Unlocking Scripture

"Open my eyes, that I may see Wondrous things from Your law" (Psalm 119:18, NKJV).

"So now, brethren, I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified" (Acts 20:32, NKJV).

"'For it is not a futile thing for you, because it is your life..." (Deut. 32:47, NKJV).

"Your words were found, and I ate them, And Your word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart..." (Jeremiah 15:16, NKJV).  

Readers of the Bible that fail to glean anything substantial, inspiring, or convicting have missed the point of not knowing the Author first; the Bible is meant to be a closed book to anyone nonspiritual, for it is spiritually discerned (cf. 1 Cor. 2:14).  There are foundational principles for decoding the Word just like for any book, only more so.  If one is unaware of the main message of salvation and the main diagnosis of sin and the main enemy of Satan, one will not comprehend anything intelligible or meaningful and inspiring.  We don't just read it to get inspired like one would read Shakespeare, but to be transformed and changed--it wasn't written to increase our knowledge (so don't read it for merely academic pursuits!), but to change our lives, for the Word is powerful, and living, and has the Spirit giving it convicting influence.  Sometimes readers get out of focus and experience "Bible fatigue" whereby it's lost some pizzazz or original flavor due to overly familiarization with the text; a new translation or version may be in order to refresh yourself and get back on track in the Word.

Many people claim to read the Word but have only given it passing attention and perusal.  What they ought to try is to let the Bible read them and go through them as they go through it and read it (to use figures of speech).  The Bible has a way of feeding you and making you hungry for more--it quenches your thirst and makes you thirsty--nothing else will satisfy once experienced!  Our goal is not so much to know the Word as the Author (it's a means to an end), and in our efforts to be people of the Book, to obey it and know God through it, as Jesus said in John 17:17, NKJV, "Sanctify them by Your truth.  Your Word is truth."  Our goal in learning the Word is not to just become familiar with it, but with the Author, and subsequently in a living relationship in which He speaks to us through it.

Many Christians have difficulty understanding the Word for lack of reading skills and of basic hermeneutics.  One must always put them into context (social, historical, paragraph, book, and the whole analogy of Scripture itself).  Another key is to see it all as a revelation of Christ and who He is, as revealed developmentally and gradually throughout the Bible; each book shows Christ in a new light and we can know Him in this way.  The Bible is written in many genres: historical narrative; poetry; didactive or teaching letters; prophecy; sermons; wisdom, literature or proverbs; songs and psalms;  and parables or figures of speech, beating around the bush or plainspoken.  One reason students don't read adequately is the biblical terminology or vocabulary and they don't avail themselves of dictionaries and Bible study aids.  A simple solution may be another version or study Bible!  The primary reason not to get anything out of the Word is not reading with a purpose or not depending on the Spirit's illumination and guidance.  If we don't put anything into it or any effort, we can expect little reward (as Psalm 119:162, NKJV, says, "I rejoice at Your word As one who finds great treasure").

Furthermore, ask questions when studying about: lessons to learn; principles to know; promises to claim; errors to avoid; duties to perform; commands to obey; prayers to echo; warnings to heed; truth to realize; and examples to follow.  We so often neglect the main message and don't see the forest for the trees; keep the main thing the main thing! Whether you understand it or get anything out of it is not God's fault, but a mirror on the condition of your soul and openness to His will and Spirit. A guideline to follow is to bring an open mind, needy and thirsty heart, and obedient spirit to the Word!  In other words, expect God to speak to your heart.  Once you've had an "Aha!" moment in the Owner's Manual of life or an existential encounter with the Word, you'll be hooked and always eager to find the Bread of Life in the Word, which is the only message that can satisfy.

Some commonsensical principles of interpretation are to view the Old Testament in light of the New Testament, and vice versa; to interpret the implicit in light of the explicit, the obscure in light of the clear, (NB:  the New Testament trumps the Old Testament) and the narrative in light of the didactive or teaching passages; letting Scripture be its own Supreme Court and its own interpreter by letting cross-reference verses shed light on a passage; not to fabricate some far-out, far-fetched understanding comes from an isolated passage; and remembering that no Scripture is of any private interpretation (cf. 2 Pet. 1:20) and we have the responsibility to interpret it correctly and not become subjective; we have a right to our own applications and opinions, but not our own interpretations!  We have no right to fabricate our own truths or go off on a tangent all alone, avoiding taking some far-fetched idea from an obscure passage.  Taking the Bible literally doesn't mean we don't read certain passages as plays on words or figures of speech, but we do take it at face value when it's called for!  It should go without saying that all rules of inference and logic must be followed.

To be purpose-oriented, one must simply seek the purpose of the text as the author intended (what occasioned it?), before applying it to yourself--that entails reading with a purpose and not aimlessly.  Interpretation comes before application.  A mistake by the beginner is to read into the Word, rather than what's in it or reading out of it.  Finally, you can't just read any verse at random and expect it to be a divine message from the Almighty! The whole idea of reading with a purpose is to arrive at some take-away to meditate on as spiritual food for the day. The idea is to unlock the Word one verse at a time, but not to lose focus on the main message of salvation in Christ.  This is called bibliomancy and is not recommended.  (To get a clear view, one must see the big picture and know the gradual unfolding of the redemption story, or be able to walk through it.)   Soli Deo Gloria!

Going Forward, Faith To Faith ...

"For the LORD God is a sun and shield.  The LORD gives grace and glory..." (Psalm 84:11, HCSB).   "For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith" (Romans 1:17, KJV).  

It is commonly said, that people will go anywhere as long as it's forward!  They want a promotion!  Unfortunately, many believers are heavy laden with a backsliding heart and aren't progressing or growing in faith; however, something that is alive grows!  There's a difference between the profession of faith and the reality of faith.  We progress from unbelieving and doubting faith to little faith, saving faith, and then to serving faith.  Maturity is not a given nor a foregone conclusion.  We are to ever increase in our faith as Romans 1:17 says (from faith to faith) and to show it in our lives as fruit (from faithfulness to faithfulness).  We must not divorce these two realities.   These two words are identical in Hebrew (cf. Habakkuk 2:4).  They shall know us by our fruit!

The faith we have is the faith we show and without the evidence of faith to be validated by works, it's spurious, suspect, and even dead.  That kind of faith cannot save us for we are not saved by faith per se, but faith in Christ--it's the object that matters; we don't put faith in faith.  But 2 Cor. 3:18 portrays our faith as having "ever-increasing glory."  Yes, God shares His glory with us and we will be in glory someday (Psalm 84:11).  There must come an awakening in our faith from our spiritual slumber and the day must dawn and the morning star rises in our hearts (cf. 2 Pet. 1:19).

I've heard Christians say that they are "Jesus" to someone and that is not our sanctification, even though God uses us for His glory and we are mere vessels of honor doing His will and work.  NB: We cannot reach somewhat of a "sinless perfection" (cf. Prov. 20:9) or "entire sanctification" (cf. Psalm 119:96) whereby we become Jesus in any sense of the word--we are not commanded to be Jesus, but to obey Him. We cannot save anyone and no one should expect us to save them!  There's only one Savior who alone gets the glory (Soli Deo Gloria!), for "salvation is of the LORD" (cf. Jonah 2:9).

We can be the helping hand of Jesus or His voice, or even the heart of Jesus extending mercy and comfort, but we must be humbled by the fact that we are not worthy of worship and we are not Jesus to anyone despite our do-goodery.  When we preach the gospel, it must be preaching the Word and Christ Jesus as Lord (cf. 2 Cor. 4:5), not preaching ourselves as the center of focus.   Humility is not thinking less of ourselves, but of ourselves less.   We think of Jesus, not being so preoccupied with ourselves (cf. Heb. 3:1; 12:1).

Paul was received as if he were Christ Himself, but he wasn't Christ to them  (cf. Gal. 4:14).  He was so humbled that God revealed His Son in him (cf. Gal. 1:16) and, realizing this, he couldn't wait till Christ be formed in them (cf. Gal. 4:19).  When we see Jesus by faith (cf. Heb. 2:9), the eyes of our hearts are opened (cf. Eph. 1:18) and we do see Jesus alive in our brethren and realize that He is using us for His glory and work.  But the temptation is to think that our righteousness or goodness is our gift to God and we are doing it of ourselves.  However, all our righteousness is of God as the source (cf. Isaiah 45:24).  Paul was quite humble:  "For I will not venture to speak of anything except for what Christ has accomplished through me..." (Romans 15:18, ESV; cf. Amos 6:13).  Hosea 14:8 says that our fruit or righteousness comes from Him and comes from the Holy Spirit (cf. Gal. 5:22-23).

The logical, applied goal of our faith is a desire to live it out and to complete the mission God gave us in the Lord (cf. Acts 20:24).  "All that counts is faith expressing itself through love" (cf. Gal. 5:6, NIV).  Sanctification is the process of growing in the faith and becoming more Christlike in our demeanor and conduct to show forth the witness of Christ in our lives as a living testimony.  We're all here for a purpose and God has a plan for all of us and will fulfill His will without or with our cooperation (cf. Psalm 57:2; 138:8; Job 23:14).  God even has a purpose for the evildoer! (cf. Proverbs 16:4).  Finding our spiritual gifting is part of the package and we will be as wandering stars without any purpose in life till we recognize how God uses us in the kingdom.

We are to put our faith into practice (cf. 2 Cor. 1:24), translating creeds into deeds to show others the reality of our faith, not just the profession of it. Remembering we are not saved by faith, but by Christ.   Only where our faith is difficult is it worth it; we must realize that it will be done unto us according to our faith (cf. Matt. 9:29).

CAVEATS:  THE LIE OF SATAN IS THAT WE SHALL BE AS GODS; WE ARE TO BECOME GODLY, NOT GODS! A COROLLARY IS THE NEW AGE DECEPTION:  "I'M JESUS; YOU'RE JESUS!" OR WE NEED TO FIND THE GOD WITHIN!      Soli Deo Gloria! 

Primer On Mariology

"God in heaven appoints each man's work" (cf. John 3:27, NLT).
"But my life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus..." (Acts 20:24, NLT).  
"Consider the rock from which you were cut, the quarry from which you were mined"(Isaiah 1:1, NLT)

Mariolatry is the excessive veneration, worship, or idolizing of the Virgin Mary, mother of Jesus.  This is prevalent in the Roman Catholic persuasion.  Let's explore Mariology and not split hairs nor nitpick with our Catholic friends, who declared us Protestants to be heretics at the Counter-Reformation known as the Council of Trent (1545-1563). But we disagree, we dissent, we protest!  It is also referred to as the hyper-elevation of Mary into sainthood or canonization.  They actually believe she can hear their prayers!

It should be pointed out that idolatry is placing anyone in God's place or position, for He alone is worthy of our adoration and worship.  Mariolatry has gotten to near cult status, and she is even considered a Mediatrix or Co-Mediator with Christ.  But Protestants know that there is only one mediator between God and man, the God-man Jesus Christ. 

Mary, for real, knew she was a sinner but the servant of the Lord in need of salvation, for she addressed God Most High as her Savior.  She knew that true greatness, despite the fact that she had found favor in God's eyes, was because of grace and God must be given the glory--she had faith; and saw herself as the humble servant of the Lord willing to do the "impossible," which she knew could be done in the Lord.  "With God nothing shall be impossible" (cf. Matt. 19:26).

One is reminded of Paul saying in Romans 15:18 that he would "not venture to speak of anything but what Christ had done through" him.  We can do nothing of ourselves as Jesus said in John 15:5 ("apart from Me you can do nothing").  All our fruits are from Him!  (cf. Hosea 14:8).  We may think we have accomplished a lot or achieved greatness but it is nothing and we owe it to God who is working through us as vessels of honor (cf. Amos 6:13).  In fact, all that we've done in the Lord has been in His power and enabling ("... all we have accomplished is really from you" according to Isaiah 26:12, NLT).

Mary has been elevated to the stature of Mother of God, even Mother of the Church, and also given some divine status as the source of grace rather than the receiver of it, being full of grace.  Catholics actually believe that salvation is through the church and that veneration of Mary is essential to their dogma (they see faith as acquiescence with church dogma).  I find it blasphemous to name the name of Mary in the Rosary and relegate as some kind of luck or magic charm to invoke God's favor.  We have the privilege of going directly to the Father in prayer and need not go through her or any saint.  This is called the invocation of saints (prayers to saints who are canonized by the Pope). It is taught dogmatically that no one comes to Jesus except through Mary.  

Obeisance to Mary is encouraged in this spirit of veneration.  It is amazing how Mariolatry has progressed so that they actually believe she was even born without sin (re the "Immaculate Conception of Mary") and that she didn't die but was ascended into heaven (re the "Assumption of Mary").  But the error seems to originate from the understanding that Mary stayed a virgin (correct nomenclature is perpetual virginity) even after Christ was born and that she is the source or conduit of grace rather than recipient and vessel.  But there are several references to Jesus having four brothers proving the normalcy of her womanhood (two brothers wrote epistles: Jude and James).

All in all, Mary was "startled" (we should be too at this biological anomaly!) at the news that the Lord was with her and that she was blessed among women; in the Magnificat (song of Mary), she sang that her soul does glorify the Lord.  It is amazing at her humility since this type of greeting would go to most people's heads and she kept things in perspective.  She was the maidservant of the Lord par excellence in God's eyes and we must see this in the light of God's economy in which the way up is down!  Humility comes before honor!  She knew full well too much pride destroys you.  And she didn't have low self-esteem, just high God-esteem!   She first humbled herself and became a maidservant; she didn't decide to exalt herself, though she is to be highly honored or favored among women.  NB: Jesus referred to her as "woman" on the cross.  He didn't exalt her but commended her to the aegis of  John.  

Note also that she never forgot who she was: the Lord's servant!  As it says in Isaiah 51:1 that we should never forget our roots, "the rock from which we were hewn, the quarry from which we were dug."  That's all we are no matter how noble or ignoble a task He gives us. She found out that with God we can accomplish the impossible and by consequence, we should attempt to walk on water, move mountains, and attempt great things in faith, expecting greater results.

In application, we should never idolize someone in God's place, not even hero-worship (no one is perfect or great but God who is manifest and personified in Christ for us to see in the flesh), and we all can come to the realization that God is pleased with us and will work the impossible in our humble lives if we are obedient and willing.  Never forget that you are specifically, uniquely designed for a special anointing and calling of God and we should not be disobedient to the heavenly vision, eager to complete our mission as a man or woman on a mission par excellence.   Soli Deo Gloria!

Doing Something About Evil

 "... [F]or they proceed from one evil to another, and they do not take Me into account..." (Jeremiah 9:3, HCSB).
"... If you do not stand firm in the faith, then you will not stand at all" (Isaiah 7:9, HCSB).
"Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?" (cf. Genesis 18:25).  
"In fact, if the trumpet makes an unclear sound, who will prepare for battle?"  (1 Cor. 14:8, HCSB).   
"What's wrong with the world?  I am.  Sincerely yours,  G. K. Chesterton
"The only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing."  --Edmund Burke


God ordained the institution of government to keep evil at bay, but there comes a time when those in the know have to stand up for what they believe either in civil disobedience or engaging in public discourse to disseminate the truth, as Francis Schaeffer said that there comes a time when this is not only a right but a duty!   We see this today manifest in peaceful demonstrations and protests.   But we must beware lest we assume that the government is always the problem or the solution, and the other extreme:  "My country, right or wrong!"

If we don't stand for the faith we have, it's worth noting, and we don't really stand at all.  If you won't stand for your faith, is it of value?  And if faith weren't a challenge or difficulty, it would be worth little.  We are representatives of God's righteousness as well as ambassadors of the kingdom of Christ.  Ultimately, it matters whether we have a faith we can live with, or one we will fight or even die for!  That's because infidels and the ignorant are seldom convinced by debate or argument and the faith we have is the faith we show!

Our do-goodery may win them over yet and perchance they may see Christ at work in us.  But we must first become introspective like G. K. Chesterton was:  "What 's wrong with the world?  I am, sincerely yours, G. K. Chesterton."   He realized that true faith expresses itself and there's a difference between bogus faith or the mere profession of faith and the reality of faith.   We must first know what our faith is and what we do believe and this is the weak link in the chain of uninformed believers:  "Tell me your certainties, I have enough doubts of my own," said German famed playwright and poet Johann Wolfgang von Goethe over two centuries ago!

We need to end the doubting and commence to doubt our doubts and believe our faith, translating it into deeds, practicing what we preach, and preaching only what we practice.  Then we become a fidei defensor or a defender of the faith!   Note that there does come an opportunity and time in each person's life to prove what side he's on and to take a stand for right versus wrong and to fight the evil in the world:  God did something about evil; He created you and me!  This is the opportunity to throw down the gauntlet much like Martin Luther did on the door of the church at Wittenberg (All Saints Church) in 1517 with his Ninety-Five Theses to end the Dark Ages.

He knew what he was doing and this took grit and fortitude but crossed the Rubicon despite this:  Challenging the entire establishment much the way that Jesus was an antiestablishment figure and upset the religious apple cart.   He had the necessary dynamic for living and courage:  He knew what he believed and much more importantly, like Paul in 2 Timothy 2:12, he knew in Whom he believed.   Jeremiah was in a similar situation and was considered unpatriotic because he prophesied against Jerusalem and he said in Jeremiah 9:3 that "they refuse to stand up for the truth."  Jerusalem had become unfaithful and was supposed to be a city on a hill, as it were.  There's a limit to patriotism though:  We don't put country above God! 

Irish playwright and Nobel Prize winner George Bernard Shaw noted pertinently that "no nation has survived the loss of its gods."  And John Adams quipped that our Constitution "was made only for a religious and moral people."  Yes, I want to mention in passing that we have many issues and causes in our society and have found many questions, but it's now time to search for the answers and that means we need visionaries who can rightly interpret the times and have a Christian worldview so that they are not deceived by the prevalent Secular Humanism and the newfangled Postmodernism that is creeping into our schools and institutions that are simply "anti-Christian," a sort of militant atheism that wages war on Christendom. That's why it's called a "Truth War."

All the other worldviews agree on this one point:  They're all opposed to "dangerous" Christianity.  But the only truths that are irrelevant are the Christian ones!   And we must not let Christ be eradicated from the public square and open marketplace of ideas, even the social media but must fear not to exercise our First Amendment rights. There is no social gospel to preach but we do have a social commission to complete to be salt and light for social justice, as Cicero called Rome a city of light.

In sum, we are not to parade our righteousness, wear it on our sleeves, nor even to flaunt it, but we never should privatize it, being ready to stand up for Jesus and fly and declare our Christian colors, which means we are declaring war on the enemy, knowing that the whole world lies in the power of the evil one or wickedness and its "isms." (cf. 1 John 5:19).   (Relevant is the saying that everyone talks about the weather, but no one does anything about it!)   

CAVEATS:  WE ARE NOT CALLED TO USHER IN THE MILLENNIAL KINGDOM, NOR TO LEGISLATE "CHRISTIAN SHARIA LAW," NOR LEGISLATE OUR FAITH.    Remember:  The only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing (Edmund Burke).   Soli Deo Gloria!

Full Assurance Of Salvation

"Therefore, brothers, make every effort to confirm your calling and election, because if you do these things you will never stumble"  (2 Peter 1:10, HCSB).   


It is not presumption nor conjecture to believe one is saved eternally in real-time, it's faith and a boon to one's well-being, even justification and a motive and reason to do good.  We should be able to quote 2 Tim. 1:12 that saying, I know whom I have believed and am confident that He is able to keep that which I have committed unto him day.   Assurance is paramount and enhances our sanctification and is the helmet of salvation to fight Satan and his minions.  If we lack assurance, our walk is paralyzed and we are in limbo, so to speak, meaning we are not resting in faith.  Assurance is not of the essence of faith, and not an automatic fruit, but it is commanded and our duty to know (cf. 2 Pet. 1:10), not just be idly curious about!  Assurance isn't the job description of the pastor-teacher but individual responsibility to examine their heart.  All one can do is "reassure."

Actually, some believers are congenital doubters or have little faith, but false assurance is the bigger problem (believing one is secure without biblical warrant or sanction).  Also, note that it's not some one's job description to certify your salvation--they can only give reassurance:  One must examine his own heart and the fruits of his faith, and see if they align with the Word of God and the witness of the inward Spirit (per Romans 8:16; 2 Cor. 13:5). 

We need not speculate about our destiny with God, for we can take God at His Word and at face value, standing on the promises of God; however, this implies we are not ignorant of the Word and have faith to begin with. In the final analysis, realize that we don't rest on conjecture, but certainty!

God is the great Promise Keeper and His Word "cannot be broken"; He has given us His Spirit as the earnest money or down payment on our salvation dividend.  Our destiny is in God's hands!  Believing this, we ought to rest in faith and stop trying to save ourselves by piety or religiosity.  We see salvation as a done deal (a fait accompli) with nothing we can add improvements to it, and we cannot earn, deserve, nor pay it back--it's the gift of God received through faith by grace, giving all the credit and glory to God (Soli Deo Gloria!  "Salvation is of the LORD," per Jonah 2:9). Salvation is not of us, nor of us and the LORD, but solely of the LORD.

In sum, taking a verse that you can cling to as a promise is the way to have assurance, and some call this a spiritual birth certificate, for example, a favorite of mine: "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life [now], and shall not come into condemnation, but has [past tense or done deal] passed from death unto life" (John 5:24, KJV).    Soli Deo Gloria!

A Personal Invite: RSVP!

"For the grace of God has appeared with the salvation of all people" (Titus 2:11, HCSB).   

We must all realize that God's call to salvation goes out to us personally and that He cares about our welfare, lot, and future as well as about final destiny with Him.   His plan is personalized, tailored, or individualized with us in particular in mind as if only we we alive.  He knows the plans He has for us; to prosper us and not to harm us!  (Cf. Jer. 29:11).  God's best is for us, spiritually speaking.  But we must apply God's message to us personally (claiming it) and realize that He is talking to and has us in mind.  The only counsel that seems pertinent is to RSVP, because this is such wonderful news we cannot afford to lose the opportunities that are possible.

The offer has not only to do with our forgiveness from our past sins (justification), but deliverance from the power of sin and from what we are (sanctification)!  God never paints a pretty picture of our condition in solidarity with Adam, but tells it like it is--we are slaves to sin and not free before salvation and only Christ can set us free.  G. K. Chesterton said that the only doctrine that can be proved is total depravity!   In fact, the extension of our salvation is fourfold:  pardon from our sins, power over sin; purpose for living and to carry on; and peace with God, man, and ourselves (the four P's).

This means that we are not just sanitizing our life (cleaning up our act) and giving up sins, but turning our back and renouncing sin in general and it's power and influence in our lives, which entails not loving the world (cf. 1 John 2:15) nor the things of the world (the devil's delicacies which spoil our taste for the real thing); what we are doing, in reality, is salvaging our soul itself, not only staying alive but being alive in the real sense--entree into a new life from above in Christ.

For Christ "didn't come to make bad men good, but dead men alive!"  We are never more alive when we live in Christ and know His power that resides in us (the power of the resurrection per Phil. 3:10)).  When we know Jesus, we see Him in a spiritual sense at work around us, even using us for His glory.  To know Jesus, then is to be fully alive with this abundant life (cf. John 10:10) He promised, that involves our soul's participation.  We were dead in our trespasses and sins (cf. Eph. 2:1) especially to the spiritual before knowing Christ, but now we are alive spiritually and can comprehend and know spiritual things (cf. 1 Cor. 2:14).   The only healthy response is to obey ("For to obey is better than sacrifice..." per 1 Samuel 15:22)!  By faith we obey but obedience is the only test of that faith, not ecstasy or experience.  "Only he who believes is obedient; only he who is obedient believes" according to Bonhoeffer.

NB:  Our salvation is nearer than we realize, (cf. Rom. 13:11).   Jesus is as close as the mention of His name and we can do nothing to earn our salvation or even to keep it (cf. Jude 1)--it's all been done for us on the cross and we must just receive it as a free gift on God's terms (cf. Eph. 2:9).     Soli Deo Gloria!

Needless Consternation Over Election

Calvinist or Reformed thinkers, theologians, and believers are accused of stealing man's free will and making us puppets, automatons, robots, even pets of God. Election is a kind of determinism, but it's not determination or coercion.   We are free agents, but free will is not a biblical doctrine but a Romanist one; it's nowhere mentioned in Scripture.  What I mean by free will is not the power to make choices, but the independent power to receive faith and salvation apart from God's grace and influence.  Jesus said, "Apart from Me you can do nothing" [evidently not even believe].

He also said that believing in Him is the work of God (cf. John 6:29). Why election, that He chose us from the beginning, is so important is that it's the overture to our salvation--the first step in our salvation.  What Calvinists believe is that our salvation is not our wills ultimately to decide, but God working on our wills.

When we say that God knows who will be saved and elects those He foreknows, it's not referring to the prescient view that God elects us because we will have faith--leading to the narrative of merit in our salvation, but that God elects us unto faith--He decides in whom He will work the miracle of regeneration in.  Some people say that this is unfair that everyone should have an equal chance, but if we were all left alone to ourselves by God, none of us would come to Him in faith and repent.  If God is to save anyone it must be by election according to His purpose and will.  Indeed He regards the salvation of the elect more important than not interfering with their wills, and His glory more important than the salvation of everyone.

The result of God's holiness and justice, which require punishment for sin and evil, eternal damnation in hell must exist.  If God knows our destiny, it must be determined; and if determined, we must ask by whom?  God doesn't play dice with the universe of souls and also isn't pleased in the death of the wicked nor rejoice in their punishment, it is justice meted out in mercy but due justice not more than required without any cruelty 

This is the crux of the matter:  human choice doesn't mean without any influence from God to be free.   No one can say they came to God entirely on their own initiative without any grace leading them to God known to some as the wooing of the Holy Spirit--those who claimed they did, probably left Jesus without His grace too.  NB:  God determines our nature and nurture, circumstances, and events, or character and innate righteousness, our contribution to God is nothing--that's why we must be saved by grace--that means very little of our decisions ultimately depends upon our wills and choices.   But God does promise to give us a choice and even the non-elect have made choices against God, not for Him.

But God has determined to save His sheep or the elect, just like he chose the elect angels, He chooses us, we don't choose Him.   "The elect obtained unto it..." (Cf. Rom. 11:7).    We are elect according to His purpose and grace, since God will have mercy on whom He will and no one can resist God's will, being more powerful than ours (cf. Rom. 9:19).   God is totally able to influence our wills to do something of His will voluntarily--He can make the unwilling willing!   But at no time are we forced to do something we don't want to against our wills.  We cooperate all the way with God's sovereign will willingly and voluntarily and not by compulsion or impulsion.  Remember:  "As many as were ordained to eternal life believed" (cf. Acts 13:48).

The questions posed are:  Why are some saved and others not?  Does God woo all equally?  If so, why do some respond and others don't? Does man need free will?  If it's determined, do we have a choice?

If God woos all equally, and some do respond; therefore, it must be by human merit or inherent goodness and wouldn't be unconditional, and if God doesn't woo all equally, as He doesn't, then that means the ultimate destiny of man is in God's hands, meaning God decides who gets wooed and by how much.  It's a fact though that some are saved and others not because God cannot save all and salvage His justice and maintain holiness and the purity of heaven--He must judge sin and has no pleasure in the death of the wicked.  But God is unjust to no one, salvation is not justice, but a form of non-justice known as grace and mercy.  If God had to save anyone at all, it would be justice!

We are not born free but in bondage and slavery to sin. We don't need free wills to be saved but wills made free!   Our wills are stubborn and need saving too, they are not righteous and able to make free choices:  Augustine of Hippo said, we are "free but not freed," meaning that we've lost our liberty like a man in prison who is still human with a will.  If God left it up to us, no one would be saved because we're all stubborn.  God gives us a choice to make and no one has an excuse or can charge God with wrong for how His Maker made him or Potter molded him; however, we're all culpable for the choices (cf. Josh. 24:15) we make throughout our adult life after the age of accountability (cf. Deut. 1:39; Isa. 7:15).

In sum, we must all give God the glory in our salvation, which is "of the LORD," not mankind, and the only plan giving Him all the glory (Soli Deo Gloria!) is for it to be unconditional election by grace through faith.  No one will have any basis of boasting in God's presence.    Soli Deo Gloria!

Our Incurable Addiction

"[F]or in his own eyes he flatters himself too much to discover and hate his own sin" (Psalm 36:2, HCSB).     

Man insists upon presenting Himself to God in the most favorable light in regards to his deeds, thinking that the good ones outweigh the bad ones and that he has some merit before a "just" God who will have mercy on him.   He should realize that Job One is repentance and that he must realize he's a lost sinner in need of God and cannot save himself.  The chief problem with man is that he doesn't see his own sin or unworthiness--he believes in the basic or inherent goodness of man and of himself; however, our do-goodery amounts to zilch in God's estimation and He doesn't grade on a curve--He leveled the playing field and we're all in the same boat (totally depraved with nothing good to claim).

If God were just to all of us, we'd all be judged worthy of damnation!  We can be thankful God tempers His justice with mercy (cf. Habukkuk 3:2) We would hope God is not just, and not only merciful (keeping us from getting our just due) but also gracious (giving us what we don't deserve, cannot pay back, and cannot even earn).

The difference between what the common man in view of his religiosity thinks and Christianity is that he is incurably addicted to doing something for his salvation and doesn't seem to have the mindset to realize that it's a gift to be received.  It's not about "Do!" but "Done!"  In Christ, it's a done deal and there's nothing we can do to improve upon God's plan!  To add to God's work is an insult to our Maker like painting a mustache on the Mona Lisa!   God doesn't need our efforts to impress Him, for we cannot.  Put it this way:  If we had to do something for salvation, we'd fail!

Salvation must be seen as something we cannot earn by anything we do, and we have no merit before God--that's the definition of grace (unmerited favor!). This is the only way to make salvation available to all  (the outward, general call is to all per Titus 2:11) because it's the only way that everyone has equal chance and no one is excluded, since anyone can believe!  If God had said we had to run the mile in under four minutes, you'd see every earnest believer taking up jogging and joining track teams!

But faith is not what we see, it's evidence of that something being real to us; however, we want to do something because we cannot conceive of this abstract thought of faith.  The Jews asked Jesus what they must do to do the works of God and He told them:  "The work of God is this:  to believe in the one he has sent" (cf. John 6:29, NIV).  You can read at least two doctrines into this verse:  Our faith is solely God's work in our heart and a gift that only God can accomplish; and the only thing that pleases God is faith and our works in the flesh amount to nothing..   But James (cf. James 2:24) said that we are not saved by faith alone but by works!  What he was getting at was that faith must be proved by works and Paul would say that works must spring from faith.

We dare not divorce faith and works for a faith without works as evidence is dead faith and cannot save.  ("faith without works is dead" according to James 2:26).  The Reformers reconciled all this by their famous formula of salvation:  We are saved by faith alone, but not by a faith that is alone!  It just makes sense that anyone can just say they have faith or even believe they have faith, but if there's no fruit, there's no reality of faith.  Our works become a "therefore," not an "in order to."

There's a difference between a profession of faith and a reality of faith.  Just as Christ said that we shall know them by their fruits, and know fruit means no faith, the whole point of salvation is a changed and transformed life from the inside out due to a living relationship with God through Jesus. We must realize that true faith expresses itself, it's the evidence that gives us credibility and witness to the lost.

We are not saved by our good deeds or behavior, but unto them, likewise, we are not saved by good deeds, but not without them either (CAVEAT:  Beware the doctrine of the antinomians who adhere to a faith that is alone and doesn't need produce works; i.e., once saved you can live lawless or without restraint).

In sum, we must turn that creed into deeds, letting it show, giving it away to keep it, just as Titus 2:14, NIV,  says so plainly:  "... purify for  himself a people, that is his very own, eager to do what is good."       Soli Deo Gloria!

Walking Worthy Of Our Lord

"The eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him" (2 Chron. 16:9, NIV).   

Just because we're saved doesn't guarantee we'll act it.  In some cases Christians fall short of the ideals and morals of the infidel, who is solely motivated by selfish pride and impressing others--as people-pleasers.   The Spirit-led, controlled, directed, filled believer has put on the new self-created in Christ's image, called the new man. He has found the Enabler, the Holy Spirit as the dynamic for living.  It's not a matter of how much of the Spirit one has, but how much of you He has.  The new life in Christ is all about surrender and it's not just a once-for-all, completed event.   He doesn't have an ulterior motive for good but wants to serve God from gratitude.

We're all works in progress and should humbly ask others to be patient with us as God isn't finished with us yet.  But we can rejoice that God doesn't deal with us as our sins deserve and He corrects us when we err.  It is said that the closer we get to God, the more we see our imperfections.   As we progress in our sensitivity to the Spirit, we strive to seek the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace and not attention to us.  Just like the Spirit seeks not to bring attention to Himself, but to Christ, so also, as believers we seek God's glory and rejoice when God uses us for it.

It is said quite wisely that the mature believer is not divisive, contentious, argumentative, nor judgmental, but leaves room for God's judgment or gives the benefit of the doubt.   As it says in Scripture, the man of God must not strive or quarrel!  But we're all human too and this temptation will come as our pride gets in the way and we succumb to Satan's Anfectung or attack.  But we should beware of the devil's schemes and not get fooled--he's always playing mind games with psychological warfare (e.g., 'divide and conquer').  He just loves to strike at our pride because that seems to be his specialty and his evil.

Only when we walk in the Spirit, always in fellowship and in constant prayer and confession are we worthy of our Lord, but this involves applying the Word, being a witness to others, and growing in faith and its application as we do walk in the presence of God.  There are no short-cuts, easy paths, or formulae to follow; the only way is the O.J.T. of the trench warfare of real-life--the school of hard knocks of putting God's Word into practice.  We must all realize that hardship and Reality 101 are part of the divine curriculum when we matriculated in the school of Christ, and that God sends us adversity for our growth opportunities--to test our faith for our sake.  We will all have a different pilgrimage and spiritual journey to complete.  God has selected each man's work and purpose--finding it is the secret because many never do. 

Those who serve God wholeheartedly can be said to be walking worthily.  God frowns upon the lackadaisical disciple who doesn't commit or follow through.  David pleased God in that he served Him with all his heart.  Joshua and Caleb likewise "wholly followed the Lord."  In other words, they were gung-ho and had gusto and spunk!  The world may count the spiritual man as out of his mind, a fool, or demented, but this is for God's glory.  We must own Him as Lord and this always includes confessing Him as Lord.

The worthy believer has not divorced faith and faithfulness. They are two sides of the same coin!  He realizes the importance of endurance and perseverance as God preserves us.   Faithfulness implies that we apply our faith with good works to prove its worth or value.  We progress from faith to faith and grow by our faithfulness.  The righteous man shall live by his faithfulness according to Romans 1:17 which also means by his faith, for the two words are the same in Hebrew (cf. Hab. 2:4). 

In sum, the believer who has a healthy relationship and/or fellowship with his Lord is without duplicity or hypocrisy to others--he makes no parade of his spirituality or false impressions but is in earnest with all integrity, even if a sin is obvious, he can be pleasing to God, though the sin displeased Him.    But his testimony is not jeopardized by acting contrary to what pleases the Lord.  One must acknowledge his sins, no matter how great and confess them with all sincerity and this doesn't mean he won't ever sin or offend others--he's both sinner and saint--a justified saint!  In other words:  What you see is what you get (no pretense)!      Soli Deo Gloria!

Battling Bible Fatigue

"[H]earken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness" (Isaiah 55:1-2, KJV).   
"Your words were found, and I ate them.  Your words became a delight to me and the joy of my heart..." (Jeremiah 15:16, HCSB).     
"I rejoiced over Your promise like one who finds vast treasure" (Psalm 119: 162, HCSB).  
"Abundant peace belongs to those who love Your instruction" (Psalm 119:165, HCSB). 
"... I have treasured the words of His mouth more than my daily food" (Job 23:12, HCSB).

As an introduction, realize that God works in mysterious ways, His wonders to perform (cf. Isaiah 45:15) and through general revelation such as creation, as well as through propositional and written revelation in the Word of God--on this, I'll focus.

Bible fatigue refers to the syndrome when the Bible seems to have lost its original pizzazz or zing, no longer inspiring us to do good deeds or mediate on or know God.  Boredom is a phenomenon that only humans are truly capable of, in that we get bored with ourselves and our environments.  Someone could have everything to live on and nothing to live for. Anything can become blase! Sometimes the verses we're reading may seem overly familiar because of repetitive reading and resorting to the same passages over and over again--over-exposure!   In one way this reflects on our relationship with God and that God may be becoming a bore to us (we feel less amazed or in wonder at the beauty of the Word).

Remember the principle that familiarity breeds contempt and that's why we should seek illumination and not just depend on eating leftovers of the previous day's meal of the Word. This doesn't mean that there are staples we never tire of, such as the gospel message: we will always need the milk of the Word, but should grow to comprehend its solid food. 

There are many cures to this phenomenon:  we can change translations or versions to give new insight; we may fail to see the forest for the trees; we can start putting into action what we already know or apply it to ourselves; the more we understand, the more we'll gain; we can see what commentators or teachers have written about it; we can get a new interest as in a newfound interest in theology as a systematic way of seeing Scripture--rightly dividing the Word of truth.

 Remember:  You don't always need some so-called existential encounter in the Word or experience God in it to have a genuine, beneficial, blessed reading session--you don't need a new revelation either, but maybe a gentle reminder.  As we mature in the Word, we learn to see "Aha!" moments and appreciate them like one who says "Eureka!" or "I found it!"  Great spoils in the Word are there to be had by hard work and faithful reading (cf. Psalm 119:162), inspired by God (cf.  Psalm 119:18). 

But no one is immune to becoming blase about the Bible if they let it become routine or perfunctory, as a matter of fact, or of duty.   This is where seeing the big picture is necessitated and mandatory for the correct interpretation of the Word.  There are no short-cuts to a thorough understanding or comprehension of the Bible's main message. One cannot look truly into Scripture without looking truly into his heart, so it is we must be attentive to the illumination of the Spirit and our convictions, not confusing them with our prejudices.  We must also realize mankind is basically empty without God on some journey or quest to find fulfillment, and his soul is a vacuum only God can satisfy, according to Pascal, and the only contentment is in knowing God, not just knowing He exists or about Him, as Augustine said, our souls are restless till they rest in God. 

When we diligently approach the Word, we ought to be spiritually prepared and with an open mind, obedient will, open mind, expectant attitude, willing spirit, and needy heart, being teachable and reverent to the Word, or we will get nothing!  Above all:  READ WITH A PURPOSE!   God chose to speak to our hearts in the Word and we must be ready to echo its prayers and to be convicted by the Spirit or to be prompted to do His will.  Then divine order is to prepare with prayer, being ready to pray during reading, and to thank and praise in prayer afterward, keeping the message spoken to our hearts in mind as we go about our activities.

CAVEAT:  NEVER READ THE WORD OF GOD FOR MERELY OR PURELY ACADEMIC REASONS, FOR ENTERTAINMENT, OR WHEN YOU AREN'T SERIOUS ABOUT GOD SPEAKING TO YOUR HEART AND YOU BEING WILLING TO APPLY IT!       Soli Deo Gloria!