Glorify God In Your Body

"My dear friends, since we have these promises, let's cleanse ourselves from anything that contaminates our body or spirit so that we make our holiness complete in the fear of God" (2 Cor. 7:1, CEB).
"For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with gratitude; for it is sanctified by means of the word of God and prayer" (1 Tim. 4:4-5, NASB).

Our bodies are not our own as believers but have been purchased by Christ and we are His--He owns us!  (cf. 1 Cor. 6:20).  We must glorify God bodily as living sacrifices and offer ourselves up to Him daily; God doesn't call us to martyrdom, but to live for Christ as witnesses.  Glorifying God in our body doesn't mean we exalt it nor worship it, but that we show all due respect and not neglect or demean it.  We show no respect when we don't watch our diets and eat virtually anything, including thriving on comfort foods or fast food when we know they are not good for us and have access to good food.

I'm not addressing attitudes toward the opposite sexual persuasion, but toward our own body--remember, no man hates his own flesh, but nourishes it and cherishes it, according to Scripture though.  There is profit in exercise for this life (cf. 1 Tim. 4:8), but we must not overemphasize it and forget the more important exercise of the spirit in godly matters such as prayer, witnessing, and Bible reading--spiritual exercise.  The person with the best body doesn't win!

We all have a cross to bear and different responsibilities and we cannot and must not compare ourselves with others (cf. 2 Cor. 10:12)--we will be judged individually and held accountable for what God allotted us (2 Cor. 5:10; Rom. 14:10,12).  One way to show respect for the body is to keep it clean, especially when in public or in the company of others.  Cleanliness is still a biblical principle, and though it was a ritual according to the Law, and Jesus wasn't serious about washing His hands, which offended the Pharisees, we show respect for others by bathing and not being unnecessarily offensive, thus creating stumbling blocks to our testimony.  We aim to offend no one!  Christ is offensive to some but that doesn't mean we are to be.

Being a good Christian doesn't mean we necessarily are spiritually measured by our weight as if we can't be a spiritual or good believer if we are overweight, but Christians shouldn't be addicted to food nor have food disorders such as binge eating.  Some people's sins are more visible, while those of others are not that apparent.  But we can be sure our sin will find us out (cf. Num. 32:23).  We are to reject no food on religious grounds that it's contaminated or unclean, for God has cleansed all food--all food is blessed or consecrated "by the Word of God and prayer" (cf. 1 Tim. 4:5).  But that doesn't give us free rein to eat foolishly on junk food with a devil-may-care attitude.  Gluttony is a real sin and was considered one of the so-called Seven Deadly Sins.

Then again, spiritual discipline and care far outweigh the physical, but we must never forget the offering of our bodies to Christ and realizing they belong to Him as our reasonable service and worship (cf. Romans 12:1). We are mere stewards of our bodies, on loan from God, and respecting them and treating them with dignity goes along with being pro-life in general.  Note that in Christ's servile act of foot-washing of his disciples, He showed that cleanliness is not merely physical, though we are "clean" physically if we have bathed--grooming and hygiene are equally of concern.  Christ also chided the Pharisees for declaring that nothing that enters the mouth defiles him, but only what comes out! Food isn't unclean nor evil of itself (cf. 1 Tim. 4:3).  Glorifying God in your body entails much more than respect for the body per se, but using it in good works, like lending a helping hand, having heart, sharing your strength and talents to help the weaker brother, walking the extra mile, putting your best foot forward, hearing, seeing, and speaking no evil, and so forth.

Also, it's a no-brainer that respected bodies entail clean clothes (cf. Zech 3:3-4), for there is much truth in the proverb:  "Cleanliness is next to godliness."  Ben Franklin had some noteworthy words of wisdom:  Dress to please others [especially pleasing to Christ if you're saved]; eat to please yourself [with self-control, a fruit of the Spirit]; and speak to please God [Paul strove to be offensive to no one--Acts 24:16!].  In the final analysis, Scripture lists one sin specifically against the body, namely, sexual immorality or adultery (adultery means impurity, uncleanness, making weak, mixing impurities with, or corruption by the way).

Paul bore in his body the marks of Jesus and it goes without saying that suffering in the body brings glory to God, as we bear our cross and follow Him. Paul had suffered the thirty-nine lashes minus one five times!  He who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin.  This is the real stigmata, not necessarily what Saint Francis of Assisi supposedly had.  Note that loving God with all our strength implies we use all the strength God has endowed and blessed us with faithfully and not fainting in the Lord's work, to become lackadaisical or slack.  Soli Deo Gloria!

The Search For Happiness

"...[F]or the joy of the LORD is your strength" (Neh. 8:10, ESV).

"Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart" (Ps. 37:4, ESV).

NB:  Hedonism is the maximization of pleasure but more specifically the optimization of it, though it is physical, sensual, spiritual, or even intellectual.  

"If a man is not made for God, why is he happy only in  God?  If man is made for God, why is he opposed to God?"--Blaise Pascal, French scientist, mathematician, philosopher

"People mix up faith and feelings, for example, some people equate faith with a perpetual religious high.  When that high wears off, as it inevitably does, they start to doubt whether they have any faith at all."--Lynn Anderson, DMn


Happiness depends upon happenings and is volatile like a seesaw or as divergent as a weathervane in a whirlwind.  It's not a given, but a variable in the equation of life!  No one can say he's always happy and never sad or sorrowful.  We don't walk around on so-called Cloud Nine as believers or exhibit the Pollyanna Christianity of pretending all is wonderful and only seeing the bright side, nor even exist on the memory of some divine existential experience or encounter forever.  The point of Christianity is to be ever joyful and not to have it ever taken away from us no matter the circumstances.  

Joy is an inner event that comes from God and can even be experienced in prison-like Paul and Silas did. Case in point:  let's say you delight in going to the beach to get a tan; if this makes you happy, what will you pursue when you reach your senior years or will you fail to find the source of true happiness?

Christian hedonism is the enjoyment of God and taking one's pleasure in Him, not the hedonistic philosophy of pleasure-seeking, like eating, drinking, and making merry or mirth till death.  Some say the goal of their lives is to be happy; God wants you to glorify Him no matter your feelings.  We are meant to have fulfilling lives (i.e., intellectual, spiritual, emotional, and even sensual fulfillment)  all with purpose and meaning.  Paul said that he had learned to be content, not happy (cf. Phil. 4:13)! 

There is a difference: are you getting what you want out of life, and I don't mean the American dream or any pie-in-the-sky scheme or wish (e.g., chasing for pots of gold at the end of mythical rainbows).  Have you found your calling from God, for He exhorts us to make our calling and election sure in 2 Pet. 1:10. Too often we aim at nothing and end up nowhere!  We must expect great things from God, as William Carey said in a sermon, as we attempt great things for God!

We all want to leave a legacy and make an impact with our lives--to make a statement--and when we die we want to have had more than a good time--this is shallow.  We all need to feel important and that we make a difference, knowing why we're here and who we are in the Lord. Most Christians don't even know what their spiritual gift is nor know the inner joy and fulfillment of being used by God in doing His work, much less find happiness, meaning, fulfillment, purpose, and joy in life.   

We all have to choose our attitude and no one can take that away, it's our choice to be on the side of righteousness, and to stand up for justice, even social justice.  Yes, girls just want to have fun, but that is immaturity and we must grow up to see that there is meaning even in our suffering; this makes our faith so unique.  Yes, you could say that you would be happy if you made an impact and lasting impression on the world, and this is a higher consciousness than saying you want to go play golf as long as you can because that's your life.

Many men put too much stock in their jobs or careers and define themselves from them, and upon retirement find themselves bored and unfulfilled, because they've never achieved real purpose in living, though they may have accomplished goals--these are not equal incentives.   Hannah Whitall-Smith, the commonsensical Quaker, writes in The Christian's Secret of a Happy Life that we can find joy and thrill in everyday experience with Jesus.  Indeed, also in the writings of Bro. Lawrence, notably The Practice of the Presence of God, we see the inner joy in constant communion or companionship with God no matter the task--even washing dishes.  Note that the scriptural formula for happiness is given in the Beatitudes and this really delineates inner joy found only in God, not the happiness the world experiences or knows.

God does call us to be happy campers but this doesn't mean we make having fun or seeking happiness our goal--if we put God's kingdom first and seek the Lord, we will be rewarded with true happiness.  We are to seek God, not happiness, which is the byproduct of a good relationship and fellowship with Him through faith in Jesus.  One of the secrets to happiness is to be busy making others happy, and loving and focusing on them, even loving their lives more than yours in sacrificial love to the point of laying down your life for them--this is the real pro-life stance.

In general, kids have the job of playing and having fun, but when they grow up they must set goals, find purpose in life, with and deeper meaning and orientation as an incentive to live; to joy and delight in the Lord's will is the highest form of happiness (cf. Psalm 40:8).  We ought to be like Paul, who learned the secret of being content in every situation or circumstance (cf. Phil. 4:11-12)  Soli Deo Gloria!

The Guilt Complex

"[B]y means of the hypocrisy of liars seared in their own conscience as with a branding iron" (1 Tim. 4:2, NASB).
"God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks to us in our consciences, but shouts to us in our pains; it's His megaphone to rouse a deaf world."--C. S. Lewis

Dr. Sigmund Freud relegated all guilt to suffering some form of "guilt complex" to be healed when he came into vogue.  He denied its reality.  People do suffer for doing wrong and condemn themselves, even if society doesn't.  You cannot convince a person who feels guilty that it is okay and he just has a complex.  It is good to have feelings of guilt and to feel bad because we become cognizant of wrongdoing--it is even therapeutic. Yes, guilt can be good for you and the development of your conscience.    Guilt is not a psychological disorder, but a real phenomenon and there is only one cure for it:  confession and restitution or reconciliation.  Wrongs must be made right and one must believe he is forgiven justly

Jesus does this by having the authority to cleanse us from all unrighteousness and to forgive us of all our sins.  A man may forgive you for what you trespassed against him, but Jesus can forgive all sins against everyone.  Guilt is no disorder to be cured nor a psychological phenomenon to be explained away but must be dealt with for a person to live in the real world of right and wrong.  It is entirely possible to feel guilty because they are guilty!  Just like we act human because there's such a thing as human nature.  Animals are not conscious nor responsible for wrong and will not be judged, but man will face Judgment Day (cf. Heb. 9:27) and having guilt only shows him he's got something to deal with before eternity.

The only way to live guilt-free is to have a relationship with Jesus and to have all your sins forgiven past, present, and future.  Moral relativism denies any absolute standards of right and wrong or universal truth, and people should make up their own values as they go along, basically according to whim.  Everyone has a conscience, and it can become muffled or ignored, but it's still there.  Even in prison, there's a prison code and convicts have a warped sense of right and wrong.  When we violate our own standards or even those we aspire to, we feel guilty and sense something wrong, no matter what terminology we use.  There is psychological guilt that is mean and cruel, but also God-given guilt that we must deal with.  It is not maladjustment, and no matter how you try to convince someone it's unreal, he knows it is and suffers as a result.  You cannot just explain away guilt psychologically!

Some guilt is unnecessary, of course, but that doesn't preclude the existence of genuine guilt.  Christianity is the only faith that deals decisively with this issue and solves it; for nothing but the blood of Jesus can wash away our stain and flaw of guilt.  We must not only be forgiven but have some cognizance of why and how it's accomplished righteously.  Only God can ultimately forgive one's sins.  We instinctively know that justice must be done, and God didn't sacrifice or compromise his justice in justifying us by His mercy and grace through the blood of His own Son.

The reason people deny guilt as real and only a psychological problem, or even illness, is that they deny absolute standards of right and wrong and our responsibility to live up to the universal moral order, and more specifically they adhere to the belief that nothing is our fault, but the blame should be placed on the evils of society--for we are all innocent and even victims. Our salvation is threefold according to the offices of Christ:  as our Prophet, Christ frees us from the ignorance of sin; as our Priest, from the guilt of sin; as our King, from the dominion of sin.

In the final analysis, a man can say he has forgiven you for the trespasses against him, but only God can forgive all trespasses and can solve the guilt problem and issue definitively and set a person free from it, mainly because God is both just and the justifier in the cross of Christ.  Remember:  there's nothing wrong with our nature or personality if we feel guilty as if it's a complex or flaw, but it's God-given to awaken our conscience and has therapeutic value to warn us and keep us on track and in line with God's will.     Soli Deo Gloria!

Can We Know God's Will?

"All the Law has been fulfilled in a single statement:  Love your neighbor as yourself" (Gal. 5:14, CEB).
"Because of this, don't be ignorant, but understand the Lord's will" (Eph. 5:17, CEB).
"[B]ut act like slaves of Christ carrying out God's will from the heart" (Eph. 6:6, CEB).
"[He will] equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight..." (Heb. 13:21, ESV).

God promises to make His will known in Scripture as the privilege of children of God; it's our responsibility to inquire and to search it out.  No one can claim a lack of revelation!  We have no excuses because we have both the resident Spirit and the complete will of God in the living Word (cf. Acts 20:27), as well as spiritual overseers who have a word of wisdom or knowledge to discern.  Wisdom is merely knowing the best means to the best ends, and God's will is always the wise choice.  We never sacrifice anything for God's will but are always in a win-win situation. Therefore, in exchange for the awesome privilege of knowing God's will as individual priests, comes the duty to carry it out.

We must no longer insist on being in charge of our lives, but must surrender once and for all time, (cf. Rom. 12:1-2) and be constantly or daily renewed to a willingness to do His will once known.  Jesus did say that anyone willing to do His will would know it (cf. John 7:17).  This surrender to God's will is what is meant by accepting His lordship as an unconditional surrender, and another way of saying it is to follow Jesus through thick and thin, come whatever may, and let the chips fall where they may.  Our motto ought to be to do God's will, as indeed was Jesus' own philosophy of life, as He always interposed the Father's will on His own.

The Lord directs our steps and delights in us doing His will.  We exchange our life for His and substitute His will for ours, as we don't so much as an imitation, as an inhabitation.  This is also known as relinquishment.  We are not called to be stoics though, and to grin and bear it, no matter what, and just accept our "fate."  Ours is not a philosophy of the "stiff upper lip."  We make voluntary choices and are responsible for them--life is about making choices.  The biggest problem we have is stubbornness and God is able to give us a change of heart and make us willing to do His will (cf. Ezek. 36:26; Phil. 2:13).  This is when we die to ourselves and put Jesus in charge of our life as our autopilot.

The problem with Christians, though, is not finding God's will, but doing it; we are blessed by doing it, not just knowing it.  As they say:  "Good intentions, poor follow-through."  There is a constant struggle to say "Yes" to Jesus' will, but we must first say "No" to ourselves.  The more surrendered we become, the freer we are the less enslaved to sin.  We must always subordinate our wills to God's and forget about Number One as being the chief care in our life.  We will find that it is hard to kick against the goads, as Paul found out, and this means fighting God's will.  Because the essence of doing God's will is a life of obedience, sacrifice, discipline, and commitment.

We don't try to fit God into our plans, but make no plans without His guidance.  Christians have a lighter yoke to bear than the Jews (cf. Matt. 11:29), who were under the Mosaic Law; the yoke of following God's will is light when Jesus is in control and guides us, never forsaking us.  Some Christians ignore God's will, and these believers are actually practical atheists because their lives show no difference from those of the world. We don't want God to consign us to our way and say to us:  "Okay, have it according to your will!"  As is the case with everyone, our problem is not in knowing God's will, but in doing it--we don't have guidance issues, but submission ones.  Christianity, according to Mother Teresa of Calcutta, Nobel Peace Prize winner in 1979 and now canonized, is doing the will of God with a smile--[all else is commentary]. 

We must know God and His will if we want to know how to live, the infidel doesn't know these things.  We don't want God to say to us that we can have our own will, because God is wiser and His plan for us is best.  So get on board with God and get with the program!  David was a man after God's own heart because he fulfilled all God's will.  In the final analysis, we must ask ourselves if we are the master of our fate and the captain of our soul, or does the Lord own us?  "He will do unto me whatever he has planned, he controls my destiny" (Job 23:14, NLT).      Soli Deo Gloria!

The Sanctity Of Life

"In nonnegotiables, unity; in negotiables liberty; in all things, charity."--Saint Augustine of Hippo
"I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you today that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse.  Choose life so that you and your descendants may live" (Deut. 30:19, HCSB).  
"So then, each of us will give account of ourselves to God" (Rom. 14:12, NIV).  
'The Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life"  (Job 33:4, ESV).
"You have been my God from the moment I was born" (Ps. 22:10, NLT).
"... [B]ut You prepared a body for Me" (Heb. 10:5, HCSB).

Christians profess a doctrine of the sacredness of life, basically because we are in the image of God (imago Dei in Latin).  That entails: we enjoy interpersonal relationships in communion;  we have the capacity to enjoy ourselves; we have the unique power to reflect on ourselves critically; we have a desire to praise, thank, and worship God; we also have a conscience (knowing right and wrong), are responsible for our behavior and actions because of this.  This image is tarnished by sin, but it's still there because we are social, moral, intellectual, spiritual, rational, communicative, and emotional beings, who have a purpose, meaning, and dignity from God, i.e., they're extrinsic.  We have many attributes in common with God, in other words, and are capable of fellowship with Him, knowing Him, and even loving Him, and with this comes a concept of eternity with God.  Like God, we have imagination and are creative, able to express it.

The theory of evolution teaches that we are merely grown-up germs or the result of some cosmic accident, that we came from nothing but blue-green pond scum or algae, have no purpose in living, and are going nowhere, except to be food for worms.  If we are animals, it follows that we can act and live like them too.  People just don't want to admit there's a Judge, Ruler, and Creator, and don't want to be accountable to anyone but themselves.  The Bible's Decalogue is, therefore, obsolete and no longer relevant to today's modern world, and it's too binding to their personal mores.

Humanism is when we deify man and dethrone God.  Man is the measure of all things (Homo mensura).  It's up to man to decide what's good and evil!  We start with man and explain the cosmos, not as the Bible says, "In the beginning God...."  Where you start determines where you end up!  We must start with God in the picture and explain everything from His viewpoint.  We have a divine revelation to do this, and it does take faith to accept it.  But I posit that it takes more faith to bet the farm on science as the only reliable means of knowledge. 

Humanists are very religious too; theirs is a religion without God.  They seek to explain away reality without God in the equation, which until recently was the default position, even among scholars and intellectuals.  Humanists version of our dignity is that we are just at the top of the food chain and the principle of the survival of the fittest applies.  Shakespeare summed it up through the musing of Macbeth: that life is an idle tale, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing--what a bleak outlook without God in the equation!

Christians believe our rights are conferred by God, not the government, which exists to secure them, and if it fails, the government is illegitimate and in the wrong.  What the government gives, it can take away, therefore rights come from God who doesn't take them away and we must fight for our rights in our freedom battles. Since humans have God-given rights, their lives are sacred and of utmost value to God, and an assault on them is seen as an insult to God's nature.  Murder of mankind is made a capital offense in Scripture(cf. Gen. 9:6).  Human rights matter, because we are in the image of God, animals are not.  To do anything that destroys, maims, debilitates, or harms human life (and indeed all life) is an insult to the gift of life, much more the Giver of life. 

It is an exercise in futility to be dogmatic concerning the point in time when the soul enters the fetus, or even if it's after birth upon breathing the breath of life from the Spirit who gives it.  The Bible does say that life is in the blood (cf. Lev. 17:11), but it also says that God breathed into Adam's body (presumably having blood) the breath of life.  NB:  animals don't have souls and God was referring to them in this verse (cf. Lev. 17:11) concerning giving sacrifices.  Man is unique in having the breath of life and is a living being.  It's impossible for life to exist without blood (cf. Lev. 17:11, NIV, "the life of a creature is in the blood"), though, but there can be blood without viable, self-sustaining life. 

The power of life may be in the blood, but that doesn't necessitate the soul being in the blood.  Pointing to one Scripture as a proof text only invites undue controversy in the body, we don't pit verse against verse and believe only the ones that fit our dogma.  The point is that you can make a biblical case both ways.  There are areas of gray and some doctrines are disputable and up to the person to govern his own conscience (cf. Rom. 14:22-23).  It's a fact that people only believe the facts that fit their worldview or opinions anyway.

Job talks about dying in the womb and being as if he never existed (cf. Job 10:19, NLT), and David talks about God being his God from birth, not conception (cf. Psalm 22:10).  Jesus talked about God preparing Him a body, not a soul (cf. Heb. 10:5).  Souls have self-consciousness and a will, bodies don't.   Pro-lifers like to point to Jeremiah 1:5, Psalm 139:13, and Psalm 51:5, where God knew them in the womb or created them in the womb, conceived at conception, but God knew us before creation and did create our bodies in the womb (all that we were at that time), but the Bible doesn't say exactly when human life is given a human soul, people can be brain dead with bodies fully functioning and as far as medicine is concerned they are deceased.  NB:  Jesus spilled His precious, efficacious blood, but He gave up the Spirit and breathed His last.  Soli Deo Gloria!

Law And Gospel In Their Proper Domain

"And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws"  (Ezek. 36:27, NIV).
"Whoever has my commands and obeys them he is the one who loves me" (John 14:21).
"The law is given to convince us we don't keep it."--Dr. D. James Kennedy
"No man can justify himself before God by a perfect performance of the Law's demands--indeed it is the straight-edge of the Law that shows us how crooked we are" (Romans 3:20, Phillips).
"... [T]hrough the law we become conscious of our sin" (Rom. 3:20, NIV).  
"[F]or by the law is the knowledge of sin" (Rom. 3:20, NKJV).  

Real theologians can distinguish law and gospel, works and faith, law and grace like the Judaizers didn't, faith and repentance (cf. Acts 20:21; 26:20; there is no genuine repentance without saving faith: we are saved by believing repentance or penitent faith), merit and grace (like the Romanists don't, cf. Eph. 2:8-9; the Reformers taught sola gratia or grace alone), fact and feeling (the divine order should be "fact, faith, feeling"), faith and faithfulness (the same Hebrew word, ethics or practice of faith must be fruit).  They know that you cannot divorce certain doctrines:  faith and works, faith and faithfulness, assurance of salvation from the eternal security of the believer, or perseverance with the preservation power of God.  Law lays down what man must do; gospel proclaims what Christ has done.

It is by the law that we have a consciousness and knowledge of sin--it condemns but does not exculpate--it adjudicates and brings guilt (points the finger), but no freedom of conscience.  The evangelist must learn to get the person lost before getting him saved, and making him aware of his own sin, not sins (for that is the problem when people get hung up on some certain sin that offends them and doesn't realize the problem is the whole sin nature itself). The Law has a purpose: "So then the law is holy, and the commandment is holy, righteous and good" (Romans 7:12, NIV; cf. 2 Tim. 3:16).

We must also realize how bad we are to be made fit for salvation, Jesus didn't come to seek nor save the righteous, we come as sinners!  The sinner is enslaved to his old sin nature and has no power over it, and what is separating him from God is the fact that he doesn't believe in Christ, and for this reason he is in sin and God can have no dealings with sin in His presence.  We find out how depraved we are by trying to be good on our own and end up in failure.  We are not born free as free spirits, but into slavery and servitude to sin and our sin nature and must be set free by the regenerating work of the Spirit.

We must distinguish law and gospel ("For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came [were realized] through Jesus Christ," John 1:17, NIV), but not separate them unduly, we must never divide asunder what God has joined together (cf. Mark 10:9; Matt. 19:6).  In similar fashion, you can have no assurance of salvation without joining it to the security of that salvation (if one can lose it, how can he be assured?), and you cannot divide faith and faithfulness, nor faith and works, for we are saved by faith alone, but not by a faith that is alone--that kind of faith doesn't save.   Saving faith is not achieved, it's received; it's not conjured up but a gift (cf. 2 Pet. 1:1; Acts 18:27)!

Likewise, the abundant life isn't something we achieve or merit, but receive as a gift with our salvation and it begins instantly.  Grace is antithetical to merit, for salvation is by grace alone and we have no merit to boast of in God's presence--we cannot earn it, don't deserve it, and cannot pay it back, but are forever indebted to God.   Whenever the Bible tells you to repent or commands you to act, it is law, and whenever it tells you what God does on your behalf and to save you, it's gospel.  Obeying the Law out of gratitude, not necessity nor obligation, is law, but having faith that we will be rewarded by God is gospel.  The Christian doesn't "have to" but "wants to" do good deeds, for you can never reduce the faith to do's and don'ts or a to-do list.

We speak of what we do for God, but actually, we do nothing for God, He just uses us as His vessels of honor and we are honored and privileged to be in His service for glorifying Him. Paul did not venture to speak of anything but what Christ did through him (cf. Rom. 15:18).  All that we have done, He has accomplished through us (cf. Isa. 26:12; Amos 6:13; Hos. 14:8).  God isn't looking for our achievements, but our obedience and faith, for faith alone pleases Him and is demonstrated through obedience alone (cf. Heb. 3:18-19).  We don't impress God with our good works because no one can boast in His presence.

Some churches emphasize what God can do for them as if they are cashing in on God and getting something in return for worshiping Him; but we must see ourselves as His servants who are willing to do His will and obey Him in faithfulness--the Christian life costs, in this sense, but our reward is meant to be in glory; we are not meant to always have our portion, reward or comfort in this life like the wicked do

"Law and gospel go together hand in hand and complement each other and can not be divorced, but must be distinguished--not separated;  we are not under the law but under grace and the day we are set free from the law is one of heaven on earth!  Christ is the end of the law for them that believe (cf. Rom. 10:4; Eph. 2:15).   We are not under some performance standard as if we have to measure up or we will fail God, we have a relationship with HIm and learn to depend on Him and walk in the Spirit by faith.  That's why we can not compare ourselves with each other (cf. 2 Cor. 10:12), for only God knows where the goal is for us and our measure of so-called success.  God doesn't call us to success, though, but to faithfulness (cf. Mother Teresa of Calcutta, Nobel Peace Prize winner in 1979 and now canonized).  

The spirit of the law is good and we follow that, but the letter of the law kills and we cannot obtain the standards nor become perfect, but we must obey the law better than the Pharisees, who were hypocrites.  Perfection is still the standard, but the direction is the test!   We are constantly being shaped into Christ's image as icons of Him on earth.  The old nature knows no law, the new nature needs no law!  We will do by nature what is required because we have the Spirit, for one who doesn't have the Spirit of Christ is none of His.  We are not under the law, but we are not lawless, we must rebuke the so-called antinomians who think that they can presume on God's patience and goodness and live unrighteous lives with impunity--God disciplines His own and holds them accountable.

We are never to become legalists and major on the minors nor overemphasize some minor sin while ignoring major flaws in our character,.  Remember, the legalist sees sins (plural), not sin (singular or the sin nature).  The problem we have is our sin nature which can be changed as we are made into Christ's likeness and grow in grace.  Regeneration, as God's work of grace, changes us from the inside out; we don't just sign an AA pledge or turn over a new leaf of trying to be a better person.  The miracle is that God changes us and makes us new creatures in Christ.

The only way to avoid the two errors of Antinomianism and legalism is by studying the Bible and growing in Christ--being illumined by the Spirit.  Two other errors are emphasizing what God can do for you like He's a genie or good-luck charm versus thinking we can do something for God independently of just surrendering to His will and being used by God for His glory--we are to enjoy God in this life as well as in glory.  To obey is better than sacrifice or following the letter of the Law.  We can do nothing apart from Christ's power working in us "both to will and to do of His good pleasure" (cf. 1 Sam. 15:22; Phil. 2:13).

God just wants us to know Him, for this is the essence of faith and eternal life (cf. John 17:3; John 5:24). "I desired ... the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings" (Hos. 6:6, NIV).  We are to avoid both extremes:  exalting law above grace, with adherence to the letter of the Law while excluding its Spirit; and moral liberty run amok or thinking our works don't count for anything.

We are not to become somewhat Jewish before or after salvation, and not to despise the Law either, for it serves its purpose.  For as many as are seeking justification by the Law or who rely on it are cursed! (Cf. Gal. 3:10)  The Jews had the so-called yoke or burden of the Law to submit to, but Jesus promised an easy yoke (cf. Matt. 11:29), which is knowing His will and following it, and we are privileged to know because all believers are priests and we don't need the Urim and Thummim to enlighten us for we have the Spirit as our Counselor! "Whoever does God's will is my brother and sister and mother" (Mark 3:35, NIV).

Christ didn't give us the Law to keep, but to break, it was never meant to be the way of salvation but to show us our need for it.  We don't break God's law when we sin--it breaks us--we break God's heart!  In the final analysis, we realize that other religions say, "Do!" and Christianity says, "Done!" There is no limit to God's grace, for "where sin abounded, grace abounded all the more" (cf. Rom. 5:20). As John Bunyan pertinently wrote:  Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners.  No one is too sinful to be saved and shouldn't be written off as untouchable by grace!  We are bad, but not too bad to be saved.  The law is good if used righteously and is not sin, though it foments what it prohibits or forbids, instilling in us all the more desire to disobey, but sin could not be reckoned without the law and not fulfilled in Christ either, who lived for us as well as died for us. In sharing the gospel or witnessing, we must be sure to present the bad news of their sin along with the good news of salvation through faith in Christ all by grace alone!

The Christian actually lives under a higher standard than the Law of Moses, the law of love, and realizes that love is the fulfillment of the Law, for the greatest commandment is to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength (i.e., all that we have!), and likewise the second is to love our neighbor as ourselves.  Jesus added another commandment to love one another even as He loved us! He who loves has fulfilled the Law (cf. Eph. 2:15).  Christ by no means abolished or abrogated the Law of Moses, but kept them perfect for us, and the law we are obliged to be the mere law of love.  Caveat:  Rome adds works to faith, merit to grace, the authority of the tradition to Scripture, and the church to Christ's glory and power.   It is indeed our privilege to know His will and with this comes responsibility as the flipside (cf. Acts 22:14).    Soli Deo Gloria!

Things Go Better With Jesus

"The chief end of man is to glorify God by enjoying Him forever."--John Piper's rendition of the tradition in the Westminster Shorter Catechism
"Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings..." (Romans 5:3, NIV).
"... [T]hrough many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God" (Acts 14:22, ESV).
"If I were to ask you why you have believed in Christ, why you have become Christians, every man will answer truly, 'For the sake of happiness.'"--Saint Augustine, Bishop of Hippo

Jesus did indeed promise life to the fullest  (to the max), but not in the way the world would interpret it.  Some have imagined it as a book has been written, Your Best Life Now, but this is short-sighted and misses the mark to which we are called--it has been granted unto us that we suffer for His name sake (cf. Phil. 1:29).  Suffering is our badge of honor and he who best can suffer best can do.  Jesus promised that we could have a life and life more abundant if we seek first the kingdom of heaven "all these things will be added" unto us according to Matt. 6:33.

Some say that all they want in life is to be happy, and Blaise Pascal said this is not unreasonable for anyone to seek ("All men seek happiness"), but we cannot be happy nor fulfilled out of the will of God or if we miss our calling.  John Piper writes of Christian hedonism and this is true when one lives his life according to the way it was meant, not fighting God's will but getting with the program and learning to give Him the glory, seeking joy in the Lord. When we learn we are designed for worshiping God we will find our joy in the Lord in so doing.  Indeed, "for the joy of the LORD is [our] strength" (cf. Neh. 8:10, NIV) and we are to rejoice always.  When our eyes are properly focused on Christ and not on ourselves, things look cheerful and joyful.

The big difference in Christians though is that their happiness isn't selfish nor focused in this life, but looks to eternity and not the here and now or the secular.  The world seeks its fulfillment in education, the standard of living, liberty and even the American way or in achieving the so-called American dream.  But true fulfillment only resides in knowing Christ and having a living relationship with Him.  The Christian life is not Jesus plus TM or Jesus plus yoga, and so forth, but merely:  Jesus in us!  We don't add Jesus to our life like some additive, but seek a substituted, exchanged, surrendered, and relinquished life in Him as Lord of our lives because He owns us.

We are designed for worship (as Dostoevsky said that if we don't worship God we'll worship something or someone else because we are made to worship), and bringing God glory and nothing else will fill the void but God, as Augustine said, "You make us for Yourself, and our hearts find no peace until they rest in You."  Blaise Pascal said that there is a vacuum or God-shaped blank in us that only God can fill.

Too many people want to add Jesus to their life rather than give their life to Jesus--He's no additive, but the Lord and will not save them in any other capacity.  Christians have an abundant life, but this is not to be interpreted that it's God's will for all believers to be successful in the eyes of the world nor to achieve great riches, power, or fame. The highest honor we can have is to suffer for the sake of the gospel, and to bring glory to His name.

One of the great mysteries in life is why the wicked prosper, but their portion is in this life (cf. Psalm 17:14), and ours in the glory.  God does indeed bless us in our endeavors but the results are up to him; we are to be faithful and leave the success to God.  Knowing Mother Teresa said that God calls us to faithfulness, not success per se.  We need to avoid the formulae of success the world offers and seek our fulfillment in serving Christ.

We don't just try Jesus and see if He works for us, but give our lives to Him unconditionally.  Christ did all He could to discourage halfhearted, casual admirers and followers because they didn't know what they were getting into with all the trials, tribulations, sufferings, and even chastisement Christians must learn to endure for the sake of the cross and being conformed to His image.  We don't give Jesus a trial run and see if He works, on the other hand, we must consider the cost of discipleship and make a commitment.  Discipleship involves discipline, endurance, faithfulness, and commitment and the road isn't easy--Christ never promised a bed of roses!

We don't fit Christ into our schedules and plans, but make no plans without His consent and learn to do His will and walk in the Spirit in fellowship with Him.   A good encouraging word is that if He got you to it, He'll get you through it.  We are never alone, nor overwhelmed by our troubles (cf. Isaiah 43:2).  We must not reduce the Christian life to a formula, a philosophy, or a creed, but it's all about knowing the Lord and proving it.  Yes, the Christian life is not hard, it's impossible, it's been put, and we can do nothing without God's power ("... 'Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit,' says the LORD Almighty...", Zech. 4:6, NIV).  Jesus Himself said, "...apart from me you can do nothing" (cf. John 15:5, NIV).

Christ was honest enough to forewarn us of future affliction, discipline,  suffering, adversity, trials, and tribulations for His name's sake, and He asks us to do nothing He didn't do Himself, while our crosses pale in comparison to His (and He didn't exempt Himself from any adversity).  This is Reality 101 and it's inevitable.  There is no crown without a cross to bear and we must daily take up our cross and follow Him (cf. Mark 8:34,35; Matt. 16:24) wherever He leads with a walk of faith, not sight, for we don't always know what's ahead, but that Christ is with us all the way.

It's not all about "cashing in on your spiritual lottery ticket," nor storing up treasures on earth, but in looking for a future reward in heaven. We live in light of eternity!  In the final analysis, Jesus is not something we add to our lives, but someone we make our lives, which are defined by Him and His will for us, realizing that life makes no sense without Him--as some people try to do and are merely existing, not living, it's been well put.    Soli Deo Gloria!

We Are Lights In The Midst Of Darkness

"In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven" (Matt. 5:16, NIV).
"Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD rises upon you" (Isaiah 60:1, NIV).

Christians are an open book and they seem to live in a glass house once the word is out they claim ownership of Christ publicly. We are not to be ashamed to represent our Lord and to be willing to even suffer for righteousness and the gospel's sake. We are not all called to be martyrs but we are all "living sacrifices" and that means God wants us to live for Him, know Him, and make Him known. A living sacrifice can crawl off the altar, and we must constantly renew our commitment. 

Lordship entails daily dying and renewal in the Spirit as we make constant spiritual checkups, especially as we gather together in the Lord's name. We are not to commend ourselves with ourselves, nor to compare ourselves with some standard or some ideal person, not even a so-called idol of ours (cf. 2 Cor. 10:12). Our job description is to walk in the Spirit and by faith and let God lead us in our calling. We don't all have the same special calling but we are all elected to be ambassadors or representatives of Christ on earth.

When the world sees our good works and witnessing is not the only fruit manifest, but the testimony of our life in general and showing that we make a difference in the world. They should see that we are different from the world and wonder what makes us tick. They may even taunt us but God promises that if we are not ashamed of our Lord, they will nonetheless praise our Heavenly Father. Some Christians in name only profane the name of Christ and bring it into disrepute by denying Him in their works (cf. Titus 1:16). Hypocrites are not those who fall short of their personal standards but those who make a parade of pseudo-religion and are pretenders, claiming to know God but denying Him by their life: it's like putting on a mask or play-acting. God sees through the veneer though and they will be judged, just like Jesus condemned the Pharisees.

Satan would love to see us silenced and to jeopardize our testimony by compromising with the world and there is grave danger in loving the world or in being attracted to what it has to offer--it takes away our desire for holy things which are of the kingdom of God. We ultimately have to decide where our loyalty lies and to whom we owe allegiance and who owns us.

Let everything we do be in the name of the Lord (cf. Col. 3:17, 23), bringing glory to His name and thus being lights in a dark world; we should never hide our light but be bold to see the open doors of opportunity that we have to share our testimony and do good works in His name. We are meant to be "zealous of good works" (cf. Titus 2:14) and "increasing in the knowledge of God" in so doing (cf. Col. 1:10). Some have made the fallacious conclusion that the only fruit is witnessing and that is the measure of our spirituality. This is a given and God makes us all witnesses and vessels of honor no matter what, a good tree automatically brings forth good fruit. We must make sure of our calling and know our gift to be fruitful with it and grow in grace to bear the fruit of the Spirit. The world should wonder where we get our strength! Bear in mind: opportunity knocks--seize the day!

The world is looking for the real thing, the real McCoy and we must realize the mission that God has commissioned us with and fulfill our ministry, being a witness to all our neighbors and those in our inner circles and influence. Jesus didn't say, "Please be lights," but that we are lights and we shall witness or let it shine on--as vessels God works through us and glorifies Himself by our testimony and works. All in all, never pretend to be what you are not, and be true to yourself and God, which entails knowing yourself as well as knowing God--twin goals from ancient Greek philosophy which are still valid.

We give the gospel credibility by our consistent testimony and our labor of love in showing compassion has demonstrated the nature of Christ to the world. It has always been Christian relief agencies and believers who come to the aid of those in distant lands where Christ is not named, like during the "killing fields" where Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge killed thousands and devastated the land, but Christians, who didn't believe they deserved it because of their karma, stepped in and showed the love of God and the infinite compassion of Christ in action via relief organizations.

As Mother Teresa said, "It's not what you do, but how much love you put into it that matters." She would say, "Get with the program!" Paul says also in Gal. 4:6, NIV, that "the only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love." The message of James is "the faith you have is the faith you show." He said he'd show us his faith by his works, and Paul would show us his works by his faith; indeed, they are correlated and can be distinguished but not separated.

What does light do but expose darkness because they cannot coexist? The world hates the light because their deeds are evil (cf. John 3:19) and we cannot love the world and God, but must choose whom we will choose (cf. 1 John 2:15; Josh. 24:15). We are not to be mere do-gooders nor goody-two-shoes, but doing the work of the Lord willingly with a smile. Christ refused to turn stones into bread and we are to be representatives of Him first and meeting their needs second. Our do-goodery or do-goodism contrasts with the world's best efforts as goody-goodies; believers aren't against good works, just those done in the flesh.

Remember, the Christian life, it's been said, is not hard--it's impossible (you must be filled with the Spirit!). Caveat: we are in the world, but not of it, so illuminate it! (cf. John 15:19). Even our lives are an open letter of the gospel, and even may speak in our death, as Abel's blood cried out to God. On the flipside cloistered virtue is no virtue--we're not hermits in seclusion nor spiritual Lone Rangers. Soli Deo Gloria!

What Is Man And His Dignity Worth?

"Where is the one who makes us smarter than the animals and wiser than the birds of the sky?" (Job 35:11, NLT).
"Everyone who is called by My name, Whom I have created for My glory..." (Isaiah 43:7, NKJV). 
"The purpose of man is like the purpose of the pollywog--to wiggle along as far as he can without dying; or, to hang to life until death takes him."--Clarence Darrow, the Scopes monkey trial of 1925 
"There is something about the way God is that is like the way we are."--J. P. Moreland and Scott B. Rae, Body and Soul 

IF YOU WONDER WHO YOU ARE, READ!


What makes us human?  Is man a cosmic accident that came from blue-green pond scum (algae) or is he the result of purposed design?  Are we mere grown-up germs?  A fluke of nature?  Are we from nothing, with no meaning, going nowhere?  Our Declaration of Independence declares we have "certain unalienable rights," "endowed" by our "Creator."  If the State granted us rights, the State can take them away!  Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes didn't attribute any more significance to man than to a baboon!  Even Darwin pondered whether he could "trust the convictions of a monkey."

The reason Secular Humanists are so eager to make us out to be nothing but animals is that they want to live irresponsibly like animals.  If you believe you are an animal, you will act like one.  Some Greeks of antiquity, namely Protagoras, believed man was "the measure of all things [Homo mensura]."  Even at the tower of Babel man sought to make a name for himself (cf. Gen. 11:4).

It is the Christian worldview that gives man dignity, being in the image of God (imago Dei), and a "living soul," (cf. Gen. 2:7), and this dignity is extrinsic (God is the source, not us) since it is because of our relationship with God-man is presently in a fallen state and this image is marred and defaced; nevertheless, it's still there--man alone has an ego issue.  History is the story of the "devolution" of man; even though we have increased in technological knowledge and expertise, we have not solved the basic problems that haunt us, namely: hatred, jealousy, lust, greed, pride, and selfishness, et al.  

Only after we get saved, do we have the capability to overcome our sinful nature and to be renewed in the image of God.  We must remember that "all men are created equal," as our Declaration of Independence says, and we have no right to look down on our fellow man, just as the Bible declares that "all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God." (cf. Rom. 3:23).

What does it mean to be in God's image?  We all have intelligence, self-consciousness, dignity, value, worth,  purpose, and meaning, a heart set on eternity, and are designed to bring glory to God.  We have many traits in common with God:  namely, that we are spiritual; rational; emotional; social; intellectual; creative; communicative; reflective; intuitive; interpretive; noble; moral; and ethical beings.  Note that only man can plan, worry, regret, appreciate beauty, enjoy something bigger than himself, appreciate music, and find fulfillment.

We, alone, are made to know God and are the only creatures capable of having fellowship with Him.  God has chosen to glorify Himself through man (cf. Isa. 43:7).   As John Piper interprets man's purpose from The Westminster Shorter Catechism:  "The chief end of man is to glorify God by enjoying Him forever."  We are not mere creatures, but His children who will be joint-heirs with Christ.  Christians are destined to become like Christ (cf. Col. 1:27) and to share in His glory (cf. 1 Pet. 5:10; Psa. 84:11). Man has a destiny:  "You have made them a little lower than the angels and crowned them with glory and honor" (Psalm 8:5, NIV).

Bildad in Job 18:3, NLT, says:  "Do you think we are mere animals?  Do you think we are stupid?"  Man is the only creature capable of self-analysis, and self-criticism, as well as being a problem solver and able to pass on the information gathered to succeeding generations--he doesn't start afresh each time, but can accumulate a body of knowledge and wisdom--animals know things, but man knows he knows.  Man is not solely driven by and captive to instinct, though he does possess the drive to self-preservation, propagation, and nourishment.  But our relationships are unique, since we are capable of falling in and out of love and know the ebb and flow of emotional ties, and show signs of the nobility of character such as knowing about fair play, sportsmanship, courage, bravery, honesty, truthfulness, integrity, justice, good faith, altruism, and all fifty-two known virtues.

In other words, we have a desire to be like God and this is only fulfilled through Christ.  The logical conclusion of being in God's image is that we have rights bestowed by Him and no government has the right to take them away.  But since we are in God's image, and are fallen creatures, we are capable of disobeying God and committing evil in His sight for which we are culpable and responsible.   We alone know right from wrong (cf. Rom. 2:14-15).  Man alone will be judged and held accountable (cf. Rom. 14:10, 12).  Man alone has rights: "denying justice to a man," (Lam. 3:35); "and to deprive the afflicted among my people of justice," (Isa, 10:2); "As God lives, who has deprived me of justice" (Job 27:2)--all vv. from HCSB.

The prevalent worldviews today deify or exalt man and dethrone God and make Him irrelevant or unbelievable; they start with man and explain the universe rather than with God, the Creator, and explain creation.  Where you start determines where you'll end up!  They rule God out of the equation from the get-go and don't even consider Him in their solution.  When you take God out of the reckoning, man becomes his own judge and lives irresponsibly with no concept of right and wrong--for without God "all things are permissible," according to Fyodor Dostoevsky--consequently, man is no mere creature of habit.

The ultimate worth of mankind is that God became a man and thought we were valuable enough to die for and restore a relationship with--God didn't die for animals--they weren't bad enough!   This leads us to the uniqueness of man's nature:  the desire to know God; for man alone is a religious creature, who builds cathedrals and chapels and has been nicknamed Homo religiosus, or the religious man.  Man alone has a conscience that makes him aware of right and wrong and is therefore culpable to God.  Wouldn't you be surprised to see a monkey erecting a chapel or praying to God?

The ultimate image of God (and this is not the replica of God--God sees Himself in us and relates to us in a mutual way--but the icon of God), is manifested in his ability to reflect and reason; in his conscience and ability to discern good and evil, having a sense of guilt in wrongdoing; consciousness of morals and values; in his desire to know God and have a relationship with Him and this conviction that he belongs to God and can worship and praise Him.  Even in man's scientific name, Homo sapiens is Latin for "the wise man." 

t is said that man alone, in contrast to animals, has the will to obey God, the intellect to know Him, and the heart to love Him.  In short, we were made to have a relationship with God!  Man is the magnum opus of God's creation.   And it's because of the imago Dei that we have rights, not the government, and if we're are descended from hominids, when did those hominids acquire rights?   Soli Deo Gloria!

A Legitimate Testimony Or A Misrepresentation?

"... And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ" (Romans 8:9, NIV).
"For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God' (Romans 8:14, NIV).
"I can do all things through him who gives me strength" (Phil. 4:13, NIV).
"To the law and to the testimony!  If they do not speak according to this word, it is because there is no light in them" (Isaiah 8:20, NKJV).

Some churches require would-be members to give their testimonies as a condition for joining the assembly of believers.  Too often this gets out of control and people get carried away glorifying their past sins and want to portray themselves as the worst sinner since the apostle Paul, the chief of sinners.  Sometimes testimonies do the opposite of the spectrum and are just watered-down bios of about their so-called spiritual journeys (just giving the facts of baptism, going to a crusade, reading the Bible, raising your hand, responding to an altar call gives no details worth knowing about how to get saved--these don't save!), but leave out the essentials: (1) What was their life like before getting saved?  (If they don't know how to get saved, how do we vouch for their salvation?)  (2) How did they come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ?  (3) What is their life like now that Jesus is in charge?  These three questions are crucial because they nurture and feed the seeker so that he can get saved too.  This is one of the best opportunities to present the gospel one may ever encounter and it's a shame that one misses the chance to materialize it and seize the moment.  Just letting them think they've jumped over one more hurdle does them no favors in the long term--it's short-sighted!

How they went to church since a child and grew up in the faith and seemed to inherit salvation is irrelevant or paraphrastic, (this is nice to know, but not a testimony)--I want to know how they got saved!  The words sin, repent, and saving faith all by regeneration or a born-again experience by the Spirit is a requisite.  To be remiss to mention them is a sin of omission because sin is missing the mark or falling short of the ideal of God' biblical standard.

If anything is worth doing at all, it's worth doing right and well.  I know that the elders may be convinced of their conversion, that they are believers and saved by virtue of personal fellowship, but this is the church's opportunity to judge and discern--just talking the talk and using the jargon of the church doesn't make one a believer. What I'm saying is that if it's just an introduction to get to know the person, and then a vote up or down, based on whether they like the person, it shouldn't be called giving salvation testimonies, because they aren't biblical--these are life stories, church histories, or religious experiences.  It's not just the church's opportunity or ratification of the elders' decision, it's a special occasion for the prospective member.

I am especially suspicious of those who are too shy to even read a testimony to the church, though some may disagree on this nonessential point, because Paul said explicitly in Romans 10:9-10, NIV, this proclamation:  "If you declare with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved, for it is with the heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved."  This says nothing about proxy testimony for the shy.  Also, note that Jesus expressly said in Matt. 10:32 that whosoever acknowledges or professes Him before others, He will acknowledge before the Father in heaven. Of course, this doesn't mean you can get legalistic and deny membership on this basis, but it should be encouraged because it's for their own assurance and sooner or later they will have to profess Christ orally before men. Remember, it's always the devil who's trying to get into the fellowship some other way besides through the gate and some churches sure make it easy for him to worm his way in.

Those too shy at heart must realize that God doesn't give a spirit of timidity according to 2 Tim. 1:7!   A real sign of the Spirit is a bold and fearless testimony!   I realize some people are not gifted at public speaking and are shy by nature, but God changes that and its membership shouldn't be made as easy as talking the talk without any fruit or even explanation of how the conversion happened in detail.  Saying something like, "I was saved when I was five!" means nothing to the seeker or member wondering how to get saved--no one just gets saved by osmosis or because they were born into the right family--it's a turnstile, not something inherited.  We don't get saved en masse like being a member of the right church either, God doesn't save churches or families, but individuals.  It can become a meeting whereby members are just getting to know the prospects and voting on whether they approve of them or not, without any doctrinal information exchanged.

Good testimonies are not just a few lines of Christian lingo showing one has grown up in the faith and has earned the right to become a member, but an illustration of the gospel:  what it was like before salvation; how one got saved; and what's it like afterward that's made a difference.  These are the essentials of biblical testimony and to omit them is a dereliction of duty and indicates a lack of guidance.   If a church is to fail to train in giving biblical testimony, then it shouldn't call them testimonies, but life story or church history, because they are serving another purpose, the prospects are being admitted because the elders believe them, and it's assumed they are already believers and there should be no reasonable objections.

Voting by the church assembly is unnecessary in light of the fact that they are already virtual members when the elders deem them saved, unless testimonies are to be taken seriously they are futile, but serve as a time to get to know the person better, but not any concrete evidence of salvation.  In Revelation "they overcame by the word of their testimony" (cf. Rev. 12:11, NIV); this is not just clinging to some childhood experience like telling the people you were saved at five or even that you responded to an altar call (the church may not believe in them)--this has no inherent spiritual impact or convicting power!  The overcoming power is in the gospel (cf. Rom. 1: 16) and the experience one has with it through the Spirit (cf. Phil. 4:13).

The dynamic of church membership should be straightforward and not pretend to be what it's not (they're not fooling God, who sees through the veneer and masquerade)--it shouldn't be majority rule, for it is seldom the voice of God.  The accord of the elders and unity of the body one in the Spirit and mission should pass judgment, with the personal rights:  "I dissent, I disagree, I protest," according to our legacy a Protestants.  

We need to adjourn the methodology of welcoming members aboard by virtue of talking the talk and knowing some jargon, but be forthcoming about what we are doing and teach the biblical way including renouncing sin, having saving faith, and regeneration by the Holy Spirit; for we are members of The Way--let's proceed like we know it (and I'm not being nitpicky), instead of performing a sham for God, trying to make people feel good.  Call it what it is (and it's not certifying salvation), and do it the right, biblical way.  Soli Deo Gloria!