Should We Be Proud?

Notable and applicable verses on being proud:

"Look on everyone who is proud and bring him low; tread down the wicked in their place"  (Job 40:12, KJV).
"He is proud, knowing nothing..." (1 Tim. 6:4).
"Let the proud be ashamed, for they treated me wrongfully with falsehood..." (Psalm 119:78).
"God stands against the proud, but favors the humble"  (James 4:6b, CEB).
"The LORD detests all the proud of heart..." (Proverbs 16:5).
"Haughty eyes and a proud heart, the lamp of the wicked, are sin!"  (Prov. 21:4).
"Pride goeth before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall"  (Prov. 16:18).
I shouldn't have to remind you that pride is one of the so-called Seven Deadly Sins of Roman Catholicism.

Paul said that he'd speak of nothing but of which Christ has accomplished through him in Romans 15:8.  The whole point of our achievements is that they amount to zilch in God's eyes:  "All our righteousness is as filthy rags..." (Isaiah 64:6).  Salvation in Christ is about God's accomplishment, not our achievement(s).  "To obey is better than sacrifice" as King Saul found out, who had manifold achievements, but only half-heartedly followed the LORD and disobeyed.  The point must be clear that God wants our OBEDIENCE (according to our opportunities and gifts),  not our achievements!

There is no place for boasting in God's presence nor in man's, because "apart from [Christ] we can do nothing" and all that we have accomplished, He has done through us (Isaiah 26:12). Bragging is a work of the flesh and has no place in the godly behavior.  That is another way of glorying in something, and all the glory goes to God unless He is sharing His glory.  Satan's sin was his pride (he lifted up his soul) and that was because he was proud in his estate, and he got booted out of heaven because of it.  God lists the sins that are an abomination to Him and that He hates in Proverbs 6:17:  "A proud look..." is mentioned first

Don't ever let God find pride in you because you will fall into the condemnation of the devil (he will probably say, "There you go, you're just like me!") and you will be severely disciplined by God if you are a believer, and punished in hell if you are not.  We do not deserve anything we have got or have achieved because if we only did it in our own strength, it is nothing:  "...' Not by power, nor by might, but by My Spirit,'  says the LORD Almighty" (Zech. 4:6).

There is a difference between taking pride in one's work and being proud or having pride.  We must do our work as unto the Lord, and our work doesn't define us, but how well we do it does.  This is the work ethic, that all work is to God's glory and work is not a curse but helps us become more like the image of Christ.  Galatians 6:4 says:  "Each person should test their own work and be happy with doing a good job and not compare themselves with others." When we are proud or boast we are comparing ourselves with others and setting up an artificial standard other than Christ.  The KJV says:  "Let every man prove his own work, then he shall have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another."  Being braggadocio is always sin but I'm not saying we think less of ourselves; we are to have good self-esteem and God-confidence too.

George Whitefield was asked what he thought of a man going to the gallows:  "There but for the grace of God, go I."  We are to think more highly of others not less of them and realize that we are all one in Christ.  He has leveled the playing field and we cannot boast, but we are blessed and should be thankful that God has made us a vessel of honor.  There is no place for an elite in Christianity, but we are one family and no one can say he has no need of another member.  Soli Deo Gloria!

Should We Accept Criticism?

 "Wilt thou also disannul my judgment?  wilt thou condemn me, that thou mayest be righteous?" (Job 40:8).

We should accept each other because Christ has accepted us.  "Make allowance for one another person's faults" (Eph. 4:2).  Accepting a person doesn't mean that we think they are perfect, for a friend sees your faults and still accepts you the way you are, not the way you think you are.  "A friend loves at all times and a brother is born for adversity [time of trial or adversity]"  (Proverbs 17:17).  It is good to have equals as friends because Prov. 27:17 says that "iron sharpens iron."  We shouldn't expect our feelings never to get hurt nor wear them on our sleeve because the truth often hurts and Proverbs also says that "faithful are the wounds of a friend."

We all have four faces:  the one we see; the one our friends see; the one our enemies see; and the one God sees.  God sees through the veneer and there is no fooling him;  we all have feet of clay and have weaknesses not readily apparent to the observer--sometimes only those closest to us really know us and we are putting up a facade to others, which is really hypocrisy.

Friendship involves give and take and is not co-dependent where both parties can't get along without each other so much that they idolize each other to the point of near perfection--no one is perfect as married couples find out when the honeymoon is over.  If you are looking for someone to see you as perfect you can give up because you aren't even if you think so.

Everyone is a hypocrite to a degree, it's just a matter of degree and transparency.  We need to learn to be frank with others and not be afraid to let the real person be revealed in all its reality--some people don't face reality and don't even reckon themselves as sinners and this is the delusion some have, even to the point of grandeur and we are superior to others.  Criticism is helpful and is the only creatures that have the ability to be self-critical as well.  Constructive criticism is needed whether we like it or not.  If you are too timid to criticize when you do have discernment, you may lose what discernment you have.

You just can't say someone is getting ad hominem  [arguing to the man rather than to the argument] with you just because they get personal--when they know you and are able to make; there is a place for honest criticism. Note that the Bible says nothing about this, it is strictly man's wisdom of arguing--there is always a place for discernment.   It is not ad hominem unless you are trying to win an argument with the insult. Above all else, a word to the wise:  Don't retaliate and return insult for insult or criticism for criticism (it may escalate out of control and do irreparable damage); the Bible says it is gracious to overlook an insult.  Soli Deo Gloria!

Exposition Of Operation Fig Leaf...

Satan hasn't changed his tactics since tempting Eve with the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. She ultimately didn't choose good vs. evil (she had no idea what they were!), but self vs. God.  This initial sin was only indicative of all that would follow in many ways.  Rejecting the wisdom of God, the trust in His providence and provision,  and the fellowship of Him vs. Satan, et cetera.  All sin was represented in some capacity in that prototype sin.  

We would've done the same thing and ditto Adam and Eve--they were our representatives and we are in effect in solidarity with them or in Adam as the official head of the race.  Satan didn't have anything against being good, it was only in an ungodly way apart from God's plan. What is evil, but deprivation or negation of good--it cannot exist without there being good in the first place. Being good without God, that's all. That's what religion tries to do: make you decent, respectable, honorable people without God--or ultimately knowing Him.

Christianity is simply Christ and taking Him out of the equation leaves nothing to live for--it is nothing.  You can have Buddhism without Buddha, but not Christianity without Christ you disembowel it as someone has said. The kind of people the world looks up to and admires are the ones who have made good for themselves and achieved the "American dream" et al.  Those living the good life or becoming a success in the eyes of man. 

People judge a splinter group by their character and say, "They are such fine people."  Newsflash:  Christ didn't come to make bad people good, but dead people alive!  "And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins..." (Eph. 2:1).  Christianity is not a system of dos and don'ts or a system of ethics, though orthopraxy (right behavior) is the application of orthodoxy (right beliefs).

He wants us to have an "abundant life" and "all these things shall be added unto us" as we seek His kingdom and righteousness.   He gives us "richly all things to enjoy" so God is not a killjoy trying to keep us from having fun.  Evil is just this:  leaving God out of the picture and trying to do it alone without Him.  It's a do-it-yourself proposition.  Sin can be seen as rejecting God's plan and declaring your independence to do it your way.

We're incurably addicted to doing something for our salvation according to Charles Swindoll and are naturally religious (we have been called Homo religiosus or a religious man).  What sin is that Adam and Eve chose was to put self into the center of our existence and live for self--there's no more sure way to personal disaster--the happiest people have learned to serve [live for others], says Albert Schweitzer. True humility is not thinking less of yourself, but thinking of yourself less according to Rick Warren.  

The aftermath of the fall was a cover-up and hiding from God and man is still up to this old escape mechanism.  We won't take responsibility and own up to our sins. We have to come clean and renounce all sin in our lives and be willing to let Christ transform our souls from the inside out--not turning over a new leaf or making a resolution, but surrendering the will to God's will.
Soli Deo Gloria!

Is There A Case For Pre-Trib Rapture?

"Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him!" (Rom.5:9).

Pre-tribers refer to Rev. 3:10 promising that the church of Philadelphia will be saved from the hour of testing that is to come upon the whole earth. The reason is that this means the tribulation or even the great tribulation after the first 3 1/2 years. Revelation specifically names the wrath of God as being poured out in chapter 16.  There is a definite distinction between the coming wrath of God and the wrath expressed in the damnation of the wicked in the lake of fire at the great white throne judgment.  John the Baptist preached: "Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?" (Matt. 3:7b).   1 Thess. 1:10 says that Jesus delivered us from the wrath to come.  In John 3:36 we read that the "wrath of God abideth on [the unbeliever] him."  They are vessels of wrath (fit for punishment) and God doesn't pour out His wrath on His children. J. I. Packer says that we are delivered from His wrath both in time and in eternity.  There might be an apostate church that is left behind at the rapture, but all those who are ready and saved will be taken.  Why do you think Jesus told us to be ready?  Because we know not the hour and He will come as a "thief in the night."

"The day of the Lord" is referred to in 2 Thess. 1:2 is talking about the Lord's wrath and not the rapture, and we are not to fear that we are in the tribulation or that the rapture has already taken place.  The day of the Lord will begin when He (cf. 2 Thess. 2:7) who restrains will be taken out of the way and the wicked one is revealed--the man of lawlessness, doomed to destruction--proclaiming himself to be God.

Is there Scriptural support to describe this wrath?  Defining the word: God's wrath simply means the righteous indignation and retribution of the Lord  "The great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?" (Rev. 6:17).  It is self-evident that this refers to the tribulation and testing come upon the whole world.  Paul refers to it: in Romans 2:5 as follows:  "...wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God."   Revelation 11:18 says, "And the nations were angry, and [God's] wrath is come."  (This is describing the great tribulation and final judgment of God on mankind.)  Finally, let's quote the prophet of the day of the Lord, Zephaniah,  in Zeph. 1:15ff:  "That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of wasteness and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness, a day of the trumpet and alarm against the fenced cities, and against the high towers, I will bring distress upon men, that they shall walk like blind men, because they have sinned against the LORD: and their blood shall be poured out as dust, and their flesh as the dung ... shall be able to deliver them from in the day of the LORD'S wrath."

One must acknowledge the fact that the rapture is a "mystery" (while we cannot understand contradictions, we do not understand mysteries) according to Paul in 1 Cor. 15:51 and that God told Daniel to "seal up the words of his prophecy until the time of the end"--no wonder scholars didn't believe in it until modern times into the 20th century by most--Spurgeon knew very little of the doctrine, which was typical of his era.  However,  Paul said that he would rather have us not be "ignorant" and to be "encouraged" by this doctrine--it is not to be ignored as irrelevant.  "We who are alive shall be caught up [raptured in secret] to meet the Lord in the air [not the second coming when an earthquake takes place in Jerusalem, and Israel shall mourn and every eye shall see Him when He sets foot on Zion coming with the clouds and His saints as King and shall ever be with the Lord [it doesn't say when the marriage supper of the Lamb] but we shall return with the Lord [coming with His saints] at the second coming to rule in the Millennial Kingdom for 1,000 years.  The coming of the Son of Man refers to both coming in one grand narrative that is combined and indistinct or phased into one scheme.  But we see more clearly now that the Jews of the time of Jesus had limited knowledge and revelation.  None of the wicked will understand according to Daniel 12.

Daniel's 70th week, yet to be finished by Israel, in which God gives Israel [Jacob's trouble] another chance to be His mouth peace on earth and to evangelize like they should've done before but failed, and the job was given to the Gentiles [the church age].  The gist of Revelation is about God's dealing with  Jacob once more, and no mention is made of the church, except being in heaven, after chapter 3. Note that Revelation is not strictly chronological.  The primary witnesses are the 144,000 Jews and the 2 witnesses, who are taken out of the way midway through the tribulation.   The Book of Revelation has the promise to claim to the church of Philadephia (Rev. 3:10) that they will be "delivered from the hour of testing [trial] that is to come upon the whole earth [the tribulation].

The "wrath of God" is not the same as hell or the lake of fire, which are punishment for the lost, in which they will not be punished beyond which strict justice demands--but the wrath of God is the pouring out of His anger on all the earth and none would survive, except for the sake of the elect [there is elect even in the tribulation and a great multitude who come out of the tribulation as a result of the gospel preaching of the sealed Jews and 2 witnesses these are not members of the church age that we are in].  Note that it doesn't say that if it wasn't for the sake of "all the elect" but for the elect that are in the tribulation.   "For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation ..." (1 Thess. 5:9).  God never leaves the world without His witness--there's always election to remain.

It is wicked to deny the imminence of the coming of the Lord because no one knows the hour, nor even when the hour isn't.  We can read the signs and be all the more convinced, but even John proclaimed that it was the "last hour" over 17 million hours ago.  His coming will be like "a thief in the night" and we are to be ready and have this hope in our lives that He may come today and doesn't "tarry." "Therefore encourage one another with these words"  (1 Thess. 4:18). This is the kind of mindset the early believers had and should be our model.  What encouragement is there in looking forward to the wrath of God [the wrath of God is mentioned in Revelation 16 and takes place during the last part of the tribulation, known as the great tribulation].


The disciples asked Jesus what would be the sign of the "end of the age."  The Jews saw two ages, the one they were living in and the day of the Lord, or of the wrath of God to judge the world. They wondered about the end of the world. When we see signs happening, such as the fulfillment of prophecy, we should realize that these are the beginning of birth pangs [not the coming wrath though] and should assemble together all the more as we see the day approaching (cf. Hebrews 10:25).  In Matthew 24 Jesus is combining the rapture with the Second Coming and lumping the whole end of the age together; He didn't know the day or hour Himself--He only told what the Father told Him to say.   Jesus didn't preach plainly because these things were not for everyone to understand and indeed still aren't.   Indeed, the gospel shall be preached to the whole world before the end of the world and this is not only happening but will certainly take place before the Second Coming and not necessarily before the rapture itself.

It is my impression that we are to anticipate the coming of our Lord:  ("You should look forward to that day and hurry it along" according to 2 Pet. 3:12) i.e.,  to prepare for, pray about, and proclaim His coming for us. You're not going to find a proof text to show that you must believe in one doctrinal understanding of this because it is meant to be a mystery to be unraveled in its time [our age] and that means we must investigate Scripture and draw conclusions  One generation will witness all the events and will not pass away according to my view of Jesus' words and He shall gather the elect from the four winds and these are those saints out of the tribulation, not the church, who have already been raptured.  It is meant to be good news; how could it be good news if we were anticipating a tribulation to go through?  Remember the words of Paul in 1 Thess. 4:18 says: "Therefore encourage one another with these words."

Are you looking for the Antichrist, or for the coming of our Lord?  Can you honestly wake up in the morning hoping it will be the day and be ready?  "Even so, come Lord Jesus.  Amen."  Test the spirit of the doctrine and see if there are hope and encouragement, rather than despair and angst on the doctrine you hold. How can this be if you fear the tribulation--I sure don't want the mark of the beast, and I'm glad not to fret about it.

One must prove his doctrine based upon the whole analogy of  Scripture, not just a favorite passage like the Mount Olivet discourse--the prophets of the Old Testament, including Zechariah and Zephaniah, had plenty to say too, and Daniel is the apocalypse of the Old Testament that has only recently been opened to us. We are delivered from the wrath of God per Romans 5:9 and Satan wants to take away the hope of our deliverance.  Case closed!  Soli Deo Gloria!

Truth In The Midst Of Uncertainty...

It was the skeptics of antiquity in Greece that doubted you could know anything for certain (cf. the Sophists).  Romans thought that "might makes right" and didn't believe in universal truth that applied to the whole world. David Hume was known as the great skeptic in philosophy and Rene Descartes with his Cartesian principle that cogito, ergo sum (I think, therefore I am). He came about to a proof of his own existence!  Actually, Augustine thought that if you err you exist because you have to exist to err!

Modern-day skepticism says that all truth is relative to the person, time, circumstance, and event and isn't absolute:  "You can know nothing for certain," according to Alan Bloom in The Closing Of The American Mind showing that modern man believes all truth is relative (which is a meaningless statement because the assertion would also be relative). Actually, the truths they want to hold as relative are those pertaining to Christianity.

John Dewey poisoned our classrooms with his pragmatism, saying that the test of an idea was whether it worked or not, not whether it was true.  If it works it must be true.  People are convinced many things work that aren't true:  hypnotism, yoga, TM, hypnotism, astrology, Buddhist philosophy, et al.  Christianity is not true because it works, but works because it is true (there is a subtle but valid difference here).  Real truth is timeless and is relative to everyone, everywhere, all the time--it is universal and appropriate in its application.

The hot topic dated back to Pontius Pilate asking Jesus, "What is truth?"  Jesus said that He came to bear witness of the truth--actually, He is the personification of truth itself. John said, "For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ." The Bible is not just true, it is truth (no other book can claim to be "truth"), but you must take it all in context in and observe the whole analogy of Scripture and remember that "the sum [entirety] of [God's] Word is truth" (Psalm 119:160a). What is ambiguous in one place will be explained or is unambiguous in another--Scripture interprets Scripture.

Satan liked to misquote Scripture and take it out of context (a text taken out of context is a pretext!); he knows enough to be dangerous. His main strategy is saying:  "Hath God said?"  He gets us to doubt the Word and putting our faith in God's promises.  Even when he tempted Jesus he used Scripture to try and trap Jesus and use it against Him. Still, the best way to combat the enemy is to know Scripture and say, "It is written" in response.  In a world of uncertainty, we can count on God's Word to be reliable and certain and it will never let us down or fail us.

To sum up, Harvard University has the Bible quote, The Truth Shall Set You Free, as its slogan. They are mistaken to think that academic subjects can liberate the soul from guilt, despair, sin, and death--we just become educated neurotics.  It has been said, "The womb forms you, sin deforms you, schools, inform you, prison can reform you, but only Christ's truth can transform you!"  Truth has an impact on the soul; we don't get changed lives by being inspired by Shakespeare.   We can know the truth and it is absolute because Jesus bore witness of it and knowing Him is equated with knowing the truth.  Soli Deo Gloria!

Can God Change Your Mind?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

What Is Witnessing?

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

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

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

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

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

Do We Earn Our Testimony?

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

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

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

Reformed Theology On The Defensive!...

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Why Doesn't God Answer All Our Questions?...

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

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

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

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

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

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