39 militates against prescience if you exegete it.  He elected those He foreknew (means to have a personal love-relationship with, not knowing facts about someone).   Calvinists adhere to unconditional election based on His purpose and grace and nothing in us found worthy of it. God doesn't owe us a measure of grace, or it would be justice, not grace!  Do you really think you responded to the gospel because you were more virtuous or moral than the unbeliever? Arminians admit they cannot explain why some respond to His wooing and others don't, other than positing that some desire to be saved and others don't  (actually the Greek word for wooing is elko and it really means to "drag" someone!). God didn't owe us--He didn't have to save anyone!

It seems most people have preconceived notions of Calvinism (which really are "hyper-Calvinism" ideas of "double-predestination" and "reprobation" that they object to, or even the doctrine of "election,"  and for this cause Calvinism gets a bad rap).  Calvinism per se is not what John Calvin taught (his teachings about predestination, for example, were sparse),  and it was first delineated by the Synod of Dort in 1618 to answer the Remonstrants who had a five-pointed objection with the Reformers (namely, Johann Koch, John Preston, John Ball, Caspar Olevianus,  Robert Rollock, Zacharias Ursinus, Henry Bullinger, Huldreich  Zwingli, John Calvin and Martin Luther with Phillip Melancthon ahead of the game or before the fact, so to speak).  

Calvinists are not preoccupied with one doctrine and are not on a mission to convert people to their way of thinking.  It only seems that way since they've had a "grace awakening" and become "grace-oriented."  It's a wonderful way to see God and our relationship with Him--they get the "can't-help-its" and want to share their faith and open their brother's eyes.  Case in point:  When I personally became aware of "eternal security" it opened my eyes to a whole new way of interpreting Scripture.

C. H. Spurgeon said that Calvinism (also known commonly by the nomenclature of Reformed theology and Covenant theology, though these terms are not identical) is simply acknowledging that "Salvation is of the Lord" as Jonah testified in the belly of the great fish.  Faith is God's gift, but our act (God doesn't believe for us!).  Roman Catholics believe that faith is a meritorious work and we all know that we are not saved by works in Ephesians 2:8-9. It is easier to see that we owe our faith to our election and not our election to our faith.   We are not elected because of our faith, but unto faith  (this means the election results in regeneration and faith/repentance and is not caused by it--see 2 Thess. 2:13, Acts 13:48; and 1 John 5:1 in ESV),  and this election is, according to the Calvinists, vital to know, as we don't merit our election in any way.  A condition of salvation is to realize we are not worthy.

If we have to do anything for our salvation we will fail, and miserably. The other possibilities are logical "of us alone" and "of us and God together in a joint, cooperative venture.' If you think about it, the former one is religion, and the latter is legalism.  The only way of grace is by God alone and we can be sure this way (no human element involved to vary):  Man is incurably addicted to doing something force his salvation according to Chuck Swindoll!  We just receive it by faith and that faith is God's gift.  If we have to do a work for salvation we will fail, and at that miserably.  What's the joy in not knowing you are saved or that you have to do something to be accepted in the Beloved? Nehemiah 8:10 says:  "The joy of the LORD is your strength."  This is because there is a difference between the conjecture of the Arminian versus the certitude of the Calvinist--viva la difference!

John Newton says that he believes in unconditional election before he was born because he certainly didn't do anything in his life to merit it! The Reformed doctrines (known also as "doctrines that divide" by some) are known as TULIP or by five so-called points in this acrostic. The misunderstanding comes from the unfortunate nomenclature in describing the points.  They should be better known as radical corruption, sovereign choice, efficacious or quickening grace, particular redemption and the God's preservation of the saints, just to give examples (R. C. Sproul, among others, use these terms).

Faith is a gift per Acts 18:27 ("You have believed through grace") among other passages. He opens our heart like He did to Lydia in Acts 16:14.  Note also that repentance is the flip side of faith and is also the gift of God per Acts 5:31 among other passages.  The terms are used almost interchangeably in the gospels and epistles and there is no saving faith without genuine repentance; you can distinguish them, but not separate them--they go hand in hand and are seen together as the gift of God as a work of grace in the individual to change his character and quicken his spirit to salvation.  The point is that God grants repentance just as faith:  Acts 5:31; 11:18; 2 Tim. 2:25; Rom. 2:4; 2 Cor. 7:9, et alia.  We have to see what Jesus meant in John 6:44, 65 and that we cannot come to the Father on our own, without grace and it is "granted."

This is not the place to elaborate or defend these doctrines here, as we will miss the point:  What is the point?  Simply what the reformers' battle cry was:  The "Five Onlys":  Sola Deo Gloria (to God alone be the glory--i.e., we get no credit!), sola fide (by faith alone--i.e., not of works we do), Soli Christo (through Christ alone--i.e., we don't help Jesus out!), sola gratia (by grace alone--i.e., it is freely given and not earned or deserved!) and sola Scriptura (Scripture alone as authority--i.e., not the Papists, Romanists, or the "Church.").  As Martin Luther said, "I dissent, I disagree, I protest." Namely, that God gets all the glory and credit and we have naught to brag or boast of in His presence of.  Grace alone means we don't work at all in our salvation!  They should be known as the "doctrines of grace, not doctrines that divide."  Arminians don't accept the fact that grace is the sine qua non of faith (in other words it is not only necessary, but all-sufficient, and regeneration precedes faith per 2 Thess. 2:13 and 1 John 5:1 in the ESV).  Romanists affirm that grace is necessary but we must add at least some congruous merit to it since it is not sufficient.  We don't add to God's work in us--that gives us some of the credit.

Christians of the Reformed persuasion are not fanatics on a mission to convert believers to their school of thought but have a new spiritual fervor because of this awakening, and once you've experienced it, you want to pass it along!  Just as Jesus said, "You shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free" (John 8:32).  God turns our heart of stone into hearts of flesh by grace (cf. Ezek. 36:26)--He makes believers out of us per Philippians 2:13 et alia!  The conclusion of the matter is this:  God doesn't enable us to save ourselves or even just offer to save us--He saves us!  We must first quit trying to save ourselves and learn to trust and obey.  Soli Deo Gloria!

Why Doesn't God Answer All Our Questions?

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD.  As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts" (Isaiah 55:8-9, NIV).
"Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God!  How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out!" (Romans 11:33, NIV).
"The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but those things which are revealed belong to us and to our children forever" (Deut. 29:29).

Wouldn't it be hunky-dory if God answered all our questions?  But wait a minute, we are assuming we have the capacity to apprehend God.  God is the ultimate mystery to never be fathomed!  The medieval theological maxim still holds water:  "The finite cannot grasp (or contain) the infinite."  We cannot plumb the mysteries of God, as it were.  This is called the profundity or incomprehensibility of God doctrinally speaking.  Our limited minds can no longer understand  God's motives than if we tried to explain the Internet to an ant.  The only info we need is enough to have faith, and faith is what pleases God and without faith, it is impossible to please Him (cf. Heb. 11:6).  The more we know the more responsible we are and if we knew all the answers we would ultimately be on a par with God Almighty Himself.

The supreme example of a man who demanded answers from the Almighty was Job.  He kept asking God "Why me, Lord?" But God countered:  "Who are you Job?"  God was saying:  Who do you think you are?  Let me ask you a few questions?  God is simply too profound to explain Himself.--the the profundity of God.  God had questions for Job to answer just to humble him and put him in his place.  God is not accountable to anyone and for anything He does.  He depends on nothing and no one for His existence.   Nebuchadnezzar said, "Who can stay His hand, or say unto Him, 'What hast thou done?'"  He stands alone, and who can oppose him?  He does whatever he pleases" (Job 23:13, NIV).

If God answered all our questions, we would not have faith, but knowledge.  However, John 16:23 says:  "In that day you shall ask me nothing." What Jesus seems to be referring to is that we will be satisfied with the knowledge that He gives us and the answers He does give to us about our loved ones and related subjects.  If God were obliged to answer all our questions, there would be no end to the inquiry.  Our questions would keep us from having faith and taking that "leap of faith."

Job was satisfied in seeing God or in having a revelation of Him, that humbled him and made him realize that even he had self-righteousness ("Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes," according to Job 42:5).  In spirit, all our questions will be answered, but technically they won't and cannot be.  We are finite and our minds cannot contain God's infinity.  Answering all our questions is akin to answering all our prayers, or doing miracles on demand--they weaken, not strengthen faith. We don't want all our prayers answered our way because we don't know what is best for us and would mess up our lives in the process--thank God all your prayers weren't answered the way you wanted.

Miracles only give a thirst for more miracles and don't make faith--actually, faith makes miracles. The key from Job is to know God, not know why He does everything.   Quite frankly, it may be none of our business!  He doesn't owe us; we owe Him!  And so in conclusion:  Just like Job's inquiry, we have to realize who God is and who we are, and not presume on His wisdom in withholding info from us (remember what Satan said to Eve, that God was withholding a secret?)--some things are better off not knowing. In sum, God is too kind to be cruel, too wise to make a mistake, and too deep to explain Himself.   Soli Deo Gloria!

Justified Anger

"God is a righteous judge, and a God who feels indignation every day" (Psa

lm 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)

Anger is an emotion that we all have and there is nothing wrong with it in its proper place.  What I'm primarily concerned with is anger among believers, not unbelievers.

We've all heard of "righteous indignation" (not a biblical term), and believe we have it when we get angry, no matter what, as a "defense mechanism."  God is angry with the wicked every day (cf. Psalm 7:11--through a better translation in the NIV says, "God is a God who expresses His anger every day"). "Like the rest, we were by nature the objects of wrath" (Eph. 2:3, NIV).  He never got angry at Adam when he sinned because Adam was His son.  God's wrath is averted by the blood of Christ--"...When I see the blood, I will pass over you" (Ex. 12:13, KJV).  Jesus had something to say about what anger is equated with, in case we justify ourselves when angry at someone.

We never have the right to play God and express wrath directly at a brother:  Jesus said in Matthew 5:22 (NIV) "But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment..."--anger is on a level with murder and Jesus didn't justify, since He internalized sin .  He had displayed the right to get angry in the temple, for instance,  and this is "righteous indignation."  He urged us to pray for and love our enemies, lest they are judged for said behavior.  "Cease from anger, forsake wrath," says Psalms 37:8. Paul says in Galatians 5:19 that "fits of anger" are a work of the flesh.

What then is "righteous indignation?"  Well, what gets God angry? Getting angry at things and circumstances that are inherently unfair or unjustified, e.g., poverty, racism, terrorism, discrimination, etc.  Jonathan Edwards sermon, Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God, shows that unbelievers are on dangerous territory.  God never gets angry at us, but about us, what we do, and prunes us in love, He doesn't punish us in anger.  Loving parents don't lose their cool and express outrage directly at a child, though he is in the wrong and needs the rod of correction--they shouldn't discipline till they have got control of themselves.

We are never justified in getting angry at a brother and must strive to always keep the peace and be peacemakers.  "If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone" (Rom. 12:18, NIV).  We must do everything in our power to restore fellowship when a chasm or cleavage occurs and to take the initiative even when it's not our fault.  "But I tell you that anyone [no exceptions] who is angry with a brother or sister, will be subject to judgment..." (Matt. 5:22, NIV).  N.B. I checked out all the translations:  CEB, NASB, NIV, ESV,  and the NLT all agree that there is no excuse, though the KJV and NKJV say one can get angry if he has "cause."  Searching the Scriptures I cannot find one legitimate person having "righteous anger" except possibly Moses when he came down from Mt. Sinai--he was in authority as the priest over the people.

When we become believers we are "delivered from the wrath to come" (2 Thess. 1:10), and the sign of the unbeliever is that "the wrath of God abides on him" (John 3:36).  To conclude the matter: being angry at your brother only demonstrates that you are only a man, and one who has not learned to be controlled by the Spirit--possibly even a fool ("A fool gives full vent to his anger").   Soli Deo Gloria!

Faith Is Of The Lord

Faith is a gift of God that is His work in us--we don't conjure it up of our own initiative.  Christ is the Author and Finisher of our faith.   God gets all the glory and credit from beginning to end, and by the grace of God He opens our hearts to believe ("He opened the door of faith..," according to Acts 14:27, KJV), just like He opened Lydia's heart to believe and pay attention to what Paul was saying.  Faith is nothing to boast about since it is a gift and not a work--otherwise, we would be saved by merit and have something to brag about in God's presence. "He saved us not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy..." (Tit. 3:5, NIV).

Before the Reformation, the predominant viewpoint of the "Church" was the teaching of  Roman Catholicism that faith is a work and a meritorious one at that and deny it's a gift.  We don't merit our salvation but our chosen in the Beloved "according to His good pleasure." The light of the Reformation was that we are saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. Faith is the instrumental means of salvation, not salvation or righteousness itself.  Our righteousness is God's gift to us, not our gift to God.  "Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him as righteousness" (Rom. 4:3, ESV).  Faith cannot be the means of righteousness and righteousness itself at the same time.  It is the instrumental means of salvation and faith is counted "unto" righteousness.

This means righteousness is imputed or put to our personal account and we are reckoned as righteous (we are not righteous personally). Our righteousness is God's gift to us, not our gift to God (cf. Isaiah 4524).   We cannot believe apart from the work of God:  "...this is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he has sent"  (John 6:29, KJV).  We believe--God doesn't do it for us!  Also, in the same vein, Peter wrote: "To those who have obtained a faith of equal standing..." (2 Pet. 1:1, ESV).  We got this faith from God--we received it freely and exercise it in a "leap of faith!"

We are each responsible for the "measure of faith that God has given you" according to Rom. 12:3 (NIV). Note that we will not be judged according to our faith, but our deeds are done in faith:  What counts then?  Only faith working through love (cf. Gal. 5:6, ESV).  "He will render to every man according to his deeds" (Rom. 2:6, KJV).  "...he greatly helped those who through grace had believed," (Acts 18:27, ESV). We would not have ever believed had not God intervened on our behalf--we were not wiser, better, more meritorious than anyone else, but just "chosen."  As Jesus said in John 15:16 (ESV):  "You did not choose me but I chose you...."

Jonah cried out in faith:  "Salvation is of the Lord" in Jonah 2:9 (KJV).  That's the only way it can be, if it were of us and God we could never know if we were saved, because of all the variables involved. But God is a constant and someone we can count on besides our unreliable own selves. God alone accomplishes our salvation and He gets all the credit for it from start to finish.  "I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able..." (2 Tim. 1:12, KJV).

How does faith come to us then?  "Faith comes from hearing the message..." according to Rom. 10:17 (NIV).  If we don't believe we just need the right attitude:  "If any man will to do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God..." (John 7:17, KJV).  If we receive the light we have we will get more or God will harden us for rejecting that light given us:  "...The elect obtained it, but the rest were hardened..."  (Rom. 11:7, ESV).  1 John 5:1 (ESV) says that "Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God [this implies regeneration takes place beforehand].  This is right because the quickening grace of God opens our eyes as it were and we see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ.  He regenerates us unto faith.

We are not elected because we believe (that would be merit and this is called the prescient view of election and the golden chain of redemption in Romans 8:29-39 militates against this viewpoint), but we are elected unto faith.  Paul says that it has been "granted unto us to believe" in Phil. 1:29. Finally, Eph. 2:8-9 (KJV) says,  "For by grace ye are saved through faith; and that [the antecedent is faith] not of yourselves: it is the gift of God, not of works, [proving that faith is not a work], lest any man should boast [not meritorious]."  The whole act of salvation is of God and the gift of God so that we can say with the Reformers:  Soli Deo Gloria! (Or to God alone be the glory!)

We don't have faith in "faith," but faith in Christ.  It is not faith that saves us, but Christ (the object) that saves us! We are not saved because of faith, in other words, but because of Christ!  It is the object of faith, not the zeal or amount that counts.  A little faith in Christ is better than a lot of faith in yourself, which will not save--we must give up trying to save ourselves and let God save us on His terms. "...For not all have [saving] faith" (2 Thess. 3:2).  Everyone has faith in something or someone, but saving faith is in Christ, and is what matters--this is the gift of God.  And so we conclude that faith is not achieved, it is given!   Soli Deo Gloria!

When It Seems Like A Raw Deal

"...I will wait till my renewal should come" (Job 14:14).

It is a normal initial human reaction to be angry at God after a traumatic event (to do do something foolish because of it though or to stay that way isn't), and I would doubt one's humanity if he had no reaction. We want to avoid internalized anger through which can lead to psychiatric problems or of exploding in a fit of anger.  But we all need to see the perspective of others who have been there and done that; for instance, my own father killed himself when I was a young man of 21.   I commend any public acknowledgment or confession to get any inner feelings out there to deal with and not have a show of piety or of a Pollyanna Christianity that pretends everything is okay--this cannot last--Jesus sees through the veneer; sooner or later we all have to face the music.

No trial comes into our life that isn't "Father-filtered" if you will--God knows we will overcome and learn from the experience.  It is said that God whispers in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains.   We should never pray for an easy problem-free life because we will become weak people--Jesus didn't even exempt himself from suffering.  From my own experience, I am glad and grateful for what I have gone through and survived, though I had a tendency to get very bitter after my wife of 10 years divorced me and left me homeless.  I am a survivor!  We either become bitter or better it is well said (the same sun hardens the clay and melts butter), and I confess that I was not without bitterness or anger at first--God won however and I now praise God for His wisdom (indeed all things do work together for good).

I asked God why I had to go through all the problems I had in subsequent years which seemed far more than my brothers (from my point of view it seemed like their lives were smooth sailing, now I realize their trials were different), I kept saying to myself: "Why me, Lord?"  But God spoke to me in the Bible:  "My grace is sufficient for thee."  These problems were actually compliments, that in the end I would benefit and give glory to God.  God has made it up to me and blessed me more than I had dreamt of as He promises in Joel 2:25.  I didn't want to be another "victim of circumstance" as so many people are and don't rise above the occasion.  Horace Mann said that difficulties show what men are.  It is not what happens to us but in us, that counts; our experience is not as much as what happens to us but what we do with that experience, or how we respond (not react).

We eventually learn to cope and develop therapeutic skill and by this wisdom, we are able to pass it on to others (2 Cor. 1:4 says God is a God of comfort so that we can comfort others).  It's not abnormal to get angry or depressed, as long as we are in control and know that there is a time to put it to rest and go on with our marching orders.  Perhaps this even is our ministry and we are called to do something proactive to prevent it from repeating.  It is easy to say God was speaking to them, but He is also speaking to us and we should heed what He is saying.   Soli Deo Gloria!

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!