The Definite Atonement

This is one of the most problematic doctrines and one that divides earnest and sincere believers.  As Augustine said, "In essentials, unity; in nonessentials, liberty; in all things, charity."  There is room for debate on the doctrine and like eternal security, there are proof-texts for both sides:  Please read on with an open mind.

The issue in question and open to debate is this:  Did the Atonement make possible the salvation of all, or the salvation of the elect certain? Specifically: Is faith a work of man (as Rome and Arminians assert) or the gift of grace?  Or Does God save us, or enable us to save ourselves?  Was Christ's work of redemption accomplished in toto on the cross?   R. C. Sproul has made this the crux of the matter.  It is the issue argued at the Synod of Dort in 1618 that condemned the Remonstrants who objected to the Reformed position, better known as the Calvinist's schema.

To put things in perspective, it is not your grasp of the deeper truths of the Bible, but your personal application that matters:  You must believe that Jesus died and rose again for you personally to be saved.  Remember the hymns:  "Amazing love! how can it be, that thou, my God, shouldst die for me" and "Just as I am, without one plea, but that thy blood was shed for me."  "Alas! and did my Savior bleed?  And did my Sovereign die?  Would he devote that sacred head For such a worm as I?" It is not your theory or apprehension of the doctrine of the Atonement that saves you.  I reiterate it takes faith to believe that he not only died but lives in victory for you individually, not to apprehend a doctrine.

As you will see there is a problem in semantics, because both Arminian and Reformed views limit the Atonement in some respect and the terminology limited and unlimited Atonement (sometimes referred to as General Atonement) are insufficient to describe what happens on the cross.  Both sides agree that there is no universal atonement that saves all.  The problem begins with the definition of atonement, which is also translated propitiation and reconciliation and even expiation--it depends upon what you are focusing on: the divine or the human side, the positive and negative aspect, one's righteousness or sin.

Calvinists, or theologians of the "Reformed" tradition, believe in the so-called "limited atonement" [better referred to as "definite atonement" (or particular redemption)--Atonement means satisfaction or to set things right and make amends (between God and man)--because "definite" implies that God has a design or purpose behind what He was doing--He always does!] and this belief in a limited atonement is a misnomer, (Arminians believe in "unlimited atonement" or that Christ's sacrifice covered everyone's sins--note that they were also known as the Remonstrants were condemned at the Synod of Dort in 1618, which created a possibility of salvation for everyone if they believe).  They have limited the Atonement [also in covering every sin but the unpardonable one--that is why unbelievers go to hell!]:  they say that when Christ said "Tetelestai" or "It is finished," [not "I am finished," implying it waited for our cooperation and synergistic effort of ratification by a work of faith] that it wasn't finished completely.  In other words, He wasn't saving anyone, but only making salvation possible; it would have been possible that no one got saved. [This was their articulated position at the Synod of Dort.]

Does God actually have a design and purpose for atonement or not?  Actually, God finished salvation's work on the cross (He didn't say, "I am finished, but "It is finished.") and He ratified it on our behalf as His elect. "Salvation is of the Lord" (Jonah 2:9)--i.e., it is not a cooperative venture but completely the work of God who gets all the glory. "The Lord knows those who are His."   You're either limiting the extent (to whom it reaches) or the purpose of the Atonement.  God doesn't leave anything to chance.  Einstein said, "God doesn't play dice with the universe."

I postulate that Christ's atonement is sufficient for everyone who has faith in Christ, and no one can claim that they are on the "wrong list," as it were.  "Greater love has no man than this: that he lay down his life for his friends."  "The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep."  You are either limiting the extent of the atonement (for whom) or its sufficiency and adequacy.  What they commonly assert is that the atonement is "sufficient for all, but efficient for some" or taking effect for the elect only--saying we receive or accept God's salvation to certify or complete it. We must personally appropriate His substitutionary sacrifice on our behalf.

If it avails for all, then you have a proof-text for universalism, as 1 John 2:2 (NIV)  proclaims:  "For He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and only for ours, but also for the sins of the whole world." This verse actually means that Christ's atonement is sufficient for the sins of the whole world and ipso facto no one has an excuse because of it--specifically, salvation is not just for the Jews, who thought it was just for them.  But Christ died "...that he might taste death for everyone"  (Heb. 2:9).

The omniscience of God assures us that God knows those who are His and who will believe and who wouldn't believe. We are limiting God by saying that He waits for our ratification to complete the work.  God doesn't just see ahead who will be saved and elect them (prescient view) but elects us unto faith.  "For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off--for all whom the Lord our God will call" (Acts 2:39).  If we study Rom. 8:29-30 to study the golden chain of redemption we can see that all that God calls get saved ("And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he justified."), and this is not the case with us, because the general call we give in evangelizing sometimes falls on deaf ears. as opposed to God's inner call that never gets rejected because of irresistible grace, and Christ gets rejected.

We are assured that anyone who believes or has genuine saving and living faith will be saved.  The only thing standing in the way of a believer is his lack of faith in receiving the free gift of eternal life in Christ by grace.  No one will be able to blame Christ for their condemnation!  Let me conclude that no one is saved by their theory of the Atonement;  There are indeed pious believers on both sides of this issue.  Soli Deo Gloria!

Are We Robots?

Arminians (those who believe in absolute, free will, and its ability to freely choose God apart from His intervention or grace) deny Providence and the absolute sovereignty of God because they believe it makes us robots or chatty dolls that God just wound up and run according to His will.  I believe in predestination, but not coercion or determinism (that God forces us with an exterior force to do something we don't want to or intend to do).  Our salvation is "ultimately in God's hands," they say, and God chooses us, we don't choose Him (cf. John 15:16).  No one would ever choose Christ if God hadn't intervened on his behalf and "by grace he believed" (cf. Acts 18:27).  Jesus made the "hard saying" that "no one can come to the Father unless the Father ... draws him..."  (John 6:44).  Many who heard this, "no longer walked with Him."

Our thoughts and intentions are our own and we are culpable for them--the Bible reveals our thoughts and intentions (cf. Heb. 4:12).  We are culpable even for our thoughts because Jesus internalized sin  (anger is like murder and lust is comparable to adultery), saying that it originated in the evil heart of man (cf.  "...out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks, "and  "...for out of the heart come evil thoughts"--Matt. 15:11;19).  God's sovereignty is not limited by our freedom or actions--if God is not Lord of all, He is not Lord at all--He must, by definition, be sovereign overall, or He is not God--not even one molecule in the universe can be out of control!  God micromanages the universe in other words!  Recall Joseph saying to his brothers:  "You meant it for evil, but God meant it for good" (Gen. 50:20).

We are indeed culpable for our actions and thoughts in spite of the fact that God is allowing it to happen or directing it for some higher purpose--you only need look at the crucifixion and its evil that God had planned (cf. Acts 2:23; 4:28).  In legal matters it is important what a person's intentions are, despite the result; God does the same in judging us.  But sincerity is not everything; People don't get saved because they meant well or were "sincerely wrong."

The working together of our actions, good and evil, with God's overall plan, is called concurrence and it is none of our business what God's intentions are or what He is doing:  "...None can hold back His hand or say to Him, "What are You doing?'"  (Dan. 4:35).    God doesn't have to explain Himself to us; we need to explain ourselves to Him!    (Cf. Job not being answered but just humbled.)  Soli Deo Gloria!

Can We Claim All God's Promises?

Modern-day evangelicalism believes that there are over 5,000 promises at last count in the Bible that can be appropriated by the believer by a so-called "name-it-and-claim-it" theology.  This is rampant and leads to "prosperity theology" that teaches that it is always God's will for the believer to be prosperous (what is meant by true prosperity is that one is blessed by God in his endeavors and they bring forth fruit) and for the Christian to be blessed in a material way.  2 Cor. 1:20 is often quoted to raise the issue:  "For all the promises of God are "Yes" in Christ..."  Or: "For, no matter how many promises God has made, they are "Yes" in Christ."  This really means that Christ has fulfilled all the promises and according to Joshua  23:14 all of God's promises have been fulfilled (past tense); not one has failed!  God keeps His Word on account of Christ.

One thing about promises is that some appear to be and aren't, e.g., in  Proverbs, where there are just many wise pithy sayings or observations, such as if you work hard you will be rewarded with wealth. (Cf. Prov. 10:22 which reads, "The blessing of the LORD makes a person rich, and he adds no sorrow with it").  Many promises are conditional and we must meet the condition:  For example, "Delight thyself in the Lord, and He will give thee the delights of thine heart."  Some are exclusively intended for the nation of Israel and not the church per se.   Some are individualistic, like to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, or David. Some are for all mankind, like to Adam, who represents all mankind and is the head of the race.

One very popular verse that is often quoted out of context and intended for Israel in captivity that He will restore them and bless them as a nation again is Jeremiah 29:11, which is so often quoted as follows:   "I know the plans that I have for you, says the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a future and a hope."  God's Plan for some of His directive will is to be martyrs or suffer for the kingdom of God and not necessarily find their so-called "city" in this life--for the patriarchs didn't receive what was promised either.  ("For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God"--Heb. 11:10.)   God does indeed have plans for His people and His intentions are good toward us and we have a future and hope for living in Christ--namely, to bring glory to God, live for Christ, and die to self.

But mark these words:  God does prosper many believers (He blesses some in all ways, but all in some ways), but prosperity is not to be looked upon as a sign of God's approbation.  Look at the prosperity of the wicked in Psalm 73 and the rebuke of the rich in the book of Amos!  Psalm 17:14 says that some have their portion in this life.   Some people leave their reward behind, and others go to their reward in heaven.    The only true and valid test of a believer is Christian love in action   (Note Gal. 5:6 as follows:  "...the only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.") and the telltale sign is not achieving the American dream or any other material factor-like fame, power, or riches. When we suppose that godliness is a means of financial gain we have missed the boat, however, godliness with contentment is great gain!  (Cf. 1 Tim. 6:5-6.)

CAVEAT:  BEWARE OF REPLACEMENT THEOLOGY THAT SEES THE CHURCH AS THE HEIR TO ALL ISRAEL'S PROMISES.   Soli Deo Gloria!

He That Is Spiritual

I'm borrowing from Lewis Sperry Chafer's 1918 book He That Is Spiritual to make a point.  It used to be believed that you didn't have to make Christ Lord of your life to get saved, but only trust Him as Savior.   Au contraire, you must submit to Him as Lord as well, and accept Him for all that He is--otherwise, you are rejecting Him!

I recently went to a Bible study that an "Arminian" said that there are three kinds of people: unbelievers, carnal Christians, and spiritual Christians  (I sensed this as an urgent and critical issue to address).  My task is to refute this as erroneous thinking because it can lead to many fallacious deductions.  Let's nip this doctrinal credo in the bud!

 Paul said that he could not address the Corinthians (3:1) as "spiritual" but only as "worldly" or "carnal."  "As mere babies in Christ!" They had the "mind of Christ," but were only immature spiritually.  He wasn't creating a new type of believer but reaching out to where they were because a good teacher knows his listeners.  One of the biggest controversies among evangelicals in the '80s was the so-called "easy-believism." (basically assent or acquiescence and not heartfelt faith and the premise that one can "accept Christ" as Savior and not as Lord, thus dichotomizing His offices--we can distinguish them, but not separate them because we must accept them both or we not accepting Him).

A. W. Tozer said, "The Lord will not save those whom He cannot command. He will not divide His offices.  You cannot believe in half-Christ.  We take Him for what He is...."   This is the assumption that salvation is by believing alone apart from any submission to Christ's Lordship, in other words, that salvation is free but it doesn't cost you anything either--salvation is a free (but not cheap) gift to those who "accept Christ" for who He is and what He did on our behalf--discipleship can cost you everything, even the ultimate sacrifice of martyrdom.  This controversy goes back to Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the persecuted and martyred Lutheran pastor in Nazi Germany, who proclaimed the effect of "cheap grace."  Salvation is indeed free, but don't call it cheap or easy!

This made a whole new category of Christian known as the carnal believer.  Any believer can be carnal or spiritual at times and need milk at times to restore to fellowship--you are not a different brand of  believer just because you can't handle solid food yet.  "We are all one in Christ."  Just because one is carnal doesn't mean he is a carnal Christian, but that he is a Christian who is carnal!  What can happen with the false category of "carnal Christian" is that a person can be living in sin and say, "Oh, it's all right, I'm a carnal Christian!"  We should treat said person as an unbeliever when we see no fruit, and not let him get away with sin. One of the church's duties is discipline.  "If anyone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness..."  (Gal. 6:1). 

All Christians have the "mind of Christ" (there is no elite type of believer or privileged class) and all have their spiritual eyes opened to understand the spiritual dimension and doctrines of the Bible.  The illuminating ministry of the Holy Spirit is at work in all believers.  There are two kinds of sinners: lost and justified (or unsaved and saved)!  Luther said we are at the same time just and sinners (per Gal. 2:17)! Christians aren't really called sinners, but sin even though they are justified in God's eyes and treated as just.  Paul is rebuking the Corinthians for their lack of spiritual growth, and the fact that they are sinning. The believer doesn't practice sin according to 1 John 3:9.  They are behaving like immature believers that don't know anything and Paul must tell them the basics all over again or start from scratch, as it were because they hadn't progressed on their own--does Paul need to feed them the milk of the Word all over again?

The issue should be what is saving faith, not what is easy-believism since that lends itself to semantic problems.   One must believe in the heart, not just intellectual assent, to be sure, and more than just agree to dogma because it is not a credo that saves us, but a person to know!   We need to get to know Jesus, not just a church dogma.  Doctrine is necessary, but not sufficient; it isn't enough and we must live out our faith and translate our faith and creed into deeds.  I have no beef with some believer who loves the Lord, even if there is disagreement on a doctrine--we must accept him who is weak in faith.  The strong need to increase in love and the weak in knowledge.  The Scripture distinguishes between the natural man and the spiritual man.  Unbelievers are natural men and cannot fathom Scriptural truth, because they are blind and dead spiritually, and not quickened by the Holy Ghost in regeneration.   God quickens faith within us and it is a supernatural work that gives God the glory.

We are not given free rein to live in the flesh and to "continue in sin, that grace may abound," but given power in the Spirit to become slaves of righteousness, instead of sin; for our sinning proves our slavery, it doesn't demonstrate our freedom!  It should be noted that Christianity is the only faith that is based on divine accomplishment, not a human achievement.

Faith and repentance are divine works in us (cf. 2 Tim. 2:25; Acts 11:18; Acts 18:27; John 6:29; Phil. 1:29; et al.); they are not pre-salvation works or preparations for us to merit salvation in any way; salvation is not merited by any work and we are not saved by works (faith and repentance are not human works), but by grace alone (sola gratia), through faith alone (sola fide) and in Christ alone (soli Christo); the only question is what we mean by these terms.  Faith is manifested by obedience only and not be lip service alone; faith must be translated into deeds to be real genuine saving and living faith (true faith is not static).     Soli Deo Gloria! 

The Sole Primary Cause

"...[W]ho works out everything in conformity with the purpose of His will"  (Ephesians 1:11).
"...[I]n Him all things consist"  (Col. 1:17).
"For, 'In Him we live and move and have our being'..."  (Acts 17:28).
"The lot is cast into the lap, but the decision is wholly from the LORD" (Prov. 16:33).
"...[N]one can stay his hand or say to him, "What are you doing?"  (Dan. 4:34-35).
"...For who can resist His will?" (Rom. 9:19).
[He works in us] "...both to will and to work for his good pleasure" (Phil. 2:13).


Definition of Providence per the divines of The Westminster Confession circa 1646:
"...God, the great Creator of all things, doth uphold, direct, dispose and govern all creatures, actions, and things, from the greatest even to the least...."  [This is called the eternal decrees.]

God works through the most diabolical of events, including the crucifixion, which was according to plan and eternal decree (there is no Plan B) (cf. Acts 2:23; 4:28).  "... you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good" (Gen. 50:20).  "The LORD has made everything for its purpose, even the wicked for the day of trouble" (Prov. 16:4).  God works through and directs all events but they do not impugn His holy being and He "remains pure from every stain of sin."    We are responsible (actually held accountable and culpable) and blameworthy (destined to be judged and punished--"For it is appointed unto man once to die, and after this the judgment," declares Hebrews 9:27).  And again, "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ"  (2 Cor. 5:10).

There are no flukes, accidents,  fate, fortune, or luck or any impersonal forces such as Mother Nature at work in a so-called "naturalistic" universe.

He is the sole primary cause of the universe who not only set things in motion, but maintains and sustains them called government, concurrence (cooperation with our wills), and preservation of them physically.  There are two other causes:  instrumental and final.  Faith is the instrumental cause of salvation, but God is the primary cause, and we are the final cause (God uses us, but we don't cooperate, because "Salvation is of the LORD" according to Jonah 2:9) in ratifying it by faith.  There are secondary causes in creation:  When Satan does some evil he has to get God's permissive will to do it--he doesn't have free reign over us but is a servant of God, or else!

Case in point:  David was incited by Satan to make a census, but it also said that God led him to do it.  God was just using Satan to do His decreed will.  Note that the preceptive, revealed will of God to us is not the same as the decreed, hidden will that is God's secret and none of our business ("The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but those things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever" ( Deut. 29:29).  We don't know the hidden will until it happens and should not seek it by necromancy, tarot cards, seance, etc., but live our lives in faith trusting Him for the future.

Providence is the name given to God's personal involvement and sovereignty of His creation.  Man acts as His agent with a so-called free will, but the Bible says that God doesn't give up His sovereignty even in man's freedom of choice (cf. "I know, O LORD, that the way of man is not in himself, that it is not in man who walks to direct his steps,"  says, Jeremiah 10:23;  "A man's steps are ordered by the LORD" (Prov. 20:24);  "A man's mind plans his way, but the LORD directs his steps" says Proverbs 16:9).

Think of all the evil that happened to Job and "In all this Job did not sin or charge God with wrong"  (Job 1:22).   "Does evil befall a city, unless the LORD has done it?  (Amos 3:6).  "I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil:  I, the LORD, do all these things"  (Isaiah 45:7 KJV). Note that God has a purpose for evil to exist:  "Surely the wrath of men shall praise you"  (Psalm 76:10).  God's relation to evil and sin is a mystery, not revealed in Scripture, but He remains unspoiled by it, i.e., without any taint of sin or evil, and holy or separate-- despite its existence.
Soli Deo Gloria!

Authentic Worship

"Blessed are the people who know the festal shout [hear the call to worship, those who have learned to acclaim you]"  (Psalm 89:15).


"Ascribe to the LORD the glory due His name, worship the LORD in the splendor of His holiness"  (Psalm 29:2).  This the key verse and theme of the Psalms.  The way to begin worship is by thanksgiving and praise, "Enter His gates with thanksgiving, His courts with praise, give thanks to Him, praise His name" (Psalm 100:4).  We are to take worship seriously, because God is worthy and doesn't want our leftover time, talent, resources, money, efforts--He wants the first-fruits because that takes faith when we give God the priority of everything (e.g., people are not interruptions but opportunities, and we see God open doors for His will and good deeds). "Let the redeemed of the LORD, say so, whom He has redeemed from trouble"  (Psalm 107:2).

Here's are examples of OT worship:  "And Ezra blessed the LORD, the great God, and all the people answered, "Amen, Amen," lifting up their hands.   And they bowed they heads and worshiped the LORD with their faces to the ground"  (Nehemiah 8:6).  "Worship was meant to be with the body as well as the spirit.  Also, Psalm 95:6 says:  "Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the LORD, our Maker!"

What we do for the Lord ought to be our best:  "A curse on him who is lax in the LORD'S work" (Jeremiah 48:10).   "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men" (Col. 3:23).  Solomon says that whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might!

Man is called Homo religiosus (a religious man) and is made to worship God and, if not God will worship something in its place (idolatry).  Man is made for God and only happy in God.

Caveat:  "These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.  They worship me in vain; their teaching [doctrines] are but rules taught by men" (Matthew 15:8-9).  Malachi warned the Jews about their lukewarm worship--they were frauds at worship.


Martin Luther was the first reformer to declare and teach that we worship God by our labor as well as in song or at church.  When we work we are fulfilling part of our "image and likeness" of God and doing God's will, no matter what our calling in life.  Our life is a "spiritual service of worship" (Rom. 12:1) and is "holy and pleasing to God."  Labor used to be looked upon as a curse only fit for slaves or the lower class while the privileged lived in luxury talking about the latest ideas or something to that effect.  With God labor and work have dignity and everyone can serve.  We don't only go to church to worship, we worship by our sacrificial lives--we go to work to worship too.  Our lives are living worship.  Real worship is when we "first give [ourselves] to the Lord" because what God really wants is US!

It is vain to just give your money to church, if you think that is all it takes to please God ("Here, God, is your money!  I hope you're happy!), if you don't belong to the Lord yourself!  The idea of New Testament giving is that is voluntary, not compulsory according to 2 Cor. 9:7 says, "Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver."   We should not give "grudgingly," but "excel in the grace of giving" because it is a matter of having faith to live in God's economy of it being more blessed to give than to receive--reaping what we sow, sparingly or abundantly, respectively.

"To obey is better than sacrifice, to hearken than the fat of rams..." (1 Sam. 15:22).  Saul had gone through the rituals and illegal routine of offering a sacrifice, thinking he was doing his bit to please God; when, in fact, he was only lukewarm, half-hearted or tepid in his service and devotion--no man in the Bible had more opportunity and blew it more than this first king of Israel.  Isaiah 1:13 says, "... I can not endure iniquity and solemn assembly."

David, on the other hand, said, "I will not offer to the LORD  that which cost me nothing"  (1 Chronicles 21:25). This is exactly the way of following the Lord:  we can accept our discipleship to cost us something (e.g., friends, jobs, homes, family, and even life)--what they say is that freedom is not free; well, our salvation cost Christ dearly and salvation is a free gift to us to accept by faith, but it may cost us something to live the Christian life and follow Jesus. Samuel told King Saul that obedience was paramount, not ritual, and to listen to God's voice, not going through the motions of religiosity--anyone can put up a front, but Jesus sees through the veneer!

Some people sing in church not really meaning what they sing, because they say, "I'm just singing." God takes our attitude seriously and wants us to worship in "Spirit and in truth" according to John 4:24.   We need not only be correct in our thinking and teaching but be filled with the Spirit and in right relationship with our brothers in Christ.

Jesus said that if you go to offer a sacrifice and remember that your brother has something against you, go and reconcile and then offer your sacrifice. Worship implies fellowship, not only with God but with our Christian family.  They go hand in hand and can be distinguished, but not separated!  [Just like I can distinguish your soul and body, but if I separate them you are dead.]  In sum, shun lip service as abhorrent to the LORD (cf. Jer. 12:2; Isa.. 29:13).    Soli Deo Gloria!

Having Bible Fatigue?

Disclaimer:  The Bible is not like a novel that you read and file away, saying I know what's in it! You don't read it once and put it back in the library!  There is no panacea and everyone's case is different, but this is my perspective.  I'm not a guru on this and don't claim a special revelation, inside track, or anointing from God, but He has put this on my heart.  In retrospect or hindsight, I do seem to know something about this I'd like to share so you won't have to go through what I have and learn the hard way to stay in the Word.  "It is no empty Word for you, but your very life" (cf. Deut. 32:47).   I have been gung-ho about the Scripture since a lad and know of what I speak, this is mostly empirical first-hand expertise, counsel or advice as follows, and not necessarily dogma or scholarship took a posteriori and I hope you don't think I'm getting mystical:

Have you ever been bored with your Bible reading?  Has it ever lost its pizazz or zip?  Even though this is commonplace, it should not be normative in a healthy Christian or body.  Have you been there and done that?  You know what I mean because this can happen to anyone.  You can feel blase, or get the blahs about anything you like from time to time and the Holy Writ is humdrum and you can live without daily, then weekly, then hardly ever reading it. This scenario could be a  red flag and show impending signs of being lukewarm, warned of by Jesus in Revelation 3:16. It is indicative of something much deeper than boredom and could be a telltale sign of backsliding at worse. It is ubiquitous or constantly encountered and not at all unwanted or unheard of.

You don't want to be nonchalant or indifferent concerning spiritual things and you should nip it in the bud!  Let's rectify and remedy this abnormal situation common in the body, or you could call it systemic (affecting the body at large) because I've heard that only 10 percent of believers are really into the Word on a daily basis!

Sometimes we will get a serendipity (finding a jackpot looking for something else), an epiphany (a discovery), get a rude awakening or rebuke, or have a rare "Aha!" moment, burning in the bosom, or goosebump (sometimes called an existential experience--but don't become addicted to emotional highlights, because God isn't impressed with emotion as much as faith, which is how to please Him (cf. Hebrews 11:6).

You can't teach someone to love the Word--it is something to behold and to cherish.  ("O how I love thy law, it is my meditation all the day,"  cf. Psalm 119:97 and "Great peace have those who love thy law, and nothing causes them to stumble," cf. Psalm 119:165).  Let the Word "be a lamp to our feet and a light to our path" (cf. Psalm 119:105)! The Bible feeds you, then makes you hungry!  It reads you as you read it!

What is the cure?  There is a cure for every illness, in my opinion.  But I believe the cure is in the Bible!  Yes, the cure for Bible fatigue is the Bible itself and this is no paradox.  You may be trying to "feed on ashes" according to Scripture or eat yesterday's meal.  Sometimes we do eat leftovers, but not necessarily the next day or the next meal.  We never lose our appetite for milk because milk is a staple, not a treat or dessert.  If we ate cake every day we would grow blase about it or maybe spoiled. You cannot live on bread alone either, because we need a balanced diet.

The bread is Christ and the milk and meat are the Word. Solid food is for the mature who have learned to distinguish good from evil  (cf. Hebrews 5:14) and are not carnal or in the flesh (cf. 1 Cor. 3:1-2).  Baby Christians can only digest milk or the basics of the Word and the deeper or more advanced doctrine is inappropriate.  You don't give a baby solid food!  We all have to learn to feed ourselves eventually, even though faith comes by hearing.  We never outgrow the need for preaching and teaching form the body of Christ.  We edify each other--no one is a rock to himself.   Now, even though mature believers need meat to grow they also never lose the need for milk or any of the staples--the basics.

I still enjoy hearing the gospel message, for example, and like to read the Word without going to deep sometimes.  I don't want to oversimplify, but when I say the cure is the Bible, I mean that if we apply what we know and share what we know God will teach us more in His Word.  There are the so-called "inhale-exhale" phenomena that say that impression without expression equals depression!  There is joy in doing the Word too, not just reading it or studying it.  We need to pray, cry out, and thirst for God as revealed in the Word.  Pray: "Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law" (cf. Psalm 119:18).   The cure may be as simple as reading other portions of Scripture or think outside the box, as it were.  Get out of your comfort zone and explore the Bible!  Don't just specialize in one portion or genre.  "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God"  (cf. Matt. 4:4).  Paul says he has not failed to "proclaim the whole will [counsel] of God," not just his agenda, in Acts 20:27.

Another cure is to change translations and this is a way of getting a new viewpoint or to be exposed to a new horizon or new world.  There is no perfect translation; they are all flawed and one must not just be enslaved to one--only the original manuscripts are infallible and no translation can be inerrant, but always loses something in the translation--I know as a German-language student.  Sometimes, it just boils down to what works for you or which one you like to read or will read.

Paul warns us not to argue about words (cf. 1 Tim. 6:4; 2 Tim. 2:14), but that doesn't mean they aren't important.  Lawyers may also be familiar with the nuances of words and realize that many quarrels can be made over the meaning of words--don't get too dogmatic and force your doctrine to be dependent on any one translation--that is don't nit-pick!  You may be splitting hairs; don't major on the minors, but try to get the big picture first or you may become intoxicated with the deep things of the Word and forget its main message which is faith expressing itself through love (cf. Gal. 5:6). We can become too familiar with a passage and need a fresh perspective that another translation or version can give us.     Soli Deo Gloria!

So You Love Jesus!

Do you love the right Jesus or a "different Jesus?"

"We love Him because He first loved us"  (1 John 4:19).
"A curse on anyone who doesn't love the Lord..." (1 Cor. 16:22).
"Though you have not seen Him, you love Him"  (1 Peter 1:8).
"We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren"  (1 John 3:14).
"You that love the LORD, hate evil"  (Psalm 97:10).
 Jesus said, "The greatest commandment is to love the Lord, thy God!"  Let's explore this:


Jesus said, "If you love Me, keep My commandments [obey Me]." (Cf. John 14:21)  What was he commanded them to do, but to love one another as He loved them?  The purpose Christ left us behind is to fulfill the Great Commission as given in Matt. 28:19-29. That is the sole, and I mean the sole, purpose of the church; this command is not meant for us to do it all on our own, but in conjunction, cooperation, and fellowship with the church as we function in the body as we are gifted.  We are all witnesses and have a testimony to the world at large, but are responsible for our own little world, circle of friends, family, or sphere of influence.  We can financially support people in the third world if we desire. Remember: He that loves not, knows Him not, for God is love (cf. 1 John 4:8).

We can't just say we love the Lord, we must demonstrate it.   If you love the world-system, the love of the Father is not in you, according to 1 John 2:15.   This is the litmus test!  "By this shall all men know that you are my disciples, that you love one another" [not any other sign or signal such as success or prosperity] (John 13:35).  Love is not just the absence of evil, but doing good ("Cease from evil, do good." --Isaiah 1:16-17):  we shouldn't be asking who our neighbor is, but "Who can I be a neighbor to?"  Note that Jesus raised the bar!  We are also to love our enemies, which was unheard of!   "...God has poured out His love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit"  (Rom. 5:5)  It is the love of Christ that constrains us and gives us this love (cf. 2 Cor. 5:14).

Many believe that because they love the Lord that it is all right between them and God.  They may be sentimental, maudlin, or converted to the program and mistakenly think they have their heart in the right place.  We are not saved by loving the Lord; we are saved by (believing on Him) submitting to His lordship and trusting in His person and finished work on the cross ("tetelestai" or "it is finished").  It is a done deal or in Latin, fait accompli.  We must all examine our heart to see if Jesus lives in us according to 2 Cor. 13:5, which says precisely that:  "Examine yourselves...Do you not realize that Jesus Christ is within you, unless you fail the test?" [Don't oversimplify the faith by believing all there is to it is loving Jesus; however, we eventually fall in love with Jesus as we mature in the faith--some have even left their first love!--he who is forgiven much, loves much, according to Jesus.]

The real question is whether we love Him but this must be demonstrated, manifested,  and proved by our deeds, not just our talk: show me the fruit!  All Christians love the Lord, but some are demonstrative and some are stoic (no showing their feelings), but all will have a feeling!  Our whole soul is involved in conversion:  heart, mind, and will.   Remember what Jesus asked Peter to reinstate him:  "Do you love me? [If you do, feed My sheep.]"  You must love the Lord, but don't be deceived by mere feelings.  Don't merely go by feeling or sentiment!   Any so-called believer or nominal Christian is anathema Maranatha  [curses until Christ comes] if he doesn't love the Lord, according to Paul in 1 Cor. 16:22.

Don't take it for granted that you love him; ask questions like:  Do you love the Word?  Do you love your brother?  Do you love your enemy?  Do you attend church regularly?  The three biggest struggles, obstacles, or problem areas for the believer to develop a love for the Lord are in his relationship to these books:  the pocketbook, the hymn book, and the Good Book.  To keep things in perspective:  It is not that we loved Him, but that He loved us!  "Herein in love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins"  (1 John 4:10).  Soli Deo Gloria! [To God alone be the glory!] 

CAVEAT:  SOME WHO PROFESS CHRIST LOVE OUT OF SENTIMENTALITY OR MAUDLIN INCLINATION--AUTHENTIC LOVE ENTAILS OBEDIENCE.   Soli Deo Gloria!

We Are All Theologians

"You must teach what is in accord with sound doctrine" (Titus 2:1).
"Those who are wayward in spirit will gain understanding; those who complain will accept doctrine"  (Isaiah 29:24).
"They were astonished at His doctrine: for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes [who footnoted and quoted the authorities]"  (Matt. 7:28,29).
"They devoted themselves to the apostles' doctrine, to fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to prayer"  (Acts 2:42).
"Watch your life and doctrine closely..."  (1 Tim. 4:16).  BOLDFACE MINE.

Bear in mind that teaching is the same as doctrine, and theology or systematic theology is an organization of doctrines.  You cannot escape doctrine or you commit spiritual suicide.  Read on to see why.

Theology is not an abstract science, but the queen of sciences!   Theology is literally the study of God, while Christology is literally the study of Christ.  If you don't abide in the doctrine of Christ you don't have God (cf. 2 John 9).  If you believe in false doctrine you are a heretic if it is a major  (affirming the deity of Christ is a prerequisite for salvation,) it is a  necessary doctrine--we need to learn discernment and be orderly in our study and benefit from the scholarship of our church fathers--we don't have to start from scratch every generation---the church is Semper reformanda, or always reforming or improving; likewise our doctrine is Semper reformanda.   People sometimes refer to theologians in a derogatory manner, but I want to present them in a new light:

Where would our church be without the church fathers Athanasius, the Father of Orthodoxy, (or right doctrine), and Augustine the greatest theologian, arguably, that lived in the first millennium of church history?  We owe a debt of gratitude to giants such as John Calvin, who wrote Institutes of the Christian Religion, and Jonathan Edwards who began the Great Awakening.  To put things in perspective:  the well-known theologian Karl Barth was asked what was the deepest truth he had come across and he replied, "Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so."  Now, I know theologians get a bad rap, but here's a case on their behalf, since I have been called a theologian myself too:

To quote my favorite theologian, R. C. Sproul:  "To reject theology is to reject knowledge, this is not an option for the Christian."  Also, we cannot reject theology per se, just because there exists bad theology.  "To reject all theology just because there exists bad theology is to commit spiritual suicide," says Sproul.  Theologian is not known to be a spiritual gift because, I believe, we are all potential theologians clerically and actual practical theologians by definition.  We don't avoid theology because we have a distaste for controversy either--we are to avoid godless controversy, not necessary ones.  What if Martin Luther had never nailed his Ninety-Five Theses on the Wittenberg Castle church (All Souls Church) in 1517 to initiate the Reformation?  The spirit of the Protestant is this:  I dissent, I disagree, I protest. Sproul goes on to say that you can have sound doctrine without a sound life, but not a sound life without sound doctrine--think about that!

In other words, you can excel in the study of doctrine and not know the Lord--it can all be in your head!  The presence of doctrine is necessary, but not sufficient--you must add the Holy Spirit.  Asserting that theology is not important is tantamount to saying:  "It doesn't matter what you believe as long as you are sincere."  However, I want to stress, that as Protestants, we are not at the mercy of church doctrine and have the right to interpret Scripture for ourselves, but with the right comes the responsibility to interpret it right and that means eliminating subjectivism.  We cannot fabricate our own truths because no "Scripture is of any private interpretation" (2 Pet. 1:20).

"For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine" (2 Tim. 4:3).  I have just experienced this first hand at a Bible study tonight when the host said it was doctrine itself that turned him off to Christianity and he will have nothing to do with it.  What is doctrine, but teaching:  "All Scripture is profitable for doctrine..." (2 Tim. 3:16).  We all have our viewpoints and way of interpreting the Bible.  Doctrine in itself is a good thing but not an end in itself, but a means to an end and we are warned not to call good evil in Isaiah 5:20.  Knowledge of the Bible is necessary to spiritual health:  "You know not the Scriptures, nor the power of God"  (Matt. 22:29).

No one is perfectly objective except God, but have a school of thought or doctrine that we adhere to.  Examples are Arminian, charismatic, evangelical, Wesleyan, Reformed or Calvinistic, Catholic, ecumenical, and semi-Pelagian, among others.  There are the "freewillers" and the people who believe in predestination and election--that our destiny is ultimately in God's hands.  We all develop a system of doctrine and it grows as we mature in Christ.  One of the most basic doctrines we accept as Christians is the doctrine of the Trinity--so we are Trinitarians!   2 Tim. 4:3 can be translated:  "...Men will bail out theologically."

You are committing spiritual suicide and will never grow up if you ignore doctrine per se.  I'm not saying it is our goal to argue or debate doctrine, but we are to "study to show ourselves approved unto God, a workman that needs not be ashamed."  We are trying to catch people ultimately and win them over, not win an argument. Why do we want to know God?  To know Him is to love Him!   There is a direct correlation between our knowledge of God and our love for Him.  Be not deceived: there is a difference between knowledge of God and knowledge about God.

Systematic theology is an orderly view or presentation of the doctrines of the Bible.  Do you believe Jesus is God--that is basic doctrine and fundamental theology or "study of God" literally.  The childish believer or immature one balks at learning the deep things of God.  The man of God must hold the deep things of the word with a clear conscience (cf. 1 Tim. 3:9).  The milk of the Word is for the baby believer, but solid food or meat is for the mature or the one who discerns good and evil (cf. Heb. 5:14).

The point I'm trying to make is that we are all theologians, it's just what kind of theologian we are! You cannot escape theology or a system of theology--we all understand the Bible in a different light and one part of the body cannot say to the other that he isn't needed.  We need theologians and we are all theologians and this is no contradiction because the word has different nuances of meaning.   Theology is necessary to maturity, but not sufficient.  We can just study theology and not apply it and it will leave us cold.  We need theology but we also need to go beyond it so that we don't put God in a box and say, "I like to think of God as a ...."   We need to apply it and use it to interpret the Word.  If you believe you are saved and cannot lose your salvation you will interpret the Bible in a completely different light than if you aren't sure of your salvation or if you think you can lose it.          Soli Deo Gloria! 

Is God Fair?

Jacob was paranoid:  "All these things are against me"  (Gen. 42:36).  Job had his time of being appalled at his circumstances and sudden disaster:  "My worst fears have come upon me."  But Paul said of his sufferings:  "But none of these things move me" (Acts 20:24).  We must never give up the faith that "If God can be for us, who can be against us?"  They must come because the same hammer breaks the glass, forges the steal, the same sun melts the butter, hardens the clay--we either become bitter or better through the crucible of suffering or the school of hard knocks because God never promised us a bed of roses.  Hardship or Reality 101 is part of the divine curriculum.

But don't break faith or lose heart--God loves us as His children and discipline means we belong to Him ("Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I keep thy Word," says Psalm 119:67).  God's grace is not only necessary but sufficient for us ("My grace is sufficient for thee," says 2 Cor. 9:8).  Believers have always inquired, "Why do bad things happen to good people?"  [There are no good people!]  Let's see why the Bible says, "...Can anyone say to Him, 'What hast Thou done?'" (Dan. 4:35).

Life is unfair, just look at what happened to Jesus.  But don't jump to the conclusion that God is ergo unfair.  It doesn't necessarily follow, as I intend to show.  The question should not be, "Is God fair?" but are you fair? Who do you think you are?  Do you trust yourself and your standards enough to judge the whole earth?  God is fair is a given and a no-brainer to any person of faith--but we have a struggle when the trial, tribulation, suffering, adversity or temptation happens to us personally, don't we?  Like when Job's comforters reprimanded him that he had preached to others, and now trouble comes to him and he can't take it (cf. Job 4:3ff  "See how you have instructed many...but now trouble comes to you and you are discouraged....").

God sees the big picture and we only see our own little world!  Who has the advantage?  To get specific, is it fair that Jesus had to die?  Even the objective onlooker realizes he suffered a great injustice at the hand of Rome, yet God is fair and decreed that this should this; He does not tolerate sin but remains holy, and untouched by sin,  We tend to put God in a box, like saying, "I like to think of God as a ...."  Luther said to Erasmus:   "Your thoughts of God are too human."  There is always more to God than we can apprehend!  "The finite cannot grasp the infinite", the Greeks said.

Job was told, "Canst thou by searching find out God?"   There is no "higher law" that God must obey:  He is a law unto Himself--autonomous!   Only He can set aside His laws.   God wants to see if we will trust Him through thick and thin when the chips are down.  Let the chips fall where they may, God is in control! He does what is right, He never does what is wrong, because all wrongdoing is a sin.

"How can God be just, and the Justifier?"  The Bible says God's ways are unfathomable and inscrutable and no one can discern His ways, "as the heavens are higher than the earth" (cf. Isaiah 55:9; Rom. 11:33).  ("How unsearchable his judgments and His paths beyond tracing out.")  We sometimes cry out for justice, but do we really want to get what we deserve?  Or do we want mercy and grace?  Some will receive justice from God, and others mercy and grace (mercy is not getting what you deserve--judgment; grace is getting what you don't deserve--eternal life), but no one will receive injustice. 

Grace and mercy are a form of non-justice, but not injustice--there is a nuance of meaning that you must realize here.  Karma is disproved by Christ's sufferings--He certainly didn't deserve what He got at the hand of Rome.  God tempers His justice with mercy and only give the evil-doer his due or just dessert, and not beyond what strict justice would demand--God is not cruel. Remember, God is not obligated to be merciful, just because He was merciful to one and we have no claim on His mercy and cannot demand it, but can only accept it as a gift by grace through faith in Christ.

People instinctively think that when something goes wrong that God is unfair.  They don't think they could possibly be reaping what they have sown.  Even Job didn't accuse God of wrong-doing and accepted evil at the hand of God as well as a blessing.  What is fair is the question, not is God fair.  For Abraham said, "Shall not the judge of all the earth do right?"  We don't judge God, he judges us!  We don't have some standard of right and wrong and see if God measures up!

What God does is fair by definition because God is fair, period, no if's, and's, or but's.  Today they say that art is what an artist says is art!  It is similar with God.  We say that beauty is in the eye of the beholder too.  But God said all creation was good after He created it and we are not to object to His standards.  R. C. Sproul says, "God is therefore never arbitrary, whimsical, or capricious, He always does what is right." Amen!  Amen!  He never acts out of character but is always true to Himself.

Because there is no immediate retribution, we tend to think we have gotten away with something--But God is only giving us space to repent and judge He will--either in Christ or at the Great White Throne Judgment at the Last Day.  We want revenge sometimes but must not take the law into our own hands but trust God and  His using the government to get the job done.  "Vengeance is mine, saith the LORD."  No one gets away with anything.  What seems like God being unfair is often just suffering the consequences for our own foolishness or sin!   Either they are disciplined by God as believers and their sins are judged on the cross, or they pay for their own sins in the final judgment for all eternity.  The point is this:  Something is fair because God says so--to have some other standard other than this self-attesting one would be to appeal to some standard higher than God.  For instance, if I said, common sense should be the standard, because that's just common sense.  (This is circular reasoning when we appeal to the source we are using as proof itself.)

Now in Psalm 73 Asaph bemoans the prosperity of the wicked--a common complaint against God.  But Psalm 17:14  says that some people's reward is in this life ("...whose portion is in this life")  and the rule still applies that they sow the wind and reap the whirlwind (Hosea 8:7).   We tend to think that if someone gets something, that we also deserve it.  If God saves one person, for instance, He is not obligated to save another--He could have elected to save no one!  Remember and keep faith in the goodness of God and the profundity or incomprehensibility of God--we cannot figure Him out and never will!

In the economy of God, it pays to trust God and it is more blessed to give than to receive, but also the laws of reaping what you sow and the promised rewards to people who are industrious and work hard are in effect despite being a believer or not.  God blesses some people in all ways, but all in some ways, because of common grace given to all--"God is good to all, and His compassion is over all creation" (Psa. 145:9).  God doesn't know how to be anything but good.  The proof of the pudding is in the eating--"Taste and see that the Lord is good," says Psalm 34:8.  God is good all the time! (Neh. 1:7).   Soli Deo Gloria!