What Is Blind Faith?

"... This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent" (John 6:29, ESV).

"... [He] greatly helped those who through grace had believed" (Acts 18:27, ESV).

Infidels, who deny the existence of God, don't have a leg to stand on, and cannot defend their faith with any evidence whatsoever: neither circumstantial; logical; scientific; philosophical; nor historical. However, Christianity is a historical faith and there is plenty of evidence for anyone willing to believe and obey the truth; unbelievers are defined as those who "reject the truth," according to Romans 2:8. Claiming Christians have blind faith is offensive and insulting to God, and demeaning to believers!

There is no universal belief, but there is universal truth (objective, transcendent, and eternal) that applies whether believed or not: Because someone denies the truth, doesn't mean it's not true. People often confuse belief and truth, saying that they don't believe the Bible, for instance, when you don't have to believe it to be saved; however, most who say they don't believe the Bible, don't know what its message is or have never read it! The Bible is a caged lion, in that it defends itself, and need not appeal to any higher authority than itself for attestation.

The proof for Christ and His resurrection is mostly circumstantial and historical, and any one piece of evidence isn't conclusive, but the totality of the evidence is most compelling and one must go in the direction of the preponderance of the evidence if one is reasonable or in a court of law. It has been stated by Dr. Simon Greenleaf, Royal Professor of Law at Harvard University (considered the world's foremost expert on law and evidence) that any unbiased jury would declare the biblical account a fact of history. (He wrote a book, though a skeptic at first, declaring his conversion after examining the evidence, The Testimony of the Evangelists.)

No event in history has been so widely and variously proved than this; in fact, Luke says, "there are many infallible proofs" in Acts 1:3.  It is arguably the best attested fact in antiquity.  God won't force anyone to believe against his will, but he must want to believe and then God will work on his heart and will to make a believer out of him. (Note that faith is given, not achieved! It's demonstrated, not possessed because we see it in action, we don't talk about it!)

Now Christians are accused of having blind faith, whereas they have sound reasons for what they believe and God never asks anyone to believe despite the evidence--you cannot believe and trust in something you are not intellectually convinced of. But atheists seldom know why they are atheists and certainly cannot defend their position (logicians know you cannot prove a universal negative). Not knowing why you believe is a kind of blind faith. The problem today is not a willingness to believe, but people not knowing what they believe, which is a sort of unbelief and blind faith.

We don't have faith in faith, for faith doesn't save, Christ does! We don't have faith for faith sake, but it is directed in a person, not a creed or ritual. Religion is knowing a creed or the rules, Christianity is knowing a person! The Bible says, "Taste and see that the LORD is good" (cf. Psalm 34:8)--God confirms our faith and the Christian experience is valid and verifiable. He invites scrutiny!  Our basis of feeling and of forgiveness is not purely rational but based on historical evidence of the objective fact of the resurrection. We are not being fooled by some colossal propaganda program! Many of the first-century believers died for their faith, and the "blood of the martyrs was the seed of the church," according to church father Tertullian.

We haven't kissed our brains goodbye but have used them. Faith doesn't reject the mind, it respects the mind. We don't go against reason, but beyond it. We must all take the step of faith into the light, but once there, our eyes are opened and we become enlightened by the Holy Spirit. Note that apart from the Holy Spirit, no one would believe. "We must cater to anyone's intellectual integrity, but not pander to their arrogance," according to John Stott. The problem is not intellectual, but moral; people don't want to believe, because their will is hardened: John 7:17 says that anyone willing to do His will, will know of the doctrine.

"...' You foolish people! You find it so hard to believe all that the prophets wrote in the Scriptures" (Luke 24:25, NLT).
"...' O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken!'" (Ibid., NKJV).
"Therefore my people go into exile for lack of knowledge..." (Isaiah 5:13, ESV).
"...and a people without understanding shall come to ruin" (Hosea 4:14, ESV).
"...There is no faithfulness or steadfast love, and no knowledge of God in the land" (Hos. 4:1, ESV).
"For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings" (Hosea 6:6, ESV).
"Let us know; let us press on to know the LORD..." (Hosea 6:3, ESV).
"I don't have enough faith to be an atheist."--Norman L. Geisler, noted biblical scholar
Note: Not knowing what you believe is a kind of unbelief or blind faith.

Christians have sound, rational reasons to have faith in Christ: circumstantial evidence that is most compelling and unexplainable otherwise; the convicting work of the Holy Spirit, especially through the Word of God (its inspiration, transmission, and canonicity); the objective, cumulative, historical evidence of the resurrection; plus the subjective experience ("Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good..." cf. Psalm 34:8, NKJV) and value of knowing Christ personally ("[N]ow that you have had a taste of the Lord's kindness" cf. 1 Peter 2:3, NLT).

Christianity is the only faith that is based on fact, not a fable, fiction, myth, old wives' tales, legend, or tall tale--if it's not a historical religion, it's nothing at all. "For we did not follow cleverly devised myths..." (cf. 2 Pet. 1:16).  The historical evidence is further validated by the veracity of the witnesses, who were willing to go to their deaths for their faith. One usually tells the truth on one's deathbed. It's not a matter of whether you believe the resurrection was possible, but are the historical records reliable, credible, dependable, and accurate?  If there's a God, then resurrection is possible by deduction. 

The difference between them dying for their faith and other martyrs of different faiths is that they were in the position to know whether it was true. Any faith not based on evidence is blind faith--even an atheist who doesn't know why he's one or has no evidence has blind faith. It's not a battle or challenge between faith and reason but faith versus faith!.  It depends on which set of presuppositions one begins with and is willing to accept as true--secularists bet the farm on science being the only reliable source of truth. Secularists are people of faith too!   If you say that you only believe what can be proved by the scientific method or empiricism, you must first begin by proving the validity of that premise.

Epistemological humility comes in to play where one admits he doesn't have a monopoly on the truth or know everything and is therefore teachable. In the final analysis, no preacher nor scientist has cornered the market on truth and can speak ex-cathedra or pontificate. Socrates said that to begin learning you must admit your ignorance! Uncertainty is the prerequisite to learning and often its byproduct!  Education is merely going from an unconscious to a conscious awareness of your ignorance. Everyone must admit that they could be wrong--no one is infallible.

Christians today are inclined to believe that their faith is indefensible in the open marketplace of ideas, and don't know how to defend their faith or even know what they believe and should defend. We must not let secularists win by default or by concession--we must stand our ground and declare our colors! What is negotiable and what isn't? We have sound reasons to believe; God doesn't expect us to believe despite the evidence. God will reveal the truth to anyone who is willing to do His will (cf. John 7:17) and has an open mind, willing spirit, and needy heart. God doesn't expect us to believe contrary to reason, but will manifest Himself to us if we search for Him--He is no man's debtor.

Faith is a gift and choice but we must exercise it. The problem is when we become lax in the faith or our faith is dead, we can do nothing (John 15:5 says, "For apart from Me you can do nothing"), that faith doesn't save; only a living and growing faith that produces fruit can save--no fruit, no faith, no salvation. Saving faith is not a leap in the dark, but a step into the light--God asks no one to commit intellectual suicide and believe for the sake of believing alone (faith doesn't save, nor faith in faith, but only faith in Christ as the object saves). Faith feeds on facts and experience, while Paul said in Romans 10:17, NKJV, concerning that precious faith: "So then faith comes by hearing, and by hearing [i.e., preaching] by the word of God." We must mature in the faith and have childlike, not childish faith; simple, but not simplistic!  

Christians can have strong faith, but if they aren't able to defend it or have a reason for their faith, it's blind faith and may succumb to the devil's Anfectung or attack. It's not how much faith, but the object of the faith that's vital-you can be sincerely wrong, though sincerity is a requisite. We are always to be ready to have a reason for our hope (cf. 1 Peter 3:15). In the study of apologetics, one will realize that Christians haven't kissed their brains goodbye, and that faith is rational, though Christianity isn't rationalism. God had a rationale for sending His Son and the gospel is about realizing that work of grace is done on our behalf.

In sum, the heart of the matter is that it's a matter of the heart; there's never enough evidence to convince the hardened skeptic, but there's ample evidence for the willing  People are "slow of heart to believe."   Christians cannot argue someone into the kingdom! But they should be able to have an answer as to why they believe (cf. 2 Tim. 2:15). The problem is that some people catch their beliefs like one catches a cold: hanging around the right people and letting osmosis do its work. Also, you don't have to be able to defend your faith to have it! However, you cannot rationalize God or put Him in a test tube or under laboratory conditions, because the existence of God is not in the scientific domain-- it takes faith and faith is what pleases God; skeptics are rarely convinced by debate--a work of grace must woo their hearts toward God. "This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent." (cf. John 6:29).    Soli Deo Gloria!

Ushering In The Kingdom

Many believers assume geopolitical considerations concerning the faith as if it's the social gospel (actually a misnomer) or political reform were the Second Great Commission. "Seek the prosperity of the city..." (cf. Jer. 29:7). This a social mandate, not a social gospel. We are its salt and light, not its savior. America is a secular nation and not a Christian one, no matter how many believers make this land their home. Always keep the main thing the main thing and save souls as Job One.

We are not to stoop to the level of radical or fundamentalist Islam and institute Christian Shari'ah law, which forces everyone to live like a Christian, whether they are Christian or not.  God doesn't expect heathens to live like believers.  We are held to a higher standard!   Our nation established freedom from religion, as well as freedom of the exercise of religion, and no sect has the right to impose its views on the others--note that secular humanism and atheism are considered religions. We may have started out with our forefathers as a predominately Christian nation, but today it is highly multicultural and diverse ethnically and religiously. We are the salt as preservatives of morality and to give meaning and enjoyment to life, and also as light to show the way and how people should live in spiritual darkness--not political darkness, but moral depravity and in need of salvation, as the Bible sanctions no specific or certain type of government or economy.

What is legal is not always moral or right and could be sin or evil, and what is illegal may be the moral thing to do in an act of civil disobedience to unjust laws. The state may recognize gay marriage, for example, but that doesn't mean God recognizes it--it doesn't become right or moral by an act of governmental decree. We cannot legislate morality, law is merely the majority vote that licks all others, according to Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes, though Christians differ because they believe that God is the only Legislator and all law must comply with Him. Christians should never cease to drive basic morality in society as salt and light, but be aware that there are gray and doubtful or questionable areas where people should be free to make their own personal choices. Government is a "social contract" according to John Locke and Jean-Jacques Rousseau, whether we want to be in it or not, or knowingly or not, according to contract laws. The Bible sees government ordained by God to restrain evil in the world.

Jesus alone will usher in His kingdom and His kingdom is not of this world--we are not to get too comfortable in this life and become too much at home, for our conversation and real citizenship is in heaven! Remember, at your homecoming you are not home yet! Oliver Cromwell failed in making England a Christian nation. The Puritans also attempted to make a Christian nation and John Calvin even tried his hand at it while mayor of Geneva--both utter failures and examples that the Great Commission is to spread the gospel and change lives, not to change the government--the Bible is a beacon of light unto salvation, not a social tool for government reform.

Governor William Bradford of Plymouth Colony wanted to "advance the kingdom of Christ" when he settled here, but he misunderstood the Great Commission and the doctrine of eschatology. It is a well-known fact that the Salem witch hunts showed the failure of instituting the Christian faith and making the Bible itself the law of the land. Jesus will bring about His kingdom in due time when the body is full and complete with all His lost sheep saved.

Jesus told Pontius Pilate that His kingdom is not of this world. Pilate then perceived Him to be a philosopher or harmless dreamer, but no threat to Caesar. If His kingdom were of this world His followers would fight, but we have no such marching orders. Many misled, though sincere believers throughout history have tried to usher in the kingdom of God, and thought that the church's job was to aid in doing it. As William Bradford, Pilgrim governor in Colonial America, said that his mission was to "advance the kingdom of Christ." The Puritans also tried legislating Christianity in early America, but it failed and turned out to have evil fruit, such as hanging innocent women accused of witchcraft. John Calvin even tried to enforce biblical mandates on Geneva, like mandatory Sabbath observance and even forbidding anyone from naming children anything but biblical names.

Only Christ will usher in the kingdom of God and our marching orders are to fulfill the Great Commission, not to reclaim a nation for Christ. Yes, we are light and salt, but we must not lose focus and keep the main thing the main thing. Christians are not to dedicate their lives to the betterment of society unless God calls them specifically to this. The "social gospel is not only a misnomer but has no place in the church. We are interested in saving souls and winning people, not becoming political activists. The Bible is meant to be a light for salvation, not government reform or social activism. Everyone has the obligation to be involved in his society that behooves a responsible citizen.

Entering the kingdom is synonymous with getting saved. The whole purpose of announcing the kingdom of God to be at hand is to make people realize the urgency to repent and get ready for the second coming of Christ in glory. The first words out of John the Baptist and Jesus in their ministries was to repent. The kingdom is both present in the here and now, and future to be fulfilled at the Second Advent. Presently Christ reigns in the hearts of His followers and we shall all reign with Him in His millennial kingdom after the tribulation period. Jesus said that if He cast out demons by the finger of God, "the kingdom of God has come upon you." Salvation (the fulfillment of our redemption) is nearer now than when we first believed according to Romans 13:11.

We are to do kingdom living while sojourning on this earth as pilgrims, this is not our home and we should realize that our true citizenship is in heaven (cf. Philippians 3:20). We are just passing through and have spiritual green cards and this life is but a staging area or tryout for eternity, where each note we play has eternal vibes. We are rehearsing for kingdom living and our faith must be tested and God wants to prove our faithfulness and reward it according to our deeds done through faith by the power of the Holy Spirit (cf. Isa. 26:12; Hos. 14:8). Like Paul said (cf. Rom. 15:18), he would not venture to boast of anything, but of what Christ has accomplished through him.

We are not to seek nor store up treasure in this life nor to seek earthly fame, fortune, nor power, but to seek spiritual riches and to learn to live in the power of the Holy Spirit in God's kingdom. God's kingdom is invisible and only God knows who is in it for sure or who the elect are (cf. Mark 13:27 "... and shall gather his elect from the four winds..."). Jesus said to "seek ye first the kingdom of heaven" and this means that our number one priority is kingdom living in God's economy, and when we put God first in our lives all else falls into place. As it says, "all these things shall be added unto you."

The richest people are not those with worldly wealth, but those most content in what God has blessed them with and faithful stewards of our resources, time, talents, gifts, money, and opportunities. Someone has said that riches are not in the abundance of our possessions but in the fewness of our wants. When we seek first God's kingdom all our priorities become focused on Christ and our life is oriented in the right direction and given divine purpose and meaning. In sum, we ought to live one day at a time in light of eternity--not regretting the past, nor worrying about the future. 

Though Pilgrims made a compact to usher in the kingdom of God. or literally to "advance the kingdom of God," it failed.   Little doctrine did they know but that Christ will usher in His kingdom, and that His kingdom is not of this world. America is supposedly the "Great Experiment." They would've done a better job of it and speeded His coming (cf. 2 Pet. 3:12); we ought to always be about "hastening the day of His coming." The question is how this is accomplished. It doesn't mean passing legislation or beginning new governments such as a great experiment. Or like the Social Experiment that failed called Prohibition. Jesus gave us the Great Commission to spread the good news and make disciples, some seek the Second Great Commission to reform society to their agenda and to be a social gospel to help the needy and down and out, we must be lights and not just turn stones into bread but spread the good news.

Jesus kingdom would reign in human hearts, not on the throne of an earthly king or monarch. All authority has been given Him. Jesus is the King of kings and Lord of lords and we are to make this real in our lives, not force it on others. We don't conquer territory in the name of Christ, but hearts with love. We love them into the kingdom. "Love conquers a multitude of sins," God promised Abraham that his descendants would be a blessing and God saves us to be a blessing (cf. Zech. 8:13) and we are heirs of Abraham as believers.

We never stop expanding Christ's kingdom and when He comes the church age will cease and Satan will have a pass or permission to bring in his idea of a kingdom dominated by him and the antichrist. There have been many antichrists so to speak that had the notion to conquer the world: Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar, Napoleon, Hitler, et alia. The ancient Egyptian, Assyrian, Babylonian, and Persian empires all aspired to world domination, but the Spirit restrains the evil one. The spirit of antichrist is already here.

We are never to despair that God is not in control ("Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD"). His Providence is governing all events and creatures small and great. Yes, God doesn't just reign, He rules ("For the kingdom is the LORD's, and he is the governor among the nations") not like a do-nothing king or the monarch of the UK who has no powers though they reign. But we are to receive Christ as Lord of our hearts and let Christ's kingdom grow from there by the preaching of the gospel message and living it out as witnesses. We must admit we are not in charge, nor is any earthly ruler in charge, without any reservations in our lordship decisions--submission is an issue for some.

("The king's heart is in the hands of the LORD..."). What does this mean but we owe complete allegiance and obedience to Christ. We pledge allegiance to the Lamb on the throne! No governor or ruler can do anything outside God's will or permission (cf. Lam. 3:37). We must be encouraged that the only king who is capable of ruling hearts is Jesus. He has been called the Emperor of love. Christ is indeed the only Potentate and Ruler of heaven, the entire universe, not just earth--all things visible and invisible.

We must not just render lip service to God but bow in obedience to His sovereignty. Every knee shall bow to Him! This obedience is to the command to repent and stop the charade or hypocrisy and also to put our complete faith and submission in Christ as Lord and trust as Him as Savior. Christ demands the throne room of our hearts, the pass key to our complete soul, and if He isn't there, we are there and in control of our lives, it cannot be neutral! We must give Christ the ownership of our lives.

We must remember that Satan claims the soul of the infidel and actually influences him to evil and sin, and the only way to get free from his tyranny and power is to surrender to Jesus: We must say "No!" to Satan before saying "Yes" to Jesus. It is obvious that Satan is having his heyday and we must seek to be set free. "If the Son shall set you free, you shall be free indeed." But after the church age, Satan will have his day to do as he wills: to take over the world for a period of tribulation on earth. After we belong to Christ, we are no longer in Satan's kingdom, the kingdom of darkness, and belong to God in His kingdom and are protected from the evil one who cannot touch us. Soli Deo Gloria!

"To Thine Own Self Be True!" (Shakespeare)

Did you know that God is true to Himself?  His holiness assures no conflict of interest or will and that He abides by His own nature and is true to character or always acts in character.  The Hebrew words for true, faith, and faithfulness are all related and sometimes used interchangeably. For example, in Hab. 2:4, it says, "The just shall live by his faithfulness [or faith]."   In  Psalm 31:5 is says God is a God of truth [faithfulness].  We must not divorce faith and faithfulness in our conduct and lives for God surely doesn't and we must not divide what He has joined together.  Are you true to your word? and faithful to promises?  We must feed on His faithfulness! (cf. Psalm 37:3). 

Great is God's faithfulness toward us and this even applies when we are faithless. Even when we are wayward, He cannot deny Himself and go against His nature.  God's Word is faithful and is as sure as God Himself, He exalts above all things His name and His Word (cf. Psalm 138:2).  If God went back on His Word, He'd cease being God! Not one word of all His promise He have to Moses has failed (cf. 1 Kings 8:56). He is faithful to us and even believes in us! 

God can be seen as the great Promise Keeper who abounds in faithfulness. He exercises this by believing in us that we are justified though we sin (cf. Gal. 2:17). God's faithfulness can be seen in His discipline and correction when we go astray and even in our afflictions to show us the Way and even test our faith. He doesn't intend to punish us as our sins deserve but to sanctify us and make us more Christlike. He wants us to show faithfulness to Him and even in our calling: he that is faithful in little, shall be faithful in much!  As Mother Teresa said, "God doesn't call us to success but to faithfulness!" We will be rewarded by our works done in the Lord, not those done in the flesh or for wrong motives. 

You are true (faithful) to yourself when you fulfill your mission God gave you and judge yourself so God need not do it.  Also, when we confess our sins and keep short accounts (cf. 1 John 1:9) of them so we can walk in the light or in fellowship with the Spirit of Christ and also with other believers. God will not let sin slide and we should not grow lax on our attitude towards sin and show no tolerance.  We must not just dislike sins but denounce them and vow to live life with Jesus at the helm as Captain of our soul and Master of our fate.  We must keep our promises just like God is the Promise Keeper and value our integrity and not lie to one another, for it is impossible for God to do these things (cf. Heb. 6:18). 

Paul said that his aim is to "finish the race and complete the task God gave him" (cf. Acts 20:24). We don't want to leave behind half-built, derelict towers as unfinished business for our legacy when we die but to be assured we have done all God's will for us and complete the mission to say: "Mission accomplished!"   "See to it that you complete the ministry God gave you in the Lord," (cf. Col. 4:17).  Just like when King David had done all God's purpose, he died. (cf. Acts 13:36). We must realize as David did, that God's faithfulness surrounds Him and we can count on it as Jeremiah realized when he said, "Great is thy faithfulness," even while in captivity.   Soli Deo Gloria! 

I Am What I Am By The Grace Of God

 Grace and truth came through Jesus Christ (cf. John 1:14). God's aim was to show the incomparable riches of His grace (cf.  Eph. 2:7).  God's grace is sufficient for us too, as His power is made perfect in weakness and the more sin abounds, the more grace abounds (cf. 1 Cor. 12:9; Romans 5:20). We cannot limit or exhaust the grace of God--it's infinite. This means we cannot pay it back, we do not deserve it, we cannot earn it, and we are not worthy of it.  We owe an eternal debt of gratitude to the Lord.  

We may think we contributed something to our salvation, namely faith, but faith is the gift of God and we were not elected because God foresaw grace, but God elected us unto faith it is also a gift, and also our righteousness is not our gift to God, but His gift to us. (cf. Isaiah 45:24). God's grace is never-ending and permanent once we acquire it through faith as the instrumental means.  It is necessary for we cannot gain the approbation of God but must lean on His provision of grace as sufficient. We are to continue in God's grace and not to frustrate it (cf. Gal. 2:21), fall from grace when we try to be righteous by the deeds of the Law (cf. Gal. 5:4), be presumptuous and do great sin (cf. Psalm 19:13), or to take advantage of it and test God's patience by falling into carnality or continued sin. 

Only God can change our nature and He does so from the inside out to make us new creatures in Christ (cf. 2 Cor. 5:17).   Grace does abound to the chief of sinners(cf. 1 Tim. 1:15) and grace reigns (cf. Romans 5:21) or is sovereign and efficacious for the work required and salvation is a given. We must abide in the grace of God because we are works in progress as we work out our salvation with fear and trembling. (cf. Phil 2:12).  We must not take grace as a given, though, and assume that God is obliged to show it (then it would be justice) or God is also just and holy and will punish His wayward children for their sins to get them back on track. But He gives more grace (cf. James 4:6).  We are thus the stewards of the grace of God (cf. 1 Pet. 4:10). 

It is important that we are not under the Law but under grace (cf. Romans 6:14). We are subject to a higher law, the law of love, and obey not in the written code of the Law (cf. 2 Cor. 3:3), but in the Spirit. Anyone who tries to justify himself by the works of the Law is under a curse (cf. Gal. 3:10). This is why we testify of the good news of the grace of God for grace is the love of God stooping to us in unmerited favor or undeserved blessing. Of His fullness, we have received and grace upon grace (cf. John 1:16).  We must never think we were saved by favoritism or that we were any better or worthy than one who is lost, but God chose us according to His foreknowledge, good pleasure, and will. (cf. Eph. 1:5,11). 

The Beatific Vision, A Sermon Is Needed

Men have always imagined what God must be like and Christians have longed to see visions and revelations of God, known as theophanies. But no one knows what God looks like because God is Spirit (cf. John 4:24)! Moses saw the backside of the glory of Christ, who does reveal Himself, but the Father doesn't and no man has ever seen the Father. Our faith concerns the God who is there!
A child was asked what he was drawing in class: "I'm drawing a picture of God!" The child had to learn that no one can draw God, but the child answered that people will see now what He looks like. Children have an innocent faith and we are to mimic it (cf. Matt. 18:3).  It would be good to see Jesus through their eyes.  Hebrews says that we do see Jesus (cf. Heb. 2:9), and we sense His presence when two or three are gathered in His name as a promise (cf. Matt. 18:20).

He indwells each of us and we can have an existential encounter with Him as we read Scripture, fellowship, worship, or pray. Christians see the glory of God in His work on earth and will see God's glory in heaven, to our delight. The prophets who claimed they "saw God" were seeing theophanies, and not God in His fullness. We cannot bear to look at the sun in its brightness, much less look at the glory of God directly. That's one reason God reveals Himself propositionally and in the Word.

Christians want Christ to be seen in them and also to seek Christ being glorified. As Paul said in Col. 1:27, "Christ in you, the hope of glory." He also boasted that Christ was glorified in him. We wait till Christ be formed in us and in our brethren as a sign of maturity. God will never give up making us in His image and we are works in progress (cf. Phil. 1:6).

The Greek disciples came to the apostles and said they "[wanted] to see Jesus" (cf. John 12:19); we have a much greater thing in that we have the Word of God and full revelation of the wisdom and knowledge of God in it--we're better off than being with Christ in person also, because we have the inner blessing of the Spirit. The apostles said that it would suffice to see the Father, but Jesus said that to see Him was to see the Father! All that we can know and see God is revealed in Christ! In eternity we'll see the big picture!

The infidel doesn't see God anywhere at work, but the believer sees His fingerprint everywhere, from the smallest atom to the largest galaxy, at work. No amount of proof will convince someone who doesn't want to do God's will or sincerely have a relationship with him; to the believer and honest seeker, there is ample evidence--no one can disbelieve due to lack of evidence!

In glory, we shall behold Him as He is and we shall be like Him too, able to take it in. It is said that some angels always do behold the face of God and that Gabriel "[stands] in the presence of God"; we'll have more privilege than an angel! People generally say that seeing is believing; however, believing is seeing! Don't envy those who have seen a vision or revelation, as Jesus told Thomas: "Blessed are those who have not seen, and yet believed" (cf. John 20:29). Jesus rebuked the Pharisees who maintained they could see but were "blind guides," in fact, the "blind leading the blind"; think how much worse it is to think you see and be blind, or not knowing you're blind! Christ came to open our eyes and to make the blind see, and Satan has blinded the eyes of all who don't believe in Christ (cf. 2 Cor. 4:4).

Caveat: Don't reduce God to one dimension or put Him in a box, emphasizing one aspect, like seeing Him just as: the Old, Doting Grandpa who says, "Boys will be boys;" the Kind Father; the Man Upstairs; Cosmic Killjoy; the Great Spirit; the Strict, Mean Judge; the Higher Power; or even as the Great Mathematical Mind. Whenever we have an inadequate perception of God it's idolatry and our God is too small, thinking of Him in human terms. How big is your God?  This is just as important as seeing Him. God cannot be limited, defined, or confined, and we must know that He is beyond comprehension, known as His profundity, and we will never fully apprehend His glory, nature, or essence throughout eternity ("the finite cannot contain the infinite," says the maxim).

The eyes of our heart are opened upon salvation and we can literally say we see and were blind, just like the blind man Jesus healed said, "I was blind, but now I see!" No one can argue the fact that we have spiritual eyes enlightened and illuminated by the Holy Spirit living in our hearts. Theologians have attempted definitions of God in vain, for He cannot be described, only known, loved, and worshiped!

It is the childish faith that seeks to know God through pictures, visions, or experiences, but the mature obedient believer clings to the Word and hears God speaking His message through it; just like Francis Schaeffer wrote: "He is there, and He is not silent!" The problem with man is not only is he blind to spiritual truth, but spiritually hard-of-hearing and turns a deaf ear to the gospel message that he does hear. Man isn't faithful to the God he does see and is without excuse.

The pagan Emperor Trajan once asked a Christian why his God was invisible and you couldn't see him (it sounded atheistic to him--just worshiping a spirit), and he was informed and given the scoop: "Look at the sun!" Trajan said he couldn't because it's too bright. "Then don't you now realize that, if you cannot behold God's creation, how much less the splendor and glory of God?" Jesus said that God is Spirit and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and in truth (cf. John 4:24).

But we don't need to see Him in order to know Him, because Jesus said blessed is he who believes and hasn't seen (cf. John 20:29). We can see with the eyes of our hearts which are opened by the Holy Spirit's illuminating ministry. We are seeing the glory of God when our eyes are opened to see how He is manifest in believers, and we see Jesus in them and they see Him in us--this is only a taste of the glory which shall be revealed to us. As Hebrews 2:9 (ESV) says: "But we see him [i.e., Jesus, with our spiritual eyes] ...."

We shall all be satisfied in heaven by beholding the face of God (in Jesus), but only because we will not be in the flesh, but without any sin to corrupt our spiritual bodies and souls. God has revealed Himself throughout the Bible in many theophanies (revelation of God, such as in the burning bush) and Christophanies (revelation of Jesus, such as the Angel of the LORD). From the burning bush to appearances as the Angel of the LORD, to Gideon and as the Son of Man, to Daniel's friends in the furnace, and to Daniel in a vision. John saw Jesus in His glory at the transfiguration and then finally at Patmos in a vision of heaven.

Jesus is how God manifests Himself as the embodiment, personification, or icon of God. When Philip (cf. John 14:8-9) asked Jesus during the Last Supper in the Upper Room to show them the Father, Christ said, that he who has seen Him has seen the Father--they are one! All that God wants to reveal of Himself is presented in the Son--all that God has to say to us and all that we can know. God is Spirit, according to Jesus, and became a man for our sake so we would have something to relate to and what to think of when we meditate on God. Jesus is analogous to the sun because He gives light to all He shines on, and makes life possible too.

Jesus has the Shekinah (glory of God), not reflected the glory of God, as Moses had after being in His presence. Jesus does not reflect light--He is light: John 8:12 says, "... I am the light of the world...." Jesus willingly veiled His glory because they couldn't behold it in full. Jesus has all the glory of the Father, there is no diminishing of it, but He voluntarily laid it aside (known as the kenosis in Philippians 2) while incarnated on earth before His ascension. Actually, Jesus shines brighter than the sun, which is only an analogy or symbol of Him.

In glory, we shall behold Him: "... [B]ut we know that when he appears we shall be like him because we shall see him as he [Jesus]" (1 John 3:2, ESV). Moses wanted to see God's face but God said that no man shall see His face and live [in the flesh], as Jesus told Moses in Exodus 33:23. Jesus said in His Beatitudes that the pure in heart are blessed, for they shall see God [in the NT God usually refers to God the Father].

Don't forget the Aaronic benediction in Numbers 6:24-26 as a promise to claim: "The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you, the LORD lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace." What man has always yearned for is a God they can see; one that has skin on and we can relate to. Jesus is just that incarnation: God with skin on!

Jesus said that "God is glorified in Him" (cf. John 10:34) and this is when He is glorified. At His priestly prayer in John 17 Jesus besought the return of His glory after He had glorified the Father by doing all His will and being obedient in His subordination and humility. He did it by accomplishing all God's work for Him on earth that was given Him to do (cf. John 17:4). By analogy we give up our glory to share His glory and to glorify God: "The chief end of man is to glorify God, and enjoy Him forever" (The Westminster Shorter Catechism, ca. 1646).

Everyone will bow to the glory of God, either at Judgment Day, or to become a believer and surrender the control over himself, and even others, to the lordship of Christ. We must give up the ownership of our lives and realize we owe all to Him because He purchased us at the cross with His blood. But Jesus wants more than our bodies dedicated to Him as reasonable service (cf. Rom. 12:1), He wants us (to surrender everything we have and are to His lordship)! This entails and involves giving up your personal throne and kingdom and surrender it to God's sovereignty and guidance or plan for your life--we don't ask God to bless our plans, but Him to reveal His plan.

We leave our throne to bow to His and ultimately get a crown to reign with Him, just like Jesus left His throne in Heaven to humble Himself in obedience all the way to the cross. This surrender and acknowledgment of His lordship are not only done at salvation but renewed daily, as we learn to walk in the Spirit and in fellowship with God and our brethren (cf. 1 John 1:7). We actually have more authority in Christ after surrendering our authority and this is a paradox indeed (i.e., if we are lords, we are to become servants for Christ's sake and humble and meek enough that no service is beneath our dignity). We have nothing in comparison to lose and everything in eternity to gain, including the right to rule in glory with Christ, as we go from glory to glory to an ultimate glorified state in the New Jerusalem.

He doesn't want sacrifice or offering, or even going through the motions of the rituals of worship--Jesus internalized religion to make it a matter of the heart (He said evil comes out from the heart of man) because the Pharisees had externalized it to outward obedience to the letter of the Law, and neglect of the spirit of the Law. He wants all there is of us--all of our minds, hearts, souls, spirits, strength, and wills. John was stunned at the sight of the Lord, so just imagine how we would react!

Jesus is the great Inspector General of the church and we all need to pass muster and be ready for daily inspection of our daily walk--take regular spiritual check-ups so as not to jeopardize your testimony to the world. Paul said to "test yourselves whether you are in the faith." We are to examine ourselves (cf. 2 Cor. 13:5)--not others--regularly and especially before the Lord's Supper (cf. 1 Cor. 11:28).  We are fruit inspectors--not detectives. We must examine ourselves first because judgment begins at the house of God, and when we have cast the beam out of our own eye we can help someone else with the speck in theirs.

In other words, don't throw bricks if you live in a glasshouse, because we all have feet of clay or have vulnerabilities not readily apparent--we may see the sins of others as obvious; however, we just sin differently and have no right to look down on our brother or criticize him, and we are all vulnerable to Satan's attack, which Martin Luther called the Anfectung, and we should never succumb to this nor even his accusations. If we take care of our witness and testimony, God will take care of our reputation and open doors for us--we must just be ready!

Men have always imagined what God must be like and Christians have longed to see visions and revelations of God, known as theophanies. But no one knows what God looks like because God is Spirit (cf. John 4:24)! Moses saw the backside of the glory of Christ, who does reveal Himself, but the Father doesn't and no man has ever seen the Father. Our faith concerns the God who is there!


He indwells each of us and we can have an existential encounter with Him as we read Scripture, fellowship, worship, or pray. Christians see the glory of God in His work on earth and will see God's glory in heaven, to our delight. The prophets who claimed they "saw God" were seeing theophanies, and not God in His fullness. We cannot bear to look at the sun in its brightness, much less look at the glory of God directly. That's one reason God reveals Himself propositionally and in the Word.

Christians want Christ to be seen in them and also to seek Christ being glorified. As Paul said in Col. 1:27, "Christ in you, the hope of glory." He also boasted that Christ was glorified in him. We wait till Christ be formed in us and in our brethren as a sign of maturity. God will never give up making us in His image and we are works in progress (cf. Phil. 1:6).

The Greek disciples who came to the apostles and said they "[wanted] to see Jesus"; we have a much greater thing in that we have the Word of God and full revelation of the wisdom and knowledge of God in it--we're better off than being with Christ in person also because we have the inner blessing of the Spirit. The apostles said that it would suffice to see the Father, but Jesus said that to see Him was to see the Father! All that we can know and see God is revealed in Christ! In eternity we'll see the big picture!

The infidel doesn't see God anywhere at work, but the believer sees His fingerprint everywhere, from the smallest atom to the largest galaxy, at work. No amount of proof will convince someone who doesn't want to do God's will or sincerely have a relationship with him; to the believer and honest seeker, there is ample evidence--no one can disbelieve due to lack of evidence!

In glory, we shall behold Christ as He is and we shall be like Him too, able to take it in. It is said that some angels always do behold the face of God and that Gabriel "[stands] in the presence of God"; we'll have more privilege than an angel! People generally say that seeing is believing; however, believing is seeing! Don't envy those who have seen a vision or revelation, as Jesus told Thomas: "Blessed are those who have not seen, and yet believed" (cf. John 20:29). Jesus rebuked the Pharisees who maintained they could see but were "blind guides," in fact, the "blind leading the blind"; think how much worse it is to think you see and be blind, or not knowing you're blind! Christ came to open our eyes and to make the blind see, and Satan has blinded the eyes of all who don't believe in Christ (cf. 2 Cor. 4:4).

Caveat: Don't reduce God to one dimension or put Him in a box, emphasizing one aspect, like seeing Him just as: the Old, Doting Grandpa who says, "Boys will be boys;" the Kind Father; the Man Upstairs; Cosmic Killjoy; the Great Spirit; the Strict, Mean Judge; the Higher Power; or even as the Great Mathematical Mind. Whenever we have an inadequate perception of God it's idolatry and our God is too small, thinking of Him in human terms. How big is your God, is just as important as seeing Him. God cannot be limited, defined, or confined, and we must know that He is beyond comprehension, known as His profundity, and we will never fully apprehend His glory, nature, or essence throughout eternity ("the finite cannot contain the infinite," says the maxim).

The eyes of our hearts are opened upon salvation and we can literally say we see and were blind, just like the blind man Jesus healed said, "I was blind, but now I see!" No one can argue the fact that we have spiritual eyes enlightened and illuminated by the Holy Spirit living in our hearts. Theologians have attempted definitions of God in vain, for He cannot be described, only known, loved, and worshiped!

It is the childish faith that seeks to know God through pictures, visions, or experiences, but the mature obedient believer clings to the Word and hears God speaking His message through it; just like Francis Schaeffer wrote: "He is there, and He is not silent!" The problem with man is not only is he blind to spiritual truth, but spiritually hard-of-hearing and turns a deaf ear to the gospel message that he does hear. Man isn't faithful to the God he does see and is without excuse. Soli Deo Gloria!

What Is The Christian Life About?

Everyone has a doctrine, it is just a matter of how accurate it is. Everyone is a theologian, it just matters how good of a one we are.  Jesus' doctrine was right but the Pharisees hated His doctrine, though they loved doctrine per se, they specialized in the requirements of the Law.  You cannot avoid doctrine though and it just means teaching and is usually made systematic by professional theologians. But the church fathers formulated all the major doctrines of our faith and penned the creeds we know and believe.  Doctrine separates Christians when they make it the end and not the means. 

The purpose of all doctrine is to lead us to a fuller understanding and relationship with God--not a reason to feel puffed up with knowledge. All Scripture is profitable for doctrine...   One can know very little doctrine and be very good at applying what he knows and be a very good Christian.  But just being good at doctrine is not necessarily a sign of spirituality.  We must content ourselves in our knowledge.  

The disciples were "dedicated to the apostle's teaching [or doctrine]" (Acts 2:42). In other words, knowing doctrine is a means to an end, and not the objective itself (what we apply is more important than what we believe in theory).  Don't just be content just to be theologically correct. Don't be complacent!   Some people like to divide Christians into two camps, for instance: Arminian vs. Calvinist. Both can be very fundamental, evangelical, and conservative in their beliefs. In fact, there are some Arminians that know their God far better than some Calvinists.  John Wesley was a famous English Arminian and George Whitefield and Jonathan Edwards famous early American Calvinists. 

It is not a good thing to get into the habit of labeling fellow believers, which can lead to judging. You can say, "I am a Calvinist!" But I can retort, "I am a Christian!" In summary, at the Judgment Seat of Christ, God isn't going to ask you what party you were a member of or how you interpreted the atonement--but of your love for and trust in Christ. !

There are doctrines that divide (the renowned "Five Points of Calvinism," for instance) but they should be called the doctrines of grace, for they deal in salvation, namely, that salvation is of the LORD per Jonah 2:9. That means we contribute naught to our salvation, it is a gift of grace not of works.  Now, Christianity is separated and divided due to Satan's strategy to divide and conquer and they have gotten their eyes of the mission and the main thing, especially Jesus Himself, the true focus of our faith. If Christians learned what was negotiable and what wasn't, there would be no sectarianism. There might still be denominations but people would cooperate one with another and not have contentions or disputes. They would agree to disagree without being disagreeable.  It is high time we find commonalities with fellow believers: build bridges, not erect walls.   

Now it becomes necessary to define exactly what the Christian life is: the cliche that it is a relationship with Christ is too commonplace and trite and even misconstrued. What do we mean? Actually, we are talking of the thrust of our life; what motivates and inspires us, and what we love, and it should be Jesus. Two men notably walked with God in the Bible: Enoch and Moses.  So it can be said that our faith is a walk.  It could also be seen as a fellowship as it is impossible to be a spiritual Lone Ranger; we need other believers. It is an affair with Jesus, you might even call it a love affair!  One may inquire how one is getting along with Jesus and what you have learned of Him.  

Now, furthermore, Christ promised to be our friend if we obey Him, so it is an ongoing friendship too. Christ is the friend that sticks closer than a brother. Man was not made to walk through life alone with no God on His side and so we have an insurance policy. Salvation isn't really fire insurance, but with Christ, we have a hedge of protection against the evil one who cannot touch us. We have a job to do with God, a calling, so our life in Christ is a commission.  We are ambassadors for Christ to fulfill His gospel.  Christianity is a way to live but not just a philosophy or worldview but a path to know God and pursue or seek His face. 

Early Christians were referred to as followers of the Way: without the way, as Jesus claimed to be, there would be no going!   But then in a derogatory manner, the disciples were first called Christians at Antioch, or little Christs as an insult and that name stuck. God has no hands, but ours, no eyes but ours, no ears but ours, no legs but ours, and no mouth like ours on earth to do His will and goodwill. So we are Christ in disguise to some who may never know Him any other way; what is the gospel according to you? 

Christians are God's stewards of His provisions and blessing in order to be a blessing to others so that the others are blessed by association as it says, the rain falls on the wicked as well as the good.  We are examples to the world as salt and light to bring prosperity to the city we live in. Also, the very name disciple, used interchangeably with Christian, implies we are students and enrolled in the school of Christ, that we never stop learning and growing in Christ as works in progress.  But that would imply we are People of the Book as we are sometimes called! 

In sum, Christianity is a faith due to that being the means of salvation and prominent virtue, but what matters is that we authenticate or validate it with works.  Faith without works is dead and that faith cannot save.  We are not saved by works, but not without them either. James said that he would show his faith by his works and we are indeed known by our fruits. We are ordained unto good works and a called people to be zealous of good works. As the Reformers taught: we are saved by faith alone, but not by a faith that is alone.

Note: I am not describing salvation such as a person with Christ as Lord or has Christ living in his heart due to repentance and faith. Soli Deo Gloria! 

The Upside And Downside Of Tradition

"... So for the sake of your tradition you have made void the word of God" (Matt. 15:6, ESV). "So don't let anyone condemn you for what you eat or drink, or for not celebrating certain holy days or new moon ceremonies or Sabbaths" (Col. 2:16, NLT).

The Pharisees were bound by traditions that were merely the rules of men and they manipulated them to avoid doing God's will and obeying His commands. Even today Catholics defer to tradition and break with Protestants on this issue. Ever since the Counter-Reformation, at the Council of Trent (1545-63), the Romanists have deemed and valued tradition of equal status and authority with Scripture as the rule of faith--Protestants take issue with this and "dissent, disagree, protest," as they would say. Traditions are not wrong or evil per se, but only when they controvert or invalidate Scripture. There's nothing wrong with celebrating Christmas as a tradition, for instance! We only defer to tradition when it's concordant with Scripture and/or not against sound doctrine. We need to beware of adding to the Word or subtracting from it!

People basically have four reasons why they act when they don't have faith: culture (everyone's doing it!); tradition (we've always done it!); reason (it sounds logical and right!); and emotion (it feels right and appropriate!). Old traditions die hard and it's difficult to even start new ones. But remember this lesson: traditions must bow to conviction! Protestants adhere to the conviction that Scripture alone is the rule of faith, and have made this their rallying cry since the Reformation (sola Scriptura).

We don't give any man authority if it isn't in harmony with the Word--we're all subject to God's Word: ".... [For] you have exalted above all things your name and your word" (Psalm 138:2, ESV). It is wrong to base far-fetched teaching on some obscure passage with some private interpretation though, for "no Scripture is of any private interpretation" (cf. 2 Pet. 1:20). Hebrews 13:9, ESV, says, "Do not be led away by diverse and strange teachings...." We must interpret Scripture with Scripture and with the whole analogy of the Word. The Bible is its own Supreme Court! We also must observe all inferential and sound reading interpretation rules: narratives in light of didactic or teaching passages; obscure in light of the clear. We must interpret it as written: poetry as poetry; proverbs as proverbs; and narrative or history as such.

And we are not bound to observe all the traditions or commands of Scripture ("We are not under the law, but under grace" according to Romans 6:14; for instance, the Sabbath day observance laws have been rescinded and not applicable for Christians, but were meant for Israel (cf. Ezek. 20:12, 20). Don't let anyone judge you by your own tradition of a holy day: Col. 2:16 says this quite plainly. Each believer should be convinced in his own mind (cf. Rom. 14: 5). Family traditions are not necessarily forbidden--all tradition doesn't have to be religious! 

"A person may think their own ways are right, but the LORD weighs the heart" (Prov. 21:2, NIV).
"All a person's ways seem pure to them, but motives are weighed by the LORD" (Prov. 16:2, NIV).
"[F]or the LORD searcheth all hearts, and understandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts..." (cf. 1 Chron. 18:9).

There are many theologians who attack tradition as being unnecessary and unbinding to the believer, especially those believers of the Romanist persuasion with their numerous ones. Tradition can become a teaching aid and learning experience. John demurred to baptize Jesus but laid aside his understanding of things and trusted the Lord in obedience. Only sinners needed to repent! Sometimes it's just a simple matter of obedience to authority to our spiritual leaders. The only danger occurs when tradition is contrary to Scripture, directly contravening a doctrine. Often we defer to tradition for the sake of unity and coherence in the body.

Old traditions die hard! Even Protestants, especially Lutherans, have traditions reminiscent of Catholicism. The vestments of pastors go way back, and who would want to be the first to break that tradition? Because traditions have their pitfalls too! We all observe holy days such as Christmas and Easter, birthdays, anniversaries, even Thanksgiving Day is traditional.

However, tradition must be concordant with the Word to be binding and otherwise, it is simply a matter of personal conscience--for we ought to have the freedom to have our own convictions before God. By and large, tradition must bow to conviction! Family Christmas celebrations come to mind as a common tradition, even routines that are observed. Christmas is not biblical per se nor mandated, but that doesn't make it unbiblical, because it conflicts with nothing in Scripture. The problem comes when we put tradition on a par with the authority of the Word like they did at the Counter-Reformation (the Council of Trent, 1545-63). We don't add tradition as a replacement of Scripture!

There are many gray areas that cannot be judged as ill-advised scripturally, but the believer is to make up his own mind and feel free from being judged. The Jews at the time of Christ were burdened with the traditions of the elders and Pharisees, and the law had become a yoke they couldn't bear (cf. Acts 15:10) as a result. The point of Christianity is that it's not merely a religion of externals (do this or that), but of internals--the mental attitudes and thoughts are more important. God looks at our motives and incentives. We can become so bogged down in a tradition that we miss the boat with true spirituality. We are all creatures of habit seeking comfort zones!

Let's not get our eyes off Jesus as the true focus. Even the devil can observe tradition and look somewhat Christian--as he can "appear as an angel of light" (cf. 2 Cor. 11:4). Christianity is a matter of the heart and a spiritual matter at that. God sees the heart, while a man looks on the outward appearance. We cannot judge what happens in the heart of a believer observing his tradition, and God only holds a man accountable for what he knows, has the opportunity to know, or should know, i.e., had the opportunity to know. We ought to ask ourselves: Do we know better or not?

Sometimes churches have traditions known as rituals or liturgies, that they religiously obey during the worship service, which shows little imagination or creativity from the powers that be, and little has changed from the founding of the church--is there no room for improvement or advancement? Has the church freeze-dried the format down pat so that there's little room for the Spirit to move? The church is to be semper reformanda or "always reforming." Even though the Bible does say that all things should be done decently and in order, but that doesn't preclude freedom of the Spirit and opening the door to allow Him access.

Jesus accused the Pharisees of being hypocrites, for they "[nullified] the word of God for the sake of [their] tradition" (cf. Matt. 15:6, NIV). Jesus didn't follow the traditions of the elders to prove they weren't binding. We need to keep the main thing the main thing! We don't want to confine or bind the activity of God by our preconceived notions of what He can or cannot do. Man is by nature a religious being (known as Homo Religiosus) and will revert to his default position of security in tradition when push comes to shove or when the chips are down his real faith shines through to shed light on his inner convictions.

When Protestants stipulate that tradition has no spiritual merit or value per se, this is vis-a-vis salvation. Tradition has no part and no authority in salvation or over Scripture, of which authority is sola Scriptura or Scripture alone. Tradition doesn't trump the Bible in authority, nor is it on par with it. All in all, the heart of the matter is that it's a matter of the heart, which only God can judge and see through its veneer.

We all observe tradition unbeknownst to us, often masked as routine, habit, or custom. Jesus said a blessing and thanksgiving before meals and the tradition of saying grace was realized--note that this was not a command! We say "Please!" and "Thank you!" out of courtesy, but this is just tradition too! In sum, don't pooh-pooh tradition by virtue of it being merely tradition; i.e., don't knock it unless you don't observe any yourself! Soli Deo Gloria!

My Spiritual Journey

This is a first-hand account of my religious and/or spiritual pilgrimage, pitfalls and all, without glorifying the past--and sparing the details. It's an example of a believer who got his own way and ultimately learned to submit to God's will the hard way of "been there and done that."

I was baptized in California as an infant in a Lutheran church and the pastor was a friend of the family--we were corresponding for years. I was also confirmed in childhood. I can remember as a youth making a scrapbook of Jesus' life and my pastor showing it to the church, teaching vacation Bible school, and inquiring of my pastor whether I should go into the ministry. I even went to Bible camp and believed I knew the Lord mainly because I was fascinated with the book of Revelation (reading Billy Graham's book World Aflame), and then shared insights with my mom.

I recall no particular moment of surrender or spiritual awakening, but my faith was very important to me and I loved the Bible (I recall beginning the habit of underlining favorite verses). I was a person of the Book as far as I can recall, even buying a children's Bible on my own. My grandmother became very close to me and told me Bible stories.

I made the big decision to dedicate my life to Christ in a Billy Graham crusade I heard on TV around my 15th birthday, and then got involved in a Seventh-Day Adventist Church Bible study. Counseling with my pastor, he told me to read Martin Luther's Commentary on Galatians. I then proceeded to write a paper debunking the sect and defending the Lutheran faith. I also found out I am not Sabbatarian. I don't believe in "forsaking the assembly together of ourselves, as is the manner of some." But to affirm that there are no "hard-and-fast rules" for the Sabbath Day."

I went to Augsburg College (a so-called Lutheran Christian college), and was exposed to "higher criticism" and liberal theology, finding out I didn't know all the answers. With no more motive to study and being confused in my beliefs, I dropped out to do some soul searching and to find myself--wondering if my experience was to no avail.

Joining the Army and looking for love in all the wrong places, I heard a Billy Graham crusade again, only this time it was from South Korea; it was translated into Korean, so he had to go very slow and not being a good listener, it sunk in that I needed to repent, the missing link in my walk ("Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, and times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord," Acts 3:19; "And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem, Luke 24:47"). I was under grave conviction of my sin and rededicated my life to Christ. I called my mom and told her she will like the new me; she said she liked the old me! It seemed like I had made this decision before, but this time it stuck. I had to get to the end of my rope before admitting my need.

Going back I hooked up with the Navigators and was mentored. Once you've experienced it, you want to pass it on; so I got the bug to witness. Witnessing to a friend, he got saved; we became bosom buddies and hung around together the rest of my stint--I could not have made it through without his companionship and fellowship. I credit the Navigators for teaching me devotions, witnessing, Bible study, and the discipline of committing Scripture to memory. Then I taught Sunday School while in Okinawa and made many Christian friends.

I matured in my doctrinal viewpoints and the first doctrine I became interested in was eternal security--I even wrote Billy Graham to ask him his stand. I perceived that repentance is a continual attitude and not just a one-time event and that God grants it by grace. I frown upon "cheap grace," which justifies the sin, and not the sinner, as it were; giving a license to sin. I had thought you could sin as much as you want as long as you confess it! Repentance is an about-face, in military terms, and "If we regard iniquity in our heart, the LORD will not hear us." We must get a new attitude, change our mind about our sin. We can be very bad sinners, but never too bad to be saved ("Come now, let us reason together, says the LORD, though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow....").

I became convinced of believer baptism and was officially dunked in the church--Dr. Johnson knew me and didn't give me a hard time. I then shared my faith for the first time publically in the church, and had a personal revival and couldn't restrain myself--I had the "can't-help-it's" ( and I couldn't stop reading the Bible). I was accused of living "under the influence. And it was so strange that my mom committed me to the mental ward of the hospital for observation (they couldn't find anything wrong with me and released me). I was accused of going overboard on my religion. But I was scarred as a result and never got over it. Afterward, I wandered the state of Texas flat broke, and went down to Mexico, and then committed myself to the VA.

Finally, I decided to move to Minnesota to live with my grandmother. I gave my spiritual ambitions a rest and took up electronics and got a job at Honeywell troubleshooting torpedoes--I wanted to pursue this as a career path.

Then I joined the Army again, but had issues with depression and wanted out, and was given a medical discharge. Later, I had many personal problems and found a girl who listened to me and fell in love--we were married for ten years. During those years I was in and out of the mental hospital, being committed by my best friend, and then by my wife several times. Once I spent 18 months in treatment, but, praise God, have not had a relapse in over 20 years--but I do take medications, and am under psychiatric observation, to be safe, considering my track record.

I thought my hope had perished from the Lord, and I was destined for mediocrity. I found a church where I could continue to grow (I learned that one must keep the main thing the main thing and that the purpose of the universal, as well as the local church, is to evangelize and fulfill the Great Commission), and this church had a place for me to serve; however, I wasn't that dogmatic anymore.

Later, after a lot of studies, I started to be concerned about my beliefs (I became cognizant of the deity of Christ in a real way, and realized the Proverb "without a vision, the people perish"). I knew I had to exercise grace toward those I disagree with, and not be judgmental; putting Augustine's dictum into practice: "In essentials unity; in nonessentials, liberty; in all things, charity."

Since then I've had a meaningful relationship and friendship with my mom, who is not ignorant of doctrine, either--neither of us believes ignorance is bliss, and know our way around the block, theologically speaking. We talk every day and usually have mutually edifying and lengthy fellowship; we are on the same page so we can bounce ideas off each other.

I am not a success in the world's eyes and haven't achieved the American dream: But I believe what Mother Teresa of Calcutta says, "The Lord calls us to faithfulness, not success." God isn't interested in our achievements; He's interested in us and our obedience--Isaiah says, "All that we have done [God] has accomplished for us," and Paul says, "I venture not to speak, but of what Christ has accomplished through me" (Rom. 15:18).

Doctrinally speaking, I am a Calvinist who believes in the gifts of the Spirit--an oddity. Sometimes we must agree to disagree, and not be disagreeable, contentious, divisive, or argumentative. Even Paul and Barnabas disagreed and had to go their separate ways: There are more important things than being right all the time--relationships--our faith is a relationship with a person, not a creed. We must accept one another in love because we are "accepted in the Beloved" and always "speak the truth in love."

As far as doctrine goes, a good frame of reference for soteriology, the doctrine of salvation, is important for witnessing and assurance of salvation. Like they say, "God said it in His Word, I believe it in my heart, that settles it in my mind." I'm not what I ought to be, but thank God I'm not what I used to be! I now live an abundant life with a capital L and am seeking God's Kingdom first.

In summation, I am what I am by the grace of God, and am blooming where God has planted me. My mission is to the vets, my ministry is my Bible study, and my avocation is blogging to the glory of God--I thank God for my church home!

My favorite Bible verses are as follows:

"Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I keep thy word" (Psa. 119: 67).
"He brought me out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my steps" (Psa. 40: 2). "Therefore, the LORD longs to have mercy on you, and He waits on high to have compassion on you" (Isa. 30:18). "I know the plans that I have for you, says the LORD, plans to prosper you, and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future" (Jer. 29:11). "If thy Word had not been my delight, I would have perished in the way" (Psa. 119:92).
"The LORD has chastened me severely, but He has not given me over to death" (Psa. 118:18).

Most importantly: "The LORD knows the way that I take, when He has tried me, I shall come forth as gold" (Job 23:10). Soli Deo Gloria!

Knowing The Answerer ...

 

Socrates wisely said that ignorance is the prerequisite for learning and often its outcome; that you must admit your ignorance!   We must always have epistemological humility and not become cocky or a know-it-all even if we know more than the average Joe or our way around the block theologically.  It is vain and presumptuous to think you know all the answers when you don't 'know the Answerer. |Even then, your knowledge is limited.  Knowledge puffs up.  If any man that thinks he knows something, doesn't yet know as he ought to know. (cf 1 Cor. 8:2).  

That is, we must not have self-confidence but God-confidence. We get our eyes off Christ and think can teach ourselves as spiritual Lone Rangers without the aid of teachers or pastors. We must never be complacent just to be theologically correct.  Even though we are to contend for the faith and beware of false doctrine and "doctrines of demons" or even "strange teachings."  We all have the anointing and are able to interpret scripture.  

But that doesn't preclude the gifts of the Spirit in the body of Christ to bring us to maturity and disciple us.  Some know just enough to be dangerous.   Remember, it's the half-educated that thinks he knows what he doesn't know and refuses to seek help from those who may know more like a doctor referring a specialist. There is "knowledge falsely so-called" and not biblical and that of the world and I want to mention the Great Lie of evolution as an example. 

We must realize our limits and learn that we can and must learn from others as God gifts the entire body in various ways to be a blessing.   We must realize as Christians we are always learning but some are never coming to a knowledge of the truth. In sum, Sir Francis Bacon wisely said according to Proverbs 24:5, "Knowledge is power." 

"The discerning heart seeks knowledge, but the mouth of a fool feeds on folly" (Proverbs 15:14, NIV).
"Only simpletons believe everything they're told" (Prov. 14:15, NLT).
"The lips of the wise broadcast knowledge [feed many]" (Prov. 15:7, HCSB).
"...[U]ntil the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts" (2 Pet. 1:19, NIV).
"...If anyone does not speak according to this word, they have no light of dawn" (Isa. 8:20, NIV).
"[W]ho carries out the words of his servants and fulfills the predictions of his messengers" (Isa. 44:26, NIV).
"A man convinced against his will, is of the same opinion still." --old saying that rings true biblically.

The Christian ought to be humble regarding what he knows for sure and can't be dogmatic about and what is a matter of opinion. There will come a time when we beg to differ! As Protestants, we must utter: "I disagree, I dissent, I protest." Augustine's dictum applies here: "In essentials, unity; in nonessentials, liberty; in all things, charity." Paul also warned (cf. 1 Cor. 8:2, NIV) that "the man who thinks he knows something doesn't yet know as he ought to know." Socrates said that we cannot learn until we admit our ignorance; we must admit we could be wrong! Plato taught that all knowledge begins in faith and the Bible teaches it commences with the fear of the Lord (cf. Prov. 1:7). While Bacon said, "Knowledge is power" (cf. Prov. 24:5) love is the goal in the application.

When we disagree with believers, it ought to be in a humble attitude, not condescending or disdainful. The problem with most people is that what they know "ain't so!" People are so filled with misinformation, propaganda, disinformation, and lies from Satan, even heresies and false doctrines of demons, that they don't recognize the truth when it strikes a note. The truth should resonate and strike a chord that vibrates in the soul, hitting home where it counts!

Most people have opinions, and opinions are what you hold, but convictions hold you! Most people twist the facts to fit their theories and only believe what they agree with already! Most people don't hold any cherished beliefs they would kill or even die for if necessary--they're just opinions. And most people have their minds made up and don't want to be confused with the facts! Most people talk because they have to say something, while the wise talk because they have something to say; viva la difference! We must have several attitudes to be teachable: a willing spirit, an obedient and needy heart, and an open mind (we must not be looking for a fight or something to disagree or take issue with).

We need to be thirsty for the truth if we are to achieve it, and no one has a monopoly on the truth no matter how gifted they are--they're only part of the puzzle or picture (IT'S A BIG STORY AND WE'RE ONLY PART OF IT!) and the whole body needs and works together. But the strengths of one person are complemented by those of others and there is a coordinated search for truth, not the blind leading the blind. It is vital that we realize that all teachers are human and must not pontificate like the Pope or believe he has the right to speak ex-cathedra or from the chair (i.e., of St. Peter in Rome).

We all must admit that we are to edify and teach each other and use our gifts to build up the body accordingly. I know of several Christian authors that I disagree with on certain items or doctrines, but that doesn't keep me from reading them, for they are scholars in their own right and know what they are talking about. There is always an ear to hear or heed a person with a message (written or oral).

We have reached a level of maturity when we can distinguish our beliefs and our ignorance (know what you know and what you don't!), and be able to read writings of those we find occasion to disagree with but are still challenging or edifying; don't just read those we are inclined to agree with perfectly! No one should feel he has to agree with everything some writer or teacher puts out, but God will bless the search for the truth. It's a no-brainer that we shouldn't seek out teachers who say just what we want to say with itching ears.

Don't believe everything you hear or read, but search the Scriptures if there's a question or doubt. Even Socrates had to awaken from his dogmatic slumber to start learning. But one thing is certain: God will work through the body and we ought to take heed to what the Spirit reveals to it through gifted individuals, for God can speak through a child! All in all, we must never claim to know all the answers but to be part of the answer or solution, not part of the problem.

NB: The whole church was wrong about the sun revolving around the earth and Galileo was put under house arrest during the Catholic Inquisition. Also, the Reformation itself was proof that the established church can be in error.

CAVEAT: ONE SHOULD BEWARE LEST HE BECOMES A KNOW-IT-ALL AND PUT MORE WEIGHT ON HIS SUBJECTIVE VALUE JUDGMENT THAN WHAT IS DUE; WE MUST KNOW OUR LIMITS OR DOMAIN AND AREA OF ENLIGHTENMENT, EXPERTISE, AND GIFTING. In closing, G. K. Chesterton said, quite tongue in cheek, "We have found all the questions, now let's find the answers." Soli Deo Gloria!

Why Is Jesus The Son Of God?

First, we call Him that because He was incarnated by the eternal Spirit and born of a virgin.  In the biblical sense, the word "son" doesn't necessarily mean what it means in English as a begotten or natural-born progeny. We are "sons of Abraham" by faith and Peter called Mark his son and Paul called Timothy his son.   It means something that even we can be. Just as Barnabas was known as the "son of encouragement," which his name means.   Jesus nicknamed James and John "sons of thunder."  That means he embodies or personifies it, not that he is in some way begotten in an abstract way.  

Unfortunately, the creeds say that Jesus is begotten, not made to counter the Arian heresy and to clarify the deity of Christ.  When Jesus said He was the Son of God and also the Son of Man, it meant that He embodied or personified the essence of God and man. At His trial Jesus confessed to being the Son of the Blessed One; a direct claim to being God in the eyes of the Pharisees.   He is the icon of God or the express image of God meaning that all we need to know of God is seen in Him.  He is the representative of God and we can know God through Him.  For all the fullness of God's nature dwells in Him bodily (cf.Col. 2:9). Remember, God is spirit and invisible, to know God and see Him in glory, we must behold Jesus! "The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of His nature..." (cf. Heb. 1:3).

Jesus was always the Son of God and didn't become the Son of God at some point in time or He would not be eternal and then He couldn't be God. But He is God in the flesh and only in His humanity was there a beginning or incarnation. Nothing that begins can be eternal and must have a cause but God is the First Cause meaning He needs no agent and is not contingent or dependent upon anyone or anything. Jesus is co-equal with the Father and sees the Father as a father figure or role model in a sense that defines His relationship with Him, not that He was born of God.  

The Muslims are right in that they say God never had a Son.  Jesus was and is the Son and always was from all eternity.  He didn't become the Son. Muslims fail to see that the Father and the Son are One in essence, will, and attributes and this doesn't violate the law of noncontradiction.  To say God is one and to say Jesus and the Father are One is not a contradiction.  To say God is one and to say that God is personified in three manifestations is not a contradiction either. In one sense, God is one; in another, He is three--that is no contradiction according to the law of noncontradiction.  Which lawl states:  A cannot be A and non-A in the same sense at the same time. 

We are sons of God in that we bear His image and represent God and are adopted into His family which the angels are not!  We are privileged joint-heirs. We can be the image of God to people and manifest what God is like as witnesses and give a testimony that brings glory to God. Our purpose when is to glorify God! A Son glorifies and brings honor to a Father. In the beginning, both the Father and the Son enjoyed equal glory from all eternity. 

Since Jesus is the Son of God, to worship Him is to worship God, to honor Him is to honor God, to deny Him is to deny God, to blaspheme Him is to blaspheme God, to receive Him, is to receive God, and to reject Him, is to reject God. Jesus is God in other words and for all practical purposes. We must conclude that the world may be looking for a song to sing and a creed to believe or a calling to find but they must realize that Christianity is about a person to know.  Without Him in your heart, you just going through the motions and are empty inside. We must have the Son in our hearts and radiate His glory. We miss the boat if we don't realize who the Son is and what that means and should mean to us personally. We fail at our spiritual potential.    Soli Deo Gloria!