Are You God's Blank Slate?

"So he will do to me whatever he has planned. He controls my destiny" (Job 23:14, NLT).
"My times [future] are in your hands..." (Psalm 31:15, NIV).
"I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you" (Psalm 32:8, NIV)

"So he will do to me whatever he has planned. He controls my destiny" (Job 23:14, NLT).
"My times [future] are in your hands..." (Psalm 31:15, NIV).
"I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you" (Psalm 32:8, NIV).

"Verily, I say unto you, whoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein," (cf. Mark 10:1),.

John Locke said that all children are born with a blank slate, a tabula rasa, that is amenable or conformable to become virtually anything the child desires or is taught to be.  That is to say with virtually unlimited potential!  CAVEAT:  We are all potential depraved criminals too! It's not by accident that we aren't for Paul said, "I am what I am by the grace of God," (cf. 1 Cor. 15:10) and George Whitefield said, "There but for the grace of God go I."  (He said this upon seeing a condemned man go to the gallows!)   It's merely a matter of grace that we are who we are.  

God enables us to be good and all our good works are a matter of God using us.  All our own righteousness is as filthy rags. In fact, our righteousness is God's gift to us, not our gift to Him (cf. Isaiah 45:24; Hosea 14:8; Romans 15:18).  Have you discovered your spiritual potential in Christ?  You must realize your gifting first but you start that by serving God wherever He calls you and willingness to do His will as a servant. If we have faith, God will fulfill His purpose for us; be sure to complete the calling or ministry you have received from the Lord (cf. 2 Tim. 4:5).  "But I count my life of no value to myself, so that I may finish my course and the ministry I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of God's grace," (cf. Acts 20:24). 

Salvation is a matter of realizing we can do nothing of ourselves; it's all a matter of grace from beginning to end.  We can do no pre-salvation work to prepare ourselves but are at the mercy of God: He controls our destiny.  Jesus made it clear we can do nothing in our own right:  "Apart from Me you can do nothing..." (cf. John 15:5).  That means we cannot believe nor repent of our sins on our own merit but depend upon the grace of God to do a work of grace in our hearts. That is, we sue God for spiritual bankruptcy in a sense, realizing our utter helplessness!  

We must cease trying to save ourselves.  This is akin to discovering our own inner chile whereby we realize that we are dependent and need God; salvation is of the LORD (cf Jonah 2:9).  That means it is not of us alone as if we can work our way to please God, nor it is a joint venture or cooperative effort between us and God, but only by virtue of grace alone.  Both faith and repentance are gifts.  We do not conjure them up nor catch them by osmosis around other believers.  

Salvation is not about doing God a favor or deserving it, if so, then salvation would be a matter of justice, not grace. God is under no obligation to save anyone and would still be holy if all were condemned.  Grace is undeserved, unearned, and unrepayable.  We must realize that we are at God's mercy: "God be merciful to me a sinner,' (cf. Luke 18:13). The closer we get to God and salvation, the more we realize our sinfulness as Paul called himself the "chief of sinners," and Peter said, 'Depart from me O Lord, for I am a sinful man" 

The whole point of salvation is to realize we aren't qualified or good enough to be saved, but bad enough to need it.  But the good news is that no one is too bad to be saved!  That is why we must become as a child to enter the kingdom of God; displaying the positive elements of a child-like dependence, faith, humility, and wonder or awe. Just like children are in a state of dependency and need, we must realize this as our spiritual condition.  

As long as we hold a high estimation of ourselves we cannot be saved; we must humble ourselves and come clean from all our sins.  Children are willing to do what they're told as following orders and we are to be willing to do all of God's will for our lives, not leaning on our own understanding (cf Prov 3:5-6).  

Remember how children have dreams of success and becoming someone great like an astronaut or a doctor or even president!  We must expect great things from God and attempt great things for God in the words of William Carey, father of modern missions. But notice that one day children grow up!  We are to put away that which is childish when we become mature in the faith: When I became a man, I put away childish things, as Paul says in his love chapter (1 Cor. 13). Remember that it is to children that the kingdom of God belongs and that we can become child-like ourselves as believers embracing all the good things of their personalities. 

In sum, the genuine believer seeks and desires God's will and yoke (submission to whatever His plan for our lives is); we don't have to go by rules or regulations but everything in compliance with the rule and law of love:  "All that counts is faith expressing itself through love, (cf Gal. 5:6).   We may not be called to do something but God expects us to be willing, even to the laying down of our lives. The example of becoming a man after God's own heart is King David who did "all God's will," (cf. Acts 13:36).   Soli Deo Gloria! 

How Shall We Then Live?...

"And be not conformed to this world; but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God" (Romans 12:2, KJV).
"And if the bugle gives an indistinct sound, who will get ready for battle?" (1 Cor. 14:8, ESV).
"Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, the people [Israel] whom he has chosen as his heritage!" (Psalm 33:12, ESV).
"There is no accountability since God does not exist" (Psalm 10:4, HCSB).
"Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin condemns any people" (Prov. 14:34, NIV).
"To this, you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps" (1 Peter 2:21, NIV).


Note:  Christianity is composed of two things: orthodoxy or believing right, and orthopraxy or doing right. Orthodoxy has to do with ethics or right conduct, answering the question, "how shall we then live?"


My title was also the title of a book by Dr. Francis A. Schaeffer, of L'Abri Fellowship in Switzerland. It is a big issue of how believers should apply their faith and fulfill their marching orders. We are not meant to either flaunt it or privatize it, though our faith offends no one if we do keep it to ourselves. However, it's not a matter of personal preference to propagate our faith, or "shove it down other people's throats" as some call it--it's the Great Commission, mandated by our Lord Himself.

We are to live out our faith, and only those believers who desire to live it out and share their faith are obedient--the only way to keep it is to give it away! We are, in essence, to live forthright, honest, exemplary lives as proof of our profession, which is the reality of our faith. The faith we have is the faith we show! We must never lose focus of our first order of business (Job One), that we are here to make a contribution and fulfill God's will, and must heed the spiritual wake-up calls to read the signs of the times.

As American citizens, we have the awesome task of being witnesses in the midst of people who've already heard (territory Paul would've balked at entering, to sow where someone else had been). People already have preconceived notions of our faith and are prejudiced--we must be all the more ready to be "not ashamed" "in debt" and "ready" as Paul proclaimed in Romans 1. The door is indeed often closed and we must pray for the open door or opportunity to live out our faith as examples. Unfortunately, there's often just enough darkness not to see, and enough light to see, but only to the willing and obedient. That's the rub: man is by nature stubborn and in defiance of God's authority, especially in the political realm, which seems to be Satan's turf, and so it takes moral courage and grit.

The biggest error is to think we can usher in the kingdom and that America is somehow God's chosen nation. It's true that Governor William Bradford of Plymouth set out to "advance the kingdom of Christ," (cf. Jer. 29:7) but our nation has no right to usurp Israel's place in God's scheme of things and the overall plan for the ages. This is the church age and the kingdom of Christ is not of this world, and we are here primarily to save souls, not the nation.

But if Christians do get their so-called act together and repent, pray, and stand up for the truth, God will bless our nation and rebuke the devil's intervention, and may perhaps relent of His divine wrath, punishment, and even curse--yes, God can and does curse nations, even Israel (cf. Deut. 28). We can not call something crooked if we don't have an idea of what straight is. And we should never turn a deaf ear to the evil in the land and be too timid or inhibited to speak out about crimes against humanity or whatever form evil manifests.

But by and large, we can expect the blessing of God if we follow godly paths of righteousness in our nation; for the Word says, "Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord." God is no respecter of persons and shows no partiality and will bless us for the sake of His people. But we must also note that God has promised to bless those nations who bless Israel as God's chosen people, promising Abraham that He'll bless those who bless him. We cannot maintain an anti-Semitic attitude or policy and expect God's approbation--this doesn't mean whether they are right or wrong politically or morally!

Believers are called to rise to the occasion and stand up and be counted for the Lord, and that means taking stands for the truth and being loyal to God and even courageous to the point of civil disobedience and public stands when the state's policies are immoral, unethical, or unscriptural. We must maintain the highest standards of conduct and hold our government accountable and be equal to the challenge! Who knows, as it is written in Esther 4:14, maybe we were born for such a time as this?

We must be careful not to idolize our party (i.e., "my party, right or wrong!"), identity, candidate, or policies to the point of demanding our highest allegiance and unwavering devotion. God is not a member of a party since He cannot be limited or put in a box or labeled, and it is often the case that Christians deify their party or candidate at the expense of losing all sense of decency, morality, and even ethics. Remember, only God deserves our homage and ultimate loyalty; we only pledge allegiance to a nation "under God."

We must learn to draw the line and know where the limits are. Sometimes the law is in direct violation of divine principle, but we will never realize this if we are blinded by following party, person, or policy above God. Augustine of Hippo said something very noteworthy for our time: "An unjust law is no law at all." "Woe to those who decree unjust laws," (cf. Isaiah 10:1).    Remember the words of Scottish Presbyterian minister and author Samuel Rutherford, in his book, Lex Rex, (i.e., the law is the king), that delineated limits to the power of the king or any government as being subject to the rule of law--and this goes back to biblical precedent, not just democratic--this book upset the political landscape and applecart. In a similar vein, Will Durant, historian, said, "No society has been able to maintain morality without the aid of its religion."Also, Edmund Burke noted: "'All that is necessary for the triumph of evil, is that good men do nothing."

Christians always reserve the right to peaceful protest and even defiance of evil law, and this is fully realized in the slogan of the Reformation: I dissent, I disagree, I protest, attributed to Martin Luther. In a crisis of evil, many ask, "Where's God?" but we should be asking, "Where's the church?" We must never forget that we have dual citizenship, our home is in heaven and we are only passing through with our spiritual green cards on a mission. God doesn't burden just one individual to change the world for Christ but will transform it through the corporate activity of the body of Christ and the church at large. One task of the church is to equip and help believers find their calling and gifting so this can be implemented. It's a shame when unbelievers lead the way and do what we should be doing by nature (cf. Romans 2:14-15).

NB: God did something about evil--He made you! Our mission to counter social injustice has not been rescinded. Note the words of a famous Christian philosopher, dramatist, theologian, and journalist--known as the "prince of paradox": "What's wrong with the world? I am. Yours truly, G. K. Chesterton." The words of John Donne come to mind: "Don't ask for whom the bell tolls, it tolls for thee." We must turn our creeds into deeds, thus proving our testimony by actions, which can speak louder than words--true faith always expresses itself!

We must expose, openly declare, and wave our Christian colors and not permit evil to win by default. We must also learn not to just bemoan evil, but to challenge ourselves to see the possibility of good beyond the gray clouds. Evil always presents an opportunity for good, because that's why it exists as the counter and contrast of good, which we can then highlight and see clearly in juxtaposition.

Thus, Christians have a Second Great Commission, to heal and preserve society, and we must pay our dues, living up to our faith and being worthy of the name of Christ, touching the world for our Savior, all in order that no one will have anything bad to say about us, and we can win them over by our witness.

 
Even though Francis Schaeffer wrote a book by this title too, showing its importance, the question we all must answer: "How shall we live in light of eternity?" Jesus didn't tell us to close shop and stop working to wait till He comes but Matthew Henry said that we should live each day as if it's our last! Jesus told us to occupy till [He] comes and be ready! But we are to be ready and watch for Christ's coming and live our life to have maximum impact on eternity. We aren't seeking to be remembered but to be obedient.


We see eternal results in everything; all we do strikes a chord that will vibrate for eternity. Everything will either be rewarded or not, and in time we can be disciplined for what we do if not in God's will. Paul said that to him "to die is gain" not as a death wish but he meant that he saw eternity in a better light than imagined ("what no human mind has conceived"). He only said this because he had a clear concept of heaven with no misconceptions or delusions to live the good life.

Living in light of eternity inspires us to do good deeds and to have a good testimony to the world at large so they get saved as a result. It helps us in our trials, seeing that they are only temporal and serve an eternal purpose. In short, we become purpose-driven. We prove and validate our faith by our deeds--the faith we have is the faith we show and authenticate. The more we see Jesus coming soon, the more eager we will be to show our faith also because we will see the urgency of the Great Commission relative to our personal lives. 

Thus, we will want to pass it on and become contagious Christians. We will be eager to make others ready and to stop living for the moment and the here and now. What we look forward to affects our worldview and how we interpret life in general. When the "Desire of all nations" comes at His Parousia, we will be transformed to become like Him, but we can have a taste of the good things to come now: "Taste and see that the LORD is good." But now we can see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living (cf. Psalm 27:13, KJV).

We are simply pilgrims, aliens, foreigners, and even strangers in this life and to the world, and passing through, not meant to make ourselves at home here--we don't belong here! But God has a place for us in His plan. God has an eternal purpose for our lives that He will fulfill and not give up on us. We are on a spiritual journey too, growing in our relationship with Christ--Reality 101. We should not cling to our mundane lives but see that our spiritual lives take precedence; however, we do not live with our heads in the clouds nor on cloud nine. What matters is how our relationship with Christ is growing. It is wrong to think that we should live as if we go around once and should grab all the gusto we can. We must have an eternal bucket list that involves our beatific vision of God in glory.

Having a true focus on Christ, keeping our eyes on Jesus orients our life and sets the priorities to have spiritual value. However, we ought not to be so heavenly-minded we are no earthly good. We must not be known as mere secluded saints but actively involved in the real world. We can enjoy this life, but without sin, and thank God for the blessings that it gives to all in common grace. We can enjoy life to the max as Jesus promised: "I am come that they may have life, and have it to the full [more abundant life]" (John 10:10, NIV). On the other hand, we ought not to "love the world nor the things of the world" because the more we do, the less room we'll have in our hearts to satisfy our spiritual appetites to enjoy all the good things He gives us richly as a blessing for stewardship (cf 1 Tim. 6:17).

The good life has universally been defined as an ethical one: our duty to God and mankind. We do this by loving God with all our hearts and our neighbor as ourselves as exemplified in the parable of the Good Samaritan. "Mankind, He has told you what is good and what it is the LORD requires of you: to act justly, to love faithfulness, and to walk humbly with your God" (Micah 6:8, HCSB). This is achieved by a true sense of "oughtness." Knowing and believing right doctrine or having one's thinking straightened out is orthodoxy while living right and practicing what one believes and applying it is orthopraxy--both are necessary for the good life (which is not achieving the American dream!).

In the final analysis, when our lives are given their final audit and we go one-on-one with our Maker to face God in the Bema or Judgment Seat, we must ask ourselves whether we are faithful stewards to the blessings God has given us and whether we used them to have an impact. We all will pass on some legacy and people will tend to judge our lives, but what matters most is what Christ sees in us. He isn't going to ask us about our achievements but our obedience and we will realize that success doesn't matter to God because it belongs to Him anyway (cf. Deut. 8:18), but what matters is our call to faithfulness. Praise the Lord, life is good! Soli Deo Gloria!

Becoming Motivated To Serve Christ

 "Who has ever given to God, that God should repay them?" (cf. Romans 11:35). 

"Who has given to me anything that I need to pay back? Everything under heaven is mine," (cf. Job 41 11, NLT). 

"He gave himself for us in order to rescue us from every kind of lawless behavior, and cleanse a special people for himself who are eager to do good actions [zealous of good works]," (cf. Titus 2:14, CEB). 

Many are motivated to serve the Lord, but not according to knowledge (cf. Prov 19:2; Romans 10:2). There is the false motivation for selfish motives and misdirected and ignorant zeal. For example many have one of three psychological complexes that feed their ego:  guilt complexes that drive a need to make it up to God for some wrong done without repentance; martyr's complexes that makes one feel that the more he suffers for God, the better saint he is; and finally the messiah complex that makes one feel he's the answer and the church or God's kingdom cannot do without him.   

All religious systems are a works proposition that one merits or earns their way to heaven or eternal bliss, paradise, or nirvana; they do work out of obligation (they have to do them!).  But in Christ, it's different. we don't have to, but want to; it's not an "in order to," but a "therefore."  We are motivated by our love for Christ not to earn merit before God. We feel we can never repay God for His grace and deserve it in the first place; "For by the grace of God I am what I am," (cf. 1 Cor. 15:10).  

The only genuine motivation is out of heartfelt love for Christ, not that we can render anything to the Lord to make up for His blessing--that would be an insult to His grace for we can not do God any favors. The true motives come from a right attitude and it all starts with the right knowledge or doctrine, leading to right thinking or attitude, to the right action or deeds, which in turn lead to a right feeling about God and yourself--peace with God. 

We are to be in awe of God and that is the heart of worship which should never be dried out and spoiled by the world-system. This awe is inspiring us onto good works and love in action; after all, He owns us and love is the response and result of knowing God. We must acknowledge we cannot ever make it up to God: the definition of grace is that we cannot repay it, make it up, earn or deserve it, and cannot improve on it. We accept grace, period as eternal debtors of God. This grace is a life-changing event on us that should radicalize our behavior and transform or renew our thinking and attitudes. We are not called to become martyrs but to be living sacrifices--to live for Christ putting Him first--this motive of love in the heart is of the purest sort.  We can do more for Christ alive than dead; remember, Christ is the sacrifice, not us.  There are some who would die for a Christ they won't live for, likewise a church they won't attend. 

We are to live solely for God with His glory in mind, not to make ourselves a reputation or to a name for ourselves. We realize that there is room for improvement no matter how much we've progressed: We are works in progress and ask others to be patient with us because God isn't finished with us yet, and God promises to finish all He begins--the good work of sanctification (cf. Phil. 1:6). In other words, we are "bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God," (cf. Col. 1:10).  We are forever indebted to God and all God asks of us is us, to give of ourselves in unselfish living and sacrifice.  In sum, those who are highly motivated do so because of a knowledge of God's glory and are in a sense of awe or worship: "those who know their God shall be strong and do exploits."  (cf. Dan. 11:32).   Soli Deo Gloria!  

Time Is God's Creation And Tool ...

 

(I’m catholic) How can god have an infinite past? If the past was infinite wouldn’t existence cease to exist? Shouldn’t there be a beginning point?

Karl Broberg, Blogger/Bible teacher (10+ yrs), researcher, life coach

Answered 10h ago

“Every house is built by someone; God is the builder of everything” (cf. Heb. 3:4).

There is only a beginning point to all things that exist in time itself—the time-space continuum. NB: if everything has a beginning, nothing would exist—something must be eternal; namely, God by definition. But time had a beginning according to science and even the Bible (cf. 2 Tim. 1:9; Titus 1:2). Read A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking.

Time is the corollary of space and matter and doesn’t exist independently of them. No existence of matter means no time. Creation was the beginning of matter and space and therefore time. Some call this the big bang, which is highly regarded by cosmologists, astrologers, and astrophysicists today.

Just because we have a beginning point at creation, we must not jump to the conclusion everything had a beginning (out of nothing, nothing comes). Then there would be a time when nothing existed. By definition, God has no beginning and according to the Bible, He has no beginning and no end the Alpha and the Omega.

His name is I AM meaning He is complete in Himself and just is in Himself and needs no one or nothing else to exist (cf. Acts 17:25).   Theologians call this the self-existence or aseity of God.  He is the eternal I AM who changes not (with time or anything else according to Malachi 3:6). If He had a beginning, He could not be God, but be the slave to time as we are. as an effect or needing something.

If time were infinite with no beginning, we would not be able to arrive at “today”; you cannot cross an infinite amount of time in a definite period. But God is eternal with no cause and not defined by time, space, or matter. God is not defined, limited, nor confined to time. The only way you can be eternal is to have no cause and not be the effect of anything.

The universe had a cause because it’s an event: all events have causes. Everything that begins to exist, an event, namely here the universe, has a cause. But God is the “uncaused cause” or First Cause (how Aristotle described God).   Uncaused causes can exist in logic but not uncaused effects or events. All causes have effects but nothing can be its own cause or cause nor create itself.

Before creation or the big bang, only God existed because He is outside the time-space continuum. The Bible clearly begins: “In the beginning God ….” That is the beginning point, not a way to begin a narrative but necessary for the narrative; i.e.,  not “In the beginning matter/energy.” There’s no other rational way to begin reality. The first verse of the Bible tells of the beginning point: Creation. Genesis means “beginning.”

Does Jesus Need Credentials?...

 Jesus was well-known in Judea but especially in Capernaum and Nazareth where the ministry got off to a start and onto its feet as the first HQ.  His reputation preceded Him! He needed no introduction or publicity agent!   Fame was something that traveled fast in those days as the common folk spread the word, especially that there was a prophet in the nation, maybe even the Prophet that is to come.  Even today, people don't regard Him as Jesus the Great but simply Jesus.  He has no equal, neither predecessor nor successor.

John was His forerunner and character reference so to speak and he was the most highly regarded man in the land at the time, so much that the Pharisees dare not interfere with him, for the people loved him and respected his preaching the baptism of repentance. But Jesus needed no letter of recommendation or to refer to credentials as a way to impress Himself on others. His miracles spoke for themselves. 

What kind of credentials were these then? They consisted of perfect morality and keeping to a faultless degree every point of the Law of Moses, the Torah. No one could genuinely find fault in Him and He asked the Jewish leaders to accuse Him of sin with conviction and they failed; the only charge that could tick before the Sanhedrin was that He was an insurrection threat to Rome. Jesus was so holy that it made everyone who knew Him realized their own faults, shortcomings, and sins; Peter said, "Depart from me O Lord, for I am a sinful man!"  Now, normally familiarity breeds contempt but not in His case!  He could not have been anything but perfect to fulfill the Law and only one sin would have disqualified Him from being our Savior 

Another credential was His works, so ass to say that we should believe on account of the sake of the works alone, that they were of the Father.  He did many signs, wonders, and miracles that elicited faith in some and skepticism and cynicism in others; He had enemies because of the truths He spoke. He never footnoted His sayings but spoke directly as God Himself.  He spoke nothing but the truth but didn't say that He knew the truth or would say it or found it, but that He is the truth (cf. John 14:6); He didn't speak by authority, but with authority "as one who had authority" (cf. Mark 1:22; Matt. 7:29)! His word was binding, authoritative, and final.  He had and was the last word! 

Now, His miracles were not helter-skelter or for no reason scattered in the narrative, but God had a purpose for each of them and without them, the story wouldn't be the same and Christ would be but a footnote in history  If we remove the miracles from Christ then He is nothing and the faith is disemboweled and neutered. Other faiths remain intact even without the miracles--they are unnecessary for the religion. Jesus never did anything for selfish or self-serving reasons, but as acts of compassion and often to be object lessons to His sermons or sayings--no showy or biggie miracles!  

Now, Jesus had many character witnesses, and even if we look at His enemies (the witness of an enemy has a lot of weight in a court of law due to no personal gain by it), we learn quite a deal because they have no agenda or motive to lie about Him; they would unwittingly tell the truth. For instance, Judas said he had betrayed innocent blood, the soldier at the crucifixion called Him an innocent man or even the Son of God, Pontius Pilate said he found no fault in Him, even King Herod was unwilling to convict Him. When at the trial, they found no legitimate witnesses to tell the truth but they contradicted each other--they had to resort to getting a confession and self-condemnation which was illegal.  

But the biggest credential of Christ was His resurrection (cf. Romans 1:4; Acts 17:31), the final sign to a wicked generation.  He prophesied this and rose on the third day to prove His vindication for us and to give us hope of a resurrection, which doctrine had been vague to the Jews. The cornerstone of our faith is the historical truth of the resurrection and this is arguably the most attested fact in antiquity.  Either it's the most astounding fact in history or the biggest, cruelest hoax ever perpetrated according to Josh  MacDowell. If we remove this miracle then our faith is futile and we have no reason to trust Christ and we are indeed the most miserable of all men and most to be pitied (cf. 1 Cor. 15:14). 

But all this is only consistent with who Jesus claimed to be!  Most people mocked at having virgin births like Alexander the Great and Buddha, but if you lived the life of Jesus, you'd take it more seriously.  He claimed to be the Son of God, the Judge of mankind, the Lord of the Sabbath, to be without sin, and many more direct or indirect claims of deity.  Even though He mostly spoke in figures so speech, He didn't always beat around the bush though. His claims were consistent with His character.  Claims in themselves are not proof but in this case, they are consistent. Some cults teach that Jesus never claimed to be God, but Scripture makes it clear that He knew His mission and kept a low profile for that reason when they tried to kill him.

He made the most outstanding and bold claims and man since, or before ever did--even though the Caesars claimed deity, they didn't go this far! But He didn't go around bluntly announcing He was God, for His time had not come and he was looking for faith, not some who would believe had they had enough "evidence." It was obvious to the Pharisees just who Christ claimed to be and they plotted to kill Him for this reason. Jesus had to be both God to fulfill the Law and bear our sins, and man to relate to us as our Mediator. He must be the Go-between, the Daysman.   Soli Deo Gloria! 

The Bible's Limits

 The Bible covers over 10,000 events from some 1118 chapters from some 40 authors and cannot describe or depict all that happened. John said that if all the events of Christ’s life were written down, the world could not contain the books that would be written. But the Bible in Deut. 29:29 says that God has secrets and Scripture is not meant to tell us everything, only what we need to know or what God wants us to know. The rest is none of our business!

The Qualification For Heaven

"Indeed it is the straightedge of the Law that shows us how crooked we really are," (cf. Romans 3:20, Phillips).  The law measures us, it doesn't save us!  

 The chief qualification, it is said, to enter heaven, is to admit or realize you are not qualified; to see how you fall short and are not self-righteous in your own eyes, justifying yourself or minimizing your sin.  We all tend to justify ourselves.    For we cannot know how sinful we are till we try to stop sinning, and we cannot stop sinning!  Then we realize we are slaves to sin! You don't know your enslavement to sin till you try to give it up, and you have to give it up to realize your slavery.  It's like the smoker that thinks he can overcome and kick the habit till he tries to do and realizes he cannot of his own willpower. 

Salvation must be solely the gift of God, and not of our own works or merit thinking we deserve it because of what we've done in our own right.  We are never good enough to be saved, but bad enough to need salvation.  Gifting means grace and that's part of the formula of the Reformers: by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, by the authority of Scripture alone, and to God alone be the glory: the Five Only's (sola gratia, sola fide, soli Christo, sola Scriptura, soli Gloria Deo).  

We must not add merit to grace, works to faith or tradition, or church authority to the rule of our faith--the Bible alone. And we must not pat ourselves on the back in congrats but give God sole glory.  The summation of Reformed theology can be summed up in Jonah 2:9 saying, "Salvation is of the LORD."  That means not of us and the Lord, nor of us alone, but of God alone!  We didn't cooperate even just like at our first birth; therefore, it's called monergistic (one-sided), not synergistic (cooperative). 

In salvation, we must confess and recognize our sin (nature) as well as our sins. This is hardly mentioned in churches today because it's such a killjoy word! We must be saved from what we are (in a state of sin and rebellion or depravity) and justified and forgiven for our sins (our transgressions). As believers, we must realize we are still sinners, though we are justified (cf. Gal. 2:17). We can never achieve entire sanctification or perfectionism (cf. Prov. 20:9) as some denominations teach but we can progress in our power over sin and not let any certain sin dominate us (cf. Psalm 119:133; 19:13; 18:23; Romans 6:14; 1 Cor.6:12)  We are not to be controlled by any sin and to have power and victory over them and not let them have dominion over us.  This can be a pet sin (cf. Heb. 12:1) or one that easily besets us and our secret sins. or we may be known by as the Bible says that for sure our sins "will find [us] out." (cf. Numbers 32:23).  

In repentance, and we must realize that repentance and faith are linked (cf. Acts 20:21) and go hand in hand can be seen as the flipside of each other. There can be no genuine repentance without saving faith! Sometimes we may wonder if our faith is strong enough and not realize our repentance is not thorough enough. God doesn't make us righteous, not even in the eyes of the world, but reckons or considers us righteous--we are declared righteous. Our righteousness is completed in heaven only. Christians just recognize, acknowledge, and know their sins and are not blind to them like the infidel and we confess them and don't attempt to justify ourselves. But there is no condemnation for the believer in Christ, and he shall not come into judgment (cf. Romans 8:1; John 5:24).  

Whenever we sin, we have an Advocate to make intercession (cf. Heb. 7:25). We have admitted our spiritual bankruptcy before God, emptied ourselves of our self-righteousness, and come clean with God with nothing to hide. We realize God doesn't grade on a curve and all are sinners and we are no better than others:  We don't play the "let's compare game." (cf. 2 Cor. 10:12).  We don't have any credentials to boast of but must plead the merits of the blood of Christ shed on our behalf.  

Salvation goes to the lowest bidder as Paul saw himself as the "chief of sinners," and John Bunyan wrote his testimony in Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners, not to the one with the highest spiritual pedigree or credentials or best resume: We have nothing to offer but brokenness and strife, a contrite and penitent heart.  This is the catch-22:  To be good we must realize how bad we are; to see how bad we are, we must try to be good.  

Don't think of sins as God not wanting you to enjoy life and He's a cosmic killjoy spoiling it all, but God didn't design us for sin and He knows what's best for us emotionally and spiritually and for our own good--if we had our own way--and sin is doing your own thing and your way, not God's--then we'd surely mess up our lives and our souls; if God ever said, "Okay, have it your way!" we ruin it for ourselves and lose our happiness that is only possible through knowing Him as Augustine said, "Our souls are restless till they find their rest in God."    Soli Deo Gloria! 

Are Christians Obliged To Obey The Law?

Jesus not only was obliged as a Jew to keep the Mosaic Law, but He also fulfilled it. Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.” (cf. Gal. 3:24–25). “For the law is fulfilled in one word, even this: thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.” (cf. Gal. 5:14). Love is the fulfillment of the Law (cf. Romans 13:10). Jesus summed up the whole law in loving God and our neighbor (cf. Mark 12:30–31).

We are not under the Law but under grace (cf. Romans 6:14). Jesus told us to obey His commandments and they are not burdensome, but His yoke is easy and burden light (cf Matt. 11:30). As Christians, the early church debated as to whether we were obligated to obey the Law like circumcision in Acts 15 and decided it was too heavy a yoke that even the Jews didn't and couldn’t keep. Jesus gave a new commandment, to love another as He loves us.

As Christians, our faith is a new religion from Judaism and whatever is not repeated in the New Testament holds no authority over us. We are not the continuation of Judaism but its fulfillment. “They cling to their own way of getting right with God by trying to keep the Law, (cf. Romans 10:4). The Formula of Concord in 1577 outlined the purpose of the Law and did not oblige us. Note, I’m not speaking of the moral code which is timeless and never changes: what God considered wrong is still wrong as to what sin is considering the Decalogue. The Ten Commandments have not been rescinded, expect the case that the Sabbath was not reinstated in the New Testament, and are not obliged to be Sabbatarians anymore (cf. Col. 2;16; Romans 14:5) Let no man judge you on your Sabbath-keeping!

Sin is many things, unbelief for one. (cf Romans 14:23) The law was never given to save us or to be our master but to measure us and convict us. Christians are not lawless but need no law for they are under the law of love. We do naturally what is right because we have the Spirit, not because we are educated in the Law of Moses and try to keep it. “Cursed is anyone who depends on the Law unto righteousness, (cf. Gal 3:10).

Answering God's Call

"So he will do to me whatever he has planned. He controls my destiny" (Job 23:14, NLT).
"My times [future] are in your hands..." (Psalm 31:15, NIV).
"I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you" (Psalm 32:8, NIV).

PART I

God revealed Himself to Samuel through His Word (cf. 1 Sam. 3:21), because visions were rare in those days. In fact, it could have been God's judgment on the land (cf. Amos 8:11) for their inclination to do what they saw fit (cf. Judges 17:6; 21:25). Samuel broke the mold and pleased God and became the last of the judges and founded the school of the prophets. Samuel became obedient to the heavenly call and offered no excuses as Moses did, was eager and willing to do God's will. Consider Paul's attitude: "I am obligated ...I am so eager ... For I am not ashamed..." (cf. Rom. 1:14-16, NIV). He was prepared and ready, and he felt indebted to God!

We must realize that none of us can depend upon our own strength to do God's will, for apart from Christ we can do nothing (cf. John 15:5). Don't confide in your own strength! All that Samuel did was only what the Lord had done through him (cf. Isa. 26:12). Paul had the same attitude in saying that he would not venture to boast of nothing but what the Lord had accomplished (cf. Rom. 15:18). God isn't interested in our achievements, but our obedience and trust--trust and obey, there's no other way, the hymn goes.

Samuel's call proves that God always has His witness and a way to speak to mankind, even in the darkest of times. Solomon asked God for wisdom, and Paul asked that a thorn in his flesh be removed, but in the end, they were blessed by God and enabled by grace to do his bidding. After all, we are God's masterpiece and workmanship (cf. Eph. 2:10), ordained to do good works in His name. In other words, bloom where you are planted, and don't look for greener pastures!

We are all called by God according to His purpose and will (cf. Eph. 1:5) and God has a plan for each of us. Paul's only aim was to complete the task the Lord had given him (cf. Acts 20:24). "The LORD will fulfill his purpose for me..." (cf. Psalm 138:8, ESV). God has not made us automatons without a will of our own, but we are to cooperate in doing His will and bringing glory to Him through service manifested by faith. The key to service is to be equipped in your gift and to reach out. We will never find our gift without a servant's heart!

Therefore, a non-serving Christian is a contradiction in terms. We are to "spur one another toward love and good deeds" (cf. Heb. 10:24, NIV). Mother Teresa said that "true holiness consists in doing the will of God with a smile." The greatness of our service is not our natural abilities, but our surrender and commitment to Christ, as we will be judged by our faithfulness; however, don't get into the "let's compare" game and belittle one another's spiritual gift.

There are several calls for the Christian to answer: to salvation, for service, choosing a mate, finding a church home, choosing a pastor, a vocation, an avocation, a ministry, a mission, one's witness and testimony, a fellowship, or inner circle, and good deeds to do. God's not looking for resumes but faithfulness and too many divorce faith from faithfulness. The only resume we need is that we know God and walk with Him in fellowship. There is a place for everyone in the church to contribute and to feel at home in the body, which is an organism of living beings, not an organization of impersonal ones. The righteous will live by faithfulness (cf. Hab. 2:4) and walk by faith and not by sight (cf. 2 Cor. 5:7). Soli Deo Gloria!



PART II


"Those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified..." (Rom. 8:30, ESV). [Note that no one is lost in the shuffle of salvation!]
"This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent" (cf. John 6:29).
"... Everyone who is of the truth listens to My voice" (cf. John 18:37).
"... [A]s many as were appointed to eternal life believed" (Acts 13:48, ESV).
"I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision," (cf. Acts 26:19).

Man gives the outward, general call (cf. Titus 2:11) of the biblical evangel to the world, exhorting repentance and faith via the preaching of the Word's gospel message--to preach the Word. Man's call is often rejected and ineffectual, and can fall on deaf ears! They say that the convert hears the gospel and rejects it 7.6 times before coming to saving faith. Even the demons believe and tremble (cf. James 2:19) and God requires a faith that is alive with worship and devotion, but also discipline and obedience. No fruit--no faith (the instrumental means)--no salvation (no evidence)! We may say in resignation, "Let the chips fall where they may!" but God is the sole primary cause of the universe--we're merely secondary causes used by God to accomplish His will and bring Him glory! We exist, to bring glory to God (cf. Isa. 43:7): "The chief end of man is to glorify God, and enjoy Him forever" (cf. The Westminster Shorter Catechism).

Some people merely produce foliage, not fruit, because they aren't abiding in the vine and they will be pruned. It is important to note that the gospel in vogue isn't necessarily the one Paul preached--and he pronounced an anathema on those false teachers who watered down the gospel (a different gospel or dumb-downed version) or mixed it with works, and forsook the way of grace alone. Grace and works don't mix! We are indeed saved by grace alone, through the channel of faith alone, and this must be invested in Christ alone, all according to the authority of Scripture alone, so as to ensure the glory going to God alone. There's no merit system in our salvation--God doesn't grade on a curve.

We must respond to the inner calling of the gospel to our souls (cf. Romans 8:30) that must respond to the so-called wooing or drawing of the Holy Spirit. John 6:44 makes it clear that the Father must "draw" one, and John 6:65 makes it clear that God must "grant" the privilege of believing in Him. God grants faith and salvation (cf. Phil. 1:29) and it is a gift and not a work (a meritorious one)! If it were a work we would have reason to boast, but Titus 3:5 says we're not saved "by works of righteousness which we have done."

Paul says in Eph. 2:9 that we are not saved by works--the reason being to eliminate boasting or bragging before God. Now, the wooing of God is necessary and sufficient to bring us to Christ: no one would come to Him without it; if we came to Him alone, we will leave alone! God's call is irrevocable and efficacious, meaning that it is a permanent call and God gets His desired effect." As many as were ordained to eternal life believed" (cf. Acts 13:48). AND WE HAVE "BELIEVED THROUGH GRACE." (CF. ACTS 18:27). We receive our faith, we don't achieve it (cf. 2 Pet. 1:1).

Some believe that God woos all men, this would make God out to be a failure; however, those whom He woos do come and without regret--no one who believes is ever disappointed in God. (cf. John 5:24). If you are inclined to ascribe universality to wooing, then does He woo equally? And why do only some respond? There is no way to avoid this doctrine without assigning merit. Our salvation is a pure act of grace and there is no room for works--we are not saved by works, but not without them! This doctrine refers to the irresistible grace of God--God's grace is sovereign and reigns (cf. Rom. 5:21). Christ is Master of our fate, and Captain of our soul.

Our destiny is ultimately in God's hands, not ours (cf. Psalm 31:15; Job 23:14)! If we had to do anything for it, we'd fail, and so God does everything in our monergistic salvation--we do not take part in it nor contribute, nor cooperate with "pre-salvation" works either. God must regenerate us by quickening faith and granting repentance (cf. 2 Tim. 2:25) in order to save us--we don't save ourselves--if you put faith ahead of regeneration, you are effectually saving yourself. If you can believe without being regenerated, what good is regeneration? If our salvation were in our hands and up to us, we'd blow it or botch it! Salvation is grace from beginning to end as Jesus is the Author and Finisher of our faith. It is not a human achievement, but divine accomplishment! God makes us willing and able to believe and repent: Scripture says, "For God is at work with you, both to do and to the will of His good pleasure" (cf. Phil. 2:13; cf. Col. 1:29; Heb. 13:21).

God calls and we answer, those who are of the truth hear the words of truth and hear God's voice and calling. Jesus said that His sheep hear His voice and follow Him. It is not the calling that saves on, nor faith in the calling, but faith in the One making the call: "Many are called, but few are chosen" (cf. Matt. 22:14) refers to the general call of the gospel message to the world at large. "The elect attained unto it, the rest were hardened [blinded]" (cf. Rom. 11:7). We must always remember that we didn't choose Him, but He chose us (cf. John 15:16). 

We are the elected ones, and remember this point of doctrine: We are elected unto faith (see the Golden Chain of Redemption in Romans 8:29-30), not because of faith, which is the false prescient view--Romans 8:29-30 militates against it. For whom He calls, He regenerates unto faith and repentance (cf. 2 Thess. 2:13; 1 Thess. 2:13), and simultaneously justifies them. We don't get any credit for believing, it is given or received, not achieved, and we cannot conjure it up--it comes by the hearing and the hearing of the Word of God (cf. Rom. 10:17).

Christians have answered the call and will be fit for being His vessels of honor, we all have to make sure of our calling and election (cf. 2 Pet. 10), though, because assurance is not an automatic fruit of salvation. "Have mercy on some who doubt, [offer reassurance from the Word]" says Jude 22. John writes to give assurance of salvation; obviously, it's not a sure thing (John 20:31; 1 John 5:13). Paul said that if we are faithless, He remains faithful (2 Tim. 2:13). In the final analysis, we must not divorce faith and works, they are distinguished but not separate--we are saved by faith alone, but no by a faith that is alone (from the Reformer's battle cry) as James 2:17 says, "Faith without works is dead" (can that faith save?).

In sum, God reserves the right to call whom He will and to have mercy on whom He will and harden whom He will (cf. Rom. 9:15). Some sinners receive mercy, some receive justice, but God is unjust to no one. God predestined us according to His good pleasure and the purpose of His will, not according to anything we did (cf. Eph. 1:5; Titus 3:5).

Finally, let me sum up citing three verses: "[W]ho saved us and called us to a holy calling not because of our works but according to his purpose and grace..." (2 Tim. 1:9, ESV); "God in heaven appoints each man's work" (John 3:27, NLT).

"... 'A person cannot receive even one thing unless it is given him from heaven'" (John 3:27, ESV). Soli Deo Gloria!

Proof For God Without The Bible

 

1. The ontological, cultural, or anthropological argument or where did we get this idea from and why do people believe universally; God is not an idea made up. Do apes build chapels? Do animals pray? God was self-evident to the founding fathers of America. This ethnological proof, that virtually every tribe, tongue, and people-group has had some belief system concerning God or deity is compelling as circumstantial evidence.; where did they get the idea from, if not God Himself?
2. The cosmological or the that nothing happens by itself and nothing can create or cause itself but needs the First Cause: no First Cause means no beginning because infinite regress is impossible; you cannot cross infinity! A beginning (Big Bang) implies a Beginner. God is eternal without beginning, having no cause but being uncaused!
3. The teleological proof that we cannot escape or deny order, harmony, intelligence, purpose, design, and beauty everywhere and they exist as evidence and this points to the anthropological principle or that there appears to be design or fine-tuning, and this may be called the argument from design; design only implies a Designer; order implies an Orderer, purpose a Purposer, and intelligence an Ultimate Mind. This has been called the anthropic principle in action. The divine order of creation is Thinker, thought, thing. I won’t elaborate on the many wonders of nature that bear witness to this but only bring this up as a point and mention the principle is valid.
4. The moral argument or that it seems that we have morals and there must be justice for that to make sense. Where did we get our conscience from? Guilt proves this to be self-evident. This implies a Judge or Judgment Day. God seems to care a lot about right and wrong and has given man a moral code, compass, or conscience to be culpable. Morals make no sense without a Judge or God to make them universal. God must be the moral center of the universe and standard of Good as Plato called Him, the Supreme Good. Morals then imply a moral Lawgiver; also, how can you believe in justice without a Judge?  Soli Deo Gloria!