God’s Silence August 29, 2008
Posted by JP in Discussion, Faith.1 comment so far
The fog on your lake is neither accidental nor fatal. So while swimming, listen very carefully and patiently for His voice. Some days you will be seized with panic and dog-paddle like mad. You’ll try various approaches: breaststroke, butterfly, backstroke, float. But all the time, you want to be listening for His voice. I urge you to listen with great sensitivity, because His message will come in various ways.
I get nervous around some people and the way they talk about hearing God or seeing Him at work. Sometimes I freely admit that I want to recommend a good therapist. Especially when I hear people say things like, “The Lord spoke to me in my kitchen at 2:15 this morning.” Or, “God found me a parking space today.” I consider these folks “bumper-sticker Christians.” They’re often scary folks, almost spooky. Miracles are everyday occurrences to them. They see skywriting in the clouds, and they hear voices in the night. Hear me well, that’s not the kind of “voice” I’m talking about.
God gave you a mind. God gave you reason. God gave you a unique sensitivity; it’s built into your spiritual system, and each person’s system is tuned differently. God wants to reveal His will to you and to teach you while you are waiting. So while you are waiting, don’t start searching for spooky stuff. We walk by faith, not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7). Get into His Word. Get on your knees. Accept counsel from those who are maturing and balanced believers, solidly biblical in their theology and in their own lives. And wait.
However, there are tangible things to connect with. Passages of Scripture that bring comfort and insight. Messages that enlighten and enliven. Certain people you respect. Tap into those, wait, and listen with a sensitive ear. Like Esther, don’t rush into big decisions. And may I be painfully direct? Don’t talk so much! Believers who are maturing not only respect God’s silence, they model it as well.
Why God Allows Christians to Suffer August 12, 2008
Posted by JP in Discussion, Faith, Uncategorized.13 comments
Never forget that God is in control of all the circumstances that surround a believer’s life. God is in control of your life, and involved in all the details.Your suffering has not escaped His notice. Your situation has not somehow been buried in His inbox. He is intimately aware of everything going on in your world, and no detail is too small to escape His attention. The word “oops” is not in God’s vocabulary.
And as we can so clearly see from the book of Job, the devil can do nothing in the life of the believer without the express permission of God.
Okay, you say, but if He’s in control, why does He allow these hurtful things to happen to me and to people I love?
1. Suffering makes us strong
The apostle James tells us:
“When all kinds of trials and temptations crowd into your lives, my brothers, don’t treat them as intruders, but as friends. Realize that they come to test your faith and to produce in you the quality of endurance. . . . you will find you have become men of mature character, men of integrity, with no weak spots.” (James 1:2-4 phillips)
God allows hardship in our life so that our beliefs will become more real to us, and less theory. We can start living out our faith-life in the real world.
I’m reminded of all the people you see driving SUVs. Most of these fancy rigs have 4×4 capabilities. Some guys take it a notch above that, putting lifts in their rigs, buying those big gnarly tires, and mounting huge lights on top.
And what do they do with these powerful vehicles? They brag to their buddies, and say, “Yeah, just look at this thing. Look at what it can do. I could drive this baby up the side of a building.”
“Well,” someone might ask, “do you want to go out in the dirt?”
“Are you kidding? Do you know how much I paid for this thing? No way! In fact, I was just on the way to the car wash.”
So they never want to actually use that vehicle for its intended purpose?what it was actually designed to do.
We can be that way with our beliefs. I can imagine God saying, “You know, you have a lot of really great beliefs. You talk about them all the time. I think it’s time you started putting some of them into practice. You talk about how you trust Me. You talk about how you believe I can provide for your every need. Let Me put you in a situation where you have no other resources and really have to trust Me for that provision.”
You see, God can allow these hardships and trials and shortfalls in our lives so that we will exercise our faith muscles, and step out on trust alone. We need to transfer our faith from the realm of theory to reality.
2. Suffering can bring God glory
Any fool can be happy and peaceful when the sun shines down from a blue and cloudless sky. But when those qualities shine out from the midst of a dark and destructive storm, that’s another matter entirely.
That, in essence, was the challenge Satan laid before God. “Job follows You because You have blessed him in every way, but if those things were taken away, it would be a different story. He would curse You.”
In order to show the falsehood of Satan’s argument?and to strengthen Job’s faith at the same time?God allowed these multiple tragedies to crash into Job’s life.
The result? Job not only refused to curse God, he actually blessed Him. What a rebuke to the enemy! What a witness to the world.
It is a powerful testimony when a believer can praise God while suffering. Remember the story of Paul and Silas, arrested for preaching the gospel in the city of Philippi? The Bible tells us that the jailer had them stripped and flogged. Then they were put in a dungeon, where their feet were fastened in stocks.
How did they respond? Here’s what the Bible says:
“But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them.” (Acts 16:25 nkjv)
That word “listened” could be translated as listened with great interest. Why? Because they had never heard anybody sing praises to God in such a place. And that’s about the time the Lord sent an earthquake:
“At once the prison doors flew open, and everybody’s chains came loose. The jailer woke up, and when he saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself because he thought the prisoners had escaped. But Paul shouted, “Don’t harm yourself! We are all here!” (Acts 16:26-28 niv)
The jailer responded by saying, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” In effect, he was saying, “I’ve been watching you guys. I’ve seen how you have taken such terrible punishment without cursing. I’ve seen how you can worship in the worst circumstances, and how you could have escaped but didn’t. All I can say is, whatever you have, I want it.”
Your circumstances may not be as dire as those of Paul and Silas. But people are watching you. If you’re in the midst of a hardship or a difficulty, they’re watching to see if you will really practice what you preach, and live out what you proclaim. The way you handle suffering in your life can bring great glory to God.
Paul the apostle also suffered from an unnamed “thorn in the flesh.” No one really knows what it was, but he spoke of it in his letter to the Corinthian church, and said that he had asked the Lord on three separate occasions to remove it.
But God said no. Even though God had done miracles through Paul, bringing healing to others, He chose not to bring that healing in the life of His loyal servant in this particular situation.
When Paul asked why, God gave him this answer: “My gracious favor is all you need. My power works best in your weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9 nlt).
Was Paul discouraged by this answer? It sure doesn’t sound like it! He goes on to say, “So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may work through me. Since I know it is all for Christ’s good, I am quite content with my weaknesses and with insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong” (vv. 9-10).
So God can be glorified through your weakness. His light and power can shine through the chips, cracks, and cracks in your life, drawing others to Himself.
False Teachers… August 7, 2008
Posted by JP in Bible Study/Reference, Discussion, Faith, Scripture.1 comment so far
The false teacher is deceptive. Verse 15 of today’s passage describes him as a wolf in sheep’s clothing. He appears to want people to know the “real” truth about God, but his interpretation of Scripture may contain outright lies or a distorted mix of fact and error. Since wise believers study God’s Word, they can detect a “sheepskin” starting to slip. The wolf is further exposed by his personal life, which won’t be consistent with righteousness (Matt. 7:16). A close study of his decisions, actions, and words will reveal that he does not follow the Lord’s will or biblical principles.
The false teacher’s life and message are self-indulgent. His enticing ideas appeal to his listeners’ fleshly nature. In fact, he’ll often permit activities prohibited in Scripture. Some deceivers describe God’s grace as a license to live without restraint (Jude 4). Paul clearly denounces this lie, teaching that believers have died to sin and shouldn’t live in it (Rom. 6:2).
The body of Christ is expected to use Scripture as the standard against which to measure a leader’s lifestyle and words. When we seek divine truth, we are given the discernment to know a holy message from a misleading one.
A false teacher wants to create uncertainty in his listeners. In order to gain followers, he must persuade his audience that he possesses knowledge they lack. The people who accept this misleading information as absolute truth will usually return to the false teacher for more. Having followers strokes his ego and provides “proof” that he is right.
Those who have a sound doctrine won’t be led astray. That’s why it is so important for our faith to rest on biblical truth—for example, Jesus Christ died for the sins of mankind, the Holy Spirit dwells in believers, and Christians will be resurrected bodily. Defeating false teachers takes more than “my pastor says . . .”When confronted, we must defend our faith with Scripture we ourselves have studied. By regularly reading and applying God’s Word, we will be better prepared when confronted with untruth.
Building a sound doctrine protects believers from misleading messages and arms them to defend the faith. Do not be caught unprepared. If you haven’t already started, begin to study the Bible today. Should you need help, ask your pastor or a godly mentor for guidance.
Being sin or sinning… July 10, 2008
Posted by JP in Discussion, Faith.1 comment so far
Recent discussions online have bandied about the idea of sin being a noun, a verb, or an adjective. Some suggest that sin is a verb and verb alone, some have suggested otherwise. My understanding of sin as discussed in scripture is that it is a relatively generic term for an action, a state of being, or a thing.
Apparently the greek word translated as ’sin’ means to “miss the mark” encouraging one participant in these discussions to assert that it is a verb and applies only to actions which ‘miss the mark’.
I think the whole idea can be summed up in the idea that sin represents unrighteousness in comparison to the righteousness of God.
Thus we have a few concepts of this unrighteousness and only one really pertains to the whole:
Our state of being.
The fall of Lucifer begins this idea, through his pride he set himself as equal to God and thus rebelled against God, after his ejection from God’s glory he deceived Eve who disobeyed God, and Adam along with her, subsequently placing all humanity into a state of unrighteousness. This is the condition in which we are all born. A condition not predicated on what we do or don’t do, but simply a state of our being. All ’sins’ we commit are a result of this condition, the condition is not a result of the sins we commit.
Scripture is very clear on this concept when it explains that there is none righteous:
Psa 14:2-3 The Lord looked down from heaven upon the children of men to see if there were any who understood, dealt wisely, and sought after God, inquiring for and of Him and requiring Him [of vital necessity]. (3) They are all gone aside, they have all together become filthy; there is none that does good or right, no, not one.
Rom 3:10-12 As it is written, None is righteous, just and truthful and upright and conscientious, no, not one. (11) No one understands [no one intelligently discerns or comprehends]; no one seeks out God. (12) All have turned aside; together they have gone wrong and have become unprofitable and worthless; no one does right, not even one!
The Gospel of Christ Jesus lived, crucified, and raised again speaks directly to this state of being. It is His atoning sacrifice which took upon Him our unrighteousness and killed it for all time on the cross. It is His resurrection that allowed His righteousness to be imputed to us. The idea of committing sin after that bestowed righteousness is secondary to the rectification of our natural condition into that condition which God created us originally.
The 10 Commandments…. conceptual truths July 3, 2008
Posted by JP in Bible Study/Reference, Discussion, Faith, Scripture.add a comment
The ‘big 10’ offers more than just list of what to do or not to do. It reveals deeper conceptual truths that guide us in our walk with God, and a righteous path in this life. It also gives us a method of living that is beneficial, physically and spiritually.
Let us look at these commandments from God and their deeper meaning and applicability:
Exo 20:2 I am the Lord your God, Who has brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
This first contains an essential truth to spiritual/religious righteousness: There is one True God, the God of Abraham, Issac, and Jacob. This One is the Lord.
Lord is defined as one who has authority, control, or power over others; a master, chief, or ruler. One exercises authority from property rights. God is the creator; all things exist from Him and for Him. His sovereignty and authority over all things is absolute as He alone has the ‘property rights’ for that which is His by His creation.
(3) You shall have no other gods before or besides Me. (4) You shall not make yourself any graven image [to worship it] or any likeness of anything that is in the heavens above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; (5) You shall not bow down yourself to them or serve them; for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generation of those who hate Me, [Isa. 42:8; 48:11.] (6) But showing mercy and steadfast love to a thousand generations of those who love Me and keep My commandments.
This is the commandment against idolatry. It speaks not just to worshipping little statues, but to placing ourselves under the control of anything other than the One True God.
Many things in this life gain control over us, or rather, there are many things that we place in positions of importance in our lives more so than God: Money, prestige, success, sports, drugs, relationships, etc.
God tells us that all things in this life are secondary to Him and His Lordship in our lives. This causes me to think on my own life and my struggle with alcoholism. I’ve been recovered for just over 8 years now, and I remember back to when I was deep in the bottle, it wasn’t that my life was in shambles from drinking that caused me to seek recovery, because for the most part I was an extremely functional alcoholic. But I realized that alcohol had control over my life, everything I did or thought about doing revolved around the idea of drinking. Often times when planning an outing, or going out to dinner, or visiting friends, I thought about whether or not there would be drink available, and sometimes that made the difference in what I did or did not do.
(7) You shall not use or repeat the name of the Lord your God in vain [that is, lightly or frivolously, in false affirmations or profanely]; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain.
This isn’t about simply cursing using the name of God profanely or frivolously. It speaks to us on a deeper level of respect, love, and reverence. To train a person not to take for granted the name of that which is of paramount importance in their lives teaches that person to demonstrate respect for those things. By commanding us not to treat His name frivolously or falsely, He teaches us to learn respect by demonstrating respect.
( 8 ) [Earnestly] remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy (withdrawn from common employment and dedicated to God). (9) Six days you shall labor and do all your work, (10) But the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God; in it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, your daughter, your manservant, your maidservant, your domestic animals, or the sojourner within your gates. (11) For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. That is why the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it [set it apart for His purposes].
Ah, the ‘4th commandment’ – that which separates so many who would have us earn our salvation through works and religious observance…
This, in its simplest terms, is an instruction on how to care for our lives and ourselves.
Work is an unfortunate necessity. We must work to earn a living, and often times we must work hard. This commandment teaches us that all work and no rest is a bad thing. We must rest our bodies and our minds; we must take the time to let our physical and mental selves rejuvenate and recuperate.
God demonstrated this necessity for us although I would offer that He needed no rest, but chose to do so. We are not omnipotent, thus we must take the physical rest.
There is also the spiritual aspect here regarding the foreshadowing of the Gospel of Christ. Jesus Christ is our spiritual rest. It is His salvation that provides us rest from the pursuit of righteousness through works which is the law given in the OT.
(12) Regard (treat with honor, due obedience, and courtesy) your father and mother, that your days may be long in the land the Lord your God gives you.
Respect and obedience to authority – this is something we learn as children, or do not learn depending upon how one is raised. God instructs us to honor (respect) our parents and this is the first step in teaching a person respect for authority.
In the New Testament, we are told to respect and adhere to the authority of the government, and throughout scriptures, we are admonished to respect and adhere to the authority of God. This respect begins at home, with the parents.
(13) You shall not commit murder.
Wow, so much to discuss regarding murder, what it is and what it is not, and why we should not do it….
Murder is defined as the unlawful killing of another person. It is not simply killing someone, thus government-sanctioned executions do not apply, and accidental killing does not apply, slaughtering animals for food does not apply.
There are many psychological ramifications involved here that I will not go into at this time however, but this idea of ‘not committing murder’ may make an interesting post of its own some day…
(14) You shall not commit adultery.
(15) You shall not steal. [Prov. 11:1; 16:8; 21:6; 22:16; Jer. 17:11; Mal. 3:8.]
(16) You shall not witness falsely against your neighbor. [Exod. 23:1; Prov. 19:9; 24:28.]
I am taking these three together as they all lean towards a central issue: Trust, reliability, and righteousness.
To lie, cheat or steal irreparably damages, or destroys trust. One who lies cannot be trusted, one who cheats on his/her spouse cannot be trusted. One who steals cannot be trusted.
God desires for us to re-become the image of Him, and God has demonstrated to us that He is ever faithful, and ever honest. We cannot become like Him if we do not demonstrate the essential qualities that He possesses.
Additionally, we cannot be the witness, the testimony of His love, wisdom, and faithfulness if we demonstrate the opposite, and if we cannot be the witness to His glory then we are not doing the job He has given us to do.
(17) You shall not covet your neighbor’s house, your neighbor’s wife, or his manservant, or his maidservant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor’s. [Luke 12:15; Col. 3:5.]
Coveting… that carnal desire to have that which belongs to someone else – it is a destroyer of souls. Scripture tells us that the root of evil is the love of money. This is an intricate part of coveting – loving something other than God.
When we covet what are we doing, spiritually, emotionally, and mentally? We are sublimating our love of our Lord with a desire for material things. We are setting the stage for idolatry.
When one becomes covetous, it leads into a downward spiral of other issues. If we want something someone else has, and we want it badly enough we easily fall into lying, stealing, yes… and adultery.
Ultimately, God’s commandments given to Moses to share with His chosen people give us the basic blueprints on how to succeed in life, emotionally, physically, and spiritually. Adherence to these commandments will disciple us, keep us from our own naturally carnal tendency to self-destruction, and provide us with a strong witness and ability to share the Gospel of Christ crucified and risen from the dead.
The Gospel June 27, 2008
Posted by JP in Faith, Scripture, Venting.add a comment
1 Cor. 15:1-4: AND NOW let me remind you [since it seems to have escaped you], brethren, of the Gospel (the glad tidings of salvation) which I proclaimed to you, which you welcomed and accepted and upon which your faith rests, (2) And by which you are saved, if you hold fast and keep firmly what I preached to you, unless you believed at first without effect and all for nothing. (3) For I passed on to you first of all what I also had received, that Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One) died for our sins in accordance with [what] the Scriptures [foretold], (4) That He was buried, that He arose on the third day as the Scriptures foretold,
The gospel is defined as the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus for our sins. Christ Jesus’ sacrificial atonement for our sins, granted by His grace through our faith. Nothing more, nothing less.
I entreat all of my brethren - follow the commandment of our Lord and spread the Gospel of Christ. Place this goal first and foremost in your hearts and minds, and put the doctrinal debates, the political debates, the social change debates on a back burner. Do not let the concerns of society, or of your particular denomination take the front seat in your Christian life, but strive to make the Gospel your first priority and responsibility.
Preach the Gospel at all times, and if necessary; use words.
Calvinism discussed… May 28, 2008
Posted by JP in Bible Study/Reference, Discussion, Faith, Scripture.add a comment
What is Calvinism?
It is a series of theological beliefs first promoted by John Calvin (1509-1564). They were affirmed by the Synod of Dordt (1618-1619) as being the doctrine of salvation which is contained in the Bible. It laid the foundation for Reformed Theology.
Calvinism is often summarized by The Five Points of Calvinism, which are easy to recall by using the acrostic “TULIP:“
T: This usually stands for “Total depravity:” This is often mistaken to mean that humans are all hopelessly, intensely sinful. Actually, it means something quite different: as a result of Adam and Eve’s disobedience to God — the Fall of Man — sin has extended to all parts of every person’s being: “his thinking, his emotions and his will.”
Sometimes, this has been called “Total inability.” This is the concept that it is impossible for the ordinary “natural” human to understand the Gospel’s message. They are spiritually helpless. First, God must first decide to intervene in the form of the third personality within the Trinity, the Holy Spirit. Otherwise, the person is lost forever.
Rom 5:12 Therefore, as sin came into the world through one man, and death as the result of sin, so death spread to all men, [no one being able to stop it or to escape its power] because all men sinned.
Mar 4:11 And He said to them, To you has been entrusted the mystery of the kingdom of God [that is, the secret counsels of God which are hidden from the ungodly]; but for those outside [of our circle] everything becomes a parable,
U: This stands for “Unconditional Election.” This is the concept of predestination: that God has divided humanity into two groups. One group is “the elected.” It includes all those whom God has chosen to make knowledgeable about himself. The rest will remain ignorant of God, and the Gospel. They are damned and will spend eternity in hell without any hope of mercy or cessation of the extreme tortures (I must point out that currently I have no firm belief system on the subject of hell other than that it is an eternity separated from the Glory of God - which to my mind would indeed be tortuous). God made this selection before the universe was created, and thus before any humans existed. The ground or grounds that God uses to select the lucky few is unknown. What is known is that it is not through any good works on the part of the individual. It is not that he extends knowledge to some in order to find out who will accept salvation and who will not.
There is a degree of tension within the Bible concerning precise division of responsibility between God and humans on this matter. The Bible does not resolve this issue.
Hyper-Calvinists believe that a person has zero responsibility for their own salvation; it is all up to God.
Arminians teach that humans have free will and thus can accept or resist the call of God
Rom 9:15 For He says to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy and I will have compassion (pity) on whom I will have compassion. [Exod. 33:19.]
Rom 9:21 Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same mass (lump) one vessel for beauty and distinction and honorable use, and another for menial or ignoble and dishonorable use?
L: This stands for “Limited atonement” or “Particular Redemption.” This is the belief that Jesus did not die to save (justify) all humans. He only died for the sake of specific sins of those sinners who are saved. This idea is often misunderstood because scripture tells us that God desires that all men be saved. The truthful description of this doctrine is “unlimited atonement with limited application”:
Mat 26:28 For this is My blood of the new covenant, which [ratifies the agreement and] is being poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. [Exod. 24:6-8.]
Eph 5:25 Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her,
I: This stands for “Irresistible Grace:” This is the belief that every human whom God has elected will inevitably come to a knowledge of God. The elect cannot resist the call.
Joh 6:44 No one is able to come to Me unless the Father Who sent Me attracts and draws him and gives him the desire to come to Me, and [then] I will raise him up [from the dead] at the last day.
Rom 8:14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.
1Pe 5:10 And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace [Who imparts all blessing and favor], Who has called you to His [own] eternal glory in Christ Jesus, will Himself complete and make you what you ought to be, establish and ground you securely, and strengthen, and settle you.
P: This stands for “Perseverance of the saints:” This is the “Once saved, always saved” belief — that everyone who has been saved (justified) will remain in that state. God will begin and continue a process of sanctification which will continue until they reach heaven. None are lost; it is impossible for them to lose their salvation.
Php 1:6 And I am convinced and sure of this very thing, that He Who began a good work in you will continue until the day of Jesus Christ [right up to the time of His return], developing [that good work] and perfecting and bringing it to full completion in you.
Rom 8:28-39 We are assured and know that [God being a partner in their labor] all things work together and are [fitting into a plan] for good to and for those who love God and are called according to [His] design and purpose. (29) For those whom He foreknew [of whom He was aware and loved beforehand], He also destined from the beginning [foreordaining them] to be molded into the image of His Son [and share inwardly His likeness], that He might become the firstborn among many brethren. (30) And those whom He thus foreordained, He also called; and those whom He called, He also justified (acquitted, made righteous, putting them into right standing with Himself). And those whom He justified, He also glorified [raising them to a heavenly dignity and condition or state of being]. (31) What then shall we say to [all] this? If God is for us, who [can be] against us? [Who can be our foe, if God is on our side?] [Ps. 118:6.] (32) He who did not withhold or spare [even] His own Son but gave Him up for us all, will He not also with Him freely and graciously give us all [other] things? (33) Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect [when it is] God Who justifies [that is, Who puts us in right relation to Himself? Who shall come forward and accuse or impeach those whom God has chosen? Will God, Who acquits us?] (34) Who is there to condemn [us]? Will Christ Jesus (the Messiah), Who died, or rather Who was raised from the dead, Who is at the right hand of God actually pleading as He intercedes for us? (35) Who shall ever separate us from Christ’s love? Shall suffering and affliction and tribulation? Or calamity and distress? Or persecution or hunger or destitution or peril or sword? (36) Even as it is written, For Thy sake we are put to death all the day long; we are regarded and counted as sheep for the slaughter. [Ps. 44:22.] (37) Yet amid all these things we are more than conquerors and gain a surpassing victory through Him Who loved us. (38) For I am persuaded beyond doubt (am sure) that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities, nor things impending and threatening nor things to come, nor powers, (39) Nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Joh 6:39 And this is the will of Him Who sent Me, that I should not lose any of all that He has given Me, but that I should give new life and raise [them all] up at the last day.
Objections to Calvinism:
Universalism: This term has many meanings. Today’s most common meaning is that all individuals will eventually attain Heaven. None will be lost forever in Hell. Whether or not they have been saved during their lifetime is unimportant; the number and degree of sins that they have committed is also of no consequence. This belief system is so outrageously contradictory to so much of scripture it is a wonder anyone believing it can even say they’ve read or understood the Word of God.
Arminiansm: This is comprised of a series of beliefs which were first advocated by a break-away group of Dutch Calvinists. They teach beliefs that differ significantly from each of The Five Points of Calvinism:
- That each person is not spiritually helpless. She/he has free will and can choose to be saved
- God selected the Elect on the basis of his foreknowledge of who would respond and be saved.
- Jesus died so that everyone had a chance to be saved. But first, the person must choose to accept salvation.
- Man has free will and thus can resist the call of God.
Now then; I was raised understanding the belief (false belief) of man having free will and being able to accept or reject the salvation provided by Christ’s sacrificial atonement upon the cross, and it wasn’t until much later in my life after a complete rejection of all I was raised to believe and then through serious consideration of His Word and what it really said, that I understood those beliefs to be completely contrary to scripture its teachings of an omnipotent and soveriegn God.
Basically this belief system teaches us that God is dependent upon us. That He remains at our beck and call to be accepted or rejected as we see fit. It teaches that the best our Sovereign Lord could do was to look into the future and see who would or would not accept Him and then ‘elect’ those He foresaw as accepting Him. This belief system has at its foundation man’s utter arrogance and carnal need to be above his Creator…
Complete and utter hogwash.
One last detraction of Calvinism, or more directly; the doctrine of predestination and election, is that it somehow destroys evangelism. Once again, man placing his ability and input over that of the Sovereign God. Somehow, God is dependent upon us to spread His Word and ‘win souls’. I think however, that I will carry over the refutation of this nonsense to another post…
The Series… Sanctifcation May 11, 2008
Posted by JP in Bible Study/Reference, Discussion, Faith, Scripture.1 comment so far
In the previous post we discussed justification as Christ’s righteousness imputed to us through God’s grace by faith (a reliance upon and trust in Him). That justification, a one time adoption as heirs to the Glory of God breeds regeneration (a new birth as new creatures in Christ) thus leading us to sanctification and continuing (progressive) sanctification:
Sanctification [positional], is to be set apart, to be made holy. A status conferred not by moral transformation but by the sacrifice of Christ:
Heb 10:10 And in accordance with this will [of God], we have been made holy (consecrated and sanctified) through the offering made once for all of the body of Jesus Christ (the Anointed One).
Through faith and grace, through the sacrificial atonement of Christ Jesus we are set apart, we are made holy, in the eyes of God, and thus in the eyes of the world. This is the keystone to Christianity and the failure of the idea of being able to do whatever we want to do, however we want to do it. As new creations in Him, we are to be Christ-like in our lives, our witness is not in only what we say, but how we live.
Not only have we been made holy (consecrated and sanctified) once and for all, we continue in ongoing process of sanctification that conforms us to the image of Christ:
Php 2:12-13 Therefore, my dear ones, as you have always obeyed [my suggestions], so now, not only [with the enthusiasm you would show] in my presence but much more because I am absent, work out (cultivate, carry out to the goal, and fully complete) your own salvation with reverence and awe and trembling (self-distrust, with serious caution, tenderness of conscience, watchfulness against temptation, timidly shrinking from whatever might offend God and discredit the name of Christ). (13) [Not in your own strength] for it is God Who is all the while effectually at work in you [energizing and creating in you the power and desire], both to will and to work for His good pleasure and satisfaction and delight.
2Co 3:18 And all of us, as with unveiled face, [because we] continued to behold [in the Word of God] as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are constantly being transfigured into His very own image in ever increasing splendor and from one degree of glory to another; [for this comes] from the Lord [Who is] the Spirit.
Heb 12:14 Strive to live in peace with everybody and pursue that consecration and holiness without which no one will [ever] see the Lord.
2Pe 3:18 But grow in grace (undeserved favor, spiritual strength) and recognition and knowledge and understanding of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (the Messiah). To Him [be] glory (honor, majesty, and splendor) both now and to the day of eternity. Amen (so be it)!
What exactly are we being told by God’s Holy Inspired Word? We are told that we are to work on our sanctification with trust and reverence to the power of God working in us, that we are not to trust in, and be cautious of, our own ideas and to guard against those things that would discredit the name of Christ. We are told that we do this continually and to grow in His grace from now until the day we leave this earth and that without this pursuit of holiness others may not ever see the Lord.
How more plain can scripture be? We are to strive to be Christ-like in all that we do, we are to place our faith and trust in Him to cause this holiness to come to fruition for we cannot do it in and of ourselves, and that if we do not continue in this pursuit, the world will not see Him.
Since we are admonished to preach the Gospel to all peoples, and to go out to all nations making disciples it is a no-brainer to understand that the way we act, the way we live, is as important, if not more so, than what we say.
Preach the Gospel at all times; and if necessary, use words.
So, what’s the deal then? What of ‘Christian liberty’ and the freedom from condemnation if we cannot live the lives we want to live? The answer is simple:
We are set apart by the most righteous God to be His representatives to the unsaved world. We cannot represent Him if we are ‘wearing’ the ways of the world.
He is not of this world and the things of this world, and as His representatives here in this world, we cannot be of this world and the things of this world either. If your neighbor or co-worker cannot look at you on a daily basis and see the light of God shinning from you in the way you act, the things you say, or the way you say them, then that neighbor or co-worker cannot see God.
Christian liberty is not the freedom to be, or behave, in any fashion we choose. It is the freedom from death and condemnation for the sins we have committed or may commit.
This then brings us to the pragmatic issues of Christianity and the Christian life; hypocricy, self-righteousness, striving to be a ‘good Christian’, legalism, et al. These are the big issues, these are the tough issues. Do we pretend to be ‘holy’ when we want to cuss and scream? Do we risk acting as if something we do not feel in our hearts that we truly are? Do we rely on what we ‘feel’ or what we know?
“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.”
This will be the underpinning purpose here at JP’s Mind; to address the practical issues of daily Christianity from time to time, in order to pursue my own holiness through Him as well as help others in their own pursuits.
The Series… Salvation (Justification) vs. Sanctification May 11, 2008
Posted by JP in Bible Study/Reference, Discussion, Faith, Scripture.1 comment so far
“What we have here, is a failure to communicate…”
Christians and the bulk of ‘Christianity’ discuss salvation ad nauseum. You must be ’saved’, salvation is by Grace through faith, etc. etc. etc… What is at issue is the umbrella term ’salvation’ being used to discuss the entirety of a variety of meanings - justification, regeneration, sanctification, glorification, and more.
In my ‘Statement of Faith’ page, I’ve outlined the aspects of salvation, here it is again for discussion:
Salvation
Salvation is the gift of God, by grace through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, whose blood was shed for the forgiveness of our sins; that this salvation is the possession of those who by faith accept Christ as their personal Savior. I believe that there is no other way of salvation
In its broadest sense salvation includes regeneration, justification, sanctification, and glorification. There is no salvation apart from personal faith in Jesus Christ as Lord.
Regeneration, or the new birth, is a work of God’s grace whereby believers become new creatures in Christ Jesus. It is a change of heart wrought by the Holy Spirit through conviction of sin, to which the sinner responds in repentance toward God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Repentance and faith are inseparable experiences of grace.
Repentance is a genuine turning from sin toward God. Faith, a gift from God, is the acceptance of Jesus Christ and commitment of the entire personality to Him as Lord and Savior.
Justification is God’s gracious and full acquittal upon principles of His righteousness of all sinners who repent and believe in Christ. Justification brings the believer unto a relationship of peace and favor with God.
Sanctification is the experience, beginning in regeneration, by which the believer is set apart to God’s purposes, and is enabled to progress toward moral and spiritual maturity through the presence and power of the Holy Spirit dwelling in him. Growth in grace should continue throughout the regenerate person’s life.
Glorification is the culmination of salvation and is the final blessed and abiding state of the redeemed.
Let’s look at the peices and try to determine where the bible addresses the idea of ‘Christian Liberty’ in terms of salvation;
Justification is God’s gracious and full acquittal upon principles of His righteousness of all sinners who repent and believe in Christ. Justification brings the believer unto a relationship of peace and favor with God.
The ‘Christian’ life begins with justification by grace, through faith:
Rom 3:24-25 [All] are justified and made upright and in right standing with God, freely and gratuitously by His grace (His unmerited favor and mercy), through the redemption which is [provided] in Christ Jesus, (25) Whom God put forward [before the eyes of all] as a mercy seat and propitiation by His blood [the cleansing and life-giving sacrifice of atonement and reconciliation, to be received] through faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in His divine forbearance He had passed over and ignored former sins without punishment.
Rom 4:22-25 That is why his faith was credited to him as righteousness (right standing with God). (23) But [the words], It was credited to him, were written not for his sake alone, (24) But [they were written] for our sakes too. [Righteousness, standing acceptable to God] will be granted and credited to us also who believe in (trust in, adhere to, and rely on) God, Who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead, (25) Who was betrayed and put to death because of our misdeeds and was raised to secure our justification (our acquittal), [making our account balance and absolving us from all guilt before God]. Rom 5:1-2 THEREFORE, SINCE we are justified (acquitted, declared righteous, and given a right standing with God) through faith, let us [grasp the fact that we] have [the peace of reconciliation to hold and to enjoy] peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One). (2) Through Him also we have [our] access (entrance, introduction) by faith into this grace (state of God’s favor) in which we [firmly and safely] stand. And let us rejoice and exult in our hope of experiencing and enjoying the glory of God.
Rom 5:19 For just as by one man’s disobedience (failing to hear, heedlessness, and carelessness) the many were constituted sinners, so by one Man’s obedience the many will be constituted righteous (made acceptable to God, brought into right standing with Him).
This justification in the eyes of God, is an adoption into the family of God:
Gal 4:4-7 But when the proper time had fully come, God sent His Son, born of a woman, born subject to [the regulations of] the Law, (5) To purchase the freedom of (to ransom, to redeem, to atone for) those who were subject to the Law, that we might be adopted and have sonship conferred upon us [and be recognized as God's sons]. (6) And because you [really] are [His] sons, God has sent the [Holy] Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, Abba (Father)! Father! (7) Therefore, you are no longer a slave (bond servant) but a son; and if a son, then [it follows that you are] an heir by the aid of God, through Christ.
This ‘adoption’ as sons and daughters of the Righteous God is the beginning. This justification is what ’saves’ us from the wrath of God - the wages of our ’sin’:
Rom 5:9 Therefore, since we are now justified (acquitted, made righteous, and brought into right relationship with God) by Christ’s blood, how much more [certain is it that] we shall be saved by Him from the indignation and wrath of God.
We must realize however, know in our minds and our hearts, that this righteousness, this justification, is imputed to us, it is given to us freely by God’s grace, that there is nothing we have done, or ever could do, to earn it or deserve it:
Php 3:9 And that I may [actually] be found and known as in Him, not having any [self-achieved] righteousness that can be called my own, based on my obedience to the Law’s demands (ritualistic uprightness and supposed right standing with God thus acquired), but possessing that [genuine righteousness] which comes through faith in Christ (the Anointed One), the [truly] right standing with God, which comes from God by [saving] faith
From the point of justification by grace through faith we move into a state of repentance (I want to point out that faith is not mere ‘belief’, it is something much deeper; it is better defined as a trust in, a clinging to, a reliance on Him). True repentance represents a turning to God, a turning from evil, and an intent to serve God (1Th 1:9 For they themselves volunteer testimony concerning us, telling what an entrance we had among you, and how you turned to God from [your] idols to serve a God Who is alive and true and genuine, ). It involves the intellectual recognition of sin (Rom 3:20 For no person will be justified (made righteous, acquitted, and judged acceptable) in His sight by observing the works prescribed by the Law. For [the real function of] the Law is to make men recognize and be conscious of sin [not mere perception, but an acquaintance with sin which works toward repentance, faith, and holy character]), an emotional change of feeling for sin committed against a holy and just God (2Co 7:9-10 Yet I am glad now, not because you were pained, but because you were pained into repentance [and so turned back to God]; for you felt a grief such as God meant you to feel, so that in nothing you might suffer loss through us or harm for what we did. (10) For godly grief and the pain God is permitted to direct, produce a repentance that leads and contributes to salvation and deliverance from evil, and it never brings regret; but worldly grief (the hopeless sorrow that is characteristic of the pagan world) is deadly [breeding and ending in death]), and a willful turning away from sin (1Pe 3:11 Let him turn away from wickedness and shun it, and let him do right. Let him search for peace (harmony; undisturbedness from fears, agitating passions, and moral conflicts) and seek it eagerly. [Do not merely desire peaceful relations with God, with your fellowmen, and with yourself, but pursue, go after them!] .
Upon true repentance we move into regeneration. Regeneration is at its simplest definition: a new birth (Jn. 3:3, Tit. 3:5) that makes us new creatures in Christ (2 Cor. 5:17) through the work of the Holy Spirit (Jn. 3:5-8).
(let me state that regeneration and repentance are not mutually exclusive, or necessarily linear, but are hand-in-hand aspects of ’salvation’, we continually repent and are continually undergoing regeneration.)
This this leads us to the real crux of the Christian life; Sanctification and progressive sanctification, which we will pursue in the next part of ‘The Series’.
Pornography and the Christian Man April 27, 2008
Posted by JP in Discussion, Faith, Venting.add a comment
The ‘general’ statistics:
- 57 million Americans have Internet access.
- There were 63.4 million unique visitors to adult websites in December of 2005, reaching 37.2% of the Internet audience. In August 2005 that number was 71.9 million, reaching 42.7% of the Internet audience
- Internet users spent an average of 14.6 minutes per day viewing adult content online.
- 25 million Americans visit cyber-sex sites between 1-10 hours per week. Another 4.7 million in excess of 11 hours per week.
- 87% of university students polled have virtual sex mainly using Instant Messenger, webcam, and telephone
- Commercial pornography sites: 74% display free teaser porn images on the homepage, often porn banner ads. 66% did not include a warning of adult content. 11% included such a warning but did not have sexually explicit content on the homepage. 25% prevented users from exiting the site (mousetrapping). Only 3% required adult verification.
- 70% keep their habit a secret
Christians/Church Attendees
- In an August, 2000 survey of its readership by Christianity Today magazine, 36% of laymen responding have visited a sexually explicit Internet site, of which 44% have visited such sites “a few times” in the past year.
- In a 2000 study by Focus on the Family, 18% of people identifying themselves as Christians admitted visiting a sexually-oriented web site.
- 60% of Christian men have sought out some form of pornography.
- At one Promise Keepers event, 50% of those in attendance said they had checked out pornographic material within the past week.
- 96% of Christian males under the age of 20 masturbate regularly.
- 61% of Christian married men masturbate regularly, and 16% use pornography to stimulate themselves to masturbate.
- In a 1992 survey of 800 active church members and leaders, 15% of the men and 11% of the women admit to having been unfaithful to their spouses, and 49% had viewed pornography in the past year.
- 59% of married Christian men regularly fantasize about sexual relations with someone other than their spouse.
- 91% of men raised in Christian homes were exposed to pornography while growing up (compared to 98% of those not raised in a Christian home).
- 51% of pastors say cyber porn is a possible temptation. 37% say it is a current struggle. 4 in 10 pastors have visited a porn site.
Those are the statistics, and they tell a horrific story. Pornography and sexual impurity are insidious and permeating problems in the Church, and the last statistic demonstrates that for the most part – church leaders are not really in tune to the reality of this issue.
51% of Pastors say cyber porn is a possible temptation? Give me a flipping break!
I will grant that at least half of the Pastors in the world recognize there may be a problem, but that also tells me that half of them are either clueless, deluded, or out of touch. The deeper problem is the statistic that says that 37% say it is a current struggle… 63% of the spiritual leaders either do not recognize the severity of the issue, or choose to be blind to the issue.
Now then, before I go off on a rant about this failure of church leadership to recognize and address the dangers facing their flock, I will give all pastors a crutch to lean on:
Addressing this issue, knowing how to address this issue, and knowing how to help laity with this issue, is difficult. Many do not know how to deal with it and some are effected by it personally and do not feel suited to address it (the plank and splinter theme).
That being said, I want to give my opinion on some of the statistics I offered: They are wrong.
The main problem with this issue is secrecy. The only way a study can gather statistics of this sort is if the people polled are honest about what they do. With issues of a sexual nature, particularly those elements which are generally viewed as ‘wrong’ in the eyes of the Church, scripture, and God, the honesty level drops significantly. In light of that I assert that the numbers I posted are significantly higher for Christian/Church Attendees.
A quick bit of personal revelation:
I have struggled with sexual impurity in a variety of forms for many years. I started accessing pornography at a very young age, and continued for the majority of my life, until finally it almost destroyed my marriage. The amazing thing is that never once did anyone, in the variety of churches I’ve attended over the years, address the topic of sexual impurity or pornography. Not only was it never really a topic of discussion, I was never given the opportunity to broach the issue, nor was I ever placed in a position where I felt comfortable to broach the subject.
This is why I used the word ‘insidious’ in connection with the problem of pornography and sexual impurity. It is a taboo issue for the most part; upstanding people don’t talk about it because they shouldn’t be involved in it. It is not a thing we talk about in Sunday school, from the pulpit, in Bible Study groups, or anywhere in a church setting – that is simply wrong, and it must be changed.
This issue isn’t about a guy clicking on an adult website once in a while; it is concerning something far deeper in the spiritual lives of all who engage in it. There is a song called ‘God sized hole’ which says that there is a God sized hole in everyone. The problem with that hole is that we have a need to fill it or try to fill it. That hole doesn’t just go away because someone is attending church. It doesn’t just go away because someone confesses acceptance of Christ, and because it doesn’t just ‘go away’ it niggles at the individual and they attempt to fill it.
Pastors can often see this effect in some of their flock because people often try to fill that hole with material things; cars, big homes, lots of activities, drugs/alcohol, etc. But the pastor cannot see the Deacon on the internet at night, surfing through porn websites, or cruising through the adult bookstore downtown – the pastor cannot see it, but it happens far too often.
Once during a small group bible study our group broke up into separate groups (men and women) to work on a gender related aspect of the study. The guys gathered around the table and discussed the study and soon broke off into an enlightening and healthy discussion of issues facing men. I went out on a limb and introduced the subject of pornography use and was amazed to see the rapt attention of the 5 guys sitting with me. Being the youngest of the group I was hesitant at first, but soon realized that I was not the only one sitting at that table that had questions, or concerns, about this subject. Thankfully I had just finished a course offered by Setting Captives Free which had helped me tremendously to break free from the chains of my enslavement to pornography, so I was well prepared to discuss the issue candidly and honestly.
This is what has got to happen in every church in America, nay… in the world. Pastors, and anyone in spiritual leadership in the local congregation, whether it is the Youth Pastor, or the Men’s Ministry coordinator/leader, have to find a way to address the subject with their flocks. They must do so frankly, with compassion, with a heart to help and heal, and with complete transparency. If the pastor struggles with the issue himself – then he must offer that confession to the men. For only through complete honesty can the healing begin.
If the pastor fears that his confession, or revealing of personal/spiritual shortcomings, places him in a position where he may lose his job or the respect of his flock – well then that pastor should pack his bags and leave outright. If he cannot be human, he cannot lead. If he cannot struggle with sin and work to overcome it and make that known to his advisory counsel and maintain his respect and/or position, then he is not in the right place and he is not doing the job God called him to do, the way God intended him to do it.
So here is my call to all leaders of all congregations: Educate yourselves on the subject of sexual impurity, pornography, and vice. Build yourself up in Christ through prayer, self-reflection, and personal honesty. Recognize that there is a problem in your congregation whether you know about it or not, and find a way to address the issue and bring healing to so many men (people) suffering through crisis’s of faith and a battle with a seemingly unconquerable foe.
To this end I offer you two resources:
