"'Have you not heard? Long ago I ordained it. In days of old I planned it; now I have brought it to pass,.." (Isaiah 37:26, NIV; cf. 2 Kgs. 19:25).
"There is no wisdom, no insight, no plan that can succeed against the LORD" (Prov. 21:30, NIV).
"The LORD has made everything for its purpose..." (Prov. 16:4, ESV).
"God doesn't play dice with the universe." --Einstein
Actually, God has no Plan A either! We should ascribe to God the only Plan that is decreed, His Plan and since it will be fulfilled and God cannot fail, be thwarted, nor be frustrated, We don't call it Plan A, but simply God's Plan. Job 42:2 says no plan of God can be thwarted! THERE'S NO PLAN B OR BACKUP PLAN! "The LORD Almighty has sworn, "Surely, as I have planned, so it will be, and as I have purposed, so it will stand' (Isaiah 14:24, NIV). He further says, "For the LORD Almighty has purposed, and who can thwart him? His hand is stretched out, and who can turn it back?" (Isa. 14:27, NIV). Providence is in play and John Wycliffe was right on in his famous tenet: "All things come to pass of necessity."
As believers, we must realize that God is working all things for our good and turns curses into blessings and the evil one cannot touch us. We must exercise an act of faith and realize that God does work in mysterious ways, His wonders to perform and that He is ultimately and always in control, both now and forever. We should be in awe as God even causes "the wrath of man to praise Him!" (Cf. Psalm 76:10). And our enemies may intend evil, but God works it out for the good and means to bless us in the long term. The problem is that we don't see the big picture and are near-sighted spiritually. Short-term evil can result in long-term good. In fact, Wilhelm Gottfried Wilhelm von Leibniz saw this world as "the best of all possible worlds." John Wycliffe would concur: "All things come to pas of necessity."
We must get on board with God to get the best will for our lives and for Him to bless us and that we don't have to settle or end up with second best. God's will is done cheerfully and cooperatively in heaven and we are to pray for this on earth, according to the Lord's prayer. In fact, His Plan will be accomplished with or without our cooperation! God doesn't need us to do His Plan as if He needed anyone! We have the privilege to participate in His blessings and provision, cooperating with Providence and proving God's good, pleasing, and perfect will (cf. Rom. 12:2). As believers, we ought to be committed to God's Plan and seeking to fulfill it at every opportunity and open door. If we don't seek God's Plan or best for our life, God may say to us: "Okay, have it your way!" Then we will be in a state of disobedience.
In sum, God is not haphazard or arbitrary but has an intricate plan (life is no fluke!), of which we have the privilege to become partakers of in bringing Him glory as The Westminster Shorter Catechism states our purpose to be: "The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever." Soli Deo Gloria!
To bridge the gap between so-called theologians and regular "students" of the Word and make polemics palatable. Contact me @ bloggerbro@outlook.com To search title keywords: title:example or label as label:example; or enter a keyword in search engine ATTN: SITE USING COOKIES!
About Me
- Karl Broberg
- I am a born-again Christian, who is Reformed, but also charismatic, spiritually speaking. (I do not speak in tongues, but I believe glossalalia is a bona fide gift not given to all, and not as great as prophecy, for example.) I have several years of college education but only completed a two-year degree. I was raised Lutheran and confirmed, but I didn't "find Christ" until I was in the Army and responded to a Billy Graham crusade in 1973. I was mentored or discipled by the Navigators in the army and upon discharge joined several evangelical, Bible-teaching churches. I was baptized as an infant, but believe in believer baptism, of which I was a partaker after my conversion experience. I believe in the "5 Onlys" of the reformation: sola fide (faith alone); sola Scriptura (Scripture alone); soli Christo (Christ alone), sola gratia (grace alone), and soli Deo gloria (to God alone be the glory). I affirm TULIP as defended in the Reformation.. I affirm most of The Westminster Confession of Faith, especially pertaining to Providence.
Friday, March 15, 2019
Thursday, March 14, 2019
Finishing Our Work
"I hope to see my Pilot face to face when I have crossed the bar." (Alfred, Lord Tennyson).
Note to the reader: Not to be morbid, but preparing for one's passing involves more than taking care of one's final expenses!
OUR DAYS ARE DETERMINED AND PLANNED BEFOREHAND! (CF. PSALM 119:16).
"In this meaningless life of mine I have seen both of these: the righteous perishing in their righteousness, and the wicked living long in their wickedness" (Eccl. 7:15, NIV). [The godly can perish before their time.]
"So He will do to me whatever He has planned. He controls my destiny" (Job 23:14, NLT).
Paul thanked God and prayed he would complete his mission, which would be his greatest joy. King David passed away, but having fulfilled God's purpose and having done all God's will (cf. Acts 20:24, 10:36). It is true in a sense that we don't pass away till God is finished with us, which should be an incentive to do God's will and be ready. We ought always to be ready to meet our Lord, for we know not when we will (cf. Amos 4:12). Now Hezekiah was told directly from God to get his house in order because his time was short! However, he objected and told the Lord that he was only in the prime of his life (it would be a shame!). Note that Matthew Henry said we ought to live every day as if it's our last. Only God knows what we are here for and when our time is completed; we only see through a glass darkly--of which we will understand on the other side. (One mystery, or paradox that Scripture mentions, is that people who want to live often die, and those who would die, go on living. )
Now, the great question one must ask is whether the godly die before their time. Yes, they can! Isaiah 57:1, NLT, says so: "Good people pass away; the godly often die before their time." Some think that when no one needs them they will die, but God can always use a committed believer who is conformed to the pattern of His will. We have no luxury of judging someone's life by its length. It is good to live to be old, which is a luxury, but not all become wise.
We must acknowledge the wise wording of Solomon in Ecclesiastes 3:1ff that there is a time for every matter under heaven--including a time to die. Actually, the Bible declares the day of one's death better than the day of his birth! "Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his faithful servants" (Psalm 116:15, NIV). Christians have the hope of eternal life due to Christ's resurrection that gave us reason to believe and this should be all the more motive and inspiration to live a life pleasing to Him, and not for the day only, but one day at a time in light of the Word and of eternity.
Therefore, let's all be looking forward to "crossing" (not passing) our bar and meeting the Lord in glory. In the meantime, we are to live as if it's "one step between [us] and death!" CAVEAT: WE MUST BEWARE LEST WE SIN UNTO DEATH (CF. 1 JOHN 5:16) AND GOD DECREE TO TAKE US BEFORE OUR TIME AS DIVINE DISPLEASURE! Soli Deo Gloria!
Note to the reader: Not to be morbid, but preparing for one's passing involves more than taking care of one's final expenses!
OUR DAYS ARE DETERMINED AND PLANNED BEFOREHAND! (CF. PSALM 119:16).
"In this meaningless life of mine I have seen both of these: the righteous perishing in their righteousness, and the wicked living long in their wickedness" (Eccl. 7:15, NIV). [The godly can perish before their time.]
"So He will do to me whatever He has planned. He controls my destiny" (Job 23:14, NLT).
Paul thanked God and prayed he would complete his mission, which would be his greatest joy. King David passed away, but having fulfilled God's purpose and having done all God's will (cf. Acts 20:24, 10:36). It is true in a sense that we don't pass away till God is finished with us, which should be an incentive to do God's will and be ready. We ought always to be ready to meet our Lord, for we know not when we will (cf. Amos 4:12). Now Hezekiah was told directly from God to get his house in order because his time was short! However, he objected and told the Lord that he was only in the prime of his life (it would be a shame!). Note that Matthew Henry said we ought to live every day as if it's our last. Only God knows what we are here for and when our time is completed; we only see through a glass darkly--of which we will understand on the other side. (One mystery, or paradox that Scripture mentions, is that people who want to live often die, and those who would die, go on living. )
Now, the great question one must ask is whether the godly die before their time. Yes, they can! Isaiah 57:1, NLT, says so: "Good people pass away; the godly often die before their time." Some think that when no one needs them they will die, but God can always use a committed believer who is conformed to the pattern of His will. We have no luxury of judging someone's life by its length. It is good to live to be old, which is a luxury, but not all become wise.
We must acknowledge the wise wording of Solomon in Ecclesiastes 3:1ff that there is a time for every matter under heaven--including a time to die. Actually, the Bible declares the day of one's death better than the day of his birth! "Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his faithful servants" (Psalm 116:15, NIV). Christians have the hope of eternal life due to Christ's resurrection that gave us reason to believe and this should be all the more motive and inspiration to live a life pleasing to Him, and not for the day only, but one day at a time in light of the Word and of eternity.
Therefore, let's all be looking forward to "crossing" (not passing) our bar and meeting the Lord in glory. In the meantime, we are to live as if it's "one step between [us] and death!" CAVEAT: WE MUST BEWARE LEST WE SIN UNTO DEATH (CF. 1 JOHN 5:16) AND GOD DECREE TO TAKE US BEFORE OUR TIME AS DIVINE DISPLEASURE! Soli Deo Gloria!
Sunday, March 10, 2019
The Christian And Science
"Do you know the laws of the universe? Can you use them to regulate the earth?" (Job 38:33, NLT).
There is "no final conflict" [between science and Scripture]." --Francis Schaeffer
The National Academy of Science defines science as "The use of evidence to construct testable explanations and prediction of natural phenomena, as well as the knowledge generated through this process ... and scientists gather information by observing the natural world and conducting experiments." --Dr. Jeff Myers in Understanding the Faith. It is my premise that science does not have all the answers but is only one avenue or vehicle of knowledge and truth, for all truth is God's truth, as Augustine said. In other words, you cannot measure three feet of love or six pounds of justice--values and principles are not subject to scientific analysis. Scientists have faith in the reliability and predictability of the laws of the universe, while Christians believe in God of the universe who made the laws. How can there be laws without a Lawgiver? The first modern scientists laid its foundations assuming there's a God, how can they now deny the one they assume? Basically, there are disciplines other than an empirical investigation to arrive at the truth: ethics, mathematics, philosophy, and religion are all outside the scientist's parameters.
We can indeed learn by experience and empirical investigation, but rational thought and revelation are two other avenues of learning. All knowledge is contingent and springs from faith, not just religious! Even music, art, and mathematics are beyond the scope of science and depend upon insight and rational or creative thinking. There is objective truth that is true regardless of belief and true for everyone all the time, and then there is an opinion or subjective truth, such as one saying that broccoli tastes good. You cannot prove anything that isn't true, logical, and verifiable.
Science wouldn't have been founded without an assumption of the Christian worldview of an orderly, predictable, and governed universe. In fact, the first modern scientists were believers. But today science has gone too far--they perpetuate the idea they can solve all man's problems. Moreover, secularists use science for non-scientific endeavors and to solve problems which lie outside its province. Many things simply cannot be answered by science: ethics, for example, is not in its domain. Basically, science gives the know-how, not the know-why. Science takes things apart, while religion puts them together, it's been said! But many things are not subject to scientific analysis, such as history and one-time events of the past, such as creation. They weren't there and science relies on observation, repetition, measurement, and experiment!
Scientists have been known to make philosophical statements such as astronomer Carl Sagan said, "The Cosmos is all that is or was or ever will be." Science doesn't give us answers to the ultimate questions, such as the meaning and purpose in life, and our final destiny. What's so sad is that people put their faith in science when science is based on faith! Scientists assume there's no God without evidence. People that think science contradicts faith don't understand either. Einstein said that science without religion is lame, and religion without science is blind!
It's not all a matter of facts or reason versus faith (and God doesn't ask us to leave our reason behind), but which set of presuppositions one wants to accept from the starting point of one's worldview. Both sides have faith! There's no smoking gun evidence either way. The mystery of life, of which science has no answer, can be answered by faith in God who causes all life to grow. In fact, there's no strict definition of life--science doesn't know what it is in essence! But what we do know is that life comes only from life (biogenesis, which means spontaneous generation, or producing lifeforms from nonlife matter is impossible), as surely as DNA comes only from DNA! Cloning is not producing life from nonlife, but another way of reproduction. This begs the questions of where the first life and DNA came from if not God! Experiments to achieve life fail to come off and this is the Achilles' heel of evolution. Infinite regress is impossible--the chain of events had to start somewhere (notably a First Cause). The Bible makes it plain that God created life and it's His gift and comes from Him, the Source and Author of life.
Teaching science dogmatically and ruling out God from the get-go is not scientific. Scientists need to learn when they are becoming unscientific and venturing into scientism, or of harnessing science for unscientific means! Scientists must be aware that there is "scientific evidence" for the existence of God: DNA; the anthropic principle; the Big Bang; the Second Law of Thermodynamics or entropy; and biogenesis! The Bible is not a science textbook, but where it does make statements about scientific principles, it is right on--there are no scientific absurdities. They cannot explain away these phenomena! All in all, true science doesn't contradict Christianity and there's no reason believers cannot become scientists. (Though archaeologists have attempted in vain to disprove the Bible's historical accuracy, it has not yet controverted a biblical reference!)
In conclusion, science sometimes seems to be at odds with the Bible, but it is always been proven wrong when at variance and the Bible correct after all, such as that the earth was the center of the solar system! To name some examples of the Bible predating science: the ocean currents, the anthropic principle, the beginning of time, the water cycle, the round earth to name a few notables! According to Paul Little, in 1861, the French Academy of Science issued fifty-one scientific facts that "controverted the Scriptures!' Today, none of these so-called "facts" are believed! Someday, scientists will have to admit what theologians have been espousing--that "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." Soli Deo Gloria!
There is "no final conflict" [between science and Scripture]." --Francis Schaeffer
The National Academy of Science defines science as "The use of evidence to construct testable explanations and prediction of natural phenomena, as well as the knowledge generated through this process ... and scientists gather information by observing the natural world and conducting experiments." --Dr. Jeff Myers in Understanding the Faith. It is my premise that science does not have all the answers but is only one avenue or vehicle of knowledge and truth, for all truth is God's truth, as Augustine said. In other words, you cannot measure three feet of love or six pounds of justice--values and principles are not subject to scientific analysis. Scientists have faith in the reliability and predictability of the laws of the universe, while Christians believe in God of the universe who made the laws. How can there be laws without a Lawgiver? The first modern scientists laid its foundations assuming there's a God, how can they now deny the one they assume? Basically, there are disciplines other than an empirical investigation to arrive at the truth: ethics, mathematics, philosophy, and religion are all outside the scientist's parameters.
We can indeed learn by experience and empirical investigation, but rational thought and revelation are two other avenues of learning. All knowledge is contingent and springs from faith, not just religious! Even music, art, and mathematics are beyond the scope of science and depend upon insight and rational or creative thinking. There is objective truth that is true regardless of belief and true for everyone all the time, and then there is an opinion or subjective truth, such as one saying that broccoli tastes good. You cannot prove anything that isn't true, logical, and verifiable.
Science wouldn't have been founded without an assumption of the Christian worldview of an orderly, predictable, and governed universe. In fact, the first modern scientists were believers. But today science has gone too far--they perpetuate the idea they can solve all man's problems. Moreover, secularists use science for non-scientific endeavors and to solve problems which lie outside its province. Many things simply cannot be answered by science: ethics, for example, is not in its domain. Basically, science gives the know-how, not the know-why. Science takes things apart, while religion puts them together, it's been said! But many things are not subject to scientific analysis, such as history and one-time events of the past, such as creation. They weren't there and science relies on observation, repetition, measurement, and experiment!
Scientists have been known to make philosophical statements such as astronomer Carl Sagan said, "The Cosmos is all that is or was or ever will be." Science doesn't give us answers to the ultimate questions, such as the meaning and purpose in life, and our final destiny. What's so sad is that people put their faith in science when science is based on faith! Scientists assume there's no God without evidence. People that think science contradicts faith don't understand either. Einstein said that science without religion is lame, and religion without science is blind!
It's not all a matter of facts or reason versus faith (and God doesn't ask us to leave our reason behind), but which set of presuppositions one wants to accept from the starting point of one's worldview. Both sides have faith! There's no smoking gun evidence either way. The mystery of life, of which science has no answer, can be answered by faith in God who causes all life to grow. In fact, there's no strict definition of life--science doesn't know what it is in essence! But what we do know is that life comes only from life (biogenesis, which means spontaneous generation, or producing lifeforms from nonlife matter is impossible), as surely as DNA comes only from DNA! Cloning is not producing life from nonlife, but another way of reproduction. This begs the questions of where the first life and DNA came from if not God! Experiments to achieve life fail to come off and this is the Achilles' heel of evolution. Infinite regress is impossible--the chain of events had to start somewhere (notably a First Cause). The Bible makes it plain that God created life and it's His gift and comes from Him, the Source and Author of life.
Teaching science dogmatically and ruling out God from the get-go is not scientific. Scientists need to learn when they are becoming unscientific and venturing into scientism, or of harnessing science for unscientific means! Scientists must be aware that there is "scientific evidence" for the existence of God: DNA; the anthropic principle; the Big Bang; the Second Law of Thermodynamics or entropy; and biogenesis! The Bible is not a science textbook, but where it does make statements about scientific principles, it is right on--there are no scientific absurdities. They cannot explain away these phenomena! All in all, true science doesn't contradict Christianity and there's no reason believers cannot become scientists. (Though archaeologists have attempted in vain to disprove the Bible's historical accuracy, it has not yet controverted a biblical reference!)
In conclusion, science sometimes seems to be at odds with the Bible, but it is always been proven wrong when at variance and the Bible correct after all, such as that the earth was the center of the solar system! To name some examples of the Bible predating science: the ocean currents, the anthropic principle, the beginning of time, the water cycle, the round earth to name a few notables! According to Paul Little, in 1861, the French Academy of Science issued fifty-one scientific facts that "controverted the Scriptures!' Today, none of these so-called "facts" are believed! Someday, scientists will have to admit what theologians have been espousing--that "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." Soli Deo Gloria!
Saturday, March 9, 2019
Why Do Bad Things Happen To Good People?
PERTINENT VERSES TO PONDER:
"But those who suffer he delivers in their suffering; he speaks [gets their attention] to them in their affliction" (Job 36:15, NIV).
"God left him, to try him, that he might know all that is in his heart," (cf. 2 Chon. 32:31)
"[F]or he does not willingly afflict or grieve the children of men" (Lam. 3:33, ESV).
"I create the light and make the darkness. I send good times and bad times..." (Isa. 45:7, NLT).
"But he knows the way that I take; when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold" (Job 23:10).
"... Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?" (Job 2:10, NIV).
"[F]or he does not willingly afflict or grieve the children of men" (Lam. 3:33, ESV).
"I create the light and make the darkness. I send good times and bad times..." (Isa. 45:7, NLT).
"But he knows the way that I take; when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold" (Job 23:10).
"... Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?" (Job 2:10, NIV).
"He speaks to them in their affliction." (cf. Job 36:15, NIV).
"Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver, I have tried you in the furnace of affliction" (Isa. 48:10, ESV).
"... 'We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God'..." (Acts 14:22, NIV).
"... But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering" Romans 8:17, NLT).
"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose" (Rom. 8:28, NIV).
"Who best can suffer, best can do." --John Milton
Rabbi Harold Kushner wrote the book, Why Do Bad Things Happen to Good People? Note: There are many quick answers: There are no good people! In the book Robinson Crusoe Friday asks why evil isn't destroyed: "What about you?" Robinson replies. And so why do good things happen to bad people? What is good and what is bad then, if there is no God? When we call something good or evil, we are referring to some standard or Supreme Good, which was seen as God by Plato. Ponder not about debating good but wondering where the idea of goodness came from, if not God?
In short, God is love, but we must see the big picture of what God is doing for His glory and also not forget that God is one of justice, wrath, vengeance, vindication, and judgment. God will surely fulfill all His attributes. Also, justice delayed is not justice denied! We see no justice, but God lives in eternity and sees the big picture. When we say that it's not fair for innocent people to suffer, how we do know of their innocence? And if God were to eliminate all evil in the world, what about the evil in us--Jesus said that only God is good! We must have faith that God is working for the greater good and short-run evil will result in long-range good. Likewise, we must praise God for the opportunity to do good when we see evil. Instead of asking where God is, we must realize where the devil is!
The point is that we only see good in light of evil and evil is not God's fault! God didn't create evil, but only the possibility of evil, which was necessitated because of free will! This would make no sense if no one turned evil and rebelled against God; therefore, evil exists and must be reckoned with and judged. Remember, Adam and Eve ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and they come as a package: we can distinguish them and separate them, but evil exists only as a parasite on good. If mankind had no choice of good or evil, there would be no love or hate in the world; we'd be robots, puppets, automatons, or animals with no free will or opportunity to know and love God. Don't break faith because we all have to pay our dues. God simply couldn't create a world of free people who have a chance to obey Him and then have none disobey or do evil!
We talk of injustice, intolerance, inequity, et cetera. How could there be injustice without justice? If there were no good, there could exist no evil! Mankind was created good and went terribly bad, even Satan was once good! But, fortunately, God is able to turn evil into good and His glory and wisdom will be shown in the end. Most people just object to evil when it happens to them, but don't realize they are part of the problem too if they don't know God. The point is that God sends good in envelopes of affliction to make us grow in our faith. In the final analysis, we ought to celebrate the opportunity to see good in light of evil and to turn evil into good and to have the opportunity to do good when evil seems so certain and unavoidable to everyone to some degree--no one goes through life trouble-free.
Jesus learned obedience by what He suffered (cf Heb. 5:8) and didn't exempt Himself from suffering, nor guarantee we would lead a life in a bed of roses or in a rose garden. "Jesus was honest enough to tell us we'd have tribulations" and that life was a test of our faith. Would you believe in a Savior who wasn't sympathetic to suffering and had experienced none first-hand? But God is the great Sufferer and when we break God's laws, we break God's heart. When bad things happen, people act differently: some become bitter, some better!
Therefore, it is by adversity in life that we build character and learn the lessons of life to become mature. And the existence of Satan, evil, sin, death, and adversity is not an argument against God, but for Him. The ultimate question should not be: "If there is a God why is there evil?" but the opposite: "If there is no God, why is there so much good?" God is able to make "the wrath of man to praise Him" (cf. Psa. 76:10).
Faith is a choice and we must decide between good and evil. If faith were easy, it wouldn't be worth anything! There is no easy answer to the existence of suffering, but it's just as likely to produce sincere faith as to destroy insincere faith; in a way, it's a litmus test! There is no smoking gun evidence for or against God, so it takes faith both ways. It isn't a matter of faith versus reason, but faith versus faith--which set of presuppositions you want to accept; Faith in man and science, or God and His Word as the revelation. Most people don't have enough faith to be atheists!
We must decide to believe and be willing to do God's will for our eyes to be opened to the truth. God will authenticate Himself to us if we are willing. God will not force someone to believe against their will, though He can make them willing (a paradox). Faith can only be valid and of value, if it's difficult to attain! That's because God is all-powerful or omnipotent and can overpower someone's will and make the unwilling willing--no one can reject His will (cf. Jer. 20:7; Rom. 9:19).
In sum, upon salvation, we enroll in the school of suffering, which is a given, and we must celebrate it as a red badge of courage that gives us braggadocio as it were and the right to say, "Been there, done that!"--this is Reality 101 and no one escapes it! God owes us no explanations: "He is too deep to explain Himself, too kind to be cruel, and too wise to make a mistake!" We answer to God not the other way around! We are not to second-guess God: John Wycliffe tenet says, "All things come to pass of necessity." We ought not get a martyr's complex, thinking the more we suffer, the more holy we are, but everyone is called to go through the school of hard knocks at times.
God knows that in our affliction, we will seek Him (cf. Hosea 5:15) and we should know that He gets our attention by affliction (cf. Job 36:15). "People are born for trouble as sure as the spark flies upward" (cf. Job 5:7, NLT). In the final analysis, one must acknowledge the fact that there are no easy answers as God didn't even explain Himself to Job. God is too deep to explain Himself, too kind to be cruel, and to wise to be wrong or mistaken. No religion, philosophy, or faith has the complete answer! Soli Deo Gloria!
"Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver, I have tried you in the furnace of affliction" (Isa. 48:10, ESV).
"... 'We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God'..." (Acts 14:22, NIV).
"... But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering" Romans 8:17, NLT).
"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose" (Rom. 8:28, NIV).
"Who best can suffer, best can do." --John Milton
Rabbi Harold Kushner wrote the book, Why Do Bad Things Happen to Good People? Note: There are many quick answers: There are no good people! In the book Robinson Crusoe Friday asks why evil isn't destroyed: "What about you?" Robinson replies. And so why do good things happen to bad people? What is good and what is bad then, if there is no God? When we call something good or evil, we are referring to some standard or Supreme Good, which was seen as God by Plato. Ponder not about debating good but wondering where the idea of goodness came from, if not God?
In short, God is love, but we must see the big picture of what God is doing for His glory and also not forget that God is one of justice, wrath, vengeance, vindication, and judgment. God will surely fulfill all His attributes. Also, justice delayed is not justice denied! We see no justice, but God lives in eternity and sees the big picture. When we say that it's not fair for innocent people to suffer, how we do know of their innocence? And if God were to eliminate all evil in the world, what about the evil in us--Jesus said that only God is good! We must have faith that God is working for the greater good and short-run evil will result in long-range good. Likewise, we must praise God for the opportunity to do good when we see evil. Instead of asking where God is, we must realize where the devil is!
The point is that we only see good in light of evil and evil is not God's fault! God didn't create evil, but only the possibility of evil, which was necessitated because of free will! This would make no sense if no one turned evil and rebelled against God; therefore, evil exists and must be reckoned with and judged. Remember, Adam and Eve ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and they come as a package: we can distinguish them and separate them, but evil exists only as a parasite on good. If mankind had no choice of good or evil, there would be no love or hate in the world; we'd be robots, puppets, automatons, or animals with no free will or opportunity to know and love God. Don't break faith because we all have to pay our dues. God simply couldn't create a world of free people who have a chance to obey Him and then have none disobey or do evil!
We talk of injustice, intolerance, inequity, et cetera. How could there be injustice without justice? If there were no good, there could exist no evil! Mankind was created good and went terribly bad, even Satan was once good! But, fortunately, God is able to turn evil into good and His glory and wisdom will be shown in the end. Most people just object to evil when it happens to them, but don't realize they are part of the problem too if they don't know God. The point is that God sends good in envelopes of affliction to make us grow in our faith. In the final analysis, we ought to celebrate the opportunity to see good in light of evil and to turn evil into good and to have the opportunity to do good when evil seems so certain and unavoidable to everyone to some degree--no one goes through life trouble-free.
Jesus learned obedience by what He suffered (cf Heb. 5:8) and didn't exempt Himself from suffering, nor guarantee we would lead a life in a bed of roses or in a rose garden. "Jesus was honest enough to tell us we'd have tribulations" and that life was a test of our faith. Would you believe in a Savior who wasn't sympathetic to suffering and had experienced none first-hand? But God is the great Sufferer and when we break God's laws, we break God's heart. When bad things happen, people act differently: some become bitter, some better!
Therefore, it is by adversity in life that we build character and learn the lessons of life to become mature. And the existence of Satan, evil, sin, death, and adversity is not an argument against God, but for Him. The ultimate question should not be: "If there is a God why is there evil?" but the opposite: "If there is no God, why is there so much good?" God is able to make "the wrath of man to praise Him" (cf. Psa. 76:10).
Faith is a choice and we must decide between good and evil. If faith were easy, it wouldn't be worth anything! There is no easy answer to the existence of suffering, but it's just as likely to produce sincere faith as to destroy insincere faith; in a way, it's a litmus test! There is no smoking gun evidence for or against God, so it takes faith both ways. It isn't a matter of faith versus reason, but faith versus faith--which set of presuppositions you want to accept; Faith in man and science, or God and His Word as the revelation. Most people don't have enough faith to be atheists!
We must decide to believe and be willing to do God's will for our eyes to be opened to the truth. God will authenticate Himself to us if we are willing. God will not force someone to believe against their will, though He can make them willing (a paradox). Faith can only be valid and of value, if it's difficult to attain! That's because God is all-powerful or omnipotent and can overpower someone's will and make the unwilling willing--no one can reject His will (cf. Jer. 20:7; Rom. 9:19).
In sum, upon salvation, we enroll in the school of suffering, which is a given, and we must celebrate it as a red badge of courage that gives us braggadocio as it were and the right to say, "Been there, done that!"--this is Reality 101 and no one escapes it! God owes us no explanations: "He is too deep to explain Himself, too kind to be cruel, and too wise to make a mistake!" We answer to God not the other way around! We are not to second-guess God: John Wycliffe tenet says, "All things come to pass of necessity." We ought not get a martyr's complex, thinking the more we suffer, the more holy we are, but everyone is called to go through the school of hard knocks at times.
God knows that in our affliction, we will seek Him (cf. Hosea 5:15) and we should know that He gets our attention by affliction (cf. Job 36:15). "People are born for trouble as sure as the spark flies upward" (cf. Job 5:7, NLT). In the final analysis, one must acknowledge the fact that there are no easy answers as God didn't even explain Himself to Job. God is too deep to explain Himself, too kind to be cruel, and to wise to be wrong or mistaken. No religion, philosophy, or faith has the complete answer! Soli Deo Gloria!
Tuesday, March 5, 2019
The Methodology Of Prayer...
"We both have access to the Father through Christ by one Spirit" (Eph. 2:18, CEV).
"But when you pray, go into your private room, shut your door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you" (Matt. 6:6, HCSB).
"... 'I assure you: Anything you ask the Father in My name, He will give you'" (John 16:25, HCSB).
"When ye pray, say, our Father" (Luke 11:2, KJV).
In the spirit of the Reformation: "I dissent, I disagree, I protest!" We are not captive to church dogma and each of us has a right to interpret Scripture.
NB: We all should pray as if it all depends on God, but work like it depends on us! Both Arminian and Calvinist would concur.
Christians have the prerogative to pray in Christ's name, using His authority, to access the throne room of the Father (cf. Heb. 4:16), and boldly in the Spirit at that! Most Christians are timid in their prayers and don't pray like sons but like servants! Jesus told us to pray like this when praying corporately as His body: "Our Father in heaven..." Jesus had the audacity to claim God as His unique Father, even though Jews had considered themselves children of God, this was a bold assertion to claim. It seemed He was making Himself equal to God, calling God His Father.
"And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, 'Abba, Father!' So you are no longer a slave but a son and if a son, then an heir through God" (Gal. 4:6, HCSB). We need to lay hold of our divine privilege as a child of God and enjoy the right to access God's dimension in the third heaven. "The argument from silence in that the Bible doesn't forbid praying to Jesus is flimsy and flakey at best and almost anything could be proved with such dialectic. It should be plain that we ought to pay due respects to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, giving Him due honor to whom honor is due as we engage the potential of the full Godhead.
The only biblical template for prayer is the Lord's prayer despite its over-familiarity, it is not meant to be a recitation nor a to make prayer look like a cakewalk. By and large, there are no hard-and-fast rules for prayer procedure except that it be done in the divine formula of access to God, whether assumed and conscious or not. Jesus seemed to espouse certain conditions for prayer or protocol and never deferred to the tradition of the elders. There is no correct or set way or pattern to pray in that God does hear all believers' prayer, but the power is in the equipping of the saints in knowing to whom we are praying and availing ourselves of the rights of sons and daughters of God. However, there exists proper etiquette with God or S.O.P. for all things are to be done in an orderly fashion per 1 Cor. 14:40. "For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father" (Eph. 2:18, HCSB). This means that all three persons of the Godhead or Deity are involved in our prayers! Thus, efficacious prayer avails with the concerted work of the tri-personality (the three personas of the Godhead).
Just like in creation being done cooperatively all three members of the Trinity co-equally involved; i.e., from the Father, through the Son, by the Spirit. The Trinity accomplished our salvation: the Father authored, purposed, and planned it; the Son executed, accomplishes, and fulfilled it, and the Spirit applies and makes it known all in concert! Basically speaking, the Father originates or initiates; the Son reveals and makes manifest, and the Holy Spirit executes, fulfills, and applies. Likewise, the whole Trinity is cooperating in our prayer life: we pray addressed to the Father, through the Son, by the Spirit! We are exhorted to always pray "in the Spirit." Jesus' involvement means more than attaching His name to the end with the formula "in Jesus' name" for good measure as if it's a magic formula or hokum.
Prayer can be summed up: we pray to the Father, in the name of the Son, in the power of the Spirit. We look to Scriptural warrant and precedent for examples to echo in prayer. Paul showed powerful prayers to the Father. He went to the TOP! In the Old Testament, and we are not living in the Old Testament, they prayed to the LORD God of Israel, for instance, but we have a more revealing person to address a prayer to now that we know Jesus. Jesus set the example in praying to the Father and the Lord's prayer is likewise.
However, we must not forget that it is in Him that we have such access to the Father and He has given us a license to pray in His authority. As Eph. 3:12, HCSB, says, "In Him we have boldness and confident access through faith in Him." Just like knowing a person intimately gives us power in communication and fellowship, even giving us boldness in requests, so knowing the Father and availing our rights as a child of God gives us power in prayer, so it is like putting God in a box to see Him as only one person of the Godhead and not as a triune Being working in synergy. Sometimes it is appropriate to address Jesus directly in prayer, but He is seated at the right hand of the Father in glory and we have the right to go to the top as it were and use His authority as a passkey to heaven's very throne room of grace.
Famous quotable lines worth noting: "When you can't stand life, kneel!: "Crises have kept me on my knees!" "Pray as if everything depends on God; work as if everything depends on you!": "Better heart without words than words without heart!" "I have often gone to my knees, simply because there was no place else to go!" "When it is hardest to pray, pray the hardest!" "Satan trembles when he sees the weakest saint upon his knees!"
NB: The Oneness Pentecostals or Apostolic Pentecostals deny the Trinity and have done away with the Father and have reverted to old heresy of modalism and are pejoratively referred to as the "Jesus only" movement. This is a red flag that those who value sound doctrine are leary of. Praying without biblical precedence opens Pandora's box and is highly problematic.
A word to the wise is sufficient: tradition must bow to conviction and we do not interpret Scripture in light of experience or feeling, but experience and feeling in light of Scripture. One of the battle cries of the Reformation was sola Scriptura or Scripture alone (as our authority); we must appeal to Holy Writ to settle all doctrinal matters and not tradition; the Catholic faith exalts tradition as equal status to the Bible, and this is one thing that distinguishes Protestants. Tradition must be concordant with Scripture!
One need not fear they're out of their league or that their prayers are anemic, because God sees the heart and the Spirit translates our prayers!
NB: Paul the apostle was always careful to give the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ his due and reverent attention in addressing the Godhead in prayer. Indeed, the historical orthodox doctrine has been to address the Father in all prayer in Jesus' name in the power of the Spirit. Paul exhorts us in 1 Cor. 4:6 HCSB, emphasis mine: "...' nothing beyond what is written.'"
NB: People act out their faith for four reasons: reason--it sounds logical; emotion--it feels good; culture--everyone does it; tradition--we've always done it. But Christianity is countercultural and challenges us to throw down the gauntlet and cross the Rubicon of the truth based solely on the Word of God.
CAVEAT: IGNORING SCRIPTURAL PRECEDENTS FOR THE SAKE OF TRADITION OR CUSTOM IS THE GATEWAY TO HERESY AND EXALTING TRADITION ABOVE OR EQUAL TO SCRIPTURE AS ROMANISM ESPOUSES.
Jesus Himself taught us how to pray corporately or as a church: "Our Father who is in heaven...." And I take His Word at face value. God is more than a projection or throwback to our need for.a father figure but is our all in all through the Trinity. It is true that some have rejected God on this account for they had no father figure or thought God was just a throwback to our need for one. Our heavenly Father knows our hearts and we need to have that more than a doctrine of prayer by all means. However, we ought to be obedient to the plain teaching of Scripture and realize this is to our advantage to see prayer the way God does. (The principle for Bible interpretation is that we interpret the obscure in light of the plain and what may be implied in light of what is obvious--the implicit in light of the explicit.)
We all should inquire and do some soul searching as to whether we know the Father and can say that we are His children. If we pray only to one member of the Godhead without regard to others, we are unduly discriminating and should wonder whether it's warranted or Scriptural and if we know the Father; e.g., imaging the pastor praying thus: "O God..." Wouldn't this be sufficient to conclude he isn't familiar with the Father or even the Lord and seems estranged or alienated from a distant God--perhaps to a foreign God or unknown God? God invites us to call Him Father even in the Old Testament: see Jeremiah 3:19, ESV, which says, "... And I thought you would call me, My Father...."
"Now to Him who has power to strengthen you ... according to the command of the eternal God ... to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ--to Him be the glory forever! Amen." (Rom. 16:25-27, HCSB, italics and boldface mine).
There are conditions for effective prayer: Praying according to God's will; entering His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; abiding in Christ's Word; being thankful, confessing known sin, and having faith that He will answer! Prayer is successful when it changes you not God, who doesn't need change and cannot change. Soli Deo Gloria!
"But when you pray, go into your private room, shut your door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you" (Matt. 6:6, HCSB).
"... 'I assure you: Anything you ask the Father in My name, He will give you'" (John 16:25, HCSB).
"When ye pray, say, our Father" (Luke 11:2, KJV).
In the spirit of the Reformation: "I dissent, I disagree, I protest!" We are not captive to church dogma and each of us has a right to interpret Scripture.
NB: We all should pray as if it all depends on God, but work like it depends on us! Both Arminian and Calvinist would concur.
Christians have the prerogative to pray in Christ's name, using His authority, to access the throne room of the Father (cf. Heb. 4:16), and boldly in the Spirit at that! Most Christians are timid in their prayers and don't pray like sons but like servants! Jesus told us to pray like this when praying corporately as His body: "Our Father in heaven..." Jesus had the audacity to claim God as His unique Father, even though Jews had considered themselves children of God, this was a bold assertion to claim. It seemed He was making Himself equal to God, calling God His Father.
"And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, 'Abba, Father!' So you are no longer a slave but a son and if a son, then an heir through God" (Gal. 4:6, HCSB). We need to lay hold of our divine privilege as a child of God and enjoy the right to access God's dimension in the third heaven. "The argument from silence in that the Bible doesn't forbid praying to Jesus is flimsy and flakey at best and almost anything could be proved with such dialectic. It should be plain that we ought to pay due respects to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, giving Him due honor to whom honor is due as we engage the potential of the full Godhead.
The only biblical template for prayer is the Lord's prayer despite its over-familiarity, it is not meant to be a recitation nor a to make prayer look like a cakewalk. By and large, there are no hard-and-fast rules for prayer procedure except that it be done in the divine formula of access to God, whether assumed and conscious or not. Jesus seemed to espouse certain conditions for prayer or protocol and never deferred to the tradition of the elders. There is no correct or set way or pattern to pray in that God does hear all believers' prayer, but the power is in the equipping of the saints in knowing to whom we are praying and availing ourselves of the rights of sons and daughters of God. However, there exists proper etiquette with God or S.O.P. for all things are to be done in an orderly fashion per 1 Cor. 14:40. "For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father" (Eph. 2:18, HCSB). This means that all three persons of the Godhead or Deity are involved in our prayers! Thus, efficacious prayer avails with the concerted work of the tri-personality (the three personas of the Godhead).
Just like in creation being done cooperatively all three members of the Trinity co-equally involved; i.e., from the Father, through the Son, by the Spirit. The Trinity accomplished our salvation: the Father authored, purposed, and planned it; the Son executed, accomplishes, and fulfilled it, and the Spirit applies and makes it known all in concert! Basically speaking, the Father originates or initiates; the Son reveals and makes manifest, and the Holy Spirit executes, fulfills, and applies. Likewise, the whole Trinity is cooperating in our prayer life: we pray addressed to the Father, through the Son, by the Spirit! We are exhorted to always pray "in the Spirit." Jesus' involvement means more than attaching His name to the end with the formula "in Jesus' name" for good measure as if it's a magic formula or hokum.
Prayer can be summed up: we pray to the Father, in the name of the Son, in the power of the Spirit. We look to Scriptural warrant and precedent for examples to echo in prayer. Paul showed powerful prayers to the Father. He went to the TOP! In the Old Testament, and we are not living in the Old Testament, they prayed to the LORD God of Israel, for instance, but we have a more revealing person to address a prayer to now that we know Jesus. Jesus set the example in praying to the Father and the Lord's prayer is likewise.
However, we must not forget that it is in Him that we have such access to the Father and He has given us a license to pray in His authority. As Eph. 3:12, HCSB, says, "In Him we have boldness and confident access through faith in Him." Just like knowing a person intimately gives us power in communication and fellowship, even giving us boldness in requests, so knowing the Father and availing our rights as a child of God gives us power in prayer, so it is like putting God in a box to see Him as only one person of the Godhead and not as a triune Being working in synergy. Sometimes it is appropriate to address Jesus directly in prayer, but He is seated at the right hand of the Father in glory and we have the right to go to the top as it were and use His authority as a passkey to heaven's very throne room of grace.
Famous quotable lines worth noting: "When you can't stand life, kneel!: "Crises have kept me on my knees!" "Pray as if everything depends on God; work as if everything depends on you!": "Better heart without words than words without heart!" "I have often gone to my knees, simply because there was no place else to go!" "When it is hardest to pray, pray the hardest!" "Satan trembles when he sees the weakest saint upon his knees!"
NB: The Oneness Pentecostals or Apostolic Pentecostals deny the Trinity and have done away with the Father and have reverted to old heresy of modalism and are pejoratively referred to as the "Jesus only" movement. This is a red flag that those who value sound doctrine are leary of. Praying without biblical precedence opens Pandora's box and is highly problematic.
A word to the wise is sufficient: tradition must bow to conviction and we do not interpret Scripture in light of experience or feeling, but experience and feeling in light of Scripture. One of the battle cries of the Reformation was sola Scriptura or Scripture alone (as our authority); we must appeal to Holy Writ to settle all doctrinal matters and not tradition; the Catholic faith exalts tradition as equal status to the Bible, and this is one thing that distinguishes Protestants. Tradition must be concordant with Scripture!
One need not fear they're out of their league or that their prayers are anemic, because God sees the heart and the Spirit translates our prayers!
NB: Paul the apostle was always careful to give the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ his due and reverent attention in addressing the Godhead in prayer. Indeed, the historical orthodox doctrine has been to address the Father in all prayer in Jesus' name in the power of the Spirit. Paul exhorts us in 1 Cor. 4:6 HCSB, emphasis mine: "...' nothing beyond what is written.'"
NB: People act out their faith for four reasons: reason--it sounds logical; emotion--it feels good; culture--everyone does it; tradition--we've always done it. But Christianity is countercultural and challenges us to throw down the gauntlet and cross the Rubicon of the truth based solely on the Word of God.
CAVEAT: IGNORING SCRIPTURAL PRECEDENTS FOR THE SAKE OF TRADITION OR CUSTOM IS THE GATEWAY TO HERESY AND EXALTING TRADITION ABOVE OR EQUAL TO SCRIPTURE AS ROMANISM ESPOUSES.
Jesus Himself taught us how to pray corporately or as a church: "Our Father who is in heaven...." And I take His Word at face value. God is more than a projection or throwback to our need for.a father figure but is our all in all through the Trinity. It is true that some have rejected God on this account for they had no father figure or thought God was just a throwback to our need for one. Our heavenly Father knows our hearts and we need to have that more than a doctrine of prayer by all means. However, we ought to be obedient to the plain teaching of Scripture and realize this is to our advantage to see prayer the way God does. (The principle for Bible interpretation is that we interpret the obscure in light of the plain and what may be implied in light of what is obvious--the implicit in light of the explicit.)
We all should inquire and do some soul searching as to whether we know the Father and can say that we are His children. If we pray only to one member of the Godhead without regard to others, we are unduly discriminating and should wonder whether it's warranted or Scriptural and if we know the Father; e.g., imaging the pastor praying thus: "O God..." Wouldn't this be sufficient to conclude he isn't familiar with the Father or even the Lord and seems estranged or alienated from a distant God--perhaps to a foreign God or unknown God? God invites us to call Him Father even in the Old Testament: see Jeremiah 3:19, ESV, which says, "... And I thought you would call me, My Father...."
"Now to Him who has power to strengthen you ... according to the command of the eternal God ... to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ--to Him be the glory forever! Amen." (Rom. 16:25-27, HCSB, italics and boldface mine).
There are conditions for effective prayer: Praying according to God's will; entering His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; abiding in Christ's Word; being thankful, confessing known sin, and having faith that He will answer! Prayer is successful when it changes you not God, who doesn't need change and cannot change. Soli Deo Gloria!
Assumption Of Good Soil
"And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God" (1 Cor. 2:4-5, NKJV).
Too many preachers are adept and savvy at preaching to the choir and have adapted their sermons so as not to reach nor be sensitive to seekers and the wayward sinner. Jesus never assumed the crowds were believing in Him and were disciples, in fact, He constantly illustrated the kingdom of God as if the audience wasn't yet in. He was always cognizant of false disciples and pseudo-conversions. There were always the Pharisees listening in to find something to criticize and condemn Him for. Preachers must be cognizant of all varieties of listeners: pagans, atheists, agnostics, skeptics, seekers, newborn believers, adolescent believers, and even the seasoned believer. Their job is to feed the sheep and the lambs as well as call the sinner to repentance; the gospel message is never passe.
What happens in too many churches is that there is the presumption of good soil when many have gotten into a worship or growth rut and are even backslidden despite their Churchianity and attendance. The preacher must be all things to all people in a sense, knowing not who may be listening in and God may be working on or wooing through the sermon, known as the "Hound of Heaven" tracking them down. The preacher sows seed in the manner of the prototype Sower Himself, Jesus, and the seed is the Word. The preacher who relies on the Word and its effect on souls in melting the hardened heart will be most efficacious. Jesus sees through the veneer and the Word penetrates soul and spirit convicting and softening the hardest of hearts. The Word shall not come back void and will accomplish God's will according to Isaiah 55:11. Jeremiah adds in Jer. 1:12 that God sees well to perform His Word.
The preacher is to be attended that gives proper place to the Word--Isaiah 8:20 says that if they speak not according to the Word, they have no truth in them! We must not rely on the articulate, eloquent talents of the mind, but the sensitivity of the spirit to the ministry of the Holy Spirit and the soul of the congregants and attendees' needs. This is so that our faith doesn't rest in the wisdom of man nor in the education, brilliance, nor talents of man but in the spiritual gift of preaching by the power of the Spirit; as the Word says, "Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit," says the LORD in Zech. 4:6.
The biggest error evangelists fall prey to is assuming the lost soul is already saved--they get saved without never having had a sense of being lost. The preacher must get them lost before getting them saved; in other words, preach the law before the gospel--the bad news of sin before the good news of grace! The reality of the matter is that there is good soil in the church, but also rocky, weedy, and shallow soil! There is the good seed, but also the bad seed that the devil has sown and continues to subvert God's work. Christ has commanded that the good shall grow with the bad and we are not to do any weeding as it were to cast out the bad seed. This means that every church likely has an enemy of Christ who has crept in unawares, even a false disciple. The preacher must sow unadulterated seed, not the Word mixed with some bad seed. This implies sticking to the Word and being faithful to preach it according to sound doctrine. This will save him and his hearers.
The truth may be unbearable to the hardened in the heart (rocky soil) and the sinner shouldn't feel at ease in God's house. The church is a place to convict of sin and bring to renewal in the Spirit, setting one on the path to righteousness in the will of God. Jesus came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance! (see Luke 5:32). The sinner can prepare his soil but God can till the soil of the most hardened heart of stone and transform it into flesh. We must believe in the power of the Word itself to transform lives and work miracles--the changed lives from the gospel are the best miracle we can witness.
This is why some churches don't accomplish much for the Great Commission because they have no focus on the soils. Good soil is guaranteed to bring forth fruit! They must not become complacent or let members get a false assurance of their salvation and comfortable in their walk, not committed to growth and service. Is it any wonder that Mahatma Gandhi said that he "likes their Christ, he doesn't like their Christians[?]" And that Nietzsche said that he would "believe in the Redeemer when the Christian looks more redeemed[?]" The sermon should be a spiritual checkup and appraisal of one's walk and should have a message for everyone's heart. This is precisely why the Pharisees couldn't bear His sermons: He preached to them as if they weren't saved or spiritually secure in their turf. He threatened their job security and personal space! It was like they were saying, "Don't you know who we are?"
This is why it's so important to prepare our hearts for the Lord's day and the sermon and not let it fall on unprepared hearts or other than good soil! There is a grave error in assuming we are good soil and that the hard sayings of Christ don't apply to us or that we've arrived--for Paul, the apostle, said that he didn't claim to have laid hold of it yet! But don't be discouraged, the preacher is promised that the Word will not fall on deaf ears if preached faithfully and there will be fruit, though foliage seems the immediate result. Sooner or later, there will be results from the faithful preaching of the gospel working in the hearts of the lost--the flock need never grow tired of the gospel message but always open to new perspectives.
True preaching of the Word is as a two-edged sword: comforting the afflicted and afflicting the comfortable. Jesus will see through the veneer and false pretense! The preacher ought to be cognizant of all soil types in the church and try to get through to the hardened, to set free the weedy, and to give substance to the shallow--there are too many believers who have exhibited a shallow conversion and exhibit their lack of salvation by falling away, proving their ultimate disloyalty and lack of faith. The love of the world is an obstacle to faith and the preacher must not let them feel comfortable with their weeds. No matter what the threefold enemy of the devil, the world-system, and the old sin nature or the flesh attack with--don't succumb! The preacher is commissioned to preach the Word in spite of the soil types and let God do His thing and work miracles. Soli Deo Gloria!
Too many preachers are adept and savvy at preaching to the choir and have adapted their sermons so as not to reach nor be sensitive to seekers and the wayward sinner. Jesus never assumed the crowds were believing in Him and were disciples, in fact, He constantly illustrated the kingdom of God as if the audience wasn't yet in. He was always cognizant of false disciples and pseudo-conversions. There were always the Pharisees listening in to find something to criticize and condemn Him for. Preachers must be cognizant of all varieties of listeners: pagans, atheists, agnostics, skeptics, seekers, newborn believers, adolescent believers, and even the seasoned believer. Their job is to feed the sheep and the lambs as well as call the sinner to repentance; the gospel message is never passe.
What happens in too many churches is that there is the presumption of good soil when many have gotten into a worship or growth rut and are even backslidden despite their Churchianity and attendance. The preacher must be all things to all people in a sense, knowing not who may be listening in and God may be working on or wooing through the sermon, known as the "Hound of Heaven" tracking them down. The preacher sows seed in the manner of the prototype Sower Himself, Jesus, and the seed is the Word. The preacher who relies on the Word and its effect on souls in melting the hardened heart will be most efficacious. Jesus sees through the veneer and the Word penetrates soul and spirit convicting and softening the hardest of hearts. The Word shall not come back void and will accomplish God's will according to Isaiah 55:11. Jeremiah adds in Jer. 1:12 that God sees well to perform His Word.
The preacher is to be attended that gives proper place to the Word--Isaiah 8:20 says that if they speak not according to the Word, they have no truth in them! We must not rely on the articulate, eloquent talents of the mind, but the sensitivity of the spirit to the ministry of the Holy Spirit and the soul of the congregants and attendees' needs. This is so that our faith doesn't rest in the wisdom of man nor in the education, brilliance, nor talents of man but in the spiritual gift of preaching by the power of the Spirit; as the Word says, "Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit," says the LORD in Zech. 4:6.
The biggest error evangelists fall prey to is assuming the lost soul is already saved--they get saved without never having had a sense of being lost. The preacher must get them lost before getting them saved; in other words, preach the law before the gospel--the bad news of sin before the good news of grace! The reality of the matter is that there is good soil in the church, but also rocky, weedy, and shallow soil! There is the good seed, but also the bad seed that the devil has sown and continues to subvert God's work. Christ has commanded that the good shall grow with the bad and we are not to do any weeding as it were to cast out the bad seed. This means that every church likely has an enemy of Christ who has crept in unawares, even a false disciple. The preacher must sow unadulterated seed, not the Word mixed with some bad seed. This implies sticking to the Word and being faithful to preach it according to sound doctrine. This will save him and his hearers.
The truth may be unbearable to the hardened in the heart (rocky soil) and the sinner shouldn't feel at ease in God's house. The church is a place to convict of sin and bring to renewal in the Spirit, setting one on the path to righteousness in the will of God. Jesus came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance! (see Luke 5:32). The sinner can prepare his soil but God can till the soil of the most hardened heart of stone and transform it into flesh. We must believe in the power of the Word itself to transform lives and work miracles--the changed lives from the gospel are the best miracle we can witness.
This is why some churches don't accomplish much for the Great Commission because they have no focus on the soils. Good soil is guaranteed to bring forth fruit! They must not become complacent or let members get a false assurance of their salvation and comfortable in their walk, not committed to growth and service. Is it any wonder that Mahatma Gandhi said that he "likes their Christ, he doesn't like their Christians[?]" And that Nietzsche said that he would "believe in the Redeemer when the Christian looks more redeemed[?]" The sermon should be a spiritual checkup and appraisal of one's walk and should have a message for everyone's heart. This is precisely why the Pharisees couldn't bear His sermons: He preached to them as if they weren't saved or spiritually secure in their turf. He threatened their job security and personal space! It was like they were saying, "Don't you know who we are?"
This is why it's so important to prepare our hearts for the Lord's day and the sermon and not let it fall on unprepared hearts or other than good soil! There is a grave error in assuming we are good soil and that the hard sayings of Christ don't apply to us or that we've arrived--for Paul, the apostle, said that he didn't claim to have laid hold of it yet! But don't be discouraged, the preacher is promised that the Word will not fall on deaf ears if preached faithfully and there will be fruit, though foliage seems the immediate result. Sooner or later, there will be results from the faithful preaching of the gospel working in the hearts of the lost--the flock need never grow tired of the gospel message but always open to new perspectives.
True preaching of the Word is as a two-edged sword: comforting the afflicted and afflicting the comfortable. Jesus will see through the veneer and false pretense! The preacher ought to be cognizant of all soil types in the church and try to get through to the hardened, to set free the weedy, and to give substance to the shallow--there are too many believers who have exhibited a shallow conversion and exhibit their lack of salvation by falling away, proving their ultimate disloyalty and lack of faith. The love of the world is an obstacle to faith and the preacher must not let them feel comfortable with their weeds. No matter what the threefold enemy of the devil, the world-system, and the old sin nature or the flesh attack with--don't succumb! The preacher is commissioned to preach the Word in spite of the soil types and let God do His thing and work miracles. Soli Deo Gloria!
Sunday, March 3, 2019
The Sacrifice Of Contrition
"For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings" (Hos. 6:6, NIV). "You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God you will not despise" (Psalm 51:16-17, NIV). "... 'Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the LORD? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams'" (1 Samuel 15:22, NIV).
"... All I had to offer Him was brokenness and strife..." (hymn by Bill Gaither--Maranatha Music: "Something Good").
Christians offer multiple sacrifices: of thanksgiving, of praise, of doing good and sharing, of a broken heart, and even of offering themselves as living sacrifices; however, "to obey is better than sacrifice" (cf. 1 Sam. 15:22). Jesus came to be the fulfillment of all sacrifices; i.e., the law's demands. He did this by fulfilling the law and doing everything it required on our behalf--He not only died for us but lived for us as well! Jesus learned obedience by what He suffered (cf. Heb. 5:8) and feels our pain because He's been there; however, we are completing the suffering of Christ and living out His life in our adversities (cf. Col. 1:26). Could you trust in a God who didn't understand suffering and couldn't identify with us and know what we are going through?
We must bear in mind that there is always light at the end of the tunnel and "this too shall pass!" We experience brokenness so that we can be patient with others in the same boat and witness or minister to them in their pain. We can thus comfort others with the same comfort we have known in Christ. God knows everything about us and always did! He is not surprised by our failings and shortcomings. He knew of them before our salvation. There is a reason for suffering, but God isn't obliged to explain Himself: He's too deep to understand, too wise to make a mistake, and too kind to be cruel. We are not to think like Job's friends that we are only getting punished for our sins and aren't even getting what we deserve. Jesus paid the full penalty for our sins, and we are not punished for our sins, but by them! By and large, we don't break God's laws; they break us! What we do is break God's heart and that's why He knows what hurt is and wants to heal us of our suffering.
Christ's legacy to be gained is a peace that passes all understanding and cannot be taken away. We can experience this legacy in the midst of suffering and find out it works by experience--the proof of the pudding is in the eating! We can become seasoned believers having been trained in the trenches of the warfare of life and having had O.J.T. in battling the enemy. Thank God, His mercies are new every morning and they never come to an end for us--He never gives upon us and we are just "works in progress" no matter how mature we are and should not assume we are always good soil or that we've arrived--even Paul didn't claim to have laid hold of it yet. There are no hopeless believers, only those who've given up hope!
This is precisely why we must localize or tailor the gospel to the recipients. Paul was the evangelist to the Gentiles while Peter was to the Jews, but Paul strived to be all things to all men so he could, by all means, save some! Not everyone is on the same page and God must use different strokes for different folks. Some water, some plant, some reap! But God gives the increase! God is only using us as honorable vessels or servants to do His will, we can only venture to boast of what He does through us, not what we do for Him, but what God does through us is what counts.
We need to know about the prowling of Satan to devour us in our weak spots because he knows our vulnerabilities. The danger we must beware of is Satan using us for his schemes or giving us temptations and thoughts that we carry out, like when Peter was rebuked by the Lord to get behind Him. Satan can put thoughts into our minds and can distract us from the Word. Winning entails knowing our enemy as well as knowing ourselves. Shakespeare (Polonius in Hamlet) said, "To thine own self be true"! The Greeks of antiquity said, "Know thyself!" and Sun Tzu, the Chinese author of The Art of War, said, "Know your enemy!" But the Bible says "Know God!" All three are necessary to mature in Christ and to engage in the angelic conflict with all the onslaught of Satan known as the Anfectung (attack in German) by Martin Luther in order that we do not succumb to the schemes of the devil.
Only when we realize our sinfulness and realize that we are no better than sinners are we grace-oriented. George Whitefield was asked what he thought of a man going to the gallows: "There but for the grace of God, go I." We must come to Paul's awakening when he said, "I am what I am by the grace of God." William Jay of Bath said, "I am a great sinner, and I have a great Savior." We are in essence just beggars tellers other beggars where to get a meal, it's been put. Peter realized his unworthiness and said, "Depart from me O Lord, for I am a sinner." It's a fact that the closer we get to God, the more we become sensitized to sin and aware of our failures. Samuel Rutherford said we should pray for a lively sense of sin, "the greater sense of sin, the less sin!"
We must realize our sinfulness in toto and not cling to any self-righteousness, fully repentant and willing to change our ways exhibiting it by a change in behavior to be saved--believing repentance or penitent faith is necessary for salvation. A person who feels he is righteous or has no sin cannot be saved, and Christ and His gospel have nothing to say to those unwilling to confess and repent of their sins. If we feel no brokenness for our own sin (contrition), how can we feel brokenness for the lost and feel their pain knowing and feeling their despair?
In sum, we must be reassured and comforted in knowing that Jesus was indeed a "man of sorrows and acquainted with grief" and was "tempted in all ways like we are, yet without sin." Soli Deo Gloria!
"... All I had to offer Him was brokenness and strife..." (hymn by Bill Gaither--Maranatha Music: "Something Good").
Christians offer multiple sacrifices: of thanksgiving, of praise, of doing good and sharing, of a broken heart, and even of offering themselves as living sacrifices; however, "to obey is better than sacrifice" (cf. 1 Sam. 15:22). Jesus came to be the fulfillment of all sacrifices; i.e., the law's demands. He did this by fulfilling the law and doing everything it required on our behalf--He not only died for us but lived for us as well! Jesus learned obedience by what He suffered (cf. Heb. 5:8) and feels our pain because He's been there; however, we are completing the suffering of Christ and living out His life in our adversities (cf. Col. 1:26). Could you trust in a God who didn't understand suffering and couldn't identify with us and know what we are going through?
We must bear in mind that there is always light at the end of the tunnel and "this too shall pass!" We experience brokenness so that we can be patient with others in the same boat and witness or minister to them in their pain. We can thus comfort others with the same comfort we have known in Christ. God knows everything about us and always did! He is not surprised by our failings and shortcomings. He knew of them before our salvation. There is a reason for suffering, but God isn't obliged to explain Himself: He's too deep to understand, too wise to make a mistake, and too kind to be cruel. We are not to think like Job's friends that we are only getting punished for our sins and aren't even getting what we deserve. Jesus paid the full penalty for our sins, and we are not punished for our sins, but by them! By and large, we don't break God's laws; they break us! What we do is break God's heart and that's why He knows what hurt is and wants to heal us of our suffering.
Christ's legacy to be gained is a peace that passes all understanding and cannot be taken away. We can experience this legacy in the midst of suffering and find out it works by experience--the proof of the pudding is in the eating! We can become seasoned believers having been trained in the trenches of the warfare of life and having had O.J.T. in battling the enemy. Thank God, His mercies are new every morning and they never come to an end for us--He never gives upon us and we are just "works in progress" no matter how mature we are and should not assume we are always good soil or that we've arrived--even Paul didn't claim to have laid hold of it yet. There are no hopeless believers, only those who've given up hope!
This is precisely why we must localize or tailor the gospel to the recipients. Paul was the evangelist to the Gentiles while Peter was to the Jews, but Paul strived to be all things to all men so he could, by all means, save some! Not everyone is on the same page and God must use different strokes for different folks. Some water, some plant, some reap! But God gives the increase! God is only using us as honorable vessels or servants to do His will, we can only venture to boast of what He does through us, not what we do for Him, but what God does through us is what counts.
We need to know about the prowling of Satan to devour us in our weak spots because he knows our vulnerabilities. The danger we must beware of is Satan using us for his schemes or giving us temptations and thoughts that we carry out, like when Peter was rebuked by the Lord to get behind Him. Satan can put thoughts into our minds and can distract us from the Word. Winning entails knowing our enemy as well as knowing ourselves. Shakespeare (Polonius in Hamlet) said, "To thine own self be true"! The Greeks of antiquity said, "Know thyself!" and Sun Tzu, the Chinese author of The Art of War, said, "Know your enemy!" But the Bible says "Know God!" All three are necessary to mature in Christ and to engage in the angelic conflict with all the onslaught of Satan known as the Anfectung (attack in German) by Martin Luther in order that we do not succumb to the schemes of the devil.
Only when we realize our sinfulness and realize that we are no better than sinners are we grace-oriented. George Whitefield was asked what he thought of a man going to the gallows: "There but for the grace of God, go I." We must come to Paul's awakening when he said, "I am what I am by the grace of God." William Jay of Bath said, "I am a great sinner, and I have a great Savior." We are in essence just beggars tellers other beggars where to get a meal, it's been put. Peter realized his unworthiness and said, "Depart from me O Lord, for I am a sinner." It's a fact that the closer we get to God, the more we become sensitized to sin and aware of our failures. Samuel Rutherford said we should pray for a lively sense of sin, "the greater sense of sin, the less sin!"
We must realize our sinfulness in toto and not cling to any self-righteousness, fully repentant and willing to change our ways exhibiting it by a change in behavior to be saved--believing repentance or penitent faith is necessary for salvation. A person who feels he is righteous or has no sin cannot be saved, and Christ and His gospel have nothing to say to those unwilling to confess and repent of their sins. If we feel no brokenness for our own sin (contrition), how can we feel brokenness for the lost and feel their pain knowing and feeling their despair?
In sum, we must be reassured and comforted in knowing that Jesus was indeed a "man of sorrows and acquainted with grief" and was "tempted in all ways like we are, yet without sin." Soli Deo Gloria!
Tuesday, February 26, 2019
What Is Unpardonable?
Jesus prayed for those who blasphemed Him in ignorance, but those who were enlightened and maintained their blasphemous spirit were unforgiven. Christians, because of the restraining grace of God working in them cannot commit this sin. By definition, blasphemy involves words, not thoughts, and is like making a smear campaign against the Lord. Even in the occult they may curse Jesus out of ignorance and be forgiven--this is a deliberate and known, unrepentant sin. This sin is clearly an assault on the very nature and good character of God and brings it into question.
Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is said to be unforgivable in Matt. 12:32, but what does it entail? Is there a point of no return? Today evangelicals all say that Jesus died for all our sins except rejecting Christ, which would make him consigned to hell as a consequence. If this is true, how can pagans go to hell that has never heard of Jesus? It is a proven fact that the average convert doesn't accept Christ until he "rejects" Him seven or eight times (even making a "no decision" is reckoned as rejection). If rejecting Christ was so serious, why did God continue to convict and work in the person and woo them to Christ repeatedly? Why are people with hardened hearts given a second chance to repent? God is able to make people with hearts of stone become ones with hearts of flesh (cf. Ezekiel 36:26).
Jesus was addressing and referring to the Pharisees, who regarded His deeds as done by the power of Satan, and attributed His works to be in cahoots with the prince of demons himself--they blasphemed the Holy Spirit's ministry through Him. The Pharisees actually said, "He has an evil spirit." This is an extremely hard (and is very rare) sin to commit in today's age; nevertheless, it is possible to be so hardened to absolutely and finally to see Christ as a demon or in league with them, and to use the tongue (to speak or write using words) to spread this doctrine perniciously and viciously to do harm to the kingdom of God (false teachers are specifically vulnerable to this type of sin since they are in a position of influence). You can find people of all faiths saying things about Jesus, but they don't go so far as to say he was evil. Even the Muslims admit He was without sin in the Qua'ran and don't attribute His miracles to the devil. Few infidels ever regard Jesus as "evil" but as a good man in their way of thinking, of course.
There are people who have worried about whether they've committed this sin, but if they are concerned they aren't guilty of it, because it implies a certain unrepentant hardness of heart that seeks to harm the cause of Christ (determinedly, willingly, and knowingly and not flippantly or casually), and not just misunderstand it. There is no sin that cannot be forgiven or sinner too bad to be saved if they repent. No one will be able to tell God they wanted to believe and repent but couldn't. There is no lack of evidence, so no one has an excuse! If you think you've committed this sin and are concerned, you haven't and God is still working in you. However, if someone hardens his heart, God is able to confirm that hardening in judgment (cf. Isaiah 6:10; 63:17). God hardened Pharaoh's heart after he rejected God's offer and request to let His people go.
We all have to realize that we are at the mercy of God and must sue God for mercy and throw in the towel, humbling ourselves before Him knowing that He is in control of our destiny, not us. The unpardonable sin is more of a character (it is not just loosely saying something that one might regret or change his mind about) and it is of the Antichrist and not a specific one-time sin or act. The person knowingly and willingly does it without repentance, and has no desire for the things of God or seeking His kingdom. Soli Deo Gloria!
Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is said to be unforgivable in Matt. 12:32, but what does it entail? Is there a point of no return? Today evangelicals all say that Jesus died for all our sins except rejecting Christ, which would make him consigned to hell as a consequence. If this is true, how can pagans go to hell that has never heard of Jesus? It is a proven fact that the average convert doesn't accept Christ until he "rejects" Him seven or eight times (even making a "no decision" is reckoned as rejection). If rejecting Christ was so serious, why did God continue to convict and work in the person and woo them to Christ repeatedly? Why are people with hardened hearts given a second chance to repent? God is able to make people with hearts of stone become ones with hearts of flesh (cf. Ezekiel 36:26).
Jesus was addressing and referring to the Pharisees, who regarded His deeds as done by the power of Satan, and attributed His works to be in cahoots with the prince of demons himself--they blasphemed the Holy Spirit's ministry through Him. The Pharisees actually said, "He has an evil spirit." This is an extremely hard (and is very rare) sin to commit in today's age; nevertheless, it is possible to be so hardened to absolutely and finally to see Christ as a demon or in league with them, and to use the tongue (to speak or write using words) to spread this doctrine perniciously and viciously to do harm to the kingdom of God (false teachers are specifically vulnerable to this type of sin since they are in a position of influence). You can find people of all faiths saying things about Jesus, but they don't go so far as to say he was evil. Even the Muslims admit He was without sin in the Qua'ran and don't attribute His miracles to the devil. Few infidels ever regard Jesus as "evil" but as a good man in their way of thinking, of course.
There are people who have worried about whether they've committed this sin, but if they are concerned they aren't guilty of it, because it implies a certain unrepentant hardness of heart that seeks to harm the cause of Christ (determinedly, willingly, and knowingly and not flippantly or casually), and not just misunderstand it. There is no sin that cannot be forgiven or sinner too bad to be saved if they repent. No one will be able to tell God they wanted to believe and repent but couldn't. There is no lack of evidence, so no one has an excuse! If you think you've committed this sin and are concerned, you haven't and God is still working in you. However, if someone hardens his heart, God is able to confirm that hardening in judgment (cf. Isaiah 6:10; 63:17). God hardened Pharaoh's heart after he rejected God's offer and request to let His people go.
We all have to realize that we are at the mercy of God and must sue God for mercy and throw in the towel, humbling ourselves before Him knowing that He is in control of our destiny, not us. The unpardonable sin is more of a character (it is not just loosely saying something that one might regret or change his mind about) and it is of the Antichrist and not a specific one-time sin or act. The person knowingly and willingly does it without repentance, and has no desire for the things of God or seeking His kingdom. Soli Deo Gloria!
Can Believers Commit Blasphemy Against The Holy Spirit?
This is highly debatable and largely depends upon whether one adheres to the doctrine of eternal security, (the perseverance of the saints) or the security of the believer's position in Christ; i.e., what position one assumes determines his outlook. If you believe you have free will as a believer even to "change your mind" and reject Christ after having been born again and receiving Him, you obviously will believe one thing, and if not, the other side of the coin. Only those with a sham, a facade, and spurious faith fall away--their departure manifests their true state (cf. 1 John 2:19). Our salvation is in God's hands (cf. John 10:28), not ours, as was our election, which was an act of divine sovereignty as it was God's election of us, not our election of God. Our destiny, in toto, is in God's hands (cf. Job 23:14)! In summation, He saved us (cf. Matt. 1:21; Tit. 3:5); He did. He keeps us (Jude v. 1); He does! He is coming for us (cf. Rev. 22:20; 1 Thess. 4:14-17); He will!
Our destiny is solely in God's hands because salvation is of the Lord (cf. Jonah 2:9; Psa. 3:8, 37:39; Heb. 10:38). There are only three possible scenarios: We contribute naught! It is not of man alone (cf. John 6:28-29)! NB: If we had to do anything, we'd foul it up and fall short! Neither is salvation of man cooperating with God or of God and man. But only on the merits of the Lord or of the Lord! That's the only way there can be security and assurance. Therefore, it doesn't depend upon human performance, behavior, or conduct. Salvation is not by our work (cf. John 6:28-29). We are not saved by good behavior but unto good behavior! We realize this to be grace-oriented; therefore, we are not under probation as Christians! Scripture vouches for the permanency of salvation (cf. Heb. 5:9; 9:12; John 6:37), and the continuity in the state of grace regardless of fellowship (cf. Rom. 5:20; 6:1). We can be pruned and disciplined, but not separated from the state of grace in God (cf. John 10:37-38; Heb. 12:5-6; Psa. 94:12).
Now concerning the issue in question: Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. Some scholars interpret this as the final and complete rejection of Christ; some as attributing the work of God to that of Satan; and some as insulting the Spirit of grace by disparaging and degrading Christ publicly. One thing we do know is that this sin is done verbally, whether orally or written, and on purpose with the intent to do it knowingly. The magazine Christianity Today, in surveys, determined that even believers have rejected Christ an average of 7.6 times before accepting Him! The "Hound of Heaven" keeps pursuing and wooing us! The reason is that saying it's the rejection of Christ is that it adds nothing to the formula, equation, or doctrine--we already know those who reject Christ are not saved! One thing for certain: if someone is worried they have committed this sin, they haven't! It is a sign of an unrepentant heart! But God can take any stubborn heart of stone and make it of flesh--and He makes the unwilling willing, causing us to do His will willingly (cf. Phil. 2:13)!
You can search any faith on earth and they all say nice things concerning Jesus and don't blaspheme Him. Even heretics are reluctant to ascribe sin. But even thinking Christ was a moral leader, religious martyr, a wise teacher, or what-have-you, is not enough to get a person saved. Infidels will acknowledge this too, even more, but even calling Him Jesus the Great doesn't do Him justice and is an understatement! One must accept Him for who He is (i.e., Lord and Savior)--anything less is inadequate and insufficient. Even secular historians will acknowledge that He changed the course of history and atheists realize His morality and good example. He didn't come to live a moral life, but to die for our sins and fulfill the law so we could be free. He didn't come to make bad men good, but dead men alive--to save them and quicken their spirits!
I propose that blasphemy against the Holy Spirit (cf. Matt. 12:32) is something we cannot commit due to our union with Christ. If we could, then we could lose our salvation! But we know this is an impossibility. Jesus was speaking about the possibility of someone doing this. The Pharisees proclaimed the works of Jesus in His miracles as the works of the devil as if He were a sorcerer or warlock. Early Jews maintained that Jesus learned this art in Egypt as a child, and some even still maintain this. It has nothing to do with the profane, abusive language that seems to take the name of the Lord in vain, and Christians are often shocked at what the infidel gets away with, but God is patient and excuses their ignorance. They need to repent of all their sin and believe in the gospel, not just clean up their gutter mouth. Romans 8:37-39 says that nothing shall be able to separate us from the love of God--this implies even our own will! To the believer, no sin is unforgivable--God forgave all our sins (cf. Psa. 103:3).
The lesson we are to learn is not to beware that we commit this sin, but that the Pharisees had gone too far and wouldn't believe no matter what. They had witnessed first-hand the miracles of Jesus and still wouldn't believe (not couldn't believe; i.e., John 12:37). The hardness of their hearts was profound and only an example. Note that what Judas did was forgivable, he just didn't believe Christ could forgive him, though he had remorse. He had attrition, not contrition, and one must have faith to accompany it, which he didn't have.
We must take the Holy Spirit seriously because He can be offended (cf. Eph. 4:30)! Believers can quench the Spirit by putting out the fire, and they can grieve the Spirit by continual sin and make Him sad concerning our state in Christ. Our status or position as justified never changes, but our state of fellowship and sanctification depends upon our walk in Christ, obedience, and confession of sin. Finally, it's comforting to know that whatever we've done, He will gladly receive us (cf. Lev. 26:44; Psa. 130:3-4; 1 John 1:9ff). Soli Deo Gloria!
Our destiny is solely in God's hands because salvation is of the Lord (cf. Jonah 2:9; Psa. 3:8, 37:39; Heb. 10:38). There are only three possible scenarios: We contribute naught! It is not of man alone (cf. John 6:28-29)! NB: If we had to do anything, we'd foul it up and fall short! Neither is salvation of man cooperating with God or of God and man. But only on the merits of the Lord or of the Lord! That's the only way there can be security and assurance. Therefore, it doesn't depend upon human performance, behavior, or conduct. Salvation is not by our work (cf. John 6:28-29). We are not saved by good behavior but unto good behavior! We realize this to be grace-oriented; therefore, we are not under probation as Christians! Scripture vouches for the permanency of salvation (cf. Heb. 5:9; 9:12; John 6:37), and the continuity in the state of grace regardless of fellowship (cf. Rom. 5:20; 6:1). We can be pruned and disciplined, but not separated from the state of grace in God (cf. John 10:37-38; Heb. 12:5-6; Psa. 94:12).
Now concerning the issue in question: Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. Some scholars interpret this as the final and complete rejection of Christ; some as attributing the work of God to that of Satan; and some as insulting the Spirit of grace by disparaging and degrading Christ publicly. One thing we do know is that this sin is done verbally, whether orally or written, and on purpose with the intent to do it knowingly. The magazine Christianity Today, in surveys, determined that even believers have rejected Christ an average of 7.6 times before accepting Him! The "Hound of Heaven" keeps pursuing and wooing us! The reason is that saying it's the rejection of Christ is that it adds nothing to the formula, equation, or doctrine--we already know those who reject Christ are not saved! One thing for certain: if someone is worried they have committed this sin, they haven't! It is a sign of an unrepentant heart! But God can take any stubborn heart of stone and make it of flesh--and He makes the unwilling willing, causing us to do His will willingly (cf. Phil. 2:13)!
You can search any faith on earth and they all say nice things concerning Jesus and don't blaspheme Him. Even heretics are reluctant to ascribe sin. But even thinking Christ was a moral leader, religious martyr, a wise teacher, or what-have-you, is not enough to get a person saved. Infidels will acknowledge this too, even more, but even calling Him Jesus the Great doesn't do Him justice and is an understatement! One must accept Him for who He is (i.e., Lord and Savior)--anything less is inadequate and insufficient. Even secular historians will acknowledge that He changed the course of history and atheists realize His morality and good example. He didn't come to live a moral life, but to die for our sins and fulfill the law so we could be free. He didn't come to make bad men good, but dead men alive--to save them and quicken their spirits!
I propose that blasphemy against the Holy Spirit (cf. Matt. 12:32) is something we cannot commit due to our union with Christ. If we could, then we could lose our salvation! But we know this is an impossibility. Jesus was speaking about the possibility of someone doing this. The Pharisees proclaimed the works of Jesus in His miracles as the works of the devil as if He were a sorcerer or warlock. Early Jews maintained that Jesus learned this art in Egypt as a child, and some even still maintain this. It has nothing to do with the profane, abusive language that seems to take the name of the Lord in vain, and Christians are often shocked at what the infidel gets away with, but God is patient and excuses their ignorance. They need to repent of all their sin and believe in the gospel, not just clean up their gutter mouth. Romans 8:37-39 says that nothing shall be able to separate us from the love of God--this implies even our own will! To the believer, no sin is unforgivable--God forgave all our sins (cf. Psa. 103:3).
The lesson we are to learn is not to beware that we commit this sin, but that the Pharisees had gone too far and wouldn't believe no matter what. They had witnessed first-hand the miracles of Jesus and still wouldn't believe (not couldn't believe; i.e., John 12:37). The hardness of their hearts was profound and only an example. Note that what Judas did was forgivable, he just didn't believe Christ could forgive him, though he had remorse. He had attrition, not contrition, and one must have faith to accompany it, which he didn't have.
We must take the Holy Spirit seriously because He can be offended (cf. Eph. 4:30)! Believers can quench the Spirit by putting out the fire, and they can grieve the Spirit by continual sin and make Him sad concerning our state in Christ. Our status or position as justified never changes, but our state of fellowship and sanctification depends upon our walk in Christ, obedience, and confession of sin. Finally, it's comforting to know that whatever we've done, He will gladly receive us (cf. Lev. 26:44; Psa. 130:3-4; 1 John 1:9ff). Soli Deo Gloria!
Wednesday, February 20, 2019
What Is Truth?
"Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth" (2 Tim. 2:15, ESV).
"For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ" (John 1:17, ESV).
"Truth does not change according to my ability to stomach it." --Flannery O'Connor"
Pilate asked Jesus what truth was (as the title says) since this was not the reality of Rome--might makes right in their judgment! Jesus had told him that he who is the truth listens to Him! Obviously, Pilate wasn't of the truth! But the essence of truth isn't just a philosophical question to pose, it's a matter of salvation. Jesus came "to bear witness of the truth (cf. John 5:33)." He is the very personification of it and claimed to be "the Truth" embodied, in the flesh. Knowing truth is so vital to salvation that it's equated with being set free from the bondage of lies and the father of lies, Satan. We shall know the truth and the truth shall set us free! (Cf. John 8:32.) John 2:21 says no lie is of the truth! We must divorce truth from falsehood and error. Searching for truth is linked to searching for God, for Augustine said (reiterated by Aquinas) that all truth is God's truth (and all truth meets at the top at that!). Salvation is "through belief of the truth" to be saved (cf. 2 Thess. 2:13).
If we know the truth we are equipped to detect the lie, just like knowing the real thing (money) protects us from being fooled by counterfeits. Plato said that to live in reality, one must know what God is really like (for Jesus was "full of grace and truth," (cf. John 1:14) "God is truth" and is also called "the Spirit of truth" in John 16:13 ). The Dalai Lama is quoted as saying that "truth is the ultimate phenomenon." The classic definition (the correspondence theory of truth) is that truth is what reflects or corresponds to reality. That is to say, that if we have a disconnect with reality, we don't know the truth, and if we don't know the truth we have a skewed orientation to reality. The paradox is that if you're not aware of the truth and of reality, you don't know it! Biblically speaking though, truth agrees with God and whatever He decrees!
As Christians knowing the truth, we are focused on truth and have our antennae sensitized. We should be able to smell a lie or false doctrine a mile away, so to speak. Doctrine is the sure foundation upon which our truth is based, and we must be anchored in the basics so as not to be led astray by every wind of doctrine and the lies of Satan. I'm not just admonishing people about telling the truth to one's fellow believer, but to stand up for the truth: "... They are not valiant [stand up] for the truth on the earth." (Cf. Jer. 9:3, NKJV.) Today, we have the same phenomenon: Christians think it's unloving and old-fashioned to stand up for sound doctrine and the truth, and only want preachers that steer clear of all controversy and preach to the lowest common denominator. Congregants go the path of least resistance and refuse to detect an error, mostly because they have become immune to it by the digestion of so much spiritual junk food as vaccination to the real thing and eat little solid food to sustain spiritual maturity and discernment.
Concerning morality, truth is knowable, absolute, and it's universal! The teaching that it's relative (relativism) is bogus and a false premise, because that statement is self-defeating and contradicts itself, having no truth value. The old catchphrase that something may be true for you but not for me is a copout and cannot be held philosophically without contradiction. Something may work for you but not for me but that is not the measure of truth. Pragmatists are not concerned with truth but only results--the ends justify the means! The extreme worldview on truth is New Age or New Spirituality: if it feels like the truth to you it is and you are in no position to judge someone else's truth!
There is no Truth with a capital T according to the prevalent, common worldview--it's true that there is no universal belief or Belief with a capital B, but there is absolute, universal truth for everyone for all time and everywhere for every situation. The American mind is becoming a narrow, ignorant and closed mind immune concerning truth. The only person who has the right and prerogative to proclaim absolute truth is God, who has incarnated Himself in the person of Jesus Christ. All knowledge except God's is contingent-- we must accept His truth to know anything (cf. Prov. 1:7 says knowledge begins in the fear of the LORD). The suspicious hermeneutic of Postmodernism denies that you can know anything at all for certain--and they're sure! Postmodern thought dodges the no-truth premise and says it's merely a "short-term contract!" What they claim is that it's unknowable, personal, and cultural! And if someone did know it, he couldn't communicate it adequately.
But the fact is that truth is knowable according to Jesus very words and we have rebelled against it, needing to be reoriented to reality and the truth. Finally, we must give our regards to the very assessment of truth itself in his priestly, intercessory prayer of John 17: "Sanctify them by the truth; your Word is truth." (Cf. John 17:17, NIV.) That is to say, truth doesn't just inform but transforms! We have a right to our own beliefs and opinions, but not our own facts and truth! Believing anything without evidence or a valid reason is blind faith, whether secular or spiritual.; it's sad that most people just believe what they agree with or fits their prejudices and opinions; note that you hold opinions, but convictions hold you! Billy Graham tells us to beware lest we mistake our prejudices for our convictions.
Siddhartha Gautama pondered his Four Noble Truths under the bo-tree, but there is no alternative truth that compares with the truth of Christ. You cannot save yourself no matter how many noble truths you conjure up. Buddha was called the "Enlightened One" and saw salvation was merely a rescue or deliverance from ignorance and one must become enlightened. He didn't believe God could help one achieve this state of bliss but must find it on one's own. Christ opens our eyes and shows us the light of day by grace and we see Him with the eyes of our hearts to behold truth in Him.
Harvard University has the slogan The Truth Shall Set You Free, not differentiating spiritual and academic knowledge and spiritual and mental freedom. Today we see skeptics again (actually this philosophy of sophism originated in Greek antiquity) such as the Postmodernists who say you know nothing for certain. They say, "I don't know anything!' How do they know that? Who told them? Notice what nonsensical worldviews result from atheism and skepticism! Scripture says that which is hidden belongs to God and what is revealed (by Him) belongs to us (cf. Deut. 29:29)! We know something only because of the presupposition of an Ultimate Mind or God behind the cosmos known as the Logos or consciousness, logic, or expressed thought of God.
Those who rebel against the truth are condemned. The lost hold the truth in unrighteousness, have exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and do not obey the truth (cf. Rom. 1:18,25; Gal. 3:1). As for heretics and those who believe the lie, "perhaps God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth" (cf. 2 Tim. 2:25, NIV). God will send strong delusion to the lost to make them believe the lie because they had pleasure in unrighteousness and refused to love the truth.
In the final analysis, no one will ever find the truth unless they admit they could be wrong and are ignorant; they must also be willing to go wherever the facts lead,--exploring all possibilities, even of the supernatural and miraculous! (After eliminating the impossible, what's left is quite possible, no matter how implausible or unlikely.) In sum, this means we need to love the truth without preconceived notions to ever find it and to be saved. Soli Deo Gloria!
"For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ" (John 1:17, ESV).
"Truth does not change according to my ability to stomach it." --Flannery O'Connor"
Pilate asked Jesus what truth was (as the title says) since this was not the reality of Rome--might makes right in their judgment! Jesus had told him that he who is the truth listens to Him! Obviously, Pilate wasn't of the truth! But the essence of truth isn't just a philosophical question to pose, it's a matter of salvation. Jesus came "to bear witness of the truth (cf. John 5:33)." He is the very personification of it and claimed to be "the Truth" embodied, in the flesh. Knowing truth is so vital to salvation that it's equated with being set free from the bondage of lies and the father of lies, Satan. We shall know the truth and the truth shall set us free! (Cf. John 8:32.) John 2:21 says no lie is of the truth! We must divorce truth from falsehood and error. Searching for truth is linked to searching for God, for Augustine said (reiterated by Aquinas) that all truth is God's truth (and all truth meets at the top at that!). Salvation is "through belief of the truth" to be saved (cf. 2 Thess. 2:13).
If we know the truth we are equipped to detect the lie, just like knowing the real thing (money) protects us from being fooled by counterfeits. Plato said that to live in reality, one must know what God is really like (for Jesus was "full of grace and truth," (cf. John 1:14) "God is truth" and is also called "the Spirit of truth" in John 16:13 ). The Dalai Lama is quoted as saying that "truth is the ultimate phenomenon." The classic definition (the correspondence theory of truth) is that truth is what reflects or corresponds to reality. That is to say, that if we have a disconnect with reality, we don't know the truth, and if we don't know the truth we have a skewed orientation to reality. The paradox is that if you're not aware of the truth and of reality, you don't know it! Biblically speaking though, truth agrees with God and whatever He decrees!
As Christians knowing the truth, we are focused on truth and have our antennae sensitized. We should be able to smell a lie or false doctrine a mile away, so to speak. Doctrine is the sure foundation upon which our truth is based, and we must be anchored in the basics so as not to be led astray by every wind of doctrine and the lies of Satan. I'm not just admonishing people about telling the truth to one's fellow believer, but to stand up for the truth: "... They are not valiant [stand up] for the truth on the earth." (Cf. Jer. 9:3, NKJV.) Today, we have the same phenomenon: Christians think it's unloving and old-fashioned to stand up for sound doctrine and the truth, and only want preachers that steer clear of all controversy and preach to the lowest common denominator. Congregants go the path of least resistance and refuse to detect an error, mostly because they have become immune to it by the digestion of so much spiritual junk food as vaccination to the real thing and eat little solid food to sustain spiritual maturity and discernment.
Concerning morality, truth is knowable, absolute, and it's universal! The teaching that it's relative (relativism) is bogus and a false premise, because that statement is self-defeating and contradicts itself, having no truth value. The old catchphrase that something may be true for you but not for me is a copout and cannot be held philosophically without contradiction. Something may work for you but not for me but that is not the measure of truth. Pragmatists are not concerned with truth but only results--the ends justify the means! The extreme worldview on truth is New Age or New Spirituality: if it feels like the truth to you it is and you are in no position to judge someone else's truth!
There is no Truth with a capital T according to the prevalent, common worldview--it's true that there is no universal belief or Belief with a capital B, but there is absolute, universal truth for everyone for all time and everywhere for every situation. The American mind is becoming a narrow, ignorant and closed mind immune concerning truth. The only person who has the right and prerogative to proclaim absolute truth is God, who has incarnated Himself in the person of Jesus Christ. All knowledge except God's is contingent-- we must accept His truth to know anything (cf. Prov. 1:7 says knowledge begins in the fear of the LORD). The suspicious hermeneutic of Postmodernism denies that you can know anything at all for certain--and they're sure! Postmodern thought dodges the no-truth premise and says it's merely a "short-term contract!" What they claim is that it's unknowable, personal, and cultural! And if someone did know it, he couldn't communicate it adequately.
But the fact is that truth is knowable according to Jesus very words and we have rebelled against it, needing to be reoriented to reality and the truth. Finally, we must give our regards to the very assessment of truth itself in his priestly, intercessory prayer of John 17: "Sanctify them by the truth; your Word is truth." (Cf. John 17:17, NIV.) That is to say, truth doesn't just inform but transforms! We have a right to our own beliefs and opinions, but not our own facts and truth! Believing anything without evidence or a valid reason is blind faith, whether secular or spiritual.; it's sad that most people just believe what they agree with or fits their prejudices and opinions; note that you hold opinions, but convictions hold you! Billy Graham tells us to beware lest we mistake our prejudices for our convictions.
Siddhartha Gautama pondered his Four Noble Truths under the bo-tree, but there is no alternative truth that compares with the truth of Christ. You cannot save yourself no matter how many noble truths you conjure up. Buddha was called the "Enlightened One" and saw salvation was merely a rescue or deliverance from ignorance and one must become enlightened. He didn't believe God could help one achieve this state of bliss but must find it on one's own. Christ opens our eyes and shows us the light of day by grace and we see Him with the eyes of our hearts to behold truth in Him.
Harvard University has the slogan The Truth Shall Set You Free, not differentiating spiritual and academic knowledge and spiritual and mental freedom. Today we see skeptics again (actually this philosophy of sophism originated in Greek antiquity) such as the Postmodernists who say you know nothing for certain. They say, "I don't know anything!' How do they know that? Who told them? Notice what nonsensical worldviews result from atheism and skepticism! Scripture says that which is hidden belongs to God and what is revealed (by Him) belongs to us (cf. Deut. 29:29)! We know something only because of the presupposition of an Ultimate Mind or God behind the cosmos known as the Logos or consciousness, logic, or expressed thought of God.
Those who rebel against the truth are condemned. The lost hold the truth in unrighteousness, have exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and do not obey the truth (cf. Rom. 1:18,25; Gal. 3:1). As for heretics and those who believe the lie, "perhaps God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth" (cf. 2 Tim. 2:25, NIV). God will send strong delusion to the lost to make them believe the lie because they had pleasure in unrighteousness and refused to love the truth.
In the final analysis, no one will ever find the truth unless they admit they could be wrong and are ignorant; they must also be willing to go wherever the facts lead,--exploring all possibilities, even of the supernatural and miraculous! (After eliminating the impossible, what's left is quite possible, no matter how implausible or unlikely.) In sum, this means we need to love the truth without preconceived notions to ever find it and to be saved. Soli Deo Gloria!
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